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(All events on Oahu, unless noted)
July 9-12
BJJ World Cup (CBJJO)
(BJJ)
(SESC gym, Salvador, Brazil)
4/3/04
Super
Brawl 33
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena)
3/26/04
Shooto Hawaii 2
(MMA)
(Campbell H.S. Gym)
Sometime
between Arnold-Gracie & Pan Ams
Pac-Rim BJJ tournament
(BJJ & Sub Grappling)
(Hawaii)
3/13/04
Rumble On The Rock 5
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena)
3/5-7/04
Arnold
Schwarzenegger World Gracie Professional Submission Championships
(BJJ & Sub Grappling)
(Columbus, Ohio)
2/15/04
First Maui Invitational
of Jiu-Jitsu
(BJJ & Sub Grappling)
(Kahului, Maui, Hawaii)
Punishment
in Paradise 2
(MMA & Kickboxing)
(Campbell H.S. Gym)
2/13/04
Amateur
Fighting Compeition 5
(Toughman)
(Campbell H.S. Gym)
2/8/04
Ring of Honor 3
(Sub Grappling)
(Campbell H.S. Gym)
2/7/04
Super
Brawl 32
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena)
1/31/04
UFC
46: Super Natural
(MMA)
(Mandalay Bay Events Center, Las Vegas, NV)
1/24/04
Ring of Honor 2
(MMA & Kickboxing)
(Campbell H.S. Gym)
1/19/04
Second 2 None Submission Grappling Tournament
(Sub Grappling)
(Oahu)
|
|
January 2004 News
Part 1
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 6:00PM on
Olelo Channel 52 |
Quote
of the Day
"You are searching for the magic key that will unlock the
door to the source of power; and yet you have the key in your
own hands, and you may use it the moment you learn to control
your thoughts."
Napoleon Hill, 1883-1970, American Speaker, Motivational Writer,
''Think and Grow Rich''
|
Egan
Inoue Appears in Blood of the Samurai
NEW SHOWS TO PREMIERE ON OC16 THIS MONTH
BLOOD
OF THE SAMURAI: THE SERIES - A fine blend of action, humor, and
suspense, BLOOD OF THE SAMURAI: THE SERIES will be an exhilarating
ride from start to finish. The series opens after the events
of the award-winning film, in which two men train and battle
evil with ancient, mystic samurai swords. The 6-part series will
premiere on Oceanic Time Warner Cable's OC16 and stars the likes
of Ban Daisuke (Kikaida), Stephanie Sanchez (Mental Tilapia),
Alicia Michioka Jones (Miss Hawaii USA 2003) and Egan Inoue (former SuperBrawl
Champion), among others.
Premieres
Sunday, January 25 at 9:00pm (Airs Sundays at 9:00pm, repeats
Tuesdays & Thursdays at 8:00pm and Fridays at 10:00pm.
Egan's Background
on the Blood of the Samurai website:
Egan Inoue (SHINZO)
Egan Inoue
makes his acting debut as the vile gangster SHINZO in Blood of
the Samurai The Series, after a long and illustrious career in
the sports arena. Inoue is one of the most revered ultimate fighters
in the world, and is set to compete for the coveted Shooto Champion
Belt from current champion Masunori Suda, on May 9th, at Superbrawl
XVIIII, to be held at the Neal Blaisdell Center.
Egan
Inoue's seasoned technical and powerful style of fighting has
earned him the reputation of being one of the best fighters in
the World in his weight class. His fighting style combines Brazilian
Jiu-Jitsu, Greco-Roman Wrestling, Freestyle Wrestling, Boxing,
and Kick-Boxing with an extreme emphasis on peak physical fitness.
Aside from his magnificent achievements in the fighting world,
Inoue is also a former Racquetball world champion in 1986 and
again in 1990, and is also recognized as Sportsman of the Year
and Racquetball Champion of the Year by the U.S. Olympic Committee
in 1996.
According
to Egan, fighting is like being in a very high-stakes chess game.
The winner is the one who stays 2-3 steps ahead of his opponent
at all times and has the physical endurance to outlast his opponent.
Source:
Oceanic Cable |
MENNE
VS VITALE
MMAWeekly.com has learned that Dave Menne will face Faliniko
Vitale in the main event at the next SuperBrawl card. Menne's
manager, Monte Cox confirmed the fight on the radio this week.
Menne
is coming off a win over Sam Cleveland in Extreme Challenge by
TKO and has won three of his last four fights. His only loss
in that time period was due to a cut at the hands of Hayato Sakurai.
Niko
Vitale had won seven fights in a row, before his last fight.
He lost to Matt Lindland at UFC 45. He will now try to refocus
in front of family and friends in Hawaii.
The
fight will take place in February and it's believed that there
are a few other main event type fights that will be announced
very soon.
Source:
MMA Weekly |
The
Sparring Chronicles
List Price: $24.95
Sale Price: $19.95
From
the director of Rites of Passage:
The
Sparring Chronicles takes you on a journey inside the world's
toughest gyms!
See
how the Champions train!
Featuring:
- Mark Coleman vs Kevin Randleman: Columbus Ohio
- Chuck Liddell vs Gilbert Yvel and Martin DeJong: Amsterdam,
Holland
- Wanderlei Silva training in Curitiba, Brazil
- Maurice Smith vs Tsyoshi Kohsaka - Rings Gym, Japan
- Enson Inoue vs Kato, Big John Calvo - Purebred Gym, Japan
- Nigel Hyudson vs Justin Juuko, Los Angeles, CA
Source:
Sherdog |
Best
of the Year 2003 Part 1
By Arnold "The Sushiboy" Lim
Another
year is in the books and like last year, and the year before,
it could be argued that it was the best year ever for MMA around
the globe. I have compiled a Top five best list for the year
2003. This is a list that reflects my own personal opinions and
is compiled mostly of fights that I have watched personally.
We all have our personal favorite moments from the past year
and I have cut the crap and stockpiled the best of the past Year.
What will the year 2003 hold for the MMA fans around the world?
Nobody knows for sure but one thing is for certain… good
things come in fives. Here is part 1 of 5 starting with the top
5 Biggest Upsets of the year and the Top 5 beatings of 2003.
Worst
Beatings of the Year
#5
- Rodrigo Nogueira Over Mirko “Cro-Cop” Filipovic
Pride Final Conflict Nov 9th 2003
Even though he won the fight in the end, for much of the first
round Nogueira took a beating that rivals some of the best in
the business and showed the heart of a true champion through
it all. There was precious little offence from him in round one
but he came back and turned the table in the second stanza, for
that one round however, there is no question that he took a royal
beating. All hail the heart.
#4
- Mauricio Rua Over Akira Shoji
Pride Bushido Oct 5th 2003
Shoji took one for the team, the whole team that is, as he ate
punch after punch on his way to being knocked out against the
rising star of Mauricio "Shogun" Rua. Rua dismantled
him with strikes from the standup position and always game Shoji
could muster little on his way to being punched and kicked into
the canvas.
