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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)
7/21-23/05
World Cup of BJJ
(BJJ)
(São Paulo, 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)
3/05
SUMA
(Kickboxing)
(Hyatt Waikiki)
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 3
Wednesday night and Sunday
classes (w/ a kids' class) now offered!
 
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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.
I
just got the car back! 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
"CARPE DIEM!" "SEIZE THE DAY"
Horace, Roman poet
|
Didn't
get what you wanted for the holidays? treat yourself to a subscription
to Full Contact Fighter:
Check
out what's in the current issue of FCF ...
A debut of Olympic proportions: Interview with Olympic Gold Medalist
Rulon Gardner
The
Sapp Effect: Bob Sapp hits Hollywood.
Fedor
Emelianenko speaks: 10 things you didn't know about the mysterious
fighter.
Rumble
on the Rock 6 - Penn vs. Gracie and more!
The
Road Less Traveled: How Marc Laimon dedicated his life to Jiu-Jitsu
and is now reaping the rewards.
The
Renaissance of Jens Pulver.
Rockin'
New Year's Eve: Shockwave vs. Dynamite, Pride vs. K-1 -- the
next battle may be in the courtroom.
Ring
of Combat 7 - A great night for the underdog.
Cage
Rage 9: No Mercy - Fight action from Great Britain.
Gladiator
Challenge 32 - King of the Hill crowns Ertl and Everson, while
two top teams steal the show.
King
Of The Cage Revenge - KOTC's latest offering was available to
a reported 60,000,000 homes.
Pride
Auditions - Stars come out, while new talents emerge from the
shadows.
Reality
Combat XXIV: Total Trauma.
TKO
18: Impact - live from Canada.
Storm
Samurai - MMA action from Brazil.
This
month's Shooto Report covers fights from Wanna Shooto and G-Shooto
in Tokyo as well as the Bushido 5th Anniversary show in Lithuania
Frank
Trigg BioFile.
Fight
fans make their Pride Shockwave predictions.
In
our monthly columns...
In
Matt Hume's techniques, Matt Hume & Trevor Jackson demonstrate
a Double-Leg Defense from Ground.
Former
AMC Pankration strength & conditioning coach Mark Ginther
presents Part 2 of his discussion on the long-held belief that
a Big Bench = Heavy Hands.
Every
issue of Full Contact Fighter is jam-packed with fight news from
the U.S. to Brazil to Japan. FCF travels the globe to bring the
fights to you. Get yours today! Available at Tower Records stores
around the world or by subscription...
For
FASTEST service call in your credit card order
(516)676-0033
Or
Click
here to order securely online with your credit card
or print off the order form & mail it in with your payment
Source:
FCF
|
NEW
UPDATED PRIDE ODDS
The premier oddsmaker in MMA, Joey Odessa, from betoddessa.com
and sportsbook.com has updated his odds for the upcoming Pride
card this weekend in Japan.
Vanderlei
Silva -250 vs Mark Hunt +200 - This number sure is a lot different
than the Silva vs Sakuraba number. It will be interesting to
see how this line changes in the next 24 hours.
Rodrigo
Nogueira +125 vs Fedor Emelianenko -145 - This fight was orginially
a pickem. Now the line has swung toward Fedor and Fedor has become
the favorite in the fight.
Rulon
Gardner +210 vs Hidehiko Yoshida -250 - This line has changed
a great deal. A little money on Yoshida, but for the most part
it hasn't moved a whole lot.
Mirko
Filipovic -380 vs Kevin Randleman +320 - All the money has come
down on Randleman. This line when it first came out was Cro Cop
at -450, so everyone is betting Randleman.
Dan
Henderson -300 vs Yuki Kondo +250 - Line has changed slightly
as there has been a little money on Kondo.
Ryan
Gracie -750 vs Yoji Anjoh +525 - Not many people have touched
this fight
Anderson
Silva -300 vs Ryo Chonan +250 - Again not a whole lot of action
so far on this fight.
Jens
Pulver -110 vs Takanori Gomi -110 - This fight has seen money
bet on both sides. It's a pickem.
Henry
Miller +230 vs Makoto Takimoto -270 - Not many people have touched
it.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
MaxPreview:
Pride December 31st
By Jeremy Wall
This isn't
one of Pride's stronger lineups in terms of matching quality
fighters together in battles of skill rather than stardom, and
without the money drawing Sakuraba vs. Silva fight, this card
doesn't bring much to the table to convince Japanese fans to
tune out of the K-1 or Red & White TV shows on at the same
time and tune into this one.
However,
the December 31st Pride event still has a number of interesting
matchups, most notably the battle of Olympic gold medalists in
Rulon Gardner vs. Hidehiko Yoshida and the rematch of the 2004
Pride Grand Prix Finals in Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs. Fedor
Emelianenko.
Fedor
Emelianenko vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
This
match is to unify both versions of the Pride Heavyweight title,
and for the Pride 2004 Grand Prix championship which Nogueira
and Fedor fought to a no-contest for earlier this year.
At
the time of their first match nearly two years ago, Nogueira
was undefeated in Pride and had only one loss in his career,
which was a close decision to Dan Henderson in RINGS, and Nogueira
had avenged that loss by submitting Henderson in Pride. Fedor
ended up pounding Nogueira on the ground badly, and even though
he wasn't able to finish him off, Fedor won a very clear unanimous
decision.
In
their second fight in the finals of the 2004 Grand Prix, they
ended up in the same position with Fedor on top pounding away
at Nogueira while in Nogueira's guard, although Nogueira was
taking far less damage that time around and was more frequently
trying for submissions.
Standing,
Nogueira is a better boxer than Fedor, whose weakness seems to
be his chin as he got rocked by Kazuyuki Fujita awhile back,
although he's very unlikely to be knocked out here by Bogueira.
This fight will most likely end up in the same position, with
Fedor in Nogueira's guard. It will go to a decision. If Fedor
wins the decision, it will be for the same reason as their first
fight, which was that he kept trying to finish Nogueira with
devastating ground-and-pound. If Nogueira wins the decision,
it will be because he was able to thwart much of Fedor's ground-and-pound
and try frequently to finish the fight through submitting Fedor.
My
prediction is Fedor over Nogueira via decision. Fedor is one
of the best heavyweights on the planet at submissions and submissions
defense, and although Nogueira is probably the best in that category,
Fedor is going to be good enough that Nogueira is not going to
come close to submitting Fedor at any point during the fight.
