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(All events on Oahu, unless noted)
2006
Grappler's Quest Hawaii
(Submission Grappling)
(TBA)
2005
12/10/05
Proving
Grounds -
ROTR
Qualifer
(MMA)
(Hilo Civic Center)
11/19/05
ROTR 9
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena)
11/14/05
3rd American National BJJ Championships
(Torrance Unified School District, Torrance, CA )
10/29-30/05
Brazilian Team Titles
(Equipes)
(Brazil)
10/05
Proving
Grounds -
ROTR
Qualifer
(MMA)
(Lahaina Civic Center, Maui)
9/25/05
NAGA 2005 Hawaiian State
Championships
(Submission Grappling & BJJ)
(Leilehua
High School, Wahiawa)
2005 American National Jiu-Jitsu
Championship
(BJJ)
(Torrance, CA)
9/05
Proving
Grounds -
ROTR
Qualifer
(MMA)
(Kauai)
8/27-28/05
International
Masters & Seniors BJJ Tournament
(Tijuca Tenis Clube, Tijuca, Brazil)
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)
8/6/05
Hawaii Grappling
Grand Prix
(BJJ & Sub Grappling)
(Pearl City H.S. Gym,
Pearl City)
7/29/05
ROTR
8
(MMA)
(Aloha Stadium)
7/23-31/05
World BJJ
Championships (Mundial)
(Tijuca Tenis Clube, Tijuca, Brazil)
7/23/05
Super Brawl 40: Icon
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena)
7/21-23/05
World Cup of BJJ
(BJJ)
(São Paulo, Brazil)
7/16-17/05
Richard Bustillo 2 day Seminar
(Jun Fan
Jeet Kune Do, Cacoy Doce Pares Eskrima, and Muay Thai concepts)
(HMC)
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)
Super Braw: 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)
7/1/05
Dan "The Beast" Severn Seminar
(Farrington H.S. Gym)
|
|
July 2005 News Part
3
Wednesday
night and Sunday classes (w/ a kids' class) now offered!
 
For the special Onzuka.com
price, click on one of these banners above! |
Quote
of the Day
"Excellence is the result of caring more than others think
wise, risking more than other's think safe, dreaming more than
others think practical, and expecting more than others think
possible."
Anonymous
|
JACARÉ ROCKS X BJJ WORLDS!!!
Open
class champion in 2004, Ronaldo Jacaré had a great time
at Tijuca Tênis Clube after winning weight and open class
of X BJJ Worlds, whcih ended few minutes ago, in Rio de Janeiro.
In the end of the weight class (meio-pesado), Jacaré applied
a take down in Bráulio Estima (Gracie Barra) and caught
his back, scoring 6x0. In open class final, Jacaré battled
once again Roger Gracie. Very balanced game, Jacaré applied
a kataguruma take down in Roger in the last 20 seconds of bout
and got the title, driving the audience nuts.
