Sign our Guestbook!
Experience the Man Page!

Upcoming Events
Do you want to list an event on Onzuka.com?
Contact Us
(All events on Oahu, unless noted)

2005

12/10/05
Proving Grounds -
ROTR Qualifer
(MMA)
(Hilo Civic Center)


11/19/05
ROTR 9

(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena)


11/14/05
3rd American National BJJ Championships
(Torrance Unified School District, Torrance, CA )

10/29-30/05
Brazilian Team Titles
(Equipes)
(Brazil)

10/05
Proving Grounds -
ROTR Qualifer
(MMA)
(Lahaina Civic Center, Maui)


9/05
Proving Grounds -
ROTR Qualifer
(MMA)
(Kauai)


8/27-28/05
International Masters & Seniors BJJ Tournament
(Tijuca Tenis Clube, Tijuca, Brazil)

8/05 (tentative)
ROTR 8

(MMA)
(Las Vegas, NV)


7/23-31/05
World BJJ Championships (Mundial)
(Tijuca Tenis Clube, Tijuca, Brazil)

7/23/05
Goodwill Games of Grappling
BJJ & Submission Grappling Tournament
(TBA)

7/21-23/05
World Cup of BJJ
(BJJ)
(São Paulo, Brazil)

7/9/05
Proving Grounds -
ROTR Qualifer
(MMA)
(Hilo Civic Center)

6/24/05
Hawaiian Grappling Championships
(BJJ/Sub Grappling)
(St. Louis H.S. Gym)

6/18/05
Longman BJJ Tournament
(BJJ)
(Kauai)

6/4/05
Super Brawl: Full Contact Showdown #3
(MMA)
(Kahuna's Sports Bar & Grill, Kaneohe MCBH)

5/21/05
MMA & Kickboxing Event
(MMA & Kickboxing)
(Waimanalo Polo Grounds)


5/7/05
ROTR 7

(MMA)
(Stan Sheriff Arena, UH)


5/7-8 & 14-15 & 21-22/05
Brazilian National BJJ Tournament
(Youth, Adult, Master & Senior)
(Tijuca Tenis Clube, Tijuca, Brazil?)

4/16-17/05
2005 Junior Olympic Male and Female State / Regional Boxing Championships
(Boxing)
(Palolo Boxing Gym
/ Rec Center)


4/16/05
Warriors Quest
(Kickboxing, MMA)
(McKinnley H.S. Gym)
(**CANCELLED**)

UFC 52:
Couture vs. Liddell 2
(MMA)
(MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, NV)

4/15/05
Kickin It
(Kickboxing)
(Kapolei H.S. Gym)

4/9/05
Super Brawl
(MMA)
(
Blaisdell Arena)

UFC: 'The Ultimate Fighter Finale'
(MMA)
(Cox Pavilion, Las Vegas, NV)

 News & Rumors
Archives
Year 2005

April 2005 Part 2
April 2005 Part 1
March 2005 Part 3
March 2005 Part 2

March 2005 Part 1
February 2005 Part 3
February 2005 Part 2
February 2005 Part 1

January 2005 Part 3
January 2005 Part 2
January 2005 Part 1
Year 2004
December 2004 Part 3 December 2004 Part 2 December 2004 Part 1
November 2004 Part 3

November 2004 Part 2
November 2004 Part 1
October 2004 Part 2
October 2004 Part 1

September 2004 Part 3
September 2004 Part 2
September 2004 Part 1
August 2004 Part 3

August 2004 Part 2
August 2004 Part 1
July 2004 Part 3
July 2004 Part 2
July 2004 Part 1
June 2004 Part 3
June 2004 Part 2
June 2004 Part 1
May 2004 Part 3
May 2004 Part 2
May 2004 Part 1

April 2004 Part 3
April 2004 Part 2
April 2004 Part 1
March 2004 Part 3

March 2004 Part 2
March 2004 Part 1
February 2004 Part 3
February 2004 Part 2
February 2004 Part 1
January 2004 Part 3
January 2004 Part 2
January 2004 Part 1
Year 2003
December 2003 Part 3
December 2003 Part 2 December 2003 Part 1
November 2003 Part 3
November 2003 Part 2
November 2003 Part 1
October 2003 Part 2
October 2003 Part 2
October 2003 Part 1
September 2003 Part 2
September 2003 Part 1
August 2003 Part 3
August 2003 Part 2
August 2003 Part 1
July 2003 Part 3
July 2003 Part 2
July 2003 Part 1
June 2003 Part 3
June 2003 Part 2
June 2003 Part 1
May 2003 Part 3
May 2003 Part 2
May 2003 Part 1
April 2003 Part 3
April 2003 Part 2
April 2003 Part 1
March 2003 Part 3

March 2003 Part 2
March 2003 Part 1
February 2003 Part 3
February 2003 Part 2
February 2003 Part 1
January 2003 Part 3
January 2003 Part 2
January 2003 Part 1
Year 2002
December 2002 Part 2
December 2002 Part 1
November 2002 Part 2
November 2002 Part 1
October 2002 Part 3
October 2002 Part 2
October 2002 Part 1
September 2002 Part 3
September 2002 Part 2
September 2002 Part 1
August 2002 Part 2
August 2002 Part 1
July 2002 Part 3
July 2002 Part 2
July 2002 Part 1
June 2002 Part 3
June 2002 Part 2
June 2002 Part 1
May 2002 Part 3
May 2002 Part 2
May 2002 Part 1
April 2002 Part 3
April 2002 Part 2
April 2002 Part 1
March 2002 Part 3
March 2002 Part 2
March 2002 Part 1
February 2002 Part 2
February 2002 Part 1
January 2002 Part 3
January 2002 Part 2
January 2002 Part 1
Year 2001
December 2001 Part 2
December 2001 Part 1
November 2001 Part 2
November 2001 Part 1
October 2001 Part 2
October 2001 Part 1
September 2001 Part 3
September 2001 Part 2
September 2001 Part 1
August 2001 Part 2
August 2001 Part 1
July 2001 Part 3
July 2001 Part 2
July 2001 Part 1
June 2001 Part 2
June 2001 Part 1
May 2001
April 2001 Part 2
April 2001 Part 1
March 2001
February 2001
January 2001
Year 2000
Nov-Dec 2000
October 2000
Aug-Sept 2000
July 2000
March-May 2000

April 2005 News Part 2
 

Wednesday night and Sunday classes (w/ a kids' class) now offered!


For the special Onzuka.com price, click on one of these banners above!


Tuesdays at 8:30PM on Olelo Channel 52
New Time!


 4/20/05

Quote of the Day

"Your profession is not what brings home your paycheck. Your profession is what you were put on earth to do with such passion and such intensity that it becomes spiritual in calling."

Vincent Van Gogh, 1853-1890, Dutch Painter

THE JAKE R. REPORT: LIDDELL VS. SHAMROCK
By Jake R

Before reading any further, please read our disclaimer first.

In yet another in the long line of bombshell reports, this cyber-reporting stud has just learned of a huge exclusive. As long term and reliable sources in Iowa have informed me, Zuffa is planning on matching up Ken Shamrock with Chuck Liddell in a future event.

As it was explained to me, Ken was promised both a shot at the winner of Liddell/Couture II and a rematch with Tito Ortiz in exchange for his participation in the TUF season finale.

It was also explained to me that Ken is still viewed as the biggest ratings draw for Zuffa by far, and that Zuffa plans on having Liddell defeat Shamrock to help build his star status among mainstream fans, much as Zuffa did with Rich Franklin.

As it is currently planned, Ken and Chuck will face each other next and neither will fight another opponent first. Though as always, plans can be changed depending on future circumstances.

As usual, stick to the Jake R Report for exclusive reports that are days, weeks, and even months ahead of the other MMA Media sites.

*Exclusive Jake R Report. Must credit Fightsport.com the Jake R Report when discussing this article. This means you, MMAWeakly.

*This Jake R Report was filed at 8:15 pm on April 17th.

Source: Fight Sport

ONLY THIS MAN COULD MAKE THEE ULTIMATE COMEBACK

Just think about this for a moment. Could any man survive a knee to the groin, being knocked out from a right hand, then almost rear naked choked, only to come back and actually win in the first round? Absolutely not. Unless your name is Matt Hughes. Hughes pulled out maybe the guttiest comeback in UFC history after being overwhelmed in the first two minutes of the fight by challenger Frank Trigg.

"I never gave up, that's the bottom line. There were plenty of chances to, but I never did, that's why I won." Hughes told MMAWeekly after the fight. Hughes showed why he will go down as one of the greatest champions in UFC history after seeing about everything possible thing go wrong for him in the fight. An accidental knee by Trigg basically doubled over Hughes, then the champ was actually knocked out by a punch, only to not only wake up, but recover and ultimately win the fight.

"I felt Mario (Yamasaki, the referee) should've stopped the fight." Frank Trigg told MMAWeekly after the loss. "I rocked him and I guarantee if the shoe was on the other foot, they would've stopped the fight" Trigg said. "But I give him credit. He came back and pulled it off. He fought like a champion tonight." The toughest pill for the challenger to swallow now will be to know that he lost the exact same way he did before, with a rear naked choke.

"I'm not knocking Frank Trigg, but you would've thought he would have learned to defend the rear naked choke after last time...." Hughes said. "He didn't and I still have the belt." Hughes said. Now the question remains. Who will be next for Hughes? Hughes even hinted at moving up to fight at 185 vs Matt Lindland. Hughes told MMAWeekly that he would fight at 185, only if it was for a title shot. And what about BJ Penn? "It doesn't matter to me. I don't really care about my losses in the past. Everybody wanted me to fight Dennis Hallman as well, but it doesn't affect me. If I fight him again...great. If not, it doesn't matter."

What does matter is the fact that Hughes once again defended his title for a record 8th time. He will go down as one of the greatest champions in UFC history and with apologies to BJ Penn, who has only fought one time in the 170 weight class, has cemented himself as once again the top dog in the 170 pound weight class.

Source: MMA Weekly

ICEMAN FINALLY GETS HIS DUE

On Saturday night, in front of a packed house at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, and with millions watching on pay-per-view, Chuck Liddell finally lived his dream of becoming the UFC Light Heavyweight Champion with a vicious knockout win over the legendary Randy Couture.

Chuck Liddell, through the many years that he has been stepping in and out of the octagon, has proven himself time and time again as a warrior like no other. For the past couple of years though, “The Iceman” has run into a stop sign every time the momentum seems to turn in his favor.

In 2002, after defeating “The Phenom” Vitor Belfort in a #1 contenders match, Chuck was promised a shot at then reigning champion, Tito Ortiz. The self-proclaimed, “Huntington Beach Bad Boy” claimed that due to their past friendship that the UFC would need to make a proper offer to get him to step up and fight his former sparring partner. Through a heated exchange of words and through many times of Liddell saying that the two were never that close, Tito managed to avoid the fight with Liddell and even managed to headline a card facing UFC Hall of Famer, Ken Shamrock.

Liddell didn’t sit back and just wait for Ortiz to come to him, he continued to improve his game and took on Brazilian heavy hitter, Renato “Babalu” Sobral. Another spectacular knockout followed and again Chuck waited for his chance at the title.

When he finally got his shot at the interim title during Tito’s absence, the California native faced off against the newly slimmed down 205lb Randy Couture. The two time former UFC Heavyweight champion dismantled Chuck in every part of his game and walked away with the championship after a 3rd round TKO stoppage.

Chuck gained another shot at redemption when he was entered in the 2003 Pride Middleweight tournament as the UFC’s chosen participant. After a devastating shot that ended Dutch striker Alistair Overeem’s tournament hopes, Liddell had his sights set on the seemingly untouchable Pride Middleweight Champion, Wanderlei Silva. But again, Chuck’s aspirations were cut short, this time by the powerhouse known as Quinton “Rampage” Jackson. Chuck was stopped again at his shot at greatness.

Chuck finally got to face his former “friend” Tito Ortiz at UFC 47, and shortly into the second round, the kickboxing expert proved why the former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion had no desire to step into the octagon with him. A lightning fast set of lefts and rights put Tito Ortiz down and Chuck Liddell started the long hard road back to the championship.

Another KO victory of Lion’s Den product, Vernon “Tiger” White followed and after a very successful season as a coach on the “Ultimate Fighter” TV series, Liddell had his second chance to fight Couture for the light heavyweight title, and he didn’t disappoint. In a fight where so many fight fans and fighters alike picked the ageless Couture to win in the same fashion as before, Liddell answered all of his critics and naysayers by defeating “Captain America” by a brutal right hook only a few minutes into the first round.

The excitement in Chuck Liddell’s eyes was unmistakable. “The Iceman” had finally reached the ultimate goal in the ultimate sport, and with that came the trophy he had sought out for so many years. And with that victory, the road to Chuck Liddell’s redemption had finally been traveled.

What’s next for Chuck Liddell? A shot at Pride Middleweight Champion, Wanderlei Silva? Only Dana White and Joe Silva can answer that question, but one thing is for sure… that April 16th will go down in history as the night that Chuck “The Iceman” Liddell finally got the gold.

Source: MMA Weekly

 4/19/05

Quote of the Day

"It is not enough to be busy, so are the ants. The question is, 'What are we busy about?'"

Henry David Thoreau, 1817-1862, American Essayist, Poet, Naturalist

WARRIORS QUEST
'RESSURRECTION"

DATE ANNOUNCED
Sat, May 28, 2005 @McKinley High Gym

It's finally set so let the WARRIORS prepare for the RESSURRECTION of WARRIORS QUEST, Once known for its exciting fights while putting Hawaii's Best athlete's aganist Mainland & Japans Top Competitiors.

We are inviting all Schools and fighters to participate in either Kickboxing or MMA style fights. All interested people call 808-590-3788 or email
second2none@hawaii.rr.com and someone will get back to you.

Bradda Fighting in Japan on May 4

Ray "Bradda" Cooper is staying busy and is fighting Takashi Nakakura (formally Ganjo from Purebred, but he pulled out due to injury) on May 4th in Japan.

THE CHOPPING BLOCK: UFC 52

Commentary by 'Theaxemurderer'

Welcome to the latest edition of 'The Chopping Block', a place where I will air out all my thoughts about MMA.

Let's get started...

Last Saturday's UFC produced some great fights, and some terrible ones at that. It proved that Canadian athletes are quickly making thier presence felt in the UFC... George St. Pierre was dominating, Joe Doerksen showed us that his Jui-Jitsu is the Real Deal, and 'Diesel' Riggs fell to the wrath of semi-Canadian Ivan Salaverry.

But the story of the night had to be Matt Hughes comeback from near humiliation at the hands of Frank 'The nutcracker' Trigg..

... FRANK Trigg's willingness to do whatever it takes to beat Hughes almost got him the win, but hughes refused to sleep!... and seemed ONLY to AWAKEN!

IF ONLY HE HAD DONE THE SAME THING AGAINST B.J. PENN!

Who knows, maybe a sign of things to come? Hughes vs. Penn 2 SHOULD happen, Dana White MUST realize that B.J. Penn has a right to make a good living since he trains very hard, and that what Zuffa pays him couldn't do that for him. The UFC constrains fighters from reaching thier true potential financially and athletically. However, in reality I could care less if Dana invites B.J. back because B.J. taking part in the PRIDE lightweight GP next year would be much more entertaining.

Chuck Liddell has done what few thought was possible and KO'ed Randy Couture without getting beaten down, like in their first fight. However, Randy's eye injury seemed to play a slight role in how the fight ended, but props to Randy for taking the loss like a man and not running out into the parking lot and crying like a beaten down prostitute, much like his protege had done on TUF.

Chuck uses his thumbs more than Ebert and Roper!

The FACT is that UFC lacks any real high quality fighter to headline their cards, except for Andrei Arlovski, and the problem with him is they can't find anyone willing to fight him, or anyone who IS willing that actually has a chance of going a full round with him. The UFC's path this year seems clear, they will probably opt to have Chuck vs. Randy 3 rubber match after chuck beats Ken Shamrock via KO(Thumb to the eye?) After that, Vitor vs. Chuck 2 will go down for the title, after Chuck beats Tito Ortiz in their rematch, then prolly Tito vs. Vitor 2, Tito vs. Ken 2, Randy vs. Tito 3

The list goes on... just goes to prove that UFC has the best matchmakers in the game... (add in laughter)

The FACT is all these rematches are totally pointless. Vitor has no brains, Tito has little heart but alot of mouth, and even less true confidence, refusing to join GP, and Chuck has already been shown to be in the mid to lower part of the overall TOP 10 light heavyweights, in my honest opinion.

After all is said and done, Chuck will be the champ at the end of the year. His takedown defense only gets better every year, and he has a weapon that no one can defend against... unless of course they find an already blind fighter to fight Chuck.

Speaking of Chuck, it seems he is hell bent on Fighting Vanderlei Silva, as usual!... and while many people say that Chuck is a bad match-up for Vanderlei, I tend to disagree

Randy chose to strike with Chuck for wayyyy tooo long, in my opinion, and the fact that Randy has no guard game at all is what made it so easy for Chuck to win. Given he did take a big shot from Chuck, but as he fell he was still conscious, but he just layed on his side alot like Kimo Leopoldo used to do, and was just fed shots.

It was only after Chuck's first shot to Randy on the ground, when Randy truly went flat out. If Vand got hit by Chuck, and rocked by it, he would pull guard quick, and Chuck would be unable to finish him. Whereas Vanderlei has all the tools to finish Chuck wherever the fight may go. Chuck's biggest problem when he faces Vanderlei will be that he will want to stand with him obviously, and if we have learnt one thing from the vicious beatdowns Rampage Jackson has taken from Vanderlei, it is that you DO NOT stand with Vanderlei unless you are a heavyweight with great boxing. Neither of which Chuck Liddell is.

However, I don't wanna come off as bashing Chuck. I am glad to see he came out with a much tighter boxing stance when he fought Randy, and I think that made a huge difference. Randy had his way with Chuck when he was holding his hands way out at his sides in the first fight.

Chuck wants to fight Vand because it is his last shot at being the best light heavyweight. This is why everyone wants to fight Vand, and why Vand wants to fight Fedor Emelianenko... to obtain a status even greater than that of a legend. The only difference between Vand's dream and Chuck's is that Chuck's quest/death wish will consume him in the end, whereas Vand's will only prove what all the real fans already know, that being that Vanderlei Silva he is a man among men.

Source: Fight Sport

 4/18/05

Quote of the Day

""The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched.
They must be felt with the heart"

Helen Keller, 1880-1968, American Blind/Deaf Author, Lecturer, Amorist

Fighters' Club TV Episode 30

Fighters’ Club TV Episode 30 (Uncut) will run at our normal timeslot: 8:30PM on Oceanic Channel 52 Tuesday Nights (April 19th & 26th)

It is raw and hasn’t been edited so this’ll be your only chance to see the fights from Superbrawl: Full Contact Showdown 1 in it entirety.

- Ryan Lee vs. David Grenados
- Harris Sarmiento vs. Walther Ha'o
- Sgt. Steve Byrnes vs. Jesse Rangel
- Kolo Koka vs. Candido Estrada

+ Interviews w/ Steve Byrnes and Kolo Koka by Mike Onzuka and our special correspondent, Tommy Dakota!

Pretty exciting stuff so don’t miss it.

Questions, Comments, Suggestions?

Email any of your favorite FCTV host: Chris “The Brain”, Mike “The Icon”, or Mark “the other guy ” at: fightersclubtv808@hotmail.com

Honolulu Gets Ready to Rumble
ROTR 7 to be held May 7 at Blaisdell Center Arena



HONOLULU, HAWAI'I -- April 17, 2005 The Rumble on the Rock is back! Hawai'i's largest and most popular Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) event will return to the Blaisdell Center Arena on Oahu, May 7, 2005. Bringing together world-class headliners in the sport today to Hawai'i's island paradise, Rumble World Entertainment (RWE) plans to bring another action-packed, star-studded, and Hawaiian-themed event to Hawai'i's broad MMA fan base.

A total of nine fights are scheduled for the night with the main event featuring original UFC bad boy and self-proclaimed "White Mike Tyson," David "Tank" Abbott against Hawai'i's own Wesley "Cabbage" Correira. The two will step into the cage to settle bad blood from a previous match. Hilo boy BJ Penn will also be in attendance to make an official announcement on who his next scheduled opponent will be.

ROTR's most recent event, ROTR 6 (November 2004), was possibly the biggest production the Blaisdell Center Arena had seen since Elvis Presley's 1973 Aloha from Hawai'i concert, selling over 8,000 tickets and causing some fight publications and MMA web sites to call it the most anticipated MMA card in the U.S. in recent years.

RWE is encouraging fans to get their tickets early. ROTR 6 drew record numbers, selling out five full days before the event. In an effort to open up more seats for Hawai'i fans, RWE shrank the mainstage and opened up 1,500 more seats, which then sold out within 48 hours. To JD Penn, RWE's president, this is a sign of the sport's popularity.

According to Penn, "Our goal is to bring the best athletes in the sport here to compete in the largest MMA event in Hawai'i. MMA is exciting for people of all ages and we want to cultivate its popularity globally and share it with the people of Hawai'i. We also hope to break down a lot of the misconceptions people have about our sport because there's a lot of unnecessary controversy surrounding it. This sport is progressive, it's powerful and it's exciting. MMA is the future entertainment for the masses and RWE is here to help it reach epic proportions," he said.
On Friday, May 6th, fighter weigh-ins and a press conference will be held at the Ala Moana Centerstage at 2pm. Fans and media will have the opportunity to meet the fighters and their trainers and find out what strategies they have in store. Interested media will also have the opportunity to interview fighters pre and/or post event upon request. The May 7th event will be held at the Blaisdell Center Arena, doors will open at 6:30pm. Tickets, which go on sale Monday, April 18th, are priced at $35 and $70, with cage side seating priced between $150 and $300 They can be purchased online at http://www.ticketmaster.com or at any Ticketmaster location. MMA enthusiasts who cannot attend the event in person will have the opportunity to purchase certain fights on Pay-Per-View over the Internet - an option RWE has not offered in previous events.

