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November
Pride
Bushido 5
(MMA)
(Yokohama Arena, Japan)
September
Ring
of Honor 6
( Kickboxing/MMA)
(Kauai)
Tentative
9/25/04
NAGA Hawaii State Grappling Championships
(BJJ & Sub Grappling)
(Tentative)
9/11/04
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(Aloha Stadium)
August
Ring of Honor 6
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Tentative
8/28/04
Hawaiian Grappling Challenge
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8/15/04
Pride
Final Conflict
(MMA)
(Saitama Super Arena, Japan)
July
Bushido 4
(MMA)
(Nagoya Rainbow Hall, Japan)
7/26/04
False Crack Mondays
(MMA, Kickboxing, Toughman)
(Volcanoes Night Club)
7/24/04
Submission Wrestling Tpurnament
(Sub Grappling)
(Kahului, Maui, Hawaii)
July 9-12
BJJ
World Cup (CBJJO)
(BJJ)
(SESC gym, Salvador, Brazil)
7/9/04
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(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena)
6/26/04
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(Kickboxing)
(Palama Settlement)
6/21/04
False Crack Mondays
(MMA, Kickboxing, Toughman)
(Volcanoes Night Club)
6/20/04
Pride Critical
Countdown 2004
(MMA)
(Saitama Super Arena, Japan)
6/19/04
UFC
48: Payback
(MMA)
6/18/04
Super
Brawl 36
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena)
|
|
June 2004 News Part
2
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Quote
of the Day
"It is not the mountain we conquer, but ourselves."
Edmund Hillary, 1919-, New Zealand Mountaineer
|
UFC
48 Results
UFC 48: Payback
Saturday, June 19th, 2004
Mandalay Bay Events Center
Las Vegas, Nevada
COMPLETE
RESULTS:
Georges
St. Pierre over Jay Hieron
TKO at 1:45 in Round 1
Trevor Prangley over Curtis Stout
Submission via neck crank at 1:09 in Round 2
Matt Serra over Ivan Menjivar
Decision after in Round 3
Evan Tanner over Phil Baroni
Decision after in Round 3
Matt Hughes over Renato
Verissimo
Decision after in Round 3
Frank Mir over Tim Sylvia
TKO via referee stoppage due to broken arm from arm bar at :50
in Round 1
Frank Trigg over Dennis Hallman
TKO via referee stoppage due to strikes at 4:15 in Round 1
Ken Shamrock over Kimo Leopaldo
TKO via referee stoppage due to strikes at 1:26 minutes in Round
1
|
Pride
Results
Pride Final Conflict
Saitama Super Arena in Japan
June 20, 2004
Kazushi
Sakuraba def. Nino Schembri
Judges' decision
Quinton Jackson def. Ricardo Arona
TKO via via referee stoppage due to strikes in Round 1
Sergei Kharitonov def. Semmy Schilt
TKO via referee stoppage due to strikes from the mount in Round
1
Naoya Ogawa def. Paulo Cesar "Giant" Silva
TKO via referee stoppage due to strikes from the mount in Round
1
Hidehiko Yoshida def. Mark Hunt
Submission via armlock in first round.
Antonio Rodrigo Minotauro Nogueira def. Heath Herring
Submission via arm's triangle choke
Fedor Emelinanenko def Kevin Randleman
Submission via Kimura in round 1.
Fedor overcomes Randleman
at Pride
The rematch between Rodrigo Minotauro and Fedor Emelinanenko
may by getting closer. Ending the Pride GP Heavyweight, at Saitama
Super Arena in Japan, Fedor overcame Kevin Randleman. The American
started better and took the Heavyweight champion to the ground,
while hitting him. Fedor was confident. He swept and reversed
the situation. He got few good punches and ended to submit Randleman
via Kimura. Now we do have the name of four finalists of pride
GP Final Conflic, which happens on August 20th: Sergei Kharitonov,
Naoya Ogawa, Rodrigo Minotauro and Fedor Emelianenko.
R. Minotauro rules
Heath at Pride GP
Rodrigo Minotauro one more time proved his Boxing training has
been making the difference at this Pride GP, which is happening
now at Saitama Super Arena, in Japan. Showing a sharpening Boxing,
Brazilian gave a hard time to Heath Herring on the standing game.
This fact open the way for Minotauro complete the second task:
on the ground. Brazilian Top Team attacked the arm, tried the
triangle choke, and Herring was brave and swept Minotauro in
the first round. However, in beginning of second one, Minotauro
used his secret weapon. The same move used against Hiro Yokoi
was enough to beat Herring: arm's triangle choke. Rodrigo Minotauro
was the third name to qualify to Pride GP Final Conflict, which
happens on August 20th. During the super-fight between Hidehiko
Yoshida and K1 star Mark Hunt, Japanese submitted Hunt via armlock
in first round. It was Hunt's debut night at Pride.
Ogawa & Kharitonov
in the final of GP
Sergei Kharitonov was the first name among the Heavyweights to
guarantee his presence at the final of Pride GP, which is going
on now at Saitama Super Arena. Kharitonov has just defeated Semmy
Schilt in round 1. Both fighters exchanged lot of punches and
Schilt was the first one to take the fight to the ground, when
attempted a choke. Kharitonov escaped and got the mount, when
punished the opponent. Schilt swept and both returned on the
feet. So Kharitonov took Schilt down and reached once again the
mount. Then Russian fighter punished Schilt until the referee's
stoppage.
Over the second GP's bout, Brazilian one more time saw his plans
ruined. At this time, Giant Silva didn't resist to Japanese Naoya
Ogawa's attacks and was disqualified of the GP. Ogawa knocked
Silva down and gave him a hard time on the ground. From the side,
Ogawa tried the submission, Giant got his arm free and escaped.
The Japanese was superior and kept the fight on the ground, reached
the mount and abused of ground'n pound. The referee once again
had to interrupt the combat.
Nino & Ricardo
Arona lose at Pride GP
The Pride GP's night, held at Saitama Super Arena, in Japan,
started bitter for Brazilians Nino Schembri and Ricardo Arona.
Nino Schembri was the first one to step inside the ring, against
Japanese Kazushi Sakuraba, who is retiring from Vale-Tudo. Sakuraba
did it nice. He defeated the Chute Boxer by referee's decision.
Besides the result, Nino showed he improved his game on the feet
and exchanged lots of punches with Sakuraba, even he always had
tried to take the fight to the ground.
On the other super-fight of the night, the one who will decide
Wanderlei Silva's opponent at Pride, American Quinton Jackson
got the blast and overcame Brazilian Top Team's representative,
Ricardo Arona. Arona did start okay, with good low kicks and
truing to take Jackson to the ground and submit. Jackson showed
signs he would give up in the first round. But during a triangle
choke attempt, Jackson raised Arona and threw him against the
canvas. Arona got a little dizzy and allowed Jackson to punch
him on the ground. The referee had to interrupt the fight and
declare Jackson the winner.
Source: Tatame |
"Ken
Shamrock will face Tito Ortiz next."
