Upcoming
Events
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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)
(Tentative)
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)
6/18/04
Super
Brawl 36
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena)
5/30/04
Ring of Honor 5
(Sub Grappling)
(Campbell H.S. Gym)
May
Kickin' It
(Kickboxing)
Pride
Bushido 3
(MMA)
(Yokohama Arena, Japan)
5/15/04
Punishment
in Paradise 3
(MMA)
(Campbell H.S. Gym)
|
|
May 2004 News Part
1
Wednesday
night and Sunday classes (w/ a kids' class) now offered!
 
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price, click on one of these banners above! |
Tuesdays at 6:00PM on
Olelo Channel 52 |
Quote
of the Day
"Strength
does not come from winning. Your struggles develop your strengths.
When you go through hardships and decide not to surrender, that
is strength."
Arnold Schwarzenegger, 1947-, Austrian-born American Actor, Author,
Director, Restaurateur
|
Professional
Submission Grappling Tournament
in Hawaii
For those of you that went to the Hawaiian Grappling Championships
at St. Louis High School Gym, an extremely brief flier was talking
about a submission grappling tournament with a large cash prize.
Well, I got a little more information about it. It will be a
tournament with five weight divisions, using MMA weight classes
(or similiar); <155lbs, 156-170lbs, 171-185lbs, 186-205lbs,
205lbs & Over. One of the weight classs might be droped or
combined to create an open weight division. It will be in an
Abu Dhabi format, probably very similiar to or using Abu Dhabi
rules.
The event promoter will give me more details and we will post
it as soon as we receive it.
|
Punishment
In Paradise 3
& Chuck "ICE MAN" Liddell Seminar
Campbell High School Gym, Ewa Beach, Hawaii
May 15, 2004
Second 2 None fight wear is pleased to announce that it will
be hosting Chuck Liddell Seminar along with the already stacked
Punishment In Paradise card. Chuck will do a seminar in the afternoon
and Punishment In Paradise will happen at night. Liddell is a
Black belt in Kempo and the Ultimate Fighting Championship's
#1 Contender with his recent K.O over fromer UFC Champion Tito
Ortiz.
You could get two events for the price!
$60.00 for the seminar and tickets to the fight!
Seminar Only: $50.00
Punishment In Paradise 3 advance tickets only: $18.00/ Event
Day $23.00
PIP 3 Fighters $30.00
email second2none@hawaii.rr.com
|
Denes
officially in Shooto Title Fight & Much More!!!
On
July 9th Shooto holds a show in Hawaii that looks to have long-reaching
repercussions.
It
is official at last! Dustin Denes, the #1 ranked contender to
Masanori Suda’s Light Heavyweight belt since last May, is
finally getting the shot at the title. Suda fought three times
last year with wins over Egan Inoue by KO in 0:27 of round 1
and a triangle choke on Shannon Ritch in 1:01. He also picked
up a draw against Ryuki Ueyama in Deep in September. Denes fought
four times picking up his first career loss in a decision in
AFC 4 against Akira Shoji, a TKO over Shikou Yamashita in Shooto,
and two submission wins in AFC 5 & 6. Most fans are familiar
with Suda but not as much with American Top Team’s Denes
who holds a 9-1-1 record going back to August of 2001. Seven
of those wins have been by submission, one by decision, and his
TKO came from a cut he opened on Yamashita in the standup of
the first round. In his non-decision fights only one made it
out of the first round. Denes has been focused on a belt shot
in Shooto for over a year and this opportunity is sure to bring
out the best in him.
Also
on the card is #1 ranked Cesar Gracie’s Jake Shields taking
on #3 ranked Ray
Cooper
of Jesus Is Lord for the vacant Middleweight belt. Ray and Jake
basically switched ranking spots last year with Cooper being
the #1 ranked Middleweight from January until April while Jake
took the #1 ranking spot from August until now. The #2 spot is
Jutaro Nakao who held the #1 spot from May through July. Basically
these three fighters are so closely skilled that the behind-the-scenes
word is any of them could win against each other on any given
day. Nakao just lost to Akira Kikuchi by what was reported to
be a very close decision and has a previous loss to Cooper. Once
this title shot is settled it looks like Akira will have first
crack at the winner.
As
if all that wasn’t enough Welterweight Champion Vitor “Shaolin”
Ribeiro takes on Mitsuhiro Ishida, a fighter slowly climbing
the rankings with one draw being the only interruption in a six-win
streak. Former UFC Lightweight Champion and Miletich Fighting
Systems’ Jens Pulver takes on #1 ranked Stephen Paling of Jesus Is Lord in Pulver’s
second Shooto fight. Lightweight Champion Alexandre Nogueira
is confirmed to be on the card but so far without an opponent,
leading many to speculate the winner of Paling/Pulver will get
the next title shot against Nogueira. Paling and Nogueira fought
twice already with a draw last August and a win to Nogueira back
in December of 2000. Also Bao Quach, formerly of Next Generation
and last heard of fighting out of Team Oyama, steps up in competition
by taking on Rumina Sato.
Card
Subject To Change:
- Alexandre F. Nogueira vs. TBA
- Rumina Sato vs. Bao Quach
- Stephen
Paling
vs. Jens Pulver
- Vitor 'Shaolin' Ribeiro vs. Mitsuhiro Ishida
- Masanori Suda vs. Dustin Denes
- Jake Shields vs. Ray
Cooper
Source: ADCC |
PRESS
CONFERENCE FOR VICTORIOUS
GRAND PRIX FIGHTERS
A press conference for the 6 victorious Grand Prix fighters (Ogawa/Schilt
were not present) and Mark Hunt was held on April 26th in Tokyo
before they even had a chance to cool down.
DSE
President Nobuyuki Sakakibara began the conference with his outline
of the near future. “I think this was a great start for
the Heavyweight tournament. I'm grateful to all 16 fighters.
We're now working on the July 20 card plus matches for Kazushi
Sakuraba and Mark Hunt. Additionally, we hope to have a match
at the May 23 Bushido event to decide the Middleweight challenger.”
The
conference atmosphere was very relaxed and the fighters present
showed no signs of fatigue or damage from their previous night
of fighting. Each fighter gave a few words about his match.
Giant
Silva : I'm very happy that I won my match and that I can be
here. I want to improve myself with every match.
Heath Herring : I'm happy to be standing here. I'm looking forward
to the 2 nd round on July 20. There are a lot of really tough
athletes here and I think the next matches will be even more
exciting.
Sergei Kharitonov : I will be ready to fight my next opponent.
Kevin Randleman : Looking around this stage, I see 3 fighters
that were already fighting when I made my debut in PRIDE. That's
Heath, Nogueira and Fedor. To be here with them is an honor.
It's a tough job but I love being a fighter in PRIDE.
Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira : I'm glad that I was able to win the
fight well. I'm also looking forward to July. All 8 fighters
are strong and it's an honor for me to be among them.
Fedor Emelianenko : I'm happy that the fans enjoyed my fight
yesterday. All of the fights were interesting but these 8 fighters'
fights will be even more exciting.
Mark Hunt : I had a good time myself. All of the fights were
exciting. I thought it would take longer for the fights to finish
but I was really surprised that they finished so quickly.
Asked
about who they wanted to fight, all of the fighters said “anyone”
except for Nogueira and Randleman, who both wanted Ogawa.
Silva
: That's a tough question because I'm new to PRIDE. I'm only
here because of PRIDE's goodwill so I will fight anyone. But,
if I had to say one name, it would be Heath.
Herring
: All of these fighters are strong, tough opponents. However,
they are also my friends. My ultimate goal is to get the belt
in August though, so I'm going to go home and train hard. Mirko,
who was favored to win, lost to Kevin yesterday. That's why you've
got to take each fight, one by one, seriously. I'm going to fight
with everything I've got, regardless of who my opponent is, and
get the belt.
Kharitonov
: I think you can imagine my response but I can't say who I want
to fight. I will fight anybody.
Randleman
: Looking at yesterday's fights, Silva is PRIDE's newest fighter.
He's improved a lot in a short time and I think he's a great
fighter. I think everyone here is a strong opponent. I've got
to go home, train hard and study these 7 guys. Nogueira's triangle
choke and everything about Fedor. Everyone here is scary. I'm
actually a chicken, just like chicken Ogawa. That's why I want
to fight Ogawa.
Nogueira
: All 8 fighters are strong. I think it will be a tough fight
no matter who my opponent is. I respect all of the fighters but
like Kevin, I want to fight Ogawa. I wanted to fight Ogawa since
I came to Japan this time. I definitely want to fight Ogawa.
Emelianenko
: I can't say who I want to fight but all 8 fighters are great
fighters and I will fight any of them.
Hunt
: Everyone here is a really great fighter. I'm new so I think
it will be interesting no matter who I fight. So, anybody is
fine with me.
Then,
the fighters were asked about Mirko.
Silva
: They were both strong fighters. Kevin had a great fight and
I was really impressed but, in a fight, someone has to win and
someone has to lose. Yesterday was Kevin's day to win.
Herring
: Considering that Mirko was on the front of the event pamphlet
yesterday, I think his loss has a deep meaning. I was talking
with Bas Rutten and we were both shocked. I knew that Kevin could
win, though. That fight showed me the beauty of sports. I think
that proved that anything can happen in a PRIDE fight.
Kharitonov
: Sportsmen always win and lose. It's normal.
Hunt
: It was a good fight. They are both good fighters and either
side can lose in a fight.
Nogueira
: That was a really great fight yesterday. I was surprised but
I had hopes for Kevin's technique and possibility. Kevin has
been a UFC Champion and he can fight well at Middleweight or
Heavyweight.
Emelianenko
: I knew Kevin is very strong and a great fighter. Coleman is
a great trainer. Kevin did everything that he should have. Maybe
Mirko was too confident of beating him.
Although
a lot of the fighters said they were surprised, many of them
also said that they knew Randleman could win. There was also
a cold feeling that no one was really concerned about it.
DSE
also discussed the matchups for the second round. “We're
going to mix the results from the surveys yesterday, the surveys
from the home page and our feelings as the promoter to decide
by May 10 th . Ogawa should be at this top technical and physical
level by August. We want the best 4 remaining in August so there
probably won't be a Nogueira/Fedor match. It will be a tough
match no matter who their opponents are. Regarding Sakuraba's
match, he's set himself out to get revenge during the remainder
of his career. We hope to put together a card with a similar
them that will have people looking forward to next year's Middleweight
Grand Prix.”
Source: Pride |
NOBUYUKI
SAKAKIBARA SPOKE
ABOUT MIRKO'S LOSS
DSE President Nobuyuki Sakakibara spoke to us on April 26 about
Mirko's loss just one night before and the possibility of his
return in the May 23 PRIDE Bushido 3 event.
Mirko
lost to Randleman in the Opening Round but he hasn't lost his
will to fight. Immediately after his fight, Mirko approached
Sakakibara about fighting in Bushido 3 at Yokohama Arena on May
23.
“I
spoke with Mirko yesterday but he was a little down, mentally
and physically. I think he also had some regrets. He's a fighter,
a politician and a movie star and he had too many things that
required a lot of motivation and concentration. His political
duties will lessen from May until summer so he said that he wants
to fight again. That's why he asked to fight in May's Bushido.”
Mirko
has been fulfilling childhood dreams one after another since
last year by becoming a member of the Croatian Parliament and
becoming a movie star. Now the only thing remaining for him is
his dream of becoming the PRIDE Champion.
Unfortunately
for Mirko, chasing too many dreams can make a person too excited.
It seemed that Mirko might have lost his focus on his last PRIDE
fight.
Another
possibility for his loss is, as Fedor put it, “Maybe he
was too confident that he would win.” Mirko's been known
since his K-1 days as being very proud of himself.
Considering
that Mirko didn't expect much trouble from Randleman because
he was able to win despite being taken down by Ron Waterman,
it's possible this attitude had something to do with his loss.
However, Mirko's immediate appeal to fight in Bushido may be
a sign that Mirko's become aware of his pride.
“Mirko's
going to fight in May and June”, Sakakibara continued. “So,
he could be a reserve fighter for the August Grand Prix. I really
want the top 3 to fight, regardless. Mirko wants to start again.
I think he just had too many difficult situations around him.
At the earliest, he will fight on May 23rd.”
Sakakibara
also said that Sentoryu, who lost his debut match against Giant
Silva, has also asked to fight in the Bushido 3 event.
•
Takahashi and Yokoi pass inspection
Looking
back on the previous day's fights, Sakakibara said that “Takahashi
and Yokoi pass. Takahashi put up a good, exciting fight. He didn't
tap out despite getting beaten so bad and I can respect that.
When I saw Yokoi crying, it reminded me of when Sakuraba lost
to Silva in the Tokyo Dome. You could really tell that he came
to win, in heart and body. I was really moved by the beauty in
fighting like that.”
It
seems that Sakakibara was moved by these 2 fighter's performances,
despite their losses. “I want both of these guys to keep
fighting. I'm going to give them another chance, of course. I'm
certain they have the potential to continue fighting in PRIDE.”
•
Hunt's contract problem? “No problem.”
“I've
already checked with our lawyers and the lawyers for Hunt's side.
They both said there's no problem,” Sakakibara confirmed.
“The best place for Hunt to do MMA is in PRIDE and that's
where he wants to fight. He said that he would also like to fight
in the K-1 GP if he has a chance and we don't plan on trying
to stop him. He wants to fight MMA in PRIDE and kickboxing in
K-1. We didn't lead Hunt away, he contacted us. He said he was
influenced partly by Mirko and Leko.”
Source: Pride |
Rani
Yahira talks about rematch with Frédson Paixão
at Jungle Fight 2
'Unpredictable'.
This is the word said by BJJ black belt Rani Yahira about his
upcoming fight against Frédson Paixão at Jungle
Fight 2, which happens on May 15th in Manaus, Brazil. 'I believe
I may have more experience than him in Vale-Tudo bouts, but on
the other hand he is far more experienced than me in Brazilian
Jiu-Jitsu. He has fought several matches and I haven't done a
single one since I earned my black belt,' revealed the young
fighter who received his black belt last September. His last
BJJ title was in July, when he became BJJ brown belt world champion.
Rani
has fought four Vale-Tudo matches and he has no losses. During
his last Vale-Tudo event, the TNT Vale-Tudo held in Brasilia
(DF), he defeated three opponents in the same night (two submission
and one by KO) and was the great champion of the night. Frédson
is gonna make his debut in Vale-Tudo, but he also has been training
hard for the bout. Both of fighters met before, last September
during the Cyclone Cup, held in Rio de Janeiro. On that occasion,
Rani defeated Paixão by points (6x0), but he knows this
result doesnt mean a simple fight. 'I've beaten him once, but
it doesn't mean I am superior or need to have an attitude. That
match doesn't mean a thing. It was a submission show and now
it's Vale-Tudo. I will step inside the ring like it was my first
time fighting MMA.'
According
to Rani, he has been training hard and he does not believe in
a fight strategy. 'Everytime I've planned a strategy, things
went wrong. I mean, when I wanted to submit, I fought on the
feet and vice versa. So I just wanna be prepared for this new
challenge in my career' stated the BJJ black belt who won the
2003 Brazilian trials to fo to ADCC 2003, and he is looking forward
for this upcoming trial as well. 'I want to fight at ADCC so
badly. It was amazing last year, even though I got defeated.
I will do my best,' said Rani. Away from the mats almost a year
Rani said he wants a gold medal as a black belt, but it might
take a while. 'I have been training only for Vale-Tudo and Submission
and I will not fight at the Mundials. In fact, the tournament
has lost a great part of it's prestige, now that there are two
official confederations and you can find BJJ world champions
everywhere,' complained Rani.
Source: ADCC |
Quote
of the Day
"If you wish the world to become loving and compassionate,
become loving and compassionate yourself. If you wish to diminish
fear in the world, diminish your own. These are the gifts that
you can give."
Gary Zukav, Author of "The Seat of the Soul"
|
Passing
the Guard TV show coming to K-5
The famous Passanda a Guarda show from Brazil is coming to Hawaii's
K-5, channel 5. Of course it will be in English, but it will
be focusing on MMA. In Brazil, the TV show is incredibly popular
and repeats up to 10 times per week. It features MMA, Brazilian
Jiu-Jitsu tournaments, submission grappling and other extreme
sports on occassion. It is scheduled to tentatively start at
the end of June 2004.
|
Cesar
Gracie Signed, Now Will Frank Shamrock?
Cesar Gracie is in Hawaii to sign to fight Frank Shamrock in
the next "Rumble on the Rock". Cesar arrived on Thursday
and has agreed to all of the provisions of the contract. The
ball is now in Frank's court and we are awaiting his next move.
Source: Gracie Fighter |
POSTAL
CONNECTIONS: 'CABBAGE' TO BE SUSPENDED FROM UFC UNTIL 2005
By Tape Lord
Hello
my friends, our Zuffa informant 'Coffee Guy' has sent me the
following info:
"Wes
'Cabbage' Correira will be suspended by Zuffa for participating
on today's ROTR 5 show in Hawaii. According to Dana White, they
will not let Cabbage back into the UFC until 2005.
The
suspension is supposed to be official. However, they might make
it an unofficial suspension if they see this inside info get
posted on Fightsport.com.
Source: Fight Sport |
RICKSON
VS. MAEDA
The Japanese media is reporting that Rickson Gracie vs. Akira
Maeda will take place on one of the upcoming K-1 MMA 'Romanex'
shows.
For
those who don't know, Maeda was the founder of the now-defunct
RINGS promotion.
Source: Fight Sport |
Chute
Boxe & Randleman are dealing
Kevin Randleman may come to Brazil to train at Chute Boxe for
the upcoming phases of Pride GP Heavyweight. Randleman and Rudimar
Fedrigo, Chute Boxe's leader are dealing and the American fighter
would go to Curitiba in June, to get ready for the following
phase of the GP, which happens on next June 20th. The agreement
came after Randleman's fight against Mirko Cro Cop on last April
25th.
-
We really talked before his fight and Randleman said we would
appreciate to go to Brazil and train with us - explains Fedrigo,
adding: "When I arrived in Brazil, Sérgio Cunha (CB
Japan's representative) called me and told me about an interview
conceded by Randleman to Japan. During this interview, the American
talked about the desire to get ready to the GP at Chute Boxe.
During
the pre fight chat, Rudimar passed a little bit about his knowledge
against the Croatian, who drew with Wanderlei Silva at Pride
20, in April of 2002. "I gave him some tips about Mirko's
game. Like make the distance between them shorter and other things.
When he stepped inside the ring, Randleman did everything right,"
commented Chute Boxe's leader.
Source:
Tatame |
|
PENN
VS LUDWIG AT K-1 ROMANEX CONFIRMED
Word
from a source within the Duane Ludwig camp leaked out yesterday
that Ludwig would be facing BJ Penn at the K-1 MMA show entitled
Romanex on May 22nd.
MMAWeekly
contacted Ludwig's manager, Sven Bean, late last night and he
confirmed that indeed the rumors are true and that Ludwig is
now preparing to face Penn at the Saitama Super Arena.
Also
confirming the fight was BJ Penn himself. Speaking with Ryan
Bennett last night at the Rumble on the Rock weigh-ins, Penn
said, "It's going to be a great fight. This is one of those
fights that a great ground fighter will face a great stand up
fighter, we will see which style is more dominant. This fight
will be at 170."
Bean
spent all night Wednesday night and most of the day yesterday
with K-1 before finally coming to an agreement. Among the heart
of the issues being negotiated was the weight that the two would
meet at. Apparently, Penn originally wanted the fight to be at
or around 176 pounds. Ludwig had been cutting weight recently
in preparation for a kickboxing bout in Switzerland and has never
fought above 170 pounds before, so 176 was out of the question.
After further negotiation, they did come to terms and the fight
will take place at 170 pounds as both Bean and Penn stated.
Really,
everything is stacked against Ludwig in this bout. He's coming
in on 2 weeks notice. He's fighting at a much heavier weight
than he's fought at in years. His training has been focused primarily
on kickboxing for the past year, not MMA. According to Bean,
"There are all the reasons in the world that point us away
from taking this fight, but in the end, I'm really happy that
we took it and so is Duane."
And
why wouldn't they be? This will be Ludwig's largest pay day to
date. No figures were laid out, but K-1 definitely wanted Ludwig
to take this fight. Plus, he has nothing to lose. With the odds
stacked against him, much like they were before he knocked out
the "unbeatable" Jens Pulver, Ludwig isn't really going
to be expected to win by most MMA enthusiasts. He can go in there
and just go for broke.
Ludwig
is genuinely psyched to take this fight. "Duane is more
looking forward to this fight than his Super League fight (the
fight in Switzerland that he has opted out of) or even his K-1
Max fight recently with John Wayne Parr," said Bean. When
you've got nothing to lose and are ready to go all out, anything
can happen. Just ask Kevin Randleman.
Source:
MMA Weekly |
NO
SILVA VS KONDO AT PRIDE BUSHIDO 3
The announcement was made by DSE that Vanderlei Silva vs. Yuki
Kondo is officially off of the Pride Bushido 3 card scheduled
for May 23rd. It seems that Vanderlei has suffered a knee injury
in training, the same knee that he had surgery on in 2002, and
the doctor has recommended that he take some time to heal up.
The
injury is not believed to be too serious and it looks like it
is very possible that we could see Silva vs. Kondo at Pride's
Critical Countdown show on June 20th.
DSE
also announced that Pride Bushido 3 will also feature three themed
bouts of Japan vs. Gracie. The card will also feature the return
of Carlos Newton to Pride. His first appearance since his loss
to Renato Charuto Verissimo at UFC 46.