Fedor won't be able to ground-and-pound Nogueira as easily as
he did in their first fight because Nogueira is more aware of
Fedor's skills this time around, but I think Fedor will be on
the offensive in trying to finish the fight with his ground-and-pound
moreso than Nogueira will be in going for submissions from the
bottom.
Hidehiko
Yoshida vs. Rulon Gardner
This
fight will probably draw the second highest rating for the Pride
show on Japanese TV. Both are gold medalists, with Yoshida winning
gold in Judo and Gardner doing the same in Greco-Roman wrestling.
This is Gardner's debut match in mixed martial arts.
The
thought process of most people is that Yoshida will try to take
the fight to the ground, and once he does, Gardner will be a
sitting duck due to his inexperience with submissions, plus his
inexperience with dealing with the gi. Plus, Gardner has had
only about a couple of months or so to train for this fight,
which is certainly not enough time to learn submissions defense
good enough to counter one of the best submission fighters on
the planet today.
I
think the key to victory for Gardner is to stand and trade with
Yoshida. Gardner is one of the best wrestlers on the planet,
and the fight will only go to the ground when he wants it to.
He can avoid going to the ground with Yoshida, which is where
he doesn't want to be, and instead play a boxing game with Yoshida.
Yoshida is a terrible striker, and my bet is that he doesn't
have a very good chin since he never trained for striking prior
to debuting in MMA in 2002, plus most of his fights in Pride
have been completely ground based, even against more dominant
strikers such as Mark Hunt and Masaaki Satake, who couldn't avoid
the takedown from Yoshida.
Now,
Gardner also has no experience whatsoever in striking, and there's
no telling how bad he could be at it. But he's a big guy, and
Yoshida's striking ability is zero, so realistically, he may
be as bad as Yoshida at striking, but it's very unlikely that
he's going to be worse. So on the ground, there's a 99% chance
that Yoshida will win, whereas on their feet, there's a 50-50
chance that Yoshida will win, depending on how fast Gardner would
pick up striking in his limited training for this fight. Really,
all he has to learn is to throw one solid punch or combo, and
that has a chance at putting Yoshida away if that punch is any
good.
It's
unlikely that Gardner will be able to survive to the end of the
fight on the ground with Yoshida, then win a decision. My prediction
is that Gardner won't option for a stand-up fight, and instead
will take Yoshida to the ground, where he will be submitted in
the first round.
Wanderlei
Silva vs. Mark Hunt
Both
are going into this fight with only a few days notice, but Silva
had been training hard already for the fight against Sakuraba,
which, for the record, I agreed with public opinion that Silva
would have won fairly easily. Hunt also has a big weight advantage,
with Silva having kept down around 205 pounds to fight Sakuraba.
Hunt
is one of the best heavyweight kickboxers in the world since
the turn of the millennium, and that is his biggest advantage
in this fight. Silva is a good striker for MMA standards, and
did an exactly job in striking against Mirko Cro Cop back a couple
of years ago under K-1 vs. Pride rules which favoured Mirko,
when Mirko was more of a K-1 guy than a Pride guy. Silva would
have won that fight against Mirko had there been ringside judges.
Hunt
didn't look particularly good on the ground against Dan Bobish,
and had a hard time solving Bobish's wrestling ability in being
able to control Hunt from the top. Bobish had a size advantage
on Hunt, though, that Silva does not have. Hunt did better against
Hidehiko Yoshida on the ground in June than most expected, but
still got submitt in the end.
Silva
could get knocked out by Hunt if he chooses to stand and bang.
If he takes Hunt down, he'll probably be able to get a submission
victory. I doubt Silva will be able to stop Hunt on the ground.
Hunt, being heavy for this fight and coming in on very short
notice without training, may not have good enough cardio to go
the distance. My pick is Silva by submission, but there's a decent
possibility that Hunt could end his winning streak in Pride.
Mirko
Cro Cop vs. Kevin Randleman
This
is a rematch of their fight from the first round of this year's
Grand Prix where Randleman knocked Mirko out in one of the bigger
upsets in Pride history. That isn't going to happen again.
Randleman
is an awesome wrestler, and his freaky strength and agility.
Mirko Cro Cop is the best striker in the history of mixed martial
arts, period (that doesn't include K-1). He got knocked out by
Randleman in their first fight because he wasn't focused on MMA,
and underestimated Randleman, who, although he's a former UFC
Heavyweight champion, is considered a career-long underachiever.
Mirko
will try and keep it standing to knock Randleman out, and Randleman
will try to put Mirko on the ground, which he will probably succeed
with at least once in the fight because Ron Waterman, although
bigger and stronger than Randleman, is less skilled in wrestling
and he was able to take Mirko down.
However,
Mirko was able to damage Waterman striking up from the bottom,
and wrangled his way back to his feet to score a knockout win.
Randleman is not a guy who normally would go through a war to
win, and the longer the fight stays on its feet, the more of
a war it's going to be.
My
prediction is that Mirko will be taken down during the fight,
but the match will be on its feet for the most part as Mirko
will be either to keep it there for the most part or will bring
it back there after being taken down. The fight also goes back
to its feet at the beginning of every round, which is of course
an advantage for Mirko. My predicition is Mirko by first round
stoppage or knockout.
Yuki
Kondo vs. Dan Henderson
Kondo
has the flying knee and Henderson has the big right hand. That's
pretty much the fight.
Henderson
is a much better wrestler than Kondo, and is really, really good
at submissions defense so he's not getting submitted by Kondo.
Standing, I think Henderson also has the advantage, although
if he underestimates Kondo, he could easily be knocked out.
There
is an outside chance of a Kondo knockout, but I think Kondo's
key to victory will be to play a tactical game and try to draw
the fight out to a decision, and hope to win a split-decision
based on going fifty-fifty with Henderson in striking, which
is very plausible.
However,
I think Henderson is the better striker, and will either break
Kondo down enough during the fight to score a TKO, or will control
the action both on its feet and on the ground to win a decision.
I think this is a tough fight for Kondo to win.
Takanori
Gomi vs. Jens Pulver
Gomi
is a very good wrestler and a good striker with good reach. Pulver
is a very good boxer, and has improved his boxing ability by
actually competing in boxing and now posting a 4-0 career record
with all of his fights taking place in 2004. Pulver also has
great takedown defense, but was taken down multiple times in
his fight against BJ Penn at UFC 35, although Penn had a large
size and strength advantage on Pulver. I don't see submissions
as being a large part of this fight.
Pulver
has been fighting at featherweight, and Gomi will also have a
size advantage on Pulver. I think Gomi's strategy will be to
keep Pulver at bay on their feet, and take him down and pound
him to a stoppage or a decision. Pulver should try to avoid the
takedown, and stand and trade with Gomi.
