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(All events on Oahu, unless noted)
2005
11/14/05
3rd American National BJJ Championships
(Torrance Unified School District, Torrance, CA )
10/29-30/05
Brazilian Team Titles
(Equipes)
(Brazil)
8/27-28/05
International
Masters & Seniors BJJ Tournament
(Tijuca Tenis Clube, Tijuca, Brazil)
7/23-31/05
World BJJ
Championships (Mundial)
(Tijuca Tenis Clube, Tijuca, Brazil)
5/7-8 & 14-15 & 21-22/05
Brazilian National BJJ Tournament
(Youth, Adult, Master & Senior)
(Tijuca Tenis Clube, Tijuca, Brazil?)
4/1-3/05
Pan American
& Team Title USA vs Brazil BJJ Tournament
(BJJ)
(California State University Dominguez Hills, Carson, CA)
3/12/05
The Second Annual Maui
Jiu-Jitsu Open
BJJ tournament
(BJJ)
(Maui War Memorial Gym, Wailuku, Hawaii)
3/6-7/05
Hawaii State High School Wrestling Championships
(Blaisdell Arena)
3/5/04
So You Think You Tough 7
(Boxing, MMA)
(Kauai)
2/5/05
UFC 51: Super Saturday
(MMA)
(Las Vegas, NV)
1/29/05
Kid's BJJ Tournament
(BJJ)
(Relson Gracie Main Academy, Honolulu)
1/22/05
Punishment In
Paradise 9:
Hawaii vs. Mainland
(MMA, Kickboxing)
(Kapolei H.S. Gym)
2004
12/31/04
Pride
(MMA)
(Japan)
K-1
(MMA, Kickboxing)
(Japan)
|
|
December 2004 News
Part 2
Wednesday night and Sunday
classes (w/ a kids' class) now offered!
 
For the special Onzuka.com
price, click on one of these banners above! |
Tuesdays at 8:30PM on
Olelo Channel 52
New Time! |
Mike
is selling his Integra...again!
Just
when you thought that his Integra was long gone, it is recovered
and still in great shape. Of course, there is no stereo, but
all the wiring is in place for someone to install a new stereo.
All the bolt-on components are still there (Akimoto Intake, DC
Sports Stainless Steel Header, JET Chip, Greddy Exhaust, but
the exhaust will need to be changed soon). Three out of four
17" rims and tires are on it right now so if you want to
buy new rims, you just have to buy one tire and you are good
to go. The car is very reliable and I did all the maintenance
on time. In fact, I did more than the scheduled maintenance because
I was not driving the car that much.
The
finishing touches are being put on it as we speak. I am selling
the car for $9,000.00 which is way lower
than any other car near this year with way more mileage than
the just over 46,000 that I have on it is going for. I want to
get rid of this car as soon as I can.
For
more details and pictures click on:
http://www.onzuka.com/acura1.html
If
you are interested, please contact Mike by phone (381-9530) or
email me at Mike@onzuka.com.
|
Quote
of the Day
"Success is not to be pursued; it is to be attracted by
the person you become."
Jim Rohn, American Businessman, Author, Speaker, Philosopher
|
Another
Pro Wrestler Added to Pride Card
Japanese pro wrestler Yoji Anjoh has been added to the December
31st Pride event, and will be taking on Ryan Gracie, who has
three straight wins in Pride over Shungo Ohyama, Kazuhiro Hamanaka
and a controversial decision victory over Ikuhisa Minowa.
As
noted, Anjoh is primarily a pro wrestler, but does have some
MMA experience, although he's never won a fight, posting an 0-4-1
record, with a number of matches in UFC at their Ultimate Japan
events to Murilo Bustamante, Matt Lindland and Tank Abbott. Ryan
Gracie is 4-2, with the two losses being against pro wrestlers
Tokimitsu Ishizawa (wrestles under the name of Kendo Ka Shin)
and Kazushi Sakuraba.
There's
a bit of a backstory here, as this match pertains to an infamous
feud between Anjoh and the Gracie family that actually inadvertently
led to the birth of Pride. Anjoh, at the time a pro wrestler
for UWF-I which was a shoot-style (meaning the fights looked
as real as possible but were still worked) pro wrestling company
which had Nobuhiko Takada as its big star, decided to venute
into the Gracie studio in Torrance, CA to challenge Rickson Gracie
to try and make a name for himself, figuring that with his submission
wrestling training and size advantage, he would be able to defeat
Rickson. Rickson was a big name in Japan at that time because
he was considered the "king" of the Gracie family,
and had won two straight annual tournaments in that country.
As it turned out, Rickson was able to mount and bloody Anjoh
in their challenge match. The fight was videotaped, and when
word got out in Japan regarding the story, people wanted to see
Nobuhiko Takada exact revenge on Rickson, because Takada, of
course, was the major star of UWF-I. People in Japan didn't know
that UWF-I was worked and thought Takada was legit and a very
skilled fighter, and couldn't understand why he didn't fight
Rickson. UWF-I, which was a huge hit at one point, saw its popularity
shrink, and eventually it folded. Takada had formed a smaller
shoot-style promotion named Kingdom, but took the opportunity
to fight Rickson Gracie in a legit match at the debut Pride event
at the Tokyo Dome in 1997. Takada lost the match, and lost the
subsequent rematch a year later, and never won a legit match
in his career.
Source: Maxfighting |
Update
on K-1 Grand Prix Judging Controversy
K-1 recently issued a statement by Nobuaki Kakuda regarding the
controversy of the ringside judging at the December 4th K-1 Grand
Prix Finals event at the Tokyo Dome. The controversy was regarding
three fights specifically, the two first round matchups of Ray
Sefo vs. Musashi and Ernesto Hoost vs. Remy Bonjasky, and the
finals between Musashi vs. Bonjasky.
They
claimed that the judges' observation was fair, and concluded
that there was nothing wrong with the judging on that night.
Sefo had complained openly regarding the judging in his fight
against Bonjasky, and Hoost complained about the judging in his
fight against Bonjasky, feeling that he landed more combinations
than Bonjasky. Hoost made a call for international judges in
K-1, which of course makes no sense because Hoost lost to another
Dutchman and it's not like international judges would have made
a difference there. K-1 claimed that Hoost vs. Bonjasky was a
very close fight, and that if they had awarded the decision to
Hoost instead of Bonjasky, that it would have been Bonjasky complaining
instead.
K-1
also claimed that the reason they sent the finals between Musashi
and Bonjasky into the fifth round was that the final match of
the tournament can be sent into a second overtime if there is
a half-point difference in scoring. I personally feel Bonjasky
dominated the fourth round of the fight against Musashi and that
the fifth round was not justified and the judging was bad.
Source: Maxfighting |
UFC
Movie
From the Daily Variety...
By
MICHAEL FLEMING
John
Herzfeld will write and direct an untitled film that taps into
the no-holds-barred world of the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
Station
Casinos owners Lorenzo and Frank Fertitta, who also own UFC,
will exec produce the film via their Insomnia Entertainment banner.
Insomnia's Trent Othick will produce.
UFC
matches boxers, wrestlers and martial artists from every discipline.
The gladiators square off in an octagonal ring in five-minute
rounds. They pound, kick and half-nelson each other until one
is KO'd or quits. Padding is minimal, and blood is common.
Herzfeld,
an amateur fighter from New Jersey before he became a writer
and director, said fight choreography has been a priority in
his films, from the catfight between Charlize Theron and Teri
Hatcher in "Two Days in the Valley" to a scrap between
Robert De Niro and former UFC champ Oleg Taktarov in "15
Minutes."
Herzfeld
was a good match for the Fertittas, who formed a film division
partly to finance pictures that focus attention on their entertainment
interests, from casinos to poker. They took over UFC when the
sport was on the ropes. UFC is now a major event in such venues
as the MGM Grand and Mandalay Bay, and the Fertittas just completed
13 episodes of "The Ultimate Fighter," a reality series
for Spike TV.
"I've
watched the sport since its inception because I was fascinated
by the mix of martial arts styles," Herzfeld said. "This
movie will be about a soldier who returns from the Middle East
and works his way up from backroom brawls, bar fights and last-man-standing
tournaments, all the way to the UFC."
Herzfeld
plans to cast a star, one who can be believable in the ring,
and he will be surrounded by real UFC fighters. The director,
who is also developing "Trophy Wife" at Mandalay, hopes
to be in production by next summer.
Insomnia
will either place the film at a studio or self-finance. Dana
White, who runs UFC, will exec produce along with Insomnia's
Tom Breitling.
Source: MMA Weekly |
Quote
of the Day
"When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang
on."
Franklin D. Roosevelt, 1858-1919, Twenty-sixth President of the
USA
|
Casca
Grossa's Boys' Status in Maui
Kyle Snyder-Olivares takes 3rd Place!
Kyle Snyder-Olivares (Pearl City)
Kyle came back with a vengence on Saturday. In the first match,
he won by points 14-2 against an Oregon wrestler, the second
match had Kyle up 9-0 against Roosevelt wrestler and then his
opponent was disqualified because of his uniform (what we heard
was that his boxers came out of his singlet. Go figure). He then
beat his teammate, 12-1. And for 3rd place, he got revenge against
the Zilla wrestler who beat him on Friday by a score of 4-3.
Brandon Low (St. Louis)
Brandon won his first match, but nothing more was given about
him. Sorry.
Source: "Scoop" Olivares
|
Dispelling
BJ Penn Rumors
It is not true that BJ Penn will be featured on the next UFC
card against Frank Trigg. This was brought up on a couple of
news pages, probably due to the postings that had BJ and JD Penn
talking with UFC President Dana White at this past Super Brawl.
K-1 wanted BJ to be on the New Year's Eve card, but BJ is not
100% and he only goes into a fight when he is 100%, so that will
have to wait.
Look for BJ to fight possibly in early 2005, possibly on the
newly invigorated Korea MMA event.
|
1st
Ever ALL KIDS BJJ Tournament
Plans are getting put together for the first ever ALL KIDS Brazilian
Jiu-Jitsu tournament. This is being put on by the Relson Gracie
academy, which is where it will be held, and organized by Kaneohe
Team instructor, Ronn Shiraki. There is no limit on the age of
the kids at this time, it depends on the amount of interest that
is garnished by everyone. In BJJ, a 16 year old can be given
an adult belt (Blue, Purple, Brown), so the tournament will probably
be for kids under 16 years old.
The tournament is open to every school in the state and the tournament
mission is simple, to help promote kids in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
and grappling.
Please spread the word as plans are just getting put together
so input, comments and suggestions are welcomed. For now, you
can email
us and
we will forward them on to Ronn.
|
Tanner
Leaves Team Quest
Insidefighting.com has reported that Evan Tanner has "officially
left Team Quest." Tanner apparently contacted the website
today and informed them of the news. It is unclear with whom
Tanner will now be training with or what the circumstances were
that led to his departure. What is clear is that on February
5th he will not have his old team cornering him as he faces David
Terrell from across the Octagon.
Source: Gracie Fighter
|
Smack
Girl 2004: "World ReMix"
Sunday, December 19, 2004
Twin Messe Shizuoka - Shizuoka City, Shizuoka - Japan
COMPLETE
CARD (subject to change):
Reserve:
-
Tama Chan Vs TBA;
Bracket
A:
-
Marloes Coenen Vs Youko Takahashi;
-
Erin Toughill Vs Miwako Ishihara;
Bracket
B:
-
Megumi Yabushita Vs Amanda Buckner;
-
Ana Carolina Vs Roxanne Modafferi.
Source: Tatame
|
Randy
Couture on the cover of American Health and Fitness
American Health and Fitness will feature the UFC's Light Heavyweight
Champion, Randy Couture, on the cover of their next issue. Randy
Couture who just finished filming the new Spike TV reality show
featuring himself and Chuck Liddell has been busy not only with
the TV show but playing a role in Steven Segal's upcoming movie.
Couture recently talked with Ryan Bennett and Frank Trigg on
MMAweekly Radio, where he talked about filming with Liddell,
who he will be fighting again in April at UFC 52. In which Couture
said,"You know, Chuck and I have a similiar approach to
this sport , we look at this as a competition and it's nothing
personal, you know we get along great and we'll get along great
after the fight no matter who wins....we'll hang out and beat
the snot out of each other and have a good time doing it."
He also talked about his experience with Steven Segal.
AHF
magazine hits the stands January 4th.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Quote
of the Day
"My goal is simple. It is complete understanding of the
universe,
why it as it is and why it exists as all."
Stephen Hawking, 1942-, British Theoretical Physicist
|
Casca
Grossa's Boys' Status in Maui!
Kyle Snyder-Olivares (Pearl City), Shane Ahlo (St. Louis) and
Brandon Low (St. Louis) left Honolulu today for the Maui Wrestling
Invitational tournament. The tournament features mainland wrestlers
against Hawaii's own and is a double elimination tournament.
Kyle Snyder-Olivares (Pearl City)
Although heavy at 171lbs, he received a bye in the first round
and won in the second round 12-0 against an Iolani wrestler.
He lost his third match by points to a Zilla High School wrestler.
After a failed shot attempt by Kyle, his back was taken, he chased
him to take it back, but could not. Kyle is still in the tournament
and will wrestle tomorrow morning.
Shane Ahlo (St. Louis)
Loss his first two matches by pin.
Brandon Low (St. Louis)
Brandon received a bye in the first round and won in the second
round by points. He lost his third match by points in over time.
It was a very close match, but his opponent edged him out.
More news as it comes in.
Source: "Scoop" Olivares & "Double Scoop"
Ahlo
|
THE
GRAPPLING HALL OF FAME
RECOGNIZES THE MOUTH OF NHB, FCF's JOEL GOLD
Ø If you would like to go, please make your reservations
today. There are only 60 tables, the event will sell out.
Ø
Only 12 people can sit at a table, please let us know who you
would like to sit with.
Ø
Make your reservations today with your credit card. The deadline
is January 17, 2005.
Ø
YOU CANNOT SIGN UP AT THE DOOR or AFTER THE JANUARY 17th CUTOFF
DATE
Seating
Chart available at http://www.grapplinghalloffame.com
RESERVED
TABLES:
TABLE
29 = Renzo Gracie & Guests
TABLE
25 = Royce Gracie & Guests
TABLE
38 = Lloyd Irvin & Guests
TABLE
19 = Hall of Fame Announcers/Staff
TABLE
20 = Ricardo Liborio & Guests
TABLE
21 = Jacare Calvalvanti & Guests
TABLE
33 = Joel
Gold &
Guests
TABLE
39 = Danny Schulmann & Guests
TABLE
37 = Bob Schirmer & Guests
TABLE
7 = Fernando "Cabeca" Sarmento
Grappling
Hall of Fame’s Instructor of the Year = Fernando "Cabeca"
Sarmento
Grappling
Hall of Fame’s Magazine/Newspaper = Full Contact Fighter
– Joel Gold
Source: Kipp Kollar
|
Official
K-1 PREMIUM 2004 Dynamite fight card
K-1 PREMIUM 2004 Dynamite!!
Friday, Decenber 31, 2004
Osaka Dome, Japan
Hawaii's own 2 time BJJ Champ, Kendall Goo is reportedly flying
to Japan to help Royce prepare for his fight against Akebono.
[MMA
Fight Rule]
Akebono vs. Royce Gracie
(Japan/Team Yokozuna) (Brazil/Team Gracie Jiu-jitsu)
Kazuyuki
Fujita vs. Karam Ibragim
(Japan/INOKI Office) (Egypt/Free)
*Karam Ibragim got Gold medal in Greco wrestling at Athens Olympic
Mike
Bernardo vs. Bobby Ologun
(South Africa/Steve's Gym) (Nigeria)
[K-1
Rules]
Masato
vs. Norifumi "KID" Yamamoto
(Japan/Silver Wolf) (Japan/PUREBRED TOKYO)
Ray
Sefo vs. Gary Goodridge
(New Zealand/Ray Sefo Fight Academy) (Trinidad and Tobago/Free)
Musashi
vs. TBA
(Japan/Seido Kaikan)
Line
up fighter:
Yoshihiro
Akiyama (Japan)
Jerome Le Banner (France/Boerboel & Tosa Gym)
Bob Sapp (USA/Team Beast)
Source:
Koichi "Booker K" Kawasaki
|
More
match ups of PRIDE "OTOKO MATSURI"
Ryan Gracie
Takes on Yoji Anjo
PRIDE "OTOKO MATSURI" -SADAME-
Date: December 31st 2004
Place:Saitama Super Arena
Open:15:30 Start:15:30
Yoji
Anjo vs. Ryan Gracie
(Japan/Free) (Brazil/Ryan Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Academy)
Makoto
Takimoto vs. Sentoryu
(Japan/Yoshida Dojo) (USA/Free)
* Takimoto got Gold medal in Judo at the Sydney Olympic
Stefan
Leko vs. Ikuhisa Minowa
(Krefeld/Golden Glory) (Japan/Free)
Giant
Silva vs. Choi Mu Bae
(Brazil/Free) (Korea/Team Tackle)
Ryo
Chonan vs. TBA
(Japan/Free)
Already
announced
Kazushi
Sakuraba vs. Wanderlei Silva
(Japan/Takada Dojo) (Brazil/Chute Boxe Academy)
Yuki
Kondo vs. Dan Henderson
(Pancrase Ism) (USA/Team Quest)
Takanori
Gomi vs. Jens Pulver
(Japan/Kiguchi Dojo) (USA/Team Extreem)
Fedor
Emelianenko vs. Rodrigo 'Minotauro' Nogueira
(Russia/Red Devil Fight Club) (Brazil/BTT)
Hidehiko
Yoshida vs. Rulon Gardoner
(Japan/Yoshida Dojo) (USA/Team Quest)
Source:
Koichi "Booker K" Kawasaki
|
ZUFFA
COMMISSIONS UFC MOVIE
Obviously Fight Sport is not a big fan of Dana White.
UFC owners Frank and Lorenzo Fertitta will executive produce
a film about the UFC. The film will be released via their Insomnia
Entertainment banner.
John
Herzfeld will write and direct the film, while Trent Othick will
produce. Lifelong Fertitta cronie and former boxercize instructor
Dana White (who has no background in big business or movie producing)
will be handed a job as an executive producer.
Source:
Fight Sport
|
FRYE
IN GODZILLA MOVIE
MMA star veteran Don Frye has an acting part in the newest Japanese
Godzilla movie.
Frye
plays the submarine captain who seals Godzilla in ice, and then
helps to release him in time to fight off an alien invasion of
monsters.
Here
is a description of Frye's performance according to the movie
review site Fangoria.com:
"Tough-guy
Frye gets the Schwarzenegger-style one-liners (gems like "There's
two things you didn't know about Earth: me... and Godzilla",
and utters them all with robotic gruffness."
Source:
Fight Sport
|
CARLOS
NEWTON UPDATE
Carlos Newton has been one of the most consistent forces in MMA
since his debut almost eight years ago. He’s faced some
of the toughest competition all over the world and remains one
of the most popular fighters in the sport thanks to his humble
and engaging personality.
Recently
Newton suffered his third straight loss at Bushido 5 earlier
this year to Ryo Chonan. After weeks of media silence to concentrate
on his personal life Newton took time out of his busy schedule
to spend a few minutes talking to MMA Weekly’s Mick Hammond
about what’s going on with the man known as “The Ronin.”
Firstly
Newton addressed why he’s been so quiet over the past few
months and what he has planned for his immediate future, “I
just got back from fighting in Japan and am putting some other
things I’ve been working on, on the back burner again until
early next year and take the rest of the year off. I probably
won’t fight again until probably May of 2005. I’ve
got to get some things wrapped up.”
Newton
continued, “I’ve been on trips that are all basically
business related. I also took my friend Wojtek (Kaszowski) down
to the Pride tryouts. He was trying out and I went a long with
him to give him some support, try to bypass some of the lines
(laughs). It went very well I thought, the tryouts were pretty
awesome.”
The
conversation then turned to Newton’s lightly touching on
what happened against Chonan in October, “Ryo was just ready.
I don’t know what happened really, I had him in the arm
bar he just didn’t give up and finally got out. Things went
from there.”
