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November
Pride
Bushido 5
(MMA)
(Yokohama Arena, Japan)
September
Ring
of Honor 6
( Kickboxing/MMA)
(Kauai)
Tentative
August
Pride All Stars
Show
(MMA)
(Japan)
Ring of Honor 6
( Kickboxing/MMA)
(Maui)
Tentative
July
Bushido 4
(MMA)
(Nagoya Rainbow Hall, Japan)
7/24/04
Submission Wrestling Tpurnament
(Sub Grappling)
(Kahului, Maui, Hawaii)
July 9-12
BJJ
World Cup (CBJJO)
(BJJ)
(SESC gym, Salvador, Brazil)
June
Pride Heavyweight
Grand Prix
(MMA)
(Japan)
May
Pride
Bushido 3
(MMA)
(Yokohama Arena, Japan)
5/7/04
Rumble On The Rock
5
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena)
5/2/04
Ring of Honor 5
(Sub Grappling)
(Campbell H.S. Gym)
4/30/04
Punishment
in Paradise 3
(MMA)
(Campbell H.S. Gym)
4/25/04
Pride Heavyweight
Grand Prix
(MMA)
(Japan)
4/24 /04
Warriors
of the Ring 6
(MMA)
(Wailuku, Maui)
5th Hawaiian Champioships of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
(BJJ)
(Honolulu, HI)
4/12/04
Super
Brawl 33
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena)
4/9/04
Ring
of Honor 4
( Kickboxing/MMA)
(Campbell H.S. Gym)
4/3-4/04
Pan American BJJ
Tournament
(BJJ)
(California State University Gym, Dominguez Hills, Carson (Los
Angeles), CA)
4/2/04
UFC
47
(MMA)
(Las Vegas, NV)
3/26/04
Shooto Hawaii 2
(MMA)
(Campbell H.S. Gym)
3/14/04
3rd
Annual Longman Gracie Kauai Jiu-Jitsu Tournament
(BJJ)
(Kilauea Gym, Kauai)
|
|
March 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
"Leadership is not something that is done to people, like
fixing your teeth. Leadership is unlocking people's potential
to become better."
Bill Bradley, American Basketball Player, US Senator |
Wanderlei
- The Champion Returns To Brazil!
Wanderlei has FINALLY returned to his hometown of Curitiba, Brazil
after an excellent victory against Japanese star (and Brazilian
TOP TEAM trained) Ikuhisa Minowa at Pride Bushido II. It was
a very fast fight, lasting no more than seventy seconds, after
which Wanderlei embarked on a tour of Japan.
We
met up Wanderlei at the Chute Box Academy, where he was showing
off his 'little' son THOR and his new 'toy'.
About
the future, Wanderlei obviously will continue to fight in Japan,
and he is hoping to compete again in June. Plans are under development
for a promotional tour of the USA soon, as well as a training
video production.
Source:
ADCC |
JAPAN
SPECIAL ~ K-1 BEAST 2004 in Niigata ~
Date: March 14th, 2004
Place: Toki Messe, Niigata Japan
Opening
Fight:
K-1 MMA rules (5minutes x 3rounds)
Ivan Salaverry [USA] x Haliun Boldbaatar [Mongolia]
K-1
rules fights (3minutes x 5rounds):
1st - Masaaki Miyamoto [Seido Kaikan] x Cliff 'Twin Tyson' Couser
[Team Rekcio]
2nd - Tatsufumi Tomihira [Seido Kaikan] x Petr Vondracek [Bacardi]
3rd - Hiromi Amada [TENKA 510] x Butterbean [Team Butterbean]
4th - Tsuyoshi Nakasako [Seido Kaikan] x Mavrick [Shark Tank
Gym]
K-1
MMA rules fights (5 minutes x 3rounds):
1st - Michael McDonald [Canada] x LYOTO [Inoki Office]
2nd - Alexey Ignashov [Chinuk Gym] x Steve Williams [IWA JAPAN]
3rd - Bob Sapp [Team beast] x Dolgorsuren Sumiyabazar [Mongolia]
Source:
ADCC |
Deep
Freeze In the Big Apple:
Liddell Set To Appear On Carson Daly's Last Call
By Loretta Hunt
UFC
light-heavyweight contender Chuck "The Iceman" Liddell
is in New York City to help publicize his pending "grudge
match" with former champion Tito Ortiz at April 2nd's UFC
47. The soft-spoken striker wiil be a guest on Carson Daly's
Last Call evening talk show tonight to pre-tape an episode airing
the evening of March 16th. Opponent Ortiz appeared on Daly's
show last September, a week before his loss to Randy Couture.
This time, Ortiz will join Liddell and Daly via satellite.
Those
in the New York area interested in catching the fireworks live,
can go to www.1iota.com and click on March
9th, LATER (7:30PM) SHOW, or call 1-888-4LC-TIXX to reserve free
tickets to the half-hour taping. Check local listings for the
March 16th air time in your location.
Source:
FCF |
INTERVIEW
OF THE WEEK: DAN HENDERSON
MMA Weekly: First thing I’m sure everyone is curious about,
what have you been up to since we last saw you in the ring against
Murilo Bustamante at PRIDE’s Final Conflict show this past
November?
Dan
Henderson: I’ve been taking it a little bit easier of late.
I’ve been nursing some injuries hoping to get back up to
100% and helping some of the new guys out. I’ve been doing
a little bit more in that aspect rather than just training myself.
MMA
Weekly: Speaking of training, did you help Team Quest partner
Randy Couture out for his fight with Vitor Belfort at this past
UFC 46?
Dan
Henderson: Actually no, I didn’t get a chance to. We were
supposed to get together, he was going to fly down and meet me
in Sacramento, but he was snowed in a good three or four days
when that was supposed to happen. So we didn’t get a chance
to train together other than when we were in Vegas (in the days
prior to the fight).
MMA
Weekly: Going back a little bit to your last fight with Bustamante.
There was some controversy and rumblings from him that the fight
should be ruled a no contest due to the fact he says it was the
accidental headbutt that caused him to go down rather than your
striking. Give us your thoughts on the fight.
Dan
Henderson: For that fight I was not trying to be overly aggressive
with my strikes. I was going to try to kick at him a little bit
and wait for him to try to take me down and either by kneeing
him or pushing off, make him stand back up. He was coming in
and I was actually looking to punch him with my right hand and
he started to change levels to shoot in for a leg attack so I
changed levels and we banged heads a little bit. I hurt my head
a little bit, but it wasn’t overly bad or hard. You know
I’ve banged heads a lot harder in wrestling without getting
any loopiness out of it. I don’t know if it stunned him
but he kept trying to take me down so I pushed him off and caught
him with a nice knee in the face and that’s what I think
really got him and I threw some punches to finish him off.