COMPLETE
RESULTS:
X
Mundial de Jiu-Jitsu
Tijuca
Tênis Clube, Rio de Janeiro
Sunday,
July 31, 2005
Galo:
Samuel Braga (Gracie Barra) defeated Gabriel Morais (Ac Monteiro)
by referee's decision
Pluma:
Bibiano Fernandes (Gracie Barra) defeated Carlos Vieira (Oswaldo
Alves) by 1 advantage (6x6)
Pena:
Fredson Paixão (Gracie Barra) defeated Mário Reis
(BTT) by 5x0
Leve:
Celso Vinícius (Gracie Barra) defeated Tiago Alves (Barbosa
JJ) by 2x0
Médio:
André Galvão (TT JJ) submitted Felipe Cranivata
(Gracie Barra BH) by leg-lock at 6:18
Meio-pesado:
Ronaldo Jacaré (Brasa) defeated Bráulio Estima
(Gracie Barra) by 6x0
Pesado:
Robert Drysdale (Brasa) defeated Fernando Boi (Fernando Boi JJ)
by 2x1 (advantage)
Super-pesado:
Roger Gracie (Gracie Barra) defeated Xande Ribeiro (Gracie Humaitá)
by 12x2
Pesadíssimo:
Francisco José (Gracie Barra) defeated Marcio Corleta
(Behring) by 3x1 (advantage)
Absoluto:
Ronaldo Jacaré (Brasa) defeated Roger Gracie (Gracie Barra)
by 2x0
Female:
Leve:
Leka Vieira defeated Kyra Gracie por 3x2 by advantage
Pena: Bianca Andrade defeated Letícia Ribeiro by 6x0
Purple
belt:
Galo:
Ivaniel Cavalcante (Carioca Team)
Pluma:
Helder Medeiros (Brasa)
Pena:
Otávio Ferreira (Gracie Barra/PE)
Leve:
Alan do Nascimento (Brasa)
Médio:
Gregor Gracie (Gracie Barra)
Meio
pesado: Theodoro Prata (TT Jiu-Jitsu)
Pesado:
Valdson Gomes (Gracie Humaitá)
Pesadíssimo:
Juan Francisco (De la Riva)
Brown
belt:
Galo:
Bruno Malfacine (UGF)
Pluma:
Lúcio Flávio (Orlando Araújo)
Pena:
Yukinori Sasa (Paraestra)
Leve:
Lucas Leite (Brasa)
Meio-pesado:
Rômulo Barral (Gracie Barra BH)
Source: Tatame |
Toughman
Hawaii Returns on August 13th in Hilo!
Toughman Hawaii
Hilo Civic Center, Hilo, Hawaii
August 13, 2005
The premier striking event on the big island returns and has
20, count 'em, 20 match ups featuring a ton of names that sound
familiar from the MMA world;
Justin
Mercado, Mike Aina, Jay Carter, Ashton Castro, and Aaron Carvalho.
Other fighters slated to be on the card are:
Raymond Castro, Abraham Kaleopaa, Kana Hyatt, Carlos Rincon,
Gavin Matta, Tyrone Ferriera, Chris Cissneros, Dave Mareno, A.J
Verieato, Tallon Torres, Miles Campbell, Edward Williams, Aaron
Castro, Donald Gonzales Jr, Kekoa Wong, Kalai Wong, Steven Willis,
Robert Midell
 
Aaron Carvalho Chris Cissneros
Aaron Carvalho and Chris Cissneros will both fighting for Title
Belts at Toughman Hawaii.
Waylan Silva
Keep your eyes on Waylan Silva , who there is big expectations,
will be making his amatuer debut in the Junior division
August 13th 2005 at the Hilo Civic
All about 20 match-ups all stand up fighting Amateur matches
1 minute rounds with headgear. In the Pro fights 1 1/2 Minute
rounds 10 ounce gloves no headgear every thing above the waist.
SEE YOU RINGSIDE!!
Source: Event Promoter
|
KICKIN
IT 2005 PART IV's NEXT EVENT!
WHAT : KICKIN IT 2005 PART IV (AMATEUR KICKBOXING)
WHEN : AUGUST 20, 2005 - DOORS OPEN AT 6:30 P.M.
WHERE : PAGODA BALLROOM (2ND FLOOR-CEST SI BON)
RYAN LEE SUPER LIGHTWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP DAVID BALICAO
BULLS PEN 136-141 HSD
DAVID AND RYAN DIDN'T GET TO FIGHT ON PART III DUE TO AN INJURY
THAT CAUSED RYAN TO PULL OUT. BUT RYAN HAS TOLD KICKIN IT PROMOTERS
THAT HE IS READY TO FACE DAVID IN PART IV. RYAN IS A PROFFESIONAL
MMA FIGHTER WHO HAS MADE HIS MARK IN THE MMA SCENE. ON THE KICKIN
IT CARDS, PROFFESIONAL MMA FIGHTERS MUST PARTICIPATE AS A SEMI-PRO
KICKBOXER (NO HEADGEAR, NO FEETPADS, AND 10 OZ GLOVES) THOUGH
THEY HAVE HAD LITTLE OR NO KICKBOXING FIGHTS. AND SINCE DAVID
HAS TURNED 18 YEARS OLD A FEW DAYS AGO. HE AND HIS TRAINERS HAVE
AGREED THAT HE WILL DEFEND HIS BELT LIKE A REAL CHAMPION (IN
THE SEMI-PRO STYLE LIKE RYAN LEE). DAVID HAS NEVER BEEN INTRODUCED
TO THE CANVAS (WITH A HEADGEAR ON). SO IT WILL BE INTERESTING
TO SEE HOW THIS YOUNG ADULT WILL REACT WHEN HE GETS A TASTE OF
WHAT A KICK OR A PUNCH FEELS LIKE WITH NO PROTECTION.
