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(All events on Oahu, unless noted)
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)
August
Ring of Honor 6
( Kickboxing/MMA)
(Maui)
Tentative
8/15/04
Pride
All Stars Show
(MMA)
(Japan)
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)
6/20/04
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)
4/16/04
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)
4/3/04
Kickin' It
(Kickboxing)
(Palama Settlement Gym)
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 2
Wednesday
night and Sunday classes (w/ a kids' class) now offered!
 
For the special Onzuka.com
price, click on one of these banners above! |
Quote
of the Day
"No matter what age you are, or what your circumstances
might be, you are special, and you still have something unique
to offer. Your life, because of who you are, has meaning."
Barbara De Angelis {American Relationship Expert}
|
KICKIN
IT IS BACK FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 2004
WHAT-AMATEUR KICKBOXING
WHEN-APRIL 3RD 2004
WHERE-PALAMA SETTLEMENT GYM
TICKETS-$15.00 (pre-sale) $20.00 (at the door)
AVAILABLE AT ALL PARTICIPATING SCHOOLS
FEATURED MATCH:
SIXTEEN YEAR OLD KICKIN IT AGAIN LIGHTWEIGHT CHAMPION DAVID BALICAO
OF THE NANAKULI KICKBOXING CREW DEFENDS HIS TITLEAGAINST MUAY
THAI FIGHTER DEREK MINN (21) FROM LAUPAHOEHOE SCHOOL OF MUAY
THAI WHO IS WELL KNOWN FOR HIS POWERFUL KICKS.WILL AGE PLAY A
FACTOR AT THIS FIGHT, COME AND FIND OUT?
JUSTIN DANO 160lbs. GREG KALIKANE
ULA KAMEALOHA 160LBS. NICK GEGA
ANTONIO SCHMIDT 120 LBS. DEVIN DAMO
CHAD PAVAO 120LBS. BRONSON ELLIS
TANI NAHALEA 160LBS. PAT MENESIS
DOUG AMARAL 200LBS. GUN WHEELER
JOSHUA BAKER 140LBS. RUSSEL BARR
SHELTON GURERRO 190LBS. JON TEXEIRA
DIDO RODRIGUES 60LBS. KAWAI
SHAWN AHLO 80LBS. KO FABEY
DAHWEN BRIGHT 45LBS. TRISTON
AND MORE EXCITING BOUTS MATCHES MAY BE SUBJECT TO CHANGE
Source: Event Promoter |
K-1
World GP 2004 Japan
March 27th, 2003
Saitama Super Arena
Saitama, Japan
Akebono vs. Musashi
Bob Sapp vs. TBA
Alexey Ignashov vs. Carter Williams
Ernesto Hoost vs. Remy Bonjasky
Shannon Briggs vs. Tom Erikson
Francois Botha vs. Aziz Khattou
Mike Bernardo vs. Jan Nortje
Jerrol Venetiaan vs. Sergei Gur
Cyril Abidi vs. Hiraku Hori
Looks
to be a strong card, but how many times do we have to watch Jan
Nortje lose.
Source:
MMA Weekly |
SHOOTO
- Big Event This Weekend in Tokyo!
March 22nd, 2004
Kourakuen Hall Tokyo, Japan
This card features the debut of former UFC Champion Jens Pulver
in SHOOTO, as well as the return of Caol Uno, perhaps SHOOTO's
biggest crossover star.
COMPLETE
CARD - Subject To Change:
Class
B - 2 x 5 minutes rounds:
Bantamweight
[-56.0Kg] 2004 Rookie Tournament 1st Round
- Heat Takeshi vs. BJ
Lightweight
[-65.0Kg]
- Akitoshi Tamura vs. Eiji Murayama
Middleweight
[-76.0Kg]
- Shigetoshi Iwase vs. Yoshifumi Dougaki
[-68.0Kg]
- Yohei Suzuki vs. Lion Takeshi
Class
A - 3 x 5 minutes rounds:
Lightweight
[-65.0Kg]
- Naoya Uematsu vs. Jens Pulver
Welterweight
[-70.0Kg]
- Tatsuya Kawajiri vs. Caol Uno
Source:
ADCC |
CHUTE
BOXE: Rafael Cordeiro gets the Black Belt
by Marcelo Alonso
Four months after Wanderlei Silva it was the time Rafael Cordeiro
(Muay teacher and Rudimar´s right hand) get his Jiu-Jitsu
black belt from the hands of his master, Cristiano Marcelo. 'He
has always been the most technical of the team. It´s a
big honour for me to graduated him who is training JJ for almost
10 years' said Marcelo, who also released the black belt to his
student Ocimar Costa (vice champion in Copa do Mundo 2003 - brown
belt). The debut was made in great style. Rafael trained with
Wanderlei Silva and Ocimar trained with Cristiano.
The
ceremony hapened yesterday (march 17) in the famous aulão
(a big class joining all Chute Boxe branches) that packed new
Chute Boxe headquarter with almost 400 people. 'In next Mundial
I´ll prove that Chute Boxe is also a strong Jiu-Jitsu Team.
I´ll bring 30 guys to show that in Rio. I´m sure
at least five has good conditions to bring medals to Curitiba',
guaranteed Chute Boxe´s Jiu-Jitsu teacher. Ze Augusto was
the only one to get the Muay Thai black belt being tested by
Wanderlei, Nilson Castro and Shogun. During the ceremony Cordeiro
confirmed next two editions of Storm Samurai. April 16 in São
Paulo and April 18 in Curitiba.
Source:
ADCC |
Gurgel:
The Alliance's General
Fábio Gurgel
By André Araújo
The
34 year old BJJ black belt Fábio Gurgel (Alliance Team)
is close to come back to the mats. The return may happen in a
great style: by his BJJ pupils Marcelo Garcia, Fernando Soluço
and Tarsis Humphreys' side at the "Brasileiro de Equipes",
that happens next October. During an exclusive to Team TATAME,
the Alliance's General talks about Alliance plans for the future,
about being a manager and his BJJ revelation Marcelo Garcia,
who comes ruling all submission events.
Tell
me. Are you gonna come back to the mats? Are you confirmed at
the upcoming tournament one?
I
hope so. The idea is fighting. My kids also put pressure for
me join the adult division. I have other priorities in my life.
Some of them related to the fight world. But the competition
is no longer a priority now. I have been training and I want
to be ready when my time comes.
You
met Jacaré during this last trip to US (Submission Wrestling
Open). How is you relationship with him?
In
fact Romero Jacaré is the reason of Alliance's existence.
When old Alliance fighters left the group and formed Master,
he accepted both teams, considering that both teams were below
him. He was my teacher and our friendship has never shaken. It
was a pleasure to celebrate Marcelo victory by Jacaré's
side. Marcelo also left with him to Atlanta before fighting in
Ohio and spent a week in his house. All my pupils go there when
I send them to US.