MMA
Weekly: So you don’t feel that the impact of your heads
coming together had anything to do with the outcome of the fight?
Dan
Henderson: Well I don’t know what happened to him or how
it affected him, but again I’ve seen guys bang heads a lot
harder than that in wrestling. I see it all the time and guys
don’t whine about it like he did. I was really surprised
that he was saying the things he was after the fight that it
was because of the headbutt. I know he knows it was unintentional
and that’s part of the sport. Whether it affected him or
not he should have been able to recover and it was right after
that I caught him with the knee. The knee was pretty solid, I
mean it hurt afterwards so I caught him really good with it.
MMA
Weekly: Have PRIDE officials talked to you at all about the fight,
changing the ruling or having a potential rematch?
Dan
Henderson: No I’ve never heard a word about it. I know he
would like a rematch which is a fairly common occurrence after
you loose a match to try to redeem yourself by fighting the same
guy, but I’ve never been that way myself. You know I’d
like to fight Wanderlei Silva again, but I wasn’t asking
for a rematch right away. It’s been over three years since
we fought and the only reason I want a rematch is because he’s
got the Middleweight Championship belt, not because I lost to
him.
MMA
Weekly: Staying with the subject of Silva, do you feel with all
that you’ve accomplished in PRIDE since that first match
at PRIDE 12 that you are due for a title shot against him?
Dan
Henderson: Absolutely, I think I’ve proved myself. I feel
I’m one of the top guys if not the top guy in PRIDE at this
weight.
MMA
Weekly: What about Ricardo Arona, he’s undefeated in PRIDE
so far and defeated you at PRIDE 20?
Dan
Henderson: I’d fight him again as well, but it really doesn’t
matter to me. I’d like to fight him but his fighting style
doesn’t make for an entertaining fight which is what happened
last time. I would definitely change some tactics. I was overly
aggressive and tried to make the fight happen and knock him out
which cost me the fight as I was taken down too much and controlled.
I know I can beat him the next time we fight, but it doesn’t
matter to me if I never fight him at all. I’m just looking
to get a championship belt.
MMA
Weekly: You bring up an interesting point about trying to push
a fight and make it more exciting. Your teammate Matt Lindland
has been accused of being somewhat boring and people want him
to push the pace, as well Jens Pulver admitted after he left
the UFC he felt a lot of pressure to put on a more spectacular
show and it cost him. Does that ever enter into your mind or
do you feel any pressure in that regard at all?
Dan
Henderson: No, it’s always been my style when I wrestled
because I’m out there trying to score points rather than
just holding on to win. But no I don’t feel any pressure
as far as outside influences go. I like to fight high-energy
but I’ve got to tone myself down sometimes because I get
taken down every once in a while when I’m too aggressive.
MMA
Weekly: You missed out on last year’s Grand Prix due to
a knee injury correct?
Dan
Henderson: Yeah I had knee surgery and I wasn’t able to
go into the first round (at Total Elimination in August) on one
leg. It’s coming along pretty well; I still need to strengthen
the leg up. It’s not 100% yet; right now it’s about
at 90% because I’ve been having a little trouble with that
last little strengthening part.
MMA
Weekly: How did it feel in your fight against Murilo?
Dan
Henderson: I didn’t do much as far as having to scramble
around on it. My knee must have been fixed though because it’s
the one that hit him in the face and it obviously worked well
for that. Training for the fight the week before I noticed it
was weaker but it wasn’t too bad. I wasn’t going to
dwell on it, I was going in with what I had and you know what
happened.
MMA
Weekly: From what I understand you took that fight on short notice,
can you tell us how far in advance you were notified by PRIDE
about it?
Dan
Henderson: I was off hunting in Colorado when I found out about
it. I had one week at home in California before I had to leave
for Japan. So it was about ten days before the fight when I started
training for it.
MMA
Weekly: PRIDE has a tendency to book fighters on very short notice,
what are your thoughts about that and the lack of time you get
to prepare for fights.
Dan
Henderson: There’s a big downside to it. You don’t
get to prepare the way you would prepare normally. It becomes
a matter of who’s training harder in their off time. That’s
my biggest gripe with PRIDE, they give us last-minute notices
with a lot of fights. That fight (with Bustamante) was probably
the worst one I had as far as short-notices go, it was even shorter
than when I fought against (Antonio Rodrigo) Nogueira.
MMA
Weekly: There have been some rumors that you said you were interested
in fighting in this year’s Heavyweight Grand Prix, can you
clear those up for us now?
Dan
Henderson: Yeah, well what I had said in a Japanese interview
was that I wanted to get a title shot this year and that I might
have to fight in the Grand Prix to get a belt.
MMA
Weekly: Currently the Grand Prix is set up for heavyweights only,
even though there was talk it may become open-weight. If it stays
a heavyweight only tournament, how do you feel going in against
guys 230+ pounds like Nogueira was?
Dan
Henderson: I weigh around 195 generally for almost every fight
and I’ve fought plenty of guys that were 230-240 before
and it’s not that bad. I fought 3 guys over 230 in one night
in RINGS. It’s not the funnest thing, I’d rather fight
guys my size but it makes it interesting for fans to see how
the little guy is going to do. I know I’m capable of definitely
pulling off some upsets and could win the tournament I think.
I haven’t really asked PRIDE or pursued it, I said I would
be interested if they asked me to and I wouldn’t turn it
down.
MMA
Weekly: I think what concerns people the most about you wanting
to fight in the tournament is based on what they saw when you
lost to Nogueira at PRIDE 24. Do you feel that it was because
of the short notice and not the weight difference that determined
the outcome of that fight?
Dan
Henderson: I don’t know, it’s hard to say what would
have happened if I had more time to prepare. It might have came
out the same way as it was, but I’m not going to whine about
that. It’s always nice to feel 100% prepared for a fight.
I did get tired and I think that was the turning point of the
fight. When the third round came I was exhausted and I didn’t
do a whole lot and he capitalized on it and submitted me. If
he were my size I think I’d beat him pretty bad, but the
way it is, is he’s bigger and definitely tough and proved
himself. For me that was one of the funner fights I’ve had.
I didn’t have any pressure on me, he’s bigger and I
was supposed to loose, I only kick myself in the butt because
I should have beat him, I just got tired at the end.
MMA
Weekly: If you do enter the Heavyweight Grand Prix, we already
know that Heath Herring and Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic
are scheduled to compete in it, what are your thoughts about
matching up with them?
Dan
Henderson: Heath, well he’s a big guy but he’s had
his struggles these last couple years, I don’t think Holland
is doing him justice in his training and I think that shows in
his performance. I know he just beat Gan McGee, other than that
he hasn’t done that well overall or looked that impressive
to me.
MMA
Weekly: So you’d be more than happy to invite him over to
train with Team Quest?
Dan
Henderson: Oh absolutely. I like Heath Herring, and I think that
would improve him immensely if he did do that.