JUSTLY LAQHION 65-70 MASON
HMC JESUS IS LORD
COLIN MACKENZIE 130-135 DARREL LABRADOR
JESUS IS LORD HSD
SHANEN KIRA 160-165 KAMANA GOMES
TEAM MIXBREED GOODSPORT KICKBOXING
JAY WESTBROOK 300 PLUS MIKE AKI
TEAM SOLJAH HSD
KAWIKA HONG 105-110 FRED RAMAYLA
GOODSPORT KICKBOXING HSD
ERIN GUILLORY 135-140 KAIKA BULLOCK
ANIMAL HOUSE HSD
MIKE TIBBITS 225-240 KANA HONG
TEAM MIXBREED GOODSPORT KICKBOXING
DALE KAMAI 170-175 SEAN CASTRO
TEAM SOLJAH TEAM MIXBREED
JARLOW ILANO 140-145 DEREK MINN
JKD UNLIMITED LAUPAHOEHOE MUAY THAI
JEREMY 185-190 LOWEN
TEAM ISLAND THUNDER ANIMAL HOUSE
NUI WHEELER 130-135 TAVIS KAGAWA
TEAM SOLJAH LAUPAHOEHOE MUAY THAI
VERN KAPOI 120-125 DALVIN KIM
HMC EWA BEACH FIGHT CLUB
RED DAVIS 135-140 EDMUND LEE
ANIMAL HOUSE HMC
VINNIE DELASANTOS 150 155 MMAHNU KAETAWARA
TEAM SOLJAH LAUPAHOEHOE MUAY THAI
JUSTIN WONG 140-145 SHAISON LAUPOLA
HMC JESUS IS LORD
PARTICIPANTS AND MATCHES MAY BE SUBJECT TO CHANGE
Source: Event Promoter
|
Sluggish
Penn Does Enough
by Josh Gross (joshg@sherdog.com)
For
those who believe that B.J. Penn’s future hovers at or above
185 pounds, they may want to look closely at his uninspired decision
victory Friday night over Renzo Gracie (pictures), who despite
his family name and early success was 1-5 since 1999 and had
not fought for nearly two years following an ACL injury.
Considering
his résumé over the last half-decade, little was
expected from the 38-year-old Gracie. Instead, the pre-bout focus
shone on Penn, who entered the ring Friday night looking neither
like the svelte lightweight that battled Jens Pulver (pictures)
for the UFC 155-pound belt in 2002 nor the solidly built welterweight
who stunned Matt Hughes (pictures).
To
be fair to the 26-year-old, packing on the pounds on a five-foot-nine
frame has come largely during a crusade to fight heavier men,
which began following the defeat of Hughes in January 2004. But
versus Gracie, always a slender middleweight, Penn looked nothing
if out of shape.
Gone
was Penn’s trademark rush to fight, which fans first saw
in his UFC debut before he smashed Caol Uno (pictures). Friday
he moved to the K-1 ring with the grace of a recreational marathoner,
not the explosiveness of a world-class sprinter. And his fight
followed much the same pattern.
Gracie
fought well early, scoring the bout’s first takedown. With
the Brazilian jiu-jitsu master in his guard, Penn, who despite
his size retained much of the flexibility he was famous for among
jiu-jitsu circles, relaxed and offered little offense.