The event will host the returns of UFC veterans David "Tank" Abbott (8-10), Wesley "Cabbage" Correira (13-7), Kimo Leopoldo (17-0), Ricco "Suave" Rodriguez (13-4) and Charuto Verissimo (4-2). Former football star Marcus "The Monster" Royster will make his ROTR debut at 6"8, 360 lbs against Kimo Leopoldo. Royster is being dubbed the biggest MMA athlete to ever compete professionally in Hawai'i. Other fights planned for ROTR 7 include:

Confirmed fights:

Heavyweights: Wesley "Cabbage" Correira (13-7) vs. Tank Abbott (8-10)

Heavyweights: Kimo Leopoldo (8-4) vs. Marcus "The Monster" Royster (4-0)

Light Heavyweights: Chris West (2-0) vs. Alan Goes (6-4)

Middleweights: Charuto Verissimo (4-2) vs. Yuichi Nakanishi (5-1)

Lightweights: Shaolin Riberio (10-1) vs. Tetsuji Kato (17-5)

Participating fighters:

Heavyweights:

Ricco "Suave" Rodriguez (13-4)

Source: RWE

Hawaii Junior Olympic Boxing Champions!

Here is the list of all the Hawaii State Junior Olympic Boxing Champions. Their Official title is USA-Boxing Hawaii Region 13 Hawaii State Boxing Champions for 2005.

8yrs/55lbs Female- Liana Sanchez,
8/80 female- Shamar Rodrigues,
9/60lbs- Jaymes Carlos,
9/65- Abraham Reinhart,
10/75- Chazzen Sau,
10/90- Rocky Balala,
11/65- J.J. Benitez,
11/70- Storm Razo-Kauhi,
11/106- Zach Manangan,
11/165- Jason Lewis,
12/95- Ray Cooper III,
12/101 female- Chazzette Sau,
13/132- Joshua Nakagawa,
14/80- Josh Delacruz,
14/114- Joe Taglies III,
14/119- Keahi Tamanaha,
14/138 female- Cathleen Rodrigues,
14/165- Jacob Carlos,
15/90- Ikaika Villanueva,
15/95- Thomas Juan,
15/106- Jensen Gumtang,
15/138- Steven Yoshida,
16/95 female- Gina Ramos,
16/101- Keola McKee,
16/110- Bruno Escalante,
16/114- Kawika Tangjian Jr.,
16/132- Cory Dennison,
16/145- Kurtis Kala,
16/154- Cameron Ursua,
16/165- Vincent Delgado-Wells,
16/189- Tupo Kulihaapai,
16/201- Daytin Kaua,
16/201+ - Kai Maiava.

Wailuku B.C. won the LBC Team Championship (8-14yrs), Kawano/Tiki Ent. B.C. won the Region Hawaii Team Championship with 3 males and 1 female advancing to the Nationals. Both Coaches will be attending the National Tournament. 15/16 yrs old Males and Females advance to National Championships in Brownsville, Texas on June 19- 26th.

Kawano/Tiki Ent. B.C. Tupo Kulihaapai (16yrs) decisioned Central Maui's Kaulana Alo-Kaonohi in a 189lb Championship bout to represent Hawaii with 14 other boxers to Brownsville, Texas in June.

Matched bouts results- 65lbs- J.J. Benitez (Kawano/Tiki B.C.) dec. Storm Razo Kauhi ( Central Maui B.C.),
114lb- Keoni Tamanaha (Wailuku Maui B.C.) dec. Joe Taglies III (Palolo B.C.),
185lb Men's bout- Matthew Monkewicz (Kawano/Tiki) dec. Arvell Spencer (East Oahu Waimanalo B.C.),
135- Corey Dennison (Pearlside) dec. Steven Yoshida (Central Maui),
165- Jacob Carlos (Wailuku) dec. Vincent Delgado-Wells ( Palolo),
201+- Daytin Kaua (Pearlside) dec. Kai Maiava (Central Maui),
150- Cameron Ursua (Palolo B.C.) dec. Kurtis Kala (Central Maui),
95lbs- Keola McKee (Wailuku) dec. Thomas Juan (Wailuku),
165- Tyson Nahooikaika (Wailuku) dec. Darius Ursua (Palolo).

Trophies/Awards
Outstanding Boxer- Tupo Kulihaapai,
Outstanding Bout- Jacob Carlos -vs- Vincent Delagado-Wells,
Outstanding Bout 2- Kai Maiava -vs- Daytin Kaua,
Sportsmanship- Kaulana Alo-Kaonohi,
Region Hawaii Team Championship- Kawano/Tiki Ent.,
Local Boxing Committee (LBC) Team Championship- Wailuku B.C.

Thank You for Your Time and Everything Else,

Bruce Kawano
USA-Boxing Hawaii Junior Olympic Chaiman.
USA-Boxing Hawaii Board of Dir./Gov.
National Coaches Commitee Appointed Member.

ZST Genesis rules Japan this Saturday

Another edition of ZST Genesis promises a great time in Japan. At this Saturday, April 17, 2005, the ZST happens at Gold's Gym South Tokyo Annex, in Tokyo, Japan featuring 9 bouts. Highlights to Tetsuya Nishi vs Masayuki Ida

ZST Genesis

Saturday, April 17, 2005

Gold's Gym South Tokyo Annex - Tokyo, Japan

COMPLETE CARD (subject to change):

- Masayuki Okude vs Masanori Kanehara;

- Yuchiro Yajima vs Naoto Sto;

- Sumio Kyano vs Tsuneyuki Nozu;

- Isao Terada vc Toshiyuki Saito;

- Kazuma Muranaka vs Yusuke Masuda;

- Yoshimichi Takino vs Masashi Takeda;

- Yojiro Uchimura vs Hiroyuki Ota;

- Takeaki Miyakawa vs Ranki Kawana;
- Tetsuya Nishi vs Masayuki Ida.

Source: Tatame

Galvão out of Jiu-Jitsu Brazil Cup

After doing a great debut at the 11th edition of Pan-American, Galvão has been busy with his middleweight gold medal. Black belt fighter has been teaching seminars and he might not fight at Jiu-Jitsu Brazil Cup, scheduled to next April 23, 24 and 30. "My ticket is scheduled to next April 28. I believe I am out of Brazil Cup... I have been working a lot in here. I am in San Diego and I will conduct few seminars with Telles and Valente," Galvão said. Check out the full interview later, at TATAME.com! You cannot miss it!

Source: Tatame

 4/17/05

Quote of the Day

"What the vast majority of American children needs is to stop being pampered, stop being indulged, stop being chauffeured, stop being catered to. In the final analysis it is not what you do for your children but what you have taught them to do for themselves that will make them successful human beings."

Ann Landers, 1918-2002, American Advice Columnist

UFC 52: Couture vs. Liddell 2 Results!
Liddell KO's Couture, Hughes chokes Trigg again, Salavery Triangles Riggs, Lindland chokes Lutter

A night of surprise endings and growing skills


UFC 52: 'Couture vs. Liddell 2'
MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, NV
April 16, 2005

Chuck Liddell defeats Randy Couture by KO, RD 1.
*Liddell becomes new Light Heavyweight Champion
Renato 'Babalu' Sobral defeats Travis Wiuff by armbar, RD 2.
Matt Hughes defeats Frank Trigg by rear naked choke, RD 1.
Matt Lindland defeats Travis Lutter by guillotine choke, RD 2.
Georges St. Pierre defeats Jason Miller by unanimous decision.
Ivan Salaverry defeats Joe Riggs by triangle choke, RD 1.
Joe Doerksen defeats Patrick Cote by rear naked choke, RD 3.
Mike Van Arsdale defeats John Marsh by decision.

VANDERLEI SPEAKS

Brazilian website portaldovt.com.br spoke with Vanderlei Silva regarding some of the light heavyweights in the UFC. Here's what Silva had to say (translation by Ricardo Alonso).

Vanderlei on the Randy Couture vs. Chuck Liddell matchup, and if he has anyinterest on facing the winner of their fight: "I hope a future adversary comes out of that fight for me. I don't know what condition either fighter is in, but Couture won the first fight, and if he does that same kind of game, then he'll win again. I'm rooting for Couture because I want to face him. So I hope he comes out the winner. My bet is on him."

Vanderlei on facing Tito Ortiz again, if Ortiz signs with PRIDE: "I have a great desire to fight Ortiz again if he comes to PRIDE. The guy is very arrogant. Just like the rest of the world, I too want to beat him down. I would even accept a lower fight purse just to get a fight against him, no problem. I would beat him down with great pleasure. He talks smack that has nothing to do with anything. I talk some smack too, but all within the lines of the game, but I do not like the kind of smack he talks."

Source: Fight Sport

NOGUEIRA BROTHERS TRAINING WITH GHOLAR

The Nogueira brothers, Rodrigo "Minotauro" and Rogerio "Minotoro".

Brazilian magazine 'Tatame' reports that the Nogueira brothers, Rodrigo 'Minotauro' and Rogerio 'Minotoro', have been working on their wrestling with their former wrestling coach Darrell Gholar.

Rogerio Minotoro is scheduled to face Dan Henderson in the first round of the PRIDE middleweight GP on April 23rd, and the Nogueira brothers feel that Gholar's training will add the final touches to his training and prepare him well for the Henderson, whose strength is wrestling.

Source: Fight Sport

PRIDE BUSHIDO LIVES ON,
GP TOURNAMENTS ANNOUNCED


DSE/PRIDE announced last week that their PRIDE 'Bushido' promotion will continue to take place.

The show will continue to foces more on the lighter weight fighters, with a 185-pound and 160-pound Grand PRix events scheduled to begin later in the year.

The upcoming PRIDE Bushido events, scheduled for May 22nd and July, will determine which fighters advance to the GP tournament.

Source: MMA Weekly

RICCO: 'UFC OFFER TOO CHEAP'

Ricco Rodriguez issued a statement on the UG forum as to why he turned down the proposed fight with Andrei Arlovsky, which would have taken place on the upcoming UFC 53 card. Here's what Ricco had to say:

"I appreciate the UFC offering me the opportunity to fight Andre, but because of the expense I would incur putting together a training camp, that would provide me the necessary tools to compete effectively, the compensation offered for the fight, win or lose would not be enough to make the effort financially viable. It would be an honor to fight Andre in the future and if the UFC can put it together again under circumstances that will provide me with fair compensation and adequate time to prepare I will gladly take the fight.

It takes a lot of people sacrificing, time, effort and money to help me train for my fights and regardless of what other fighters obligations are to their camps I try to compensate everyone associated with my training camps fairly, because without their help I could not have enjoyed the success I have now and will have in the future. Fighting is my lively hood.

Doing what's best for me and my family is always a priority when choosing fights and the direction of my career. I appreciate all the support of my friends and fans and I do hope to return to competion soon, but until then I will do what I feel is best for myself my family, and my career."

Source: MMA Weekly

KANG SPEAKS
Denis Kang


American journalist Keith Mills recently interviewed Denis Kang. Here's what Kang had to say:

KM: Congratulations on your victory in PRIDE.

Kang: It has been a long time coming.

KM: Can you describe the fight?

Kang: We started off I dropped him with a right hand. He dropped right at my feet and I tried to soccer kick him, I missed, and he tried to get up to work it into a shoot. I stopped his shot, we clinched briefly for like one or two seconds, I foot swept him judo style, and landed in his half guard. I worked from his half guard with light punches and elbows to his body. He was doing a good job covering up and then I passed to mount. When I was in mount I started punching him. I got a little overzealous with swinging and he raised up the same time I was punching and bridged me over and I ended up on my back. From there I tried a triangle, he stood up out of it, and he backed off like he was going to throw some kicks to my legs. I took that opportunity to get up. We were standing up again and he kept trying to rush me. He did that once or twice and I would just feed him some knees and right hands because he is a south-paw. We clinched one more time and I foot swept him again. He was coming forward so there was a lot more momentum so he went flying and I landed in side mount. From there I took the mount, started punching again, he reversed me one more time and this time when he stood up out of my guard I kicked him right in the face and got back up. Same thing, he clinched again. I had double underhooks, he tried basically a belly-to-belly supplex, I kept my balance and ended up right in mount. I punched him a few times and got the armbar. He wouldn't tap. I had it fully extended and I readjusted it. I really cracked it; his arm popped three or four times. That is when he tapped.

KM: It sounded like a tough fight.

Kang: This guy definitely came to fight. I was prepared for everything. Down at ATT we train for every position and everything that happened to me in the ring already happened to me in training.

KM: I'll get back to ATT in a moment but as far as this debut in PRIDE how does that make you feel?

Kang: It is all hitting me right now. A few weeks before this fight and even a few hours it just felt like any other fight. The week after and right now I realized "wow, I just won my first fight in PRIDE". Eight years and I've finally done it. It is a great feeling and I'm really ecstatic.

KM: Congratulations again. You have been with ATT how long, two or three months?

Kang: Two months.

KM: How far along toward the performance you gave were you before joining ATT? What did they change or add so far?

Kang: They really instilled a lot of confidence in me. I knew I was ready for any situation. They have great coaching of course but also just so many great fighters to train with that put me in all kinds of situations. I knew whatever happened I was there before. I felt ready for anything. My stamina was top notch as usual but it felt like anything that could happen I could deal with.

KM: On the same card Marcus Aurelio from ATT fought and then there are the connections between ATT and BTT giving you even more support. How much did that affect your mindset?

Kang: It was good. The BTT guys a lot of them I know as friends from having seen them in other shows. Having Aurelio there was really cool as well because we trained together for this, we both knew we were on the show for a while even though mine was a little more off-and-on. We both started training for the same time for this. Even though we didn't do that much training together because we are different weights we came along together and peaked together. It was great to both get the victory and celebrate together. The team spirit in ATT is very strong.

KM: Sometimes it is hard to get that across to some of the fighters or fans that haven't experienced it.

Kang: It is a really tight-knit group and we all bleed together and sweat together every day when we train. That really creates a bond. You've got to be able to trust the person you are mounting and punching in the face. It sounds kind of strange but that is the way it is.

KM: Wasn't that a bit of culture shock to go from being somewhat isolated in British Columbia and trying hard to find training partners to ATT where you can't turn around without stumbling over a black belt?

Kang: No, not really. I've been down there a few times before so I always knew what to expect. When I first came down last year it wasn't really culture shock so much as an eye opener of what things could be like, the kind of training they have access to down here.

KM: Here it is only a month or two down there and here you are in PRIDE.

Kang: All the timing seemed to be perfect.

KM: How did it feel going to Pride and seeing Dean Lister as the last to qualify for the Middleweight Grand Prix, that you were just a little too late to make a splash?

Kang: It is good you mention that because I don't think too many people know I'm moving down to the 83 kilo class in PRIDE. That is around 183 pounds. I believe they are going to have a Grand Prix for that starting later on this year. That is my goal, to win the Welterweight Grand Prix.

KM: Are we going to see you in Pride before that starts?

Kang: Yes. Maybe even two. I can say if all goes well I hope to be fighting in the next PRIDE Bushido show which is May 29th I believe.

KM: I heard you have an instructional video coming out.

Kang: You talked to Stephan Kesting. We filmed that right before I left Vancouver. I don't know when it will be coming out. Probably by the early summer or late summer.

KM: Is this going to be a single DVD or a series?

Kang: I believe it is going to be a single DVD. It is going to be called "My Vale Tudo". It's not going to be like a lot of them where they show you every armbar and from which position, this is a compilation of my favorite techniques. It is probably geared more toward the intermediate user or someone who wants to get into MMA. It is my fighting theory or the first part of it anyway. Everything I show is "battlefield tested" as I call it.

KM: I take it people will be able to hear more about it on deniskang.com?

Kang: Of course.

KM: Anything else you want to get out to the fans?

Kang: I want to thank people for sticking with me all these years until I finally made it to PRIDE. I want to say thank you to all the people from Canada. Even though I'm coming out under the Korean flag in PRIDE, I'm still very proud to be Canadian. I thank all the Canadian fans for their support. I probably wouldn't have made it to PRIDE without their support.

KM: Sponsors to thank.

Kang: I want to thank ATT.

Source: Fight Sport

 4/16/05

Quote of the Day

"When you find peace within yourself, you become the kind of
person who can live at peace with others."

Peace Pilgrim {1908-1981 American Activist}

The Official Academia Casca Grossa de Jiu-Jitsu Iraq Affiliate Is Now Open!

That's right folks, ACGJJ has gone international and into terrorist neighborhoods near you!
One of Casca Grossa's toughest students, Chris Slavens has started up a group class on his base to help pass the time, increase moral, help better prepare America's heroes that are in the war zone...and get some training in for himself.

On the first night, 15 soldiers came to train (one female). The excitement of the soldiers spilled over the class' one hour scheduled time and they trained well into the night, some until 12 midnight. The class is run two days a week and the soldiers love it, which is attributable to two things; that BJJ is the greatest sport in the world (literally) and our own Chris Slavens is a great teacher and motivator. He promised to snap some pictures, so we will post them when we get them.

Watch out you terrorist scumbags, now we might just save Uncle Sam a few pennies on ammo and choke your asses out!

God Bless America and our troops!

I am sure that ACGJJ speaks for many of us out here, we are proud of all of our heroes throughout the world defending our freedoms and giving others theirs.

UFC 52: Couture vs. Liddell 2 Today!

I believe it airs at 4PM Hawaii Standard Time, so get ready for two great title fights in addition to a few other highly anticipated matches.

Randy Couture vs. Chuck Liddell
Matt Hughes vs. Frank Trigg
Georges St. Pierre vs. Jason Miller
Patrick Cote vs. Joe Doerksen
Travis Wuiff vs. Renato Sobral
Matt Lindland vs. Travis Lutter
Ivan Salaverry vs. Joe Riggs

Couture, Liddell All Smiles Leading Into Rematch
UFC 52 Weigh-Ins Clear Sixteen for Active Duty

By Loretta Hunt

LAS VEGAS, April 15th -- Going into its second straight weekend of events, Zuffa Sports Entertainment kicked off its official weigh-ins today from the MGM Grand Garden Arena. Announcing that nearly 10 million people tuned in for almost six minutes to catch the now-legendary Forrest Griffin-Stephan Bonnar fight that cemented its T.U.F. Finale event broadcast on Spike TV last Saturday, the mood couldn't help but be high in a room full of fans and well-wishers for the sport officially on the rise.

Crowd-darlings Randy Couture (13-6)* and Chuck Liddell (14-3) were all smiles mere hours before they'll go a second time for the UFC light-heavyweight title. Light-heavyweight champion Couture weighed in at a svelte 203 pounds, while challenger Liddell was 204.5 pounds. It's been a ride for the two since last summer, when they began shooting episodes for what would become the hit Spike TV show The Ultimate Fighter. The series highlighted the impending April 16th rematch that challenger Liddell earned after taking out former champion Tito Ortiz at UFC 47. Since the show's debut in mid-January, the pair have made countless TV, radio, and live appearances, and managed to squeeze in their training as well. Regardless of tomorrow night's outcome, one can only imagine these two will be letting out huge sighs of relief that they made it through one of the most carnival of atmospheres.

Both looking fit and ready, welterweight champion Matt Hughes (38-4) and challenger Frank Trigg (13-2) came in at 170 and 169 pounds respectively. Their staredown today oozed respect, but anyone who recalls this pair's first encounter at UFC 45, knows there is a conflict of personalities that has never waned. The brash, loudmouth Trigg claims he's far more equipped to handle strongman Hughes' dominant wrestling style. In response, the mild-mannered Illinois farm boy has come in his fittest looking since his UFC 36 battle with then-Japanese standout Hayato Sakurai.

2000 Olympic silver medalist Matt Lindland (13-3) received a supportive boost from the crowd as he made his way to the scales to come in at 185 pounds on the dot. Since getting knocked out by David Terrell at UFC 49, Lindland has kept busy with nearly-UFC ready opponents that hoped to topple him to get themselves in the door. Lindland hasn't given them an inch, and the "winningest" middleweight the UFC has, he's now back with the promotion he's toiled in since 2001. Opponent Travis Lutter (7-1) made a splash at UFC 50 with a walloping knockout punch over Muay Thai champion Marvin Eastman early in the second round after an uneventful first. Moving down to the middleweights, the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt from Texas came in 186 pounds today. The Nevada Athletic Commission gave Lutter the one pound allowance.

To add a little spice to the happenings, zany Georgian Jason "Mayhem" Miller (22-4) first weighed in at 172 pounds, one pound heavier than his allotted match-up with French Canadian dynamo Georges St. Pierre (7-1). Announcer Joe Rogan urged Miller to remove his platinum "teef," which the raven-haired fighter comically laid on the scales. He re-weighed in at 171 pounds to match opponent St. Pierre's 170 pounds. Both explosive candidates, FCF predicts this one to be the fight of the night. Zuffa must agree. They've slotted it as the fight to introduce their live telecast tomorrow night.