I
think Pulver's a better striker than Gomi, but I think Gomi will
probably be able to nullify his striking by taking him down and
controlling the top position for most of the fight. Pulver will
have a chance to knock Gomi out at the start of every round.
This fight is realistically fifty-fifty and either fighter could
easily win it, but my opinion is that Gomi will win a decision
by controlling Pulver on the ground and laying in his ground-and-pound.
Sentoryu
vs. Makoto Takimoto
Sentoryu
is coming off his only win in MMA, a knockout victory over Mal
Foki at Bushido 5. Takimoto is an Olympic gold medalist in judo
making his MMA debut. This is really just a setup match for Takimoto
to get a victory in his debut fight. There is an extremely slim
chance that Sentoryu could knock Takimoto out if Takimoto is
sloppy and has a glass chin, but if Sentoryu doesn't do that
in like five seconds, the fight is going to be on the ground
and he's going to get submitted.
Ikuhisa
Minowa vs. Stefan Leko
Minowa
is a wrestler and Leko is a striker (one of the best on the planet,
actually) and in any striker vs. wrestler matchup, the wrestler
is always favoured.
Minowa
also has a lot of experience, whereas Leko has only one fight
under MMA rules, against Naoya Ogawa earlier this year in a match
where many felt it was worked for Ogawa to win. Ogawa is a judo
guy and Leko of course a striker, but Ogawa clocked Leko, knocking
him down, to get him on the ground rather than taking him down,
which doesn't seem plausible, but apparently was.
Leko
has a size advantage, is an awesome kickboxer, and will have
a chance to knock Minowa out at the beginning of every round,
but otherwise Minowa is going to take him down and either pound
him for a stoppage, submit him, or control him to win a decision.
I don't see Leko getting stopped on the ground, as, although
getting on on your feet and getting on the ground are two different
things, I don't see Minowa having enough power in his strikes
to stop Leko. My prediction is Minowa by submission, with the
second most likely ending being Minowa by decision.
Giant
Silva vs. Choi Mu Bae
This
is a freakshow match to get Silva on the card because he's a
giant, which appeals to more casual Japanese fans that will be
watching this show on network TV who normally may not watch Pride
on pay per view in Japan. It's also an easy win for Mu Bae, with
the biggest riddle being how to get Silva on the ground. If he
can do that, Silva is a sitting duck for a stoppage or a submission.
Yoji
Anjoh vs. Ryan Gracie
This
fight is on the card because it's the tenth anniversary of when
Anjoh went into the Gracie gym in California and fought Rickson
Gracie and got his ass kicked. That resulted in Japanese fans
wanting to see Nobuhiko Takada, the biggest star of UWF-I (the
company Anjoh wrestled for), which eventually happened at Pride
1. That story is pretty much the entire reason Pride was formed.
Anjoh has fought in UFC, but has never won a fight, is a terrible
fighter with the best thing going for him is that he's tough.
Ryan Gracie should be able to take him down and submit him within
the first round.
Anderson
Silva vs. Ryo Chonan
Ryo
Chonan has only lost a few times in his career, and all were
by decision. He's coming off a close decision loss to Ricardo
Almeida in Bushido. Silva is ranked by many as one of the top
middleweights on the planet, coming off wins over Jeremy Horn
and Lee Murray, but I think he's slightly overrated. Remember,
it wasn't long ago that Silva was defeated by mediocre Daijiro
Matsui. Silva also had a hard time with Carlos Newton on the
ground in their fight in Pride before he caught Newton with a
flying knee while they were standing and knocked him out.
Chonan
is a good grappler, and was able to hang with Almeida to a decision.
I think it's very possible than Chonan can control the ground
aspect of the fight to a decision, but it's also very possible
that Silva could knock him out. Silva is very wild on his feet,
I think, and will probably score a TKO or decision victory, but
I could easily see Chonan pulling an upset and taking the decision
win.
Source:
Maxfighting |
Hendo
to make statement in Kondo fight
by Michael DiSanto
While most thirty-something Americans males sit around relaxing
after a busy Christmas weekend, thoughts invariably turn toward
New Year’s Eve. Where is the party? What club or restaurant
is the place to be on Friday night? Or, maybe it is just a quiet
night at home with family and a few close friends.
Whatever
the case may be, New Year’s Eve is a night for fun and celebration.
It’s a way to say goodbye to the previous year, wipe the
slate clean and start anew for 2005. The last thing any responsible
adult wants to do is get into a fight on such a celebratory occasion,
unless, of course, you’re Dan Henderson.
On
Friday night, Henderson (15-3) faces Yuki Kondo at Pride Shockwave
in what may be his toughest fight in two years. It is a fight
that can place him back at the head of the line for a shot at
middleweight gold in 2005. Alternatively, it is a fight that
could keep him out of the highly lucrative and prestigious 2005
Middleweight Grand Prix that is scheduled to start in April.
Kondo
(43-14-5) is a Japanese fighting legend. His resume of fallen
opponents includes Frank Shamrock (by knockout), Mario Sperry,
Semmy Schilt (twice) and many other top fighters. Although former
UFC Heavyweight Champion Josh Barnett beat Kondo in 2003, he
points to that fight as one of the toughest in his career despite
the fact that he outweighed Kondo by nearly 80 pounds.
Simply
put, Kondo is one of the most well-rounded fighters in the game
with no glaring weakness. On the ground, he is very effective
from the guard – both defensively and offensively –
and the top position. His standup game is also very technically
sound from a Thai boxing perspective, particularly with his knees
and his right hand.
However,
Kondo is not exceptional in any single category. Instead, he
is only very, very good. And that is where things will go badly
against Dan Henderson.
Henderson
is a handful for any fighter on the earth at any weight because
of his wrestling base. Suffice it to say, he is not going to
get outwrestled by any middleweight in Pride.
The
Team Quest representative twice represented the United States
in the Olympics for Greco-Roman Wrestling – the 1992 Barcelona
Games and the 1996 Atlanta Games. So, his takedown defense and
clinch work is simply amazing.
So,
getting Henderson to the ground is extremely difficult (unless
he wants the fight to go there), and putting him on his back
is next to impossible. Kondo’s best bet will be to wait
for Henderson to overextend on a punch and then look to transition
that into a takedown or look for a knockdown. Otherwise, the
fight will stay standing as long as Henderson wants it to.