In
the opening seconds of the second period Penn went to Gracie’s
body and head, connecting accurately almost every time. A jab
snapped Gracie’s head and soon Penn stalked his way around
the ring, swatting oncoming punches and kicks like he would a
mosquito.
When
takedowns became increasingly difficult for Gracie to finish,
he began reaching with punches. Penn countered nicely, bouncing
his red five-ounce gloves off the Brazilian’s face.
These
were the finest moments the night for the Hawaiian, who faced
Gracie in the main event of K-1’s first-ever open-air promotion
outside of Japan which, according to K-1, drew almost 12,000
spectators to Honolulu’s Aloha Arena.
The
pro-Penn crowd desperately wanted to erupt for their man. But
he gave them few opportunities.
Gracie
flicked jabs and low kicks to began action in round three. However
Penn soon brought the fight to the blue canvas, where it remained
until the final bell.
"Renzo
fought harder than I expected, and I wish I'd only had 30 more
seconds, because I think I had him at the end and then the bell
sounded,” Penn said of a fight he won by unanimous decision
(30-28, 29-28, 29-28).
Had
Friday’s version of Penn fought the Renzo Gracie (pictures)
that warred with Kazushi Sakuraba (pictures) in August 2000,
he would have been blown out. Yet Gracie’s age and injuries
changed the dynamics of this fight and in spite of his appearance
Penn’s physical attributes — balance and power (speed
used to be in there, too) — took hold in rounds two and
three.
Whether
anyone close to Penn will tell him, after sluggish performances
versus two natural middleweights and a light heavyweight it is
clear that he is at his best at 170 pounds.
Though
Penn cannot make 155 anymore, the welterweight limit is clearly
in reach. Unlike so many less talented fighters, however, it
seems Penn’s refusal to cut weight is a result of his unwillingness
to make the sacrifices necessary to realize his potential. And
he is the only one responsible for that.
Could
Penn, who fancies himself the best fighter in the world, possibly
challenge Wanderlei Silva (pictures), the PRIDE 205-pound champion
mentioned repeatedly in recent Penn interviews? What about UFC
middleweight champion Rich Franklin (pictures)?
It
doesn’t seem possible, not if he continues to fight out
of shape and flat-footed like he did Friday. At this point, the
question for Penn and his handlers has to be: If he stays on
his current path, how long until fans give up on him and move
on?
Source: Sherdog
|
LUTTER
VS. PRANGLEY
Travis Lutter will replace David Terrell on the upcoming UFC
54 card in August. Lutter's opponent will be Trevor Prangley.
Source: Fight Sport
|
Quote
of the Day
"Sometimes our light goes out but is blown into flame by
another human being.
Each of us owes deepest thanks to those who have rekindled this
light."
Albert Schweitzer, 1875-1965, German Born Medical Missionary,
Theologian, Musician, and Philosopher
|
Rob
Kaman Seminar TODAY!
Date: Saturday,
July 30
Time: 2:00 to 5:00 pm
Location: HMC
Cost: $50
For more info click here.
.jpg)
Source: The Vince
|
K-1
World GP 2005 Results!
K-1 World
Grand Prix 2005
Aloha Stadium, Honolulu, Hawaii
July 29, 2005
By Chris Onzuka - Chris@Onzuka.com
The
largest martial arts fighting organization, K-1 made its way
to Hawaii for the very first time. Previously, K-1 has graced
the US by way of Las Vegas. K-1 promoters have partnered with
Rumble World Entertainment to put on the K-1 World Hawaii Grand
Prix 2005, the winner of which will earn a birth in the K-1 World
GP Final Elimination in September. With the exception of 2003
K-1 USA Champion, Carter Williams and Gary Goodridge, who has
performed well recently in K-1, the field of tournament fighters
was far from top notch, but it made up for it with the "freak
factor." Fans got to see the King of the 3 Rounders, Butterbean
take on a monster of a man in Marcus Royster, UFC heavy hitter
and heavy punch taker, Cabbage Correira pitted his granite chin
against knockout artist Big Daddy Goodridge. Toping off the card
was one of Japan's elite kickboxers in Musashi taking on Swedish
sensation Rickard Norstrand.
