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(All events on Oahu, unless noted)
2006
8/26-27/06
International Masters & Seniors Championships
(BJJ)
(Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)
7/22-30/06
CBJF World Championships
(BJJ)
(Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)
7/20-24/06
CBJJO World Championships
(BJJ)
(Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)
3/25/06
Garden Island Cage Match #3
(MMA)
(Kapaa H.S. Gym, Kapaa, Kauai)
March ?
Full Contact Showdown
(MMA)
(Kahuna's Sports Bar & Grill, Kaneohe Marine Corps Base)
3/4/06
Kickin It 2006
(Kickboxing)
(Venue TBA)
2/26/06
NAGA Hawaii State Championship
(BJJ & Sub Grappling)
(Honolulu)
Tentative
2/11/06
Icon Sport 44
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena)
2/4/06
Kick it Up
(Kickboxing)
(Pagoda Hotel Ballroom, Honolulu)
UFC 57
Mandalay Bay Events Center, Las Vegas, NV
(PPV)
1/27/06
So You Think You Tough
(MMA, Kickboxing)
(Kona Gym, Kona)
1/20/06
ROTR 9
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena)
1/16/06
UFC Fight Night on Spike TV
Hard Rock Hotel, Las Vegas, NV
(PPV)
1/14/06
Punishment In Paradise: East vs. West II
(MMA & Kickboxing)
(Sea Life Park, Honolulu)
1/7-9/05
Pan American BJJ Championships
(BJJ)
(California)
1/7/06
Kickin It 2006
(Kickboxing)
(Dole Cannery Ballroom, Honolulu)
January
Grappler's Quest Hawaii
(Submission Grappling)
(TBA)
12/16/05
X-1 Battlegrounds at the O Lounge 3
(MMA)
(O Lounge Night Club, Honolulu)
12/10/05
Ultimate Warriors Combat
(MMA)
(Lahaina Civic Center, Lahaina, Maui)
11/29/05
Tuesday Night Fights
(Kickboxing)
(Central Pacific A.C.'s Academic and Athletic Training Center,
Hilo)
11/26/05
Warriors of The Ring 8
(MMA)
(Maui War Memorial Gym, Wailuku, Maui)
11/25/05
Kickin It 2005 "The Sequel"
Kickboxing Championships
(Kickboxing)
(Ilikai Hotel Ballroom)
11/19/05
ROTR 9
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena)
11/12/05
Full Contact Showdown
Super Brawl Qualifer
(MMA)
(Kahuna Bar & Grill, Kaneohe Marine Corps Base)
Aloha State Brazilian
Jiu-Jitsu Championship
(BJJ/Grappling)
(Saint Louis School Gym)
11/5/05
Rumble On The Rock 9: Just Scrap
(MMA)
(Edith Kanakaole Tennis Stadium, Hilo)
10/28/05
Icon Sport 43
(formerly Superbrawl)
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena)
10/11/05
Tuesday Night Fights
(Kickboxing)
(Central Pacific Athletics, Hilo)
10/7/05
ROTR: Proving Grounds
(MMA)
(Lahaina Civic Center, Maui)
X-1 Battleground
At The O Lounge
(MMA)
(O-Lounge, Ala Moana Shopping Center)
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)
8/20/05
Garden Island Cage Wars #2
(MMA)
(Kapaa H.S. Gym, Kapaa, Kauai)
Kickin' It 2005
Part IV
(Kickboxing)
(Pagoda Ballroom)
8/13/05
Kickin It 11
(Kickboxing)
(Dole Cannery Ballroom?)
Toughman Hawaii
(Kickboxing)
(Hilo Civic Center, Hilo)
7/29/05
ROTR 8
(MMA)
(Aloha Stadium)
7/23/05
Super Brawl 40: Icon
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena)
7/15/05
Kickin It 2005 Part III
(Kickboxing)
(Dole Cannery Square)
7/9/05
Proving Grounds -
ROTR Qualifer
(MMA)
(Hilo Civic Center)
7/3/05
Warriors Quest 11
(MMA)
(Kapaa H.S. Gym, Kapaa, Kauai)
7/2/05
Super Brawl: Full Contact Showdown 4
at Bayfest
(MMA)
7/2/05
Extreme Wars X-1: Hawaii's Top Team vs. Next Generation's Top
Team
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena, Honolulu)
6/24/05
Hawaiian Grappling Championships
(BJJ/Sub Grappling)
(St. Louis H.S. Gym)
6/4/05
Super Brawl: Full Contact Showdown #3
(MMA)
(Kahuna's Sports Bar & Grill, Kaneohe MCBH)
5/7/05
ROTR 7
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena)
4/15/05
Kickin It
(Kickboxing)
(Kapolei H.S. Gym)
4/9/05
Super Brawl
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena)
3/26/05
Proving Grounds -
ROTR Qualifer
(MMA)
(Lahaina Civic Center, Maui)
3/25/05
Shooto Hawaii: Pro/Am
(MMA)
(Blaisdell - Hawaii Suite)
3/12/05
The Second Annual Maui Jiu-Jitsu Open
BJJ tournament
(BJJ)
(Maui War Memorial Gym, Wailuku, Hawaii)
3/11/05
ROTR - Proving Grounds 6
(MMA)
(Dole Cannery Ball Room, Honolulu)
3/6-7/05
Hawaii State High School Wrestling Championships
(Blaisdell Arena)
3/5/04
So You Think You Tough 8
(Boxing, MMA)
(Kauai)
2/27/05
2005 Hawaiian Championship of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
(BJJ & Submission Grappling)
(Saint Louis H.S. Gym)
2/26/05
So You Think You Tough 7
(Boxing, MMA)
(Kona Gym, Kona)
2/19/05
Kickin' It
(Kickboxing)
(Kapolei High School)
1/29/05
Kid's BJJ Tournament
(BJJ)
(Relson Gracie Main Academy, Honolulu)
1/22/05
Punishment In Paradise 9:
Hawaii vs. Mainland
(MMA, Kickboxing)
(Kapolei H.S. Gym)
|
|
December 2005 News
Part 3
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night and Sunday classes (w/ a kids' class) now offered!
 
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Quote
of the Day
"The best revenge is massive success."
Frank Sinatra, 1915-1998, American Singer and Actor
|
Please
Be Safe!
I know that everyone is going to have fun breaking in the new
year. If you are going to be partaking in alcoholic beverages,
please drink responsibly. Get a designated driver or plan to
sleep if off before heading home. We don't want to lose any of
our readers and friends.
|
UFC
on Spike Today!
Hawaii Times!
Spike: Channel 76
Best of the UFC 2005
7:00PM - 10:00PM
10:30PM - 1:30PM Replay
UFC Unleashed
5:00PM - 6:00PM
UFC Best of 2005 New Year's Eve Special
by MMAFighting.com, December 28, 2005
The
UFC New Year's Eve special will be a 3 hour collection of fights
from 2005. The special will air on Spike TV at 9:00 pm ET (12/31/2005)
and will replay at 12:30 am ET (1/1/2006).
The
special will have three never before seen fights: Brock Larson
vs. Jon Fitch, Drew Fickett vs. Josh Neer and Spencer Fisher
vs. Thiago Alves. Here is a list of all the fights that will
be shown.
UFC
51: Super Saturday - 2/5/2005
Evan Tanner vs. David Terrell
Andrei Arlovski vs. Tim Sylvia
Ultimate
Fighter Finale - 4/9/2005
Forrest Griffin vs. Stephan Bonnar
UFC
52: Couture vs Liddell 2 - 4/16/2005
Chuck Liddell vs. Randy Couture
Matt Hughes vs. Frank Trigg
UFC
53: Heavy Hitters - 6/4/2005
Andrei Arlovski vs. Justin Eilers
Ultimate
Fight Night - 8/6/2005
Drew Fickett vs. Josh Neer
Josh Koshcheck vs. Pete Spratt
Mike Swick vs. Gideon Ray
Kenny Florian vs. Alex Karalexis
UFC
54: Boiling Point - 8/20/2005
Chuck Liddell vs. Jeremy Horn
Georges St-Pierre vs. Frank Trigg
Tim Sylvia vs. Tra Telligman
James Irvin vs. Terry Martin
Ultimate
Fight Night 2 - 10/3/2005
Brock Larson vs. Jon Fitch
Spencer Fisher vs. Thiago Alves
|
Pride
Vs. K-1 New Year's Eve Battle
Pride Shockwave 2005
December 31, 2005
Takanori Gomi (Japan) vs. Hayato “Mach” Sakurai (Japan)
(This bout is the final round of the lightweight BUSHIDO tournament)
Dan
Henderson (USA) vs. Murilo Bustamante (Brazil)
(This bout is the final round of the welterweight BUSHIDO tournament)
Wanderlei
Silva (Brazil) vs. Ricardo Arona (Brazil)
(Champion) vs. (Challenger)
(This bout is for the PRIDE middleweight championship)
Hidehiko
Yoshida (Japan) vs. Naoya Ogawa (Japan)
Makoto
Takimoto (Japan) vs. Sanae Kikuta (Japan)
Kazuhiro
Nakamura (Japan) vs. Yuki Kondo (Japan)
Mark
Hunt (New Zealand) vs. Mirko Crocop (Croatia)
Fedor
Emelianenko (Russia) vs. Zulu (Brazil)
Ken
Kaneko (Japan) vs. Charles Krazy Horse Bennett (USA)
James
Thompson (UK) vs. Giant Silva (Brazil)
Aleksander
Emelianenko (Russia) vs. Pawel Nastula (Poland)
Kazushi
Sakuraba (Japan) vs. Ikuhisa Minowa (Japan)
FEG "K-1 PREMIUM 2005 Dynamite!"
December 31, 2005 at Osaka Dome, Osaka, Japan
Doors Open: 2:00 p.m.
Fights Start: 4:00 p.m.
Confirmed
Cards:
HERO's Rules Bout 5 min / 3R
Peter Aerts (Holland / Team Aerts) vs. Shungo Oyama (Japan /
Freelance)
HERO's
Rules Bout 5 min / 3R
Heath Herring (U.S.A. / Las Vegas Combat Club) vs. Yoshihiro
Nakao (Japan / Freelance)
K-1
Rules Bout - 72 kg / 158.76 lbs - 3min / 3R
Masato (Japan / Silver Wolf) vs. Akiar Oohigashi (Japan / Freelance)
HERO'S
Middleweight Tournament Final 5 min / 3R (10-point-must system)
Genki Sudo (Japan / Beverly Hills Jiu-Jitsu Club) vs. Norifumi
Yamamoto (Japan / KILLER BEE)
HERO's
Special Rules Bout 10 min / 2R
Royce Gracie (Brazil / Team Royce Gracie Jiu-jitsu) vs. Hideo
Tokoro (Japan / Reversal Gym)
Special
Bout
Akebono (Japan / Team Yokozuna) vs. Bobby Ologun (Nigeria / Freelance)
K-1
Rules Bout 3 min / 3R, ext. 1R
Ernesto Hoost (Holland / Vos Gym) vs. Semmy Schilt (Pictures)
(Holland / Seido Kaikan)
HERO'S
Rules Bout (75 kg / 165.37 lbs & under) 5 min / 2R
Katsuhiko Nagata (Japan / New Japan Pro-Wrestling) vs. Remigijus
Morkevicius (Lithuania / RINGS Lithuania)
K-1
Rules Bout 3 in / 3R, Ext. 1R
Musashi (Japan / Seido-kaikan) vs. Bob Sapp (U.S.A. / Team Beast)
HERO's
Rules Bout 5 min / 3R
Jerome LeBanner (France / LeBanner X-treme Team) vs. Alan Karaev
(Russia / Marupro Gym)
|
Henderson
teases Murilo Bustamante
During an interview to the American website MMAWeekly.com, Murilo
Bustamante's opponent at the final of the Pride Bushido GP -
which takes place in a couple of days - Dan Henderson did not
save words about his fight with the Brazilian. Remembering his
last meeting with the leader of Brazilian Top Team, in November
of 2003, Henderson said:
-
We did bump heads, yeah. I think he was shooting in and ran into
my head...We do it all the time in wrestling too. You know? Two
guys take a shot, they bump heads, they keep wrestling right
away. It's not like they stop and whine about it awhile. You
get dumped on your back in wrestling doing that, nobody whines
about it. It's just something that happens. It's part of the
sport. Nobody did it on purpose. But yeah, he did shoot a double
leg and bumped my head and kept trying to take me down...The
knee definitely helped. I don't know how bad he was, but the
knee definitely I think sent him into la la land - he teased.
Source: Tatame
|
Napao
to train at Chute Boxe
Heavyweight fighter aims at UFC
On
vacation in Rio for two weeks now, Gabriel “Napao”
Gonzaga goes to Sao Paulo on January 2nd already thinking of
Curitiba. The academy of Wanderlei Silva and Mauricio Shogun
is the athlete’s next step in preparing for his 2006 appointments,
especially UFC 58, scheduled for April.
“I’ve
settled it with Rudimar Fedrigo to train at Chute Boxe in January.
I want to focus on explosion training, with a lot of striking,
for that was what I lacked in my last fight. My presence in UFC
is not yet confirmed, so I won’t fight in February, but
I should be in the April edition,” said Napao in an interview
given GRACIEMAG.com.
With
only one fight in 2005, where he KO’d Kevin Jordan in UFC
56, Napao plans to make several fights next year, and one of
the goals is the American organization’s heavyweight belt.
“I should close a three-bout deal and intend to outstand
in MMA, which is a lot more profitable than Jiu-Jitsu. Right
now I want to make good fights, with opponents on the same level
as me, and I want to take Andrei Arlovski’s belt. But I
still have to establish myself in the event so that it happens
at the right time,” said Gabriel.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Fury
5 Heats Up
Guam's top MMA fight production is set to have an action packed
event on the 28th of January as representatives from our team
are poised to battle an international ensemble of fighters.
Blackbelt
instructor, Sergio Lourenco, will be returning to the island
to fight seasoned Australian veteran, George Sotiropoulos.
Undefeated NCFA fighter, Tyson Griffin, will headline the event
against Guam's Melchor Manibuson. Griffin has so far stopped
all of his opponents and now looks to continue his winning ways
outside of the mainland.
Negotiations are under way for 2 more fighters from our team
to join the card.
Source: Gracie Fighter
|
HENDERSON
TALKS BUSTAMANTE
by Jeff Cain
It's been just over two years, 25 months, since Dan 'Hollywood'
Henderson defeated Murilo Bustamante at Pride 'Final Conflict
2003,' but that bout took place at middleweight (205lbs). New
Year's Eve, the two will rematch for the Pride Welterweight (183lb.)
Championship. Henderson spoke with MMAWeekly Radio about their
first fight, the rematch, and his expectations this time around
in a lower weight class with a belt on the line.
The
last time these two met, Dan Henderson ended the fight in less
than a minute, and from that moment on Murilo Bustamante has
been asking for a rematch. Their first meeting ending in controversy
according to Murilo, who claims their was an accidental clash
of heads that caused the damage to him forcing the referee to
stop the action. Henderson maintains it was the knee that followed.
Questioned
if Bustamante's excuses and comments following their first match
bothered him, Henderson answered, "It doesn't bother me
one bit. It just shows how he is. I wouldn't be whining like
that."
There's
no question an accidental headbutt occurred. Henderson doesn't
deny it. Addressing what actually happened the last time they
fought, Dan said, "We did bump heads, yeah. I think he was
shooting in and ran into my head...We do it all the time in wrestling
too. You know? Two guys take a shot, they bump heads, they keep
wrestling right away. It's not like they stop and whine about
it awhile. You get dumped on your back in wrestling doing that,
nobody whines about it. It's just something that happens. It's
part of the sport. Nobody did it on purpose. But yeah, he did
shoot a double leg and bumped my head and kept trying to take
me down...The knee definitely helped. I don't know how bad he
was, but the knee definitely I think sent him into la la land."
That's
enough about their last fight. This weekend it will all be settled
in the Pride ring. "I hope he doesn't headbutt me this time
and then run into my knee. Actually, I hope he does," Dan
Henderson told MMAWeekly Radio.
Some
fighters train the same regardless of who they're facing, but
Henderson has catered his training specifically for Bustamante.
He stated, "I'm doing it a little bit different, just being
more specific to Bustamante and his style. Doing a little bit
more on the ground, working more on the ground, but I'm still
focusing a lot on my stand up, kickboxing, and clinch work."
Discussing
what Murilo brings to the table and what he needs to do, Henderson
commented, "He's proven to have some pretty good submissions.
I've got to be aware of those. He's got some good long straight
punches. I need to keep some pressure on him and beat him up
a little bit."
He
added, "I'm expecting it to go the distance. I was hoping
to kick his ass the whole time. I'm expecting it to go the distance,
if it's shorter, that's even better...I'm training just like
the fight is going to go the distance. I could see it going about
as quick as last time as well, but I'm not going to only train
for a minute fight. It's definitely a good possibility that I
could stop him pretty early, but there's the possibility that
he'll go the distance as well."
The
last time Murilo Bustamante competed for a division title, he
became the UFC Middleweight Champion. Dan Henderson would certainly
like to add a Pride belt to his trophy case. Holding a win over
Bustamante and being voted the top dog at that weight by the
MMAWeekly fighters and broadcasters poll, Henderson has to be
the odds on favorite going in. We'll find out on New Year's Eve
who'll be crowned the Pride Welterweight Grand Prix Champion
as well as the Pride Welterweight Champion of the World.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Vitor
Shaolin: Another challenge ahead
By Eduardo Ferreira
Black-belt of Jiu-Jitsu from Nova União, Vitor Shaolin
is getting ready for another challenge. On February 4, Shaolin
returns to Japan to fight at Mars against Japanese Eiji Mistsuoka,
who already defeated his teammate Gleidson Tibau. Because of
it, Shaolin will have to postpone his holidays. "I've never
fought during this season. so I will pass my Christmas and the
New Years Eve training hard and on diet," he said. Read
more about the Nova União star below.
You
are confirmed to fight in Japan in 2006. Tell us more about this
event...
I
am going to Japan on January 29 to fight on February 4, at Mars.
This event is a union of GMC with K-1, like Rumble on the Rock
made in Hawaii. I will face Eiji Mistsuoka, who already defeated
Gleidson Tibau.
So
you already know Mitsuoka's game?
Not
yet. Mitsuoka defeated Tibau fighting until 77kg, but we will
fight in the category until 70kg...despite of I have asked to
fight until 73kg. I will get the tape of his fight against Tibau
and I will study his game. This will happen soon.
How
will be your preparation?
I've
never fought during this holiday season, so I will pass my Christmas
and the New Years Eve training hard and on diet. I will just
eat one sweet "rabanada", but I will get there well
and I will conquer more one victory in more one different event
that I fight.
This
is a great chance to pride people see you in action. What do
you think about that?
I'm
not thinking about that. One day they will call me to fight there.
I don't know why they take so long, but one day they will call
me. But I hope that they have one person there to put me in the
Pride.
Talking
about Pride, we have Murilo Bustamante fighting Dan Henderson.
What are you expecting of this fight?
I'm
anxious to see Murilo fighting. That is a pity that the fight
won't pass by television, but I am sure Murilo will win. He made
so many things for the Jiu-Jitsu and for the Vale-Tudo. If he
wins, will be something really good, like was to Romario to be
the best player of the Brazilian soccer championship at age 40.
We
also have the belt dispute between Wanderlei Silva and Ricardo
Arona...
If
Arona trained hard, I can't see him losing to Wanderlei Silva.
I don't know Wanderlei, but I respect him a lot. I just don't
think his game had changed since the GP. Arona's game is not
very good for Wanderlei. Arona is really strong, explosive, he
beats and kicks strongly and he can put the adversary down really
well.
Source: Tatame
|
Quote
of the Day
"We herd sheep, we drive cattle, we lead people. Lead me,
follow me, or get out of my way."
George S. Patton, 1885-1945, American Army General during World
War II
|
Yoshida
ready to KO Ogawa at Pride
 
Hidehiko Yoshida wants to surprise Naoya Ogawa next December
31st, at Pride Shockwave. Training Muay Thai with Sergio Cunha
for the last five months, the Judo Olympic golden medalist expects
to decide the fight on his feet. 'I'm going to KO Ogawa by knee',
Yoshida advises. For the Japanese fans, Hidehiko Yoshida and
Naoya Ogawa will do one of the most expected fights of the New
Years Eve events. With three fighters on the show - the other
ones are Makoto Takimoto and Kazuhiro Nakamura - the Yoshida
Dojo is under a pressure packed atmosphere.
'We
know we will face tough fighters and we respect all of them.
But we expect a great show, with three victories, of course.
And all of them by KO, I hope so' Cunha states.
With
twenty academies around the country, the Yoshida Dojo training
for Pride Shockwave is concentrated in two gyms in Tokyo, at
Noguisaka and Odakyu. Yoshida, Takimoto and Nakamura train from
Monday to Saturday, with two training periods per day: Vale-Tudo
and Muay Thai in the morning and Grappling and physical training
in the afternoon.