If
the fight goes to the ground, Henderson has tremendous submission
defense from the top position. In 18 professional fights, he’s
only been submitted one time – Antonio “Minotauro”
Nogueira caught him in an armbar two years ago. But he also owns
a split decision win over the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu master almost
five years ago in RINGS. So Kondo will have to perform at a very
elite level if he wants to submit Henderson.
Unlike
most wrestlers, however, Henderson prefers to keep the fight
standing, and he is more than a handful for any opponent fighting
on the feet. He throws punches from awkward angles and in non-traditional
combinations like lead overhand rights followed by a left cross
from his hip pocket.
So,
opponents often get hit unexpectedly with blind punches. Combine
that with the fact that Henderson carries dynamite in his right
hand and you have the potential for a sudden knockout in any
of his fights.
It
is an effective standup style that resulted in KO/TKO wins in
his last three fights, including a beautiful knockout win over
former pound-for-pound great Murilo Bustamante. He also owns
a razor-close decision loss to Wanderlei Silva in a brutal standup
war of attrition back in 2000 that saw both men on the verge
of a knockout loss.
However,
no fighter is perfect and Henderson is no exception to that rule.
Like most elite wrestlers, he prefers not to fight from his back.
There is just something innately disturbing about being on one’s
back for lifelong wrestlers, even those who’ve spent the
past several years training in MMA.
So,
that is one of Kondo’s big keys to winning – putting
Hendo on his back and keeping him there. Much easier said than
done!
For
Henderson, his biggest key to victory is simply staying relaxed
and patient. Henderson can get overly aggressive at times, which
exposes him to the takedown. As long as he lets the fight come
to him, the opportunity should present itself to land a dam-breaking
right hand.
Once
he has Kondo hurt, Henderson must finish him. Kondo is a big
fan favorite, so the American does not want to go the distance
in this fight. Japanese judges have given hometown decisions
to their boys on more than one occasion. That is certainly a
risk here.
Heading
into Friday night, Henderson opened as a healthy -325 favorite.
He is one of Sportsbook.com’s sponsored fighters and Joey
Oddessa certainly believes in his guy – for good reason
too.
Dan
Henderson no doubt has his hands full with Yuki Kondo. But this
is a fight that he should win.
Source:
Insidefighting
|
Head-2-Head:
Royce Gracie vs. Akebono
by Jason Probst & Michael DiSanto
Akebono can maul his way to
victory
By Jason Probst
While the early days of mixed martial arts resembled freak shows
and Roman spectacle, the sport’s largely moved on in the
last decade. But now and then, the beast must be fed and a fight
sells on weird appeal rather than the merit of two top fighters
colliding.
Such
is the case with Royce Gracie-Akebono at the Pride New Year’s
card. Pitting the 185-lb. Royce against the 500-lb. sumo grandmaster,
it brings a fascinating question to bear: what would happen if
a jiu-jitsu expert like Gracie faced a man more than two and
a half times his weight?
How
would he apply his techniques with radically altered variables?
Certainly, one thing’s for certain. Gracie probably won’t
be fighting from a closed guard or pulling off any sweeps.
The
biggest submission danger will be the rear naked choke, for no
matter how big and strong you are, everybody’s going to
tap or sleep when the supply of blood is cut off to the brain.
You can’t power out of that, and it’s the ultimate
equalizer in any fight.
Akebono
received a harsh introduction into K-1 at the Pride New Year’s
2004 show, when he was knocked out by Bob Sapp in a meeting of
behemoths. When you’re 150 lbs. bigger than Sapp and you’re
still getting bullied in a striking match, it might be time to
find a new vocation, and Akebono is 0-5 in K-1 fights. Thankfully,
MMA should be a much safer endeavor for Akebono if matched correctly.
Royce
Gracie could be that opportunity. For all his wonderful submission
skills, Gracie won’t be a threat on the feet, especially
as Akebono does have some K-1 experience (he went the distance
with Ray Sefo and was stopped by Sapp and powerhouse Remy Bonjansky).
The question looms, and that’s how does Gracie bring Akebono
down?
Akebono,
while he will never be confused with Dennis Alexio, was a great
sumo wrestler and that sport should give him some basic familiarity
to takedown defense, clinches, and throws. Royce Gracie runs
into a brick wall, literally, if he thinks he’s going to
rush Akebono and force a ground fight as he has against other
MMA opponents. He might injure himself if attempting a lower-body
takedown, and clinching could get him tossed into the next area
code.
Akebono
has a 300-lb.-plus weight advantage and that’s what he’s
got to use. That also works against him as the fight goes on,
as Gracie will probably hope to tire him out. Therefore, Akebono
has to be aggressive early and make Gracie burn energy to contain
him. He doesn’t have a lot to lose by throwing a few strikes,
but he should forget kicks. You could time them with a sundial
and that only gives Royce an opening to work around to get his
back in a monkey choke, a la Matt Hughes-Frank Trigg. Akebono
should swat at Royce and try and hit him with jabs or the occasional
power punch, and throwing downward at Gracie’s chest will
be key, as he’s 7 inches taller. Just hit something to shake
his man up and let him feel the size.
Obviously,
this fight is going to the ground. And obviously, that means
Akebono’s likely to end up in Royce’s guard. Given
that Gracie will be literally unable to fight from the closed
guard position, that favors Akebono because that’s exactly
how Royce defuses many opponents, who get wrapped up tightly
in that defensive posture.
This
leaves Gracie with the prospect of having a 500-lb. man on his
chest, and that’s taxing, indeed. In fact, despite Akebono’s
lack of MMA experience, he can do damage simply shifting his
weight, banging into Royce and landing punches, while smothering
him. Who knows what happens when a quarter-ton of beef is on
top of you, but it’s possible that ribs can fracture. Hammer
fists from the top, as well as elbows and punches are the best
move for him. Whether it’s Gracie’s head, chest, stomach
or hips, Akebono should pound it once he’s in the guard.
Also,
given his tremendous strength, Akebono should also be drilling
for the chance to lift Gracie up from the guard and power bomb
him. Given that he’s used to throwing 350-lb. opponents,
hoisting Royce should be a pretty easy thing. It’s isn’t
highly technical but it should work.
The
rules for this fight state that if it goes the distance it will
be declared a draw, and Akebono and Gracie might neutralize one
another en route to that. But both are in dire need of a win
here. Since the sport has evolved over the past few years, Gracie’s
return has been something more talked about than realized, and
you get the feeling he’d like to show he can still pull
off his magic, even if against green opponents like Akebono,
because it proves the point of the original UFCs – that
Gracie jiu-jitsu will triumph over a bigger stronger foe.