ATKINS INSIDER: UFC UPDATE
BY TODD ATKINS
Word
is now out from several sources that Ken Shamrock will face Tito
Ortiz next. I broke this story a few weeks ago in a previous
Atkins Insider column and now the wheels are in motion for the
second installment of this fight to take place.
Dana
White and Lorenzo Fertita continued to make future plans based
on what they thought would happen. Dennis Hallman had already
been approached about fighting Matt Hughes next, but with him
losing to Trigg that fight has obviously been scratched.
Matt
Lindland is signed to a ONE FIGHT deal (they think he will lose
to Dave Terrell).
This
is what Dana White was banking on for UFC 48.
Hughes
to beat Charuto (Hughes won)
Hallman
to beat Trigg (Trigg won)
Baroni
to beat Tanner (Tanner won again)
Phil
Baroni really suffered a major loss in this one because there
was a new long term contract waiting for him had he won.
Ken
to beat Kimo (Ken won)
ZUFFA
is very happy that Ken won because they are hoping for another
huge live gate, and PPV buys for the rematch of Ken Shamrock
vs. Tito Ortiz.
Dana
and Lorenzo also felt very strongly that Frank Mir would beat
Tim Sylvia by submission. Ricco Rodriguez is going to get a tune-up
fight probably in UFC 50, and then he will get a title shot if
he wins.
Source: Fight Sport |
Monday
Night Fights
Weigh-Ins Announcement
Sunday June 20.2004 at 808 Fight Factory, the weigh-ins will
start exactly at 11am and will end at 12pm if fighters are not
there they will have to weigh-in Monday. So please be prompt..
For directions please call me at 808-330-4483. This will also
be the last day for pre-sale.
**SIDE NOTE**
To all you fathers I apologize but we have to weigh in your Students
or Son's for the fight on Monday on a very special day to honor
you. We apologize for the inconveince.
Source: Event Promoter |
Pride
Critical Countdown 2004 Fight Card
From Dream Stage Entertainment
LOS
ANGELES, California – The bout order has been announced
for CRITICAL COUNTDOWN 2004, which will take place on June 20
th , 2004 from the Saitama Super Arena in Japan and is scheduled
to debut on North American pay per view on same day delay.
The
bout order is as follows (from first to last):
Fight
Card
Kazushi Sakuraba vs. Nino “Elvis” Schembri
Quinton Jackson vs. Ricardo Arona *
Semmy Schilt vs. Sergei Kharitonov **
Paulo Cesar “Giant” Silva vs. Naoya Ogawa **
Hidehiko Yoshida vs. Mark Hunt
Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs. Heath Herring **
Fedor Emelianenko vs. Kevin Randleman **
* This bout is for the rank of #1 middleweight; the winner will
be positioned for a title shot in October 2004
** Tournament bout
Fight Card Subject to Change
The
schedule for the tournament is as follows:
PRIDE
FC 16-Man Heavyweight Tournament
CRITICAL
COUNTDOWN 2004
June 20, 2004
Saitama Super Arena
(Second Round)
FINAL
CONFLICT 2004
August 15, 2004
Saitama Super Arena
(Semi-Finals and Finals)
Source: Pride |
FEDOR
READY FOR RANDLEMAN
Pride Critical Countdown Profile: Fedor Emelianenko
If
there is one name that embodies dominance more than Fedor Emelianenko
then few have ever heard it. Because as things stand in this
modern era of MMA, the PRIDE Heavyweight Champion Fedor is, without
a doubt, the most dominant force in his weight class in the world.
He is the consensus number one ranked heavyweight in the world
on most MMA polls and many have him as the odds on favorite to
win this year’s Open Weight Grand Prix.
With
the successful run of Middleweight Champion Wanderlei Silva in
last year’s Middleweight Grand Prix, it is easy to understand
why Fedor would choose to enter this tournament when he has nothing
to prove to anyone other than to solidify his dominance of the
heavyweight division. Standing 6’ tall, weighing in at 233
pounds and having an impressive 16-1 record, it’s undeniable
that he has the talent to run the gauntlet.
Fedor,
a product of the famed Red Devil Sportsclub in Russia, burst
onto the scene fighting for the RINGS organization in their international
competitions. After dispatching his first three opponents (including
current PRIDE Middleweight contender Ricardo Arona), Fedor ran
into MMA veteran Tsuyoshi Kosaka in the annual RINGS King of
Kings tournament and was stopped due to a cut early in the fight.
Since
that minor setback, Fedor has not looked back on his current
quest of dominance. After finishing out the year 2001 going undefeated
in all six of his fights, Fedor was invited to PRIDE to prove
himself against his toughest competition yet.
First
up was veteran Pancrase and PRIDE monolith Semmy Schilt at PRIDE
21. After three full rounds of dominating on the ground, Fedor
was awarded a unanimous decision victory. Next up was another
Golden Glory member, Heath Herring, and just as in his fight
against Schilt, it was all Fedor. Dominating top position as
always, he opened up a series of gashes on the “Texas Crazy
Horse” and, after the first round, it was determined that,
due to the cuts on Herring’s face, he could no longer continue.
Fedor was now standing tall with an 11-1 record.
Then
came the news that everyone had begun to buzz about, Fedor would
face Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira for the PRIDE Heavyweight Championship.
It seemed inevitable since Fedor came to PRIDE that the two should
meet. Nogueira had dominated the heavyweight division recently
and it was Fedor who was the rising star.
In
classic Fedor fashion, he dominated the entire fight. Try as
he would, Nogueira could not escape the Russian monster’s
grasp, let alone breathe without getting a mouthful of the powerful
Fedor’s fists. After all was said and done PRIDE had crowned
a new Heavyweight Champion.
Fedor
didn’t stop there, after returning to RINGS for one more
fight, the champion returned victorious as he dismantled Kazuyuki
Fujita and Gary Goodridge at PRIDE 26 and Total Elimination 2003.
Then a series of events lead to Fedor not appearing in a PRIDE
ring until the upcoming Grand Prix.
It
had appeared as if Fedor would be on a collision course with
rising star Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic, but a finger
injury kept Fedor from defending his title at PRIDE’s Final
Conflict 2003 show. In his place, the man whom he had defeated
for the title, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira was penciled in to face
Filipovic for the interim Heavyweight Championship. After pulling
off what most consider an upset, Nogueira submitted Mirko and
set up what many thought would be a unification rematch with
Fedor in 2004. But then management issues created havoc preventing
Fedor from returning to PRIDE to defend his title.
It
seemed that after having switched management teams, Fedor claimed
his PRIDE contract was with his former management group rather
than with him. This caused all sorts of problems logistically
with PRIDE and got worse when it was announced that Fedor would
be competing for Antonio Inoki at the annual Bom-Ba-Ye instead
of for PRIDE at their Shockwave 2003 show. PRIDE considered serious
legal action over the issue before finally allowing Fedor to
compete for Inoki after realizing it wouldn’t be good face
for them to possibly alienate their champion and have him bolt
ala the UFC.
After
months of negotiation and posturing, the deal was finally signed.