'We
are doing good work, training a lot. We are focused on the MMA
training, but we are also sharpening our striking skills, with
punches, kicks, knees and stomps. Yoshida trains hard, he is
a very responsible fighter and very focused on what he does.
He has evolved a lot his striking skills and now let's see if
he can repeat it in the ring' Cunha expects.
For
the non-Japanese fans who don't understand why this fight is
so anticipated in Japan, Cunha explains: 'This is a historic
fight for the Judo for the MMA fans. Yoshida teaches Judo to
children here and he's like a hero to his fans. On the other
side, well, I don't know. but it's kind of the good against evil
fight'.
Source: Tatame
|
PRIDE
SHOCKWAVE PREVIEW: CRO COP VS HUNT
By Damon Martin
 
In what could be the fight with the most fireworks set for New
Year’s Eve, now fighting in his 20th Pride show, Mirko CroCop
will face Mark Hunt, an old foe from their days fighting in K-1.
This showdown has long been rumored and now two of the best stand-up
fighters in mixed martial arts are set to square off in a main
event caliber fight.
It’s
hard to remember that not so long ago Mirko CroCop was a top
ranked fighter in the K-1 organization, making it as far as a
finalist in the K-1 Grand Prix in 2000. Now the former Croation
police officer makes his living as a top ranked fighter in Pride,
transitioning from an outstanding kickboxer to a very well rounded
mixed martial artist.
One
of the busiest fighters on the planet, CroCop is never one to
back down from a challenge. After suffering a very tough defeat
at the hands of current Pride heavyweight champion, Fedor Emelianenko
in August, CroCop didn’t take time off to reflect on the
loss or recover from a 3 round war with a fighter many regard
as the best pound for pound fighter ever, he got right back on
the horse so to speak and stepped up to fight another high ranked
fighter in Josh Barnett in October.
CroCop
held a win over Barnett already, but most saw that as a freak
injury sustained by Barnett and although any win is good, a rematch
was inevitable. This time around CroCop, despite looking like
he has lost a fair amount of weight before the bout leading some
to speculate that he may have been dealing with some sickness
prior to the fight, came out ready to go to battle with Barnett.
And battle they did.
This
time around CroCop left nothing to chance and was able to bang
out a very good decision win over Barnett and again place himself
at the top of the rankings of the heavyweight division.
His
opponent in this New Year’s Eve showdown is still relatively
new to the mixed martial arts scene, although fans of K-1 are
very familiar with New Zealand’s Mark Hunt.
Hunt
has reached the pinnacle of the sport of kickboxing capturing
the prestigious K-1 Grand Prix championship in 2001. While his
career spans quite a few years now, Hunt’s win in 2001 was
monumental and put him among the all time elite fighters to ever
compete in K-1.
Now
Mark Hunt moves from K-1 to Pride where he wants to attempt to
do exactly what CroCop has done and succeed in MMA as well. Hunt’s
first test out was a fight against Japanese hero and Olympic
gold medalist, Hidehiko Yoshida, and unfortunately for all the
great stand-up skill that Hunt possessed it was lacking a ground
game that lost him the fight, causing him to lose by armbar in
the first round.
Hunt
came back to Pride for his second fight this time against MMA
journeyman and former King of the Cage champion Dan “The
Bull” Bobish. While neither man could be seen as a technical
MMA fighter, it was Bobish who had experience on his side and
for the better part of the first round he got the better of Mark
Hunt. It was a lack of stamina that cost Bobish his advantage
in the fight, allowing Mark Hunt room to come back in the fight
and a TKO victory.
In
Hunt’s last fight he took on Pride middleweight champion
Wanderlei Silva at the New Year’s Eve show in 2004. Despite
having over a 50lb weight advantage, Hunt was put down by Silva
a few times during the fight, but in the end he was able to gain
enough of an advantage throughout the rounds to get a split decision
win.
Now
Mark Hunt will look to avenge a loss suffered at Mirko CroCop’s
hands in K-1. While it was a decision loss, Mark Hunt, who has
one of the best chins in the business, was dropped by CroCop
during the fight, and wasn’t able to recover enough to pull
out a victory.
CroCop
has to be looking at this fight as just another rung on the ladder
for him to climb to get another title shot, and while he has
an obvious experience edge in MMA, it’s not likely that
either man will be looking for a ground fight, and that evens
the score in this match because for as much trouble as Hunt has
seemingly had transitioning his game to MMA, he is still a very
dangerous opponent for anyone who chooses to stand with him.
Mark
Hunt has somehow crept onto the radar of a lot of fans and critics
as a top ten heavyweight, but only a decisive win over someone
the caliber of Mirko CroCop will truly make anyone stand up and
notice him as a MMA fighter worthy of paying attention to. While
a few former K-1 standouts have tried to make the move to MMA,
only Mirko CroCop has had a great deal of success thus far.
This
fight very well may be two of the best stand-up fighters ever
slugging it out for a few rounds, but with the difference in
the size and weight of the gloves that they wear in Pride, it’s
not likely. What is more likely is someone being knocked out
in this fight. CroCop’s chin has come into question in the
past but that mostly comes from his loss to Kevin Randleman and
few fighters could have taken that same shot and not been knocked
out. Mark Hunt’s calling card seems to be his ability to
take a shot but no one has been able to take a flush shot from
CroCop’s left high kick and lived to tell about it (so to
speak).
While
both of the finals from the Grand Prix tournaments will be taking
place on the same card, this could be the best fight of the entire
show. Both CroCop and Hunt will be looking to put themselves
in line for a title shot and a win in this fight will go a long
way to proving that very fact.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
DSE/PRIDE
MAY PROMOTE OPEN WEIGHT GP
DSE/PRIDE director Nobuhiko Takada spoke with the Japanese media
and announced that they are thinking about the possibility of
promoting an Open Weight Grand Prix.
Takada
added that the GP might take place every year or every four years,
and that it would be like an 'all star' show, including 3-4 fighters
from each of PRIDE's four weight classes.
Source: Fight Sport
|
Rodrigo
Minotauro: Searching for the throne
By Alexandre Lobo
For a long time, Rodrigo Minotauro was the great fighter of Pride.
With his danger ground game and race, he dominated Japanese rings
until Emelianenko Fedor shows up. After two matches against the
Russian, Minotauro is preparing himself to get back the Heavyweight
belt of Pride. During this exclusive to TATAME web site, Rodrigo
talks about his absence at Pride Shockwave, his preparation to
GP 2006 and the possible dispute with Fedor.
So,
why are you out of Pride Shockwave?
I
was going to fight Zuluzinho but later they gave him Emelianenko
Fedor. Then I didn't know what was going on until the last days.
they were planning to set up a fight against Fabrício
Werdum, but he got his foot injured and the fight got cancelled.
Now I am on my way to France... I will spend New Year's Eve there
and then fly to Madagascar and run a seminar.
Are
you upset because Pride's delay to inform your opponent?
I
think that we can't think about if we will fight or not. I already
though in other opportunities that I was going to fight and it
didn't happen. So, this is normal. At this time I hurt myself
during the trainings and it disturbed me also in the negotiations,
because I didn't confirmed my participation. After that, everything
was right for me to fight against Werdum and he also got hurt.
So, they gave me Zuluzinho, but after that they put him to fight
with Fedor. I am still training.
This
year you've just fought one time. What changed in your relation
with the Pride?
Since
2003, I hurt my right elbow and them I hurt the left one. I spent
all this time recovering myself and I am close to 100%. Against
Pawel Nastula, I did not have conditions, but I had a deal with
Pride and I gave my best. In October, I decided to don't fight
until I recover myself totally. I need to take care of myself
to be 100% for the upcoming GP 2006.
Don't
you think fighting once is just bad?
A
lot of fighters have done that yet. I was the different one.
I was fighting like five times per year. Now my job is for the
GP, which will take place in February or April. I want to be
one of the finalists.
What
about Fedor?
He
is the strong name to be beaten. I bet all my job to face him.
After
three fights with the Russian fighter, you already know his game
well. What is your tip for Zuluzinho?
The
strong thing in Fedor is the beats and take downs. Zuluzinho
must keep the distance to don't fall. I think he should use the
jab and walk around the ring. So he will not be easy.
Source: Tatame
|
The
Greatest of all time, Part III
Royler succeeds Rickson and is the best of the 90's
Professional.
That’s the proper definition to the generation of fighters
that shone in the nineteen-nineties, which saw the creation of
the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Confederation (in Portuguese, CBJJ, whose
championships and titles revealed talents like never before)
as well as the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC, which made
the number of athletes grow tremendously throughout the world).
A time in which, to many, Jiu-Jitsu became more profitable than
law, economics, engineering or aviation.
While
in the 80’s few athletes made a career in the black belt,
and the groups of the higher rated were empty – the following
decade established a transition towards an era of many stars,
in which a gold medal in a big tournament meant a fighting marathon.
With
such myriad stars to choose from, we picked out 25 jurors who
followed closely the whole decade, and asked from each of them
a top-five list. A complicated request indeed. To Castello Branco,
this list is worse than the one elaborated by Pele for Fifa.
To doctor/black-belt Joao Paulo Salgado –or “Big Head”
if you will– it would be fair to ask for 50 names. To another
athlete, Roberto “Risada,” the best would be to row
the athletes by weight categories. To Wallid Ismail, performance
at the open is no good to judge anyone. And so on…
In
the end, almost everyone voted and contributed to our documentation
of the period. Unfortunately, we didn’t have Master Carlson
Gracie’s list. “First of all, I’m not talking
about any traitor,” he shouted on the telephone from his
Chicago home, still holding the grudge with the pupils who abandoned
his academy. And he went on: “Second, you can’t tell
whether Nino is better than Royler, or Amaury better than Fabio,
or if Saulo is better than Roleta. These six are the best, but
I can’t put them in order nor take any of them off. I’m
out.”
Looking
for perfection
1st Royler Gracie
70 points (18 votes: 8 as 1st, 4 as 2nd, 3 as 3rd, 2 as 4th,
1 as 5th)
The space around the gym in the Akxe academy at Barra da Tijuca,
RJ, is not big enough. Thousands of spectators struggle to watch
an even tighter battle, taking place on the mats assembled on
the court. Helio “Soneca” (‘Snooze’) gets
to Royler Gracie’s back. Has he got an advantage? The following
seconds prove it isn’t. With a hook wrapped around the adversary’s
legs, Royler takes a somersault with his head on the floor and
ends up on top, consolidating an inversion never before seen
in a Jiu-Jitsu competition.
Over
ten years have elapsed since that Sunday in November 1994. But
to this day the moment is remembered. “People come to my
home to ask if I have that move on tape,” says Osvaldo Paqueta,
one of the main research sources of the sport, since he owns
a video archive of hundreds of fights. The event was the Brazilian
Jiu-Jitsu Championship, the first one organized by the new-bourn
CBJJ, which would spend the next five years promoting an average
six tournaments per season.
Royler
Gracie, who entered the nineties as an experienced black-belt
competitor (deemed by some the best fighter of the 80’s),
would use this competitive environment to test his strength against
several rising stars and become a hangman to most of them.
Alexandre
Soca, Helio Soneca, Vinicius Draculino. Then, Marcos Parrumpinha,
Vitor Shaolin, Leonardo Vieira and Leonardo Santos. Royler defeat
each of these fighters – great athletes in his category–
once or twice, and many other fighters, during his reign, which
lasted the whole decade (he lost only once outside the opens,
in 1995, to cearense Marco Aurelio – nowadays an ATT fighter
whom Gracie would beat thrice later on). In the 1999 Worlds,
his last official appearance wearing the gi, he defeated two
Leonardos (Vieira and Santos) and earned his fourth title.
Soneca,
defeated for the second time in the ’99 Worlds, compliments:
“He kept himself on the top for five generations.”
The secret? Gathering technique, strategy, discipline, and good
physical and mental preparation. Leonardo Castello Branco summarizes:
“I could make up many lists with different names, under
different criteria, like the top technicians, submitters, or
the most competitive. On every single one Royler would be first.”
For the rest of the article and ranking of Jiu-Jitsu fighters,
go to Gracie
Magazine's website.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Quote
of the Day
"A straight path never leads anywhere except to the objective."
Andre Gide, 1869-1951, French Author
|
Correction:
Only Kaneohe Relson Gracie Academy Open During Christmas Break!
The Kaneohe Team is open for all Relson Gracie Association members
to train during the Christmas break all week.
I apologize,
previously I reported that the Team HK academy would be open
during the Christmas break, but that is not so. They will be
back next Monday though.
Tuesday 7:15-? -
Kaneohe Team
Thursday 7:15-? - Kaneohe Team
As for
our academy, Academia Casca Grossa de Jiu-Jitsu, hell no, we
are closed because we both need a break. Sorry guys. It will
be a good opportunity to visit our sister academies and get the
benefit of training with other members of our team.
Here are the details for the Kaneohe Team:
$7 for both instructional class & open mat starting at 7:15
PM. OR, $5 for just open mat at 8:15 PM.
Kaneohe
Team
Relson Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Association
Ronn Shiraki
46-148 Kahuhipa Street,
1st Floor
(Next to Kikuya Japanese Restaurant)
Kaneohe, Hawaii 96744
(808) 387-1961
URL: http://www.kaneoheteam.com
Email: kaneoheteam@yahoo.com
|
Aerts
ready for his second MMA bout
Peter Aerts is very confident to the fight against Shungo Oyama,
at the December 31st K-1 Dynamite. Not even the change on his
opponent's name - Aerts would fight first The Predator - worries
the Dutch striker, who will do his second fight under MMA rules.
Aerts is being supported by the Brazilian wrestler Antoine Jaoude
to avoid Oyama's take-down attempts.
-
We didn't have much time to train, but Peter is very confident
on him. He's a skillful fighter and he learns everything quickly.
I'm here just to continue the trainings we did when Peter went
to Brazil, at the beginning of December", Antoine remembers.
Aerts and Antoine go to Japan next Tuesday.
During
the trainings, Antoine had to take care with the injure Aerts
suffered at the K-1 World GP 2005 final round. "He has recovered
from it, but before a fight we have to be careful with this kind
of thing", Jaoude says. Besides the change on Aert's fight,
K-1 producers announced two more fights to December 31st. Heath
Herring faces Yoshihiro Nakao under Hero's rules and Masato fights
Akira Ohigashi under K-1 rules.
COMPLETE
CARD (subject to change):
K-1
Dynamite
Osaka Dome, Osaka - Japan
Saturday, December 31st 2005
For
the Hero's GP Middleweight title
- Genki Sudo vs. Norifumi Yamamoto;
Other
fights
[Hero's - 5min/3R]: Akebono vs. Bobby Ologun;
[Hero's - 10min/2R]: Royce Gracie vs. Hideo Tokoro;
[Hero's - 5min/2R]: Katsuhiko vs. Remigijus Morkevicius;
[Hero's - 5min/3R]: Jerome Le Banner vs. Alan Karaev;
[Hero's - 5min/3R]: Peter Aerts vs. Shungo Oyama;
[Hero's - 5min/3R]: Yoshihiro Nakao vs. Heath Herring;
[K-1 - 3min/3R]: Masato vs. Akira Ohigashi;
[K-1 - 3min/3R]: Musashi vs. Bob Sapp;
[K-1 - 3min/3R]: Semmy Schilt vs. Ernesto Hoost.
Source: Tatame
|
Who
can stop Gomi?
Tips from Brazilians who have felt the strength of the Japanese
star
by Rafael Quintanilha
If the “Gracie Hunter,” Kazushi Sakuraba isn’t
the same anymore and the people that’s most fanatic about
MMA in the world are lacking an idol among middle and heavy weights,
on the other hand Pride Bushido has for some time now been revealing
a specialist in giving fans what they want. After another undisputed
win at Bushido Lightweight Gp, over Brazilian Luis Azeredo, there
is no other Brazilian Slayer like him: Takanori Gomi.
Gomi
was born in 1977 in Kanagawa and learned boxing at the age of
17. Two years later, because he failed in school, the fighter
abandoned studies, which ensued a quarrel with his father (fortunately
there were no MMA strikes involved). At the same time Gomi began
training wrestling and, in 97, premiered in amateur shooto tournaments.
The debut as professional shooter occurred in 98. In 2001 Gomi
was already the Shooto welterweight champion; he lost his belt
to Norwegian Joachim Hansen in 2003, though. His next fight was
against BJ Penn, in Rumble on the Rock 4 – Gomi’s last
loss to the moment. The good phase began in Bushido’s second
edition, in February 2004, against Jadyson Costa. And, against
Luis Azeredo, the Asian has reached the impressive record of
eight wins in eight Bushido bouts.
A
bone in the throat
The
problem isn’t quite Gomi’s record as much as the fact
that it was built on victories against Brazilians. And we must
agree Gomi is a fearless man, for he went overboard by striking
a KO’d Azevedo in their first fight. Chute Boxe demanded
a chance for revenge, and actually got two – one with Silva
and another with Azeredo himself – but both unsuccessful.
Well,
on July 17th Jean Silva became the third Chute Boxe member to
face the Japanese phenomenon. And, after three rounds (no one
had ever lasted that long against Takanori in Pride), the third
to lose to him. Who could have figure that, apart from Sakuraba,
a single Japanese would be able to defeat such high-rated fighters
as Ralph Gracie, Fabio Mello, Jadyson Costa, Azeredo and others?
A curse? A bad joke? GRACIEMAG.com decided to investigate and
ask, to those who learned it the hard way, the inexorable question:
what has Takanori Gomi got (if anything)?
Analyzed
It
seems unanimous to our collaborators that Gomi is, indeed, more
than just a lucky fighter. In the opinion of Ralph Gracie, victim
to a knee strike by the Asian in a very short bout in Bushido
3, Takanori “has a strong grip and a great punch; he is
generally very good standing, and it’s not out of luck that
he is knocking everyone out.” Jadyson Costa, first chuteboxer
to ever face Gomi, classifies him thus: “He is a good counter-attacker
and is able to think really fast. When you least expect it, he
pulls something out of his sleeve.” Brazilian Top Teamer
Fabio Mello, Takanori’s opponent in Bushido 4, adds: “Apart
from being a good wrestler and a fine striker, Gomi knows how
to defend on the ground. He is a complete fighter who, due to
his MMA experience, grows as the bout unfolds.”
Nevertheless,
Luis Azeredo calls the attention to one detail. According to
him, the Japanese trained by former wrestling champion Sensho
Kiguch is no such thing as a new Sakuraba; Gomi is, in hi opinion,
the celebrity he is today simply for being from Japan. “He
is determinate, takes it slow, without worrying about giving
a show,” says Azeredo; “but anyone who fights him feels
pressured in order to give a spectacle. It has already been shown
that he is nothing special. His downfall is right around the
corner.”
Thus
have our talented green-and-yellow warriors led us to a crucial
question when it comes down to Gomi: what is still amiss for
someone to actually stop him?
Deciphered
According
to all of them, the solution is simple enough. “One must
put him with his back to the floor,” reveal Jadyson, Mello
and Azeredo. The latter one teases [remember this interview happened
before his rematch]: “Let’s take him down to see if
he can use a Jiu-Jitsu guard.”
Jean
Silva, who lost to Gomi in Bushido 8 by unanimous decision, gives
yet another hint: “In my fight I think nothing went wrong,
what had to be done was done. I noticed it is possible to take
him down. Unfortunately I had already lost many points in the
fight with his ground and pound when I decided to play on top.
Then I finally found his face in the middle of the striking;
maybe with more time I could have KO’d him.”
Jadyson
Costa says today he’d use a rather different strategy. “I’d
put him with his back on the ground, he wouldn’t know how
to play on the bottom,” he says. “Since he is a wrestler,
he is used to fighting on top. Brazilians are the ones who know
how to fight on the bottom, because that is a Jiu-Jitsu characteristic.”
Fabio Mello agrees: “In my fight with Gomi I accepted to
trade strikes, put erred in not taking him down; today I know
that would be the right,” says the Brazilian Top Team black-belt.
Luis
Azeredo stresses the fact that whoever wants to have the pleasure
of defeating Gomi must above all be a complete fighter. He teaches:
“The secret is to give his face a good combo, then take
him down, step on his face, and so on. One must avoid doing what
I did in my first fight against him. I was hitting him, had only
got an upper-cut on my stomach, when suddenly I was punched on
my chin. Then, my friend, the machines shut down at once.”
All
right, now we have already drawn the rough lines of the map.
But who could, today, actually beat Takanori Gomi by using the
perfect plan? All of the chute boxers were sure Azeredo could
do it, but after losing twice it doesn’t seem he’s
going to have a third try in the near future. Jean Silva also
mentions hangman Joachim Hansen as a strong opponent, but the
Norwegian was taken out of the Bushido GP by Kawajiri, who in
his turn lost to Gomi. Fabio Mello stresses the names of Luiz
“Buscape” Firmino and Milton Vieira among Brazilians,
as well as Kawajiri’s (whose fate we know already) and Yves
Edwards’ among foreigners.