You
mentioned the athletes leaving. At that time Alliance suffered
with their absence and you had a strong mind to continue. Today
with Marcelinho, Alliance is on the Top again...
What
I've proved after their leaving is that Alliance never belong
to one athlete. It all began with Jacaré and then many
other athletes represented the team. The other stars goes away,
but the school remains. It is just a matter of time. Marcelinho
assumed the position and he has been ruling it. But alone, he
would be nothing. Today, besides Garcia, we have been working
with strong fighters as Tarsis and Soluço and many other
brown belts. You know I cannot graduate athletes to black belt
in days. But we never believed that Alliance would finish.
We
received lots of commentaries that say that Marcelinho's real
master is Paulão Resende. You were the responsible for
his black belt...
I
am sure that every person that passed to Marcelinho's life has
been contributing for what he is today. Paulão is out
of question important to his life. He trained Marcelinho for
a long time. Even his first teacher was fundamental. When I started
to train Marcelinho he had great gi technical level. But he never
had trained no gi before.
The
interesting thing is that Marcelo's game seems more efficient
at Submission than Jiu-Jitsu...
In
fact I don't think his game is better for Submission. What happens
is harder to stop his game with no gi. So, the opponents cannot
find a way out. Wearing a gi he is also good. He had great victories
last year and just got defeated to Tererê at the final
of the open class.
Fernando
Tererê teased you saying that the swiping he applied in
Marcelo he had learned with you. How come did you face that statement?
With a good mood?
Its
hard to face a defeat with good mood. The fact he won my pupil
using a move I've taught him does not bother me. If he wants
to do this kind of comment, he could say he had learned many
other moves with me. Today there is no more hard feeling about
this subject.
Tell
me about Alliance's plans. How is the team for the BJJ World
Championship?
We
keep doing our job with black belts, but of course we gonna have
room among the black belts. We gonna be running for the base
categories. Alexandre Paiva in Rio de Janeiro, Élcio Figueiredo
from Integração in São Paulo are helping
us. We also gonna count with Vitória guys as Bruno de
Paula and Rodrigo Damn, that has been winning Submission shows
in Brazil. Today there is a huge distance between Alliance and
Gracie Barra, that is the best BJJ team in my opinion. We don't
want turn into a strong team or even hire new black belts. We
want to develop our work.
Marcelo
has been ruling the international scene. You have been showing
you are a great side as manager...
We
should be careful with Marcelinho's career. He is not a race
horse. We have to take advantage of this moment. He recently
launched six DVD outside and my intention is doing the same with
him I did for me in the past. His thing today is about training.
The rest I do it and he trusts in me.
A
big part of the athletes complain that they don't make money
with Jiu-Jitsu. You have been proving the opposite.
Since
the moment I decided to live my life with Jiu-Jitsu, I faced
it so serious and I am fine today with that. People love complaining
and they do nothing to change this situation. Its too easy being
seated and waiting forever for a big shot. Who lives for Jiu-Jitsu
has to move itself and input some creativity. That's the way
to earn money.
Source:
Tatame |
RVT
x GB Combat Team at Wrestling
Great combats promise to rule the State Wrestling Championship
that happen tomorrow (20) at the Centro de Educação
Integrada of Quintino (RJ). Besides the main athletes of the
State, the tournament will feature unseen bouts. The ex-Ruas
Vale-Tudo partners, Antoine Jaoude (RVT) and Renato Babalú
(Gracie Barra Combat Team) will be competing in the same weight
category and their bouts will only depend of the brackets. "We
are waiting for those combats. We all knew that teams would be
facing eachother someday. It's just a matter of time, "
commented the Associated Fighting Confederation Beto Leitão.
According to the Gracie Barra Combat team manager Carlos Malta,
besides Renato Babalú, Alexandre Cacareco and Clayton
Mangueira subscript the tournament.
Source:
Tatame |
|
COUTURE
BREAKS DOWN CHUCK VS TITO
Randy
"The Natural" Couture was the featured guest on MMAWeekly's
SoundOff Radio Show Thursday. Randy spoke about a rematch with
Vitor Belfort, the fight between Tito Ortiz and Chuck Liddell,
his Sport Fight promotion and the changing face of the UFC.
Everything
is going great, said Couture. He is hearing that a rematch with
Vitor Belfort for the UFC light heavyweight title will happen
late this summer. Randy stated, "As long as he fights, I
don't care. As long as we get a chance to step in and settle
that competition properly in what I consider a real fight, that'll
be fine by me. I can wait til the end of the summer to do that."
Randy
is in training right now and is training, "all the time."
He is doing some "low key" workouts, just trying out
some new things and having fun. Ten weeks before his fight, Couture
will start to do "two a days" and his diet will get
strict. He will then start to focus on what he needs to do to
execute his game plan. He said that coming off a loss, a fighter
has the tendency to evaluate themselves harshly to figure out
what went wrong and what changes need to be made.
Couture
has already trained to fight Belfort and doesn't think his game
plan is going to change very much this time. The time gives him
the opportunity to sharpen up some things and enjoy training.
Randy said it's not about wins and loses or records or even the
exchanging of the belt. "It's about going out and giving
your best performance and being the best fighter you can be,"
Couture commented. He added, even having done that, sometimes
you still lose.
Couture
talked about his Alkaline diet briefly. He said it is just a
matter of increasing the intake of "greens" in your
regular diet, raw preferably. With the aid of supplements, the
diet reduces the acidic build up in your body and increases the
red blood cell's ability to carry oxygen as efficiently as possible.
As some may recall from health class, it is the imbalance of
acid to oxygen that causes muscle soreness. The Alkaline diet
will increase energy, speed up recovery time, and overall, promotes
good health.
"The
Natural" will be at UFC 47, two weeks from today, doing
some promoting for some upcoming events. He is "excited"
about the Tito Ortiz and Chuck Liddell fight. Randy has fought
and beaten both of them recently and broke down how he sees the
fight playing out. Randy said, "you can make a case for
either guy," and "it's going to be a great fight."
Couture
is leaning toward Liddell to win, saying, "Chuck is very
hard to takedown. He is very hard once you get him down to hold
him down." He thinks that Tito's best position is to get
a fighter down, on top of them and pound on them. He thinks Chuck
will keep "popping" back up and will eventually give
Tito problems. Couture said that Liddell shouldn't even worry
about being taken down because everyone who has taken Chuck down,
he has been able to scramble back to his feet.
With
this being a three round fight, Randy doesn't feel conditioning
will be a factor. He pointed out that Ortiz is always well conditioned
and will probably try to push the pace and hope that Chuck can't
keep up. Both fighters have been training hard and Couture has
no doubt that "both will be ready."
