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2005
3/12/05
The Second Annual Maui
Jiu-Jitsu Open
BJJ tournament
(BJJ)
(Maui War Memorial Gym, Wailuku, Hawaii)
2/20/04
Punishment In
Paradise 9:
Hawaii vs. Mainland
(MMA, Kickboxing)
(Kapolei H.S. Gym)
2/5/04
UFC 51: Super Saturday
(MMA)
(Las Vegas, NV)
2004
12/31/04
Pride
(MMA)
(Japan)
K-1
(MMA, Kickboxing)
(Japan)
12/11/04
Super Brawl
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena)
12/10/04
Kickin It Again
(Kickboxing)
(Kapolei HS)
12/4/04
So You Think You Tough 7
**Postponed**
(Boxing, MMA)
(Kona Gym, Kona)
Ring of Honor
(MMA, Kickboxing)
(Waimea H.S. Gym, Kauai)
Proving Grounds 3
(MMA)
(Hilo, HI)
12/3/04
Punishment In
Paradise 8:
East vs. West
(MMA, Kickboxing)
(Kapolei H.S. Gym)
|
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November 2004 News
Part 3
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Quote
of the Day
"In the final analysis there is no solution to man's progress
but the day's honest work, the day's honest decisions, the day's
generous utterances and the day's good deed."
Clare Booth Luce
|
INTERVIEW
OF THE WEEK: BAS RUTTEN
Bas Rutten is one of the most popular and recognizable figures
in MMA today. A once great fighter who captured the King of Pancrase
and UFC Heavyweight Titles, Rutten has made the successful transition
to announcer and entrepreneur. With the holiday season fast approaching
MMA Weekly’s Mick Hammond spoke with Rutten to look back
over the past year of Pride FC as well as its future and Rutten’s
personal life.
MMA
Weekly: First up Bas, it’s been a big year for Pride FC.
Possibly the biggest story with the company was this year’s
16-Man Grand Prix which got started off with a bang at Total
Elimination 2004 with Kevin Randleman knocking out Mirko “Cro
Cop.” Tell us your thoughts on that and how it set the table
for the remainder of the GP.
Bas
Rutten: The heavyweight GP was as exciting as last year’s
middleweight GP. All the time when I think that Pride can’t
top themselves anymore they pull it off. We’re lucky it
went well. Of course it was a big upset, I don’t think Mirko
expected it at all. He could have gone real far if that hadn’t
have happened. I still think the best match-up could have been
Cro Cop versus Fedor (Emelianenko). I think they match up real
well together. But that’s the tournament, it’s the
name of the game when things like that happen, you never know
what to expect. I thought that Kevin had Fedor in the second
round when he dropped him on his head. I know Fedor said he wasn’t
hurt but c’mon, Kevin dropped him right on his head. If
he would have started raining knees like he did against Murilo
“Ninja” (Rua) he could have pulled off a second straight
upset and that would have been totally crazy.
MMA
Weekly: Another big part of the tournament was the stellar performance
of Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira after the last year it seemed a lot
of people lost faith in him. Tell us your thoughts on his GP
performance.
Bas
Rutten: You know what, they (the Brazilian Top Team) have such
a great team there, they work non-stop on improving skills that
they might not be good at. They are pretty much good at every
skill, but if they feel they need work on something like striking
they immediately go to Cuba and work with the national team on
that. They are real smart with what they do. They are a bunch
of smart guys and they get better and better. Nogueira learned
from his first match with Fedor. In that match Fedor was able
to get out of submissions even before Nogueira could even attempt
them. But now you saw before the fight got stopped, Nogueira
had multiple submission attempts, he was going non-stop. I always
think that when someone goes for something and keep going they
will eventually get the submission.
MMA
Weekly: In that final bout between Fedor and Nogueira there was
a lot going on when the referee halted things to look at the
cut that opened over Fedor’s eye. We have heard from Mario
Sperry what was going on in the BTT corner with all the discussion,
what do you feel about their wanting to have the fight called
in Nogueira’s favor?
Bas
Rutten: It was one of the worst things, I mean that was the fight
everyone was waiting for. Finally we had the rematch; pretty
much everyone thought it was going to be final bout, and to have
it end like this was not good. Fedor gave the headbutt and cut
himself so I can understand the protests from their side. I mean
we are talking about a lot of money here that was at stake along
with the GP title.
MMA
Weekly: It’s a lot of money, but it’s not El Guapo
money right?
Bas
Rutten: No it’s not El Guapo money, I wish that I had that
kind of money (laughs). You know this is the misunderstanding
here in America, people are thinking that I’m sitting relaxing
on my millions of dollars but they don’t they don’t
realize that I’m traveling my ass off to get this money.
MMA
Weekly: Back to the tournament, how do you feel about the overall
performance of the tournament? Do you feel it was a strong step
up from the one back in 2000?
Bas
Rutten: Oh yeah, for sure. It was a way better GP than the first
one. I thought it was great, if the ending wouldn’t have
gone like this it would have been the perfect GP.
MMA
Weekly: Getting away from the GP, this year we saw the Bushido
series continue to evolve with four volumes this year. Can you
tell us your thoughts on that series?
Bas
Rutten: Well before Bushido 5 Mr. Sakakibara, the President of
DSE, along with (Nobuhiko) Takada (Pride Executive Manager) warned
the fighters for 20 minutes at the rules meeting saying, “if
you guys don’t fight, you’ll never be back.” What
they did showed the fighters that even if they lose, if they
put on a great show they will be back. I think personally you
saw a big difference between volumes 4 and 5 because Pride is
really pressing the fighters now. You saw a lot of new talent,
Crosley Gracie for one is going to be phenomenal, he’s got
the submissions, he’s got the striking. Gomi is also very
good, the lightweights are exciting fighters, they’ve always
been in Japan and now Pride’s bringing them to the front.
MMA
Weekly: You mention Takanori Gomi, he seems to be the fighter
that the series has become centered around. Do you he can be
centerpiece to which this series can revolve around? Can he make
an impact big enough to keep it alive as well as come up to the
main show now and then and perform well there?
Bas
Rutten: I think he can. As long as he keeps his head together.
Normally you saw what happened with (Kazushi) Sakuraba, that
after you beat a lot of great fighters you can start to think
you’re invincible and then some people have a lack in training.
Once that happens to you, you start to go down. It’s happened
to a few great fighters; they just don’t concentrate anymore.
If he keeps his stuff together he could be the next great superstar.
MMA
Weekly: Let’s talk about a couple of other fighters that
had had notable years. Heath Herring for one seems to have come
back in a very strong fashion after a year or two of not being
the same dominant fighter he started out as in Pride. How do
you feel about his resurgence in the heavyweight division?
