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(All events on Oahu, unless noted)

2006

Grappler's Quest Hawaii
(Submission Grappling)
(TBA)

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)

10/15/05
Gracie Nationals

(BJJ/Grappling)
(Columbus, Ohio)


10/7/05
UFC 55: Fury
(PPV)

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


9/24/05
NAGA 2005 Hawaiian State Championships
(Submission Grappling & BJJ)
(CANCELLED, POSSIBLY TO BE HELD IN FEBRUARY)

2005 American National Jiu-Jitsu Championship
(BJJ)
(Torrance, CA)

9/17/05
So You Think You Tough
(MMA)
(Kona Gym, Kona)

9/16/05
So You Think You Tough
(USA Boxing)
(Kona Gym, Kona)

9/13/05
Rumble On The Rock 8
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena)

Tuesday Night Fights
(Kickboxing)
(Central Pacific Athletics, Hilo)

9/10/05
Full Contact Showdown
Super Brawl Qualifer
(MMA)
(Kahuna Bar & Grill, Kaneohe Marine Corps Base)

9/6/05
"Night of the Hawaiian Punch!"
(Pro Boxing)
(Neal Blaisdell Arena)

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

 News & Rumors
Archives

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August 2005 Part 3
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December 2001 Part 2
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Year 2000
Nov-Dec 2000
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July 2000
March-May 2000

August 2005 News Part 3
 

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


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


Tuesdays at 9:30PM on Olelo Channel 52


 8/31/05

Quote of the Day

"You have to learn how to turn the tables on the ego. The only way to forgive what is within is to forgive what seems to be without."

From Gary Renard's book The Disappearance of the Universe

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Patrick Freitas
Super Brawl / Icon Sport
(808) 375-1645
superbrawl21@yahoo.com

Falaniko Vitale vs. Jason “Mayhem” Miller…Its On!

Labor Day Press Conference Announced.

Honolulu, HI August 30, 2005 – The most anticipated match-up in Icon Sport (formerly Super Brawl) history is official. Falaniko Vitale and Jason “Mayhem” Miller will meet in the middleweight (185-lb) main event of Icon Sport: Opposites Attract on Friday, October 28th at the Blaisdell Arena in Honolulu. Although the victor will earn the opportunity to challenge current Middleweight champion Robbie Lawler for the belt, neither Vitale nor Miller are looking past their October match-up.

Both fighters are wary of the other’s talents and abilities. Miller will look to nullify Vitale’s amazing athleticism and devastating power; Vitale will be forced to guard against Miller’s skillful submissions, cunning offensive tactics, and intimidating head-games.

Icon Sport President T. Jay Thompson commented on the main event of Opposites Attract:

“It’s a fascinating match-up because Niko and Mayhem (Miller) represent two contrasting ends of the spectrum…they are elite fighters with polar opposite fighting styles, personalities, and outlooks. Fans are guaranteed an unpredictable, exciting, edge-of-your seat fight.”

Jason “Mayhem” Miller burst onto the local mixed martial arts scene at the June 2003 Super Brawl event, Collision Course. Since then, he’s tallied six consecutive victories in Hawaii, including impressive wins over talented local fighters Shawn Taylor, Egan Inoue, Ronald Jhun, and, most recently, Mark Moreno. Perhaps no other “away” athlete has mesmerized, impressed, and entertained local fans while beating the “home team” as Jason “Mayhem” Miller.

Falaniko Vitale will train for his match-up with Miller at the AMC Martial Arts Center in Kirkland, Washington. Vitale will be trained by the center’s legendary owner / president, Matt Hume. Known as "The Wizard" by fans and peers, Hume is widely considered to be one of the most talented and versatile mixed martial arts instructors in the world. He is also a successful promoter, sanctioning body president and founder, major event referee, major event judge, pay per view television commentator, M.M.A. journalist, and M.M.A. reporter. Hume, who invited Vitale to his training center after witnessing his loss to Robbie Lawler in Super Brawl: Icon, said of Vitale:

“I see an unpolished gem in Falaniko. He has as much potential and raw talent as I’ve ever seen. My job is to train him physically, technically, and tactically…but more, to make him believe in himself.”

Vitale’s two-month training under Hume begins Tuesday, September 6. Removed from family, friends, and his 808 Fight Factory, Vitale will live in a simple studio apartment next door to the AMC Martial Arts Center. Vitale will return to Hawaii on October 24, 2005.

FALANIKO VITALE – JASON “MAYHEM” MILLER

MAIN EVENT PRESS CONFERENCE:

2 p.m., Monday (Labor Day), September 5, 2005

Eastside Grill (Pucks Alley @ University Avenue)

THIS EVENT IS OPEN TO ALL MEDIA AND GENERAL PUBLIC

Source: Icon Sports

Master: Gurgel wins weight & absolute

Founder of Alliance Team, BJJ black belt Fábio Gurgel has conquered the weight and the open class gold medals at International of master and senior 2005. The event was held at BJJ temple in Rio de Janeiro Tijuca Tênis Clube on August 27 and 28. At the age of 35, Gurgel submitted all his three opponents at heavyweight division until getting the medal. Over the open class division, he had more troubles, defeating Rômulo Reis (Rillion Gracie) by a take down, then José Eduardo (Gracie Barra) by referee's decision. After defeating Daniel Freitas (Macaco Gold Team) and Eduardo Marinho (Clan JJ) over the semifinals, Gurgel defeated Paulo Streckert (Orlando Saraiva) by advantages and got the gold medal. "That was my last title as Master. Next year I'll fight as Senior," he promises.

COMPLETE RESULTS:

International of Master and Senior 2005

Saturday and Sunday, August 27 and 28, 2005

Tijuca Tênis Clube, Rio de Janeiro

Master Black Belt

Pluma: Rodrigo Pagani (Gracie Humaitá)

Pena: Omar Salum (G. Humaita)

Leve: Daelcy Carvalho (Barbosa JJ)

Médio: José Eduardo (Gracie Barra)

Pesado: Fábio Gurgel (Alliance)

Meio-pesado: Jorge Patino Macaco (Macaco Gold Team)

Super-pesado: Flavio Riscado (Alliance)

Pesadíssimo: Antônio Damasceno (Rocian Gracie)

Absoluto: Fábio Gurgel (Alliance)

Source: Tatame

YOSHIDA AND NAKAMURA TO BE ON 'BDSSP'


Hidehiko Yoshida

The Japanese media reports that Hidehiko Yoshida and Kazuhiro Nakamura are scheduled to appear on an upcoming episode of the 'Best Damn Sports Show Period' on FSN.

Source: Fight Sport

POSTAL CONNECTIONS: HUNT VS. KHARITONOV

Hello my friends, my postal connections in the DSE/PRIDE organization are telling me that the matchup of Mark Hunt vs. Sergei Kharitonov will most likely take place on the PRIDE GP card in October.

The winner will most likely be next in line to challenge Fedor Emelianenko for his heavyweight belt.

Source: Fight Sport

 8/30/05

Quote of the Day

"Think of yourself as on the threshold of unparalleled success. A whole clear, glorious life lies before you. Achieve! Achieve!"

Andrew Carnegie, 1835-1919, American Industrialist, Philanthropist

Fighters' Club TV Episode 32 TONIGHT!

This episode will run on
Aug. 9 and 16 (Tuesday nights) at 9:30PM on Channel 52.

Episode 32 features:

- Highlights from Shooto Hawaii

- Casey Daniels (MMAD) vs. Thiago Gonsalves (ATT)

- Ryan Fukuda (Academia Casca Grossa de Jiu-Jitsu/808 Fight Factory) vs. Edmund Li (HMC)

- Jim Kikuchi vs. Ryan Kronewitter (+interview with Jim)

- Ray “Braddah” Cooper vs. Hermes Franca (+interview with both fighters)

Tech of the Week
- Fernando “Margarida” Pontes

Proving Grounds
- The return of Marcelo Tigre vs. Joe Demeritt (+ interview with Marcelo)

- Interview with Sydney Silva on his encounter with a burglar—one of those great “Jiujitsu in Action” stories, so don’t miss it!

plus, your two favorite FCTV hosts, Mike “the Icon” Onzuka and Mark “Special K” Kurano

Don’t forget to check out our website by clicking on our banner—cool factoids.

Questions, Comments? Email us: fightersclubtv808@hotmail.com

TUF 2 WEEK 2: THE TEAMS ARE PICKED


Melvin Guillard, the first welterweight eliminated in a fight.

Of course, the show kicked off with a recap of last week. Then, as Dana White explained, with two heavyweights having left on Week 1 (Kerry Schall due to injury and Eli Joslin quitting), a replacement needed to be selected to even out the team numbers. They chose Dan Christianson, a 277-pound behemoth from New Mexico.

Christianson arrived on Day 6, the last day that the fighters would have to work out and impress before the coaches select their respective teams. During the workouts, welterweight fighter Jorge Gurgel went down with an injury. Jorge revealed that he had actually suffered a severe injury just four weeks prior to the start of the show. He said that he has no ACL in his left knee and his patella keeps slipping out of place, especially when kickboxing.

Jorge went to have his knee looked at by the doctor, who drained the fluid that had built up around his knee and advised him that he was risking serious injury if he continued on the show. Jorge responded by saying, “I don’t care if I have to have a knee replacement later. I’m not getting out of that house until somebody beats me in a fight,” which had to be music to Dana’s ears after the first episode.

At this point of the show, everyone was complaining about how Melvin Guillard was getting on everyone’s nerves. Apparently, Melvin’s favorite topic of discussion was Melvin and everyone was getting sick of it.

This led us up to Day 7 and the selection of the teams. Rich Franklin, coach of the green team, won the coin toss and chose first, alternating selections with blue team coach Matt Hughes. After the selection process, the teams filled out as follows (in order of selection):

Rich’s Green Team – Keith Jardine (heavyweight), Jorge Gurgel (welterweight), Seth Petruzelli (heavyweight), Marcus Davis (welterweight), Rashad Evans (heavyweight), Anthony Torres (welterweight), Melvin Guillard (welterweight), and Brad Imes (heavyweight).

Matt’s Blue Team – Joe Stevenson (welterweight), Mike Whitehead (heavyweight), Josh Burkman (welterweight), Dan Christianson (heavyweight), Sammy Morgan (welterweight), Tom Murphy (heavyweight), Rob McDonald (heavyweight), and Luke Cummo (welterweight).

On Day 8, the fighters are treated to the first challenge. Ahem… excuse me… that would be the first Right Guard Extreme Challenge and we are treated to some of the new advertising tie-ins and product placements this season.

Randy Couture arrives in his hummer to introduce the “Capture the Dummy” challenge. The welterweight teams were each lined up in their own respective end zones on a field marked out for the challenge. They were then required to either bear crawl or move on their knees to the center of the field to capture a dummy and drag it back to their own end zone.

The fighters met in the middle and attempted to hold each other back from the dummy. In the end, it was Luke Cummo (of the blue team) that held one fighter in his guard and grabbed another with his hands that allowed the Hughes team to drag the dummy back to their end zone and win the challenge.

With the win, the blue team was allowed to select a welterweight from each team to fight and earn their spot on the show. After some deliberation, Dana white called all of the fighters together and announced that the blue team chose Josh Burkman to face Melvin Guillard of the green team.

After giving a speech that included him saying, “I’m not in there to give hugs and kisses. I’m in there to knock ’em out,” Melvin made a surprising move. He went in to Dana’s office to announce that, “this ain’t for me man, I just wanna go home.” At which point, you could have knocked Dana over with a feather as his jaw dropped to the floor.

Not wanting to feel the wrath of the Pres, Melvin quickly gave up the goods and told Dana that he was just kidding, as his coach, Rich Franklin, entered the office about to keel over with laughter.

Both fighters made weight without much fan fare, leading up to the first elimination fight of the season.

With Herb Dean as referee, Josh and Melvin squared off in the Octagon, each looking to send the other packing. [Enter another big sponsor of this season as the U.S. Army presented the Tale of the Tape.] Another change this season is that all of the elimination fights consist of three 5-minute rounds.

In the first round, Josh was able to consistently move in and take Melvin down, but it was Melvin that had Josh in serious trouble not once, but twice, each time with a deep guillotine choke. Josh escaped the first choke, but the second appeared as if it might be in deep enough to finish the fight. Josh relaxed and held on as time ran out in the round.

Starting off round two with a little standup, Josh eventually was able to take Melvin down again. Most of the round was spent on the ground with Josh controlling the positioning and working a plodding ground and pound strategy.

The final round was similar to the second, albeit with a bit more standup action to start off the round, which Melvin appeared to get the better of. But again, Josh continued with the takedowns and maintained control for most of the ground action, working strikes to the body and head, but also looking for the rear naked choke.

It was a solid fight to start off the season. Both fighters were trying hard with several attempts to finish. In the end, Josh won a unanimous decision, while Melvin had to say goodbye.

Melvin apparently broke his hand in the second round, but did not use it as an excuse. In fact, he didn’t even mention it to his corner. He left the show in style, humbly stating, “All my life I wanted to fight in the UFC and when I got my chance, I just froze.” He gave it a good go though and was right on when he said, “I didn’t quit. I left with my head held high.”

Coming Up On Week 3:
After winning his fight with Melvin, Josh shows up at the house with his arm in a sling and a surprise announcement. Then, it’s the heavyweights’ turn as they face a challenge in the pool and the first heavyweight elimination bout.

Source: MMA Weekly

NOT SO TUF? WHY DID ELI JOSLIN BAIL?

Season 2 TUF competitor, Eli Joslin, shocked millions of viewers Monday night when he walked away from the opportunity of a lifetime; the chance to compete for a six-figure contract with the UFC and perform in the octagon, the premiere proving ground for MMA fighters on the planet!

Eli Joslin is the 26 year-old American Bulldog breeder out of Yosemite, CA with a professional MMA record of 1-0. Joslin competed in the Gladiator Challenge in March 2005, defeating Anthony Vera via TKO 10 seconds into the first round.

Joslin, an avid Oakland Raiders fan and former linebacker at Mariposa High School is a self-professed modern day gladiator who claims he has been fighting his entire life. Joslin’s confidence in front of the Spike TV cameras during the opening minutes of The Ultimate Fighter (episode one) which aired Monday night, bordered on pure arrogance at times. He told fellow competitor, Marcus Davis, that he was going to be “slinging ‘em and he could take a punch, too” and “if they could weather his storm, more power to ‘em!”

Joslin even shared a little story with the Spike TV cameras regarding his first time in the ring! He said, “I looked over at the guy across the ring like his f**kin’ head was a piñata and I went over there and started smashing his head until the candy came out!”

Wow! Could Joslin be the Tank Abbott of 2005? Did the UFC finally have another bad-ass heavyweight in their grips who liked to “sling dogs” and punish his opponents? I was hopeful, but it turns out Joslin was… well… hopeless!

After just one day of training, Joslin called Dana, Matt and Rich to the fighters’ house for a closed door meeting… and quit! His reason? He “couldn’t take all the cameras in his face; they were freaking him out!” Seems the experience was, “too much like being in jail” and he was too anxiety stricken to continue. He wanted to be clear with Dana and the coaches, however, that he wasn’t quitting because he couldn’t cut it… and he didn’t want them to think he was a being “a bitch!”

All three of them tried to talk Eli into staying for at least a few days and assured him the anxiety over the cameras would lessen. He obviously had his mind made up because later that night, Eli called his housemates together, said his goodbyes, and left. They were visibly pissed off because Joslin had basically been a waste of time and a waste of space. He took a spot on the show that could have gone to someone else more worthy of the opportunity, and he gave up after just one day.

When Joslin started his “don’t think I’m a bitch” speech with Dana and the coaches, I was hoping Dana would fire back with something like, “Not another f**kin’ bi-polar fighter!” Now, I bet Dana’s pimp hand is strong, so he could have followed up that line with a swift smack that would have just slapped the taste out of Eli’s mouth for wasting his time, as well as his dime! Too bad “you can’t always get what you want!”

 

Viewer’s blanketed cyberspace with comments about episode one and I ran across some pretty interesting and colorful opinions about Mr. Joslin! Seems no one was buying the explanation that a trash talker like Eli could develop a love/hate relationship with the cameras that quickly! There had to be more to his story than he and Spike TV were willing to share. Somebody had to know something!