Randy
discussed his Oregon based fight promotion of Sport Fight. Couture
and Matt Lindland spearheaded the effort to get Mixed Martial
Arts sanctioned in the state of Oregon and were the first to
get their professional promoter's license to hold professional
events. The problem most states have with MMA is that they lump
it in with events like "Tough Man" and Oregon has an
"extreme fighting" law on their books. Randy and Matt
went to court and a judge ruled in their favor that MMA does
not fall under the definition of "extreme fighting."
Legalized MMA in Oregon and Sport Fight were born.
Couture
spoke a little on the changing face of the UFC. He said they
used to want to put the best fighters in the cage against the
best fighters but it just wasn't financially beneficial. Understandably,
he said, the UFC had to change focus to who can sell tickets.
He thinks now, they are looking for personalities who can fight
but more importantly sell tickets. He commented that it is in
his best interest for the UFC to breakeven or make a profit for
his own job security.
To
hear all of what Randy had to say, like wanting to see Phil Baroni
"get his ass kicked," get yourself a Premium Membership.
For only five dollars a month, you get access to the radio archive,
our video section of one on one interviews, behind the scene's
footage of weigh-ins, press conferences, tips of the week from
the fighters themselves and more. For the price of a fast food
value meal, you can have a month's worth of MMA to feast on.
Source:
MMA Weekly |
TITO'S
TRAINING DAY
MMAWeekly.com's Eric Adrian and Steve Leband covered Tito Ortiz's
press conference yesterday in Southern California. Adrian has
this report from camp....
Tito
arrived at the boxing gym right around 11 a.m. looking relaxed
and ready to train. He seemed in good spirits and welcomed everyone
who was there. He took his time taping up his hands, and then
jumped rope to warm up.
After
his warm-up, Tito shadowboxed for about 10 minutes, throwing
quick punch and kick combos. Tito was showing good hand speed
and great form.
When
asked if Chuck had evolved as a fighter as he (Tito) has Tito
said:
“Liddell
is the exact same fighter he was 2 years ago…I have his
last 8 fights on tape…I’ll take you through them and
show you…”
When
asked if his youth would be a factor:
“There
is no age factor in the UFC!! Randy proved that!”
When
asked about his loss to Randy Couture:
“Randy
outwrestled me for 5 rounds…He found my weakness…Where
he was stronger than I was…”
When
asked where he sees himself in 5 years:
“In
the movies…making movies… I’m not knocking Randy
Couture, but I’m not going to be fighting for what, 100…180
thousand when I’m 40 or 41…That might seem a lot to
the guy who makes 50 thousand a year, but its not…”
Tito
also commented on gassing out to Frank Shamrock and how that
made him become the cardio machine that he is today. He touched
briefly on his training with the use of the infamous altitude
machine and how he prefers to train here in Orange County as
opposed to Big Bear. He said that he wants to watch his son grow;
that is the most important thing to him right now.
He
also touched briefly on the Lee Murray situation, the street
fight (where he said that he did get hit by Murray), and Murray’s
proposal to fight if Tito can make 200 lbs. on the day of the
fight. He said that he has no problem making the weight and he
will put in the extra effort to do so.
He
said that he is in great shape and is looking forward to the
Liddell fight. He feels that he will peak in his training right
around the time of the fight. Tito says that his nagging injuries
are gone and that he will be pushing the pace of the fight. He
also stated that he will be looking to end the fight as quickly
as possible. When asked if he is going for the knockout, he thinks
that it would be nice, as he hasn’t knocked out too many
people in his career.
After
talking to the press, the former champ throws combos at the heavy
bag, warming up for his sparring partner. Tito sparred with a
former WBO/WBF champion. The sparring lasted for about 15-20
minutes with Tito really picking up the pace towards the end.
Source:
MMA Weekly |
WEC'S
LATEST SHOW COMING TOGETHER
World Extreme Cagefighting is ready for it's next show coming
to the Palace Casino in Lemoore California on May 21st and the
names should make many MMA fans very happy.
Right
now WEC President Scott Adams has been working on the card. While
things are still being worked out, some of the better names in
the fightworld will be competing.
Gil
Castillo, from Cesar Gracie's camp has been offered to fight
Team Quest member Ryan Schultz. A couple of UFC veterans look
to battle as Mark Weir will face Benji Radach. Mr. International
Shonie Carter puts his WEC Title on the line against UFC Veteran
Karo Parisyan. Another title on the line has WEC Champ Chris
Leben fighting Steve Heath for the WEC Middleweight Title.
One
of the biggest fan favorites in California, Olaf, has agreed
verbally to face Jason Maxwell, so as you can see this has the
potential to be an outstanding card. "We are happy to go
back outdoors for this one to increase seating....we should be
able to seat 5,000 for this one, so we look forward to another
sell-out at the Palace Casino," Adams told MMAWeekly.
One
other item of good news for the show. These fights will once
again be shown on HDNet, the high definition channel and they
will split this card into a couple of shows. "We are very
pleased to be working with HDNet again and their commitment to
mixed martial arts," Adams said. WEC and HDNet have hired
respected commentators Ryan Bennett and Jeff Blatnick to do the
show for the national TVaudience.
Source: MMA Weekly |
EDWARDS
TALKS ABOUT UPCOMING FIGHT
MMAWeekly SoundOff Radio talked with Yves Edwards Thursday as
a part of it's Sixteen Fighters in Sixteen Days. Yves will be
fighting Hermes Franca at UFC 47 and is just getting over the
flu. Edwards has been sick for about a week with temperatures
over 100. He did train last night and ran this morning and is
"feeling good right now."
Edwards
usually does get sick before fights. He sited several times in
the past where this has happened to him. Yves said he is "not
worried about it." He is "not far off where I need
to be."
Yves
has been working on some things to "counteract" Hermes'
game. He said that he has a different mindset going into each
fight. He predicts that Franca will start slow and pay for it.
Edwards thinks Hermes will try to stand with him, "thinking
that he can," and "he will realize that was a bad idea."
His game plan is to "come in strong" and punish Franca.
Rumors
are swirling about the winner of this fight getting to fight
Josh Thomson for the 155 pound title. Yves said he isn't concerned
with what comes next, he is focused on the task at hand first.
He went on to say that the title is his main goal, that's what
he wants. He said that his son and the title are the most important
things to him, "in that order."
For
those of you who have High Definition TV, Edwards' WEC bout against
Deshaun Johnson will air this Sunday night and Monday too. Check
your listings for the exact times in your area.
Source:
MMA Weekly |
Quote
of the Day
It doesn't matter which side of the fence you get off on sometimes.