And
stuck up
Now
we must wait for the welterweight GP’s final to see whether
Gomi will become a true legend of the rings (and now there is
no telling he isn’t favorite) or be stopped. Now, before
we finish: despite having already been warned not to meet any
Chute Boxe member on the streets of Tokyo, Gomi said in a press
conference that his ultimate goal is to gain some weight and,
after winning the Grand Prix, to challenge Wanderlei Silva. It
seems success has gone to Gomi’s head; or, in Jean Silva’s
wise words: “One such declaration doesn’t even deserve
to be commented upon.”
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Paulão
in Japan to see the contract
Beign in the Ricardo Arona`s corner is not the only objective
of Paulão Filho in his trip to Japan. The star of the
Brazilian Top Team is going to Japan to see his new contract
with the Pride. 'The japanese wants to put me to fight against
Ryo Chonan in February, but I think that will happen my fight
against Ninja', said Paulão.
While
he doesn`t sign his contract with the Pride, Paulão is
training hard with Josuel Distak and helping Ricardo Arona in
his preparation to the Pride of 31 of December. 'I met Distak
trough a friend of mine Gabriel Gladiador and I brought him to
help us in the preparation. He is doing a strong job with Arona
and I think that we can see a ko of Arona in Wanderlei', said
Paulão, that also beleives in the Murilo Bustamante`s
victory in day 31. 'This is what I always say, Murilo can fight
against anyone, because he is really technician and is always
well prepared. Dan Henderson is really good, but Murilo will
get that', he said.
Source: Tatame
|
Werdum
explains absence from Pride
“It’d be an honor to fight Minotauro”
With three appearances in Pride this year, Fabricio Werdum expected
to close the season with another good bout, but an injury two
weeks before the New Year’s Eve show took him off the event.
“I was training with Mirko [Cro Cop] and hurt the middle
toe on my right foot; we were just beginning trainings and I
didn’t think that could leave me out of the year-end event.
But afterwards I gathered the team and, along with Mauricio,
my brother Felipe and Rodrigo Artilheiro I noticed how bad the
situation was and we came to the conclusion that it would be
better for me to stay out. Pride Shockwave is the most watched
event of the year, it sucks to be out of it, but I would like
to fight it with 100% of my physical conditions, especially against
an athlete such as Rodrigo Minotauro. It is complicated to waste
a chance of fighting him, but when it’s not meant to happen
there is no way out of it,” Werdum told GRACIEMAG.com.
Now the black-belt’s attention turns towards Mirko Cro Cop’s
combat against fellow striker Mark Hunt. “Mirko will fight
in his standup style we are all familiar with, but if he has
to go to the ground he’ll definitely win; he is physically
very well, has been training takedowns heavily these days, and
is bound to perform excellently,” said Werdum, who in January
will share his time between preparing for Pride’s February
edition and training his pupils for the European Jiu-Jitsu Championship,
to be held January 27 and 28 in Portugal.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Quote
of the Day
"Great deeds are usually wrought at great risks."
Herodotus of Halicarnassus, 5th Century B.C, Greek Historian
|
Wand
is ready for the ground battle
Chute Boxe's BJJ trainer, Cristiano Marcello guarantees that
Wanderlei Silva is prepared to face Ricardo Arona also on the
ground next December 31st. Arona's speech saying that he will
test Wanderlei's belt doesn't worry Cristiano.
-
Arona is a good visionary. He will just prove what I say for
a long time and what everybody thinks on: Wanderlei is a BJJ
black belt. If Arona doesn't pay attention, Wanderlei will submit
him", Cristiano advises.
According
to Cristiano, they didn't do anything different on Wanderlei's
training. "He's prepared for this fight for 10 years and
he will prove why he's the champion. At the other fight, Wanderlei
lost for himself. Now, Arona is talking too much and he will
have to prove what he's saying", ends the Chute Boxe trainer.
Source: Tatame
|
PRIDE
FC Shockwave 2005 Preview
By Greg Jiles
DSE's New Years' Eve event marks the company's most important
show of the year. One would expect that a show like this would
be packed with blockbuster fights and filled with all of PRIDE's
big superstars. PRIDE has delivered yet again. This years' Shockwave
card is one of the most impressive cards assembled all year,
playing second fiddle to only the Bushido Grand Prix which took
place earlier this year. All the big stars are out and three
championship titles are on the line. This card is a dream come
true for hardcore MMA fans.
Let's
take a look at the fights:
Ken
Kaneko vs Charles "Krazy Horse" Bennett
In
one of the fights established solely for ratings, KOTC and PRIDE
Bushido veteran Charles "Krazy Horse" Bennett will
square off with Japanese television star Ken Kaneko. Bennett(13-10-2)
has had a rocky 2005 to say the least and has lost his last three
fights. He is well liked by the MMA community but primarily for
his entertaining style rather than his fighting ability. Kaneko
is a relative unknown. A popular celebrity in Japan, Kaneko has
supposedly been training in MMA for the past three years.
Training
is one thing and fighting is another. Bennett's experience coupled
with his devastating punching power should lead to a victory
for the "Krazy" one. It will likely be quite an entertaining
affair while it lasts though.
My
Pick: Bennett by brutal KO/TKO in the 1st Round
Makoto
Takimoto vs Sanae Kikuta
In
the first of five all-Japanese match-ups, Judo Gold Medallist
Sanae Kikuta will face ADCC champion Sanae Kikuta in what should
turn out to be a ground battle. Takimoto(2-1-0) is still a relative
newcomer to MMA. All three of his fights have gone to decision,
with both of his wins being somewhat debatable. Sanae Kikuta(24-6-3)
is an accomplished MMA fighter and an even more accomplished
fighter. A former ADCC champion, Kikuta is regarded as one of
the best submission grapplers in Japan.
I
don't see Takimoto having much of a chance in this one. Although
training with Yoshida has resulted in gradual improvement, he
isn't going to improve nearly enough to contend with Kikuta.
Kikuta is one of MMA's best "unknown" fighters. He
came within inches of becoming the Light Heavyweight King of
Pancrase, but failed in two attempts against the champion Yuki
Kondo. Kikuta's ground game is exceptional and despite his opponent's
Judo background, Kikuta should be able to secure a submission
win. Takimoto's stand up has improved drastically since his first
fight and if he can keep it on the feet he may have a chance,
however marginal that chance might be.
My
Pick: Kikuta by Submission in the 1st Round
James
Thompson vs Giant Silva
In
what can be called a "freak show" fight, James "Colossus"
Thompson will face Giant Silva. The combined height and weight
in this fight is a gargantuan 13'7 and 649lbs. Thompson(10-2-0)
has won his last four fights and is undefeated since his loss
to Aleksander Emelianenko at PRIDE 28. Thompson's fighting style
is very basic; he charges and swings his arms as hard as humanly
possible.(Which is VERY hard, considering how large this man
is) Paulo Cesar "Giant" Silva(1-4-0) is just that,
a giant. Standing over seven feet tall, Silva is unquestionably
slow and clumsy. His only win came from a surprise kimura victory
over Henry "Sentoryu" Miller at Total Elimination 2004.
This
one should be short and sweet. Giant Silva has very little chance
of pulling off a victory in this one.
My
Pick: James Thompson by KO/TKO early in the 1st Round
Aleksander
Emelianenko vs Pawel Nastula
Top
10 Heavyweight contender Aleksander Emelianenko will step into
the ring against Judo legend Pawel Nastula. Aleks(7-1-0) is the
little brother of the PRIDE Heavyweight Champion, Fedor Emelianenko.
Aleksander has done a supreme job of living up to the Emelianenko
name, defeating some good fighters including Assuerio Silva,
Ricardo Morais and James Thompson, with his only loss coming
to Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic. Aleksander is a legitimate
contender in the PRIDE Heavyweight division. Pawel Nastula(0-1-0)
is a legendary Judoka fighting out of Poland. Despite losing
to Antonio Nogueira, Nastula pulled off a quite an impressive
performance in his debut fight, actually controlling "Minotauro"
for the first few minutes of that fight.
This
fight is really quite unfair to the man from Poland. Nastula
is a decent up-and-comer with a potentially bright future. Unfortunately,
PRIDE is making him go swim with the sharks yet again. As mentioned
above, Nastula was impressive in his first fight and he has probably
improved tenfold since that fight. With that said, he's facing
a monster in Aleks Emelianenko. Nastula may be able to use his
Judo skills to enact an early takedown on his larger foe, but
in the end, Pawel's going to be laying flat on his back staring
up at the ceiling of the Saitama Super Arena.
My
Pick: Aleksander Emelianenko by KO/TKO in the 1st Round
Yuki
Kondo vs Kazuhiro Nakamura
In
what should be a very competitive fight, Japanese stars Yuki
Kondo and Kazuhiro Nakamura will attempt to ascend the PRIDE
Middleweight ladder with a victory. Kondo(44-16-5) is a Pancrase
legend and the current Light Heavyweight King of Pancrase. A
savvy veteran, Kondo has had an illustrious Mixed Martial Arts
career, including multiple KOP(King of Pancrase) titles. Kazuhiro
Nakamura(7-4-0) is regarded by many as Japan's best 205lbs fighter.
Nakamura has defeated some big names throughout his career and
in his last fight defeated the heavily favored Igor Vovchanchyn
by Unanimous Decision. With a victory here, Nakamura may secure
a spot in the Light Heavyweight top 10.
I
think this is a great fight. Both guys are tremendous fighters
and it should be a battle right to the end. Kondo, as always,
is at a disadvantage because he's fighting somebody who is naturally
a good 30 pounds heavier than he is. On top of that, Nakamura
has great throws and takedowns. Nevertheless, Kondo is an exceptional
striker and should have the advantage on the feet. Nakamura is
akin to a bit of stalling once it hits the ground and may attempt
to use this tactic to win a decision. Kondo is the wrong person
to play this game against. Yuki's very slippery on the ground
and I've yet to see somebody mount him without being reversed
sometime later on.
As
long as Nakamura can stay out of Kondo's range on the feet, he
should be able to use his weight and his submission skills to
win a decision. Kondo's heart is as big as Asia and he'll no
doubt put up a great fight, but I think Nakamura comes out the
winner in this one.
My
Pick: Kazuhiro Nakamura by Decision
Hidehiko
Yoshida vs Naoya Ogawa
This
fight has all of Japan buzzing. Two Judo legends will square
off in a fight that may end up shattering PRIDE television records.
Ogawa(7-1-0) is a pro wrestler and is literally Japan's Hulk
Hogan. He has had a short MMA career, with his biggest win coming
against former PRIDE gatekeeper, Gary Goodridge. In his last
fight Ogawa was forced to fight Fedor Emelianenko, and as predicted,
ended up getting flattened in less than a minute. Hidehiko Yoshida(5-3-1)
has had an impressive career with two of his losses coming to
the current PRIDE Middleweight Champion, Wanderlei Silva. His
other loss came to Greco-Roman Gold Medallist Rulon Gardner who
outweighed Yoshida by 80 pounds. Both of his fights with Silva
were entertaining wars and as a result Yoshida has garnered some
much-deserved respect for his ability and his toughness. In his
last fight, Yoshida defeated old-school UFC badboy Tank Abbott
via Ezekiel Choke in the 1st round.
This
fight presents a few questions to MMA fans. Who is the better
Judoka? One would think that it would be Yoshida due to the fact
that he won a Gold Medal while Ogawa only won Silver. However,
Ogawa has won four World Championships to Yoshida's one. Will
Yoshida wear the Gi? Who knows, but I certainly would not if
it were me. Wearing a Gi may play right into the hands of Ogawa
and give him handholds, which will make it easier for him to
throw Yoshida to the ground. An interesting little tidbit is
that these men have met before in the Judo world, with Yoshida
getting the win via points.
I
think this one might stay on the feet. The Judo skills of both
men are on a relatively equal level and may end up negating each
other. On the feet, Yoshida is the better striker. He went toe-to-toe
with Silva on both occasions and didn't take a step backwards.
Ogawa did show in his fight with Leko that he packs a punch and
he may surprise us all yet again in this aspect. I predict that
Yoshida will pick Ogawa apart on the feet in the 1st round, and
in the 2nd it will go the ground with Yoshida securing a submission
victory.
My
Pick: Yoshida by Submission in the 2nd Round
Fedor
Emelienenko vs Zuluzinho
In
one of the more bizarre fights we've seen from PRIDE, the Heavyweight
Champion Fedor Emelianenko will fight Zuluzinho, a 6'5, 400lbs
monster from Brazil. Fedor(22-1-0) is the most dominant fighter
in the world today, having systematically annihilated the brunt
of the PRIDE Heavyweight division. In his last fight, Fedor defeated
Mirko Filipovic in a three round war. As always, Fedor looked
very impressive, confusing Cro Cop by constantly pressing the
action on the feet and forcing the Croatian striker to backpedal.
Fedor's opponent, Zuluzinho(2-0-0) is making his second appearance
in PRIDE and his third "official" appearance in professional
MMA. I have official in quotations because according to Zuluzinho,
he's had about 40 previous fights in Brazil, all of which he
was victorious via KO. Zuluzinho is the son of the famous Brazilian
Vale Tudo fighter Zulu, who lost in the 80's to BJJ legend Rickson
Gracie.
This
fight should be great to watch. Not because it will be a competitive
fight, but because we'll get to see Fedor annihilate a much larger
opponent. Can we honestly say that watching Fedor pound the crap
out of Gary Goodridge was not entertaining? I see Fedor taking
Zulu out on the feet, much in the same fashion as the Goodridge
fight. Given the opportunity, Fedor may use his Judo background
to take the fight to the mat or he may just end it on the feet.
If by some miracle Zulu wins this fight, it will be easily the
biggest upset to ever take place in Mixed Martial Arts.
My
Pick: Fedor Emelianenko by KO/TKO in the 1st Round
Kazushi
Sakuraba vs Ikuhisa Minowa
In
what is a true dream match for Japanese MMA fans, two of the
most unique and entertaining fighters in the world will do battle
in the PRIDE ring. Kazushi Sakuraba(18-9-1) is an MMA legend
and one of the greatest MMA fighters of all time. At PRIDE 30,
Sakuraba bounced back from a tough defeat Critical Countdown
with a KO win over rival legend Ken Shamrock. Although there
was some controversy surrounding the outcome of the fight, Ken
was clearly outclassed by a superior fighter. In his last four
fights, Sakuraba is 3-1. Ikuhisa "The Punk" Minowa(30-22-8)
is one of the craziest fighters in PRIDE. With a never-say-die
attitude and a full-speed-ahead fighting style, Minowa has captured
the hearts of the Japanese fans. Minowa's last appearance was
at the Bushido Grand Prix where he lost in the semi-finals to
his former mentor, Murilo Bustamante. Earlier in the night, Minowa
defeated Phil Baroni in what was a rather lackluster fight.
It's
been awhile since Sakuraba has fought somebody who's at or around
the same size as he is, and his performance should not disappoint.
I don't think Minowa has much of a shot at winning this one.
When it comes to wrestling ability, it's no contest, as Sakuraba
has the clear advantage. In striking it's no contest yet again.
With Sakuraba's extensive Chute Boxe training, Minowa stand little
chance on the feet. The only place where Minowa may have a shot
is on the ground, and I doubt even that. Minowa has great leglocks,
but Saku is arguably the slickest grappler in MMA history.
I
don't think Minowa can strike with Sak, I don't think he can
wrestle with Sak, and I don't think he can submit Sak. Therefore,
I think Minowa will lose.
My
Pick: Kazushi Sakuraba by KO/TKO in the 1st Round
Mirko
"Cro Cop" Filipovic vs Mark Hunt
Two
former K-1 superstars will meet at Shockwave in what will presumably
be a stand up clinic from both men. Cro Cop(17-3-2) is continuing
on his upward climb to a possible rematch with PRIDE Heavyweight
Champion, Fedor Emelianenko. In his last fight, Cro Cop defeated
fellow top 10 Heavyweight Josh Barnett by unanimous decision.
In his recent outings, Cro Cop has shown increased proficiency
in his ground skills, and some will say that his stand up game
has been negatively affected as a result. Mark Hunt(2-1-0), is
like Mirko, a former K-1 star. In his last fight against Wanderlei
Silva, Hunt showed off his lethal hands en route to a split decision
victory.
This
fight is a no-win situation for Cro Cop. If he wins, than it's
no big deal since Hunt isn't even a ranked fighter. If he loses,
Cro Cop's chances for a rematch get flushed straight down the
drain, or at least until the 2006 Heavyweight Grand Prix. Hunt
may be the first opponent that Cro Cop doesn't want to strike
with. Hunt has brutal knockout power in his hands and one clean
shot is all it will take to put Mirko to sleep. Furthermore,
it's virtually impossible to KO Hunt as he possesses a granite
chin. The safe route for Cro Cop may be to take this fight to
the ground as soon as possible. But can he take Hunt down? And
if so, can he submit him? Hunt is short and stocky while Mirko
is tall and lanky. Cro Cop's body is not the ideal wrestler's
frame. Cro Cop will also have his work cut out for him should
he get Hunt to the ground. If a BJJ black belt in Wanderlei Silva
can't submit Hunt, how is Cro Cop going to do it?
This
fight is almost too close to call. If Cro Cop wins it will most
likely be by decision, while if Hunt wins it will most likely
be by knockout. I think Cro Cop will dominate the majority of
the fight, throwing straight lefts right down the pipe and flipping
up the occasional high kick at Hunt's cinder-block dome. Hunt
will go down in some point in the fight and Cro Cop will pounce
on top, refusing to allow Hunt the opportunity to get back to
his feet. Mirko won't be able to finish the fight, but he'll
do plenty enough to win a decision.
My
Pick: Cro Cop by Decision
Dan
Henderson vs Murilo Bustamante
At
Shockwave 2005, the first 183lbs title fight in the history of
PRIDE FC will take place as Dan Henderson faces Murilo Bustamante
for the right to be called the PRIDE Welterweight Grand Prix
Champion. Dan Henderson(18-4-0) will be making his third appearance
in his natural weight class. His last two in-ring appearances
took place at Bushido: The Tournament where he defeated Ryo Chonan
and Akihiro Gono, both wins coming by way of knockout. Henderson
is arguably the #1 185lbs fighter in the world and a win here
would cement that ranking. Murilo Bustamante(12-4-1) will be
in Henderson's way and in the process will attempt to avenge
his previous loss to the aformentioned fighter. Like Dan, Murilo's
last appearance was at the Bushido Grand Prix where he gained
victories over Masanori Suda and Ikuhisa Minowa. A win here would
vault Bustamante right back to the top of the 185lbs division.
In
many ways this is a classic striker vs grappler fight. Henderson
possesses great stand up and has a wicked right hand that can
knock out anybody in his division. Bustamante is one of the leaders
of the Brazilian Top Team and a reputable master on the ground.
The kink thrown into this scenario though is that Busta is more
than capable on the feet, and Hendo likewise is very capable
on the ground. Still, the smart strategy for Dan would be to
keep the fight standing and for Busta, the likely gameplan would
be to take it the ground.
I'm
calling what many might call an "upset" here. From
what I've seen on the various forums, most are expecting a Dan
Henderson victory. I don't think so. I've always felt that Bustamante's
stand up is drastically underrated and in my opinion, he is more
than capable of banging it out with Henderson on the feet. Busta
has shown his stand up proficiency on more than one occasion,
including his fights with Chuck Liddell and Ryuta Sakurai. When
it fought Liddell, Busta was able to stalemate "The Iceman"
and one could argue that he won the stand up battle in that fight.
Against Sakurai, Bustamante deftly picked him apart on the feet
and eventually won the fight by unanimous decision. In this fight,
Bustamante is going to trade for the first portion of the bout,
allowing Dan to wear himself out. When the time is right(or when
Hendo will no longer be able to defend the takedown), Busta will
tie it to the ground and win it by submission.
My
Pick: Bustamante by Submission in the 2nd Round
Takanori
Gomi vs Hayato Sakurai
In
what may be the most anticipated fight on the show, the King
of the Lightweights, Takanori "Fireball Kid" Gomi will
face off against his former teacher, the legendary Hayato "Mach"
Sakurai. This match is the finals of the Bushido Lightweight
tournament and will crown the first ever PRIDE Lightweight Grand
Prix Champion. Gomi(23-2-0) is the most dominant Lightweight
fighter in the world today. At the Bushido Grand Prix, Gomi defeated
Luiz Azeredo for the second time and more significantly, submitted
Tatsuya Kawajiri, the man many considered to be the #1 Lightweight
fighter in the world at that time. Gomi's opponent is Hayato
"Mach" Sakurai, an estabished MMA legend. After years
of competing against larger fighters between 170-185lbs, Sakurai
revived his career, going back to his original weight class at
the September Bushido event. Mach went on to defeat Jens Pulver
and Joachim Hansen, winning the former by TKO and the latter
by unanimous decision. A win here would cement Mach's status
as one of the all time greats this sport has ever seen.