Fedor would compete in the Open Weight Grand Prix and headline
the event’s opening round card at Total Elimination 2004
by facing Grand Prix 2000 Champion Mark “The Hammer”
Coleman. For the second straight year a champion would take the
ultimate test and, rather than sit back and wait for the outcome
of the tournament, he would enter it himself to prove once and
for all he is the best in his weight class.
At
Total Elimination 2004 the battle of the ground ‘n pound
kings took place. The old master Coleman and the new model Emelianko
matched up in what was a short, but very entertaining bout full
of twists and turns. Surprisingly to some, it was Coleman, not
Fedor who comanded much of the early action, taking the giant
Russian to the ground as the two eventually ended up in the corner
with Fedor’s back to Coleman.
It
was in this spot of danger that Fedor’s championship mentality
came into place as he avoided a choke on a couple of occasions
before twisting out of the position and eventually taking Coleman’s
arm and submitting the 2000 Champion, thus advancing and setting
the stage to face his second Hammer House product in two fights.
As
Critical Countdown neared the announcement was made that Fedor
would be facing Mark Coleman’s protégé Kevin
Randleman in the second round of the tournament. Randleman fresh
off his upset victory over Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic
will be looking to avenge the loss of Coleman and add another
huge upset to his growing legend.
To
win the fight Fedor must use his size advantage over Randleman
to control the action and not let the more athletic Randleman
to take any type of advantage over him. However if Kevin gets
the advantage it could be interesting to see how Fedor would
handle a situation that he’s never been in before, so like
many fights are between similar fighters, it will come down to
who makes the biggest mistake and who capitalizes first.
Luckily
for Fedor, his title will not be on the line in any of the fights
remaining in the tournament. Win or lose, it is up to Fedor to
do as he is expected to do. If he does just that, he’ll
be adding another belt to his collection and put a stranglehold
on the top spot of the heavyweight rankings for a long time to
come.
Source: MMA Weekly |
'Kazushi
Sakuraba' by the Gracies, Minotouro, Wanderlei and Schembri!
With Rafael Werneck
On June 20th, Japanese star Kazushi Sakuraba returns to the ring.
After almost seven months away, he is to face the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
expert Antonio 'Elvis' Schembri, at the next Pride GP. We caught
up with some of the great Brazilian fighters who have faced 'Saku'
in the past and asked them what they think about him. Check it
out!
'Sakuraba
was crucial for the development of MMA in Japan. At the time
the competition between Japanese and foreign fighters was established,
he was THE star. It opened great market for all figherts around
the world. If the best bouts remained between non-Japanese fighters,
I believe the Japanese audience wouldn´t be as supportive
as they are nowadays' Renzo Gracie.
'Kazushi
Sakuraba has always performed the 'Gracie Killer' role. Some
people thought his career was over when he lost three consecutives
times to Wanderlei Silva, but he is a man who deserves to be
respected. Step into the ring thinking that you can beat him
easily, that is the first step to being defeated by him. He is
a brave guy, who knows how to fight standing and knows how to
take the opponent down. If you are going to fight him, you better
know what to do when you put him into your guard, otherwise you
are going to lose' Rogerio 'Minotouro' Nogueira.
'He
is a man who made history in MMA with his unique style. Before
I faced him, I watched several tapes of his fights and it was
beautiful. But MMA evolved and he should have evolved too. Fighting
with hands down, without the proper protection for the face is
pretty to the audience, but becomes very dangerous when he fights
a man who has a good punch.' Wanderlei Silva.
'Sakuraba
is a guy who has beaten many Brazilians fighters, including me.
He is truly a Japanese idol and everybody wants to see him fighting.
He is young, only 35, and I think he has a lot do in the MMA
world yet' Royler Gracie.
'I
consider Sakuraba a great fighter for everything he’s done.
He always attracts a great audience and, losing or winning, he
is a showman. Besides that, as a top fighter, he is complete.
He knows how to fight on the ground and has good striking skills.
He is one of the most perfect fighters in Pride' Antonio 'Elvis'
Schembri.
Source: ADCC |
CAN
SCHEMBRI GO TWO FOR TWO?
Pride Condition Critical Profile: Antonio “Nino” Schembri
Even
though UFC 48 is being called “Payback” there is one
fight in PRIDE’s Critical Countdown show that has that very
term in mind. The fight is the second battle between Japanese
MMA legend Kazushi Sakuraba and Brazilian Chute Boxe fighter
Antonio “Nino” Schembri.
The
two first did battle in March of 2003 at PRIDE 25. Sakuraba was
coming off a walkover victory against nearly comatose Gilles
Arsene at PRIDE 23 and Schembri was coming off a split decision
victory over MMA veteran Daiju Takase at PRIDE’s The Best
2 show (a precursor to the current Bushido series).
What
had originally been booked as an apparent stepping stone match
for Sakuraba turned out to be one of the bigger upsets of 2003
as Schembri pulled off a knockout victory at the six minute mark
of the first round. From the beginning the fight seemed to be
in the hands of the well-worn veteran. Sakuraba was dominating
the fighter formerly known as “Elvis” up until it appeared
Kazushi’s overconfidence got the better of him and he let
slip his defenses.
Faster
than you could say “Elvis has left the building” Schembri
landed a wicked knee out of a clinch, staggering the famed “Gracie
Hunter” before finishing him off with knees and kicks. Youth
had been served that night, but as they say revenge is a dish
best served cold and the Takado Dojo quickly answered back.
With
only 3 months to savor his victory over Sakuraba, Schembri was
matched up against Sakuraba’s student, wrestler Kazuhiro
Hamanaka. In what was an extremely hard fought battle, the debuting
Hamanaka dominated the position in the fight, often having the
Brazilian in bad spots on the ground and getting the better of
the standing exchanges. In the end Schembri had suffered the
first loss of his career, via judges’ unanimous decision.
Now
a year later Schembri returns to PRIDE to face the man he had
upset a year prior. But things are much different now than they
were before. Neither fighter is quite the man they were in the
first meeting, which could make for the second meeting to be
something completely different.
For
starters Sakuraba is a year older and battle scarred. After tough
fights against Kevin Randleman, Wanderlei Silva, and Antonio
Rogerio Nogueira have added more damage to the already worn frame
of the Japanese superstar. Schembri on the other hand is making
his first fight appearance since his loss to Hamanaka and is
sporting a new training team.
Origially
versed in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Schembri has taken up with Muay
Thai specialists Chute Boxe Academy looking to further his striking
skills. This could make for an interesting change in that while
he has dominated BJJ oriented fighter, Sakuraba has had trouble
against CBA style Muay Thai. And while of course Schembri is
no Wanderlei Silva, there are few fighters in the world who know
Sakuraba as well as Silva and know how to exploit his weaknesses
as the famed “Axe Murderer” does.
So
in the end this fight could very well end up as the first fight
did, with Sakuraba glazed on his back with Schembri’s hand
raised in victory. As the saying goes, the more things change,
the more they stay the same and that is what the former Elvis
impersonating Brazilian would hope to see as a win would vault
him quickly towards more possible big name match-ups and paychecks.