MMA
Weekly: And Mirko?
Dan
Henderson: I’d think it’d be really fun for me to fight
Cro Cop, I think my style matches up really well with him. I
would definitely have to work on blocking his head kicks. I think
a lot of guys are afraid to exchange with him on their feet,
and that’s what Nogueira's problem was in the first round
of their fight. He was trying to take Mirko down, and didn’t
have that good of a takedown and it didn’t work out well
for him. He exchanged with him in the second round and ended
up getting the takedown. I think that’s the key, to not
be afraid to exchange (with Mirko), and I know I hit hard, and
he probably knows I hit hard, I know he kicks hard and it looks
like he hits hard so it would be interesting. I think the biggest
thing is that I have pretty good takedowns and I know quite a
few submissions. Submissions are tough to get sometimes though,
and I like to stand and fight as well and that’s not out
of the question. I think that’d feel good and see how I’d
do and test myself a little bit. I’d test myself to the
point where I’d be careful about it and not get my head
knocked off.
MMA
Weekly: I’m sure though even if you don’t enter the
tournament you would like to fight sometime soon and most likely
before mid-year correct?
Dan
Henderson: Yes, if I don’t fight in the April show then
I’ll fight in the next one. I want to fight Wanderlei for
the title, or if someone beats him before me then I’ll fight
who ever beat him, I just want that belt.
MMA
Weekly: Have you been contacted about fighting possibly in the
Bushido series?
Dan
Henderson: Not lately, no I haven’t. I was contacted prior
to the first one last year, but that’s right around when
I had my knee surgery so I couldn’t do it. I would be interested
in doing team-themed show though. Something like Team Quest versus
whomever they put in front of us. You know with myself, Matt
Lindland, Evan Tanner, and a couple of our other guys who could
step up and beat some of those guys over there in PRIDE. I think
that would be a big draw and we’d get a big audience for
it. Put us up against the Brazilian Top Team, the Chute Boxe
guys, or a Japanese team and see what happens.
MMA
Weekly: Speaking of Matt, he was said to have been offered a
chance to fight in PRIDE against Sakuraba at Shockwave on New
Year’s Eve but it never materialized. What’s your take
on that?
Dan
Henderson: Well I was going to go with Matt to Japan if the fight
happened, but PRIDE is a little weird sometimes. There might
have been rumors that leaked too early that they didn’t
like so they turned around and did something else. Or it may
have been that Sakuraba wanted to fight (Antonio Rogerio) Nogueira
instead of Matt. I’d love to see Matt over in PRIDE; he’d
be a great asset to them. Plus it would be nice to have a teammate
fighting in Japan with me. There’s also Chris Leben, who
is a lighter fighter, but he wouldn’t be the smallest guy
fighting for PRIDE, I’d like to see him fight in the Bushido
series.
MMA
Weekly: Getting away from Japan for the moment, the last time
we saw you fight Stateside was all the way back at UFC 17 in
1998. Why has it been so long since you’ve fought in the
States and at any time between then and now has there ever been
a deal that’s come close to bringing you here?
Dan
Henderson: I know they like me and I know they would like to
have me there, but for one reason or another there’s never
been an offer put forth at all. They have their reasons and I’m
content the way I am with PRIDE. However, I wouldn’t mind
fighting guys my size, which would be the 185-pound weight class
which the UFC has. I wouldn’t mind fighting for the UFC
or in the US, but you never know what will happen. PRIDE is supposed
to be coming to the States this year and maybe they’ll start
a new lower weight class.
MMA
Weekly: If PRIDE creates a lower weight class, will you concentrate
more on fighting in it or staying in the middleweight division
fighting guys near 205 pounds?
Dan
Henderson: Knowing me I’d probably train to do both. I know
I can beat Wanderlei if I fought him and I’m pretty confident
I could beat any guy at 185 pounds or below. So might as well
do both if it happens.
MMA
Weekly: If you did come to the UFC, obviously you have Matt and
now Evan of your team in the middleweight division, do you think
that may cause some concern for the UFC because you might not
be willing to fight them?
Dan
Henderson: That’s one of the questions that was raised,
that if they did bring me into the UFC if I would fight Matt.
Obviously Matt and myself both fight each other, wrestle each
other, and beat each other up in training for free, we might
as well get paid for it. We’d have fun with it and joke
about it. It’s not a conflict as far as we’re concerned,
but it might be with the UFC, but not us.
MMA
Weekly: We learned recently that Phil Baroni was cleared to fight
by the Mohegan Sun’s Athletic Commission, since he fights
in the UFC and has been something of an arch nemesis to Team
Quest, would you be interested in fighting him if you came to
the UFC?
Dan
Henderson: I’m normally pretty soft-spoken and I don’t
talk smack about anything and Baroni is not that way. I’m
not overly arrogant and conceded with how I portray myself, so
that would be a guy I think would be fun to beat up and Matt
feels the same way. Guys like Baroni are fun to shut up.
MMA
Weekly: So you’d be able to do the same things that Matt
did to neutralize Phil and beat him?
Dan
Henderson: Yeah, but only worse.
MMA
Weekly: So what were the remainder of the plans for 2004 aside
from trying to get a title shot against Wanderlei?
Dan
Henderson: They’re telling me that I will probably fight
in June unless I get into the Grand Prix and also have another
fight by November. I have two more fights under my contract with
PRIDE in which I’m guaranteed two fights by November.
MMA
Weekly: About how much longer do you plan on fighting for?
Dan
Henderson: I don’t know. Originally when was done wrestling
and decided to fight full-time I thought it was only going to
be a year or two, and that was two years ago. I’m just taking
it year by year, but as of now I’m having fun with it and
my body is feeling better now than when I was wrestling. That
was one of the problems when I had said in the past that I was
only going to fight for two years because my body was messed
up. Of course I had knee surgery last year but my body, as a
whole still feels a lot better, so until I feel so worn out and
drained that I don’t feel like training anymore. That’s
the biggest thing, I could probably still get in the ring, but
I don’t want to get in the ring without training. That happens
to a lot of people who get older and don’t train as much
and they still get out there but aren’t as good as they
can be. I’ve still got a year or two left in me, maybe even
up to 6 or 7 years, you never know. I could be like Randy at
age 40 or 41 and going at it still.
MMA
Weekly: Lastly I wanted to mention one of your nicknames which
is “Hollywood Henderson.” With fighters such as Randy,
Matt, Frank Shamrock, Ken Shamrock, Tito Ortiz, Chuck Liddell,
and many PRIDE fighters’ involvement with DSE’s upcoming
movie “Nagurimono,” when will we see you on the silver
screen?
Dan
Henderson: Actually I got hooked up doing a little stunt gig
with Matt a few months ago. It should be coming out on Fox soon
and I believe it’s called “The Jury” but I’m
not sure, we did their first episode. It’s a small step,
but it’s something I’d be interested in doing more.