Both
Gomi and Sakurai are very well rounded fighters. Sakurai has
very capable stand up, especially his devastating kicks. He executes
some great judo throws and is a submission wizard on the ground.
Gomi has arguably the best stand up in his division, has brutal
punching power, is a great wrestler, and has an iron chin. If
both guys decide to stand up and trade at a distance, one would
expect Gomi to have the significant advantage. However, Gomi
utilizes a very "care-free" striking style, which may
give Sakurai adequate opportunities to catch Gomi in a clinch.
From the clinch Gomi does have some wicked knees, but there's
a good chance Sakurai would be able to throw Gomi to the ground.
If Gomi gets taken down, can he get back up? If there is one
weakness in Gomi's game it's his ability to fight off his back.
In his last fight against Luiz Azeredo, Gomi was content just
to hold on and wait for a break. If Sakurai can get Gomi to the
ground and can stay busy, the "Fireball Kid" is going
to be in a world of trouble. On the flip side of the equation,
Gomi's Ground 'n' Pound attack is nasty. The obvious difference
though is that Sakurai works extremely well off his back. Whether
he works well enough to submit Gomi or to stand back up remains
to be seen. Another interesting aspect will be Sakurai's kicking
ability. Gomi hasn't faced anybody that has kicks the calibur
of Sakurai. As was the case against Pulver, some brutal leg and
liver kicks might be exactly what Mach needs to do to set up
a takedown.
This
fight is almost too close to call. Either guy could take the
victory, but I think Gomi's chin will be the difference. Sakurai's
going to do very well at the start of the fight, using his kicks
to keep Gomi at bay. He'll go for the occasional takedown, but
Gomi's superior wrestling ability will stuff him each time, turning
this one into a stand up affair. Sakurai will land his fair share
of blows, but Gomi won't even flinch and will continue to press
forward. Evntually, sometime near the end of the 1st round, Gomi
will land a huge shot that will floor his opponent. Gomi will
pursue his relentless attack until the official steps in and
stops the bout, crowning him the first ever Japanese PRIDE Champion.
It's
really a shame that either one of these fighters will lose this
fight. Sakurai's recent resurgence has sparked a feeling of nostalgia
among the MMA community and Gomi is the Lightweight King who
always puts on an entertaining performance. Really, who doesn't
want to see Gomi scale the ropes yet again? Although the fight
itself is very hard to predict, one thing that's easy to predict
is that this fight has the potential to be a classic.
My
Pick: Takanori Gomi by KO/TKO in the 1st Round
Wanderlei
Silva vs Ricardo Arona
In
what is probably the most significant fight of the show, the
PRIDE Middleweight Championship will be on the line as Wanderlei
Silva meets Ricardo Arona. This fight is a rematch from their
previous encounter at Final Conflict 2005, where Arona garnered
the decision victory. Wanderlei Silva(29-5-1) is the current
PRIDE Middleweight Champion. His last fight was the previously
mentioned loss against Arona in the first round of the Middleweight
Grand Prix. Many have speculated that Silva hasn't quite been
himself in his recent outings. Arona(12-3-0) is coming off a
night of ultimate highs and bitter lows. At Final Conflict, Arona
was able to defeat Silva but was stopped in the finals of the
GP tournament by Silva's teammate, Mauricio Rua. I see this as
a must-win fight for both men.
In
my mind, this fight depends on which mindset Wanderlei is in
on fight night. Will he be the usual agressive maniac that aims
to not only beat his opponent, but maim him as well? Or will
he be the passive, unagressive fighter that we saw at Final Conflict.
We know that Arona is going to be the same fighter he always
is, but with Silva there are some viable question marks. The
key for Silva is to be agressive but not wild. If he swings with
reckless abandon, Arona will have no trouble bringing him to
the ground. In that same token, if Silva remains passive Arona
will have an even easier time accomplishing the takedown. And
as we all know, if Arona gets the takedown it's unlikely that
Silva is getting back up. Arona will do what he always he does;
throw leg kicks, go for the takedown, and attempt to assume a
dominant position on the ground. But what will Silva do? I really
think the outcome of this fight depends entirely on Wanderlei.
The
smart pick would be Arona, but I'm going with my gut and choosing
Wanderlei. I think we'll see the old, agressive Wanderlei back
in action. Arona will take control of the early rounds, but unlike
their previous encounter, this fight is three rounds and not
just two. Arona will be out of gas by the third round and Silva
will take advantage by putting him to sleep.
My
Pick: Wanderlei Silva by KO/TKO in the 3rd round
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Minotauro
gives advices to Zuluzinho
Nobody knows so well the game of Emelianeko Fedor as Rodrigo
Minotauro. After two disputes against the russian, Minotauro
know really well the game of his main adversary at the moment
and knows that the fight will be really hard to Zuluzinho in
the Pride of 31 of December. 'The strong thing about Fedor is
the beats and the fall. Zuluzinho must keep the distance to don`t
fall down. The thing is to use the jab and walk around the ring
to don`t be get easily', said Rodrigo.
Source: Tatame
|
K1
NEW YEARS EVE PREVIEW: GENKI VS KID
By Damon Martin
 
Pride won’t be the only show in Japan on New Year’s
Eve with a lightweight tournament final…K-1 puts the finishing
touches on their “Hero’s” lightweight tournament
with UFC veteran Genki Sudo taking on Norifumi “Kid”
Yamamoto.
Genki
Sudo, one of the most skilled and yet unorthodox fighters in
the lightweight division, has long been seen as a top competitor,
but also has a great many critics for his lack of top named opponents.
“The Neo-Samurai” is however one of the most well rounded
fighters in the entire world with very slick submissions and
surprisingly good stand-up.
The
last time Americans had the chance to see the always colorful
and entertaining fighter from Japan was in his impressive win
over Mike Brown at UFC 47 in Las Vegas. Sudo was able to secure
a triangle choke in the middle of round 1 and leave the Mandalay
Bay Events Center a winner. It was almost exactly the same time
the year before when Sudo suffered his only defeat inside the
octagon when he lost a very controversial decision to kickboxer
Duane “Bang” Ludwig at UFC 42.
Since
his time in the UFC, Genki Sudo has made a name for himself back
in his home country of Japan as one of the rising stars signed
by K-1 to feature in their MMA only bouts. Sudo had fought in
K-1 once before beating the much larger Eric “Butterbean”
Esch on the New Year’s Eve show in 2003, and in his return
knocked out Brazilian jiu-jitsu legend Royler Gracie.
It
was his entrance in the K-1 lightweight tournament that made
a lot of people stand up and realize what kind of fighter that
Genki Sudo was capable of being. In his three fights making it
to the finals, Sudo won by submission and showed why he may very
well be the top lightweight fighter in the world, not just in
K-1.
Sudo’s
opponent in the finals is the very hard hitting and extremely
popular, Norifumi “Kid” Yamamoto. A “mini-Mark
Coleman” as he’s been referred to by the press in previous
months, Yamamoto is a very strong wrestler who his harder than
possibly any fighter in the lightweight class.
Training
with Enson Inoue, “Kid” Yamamoto is a one time Olympic
hopeful, but is now focused 110% on MMA and a win in the K-1
tournament could go a long way to testing his mettle. With more
than 10 professional fights under his belt, Yamamoto is out to
prove that his game is ready for the next level.
Fighting
most of his career between lightweight and featherweight, “Kid”
Yamamoto will actually come into this fight giving up almost
5 inches of height to Genki Sudo, but never one to back down
from a fight, the fighter who stopped both Royler Gracie and
UFC veteran Caol Uno on his way to the finals, “Kid”
Yamamoto will be ready for his chance at greatness.
The
real question going into this fight is truly who wants this prestigious
title more? Genki Sudo has long been considered a top flight
competitor but hasn’t stepped into any major fight yet in
his career. “Kid” Yamamoto has fought some very good
opponents but never one as well rounded in every aspect of his
game as Genki Sudo.
With
a win, either competitor will make a name for themselves as one
of the very best in the lightweight class in the world, but it
will be interesting to see how the crowd perceives this fight
knowing that two other Japanese heroes in Takanori Gomi and Hayato
“Mach” Sakarai will be battling it out for a similar
crown in Pride on the same night. Neither Genki Sudo or “Kid”
Yamamoto had to go through the same level of competition to get
to the finals as their Pride rivals, but now that the finals
are set, this looks to be an absolutely tremendous match-up.
Genki
Sudo and “Kid” Yamamoto will square off on New Year’s
Eve in the finals of the K-1 Hero’s lightweight tournament.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Quote
of the Day
"Nobody who ever gave his best regretted it."
George Halas, 1895-1983, American Football Player/Coach/Own
|
Kickin
It 2006 Fight Card
Kickin It 2006
Dole Cannery Ballroom, Honolulu, Hawaii
January 7, 2006
(Doors Open At 6 Pm)
Main Event
65#
Justly Laquihon (HMC) Vs. Kai Kamaka (808 Fight Factory)
Semi Main
Super Heavyweight
Sam Palosami (Team Devastation) Vs. Chavis Victoria (Animal House)
75-80
Brysen Bright (HSD) Vs. Jon Smith (Animal House)
140-145
Chad Pavao (HSD) Vs. Justin Wong (HMC)
140-145
Edmund Li (HMC) Vs. Red Davis (Animal House)
135-140
Ferdinand Ramirez (Animal House) Vs. Nathan Naki (HSD)
145-150
Anthony (Team Island Thunder) Vs. Sadhu Bott (HMC)
160-165
Toby Amba (Team Perception) Vs. Shanen Kira (Team Mixbreed)
135-140
Nui Wheeler (Team Soljah) Vs. Keo Doane (Animal House)
155-160
Martin Koama (Animal House) Vs. Kawena Pomaihelea (Team Submit)
180-185
Kawika Kalani (Team Devastation) Vs. Nye Delasantos (Team Soljah)
165-170
Niko Rusakov (Team Island Thunder) Vs. Sunsea Ferguson (Team
Devastation)
70-75
Kaeo Candelero (HSD) Vs. Kiley Romero (HMC)
120-125
Davin Kim (Ewa Beach Fight Club) Vs. Royce Poaha (Team Devastation)
10 Yr Old 2005 75# Championship
Dylan Bright (HSD) Vs. Jordan (Ewa Beach Fight Club)
Subject to change.
Source: Event Promoter
|
Help
For A Potential Miss Hawaii
More Pictures
A late
Christmas visual gift.
 
This is a first for Onzuka.com, partially because this has
nothing to do with martial arts, but it does have something to
do with Hawaii. And at many of Hawaii's MMA event, we have beautiful
women that are ring card girls, so technically if Ms. Bringas
was a ring card girl, this would fit right into our page....okay,
nuf said trying to justify putting on a beautiful young lady
on our site. After seeing Teresa's pictures, I had most of you
at "This is a first" heh heh.
Find out more about Teresa and check out more pictures at her
website:
www.teresabringas.com
My name is Teresa Bringas and I'm planning to do the Miss Honolulu,
Miss West Oahu, Miss Nuuanu and Miss Leeward Pageant ( one pageant
with 4 titles). This is a preliminary to the Miss Hawaii Scholarship
pageant. The pageant will be held on Jan 22nd at the Paliku Auditorium
in Kaneohe...I think that's where it is :( I'm looking to raise
funds to go towards my advetisements, gown, swimsuits etc. Although,
the pageant does not require a registration or entry fee the
things that we need can add up and become very costly. I normally
would send out letters to business etc, but with time being a
factor that is not possible.
My
platform for the pageant right now is "Prevent Drug Abuse
in Teens"..this is unless my director helps me find something
else more suitable and easier to handle in interview.
The
pageant will consist of Interview 35%, Talent 40%, Swimsuit 10%,
Evening Wear 10% and Casual 5%.
I
hope this enough information, if not please let me know. I am
also attaching a picture of myself so you can see who you might
be supporting.
Thank
You so much for your help,
Teresa
Bringas
|
PEQUENO:
'ROYCE WILL WIN'
Alexandre "Pequeno" Nogueira
Gracie
Magazine asked Alexandre 'Pequeno' Nogueira to give his opinion
on Hideo Tokoro, who will face Royce Gracie on the K-1 card on
December 31st.
Pequeno
has already faced Tokoro, losing by KO in an overtime round,
in a fight that Pequeno came into with an injured knee which
he has since had surgically repaired. Here's what Pequeno had
to say:
"He
is quite unpredictable. He just comes at you, helter skelter.
He's got many combinations, and at any moment can give strikes
such as the flying knee or the spinning punch. It was with the
latter that he knocked me out, after he pretended he was going
to try a kick.
But
Royce, who is heavier and a brilliant technician, will dictate
the fight with ease, in my opinion. He must only stay calm and
submit Tokoro at the right time, after the Japanese fighter explodes." -Alexandre 'Pequeno'
Nogueira
Source: Fight Sport
|
Ricardo
Arona: Looking for the belt
By Alexandre Lobo
Ricardo Arona is ready for the most important fight of his career.
The BTT's black belt will face Wanderlei Silva on December 31st
for the Pride Middleweight belt and he expects to repeat the
first fight, when he beat the Axe Murderer by judges decision.
In an exclusive to TATAME.com, Arona talks about his training
and he sends his message to Wanderlei: "I will test your
BJJ black belt".
You
have been coming to Brazilian Top Team more often during the
last weeks. Why did you change your training schedule for this
fight?
I
wanna get this belt. I already had the opportunity to put my
hands on Pride's belt once and I lost. So, I decided to intensify
my trainings.
What
are you doing different for this fight?
I'm
going three times a week at the BTT headquarter. There, I improve
my Wrestling and BJJ skills. We have top sparrings there, what's
good for me. I do also test my cardio conditions.
At
this time, Wanderlei promises he won't respect you as he did
at the first fight...
I've
faced all kind of fighters and way of fighting. This doesn't
scare me! If he goes to an open fight, good for me, it will be
easier for me to put him down.
How
do you intend to take this fight?
I
want to strike with him, but I am also going to use my Jiu-Jitsu
skills to submit him. I want to test his black belt.
At
the end of this year, the Brazilian Top Team will dispute two
Pride's belts: you will try the Middleweight belt and Murilo
Bustamante will face Dan Henderson for the GP's Welterweight
belt. Conquering both, BTT will surpass Chute Boxe on number
of titles. Do you think it increases your responsibility?
No...I'm
sure this New Years Eve will be great for us. We will end 2005
in the best way possible, with Murilo taking the belt and I beating
Wanderlei using the Jiu-Jitsu.
Talking
about Murilo, he will face a guy that you already fought, Dan
Henderson. What do you think it will happen at this fight?
Murilo
is better physically and technically. He has a good ground game
and a great Boxing. But anything can happen on a Vale-Tudo fight.
Dan Henderson has a strong right punch and he's also very experienced.
Send
a message for your fans.
Thanks
for you support and I'm counting on their support on December
31st. I want to put this belt on the right hands, for the one
who deserves it. For someone that represents the sport and that
will work hard on the development of the sport.
Source: Tatame
|
2005
FIGHT OF THE YEAR ANNOUNCED
We had the fans of MMAWeekly.com vote for who they thought was
the fight of the year. The fans have spoken and you voted Stephan
Bonnar vs Forrest Griffin as the fight of the year in 2005.
Here
was the official breakdown of how the fans voted at MMAWeekly.com.
Total
19,201 votes cast.
Forrest
Griffin vs Stephan Bonnar - 39.54%
Fedor
Emelinaneko vs Mirko Cro Cop - 22.95%
Shogun
Rua vs Minotoro Nogueira - 17.16%
Frank
Trigg vs Matt Hughes 2 - 13.69%
Takanori
Gomi vs Kawajiri - 6.65%
MMAWeekly.com
spoke with the two combatants, Stephan Bonnar and Forrest Griffin
about being named as the Fight of the Year of 2005.
Bonnar
said quote "Wow, I'm flattered. Defense is overrated anyway.
If you get punched in the face enough it's good to know people
love that." Bonnar said with a laugh. "I loved the
Shogun vs Minotaro fight personally, but I'm flattered the fans
voted that way."
Griffin
equally as funny finding out he won the 2005 Fight of the Year.
"Wow, that's great. I'm glad me getting punched in the head
and showing my lack of boxing skills is something the fans can
appreciate. Thank you to the fans."
The
other fights were just as deserving but why did this fight rise
to the top? Mike Goldberg, the play by play voice of the UFC
said it best when he came on MMAWeekly Radio.
"Not
only was the fight a thriller with the guys going the full fifteen
minutes and throwing, but I think more importantly, if you think
about the sport of Mixed Martial Arts and what that particular
fifteen minutes did to our sport, and I hope did for every fighter,
that to me tells me it was fight of the year. That to me tells
me it had an impact much larger than the impact that took place
in the octagon. For that reason, it may be the greatest fight
of all time when we sit back and reflect in twenty years."
He
continued, "There may be better battles. There may be bigger
fights. There may be title fights that are just amazing like
with [Randy] Couture and [Pedro] Rizzo 1, when it went back and
forth and Randy finally won in the 4th round, but to me the statement
that, that made, allowing Mixed Martial Arts to arrive to the
mainstream fan, what it has led to for the UFC, what it will
lead to for the Mixed Martial Arts world just defines that fight
in a way that no other fight can carry those kind of ramifications.
I mean to have the story book ending to what was this Cinderella
soap opera, if you will, which was 'The Ultimate Fighter' season
one, you couldn't have written a better script. There's no question
about it."
Goldberg
further commented, "I think when you look at the pure numbers
and the households that we reached, for a period of that fight,
for a seven minute period of that fight we had over ten million
viewers on Spike TV, and that's why I define that fight in a
different fashion."
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Frank
Mir doesn't worry Pé-de-Pano
Used to the big challenges, the two times BJJ World champ Márcio
Pé-de-Pano is not worried with his next opponent at UFC,
the experienced Frank Mir. "I'm training a lot and I'm very
confident for this fight. I know he likes to fight on the ground,
but I also do. It will be good for me", Pé-de-Pano
says. Training partner of Pé-de-Pano at Gracie Barra Combat
Team, Gustavo Ximú expects for a submission. "Mir
is good on the ground, but Pé-de-Pano is much better than
him. Pé-de-Pano is prepared to strike, to take Mir down
and submit him", Ximú says.
COMPLETE
CARD (subject to change):
UFC
57
Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas - USA
Saturday, February 4th 2005
For
the Light Heavyweight belt
-
Chuck Liddell (champion) vs. Randy Couture;
Other
fights
-
Brandon Vera vs. Justin Eilers;
-
Alessio Sakara vs. Elvis Sinosic;
-
Renato Babalú vs. Mike Van Arsdale;
-
Frank Mir vs. Márcio Pé-de-Pano;
-
Mike Swick vs. Stephan Potvin;
-
Branden Lee Hinkle vs. Mike Whitehead;
Source: Tatame
|
Aerts,
Herring Join K-1 "Dynamite" Card
by Stephen Martinez
TOKYO, Dec. 24 — Popular Japanese kickboxer Masato is literally
coming out of nowhere at the last minute to join the K-1 "Dynamite"
show roster for the New Year's Eve mixed martial arts and kickboxing
extravaganza held by the K-1 promotion in Osaka, Japan.
Masato,
who saw last action July 20 at the K-1 Max final and was sidelined
since then due to injury, was scheduled to comeback next year
to action, but K-1 somehow pulled an ace by bringing the popular
fighter back in action against fellow Japanese boxing champion
Akira Oohigashi.
Also
other two MMA matches were announced. K-1 legend Peter Aerts
participates in his second MMA fight against journeyman Shungo
Oyama, while Japanese powerhouse wrestler Yoshihiro Nakao welcomes
Heath Herring back to MMA competition for the first time since
March 26, when Herring suffered a freak knee injury against Sam
Greco in HERO's 1.
Another
name already scheduled to participate but without an opponent
is pro-wrestler and MMA fighter "The Predator."
FEG
"K-1 PREMIUM 2005 Dynamite!"
December 31, 2005 at Osaka Dome, Osaka, Japan
Doors Open: 2:00 p.m.
Fights Start: 4:00 p.m.