Akebono’s
best chance is to maul Royce and wear him down with weight and
punishment. He’s not going to submit Royce and he isn’t
likely to do much from the feet, as Royce is pretty resilient
despite not having much standup (he took of ton of strikes vs.
Kazushi Sakuraba, and can merely fall to his back if hurt). Most
importantly, he needs to make sure Royce doesn’t get behind
him in a tie-up. He’ll have to keep his under hooks secure
and use them to throw Gracie around.
Getting
behind a bigger man was the exact strategy Royce used when he
fought Remco Parduel in UFC 2. He didn’t mess around with
the guard or striking, but simply slipped behind the judo stylist
early, took him down, and applied his choke that won the fight.
Akebono can’t let that happen, and with his huge size and
strength advantage, has no excuse to let it transpire. He’s
got to take Royce Gracie to the ground and pound him out, and
given his enormous edge in strength, it figures he’ll be
able to do just that.
Sure,
Gracie’s forgotten more about submissions than most fighters
will ever know. But realistically, what’s going to work
on a 500-lb. brute? Arm bar? Not likely. Akebono can just power
out of it with the limb or by rearing back. Triangle? Tough to
execute with the massive limbs and size. Ankle and foot locks
might be a possibility, but that would also involve cranking
massive joints and getting hit in the face while setting it up,
to say nothing of getting out from under a piano on his chest.
Akebono
has a very tough opponent in front of him with a vast edge in
experience in mixed martial arts. But by applying his advantages
and keeping Gracie from taking his back, he can win this fight,
because even a mongoose has little chance against a cobra in
a phone booth.
Gracie
will coast to victory at Shockwave
By Michael DiSanto
When Royce Gracie first broke the news on our radio show, MMA
Evolution, he strongly preferred to fight Akebono at K-1 for
his New Year’s Eve fight, I honestly thought he was joking.
Talk about David versus Goliath!
At
first blush, the fight seems like an impossible task for Gracie.
How can the 6’1, 185-lb. Royce Gracie defeat the 6’8,
480-lb. Akebono? Why would he put himself and his reputation
at risk fighting such a gargantuan man?
Obviously,
Royce won’t be using his famous Gracie guard to try and
submit his gargantuan opponent. Akebono is so massive that Gracie
couldn’t even begin to attempt to wrap his legs around his
torso.
If
Royce tries to use a butterfly or an open guard, think of the
damage he will sustain simply from the weight of Akebono pressing
down upon him. He’d smother the slim Brazilian for God’s
sake!
Can
Royce even take Akebono down? Remember, Akebono was the first
American-born athlete, and the 67th man in the 2000 year history
of the sport, to ever attain the rank of yokozuna! His 654 sumo
wins and 11 Emperor’s Cup titles speak volumes for his athletic
talent.
Akebono,
born Chad Rowan in Hawaii, is a once in a lifetime athlete. Even
today at 35 years old with terribly bad knees and clearly overweight
for any sport aside from sumo wrestling, he moves tremendously
well and maintains amazing cardio for his size.
But
none of that will be enough to beat the man who, along with his
father and brothers, basically gave birth to the sport of Mixed
Martial Arts in the United States.
MMA
and sumo wrestling are two very different sports. Emmanuel Yarborough,
who was the world’s heaviest athlete when he tipped the
scales at over 660 pounds, found that out the hard way during
his three-fight foray into MMA.
Of
his three fights, Yarborough lost twice to men of similar stature
to Royce Gracie – Keith Hackney (5’11, 200 lbs.) and
Daiju Takase (5’10, 170 lbs.). And both of those losses
came by way of stoppage.
The
fact remains that sheer size and the ability to sumo slap and
throw a man is not enough to prevail in an all-out fight. Yarborough
was too slow and too immobile to react to his opponents, neither
of whom can hold a candle to Royce Gracie in terms of overall
fighting or MMA skills – no disrespect intended.
Of
course, Yarborough is not in the same athletic universe of Akebono.
But the fact still remains that he will be at a decided speed
and technique disadvantage when he steps into the K-1 ring with
Royce Gracie.
Once
the bell rings, the sluggish monster will bull rush Gracie in
typical sumo style and hope to initiate a clinch or trap him
in a corner. If he can accomplish that goal, the fight could
end quickly and violently in favor of the Hawaiian monster.
However,
if Gracie simply plays matador to Akebono’s bull, he will
avoid the rush and either move to Akebono’s side or behind
him. If to the side, Gracie will look to execute a trip, tackle
or any other wrestling move to send the mammoth to the ground.
Once
on the ground, Akebono is a fish out of water. There is no way
he will be able to regain his feet without giving up an arm,
leg or his neck to a submission hold, none whatsoever.
If
Gracie moves to Akebono’s back while standing, which is
his most likely plan of attack; he will simply mount him like
a Clydesdale and sink a rear naked choke. At that point, Akebono’s
only option will be to dive backward and crush his opponent with
his 480-pound frame.
Granted,
if Akebono falls on Gracie, the fight is very likely over, because
he could very likely crush Royce’s chest cavity. And that
is no exaggeration.
But
outside of a freakish accident like that or Akebono somehow trapping
his more nimble opponent into a corner so that he can throw his
wild, crazy haymakers or throw him to the ground, he has no tools
to win the fight with.
It
was no accident that Genki Sudo completely embarrassed Eric “Butterbean”
Esch last year in a K-1 match. It was no accident that both Hackney
and Takase beat Yarborough.
And
it won’t be an accident when Royce Gracie completely outclasses
an overmatched and underprepared Akebono on Friday night. This
one will be easy for Royce as he coasts to victory on New Year’s
Eve.
Source:
Insidefighting
|
Head-2-Head:
Minotauro vs. Fedor
by Michael DiSanto & Jason Probst
Minotauro
will shock Fedor at Shockwave
by Michael DiSanto
Forget
what the odds makers say. The fight between Antonio Rodrigo “Minotauro”
Nogueira and Fedor Emelianenko is far from a pick’em fight
– at least, it is in the public’s mind.
Few
give Minotauro any real shot at beating the world’s most
dominant heavyweight. They say styles make fights and Fedor’s
style just beats Minotauro’s style. They say that Fedor
just have Minotauro’s number.
What?
Need I remind everyone that only a short time ago the MMA world
anointed Nogueira as possibly one of the best ever? Today, he’s
given no shot at winning? That is ludicrous.
At
worst, Minotauro is even money against any fighter alive today.
While Fedor is an amazing combination of size, power and technique
– a veritable human wrecking machine – he is human,
and he can be beaten, especially when facing the most complete
fighter in the sport.