The
fights announced so far are as follows:
JAPAN
VS. GRACIE
Ikuhisa Minowa vs Ryan Gracie (Renzo Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Academy)
Takanori Gomi vs Ralph Gracie (Ralph Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Academy)
Ryo Chonan vs Ricardo Almeida(Renzo Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Academy)
Daiju
Takase vs Carlos Newton
Kazuhiro Nakamura vs Chalid "Die Faust"
Tamakairiki vs TBA
Mirko Cro Cop Filipovic vs TBA
Source:
MMA Weekly |
Latest
Official Ranking (as of 5/6/2004)
[Open-weight]
the 10th Open-weight K.O.P. Josh Barnett (U.S.A./New Japan Pro-Wrestling)
#1 Yuki Kondo (PANCRASEism)
#2 Semmy Schilt (Holland/Golden Glory)
#3 Yoshiki Takahashi (PANCRASEism)
#4 Sanae Kikuta (Pancrase GRABAKA)
#5 Kiuma Kunioku (PANCRASEism)
#6 Nathan Marquardt (U.S.A./Colorado Stars)
#7 VACANT
[Super
heavyweight(221lbs. and over)]
the 1st Super heavyweight K.O.P. VACANT
#1 Semmy Schilt (Holland/Golden Glory)
#2 Ron Waterman (U.S.A./Team Impact)
#3 Keigo Takamori (Pancrase MEGATON)
#4 Tim Lajcik (U.S.A./Gladiators Training Academy)
#5 Sehaku (RJW/CENTRAL)
#6 Jun Ishii (Chojin Club)
#7 Jimmy Ambriz (U.S.A./New Japan Pro-Wrestling)
#8 KENGO (PANCRASEism)
[Heavyweight(199lbs.~under
221lbs.)]
the 1st Heavyweight K.O.P. Yoshiki Takahashi (PANCRASEism)
#1 Tsuyoshi Ozawa (Zendokai)
#2 Katsuhisa Fujii (UFO)
#3 Jason Godsey (U.S.A./I.F. Academy)
[Light
heavyweight(181lbs.~under 199lbs.)]
the 3rd Light heavyweight K.O.P. Yuki Kondo (PANCRASEism)
#1 Sanae Kikuta (Pancrase GRABAKA)
#2 Ricardo Almeida (U.S.A./Renzo Gracie Jiu Jitsu Academy)
#3 Akihiro Gono (Pancrase GRABAKA)
#4 Nilson de Castro (Brazil/Chute Boxe Academy)
#5 Daisuke Watanabe (PANCRASEism)
#6 David Terrell (U.S.A./Cesar Gracie Academy)
#7 Yuki Sasaki (Pancrase GRABAKA)
#8 Keiichiro Yamamiya (Pancrase GRABAKA)
#9 Osami Shibuya (PANCRASEism)
#10 Ikuhisa Minowa (freelance)
[Middleweight(165.7lbs.~
under 181lbs.)]
the 4th Middleweight K.O.P. Ricardo Almeida (U.S.A./Renzo Gracie
Jiu Jitsu Academy)
#1 Nathan Marquardt (U.S.A./Colorado Stars)
#2 Izuru Takeuchi (SK Absolute)
#3 Crosley Gracie (U.S.A./Ralph Gracie Jiu Jitsu Academy)
#4 Kazuo Misaki (Pancrase GRABAKA)
#5 Eiji Ishikawa (Pancrase GRABAKA) *UP from #6
#6 Kiuma Kunioku (PANCRASEism) *DOWN from #5
#7 Hidehiko Hasegawa (SK Absolute)
#8 Shonie Carter (U.S.A./AIKI Training Hall)
#9 Hikaru Sato (PANCRASEism)
#10 Yuichi Nakanishi (freelance)
[Welterweight(152.5lbs.~
under 165.7lbs.)]
the 1st Welterweight K.O.P. Kiuma Kunioku (PANCRASEism)
#1 Koji Oishi (PANCRASEism)
#2 Takafumi Ito (PANCRASEism)
#3 Kenichi Serizawa (Wajutsu Keishukai Suruga Dojo)
#4 Satoru Kitaoka (PANCRASEism)
#5 Yuji Hoshino (Wajutsu Keishukai GODS) *UP from #6
#6 Hiroki Nagaoka (MMA Dojo DOBUITA) *DOWN from #5
#7 Takuya Wada (SK Absolute)
#8 Heath Sims (U.S.A./Team Quest)
[Lightweight(141.4lbs.~
under 152.5lbs.)] VACANT
[Featherweight(under
141.4lbs.)] VACANT
Source: Mr Oitate |
DOERKSEN
AND RIGGS TO SQUARE OFF AT UFC 49
MMAWeekly learned last night that Joe Doerksen and Joe "Diesel"
Riggs are set to square off at UFC 49. This should be an exciting
match between UFC rookies with both riding winning streaks.
Riggs
has won 7 of his last 8 bouts with his only loss coming to Pride
veteran Alex Steibling. Doerksen is a tremendous fighter from
Canada that has won his last 9 fights, including winning the
Extreme Challenge/SuperBrawl eight-man middleweight tournament
title last year.
And
with Matt Lindland coming out victorious last night that should
set up an anticipated fight between him and David Terrell at
UFC 49. Lindland versus Terrell was first brought to light by
UFC president Dana White a few weeks ago on SoundOff radio.
With
the addition of Doerksen/Riggs and the win by Lindland, the rumored
card for UFC 49 is starting to take shape. Initially hoping for
an August date, an official date has yet to be set for UFC 49
and it could take place either in August or September depending
upon when a venue can be secured.
UFC
49 - LAS VEGAS, NEVADA (Proposed Card)
Randy Couture vs Vitor Belfort
Tito Ortiz vs Marvin Eastman
David Terrell vs Matt Lindland
Joe Doerksen vs. Joe "Diesel" Riggs
UFC
48 - JUNE 19TH- LAS VEGAS NEVADA
Ken Shamrock vs Kimo
Frank Mir vs Tim Sylvia
Phil Baroni vs Evan Tanner
Matt Hughes vs Charuto Verrissimo
Lee Murray vs Curtis Stout
Georges St.Pierre vs Jason "Mayhem" Miller
Matt Serra vs Ivan Menjivar
Frank Trigg vs Dennis Hallman
Source: MMA Weekly |
Fighting
Words - Was Leko vs. Ogawa a work?
by Tony Montana
The
PRIDE Grand Prix Opening Round was a memorable event for a variety
of reasons. It had some very exciting fights, some shocking finishes,
and some controversy. The controversy I am referring to is obviously
the Stefan Leko vs. Ogawa Naoya fight. Some conspiracy theorists
claim it was a work. Others dismiss those allegations as nonsense.
Let's take a look at the facts of the case:
Arguments
for a Work
If
it walks, talks, and acts like a monkey; odds are it's a monkey.
This is the rationale behind those that believe the Ogawa vs.
Leko fight was a work. Let's look at 8 points that have arisen
to support the argument that it was indeed a work.
1)
Leko's delayed reaction to Ogawa's first punch
The first punch landed by a Judo practitioner dropped a world
class kick-boxer. That in itself is very odd. There is no doubt
that Ogawa's left hook landed on Leko's right temple. But it
was Leko's reaction to that punch that looked suspicious. Leko's
head was turned to the left from the punch itself. His head then
seems to snap back to the center with his legs still firmly under
him. A split second later, Leko throws his hands up in the air
in an overdramatic fashion as if to say "I got hit really
bad" and drops to the canvas. Look at Leko's legs when he
goes down. Unlike Mirko and Ninja whose legs buckled and their
eyes glazed, Leko looks like he takes a quick seat.
2)
Ogawa's futile ground and pound
Leko collapses into a very vulnerable position yet Ogawa does
nothing to capitalize. Ogawa appears to try a couple of stomps
which graze off Leko's arms. He quickly gives up the stomp and
falls into the full mount in which he seemingly lands punches
to Leko's upper chest and shoulders. Not one punch or kick landed!
3)
Leko's futile attempts to escape on the ground
Only once did it look like he was trying to get up. He seemed
to roll, but Ogawa quickly reversed it. Never did Leko try and
buckle, push off or use his knees for separation. Also, while
on the ground it looked like Ogawa could have taken his choice
of submission. He seemed to have the arm, but let it go. He transitioned
from mount, to side mount, back to full mount with no resistance
as if he were thinking "how shall I end this?"
4)
The quick tap out
I have never seen someone tap to a side choke in less than 10
seconds. Leko taps immediately.
5)
There was no replay on the American tape delay broadcast
I've never ever seen a fight end in PRIDE or the UFC with no
replay. Coincidence or did they not want the audience to see
something?
6)
Motive exists
There is no doubt that PRIDE stands to benefit financially from
Ogawa's continued presence in the Grand Prix.
7)
The Pro-Wrestling Factor
Did the trash talk leading up this fight not sound more like
a pro-wrestling match than a PRIDE fighting match? Ogawa was
billed as "the great Japanese hope". As Dave Meltzer
said on mmaradio "...I think things point to this fight
being a work. Let's just say the pro wrestlers in Japan... when
this fight was announced, felt this fight would be a work, no
doubt about it."
8)
Sports books did not list this fight
Much like the removal of Sylvia vs. Arlovski odds, sports books
tend not to take chances. They did not post any odds on the Leko
vs. Ogawa fight which leads one to believe that they either had
some insider information or were merely suspicious.
Arguments
against a Work
One
may believe in the theory that the simplest explanation is often
the correct one. This is the rationale one may use to argue against
a work theory. All the points made above are theories and allegations
lacking any hard evidence. Here are a few points against the
work theory.
1)
Leko's inexperience
Instead of a master conspiracy theory, one may assert Leko's
awkward fall and unorthodox movements on the ground could have
simply been a result of inexperience and nervousness. He was
making his PRIDE debut. He was caught with a solid left hook
to the temple. He reacted.
2)
Leko fought injured
In his post fight interview Leko stated that he had been having
problems with a herniated-disk. Leko said that he will soon undergo
surgery which will keep him out of the ring until late 2004.
This injury may be the reason why sports books did not list the
fight.
3)
Ogawa has not won anything yet
Ogawa remains in a tournament with the likes of some of the best
Heavyweights in the MMA world. Why take a free pass in round
one if you know you will have to fight an even better opponent
in the later rounds?
4)
Innocent until proven guilty
People are quick to jump to conclusions because of PRIDE's affiliation
with Hustle, their pro-wrestling organization. PRIDE may have
been accused in the past of working fights, but none of it has
ever been proven (more than what could be said about pro-boxing).
In
Conclusion
There
is no doubt the Leko vs. Ogawa skirmish (I wouldn't really call
it a fight) was odd to say the least. One punch followed by a
quick submission. That in itself is all some people need to hear
in order scream fix! But at the same time, we must all remember
that strange occurrences happen in the sport of fighting on a
regular basis. Personally, if yours truly had to wager on the
matter I would conclude work. But I certainly wouldn't bet my
mortgage on it.
Source: MMA Fighting |
Quote
of the Day
"You are not a black hole that needs to be filled; you are
a light that needs to be shined."
Alan Cohen, Author of "The Dragon Doesn't Live Here Anymore"
|
Rumble
on the Rock 5 Results
Rumble
On The Rock 5
Blaisdell Arena, Honolulu, Hawaii
May 7, 2004
By Chris Onzuka - Chris@Onzuka.com
Being
the relative "new kid on the block" in Hawaii, Rumble
has garnered a lot of attention, especially due to the fight
cards that are put together. Like almost all great cards, they
never seem to hold up. First Vladdy Matyushenko was scheduled
as Cabbage's original opponent but had to withdraw from the card,
then at the last minute two exciting fighters, Kawika Pa'aluhi
and Ross Ebanez had to pull out due to injuries. The show must
go on and those lost matches, were not missed due to the quality
of the other matches. The Sarmiento-Mercado fight was one of
the most anticipated matches for local MMA fans because both
fighters have been on a tear. This fight had the fans loving
the action as these two fighters went at each other. BJ Penn's
Kaynan Kaku has been increasing the level of his opponents and
rising to the challenge. He controlled journeyman, Santino Defranco
throughout the bout. Ron Jhun showed why he is UFC material with
his skill and the excitement he brings to the cage by having
the fans go into a frenzy in his fight against Ryan Schultz.
There is no question why they call Schultz the Lion. He took
what Jhun threw at him and coaxed Jhun to turn the fight into
a brawl and landed a couple of wide hooks that stunned Jhun.
After every great hook landed, Jhun smiled and yelled for more.
In the end, Jhun refocused and took Schultz down and pounded
him with devastating body punches, followed up by powerful shoulder
punches. Matt Lindland controlled Tony Fryklund throughout the
fight, but Fryklund would not go out easy as he took all of Lindland's
punches on the ground and scrambled back to his feet on occasion.
Both fighters had heated punching exchanges while standing. Lindland
showed that he had no problem going toe to toe with anyone. The
main event was a sleeper as this grudge match that started at
UFC 45 after Cabbage's victory over Tank Abbott fizzled. Marsh
used his speed and mobility to get off punches first, sticking
Cabbage with a jab-cross combination and then moving. Cabbage
spent the entire match stalking Marsh looking to land his patented
left hook, but Marsh kept sticking and moving. Marsh out pointed
Cabbage for the win.
Royden
Demotta (BJ Penn's MMAA) def. Vance Pu (Freelance, Maui)
TKO, corner threw in the towel due to strikes at 1:34 minutes
in Round 1.
Harris
Sarmiento (808 Fight Factory) def. Justin Mercado (Grappling
Unlimited)
Split decision [(29-28), (28-29), (30-28)] after 3 rounds.
Kaynan
Kaku (BJ Penn's MMAA) def. Santino Defranco (Arizona Combat Sports)
Unanimous decision [(30-27), (30-27), (30-27)] after 3 rounds.
Jason
Lambert (North County Fight Club) def. Mike Rogers (Team Vaghi)
TKO via referee stoppage due to strikes from the back mount at
1:31 minutes in Round 1.
Joe
"Diesel" Riggs (Arizona Combat Sports) def. Kendall
Groves (Maui Full Contact)
KO via elbow from the guard at 1:31 minutes in Round 1.
Muay
Thai Match: 3 Rounds - 3 Minutes
Danny Steele vs. Melvin Murray
Draw [(29-28),(29-29), (28-29)] after 3 rounds.
Ronald
Jhun (808 Fight Factory) def. Ryan "The Lion" Schultz
(Team Quest)
TKO due to referee stoppage due to strikes from the mount after
the end of Round 1.
Matt
Lindland (Team Quest) def. Tony Fryklund (Team Extreme)
Unanimous decision [(30-27), (30-26), (29-28)] after 3 rounds.
Main
event
John Marsh (Team Neutral Grounds) def. Wesley "Cabbage"
Correira (BJ Penn's MMAA)
Unanimous decision [(30-27), (30-27), (30-27)] after 3 rounds.
|
A
JJ Masterpiece: The KING OF JIU-JITSU!
by: Marcelo Alonso/Team Tatame
Japanese
Jiu-Jitsu are always eager to learn more about Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu,
and these fans have just received a present from the INFOREST
COMPANY last month in Japan. 'King of Jiu-Jitsu' is a magazine
book with 136 color pages describing the Soft Art.
The
book features interviews with the most important champions in
the sport, a history of the sport in Brazil, a look at history's
most remarkable JJ matches, Jiu-Jitsu slang (in portuguese),
a Jiu-Jitsu champions ranking, and many techniques taught by
masters such as De La Riva, Jean Jaques, Pederneiras, Robson
Moura, Shaolin, Marcelo Garcia, Fernando Terere, Eddie Bravo,
Wallid Ismail and also the best japanese fighters like Yuki Nakai,
Cristiano Kaminishi, Takashi Watanabe, Daí Yoshioka, Naomi
Suzuki.
The
cover and first pages of the publication is dedicated to the
current no1 representative of the sport in the ring Rodrigo 'Minotauro'.
Besides Minotauro, Wanderlei Silva, Vitor Belfort, 'Shaolin',
BJ Penn, Ricardo Cachorrão, Marcos Aurélio, Mario
Sperry, Murilo Bustamante and many other Vale-Tudo champions
and Jiu-Jitsu black belts are presented to the readers.
The
masterpiece finishes with a very funny report explaining to the
Japanese fans the strange nicknames of the most famous brazilian
Jiu-Jitsu fighters such as Minotauro, Pé de Pano, Jamelão,
Comprido, Terere, Soca and many others!
Though
we don't understand a single word of Japanese we have to congratulate
Ken Sawada (producer), Koichi Waragai (Chief Editor) and the
whole team, which includes ADCC Writers Denis Martins and myself,
for the final result. We hope there is interest in translating
this book to english.
To
see more details of this masterpiece check in http://www.infor.co.jp/bjj.
Source:
ADCC |
Duane
Ludwig vs. B.J Penn
By Arnold "The Sushiboy" Lim
The
Sushiboy sat down and had a chat with Ring of Fire Promoter and
Duane Ludwig’s manager Sven Bean, who confirmed that Duane
“Bang” Ludwig will indeed be fighting BJ Penn in K-1. Mr. Bean worked
on the deal on his phone, in his car, while he was making the
10pm to 5 am trek to the Extreme Challenge event that took place
Thursday. Ludwig will be fighting his most challenging fight
to date against UFC welterweight champion B.J Penn. We have a
short excerpt of the interview that we will publish in full in
the coming week.
MMARR:
Why 170 lbs ? They are both 155 lbs fighters.
SB:
Well not really, BJ just beat Matt at 170, BJ is big right now
I saw him in Las Vegas and I saw him in Japan last month. He
wanted it even heavier then 170. I said no way because Duane
was getting ready for a fight in Switzerland at 155.
MMARR:
It is going to be full MMA rules?
SB:
K-1 MMA Rules.
MMARR:
What is the difference between K-1 MMA rules and other MMA Rules?
SB:
It is basically the same as Pride Rules, you can kick with shoes.
MMARR:
Duane has been fighting a lot of K-1 lately do you think it is
going to be a tough transition.
SB:
Hell yeah it is going to be a tough transition; it is going to
probably be the worst scenario possible.
MMARR:
I guess the money must be good…
SB:
If you are asking, why did we take the fight? You just answered
your own question. The money is just crazy. He would be stupid
not to. He will be make what a lot of people make in a year,
working day to day to go over there and go for broke against
a guy… I mean what does Duane have to lose? He was getting
ready for a Mui Thai fight, he hasn’t trained MMA in a year,
the weight is completely off, and everything is different, if
he takes the loss, so what, it is to BJ Penn…The big thing
that I want to get out about Duane and K-1 and BJ Penn, obviously
I know, I know how good BJ is and I know it is an uphill battle,
a slim chance and I know all of that. But the main thing is I
would be stupid not to take that fight, with the offer that they
made because no one else will offer it, it is a no lose situation
and that is the way we really feel about it… We are fully
aware of what we are doing.
Source:
MMA Ring Report |
Frank
Shamrock vs. Cesar Gracie
at next Rumble on the Rock...Finally?
Both fighters were brought into the cage last night at Rumble
on the Rock to hype up a possible match at the next Rumble on
the Rock. I say possible because the fight was supposed to take
place at Shamrock's event, then at the WEC and I believe one
more event. Both fighters had heated words to exchange.
Cesar Gracie : "You know what happens when a Gracie fights
a Shamrock."
Frank Shamrock: "I respect everyone who steps in the cage.
You have to be a man to step into the cage. Cesar has never stepped
into the cage, he isn't a man."
Keep your fingers crossed to hopefully see Frank Shamrock return
to the cage and hopefully back into regular action and to see
the long awaited debut of Cesar Gracie. The man who has trained
Nick Diaz, David Terrel, Gil Castillo and Steve Heath.
|
SHAMROCK
VS BARNETT
Ken
Shamrock took on Josh Barnett yesterday, but no it's not maybe
the match that most MMA fans wanted to see. Shamrock squared
off against Barnett in New Japan Pro Wrestling. It was a worked
match with plenty of stiff shots and some interesting submission
attempts.
MMA
Fighter Enson Inoue accompanied Barnett down to the ring as Enson
was in Josh's corner for the match. Ken "assaulted"
the referee and thus "lost" the match via
disqualification when it appeared that Josh was winning.
Interestingly
enough he said afterwords to the crowd that he wanted to face
Barnett in an "old school" no rules type match and
that it may take place in a cage, looks like NJPW is trying to
push a UFC type angle.
Source:
MMA Weekly |
Jungle
Fight 2
The second edition of Jungle Fight is scheduled to be on May
15th in Manaus, and there are a few news bites inside and outside
the ring.
After
former Antonio Inoki's swim at Rio Negro and dressing ring girls
as native Brazilian indians at Jungle 1, Wallid Ismail promises
other surprises for Jungle Fight 2.
This
time, there is gonna be a Giant snake named anaconda surrounding
the ring. The ornamentation will also have movement with the
head and it will watch the fighters from above. According to
the organization, the snake's goal is to call attention for the
Amazon Forest's destruction.
Announced
by the organization will be Americans and UFC Veterans Vladimir
Matyushenko and Travis Wiuff who will be competiting against
a couple of Brazilian fighters.
Also
on the card, known by Heat Fighting Championship's crew, the
winner of K-1 World Max, Jefferson Tank and the Ruas Vale-Tudo
veteran Ébenezer Braga are confirmed at the event.
Check
out below the confirmed fights until now:
Vladimir
Matyushenko (Rússia/Raw) Vs Leopoldo Montenegro (Brazil
Dojo)
Assuério
Silva (MTDT) Vs Fabiano 'Pega Leve' Shermer (BTT)
Jorge
Patino 'Macaco' (Chute Box) Vs Thomas 'Wild Man' Denny (US)
Carlão
Barreto (BTT) Vs Brian Sherpa (US)
Ronaldo
Jacaré (Brazil Dojo) Vs Victor Babkir
Adriano
Martins (Monteiro/Gracie) Vs Boris Jonstomp (France)
Fredson
Paixão (Gracie/GBCT) Vs Rani Yahira (Brasília)
Source:
MMA Weekly |
VANDERLEI
INJURED, FUTURE UNCLEAR
We posted this story orginally on Sunday on our site. In case
you missed it, it doesn't look good for Vanderlei Silva fighitng
Yuki Kondo. Here was the story this weekend from Gracie Magazine..
"Chuteboxe
star Wanderlei Silva injured himself while training with his
partners at chuteboxe academy and may not be in Pride Bushido
3, that still has not confirmed any big name in the event. The
injury was in the same knee Wand put into surgery in December
2002.
"The
doctor who has made the cirurgy on him is still going to examine
Wand to make sure how hurt his knee is now. Only after that we'll
make a final decision" said Rudimar fedrigo. "We still
think that Wand will be able to join the event, but we have to
wait for what the doctor will say about it".
"According
to Fedrigo's words, Wand injured himself a couple of weeks ago
while training with his partner Jorge Patino Macaco and still
couldn't recover it. The champion was going to face Yuki Kondo,
a guy that Wand defied on Pride's Ring with the words "Get
ready to be beaten".
Silva
has told close friends that he will be ready to go against Yuki
Kondo no matter what, so we shall see how the injury heals.