Confirmed
Cards:
HERO's Rules Bout 5 min / 3R
Peter Aerts (Holland / Team Aerts) vs. Shungo Oyama (Japan /
Freelance)
HERO's
Rules Bout 5 min / 3R
Heath Herring (U.S.A. / Las Vegas Combat Club) vs. Yoshihiro
Nakao (Japan / Freelance)
K-1
Rules Bout - 72 kg / 158.76 lbs - 3min / 3R
Masato (Japan / Silver Wolf) vs. Akiar Oohigashi (Japan / Freelance)
HERO'S
Middleweight Tournament Final 5 min / 3R (10-point-must system)
Genki Sudo (Japan / Beverly Hills Jiu-Jitsu Club) vs. Norifumi
Yamamoto (Japan / KILLER BEE)
HERO's
Special Rules Bout 10 min / 2R
Royce Gracie (Brazil / Team Royce Gracie Jiu-jitsu) vs. Hideo
Tokoro (Japan / Reversal Gym)
Special
Bout
Akebono (Japan / Team Yokozuna) vs. Bobby Ologun (Nigeria / Freelance)
K-1
Rules Bout 3 min / 3R, ext. 1R
Ernesto Hoost (Holland / Vos Gym) vs. Semmy Schilt (Pictures)
(Holland / Seido Kaikan)
HERO'S
Rules Bout (75 kg / 165.37 lbs & under) 5 min / 2R
Katsuhiko Nagata (Japan / New Japan Pro-Wrestling) vs. Remigijus
Morkevicius (Lithuania / RINGS Lithuania)
K-1
Rules Bout 3 in / 3R, Ext. 1R
Musashi (Japan / Seido-kaikan) vs. Bob Sapp (U.S.A. / Team Beast)
HERO's
Rules Bout 5 min / 3R
Jerome LeBanner (France / LeBanner X-treme Team) vs. Alan Karaev
(Russia / Marupro Gym)
Source: Sherdog
|
Quote
of the Day
"I used to say, "I sure hope things will change."
Then I learned that the only way things are going to change for
me is when I change."
Jim Rohn, American Businessman/Author/Speaker
|
Kaneohe
& University Relson Gracie Academies Open During Christmas
Break!
The Kaneohe Team and Team HK are open for all Relson Gracie Association
members to train during the Christmas break all week.
Monday 6-8PM - Team
HK
Tuesday 7:15-? - Kaneohe Team
Wednesday 6-8PM - Team HK
Thursday 7:15-? - Kaneohe Team
Saturday 11AM-2PM - Team HK
As for
our academy, Academia Casca Grossa de Jiu-Jitsu, hell no, we
are closed because we both need a break. Sorry guys. It will
be a good opportunity to visit our sister academies and get the
benefit of training with other members of our team.
Here are the details for the Kaneohe Team:
$7 for both instructional class & open mat starting at 7:15
PM. OR, $5 for just open mat at 8:15 PM.
Kaneohe
Team
Relson Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Association
Ronn Shiraki
46-148 Kahuhipa Street,
1st Floor
(Next to Kikuya Japanese Restaurant)
Kaneohe, Hawaii 96744
(808) 387-1961
URL: http://www.kaneoheteam.com
Email: kaneoheteam@yahoo.com
Team HK
Relson Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Association
Shane Agena & Todd Tanaka
University Square
(Inside The International Karate Federation Dojo)
2615 South King Street 3rd Floor Suite #302
Honolulu, HI 96826
Contact: (808) 277-1128
URL: http://www.teamhk.net
Email: todd@teamhk.net
|
Ricardo
Arona ready to rock!
Aware of the importance of this second confrontation against
Wanderlei Silva, Ricardo Arona intensified the rhythm of the
training in the Brazilian Top Team. The black-belt of Jiu-Jistu
have been going to the Lagoa filial, in the South zone of Rio
de Janeiro, three times a week to "improve the technique",
according to him. "We have a lot of good sparring fellows
in the team, what just enriches the trainings. Came here is really
important to me to test my physical preparation and the gas",
said Arona during an exclusive to team TATAME.
Source: Tatame |
LION'S
DEN TRYOUTS PART 3 FINALE
by Mick Hammond
Newest Members of the Lion's Den- Paul, Shawn, Carlos, and Joe
After
six rotations are complete the young hopefuls are allowed to
rest a few minutes and rehydrate under the watchful eye of the
volunteer medical staff. Constant movement is encouraged to keep
fighters loose and not allow fatigue to bog them down. But just
as the hopefuls begin to possibly slip into comfort they are
ordered back to the mats for more.
After
another quick talk from Shamrock, the prospects begin a grueling
three-tier routine. First they must do 200 pushups, then 500
squats, and finally 200 crouches, all again being closely watched
and scrutinized by the Lion’s Den fighters.
Already
dead tired, the marathon begins and it becomes clear one fighter’s
previous injuries have taken a toll on him beyond what he can
handle. After surviving the 200 pushups, his body gives out during
squats, an Achilles injury and back spasms overcome him and he
is forced to drop out. The second dream of achieving membership
into one of MMA’s most storied teams comes to a close, two
down, four to go.
It
can be hard to imagine doing these exercises rested, but after
already pushing your body to the limit numerous times, these
simple movements become excruciating and unbearable. Often after
doing 20 repetitions of each a fighter drops to the mat and is
given a second’s reprieve before he’s instructed to
continue by the relentless barking of White, Montoya, and Bowman.
While
the verbiage may seem cruel, it is meant to test the character
of each fighter, as MMA is not just a physical sport but a sport
of mental focus and conditioning. If a fighter cannot suck up
the pain and push through doing calisthenics then how can he
survive the constant barrage of an opponent who is looking to
take them out?
Finally
the remaining four finish all three exercises. The comradeship
that has come from working together against the challenges and
torment from coaches is about to be tested. Now they must enter
the ring and fight each other, without hesitation, without mercy,
they must be attacked and attack in return or not survive. Friend
becomes foe and with a spot on the team on the line and a dream
begging to become true, they must engage in combat with a twist.
Before
the grappling portion of fighting begins simple rules are set.
No striking standing, no elbows or knees to the head, and once
someone is caught in a submission they must endure it and attempt
to escape. That’s right, no tapping out here, if you’re
in a choke, you best fight your way out or suffer the effects
and go to the brink of blacking out before the Master himself,
Ken Shamrock, says you have had enough.
As
each fighter goes in a round-robin style 5-minute round against
the other remaining participants, it becomes clear just how for
granted people take the ability to tap out. Caught in a triangle
choke we hear screaming, gagging, the mortal cries of a grown
man begging to be let out of a submission that is designed to
incompasitate. There is nowhere to run or hide, you either escape
or come close to passing out before Shamrock tells your opponent
it is time to let go. And even then you must get back to your
feet and continue to fight for your life.
Mercy
and hesitation are not tolerated; these fellow hopefuls you may
soon call teammates are now your opposition, if a fighter takes
it easy they hear it from Shamrock and the Lion’s Den fighters.
After each fighter has faced each other in five minutes of grueling
ground work they must now work their stand up, again rules are
simple, clinching, no elbows or knees. Only if you go down will
it stop, until that moment you must continue to fight non-stop
to earn your spot on the team.
Each
fighter stands toe to toe, mixing boxing and kickboxing techniques
in hopes of putting down their opponent. This is the final test
of a man, after spending the past eight hours being pushed to
the limit it comes down to three three-minute rounds. Kicks,
punches, body blows are exchanged, men on the brink of shear
collapse dig deep within themselves to hold on just one more
minute, one more minute and it will be over. And in a blink of
an eye it is.
Four
have survived the trials put in front of them, they now stand
in the ring with Shamrock himself, congratulating them on surviving
the tryouts and saying the five words they have pushed themselves
to the brink of nothingness to hear, “Welcome to the Lion’s
Den.”
Pain
and exhaustion immediately dissipate, replaced by joy and a sense
of great accomplishment. Young men break down crying in happiness;
they embrace and rejoice in their survival. Congratulations abound
from Shamrock, onlookers, fellow participants, and from the Lion’s
Den fighters who for many hours broke these youngsters down to
the core and now embrace them as teammates.
They
are now part of a team, part of something bigger, from now until
they chose to leave they will be taken care of and given an opportunity
to represent the Lion’s Den and achieve their dreams of
becoming Mixed Martial Artists. Welcome to the Lion’s Den
indeed young prospects, you’ve earned it, and to those who
have not, there’s always next year, and more grueling tests
of mental and physical limits that await in the Lion’s Den
tryouts.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Zuluzinho
impressed Antoine Jaoude
Convoked to reinforce Zuluzinho's training for the Pride of 31
of December, Antoine Jaoude was impressed with the agility of
the giant of 2m and 180kg. After a season of six days of intensive
train, Antoine is convinced that he will give some work for the
recent champion of the Pride, Emelianenko Fedor. On Sunday, Antoine
let Belém do Pará to travel with Pedro Rizzo and
Peter Aerts to Holland. The bigger Brazilian wrestler will help
in the final preparation of the Aerts, who fights at K-1.
-
Zuluzinho has the agility of an athlete of 130kg. I already trained
with mans of 140kg and they were too slow, they had difficulties
to learn with me. But he doesn't! If he invests in the fighter
career how he wants to, he will give work. If he loses 20kg,
will be impossible to face him - he believes.
In
last Friday, Antoine made a simulation of how Fedor normally
act and he really liked the Zuluzinho performance. "This
was his best train", remember, saying also that Zuluzinho
gas is good for an athlete of his size. "I fought against
him for 15 minutes and he didn't give up. When we got tired,
he didn't let me grown. He can really surprise Fedor", said
Antoine, that is going on Monday during the morning to Holland,
where he will help the training of Peter Aerts for the K-1 Dynamite
of 31 of December.
Source: Tatame
|
Out
of my way
The outstanding evolution of Ronaldo Jacare
Alligator’s
appetite
Hungry for titles, Ronaldo Jacare tells us how he overcame an
outlaw past to became the worst nightmare of today’s black-belt
fighters
It’s
7 AM and Jacare is up and electric in room 606 of Ibis hotel,
Sao Paulo. Less than five hours earlier, the fighter beat Delson
“Pe de Chumbo” (‘Leaden Foot’) in the main
fight of the third Jiu-Jitsu Black-Belt Challenge. It was Ronaldo’s
debut with the black belt, one that flabbergasted everyone at
Ibirapuera gymnasium. Ever since the end of the combat, the athlete
hasn’t even thought of shutting his eyes and resting a little,
unlike his roommate, fellow black-belt Bibiano Fernandes. “Wake
up, little guy, let’s go have breakfast!” he annoys
his friend.
Sleeping has always been a luxury in the life of Master team’s
fighter. “Till a while ago I used to wake up at 5 AM; I’d
spend 40 minutes in the gym and go to school. On the way there
was a small tapioca-and-cheese tent where I’d have breakfast.
I always got to school late but the gatekeeper was my friend
and would let me in,” the fighter recalls. From school Jacare
would go to the gym and… sleep. “I’d take a two-hour
nap and go right on to overdrive training. I’d leave the
mat at 10 PM,” after which he still found the energy to
do his “homework” with girlfriend Danubia.
Jacare
finished highschool in 2002, at age 22, but his routine remains
hectic. By the way, that explains the constant moving he shows
in his fights: there’s no identity crisis between citizen
Jacare and sportsman Jacare. His way of fight is his way of life.
At
14 years of age Jaca had to abandon his parents and run away
from Espirito Santo. “I got into some heavy shit, outlaw
stuff, and went to live with my brother, who worked in Manaus.”
In Amazonas, the fugitive exorcised his past, running after better
days. At the town’s popular festivities, he made a few bucks
out of looking after people’s cars.
At
16 Jacare started to practice judo. “My brother already
fought, but he hurt himself by falling. I then put on his kimono,
not quite my size, and went on to train.” Young Ronaldo’s
martial arts premiere was a disaster. “Man, I couldn’t
see where the takewons were coming from. My instructor [Henrique
Machado] pointed out to other students that if I came back the
next day it was because I enjoyed the thing.” The next day
he was there again, a huge smile on his face.
“Shut up, Jacare!”
Now
it’s 7:30 and Jacare finally succeeds in talking Fernandes
into accompanying him to the restaurant. On the way, both world
champions keep harassing each other. Still sleepy, Bibiano complains:
“Hey Jaca, you’ve called me ugly ten times today. That’s
about enough, isn’t it? Shut the hell up.”
Amidst
pieces of papaya Jaca talks about his appetite. “At lunch
there’s no stopping me. I make’em lose a lot of money
there at Pops Burger [a Manaus luncheonette], my sponsor since
the judo times.” “I myself never practiced judo. I
take those guys down ’cause I’m gifted,” says
Bibiano. “Hey little guy, are you looking for trouble?”
Jaca retorts.
The
turning point was Jacare’s decision to specialize in ground
fighting. The warrior has been shaking up the Jiu-Jitsu world
since the age of 18, with exhibitions of technique, speed and
willpower. He’s been collecting myriad victories ever since.
Nowadays
each time farther away from the criminal life he led at the beginning
of his adolescence, the 6’1’’, 170 lb fighter
collects titles, prizes (he did two superb presentations in the
2003 and 2005 ADCCs) and sponsors. Are you rich yet, Jaca? “Wow
man, not nearly. I can’t get married yet ’case I’m
short on cash. But one thing I’m sure of: I’m happy.”
Eight
thirty. While fighters take the elevator to get back to their
bedrooms, Jacare recalls his first boxing training, which took
place two weeks ago [September, 2003]: “My brother, the
people from Manaus, no-one there is afraid of a beating. I didn’t
back away, but they really kicked my ass [at the training]. It
was cool,” says the black-belt athlete who will soon step
for the first time in an MMA ring [his premiere against Jorge
Patino in Jungle Fight Championship 1 wasn’t quite successful,
but in the second edition, held May 15, 2004, he defeated Victor
Babkir in round one].
Nine
o’clock. There’s no more provocation between the fighters
and not a word in room 606. But those who think that, with a
full stomach, Jacare finally went to bed are wrong. He at last
let his mate sleep, but that’s not the reason. There’s
a cartoon on.
Jacare dethrones Pe de Pano in 2004
Only 15 months after attaining the black belt, Jacare has overcome
some of the best BJJ competitors and become the year’s greatest
Jiu-Jitsu fighter in Brazil
Tree
trunks are piled up in front of Jimenes Asle Academy, in borough
Nossa Senhora das Gracas, Manaus. “It used to be a mango
tree that stood at the front. We had to chop it down cause the
mangoes kept falling onto the ceiling, making lots of holes,”
explains Ronaldo Jacare, age 26. As the raining is pretty hard
and almost daily in town, the roof gutters wet the mats, hindering
not only the training, but also the sleeping of 2004’s best
Jiu-Jitsu fighter, according to GRACIE Magazine’s evaluation.
“I own the largest bed in Brazil, 30 by 45 feet,” Jacare
jokes, dismissing his kingsize mattress in the room back of the
academy to sleep on the surface he likes most, the mat.
Besides
the bedroom, on the back of Jimenes Asle there’s a small
kitchen, a narrow service area and a tiny room where a Play Station
2 entertains Jaca and the other inhabitants of the academy: Geovani
(the “cook”), Arizinho (the “mascot”) and
Renato Souza (Jacare’s brother). Committing atrocities on
the virtual car race, Henrique Machado’s trainee suggests
that handling a joystick is a lot easier than earning gold medals
in heavyweight and open classes of a Jiu-Jitsu Pan-American championship,
as he did on april 4th: “I had never traveled to the United
States, it was my first tournament with the black belt…
I was very happy to beat Terere in the Open’s final,”
he recollects.
Twenty
days later Jacare met his first set-back in the season, losing
by 2-0 to Marcelinho Garcia, in the I Best Fighters Jiu-Jitsu
Challenge. Soon after this fight, Jacare told GRACIE Magazine:
“He [his opponent] is a real clogger. I’d rather lose
struggling to win that way.” But for this report the reptile
changed his version: “I think Marcelinho adopted the right
strategy for that combat. I’m the one who hates fighting
soon after a tournament. I prefer to rest a while before training
again. That may have impaired me on that occasion, since I had
just competed in the Pan-American.”
Emptying the gourd
After
pretending for over two hours on the stove, Geovani at last servs
lunch: beef, beans, mayo salad and rice. Jacare fills up a gourd
and starts emptying it in huge spoonfuls. Arizinho seems to compete
with the black-belt to see who can eat faster. It’s a draw.
Now they’re sweaty, lying in bed, facing a fan. They look
defeated by the laziness that attacks when you have a full stomach.
“I may go up to the heavy weights next year,” reckons
Jacare, who’s weighing 170 lb. “I hate diets.”
Xande
Ribeiro should watch out. Saulo’s brother led the heavyweight
class in 2004 and ran against Jaca to be the greatest name in
Jiu-Jitsu that year. At the end of May, for instance, Xande won
both his weight class and the open in the Brazilian Championship,
taking all the attention from Jacare, who “only” won
the medium-heavy class gold medal: “I had a bruised rib
and I preferred to spare myself by fighting only in my weight
class,” he justifies. The fans then began awaiting a combat
between Xande and Jacare on June 25th, in the 2004 Jiu-Jitsu
World Championship. The fight indeed happened and Jaca beat his
rival by decision, in the open’s semifinal; but before that,
Jacare had already taken a comfortable lead on the season’s
ranking by being acclaimed in the Jiu-Jitsu World Cup –
that took place in Bahia, at the beginning of June, – defeating
Fernando Margarida by 11-0 on the open’s final: “When
I was a purple-belt, Margarida was the greatest black-belt there
was. I always respected him a lot, but when it comes to fighting
there’s no respect involved.”
Arizinho
gets the 2004 BJJ World Championship DVD to recall the open black-belt
final between his roommate and Roger Gracie. Jacare turns away
from the TV set: “I don’t like seeing my fights, I’ve
never studied an opponent. I like fighting naturally, maybe that’s
wrong but it’s what I do.” On the screen, Jacare grabs
Roger’s back and opens four points. Minutes later, Gracie
tightens Jaca’s left arm with an armbar. The athlete from
Asle and Brasa doesn’t give up, but is compelled to fighting
with a “hanging” arm for the last two minutes of the
battle. “It was this season’s most difficult moment,”
he analyses, unwillingly following the disc’s images. The
fight ends and screen Jaca lifts his right arm in an expression
of both joy and pain. He approaches the benches, points at someone
in the crowd and says: “You chickened out, you did!”
Jacare
vs Pe de Pano: the fight missing in 2004
Jaca
was pointing at Marcio “Pe de Pano” (nicknamed after
Woody Woodpecker’s Sugar Foot), who had been elected by
GRACIE Magazine the best Jiu-Jitsu fighter in 2002 and 2003.
“Every athlete wants to confront the one on top. I really
wanted to fight Pe de Pano. After the World Championship we even
got together. He congratulated me and said that now he’s
the one who’s got to run to catch me.” Pe de Pano confirms
the statement and adds: “I deem correct the choice of Jacare
for 2004’s greatest competitor. In terms of results, he
was amazing, won everything there was to win.
Coach
Henrique Machado doesn’t see the danger of his pupil being
overwhelmed by the 2004 season’s acclamation: “I trust
in Jacare very much. He’s got a history of fighting and
misfortunes. He’s aware that, when you get to the top, all
that is left is the downfall. Hence we must consider this moment
as only the summit of one phase. Other steps will arise and we
have to keep climbing. I guess if he thinks that way he’ll
start feeling invincible,” he muses. Geovani, Arizinho and
Renato also believe Jacare won’t lose his modesty after
2004. They say the black-belt champion shares everything he buys
with the money from the prizes and sponsoring. Amid Jacare’s
most precious belongings are the Play Station 2, a computer with
Internet connection, the DVD player, 11 pairs of sneakers (all
of them shock-absorbing) and a white turbo Celta car.
Still
among the precious assets is the stereo Jaca loves turning on
as loud as it gets. To dance hip hop with Arizinho. The photograph
of them taking a shot at some steps depicts the joy 2004 means
for Jacare: “The best year of my career. It just wasn’t
better because of Terere’s arrest in the US and the death
of my training mate and great friend Marcelo Paixao,” he
bewails. And from now on, Jaca, how’s it gonna be? “I
want to fight more. I love Jiu-Jitsu, it’s my greatest joy
in life. I’ll probably compete for many years to come.”
How many exactly? “Ah, about forty…”
Post scriptum
In
2005, Jacare remained a brilliant fighter. He placer second in
the European Jiu-Jitsu Championship, losing to the talented and
heavier Roger Gracie. These two BJJ phenomena would still face
each other twice this year, in the ADCC and the Jiu-Jitsu World
Championship. In the former, Ronaldo (who had won the championship
in his weight class) was trapped by a standing rear-naked choke
– actually one of the most remarkable moments of the year.
In the latter, held in Rio de Janeiro, Jacare (who again had
won in his weight class) ended up winning with a controversial
takedown. It appears they still have some business to settle.
All the better for us fans.