Bas
Rutten: It’s exactly like you said, he’s doing great,
he’s really coming back. I think coming back after a knockout
is one of the most devastating and difficult things to do. I
have the most respect for fighters who get knocked out and come
back to win their next fight because it is very difficult to
do, because you know you’ll be punch-shy. After that barrage
he got into with Mirko Cro Cop and that was to the body, he started
to think he started to think “I’ve been in Holland
now for a few years working on my striking two times a day and
it’s not really paying off.” What he didn’t see
is that he wasn’t playing his game. If he just plays his
game and bees Heath Herring I think he can do great against anyone.
If he just uses what he has and what he possesses then he can
win any fight and he’s proved that over his last few fights.
Once he starts doing that, that’s the real Heath Herring.
MMA
Weekly: Another fighter that seemed to be on the comeback trail
but then had a hard last few outings was Kevin Randleman. How
do you feel about Kevin’s year?
Bas
Rutten: Kevin is the kind of person that you can’t break
down. He and I are very similar; he had the crazy car accident
and a lot going in his personal life. I have so much respect
for a guy who can keep fighting like that. He has a lot of pressure
on him, he had the accident and the doctors tell him not to fight
for 5-6 months after it, but there he is 4 weeks later fighting
again. He’s got 45 stitches in his head doing it; this guy
is indestructible and keeps coming. The only thing is when you
have a lot on your mind you can’t train. That’s the
case with his fight against Fedor, he didn’t train at all.
His dad had just died, he had a lot on his mind, he took care
of all that stuff, the funeral and his family. I think if a person
like Kevin Randleman with his athletic abilities and reflexes
finds a really good camp to train with he can pretty much be
unbeatable. He’s go super reflexes and is unbelievably strong,
he’s got the whole package, he needs a good coach to tell
him exactly what to do.
MMA
Weekly: You mentioned Fedor, he had a very good year after missing
part of last year with injuries and contract issues. How do you
feel about his year so far going into the New Year’s Eve
show?
Bas
Rutten: He’s in a different class, he’s how you say…when
they made him they made him from something special. He has a
real strange kind of balance, I mean in a good way. The way he
moved in Nogueira’s guard, like when Nogueira goes for submissions
he shifts his weight forward and to the sides and it’s like
nothing I’ve seen before. He’s real fast with his own
submissions and has those big haymakers. Standing they can be
a problem for him because they are wide, but on the ground it
doesn’t matter, he’s very accurate on the ground. Like
I said, a fight between him and Cro Cop could be a real great
fight. I think that if he keeps going he’ll keep being a
star. He’s the kind of guy that won’t get sidetracked,
he’ll always be focused and in great shape.
MMA
Weekly: In the middleweight division the story is, as it has
been over the last few years, Wanderlei Silva. He took time off
early then came back strong against Ikuhisa Minowa at Bushido,
then had an injury but came back to destroy Yuki Kondo before
having the fight of the year against Quinton “Rampage”
Jackson. Tell us your thoughts on Silva’s year.
Bas
Rutten: He’s the kind of person you think, “when is
he going to stop?” I mean he’s always in shape, prepared,
and wins. The last three years we are talking about that he hasn’t
lost, he’s just barraging everybody. The thing that I mentioned
before like with Gomi, it’s very difficult to stay at the
top, to keep training non-stop, but he keeps doing it. Everybody’s
hunting him, so he knows everyone’s training real hard to
get to him. I don’t know where he gets the mental focus
to stay on that level. He says he’s going to do this for
5 more years, if he can do it for just 2 more years that’s
an unbelievable thing to do.
MMA
Weekly: Now the year is not yet over for Pride, things are coming
together for the New Year’s Eve show. Headlining that show
will be the third match between Nogueira and Fedor for all the
titles and money. Tell us your thoughts about the upcoming Shock
Wave 2004 show.
Bas
Rutten: The main event is going to happen, there’s no more
speculation, it’s finally signed so that’s good. It’s
going to be a brawl again. Let’s hope there’s not going
to be another cut or something crazy is going to happen. That’s
going to be a good fight for sure. It’s not going to be
over in five minutes I believe, it’s going to be a long
hard battle. Roulon Garner is going to fight (Hidehiko) Yoshida;
it’s going to be a good match. I’m going to see him
and train him a bit in his stand up game. I hear Heath Herring
is also going to fight, there’s going to a lot of stars
on this show, I think Wanderlei Silva wants to fight as well.
I think this show is really going to rock.
MMA
Weekly: Do you see this becoming the big centerpiece show for
Pride every year? The show that everyone will look forward to
throughout the year with anticipation?
Bas
Rutten: I think so. Hopefully they will bring Gomi in so they
can have the heavyweights, middleweights, and the stars of Bushido
come in and make one big show.
MMA
Weekly: There are a lot of well-established fighters in Pride,
but they continue to try to bring in some of the best young talent
in the business. Do you see this surge for new talent growing
with the coming year?
Bas
Rutten: I expect even more talent to come in. Especially with
the Pride try-outs, this is a big step for Pride; it’s the
first time they are going to scout for more talent this way.
Everybody knows that there’s more talent out there, but
they aren’t going to get a shot unless you go out and find
them, it’s the same with acting and everything else. So
I actually see it growing real well. I keep repeating myself,
but every time I don’t think it can get better anymore and
we pull off something better. I feel we are so lucky that we
have such great shows all the time, it’s very difficult
to top shows but we manage to do it each time. With the try-outs
more competition will come and it will get even better.
MMA
Weekly: So you see Pride being the organization that is “the
organization” that people want to come to and compete in?
Bas
Rutten: I think so, in fact I know so. Every fighter including
myself who starts fighting’s biggest dream is fighting in
Japan. It’s the land of the samurai, you want to be there,
you know people have respect for what you do there, it’s
a totally different ballgame there than anywhere else in the
world. So for fighters to experience that, it’s a big thing.
A lot of fighters from other organizations want to go to the
big show and want to know how does it feel to fight there. Small
shows can have around 28,000 people, medium shows are like 45,000,
and at the Tokyo Dome they fill out 70,000 people, so fighters
will want to fight for a company that can give them that.
MMA
Weekly: Alright let’s get away from Pride now and talk about
your year. You’ve been very busy this year not only with
commentating but also with acting and other personal endeavors
tell us about your year.
Bas
Rutten: I think it went real well. I do a lot of work, and as
I said before I travel a lot to start new things, new businesses.
It’s like in fighting when you start out they don’t
start you headlining the big show, it’s like that in acting,
just because you get a lead role it doesn’t mean they are
going to get 150,000 dollars. They say “this is a low budget
movie, you’re going to start here, you’re going to
get paid to scale, take it or leave it.” For the first movie
the acting picked up real fast, a lot of people saw it so I got
another right after it. Now I just finished a comedy, a short
comedy, I have the lead in that. I was kind of waiting for that
one because it shows my range now, people can see I’m not
just a fighter, I can do more than that. I think this short comedy
will hopefully be this breakthrough for me, it’s a really
funny film. On the side I have the Bas Rutten enterprises, we
just started training people to become instructors in the Bas
Rutten martial arts system. It’s where people come three
times a year for a week and I work with you 7-hours a day which
finishes in a seminar where I’m going to let you teach also
so I can see how you teach other people. We see if they can pass
their tests so they can be certified in teaching the Bas Rutten
system. I’m going to give myself a shameless plug here by
saying you can go to www.BasRutten.tv for all the information
on that.