What matters most is getting off. You cannot make progress without
making decisions.
Jim Rohn, American Businessman, Author, Speaker, Philosopher
|
Maui
Submission Grappling Tournament Update
The
date has been set, July 24th!
The much
anticipated Maui Submission Grappling tournament will take place
at the Maui War Memorial Gymnasium and the promoters are inviting
everyone statewide to test their skills against Maui’s best
submission grapplers. Due the event being on Maui, the promoter
wanted to let everyone know about the date well in advance, so
everyone can work out their travel plans. More information will
be sent out to all the academies as the event nears. If you or
your school would like to be put on their mailing list, please
email Lee at Mauibadboy@aol.com or call him at (808)
283-7460.
|
Hawaii's
Premier Kickboxing Event's
Next Show Announced!
Kickin’ It
Palama Settlement Gym, Honolulu, Hawaii
April 3, 2004
More
details to follow shortly
|
Brazilian
Top Team Looking for Gold in Korea, Marcelo Garcia on Fire, HEAT
FC 3 Set to Go and MMA New Show Frenzy in Brazil!
The
Brazilian Beat:
It's been
a long time but we're back! After one of the longest hiatus ever
in its history the Brazilian Beat is finally back after a amazing
wave of new MMA shows popping up recently in Brazil. This theme
has been approached for a long time already in this space, as
new promoters are venturing themselves into MMA more and more
and never before this country had so many shows going on in such
a short period of time. In this edition we'll run trough this
true MMA frenzy giving news and results on most of the new promotions.
However, the most traditional ones such as MECA, HEAT and even
Shooto Brazil are also on the run for new projects and we bring
you some tidbits about them as well. With so many events going
on, FCF still managed to find space for some other Brazilian
MMA news as Belfort enjoys his honeymoon, Sperry travels looking
for fun although business never leave him alone, his pupils prepare
to take their act to Korea, Ninja prepares his wedding and recovers
from injury and Marcelo Garcia is simply THE MAN in Submission
grappling nowadays. So, enjoy the news as it may take long, but
they never cease as FCF keeps bouncing back with the beat in
the already traditional Brazilian rhythm style!
UFC Light-heavyweight champion Vitor Belfort finally took time
to enjoy his honeymoon with his wife Joana Prado, as both are
traveling on vacation trough the Caribbean islands. Vitor got
married last December, and haven't had chance to go on honeymoon
since then, with his fight against Randy Couture in January plus
all the problems with his missing sister. After his late honeymoon,
"The Phenom" is going to minister seminars for the
first time in his life, showing MMA and Grappling techniques
in some academies in California. Speaking of his sister, Brazilian
police still has no clue on where's Priscila Belfort, as investigations
are stalled now and sadly hope is fading away. FCF still hopes
for the best and if anyone has any news regarding Priscila, please
contact the Brazilian police and inform them.
Fresh
from his stunning KO win at PRIDE BUSHIDO 2, legendary fighter
Mario Sperry is finally taking some time to enjoy vacation with
his wife, as he is going to attend an invitation of his friends
over Abu Dhabi and spend some time in the city. The multiple
times Jiu-Jitsu champion had to postpone the trip a number of
times due to his numerous activities with his fighters at the
Brazilian Top Team. Although Mario didn't confirm, there's always
the chance some business may happen after this stay in the Middle
East. Since Sperry's life is not only about business, the "Zen
Machine" will also enjoy some surfing extending his trip
to the Falkland Islands, after meeting up his friends in Abu
Dhabi.
It
seems that the plans for a big MMA event in Korea are now finally
going to unfold, as Brazilian fighters are already preparing
to compete there in June. After postponements, the big time show,
called Ultra FC, which was planned to take place in the end of
2003, is now getting set for June of 2004 and Brazilian Top Team
looks to be sending PRIDE veterans Paulo Filho and Rogerio Minotoro
Nogueira, and stand outs Claudio Godoi and Fabiano Capoane to
compete in the Korean show. FCF will keep you posted on developments.
The
MMA scene continues to expand in Brazil and the success of shows
such as HEAT FC brought a lot of new ventures to the long forgotten
Northeast region of the country. This last March 11th the state
of Ceara, in the city of Fortaleza, saw a new promotion debuting
as the 1st Desafio Ceara de Vale Tudo brought several HEAT veterans
to battle. In the most important fights of the show Rivanio Aranha
defeated HEAT veteran Savio Maia by judges' decision, Bam Bam
defeated another HEAT veteran in Carlos Indio by KO in the 1st
round, HEAT and AFC veteran Paulo Guerreiro Barros defeated Jessé
by judges' decision and HEAT veteran Josenildo Tigre defeated
Eduardo Rocha by KO in the 2nd round.
Another
show that took place on the Northeast of Brazil lately was de
first Challenge Natal versus Northeast of MMA, in the city of
Natal [the same where the first editions of HEAT took place]
this past March 9th. The show showcased some of the top talents
in the city of Natal against some stand outs of other states
from the Brazilian Northeast. Some HEAT veterans also took part
on the card, and the most important bouts had HEAT veteran Silmar
Rodrigo defeating MECA veteran Diamante Negro by TKO in the 1st
round, Gleison Tibau defeating "Killer" by rear naked
choke in the 1st round, HEAT veteran Alexandre Vaca defeating
Antonio Samurai by heelhook also in the 1st round and another
HEAT veteran in Fabio Bolinho winning a judges' decision against
Eli Vanderlei.
As
new shows never cease to appear now in Brazil, the North region
of the country also had its share of MMA lately with the first
Gladiator of the Jungle taking place in the city of Manaus this
past March 6th. The show was a tourney of 8 fighters, and the
most famous name was Jungle Fight and MECA veteran Lucas Lopes.
Lopes would have no luck as he lost on the first fight for the
eventual champion Adriano Martins. Later Adriano also defetaed
Robert Pato and an Artur Mariano student in Erick Cardoso to
be crowned the champion.
Speaking
of new shows, the most traditional ones also continue its legacy
as MECA World Vale Tudo is preparing its 11th edition. Although
the show was originally scheduled to take place in April, it's
now being likely considered for June, due to live pay per view
schedules in Brazil. Among the likely participants are Luis Azeredo,
Roan Carneiro and Jadyson Costa.
Another
show returning to action is Shooto Brazil! The third edition
of the show is going to happen in April with a date around the
17th, to be defined soon. This is going to be the biggest Shooto
Brazil show ever, and names such as Fabio Mello, Junior Buscape,
Marcelo Grilo and event UFC veteran Marcello Melo are all scheduled
to participate in the show.
