|
September 2004 News
Part 3
Wednesday
night and Sunday classes (w/ a kids' class) now offered!
 
For the special Onzuka.com
price, click on one of these banners above! |
Tuesdays at 8:30PM on
Olelo Channel 52
New Time! |
Quote
of the Day
"If a man is called to be a streetsweeper, he should sweep
streets even as Michelangelo painted, or Beethoven played music,
or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well
that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say, here
lived a great streetsweeper who did his job well."
Martin Luther King, Jr. 1929-1968, American Civil Rights Leader
|
Attention
Kickboxers & Coaches
We are currently looking for more fighters for Oct 10,2004, We
had great response to the State Tournament but we want you to
realize that we will seed each fighter by record. Also to people
who would like to Judge and give their view and score a bout
is also welcome to judge on Oct 10.2004
If interested please contact second2none@hawaii.rr.com or 330-4483 be added
to a already stack card..
|
KICKIN
IT 2004 - PART IV
WHAT: AMATEUR KICKBOXING
This Saturday!
WHEN: OCT.2, 2004 (DOORS OPEN AT 6:00P.M.)
WHERE: NANAIKAPONO ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
SAGE YOSHIDA 110 ALAKAI AKAKA
HMC ADVANCED KENPO
THOMAS ROGERS 170 STEVE FARMER
HSD TEAM PERCEPTION
JON TEXIERA 190 ALLAN ULIT
TEAM BAD INTENTIONS ANIMAL HOUSE
BEN RODRIGUES 165 TOBY AMBA
HSD TEAM PERCEPTION
KOA AWONG 180 CONRAD PAFFI
ANIMAL HOUSE ADVANCED KENPO
RANDY RIVERA 150 JUSTIN DANO
HMC HSD
BOB ATISANOE SUPERHEAVYWEIGHT BENJAMIN
HSD TEAM PERCEPTION
JOSH VERSOLA 190 TBA
ADVANCED KENPO
TRAVIS WILLIAMS 115 JEFF NATIVIDAD
HSD HOUSE OF PAIN
AND OTHER EXCITING BOUTS. MATCHES MAY BE SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT
NOTICE. PRE-SALE TICKETS AND THE DOOR WILL BE ONLY $15.00. ONLY
250 PEOPLE WILL BE ALLOWED INSIDE DUE TO THE CAPACITY RESTRICTIONS.
TICKETS MAY BE PURCHASED THROUGH DOUG (PROMOTER) CALL 721-6019
AND GET YOUR TICKETS BEFORE YOU GET LOCKED OUT. THE LAST EVENT
WAS INSANE. THIS EVENT IS BEING HELD ON THE WESTSIDE WHERE INSANITY
DWELLS (AND IF YOU DON'T KNOW - NOW YOU KNOW). BE THERE.
|
Punishment
In Paradise
"Braggin Rights"
TICKETS
ON SALE!!!
Ticket Information
Bulls Pin (Kalihi)
Dino- 330-7108
Team Bigdogs ( Waianae)
Wayne Perrin
808 Fight Factory (Waipahu)
Kim or Ronald 671-4140
Brennan Kamaka
330-4483 or second2none@hawaii.rr.com
Barber Zone (Waianae)
“BRAGGIN
RIGHTS”
Sunday,
Oct 10.2004
Punishment
In Paradise Superfight
Wayne
Perrin III (Team Bigdogs,Waianae) Vs. Harris Sarimento (808 Fight
Factory, Kailua)
Light
Heavyweight Kickboxing Superfight
PJ
Dean (Bad Intentions) Vs. Kaleo Padilla (Westbrook Boxing)
Light
Heavyweight Kickboxing Championship Bout
Bryson
Kamaka (808 Fight Factory) Vs. TBA
Flyweight
MMA Bout
Kaipo
Gonzales (Eastsidaz, Kailua) Vs. Mark Oshiro (Bulls Pin, Kalihi)
MMA
Featherweight
Lauren
Torry (Hilo, Hawaii) Vs. TBA
Light
Welterweight Kickboxing Bout
Duke
Saragousa (808 Fight Factory, Wahiawa) Vs. Jerome Kemkumu (Hardknocks,
Waianae)
Welterweight
Kickboxing Bout
Louis
Smith (Team Bigdogs, Waianae) Vs. Clayton (Bad Intentions, Waianae)
Light
Welterweight Kickboxing Bout
Zack
Rapal (Freelance, Waianae) Vs. Chris Vale (Bad Intentions, Waianae)
********NOTE********
Theirs
alot of fighters I haven't matched up yet trying to find the
best route for them, Please be patient as more names to come...
Also
another heavyweight is needed for a 4 man tournament |
JUDGEMENT
DAY PENN VS UFC
Today will be a very interesting day for BJ Penn, as well as
the UFC. It's believed a judge in Nevada will rule on the case
and decide whether or not the upcoming Matt Hughes vs Georges
St. Pierre fight will be for the title.
The
UFC 50 fight card is just three weeks away, so it will be interesting
depending on today's ruling, how many rounds the Hughes vs St.
Pierre fight will actually be, but more importantly if the fight
will be for the title or not.
We
will have updates throughout the day on the Soundoff Forum, so
join us today with updates throughout.
Source: MMA Weekly |
WES
SIMS SIGNS WITH WWE
There have been several MMA fighters who have made the cross
over into professional wrestling. Ken Shamrock comes to mind;
not to mention, Josh Barnett and Mark Coleman still do pro wrestling
in Japan. Now Wes Sims appears to be the latest MMA fighter to
add his name to the list.
Wes
"The Project" Sims has had an interesting year to say
the least. Back in January, he lost his rematch with now heavyweight
champion Frank Mir at UFC 46. He then took a fight on one days
notice with Mike Kyle at UFC 47 and was knocked out with only
one second left in the first round. Things weren't looking great
for "The Project."
Wes
started up his self titled return to MMA by launching S.W.A.T.,
the Sims Whoop Ass Tour of 04. The tour got off to a bumpy start
when he lost at the first stop against Ricardeau Francios in
the Apex Championship Fighting's September 5th event. Sims would
get his tour back on track with a win five days later over Joe
Mellotte in Extreme Fighting Challenge. Now Wes' Whoop Ass Tour
has taken a detour.
Sims
broke the news yesterday on MMAWeekly's Sound Off Radio that
he is going to the WWE. It has always been a goal of Wes' to
go into pro wrestling and that goal is within his grasp. People
are always telling Sims that he should go into pro wrestling
and he, "put a video together and sent it to them."
Last
week Sims got the callback from the WWE and is one of fifty people
selected to fly out to California for auditions. Wes flies out
October 14th and feels as if he will be signed by the WWE to
be a part of the final eight contestants that will spend the
next three months on the road and appearing on WWE's Smackdown.
They will be taking part in an edition called "Tough Enough."
In the end, one will win a million dollars.
The
WWE agrees telling MMAWeekly yesterday, "Wes Sims has many
tools you can't teach. You can't teach size and his athletic
ability is already there from competing in the UFC. We like his
chances to be a finalist, but it's up to him to see how far he
takes it from here."
Wes
told MMAWeekly, "Everything happens for a reason. This is
my calling. I can't think of anyone in MMA who's personality
is more fitting for pro wrestling than Wes Sims."
Sims
isn't done with MMA yet. He will fight on the Rumble on the Rock
show on November 20th. His rumored opponent was Ricco Rodriguez,
but Ricco hasn't signed on the dotted line.
"I
agreed to the fight, but now it's up to Ricco...", Sims
told MMAWeekly. "My MMA career isn't over. I will be back,
but for now I have a chance to make more money than 99% of the
guys in the sport." Sims told MMAWeekly.
If
Sims does make the final eight contestants, (which in all likelyhood
will happen), then his fate will be in the viewers hands. Each
week millions of wrestling fans will be watching the "Smackdown",
and those fans will vote who they want to stay and who they want
to kick off the show. The fans will have the ultimate say on
the future of the man appropriately named "The Project"
as far as his WWE career goes. In either case, the WWE is definitely
interested in Big Wes Sims.
Source: MMA Weekly |
ARNOLD
APPROVES MMA, BUT STILL A WAYS TO GO
Yesterday, MMA Writer Josh Gross had the story that Governor
Arnold Schwarzenegger has approved MMA in the state of California.
While
this is great news, it appears it will be awhile before you see
any organization appearing on the left coast anytime soon.
The
big sticking point now is not only forming an MMA Commission
in California but paying the costs to have a commission set up.
MMAWeekly.com
has learned that the early talk from the lawmakers from last
years hearing, was the fact that it would cost any organization
in the ball park of 500,000 to just set up a MMA Commission in
the state of California. (With the people MMAWeekly talked to
yesterday we've heard estimates, anywhere from 300,000 - 900,000
to have a commission set up.)
Which
in all reality, would come out of the promoters pockets for the
first MMA event in the state.....something that 95% of the organizations
could not come up with for the initial "first MMA fight"
in California.
Basically
the first fight promotion or promotions that enters California
have to make sure that there is an mma commission in place.
A
boxing commission is of course already set in the state already,
but that is separate from MMA and there will need to be an MMA
commission set if there are any future fights in the state.
In
the state of Nevada they do have many who do both boxing and
MMA. The large sum of money has to cover many costs including
doctors, security, judges, and referee costs; as well as, all
of those positions need to be approved once a commission is set
up.
UFC
Referee Big John McCarthy will be on MMAWeekly Radio today to
discuss the future of MMA in the state of California and some
of the obstacles that are still in the way before it's approved.
Listen
to the radio show today at 9am Pacific/12 Noon Eastern at www.mmaweeklyradio.com
to hear more about the future of MMA in the state of California
with hosts Ryan Bennett and MMA Fighter Frank Trigg.
Source: MMA Weekly |
SEMENOV
HEADLINES TOURNEY
Mix-Fight
M-1 To Feature 8-Man Tourney
On
October 9th, Mix-Fight M-1 returns with an 8-man tournament format.
The card will be held in St. Petersburg, Russia. This international
tournament features some very talented fighters with such recognizable
names as UFC veteran Andrei Semenov and Brian Gassaway, a veteran
of nearly every promotion there is.
Semenov
has got to be considered the favorite with an 8-man tournament
win to his credit in the past.
October
9th
St. Petersburg, Russia
1st
fight:
Andrei Semenov (21-5-2) RUSSIA -vs- Martin Kampmann (7-1) DENMARK
2nd
fight:
Kazuki Okubo (6-5) JAPAN -vs- Flavio Moura (10-3) BRAZIL)
3rd
fight:
Aleksey Oleinik (2-1) UKRAINE -vs- Marcelo Alfaia (4-1) BRAZIL
4th
fight:
Brian Gassaway (17-11-2) USA -vs- Ansar Chalangov (6-0) RUSSIA
Source: MMA Weekly |
Quote
of the Day
"If a man is called to be a streetsweeper, he should sweep
streets even as Michelangelo painted, or Beethoven played music,
or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well
that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say, here
lived a great streetsweeper who did his job well."
Source: MMA Weekly |
Quote
of the Day
"If a man is called to be a streetsweeper, he should sweep
streets even as Michelangelo painted, or Beethoven played music,
or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well
that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say, here
lived a great streetsweeper who did his job well."
Martin Luther King, Jr. 1929-1968, American Civil Rights Leader
|
Rumble
Vision Tonight
Channel 5 (K5)
10:30 PM
Fights from Rumble on the Rock will be shown on K5 (Channel 5)
tonight at 10:30 PM.
Don't
miss it! |
SHOWDOWN
PENN VS UFC
MMAWeekly.com has learned that BJ Penn is on a plane from Hawaii
to Las Vegas today. Penn will appear before a judge tomorrow
for a hearing in the state of Nevada. Penn and his attorneys
have filed an appeal regarding the upcoming fight between Matt
Hughes and Georges St. Pierre. Penn believes the fight at UFC
50 should not be for the UFC title because Penn was the title
holder and was later stripped by the UFC for fighting for the
K-1 organization. Penn believes he should still have the title.
This
will be a landmark case because if Penn does win the case, the
upcoming Hughes vs St.Pierre fight would turn into a three round
non title bout, instead of a five round championship fight.
A
decision will be made by the Nevada courts on Tuesday regarding
Penn's appeal. Once again get the latest news from MMAWeekly.com
as well as MMAWeekly Radio who will have BJ Penn on the show
later this week.
Source: MMA Weekly |
BARNETT
WANTS SHOT AT CRO COP
Josh Barnett may or may not be fighting on Pride's October 31st
event. At this point, he hasn't gotten confirmation or a contract
from Pride, but that isn't stopping him from preparing just in
case. Josh spoke with MMAWeekly over the weekend about fighting
in Pride and who his possible opponent may be.
Barnett
has been rumored to be on the Pride Halloween show, but for now,
it is still just a rumor. Josh pointed out that Pride is notorious
for eleventh hour fight deals and he isn't going to be caught
off guard. He has been training at the R1 training facility.
Barnett said, "I can't go out there not prepared, so it's
just worth the time and effort to get ready as if I had a fight
coming up on the 31st. If it doesn't happen, that really sucks
but hey. It would be way better that was than to be waiting to
hear back when something was finalized and not be able to be
in the best shape you could be in."
Who
would Josh be fighting if he gets the call? He said that he's
heard that he could "fight Mirko right away." Mirko
"Cro Cop" Filipovic verses Josh Barnett would, no doubt,
be a great match up. Barnett was asked what he thought about
some comparing the match up to when he fought Pedro Rizzo at
UFC 30 and was knocked out. Josh responded by saying, "That's
pretty ignorant."
Josh
said that he was winning the fight up to the point of the knockout
and, "Anybody can get hit with a shot." He wasn't making
excuses or taking anything away from what Rizzo accomplished.
Josh simply stated that sometimes that's "just the way it
goes." The loss to Pedro Rizzo still remains the only blemish
on Barnett's MMA record.
Hypothetically
speaking, if Josh were to fight Mirko, he sees plenty of weaknesses
in "Cro Cop's" game for him to exploit. He mentioned
the huge disparity between their ground skills, with Josh having
a distinct advantage there. Josh added, "There's holes in
his game standing up that I'll take advantage of as well."
His plan is to be "like a wrestler." Stay in Mirko's
face the entire fight, "every second."
Looking
at Mirko as a fighter, Josh said he's extremely athletic with
speed and "good feet." He thinks that Filipovic has
been able to use his athleticism to compensate for his weaknesses.
One of those weaknesses are; Mirko tends to "freak out"
when put on his back and doesn't stay composed. "There's
no perfect fighter out there," said Barnett. He went on
to say, "It's just a matter of time before I get in there
with one of those guys. I can't be kept out of the race too long."
Source: MMA Weekly |
JAKE
R REPORT: ROYCE VS AKEBONO
Yokozuna Akebono to fight Royce Gracie
In
yet another exclusive for the Jake R Report, reliable sources
in Japan have informed me of a blockbuster of a fight strongly
rumored and close to being made at this point and time: Japan's
sumo legend Akebono vs the original UFC champion Royce Gracie
under MMA rules!
As
of right now, this reporter has learned the proposed match will
take place as a K1 MMA fight on New Year's Eve in Japan. In addition,
sources tell me Royce Gracie will be paid over seven figures
for this fight, becoming the first non Japanese fighter to rival
Rickson Gracie on the MMA payscale.
As
my sources went on to explain, the Gracie name is huge in Japan,
and Akebono is obviously even bigger. K1 officials were thrilled
with the Sapp/Akebono ratings and believe Gracie/Akebono will
not only draw in big ratings, but make the MMA portion of the
K1 organization more popular with the mainstream.
As
always, keep reading the Jake R report for breaking news and
scoops that you won't read anywhere else.
*Jake
R Report Exclusive: Must credit the Jake R Report when discussing
or reproducing this article.
Source: MMA Weekly |
MENNE
WINS IN 53 SECONDS
Veterans, newcomers share spotlight in Extreme Challenge 59
MEDINA, Minn. -- The latest edition of the Extreme Challenge
will probably be best remembered for some outstanding individual
performances... by both MMA veterans and up-and-comers.
For
example:
-
UFC vet Travis Wiuff had to get off his back and out of trouble
to stop a rugged Josh Hendricks and win his 16th consecutive
bout.
- Keith Wisniewski's dominating submission win over Kyle Jensen
proved again that this young fighter is destined to be among
the sports best at 170 pounds.
- Dave Menne gave fans a look at why he was the best in the world
at 185 a few years ago with a 53-second win that left Eddie Sanchez
unconscious.
- Joey Clark had the largest fan following and didn't disappoint
with a sub victory over Wayne Bogard in the first round.
- Roger Huerta came from obscurity to finish second in the Super Brawl/Extreme
Challenge 8-man
tourney this year and showed he isn't slowing down with a TKO
win over a tough Matt Brady.
And, the list goes on and on...
Steve Friedrichs hinted at retirement after a quick, impressive
win over Kyle Olson... Sean Wilson turned a tossup into a clinic
in a win over Brandon Carlson... and Mike Whitehead showed he
had punching ability and power in a win over Demian Decorah.
If you were looking for long fights... that wasn't on the table
at this Extreme Challenge event... as all but one of the 10 bouts
ended in the first round. However, the strong individual efforts
against quality opposition kept the fans happy throughout the
show.
"On paper, most of these fights had potential to go the
distance," said promoter Monte Cox. "But that's what
makes this sport so amazing... one mistake against a quality
opponent and anybody can lose quickly."
The next Extreme Challenge is set to return to the Medina Entertainment
Center on Nov. 12.
OFFICIAL
RESULTS:
Main
Card
Mike Whitehead def. Demian Decorah, 3:25 Rd. 1, ref stoppage
due to strikes.
Steve Friedrichs def. Kyle Olson, :53 Rd. 1, tap from strikes.
Sean Wilson def. Brandon Carlson, 1:28 Rd. 1, rear choke.
Scott Valeen def. Ryan Antle, 3:00 Rd. 3 (9:00), split decision
(29-28, 29-28, 27-30)
Eric Knies def. Cliff Sanders, :45 Rd. 1, ref stoppage due to
strikes.
Feature
Bouts
Keith Wisniewski def. Kyle Jensen, 2:19 Rd. 1, rear choke.
Roger Huerta def. Matt Brady, 3:12 Rd. 1, ref stoppage due to
strikes.
Joey Clark def. Wayne Bogard, 2:08 Rd. 1, keylock.
Main
Events
Travis Wiuff def. Josh Hendricks, 4:22 Rd. 1, tap from strikes.
Dave Menne def. Eddie Sanchez, :53 Rd. 1, rear choke.
Source: MMA Weekly |
K-1
World GP 2004 Final Matchups
TOKYO, September 26, 2004 -- With the eight participating fighters
decided at the September 25 K-1 World Grand Prix Final Elimination,
a draw was held today to determine the first-tier matchups for
the December 4 Tokyo Dome Final.
The
pairings were determined under a special selection system which
combines elements of choice with a bit of good old fashioned
luck. With media and fans watching, all eight fighters first
reached in turn into a box to blindly choose from balls on which
were printed the numbers one through eight. Next, fighters proceed,
one at a time and in the order determined by their number, to
a giant matchup tree set up at the front of the room. There they
are free to install themselves in any or eight available positions,
indicated as A through H. This then becomes the tournament tree
-- A vs B and C vs D being the first bracket; E vs F and G vs
H being the second bracket of the first tier matchups.
Generally,
fighters opt where possible to position themselves in early bouts
(positions A and B being the first fight), as these will afford
longer rests for those who advance. But after the first selection
has been made, strategy also enters into the process. If, for
example, the choosing fighter likes his chances against an already
committed fighter, he can install himself beside that fighter
if the position is vacant. Or, if the choosing fighter does not
want to face an already committed fighter, he can install himself
elsewhere, either beside another fighter or beside an empty position.
This
year, the selection went as follows:
Having
drawn the number one ball, Thai wunderkind Kaoklai Kaennorsing
selected first, and put himself in the A position, the red corner
in the first fight. Next, Mighty Mo of the United states, who
had the number two ball, went forward and, after only a brief
hesitation, chose the B position, meaning he will face Kaoklai
in the first matchup.
The
number three ball was Ray Sefo's and the Kiwi went to the C position,
red corner in the second bout. Japanese fighter Musashi had the
number four ball and spent a long time looking at fighters and
thinking before electing to step into the D position and a matchup
with Sefo.
Peter
Aerts of the Netherlands was next and stepped into the E position,
red corner in the third bout. South African Francois Botha chose
next, and went without hesitation to the F spot and a date with
Aerts. Next it was Dutchman Remy Bonjasky to the G position,
red corner in the final first-tier fight, after which compatriot
Ernesto Hoost was left with the blue corner in the same bout.
Said
Kaoklai: "I have the impression that Mighty Mo, like all
my opponents, is big, and as always I'll do my best."
Remarked
Mo: "I chose the B spot because I wanted to be one of the
first fighters up so that I can rest my body after the fight.
I don't take anybody for granted, I know Kaoklai is small but
tough, and I will try to drop 20 pounds so I can keep up with
his speed!"
Sefo
has this to say about the second fight: "I am glad Musashi
and I will meet because we have some unfinished business -- I
won our first fight and he won the second. He is a great fighter,
it will be a really good match. Like Peter said, I want to wish
'almost' everybody good luck on December 4th!"
Replied
Musashi: "I chose this spot because I heard someone in the
audience shout 'D,' it was like God's voice! Ray and I do have
unfinished business. He is a fighter I respect very much, he
has not only punches but also good kicks. He is an entertaining
fighter as well, he has his antics in the ring, but this is a
tournament and I want to move on to the next bout, so I will
do my best"
Said
Aerts about his opponent: "Francois is one of the best boxers
in the world, so I will keep try to keep my hands up!"
Replied
Botha: "I chose Peter because he is very pretty! Seriously,
he is one of the best kickboxers in the world, so I will watch
out for my legs."
Said
Bonjasky on drawing Hoost: "It's a good matchup because
this year Ernesto and I were going to fight in April, but we
couldn't because of an injury, so now we will have the chance.
He is a four-time Champion of course, but it's time for new blood,
and the new blood is here!"
Replied
Hoost: "I will be 110% for this fight. It will be interesting,
the old Champion against the new Champion -- and when I beat
the new Champion he becomes the old Champion and I become the
new Champion again, that will be very nice!"
It
was announced at the draw that the Final's reserve fight will
be between Cyril Abidi and Jerome LeBanner.
The
K-1 World Grand Prix 2004 Final is set for Tokyo Dome on Sunday
December 4. It will be same-day broadcast across Japan by the
Fuji TV Network. The official matchups and complete fighter profiles
can be found on the K-1 Official Website (www.k-1.co.jp)
Source: MMA Weekly |
Quote
of the Day
"A life lived in fear is a life half lived'"
Tara Morice as Fran, from the movie "Strictly Ballroom" |
Fighters'
Club TV Episode 24 Airs Tonight!
Fighters’ Club TV Episode 24 has been cut and submitted
to programming. It will air in our normal timeslot on Oceanic
(OLELO) Channel 52—Tuesday nights @ 830pm—Sep. 21,
28, Oct. 5 and 12.
This
Episode features:
-Highlights
from the Pro-am Hawaiian State Grappling Championships at St.
Louis High School Gymnasium.
-Baret
Yoshida’s matches (+interview with Baret)
-Brad
Scott—“taking one for the team”
-Alesandro’s
(Sandro) matches and playoff with Baret.
-Interview
with Tournament promoter Romolo
-Highlights
from the SUMA (Stand Up Martial Arts) event at the Hyatt Regency
Waikiki
-Kaipo
Kalama, Desi Minor, Chris West, Shawn Taylor, Aaron Ferguson,
Deshaun Johnson—to name a few
-Interview
with Kaipo, Desi, Chris, and tournament promoter, Aaron Lee
-This
Episode's Technique of Week Features Relson Gracie Black Belt,
Sam Mahi
+
Hawaii’s 2 favorite FCTV heartthrobs, Mike Onzuka and Mark
Kurano.
Comments,
Questions, Suggestions?