For the scheduled swing bout that will air if times permits past the two five-round championship bouts scheduled tomorrow night, an unaffected 204-pound Brazilian Renato "Babalu" Sobral (24-5) made his return to the UFC since eating a Liddell KO kick back at UFC 40. Quiet Minnesotan opponent Travis Wiuff (22-3), who began his MMA career three-and-a-half years ago at a hearty 270 pounds, weighed in his lightest to date at a miraculous 203 pounds. Wiuff also appeared at UFC 40, a novice to experienced Vladimir Matyushenko's wrestling savvy, but the 3-Time All-American ground and pounder had since tied together 23 wins in his 24 subsequent fights. That being said, Brazilian wrestling champion Sobral will be Wiuff's toughest customer yet.

In undercard action, heavy-handed Arizonian Joe Riggs (24-4) looked sharp at 185 pounds, while Chilean-born, Canadian and American-reared Ivan Salaverry (10-3-1) was but a pound lighter. Once a heavyweight fighter who has trimmed down the fat over the last few years, Riggs hasn't seemed to lose the power he possessed before and knows how to wield it. One of the most well-rounded, instinctual fighters the UFC boasts in its middleweight division, Salaverry could be on the road to contendership if he avoids "the Diesel's" fists.

Canadian brethren Patrick Cote (5-1) and Joe Doerksen (29-6) both tallied in at the 185 pound mark today for their middleweight melee tomorrow evening. Hoping to build on previous lackluster debuts in the Octagon, striker Cote's intentions to keep the fight standing should clash soundly with Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt Doerksen's goal to get it to the mats.

First up to the stage, chiseled heavyweight debuter John Marsh (12-4) came in at 225 pounds. American Kickboxing Academy's Mike Van Arsdale (9-1), who says he asked for any weight opening the promotion could fit him into first, weighed in an even lighter 215 pounds. If 2-Time Olympic wrestling alternate Van Arsdale shows promise tomorrow night, he could be scooted down to light-heavyweight in future appearances. But, with ten-plus pounds on the AKA fighter, Marsh's noted strength and brawling power could pose an obstacle.

Source: FCF

UFC 52 PREVIEW:
GEORGE ST. PIERRE VS. JASON MILLER

Ken Pishna, MMAWeekly.com

With two title fights on the card at UFC 52, the bout between Georges St. Pierre and Jason “Mayhem” Miller may just sneak under the radar of casual fans. But leave no doubt about it; this fight could be one that steals the show.

Most UFC fans know the name Georges St. Pierre. He’s an athletically gifted and uber-talented fighter that scorched his way to a 6-0 record before he ran into a rebounding Matt Hughes at UFC 50. Possibly prematurely, St. Pierre faced Hughes for the vacant UFC welterweight title and was doing well until being caught in a heartbreaking arm bar with just 1 second left in the first round. He has since displayed his resilience, tapping out UFC veteran Dave Strasser with a Kimura in just under two minutes at TKO 19.

Looking to work his way back into the welterweight title picture, St. Pierre returns to the Octagon to face UFC first-timer Jason “Mayhem” Miller. If you’re a casual fan that only follows the UFC, on the surface, this fight looks to be hand picked for St. Pierre to build him back up. Look again!

Although St. Pierre has a stellar record of 7-1, those unfamiliar with Miller will be surprised to know that he carries an 11-3 record himself. Of course quality of opposition is as important, or maybe even more so, as quantity.

St. Pierre has faced fighters like the aforementioned Matt Hughes and Dave Strasser, Pete Spratt, Thomas Denny, and Karo Parisyan. No slouch himself, Miller has fought the likes of Ron Jhun, Egan Inoue, Chael Sonnen, Denis Kang, Tim Kennedy, and Jay Buck. Both biographies are pretty impressive.

So neither fighter has much of an edge in experience other than the fact that St. Pierre has been in the Octagon multiple times, Miller has not. You never know how things are going to play out a fighter’s first time in the cage, but Miller has had experience fighting in main even fights, this isn’t one, so the pressure of the spotlight shouldn’t be anything he can’t handle. It probably won’t be much of a factor.

The biggest factors in this fight will be the skills that each fighter possesses and who best utilizes those skills. Athletically, St. Pierre is more gifted than Miller and that should only help give a little more edge to his stand-up skills. Miller can hang on his feet, but St. Pierre is probably a little more skilled with his striking and has more power behind his punch than Miller.

It’s hard to tell who is better with the takedown, but once the fight hits the ground, I think Miller has the edge. It’s not that St. Pierre isn’t good on the ground, because he is. It’s more the fact that Miller seems to possess a wider array of skills when the fight hits the mat and he really seems to enjoy submitting fighters instead of banging it out.

So where does this fight go? This is such a good fight because it’s hard to say who has the edge. Miller is notorious for being a slow starter. If he comes out that way at UFC 52 and St. Pierre pushes the pace early with his standup, it could be a short night for Miller. But then again, even though he’s not exactly good out of the gait, Miller hasn’t been caught early before. He’s very good at surviving the early moments until he can find a way to start working his mat magic.

Look for this one to be an amazing fight, but not one that will go the distance. St. Pierre definitely has the skills to catch Miller early with his striking abilities. If that doesn’t happen, look for this one to into the second round where it’s more likely that Miller finds a way to finish the fight on the ground.

Source: MMA Weekly

Team Effort Personifies Team Quest
by Josh Gross

LAS VEGAS, April 15 — If Saturday night Chuck Liddell resembles anything close to Team Quest kickboxing coach Dave Hagen, those betting on the underdog light heavyweight contender to beat UFC champion Randy Couture won’t have to bother standing on line at the MGM Grand Sports Book after the fight.

Sandwiched between a shirtless Couture and “protective” blue padding covering a small section on the inside of the Ultimate Training Center, Hagen winced while shielding his face from the 42-year-old fighter’s punches, which fortunately for him thudded off his mitt-covered hands and not somewhere else.

Because Nate Quarry demanded it of him, Hagen, mimicking Liddell, also attempted to regain his feet; but for the long-legged trainer it invariably led to a Couture’ cross-face or the discomfort that comes with a knee jammed in your belly.

With the hardships of training camp behind him, Couture has moved into maintenance mode, downshifting to what seemed — except to Hagen — like 70 percent during Wednesday evening’s three rounds of mitt work.

For the men whose goal it is to make Couture victorious, however, there is no such tapering.

After a quick “blow out” of his lungs, irritated this week by allergy-wielding pollens made worse by an abnormally wet winter, Couture headed back to the MGM Grand for an adjustment from his chiropractor/nutritionist, Ryan Parsons.

It’s a team effort, keeping this champion at the top.

Hagen, Quarry and Parsons are just three of the men who helped prepare Couture in the champion’s Gresham, Oregon gym for Saturday’s rematch with Liddell. Chief among them is Robert Follis, a lanky 35-year-old former mixed martial arts junkie who, beginning with Couture’s stoppage of Kevin Randleman in November 2000, seconds “The Natural.”

They met eight years ago while Follis ran Portland’s Straight Blast Gym — the only place, said Couture, where he could find a decent sparring partner.

When Couture and fellow wrestler-turned-fighter Dan Henderson offered Follis a chance to run their Performance Quest gym — primarily a fitness center with a small martial arts area in the back — he declined, opting instead to remain where he was.

A year later, Performance Quest was done. Henderson had moved back to California. And Couture, now partners with Olympic silver medalist Matt Lindland, opened Team Quest, which was located in the back of the car lot Lindland bought after returning home from Sydney.

For Couture, Lindland and a handful of others the lot was simply a place to workout, ill suited, it seemed, for the general public. “We’d been kind of running it as an open gym and not really making money,” Couture remembered. “It wasn’t a business.”

Frustrated with his financial situation, Follis approached Couture about the possibility of partnering up in Team Quest. Within weeks of coming to an agreement, public classes had been upped from two to 12.

“He, of course, had the sense to run a membership, do all the things that needed to be done to make it run like a business,” Couture said of Follis. “And that’s when things really turned around.”

And thus, a business — and a major force in mixed martial arts — was born.

Today, the gym holds nearly 300 members. Plus, as it turned out, Follis’ ability to run a facility wasn’t his only attribute. “I wanted to be the coach,” he told Sherdog.com after the workout room quieted Wednesday. “I wanted to be the guy that wasn’t in the limelight. I wanted people to recognize me over somebody’s shoulder.”

A long-time basketball fan, Follis consulted books by the sport’s best motivators — John Wooden, Phil Jackson, Pat Riley — and listened to the words of people like Anthony Robbins. He watched others teach and analyzed tapes of fights he cornered, critiquing himself each step of the way.

While he had only studied Brazilian jiu-jitsu for a year and half when he began working with Couture and Henderson, Follis offered them the closest thing to a jiu-jitsu coach they could find. Meanwhile, the fighters helped him shape a teaching style by filtering out the things that didn’t make sense.

“As time moved on it fell more into where I felt like I was the coach,” he said. “It’s been kind of a gradual process until I was kinda that main guy. I was the guy that was getting turned to to work the corner.”

Out of those experiences, his training style bloomed.

“A lot of guys get caught up in watching someone else’s fight that they develop a plan on how to fight in that guy’s style — and I think that’s a big mistake,” Follis said. “Or they try and be reactive to that style rather than saying, ‘We’re going to look to put that guy out of his game plan and into our style.’ That’s something that we’ve worked real hard — not just myself but as a whole in the gym — with that kind of philosophy.”

“He’s a great trainer,” Couture said. “He’s a great technical coach. He reads people real well and he’s real good with people — not that I need a lot of that — but it still makes a difference.”

Twelve weeks ago, Follis, the architect of Couture’s shocking performance that saw him stop Liddell to win the UFC light heavyweight interim title, sat down with Couture and Quarry to map out a game plan for Saturday’s fight.

“The first thing I want to look at is less at the opponent and more at my fighter,” Follis began. “And to me, a basic concept of what I try and get across to the fighters is we want to try and make that other guy fight your fight.”

For Follis, little can match the feeling of watching his charge execute in the ring. That’s exactly what happened in the summer of 2003 when Couture, competing for the first time at 205 pounds, battered Liddell around the Octagon.

“I was excited that we had another opportunity to go out and let it hang out,” said Follis, recalling his feelings after consecutive losses at heavyweight propelled Couture down one division. “And I was confident in the fact that we had made adjustments. I was confident in the fact that we had trained hard. Then you go out and compete and see what happens.”

On Saturday, Team Quest faces a man who believes he’s made the necessary adjustments. With the exception of his fight against Quinton Jackson, Liddell is unbeaten since falling to Couture. And no argument could rebut the claim that, among current UFC light heavyweight contenders, there is no more dangerous opponent than a healthy and hungry Liddell.

Despite his reputation as a man who likes to slow a fight’s tempo, Couture and his camp feel Liddell will be an aggressive challenger in the Octagon tomorrow.

Ironically, they contend, it will make for an easier time if the John Hackleman-trained fighter moves forward. “It just means we collide that much quicker,” Couture said. “He’s still gotta hit me, and that creates the opening for me to get under him and take him down.”

“Randy’s game plan hasn’t changed for a while,” Follis explained. “We’ve just refined it. Randy’s gotten consistently better and I think it’s one of the hardest things that guys have to do at that level. When you’re on top, it’s hard to push yourself and expand in new areas because you’re thinking ‘Well, I’m already the champ. What do I need to change? People need to chase me.’ So we’ve continually looked to refine and find areas. When Randy had trouble getting up off bottom we delved onto that and worked the crap out of until we felt like he wasn’t going into a game plan that wasn’t his.

“His movement, execution, conditioning — again, we’ve been working his game plan for so long now, fine tuning it; he’s scary now.”

Couture never allowed Liddell to get comfortable the first time around. Constant forward pressure — or as Follis called it, “controlled aggression” — forced the favorite into mistakes. After 10 minutes elapsed it was no longer a question of if Couture would win it was when.

Scouting Liddell for the rematch, Couture “didn’t see a lot of things different.”

“But,” he added, “Obviously he wasn’t facing me again, so there was no reason for him to change a whole lot of things.

“He’s been pretty successful with what he’s been doing against everybody else. So, just kind of anticipating what he might be thinking and where he might go. When it gets down to it, I don’t see that we’re that different as fighters. He’s still the striker; he still wants to knock me out. I’m still a wrestler that wants to take him down and put him on the ground.

“I’ve got to cut him off and use the cage to corral him. When he gets to that black line that’s two, two and a half feet from the cage, that’s when you go. That’s when you attack and you’re either hitting him or running him into the cage and taking him down.”

If his time peppering Hagen is an indicator, Couture will work hard to keep Liddell grounded when the fight goes to the floor.

It seems odd, a world-class wrestler having to drill keeping an average college grappler on his back, but Liddell is the best light heavyweight in the world when it comes to recovering to his feet.

(Three times in the first fight Liddell managed to Houdini his way to a position where he could strike. If he’s got any shot of pulling the upset, the six-foot-two fighter will have to do that sort of thing again.)

Between rounds, Follis will be in the Octagon offering Couture advice. The nervousness that at one time accompanied him to the ring isn’t there anymore.

“It definitely took some adjusting,” he said. “I’d like to think as a coach I’ve grown a lot over the last few years. To me, as much pressure as those guys feel getting in the ring, it was a lot of pressure on the outside. I wanted to do right and be there for them.

“Being able to have that composure, I think, has been a huge piece in my continued success as a coach, especially with the younger guys.

“To me, it’s a huge privilege to have an athlete in a sport with a lot riding on it — I mean, there’s an ass beating waiting for you if you’re not executing well. So I take a lot of pride in the fact that these guys trust me enough to have me in their corner, to develop a game plan for them. So it’s a big deal. And when they go out and execute that game plan well, I kinda feel like I’m a piece of that.”

To hear Couture and other Team Quest fighters talk, Follis is more than a “piece.” “He’s phenomenal,” Couture said.

And so to are the others, like the sparring partners who put themselves at risk each time they train.

“Having guys that push me — Nate Quarry, Chris Leben, Chael Sonnen, Eddie Herman, Josh Burkman — they’re in there every day putting their body on the line and trying their best to push,” the 205-pound champion said. “They’d put knots on my head or choke me out of the can. And that’s what you need. If you’re going to continue to progress you gotta have guys that challenge you on a regular basis, and those guys certainly do that.”

For Follis, whose fighting days are long over, it’s not about winning or losing. Sure that’s important, but it’s not what keeps him coming to the gym, working with kids and champs alike.

“If I could help my fighter make the most out of what he has and get that extra little bit,” said the man who trains Randy Couture, “that’s what’s important.”

Source: Sherdog

COFFEE GUY EXCLUSIVE:
ARLOVSKI VS. EILERS POSSIBILITY

By Coffee Guy

The following exclusive report was sent to us by our Zuffa informant called 'Coffee Guy':

It looks now as if the matchup of Andrei Arlovski vs. Justin Eilers will be taking place on the UFC 53 card on June 4th.

The UFC originally wanted Arlovsky's opponent to be Ricco Rodriguez, but Rodriguez appears like he will not be able to take the fight at this time.

Source: Fight Sport

ARLOVSKI VS EILERS AT UFC 53

There has been plenty of talk regarding who Andrei Arlovski will face. Among those names was one Ricco Rodriguez. This would have been a rematch from their first fight when Ricco defeated Arlovski at UFC 32.. Ricco orginially accepted to take the fight with Arlovski but then had some problems regarding training camp, so he will not fight Arlovski.

Now there is more breaking news to add to the pile, as MMAWeekly has received 100% official word from UFC president Dana White that Andrei Arlovski will be fighting Justin Eilers for the UFC Interim Heavyweight Title, also at UFC 53. Not a lot of fighters were willing to step to the plate to fight Arlovski and others who would be willing to fight Arlovski are currently injured, but Eilers was willing to step up and so we will get to see Arlovski vs. Eilers at UFC 53.

Source: MMA Weekly

News: David Terrel plans to join BTT

According to our friends from MMAWeekly.com, David Terrel is currently in Brazil, training with Mario Sperry and the Brazilian Top Team. It looks as though Terrell is very close to signing a contact with BTT and a deal could be done as soon as this weekend. His former trainer, Cesar Gracie, told MMAWeekly "Everybody needs to do what they need to do. The weird thing is I officially haven't been informed if he truly has signed yet".

Gracie said that the his team called Mario Sperry to see if Terrell could train, so this training session has been in the works for quite awhile. . "David had an injury and now was ready to train again. This trip has been planned for quite some time, so this wasn't unexpected for him to go to Brazil. Just not sure if he has signed a deal with them or not." From all accounts and from the people we talked to, it looks as though Terrell will indeed sign to be a part of the Brazilian Top Team and it could happen as soon as this weekend.

Source: Tatame

EVAN TANNER VS RICH FRANKLIN

MMAWeekly has learned that Evan Tanner will defend his title against Rich Franklin at UFC 53 in June. Franklin became the immediate contender after his impressive win over Ken Shamrock.

One man not happy with this entire situation is Matt Lindland. Lindland thought he would get the next title shot against his former teammate in Tanner if he could defeat Travis Lutter tomorrow night. Instead he will not get that opportunity.

Lindland will be one of today's featured guests on MMAWeekly Radio as the guys continue to broadcast live from Las Vegas. Lindland will have plenty to say on the situation on today's show.

Source: MMA Weekly

'THE ULTIMATE FIGHTER' SEASON ONE REVIEW

The following is a review of the first season of 'The Ultimate Fighter' reality show. The review is courtesy of the MMA insider known as 'Rainbowthief':

First of all, here's what I liked:

Footage of the fighters training and getting pointers from Chuck Liddell and Randy Couture.

The fights, even the bad ones. Free fights every week was something to look forward to on Mondays.

The live 2 1/2 hour finale. Great way to end the show. One great touch was the intros showing each fighter at home with family and friends and training. Easily my second favorite part of the finale after the Bonnar vs. Griffin fight.

What I didn't like:

All the Real World/Big Brother reality show bullshit like Chris Leben pissing on Jason Thacker's bed, the endless shots of fighters hanging out with their shirts off in the living room and the fighters whining about being bored.

Fighter selection, but more on that later.

The fighter elimination process, more on that later too.

Too much Dana White. Why was TUF edited into the Dana White show? Most hardcore fans couldn't care less about seeing him, so why would new fans?

Not enough Couture, Liddell or Willa Ford. They got their two best light heavyweights on the show and wasted them. I would've liked to have seen Liddell teaching striking techniques to the fighters and more of Couture instructing them also, especially since all the fighters seemed to revere him. A little more eye candy would've been nice too, especially with the gay antics sometimes reaching a suffocating level, but unfortunately there were too many episodes in which Ford was barely seen or not at all.

The team challenges. They were stupid, slowed the show down and had nothing to do with fighting skills.

What needs to be changed desperately for season two:

Get rid of most of the house antics and show more training or at least more talking about fighting and less of the "I don't like so-and-so" bullshit.

Get better fighters. It's been said that the mix of jobbers and legitimate prospects was done to make the better fighters look good, but if so, the idea backfired badly, resulting in absurd mismatches leading up to a very undeserving Kenny Florian suffering a horrible beating at the hands of Diego Sanchez in the final. While they're at it, make sure the fighters want to be there. For most of the first half of the season, I kept wondering where on earth Dana found "fighters" so unwilling to fight. With the exception of Chris Leben, who early in the season implored Josh Koscheck to pick him to fight, getting a volunteer from a team to fight was like pulling teeth.

Make everyone fight an equal number of times. Kenny Florian had one fight and was in the final, while Diego Sanchez had to win three times to get there. That's ridiculous. Don't let the fighters pick who will fight, do it for them by picking fighters randomly to create brackets and make sure everyone fights the same number of times. Better yet, get rid of the ridiculous team concept and place all the fighters from each weight class into one group and have both coaches work with them. They'll benefit more from having both coaches anyway. Seeing the fighters whine about losing teammates or having to fight them was laughable. When the hell did MMA become a team sport?

For the next finale, use the time more wisely. It looks like Zuffa planned on saving the undercard fights for the upcoming DVD, but some more fights on TV would've been nice. Three fights in 150 minutes is not enough.

Overall, the show got off to a terrible start, showed some unfulfilled promise in the middle, but ended with a bang, thanks to Stephan Bonnar and Forrest Griffin.

Final score: B (it would've been a C- if not for the excellent finale).

Now the fighters:

Nathan Quarry: Poor Nate. This guy had some of the strongest buzz going into the show and thanks to that dumb lug Alex Shoenauer, the audience never got to see him fight. Whether the UFC will give him a fight is anyone's guess, but he deserves something after the lousy luck he had on the show.

Alex Karalexis: What a pile of slop. He fought like someone who just stepped into the cage right after watching UFC 1 for the first time ever. We'll never see him again, thankfully.

Jason Thacker: Dana, what were you thinking? Thacker himself said he wasn't good enough to be there! If the lousy canuck hadn't been sent packing by Randy prior to the start of fighting, we might've seen someone who looked even more frightened in the ring than Lodune Sincaid.

Lodune Sincaid: Forget "The Vanilla Gorilla," this bum's nickname should be "The Reluctant Fighter." Could he have looked any more scared in his fight with Bobby Southworth? When he learned that Southworth had picked him to fight, Sincaid looked like a doctor had just given him five days to live. Aside from the obvious lack of skills, Sincaid needs to find a heart.

Chris Sanford: I'm sure there was a reason for Sanford to be there; unfortunately, I can't figure out what the hell it was.

Sam Hoger: So, Hoger alienated himself from his teammates and his coach, stole UFC merchandise and then acted like an ass after getting knocked out by Forrest Griffin on the show. After all of that, I doubt his unaired decision win over Bobby Southworth in the finale will do much for his fighting career.