Newton’s
decision to take time off from fighting means he will not be
competing at Shock Wave 2004. However he did think about it,
“I really would like to fight on the New Year’s Eve
show but I need the time off so I can come back stronger later.
Your mind and body will tell you that they want to do it, but
there is only so much you can do. At the end of the day sometimes
you just look in the mirror and say ‘I’m tired.’
Even some of the Pride staff had told me, ‘you need a break,
you haven’t been fighting as well as you can so go home
and take a break and get yourself well.’ So I thought about
it with my manager and decided that’s what I needed.”
Newton
continued, “I am at a point now in my career where I need
a break and really just have to take a step back and get some
rest. I was constantly going from one fight to another and at
the same time it doesn’t allow for personal things to happen.
So I just need to get some rest and let my soul rekindle. I have
a lot of important things in my life that I need to focus on.
I just want to step back and allow myself that. I’m only
28 but that fire inside me has dulled a bit because of outside
things so I want to get some rest and get it back to what it
was when I first started and return with a fresh soul.”
When
asked if his decision to not fight until May would effect his
training routine Newton replied, “Yeah for the next five
or six months I’m going to train lightly. I’m not going
to do the hard rolling like I normally do, I’m basically
staying away from second gear.”
As
the talk ended Newton made sure to reiterate the fact to his
fans that he was by no means retiring, only taking time off,
“Just expect me back, I want to get back in there recharged
and do what I do best and put on a great show.”
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
AFC
Brazil features Gracie B. Vs BTT
The following edition of AFC Brazil may release a new phase of
Brazilian MMA. Doing similar as Pride Bushido, the event's producers
will be working to feature a special challenge on next March
15, in Nova Friburgo (RJ). They want to set up a challenge between
Gracie Barra Combat Team and Brazilian Top Team.
- It would be like a Team BJJ competition. I guess it would improve
the Brazilian fight scene. We are already thinking about a challenge
between Nova União and BTT, Chute Boxe taking on Gracie
Barra. We already have great teams like Ruas Vale-Tudo, RFT,
Kimura. It will be everybody facing everybody - stated Bebeo
Duarte, one of Brazilian Top Team's leaders.
Source:
Tatame
|
Shooto
changes Robinho's fight result
Still crying because his pupil Vitor Shaolin's loss at last Shooto,
André Pederneiras arrived in Brazil yesterday with a good
news for Nova União's crew. According to Dedé,
after a long time evaluating the referee's decision of the bout
between Róbson Moura and Mamoru, the Shooto commission
called a draw. The dispute for the Bantamweight belt was contested
even by Shooto's president Kazuhiro Sakamoto. Now Japanese are
choosing a new date to the new confront.
Source:
Tatame
|
VANDERLEI
SPEAKS
Vanderlei Silva was recently interviewed for the PRIDE website.
Here's what Silva had to say:
PRIDE:
Many people have said that your fight against Quinton "Rampage"
Jackson in PRIDE 28 was your best bout yet.
Vanderlei:
I'm glad that they say that. I think that was one of my best
bouts, too.
PRIDE:
When did you begin training for this bout?
Vanderlei:
From November, when I began to think about fighting. I train
over-all, without just focusing on striking or groundwork.
PRIDE:
You continue to have amazing fights but which do you personally
feel was your greatest fight?
Vanderlei:
Probably my first fight with Sakuraba, of course. That fight
had the deepest meaning for me.
PRIDE:
Is there one you think was your worst bout?
Vanderlei:
Not at all. I think all fights are great fights.
PRIDE:
What about the fights you lost outside of PRIDE against Vitor
Belfort or Tito Ortiz?
Vanderlei:
Those fights didn't turn out well but, for me, they were good
experiences and that makes them good fights.
PRIDE:
Why did you lose?
Vanderlei:
I didn't have much jujitsu technique then. That's why I lost.
PRIDE:
(DSE) President Sakakibara has said that he wants to invite those
two and Randy Couture to the Middleweight Grand Prix planned
for next year. Do you want to fight those guys?
Vanderlei:
(answers without hesitation) Of course. I think it's good if
they will really fight in PRIDE. I would like to fight all three
of them.
PRIDE:
After your fight with Jackson, you said that you'd like to fight
Couture before he retires.
Vanderlei:
Well, his age is what it is and he'll probably retire in the
near future. So, I want to fight him before then. He's the UFC
Champion, after all.
PRIDE:
Do you think you have any weak points?
Vanderlei:
Mmm... I've never thought about that. Even I don't know. I'm
always training to get rid of my weak points.
PRIDE:
Do you ever think about skipping practice and having fun?
Vanderlei:
Never. I think I have strong perseverance.
PRIDE:
Where does that power come from?
Vanderlei:
I think it's God's power, of course.
PRIDE:
Have you ever felt fear?
Vanderlei:
Actually, I feel fear in every fight but every fighter feels
that fear. It's important to make that fear work for you. When
you feel fear, you have to face it head on and fight. That's
the best. Running away is the worst.
PRIDE:
Have you ever dreamed before a fight that you would lose?
Vanderlei:
Honestly, yes. I've seen many nightmares. Sometimes it scares
me and I jump out of bed when I see them because, for me, losing
is my greatest fear.
PRIDE:
Have you always had this strong mental drive to conquer your
fears?
Vanderlei:
No, not really. It just came to me as I grew up.
PRIDE:
Is it something that you gained from training at Chute Boxe?
Vanderlei:
Exactly.
PRIDE:
Is the support of people around you important to you?
Vanderlei:
Yes. I think it's all because of them and I think of everyone
as my family.
PRIDE:
What gives you the most strength?
Vanderlei:
That's God. I think everyone has their own way of thinking and
there are some that won't believe me or will think it's stupid,
but God's power is really important to me. I'm always going to
believe in God.
PRIDE:
Do you pray to God before your matches?
Vanderlei:
Praying before matches and asking for protection has become my
custom. I ask Him to give me strength, to take my fear and to
prevent injuries. Finally, I pray that He will give me the victory.
Source:
Fight Sport
|
Quote
of the Day
"Destiny is not a matter of chance, but of choice. Not something
to wish for, but to attain."
William Jennings Bryan, 1860-1925, American Lawyer, Politician
|
BLOODLINE
Presents..
PUNISHMENT
IN PARADISE 9: "GAME TO THE END"
Kapolei, Hawaii
Saturday, Jan 22, 2005
MAIN
EVENT ANNOUNCEMENT
UFC
Veteran Ron "Machine Gun" Jhun from Hawaii will face
#7 Shooto Ranked Shigetoshi Iwase of Japan in what will be a
THRILLER. Jhun has had his claims in titles like IFC, KOTC and
Warriors Quest, Jhun is once again on a different quest SHOOTO
title. Iwase a season shooto fighter who is currently ranked
#7 will try to make his claim also for a title spot.
Shooto
Light Heavyweight Class B
Casey
Daniels (Team MMAD, Kailua)
Vs.
Bob Ostovich (Jesus Is Lord, Waianae)
We
will have tenatively 15 ACTION Shooto & Kickboxing Fights
that will be
announced SOON!!
FAN APPRECIATION
SALE
We
wanted to show our apperciation to all fans and famalies that
come out and support Hawaii fighters so we will drop our prices
to OLD SCHOOL RATES.
Buy your tickets in advance and pay just $25.00 for any seat
in the house by FRIDAY JAN 21,2005. Because the day of the event
tickets will be back at $35.00
SEATS
ARE LIMITED TO 2,000 PEOPLE
808-620-5638
or 808-330-9483
Source:
Event Promoter
|
K-1
and Akebono Fly Special Trainer
to Japan
by Jeffrey Thaler
K-1 and Akebono have flown in Mak Takana, a world renowned personal
trainer, to Japan to help Akebono prepare for his December 31
fight against Royce Gracie. Takana, who has worked with a number
of world champion fighters in the past, left his home in Los
Angeles to working with Akebono full-time.
Sherdog.com
was able to catch up with Takano, and speak to him about Akebono’s
training. “It is an honor to train Akebono,” Takana
said. “You have to remember that he is a grand champion
of Sumo, and the fact that he wanted me to help him for this
fight is an absolute honor.”
Takana
has been helping Akebono work on his endurance and strength,
and Takano reports that training is off to a fast start. “Akebono
is doing very well. He has a very good attitude about getting
involved in mixed martial arts, and it is so much closer to what
he has done in the past than the stand-up he has been doing in
K-1. But the experience he has had in K-1 is going to be invaluable
for him because he has had a year of stand-up training and has
fought top competition. I expect him to do quite well against
Royce Gracie.”
Takana
became known in the fight world after training Oscar De La Hoya
during a three-year run of undefeated fights. He has gone on
to train former UFC and current Rumble on the Rock champion B.J.
Penn, super-lightweight boxing champion Genaro Hernandez, welterweight
champion Vince Phillips, and cruiserweight champion Vassiliy
Jirov. Takano has also trained NBA All-Stars Magic Johnson and
Vlade Divac.
Source:
Sherdog
|
PRIDE
NEW YEAR CARD
Below the matchups that have been officially announced for the
PRIDE show on December 31st. The final card is scheduled to have
a total of ten match ups:
Officially
announced matchups:
Rodrigo 'Minotauro' Nogueira vs. Fedor Emelianenko
Rulon Gardner vs. Hidehiko Yoshida
Vanderlei Silva vs. Kazushi Sakuraba
Mirko 'Cro Cop' Filipovic vs. Kevin Randleman
Crosley Gracie vs. Ryo Chonan
Jens Pulver vs. Takanori Gomi
Dan Henderson vs. Yuki Kondo
Stefan Leko vs. Ikuhisa Minowa
Henry 'Sentoryu' Miller vs. Makoto Takimoto
'Giant' Silva vs. Choi Mu Bae
Source:
Fight Sport
|
GROSSMAN
INSIDER: PRIDE, K-1, & UFC 51 NEWS
By Josh Grossman
PRIDE New Year show: The matchup of Crosley Gracie vs. Ryo Chonan
is a done deal for the December 31st show. This will pit two
fighters coming off big wins in the recent PRIDE Bushido show.
K-1
New Year show: K-1 is actually entertaining the idea of having
Bob Sapp face the small Thai Boxer Kaoklai, who KO'ed 'Mighty'
Mo Siligia in in the K-1 GP Finals.
UFC
51: B.J. Penn will make his return to the UFC, and will face
Frank Trigg. The number one contender ranking will be on the
line. Apparently Penn has been calling Zuffa trying to get back
in the show for a while now.
Source: Fight Sport
|
'MINOTAURO'
TO ADD KNEE STRIKES AGAINST FEDOR
The Japanese media reports that Rodrigo 'Minotauro' Nogeuria
has added in some new knee strikes to his arsenal for his upcoming
fight against Fedor Emelianenko on December 31st.
The
Japanese media also reports that according to Fedor, his strategy
for defeating Minotauro is now complete.
Source: Fight Sport
|
MOST
UNDERRATED FIGHTER?
Maybe
it's how quiet he is, maybe it's how he carries himself in and
out of the ring. Chris Lytle may be overlooked by some. But,
if you ask his opponents, they will tell you how tough he really
is.
It’s
been a great year for Chris Lytle. He’s gone undefeated
in both MMA and boxing in 2004 but still remains one of the most
underrated fighters in the world today.
It’s
hard to believe that even though he’s won all but one of
his matches in the UFC, he still finds himself on the outside
looking in as far as a title shot goes. MMAweekly’s Mick
Hammond caught up with Lytle to discuss his year and what lays
ahead for him both in the octagon and the boxing ring.
When
asked what he’s been up to since his last MMA fight, a victory
over JT Taylor at WEC 12 in October, Lytle said, “I had
a boxing match not too long after that. It was on a riverboat
here in Indiana and I won, and that’s about it. Training
has been good. It’s been good to have a little time where
I don’t have to fight immediately. I can concentrate more
on the whole technique type things; instead of, just constantly
worrying about having a fight come up in a couple weeks and having
to do this, this, and this to get ready. I get a little bit of
time, I can actually work on other things.”
Looking
back over 2004, it’s easy to understand why Lytle is enjoying
the short bit of rest he has had after successfully competing
four times each in MMA and boxing, “Yeah it’s been
a good year. I’m really happy with it. You win all your
fights, you can’t complain. I’m sure there are some
things I could have done a little bit better; especially, in
MMA. I mean all year fighting tough competition and not losing,
I think is pretty impressive because everybody is getting so
good at this sport. I don’t think people realize that there
are not a lot of easy fights anymore. Even if you’re fighting
on a smaller show, it’s still a dangerous fight.”
Lytle
has been fighting in MMA going on five years, but has only been
boxing for two and he credits that for his improved striking,
“Well, actually people don’t realize that I haven’t
been boxing that long. So give me a whole other year of boxing
and having professional fights it could get better. That’s
why my stand up has come a long way. I think that’s the
main area that I’ve improved on lately.”
With
his success in boxing it’s understandable that fighters
in MMA would avoid standing and trading shots with Lytle, he
addressed this by saying, “It all depends on if my striking
is going well, then people are going to keep me on the ground
more. It all depends on how people approach me. I still work
on my ground to try to tweak things here and there and make it
harder for people to get me to the ground and get in dominant
position.”
Recently,
word has broken that Lytle will be facing Karo Parisyan at UFC
51 in February. Lytle seemed very enthusiastic about the match-up
with the possibility of it being a very competitive bout with
title implications, “Yeah that’s kind of what I’m
hoping for with this fight. It sounds like a pretty good match-up
to me, anytime I get to fight in the UFC it’s a good thing.
I’m really looking at we’re both coming off of really
good wins, so I’m hoping this will lead to fights against
upper echelon competition and working towards get a title shot.
That’s what I’m going to do and that’s why it’s
a good match.”
Lytle
then discussed gameplans for the fight, “If he’s had
a lot of time to work on his gameplan and look at some tapes
he might have spotted some holes in my game but you never know.
I’ve had times where I watched tapes and saw someone was
left handed and does this, this, and this and then the guy came
out right handed and I was all confused because he didn’t
come out as I expected. So I try to make sure I train for a little
bit of everything, but there are areas I try to concentrate on.”
“I
like to go out there with a gameplan but most of the time the
fights go nothing like my gameplan,” continued Lytle. “Of
course I’m going to try to keep him from doing things out
of the clinch where he’s good with Judo. I’m going
to try to work on keeping him in striking range or taking him
down and being in the dominant position so I can work my submissions.
It all kind of depends on how he comes out, if he comes out throwing
then I’m going to push him against the fence and try to
counter what he’s doing. If he tries to take me down right
away I’ll try to counter and reverse him and get myself
in good position to do what I have to do to win.”
With
the current state of the welterweight division in the UFC it
is very plausible to think the winner of Lytle and Parisyan could
become the number one contender for Matt Hughes’ title.
Lytle discussed the possibility, “Of course, I’d really
like a title shot but that’s not my decision to make. I’m
not sure exactly what their (the UFC) take on it is. To me it
makes sense the winner of me and Parisyan gets a title shot.
The other people on top like Frank Trigg have already had title
shots and us two haven’t. We have about the same amount
of wins in the UFC, so it doesn’t make much sense to me
for them to have a rematch when you have guys who haven’t
had a shot at the title yet. Like I said though that’s not
my decision. Of course I try to push for it, but it’s out
of my hands.”
When
asked his thoughts on getting an opportunity to face Hughes down
the line Lytle said, “There’s not really a fight I’m
exactly thrilled about, but that’s the person who has the
title. For right now I have things in front of me that I have
to concentrate on first and foremost and that’s not easy
to take care of. I think a lot of times people start to think
too far down the road and that doesn’t pay off. So I’m
concentrating on what’s coming up and I’ll worry about
the other stuff later.”
The
conversation finished out with Lytle discussing what he has planned
for the future, “As far as the whole MMA thing goes I hope
to get a shot at the title. That is one goal, my other plans
are around boxing. It’s possible to get some pretty good
fights lined up, possibly an intercontinental fight over in Germany.
I’ve had two times where they talked to me about boxing
on ESPN 2 but they’ve fallen through, which is disappointing
but I’ll be on there at some point. Other than that I’m
just trying to keep my options open, trying to get better at
boxing and in all sports basically.”
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
HERRING
VS. GRECO
The Japanese media is reporting that an mma-rules matchup of
Heath Herring vs. Sam Greco will take place on the K-1 card on
December 31st.
The
Japanese media added that Herring has left DSE/PRIDE, and will
be fighting for the K-1 organization.
Source:
Fight Sport
|
Getting
to Know Sean O'Haire
by Marco Antico
MA: Sean, I sense a buzz about you that normally doesn’t
exist for fighters after only one fight. I think people are excited
at the prospect of a pro wrestler making the transition to MMA.
Do you think this gives you a running start at building up your
reputation in the sport?
SO:
Well, I hope so (chuckling). I was on TV. Many wrestling fans
recognize my name and many wrestling fans are MMA fans. So if
that helps me, great!
MA:
On the flip side, do you think there are people out there that
are going to be suspicious because of your experience at executing
pre-determined pro wrestling fights.
SO:
Oh ya, of course. But, once they see me in the ring I think any
doubts they have are going to go right out the window.
MA:
There have been internet rumors that you may be fighting LeBanner
or Fujita on the K-1 NYE show. Care to comment?
SO:
I don’t think there’s any substance to that at all.
I think some people got excited after watching me knockout Oyama
at Rumble
on the Rock and
started talking about that. But, to my knowledge there’s
nothing to those rumors.
MA:
Do you know what’s next for you?
SO:
Nothing signed right now. My management is in negotiations with
one of the big promotions though.
MA:
Hypothetically speaking of course (pause), if that organization
was K-1, would you like to compete in MMA or kickboxing?
SO:
I prefer MMA.
MA:
Why MMA and why professional fighting in general?
SO:
Oh man, I’ve been fighting for the longest time! I’ve
fought in Georgia in Toughman competitions and in some other
local shows. Basically, where ever I could get a fight I was
there.
MA:
MMA is quite the leap from shows like Toughman of course. What
are you doing to sharpen your MMA skills?
SO:
I train at the Shark Tank will Eddy Millis. That’s in Rancho
Cucamonga, California. Mighty Mo is there with us. My background
is in Thai Boxing. I’m now trying to focus on my wrestling
and submissions.
MA:
Why’d you cut your hair?
SO:
Uhm, because I was tired of looking like a male stripper?
MA:
(laughing) Ya, I guess you did have that Fabio/Patrick Swayze
kind of look going on.
SO:
Never again am I ever going to have long hair. I hated it! I
needed to change my image when I went to the WWE so that’s
what I did it.
MA:
What pays better, wrestling or MMA?
SO:
If you’re one of the top guys in wrestling you’ve got
the potential to make a lot of money. As for my professional
wrestling career, I’d say that I was popular but never famous.
MMA has the potential to pay well too so I’d say they’re
pretty similar in pay.
MA:
Are there any MMA athletes that you try and model yourself after?
SO:
Ken Shamrock for sure. I had the pleasure of meeting him and
watching him train with Guy Mezger for the UFC 50 fight. What
a shame that was what happened to Guy. Ken’s precision of
doing things really impressed me. His technique seemed flawless.
I’d also have to say I admire Tito Ortiz for the intensity
he brings with him into the ring.
Source:
MMA Fighting
|
ANDERSON
SILVA VS. SAKURAI POSSIBILITY
The Japanese media is reporting that a rematch of Anderson Silva
vs. Hayato Sakurai may take place on either the PRIDE show on
December 31st or on the next PRIDE Bushido card.
Source: Fight Sport
|
TANNER
WAITING FOR THE TITLE
Evan Tanner is currently one of the top ranked middleweights
in the world. He’s a veteran of the sport and has seen and
achieved just about everything. Now with the talk that the UFC
is looking to crown a champion in their Middleweight Division
for the first time in over two years, Evan Tanner sits at the
forefront of that discussion. MMAweekly’s Mick Hammond spoke
to Tanner about his career, growth as a fighter, and where he
sees himself in the grand scheme of things.