Last night, I found a thread on the TUF forum that had been created by one of the season 2 fighters, addressing some of the “behind the scenes” things viewers missed. One of the things Spike TV didn’t air was the real reason Eli Joslin bailed! Seems Mr. “Modern Day Gladiator” didn’t quit because he couldn’t take all the cams… he bolted ‘cause he couldn’t take all the slams!

According to fellow heavyweight, Seth Petruzelli, this is what went down:

“Well the real reason Eli quit was because the 1st day of training… the hell day, we (me and him) were paired up for live takedowns and submissions. Let’s just say I never had so many slams and subs in 1- 30min session! Then later that day… cause it was 2 a day (workouts), he was paired up with Keith Jardine… Keith did the same thing to him. Eli then told us “wow, you guys were throwin’ me around like a rag doll,” then started coughing and acting like he was getting sick or something. The next thing we knew, he was leaving ‘cause of the “cameras!” lol

A TUF forum member posted a comment about 15 minutes later stating, “I knew it wasn’t the cameras. I knew he thought he was gonna get stomped. He could at least lose and not go out like a bitch, though, or get cut or w/e, go out like a man. Stupid Eli stole a place of a real fighter.”

Seth followed up to this post with:

“Yea, we all hated him after he left cause everyone knew what Keith and I did to him… he should of stayed and got beaten like a fighter.”

Well, there you have it, folks! Eli didn’t bail because of the cams… it was because of the slams! Thanks to Mr. Petruzelli, the mystery is solved!

Fans of TUF and the UFC can check out theultimatefighter.tv and pay a visit to your favorite fighters “forum fan club!” Quite a few of the season 1 and 2 cast members are on the threads everyday and appreciate hearing what the viewers have to say. Dana and the coaches have fan clubs, too! See you there!

Source: MMA Weekly

VINCE MCMAHON INFURIATED BY UFC COMMERICAL

WWE Chairman Vince McMahon was furious when he saw the UFC commercial during his own TV show, WWE Raw, saying that pro wrestling is not "real," according to a report in the Wrestling Observer. The commercial, which is still running on Spike TV programs other than WWE Raw, features an announcer saying, "What's real? Pro wrestling? No! Boxing? Not anymore! The UFC is real!" I'd love for the UFC to explain specifically how boxing "is not real anymore," but as you might have guessed, that wasn't the part of the interview that sent Vince McMahon over the edge.

With WWE set to leave Spike TV at the end of September, and with Spike TV now relying on the UFC as its number one provider of original programming, the Observer reports that the relationship between WWE and Spike TV has "turned very cold."

The Observer adds, "Among the specifics was Vince McMahon apparently going nuts about the UFC commercial that implies pro wrestling is not real, that was being played so often on WWE programming. Spike TV made a new version of the commercial that only implies boxing isn't real anymore, and makes no mention of pro wrestling. This is hilarious because WWE has spent the last several years insisting that pro wrestling isn't real, and now they get all worked up when someone else says it. The UFC and Spike are still airing the commercial saying that pro wrestling isn't real on all shows other than WWE, but they cut a new version of the commercial just for WWE programming."

As the Observer report alluded to, the irony in Vince McMahon's rage about the UFC commercial is that when WWE was recently faced with perhaps its biggest media scandal ever due to its extremely tasteless terrorism storyline (which aired on the same day as the real-life London terrorist bombings), the company's defense consisted largely of, "Pro wrestling isn't real! It's just entertainment!" In general, whenever the media or a Wall Street analyst questions something that WWE does, the response is always that it's not real and it's just entertainment.

Source: MMA Weekly

 8/29/05

Quote of the Day

"The optimist thinks this is the best of all possible worlds. The pessimist fears it is true."

J. Robert Oppenheimer, 1904-1967, American Physicist

Pride Replays on PPV

PRIDE Fighting Championship: Final Conflict 2005
Format Below is Date, Time, Channel (on Oceanic Digital)

8/29/2005 2:00PM 701 IN1
8/30/2005 1:00AM 702 IN2
8/30/2005 4:00AM 702 IN2
8/30/2005 7:00AM 702 IN2
8/30/2005 10:00AM 702 IN2
8/30/2005 1:00PM 702 IN2
8/30/2005 4:00PM 702 IN2
8/30/2005 7:00PM 702 IN2
8/30/2005 10:00PM 702 IN2
8/31/2005 11:00AM 701 IN1
9/1/2005 3:00AM 702 IN2
9/1/2005 6:00AM 702 IN2
9/1/2005 9:00AM 702 IN2
9/1/2005 12:00PM 702 IN2
9/1/2005 3:00PM 702 IN2
9/1/2005 6:00PM 702 IN2
9/1/2005 9:00PM 702 IN2
9/2/2005 12:00PM 701 IN1
9/3/2005 1:00AM 701 IN1
9/3/2005 2:00PM 701 IN1
9/4/2005 9:30AM 701 IN1

Fedor Beats Mirko, Shogun Wins It All!

PRIDE: 'Final Conflict 2005'
August 28th, 2005
Saitama Super Arena
Saitama, Japan

Single matchups:
Fedor Emelianenko defeats Mirko 'Cro Cop' Filipovic by unanimous decision.
Hidehiko Yoshida defeats 'Tank' Abbott by choke at 7:40, RD 1.
Fabricio Werdum defeats Roman Zentsov by triangle choke at 6:01, RD 1.
Kazuhiro Nakamura defeats Igor Vovchanchyn by unanimous decision.

PRIDE GP semifinals:
Ricardo Arona defeats Vanderlei Silva by unanimous decision.
Mauricio 'Shogun' Rua defeats Alistair Overeem by TKO at 6:42, RD 1.

PRIDE GP final:
Mauricio 'Shogun' Rua defeats Ricardo Arona by KO at 2:54, RD 1.

Source: Fight Sport

BJJ: Fábio Gurgel fights at Master

Despite the fact he didn't fight last year at International of Master and Senior due to a contusion, Alliance's leader Fábio Gurgel says he will be seen on the mats of Tijuca Tênis Clube, this weekend. 'Last year I got my ribs injured and ended out of the competition. But at this year I will be fighting the heavyweight division and also the open class. The idea is taking both medals to São Paulo with me,' says the 34 years old fighter.

According to the event's organization, Master division starts on Sunday, at 12pm. Besides Gurgel, other great BJJ fighters will be on the mats as: Aparecido Bill, Marcos Norat, Omar Salum, Eduardo Galvão, Jorge Patino, Muzio de Angelis and others. Senior division starts at 2pm with Wellington Dias (Megaton), Juquinha, Alexandre Paiva, Fernando Gurgel, Lioyd Irvin, Laerte Barcelos and many others. Keep tuned at TATAME.com to all information of International of Master and Senior 2005.

Source: Tatame

Matt Lindland Fired from the UFC???
By Jeremy Wall

MaXfighting has confirmed reports made elsewhere that top middleweight contender Matt Lindland will likely soon be fired by Zuffa.

Lindland's termination is due to controversy over his sponsorship. The issue is that Lindland is sponsored by Sportsbook.com, a popular offshore gaming company. There is fear in Zuffa that the Fertittas, who of course have a gaming license in Nevada for Station Casinos, could get in trouble with the state for featuring an offshore gambling company on their pay per view broadcast. Another issue is that it is common knowledge for UFC fighters not to accept sponsorships from offshore gaming companies, and other fighters may have been upset over Lindland being sponsored by Sportsbook.com when they have turned down lucrative sponsorship deals from offshore gaming companies because of the sponsorship rules imposed by Zuffa.

It's also said that Lindland has been warned about this before, and that imposing a fine on Lindland for this would be pointless because Sportsbook.com could easily pay that fine for Lindland, and just allow him to continue to wear their shirts as they pay whatever fines Zuffa throws at Lindland. This leaves Zuffa with no recourse but to terminate Lindland's contract.

This throws the middleweight division for a loop because Lindland had clearly established himself as the top contender for Rich Franklin's middleweight championship after defeating Joe Doerksen at UFC 54 and being promised a title shot by Dana White from awhile back.

Without Lindland, UFC has no quality challenger for Rich Franklin's belt. Nathan Marquardt would be under consideration for the shot, despite the fact that his win over Ivan Salaverry was such a bad fight that it had Zuffa throwing fits, but Nathan is involved in a controversy of his own with the Nevada State Athletic Commission in regards to steroids use. That means Marquardt is probably out of the picture for the time being as well, until his issue is sorted out.

Beyond them, the top fighters at middleweight at this point would likely be David Loiseau and Nathan Quarry. Loiseau is booked to face Evan Tanner at UFC 55, and should he defeat Tanner, he may wind up as Franklin's first challenger. UFC does not want to rush Nate Quarry into a title situation so quickly because they feel he may not be ready, plus he is a teammember of Team Quest, the team ran by Lindland and Randy Couture... but they may be left with little option. This has developed into a very tedious situation for everyone involved.

Source: Maxfighting

Rorion Gracie: Brazil-California 05

Mr. Rorion Gracie, President of the Gracie Academy and chairman of the Gracie Museum in Los Angeles, will be the recipient of the Brazil-California Chamber of Commerce's 2005 Southern Cross Merit Award during its annual gala dinner to be held on Saturday, October 22nd, 2005 at the Westin Century Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles.

Mr. Gracie is being honored for bringing the Brazilian style of Jiu-Jitsu, an ancient form of martial arts, to the United States over 20 years ago. Today Brazilian, or Gracie Jiu-Jitsu, is known throughout the United States and Mr. Gracie is recognized as the driving force behind its popularity. Mr. Gracie and his team currently train several branches of the US government including the Navy Seals, the FBI, and the Los Angeles Police Department in this pioneering martial arts style. Mr. Gracie was also the creator of the successful Ultimate Fighting Championship and has been a martial arts trainer to several Hollywood celebrities.

Since 2003, Brazil-California Chamber of Commerce has had a tradition of honoring members of the community who have excelled in promoting Brazilian business, arts, sports and culture-within California and throughout the United States. Former recipients of the Southern Cross Merit Award include Mr. David Neeleman, President and CEO of JetBlue (2003) and Mr. Amauri Soares, CEO of TV Globo International (2004).

Brazil-California Chamber of Commerce was established in 1996 as a non-profit organization to promote business relations and commercial trade between Brazil and California, providing a forum for the promotion of cultural exchanges and social interaction between both countries. Membership is comprised of representatives of the Brazilian business community in California and various professionals, entrepreneurs, and large and small companies. The Chamber is a valuable source for Brazilian and American executives, businessmen and politicians in providing information about trade, commerce and investment leads between California, the United States, and Brazil.

Source: Tatame

 8/28/05

Quote of the Day

"Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in,
where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul."

John Muir, 1838-1914, Scottish-born Environmentalist and Naturalist

Marcello Garcia Seminar Today!


Just a reminder to everyone that BJJ and Abu Dhabi World Champion MARCELO GARCIA will be conducting a two-day seminar in two weeks. The seminar will be held at the Palolo Hongwanji at 1641 Palolo avenue, just up from Waialae Avenue in Kaimuki. The seminars will be held Saturday, August 27th from 3-6 pm, and Sunday, August 28th from 3-6 pm. The cost to attend both days is $165. You can split this with a friend if you want to attend one day, and your friend wants to attend the other day. Call JKD Unlimited today 864-1620 to reserve your spot, or to ask any questions. You can also purchase tickets at Fighter's Corner on King Street.

Saturday from 3-6 pm
Sunday from 3-6

Palolo Hongwanji.
1641 Palolo Avenue
Park on the right side of the temple, and go underneath to the hall.

Get there early.

For more details email Burton by clicking
here.

Source: Burton Richardson

PRIDE Fighting Championships Today!
Saitama Super Arena, Saitama, Japan
August 28, 2005

PPV Premiere Date: Sunday, August 28th, 2005
Premiere Time: 9:00 pm EST, 6:00 pm PST

Count Down show: 8:30 pm EST, 5:30 pm PST
Delivery: Satellite
PPV price: US$29.95
Availability: iNDEMAND, DIRECTV, DISH Network, and TVN

The MMA world awaits PRIDE FC's 'FINAL CONFLICT 2005' this weekend. The long awaited heavyweight showdown between Fedor Emelianenko and Mirko 'Cro Cop' Filipovic as well as a 4 man tournament featuring the top MMA lightweights in the world today. Above is North American PPV details, but we will carry results live on Sunday morning!

The complete card appears below.

FIGHTCARD (Subject To Change):
The Semi-Finals and Finals of the Middleweight Tournament:
Wanderlei Silva (Brazil) vs. Ricardo Arona (Brazil)
Mauricio 'Shogun' Rua (Brazil) vs. Alistair Overeem (Holland)
Winner Silva/Arona vs. Winner Rua/Overeem

Heavyweight Championship Match
Fedor Emelianenko (Russia) (Champion) vs. Mirko 'Cro Cop' Filipovic (Croatia) (Challenger)

Additional Matches:
David 'Tank' Abbott (USA) vs. Hidehiko Yoshida (Japan)
Igor Vovchanchyn (Ukraine) vs. Kazuhiro Nakamura (Japan)
Fabricio Werdum (Brazil/Spain) vs. Roman Zentsov (Russia)

Source: Fight Sport

FEDOR'S HAND STILL INJURED

Fedor Emelianenko spoke with the Japanese media today, and stated that his hand is still not fully recovered.

Fedor added that it is be hard for him to punch, but that he trained with Ernesto Hoost and is healthy enough to give the fans a good fight.

Source: Fight Sport

Nippon Joho: PRIDE Days Away,
Bushido Fighters Predict Winners

by Stephen Martinez

TOKYO — Probably the most anticipated tournament of this year started to become reality when all four fighters schedule to participate in the PRIDE Middleweight tournament finals arrived in Tokyo.

A little early, Alistair Overeem (Pictures) showed up at Narita Airport on Monday with the best wishes to engage this weekend with the Chute Boxe representatives. “I would like to face Silva in the finals because in this way I can beat both Chute Boxe fighters,” he told the Japanese press.

“I’m aiming to win both fights by knockout in the first round and later challenge the UFC light heavyweight champion Chuck Liddell (Pictures) and avenge my loss from two years ago,” Overeem continued.

In the other side, Ricardo Arona (Pictures), the “King of Jiu-Jitsu,” as the Japanese press likes to call him, arrived Wednesday along with his main trainer Mario Sperry (Pictures) and other BTT teammates. The Japanese press was quickly to intercept the Brazilian fighter near the official PRIDE Hotel in Shinjuku to get his first impressions regarding the Sunday’s event.

Arona, smiling but with a secure tone, told the press: “I feel 100 percent and I’m ready to become the champion.” About fighting Silva in the semifinals, Arona said, “If I’m a tiger, Silva is like a hyena.”

When asked to elaborate Arona said, “Wanderlei is a very strong fighter with good stamina and more likely ready to win the tournament again, but now I understand Silva’s weak point. I didn’t train anything specifically for this fight but I’m looking to submit him. Yoshida was not able to do it because he’s a judoka, but I’m a jiu-jitsu fighter. Jiu-jitsu is more effective on Silva than Judo. Besides, I’m the only person who can win over Silva.

“My goal for this tournament is to break Silva in the semifinals and break Shogun in the finals.”

Both Mauricio Rua (Pictures) and Wanderlei Silva (Pictures) arrived with the rest of the Chute Boxe team on Thursday. Later DSE held a training session with the whole team that was open to the press. Silva told the press a final between Shogun and he is almost a sure thing.

“My main priority for this tournament was to work my stamina with running, swimming and training always hard,” Silva said. “I’m not young anymore so I need to focus in my stamina to succeed against the other younger fighters in the tournament.”

Next to his teammate and possible rival, Rua told the press that he’d improved both his jiu-jitsu and Muay Thai.

About his semifinal opponent Overeem, Rua stated, “He’s been training his ground game, especially the guillotine technique, however his striking is also very good.”

From here both Shogun and Silva answered the eternal question about meeting in the finals. Their response: “We will fight seriously.”

Bushido Fighters Debate the Grand Prix Finals

Japan is currently getting hit with another typhoon and while some people might say “there is calm after the storm” this doesn’t seem to be the case with DSE.

Right after the Grand Prix finals another “MMA Storm” would be ready to hit the fans with the upcoming Bushido welterweight and lightweight tournaments. With this in mind DSE asked Ryo Chonan (Pictures), Ikuhisa Minowa (Pictures), Tatsuya Kawajiri (Pictures), Akihiro Gono (Pictures), Ryuta Sakurai (Pictures) and Masanori Suda (Pictures) to pick the winners from both the heavyweight match between Mirko Filipovic (Pictures) and Fedor Emelianenko (Pictures) and the winners in both the semifinal and final matches of the middleweight tournament.