Josh Rafferty: Another guy Dana probably found in a record store at the local shopping mall. Rafferty may be many things, but a fighter ain't one of them.

Alex Shoenauer: Oy, after everyone raved about how impressive he was in defeat against Forrest Griffin, he got knocked out by light fisted Mike Swick in 20 seconds in the finale! Do cry for him, Argentina, his career is over.

Mike Swick: I guess it would be fair to point out that, like Kenny Florian, Swick was fighting in a higher weight class than usual, but I have a feeling that half of the middleweights on the show would've trounced Swick as well.

Bobby Southworth: What a heartless jobber. Southworth couldn't make up his mind if he cared about winning the contract or not. On one episode, he said fighting didn't define him because he had other things in his life back home (a job dealing cards in a casino), then when he was waiting to see if he would take Forrest Griffin's place on the show, he referred to winning the contract as his dream. His public attacks against Dana White and Spike TV, along with his loss to Sam Hoger, ensured that his future is at the card tables, not in the Octagon.

Chris Leben: One of the most hyped up fighters going into the show, Leben talked a pretty big game, but showed nothing in the Octagon. Still, MMA fans love a bad boy and so does Zuffa, so look for Dana to bring this crying mess into the UFC, feed him a steady diet of bums and hope that he turns into a good fighter. Either way, look for mini-Tito to appear in future UFC events very soon.

Josh Koscheck: Not especially impressive on the show, but Koscheck has possibly the biggest upside of any fighter on the show because of his youth, conditioning and superior wrestling ability. Few wrestlers of his caliber have jumped to MMA and even fewer have committed to the sport as deeply as he has. With the right training, Koscheck could become a champion in the UFC, especially if he learns to use the fence to his advantage as Randy Couture does.

Diego Sanchez: It's hard to tell how good Sanchez is because even though he won four fights to win the UFC contract, he never beat anyone decent with the exception of newcomer Josh Koscheck. So far, his submission skills look very good, but until he's challenged by a solid striker, he'll remain a question mark to many. He's a strange eccentric who also enjoys the microphone a little too much. If Joe Rogan hadn't cut him off, Sanchez might still be thanking people after his victory over Kenny Florian.

Kenny Florian: Looks too soft to be a fighter and his sudden billing as a BJJ black belt didn't help him against Diego Sanchez. Though Florian belongs in the welterwight division instead of the middleweight, going down in weight class won't make up for his complete lack of toughness. Whether he gets any UFC fights depends entirely on how good Dana thinks he is, but I'd be surprised to see him again.

Forrest Griffin: The man picked by most fans to win the light heavyweight contract since before the show aired came though, but not without a torrent of controversy in the final. Still, Griffin is the real deal and will bring a very well rounded game to the Octagon, though where he figures in the UFC light heavyweight picture is unclear because I can't see him beating any of the big three (Couture, Liddell or Tito Ortiz)--yet. Still, his reckless style will be a welcome addition to the UFC and should provide plenty of exciting fights for fans starving for relief from Zuffa's stable of lay n' pray stallers.

Stephan Bonnar: The breakout star of the show. Bonnar looked as soft as Kenny Florian in interviews, but the newly anointed "American Psycho" proved to be one tough fucker on the Octagon, eliminating Bobby Southworth in a convincing decision, submitting Mike Swick and earning a moral--though not official--victory over Forrest Griffin in the light heavyweight final, for which Zuffa rightly rewarded Bonnar with a six figure contract of his own. This former Golden Gloves champion and Carlson Gracie student could have the brightest future of any of the fighters on the show.

Source: Fight Sport

Tyson returns to the rings on June 1

Meanwhile he does not fight in K-1 Boxing World Champion Mike Tyson is going to fight a Boxing tournament in next June. On June 11th, Tyson fights Irish Kevin McBride, in Washington, United States. Seven years younger than Tyson, McBride has 32 victories in the card, two loses and a draw. In other hand Tyson has fought 50 times and won 44 by KO.

Source: Tatame

SEVERN ELECTED TO UFC HALL OF FAME
By Damon Martin, MMAWeekly.com

On Saturday night when the world will be watching Chuck Liddell and Randy Couture battle for the light heavyweight champion, another UFC legend will be coming back to the octagon for his induction into the UFC Hall of Fame. Dan “The Beast” Severn will be honored for the heart and spirit of a champion that he brought into the cage from the very first fight he fought in 1994.

Severn was a very accomplished wrestler, graduating from Arizona State in 1981. From there he traveled all over the world displaying his top notch Greco-Roman skill and proving himself time and time again as a tremendous grappler. The sport of mixed-martial arts was just gaining momentum in the United States coming off of three very successful shows on pay per view, and Dan Severn saw the next challenge he wanted to conquer.

On December 16th, 1994, Dan Severn entered the octagon to face off against Anthony Macias and despite having no formal fight training he won by choke in the first round. The 6’2” wrestler mauled through his second opponent as well and then had the misfortune of running into the already legendary Royce Gracie. Severn lasted over 15 minutes with the Brazilian star, something many other legends could never tout. Even in defeat, Severn was not discouraged and he would live to fight another day.

In a tournament dubbed “Return of the Beast”, Dan Severn would prove himself a champion in the second UFC he would fight in. Defeating three opponents in one night, including Sambo champion Oleg Taktarov, Severn was crowned the UFC Tournament champion.

After a Superfight loss to Ken Shamrock, Severn rededicated himself to his previous winning ways and set his sights on the “Ultimate Ultimate”, a tournament designed to showcase past champions to decide who would be the best. Severn managed to defeat Paul Varelans, original UFC “Bad Boy” David “Tank” Abbott, and winning another fight with Oleg Taktarov. Severn was victorious again and dominant in his performance.

Severn’s last two fights in the octagon ended in losses, both to extraordinary superstars of mixed martial arts in Mark “The Hammer” Coleman and Pedro Rizzo. And with those losses, Severn walked away from the UFC for the last time.

Dan Severn has continued on in his career as he has fought in over 80 MMA matches and has become an ambassador for the sport. Fighting anywhere the sport would take him, the one time AAU wrestling champion, continues to train and fight and prove the world that “The Beast” still has a ferocious spirit that won’t be retired. Dan “The Beast” Severn, the newest entry into the UFC Hall of Fame.

Source: MMA Weekly

André Galvão
By André Araújo

Doing a great debut at black belt

Jiu-Jitsu BJJ black belt Andre Galvao has fought for the first time with black belt in great style: winning the middleweight category at the 11th Pan-Americans, which happened last April 3rd and 4th, in California. Besides the tile, Galvao did one of the best matches of the competition against Felipe Cranivata and almost got a medal in the open class dispute. Check out an exclusive interview with Galvao, from San Diego, United States.

Tell me a little bit about this black belt debut.

It was great. To be honest I didn't feel too much pressure on me. I did three fights and won my first one by 16x0. In the second one I faced Felipe Cranivata and it was just amazing. In the final I fought Cássio Werneck and it was very controversial. I attacked the whole time trying to pass his guard and they only thing he did was defend himself from me. We kept doing this until the final and referee gave him the victory.

Lots of people Said your fight with Cranivata was the best of this Pan...

It was very exciting. As soon I stepped inside the mat I knew I would beat him. I really wanted to win. Even when I was having a hard time I was relaxed and gave my best to reverse the score. I reversed a back catching and a mount. The score was 9x8.After that I caught his back and it was very nice. After this bout I received lots of compliments.

And how was the open class?

It would be better if I had gotten a medal. and I almost did it! I lost to Delson Pe-de-Chumbo by one advantage. I realized guys are stronger and they play tight. Even Rickson (Gracie) warned me the day before. I will keep my game forward and search for the fight. I will not become a tight player

You did the final against Cassio Werneck, the same guy Terere faced at the final of BJJ World Cup. What do you think about this coincidence?

I don't see coincidence. Terere has fought lots of people and for me it was very good. Terere hás always said Cassio is a tough guy and I am too happy to defeat him.

Have you talked to Terere about your medal?

He was really into it! He told me he had seen on the Internet and I believe this motivated him a lot.

When you do return to Brazil? Are you going to fight at Brazil BJJ Cup?

My ticket is for April 28th. So I believe I will not be able to fight at Brazil BJJ Cup. I have been working a lot in here. I am in San Diego and now I will run a few seminars with Telles and Valente.

And tell me about your plans for 2005 as a black belt.

My plan is do the same as my master: show up at any mat and win and show the world TT is not only a BJJ school, but a lesson for life.

Source: Tatame

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH JOACHIM HANSEN

Fresh off of his win over Caol Uno in what has been called one of the fights of the year, Joachim Hansen sat down to talk with MMAWeekly’s Ken Pishna. Hansen gives us his thoughts on the fight with Uno, his hand injury, Yves Edwards, and more.

MMAWeekly: Joachim, thanks for taking the time to talk to us at MMAWeekly. Everyone is raving over your fight with Caol Uno at the inaugural Hero's show. Many people are calling it the Fight of the Year. Could you give us an overview of how you saw the fight?

Joachim Hansen: The fight was very hard for me because Uno held a very high and aggressive tempo. He was moving very good and I knew his game plan was to tire me out. He destroyed my ground game with his strategy.

MMAWeekly: Was Uno tougher than you expected on the ground or pretty much what you had anticipated?

Hansen: I always expect a hard fight whoever I fight, but Uno was tougher than I expected.

MMAWeekly: You mentioned in your post-fight interview that you were more tired in this fight than your fight with Gomi. Do you think that had anything to do with the time that you had to take off from the ring due to your broken hand or just that Uno was a more active fighter than Gomi?

Hansen: Uno was much more aggressive than Gomi and had a totally different ground game and strategy. It had nothing to do with my time off because of my hand.

MMAWeekly: How would you compare Uno's stand-up game to your own?

Hansen: I felt that I had better striking skills than him, but I was very tired. It felt like I was boxing with 10 kilos manuals in my hands!

MMAWeekly: Coming off of the broken hand and surgery and everything, were you hesitant at all to let your hands go against Uno?

Hansen: The hand was always in my mind and I was trying to hit uppercuts more than straight punches because I think it is easier to land a punch in a hard area of his head with a straight punch.

MMAWeekly: Can you give us a status on your hand? Did it bother you at all during the Uno fight?

Hansen: My hand was hurting after the fight, but it is getting better as time goes by.

MMAWeekly: You also mentioned post-fight that during the third round, you were starting to worry just a little bit because you hadn't been able to gain Uno's back.

Hansen: It was hard to stay on his back. He moved very well; it was like grappling a big piece of soap.

MMAWeekly: A lot of people were looking forward to your planned fight with Yves Edwards at Euphoria this past February. What is your official reasoning for withdrawing from that fight?

Hansen: My reason for withdrawing from Euphoria is that I had no training for a very long time as I first broke my hand in Japan Shooto in July, then again in October in Euphoria. Then I had to operate in November and had no training until late January 2005. I want my hand to be good as I am left-handed.

MMAWeekly: You are consistently mentioned as one of the top 3 or 4 lightweight fighters in the world. Who are your top five lightweights and how would you rank yourself among them?

Hansen: My top five are Kawajiri, Gomi, Edwards, Shaolin, and Uno. [It’s] difficult to rank myself, as I haven't met all of my top fives.

MMAWeekly: You have mentioned how committed you are to Shooto and that you'd still like to fight in America for Euphoria and the UFC. However, after such a successful debut in K-1, what's next for you?

Hansen: I'm not fighting anywhere where I can't tape my hands, as I want. I'm not gonna end up with a crippled hand at the age of 25.

MMAWeekly: Joachim, thanks for the interview and congratulations on your well-deserved win over Uno. Any famous last words before I let you go?

Hansen: Thanks to everybody that supports me and the sport and I really like your Internet site. Keep up the good work.

Source: MMA Weekly

Paulo Filho
By Marcelo Alonso

Paulão talks about Pride

During his impressive win over Amar Suloev in the first phase of Pride Bushido, Paulo Filho hurt his foot and could not return for the finals against Dean Lister, who ended up winning the coveted 16th spot in the amazing Pride Middleweight GP. Very upset for losing an amazing opportunity to be in what he considers the 'best tournament ever', Paulo Filho had to deal with internet rumors saying that he gave up before the finals to give his place to BTT teammate Ricardo Arona. To clarify this and other gossip we did the following interview with Paulo Filho:

What do you have to say about the rumors on the internet?

It's totally absurd. I would like to understand why people invent those rumors. Arona was already invited by pride before my fight. Since pride accepted two fighters from each team it was already defined that Arona was the second man from BTT for this tournament. I'm really upset I hurt my foot, because I believe Suloev was a much more difficult opponent than dean Lister, so I think I was close to getting this place, so I'm really, really disappointed about what happened. It was an amazing opportunity to be in the best middleweight tournament ever.

What exactly happened in your foot?

I don't know exactly when and how it happened, I think it was when he tried to take me out of the mount and i twisted my foot under him. When I left the fight I could not feel any pain, but when I got cold again it was unbelievable pain in my foot and shin and I could not even walk, but I wanted to fight anyway. Unfortunately the doctors didn't authorize the use some injection to relieve my pain.

You are passing by a pretty unlucky time... I've heard you got a couple of hard bruises lately?

I don't like to complain about that because it sounds like excuses, but what happened to me last months is unbelievable. After braking my hand seriously fighting Silmar in Bitetti Combat 3 one year ago (April 2004) I had a serious surgery from where I stayed almost two months with plates in my hands, I took those plates out the week I fought Matsui in Korea (6/27). I had no time for training or physiotherapy. In the week I returned from Korea I was involved in a serious car accident (overturned car) where I broke my foot and a ligament in my hand. Then I fought Akira 10 days later (7/19). After all those problems I recovered from those bruises, but the day I arrive in Japan a big boil came out on my arm, Murilo took it out, the doctors did a nice bandage job, but during the fight against Suloev I twisted my foot.

What is your impression of Dean Lister?

I think he is a good jiu-jitsu and submission fighter but he is not a vale-tudo fighter yet. I feel he is still very uncomfortable in the ring. I think I could have beaten him.

If you got a place in this Middleweight GP who do you think would be your most difficult opponent?

This is the hardest middleweight GP ever, so I think all opponents are really tough, but for my game I think fighters like Quinton Jackson and Dan Henderson are the most difficult opponents.

More difficult than Wanderlei?

Wanderlei is an amazing fighter but i think he is not difficult to put on the ground, so I think I could develop my game better against him than against Quinton Jackson who besides being much taller is also a great wrestler and also very good in the stand up game.

Who are the favorites for this Pride GP in your opinion. Choose four semifinalists?

It's hard to say. I believe a lot in Arona, I think if he is in his best shape, he has everything to win. Minotouro improved a lot lately, Wanderlei is always very tough, Belfort if he wakes up on a good day is always among the favorites. But I think fighters like Henderson and Jackson are amazing. So i think the finalists will depend on the bracket.

What are your plans for the future?

Now I'll train hard to be in ADCC 2005 in my best shape. I'm also planning to come down to 83kg category in Vale-Tudo.

Source: Tatame

English city prohibits MMA event

Boxing land, England has just retreated MMA development. Kirklees Active Leisure's directors, the commission that handles Kirklees's events, have prohibited upcoming King of the Cage in town. Schedule to happen on next June 11, at Huddersfield Sports Centre, the show is not gonna happen. "I am very disappointed. We have already closed a partnership with a TV channel and I believe it would be a great opportunity to a modern city-hall. We've chosen the city because of his history with Boxing and Rugby and MMA have few less accidents that those sports," Aaron Chatfield lamented to the Huddersfield Daily Examiner.

Source: Tatame

 4/15/05

Quote of the Day

"You can have anything you want in life if you will help enough other people get what they want."

Zig Ziglar, American Sales Trainer, Author, Motivational Speaker

Hawaii Boxing News!
Oahu's Tupouniua Kulihaapai takes on
Maui's Kaulama Alo Kaonohi


Oahu's Tupouniua Kulihaapai will box against Maui's Kaulama Alo Kaonohi in the Main Event of the 189lb weight class in a Senior J.O. division bout in the Hawaii State Junior Olympic Boxing Regionals at Palolo Gym, 6 p.m. Saturday

The winner will advance to Brownsville, Texas in June to join 14 other Hawaii boxers.
10 -12 bouts are scheduled.

$10 Admission will be charged.

Source: Bruce Kawano

WHAT THE FIGHTERS ARE SAYING ABOUT
HUGHES VS TRIGG


It's the day before UFC 52 weigh ins and MMAWeekly got several names in the game to weigh in on the UFC welterweight title match between Matt Hughes and Frank Trigg.

Rich Franklin: I tell you what, that's going to be a tough fight. Matt's always been a friend of mine. I've been up to the Miletich Camp and everything....I don't know who to pick on that fight. Frank had him in some trouble in the first fight, and Matt ended up pulling off with a Rear Naked Choke, so I'm just looking for an entertaining fight.

Ken Shamrock: I tell you what, when I saw Frank Trigg and Matt Hughes fight the first time, I mean even though Frank made a mistake, boy I tell you from what I saw in that little bit of time I said, now there's a fight for Matt. I didn't think anybody could go with Matt. I didn't think could match strength with Matt. I thought he was just pound for pound, you know, just dominating. When I saw Frank Trigg when they were moving back and fourth and on the mat, and the strength that he showed against Matt, I go wow this is going to be great, and Frank made a mistake and Matt capitalized on it, but I think in this fight, I think we're going to see a great fight. I really do. I think both of these guys are pound for pound some of the toughest guys in the world. I truly believe that. I thought Matt was it. I saw Frank go against him. Matt caught him. I was like, woah. That rematch is going to be good.

Chuck "The Iceman" Liddell: Matt's a good friend of mine, so I'm going with Matt on that account...I've been friends with Matt for a long time. I like Trigg. You know, he's a good guy, but Matt's my boy.

Matt "The Law" Lindland: Trigg's got to keep scrambling. He's got the ability to. He knows how to scramble. In that last fight, for some reason he stopped wrestling and started thinking about fighting, and I think in those situations when they're touching each other, Frank's got to be thinking wrestling first and then the rest of the game will fall into place. Anytime that he gets into a situation where he's wrestling he's got to think scramble, move, get on top, fight for that top position because on the other token I don't think Matt is a very dangerous striker. I don't think he's got anything that can hurt Frank, like sneak up on him...

Wesley "Cabbage" Correira: I think Trigg is hungry. I believe he's hungry. It's going to turn into like almost like a wrestling match if nobody gets knocked out because both of them are good in wrestling, both of them aren't going to give up that easy.

Chris Leben: I don't know on that one. You know I really don't know on that one to be honest with you. I'm going to keep my money in my pocket for that one...I don't know. I'm going to have to be a chicken shit. What can I say? I really don't know who's going to win that one.

"Mr. International" Shonie Carter: Wow. Here we go again. Two big strong wrestlers going at it. You know what? The first time was a freak, I think, I really believe that was a freak thing happening. I think it's going to a decision. It's too close to call. I mean both of them has got the wrestling. Frank's got the Judo...I'm going with Frank via split decision. Take him somewhere where he ain't been for a decision.

Source: MMA Weekly

COFFEE GUY EXCLUSIVE:
ARLOVSKI VS. RICCO POSSIBILITY

By Coffee Guy

The following exclusive report was sent to us by our Zuffa informant called 'Coffee Guy':

"The matchup of Andrei Arlovsky vs. Ricco Rodriguez has a strong possibility of taking place on the UFC 53 card on June 4th.

The fight would be Arlovsky's first defense of his interim title, and would also give him a chance to rematch on of the losses on his record."

Source: Fight Sport

Twinkle Toes Looking to Teach Hughes a Lesson in Triggonomics
by Mike Sloan

One of the more charismatic figures within the sport of mixed martial arts is welterweight contender Frank Trigg. His brutally honest opinions have ignited debate as to whether he is the most entertaining fighter outside of the ring when he speaks, but Trigg isn’t one to try and build himself up. He simply just speaks from his heart and, quite frankly, doesn’t really care what anybody thinks of him.

He is a California resident who posses a New York mentality and if you don’t enjoy the things he spews from his grill, so be it. Whether it is openly trashing his foes like Matt Hughes and Dennis Hallman or simply just giving his opinion on why B J Penn was stripped of his UFC belt, all ears are usually always on “Twinkle Toes.”

But the interview we conducted with Trigg a few days back was actually somewhat surprising, as Trigg didn’t overly express himself as he usually does. Has Trigg become a changed man?

Sherdog.com: Frank, here’s a question I am sure you are so sick of hearing; what are your thoughts on Matt Hughes as a person and a fighter now that you have already had the opportunity to fight him?

Frank Trigg: There’s some personal history between Matt and I that will remain out of the media. There is some personal history. I know there what the personal history is and we’ll leave it at that. I don’t have a very favorable rating for him as a person but that is something between him and me.

Sherdog.com: Not to pry, but did this happen before you guys first fought or after?

Trigg: After we first fought. It was after. No, I take that back! This actually goes back to long before we first fought. It actually goes way back before we first fought and it continued through the fight and then continued on just recently, maybe a year ago.

Sherdog.com: I respect your wishes not to allow it into the media, Frank. But with that said, it must have eaten you alive to lose to him when you first fought back in UFC 45.