MMAweekly:
So Evan, tell us what you’ve been up to; since, your last
fight at UFC 50.
Evan
Tanner: Actually just kind of taking it easy. Just now getting
back into training, the heavy training. I took a little bit of
time off, been goofing around, Ebaying and stuff like that.
MMAweekly:
So that’s where the fight checks go to huh?
Evan
Tanner: (Laughs) No, it goes to making house payments and stuff
like that.
MMAweekly:
It’s been a pretty busy year and a half for you wouldn’t
you say?
Evan
Tanner: Yeah it’s been fairly busy; I’ve been fortunate
enough to fight Phil Baroni twice and then Lawler. In this game
as a fighter you’ve got to feel fortunate enough to have
steady work and have something to do.
MMAweekly:
Looking back over the year do you feel you’ve made good
progress in your game?
Evan
Tanner: Yeah, I think I’m really with the way things have
progressed. I think I’ve found some holes in my game and
have made a lot of progress in my stand up and ground game and
all around working on my techniques and starting to fine tune
my game.
MMAweekly:
Obviously the decision to move down in weight has paid off.
Evan
Tanner: Absolutely, going into 205lb fights I was weighing at
195/198lbs at weigh-ins with my pants on. It’s not a good
thing, at that level it’s not a smart thing giving up that
much weight. The guys at that weight are dropping down from 220lbs,
at that level they’re not small, they’re a ripped 220lbs,
not a chubby 220lbs. You definitely do not want to give up that
much of a weight advantage to your opponent. At first I was just
stubborn with it, because I started out at light heavyweight
and wanted to stay there, but after really thinking about it,
it really made sense to drop down to 185lbs. I feel much stronger
and much more comfortable here.
MMAweekly:
Has the change in weight affected your training/workout routines?
Evan
Tanner: Yeah, I thought I was doing a bit too much weightlifting,
building muscle for cosmetic reasons, just trying to look good
out there, putting on muscle mass to gain weight to make weight
at 205lbs. Dropping down to 185lbs changed my workout routine
and the way I do things. Now, I’m not doing as much weights,
I’m doing lots of push-ups and pull-ups, building functional
strength, not the cosmetic muscle I was before. I changed that
up a bit, it’s taken a little getting used to cutting weight,
but again I’m much more comfortable now at this weight.
MMAweekly:
Have you noticed any change in your quickness?
Evan
Tanner: I can’t really say I’ve noticed a huge difference
in that. We’ve been training the movement and stuff like
that; feeling quicker and better is more just a result of training
different styles and movement.
MMAweekly:From
what we’ve heard, February could be a very interesting month
for you.
Evan
Tanner: Yes, there’s some things that are possible, I’ve
had some names thrown out there, I haven’t signed anything
yet. It could be a very interesting month for me.
MMAweekly:
Let’s just say that if what many people are speculating
comes true and you end up facing David Terrell for the UFC Middleweight
Championship at UFC 51, how do you feel about that fight?
Evan
Tanner: It’d be a great fight, Terrell beat my teammate
Matt Lindland at UFC 49, so a little payback would be in order.
It’d be a tough fight though, the kid is tough. He’s
only been in one UFC, so we’ll see how he handles the pressure
of another one, and not only a second UFC but jumping straight
into a title fight after only one fight. It seems kind of odd
to me, but you know if that happens I’m going to jump on
that opportunity. It’s going to be a great fight.
MMAweekly:
What are your thoughts about the possibility that someone who’s
not been in the fight game as long as you have getting a shot
at a title so quickly?
Evan
Tanner: That’s always the way it is in this game. It’s
a lot of politics, a lot of it is the people in charge deciding
that “this fighter has the particular kind of charisma,
look, or something about him that we think the fans are going
to buy into so we are going to push this guy.” Sure I’ve
been fighting a long time but I don’t think they’ve
ever decided that I was a fighter to get behind or push.
MMAweekly:Speaking
of looks, jumping back to your fight at UFC 50 for just a second,
what was up with sporting the cornrows?
Evan
Tanner: (Laughs) I wasn’t making any kind statement. It
wasn’t any kind of racial thing or anything. I’m growing
my hair out long again and just wanted to do something to keep
it out of my way. You put it in a ponytail it comes out, you
do other things it comes out, that’s a good way to get it
out of the way and keep it out of the way. That’s basically
all it was.
MMAweekly:
So we’re not going to see you coming down to the octagon
with any bling-bling with the cornrows in the near future huh?
Evan
Tanner: (Laughs) No, I don’t think so. It was purely functional.
MMAweekly:
You seem a lot more driven in your fights recently, do you see
that continuing on into next year and to get even better?
Evan
Tanner: Absolutely, I really feel that up until recently, I haven’t
been taking the sport seriously or my career in this sport seriously,
I’ve just been kind of goofing around. I think all that’s
changing, if I dedicate myself full force to this I could do
some things. I definitely expect things to happen next year and
my skills to improve drastically.
MMAweekly:
That could be a scary thought to a lot of fighters out there
if you’ve only just now started to take things seriously
and where you could go from here.
Evan
Tanner: That’s what I’m thinking.
MMAweekly:
Does the opportunity to become a champion and a focal point of
a division for the UFC motivate you even more to succeed?
Evan
Tanner: They’re still not pushing me; they can’t deny
the fact that I’ve won fights. I don’t have what the
UFC is looking for obviously. I’ve been fighting for them
a long time and they’ve never gotten behind me. I don’t
take that personally, it’s just business, they don’t
feel I have what they’re looking for. But if a guy gets
out there and wins fights he can’t be denied, that’s
where I stand, I’ve been winning fights. That’s not
the reason I’m more dedicated to the sport, winning a belt
really was never my dream, I just was just kind of doing the
sport fun. Having the belt would be nice. The reason I’m
more focused and more dedicated is because I’m getting older
and there’s potential if you’re the top guy in this
sport at your weight you can make some money. I’m looking
at making enough so I can save up and actually do something with
it and take care of myself for the rest of my life with it.
MMAweekly:
Well, your teammate Randy Couture does pretty good at his age
and he’s a little older than you are.
Evan
Tanner: (Laughs) Oh yeah, he’s an animal.
MMAweekly:
So, there’s a good possibility that the best has yet to
come for you.
Evan
Tanner: That’s kind of how I’m looking at it. It could
be, I think my highest achievement is in the future. Like I’ve
said, I’ve been kind of dinking around in it until now.
MMAweekly:
How much better can Evan Tanner get?
Evan
Tanner: You know, I don’t know, I’ve been working everything.
People were really surprised that I finished Robbie with a triangle,
but what people don’t realized on the ground, underneath,
and groundwork that’s actually my strongest point. I think
people only know me for ground n pound because in my fights I
happen to be better than the guy at takedowns, so I take him
down and work the ground n pound and think that’s all I
know. But actually working from underneath, working submissions
and stuff like that is one of my strong points. That’s going
to continue to improve, all around it’s going to improve,
my striking, everything, I’m taking it to another level.
MMAweekly:I
know Team Quest had made a commitment to not only supply the
current crop of top fighters but also concentrate on producing
the next generation of athletes in our sport. Have you ever considered
maybe a few years down the road on doing something like training
others?
Evan
Tanner: I haven’t really pictured doing that. That hasn’t
really been something I’ve seen myself doing in the future.
I don’t see myself as a coach or teacher or anything like
that, but you never know how things will pan out.
MMAweekly:
So for now the thoughts of what to do after your fighting career
is far off and the emphasis is to continue to concentrate on
what’s going on for you and securing your place in the sport.
Evan
Tanner: That’s what I’m going to do, is focus on my
career and keep improving. A lot of it comes down to me liking
the sport or I wouldn’t be doing it for so long. That’s
one aspect of it, the other is to make a little bit of money
doing what you like. That’s what I’m focusing on, everybody’s
got to pay their bills, me included.
MMAweekly:
Thanks a lot for the interview Evan, is there anything you’d
like to say before you head out?
Evan
Tanner: You’re welcome. I would definitely like to thank
Sportsbook.com for all their help; they’ve helped make things
easier financially so I can focus on training. I want to thank
HCK for supplying my fight shorts that I wear in the ring, they’ve
been great to work with and they have great gear. I want to thank
Cobb 28; it’s been great working with them too. As far as
the fans go, look for a great fight in February if it happens.
I’m going to be bringing it all to the ring so keep your
eyes open.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Quote
of the Day
"Learn to self-conquest, persevere thus for a time, and
you will perceive very clearly the advantage which you gain from
it."
St. Teresa of Avila, 1515-1582, Spanish Saint, Mystic
|
BTT
leaders evaluate Vitor Belfort
Scheduled
to face Tito Ortiz on February 5th at the UFC 51 main fight,
Vitor
Belfort is in Rio de Janeiro training with his new team, the
Brazilian Top Team. Former UFC light-heavyweight champion, Belfort,
who used to live in Sao Paulo and moved to Rio to stay more focused,
must defeat Ortiz to keep dreaming about a title shot against
Randy Couture. We caught up with two of the BTT leaders and asked
him how they evaluate Belfort´s shape.
‘Vitor
stayed away from training for too long, but he is guy of much
talent and has a genetic composition that helps him to have a
fast physical recovery. Belfort is getting better every day and
will be much more difficult for anyone defeat him when he is
ready’, says Ze Mario Sperry.
According
to Murilo Bustamante, Vitor’s determination to watch and
learn during the trainings is one of the most important factors
to get him back to the winning track. ‘He has a good boxing,
is a good wrestler and knows how to fight on the ground. Our
main goal is to adjust his skills to the strategy we are preparing
to the fight against Tito. Vitor will be ready to win’,
stated Bustamante.
Despite
all the confidence, the BTT leaders agree that Ortiz needs to
be respected. ‘He is considered a very dangerous fighter.
He may have lost a couple of bouts, but he faced tough guys such
as Randy Couture and Chuck Liddell, however, he has a very solid
game and makes himself very comfortable in the octagon. He is
a very difficult opponent to anyone’,
finishes Ze Mario.
Source: ADCC
|
Leo
Vieira: ADCC champion analyzes Brazil Trials
During
the ADCC Brazil Trials final phase, realized on December 5th,
in Sao
Paulo, a special spectator was in the audience cheering for his
Brasa teammates but also observing possible opponents to the
ADCC Main event, scheduled to May, in Long Beach, in California.
Current –66kg Abu Dhabi Champion, Leonardo Vieira shared
with us his impressions about the Brazil Trials.
`It
was a high level competition. And some of the disputes were even
more difficult than de ADCC itself. It can be explained by the
fact that Brazil is the biggest talent exporters of MMA world.
During the trials, every single competitor had chance to win’
says Leozinho.
Leo
Vieira’s pupil, Demian Maia, from Brasa, was the only fighter
to qualify to ADCC 2005 that fought the Brazil Trials first phase,
realized in Campos, one week earlier. His fight against the former
BJJ world champion Fernando Margarida was selected by Leozinho
as one of his favorites. ´I liked the bout between Demian
and Margarida a lot and Roger’s Gracie performance impressed
me as well. He is very well prepared and showed a big technique
superiority compared to the others competitors
Expected
to defend his ADCC belt, Leozinho had the chance to observe one
future opponent: Wagney Fabiano, winner of the Brazil Trials
–66kg category. ´He is a very technical fighter and
he is very strong. I consider him a dangerous guy because he
also knows how to fight using the ADCC rules´, stated Vieira.
To
be considered as “one of the favorites”, since he is
the ADCC current champion, does not scare Vieira. ´I like
this kind of pressure. Although I stay a long time away from
the competitions, my mental force is very strong and I realize
that is much more difficult to keep me on the top than drive
me from there. I’ll be readyfor ADCC 2005 and I hardly can’t
wait for it start´, finishes Vieira. Leo Vieira: ADCC champion
analyzes Brazil Trials
Source: ADCC
|
UFC
51 preview...James Irvin (Mike Kyle's opponent and WEC Champion)
The
UFC 51 fight between Mike Kyle and James Irvin looks like an
interesting one, especially if you are familiar with WEC. Fans
may remember it was winning the WEC Heavyweight belt in January
that was Kyle’s last fight before moving up to the UFC where
he fought in UFC 47 & 49. During this time Irvin left Gladiator
Challenge and invaded WEC where he won what was supposed to be
the first round of a four-fighter Heavyweight tournament for
a Heavyweight Championship belt (as opposed to Kyle’s World
Heavyweight belt). Below Irvin explains what happened with that.
Kyle
was supposed to return to WEC to defend his belt against Irvin
in October but pulled out, a decision which is still having a
chain reaction of repercussions. In a recent update Kyle stated
he still had the WEC belt while Irvin explains what those of
us in attendance saw transpire, Irvin won the vacant WEC World
Heavyweight belt. Now instead of fighting it out in WEC these
two have the opportunity to take it to the UFC. Actually this
isn’t all that surprising considering the amount of WEC/UFC
“fighter ping pong” going on, a situation that so far
has benefited everyone involved but the fans most of all who
get to not only see UFC stars between their big time fights but
also see some of the next wave of UFC fighters. Like James Irvin.
KM:
What happened with you against Mike Kyle for the WEC belt? JI:
We were supposed to fight two months ago for the Heavyweight
Championship two months ago (WEC “Halloween Fury 3”,
October 21st). Three months out he signed his contract and then
about five days before hand he decided not to fight me and backed
out. I had to fight someone else, so now I have his belt.
KM:
So his belt was vacated and you won the World Heavyweight belt?
JI: Yes, for WEC.
KM:
At the Pride tryouts Kyle when asked if he was stripped of the
belt or vacated it said, “I still have my WEC World title
and James Irvin just won the Heavyweight tournament and that
is the belt he got.” Do you know anything about that? JI:
He’s a liar. He told everyone he had a football tryout and
that was why he couldn’t fight me. He knew three months
in advance and a week before the fight he calls Scott Adams and
says ‘I can’t, I have a football tryout’. Scott
Adams and the other guy call the football league he is trying
out for and ask them to change the date. They say ‘absolutely,
no problem’. They called Kyle and he still didn’t want
to fight. Excuse after excuse. No, I’m the Heavyweight Champion.
That is what they introduced me as when I won the belt. It’s
on DVD now. The first time you saw me fight there was a four-man
tournament but the other two Heavyweights beat each other up
and they couldn’t find a replacement for the second round.
I was bummed because that was a beautiful belt. Actually I was
supposed to fight Mike Kyle for both belts, the tournament belt
and the heavyweight Championship belt but since he backed out
they got me a fight with that Iranian and since they didn’t
know how good he was going to be they said it would be for the
Heavyweight Championship.
KM:
How do you feel about getting into the UFC? JI: It is a dream
come true but at the same time I worked really really hard for
this. They didn’t give it to me, I had to work my butt off
for this. I’ve had help from a lot of people. I’m in
Oregon right now training with Team Quest, me and a couple other
guys. I’m feeling good but I earned this and I’m finally
getting my shot in the big show. I’m happy about it.
KM:
Since this is Kyle and the UFC is there any sense of rivalry
or bitter feelings? JI: I haven’t fought anyone yet that
I didn’t like or was mad at. I ran into him at a SportFight
and he is a jerk. I don’t know what his problem is, why
he acts so cocky. I’m amazed at how many strangers I have
coming up to me that know I’m going to fight him that ask
me to please beat him up. I’m not kidding. I have people
that are more than willing to help me with little tips because
he burnt them or said rude things to them. I don’t have
a problem with the guy except for him being rude up there but
February 5th we’ll see. I trained so hard for him this summer
and the way he backed out I didn’t care who they put in
there. I was so mentally focused on him. I have had six months
training for Mike Kyle.
KM:
How do you think this fight is going to go? JI: I’m sure
it is going to be a lot of punching and striking going on. Most
of his fights have ended real short like mine. I think I’m
a better striker than he is but he’s a big, strong athlete.
He played a bunch of football too, so I know he can move around.
I think there is going to be some leather thrown.
KM:
I saw you in WEC but not your Gladiator Challenge fights. Why
the switch from the perceived GC->KOTC->Pride strategy
to WEC->UFC one? JI: They wanted me to sign a contract. I
have nothing but good things to say about Ted and Terry but they
wanted me to sign a contract and now they won’t even let
me fight for them unless I sign a contract. I understand with
putting time and money into me but if I want to fight in the
UFC I can’t sit back. I got bills to pay. I had to go my
own way with that.
KM:
Now that your priority is UFC are you going to be holding on
to the WEC belt? JI: Scott Adams is very supportive. He is a
good guy. I have a three-fight contract with the UFC so for the
next year I’ll be fighting for the UFC. Doug Marshall had
actually called me out a couple times, the WEC North American
Heavyweight Champion. He’s a local favorite. Scott really
wants me to fight him in May. I don’t know how that will
work out. The UFC said that shouldn’t be a problem depending
on the time frame of my next UFC fight.
KM:
They have been pretty good about it with the WEC. About all I
hear about them saying is they want to approve of who the opponent
is. JI: Exactly. Doug Marshall shouldn’t be a problem. Joe
Riggs and a lot of the UFC fighters go back and forth with WEC
so I think they have a pretty good rapport between the two companies.
KM:
In that sense are you satisfied with WEC and UFC? Any chance
of you fighting anywhere else like we have seen Joe Riggs and
Yves Edwards do? JI: Right now I’m full leaning toward the
UFC and I did just sign a three-fight deal. For the next year
that is all I’m concentrating on. Everybody wants to fight
the best fighters in the world and that is in Pride. I’m
an American, I want to fight here in the United States; my family
is here and the people I train with are all here. We will see
how it goes. Brandon Vera, they are supposed to be offering him
a contract. He tired out for the Pride tryouts last month and
he did really good. They told him he’d be in but next weekend
he finds out what kind of contract they are going to offer him.
I’m excited for him too.
KM:
As far as looking at your record you have one win by armbar and
the rest have been by TKO or KO, none of which went beyond the
first round. What I’ve seen of you makes you seem explosive
and aggressive. Do you think that is an accurate perception?
JI: I think so but at the same time the fighters I’ve been
fighting, they really came after me so it kind of ended really
violently like that. I train that way but unfortunately they
all ended in the first round. I had an opportunity to end it,
I finished the fights.
KM:
You have to go with what you are given. JI: Exactly. Most of
these fighters that is what I was given, flurries like that.
They ended up with knockouts which I am grateful for.
KM:
The downside to that nobody has seen your conditioning tested.
What can you tell us about how you are training for conditioning?
JI: My conditioning is my best tool. Haven’t been doing
martial arts more than a couple years. I played football before
that. I work with a lot of wrestlers like Randy and all that.
My conditioning is my number one priority, it always is. It is
kind of disappointing to work out for three months and then we
go in there and fight for two minutes. I haven’t been winded
and barely broke a sweat the last couple of fights. Especially
this last fight against that Olympic wrestler (Houssain Oushani),
that fight was two minutes long and he just gassed. It would
have got extremely ugly for him because I felt I just started
to warm up. Conditioning is my number one tool which I learned
from Randy and seeing these guys train. I’m not going to
be one to gasses out in a fight and gets picked on.
KM:
As far as your current training cycle you have until February
5th. I assume you are going to be toning down the training the
last week or so. JI: The last whole week I’ll be in Vegas
anyway, so that will be a lot more cardio and technical stuff.
Weeks two to three will probably be my hardest physical stuff,
getting banged around and stuff like that. It is just starting
to take up now because I’m eight weeks out now. This morning
I did a bunch of conditioning with Randy and I’m still feeling
the effects of it.
KM:
Is the holiday season having any effect on your training? JI:
No effects except it is kind of a bummer. I don’t get to
do anything for New Years, Christmas I have to watch what I eat,
my girlfriends birthday is also at the beginning of January…I’ll
have to sit low for all these. It’s worth it. I assume the
guy I’m fighting is doing the same thing. I hope he’s
eating and partying. We’ll see February 5th.
KM:
Is it accurate to say you are still with Capital City Fighting
Alliance? JI: Yes.
KM:
So I should say you fight out of there but this time around you
are training with Team Quest? JI: No, I’m just spending
some time here. Randy comes into town before his fights and we
help him out but this is the first time I came out to spend some
time with Team Quest. I also go to City Boxing in San Diego.