And if that’s the case you can expect to hear Schembri saying,
“thank you, thank you very much” well into the future.
Source: MMA Weekly |
MARK
HUNT VS YOSHIDA
Pride Critical
Countdown Profile: Mark Hunt
With
a solid record of 16-7 under K-1 kickboxing rules, most would
wonder just what in the world Mark Hunt is doing crossing over
into MMA. The quick answer has to be money. I'm sure that Pride
is throwing a pretty tidy some Hunt's way to enter their ring.
While
most fight fans around the world don't quite understand some
of the strange matchups, such as Hunt versus Hidehiko Yoshida,
the Japanese fight culture seems to view it differently and acceptingly,
perhaps even longingly.
Despite
being a solid kickboxer with a head and, maybe more importantly,
a chin made of granite and a powerful punch that could drop an
elephant, Hunt does not appear to have hardly any training, if
any, on the ground. I can't attempt to know what's going through
his head in accepting a match with Yoshida, but I am nearly positive
that I know what will be going through his head when he is tapping
out to the choke hold that Yoshida will apply to him on June
20th. Stars. Stars and little chirping birdies will be going
through his head.
This
New Zealander belongs nowhere near an MMA ring at this point.
He is stepping in with one of the greatest athletes that currently
graces the Pride ring. Yoshida is an Olympic gold medalist in
Judo, a world champion in Judo, and, criticized or not, proven
himself in the MMA arena. He withstood the striking of Wanderlei
Silva for fifteen unforgiving minutes.
Yoshida
is a smart fighter. He will avoid the strikes of Hunt and, before
he knows what happened to him, Yoshida will have put Hunt on
his back, worked his Gi sleeve around his neck, and choke Hunt
out. Hopefully for Hunt, he has done some sort of takedown defense
training because, otherwise, I don't see this fight going any
other way. His only shot is if he can possibly land that one
big punch, which I don't think he can.
Pride Critical
Countdown Profile: Hidehiko Yoshida
Initially when Hidehiko Yoshida was signed to face Royce Gracie
in a special rules match at PRIDE’s Shock Wave 2002 event
few if any American MMA fans gave the former Olympic Judo Gold
Medalist a snowball’s chance in hell of defeating the highly
decorated legend.
Not
only did Yoshida hang with the only man in UFC history to win
a 16-man tournament; Hidehiko beat Gracie at his own game, the
ground game using a gi. Now while the referee stoppage was questionable
in the minds of many, what wasn’t questionable was the fact
that like it or not, Yoshida was quickly becoming a man to watch
in MMA.
A
few short months later Yoshida was back in the PRIDE ring, this
time in a full on MMA bout against legend Don Frye. Many thought
that if Yoshida’s victory over Gracie was a fluke then surely
he wouldn’t stand a chance against the hard-hitting Frye
whom up to that point had only lost one fight in his illustrious
career.
Quickly
after a brief exchange standing the fight went to the ground
where the skill of Yoshida showed again quickly maneuvering Frye
into an arm bar to which the referee had step in before Frye’s
notoriously bad penitent for not tapping almost cost him a broken
arm.
Yoshida
went on to finish out the 2002 year undefeated as he submitted
PRIDE staple Masaake Satake at the annual Inoki Bom-Ba-Ye. It
would be 8 months before Yoshida would step into the ring again,
but this time there would be more at stake than just his creditability
and legitimacy in MMA.
As
PRIDE was reforming after near bankruptcy and the death of President
Naoto Morishita the company made a bold move by announcing a
Middleweight Grand Prix to take place over two events consisting
of eight fighters. The first fighter chosen for the event by
the late Morishita was Yoshida himself, an honor he quickly accepted
and thus the stage was set for Yoshida to either prove or disprove
the critics who had seemingly singled him out despite his blossoming
MMA career.
After
many months of negotiation and mystery the eight had been chosen,
along with Yoshida there would be some of the elite fighters
below 205lbs competing in the tournament, amongst them PRIDE
Middleweight Champion Wanderlei Silva. For the first round of
the tournament Yoshida was selected to face RINGS veteran Kiyoshi
Tamura of the U-File camp, the man who defeated Japanese national
hero and PRIDE Executive Director Nobuhiko Takada in his retirement
match a year earlier.
In
a surprise choice of tactics, Yoshida attempted to stand and
trade punches with the more than cappable Tamura for the majority
of first few moments of their fight. However this tactic did
not last long as after a swift Judo throw the two Japanese gladiators
were on the mat and quickly Yoshida used his gi to his advantage,
submitting Tamura with the rarely used ezekiel choke. Yoshida
was on his way to the finals along with Silva, Quinton “Rampage”
Jackson, and UFC representative Chuck Liddell.
Given
first choice of opponents Yoshida wasted no time in singling
out the ultra dangerous Silva as his next opponent. Thought more
so crazy than brave by many fans and media alike, Yoshida lasted
longer than any expected against the brutal Brazilian buzzsaw
by going the full two rounds with Silva. And while he lost a
unanimous decision, there was no doubt that Yoshida was more
than just a flash-in-the-pan publicity stunt with his valiant
effort against the eventual Grand Prix Champion Silva.
As
December dawned things happened in the MMA world that had never
happened before, there would not be one, but three MMA shows
on the same evening on three of Japan’s biggest television
networks. Chosen as one of the headlining main event for PRIDE’s
entry into the New Year’s wars would be the match up of
Hidehiko Yoshida VS Royce Gracie 2.
In
a special rules MMA bout consisting of two 10-minute rounds,
Yoshida and a topless Gracie battled back and forth with Yoshida
maintaining top position throughout the first round and Gracie
dominating the second round. In a fight that might have been
too close to call in the minds of some, the proceedings were
ruled a draw due to Royce’s desire to have the fight not
go to a judges decision at the end of both rounds.
After
taking time to concentrate on his ever growing Yoshida Dojo students,
Hidehiko decided it was time to again return to the MMA ring
at PRIDE’s Critical Countdown 2004 show. This time he would
be facing a formidable opponent from the world of K-1, 2001 World
Grand Prix Champion Mark Hunt.
To
win this fight Yoshida would be best advised to not remain standing
against the very powerful New Zealand striker making his MMA
debut. More than likely we will see Yoshida take Hunt to the
ground and work a submission against Mark who will be entering
the fight with only a couple months of Jui-Jitsu training.
A
win would further cement Yoshida’s place as a national hero
in Japan and continue to shape him as a star attraction for PRIDE.
A loss could possibly be devastating not only for his drawing
potential but it would further feed the mass of critics and fans
who are not yet sold on this gold medal winner’s MMA creditability.
Source: MMA Weekly |
Is
Sakuraba finished?
by: Luca Atalla
Many people here in Brazil and abroad think Kazushi Sakuraba's
career as a fighter is over. I disagree.
Although
the Japanese star hass 2 wins and 5 losses in his last 7 fights,
it's not enough to convince me that the peculiar and famous orange
trunks are about to be seeing only at souvernir shops in the
Saitama Super Arena after 22 matches in Pride.