Ryo Chonan (Pictures):

• He thinks the key heavyweight bout lies in whether or not Fedor can take down “Cro Cop.” With this in mind Chonan sees “Cro Cop” scoring the high kick KO
• He thinks Silva will win via judge decision
• Overeem is dangerous in the beginning, especially with the guillotine choke, but Chonan feels Shogun is going to win by KO later
• Chonan sees Silva over Shogun in the finals

Masanori Suda (Pictures):

• Mirko will win via KO
• Silva over Arona via KO
• Shogun over Overeem
• Shogun over Silva in the finals

Akihiro Gono (Pictures):

• Mirko over Fedor via high kick KO round one
• Arona over Silva
• Shogun over Overeem via KO
• Shogun winning the finals

Tatsuya Kawajiri (Pictures):

• Silva over Arona by KO
• Shogun over Overeem by KO
• Silva over Shogun in the finals
• Mirko over Fedor by KO

Ryuta Sakurai (Pictures):

• Probably Fedor over “Cro Cop” by ground-and-pound if Fedor can take Mirko down. However the question is, can Fedor takedown Mirko?
• Silva over Arona by decision
• Shogun over Overeem by decision
• Silva over Shogun

Ikuhisa Minowa (Pictures) (by far the most colorful and interesting character in Bushido took some time to share his deep thoughts regarding the outcome of the upcoming show):

• About the winner of Mirko vs. “Cro Cop”: “I have no idea … probably decision
• Winner of Silva vs. Arona: “I have no idea. I can’t even imagine what kind of fight this will be.
• Winner of Shogun vs. Overeem: “I don’t know, probably Overeem.
• Tournament winner: … I’ve no clue.

So there you go betting fans. The Japanese fighters make a clear consensus with “Cro Cop” over Fedor, while most agree Silva will pass over Arona and Shogun over Overeem with the finals going once again to Wanderlei Silva (Pictures). About Minowa, it is probably safer to only bet Monopoly money on his picks.

OK folks, this is all for today’s special edition of Nippon Joho. Now I need to go and find my Deftones and The Escape Dillinger Plan records to give me company on the train while traveling to cover the weight-ins and main show for this weekend Grand Prix tournament finals and heavyweight title match.

P.S. Stay tuned to day-by-day weekend updates from Japan on Sherdog.com regarding the PRIDE GP finals show from the evil Japanese twins and myself.

Source: Sherdog

Pe de Pano & Jacare Win MMA Matches

Pe de Pano & Cabelino

Iron Man VT returns in November

Barely ended the eight edition of IronMan Vale-Tudo, which took place on last Saturday, August 20, in Macapá (AP), the organization has announced the ninth edition to next November 5. The last edition featured even super-fights and on the main one, local athlete Mikito defeated Vítor Belfort's pupil Emerson Ávila. The organization wants to count on Vítor Belfort once again as referee. At this time, he refereed three bouts. The main fight of IX IronMan has been already planned. 'I've talked to Vítor and I want to do a super-fight between Mikito and Ronaldo Jacaré," said Magrão, the event's promoter.

COMPLETE RESULTS:

VIII Vale-Tudo IronMan
Saturday, August 20, 2005
Sambódromo, Macapá (AP)

- Pé-de-Pano submitted Júnior Capoeira by Kata-gatame (R3);

- Preguiça defeated Dico by KO (knee) (R2);

- Ary Mão de Pedra defeated Zezão by KO (kicks) (R2);

- Jacaré defeated Cuba by referee's decision;

- Guigui defeated Tedd Montanha by KO (R1);

- Jimmy submitted Fúlvio by arm-lock (R2);

- Mikito defeated Emerson Ávila.

Source: Tatame

Bustamante focused at Bushido GP

Meanwhile Ricardo Arona is in Japan ready to face Pride Middleweight champion at the semifinals of Pride GP Middleweight, Brazilian Top Team Murilo Bustamante has been working hard to do a great show at Bushido GP against Light Heavyweight Shooto champion Masanori Suda. 'I haven't seen his game, but I know he is a champ,' says Murilo, who might fight on the same day Ikuhisa Minowa. Instead of Middleweight GP, the second round will take place on September 25.

Paulão expects to enter in the game

In Japan to help Ricardo Arona, Paulão Filho is concerned about the Welterweight Bushido tournament. Paulão will do an alternate fight against Ryuta Sakurai. 'I hope this gap comes from the other side of the bracket. So Murilo and I have a chance to do the final. Anyway, I have to defeat Sakurai first. This will be a good fight for me, because he likes to exchange punches,' says Paulão.

COMPLETE CARD (subject to change):

Pride Bushido GP - First round
Sunday, September 25, 2005
Ariake Colosseum, Tokyo, Japan

GP Welterweight
1- Ikuhisa Minowa vs Phil Baroni;
2- Murilo Bustamante vs Masanori Suda;
3- Ryo Chonan vs Dan Henderson;
4- Akihiro Gono vs Daniel Acácio;

Semifinal
- Winner of fight 1 vs Winner of fight 2;
- Winner of fight 3 vs Winner of fight 4;

Alternate: Ryuta Sakurai vs Paulão Filho.

Source: Tatame

 8/27/05

Quote of the Day

"To be able to be caught up into the world of thought-that is educated."

Edith Hamilton, 1867-1963, American Writer and Educator

Marcello Garcia Seminar Today!


Just a reminder to everyone that BJJ and Abu Dhabi World Champion MARCELO GARCIA will be conducting a two-day seminar in two weeks. The seminar will be held at the Palolo Hongwanji at 1641 Palolo avenue, just up from Waialae Avenue in Kaimuki. The seminars will be held Saturday, August 27th from 3-6 pm, and Sunday, August 28th from 3-6 pm. The cost to attend both days is $165. You can split this with a friend if you want to attend one day, and your friend wants to attend the other day. Call JKD Unlimited today 864-1620 to reserve your spot, or to ask any questions. You can also purchase tickets at Fighter's Corner on King Street.

Saturday from 3-6 pm
Sunday from 3-6

Palolo Hongwanji.
1641 Palolo Avenue
Park on the right side of the temple, and go underneath to the hall.

Get there early.

For more details email Burton by clicking
here.

Source: Burton Richardson

"Pit Fighter" on Spike TV Today!

Hawaii Airing Time!
5:00-7:00PM on Oceanic Channel 76

The Ultimate Fighter Season 2 replay follows at 7:00PM


"Pit Fighter" will air again on Spike TV this Saturday, Aug. 27th, at 5 PM (the film debuted on Spike TV Aug. 20th).

"Pit Fighter" stars Dominiquie Vandenberg ("Gangs of New York", "Mortal
Kombat"), Steven Bauer ("Traffic", "Scarface") and Stephen Graham ("Snatch").

Mixed martial arts aficionado Stephen Quadros, "The Fight Professor", handles all the fight choreography and serves as 2nd unit director on the movie.

Check out the film that critics are calling..."The RAGING BULL of martial arts choreography" (Mike Leader, IMPACT MAGAZINE).

"Pit Fighter" was released on DVD in the US on June 7th, 2005 by Twentieth Century Fox Entertainment.

Source: MMA Fighting

Pride Grand Prix's Odds

It's one of the biggest mismatches on the card according to oddsmakers. Sportsbook.com has Hidehiko Yoshida as the monster favorite this weekend.

Yoshida is -800 vs Tank Abbott who is +500. That means you would have to bet $800 dollars just to win $100 on this fight. If you like the underdog then there is plenty of money to be made on Tank. You would have to bet just $100 to win $500 dollars.

Here is the entire odds from our sponsor at Sportsbook.com for this weekend's Pride event. It's interesting to see that Fedor is the favorite vs Cro Cop, while Wanderlei Silva is the man to beat in the Grand Prix.

Fedor Emelianenko -210
Mirko Cro Cop Filipovic +170

Wanderlei Silva -210
Ricardo Arona +170

Mauricio Shogun Rua -160
Alistair Overeem +130

Fabricio Werdum -1100
Roman Zentsov +700

Igor Vovchanchyn -210
Nakamua Kazuhiro +170

Vitor Belfort -260
Yuki Kondo +200

Hidehiko Yoshida -800
Tank Abbott +500

Source: MMA Weekly

UFC 55 CARD

Below are some official and unoffical matchups that are scheduled for the UFC 55 card on October 7th. A total of eight matchups is expected to take place on the card:

Andrei Arlovski vs. Paul Buentello
Forrest Griffin vs. Ian Freeman
Matt Hughes vs. Karo Parisyan
Elvis Sinosic vs. Alessio Sakara
Renato 'Babalu' Sobral vs. Chael Sonnen
Evan Tanner vs. David Loiseau
Keigo Kunihara vs. TBA

Source: Fight Sport

Din Thomas vs. Tyrone Glover At DEEP

DEEP 20th Impact
Differ Ariake in Tokyo, Japan
September 3, 2005

- Main Event: Jutaro Nakao (DEEP welterweight champion) vs. Eoh Won Jin (Spirit MC champion)

- Din Thomas (American Top Team) vs. Tyrone Glover (Pride audition winner)

- Takenori Sato (Takada Dojo) vs. Ken Hamamura

- Jun Ishii vs. TBA

- Satoko Shinashi vs. Noriko Okamoto

- Kei Yamamiya vs. Kim Jin O

- Kazunori Yakota vs. Hiroki Nagaoka

- Hidehiko Hasegawa vs. Seichi Ikemoto

Source: MMA Fighting

PRIDE GP PRESS PICTURES AND VIDEO
ON
MMA WEEKLY

Fedor weighed in before the press on Friday afternoon in Shinjuku, Japan before he fights Cro Cop on Sunday this weekend. Cro Cop was a no show for the event in which both fighters where supposed to be at. Fedor seemd calm and relaxed before his title defense against Cro Cop, who has been itching for a shot at the title for a long time.

Go to the photo gallery to see more pictures of Fedor and the other fighters who will be fighting this weekend at the Saitama Super Arena in Tokyo, Japan.

Source: MMA Weekly

'CRO COP' TAKES 'VITAMIN INJECTION'
FOR HIS BACK


Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic

The Japanese media reports that Mirko 'Cro Cop' Filipovic has taken a 'vitamin injection' for his back. The vitamin injection was prepared for him by Dr. Stefan Bucan, who his personal doctor who has traveled with him to Japan from Croatia.

Source: Fight Sport

 8/26/05

Quote of the Day

"There are two kinds of people who never amount to much: those who cannot do what they are told, and those who can do nothing else."

Cyrus Curtis, 1850-1933, American Publisher and Philanthropist

Marcelo Garcia Is In Town!

Marcelo Garcia arrived in Honolulu Tuesday night, and has been having a great time. We went to Baret Yoshida's school last night to roll. He is just awesome, and a great person. Just a few days left until the seminar, Saturday from 3-6 pm, and Sunday from 3-6 at the Palolo Hongwanji. The address is 1641 Palolo avenue. Park on the right side of the temple, and go underneath to the hall. Get there early.

Aloha,
Burton Richardson
864-1620

BJ Penn, Genius or Fool?
by Marco Antico

This article is not meant to be condescending toward BJ Penn. Rather, it’s intended to be an acknowledgement of BJ’s unique stature in the sport.

Genius or Fool?

BJ Penn sent shock waves through the MMA industry when he made his decision to leave the UFC for a fight in K-1. BJ Penn took a big risk by jeopardizing not only his welterweight title but also severing his ties with the UFC. At the time, I thought BJ was a short sighted fool. I thought he was motivated by the salary K-1 was offering and thus was ignorantly throwing away his security with the UFC.

If BJ Penn had lost that fight to Duane Ludwig he may have indeed cursed the day he made the decision to leave the UFC. Instead, today he finds himself owner of the second biggest MMA Company in North America with an ongoing partnership with the largest martial art company in the world, K-1.

A Chronology of BJ Penn's Risky Decisions

January 31, 2004 - He decides to move up a weight class and fight Matt Hughes. He accomplishes one of the biggest upsets in UFC history and becomes the new Welterweight Champion.

May 22, 2004 - He chooses to fight in K-1 against the UFC's wishes. He soundly defeated Duane Ludwig. Shortly thereafter the UFC strips him of his welterweight title and says that he'll never fight for the organization again.

November 20, 2004 - BJ's fight promotion, Rumble on the Rock enters into a partnership with K-1. BJ moves up to middleweight to fight a highly regarded fighter in Rodrigo Gracie. BJ wins a convincing unanimous decision.

March 26, 2005 - BJ turns down many lesser opponents at middleweight and asks K-1 to fight one of their best heavyweight fighters, Ryoto Machida. BJ fights well despite a severe weight disadvantage but loses a unanimous decision mostly due to Ryoto's lay n' pray.

July 29, 2005 - K-1 holds their HW GP in Aloha Stadium with BJ Penn versus Renzo Gracie as the main event. BJ handily wins a unanimous decision.

Visionary or Illusions of Grandeur?

With the exception of Renzo Gracie all the other things BJ has done in the recent times may cause one to question his sanity. Moving up from lightweight to fight a heavyweight is unheard of! Turning your back on North America's biggest MMA promotions and choosing to instead build up your own in conjunction with Japan's powerhouse, K-1 epitomizes the entrepreneurial spirit. Suing the UFC to try and get back on the roster was certainly a creative and unique approach to solve things!

Perhaps a testament to BJ's power of persuasion is that he was later in negotiations to fight the winner of the Frank Trigg versus Matt Hughes fight. It seems that the deal breaker was that the UFC wanted BJ to apologize for leaving them for another organization. BJ did not feel that an apology was warranted and thus chose to speak his mind on MMAWeekly Radio with Ryan Bennett about his distaste for the way Dana White ran the UFC. Suffice to say BJ is not expected to be returning to a UFC octagon any time soon.

It's time for BJ Penn to step up!

BJ has certainly made a good living for himself in the sport of MMA. He's a massively popular fighter in Hawaii, he part owns Rumble on the Rock and he works in co-operation with the financially mighty, K-1. All of that is very impressive. However, there's one thing that has been glaringly missing over the past while with BJ. He's not proved himself in his weight class in a long, long time. Mind you, no one's really sure what BJ's weight class is nowadays.

I believe that it's time for BJ to prove himself in the welterweight division and arrange a fight with the recently axed UFC fighter, Frank Trigg. Frank has expressed a strong interest and a lot of confidence in fighting BJ. BJ previously turned down the request saying that Frank wasn't a big enough name. News flash BJ; all the big welterweight and middleweight names are locked up by the UFC and PRIDE. Frank Trigg is about as good a fighter and as big a name that you’re going to get!

Two other names that come immediately to mind are Sean Sherk and Matt Lindland. But, Frank Trigg makes much more sense for BJ. There's a natural rivalry that exists between the two. The smack talk leading up to this fight could be of Baroni/Lindland epic proportions. Also, let's not forget that there is a revenge factor in that Trigg defeated BJ's Jiu-Jitsu instructor, Renato Verrissimo.

BJ is holding all the cards

BJ is in an extremely rare position for a MMA fighter in that he may choose his own destiny:

Option A - The Easy Route

The easy route consists of BJ continuing to beat up on the Gracie family. They have a marketable name and they seem to get very angry when one of their relatives is defeated. If BJ or Sakuraba ever go missing one day the police should know where to begin asking questions.

Option B - The Crazy Route

Listening to BJ talk about himself one may conclude that he has a bit of a superman syndrome. BJ once spoke about floating outside of his body watching himself fight, knowing that there's no way he can be defeated. He may continue to fight far above his natural weight class, challenging fighters like Wanderlei Silva. Unfortunately, one day he's destined to run into his Lex Luther. When that day comes it may forever damage him as an elite fighter.

Option C - The Admirable Route

This is perhaps the least financially attractive route (which is often the case with admirable activities). In this route BJ decides prove himself as an elite fighter in a particular weight class. This is certainly the most risky route from a reputation standpoint. If BJ were to lose to Frank Trigg after Trigg's last two performances inside the octagon he would certainly drop a couple of notches down the ladder. BJ stands to lose more than he stands to gain by fighting Frank Trigg. That said it would definitely be a terrific, meaningful and admirable fight for BJ to arrange.