It’s nice to get paid for something else besides fighting
and it’s fun. I don’t necessarily need the exposure,
but if it’s there, it’s there.
MMA
Weekly: Alright then, thanks for the interview Dan, are there
any closing comments you’d like to make before heading out?
Dan
Henderson: Just drink your Lite Force green drink. You can get
it at our website http://www.tqfc.com and no problem for
the interview, bye.
Source:
MMA Weekly |
LEHIGH'S
COACH STROBEL:
WE HAVE WORK TO DO TO PEAK AT THE NCAA'S
With eight wrestlers going to St. Louis next week for the NCAA
Div. I Wrestling Championships, and with his third straight EIWA
conference victory in the books, Lehigh head coach Greg Strobel
has a lot about which to be happy. And indeed, after three of
his wrestlers had just won consecutive individual EIWA titles
Sunday at The Palestra in Philadelphia, Strobel did express satisfaction.
'From
a team standpoint, it's gratifying to win our third straight
EIWA championship,' he said right after Travis Frick's victory
at 184. 'From a team standpoint, it's gratifying to have eight
guys qualified to go to the (NCAA) Nationals.'
But
he also had some reservations about the performance of some of
his wrestlers who did not take home EIWA championships.
'From
an individual standpoint, I think we could have wrestled better,'
he continued. 'We had a few guys with a good performance. We
had some guys that didn't have good performances at all. And
I just told my assistants, 'We have a lot of work to do between
now and the Nationals to really peak for the Nationals.' '
Among
those with whom Strobel was most satisfied was sophomore Troy
Letters, who won his second straight EIWA title at 165 Sunday
and was an NCAA runner-up last season, losing then only to unbeaten
NCAA champion Matt Lackey of Illinois.
'Letters
dominated his matches,' noted Strobel. In the finals, Letters
decisioned Cornell's Joe Mazzurco, 9-4, getting three takedowns
to only one for his opponent, and also earning a point for riding
time. Letters got to the finals by winning his first three matches
by pinfall, technical fall, and major decision. That included
a semifinal victory of 17-7 over fifth-seeded Michael Barikian
of Navy, who ended up finishing third in the tournament and will
be competing at the NCAA's.
But
the Lehigh coach also was pleased with Matt Ciasulli, a 133-pound
redshirt freshman. Ciasulli made it to the 133-pound finals,
only to lose to three-time EIWA champ and defending 125-pound NCAA champ Travis
Lee of Cornell,
who also earned the EIWA tournament's outstanding wrestler award.
'I thought Ciasulli did a marvelous job wrestling the number
one guy in the country, and good guys as a freshman in this tournament,
taking second,' said Strobel. 'I thought he did a very good job.'
Also
in line for praise were Lehigh's two other titlists. 'Brad Dillon
of course, a very good job beating the nationally ranked guy
in the finals,' Strobel said, referring to Dillon's 7-4 victory
over Rutgers' Andy Roy, clinched by a takedown in the closing
seconds.
'And
then of course, Travis Frick, in his first EIWA title, and probably
the toughest field. 184 is the toughest weight class here in
terms of total balance and power. And for him to win this was
a big, big match for him,' he added. Frick topped another Rutgers
wrestler, Rudy Medini, 5-3 in the finals. Of the 39 slots allocated
to the EIWA for the NCAA championships, six will be filled by
wrestlers at 184, by far the most for any weight.
One
runner-up whom Strobel did offer some criticism was 141-pounder
Cory Cooperman. In the finals he wrestled Doug McGraw of Penn,
who at last year's NCAA championships just missed becoming an
All-American.
Cooperman
took a 6-3 lead against McGraw into the third period of the finals,
but then gave up two takedowns, including one right at the buzzer,
to send the match into overtime, and only because Cooperman had
already accumulated enough riding time for an additional point.
And again as the seconds ticked away in the one-minute sudden
victory period, McGraw scored once again, on the edge of the
mat, with about two seconds left, to take a 10-8 win, and his
first EIWA title.
'He
shut down too early and he got out of his game plan,' analyzed
Strobel about Cooperman's defeat. But, he stressed, 'You can't
take anything away from McGraw. McGraw's a great competitor.
He saw a weakness and he capitalized on it.'
So
now Strobel and his coaching staff of Chris Ayres, Kerry McCoy,
and Jason Kutz will work on improving Lehigh's performance at
the 2004 NCAA Div. I Wrestling Championships, which begin Thursday,
March 18, and run through Saturday, March 20, in St. Louis.
Last
season Lehigh placed fourth at the NCAA's, their highest finish
since 1979. With so much parity in college wrestling this season,
and with top teams like defending NCAA champ and Big 12 champ
Oklahoma State also only having eight wrestlers qualified for
the NCAA's, Lehigh should once again be right in the mix in the
hunt for the national title this year.
LEHIGH
INDIVIDUAL PLACES AT 2004 EIWA CHAMPIONSHIPS
125 -- Mario Stuart, 2nd
133 -- Matt Ciasulli, 2nd
141 -- Cory Cooperman, 2nd
149 -- Matt Anderson, 4th
157 -- Derek Zinck, 2nd
165 -- Troy Letters, 1st
174 -- Brad Dillon, 1st
184 -- Travis Frick, 1st
197 -- Matt Cassidy, 6th
HWT -- Paul Weibel, 6th
Note:
In yesterday's article on the 2004 EIWA Championships, there
were two errors in the scores for the third-place matches, at
149 and 157. Here is the entire corrected list:
Third-Place
Finals
125:
Mike Mormile, Cornell, dec. Jeff Sato, Columbia, 2-1
133: Steve Sutton, Columbia, maj. dec. Bernard Gardner, Army,
11-2
141: Max Meltzer, Harvard, dec. Nate Gulosh, Navy, 3-1
149: Dustin Manotti, Cornell, maj. dec. Matt Anderson, Lehigh,
12-3
157: Scott Roth, Cornell, dec. Brett Vanderveer, Penn, 4-1
165: Michael Barikian, Navy, dec. Kurt Pryor, Army, 7-1
174: Matt Herrington, Penn, dec. Tyler Baier, Cornell, 5-2
184: Jerry Rinaldi, Cornell, maj. dec. Paul Velekei, Penn, 11-2
197: Reggie Lee, Harvard, dec. Thayer Paxton, Navy, 7-4
285: Bode Ogunwole, Harvard, dec. Ramel Meekins, Rutgers, 5-1
Source:
ADCC |
Quote
of the Day
"At the center of the universe is a loving heart that continues
to beat and that wants the best for every person. Anything we
can do to help foster the intellect and spirit and emotional
growth of our fellow human beings, that is our job. Those of
us who have this particular vision must continue against all
odds. Life is for service."