Email
us at: fightersclubtv808@hotmail.com |
ANOTHER
LEGEND FALLS: GLEN JOHNSON KNOCKS OUT ROY JONES JR. IN NINE IN
MEMPHIS
For
the second week in a row another of boxing's legends has fallen
by way of a ninth-round knockout. Last week's victim, Oscar De
La Hoya, suffered his first career knockout loss at the hands
of the man who already sits atop boxing's mythical pound-for-pound
list, middleweight king Bernard Hopkins, in a fight ironically
rebroadcast in the U.S. on HBO just before this week's beatdown.
This one was even more of a shocker.
Roy
Jones Jr., also knocked out for the first time in his career
in his last fight, a rematch with Antonio Tarver in May, faced
the veteran Glen Johnson, the IBF light heavyweight champion.
Jones viewed this fight as somewhat of a tuneup and a steppingstone
towards a rubber match with Tarver. Before his two fights with
Tarver, Jones had previously been considered by many as boxing's
top pound-for-pound fighter. His only loss previous to the Tarver
fight was a disqualification against Montell Griffin, which he
avenged with a first-round knockout. Jones had racked up wins
over Bernard Hopkins, James Toney, and, at heavyweight, over
John Ruiz in his storied career.
Johnson
came into this fight as a veteran with nine losses on his ledger,
although many of those had been close and controversial decisions
on the road against hometown favorites. Almost no one outside
of his camp gave him a chance in this fight, with almost all
of the major newspapers not even assigning someone to cover this
fight live.
But
after coming out strong and being ahead on all three judges'
scorecards, it was Glen Johnson who stunningly retained his title
by knocking out Jones at 48 seconds of the ninth round. This
fight was held Saturday night, Sept. 25, before a sizable and
largely pro-Jones crowd reported at 13,047 in the FedExForum
in Memphis, Tennessee.
From
the opening bell Johnson jumped all over Jones. He crowded him,
pushed him back to the ropes, and landed combinations that peppered
him both to the body and head. While the wily Jones blocked some
of Johnson's incoming fire, this round was fought at a blistering
pace. Action in subsequent rounds slowed a bit but the first
round established Johnson as a fearless aggressor ready to outhit
and outbox Jones.
Johnson
continued to pressure Jones in the second. Jones's legendary
speed and quick reflexes were largely missing. Prior to his first
fight with Tarver, Jones was a fighter who had hardly ever lost
more than a round or two in each of his fights. At the end of
the second round, most observers had Johnson ahead two rounds
to none for Jones.
Jones
showed sharper defense in the third round, blocking more of the
shots by the still-advancing Johnson. But in the fifth round,
as Johnson continued to set the tone of the fight, Jones, holding
his left hand low as he has gotten away with for so long, was
staggered by an overhand right followed by a left from Johnson.
Jones tried to rally with a flurry of quickly-fired shots of
his own, but Johnson relentlessly continued to pressure Jones
to win this round as well.
Throughout
the next three rounds Jones remained as listless as he has ever
been seen. By this time everyone knew that he was losing the
fight, and that an upset was in sight. Even all three judges,
drawn locally from Tennessee, Kentucky, and Mississippi instead
of from a pool of world-class international judges, had Johnson
leading. Two had it 77-75 for Johnson, or five rounds to three,
and one had it 78-74, or six rounds to two, all for Johnson.
Then
came the ninth, and, as it would turn out, final round.
Despite
being far behind in the fight, Jones did not come out fighting
with a sense of urgency. Johnson continued to pressure him, landing
effectively on the retreating Jones, who himself hardly threw
a punch. Then, after missing with a left, Johnson launched a
huge right cross that smashed into Jones's temple. As Jones began
to crumple, Johnson landed a left hook that sent Jones to the
canvas. The major damage had been done by the right cross, and
its effect was obvious for all to see as Jones remained on the
mat as referee Bill Clancy counted him out.
Jones
had hit his head on the mat while falling from the knockout punch
and was out cold. Later, not surprisingly, it was reported that
he had suffered a concussion. Even after reviving, Jones stayed
on the canvas for several more minutes as he was attended to
by ringside physicians. The low-key Johnson celebrated in the
ring with members of his camp and family.
After
the fight, Johnson said, 'I beat him at his own game….
A lot of guys try and fight Roy from the outside but I wanted
to stay in on him. I just wanted to send a message. ' Asked if
he was ever hurt by Jones, Johnson replied, 'No, Roy never hurt
me. Nobody knows I have a knockout punch because nobody sees
me fight. I fight overseas a lot.' Explaining his strategy, he
said, 'I looked for him with the left hook then I waited and
got no response so I hit him again.' He continued, 'My speed
offset his speed so no, his speed was not a factor. '
As
to his future plans, Johnson said, 'I'll fight any man, any man
in the world. I'm not the best, but I'm just the guy who's willing
to fight the best.'
With
this win, Johnson's record is now 41-9-2 with 28 KOs. Jones falls
to 49-3 with 38 KOs, with two of those three losses being in
his last two fights when he was knocked out.
The
punchstats were also relevant here: Johnson landed 118 out of
437 punches thrown, while Jones landed only 75 out of only 270
punches thrown.
After
the fight, we received this report from Memphis sent via Media
Works:
'Roy
Jones Jr. was examined in the locker room following tonight's
fight. Following the examination, the doctor proclaimed Jones
OK. However, since it was the second time he had been knocked
out, it was recommended that he go to the hospital for a catscan.
Jones agreed to go to the hospital, but refused the aide of a
wheelchair.
'Jones
was transported to the Regional Medical Center at Memphis via
ambulance.
'While
on the ground during the knockout, Jones' eyes were tested and
everything passed there also (pupil reaction and side-to-side
test). He knew where he was at all times. The reason Jones stayed
in the ring so long…he wanted to be fully
comfortable before he got to his feet.'
Johnson
now has the option of fighting Antonio Tarver, who holds the
WBA and WBC versions of the light heavyweight title, in a unification
match. He also may have to fight a mandatory, or seek a megafight
with someone like Bernard Hopkins. Tarver attended the fight
and was shown on HBO, but he was not interviewed by them. Even
though HBO rebroadcast Hopkins's knockout victory from last week,
he was not interviewed by them either on this telecast.
For
Jones, many are now advocating retirement. For years he has seemed
less than ecstatic about continuing to fight, and has said that
he does not want to end up broken by the game. Indeed, he has
quietly helped out his friend, Gerald McClellan, the former WBC
middleweight champion who was left blind, almost deaf, and requiring
round-the-clock care following a 1995 fight with WBC super middleweight
champion Nigel Benn.
Jones,
35, has a promising career as a boxing announcer ahead of him,
as well as his recording of rap records and his passion for raising
roosters and other animals on his farm. He is a lock as a future
Hall of Famer.
Johnson,
also 35, has finally hit boxing's jackpot. He reportedly earned
one million dollars for this fight, and will now, after all of
his hard knocks and bad breaks, be one of boxing's most sought-after
fighters, both by opponents and television networks.
FINAL
PUNCH STATS
JOHNSON JONES
437 TOTAL PUNCHES THROWN 270
118 TOTAL PUNCHES CONN. 75
27% PCT. CONN 28%
202 JABS THROWN 66
47 JABS CONN 9
23% PCT. CONN 14%
235 POWER PUNCHES THROWN 204
71 POWER PUNCHES CONN 66
30% PCT. CONN 32%
Source: ADCC
|
SHOOTO
September 26th results,
MAMORU retains the belt
SHOOTO September 26th
September 26th, 2004
Kourakuen Hall, Tokyo, JAPAN
COMPLETE
RESULTS:
Class
B bouts (2x5 rounds minutes)
-52kg: Issei Tsurumi def. Hayato 'Cat' Sato by armlock 1:21 -
R1
-60kg: So Tazawa def. Tetsu Suzuki by majority decision
-70kg: Hiroaki Okada def. Koji Takeuchi by unanimous decision
-65kg: Taiyo Nakahara def. Jin Kazeta by unanimous decision
-70kg: Tatsuya Kawajiri def. Mindaugas Laurunatis by TKO in 2:00
- R2
Class
A bouts (3x5 rounds minutes)
-76kg: Akira Kikuchi def. Ramunas Komas by armbar in 2:21 - R2
-60kg: Marcos 'Loro' Galvao def. Jin Akimoto by unanimous decision
-70kg: Koutetsu Boku def. Takaharu Murahama by unanimous decision
World
Bantamweight Championship
- MAMORU def. Robson Moura by majority decision
Source: ADCC
|
Barnett
Still Waiting For Fight
Josh
Barnett made a guest appearance on the MMAWeekly radio show SoundOff
yesterday. While he did acknowledge that he has been out in California
training at the R1 Training Center with SoundOff co-host Frank
Trigg and company, Barnett still didn't have any good news regarding
a possible fight on Pride's October 31st show.
Rumors
have been flying for weeks that Barnett would face Mirko "Cro
Cop" Filipovic on October 31st, but so far nothing has been
solidified. Barnett acknowledged that there have been numerous
talks and lots of promises, but also stated that promises are
just that and he isn't counting on anything.
Barnett
would be a huge coup for Pride and really help solidify their
stance as having arguably the toughest heavyweight division in
all of MMA. Fans have been clamoring for Barnett's return to
the MMA scene. Now, it remains to be scene if Pride will follow
through and get the deal done and bring him to the Pride ring.
Source: MMA Weekly |
Anderson
Silva Comments on Lee Murray & Assuerio Silva
As usual, our friends at Tatame.com are on top of the Brazilian
scene.
They had this to report upon Anderson Silva's return from England:
The
star of Muay Thai Dream Team Anderson Silva returned from England
with lots of energy. Barely reaching Curitiba, he already conducted
a seminar in town. "I have been working hard, chasing after
my goals and I want to project a name for our group," reveals
Anderson. Asked about the incident between him and Lee Murray
at the Cage Rage 8 press conference (his opponents tore a Brazilian
flag), Anderson commented:
"He
was arrogant and rude. A fighter needs to respect the other fighter
no matter what. I don't like being disrespected and besides our
country does not support our sport, we defend it and put the
Brazilian flag on the top," stated the Muay Thai Dream Team's
champion.
About
Assuério Silva's leaving from MTDT, Anderson Silva said
he just knew through TATAME. "I was just informed about
it. I guess some people choose different ways. We need to respect
his individuality and we respect his choice. Our friendship remains
and if he needs me, I will be there!," concluded Anderson.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
SPORTFIGHT
ROCKS RENO!
It
was a night full of non-stop action and in the ring finishes
as Matt Lindland and Randy Couture's Sportfight organization
held its first ever show outside of Oregon this past Thursday,
September 23rd at the Hilton Casino Resort in Reno, Nevada. Set
against the backdrop of the annual Street Vibrations Biker Festival,
Sportfight: Battleground as it was labeled lived up to its billing
as every fight produced a finish highlighted by a main event
featuring rising young Team Quest fighter Chael Sonnen and veteran
MMA ironman Jeremy Horn of Team Extreme.
The
night started off with a bang in the rarely seen 135lb weightclass
as Brandon Shuey took on Antonio Banuelos of the famed Pit fight
team of John Hackleman/Chuck Liddell fame. The fight was fast
and furious as the two immediately went to the center of the
ring and began to bang trading shots until Banuelos landed a
right hand dropping Shuey. Banuelos wasted no time by pouncing
on the downed Shuey raining down left hands to the face until
the referee jumped in and called a halt to the action at just
22 seconds of the first round giving Banuelos the win via TKO.
In
the night's second bout Billy Miles faced off against Matt Horwich
of Team Quest in a battle of light-heavyweight up and comers.
The first round was dominated by clinches as both fighters landed
knees before Miles took down Horwich but was unable to do much
landing only sparratic punches before being stood up and much
the same as before with a clinch followed by Miles taking Horwich
to the ground. Round one ended with Miles looking to have an
advantage by landing slightly cleaner punches and by taking down
Horwich multiple times. Round two started much the same as the
previous round, Horwich charging in taking a small peppering
of shots to the head before grabbing Miles and then this time
imposing his will on Billy by taking Miles down to the mat. Horwich
quickly found himself in the mount position and heading the advice
of Team Quest head trainer Robert Folis took his time picking
and choosing spots to strike as Miles gave up his back allowing
for Horwich to sink in a rear naked choke at 59 seconds of the
second round ending the fight.
Fight
number three saw local Reno product Adam Torres making his MMA
debut against 2-0 Cesar Gracie student (and Chris Lytle look-a-like)
Tony Sanza in a welterweight bout. This fight was non-stop striking
for the most part with Torres' inexperience shining through as
he swung wildly throughout most of the first round before getting
caught in a clinch as Sanza tripped Torres down for the fight's
first takedown. Things looked to be repeating themselves after
the two found themselves standing a few seconds later as it seemed
that Sanza was going to slam Torres but Adam had other ideas
reversing the slam gaining the advantage. The two would then
tradeoff position on the ground with both men reversing position
until finally being stood back up. Here is where things seemed
to be going Torres' way as the two stood in the clinch Torres
managed to land a succession of left uppercuts to Sanza as well
as a solid right hand strike as the round came to an end. Round
two started with Torres looking to capitalize on his momentum
but it wasn't meant to be as the two came out trading again but
this time Sanza managed to land a solid right hand out of the
clinch dropping Torres to his hands and knees. Sanza quickly
mounted Torres' back and sunk in a rear naked choke forcing a
tapout at just one minute of the second round.
After
a 15 minute intermission the night's only heavyweight bout took
place as former Louisville college football player Jeromy Freitag
took on Kajukembo fighter Santino Genaro in a bout where Genaro
had a 40lb weight advantage over the former linebacker. In what
became the night's fastest fight the two quickly worked their
way to the middle of the ring before Freitag landed a popping
right hand directly to the jaw of Genaro sending the larger man
to the mat just 15 seconds into the fight. Genaro was attended
to by doctors at ringside and faces a minimal 30-day suspension
by the NSAC for being knocked out.
Next
up was a match between Muay Thai striker Mike Seal took on Dennis
" Superman" Hallman in a fight that took place in the
light-heavyweight division as Seal could not make the original
middleweight requirement for the match. Prior to the match both
Seal and Hallman had shown a flare for comedy as Hallman repeatedly
jested how he would use his Karate expertise and secret Karate
techniques to defeat Seal as Seal replied back in many accents
and languages what he would do to Hallman. When the fight started
however it was all business as the submission specialist Hallman
quickly shot in on Seal with a double-leg takedown in lightning
fast fashion before maneuvering Seal over taking securing a rear
naked choke. Seal for his credit refused to tap and at 50 seconds
into the fight the action was halted as Seal passed out from
the choke giving Hallman the victory.
The
night's quick order in fights continued with the co-main event
between Rage in the Cage Middleweight Champion Brodie Farber
moving down in weight to face top five ranked welterweight Sean
Sherk in a battle of wrestlers. After a brief period of stand
up where neither man exchanged any punches Sherk quickly shot
in on Farber and took down the RITC Champion. The two continued
to maneuver with minimal punches being exchanged before Sherk
found himself on top of Farber, who was on his back, in the north-south
position allowing Sherk to synch in a north-south choke forcing
Farber to tapout at just 55 seconds of the first round. With
the win Sherk continues on his now 9-fight winning streak since
suffering his only loss of his career against Matt Hughes at
UFC 42.
After
another intermission it was time for the show's other co-main
event of the evening as Team Quest's Chael Sonnen took on Jeremy
Horn in a rematch of their fight from Extreme Challenge 57 earlier
this year where Horn won via referee stoppage due to a cut that
would require over 20 stitches to seal. Things began off quickly
with Chael taking down Horn with a double-leg takedown early
in the fight with Chael in dominant position early. It was clear
that this time Sonnen was more prepared than in the previous
fight where he was coming in off short notice with this time
being the opposite as Horn took the fight on less than 36 hours
notice. The two continued in this position with Chael getting
in solid punches sparatically as he showcased his ability to
escape as Horn attempted to triangle choke Sonnen but to no avail.
After
a brief period of inactivity, referee Herb Dean stood the two
back up allowing for Horn to land a solid knee strike rocking
Sonnen back against the ropes. Unfortunately Horn was unable
to capitalize as Sonnen rebounded off the ropes and quickly secured
a double-leg takedown as the two ended out the round win Sonnen
on top of Horn's butterfly guard as time expired. An extremely
confident Sonnen came back out for round two in dominate fashion
waistlocking Horn and taking him down to the mat again. To Horn's
credit his defense was again as always excellent as Sonnen was
unable to capitalize again in Horn's guard as the two were stood
up again. Things continued to be looking good for Sonnen as he
landed a hard knee out of a clinch before again securing yet
another takedown on Horn. This time however it would be Horn's
cool collected manner which would prevail as after one failed
attempt Horn managed to secure a guillotine choke from the bottom
position forcing Sonnen to tap out at 2:35 of round number two
ending the night's action on a high note for Horn who again proves
why he's regarded as one of the best fighters pound for pound
in MMA today.
All
around Sporfight: Battleground was a great show in every aspect,
from the fights down to the production value, which is a testament
to the continued evolution of the company and those involved
with it as it grows into a very solid MMA organization.
An
interesting note from the evening's events include the fact that
neither co-promoter Randy Couture or Chuck Liddell could make
it to the show due to the fact that they are currently sequestered
in Las Vegas as the UFC's upcoming reality show continues in
production.
Medical
suspensions have been issued to the following individuals:
Santino Genaro -Mandatory 30-day suspension following being knocked
out with a potentially longer suspension barring the results
of a CT scan.
Mike Seal -Mandatory 30-day suspension resulting from being choked
unconscience.
Brandon Shuey -Mandatory 30-day suspension resulting from being
TKO'd as a result of blows to the head.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Quote
of the Day
"No matter what you've done for yourself or for humanity,
if you can't look back on having given love and attention to
your own family, what have you really accomplished?"
Lee Iacocca Retired Automobile Executive
|
3rd
AMERICAN NATIONAL JIU-JITSU CHAMPIONSHIPS
The
tournament will take place on november 14th in Torrance Unified
School District - Schools, North High 3620 West 182nd Street,
Torrance, CA 90504.
The
tournament is open, athletes from any citizenship are wellcome,
the best American athletes in each belt (adult divisions, men
only) will form the Jiu-Jitsu American Team 2005 to compete USA
X Brazil Jiu-Jitsu Teams Challenge that will take place in the
USA next year.
For
more info www.ajjc.org
Source: ADCC |
MMA
History: Luta Livre vs. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
by Jinx (J Mendoza)
Brazilian
Jiu-Jitsu stylists and Luta Livre fighters have had a long standing
rivalry that dates back to the days when the legendary Helio
Gracie was a young man. Yet you never hear much about this fighting
style perhaps due to the popularity of Jiu-Jitsu in the U.S.
Jiu-Jitsu
has overshadowed this art and it is viewed by many as secondary
to BJJ. Not necessarily because it is secondary, but because
it has not seen the same degree of success in the states.
Luta
Livre is a hybrid martial art that has been practiced in Brazil
since the late 1920's. It began as a type of no holds barred
fighting that eventually combined certain aspects of Jiu-Jitsu
and striking to form a single style. You might consider it a
type of mixed martial art in its own right.
Translated
into English, Luta Livre means "Free Fighting" and
is indeed free in that a fighter uses no gear or excess clothing
(such as a kimono) that would hinder you from fighting effectively.
Luta Livre incorporates certain aspects of BJJ in its groundfighting
techniques but tends to focus more on proper striking such as
that which can be found in boxing and Muay Thai. If comparing
this type of fighting with Jiu-Jitsu, you might say that it is
Jiu-Jitsu without the Gi with more focus on striking.
So
if it's Jiu-Jitsu without the Gi, why is there such a rivalry
between Luta Livre fighters and Jiu-Jitsu fighters?
Fabio
Gurgel, a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt, once said, "Jiu-Jitsu
has a lot of students in Brazil and Luta Livre tries to do the
same thing as jiu-jitsu but without the gi. So there is like
a type of competition between the two styles in Brazil."
The
tension between the two camps has existed since the 1950's. This
rivalry continues to this day and in 1997 during a promotion
called "Pentagon Combat" in Brazil where Renzo Gracie
(Jiu-Jitsu) was scheduled to fight against Eugenio Tadeau (Luta
Livre), a fight broke out. During the event, over 100 Luta Livre
fighters invaded the event without paying and begin to crowd
the ring. It turned even worse as they eventually climbed into
the outer structure, causing it to collapse.
A
riot ensued and somebody even fired a gun at one of the attendees.
Hardly what you would call friendly "competition" as
Fabio Gurgel suggested. From an outsiders perspective, it would
seem that these guys really hate each other.
Many
BJJ stylists claim that the whole feud between the two styles
began because of the classism that is present in Brazil to this
day. The poor kids (Luta Livre) despised the rich kids (Jiu-Jitsu)
in what can only be described as a Brazilian version of the Outsiders.
And
just like the Outsiders, the rumbling began in the 1950's as
gangs (schools) begin calling each other out. Like a bad Martial
Arts movie where Karate practitioners claim their style is better
than Kung Fu, Luta Livre fighters began to challenge Jiu-Jitsu
guys and vice versa. Ever since then, whenever the two groups
meet in a public place and there is tension and fights will often
break out.
A
few Luta Livre stylists have made a name for themselves because
of who they have fought. Hugo Duarte is one of the most recognized
Luta fighters because of his famous fight on the beach with Rickson
Gracie. The original footage can be viewed on the "Gracie
in Action" tape series for those interested. (Rickson won
in case you are wondering)
Marco
Ruas, originally a Luta Livre fighter, has separated himself
somewhat from this rivalry by calling his style "Ruas Vale
Tudo." He claims to have a unique style that is slightly
different from regular luta livre perhaps because of the crosstraining
factor.
Many
Brazilian fighters have come to the United States and claim the
grudge does not exist between these two styles. As of 2002, I
have not heard of any fights breaking out in the USA due to BJJ/Luta
Livre rivalry. But I continue to hear stories about fights that
still happen in Brazil.
Source: Fightlink |
BALANCE:
Interview with Rickson Gracie
by Jinx (J Mendoza)
BALANCE
Original article written by Maynard Keenan. Originally published
in Bikini Magazine.
A
conversation with Gracie Jiu Jitsu Master Rickson Gracie
and TOOL singer/songwriter, Maynard James Keenan.
Balance.
This simple concept seems to be the underlying answer to all
questions posed by Steve and I to Rickson Gracie (pronounced
Hickson) this morning. Rickson, a native of Brazil, is one of
the older brothers or Royce Gracie (three time champion of the
popular pay per view event "The Ultimate Fighting Championship")
and, with a record of far more than four hundred straight wins,
is considered to be the most formidable of the Gracie Jiu Jitsu
practitioners.
Steve
and I asked at great length what, in his opinion, made it possible
for him to achieve such a status. Much to my pleasure, it had
nothing to do with being a three hundred pound hairy ape on steroids.
It had nothing to do with lifting weights till you achieve stretch
marks or eating any and everything all day long. Nor did it have
anything to do with hatred, psychosis, or whateveraphobia. It
did, however have everything to do with balance.
Rickson:
Jiu Jitsu is like a philosophy. It helps me learn how to face
life.
Maynard:
In what way?
Rickson:
In every way. To understand our society, to relate myself to
people, to compete in an actual self defense tournament, to feel
confident to walk on the street and to be able to help people,
to be strong enough to forgive...
BALANCING
THE SCALES OF JUSTICE
Maynard:
Do you think it is better to avoid a fight rather than to provoke
a fight?
Rickson:
I believe that you must do what you believe you have to do. If
I don't believe I should fight, I'm not gonna fight. My decision
is based more on my personal honor than it is on who I'm channeling
my anger towards.
For
example, if I see a guy smacking an old lady I'm going to do
something about that. I don't care who it is. It's a moral concern.
I cannot live with this on my mind without taking action just
because I don't know who it is. In cases like this my honor,
my dignity, and my moral code is much more important than my
physical body.