Source:
MMA Weekly |
Quote
of the Day
"All of the great achievers of the past have been visionary
figures; they were men and women who projected into the future.
They thought of what could be, rather than what already was,
and then they moved themselves into action, to bring these things
into fruition."
Bob Proctor, Business Consultant, Motivational Speaker
|
Rumble
on the Rock 5 Tonight
Rumble
On The Rock 5 Weigh-Ins
Dave and Busters
Honolulu, Hawaii
May 6, 2004
By Mike Onzuka - Mike@onzuka.com
The
Rumble on the Rock returns to Oahu to throw another big production
event on the most populated island in the Hawaiian chain. The
much anticipated return of Wesley "Cabbage" Correira
to Hawaii is on despite what the internet rumors may have said.
Due to the technical knock of Cabbage by Andrei Arlovski in UFC
47, the Nevada State Athletic Commission has suspended Cabbage's
eligibility to fight for 15 days. The talk on the net was whether
or not the suspension was for 45 days, thus banning Cabbage to
fight on this card. Due to some legal action pending, the intricate
details have to be left unsaid, but the main thing is that John
Marsh will finally get his hands on Cabbage and hopefully throw
more than a water bottle at the tough Hawaiian. Marsh looked
to be in very good shape coming in at 240.5 pounds like Cabbage
looked big as life 277.5 pounds. This grudge match should keep
the fans drooling until these fighters get it on.
Cabbage eyes Marsh
Olympic
Silver Medalist and UFC's number one ranked fighter at 185 lbs,
Matt "The Law" Lindland, makes his Hawaii fighting
debut against the Freak, Tony Fryklund from Team Extreme. There
has been a war of words between these two on the internet and
I, for one, love to read Lindland's rebuttals. I just hope his
opponents keep insulting him so that I can continue to get an
entertaining laugh from this educated and almost poetic fighter.
Both fighters made weight and the Freak was ripped as usual.
Former UFC Welterweight Champ and trainer extraordinaire Pat
Miletich accompanied Fryklund.
Matt Lindland faces Tony Fryklund
Due
to a car crash about two weeks ago, Ross "Da Boss"
Ebanez had to remove himself from the card which leaves the very
experienced Steve Berger holding the bag as he tries to get his
career back on track since he has lost three of his last four.
Berger tells me that he has a fight lined up at TKO in Canada
in about two weeks.
UFC welterweight contender Charuto Verissimo makes his way
past the 808 Fight Factory's table.
The
"I can't get no satisfaction and a spot into the UFC"
fighter Ron "The Machine Gun" Jhun will stay active
as he faces Lindland teammate and well touted Ryan Schultz. Jhun
needs this win to continue to be on UFC match maker Joe Silva's
speed dial. Jhun initially came in a pound heavy, but quickly
made the 170 pound limit.
The Machine Gun faces Team Quest's Ryan Schultz
One
of the most interesting fights on paper is the Justin Mercado/Harris
Sarmiento fight. 808 Fight Factory's Sarmiento has been on a
tear and is a very active fighter having one the Super Brawl
155 lb eliminator tournament and numerous kickboxing matches
while Grappling Unlimited's Mercado is a golden gloves quality
boxer with a solid sprawl and brawl style. Heavy hands should
fly and both fighters usually are very aggressive which makes
this fight the one to watch.
Harris The Hitman vs Mercs Mercado
Everyone
made their weights and finally after a few changes in the card,
the fights are set. I will commentate with former UFC lead interviewer
Ryan Bennett for this event and with all the strikers on the
card, the local crowd should be in for a night of action.
Rumble
On The Rock 5 Fight Card
Blaisdell Arena, Honolulu, Hawaii
May 7, 2004
Royden
Demotta (BJ Penn's MMAA) 174.5 lbs. vs. Vance Pu
Justin
Mercado (Grappling Unlimited) 153 lbs. vs. Harris Sarmiento (808
Fight Factory) 154.5 lbs.
Kaynan Kaku (BJ Penn's MMAA) 153.5 lbs. vs. Santino Defranco
(Arizona Combat Sports) 155.0 lbs.
Keynan Kaku faces off with the Italian Stallon, Santino Defranco
Mike
Rogers (Team Vaghi) 205 lbs. vs. Jason Lambert (North County
Fight Club) 208.5 lbs.
Joe
"Diesel" Riggs (Arizona Combat Sports) 185.0 lbs. vs.
Kendall Grooves (Maui Full Contact) 183.5 lbs.
Danny
Steele 159 lbs. vs. Melvin Murray 150 lbs.
Ronald
Jhun (808 Fight Factory) 170 lbs. vs. Ryan Schultz (Team Quest)
163 lbs.
Matt
Lindland (Team Quest) 184.0 lbs. vs. Tony Fryklund (Team Extreme)
180.5 lbs.
Main
event
Wesley "Cabbage" Correira (Grappling Unlimited) 277.5
lbs. vs. John Marsh (Team Neutral Grounds) 240.5 lbs.
|
|
ADCC
2005 Notice
The
ADCC Committee has received a great numberof inquiries in reference
to ADCC 2005. As it was reported last month, ADCC is looking
for a solid organization to assist running the event in the US.
The
scope of the organization's duties includes providing a suitable
location, mats, security, advertising, ticket sales, transportation
of the fighters to and from the competition venue from the hotel,
selecting a hotel and providing logistical support for ADCC.
ADCC
will provide the referees, the judges, select all the fighters,
pay for prize money and travelling expenses for the competing
athletes to the city where the event will be held.
Organizations
interested in hosting the event should contact Guy Neivens at
thecohiba@yahoo.com with information about your experience with
events as such and broad details of your proposal.
Source:
ADCC - Kid Peligro |
DSE
President will attend to next Meca, says Fedrigo
by: Luca Atalla with Rafael Werneck
One
of the biggest MMA events in Brazil, The Meca World Vale Tudo
has its next edition scheduled for June 5th, in Teresopolis,
Rio de Janeiro. Promoter Rudimar Fedrigo (also Chute Boxe´s
head manager) is expecting to have a special guest in the audience
: the DSE President, Noboyuki Sakakibara. According to Rudimar,
it´s going to be an excelent chance for the Brazilian
fighters who dream of an invitation to fight in Pride.
One
of them is the BJJ star Jorge Patino 'Macaco'. After facing Californian
Thomas “Wildman” Denny in Jungle Fight 2, scheduled
to May 15th, Macaco will
fight Delson Pe de Chumbo in Meca 11. He will try to repeat the
good performance he had in Meca 10, when he beated Luis Brito
by split decision in the most exciting match of the night. On
that occasion, the Pride middleweight champion, Wanderlei Silva,
stated: ‘It was one of the best fights ever!’
In
Meca 10, Delson Pe de Chumbo TKOed Marcelo Pitbull. Born and
raised in Teresopolis, he will have the crowd on his side during
the match against
Patino.
Source:
ADCC |
Meca
Vale Tudo - Official Card Released!
by: Luca Atalla
Promoter
Rudimar Fedrigo has just confirmed the official card for the
11th edition of Meca World Vale Tudo. The event will take place
on June 5th, in Teresopolis, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. As usual,
the event will be broadcast live throughout the country on pay-per-view.
Below is the complete card.
Check
the official card out (subject to change):
- Roan “Jucão” Carneiro (BTT) vs. Luiz Azeredo
(Chute Boxe)
- Daniel Acacio (Chute Boxe) vs. Carlos Baruch (Brasil Dojo)
- Jadyson Costa (Chute Boxe) vs. Milton Vieira (BTT)
- Ivan “Batman” (Manimal) vs. Alexandre “Baixinho”
(GBCT)
- Luciano Cardoso vs. Parazinho
- Gustavo Ximu (GBCT) vs. Nilson Castro (Chute Boxe)
- Junior Besouro (RFT) vs. Luiz Brito
- Delson “Pé de Chumbo” (GBCT/Pit Bull) vs.
Jorge Patino “Macaco” (Chute Boxe)
- Suyan Queiroz vs. Luciano Azevedo (RFT)
- Alex Gazé (Boxe Thai) vs. André “Jacão”
Bispo (RFT)
Source:
ADCC |
Wanderlei
Silva's Knee Injury Looked At!
by: Julio Heller
Wanderlei Silva had a magnetic resonance at Vita Hospital in
Curitiba, Brazil this week, and he passed the evaluation of Dr.
Mario Namba. Dr. Namba is one of the top specialists in the country,
and he is considered a knee authority in Brazil. Dr Namba already
operated on Wanderlei, as well as Olympic gymnast Daiane Dos
Santos.
A
small injury to the right knee of the athlete was located. It
was diagnosed as a light bruise from training and that it has
nothing to do with the problem that Wanderlei operated on back
in 2002. The doctor recommended at least 4 weeks of physical
therapy and reduction of the training load.
This
will probably postpone the fight with Yuki Kondo that was scheduled
for the end of June. Wanderlei seemed very calm and confident
for a fast recovery, and he assured us that his match with Kondo
will be on the cardwith the second stage of PRIDE GP.
Source:
ADCC |
IronHeart
Crown Preview: KEITH WISNIEWSKI
by: Keith Mills
Welterweight
Keith “Polish Connection” Wisniewski makes his next
appearance at Ironheart Crown, a yearly event that has been running
in the Mid-West with the next one taking place in Hammond, Indiana
on June 5th. Ironheart is known for showcasing some of the best
out of the Mid-West with vets like Shonie Carter, Steve Berger,
Jeff Curran, and Jason Godsey having all fought there.
Wisniewski
hasn’t lost a fight in two years since a back-and-forth
battle with John Renken in HOOKnSHOOT “Relentless”.
Since then Wisniewski has picked up a reputation for beating
hometown fighters as he travels the globe. First for this Indiana
fighter after the Renken fight was Matt Lee in Massachusetts
followed by Marco Macera in New Orleans, Nuri Shakir in Massachusetts,
Eddie Sanchez in Ohio, Red Devil’s Danila Vaselov in Moscow,
and American Top Team’s Jorge Santiago in Florida. One perception
of his 16-5-1 career is those who have beaten him tend to move
on to UFC with Pride vet Renken being the only one who hasn’t.
His other four losses were at the hands of Shonie Carter, Joey
Gilbert, Adrian Serrano, and CJ Fernandez. All of those losses
to fighters that have moved on to the UFC took place from 1998-2000
and now are looked at as learning points in Keith’s career
from which Keith has learned and improved. A more accurate picture
of Keith now might be he beat Jorge Santiago but Santiago is
next fighting KOTC Welterweight Champion John Alessio for the
belt next month as if the loss to Keith doesn’t significantly
lower Jorge’s standing as a loss to just another fighter
would. Basically the old impression of Keith as a fighter to
beat to move on is changing to a fighter on the verge of moving
on himself.
Keith
continues to step up in competition as he takes on winner of
one of the Extreme Challenge Middleweight tournament qualifiers
Jay Buck who not only has a record the size of Keith’s but
is 2-1 in Ironheart with his one loss there being to Shonie Carter.
KM:
What are your thoughts on fighting in Ironheart? KW: Ironheart
is a really good organization and it’s about twenty minutes
from my hometown so I’m really excited to fight in front
of my friends, family, and teammates. It’s my first time
fighting for them, should be a good experience.
KM:
Your opponent… KW: Jay Buck from Chicago. Trains with Hell
House.
KM:
Jay won one of the Extreme Challenge Middleweight tournament
qualifiers last year. What do you think of his experience fighting
at a higher weight? KW: He’ll probably come in about 5-6
pounds heavier than me. After the weigh-ins he’ll probably
put that much more weight back on but I don’t see it being
a big factor. He’s a pretty similar fighter to me, real
rugged. I see it being the kind of fight where the tougher man
is going to win. We’re going to go in there and take it
to each other and I think the crowd is going to get a treat out
of it.
KM:
Both you guys are really good on the ground. My first impression
was this is going to be mainly a ground based fight but you have
been doing a lot more standing up lately. KW: If it were up to
me it would be on the feet throwing bombs; that is just what
I do. We’ll see how it goes.
KM:
You fought in Russia but that wasn’t really high-profile
in the eyes of a lot of fans. How do you view this fight in relation
to the rest of your recent ones? KW: Going to Russia was a good
experience for me. When an American gets a win in Russia they
get a lot of publicity. My last fight here against Jorge Santiago
was a very difficult fight, nearly lost that one. I think I got
a lot of publicity for that. This one, it’s probably almost
a step back as the Santiago fight but I haven’t fought in
six months and I really want to get back in the ring in my hometown.
KM:
Can you describe the Santiago fight? KW: He took it to me the
first couple of rounds. He got me in two triangles, had me mounted
at one point. Third round I caught him with a one-two and dropped
him. Dropped him a couple other times throughout the course of
the round, got mount, finished him from the mount. Very tough
opponent, very solid.
KM:
Especially in the last six months it seems like you have been
stepping up in the level of opponents. KW: I’m really trying
to take UFC level fights. I really want to fight in the UFC so
I’m looking for opponents of that caliber that have been
in the UFC or are looking to get in the UFC. Looking to take
on the best right now.
KM:
Are you going to be training any differently for this fight?
KW: Same thing I always do; do the vale tudo and push hard every
day.
KM:
Any else to share with the fans? KW: Good luck to my teammates
in their upcoming fights.
Source:
ADCC |
JHUN
READY FOR BATTLE AGAINST SCHULTZ
by Jeff Cain
Ronald "Machine Gun" Jhun was the featured guest on
MMAWeekly SoundOff Radio Tuesday. He is fighting Ryan Schultz
of Team Quest this Friday in Rumble on the Rock. Ronald discussed
his up coming bout, why he isn't Lee Murray's next opponent,
as well as his busy schedule of work and training.
Ronald
Jhun, like so many other fighters on the brink of making it,
has to balance a full time job while trying to stay in fighting
shape. Ronald works full time as a foreman in the construction
industry. He goes in to work at seven in the morning, after working
all day, he has just enough time to shower, grab a bit to eat
and then he is off to train. It is the drive to succeed in the
sport that motivates him to work so hard.
Ronald
addressed why he isn't fighting Lee Murray at UFC 48. When Joe
Silva first contacted him about the possible fight, Jhun agreed
to it. There was some miscommunication about Ronald fighting
in Rumble on the Rock this Friday. "It's just a situation
where I was already obligated to fight in an organization already,"
stated Jhun.
Ronald
talked to Joe Silva on Monday morning and Joe told him to take
care of business in Hawaii. Jhun added, "who knows, I'll
probably be on the next show." It has always been goal of
his to fight in the UFC and he thinks it is just a matter of
timing. Every time Jhun has put together a nice winning streak,
he suffers a loss. He remains hopeful, "if anyone pulls
out, I'm ready to step right in," said Ronald.
Although
he hopes to make it in the UFC soon, Jhun isn't looking past
Ryan Schultz. He has seen tape of Ryan fighting and said that
Schultz looks like a "brawler." He expects Ryan to
show up ready to do what ever it takes to win. Ronald just wants
to continue winning and thinks, if he does, that his future won't
be denied.
Source:
MMA Weekly |
Rani
Yahira
By André Araújo
Rani
Vs Frédson: "Unpredictable"
The
first confront between fighter from Brasília (DF) Rani
Yahira and fighter from Amazonas Frédson Paixão
happened at last Cyclone Cup, held in Rio de Janeiro in last
September. The final result: Rany defeated Paixão by 6x0.
Now, both fighters meet again, but in a different situation:
inside the Jungle Fight 2 ring, which happens on next May 15th
in Manaus (AM). Well, Rani seems not care about his experience
in Vale-Tudo (four victories, three of them during the same event:
TNT Vale-Tudo, held in DF last April). "I believe I may
have more experience than him, but in other hand, he is far away
experienced than me in Jiu-Jitsu," stated the BJJ black
belt, who has never fought as a black belt over a big event.
Check out bellow the full interview conceded by Rani to Team
TATAME.
You've
already faced and won Frédson Paixão during Cyclone
Cup last September. How it will be now? Considering it is his
first time?
It
is well different and unpredictable. I don't want people thinking
I am better. Just because I've won him before, it does not mean
I will win him again. That time it was a Submission match and
now it is Vale-Tudo. I will step inside the ring as if was my
first time.
Which
will be your strategy to beat him?
Talking
about strategy... Always I wanted to impose a certain strategy
it all went wrong. If I wanted to take the fight to the ground,
it ends on the feet and vice versa. The thing is you have to
be ready for the fight, no matter what does happen.
Do
you think you will have a good time, once he is about to debut
in Vale-Tudo and you have some experience?
I
think when both fighters are ready, the favoritism is no longer
important. I believe I may have more experience than him, but
in other hand, he is far away experienced than me in Jiu-Jitsu.
He has fought several times as a black belt and I haven't done
a single fight since I earned my belt in last September.
How
is your training doing?
It's
intense. I have been training ground technicians, doing my standing
practice and I also keep my physical conditions. I hope I am
ready when my time comes out.
And
about your plans in BJJ? Will you fight the Mundials?
I
think it will be impossible to fight next Mundials. Vale-Tudo
and Submission have also more prestigious than Gi tournaments.
The BJJ World Championship lost of prestigious after the Confederation
break down. Everywhere else I walk on the street I find a BJJ
World Champion. It kept me away from the Gi. Now I am all about
Vale-Tudo and Submission. I have been an year away from the mat,
but I do have in mind a fixed idea to conquer a gold medal as
a black belt. But not for now.
You
were the champion of the last ADCC trial and now with the new
rules and more trials, it seems easier to join ADCC crew. What
do you think about it?
I
have been waiting for this trial so badly. Even tough I lost
it, I loved to fight. It was the best event I've ever fought.
It was amazing. Now, with four trials it may be easier to get
in, but I believe the numbers of athletes will increase a lot.
I had an opportunity to win the last trial and I will run for
a new one this year.
During
the last Submission in Rio de Janeiro you fought, you left the
gymnasium right after your bout. Had did happen?
In
fact it was a misunderstood. The organizer Leandro (Ribeiro)
gave a really good assistance in there and I don't have complains
about. I traveled from Brasília to Rio de Janeiro and
then to Campos and came back by bus. Just it.
Source:
Tatame |
|
Libório
debuts as referee in Japan
Enjoying
the trip to Japan, where on next May 5th will be at Marcus Aurélio's
corner at ZST, BJJ black belt Ricardo Libório debuted
as referee. Libório was the referee of over 15 fights
at the second Copa Dumau Kimonos de Jiu Jitsu in Ageo Budo-jo,
city located 40 km from Tokyo. BJJ world champion in 1996 and
one of the most technical Carlson Gracie's pupil, Libório
got impressive with the Japanese technical level. 'When I was
here in 1996, you barely hear about BJJ, but almost eight years
later were enough to form a champion," declared Libório
referring to Mitsuyoshi Hayakawa, highlight of the event, winning
the Open Class category.
Source:
Tatame |
Quote
of the Day
"I do not think that there is any other quality so essential
to success of any kind as the quality of perseverance. It overcomes
almost everything, even nature."
John D. Rockefeller, 1839-1937, American Industrialist, Philanthropist,
Founder Exxon |
Rumble
on the Rock Weigh-ins Tonight
at Dave and Busters!
The ROTR weigh-ins will be held at Dave and Busters right off of Ward Ave at 6:00 PM on the roof
top area.
Yours truly, Mike Onzuka, has just been informed that he will
be doing the commentary for the fight with former UFC lead interviewer
and MMA
Weekly.com's
main man Ryan Bennett who will be broadcasting for the MMA Weekly's
radio show live from the weigh ins. The card is stacked with
a ton of talent. Hopefully Kawika Paaluhi's opponent can last
to fight. Kawika somehow has been very unlucky in his return
to MMA action with a fighter pulling out and another getting
hurt on the night of the event. I am looking forward to seeing
him back in action.
If
you have not bought your tickets yet, time is running out. These
fights will be held in a UFC style octagon and the production
for ROTR is insane with two 20 foot screens to add to your viewing
pleasure.
Tentative Rumble on the Rock Fight Card
May 7, 2004
Neal Blaisdell Arena
Honolulu, Hawaii
Wesley
'Cabbage' Correira
vs. John Marsh
Matt Lindland vs. Tony Fryklund
Ronald
Jhun vs.
Ryan Schultz
Kawika
Paaluhi
vs. Mike Rogers
Kaynan
Kaku vs.
Santino DeFranco
|
UFC
Shot Eludes Ron Jhun...For Now:
Rumble On The Rock Up Next
By Loretta Hunt
Ron Jhun
It's the call every American fighter waits for. UFC matchmaker
Joe Silva is on the other end, and he wants you to fight. Hawaiian
resident Ronald Jhun got that call early last week, but do to
prior commitments will not be making his long-awaited Octagon
debut come June 19th's UFC 48. "It was kind of bad timing,"
shares Jhun from the construction site he works full-time from
to support his wife and four kids, with yet another little one
on the way. "I just told them right now, I have obligations
to Rumble On The Rock and I was pretty much committed to them,
but I would take the fight if they would wait on me." Jhun
is scheduled to meet Team Quest up-and-comer Ryan Schultz this
Friday, and was hoping the UFC could hold off till after. But,
according to Jhun, the UFC didn't call back and word quickly
surfaced that the vacant middleweight slot would go to UFC 30
veteran Curtis Stout.
Despite the UFC's decision to lock down Stout instead, Jhun insists
that all is well between him and the UFC. "I didn't sign
anything," he says. "We were in talks and negotiating
for a possible fight with Lee Murray, and I was telling them
I fight at welterweight now, and would it be possible for me
to crack into the UFC at 170?" Since moving down to the
welterweight division, the 20-11-2 fighter has celebrated a level
of success, with draws to UFC vets Shonie Carter and Dennis Hallman,
and another victory over Carter in their rematch that followed
six months later. Jhun has gone 6 for 2 in his last eight fights.
Following the unofficial news that Stout was in and the heap
of unsubstantiated negative gossip that followed, Jhun says he
was grateful to receive another phone call from Silva. "He
kind of shed some light about me fighting in the UFC," Jhun
comments. "He said I've pretty much been on their list for
quite sometime, but it's been bad timing. Either I've had an
event that was scheduled around that time or I had a big fight
that I lost or something. But, I've been contacted by them [the
UFC] at least two or three times already. I think that the position
that Joe Silva is in right now, he's kinda under the gun and
he needs to get a committed fighter right now." "He
said that Lee Murray requested me," Jhun adds, with a twinge
of approval in his voice. Dubbed "the Machine Gun"
for his stand-up tenacity, it is feasible to see why the UFC
would encourage a match-up of its kind. In addition, Jhun has
a win over Murray's teammate and UFC 38 participant James Zikic
at Superbrawl 12.