Fred Rogers (of "Mister Rogers" TV fame) |
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Super
Brawl will bring 'other' Inoue home to fight
Posted on: Sunday, March 7, 2004
Advertiser
Staff
Enson Inoue's popularity in Japan is based on his style of fighting.
"All my fights, win or lose, are exciting fights,"
he said.
Gregory Yamamoto • The Honolulu Advertiser
Enson Inoue, younger brother of Egan and a superstar mixed martial
arts competitor in Japan, will compete for the first time in
his career in Hawai'i.
Inoue
will fight Tom Sauer on April 16 in a 210-pound bout at Blaisdell
Arena.
A
former racquetball player while growing up in Manoa, Inoue, 36,
has lived the past 14 years in Japan. Like his brother, he has
become rich and famous as a mixed martial artist fighter.
Enson
is featured in Japanese comic books and a PlayStation video game.
"I
get noticed wherever I go. Once someone comes up to me, I get
mobbed," Inoue said. "I appreciate that. I've never
passed up an autograph."
Although
his record is 11-8, Inoue gained popularity because of his fighting
style.
"They
admire the way he loses as much as the way he wins," said
Patrick Freitas, marketing director for Super Brawl, which is
putting on the April 16 fight.
"Japan
is based on the samurai spirit, the way of the samurai,"
Inoue said. "I've lost four of my last five fights, but
I'm going down fighting, punching, kicking, never holding back.
The Japanese people love that, the samurai spirit. All my fights,
win or lose, are exciting fights."
Exciting
and profitable.
"My
last fight, I got close to half a million," he said.
He
said he hopes to fight until he's 40, or "when my body can't
move, when I can't throw a punch, when I can't hold my stamina
for over a minute. That's when I know I'm done."
Inoue
got involved in mixed martial arts about 16 years ago when he
trained under jiu-jitsu Brazilian master Relson Gracie.
But
his journey to Japan began with racquetball.
"I
went to play racquetball," he said. "Egan won the all-Japan
(tournament) and they wanted him back the next year, but because
he was so busy being No. 1 in the world, they asked, 'What about
your 28th-ranked brother.'
"I
said, 'Free trip to Japan,' let's do it. I (had) never seen Japan."
Enson
won the Japan tournament, and the organizers wanted to keep him
there for seminars.
While
in Japan, Inoue had a friend involved in the martial arts style
called Shooto.
"The
anxiety and fear I felt watching a friend get in the ring was
10 times more than what I ever felt on the racquetball court,"
Inoue said.
After
four years in Japan, during which he helped establish Egan's
E-Force racquetball company, Enson was planning to return to
Hawai'i. But he said he wanted to get into the ring just once
before heading home.
"I
felt a desire to experience that fear personally, and wanted
to see as a man how I would react to that kind of fear and anxiety.
Would I be able to still focus, think straight? So I thought
I needed to get into the ring at least once to experience that,"
he said.
Inoue
said "the press and Japanese people took to my style of
fighting. Now, it's made my life."
He
has since bought a house and resides in Saitama, north of Tokyo.
He returns to Hawai'i on occasion, and whenever his brother Egan
fights here.
"I
come back 2-3 times a year. I'm an Island boy, in and out. It's
a rejuvenation, like a battery charger every so often,"
Inoue said.
Inoue
is married to Miyu, a four-time Japanese world wrestling champion.
They have a son (Erson), who is being raised in Hawai'i.
When
asked who would win in a one-on-one dispute with his wife, Inoue
said, "I run out of the house before that happens."
•
SHORT STRIKES: Tickets for the event will go on sale at a later
date. ... Enson Inoue will turn 37 the day before the April 16
bout ... Inoue, 5 feet 10 and 225 pounds, said he will fight
at 210, the lightest he's been since 1997 ... Hawai'i's Niko
Vitale will fight in the upcoming Super Brawl 34, March 28 at
the War Memorial Gym in Wailuku, Maui. For ticket information
for the Maui event, call (808) 375-1645.
Source:
Honolulu Advertiser
Watch
Channel 6 news for more coverage on Enson!
|
ZST
GT-F (Featherweight Grappling Tournament)
- Complete Results
March 7th, 2004
Odaiba Studio Dream Maker, Tokyo
[Single
Match] *ZST Rule
- Remigijus Morkevicius (Lithuania) def. Takahiro Uchiyama (Musashi
Murayama Dojo) by TKO at 1:48, 1r.
[ZST
Grappring Tournament 1st Round]
- Jiro Wakabayashi (SK Absolute) def. Masakazu Imanari (Team
Roken) by decision (2-1)
-
Jeff Curran (USA / Team Extreme) def. Evaldas Bunevicius (Lithuania)
by triangle choke at 1:23, 1r.
-
Hidehiko Matsumoto (Japan Sambo Federation) def. Noboru Asahi
(Tokyo Yellow Mans) by decision (3-0)
-
Hideo Tokoro (STAND) def. Masahiro 'Jackal' Oishi (K'z FACTORY)
by decision (3-0)
[Semi-Final]
- Wakabayashi def. Jeff Curran by decision (2-1)
- Tokoro def. Matsumoto by decision (2-1)
[Final]
- Wakabayashi def. Tokoro by rear naked choke at 2:39, 2r.
[ZST
Genesis Grappling Tournament 1st Round]
- Takatora Iwasa (SK Absolute) def. Toshiaki Komatsu (Rodeo Style)
by decision (3-0)
- Ken Daikanyama (Team Roken) def. Hirotaka Miyagawa (Team Alliance)
by decision by decision (3-0)
- Chikara Sato (SK Absolute) def. Soichiro Kato (Striple) by
heel hook at 1:28, 1r.
- Yusaku Hanakuma (AXIS JJ Academy) def. Shinichiro Tsunagawa
(K'z FACTORY) by decision (3-0)
[Semi-Final]
- Daikanyama def. Iwasa by decision (3-0)
- Sato def. Hanakuma by decision (3-0)
[Final]
- Sato def. Daikanyama by decision (3-0)
[Genesis
Single Matches] * Grappling Rules
- Yuta Watanabe (G Square) def. Tsuneyuki Nodu (Striple) by armbar
at 3:22, 1r.
- Takuya Fujisawa (Zendo Kai) def. Takeshi Sakamoto (Freelance)
by armbar
Source:
ADCC
|
Ground
Impact 3 - Results
March 7th, 2004
Differ Ariake / Tokyo, Japan
Professional
BJJ matches:
- Kazeka
Muniz defeats Mitsuyoshi Hayakawa by points (2-0).
- Yuki
Nakai defeats Alberto Crane by points (3-0).
- Toshiyuki Wado defeats TAISHO by points (2-0).
- Kuniyoshi Hironaka defeats Daisuke 'Amazon' Sugie by points
(5-0).