Trigg: It did. It put me through a very severe depression, actually. I went through almost an eight-month depression after losing to him. I started questioning whether I should continue fighting because he is a guy I know I could beat. I know I am better than him. I know that I have a better training situation than he does. I know that I have more passion about the fight game. I know I am more hungry about getting the belt and keeping it and I knew that back in November of 2003. I went in there and made a mistake and Matt Hughes being Matt Hughes took advantage of my mistake and finished the fight.

It put me into a deep, deep downward spiral and I wasn’t sure what was going on. It was kind of like seeing a piece of history that disproves your entire belief system. It put me into depression, but I was able to pull myself through it. Beating Hallman kind of helped me through it and beating Charuto helped me pull through a little bit more.

Sherdog.com: I did hear the rumblings about you being depressed and bummed out but I never knew how severe it was. Did you resort to heavy drinking or drub abuse to help you through the depression like so many others?

Trigg: Well, traditionally, we fighters kind of like to party after we win. We drink and party and celebrate after they win and they drink when they lose to kind of quell it. Even Matt said that after he lost to B J Penn, he was drinking a bunch of beer, but he got over it. This last time when I lost to Matt, I chose not to drink my sorrows away. I sat down and tried to figure out what went wrong. I sat down and tried to figure out a real scientific approach to it and I had to figure what I needed to do to make myself a better person and a better fighter. So, instead of self-medicating with alcohol and drugs, I chose a different path. I wouldn’t say a higher path or a better path, but I chose a different path. It seemed to work.

Sherdog.com: Going back to Hallman, did that really boost your confidence or did you still suffer from the depression even after that win?

Trigg: I was kind of over it by the time I got to Dennis. I wasn’t completely over it but I got along pretty well. I kind of felt that the fight went OK; I don’t think it was picture perfect fight. I think I made some mistakes that could have been improved upon and I tried to work on them for when I fought Charuto.

Sherdog.com: When you fought Hughes and eventually got stuck in that choke, looking back on that moment, what happened? Was it just a slip on your part or was it more or less a mental lapse that you drifted off into? Whatever the case when you made that mistake, did you know right then and there that the fight was essentially over?

Trigg: The mistake that I made was that I missed the Kimura and I missed the sweep that Carlos Newton hit on him when they fought the first time. I ended up giving him my back for the third time in the fight and that was the final mistake. He then took my back in no time. The point where I was like, “Oh shit it’s over!” was when I was tapping. That’s when I finally knew that the fight was over. The reason for that was because I lost mental focus. I lost my mental focus in the middle of the fight.

Sherdog.com: After UFC 51, we did the video interview for Sherdog and in that video, you called out Hughes and stated he may be afraid to fight because he wouldn’t sign to fight you at that time. According to various sources close to the situation, Matt had been saying that he didn’t want to fight you again because he had already beaten you so handily and that you didn’t deserve another shot at him. It was more or less a waste of his time to fight you. What transpired along the way to actually get Matt to sign up to defend his title against you?

Trigg: He didn’t have a choice. The first thing that must be made clear is that we as fighters in the Ultimate Fighting Championship — and this is the rule of the road — we don’t get to choose who our opponents are. Zuffa, specifically their matchmaker Joe Silva, will tell us who we’re going to fight next. It is our responsibility as fighters to accept that fight. That is what we do, at least for me. I don’t pick my opponent. I don’t get the choice or the benefit of saying, “Hey Dana, hey Joe, hey Lorenzo, hey Frank … I want to fight so-and-so” and that is who they get for me to fight in my next fight. It doesn’t work like that. They pretty much say, “This is who you are going to fight right now, this is what will be good for our organization, it’s good for the sport, this is who you’ll fight, this is the deal. Sign off, we’ll get you a memo and then you fight this guy.”

They put me in front of him in January or February — I’m not exactly sure when it was — and they gave me the right to be the number-one contender. I beat Dennis Hallman, who beat Hughes twice. I beat Charuto in the second round while it took Matt to beat him in a very close decision. Some say that it was a controversial decision, but I beat the guy up in the middle of the second round. That earns me the right to be the number-one contender. That is why I get to fight Matt Hughes again even though it’s only been about a year and a half. He can say whatever he wants. He did, in fact beat me the first time. He did, in fact, choke me out. He did, in fact, make me tap. That goes against the legend that I am un-tappable. I have only been beaten twice — I’ve been knocked out and I have been tapped out. Matt tapped me out and that is a reality. He can say that he has nothing to prove but he does have something to prove. I have to prove that he can still maintain the belt, that he can still hold the belt. This is a fact! This is the reason why Marco Antonio Barrera and Erik Morales have fought three times in boxing! It gives you reasons why Sugar Ray Leonard and Roberto Duran have fought three times. There’s a reason why these guys continue to fight and re-fight.

Part of it is because the fans want you to take these fights again. They loved the first fight and they want to see it again. Another part of it because hey, this guy lost but has worked his way back up the ladder and is deserving once again. I am the next guy in line so step up and fight me. I am next in line. It’s kind of like a Tito-Chuck situation where Tito kept ducking Chuck, kept ducking Chuck, kept ducking Chuck. Then he finally had to fight Chuck; he pretty much didn’t have a choice. But Tito took it like a man, stood by his words and said, “Hey I am going to stand up with you and go toe-to-toe.” We all know the result of that one. But I have earned my right to be the number-one contender again like all these other guys before me. So Matt can say whatever he wants but I am the guy that he has to fight and I just wanted him to accept it.

Sherdog.com: Now with all do respect to Matt Hughes as he’s never done me wrong in any way, but in my opinion you shouldn’t be fighting him for the title. I still believe that B J Penn should still have the title and I still feel that he got shafted by the UFC. What are your thoughts on that situation involving BJ and Zuffa?

Trigg: I think everything went exactly as it should have with Zuffa. B J Penn was stripped because he chose to fight for another organization. He won the title for the UFC and you are the champ for the UFC, you have an exclusive deal that you can only fight for the UFC when you are the titleholder.

Sherdog.com: But BJ didn’t have a contract with Zuffa. His contract expired after he fought Hughes. To my understanding, he didn’t have a new contract with Zuffa once that fight ended and he was trying to negotiate a new deal with the UFC.

Trigg: That is the contract you enter when you fight in a title fight. That is the contract that I have when I enter the title fight with Matt. That is the acceptance of fighting for the UFC — that you accept that as part of the deal. That is what it is. This whole thing is built on relationships. This whole thing is built on your ability to stand up and say, “This is what I am going to accept whether I like it or not.” Just because you get offered three, four, 10 times more money to fight somewhere else doesn’t necessarily mean that you gotta go and take that money because you have a principle.

Sure I could go make a million dollars fighting someplace else or I can make a $1,000 fighting here in the UFC. But I have a contract and my contract states that I can only fight for you for the length of this contract. At the end of this contract I can do whatever I want. So they went to court, Zuffa was proven in the right, BJ was proven wrong and we can always have this he said/she said thing. BJ was stripped of his title. He’s only fought one time at 170 so technically he’s not even a welterweight. Even in boxing where you have the title, if you fight two times out of that weight class, you are out of that weight class and stripped of that title (not exactly true).

BJ has fought twice, no three times out of that weight class. No, it was twice out of that weight class. He fought Rodrigo Gracie at 185 and he fought Machado at 220. Obviously he’s not fighting at welterweight anymore, so it’s not even really a point for discussion. BJ vacated the belt the same time he vacated the weight class. He shouldn’t even be ranked at welterweight anymore; he should be ranked in that absolute or pound-for-pound division because he’s been floating around so much.

Sherdog.com: In keeping with contracts, what is your situation? Are you signed to a multi-fight contract right now or do you have just a single bout contract and should you win it automatically increases because you’d be the champ?

Trigg: I have a multi-fight deal with Zuffa that keeps me very happy and very satisfied through. I believe, and I am not 100 percent positive, through a three deal with this fight coming up.

Sherdog.com: If you beat Hughes and become the champ, does your contract become altered because you then, in fact, have that title? Or does your contract remain the same?

Trigg: No, it’s the same exact contract. But there is a ladder in there that says that if I become the champion, I could only fight for Zuffa, blah blah blah. You know, all these legal things that my manager handles and I don’t want to get into it. It’s kind of boring, you know? But, yeah, it remains the same.

Sherdog.com: If you win the title, would Zuffa be giving you bonus money aside from what you’d normally get from a win just because you’d grab the belt?

Trigg: You know I am really not sure to be quite honest with you. I know that in my contract I get a certain amount of money to show up in that cage and then a certain amount of money when I win. That gives me more motivation, but I don’t know if I’d get even more because I’d win the title.

Sherdog.com: Win, lose or draw against Hughes, who are some other guys out there that you have your eye one and wouldn’t mind fighting?

Trigg: The answer to this question is for only April 16th. I am taking it one fight at a time. I am taking the philosophy of Randy Couture as I am looking only at the guy in front of me, which is Matt. Once I dispatch him and get the title, we’ll start looking at some of the other guys. I’ll wait for Zuffa to give me the OK and see which one of those guys they’ll give me to fight.

Sherdog.com: Speaking of Randy Couture, what is your prediction on his next fight with Liddell?

Trigg: That one is really hard to call. I think Liddell came in not properly prepared and not fully motivated for the Couture fight. I think this is going to be a lot closer fight, a lot better of a fight. It’s too close to call. I am not sure. If I had to put money down, I would pick Couture because he’s the champ and he does have that one win over him from before and it was decisive.

Sherdog.com: Are you friends with either one of them and is there any of them that you really want to win?

Trigg: I am actually pretty cool with both of them. Chuck is actually pretty close with Matt, as he and Matt have been friends for a long time. I am also friends with Chuck, too. It doesn’t really matter to me, really, who wins. It doesn’t affect me. I’ve obviously known Randy since 1991, as we’ve gone to college together for a brief moment. I’ve known Randy for a real long time. He and I are actually really close friends. He’s the kind of guy where I would call up and say that I am in the area and I’d stay at his house and eat out of his refrigerator, you know? When it comes down to this, though, it’s about business and I am not picking my friend just because he is my friend. I just think that Randy has a little bit of an edge in this fight, but it really is too close to call. It’s a tight pick ‘em match.

Sherdog.com: I have another question for you that is sort of way off topic, but whatever happened between the feud between you and Shonie Carter that stems from when he pulled out his fight with you at WFA 3?

Trigg: That was really Shonie talking more than anything. He got mad at me. Everybody got mad at him because he didn’t get his medicals in on time. We all got them in the previous week, but he didn’t put his in until he showed up that week of the fight. He had an issue with his eye and the eye doctor failed him. Allegedly he knew about the eye problem but never had it taken care of. I was like, “Dude, what the heck are you doing?” He got mad at me because he thought I was calling him out and then it snowballed from there. But Shonie and I both have big mouths and we’re both fighters. We were both trying to get our career really on track and we created a little bit of heat, but nobody picked us up and had us fight on a card together. If Shonie and I ran into each other at a bar or whatnot, I’m pretty sure we’d buy each other drinks and talk. We’d be cool toward each other.

Sherdog.com: You do talk a lot of trash, Frank.

Trigg: (laughs) Yeah, sometimes.

Sherdog.com: You sometimes come off in interviews as an angry guy and some in the sport have called you names and whatever, but in reality you are a good dude. You’ve always been cool with me and at events you are usually always cool with others around you. While you do get a bad rap sometimes, does anybody ever try to pick fights with you whether they are part of the fight game or not?

Trigg: No. Contrary to popular belief, I don’t like going out that much. My girlfriend and I go to movies and stay home and cuddle. I’ll cook dinner for her at night and the two of us do things together where it is just the two of us. Once in a while we’ll get a wild hair where we’ll go to the dance clubs, but we try and stay away from everybody in the clubs. Honestly, Mike, I have a real hard time in public. I am not real comfortable with the fame that is becoming about with the Ultimate Fighter show where others of us are getting famous, too. It’s not just Randy and Chuck, as other of us fighters are starting to get recognized. A lot more people are starting to pay more attention. I sort of shy away from it because I am kind of uncomfortable. So, no, no bad things have happened because I prefer to not put myself in those situations. I am not out all the time. I am kind of like a Bernard Hopkins where I rarely go out to places because I am usually studying the game. I am veteran fighter but I try to be a student of the game and it keeps me out of the bars, out of the clubs and it keeps me out of trouble, really.

Sherdog.com: How long do you plan on fighting? Do you plan on being the next Randy Couture and fight well into your 40s?

Trigg: I am not like Randy; I can’t go on that long. I don’t want to be 40 and keep going on the way he does. That is eight years away. I’m definitely going to be here when I am 35 and that is only three years. So you figure it’s three years with three fights a year. That is nine fights, so that is really not a bad career. But we’ll see and we’ll play it by ear. If I continue to feel good I may just keep doing it. We’ll see if my body can still do it. But the athletic game is definitely a young man’s game and as we get older we really have to try that much harder. Randy definitely is the anomaly for guys to go that long and be that good at his age. What he’s doing won’t be repeated for a long time.

Sherdog.com: At your age and knowing what you know now, if you could back to when your were 19 or 20, what would you work on the most? Would you work on your boxing, kickboxing, jiu-jitsu or something else the most? What one aspect would you like to focus on if you could?

Trigg: Yes.

Sherdog: “Yes,” what? Everything?

Trigg: Yes, everything! (laughs) I would work on everything the most (laughs again). I wrestled for a very long time, so, yes, I would go back and work on my jiu-jitsu a lot, my boxing and striking, everything. But I work very hard and I just try to make the best of what I have.

Source: Sherdog

Pe De Pano taps out to Margarida

For the 1st time in his illustrious career, "Pe de Pano" was submitted. Fernando "Margarida" tapped out PDP by arm bar in the 2nd minute of their finals match. After a long layoff and a disappointing loss to Jacare (11-0), Margarida came back in true form tapping out Rafael Lovato Jr., Beto and Pe de Pano, to win the Yamasaki tournament's, Black belt division. PDP had made it to the finals by defeating Xande Ribeiro by the narrowest of margins only to meet his demise at the hands of Margarida.

Source: Gracie Fighter

Gong elects Leo Santos #1 of Jiu-Jitsu

5x Jiu-Jitsu champion Leo Santos is the main star of the first issue of Gong Grapple, released in April. The new magazine of Gong Magazine will serve to grappling audience. On the cover, Japanese made a tribute to Nova União athlete and elected him as the biggest lightweight fighter nowadays. He now will prove his title at upcoming Abu-Dhabi, in May, in California.

Source: Tatame

RUDIMAR DISCUSSES PRIDE GP

Chute Boxe head trainer and manager, Rudimar Fedrigo, spoke with Brazilian magazine 'Tatame', and discussed about his team and their first round matchups in the upcoming PRIDE middleweight GP. Here's what Rudimar had to say:

Rudimar on his team's chances for the PRIDE GP: "Victories like Acacio's and Azeredo's (in PRIDE Bushido) just get us even more excited to train harder and perform well in the first round of the PRIDE GP. Shogun and Vanderlei stayed in Curitiba training to be at their best on April 23rd, so they were not in Tokyo. I believe in an all Chute Boxe GP final."

Rudimar on Vanderlei Silva vs. Hidehiko Yoshida: "We are sharpening up Vanderlei's strikes to be more accurate and powerful. Vanderlei will not change his game. He's going to go towards Yoshida and knock him out."

Rudimar on Mauricio 'Shogun' Rua vs. Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson: "In the last few days, Mauricio Shogun stepped up his game and is training even harder, so that he can do what Vanderlei has already done twice to Rampage... He is going to knock him out! He's in a good frame of mind and is prepared to face Jackson, both on the feet and on the ground."

Rudimar on possible second round opponents: "We're not worried about that. We have two important fights against athletes we can not look past."

Source: Fight Sport

Savage Truth: “Mayhem” — A “Rush” to Revenge
by Greg Savage

The fight I am most looking forward to come April 16 has to be the Jason Miller-Georges St. Pierre match up. And with all the hoopla surrounding “Mayhem” I thought it would be a good idea to get the word straight from the horse’s mouth. So I dialed up the platinum-toofed one and got his thoughts on the KTFO affair, his preparation for his UFC debut as well as some choice words about his opponent.

First off, I had to get the inside scoop on the whole KTFO story and “Mayhem” was more than willing to oblige. When asked about where the situation stands with him and KTFO CEO Craig Fields, Miller responded, “You know, I have always been willing to let it die, I have always been willing to be the better man and walk away but the guy leaves, you know, leaves me messages on my voice mail cussing me out, threatening to sue me, when he doesn’t have a leg to stand on.”

“[Fields] did everything illegal,” alleged Miller. “He did everything wrong, you know. He did everything, you know, he is in the wrong in this whole situation and he just won’t be a man and own up to it.”

Chuckling, he added, “You know, sometimes people mess up, you know, but I gave that guy a chance to come back to the good graces. He didn’t. He decided to be a big baby and then, you know, he like faked a document and put it up on the internet for everyone to see. I mean, I don’t know what kind of drugs the guy is doing, you know, but he is off his rocker.”

When contacted, Fields made it clear he did not want to discuss anything other than the events that precipitated the situation. “This is what KTFO’s stance has been the whole entire time,” Fields told Sherdog.com, “we got a hold of Mayhem, we offered him $1,000 to wear the clothing into the ring, OK. You know for his fight, OK.

“The simple fact, this is what happened and this is what I heard. What happened was he never called me; he never had the 'dignancy' to call me. He, I heard from a third party on Friday night that he was not fighting. This party directed me to a website and it said on the website that Mayhem’s fight had been canceled cause he was injured.

“So at that point I called Mayhem’s answering machine and I said, ‘Jason’ I said, ‘you know obviously you are not fighting, you know, don’t cash the check, as a matter of fact I am going to stop payment on it in case anything happens, I’m not going to be held responsible for a $1,000.’ So Monday morning, came into work, I stop payment on the check, which is what I have proof of. OK?

“Now I get a phone call six months later, OK, saying that, uh, he’s got some kind of problem with the check-cashing place. I called the check-cashing place. I found out it was the check I stopped payment on. I said that to Jason. Then he said I told him to keep it as a signing bonus. I said ‘no I didn’t.’ And the bottom line is I never told him to keep it.”

“The kid is trashing me on every Web site in the world. But it’s a principle thing. It’s the principle of the fact that he never called me; he never told me; I never told him to keep it; and you know what, I will go to my grave, I’m not giving that kid a dollar. And that’s the truth, if they won’t buy my clothes because of it, so be it.”

Man, there is a whole other story in there that I might have to tackle. There is nothing like a little scandal to spice things up. This is almost as good as baseball players lying their asses off, um, I mean testifying before congress. See MMA is moving up in the world.

Let’s just hope we don’t move up that far in the world. Can you imagine Tim Sylvia or Josh Barnett trying to answer questions from a whole room full of John McCains? It would be a bloodbath for the sport.

Back to Miller and St. Pierre. Seeing how “Rush” put the hurt on Miller’s training partner Jay Hieron last June at UFC 48 — Hieron took the fight on short notice replacing Miller, who was forced to withdraw due to legal difficulties — I wanted to get his thoughts on that fight. “Mayhem” seemed to be harboring a bit of a grudge against St. Pierre and was looking to make amends for his partner.

“Let me first say,” Miller started, “Hieron just wasn’t ready for that man. … I feel bad because my legal trouble, it kind of threw him, you know, in there and he wasn’t, he hadn’t developed yet. He’s come leaps and bounds since that time and nowadays it could be different, but he just wasn’t ready; he was too green.”

“He is a sick athlete,” continued Miller about Hieron, “sick wrestler but he didn’t know how to put it all together yet. Now, you know, it’s a new day. I am taking it personal. You know I fight fired up anyway but man, I gotta rock St. Pierre’s block for taking out my homie like that. It’s just another fight and I am going to get in there man, and I am going to work this fight and I am going to do it even prettier than I was going to before.”

I know Miller has been aching for this fight since I talked to him that night last June after he watched his team get decimated. First, it was Hieron getting knocked out by Georges St. Pierre and then Phil Baroni losing his rematch with Evan Tanner. Miller felt guilty because he felt it was partly his fault that both of his friends tasted defeat — Hieron because he fought in his stead and Baroni because he wasn’t there to help him train.

"Mayhem" discussed how much he wants this fight and how hard he has trained for it. "Here is the thing about me,” Miller said, “I got, for this particular fight I have never trained so hard. I mean, I am to the point where my whole body hurts, I can’t sleep at night, you know, that’s how hard I am training and I am going to make him pay for this. I love training this hard. I love it, but I am going to take it all out, all the frustration, all this time I have been training this hard. You know, I know no one has trained harder than me right now."

I guess Miller must have heard enough about his popular opponent because he got hot when asked about how he felt about his St. Pierre’s possible size and strength advantage. The question sent him on a little diatribe.

"Here is the thing, I fight at 170 now,” he said. “Everyone keeps talking about how big and strong this guy is. Hey, everybody, I just look skinny, I am six-foot-one, and bro I am walking around as heavy if not heavier than St. Pierre. Right now I weigh like 188, 187 and this is two, three weeks out. So, and this is me shredded.

"So, like, everyone is all butter cupping ‘cause this guy has been to the gym a couple times and lifted some weights. But you know, those beach muscles ain't amounting to nothing. I got pure fighting strength, I am ready to do it. I love it … this guy looks like the old UFC logo so all the sudden he is going to be, you know, whatever — I don’t care about that. I am fighting this fight for all the ugly people out there. There’s a hell of a lot more ugly people than there are pretty boys.

"Whenever I fight a pretty guy I just look at his face and I am like, I can’t wait to make him as ugly as I’ve been my whole life. You know I can’t wait. You know, and it’s a great feeling when you drop one on a guy and then his nose is all twisted and stuff. That’s a great feeling, you know. It’s nothing mean but I have a lot of pain built up from my childhood. You know what I mean?”