One
thing however complicates the Takada Dojo athlete's life: the
striking development of most of the good fighters we see over
there. Sakuraba had always had the impressive ability of facing
ground fighters and beating them. Besides his first loss to Kimo
Leopoldo (who is in action in UFC this weekend), Saku was never
dominated on the ground. And he fought experts at ground fioghting
arts, such as Renzo Gracie, Carlos Newton, Allan Goes, Royce
Gracie and Kevin Randleman: and he did pretty well, as usual.
Against
strikers, however, his history is different. One year before
kissing Wanderlei Silva's foot in their first bout in March of
2001, Saku did not show his stuff against not-that-dangerous
kick boxer Guy Mezger (January 2000). Against Igor Vovchanchyn,
Saku was too exhausted after a 90 minute combat against Royce,
so we can't tell if he would lose to the Ukrainian again.
Throughout
it all, Sakuraba's defeats happened against striking experts,
like against Mirko 'Cro Cop'. Even against Nino 'Elvis' Schembri
and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, two Brazilian grapplers who complicated
Saku's strategy with kicks, punches and especially with knees.
So,
Wanderlei Silva is right when he analyses Saku's style: The Pride
GP champion said there's no longer room in the MMA scene today
for fighters who face their opponents and act dangerously by
keeping a low guard. But still according to Wanderlei, there
are still plenty of fans that want to see a charismatic star
with high technique and personality, able to attract the crowd
and perform great exhibitions in and out of Japanese ring. And
Saku fits that bill!
Source: ADCC |
Update
on the Russia's RED DEVIL Team!
by: Keith Mills
St.
Petersburg, Russia - This weekend, Red Devil fighter Fedor Emelianenko
takes on Kevin Randleman in Pride FC Critical Countdown 2004,
making this the perfect time to check in on the rest of the Red
Devil team. Red Devil provided the fighters for the Russian team
in Euphoria Entertainment’s 'Russia vs. the US' show last
March, as well as the main fighters in M-1 in Russia. They also
fight frequently in 2Hot2Handle in Rotterdam.
There
are two M-1 shows scheduled for this year, on October 9th in
St. Petersburg and December 4th in Moscow. This time around the
October show will be an 8-man tournament in the 80-85 kg division
(Middleweight in US classes) while the December show will be
an 8-man +93 (Heavyweight) tournament. Although both these shows
are far enough off to have changing cards in the next couple
of months the St. Petersburg tournament looks to have both Red
Devil’s Andrei Semenov and Canadian Denis Kang, two fighters
that fought last December to a controversial draw. Mike Pyle
and Ryo Chonnan are also currently scheduled, although rumors
of Amar Suloev have not been addressed.
Also
of note with the Red Devil team is Sergei Golyaev is confirmed
to be in Euphoria Entertainment’s next show in October,
just one week after the St. Petersburg M-1. The format of this
New Jersey show is two 8-man tournament opening rounds in both
Lightweight and Heavyweight divisions. So far information from
matchmaker Miguel Iturrate is scarce. Even so this much is posted
on M-1’s website for the Lightweight tournie opening round:
-
Yves Edwards (USA) vs. Naoyuki Kotani (Japan)
- Phil Johns (USA) vs. Hermes Franca (USA)
- Rich Clementi (USA) vs. TBD
- Joachim Hansen (Norway) vs. Sergei Golyaev (Russia)
Golyaev
getting former Shooto champion Hansen in the opening round could
be just what the Russian team needs after March’s Russia
vs. USA show. Shooto’s #1 ranked Hansen beat Takanori Gomi,
ranked currently by FCF as #2 and Shooto as #5 to take the belt
Gomi held at the time. If he wins the second round could be tougher
as he would likely face a UFC vet. Just being booked in this
tourney says a lot about how Sergei is perceived.
The
heavyweight tournament scheduled by Euphoria for the same day
will feature Sergei Kaznovski and Roman Zentsov. More details
are forthcoming.
Source: ADCC |
Márcio
Pé-de-Pano
By André Araújo
The
opposite fight
An American wrestler and a BJJ Brazilian black belt. One is 50
and the other only 26 years old. One brings 60 Vale-Tudo bouts
as a records and the other will debut. This is the fight between
experienced The Beast Dan Severn and the BJJ world champion Márcio
Pé-de-Pano, which is scheduled to happen on August 14th
at International Fighting Championship (IFC) in United States.
Waiting for this moment since last year, the Gracie Barra Combat
Team seems not to care so much about the Severn's "The fact
he is way longer experienced than me it doesn't bother me at
all. It may be an advantage for him, but I will step inside the
ring with the same will, like it was his debut as well. I am
not fighting him, I will fight myself!," guarantees Pé-de-Pano
during exclusive interview to TATAME. Read it bellow!
Tell me about what do you think it may happen the fight against
Dan Severn?
I hope to win. I will give the best and I am sure he will do
the same. Now I am sharpening my Boxing and I will start my Wrestling
training. Only after this I will take care about Jiu-Jitsu.
It has been a while you had been trying to debut in Vale-Tudo.
Why did it take so long?
My debut hasn't happened because I haven't received a good deal
and the events were not as good. Now I finally received a great
proposal and the opponent is something... He got the fight closed.
You are about to debut against a fighter who has already fought
60 bouts. What do you think about it?
The fact he is way longer experienced than me it doesn't bother
me at all. It may be an advantage for him, but I will step inside
the ring with the same will, like it was his debut as well. I
am not fighting him, I will fight myself! If I feel great physically
I will rule!
You must know Severn's bouts... What does worry you about his
game?
He is such a heavy fighter. Any of his punches my KO. But I will
use a lot of Jiu-Jitsu, I'll take him down and I will do everything
I can to surprise him... I will avoid his game and impose mine.
You are 26 years old and he just turned 50. Do you think it may
be an advantage for you?
Not at all. This difference is a score for him..., look at Randy
Couture.... I don't see who this age thing as an advantage. In
Vale-Tudo it does not exist. He has been fighting all the time
and because he stills on the ring, he proves he has determination,
disposition and such an amazing will. He probably has the same
will than I, and he is no longer a fool.
Debuting in his place... the audience may consider you as an
underdog. It does bother you?
This is this thing with every BJJ fighter..., but I do not have
obligation to win for the team or for the others. I will fight
for me, and I do not care about other people's guess. Facing
Severn will be a great responsibility for me and at this time,
no one can say I fought against some "dead chiken".
Tell me about Gi tournaments... Are you gonna fight the Mundial
and BJJ World Cup?
It is all depending of this bout. I already can tell you for
sure I will be out of BJJ World Cup. Over the Mundial, I might
fight on it, but I'm not sure yet... the fact is I do need to
train Jiu-Jitsu and it may be a good chance for me, but I will
focus on this MMA. I want to built my way on it.
Source: Tatame |
Quote
of the Day
"Vision doesn't usually come like a lightening bolt. Rather,
it comes as a slow crystallization of life challenges that we
one day recogize as a beautiful diamond with great value to ourselves
and others."