But, for now, Jhun is doing what many fighters do in situations
like these. "I'm not even looking past this guy," the
Hawaiian wisely conveys about his pending battle with Schultz.
"I just been kind of brushing everything off. Guys have
been calling me asking for interviews and how I feel about the
UFC, and I'm like, first of all, I gotta fight next week. This
fight that I have coming up is a big fight to me. It's a big
deal, because it could make or break both of us guys. I've seen
a few of this guy's fights, and even though he a wrestler at
heart, he's looks to be a brawler. He just tries to go in and
knock everybody's heads off."
If Jhun is able to get past Schultz, though, he divulges there's
already been talk with Zuffa for a debut on the UFC 49 card,
tentatively scheduled for August. Till then, a cheerful Jhun
says he will continue to take it one fight at a time, having
already reached a level of notoriety in the biz that attracts
some of the gamer opponents out there. "They should call
me the 'Billy the Kid' of this sport," Jhun laughs. "Everybody
that I fight, they become famous after it, not me." All
in due time, Ron, all in due time.
Source:
ADCC
|
SHOOTO
ON THE ROAD TO HAWAII
Shooto is taking their show on the road as they have scheduled
fights at the Blaisdell Arena on July 9th. Hawaiian fighters
will be well represented on the card as there will be two title
matches and 3 current Shooto champions.
Fight
Night Blaisdell Arena July 9:
Hawaii
& Japan union vs. World
-
Jake Shields vs. Ray
"Bradda" Cooper (Middleweight vacant title match)
-
Masanori Suda vs. Dustin Denes (LHW Shooto title match)
-
Jens Pulver vs. Stephen
Paling
-
Rumina Sato vs. Bao Quatch
-
Vitor "Shaolin" Ribeiro vs. Mitsuhiro Ishida
-
Alexandre "Pequeno" Nogueira vs. TBA
Source:
MMA Weekly & Shooto Website
|
ADCC's
BRAZILIAN TRIAL SERIES -
DATES CONFIRMED!
The
ADCC Brazilian Trials were announced by promoter Paulo Zorello,
who also was the organizer of the 2003 ADCC Brazil. There are
four Regional Open Trials, with first and second place winners
qualifying for the final tournament in December. Once again,
the final BRAZILIAN TRIALS will send the champion to ADCC 2005,
however this new format means all the National Trials competitors
will be experienced in the ADCC rules, having come from regional
trials.
CONFIRMED
DATES FOR ADCC BRAZILIAN TRIAL SERIES:
JUNE
26th & 27th, 2004 - Belo Horizonte, Brazil
JULY 3rd & 4th, 2004 - Sao Paulo, Brazil
SEPTEMBER 18th & 19th, 2004 - Curitiba, Brazil
NOVEMBER 27th & 28th, 2004 - Rio De Janeiro, Brazil
DECEMBER 4th & 5th, 2004 = Grand National Qualifier (SAO
PAULO, BRAZIL)
Source:
ADCC
|
ICEMAN
VS. ICEMAN?
LIDDELL DOESN'T HAVE RIGHTS TO NICKNAME
A pro wrestler who calls himself the Iceman says he owns that
nickname and thinks he could sue the UFC and Chuck Liddell over
its use. Jonathan "Iceman" Knudsen said he registered
the name and likeness in 1991. MMAWeekly talked to the professional
wrestler and got this statement regarding the situation…
"I
bought the licensing rights to this gimmick in 1991. And have
filed the gimmick as a TM (trademark). I spent several thousands
of dollars to file the gimmick name as a pro wrestler. I have
also contacted Black Ice, the company that sponsored Chuck Liddell,
to let them know they can no longer use the gimmick name ICEMAN
for any of their companies product endorsements or merchandising.
I
have also spoken to Chuck Liddell to let him know that I would
need to see how they will be packaging his products with the
use of the name ICEMAN as an endorsement. As a professional wrestler
it is very important to license your name for the reason of signing
contracts later down the road.
Without
your gimmick name licensing it could mean loss of several thousands
of dollars in merchandising and product placement. I am not looking
to cause Chuck or the UFC any grief, I have simply told them
about the problem with Chuck using the name as a product placement.
As long as he does not try to sell products or push products
simply using the name ICEMAN gimmick on those products. I have
no problem with him using it. I hear he is a very nice guy and
easy to get along with and he spoke very professionally on the
phone with me today."
-
Jonathan Iceman
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
CRO
COP'S MANAGER SAYS HE'S READY TO GO
There was an interesting interview from Kakuto and Man-Magazine.com
with Mirko Cro Cop’s manager. Here’s a portion of that
interview…
"After
the loss vs Randleman, a lot of ‘keyboard warriors’
felt the need to insult Mirko Filipovic producer Mr. Kenneth
Imaii and try to blame him for the fact that one of the strongest
fighters in the world was defeated. Men and ‘kids’
who are sitting behind their computers with no other information
than gossip and false information. From all these forum websites,
hiding behind a nickname, are causing the sport more harm than
they even can think of.
Mr.
Imaii, what did Mirko say when he stepped out of the ring?
Not much, right after the match. We started talking when we were
left alone in his hotel room. We both knew exactly what went
wrong and how to fix it. It wasn't anything in relation with
technical or strategic issues. We don't need to be disrespectful
with Kevin, because he was very respectful with Mirko in the
post-fight interview. We just knew that after the Feb. 15th fight
against Yamamoto, out of 10 weeks, he spent 6 weeks filming a
movie and paying attention to his parliament duties. He just
wasn't concentrated like he always had been in any other fight.
We talked about the loss against Michael McDonald in June 2001
in the K-1 World GP Melbourne Round. How much he underestimated
the opponent at that time, and that was when the gear was shifted
towards MMA rules and to take on Fujita in August 2001. The decision
made after the devastating TKO defeat has built Mirko up to whom
he has become today.
Can
you please explain what was different this time?
The only thing I felt different this time was when I saw him
first on the day he arrived in Tokyo (April 23rd), I didn't feel
the killer's aura that he possesses always right before the fight.
Anyway, Mirko and I spoke for a long time and he insisted that
he gets another chance to clear his name as soon as possible,
even for Pride Bushido on May 23. He told me to contact Pride
right away. I wanted to make sure with him that he should rest
to see how he felt from the damage. I have been around Andy Hug,
Peter Aerts, Jerome LeBanner, Ernesto Hoost, Ray Sefo and Mike
Bernardo right after their KO defeats for years at K-1, because
it was my responsibility to make sure that we were handling their
health right. Sometimes we had to make them go and to prepare
for the next event without long enough recuperation as K-1 had
events after events. Usually fighters would always say even right
after the heavy KO defeat that they wanted to go right back out
there in the ring, but as the days went by and they would realize
that there were small signs from their own body that they detected
and realized the damage their body had amassed from a heavy KO.
Then if I ask again "Do you want to go right away?",
they would usually mellow down and said that they should hold
back for a while.
After
a week from April 25th, does Mirko still wants to go back out
there right away?
"Definitely!" he says. I guess if there are any small
and sensitive signs that he can only detect himself, he would
definitely say "Let's hold back and wait." I trust
his professionalism and his judgment. He has promised me that
I could postpone any type of movie offers until after the day
that he wears the Pride Heavyweight Champion belt around his
waist. He will be concentrated and devoted again in his fighting
career. So, I have no doubt that he will be back soon.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
BUSY
SCHEDULE SHAPING UP FOR
TEAM EXTREME MEMBERS
Team Extreme's schedule in May and June...
May
6: Jeremy Horn vs. Chael Sonnen; Andre Roberts vs. Gabe Beauperthuy;
Mike Radnov vs. Chris Geschke (Extreme Challenge 57 in Council
Bluffs, Iowa).
May
7: Tony Fryklund vs. Matt Lindland (ROTR in Honolulu, Hawaii).
May
7: Kerry Schall vs. Chris Herring (ICE 9 in Fairfield, Ohio).
May
7: Jason Medina vs. Matt Bear (Iowa Challenge in Davenport, Iowa).
May
14: Joe Doerksen vs. Chris Leben; Spencer Fisher vs. Carlo Prater
(FFC in Biloxi, Miss.).
May
15: Travis Wiuff vs. TBA (Jungle Fight 2 in the Amazon).
May
21: Amir Rahnavardi vs. Kengo Ura (WEC 10 in Lemoore, Calif.).
May
22: Jeremy Horn vs. Carmelo Brown; Tony Fryklund vs. Buck Greer;
Rich Clementi vs. Eddie
Yagin;
Jason Medina vs. Adam Lynn; LaVerne Clark vs. TBA (PXC International
Showdown in Guam).
June
5: Jason Black vs. Gideon Ray (Ironheart Crown in Hammond, Ind.).
June
11: Dave Menne vs. Todd Carney; Travis Wiuff vs. TBA (Extreme
Challenge 58 in Medina, Minn.).
June
18: Jorge Gurgel in 8-man tourney; Andre Roberts vs. TBA (Super Brawl in Honolulu,
Hawaii).
June
19: Matt Hughes vs. Charuto
Verissimo;
Tim Sylvia vs. Frank Mir (UFC in Las Vegas, Nev.).
June
26: Kerry Schall vs. Damien Decorah (XFO 2 in Fontana, Wis.).
June
26: Jeremy Horn vs. Anderson Silva (Seoul, S. Korea).
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
FEDRIGO
ON VANDERLEI'S INJURY
Chute
Boxe leader Rudimar Fedrigo commented to the Brazilian media
regarding the injured knee of Vanderlei Silva, and said that
doctors want Silva to rest the knee for 3 to 4 weeks.
Rudimar
said that PRIDE has still not decided whether to keep the Silva's
fight against Yuki Kondo as scheduled, or whether to have it
on one of their upcoming cards in either June or July.
Rudimar
added that Silva will fight as scheduled, injured knee and all,
if PRIDE decides that they want the fight to still happen in
PRIDE Bushido 3 on May 23rd.
Source:
Fight Sport
|
Quote
of the Day
"You can't do it yourself. Don't be afraid to rely on others
to help you accomplish your goals."
Oprah Winfrey, 1954-, American TV Personality, Producer, Actress,
Author
|
Fernando
'Terere' v Marcelo Garcia In Japan
Current
BJJ Superstars Fernando 'Terere' & Marcelo Garcia are schedule
to fight a BJJ match in Japan this May 15th. Marcelo, who is
coming off a big win over Ronaldo 'Jacare' is looking to avenge
his submission loss to Terere in the 2003 Worlds. Terere has
been on a tear of late with a single loss to Jacare in the Absolute
Division of the 2004 Pan-Ams! Also going to Japan for a Superfight
is young phenom Brown Belt Andre 'Indio' Galvao.
Both
Terere and Garcia are scheduled to do seminars in Japan after
their match! More details as they become available.
Source:
ADCC
|
FRYKLUND
VERBALLY SPARS WITH LINDLAND
This Friday night, in Hawaii, Tony Fryklund and Matt Lindland
will face off at Rumble on the Rock. Yesterday, both fighters
appeared on MMAWeekly SoundOff Radio and gave their take on the
up coming bout.
With this being the final week before the fight, Fryklund has
cut the workouts down to one a day. He said making weight won't
be a problem. Yesterday morning, he weighed 183 pounds, under
weight, and said he likes to be at fighting weight six weeks
prior to fights.
Tony Fryklund didn't hold anything back when asked about Matt
Lindland. He said that he didn't want to insult anyone and respects
Matt and all he has accomplished but that is where the friendly
comments stopped and the fighting words began. Tony said, "I
question his heart...I question his integrity." Fryklund
referred to Lindland's skills as being "atrocious."
Tony went on to say, "for some reason he beats people, I
have no idea why."
Fryklund feels that there are many fighters on paper, including
himself, that are better fighters than Matt Lindland. He went
so far as to say that Matt has gotten "lucky" in the
past. Tony trains at Team Miletich and comparing the teams, he
stated, "One team has a professional play book and the other
is playing like Pop Warner on the field with their moms and dads
as coaches."
Tony said, "I'm looking for a kind of dirty, boring to be
made by him." He went on to say that he isn't going to let
the fight be "boring." His plan is to push the pace,
and commented, "it's only fifteen minutes worth." He
added, "it's going to be like a blender the whole time."
Fryklund's prediction for the fight was, "I'm going to do
so much damage to this kid, he's not going to know what hit him."
"I can't see myself losing to him," stated Tony.
Matt Lindland got his chance to respond to all the comments made
by Tony when he joined the show only moments after Fryklund.
Matt thinks Tony is just trying to psych himself up for the fight.
He added, "he's probably scared."
Matt has not seen Tony fight since 1997 and hasn't really formulated
his game plan yet. He just wants to showcase his skills. In Lindland's
time off from fighting, he has improved his game, both stand
up and on the ground. He acknowledged that he wasn't a professional
boxer and pointed out, "we're not boxing Friday night."
Despite the comments made about the two camps by Fryklund, Matt
said he has a lot of respect for Pat Miletich and his training
camp.
Lindland spoke briefly about the 185 pound division in the UFC.
He question why he isn't in there. He doesn't think he has been
"dropped" by the UFC but doesn't have any fights signed
either. There was some talk about a fight with David Terrell
but, to this point, it is only talk. Matt thinks the UFC wants
to wait to see what happens Friday night before going further
with talks.
To hear what "The Law" and "The Freak" had
to say in it's entirety, get yourself a Premium Membership. For
only five dollars a month, you get access to the radio archive,
our video library of one on one interviews, behind the scenes
coverage of weigh ins and press conferences, tips of the week
from the top fighters in Mixed Martial Arts and so much more.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
LINDLAND
FIRES BACK
You probably heard the interview with Matt Lindland yesterday
on the MMAWeekly Radio show. If you missed it, it's up on the
archive right now. This was Lindland's written response that
he sent to MMAWeekly yesterday that so many people are talking
about....
Dear
Tony:
Oh,
Tony, Tony, Tony... Where do I begin? I am absolutely overcome
by your interview. I could sit here at my keyboard and comment
on it until there were cobwebs an inch thick on the monitor screen
like an old 'haunted house' movie, and still not do it the justice
it deserves. It is a masterpiece of its kind; I salute you. Approaching
it, and attempting to analyze it critically, has been a daunting
task. But do it I must. I am sending this reply in care of insidefighting
as a gift to you. Consider it a kind of... mental lens. Perhaps
you will see things a bit differently through it.
You
may be wondering, am I addressing Mr. Fryklund, or Mr. Caiazzo?
A fair question... once I got over how amazingly cool it was
that they have the same name!! So for the balance of this reply,
when I use the name "Tony", I am referring to Mr. Fryklund;
and when I use the name "Stupid", I am referring to
Mr. Caiazzo. Keep in mind, however, that all readers of this
reply are more than welcome to join us... so let's all take a
ride together, shall we? Next stop is "Planet Fryklund".
A word of warning to all my passengers: Buckle up, and secure
all small children. It's going to be a bumpy ride...
First,
how about a few quotes from our hero? They will serve as a shining
example of the ghastly intellectual carnage that can occur when
the compulsion to speak overwhelms the necessity to think.
"I
started back in 1997 in UFC 14, and that was really before I
was a fighter."
(Magnificent.
How about... "I first went into space in 1997, and that
was really before I became an Astronaut.")
"I
had some reputable instructors."
"I
didn't have any real trainers to work with."
(Those
guys who 'pulled some strings' for you must feel rewarded by
your gratitude. You managed to correct yourself and call them
bums before you were done.)
"It's
always going to be a different guy day to day."
"You're
only really talking about three or four guys in the world."
(Apparently,
years are quite short on "Planet Fryklund.")
"But
if your name proceeds itself, then people are going to take recognition
anyway."
(People
will be puzzling this one over for countless generations to come.
It's kind of like that 'one hand clapping' or 'tree falling in
the forest'-type statements. Any readers that can figure this
out, you should be working for M.I.T. instead of reading web-sites
about people hitting each other for a living.)
"I've
always represented the UFC, whether they (Zuffa) know it or not."
I
could go on and on, but you guys read the interviews and enjoy
yourselves. It's kind of like "Where's Waldo?" You
can print the interviews and take them on the train to work,
then call your friends and compare notes on what you found, and
where, that was contradictory, or ridiculous, or ludicrous. Start
an office pool.
Now
Tony, you then make a number of statements where you essentially
christen yourself the "Lee Harvey Oswald" of the UFC,
an innocent, unwitting "fall guy" who somehow miraculously
is accorded blame though blameless, is involved in extracurricular,
negative events while serving as a kind of 'undercover' representative
of the UFC, without their knowledge or permission. Could there
maybe be a "second puncher" on the "grassy knoll"
outside that gin-mill in England? Are there a bunch of devilishly
clever 'agents' out there who are so crafty and so committed
to your continued ostracism from the UFC that they manage to
get their faces in the way of your fists in bars? What a conspiracy!
You
then shamelessly pat yourself on the back as you recount the
story (I use the word "story" for a reason... your
credibility is already in free-fall. And it gets worse for you,
my friend. Much worse. Read on.) Of how "Papa" Fryklund
anointed himself the "moral compass" to Tiki Ghosn
as you gave him (and all and sundry other "Team Punishment"
members, as the "Fearless Fryklund", with all the moral
righteousness and divine wrath of Daniel in the lion's den, somehow
faced down the multitudinous forces of evil through courage alone)
a "lecture"... Which consisted of:
"Hey,
don't put this stuff in print. If you wanna say it in the locker
room, if you wanna say it amongst your team or your friends,
then fine. But don't make it in print so people can repeat it
and talk about it and say 'oh my God, look what this guy wrote!'
I mean, we're all trying to look like professionals, and here
you are making us go backwards with those types of comments,
making us all look like idiots, like we have no brains."
Now allow me to quote YOU again, a few pages in, as you describe
Tank Abbott as "...one of these assholes who doesn't know
how to fight his way out of a wet paper bag, except for the fact
that he's a big fat alcoholic piece of crap with cirrhosis of
the liver, and he'll never be worth anything..." Where,
oh where, was Righteous Papa Tony when YOU needed him? Go back
and read your own interviews. Then hang your head in shame. And
get used to it. By the time we're done, those head-hanging muscles
are going to get quite the workout. If being ashamed of oneself
were an Olympic sport, they'd be putting your picture on a "Wheaties"
box as I type this. Read, friend, read on...
You
mention in your melodramatic, fabulist fashion, that you and
other members of Team Militech (you use the noun "we"
to include yourself, in the context), train people until they
are in "tears". Who exactly have you trained until
they cried? I, and I'm sure the readership in general, would
like a NAME. You said it. Now I'm calling on you to provide the
name of that person or persons who you have trained to the point
of sobbing. Do NOT try to 'fall on your sword' and claim it was
you who was crying to save face and protect your team members
at the same time; you included yourself as one of the 'trainers',
and not as a 'trainee'. So, WHO WAS IT??? I'd love to know, so
instead of a ring nickname like "The Headsmashing Dervish"
or "Big Sky Montana", or something else equally silly,
they can be known hereafter as "The Crybaby". Well,
Tony, give it up.
(And
by the way, STUPID, this is a question YOU should have asked
Tony during the interview. Back to you later. Bet you can't wait).
You
very graciously confer the excuse of a "temperature"
on Niko Vitale to explain his loss to me in our second fight.
That's not your place. Niko fought a tough fight, and was MAN
enough to accept it, and move on. I have all the respect for
him in the world. I would consider it an honor to deal with him
in any professional capacity, be it fighting again, training
together, what have you. I don't believe he needs you to make
excuses for him. It demeans him, and it demeans you. Maybe you
should call him, and ask if he needs you to follow him to the
ring as a newly-appointed member of the "Vitale Train",
and take his temperature in the ring before all of his future
fights. Or maybe you should call him and apologize. Think about
it.
Another
thing: Am I supposed to be bringing a sword to this fight? In
one chapter of your endless, stream-of-consciousness rambling,
you mentioned something about swords, and decapitation, and I'm
not sure where we stand. I don't think I can get a sword on the
plane, Tony... So I'm afraid we might just have to go at it with
fists. Or maybe I could paint some numbers on a sword, and tell
them at the gate that it's a thermometer, and that I have to...
how do I say this... ascertain your rectal temperature prior
to fighting, so as to remove the whole "fever excuse"
from your post-fight bag of verbal tricks.
Fighting
me is a "night off" for you. So you have so little
respect for the MMA fans in Hawaii that you expect them to come
to the fight and pay full-boat retail for tickets to watch you
have a "night off"? What contempt for the fans. Why
not just ask them all to send the ticket $ to you, so that you
don't even have to show up, so you can have a "flight off"
as well as a "night off"? Remember, these are people
who pay CASH to watch you fight. And for them to pay, for example,
$40 for a ticket, they've got to make $65. (After "Uncle
Sam" gets his cut.) but you, in your contempt for them,
don't think they deserve anything but you having a nice vacation
in Hawaii that they subsidize with their ticket purchases, and
then a breezy "night off" in the ring. Can they get
you anything else, Mr. "Night Off" Fryklund? Perhaps
they can slice you some pineapple and do one of those fire-dances
between rounds for you in order to keep your interest. Then you
can clap your hands commandingly like a Tribal Chieftain and
dispatch me in a matter of seconds with your fearsome skills,
the very mention of which reduce your teammates to whimpering
shells of men, lying in puddles of their own tears. I hate to
be the skunk at the garden party, Pharaoh, but I'll do my best
to keep you occupied. I think the fans will appreciate that.
Oh, and by the way, without them, we're all out of business.
Think about that before you behave so arrogantly, and so dismissively,
towards them.
You
mention my "spaghetti wrists". I take offense at that.
They are known, and spoken of in hushed, reverential tones wherever
fighters gather to compare notes, as my "lasagna left"
and my "rigatoni right". Get it straight. But remember
something. On May 7th, I'm going to serve the pasta "al
dente". And there's going to be no waiter you can hand the
dish to and complain that it's too hard, and ask him to throw
it back in the pot. You might, in fact, discover that in the
world of elite fighters, you're the "im-pasta". (All
right. I apologize for that one. Even I'm gagging on that joke.
Forgive me, T-man.)