BALANCING
AGGRESSIVE NATURE WITH PHYSICAL LIMITATIONS
Steve:
Do you think that Gracie Jiu Jitsu has something for the person
who doesn't have a natural talent?
Rickson:
Definitely. I can't think of any one with less physical ability
than my father, Helio Gracie. When my father was twelve the doctor
said that he couldn't do any exercise because of vertigo. If
he ran 200 yards in a sprint, he would pass out. But he is a
very short tempered, tough guy. So with the impossibility of
using power while training with his uncle in Jiu Jitsu, he was
forced to develop his own technique thus balancing his inability.
We
like to say that Einstein was to mathematics what Helio Gracie
is to Jiu Jitsu. He totally invented 80 percent of the Jiu Jitsu
we have today. Leverage and sensitivity and using the opponent's
energy against himself are basic to Jiu Jitsu, but the application
of these principles was never done in the way my father developed
them.
My
father broke the mold. He initiated a different perspective.
It used to be that when someone told you, "hey, there's
a tough guy coming here to kick your ass," you imagine this
big guy with and ugly face. He's 280 pounds and has big fists.
You don't imagine a guy who weighs 135 pounds.
BALANCING
WANTS AND NEEDS
Maynard:
I don't know if you realize how significant it is but, seeing
your whole family showing up in support of Royce at the UFCs
is a very moving image for many people. It seems that you don't
see that kind of family love and pride much anymore.
Rickson:
Especially in the big cities. People don't make the time to give
to each other. I think that's just a sign of our times. Smart
are the ones who try to preserve those old elements. People today
just want to make money. I understand that and respect that but...
I find myself in a very fortunate position because I love what
I'm doing and I'm good at it. So I make a living.
Maynard:
It seems that here in the states, people are more concerned with
doing something to make money than they are with doing what it
is that they love to do. They decide that money is the goal and
then begin to figure out what they've got to do to get it. They
forget to listen to themselves to find out what it is they really
are not only best suited for but are passionate about as well.
Rickson:
Yes. I think exactly the opposite. You need to make money but
it should never be the priority. What you like to do is what
you should try your best at doing. The money is gonna come. That's
the way people really get rich, you know? They just enjoy what
they do and the money comes in some way.
It's
the same with the work out. Some people think that the workout
is to increase heartbeats or flexibility or endurance or coordination.
So they make up exercises to improve one of more of these areas.
When I'm doing exercise, what I'm trying to do is meditate. Get
in a state that I feel a balance between body, mind, and spirit.
It's just enjoyment.
When
I train in Jiu Jitsu I don't have a clock in mind. I'm just feeling
and flowing. When playing or surfing or hiking there are no timings
or special rules. If you love it you just get into it with your
whole body. You don't care that it's exercise.
Maynard:
...and the endurance comes.
Rickson:
I can't imagine going on a stair master or lifting weights or
whatever to get in shape.
BALANCING
THE DIET
Maynard:
I heard that the Gracies also follow a specific diet.
Rickson:
Yes. It doesn't have as much to do with what or how much you
eat as it does with how you combine your foods. You can eat vegetables,
fruit, rice, beans, meat, or whatever. But the most important
thing is the food combinations.
The
digestive process is the biggest workout your body does on a
daily basis. You use energy to digest. You can save energy by
choosing foods that digest better in certain combinations, and
you can absorb more nutrients and gain more energy by choosing
food that use compatible enzymes to digest.
Maynard:
So in the reverse...if you eat something that is difficult to
digest and has no nutritional value...
Rickson:
Exactly. You waste even more energy. We are not cows. We don't
have to eat all day long to maintain. We eat, digest, absorb,
then rest. For me, I think three meals a day is enough. I spend
at least four hours in between without anything but water.
Maynard:
A very traditional Brazilian dish is black beans and rice, but
in your diet this is a bad combo.
Rickson:
That's right. What you really want to fight in your body is the
fermentation process. Fermentation basically is a bad combination
between acids you produce to digest your food. For example, when
you eat rice, your mouth produces specific acids to break down
the rice so your stomach can begin the digestive process.
When
you eat ice cream, or an apple, or watermelon juice, your mouth
produces completely different acids. And that can create a bad
chemical reaction in your body. You feel heavy or sluggish which
is not good. It's not only uncomfortable, it's counter productive.
BALANCING
PERSPECTIVE/POINTS OF VIEW
Rickson:
I believe that you should have an evolutionary point of view.
You must meditate, you must pray, you must be thankful, you must
give. I think those things are very important spiritually for
you to be at peace with yourself. Once you've tried to improve
spiritually, physically, and mentally your are in a good way.
Even
if I lost my two legs now I don't think that it would make me
lose the sense of life. Of course I'm not gonna be a fighter
anymore, but I'm able to allow myself to do other things. I'm
gonna try to swim. I'm gonna try to surf. I don't know what else,
but I'm definitely going to still be in love with life and learning.
I've always wanted to learn how to play the piano, but I've never
had the time. Or play the guitar. So many things.
Some
people have legs and they don't use them because they've focused
on something else. I think every bad thing has a good way to
look at it. Of course I love to do what I'm doing, but if I get
sick...understand? The mind is so beautiful and so wild and you
can have so many different things.
There's
always a good side to everything. Nothing is totally desperate.
Like "Oh...I lost my job." You lost your job? Go to
the beach, man. Get some waves.
Maynard:
If you have a clear mind like that, and if you have confidence
in life and in yourself you're going to get fed.
Rickson:
Definitely. You can't be negative all the time.
Maynard:
You can, but don't expect for things to come to you very easily.
Source: Fightlink
|
Euphoria
MFC - Jens Pulver Set To Rock the Microphone in October!
Euphoria
MFC - ROAD to the TITLES 1
October 15th, 2004
Tropicana Casion, Atlantic City, NJ
Go
to TICKETMASTER's OFFICIAL SITE . Keywords: Euphoria Mixed Fighting
Championships. Also, the TROPICANA Casino Box Office has tickets
available at: http://www.cbjj.com.br/english/rules.htmTROPICANA
WEBSITE
Former
UFC Champion JENS PULVER added to video announcing crew
'We
lost PRIDE fighter Heath Herring from the commentating crew and
we wanted to have a fighter on the commentating team' states
matchmaker Miguel Iturrate. 'The main priority was to get a fighter,
but we wanted someone who has experience and sounded good. Herring
did well on PRIDE broadcasts, so he was a big loss.'
'Euphoria
has recovered, in that L'il Evil Jens Pulver will join veteran
Jeff Osborne and Brazilian TV host Jorge 'Joinha' Guilhmares
in the commentators charir.' sates Iturrate. 'This is great,
because Pulver has been great with UFC and other shows he has
commentated, and he does his homework. We wanted Herring for
the insight on the heavyweights, and with Jens, a former 155
LB UFC Champion, we have insights into the 155 LB tournament.
It is a great add!'
This
is Euphoria's 2nd show, after the landmark Russia v USA event
hosted last March, the 'ROAD to the TITLES' series Euphoria is
running starts title tournaments in 3 different weight classes,
and runs through April of 2005. 'At that time, we will have 3
established champions, and we will have started building Euphoria's
structure.' reveals the matchmaker. 'The October card starts
with the opening round of two single elimination tournaments.
If things go well, we hope to announce the 2nd round brackets
live at the event. The 2nd round of each tournament is scheduled
for December 11th, and we kick off a 205 lb tournament as well.
These are Euphoric times' quips the matchmaker.
The
complete card appears below, and is subject to final approval
by the New Jersey State Athletic Control Board.
CARD
SUBJECT TO CHANGE:
FIGHT
#1: WEIGHT: 155 LBS (ALTERNATE BOUT)
RYAN SCHULTZ (TEAM QUEST, PORTLAND, OR) v. DAVID GAONA (SHOOT
SPAIN, Valencia, Spain)
FIGHT
#2: WEIGHT: HEAVYWEIGHTS (ALTERNATE BOUT)
JOHNATHAN WIEZOREK (Valdosta Karate, Valdsota, Georgia) v. BEN
ROTHWELL (Miletich Fighting Systems, Bettendorf, IA.)
FIGHT
#3: WEIGHT: 155 LBS (ALTERNATE BOUT)
JAY IRELAND (Team TAP or SNAP, Detroit, MI.) v. KURT PELLEGRINO
(Team Renzo Gracie, NYC, NY
FIGHT
#4: WEIGHT: 155 LBS (CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNAMENT BOUT)
ALBERTO CRANE (KOTC CHAMPION) v. RICH CLEMENTI (TEAM EXTREME,
New Orleans, LA)
FIGHT
#5: WEIGHT: 155 LBS (CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNAMENT BOUT)
HERMES FRANCA (ATT, Ft Lauderdale, FL) v. PHIL JOHNS (Silverbacks,
Canton IL)
FIGHT
#6: WEIGHT: HEAVYWEIGHTS (CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNAMENT BOUT)
TRAVIS WIUFF (Team Extreme, Minneapolis, MN) v. IBRAGIM MAGOMEDOV
Red Devil, St Petersburg, Russia)
FIGHT
#7: WEIGHT: HEAVYWEIGHTS (CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNAMENT BOUT)
ULISSES CASTRO (CANADA) v. Kerry ’Meat Truck’ Schall
(Team EXTREME, Cinncinnati, OH)
FIGHT
#8: WEIGHT: 155 LBS (CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNAMENT BOUT)
SERGEI GOLYAEV (RED DEVIL, St Petersburg, Russia) V. JOACHIM
HANSEN (Team Scandinavia, Oslo, Norway)
FIGHT
#9: WEIGHT: 155 LBS (CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNAMENT BOUT)
NAOYUKI KOTANI (Rodeo Style, Tokyo, Japan) v. YVES EDWARDS (Thugjitsu,
Houston, TX)
FIGHT
#10: WEIGHT: HEAVYWEIGHTS (CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNAMENT BOUT)
JEFF MONSON (ATT, Ft Lauderdale, FL) v. PAT STANO (CORE Martial
Arts Voorhees, New Jersey)
FIGHT
#11: WEIGHT: HEAVYWEIGHTS (CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNAMENT BOUT)
ROMAN ZENTSOV (Red Devil, St Petersburg, Russia) v. ANTOINE JOAUDE
(Ruas Vale Tudo, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)
Source: ADCC |
KOTC
- Complete Results from This Weekend!
San
Jacinto, CA-Two more KOTC belts were stabilized this weekend
with Joey Villasenor grabbing the vacant Middleweight belt and
Frankie Bollinger grabbing the vacant Bantamweight belt. Just
when you thought this would put an end to the current wave of
belt changes news is coming out that Lightweight champion Joe
Stevenson is according to Terry Trebilcock “all but stripped”
of the Lightweight belt.
Non-belt
bout highlights of this night were Harris Sarmiento, Robert Emerson,
and Gladiator Challenge Bantamweight champion Uriajh Faber.
UNDERCARD
- Reggie Cardiel def Paul Karsky 0:45 r1 by TKO
- Manny Tapia def Ed Newalu by unanimous decision (2 rounds)
- Matt Stansell def John Deloa 2:40 r1 by TKO
- Joe Frainee def Jake Gomez 2:28 r1 by rear choke
- Dave Hesquerdo def Matt Baraza 3:41 r1 by rear choke
- James Wilks def Ray Lazama 1:14 r1 by TKO (cut)
- Harris Sarmiento def John Olivas 1:45 r1 by TKO
MAIN
CARD
- Robert Emerson def Joe Camacho by unanimous decision (2 rounds)
- Brian Sesma def Ron Short 2:12 r1 by TKO
- Uriajh Faber def Rami Boukai by majority decision (2 rounds)
- Frankie Bollinger def Richard Goodwin 1:45 r1by TKO (Bollinger
becomes new KOTC Bantamweight champion)
- Joey Villasenor def Brian Foster 4:25 r1 by rear choke (Villasenor
becomes new KOTC Middleweight champion)
PRELIMS
- Fernando Gonzales def Travis Goodman 0:25 r1 by KO (knee)
- Jerry Davis def Adrian Perez 0:34 r1 by front choke
- Tom Roden def Mark McCuelland 3:04 by tapout to exhaustion
Source: ADCC |
Quote
of the Day
"Use what talent you possess: the woods would be very silent
if no birds sang except those that sang best."
Henry Van Dyke, American Poet, Author
|
Akebono
Gets KO'd Again
K-1
WORLD GP 2004 Results
FINAL ELIMINATION
Saturday, September 25, 2004
Nippon Budokan, Tokyo
Attendance : 14,860 people
Jerome
Le Banner vs. Francois "The White Buffalo" Botha
WINNER : Francois "The White Buffalo" Botha (3R TKO)
Musashi
vs. Cyril Abidi
WINNER : Musashi (3R Decision 3-0)
Remy
Bonjasky vs. Akebono
WINNER : Remy Bonjasky (3R 0:33 KO)
Ray
Sefo vs. Hiromi Amada
WINNER : Ray Sefo (3R Decision 3-0)
Ernesto
Hoost vs. Glaube Feitosa
WINNER : Ernesto Hoost (3R Decision 3-0)
Peter
Aerts vs. Michael Mcdonald
WINNER : Peter Aerts (3R Decision 3-0)
Alexey
Ignashov vs. Kaoklai Kaennorsing
WINNER : Kaoklai Kaennorsing (Ext.R Decision 2-1)
Gary
Goodridge vs. Mighty Mo
WINNER : Mighty Mo (1R 2:58 KO)
Source: MMA Weekly |
ADCC
Brazilian Trials 2005
November 27th and 28th of 2004
Campos dos Goytacazes, RIO DE JANEIRO
More fighters will be announced soon. If you want to apply, send
your resume to adcc2004@bol.com.br.
65.9kg
Rodrigo Damm (Alliance)
Rafael Primo (Dela Riva)
Luciano Azevedo (RFT)
Rodrigo Cordeiro (Alliance)
Daniel 'Pirata' Malvino (Ruas VT)
Marcos 'Loro' Galvao (Nova Uniao)
Faísca (WFC)
Thiago Tavares (ATT/Sul Tatame)
Rani Yahya (Ataide Jr.)
Tiago 'Carne-Seca' (Nova Uniao-Campos)
Vinicius 'Drakulino' Magalhaes (Gracie Barra-BH)
66-76.9
KG
Leonardo Pecanha (Nova Uniao-Campos)
Tarsis Humphreys (Alliance)
Leonardo Nogueira (WFC)
Marcelo Brigadeiro (RFT)
Ricardo 'Rato' (Macaco Gold team)
Edu Simoes (GBCT)
Luis Fernando 'Pimpolho' Silva (Nova Uniao)
Danilo Cherman (Nova Uniao)
Milton Vieira (BTT)
Edson 'Sururu' (Gracie Barra-BH)
Adriano 'Nasal' Pereira (BTT)
77-87.9
KG
Talles Leite (Nova Uniao)
Gustavo 'Ximu' Machado (GBCT)
Carlos Baruck (Dela Riva)
Victor Hugo (WFC)
Leonardo Lucio 'Chocolate' Nascimento (RFT)
Romulo Barral (Gracie Barra-BH)
Roan 'Jucao' Carneiro (BTT)
Marcelo 'Uriapuru' Azevedo (Gracie Barra-BH)
Jorge 'Macaco' Patino (ChuteBoxe)
88-98.9
KG
Rodrigo 'Riscado' Gripp (Nova Uniao-Campos)
Victor 'Macaco' Vianna (Alliance)
Fernando 'Soluco' DiPierro (Alliance)
Gabriel 'Napao' Gonzaga (Macaco Goldem Team)
Tiago 'Marreta' (WFC)
Antoine Jaoude (Ruas VT)
Renato 'Babalu' Sobral (GBCT)
Cristiano Lazzarini (Gracie Barra-BH)
Maxwell (Sul)
Mario Neto (Nova Uniao-Campos)
Denis Gomes (Athaide Jr.)
Rafael Guimaraes (Nova Uniao)
Hugo Carione (Sul)
Bruno Cortes (Nova Uniao)
Alexandre 'Cacareco' Ferreira (BTT)
Cláudio Godoy (BTT)
99
KG
Fabiano 'Pega-Leve' Scherer (BTT)
Rafael Carino (Nova Uniao)
Carlos Clayton 'Mangueira' (GBCT)
Sandrao (WFC)
Source: ADCC |
Robinho
Fights For The Shooto Title
SHOOTO - September Lineup!
by: Marcello Tetel
Place:
Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan
Date: September 26th, 2004
(Card
subject to change):
- Issei Tsurumi (RJW G2) X Hayato Sato (Paraestra)
- So Tazawa ( Gutsma) X Tetsu Suzuki (Keisyu Kai Iwate)
- Koji Takeuchi (STG Yokohama) X Hiroaki Okada (Purebreed)
- Jin Kazeta (Niigata) X Taiyo Nakahara (Keisyu Kai)
- Tatsuya Kawajiri (Tops) X Mindaugas Laurunatis (Heraklis Gym)
- Akira Kikuchi (K'z Factory) X Ramunas Komas (Titanas Gym)
- Marco Loro (Nova Uniao) X Jin Akimoto (Jungle Junction)
- Takaharu Murahama (Gracie Barra) X Koutetsu Boku (Purebreed
)
Bantamweight
Title match:
- Mamoru (STG Yokohama) X Robson Moura (Nova Uniao)
Source: ADCC |
Róbson
Moura
By Alexandre Lobo
A step from the belt
Already
in Japan, where departed last Monday, Róbson Moura gets
ready to fight for Shoot title tonight, at Shooto. Brazilian
Nova União athlete will face the actual Bantamweight champion
Mamoru. Both of them face each other a long ago, when Robinho
was debuting at Shooto. By that time, Brazilian won by referee's
decision. Robinho says he is more experienced and improved his
technique, essential qualities to become a main name of the category
of Shooto. Other information about him you may find bellow, during
this exclusive to team TATAME.
You
already faced Mamoru. What's has been changing by this time for
now?
It's
another experience. When I fought him, it was my first fight
under MMA rules, against an experienced fighter. By that time,
I wanted to do a good fight and win. I remember I was a little
nervous. Now I do feel better, once its my forth fight.
Which
one was your best and worse moments during that bout?
He
is such a complete fighter on the feet. He moves well, punches,
knees and kicks fine as well. He knows the right time to kick
and leave the move... so André Pederneiras and I trained
this a lot: his entering, his leaving, the time he attacks. I
have to tell you I did not see a weak point in him. I guess a
professional Vale-Tudo fighter does not have a weak point. Nowadays,
they train a lot and they are good in many modalities.
How
do you classify his ground game?
He
has a good ground skill for Vale-Tudo. Let's not say he has such
a BJJ fighter ground skill, but he may use what he's get for
Vale-Tudo and its the only thing that matters.
Shooto
called Mamoru (third place of the category) and Urushidani (first
one) to do a belt dispute. By that time, there was some controversy
because once you are the second fighter over the ranking, you
should fight for the belt. The reason you did not fight will
make you even more aggressive right now?
Of
course you train a lot and wants the belt. But I didn't get upset,
but Dedé got it... I am just starting to fight Vale-Tudo
and this is a new phase in my career.
What
do you think about his game now, in comparison to before?
Those
experienced fighters don't improve so much. What really happens
is the fact they've change strategy to fight with a different
opponent. If they face a fighter who exchange punches, they will
built a strategy to beat him. If he is a grappler, they will
use another strategy. Once I am kind of new at this modality,
I believe I may improve my game more than him. But in other hand,
he will be able to come out with some new strategy and It's gonna
be harder for me, due to my little experience.
But
in other hand you have an experienced fighter behind you...
Yes.
Everybody knows Dedé is an excellent BJJ and Vale-Tudo
fighter and owns a great fight school. We have lots of tough
fighters training with us and this make us more confident. I
listen him a lot during the fight and this damn important. Being
a corner means 50% of the fight. If you have a good corner you
are a way forward.
After
being defeated to Urushitani, you have been focused in exchange
punches instead of trying submission positions?
I'm
a non predictable fighter. If I had a chance to punch, I will,
or I will try the submission. This loss taught me a lesson: if
the fighter is punching, I do have to punch back and not trust
the referee's decision. I've always was unpredictable..., since
BJJ old times. Guys pulled me to the guard and I used to fight
on the top. If I got another position I felt okay also.
What
did Dedé told you for this upcoming bout?
When
we were training in Brazil, Dedé want to see us training.
We just think of a strategy when we are on the plane. By this
time he transmits a lot of peace of mind... he says: "Listen,
you must be good and do what we have been training. Just focus...".
Dedé is like a father and a teacher. He is with us all
the time, at anytime. I remember my first fight with Mamoru.
He stepped inside the ring with a black robe. Dedé came
to me and said: "Robinho, when I defeated Rumina Sato he
was wearing the same robe." That was something for me and
I thought with myself: "I will knock him down too!".
He knows the exactly time to tease you...
Source: Tatame
|
The
APEX Experience Part 1
by Marco Antico
The
APEX Experience
Part
1 – The Fighters
The
greatest thing about going to smaller shows is that the fighters
are much more available. Walking into the hotel lobby I immediately
came across Stephen Quadros. “Mr. Quadros” I exclaimed
as I put my hand out to greet him. He stood up with an odd look
on his face as if he were thinking “am I suppose to know
this guy?” “I’m Marco Antico, we did an interview
together” I explained. “Marco! Of course I remember
you. You’re not what I thought you’d look like”
Stephen remarked. “I expected some small, internet-geek
looking dude with glasses”.
“Actually,
I’m wearing my contact lenses but I’m not small”
I responded with a chuckle.
We
talked for a few minutes until the ring announcer from APEX along
with Joe Ferraro walked in. Stephen politely excused himself
saying “I’ll catch you later. I’ve got some work
to get started on”.
I
hung out in the hotel’s basement Saturday afternoon as the
weigh-ins, pre-fight interviews and rules meeting were taking
place. I pretty much met everyone involved with the APEX Genesis
show.
I
was amused by the added respect I got from the fighters when
they saw me being chummy with Stephen Quadros. At one point Stephen
walked past a herd of fighters to come chat with me. The fighters
turned their heads as if to say “who the hell is this dude?”
Stephen obviously carries a lot of weight in the industry.
Tony
Fryklund asked me to go find out who Chris Myers was. I found
it hilarious that fighters sometimes don’t even know what
their opponent looks like the day before a fight. Tony’s
such a cool guy to talk to. I feel like I’m talking to my
cousin Rocco.
Joe Doerkson said that he hoped to be apart of the next APEX
card in January 2005. We spoke about the Joe Riggs fight. He
remarked “I think my confidence needs to catch up to my
skill level. I wasn’t confident enough in my ability to
stand with Riggs. It threw me off and ultimately resulted in
me losing the fight.”
Joe
struck me as a guy who likes fighting, but doesn’t want
to do it for the rest of his life. He doesn’t like to be
characterized as a stereo-typical fighter. Joe and I had some
laughs at the after fight party with the assistance of our friends
Jack Daniels and Tequila.
Stephen
Quadros and Joe Ferraro catch Frank Trigg after his workout.
Stephen, always the practical joker, decided to have some fun
with Frank. Joe had never met Frank before. Stephen chose to
introduce Joe as “Bob, the local mafia goomba looking for
a piece of the APEX action.” After a confusing conversation
Frank soon realized something was amiss. They had a few chuckles
and began to plan their day.
145lbs
Ivan Menjivar is soft spoke and very polite. He promised to give
the fans a good show. I may have 60lbs on him but I bet he’d
drop me like a fly.
David “the Crow” Loiseau came to support his boy Ivan.
David accused me of “being that guy that never called him
back”. I assured him that I had no idea what he was talking
about. “Me, not calling you back?” I said. “Why
the heck would I do that? You’re one of my favorite Canadian
fighters”. We exchanged information and I promised to call
him for an interview in the future.
Georges
St. Pierre turned everyone’s head when he walked in. Many
fighters, like Matt Lindland, approached him and acknowledged
their respect for him. I couldn’t help but get the sense
that people feel “this guy could be the next big thing”.
I
talked to Georges for a while. He unnecessarily apologized for
his bad English. But, that’s the kind of polite guy he is.