As
a fighter, Minotauro is equal parts heart and skill. Sure, he
is known as a ground fighting phenom with perhaps the most dangerous
guard in all of MMA. Yes, everyone knows about his rapidly improving
standup game, which was good enough to stand and out bang Heath
Herring and Sergei Kharitonov.
However,
few talk about his heart and will to win. The fact remains that
Minotauro can withstand breathtaking amounts of punishment while
on the quest for victory. Think back to his fights with Bob Sapp
and the first bout against Fedor. In both, he took shots to the
head that would have stopped most heavyweights, yet he simply
continued going on about his business just like it was another
day at the office.
That
is why Minotauro will win the fight against Fedor on Friday night.
The Russian sambo expert will almost certainly dish out tremendous
punishment at some point in the fight, but the prospects of stopping
Nogueira are slim and none…and yes, slim just left…well,
you know the rest.
Therefore,
Fedor will be forced to once again tempt certain doom and fight
inside of Nogueira’s guard for much of the fight. He skillfully
avoided falling into a trap in the first fight, but how many
times can he go to the well without getting caught?
If
Nogueira is content to fight from his guard like in the first
fight, I still like his chances. But his odds of victory increase
exponentially if he can do the unthinkable – put Fedor on
his back!
Rather
than simply transitioning from triangle to arm bar attempts from
his guard, I have a sneaking suspicion that Minotauro will play
a different game this time around. Fedor loves to try and jump
through the guard with flying punches. That presents a fantastic
opportunity for Minotauro to execute a sweep or a reversal and
put Fedor on his back where all of his advantages quickly dissipate.
From
the top position, Minotauro will work to pass Fedor’s guard
and then rain blows down in an attempt to make the Russian either
give up his back for a choke or leave himself exposed for an
arm triangle.
Yes,
it sounds crazy. I fully understand that. But these two great
warriors have fought twice with both fights progressing differently,
so it makes logical sense to think that Minotauro will once again
come in with a new game plan. And working to get the top position
seems like a plan just crazy enough to where it will work.
Look
for Minotauro to get the edge early on the feet because he has
the more technically sound standup game. Fedor’s hands are
heavier, but Minotauro’s granite jaw and extremely straight
punches will neutralize any deficit in power standing.
Don’t
be surprised if the Brazilian initiates the takedown from a retreating
Fedor. Similarly, don’t be surprised if he opts to keep
the fight on the feet. Of course, the most logical option will
be for Minotauro to allow Fedor to take him to the ground and
work from inside his guard.
Regardless,
Minotauro Nogueira will find a way to win, and that will set
the stage for an epic fourth bout between the two top heavyweights
in the world. Although it is their third fight, this might only
be the beginning of a rivalry that lasts for the next several
years – MMA’s version of Ali-Frazier or Barrera-Morales.
On
Friday night, Minotauro will shock the world at Shockwave by
defeating Fedor Emelianenko. But win or lose, this is a fight
that I cannot wait to watch!
Fedor
will beat Nogueira again
by Jason Probst
Styles
make fights, and nowhere is that more applicable than in the
match between the world’s top two heavyweights in Fedor
Emelianenko and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira.
In
mixed martial arts, every fighter has a preferred position for
where he’d like to be, position-wise, in a match. Guys like
Chuck Liddell and Bang Ludwig enjoy nothing better than a standing
affair, while Matt Hughes and Tito Ortiz operate best when taking
a man down and pounding him into defeat, where their wrestling
skills can dominate. Other stylists, like Frank Mir, are at their
best on their back, where submission skills come into play.
The
corresponding down side is when a good wrestler is on his back.
Or when a submission specialist gets into a rock'em, sock'em
street fight that show his weaknesses. This is usually the driving
premise in contests between guys of similar styles, the battle
to see who will establish the superior position first and deny
the other guy his bread and butter.
Strangely,
Emelianenko and Nogueira’s styles dovetail perfectly. Nog
almost always ends up fighting good foes from the bottom while
Fedor is the eminent ground and pound artist in the game. Given
Fedor’s excellent takedown defense and submission awareness,
Nog’s dangerous guard was more of a holding action in their
first fight than an offensive weapon. It allowed him to survive
one of the more brutal distance beatings in recent memory.
Nothing
is going to change when they meet at Pride Man Show 2 New Year’s
Eve, and Emelianenko is going to beat Fedor more due to the meshing
of skills than due to superior ones. Because everything Nog does
to win a fight runs smack-dab into the conventional wisdom of
what you aren’t supposed to do against Fedor.
To
begin with, Fedor is very difficult to take down and Nog’s
takedowns aren’t good enough to plant him on his back. Fedor
can take Nogueira down at will, and probably will choose to,
but a good strategy to follow might be using the ground and pound
as a backup position. Just like Frank Trigg did against Renato
Verissimo, Fedor might try to wear Nog out on the feet early
while daring the Brazilian to stop his attack with a takedown.
It’s not likely to happen, and as Trigg did against Verissimo,
you can tire a man out by sprawling and making him expend energy
trying to bring it to the ground.
The
standup edge goes to Emelianenko as well. Not a technically sound
striker, Fedor wings punches with Total Commitment and has heavy
hands. He also has a fantastic chin, and though Nog has decent
standup, he won’t be able to hurt the Russian to bring the
fight down, either. Therefore, Fedor might be well served to
simply force a standup match and tire Nog out – which lowers
the threat of Nog’s legendary submissions coming into play
– before taking it down.
And
the great thing is even if Fedor eats a surprise shot or is stunned
on the feet, he can always shoot in and recuperate in Nogueira’s
guard if he needs to.
Nog
tried everything in their first fight, from setups in the spider
and butterfly guard to arm locks, triangles and sweeps, but Fedor’s
positional awareness allowed him to prevent the Brazilian from
getting beyond the setups, while he rained down punches from
the top. Much as a knockout artist in boxing will wait and wait
for the perfect opening, Nog found himself reduced shot by shot,
piece by piece, until he barely had the strength to hold Fedor
at bay, much less mount a finishing attack.
Fedor
is simply a prototype of what fighters will be like in the future.
He may be the best fighter in the world, pound for pound. Skilled
at fighting from the top, bottom, or trading strikes, he has
no extant weaknesses, nowhere where he seems to shrink up and
seem vulnerable. His judo credentials give him the kind of submission
awareness that make him very difficult to deal with in the guard,
and he punches with the kind of in-close intensity that can be
truly frightening. Whether it’s a wind-em-up from the ceiling
right hand to the head, or a short thumping blow to the ribs
from six inches, Fedor does damage that you take with you. And
he has taken shots to the head that would knock most heavyweights
cold.