Michael Norwood, Author, THE 9 INSIGHTS OF THE WEALTHY SOUL
|
Super
Brawl 36 Results
Super Brawl/Extreme Challenge 155lb National Champion Tournament
Blaisdell Arena, Honolulu, HI
June 19th, 2004
Tournament
Quarter Finals:
Justin James (Omaha, NE) def. Deshaun Johnson (HMC)
Unanimous decision [(29-28), (29-28), (30-27)] after 3 rounds.
Note: JDeshaun Johnson took the fight with only four hours
notice.
Ryan Schultz (Team Quest) def. Mike Aina ( BJ Penn’s MMA)
Split Decision [(29-28), (29-30), (29-28)] after 3 rounds.
Kolo Koka (Grappling Unlimited) def. Bart Palaszewski (Team Curran)
Unanimous Decision [(29-27), (29-28), (30-27)] after 3 rounds.
Roger Huerta (Minneapolis, MN) def. Harris Sarmiento (808 Fight
Factory)
Submission due to strikes at 2:12 minutes in Round 3.
Tournament
Semi Finals:
Ryan Schultz def. Deshaun Johnson
Submission via rear naked choke at 2:55 minutes in Round 1.
Note: Justin James fractured orbital bone, Deshaun Johnson
replaces James.
Roger Huerta def. Mike Aina by Judges Decision [(30-27), (29-28),
(29-28)] after 3 rounds.
Note: Kola Kola tore his ACL and is replaced by Mike Aina.
Tournament
Finals:
Ryan Schultz def. Roger Huerta
Verbal submission due to dislocated jaw at 1:47 minutes in Round
1.
Ryan Schultz is the 155lbs Super Brawl/Extreme Challenge Tournament
Champion.
MAIN
EVENT:
Falaniko Vitale def. Yushin Okami (Tokyo, Japan)
Split Decision [(29-27), (28-29), (29-28)] after 3 rounds.
|
UFC
48 Tonight
Main
Event
Heavyweight (205 lb. and over) Bout
Ken Shamrock vs. Kimo
Co-Main
Event
For the UFC Heavyweight Title
Tim Sylvia vs. Frank Mir
Middleweight
(185 lb. and under) Bout
Phil Baroni vs. Evan Tanner
Welterweight
(170 lb. and under) Bout
Frank Trigg vs. Dennis Hallman
Welterweight
Bout
Matt Hughes vs. Renato
Verissimo
Middleweight
Bout
Curtis Stout vs. Trevor Prangley
Lightweight
(155 lb. and under) Bout
Matt Serra vs. Ivan Menjivar
Welterweight
Bout
Georges St. Pierre vs. Jay Hieron
|
UPDATED
ODDS SEES SOME CHANGES
Our friends at sportsbook.com and Joey Odessa have released the
latest odds
from "Payback" at UFC 48. These were as of last night.
UFC 48:
Payback
Saturday, June 19
Mandalay Bay - Las Vegas
Ken Shamrock -115
Kimo -115
2F-120/-120
**The least bet fight on the main card until Wednesday night.I
have seen
Shamrock as high as -200 in Las Vegas Sportsbooks, but not over
-135
'Offshore.' Initially the money began being placed on Shamrock
to win, but
the lastest money has been bet on Kimo. I think public money
has been a
reflection of each of their last two bouts, favoring Kimo, as
the odds have
gone to a Pick'em fight.
(UFC Heavyweight Championship)
Tim Sylvia -230
Frank Mir +180
1over -185/+145
*This bout was initially bet out the gate on Tim Sylvia. He climbed
from
the opening -225 to -260 and then -285 before the Frank Mir supporters
came
in and bet Mir at the healthy plus money. The bout has since
settled at
Sylvia -230. The Las Vegas players may bet their hometown figher
back
down late. I would not be suprised if money moves this bout down
to Sylvia
-200 or lower by fight time.
Phil
Baroni -135
Evan Tanner +105
1over -145/+105
*The most anticipated 'betting' matchup on the card. Evan Tanner
being
sponsored by www.Sportsbook.com against NY Badass Phil Baroni.
The action
has been two way for the most part, but Phil Baroni has been
getting the
mid week money.
The bout opened at a PK -115/-115 and now the odds have swung
in Baroni's
favor to -135. This bout shouldn't climb higher than -135 'Offshore'
on
either fighter by fight time, despite a Las Vegas Casino hanging
Baroni
-170 earlier in the week. People are betting the UNDER 1 Round
Prop as well
hoping for a fast finish. It opened at 1 OVER -190 and currently
sits at 1
OVER -145.
Matt
Hughes -145
Renato
Verissimo
+105
2over -145/+105
*This bout is interesting. I had Matt Hughes initially written
in at
-250, but in anticipation of public money based on each fighters
last
performance I opened at Hughes -170. Hughes now has still been
bet all the
way down to -145. Six months ago, Matt was considered one of
the best
fighters in World and now is barely a 7-5 favorite over a guy
who won in an
upset as a considerable underdog to former Matt Hughes victim
Carlos Newton.
Frank
Trigg -130
Dennis Hallman +100
2over -155/+115
*Good two way action bout so far. Dennis Hallman has gotten a
little bit
more action and the line has moved from -135 to only -130. A
very small
move in Hallman's favor. The Over/Under hasbeen bet UNDER since
the opening
number of 2over-175 to the present 2Over -155
Matt
Serra -145
Ivan Menjivar +115
2over-250/+200
*Very interesting bout. Matt Serra the UFC Vet against Menjivar
in his UFC
debut. Originally had Serra written in as a much higher favorite
than his
opening number of -170, but the buzz was all Ivan Menjivar, so
I used for
the lower number. Menjivar has since been bet all the way down
from +140 to
+115.
Georges
St. Pierre -280
Jay Hieron +220
2under -195/+155
*Another interesting bout from my side of the counter. St Pierre
the UFC
Vet against another newcomer to the UFC. People keep talking
up Jay Hieron,
but the line has actually moved in the other direction. St Pierre
opened at
-275 and currently sits at -280. Players have been betting the
OVER 2
Rounds Prop as well.
Trevor
Prangley -260
Curtis Stout +200
2F-120/-120
*Stout has gotten the early money so far. Public opinion is that
I was
wrong in making Prangley too high priced against UFC Vet Curtis
Stout.
PRIDE GP
2004
June 20, 2004
*The PRIDE card will most likely see the most line movement as
the UFC
bouts become final and wagers are graded freeing up customers
money at the
Sportsbooks.
Fedor Emelianenko -260
Kevin Randleman +200
(Heavyweight Tournament)
*This bout opened at Fedor -230 and has gradually been bet up
to -260. I
expect Kevin to be bet near post time on June 20th.
Antonio
Rodrigo Nogueira -450
Heath Herring +300
(Heavyweight Tournament)
*This bout has seen the most movement out of the PRIDE matchups.
Nog opened
a whopping -550/+400 and money has been flowing in on Herring
ever since.
Sergei Kharitonov -125
Semmy Schilt -105
(Heavyweight Tournament)
*The initial bets on this matchup were on Schilt, but the players
grabbed all the Sergei -105 when it went down and continued to
bet him up
to the current line of Kharitonov -125/-105.