- Cristiano
Kaminishi defeats Hiroshi Tsuruya by choke at 6:08.
- Koji Asakura defeats Mario Sergio Yokoyama by points (4-0).
- Naoyoshi Watanabe defeats Cavalcante Junior by points (3-2).
- Tatsuya Onose defeats Naoya Uematsu by points (4-0). |
4th
Arizona Grappling Challenge - Results
The
4th AZGC was held in Tempe,AZ on March 6th. Schools from Arizona,
California, Colorado and California competed at this tournament.
The
standouts of the tournament in the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu division
were: John Kesller (Prescott JJ), won the middle weight white
belt. Kesller submitted all his opponents. Chris Lyons (Cobra
Kai), who won the super heavy weight and the open white belt
(Received a HCK kimono). In the Blue Belt, Jacob McClintock (AZ
Combat Sports/Nova Uniao) won the middle heavy weight and the
open class (Received a HCK Kimono), McClintock submitted all
his opponents. In the Purple Belt, Jeff Glover (Cobra Kai) won
the light weight and the open class (Received a HCK Kimono).
The
standouts of the tournament in the Submission Wrestling division
were: Jeff Glover (Cobra Kai) won the feather weight. David Klein
(Ruffhouse) won the middle weight, Drew Fickett (Az Combat Sports/Nova
Uniao) won the Middle Heavy weight. Jason Miller (Cobra Kai)
won the heavy weight and Joe Riggs (Az Combat Sports/Nova Uniao)
won the super heavy weight. Ulysses Gomez (Cobra Kai) was awarded
with the fastest submission (0:14 seconds).
In
the Super Fight, Marc
Laimon
(Cobra Kai) defeated Martin Escobar (Rey Diogo/De Brazil) by
submission 0:34 seconds.
Source: ADCC |
THREE
WAY DANCE:
LATEST ON BARONI, TANNER AND MURRAY SITUATION
MMAWeekly.com has learned that negotiations are moving along
for some of the fighters in the 185 division, namely Phil Baroni,
Evan Tanner and Lee Murray. It looks like the possibility of
a Baroni vs Tanner fight will happen at UFC 48.
The
UFC has been negotiating with Tanner and while they haven't signed
a contract yet, Tanner told MMAWeekly over the weekend, "I
can't say much. We don't have anything definite right now, but
we may be close". Great news for Tanner and Baroni for that
matter as they settle their fight in the Octagon.
It
also appears that Lee Murray will most likely be on the UFC 48
card as well. Murray is currently negotiating a new three fight
deal with the UFC. No names or opponents have been agreed upon
as far as Murray goes, but MMAWeekly is hearing that he most
likely will be on the same card at UFC 48.
Now
the way things are setting up it would set up a great showdown
in September; as it appears, the most likely scenario is the
winner of Baroni vs Tanner would then face Murray in September,
providing that Murray wins his fight at UFC 48. Either way, the
fans will win as the fans have been vocal as of late wanting
a Baroni vs Tanner fight followed by a Baroni vs Murray showdown.
It looks like things are going that way as negotiations seem
to be moving along.
Source:
MMA Weekly |
LEHIGH
WINS THIRD STRAIGHT EIWA TITLE, TO SEND EIGHT TO NCAA'S
PHILADELPHIA
-- For the 32nd time since it entered the conference in 1913,
and the third year in a row, Lehigh captured the Eastern Intercollegiate
Wrestling Association (EIWA) championship.
The
finals of this two-day, 13-team tournament almost looked like
a Lehigh dual meet, with Lehigh placing seven wrestlers in them.
Three would win, more than enough for the team crown which they
had already clinched during the consolations.
A
crowd of 2883 at The Palestra on the campus of the University
of Pennsylvania witnessed the finals. This was the 100th edition
of these EIWA Championships, which began in 1905.
Lehigh's
most dominating performance was by 165-pound champ Troy Letters,
who defeated Cornell's Joe Mazzurco in the finals, 9-4. Letters
had won his previous three matches by pinfall, technical fall,
and major decision. Letters's victory in the finals was followed
by two more in a row for Lehigh, with Brad Dillon defeating Andy
Roy of Rutgers, 7-4, at 174, and then Travis Frick beating Rudy
Medini of Rutgers, 5-3, at 184.
But
the Outstanding Wrestler Award went to Cornell's 133-pounder,
Travis Lee, an NCAA champion last season at 125. Lee hit six
takedowns en route to a 13-4 major decision over Matt Ciasulli
of Lehigh in the finals. Lee also won his earlier matches by
technical fall and major decision.
Penn,
the host school, finished second, also with three individual
champions. Cornell, with two champions, was third.
Two
wrestlers who won at this event, and are both now three-time
EIWA champs, will likely go into the 2004 NCAA Div. I Wrestling Championships
as top seeds: Travis Lee at 133, and Jesse Jantzen of Harvard at 149.
Coach
John Sacchi of Rutgers, which finished a surprising and strong
fourth, was voted EIWA Coach of the Year by the EIWA coaches.
Rutgers placed two wrestlers in the finals.
Another
key battle at this tournament was for places in the NCAA tournament.
The EIWA is allocated 39 slots. The top three wrestlers in each
weight get to compete at the NCAA's, plus nine other wild cards
selected by the coaches. Lehigh and Cornell also led in this
department, placing eight apiece at the NCAA's, followed by Penn
with seven.
Highlights
of this event will be broadcast locally in Pennsylvania on Saturday,
March 13, beginning at 5 PM EST on Comcast's channel 8.