Chute
Boxe stand out Murilo Ninja Rua has been training hard for a
likely participation on the PRIDE Heavyweight Grand Prix. Ninja
is already up to 220 lbs and is itending to put on some extra
weight to compete. However the young fighter suffered an infection
in his shin recently and is taken medication to try to recover
as soon as possible and resume training. It's not clear on how
long it'll take for his recovery process as of now, and FCF will
follow the developments. On a good side of news Ninja has his
wedding schedule for October 8th in the city of Curitiba with
his fiance Ana Paula.
Marcelo
Garcia continues on fire as he once again showed his supremacy
at the 3rd Sao Joao da Barra Submission Wrestling, as the name
says taking place at the city of Sao Joao da Barra, in the state
of Rio de Janeiro. The grappler phenom fought in the superfight
against Rodrigo Riscado, from Nova Uniao, and finished him with
a rear naked choke at around 5 minutes of the fight, even being
16 kg lighter than his opponent. The event also saw Gabriel Napao
winning the up to 105 kg division, Thalles Leite conquering the
up to 87 kg division, Leonardo Peçanha being the champion
at the up to 76 kg division, and Rodrigo Damm taking home the
up to 65 kg title.
The
third edition of HEAT FC is confirmed for April 30th once again
at the gorgeous city of Natal, in Brazil. The show will be broadcast
in Brazilian Pay Per View at the end of May and among the names
already confirmed on the card are Ebenezer Braga, Eric Tavares,
Diego Sanchez, Keith Jardine, Paulo Guerreiro Barros, Fabiano
Capoane, Lucas Lopes and Milton Vieira. More names are bound
to be announced at anytime as the card is being finalized this
week.
Source: FCF |
MaxFighting
Pound-For-Pound Top 10
By Josh Gross
Personally, I don't know how BJ is not #1. How can Vanderlei
and Couture, both in the same weight class be pound for pound
the best fighter when either one is not undisputed? Matt Hughes
should be ranked higher too, possibly #2 in my humble opinion,
but what do I know? - Chris
A
lot has changed since I last put the MaxFighting Pound for Pound
Top 10 list together (as you’ll see in comparison to March
2003’s list). So much so that only six of the 10 fighters
who grace this list remain from last year.
Topping
last year’s list was Murilo Bustamante but consecutive defeats,
including a bad one to Dan Henderson, in the second half of 2003
drops him all the way down to the bottom. Chuck Liddell, who
fell sharply in 2003, was not as fortunate and falls off completely.
A shocking loss to Japanese grappler Daiju Takase knocks Brazilian
Anderson Silva from the top 10. One fight in a year and a half
(a loss to Randy Couture) removes Tito Ortiz as well. A major
upset loss to Joachim Hansen and a shellacking by BJ Penn exorcises Takanori
Gomi.
The
remaining six fighters (Bustamante, Matt Hughes, Emelianenko
Fedor, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Vanderlei Silva and Alexandre
Franca Nogueira) have been reshuffled with four new entries:
BJ Penn, Dan Henderson, Randy
Couture and Quinton Jackson.
MaxFighting
Pound-For-Pound Top 10
1.
Vanderlei Silva (25-3-1)
The
top light heavyweight in the world is unbeaten in almost four
years, running off 15 wins versus one draw (as mandated in the
rules) versus heavyweight Mirko Filipovic and a No Contest versus
heavyweight Gilbert Yvel. Silva capped off a stupendous 2003
by scoring a referee stoppage of Quinton Jackson to win the PRIDE
Middleweight Grand Prix. He adds that belt to the PRIDE Middleweight
championship he earned with a TKO of Kazushi Sakuraba at PRIDE
17. The only case made against Silva stems from questionable
opposition, but his Grand Prix showing quelled much of that criticism.
2.
Dan Henderson (14-3-0)
If
Henderson fought solely at 185 pounds there’s little doubt
that he’d be the class of the division, particularly after
steam rolling Murilo Bustamante last November. Though he’s
just 3-2 in his last five contests, Henderson boasts an impressive
record considering the handicaps (usually size) that tend to
face him in the ring. An amazing performance in defeat versus
former PRIDE heavyweight champion Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira does
little to keep him off the list; in fact, it only adds to Henderson’s
reputation.
3.
BJ Penn (7-1-1)
Since
losing to Jens Pulver in January 2002, Penn is 5-0-1, including
wins over No. 1-ranked lightweight Takanori Gomi and the unanimous
choice for best welterweight Matt Hughes. Penn’s win over
Hughes in January ’04 earned him the UFC welterweight title.
Thrust into action versus several of the best fighters in the
world despite limited time in the ring, Penn has performed wonderfully
and appears to have come into his own.
4.
Randy Couture (12-6-0)
In
2003 the Natural changed the way fight fans looked at the best
division in the UFC. The two-time UFC heavyweight champion moved
down in weight to dominate contender Chuck Liddell before shutting
out Tito Ortiz for five rounds to claim the UFC 205-pound title.
A spotted record raises questions as to Couture’s place
on this list, but his accomplishments lie beyond pure numbers.
A frustrating sub-one-minute loss to Vitor Belfort in January
(Belfort’s glove sliced Couture’s eyelid in a freak
accident) places Couture’s ledger at 2-3 in his last five
contests. A deeper look at that period, however, finds Couture,
now 40, showing his true colors, establishing him as one of the
sport’s great fighters.
5.
Matt Hughes (33-4-0)
Before
giving in to BJ Penn in January, Hughes was the personification
of dominance. Beginning in March 2001, Hughes strung together
13 consecutive victories, stopping Carlos Newton (twice), Hayato
Sakurai, Gil Castillo and Frank Trigg. Hughes also earned a unanimous
decision victory over Sean Sherk. The 170-pound stalwart drops
from down from the second slot because of the way he lost to
Penn.
6.
Emelianenko Fedor (16-1-0)
Since
defeating Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira one year ago, Fedor has faced
limited opposition, doing little to enhance his reputation as
the top heavyweight in the world. In that time Fedor is 4-0,
adding Kazayuki Fujita and Gary Goodridge to his list of victims.
With the PRIDE Heavyweight Grand Prix looming, Fedor will undoubtedly
face challenges he has not encountered since becoming champion.
Anticipate a rematch versus Nogueira as well as a showdown versus
Croatian killer Mirko Filipovic.
7.
Quinton Jackson (20-4-0)
No
fighter did more to boost his standing over the past 12 months
than Rampage. In two years Jackson has defeated, amongst others,
Igor Vovchanchyn, Kevin Randleman, Murilo Bustamante and Chuck
Liddell. His November ’03 loss was quickly followed with
a TKO victory over Ikuhisa Minowa. Recovering from a broken hand,
Jackson is anticipated to have a big 2004.
8.
Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (21-2-1)
Minotauro
followed up only the second loss of his career (a decision to
Fedor) -- his first loss in 14 fights -- with wins over former
UFC heavyweight champion Ricco Rodriguez and a for-the-ages comeback
against Mirko Filipovic. The victory over Cro Cop reminded many
fight fans of Nogueira’s incredible heart as the Brazilian
endured early trouble to score the armbar victory. A rematch
versus Fedor is all that stands between Nogueira and the title
as World’s Best Heavyweight.
9.
Alexandre Franca Nogueira (10-2-2)
The
king of the flyweights, SHOOTO 143-pound champion Nogueira possesses
the single most effective submission in MMA: The 10-fingered
Guillotine. Most recently, Pequeno used the hold to submit SHOOTO
legend Rumina Sato in less than one minute; it marked only the
second time in 29 career bouts that Sato tapped from a submission.
As the division expands Nogueira will be challenged. First on
that list is Kid Yamamoto, Japan’s MMA answer to Ricardo
Mayorga.
10.
Murilo Bustamante (9-3-1)
Bustamante
has not won since May 2002. Since leaving the UFC and relinquishing
his middleweight title, the Brazilian great is loser of consecutive
fights to Quinton Jackson and Dan Henderson. While the loss to
Jackson did little to hurt Bustamante in the eyes of fans, his
performance against Henderson and his post-fight reaction to
it changed how many saw the BJJ legend. For Bustamante, who turns
38 in July, 2004 could be his swan song.
PREVIOUS
P4P:
1)
Murilo Bustamante
2)
Matt Hughes
3)
Chuck Liddell
4)
Emelianenko Fedor
5)
Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
6)
Anderson Silva
7)
Tito Ortiz
8)
Vanderlei Silva
9)
Takanori Gomi
10)
Alexandre Franca Nogueira
Source: Maxfighting |
Arnold
Gracie World Submission Championships
as Webcast
Media Report
Fresno, CA - Mar 16, 2004 – The Arnold Gracie World Submission
Championships 2004 (www.gracieworlds.com) is the biggest Gracie
submission tournament in the World and as part of the Arnold
Fitness Weekend/Arnold Classic (www.arnoldclassic.com) in Columbus
Ohio for the past four years, it has continued to grow. The tournament
features top Jui-Jitsu and submission athletes from around the
world.
FEATURED
WEBCASTS:
WEBCASTS
AVAILABLE
FRIDAY March 19th, 2004 $5
1.
Men Professional No-Gi 164lbs. and Under
Diego
Saraiva vs. Marcelo Garcia, Phil Cardella vs. Pedro Brandao,
Phil Cardella vs. Edson Diniz, Wagnner Fabiano vs. Jason Coomer,
Francisco Soares vs. Cabelinito, Shawn Williams vs. Jack McVicker,
Shawn Williams vs. Daniel Maraes, Wagnner Fabiano vs. Francisco
Soares, Marcelo Garcia vs. Edson Diniz, Wagnner Fabiano vs. Daniel
Maraes, Marcelo Garcia vs. Wagnner Fabiano
Next
Week:
AVAILABLE
MONDAY March 22nd, 2004 $5 (approx. 1 hour)
2.
Women Pro All-Divisions, Men Pro Blackbelt 164lbs. and Under
AVAILABLE
WEDNESDAY March 24nd, 2004 $5 (approx. 1 hour)
3.
Men Professional No-Gi 195lbs. and Up
AVAILABLE
FRIDAY March 24nd, 2004 $5 (approx. 1 hour)
4.
Men Professional No-Gi 165lbs – 194lbs
Source: Dog House Boxing |
Kick-boxing
bouncer found guilty of attack Mar 18 2004
A LAP dancing club bouncer was found guilty of brutally attacking
a customer on Tuesday.
British
champion kick-boxer James McSweeney of the Greenway, Cippenham,
threw 26-year-old Martin Brennan out of Slough High Street's
Honeypot club.
Reading
Crown court heard the 6ft 4ins bouncer had accused builder Brennan
of breaking the 'no touching' policy at the nightspot.
When
Mr Brennan returned nine days later on April 17 last year to
state his innocence McSweeney headbutted him, sending him tumbling
to the ground. He then rained down a series of powerful blows
and kicks onto Mr Brennan's body.
The
victim, suffering injuries to his eye, arm, nose and ribs, ran
to the safety of the nearby Assembly Bar where staff gave him
first aid before dialling 999.
Although
McSweeney denied assault claiming he acted in self defence, the
jury unanimously convicted him.
Judge
Stanley Spence adjourned sentencing to April 30, so pre-sentence
reports could be prepared. Judge Spence granted bail on the condition
no contact was made with the aggrieved or prosecution witnesses.
Source: IC Bershire UK |
Grapplers
Quest: match-ups released
Check out the match-ups to the upcoming Grapplers Quest West
V Submission Grappling Championships - 'The Best of The West
Returns'. The show happens on Saturday, March 27th, 2004 at Durango
High School Arena (7100 West Dewey Drive, Las Vegas, Nevada).
For more information, go to: http://www.Grapplers.com
Check
out the match-ups:
$1,000
Lightweight Superfight Division:
Pablo Popovitch (American Top Team Black Belt) Vs Alexander Crispim
(Team Ralph Gracie/Gracie Barra)
Leo Santos (Team Nova Uniao Black Belt) Vs Jake Shields (Team
Cesar Gracie)
Marcos Avellan (Florida Freestyle Fighting) Vs Jason 'Mayhem'
Miller (Team Cobra Kai/Oyama)
Leandro 'Tatu' Escobar (Brazilian Top Team) Vs Jared Weiner (Lloyd
Irvin Black Belt-Philadelphia, PA)
$1,000
Middleweight Superfight Division:
David Avellan (Florida Freestyle Fighting) Vs Luke Stewart (Team
Ralph Gracie)
Diego Sanchez (Jackson's Gaido Jitsu) Vs Sean Spangler (Team
Cobra Kai/Marc Laimon)
Tyrone
Glover (Cassio Werneck Brown Belt) Vs Gary Grate (Team Charles
Gracie)
Rafael
Lovato (Jr., Team Machado Oklahoma City Brown Belt) Vs Moacir
'Boca' Oliveira (American Top Team Black Belt)
$500
Women's Pro Superfight Division sponsored by GrapplerGear.com
and Gameness.net:
Erica Montoya (Chris Brennan/Next Generation) Vs Lauren 'Lolo'
Cousin (Sylvio Behring Purple Belt)
Rebecca Faber (Tai Kai Machado Jiu Jitsu (Delaware) Vs Lauren
Moreira (Las Vegas Combat Club/Sergio Penha/Ricardo Pires (Brown
Belt)
Leonore Avellan (Florida Freestyle Fighting) Vs Team Ralph Gracie
Representative
Marianna Garcia (Oswaldo Alves) Vs Felicia Oh (Jean Jacques Machado)
Source: Tatame |
Carlão
Barreto
By André Araújo
Another
chance to Carlão at Heat 3
Christ's
Athlete, Brazilian Top Team Carlão Barreto is about to
return to Heat Fighting Championship 3 next April 30th. Barreto
will have another chance, once he got defeated by points at Heat
2 by American fighter Travis Wuffi. Besides the revenge will
not happen at Heat 3, Carlão will face another fighter
from USA, this time the wrestler Mike White Head. The BTT fighter
reveals that he will face Wiuffi sooner or later. Working body
and mind, Barreto is getting ready for his upcoming challenge.