Quinton Jackson -170
Ricardo Arona +140
(Middleweights)
*Two way action on this bout thus far. I believe the number will
not move
more than 15 cents in either direction as each fighter looks
enticing at
these odds.
ODDS TO WIN ENTIRE GP TOURNAMENT:
Fedor Emelianenko +125
Kevin Randleman +500
Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira +135
Heath Herring +1700
Paulo Cesar Silva +2500
Naoya Ogawa +2200
Semmy Schilt +1800
Sergei Kharitonov +1000
Source: MMA Weekly
UFC
48 - Weigh-in Results
Ken
Shamrock (218) vs. Kimo (244 )
Tim Sylvia (263) vs. Frank Mir (253)
Matt Hughes (170) vs. Renato Verissimo (170)
Phil Baroni (183.5) vs. Evan Tanner (184.5 )
Frank Trigg (169) vs. Dennis Hallman (170)
Matt Serra (155) vs. Ivan Menjivar (154)
Trevor Prangley (185) vs. Curtis Stout (183)
Georges St. Pierre (169) vs. Jay Hieron (167).
Source:
Maxfighting |
'Iron
Mike' gets OK for fight in Hawaii
The former boxing champion is expected at Aloha Stadium
By Jerry Campany
jcampany@starbulletin.com
Former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson received the blessing
of the Hawaii State Boxing Commission yesterday to headline a
split K-1/boxing card this September at Aloha Stadium.
The commission met with K-1 president Scott Coker and local promoter
Tom Moffatt at its monthly meeting to discuss the parameters
of the proposed card, but barring any surprises, Tyson will fight
here in Hawaii.
"The commission is not about to put any blocks on the promotion,
barring legal issues," commission consultant and former
executive officer Bobby Lee said. "Of course, we will want
to see the contracts and other paperwork, but we would like to
see this fight happen in Hawaii."
Coker and Moffatt sat before the commission yesterday and outlined
a plan that would have Tyson fight Jerome Le Banner in a strict
boxing match. Le Banner has made his name in kickboxing with
a 30-9-1 record in the sport but is 5-0 with 4 KOs as a boxer.
Ray Sefo, another kickboxer, would be Tyson's opponent if Le
Banner cannot go, but the commission seemed comfortable with
Le Banner, even viewing tapes of him in action following the
meeting.
Tyson, a former heavyweight champion, is scheduled to box July
30 in Louisville against Kevin McBride.
K-1 has had a promotional contract with Tyson since April for
one boxing fight and an option for another, according to Coker.
Tyson served as color commentator for a K-1 pay-per-view special
broadcast from Aloha Stadium last year.
Although its enthusiasm was evident during the meeting, the commission
made it clear that Tyson must meet all Hawaii state law requirements,
including a physical and a personal appearance in front of the
State Boxing Commission, to be licensed.
Moffatt envisions a full card of six to eight fighters -- local
names like Brian Viloria, Teddy Limoz and Samson Po'uha were
mentioned as undercard possibilities -- in boxing matches preceded
by a like number of K-1 fights possibly including Bob Sapp and
Akebono. Moffatt said he expects to approach 30,000 in attendance
and told the commission that it was looking at 100 million viewers
on pay per view.
K-1 is a mixed martial art that bills itself as a mix between
karate, kickboxing, tae kwon do and kung fu.
Because the state regulates boxing but not mixed martial arts
like K-1, the commission would only have a say in the boxing
aspect of the event. Moffatt says he would like to see a K-1
show for a few hours, with a boxing show to follow after an intermission.
Having K-1 and boxing in the same building was thought to be
a possible snag, but commission chairman Randy Ahlo says it was
not and never would have been.
"Nobody has ever asked us anything like this before,"
Ahlo said. "We told them if they complied with the bylaws,
we would have no reason not to approve it."
Coker says if this event is successful, he expects it to be just
the first meeting in a long relationship with the state. He has
boxers Shannon Briggs, Ray Mercer and Francois Botha under contract
and said he would like to do similar shows at least once a year.
"The Japanese influence here makes Hawaii a natural,"
Coker said. "It works timewise for Japan. And it actually
works against the U.S. (mainland) because of the time frame here.
But, you know ... worldwide, it's going to be fantastic."
Coker said it would not be a problem getting mainland viewers
to stay up for the event.
"Of course. It's Mike Tyson."
Source: Star Bulletin |
Tyson
might fight K-1 opponent in Hawai'i
Advertiser Staff
The Hawai'i State Boxing Commission yesterday agreed to consider
a license application from former world champion Mike Tyson for
a proposed Sept. 11th Aloha Stadium combination boxing and K-1
fight card, officials said.
Approval could come as soon as next month, pending completion
of contracts and physicals and agreement on suitable matchups.
"We didn't approve of anything yesterday," said Alan
Taniguchi, the commission's executive officer. "We told
them (the promoters) they need to provide us with a contract
that says, 'Mike Tyson is fighting X or Y.'"
Tyson would also be required to have a physical examination by
a commission doctor, but that could come as close as a week before
the fight, Taniguchi said.
Commissioner Willes K. Lee, who is scheduled to become the chairman
next month, said, "They (promoters) have formally begun
the process, but they haven't submitted anything yet."
Lee said, "As long as he (Tyson) meets all the requirements
just like any other fighter, we would approve it."
The promoters - California-based Scott Coker and Honolulu's Tom
Moffatt - said they would like to match Tyson in a 10-round boxing
match with either Jerome Le Banner or Ray Sefo, both of whom
have primarily been K-1 heavyweight fighters.
K-1 is a mixed martial art style combining boxing, kicking and
other forms. Boxingrec.com lists Le Banner with a 2-0 boxing
record and Sefo with a 4-1 mark. Promoters listed Le banner's
overall "professional fighting record" at 50-8-1 and
Sefo's at 45-11-1. Tyson is 50-4 as a boxer.
Promoters mentioned the possibility of having Brian Viloria or
other local fighters appear on the card but no contracts were
presented or prospective opponents announced. other bouts would
involve K-1 fighters.
The boxing and K-1 cards would be separate components of the
same show. By state statute, the commission has jurisdiction
only over boxers and their managers and promoters.
The card could also be shown internationally on a pay-per-view
basis, they said.
Source: Honolulu Advertiser |
'MINOTAURO'
OR 'CRO COP' AS POSSIBLE OPPONENTS FOR VANDERLEI
 
Rodrigo "Minotauro" Nogueira & Mirko "Cro
Cop" Filipovic
The
Japanese media is reporting that either Rodrigo 'Minotauro' Nogueira
or Mirko 'Cro Cop' Filipovic will most likely be Vanderlei Silva's
mystery opponent for the PRIDE show on December 31st.
Source:
Fight Sport |
HUNT
NEWS
Mark Hunt
Former
K-1 champion Mark Hunt recently did some PR with the Japanese
media regarding his upcoming fight against Hidehiko Yoshida on
the PRIDE card on June 20th.
Hunt
went on to say that he's been working on some submissions and
will try to catch Yoshida with a guillotine choke.