#3
- Vanderlei Silva Over Quinton Jackson
Pride Final Conflict Nov 9th 2003
Quinton Jackson started off strong but after a questionable stand
up, the onslaught of knee’s came, and they came hard. Jackson
took more punishment in this fight then many fighters take in
their careers. The best part was, he came out smiling, proving
that their is nothing quite like service with a smile. Big props
to Jackson for taking the shots and showing off one of the hardest
heads in MMA.
#2
- Antonio Carvalho Over Phillip Legace
TKO 13 Ultimate Rush Sept 6th 2003
Not too many people got the chance to see this fight as is not
on DVD or PPV, but Legace took a beating in this fight that should
have been stopped earlier, the refferee must have been out to
lunch. This fight was stopped so late that one of Legace’s
teammates who was scheduled to fight later that evening, refused
to fight after seeing the poor reffing job in this fight. Carvalho
was dishing out a beating but being the sportsman that he is,
was visable upset with the fact that he had to continue dishing
it out when it was clear the fight was over. Bad reffing. Bad,
Bad, Bad.
#
1 - Fedor Emelianenko Over Gary Goodridge
Pride Total Elimination Aug 10th 2003
This fight was not fun to watch. Goodridge has a punchers chance
against just about anyone at heavyweight due to his hard hitting
in your face style, but this was not his night. Everyone and
his pet fish felt the punishment that he endured and it was not
pretty. He took numerous shots to the head culminating in an
early first round stoppage, this is what happenes when you have
gross mismatches, and a slow to react referee.
Honorable
Mention
Evan
Tanner Over Phil Baroni
In another case of the winner taking more punishment then the
loser Tanner took a beating in his fight from one of the biggest
punchers in the division. Baroni tatooed his fist into Tanner's
face but Tanner was able to weather the storm and come out on
top.
Biggest
Upsets of the Year
#5
- Joachim Hansen Upsets Takanori Gomi
Shooto 2003 10th edition Aug 10th 2003
Considered by many At the time of being the uncrowned king of
155, Takanori Gomi was thought to be near unbeatable. His ground
and pound tactics coupled with his granite chin and slick submission
defense was a recipe for an undefeated record of 14-0. Hansen
felt otherwise however, and proved his mettle in the ring. Hansen’s
rise from relative obscurity to ranked Lightweight culminating
in the Title victory over Gomi is one to remember.
#4
- Daiju Takase Upsets Anderson Silva
Pride 26th June 8th 2003
A losing record, including a loss the fight before to Nino Schembri
and a loss in his career to Fabiano Iha did not paint the whole
picture of Takase’s skills. Few pundits gave Takase an albino's
chance in Las Vegas of taking the fight against the undefeated
Anderson Silva, who had recently defeated the highly ranked Hayato
Sakurai and Carlos Newton convincingly. It is amazing how much
one fight can change everything.
#3
- Randy Couture Upsets Chuck Liddell
UFC 43, June 6th, 2003
Coming off two losses to Josh Barnett and Ricco Rodriguez respectively,the
advantage of a drop in weight was deemed to be precious little
for a man that was on the cusp of 40 years on this earth. Liddell
on the other hand was undefeated in 10 fights and without a loss
in 4 years, which is a rarity in MMA. Impressive victories over
Kevin Randleman, Guy Mezger, Murilo Bustamante, Vitor Belfort
and Renato “Babalu” Sobral were already on his resume
and many pegged Liddell as the uncrowned king of the lightheavyweight
division. One fight later, Randy Couture is the Interim Light
heavyweight Champion of the UFC, and Liddell is left to ponder
what went wrong.
#2
- Randy Couture Upsets Tito Ortiz
UFC 44, Sept 26th, 2003
Couture’s win over Chuck Liddell, the man that many feel
Ortiz was ducking, was deemed by some to be a fluke. The truth
was, he had only one win in his last 3 fights and at 40 years
of age, Couture was getting old fast right? Wrong. Couture won
every round in the 5 round marathon and left Ortiz in the losers
column for the first time in almost 4 years to the day. What
a difference a year makes.
#1
- Danny Lefever Upsets Benji Radach
Ultimate Ring Challenge 6 Oct 25th 2003
On October 25th at the Ultimate Ring Challenge, Benji Radach,
the man with 3 impressive UFC appearances, an ever rising stock,
and a recent win over the highly touted Gustavo Machado was about
to get knocked out cold for the first time in his career by a
no-name fighter named Danny Lefaver. Danny Who? Any way you cut
it, a K.O loss to a man with ZERO MMA fights to his name is one
loss that will be tough to get over.
Honorable
Mention
Tetsuya
Kawajiri Upsets Yves Edwards
Georges St Pierre Upsets Pete Spratt
Kazushi Sakuraba Upsets Kevin Randleman
David Loiseau Upsets Anthony Fryklund
Duane Ludwig Upsets Jens Pulver
Joachim Hansen Upsets Rumina Sato
Tim Sylvia Upsets Ricco Rodriguez
Rich Franklin Upsets Evan Tanner
If
you agree or disagree with any of my picks don’t be shy,
Yell Holler and let me know about it, dont feel bad, flame away.
Source:
MMA Ring Report |
Charuto
on MMA Weekly Radio
Today we kick it off with a relatively unknown fighter to some
fans- Charuto
Verissimo.
He will be facing Carlos Newton and if you don't know Verissimo,
just ask Gil Castillo who he is. It was Verissimo who defeated
Castillo at the end of the second round to keep his perfect record
intact. Learn more about him today on MMAWeekly Radio.
The
show airs Monday through Friday at 9am Pacific/ 12 Noon Eastern.
If you leave outside the United States, here are the current
times around the world.
Source:
MMA Weekly |
ZST
SHOW THIS WEEKEND
by Scott Butler
From
ZEPP, Tokyo... ZST is having the finals of their 16-man tournament
this Sunday... but the first round was just one fight... NOW
we will have a 8-man, one-day tournament.
Here
is a breakdown of the brackets, it's a very decent card. You
would have to assume that the winner here is practically rushed
to UFC or other big shows.
First
fight : Naoyuki Kotani (12-0-2) from Rodeo Style is he favorite
to win the Tournament and he is taking on the VERY tough Rich
"No Love" Clementi (12-6-1)
Second
fight : Hideo Tokoro (6-3) from Stand Gym is taking on (my pick)
TAISHO (4-0) from Nagoya BJJ Club. TAISHO, who's real name is
Tomomi Iwama, got his start in DEEP and has really progressed
as a fighter.
Third
fight : The very strange style of Takumi "The Oriental Mystery"
Yano (6-3-3) from Ugo Kai/Wild Pheonix is fighting the VERY DANDEROUS
Remigijus Morkevicius (5-0) from Rings Lithuania. All his wins
by KO... four of those wins by knee. The T-shirts they sell of
Morkevicius's say "Angry Animal" (pretty cool)
Fourth
fight: The monk, Masakazu Imanari (5-1) from Team Roken, who's
only loss came from Mishima, is fighting submission specialist
Marcus Aurelio (6-1) from American Top Team. All 6 of his wins
came by submission, either Triangle or armbar, and his only loss
was a split decision. Tough kid.
BUT
WAIT, there's more!!!