MMA
Weekly: Your personal life saw some change too. I know earlier
this year you had a big formal wedding with your wife, tell us
how marriage works for El Guapo.
Bas
Rutten: It works very well. The wife has been with me for 12-13
years, we got married when we first came to the States because
she’s Dutch too and so she wouldn’t have gotten a green
card, so there was a small wedding for the two of us. I told
her that we’d do a bigger wedding later on. In the wedding
department we were already married so it didn’t change a
whole lot but it was fun to have all of our friends over here
and family from Holland. Some fighters came and some couldn’t
make it, we had Bruce Buffer announcing for fun, we had a lot
of fun.
MMA
Weekly: So it’s been a pretty good year all around for El
Guapo huh?
Bas
Rutten: I think it’s like when I was starting in Pancrase,
in the beginning you don’t realize what you can do. You
start with a certain amount of money and you work your way up.
I had a couple losses the first year in Pancrase and I realized
I had to work harder and harder, so I do that in my life, if
something happens not how I want it to, I work harder so it does
work. I didn’t have any losses this year, at least not in
the acting department, it’s going good and only getting
better and better. The only thing is I would like to be making
more money per part but I’m not working on big Hollywood
budges. You have to start somewhere. It’s like a fighter,
I’m working my way up getting better and better, getting
offered more parts so let’s hope that next year will be
the breakthrough year for El Guapo.
MMA
Weekly: You remain one of the most popular and beloved individuals
in our sport. How does it feel to get such a response from fans?
Bas
Rutten: You know I’m so fortunate with that. It’s mind-blowing.
It looks like I got more popular after I stopped fighting…
MMA
Weekly: Maybe they are trying to tell you something with that?
Bas
Rutten: Yeah, but everybody likes the commentary too (laughs).
You have to see the people that come up to me everyday from everywhere,
they come up to me and say “hey you’re the guy from
Pride, you’re great, you’re funny, you can make us
laugh.” I meet people from Holland and they tell me I’m
the say but I’m more relaxed. That just tells you how I
was 13 years ago, I was such a hyper guy. I never could understand
fighters who don’t give their fans the time of day, because
if it wasn’t for the fans you wouldn’t be there. So
I always try to give everybody their autograph, everybody their
picture, and their attention because they deserve it. They put
me where I am.
MMA
Weekly: Going back to MMA, how do you see things going for the
whole sport, not just Pride and Japan, but here in the States,
over in Europe, the entire world in 2005?
Bas
Rutten: I said this last year also, people are starting to realize
what leg locks are, what arm bars, are what submissions are,
how takedowns and how to defend things so that changes things.
It’s like boxing now, boxing is easy to understand, you
punch someone to the head or to the body and they go down, pretty
much everybody understands that, we are starting to get that
understanding too. I have friends who watch shows who say “hey
he’s going for a left arm bar” and I’m like surprised
because it’s people who didn’t train in the sport but
now they are starting to understand what’s going on and
what’s coming up. They are realizing that it’s a real
fun sport to watch, even on the ground it can get real interesting,
in the beginning all people wanted to see were slams, ground
n pound, and knockouts, but now they get excited about the ground
game. We have fighters now who move fast and mix up the ground
n pound with submissions so the level of fighters keeps growing
and the audience gets more sophisticated and knowledgeable. Because
they get more knowledgeable about fighting I see things getting
really big. I always see Pride commercials in with boxing commercials
on TV now and I know that people are seeing that and they see
guys like Rampage and Wanderlei slamming people and knocking
people out and they start to think “hey what is this, we’ve
got to get that PPV and check this out.” So I know it’s
going to grow real well next year.
MMA
Weekly: As we close out is there anything you’d like to
say to anyone out there before we go?
Bas
Rutten: It’s pretty much what everybody says, just keep
supporting the sport, that’s what every fighter says. Because
that’s the only way we can grow. Thanks for all the support
and for the people, because every time I go to a show not just
in Japan but here in the States it takes me an hour to get in
there and an hour to get out because everyone comes up to me
and shows me support, so it’s a lot of fun. I thank everybody
for that. Hopefully they will continue to support every fighter
and don’t forget just in case they lose one or two times
in a row to keep supporting them because that’s the time
a fighter really needs his fans. If they drop them there that
could be the end of the fighter, so keep supporting them through
everything. For the rest of you, check out the Bas Gone Wild
DVD, it’s a 2-hour DVD about my 3-day bachelor party I had
in LA and it’s pretty wild, it’s got a lot of appearances
by a lot of fighters and a lot a laughs. Please look out for
my next Bas Rutten big DVDs of combat. It’s going to be
7 DVDs, the biggest instructional DVDs in the world. To give
you an example only the leg lock DVD has 65 leg locks on it.
I show you how to apply it, how to avoid it and if you get caught
in it, how to escape it and that’s all mixed from my real
fights showing me doing a technique in a real fight. It’s
a big project that is hopefully going to come out in January,
so check out www.BasRutten.tv for all the details
when it gets more finished.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
WILL
SYLVIA'S ARM BE READY IN TWO WEEKS?
Tim Sylvia, the former UFC Heavyweight Champion wanted to take
a tune up fight before he returns to the UFC. His "tune
up" fight will be against hated rival, Wes Sims, as the
main event for SuperBrawl in two weeks.
The
big question is whether Sylvia's arm will be ready for a fight
in a couple of weeks. Those close to Sylvia say he's ready to
go. Doctors in the fight game say it's hard to believe any fighter
would be ready to go this quickly. Just five months after his
forearm was snapped in two by Frank Mir, Sylvia will square off
in the SuperBrawl ring on December 11th.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
BUSHIDO'S
LIGHTWEIGHT GRAND PRIX
MMAWeekly's Scott Petersen reports from Japan, that the early
word is for Pride to hold a Lightweight Grand Prix Tournament
early in the spring.
The
Tourney will most likely happen in the ball park of March, April
or May of 2005. A tournament will take place between some of
the best Lightweights in the world.
The
weight class Pride Bushido will form will be a 160 pound weight
class. This will be a slight increase in weight than the UFC's
155 pound weight class. The five extra pounds may make it more
difficult for the lighter fighters to make the new weight class.
If
you look at fighters like Kid Yamamoto, Ivan Menjivar or Jens
Pulver, those type of fighters will be the ones most affected
by the new weight class. They are hard pressed to move all the
way up to 160 to fight in this kind of tournament.
The
fighters mentioned above are comfortable in the 145 weight class.