But
back to the issues at hand. You mention, in what I'm sure in
your befuddled brain was a "broadside", that, and I
quote again: "Greco Roman is what people do when they can't
do Freestyle". You know, Tony, I'm grateful for the enlightenment.
When I was winning those two National titles, and that Pan Am
Games Gold Medal in Freestyle, I had no idea what a charlatan
I was. God, did I have those guys fooled! But you, and only you,
saw through the deception! Tony Fryklund, the "C.S.I."
of MMA!! Reaching into the past to solve the mysteries of the
present! You know, now that I think about it, this explains why,
as the guy was slipping the Gold Medal over my head at the Pan
Am Games, he whispered into my ear "..get over to Greco!
You're a Bum!!!" He knew the truth... Sadly, he disappeared
shortly after that....Maybe those secret agents that get you
into so much trouble at bars in England got a hold of him. The
intrigue!! But there you are, "Papa Tony", a shining
beacon for truth and research piercing the darkness of ignorance!
I could keep going, but in respect for your Coach, Pat Miletich,
I am going to stop embarrassing you on this topic. You did a
great job of embarrassing yourself, though.
I
will return to you shortly, Tony. And when I do, I will discuss
the last, but without a doubt the single most important, aspect
of my communiqué' to you. Stick around; I promise it's
worth the wait. Let me get a few things out of the way first.
STUPID:
Were you raised by wild dogs in a cave somewhere? Do you have
even the most fundamental understanding of your obligations as
a journalist? Is there ANYONE HOME in your HEAD? Do you ever
think about asking questions that might help to clarify your
interviewee's positions? Or do you just sit there and gaze adoringly,
and agree with everything they say, like that guy on "Inside
the Actor's Studio" who listens to "J-LO" like
she's Meryl Streep? Do you check ANYTHING? Tony mentions that
he's going....."Full Bore". Which you, idiot that you
are, transcribe as "Full Boar", so that we are left
to wonder whether Tony Fryklund is describing himself as a recently-fed,
feral, tusked pig. Legitimate journalists since the dawn of the
printed word are howling from their graves at you to STOP.
A
few suggestions:
-Take
a few weeks off. Then quit.
-Throw
your entire computer out a 40-story widow. If it still works
after that, then God wants you to be a writer.
-Put
on your battered fedora with the "Press" card stuffed
jauntily in the headband and go investigate the following rumor:
"If you sit on the train-tracks with your back to the oncoming
train, it will go around you"
I've
got plenty more. Get back to me once you've tried these three.
On the last one, if the train does somehow go around you, stay
there for a few more trains just to make sure that it wasn’t
a fluke.
And
now, finally, Tony, we get to what I've wanted you to know all
along. And it's probably something that you tossed off carelessly...
but it will haunt you like a hideous, shrieking, chain-rattling
ghost for the rest of your career. Edgar Allen Poe said "...every
man creates his own heaven... and his own hell." And you
used up every nail in the bucket with this one, my friend.
You
quote your teammate and friend Matt Hughes..." Look, you
do Greco when you can't do Freestyle. Those are the kids who
aren't coordinated enough to go to freestyle." When I came
out to Iowa, at the invitation of Pat Miletich, who I hold in
the highest regard as a person and an athlete, Matt Hughes was
kind enough to share his home with me. Matt Hughes treated me
with dignity, and respect. As a comrade. And I'm sure that's
how he treats you, Tony. Isn't it? Knowing Matt Hughes has made
me better as a fighter, and as a person. And I would sooner put
out my eyes than do something to embarrass him, to quote him
as saying something mean, or spiteful, or belittling, to another
fighter, or group of fighters, even if, and I doubt it very seriously,
he said it in a moment of anger or poor judgment. I don't believe
he said what you claim he said. Not the Matt Hughes I know. And
even if he did say it, I would consider it my obligation, bordering
on the SACRED, to never reveal anything he said that might make
him look bad. YOU evidently have no such obligations. Think about
this little formula:
If
Matt Hughes DID say what you quote him as saying, and you repeated
it in an interview to increase your own prestige, then you are
a RAT. If Matt Hughes DID NOT say what you quote him as saying,
and you made that quote up and ascribed it to him in an interview
to increase your own prestige, then you are a LIAR.
Either
way, you sold out matt Hughes, and Pat Miletich, and the entire
school, and program that they sacrificed everything to create,
and were generous enough to share with you, to satisfy your own
selfish, boastful, arrogant ends.
Go
look in the mirror and pick. Cheese-eater or lying scumbag? Choose
one, then say good morning to him today, and for the rest of
your life. Look into your own eyes, and drown in the ingratitude.
Today, and every day.
And
whatever happens on May 7th, you carry that. And those guys,
Pat, Matt, all the great guys I met in Iowa, will read this,
and laugh it off, and pat you on the back and say I'm trying
to "psych you out"... But that's only because they're
professionals, and even after you sold them out for the sake
of your own petty prestige in an Internet interview, they will
stand by you. But they will never trust you, and they will watch
what they say around you, from now on. And as they walk you to
the ring this week, remember that these are the guys who helped
you, and trained you, and shared with you; like Matt Hughes shared
his house with me. And they know what we both know. And I bet
it saddens them. And they have you to thank. And I'm sharing
with you now, whether you understand it or not. I began this
note by describing it as a mental lens. That mental lens is ground
ever finer by time, my friend. And you will look through it,
and see things clearer still, as time does its work.
See
you in Hawaii.
-Matt L.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
PRIDE
BUSHIDO 3 CARD
Below
are some of the matchups, both official and unofficial, that
have been circulating in the Japanese media for PRIDE Bushido
3 on May 23rd. A total of eight matchups are expected to be officially
announced for the card in the next two weeks:
Single
matchups:
*Vanderlei Silva vs. Yuki Kondo
Ricardo Arona vs. Quinton Jackson
Alexander Emelianenko vs. Choi Mu Bae
Ricardo Almeida vs. Ryo Chonan
Tamakairiki vs. TBA
Matt Hume vs. D. Mishima
Gracies
vs. Japan matchups:
Renzo Gracie vs. Hayato Sakurai
Ralph Gracie vs. Takanori Gomi
Ryan Gracie vs. Ikuhisa Minowa
*
Vanderlei Silva is most likely out with an injured knee. This
matchup will most likely take place in either June on the PRIDE
Heavyweight GP card, or in July on the PRIDE Bushido 4 card.
Source: Fight Sport |
ROYLER
VS. SUDO POSSIBLE FOR K-1 'ROMANEX'
Sources
in Japan and Brazil are saying that Royler Gracie vs. Genki Sudo
will most likely take place on the K-1 'Romanex' MMA show on
May 22nd.
Source: Fight Sport |
ATKINS
INSIDER:
'MAYHEM' MILLER IN LEGAL TROUBLE
By Todd Atkins
Before
reading any further, please read our disclaimer first.
I
have learned that Jason 'Mayhem' Miller was arrested in Las Vegas
recently, and is having to return to his home town of Atlanta,
GA, to face charges on outstanding warrants.
According
to sources, this may put his upcoming UFC 48 bout against Georges
St-Pierre in serious jeopardy.
Source: Fight Sport |
Quote
of the Day
"You have to find something that you love enough to be able
to take risks, jump over the hurdles, and break through the brick
walls that are always going to be placed in front of you. If
you don't have that kind of feeling for what it is you're doing,
you'll stop at the first giant hurdle."
George Lucas, Director, Star Wars saga and Indiana Jones series
|
SHOOTO
Results
May 3rd
Tokyo, Japan
Kourakuen Hall Sustain
Class
B
Middleweight [-76.0Kg]
2004 Rookie Tournament 1st Round
Yushi Shiori (PUREBRED Omiya) defeated Kotobukimaru (Akimoto
Dojo Jungle Junction) by Decision (19-20,18-20,18-20)
Class B
Bantamweight [-56.0Kg]
HIRO (STF) defeated Shinichi Hanawa (Keisyu Kai Chiba) by Decision
(19-18,19-18,19-18)
Class
B
Welterweight [-70.0Kg]
Tomonari Kanomata (Musashi Murayama Dojo) defeated Takayuki Okouchi
(PARAESTRA Tokyo) by Decision (18-20,18-20,18-20)
Class B
Welterweight [-70.0Kg]
Takeshi Yamazaki (GRABAKA) defeated Antanas Jazbutis (Impulsas)
by arm bar at 4:10 of round 1
Arm Bar
Class A
Lightweight [-65.0Kg]
Rumina Sato (K'z FACTORY) defeated Erikas Petraitis (Titanas
Gym) by Triangle Choke at 2:20 of round 2
Class
A
3 x 5 minutes rounds
Welterweight [-70.0Kg]
Pacific Rim Championship Tournament 1st Round
Takaharu Murahama (Gracie Barra VT Team) defeated Kenichiro Togashi
(PARAESTRA Hiroshima) by Decision (30-27,30-28,30-28)
Class A
Featherweight [-60.0Kg]
Kentaro Imaizumi (SK Absolute) defeated Jin Akimoto (Akimoto
Dojo Jungle Junction) by Decision (30-26,30-27,29-27)
Class A
Bantamweight [-56.0Kg]
Winner
Mamoru (STG Yokohama) defeated Hiroaki Yoshioka (PARAESTRA Tokyo)
by TKO at 4:41 of round 3
TKO
*Referee stoppage after knock-down by knee to head
Class
A
Lightweight [-65.0Kg]
Hiroyuki Takaya (Tanaka Juku) defeated Stephen Paling (Jesus is Lord) by TKO at 2:11 of
round 1
*Referee stoppage after knock-down by left hi-kick
Class
A
Middleweight [-76.0Kg]
Akira Kikuchi (STG Osaka) defeated Jutaro Nakao (K'z FACTORY)
by Decision (29-30,29-29,29-30)
Source: Shooto Site
|
WANDERLEI
Signs A Gi Deal!
Back
from Japan, where he was promoting his next fight against Yuki
Kondo, PRIDE Champion Wanderlei Siva signed a deal with Keiko
Sports Kimonos, a famous Brazilian company that sell kimonos
all over the world. (http://www.keikosports.com/)
The
contract involves the use of Wanderlei's image in print ads for
the next six months, in Brazilian Magazines.
During
the meeting to signed the deal Wanderlei and Geraldo Marra, the
CEO of Keiko started to talk about the idea to develop a specific
line of Kimonos using Wanderlei's brand, called WAND.
Right
now the company is working on the layout of the new kimono, and
the idea is to start to sell in the Japanese market for the summer
of 2004, and then to USA, Europe and Brazil.
Source: ADCC |
WEC:
a closer look at Lytle/Taylor
Lemoore,
CA - On the next WEC card next May 21st Chris Lytle takes on
J.T. Taylor. WEC have always done a superb job of showing the
up-and-comers from top teams on the West Coast and several of
them such as Nick Diaz, Jeremy Jackson, and Mike Kyle have moved
on to the UFC but in the past some of the “big name”
fights were ones that did not surprise the oddsmakers, to put
it mildly. That is becoming a thing of the past at WEC as this
fight between Taylor and Lytle attests if one were to look closer
at Taylor.
At
first glance of J.T.’s record he has an even 1-1-1 pro record
with a 0-1 amateur record, but look who his fights have been
against. In 2001 he lost to former KOTC champion and much more
experienced Ronald
Jhun in
J.T.’s first MMA fight. He turned pro and beat Ryan Schultz
before losing in a title shot to again a much more experienced
Shonie Carter, both in WEC. In November he drew Dennis Hallman,
the man who owns two of former UFC Welterweight Champion Matt
Hughes’ four losses. He may have an even record and few
MMA fights but he has stepped up to fight the best.
Their
styles also match up well. In J.T.’s fight agaist Shonie
Carter J.T. showed he likes to throw kicks and his jiu-jitsu
game is very tight for a relative unknown. In that fight what
bagged Shonie the judges’ decision was basically Shonie’s
takedowns and control, using judo-based takedowns from the clinch
for which Taylor didn’t seem to have an answer. Four times.
On the other hand Lytle most recently fought Tiki Ghosen in UFC
but according to Lytle himself the first round was not as exciting
as we are used to from him because he was frustrated by Tiki’s
kicks keeping him at a distance and preventing him from using
more punching combinations. Lytle has shown a pattern of catching
kicks for takedowns but the Tiki fight especially showed the
kicks that take him out of his gameplan could be his weakness.
These two fighters could match up well if the fight goes to the
ground but the fight may actually center around if J.T. can keep
Lytle at bay until he wears him down like Tiki tried or if Lytle
can either catch a kick or get within boxing or clinch range
as Shonie managed to do.
The
other factor in this fight may be Chris’ pro boxing fight
just ten days before this fight. He is currently the Indiana
State Champion at 175 but is taking on the 168 champion for the
title. Currently he is spending most of his training focusing
on that fight. Assuming he doesn’t sustain an injury in
that fight that would keep him from competing in this WEC as
happened when he was supposed to fight in the last WEC he will
have ten days to adjust training for Taylor, a time most fighters
are coming off their training and resting before a fight. In
addition to this boxing fight Chris is a full-time fireman and
devoted father of two of his own children and two step-children,
major distractions without basically two parallel fighting careers
at the same time to juggle. So far Chris has balanced it all
surprisingly well but at what point is it too much?
Bottom
line is this fight is not at all the “gimme win” some
fans have assumed it would be. If Chris beats Taylor then a title
fight against Shonie for the belt would make sense, as would
a return to the UFC, while if he loses his stock plummets due
to Taylor’s caliber of opponents. There is a lot riding
on this one fight so make sure to get your tickets or plan on
watching the HDNet broadcast.
Source:
ADCC
|
Jungle
Fight 2 - Lineup Developing!
Promoter Wallid Ismail has just confirmed the final card for
Jungle Fight 2, the 2nd edition of his MMA event that will take
place on May 15th in Manaus, Brazil.
The
event is being announced on Sportv ( the no. 1 sports channel
on Brazilian cable tv) and will be broadcast live throughout
the country. The event will have top names from all over the
MMA scene, such as Carlos Barreto, Jorge 'Macaco', Ronaldo Jacaré,
Assuério Silva and the controversial Russian Vladimir
Matyushenko. Matyushenko issued a challenge to any Chute Boxe
or Brazilian Top Team fighter, and is to face the brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
champion Leopoldo Montenegro of Brasil Dojo. Leopoldo use to
be Jacare´s no1 training partner in Manaus, until he moved
to Rio and started to train on Wallid´s Team. Leopoldo
submitted the Olympic Wrestling Champion Mark Schultz in the
first edition of the event, and now Leopoldo will face another
very tough opponent in his second fight, and this wrestler has
tons of MMA experience.
Five
thousand people are being expected to support the local fighters
in Studio 5, the place where the event will be held.
Card
Subject To Change:
-
Vladimir Matyushenko (Rússia/Raw) x Leopoldo Montenegro
(Brazil Dojo)
- Assuério Silva (MTDT) x Fabiano 'Pega Leve' Shermer
(BTT)
- Jorge Patino 'Macaco' (Chute Box) x Thomas 'Wild Man' Denny
(EUA)
- Carlão Barreto (BTT) x Brian Sherpa (EUA)
- Ronaldo Jacaré (Brasil Dojo) x Victor Babkir
- Adriano Martins (Monteiro/Gracie) x Boris Jonstomp (França)
- Fredson Paixão (Gracie/GBCT) x Rani Yahira (Brasília)
Source: ADCC |
INTERVIEW
OF THE WEEK:
MURILO BUSTAMANTE
Before he left the UFC, Murilo Bustamante was highly regarded
as the best middleweight, if not, the best pound for pound, mixed
martial arts fighter in the world. It’s been two years now
and things haven’t gone quite as planned. Despite a busy
travel schedule to support Antonio Nogueira at Pride Total Elimination,
Murilo took time out to talk with MMAWeekly’s Mick Hammond
about Nogueira, leaving the UFC, Dan Henderson and what the future
holds for the Brazilian Top Team fighter.
MMA
Weekly: First off Murilo, tell us what you have been up to since
we last saw you at Final Conflict this past November?
Murilo
Bustamante: In January I rested, I needed a vacation. After that,
I've been training to keep in shape and helping out and training
my teammates. Taking care of Brazilian Top Team business.
MMA
Weekly: Speaking of Final Conflict, your opponent at that show,
Dan Henderson, has had a lot to say about the fight and your
argument that the outcome of the fight, a KO loss be changed
to a No Contest due to the headbutt that happened in the fight.
Tell us your view of the fight?
Murilo:
In first place, in contrast of what Henderson assumes, the violent
headbutt, even being accidental, was decisive for the result
of the fight. My impulse in his direction to hold him and escape
from a right hand punch applied by Henderson from top to bottom,
exposed my forehead to the shock against his head, followed by
the movement of our bodies, the shock acquired an enormous power.
It resulted in seven stitches above my left eye and I had to
be submitted to a surgery in the left eye to prevent the progression
and to avoid a detached retina. I must say that was not the knee
that defined the fight, as Mr. Henderson wants to believe. The
headbutt got me unconscious. According to the rules of the event,
headbutts are not allowed, and considering that, even that it
was accidental, the shock of heads determined the result of the
fight. After that, it seemed fair enough to me to demand a revision
of the result as a no contest and to propose a rematch.
MMA
Weekly: You mentioned surgery you had as a result of injuries
sustained in that fight. How serious was the injury? Is it something
that will affect your fight career?
Murilo:
I had a small rupture in my left eye retina and I was submitted
to a laser surgery to heal the wound. It was a light wound, but
if it was not cured on time it could compromise my vision permanently.
It's completely healed and I'm already boxing.
MMA
Weekly: In our interview with Henderson, he mentioned how he
would like to see his Team Quest fight another team either from
Japan or Brazil in a series of fights like PRIDE is holding currently
in the Bushido series (such as Team Japan VS the Gracie Family
and Team Japan VS Chute Boxe). Would the Brazilian Top Team be
interested in accepting that challenge and doing a 3 on 3 series?
Murilo:
I find the idea excellent. I am ready to participate and in my
opinion it would be a great show for the fans.
MMA
Weekly: What match-ups would you like to see if that happened?
Murlio:
I would like to have options for them to choose: me VS Dan Henderson,
Paulão (Filho) or Allan (Goes) VS Matt (Lindland), and
Ricardo (Arona), Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, Mario (Sperry), or
Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira VS Randy (Couture).
MMA
Weekly: How would you handle a rematch with Dan Henderson should
that arise?
Murilo:
I would wear a helmet (laughs), seriously now, I would come with
the same strategy that I had in the other fight. I am sorry,
but I don't comment my strategy. For sure I would show a strong
will to win the fight and try to give the audience a great spectacle.
MMA
Weekly: Changing gears, there has been a lot of fighter movement
in Brazil this year, especially from the Ruas Vale Tudo team
to the Gracie Barra Team with the main reason behind it being
perks offered by GBT’s sponsors. Your team, the Brazilian
Top Team, has had little if any movement in it for quite some
time aside from Paulão Filho leaving then returning. Can
you give us your impressions of all this movement?
Murlio:
First Brazilian Top Team, in the case of Paulão, he left
because the financial proposal was very advantageous in that
moment, and we could not cover it or hold him in the team. We
wanted the best for him, but as the proposal wasn't fulfilled,
he came back. BTT today functions in perfect balance with its
advanced program of training and good relation between its members
and our professional organization. About the other teams I cannot
affirm anything, normally these movements happen due to personal
and financial questions.
MMA
Weekly: Speaking of movement, since leaving the UFC and heading
to PRIDE last year you’ve had a rough go with the tough
loss to Quinton Jackson and the Dan Henderson situation. Do you
ever question your move from the UFC to PRIDE?
Murilo:
I never had the intention to leave the UFC. That was something
that happened after not getting a contractual agreement, but
today I am fully satisfied for having opted to this change. I
am still away from the results I expected, but I am certain that
I will succeed in Japan.
MMA
Weekly: Other fighters such as Jens Pulver and now it seems BJ
Penn will be making the same move as you, leaving the UFC for
greener pastures in other organizations. Why do you feel that
it is so hard for the UFC to keep top quality champions such
as yourself, Pulver, and Penn?
Murilo:
I can answer it about myself, in my case, I do not agree with
the policy of paying the fighter according to his weight division.
Fighters should be paid for the show that they offer.
MMA
Weekly: What would it take to see you back fighting here in the
States for the UFC or perhaps another organization such as the
WEC or King of the Cage?
Murilo:
At the moment I am satisfied in Japan, but certainly I would
like to come back to fight in USA some day. It depends on a good
contract.
MMA
Weekly: Your teammate Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira looked very impressive
in his win in the opening round of the Heavyweight Grand Prix.
Give us your thoughts on the fight and tell us about that submission
that he used to finish off Hirotaka Yokoi.
Murilo:
Hirotaka Yokoi fought very well. He clearly had studied well
the game of Minotauro, but we already expected that and prepared
a strategy for the fight with new techniques for him to use.
That technique that Antonio used is only one small sample of
the study of techniques of martial arts in general and mainly
submissions that we make in BTT.
MMA
Weekly: Obviously Ricardo Arona didn’t fight all of last
year and you even took his place in the Middleweight Grand Prix.
How is Ricardo doing?
Murilo:
Ricardo has recovered from his injuries and he is already training
normally. I believe that he will fight in the middle of the year.
MMA
Weekly: Ikuhisa “The Punk” Minowa recently started
to work with your team as well. What was it like to have a Japanese
fighter working with the Top Team?
Murilo:
It was a very good experience, a very disciplined athlete with
a great heart. The only problem was the language; we had to improvise
a lot to communicate.
MMA
Weekly: Mario Sperry had a great quick knockout at the last Bushido
show. How happy were you to see Mario get that victory after
that tough loss he had against Yuki Kondo at Shockwave last year?
Murilo:
I was very happy. For me, Mario is one of the best heavyweights
of all times. The fight with Kondo, I believe that the long time
away from the ring affected Mario’s performance. This victory
was the redemption.
MMA
Weekly: Speaking of Kondo, he’s scheduled to fight Wanderlei
Silva at the PRIDE show in May. What are your thoughts on this
match-up?
Murilo:
I believe that Kondo can make a good fight with Wanderlei, however
I consider Wanderlei superior in both the stand up and ground
games.
MMA
Weekly: If Wanderlei stays healthy and gets past Kondo I’m
guessing you’d love to get a shot at him?
Murilo:
I would love to compete for the belt at Pride, however after
my last results I am conscious that I have to win some fights
before having a chance against Wanderlei.