Source:
Fight Sport |
SAKURABA
TO UNVEIL NEW MOVE
Kazushi Sakuraba
Kazushi
Sakuraba spoke with the Japanese media, and said that he will
unveil a new move he has been working on.
Sakuraba
calles the move the 'Hamgolian chop', which differs from his
regular Mongolian chop.
Source:
Fight Sport |
IFC
Hits The Sturgis Motorcycle Rally on August 14th. by: Keith Mills
Sturgis, South Dakota - Information is starting to come out about
the IFC
show at the 64th annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally on August 14th.
A total of
ten fights will take place with the card so far looking like:
Card
Subject To Change:
- Travis Wiuff vs James Irvin
- Paul Buentello vs Andre Mussi
- Jaqueline Andrade vs Jennifer Howe
- Nathan Marquardt vs Jeremy Horn
- Marcio 'Pe De Pano' Cruz vs Dan Severn
Supposedly
five World Championship belts are on the line but so far that
has not been confirmed. IFC issue belts in each standard weight
division plus two women's divisions. They have belts in each
class for Native American, Canadian, US, Americas, and World.
That makes a total of fifty-five belts available with only twenty-five
issued at this time. If it is true there are five "World
Championship" belts on the line that would account for Howe
while the other World Champions are Gan McKee (Super Heavyweight),
Vernon White (Heavyweight), Renato Sobral (Light Heavyweight),
Gil Castillo (Welterweight), Mathieu Nicourt (Lightweight) and
Howe. The vacant belts in World class are Middleweight, Featherweight,
Bantamweight, and Flyweight. It should be noted that White has
dropped in weight since winning the IFC belt and unconfirmed
but very strong rumors state his Heavyweight belt will be vacant
by this show.
With
UFC and Pride (and just about every other show) vet Horn fighting
recently at Middleweight it is a safe bet his fighting former
King Of Pancrase Nathan Marquardt would be for the vacant World
Middleweight belt.
Andrade
is the IFC America's Women's Light Heavyweight (135-150) champion
while Howe is the HOOKnSHOOT 125 champion and the IFC World Women's
Middleweight (120-135) champion, making that fight one fans of
the women's divisions have been looking forward to for some time.
Although Howe usually fights around 125 without cutting weight
she is used to fighting larger opponents and is usually considered
one of the best 135 division fighters around.
AKA's
Paul Buentello is the current King Of The Cage Heavyweight champion,
which makes this especially interesting considering the open
rivalry between KOTC and IFC/WEC. Don't expect an official statement
on that whole situation any time soon but look for the sparks
to fly in California this summer! As far as the possibility of
this fight being for the belt it would actually make more sense
for Team Extreme's Travis Wiuff fight to be for the belt considering
Travis is a UFC vet, much more experienced in MMA, and has been
fighting on the world-stage to a greater degree. Wiuff recently
beat the M-1 champion and filled in for two Brazilian shows all
on short notice and earlier this month beat a Pride and UFC vet.
Hell, why not have Buentello vs. Wiuff for White's vacated belt?
Now that would be front page news!
Look
for more information on this show to be released in the weeks
to come.
Source:
ADCC |
Trigg
vs. Hallman II: A Rematch Made In Heaven
By Loretta Hunt
What
makes a "good" rematch? There is no tried and true
recipe, but when you have a legitimate one on your hands, you
just know it. Accusations fly. Mud slings. And neither side can
seem to agree on anything.
For
welterweights Frank Trigg and Dennis Hallman, scheduled to square
off again this Saturday at UFC 48, one need only witness their
initial clash a year and a half ago at November 2002's World
Fighting Alliance: Level 3 to know that these two were meant
to tango again.
Like
many memorable bouts that have come to pass, this pairing wasn't
even intended at first. World-class wrestler Trigg had originally
been scheduled to fight Pat Miletich for the WFA welterweight
title, until a bulged disk in Miletich's neck sidelined his training.
Hallman stepped in on two weeks notice, an intriguing replacement
for the sheer fact that the confident ground specialist had an
uncanny knack for tapping out accomplished wrestlers.
They
met on their feet and exchanged a volley of blows, with Hallman
landing a notable punch that drew blood from Trigg's split lip.
The rAw representative fought back though, forcing Hallman against
the fence with some fire of his own before pouring on his patented
knees in the clinch. It was one knee here that seemed to land
a little too low for Hallman's liking, and he collapsed to the
ground, writhing in pain. At the time, Nevada State Athletic
Commission guidelines (still geared towards boxing) gave Trigg
the win, as well as the belt, when Hallman couldn't continue
following his allotted five minute recovery time. Due to Hallman's
persistence, the regulation has since been amended, albeit it
not retroactively, and regardless, the question still remains:
Who was the better fighter that night?
Of
course, there is a natural discrepancy between the two fighters
as to who was ahead on the WFA score cards before the bout's
premature finale. "I was having a pretty decent fight,"
Hallman recalls frankly. "I got kicked in the balls. I wasn't
able to continue and it insulted me that Trigg walked around
like he won a friggin' gold medal at the Olympics or something.
He thought it was the greatest thing in the world that he kicked
me in the balls and won that way. Personally, I would have been
pretty humble about a victory like that."
"As
far as me and my camp's standpoint, it's probably not a good
rematch because I beat him up so decisively the first time,"
counters Trigg, "even though it did end so quickly and controversially
from his side of the table. It was one of those deals where he
got hit, he realized he couldn't stand the amount of pressure
I was going to give him for the rest of the fight, he took his
first opportunity he could find to get out of the fight and as
a result he quit. He just gave up. He could have stood like a
man and tried to fight again, but he chose not to."
For
Hallman, it's unfinished business. "I want to prove to Trigg,"
he says. "I don't really know if it's so much about proving
things to people. He knows. He knows how it really went. He's
gonna get my proof along with everyone else I guess. It's really
just about between me and him."
But,
according to Trigg, Hallman has no gripe. "He's kind of
like a dead horse-he doesn't know when to lie down," he
remarks. "To me, there's no beef and I don't see why he's
even got a problem. He got beat fair and square," Trigg
adds before briefly pausing. "Unless he's feeling guilty
about quitting. If he feels guilty about that, then he has a
beef, but that's not with me. It's with his own spirit and soul."
Both
self-assured and boisterous in their own ways, neither has been
one to sugarcoat their comments in the past. Hallman has called
Trigg a chicken shit for not jumping at a rematch fast enough.
Trigg has called Hallman a moron for pursuing the rematch altogether.
But, with former UFC welterweight champion BJ Penn seemingly
out of the picture since Zuffa's official announcement that he
had been stripped of his title, both contenders agree that the
stakes of this bout have risen substantially. "There's no
champ," comments Trigg. "We've basically got myself
and Hallman fighting. We've got Hughes and Verissimo fighting
and we're all trying to fight our way through to say hey, we're
the four guys that should be up for the title. The two winners
of this should be fighting for the title in August. That's just
the way it should work."
If
this indeed be a "silent" welterweight tournament at
UFC 48, this talented quartet is as deserving | |