They all have competed at 155 before, but it will be interesting
to see, if they will be invited to fight in the 160 pound weight
class. No formal invitations have gone out yet as the details
are still to be worked out, but look for a Lightweight Tournament
in the near future in Japan.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
DE
JA VU ALL OVER AGAIN
Our good friend Jeff Osborne from fightworld.com reports that
Sakuraba will face Vanderlei Silva for a fourth time at the end
of the year show on December 31st.
Sakuraba
is 0-3 vs Silva in their previous three fights, but Saku feels
he can win this fight. Osborne will be on MMAWeekly Radio with
more on the situation.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
SPERRY:
'UNO TURNED DOWN REMATCH WITH FRANCA'
Brazilian Top Team manager Mario Sperry told Brazilian magazine
'Tatame' that the reason Hermes Franca will not be on the SHOOTO
card on December 14th is because Kaoru Uno did not accept the
Franca as an opponent.
UNO
VS. HANSEN POSSIBILITY
The Brazilian media is reporting that Hermes Franca will not
be participating on the SHOOTO year end show on December 14th.
It
was expected that Franca would face Kaoru Uno, but the Japanese
media is saying that Uno may now be facing Joachim Hansen.
Source: Fight Sport
|
Marcus
Aurélio's update
After
debuting in Japan, Brazilian Marcus Aurélio (American
Top Team) is in Europe training with Brazilian Augusto Frota
and do few contacts in Muay Thai. Now, Marcus wants to return
to Pride Bushido and face the best names of the under 70kg's
division. 'I would like to choose one it will be 'Takanori Gomi'
and a rematch with 'Mishima' but I'm not focused on this I will
just beat the numbers one!,' stated the fighter, who is on his
way to Holland, to improve his Muay Thai and stand-up skills.
Check out now the full interview conceded by Marcus Aurélio
to team TATAME in Switzerland.
What
is your actual situation, targets?
I'm
in Europe to train and work on my stand-up techniques for my
next fight in at Pride Bushido in Japan.
Actual
situation, targets of the ATT?
The
American Top Team is growing with a lot of tuff guys. We have
Olympic champions, Muay Thai Champions, Boxing trainers and more.
Guys with hunger for win, names like: Jorge Santiago, Thiago
'Pitbull' Emilio Bussard 'Tubarao, and more. All this guys have
the same philosophy 'ready to win!'
Tell
me about our fight against Mishima at Pride Bushido 4. What are
your plans now?
It
was a good fight from my point of view, but if I'm honest on
this day I was not really 'fit' I was sleeping very bad this
night, I feel pressure from the Organisation because I my weight
grows I was was risking to be disqualified. I intend to fight
at Pride Bushido and I have a contract for next year with Pride
for the Grand Prix 'Belt Champions'.
Tell
me about your training.
I
train 3 times a day. In the morning I make some physical training
and in the afternoon I training sometimes Boxing and MMA and
sometimes Muay Thay and grappling. Talking about food, I take
some proteins for an better flow and also carbohydrates, muscle
milk, minerals.
Do
you go often to Brazil are you missing your country?
Yeah.
I'm missing my country I really love it, you know I'm from Fortaleza
it is a really nice place! But I got three times in the year
to visit my family.
Why,
do you decided to change from Jiu-Jitsu to Professional Free
fighter?
I was nine year old as I started with Jiu-Jitsu and I won a lot
of competition I received a lot of 'medals' but I never saw money.
I love this sport but to survive I need money. The only way to
continue in the sport that I love was to change to the Mixed
Martial Arts. Now I love it, because you have so many disciplines
like Boxing, Grappling, Thaiboxing etc.
What
do you think about Europe and MMA in Europe?
Europe
has a very good reputation in the states and also in Brazil you
have a lot of tuff guys here in Europe! This is also the reason
because I'm here. I can see that MMA in Europe is growing it's
just a question of time.
With
which fighter and with witch Event you would like to compete?
In
our business you don't choose the fighters but if I would like
to choose one it will be 'Takanori Gomi' and a rematch with 'Mishima'
but I'm not focused on this I will just beat the numbers one!
I will be champion!
Why
are you in Europe? Tell me about your expectations...
I'm
here to train with Augusto Frota he has a lot of contacts with
the top Muay Thai guys and this is what I need! I will stay here
for two weeks and then I will go to Holland work on my stand-up
skills. My expectations from this Europe trip are to go back
to the states with more experience on my stand-up techniques.
Source: Tatame
|
Quote
of the Day
"I am always busy, which is perhaps the chief reason why
I am always well."
Elizabeth Cady Stanton, 1815-1902, American Social Reformer and
Women's Suffrage Leader
|
Mike's
Integra Found!
I got a call from HPD yesterday just after noon that HPD found
my car at the far end of Ko'olina. Thanks to everyone that was
keeping an eye out for me. It was stripped of the stereo and
rims/tires, but the rest of it is in ok shape (besides the ignition
and the door panels of course).
I
am thinking of creating a page on how to protect your car, specifically
Acuras. Not that I'm an expert, but I have had two Integras stolen
so I got a good chance to examine how these punks pull it off.
I will consults some of my friends at HPD just because I don't
want to give any ideas out to any aspiring thugs.
If
you want tips, shoot me an email. I may only answer the ones of guys
that I know for the same reason stated above.
I
am thinking about just calling it quits on selling the car and
will probably just donate it and take the tax write off.
As
a side note, just remember that items that are stolen are just
material things so don't let it get you down. I'm just thankful
that my family or friends weren't hurt. That would be a lot more
devastating than just a car being stolen. I am more disturbed
by the principal of someone taking away something that I worked
hard for and saved every penny to modify to my liking. People
will be people and I cannot change anyone, but I won't let them
win by having a theft affect me.
|
PUNISHMENT
IN PARADISE 8
Friday Dec 3,2004 @Kapolei High Gym
COUNTDOWN!!
David Padilla (Jesus Is Lord, Waiapahu)
Warriors Quest, Shooto, ROTR,IFC & Gladiators Challenge Veteran
Vs.
Cory Cass (Showtime Jiu Jitsu)
King of the Cage & Gladiators Challenge Champion
Padilla a ranked shooto fighter makes his return after a year
lay off, Padilla will face none other than Cory Cass of California.
Cass who is no stranger to fighting top notch fights as he already
has fought King of the Cage Champion Joe Stevenson. Cass who
has never gone to a decision, even in his losses, likes to end
the fights fast and go out there and lay it all on the line.
Padilla 2-1
Tommy Pestana (Waianae Kickboxing Club, Waianae)
IKF West Coast Champion
Vs.
Wayne Perrin III (Team Bigdogs, Waianae)
Punishment In Paradise Champion
Pestana a Kickboxing & Boxing Champion will also make his
way back the ring as he tries to take away Perrin's Kickboxing
Title. Perrin who is the current P.I.P Champion has a lot to
prove in this fight. Perrin is fighting a very experienced fighter
in Pestana, but don't sell Perrin short. He's a YOUNG GUN with
a bright future ahead of him. He has a lot of Power and Speed
with the reach to add to his arsenal. Perrin wants his respect
but theirs one person in his way O.G. Pestana.