That’s
why he will beat Nogueira, whose game is predicated on outlasting
opponents and exploiting openings. There are no openings with
Fedor, and he gives you too much to deal with while you’re
waiting for them. Fedor will beat Nogueira by decision in a great
fight, and prove he is not only the best fighter in the world,
but the best mixed martial artist on the planet.
Source:
Insidefighting
|
Quote
of the Day
"We are hungry for more; if we do not consciously pursue
the More, we create less for ourselves and make it more difficult
to experience More in life."
Judith Wright, Author, There Must Be More Than This" |
Wanderlei
Silva vs. Mark Hunt
Is Official
Today in Japan, just two days before the New Years Eve Pride
event, it was announced that Mark Hunt will take the place of
Sakuraba to face the seemingly invincible Wanderlei Silva. Silva
has had a remarkable year this year as he continues a long winning
streak. But, will he be able to continue that streak? Mark Hunt
is a former K-1 fighter with stand up skills and is considerably
heavier. Many thought that the fight with Sakuraba was not going
to test Silva, but now with only days notice, he will have to
be prepared to fight a heavyweight. Another factor will be Mark
Hunt's stamina, with only a few days notice to fight will Mark
Hunt be in fighting shape. We know Silva has great endurance,
but on short notice this may be a deciding factor.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
UFC
MEDIA BLITZ STARTING FOR UPCOMING TV SHOW
The highly anticipated TV show "The Ultimate Fighter"
is just three weeks away as the Ultimate Fighting Championship
and Spike TV have worked together over the past few months to
bring this show to national TV.
The
media blitz is now taking center stage as well as the commercial
has started to air on different networks and the media is starting
to do stories on the show as well.
Chuck
Liddell and Randy Couture made the cover of Skinnie Magazine.
The publication is an entertainment magazine with an emphasis
on music. It's distributed in Southern California.
The
duo also will be appearing next month on Last Call with Carson
Daly which airs late night on NBC. The Carson Daly Show in NYC
on Tuesday, January 11th at 4 pm. The show is scheduled to air
on January 19th.
Tickets
to the taping can be reserved by calling 888-4LC-TIXX or go to
this website. http://www.1iota.com
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
YOSHIDA
VS GARDNER IN BATTLE OF GOLD MEDALISTS
Hidehiko Yoshida won a gold medal for Japan competing in Judo
at the 1992 Olympic games. When he signed to fight for Pride
back in 2002, no one gave him much credit as a mixed martial
artist.
With
his training limited primarily to Judo, most expected Don Frye
to pound him out at Pride 23. The referee ended up stopping the
fight when as Frye was caught in an armbar. Even though Frye
walked away from that fight with an injury, Yoshida got hardly
any credit from MMA critics. In fact, rumors of a fix swirled.
On
New Year’s Eve of that same year, Yoshida choked out Masaaki
Satake at Antonio Inoki’s Bom-Ba-Ye show. Again the critics
hammered Yoshida, refusing to believe he was a legitimate threat.
In
an effort to legitimize his presence in the sport, Yoshida entered
Pride’s 2003 Middleweight Grand Prix. He defeated Kiyoshi
Tamura in the first round, again with naysayers disbelieving
the simplicity of the choke Yoshida used to tap his opponent.
Ironically,
it was Yoshida’s loss to Pride dominator Wanderlei Silva
that earned him his credence in the sport. He went toe-to-toe
with Silva for fifteen minutes, the distance, before losing a
unanimous decision.
American
Olympic Gold Medalist Rulon Gardner, Yoshida’s opponent
on New Year’s Eve, will have much the same road to tow as
Yoshida. A champion wrestler at every level throughout his life,
but with little mixed
martial arts training, Gardner is seen by many as jumping at
the money
that Pride is throwing at him.
Despite
his lack of mixed martial arts experience, this is his first
fight, Gardner is an excellent wrestler and wrestlers have typically
done well making the transition. Not only that, Gardner has enlisted
the help of some other world-class wrestlers to help him with
that transition… Team Quest’s Dan Henderson, Randy
Couture, and Matt Lindland.
Both
men have competed at the highest level in their previous sports,
but Yoshida’s two years in mixed martial arts will give
him a tremendous edge in the experience department when the two
enter the ring on New Year’s Eve. Stage fright probably
won’t be a problem, but Garnder’s lack of experience
can only be a hindrance.
Almost
all factors would seem to sway Yoshida’s way. His experience
in Judo may not be enough to counter Garnder’s takedowns,
but it should allow Yoshida to be much more of a threat to end
the fight on the ground. And although Yoshida’s standup
game is technically unsound, he
proved his mettle when he duked it out and finished on his feet
against The Axe Murderer.
That
said, Couture did say that Gardner does have a lot of power in
his punches, which can’t hurt. And, you can’t discount
the effect that a world-class wrestler’s takedowns can have
on an opponent. If Gardner can land a couple high profile slams,
he can sway the odds more to his favor.
If
Gardner is motivated to become a force in MMA, who knows what
could happen? He proved that he could rise to the occasion when
he defeated Russian legend Alexander Karelin at the Sydney Olympics.
Whether he carries that desire into the ring is another question
altogether, but we’ll soon find out.
For
Yoshida, besides a nice paycheck, the most important aspects
of this fight for him are probably the pride in competing against
a fellow Olympian and the possibility of another shot at Wanderlei.
At
last year’s Grand Prix, Yoshida proved that he could hang
with Wanderlei and with the streak that Wanderlei has been on,
he’s running out of worthy opposition. Whether Wanderlei
stays at middleweight or move’s up to heavyweight, at about
the same size, Yoshida could fight him at either weight. A competitor
of the caliber of Yoshida has got to be itching to get back in
the ring and avenge his only loss.
On
New Year’s Eve, look for Yoshida to end up on the ground.
Also look for Gardner to end up snared in a Yoshida submission
before it’s all over. It’s going to be very difficult
for Gardner to cover all of the necessary ground in the two short
months he’s had to prepare, even with
the help of Team Quest.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Fighters
Arrive for New Year's Eve
It's the middle of winter in Japan but MMA fans are warming up
fast as they approach New Year's Eve. The adrenaline will be
pumping and the action will doubtlessly be white-hot on the two
big cards coming up in K-1 and PRIDE. Now that NYE is only days
away, fighters have begun to arrive from all over the world.
Each is greeted at the airport by reporters, and it is no rarity
to see their comments in the big sports newspapers and on mainstream
internet sites. Below are a few items / comments gleaned from
the Japanese media that might interest fans.