KM:
Oh, where Dean Lister used to teach. JI: Yeah. One of the guys
from my team took his spot. Brandon Vera is actually here with
me. He’ll be in the next WEC. He’s a stud. One of my
best training partners. I’ll be going back to San Diego
beginning of January to spend some time with them. I really like
it at City Boxing, they got it going on.
KM:
Can you give us an idea of how training at City Boxing supplements
your other training? JI: All their classes are very cardiovascular
and they are geared toward fights. Even the jiu-jitsu ones are
very fast-paced, they are very ‘attack’, there is not
a lot of breathing time. It is one of the nicest facilities in
terms of equipment and stuff. There is a lot of energy there.
KM:
How is training with Randy and Team Quest going? JI: Really good.
We started yesterday. There are a bunch of guys here. Not too
many big guys. Chael Sonnen had his own show here on Saturday
night, the first night we arrived. This morning with Randy we
went through one of his normal workouts, just us three. None
of the Team Quest guys, just Randy. It was a rough workout, a
good workout.
KM:
Who are the other two that were with you? JI: Scott Smith and
Brandon Vera.
KM:
Anything else you want to get across before UFC? JI: Just that
I have Capital City Fighting Alliance in the Sacramento area.
There are not a lot of big name fighters there so we’re
all pulling together. My manager Mike Roberts from Tire Barn
is the guy. He is like my big brother.
KM:
Any other sponsors to thank? JI: Alpha Male, Uriah Faber’s
company. It’s a clothing line.
Source: ADCC
|
DAN
GABLE ON REAL PRO WRESTLING: 'IT'LL WORK'
The television tapings for the first season of Real Pro Wrestling,
set to debut in the U.S. for 15 consecutive Sundays starting
Feb. 13 on the PAX TV network, were met with a warm response
from those who witnessed them. The tapings were held Oct. 8 and
9 in Los Angeles, and attended by people with varying degrees
of connection to the wrestling community.
One
of those in attendance was Dan Gable, the Olympic, world, and
NCAA champion wrestler, as well as the most successful college
coach in history with 15 NCAA titles in 21 seasons at the University
of Iowa. As a footnote, Gable was also a commentator on the one
and only pay-per-view of that failed 1997 attempt to create a
professional submission wrestling league, known as 'The Contenders.'
So he has not only seen just about everything there is to see
in amateur wrestling, but also has been keeping abreast of the
various attempts of wrestling people to capitalize on the world-wide
boom in interest in the combat sports in the past decade or so.
A
few hours after the Real Pro Wrestling tapings concluded, I caught
up with this wrestling legend at a post-event party to get his
take on how it went. As usual, he was surrounded by well-wishers,
those seeking autographs and photographs, old friends and colleagues,
as well as newcomers to the world's oldest sport. Still, he took
the time out to share his thoughts on Real Pro Wrestling in this
exclusive interview.
I
began by asking if he ever thought he would see the day when
professional wrestling was real.
'Yeah,
absolutely,' he replied without hesitation. 'I've been hoping
for it for many, many years. I know it's been tried and hasn't
really worked that well. But I really think that we got the opportunity
to make it work now. I've been hoping for a professional wrestling
league for years. It's been done in Germany for years.' The key,
he added, was that such a league had to be started by those who
have 'a passion for what you love.'
And
in Real Pro Wrestling co-founders Toby Willis and Matt Case,
Gable believes the right people have come forward. 'In reality
it took a couple of special guys to put a lot on the line,' he
continued. 'I didn't know these two guys were going to be the
guys that stepped up. I would have thought maybe somebody that's
been around longer. So it's been rather unique.'
Willis
and Case are former college wrestlers themselves at the Big Ten
school Northwestern and very much involved in all phases of amateur
wrestling. But perhaps it is precisely because they haven't 'been
around longer' it was easier for them to see outside of the box
of amateur wrestling. We didn't pursue that line of thought,
but went on to another topic.
For
Real Pro Wrestling to succeed, its appeal must be not just to
the dyed-in-the-wool wrestling fan, but to average sports fans.
Gable thinks that they can succeed in attracting these types
of fans.
'I
really think that if they put and package the material that they
have into an entertaining hour show, several ones, that we'll
pick up a whole new audience,' he said. 'I've seen some of their
past work, and this is probably even better footage hopefully.
With that in mind, with that many opportunities in front of the
masses, I think we'll get not only the hardcore wrestling people,
but other wrestling people, and people start talking, and they'll
start tuning in. I think it's a real good opportunity for us.
And I hope everybody sticks by us during the whole time. It might
take us to a new level.'
The
Real Pro Wrestling rules are an attempt to create a unique blend
of freestyle, Greco-Roman and Sumo wrestling that emphasizes
and rewards action while also penalizing and preventing stalling
as much as possible. The push-out rule, where one point is awarded
to a wrestler who pushes his opponent out-of-bounds, in particular
has helped stimulate the action, as was evident at these tapings.
'I
like a lot of them,' commented Gable on the rules. He quickly
added, though, 'But there's a few things I'd rather do another
way. I think a smaller test event that didn't cost much money,
which gave these guys an opportunity to test some of these rules
ahead of time, might have made some of the things that were controversial
eliminated. But I think there's a lot of good rules.'
Then
he got specific. 'I think any time there's scoring action and
nobody scores, then I don't go along with that,' said Gable.
'So I'm not real fond of the step-out rule with one foot. I'm
more of a two-foot guy. It's too easy for somebody to do all
the work and then lose a point. There's a few rules that I think
that I would modify. But there's enough good ones that made for
great wrestling.'
Still,
he did acknowledge that these rules helped create a lot of action
while producing much less stalling than is common under the various
amateur wrestling rules used both internationally and in the
U.S.
'They
tried to address all those issues. That's what I like about them,'
he remarked. 'It's a good thing to address the things that aren't
good. They tried to address them. And I think they did a good
job of it. But maybe we can even tweak these to make it even
better. And that's the key. You get a product. You don't completely
change it. You just kind of redefine some if it or maybe fine-tune
it. I think that's all that's needed with what just took place.
If you had a worthless product, then you need to completely overhaul
it. But we've had wrestling for a hundred years, so we've had
a good product. When we have changed it and gone completely in
different things, bad things happen. When we completely changed
our weight loss rules, three kids died. If you completely change
the rules in your sport, your sport dies. And if you had a good
sport, then just fine-tune it.'
Gable
then outlined his relationship to Real Pro Wrestling.
'I'm
kind of a consultant with them,' he stated. 'I work a lot with
trying to help seal some deals with sponsors, and hopefully my
input means a lot to them even the rules and those types of things
to help make a good product. I wouldn't mind having some say
even in the final product once they start putting things together
in the final package.' And he added, 'I just think it's real
crucial that they do the best job they can. And they can use
people that like me that's got passion and are looking out for
the future of the sport.'
We
closed with me saying that I really hope that this project works.
'It'll
work,' said Gable definitively. Then he cautioned, 'It depends
on how well it works. That's the key.'
Source: ADCC
|
DESPITE
WINNING FIVE MATCHES APIECE, OKLAHOMA STATE EDGES OKLAHOMA, 21-16
This
year's first meet in the annual Bedlam Series between in-state
rivals the University of Oklahoma and Oklahoma State University
saw a much more even matchup of these two college wrestling powerhouses
than in recent years. Last year, for example, these two teams
wrestled three times, with Oklahoma State dominating by winning
with margins of 23-12, 29-10, and 26-10.
On
Sunday, each team won five matches in their dual meet held at
the Lloyd Noble Center on the Oklahoma campus in Norman, OK.
But in the end, the Oklahoma State Cowboys -- undefeated, top-ranked,
and the two-time defending NCAA national champions -- were able
to maintain their perfect record this season with a 21-16 victory
sealed by bonus points from a pin and three major decisions.
And the Cowboys did this despite an 11-10 upset loss by defending
NCAA champion Chris Pendleton to Oklahoma's E.K. Waldhaus at
174 pounds.
Here
is the University of Oklahoma press release with the results:
Sunday,
Dec. 12, 2004
For Immediate Release
Kelly Wright
Oklahoma
Wrestling Is Defeated By The Cowboys 21-16
Waldhaus upset No. 1 and defending national champion Pendleton
NORMAN,
Okla. -- The eighth-ranked Sooners were defeated by top ranked
Oklahoma State Sunday in the Lloyd Noble Center, 21-16. Oklahoma
won four matches on the night with senior E.K. Waldhaus upsetting
first-ranked and defending national champion, Chris Pendleton,
by an 11-10 decision. Also scoring for the Sooners were Sam Hazewinkel
(125), Joe Comparin (133), Teyon Ware (141) and Justin Dyer (184).
'There
were a lot of good things that came out of the match tonight.
We wrestled very tough and we showed what were capable of,' said
Sooners head coach Jack Spates. 'We are not satisfied with our
performance, but there are things to build on.'
Oklahoma
won the first three matches and led with a team score of 10-0.
Hazewinkel started the Sooners out strong with a major decision
over Derrick Fleenor, 13-2. Comparin kept up the pace with a
win over Justin Porter in overtime, 4-2 and Ware defeated Ronnie
Delk, 9-6.
In
front of 2871 people Waldhaus (174), ranked seventh, defeated
Pendleton by 11-10 decision and tied the team score at 13.
'I
saw a lot of character from this team tonight,' said Spates.
'E.K. Waldhaus dug deep tonight to beat the defending National
Champion, which takes a lot of heart.'
'I
knew if I kept fighting and shooting the double legs that I could
get him,' said Waldhaus. 'I kept with my strategy and in the
end I came away with a big win.'
With
a team score of 17-16 Oklahoma State the dual came down to the
heavyweight match. First-ranked Steve Mocco defeated Oklahoma's
Jake Hager by major decision, 13-2.
The
Sooners will return to the mat against Army on Thursday, Jan.
6, at Midwest City High School.
Weight-By-Weight
Results
125:
Hazewinkel (OU) Maj. Dec. 13-3 Fleenor (OSU)
133: Comparin (OU) Dec. 4-2 Porter (OSU)
141: Ware (OU) Dec. 9-6 Delk (OSU)
149: Esposito (OSU) Dec. 5-2 Storniolo (OU)
157: Ward (OSU) Maj. Dec. 13-2 Jones (OU)
165: Hendricks (OSU ) fall 1:19 Sulaver (OU)
174: Waldhaus (OU) Dec. Pendleton (OSU) 11-10
184: Dyer (OU) Dec. 10-7 Kehrer (OSU)
197: Rosholt (OSU) Maj. Dec 14-4 Flaggert (OU)
HWT: Mocco (OSU) Maj. Dec. 13-2 Hager (OU)
Source: ADCC
|
Quote
of the Day
"Laziness may appear attractive, but work gives satisfaction."
Anne Frank, 1929-1945, German Jewish Refugee, Diarist
|
SHOOTO
Event in Tokyo: COMPLETE RESULTS!
December 14th, 2004
Tokyo, Japan
SHOOTO's
end of the year event has gone off with many exciting results.
Rumina Sato scored a one punch KO and Pequeno Noguiera won by
guillotine again! In two title changes, Jake Shields dropped
his SHOOTO belt at 167 lbs to up and comer Akira Kikuchi, while
Shaolin Ribeiro lost his title at 154 lbs. in his rematch with
Tatsuya Kawajiri.
COMPLETE
RESULTS:
Ladies: Megumi Fujii vs. Nadia Van Der Wel: Fujii by arm bar,
rd 1.
Hiroyuki Abe vs. Makoto Ishikawa: NO CONTEST, stop on Abe cut.
Katsuya Toida vs. Rumina Sato: Sato by KO, rd 2.
Hiroyuki Takaya vs. Gilbert Melendez: Melendez by Judges Decision.
SHOOTO TITLE BOUT: Alexandre F. Nogueira vs. Hideki Kadowaki:
Pequeno by guillotine, rd 1.
SHOOTO TITLE BOUT: Jake Shields vs. Akira Kikuchi: Kikuchi wins
by Judges Decision.
SHOOTO TITLE BOUT: Vitor 'Shaolin' Ribeiro vs. Tatsuya Kawajiri:
Kawajiri by TKO, RD 3.
Source: ADCC |
SIMS
NEEDS MAJOR SURGERY ON ARM
Wes Sims could not move his arm above his head. That was BEFORE
the fight started against Tim Sylvia at SuperBrawl. Sims had
doctors administer four shots to his elbow just before fighting
Sylvia.
"It
hurt like hell", Sims told MMAWeekly describing the injury.
"I had it pop four times in my last fight in Rumble on the
Rock, so I knew it would be tough." Sims felt he did well
at the beginning of the fight but once the fight went to the
ground he was in just too much pain. "I couldn't even left
my arm up to defend myself. I will get surgery on it and be back."
Sims said.
Surgery
will keep Sims on the shelf for a few months. His arm may be
hurt, but right now his record has been worse. Sims has just
one win in his last seven fights. It's unknown when or if he
will return to MMA.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Bushido
5 Review
Pride's Bushido 5, which took place at Osaka Castle Hall on October
14th, began airing on North American pay per view recently.
It
was the first show in the Bushido series without Mirko Cro Cop
or another major middleweight or heavyweight headliner to sell
the show. A crowd estimate for the show was 9,000 to 10,000 people
in attendance. I believe capacity for Castle Hall is around 15,000
or so. Considering the show was headlined by someone who had
never carried a Pride card on his name alone (Takanori Gomi)
against an unknown from the U.S. (Charles Bennett), I don't think
the show drew so badly.
Pride
is planning on running a lightweight Grand Prix next year, featured
on the Bushido events and built around Gomi. All of the Pride
Grand Prix tournaments are built around the idea of the native
star trying to overcome the best fighters in the world to win
the tournament. In 2000, it was Sakuraba. In 2003, it was Yoshida.
In 2004, it was Ogawa. It will be interesting to see what this
will do for Gomi's name value in Japan, and how well the tournament
will draw based around smaller fighters and around a native star
in Gomi with less name value than any other top native star that
has gone in deep in a Pride Grand Prix tournament.
They
have a lot of skilled fighters to choose from to participate
in such a tournament, but not very many guys with name value.
Pride is said to be making very large money offers to lightweight
and welterweight fighters, which is against tradition in MMA,
as usually small fighters don't command large paychecks. Pride
also seems to be wanting to run a Middleweight Grand Prix again
next year as well, so the question is whether the Bushido Grand
Prix will get lost in the mix without a major box office draw.
It will be interesting, because K-1 has been able to successfully
run the World Grand Prix Finals every year and still do tournaments
on the Max show without the Max shows getting lost in the mix.
In fact, K-1 Max has been a standout aspect of K-1 for the last
couple of years.
But
Bushido isn't as well booked or promoted as Max. You don't see
top heavyweights on K-1 Max fighting in squash matches (i.e.
Mirko Cro Cop vs. Norihisa Yamamoto), or heavyweights such as
Igor Vovchanchyn returning from an absence or stuff like that.
When you have a series like Bushido, and you use it to book name
fighters against unknown opponents in easy fights in order to
just get a name guy on the show and not risk him against another
top guy, it makes the entire show feel very b-level. K-1 Max
has a distinct separation from K-1's heavyweight division, in
that everyone knows that K-1 Max is only for middleweight fighters,
and the top middleweight fighters are pushed just as hard on
K-1 Max shows as the heavyweight fighters are on the heavyweight
shows. When Pride books lesser name heavyweight fighters or b-level
heavyweight fights as headline or featured matches on the Bushido
shows along with other lightweight fights, it's like saying that
the top lightweight fighters and matches are only as good as
the b-level heavyweight (or middleweight) fighters and matches.
On
the October 14th show, Takanori Gomi defeated Charles "Krazy
Horse" Bennett from King of the Cage in the main event.
Bennett is a fighter I've been watching since the first time
he fought for King of the Cage on pay per view, and he's very,
very charismatic and has very exciting fights. He trains with
Colin Ohyama, and has a fighting and an interview style similar
to Quinton Jackson. This was Bennett's debut with Pride, and
they had an exciting fight and I thought he got over well, especially
at the finish where the referee stopped the match because Bennett
wouldn't tap to a kimura. Anyone watching Bennett for two seconds
realizes that if he improves as a fighter, he could be the Bushido
version of Quinton Jackson because otherwise he has all the right
tools to do it.
Another
interesting debut on Bushido 5 was that of Crosley Gracie, who
comes from Ralph Gracie's gym. He defeated Hayato Sakurai, who
a few years ago was considered one of the best fighters at his
weight before being stopped by Matt Hughes in UFC in March 2002,
in the second round with an armbar. Crosley refers to himself
as a "new generation" Gracie fighter who is better
at stand-up than most Gracies, but although he looked very skilled,
his fight still revolved around the slow Gracie grappling-style
and it made for a fairly dull fight, at least in the first round
before Sakurai got submitted in the second.
Overall,
though, Bushido 5 was a very solid show for an event mostly built
around lightweights. The only non-lightweight matches on the
card were Igor Vovchanchyn's return from a long absence (or what
can be considered a long absence for Vovchanchyn, who has a reputation
for fighting constantly in Pride), looking very good in destroying
an easy opponent in Shamoji Fujii. Mauricio "Shogun"
Rua also looked very good, completely dominating Yasuhito Namekawa,
who seemed to have nothing to offer in the way of striking, in
the opening match, and in somewhat of a shocker, a sumo actually
won an MMA fight when Henry "Sentoryu" Miller, who
is from St. Louis but is half-Japanese and was born in Japan,
knocked out Mal Foki from Australia. I can't think of any other
instance in MMA history where a sumo has actually won a fight.
Foki's gimmick is that he's one-half of a twin brother combo
from down under, with his twin brother being Mat Foki, who lost
to Aleksander Emelianenko at Bushido 3. Neither of them strike
me as being particularly skilled.
Source: Maxfighting |
Gilbert
Melendez In Shooto
It seems that Gilbert Melendez can't get a day's rest of late.
Not only did he defeat Kaynan Kaku at the most recent Rumble
on the Rock show last month, but this upcoming Tuesday, December
14th in Tokyo, Japan he will be facing off against number one
ranked Shooto lightweight Hiroyuki Takaya. Currently busy splitting
training time between various gyms in northern and central California,
Melendez took time from his hectic training schedule to talk
to MMA Weekly's Mick Hammond about the fight first hand and explain
how it all came about.
MMA
Weekly: How did this fight come up?
Gilbert
Melendez: I heard word of the fight while I was out in Hawaii
last month. It got mentioned to me and I was like "if it's
at 153lbs, 155lbs, or whatever they've got over there I'll do
it," and then I got back to California and somehow I said
yes to 143lbs. It's hurting right now making the weight but I'm
ready. I feel in really good shape and everything but firstly
I want to make weight.
MMA
Weekly: How do you feel going below your normal fighting weight
of 155lbs to take this fight at 143lbs?
Gilbert
Melendez: I fought Bozo (Stephen Paling) at 145lbs on Rumble
on the Rock 4 and that was a killer, but I've really leaned out
a lot more right now. I'm on a real low calorie diet; I'm as
lean as possible I think right now, so it'll be easier to cut
the weight now.
MMA
Weekly: How has your preparation changed to make this kind of
weight?
Gilbert
Melendez: I'm running a lot more right now, my two-a-day training
turned into three-a-days now. So I'm working hard to keep that
weight down. I'm a little low energy at practice sometimes because
you can't eat as much and stuff, but once I eat and get my weight
back up after I weigh in I'll be so excited to fight.
MMA
Weekly: Talk is that the winner of this fight could see a title
shot against Alexandre Nogueira next year sometime, how do you
feel about that possibility?
Gilbert
Melendez: That's the whole reason why I said I'd do it. That's
the reason I actually ended up agreeing to it, Cesar (Gracie,
Melendez's manager and trainer) told me "if you fight him
you'll be the number one contender," allegedly. If they
try to tell me to fight someone else at 143lbs again I won't
do it. The only reason for me to do it is if I win I should get
my chance against Pequeno (Alexandre Nogeuira) for the title.