Pestana 2-1
Thursday last day
for PRE-SALE Tickets 620-2882
Source:
Promoter
|
Jeremy
Horn: One Bad Mother @%$#&+
When it comes to a superior work ethic, fight veteran Jeremy
Horn breaks the mold.
Since
turning pro in MMA back in 1996, Jeremy has seen a total of 87
bouts, with 69 wins, 13 losses and five draws. He battled in
a whopping 21 bouts in 1999, ground out 10 throwdowns in 2003
and has rounded out six victories with one loss this year alone,
sometimes matching up a total of five times per month. That is
just a hardcore fighter there for ya.
The
free style artist has handed out 43 wins by submission and has
beaten the likes of Chuck Liddell and Daiju Takase, and is still
on a roll with his most recent win over Chael Sonnen at the SF-6
Battle Ground in Reno.
The
twenty-nine year old Horn doesn’t show any signs of slowing
up either, and is set to continue his onslaught throughout the
years to come. Jeremy has waged some great battles throughout
his eight years as a MMA fighter and whether he fought for a
win, dropped to a loss or battled to a draw, he always seemed
to leave the fans with an exciting show.
The
fighter they call “Gumby” for his 6’1” 185
lb. flexible frame has competed in the combat sport on many levels
such as the Extreme Challenge, where he has competed in a total
of 17 bouts with a record of 13-1-3, and battled “The Beast’
Dan Severn to a draw in that venue. His UFC debut in 1998 was
against highly regarded Frank Shamrock, where Jeremy gave the
champion all he could handle until Frank caught Horn in a knee
bar to win the fight by submission. Jeremy went on to win the
fans’ hearts with his strong sportsmanship and went on to
fight in the UFC on six more occasions. The middleweight sensation
has also fought in the KOTC, IFC, EB and a multitude of other
promotions. He is trained by Pat Miletich and looks to the future
to continue his unrelenting style. MaxFighting caught up with
the Gladiator and got his thoughts on his past and future.
Benny
Henderson Jr. - First I want to congratulate you on you victory
in September at the Battle at Reno.
Jeremy Horn – Hey, thanks man.
BH
- Any news on your next bout and opponent?
JH - Nothing locked in. I am kind of in limbo right now.
BH
- You have to be one of the busiest fighters in the sport; you’ve
had seven fights this year, ten in 2003, in 1999 you had a total
of twenty-one bouts (with only one loss I might add) and fighting
sometimes five times in one month. What drives you, what motivates
you, what compels you to be so busy?
JH - I just really wanted to fight. I was kind of new and haven’t
had that many fights and I wanted to stay busy. I like to fight.
I was having fun and I wasn’t getting hurt so I just wanted
to keep doing it.
BH
- Are you worried all the battles you have had will take its
toll on your body in the future?
JH – No, that is why I continue to fight as often as I do
because I don’t get hurt when I fight so it’s not a
big deal.
BH
- You have fought some of the biggest names in the sport with
bouts against Chuck Liddell, Randy Couture, Frank Shamrock, Dan
Severn to just name a few. Can you name some of your biggest
moments in your career, whether it was a win, loss or a draw?
JH – Man, I have had a lot so it is hard to pin down a handful
of them. Frank Shamrock was a big fight. It was my first real
big fight against a name and it really let me know where I would
stand in the scheme of things; I always wondered if I was good
enough to be there until then. There are a handful of others
but nothing real spectacular. Like I said I fight cause I want
to fight. I really don’t put too much stock into them.
BH
- Is there any particular fighter you would like to face, and
why?
JH – No, not particularly. It would be nice to have rematches
with some of the guys that I fought that beat me. But it isn’t
a real big priority. I just try to move forward after each fight
and see what’s coming next.
BH
- What do you feel your best quality is a fighter?
JH - I am really hard to hurt. I’ve got a really good defense
and I stay really calm and relaxed so it is really hard to get
me frustrated. I feel a lot of people get hurt because they get
frustrated and out of whack. Just stay calm and things will play
themselves out the way they should if you do what you should
do. A lot of people miss that opportunity cause they get frantic
and they get out of control. Just stay relaxed and everything
will take care of itself.
BH
- How did you get the nickname “Gumby”?
JH - I am really flexible, but it isn’t a nickname that
I really like. Somebody pinned that one on me a while ago and
I have been trying to kick every since. It just keeps floating
up every now and then.
BH
- If it was me and looking at all that I have seen from you so
far I would probably call you a bad mother @#&%~$.
JH - [Laughs] That one sounds a lot better.
BH
- In your eight years as a fighter you’ve had a total of
79 bouts and have fought some tough guys. Even with all your
experience do you ever get butterflies before a fight or feel
any fear during the stare-off before the fight?
JH - I’m always nervous because I want to perform well,
but obviously everybody wants to win. I like to fight and I want
to fight no matter what. But I always want to perform up to my
potential. I know what I am capable of more than anybody else.
That is my biggest thing - I want to perform always as well as
I can so that makes me as nervous as anything else.
BH
- What exactly goes through your mind before a fight and how
do you prepare yourself mentally?
JH - I have a really bad habit of building up my opponents a
lot before the fight. I give them a lot more credit than I should
and sometimes that makes me fight more cautious because I build
them up so much that I don’t fight up to my potential because
I am so worried about what they are going to do. I just try to
run though the fight in my head, I try to stay calm and think
about what I am gong to do and what they are going to do.
BH
- What would you like to accomplish in the future?
JH - I have really been trying to work on my stand up skills
a lot - my boxing, kick boxing, stuff like that, so maybe I can
win a couple of fights knocking people out. That is something
I would like to do. I don’t really have a lot of goals other
than that and that is a pretty minor goal. I just want to improve
my skills and test them out in the ring, so that isn’t a
real huge goal.
BH
- Any advice you would give to a young fighter?
JH - Make sure you get with a good group and train with people
who you know that can do it. Unfortunately I see a lot of guys
out there get suckered in by a big image or good name. But you
really need to look at what they have accomplished as trainers,
not always as fighters. You see a lot of guys crowd around the
flavor of the month but what has that guy done as a trainer,
or what has he done to show that he can pass on to you what he’s
capable of? Just think about where you are training and get with
a good group that you get along with and mesh well with and take
it from there.
BH
- How would you define your career?
JH – Unfinished. I will be around for a while.
BH
- Anything you would like to say to the fans or in closing?
JH - I just hope the fans keep supporting and keep dong what
they have been doing. Without them the sport doesn’t mean
a whole lot. Without the fans it is just us beating each other
up in somebody’s garage. It is nice to have them supporting
us.
Source: Maxfighting
|
Jason
Black: The Thrill is Gone
Mixed Martial Arts fighter Jason Black says after four years
in the No Holds Barred sport he is ready to call a halt to his
explosive career. After exploding on the scene in 2000, the hard-hitting
welterweight went on a nine fight winning streak until he battled
to a hard fought draw against Antonio McKee at the WFA 1 show
in 2001.