Conclusion

BJ is without a doubt the most important fighter in all of MMA. That's not to say he's the best or most popular. It's instead an acknowledgement of BJ's unique stature as fighter/promoter. It's also a recognition that his promotion is probably the UFC's biggest potential threat. There is no other fighter in MMA that can say that he truly possesses the ability to influence North America's MMA industry like BJ can. Add to that the fact that he's arguably the best pound for pound fighter in the world and what you've got is truly a remarkable individual. BJ’s next move holds a lot of intrigue for me personally. I’m hopeful that he’ll fight the guys MMA fans want to see him fight. I’m expectant he’ll continue to try and take ROTR in conjunction with K-1 to new heights in this country. Finally and most importantly, I’m optimistic that he’ll prove to be a visionary and a genius whose legacy we can look back on and admire.

Source: Marco Antico

UFC 54 FIGHTER SALARIES

Below is the pay scale for UFC 54 as released by the Nevada State Athletic Commission (all figures are in US dollars):

Chuck Liddell: $80,000 to show, $80,000 to win
Tim Sylvia: $40,000 to show, $40,000 to win
Matt Lindland: $15,000 to show, $15,000 to win
Georges St. Pierre: $13,000 to show, $15,000 to win
Jeremy Horn: $25,000 to show, win bonus would've been $25,000
Diego Sanchez: USD$12,000 to show, USD$12,000 to win
Mike Van Arsdale: $15,000 to show, win bonus would've been $15,000
Frank Trigg: $14,000 to show, win bonus would've been $14,000
Tra Telligman: $9,000 to show, win bonus would've been $9,000
James Irvin: $3,000 to show, $3,000 to win
Joe Doerksen: $5,000 to show, win bonus would've been $5,000
Travis Lutter: $4,000 to show, win bonus would've been $4,000
Brian Gassaway : $2,000 to show, win bonus would've been $2,000
Terry Martin: $2,000 to show, win bonus would've been $2,000

Total Fighter Payroll: $635,000

Source: Fight Sport

Hero's
September 7th, 2005
Ariake Colosseum, Tokyo, Japan

Sinlge matchups:
Zuluzinho vs. Sylvester Terkay

HERO's lightweight GP second round:
Royler Gracie vs. Norifumi 'Kid' Yamamoto
Genki Sudo vs. Kazuyuki Miyata
Remigijus Morkevicius vs. Hiroyuki Takaya
Caol Uno vs. Hideo Tokoro

Source: Fight Sport

PRIDE president Nobuyuki Sakakibara
by Josh Gross.

DSE/PRIDE executives, Hideki Yamamoto and Yukino Kanda, were also on hand to help answer some questions. Kanda helped out with the translation of most of Sakakibara's replies. Here's what they had to say:

Interviewer: Let's start with the events of today. How important is it for PRIDE to come to the United States and promote its brand of fighting?

Sakakibara: It has been our dream to hold a PRIDE event outside of Japan on U.S. soil. We will have done 50 events under the PRIDE name - our upcoming event August 28th is going to be the 50th event - and we've never been outside of Japan. The mixed martial arts was created in the U.S. and it has been our dream to hold a show where it came from. And we have been working with the California State (Athletic Commission) since 2000 and especially in 2004, 2005 until now we have really been working hard to legalize this sport in California state. After today's meeting, that is the first step for the long (process) ahead of us. Our objective is to hold our event in California and to introduce what PRIDE is to the fans and, not through the TV, to see the live event is totally different. So we'd like to show what really is PRIDE to the American people.

Interviewer: Have the American people, through your pay-per-views and other sort of marketing, really shown an interest in PRIDE, or is it more an overall interest in mixed martial arts? Have you seen people who are just dedicated PRIDE fans?

Sakakibara: At the moment we think that those fans who watch PRIDE events through the pay-per-view or DVD, but not live, they're a big fan of mixed martial arts, not necessarily (only) PRIDE fans.

Interviewer: I ask this question because it was so important today and over the process of the last year and even over the last five years for things unique to PRIDE - the ring and the rules - to stay intact. Why were these things so important for you to come to promote in the United States when you could have come to promote at any time under what are accepted as the North American Unified Rules?

Sakakibara: Over the course of seven, eight years since we started the PRIDE brand, of course we have changed several times the rules to always update the current needs of the audience and also to make sure that the fighters are safe. But the original concept of mixed martial arts is to get rid of all the barriers of the different martial arts. We have opened the door to all the different discipline fighters - including wrestling, boxing, judo, jiu-jitsu, everybody - so our rules are more open to those fighters who are coming from different backgrounds. It is very important to keep our rules the current rules. The rules that we have request to be an alternate rules (in California) is because we believe those rules are unique to PRIDE and we don't want to jeopardize that uniqueness, then come to the U.S. So we want to keep those rules only for maybe PRIDE. From our experience over 450 fights in PRIDE we know and we have proven that PRIDE rules (are) safer than any other event. We believe in that and our record says it's a safe event, safe rules. If we come to the U.S. and compromise with the current Unified Rules - which we don't know if they're safe to us, to our fighters - if we take those rules as it is then we may be proving that our rules aren't safe enough. That's not our direction moving forward. Because we believe in our rules, for us it's not necessary to adopt any other rules that's already sanctioned in Nevada or New Jersey. So that's our thoughts.

Interviewer: In North America, particularly the United States, there's a movement in mixed martial arts towards getting a broad uniformity, getting unified rules. Does PRIDE at all envision a situation in which every promotion in the world, every show in the world is operating under one set of rules? And if you do, what do those rules look like?

Sakakibara: We believe in unified rules all over the world.

Interviewer: So you think eventually the American regulatory bodies, the state athletic commissions, the Nevadas and New Jerseys of the world will see...

Sakakibara: We are talking about worldwide, not just U.S. So when we see worldwide, global unified rules it will probably be PRIDE rules.

Interviewer: Why do you feel that PRIDE rules will become accepted as the world unified rules and not the rules that are being worked on throughout North America.

Sakakibara: That is because we are not using those rules. If we are not using those rules - American rules - then it's not going to be worldwide rules. And, especially the biggest market in the world is still Japan. Japan is not going to use a cage. Japan is not going to use five three-minute rounds. We believe that it takes so many years to become sanctioned or come to this point (in the United States) is because it was started with a cage. If it was a ring it shouldn't have taken that long. And if you see worldwide promoters or events, outside the U.S., we believe most of the promoters use a ring instead of a cage.

Interviewer: The ring, I would suggest, is more prevalent than the cage worldwide. There are more events in a ring than in a cage. But there are also many events now that use the five-minute round system. I think the 10-5-5 minute round system is unique to PRIDE. But there are shows like SHOOTO and Pancrase and many Japanese shows that don't use that round system. Is that something in the future that PRIDE would be willing to look at changing or is that something, as well as the ring, that is very important and would not be looked at?

Sakakibara: Again the 10-minute, 5-minute, 5-minute round system is established from our experience and it doesn't give any fighters an advantage - ground fighter versus standing fighter or any other disciplined fighters. So we think that the round system that can take the most advantage of strategy of fighting. So, for instance, if we come to the U.S. and the United States imposes five three-minute rounds we will follow, of course, in order for us to come to the U.S. But in Japan, we are not going to change 10-5-5 minute rounds because we believe that round system is perfect. And if you see worldwide environment then unless a much, much bigger organization like the Olympics or World Cup or something, then if they impose five-minute rounds then that is the time that we will maybe consider (change). When it comes to the unified rules all over the world - of course American people look at America most - we see much more global standpoint. So today's meeting was only for California but we have a bigger picture, which is worldwide. For instance we have made an alliance with FILA organization and they are the ruling (body) for martial arts in the Olympics. So once mixed martial arts is adopted in the Olympic games, not just the United States people, but people from Japan and Brazil and all over world will come together and finalize the rules, which may not necessarily be Unified Rules sanctioned by the U.S. states.

Interviewer: That's a very interesting concept: mixed martial arts in the Olympics. How close is that to becoming reality?

Sakakibara: We don't believe that it's going to happen anytime soon. If you only think of the Unified Rules or PRIDE rules or UFC rules, it's going to be the rule adopted by the Olympic games under the mixed martial arts games. FILA has been working on bringing Pankration tournament in the Olympics. They're working on that. But even the boxing has been adopted in the Olympics but they wear headgear. And they have a much, much longer history of fighting. Mixed martial arts (history is) much, much less. So some time in the very far future, maybe the PRIDE or UFC rules will be seen in Olympics. But if you're talking about soon, it will be much more rules - far from the PRIDE or UFC rules. And maybe no striking, just grappling. We really strongly believe that we should, as promoter of PRIDE, and also the UFC - those are the top two promotions in the world - should think about being in the Olympic games maybe 20 years from now or 50 years from now. So they should always think about the goal. Olympics started as fighting 2000 years ago, so it takes a long time. If they don't think about the future - 50 or 100 years from now - nothing is going to be accomplished.

Interviewer: I think, the UFC, the way they interpret the future, is pushing forward the Unified Rules throughout North America. That's their vision of the future. But it doesn't sound like that's PRIDE's vision of the future. And the Olympics is very interesting because one thing they're known for is their drug-testing policies. They're very strict, especially with performance-enhancing drugs like steroids. If you come to North America (your fighters are) going to have to face many of the same tests that are in the Olympics. What is the current PRIDE performance-enhancing testing policy, including steroids and other kind of substances?

Sakakibara: Right now, at this point, we have not tested any steroid usage. But for the illegal substances like stimulants or anything illegal, we conduct urine testing before and after the fights.

Yamamoto: It's a matter of the traceability, except those complicated drugs like EPO and steroids and some similar substance. We need to send a specimen to the laboratory. Who can protect traceability? We need a neutral third party. But for other illegal drug substances we can get a result at once.

Interviewer: One of the arguments for regulation and sanctioning is to have that oversight body, that check, that independent party making sure the fighters are safe, making sure there is testing going on of fighters. In Japan there's nothing like that. So in order for you to test for steroids you'd have to take that upon yourself. Is there any discussion in PRIDE of beginning to test for those substances in Japan?

Sakakibara: We don't have a third party. And maybe this is a cultural difference but we hired doctors, referees and judges and they are independent. Even though we hired them to work with PRIDE, they are the ones who are the ones responsible for all the safety issues and also drug testing. We leave everything up to them and they test. Under their responsibility they're going to submit us a result and then we judge according to the result. So for us it doesn't really make a big difference hiring a third party or hire those people by the promoter but to be independent from the promoter. I think it's a big cultural difference.

Interviewer: One more follow up. Two of the UFC’s heavyweight champions have tested positive for steroids. It stands to reason that a good percentage of mixed martial artists use those kinds of drugs. Is it just PRIDE's opinion that that sort of use is not important, that it doesn't affect the outcome of a fight? Why is there no movement towards ridding that sort of usage from your promotion?

Sakakibara: We don't test for steroids or we don't have a third party to test for steroids. But we don't think that always the steroid user has an advantage over a fighter who's not using steroids. And we don't know who is using steroids and who is not using steroids. But we don't know if always the steroid users are winning over the non-steroid users.

Interviewer: OK, I have to follow up: If you test you would probably have a better idea of who was using steroids and who wasn't. So I still have not heard a reason why PRIDE does not test.

Sakakibara: We are not opposing American regulations and requirements of steroid testing. But in Japan there's no such thing. We are not required to test steroids for any fighter or any sports whatsoever. So we don't need, so we don't do. If we come to the U.S. and of course we have to follow their rules and regulations. If we have to do, we have to do.

Yamamoto: Perception. Steroids is well known in the States but not many people use steroids in Japan.

Sakakibara: You have a good point, but maybe if you look over all the sportsman, not just the fighter - baseball player or gymnastics or anything - any kind of sportsman don't use steroids in Japan in general. But in the U.S. the Major League players or runners or boxers - they all use steroids. That's why there has to be some regulations. That's totally different culture and background.

Interviewer: I understand that in the Japanese culture, steroids are not a prevalent issue. My concern is the good majority of your fighters are international fighters. I'm looking at the poster for PRIDE "Final Conflict": three Brazilians, a Dutchman and two Europeans. Not one Japanese fighter on there. So just because no one is telling you to test for steroids, it's the same way that no one is telling you to test for cocaine or no one is telling you to test for anything else.

Kanda: Cocaine is illegal in Japan.

Interviewer: OK, so steroids are not illegal in Japan and that is why you do not test.

Yamamoto: It's a prescription drug. So if you try to use the steroids without prescription it's illegal.

Sakakibara: This is just like other drugs. Like, for instance, ulcer medicine is prescription drugs. And if someone uses without prescription it's illegal. So it’' the same thing for the Japanese people.

Yamamoto: Using the painkiller - you watched the Mark Kerr movie - it's illegal usage even though the substance is legal.

Interviewer: I appreciate your patience... The theme of the day is regulation and PRIDE coming to the U.S., which is why I'm asking these sort of questions. One of the major functions for the regulatory bodies in the U.S. is to keep track of if a fighter got knocked out, and suspending that fighter from competition if necessary. Does PRIDE, when a fighter gets knocked out or injured in its organization, medically suspend a fighter? And if you do, how do you enforce so he doesn't fight (during the suspension)?

Kanda: Again, it's the same thing. We don't have any regulatory third party for any sanctioning body. So that's really up to the promoter to give the fighter a suspension period. We're very carefully consulting with the Japanese doctors. And also if the fighter is from outside of Japan we also get the result from that local doctors and make sure that fighter won't be fighting again anytime soon unless the doctor says that's OK. It's the same thing. We don't really need regulation but people follow, people have common sense.

Yamamoto: We don't say American people doesn't have common sense! But we're basically supposed to harmonize the suspension and we have been respecting their decision and we don't take any fighter who is under suspension. Josh Barnett (Pictures). We got offered but did not take him.

Kanda: Because he was under suspension. And somebody who is knocked out in the UFC, we never use that fighter for two-month or three-month period.

Interviewer: Let's get to the fun stuff. The actual promotion of fights and putting together of cards. I think people are looking forward to August 28th very, very much. Can you talk about your heavyweight championship fight and how much anticipation there is in Japan for this match between Fedor (Emelianenko) and Mirko "Cro Cop" (Filipovic)?

Sakakibara: (smiles) It was fun. People have been waiting so long for this particularly because it started in August 2003 when Fedor fought Gary (Goodridge) and he beat up Gary. He broke his hand. And Mirko beat Dos Caras Jr. and he has been waiting for him to come back and be cured from injury. (Mirko) has been chasing this fellow but he wasn't cured by the time the fight was set up. And then (Mirko) had to take (Rodrigo) Nogueira and Nogueira submitted him. So the fight has been postponed, postponed, postponed for like two years. Fedor was supposed to fight in June this year and then again Fedor got injured and it was postponed. So finally the fans can get to see it. It's been more than two years of grudge and expectation, build up so much.

Interviewer: As a promoter, that's good. You want that anticipation. But has it been frustrating dealing with the on, off, on, off situation of the fight?

Sakakibara: As a promoter we also felt very, very frustrated because it should have happened years ago. Not just the promoters, but they were both very frustrated because I have been telling them they are still young, so that match won't be the last match that they're going to face as long as they're with the PRIDE organization they're going to face one year from year, two years from now - many times probably. Win, lose should be a concern for them. But fans want to see them fight.

Interviewer: Fedor has said that his hand is still not healed 100 percent. Do you feel that you're risking a fight that might not be the best fight it could be because of that?

Sakakibara: That would have been in June if we held the fight in June. But we gave him enough time to heal and Mirko accepted to postpone two more months. Unless you're the first fight in PRIDE - everybody has some sort of injury: cold or broken fingers or bad knees. Everybody has something. Fedor's hand will not give a bad result because of that injury.

Interviewer: Let me ask you a personal question. When "Cro Cop" fought Magomedov at the last PRIDE, how nervous were you feeling?

Sakakibara: It's just another fight and I'm always ready to accept an outcome from any fight. So, whatever the outcome was I had a plan. (If I didn't feel this way) then whenever Sakuraba fights, I would be in the hospital the next day. (laughs)

Interviewer: The Grand Prix is amazing because you wouldn't think it possible that it could be overshadowed due to the heavyweight championship fight. What are your expectations for the Grand Prix? And the possibility of Wanderlei fighting Shogun, are you at all disappointed teammates might fight in the finals?

Sakakibara: I don't think the heavyweight title match will overshadow the Middleweight Grand Prix. And especially Japanese fans respect all the fighters in the Grand Prix to win and come this far. Of course as a Japanese I wished that there was a Japanese fighter remaining in the semifinal but even without the Japanese fighters I have a big respect for each fighter and so do the Japanese fans.