He's the number one 143lb fighter in the world and I want to
be number one for a second at 143lbs. That wouldn't be too bad
you know. So I'd love to fight him, that's the one of the main
reasons I took this fight, to get a chance against him and never
fight at this weight ever again (laughs).
MMA
Weekly: What do you know about your opponent Takaya?
Gilbert
Melendez: I know he's tough, I know he knocked out Bozo (Paling)
and was supposed to fight (Jens) Pulver so I'm pretty sure he's
tough as hell. He's a top ranked Shooto guy, I think he's mainly
stand up and hard to take down. He fought Joao Roque who is another
145lb fighter who is pretty good and drew with him. But I haven't
seen any tape; I'm just going to use my height on him and my
intensity keep pressure on him and break him. That's my plan.
MMA
Weekly: Do you have any fights set up after this in the near
future after the short turn around between this fight and your
last?
Gilbert
Melendez: Hell no, I'm taking a break for sure (laughs). I think
there's a ROTR coming up in late February or early March so Jake
(Shields) and I both plan on fighting on that, so we are trying
to work things out with JD (Penn) and everything out there. I
love that show out there, they took care of me real nicely and
were really cool so I'd love to go back out there and fight for
them.
MMA
Weekly: Is there a chance we could see you fight in the mainland
US next year?
Gilbert
Melendez: If someone offered me something. I want to fight in
the UFC. I just want to fight there, or wherever they offer me
a good opportunity for me to prove myself. I want to fight really
tough competitors and improve myself and test myself.
MMA
Weekly: Thanks a lot for the time Gilbert, is there anything
you want to say as we close this out?
Gilbert
Melendez: Everything is ready to go, I just can't wait to make
this weight and then I'll be so excited to fight. I'm going to
go out there and win; I don't plan on losing.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
BANG
AND SPRATT ARE VICTORIOUS THIS WEEKEND
BANG AND SPRATT VICTORIES HIGHLIGHT RING OF FIRE!
Saturday,
December 11th saw two of Denver’s favorite fighters return
to
the ring in Pete Spratt and Duane “Bang” Ludwig. Playing
to a full
house, both fighters walked away victorious.
Originally
slated to face kickboxing world champion Grisha Todorov in
defense of his own ISKA world title, Ludwig instead ended up
facing Lee
King of Texas in a non-title K-1 rules kickboxing bout. (Todorov
was in
a car accident and obviously unable to compete.)
Ludwig
wasted no time banging out a victory over King. By the time
special guest referee Cecil Peoples stopped the bout at 2:57
of the
second round, Ludwig had knocked King down three times.
The
surprising part of his win is that Ludwig barely used his kicks
to
do much of the damage. Since starting to train with Trevor Wittman
of
T’s KO more than two years ago, Ludwig has improved the
technique and
power of his punches tremendously.
Despite
taking this fight at 167 pounds, about 12 to 13 pounds higher
than usual, Ludwig consistently beat King to the punch and definitely
landed the much harder shots which led to the knockout.
Speaking
with Ludwig after the fight, he currently has hopes to take
more fights at or near167 pounds in the upcoming year. He has
a desire
to compete in kickboxing and to make a return to mixed martial
arts
whether it is under the K-1 banner or for the Ultimate Fighting
Championship.
After
losing his last couple of fights, Pete “The Secret Weapon”
Spratt
returned to Denver looking to get back on the winning track.
Though he
looked a little out of synch at times, Spratt did get back on
track
after scoring a split decision victory over Denver bad-boy John
“The
Annihilator” Cronk.
Though
he looked to be in tremendous physical condition, Spratt had
a
very difficult time finding a rhythm against Cronk. Part of Spratt’s
problem could have been due to the fact that he was up all night
having
trouble sleeping due to difficulty adjusting to the altitude
in Denver,
but he made no excuses giving Cronk full credit for being elusive
and
coming to fight.
Spratt
landed more frequently than Cronk and packed a lot of power in
his strikes, but that didn’t stop Cronk from landing a nice
hook kick
in the second round. In the end, Spratt won out in a methodical
fight
that didn’t quite spark as many of the fireworks that most
expected.
With the win, Spratt walked away with the ISKA U.S. Cruiserweight
Championship.
Like
Ludwig, Spratt is looking to make a return to mixed martial arts
in 2005. He said that he “put [UFC matchmaker] Joe Silva
on notice”
that he will be working his way back into the UFC in the next
year.
Mile
High Altitude Martial Arts (owned by Nathan Marquardt) fighter
Tom
Sarah earned a solid win in a tremendous battle with Ft. Collins,
Colorado fighter Noah Thomas. As well, up and coming heavyweight
fighter Mike Nickels pounded out another victory as he starts
to make
his mark on the Ring of Fire heavyweight division.
FULL
RESULTS
Mixed
Martial Arts (All amateur bouts):
Lorenzo Coca def. Travis Sherman by Rear Naked Choke at 2:14
of Round 2
Joe Dougherty def. Nobu Yugai by TKO at 2:14 of Round 2
Rocky Johnson def. Ben Phillips by Rear Naked Choke at 0:37 of
Round 2
Tom Sarah def. Noah Thomas by Unanimous Decision after 3 Rounds
Aaron Romero def. Chad Lemoine by Unanimous Decision after 3
Rounds
Mike Nickels def. James Meyers by TKO at 2:33 of Round 1
K-1
Rules Kickboxing:
Mike Baldwin def. Evan Esguerra by Unanimous Decision after 3
Rounds
(Amateur)
Jacob Conliffe def. Terry Pettek by TKO at 1:43 of Round 2 (Pro)
Christian Allen def. Jeff Barney by TKO at 2:24 of Round 2 (Pro)
Pete Spratt def. John Cronk by Split Decision after 5 Rounds
(Pro)
Duane Ludwig def. Lee King by KO at 2:57 of Round 2 (Pro)
Source: MMA Weekly |
JEAN-CLAUDE
VAN DAMME: 'I WANT TO RETURN TO FIGHTING AND WIN THE K-1'
Actor
and Supposed martial artist Jean-Claude Van Damme told the media
that he would like to "return to fighting and win the K-1
world title".
The
44-year old Van Damme claims to have once been European karate
champion, but his claims have since been thoroughly researched
and supposedly found to be false.
Furthermore,
Howard Hanson, President of the World Karate Association, claims
that he only found evidence of Van Damme competing in one amateur
bout.
Source: Fight Sport
|
News:
Ricardão is back to the rings
After
Brazil Dojo fell apart, Ricardo Moraes, known as Ricadão
were out of MMA circuit for a while. However Brazilian giant
is back to training: "Ask Zé Mário and Rogério
Minotouro about it? Minotouro said to me a punch from Ricardão
is like a chair strike in the head"," stated Muay Thai
trainer Luiz Alves. Ricardo is losing some weight - from 140kg
to 120kg - and now he will go to the mat to sharpen his game
on the feet. "He is going to train with Dedé Pederneiras,"
guaranteed. His return is scheduled to happen on January 29,
in California.
Source: Tatame
|
Quote
of the Day
"Laziness may appear attractive, but work gives satisfaction."
Anne Frank, 1929-1945, German Jewish Refugee, Diarist
|
Punishment
In Paradise
"GAME TO THE END"
SHOOTO IN HAWAII
Sat Jan 22,2005 Punishment In Paradise will be holding Shooto
sanction fights featuring UFC Veteran Ronald Jhun. We at P.I.P
are very excited and hope to build a succesful and long going
relationship. This gives Hawaii fighters a chance to be seen
and advance, Look for more news coming soon.
Source: Promoter
|
Super
Brawl Correction
In the Andre Roberts, Ruben Villareal. Judges scoredcards read
29-29, 29-29, 29-28 Ruben "Warpath" Villareal. The
ring announcer mistakenly announced Villareal as the winner when
in fact the correct result was a majority draw.
Andre Roberts' record is now 15-1-1
and former Gladiator Challenge Champion, Ruben Villareal's record
is now 6-4-1
Source: ADCC
|
Saku
- Silva: Forth Time's The Charm
On November 30th, Pride officially announced the fourth outing
of Kazushi Sakuraba vs. Wanderlei Silva to take place on New
Year's Eve, as the match had been rumored for a number of days
leading up to the announcement. Also announced were Jens Pulver
vs. Takanori Gomi, which had been rumored for the last few weeks
as well, and Dan Henderson vs. Yuki Kondo.
Sakuraba
vs. Silva isn't the best choice of booking for Pride, and it's
a sign of desperation to put Sakuraba in a fight that will draw
on TV on New Year's Eve, which will once again be a heavy night
of competition with Pride, K-1 and the Red & White concert
special on NHK all airing back-to-back. It originally seemed
as if it would be Sakuraba vs. Kiyoshi Tamura, but Tamura turned
down the match.
The
patterns of a business downfall for Pride are already in place.
Not that any downfall in business is going to come overnight
or anything like that, but the very fact that they are stuck
with booking Sakuraba against Silva once again shows that they
are running out of fresh opponents for their current stars, and
have been unable to create new native stars to carry the company.
When
you look at their booking situation, who else could you book
Sakuraba against? Tamura is a great idea, but he didn't want
to do the fight. Yoshida and Sakuraba aren't interested in facing
each other. There aren't very many other opponents you could
put Sakuraba against that would not be seriously risking Sakuraba's
reputation as a fighter. If you're going to put Sakuraba in against
a tough opponent, you may as well book him against Silva because
it's pretty much guaranteed to draw.
This
also presents a problem for next year's proposed Middleweight
Grand Prix tournament. Pride needs to book the tournament around
the native star in order to draw money, just like all of the
past Pride Grand Prix tournaments have been booked around Sakuraba,
Yoshida and Naoya Ogawa. Looking at Pride's roster, which native
star could they book, and who would they fight in the first round
in the match that would have to be the ticket seller? It's a
smart idea to book a Japanese vs. another Japanese in the first
round of the tournament because that way you guarantee that a
Japanese fighter gets into the second round, but if Tamura won't
fight Sakuraba, and Sakuraba and Yoshida won't face each other,
and Yoshida vs. Tamura has already been done in the first round
of the 2003 Grand Prix, what's left?
You
would then have to look at the idea of booking a Japanese fighter
vs. a major foreign drawing card. The biggest foreign drawing
at the middleweight level is Silva. If you do Sakuraba vs. Silva
on New Year's Eve and Sakuraba loses again, could you realistically
book Sakuraba vs. Silva for a fifth time just a few months later?
I wouldn't think so. Silva has already fought and defeated Kiyoshi
Tamura in a quick match, and defeated Yoshida in the 2003 Grand
Prix in a very exciting match, so both of those fights have already
been done, although out of all these ideas for first round Grand
Prix matches that will draw money, Yoshida vs. Silva would seem
to be the best, but that's not saying much.
Sakuraba
needs to be protected at this point in his career. Everyone knows
he is past his prime. When you book Sakuraba in matches where
it's nearly impossible for him, you're taking a lot of the gas
out of his tank. Yes, Silva vs. Sakuraba will most likely draw,
because it's drawn big money every single time they've done it.
But for the long-term future of Pride it's just a question of
bigger problems, because once Sakuraba is done, they have not
created a new native Japanese star to take his place. And creating
a new star at that level is much easier said than done, and there
isn't even anyone in sight for Pride to take Sakuraba's spot
as the company's top draw.
If
Pride had been able to create new native stars, there wouldn't
be the need to book Silva vs. Sakuraba. But they've ended up
being booked into a position where that fight is going to happen,
and it probably won't be the last time, either.
The
first Sakuraba-Silva match took place on March 25th, 2001 at
Pride 13 at Saitama Super Arena. The show was a huge hit, although
Sakuraba was allegedly ill in the weeks leading up to the match
and couldn’t train properly, and Silva destroyed him in
only 1:28. The win turned Silva into an overnight superstar,
because Sakuraba was undefeated in Pride up to that point, and
because Silva had the right look and persona and had handled
Sakuraba so easy, Japanese fans bought into him as the monster
foreign heel.
The
second match headlined the Tokyo Dome on November 3rd, 2001,
drawing a gate of $5.5 million with Silva and Sakuraba facing
off for the newly created Pride Middleweight title. Antonio Rodrigo
Nogueira had already defeated Heath Herring in a match of the
year candidate earlier in the card to win the new Pride Heavyweight
title, and Sakuraba fared much better this time against Silva,
but suffered a shoulder injury and the fight was stopped after
the first round.
The
next match between the two took place in the first round of the
2003 Grand Prix at Saitama Super Arena on August 10th, 2003.
Silva quickly knocked Sakuraba at 5:01 in a match that was mostly
stand-up.
Source: Maxfighting
|
PRIDE
Auditions Interview with MARCOS AVELLAN
Marcos Avellan took part in the recent Pride auditions in L.A.
along with FFA teammate Charles McCarthy. Marcos may not be familiar
to MMA fans at this point as he has only fought once in AFC but
around the grappling circuit he is very well known. At the Abu
Dhabi North American trials in September he not only won his
weight division and an invite to the Worlds in May but he did
it not one but two weight classes above his previous competition
weight. Being such a standout we caught up with Marcos literally
right after his Pride audition.
KM:
Now that it is all over how do you think you did? MA: Its hard
to tell because normally I take about a minute or two to really
get going and start passing guard and both guys I went up against
were really tough. Nick Ring, I grappled him in (North American)
Abu Dhabi (qualifier) and I beat him 3-0 in a ten-minute match.
I had one minute now and I think I swept him once and I think
in a scramble I got on top once. He’s a tough fighter so
its kind of expected. I hope they can understand that. The second
fight I fought with Charles, another monster, my training partner.
He knows everything I go for. We had a good one-minute roll but
there were no guard passes or submissions. I fought good guys
but its not the same feeling of satisfaction you get when you
run through someone’s guard and armbar them. Considering
the level of talent I was up against I think I did good. How
good I did I don’t know, there are a lot of tough guys here.
Overall I’m happy.
KM:
I think that was a good sign that out of six people they asked
three of you to stay for more. I’m not aware of them doing
that to any other group. Do you remember what your thoughts were
at that time? MA: I wasn’t sure what happened. Charles says
that, that there were just us three but if they called us three
to one side and the other three to another I don’t know.
They did do something like that. I think me, Nick, and Charles
did the best in that group there but I don’t know how I
compared to everyone else.
KM:
I have to ask about the North American trials. You won the division
in September and have until May before the Worlds. How do you
look back at that experience? MA: Still very excited about it.
I maintain my weight because it is a big fluctuation for me.
I maintained it, I feel very strong at this weight, and I’m
confident in May I can win the whole tournament. That is what
I’m going there for. I’m still training, upping my
training regimen, and am feeling very good.
KM:
You mentioned the match against King. Remind me who you beat
in the second round? MA: Rick Macauley. That was a tough fight
also I won I think 5-0. It was a guard pass and a sweep as he
was going for a guillotine I got on top. In the final match it
was Justin Garcia and I won that one 2-0. It was a little bit
stale of a match but a win is a win and that is a tough guy.
I wasn’t as prepared as I should have been for that tournament
so I’m very proud of that performance.
KM:
The Abu Dhabi rules are a little different. How did you and are
you going to train differently for the Abu Dhabi rules than you
normally do? MA: I’ve been working a lot more wrestling.
You know how they call stalling and stuff people get away with
it a lot, I think with the ADCC rules whoever ends up on top
is pretty important. I’ve been working a lot with my wrestling
but pretty much train like I always train. I still want to fight
NHB and that is why I’m here at the Pride tryouts, so just
train my normal regimen and incorporate my kickboxing, my wrestling,
and my jiu-jitsu and when I go there I know I’m going to
be ready. I train with some of the best guys; I train with my
brother David Avellan, Charles McCarthy, Efrain Ruiz, the guys
at the academy and I’m very confident.
KM:
First five minutes is no points. Does that affect your strategy?
MA: I went into the trials with the strategy to keep it cool
the first five and when I got in there I tried to submit the
guys in the first five. Just depends on the other guy’s
energy I guess, how I feel when I go in there. In the same tournament
I choked one five-minute round and the other I went all-out.
I guess I just go with how I feel. I’m a pretty emotional
fighter when I grapple, I only have gameplans when I fight NHB.
I just go with the flow of it.
KM:
Your only NHB fight I saw was AFC where you were 155 but at the
Abu Dhabi trials you cut to make 195 or so. What happened and
would you continue to fight at Middleweight? MA: After that fight
I went through a growth spurt or something, I put on a lot of
weight. I walked around at 170, now I walk around at 194. I like
it like this; less stress and I don’t have to cut weight
and stuff. I plan to stay at this weight and fight NHB at 185
or 170 depending on the pay. All my sparring partners are that
weight and I’m fine with them. They kick ass. I’m comfortable
at this weight.
KM:
As far as FFA it is you and your brother own it and Efrain Ruiz
is head instructor? MA: The head instructors are myself, my brother,
Efrain Ruiz, and we have other black belts such as Ricardo Teixeira,
out jiu-jitsu black belt instructor. He has a school in Jupiter
two hours away and they are FFA Jupiter. We also have other black
belts like Josh Mansel in Ft. Lauderdale an hour away. Some of
our other instructors include judo black belt Carlo Trujillo
and purple belt instructor Robert Mallon and Eric “El Tigre”
Castonas, former three-time World Champion kickboxer. I’m
sure there are a couple other guys but I’m kind of tired
right now. I took a kick to the ear somewhere there.
KM:
Between now and the ADCC Worlds if Pride doesn’t call or
have anything until after the Worlds are you going to look for
another NHB fight? MA: Yes, February in the next AFC. Grappling-wise
I’m always grappling. Have another competition coming up
in two weeks.
KM:
Sponsors to thank? MA: Rob at Pool Pros who Charles mentioned,
Gordon Hester, Carlos Teixeira, and Joe Mullings from American
Mixed Martial Arts. Everyone from the academy at FFA, all my
brothers and sisters there. They are the ones who help motivate
me and they are my training partners. Without them I wouldn’t
be where I am now.
KM:
Does FFA have a website? MA: Yes, our website is freestylefighting.net.
You can check out all our information there like highlight videos
and if you live in Miami we have a thirty day free trial.
Source: ADCC
|
PRIDE
Auditions Interview with KADILLAC MARSHBANKS!
Kadillac Marshbanks was one of about forty Heavyweights that
competed in the recent Pride auditions in Los Angeles. What is
a little surprising is he fought just six days prior against
“Scary” Jerry Vrbanovic for the King of the Cage Unlimited
Superfight belt, a fight he won by unanimous decision based largely
on his multiple takedowns and damage to Jerry’s face on
the ground. That fight was on the current KOTC pay-per-view show
which airs through December reaching an estimated 60 million
households. Less known than that was Marshbanks fought just three
weeks prior at Total Combat in Tijuana, a show whose results
aren’t on most internet databases.
KM:
What are your thoughts on winning the belt? KM: I was real confident,
sure of what I was going to do. Had a focused mind.
KM:
You were an underdog against ‘Scary’ Jerry. You seemed
to really control him with wrestling. How do you feel that was
your chance to shine as an underdog? KM: Underdog doesn’t
mean too much to me as long as I know what I’m doing. I
talked to someone before that and they said ‘if you can
slam Scary Jerry most likely you can go to Pride and that is
what I ended up doing. If you tell me that is going to make me
move farther that is what I’m going to go ahead and attempt
to do.
KM:
It was relatively short notice. Jerry was supposed to fight Eric
Pele. KM: And I fought about three weeks before. I was on crutches
when I took the fight. I wasn’t ready to go but took the
fight anyway. I did what I had to do. I’ve been trying to
get into KOTC for a long time so hurt or not hurt I didn’t
want to pass it up.
KM:
What were you up to before this? KM: Doing jiu-jitsu. I was fighting
out at Tijuana at Total Combat, some underground fights. I’ve
been active up to this fight. I don’t defend this belt until
May but will try to get into Pride and still do my jiu-jitsu
and keep active.
KM:
Here at the Pride auditions it’s 1:11, we’ve been here
for about two hours and are still on the Lightweights. You have
a couple hours to go before the Heavyweights start and you are
#25. How are you feeling right now? KM: It’s nothing new.