What’s with these extremely polite French Canadians I thought?
I
asked him about Karo’s accusation that he was juicing. “It’s
just more excuses he makes. People say that to me my whole life.
Everyone will know I don’t take anything after they test
me for title fight” Georges replied.
I
wished him the best of luck at UFC 50 and stepped aside for the
other people waiting to talk to him.
I
told Matt Lindland that he wins the award for the best writer/fighter
in the history of the sport. Matt laughed and modestly replied
that he wasn’t much of a writer. We reminisced about the
Tony Ciazzo ordeal and wondered what ever happened to him.
Wes was a riot. He’s got a jovial, frat boy like quality
about him. I asked him what he knew about his opponent Ricardo
Francois. Wes said he didn’t even know his name until I
just said it. I asked him how he could form any kind of game
plan without knowing who his opponent was. Wes said “well
that’s perfect because I ain’t got no game plan”.
During
the rules meeting Wes turned to me and asked “is this thing
in a ring or a cage?” To his dissatisfaction I informed
him that it was in a ring.
I
asked Wes about his upcoming SWAT tour. He said APEX was the
first of four scheduled stops. The third fight was scheduled
for King of the Cage against Johnathan Wiezorek in October. The
fourth fight was scheduled for Rumble on the Rock (ROTR) in November.
Wes swore me to secrecy about his opponent for ROTR. I will abide
by my promise. But, allow me to say that his opponent is among
the best heavyweights in the world
I woke up early for a workout the morning of the fights. Once
again, I found Frank Trigg in the middle of an intense cardio
workout. I personally find Frank the most intimidating fighter
to approach. He’s got a “get out of my face” aura
about him. I was hesitant at first about striking up a conversation.
Then I figured what’s the worst that can happen? Maybe he
punches me in the face? Cool I thought because that would give
me a funny story to report.
I
struck up a conversation about his workout regime. He actually
educated me quite a bit on weight lifting for strength as opposed
to size. He said that he’s continuing to keep his weight
around 185lbs these days. He emphasized how he felt like a born
again fighter after the Hughes fight. He talked some smack about
Hallman saying his injury was phony and that he saw him just
a few days ago trying to pick fights in a bar. We spoke about
the steroid issue for a bit. Lastly, Frank informed me of some
new Triggonomics clothing apparel coming to a store near you.
It’s
hard to describe the feeling of being at an MMA event. There’s
something about it that is unlike any other sporting event. It
gets my blood pumping. I’m excited to see what’s going
to happen next. It’s a complete escape from the rest of
ordinary life. I guess that you can say it’s “my happy
place”.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Quote
of the Day
"Success is getting what you want; happiness is wanting
what you get."
Dale Carnegie, 1888-1955, American Author, Trainer
|
ULTIMATE
FIGHTING CHAMPIONSHIP? ANNOUNCES POSTPONEMENT OF DECEMBER FIGHT
CARD IN JAPAN
by: Keth Evans
Heavyweight Champion Frank Mir Injured In Auto Accident
LAS
VEGAS, NEV., September 23, 2004…Officials of the Ultimate
Fighting Championship brand of mixed martial arts today announced
the postponement of its December fight card scheduled for Tokyo,
Japan. A Japan fight card will be re-scheduled for a later date
that will be determined.
UFC? Heavyweight Champion Frank Mir (8-1-0 in mixed martial arts)
from Las Vegas, Nev., was scheduled to defend his title in the
main event against top contender Andre Arlovski (8-3-0) from
Minsk, Belarus.
Mir
recently sustained a broken left leg in an auto accident in Las
Vegas and will be sidelined indefinitely.
“Zuffa
has every intent to go to Japan and the December date looked
very good until Frank’s unfortunate accident,” said
Zuffa/UFC president Dana White. “Our number one concern
is Frank’s health. He’s strong and had fought really
well in his last three fights. He was lucky and will fully recover,
but will not be ready by December.”
The
Ultimate Fighting Championship brand of mixed martial arts is
the world’s premier series of MMA events. Owned and operated
by Zuffa, LLC, and headquartered in Las Vegas, Nev., UFC fight
programs feature six live pay-per-view events annually through
cable and satellite providers. In addition to its U.S. distribution,
UFC fight shows are distributed internationally through WOWOW,
Inc. in Japan and Globosat in Brazil. Zuffa, LLC licenses the
distribution of UFC video games through Crave Enertainment and
Take Two TDK Mediactive, its fight show DVDs through Studioworks
Entertainment, a Ventura distribution company, and its musical
CDs through Nitrus/DRT Entertainment, the official publisher
of UFC music CDs.
“Ultimate
Fighting Championship,” “Ultimate Fighting,” “UFC,”
“Submission,” “As Real As It Gets” and the
Octagon cage design are registered trademarks or trademarks owned
exclusively by Zuffa, LLC in the U.S., Japan and other jurisdictions.
All other marks that may be referenced herein belong to their
respective holders.
Source: ADCC |
ONE
MILLION PAY-PER-VIEW BUYS REPORTED FOR HOPKINS-DE LA HOYA
by: Eddie Goldman/ADCC Wrestling Editor
Who
says boxing is dead?
HBO
Pay-Per-View issued a statement Thursday saying that the Bernard
Hopkins-Oscar De La Hoya middleweight championship fight, held
this past Saturday, drew a cool one million buys in the U.S.
on pay-per-view for a gross revenue of $56 million. These one
million buys included 600,000 buys from cable television and
400,000 buys from satellite television.
This
makes this fight second on the all-time list of pay-per-views
for non-heavyweight fights. Topping that list was another fight
involving De La Hoya, when he took on Felix Trinidad in Sept.
1999. That one got 1.4 million buys and grossed $71.4 million.
This fight now moves into that second place for non-heavyweight
fights over De La Hoya's Sept. 2003 rematch with Shane Mosley,
which drew between 950,000 and 975,000 buys and between $48.4
million and $50.2 million in gross revenue.
The
estimated one million buys for the Hopkins-De La Hoya fight would
make it only the 12th pay-per-event of any type that has reached
or surpassed that magic number of one million buys. All of those
top dozen pay-per-views have been boxing events, with seven of
them involving Mike Tyson. The only non-boxing pay-per-views
in the top 20 list either for number of buys or gross revenue
have all been WWF/WWE pro 'wrestling' shows.
This
figure for Hopkins-De La Hoya would also tie it for 11th place
on the all-time list of top buys for pay-per-view events with
the Sept. 1996 fight between Mike Tyson and Bruce Seldon, which
also drew one million buys. Because of a lower price, that fight
only grossed $46 million.
The
all-time leader for pay-per-view buys in the U.S. is the second
Tyson-Holyfield fight, the infamous 'bite fight.' That was held
in June 1997 and had an estimated 1.99 million buys for gross
revenue of $99.6 million. Needless to say, the outcome of that
fight depressed pay-per-view levels for years to come.
Second
on the list for number of buys, but first for overall revenue,
was the June 2002 showdown between Lennox Lewis and Tyson. That
grossed $106.8 million on buys estimated from 1.8 million to
just under two million.
De
La Hoya has now headlined 16 pay-per-view events. With these
new figures, his fights have now attracted a total of over 9.5
million households on pay-per-view, and gross revenue of over
$444 million.
For
Hopkins, this was by far his highest grossing pay-per-view fight.
His toppling of Felix Trinidad in Sept. 2001 drew 480,000 buys
and revenue of approximately $20.5 million. Hopkins's third fight
with Robert Allen was the co-feature on the pay-per-view headlined
by De La Hoya-Felix Sturm in June 2004. That show drew 380,000
buys and grossed $19 million.
The
Hopkins vs. De La Hoya fight will be replayed this Saturday night,
September 25, in a telecast beginning at 10:15 PM EDT/ 7:15 PM
PDT on HBO. The rebroadcast will be followed by a live fight
between Roy Jones Jr. and IBF light heavyweight champ Glen Johnson
from Memphis, Tennessee.
Getting
pay-per-view statistics is an inexact science, since there is
usually no independent auditing of these numbers by any outside
agency. Thus estimates released by arms of the pay-per-view producers
themselves, such as HBO and Showtime, must be relied upon. While
these numbers may not always be entirely accurate, they do reflect
overall trends in pay-per-view performance.
The
high number of buys for Hopkins-De La Hoya may also not be such
good news for other upcoming pay-per-view telecasts. Remember,
the bills including its average $54.95 charge will be due just
when some other events are scheduled to take place.
For
boxing, there is a glut of pay-per-view activity for the remainder
of the year.
On
Sat., October 2, just two weeks after Hopkins-De La Hoya, Felix
Trinidad will return to the ring against Ricardo Mayorga after
a layoff of two and a half years. That pay-per-view card will
be shown live from Madison Square Garden, and also feature Zab
Judah vs. Wayne Martell, Travis Simms vs. Bronco McKart, and
Rosendo Alvarez vs. Beibis Mendoza.
The
next scheduled boxing pay-per-view is on Sat., Nov. 13, also
tentatively scheduled for Madison Square Garden depending on
whether or not the NHL hockey lockout is still going on by then.
It will feature four heavyweight fights, including two title
fights. Those fights are IBF champ Chris Byrd vs. Jameel McCline
and WBA champ John Ruiz vs. Andrew Golota, as well as Hasim Rahman
vs. Kali Meehan and Evander Holyfield vs. Larry Donald.
Just
two weeks after that, on Sat., Nov. 27, the third fight between
Erik Morales and Marco Antonio Barrera will take place at the
MGM Grand in Las Vegas and will also be shown on pay-per-view.
And
there is yet another pay-per-view in the works just two or three
weeks after Morales-Barrera 3. That will likely involve WBC heavyweight
champ Vitali Klitschko defending his title against Danny Williams,
who knocked out Mike Tyson in July. The date and venue for that
fight have not been officially set yet, although the dates of
Dec. 4, 11, 17, and 18 have been talked about, as well as holding
it once again in Madison Square Garden.
Many
of these pay-per-view fights have greater appeal to different
audiences, such as Hispanics for Trinidad-Mayorga and Morales-Barrera,
heavyweight fans for the two cards loaded with the big guys,
and East Coast fans for the three possible Madison Square Garden
shows. But the effect of this pay-per-view glut will be at least
to some degree to cannibalize the market for boxing pay-per-views.
Along with the pay-per-view success of Hopkins-De La Hoya, this
glut will also take its toll on the buys gotten by other real
fighting events including mixed martial arts and kickboxing.
Source: ADCC |
KOTC
belt clarification from Terry Trebilcock!
by: Keith Mills
In recent weeks there have been a couple questions regarding
which King Of The Cage belts are vacant and why. These questions
were raised mainly due to two of the most controversial KOTC
belts being on the line at this weekend’s show at Soboba
Casino. This weekend both the Welterweight and Middleweight belts
are o the line.
After
talking directly with KOTC promoter Terry Trebilcock here is
a run-down of who holds which belts and why the vacant ones are
vacant.
Super
Heavyweight/Unlimited-Champion Eric Pele still holds the belt
since defeating Dan Christiansen in May of ‘03. He is set
to defend it next on November 14th’s pay-per-view show against
#6 ranked “Scary” Jerry Vrbonovic. No controversy exists
with this belt.
Heavyweight-Paul
Buentello still holds the belt since rematching Bobby Hoffman
after a controversial decision win for Hoffman in their first
bout. Buentello has been seen listed on other show’s cards
including the UFC but his hand injury at this time is keeping
him on the sideline. Trebilcock states Buentello has an open
contract, meaning he can fight in other shows with no repercussions.
Terry stresses Paul has handled fighting in other shows “the
right way” and is thought of in high regard.
Light
Heavyweight-Jeremy Horn fights in so many shows his KOTC belt
is probably the one that will be defended the least. No word
on when or if it would be next defended by Horn.
Middleweight-This
is one of the controversial belts in recent weeks. According
to Trebilcock himself champion Tony Bonello vacated the belt
to move up to 205 just like the last Middleweight champion Dean
Lister did before moving on to Pride. It looks like Tony will
get one non-title fight that if he wins would set him up to most
likely challenge Horn for the Light Heavyweight belt. Australian
Bonello’s alleged visa problems that affected his participation
in this weekend’s show could not be verified.
Welterweight-the
cursed belt from Hell. No champion since Joe Hurly in February
of 2001 has successfully defended this belt. It has either been
vacated, stripped, or the defending champion has lost it in their
first title defense. This belt has been vacated twice this year,
first by John Alessio and then by Diego Sanchez. Alessio stayed
in good favor with KOTC as he tried to first enter WEC and now
is scheduled to fight in November’s TKO show. According
to Diego Sanchez he vacated the belt for an opportunity to be
on the UFC’s reality TV show while Terry says he was stripped
of the belt for not fulfilling his contract. Terry says Diego
has since made amends and he is welcome to return to fulfill
the rest of his contract and the original bad feelings are essentially
over.
Lightweight-Joe
Stevenson still holds the Lightweight belt. No word on when it
would be defended but smart money would bet on November’s
PPV show.
Bantamweight-Charlie
Valencia won the belt in 2002 and has successfully defended it
twice. With KOTC not emphasizing the lighter classes like many
of the shows linked to Shooto don’t look for this belt to
be defended anytime soon.
Flyweight-Shawn
Ramage, one of KOTC’s “A Team” road crew, is the
champion and only 125 ranked fighter in KOTC. See “Bantamweight”.
Source: ADCC |
K-1
WORLD GP 2004 in TOKYO FINAL ELIMINATION
Date: Saturday, September 25, 2004
Place: Nippon Budokan, Tokyo
CARD SUBJECT TO CHANGE:
1st
Match : K-1 Rules / 3Min x 3R 2Ex
Gary Goodridge (Trinidad and Tobago /Free) VS Mighty Mo (USA/Shark
Tank Gym)
2nd
Match : K-1 Rules / 3Min x 3R 2Ex
Alexey Ignashov (Belarus /Chinuk Gym) VS Kaoklai Kaennorsing
(Thailand /Muay-Thai)
3rd
Match : K-1 Rules / 3Min x 3R 2Ex
Peter Aerts (Holland /Team Aerts) VS Michael Mcdonald (Canada
/Free)
4th
Match : K-1 Rules / 3Min x 3R 2Ex
Ernesto Hoost (Holland /Vos Gym) VS Glaube Feitosa (Brazil /Kyokushin
Kaikan)
5th
Match : K-1 Rules / 3Min x 3R 2Ex
Ray Sefo (New Zealand/Fight Academy) VS Hiromi Amada (Japan /TENKA
510)
6th
match : Super Fight / K-1 Rules / 3Min x 3R 2Ex
Remy Bonjasky (Holland /Mejiro Gym) VS Akebono (Japan /Team Yokozuna)
7th
Match : K-1 Rules / 3Min x 3R 2Ex
Musashi (Japan /Seido Kaikan) VS Cyril Abidi (France /Brizon
gym)
8th
Match : K-1 Rules / 3Min x 3R 2Ex
Jerome Le Banner (France/Boerboel&Tosa Gym) VS Francois 'The
White Buffalo' Botha (South Africa /Steve's Gym)
Source: Booker K |
Pele
vs Babalu at Jungle Fight 3!
by: Rafael Werneck
During
the official announcement for Jungle Fight 3rd edition, scheduled
to take place on October 23rd in Manaus, the co-producer Wallid
Ismail stated: 'It will be the greatest martial arts card ever'.
Wallid´s promise may become reality. A special fight will
put face to face in the ring two great Brazilians fighters who
have been away from the MMA since last year: Jose Pele Landi
and Renato Babalu Sobral.
The
last time Pele fought was in July of 2003, when he was KOed by
the English fighter Lee Murray at EF1-Genesis. Since that July,
Pele has had no opportunity to come back, and now he thanks Ismail
for the chance to fight at the Jungle Fight. ´It is great
to be back. Wallid gave me a job and I am thankful for that.
I am training very hard and my current weight is 94kg. By the
time of Jungle Fight 3 I will have to be 92kg, so, I am almost
there´, celebrates Pele.
About
his opponent, Jose Pele Landi told us his strategy to win. 'Babalu
is a great wrestler, a tough fighter, a hard worker in MMA. But
I will try to knock him out. For me, this is the only way to
beat him´, finishes Pele.
Gracie
Barra Combat Team athlete, Renato Babalu fought the last time
on September 6th, 2003, when he defeated the American Jeremy
Horn by unanimous decision at the IFC - Global Domination. This
was his fourth straight victory and his last defeat was in November
of 2002, when he was KOed by Chuck Liddell at the UFC 40.
Source: ADCC |
HALLMAN
AND TRIGG GO TOE TO TOE ON MMAWEEKLY RADIO
Before Dennis Hallman stepped into the SportFight ring last night
in Reno, Nevada, he was a guest on MMAWeekly SoundOff Radio.
Dennis talked about his feelings before the fight and the interview
ended with a heated exchange between Hallman and the radio show
co-host Frank Trigg.
Hallman's
fight with Mike Seal was originally scheduled to take place at
185 pounds. When Dennis arrived in Reno, he was weighing about
187. He made a trip to the sauna to shed a few pounds and his
opponent, Mike Seal, was in there. He and Seal agreed to not
cut weight and both weighed in fully dressed.
The
only thing Dennis really knew about Mike before the fight was
that Seal was a kickboxer who didn't have a lot of ground technique.
His plan was to take the fight to the ground and that is what
he did in the fight. Hallman submitted Seal in under a minute
last night by way of a rear naked choke.
While
Dennis was on the radio show, everything seemed to be going well
until he said he wanted to fight Frank Trigg again. What followed
was an exchange of words that was probably better than both of
their previous matches against each other. Here is a small excerpt.
Ryan
Bennett: You obviously want to fight Trigg again, right?
Hallman:
Yeah.
Trigg:
Why?
Bennett:
At 170?
Hallman:
Unless he wants to make 185.
Trigg:
I can make 185 five minutes from now.
Hallman:
Me too.
Trigg:
Why would you want to fight me a third time? It's embarrassing....it
doesn't make any sense.
Hallman:
The first time was retarded and an injury. The second time, I
was just had a flat fight. It happens. You've had flat fights
right?
Trigg:
I've had flat fights.
Hallman:
Well, I had a flat fight. I feel that I didn't perform not even
close to the best of my ability and I think it would be a great
fight if we both performed to the best of our abilities.
Trigg:
I tell you what. I think that was the best of your ability when
you fought me the second time.
Hallman:
Oh, hell no.
Trigg:
The best you had is what you gave me and that's it. Unless you
make a 2000% increase, you're going to end up with stitches next
time...
To
hear the rest of this heated exchange, like what happened when
Dennis asked Trigg if he was at his best when Matt Hughes choked
him out, check out the Radio Archive. It was great radio!
Make
sure you get yourself a Premium Membership to have access to
the radio archive. For only five dollars a month, you get the
radio archive, access to the video section filled with one on
one interviews, behind the scenes footage of weigh ins and press
conferences. Not to mention, tips of the week from the top fighters
in MMA. Come see what your missing. Try it for a month and if
you don't like it cancel. If you want the most MMA information,
both video and radio interviews, then MMA Premium is the package
for you for less than a happy meal.
Source: MMA Weekly |
HORN
TALKS SONNEN, SILVA AND FUTURE
Jeremy Horn took last night's fight with Chael Sonnen on just
a few days notice and when he hadn't even been training. It looked
like Chael had an opportunity to catch Horn at the right time
and pull off a big win. It wasn't to be. Horn was the featured
guest on MMAWeekly SoundOff Radio Thursday morning and spoke
about the fight, taking it on short notice, and spoke at length
about how he ranks the 185 pound division.
When
Jeremy got the call to fight Sonnen, he was enjoying some much
needed time off. "For the first time in my life, I wasn't
training. I started doing Martial Arts when I was fourteen and
since then I haven't missed more than two or three days in a
row at the gym," said Horn. The guy has participated in
so many fights that he literally can't keep up with the exact
number.
Jeremy
didn't think his not training would be a factor. He said he's
always been more of a "thinking, tactical fighter than an
athlete." He went on to say that he's not in bad shape,
just not in the shape that he normal is. He was right.
Chael
was able to come out and take Horn down in the first round and
control the pace of the action. Sonnen was able to do the same
thing in the second round but the "thinking, tactical"
Horn sunk in a Guillotine Choke half way through the second round
to end the fight.
During
his interview, Jeremy spoke about how he seems to heal extremely
quickly from injuries and that he never really gets injured to
begin with. He said that he would take beatings from his older
brothers when he was young and starting out in Martial Arts and
somewhere along the line, he learned how to defend himself really
well. Regardless of the outcome of his fights, Jeremy said he
has always been able to defend himself.
One
of the few times in his career that he suffered an injury was
in his recent fight with Anderson Silva. He pulled a groin muscle
in what he called a "freak accident" early in the first
round of the fight. Horn said there was never any question if
he would continue after the injury occurred. He stated, "I'm
not going to give up just because I can't attack like I should.
I'm going to keep going at it and keep looking for what's there."
He would end up losing a unanimous decision in that one.
Ever
since David Terrell defeated Matt Lindland, just how to rank
the 185 pound division has been a pretty hot topic of discussion.
According to Jeremy, there are 15-20 fighters who deserve to
be ranked in the top five and you'd have to have a tournament
to sort it all out. He commented that there are so many fighters
who have a lot of skill that just haven't had the opportunity
to show it. At the same time, there are fighters who are over
hyped.
Horn
said there is no doubt that David Terrell is a very skilled grappler
and has looked great in his fights, but he wouldn't put Terrell
in the top five. Terrell had a big win over Matt Lindland but
Jeremy doesn't feel Terrell has fought enough to justify such
a high ranking. He didn't deny that Terrell has skills, he just
feels like he needs more fights to prove his worth.
The
rankings can be very fickle. One bad showing and people are quick
to write a fighter off and drop them in rank like a rock in water.
Horn thinks Joe Doerksen definitely should be in the top five
but his one bad showing in the UFC is what people judge him by.
Jeremy has a point.
As
far as Horn's future, there is no doubt that he will be fighting
soon and often. He doesn't know what is going on with the UFC
and hasn't heard anything from them but he is trying to line
up a fight with Denis Kang in the Canadian fight promotion TKO
for November 25th. To hear all of what Jeremy had to say, check
out the radio archive.
Source: MMA Weekly |
Anderson
Silva's upgrade at TATAME
The
star of Muay Thai Dream Team Anderson Silva returned from England
with lots of energy. Barely reaching Curitiba, he already conducted
a seminar in town. 'I have been working hard, chasing after my
goals and I want to project a name for our group,' reveals Anderson.
Asked about the incident between him and Lee Murray at Cage Rage
8 press conference (his opponents tore Brazilian flag), Anderson
commented:
-
He was arrogant and rude. Fighter needs to respect the other
fighter no matter what. I don't like being disrespected and besieds
our country does not support our sport, we defend it and put
the Brazilian flag on the top - , stated the Muay Thai Dream
Team's champion.
About
Assuério Silva's leaving from MTDT, Anderson Silva said
he just knew through TATAME. 'I was just informed about it. I
guess some people choose different ways. We need to respect his
individuality and we respect his choice. Our friendship remains
and if he needs me, I will be there!,' concludes Anderson.
Source: Tatame |
Quote
of the Day
"There is only one small letter between the words CAN and
CAN'T...and that one letter will TOTALLY change your destiny."
Doug Firebaugh, Author, Speaker
|
Congrats
to Newly Promoted Casca Grossa Students!
Even though there was some cruel jokes from a few people guessing
what the announcement was, we will forget about that.
Congratulations to
the following ACGJJ students that earned their promotions last
night:
Kyle Snyder-Olivares - Purple belt 2 stripes
Malcolm Ahlo - Purple belt 1 stripe
Lester Gantan - Purple belt
Neal Tomimatsu - Purple belt
Bubba Gascon - Orange belt
Terence Matsuno - Blue belt 4 stripes
Gye Nitta - Blue belt 4 stripes
Dexter Kauahi - Blue belt 3 stripes
Garet Maeda - Blue belt 2 stripes
Ryan Fukuda - Blue belt
Byron Izuka - Blue belt
Celeste Maeda - Blue belt
|
Punishment
In Paradise 7: "Braggin Rights"
TICKETS ON SALE!!!