ABOUT
PE DE PANO
2004, the worst year of Pe de Pano’s career
“It was kind of a bummer. Nothing went right for me,”
says Pe de Pano, age 26, about his 2004 performance. “The
worst year in my career,” he concludes. The black-belt fought
only five times since January. The win against Xande Ribeiro
(the fight ended 0-0; Pe won by decision) in April, at the first
Best Fighters Jiu-Jitsu Challenge, was the best result he achieved
in the season. The worst one, on the other hand, was his loss
to Gabriel Napao (3-0) in October, at the Black-Belt GP. Jiu-Jitsu’s
#1 in ’02 and ’03, according to GRACIE Magazine, says
a shoulder injury and his MMA debut (which ended up not happening)
drove him away from CBJJ’s (the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Confederation’s)
tournaments. “I’ve heard people talk about me, saying
I’m ‘former best fighter in the world’… I
won’t listen to that kind of crap. Carlinhos [Gracie, his
coach] always tells me that, if it wasn’t for our opponents,
we’d be nobody. They’re the ones who enhance our victories.
That’s why I find it good to have such a rival as Jacare.”
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Interview
with Bob Sapp
We woke up the giant at 3:30AM and survived
by Raphael Nogueira
Four-thirty in the afternoon, says the clock in the GRACIEMAG.com
newsroom. We call Mr. Sapp at his home in the USA. It’s
around ten in the morning there when housemaid Bruck answers
the phone and says her boss is in Japan doing business. The next
call is to Sapp’s Japan phone number. Except there is one
problem: at that very moment, Bob Sapp’s alarm-clock reads
3:30AM.
The
former football player answers the phone in the middle of a snore:
“Hello!” We apologize for the miscalculation. Then
Bob proves to be a nice guy: he asks for a few moments to wash
his face and then returns (in good humour) to talk about what
he learned in the fight against Brazilian Rodrigo Minotauro and
clear up the rumors according to which he earns over one million
dollars a year. Enjoy this interview given by one of the most
popular fighters worldwide in February, 2004.
The
loss to Rodrigo “Minotauro” Nogueira, in the August
2002 Pride FC, is still your most commented upon bout in Brazil.
How do you analyze that match?
I
see Nogueira as a great champion. The spectacles he’s been
giving the MMA public are proof of it. He beat nearly all of
his opponents, making the crowd insane. When I had the honour
of fighting him I learned a bunch of things. One of them was
to always fight intensely, regardless of how far away you are
from win or defeat.
A
report on The New York Times showed you made over one million
dollars in 2003. How much do you usually charge per fight?
I
don’t make a lot from fighting. When I first signed with
K-1 no one imagine I would ever become this popular. My purse
remains the same. My greatest source of income these days is
commercials and licensing.
You
are deemed the most famous fighter in Japan. Could you give us
an example of such popularity?
I
think the fact that my yearbook yielded over 100 thousand dollars
is a good example. The public is interested in me as a person,
not only my career. I’m very popular in Japan and other
countries as well.
What
did you know about martial arts when you began fighting in April
2002?
Nothing.
I was just a football player.
And
how much can football techniques help you up there?
Many
people underestimate the speed and agility of someone with my
biotype. They think a big guy is necessarily a slow guy. This
myth helps me surprise my adversaries, since football has given
me amazing speed.
Are
you still “just” a football player?
No.
Today I have heavy preparation in martial arts, from six to eight
hours a day, in K-1 and MMA styles.
What
is more violent, MMA or football?
MMA,
definitely. I think a thousand times as violent.
But
you abandoned football because of an injury…
Yes,
I hurt my Aquilles heel and couldn’t walk for like two years.
You
are 32 years old. How was your life till now?
I
was born in Colorado Springs. In my childhood, I practiced a
lot of sports. I also loved to play with animals. Soon I noticed
a special talent for football. I got a scholarship for college
and soon afterwards entered NFL. I played for little time until
the day of the contusion. Then I fought some professional wrestling
till I got to Pride. I’m single, I have two brothers and
a sister. I don’t have any kids, but I’m working on
it [laughter].
Warren
Sapp, one of the best defensive players in football, has the
same last name as you. Are you two related?
No.
People have said that around, but we have no family connection.
Famous people are often subject to that kind of rumor.
Do
you enjoy being a (very) heavyweight fighter?
I
love my weight. It ranges from 376 to 365 pounds. But when I
train hard I can get as light as 355 pounds.
What
do you think of our (Brazilian) Jiu-Jitsu?
I
think the Gracies had great importance in martial arts for presenting
Jiu-Jitsu to the world. Besides being great champions they were
able to teach their abilities and style to practitioners around
the world. I practise some positions with teammates, I often
use armbars in my bouts… I’m not as good as the Gracies
in Jiu-Jitsu, but I strive to someday be noteworthy.
Do
you feel your opponents are afraid to fight you?
My
opponents are professional. I don’t think they’re afraid
of me. What they are afraid of is losing, which is something
that happens to everyone including me. I try to stay calm during
the combat, be rational while attacking, use my virtues, which
I believe are connected to speed, and end the fight as soon as
I can.
Have
you ever been to Brazil?
No,
not yet, but I’ve heard the food is good and the women even
better. I intend to go there soon, not only to perfect my Jiu-Jitsu,
but also to have fun and relax somewhat.
How
was it defeating Ernesto Hoost, the great K-1 name, twice?
Hoost
is a great champion, he was on top for a long period. He is the
most technical fighter in K-1, and I was lucky I walked out of
the ring after facing him. I think I was able to beat him because
I accumulated some experience in my short career. I trained a
lot and fought a lot. The only way to become a true champion
is to fight always and with the best.
You
have released a hip hop album, whose cover is a parody of Michael
Jackson’s “Thriller.” Is music important in your
life?
I
love hip hop. To me it is full of meaning, makes me want to stand
up and dance. I like Nelly, Jay-Z and, of course, Michael Jackson.
And I don’t know much about the accusations he is under.
I hope justice is done and he makes a concert in K-1.
In
the 2003 MMA ranking made by GRACIE Magazine (Brazil) you appear
in tenth, whereas Wanderlei Silva tops the list. Were we fair?
Yes,
I’m honoured to be ranked tenth and, obviously, I want to
strive to be first. So I must train harder and harder. Wanderlei
Silva deserves the top position, I don’t even need to say
why, his amazing feats speak for themselves.
Ok,
Mr. Sapp, thank you for the interview and sorry for waking you
up.
Never
mind that. Bye, bye.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Quote
of the Day
"The rock that is an obstacle in the path of one person
becomes a stepping stone in the path of another."
Source Unknown
|
The
Onzuka Brothers Wish You And Yours A Very Merry Christmas!
We hope that everyone gets to spend time with their families
and experience the gift of giving. Please do not forget the reason
for the season and celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. Also
say a prayer for our American heroes that are away from home
fighting for our freedom or the freedom of other people in the
world. They fight so we can enjoy our lives.
|
PENN VS ST.PIERRE SIGNED
FOR MARCH
by Jeff Cain
When 'The Prodigy' BJ
Penn was
brought out on the UFC 56: 'Full Force' pay-per-view broadcast
and the announcement was made that he was back in the UFC, George
St. Pierre's well earned rematch with Matt Hughes for the welterweight
championship hit a roadblock that detoured his title shot through
former UFC Welterweight Champion, BJ Penn.
BJ
Penn broke the news on MMAWeekly Radio a couple of weeks back
that he would fight St.Pierre in March. BJ Penn has signed the
deal in the past 24 hours and the fight will take place.
"I
would prefer to fight Matt Hughes for a title shot, but now I
fight BJ Penn," St. Pierre recently told MMAWeekly Radio
about his next match. On a four fight win streak over some big
names: Sean Sherk, Frank Trigg, Jason 'Mayhem' Miller, and Dave
Strasser; George hopes to add another impressive name to his
hit list and extend his winning streak.
The
confident and always respectable St. Pierre stated, "I'm
a professional fighter. I'm not afraid of nobody. I think the
opponent was set for that fight because he's one of the top welterweights,
and some people think he's the top welterweight right now, so
it's a big honor for me to fight him."
George
didn't know the exact date of the match with Penn, but narrowed
it down to "March or April."
BJ
Penn is one of the most respected Mixed Martial Artists in the
world and has become a seasoned veteran. 'The Prodigy' nickname
seems to be more suited for the 24 year old George St. Pierre
these days than BJ Penn, although Penn is only a few days over
27.
This
has the makings of an epic bout written all over it, one of those
rare matches in MMA history that only the future will reveal
it's true importance. No matter who wins, something makes me
think there will be a rematch somewhere down the line. I'm going
to go out on a limb and saying we'll be talking about this match
as a fight of the year candidate for 2006.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
PUNISHMENT
IN PARADISE
EAST VS. WEST
Sat Jan 14,2006 @ Sea Life Park
MERRY
CHRISTMAS
On
behalf of the Punishment In Paradise Staff, we would like to
extend a MERRY CHRISTMAS to all. We hope everyone has a GREAT
Christmas. REMEMBER now DON’T DRINK AND DRIVE, have a sober
driver available. PLEASE BE RESPONSIBLE! Hawaii is hit with a
lot traffic deaths around this time. Lets all KOKUA to make this
year a year of JOY and not tears...
TICKET
OUTLETS
I
been getting a lot of emails from people who are searching tickets.
Tickets are really going for this event, we have been overwhelmed
by the response. We have 16 action packed fights planned for
you. We're starting are year of we a BANG with great fights!
TICKETS
$25.00 advance.
Where else will you see K-1, UFC, KOTC & Shooto veterans
for that price?
Day of will rise to $35.00
List
below are guys that I passed out tickets for but not sure if
they are sold out or not.
EAST SIDE
Tatoo Studio 263-8480
John Kukahiko 351-4898
Cisco Bringas 620-3004
Kaleo Kwon 203-9972
WEST SIDE
David Padilla 282-2232
PJ Dean 216-7419
Wayne Perrin 489-6170
Jay Bolos 368-5568
They
all are willing to arrange to meet people who would like to buy
tickets so PLEASE don’t miss out on CHEAP TICKETS.
Source:
Event Promoter
|
VITOR
VS. IGOR
 
The European media reports that the matchup of Vitor Belfort
vs. Igor Vovchanchyn will most likely take place on the Cage
Rage 15 card on February 4th.
Source:
Fight Sport
|
GCM
and K-1 Start New Event
by Stephen Martinez
TOKYO, Dec. 22 — Japanese promotion GCM along with K-1 are
introducing a new event scheduled for February 4 at Differe Ariake
in Tokyo.
While
details are very limited at this moment, Sherdog.com has learned
the new promotion will go under the name "MARS."
Despite
GCM's latest project, D.O.G., being the first Japanese promotion
to use a cage, GCM and K-1 representatives stated their intentions
to go back with the ring format.
Also
the main target audience according to the K-1 office is the Asian
market.
Fights
already announced:
Hidetaka Monma vs. Rodrigo Gracie
Vitor Ribeiro vs. Eiji Mitsuoka
Kazuhiro Hamanaka vs. Hiroki Ozaki
Source:
Sherdog
|
Rudimar
Fedrigo: Wanderlei's number 1 fan
By Alexandre Lobo
Master of the Pride Middleweight champion, Rudimar Fedrigo is
also one of his big fans. In all the interviews, Rudimar doesn't
hide his admiration for Wanderlei Silva, always talking about
the opportunities and the good moments Wanderlei provided for
him and for all the Chute Boxe team. On December 31st, Rudimar
and Wanderlei will face another challenge at Pride: avenge the
defeat for Ricardo Arona at the Pride GP Middleweight semifinal
and keep the Middleweight belt in Curitiba. The master says:
'this fight will end by KO or Arona will be really injured!'
How
was 2005 for the Chute Boxe team?
It
was really a good year, everything was good. Inside of the rings
we got a lot of victories and we kept the name of the team on
the top. We won almost everything we disputed. Today, Chute Boxe
is the only team that has two Pride belts. Out of the rings,
we are consolidating our team around the world.
What
is your expectation for the Pride Shockwave?
We
will face it as just another challenge for us. Chute Boxe loves
challenges and this decision atmosphere. We get more motivated
when we are under pressure. We like decision. We know that this
is what our fans want.
Wanderlei
has just lost to Arona. What changes from the first fight to
this one?
We
trained Wanderlei a lot. He is really well emotionally. Wanderlei
will fight as always. It will be an open fight, a kind of fight
that we want to see him doing. Wanderlei is an idol and an example
for all of us. Some days before, he received more than one minute
of claps from all the academy and he promised us he will bring
the victory to Curitiba. Look how Chute Boxe is a cicle. Shogun
has Wanderlei as an inspiration and December 31st, Shogun will
be an inspiration for Wanderlei. I wish that Wanderlei will provide
to Arona a deep sleep as Shogun did.
Wanderlei
is the biggest name of the team and also a reference to Chute
Boxe...
The
MMA has two age: before and after Wanderlei. A lot of fighters
inspire themselves on Wanderlei's way of fighting. Today he is
a reference not just for us, but for most of fighters around
of the world. I will never forget the opportunities and the good
moments he provided for us. This passion between Wanderlei and
Chute Boxe will be forever. When he get retired, he can have
his own team, but he will be a Chute Boxe forever.
The
Pride Shockwave will have Wanderlei Silva fighting Ricardo Arona
for the Middleweight belt and also two more title disputes. Takanori
Gomi will face Hayato Sakurai deciding the Pride Bushido GP Lightweight,
while Murilo Bustamante will fight Dan Henderson for the GP Welterweight
title. What do you think about these fights?
I
believe that Sakurai will surprise all of us. He is a complete
athlete, he has a good ground game. Gomi has a heavy hand, a
good punch, but I don't think that it will be enough. We also
expect a Murilo victory. He is a technique fighter, excellent
on the ground. I think that he will submit Dan Henderson. Wanderlei
will win in a good way. It will be by KO or Arona will finish
the fight really injured.
Which
are the team plans to 2006?
I
have some projects, like the book that will tell the whole history
about Chute Boxe, for the beginning of 2006. We are also working
on a Chute Boxe fightwear, produced by american stylists. We
will also work to spread the Chute Boxe way of fighting for the
other Brazilian states. We have the dream of bringing Chute Boxe
to Rio de Janeiro and I think it will be able soon.
Source:
Tatame
|
K-1:
2005 Dynamite!!
Osaka Dome, Osaka, Japan
December 31st, 2005
Below are some of the officially announced matchups for the K-1
card on December 31st. A total of 10-14 matchups is expected
to be announced:
K-1
matchups:
Bob Sapp vs. Musashi
Ernesto Hoost vs. Semmy Schilt
MMA
matchups:
Royce Gracie vs. Yoshihiro Akiyama
Akebono vs. Bobby Ologun
Genki Sudo vs. Norifumi 'Kid' Yamamoto
Hideo Tokoro vs. Katsuhiko Nagata
Sylvester Terkay vs. TBA
Possible
fighters on the card:
Jerome Le Banner
Peter Aerts
Kaoru Uno
Source:
Fight Sport
|
Quote
of the Day
"Every morning in Africa, a gazelle wakes up. It knows it
must outrun the fastest lion or it will be killed. Every morning
in Africa, a lion wakes up. It knows it must run faster than
the slowest gazelle, or it will starve. It doesn't matter whether
you're a lion or a gazelle-when the sun "comes up, you'd
better be running."
Source Unknown
|
Kickin
It Fight Card!
WHAT : KICKIN IT 2006 (AMATEUR KICKBOXING)
WHERE : DOLE CANNERY BALLROOM
WHEN : JAN 7, 2006 (DOORS OPEN AT 6 PM)
MAIN EVENT
JUSTLY LAQUIHON 65# KAI KAMAKA
HMC 808 FIGHT FACTORY
SEMI MAIN
SAM PALOSAMI SUPER HEAVYWEIGHT CHAVIS VICTORIA
TEAM DEVASTATION ANIMAL HOUSE
BRYSEN BRIGHT 75-80# JON SMITH
HSD ANIMAL HOUSE
CHAD PAVAO 140-145 JUSTIN WONG
HSD HMC
EDMUND LI 140-145 RED DAVIS
HMC ANIMAL HOUSE
FERDINAND RAMIREZ 135-140 NATHAN NAKI
ANIMAL HOUSE HSD
ANTHONY 145-150 SADHU BOTT
TEAM ISLAND THUNDER HMC
TOBY AMBA 160-165 SHANEN KIRA
TEAM PERCEPTION TEAM MIXBREED
NUI WHEELER 135-140 KEO DOANE
TEAM SOLJAH ANIMAL HOUSE
MARTIN KOAMA 155-160 KAWENA POMAIHELEA
ANIMAL HOUSE TEAM SUBMIT
KAWIKA KALANI 180-`85 NYE DELASANTOS
TEAM DEVASTATION TEAM SOLJAH
NICK - O 165-170 SUNSEA FERGUSON
TEAM ISLAND THUNDER TEAM DEVASTATION
KAEO CANDELERO 70-75 KILEY ROMERO
HSD HMC
DAVIN KIM 120-125 ROYCE POAHA
EWA BEACH FIGHT CLUB TEAM DEVASTATION
DYLAN BRIGHT 10 YR OLD 2005 75# CHAMPIONSHIP JORDAN
HSD EWA BEACH FIGHT CLUB
MATCHES AND PARTICIPANTS MAY BE SUBJECT TO CHANGE
Source: Event Promoter
|
PENN READY FOR RETURN TO
UFC
by Jeff Cain
BJ
Penn was
the most recent featured guest of MMAWeekly's Sunday Night Conversation. Penn fielded questions
from fans for over an hour, and if you missed it, here's a brief
recap.
Penn
cleared up why George St. Pierre will be his next fight, explaining
that it was negotiated in his contract that his first fight would
be against the winner of the St. Pierre and Sean Sherk match.
He said, "I wanted the winner of Sherk and St. Pierre...St.
Pierre is a good fighter and I want a good fight."
Questioned
by one fan if he could handle George St. Pierre's rhythm, BJ
responded, "Can George St. Pierre handle my ability to win
fights?" Penn said we could expect to see him back in the
UFC octagon in "April."
St.
Pierre has looked impressive since losing to Matt Hughes, and
many fans are convinced that he'll beat Hughes and Penn. BJ was
asked if he was "scared" of St. Pierre. He replied,
"Why would I be scared when I'm the real champ?" BJ
added,"He lost his title shot, you saw what I did with mine."
Penn's
last several fights have been as a middleweight or bigger. When
questioned what he is weighing now, Penn said, "185."
BJ went on to say, "I think I could make 155 easy,"
and only plans on having to cut five pounds to weigh in for the
St. Pierre bout. 175 is the weight Penn is most comfortable,
and that's where he plans on being when April rolls around.
Now
that Penn is back in the UFC, he gets asked about a rematch with
Matt Hughes frequently. "I would beat Hughes," Penn
told the fans on Sunday Night. He also commented, "I am
the champ, not Hughes." "Hughes is a great fighter
though....Matt is the best welterweight champ ever."
Penn
proclaimed he had the "real" UFC welterweight belt.
He said, "I have the real belt...its in my drawer right
now."
If
Penn gets past St. Pierre and defeats Matt Hughes in a rematch,
he said he wants to fight the best at 185, which is Rich Franklin
as far as the UFC goes. Discussing a match up with Rich Franklin,
BJ said, "I cannot predict how a fight would be, just the
outcome."
Can
BJ hold titles in two different UFC weight divisions at the same
time? Penn said, "Maybe. It's up to Dana." Several
fans wanted to know why BJ would want to go up and fight Franklin.
BJ responded by asking, "Why not?" He went on to say,
"All I ever wanted to do in my life was get the belt. I
have it. Now, all I want is good fights and I can die a happy
man knowing I tried my hardest to fight anyone that I possibly
could."
Penn
discussed his contract on MMAWeekly Radio where he said he's
with the UFC for the next two years. After his contract is up,
will Penn stay in the UFC or seek match ups in other organizations
like he did before? According to BJ, "I want to be in the
biggest fights, but my services will always be open for the UFC."
Leaving
the UFC to fight Duane 'Bang' Ludwig is what got Penn stripped
of his title. Addressing why he took the fight with Ludwig, BJ
said, "just to fight, that's why I took it." Knowing
what he does today, would Penn change anything in his career?
"No I wouldn't change anything in my career." Penn
stated. "Live life with an exclamation, not an explanation."
After
discussing Matt Hughes, Georges St. Pierre, and his future fighting
intentions, Penn addressed some random MMA topics.
Penn
declined to pick a winner in the rubber match between Chuck 'The
Iceman' Liddell and Randy 'The Natural' Couture, but did say
he thinks Liddell can beat Wanderlei Silva and, "I think
Liddell has a style for Shogun."
One
fan asked, "Which fighter do your presently admire most?"
BJ said, "Fedor. Fedor is the best. I think he can beat
everyone."
A
rematch with Jens Pulver? BJ said, "I've been trying to
fight Jens for years. It will happen."
Who's
going to be crowned the Pride lightweight champion? According
to BJ, "I think Gomi will win." Penn went on to say
that he'd give Gomi a rematch in the U.S., "champion against
champion" for a million dollars.
Other
notable quotes from BJ Penn: "I don't know how to do anything
but figure out a way to win." -- "I think I beat Serra."
-- "I am making an instructional."