Reserve
match (and I hope we don't need them) Atsuhiro Tsuboi (0-3) from
Alive Komaki (his last 2 losses were KO losses from Morkevicius)
is fighting Jason Maxwell (4-4) from Team Extreme... Maxwell
lost in the first round of this Tournament to TAISHO at 2:14
of the first round.
AND
Single
match (non-tournament) Takuhito Hida (1-7) from Impress (all
his fights came in Shooto... his only win was a decision) takes
on BJJ up-and-comer Alberto Crane (4-0) from Santa Fe Academy
who's biggest win was a decision victory over Javier Vazquez.
...all
in all, it will be a great night of fights. It is NOT on PPV...
quite possibly a DVD will be released later.
Source:
MMA Weekly |
Catching
up with Pat Miletich on MMA Weekly Radio
Pat Miletich has been busy getting his new 15,000 square foot
facility up and running. Pat is not retired despite rumors. He
plans on fighting in Chicago, where he got his start, in the
spring against a yet to be named opponent. Pat said he would
like at least one more fight and would like to fight on pay-per-view.
Miletich said he has reached all the goals he wanted to as a
fighter.
He
enjoys training fighters now and watching them win world titles.
When asked if any of his fights stick out to him, Pat replied,
"Not a whole lot stand out" but winning the four man
tourney in the UFC was a great accomplishment. He considers his
toughest fight to have been against Jason Nicholson at SuperBrawl
3, where Pat came away with a unanimous decision. The only fighter
Pat manages is Robbie Lawler and admittedly is better at training
than managing. He considers Robbie to be an exceptional athlete
but doesn't feel now is the time to pit him against the top guys.
He
was asked about Lee Murray, who will be going out to Team Miletich
soon to train. Pat said, "Lee is very dangerous standing
and his ground game has come a long way. He pointed out Lee's
knockout powers and joked that some already know. After Tim Sylvia
tested positive for steroids, Pat was the first person he called.
Miletich said he was never mad at Tim and that everyone makes
mistakes. Tim doesn't need to do that to help his game, he added.
By his account, Matt Hughes is looking good and his stand up
has improved light years. Miletich had nothing but praises to
say about fighter Jason Black. We probably won't see Jason in
the UFC real soon because it would load up the 170lb. division
with one team due to Matt Hughes and Robbie Lawler already competing
there.
Source: MMA Weekly |
Ximú
talks about his leaving from RVT
The fighter, Gustavo Ximú, that recently switched the
Ruas Vale-Tudo by the Gracie Barra Combat Team, prefers to not
respond now the critics he has receiving and admits that his
last days has not been being easy. 'The situation is hard for
me. I have been through a difficult time in my life and I prefer
not to talk about it. I do have to pay my taxes and I need the
money,' revealed Ximú, justifying the main reason of his
leaving. The last bout Ximú representing RVT was at Heat
Fighting Championship 2, with a huge controversy against Allán
Góes. Ximú now is by his old RVT teammate's side
Alexandre Cacareco and Renato Babalú.
Source:
Tatame |
Rodrigo
Minotauro
By André Araújo
Minotauro
is MMA promoter
The
Pride heavyweight champion Rodrigo Minotauro had an amazing experience
in his birthplace as a MMA promoter. The Conquista Fight was
held in Vitória da Conquista (Bahia) at the Raul Ferraz
gymnasium on December 20th and joint together great MMA and Muay
Thai's fighters in a excellent event with a good ring and production
structure. Check out this exclusive interview conceded by Minotauro
from his car days before the Vale-Tudo.
How
is this change from fighter to promoter?
It
has been harder then fighting. This week I lost weight while
doing promoter things as putting everybody in the bus to Bahia.
There were three athletes that got hurt on the last time and
I had to support. If I was just a manager, I wouldn'd care so
much, but I am a fighter and I know what is to be a fighter,
so I drove the kid to the hospital and provided him a doctor.
I care about them and I do have to help them when they need me.
So
being a fighter helped you at this time...
Yes.
I am all about fighting. I do care about paying a good cash for
the athletes and about a good structure and production. The lights,
the cameras position... everything. Pride let me understand a
lot about a MMA event... rules, athletes position and he had
an amazing support of a local manager.
Tell
me about your possible revenge against Fedor?
Is
it going to happen, but not in February. Fedor seems that signed
with Inoki and he had some exclusivity contract with Pride. It
is a mess and I am waiting for a solution. Last time I fought
him I was not feeling well. Now I am much better. I am thinner
and faster. If this fight happens in February I am sure I would
defeat him.
At
that time you got defeated, you received a lot of support...
Is
it important because everybody sees the work I have been doing.
It was pretty hard for me because I was used to win... but this
belongs to life. At this time you have to raise your head and
thanks God for a good recover time. I also fought in March and
in August but it wasn't so great neither. I had plans to until
the end of the year get my belt back. I did it.
How
the idea of fighting the GP came out?
It
was a surprise. Mirko was almost sure to face Fedor and I was
getting myself ready to fight Josh Barnett and twenty days before
the fight, Fedor got injured and I don't believe he was hurt
by the time of the fight. I fought under worse conditions...
This guy is still recovering himself for three long months? I
saw a chance to come back on the top and I went for it. I've
trained Sunday to Sunday... people called me to have fun, but
I just had this fight in my mind. Fortunately I got it.
You
and Wanderlei were together at the Storm showing their belts
to the audience... he said that he will might fight as a heavyweight.
Do you think he will do a great job among them?
I
think it would be harder for a guy that exchange punches and
for a grappling. Because the grappling one is heavier and with
my skills I can defeat him. To the guy that exchange punches,
the heavy hand makes the difference. Wanderlei is an awesome
fighter. He surprised at the medium category and I am sure that
the same may happen among the heavyweights. We can expect anything
from Wanderlei. He didn't have opponents for him at the mediums.
I think the only fight it is missing is Wanderlei vs Ricardo
Arona. Its the only thing its missing. But if he want to fight
among the heavies, he is welcome. The guys is a showman and I
am sure he will be a great opponent. If someday I fight him,
it would be a moving fight.
He
has received the BJJ black belt recently and this fact has been
under a very controversy mood... You are a BJJ black belt. What
do you think about it?
People
from Carlinhos academy came to me and said he didn't deserve
the belt. For the Jiu-Jitsu fighter, who has been training for
10 years, is it hard for them to see that Wanderlei earned that
belt. I think he fought better than many BJJ black belts in a
MMA tournament. For his modality, his ground technique is high
as a black level. Carlinhos is very smart, Wanderlei is a icon
in Japan. This is a great thing to Jiu-Jitsu.
Do
you think you would repeat your victories from Pride at K-1,
once you have good bases at Boxe?
No,
I don't think I would be great at K-1 as I am at Pride. Those
guys have talent and they are good in what they do. I could even
fight at K-1, but to be number one is another deal.
Source: Tatame |
Quote
of the Day
"Every time you are tempted to react in the same old way,
ask if you want to be a prisoner of the past or a pioneer of
the future."