Interviewer: And the possibility of Shogun fighting Silva? You knew that was a possibility because they were in the tournament to begin with. Knowing now that they might meet in the finals, they're teammates, that raises questions about them fighting 100 percent against each other. Does that take away from the tournament at all if they fight in the finals? Did that cross your mind at all?

Sakakibara: The teammate versus teammate maybe more interesting, especially for me. I want to see teammate versus teammate. And in front of 45,000 people they're not going to fight less than non-teammates fight. Arona could have faced Rogerio at some point and Yoshida may have faced Nakamura at some point, but that's the way the tournament is. That’s a very interesting format. I think [they will fight] 100 percent. That's why there is prize money, and honor and a PRIDE belt, and, again, fighting in front of 45,000 people and also it's going to be aired in many countries live on pay-per-view. And of course DVDs are everywhere. So they're not going to fight less than anyone else. Don't you want to see them fight? I have a big trust in the Chute Boxe team. Rudimar (Fedrigo) is the trainer and manager and head person in Chute Boxe. And they know - and Vanderlei knows more than anybody - that they have to put on 100 percent, otherwise their career will be done in PRIDE and also in mixed martial arts.

Interviewer: Will Sakuraba fight in the 83-kilo. tournament?

Sakakibara: No. Never.

Interviewer: Will Sakuraba fight in PRIDE again?

Sakakibara: Yes. He will come back in October.

Interviewer: After his last fight - he's had many beatings before, he's taken a lot of punishment before - but after his last fight it was very bad. Did you advise him to retire or was there any talk of retirement?

Sakakibara: It's totally up to the fighters to decide when to retire.

Interviewer: After that fight (with Ricardo Arona), I believe you said that Sakuraba would no longer fight at middleweight (205 pounds), but only fight at 83-kilograms? Is that still the case?

Sakakibara: I personally thought that Sakuraba thought should go down to 83-kilos, but that's only what I thought. When I talked to Sakuraba, Sakuraba refused and said that "I'm going to go up, never go down." He read (my) comments in a newspaper and he called from the hospital. When he fought Arona he was 86-kilos and Arona passed the 93-kilos the day before, but the day of the event he goes up like six, seven pounds easily. So there was more than a 10-kilograms difference on the day of the event. He hasn't done everything that he could do. He could build up his body and make the weight over 93-kilos to fight evenly with those 205 fighters. In his mind, there are so many things he can still do, still improve, including weight and quit drinking or quit smoking. So unless he does everything he can do, he cannot make himself to be convinced for retirement.

Interviewer: I have to say, personally, that scares me. I was at PRIDE 13 when Sakuraba fought Silva the first time. I was at PRIDE 17. I've seen Sakuraba fight great, unbelievable fights and I've seen him get hurt. And I think he's such and incredible fighter, such an incredible person, that he'll never retire. Someone needs to push him out. Do you fear...

Sakakibara: And I understand your concern very much and I appreciate it. But when time comes, maybe the person who says "Sakuraba you should retire" is not me, maybe Takada. And I don't believe that it's time that he should really tell Sakuraba not to continue. I believe in Sakuraba. He can do more.

Interviewer: UFC president Dana White always complains that he sends fighters to PRIDE, PRIDE never sends fighters to the UFC.

Kanda: That's not true. We always offer fighters but they refuse. Sometimes the reason is that the fight purse is not a fight purse that they can afford. Sometimes our fighters are too strong against their fighters (who are) available, so they cannot find an opponent. We have been pushing some of the fighters to them but they never say yes.

Interviewer: Have there been recent talks about a PRIDE fighter going to UFC?

Sakakibara: We really want to send PRIDE fighters in the UFC. Sometimes the timing is not matched for when they want a particular fighter and when we can send that fighter to them. But most of the time they are not so willing to use our fighters. For instance we offered Sergei Kharitonov (Pictures), Mirko "Cro Cop", "Ninja" in the last couple months.

Interviewer: There is a lot of talk about Ninja right now. Is that a possibility?

Sakakibara: Ninja is ready. He has been waiting since June. Dana White, please call me.

Interviewer: PRIDE's first event in the United States? If everything goes well in California and it looks like mid-November when everything is sanctioned and your rules are OK'd. How soon can American fans expect PRIDE to come promote here?

Sakakibara: Before we can come to California we have to apply for a promoter's license. I don't know how long it's going to take. It's up to California state. And also there are so few venues where we can possibly hold a PRIDE event, so it's really up to the availability of the arena. We have been contacting various venues. For instance, Staples Center is so busy.

Interviewer: Let me wrap up with my last question - and I always say that and I have another question. I'll make sure it's my last one. I think priority number one for American fans and, I believe, Japanese fans would be one day to see champions fight champions. Now, we've just talked about PRIDE sending fighters to the UFC and the UFC sending fighters to PRIDE, but what would it take for the two organizations to come together and have Wanderlei Silva (Pictures) fight Chuck Liddell (Pictures), Fedor fighting the UFC heavyweight champion?

Sakakibara: We have been talking with Dana and Lorenzo for a long time, so what we suggested to them was a "home and away" fights. We send fighters to them and we send fighters to us. And any fighter who wins both events would be a "world" champion.

Yamamoto: They said yes, I think that was last year.

Kanda: And this year too.

Interviewer: And why has that not happened yet?

Yamamoto: I don't know.

Source: Sherdog

 8/25/05

Quote of the Day

"Look twice before you leap."

Charlotte Bronte, 1816-1855, British Novelist

Hoochielaulea
Pipeline Cafe
Sunday, September 4, 2005
10pm to 2 am



I don't think I have ever been to an official Hoochilaulea. I have been to a few unofficial Hoochilauleas.

NAGA Hawaii Cancelled

We have been getting a ton of emails and inquires about it NAGA is a go or not. We have been contacted by one of the organizers who has told us that the event is cancelled. It seemed to be based on problems with the venue, possibly with a few other items.

They are looking to hold the event in February so keep tuned to Onzuka.com to get the latest on Hawaii's biggest grappling tournament. We hope they can secure a spot and get everything in line.

TUF 2 WEEK 1 RECAP: A NEW CROP
by Ken Pishna

It’s baaaaccckkk…..

Mixed martial arts fans and reality show fanatics had to sweat it out over the summer, but the toughest reality show on television is finally back. The first episode of The Ultimate Fighter Season 2 has finally premiered.

Much as you would expect, the first episode was heavy on introducing the personalities of the new fighters. This season, the show kicked off with 18 new fighters; 9 heavyweights and 9 welterweights.

The Heavyweight Competitors:
Rob MacDonald, Keith Jardine, Kerry Schall, Brad Imes, Seth Petruzelli, Mike Whitehead, Tom Murphy, Rashad Evans, and Eli Joslin.

The Welterweight Competitors:
Jorge Gurgel, Joe Stevenson, Kenny Stevens,
Anthony Torres, Melvin Guillard, Josh Burkman, Marcus Davis, Sammy Morgan, and Luke Cummo.

This episode really broke out into four major segments and the outgoing wrap-up.

Jorge Gurgel tried to set the tone for himself on the show by declaring, “Nobody pisses on my bed,” but it was Luke Cummo that was the subject of the first real character building on the show. He’s kind of singled himself as the odd duck out on the show, kicking things off by removing his mattress from his bed to sleep on the floor. He did this so that he could have his head pointing north while he sleeps to better align his chi.

Obviously, he is quickly becoming the focus of much ridicule by the other fighters. But on the first hard day of training, Luke’s focus on his keeping his body in line both physically and spiritually when he had no trouble making it through a grueling wall sitting drill. Season 2 coach Rich Franklin went so far as to declare that Luke is “this season’s Diego.”

The first drama of the show involved heavyweight competitor Kerry Schall. On day two of filming, the fighters were brought to the UFC National Training Center for a marathon training session involving cardio, weightlifting, jiujitsu, boxing, and kickboxing. Basically, the fighters were worked beyond exhaustion, just to push them to the brink and see how mentally and physically tough they are.

Having nearly made it through the workouts of the day, Kerry was held up with severe pain in his knee. Medical personnel looked him over and decided he needed to go and get x-rayed. The x-rays showed no breaks or fractures, but the doctor thought it prudent that Kerry see an orthopedic specialist the next morning.

Once the drama started, it just kept rolling. On the evening of that first really hard day of training, heavyweight competitor Eli Joslin called UFC President Dana White, coach Matt Hughes, and coach Rich Franklin into a private meeting to declare that he couldn’t handle being on the show. His excuse was that the cameras were freaking him out, declaring that, “it is too much like jail.”

Dana, Matt and Rich attempted to convince him to sleep on it and come back the next day for more training, but Eli had his mind made up even before talking with them. Later that night, Eli gathered round the other fighters and told them, “I’m walking out. I’ve made my decision.” With that, he left the house and the show.

The next morning, the fighters were gathered at the training center with Dana. He made the announcement that Kerry’s results were back and that he had a torn meniscus that would require surgery. Just like that, Kerry Schall was forced to exit the show. He was obviously fighting back the tears, but left with his head high commenting that, “For it to end this way is just devastating… God has a plan. I’ll get by.”

With the exodus of two heavyweights already, Dana white declared that a welterweight would now have to go. The determination was that Kenny Stevens was the weakest welterweight and he was allowed to choose one of the others to fight for a spot on the show. He chose Sammy Morgan.

This final drama really kicked in when the weight cutting began. Kenny weighed at 191 pounds, meaning that he had 24 hours to lose 21 pounds. Sammy Morgan on the other hand, had only 9 pounds to cut to make the 170-pound limit.

The next portion of the show featured Kenny trying to cut the weight in the sauna, much like the same scenario that Bobby Southworth went through in the first season. The first night of cutting saw Kenny get down to 181 pounds before heading off to bed. The following day, they were back at the sauna and got Kenny to within five pounds of his goal before he finally cracked and said, “I’m done.”

Kenny Stevens became the third fighter to leave the show in the first episode and it didn’t sit well with some of the others on the show. Jorge Gurgel commented, “You’re a professional athlete. You never quit, no matter what the circumstances, no matter what the pain.” Even the usually subdued Rich Franklin was visibly irritated, “It pisses me off!”

This brought us to the show ending speech from Dana White. If you saw the first season of the show, consider this the “Do You Wanna Be a F**king Fighter” Part II speech. Remarking on Kenny Stevens, he said, “He f**king quit. Thacker, the one that got picked on the most, had more heart than you guys.” I can’t really go on with the rest of his tirade, I’ll wear out the “F” key on my keyboard, but suffice it to say that Dana basically questioned the commitment of the guys on the show and challenged them to give it their best efforts to become UFC caliber fighters.

Coming Up On Week 2:
With the exodus of Kerry Schall due to injury, a new heavyweight fighter joins the house. Also, the first challenge and the first fight are set to take place.

Source: MMA Weekly

HITS AND MISSES FOR TUF SEASON 2
by Ivan Trembow


The season premiere of The Ultimate Fighter has come and gone, and it was a largely entertaining show that was only marred by two fighters quitting.

At the beginning of the show, I loved the idea that whoever was picked as the "weakest link" in each weight class would not actually be eliminated without ever getting a chance to fight (which was BS in the first season), but would instead get a chance to fight for their survival and could fight the opponent of their choice. That would have also solved the problem of not having a fight in the season premiere, which hurt the show in the first season. Unfortunately, it didn't work out given the circumstances with the two quitters, but no one could help that.

As for the two quitters, I could go either way on Kenny Stevens because he did quit, but that kind of sauna environment is also dangerous no matter how commonplace it is. As a result, I can't come down too hard on him if he was legitimately out of it from the weight-cutting.

Eli Joslin is a different story. First of all, how in the hell did he get on the show with an MMA record of 1-0? And second of all, he says "the camera thing" isn't working for him? Did he think he was going to study to be a monk at a secluded temple somewhere? He signed up to be on a reality show! I guess if he was not completely mentally stable, it was good that he did quit, because there could be disastrous or tragic consequences if a mentally unstable person is put in a house with nothing to do, with other aggressive males around, and with large amounts of alcohol. (I don't know if there is alcohol in the house in Season 2, but given what happened in Season 1 and how much more serious that could situation could have been, it would be nothing short of a Trash TV move if there is alcohol in the house again this season).

In the first season, the UFC had a lot of contestants get red-flagged at the last minute for various things, whether it was something on a background check or a drug test. That's why you saw so many natural 185-pound fighters competing at 205 pounds, and that's why you saw so many 170-pound fighters competing at 185 pounds. The UFC also had a hard time filling out the roster of heavyweight fighters for Season 2 due to the background checks, drug testing, and medical tests, not to mention the fact that good heavyweights are hard to find in general.

Nonetheless, it's very important to do all of those tests, and I think the producers should add an extra layer to the screening process for Season 3. I think they should add a mental health exam, which is a standard thing with a lot of employers even when the job at stake is a lot less inherently risky than fighting for a living. It's perfectly legitimate to check on that kind of thing, for the fighters' own good.

I'm not necessarily saying that contestants who are being considered for the show should be subjected to the kind of "brain-typing" that is done by many NFL and NBA teams. I'm just referring to a general psychological exam to make sure that nobody makes it on the show who is more likely than the average person to become paranoid about "the whole camera thing," or to compare the experience of being on a reality show to being in prison. There should also be exhaustive questionnaires and interviews to make sure that the contestants are 100% committed to being a fighter and are not going to quit.

Obviously, the producers of a reality show don't want to have 18 people who are all completely mature and mellow at all times, but I'm sure they also don't want to have quitters who lower the total number of fights that are actually on each season.

Other thoughts on the season premiere...

The element of Rich Franklin and Matt Hughes getting angry at the contestants when it's warranted is something that we didn't really see in the first season with Randy Couture and Chuck Liddell, who never really got angry with anyone. This adds an extra dimension to the show because you rarely get to see world champions like Hughes and Franklin in that kind of environment, getting angry and reacting as they naturally would. So far, Franklin appears to be the more easily annoyed of the two, while Hughes' greater level of coaching experience makes him harder to upset.

Jorge Gurgel has star written all over him from a charisma standpoint, and I mean that in a Nate Quarry kind of way as opposed to a Chris Leben kind of way. And who has gotten bigger pops from the crowds in their UFC fights, Quarry or Leben? The answer is Quarry, by far. Gurgel seemed like a total class act and a great representative of the sport, which is exactly what a TUF contestant should be. It's possible to have classy people on the show representing MMA, while still having entertaining television.

Source: MMA Weekly

MORE DETAILS ON SALAVERRY RELEASE

The Observer's Dave Meltzer has added additional details on top of what was previously reported by MMAWeekly about the UFC's decision to release Ivan Salaverry from his UFC contract. Meltzer reports that it was Salaverry's overly passive and defensive performance in the fight that caused him to be released by the UFC.

Meltzer reports, "The company [Zuffa] feels that at this stage, they can't afford to be using fighters who don't go out there and give the people good fights... there was a feeling that they had to do it [release Salaverry], but they hated doing it with Salaverry, who they liked. Stephan Bonnar got a six-figure contract [earlier this year] for a fight that he lost because he fought his heart out and gave people a fight of the year, while Salaverry refused to fight, and got cut."

Additionally, the UFC was not happy with the quality of the Ultimate Fight Night show due to the lackluster main event. Meltzer reports, "Unlike a lot of pro wrestling promotions, who have a bad show and then go into denial about it, both Dana White and Joe Silva were said to be upset after Ultimate Fight Night because of the main event, and they may have actually been more critical of the show than their audience. However, Spike TV was thrilled with the rating, even though to me it should have been a disappointment with all that hype. Spike felt it was a great rating for a Saturday night, and they achieved their goal of being the highest-rated sports telecast on cable for the day."

Source: MMA Weekly

 8/24/05

Quote of the Day

"Seek the lofty by reading, hearing and seeing great work at some moment every day."

Thornton Wilder, 1897-1975, American Novelist and Playwright

Marcelo Tigre happy with Fight Club

After doing the main fight and submitting Edson Godzila at Fight Club, on last June 16, Marcelo Tigre celebrates the bonus of the event held at Serejinho gymnasium, in Taguatinga (DF). Tigre was in a local channel in Brazil (TV Record) talking about the show at Esporte Record. See in the pictures bellow the pictures of the premiere night of DVD Fight Club, held last August 12. Over the autograph night, local rappers, the whole Banni Club crew and fighters were present. Highlights to Fight Club Girl Bia Freitas.