"Mayhem" needed little prodding to expand on his prediction of a victorious UFC debut, claiming he would end the bout. "As soon as I can make it happen. Round one. Yo, if he drops his hands it’s a wrap. If he slips up, it’s a wrap. He is done bro, as soon as he messes up I am going to catch him. He is going to slip and I am going to catch him. Yo, he is a technical, strong fighter, I am taking nothing from him. It’s just, hell, I am a f___ing good fighter, too. You know, man, I am going to catch him. It’s not going to be his night.”

Miller was also keen to discuss his and the UFC's future plans. I wanted to know what he thought of the top two guys at his weight and if he wanted to step up against either of them. "Man I am not even thinking about those guys man,” he responded. “I think I match up great with those guys. They are tough, knucklehead wrestlers and I have a whole new style. My kung fu is way better. You know what I mean? I am a ninja bro, I am a straight ninja. I am going to come out and people are not going to know what the hell to think. I am going to come out from the shadows and say, ‘whaa chaa.’”

He wasn't shy about his desire to add a UFC belt to his wardrobe either stating, “Hell yeah I want a shot at the belt man. I want to snatch it off whoever’s waist, you know, whoever takes this fight coming up, of course man I want to snatch it right off. You know, UFC, I, I think, man it’s definitely, its one of the, it’s the best organization in the world you know. I mean, I plan on it cementing itself here in America where fighting is fighting. Its gonna, the more people see it, the more the word gets out, and its already happening with the Ultimate Fighter show and with everything like that. America is going to be the hot spot for MMA. I mean we’re not going to have to go to Japan to get paid. You know what I am saying? You know, yo, we are fighting for Mexican minimum wage: two dollars and a taco. But that’s not going to happen anymore, things are going to go up.

I was a little worried that "Mayhem" was looking past a very tough Georges St. Pierre, but he assuaged those fears with his parting comment: “I got one man on my mind right now and he is pretty and he is Canadian.”

Source: Sherdog

Georges St-Pierre: Ready for Miller at UFC 52
by Kelsey Mowatt

Canadian welterweight and TKO champion Georges St-Pierre is preparing with diligence for his upcoming fight against Jason Miller. The Montreal native, who will take on Miller at the Ultimate Fighting Championship 52, April 16, in Las Vegas, Nevada, is hoping to secure a victory versus his opponent in order to continue his pursuit of a rematch with UFC welterweight champion Matt Hughes.

St-Pierre began his road back to championship contention by recently defeating UFC veteran Dave Strasser at TKO 19. St-Pierre, now 23, wasted no time in reasserting his presence within the welterweight ranks, dispatching Strasser by Kimura in the first round.

“I never expected to finish the fight in the first round,” said the Canadian. “I always train for a three-round fight. I guess that’s why they call me ‘Rush.’”

The Strasser victory came on the heels of St-Pierre’s first career loss to Matt Hughes last October at UFC 50. The young Canadian fighter was admittedly surprised when the more experienced Hughes won the fight by armbar with only one second remaining in the first round.

“I started the fight as a loser,” St-Pierre said. “I think I gave him too much respect and mentally I wasn’t there. When he caught me with the armbar I just froze. Honestly, I would like to have a rematch; I will be mentally a lot stronger.”

St-Pierre quickly reached his title shot against Hughes at UFC 50 by winning his first two fights in the promotion against Karo Parisyan and Jay Hieron. The fight against Hieron in particular was noticed by the mixed martial arts world, when St-Pierre quickly stopped the Long Island fighter in the first round with strikes.

“No one expected me to stand with him,” he said, “no one expected me to do it. People who know me and train with me know that I’m a good striker. I started martial arts with striking. I was 7 years old, I started in karate.”

St-Pierre defeated Parisyan with a solid ground-and-pound game plan, and has demonstrated submission skills not only against Strasser, but fellow UFC veteran Pete Spratt as well.

“I train very hard, with the best fighters in the country,” he said. “I train in jiu-jitsu with Fabio Holanda, kickboxing, wrestling, all of it. David Loiseau, Stephane Potvin, Steve Claveau, Patrick Cote, with really good wrestlers from Eastern Europe, great Canadian professional boxers. I can do it all.”

The young Quebecois fighter has been training extensively for his fight with Miller, who brings in a record of 11-3. With notable victories over Egan Inoue, Denis Kang, and Ronald Jhun, St-Pierre realizes that it would be catastrophic to look beyond this experienced opponent with such an impressive resume.

“I haven’t seen him fight, but I know he has very good Muay Thai and is very good with submissions,” said St-Pierre of Miller. “I’ll win and hopefully before a decision. I want to keep the fight standing, knock him out.”

St-Pierre also offered a prediction on the Matt Hughes- Frank Trigg fight also on the card for UFC 52. In making his prediction however, he was quick to offer a challenge to the man he will not be betting his money on.

“I think it will be a really close fight, but if I had to bet, I think I’d bet on Hughes. I’d like to fight either guy. Frank already said that I’m a B-class fighter. Well, I’d like to show him what a B-class fighter is!”

Source: Sherdog

FEDOR SPEAKS

Below is an interview Fedor Emelianenko recently did that appeared on his website. Here's what Fedor had to say:

Interviewer: Fedor, before the fight with Kohsaka, and even now, we
have heard rumors that you were afraid to fight Kohsaka. Do you think that there is a chance to fight with him for the third time?

Fedor: As soon as PRIDE offered me to fight Tsuyoshi Kohsaka in Bushido 6, I agreed right away. However, I was not in a good shape. Therefore, it is stupid to say that I was afraid of him. Of course, because of the injury I could not show 100% of what I was trained for. But when I am eventually in good shape, I can give him another chance to beat me. I think the third fight between me and Kohsaka will take place somewhere in the future.

Interviewer: Please tell us more about the last fight.

Fedor: As I said before, I did not like my performance because of the injury of my finger. I could not train as hard as I usually do.

Interviewer: Is it truth that even after an X-ray examination, the injury of the finger was only detected on the day after the fight?

Fedor: Yes. I am not sure why, but this is how it happened. Right after the fight I felt some kind of discomfort in my finger, so we went to a clinic to do an X-ray. The results came right away. The doctor said that everything was fine, there is no injury but told me to put on a bandage. I did that but that same night I could not sleep because of strong pain in my finger. The following day we went to another hospital, and after this second X-ray we could clearly see the fracture on my finger.

Interviewer: I know that exactly the same thing happened with your brother Alexander. The fracture was found right after the return from Japan?

Fedor: Yes. Alexander did his X-ray in Russia and he has the fracture of the same finger as I do. However, his fracture is in a different place, closer to the hand.

Interviewer: Why do you think that the PRIDE doctors did not give the correct diagnosis? Are they hiding something?

Fedor: We did not go to PRIDE's doctors for the first examination. The doctor in the first hospital is not associated with PRIDE, and did the examination very superficially. The next day we went to a different hospital. PRIDE hires all the doctors from this clinic, for fighter's examinations and to do stitches for the injured fighters. When we did a second X-ray, the doctor saw the fracture in my finger right away.

Interviewer: What do you think about Alexander's last fight and his current position in PRIDE?

Fedor: I think he is one of the top 5 heavyweight fighters in the world. You all will see it soon. You can actually see how he has developed as a fighter. The last fight he did what he was trained for. Alexander's opponent could not do any damage to him. In fact, Morais did not land even one punch on Alexander.

Interviewer: Do you know who is going to be Alexander's next opponent?

Fedor: No, we do not know yet. Everything depends on his recovery. For now, we can not talk about any future fights. I think the next time he will be able to step into the ring will be in August.

Interviewer: How did the president of PRIDE, Sakakibara, speak of your fight and Alexander's fight?

Fedor: Sakakibara was very satisfied with Alexander's fight. My fight with Kohsaka he liked, but he was not pleased with my injury because now the fight with Cro Cop, which was originally set up for June, might be cancelled. But it will definitely take place in August at the latest.

Interviewer: Yes, your future fight with Mirko is a very popular subject on all the top MMA forums.

Fedor: The only thing I can say now is that I am fighting Mirko next for sure. However, I do not know when it will take place. My injury is not giving me a chance to train very efficiently. Everything depends on how fast my doctors will give me a green light to use my hand without fear that it will be damaged again.

Interviewer: Fedor, in one of the last interviews, Antonio Nogueira said that you are not as great a wrestler as you were before. And now after his hard training on the ground, Nogueira said he knows how to defeat you in the next fight against you. What do you think about that?

Fedor: I think that this interview is just an excuse. No one prevented him from training for the final fight against me. He could have been a titleholder of two belts... it was a good motivation I think. No one prevented Mirko from training harder for GP 2004 so he could meet me there. He lost to Randleman and lost his chance to fight against me in last year in Finals. He was too confident and didn't put much thought in his fight against Kevin and got caught. No one prevented them from training harder for these fights so they could meet me. It is laughable if they are saying they could beat me easily now.

Interviewer: And the last question. What are your plans for the future?

Fedor: I will be preparing for the title fight against Mirko, so I can be 100% ready for him. We are planning to visit Kislovodsk twice, and train there. Also, we will be guests in Holland to Iogan Bosa.

Source: Fight Sport

Nino is Back

report from Gracie Mag:

Nino "Elvis" Schembri is back in Pride. The Chute- boxe Black belt was confirmed today by DSE and on the 14th of May will face Ryo Chonan in Bushido 7.

In his encounter against Chonan, Nino, who is coming off of a decision loss to Sakuraba, will have the opportunity to avenge fellow Brazilians, Anderson Silva and Roan Jucão who were both defeated by the Japanese known as the "Piranha" in his last 2 appearances

Source: Gracie Fighter

COFFEE GUY EXCLUSIVE:
WIUFF CLEARED TO FIGHT IN UFC 52

By Coffee Guy

The following exclusive report was sent to us by our Zuffa informant called 'Coffee Guy':

"Travis Wiuff passed his second medical, and has been cleared to fight on the UFC 52 card."
Source: Fight Sport

Dispelling the Myths
by Marco Antico

As an avid follower of the sport, I believe there are some common myths and misunderstandings in the MMA community that are worth discussing. If nothing more, these points serve as food for thought.

The UFC and PRIDE FC do not compete

The UFC and PRIDE FC operate in different markets. Neither organization influences the pay-per-view sales of the other. They operate autonomously from one another. Neither organization has ever stolen a fighter from the other.

All the fighters that have crossed over have done so because one party wasn’t interested in renewing their contract. Per the internet message board, it appears as if every UFC star is considering going to Japan and that DSE President, Mr. Sakikabara, is thinking of poaching every UFC superstar. However, the fact is that has never happened. The UFC and PRIDE FC appear to have made a conscientious effort not to compete for talent and thus drive up salary costs.

K-1 and PRIDE FC are fierce competitors. Zuffa Inc. currently doesn’t have anyone who threatens their livelihood. However, as MMA continues to grow, it is only a matter of time before another major organization enters the North American market place.

The philosophy of PRIDE FC judging is “WHO ALMOST WON”

From the PRIDE FC website:

… A decision is made according to the following: the effort made to finish the fight via KO or submission, damage given to the opponent, standing combinations & ground control, aggressiveness and weight (in the case that the weight difference is 10kg/22lbs or more). The above criteria are listed according to priority. The fight is scored in its entirety and not round by round..

PRIDE FC scores the fight in order of priority. Therefore, if one fighter clearly made more of an effort to finish the fight they will be declared the victor. The other categories become inconsequential! Perhaps you think I am oversimplifying the equation. If it so pleases the court, I would like to enter Exhibits A through D into evidence:

A: Mark Hunt over Wanderlei Silva (Hunt almost knocked Silva out)
B: Antonio Nogueira over Ricco Rodriguez (Nogueira nearly submitted Rodriguez)
C: Ryan Gracie over Ikuhisa Minowa (Gracie nearly choked out Minowa)
D: Daiju Takase over Carlos Newton (Takase nearly submitted Newton)

All of the above decisions can only be explained by awarding the decision to the person who came closest to ending the fight (ie. “who almost won”). In PRIDE FC, if you manage to nearly knock out your opponent (Hunt vs. Silva) or nearly submit your opponent (Rodriguez vs. Nogueira) you may lie on your back for the rest of the fight so long as you never look in danger of being stopped. Whether that is a good philosophy to score a fight or not is open to debate.

We should also take note as to what things are not mentioned in the judging criteria above. There is no mention of there being more importance placed on activity in the later rounds as opposed to the early rounds. PRIDE FC broadcasters have been guilty of propagating this misconception over the years. The rules have evolved over time. Perhaps there was such a rule at one point in time. However, this rule certainly does not exist right now as attested by Matt Hume, a judge for PRIDE FC, in his broadcasting comments at a previous Bushido event. The fight is scored in its entirety. Damaging strikes are worth the same in the first minute of the fight as it would be worth had it occurred in the last few seconds.

Weight is mentioned in the rules above as the last thing in the list of priorities. However, at PRIDE Shockwave 2004 both Matt Hume and Monte Cox asserted that this rule had been removed. Hume was a judge for the event and told reporters that there was nothing about weight on the judges’ score card. Cox told MMARadio that he attended the rules meeting and that the only issue concerning weight differences was whether the lighter fighter would allow their opponent to use knees on the ground (four point attacks).

The philosophy of UFC judging is “WHO LOOKED BETTER”

Jiu-jitsu (specifically, submission attempts) is not highly valued in the UFC.
Wrestling (specifically, takedowns and top position) is highly valued in the UFC. This is a fundamental philosophical difference between North American and Japanese judging. UFC judges look at the fight more superficially. They generally believe that the man on top is doing better than the man on the bottom.

Brazilian fighters have lost an uncanny number of close decisions in the UFC for this exact reason.

Pedro Rizzo versus Randy Couture I
Vitor Belfort versus Tito Ortiz
Murilo Bustamente versus Chuck Liddell
Hermes Franca versus Josh Thomson
Hermes Franca versus Yves Edwards
Renato Verissimo versus Matt Hughes

In fact, it’s difficult to think of a Brazilian fighter that has ever won a close decision! Does this mean that the judges are being explicitly told to screw over all fighters from Brazil? I think not. These decisions were mostly influenced by the perceived importance assigned to take downs and maintaining top position.

A fighter’s worth isn’t always defined by wins and losses

Society places unrealistic expectations on fighters. People want to think of fighters as indestructible superheroes. Perhaps we’ve seen one too many movies where the good guys always win. Perhaps we’ve been brainwashed as children into believing Lex Luther could never defeat Superman. But these fighters are playing pretend, sometimes real life heroes lose.

Everyone seems to agree with this statement, but very few fans actually practice it. Chuck Liddell automatically became a second rate fighter in everyone’s mind after losing to Randy Couture and Quinton Jackson. Evan Tanner was a bum after losing to Tito Ortiz and Rich Franklin. Rich Franklin was no longer a threat to the UFC Light Heavyweights after losing to a relative unknown in Japan. Tito Ortiz became washed up after losing back to back.

Matt Hughes once said “you’re only undefeated until someone beats you”. Some famous dead guy once said, “to error is only human but to forgive is divine”. It may sound odd to say that we as fans need to forgive our favorite fighters, but that is exactly what we need to do. The term “bandwagon fan” is meant to describe those individuals that only cheer for the winners. We are all guilty of this offense, just in varying degrees.

The UFC never protected Tito Ortiz

The UFC always gave Ortiz the toughest available opponent.

UFC 13 – Tito enters into the UFC tournament as an alternate. There is no need to critique the choice of opponents here as they were not predetermined.

UFC 18 - Jerry Bohlander was 9 -2 as a professional fighter and trained with perhaps the best MMA team at the time, the Lion’s Den. This was only Tito’s third professional fight.

UFC 19 - Guy Mezger was 20 – 6 as a professional fighter, also trained with the Lion’s Den and had already defeated Ortiz.

UFC 22 - Frank Shamrock was considered by most to be the best MMA fighter in the world and perhaps of all time.

UFC 25 - Wanderlei Silva. Some people think that Silva wasn’t a very good fighter back in these days and somehow developed all of his abilities in the last 4 years. That’s an absurd assumption.

UFC 29 - Yuki Kondo, a Pancrase legend, had fought and defeated the who’s who of MMA.

UFC 30 – Evan Tanner, he was 21-1 and had been destroying all of his UFC competition.

UFC 32 – Elvis Sinosic earned the designation of number one contender after defeating Jeremy Horn.

UFC 33 – Vladimir Matyushenko was a last minute replacement after Vitor Belfort withdrew due to injury.

UFC 40 – Ken Shamrock. The UFC gave the fans what they wanted to see. At the time, people were split between who they thought would win this fight. No one anticipated the dominating performance Tito would put forth.

UFC 44 – Randy Couture is considered to be one of the greatest fighters of all time.

UFC 47 – Chuck Liddell is one of the best light heavyweights in the world and a tough style match-up for Tito.

UFC 50 – Patrick Cote was a last minute replacement after Guy Mezger pulled out. The UFC first offered this fight to Tre Telligman and Vitor Belfort but both fighters turned the fight down.

UFC 51 – Vitor Belfort has only ever lost to top competition.

The statements of “Tito had it easy” or “the UFC protected Tito” or “Tito’s scared” are debunked when you look back on Tito’s career.

The outcome would most likely not be any different in a rematch

No matter what excuses the fighters come up with or what has happened since they last met, the best indicator of what could happen in a rematch is what actually happened in the past. Everything else is just speculation.

Many fans believe that Wanderlei Silva would destroy Tito Ortiz in a rematch. Has Silva improved? Yes, most definitely. Would Ortiz be able to hold him down for 25 minutes in a rematch? No, probably not. Would Silva crush Ortiz in a rematch?
There’s just no evidence to support this.

Bandwagon fans are the ones that feel most adamant that Silva would destroy Ortiz in a rematch. Tito’s glory years are over and Silva’s are at hand. But, these fighters compete in different organization, against different opponents and with different rules. Styles make fights in MMA. Wrestlers have proven capable of neutralizing strikers. Ortiz may be the underdog in a rematch but he still does have a very good chance.

Being religious is not a bad thing

Just because you are a religious person it does not mean you aren’t going to perform to the best of your abilities. People were all over Vitor Belfort for saying “I hope neither me nor Tito get hurt” in an interview before UFC 51. Did Belfort ever look like he was trying not to hurt Ortiz in that fight?

Much has been made about Quinton “Rampage” Jackson being a born again Christian. People wonder if he’s lost his aggressiveness and killer instinct. He freely expresses that he does not want to see his opponent or himself get seriously hurt. People automatically interpret that as a sign of weakness. Jackson adamantly denies the accusation that his new found faith has impacted his fighting style and reiterates that he is a professional who will continue to do his job as best he can.

Conclusion

The fight game is unlike any other sport in that it has an enormous amount of wild cards. Judging decisions are always going to be susceptible to human error. The best fighter in the world can be knocked out by one good punch landing square on their jaw. Incidental cuts sometime happen which may influence the outcome of a fight. Frank Trigg defeating Dennis Hallman twice and Matt Hughes losing to Dennis Hallman twice does not mean Frank Trigg can defeat Matt Hughes.

The uncertainties and unpredictability are part of what makes MMA so exciting. Yet, it’s also what makes the sport frustrating at times (ie. bad decisions, cut stoppages, anti-climatic main events). All this uncertainty brings speculation of why things are the way they are. Statements such as “PRIDE FC is going to conquer the USA market”, “Ricco Rodriguez got screwed”, and “Rampage is not the same fighter he used to be” will continue to be debated until the end of time.

The ideas I express in this article may differ from your assumptions of why things are the way they are. It’s not necessarily important whose ideas are most correct. Rather, it’s the reasoning and insightfulness behind these types of discussions that adds value to our sport. A delicious seven course meal doesn’t appear out of thin air. It’s the result of all the necessary ingredients. It’s the fruits of a shared group’s labor. They often say that food tastes best when you’ve cooked it yourself. We are the grass-root fans of MMA. It will be the fruits of our labor that mainstream America sees when this sport reaches the masses.

Source: Marco Antonio

 4/14/05

Quote of the Day

"I cannot think of any need in childhood as strong as the need for a father's protection."

Sigmund Freud 1856-1939, Austrian Physician - Founder of Psychoanalysis

John "The Bull" Marsh Seminar

May 7th and 8th
Gracie Kailua
25 Kaneohe Bay Drive (inside Aikahi Shopping Center)
Kailua, HI 96734
Times: 12:00 pm to 2:00 pm
Cost: $50 in advance, $60 at the door
Contact: Jason Izaguirre 254-4900 or Daynin Dashefsky 295-3792

UFC 52 FIGHTER PROFILE:
MATT HUGHES

What can be said about Matt Hughes that hasn’t been said a thousand times before? Well, not much. But since he’s stepping into the Octagon at UFC 52 to defend his welterweight strap against Frank Trigg, we’re going to at least break down the fight.

Like the Randy Couture and Chuck Liddell main event, Hughes versus Trigg is a rematch. The two battled it out a year and a half ago at UFC 45, Trigg’s first fight under the UFC banner. In that fight, Trigg was actually doing quite well against Hughes until he made one simple mistake that Hughes took full advantage of, submitting Trigg with a rear naked choke.

That was the fifth straight defense of Hughes’ welterweight title reign. It was also the last in the streak as he dropped the belt in his very next trip to the Octagon against BJ Penn, who had moved up in weight to surprise Hughes.