Deepak Chopra, Deepak East-Indian- American M.D., New Age Author,
Lecturer
|
Enson
Inoue Returns to MMA
MMA
Weekly’s Mick Hammond learned earlier this week that despite
slightly aggravating a previous leg injury during his January
4th appearance at NJPW’s “Wrestling World 2004”
event, Enson Inoue will be fighting this upcoming Saturday in
Guam against the man he defeated at Pride 5, Siochi Nishida.
Rules
of this “exhibition” fight will be similar to those
of Pride, except all 3 rounds will be five minutes, and if a
fighter is on his hands and knees in a downed position, no kicks/stomps
can be made to the downed fighter (although if the fighter is
on his back then kicks/stomps will be allowed).
Enson
also commented that his NJPW contract is now over and, while
he may resign with the company, he is “going to concentrate
more on MMA over the next three years before I retire for good.”
Enson also stated that a return to Pride is becoming more possible.
Enson said that while he was at Pride’s Shockwave show (Enson's
wife who is training in hopes of making the Japanese Olympic
women’s freestyle wrestling team) Dream Stage Entertainment's
President Nobuyuki Sakakibara told him, “whenever I want
to fight for Pride they will do their best to make it happen.”
Enson
also commented on Pride’s announcement that former WWE/WCW
pro wrestler Vader (real name Leon White) will be fighting at
Pride’s next Bushido show (scheduled for February 15th).
According to Enson, “I don’t know if it will be a shoot
(real fight) or not.” He continued by stating, “I feel
you should keep pro wrestling to pro wrestling and MMA to MMA,
I don’t think you should mix the two.”
Source:
MMA Weekly |
|
LOISEAU
VS HORN IN TKO?
MMAWeekly
told you about the possibility of a Jeremy Horn vs David Loiseau
fight last monty. TKO has a new press release out that says Loiseau
will be on the card for sure. Monte Cox, Horn's manager hinted
at it yesterday on MMAWeekly Radio. Here's the official press
release from TKO.
MONTREAL
(CANADA) - TKO World Middleweight champion David Loiseau will
defend his title for the second time in the main event of TKO
15: UNSTOPPABLE on Saturday, February 28th 2004 at the Pierre
Charbonneau-Center in Montreal, Canada. His opponent will be
announced shortly as TKO is still negotiating with a few contenders
at this time.
In
the co-main event of the evening, the "Lion Heart"
Steve Vigneault will try to redeem himself after losing the Canadian
LHW Championship as he defends the one belt he has left. Going
head to head with Vigneault for the Canadian MW Championship
is none other than the pride of Manitoba - hard hitting CHRIS
FONTAINE. This fight should be a war as two of the most exciting
strikers in Canada collide.
The
event will also feature the return of The Machine, Mark Hominick
as he defends his Canadian Super-Lightweight championship for
the fourth time against the experienced David Guigui. Once again,
this will be the classic fight between a striker and a grappler.
Guigui wants the belt and thinks his experience will be too much
for the young champion. Hominick knows exactly what to do against
a grappler as he already dismantled the best Canada has to offer
in Nancoo, Diaz and Claveau.
The
"Road to the Predator" will also start at TKO 15 as
Bill Mahood and Yan Pellerin start their hunt for the title.
Bill Mahood has deserved a title shot for quite a while, but
with the Champion being unable to compete for professional reasons,
"The Butcher" wanted to stay active and keep his #1
contender spot. Yan Pellerin wants two things - First he wants
the title but he also wants to redeem himself after losing to
"The Predator". If Mahood wins the fight, he will finally
get what he deserves the most: A shot at the TKO Canadian LHW
championship. If Pellerin wins, he will have the chance to do
both in one night as he will have one more chance against "The
Predator".
Complete
fight card to be announced shortly and will feature 14 professional
fights.
Source:
MMA Weekly |
SUBMISSION
WRESTLING OPEN 1 - SECOND SUPERFIGHT ANNOUNCED!
AFC
#7 and SWO #1 set to explode on February 27th and 28th in Ft.
Lauderdale, Florida!!!
'We
have a second SUPERFIGHT to announce for the Submission Wrestling
Open 1 (SWO #1)' states matchmaker AFC Miguel Iturrate. 'TRAVIS
LUTTER v DAVID TERRELL in the 77-87.99 KG is a match that brings
together 2 of the TRIALS Champions from North America (Lutter
in 2000, 2001 and Terrell in 2003), and it is a match of two
of the premiere grapplers in that weight class.'
Terrell,
a tough Cesar Gracie student who is undefeated in Grappling events
but has been concentrating on his MMA career, returns to Submission
Wrestling for one more challenge. 'We spoke to Cesar, and ho
told me that there are not a lot of people that Dave wants to
go back and grapple with again, he has moved on to MMA.' reveals
the matchmaker. 'When I told him it was Lutter in a superfight,
the tone changed! They wanted that challenge.'
Lutter
comes off a solid 2003, quietly honing his technique in Texas,
Lutter returned to win Rorion Gracie's Ultimate Submission event
in grand fashion, and he returned to MMA as well, scoring a submission
win in a match in Denmark. 'Lutter took the match almost immediately
- he always has a competitive fire burning'' states the matchmaker.
'The
only way this match wont happen is that one of these guys gets
a better offer elsewhere - like Terrell in Pancrase.' states
Iturrate. 'We want this fight to happen badly, but we will let
the guys go if they get a better opportunity. They both want
the match badly also. This way, they only have to listen to good
offers. Of course, if they dont compete in something else, or
if they compete elsewhere and are unscathed, the ADCC Superfight
will happen. This one is ready to go!'
SUPERFIGHTS:
- TRAVIS LUTTER v DAVID TERRELL (77-87.99 KG)
- JEFF MONSON v MARCIO 'PE DE PANO' CRUZ (over 99 KG)
TOURNAMENT
COMPETITIONS:
4 Man Submission Tournament - under 65.99 KG
4 Man Submission Tournament - under 66-76.99 KG
4 Man Submission Tournament - under 77-87.99 KG
8
Man Invitiational - ABSOLUTE (Open Weight)
SUBMISSION
WRESTLING SCHEDULE
In
2004, the venues for SUBMISSION WRESTLING are expanding, with
more than just the TRIALS available for competitors, as well
as a certification program for judges , the number of Submission
Wrestling competitions will be growing in the coming year throughout
the world.
'I
think it is remarkable - the competition has attracted the top
names in the Grappling World since the beginning, yet the level
has gone up every single year.' states ADCC spokesman Miguel
Iturrate.
-
January 17th, 2004: Scandinavian Open, Stockholm, Sweden
- February 28th, 2004: Submission Wrestling Open I, Ft Lauderdale,
FL
- March 13th, 2004: Australian Open, Australia
Source:
ADCC
|
ZST
GP Final - Card is This Weekend!
ZST GP Final
Date: January 11th, 2004
Place: Zepp Tokyo
The
final 8 men in Japan's ZST Grand Prix are preparing to decide
the tournament this weekend. Many of the Americans on the card
spent Tuesday and Wednesday beginning their long flights to Tokyo.
In
addition to the phenomenal GP, the ZST organization has added
a 'GENESIS' tournamnet and undercard of all Japanese fighters.