Since
then he has won eight more straight bouts to compile an extraordinary
career record of 17-0-1, nine by way of submission, four by decision,
and three by TKO. He has impressive wins over John Cronk, Jake
Hudson and Michael Johnson.
Yet
the 32-year-old fighter, who is getting ready for what could
be his last bout this month, said that he just isn’t motivated
after his opponent dropped out. There should be a replacement
for his next bout, but if he will fight after this one is still
up in the air.
The
railroad worker said that the lack of money and the rigorous
training for the low pay just isn’t worth it. Black says
that he will not be back but looks forward to his new life out
of the ring. Max Fighting conducted an interview with the soon
to be retired fighter and got his thoughts on his career and
life after MMA.
Benny
Henderson Jr. - What have you been up to lately?
Jason
Black - Just have been getting ready for my fight, I will be
fighting the day after Thanksgiving in Montreal supposedly, so
I am just trying to get ready for that. My opponent backed out
Thursday for some reason, so right now I’m just waiting
till they find somebody. Just having a hard time getting motivated
without having an opponent.
BH
- With you not having an opponent in this fight just yet does
that bother you not knowing what style to prepare for?
JB
- I don’t think my opponent has ever dictated my training.
I just go out and try to impose my will on them so I really don’t
worry too much about what they do. It is nice to know if they
are a boxer or a grappler because they’re two totally different
things, but I pretty much usually always end up doing the same
thing. Throw a couple of bombs and taking them down and beating
the crap out of them.
BH
- What inspired you to get into this sport?
JB
- I was in a gym that used to be a racquetball court - it actually
had six courts - and Pat rented one out and had a wrestling mat
in it. I was just with him and Pat kept on coming in talking
to me; he was a nice guy not trying to get me to train or anything.
He asked me if I wanted to come in and do it and I said no. I
wrestled for eighteen to twenty years of my life and it was time
for me to be done with that. He said that they did wrestling
takedowns and stuff and one night I was hanging around and I
went in there and did it and I stuck around and talked to some
guys afterwards and they showed me some submissions and they
told me to come in the next morning for the Jiu-Jitsu class and
I probably didn’t miss a class for six months after that.
I just loved it, it was very exciting.
BH
- What do you feel your best quality is as a fighter?
JB
– Determination. Losing is never an option it is just a
matter of how I am going to win. I fall back mostly on my wrestling
background but my greatest asset is my determination.
BH
- Can you give us your most memorable moments in your career
so far?
JB
- My title fight in Canada was probably one just because it was
for a belt and it was against a really good opponent, John Alessio,
who was a titleholder at the time. I remember most of them.
BH
- How about your toughest opponent?
JB
- I would have to say John was; my last two fights have been
pretty close.
BH
- What is a regular day in the life of Jason Black?
JB
- Oh man, I have a full-time job, I work on the railroad. So
when I am getting ready for a fight I usually get up around 5:00
to 5:30 a.m. and get a long distance run in or some sprints.
Then I go to work and put in my eight hours, come home and lift
and either do a night of boxing or Jiu-Jitsu. A lot of guys in
the sport don’t do two things, they are either fighting
or bouncing, and they don’t have real jobs. I think in a
way it works for my benefit because I get away from the sport
and get that release but at the same time I don’t get the
quality training that I would like to get, plus the down time
to let my body recuperate. It is kind of like Wednesday and Thursday
I am dragging ass from work and training. Having a job also gets
me to bed at night and I am not partying and smoking dope and
chasing strippers and stuff you know.
BH
- How about your hobbies?
JB
- I like to golf, and just hang out with my girlfriend and the
guys at the college. Nothing too special, I don’t hunt or
fish or make quilts or stuff like that.
BH
– Man, I don’t see you as a golfer.
JB
- Oh no, man, I didn’t say I was any good. It is just away
from the sport and it is an opportunity to hang out with some
friends of mine.
BH
– Is there anyone whom you would like to step in the ring
with, and why?
JB
– No, there is not. To tell you the truth I don’t know
why that is; probably because I am on my way out of the sport.
It doesn’t bring that thrill to me anymore.
BH
- So you are on your way out?
JB
- Yeah, I probably have one or two fights left in me. I am just
calling it quits. It doesn’t pay but at the same time I
really don’t do it for the money. But if I am going to do
it I might as well get paid, you know? On the inside of the sport
is nothing like what people may think it is. You are making $1,000
or $2,000 a fight and you spend three months getting ready for
it. You just give away a lot of your life I won’t drink
a month or two out from the fight, that is eight weekends of
not having a good time and not eating the crap that I have to
give up and it’s really not worth that.
BH
- Is it going to be hard for you to walk away from the sport?
Do you feel you will miss it and want to come back later on?
JB
- Ah, I don’t know if I will really walk, I might run. I
am pretty tired of it. I enjoy it as a sport. I think that if
you talk to any professional athlete, usually they want to get
away from the sport and in a couple of years they start watching
it or start coaching it or something like that. But they just
need that separation for a little bit. I would really like to
get into training fighters one on one but I will probably take
a little time off just to do the things that I haven’t been
able to do for the last five years.
BH
- What will the future hold for you now that you are walking
away from the sport?
JB
- Well I will still have my job and I like to work out so I hope
to still be working out two or three times a week. I will be
around the sport and the fighters, and some of them I don’t
want to be around because they are just boneheads and some are
real good guys. I will be able to pick and choose a little more
now. Maybe me being away from it for a while will give me a deeper
appreciation for the sport. I really don’t see me going
in a short retirement and coming back out because it would take
good money for that, and it just doesn’t have that following
and I will probably be forty years old before I get that following.
I am not doing the Randy Couture thing. When I am forty I am
done.
BH
- What goes through your mind before the fight while you are
staring in your opponent’s eyes, knowing that in a few seconds
you both will be trying to beat the crap out of each other?
JB
- Usually the thought is that this is the stupidest sport in
the world and I don’t know why I am doing it; the other
half of me is trying not to s**t or piss myself because I am
so nervous. It is a mixture of emotions and nobody can possibly
imagine it, outside of being a soldier or something like that
with your life being on the line. Outside of boxing and Muay
Thai there is just no sport that can end so gruesomely. I mean
you can get knocked out, get your arm broke, plus usually half
your family or your friends are there watching. Thanksgiving
is not too fun when you are sitting there with a black eye and
a broken jaw.
BH
- What advice would you give to somebody wanting to take up the
sport?
JB
- I would tell them if they are going to do it they better do
it full heartedly and not half ass it because it is just like
life - you won’t get anything out of it if you don’t
put anything into it. If you are going to do it, go to a gym
that is known for being very respectful and knows what they are
doing. Be well rounded; your career won’t go past two fights
unless you can just stand up and do the groundwork. The guys
in the sport are just evolving from show to show. The guys used
to be all stand-up or all Jiu-Jitsu and now they are excellent
at both so you have to be very well rounded. Take your time and
not jump straight into a fight, I would recommend you not even
having an amateur fight without six to eight months of training.