Here
are the results:
Team
Scoring
1. Lehigh, 145
2. Penn, 120.5
3. Cornell, 118.5
4. Rutgers, 90
5. Army, 67
6. Navy, 66
7. Harvard, 64.5
8. Brown, 43.5
9. Columbia, 36.5
10. Princeton, 23.5
11. East Stroudsburg, 16.5
12. Franklin and Marshall, 6.5
13. American, 2.5
Championship
125: Matt Valenti, Penn, dec. Mario Stuart, Lehigh, 8-2
133: Travis
Lee, Cornell, maj. dec. Matt Ciasulli, Lehigh, 13-4
141: Doug McGraw, Penn, dec. Cory Cooperman, Lehigh, 10-8 (OT)
149: Jesse Jantzen, Harvard, dec. David Dies, Brown, 5-2
157: Phillip Simpson, Army, won by medical forfeit over Derek
Zinck, Lehigh
165: Troy Letters, Lehigh, dec. Joe Mazzurco, Cornell, 9-4
174: Brad Dillon, Lehigh, dec. Andy Roy, Rutgers, 7-4
184: Travis Frick, Lehigh, dec. Rudy Medini, Rutgers, 5-3
197: Matt Greenberg, Cornell, dec. Marcus Schontube, Penn, 3-2
285: Matt Feast, Penn, dec. Tanner Garrett, Navy, 4-1
Third-Place
Finals
125:
Mike Mormile, Cornell, dec. Jeff Sato, Columbia, 2-1
133: Steve Sutton, Columbia, maj. dec. Bernard Gardner, Army,
11-2
141: Max Meltzer, Harvard, dec. Nate Gulosh, Navy, 3-1
149: Matt Anderson, Lehigh, maj. dec. Dustin Manotti, Cornell,
12-3
157: Scott Roth, Cornell, dec. Brett Vanderveer, Penn, 3-1
165: Michael Barikan, Navy, dec. Kurt Pryor, Army, 7-1
174: Matt Herrington, Penn, dec. Tyler Baier, Cornell, 5-2
184: Jerry Rinaldi, Cornell, maj. dec. Paul Velekei, Penn, 11-2
197: Reggie Lee, Harvard, dec. Thayer Paxton, Navy, 7-4
285: Bode Ogunwole, Harvard, dec. Ramel Meekins, Rutgers, 5-1
NCAA
qualifiers
Lehigh, 8
Cornell, 8
Penn, 7
Harvard, 4
Navy, 3
Rutgers, 3
Columbia, 2
Brown, 2
Army, 2
EIWA
Wildcards
Jeff Sato, Columbia, 125
Nate Gulosh, Navy, 141
Matt Anderson, Lehigh, 149
Brett Vanderveer, Penn, 157
Tyler Baier, Cornell, 174
Paul Velekei, Penn, 184
Nick Ciarcia, Brown, 184
Luke Calvert, Army, 184
Ramel Meeking, Rutgers, 275
Source:
ADCC |
Quote
of the Day
"I like living. I have sometimes been wildly, despairingly,
acutely miserable, racked with sorrow, but through it all I still
know quite certainly that just to be alive is a grand thing."
Agatha Christie, 1891-1976, British Mystery Writer
|
Help
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Please bookmark our news page so that you go there directly.
Try not to down the flash intro everyday unless you absolutely
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We
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check it daily and tell your friends about our site!
Aloha! |
Fighters'
Club TV Moved for This Tuesday's Show!
Due to a live legislature
hearing, the following change has been made:
Fighter's
Club TV scheduled on 3/9, Channel 52, 6:00 pm has been MOVED
to 3/9, Channel 52, 10:00 pm.
Thank you
for your understanding.
Olelo Programming
Fighters'
Club TV Episode 19 is cut and submitted to programming. It's
scheduled to run from this Tuesday (3/2/04) on Channel 52 at
6:00PM and will repeat for the following three Tuesdays (March
9, 16, and 23) and has a little something for everyone.
EPISODE 19 features:
-Highlights from Ray and Monica Cooper's "AFC 4", including
interviews with both winners and Ray "Braddah" Cooper
-Highlights from Master Mike Del Mar's "Solo Baton Escrima
Tournament"
-Highlights from the 6th "Sport's Jiujitsu Tournament"
+ interview with tournament coordinator, Tommy Lam
Technique of the Week:
-BJ Penn (a MUST SEE!)
Comments, Questions or Suggestions?
Please
contact us at: fightersclubtv808@hotmail.com
|
Quadros
on Without A Trace Thursday Night
Thursday, March 11, on CBS at 10:00 P.M. I am co-starring in
a hot
new TV show called "Without A Trace". Anthony LaPaglia
just won
a Golden Globe award for the series. Check it out!
Take
care,
The
Fight Professor
http://StephenQuadros.com
|
K-1
TRYING TO PUT TOGETHER TANK VS BRIGGS
MMAWeekly.com has learned that K-1 is trying to put together
a Shannon Briggs vs Tank Abbott match up at the upcoming K-1
event in April at the Bellagio.
Abbott
was planning on fighting in the UFC on April 2nd against Ken
Shamrock, but K-1 has been coming hard at him and there is a
possibility that K-1 will make a huge offer to sign Abbott to
face the Heavyweight Boxer, Briggs.
If
Briggs and Tank accept the fight, then there is some talk that
maybe Kimo could be the guy to replace Tank against Shamrock
in the UFC, but at this point it's just too early to tell. Bottom
line is that K-1 is looking to spend a lot of money to pull off
this deal and it's unknown right now if both fighters will accept
the money and the fight.
The
K-1 event, which will be headlined by the sport’s typical
eight-man, single-elimination tournament as well as several single
“Superfights”, will be staged inside Las Vegas, Nevada’s
Bellagio Hotel and Casino, 6,000 crowd capacity arena.
The
April 30th lineup has yet to be announced, but is expected to
gradually take shape over the course of the next several weeks.
Among the K-1 veterans who have already been listed as possible
“Battle At The Bellagio II” participants are 2003 K-1
USA champion Carter Williams, two-time K-1 tournament champion
Michael McDonald, two-time world kickboxing champion Dewey “The
Black Kobra” Cooper, and Superfight veteran sensation Cung
Le; as well as, former International Boxing Federation (IBF)
world heavyweight champion, Francois Botha, have been named as
candidates to make their North American K-1 debuts.
Source: MMA Weekly |
Good
Sports: Trio train for the fight of their lives
Rich
Franklin/West Chester, Kerry Schall/West Chester, Josh Rafferty/Western
Hills
The
rules of engagement forbid eye-poking. There's no biting, no
fish-hooking an opponent's jaw, no spine-striking, no head-butting
and absolutely no finger-breaking.
Spend five minutes with Rich Franklin, Josh Rafferty and Kerry
Schall, and you'll see why full-contact fighting doesn't always
warrant a bad rep.
"When
the sport first started, there were basically no rules. Now it's
a competition using martial arts that makes it safe for the fighter,"
Schall said. "It's so exciting, but it's something that's
so hard to explain."
Mixed
martial arts integrates various disciplines, including boxing,
kickboxing, wrestling and jujitsu. Fighters rely on mental and
physical strategy to force their opponents into submission.
Franklin competes at the sport's elite level as a top light-heavyweight
in Ultimate Fighting Championship bouts. The 6-foot-1, 205-pounder
dealt TKOs in his first UFC fights in April and November.
Schall,
a super heavyweight at 6-3, 295 pounds, directs International
Combat Events, an amateur showcase at Tori's Station in Fairfield
March 19, while fighting on the side. Rafferty, a 6-1, 185-pound
middleweight, competes in smaller pro tournaments.
All
three were active in high school sports but sought alternatives
to mainstream athletics. Franklin, who was smitten after seeing
a fight in Indiana, first competed in 1998 as an amateur.
"It's
unlike any sport, because you have to be good at a lot of different
things. You have to box like a boxer, kick like a kickboxer and
grapple like a wrestler," Franklin said.
Although
the fighters' only protection is gloves that leave their fingers
exposed, none of the three has suffered a major injury. In 21
professional fights, Schall said his worst affliction was a black
eye.