In the tournametn format, look for GENESIS to yield stars in
ZST's exciting RINGS style format.
ZST
GP Tournament:
Naoyuki Kotani (Rodeo Style) vs. Rich Clementi (Team Extreme)
Hideo Tokoro (STAND) vs. TAISHO (Team Babosa Japan)
Takumi Yano (UGOKAI) vs. Remigijus Morkevicius (RINGS Lithuania)
Masakazu Imanari (Team Roken) vs. Marcus Aurelio (ATT)
Tournament
Reserve Match
Atsuhiro Tsuboi (Alive Komak) vs. Jason Maxwell (Team Extreme)
Single
Match
Takuto Hida (Impress) vs. Alberto Crane (Santa Fe Academy)
Genesis
Tournament:
Takahiro Uchiyama vs. Toshiaki Komatsu
Kenzi Daikanyama vs. Sho Kazama
Yujiro Kushida vs. Tomoya Arakawa
Norimasa Isozaki vs. Roland Fabre
Genesis
Tournament Reserve Match:
Chikara Sato (SK Absolute) vs. Yusuke Shimizu (RIKI GYM)
Genesis
Bout Single Match
Yuta Watanabe (G-Square) vs. Yoshimichi Takino (Rodeo Style)
Source:
ADCC
|
|
MMA
Updates
Wednesday's
midweek edition of MMAWeekly Radio had "Razor" Rob
McCullough and Monte Cox as it's featured guests. McCullough
talked about how his fight game has evolved and various training
partners that have helped in his evolution. Primarily a kickboxer
entering mixed martial arts, Rob said he "had to understand
the dynamics of NHB fighting." He recognized that he may
have bit off more than he could chew when first entering MMA
and that it is more than just standing and banging with a guy.
He discussed his loss to Josh Thomson.
He
said he didn't know much about Josh going into the fight and
that basically Thomson neutralized his game. McCollough trains
with Team Oyama with training partners Tito Ortiz, Quinton "Rampage"
Jackson, Jason Miller, and Tiki Ghosn. He has been hitting the
mat every morning and working on his sprawl. He said Tiki was
doing really well and discussed Tiki's loss to Robbie Lawler
at UFC 40.
He
said Tiki was doing what he was supposed to do and then they
hit the fence. Rob feels that Tiki will be back in the UFC. Not
wanting to start rumors or anything, he said, "It is the
word around the camp fire." Tito is also doing well and
when asked how Tito's stand up is, Rob responded, "That
guy can drop some bombs." McCullough added that Tito has
a "Strong heart, is a good guy and prepared to do what he
has to do." McCullough will be fighting on January 16th
in the WEC "Cold Blooded" show along with training
partner Tiki.
Monte
Cox joined the show and went into the details about the developments
surrounding Rich Franklin. Franklin has a contract with Inoki
and K-1 as they have the same financial backer. His contract
does not prevent him from fighting in the UFC.
Rich
was considered to be on the UFC 46 card but there wasn't any
slots available so he had to look elsewhere for a fight. Cox
gave a play by play version of Rich's loss to Ryoto Machida at
the New Years Eve Inoki show. Franklin was caught by a left hand
early in the fight and dropped by another left late in round
one. Between rounds, in the corner, Rich said he didn't remember
much of the last three minutes. He was hit by another left in
round two that knocked him down and that was it, according to
Cox. Monte said, "Rich didn't seem like himself." It
was the first time Rich and been to Japan and fought in front
of 30,000 people.
Cox
wasn't making excuses for Franklin, he simply put it, "He
didn't have a good fight." Monte is staying busy and gave
updates on some upcoming events and several of his fighters.
On the 16th, he is putting on an event in Cincinnati, Ohio, the
"Ice Show", where Jeremy Horn will be fighting. February
21st, Jeff Curran will be fighting for the first time since his
broken arm in Chicago. The week after UFC 46 is SuperBrawl with
Dave Menne and Niko Vitale fighting.
Cox
is working with TKO for possible fights between Jeremy Horn and
David Loiseau as well as Jason Black against Georges St.Pierre.
Jens Pulver is fighting in an upcoming Muay Thai bout against
Justin Yagin. Rich Franklin will most likely be fighting for
Inoki in March. Also in March, Pride is looking to come to Vegas
and is interested in Jeremy Horn. March 26th, Monte is doing
a show in Minneapolis featuring a four man tourney at 155 and
170lbs. with Menne and Sean Sherk on the card.
Source:
MMA Weekly |
Quote
of the Day
"Friends are those rare people who ask how we are and then
wait to hear the answer."
Ed Cunningham |
Punishment
In Paradise II
Looking
for fighters those interested in competing in MMA,Kickboxing
and Muay Thai should email me at second2none@hawaii.rr.com. W are also looking
for a pro 170lbs fighter. This show will be hosted late Febuary.
Source:
Event Promoter
|
Department
of Corrections: Updated WEC Card!
by: Keith Mills
Lemoore,
CA - The latest changes to the upcoming January 16th WEC card
are in. Rob “The Razor” McCullough’s opponent
is Harris Sarmiento from 808 Fight Factory, Poppies Martinez
is now fighting Eric Ramirez, and Kerri Crothers is now fighting
Adrienna Jenkins. Yves Edwards’ opponent has also been changed
to be Deshaun Johnson.
There
are also rumors from the midwest that Chris Lytle, who is coming
off a 47 second, 'message sending' demolition of Pete Spratt,
is off the show to heal some small 'nicks'.
Look
for more changes and updates as they come in!
Card
Subject To Change:
- Anthony Arria vs Gilbert Magana
- Alex Stiebling vs TBA
- George Evangelista vs Rocky Long
- Rob McCollough vs Harris
Sarmiento
- Pedro Tome vs Anthony Gonzales
- Richard Montoya vs Joe Salcido
- Eric Ramirez vs Poppies Martinez
- Lavar Johnson vs Doug Marshal
- John Appleby vs Jack Cardenas
- J.T. Taylor vs Chris Lytle
- Eric Eide vs Abram “Irish Abe” Baxter
- Tiki Ghosen vs Nick Gilardi
- Deshaun
Johnson
vs Yves Edwards
- Albert Rios vs Olaf Alfonzo
- Kerri Crothers vs. Adrienna
Jenkins
- Shonie Carter vs. Gabe Garcia
- Chris Leben vs. Mike Swick
- Mike Kyle vs Joe Pardoe
Source:
ADCC
|
K-1´n
Yakuza in Brazilian soap opera
One of the most important fight shows in the world will take
part of a Brazilian soap opera. The K-1 will be at Metamorfose,
a Record TV production. Written by Mário Prata and directed
by the awarded Tizuka Yamasaki, the story will show the Brazilian
fighters reality doing their ways to take place in the Japanese
rings. It'll also talk about the possible relationship between
the Japanese mafia (Yakuza) and the K-1.
Looking
for a real story, the soap opera producers contracted the K-1
MMA director Sergio Batarelli as a consultant. 'I told them I´would
just accept if they showed the fighting world as it is. They
guaranteed that will be done and I'm in. It'll be a great opportunity
to spread even more the Martial Arts in Brazil', states Batarelli,
that also may appear in the plot as a trainer.