BH
- Is there anything you would like to add to this interview?
JB
- I would like to thank my supplement supplier, the SupplementZone.com
for supplying me with nutrients and my family and my friends
for supporting me.
Source: Maxfighting
|
Interview
with Tadashi Tanaka
Tadashi Tanaka is one of the top pro wrestling and MMA journalists
in Japan, and one of the very few to go against the grain in
the industry and reveal through his writing that pro wrestling
is a worked sport, as in Japan, it's not well-known that pro
wrestling is staged.
Tadashi
has recently released his fourth controversial, Japanese-language
book on the industry, looking at the decline of the pro wrestling
business in Japan while the industry remains strong in North
America, exploring reasons why this is the case and why Japanese
fans still believe that wrestling is real when North American
fans have figured it out long ago.
Since
mixed martial arts is simply a part of the pro wrestling industry
in Japan, whereas MMA and wrestling are more seperated in the
U.S., Tanaka is also one of the leading experts on the planet
in regards MMA. In this interview with Tanaka, he discusses with
Jeremy Wall of Maxfighting.com the problems that both K-1 and
Pride are facing in the future, and upcoming business on major
MMA shows in Japan.
Jeremy
Wall: Do you expect Bob Sapp to be working the K-1 New Year's
Eve show?
Tadashi
Tanaka: I expect so, yes. Right now he's saying I'm not going
to fight anymore. He's doing that. But basically, I think he'll
appear. Right now he's saying, 'I'm not going to fight anymore,
you need to pay me'. They have issues over money right now, but
eventually they have to do it.
JW:
Yeah because they need Bob Sapp. K-1's heavyweight division right
now is pretty weak. What kind of drawing power do you think Sapp
will have when he comes back?
TT:
Of course everyone knows that his popularity is going down right
now, compared to a year ago. But still, they need him.
JW:
What kind of rating do you think a Sapp vs. Akebono fight, if
they do that, will draw at this point? It doesn't seem like it's
going to draw anywhere near what it did last year.
TT:
Last year it was a 43%, but this year if they get to 30%, they're
lucky. The popularity isn't there as it was last year, but even
my mom watched [last year's Akebono-Sapp fight], and my mom doesn't
really care at all about the fighting game, but last year she
watched it.
JW:
Yeah that's how popular it was.
TT:
Right.
JW:
It seems that K-1, without being able to create new stars for
their heavyweight division, will run into problems soon with
their ratings. The Grand Prix always does well, but I mean in
the next year it looks like they're going to have problems. The
top guys are old. Like Hoost is old. Andy Hug has been dead for
years.
TT:
Right.
JW:
Aerts and Bernardo and those guys are old. Sapp has problems.
TT:
Right.
JW:
It doesn't look like they've created anyone new to carry that
end of the promotion. Bonjasky is good and he's done well at
times on TV this year, but he doesn't seem to be the guy, uh...
TT:
To carry the promotion.
JW:
Yeah. Not a guy that crosses over with all the people.
TT:
Right.
JW:
They definitely have issues, and...
TT:
Definitely, definitely. Everbody's worried about that. K-1, and
even Pride although they did a huge rating on the 2nd tournament
show due to Ogawa, and everyone says they have the momentum,
but in my opinion, it's already peaked out. With Fedor and Nogueira,
they're not household names at all. Both companies are in trouble
right now, in my opinion.
JW:
It seems that Pride needs a new superstar now that Sakuraba is
broken down.
TT:
Exactly. But they don't have any native stars. That's why they
have a problem. Ogawa no longer wants to do shoot shows.
JW:
Ogawa just wants to do pro wrestling?
TT:
Yes. The reason why he did three fights this year is because
he was broke. That's why he did it, even though last year he
said, 'I'm no longer doing any more shoots'. But he changed his
mind because he was broke.
JW:
I think it's really interesting to look at K-1 from the late
'90s, in that they were able to build a really successful and
profitable promotion using all foreigners. Most of their big
stars were European, and they didn't have any big native stars.
How was K-1 able to break that barrier and build a top promotion
around foreign fighters?
TT:
One thing is that kickboxing is easier done than MMA. Even my
mom can understand kickboxing. Because of the karate, Japanese
are used to seeing karate, and K-1's like that, and there's no
boring groundfighting like in MMA. K-1 also dropped down from
five rounds to three rounds; they made that ruling two years
ago. So it's more and more a TV show and more and more a general
public show, and it's easier to understand for the general public.
For the Japanese, there's a long, long history of watching kickboxing,
and without the native star they made it popular. When they started
in 1993, everyone said that without the native star, how are
they going to get it going? But without the Japanese they did
it. So hats off to Ishii. They did it.
JW:
Andy Hug was charismatic, but a lot of their top guys weren't
charismatic. Like Ernesto Hoost isn't charismatic, and Peter
Aerts isn't charismatic.
TT:
Andy Hug, in our eyes, was really Japanese. He lived in Japan.
He talked about samurai spirit, and that's why he became a domestic
star. He may have been European, but we see him as a Japanese
star. That really made a difference, because without Andy Hug,
they didn't have anyone with charisma. K-1 is such a lucky, lucky
organization because of Andy Hug.
JW:
So you don't think it would be possible for Pride to build their
promotion in a similar style with foreign stars? Because most
of their top guys are guys like Mirko and Wanderlei Silva and
foreigners like those guys.
TT:
That's one thing, but another thing, I don't really care about
the nationality, like whether it be European or Brazilian, but
in the case of Andy Hug, he lived in Japan. That made a difference.
But unfortunately, currently in Pride no one lives in Japan.
They always fly in from their home country. So really, they're
not really based in Japan. That is a big difference. Maybe Andy
Hug was not Japanese, but he lived in Japan. That is a big difference.
JW:
Right. Like Nogueira and Silva fly in from Brazil, and Mirko
flies in from Croatia, and everything.
TT:
Right. They're based in their country. They're not based in Tokyo.
That's a problem. Heath Herring is American, but he's living
in Holland. Nobody is really based in Tokyo. At one point Bob
Sapp's popularity was so big that he basically lived in Japan.
He did interviews, and comedy shows, and entertainment shows,
so that really made a difference. Because then we see him as
more of a Japanese star even though he's American. You guys only
see the fights on TV, but there's also the comedy shows for him.
That's how my mom knows who Bob Sapp is.
JW:
K-1 as a product I think would be more marketable than MMA in
the U.S. too because it's more exciting than UFC, because it's
all stand-up. But the K-1 management in the U.S. is terrible.
They'll run like a 10,000 seat venue and sell only 1,000 tickets
in Las Vegas. They make weird decisions. Like I don't understand
why they booked Akebono vs. Rick Roufus in Vegas. What a waste
of Akebono. I don't understand that. How aware are the Japanese
fans that Akebono has lost like that in other countries?