After taking the title, Penn left the UFC and was subsequently stripped of the belt. Since then, Hughes has returned to hammer out a three-round decision victory over Penn’s teammate Charuto Verissimo before continuing to display his ever improving submission skills by arm barring Georges St. Pierre to gain back the welterweight championship.

That leads us back around to the rematch with Trigg. So what’s any different this time from the first? Plenty. We already talked about the adversity and struggle to regain the title that Hughes went through. And Trigg has since been through some battles of his own. He blasted Dennis Hallman, a fighter that has defeated Hughes twice, and he emerged with a TKO victory after a war with Verissimo.

Known for his tremendous wrestling ability, strength, and ground and pound attack, Hughes still possesses all of these traits, but has expanded on them. It’s quite obvious that his training with Jeremy Horn has begun to pay off. His submission skills have started to appear more and more. Aside from the choking of Trigg in their first bout, maybe the more impressive submission was the arm bar that he applied in the waning seconds of the first round on Georges St. Pierre, a fairly adept jiujitsu practitioner in his own right.

Although his stand up game has gotten better over the years, Hughes still hasn’t shown it too much in his recent bouts. He’s obviously an extremely proficient striker when he has his opponent on their back, but hasn’t recently taken anyone out on the feet.

Like Hughes, Trigg is also known for his wrestling skill and knows how to pound an opponent out on the ground, but he doesn’t appear to have the strength of Hughes or the submission skill. What he does possess that Hughes doesn’t is a superior striking game. Trigg excels at doing damage with his hands and knees, in part because of his skill, but also because of his aggressive nature in the ring. There’s something to be said for a fighter that comes out, not only with the desire to win, but the yearning to take someone’s head off.

The big question here is, who will take the fight where they want it to go? Hughes needs to take Trigg down, smother him, and do damage with his ground and pound assault. Trigg is good at defending submissions and won’t likely get caught again, but Hughes’ strikes on the ground are second to none.

Trigg needs to fend off Hughes’ takedown attempts and keep this fight on the feet. He is better at the striking game and can use his mobility to negate Hughes’ strength advantage. Hughes is a tough fighter that will be difficult to knockout, but Trigg can use his skills to wear him down and slow his shot.

Who wins? This one is too close to call. If it goes to the mat, I expect Hughes to win. If more time is spent standing than down, Trigg should be able to take the belt.

Source: MMA Weekly

FIGHTER DIARY: FRANK TRIGG

3 DAYS UNTIL WEIGH-IN

UFC Fighter Frank Trigg fights for the Welterweight Title Saturday Night. He also logs a daily diary for us right here at MMAWeekly.com

Alright. We are a day closer, thank god, to my title fight Saturday night. I sleep in until 7am today and there isn't a whole lot that has changed from yesterday's routine other than today is a travel day. More on that coming up....

After eating a light breakfast of eggs with chicken and cheese. I drink some water with my Life Force... (did I mention Ryan Parsons, who hooked me up?...and yes still send me more).

After seeing some nasty porn on my email, that I guess you guys felt obliged to send me after reading yesterday's story, (by the way quit sending me midgit porn...there's is nothing HOT about that) I get ready for the radio show at www.mmaweeklyradio.com

I will get to roll around at 10:30 this morning, as I teach my submission wrestling class which goes until noon. I step on the scale and right now I'm at 183. That's about what I expected three days before weigh-in's.

At Noon I jump in the sauna, which is basically a Japanese bathhouse. For those who don't know what that is, it's basically a full wet room where you can sit down, relax...take a shower, etc. They have a huge hot tub where I can go back and forth between there and the steam room and just relax.

This is where I mentally focus, get nice and loose, and visual train for the fight. After that it's time to roll home and get ready to travel.

2pm- I pack all my stuff as I get set to head to Las Vegas. This is always a pain in the ass as I have to pack my gear, my clothes, my vitamins, blah, blah, blah. I need a maid damn it.

My flight is at 5:30 from LAX to Las Vegas. It's a quick flight, basically an hour. They always put me next to some fat woman who weighs 320 lbs. and smells bad. I think the UFC does this on purpose. It's a quick flight, so I will bring nose plugs.

I land in Sin City at 7:30pm. I will get checked in and get ready for the rat race and on-slaught of media interviews. The UFC is very organized as we get a packet with all of our interview requests, what times the radio and TV calls you etc.... All promotions need to take note. Be organized like the UFC and your events will run smoother.

Once I get checked into my room, Rico will have a night workout with me. This morning I weighed in at 183. That means tonight I need to get to 178.

Man, I feel good this week. I look forward to the battle ahead this weekend. Everyone says Matt Hughes is in the best shape of his life. Good. He better be. No excuses period this weekend. It's going to be a hell of a fight.

MEDIA DAY

UFC Fighter Frank Trigg fights for the Welterweight Title Saturday Night. He also logs a daily diary for us right here at MMAWeekly.com

Alright people it's o.k. Don't worry. I did make it to Las Vegas last night. I made it to Sin City and this morning it's basically media day. I have plenty of radio interviews scheduled through out the day. I start after I do the radio show with Bennett at www.mmaweeklyradio.com at 9am, you know the drill by now.

After the MMAWeekly Radio show, it's off to many other shows like KOMP radio in Las Vegas as I hang out with my friend Carlota. After an hour there, I'm off to do a video shoot with the UFC. The "video shoot" is where they have us in our gear looking tough and starring at the camera. We will also cut the interviews as well. This is what they use during the pay per view.

After the promos I'm back doing more interviews. I have an interview scheduled with WTKS in Orlando, Florida at 4:45 eastern.

It's funny to walk around here and see the different fighters. A lot of the guys just walk around and look angry. The fight isn't for a few more days. I don't even want to think about the fight this far out. If you do, then you burn a ton of wasted energy that your going to need on Saturday.

I've already put in my training at this point. If your worried about your cardio this late in the game, then it's already too late.

I have an evening workout scheduled tonight at 7pm. Right now I'm 178 which is even better than I thought. I thought I would be around 180, so it's going to be very easy to cut weight. I don't start to cut weight usually until Thursday, but this week will be easy.

I usually spend 45 minutes working out and 45 minutes cutting weight. I will go downstairs and get another good workout in before I call it a night.

I will get some sleep tonight and call it an evening. I'm really looking forward to this fight and know my training has been great. I'm ready people, hope your ready to watch it on pay per view.

Of course I got to thank my sponsors because without them, I would be living on the street or worse, at Bennett's house....

MMAWeekly.com - You know the drill. Check out the radio show everyday. If you don't you are a dumb ass. MMAWeeklyRadio.com LIVE at 9am Pacific/Noon EST.

betoddessa.com - Joey you and I both know you are the man, bet oddessa has the best odds on the net and to the public, quit betting on me damn it. I want better odds! Betoddessa.com rules.

Headblade - Look, if my boy Todd can make Dana White look good with a bald head, then even you can look good. God bless Headblade.

Total Health Nutrition - This is the only online suppliment place you need. The cool part about it, is if your in Las Vegas then you can go to their store in Sin City and get buff. Quit being fat and get your ass into shape. Take suppliments and pimp.

ESPNRadio in Las Vegas - What up to the Wise Guys. You guys are cool as hell and we will party after the fight. That's the only sports radio show that I listen to in Vegas.

Jimmy's Charhouse - If you are in Chicago and you haven't been there, you have problems. Angelo and the boys will take care of you. All the best to you guys!

Source: MMA Weekly

CONTROVERSY CONTINUES TO SURROUND SHAMROCK VS. FRANKLIN MATCHUP

A video clip showing Ken Shamrock suspiciously flopping to the ground in his fight against Rich Franklin.

The following commentary was sent in by the MMA insider known as 'Whaledog':

Before reading any further, please read our disclaimer first.

"Here's something interesting . . . they started the Shamrock fight with less than 15 minutes left in the broadacst. If that fight went the distance, the T.V. would not have seen the end of the 3rd round or the decision."

SHAMROCK VS. FRANKLIN REVIEW

A video clip showing Ken Shamrock suspiciously flopping to the ground in his fight against Rich Franklin.

The following review of the Ken Shamrock vs. Rich Franklin matchup was sent in by the MMA insider known as 'The Real Big Pun':

Before reading any further, please read our disclaimer first.

"To begin the fight, Franklin came out and threw a headkick that Ken easily blocked. Ken often closed the distance and forced Franklin against the fence standing by cutting off the cage, but never shot in or came forward punching. Franklin lowered his head after jumping in behind punches and Ken held back from throwing a right hand.

Then the work took a turn for the obvious when Ken seemingly jumped in the air and fell backwards before he was supposed to, as Franklin hit him as he was going down instead of right beforehand.

Franklin then followed Ken down but ended up going for an omaplata from his guard, which Ken struggled to defend against in dramatic fashion. But in true pro wrestling style, he eventually got out of it and went for a submission of his own.

Ken dropped back for a heelhook. Franklin stood up and fell right into it. Ken had it set perfectly in a two legs on one situation, but did not put as much pressure as he could, clearly holding off. Ken then allowed Franklin to escape, who then threw another Jet Li style headkick that Ken also easily blocked.

Ken followed Ace Ventura around the cage standing, but did not attack with a wrestling shoot or come forward with punches of his own. Ken would counter punch, but only after Franklin was too far out of range after jumping in and out. Ken then attempted a dramatic headkick of his own, slipping and falling.

Franklin immediately followed Ken down and began flailing away with wild arm punches, mostly missing or hitting Ken's arms. Ken laid on his back while covered up and waited for BJM to rush in and prematurely stop the fight, as usual for BJM. After BJM stopped it, Ken stood up quickly and very coherently, laughing it up and hugging Franklin.

All in all, this fight gave off the same feeling as the Hume and Shamrock war in Pancrase years ago. Ken Shamrock learned the art of realistically working fights in Japan, where stiff works can fool most American fans. It seems that Ken was either paid a large amount of money by Zuffa to throw the nationally televised fight after Franklin's 8 fight deal had been signed, or Ken bet a lot of money against himself.

Either way, there were far too many headkicks, almost submissions and incredible escapes, and slips in such a short amount of time for it to be a legit fight. I would not be completely convinced it was fake had Franklin not waited too long to punch as Ken fell backwards in the air, but that clearly proved it was a work."

Source: Fight Sport

Pancrase: '2005 Spiral Tour'
April 10th, 2005
Umeda Stella Hall
Osaka, Japan

Yoshiro Maeda defeats Takumi Murata by armbar at 4:16, RD 1.
Koji Oishi defeats Daisuke Hanazawa13 by TKO at 0:31, RD 3.
Kenji Takeshige defeats Yuji Miyazaki by TKO at 1:53, RD 1.
Naoji Fujimoto defeats Kenji Shimada by unanimous decision.
Masato Nishiguchi defeats Moriyuki Yamada by rear naked choke at 1:38, RD 2.

Source: Fight Sport

THE JAKE R. REPORT: JUNE UFC PLANNED FOR ATLANTIC CITY
By Jake R

Before reading any further, please read our disclaimer first.

In yet another scoop for Fightsport.com and the Jake R Report, sources in Iowa have informed this cyber-reporter that as it currently stands, Zuffa plans on returning to Atlantic City on June 4th.

As usual, stick to reading the Jake R Report and the scoops that are days, weeks, and even months ahead of the other MMA News sites.

*Jake R exclusive: Must Credit Fightsport.com and the Jake R Report when discussing this article.

Source: Fight Sport

 4/13/05

Quote of the Day

"I cannot think of any need in childhood as strong as the need for a father's protection."

Sigmund Freud 1856-1939, Austrian Physician - Founder of Psychoanalysis

SuperBrawl Thanks!

We would like thank all who supported Falaniko and Super Brawl this weekend. This event could not have happened without all of your collective help amd interest. I hope you were all able to attend the event and share in Niko's special victory. It surely was the greatest moment in Super Brawl's nine year history. We could not be more happy nor more proud of our dynamic and humble champion!

If you happened to miss "Super Brawl 39: Destiny" we will make it available via Oceanic pay-per-view (PPV) or video-on-demand (VOD) in the coming days. We are already busy editing the event video and creating the promo for the TV broadcast. Stay tuned for more info...

Again, mahalo for all of your support!

Patrick Freitas
Super Brawl Director of Promotions

USA TODAY DOES TUF ARTICLE IN MONEY SECTION

Battles yield winning 'Fighter'
By Michael McCarthy, USA TODAY

NEW YORK — During Saturday night's live finale of Spike TV's reality hit, The Ultimate Fighter, entrepreneur Dana White had a decision to make.

Dana White says his show is 'what the new generation is watching.'
By Steve Marcus for USA TODAY

The two young light-heavyweights competing for a six-figure contract, Forrest Griffin and Stephan Bonnar, had just brought celebrity fans such as Busta Rhymes and Kevin James roaring to their feet with a bloody, evenly matched slugfest. (Related video: Clips from 'The Ultimate Fighter')

This was the first time White's mixed martial arts operation had aired live on basic cable TV. Should the president and co-owner of the Ultimate Fighting Championship hand out one contract?

"There is no loser in this fight," White told more than 2 million viewers on Viacom's network for young guys as he handed both fighters deals. White is a former amateur boxer turned Las Vegas entrepreneur behind the improbable comeback of "ultimate fighting," which pits boxers, wrestlers, karate and jiu-jitsu artists in often-brutal matches inside a caged, eight-sided ring known as the "Octagon."

Attacking the then-out-of-control sport as "barbaric" and "human cockfighting," critics such as Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., virtually drove UFC events off pay TV in the 1990s. The league was on the mat. But White, after joining with partners to take it over in 2001, cleaned it up and brought it back from the dead in just four years.

Now, at a time when federal decency hawks are on the warpath for sexual or violent programming, White has managed to make his first-season reality show of extreme fighting and scantily clad "Ring Girls" into must-see cable TV for an army of young men.

Despite an 11:05 p.m. ET/PT Monday slot on Spike TV, the average audience grew 19% to 1.98 million through the first 12 weeks of the 13-week show, according to Nielsen Media Research. The elusive, advertiser-coveted audience of men ages 18 to 34 is up 55% since the Jan. 17 opening. Viewers are 73% male, with an average age of 30. Advertisers include Miller, Nintendo and the U.S. Army.

White now is negotiating with Spike for second and third seasons. He also has signed a deal with News Corp.'s Fox Sports Net to replay taped UFC fights four times a year. Revenue for the league's flagship pay-per-view live events in the USA and 36 countries is up twentyfold in four years.

White's long-term goal: supplant boxing as America's martial art. "Boxing has become your father's sport," he says in an interview from his Las Vegas headquarters. "We're what the new generation is watching. We're the most extreme of extreme sports."

At age 34, with a shaved head and fighter's build, White still likes to mix it up in the gym. As a kid, he never missed USA Network's Tuesday Night Fights boxing. Now, he hopes to launch a live weekly UFC fight show on prime-time cable.

"We've proven we can draw a number at 11:05 p.m. on Monday nights," White says. "I guarantee you Spike is thinking, 'What would these guys draw at 9 p.m.?' "

Critics worry about influence on kids

Sure to oppose that are plenty of critics who still see ultimate fighting as modern-day gladiatorial combat.

Sports consultant David Carter calls it "train wreck TV," where viewers tune in for carnage.

Phil Mushnick, a sports columnist for the New York Post, accuses Spike executives of peddling violent, anti-social fare they'd never show their kids. "Ultimate fighting sells kids on violence. Does anyone think we need more violence?" he asks. "A show like this would not have been on TV in the past because it was inappropriate. Now, it's on TV because it's inappropriate."

White is quick to point out that, unlike boxing's record, no UFC fighters have died or suffered a serious injury in its 12-year history.

"Guys are going to break bones or noses. A serious injury to me is a guy who can't walk, has brain damage or who is Million Dollar Baby-ed," he says, referring to Hillary Swank's paralyzed boxer in Clint Eastwood's Oscar-winning film.

Born in Manchester, Conn., White is a fierce Boston Red Sox fan. During an often troubled youth, he bounced back and forth between Las Vegas and Maine. He tried college for two years in Boston but didn't finish. He got himself on track there, however, by launching a boxing program for inner-city kids. Back in Las Vegas, he founded the sports management firm Dana White Enterprises in 1992 and still owns three boxing gyms.

As a manager and trainer for pro boxers and UFC fighters such as Chuck Liddell, White often found himself negotiating with the freewheeling original owners of UFC, which they founded in 1993. When they were ready to sell, White enlisted friends and Las Vegas-based Station Casinos executives Lorenzo and Frank Fertitta III to buy UFC in January 2001. They would not disclose the price for the league, which now is privately held by Zuffa (Italian for a "scrap"). White owns 10%; the Fertittas hold the rest.

Building a better brand

As the league's president, White wears a lot of hats. He directs all operations, including broadcast production, fight cards and financial and legal affairs. He stresses the importance of building the UFC brand every day, drawing a contrast with boxing, which he says gets attention only when the biggest names step in the ring. His UFC "Ultimate Knockout" DVDs and tapes rank among top-selling sports videos at such retailers as Wal-Mart. He's pushing UFC-themed video games, CDs, T-shirts and hats. He's even producing a UFC-themed movie by John Herzfeld, director of Don King: Only In America. Playing the Donald Trump role on his Spike reality show has made White a local Las Vegas celebrity. But his soft-spoken and thoughtful TV persona comes off in person brassier and more like the aggressive promoter he is.

During talks with Viacom executives, he has been known to stand up and loom over his opponent like a fighter itching for the bell to ring. "Dana is a showman. He knows how to make a point," says Kevin Kay, Spike TV's executive vice president of programming.

Besides looking at renewing Ultimate Fighter, Spike is mining White's library of 600 fights for taped specials and is considering live events. "We think we're on to the next big emerging sport," Kay says.

The UFC was conceived as a one-shot, pay-per-view event in 1993, which set the tone for the future when a fighter was kicked so hard that teeth flew out of the ring. It was a hit.

The owners touted the bare-knuckle fights as death sport: virtually no rules, no judges, no time limits. Its slogan: "Two men enter the Octagon, one man leaves."

As criticism mounted, U.S. cable operators stopped airing UFC pay-per-view events in 1997. By the time White took over in January 2001, it was reduced to an underground fight club on satellite TV.

White's first move was a road show for U.S. cable operators pledging changes. He sold them, and his new and improved UFC returned to pay-per-view cable that September. The company has since regained its license for live events in five states: Nevada, New Jersey, Florida, Massachusetts and Louisiana.

White believes the failure of the original UFC was "99%" due to bad marketing rather than mayhem. If the original UFC ran from regulators, the new UFC runs "toward regulating," he says.

Rules aim to make a sport out of chaos

White's reorganized UFC is more like boxing than the blood sport of a decade ago. He has weight classes, five-minute rounds and time limits. Judges use 10-point scoring. Fighters wear gloves and mouthpieces. And yes, there's mandatory drug and steroid testing.

White has instituted rules to moderate the made-for-TV brutality: no attacks to the groin, spine or throat; no head butting, biting, eye-gouging or hair pulling; and no kicking a foe when he's down.

"When (UFC) first started, we could not sanction it because it was no holds barred, anything goes," says Marc Ratner, executive director of the Nevada Athletic Commission. "Now, it's a real sport. And we're delighted to have it here."

The purses are still small compared with big-time boxing: Light-heavyweight champ Randy Couture, 42, earned $225,00 for winning a title fight last fall.

But "UFC 52" on April 16, pitting Ultimate Fighter coaches Couture and Liddell at the MGM Grand, is on track to be UFC's biggest, with a live gate expected to hit $3 million, vs. $225,000 for White's first event in 2001. The top ticket has doubled to $400.

Whether the UFC is the sport of the future, as White believes, or the end of civilization as we know it, as critics warn, White is not surprised by its recent success: "When we first bought this company, nobody thought it would get back on pay per view. It did. Nobody thought we would get sanctioned by every athletic commission in the country you'd want to go to. It did. Nobody ever thought it would get on free TV. It is."

Source: MMA Weekly/USA Today

THREE UFC CONTRACTS HANDED OUT: ARE ALL THREE READY TO CHALLENGE THE UFC VETS?
by Ryan Bennett

I remember before the Ultimate Fighter started that my pick was Forrest Griffin and Chris Leben to be awarded the UFC contracts. I didn't know who Diego Sanchez was, and had no clue that Stephan Bonner was a legit bad ass. Even during the course of the show, I didn't expect Bonner to be there in the end.

But here they were, on free TV on the Spike Network and all three came to fight, and we all know how good the fights were. The one question I get more than any other. Can these guys compete with the rest of the UFC roster? Depends on the fight, but if you go by the Forrest Griffin factor, the answer is yes.

What is the Forrest Griffin factor? I don't know, I just made it up, but here's the equation going into the FGF. If you look at the competition that Griffin has faced, then you could reason that Bonner and Griffin have a shot at becoming solid UFC fighters.

Griffin is 11-2 in his fight career. He has wins over Ebenezer Fontes Braga in Braga's backyard in Brazil, UFC veterans’ Jeff Monson and Travis Fulton; not to mention, a solid win over Team Quest fighter Chael Sonnen. The biggest measuring stick was against Jeremy Horn, a guy who in many peoples eyes is the number fighter at 185.

If Griffin can go with Horn, there is no doubt in my mind he can compete at a world class level. Does he need to drop to 185? Probably, but I personally don't know if he can make that weight. Bonner went toe to toe with Griffin and he has everyone's respect.