Source: Tatame
|
Rizzo:
"RVT will only end when I die"
Pedro Rizzo says he is fine about Gustavo Ximú's leaving
from Ruas Vale Tudo Team. "Our team is strong and training
hard. About Ximú I have to say that who is my friend is
with me now. Who sells himself is not longer by my side,"
revealed Rizzo. After Ximú, Alexandre Baixinho and Aloisio
Barros on last Tuesday (6), now five athletes switched Ruas Vale-Tudo
by Gracie Barra Combat Team. Wrestlers Alexandre Cacareco and
Renato Babalú were the first ones to switch. Rizzo explains
why:
"They
left motivated by money issues. I don't blame only Unamar. None
of them can complain about me. I've never got any penny of their
prizes," commented Rizzo that also answered back the rumors
that points that Ruas Vale-Tudo would be close to an end. "Ruas
Vale-Tudo only gonna have an end when I die or cannot step inside
the ring anymore. I own everything I am to Marco Ruas. He gave
me my career", stated Rizzo.
Source:
Tatame
|
Britney
Spears Ex-Hubby a Fighter
Much
has been reported about Britney Spears and her brief marriage
to friend Jason Allen Alexander. What has not been discussed,
until now, are his pugilistic interests. Entertainment Tonight
is reporting that Alexander took part in an "ultimate fighting
challenge" in Louisiana called "Whoop Ass Wednesdays."
ET has a clip from his fight on their website (http://et.tv.yahoo.com/music/2004/01/07/britsexfightclub/).
Although Alexander and his opponent wear MMA gloves and the referee
is wearing a Full Contact Fighter hat, the rules appear to be
more like a boxing match as the pair is broken up and the fight
stopped as Alexander beats on his hapless opponent -- after the
fight, Alexander says they claimed he "cheated," ...
that he hit the guy on the ground.
ET
also reports that they will "bring you insde the ring of
Jason's real life fight club!" on tonight's edition of their
television show. Check your local listings for time & channel
(in the New York City area, that's 7:30pm on CBS channel 2).
Source: FCF |
Interview
with Reed Harris, VP of WEC
They went from nobody knowing about their organization, to an
organization everybody wants to fight for. World Extreme Cagefighting,
the WEC, is one of the more reputable MMA companies in the United
States. WEC Vice President, Reed Harris talked to MMAWeekly about
their future, their upcoming show, and what's next for WEC in
our Interview of the Week.
MMAWeekly:
You guys have your next show coming up on January 16th called
"Cold Blooded." You have a ton of big names, Yves Edward's,
Shone Carter, Chris Lyle, Alex Stebling, etc....this is your
biggest show to date, are you guys trying to step up the level
of competition on your show?
Reed:
Ryan, thanks....Of course we are always trying to top our last
show. And as you know, we've had some really exciting events.
Like I've stated before, we really feel an obligation to both
The Palace and the fans to give them the absolute best entertainment
value for their money. When a fan buys a seat to our show, they
know they are in for a full night of non stop MMA fighting. So
much of it is due to my partner Scott Adams and his relationships
with all the different fight teams out there. Plus he knows which
fighters compliment each other and always provides the show with
exciting match ups. That's really the key to our success.
MMAWeekly:
How many shows have you guys done and how can fans see your DVD's
Reed:
This is our ninth show. Scott and I were talking the other day
and we are both satisfied with where the company is right now.
DVD's are just becoming available as we have worked out the editing
and production issues. We are just wrapping up WEC 8 and it will
be available in the coming weeks. Sales of WEC 7 have been good.
Fans should check on MMAWEEKLY.com's online store for information
as to availability.
MMAWeekly:
Can you comment about this upcoming show regarding TV? I was
checking out your website and there are some rumors that fans
might be able to watch this show at the end of the month?
Reed:
Ryan, I'm happy to say the rumors are true! We have signed a
deal with HDNET, which is the television station started by Mark
Cuban and Philip Garvin. Cuban is the owner of the Dallas Mavericks
NBA franchise and I've heard a fan of the sport. What's unique
about this deal is that the show will be filmed in true high
definition. If you haven't seen HDNET, it is so much better then
conventional television. I have a high def system at my house
and literally started calling them after watching soccer one
day. In fact, I started watching soccer just because the picture
was so clear. no offense to all the soccer fans out there, but
I had just never been that interested. I have also began watching
the NHL on HDNET. Its like your there. I am very excited about
this arrangement, I believe we will reach a lot of fans across
the county that have never seen MMA before. Believe me, we plan
on putting our best foot forward.
MMAWeekly:
How many shows can we expect for 2004 in the WEC? Will you stay
in California for those shows?
Reed:
Right now we have four shows scheduled. We actually have been
offered to do a couple of more, but Scott and I want to make
sure that the quality of each show improves. I also have to mention
that the venue we're in, The Palace Indian Gaming Center in Lemoore
(just outside Fresno), is the world's best venue for doing shows
like ours. The staff is absolutely the best in the nation, they
love the sport, follow the sport and the fighters, and support
us in every way possible. Plus, we have a huge fan base in Fresno
and sell out every event. This show will be inside due to the
weather, so we'll only be able to put about 2000 in the seats.
Our next three will be in their outdoor arena and we have upwards
of 5000 seats. At our last outdoor event, they literally sold
standing room only wrist bands. That's how popular it is!
MMAWeekly:
We get fans back east that would like to see you again, was the
experience back east one of those things that would keep you
from returning? For the fans that don't know about the problems
you had to go through can you comment about the show at the Mohegan
Sun?
Reed:
Actually, at this time it's probably best that I not comment
on the Mohegan Sun situation. We do hope to have a resolution
soon and would love to get back east and do another show. Ryan,
you were there and I think you'd agree that the show itself was
very well done from both the production and fights standpoint.
I mean, everyone was there, Tito, Chuck, Pat, Matt, Frank...
they all came to support us and we appreciate it so much......it
was like an MMA reunion.
MMAWeekly:
Definitely, the Mohegan Sun show was really well done. The hot
topic in the past month has been promoters that have not be paying
fighters. You guys have a good rep as far as treating fighters
professionally, what is your take on the Chad Mason's, Edward
Kim's, and the other guys who haven't taken care of fighters
by either not paying them or canceling events days before a show
because they won't make a profit?
Reed:
First of all, Scott and I have always felt that the fighters
get paid before we do. And we have never done an event (Mohegan
Sun excluded) where we lost money. In fact, even though we lost
money at the Mohegan Sun, and a lot might I add, everyone who
participated in the event was paid (except us). When we approach
a show, we make sure we have enough in reserves to cover the
event even if we don't sell a single ticket. I don't believe
the promoters you mention were out to screw anybody, it was just
poor planning. As far as canceling an event, again, poor planning.
But, if you know you are about to lose a bunch of money, you
almost can't blame them. All I can say is that anyone who is
thinking about doing a promotion such as this should approach
it very carefully. It can be a very very expensive hobby if you
don't plan properly.