Check out now the full interview with the BTT fighter now.
When
did you become a Christ's athlete ?
I'm
a Christian. I have a catholic education and since three years
ago, I've joint the Protestant church. The only thing that matters
anyway is searching for the absolute true and having Jesus in
the heart. I have peace in my heart and I am no longer a fanatic.
For me, there is no right or wrong religion.
At
the time you got defeated by Travis Wuffi at Heat 2 you were
facing some personal issues... do you think it may bothered your
performance?
People
who know me well was aware I've got hurt. I had a contusion in
my left leg and I fought under painkiller effects. I fought injured
to honor my fight contract. The whole thing that was going on
with my life at that moment certainly bothered me. I've lost
and I had to take care of myself after the loss. I did physiotherapy
and some psychological works. Now I am fine again.
You
commented that you have been receiving some psychological support.
How important is this treatment for the athlete?
This
support is damn important for athletes. Even more for Vale-Tudo
fighters. The athletes need it a lot... we do have to kill a
wild lion per day and we do need this psychological support.
Accepting the loss is primordial. You have to understand the
loss and grow with it. You have to reverse the loss into something
positive. Always!
You
are about to face another American at Heat 3. Do you know his
game?
I
will face Mike White Head. He is a wrestler and he was the champion
of the Abu-Dhabi trial. He is a strong and heavy opponent, but
I am watching his steps a while ago. But what really matters
is being good with yourself.
And
about a revenge with Travis Wuffi? There are something going
on?
The
dealing is quite difficult. Travis asked for a high purse to
join HFC. Maybe Heat will afford him in future editions, but
not now. I believe it will happen sooner or later. At Heat or
other event.
What
are your plans after Heat 3?
I
have been training Wrestling, Muay Thai and lots of Jiu-Jitsu.
I also want to fight a Muay Thai event this year. My teacher
Paulo Nikolai will set me up in a event in United States or Japan.
I am confident!
Source: Tatame |
WHAT'S
NEXT FOR SPRATT? POSSIBLY K-1....
Pete "The Secret Weapon" Spatt checked in with MMAWeekly
this week. Pete was just arriving back home to Texas from his
kickboxing victory over the weekend in California at the Strike
Force event. He is "enjoying himself and feeling good,"
as most fighters do coming off a win.
Spratt
said his opponent was tougher than he expected and although Pete
wanted to finish him, he commented, "four good rounds of
domination will do me good too." He thought his performance
was "pretty good." Pete said he needed the work and
that it had been a while since he had been in there. Most importantly,
Spratt said, "I had fun doing what I love to do best."
Pete's
immediate fighting future will be focused on what he "does
best;" stand-up. He is looking to fight in Japan in some
K-1 matches and considers that his "primary focus right
now." He added, If something were to come up in Mixed Martial
Arts that was "tempting," then he might "consider
jumping back in there real quick."
Spratt
has a busy few months ahead of him. He is fighting April 10th
in Ring of Fire and has a big seminar scheduled to be held in
Florida in May. The seminar is just outside of Orlando and will
be featuring Bas Rutten, Duane "Bang" Ludwig, Moe Smith,
some "special guests"; as well as, Pete Spratt. The
seminar will run from May 18th through the 23rd.
Pete
also is about to start filming a new movie, "Dangerous County."
He said, "It's a lot of hard work doing those movies."
Spratt has been in films before. "Thugz II," another
movie Pete was in, is set to come out on video and DVD in late
April or early May. He would like to do more acting in the future.
In
fact, Pete is moving out to L.A. to pursuit a career in the film
industry. He expects to make the move within a year. An added
bonus of moving to L.A. is that it gives Pete the opportunity
to train with good, consistent training partners, something that
Texas did not allow him to do. Spratt primarily trains himself
and is looking for the stability of a team atmosphere. It is
hard to imagine that he is as good as he is without the benefit
of a training camp.
Source: MMA Weekly |
WHERE
ARE THEY NOW? IVAN SALAVERRY
He burst onto the scene at UFC 37. A tremendous underdog at the
time, Ivan Salaverry upset the very tough Russian in Andrei Semenov.
Salaverry looked for another win against Matt Lindland at UFC
39. Unfortunately for Ivan, he lost to Lindland and we never
saw him again in the Octagon.
MMAWeekly
caught up with Ivan Salaverry recently, who is coming off a K-1
win over Khaliun Boldbataar over the weekend. Salaverry said
he would love to fight in the UFC again, "against those
guys." Since his loss to Lindland, Ivan has fought twice
in K-1 with one win and one loss. He likes fighting for K-1 and
said they are "taking care of me."
Ivan
could be fighting as early as April. What he likes about K-1
is having the opportunity for them to push him in so many different
directions. He can do his kickboxing, MMA fights as well, and
professional wrestling with the same organization.
Salaverry
spoke about Bob Sapp's popularity in Japan, saying, "everyone
loves him over there. Ivan helps train Sapp and said Bob is a
better grappler than people realize. He went on to say that Sapp
has improved his game a lot; especially, in using his knees.
Ivan
thinks both Mike Tyson and Sapp want to fight each other, but
it is a matter of negotiating it all with promoters, lawyers,
agents and everyone else involved.
If
Bob Sapp and Mike Tyson were to ever face off, Ivan doesn't think
Tyson stands a chance under MMA rules. He added, Mike doesn't
know what it's like to get kicked by a 300 pound man. Under K-1
rules, he thinks it would be a "great fight."
Source: MMA Weekly |
BENNETT
BREAKDOWN: CONGRESS HARD STAND ON STEROIDS WILL AFFECT MMA
A few months back I really wanted the sport of MMA to take a
hard stance against steroids. I thought the UFC could take a
hard stand of mandatory drug testing and be the first "sport"
to take a hard stance.
This
would do two things. It would be a great public relations move
between the media and the UFC (and hopefully soften politicians
stands against mixed martial arts in general); plus, it gives
the UFC more credibility in the eyes of sports writers and journalists
in my sports journalist opinion.