The best way to see what both guys have is for them to face a good solid veteran. I'm not asking the UFC to throw them under a bus against Vitor Belfort or Chuck Liddell, but Vernon "Tiger" White would be a solid test to see what these guys have against a true veteran, then we could go from there.

Diego Sanchez is a very interesting prospect. He dominated the smaller fighters on the show and impressed everyone. Sanchez at 170 could be very good. I was just looking at the Top 10 on our MMAWeekly Fighters and Broadcasters Poll and I don't think Sanchez could beat anybody in the Top 10 as of today. The bottom five of Charuto, St. Pierre, Lytle, Parisyan, Diaz and Shields are all way too experienced in my book. I personally would love to see how Sanchez would do against Dennis Hallman, who is a Top 15 guy at 170.

All three fighters have a future and all three could have a lengthy UFC career. They all have the contract, now, but it’s up to them to see what they do with it.

Source: MMA Weekly

MULTI-FIGHT CONTRACT GIVEN TO FRANKLIN BEFORE SHAMROCK FIGHT, AND OTHER NEWS

It is interesting to note that the UFC signed Rich Franklin to an 8-fight deal before his fight against Ken Shamrock.

In other related news, the UFC gave out multi-fight deals to Forrest Griffin, Stephan Bonnar, and Diego Sanchez, all of whom competed on 'The Ultimate Fighter' reality show.

Source: Fight Sport

 4/12/05

Quote of the Day

"The greater danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and falling short; but in setting our aim too low, and achieving our mark."

Michelangelo Buonarroti, Painter, Sculptor

MMA FANS:
NO REST FOR THE WEARY...
HERE COMES UFC 52...

Let's be honest. Our writers aren't getting any sleep and they won't until...um...May. Hero's in March then Bushido a couple of weeks ago, Ultimate Fighter this past weekend, UFC 52 this weekend and did we mention Pride's Grand Prix the following week? A major fight every weekend since March 26th. No rest for the weary.

A guy who is just as busy is MMA oddsmaker Joey Oddessa who is a consultant to our sponsors Sportsbook.com and has his own website at BetOddesa.com. He has the lastest lines for UFC 52.

Randy Couture -255 vs Chuck Liddell +205 - If you bet $100 on Liddell you get $205 back if Liddell wins. You would have to bet $255 just to win $100 on the champion Couture if Couture wins.

Joe Doerkson -200 vs Patrick Cote +170 - Doerksen takes Lee Murray's place in this fight and Doerksen opens up as the favorite.

Matt Hughes -175 vs Frank Trigg +155 - A lot of people have bet on Trigg in this fight. The line has been bet on Trigg.

Matt Lindland -185 vs Travis Lutter +165 - Lindland is the slight favorite in this fight. Orginally the winner was slated to face Evan Tanner, but a lot of that depends on the future of Rich Franklin.

Joe Riggs -155 vs Ivan Salaverry +135 - Talk to the experts and they are split on this fight, as is the betting public.

Renato 'Babalu' Sobral -110 vs Travis Wiuff -110 - This fight is a pickem. Very close fight.

Georges St. Pierre -165 vs Jason Miller +145 - A fair share of the betting public has put some money behind Miller. Will he be able to hang in his first UFC appearance?

Source: MMA Weekly

UFC 52 FIGHTER DIARY
FRANK TRIGG

It's one of the most anticipated rematches in some time. Frank Trigg will go one on one and try to avenge his loss to one of the most dominant champions in the world today in Matt Hughes.

This week, Trigg, gets personal with his daily fighter diary, exclusively to MMAWeekly.com.

Alright ladies and gentlemen welcome to my brain. It gets a little crowded in here and my friend Ryan Bennett doesn't think I even know how to type, so endure my writing and pay attention because you may even learn something about me you didn't know....YOU KNOW!

I'm really looking forward to home away from home. Good ol' Las Vegas, Nevada. It's my second home as my girlfriend Nikki lives there. Today my day starts at 4am, that's right, I said it 4am.

Why you ask? The last nine weeks I've gotten up at 4am as every weekend I take Nikki to the airport from Los Angeles to Las Vegas. She needs to get to Vegas by 6am so she can go to work. We are crazy like that. 4am isn't that early for me. I'm always up early anyway, so this isn't a big deal. I don't need much sleep. Sleep is overrated.

So after I drop her off I come back home, eat some breakfast. Today on the menu is Eggs with chicken and cheese. I drink some water with my Life Force, (what up Ryan Parsons...that's my shout out, and send me more damn it) and that's breakfast.

It's about 7:30am now and I go through paperwork for Triggonomics, my clothing line... (pick it up people, you dress like ass and you will look so much better with my gear. You may get chics...u know!) After the daily business reports, I jump on the web and read betodessa.com and see how much money I'm going to bet on myself.

By the way, will you people quit betting me. Your fu#$king up the odds and you really need to start betting Hughes. If I'm not at +200 by fight time I'm going to be pissed! A brother has to get paid now people. I want to be a BIG underdog by fight time so I can get paid.

After that time to do some show prep, so I can make Bennett sound good on MMAWeekly Radio.com. If your not listening, it's free and you will sound smarter talking MMA with your friends. (9am Cali time)

I have a pre-protein shake right before 10am. That's what time my workout is. I'm lifting today. Ken Vick, my strength and conditioning coach has something planned today, not sure what we will be working on. I like to be surprised. My workout goes until 11:30am.

After downing another protein shake after the work out, I eat some lunch. It's always salads for lunch, with low fat dressing and cut up chicken breast.

I take a nap to get my beauty sleep at 3pm. After my hour power nap, I drink another protein shake. Check my email one more time and see if anyone sent me any good porn.

Tonight it's another workout. I have my boxing and cardio sparring with my boxing coach Mo Drasion. He and Rico Chiapparelli (yeah I had to go on the R-1 website to see how the hell you spell your damn name, Rico!) have been kicking my ass and I'm ready to go.

I workout until 8:30pm. 9pm it's dinner as I heat a couple of fish filets, steamed vegetables, a ½ cup of brown rice and drink some water.

After dinner, time to wind down and play the playstation. Right now my game is Onimusha 3. I will beat some asses on the game, just like Saturday night, and call it an evening. Alright people gotta go, hope you enjoy this and just want to say thank you to my sponsors.

MMAWeekly.com (Scott you cheap bastard, I can't believe you guys are finally sponsoring me! YOU KNOW!) Check out the radio show everyday people. If you don't, what the hell is wrong with you! MMAWeeklyRadio.com

betoddessa.com - Joey you and I both know you are the man, bet oddessa has the best odds on the net and quit betting on me damn it. I want better odds! Betodessa.com rules.

ESPNRadio in Las Vegas - What up to the Wise Guys. You guys are cool as hell and we will party after the fight. That's the only sports radio show that I listen to in Vegas.

Source: MMA Weekly

THE BIG DECISION: 205 OR 185 FOR RICH FRANKLIN?

He may be the only fighter on the planet who actually does better at a heavier weight, then cutting to 185. Rich Franklin put on another impressive show, this time at a legends expense in Ken Shamrock.

Franklin overwhelmed the legend and shocked everyone doing it in the first round. Franklin did something that not even Tito Ortiz, Dan Severn, Don Frye, Oleg Taktarov, or countless others have tried to do. Finish Shamrock in the first round.

Franklin improved his record to 17-1, and in doing so now has a big decision to make. Go back to 185 and fight for a title, or stay at 205. It sounds like a no brainer to go to 185, but the range part about moving down in weight is the fact that he may be more impressive at 205.

He has looked great against Marvin Eastman, Evan Tanner, and Ken Shamrock at 205. Not to say he didn't look great against Jorge Rivera at UFC 50 at 185, but he wasn't quite as impressive at that weight.

Current UFC Champion, Evan Tanner made no bones about it telling the Underground Forum, "Bring it on Rich: All the respect. I was impressed. I did pick you to win. I've been waiting for this opportunity for a long time. Let's do it again."

Franklin told MMAWeekly's Ken Pishna on MMAWeekly TV what he wants to do...(if you haven't seen it, it's up right now In the Cage.) Either way the possibilities are endless. Tito Ortiz vs. Franklin would make an interesting fight, as would be a rematch between Evan Tanner and Rich Franklin.

For now, the man who has a masters degree, just mastered a legend and can sit back and let the dust settle. This is what we do know. Rich Franklin is the real deal and whether he fights again at 205 or 185, the fight world has taken notice.

Source: MMA Weekly

 4/11/05

Quote of the Day

"Don't fear failure so much that you refuse to try new things. The saddest summary of a life contains three descriptions: could have, might have and should have."

Louis Boone, American Author

Posted on: Sunday, April 10, 2005
Vitale takes world title
By Dayton Morinaga
Advertiser Staff Writer

This was of course not in the Advertiser, but what a better picture...A new world champ and a bunch of beautiful ladies.

Hawai'i has a new superstar in mixed martial arts and a new Super Brawl world champion.

Waipahu's Falaniko Vitale earned those titles with a spectacular first-round knockout of Japan's Masanori Suda in the main event of Super Brawl 39 last night.

A crowd of around 6,000 at the Blaisdell Center Arena erupted into a deafening standing ovation after the bout was stopped, and about 50 friends and family members of Vitale stormed the ring to raise him triumphantly on their shoulders.

"It's the best feeling in the world," said Vitale, 30. "I know a lot of people thought I couldn't win this fight, but I never stopped working. I think I proved a lot tonight."

Vitale improved to 20-3 and won the Super Brawl world championship at 185 pounds. Suda, who defeated Hawai'i's Egan Inoue for the title in 2003, dropped to 21-9-3 with his first loss since 2001.

Vitale won the fight with a flying right hand hook that landed square on the side of Suda's head. Suda dropped to canvas and the referee stepped in to signal the knockout, 4 minutes, 9 seconds into the first round. The bout was scheduled for three five-minute rounds.

"I faked my kick and while I was flying in the air, I threw the punch," Vitale said. "As soon as I saw him go down, I saw his eyes roll back and I knew it was over."

Both fighters struggled to gain control early in the round.

"I faked my kick and while I was flying in the air, I threw the punch," Falaniko Vitale, right, said of his bout-winning move against Masanori Suda.

"I could tell he was trying to take me to the ground and I didn't let him do it," Vitale said.

Officials from some of Japan's top mixed martial arts organizations were in attendance to watch the bout, and Vitale is now in contention for a lucrative contract to fight in Japan.

"Most important, Niko brought the Super Brawl championship back to Hawai'i, and you can see how much that meant to the fans here," said Super Brawl director T. Jay Thompson. "And as far as his career goes, the sky's the limit now."

Other bouts

135lbs Kickboxing:
Tyson Nam (Lee's Shaolin Boxing, Honolulu) def. Jumar Dumalao (808 Fight Factory, Waipahu)
TKO via referee stoppage due to leg kicks at 19 seconds in Round 2.

205lbs MMA:
Reese Andy (AMC, Seattle, WA) def. Kala Kolohe Hose (Bad Intentions, Waianae)
Unanimous decision [(30-27), (30-27), (30-27)] after3 Rounds.

135lbs MMA:
Albert Manners (Puna Boyz, Puna) def. Ryan Lee (Bull's Pen, Honolulu)
Unanimous decision [(29-28), (29-28), (29-28)] after 3 Rounds.

170lbs MMA:
K.J. Noons (City Boxing, San Diego, CA) def. Malik Williams (Puna Boyz, Puna)
TKO via referee stoppage due to strikes at 2:43 minutes in Round 1.

135lbs MMA:
Mark Oshiro (Bull's Pen, Honolulu) def. Harvey Nakamura (Grappling Unlimited, Honolulu)
Unanimous decision [(30-26), (30-27), (30-26)] after 3 rounds

175lbs Kickboxing:
Bryson Kamaka (808 Fight Factory, Waipahu) def. Allan Ulip (Animal House, Ewa Beach)
Unanimous decision [(30-28), (30-27), (30-27)] after 3 rounds.

170lbs MMA:
Mark Moreno (Bull's Pen, Honolulu) def. Kevin Barber (Team Canon, Anchorage, AK)
KO at 4:03 minutes in Round 1.

Keiki Exhibition MMA:
Triston Prebia (808 Fight Factory, Waipahu) vs. Kai "Boy" Kamaka III (808 Fight Factory, Waipahu)

Super Brawl Hawaii State Flyweight (145lbs) Championships
Jim Kikuchi (808 Fight Factory, Waipahu) def. Justin Mercado (Grappling Unlimited, Honolulu)
Majority decision [(29-29), (30-27), (30-27)] after 3 rounds.
*Jim Kikuchi becomes the Super Brawl Hawaii State Flyweight Championships

Super Brawl North American Lightweight (155lbs) Championships
Kultar Gill (Gibson Pankration, Canada) def. Harris Sarmiento (808 Fight Factory, Waipahu)
Submission via rear naked choke at 2:45 minutes in Round 3.
*Kultar Gill becomes the Super Brawl North American Lightweight Championship.

Super Brawl World Middleweight (185lbs) Championships
Falaniko Vitale (808 Fight Factory, Waipahu) def. Masanori Suda (Club J, Japan)
KO via "Running Man" punch at 4:09 minutes in Round 1.
*Niko Vitale becomes new Super Brawl World Middleweight Champion.

***For Immediate Release***
For More Information and Fighter Interviews, Contact Mike Afromowitz,
(917) 566-8754 or mike@k-1usa.net.
Roufus To Battle Musashi In Las Vegas K-1 Superfight

Six-time world kickboxing champion, Rick "The Jet" Roufus (61-7 (40
KO's), will square off with four-time K-1 Japan Grand Prix tournament
victor, Musashi (37-20-5 (11 KO's), in a three-round Battle at
Bellagio IV, K-1 "World Grand Prix 2005 in Las Vegas" Pay-Per-View
televised Superfight at Bellagio on Saturday, April 30th.

"I've reinvented myself and I'm a hungrier and younger Rick Roufus,"
said the 6 foot, 212 pound gladiator, who is also a former K-1 USA
tournament champion and former World Boxing Council (WBC) Continental
Americas Cruiserweight champion. "This is a big, big stepping stone
for me and a big opportunity to get back into the thick of things."

At 37 years of age, Roufus is recognized as one of martial arts
fighting's all-time greats. After retiring from tournament fighting
in 2003 due to recurring knee problems, he returned to Las Vegas last
August for a "Battle at Bellagio III" Superfight contest with sumo
wrestling legend turned K-1 competitor, Chad "Akebono" Rowand.
Handicapped by nearly 300 pounds, Roufus was put on the run by the 6
foot 8 inch, 485 pound mammoth and forced to choose his shots wisely
in an effort not to be hit by his dangerously powerful opponent.
Roufus's strategy paid off as he continued to bombard Akebono with
kicks and punches before earning a unanimous judges decision at the
close of three rounds. "I hired a guy for a lot of resistance and
strength training and I've been training for quite some time with him
to build up the knee. I've had no problems with the knee so I'm
gonna come in even better shape now."

Last year, Roufus relocated from his hometown, Milwaukee, Wisconsin,
to Tempe, Arizona where, shortly after, he opened the doors to The
Roufus Kickboxing Center. Still committed to remaining on top in the
world of single fight competition, the all-American fan favorite has
since adjusted to his dual role of trainer and athlete while also
enjoying his life as a husband and father of two. "I love it. It's
a lot of work, but it all pays off," he said.

April 30th will mark Musashi's second-career start in Las Vegas. Two
years ago, American fans got their first opportunity to witness the 6
foot 1 inch, 220-pounder in action up close. A one of a kind matchup
at Las Vegas, Nevada's Mirage Hotel and Casino saw him take on his
former Seidokaikan Karate mentor, Nobuaki Kakuda, in what was
originally billed as the latter's retirement fight. Musashi was
passed the torch of leadership from the elder statesman that night as
he floored Kakuda a total of four times over the course of three
rounds and notched a unanimous judges' decision win.

Despite the historical significance of his win in Sin City, Musashi's
highest profile victory ironically came against a fighter whose
background is foreign to the fighting arts that embrace both kicking
and punching. On June 6th of last year, he squared off with former
world heavyweight boxing champion, "Merciless" Ray Mercer, during the
main event of a K-1 World Grand Prix card in Nagoya, Japan. Both
before and after he downed the American boxer with a roundhouse kick
to the side of Mercer's head in the midst of the bout's first round,
Musashi continuously pelted his opponent with leg kicks. Unfamiliar
with the timing and technique necessary to defend against this type
of attack, Mercer, who was also not permitted to throw kicks due to
the fact that he wore boxing shoes into the ring, absorbed the
punishment before Musashi was awarded the fight by all three judges
at ringside.

Born Akio Mori 30 years ago, the Japanese fighter was later renamed
after martial arts officials saw what they felt was a sharp
resemblance between the rapid speed of his kicks and the remarkable
sword speed of legendary Japanese samurai, Musashi Miyamoto. Musashi
has since become the only competitor in history to have won four K-1
Grand Prix Japan tournament championships.

In addition to the bout that will take place between Roufus and
Musashi on April 30th, a three-round Superfight between reigning K-1
World Grand Prix champion, Remy Bonjasky (49-10 (30 KO's), and
"Battle at Bellagio III" tournament winner, "Mighty Mo" Siligia (25-3
(20 KO's), will grace the card. Three-time K-1 tournament victor
Michael McDonald (49-12 (23 KO's) and 2003 K-1 USA champion Carter
Williams (17-6-1 (12 KO's) will return to action during the event's
eight-man, single-elimination tournament.

The live Pay Per View television broadcast of Battle at Bellagio IV,
the K-1 "World Grand Prix 2005 in Las Vegas" will begin at 10 PM
Eastern Standard Time (7 PM Pacific Standard Time) and will be
available on iNDemand, DirecTV, and TVN.

Tickets for the April 30th K-1 event are on sale and are priced at
$50, $100, $200 and $300, respectively. They may be purchased at the
Bellagio's box office or by calling 1-800-963-9634.

K-1 is a martial arts fighting sport that derives its name from its
inclusion of a wide array of combat disciplines, including Karate,
Kung-Fu, and Kickboxing ("K"), and its intent to determine one
champion in one ring ("1"). After being staged for the first time in
Japan in 1993 under the direction of founder Master Kazuyoshi Ishii,
it later evolved into the country's most popular sport and achieved
popular culture status there as its athletes turned into
larger-than-life celebrities.

Source: Mike Afromowitz

Next Weekend!
WARRIORS QUEST
"RESURRECTION"

McKinnely High School Gym, Honolulu, Hawaii
Saturday, April 16, 2005

One of Hawaii's Premiere Mixed Martial Arts event is BACK, mark your calender as history will once again take place. Hawaii's Baddest MMA and Kickboxing fighters will meet to square off in one RING. WARRIORS QUEST has a reputation on bring exciting fights and we promise to keep you entertained!!

Don't miss April 16, 2005 "RESURRECTION"

Source: Event Promoter

Kickin It is Back On April 15th!

WHAT-KICKIN IT 2005 PART II (AMATEUR KICKBOXING)
WHEN-APRIL 15, 2005 (FRIDAY) DOORS OPEN AT 6:30 P.M.
WHERE-KAPOLEI HIGH SCHOOL GYMNASIUM

KONA MEYERS 50# TBA
HSD ADVANCED KENPO

GORDON BERRY 165-170# NICK TIQUI
HAWAII TRAINING CENTER ANIMAL HOUSE

DAHWEN BRIGHT 58-72# KYLIE ROMERO
HSD HMC

ALAKAI AKAKA 115-120# JORDAN ARILIANO
ADVANCED KENPO HMC

JAYLIN MEYERS 90-95# COBY LUM
HSD OAHU KENPO

JUSTIN DANO 155-160# VINNIE DELASANTOS
HSD TEAM SOLJAHS

DALE KAMAI 170-175 BRYAN INGRAM
TEAM SOLJAHS HAWAII TRAINING CENTER

MIKE UBILIS 125# KOICHI TANJI
WAIANAE KICKBOXING HMC

KAIKA CHOYFOO 165# BENJI ENDLESS RODRIGUES
JESUS IS LORD HSD

AIKA SAMSON 135-140# NUI WHEELER
ANIMAL HOUSE TEAM SOLJAHS

KYLIE DELACRUZ 100-110# SAGE YOSHIDA
HSD HMC

ROBBIE OSTOVICH 80-85# BRANDON IMADA
JESUS IS LORD ADVANCED KENPO

RED DAVIS 135# IKAIKA BULLOCK
ANIMAL HOUSE HSD

LENA DELACRUZ 110-115# LANDON LUM
HSD OAHU KENPO

ALL MATCHES MAY BE SUBJECT TO CHANGE

Source: Event Promoter

Shaolin fights at Rumble on the Rock

It also has been rumored that David "Tank" Abbott will be facing Hawaii's own Cabbage!

Vítor Shaolin gets ready to fight in Hawaii. On May 7, Nova União black belt faces Hawaiian Harris Sarmiento, who has fought 23 times. He's won 15 and lost 9. "He is such a tough guy and a little taller than me. It's going to be a great fight," Shaolin said. He will have his teammate Renato Charuto fighting by his side. Charuto gets on Dennis Halman.

In July, Shaolin fights at Japanese Shooto watching for his lost belt. "I am the first of the ranking and in July I will fight., but I don't know who! If things work fine, I will be fighting for the belt in the end of the year," he said. With full agenda in Vale-Tudo, Shaolin will not fight at ADCC. "I will only fight Vale-Tudo. In 2003 I ended defeated in ADCC because I applied to fight right after a Vale-Tudo. I've learned my lesson!," he stated.

Source: Tatame


Counter courtesy of www.digits.com