Together
the three train a combined 65 hours a week. Maintaining endurance
for the typical three, five-minute rounds isn't easy, but Rafferty
said 90 percent of fighting is in your head.
"It's
the hardest sport I've done in my life," Rafferty said.
"And I've tried everything."
Source: The Enquirer |
Interview:
Catching Up With AARON RILEY
Recently
Aaron Riley moved to Florida and joined the American Top Team.
Since fans saw Aaron lose a decision to Robbie Lawler in UFC
37 he went on to beat Alexandre Barros, lose to Chris Lytle,
beat Nick Gilardi and Cedric Marks, and most recently lose to
Sam Morgan. This segment of the rocky road Aaron has traveled
he mostly traveled alone, having left AMC Pankration in 2002.
Now that Aaron has joined the American Top Team he has the potential
to temper his explosive standup with the guidance of the team
that has made such improvements to Din Thomas and Jeff Monson.
KM:
So you are down in Florida now.
AR: Yeah. Everything is going really well, been having, a good
time down here. It’s been about three weeks now.
KM:
Last time we updated you were preparing for a fight in Mexico
(Vale Tudo Mexico, 8/30/03)? I think I missed one fight of yours.
AR: Yeah, I was in Mexico against Cedric Marks and then I was
in Vegas against Sam Morgan in Shooto. Mexico was a good showing.
Vegas really wasn’t. I wasn’t on top of my game at
all. (Since then) just kind of hanging out trying to figure out
what I was going to do team wise because I knew I really needed
to change some things up. I made the decision and now I’m
down here and I‘m pretty happy with the decision so far.
KM:
When you left AMC Pankration the perception was they were forcing
you against your instincts, taking away from your standup. Coming
down here I know better but most people have the perception of
the American Top Team is packed with Brazilian jiu-jitsu black
belts but not known for their standup. It seems like a repeat
of AMC. How do you feel about that perception?
AR: I think that is completely a mis-conception because ATT has
everything to offer in the sense of they have a gold medalist
boxing coach Howard Davis. Howard has really rounded out Din’s
boxing. There is so much to offer, it’s not just a bunch
of jiu-jitsu guys. Then you have guys like (Thiago) Pitbull (Alves)
who already come to us with standup. (Gesias) JZ (Calvancanti)
is a great wrestler. Anything I need to work on…wrestling,
boxing, muay thai, jiu-jitsu….there is always a guy in the
gym that is better than me at a particular style so I can always
go to that guy for help. All the coaches are so good…there
is so much to offer. I am very pleased with the training program.
KM:
When is your next fight?
AR: End of March. HOOKnSHOOT on March 27th against Nuri Shakir.
It is a match at 170. I was kind of entertaining the idea of
dropping down in weight. I have to get together with a dietician
and take a scientific approach because I haven’t been down
that low in a long time. It’s something I think will be
in my best interest to do that, so we’ll just wait and see
how the chips fall on that. I’m looking to get maybe one
or two fights at 170 and trying to get back on track and then
look at making the drop around summer. I’m not putting any
pressure on myself, I just want to get back on track.
KM:
How do you feel about fighting Nuri?
AR: I think it will be an exciting fight. Based on what he put
out tonight (note: AFC 7) he’s a real tough guy, looks like
he is well-rounded. It will be a tough fight and I look forward
to getting back in there.
KM:
How much do you think you can change between now and that fight?
AR: Already some things have changed. It’s been a good experience
being down here. My boxing skill has been brought back up to
a certain level and just brushing up on everything. It’s
been good to have a new look working with the jiu-jitsu guys
and everything. I think my game in all areas has come up.
KM:
Anything else to get across to the fans right now?
AR: Hopefully all the fans that have supported me so for just
keep supporting me and look for a new and improved Aaron Riley
in 2004.
Source: ADCC |
Atlantic
City "Russian Invasion"
Ten Days Away And Counting
By Loretta Hunt
March
13th will mark the arrival of not one, but ten Russian mixed
martial artists to New Jersey's chilly, yet inviting, eastern
shores. In an event tagged as the "USA vs. Russia,"
ten Red Devil Sports Club members will square off against various
representatives from some of America's more notable fight teams
and schools. The event is scheduled to take place at Atlantic
City's decadent Trump Taj Mahal, in its 5,000-seat arena that
was home to UFC's 28,30, and 31.
In
the wake of Holland's recent 2Hot2Handle event, the card has
shifted slightly, but promoter Euphoria Entertainment is still
touting ten 3-round bouts of mixed martial arts action. Of the
changes, Team Quest's Chael Sonnen has been tapped to take on
Arman Gambaryan at 205 pounds, while WFA and AFC vet Chatt Lavender
makes his return to competition to take on Sergei Bal in the
welterweight division. With a broken hand sustained at 2H2H,
heavyweight Ibragim Magomedev has dropped from the roster and
his intended rematch with Dave Strasser student Ben Rothwell
will be replaced by a 155-pound match-up to be named shortly.
AKA's Brian Ebersole has also joined the American line-up to
face light-heavyweight Alexei Veselozorov.
Due
to early reports that M-1 heavyweight champion Roman Zentsov
was knocked out in his last fight against Michael Knaap, also
at February 22nd's 2H2H, there has been some speculation as to
the fighter's eligibility to compete under the New Jersey Athletic
Control Board's parameters in the event's main event. However,
these reports may have been a bit premature in nature. Red Devil
reps immediately protested the KO loss and the referee's intervention
in the match, and although the bout outcome was not adjusted
to a no contest, the process did yield some benefits for the
Russian fighter. Upon review of the fight footage, 2H2H drafted
a letter stating that Zentsov was knocked down but not OUT by
the punch, and admitted to "poor judging by the referee."
Zentsov was also subjected to a CAT scan following the bout as
a safety precaution which provided normal results. In addition,
the attending ringside physician submitted a written document
also confirming that Zentsov was not knocked out and that he
has placed no restrictions on the fighter to compete in future
bouts. At this time, Red Devil has supplied the NJACB with these
three documents supporting Zentsov's request to participate.
Euphoria promoters are confident the board will approve the Russian
delegate, and Zentsov is still scheduled to arrive in Atlantic
City with his teammates next week.
For
more information on the event, call (609) 449-1000 or (800) 825-8888.
Tickets are available at www.ticketmaster.com
Updated
card for Mixed Martial Arts: Russian Invasion
265 LBS: Roman Zentsov (Red Devil Team) v. Jeff Monson (American
Top team)
185
LBS: Andrei Semenov (Red Devil Team) v. Trevor Prangley (American
Kickboxing Academy)
170
LBS: Musail Alaudinov (Red Devil Team) v. Derrick Noble (Silverbacks)
185
LBS: Denis Komkin (Red Devil Team) v. Joe D'Arce (Team Renzo
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