Don't
miss the next Sunday Night Conversation where you can interact
and chat live with one of the top Mixed Martial Artists in the
world.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
MORE
FIGHTS COMING TOGETHER FOR THE ULTIMATE FIGHT NIGHT IN JANUARY
By Sean McClure
More rumored, and some of the confirmed match-ups for the Ultimate
Fight Night card scheduled for January 16th on Spike TV:
Tim
Sylvia vs. Ausserio Silva - The Big men bringing the striker
v. grappler confrontation to the octagon. Silva has faired well
in PRIDE, can he bring that success to the US against the former
champ???
Stephan
Bonnar vs James Irvin - Bonnar is one of the most well-known
names to the newly found TV fans of the UFC. However, the recognition
is not without merit as this well rounded fighter with the lion's
heart seeks to climb even higher. Irvin wants to steal his thunder
and be recognized himself.
Chris
Leben vs Jorge Rivera - Leben is the new bad-boy around, but
he has rugged skills to match his edgy attitude. Rivera can match
skills with anyone in the game, with 13 of his 19 wins coming
by way of KO or submission. This fight can steal the show.
Johnathon
Goulet vs Jeremy Jackson - Jackson took sometime off after his
last UFC appearance, but he is back and ready to shine. Goulet
is a relative unknown in the US, with ine UFC fight to credit
in the states... But he has been a force in Canada, where St.
Pierre and Loiseau honed there skills before taking over in the
UFC. Watch out for this kid.
Melvin
Guillard v. Anthony
Torres
- Tons of experience and a great showing in The Ultimate Fighter
promises a great career for Guillard. Torres has alot to prove in this match-up,
so watch for two hungery up-starts having at it.
Drew
Fickett vs TBD - Fickett is always ready for anyone. With nearly
30 wins to his credit this jack of all trades fighter has redeemed
himself with back to back UFC wins after losing in his debut.
The sky is the limit.
Spencer
Fisher vs Aaron Riley - Riley has been fighting since he was
16 and is ready for anything. He logged a win in PRIDE and has
proven that he is ready for the upper eschelon of the sport.
Fisher submitted Riley's teammate in his UFC debut, so he is
looking to continue to assert that dominance... This one will
have fireworks.
Source:
Maxfighting
|
Riggs
VS. Diaz
We are confirming that Nick Diaz has signed to fight Joe Riggs
on February 4th at UFC 57. The fight will take place in Las Vegas,
Nevada at the Mandalay Bay and will be at 170lbs.
Source:
Gracie Fighter
|
POSTAL
CONNECTIONS: UPDATE ON BAS RUTTEN BEING REPLACED BY TRIGG
By Tape Lord
Hello my friends, below is an e-mail I recieved from sources
within the DSE/PRIDE organization, regarding Bas Rutten being
replaced by Frank Trigg on the December 31st broadcast and Bas
leaving the company:
"Bas
Rutten is saying that he left the company because they didn't
notify him about Frank Trigg working the December 31st show instead
of him, but that's just his spin on things.
DSE/PRIDE
seemed not happy that Bas asked for a raise AFTER already telling
them he was not going to work the PRIDE Bushido broadcasts in
2006.
So
basically, Bas wanted to only do half the work, which was to
only work the main PRIDE shows, yet he wanted an increase in
salary. So DSE/PRIDE decided to replace Bas Rutten in the broadcast
booth with Frank Trigg.
The
December 31st show would be a sort of audition for Trigg, the
same way DSE/PRIDE auditioned Mauro Ranallo on their first PRIDE
Bushido show before hiring him on a permanent basis to replace
Damon Perry.
When
Bas found out about this, he decided to save face by publicly
quitting PRIDE before they phase him out in early 2006. To put
it bluntly, Bas basically quit before they could fire him.
Replacing
Bas had already been in discussions, though. There was a faction
in the organization that felt his schtick had become a bit cheesy,
and that he was too biased in his broadcasts.
There
are also some rumors that his working relationship with Mauro
Ranallo was not as effective as it once was. Mauro Ranallo even
had a few complaints for DSE/PRIDE executives regarding some
aspects of the broadcast production after the PRIDE 30 broadcast.
Although he did not complain about Bas Rutten, the feeling from
management was that they were not working as well together as
they once did.
All
these things led to Rutten's departure from DSE/PRIDE. If he
did not quit now, he was basically going to get phased out by
the next show."
Source:
Fight Sport
|
Murilo
wondering to fight Henderson
15 days before fighting for Welterweight title of Pride Bushido
GP, Murilo Bustamante is anxious to step inside the ring and
fight Dan Henderson. The opponent is an old enemy of Brazilian
Top Team, once Ricardo Arona, Rodrigo Minotauro and Rogério
Minotouro already beat Henderson. 'I am dying to fight Hendo,'
warned Murilo, who has already taked to his teammates to defeat
the American fighter.
-
He will try to decide this fight on the feet. But this fight
sequence I've been doing sharpened my game on the feet and I
am very confident. I trained my Boxing and I am confident to
fight on the feet - says Murilo, who departs to Japan on December
23 with Rodrigo Minotauro, Rogério Minotouro and Cláudio
Coelho, his Boxing trainer.
December
31 may become a really special day for BTT, once they will fight
for two belts: Murilo (Welterweight) and Ricardo Arona fights
Wanderlei Silva for the Middleweight title. However, Murilo sees
Pride Shockwave as just one more in his career. 'For me is a
simple fight like any other. Of course we want to bring this
belt to Brazil, but the most important thing is being ready to
do it,' says Brazilian Top Team's leader.
Source:
Tatame
|
Quote
of the Day
"Every job is a self-portrait of the person who did it.Autograph
your work with excellence."
Source Unknown
|
MILLER
ARREST UPDATE
Jason Miller is taken into custody by Honolulu police.
According
to Icon promoter T.J.
Thompson,
Icon fighter Jason 'Mayhem' Miller was intoxicated with alcohol
the night he broke into his ex-girlfriend's house. Furhtermore,
the ex-girlfriend's new boyfriend, who was in the house at the
time, is a BJJ purple belt student of Egan Inoue.
According
to Thompson, an altercation broke out and the intoxicated and
incoherent Miller recieved the worst of it, not being able to
defend himself properly, getting taken down and held until the
police were called. Once Miller promised to calm down, he was
let go, at which point he ran out the door and fled into the
night. Miller then turned himself into police later in the day.
Thompson
added that the Egan Inoue student was calm about the situation,
and did not look to hurt Miller, instead opting to hold him down
until they called the police.
Source:
Fight Sport
|
AKEBONO RECOVERING FROM PNEUMONIA
The Japanese media reports that Akebono is recovering from a
case of pneumonia. However, Akebono stated to the media that
he us well enough and is still scheduled to participate on the
K-1 card on December 31st.
Source:
Fight Sport
|
ROYCE
VS. TOKORO
The Japanese media reports that the matchup of Royce Gracie vs.
Hido Tokoro will now instead place on the K-1 card on December
31st.
Royce's
original opponent, Yoshihiro Akiyama, is out due to an injured
back he just sustained in training.
Tokoro's
original opponent on the card, Katsuhiko Nagata, will now face
Remigijus Morkevicius.
Source:
Fight Sport
|
THREE
BOUTS ADDED TO SHOCKWAVE 2005 CARD
TOKYO, Japan – Three additional bouts have been announced
for PRIDE FIGHTING’S upcoming event, SHOCKWAVE 2005 …
KAZUSHI SAKURABA vs. IKUHISA MINOWA, JAMES THOMPSON vs. GIANT
SILVA and ALEXANDER EMELIANENKO vs. PAWEL NASTULA
SHOCKWAVE
2005 is scheduled to premiere on North American pay per view
on Sunday, January 1st, 2006 at 9:00 pm ET, 6:00 pm PT.
Representing
the Takada Dojo, legendary "Gracie Hunter" Kazushi
Sakuraba is known for his successive victories over several members
of the Gracie family. Kazushi Sakuraba is coming off a recent
TKO victory over "The World’s Most Dangerous Man,"
Ken Shamrock at PRIDE 30-FULLY LOADED and is readily waiting
for his next opponent. Sakuraba is a submission specialist as
well as a technical striker who uses everything from chops to
stomps to take out his opponents. Although his unorthodox and
eccentric style sometimes seems comedic, he is a very skilled
and dangerous fighter.
At SHOCKWAVE 2005, Sakuraba will square off with none other than
Ikuhisa "The Punk" Minowa, a nine-year veteran of both
PRIDE and Pancrase. His dedication to the sport has caused him
to train around the world, including a stint in Brazil where
he trained under the Brazilian Top Team. Minowa is comfortable
fighting on his feet and is even deadlier on the ground, having
defeated past opponents such as Kimo Leopoldo and Gilbert Yvel
via submission.
In
the second announced bout, JAMES "THE COLLOSUS" THOMPSON
will step into the ring and face the biggest man to ever compete
in Pride, GIANT SILVA. Towering at 7 feet 3 inches and weighing
well over 360 pounds, this behemoth stands in the way of the
6’5, 276 pound English "Colossus." Giant Silva
is a former Olympic basketball player for Brazil who is eager
to prove himself in the PRIDE ring. Representing Britain’s
Team Trojan, James Thompson is looking to add one of the biggest
victories yet to his 10-2 MMA record, half of which were TKO’s.
Thompson has knocked out two of his last three opponents.
In
addition, Russia’s Aleksander Emelianenko, brother of the
current PRIDE heavyweight champion Fedor Emelianenko, will be
competing against Polish Judo champion Pawel Nastula. Aleksander
is a two-time Russian Sambo champion with a Pride record of 7
wins and 1 loss. His last three opponents were knocked out in
11, 15 and 28 seconds each. Aleksander follows in his brother’s
footsteps as he continues to be a dominant force in PRIDE. Pawel
Nastula is a former two-time Judo World Champion and 1996 Olympic
gold medalist who brings his proven skills to the PRIDE ring
ready to prove himself as one of the world’s elite martial
artists. Training under the legendary Kazushi Sakuraba, Pawel
Nastula is ready to represent the Takada Dojo when he faces off
against Aleksander Emelianenko at PRIDE SHOCKWAVE 2005!
FIGHTCARD:
Takanori Gomi (Japan) vs. Hayato "Mach" Sakurai (Japan)
(This bout is the final round of the lightweight BUSHIDO tournament)
Dan Henderson (USA) vs. Murilo Bustamante (Brazil)
(This bout is the final round of the welterweight BUSHIDO tournament)
Wanderlei Silva (Brazil) vs. Ricardo Arona (Brazil)
(Champion) vs. (Challenger)
(This bout is for the PRIDE middleweight championship)
Hidehiko Yoshida (Japan) vs. Naoya Ogawa (Japan)
Makoto Takimoto (Japan) vs. Sanae Kikuta (Japan)
Kazuhiro Nakamura (Japan) vs. Yuki Kondo (Japan)
Mark Hunt (New Zealand) vs. Mirko Crocop (Croatia)
Fedor Emelianenko (Russia) vs. Zulu (Brazil)
Ken Kaneko (Japan) vs. Charles Krazy Horse Bennett (USA)
James Thompson (UK) vs. Giant Silva (Brazil)
Aleksander Emelianenko (Russia) vs. Pawel Nastula (Poland)
Kazushi Sakuraba (Japan) vs. Ikuhisa Minowa (Japan)
Fight
card subject to change.
SHOCKWAVE
2005 premieres on North American pay per view via iNDEMAND, DIRECTV,
DISH NETWORK, UrbanXtra, TVN1, VU!, and Viewer’s Choice
Canada on Sunday, January 1st, 2006 at 9:00 pm ET, 6:00 pm PT
(including a countdown show at 8:30pm ET, 5:30pm PT).
For
additional replay times, please contact your pay per view provider.
Source:
Pride
|
Craig
Titus Charged With Murder
Professional bodybuilder and aspiring MMA fighter, Craig Titus,
has been charged with murder.
LAS
VEGAS METROPOLITAN POLICE DEPARTMENT
MEDIA RELEASE
December 21, 2005
EVENT #: 051214-0619
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Lt.
Tom Monahan
Homicide Section
Phone: 229-3521
On
December 14, 2005 at approximately 4:40 a.m., a trucker was traveling
on State Route 160 ( Blue Diamond Rd) from Pahrump toward Las
Vegas, when he spotted a fire in the desert about a half-mile
from the road. When firefighters extinguished the blaze, they
observed what appeared to be human remains in the trunk of the
car.
The
remains were confirmed to be that of a human, and under the circumstances,
it is being investigated as a homicide.
***UPDATE***
Investigation
into above incident has resulted in arrest warrants being issued
for three suspects.
1.
Titus, Craig Michael, DOB: 01/14/1965, 5ft 8 inches, 225 lbs.,
brown hair with hazel eyes. Hair is very short.
2.
Ryan, Kelly Ann, DOB: 07/10/1972, 5ft 3 inches, 120 lbs., brown
hair with green eyes.
Titus
has a no-bail arrest warrant charging him with murder and third
degree arson.
Ryan
has a no-bail arrest warrant charging her with accessory to murder
and third degree arson.
A
third suspect has been identified as 23 year old Anthony Gross.
Gross is in custody and has been booked into the Clark County
Detention Center on charges of accessory to murder and third
degree arson.
Craig
Titus and Kelly Ryan are husband and wife and were living in
the southwest area of Las Vegas. Both are successful body builders
and hold numerous titles in the body building and fitness industry.
At
this time it is unclear where the two suspects may have fled.
Source:
Gracie Fighter
|
Quote
of the Day
"What is defeat? Nothing but education; nothing but the
first step to something better."
Wendell Phillips, 1811-1884, American Abolitionist
|
UFC
Ref - Mario Yamasaki, The Third Man in the Ring
Back in October at the Ultimate Fighting Championships (UFC)
Ultimate Fight Night, Drew Fickett scored a sensational, last-second
knockout win over Josh Koscheck, when referee John McCarthy chose
to stand up the combatants because of a lack of activity. Though
the UFC has been clear that fights without any action on the
ground should be re-started, some questioned whether McCarthy
should have ordered a stand-up so late in the fight.
Mario
Yamasaki has handled these pressures for several years in the
UFC, in a profession where success often means not being noticed
by the fans. The Brazilian native explained how he became a prominent
referee when the organization came to his home country.
“I
helped [the UFC] with UFC Brazil, getting that event organized,”
he said. “I asked John [McCarthy] why they only had one
referee. He said they were looking for someone else, and that’s
how I got into it.”
Yamasaki
had previous experience, but only with much smaller events.
“I
had just done some small events in Richmond, Va. and Brazil.
But nothing as big as the UFC,” Yamasaki said.
At
the last UFC event, UFC 56: Full Force, Yamasaki had a little
bit of everything thrown at him. He officiated the Alves –
Chalangov bout, where he was forced to step in after a flurry
of punches by Alves left Chalangov dazed and unable to defend
himself.
Yamasaki
noted that the UFC provides some guidance, stating, “The
rule is if a fighter ‘cannot intelligently defend themselves’
we stop it.” However, the ultimate authority on stopping
a match rests with the referee, who must balance safety with
competition.
“We
have to decide when to stop it, and you have to make do it in
a split second. You could screw up a fight if you stop it early,”
he said.
Yamasaki
also watched over the Horn – Prangley contest, which had
to be restarted due to inactivity on several occasions.
“As
far as the stand-ups, they wanted to have more exciting fights.
So if two guys are just holding on the ground or if they’re
standing up against the fence, you have to restart it.”
He
added, “And they could be throwing punches, but they have
to be effective shots to let it keep going.”
A
popular activity among fans—particularly those unfamiliar
with grappling—is to boo the fighters when the action goes
to the mat and slows to a more methodical pace. But rest assured
those boos are falling on deaf ears. He does not listen to the
crowd or play favorites, for that matter.
“[The
crowd] doesn’t bother me at all,” he stated without
hesitation. He added, with a laugh, “It doesn’t affect
me if they’re Brazilian either.”
Yamasaki
agreed that being more familiar with a particular fighter can
help him as he monitors the match.
Looking
back at the match between Wesley “Cabbage” Correira
and Andrei Arlovski at UFC 47, he said, “[Cabbage] took
a lot of punishment. He’s tough, and maybe he could have
kept going, but when he went down I felt he’d had enough.”
However,
he gets minimal advance notice and background details heading
into each event, so there is not time anticipate what might happen.
“I
don’t know who I’m refereeing until 20-30 minutes before
the fights start. If I don’t know their styles, they’ll
just let me know if he’s a stand-up fighter or more of a
grappler.”
Even
with the late notice, Yamasaki keeps tabs on who likes to do
what, and is aware of which fighters try to stretch the rules.
“The
mental part of the job is difficult, because you have to pay
careful attention. Some guys like to poke the eye or grab the
shorts, so you have to really follow what they’re doing,”
he said.
Of
course being a referee may not pay all of the bills, but Yamasaki
has used his Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt and business sense
to run a successful string of academies in the Washington, D.C.
metro area.
The
Yamasaki Academy has been open for ten years now, and with the
increased interest in MMA comes increased competition.
“Actually,
the growth has been steady. The biggest spike was when the UFC
started in 1993. There’s more interest now, but there are
also a lot more schools.”
Be
on the lookout for Mario at future UFC events. Of course, with
any luck, you will not even notice he’s there.
Source: Maxfighting
|
Jan.
Ultimate Fight Night: Leben vs. Rivera
On January 16th, Spike TV’s Ultimate Fight Night will feature
a potentially show stealing fight that will feature two of the
UFC’s middleweight heavy hitters. Chris Leben will face
the stone hands of Jorge Rivera in the octagon and this one will
surely be a brawl to remember. Rivera is coming off three wins
in a row and on the other side Leben is coming off of a four
win streak of his own. In this fight there is no real decisive
momentum on either side although many would argue it would be
on Leben’s because his skill set and confidence have really
seemed to grow this past year. Rivera is a brutal and tough fighter
that certainly intends to come out swinging and Leben will most
certainly fire back accordingly. This one has the potential to
be a very memorable and exciting match up. MaXfighting will keep
you posted as more fights are announced.
Source: Maxfighting
|
Bas
Rutten Quits PRIDE
From
Bas Rutten's website...
http://www.basrutten.tv/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=84&Itemid=1
Tuesday, 20 December 2005
I
quit Pride! I know, quite a shocker eh?
Why
would people say, it’s a dream job! You are absolutely right,
it IS a dream job, and the Company is great, they have unbelievable
fighters and unbelievable shows!
Of course this is not without a good reason, and just to make
sure that there are NO misunderstandings, I am going to tell
you a little bit of what happened. (Pay attention to the “little
bit part”). If I don’t do this, people start speculating
and rumors will get started and this way you hear it straight
from me and not some gossip that people are going to make up.
First of all, I deal with people here in the States that work
for Pride, so it’s NOT the fault of the people that work
for Pride in Japan. The people in Japan are great people and
the President Mr. Sakikabara is a very nice person and he and
his staff has always been very good to me.
I came to the States to try to become an actor so I asked them
if I could only do the Pride shows for next year, no more Bushido
shows, because I already had said “NO” to three movies,
all leads, and the reason for that was that I had to go to Japan
all the time.
So I asked to do only the Pride shows and because the company
grew so much, PLUS I really think that I did a good job and a
lot of good work for Pride, I thought it was time for me, after
6 years of working for them, to ask for a raise. Well, here we
go, the “very short version” out of respect that I
have for the Company. The negotiations started, going back and
forward, saying this, saying that, you know, the usual negotiations
drills, and it resulted in me finding out that Frank Trigg is
co-hosting the next “Pride FSN show”.
Wow!! Now NOT telling me that this was going to happen after
everything that I did for them in the last 6 years?? That was
something just unbelievable and that was right away the motivation
behind my decision to quit. (Of course this is not the only reason,
that’s why I said the “little bit”) If they would
have at least called or emailed me to inform me that Frank was
going to do it, I would have been OK with that, because there
are many reasons that they can come up with for that. But doing
this behind my back, I mean, don’t these same people here
call me “The face of Pride?” No thank you! This is
just NOT the way you tread people and trust me, surely not me!
That’s it! It’s also not a thing that I can turn back
because once I know that people don’t respect me for what
I do for them, it’s irreversible. That’s just my character
and I can’t change that, I couldn’t look at myself
in the mirror anymore if I did stay with them and still have
to work with the people here in the US who don’t respect
me.
I feel VERY bad about all this and I am sure that I am going
to miss this job tremendously, the fighters, their trainers and
friends, the staff in Japan, the friends that I made over there
and of course the wonderful reactions from you guys that I always
received!!
Understand that I won’t go into details (this is for the
people who want to interview me, this is it, I won’t say
anything more). First of all because I am not that kind of person
and second, because I had a great and outstanding 6 years with
Pride and like I said before, Mr. Sakikabara and the Japanese
staff always have been treating me with respect and have been
very good to me.