MMA
Weekly: How would you fight Wanderlei if you were given a chance
to fight him?
Murilo:
I think that all fighters have their weak points and strong points
as I do too. The good strategist has to know how to explore in
the best way the weak points of his adversary and the intelligent
strategist to discover these points and do not tell them to anybody.
I know the weak points of Wanderlei, using my experience I have
great possibilities to win.
MMA
Weekly: Tell us what you have in store for the future, what are
your plans?
Murilo:
I want to continue fighting for many years against the best fighters
and against the ones I had negative results against. Henderson,
which ended by an accident, (Quinton “Rampage”) Jackson,
it was on short notice, I wasn't training and the decision could
have gone either way, it was a split decision, and (Chuck) Liddell,
it was a very controversial decision in my mind.
MMA
Weekly: Thank you for the interview Murilo, is there anything
you would like to say to the fans or any sponsors you would like
to thank?
Murilo:
I would like to thank you for the opportunity of this interview
and say to the MMA Weekly crew to keep the excellent work raising
the level of the MMA business. I also would like to thank my
fans, friends, and training partners who keep me focused on my
training.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
WITH
STOUT OUT, HORN SET TO FACE SONNEN
Just a few days out from Extreme Challenge 57, the card has gone
through a major shake up. The main event of Jeremy Horn and Curtis
Stout has undergone some last minute surgery. See if you can
follow the bouncing ball here.
The
Horn/Stout bout was all set as Ronald Jhun was preparing to fight Ryan Schultz at Rumble on the Rock
this Friday night
and then proceed on to UFC 48 to face Lee Murray. Jhun even accepted
a verbal agreement to that effect. Now it seems that the bout
with Lee Murray has been offered up to and accepted by Curtis
Stout which effectively removes him from the Extreme Challenge
main event.
So,
Jhun still has his bout with Ryan Shultz at Rumble on the Rock
and Stout has the fight with Murray at UFC 48 on June 19th. Where
does this leave Jeremy Horn, you ask?
Easy,
on just three day's notice, Team Quest's Chael Sonnen has stepped
up and will face Horn in this Thursday night in Council Bluffs,
Iowa. Riding high on a four fight win streak, including wins
over Jason Lambert and Homer "The Rock" Moore, Sonnen
will attempt to derail Horn who has lost only 1 fight (to Renato
"Babalu" Sobral) in his last 20 bouts. It's a tall
order, but a win over Horn would likely propel the 10-2-1 Sonnen
into the running for a shot in the UFC.
Horn,
on the other hand, will be looking to rack up yet another win
over a quality opponent. Even with a win, he will likely be left
scratching his head wondering why he still hasn't been asked
back to fight for the UFC.
Source:
MMA Weekly |
Pan
American Championships And Asian Greco Roman Wrestling Championships
Up Next!
Two
more annual continental wrestling championships will start this
coming week.
The
2004 Pan American Championships are set to take place from Thursday,
May 6, to Saturday, May 8. Competition will include men's and
women's freestyle, and Greco-Roman wrestling.
The
site is the Gymnase Teodoro Palacios Flores in Guatemala City,
Guatemala. The host is the Guatemalan Wrestling Federation. Neither
they nor FILA, the international wrestling federation, have yet
posted an online schedule for this event.
Usually
these continental championships are qualifiers for the World
Championships. But this year, since the qualifying process for
the 2004 Olympics has already been completed, it is not expected
that teams will be sending all of their top wrestlers. FILA does
not hold World Championships in Olympic years.
USA
Wrestling has announced its lineup for the Pan American Championships.
Note that the wrestlers expected to make the Olympic team are
not going to this event.
U.S.
Rosters
Men's Freestyle
55 kg/121 lbs. - Nick Simmons, Williamston, Mich. (Michigan WC)
60 kg/132 lbs. - Tom Clum, Arvada, Colo. (Wisconsin WC)
66 kg/145.5 lbs. - Clint Musser, Akron, Ohio (New York AC)
74 kg/163 lbs. - Kirk White, Tacoma, Wash. (Dave Schultz WC)
84 kg/185 lbs. - Andy Hrovat, Ann Arbor, Mich. (New York AC)
96 kg/211.5 lbs. - Tommy Rowlands, Columbus, Ohio (Dave Schultz
WC)
120 kg/264.5 lbs. - Brian Keck, Cleveland, Ohio (New York AC)
Coach: Steve Knight, Parker, Colo.
Greco-Roman
55 kg/121 lbs. - Neal Rodak, Pensacola, Fla. (U.S. Navy)
60 kg/132 lbs. - Jason Tolbert, Ft. Carson, Colo. (U.S. Army)
66 kg/145.5 lbs. - Ron Muir, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Sunkist
Kids)
74 kg/163 lbs. - Steve Woods, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Air
Force)
84 kg/185 lbs. - Jeff Funicello, Gilbert, Ariz. (Sunkist Kids)
96 kg/211.5 lbs. - Brandon Ruiz, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Elite
WC)
Coach: Rich Estrella, Colorado Springs, Colo.
Women's
Freestyle
48 kg/105.5 lbs. - Sara Fulp-Allen, El Granada, Calif. (Menlo
College)
51 kg/112.25 lbs. - Tabithia Ramsey, Austin, Texas (UM-Morris)
55 kg/121
lbs. - Danyelle Hedin, Honolulu, Hawaii (Wahine WC)
59 kg/130 lbs. - Alaina Berube, Escanaba, Mich. (New York AC)
63 kg/138.75 lbs. - Stephanie Shaw, Waterford, Conn. (Unattached)
67 kg/147.5 lbs. - Heather Martin, Wellington, Ohio (Cleveland
State)
72 kg/158.5
lbs. - Stefanie Lee, Honolulu, Hawaii (Missouri Valley)
Coach: Kip Flanik, Williamsburg, Ky., and Ron Tirpak, Collegeville,
Pa.
For
more on the U.S. team at the 2004 Pan Ams, go to:
http://www.themat.com/pressbox/pressdetail.asp?aid=9774/
ASIAN
GRECO-ROMAN CHAMPIONSHIPS IN KAZAKHSTAN
The
Asian Greco-Roman Championship will take place Friday, May 7,
through Sunday, May 9, in Almaty in the Republic of Kazakhstan.
The host federation is the Kazakhstan Wrestling Federation. It
will be held in the Baluan Sholak Sport Palace in Almaty.
Below
is the program for this event. it is listed in local daylight
time, which is UTC/GMT +7 hours, or 11 hours ahead of EDT in
North America.
Asian
Greco-Roman Championship (seniors)
7 - 9 of May, Almaty, Republic of Kazakhstan
5th of May, Wednesday
Teams arrival
6th
of May, Thursday
16.00 - 17.00 Meeting of the team leaders
17.00 - 18.00 Medical examinations in 60, 74, 96 kg.
18.00 - 18.30 Weigh-in for 60, 74, 96 kg.
20.00 Reception for delegations' leaders
7th
of May, Friday
10.00 - 13.00 Elimination rounds in 60, 74, 96 kg.
15.00 - 16.00 Medical examinations in 55, 66, 84, 120 kg.
16.00 - 16.30 Weigh-in for 55, 66, 84, 120 kg.
16.30 - 17.00 Opening ceremony
17.00 - 21.00 Elimination rounds in 60, 74, 96 kg
8th
of May, Saturday
10.00 - 13.00 Semi-final rounds for cat. 60, 74, 96 kg. and elimination
rounds
for cat. 55, 66, 84, 120 kg.
16.00 - 19.00 Elimination rounds for cat. 55, 66, 84, 120 kg.
19.00 - 20.00 Finals and awarding ceremonies for 60, 74, 96 kg.
9th
of May, Sunday
10.00 - 13.00 Semi-final rounds for cat. 55, 66, 84, 120 kg.
17.00 - 19.00 Finals and awarding ceremonies for 55, 66, 84,
120 kg. and
teams' classification ceremonies
21.00 Banquet
10th
of May, Monday
Departure of delegations
Source:
ADCC
|
Quote
of the Day
"When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious
privilege it is to be alive -- to breathe, to think, to enjoy,
to love."
Marcus Aureliu, 121-80 AD, Roman Emperor, Philosopher
|
BIG
FIGHTS FOR RONALD JHUN
Onzuka.com
EXCLUSIVE!
I
just got off the phone with former King of the Cage and IFC Champion
Ron "The Machine Gun" Jhun last night and he said that
the UFC has contacted and offered him a fight with Lee Murray,
but at the 185 lb class. Anyone that has been following the Machine
Gun's career as of late knows that he has been on a tear in the
170 lb class although having a little stumbling block against
Tiki who has since been invited back to the UFC. Since Tiki,
Jhun has since racked up three consecutive and dominating wins.
The
Hawaiian Fighter has committed to fight in the Rumble on the
Rock show this Friday at the Neal Blaisdell Arena and told the
UFC that he is considering their offer. It seems as though he
has not quite made his mind up. Ron has always wanted to fight
in the UFC, but is the UFC trying to make Jhun a seemingly sacrificial
lamb to Lee Murray because they hope that Lee Murray will be
able to beat Ron and continue on with a possible fight with UFC
poster boy Tito Ortiz in the future? Also, the UFC has been known
to yank their offer off the table for an upcoming fight if the
fighter loses in a prior event. Ron is well aware of this and
although his opponent for Friday's event is a relative unknown,
he knows that training with UFC studs like Randy Couture and
Matt Lindland means that Ryan Schultz will be ready for a war.
Jhun told me that he is preparing for Schultz like he prepares
for all his opponents, like they are world champions and will
be ready to impose his will and is out to win.
Ron
Jhun is focused for his upcoming fight this Friday and is not
looking past Ryan Schultz. He needs another "W" in
order to keep his UFC hopes alive, even if the offer is at a
weight class that he has since abandoned as of November of 2002.
When asked why take the risk of fighting a relative unknown instead
of taking an easier fight to assure his spot in the UFC, Ron
gave me the same answer he always gives me, "Mike, you know
I only want to fight the best." Jhun has also previously
told me that he also likes to give up and coming fighters a shot
at him because well known fighters have given him the opportunity
when he was in their position. This, while being a very noble
gesture, may be a double edged sword for Ron. Jhun is a favorite
of fight promoters because he always gives the fans a show whether
in a win or a loss. He is always respectful and humble and lets
his Machine Guns do the talking in the ring or cage, but seems
to have bad luck after a streak of impressive wins.
If
the UFC or Lee Murray thinks that this Hawaiian hard hitter is
a push over, they better review the Pete Spratt, Shoney Carter,
or the Tiki fights. Jhun has gone to war with UFC quality fighters
and can hang and bang with the best of them. This Friday Jhun
will join UFC veterans Cabbage Correira, Matt Lindland, and Tony
Fryklund in a stacked card at Rumble on the Rock 5 in Hawaii.
Take
a look below because two sites are reporting two different stories.
Who knows what the truth is, but hopefully Ron gets his shot
in the UFC really soon!
Mike
Tentative
Rumble on the Rock Fight Card
May 7, 2004
Neal Blaisdell Arena
Honolulu, Hawaii
Wesley 'Cabbage' Correira vs. John Marsh
Matt Lindland vs. Tony Fryklund
Ronald Jhun vs. Ryan Schultz
Kawika Paaluhi vs. Mike Rogers
Kaynan Kaku vs. Santino DeFranco
Ron Jhun is scheduled to face Team Quest standout Ryan Schultz
at Rumble On The Rock next week. This is a huge fight in anyone's
book and for Jhun it will be hard not to look ahead and his future.
MMAWeekly
has learned that Jhun has also been offered a fight against Lee
Murray at the next UFC. Many MMA insiders has thought Jhun's
apperance in the UFC is well overdue as he is one of the better
strikers in the sport today.
If
he can get buy Schultz which is a big if, since Schultz is a
great fighter from Team Quest, it would set the stage for a great
slugfest in the UFC vs Lee Murray.
Source: MMA Weekly
Fight Sport
contradicts the above MMA Weekly story.
Our Zuffa informant 'Coffee guy' tells us that Lee Murray vs.
Curtis Stout will happen in UFC 48 on June 19th.
There
was a rumor posted that Murray's opponent was going to be Ron Jhun, but Coffee guy says
that Jhun will NOT be Murray's
opponent.
Below
is the complete UFC 48 card according to Coffee guy:
Ken
Shamrock vs. Kimo Leopoldo
Tim Sylvia vs. Frank Mir (Heavyweight title fight)
Phil Baroni vs. Evan Tanner
Dennis Hallman vs. Frank Trigg
Matt Hughes vs. Renato 'Charuto' Verissimo
Lee Murray vs. Curtis Stout
Georges St. Pierre vs. Jason Miller
Ivan Menjivar vs. Matt Serra
Source: Fight Sport
|
Catching
up with Dennis Hallman
Yelm, WA -- Dennis Hallman returns to the octagon in Las Vegas,
Nevada, for the first time since his loss to Frank Trigg at WFA
3 on November 23, 2002. In this rematch stemming from the controversial
outcome of that fight, Hallman looks for a little payback on
June 19, 2004. In his 1-fight deal with the UFC, Hallman has
something to prove. He has paid his dues in blood and guts on
the mat, so expect to see a new Dennis Hallman in the octagon
-- more confident, less tentative. The steel cup is already on
order and the 28-year-old says “it’s going to be a
pretty exciting fight for the fans” at the Mandalay Bay
Events Center.
JC:
What have you been doing lately? DH: I’ve been promoting
fights, training myself and training some up and comers.
JC:
Tell me about your MMA promotion. DH: I’ve had over 40 amateur
and pro MMA shows. We’re now non-profit USA MMA.
JC:
Tell me about your managing duties. DH: Brad Blackburn, Justin
Davis, Shane Davis, Joey Dell, Travis Doerge, Eddy Ellis and
Justin Jones are our main stay guys, then we have a bunch of
up and comers.
JC:
You say we. Is there a fight team? DH: We don’t really have
a school, just a fight team. It’s a bunch of guys and we
train to fight. We’re not really into new guys coming in.
It’s not like a school; just a fight team. You can come
to our fight team and become a member and pay your dues and we’ll
help you. It’s mainly centered toward all of our guys getting
into good shape and working together.
JC:
Is paying your dues blood and guts on the mats or money? DH:
Blood and guts on the mats. I mean we all pay $20 bucks a month
and that’s to support where we train. We have a really good
guy that helps us out with our training facility.
JC:
How are you a part of Victory Athletics? DH: Victory Athletics
is a team made up of us guys here in the Northwest, including
UFC veteran Benji Radach. You are either part of Matt Hume’s
school or Maurice Smith’s school [when they were separate]
or Team Quest. Matt’s school is about an hour north and
Team Quest is about an hour and a half south. There is a good
core group of guys who train together anyway, so we just formed
a team.
JC:
So, you train at multiple places. Where do you bring it together?
DH: I can bring it all together any place I go. When I go to
Travis’ gym, who is one of my fighters, I run the classes.
I have Benji to push me.
JC:
How is training going? DH: I’m just training with my team
right now. I won’t start training hard core for my UFC fight
until 8 weeks out because I don’t want to over train. I’ll
be taking a trip to California, getting some time in with Cesar’s
guys and with the AKA guys; then train with Bas Rutten. I’ll
do a lot of training with Team Quest too. I don’t have a
big head in the gym. I’ll roll and roll and roll.
JC:
Speaking of your UFC fight, you’re in a rematch against
Frank Trigg stemming from “WFA 3” in November 2002,
which officially ended by TKO, which included a controversial
groin kick. DH: According to the Nevada State Athletic Commission
at the time, if an illegal technique occurred and the fighter
who received the illegal technique could not continue after 5
minutes, then that fighter would lose. I filed a petition with
the NSAC and they recognized my point of how the way the rule
was written at the time of my lose to Trigg, anybody could do
any illegal technique as long as they didn’t get caught
with it looking intentional -- like poking someone in the eye
-- and technically they could win. The NSAC reviewed it and changed
the rule. Now, if that same fight would occur under the new rules,
it would be a No Contest, as any unintentional foul where the
fouled fighter cannot continue will be called a NC, but since
it occurred before the rule was changed, it was a loss for me.
[The NSAC changed their rule in early 2003 in part due to the
outcome of this fight.]
JC:
The UFC 48 card on June 19 is called “Payback.” How
does that fit into your rematch? DH: I guess it’s payback
because he [Trigg] is involved. I don’t care if it was in
the UFC or Extreme Challenge. I just want to fight the guy again.
When you fight somebody, you kind of get a feeling of how they
are. I feel stronger then Frank Trigg and I’m better on
the feet. I know I’m better on the ground after watching
him get choked out by Matt Hughes [who Hallman has defeated 2
times]. You’re going to see a new Dennis Hallman. I’m
going to walk in there and smash the guy. I have no respect for
him at all. It’s going to be a pretty exciting fight for
the fans.
JC:
So, you see this fight going differently? DH: Yes, I already
know what they guy has to bring to the octagon. I don’t
have anything to worry about. I can walk across the octagon and
do whatever I want to do.
JC:
You mentioned the Trigg/Hughes fight. Do you care to comment
on it? DH: I just couldn’t believe that a guy of Frank’s
caliber could be clueless on how to defend a rear choke. It was
ridiculous.
JC:
What about the BJ Penn choke on Hughes at UFC 46? DH: The thing
about Hughes is that he is a slow starter; it takes him a while
to get into the groove.
JC:
You fought Hughes two times. How did they end? DH: Quick. I can
comment more on Matt’s fights that I watched, then mine,
which were quick. Matt makes mistakes a lot in his fights; it’s
just that the fighters don’t capitalize on them. If they
cannot capitalize on them early, they are in for a long haul.
JC:
You’ve been active with 8 fights since the WFA fight, while
Trigg has had 1 quick fight. Do you feel this -- your being active
and his being dormant -- will play into the rematch? DH: My philosophy
on fighting is that you get better with the more ring time you
get and I like to compete against anybody on any level. I just
like to get in there and compete. For me, I don’t think
it’s good to have just 1 fight in a year and a half. You
would be a little ring rusty.
JC:
You seem to do well against better fighters, but not so well
against lesser fighters. Is it because lesser fighters do not
push you and that you need to be pushed to do well? DH: You probably
hit it right on the ball. If I am worried about a guy or if I
get a rematch against a guy [laughing] then I will not f*ck around.
I will go in to smash him. If I am comfortable with the guy --
I am learning myself about my fighting style and I am learning
from my mistakes -- like fighting Drew Fickett... I knew the
guy couldn’t hurt me so I was at rest. I thought I was ahead
on the score cards, but I ended up losing the decision. I guess
I am tentative when I fight down a level. I am learning to change
that about myself.
JC:
So technically, if we were to fight, I would win? DH: I doubt
that, Joe. Of my 8 losses, with 1 that should be a No Contest,
I lost to Dave Menne, a former world champion; they haven’t
all been scraps. I could have done better against all of them.
I lost to Paul Rodriguez, but if you watch the tape it was my
fault for screwing around. I dominated him the entire fight and
came out relaxed with the attitude he couldn’t hurt me.
I fought half-assed and that’s it.
JC:
What do you want out of MMA? DH: I don’t know. It’s
just something I do. I’m not really looking for anything
out of it. I like it. I like to compete. I’m good at it.
If I was good at tennis I’d be playing tennis.
JC:
Thank you, Dennis. CYA in Vegas. DH: Call me anytime.
Source:
ADCC
|
VANDERLEI
INJURED, FUTURE UNCLEAR
Gracie
Magazine has the following story...
"Chuteboxe
star Wanderlei Silva injured himself while training with his
partners at chuteboxe academy and may not be in Pride Bushido
3, that still has not confirmed any big name in the event. The
injury was in the same knee Wand put into cirurgy in december
2002.
"The
doctor who has made the cirurgy on him is still going to examine
Wand to make sure how hurt his knee is now. Only after that we'll
make a final decision" said Rudimar fedrigo. "We still
think that Wand will be able to join the event, but we have to
wait for what the doctor will say about it".
"According
to Fedrigo's words, Wand injured himself a couple of weeks ago
while training with his partner Jorge Patino Macaco and still
couldn't recover it. The champion was going to face Yuki Kondo,
a guy that Wand defied on Pride's Ring with the words "Get
ready to be beaten".
Silva
has told close friends that he will be ready to go against Yuki
Kondo no matter what, so we shall see how the injury heals.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Wanderlei
Has An Answer For CHUCK LIDDELL!
Wand: 'Liddell will retire after facing me.'
On
April 14th the Pride middleweight champion Wanderlei Silva completed
his forth year of competition with no defeats. Former UFC champion
Tito
Ortiz was the last to beat him in UFC 25 (4-14-2000). Since then,
the star
of Chute Boxe Gym has faced many great fighters, and not one
of them has left the ring celebrating.
Focused
on his training, Wand was not aware of this remarkable date,
and when we took it to his attention, he looked surprised!
'Really?
Already four years with no losses? That UFC fight Tito really
defeated me; he managed to take me to the ground and neutralize
my game. Nowadays, with the improvement of my Jiu-Jitsu techniques,
I would manage to stand up easily' bet Wanderlei.
Since
October of 2001 he has been the owner of the Pride middleweight
belt, and Wand knows he is the one that all the others fighters
want to defeat.
'Fighting
is similar to a soccer game. Anything can happen! Everytime the
guy
beats another good fighter he goes to the top. That just happened
in the fight between Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz' said Wand.
About
Liddell´s declarations in the last UFC post-fight press
conference, that his aim is to defeat him, Wand testified:
'Liddell
wants to face me? He better hurry, since he is over 30. It won’t
be a
nice way to head into retiremen'.
At
the age of 27, Wanderlei Silva reveals the secret of being on
top for so long:
‘I
think the fear of losing is what makes me work so hard. Every
time I step into a ring I must be 100% prepared. And doing this,
with the help of God, I’ll be able to keep winning.’
Source: ADCC |
Saulo
Ribeiro Moves To Ohio!
After a season teaching Jiu-Jitsu in Toledo, Ohio Alexandre Ribeiro
is returning to Brazil. Multiple times BJJ World Champion and
brother Saulo Ribeiro explained the reasons. 'Xande is too young
to be kept away from competition. He's only 22, and must compete
a lot before he focuses on teaching' reveals Saulo.
Saulo
will be moving to Ohio to replace Xande in Toledo and he expects
to give the students a lot of new techniques. 'I'll be leaving
this weekend and will teach new techniques, as well as to prepare
the students for competition.'