MMAWeekly:
Which is more important, signing big name fighters that the Internet
fans want to see, or just putting on exciting fights with "B"
or "C" level fighters who are prone to laying it all
on the line and entertaining the fans?
Reed:
I've got to tell you that some of the most exciting fights ever
at our shows were guys that just got in there and laid it all
on the line because their girlfriend or dad was out in the audience.
As strange as that may sound, it's true. With that said, you
always need the headliners as they will always produce. Guys
like Gan McGee, Shone Carter, Jeremy Horn, Gil Castillo always
come to fight. And you know when you book them that if their
healthy, their going to show up and suit up. But, you can make
headliners out of the guys in the area. We have a guy fighting
on January 16th named Olaf. Here's a guy that had his nose broken
at WEC 7 and all it did was piss him off. The crowd went crazy
when he got hit, nose started pouring blood, he looks at his
opponent like he just stole his girlfriend and just starts beating
on him. He's been to every event since. The thing about putting
local fighters on the card is that they sell tickets. The upcoming
show has a very talented fighter form Visalia, Doug "The
Rhino" Marshal. He very well known in the area and brings
a lot of fans with him. I guess Scott's goal is to have a good
mix of fighters at every event.
MMAWeekly:
With that said, what are your thoughts about MMA in the United
States? The UFC has been working hard to get the mainstream media
as well as the sports fans involved... what are your thoughts
about the UFC?
Reed:
I'll tell you what, because of people like Dana White and the
UFC group, our sport has probably done in three years what it's
taken others decades to achieve. I truly believe that our success
lies in the mainstream versus the hard core fan. If anyone has
ever been to a UFC show, they are very very exciting. It seems
that all they have to do is get a fan to attend a show and their
hooked. Let me give you an example. At the last Vegas show, I
invited Jerry Tarkanian, the legendary basketball coach to the
Manadaly Bay for the Randy/Tito fight. Jerry has been involved
in sports all his life but had never seen MMA fighting. The first
couple of minutes were spent explaining the moves, take downs,
submissions etc. About half way through the show he looked at
me and said "this is unbelievable". He called me about
a week later and thanked me again and said that if I ever had
tickets again, to please call him I also have to say that I always
have to smile when I read all the criticism on the underground
etc about how the UFC should operate, it's shows etc. I think
what most people need to realize is that this sport was on the
verge of just about dying until they took it over... they have
done a great job and my hat's off to them.
MMAWeekly:
What is your background in MMA? Do you train?
Reed:
I'll tell you the story. I had taught Tae Kwon Do for many years,
did tournaments, that kind of thing. I was a second degree in
Tae Kwon Do, had done all my requirements for my third degree
black belt but began traveling away from home for my real estate
business. I looked in the phone book for a place to train while
on the coast and ended up calling SLO Kickboxing. After going
to the classes for a year or so, I became friends with Scott
and he told me he would get me a couple of private lessons so
I could learn a little ground fighting. I came in that day and
he introduced me to Cruz Gomez, a 145 pound fighter. Now, I'm
about 5'11, 185, was always a decent wrestler and looked at Cruz
and thought, "I'm gonna kill this guy." I think it
took him about 10 seconds to put me in an arm bar... I thought,
OK, you just got lucky, and I think it was about another 15 seconds
before he had me tapping again. I'll never forget thinking...
"I gotta learn this shit"... so I've been training
every week for over three years now and can actually hold my
own with most guys in the gym. I did get a chance to wrestle
Chuck [Liddell] last weekend. I grabbed his leg, took him down
(he's smiling the whole time by the way which is a little discouraging),
I'm on top, the next thing I know he's on top, knee in the chest,
with his right cocked way back like I am going to eat a big one...
I thought, if this was real, I am in big trouble. But the point
is that at 47, I really feel so lucky to be allowed to work with
these guys at the gym. It energizes me every time I do it. I
do have to mention that I have been married for over 20 years,
and my wife Laura does look at me when I come home limping sometimes
and wonder what the heck I'm doing.
MMAWeekly:
Your partner, Scott Adams, has fought in the UFC and helps Chuck
Liddell and Gan McGee get ready for their fights. Are Scott's
fighting days over?
Reed:
If you ask me, I say no. He'll be back. If you ever want to wrestle
a guy that keeps you totally defensive, wrestle Scott. He is
that good. I think he's really focusing on the WEC but will get
back into fighting when the time is right.
MMAWeekly:
Reed, I appreciate the time and once again for the fans, if you
don't have your tickets for January 16th, that's in a few days
and it may be too late.
Reed:
Thanks for the time and for the fans who haven't seen it, you're
right - get your tickets today. It's just 3 1/2 hours from L.A
and 3 1/2 hours from San Francisco. Great location to watch great
fights!
Source: MMA Weekly |
Quote
of the Day
"When I was a boy of fourteen, my father was so ignorant
I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got
to be twenty-one, I was astonished at how much the old man had
learned in seven years."
Mark Twain, 1835-1910, American Humorist, Writer |
Mirko
A Free Agent? Report From Japan...
by: Puroresu Power
NOTE: The source of this data is http://www.puroresupower.com/ a phenomenal site
featuring Zach Arnold, with an intense focus on the Japanese
MMA and pro wrestling scene.
Tokyo,
Japan - Sankei Sports reported on Wednesday that Mirko 'Cro Cop'
Filipovic is a free agent and can fight in any promotion he wants
to. The two big targets for Filipovic in '04 appear to be Mike
Tyson and Bob Sapp. An official split has occurred between Filipovic
and power agent Miro Mijatovic of IbizCube Japan. In a letter
sent on 1/1/04, Filipovic told Mijatovic of his intentions to
split because of 'conflicts of interest.' Furthermore, the letter
states that Mirko is looking forward to fighting Emelianenko
Fedor with Miro in Fedor's corner. In response, Miro Mijatovic
told the press that he was perplexed by Filipovic's response,
and that he would continue representing Fedor for PRIDE's Heavyweight
GP tournament starting in April...
Source: ADCC
CRO COP
A FREE AGENT
Sankei Sports and Puroresu Power reported on Wednesday that Mirko
"Cro Cop" Filipovic is a free agent and can fight in
any promotion he wants to.
The
two big targets for Filipovic in '04 appear to be Mike Tyson
and Bob Sapp. An official split has occurred between Filipovic
and power agent Miro Mijatovic of IbizCube Japan. In a letter
sent on 1/1/04, Filipovic told Mijatovic of his intentions of
split because of "conflicts of interest."
Furthermore,
the letter states that Mirko is looking forward to fighting Emelianenko
Fedor with Miro in Fedor's corner. In response, Miro Mijatovic
told the press that he was perplexed by Filipovic's response,
and that he would continue representing Fedor for PRIDE's Heavyweight
GP tournament starting in April.
Source:
MMA Weekly |
Gustavo
'Ximu' leaves Ruas Vale-Tudo!
by: Luca Atalla
Gustavo
Machado 'Ximu', an MMA and RINGS Japan veteran and long time
member of Ruas vale Tudo left the RVT team on Tuesday. 'Ximu'
led a migration that included around ten other team maters, including
Alexandre “Baixinho” and his brother Aloisio “Dado”
Barros. 'Ximu' trained for the first time today as a member of
the Gracie Barra Combat Team, following the steps of another
former fighter from RVT, Renato Sobral “Babalu”, who
had moved to GBCT a couple of months ago.