When I wrestled in High School I was always the last one. I’ve
been to cage fight where I got there five or six hours before.
As long as I pace myself…ain’t no sense in me working
out. I can’t be working out five hours early and try to
roll. Just got to pace myself and stay relaxed.
KM:
Most people here are more laid back then I thought they would
be. Here it is Pride but the competitors are saying it’s
like a day at the gym with a new person. KM: A lot of people
now are coming out to where everybody has their own skills and
they are confident, they believe in them so it turns into a more
mellow place. It’s when you got people that are unconfident
with what they can do with their abilities, that is when it gets
kind of hectic.
KM:
Anything else you can explain about the ‘before’ and
‘after’ mindset with this being the ‘before’
your chance to audition? KM: I see this as a big opportunity
to achieve one of my other goals. One of my goals was to be the
KOTC champ and I already did that. My other is to get into Pride
and hopefully get a title there too. This is a trial process,
I got to go do what I have to do and find out from there.
At
this point Quinton Jackson “joined” (bulldozed into)
the conversation.
QJ:
This is the real black man. (Joking) Kadillac is an imposter.
He tried to go out there and do the slams like the real black
man, Rampage. Next thing you know he is going to trade in his
Cadillac and get a tank and start wearing camouflage. Before
you know it he’s going to have a chain. I got to nip that
in the bud. (Everybody laughs). I can’t have that.
(To
Kadillac) Since you just won the belt and are competing today
I got to give you the last word. How would you respond to Quinton?
KM: I’ve seen Rampage since the beginning in KOTC, I got
to give him a lot of respect for his attitude and everything!
I am glad to be where I am now and I plan to keep going.
Source: ADCC
|
AFTER
WIN, KLITSCHKO HEADS TO HOSPITAL, NEWS CONFERENCE, AND THEN UKRAINE
After
his eight-round destruction of Danny Williams Saturday night
in the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, WBC heavyweight champ Vitali
Klitschko made a stop at the hospital to check his hands. After
the fight Klitschko said that both of them had become swollen
during the fight. He later returned to the Mandalay Bay and met
with the media. By the time you are reading this, he and brother
Wladimir will be en route to Ukraine.
If
you missed the live broadcast of this fight or want to see it
again, it will be rebroadcast in the U.S. next Saturday night,
Dec. 18. That fight will be part of the HBO broadcast featuring
the live light heavyweight fight between Antonio Tarver and Glen
Johnson. The broadcast will start at 9 PM ET, so make sure to
check your local listings.
Here
is the press release with Vitali Klitschko's post-fight quotes.
WBC
HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION VITALI KLITSCHKO POST-FIGHT QUOTES FROM
MANDALAY BAY RESORT & CASINO, LAS VEGAS, NEVADA
After
returning from the hospital at around midnight, WBC Heavyweight
Champion Vitali Klitschko met with the press to discuss his devastating
eighth-round knockout victory over Danny Williams Saturday night
on HBO Pay-Per-View at Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino, his
future plans and more.
VITALI
KLITSCHKO
'I
went to the hospital as a precaution because both my hands were
swollen. They are taped now but the doctor said I will be fine
and could fight in a couple of months. Nothing is broken. This
is no big deal.
'I
cannot say exactly when I hurt them, or with what punch, but
I first started to feel pain in the hands in the second round,
and felt more and more pain in each round thereafter.
'I
feel good. I did not take a lot of punches in the fight. Danny
Williams did never hurt me.
'I
tried to finish him in the first round, but Danny Williams showed
a lot of heart and came back. I was very surprised at how many
punches he took.
'I
am happy with my performance, but fights, like life, are all
about learning and gaining experience. I hope the fans enjoyed
our fight tonight. I fight for the audience. They are the ones
who pay to watch me fight and I hope they will want to watch
me again.
'The
best is yet to come.
'I
am not prepared to say who I will fight next, or when the fight
will be, or where. There are several possibilities, lots of big
names. We will see.
'This
victory was important not just for me, but for my country. This
is the first time a Ukrainian sportsman is a boxing world champion.
I hope I made the people there happy.
'My
brother, Wladimir, and I leave for Germany early in the morning
(Sunday) and will spend one day there before heading to Ukraine.'
Source: ADCC
|
Quote
of the Day
"In the practice of tolerance, one's enemy is the best teacher."
Dalai Lama, 1935-, Tibet Religious Leader Resides In India
|
Royler
on the way to Japan
BJJ black belt and four times BJJ World Champion Royler Gracie
departed to Japan last Friday (10). He will be at his brother
Royce Gracie’s corner at December 31’s K1. Royce will
do one of the main fights of the event against Yokozuna Taro
Akebono, in Japan. Royler is a little concerned about Akebono’s
weight: 230kg.
“He
is too damn heavy and a Sumo champion. I’ve watched tapes
of him fighting, I know Royce needs to be careful with his powerful
jabs. But the real danger is his weight. Can you imagine those
230kg lying on you? During a take down you could really get hurt!
You might break a rib or even a leg,” warned Royler, who
at the same time believes his brother will defeat the Hawaiian
Sumo fighter.
“Royce
knows it will be a very important fight. He will face a Yokuzuna
and he is very confident. At the same time we know he has a problem
with stamina. The fact Royce is not a striker, I believe he will
try to take the fight to the ground, but that it’s going
to be a problem due to his weight. In the end, I am sure Royce
will win,” believes Gracie Humaitá’s black belt.
Source: ADCC |
SHOOTO:
End of Year Event in Japan This Week!
December 14th, 2004
Tokyo, Japan
SHOOTO's
end of year event is highlighted by the return of 3 of the organizations
foreign champions, Brazilians 'Pequeno' Noguiera and 'Shaolin'
Ribeiro and American Jake Shields. All three return to Tokyo
to face stiff opposition, and all three challengers will have
the hometown adnvantage.
The
undercard features returning SHOOTO stars Rumina Sato and Hiroyuki
Abe as well as a ladies bout.
COMPLETE
CARD (Subject To Change):
Ladies: Megumi Fujii vs. Nadia Van Der Wel
Hiroyuki Abe vs. Makoto Ishikawa
Katsuya Toida vs. Rumina Sato
Hiroyuki Takaya vs. Gilbert Melendez
SHOOTO TITLE BOUT: Alexandre F. Nogueira vs. Hideki Kadowaki
SHOOTO TITLE BOUT: Jake Shields vs. Akira Kikuchi
SHOOTO TITLE BOUT: Vitor 'Shaolin' Ribeiro vs. Tatsuya Kawajiri
Source: ADCC |
Damien
Maia talks about his win in ADCC Trials Brazil
Damien
Maia was one of the big surprises in the 2005 ADCC Trials Brazil.
Damien is a Brasa team poorly kept secret and while he was still
recovering from a recent knee surgery that kept him from being
in top form, Damien was still able to beat two World Absolute
Champions in the same event. Damien beat Fernando Margarida in
the opening round and followed it by defeating Rodrigo Comprido
by 2 x 0 Score.
Damien
announced to the world that he is back and ready to fight:
'The
Trials were tremendous and I was fortunate to come out on top.
I had to do two qualifiers, the pre-qualifier the week before
and the finals in Sao Paulo. It was a marathon. I am very happy
that my knee is back, it is still only 70% recovered. I had surgery
2 months ago and wasn't sure how it would hold up under the real
fight condition.
I
was the only one to win both qualifiers as well, so I am really
happy for that. In the Campos pre-trials I beat current World
Champion Braulio 'Caracara' and then in Sao Paulo I beat my idol
Margarida!'
In
May 2005 I will be in top form for 2005 ADCC!'
ADCC
2005 will be the best. See you there!
2005
American Nationals Date Correction
The
correct date for the 2005 American Nationals is September 25th.
When we announced the IBJJF calendar for 2005 the date was incorrect.
Mark your calendars and be there!
Source: ADCC |
George
St. Pierre wins Submission wrestling 8-Man Tournament!!!
Ontario
Submission Wreestling Invitational 3 Results from Sunday December
5th 2004 in Hamilton Ontario Canada. Event was sponsored by:OntheMat.com,Rio
Fight Wear, SPRAWL CANADA, Booste Juice and the Sports Nutrition
Depot.
1st
round grand prix ---
-Kyle Sandford(Renzo Gracie) def Cory Macdonald(Gladiator) by
points
-Georges St Pierre(BTT CANADA) def Mike Nomikos by straight armlock
-AJ Scales(NOVA UNAIO) recieves a bye (jordan damon no show)
-Rowan Cunningham(Abhaya/Team Joslin) def Kyle Saunders(Roy Harris)
by points
2nd
round grand prix
-Georges St. Pierre def Kyle Sandford by points
-AJ Scales def Rowan Cunningham by points
Superfights:
1)Wade Shanley(BTT CANADA) def Mike Hong(MARCUS SOARES) by armlock
2)Sean Pierson def Ken Kronenberg (ken also no show)
3)David Aguzzi(BTT CANADA) def Bryan Edge(Team Joslin/Alliance)
by triangle
choke
4)Ze Mario Esfiha(NiagaraBJJ/Traven) def Rodrigo Munduruca(MundurucaBJJ)
(Mundurca tore acl in first 30 sec)
Grand
Prix Finals
-Kyle Sandford def Rowan by points for third
-St Pierre def AJ Scales by kimura to win the grand prix!
For
more news and photos of the event visit www.showdown.ca
Source: ADCC |
PRIDE
Auditions: Catching Up With Chris Brennan
At the recent Pride auditions in L.A. two Next Generation competitors
tried out, Buck Greer and Adam Lynn. Next Generation’s owner/instructor
Chris Brennan himself is a Pride Bushido vet as well as a UFC
vet and former KOTC champion, a fact which seemed to give his
fighters an edge in the pack. Due to this Chris was ‘interviewed’
throughout the day.
Before
the auditions
KM:
It is going to be a long day for you. You have fighters in Lightweight
and Middleweight today. What is your mindset right now? CB: Kind
of confused I guess because you aren’t allowed to go live
and then they say we’ll go live. Some standup, some ground.
Lucky for us most of my guys are good standup and on the ground.
Its not a case of they are better somewhere than another. I’m
excited. I hope they get to really show their skills so we’ll
see what happens.
KM:
Seems like the newer fighters are on the same footing than some
of the most experienced. CB: That is what I’m saying. I
hope all the guys get to show how good they are when they have
to let the other guy armbar them, let them punch, let them kick.
We’ll see.
KM:
As a coach and fighter can you improve on the way this is run?
CB: I guess not here. If we were somewhere where MMA was legal
then I guess you could let them go a little more and see what
everyone can do but being in California and not being allowed
to fight I guess this is as good as you can do it here.
KM:
Adam Lynn is Lightweight #46. How do you keep your fighter focused?
CB: You can’t unfocus Adam Lynn. He’s a different breed
of person. We’ll keep Buck (Greer) warm, have to warm him
up. Adam is a mental nutcase.
After
the auditions
KM:
Now that it is all over what are your perceptions on how the
day went? CB: Pretty good. Both my guys did pretty well but then
again its hard to tell because they are allowed to go a certain
speed so they all look even. The fact I fight here (Pride) really
helps us out a little. I know they were looking at both of them
before they came.
KM:
Everybody knows you have an edge. CB: That is the point.
KM:
How do you guys prepare for this? CB: You know how they are,
they show up last minute and call last minute so we trained like
it was going to be a fight just in case. We didn’t know
what was going to happen.
KM:
Did it effect them at all the uncertainties of what would happen
or the length of time? CB: No. I think if we expected to not
do anything it might have but we expected the worse so then it
was cake. Like I said, light sparring or whatever.
KM:
You had two guys in this. That in itself is an accomplishment.
As their trainer how do you feel about that? CB: Good they got
accepted into being here but like I said before they were asking
about both these guys before they even came up with the try-outs
so when they came up with the try-outs I was actually bummed.
It worked out good. We got to perform a little bit in front of
these guys like (Dan) Henderson and Buck (Greer) trains with
Henderson sometimes. It was good for us, it worked out well.
KM:
There are a lot of legends walking around here. Any concern your
guys would get starstruck? CB: No, not at all. Adam I can’t
get out of focus, he’s focused non-stop. We all know Bas
(Rutten) from me fighting in Pride. Like I said Buck trains with
Dan Henderson all the time. The guys that were watching them
were the ones that were key and I feel they were comfortable,
I think it was tailor made for us today.
KM:
I want to clarify about the gyms and some of your business associations.
What is up with your career? CB: Hopefully fighting in January.
That is the plan, whenever the next Bushido is. I’ve been
nursing an injury the last month and I start training again on
Monday so we’ll see what happens.
KM:
What injury? CB: A separated AC joint in my shoulder.
KM:
Is it three gyms now you own? CB: Two. One out in Widomar and
Lake Forest. I moved back to Orange County; it blew up again
so its doing really well, its huge. I have my affiliate schools
in Dublin, Ireland and Liverpool, England.
KM:
Who is running the foreign schools? CB: Two guys who have been
traveling back and forth to train at my school for the last three
or four years. One is named Dave Jones and the other is Paul
Rimmer. Paul is the England school and Dave is the Ireland school.
KM:
Any other expansion plans? CB: Yeah, actually. We are taking
over the World Gym that we are inside right now in Lake Forest,
a 15,000 square foot place. It will continue to be a World Gym
but will be the Mecca of MMA. We’re trying to get Pete Spratt
to teach kickboxing out here full-time and working on another
wrestler to work out there full-time but we’re not going
to mention any names yet. Also when the guy in Canada that owns
Evolution MMA up there in Kelowna…we’re joining something
with him there too because one of my guys will be teaching there
full-time.
KM:
Erica in HOOKnSHOOT. Lost to Megumi Fuji but the next day won
the grappling tourney. Were you out there? CB: No, Adam was with
her. I had eight guys in Grapplers Quest the same day.
KM:
Did you see tape or anything of the Fuji fight? CB: No, but I
heard from a lot of people it should have gone the other way,
a lot of people said it should have been a draw, Erica thought
she was winning going into the third round and may have lost
the third round. We’re going to get a rematch with both
of her last two fights and I’m going to be in her corner,
a gigantic difference. Also the next day when she won the Last
Woman Standing thing she beat Tara LaRosa and another girl who
did really well. Beat four girls. Beat the girl who tapped out
Megumi Fuji first round. I think she just needed confidence and
that is what I’m there for and I wasn’t able to be
there. I actually take blame for both those losses more than
she should at all. The first one she went to Japan and fought
by herself. We tried to talk her out of it but she couldn’t
get the itinerary switched and she went by herself. A nineteen
year old girl fighting in Japan on her own…and they made
her weigh in two hours before the fight and it was mandatory
in our contract twenty-four hours before. No excuses. I think
she is the best girl in the world at 125. Now they are having
the women’s division in Abu Dhabi and she is in the tournament.
KM:
Didn’t you have someone in the last KOTC? CB: I had Russ
Muira, my 145er. Fought Abe, ranked #5 in Shooto right now.
KM:
Abe, the guy who got the DQ for kicking the head on the ground
(subsequently changed to ‘no contest’)? CB: Yeah. They
changed the rule so there were no knees on the ground and normally
there is. They changed it to no knees and we changed our gameplan
and I told him if he was on a takedown and he couldn’t get
it don’t worry about sitting to guard. That is what happened.
He landed three and split his eye open. The doctor asked him
‘do you want to continue’ and he said ‘yeah’
and then he looked at me and said ‘I’m seeing double’
because he kicked him right in the eyeball. I called the fight.
Now we’re going to rematch him in the February show. That
was his third fight but he is 40-0 in submission wrestling and
3-0 in MMA.
KM:
You talked before about trying to work a business relationship
with Dan Henderson. Can you clarify? CB: Me and him really nothing.
I’d like to go train with him because he is down by my house
but Buck…because my school is in Irvine and Widomar I have
three days a week in Widomar and Buck is there and I’m three
days a week in Irvine. Buck trains with Dan the three days a
week I’m in Irvine so he doesn’t have to drive all
the way over there.
KM:
Can you clarify the business relationship with Pete Spratt? CB:
He hopefully will be my kickboxing coach. I don’t want anyone
else to be my kickboxing coach. It’s a matter of bringing
him out here so I can have him all the time. Right now I get
him for a couple weeks at a time and then I get a tape from him
to work on stuff and he corners for me. It will take my kickboxing
to a whole new level and I’ll be extremely confident on
my feet.
KM:
How much does he train with you, how much does he take from this
relationship? CB: When he comes here he will but so far he hasn’t
wanted to do anything.
KM:
And he lost by rear choke what, three times? CB: He sits on the
coach at my school and watches me teach class but doesn’t
get on the mat with me. Once that started happening he started
getting frustrated and he wasn’t going to fight any more.
Now that he wants to fight he’s talking about wanting to
train. We’re exchanging some tapes and stuff right now so
he’s got some stuff to study.
KM:
So you have a business relationship and he trains you but you
so far haven’t been training him? CB: Yeah.
KM:
Anything else you want to get across? CB: Nogi (“no gi”)makes
the best sports shorts out there. Our clothing company just started
to blow up. We had it at Grapplers Quest this last one and it
was the first time we really had them in a public place for sale
and we had a phenomenal day. We’re going to start throwing
a couple ads out there and I’ll have it at KOTC in Ohio.
KM:
Sprawl has been getting a lot of attention with the relatively
new web crotch design. How does Nogi compete or compare? CB:
Actually our whole shorts is a stretch-poly material, the whole
thing stretches. Not annoyingly but enough you can kick, you
don’t have to have a seven inch split up the side of your
leg to throw a kick. They have the Velcro over the top draw-string.
The material is really nice, its smoother. The Sprawl material
is really rough, ours is smooth on the inside of the leg. They
are great for training plus the pocket on the leg, instead of
being on the bottom of the leg where if you are running your
keys are in there swinging back and forth it’s a Velcro
pocket right there so you can’t even tell if something is
in there. They are really well-made shorts.
Source: ADCC |
Quote
of the Day
"In the practice of tolerance, one's enemy is the best teacher."
Dalai Lama, 1935-, Tibet Religious Leader Resides In India
|
Super
Brawl 38 Results!
 
Superbrawl 38
Blaisdell Arena, Honolulu, Hawaii
December 1, 2004
by Chris Onzuka - Chris@Onzuka.com
Super
Brawl returned to the Blaisdell Arena and featured four fighters
of "epic" proportions. 6'8" and 290lb, former
UFC heavyweight champ, Tim Sylvia got to settle the score by
pounding on 6'10" and 260lb, Wes Sims. 6'3" and 360lb,
Andre Roberts took on fellow Indian 6'4" and 255lb, Reuben
Villarreal. That is over 26 feet and 1,100 lbs of men in the
ring just with those four fighters. The Sylvia-Sims main event/grudge
match was over quickly, not withstanding a few fireworks after
the match had ended. Sylvia made short work of Wes Sims, as expected,
and also as expected, the referee had a difficult time trying
to pull Sylvia off of Sims. Sylvia delivered the punishment that
he promised. There was almost a "Round 2" when Sylvia
said in his post fight interview that he "finally got to
beat his [Sims] pussy ass." The two men were kept separated
and the situation came under control quickly. The fight of the
night had to be Joe Jordan and Kolo Koka rematch. The first match
came to an abrupt end when a frustrated Koka kicked Jordan in
the head when Jordan was talking to the referee. Christmas came
early for these two fighters who were giving and receiving…punches
that is, for all three rounds. In the end, Jordan's improved
boxing skills, along with a granite chin allowed him to edge
out a decision. Niko Vitale made short work of Ron Fields and
Rich Franklin solidified his place amongst the top 185bers in
the world by taking out a tough Curtis Stout in the second round.
Ed
Newalu (808 Fight Factory) def. Kevin Delima (Bull's Pen)
Unanimous decision [(30-27), (30-27), (30-27)] after 3 rounds.
MMA:
2 Rounds x 3 Minutes
Chris Dawson (Body Shots, Rancho Cucamonga, CA) def. Bryson Kamaka
(808 Fight Factory)
Unanimous decision [(20-18), (20-18), (19-19)] after 2 rounds.