About
his return to the mats Saulo was inconclusive. 'Promoters from
my hometown did a competition this last weekend, and I might
be fighting in the next edition in the beginning of July. After
that we have the mundials.' continues Saulo.
Regarding
MMA, Saulo is interested in fighting but the offers are not satisfatory.
'It's kinda hard right now, because when I do the math I prefer
to keep my teaching schedule while conducting seminars. At this
point it's all about the right offer.'
Saulo
also stated that this time he will start his preparation for
the title defense at ADCC 2005 earlier, as the competition there
will always be one of the hardest in the world.
Source: ADCC
|
CRO
COP SPEAKS
Mirko Cro Cop spoke to the media for the first time after his
fight with Kevin Randleman. He talked about the fight itself,
the controversy in Croatia, but a few other newsworthy items.
Thanks to Soundoff Forum member Charles J from Amarillo, Texas
for sending this in….
Interview:
What are yout thoughts after the fight?
Cro Cop: People say this is just a sport, but for me it was a
little tragedy. I'm the emotional guy, what can I do. It was
a powerfull blow, but this is only a minor step back in my carreer
– on May 23rd I'll fight again and my opponent has yet to
be arranged. To the end of the year I'll remove the smile from
the faces of those who were happy with my defeat, especially
Minotauro and Fedor.
Interview:
Can you give us a brief comment of the fight?
Cro Cop: The most dangerous is an opponent who has nothing to
lose. Kevin faked a takedown and then got me with a left hook.
I don't recall the details after that blow (laugh). I was too
relaxed, I've already lost 1 fight in my career because of that
(McDonald). People say this was a brutal and tragic KO, but after
5 minutes I was OK.
Interview:
According to some sources you have forbidden the airing of your
fight in Croatia?
Cro Cop: It certainly wasn't my call. I got out from my room
next day arround noon and then I found out from Igor Cvitanoviæ
and my manager Zvonimir Luèiæ that the fight hasn't
been aired in Croatia. I've called my Japan agent Ken Imai, who
swore that he had nothing to do with that. In the following few
days I'll find out who is lying and who is responsible for this.
Source: MMA Weekly |
SAKURABA
VS. SCHEMBRI
Todd
Atkins reports the following from Japan:
"There
is a strong possibility that Nino 'Elvis' Schembri will be the
first opponent for Kazushi Sakuraba in the 'Sakuraba Retirement
Road' series.
This
would be the second fight between both fighters, with Schembri
having won the first fight by KO.
Source: Fight Sport |
Quote
of the Day
"The great French Marshall Lyautey once asked his gardener
to plant a tree. The gardener objected that the tree was slow
growing and would not reach maturity for 100 years. The Marshall
replied, "In that case, there is no time to lose; plant
it this afternoon!"
John F. Kennedy, 1917-1963, Thirty-fifth President of the USA
|
Clarification
of Not-Guity Verdict Regarding Egan Inoue
Straight from the horse's mouth, good news stating that Egan
has received another unanimous decision in his favor, this time
in the courtroom.
Chris,
I just wanted to up date you with the latest from the court rooms.
On Friday I was found NOT GUILTY for terroristic theatening and
abuse. I won a jury trial with all 12 jurors agreeing not guilty.
I thought you might want to know this since you posted that I
was arrested for these charges and I feel it is your duty to
let the people who read your web site know the out come.
Aloha,
Egan Inoue |
Monday
Night Fights!!!
Starting June 28, 2004, Second 2 None Fightwear will bring back
Monday Night Fights to the Island. More information will be release
soon. We are currently looking for fighters in Kickboxing, Muay
Thai, MMA we will even have Toughman style matches weight classes
are 185lbs and Under, 205 and Under and Unlimited!! If interested
sign up now.
Fo more information email or contact second2none@hawaii.rr.com or call 330-4483.
This will a summer to remember.
Source: Event Promoter |
Murilo
Bustamante evaluates Rodrigo Minotauro's PRIDE bout
by André Araújo
Back in Brazil since last Tuesday the 27th after working Rodrigo
Minotauro's corner, one of the Brazilian Top Team's leaders,
Murilo Bustamante, did an evaluation of the PRIDE Champion's
fight. 'He did a great fight. We studied Yokoi's game. Rodrigo
has great boxing skills, he was faster... and he let the fight
happen until the fatal submission,' commented Bustamante. He
also commented on the choke submission that made Yokoi to tap
out. Called a 'Different Choke' by the Japanese press, according
to Murilo, this move has been in trainings for a while at the
BTT academy in Rio de Janeiro.
'We've
studied Yokoi's game and we wanted him go down on his knees.
That submission was really an arm-triangle-choke. The Japanese
press went with it. 'Minotauro's fight got rave reviews all around'
the BJJ black belt celebrated. About Yokoi, Bustamante complimented
him saying Yokoi also had a great fight and it showed he also
studied really well Minotauro's game. 'He surprised me. He was
able to avoid all the omoplata attempts from 'Minotauro'...,
but Rodrigo always has been superior and we were sure about the
final result' stated Bustamante.
About
the announcement Rodrigo Minotauro made after the show during
the press conference, Bustamante supports his friend. 'Minotauro
has not been training wrestling and he got taken down twice during
the fight... but now he is gonna practice more wrestling and
BJJ skills for July' stated Bustamante.
Source: ADCC |
K-1
“Battle At The Bellagio II:”
McDonald Regains His Reign
May 2, 2004 in Las Vegas, USA
By Mike Afromwitz (muaythaimes@aol.com)
In
a sold-out event filled with non-stop thrills and heart-pounding
action, two-time K-1 tournament champion Michael McDonald reclaimed
his throne in North America by earning a unanimous judges’
decision over a ferocious Dewey “The Black Kobra” Cooper
during the K-1 “Battle At The Bellagio II” tournament
at Las Vegas, Nevada’s Bellagio Hotel and Casino on Friday,
April 30th.
From
the outset of his quarterfinal round matchup with K-1 Superfight
veteran and tournament first-timer, Marvin Eastman, McDonald’s
chances capturing a third K-1 tournament title on United States
ground appeared bleak as he was roughed up in the first three
minutes by his aggressive and somewhat unorthodox opponent. Eastman
scored a handful of jumping knee strikes to the Canadian’s
midsection before landing a hard left hand that sent his opponent
reeling back towards the corner. During an exchange, McDonald
was put on the canvas for a partial referee 10-count.
McDonald
rallied big in the second and put Eastman on his knees with a
straight left hand. After he was given a standing eight-count,
Eastman beat victimized again by his opponent’s sharp punches.
A slip was ruled after Eastman hit the mat from a McDonald left
hook, but McDonald finished the job with a second left hook that
sent Eastman down on his stomach. K-1’s two knockdown rule,
whereby a fighter is awarded a technical knockout victory if
he scores two knockdowns on his opponent in a single round, gave
McDonald his first win of the tournament at the 1:25 mark of
the second round.
With
momentum behind him, McDonald made quick work of his semifinal
round opponent, Kelly Leo, who had defeated his quarterfinal
round opponent, Tatsufumi Tomihira, by way of unanimous judges’
decision earlier. Early in the first round, a right hand followed
shortly after by a left hook sent Leo down. After the Gainesville,
Georgia native recovered, a well-timed roundhouse kick to the
head by McDonald floored Leo for the second and final time.
For
Cooper, the road to the championship tournament round was a marathon
that commenced when he faced an unfamiliar opponent in Japan’s
Nobu Hayashi during the quarterfinal round of action. After failing
to advance past the quarterfinal round of action last year, the
Las Vegas resident looked focused and poised upon the sound of
the opening bell. Cooper unloaded the same kind of quick hand
combinations that led him to a perfect 10-0 record in the world
of professional boxing. After three rounds of battle, the American
fighter was awarded the victory on all three judges’ scorecards.
Cooper’s
showing went from impressive to inspiring when he met K-1 rookie
“Mighty Mo” during the tournament’s semifinal
round. At 283 pounds, the 6’1” Mo outweighed the trim
Cooper by 82 pounds. The lighter competitor played his cards
intelligently, however, by using his speed and agility to stay
away from his powerful opponent. In the second round, Cooper
demonstrated that he has the power to hurt the sport’s physically
larger athletes when he responded to a straight right hand with
a short flurry of punches that backed Mo into the ropes. After
the third round in which he again chose his shots intelligently,
Cooper was declared the winner by unanimous judges’ decision.
Styles
came into play during the championship round bout between McDonald
and Cooper as the latter fighter was unable to score with the
same crispness as he had opposite his two previous opponents.
McDonald took control of the matchup during the opening seconds
of the first round when he tagged Cooper with a head kick. Cooper’s
knee strikes were strong on the inside, but McDonald shook them
off and continued to pursue Cooper for the entire bout. The third
and final round saw what was arguably the event’s single
greatest exchange of blows as Cooper answered a McDonald punch
combination with a right hand that rocked the Canadian and followed
the blow up with a straight knee on the inside. McDonald’s
precision and effectiveness throughout the majority of the bout,
though, convinced all three judges’ to declare him the victor
of the bout and the “Battle At The Bellagio II” tournament.
In
Superfight action, Bob “The Beast” Sapp took care of
business quickly against three-time K-1 Superfight veteran, Tommy
Glanville. Sapp was put on the defensive in the first several
seconds of the fight when Glanville rushed out of his corner
and began firing leg kicks. Sapp answered with a roundhouse kick
to the body and, then, a left hook that sent Glanville to the
mat 33 seconds into the first round. The referee ordered a stoppage
to the fight after he judged the fallen fighter unfit to continue.
Martial
arts fighting veteran “Big Daddy” Gary Goodridge survived
an early offensive from New Zealand’s Toa. A veteran of
seven K-1 bouts, Goodridge was backed into the corner by Toa’s
relentless offensive and unable to break free for several moments.
After finding his way back into the center of the ring, Goodridge
pushed his opponent into the corner and sent Toa to the canvas
with a left hook. Toa beat the referee’s count, but Goodridge
pounced on him. With his back against the ropes, Toa was tagged
with a right hook. A left uppercut from Goodridge finished the
New Zealander at the 2:43 mark of the opening round.
World
champion Cung Le extended his flawless record to 16-0 by outgunning
three-time K-1 Superfight veteran and martial arts fighting star,
Brian Warren, during a four-round bout contested under San Shou
kickboxing rules. The matchup saw Le execute several throws as
well as his suplex before gaining the favor of all three judges.
Other
Tournament Results:
Quarterfinal
Round:
Carter
Williams vs. “Mighty Mo:”
2003
K-1 USA champion Carter Williams set out to defend his tournament
crown by taking on Mighty Mo during the opening “Battle
At The Bellagio II” tournament round. Williams assumed control
of the bout in the first and second round as he deployed the
same kick-punch combinations that earned him his first K-1 title
last year.
In
the third round, however, Mo came up big with a left hook that
sent Williams into the ropes and a flurry of punches that put
Williams down momentarily. After Williams rose to his feet, the
referee issued with his hands an order to stop the bout. Moments
later, though, he seemingly changed his decision and began to
give Williams an eight-count. Las Vegas Athletic Commission head
Mark Ratner ordered that the fight be stopped in accordance with
the referee’s initial ruling. Mo was awarded the win by
technical knockout.
Kelly
Leo vs. Tatsufumi Tomihira:
For
three rounds, Leo went to war in toe-to-toe fashion with Japan’s
Tatsufumi Tomihira. The Japanese fighter unloaded leg kicks over
the course of the bout’s three scheduled rounds, but it
was Leo’s strong punching that made the difference in the
matchup and convinced all three judges to award him the win.
Other
Non-Tournament Results:
Tournament
Reserve Fight:
• Alex Jucan defeated Raul Romero - 2nd round KO
Superfight:
• Tom Jones defeated Toshiyuki Nakagawa – Three Round
Unanimous Decision
Tournament
Reserve Fight: • Scott Lighty defeated Sean McCully –
2nd round TKO
Superfight:
• “Razor” Rob McCullough defeated John Polakowski
– 2nd round TKO (corner threw in the towel)
Source: Sherdog |
The
Main Non-Events: Tyson, Penn in K-1
Commentary by Jake Rossen
I don't know Vince Vaughn. And even if I did, he probably wouldn't
appreciate me projecting the witticisms of fictional characters
onto him. But if I did know Vince, and he didn't mind speaking
in character, and we happened to be talking about Mike Tyson...
Well,
Tyson is money, baby. I bet that's what he'd say. And he'd be
right.
Mike
Tyson received more attention at Madison Square Garden a few
weeks ago than the athletes actually strapping on the gloves
and getting clocked in the head. Granted, the alternative - watching
John Ruiz cling to Oquendo like one of those Velcro stuffed monkeys*
- wasn't too inviting. But it's not like he was getting into
a scuffle with the hot dog vendor, or screaming profanities,
or tearing off limbs. Nope, he was just watching the fights.
We're
fascinated by him when he's raving like a lunatic, and we're
even more fascinated with him when he's docile: it's like watching
a lion bat a ball around. Long past the point of reason, Tyson
is still the biggest draw in boxing.
And
he's fought all of 49 seconds in the past two years.
Smothered
by reporters after the bouts, Tyson would comment that the heavyweight
scene was certainly sagging, that it looked appealing from the
point of view of a 37 year old slugger looking to reclaim lost
respect. There's talk of a bout with Joe Mesi, this generation's
Tommy Morrison. (But not as good.) He'll certainly fight some
stiffs, the Clifford Etiennes of the world who like money and
don't mind trading in their brain cells for it. By the end of
the year, he may even be prepared to fight someone formidable
for boffo PPV business: Klitschko, Roy Jones, Lamon Brewster.
To
be in Tyson's radius is to suddenly find money in your pocket.
To his chagrin, Tyson didn't seem to realize this for many years
and suffered countless shady characters who stripped him of everything
but his socks. Everyone wants a piece of Iron Mike.
And
"deals." There are always "deals" being discussed
and prematurely forwarded to the press. Sometimes they're "verbal
agreements." Sometimes they're "getting faxed over."
When you mention Mike Tyson, you're taking out a good four inches
of newspaper space for free. Mama, she didn't raise no stupid
promoters.
Sometimes
Mike himself participates in the charade. Last August, Tyson
stepped into a K-1 ring and had a verbal battle (and oh, what
an anemic conflict it was) with gargantuan Bob Sapp, a man who
annoys me by the simple virtue of being a terrible fighter. Sending
jaws agape in Japan by being huge and, well, black, Sapp is touted
as a pugilistic icon. Finding his gimmick trite, I chuckled when
Kimo nearly sent him through the ropes, at which point K-1 was
still committed to presenting Sapp as some kind of threat to
one of the most accomplished strikers in the world.
Recall,
if you will, the sight of a forty year old Kimo - as gifted a
striker as an extra from a Don Wilson flick - laying the leather
into Sapp's face, with Sapp turning the tide only at the last
second. Five minutes later, Bob was talking trash to Tyson. I
mean, my God.
Mike
never actually looks embarrassed at anything he does, but I'd
like to think he at least had trouble sleeping that night.
The
"signed contract" K-1 was pushing at the time was simply
an agreement to promote any bouts Tyson should sign for in Japan.
He can't even enter the country due to his rape conviction. This
is one valuable piece of paper. Sort of reminds me of the guy
selling real estate on the moon.
Even
so, we've been subjected to K-1 parading Tyson around like a
trophy wife. K-1's Sergio Batarelli spared no expense in relating
that Tyson would be training with Joe Moreira, that he would
learn "Vale Tudo," that plenty of big-name match-ups
were in the offing. Would Tyson fight Rickson? LeBanner? Or would
Sapp get the first taste of his power? The sports pundits laughed
it all off; at least one actually thought Tyson was in for some
trouble against Sapp.
And
through it all, "K-1" was mentioned roughly five hundred
times in the press.
Now
it's April of 2004, and Mike Tyson has not so much as said Word-1
about K-1. Oh, excuse: he did offer one quote early on. "I'm
not into getting kicked in the head, you know?"
Yeah,
Mike. I know. K-1 still has plenty of people fooled, though.
Early
April brought in an especially amusing entry into the Tyson sweepstakes.
K-1 announced they would hold a press conference at the prestigious
Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Los Angeles cementing Tyson's participation.
That lavish celebration turned into a muted presser in Japan
with one of Tyson's lawyers present.
The
end result of the soap opera is this: FEG - the unfortunately
named subsidiary of K-1 - is going to promote a Tyson fight "on
or around" July 31st. And like lemmings diving for air off
a cliff, fight fans are again getting excited about a non-event.
The
fight - possibly against Kevin McBride, possibly against a journeyman,
maybe even against the mighty Sapp - will be boxing only. Chair
shots, kicks, knees, and rear-naked chokes are not welcome. Tyson
adviser Shelly Finkel vehemently denied any possibility of Tyson
doing anything in a ring other than what he's been doing for
25 years: box. This is in stark contrast to FEG spokesman Geoff
Moss, who told me that rules for the bout were still being discussed:
Finkel won't hear of it.
So why is FEG getting in the mix? Simple. Aligning themselves
with Tyson means free press in the States, a market they will
continue to attempt to crack even though their promotion is fighting
an uphill battle against this country's apathy toward kickboxing.
That their biggest star is worthless as an actual talent drives
that last nail in nicely.
Tyson
will never fight in a freestyle bout. He has millions waiting
for him in boxing and a legitimate chance to recapture a heavyweight
title, writing a happier ending for what has been a career decimated
by poor choices and even poorer behavior. This is a man who can't
even be bothered to train in the art he was brought up in, can't
even be bothered to actually get in his native ring. And he's
going to sit in someone's guard? He's going to eat knees from
the clinch? Are we talking about the same Mike Tyson?
I'll
say one positive thing about this deal: K-1 has a huge, huge
opportunity to promote MMA with a Tyson headliner, if they so
choose. Anyone ordering the Pay-Per-View event for Iron Mike
could get a dose of freestyle action on the undercard, exposing
the sport to an untold number of people who wouldn't consider
sampling a full-out MMA event.
I
can think of a few problems, though: one, boxing fans are in
the mindset of essentially ignoring the undercard. Two, it's
only going to further confuse people who think K-1 is that "ultimate
fighting" stuff and will expect Tyson to start rolling around
on the mat. Three, K-1 is more interested in pushing their core
product of kickboxing.
Business
is business, and I can't begrudge K-1 for a sound publicity plan.
But delivering the same old Tyson scenario when you've developed
a reputation as the "new fighting sport" is not going
to go over very well.
So
he boxes for them. So what? Is that what people expect when they
hear of Tyson in a kickboxing/free-fight promotion? K-1 signing
Tyson and then getting him to box is like having your supporting
actor stick his hand into a garbage disposal in a horror flick
and not having someone flip the switch. For my money, I better
get what I expect.
PENN
K-1 isn't making any friends elsewhere, having courted welterweight
champion BJ Penn into the fold. The current talk has Penn at
an impasse with the UFC over his defection. It seems as though
the "Prodigy" is somewhat oblivious to the idea of
exclusivity while carrying a belt and has hinted that he would
like to drop the title to fight as a lightweight, either in the
UFC or in Japan. The details of his contract are sketchy: informally,
I'm sure he and the Zuffa brass have wildly different ideas of
what's acceptable behavior.
At
this point, I'm leaning towards the idea that Penn's move up
in weight was a one-off proposition, as he's shown zero interest
in defending the belt. Does he feel as though the Hughes fight
was an isolated incident? Who knows? But Penn playing dumb isn't
going to help anyone. He has a UFC belt and as such, has obligations
to the company. I sense another ugly situation about to reach
critical mass. The end result could potentially see the promotion
with exactly one or two champions in five weight classes, an
absolute embarrassment.
As
for Penn: I hope he knows what he's doing. The UFC gave him his
first fight, paid him more as a contender than Pulver made as
champion, gave him three chances for a belt, and has been nothing
but agreeable to any direction he's wanted to take. Penn has
hinted at wanting the same prize purse as Hughes at his peak,
which insults the man who successfully defended the belt five
times to get there.
With
K-1** trying to inch into the States and DSE never having reciprocated
after the UFC "lent" them Liddell and Rodriguez, the
turf war isn't going to get any more pleasant. Penn's first responsibility
is to Zuffa. I don't think they see themselves as a sublet for
K-1's promotion in the States. Penn expresses concern over the
UFC enforcing a no-compete clause in his contract: I would express
concern if they didn't.
A
UFC belt now has a long history of being a license to inflate
your ego until it explodes. Maybe one champion isn't such a bad
thing; hell, maybe it's one too many.
*
I am absolutely stunned that someone, somewhere, thought it would
be a good idea to rebroadcast the Ruiz/Oquendo fight on SpikeTV's
"Knockouts" program on April 30. God help the channel
surfers. And what does Spike's fresh involvement with boxing
mean for their rumored UFC talks?
**
K-1 was mentioned a total of seventeen times in this article.
This could be irony. I'll need to look into that.
Source:
Maxfighting |
ANOTHER
YOUNG GUN AT ATT:
GESIAS 'JZ' CAVALCANTI
by: Denis Martins
A
smart fighter, who only wants to improve, thinks with the mind
and not with the emotions. Thinking like that, and turning the
backs to the nonsense rivalry between Luta-Livre and Jiu Jitsu
which Brazil has to. Gesias Cavalcanti, a talented Luta-Livre
guy, saw an opportunity of joining himself at ATT and he did
not hesitate. Being considered nowadays as the new young gun
of ATT. Know more about the interesting story of this fighter
in lines underneath.
Denis
Martins: You are, without a doubt, one of the most promising
Luta-Livre fighters and you already represented Luta-Livre against
Jiu Jitsu in submission events here in Rio de Janeiro. The ATT
team is not a Jiu Jitsu team, but its main members are Jiu Jitsu
fighters. So how did the opportunity arise for your coming for
the camp? Calvancanti: The opportunity came through
my
friends. Moacy 'Boca' Oliveira, who was one of the first fighters
to come here, had already trained wrestling with me in the Universo
Atletico Academy. These trainings were run by Jefferson Teixeira(current
BTT Wrestling coach). Later Marcos Oliveira came to ATT too and
we contacted each other and they told me that I would do well
if I came there. Marcel Ferreira also supported me a lot to make
this dream come true so I decided to follow their advices. 'Boca'
opened
the doors of his home to me until I get a definitive place on
the team.
Denis
Martins: How did your Luta-Livre masters treat you when you decided
to make this move? Cavalcanti: It could not have been better.