Ruas
Vale-Tudo's decimated ranks now consist basically of former UFC
champ Marco Ruas, the wrestler Antoine Jaoude, his coach Roberto
Leitao and Pedro Rizzo, who had completed his last fight on the
UFC's contract and is now reviewing offers from Japan.
Source: ADCC |
Vitor
Belfort at Master Jiu Jitsu -
Preparing for Couture
by: Master JJ
VITOR
BELFORT is getting ready for his upcoming fight against RANDY
COUTURE on the next UFC January 31st. Vitor has been with one
of the best BJJ teams in the world, honing his ground game! MASTER
TEAM, home of Multiple time BJJ and ADCC World Champion Leo Veiera
is glad to help Belfort! Check out a few pictures at:
www.masterjiujitsu.blogger.com.br
Source: ADCC |
SHAMROCK
SAYS THERE'S STILL HOPE FOR SHOOTBOX
This past weekend, MMAWeekly's Ken Pishna was able to talk with
Frank Shamrock. Yesterday, we told you about Frank's plans to
return to fighting and a possible deal with Pride. Today, we
continue with Frank as he tells us just what the story is with
his Shootbox promotion, which hasn't been heard from since their
first show in Florida last August, and he pulls no punches about
his failed attempt at a fight with Caesar Gracie.
First
of all, when asked just what is up with Shootbox, Frank said,
"Unfortunately, Shootbox is tied up in litigation right
now. Our financiers did not fund as they promised and, though
we had network and pay-per-view interest, we can't continue with
it until we finish the litigation."
Things
are looking up though. He went on to say that, "...the way
litigation is going, I'll own 100% of Shootbox once again and,
hopefully, we'll run another show in February or March."
Pishna
asked if the financiers failing to fulfill their commitment was
why the Shootbox show planned for Las Vegas fell apart. Frank's
answer was rather biting, saying, "That and, you know, Caesar
Gracie turned out to be full of shit. He was never going to fight
me. He was just talking bullshit. It turns out, he was just talking
himself up, trying to build up his school."
Here's
to hoping that someone can make that fight happen. There's definitely
enough hype around it with the real world animosity between the
two to create a lot of interest.
CESAR GRACIE
SOUNDS OFF ON FRANK SHAMROCK
Caesar Gracie was on MMAWeekly Radio yesterday as he responded
to comments made by Frank Shamrock to MMAWeekly's own Ken Pishna
over the weekend.
Frank's
comments were, "You know, Caesar Gracie turned out to be
full of shit. He was never going to fight me. He was just talking
bullshit. It turns out, he was just talking himself up, trying
to build up his school."
Caesar
responded by saying that it is "kinda amusing." Gracie
was training hard for this fight and looking forward to fighting
Frank but it didn't happen. He said, Frank is blaming him for
his "Shootbox" promotion falling through and added,
"Everyone knows what happened." Gracie claimed that
Shamrock made him "jump through hoops" and it wasn't
his fault that the show didn't happen.
The
two were also suppose to fight in the WEC but according to Gracie,
on the day of signing Frank didn't come through. Caesar discussed
his excitement about a few of his fighters out of his Caesar
Gracie Jui-Jitsu Camp.
David
Terrell is coming off a knockout victory over Yuki Sasaki in
Pancrase and Gracie considers him one of the top guys in the
country. Gracie is trying to get Terrell on with the UFC in the
185lb. division.
He
said that Gil Castillo is not done fighting and is possibly fighting
as soon as February in Florida on a card that will also feature
David Terrell verses Travis Lutter. Gracie discussed the Nick
Diaz and Robbie Lawler fight set for UFC 47. Caesar said Diaz
has so many weapons to choose from and although known for his
submissions, is a very well rounded fighter.
Also
on yesterday's radio show was Turi Altavilla, Vice President
of Productions for PrideFC, joined the show and talked about
the great year the organization had in 2003. He said, "it
was just fun to be apart of it." Turi pointed out that Wanderlei
Silva answered a lot of critics in 2003. He said that Quinton
"Rampage" Jackson is really looking forward to this
year. Rampage wants another shot at Silva under different circumstances.
Altavilla discussed the differences between the Japan and U.S.
MMA scenes. He stated, "Japan is just a totally different
environment," not just in the arena but out on the street.
Turi said, PrideFC is definitely coming to the U.S. but couldn't
speak about it at this time. They are working hard to get caught
up on getting the DVDs out to the fans. Altavilla thanked MMAWeekly
for the recognition and being voted as Organization of the Year
in 2003.
Source: MMA Weekly |
TYSON
VS SAPP IN MAY
Sanspo daily news confirmed that Mike Tyson vs. Bob Sapp will
happen in May. The three areas being floated for the fight are
New York, Los Angeles, Hawaii, and Las Vegas.
Given
the heavy Japanese involvement, Hawaii clearly is the top place
to run the fight, then Las Vegas, with New York a distant third.
Also, a Sapp/Akebono re-match is expected and K-1 is trying to
get Akebono vs. George Foreman in an undercard fight for the
Tyson/Sapp bout.
Source: MMA Weekly |
FEATURE
ON NEWTON ON CANADIAN TV
Carlos Newton takes on Renato "Charuto" Verissimo,
who is fighting out of Hawaii in the next UFC.
This was emailed to us at MMAWeekly.com from viewers in Canada....
World-wide
fame, local anonymity for fighter
CTV.ca
News Staff
Carlos
Newton is a legendary figure in his sport, but he's practically
unknown outside of it.
One
thing keeping the 27-year-old from being a name-brand athletic
personality is the nature of his sport: he's an world champion
ultimate fighter.
Ultimate
fighting is a brutal sport, populated by martial arts experts,
where almost nothing is outside the rules.
It's
watched by millions world-wide, but has been banned in many parts
of Canada.
Newton
won't talk about his earnings except to laugh and say, "I
do good, I'm doing fine." He is estimated to make in the
hundreds of thousands of dollars annually.
He
lives in Newmarket, Ont., a community north of Toronto.
It
takes two opponents per day to keep up with the welterweight.
"I
just really enjoy it," he said, punching and kicking at
a training bag. "I find fighting itself is an important
aspect of our nature."
He
first started learning karate from his stepfather at the age
of four and went on from there to master other martial arts forms.
But
his current trainer Terry Riggs said what makes Newton so popular
in the Far East is that "he's a very soft guy. They kind
of look at him like he could be anybody's neighbor next door."
Because
of the underground nature of ultimate fighting in Canada, most
people here have no idea who he is.
Newton
said Canadian society has to grow a bit more before it can understand
the role of combat sports, their interplay with sportsmanship
and to think a bit more about what violence is.
In
Newton's opinion, ultimate fighting is less violent than rugby
or football because the battles are more about technique than
brute strength.
Outside
the ring, Newton is indeed mild-mannered. He counts sewing, cooking
and car racing among his interests.
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