Source: Tatame

SHERK RETURNS TO MMA

After deciding to go into self-imposed retirement and stating he'd never participate on any "small shows" again, Sean Sherk has now announced that he has un-retired and will continue to feature on the small show circuit very soon.

Source: Fight Sport

PARISYAN SPEAKS: PART 1

Karo Parisyan was recently interviewed by journalist Brad Doerges. Here's what Parisyan had to say (Part 1 of a 2-part interview):

Interviewer: So your next fight is with Matt Hughes?

Parisyan: Uh Yes...

Interviewer: Is that confirmed?

Parisyan: No, not yet. Not against Hughes. A 3-fight contract... but not against Hughes. (The next week it was confirmed on another MMA news site.)

Interviewer: So you have 2 more fights left on that?

Parisyan: I need more money though... To sign the contract I need more money to fight Hughes. Hughes is a fighter... he is a champion. If I'm gonna fight for the title I need more money.

Interviewer: I'm with you... How much does he make a fight? 50 to fight 50, to win?

Parisyan: No, naw man... He just signed a contract for 3 fights for 450 thousand

Interviewer: Wow...

Parisyan: He made like 60 to fight, 60 to win, like 3 years ago... Now it's more. He's got a reality show now. I told Dana how about you put me and Matt on the reality show to promote the fight like Chuck and Randy.

Interviewer: That's a good idea. I thought it was weird that they put coaches from 2 different weight classes.

Parisyan: They wanted to put me against him (Hughes) in the reality show that's coming up in August. They wanted to give me a month to train for a title fight. Are you fucking nuts? I need like 2 1/2 - 3 months to train... God forbid I lose at least I know that I trained for the fight.

Interviewer: The first fight I ever saw you fight was against Fernando Vasconcelos. I actually thought that guy was gonna beat you.

Parisyan: You did? A lot of people thought that.

Interviewer: Well he was Jiu Jitsu world champion... Mundials winner.

Parisyan: A lot of people were like "Karo he's bullet proof, he's amazing..."

Interviewer: Hah! He couldn't even take you down.

Parisyan: The hardcore guys, like my friends... Chris Brennan... they are calling me telling me "Oh Karo you'll beat him... trust me you'll beat him... he can't beat you..." When Terry (Trebilcock) called me, he was like "He's just a Jiu-Jitsu black belt." Then I find out this guy schools Trigg... He was killing Shonie... World Champion Jiu-Jitsu guy, I was like what are you nuts dude? I fought 3 fights. I fought Jason Miller, Antonio McKee, and Fernando Vasconcelos in 3 1/2 months. It was ridiculous. I dunno, for some reason those were all really tough guys but I never really felt that much pressure on me for those fights. Now with the UFC it's much harder. I mean my opponents are not that much better but the training and stuff is a lot harder. I don't like it.

Interviewer: So you don't like the pressure?

Parisyan: Well the pressure is always there. One of the major things I hate is cutting that much weight. I hate cutting to 170.

Interviewer: What do you weigh right now?

Parisyan: I'm still going up. I'm about 184. The most I have ever been was before the Serra fight. Two months before the Serra fight I was 194. Never been that big in my life.

Interviewer: Cheeseburger diet?

Parisyan: No, actually, I wasn't eating that unhealthy. I was eating normal but I wasn't training as much...

Interviewer: Did you know that if you beat Fernando you would be going to the UFC?

Parisyan: Well, Gokor has been telling Joe Silva for a while get Karo in there, and he was always like "We'll see". Honestly, I was never like "Oh I wanna go to the UFC". I'm just a Judo guy and I fight when ever I want. It was just one day I got a call at like 8 in the morning, and Gokor is like congratulations you got in the UFC. Then I was like oh shit! I'm in the UFC. I was excited and like 2 months later oh I'm fighting Strasser? I was like I don't care, I'm fighting in the UFC!

Interviewer: What do you think the key to beating Matt Hughes is?

Parisyan: Well with Matt Hughes against me I'm pretty sure he is gonna have one game. His game is gonna be a ground and pound. Take me down, muscle me, and ground and pound me. He's not gonna have anything like a left hook to right upper cut to a drop fireman's to an armbar. It's not gonna happen. God forbid it doesn't happen. Anything can happen in a fight and Matt Hughes is the champion... he is unbelievable... I'm not underestimating him at all.

Interviewer: Should be a great fight.

Parisyan: I just know what he's gonna try and do. He's gonna try to out muscle me. If he tries to out grapple me that won't be that smart for him. He shouldn't try to grapple a grappler, it's like me trying to box a boxer. He will throw punches and kicks with me for sure, but it's all going to come down to him muscling me towards the cage and trying to take me down to set up his ground and pound. I'm going to try to circle away and try to take him down myself.

Interviewer: So do you think you will be able to throw him?

Parisyan: I have thrown a lot of guys before. I've foot swept Randy (Couture) before. I've thrown Dan Henderson before. It's practice, but I have fought great wrestlers before. In a fight it's different because you have punches, but when we clinch up... It's like Judo guys have the footwork, Randy and Hughes are more steady. I think Trigg is a better wrestler, but Hughes is just stronger and pushes like a truck. If you have seen the first fight between Hughes and Trigg, Trigg was just killing him. Boom, boom, boom, he was all over him because he had so much confidence in himself. If he had fought the same fight that he fought the first time in their last fight he would have beaten Hughes. But once you lose to somebody... they are in your head...

Interviewer: Hughes has won his last 2 fights by submission, are you afraid of his submission skills?

Parisyan: No. Big NO. But I mean anything can happen. I'm not underestimating him. He definitely has the power to submit people... Skill to some point... If he gets somebody's neck he will submit anybody because of his strength...

Interviewer: Have you ever trained with him or wrestled with him?

Parisyan: I never have even talked to him before, then at the last UFC he came into my dressing room before the Serra fight and said "Good luck Buddy". I was like Hmmm That's interesting.

Interviewer: What about his stand up?

Parisyan: Well he's not Pete Spratt... What I mean is he's not a kickboxer... He can still hit hard but like I said the only thing I'm gonna look for is... well not saying that I'm not gonna look out for his hands since last time when I fought Serra I almost got paid for it big time. Like I said before my biggest concern is him taking me down.

Interviewer: Have you been working on your standup for this fight?

Parisyan: Yeah, I'm starting to work with a professional boxing trainer. I have a seminar, then I'm coming back to work with him. He's supposed to be the hottest trainer right now. Start training some boxing and hit a lot of weights. Maybe train with Randy or something.

Interviewer: So how many times have you trained with Randy before?

Parisyan: I trained with him a few times. I called him before the last UFC and I told him Gene and Gokor aren't gonna be there (for the Serra fight), will you corner for me? He said "yeah, for sure of course, anything at all". So after I told him any time you are down here call me up and we can train. So I knew he would be down here last Thursday so I called him up and he was like "I can't, I'm booked in meetings". So I was like fine, call me whenever you can. Then he called me back and told me that his meetings were cancelled and that he would meet me at my dojo later.

Interviewer: So what was it like having Randy in your corner?

Parisyan: It was good... He was giving good advice like "Posture up", "Make your shots count", "Keep him there"... Great confidence booster... He's a great guy... Honestly bro, he's an ace... A class act... I'm telling you that you can't find too many guys like Randy... If he likes you, you're set... He had to wear a KTFO hat and a Full Contact shirt so I could get paid because of my contract... He said "No problem, I'll do anything to help you out". He's like the best. In the UFC he's the best as a fighter, as a person, as a coach. At the last UFC me and him walked into the training room with like 10 cameras after us Beyond the Glory... They were like "Hey Randy, can we take some photos?", and he says, "Well it's Karo's show, you're gonna have to ask him." I'm like "Uh Yeah! Most definitely." Insane. I couldn't even walk outside. People trying to get my autograph on napkins... Crazy.

Source: Fight Sport

 8/23/05

Quote of the Day

"A good cook is like a sorceress who dispenses happiness."

Elsa Schiaparelli, 1890-1973, Italian Designer

Ultimate Fighter Debut

Anybody from Casca Grossa tape the Ultimate Fighter? Being the egghead that I am, I just assumed that it would start at 9 pm so I worked late and tried to make it home by 9 pm (which I did, only to miss the whole damn show).

If you did, please make me a copy and bring it to class.

Thanks:

Egghead Mike

Fighters' Club TV Episode 32 TONIGHT!

This episode will run on
Aug. 9 and 16 (Tuesday nights) at 9:30PM on Channel 52.

Episode 32 features:

- Highlights from Shooto Hawaii

- Casey Daniels (MMAD) vs. Thiago Gonsalves (ATT)

- Ryan Fukuda (Academia Casca Grossa de Jiu-Jitsu/808 Fight Factory) vs. Edmund Li (HMC)

- Jim Kikuchi vs. Ryan Kronewitter (+interview with Jim)

- Ray “Braddah” Cooper vs. Hermes Franca (+interview with both fighters)

Tech of the Week
- Fernando “Margarida” Pontes

Proving Grounds
- The return of Marcelo Tigre vs. Joe Demeritt (+ interview with Marcelo)

- Interview with Sydney Silva on his encounter with a burglar—one of those great “Jiujitsu in Action” stories, so don’t miss it!

plus, your two favorite FCTV hosts, Mike “the Icon” Onzuka and Mark “Special K” Kurano

Don’t forget to check out our website by clicking on our banner—cool factoids.

Questions, Comments? Email us: fightersclubtv808@hotmail.com

UFC 54 Pictures and Breakdown

Go to the MMA Weekly
Photo Gallery to see the pictures

James Irvin VS Terry Martin

While he seemed every bit the warrior as he came out to the Octagon wearing a ski mask and some Road Warrior-esque shoulder pads, things would not go Terry Martin’s way against James Irvin. With the crowd behind him, Irvin landed the sharper punches in the early exchanges.

When things got to close range it was Terry who shined bright as he managed to slam Irvin numerous times but was unable to pass the guard and do serious damage. As the first round ended it would be easy to say that Martin was in the lead for his slams and control.

The second round started with a bang; literally, as James Irvin caught Terry coming in on a shoot with possibly the wickedest knee the UFC has seen in a long time. Martin’s body went instantly stiff as he fell back to the canvas unconscious giving the win to James. James Irvin appears to be the new rising force in the 205lb division and in a year or two could definitely compete for the title.

Trevor Prangley VS Travis Lutter

The evening’s second prelim featured a contrast in styles as Trevor Prangley’s striking managed to get the better of Travis Lutter’s grappling as Prangley pulled off a unanimous decision victory.

Early on the size difference was evident as Lutter was never able to keep Trevor in any trouble despite having the edge in takedowns. It was action below the belt that sealed the round for Lutter as Trevor couldn’t keep his shots up, landing two low blows giving Lutter the advantage going into the second.

In the second round Prangley managed to open up a cut on Lutter with short elbows in Travis’ guard, giving him the advantage as things went to the third. The final round replayed much like the previous with Lutter working takedowns but Trevor dominated the action and opened up another cut on Lutter sealing the fight in his favor.

Matt Lindland VS Joe Doerksen

In what was a display of ground transitions, reversals and skill, Matt Lindland defeated Joe Doerksen via unanimous decision in a three round war of attrition.

To his credit Joe showed great skill in the takedown, taking down an Olympic Silver Medal winner on numerous occasions with various Judo trips and throws. But the soul-decimating ground game of Lindland claimed another victim as he stifled everything Joe threw his way.

With sweeps and escapes coming by the dozen Lindland managed to stay away from Joe’s highly regarded ground game. Fighting off rear naked chokes and armbars, Lindland held Doerksen on his back early and often. Thus proving that Lindland is indeed proficient in submission defense and offence as he went for multiple guillotine attempts.

This went on throughout the fight and due to his use of dominant position Lindland was able to secure the victory. With the win Matt should be next in line to face current UFC Middleweight Champion Rich Franklin either in a PPV or Spike TV live broadcast before the end of the year.

Frank Trigg VS Georges St. Pierre

Heading into the bout between Frank Trigg and Georges St. Pierre, many wondered if Georges could wrestle Trigg and do more than just throw fancy kicks and slick submissions, and he did, impressively.

If there was one performance more dominating on the card than what St. Pierre provided it would be hard to find. Georges owned every bit of the fight that lasted just over four minutes. After a brief stand up exchange the fight went to the ground after a failed Frank Trigg shot and from there it was all downhill for Trigg.

St. Pierre dominated position and went for numerous submissions before mounting Trigg and cutting him open on the head. From there Trigg gave up his back and St. Pierre was able to quickly secure the rear naked and take one step closer to getting a rematch with Matt Hughes or Karo Parisyan depending on the outcome of their fight.

Brian Gassaway VS Diego Sanchez

Initially billed as a classic striker VS grappler type battle, the match between Brian Gassaway and Diego Sanchez became more a match of hungry youth overcoming veteran experience as Diego won the fight in the second round via verbal submission.

Early on it was clear that Sanchez wanted no part of Gassaway’s stand up game as he took Brian down and worked for position throughout the first round. Gassaway was able to fend off Diego on numerous occasions but he only ended up finding himself back on the bottom regardless of the wizard-like escapes he pulled off.

In the second round Diego again placed Gassaway on his back with Diego raining down shots from the mount. This time however Gassaway was unable to use the cage to help him escape and Diego’s relentless assault became too much for Brian to handle as he tapped out amidst a barrage of Diego strikes.

Diego continues to look impressive in his UFC PPV debut and will most likely take another fight before the year as he pays his dues before being considered for a title shot sometime next year.

Randy Couture VS Mike Van Arsdale

When people initially viewed this fight it appeared as if something was wrong with Randy Couture when he faced off against Mike Van Arsdale. The once dominant wrestler looked tentative and sometimes not as crisp as he had in the past and it was for good reason.

This fight almost didn’t happen due to a knee injury Couture had suffered prior to the fight. It took all his charm and persuasion for Randy to convince the NSAC to allow him to fight on UFC 54. Like a true warrior Couture fought through the injury and managed to pull of a submission victory over Van Arsdale in the third round.

In the early going Mike seemed to have Randy back on his toes, landing the sharper punches and out wrestling Couture throughout the first round. With the injury hampering his movement Couture was able to stave off anything that Mike was able to throw his way and used his intelligence on the ground, going for submissions and landing knees to Mike’s shoulders when in the north/south position.

The third round started with an interesting exchange across the Octagon as Randy winked and smiled at Van Arsdale from his corner with Mike replying in kind. Feeling the need to possibly finish the fight before his knee could become a factor, Randy charged through Van Arsdale’s punches and took Mike down against the cage and applied the anaconda choke ala Minotauro Nogueira to finish the fight just under a minute into the fight.

Randy keeps himself in the hunt to regain the title with the win and could either face his originally slated opponent, Babalu Sobral, or give a rematch to Jeremy Horn or even possibly face rising star James Irvin before getting a rubber match with Chuck Liddell.

Tim Sylvia VS Tra Telligman

When it was announced that Tim Sylvia would be facing Tra Telligman instead of Assuerio Silva at UFC 54 people knew that the fight had the potential to have an explosive finish and did it ever.

The two strikers exchanged punches throughout the first round with Tim using his size and reach to his advantage keeping Tra at bay throughout the round. At around the three minute mark Telligman began to show signs of Tim’s peppering as his face began to swell before a cut opened below his left eye from Tim’s shots.

To Telligman’s credit he did land punches in the fight but Tim was able to walk through them showing little regard for Tra’s power. With just seconds left in the fight Tim launched a kick that landed clean on Tra’s face sending Telligman down violently giving the win to Tim via KO with just one second remaining in the round.

Telligman would become the second fighter in the evening, along with Terry Martin, to be taken out of the Octagon on a stretcher. Reports from the hospital have Tra recovering well from the KO despite him not regaining his senses until well after he left the MGM Grand Garden Arena.

With the win the UFC’s “Big Man” is indeed back and to further silence his critics, Sylvia tested negative to a random drug test administered by the NSAC to ensure there was no possible controversy involving his earlier infraction. With another win or two Tim could find himself back in the championship picture as he hopes to rematch Andrei Arlovski in 2006.

Chuck Liddell VS Jeremy Horn

In the evening’s main event all the questions were answered. Chuck Liddell, while not able to knock out Jeremy Horn, was able to knock him down and completely take Jeremy out of his game.

Easily larger than Horn, Chuck was able to land the harder shots standing, putting down Horn multiple times throughout the first round. On the first couple of occasions Liddell fallowed Jeremy down, attempting to TKO Horn but soon he realized Horn’s ploy and didn’t fallow Horn to the ground thus avoiding submission situations.