TT:
[laughs] Actually that story is because of me. I'm a big part
of it. I interviewed, um, he fought against Kondo in Pancrase,
and he fought Sakuraba, and he's had hundreds of fights, and
he's not fighting anymore because he's in Iraq...
JW:
Shannon Ritch?
TT:
Yeah, Shannon Ritch. I talked to him and he said he's training
with Rick Roufus, and Rick Roufus is no longer... Because at
one time, Rick Roufus says, 'I'm retired' at a K-1 U.S. show.
So because Shannon Ritch said that Rick Roufus is no longer retired
and is coming back, I wrote that in the magazine, and a K-1 guy
read it and said, 'wow, Rick Roufus is an old guy and one time
he said that he's retired, so maybe it's okay'. And also Akebono's
nationality is American. He can speak English. So maybe it's
a good idea to have Akebono the American guy vs. a retired Rick
Roufus. I thought it was a bad idea...
JW:
[laughs]
TT:
But K-1 doesn't really understand the logistics. Rick Roufus
is good. He's no joke. And also the Las Vegas K-1 rules are much
different than the regular K-1 rules because of Las Vegas, small
details that they don't mention in the U.S.. It's not exactly
K-1. That's why a Rick Roufus type of guy, who has never, ever
done a low-kick type of fight before...
JW:
Yeah, he would have just done like U.S.-style kickboxing.
TT:
Yeah, yeah. So maybe under those rules he may be good, but in
low-kick, muay thai rules he's not effective. So they thought
maybe Akebono, an inexperienced kickboxer, is better off in a
U.S. kickboxing style of fight. And that was a mistake. But on
the other hand, nobody cares, and everybody knows Akebono isn't
good. But that's okay. We're laughing about it! He's so popular
with the public, that he can be defeated, and defeated, and defeated
and people still watch him.
JW:
He did a good rating against Remy Bonjasky.
TT:
Exactly! Everyone knows... even my mom knows he has no chance
to win. But that's okay. He keeps losing, no matter who he's
against, and that's okay, because we treat it as a joke and he
gets high ratings.
JW:
Do you think they're going to book him against Bob Sapp on New
Year's?
TT:
That's the idea. That's the top priority, a Bob Sapp vs. Akebono
rematch. Although K-1 may also materialize a Royce Gracie vs.
Akebono freak show as an alternative. DSE has a first refusal
right on Royce fighting in Japan and they initially rejected
him fighting on the K-1 Dynamite show, however, it looks like
that's changed again. On Mark Hunt's contract, K-1 has the first
refusal right but DSE ignored it. Although they hate each other,
they're actually talking behind the scenes.
JW:
Do you think the fight would do better on TV if Akebono hadn't
lost so often this year?
TT:
It is better to be against a top fighter, and lose miserably,
it's better. I don't know if you watched the Korean show with
Akebono, that was a bad match. He did really badly against a
nobody fighter. Nobody had heard of this guy. That is a bad match.
Akebono vs. Remy Bonjasky, that's not bad.
JW:
Like, how someone wins or loses a fight is far more important
than whether they won or lost the fight. Like with Bob Sapp vs.
Nogueira from a couple of years ago.
TT:
Right. Exactly. Japanese don't really care about losing. The
fight being exciting is much more important. In the U.S., they
care and they'll talk about who won and who lost, but talking
about a fighter, for the Japanese, they are paid to lose, in
a way. I mean it's not a work. People always say it's a worked
match, worked match. It's not really worked matches. But Japanese
fighters are paid to do exciting matches, and lose. And that's
why they are paid.
JW:
You mean someone like Takayama?
TT:
Takayama is one example. With U.S. fighters, they hold it in
the same position, and they ground-and-pound, and they win, by
decision. It's boring! That's really boring. But with a Japanese
fighter, they don't care, and they'll end up losing, but they
take a chance. It's not about the win-loss record but about how
impressed the audience was.
JW:
Is K-1 planning on running any Romanex shows or is that thing
dead?
TT:
They're saying they're going to come back in 2005. It's hard
because they're not drawing, and the size of the audience in
the Saitama Super Arena for their first show was terrible. It
was terrible. Some people say it was less than 10,000.
JW:
You can really see the problem with like, how the opening round
of the Grand Prix was at the Osaka Dome last year...
TT:
Yeah!
JW:
...and this year it was at the Budokan, which is much smaller.
I knew when they announced Budokan for this year's opening round
that they are having problems figuring out their attendance issues,
because they're running a smaller building.
TT:
Exactly. K-1's popular, because the general fans are always behind
them, but the peak was past three years. Even four years. I could
even say that when Andy Hug died, that was the end of K-1's prime,
in my opinion. And the general public is always watching and
are still behind them and still watching, so that's why TV ratings
are still high, but live attendance this year in K-1 is miserable.
JW:
How long do you see Masato as being top star in K-1 Max?
TT:
Masato's popularity is high. Hats off to him, because he's Japanese
and he made it to the finals of the tournament, and it was top
competition, but he made it to the final, so that's already an
achievement, in my opinion. Yeah, he lost to the thai fighter,
Buakaw, but hats off to him that he made it to the final. Everyone
says that K-1 Max is the only one to watch. The heavyweights
are no longer interesting at all. Because of K-1 Max, people
are still interested in K-1, so they are really carrying the
K-1 name.
JW:
Do you think Masato has become a bigger draw for K-1 than Sapp?
TT:
In what sense as a draw?
JW:
Like in television ratings.
TT:
In TV ratings wise, it's already equal. But on the other hand,
Bob Sapp is more like a comedian with his commercials. He has
like twenty commercials, from ice cream to all sorts of things.
So in that sense, Masato is still low yet. Masato's not really
a comedian. Bob Sapp is a comedian. So that makes a big difference.
So general public-wise, Bob Sapp's name is much, much more popular.
But Masato has a lot of girl fans. That's really made a difference.
The girl fans.
JW:
Yeah. Bob Sapp obviously doesn't have a lot of girl fans.
TT:
Right, right. Bob Sapp is more well liked by people like my mom.
He's well liked by old people.
JW:
He's liked by old people, Bob Sapp?
TT:
Yeah, because he's kinda cute.
JW:
Yeah I see.
TT:
Yeah so that's a big difference. Bob Sapp is more for the general
public TV. People accept him, like a rough guy, rough American
guy, talks funny. Bobby is a great example. Bobby, the guy who
will appear in the Dynamite show. Bobby is really a total comedian
[laughs].
JW:
Bobby Ologun?
TT:
Yeah. We always call him Bobby only. We didn't even know his
last name. He appears on TV as "Bobby". He's a total
comedian. I don't understand why they use him, but he loves to
do fighting. He's just a comedian, so for the TV ratings they're
going to do it.
JW:
Right. It'll be bad to watch if you're into good heavyweights,
though. Most of the heavyweight stuff in K-1 i | |