Now
fast forward to this week and it looks as though congress is
about to do this for not just the mainstream sports but ALL sports
including boxing and MMA. In one of the most powerful testominies
to date, a former Heavyweight boxer stood before a government
committee and talked about the negatives of steroids. This former
boxer lost his legs to steroids and appeared before the comittee
yesterday.
The
following excerpt comes from the Associated Press...
"WASHINGTON
-- A former professional boxer broke down crying before Congress
Tuesday, pleading for tough action against the use of steroids
and similar products that he blames for the loss of his legs.
Bob
Hazelton, who became a heavyweight in 1969 and won a series of
victories in the ring until being TKO'd by George Foreman, railed
against the evils of steroid use as he testified from a wheelchair
in front of a House subcommittee.
The
panel is considering legislation that would expand the list of
banned steroids to include so-called pre-cursors, which act like
steroids in the human body but are available over the counter,
often as dietary supplements.
Hazelton
said his use of steroids eventually stopped the circulation of
blood to his legs, which had to be amputated as gangrenous infections
spread up his body.
The
55-year-old Minnesota native had harsh words for professional
sports executives who, he said, aren't doing enough to stop athletes
from the peculiar form of self-abuse.
"These
owners of these professional teams, they don't want [players]
to know the truth," Hazelton said, before losing control
of his emotions.
"Just
take a deep breath," said subcommittee chairman Howard Coble,
R-N.C. "Everybody's on your side."
When
he resumed speaking, Hazelton raged against pro sports leagues
and Congress for allowing the problem of performance-enhancing
drugs and supplements to grow in recent years.
"Until
this committee -- this country -- stops it, you're never going
to have a clean sport in this country again," he said.
Rep.
John Sweeney, R-N.Y., is pushing the House version of a bill
that would ban over-the-counter sales of pre-cursors because
they have the same effect in the body as steroids. A similar
measure is being considered in the Senate."
As
you can see, the government is taking a hard stand for all sports
and we will see a trickle down affect for all combative sports
like boxing and MMA.
Just
last night, Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig banned
THC from the Majors. Baseball has faced scrutiny from the government
after four people tied to a San Francisco company were indicted
on charges of supplying steroids to athletes.
The
big four sports, MLB, NBA, NFL and NHL will see more and more
testing with the pressure from the government. Boxing and MMA
won't see pressure for quite some time. Bottom line, this former
boxer who sat before our government drove the point home about
the dangers of steroids. I would love to see MMA take a hard
stand and be the innovator of drug testing in ALL sports. It's
just another way to add the "credibility" that mixed
martial arts so desperately needs in mainstream sports and media.
Source: MMA Weekly |
Quote
of the Day
"The highest reward for a person's toil is not what they
get for it, but what they become by it."
John Ruskin, 1819-1900, British Critic, Social Theorist
|
TANNER
VS BARONI:
SIGNED, SEALED AND DELIVERED
MMAWeekly.com has learned that Evan Tanner vs Phil Baroni is
official as of late last night. Tanner signed the contract to
fight Baroni at UFC 48.
Tanner
had this statement exclusively for MMAWeekly.com....
"The
contract has been signed. Baroni gets his wish. This was a fight
I was glad to take. It comes down to this. I'm just a regular
guy that spent years working my way up in the sport from the
small shows in the Midwest, to competing in Japan, and finally
to the UFC.
I
have over 30 fights. I've paid my dues. I've earned my place
in the Octagon. It doesn't sit well with me when a guy who's
had everything handed to him on a golden platter, who doesn't
even have a winning record, who doesn't deserve to be in the
UFC, goes out of his way to call me names, to bad mouth me, to
disrespect me in the public media.
So
here are my thoughts on the fight. I'm not going to run my mouth
and make promises about what is going to happen in the ring.
I'm not going to tell you how I'm going to knock his jaw into
the sixth row or any other similar drivel. I can tell you this
though. I've never fought an opponent for whom I have such disrespect,
and this I will promise: I'll be going into the ring with bad
intentions. I'll be going into the ring, not just to win, but
to hurt him."
As
far as his opponent Phil Baroni? Our friend Mike DiSanto is reporting
for inside fighting that Baroni is currently training with Enson
Inoue of all people in Japan. This should be a sensational fight
for UFC 48.
UFC
President Dana White told MMAWeekly yesterday..."This will
be a great fight and we are glad to deliver a fight that the
fans wanted to see. The rematch will be one of the headline fights
for UFC 48."
The
other interesting part is the UFC is very close to signing Lee
Murray as well to fight on the same card. Murray is expected
to sign to fight Joe "Diesel" Riggs on the same card.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
UFC
48 RETURNS TO SATURDAY FORMAT:
SHAMROCK IS MAIN EVENT
Look for upcoming fights in the Octagon to happen on Saturday
June 19th for UFC 48. If you were with us yesterday, you saw
the report on our Soundoff Forum.
MMAWeekly.com
has learned that Zuffa is scheduling the next UFC to happen on
a Saturday, for only the second time in UFC history. The event
most likely will happen at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The
main event will feature a couple of UFC legends... as Ken Shamrock
will face off against Kimo in the main event. MMAWeekly talked
with Kimo's camp over the weekend and they said "We are
looking forward to fighting the legend in Shamrock all of these
years later. He is a great fighter, but we feel Kimo has gotten
a lot better over the years, while Shamrock has gotten a lot
older."
Tank
Abbott was actually offered the fight to face off against his
old rival in Shamrock, but for whatever reason it just didn't
happen. Some people believe that Abbott wasn't going to get near
the paycheck that he received for his last three fight deal with
the UFC. That was a deal that he signed for six figures for each
fight on his last contract.
You
could say it would be very hard to justify that kind of money
this time around, when Tank has not only lost his last three
fights, but he never made it out of the first minute of the first
round against Kimo and Frank Mir; not to mention, getting hammerd
by Cabbage in his last UFC appearance.
One
other source told MMAWeekly that they wondered openly if Tank
really ever wanted to fight Shamrock in the first place at this
stage of his career. Telling MMAWeekly, "It would be very
tough on Tank mentally to lose four straight fights, not to mention
losing to a guy he absolutely hates in Shamrock."
There
were some rumors out there that also suggested that Tank was
contemplating signing a big money deal to face Shannon Briggs
at K-1, but that deal looks to be dead at this point.
Also
on this UFC 48 card is the fight that was just signed yesterday.
Phil Baroni vs Evan Tanner in a rematch of their controversial
fight.
It
looks as though Lee Murray will also be on this card; most likely,
facing Joe "Diesel" Riggs. Check out the rumors section
on MMAWeekly.com for the latest information regarding the possible
fights for the upcoming UFC 48 card.
Source: MMA Weekly |
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