Ticket
Information
Bulls
Pin (Kalihi)
Dino- 330-7108
Team
Bigdogs ( Waianae)
Wayne Perrin
808
Fight Factory (Waipahu)
Kim or Ronald 671-4140
Brennan
Kamaka
330-4483 or second2none@hawaii.rr.com
Barber
Zone (Waianae)
"BRAGGIN
RIGHTS"
Sunday, Oct 10.2004
Punishment
In Paradise Superfight
Wayne Perrin III (Team Bigdogs,Waianae) Vs. Harris Sarimento
(808 Fight Factory, Kailua)
Light
Heavyweight Kickboxing Superfight
PJ Dean (Bad Intentions) Vs. Kaleo Padilla (Westbrook Boxing)
Light
Heavyweight Kickboxing Championship Bout
Bryson Kamaka (808 Fight Factory) Vs. TBA
Flyweight
MMA Bout
Kaipo Gonzales (Eastsidaz, Kailua) Vs. Mark Oshiro (Bulls Pin,
Kalihi)
MMA
Featherweight
Lauren Torry (Hilo, Hawaii) Vs. TBA
Light
Welterweight Kickboxing Bout
Duke Saragosa (808 Fight Factory, Wahiawa) Vs. Jerome Kekumu
(Hardknocks, Waianae)
Welterweight
Kickboxing Bout
Louis Smith (Team Bigdogs, Waianae) Vs. Clayton (Bad Intentions,
Waianae)
Light
Welterweight Kickboxing Bout
Zack Rapal (Freelance, Waianae) Vs. Chris Vale (Bad Intentions,
Waianae)
********NOTE********
There
is a lot of fighters I haven't matched up yet trying to find
the best route for them. Please be patient there are more names
to come...
Also
another heavyweight is needed for a 4 man tournament.
Source:
Event Promoter
|
Jake
Shields Calls Out BJ Penn
Interview
with Jake Shields
GF- Jake you had a great win against Ray Cooper in Hawaii for
the Shooto World Championship. What's next?
JS-
I'm supposed to be fighting again in Japan in December for my
first title defense. It will probably be a rematch against Kikuchi.
I recently tried out for the Ultimate Fighter T.V show, however
they didn't have a 170lbs. division. I would like to fight before
December so I'm going to see what there is available before then.
GF-
If you could fight anyone you wanted, who would it be?
JS-
B.J. Penn.
GF
Why is that?
JS-
He thinks he's the best fighter in the world and I would like
to prove him wrong.
GF-
How do you see that fight going?
JS-
I think I'd knock him out in the later rounds.
GF-
How would you describe your fightintg style?
JS-
Non-stop pressure. I like to keep the pressure on my opponent
constantly until they break.
GF-
Are there any fights you had that really stand out in memory
as being extraordinarily tough?
JS-
Kikuchi was a very good grappler and I'm looking forward to fighting
him again. I'm going to try hard to submit him if we meet again.
Milton Vieira was a crazy fight. He was really wirey and hard
to hold. Sakurai was my greatest win and I have alot of respect
for him. He is one of my favorite fighters.
GF-
Thanks Jake and good luck.
Source:
Gracie Fighter
|
SPORTFIGHT
Tonite: Catching Up With SEAN SHERK
by: Keith Mills
Reno, NV-On September 23rd Sportfight travels to Reno for a very
interesting card with a main event featuring UFC and Pride: Bushido
vet Sean Sherk against Rage In The Cage champion Brian Farber.
For fans who haven’t seen Sherk since his loss to Hughes
in the UFC he has been working hard to reinvent himself by incorporating
more submission skills into his arsenal and trying to break from
his reputation as ‘just another ground-and-pounder’.
Even when he does resort to GnP he is one of the most explosive
and dominating fighters in the sport, a strategy that has earned
him a 31-1-1 record and top rankings in most MMA polls including
ADCC News’ #3 ranking. With this being arguably the highest-profile
show Sherk has had this year could this be the chance we have
been waiting for to witness the ‘new’ Sean Sherk?
KM:
You have been off since the last time I saw you about three or
four months ago. Seems like that has been one of your longest
breaks in the past couple of years. What have you been up to?
SS: Actually I fought last weekend here in Minnesota. I don’t
think they have it on there (internet databases). I fought a
judo guy. I submitted him in about two minutes, side choke. I’m
just scheduling fights for myself and trying to stay busy. After
this fight I have fights in October, November, and am looking
for fights in December.
KM:
I missed another one of your submissions. Last fight I saw of
yours was Extreme Challenge, your only TKO in your last eight
fights. I remember right before that one we talked about working
on your ground game and submissions, becoming more of a well-rounded
fighter. Looks like I caught the one wrong fight of yours to
catch that angle! Can you tell us how your fights have been changing?
SS: I’ve been training submission for a long time and consider
myself to be fairly good at submissions. Now it’s just a
matter of going out there and putting it to use because for a
long time I just relied on my wrestling, my biggest strength.
That is what I was comfortable doing. Now that I’m fighting
in the smaller shows I’m kind of using that to try out a
lot of different things. (In his last fight) I had this guy’s
back and I went for an armbar from on his back instead of just
pounding him out as I would have normally done. I went for an
armbar, I missed it, I actually had the arm straight but he wasn’t
tapping on it…I was on bottom going for the armbar and then
got a quick reversal and then I got the side choke from there.
There were a couple good scrambles in there and submission attempts.
It was good and what people can expect from me from now on. I’m
going to go out there and go after it every time from now on.
KM:
And this was against a judo player too. SS: A judo guy.
KM:
Was that more of a sense of accomplishment then it would have
been against somebody who didn’t have that background? SS:
Yeah, He had a brown belt on, so that is why I wanted the submission
more than anything. Going out there and pounding out a judo guy
isn’t as satisfying to me as getting a submission on him
when the guy is a brown belt.
KM:
So your next one is in Sportfight. What are thoughts on your
opponent Brodie Farber? SS: To be honest I don’t know anything.
They told me he is sambo and wrestling. I’m going to do
the same thing I always do. I’m in great shape (and) I’m
going to come out at 110 miles per hour until the fight is over.
KM:
On the one hand he is the Rage In The Cage champion. This isn’t
in RITC for the belt or anything but does taking on a champion
mean anything extra to you? SS: Yeah, I want to fight some really
good opponents and I’m always asking promoters to give me
the best they can. I’m glad he is the RITC champion. I believe
he is also a 185er too. We are fighting at 175 so I’m going
to be coming up a little bit. I weighed about 168 this morning.
I’m going to be giving up some size too. I hope it is a
good fight, that is what I want.
KM:
What does that size difference mean to you? SS: It doesn’t
mean anything. Everyone I train with is 15-50 pounds heavier.
It’s just not that big of a deal.
KM:
On the other hand he has as many fights in his entire almost
two year career as you have had in the past six months. SS: I
got a little experience on him. I’m not really too worried
about the size difference. This will be my 33rd fight, I got
a lot of experience and I’ll definitely use that.
KM:
How has your mental gameplan changed since picking up so much
experience? SS: It’s really awesome because I am able to
focus a lot more and get into a routine, I know what I need to
do before every fight because I’ve doing it for so long.
This game is really a mental sport, you don’t have it mentally
you aren’t going to be as successful. That is one thing
I’ve gained definitely on all my opponents.
KM:
This card also has Dennis Hallman, Chael Sonnen, and many more.
It’s a step up in attention compared to your post-Hughes
fights. Does the rest of the card mean anything to you as far
as your career as a whole? SS: Yeah, I want to fight on the best
shows. UFC know who I am so it’s not going to be anything
new for them to see me fight. I hope they are there actually
because I’m going to put on a great show for them and let
them see I’ve reinvented myself. I want to get back into
the UFC and Pride and am trying to stay busy in the process.
I’d like to fight in the best events out there.
KM:
You are still #4 on the Full Contact Fighter top 10 and #3 on
the ADCC News top 10. The feedback I’m getting is nobody
wants to fight you despite the opportunities. SS: That is true.
I’ve been telling promoters to get me the best guys out
there and they are telling me these guys are turning down the
fight. Top guys. It’s really frustrating for me because
I don’t fight for the sake of fighting. I like the sport
obviously but I want to be a world champion. I don’t like
fighting in B-level shows against B-level guys, I want to fight
the best guys out there in the best shows and that is just not
happening. It’s frustrating but like I said before I’m
not going anywhere for a long time, so all you people you can
turn your heads all you want but I’m not going anywhere.
They are going to have to recognize I am still here.
KM:
Last thing about Farber himself…he has been isolated to
Arizona, Mexico, and a little in California. You have had a greater
diversity of opponents. Does that mean anything? SS: Yeah, definitely.
That comes with the factor again of experience all over the place.
I know I’m going to be traveling and it’s 70 degrees
in Minnesota right now and it’s probably 105 in Vegas so
I’m going to be prepared for whatever happens. It definitely
becomes a factor.
KM:
Are you coming off your peak training right now? SS: I’m
training hard still. I’m doing or three days now, not doing
the huge workout where I was doing four days. Shape and conditioning
is not going to be a factor.
KM:
Anything else you want to get across to the fans before this
fight? SS: I’d like to give a big shout out to the Minnesota
Martial Arts Academy, that is where I’ve been training since
day one. All my training partners are really really supportive
and really awesome. I’ve been struggling the last year and
a half ever since the UFC let me go and the fans aren’t
letting them forget about it. They are bringing up my name constantly
and I appreciate that so I’d like to thank them and tell
them to keep up the good work.
KM:
Sponsors to thank. Anything change? SS: Full Contact Fighter
obviously and Joel Gold. I’d like to thank Doctor Nash,
he is the guy that has been working on me. Fightingstars.com,
that is the site Doctor Nash runs.
Source:
ADCC
|
MMA
Notebook
Ortiz doing two-a-days in Vegas with Couture; Hughes taking St.
Pierre seriously; Lawler at 195
By Joe Hall
Tito Ortiz recently arrived in Las Vegas to complete the final
four weeks of his UFC 50 training camp. The former light heavyweight
champion had been training in Huntington Beach with Team Oyama
and at the No Limit gym in Irvine, California, before traveling
to Nevada.
"I'm
just trying to focus myself by coming out to Vegas," Ortiz
said over the phone Tuesday night. "I couldn't really focus
at home."
Already
in Sin City was current UFC light heavyweight champion Randy
Couture. "I came out to Vegas because Randy Couture's out
here," said Ortiz, who added that he's had problems finding
training partners in the past. Ricco Rodriguez, Dean Lister,
John Lewis and Muay Thai coach Master Toddy are currently helping
him prepare in Nevada.
Ortiz
is training twice a day with Couture and company and then lifts
and blasts through a cardio routine at night. If you can't beat
them, then learn from them is the credo governing Ortiz's training
with Couture. He followed the same philosophy after Frank Shamrock
stopped him at UFC 22. Shamrock's superior conditioning prevailed
that night, and Ortiz learned later the mechanics of never-ending
cardio from the man himself.
He
figures he can now learn the finer details of superior wrestling
from the man who took him down five times at UFC 44. "I
think I've learned a lot from (Couture) so far, and he's learned
something from me too," Ortiz said. "He's a person
I look up to, and I really respect him as a man and as a fighter.
And I don't really respect many fighters."
Couture
won't be with Ortiz throughout the camp, though, due to his obligations
with the UFC reality television show. The training sessions are
a returned favor after Ortiz helped Couture prepare for his match
against Belfort last month, Ortiz said.
Ortiz
remains on good terms with Team Oyama and said that he will continue
training with them in the future.
ORTIZ VS.
BELFORT?
UFC
President Dana White has stated on record that regardless of
whether Ortiz defeats Guy Mezger on Oct. 22, "The Huntington
Beach Bad Boy" will face Vitor Belfort in Japan on Dec.
12.
Speculation
has centered on whether Ortiz will fight on such short rest,
however, and whether it's wise to plan a show around a fighter
who could easily be injured and unable to compete. At this point,
Ortiz is essentially saying cross your fingers.
"I've
already pretty much verbally agreed to fight Belfort," he
said. "It's just a matter of it happening and us fighting
in Japan. Hopefully I don't get injured during the fight with
Guy or before the fight while training. It's just a matter of
everything going smooth, how it's supposed to be, and you'll
see Tito Ortiz versus Vitor Belfort on December 12 in Japan."
Maybe,
maybe not.
QUICK UPDATE
ON UFC 50 COMPETITORS
Known
for not always training hard, Matt Hughes said Tuesday that he's
"training like (opponent Georges St. Pierre) is the world
champion." If Hughes weren't training hard, though, he probably
wouldn't admit it. Not until after the fight anyway.
Asked
how his training is going, Georges St. Pierre replied "Oh
my god." The Canadian said he began training in July and
will have put in nearly four months of strict dieting and preparation
by the time he walks into the cage for his welterweight title
fight against Hughes. "I swear, you're going to understand
when you see me," he said. "I'm going to be a new Georges
St. Pierre."
Robbie
Lawler, who is moving up from the welterweight class (170) to
fight as a middleweight (185), was walking at about 195 pounds
as of Wednesday afternoon. His punches will pack even more power
at 185, he said.
Trevor
Prangley leaves his home in Idaho on Monday to travel to San
Diego with his friend, UFC veteran Josh Thomson. They'll spend
a week there training with Ken Shamrock, Guy Mezger and company
before moving up to San Jose, where Prangley will finish out
his training camp with Crazy Bob Cook, Javier Mendez and Dave
Camarillo at AKA.
Prangley's
opponent, Ivan Salaverry, is not preparing under Matt Hume at
AMC Pankration in Washington. He's actually in California training
Bob Sapp, who's currently working on the movie, The Longest Yard,
a remake of the 1974 football flick that starred Burt Reynolds.
Salaverry will spend his entire training camp in California and
has been preparing with Maurice Smith, Josh Barnett, ground technician
Eddie Bravo, and Frank Trigg and company at the R-1 gym in Los
Angeles.
Jorge
Rivera has not yet began training at maximum intensity, but says
he will shortly. "I don't want to peak too early, so I haven't
gone full tilt yet, but I'm getting there," he said. "I'm
feeling good right now. I feel strong; I feel good." The
middleweight was walking at about 202 pounds as of Wednesday
afternoon. He was confident his bout against Rich Franklin would
take place, and end, on the feet.
UFC
newcomer Patrick Cote likes his chances on the feet against K-1
veteran Marvin Eastman. In fact, he doesn't think Eastman will
stand with him and won't be able to handle the Canadian's hand
speed if he does. "I'm not sure he wants to trade with me,"
Cote said. "But if he wants to do that, don't worry. I'm
not worried about that."
"If
(Cote) wants to go toe-to-toe, I'll gladly oblige him,"
replied Marvin Eastman. "We can lace ‘em up and see
what happens.... I don't talk smack. I let the opponent talk
smack. I just go in there and do what I have to do because an
ass whoopin' humbles anybody."
Tra
Telligman had the dangerous tone of a fighter with nothing to
lose when he was reached Wednesday. "I don't even care anymore,"
he said. "I'm just having fun. I love to fight. I'm out
to have a good time.... If I win a couple fights, maybe (the
UFC) will give me a shot at something. Maybe not. Who knows?
But right now, I don't even care. Literally, I like to fight.
It makes my heart beat; it makes me feel like I'm living."
Source:
FCF
|
Belfort
to Finally Re-join BTT Next Week!
By Eduardo Alonso
After around four UFC fights sort of on his own, Vitor Belfort
will finally returning to his old home, the Brazilian Top Team.
Unless something very unlikely and unexpected happens, "The
Phenom" is expected to be back at the BTT headquarters in
the city of Rio de Janeiro this coming Monday or Tuesday, to
start training with his old team right away in his preparation
for a likely bout against Tito Ortiz at UFC Japan in December.
Belfort
is reported to be taking care of some personal issues in his
current hometown of Sao Paulo, to then be able to move back to
his birthplace of Rio de Janeiro and his old team. This comes
at a very interesting point in Vitor's career, as he voiced distain
with some problems in his training camp for his last bout against
Randy Couture, saying that some of his trainers created a tough
working environment and that led to a below average performance
in the fight. Soon after this defeat, rumors were running strong
about the former UFC champion returning to the Brazilian Top
Team, with Belfort doing sporadic training sessions with both
Rodrigo "Minotauro" Nogueira and Carlos Barreto, and
what happened in the last few weeks were much needed negotiations
between the fighter himself and the team, since it's well known
that the reason for Vitor's original departure from BTT was caused
by some money issues.
"The
Phenom" still has some friends at his "old house"
and this move may benefit his career in plenty of aspects, as
he will be able to stay closer to his mother during this tough
period of their lives, with his sister still missing, and needless
to stay will have awesome training partners and coaches. FCF
will keep an eye on the developments of Belfort's new phase in
his career.
Source:
FCF
|
Alexandre
Pequeno
By Alexandre Lobo
Here it comes Shooto Brazil 4!
Scheduled
to happen in April, Shooto Brazil 4 will be finally held on next
October 24. First time held outside Rio de Janeiro, the tournament
goes to São Paulo and that is not the only new. Besides
Shooto Brazil's president, Toniko Júnior, the major start
of Japanese organization is involved with the event: Alexandre
Pequeno. Check out now, during this exclusive interview the details
for the upcoming edition of Shooto Brazil, the reason it will
be held in São Paulo and much more about Shooto's kingpin
Pequeno.
Tell
me about this changing from Rio de Janeiro to São Paulo?
The
Shooto Brazil 4 was supposed to be held on last April, but due
to some sponsor's troubles, we had to postpone it. Now, we invited
Paulo Zorello (Brazilian Kickboxing Federation's president) and
he got all excited about it. We closed with him and now we count
with a strong sponsor in São Paulo, which will make the
event possible.
How
was dealing with Zorello?
We
closed this edition of Shooto Brazil 4 and other four more to
next year. All of them in São Paulo. After that we plan
to take Shooto to other states. In Niterói (RJ), we want
to feature some trials to 2005's events.
What
Japanese though about this changing?
They
were worried because of the postponing. So, they got all excited
because we will finally present the event and we have plans to
take it to other states. This will make Shooto even more popular
in Brazil.
Who
is confirmed on the card so far?
We
don't have confirmed names yet, but we have been dealing with
the athletes who won at Shooto Brazil 3 as Luciano Azevedo, Walter
Abá, André Rouberte, Hudson Rocha, Thales Leites
and Luis Besouro. We want to put Rio de Janeiro's fighters Vs
São Paulo ones. Because of the broadcasting, (the event
will be aired by BandSports), we only can feature ten bouts.
It will be seven under Professional Shooto rules (divided in
A and B classes) and three under Muay Thai ones.
And
what happen with that story to put Shooto Brazil winners against
Shooto USA?
For
a while, we need the results and send them to Rich Santoro, who
represents Shooto in America. We don't have anything scheduled,
but we will evaluate it and then we need to deal the belts dispute
matches in each weight.
When
do the Shooto Brazil winners will fight in Japan?
2004
is the year for us. But once we did not have the event, it got
a little bit messed up. After this show, Japanese will take a
look at the winners and I have no doubts they will be invited
to fight in Japan. I remember Shooto beginning, we sent Aritano,
Luciano, Leopoldo Serão, Flávio Peroba and Bruno
Queirós. Now, with this new event, we want to take our
champions to Japan.
Róbson
Moura is travelling soon to fight Mamoru by the Bantamweight
belt. Who wins this fight?
Robinho
wins. I've watched so many tapes of his bouts. He is very technical
and his ground technique will be the key to take Mamoru's belt.
Besides the fact Japanese comes from a Muay Thai and Wrestling
school, he will not be able to keep the fight on the feet. Robinho
is very fast.
You
don't fight since last December. When do you return to the Shooto
ring?
I
will be back in next December, but I decided not to defend my
belt. I have been away from the rings for so long... Shooto asked
me if I wanted to defend or not my belt. I decided not to. When
you don't fight you kind of lose the fight rhythm. In fact, my
last fight against Rumina Sato just took 30 seconds long. I didn't
even warmed up. In Japan, rumors say I must face Hiroyuki Takaya,
the same one who defeated João Roque in January.
People
are already talking about ADCC 2005. Are you in this time?
Well...
I will send my resume to them. I just think the fact Abu-Dhabi
will be disputed in United States is a little tough. How come
they plan to take all those Arabic fighters to US? This year,
I had my visa denied three times. On the last one, I would conduct
some seminars and fight at Naga..., but they've told me the job
offer letter was not enough... I don't know why they don't feature
ADCC 2005 in Japan. It would be better and easier for everybody
get a visa.
Source:
Tatame
|
Assuério
leaves Muay Thai Dream Team
In November of 2003, Muay Thai black belt Assuério Silva
left Chute Boxe followed by Anderson Silva, Silvio Urutum and
Rodrigo Vidal. However, 10 months later Assuério does
another move. He leaves the Muay Thai Dream Team for a solo project.
"I don't have plans to join any other team. Unless its a
very ethical team," state the fighter revealing the major
reason of his leaving is the train method. "There was not
train for me at MTDT. I used to train only with the lighters
and it wasn't good at all. Now I will train with friends, on
my own. With my new manager Hideo Takada and new contacts I've
made, I will be able to train all the time," said the Muay
Thai black belt.
"I
am leaving Muay Thai Dream Team because is a boat sinking and
I don't want to sink with it. Now I am on my own and I will train
with friends. I have some Boxing friends in São Paulo
and I really care for the fighters from Northeast. I think that
way I will grow up and develop as a fighter. I also have in mind
to train over seas", guarantees the fighter who was in Japan
few weeks ago, where closed a deal with Korean fight event Gladiators
Fighting Championship. Besides the upcoming fight schedule to
November, other two bouts are on the road.
In
Japan, the heavyweight fighter also was the referee at Battle
Front 1and conducted seminars at Toshin Gym, in Nagoya. Now,
Assuério is getting ready to do another trip. This time
to Thailand, where he plans to spend a couple of weeks training
Muay Thai.
Source:
Tatame
|
HUGHES
SAYS EXPERIENCE WILL GIVE HIM ANOTHER WIN
by Jeff Cain
It was a Welterweight Wednesday on MMAWeekly SoundOff Radio with
featured guests Matt Hughes, Sean Sherk and radio show co-host
Frank Trigg. Excluding BJ Penn, the top three welterweights in the world were
on the show the same day. All three have fights coming up and
spoke about them.
Matt
Hughes will be taking on Georges St.Pierre at UFC 50 in Atlantic
City for the vacant UFC Welterweight title. Matt has been training
like he usually does for fights. He has been trying to get in
the best shape that he can and has been working on his striking.
Hughes
characterized St. Pierre as a good striker that is well versed
in submissions and aggressive. "I think he's a guy that
people like to watch fight because he is aggressive," said
Hughes. Matt feels like his experience will be a big factor in
this fight. About St. Pierre, Matt commented, " He could've
beat me about 10 years ago, but he isn't experienced enough..."
Hughes
expects St. Pierre will want to keep the fight standing but said,
"I think I'll be able to take him down at will." Matt
also said, "I do think if I can get on top of him, I can
finish the fight there." Hughes explained, "If someone's
going to come out there and try and get aggressive with their
hands and try to throw punches at you, it would be a lot easier
to take them down. If he's walking towards me, it's going to
be that much easier to take him down." Having said that,
Matt went on to say, "I've thought that I was going to be
the winner before and I lost so I'm not taking anything for granted.
I'm not overlooking anything."
Frank
Trigg, MMAWeekly SoundOff Radio co-host and UFC welterweight
fighter, will be fighting Charuto Verissimo at UFC 50. Matt Hughes
recently defeated Charuto at UFC 48 and gave his insight on the
match up. Hughes said, "Frank is the best fighter I've ever
fought who was on top of me." He doesn't feel that Trigg
will have any trouble taking Verissimo down. "If Frank can
stay out of the submission holds while being on top of him, Frank
will beat him."