Perhaps
demonstrating his eagerness to settle the score with PRIDE champ
Fedor, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira arrived well ahead of the pack
on Wednesday, December 22. "Getting here early gives me
the opportunity to adapt to the weather difference between Brazil
and Japan and get over my jetlag, so I can fight in the best
condition possible." Nogueira said he's in top physical
shape for the fight, although the emotional shock of the final
round of the heavyweight Grand Prix was more difficult to overcome.
He also hinted that he's been working on new holds for this fight
to replace the "spinning choke" hold he used successfully
in the GP.
Mario
Sperry was at hand at the Pride Man Show 2 Press Conference,
but his teammate Rodrigo Nogueira and opponent, Fedor, were not
around.
Wanderlei
Silva , who was scheduled for a fourth encounter with Kazushi
Sakuraba, expressed his regret that Saku can't go on 12/31, saying,
"To be honest, it's too bad [the way things turned out].
I wanted to fight him, but he'll get another chance. He's a great
fighter and I respect him. It would be great if he comes to the
arena and roots for me." After naming Saku as the head of
his own cheerleading squad, Silva stated that having kept his
weight down for the Sakuraba fight would not hinder his performance,
no matter who the promoters name as his opponent. "I am
the champion, and I'll make a showing worthy of that title."
Bob
Sapp , who hasn't seen competitive action since his loss under
K-1 rules to Ray Sefo on June 26 this year, hosted members of
the press at an open workout. Sapp will face "uncrowned
king of K-1" Jerome LeBanner of France in an MMA / K-1 mixed
rules contest. The rules in this match will alternate from round
to round, and promoters have been at an impasse as to which rules
will govern the first round. Sapp resorted to his football roots,
suggesting a coin toss to decide. "I'll take tails, because
just like in the fight, I'm going to turn him over on his head,"
said Sapp, hinting at another power bomb like the one he used
on Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira in the inaugural DYNAMITE! event.
Dan
Henderson , who arrived on the same airplane as Wanderlei Silva,
said of his opponent in the PRIDE show, Yuki Kondo, "He's
an all-around fighter who doesn't have any real weaknesses. Then
again, he doesn't have any outstanding strengths, either. I saw
his fight with Wanderlei (1R KO 2:09), and hopefully this one
will turn out the same way." Hendo, who, needless to say,
didn't spend a lot of time chatting with Wanderlei on the trip
over, said he was focusing on his own fight, but admitted he
has his long-term sights on Silva.
UFC
light heavyweight champ "The Natural" Randy Couture
, who will act as cornerman for Team Quest teammates, Dan Henderson
and Rulon Gardner in the Man Festival, gave his predictions for
a number of NYE bouts. "Rulon is a world-class wrestler
with excellent physical capability and technique. There's no
way he will lose." On the other hand, he predicted that
Kazuyuki Fujita would defeat Karam Ibragim because "he can
wrestle and strike, but more than anything, he just has more
MMA experience."
"Battle
Cyborg" Jerome LeBanner has been preparing for his NYE date
with Bob Sapp by training with some of the biggest names in MMA.
At an open workout he revealed that he has trained with Nogueira
in Brazil, Fedor in Russia, and "Big Daddy" Gary Goodridge
in Japan. "I am going to combine all the things I learned
from them into my own fighting style. I'll do whatever it takes
to beat him." Although not certain at this time, it appears
as though this fight will be the main event on the K-1 card.
LeBanner commented, "The last fight of this year is going
to be two guys going straight at each other. And I'm going to
end it in a way where there'll be no doubt who the winner is."
Jens
Pulver , who will be facing Bushido superstar Takanori Gomi in
PRIDE, arrived at Tokyo Narita International Airport on Monday
evening. Both fighters have been two of the most prominent names
in MMA's lighter weight classes for the past few years, and Pulver
commented that he has been looking forward not only to a match
with Gomi, but also to participating long-term in Bushido. "I
think it will be an even more exciting fight for the fans than
it would have been [when I was UFC champion and he was the Shooto
champion]. He's heavier than me right now (Gomi weighs about
160, while Pulver weighs somewhere in the 145 pound range), but
I trained so that I could deal with the weight difference. I
want to keep it on our feet, and I'll be the last man standing."
Ryan
Gracie , who will be fighting Japanese mat veteran Yoji Anjo
at PRIDE's Man Festival, simply stated, "I'm going to do
the same thing to him that Rickson did." Years ago, Anjo
walked into Rickson Gracie's dojo off the street and challenged
him. According to Ryan, Anjo got choked out numerous times during
that episode. "Am I looking to settle the score? No, he's
just going to get his ass kicked again."
With
all the talent being amassed to round out the year, it will be
interesting to see which predictions come true. It will also
be interesting to see which show does better in the ratings war,
which is perennially severe on New Year's Eve in Japan. (Both
events will be televised on major network TV.) Whatever the case,
it's going to be one glorious evening for MMA fans, whose biggest
worry will be which channel to set their VCRs to!
Source:
MMA Weekly
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Quote
of the Day
"Try not to become a man of success but rather try to become
a man of value."
Albert Einstein, 1879-1955, German-born American Physicist
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Congratulations
Kyle, Shane, & Brandon
The triple threat is wrestling today and tomorrow in a bunch
of dual meets. So far, Brandon Low (St. Louis) has won all his
matches, Kyle Snyder-Olivares (Pearl City High) won all, but
one match, and Shane Ahlo Jr. (St. Louis) is doing great as well.
Good
luck to the boys in tomorrow's matches
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FANS
VOTE BJ PENN....
MMAWEEKLY'S FIGHTER OF THE YEAR
For the past week, readers of MMAWeekly.com spent there time
voting for who they felt was the Fighter of the Year for 2004.
Many
deserving names were voted upon; including, guys like Vanderlei
Silva and Yves Edwards, but when it was all said and done it
was BJ Penn who you voted for as Fighter of the Year for 2004.
Penn's
year was down right spectacular. It started with the upset of
the year for 2004 against Matt Hughes at UFC 46, where Penn went
up in weight to capture the title at 170. "He flat out changed
the landscape of the division. It was truly David vs Goliath
and went back to the stage when Royce Gracie innovated the sport.
It was an amazing upset", said Frank Trigg, co-host of MMAWeekly
Radio and UFC Fighter.
Penn
wasn't done, he went on to easily defeat Duane "Bang"
Ludwig in quick fashion in K-1's Romanex card, then amazed fans
again by going up in weight to defeat the previously undefeated
Rodrigo Gracie at 185.
"People
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