This continued on throughout all three rounds with Jeremy occasionally landing punches and kicks to Liddell, but it was nothing compared to what Chuck unleashed. Easily able to walk though Jeremy’s strikes, Chuck easily overpowered Jeremy’s takedown attempts.

Finally the accumulated damage took its toll on Horn as his vision eroded throughout the fight and he was unable to continue after being again placed on the floor by Chuck’s right hand. The Iceman wins interestingly enough via verbal submission and retains his UFC Light-Heavyweight Championship.

Next up for Liddell could be a possible rematch with Quinton “Rampage” Jackson if he can be signed to a deal. If not then he may face Forrest Griffin, Stephan Bonnar or possibly even a final match with Randy Couture if an immediate challenger cannot be found.

One thing is for sure, Chuck Liddell is a far more complete fighter than many gave him credit for going into the fight and unless someone can take him down and keep him down his reign should last well into the future.

Source: MMA Weekly

Wanderlei 100% no injures in Pride

All injures that bothered Wanderlei Silva in the past are gone. Now Silva says he is ready to face Ricardo Arona on next August 28. Pride Middleweight champion also celebrates the new acquisitions made by Chute Boxe, as Boxing trainer Ulisses Pereira, who trains Brazilian boxer Acelino Popó Freitas. "Ulisses is the best trainer of Brazil and he has a team profile. I'm learning a lot with him and with no contusions, I'll be in my better shape," says Wanderlei. You cannot miss the full preview of Pride Middleweight GP at TATAME #115, which is already available at TATAMEShop. Read what Silva and Ricardo Arona expect from this semifinal, which promises to be a real war!

Source: Tatame

Villaver International Productions Presents
"Night of the Hawaiian Punch!"
Pro Boxing is Back in Hawaii!
Neal Blaisdell Arena
September 6, 2005
Fights start at 7:30 PM
Tickets are available at all ticketmaster locations, Blaisdell box office
Charge by phone at 1-877-750-4400 or
www.ticketmaster.com

Guests scheduled to attend include former WBA World Jr. Lightweight Champion Ven Villaflor & former WBA World Jr. Featherweight Champion "the Hawaiian Punch" Jesus Salud.

Main Event 10 Rounds
WBO World Champion
Ratanachai Sor Vorapin (Bangkok, Thailand)
vs.
Pedro Melco Jr (Asia Pacific No 6 Ranked from Zamboanga, Philippines

Co-Main Event 6 Rounds
Kosol Sor Vorapin (Bangkok, Thailand)
vs.
Dustin Kim (Mililani, Hawaii)

Phom Sor Vorapin (Bangkok, Thailand)
vs.
Michael Balasi (Honolulu, Hawaii)

Travis Tandal (Kaimuki, Hawaii)
vs.
Aaron Carvalho (Hilo, Hawaii)

Kaleo Kwan (Waimanalo, Hawaii)
vs.
Edwin Navarro (Honolulu, Hawaii)

Super Brawl / Icon Sport Announces Full Contact Showdown #5 at MCBH-Kaneohe Bay:


Honolulu, HI, July 18, 2005 - Today Super Brawl / Icon Sport announced its fifth installment of the Full Contact Showdown (FCS). FCS#5 will take place at 8 p.m. on
Saturday, September 10, 2005 in the Kahuna's Sports Bar & Grill "E-Club" Ballroom at MCBH-Kaneohe Bay ("Marine Core Base Hawaii").

The FCS series provides amateur and young professional mixed martial arts athletes the opportunity to compete in a professionally-produced promotion. The events also provide both civilian and military fans the chance to enjoy exciting mixed martial arts bouts in an intimate, fan-friendly setting. The Kahuna's Sports Bar & Grill , which has a full bar, multiple beer stations, and superb and affordable dining, comfortably seats 800 fans in its "E-Club" Ballroom. Every seat in the house gives fans up-close viewing of the amazing action.

Successful FCS fighters earn the opportunity to "move up" to the high-profile Super Brawl / Icon Sport promotions, where international exposure, competition, prize money greatly increases. The FCS series have drawn large groups of fans to Windward Oahu's MCBH-Kaneohe Bay, with every show reaching near sell-out capacity.

Rising Middleweight super-star Steve Byrnes, a war-veteran sergeant stationed at MCBH-Kaneohe Bay, will once again headline the event. Byrnes won the FCS Middleweight belt at Bayfest's outdoor presentation of FCS#4 on July 3, 2005. After a quick exchange of strikes, Byrnes quickly submitted his opponent, Aaron Rose, via "rear naked choke" in round one of the main event. FCS#5 will be Byrnes' first title defense.

Kaipo Kalama (Middleweight - Team M.M.A.D.), Ray "King Kong" Seraille (Heavyweight - Grappling Unlimited), Mike Leonguerrero (U.S. Marine; Lightweight - Bulls Pen), Justin Holcombe (U.S. Marine; Lightweight - Bulls Pen), Austin Hernandez (Flyweight - Bulls Pen), and Kyle Miyahana (Welterweight - freelance) are among a number of young fighters scheduled to compete at FCS#5.

Tickets for FCS#5 will go on sale on Friday, July 29 at Dreamworld Tattoo, located behind famous Keneke's restaurant in Waimanalo.

$35 Ringside (first two rows)
$20 Military general admission
$20 Non-Military pre-sale general admission
$25 Non-Military day-of general admission

SPECIAL TICKET & T-SHIRT OFFER:
Receive one general admission ticket and one official Full Contact Showdown T-Shirt (sizes L and XL available) for just $33.
OR
Receive one ringside ticket and one official Full Contact Showdown T-Shirt for just $45. T-Shirt designs are attached to this email. This offer applies to pre-sale tickets only at Dreamworld Tattoo in Waimanalo.

For more information about Full Contact Showdown #5, contact Patrick Freitas, Super Brawl / Icon Sport / Full Contact Showdown Director of Promotions at (808) 375-1645 or
superbrawl21@yahoo.com.

The Full Contact Showdown is sponsored by:
Steinlager
Dreamworld Tattoo
Military Nutrition
Fighter's Corner
En Fuego Grill & Poke
Sugoi
Fatboy's Diner

Source: Patrick Freitas

 8/22/05

Quote of the Day

"You can live a lifetime and, at the end of it,
know more about other people than you know about yourself."

Beryl Markham, 1902-1986, English Aviator

Shooto Rankings


WORLD RANKING

Bantamweight
C Mamoru
1 Robson Moura
2 Yasuhiro Urushitani
3 Junji Ikoma
4 BJ
5 Homare Kuboyama
6 Setsu Iguchi – New (Draw Kuboyama)
7 Takeyasu Hirono – Up (Win Kurata)
8 Daiji Takahashi – Down (Up Hirono)
9 Masatoshi Abe – Down (Up Hirono)
10 Hiroaki Yoshioka – Down (Up Hirono)

Featherweight
C Ryota Matsune
1 Marco Louro
2 Akitoshi Hokazono – Up (*)
3 Daniel Lima – Up (*)
4 Naoya Uematsu – Up (*)
5 Masahiro Oishi – Up (Win Akimoto)
6 Kenji Osawa
7 Jose Aldo – Up (Down Akimoto)
8 Jin Akimoto – Qown (Lose Oishi)
9 Shuichirou Katsumura – Up (*)
10 Ryan Ackerman – Again (*)
*Imaizumi seceded from Shooto.

Lightweight
C Alexandre Nogueira
1 Gilbert Melendez
2 Hiroyuki Takaya
3 Rumina Sato
4 Joao Roque
5 Katsuya Toida – Up (Win Ishikawa)
6 Makoto Ishikawa – Down (Lose Toida)
7 Stephen Paling – Down (Up Toida)
8 Hiroyuki Abe – Down (Up Toida)
9 Jens Pulver – Down (Up Toida)
10 Hatsu Hioki – New (Win Kadowaki)

Welterweight
C Tatsuya Kawajiri
1 Vitor Ribeiro
2 Joachim Hansen
3 Kotetsu Boku
4 Mitsuhiru Ishida
5 Takashi Nakakura
6 Ray Cooper
7 Ryan Bow
8 Kaoru Uno
9 Gesias Cavalcante
10 Jani Lax
*All the same.

Middleweight
C Akira Kikuchi
1 Jake Shields
2 Jutaro Nakao
3 Ronald Jhun
4 David Baron
5 Sauli Heilimo
6 Shinya Aoki – Up (Win Iwase)
7 Kuniyoshi Hironaka
8 Chris Lytle
9 Shigetoshi Iwase
10 Ruis Ramos

Light Heavyweight
C Masanori Suda
1 Dustin Denes
2 Shiko Yamashita
3 Egan Inoue
4 Martijn de Jong
5 Scott Henze
6 Curtis Stout
7 Ryuta Sakurai
8 Jon Fitch
9 David Bielkheden
10 Ivan Jorge
*All the same.

PACIFIC-RIM

Featherweight / -60kg
C Vacant
1 Akitoshi Hokazono – Up (*)
2 Daniel Lima – Up (*)
3 Naoya Uematsu – Up (*)
4 Masahiro Oishi – Up (Win Akimoto)
5 Kenji Osawa
6 Jin Akimoto
7 Kimihito Nonaka – Up (*)
8 Shuichiro Katsumura – Up (*)
9 So Tazawa – Up (*)
*Imaizumi seceded from Shooto.

Lightweight / -65kg
C Rumina Sato
1 Gilbert Melendez
2 Hiroyuki Takaya
3 Stephen Paling
4 Katsuya Toida – Up (Win Ishikawa)
5 Makoto Ishikawa – Down (Lose Toida)
6 Hiroyuki Abe – Down (Up Toida)
7 Hatsu Hioki – Up (Win Kadowaki)
8 Hideki Kadowaki – Down (Lose Hioki)
9 Lion Takeshi – Down (Up Hioki)
10 Jin Kazeta – Again (Win Yamada)

Welterweight / -70kg
C Kotetsu Boku
1 Mitsuhiro Ishida
2 Takashi Nakakura
3 Ray Cooper
4 Ryan Bow
5 Kaoru Uno
6 Kenichiro Togashi – Up (Win Tentsuku)
7 Daisuke 'Amazon' Sugie – Up (Win Gill)
8 Takaharu Murahama – Down (Up Togashi, Sugie)
9 Ganjo Tentsuku – Down (Lose Togashi)
10 Takumi

Middleweight / -76kg
C Vacant
1 Jake Shields
2 Jutaro Nakao
3 Ronald Jhun
4 Shinya Aoki – Up (Win Iwase)
5 Kuniyoshi Hironaka – Down (Up Aoki)
6 Shigetoshi Iwase
7 Mark Moreno
8 Deshaun Johnson

9 Cris Brown

Mike Swick - Interview with the Ultimate Fight Night Winner

JW: You've won both your fights in UFC via quick knockout. Have you been planning to go in there and bang or is that just how it has been working out for you?

MS: I always want to bang but you can never count on it always working out like it has. I just wait for the right opportunity and take it.

JW: Did the late opponent change alter your game plan at all?

MS: It did change things because as a fighter, Gideon is completely opposite of Rockel. Rockel is a ground guy while Gideon is a striker. I was preparing for Rockel but when I found out it would be Gideon we just changed our strategy. We train in all aspects so it didn’t really mess the plan up too much.

JW: Do you think fans are expecting the fast knockout from you now? Do you have any surprises up your sleeve in regards to how you'll fight your next match?

MS: I think they count on me being aggressive and going for the KO, and that will never change. As far as tricks, well, there is a lot I haven’t been able to show yet. I am anxious to showcase all my abilities.

JW: UFC has largely been booking The Ultimate Fighter competitors against other fighters who do not have much UFC experience as well. Do you agree with this matchmaking tactic or do you think The Ultimate Fighter guys should be booked against the company's bigger stars quicker?

MS: I don’t really think about it. I just train. When Joe calls and gives me a name, then I start focusing on that opponent.

JW: When do you think you'll be ready to move up and take on the top fighters at middleweight?

MS: I like to think I am ready now.

JW: Has UFC approached you about your next fight? When do you think it will take place? Whom will you fight, or whom would you like to fight?

MS: I am healing up now so I will not be ready to fight until November or December. I went into this fight really injured so I need to take time off to heal my body. As far as who I will fight next, I am not sure yet.

JW: If you were approached about a title fight with Rich Franklin, would you be interested in taking it at this point?

MS: Hahaha… That’s not going to happen right now, but, I will not say no to the UFC. Whoever they ask me to fight is who I will be stepping the the octagon with unless I am in a cast or on crutches.

JW: Did you have a chance to watch the Salaverry-Marquardt fight? What were your thoughts on that?

MS: I saw most of it. From my take on it, I think it was two very talented fighters giving each other too much respect. I think they both have the ability to be exciting it just didn’t work out that night.

JW: Whom do you think should get the first title shot against Franklin?

MS: I thought Lindland is already getting the shot. I think Dave Loiseau is close as well. There is a lot of talent in the Middleweight division and I am just happy to get a chance to fight these guys…

JW: Is there anything you want to add to the interview?

MS: Thanks and I would first like to thank my sponsors: Xyience, Sprawl, Cobb-28, Innerpimp.com, Zinkin Entertainment, Bite-Me Mouthguards, And Score Clinic. Please visit my webpage for News, Videos, Photos, and contact info… www.MikeSwick.com

Source: Maxfighting

SAKU TRAINS WITH WANDERLEI & CHUTE BOXE


Arrived in Curitiba this Friday, August 19th, the Japanese Idol Kasushi Sakuraba. Very friendly with everyone and showing an impressive humility, Sakuraba enjoyed his first training in Chute Boxe Academy, the interchange of two months in Curitiba could be an excellent opportunity for the local fighters to change some experiences with Sakuraba.

This morning all fighter were back to the Academy for the last training together before the travel of the Chute Boxe Team next Monday for the GP finals in Japan. In a very rare moment we could see the two potential GP finalists training together and as we can see both are ready to go!!!!

Source: MMA Weekly

Sakara and Babalú at UFC 55's cage

After meeting at Jungle Fight, Renato Babalúand Italian Aléssio Sakara meet once again, at this time at Ultimate Fighting Championship 55, schedule to go on October 7, in Connecticut, US. Meanwhile Sakara takes on Australian Elvis Sinosic, Babalú's manager deals a fight with American Chael Sonnen.

- I am recovered from the contusion, which spoiled me in the earlier edition. I am getting ready for this bout, but the only one who may confirm it, it's my manager - Babalú says. Contacted by TATAME, Gracie Barra Combat Team's manager Carlo Malta confirmed the whole deal and he expects to close it as soon as possible. Sonnen has fought 20 times and won 16 at Pancrase, Euphoria and Xtreme Fighting Organization, among others.

Brazilian Assuério Silva, who did not fight at UFC 53, will not be disputing UFC 55 as well. "He will not fight because he still recovers himself from a contusion. But he has been training hard to return with better shape," says his manager Jorge Guimarães Joinha.

Source: Tatame

 8/21/05

Quote of the Day

"A smooth sea never made a skillful mariner."

English Proverb

Academia Casca Grossa de Jiu-Jitsu
Is Open
Today!

This is just a reminder to those who Mike mistakenly told that the class was going to be closed this Sunday.

The Academy
is actually going to be closed on Sunday, September 4th due to getting the floors done.

Marcelo Garcia Seminar Change!
Saturday, August 27th from 3-6 pm, and on Sunday, August 28th from 3-6 pm
Palolo Hongwanji at 1641 Palolo avenue, just up from Waialae Avenue in Kaimuki



Aloha everyone, There was a mix-up at the Hongwanji, so we have to change to Friday evening session to Saturday in the afternoon.

So, the days of the Marcelo Garcia seminar will be held on
Saturday, August 27th from 3-6 pm, and on Sunday, August 28th from 3-6 pm.

Hopefully, this will be better for everyone. Thanks for understanding. If you have any questions, please call 864-1620.

Mahalo,
Burton Richardson

UFC 54: Boiling Point Results!

UFC 54: 'Boiling Point'
August 20th, 2005
MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, NV


Torre Guilty of Murder,
Prosecution Won't Seek Death Penalty

by Josh Gross (joshg@sherdog.com)

Rafiel Torre was convicted in Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.'s West Valley Superior Court Thursday for the December 2001 murder of Bryan Richards, the husband of Torre's former mistress.