MMA:
2 Rounds x 3 Minutes
Ray Lizama (Body Shots, Rancho Cucamonga, CA) def. Kai Kamaka
(808 Fight Factory)
TKO via referee stoppage due to strikes at 1:53 minutes in Round
1.
MMA:
3 Rounds x 5Minutes
Reuben "Warpath" Villarreal drew with Andre "The
Chief" Roberts (Miletich Fighting Systems)
Majority Draw (29-28), (28-28), (29-29)] after 3 rounds.
MMA:
3 Rounds x 5 Minutes
Joe Jordan (Miletich Fighting Systems) def. Kolo Koka (Team MADD)
Split decision [(28-29), (29-28), (29-28)] after 3 rounds.
MMA:
3 Rounds x 5 Minutes
Rich Franklin (Meat Truck inc.) def. Curtis Stout (St. Louis,
MI)
Submission due to punches from back mount at 1:28 minutes in
Round 2.
MMA:
3 Rounds x 5 Minutes
Niko Vitale (808 Fight Factory) def. Ron Fields (Cincinnati,
OH)
Submission via heel hook at 3:48 minutes in Round 1.
MMA:
3 Rounds x 5 Minutes
Tim Sylvia (Miletich Fighting Systems) def. Wes Sims (Hammer
House)
TKO via referee stoppage at 1:32 minutes in Round 1.
|
Ricardo
Migliarese Earns Black Belt From Relson Gracie
by: Joseph Cunliffe
Philadelphia,
PA -- Ricardo Migliarese received his black belt on Monday from
Relson Gracie during a seminar held at his Philadelphia academy.
Migliarese
began training jiu-jitsu with his older brother Phil in 1994
at the age of fifteen because he wanted to stay off the streets
and out of trouble. Migliarese wanted to focus his energy on
something positive, and in 1999, his hard work and training earned
him a world championship medal in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil. Not
only is Migliarese a competitor, but a great teacher. His love
of jiu-jitsu took him to the Gracie Academy in Torrance, California,
to learn the Gracie teaching method directly from Master Helio
Gracie.
Migliarese
graduated Temple University with a degree Kinesiology and is
currently studying to become a strength trainer to compliment
his technical knowledge of jiu-jitsu.
Migliarese
had an active 2004 competition year. In February, Migliarese
took 1st Place in the Advanced Light-Heavyweight division at
Grapplers Quest - Beast of the East in New Jersey. In March,
Migliarese took 1st Place in the Brown Belt Adult Men’s
Heavyweight division at the Arnold Classic/Gracie Worlds in Ohio.
In April, Migliarese took 1st Place in the Brown Belt Adult Male
Super-Heavyweight division at the Pan-Ams in California. Migliarese
is a 2004 Abu Dhabi North American Trials competitor in Vernon,
BC. Overall, Migliarese has 12 1st Place wins this year.
Balance
Studios was voted “Best of Philly 2003” by Philadelphia
Magazine, and is located at 109-115 South 24th Street in the
Northern Liberties section of the city.
Check
out www.BalanceStudios.net for more information on Migliarese
and learning Gracie Jiu-Jitsu.
Source: ADCC |
RICARDO
ARONA: The ADCC Superfight Champion talks about 2005
by: Rafael Werneck
Scheduled to face American Dean Lister in the super fight pf
the 6th Submission Wrestling World Championships scheduled for
May of 2005, Ricardo Arona was in Manaus last weekend conducting
several seminars focused on MMA, submission and Jiu-Jitsu. During
his trip to the Amazon, he had swam in a lake full of alligators,
but still had time to talk about his plans for the next year
with us.
'I’ll
will start 2005 defending my ADCC superfight title against Dean
Lister in Long Beach, in California. After that, my intention
is to have three or four fights in Pride, including the possible
participation in the Middleweight Grand Prix. So, 2005 will be
a very tough year for me', says the Brazilian Top Team fighter.
Arona
fought twice in 2004. He was defeated by Quinton Jackson at Pride
Critical Countdown and he submitted Russian Sergei Ignatev at
Pride High Octane on October 31st. Asked what he thinks about
his 2004, Arona said it was 'OK', but would it would have been
better if he reached his biggest goal: a title shot against PRIDE
Champion Wanderlei Silva.
'I
would like to face Jackson at the next middleweight GP. Next
time, I won’t stop hitting him even if he faints! That was
my biggest mistake during our bout and I always learn from my
mistakes. I’ve been trying to face Wanderlei for so long
but there is always something getting in my way. But it’s
all right. It is written; sooner or later it is going to happen.
Wanderlei has no place to run', finished Arona.
Source: ADCC |
Gustavo
Ximu celebrates his Pancrase victory and wants more
by: Rafael Werneck
So far, Ricardo 'Cachorrao' Almeida was the only Brazilian fighter
to win the Pancrase belt. Therefore, after Almeida´s retirement
in August, Brazil no longer has a champion in one of Japan's
most established MMA organizations. Now, a Gracie Barra Combat
Team athlete wants to change that. After a great victory over
Japanese Keiichiro Yamamiya at Pancrase last show on November
26th, Gustavo 'Ximu' Machado started to think about the belt
that belongs to Yuki Kondo.
'That
was my sixth fight in Japan. Now that I won my first bout at
Pancrase, I want to be the new champion. There is another Pancrase
edition scheduled for December 21st but only Japanese fighters
will be fighting. After that upcoming event, the promoters might
say something about my next fight. It will probably be scheduled
for February or March and my opponent might be Yuki Sasaki, who
I fought and drew with at Deep in 2002, or Sanae Kikuta, another
tough Japanese fighter', says Ximu.
Ximu
is very confident about keeping his winning streak going around
the world. 'The promoters want me to face some guys before I
get a title shot against Kondo. That is all right. I will face
anyone they want me to and try to get to Kondo', stated Ximu.
About
his Pancrase debut, Gustavo 'Ximu' Machado told us he was a little
surprised. 'I trained really hard for the fight because I knew
Yamamiya was a very experienced fighter. But surprisingly everything
went just the way I wished! Having Vinicius Draculino and BJJ
2x World Champion Marcio Pe de Pano in my corner helped me a
lot. I started the fight thinking of winning by KO or submission,
and thank God I submitted him via heel hook', finished Ximu.
Source: ADCC |
Baroni
isn't finished
Mick Hammond
Earlier this week the announcement was made that Phil Baroni
would be taking on Robbie Lawler at UFC 51 on Febuary 5th. Many
people speculate whether or not this fight will be a "loser
leaves the UFC" type situation with both Baroni and Lawler
having suffered more defeats than victories of late. MMA Weekly
attempted to contact Baroni regarding the fight, but Phil declined
a full interview. However he did issue the following statement
exclusively to MMA Weekly:
All
I have to say about the fight is Lawler and I are friends. He
made the move to 185lbs, and the way things worked out we have
to fight one another. It's strictly business. I am not one to
ever turn down a fight and neither is he. This fight will be
a good, competitive, exciting bout. It's a must win situation
for both of us. Everyone knows that. You can bet we will both
bring our A-game.
And
as far as all the rumors about me being shot / washed up / burnt
out, nothing could be further from the truth. I'm training harder
than ever, improving everyday and taking this fight more seriously
than any fight before. Nothing means more to me than my career.
It really doesn't matter what the experts say, think, or rank
me. All that matters is what I believe, and I believe in myself.
I believe in myself a lot. My goals are still exactly the same.
I'm a fighter, and I'm gonna fight my way back to the top, one
step at a time, starting Superbowl Saturday.
Phil
Baroni
Source: MMA Weekly
|
SO
WHO WILL IT BE?
Pancrase/UFC Exchange
by Mick Hammond
It's an interesting situation, in order to use one fighter; three
others must compete as well. This is the situation that Pancrase
has worked out with the UFC in order for David Terrell to fight
at UFC 51. There is no timetable other than 12 months for these
three other Pancrase fighters to appear on a UFC card, nor were
any fighters named as part of the deal. There are some fighters
though however who could be more logical choices than others
to make an appearance in the Octagon in 2005.
Quite
possibly the most decorated fighter available could be current
Middleweight King of Pancrase Nathan Marquardt. Nate has been
the holder of his title for the better part of the last four
years and has only been able to fight on American soil twice
in that time. He's faced some of the toughest competition in
Pancrase and could be a great addition to the middleweight ranks
of the UFC as they prepare to crown a new champion and look for
contenders to the title. Marquardt himself in interviews has
hinted how he would like to come to the states and fight in the
UFC, and many fans and insiders feel he his long overdue. Like
Terrell, Marquardt also has only one fight remaining on his current
contract, if he could make a successful debut in the UFC he could
quickly finish out his Pancrase contract and become a complete
free agent. This could be a promising situation considering he,
like Terrell is also very young and could provide years of consistency
in a division that's lacked it up until recently.
With
Yuki Kondo currently moonlighting in Pride, Pancrase could see
another one of their flagship fighters in their training systems
make a return to the UFC in Sanae Kikuta. Kikuta has long been
one of the fan favorites in Pancrase and represents their Grabaka
team, one of the two major schools that provide much of the talent
to Pancrase. Kikuta also has experience in the UFC, making one
appearance in 2000 when he defeated Eugene Jackson at Ultimate
Japan 3 via arm bar. Another plus Kikuta possesses is his ability
to fight in both the 205lb and 185lb weight classes, as he normally
hovers between the two weight classes in the lighter Pancrase
weight division set up. This could open up many match-ups in
both divisions and break up the monotony of 3-4 fighters continuously
fighting each other in rematches. Being Japanese doesn't hurt
either, as it would bring more international press to the UFC,
which usually gets very limited coverage in Japanese media unless
a fighter of Asian decent is fighting.
Things
from there could get a little clouded as there are various other
fighters within the organization that are talented but may lack
an appropriate angle in which to market them. Among these fighters
could be current Super Heavyweight KoP Tsuyoshi Kosaka, a veteran
of previous UFC events who hasn't fought Stateside since UFC
37 two years ago where he lost to Ricco Rodriguez. Kosaka has
fought sparingly over the last couple of years but in winning
his title in November he became one of the feel good stories
of the year. One has to wonder however if he could compete against
the new generation of UFC heavyweights, but few gave him much
of a chance against Ron Waterman in November, so never say never
with Kosaka. Kazuo Misaki is another Grabaka product that has
been the perennial contender for Marquardt's title in the middleweight
division. He's a very tough fighter and well respected in the
Pancrase organization. A possible problem with Misaki is the
fact he has had difficulty in the past defeating top tier opponents
such as Marquardt, Chris Lytle, and Ricardo Almeida. Fighters
like the aforementioned Kondo and Waterman as well as Akihiro
Gono and Crosley Gracie could be possibilities as well, but all
three find themselves currently splitting time between Pancrase
and UFC rival Pride, making their chances coming to the US slim
at best.
Thus
a conundrum on Pancrase's end of the deal, while full of many
fighters, few have impressive enough records or name recognition
to import to the States to become draws. With Pancrase not having
a PPV deal in the US many of the top fighters in the organization
are relative unknowns in the States. So who the UFC will accept
as part of this "talent exchange" could be very much
up in the air unless someone in Pancrase makes a serious case
for themselves warranting the UFC to make an effort go after.
Let's not forget the last time the UFC tried a talent exchange
when Chuck Liddell went to Pride to compete in the 2003 Middleweight
Grand Prix. Pride promised Kazushi Sakuraba, but he never came
and instead the UFC got Carlos Newton who looked very poor in
a loosing effort to Charuto Verissimo in January of this year.
With the exact structure of the deal known only to the UFC and
Pancrase it is not know whether or not the UFC will have to accept
whomever Pancrase sends to them without the possibility of a
veto.
Whatever
happens in the end it could lead to further openness between
the usually standoffish UFC and other organizations which could
lead to more intriguing match ups in the years to come. If anything
it will give a chance for Pancrase to get a small foothold in
America where they have had little if no exposure over the last
few years, which is promising considering they were one of the
pioneering MMA companies 10 years ago. Who could have imagined
that one punch could have lead to such an interesting development,
it's mind boggling but true, and now it's up to two completely
different organizations thousands of miles apart to make the
best of it and create some history of their own together.
Source: MMA Weekly |
POSSIBLE
K-1 NEW YEAR CARD
Below
is a possible partial line-up and a list of possible participants
that the Japanese media is saying is most likely to take place
for the K-1 show on December 31st:
Officially
announced MMA rules matchups:
Royce Gracie vs. Akebono
Kazuyuki Fujita vs. Karam Ibrahim
Bob Sapp vs. TBA
B.J. Penn vs. Kaoru Uno
Mike Bernardo vs. Bobby Ologun
Officially
announced K-1 rules matchups:
Masato vs. Norifumi 'Kid' Yamamoto
Possible
MMA rules matchups:
Jerome Le Banner vs. Yoshihiro Akiyama or Sean O'Haire
Sean O'Haire vs. Gary Goodridge
Other
fighters to possibly be on the card:
Don Frye
Tom Erikson
Tsuyoshi Kohsaka
Wakanohana
Source: Fight Sport
|
POSSIBLE
PRIDE NEW YEAR CARD
Some
of the announced participants for the PRIDE show on December
31st.
Below
is the possible line-up that the Japanese media is saying is
most likely to take place for the PRIDE show on December 31st.
The final card is scheuled to have a total of ten matchups:
Officially
announced matchups:
Rodrigo 'Minotauro' Nogueira vs. Fedor Emelianenko
Rulon Gardner vs. Hidehiko Yoshida
Vanderlei Silva vs. Kazushi Sakuraba
Mirko 'Cro Cop' Filipovic vs. Kevin Randleman
Jens Pulver vs. Takanori Gomi
Dan Henderson vs. Yuki Kondo
Makoto Takimoto vs. TBA (possibly Rogerio 'Minotoro' Nogueira)
Possible
matchups:
'Giant' Silva vs. Takashi Sugiura
Henry 'Sentoryu' Miller vs. Fabricio Werdum
D. Mishima vs. Luis 'Buscape' Firminho
Source: Fight Sport
|
Women
kicking some asses in Japan
Besides the upcoming Smack Girl, on December 19, another female
MMA show promises to kick some asses this Sunday. The Cross Section
III happens at Tokyo FM Hall, in Japan. Highlights to Aikiko
Inoue, who comes from a victory last November 26 over Ayumi via
triangle choke. Now she returns facing Cross Section veteran
Masako Yoshida during a super fight.
COMPLETE
CARD (subject to change):
Cross
Section III
Sunday, December 12, 2004
Tokyo FM Hall - Tokyo, Japan
-
Kazue Matake Vs Hatsuyo Okuda;
- Misaki Takimoto Vs Hiromi Matsumoto;
- Takayo Hata Vs Yumiko Sugimoto;
- Chihiro Tsutsui Bacchus Hatori;
- Akiko Naito Naomi Oshida;
- Kazumi Kaneko Vs Naoko Ohmuro;
- Akiko Inoue Vs Masako Yoshida.
Source: Tatame
|
Quote
of the Day
"Life is a great big canvas, and you should throw all the
paint you can on it."
Danny Kaye, 1913-1987, American Stage, Film, Television Entertainer
|
KICKBOXING
CHAMPIONSHIPS RESULTS
KICKIN IT 2004 "THESEQUEL"
DECEMBER 10, 2004
KAPOLEI HIGH SCHOOL GYMNASIUM
75#
KAI RUIZ (HSD) VS RICHARD IKONA
The night started off with a couple of kids that are showing
skills beyond their age.
250#
MIKE KIPAPA (TEAM YOKUZUNA) VS KAIKA AKI (HSD)
Kipapa by Disqualification
Both fighters came out swinging and after a collision of kicks,
Kipapa injured his leg which caused the disqualification of Aki
in a very quick fight. The fans were in to this fight and wanted
more out of these two fighters. Hopefully, they will get to see
a rematch soon.
8-YEAR OLD 60# CHAMPIONSHIP
DAHWEN BRIGHT (HSD) VS TRISTON PEBRIA (EWA BEACH FIGHT CLUB)
Draw.
Both youngsters got in there and mixed it up for the crowd, including
showing some nice kick/punch combinations.
135#
KEONI KIPAPA (TEAM YOKUZUNA) VS THOMAS K (TEAM BAD INTENTIONS)
K by decision.
There were good exchanges by both fighters throughout the fight.
LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP (167-174#)
BEN RODRIGUES (3-1) (HSD) VS CONRAD PASSI (1-1) (ADVANCED KENPO)
Rodrigues by unanimous decision.
Rodrigues rocked Passi a number of times throughout this fight.
At the end of round one, it looked like Passi would go down,
but the round ended. Passi should an incredible heart as he kept
coming at Rodrigues and firing with some good shots of his own.
Both fighters did not care about putting up a defense and just
kept banging each other for three rounds. Rodrigues was landing
the cleaner and more numerous shots which earned him the victory.
9-YEAR OLD 65# CHAMPIONSHIP
DIDO RODRIGUES (WAIANAE KICKBOXING) VS ABE REINHARDT (WAILUKU
KICKBOXING)
Dido Rodrigues by decision (27-29), (29-29), (27-30)
Rodrigues showed very good distance and excellent use of kicks.
Reinhardt started off tentative, but gained courage and aggressiveness
as the fight progressed, but it was just not enough as Rodrigues
edged out a decision.
SABASTIAN PODESTA (LAUPAHOEHOE MUAY THAI) VS DENVER GONZALVES(HSD)
Gonsalves by unanimous decision
Podesta came out and consistently fired right leg kicks to the
body of Gonzalves. Gonzalves first let Codesta fire the kicks
and just eat it, but as the fight went on, the kicks started
to take effect and Gonzalves started to try to avoid them. Gonzalves
hit Podesta with some hard punches along with some kicks that
earned him the decision.
MIDDLEWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP (153-159#)
NICK CORREA (2-1) (HSD) VS NICK GEGA (3-0) (LAUPAHOEHOE MUAY
THAI)
Nick Gega by unanimous decision
Gega kept firing high kicks and Correa was able to duck under
a number of the high kicks. Both fighters exchanged some good
blows. It was the better kicker versus the better puncher. Gega
was very balanced in addition to being the better kicker which
earned him the decision.
155#
HANS LEE (ANIMAL HOUSE) VS DAREN JOSE (HSD)
Lee by decision (28-28), (28-29), (27-30)
This was a very well matched fight with both fighters trading
blow after blow throughout the contest.
OPEN MIDDLEWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP (153-159#)
WAYNE KAMEALOHA (SEMI-PRO, 1-1) (HSD) VS ZACH ILIZARO (WAILUKU
KICKBOXING)
Ilizaro by corner throwing in the towel after round 2
Ilizaro is a finely tuned boxing machine. He was hitting Kamealoha
with crushing body shots and combinitions. Ilizaro put on a clinic
with textbook movement and clean, hard combos that punished Kamealoha.
Kamealoha was tough as nails and took the shots and returned
the favor although he was getting the bad end of the exchanges.
Coach and trainer of Kamealoha, Derrick Bright, tried to throw
in the towel just before the second round ended, but it got caught
in the ropes. Luckily, his fighter did not take too much more
damage and the round ended very soon after that. Derrick decided
that his fighter took enough punishment and stopped the fight
after round 2 which was a very good call.
SUPER HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP (210-ABOVE)
BOB ATISANOE (3-0) (HSD) VS LEVI JOSEPH (TEAM YOKUZUNA)
Atisanoe by DQ because Joseph spit out his mouth piece three
times
Both big boys came to bang. There was huge action in this fight.
Joseph was seeming to have the edge in landing punches, but kept
on spitting out his mouth piece which cost him the match. It
would have been interesting to see how long both fighters could
keep this frantic pace.
135# MUAY THAI BOUTS-LEG KICKS, CLINCHING, AND KNEES WILL BE
ALLOWED IN THESE MATCHES
TYSON NAM (GEE YUNG) VS DEREK MINN (LAUPAHOEHOE MUAY THAI)
Nam by decision (27-27), (29-28), (27-30)
This was a competitive bout, but due to the lack of action during
the clinches, the knees were not really a factor in this fight
and slowed down the pace of the fight. Both fighters were very
talented and well rounded, but the ability to clinch in the Muay
Thai rules really hindered seeing the best in these fighters.