Matt
Hughes isn't the type of guy that takes loses hard. He doesn't
dwell on them. Matt said, "I could care less if I fight
BJ Penn again." He did add however, "If he wants to
come back to the UFC and fight me, show me where to sign the
papers."
Not
only does Matt not take loses to heart, fighting isn't even his
first love. "I'm doing this sport because I'm good at it,"
said Hughes. Farming is his first love. He said, "If I wasn't
good at it, I'd be farming." He said some interesting things
about the welterweight belt. "The biggest reason that I
like that belt is because it's security. If I'm the champion,
the UFC has to have me fight and they have to pay me decent money.
Besides that, you can put that belt around someone else. If they
would give me security, I wouldn't care. I wouldn't care about
it," stated Hughes.
Matt
has bills to pay so he has every intention on winning that belt
back at UFC 50 when he takes on Georges St. Pierre. He plans
on plowing his way to financial security and harvesting himself
a UFC welterweight title.
One
part of the interview was pretty interesting. Here's a quick
paraphrase of it and if you get a chance, definitely check out
the radio archive because it was that good....
Ryan
Bennett: Do you dwell on the BJ loss? How devastating was that
loss?
Hughes:
I would not use the word devastating; as with, Hallman I could
care less about fighting BJ Penn again. When I got home I was
fine and just looked to the next match. I could care less what
he does, if he wants to come back to the UFC And fight me, show
me the pen & paper, if not I'm not really caring about tracking
him down etc.
Frank
Trigg: HOLD ON, HOLD ON!!! you're tryin to tell me that the who
I KNOW , YOU KNOW and the rest of the planet knows you'd beat
9/10 times gets his 1 thing his 1 lucky shot and wins, you don't
wanna fight him again and beat the piss out of him?
Hughes:
Nope, I don't fight well from anger anyhow.
Bennett:
"That's how Hughes is, he is the same with Hallman...Matt
has always told me that"
Trigg:
"No, this is not the same, Hallman is a piece of crap, this
guy BJ moved up in weight and got his luck win off, Matt is arguably
the best pound for pound fighter in the world if I were him I'd
wanna take BJ and be like listen little man, this is how it goes
then pound his head into the cage"
Hughes
-" No, I'm not upset, I guess I drum to a different beat.
I do this sport cause I like it not cause I'm mad, I make a good
living I pay my bills, if I weren't doing this I'd be farming.
Another reason I like the belt is because it's security, UFC
pays me well & they keep me around so long as I'm champ.
Hughes
finished the interview: Ryan I'll catch you later, Frankie, I'll
see you in Atlantic city and good luck in your fight.
Trigg
- You too, beat the piss out of St. Pierre so we can rematch
lol.
The
entire interview can be heard at mmaweeklyradio.com and just
click on the radio archive to listen to this great interview.
Source:
MMA Weekly
TERRELL-
TOUGH ROAD AHEAD IN JAPAN
David
Terrell wants to honor the remainder of his Pancrase contract
and with the UFC's blessing he will starting in December in Japan.
MMAWeekly's Tom Call has learned who Terrell's next opponent
is in Pancrase and it's not an easy one by any stretch of the
imagination.
MMAWeekly
has learned that Terrell will fight Keiichiro Yamamiya of Japan.
Yamamiya's record is 31-18-8; including, a recent win over Team
Quest's Chael Sonnen by decision back in July.
Yamamiya
has fought a ton of top fighters in MMA with many notable wins
including wins over Chris Lytle, Denis Kang, Nathan Marquardt.
His losses include Yuki Kondo, Bas Rutten, and Eugene Jackson;
not to mention, a draw with Jeremy Horn.
It
should be a very interesting fight indeed. Terrell would like
to fight at the beginning of the new year back in the UFC, but
for now will focus on this upcoming fight for Pancrase in Japan.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Quote
of the Day
"That best portion of a good man's life; His little, nameless,
unremembered acts; Of kindness and love."
William Wordsworth, 1770-1850, British Poet
|
All
Casca Grossa Students Needed Tonight!
Can we have all of our Academia Casca Grossa de Jiu-Jitsu students
come to class tonight at 8:00 pm? We will be having a big announcement.
See
you at class!
|
Hawaii
Kickboxing Championships
Early December TENANTIVELY
Aloha all you Kickboxers and fans. We are holding a state Kickboxing
Championship event. It would be like a tournament style. It all
depends on how many guys you have in your weight class. BIG Trophies
will be awarded to the top 3 finishers. This is just one step
closer to having a TEAM Hawaii compete in the Nationals in 2005.
So all TEAMS and fighters that want to compete please register
your fighter with us. Teams and fighters will have to the last
Friday of November to register. To register please call 330-4483
or email us at second2none@hawaii.rr.com with an address so
we can send the registration to you and let us know how many
you need so we can send it to you ASAP.
There will be a $10.00 deposit per fighter just so we don't get
last minute pull outs. None of the money is refundable unless
a doctors note is given. Any questions about weight classes?
Don't worry one will be given per team so you know what you want
to fight in.
Do you have what it takes to be a STATE CHAMPION!!!!!! |
UFC
DIVISION A MESS WITH INJURIES
The Heavyweight picture in the UFC went from bad to worse this
weekend when Frank Mir had a bad motorcycle accident that basically
broke his leg and will keep him on the shelf for at least a year.
Now the UFC will be left scrambling trying to figure out what
to do with the Heavyweight division and their options are very
limited to put it nicely. If you look at just how injured the
division is, it's truly incredible.
Mir
ironically ended the year for Tim Sylvia who broke a couple of
bones in his forearm. Sylvia was originally slated to fight in
Japan in December, but the arm most likely won't heal in time,
so don't look for Sylvia on the card. Sylvia's teammate, Justin
Eilers who is a young promising prospect, won't be able to fight
anytime soon, as he broke two bones in his hand and he also won't
be ready before the end of the year. So basically you have Andrei
Arlovski, who is coming off a broken hand as well against, well....nobody
for the rest of the year.
I
received a few emails from some people who heard rumors about
a possible UFC Heavyweight Tournament. Yeah? With who? Tank Abbott,
Cabbage, Paul Varleans, Mark Coleman, Mike Kyle, and Gan McGee?
I mean how on earth are you going to do a tournament with 90%
of the UFC Heavyweight roster on the shelf. To the UFC's credit
they are bringing back Tra Telligman, but if your in there shoes
you have to hope John Marsh has an impressive debut against Telligman.
Zuffa needs to make a few calls to guys like Travis Wiuff, who
was not ready for his first shot against Vladimir Matyushenko,
but that was two years ago and he hasn't lost since. He seems
to be ready for a return to the big time.
For
now though, Joe Silva, UFC Matchmaker and UFC President Dana
White will have plenty on their mind to figure out what to do
with the division..Maybe now they focus on 185 and 170 a lot
more than they were going to do. (Yeah 155 would be great, but
that's a pipe dream). Until then, UFC has a giant problem with
the giants in the division that is known as the injured UFC Heavyweight
picture.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
ADCC
Submission Wrestling North American Trials
Preist Gym, Vernon, Canada
September 18th, 2004
The
Champions of the 2005 North American Trials - KARIM BYRON of
Canada at 99 KG plus, JAVIER VAZQUEZ of California's Showtime
JJ in the under 65.9 KG class, CAMERON EARLE of Ralph Gracie
in the 66-76.9 KG class, MARCOS AVELLAN of Freestyle Fighting
Academy in Miami at 77-87.9 KG and Renzo Gracie's JAMAL PATTERSON.
See you boys in LONG BEACH
Beautiful,
but remote Vernon, Canada, hosted the ADCC's Submission Wrestling
North American Qualifiers. Five hours of grappling saw a field
of new faces to the ADCC's submission wrestling system battle
at an unbelievably high level, until one man in each weight class
would emerge as champion. The champions would be the first OFFICIAL
invitees to the ADCC 2005 Submission Wrestling World Championships.
UNDER
65.9 KG
'This field was deep.' explains spokesman Miguel Iturrate. 'The
obvious matchup everyone wanted to see was Alberto Crane and
Javier Vazquez. There is a history between the two, and everyone
wanted to see that. But Jeff Glover was very sneaky, Rami Boukai
was also in a class by himself. Canada's Rob Dicenso gave Vazquez
a long match in the first round, and Crane caught Steve Granieri
quickly in round 1. Glover and David Yi had a hard fought match
in round 1. Yi, from Cesar Gracie's school, was able to hold
off everything Glover threw at him, but lost on points after
10 minutes. Boukai took out Matt Leo, a very game Canadian who
replaced Renzo Gracie's Alan Teo at the last minute, as Teo's
knee would not hold up to competition.
In
round 2, Vazquez and Glover battled in a match that many thought
was the best of the competition. Vazquez would finish it with
a triangle, but not before young Glover swept the former KOTC
champ 2x. Afterwards, Vazquez would say about the match 'Man,
I looked at Glover right after and said, that was fun.'
Boukai
and Crane was anything but fun, as war never is. Boukai, who
was the 9th selection in the 2001 trials was very focused, and
this also was a candidate for best match. Crane scored 2 points
late in the game, after a gritty performance on defense that
may have worn Boukai out. This was attrition.
Vazquez
and Crane materialized, and it was all that could be expected.
Crane lost the initial postion battle, and had to defend with
Javi on his back. A grueling contest, Vazquez seemed to be on
the attack throughout, but the score was 0-0 after 18 minutes
of the 20 minute final. In the end, with Crane picking up the
pace, it would be Vazquez who scored to take the match away definitely.
'Vazquez is back, which is great to see. This was a grueling
tournament, with an emotional rematch in the finals, and his
knee held up well. He will represent the TRIALS well.'
66-76.9
KG
Several invitees, such as Diego Sanchez and Kenny Florian, chose
to pursue other opportunities, and defending champion Pablo Popovich
is recovering from surgery. The field filled out nicely, with
several fast submissions and a couple of all out battles. Cameron
Earle would establish himself early with a arm lock submission
of Grappler's Edge wrestler Eric Koble. Canadian Mark Bocek would
take out Cesar Gracie's Marty Armendarez in a ten minute match
by points.
In
a controversial match, Tyson Griffin, a David Terrell student,
was battling Tyrone Glover for 7 minutes, and was caught in an
armlock that resulted in a scramble. The referee saw a tap, something
vehemently denied by Griffin. A review of the tape could not
lead to a reversal, and Glover advanced. Renzo Gracie's Kurt
Pelligrino would arm lock Canada's Scott Schilling. Pelligrino
was impressive throughout.
Pelligrino
would go on to take out Tyrone Glover in round 2, while Earle
and Bocek engaged in a rematch. Bocek has been considered one
of the most technical of the Canadians, and he has certainly
elevated his game. One observer said 'in fact, his style is well
suited to the ADCC rules. He spends his energy well, and has
good game on top and on bottom.' Earle won the first match, and
he would catch Bocek in an ankle lock to advance in the Trials
as well. Earle was on a roll.
Pelligrino
and Earle would battle for 23 minutes in the final, as the OT
ensued when the 20 minute period ended 2-2. Pelligrino felt the
judges missed a negative for Earle pulling guard, and he let
people know about it. In the end, it was Earle who finished with
a guillotine that Pelligrino chose to sleep rather than tap to,
during the OT.
77-87.9
KG
Team
Ground Hog's Justin Garcia, from the Bronx, tangled with ADCC
1999 World Championships veteran Ryan Harvey. In 1999, Harvey
would be luckless, drawing eventual champion Jean Jacques Machado
in round 1. Harvey would fair no better, succumbing to Garcia
in about 1 minute.
Canadian
Qualifier champion Corey Macdonald would tangle with Lance Gibson's
Kerry Mirkyluk. Macdonald was doing well until he sustained an
injury to his ribs. 'I took a hard body shot boxing last week'
explained the game Canadian, but it would be fellow countryman
Mirkyluk who would continue.
Marcos
Avellan would take on a game Nick Ring, who finished 2nd in the
Canadian Qualifiers. Avellan took the back and sank the hooks,
but after the points, a scramble ensued that saw Avellan trying
to keep Ring's hooks off as time expired. Avellan would win on
points 2-0, but he was just getting started.
Richard
Macauley would meet Amal Easton in the final match of the opening
round. mcauley would grind out a 4-2 victory, leading at the
end of ten minutes 2 sweeps to 1.
Avellan
would step it up against Macauley in round 2. Macauley is very
game, and he forced Avellan to pick up the pace. Avellan has
a full bag of reliable tricks, and after 10 minutes, he was up
5-0 on the hard working Macauley.
On
the other side, Garcia would wait for the points and then kicked
it into high gear, scoring 3x for mount and 1 for knee in the
stomach. He took Kerry out with a submission after being up 8-0.
Avellan
and Garcia would battle for the full twenty minutes, making Avellan
the who spent the most time on the mats. Crafty Avellan scored
two points on a takedown, and stayed busy enough to avoid the
stalling minus, though he was warned towards the end. A well
deserved win, however for Avellan, who traveled for two days
to arrive at the event, and had to cut weight to make the required
194 lbs.
88-98.9
KG
Asa
Fuller from Cleber Luciano's club would tangle with Denver's
Eliot Marshall. Marshall finished with a submission before the
start of the points.
Rick
Migliarese and Brandon Vieira would battle in the most entertaining
match of the first round. Migliarese would lose a point after
not finishing on an attempted flying triangle-armlock attempt
that pleased the crowd.
Eventual
champion Jamal Patterson of Renzo Gracie's school would take
out Canadian qualifier Phil Vandenbeukel in a rugged match. Patterson
looked much more fit and in shape than he did for the 2001 Trials,
where he lost to 2001 champion Dean Lister.
In
the final match of the bracket, Grapplers Edge wrestler Brandon
Ruiz would square of with Canadian MMA fighter Jason Macdonald.
Ruiz would finish with a guillotine about 6 minutes in.
Patterson
would make short work of Ruiz, submitting for the second time
in the tournament. Vieira would also make short work of Marshall,
catching a submission in less than 2 minutes, setting up a rematch
of a previous fight in the finals.
Patterson
had beaten Vieira before, but he also saw Vieira as the class
of the field. For 11 minutes they grappled, with both men playing
hard. It would be Patterson who initiated the finishing transition,
ending with a smother choke from the top position.
99
KG
This field suffered attrition worst of all, as three competitors
would compete in a round robin after 5 last minute drop outs.
'Incredibly, the effort the guys put out was every bit as tough
as a 8 man tournament' one observer stated.
It
was Canada v. Canada in the opening match, as wrestler Seanm
Geris took on 2x pre Trials champion Karim Byron in a tough match.
Byron is massive, but he has improved his mobility and balance
- twice Geris went for risky throws and wound up with Byron on
top of him, pinning him. The wrestler struggled with the bigger
man on top, as Byron's mat work has grown since joining Soares
JJ. When he got up, inevitalby, Byron resisted the takedowns
and got the win.
Byron
against Renzo Gracie's Rob Constance would turn into an epic
battle. 3 OT's were taken to decide this, as Constance took on
the mountain that is Karim. Karim showed improved nimbleness,
as he resited takedown attempts, often hoping on one foot as
Constance shot. Though both tired, the energy level was very
high throughout, and in the end, the judges gave the deicision
to Karim Byron, Canada's first official qualifier and 4th official
invitee - congratulations to SUGAR BEAR!
NOTES
FOR THE RECORD:
Our friends at ONTHEMAT.COM were at the event, so check out there
site for their perspective on this event. Really in depth look
- check it out!
Several
competitors were held up at the border in Canada, and the trip
was more grueling than expected. 'Overall, the level of fighting
was great, the EVOLUTION MMA hosts were great and things went
OK, but as the North American Trials, it is an event that needs
to be SEEN. This was a lesson learned' states the spokesman,
rerferring to the sparce crowd for Vernon's first grappling event.
A
photo gallery courtesy of Evolution MMA will be up later this
week as well!
OFFICIAL
WEIGHTS AND BRACKETS:
The
weigh ins were conducted on Friday September 17th at 5 PM.
under
65.9 (145.2)
Rami Boukai (145.2)
Matt Leo (137.0)
Alberto
Crane (144.8)
Steve Granieri (145.2)
Jeff
Glover (141.0)
David Yi (142.0)
Javier
Vazquez (145.1)
Rob Dicenso (144.4)
66-76.9
(169.4)
Cameron Earle (168.7)
Eric Koble (166.8)
Scott
Schilling (168.5)
Kurt Pelligrino (169.2)
Mark
Bocek (166.0)
Marty Armendarez (166.5)
Tyrone
Glover (168.2)
Tyson Griffin (168.9)
77-87.9
(193.6)
Justin Garcia (193.0)
Ryan Harvey (184)
Corey
Macdonald (190.1)
Kerry Mirkluk (192.6)
Marcos
Avellan (191.5)
Richard Macauley (193.5)
Nick
Ring (193.1)
Amal Easton (192.0)
88-98.9
(217.8)
Asa Fuller (214.0)
Eliot Marshall (213.5)
Rick
Migliarese (208.0)
Brandon Vieira (217.8)
Jamal
Patterson (216.2)
Phil Vandenbeukel (217.2)
Jason
Macdonald (215.1)
Brandon Ruiz (214.7)
99+
(over 217.8)
Rob Constance (245.5)
Sean Geris (235.5)
Karim Byron (300 plus)
EVENT
AWARDS:
MOST TECHNICAL FIGHTER: Cameron Earle
FASTEST SUBMISSION: Alberto Crane
BEST MATCH: Alberto Crane v. Javier Vazquez
ADCC
2005 - A LOOK AT THE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
So,
who is in? The North American Qualifiers are the first additions
to the Champions from last year. Latest word is that champions
Saulo Ribeiro and Jon Olav Einmo are recovering from injuries
sustained.
UNDER
65.9 KG
DEFENDING CHAMPION: Leo Vieira (Brazil)
North American Champion: Javier Vazquez
66-76.9
KG
DEFENDING CHAMPION: Marcelo Garcia (Fabio Gurgel, Brazil)
North American Champion: Cameron Earle (Ralph Gracie, CA)
77-87.9
KG
DEFENDING CHAMPION: Saulo Ribeiro (Brazil)
North American Champion: Marcos Avellan (Freestyle Fighting Academy,
FL)
88-98.9
KG
DEFENDING CHAMPION: Jon Olav Einmo (Team Scandinavia, Norway)
North American Champion: Jamal Patterson (Renzo Gracie, NYC)
99
KG
DEFENDING CHAMPION: Marcio 'Pe de Pano' Cruz (Gracie, Brazil)
North American Champion: Karim Byron (Soares JJ, Canada)
Source:
ADCC
|
Under
66 KG North American Qualifier Champion Javier Vazquez!
In
the ADCC North American qualifier last weekend Javier “Showtime”
Vazquez won the -65.9 kg division. This qualifier was for the
6th World Championships to be held in May of 2005.
Javi
is well known to readers of ADCC News as the former Lightweight
champion of King Of The Cage, until he lost his title to Alberto
Crane. Interestingly Javi met Alberto again in the finals of
this very qualifier but we’ll hear more about that later
from Javi himself.
KM:
You did very well last weekend. Welcome back! What are your thoughts
on qualifying? JV: It’s a lifelong goal that I got to meet.
Honestly things couldn’t have gone better. Everything just
went right. Made weight real easy, it wasn’t a hard cut
at all. I got a good draw. They were good opponents but I was
very confident in the draw I had. I got treated great out there,
the event did a great job and took good care of us. The only
low point was the layover in Seattle. I had one going in and
one coming back.
KM:
I keep hearing it is a very beautiful stretch of country. JV:
really really nice. It’s beautiful scenery and very nice
out there.
KM:
How long were you training for this? JV: About six weeks. About
the same as I always do for a fight. Dieting along with that…I
usually don’t have to diet, I usually don’t have to
cut any weight at all. When I started to come down I was about
180 pounds and I got down to 145. It was a bit of a drop.
KM:
And you still pulled it off. JV: Yeah, I felt pretty good.
KM:
I heard in your first two matches you won by submission. I don’t
remember who they were against. JV: The first guy was a Canadian
qualifier Rob DiCenso who was pretty good. The second guy was
Jeff Glover who has been on fire as far as submission wrestling
goes.
KM:
What were the submissions? JV: Two triangles. Each match went
about four minutes. I caught them pretty early so that was good,
I had energy for the finals.
KM:
Can you clarify the differences in ADCC rules where they have
the first couple minutes where there are no points… JV:
For the first two matches it is five minutes ‘no points’
and five minutes with points. In the finals it is ten minutes
no points and ten minutes points.
KM:
So both of your first two were by triangle in the ‘no points’
period. I keep going back and forth with liking those rules because
too many times I see people just stall until points and pass
guard once for the rest of the match. Joy, I watched twenty minutes
of Jeff Monson passing guard once. You showed the intended side
by taking chances before points started. How do you feel about
the differences with that ‘no points’ period? JV: It
doesn’t bother me, I’m going to try to submit everyone
all the time. If I have to win by points I’m good at scoring
points and all that stuff. My goal was to submit all three opponents
and I was really really close to doing that. I was actually pretty
happy with everything. I’m not there to win by points, I’m
there to show dominance.
KM:
Here’s a real easy softball pitch for you. It seems like
these rules are tailor made to your style. C’mon, run with
that one…I can’t give you an easier question. (Both
laugh). JV: I’m not going to argue because I have the takedown
ability (still laughing) and the submission ability and can pretty
much do whatever I want because most people can’t take me
down. I can pretty much do whatever I want the first five minutes;
I can always pop up to my feet and get the takedown. The rules
to me (still laughing), they are tailor made for me and I’ve
known that for years, it’s just getting in and having the
time to train for it. I think I’m going to surprise a lot
of people at the Abu Dhabi Worlds. I think a lot of people don’t
know who I am, they are going to find out.
KM:
MMA and submission wrestling are almost two different audiences.
The MMA people don’t entirely respect the submission cross-overs
and vice versa. How do you feel about that, crossing over and
not getting that early respect? JV: That all depends on what
kind of submission guy they are. Some guys who have a good takedown,
obviously they are going to do well in MMA. A lot of guard players,
that is all they do is guard. They are going to have a tough
time on their back and they are going to get held down and hit
and they are going to lose decisions. It all depends on what
kind of style you have. A lot of guys in submission wrestling
put you in half guard and that is great for submission wrestling
but you put somebody in half guard in MMA you are going to get
pounded. People tend to forget the first thing I was was a wrestler.
I always have takedowns on my side. It allows me to put people
wherever I need to put them. If a guy has a great guard I can
always sit to my back, if the guy has a great top game I can
always put them on their back. It’s a big advantage to me
I can dictate the fight.
KM:
You know having seen you fight Crane in MMA I’d like to
hear about the finals in more detail. I didn’t see anything
about the time of your match. JV: It was an interesting match,
went the full twenty minutes but the first ten minutes I was
either on his back or in the mount. The next eight minutes I
was trying to pass his guard and he was working from half guard.
Towards the end we ended up standing up, I took him down, and
I almost took his back again. The final score was 2-0 but everyone
that was there said it was complete domination although the score
didn’t show it. If you would have been keeping track of
points it would have been like 16-0.
KM:
There is that first ten minutes not counting. You went twenty
minutes in a row there, it’s not like they give you a break
at scoring time, they just say ‘points’. JV: Exactly.
Actually I was surprised at how good a shape I was in. It was
not tiring at all. You watch the video I was not even breathing
hard. I actually had a nutritionist and my cardio was really
good.
KM:
How much of a break between those three matches was there? JV:
I actually had a good break. The Heavyweight finals, there were
only three guys in Heavyweight, ended up being a twenty-five
minute match and then we got a half hour break right after the
twenty-five minute match. I got a little over an hour break between
my second and third match. I got about forty-five minutes between
my first and second. Like I said, things couldn’t have gone
more perfect. Everything fell into place really well.