The 11-woman, 1-man jury, which began deliberations on the case Monday, also ruled Torre's killing of Richards was made for financial gain — Richards had a $1 million life insurance policy — leaving open the possibility that Torre could receive the death penalty. The prosecution, however, has decided against pursuing this option. Instead, he will likely be sentenced to life in prison without possibility of parole.*

Covered by trash bags and wheeled dollies, Richards was found in the bed of his pick-up truck parked in a local supermarket parking lot. He was murdered by what prosecutors described as a "lion killer" choke (in MMA vernacular a "rear-naked” choke).

Torre, 40, trained and taught Brazilian jiu-jitsu under the guise of being a black belt in the grappling sport, but later admitted that his credentials were inflated. He fought just once, a dubious February 2001 submission victory in King of the Cage versus Ioka Tianuu.

While testifying, Torre — known in mixed martial arts circles as a part-time reporter, personality, broadcaster and fighter — alleged that his girlfriend, Angelina Richards, was in fact responsible for her 32-year-old husband's death, but that at her behest he aided in covering up the murder.

"That was her idea, not mine," Torre testified.

The jury, however, did not believe Torre's claim and handed down its ruling this afternoon.

*It was initially reported that the death penalty would be a possibility for Torre. The Inland Valley Daily Bulletin’s Rod Leveque informed Sherdog.com late Thursday that the prosecution had taken it off the table.

Information from the Daily Bulletin was used for this report

Source: Sherdog

Did UFC Make The Right Decision With Mir?
By Jeremy Wall

Did UFC make the right decision with Mir? Yes. That's your short answer. Now for the long one.

UFC stripped Frank Mir of his version of the UFC Heavyweight title, a title that Mir never defended even once. Frank Mir was really only the UFC heavyweight champion for a few short weeks. The injuries from the motorcycle accident last autumn (nearly a year ago!) have shelved him for so long, and the (until recently) interim Heavyweight champ Andrei Arlovski has been so dominant, that no one was buying into the concept of Frank Mir being the "real" heavyweight champ.

Of course, the biggest fight UFC could do at this point in the heavyweight division would have been the title unification match between Arlovski and Mir. UFC does not exactly have the strongest heavyweight division in the history of MMA, but they are certainly better off at this point than they have been maybe since the days of Couture as heavyweight champ. Arlovski vs. Mir would have been the icing on the cake.

But it is not like that fight would have been a mega draw on pay per view. Arlovski probably has more name value than Mir, since he has been champion in an era of UFC that features The Ultimate Fighter reality show and folds of new fans coming in from TV viewership. Mir won the UFC title before many of these brand spanking new fans had ever watched a single UFC fight. Yes, Mir only won the title last year, but sometimes a year can be forever... especially in such a young and developing sport like MMA.

In my opinion, Arlovski would have defeated Mir had they stepped into the octagon against each other this year. And he would still defeat him if the fight happens sometime down the line in the UFC. As evidenced by his loss against Ian Freeman, Mir doesn't like to get hit. Unfortunately for him, Arlovski likes to hit. Mir is amazing on the ground and there's a chance he could have submitted Arlovski, but Arlovski is a talented enough fighter to be submissions aware and should be able to avoid any problems on the mat with Mir. Mir was asking for an Arlovski knockout.

It would have been an interesting match, but I think the alternate fight, the newly announced Arlovski vs. Paul Buentello for the Heavyweight title, should actually be a more exciting fight. Buentello can bang. Of course, so can Arlovski. And odds are, unless Arlovski does like he did against Tim Sylvia and submits Buentello rather quickly, they will go out and do what we all want them to do best: beat the snot out of each other.

Luckily UFC has Buentello about, though, because without him, there really isn't another challenger for the Heavyweight belt. Many people complained about Arlovski being booked against Justin Eilers when UFC had no other opponent for Arlovski with the exception of Buentello. Eilers did not deserve the title fight, and that was made clear when he was destroyed quickly. Although Eilers vs. Arlovski was not an ideal fight and UFC could have booked the more deserving Buentello in the role of challenger at that point, booking Eilers proved intelligent on UFC's part for the long-term. If Buentello had fought Arlovski then and lost, who would they book against Arlovski now with Mir still on the shelf?

It is possible that instead of Buentello fighting Kevin Jordan, then Eilers would have. Eilers may have won that fight, and we would end up with Eilers vs. Arlovski now, which may not be so bad because at least Eilers would not be going into a title fight after a knockout loss. If Kevin Jordan won, we might be seeing Jordan vs. Arlovski. Although Jordan is a good heavyweight fighter, he is also not ready for a title shot against Arlovski.

Where UFC goes with Arlovski should he beat Buentello at UFC 55 will be interesting. Next year might be the biggest year ever for the UFC's heavyweight division, as all the new signees that will be coming off The Ultimate Fighter Season 2 heavyweight division will add a new spark of starpower to that weight class. It's just a question, though, if anyone will be able to rise to meet the challenge of Arlovski next year as we may be a long time off before there are any real, deserving contenders for the UFC Heavyweight title.

Source: Maxfighting

Marquardt Camp:
First Retest "Negative" for Banned Substances

by Sherdog.com

Nathan Marquardt's (Pictures) initial re-test of his post-Salaverry urinalysis, which showed significant traces of nandrolone metabolite (an indicator of illegal steroid use), has come back "negative for any banned substance," said a statement released Thursday afternoon by the middleweight's manager, Will Hendricks.

Monday's re-test results from Nevada should be available tomorrow, the statement also indicated. The Denver, Colo.-based fighter contends he never took steroids, and leading up to the August 6 fight in Las Vegas used three over-the-counter supplements — Max Stack Plus, by MM Sports Nutrition; P6 Extreme, by Cellucor: Pro-hormone technology; and Andro 250, (Androstenedione) by AST Sports Science.

Source: Sherdog

TUF Season II Participant, Jorge Gurgel
By Sean McClure

His last name is pronounced “Gurz-shell” not “gurgle” and he is quick to correct you on that. You have seen him many times if you have watched UFC Middleweight Champion, Rich Franklin fight. He is the guy in his corner, that confident and commanding voice you hear yelling at Rich when he is in the Octagon. Jorge is a real professional and one of the most compassionate and giving individuals I have ever met. With his appearance on season 2 of Spike TV’s Ultimate Fighter I can only hope he gets the proper respect he most assuredly deserves. This is my interview with one of my MMA idols, and my friend Jorge Gurgel. I sat down with him on August 13th at the Jorge Gurgel MMA academy in Middletown Ohio.

How long have you been in MMA?

I have been Competing since 2000.

Do you have any memorable fights that jump out in your mind right now?

All of them. I like to keep them action packed, as you see, I have been defined as a completely different Brazilian. I am a Brazilian black belt but I like to keep my fights standing. I like standing a lot. Every single one of the fights, it was different and special in a different way to me. They are all fun and I realized each time I fought, as soon as I got done all I thought about is, when can I fight again? I got hooked on it. I don’t have a special fight maybe the Jay Ireland fight was one, it was the fight of the year at KOTC in Feb. Everyone talks about that fight. Probably my favorite.

I know that when people say “Jorge Gurgel” they remember KOTC specifically. When I mention your name that is what everyone says, KOTC. That has all changed. Now if you go to websites, they are talking about Jorge and the Ultimate Fighter. I know you can’t talk about that, but if you could just give us some thoughts about your experience.

Absolutely, it was the best thing I have ever done in my life as far as an athlete, a professional athlete. To go and learn about yourself to see how far you are in the sport to compare what you know with other professional athletes nowadays, to try to go mainstream, and try to make your sport mainstream. You have to know about nutrition and training, have good work ethics, and you have to have dedication. That makes a professional athlete. When you walk into a house with a bunch of guys, some of them have little concept of what it is. Most of them just fight because they fought in the school and it beats an 8 to 5 job. It puts everything in perspective for you and makes you really learn a lot about yourself. It is the best thing I have ever done.

I know you are injured, and I know a lot of people reading this interview are going to want to know how it happened. I know you are limited as to what you can say, but did this happen during a fight or a workout?

I already went with a previous ACL injury. But you know how I am I stuck through the whole thing until then end. That’s when the UFC offered to pay for my surgery.

When is Jorge Gurgel going to be back in the ring?

Whenever the UFC calls me and they say “are you ready” and I can say I am 100% ready. That is all I am striving for. I am working out 2 hours a day in the gym to get stronger and 3 hours a day, spread 3 times a day with physical therapy and rehab for my knee. My diet is perfect I don’t party. I am focusing on getting better so I can go the UFC and show what I can do when I am healthy.

From watching you fight I can tell you are going to go there and do well. The other question is about training… How do you recover from an injury like this?

You don’t accept negativity from anybody. You think you are going to be 100% and you make yourself 100%. If everybody believed what doctors say; that you will never do this or do that again, it is a block that you’ve got to go against and you’ve got to fight adversity. The doctor told me I would be 100%. There are fighters fighting right now in the UFC and PRIDE that have had the same surgery done, football players in the NFL have had it done numerous times. I will be 100% I will just have to really dedicate myself to my rehab and to train hard. I believe in 6 months I will be ready and good as new.

When I am watching a fight I also try to watch and listen to the fighter’s corner man. Most people don’t realize that you are the corner man for UFC Middleweight Champion, Rich Franklin.

Yes, I have been his corner since his first fight in the UFC.

Just to let the fans know, whenever you see that head pop over the cage when Rich wins, that you right.

Yeah, that’s me.

Obviously you train champions, so what do you tell these guys, or what do you tell Rich that drives him?

We feed off each other. Rich is a thinking fighter. Rich is the guy that does everything methodically. I am the emotional one. I am the one who says you do it or you don’t come back or look me in the face until you get it done. That is how I coach him and that is how I get a spark going in him. I will either make you or break you. There is no middle term. That is how I teach all my students and Rich is no different. Because he is the Middleweight Champion of the world, I am not going to treat him any different. I go into the ring and say your do this, you listen to what I am saying and you will win this fight. He has always listened and he has always won.

I have noticed you have a lot of new fighters here. (Oh yeah) I think the word about JG MMA is spreading because there were people lined up almost packed to the door. Do you attribute that to your work ethic or the popularity of MMA right now?

I honestly know it is 8 years of hard working. It comes from eating leftovers when I first came to America and teaching 10 people. And now I have 10 affiliate schools around the country. This is the main school. I have over 350 students and a professional fighting team with about 20 amateur and professional fighters that I lead by example. I would never tell anyone to do something that I couldn’t do myself. When you walk through my door if you have a good attitude and do what I say and don’t have an ego, if you have an ego I will get rid of it in the first 5 minutes. You want to be a part of the family, you can’t have an ego. We train together I will make sure you are ready to fight to the best of my ability to win. But this is not a democracy. It is dictatorship and I run the ship here. Because if we lose, I will take the blame. If things are done the way I want, we will win. I am very proud of Rich because he has never questioned me and always done what I told him to and look at him now.

Most people don’t realize that you have other fighters all around the country involved in MMA. For example, you have a student that is helping Jeremy Horn train for his fight against Chuck Liddell.

Yes, Billy Rush. He was mine and Rich’s first nutritionist, the strength and conditioning coach. He is actually training Jeremy full time now. We have a student named Mike that was partnering with Rich today, he is fighting for the FFC World Title in September. WE have Dusty Hazel that just beat Jay Ireland in KOTC. I have guys fighting KOTC, IFC all from team Jorge Gurgel. Chris Wells, who trained here today, from Atlanta… he has been offered fights anywhere in the world. Guys that fight in Japan. I think it is just strong leadership and loyalty that makes everybody so great. We beat the crap out of each other hear but nobody has bad intentions or bad feelings. Nobody is a person that won’t fit in. If you come in here and the core of the team doesn’t like someone, I will just politely ask them to leave. That has never happened but one bad seed can ruin everything. This is my family. I moved here alone with no family around me. So, my students and my team are my family and I want to have a good family. I want everyone to be friends family, everyone is welcome to the door. I don’t care if it is Sakuraba, I don’t care if anyone from Japan comes here and trains as long as they show respect for the sport and respect for my house when they are in my house. This is my house.

If you could sum up what you’ve built in a sentence or a word or a feeling, how would you do that?

I could never do this, to be honest, without God. It’s complicated. I left my country with a full ride scholarship there. Left my family, everything I owned to come here and pursue a fighting dream when everybody was calling me crazy eight years ago. My mother included. And now I see everybody saying, there is Jorge, my mom saying “there is my son, He made it”. I have no grudges, but I always knew I was going to make it. I drove myself to do it, I wanted to do it, and I did it. People say you live the great American dream, which is to come to a different country and be successful. Well, I haven’t done it yet, but I am very happy with what I have. But it was a very hard road. Harder than most people think. The past eight years weren’t that pretty. I used to have to sleep on the floor I had no money to buy food. And now, I am a professional in mixed martial arts, at the top of the food chain because that is all I did for eight years. I didn’t go out partying I didn’t go out drinking. I was in the gym every day. I am training every day. I am with Rich Franklin 6 days a week, 5 hours a day. So it’s all due to hard work and believing. I believed in myself when nobody else did. Now everybody believes. It is just me wanting to do something and make my family proud. Hopefully, one day I will be able to do that.

I think you have. Anybody who knows you, knows you are successful and will continue to be successful. If you could choose any fighter in the UFC that you could step in the ring with, not a vendetta or anything, just someone you could test yourself against, who would it be?

That is a great question but it goes against one of my principles, It is about looking up to a fighter that I would like to fight. I don’t like to do this that is why I have a manager. I’ll fight anybody. I don’t have a preferred fighter. They can say, Jorge your fighting BJ Payne or your fighting Matt Serra, or whoever. He tells me who and I get ready the best way I can. I’ll show up and give them a fight.

That is the answer I expected. Anyone who knows you knows you won’t back down from a fight, you are going to be successful. MaXfighting just wants to tell you congratulations with the Ultimate Fighter Season 2, congrats on your success with your schools, with Rich winning the Middleweight Belt, and to say thanks for taking the time out of your busy schedule to do this interview.

Thank you so much I appreciate it. If you could, I would like to thank all my sponsors BIZ, Super Tech Fighter, KTFO, Usler Chiropractor, the Power Station, and most importantly Billy Rush. This man saved my life. If it weren’t for him I wouldn’t be here today. He is the one that gave me the opportunity to have a school, the opportunity to be a fighter, if it wasn’t for Billy Rush I wouldn’t be here today. So Billy Rush I extend my thank you to you. And my stepfather Arnie, if it wasn’t for him I would probably be still in the gutter somewhere with no money. I will always be grateful for those guys being in my life. You can visit my site at http://www.teamjorgegurgel.com

Source: Maxfighting

Fights Announced for PRIDE Bushido 183-lb. Tourney by Sherdog.com

Opening-round bouts for PRIDE Bushido's first-ever welterweight (183-pound) Grand Prix, which takes place September 25 at the Ariake Coliseum in Tokyo, were released Friday.

Ikuhisa Minowa (Pictures), Masanori Suda (Pictures), Ryo Chonan (Pictures) and Akihiro Gono (Pictures) represent their home country of Japan, while Americans Dan Henderson (Pictures) and Phil Baroni (Pictures), and Brazilians Murilo Bustamante (Pictures) and Daniel Acacio (Pictures) round out the "world" contingent. Ryuta Sakurai (Pictures) fights Paulo Filho (Pictures) for the right to be a reserve in the tournament's later rounds.

Minowa first fought Baroni in the American's PRIDE debut last May. The Japanese fighter did well before tiring and succumbing to Baroni's hard punches.

Former UFC 185-pound champion Bustamante meets Suda, whose last appearance in the ring saw him knocked out by Falaniko Vitale (Pictures).

Perhaps the best match-up of the opening round sees Chonan take on Henderson. The Japanese fighter is coming off a knockout loss to Baroni while Henderson, long considered one of the pound-for-pound best fighters in the world, is a surprise addition; his name was not on the list of possible GP participants released by DSE on August 4.

Pancrase's Gono returns to PRIDE for the first time since defeating Crosley Gracie at Bushido 7. He fights Chute Boxe's Daniel Acacio (Pictures).

Ikuhisa Minowa (Pictures) vs Phil Baroni (Pictures)
Dan Henderson (Pictures) vs Ryo Chonan (Pictures)
Daniel Acacio (Pictures) vs Akihiro Gono (Pictures)
Murilo Bustamante (Pictures) vs Masanori Suda (Pictures)

Reserve Match
Paulo Filho (Pictures) vs Ryuta Sakurai (Pictures)

Source: Sherdog


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