SUPER BANTAMWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP (115-119#)
TONY PERERA (3-0) (WAIANAE KICKBOXING) VS KOICHI TANJI (1-1)
(HMC)
Draw (28-29), (29-28), (29-29)
Incredible fight with each fighter just trading blows. Perera
was the skilled boxer bobbing in and out and landing clean power
shots. Tanji was aggressive chasing down Perera and firing back
a number of punches. Tanji had incredible conditioning and pushed
the fight for all three rounds. It came down to clean power shots
of Perera versus the multiple shots and aggression of Tanji which
was decided as a draw. This was a very entertaining fight!
SUPER FEATHERWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP (125-129#)
CHAD PAVAO (3-0) (HSD) VS TAVIS KAGAWA (2-2) (LAUPAHOEHOE MUAY
THAI)
Chad Pavao by unanimous decision
Pavao showed that he is in a class by himself by being very polished
and balanced in his attack. Pavao stunned Kagawa in the first
round, but could not finish him. Pavao knocked down Kagawa in
round three with a perfectly timed push kick, but the very game
Kagawa stood his ground and found back until the third round
ended. Pavao consistantly landed punches and kicks which earned
him the well deserved decision.
|
Super
Brawl 38 Tonight!
Blaisdell Arena, Honolulu, Hawaii
December 11, 2004
Tentative Fight Card
Bryson
Kamaka (808 Fight Factory, 1-4) vs. Chris Dawson (Rancho Cucamonga,
CA)
Ed
Nawalu (808 Fight Factory, 5-8) vs. Kevin DeLima (Bulls Pen,
1-0 Pro, 3-1 Amateur)
Kai
Kamaka (808 Fight Factory, 4-4) vs. Ray Lazama (Rancho Cucamonga,
CA, 1-2)
Andre "The Chief" Roberts (Miletich Fighting Systems,
14-1) vs. Reuben "Warpath" Villareal (Sacramento, CA,
6-4)
Kolo
"The Son of Polynesia" Koka (Team MADD, 10-7) vs. Joe
"Hillbilly" Jordan (Miletich Fighting Systems, 15-7-2)
Rich
"Ace" Franklin (Meat Truck Inc., 15-1) vs. Curtis Stout
(American Jiu-Jitsu Academy St. Louis, MI, 7-5-1)
Jason
"Mayhem" Miller (Kobra Kai, 11-3) vs. Mark Moreno (Bulls
Pen, 6-4-2)
Falaniko
Vitale (808 Fight Factory, 18-3) vs. Ron Fields (Meat Truck Inc.,
6-9 Pro, 7-0 Amateur)
Tim
"The Maniac" Sylvia (Miletich Fighting Systems, 16-1)
vs. Wes "The Project" Sims (Hammer House, 7-6)
|
PUNISHMENT
IN PARADISE 9: "GAME TILL THE END"
Saturday, January 22, 2005
Ronald
Jhun RETURNS to SHOOTO
After a two and a half year lay off in fighting in any Shooto
sanctioned fight, the Machine Gun Ronald Jhun RETURNS to take
on aTop 10 ranked Japanese Fighter in a Main Event. His opponent
has at this time hasn't been confirmed but we know he will fight
a ranked Shooto fighter. Jhun, who usually stays active, has
been off the scene since October. The Machine Gun has his eyes
set on working his way up and proving to people that he got what
it takes to be a Champion.
Also
Jesus Is Lord's David Padilla, who came back from a two year
off in impressive fashion with a first round TKO in EAST vs.
West, will take on another Japanese fighter. Padilla is quoted
as saying that he is excited to be getting a chance to face off
aganist a Japanese fighter for the first time and promises more
fireworks come Jan 22.2005 as he will kick the new year of with
a BANG!
Kai
Kamaka, the 808 Fight Factory trainer, will try to keep his comeback
alive and try to get his first win in Shooto. Kamaka who is 2-0
since his comeback will face another undefeated fighter.
Fighters
Participating
Mark Moreno (Bulls Pen)
Kaleo Kwon (Eastidaz, Suma & Punishment in Paradise Champion)
Mark Oshiro (Bulls Pin, 5-0)
John Kukahiko (Kodenkan Instructor)
Wayne Perrin III (Team Bigdogs, P.I.P Super Middleweight &
Superfight Champion)
Chris West (HMC, SUMA Light Heavyweight Champion)
Information
808-620-5638
Source: Event Promoter
|
Do
We Really Have to Wait Until February?
by Mike Sloan
Alright, I understand that the December UFC 51 had to be cancelled
due to Frank Mir's motorcycle accident. Tito Ortiz was supposed
to fight Vitor Belfort and a slew of Japanese fighters were to
compete on their home soil in what was to be UFC's third trek
into the Land of the Rising Sun. UFC 51 -- or UFC Japan III --
was going to be a huge event for both the sport of mixed martial
arts and the UFC.
Organizations
like PRIDE and K-1 were going to finally have a substantial threat
on their own turf, but now we have to wait until June 2005 before
Zuffa brings their product to Japan (or Nippon if you live there).
Putting
off UFC Japan III until next year is fine with me, considering
I would have been 100 percent unable to attend in December. So
with it being pushed back to June (tentatively), I can hopefully
make my maiden voyage to the home of PRIDE, Nintendo and Iron
Chef a bit sooner than I had planned. What irks me though is
that Zuffa is holding out until Super Bowl weekend to host another
event. What gives? Do we really have to wait until February for
another UFC?
UFC
50 took place on October 22, so since we have to wait until February
5 for the next installment of the Ultimate Fighting Championship,
what are we going to do to satiate our appetites for some heart-racing
MMA battles?
While
I, for one, will be glued to my TV (and in the arena in most
cases) to watch the various boxing events, the K-1 World Grand
Prix Finals and PRIDE's hot New Year's Eve show, I can't speak
for the hordes of other MMA fans who solely watch UFC. It seems
there will be many an MMA fan who will have an unhappy Christmas.
To the MMA world, no UFC for the rest of the holiday season is
equivalent to some little brat receiving coal in his stocking
or unwrapping a pair of socks instead of an XBox game. From the
day after UFC 50 until the next Zuffa show we will have been
impatiently waiting for almost four full months, and if my math
skills haven't failed me (thank God for that abacus) that will
be 106 grueling days between events. I don’t mind waiting
a month or two, but 106 days? Come on, Zuffa. I’m sure you
can put together another show in the meantime.
I
realize it costs a ton of money and thousands of man hours to
assemble a UFC event, but my question is whether Mir’s injury
really was the cause for the cancellation of UFC 51 in Japan?
Mir may be marketable in the States, but it’s doubtful that
the Japanese really would pay top dollar on tickets to see some
American fighter whose own countrymen barely knows he exists.
I can see if a proposed fight between Wanderlei Silva and Randy
Couture was going to be the main event and one of those two became
injured, but Frank Mir?
I
just don’t buy it.
In
my eyes, there is no reason why Zuffa can’t put together
another full-fledged UFC (or at least another .5 event) during
the span of the 106 empty days. Even if it wouldn’t be in
Japan -- a move that could have shot Zuffa in the foot as the
company would be competing with PRIDE’s New Year’s
event, the K-1 World Grand Prix finals and probably a Shooto
or Pancrase event -- Zuffa could toss together seven fights,
hold it at one of the casino arenas in Vegas and call it a day.
From there they could shift gears and focus strength on the February
show.
Hell,
if securing a spot for a UFC in the meantime was to be a problem
at the MGM, Thomas & Mack or the Mandalay Bay due to boxing,
concerts or rodeos, why not assemble a show at one of the Station
Casinos like the Green Valley Ranch? They could make the show
a .5 event, keep the fans happy and continuing to have that UFC
name in the spotlight.
In
the main event, let Tito Ortiz continue his resurgence against
someone like Renato Sobral, toss Chuck Liddell in there against
an Elvis Sinosic or feed a Tiki Ghosn to Matt Hughes. That way,
the real stars of the organization would fight worthy opponents
with some notoriety and it also adds intrigue as the aforementioned
fighters could possibly score the upset.
Or
Zuffa could just make the entire card full of young unknowns,
which usually end up as the more entertaining fights on the cards
anyway. I do remember vividly Zuffa’s plans a few years
back to hold more events like UFC 37.5. What ever happened to
that?
Naturally,
Zuffa will put together those thrilling and classic “best
of” shows for New Year’s Eve and that is superb in
attracting new fans or keeping bored fans busy. But for people
like me (and certainly those of you reading this), I need my
UFC fix. I have the tourniquet tied tightly on my arm, so what
the hell is UFC waiting for? I need that lethal injection of
“The Super Bowl of Mixed Martial Arts.”
Joe
Rogan should be back and ready to perform and with the NHL lockout
still in affect, it’s doubtful Mike Goldberg will be busy
commentating Minnesota Wild games. And besides, why should Michael
Buffer get all the fun announcing major fighting events in Las
Vegas for the next two months? Brother Bruce has to do something
to pass the time, right?
The
only logical reasoning as to why Zuffa has pulled the plug entirely
on a December UFC is their proposed deal with Spike TV and their
eagerly-awaited reality show. If the Spike TV deal is even half
as decent as it looks to be (my fingers are crossed), then I’ll
cease my griping right now. I’d much rather have to wait
106 days for the next UFC while the reality show and Spike TV
deal catapult the sport into mainstream acceptance.
I
don’t know. Maybe I’m just overreacting and having
nightmarish flashbacks of the 112 days between UFC 43 and 44.
But my gripe about the lack of a new UFC during the holidays,
I’m sure, is not in the minority. Either way, Happy Holidays
Zuffa -- I will see you sometime next year.
Source:
Sherdog
|
Getting
To Know Andrei Arlovski
by Marco Antico
I,
Marco Antico, regret to inform the MMA Community that the previous
“Getting to Know Andrei Arlovski” published on November
1, 2004 on MMAFighting.com was in fact not the real Andrei Arlovski.
I was contacted by an individual claiming to be Alexandre Andrievski,
Andrei’s trainer. This imposter went to great lengths to
fool me and the MMA community. The matter continues to be under
investigation.
Andrei
Arlovksi would like to make it clear that he has nothing but
the utmost respect for Ken Shamrock, Frank Mir and everyone else
in the MMA Community. Andrei is not the type of fighter that
would ever trash talk in order to hype a fight. Instead of making
enemies, Andrei wants to make as many friends as possible here
in America. He, himself still feels like somewhat of an outsider
to this country.
Andrei
would like his fans to come watch him fight because he is an
exciting fighter and not because there’s some sort of manufactured
bad blood between him and his opponent. This may be a slower
way to build up one’s marketability, but ultimately the
Arlovski team feels as though it’s the most solid way. Andrei
is naturally a quiet and humble person. The ability he has in
the octagon speaks for itself.
Sincerely,
Marco Antico and the Arlovski Team
Getting
to Know the REAL Andrei Arlovski
MA:
Andrei, do have any comment on the decision of Ken Shamrock’s
team turning down the fight with you for UFC Japan?
AA:
The decision of the team is the decision of the team.
MA:
Can you confirm or deny rumors about a possible fight with Tim
Sylvia at UFC 51 on February 5th?
AA:
I'm training for February. No doubts that I'll be ready to fight
Tim Sylvia. However, ZUFFA makes the final decision. I'm in a
good shape and ready to fight anybody
Source:
MMA Fighting
|
GROSSMAN
INSIDER: RULES FOR ROYCE VS. AKEBONO
By Josh Grossman
I am hearing over here in Japan that the Royce Gracie vs. Akebono
matchup will have no time limit and no referee stoppage.
Source:
Fight Sport
|
Amaury
Bitetti warns Fedor: "Minotauro is ready"
by André Araújo
Training with BJJ black belt Amaury Bitetti since right after
Pride Heavyweight GP's final held last August 15th at the Saitama
Super Arena, Rodrigo Minotauro has intensified his training for
the final match against Fedor Emelianenko, scheduled for December
31st. 'He will step inside the ring to decide who is champion.
He is going to Japan to win the fight and recover the belt. He
has lots of news moves on the ground and he is very confident,'
stated Bitetti, who will attend Pride with the Interim Champion
and Brazilian Top team's crew.
Bitetti
reveals some parts of the training. 'I am coordinating some of
his ground training. Oswaldo Alves and BJJ black belt Frédson
Paixão are helping a lot. Paixão is small, but
he explosive like a bomb and very agile and fast... Another fighter
helping him is Anderson Silva,' said Bitetti, after Pride.
'I
have joined together some good fighters. They are great in Submission
and Vale-Tudo. I also was invited to teach at American Top team,
in Florida. I want to set up some fighters of mine in the upcoming
editions of Absolute Fighting Championship,'commented Bitteti
naming some of them: 'Mateus Baiano (90kg) is one of the toughest
guys I know. He also trained with Minotauro in Bahia. I also
have Ademir Oliveira, 92kg and Daniel Valverde, 85kg. They are
very promising. Among the girls, I have good vibrations about
Gabriela Ferreira, Renata Dinamite and Mariana de Paula,' he
concluded.
Source:
ADCC
|
Sperry:
'Minotauro likes to finish his business in the ring'
by Rafael Werneck
Brazilian Top Team fighter and leader, Ze Mario Sperry has been
away from the ring since February, when he KOed Mike Bencic at
Pride Bushido 2. Now, he is focused on another mission: helping
Rodrigo 'Minotauro' Nogueira train for the fight against Fedor
Emelianenko, scheduled for December 31st at the Saitama Super
Arena, in Japan.
We
caught up with him at BTT headquarter in Rio de Janeiro and he
told us that Minotauro will be ready to finish what he started
in August. 'We are working his resistance because Fedor is a
very tough fighter to dominate. We are also giving special attention
to the takedowns, to try to stay on top during the bout. Minotauro
is giving some attention to his boxing skills and submission
positions as well,' says Ze Mario.
Sperry
knows that the Pride GP heavyweight final is one of the most
important fights of Nogueira´s career, and an extra-ring
factor could have great influence in the fight between the two
finalists.
'Because
of what happened during the Pride Final Conflict, Minotauro will
enter the ring wanting to win more than ever. He is a guy who
likes to finish his business in the ring. He had a disturbing
fight against Dan Henderson in Rings, in 2000, and did not stop
thinking about it until he defeated Henderson at Pride 24 in
2002,' says the BTT leader.
Sperry
continues: 'The same thing is happening with Fedor. In the first
fight between them Minotauro wasn´t able to do his best.
In the second one, when he was better prepared, the Pride promoters
announced the No Contest, and there was no champion. Because
all of these reasons he is crazy to fight and very confident,'
stated Sperry.
According
to Ze Mario Sperry, Rodrigo Minotauro Nogueira will be the only
BTT fighter at the Pride´s New Year´s event. To celebrate
the end of the season, the BTT members will have a barbecue on
December 16th, and several MMA stars, such as Rogerio Minotouro,
Ricardo Arona and Vitor Belfort are expected to show up.
Source:
ADCC
|
FROM
MMA TO THE WWE
Daniel
Puder has become an overnight sensation after putting Kurt Angle
in a Kimura on WWE's Tough Enough. While in South Carolina shooting
tonight's episode for WWE's Smackdown showing on Spike TV, Daniel
spoke with MMAWeekly about his background in MMA, his ties to
the American Kickboxing Academy, and his dedication to get the
million dollar prize.
Puder
entered the WWE Tough Enough contest, along with thousands of
other contestants, and was selected to be among the top fifty
guys with a chance at a WWE contract worth up to a million dollars.
After making the top fifty, he then made the cut to the elite
eight. Tonight, Daniel has survived to the final three.
Puder
said, "I've been training my butt off, keeping my cardio
up, working out heavily. I've stayed at the training center in
Connecticut the whole time. Everybody else goes home a couple
of days a week and I've just stayed out there. I've been dedicating
everything I have just so I can, you know, get a contract, get
this done."
The
6'2, 230 pound Puder has fought four MMA fights but only one
of them can be found on Internet MMA statistical databases. The
clip of him putting the Kimura on Kurt Angle can be downloaded
and seen on nearly every MMA Internet message board. The chants
from the crowd, "UFC, UFC..." on that night forever
tied the aspiring professional wrestler to MMA in the minds of
many pro-wrestling fans.
Puder
stated that the incident was not scripted. "It's not choreographed
anything....we don't know what we're doing before we go out there.
We get a little bit but we don't get the whole truth," said
Daniel. He maintains that Kurt Angle didn't say anything to him
backstage and no repercussions have followed his very real attempt
to submit Kurt Angle.
Much
like his Kimura on Angle, Puder's ties to MMA are very real.
While he was a junior in high school, Daniel joined the American
KickBoxing Academy. "I started at the end of my junior year
of high school. Frank [Shamrock] took me under his wing for his
Tito Ortiz fight and he beat my ass everyday," commented
Puder.
About
his MMA background, "I've had four small, little shows,
nothing big like the UFC or Pride. I've done a fight every summer.
I go to school full time and I run two companies. During school,
that's what I do. In the summer time, I work and I fight for
three months out of the year. So, it's hard to get going to get
the bigger fights because I only train for three, three and a
half months every summer. "Crazy" Bob [Cook] and Javier
Mendez want me to get my education first before I start to do
a professional sport full time."
If
Daniel advances to the final two, he will appear on the WWE pay-per-view
event this Sunday to decide the winner. WWE Smackdown airs tonight
on Spike TV and to find out more information on Daniel Puder,
go to www.danielpuder.com.
Source:
MMA Weekly
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Bitetti
& Minotauro teach BJJ to Cops
Intending to improve self defense of agents of Bope (Special
Military Police in Brazil), soldier Félix counts with
BJJ black belts Amaury Bitetti and Rodrigo Minotauro's support
to release a gym at Bope's head quarter, in Laranjeiras, Rio
de Janeiro.
-
Félix - Muay Thai and Luta Livre's black belt - looked
after us because Bope's agents only have physical preparation.
So nothing better then Jiu-Jitsu and Vale-Tudo to development
their minds and balance -, revealed Amaury, adding: "Well,
who handles the ring, handles himself on the streets."
Source: Tatame
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Know
everything about 91's Vale-Tudo
Later
today you will be back 13 years ago and get a chance to know
one of the most important Vale-Tudo shows in Brazil: The "Jiu-Jitsu
Vs Luta-Livre Challenge", which happened on August 31, at
Grajaú Country Club, in Rio de Janeiro. TATAME's special
report dug the whole information and the crew found amazing shots
from Photographer Roberto Price and now this whole historical
material is available for you! Check out here, at tatame.com
later a preview of the 1991's Vale-Tudo.
On
this event, the best Jiu-Jitsu fighters trained by Carlson Gracie
faced the top Luta-Livre guys, during a time the rivalry between
both fight styles took over Rio de Janeiro's streets. Check out
here later the full content available on line. To have access
to the entire report, order soon at TATAMEShop! Keep tuned!
Source: Tatame
|
Tererê
leaves Detention Center today
Last news of Tererê's case: According to American site
inmateloc.bop.gov, BJJ World Champion Fernando Tererê,
arrested since last October 10, is about to leave FBI Detention
Center today (10). Now Tererê will send some time at Immigration
and then returns to Brazil. According to some sources in US,
Tererê's arrival is scheduled to next December 20. His
family is on the way to São Paulo to receive him at the
airport. "Carlos Augusto and I are leaving to São
Paulo to wait fo him," Said Dona Helena, Tererê's
mother.
Tererê
was arrested last October 10 during a United Airlines' flight
on the way to Brazil because he was involved in an altercation
on board. Known as a national fight idol in Brazil and a peace
defender, Tererê is responsible for many social projects
held into poor communities in Rio de Janeiro. He had never got
into trouble and his resume is fulfilled by victories, in life
and on the mat. Team TATAME solidarities with his personal drama
and keep tuned at TATAME.com to know more about his case.
Source: Tatame
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