KM:
You fought Crane in MMA and then you faced him in the finals
of this qualifier. Did you have any feelings going into that
of either apprehension or motivation? JV: I planned it. I knew
he was going to win his half of the bracket because he is very
talented, very good. Everyone was worried, like ‘don’t
let your emotions get a hold of you’ and actually I was
just very very calm, cerebral, and focused. I tried not to let
it get to me, I was just there to do my job and my job was to
qualify. I would have liked to have tapped him and I was close
I thought actually at two points, but I was happy to get the
win.
KM:
What was happening at those two points you just mentioned? JV:
I had his back and I had my forearm under his throat and when
I went to change my hands to change to the rear naked he made
some space and closed the move. Towards the end of the match
we got in a scramble and ended up with leglocks and I ended up
with an inverted heel hook and popped his ankle. He didn’t
tap. He’s a tough guy. He never really put me in danger
so I was closer to finishing than he was to me by far. I didn’t
feel I was in any danger at all.
KM:
You said going into the finals you just felt calm and focused.
How did you feel when it was over? You not only qualified but
you qualified by beating Crane. JV: It took a while to really
sink in. It was just kind of like ‘okay, I won’ and
I just sat there. I actually started crying a little bit, my
eyes got a little watery when I started thinking about it after.
Such a rollercoaster with him and everything that happened, so
I just started thinking about it and got a little choked up.
KM:
Thank your sponsors? JV: First off I want to thank Derek Lewis,
he paid for my plane ticket and took care of a lot of accommodations
for me also. Total Fitness, my personal training Scott at Total
Fitness. Corral, my gi sponsor. Also onthemat.com. My first instructional
DVD will be there hopefully before Christmas. They are the main
ones that helped me out for this.
KM:
Anything else to get across to the fans before the Worlds? JV:
I’m just going to try to stay healthy and I’m not looking
to just be there, I’m looking to win it.
Source: ADCC
|
CONTROVERSY
SURROUNDING FIGHT
This weekend in Southern California there were some fights held.
Pete Spratt took on John Cronk and the fight ended in controversial
fashion. Chris Brennan who was in the corner of Spratt gave this
account on the Underground Forum.
"The
choke had nothing to do with the win. Pete beat Cronk BADLY for
4:40 if the round. I mean made a fucking punching bag out of
him. With 15 seconds left Cronk swinging wildly (eyes closed)
caught Pete with a left that dropped him and got on him and choked
him. He was done from the punch."
"Well
after John got done talking shit and I got done slapping him
in the ring they took his gloves off and he had rings on both
hands. Yes he was wearing rings on both his hands under the gloves.
I have no idea if it had any play in the outcome but Pete was
really toying with him the entire round and I give Cronk credit
that he wasn't knocked out already but he got up and said "BOY
you never been hit by anybody like me before you mother fucker"
and I said don't talk shit now you were getting your ass handed
to you for 99% of the fight and then he tried to say something
about my ears and I slapped him like a girl. I hope he and Pete
rematch and Pete hurts him. Anyway fun day at the fights. PS
thay gave the fight a NO CONTEST because of the rings"
Interesting
enough. The other interesting thing was how there was even fights
taking place in Southern California since MMA hasn't been approved.
This is what we know about these fights. This was a post on the
Soundoff Forum from an eye witness account.
"There
was room for about 50 spectators hanging out in a studio with
a boxing ring in the middle at a soundstage in Southern California.
They had actual NHB fights there tonight between some guys who
have fought in the UFC like Pete Spratt and Aaron Brink as well
as professional wrestlers like the "Hawk" guy from
Tough Enough and WWE. John Salley the former hoops guy was doing
commentary and Stephen Quadros did play by play. The event was
called Venom and they are going to put this straight to DVD.
There was 21 fights scheduled and they are doing three different
DVD's with 7 fights a piece."
Source: MMA Weekly
|
A.
Nasal wins at Cyclone Cup tourney
Adriano
Nasal (BTT) was the great champion of the lightweight mini tournament
of the IV Supercampeonato Cyclone de Submission, which happened
yesterday (19) at the Clube de Regatas do Vasco da Gama gymnasium,
in Rio de Janeiro. His first victim was Peterson Mello (Boxe
Thai), with a take down. In the other side of the bracket, Danilo
Cherman (Nova União) submitted Eduardo Simões (GBCT)
via arm-lock. In the final, Nasal kicked ass and submitted Cherman
via guillotine choke.
Duing
the other super fight, Alexandre Café (GBCT) defeated
Rodrigo Riscado (NU/Campos) by points, after applying a take
down. Riscado was doing better and trying to catch Café
with a guillotine choke. This was the second Café's victory
over Riscado under Submission rules. After the bout, Riscado
challenged Café: "Submission is small for us. We
need to solve our differences on the ring". The challenge
was accepted by the Gracie Barra black belt, who will wait for
a place, date and purse.
Source: Tatame
|
Shogun
and Acácio intensify training
Its
not only Wanderlei Silva who is training hard at Chute Boxe training
Center, in Curitiba. Wanderlei, who gets ready to fight for his
belt against Quinton Jackson on next October 31, has been followed
by Maurício Shogun and Daniel Acácio. During the
last days, both of them are intensifying the training to a possible
fight at upcoming Pride Bushido, scheduled to next October 14.
Shogun and Acácio are training for three daily shifts
and according to Chute Boxe's leader, Rudimar Fedrigo, they are
confident to rock! "Shogun is fine and training hard. Daniel
is faster then ever and dryer. He now gets ready to join the
under 84kg division," guarantees Fedrigo who, does not confirm
their presence at Japanese event. Japanese press has been considering
as real Shogun's presence and according to them, he would face
Yasuhito Namekawa.
Source: Tatame
|
PANCRASE
2004 BRAVE TOUR - October Lineup!
PANCRASE 2004 BRAVE TOUR
Tuesday, October 12, 2004
doors open; 5:30PM
fights start; 6:30PM
Korakuen Hall (Tokyo,Japan)
COMPLETE
CARD SUBJECT TO CHANGE:
Amateur
Bout #1 Pancrase Gate lightweight tournament 2x5 min rounds
TAKU ARAMAKI (P's LAB Yokohama) vs HIROYUKI OTA (Team POD)
Amateur
Bout #2 Pancrase Gate lightweight tournament 2x5 min rounds
MASATO ONODERA (A-3) vs KAZUYA HIROSE (IMN Grappling)
Pro-Bout
#1 featherweight 2x5 min rounds
MIKI SHIDA (P's LAB Tokyo) vs MASAYUKI DEMISE (Wajutsu Keishukai
GODS)
Pro-Bout
#2 lightweight 2x5 min rounds
NUKINPO! (P's LAB Tokyo) vs KAZUHIRO INOUE (INPLACE)
Pro-Bout
#3 catchwrestling rules lightweight 2x5 min rounds
TAKUMI YANO (Ugokai) vs TAKUO MIYATA (Nagoya Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
Club)
Pro-Bout
#4 middleweight 2x5 min rounds
HIKARU SATO (PANCRASEism) vs KYOSUKE SASAKI (U-FILE CAMP.com)
Pro-Bout
#5 middleweight 2x5 min rounds
OSAMI SHIBUYA (middleweight 9th ranked/PANCRASEism) vs KIM SEONG
HEE (Korea/NeoFight)
Pro-Bout
#6 welterweight 3x5 min rounds
TAKAFUMI ITO (welterweight 3rd ranked/PANCRASEism) vs HIDETAKA
MONMA (A-3)
Semifinal
welterweight 3x5 min rounds
KOJI OISHI (welterweight 1st ranked/PANCRASEism) vs HIDEHIKO
HASEGAWA (SK Absolute)
Main
Event middleweight 3x5 min rounds
EIJI ISHIKAWA (middleweight 4th ranked/Pancrase GRABAKA) vs YUSHIN
OKAMI (Wajutsu Keishukai Tokyo Hombu)
Source: ADCC
|
Quote
of the Day
"But the only way of discovering the limits of the possible
is to venture a little way past them into the impossible."
Arthur C. Clark 1917-, British Science Fiction Writer
|
Rumble
Vision Tonight
Channel 5 (K5)
10:30 PM
Fights from Rumble on the Rock will be shown on K5 (Channel 5)
tonight at 10:30 PM.
RUMBLE
AT ROUND TABLE
Beer, pizza, fights, What more could a man ask for?
Join us Wednesday nights at Round table Pizza in Waikiki, the
official home of Rumblevision.
Round
Table Pizza is located inside the Ohana East Hotel @150 Kaiulani
Ave. (Across Perry's Smorgy). Validated parking available inside
the Hotel.
For
more info call (808) 944-1199.
Don't
miss it! |
ALOHA
MARTIAL ARTS FESTIVAL 2004
Saturday, November 20th, 2004
King Intermediate, Kaneohe
Divisions:
USSJA Sport-Jiujitsu---Extreme(Continuous)Sparring--Kumite--Katas--Weapons
**NEW**Sport-Pankration**NEW**
See:
*Kempo vs. Kung Fu vs. Karate vs. Kickboxing vs. Jiujitsu vs.
Shootfighting*
For more information, please call Kempo Unlimited Hawaii at
778-3601.
|
ENSON
TALKS ABOUT FUTURE
Amidst rumor and speculation on his involvement in December’s
full docket of MMA shows in Japan, Enson Inoue spoke exclusively
to MMA Weekly’s Mick Hammond to clear up the cloud of confusion
surrounding his participation in either UFC 51 or Pride’s
New Year’s Eve show.
In
regards to whether or not he has any involvement currently with
the UFC, Inoue replied, “Nothing at all. From what I’ve
heard Dana White (UFC President) wanted me in the UFC in Japan,
but I’ve not spoken to them whatsoever.” Many rumors
had been persisting due to the fact that Inoue is still a very
popular fighter in Japan for his never-say-die fighting style
and has defeated current UFC Light-Heavyweight Champion Randy
Couture in the past, making him a marketable commodity.
The
conversation then shifted to Inoue’s ongoing talks with
Pride about a possible return to the organization he last fought
for in 2002 as Inoue stated, “I told Pride I’m ready
to fight any time. I’ve talked to (DSE President Nobuyuki)
Sakakibara many times and he’s said they want to use me
sometime but I’ve gotten no calls from them and so I have
no idea whatsoever what’s going on with Pride.”
The
talk closed out with Inoue discussing other options in his future,
“No matter what happens I’m fighting one more time
this year. I want to fight next year, but if no one gives me
a shot I may retire. Maybe I might fight one more time in Hawaii
against Tom Sauer in a rematch.” Sauer defeated Inoue in
Superbrawl earlier this year via referee stoppage almost resulting
in a brawl with the local element as Enson is considered a hero
in his native state. Inoue then concluded, “I’m talking
to Shooto right now for mid-December, it would be nice to get
one more shot there as it would be like coming back home and
closing the deal on my career since that’s where it all
began.”
Source: MMA Weekly |
WILL
GRACIE COME BACK ONE LAST TIME?
When Pride resurrected the Grand Prix format in 2003, they brought
in one of the best tournament fighters ever in Royce Gracie.
Since 2003 Pride has continued their Grand Prix format over the
years. Last year was the Middleweight tournament and this year
the Heavyweight, switching between the two every year. So who
will be in the 2005 Middleweight GP tournament?
No
one knows of yet, but Pride has an interest in bringing back
Royce Gracie into the mix. MMAweekly spoke to PRIDE officials
recently about whether they had interest in bringing back Royce
Gracie for the 2005 edition of the Grand Prix and they said,
"Yes, we do. Also, we are interested in having any big names
from outside of Pride like we did in 2003."
So
there is an interest in Royce who fought Sakuraba in the first
Pride GP in 2000 and lost, which would be great to see how Royce
would compete with the top fighters today in a tournament format
again. But we just have to wait and see. "Big names from
outside of Pride" could mean many things, probably an interest
in some K-1 fighters, like Mark Hunt or Leko who have recently
fought within Pride. Of course Pride enjoyed working with the
UFC in the past as well, but Zuffa has made it clear they would
want some fighters from Pride in the Octagon, before they let
any UFC fighters competiting for DSE.
Source: MMA Weekly |
SEPTEMBER
2004 - ADCC's TOP TEN MMA!
under
145 lbs.
#1 Jens Pulver (Miletich Fighting Systems, USA)
#2 Alexandre 'Pequeno' Nogueira (Brazil)
#3 Norifumi 'Kid' Yamamoto (Japan)
#4 Joao Roque (Nova Uniao, Brazil)
#5 Ivan Menjivar (Costa Rica)
#6 Mike Brown (Team Elite, USA)
#7 Tetsuo Katsuta (Japan)
#8 Hiroyuki Abe (Japan)
#9 Hiroyuki Takaya (Japan)
#10 Stephen
Palling (USA)
145.1
- 155 lbs.
#1 Vitor 'Shaolin' Ribeiro (Nova Uniao, Brazil)
#2 Yves Edwards (ThugJitsu, USA)
#3 Joachim Hansen (Team Scandinavia, Oslo, Norway)
#4 Takanori Gomi (SHOOTO, Japan)
#5 Genki Sudo (Japan)
#6 Josh Thompson (Team AKA, USA)
#7 Tatsuya Kawajiri (Japan)
#8 Matt Serra (Team Renzo Gracie, USA)
#9 Hermes Franca (American TOP TEAM, USA)
#10 Luis 'Buscape' (Brazil)
155.1
- 170 lbs.
#1 BJ Penn
(USA)
#2 Matt Hughes (Miletich Fighting Systems,, USA)
#3 Sean Sherk (USA)
#4 Jake Shields (Cesar Gracie, USA)
#5 Rodrigo Gracie (Team Renzo Gracie, USA)
#6 George St Pierre (TKO, Canada)
#7 Frank Trigg (rAw, USA)
#8 Chris Lytle (Integrated Fighting, USA)
#9 Akira Kikuchi (Japan)
#10 Nick Diaz (Cesar Gracie, USA)
170.1
- 185 lbs.
#1 Anderson Silva (Brazil)
#2 Jeremy Horn (Miletich Fighting Systems,, USA)
#3 Yuki Kondo (Japan)
#4 David Terrell (Cesar Gracie, USA)
#5 Kazushi Sakuraba (Japan)
#6 Masanori Suda (SHOOTO Champion, Japan)
#7 Evan Tanner (Team Quest, USA)
#8 Amar Suloev (Red Devil, Russia)
#9 Matt Lindland (USA)
#10 Denis Kang (Soares JJ, Canada)
185.1
- 205 lbs.
#1 Randy Couture (Team Quest, USA)
#2 Wanderlei Silva (Chute Boxe, Brazil)
#3 Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson (USA)
#4 Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (Brazilian TOP TEAM, Brazil)
#5 Dan Henderson (USA)
#6 Chuck Liddell (USA)
#7 Tito Ortiz (USA)
#8 Vitor Belfort (Brazil)
#9 Rich Franklin (Team EXTREME, USA)
#10 Jason Macdonald (Canada)
205.1
lbs and Up.
#1 Rodrigo 'Minotauro' Nogueira (Brazilian TOP TEAM, Brazil)
#2 Emilianenko Fedor (Red Devil, Russia)
#3 Josh Barnett (NJPW, USA)
#4 Mirko Filipovic (Croatia)
#5 Frank Mir (Pires JJ, USA)
#6 Andrei Orlovski (Belarus)
#7 Sergei Kharitonov (Russia)
#8 Tim Sylvia (Miletich Fighting Systems, USA)
#9 Ibragim Magomedov (Red Devil, Russia)
#10 Travis Wiuff (USA)
Source: ADCC |
Who
will be the Top Brazilian MMA Fighter of 2004?
The
end of the 2004 MMA season is coming, and Rodrigo 'Minotauro'
is considered the frontrunner to be named the best Brazilian
fighter of the year. The Brazilian TOP TEAM athlete did 4 bouts
since last January: three victories (against Sergei Kharitonov,
Heath Herring and Hirotaka Yokoi) and one ‘No Contest’
(against Fedor Emelianenko). All his matches were held in Pride,
the most prestigious vale-tudo organization in the world.
In
second place sits Wanderlei Silva, who is very close to 'Minotauro'.
The chuteboxe won two matches by KO this year, both in Pride
arenas as well. Yuki Kondo and Ikuhisa Minowa were the victims.
Silva expects another good run of bouts until December. Quinton
Jackson and Randy Couture are on his waiting list. If Rudimar
Fedrigo’s pupil defeats those two tough guys, he will probably
take first place from 'Minotuaro' (who is another fighter in
Silva’s waiting list…).
Paulo
Filho comes in third place. Minotauro’s partner defeated
Silmar Rodrigo (Bitetti Combat 3), Daijiro Matsui (Gladiator
FC, in Korea) and Akira Shoji (in Pride Bushido 4) in the year
od 2004.
Source: ADCC |
Brasa
celebrates old Alliance's times in Rio de Janeiro
The upcoming training set up for Gold Fighters (in Rio de Janeiro)
will have a special flavor for Brasa Jiu-Jitsu members. All fighters
to step inside the Gold Fighters mat once trained at Alliance
Jiu-Jitsu. 'It will be a Jiu-Jitsu party. Besides me, Leo Vieira,
Ronaldo Jacaré and Leo Leite will be there. We gonna be
all together like the old times,' celebrates one of the Brasa's
leader Rodrigo Comprido. The new is all about BJJ black belt
Leo Leite on the team. He has switched Integração/Alliance
by Brasa.
'He
has been wondering to train with us a while ago... even before
the BJJ Worlds. In fact, he hasn't been training at his old school
for competition. The only one that competes at Alliance is Marcelinho
Garcia. Here in Rio, he didn't have sparring. I am sure his master,
Alexandre Paiva (the one who gave him the black belt) got really
upset, but life must be lived and things change. Now his teacher
is Ratinho. To be honest, now he finds training with his old
buddies, the same ones who started Jiu-jitsu with him,' stated
Comprido. According to Comprido, Leo Leite's debut has already
a data to happen: among September 19 to 26 at the BJJ Brazilian
Cup, which will be held at Botafogo Soccer Club's gymnasium,
in Rio de Janeiro.
Source: Tatame |
ADCC
North American Trials - 5 NEW COMPETITORS EARN SPOTS TO WORLD
CHAMPIONSHIPS!!!
ADCC 2005 - Submission Wrstling North American Trials
September 18th, 2004
Preist Gym, Vernon, Canada
The
road to the 2005 Abu Dhabi World Championships is a little clearer
for 5 grapplers after the North American Trials took place over
the weekend in Vernon, B.C., Canada. Securing their spots in
the worlds most prestigious grappling tournament are Javier Vazquez,
Cameron Earle, Marcos Avellan, Jamal Patterson and Karim Byron.
These champions were among 36 grapplers chosen to represent North
America as they head into the 6th World Championships in May
2005
'Unbelievable.'
states ADCC spokesman Miguel Iturrate. 'We overcame some logistical
problems, and as usual, the competitors and the fighters saved
the day by putting on an incredible show!'
ADCC's
head judge, Lubomir Guedjev stated 'I am impressed with the level
of the competitors - each year, the sport grows. We are working
to do a Federation for the sport of ADCC Submission Wrestling
right now, because it is clear that the sport is growing.'
2005
NA TRIALS CHAMPIONS:
under 65.9 KG: JAVIER VAZQUEZ (Showtime JJ)
66-76.9 KG: CAMERON EARLE (Ralph Gracie)
77-87.9 KG: MARCOS AVELLAN (Freestyle Fighting Academy)
88-98.9 KG: JAMAL PATTERSON (Team Renzo Gracie)
99 KG: KARIM BYRON (Marcos Soares JJ, Team Canada)
Source: MMA Weekly |
Quote
of the Day
"You cannot do a kindness too soon, for you never know how
soon it will be too late."
Ralph Waldo Emerson {1803-1882 American Poet & Essayist} |
Fighters'
Club TV Episode 24 Airs Tonight!
Fighters’ Club TV Episode 24 has been cut and submitted
to programming. It will air in our normal timeslot on Oceanic
(OLELO) Channel 52—Tuesday nights @ 830pm—Sep. 21,
28, Oct. 5 and 12.
This
Episode features:
-Highlights
from the Pro-am Hawaiian State Grappling Championships at St.
Louis High School Gymnasium.
-Baret
Yoshida’s matches (+interview with Baret)
-Brad
Scott—“taking one for the team”
-Alesandro’s
(Sandro) matches and playoff with Baret.
-Interview
with Tournament promoter Romolo
-Highlights
from the SUMA (Stand Up Martial Arts) event at the Hyatt Regency
Waikiki
-Kaipo
Kalama, Desi Minor, Chris West, Shawn Taylor, Aaron Ferguson,
Deshaun Johnson—to name a few
-Interview
with Kaipo, Desi, Chris, and tournament promoter, Aaron Lee
-This
Episode's Technique of Week Features Relson Gracie Black Belt,
Sam Mahi
+
Hawaii’s 2 favorite FCTV heartthrobs, Mike Onzuka and Mark
Kurano.
Comments,
Questions, Suggestions?
Email
us at: fightersclubtv808@hotmail.com |
KICKIN
IT 2004 - PART IV
WHAT: AMATEUR KICKBOXING
WHEN: OCT.2, 2004 (DOORS OPEN AT 6:00P.M.)
WHERE: NANAIKAPONO ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
SAGE YOSHIDA 110 ALAKAI AKAKA
HMC ADVANCED KENPO
THOMAS ROGERS 170 STEVE FARMER
HSD TEAM PERCEPTION
JON TEXIERA 190 ALLAN ULIT
TEAM BAD INTENTIONS ANIMAL HOUSE
BEN RODRIGUES 165 TOBY AMBA
HSD TEAM PERCEPTION
KOA AWONG 180 CONRAD PAFFI
ANIMAL HOUSE ADVANCED KENPO
RANDY RIVERA 150 JUSTIN DANO
HMC HSD
BOB ATISANOE SUPERHEAVYWEIGHT BENJAMIN
HSD TEAM PERCEPTION
JOSH VERSOLA 190 TBA
ADVANCED KENPO
TRAVIS WILLIAMS 115 JEFF NATIVIDAD
HSD HOUSE OF PAIN
AND OTHER EXCITING BOUTS. MATCHES MAY BE SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT
NOTICE. PRE-SALE TICKETS AND THE DOOR WILL BE ONLY $15.00. ONLY
250 PEOPLE WILL BE ALLOWED INSIDE DUE TO THE CAPACITY RESTRICTIONS.
TICKETS MAY BE PURCHASED THROUGH DOUG (PROMOTER) CALL 721-6019
AND GET YOUR TICKETS BEFORE YOU GET LOCKED OUT. THE LAST EVENT
WAS INSANE. THIS EVENT IS BEING HELD ON THE WESTSIDE WHERE INSANITY
DWELLS (AND IF YOU DON'T KNOW - NOW YOU KNOW).
BE THERE.
|
PULVER
GETS A WIN BUT IS INJURED
Jens Pulver was a long shoot this weekend in the Shootboxing
S-Cup Tournament, trying on some new shoes so to say, like boxing.
Not being an experienced kickboxer like the other world-class
fighters in this tournament and 10 pounds lighter, he had a lot
going against him. He weighed in 2 kilos under the limit without
trying to cut weight.
First
of all, Shootboxing is a hybrid of kickboxing and mma, leaning
more towards kickboxing. It's all standup for once it hits the
ground the action stops and the fighters stand back up. But standing
submissions are thrown into the mix. Resulting in a fast paced
night of fights.
Jens
Pulver's first opponent was Dai Jyouan from China, known for
his throws. In fact, a fighter scores more points by throwing
his opponent to the ground in certain fashions than by knocking
them down with the fists. Pulver pushed the fight as he always
does, stalking the Jyouan around the ring. Pulver almost got
a standing submission by a guillotine. But it was the body shots
that crippled Jyouan and sent him to the mat. As Pulver said,"hit
that liver... that's the money shot."
But
after Pulver went to the locker room the truth set in. His knee
was badly damaged. An injury that happened during his first match
in Shooto against Uematsu. It was reaggravated during his fight
with Palling and the beast reared it's ugly head again tonight.
Before the fight Jens said that his knee felt fine but it was
a concern amongst his camp. So, Pulver pulled out as did Albert
Kraus who sustained a rib injury in his first match.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Marcos
Avellan Sweeps North American Trials; Advances To World Championships!