Marcus Vinicius Corval (ADCC2000 veteran), Maicon Alarcao (multi-timeLuta-Livre
champion) and Vitor Hugo supported me because they knew that
this would be the best opportunity in my career and really believe
in my potential. They know that I would never forget my Luta-Livre's
roots because I am a fruit of their tree.
Denis
Martins: In today's world, do you think that the rivalry between
Luta-Livre and Jiu Jitsu is just nonsense? Cavalcanti: Not today,
I think since 2000. I like when you are going to compete and
the Luta-Livre and Jiu Jitsu crowd root for their representatives.
However, I think
that
the Luta-Livre people who close their mind to a possible training
in a Jiu Jitsu academy are totally wrong. I know what some Luta-Livre
persons are saying about me but they never gave me any opportunity.
They never said: 'Hey man, I will give you an opportunity'.
Denis
Martins: Do you feel the rivalry does not exist anymore? Cavalcanti:
If you are professional, you do not think like that. But a lot
of people in Brazil still think the old way.
Denis
Martins: In the USA the Submission and MMA fans do not know much
about what Luta-Livre is. I already saw some fans talking about
the punches and kicks in Luta-Livre. Can you talk to them a little
about this Martial Art? Cavalcanti: This is what today we call
Submission Wrestling or Grappling. Luta-Livre is a grappling
sport where punches and kicks are not allowed. The Luta-Livre
background is chokes, locks and the use of leverage to dominate
and submit the opponent. Like Master Roberto Leitao Filho(The
most important Luta-Livre master of
Brasil)
says, the name Luta-Livre (Free-Fight) is because you are free
of any kind of tools to practice the sport. Like a gi for example.
You do not need anything, only a pair of trunks to train Luta-Livre.
Denis
Martins: When you left Brazil for the USA, a lot of people believe
that you would be just one more fighter at ATT. Do you think
you have already found your place there? Cavalcanti: I believe
so. Here at ATT, the owners('Conan' Silveira, Ricardo Liborio,
Marcelo Silveira and Dan) gave the best support possible and
because of that, I want to represent the team better each time.
Denis
Martins: How long have you been here and how did you adapt to
being here? Cavalcanti: I have been here 8 months. During the
first few months, which were the hardest, everybody told me that
I was doing even better than they expected. I believe this is
due to my focus on my goals and things fall into place naturally.
On the first day I met Liborio. He said: 'Oh yeah, he has the
face of a tough fighter'. This motivated me a lot because this
was his first impression and it gave me strength to train more.
Denis
Martins: How many MMA fights have you had and what is your record?
Cavalcanti: I fought 4 times and my record is 4-0-0.
Denis
Martins: You left Brazil with 2-0-0 record in SHOOTO Am(Amateur
fights) and this was your only experience in MMA. Did this experience
help you when you fought as a professional? Cavalcanti: Oh for
sure. I have to say thank you very much for the SHOOTO Brazil
commission members and the SHOOTO Japan Lightweight Champion,
Alexandre 'Pequeno' França
Nogueira.
They always told me how important it was to take part of these
events, especially because I did not have any professional MMA
experience.
Denis
Martins: What can you tell me about your fights in HardCore Fighting
and Mass Destruction? I mean these victories were not added to
your database record due to being considered amateur fights.
However you though amateur fights were like SHOOTO Am, no strikes
on the ground, legs and head protection. Cavalcanti: I do not
know how to explain that because the rules were the same when
I fought AFC and HOOKnSHOOT. The training was the same and the
determination too, in my opinion. I did not see differences in
these events to be called amateur bouts. But here in USA they
have laws about this.
Denis
Martins: Do you have any frustration over not getting more two
victories in your database? Cavalcanti: There is no frustration.
I know what I did in the ring. The crowd saw what I did and how
I did it. They watched my success. I know that I am in the beginning
of my career and even though they are not being added to my official
record, they added to my experience and this is what I am looking
for right now.
Denis
Martins: In your last two fights, you used two traditional Luta-Livre's
tools to submit your
opponent;
the guillotine choke and the leg-lock. Do you agree that these
are traditional Luta-Livre's tools? Cavalcanti: Yes, I do. But
Luta-Livre also works a lot of neck-cranks, heel-hooks and keylocks.
Denis
Martins: What have you learned since arriving at ATT? Cavalcanti:
What have I learned? Well I think I did learned many things,
but the most notable things were trading blows on the feet and
working on my guard when the fight is on the ground.
Denis
Martins: I remember that you had some trouble when you faced
Jiu Jitsu guys with fast and dangerous guard games in Submission
events. You were not able to control them and consequently you
were swept. Did you fix this in training at ATT? Cavalcanti:
You are totally right. When the opponent had a good guard game
and he waited for my moves, I did have
some
trouble and it exposed me to his attacks. But it is in the past.
Even in Rio de Janeiro I trained with Milton Vieira to avoid
that and I learned with Alarcao to attack the knee when the opponent
opens the guard. These two guys helped me a lot with this weakness.
However
since I arrived in ATT, I had a lot of different training and
more technical support where I could fix my mistakes. Uncle Liba
(Liborio) taught me simple things that worked perfectly.
Denis
Martins: Your professional MMA debut was in AFC, however you
almost debuted in a Brazilian MMA event named HEROES 2 in the
age of 18 years old. Why that did not happen? Cavalcanti: In
the reality I just was 17 years old and that was the main problem.
The lawyer of the event did not like the idea of a 17 year old
boy fighting MMA. This opportunity arose because Andre Bispo
had health problems and thought he might not fight. Carlson Sr
told me that if Bispo was not in condition I would fight. Bispo
got to fight because he needed the money but I loved that expectation.
Denis
Martins: Your relationship with Jiu Jitsu was always been very
good, even when the rivalry was strong. How did that happen?
Cavalcanti: This happened through a friend of mine (Osvaldo
'Paqueta').
He filmed my fights in Copa BUDOKAN de Luta-Livre and he liked
my style and that of Alarcao. He told us to train with Carlson
Sr. We met with Carlson Sr and Paqueta introduced us to him.
We lived very far from Carlson's Team academy but we went there
to train whenever we had a chance.
Denis
Martins: In addition to having a very tough Luta-Livre, Submission
and MMA fighting background, you also have a background in Wrestling.
Do you still intend to dedicate yourself to Wrestling? Cavalcanti:
I did but my goal is MMA. Wrestling is an excellent sport and
has grown a lot in Brazil. We have a lot of good wrestlers there.
A lot of people thought that I would perform well in big Wrestling
competitions and I would represent my country with honor. I was
at
a
good age to dedicate myself to Wrestling, but nowadays I only
focus MMA. I know I can represent my country very well in this
sport too.
Denis
Martins: These days your goals are only focused in MMA fights?
Cavalcanti: Yes, this is my goal. However I keep myself training
and competing in submission and still train
Wrestling.
If I have the opportunity, I would like to compete in Amateur
Boxing and Muay Thai too. This only can happen if I do not have
any MMA fights scheduled because like I said before, MMA is my
career.
Denis
Martins: ATT has a lot of fighters at your same weight. How many
are there and who are they? Cavallcanti: Besides me, there are
5; Din Thomas, Edson Diniz,
Hermes
França, Marcos Aurelio and Aaron Riley, who may fight
in lighter weight class than mine.
Denis
Martins: Are there teammates that you are closer to? Who are
your better training partners? Cavalcanti: Bufalo(Petrus), Mandibula(Thiago),
Meio-Kilo(Justin) and Dyah are the guys who I am closer to. This
is because we share the same apartment and we became a crazy
family (laughs). Everybody here is a good training partner but
the guys who I have trained
more
with are; Thomas, Riley, Aurelio, Thiago Tavares and Pablo Popovitch.
Beside them 'Boca' and Dustin 'Clean' Denes support me a lot
during the hard trainings.
Denis
Martins: So, do you train with everybody, including Jeff Monson
and Wade Rome? Cavalcanti: I train with them too. Wade jokes
with me that he does not like to train with me because I am a
very tough training partner for him and I hurt him a lot
(laughs).
This should be the opposite, right?
Denis
Martins: Yes, you are smaller do. Are Thiago 'PitBull'(Muay Thai)
and you the only two Brazilian guys who are not from Jiu Jitsu
in ATT? Cavalcanti: I never thought about that, but you are right.
These reporters... (laughs)
Denis
Martins: What did you add to ATT with your Luta-Livre tools?
Cavalcanti: I added typical Luta-Livre positions, such as the
leg and foot locks.
Denis
Martins: How is your training routine? Cavalcanti: We go hard
three times per week. During the morning we do conditioning,
Muay Thai and wrestling. Two days per week are focused on submission
for MMA and specific blockade training. Saturday we train too,
but
only what we need to. Sunday is for rest. This is the routine
of a Professional MMA Team. We have free training sessions too
where we can train to improve our weaknesses.
Denis
Martins: Between the fight in the AFC(vs.Justin Wisniewski) and
the fight in HOOKnSHOOT(vs. Brad Mohler), where did you perform
better and why? Cavalcanti: In the AFC, because everything that
happened in that fight I expected, I just did not expect it to
be
so
quick. Things happened naturally and worked perfectly. Wisniewski
is very experienced and already has a fight in SHOOTO against
Donkonjonosuke Mishima. I studied his mistakes and I got it right!
In HOOKnSHOOT I fought almost instinctively. I did not know anything
about my opponent because they changed the opponent less than
4 days for the fight.
Denis
Martins: In a reasonable amount time of ATT, you have gotten
a good amount of experience fighting MMA 4 times. Are you ready
for the big events? Cavalcanti: I think so. I am so confident
in my team and the training it has provided and I know I can
fight very well in a big event. Of course I would like to get
more experience because when I go to a big event, I want to
give
a good show and not be kicked around like a tomato can.
Denis
Martins: Which big event would you like to fight in? Cavalcanti:
SHOOTO or Deep2001. I was so close to fighting in Japan after
the AFC bout. They wanted an inexperienced fighter to face Mishima;
and Liborio introduced me. However the negotiations did not go
forward.
Denis
Martins: Do you intend to come back to Brazil? Cavalcanti: I
will only go back for a little while to visit my parents and
friends that I have there. I love Brazil but I have structured
training here at ATT and my comeback for training in Brazil is
out the question.
Denis
Martins: When left Brazil for the USA, you did not have any nickname.
But now, you are named 'JZ'. What does it mean? Cavalcanti: My
first name, Gesias, is so hard for the USA guys
to
say, so when I arrived here in USA the song 'Crazy in Love' by
Beyonce featuring Jay-Z was so popular. I really love hip-hop
and one time this song was on the radio I started dancing during
training. Thomas saw that and put this nickname JZ (means Jay-Z).
Liborio heard it and started to call me of 'JZ' too. The USA
guys thanked GOD for finding an easy way of saying my name (laughs).
Denis
Martins: Thank you for your time and do you want to add anything
else? Cavalcanti: Thank you very much ADCC News for the opportunity.
I want to thank GOD for all my opportunities and my family and
friends for the support and confidence they gave me. Thank you
to the Sensei Team, JOP, UGF, Carlson Gracie Team, Universo Atletico
and Niteroi Wrestling.
And
a big thanks to ATT and for all friendships I have made here,
for the structure and the
opportunities
they have give me. Thank you very much to Marcelo Silveira, 'Conan',
Liborio and Dan, who I had problems communicating with due to
a my bad English. But now, I can understand him perfectly(laughs).
Source:
ADCC |
Quote
of the Day
"Be bold. If you're going to make an error, make a doozy,
and don't be afraid to hit the ball."
Billie Jean King, 1943-, American Tennis Player
|
Egan
Inoue Acquitted
KHON Channel 2 News reported that Egan Inoue was acquitted of
spousal abuse charges. The charges were brought on by his former
wife, Gina Inoue back in October 2003.
Source: KHON News 2 |
Ring
of Honor Submission Grappling Tournament Postponed!
The event previously scheduled for May 2nd, will be postponed to May 30th.
The promoter wanted to give more time between the Hawaiian Grappling
Championships (held thsi past weekend) and the ROH tournament.
It will still be held at Campbell High School Gym.
Source: Event Promoter |
Paling
on May 3rd Shooto Card
SHOOTO
Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan
May 3rd 2004
Shooto
is gearing up for their next card and there are some interesting
names on the card. Former UFC veteran Jutaro Nakao, the legend
Rumina Sato and Stephen
Palling
are all on the card.
Main
Event
Middleweight
3R - Jutaro Nakao vs Akira Kikuchi
Semi-Final
Lightweight 3R - Stephen
Paling
vs Hiroyuki Takaya
#8th
Match Bantamweight 3R - Mamoru vs Hiroaki Yoshioka
#7th
Match Bantamweight 3R - Kentaro Imaizumi vs Jin Akimoto
#6th
Match Circum-Pacific Tournament Quarterfinal Welterweight - Tensei
Murahama vs Kenichiro Togashi
#5th
Match Lightweight 2R - Rumina Sato vs Erikas Petraitis
#4th
Match Welterweight 2R - Tsuyoshi Yamazaki vs Antanas Jazbutis
#3rd
Match Welterweight 2R - Takayuki Okouchi vs Tomonari Kamata
#2nd
Match Bantamweight 2R - HIRO vs Shiichi Hanawa
#1st
Match 2004 Rookie Tournament 1st Round Middleweight 2R - Kotobukimaru.
vs Yu Edaori
Source:
MMA Weekly |
K-1
"Battle At The Bellagio II:"
The Weigh-Ins
Written By Michael Afromowitz - muaythaimes@aol.com
With
only a day remaining until the K-1 "Battle At The Bellagio
II" Pay-Per-View televised mega-card kicks off, the event's
athletes stepped onto the official scale at The Bellagio Hotel
and Casino on the evening of Thursday, April 29th.
Below
are the competitors' weights that were recorded by The Nevada
State Athletic Commission.
Tournament
Fighters (Paired According To Quarterfinal Round Matchups):
"Mighty
Mo": - 283 lbs.
Carter Williams - 248 lbs.
Dewey
Cooper - 201 lbs.
Nobu Hayashi - 247 lbs.
Marvin
Eastman - 209 lbs.
Michael McDonald - 210 lbs.
Kelly
Leo - 221 lbs.
Tatsufumi Tomihira - 208 lbs.
Tournament
Reserve Fighters (Paired According To Matchups):
Alex
Jucan - 257 lbs.
Raul Romero - 216 lbs.
Scott
Lighty - 221 lbs.
Sean McCully - 209 lbs.
Superfight
Fighters (Paired According To Matchups):
Bob
Sapp - 358 lbs.
Tommy Glanville - 284 lbs.
Toa
- 302 lbs.
Gary Goodridge - 251 lbs.
Rob
McCullough - 155 lbs.
John Polakowski - 156 lbs.
Cung
Le - 184 ½ lbs.
Brian Warren - 182 lbs.
Tom
Jones - 151 lbs.
Toshiyuki Nakagawa - 150 lbs.
Source:
Michael Afromowitz |
Ruas
Vale-Tudo athlete confirmed in Athens
by: Luca Atalla with R. Werneck
The Olympic dream is now a reality for wrestler Antoine Jaoude.
The Brazilian Olympic Committee just confirmed Jaoude as the
national representative athlete for the Olympic Games in Athens.
Antoine tried to qualify at freestlyle wrestling for Atlanta-1996
and Sydney-2000 but missed both times. Now, he is celebrating
with his coach, Roberto Leitao, who was the last Brazilian wrestler
to compete in the Olympics, in Barcelona-1992.
'Jaoude
is happy and celebrating, but he needs to keep training. Although,
his coach is going to have a glass of beer now it's official.
Thank God everything went just like we expected', said Leitao.
Beto
was the one who told Jaoude he was approved by COB by technical
judgment. He said the wrestler was extremely happy and rushed
to his girlfriend's house to tell her the good news. Antoine
Jaoude knows that his other dream, to reach the Olympic medal,
will be much more difficult than this one. But for him, nothing
is impossible.
'I
know it's going to be hard, but I will fight for it. Just the
fact that I've
been selected to represent the colors of my country is a huge
responsibility', said the wrestler, who is still looking for
a sponsor.
Source:
ADCC |
Vitor
Belfort back from honeymoon!
by: Luca Atalla with R. Werneck
Refreshed from a vacation after spending the honeymoon in the
Caribbean and the U.S. with his wife, the model Joana Prado;
the UFC light-heavyweight champion Vitor Belfort is back in training.
Expected to face the former UFC champion Randy Couture next August,
in Las Vegas, 'The Phenom' is working hard to get the perfect
shape back. Directly from Sao Paulo, Vitor told us that he watched
the video of the last UFC edition and was not surprised by the
TKO-victory of Chuck Liddell over Tito Ortiz. 'I was expecting
Liddell’s victory. I think Tito is a good fighter but he
was never really tested. I only consider his fight against Randy
Couture as a real tough challenge, and he lost it. I knew he
wasn’t able to beat Chuck. Chuck is not scared of punching
at all. He goes forward', said Belfort.
Right
after the triumph that put him back in the hunt for the UFC light-heavyweight
title, Chuck Liddell (13-3-0 in Mixed Martial Arts) said he wanted
to face the winner of Belfort and Couture rematch. The possibility
of fighting Liddell in the future doesn’t scare Belfort.
He wants to do the same thing he did against Couture: win the
rematch. Belfort and Liddell fought for the first time in June
of 2002 and the American won by unanimous decision.
'If
I face him again in the future, the final result will be totally
different. At that time I was completely unprepared (few days
before the fight, Belfort was starring a reality show on Brazilian
TV). Now, I have plenty of time to focus on my training and I
am very confident that I can win. Hopefully it will be a good
fight', said Belfort, who keeps fighting the most difficult battle
of his life, the search for his sister Priscilla who disappeared
almost four months ago.
Source:
ADCC |
2X
BJJ World Champion Thinks That He Was The Best of Last Decade
by: Luca Atalla with Raphael Nogueira
Last
month, GRACIE Magazine interviewed 25 Jiu-Jitsu specialists,
and asked one simple question: 'Who was the best Jiu-Jitsu fighter
of the 90’s?' The most common answer was Royler Gracie.
After Rickson’s brother, the list's top ten, in order: Nino
Schembri, Leo Vieira, Fabio Gurgel, Murilo Bustamante, Saulo
Ribeiro and Amaury Bitetti. At seventh place in the ranking,
Bitetti didn’t like the results. 'I had the best performance
in championships all decade', remembers the Carlson Gracie pupil.
Those
who voted commented that Bitetti really was the best in tournaments,
but he didn’t have great style. ‘He used to win just
by points’, said one specialist.
Amaury
has another good answer for it: ‘If it was written in the
rules that the champion would be the guy who has the must beautiful
style, I would train to have the most beautiful style’,
explains Amaury. From 1990 to 1999, Bitetti lost just one fight,
against Roberto Roleta, the number 8 ranked fighter on GRACIE
Magazine list.
Source:
ADCC |
Murilo
Ninja
By Eduardo Ferreira
Chute Boxe's Murilo Ninja is already in Curitiba and it seems
he has recovered himself of his loss to Russian Sergei Kharitonov,
at Pride GP Heavyweight first round, last April 25th. In an exclusive
to TATAME.com, Ninja explains how he deal with the bad result
and talked about his strategy in the fight.
Don't
you think you chose a wrong strategy? Couldn't you take the fight
also to the ground?
I'll
be honest. I never thought to take the fight to the ground, I
just wanted to fight on the feet. I was ok, I knocked the Russian
down and his noose was bleeding a lot. But, unfortunately he
hit me with that cross-punch on my chin and I felt unconscious.
How
was fighting with the Heavyweights?
I
felt myself ok, my hand was heavier than before, but their hands
are heavier than the Middleweights. At Heavyweight, as important
as the gas training is the strength training. I was gassy, but
I was the lightest fighter of the GP.
During
the press-conference after the fight, you was visibly shaken.
How do you and your team deal with this loss?
It
was my first loss by KO. It never happened to me before. But
I don't fight for a tie. I fight for win. Pride producers love
my fights. Rudimar (Fedrigo), Rafael (Cordeiro) and Cunha (Sérgio)
supported myself a lot and they made me raise my head up. That's
what I'm doing now. Nobody is invincible, I had a bad moment
and I was knocked out.
After
your loss to Randleman at Pride 24 (2002) you stopped a year.
How will be your career from now on? Do you intend to return
to fight at Middleweight?
I
don't how it'll be from now on. I just know I'll continue training
hard and waiting for another opportunity. I don't know if I'll
return to fight at Middleweight.
Source:
Tatame |
|
MARQUARDT
RESIGNS WITH PANCRASE
One
of the best American mixed martial arts fighters in the world,
5-time King of Pancrase Nathan Marquardt, is barely known outside
of a diehard circle of fans and insiders within the United States.
Yet, he is besieged for autographs when he walks down the streets
of Japan and it looks like it is going to stay that way for a
little while longer.
Despite
a contingent of fans that have been calling for Marquardt's participation
in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, the stars haven't aligned
just quite right for that to happen. Marquardt has built his
reputation as the King of Pancrase in Japan garnering him little
widespread recognition in the United States leaving the UFC with
little reason to bring him into the fold. He just doesn't have
the name recognition in the U.S. for the UFC to warrant spending
the kind of money that it would take to draw him away from Pancrase.
Though
he would love to fight in the U.S. again, Marquardt has accepted
an offer from Pancrase and signed a new contract to fight for
them for another year beginning with an unnamed Japanese opponent
on June 22nd. While most fighters in Pancrase are signed to one-fight
deals, Marquardt's marquee name and multiple titles in Japan
have earned him enough respect to be signed to the much more
secure one year deal.
Although
he has a longing to fight on his home turf, Marquardt isn't at
all disappointed, “They treat me really good.” Plus,
his contracts with Pancrase are not exclusive. Last year, Marquardt
was finally able to fight again in the U.S. on an IFC card in
Denver, Colorado. He can fight elsewhere, he just has to clear
it with Pancrase first and make sure that any other fights that
he wants don't conflict with any plans that Pancrase has for
him.
Besides
his new Pancrase contract, Marquardt also has opened his own
training academy, High Altitude Martial Arts, in Denver, Colorado.
His new academy boasts a strong team of up and coming fighters
along with other martial arts classes for the general public
and special training for law enforcement officers. Anyone interested
in classes or other training can call High Altitude Martial Arts
at 720-404-7744 for more information.
Source:
MMA Weekly |
|