I wish Frank Trigg all the best of luck and I hope that he will
do a great job! Together with the one and only Mauro Ranallo,
who’s the best play-by-play guy in the business I truly
believe, it should be no problem!
No worry though, because I am pretty sure that “El Guapo”
is not out of the picture and will “pop up” somewhere
else, because this is in my blood and you simply can’t get
that out just like that!
The one thing that’s good about it, this will be the first
time in 6 years that I am home with New Years Eve with my family
and I love that!
Happy Holidays everybody, and I really hope that you understand
my decision.
Best wishes.
Bas Rutten
Source: Maxfighting |
Quote
of the Day
"You've got to take the initiative and play your game...
confidence makes the difference."
Chris Evert, American Tennis Player
|
Too
Much Too Soon?
With all the news about Mayhem Miller being arrested for allegedly
breaking in to his ex-girlfriend's house, a topic that came up
on the Icon Sport MMA Radio Program was are famous MMA fighters
to be held to a higher moral standard than your normal citizen
because of their fame?
A
couple of callers stated that Miller, like many other fighters
that have gotten in to trouble outside the cage or ring, is like
any other person and should not be treated any worse or singled
out when they get out of line. Other callers stated if a fighter
is guilty, whether or not he is famous, he should get punished
in the same method that everyone else does.
T.
Jay Thompson, promoter of Icon Sport, who has a vested interest
in Miller, stated that if Miller is guilty, then he should do
the responsible thing and face his punishment. He also feels
that celebrities, even in MMA, should be held to a higher standard
and that they should give further thought about their actions
because screws ups can make the front page or the evening news
as well as impact many more people than just the fighter themselves.
I
was talking with a friend about this subject off line and there
was some discussion about the friends of these fighters taking
the initiative to talk to their boys when they are getting out
of line or when situations could become hostile. Many times these
famous fighters are surrounded by "yes men" who are
afraid to tell the fighter if they are out of line or do not
want to risk that the fighter may not let them hang out with
them if they say something. Maybe this has some merit, but only
if the fighter or person in question either values the opinion
of the "truth teller" or has an open mind to take all
comments in and actually weigh them out as possibly credible
information or advice.
I
truly believe that the second scenario of weighing in any comment
and evaluating it comes from maturity. I also think that age
is not necessarily a sign of maturity. Some people are very mature
at a young age. Some say that maturity also comes with experience.
Experience are life lessons. Life lessons unfortunately come
many times when you screw up. Whether you learn from your screw
ups during your life and how fast you learn from them increases
your level of maturity. The ability to re-evaluate year after
year and realize that you know much more this year than the last
and also, and possibly more importantly, realize that you will
probably know more next year will help you gain maturity and
usually make the right decisions.
With
that being said, how many people who are beyond their early to
mid twenties can say with a straight face that given the fact
that they could make in the vicinity of 100 grand a year, they
would not change as a person and make wise mature decisions with
their new found fame and fortune. People always tell me that,
"if I made a 100 grand a year, I would be set." The
big question is how long can you make this kind of income and
are you smart enough to save a portion of it for the future?
With MMA, most fighters competitive life span is maybe 10 years
on the average. Now factor in how long does a fighter take to
make that kind of money and then you whittle it down to a small
number of years of making good money. Now factor in the added
money that you would spend partying and buying stuff that you
don't really need, but since you have the money what the hell!
You will soon find that hardly anything is left of 100 grand
a year (especially after you take out taxes).
By
this time, you are probably thinking ok where is he going with
this? Your story has become tiresome. My point to all this build
up is that famous fighters, and your average Joe for that matter,
need true friends that will tell them how it is, give them advice
when they need it, but most importantly give them criticism when
they don't want it.
Let's
say just for argument sake that Jason did break in like the news
is reporting. Maybe this could have been avoided if one of the
friends that was partying with him pulled him aside and told
him to calm down a bit or tell him that he was getting out of
line. Would it have helped and/or prevented this situation? Maybe,
maybe not, but it would be worth a try.
On
the other side of coin, when you are getting advice or criticism
from a friend, please have the maturity to at least listen to
the person, even if you do not agree with it at the time and
think about what that person said, especially if you consider
that person a friend. Maybe sleep on it. You will find that many
times that person gave you good advice possibly prevented a lot
of hassles later and they are only saying it because they are
looking out for your best interest.
Like
Mark Kurano, my FCTV partner, said on the radio show, all these
celebrities have PR people that teach them how to act and to
keep themselves in line. Fighters don't. Your average person
doesn't either. Look at all the top tier fighters that we have
here in such a small population...Niko Vitale, BJ Penn, Ron Jhun,
Bradda Cooper, Bozo Paling, Egan Inoue and others. Many up and
coming fighters could be on the verge of being the next great
thing in MMA in Hawaii. We need to start "coaching"
the up and comers and hopefully they will be open to the advice.
A little bit of listening can prevent a ton of disaster later.
If
Mayhem is found guilty maybe at least one good thing can come
of it. Maybe the younger fighters and the high profile fighters
now will be able to see how in the course of a month or two how
a fighter can make it to the big time money wise and then lose
that great opportunity with one bad action.
I
truly hope that everything works out great for Mayhem because
I consider him a friend and know that he has a great heart. People
that read this, even if you are not a fighter, please listen
and take the initiative by helping your friends out by offering
advice and criticism before it is too late.
Mike
|
Rumble
on the Rock 8
January 20th, 2005
Blaisdell Arena
Honolulu, Hawaii
ROTR
Welterweight GP:
Anderson Silva vs. Yushin Okami
Frank Trigg vs. Ronald Jhun
Dave Menne vs. Jake Shields
Renato 'Charuto' Verissimo vs. Carlos Condit
Single
matchups:
Wes 'Cabbage' Correira vs. TBA
Eric 'Butterbean' Esch vs. TBA
Scott Junk vs. TBA
Ross Ibanez vs. Jason von Flue
Mike Malone vs. Kengo Ura
|
SUDO
READY FOR KID
SportsNavi reported that Genki Sudo had an open training session
at K-1’s official gym in Tokyo on December 14th. Sudo, who
is gearing up for his match with Norifumi “KID” Yamamoto
on K-1’s 12/31 SHOCKWAVE card, seemed confident of becoming
the first ever HERO’S middleweight champion, saying, “I’m
sure I will start 2006 off in a good way.”
Sudo, whose current weight is 73 kilos (161 pounds), commented
to the assembled press that he is healthy. When asked about injuries
that have plagued him, he said “Some are not completely
healed, but that will actually serve to my advantage because
this way, I’ll have to stay sharp.”
Concerning his training, he said it has been centered mostly
around striking. “My opponent has good wrestling skills,
so I have trained so that I’ll be able to hit him with knees
when he shoots in on me.” Of course, Genki’s bread
and butter is his submission game, and he indicated that he has
trained to submit Yamamoto from the bottom in case he can’t
take him down first. He even promised to display a couple of
new submissions he invented himself.
Sudo then displayed his skills, performing two 3-minute sparring
sessions, first grappling, then striking. Flowing from one move
to the next, he trapped his sparring partner in a front choke,
then, following a big throw, rolled him up in a triangle for
the tap. His striking looked equally as impressive, as he delivered
combinations, spinning kicks and backhand blows to his sparring
partner.
When asked what he thought of Yamamoto’s comment that he’d
“wake up (after being KO’d) and realize it’s already
2006,” Sudo quipped, “I might get KO’d from drinking
too much at my victory party.” Will it be KID’s KO
or Sudo’s victory party? No one can say at this point, but
it’s almost certain to be exciting either way.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Most
Memorable Matches of 2005
By Jeremy Wall
With
2005 almost out the door, it is time to take a look back at the
ten most memorable mixed martial arts fights of the year.
What
makes a fight memorable? Being an instantly legendary knock down,
drag out brawl is one thing. A long time dream match that lives
up to standards is another. Maybe a fighter was a mega draw on
pay per view, or headlined a huge stadium show, or was an important
cog in a major tournament.
Whatever
it is that makes a fight memorable, these are the fights, in
chronological order, that MMA fans across the globe will remember
2005 for.
Tito
Ortiz vs. Vitor Belfort, 2/5/05 - UFC 51
Tito
ended up defeatin Vitor via split-decision in a fight that was
years in the making. Even though both fighters were on the last
fight of their respective contracts with the UFC, it was a major
fight because of the history between the two. This history dated
all the way back to 2001 when this match was suppose to headline
the first ever UFC event in Las Vegas. Belfort ended up getting
hurt in that fight, and Vlad Matyushenko subbed for him, being
defeated by Tito.
Forrest
Griffin vs. Stephan Bonnar, 4/9/05 - Ultimate Fighter Finals
Instant
legendary status was bestowed upon this fight, the championship
match for the light-heavyweight division of the first season
of The Ultimate Fighter. Griffin opted to stand and trade with
Bonnar instead of going to the ground with the grappler, which
created a war of epic proportions. Griffin ended up winning the
decision, but both men were awarded a UFC contract.
Matt
Hughes vs. Frank Trigg, 4/16/05 - UFC 52
In
this rematch of their UFC 45 fight, Frank Trigg nearly defeated
Matt Hughes to win the UFC Welterweight title. Trigg had Hughes
rocked early, and on the brink of defeat. However, Hughes showed
supermanish ability in coming back and defeating Trigg the exact
same way as their first fight: submission via rear naked choke.
Chuck
Liddell vs. Randy Couture, 4/16/05 - UFC 52
The
rematch of their 2003 fight which saw Couture win the interim
205-pound title by destroying Liddell in a huge upset. Liddell
turned the tables here, knocking Couture out quickly in the first
round. Liddell won the Light-Heavyweight title was able to shed
the choker label, whereas retirement rumours heavily swarmed
around Couture after the loss.
Rich
Franklin vs. Evan Tanner, 6/4/05
They
fought in 2002 at 205 pounds, but this time not only was it at
185 poounds, it was for the middleweight title. Tanner had won
the vacant title by defeating David Terrell earlier in the year.
Franklin defeated him in their first outing, and a return victory
was in his hands as he dominated Tanner in a stand-up fight en
route to winning the middleweight championship.
Georges
St-Pierre vs. Frank Trigg, 8/20/05 - UFC 54
Trigg
was looking to climb his way back to the top of the welterweight
division, whereas St-Pierre was inching closer and closer to
a rematch with Matt Hughes. Nobody could have expected St-Pierre
to dominate Trigg so quickly in that fight, winning a one-sided
bout in the first round. St-Pierre would follow that performance
up with another amazing fight against Sean Sherk later in the
year.
Ricardo
Arona vs. Wanderlei Silva, 8/28/05 - Final Conflict
One
of three fights on this list from August's Final Conflict, perhaps
the greatest MMA event in history. Wanderlei Silva had lost only
once in Pride, but never in his own weight division. He is the
only Pride Middleweight champion in company history. However,
the underrated yet dangerous Arona would put the screws to him
here, ending his Pride unbeaten streak and earning a shot at
Silva's title on New Year's Eve.
Fedor
Emelianenko vs. Mirko Cro Cop, 8/28/05 - Final Conflict
Although
the fight turned out to be a disappointment in that it was not
nearly as exciting as most thought it would be, Mirko vs. Fedor
remains the biggest heavyweight clash in MMA history. Fedor proved
yet again that he is probably the best heavyweight ever by taking
Mirko to his limit and successfully defending the Pride Heavyweight
belt.
Ricardo
Arona vs. Mauricio Rua, 8/28/05 - Final Conflict
The
finals from the 2005 Grand Prix, Arona vs. Rua was a quick fight
that saw the emergence of a new star in Mauricio Shogun as he
obliterated the more experienced Arona in the first round. Shogun
had defeated Alistair Overeem earlier in the evening as well.
With Arona defeated Wanderlei Silva, Rua's teammate, in the semi-finals,
it became a passing of the torch to a new Chute Boxe villain
in Pride.
Joe
Stevenson vs. Luke Cummo, 11/5/05 - Ultimate Fighter Finals 2
Cummo
became everyone's favourite underdog during season two of The
Ultimate Fighter, and Joe Stevenson was one of the favourites
to win the welterweight division from the show's outset. Although
the favourite Stevenson ended up winning this fight, Cummo showed
tremendous loss and this will likely go down as one of those
fights where the guy that lost becames a megastar because of
the loss itself.
Of
course, we couldn't have a list of the most memorable fights
of the year without looking at some fights that we'd like to
forget. Here's just a handful at some of the worst matches to
cross our television screens during 2005:
Nathan
Marquardt vs. Ivan Salaverry, 8/6/05 - Ultimate Fight Night
Salaverry
was being groomed for the next title shot at 185 pounds. However,
because of the spotlight in being in a main event fight on Spike
TV and the pressure that goes along with a big fight like this,
he blew it, putting on a terrible performance. Marquardt was
equally as bad, although he ended up taking the decision win
in one of the dullest main events in UFC history.
Branden
Lee Hinkle vs. Sean Gannon, 10/7/05 - UFC 55
Gannon
was a controversial figure from the time it was rumoured that
UFC had signed him in late 2004. He had been injured earlier
this year, which put off his debut. Gannon looked out of shape
and his street fight ability clearly had no crossover with big
league MMA as moderately skilled Branden Lee Hinkle defeated
him with ease. But it's not like many of us didn't see that one
coming.
Gabriel
Gonzaga vs. Kevin Jordan, 11/19/05 - UFC 56
Sloppy
heavyweights did battle here, as the debuting Gonzaga wound up
knocking out the promising Kevin Jordan. The only thing that
will be promised to Jordan now is a ticket back to the minors
leagues. It was a dull fight from two guys who seemed too nervous
to engage each other, and neither of these two should wind back
in the octagon anytime soon.
Source: Maxfighting
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MENJIVAR
VS FABER IN TKO
It’s been an eventful week for Capital City Fighting Alliance’s
Urijah Faber. Last weekend he defeated Pride Bushido veteran
Charles “Krazy Horse” Bennett in dominating fashion
and now he has signed to face one of the fellow top young fighters
in the sport this coming January.
“I
accepted a fight with TKO in Canada,” Faber told MMAWeekly.
“I just signed the deal today to fight Ivan Menjivar on
January 28th. It’s a one-fight deal, they wanted me to sign
a three-fight deal, but I wanted to do this one first.”
Urijah
continued, “Ivan’s ranked above me in the world, he’s
fought in the UFC, Japan. I watched his video and he doesn’t
really have any weakness. We’re fighting at 145 lbs. and
I’m excited about that, basically looking forward to that
fight.”
Faber
is currently the King of the Cage 145 lbs. Champion and sports
an impressive record of 10-1 in a little over two years of professional
fighting.
When
asked how he felt about facing Menjivar, a UFC veteran with fights
against Matt Serra, Georges St. Pierre, and Vitor Ribeiro, Faber
said, “It’s going to be a knockdown-drag-out fight.
I watched his highlight video today on his website and he’s
pretty bad ass. I’m thinking like I said earlier he doesn’t
have any weaknesses. We’re going to go in there and fight
and I’m imagining it is going to look a little bit like
the Diego Sanchez VS Nick Diaz fight but a little bit faster
and more explosive.”
As
for strategy, Urijah expects Menjivar to bring a very diverse
and explosive game to the table, conversely Faber hopes to use
his speed and wrestling ability to keep the pressure on Ivan
until he exposes an opening in his game.
“He’s
fast, he looks like he’s got good kicks and good striking,”
admitted Faber. “He knocked a guy out with a suplex in Japan,
so I’m expecting fireworks and I imagine it will be one
of the best fights of the year.”
“I’m
going to use everything, basically it’s going to be a brawl
and I’m going to look for him to make any kind of mistake.
I think conditioning and heart is what’s going to win this
fight. We’re both top-notch athletes, top-notch technicians
in all the disciplines, so like I said it’s going to be
a war. Hopefully I’ll make a good name in Canada and come
home with a win for the USA. It’s The California Kid goes
to Canada, and supposedly Ivan is The Pride of El Salvador also
representing Canada, so Cali VS El Salvador/Canada and I’m
looking to represent.” further commented Urijah.
Also
this past week it was announced that the man that Urijah choked
unconscience in his last bout, Charles Bennett, would be making
an appearance at Pride’s Shockwave 2005 New Year’s
Eve show in Japan, despite losing to Urijah just days earlier.
Faber
didn’t seem phased that the man he beat is going to be getting
an opportunity to fight on one of the year’s biggest cards;
in fact, he is very supportive of Bennett in his match against
actor Ken Kanenko.
“You
know Krazy Horse is colorful and that’s part of the reason
why he’s so famous (over there),” commented Urijah.
“I’m just looking to get my foot in the door with Japan
and I imagine that once they get a little taste of me they’ll
be putting me on the big shows also. It doesn’t make me
mad at all, it’s a good thing; especially since I came off
the win over him, and I look forward to seeing that fight. I
wish Krazy Horse the best, he should be able to lay the smackdown
and do some exciting things.”
Faber
continued, “Hopefully I’ll be going over, I’ve
been talking with King of the Cage, we’re still working
together, and they’re trying to get me over to Japan also.
They actually wanted me to fight Ivan on one of their shows in
the future, but it seems like this is the better route to go
right now, but I’m still on good terms with those guys.
So I’m hoping to do some big things with KOTC also.”
Urijah
closed out the conversation by saying, “If you want to see
one of the best fights of the year come watch California VS Canada/El
Salvador (in TKO next year). It’s going to be fireworks
and two of the best technicians and athletes in the world duke’n
it out, so stay tuned. Thank you to Fairtex for supplying me
with my gear, Nogi Industries, Skin Industries, all the guys
that help me train and MMA Weekly.”
Source: MMA Weekly
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Ninja
and Shogun Rua in Hawaii?
The Rua brothers who have been ripping it up on the Pride Fighting
Championship circuit are scheduled to do a seminar here in Hawaii.
The
seminar will be on:
Saturday,
January 21 at 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm
Sunday, January 22 at 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm
The cost of the seminar will be $120 for both days. The seminar
will take place at Seminar Central, HMC.
Contact
Kevin at HMC
or Wyman (216-4852) to sign
up and save your spot. The seminar will be limited to only 30
people so don't wait and sign up today.
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PUNISHMENT
IN PARADISE
EAST vs WEST 2ND Anniversary
Sat Jan 14,2006 @ Sea Life Park
TICKETS ON SALE NOW!!!
$25.00 Advance $35.00 Event Day
ONLY 1,000 TICKETS FOR THIS EVENT GET IT WHILE IT LAST!!
Welterweight Shooto
Kaleo Kwon (Eastsidaz, Waimanalo) Vs. Kevin Smith (Big Dogs,
Waianae)
Welterweight Shooto
Makoa Hainake (Team MMAD, Kahuku) Vs. David Padilla (Jesus Is
Lord, Waipahu)
Middleweight Shooto
Kyle Miyahana (Team MMAD, Kailua) Vs. PJ Dean (Bad Intentions,
Waianae)
Welterweight Shooto
Kaipo Gonzales (Eastsidaz, Waimanalo) Vs Gene Gregory (Mixed
Bred, Waipahu)
Featherweight Amateur Shooto
Chaz Schmidt (Team MMMAD, Kailua) Vs. Isiah Cobb Adamms (Animal
House, Ewa Beach)
Heavyweight Kickboxing
Hanson Apo (Eastsidaz, Waimanalo) Vs. Val Ulafale (Team Bigdogs,
Waianae)
145lbs Kickboxing
Jarret Iha (Koden Kan, Kailua) Vs. Kaleo Ing (Team Bigdogs, Waianae)
Welterweight Shooto
John Kukahiko (Koden Kan, Kailua) Vs. Allan Jones (Freelance,
Waianae)
**CARD SUBJECT TO CHANGE**
More fights will be announced we just figured to give you a taste
of what you will see plus EAST FIGHTERS like Kimo Wolfel &
Ikaika Choy Fu and Bryan Ingram along with WEST FIGHTERS Bob
Ostovich & Wayne Perrin III, Domi Lopez, Kepa Rivera and
Team BJ Penn plus many more!
We
are currently working on possible Shooto tournaments over the
course of a few shows to determine which fighters will be in
contention to be ranked locally. Some of the fights above may
be the first of eight men brackets as fighters make their mark
in the Shooto organization and possibly fight their way to a
possible title shot.
TICKETS WILL BE AVAILABLE AT PLACES LISTED BELOW
808 Fight Factory (Kim Jhun,Waipahu)
Jesus Is Lord Gym (David Padilla, Waipahu)
Team Bigdogs (Wayne Perrin, Waianae)
Koden Kan (John Kukahiko, Kailua)
Team MMAD (Randy, Kailua)
Eastsidaz (Mike Malone, Kaleo Kwan, Waimanalo)
Bad Intentions (PJ Dean, Waianae)
Jus Rush (Cisco Bringas, Kailua)
Animal House (Rick Lee, Ewa Beach)
For contact information for any school or manager above can contact
bdkamaka@comcast.net
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