Miami,
Florida -- If you compiled a list of men to emulate in the sport
of submission grappling, Marcos Avellan would be near the top.
Coming on to the main stream grapping scene just a year and a
half ago, the elder Avellan brother has competed in multiple
grappling tournaments throughout the country sweeping absolute
divisions and taking top spots in super fights. The humble Floridian
earned his spot in the Abu Dhabi North American Trials this past
weekend based on his impressive performances over the past couple
of years. The Freestyle Fighting Academy lead instructor shut
out Nick Ring, Rick McCauley and Justin Garcia to take first
place in the 77-87.9 KG division. Avellan is now looking forward
to the 6th Abu Dhabi World Championships at The Pyramid in Long
Beach, California, in May 2005.
JC:
I believe you’ve been inactive grappling competition wise
the last 6 months or so. What’s been going on with you?
MA: Actually I have been active. In April, I competed in the
GQ West in an 8-man superfight division (second place), then
in May I made my NHB debut (draw), in July I competed in the
GQ Southeast in a 16-man superfight division (tied for 3rd place).
I had a couple of tough losses - maybe that is why you didn't
hear about it... lol
JC:
Is this your first Abu Dhabi competition? MA: No. I competed
in the ADCC Submission Grappling Open in south Florida earlier
this year. So I had a little experience with the rules and style
of the event.
JC:
How did you qualify for the Trials? MA: I think they invited
me because of my performances over the past couple of years in
NAGA and Grappler's Quest.
JC:
You arrived in Canada with no coach or team mate and you competed
up in weight… yet you prevailed and won the division. What
do you attribute your success? MA: There are lots of things.
First of all, I come from the best academy in the country - Freestyle
Fighting Academy (FFA). I have excellent training partners -
but more importantly, I have an incredibly strong support system
from my brothers and sisters at FFA. They are my family and I
love them all. I have been going through some tough times in
my life right now and they have been there behind me the whole
way. Their love and support gives me a lot of strength. I couldn't
ask for better friends. That is the biggest attribute to my success.
Second biggest attribute, Lloyd Irvin's book, 'The Grappling
Game Plan'. This book has revolutionized the way I train and
compete - incredible book. Lloyd Irvin has really opened up my
eyes and helped me excel even further in my training methods
and competition performance. Another two people that really helped
me out with winning this tournament were Brandon Vera and Tyrone
Glover. They were in my corner during the matches. I came up
by myself and these guys helped me out big time. I literally
couldn't have won the tournament without them. In my first match,
I came out really horrible, flat, and exhausted. I wanted to
pull out of the tournament after my first match - it was the
most fatigued I have EVER been after a match. When I suggested
it to Glover and Vera, they instantly threw that idea out of
my head and told me what I needed to hear to come back and win
my next match and then the tournament.
JC:
How are you feeling about your performances? MA: Well, like I
just mentioned, I was not happy with my first match versus Nick
Ring. I came out strong but gassed horribly towards the middle
of the match. I honestly don't know what to say about it. I won
the match 3-0 by taking his back at one point but was not happy.
I could barely stand after the match. Afterwards, however, I
was able to mentally regroup and come back strong. In my second
match versus Rick McCauley I fought very well and won 5-0. I
passed his guard and got on top during a scramble when he went
for a guillotine. Then in the final, I beat Justin Garcia by
a close score of 2-0 but it went the way I wanted it to go. I
was able to score the takedown, keep him on his back, and keep
applying pressure. Overall, I am happy with my performance. All
three matches were tough.
JC:
How did you train for the Trials? MA: No disrespect to the event
or my opponents, but not very well. I have been very distracted
lately with personal problems, that I am now getting over, and
haven't found the will or motivation to train properly for the
event. About two weeks before the event, I started to train and
utilize the techniques I learned from Lloyd's book. Thankfully,
it was enough to get the win. Like I mentioned earlier, I had
a lot of support from FFA, I didn't want to let them down. I
gave it all I had when I got on the mat, I was willing to die
out there.
JC:
What was your overall experience? MA: I had a great time! I got
to compete, which is always awesome, and I got to meet a lot
of people that I didn't know before. All the competitors and
spectators there were very cool. Overall, it was great!
JC:
Are you looking forward to the 2005 Abu Dhabi Championships?
MA: More than anything. I'm going to do this right. I'm going
to train for this as hard as I have in the past. I'll be putting
in six hour days for this event as it approaches next year. Nothing
is going to stop me, I'm coming to Long Beach to win.
JC:
How will your train for the tournament? MA: I'm going to train
for this tournament the same way I normally train for NHB. I
don't want to deviate too much from my NHB training because I
want to continue fighting NHB and May is a while away and a bit
long of a time period to discontinue training from striking.
I'll be doing two hours of kickboxing, three hours of submissions,
and an hour of cardio daily on weekdays. Plus I am going to continue
with my weight training regimen. Although I initially weighed
in at 196.5 (I was three pounds over at arrival), I think I am
still undersized for the weight class. So I plan on continuing
to gain more weight.
JC:
What are you looking forward to most in Long Beach? MA: The only
thing I'm going to care about when I get to Long Beach is being
the ADCC Champion. That is what I am looking forward to, having
my arm raised in the finals.
JC:
Is there anything you’d like to say? MA: Thanks to SPRAWL
for sponsoring me, you can check out their shorts at http://www.SPRAWL.tv/ . Thanks again to
Lloyd Irvin and the Grappling Game Plan, you can check his book
out at http://www.grapplinggameplan.com/ . And since I mentioned
a couple of websites, I would like to mention our academy website,
the Freestyle Fighting Academy (Miami, FL), which is http://www.freestylefighing.net/ . Thanks for the interview
Joseph.
Source: ADCC
|
MMA
Chronicle - More UFC PPV Numbers...
Ken
Shamrock ranks as the biggest box office draw in UFC history,
just in front of Royce Gracie and ahead of Dan Severn. Since
the cable ban went into full effect in early 1997, just after
UFC 12 with Severn vs. Coleman took place (although the company
was having problems for awhile before that), there’s really
been no such thing as a pay per view draw with the exception
of Shamrock’s fight against Tito Ortiz, the Shamrock-Kimo
deal and Chuck vs. Tito. There were no pay per view draws with
the cable ban in place because no one was watching. There have
been minor draws such as UFC 33 (drew because of the amount UFC
spent in advertising) and UFC 44 with Ortiz vs. Couture but those
shows pale in comparison to what the early SEG shows drew.
The
most watched UFC pay per view of all time goes to UFC 6, with
a 1.1 buyrate with 260,000 buys. UFC 5 achieved a 1.05 buyrate,
meaning it did nearly as many buys as UFC 6. The only other UFC
pay per view in history to achieve higher than a 1.0 was the
1995 Ultimate Ultimate, which did a 1.0 on the nose, for the
gimmick of seeing all of the best fighters compete in a one-night
tournament. To compare that with Zuffa's three most successful
numbers, they did 150,000 buys for UFC 40; 110,000 buys for UFC
48; and 104,000 buys for UFC 47.
Here's
a chart comparing SEG's three most watched shows to Zuffa's three
most watched shows:
SEG PAY PER VIEWS ZUFFA PAY PER VIEWS
UFC 6 Severn vs. Shamrock 260,000+ UFC 40 Shamrock vs. Ortiz
150,000
UFC 5 Shamrock vs. Royce 250,000+ UFC 48 Shamrock vs. Kimo 110,000
UU 95 All-Star Tournament 250,000+ UFC 47 Ortiz vs. Liddell 104,000
Even
though Zuffa has a much larger pay per view universe to draw
on right now than SEG did when UFC was in it's box office prime
(the pay per view universe in North America right now is about
54 million homes; about ten years ago it may have been 30 million
or less, although I'm not exactly sure about that), it would
be hard for any ownership of UFC right now to draw on pay per
view simply because the cable ban killed any momentum the company
had in the mid-90s (they were going downhill anyway because Royce
was gone, and Shamrock's and Severn's respective drawing power
was killed by their awful fight at UFC 9), and Zuffa has basically
started afresh with what has amounted to being a completely different
promotion. The key to success on pay per view is using a free
television show as a vehicle to build new stars and hype feuds
to a mass amount of people. Without that free TV show, the promotion
will never succeed.
Here's
a chart of the buyrates for each show SEG did prior to the cable
ban coming into full effect after UFC 12. These buyrates represent
the percentage of homes of the pay per view universe that purchased
the show, and not the actual amount of buys each pay per view
did. To figure out the amount of buys each show would have done
based on the buyrates listed below, you'd have to know what the
pay per view universe would have been at the time of the show.
Here's
the list of pay per view buyrates for UFCs 1 through 12:
EVENT DATE HEADLINE BUYRATE
UFC 1 Nov 12 93 None 0.35
UFC 2 March 11 94 Royce Gracie 0.5
UFC 3 Sept 9 94 Gracie vs. Shamrock 0.65
UFC 4 Dec 16 94 Royce Gracie 0.9
UFC 5 Apr 7 95 Gracie vs. Shamrock 1.05
UFC 6 Jul 14 95 Shamrock vs. Severn 1.1
UFC 7 Sept 8 95 Shamrock vs. Taktarov 0.9
UFC 8 Feb 16 96 Shamrock vs. Kimo 0.7
UFC 9 May 17 96 Shamrock vs. Severn 0.6
UFC 10 Jul 12 96 Don Frye 0.43
UFC 11 Sept 20 96 Coleman vs. Tank 0.45
UFC 12 Feb 7 97 Coleman vs. Severn
0.55
The
rest of the article can be accessed at Ken Shamrock ranks as
the biggest box office draw in UFC history, just in front of
Royce Gracie and ahead of Dan Severn. Since the cable ban went
into full effect in early 1997, just after UFC 12 with Severn
vs. Coleman took place (although the company was having problems
for awhile before that), there’s really been no such thing
as a pay per view draw with the exception of Shamrock’s
fight against Tito Ortiz, the Shamrock-Kimo deal and Chuck vs.
Tito. There were no pay per view draws with the cable ban in
place because no one was watching. There have been minor draws
such as UFC 33 (drew because of the amount UFC spent in advertising)
and UFC 44 with Ortiz vs. Couture but those shows pale in comparison
to what the early SEG shows drew.
The
most watched UFC pay per view of all time goes to UFC 6, with
a 1.1 buyrate with 260,000 buys. UFC 5 achieved a 1.05 buyrate,
meaning it did nearly as many buys as UFC 6. The only other UFC
pay per view in history to achieve higher than a 1.0 was the
1995 Ultimate Ultimate, which did a 1.0 on the nose, for the
gimmick of seeing all of the best fighters compete in a one-night
tournament. To compare that with Zuffa's three most successful
numbers, they did 150,000 buys for UFC 40; 110,000 buys for UFC
48; and 104,000 buys for UFC 47.
Here's
a chart comparing SEG's three most watched shows to Zuffa's three
most watched shows:
SEG PAY PER VIEWS ZUFFA PAY PER VIEWS
UFC 6 Severn vs. Shamrock 260,000+ UFC 40 Shamrock vs. Ortiz
150,000
UFC 5 Shamrock vs. Royce 250,000+ UFC 48 Shamrock vs. Kimo 110,000
UU 95 All-Star Tournament 250,000+ UFC 47 Ortiz vs. Liddell 104,000
Even
though Zuffa has a much larger pay per view universe to draw
on right now than SEG did when UFC was in it's box office prime
(the pay per view universe in North America right now is about
54 million homes; about ten years ago it may have been 30 million
or less, although I'm not exactly sure about that), it would
be hard for any ownership of UFC right now to draw on pay per
view simply because the cable ban killed any momentum the company
had in the mid-90s (they were going downhill anyway because Royce
was gone, and Shamrock's and Severn's respective drawing power
was killed by their awful fight at UFC 9), and Zuffa has basically
started afresh with what has amounted to being a completely different
promotion. The key to success on pay per view is using a free
television show as a vehicle to build new stars and hype feuds
to a mass amount of people. Without that free TV show, the promotion
will never succeed.
Here's
a chart of the buyrates for each show SEG did prior to the cable
ban coming into full effect after UFC 12. These buyrates represent
the percentage of homes of the pay per view universe that purchased
the show, and not the actual amount of buys each pay per view
did. To figure out the amount of buys each show would have done
based on the buyrates listed below, you'd have to know what the
pay per view universe would have been at the time of the show.
Here's
the list of pay per view buyrates for UFCs 1 through 12:
EVENT DATE HEADLINE BUYRATE
UFC 1 Nov 12 93 None 0.35
UFC 2 March 11 94 Royce Gracie 0.5
UFC 3 Sept 9 94 Gracie vs. Shamrock 0.65
UFC 4 Dec 16 94 Royce Gracie 0.9
UFC 5 Apr 7 95 Gracie vs. Shamrock 1.05
UFC 6 Jul 14 95 Shamrock vs. Severn 1.1
UFC 7 Sept 8 95 Shamrock vs. Taktarov 0.9
UFC 8 Feb 16 96 Shamrock vs. Kimo 0.7
UFC 9 May 17 96 Shamrock vs. Severn 0.6
UFC 10 Jul 12 96 Don Frye 0.43
UFC 11 Sept 20 96 Coleman vs. Tank 0.45
UFC 12 Feb 7 97 Coleman vs. Severn
0.55
The
rest of the article can be accessed at www.mmachronicle.com.
Source: ADCC
|
Profile:
Ivan Menjivar
Montreal,
Quebec -- Coming off a second round TKO win in Montreal Labor
Day weekend over American Ryan Ackerman in an exciting main event
fight that showcased his diverse skills, Ivan Menjivar brings
a bit of everything to the fight, including a whole lot of action.
Menjivar was born in El Salvador where he spent his early childhood
before his family moved to Montreal at 11. He took up BJJ and
boxing in his mid-teens and MMA seemed like the next logical
step. Taking his first professional fight in 2001, Menjivar is
always looking forward to do the best he can in MMA. A ring and
cage veteran of UCC/TKO, SuperBrawl, AFC, UFC and APEX to name
some, Menjivar likes both and will adapt to either one. The 22-year-old
is feeling blessed to do so well at what he loves… fighting
MMA.
JC:
What is your martial arts background? IM: Brazilian Jiu-jitsu,
Muay Thai and Wrestling.
JC:
What is your BJJ rank? IM: I’m officially blue. My training
is now mostly No-Gi and MMA oriented though.
JC:
When did you start training in MMA? IM: I had gotten into a few
fights in High School. I then decided to try BJJ and boxing in
my mid-teens which is a lot more fun.
JC:
How did you become involved in MMA? IM: I started training BJJ
with friends as a teenager and really liked it. I started training
hard and MMA seemed like the next logical step.
JC:
Where do you train? IM: I train at Tristar Gym, but I also train
at another club for my conditioning and train wrestling with
the Montreal Wrestling team, Silberman.
JC:
What is the name of your fight team? IM: I train at Tristar Gym,
but I’m also part of Team Domination (clothing sponsor).
JC:
When and where was your first MMA fight? IM: I had some amateur
MMA fights in Québec, but my first Pro MMA fight was in
UCC 3 against David Guigui. He’s now a teammate of mine.
JC:
How did it go? IM: I won by submission.
JC:
You’ve fought at 145, 155 (and I think 170 -- against St.
Pierre). What is your preference in fighting weight? IM: Definitely
145 lbs. When I started, I fought at 170 although I was a lot
lighter than most opponents at that weight. I then decided to
drop in weight to 145-155. I’ve fought tough competition
at all weight levels, but 145 lbs is my optimum weight. My last
fight against Ackerman was at 145 lbs.
JC:
What is your MMA record? IM: 14-3-1 or 14-4 depending on how
you consider my fight against Georges (St-Pierre) at 170lbs.
When I fought St-Pierre, the ref stopped the fight because he
misunderstood me (Spanish is my first language). Neither of us
considered that fight/stoppage as conclusive, but we are both
great friends and training partners now, so I really don’t
linger on it.
JC:
What promotions have you fought in? IM: UCC/TKO, SuperBrawl,
Maximum Fighting Championships (MFC), WFF, AFC, UGC, UFC, APEX.
I hope to add many more to that list.
JC:
Do you train for an opponent or to fight? IM: To fight.
JC:
What is your fighting style? IM: A bit of everything and a whole
lot of action!
JC:
What has been your most memorable fight? IM: I have a special
memory of all my fights. They’re all worth remembering regardless
of result.
JC:
What has been a high for you in MMA? IM: Winning, fans and simply
fighting.
JC:
Why is that? IM: I feel blessed to do so well and enjoy myself
in this sport. I’m doing what I love.
JC:
What has been a low for you in MMA? IM: Nothing particular. I
don’t let things get me down and I’m always looking
forward.
JC:
When was the point that you knew this was for you? IM: It’s
hard to say. You just know. You have it in you. It’s that
rush, that pleasure you get out of doing what you like.
JC:
How far would you like to go in MMA? IM: I want to last as long
in this sport as possible and do the best I can. If I can match
Randy Couture’s longevity in this sport, I’ll be happy.
JC:
Preference ring or cage? IM: I like both. I’ll adapt to
either one.
JC:
You’re coming off a win last weekend over Ryan Ackerman
in front of your hometown fans, and you won a fan in me. What
is your reaction to the fan support you received? IM: Thanks
a lot Joseph! I was truly touched by the fans reaction. I love
fighting in front of my hometown crowd and putting on a show
for my friends, family and fans. It’s a rush and I can’t
wait to hop back into the Ring. I could fight today.
JC:
As we discussed post fight, you used every technique in the fight.
This is only the second of your fights that I have seen. Is this
Ivan Menjivar’s ring and cage style? IM: Yes, I’ll
go with what works but if I can mix it up, I’m happy. If
it goes to the ground, I’m ready. If it stays standing,
I’m also ready. MMA is an entertainment sport and I love
entertaining the fans. I also want to make sure I have fun during
the fight so I’ll go for different things that add a little
thrill to the fight.
JC:
What is next for you? IM: I’m open to anything. Right now,
I should be fighting in a local promotion in Montreal in a month
or so as well as at the next APEX show. We’ve also received
other offers. Japan would also be a dream come true. I’m
ready for anything.
JC:
As an exciting smaller fighter, are there options for you in
Shooto? IM: I hope so. I want to show the Japanese fans what
I have. Any promoters can contact my managers (Aristeia Management).
JC:
Are you employed outside of MMA? IM: Yes, I work for Groupe Banco
in Québec. They own stores across Montreal. I hope to
someday fight more regularly and make a living off MMA, but for
now I’m just enjoying myself. My employers have been great
to me and my fight career.
JC:
What do you enjoy doing outside MMA? IM: Relaxing with friends
and family and listening to music.
JC:
What is one thing about you that would have people saying 'hmmm...
I didn’t know that about Ivan Menjivar?' IM: Not particularly.
I don’t hide anything from anybody! LOL!
JC:
Is there anything you’d like to say? IM: Thanks to my team
at Tristar, my friends, family and sponsors. Special thanks to
Groupe Banco Stores (www.groupebanco.com), www.quebec-latino.com & Domination.
Special thanks to managers Scott and Nathan (Aristeia). For any
opportunities, they can be contacted at info@aristeiafighters.com. Thanks to everyone
for their support! Thank you for this interview.
For
more information on the Pride of El Salvador, please visit http://www.IvanMenjivar.com.
Source: MMA Weekly
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Interview:
KOTC's Joey Villasenor (part 2)
Looks
like Joey Villasenor may be the next KOTC fighter to break into
the Japanese market, especially if he wins the KOTC Middleweight
belt on September 24th. Joey has been known for overwhelming
opponents both striking on his feet and with ground-and-pound.
In five years only three of his fights made it out of the first
round and two of those three he won. Since fighting Jermaine
Andre for the WFA title two years ago Joey has gone undefeated,
with seven wins in KOTC.
KM:
What do you think of his last couple of fights? JV: I always
enjoyed watching him. I see KOTC’s value in putting him
against me, we are real similar as far as exciting strikers.
He’s tough. He’s going to bring a crowd out there.
He’s a Tank (Abbott) type fighter, rough and tumble and
he brings it to you all the time win or lose. Even from the bottom
he keeps busy. I’ve been scouting him for a while. I was
supposed to fight him last year so scouted him. I scout basically
everyone that is borderline Middleweight and/or Middleweight.
I’m pretty much familiar with my opponents.
KM:
To me that is a huge advantage. How much of a factor do you think
it is to be familiar with your opponent? JV: Take Hank Weiss
for instance. I had no pictures on him, had no video on him and
that always worries me about an opponent. How much bigger I am
I don’t care. Who I’ve beaten and who I’ve beaten
because anything can happen when you don’t have tape on
them. If you don’t know what they are comfortable doing
and don’t have a visual of your opponent it’s hard
to get into that mindset of strategy because it is an open mat,
anything can happen. With Brian Foster I feel ten times better
having tape on him, knowing what school he comes from and plus
I’m familiar with him. We’ve never met as far as shaking
hands and introduced to each other but I’m pretty sure he
knows who I am and I’m going to be familiar with him.
KM:
Does that make you more aggressive, that you think you can take
some chances? JV: I don’t think ‘aggressive’ would
be the right word. It makes me more technical or strategic. Through
strategy I’m able to land more shots which would make it
look like it’s more aggressive.
KM:
You have a reputation for not being wild but pushing the pace
and controlling the action. JV: Exactly. It comes down to strategy.
I’ve been on my back before when I went to Australia to
fight Danny Higgins. It was a big question mark because I have
always dominated the top. When I was on my back a lot of people
were ‘he’s out of his game’. My back is my game
also, I just haven’t been in a position to play that game.
KM:
Can you tell me a little bit more about that fight? JV: It was
scheduled for five three-minute rounds. It went 2:42. Danny Higgins
has since joined our team in Albuquerque. He almost made the
Olympic team for Greco. He’s an athlete, it was just my
day. We came out and he shot in on me. I’m pretty good with
the shot but he was just so quick I went with it and we went
down. He was in my guard striking. He was a little tense or intimidated
and I felt a lot of energy being spent. He had his head up in
my guard looking to strike and I hit him with a hook from bottom.
He tried to pass me and I went for an armbar. After that missed
I did a reversal and landed with having his head and arm. He
tried to pick me up and at this point we were standing. I had
one hand under his armpit and another on his head and cocked
back for a muay thai knee that caught him right in the kidneys
and dropped him. When he went down I just stood on top of him
raining down some shots at his injured point which was his stomach.
I could see he was really trying to breathe but he couldn’t
and I took advantage, striking his head. (Note: official result
was submission to strikes).
KM:
Did the travel time have any affect on your fight? JV: No, I
got out there a week early to get used to it. You get to this
point in your career one loss could really set you back. I was
fighting about four o’clock in the morning our time but
it didn’t affect me. If it went five rounds maybe it would
have but it went less than three minutes and I wasn’t affected.
KM:
Can you give the up-and-coming fighters an idea of how long it
took you to acclimate before you could fight? JV: It took me
about three days before I felt decent and okay to fight. It was
an experience I was grateful to have had because Japan is the
future. The fight was great but the travel was an experience
in itself and I felt I came through with flying colors.
KM:
With your goal of Japan obviously winning the belt in KOTC is
going to help. Is that the final step on this road to Japan?
JV: I think getting the belt and interviews like yourself, sponsorship,
and people talking about me outside my community like in California
where I have a fanbase. I fought out there a couple of times
and they know who I am where as you can get one of our other
guys from New Mexico and they won’t know anything about
him, he’s the underdog.
KM:
Look at Diego Sanchez. He goes into that fight with Jorge Santiago
and nobody knows who he is. JV: The athletes know who he is,
it’s just the fanbase. I don’t want it to be a surprise
when I get to Japan. I don’t want people to say ‘out
of nowhere’. I feel like I’m on that road, my team
in general is on that road. That is why I moved down here three
weeks ago to be full-time with the team.
Joey
talks more about the team and New Mexico next time. For more
on the September 24th KOTC check out http://www.kingofthecage.com.
Source: ADCC
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