The
preliminaries featured some of Norfumi "Kid" Yamamoto's
Killer Bee team members. Both fighters won their bouts against
up and coming Hawaii fighters, Okano and Wolff. The Hawaii fans
were on their feet to witness the main event featuring an MMA
match, pitting arguably the best pound for pound fighter in the
world, Hawaii's own BJ Penn taking on the legendary Renzo Gracie.
Gracie has not performed well recently, winning only one of his
last six matches, but he has mentioned in a few interviews that
he is in the best shape that he has ever been and that this fight
will spark a rejuvenation of his MMA career. Renzo is a different
fighter than most of the Gracies, much more aggressive, so there
was a lot of anticipation leading up to this fight because everyone
expected it to be an exciting fight due to the match up of fighting
styles. The main event was either going to be a fast paced fight
that would not go the distance or it would be a longer, more
methodical match. It turned out to be the latter as both great
fighters countered each other's styles. However, Penn's versatility
as a fighter became the deciding factor.
MMA:
Michihisa Asano (Killer Bee) def. Steven "Iwi" Okano
(BJ Penn's MMA)
Submission via guillotine (choked unconscious) at 2:06 minutes
in Round 1.
MMA:
Riki Fukuda (Killer Bee) def. Brandon Wolff (Team MADD)
TKO via referee stoppage due to punches from the back mount at
2:49 minutes in Round 2.
MMA:
Allan "Brazillan Samurai" Goes vs. Lyle Nicely (Team
MADD)
Cancelled because Goes slipped while checking the ring before
the event and got knocked out.
Reserve
Figth: K-1 Rules: 3 Rounds - 3 Minutes
Mike Malone (Eastsidaz) def. Dustin Haning (Team VooDoo)
Unanimous decision [(10-9), (10-9)), (10-9)] after 3 rounds and
1 overtime round.
Hawaii
GP Tournament Quarter Final / K-1 Rules / 3 Min.
Gary 'Big Daddy' Goodridge (Trinidad and Tobago / Freelance)
def. Wesley 'Cabbage' Correira (U.S.A. / B.J. Penn MMA, HI)
TKO via referee stoppage at 2:43 minutes in Round 1.
Hawaii
GP Tournament Quarter Final / K-1 Rules / 3 Min. 3R
Carter Williams (U.S.A. / Team Voodoo U.S.A.) def. Nobu Hayashi
(Japan)
Unanimous decision [(30-26), (30-26), (30-26)] after 3 rounds.
Hayashi
proved one thing in this bout, he is tough as stone. Williams
threw bombs that landed on Hayashi and
Hawaii
GP Tournament Quarter Final / K-1 Rules / 3 Min. 3R
Eric 'Butterbean' Esch (U.S.A. / Team Butterbean) def. Marcus
'XL' Royster (U.S.A. / Team VooDoo)
Unanimous decision [(30-27), (30-26), (30-27)] after 3 rounds.
Hawaii
GP Tournament Quarter Final / K-1 Rules / 3 Min. 3R
Yusuke Fujimoto (Japan / MONSTER FACTORY) def. Scott Junk (U.S.A.
/ B.J. Penn MMA)
KO at 1:20 minutes in Round 3.
Super
Fight / K-1 Rules / 3 Min. 3R
Musashi (Japan / Seido Kaikan) def. Rickard Norstrand (Sweden
/ Vallentuna Boxing Camp)
Majority decision [(30-29), (30-28), (30-30)] after3 rounds.
Hawaii
GP Tournament Semi Final / K-1 Rules / 3 Min. 3R
Gary 'Big Daddy' Goodridge (Trinidad and Tobago / Freelance)
def. Carter Williams (U.S.A. / Team Voodoo U.S.A.)
KO at 1:15 minutes in Round 1.
Hawaii
GP Tournament Semi Final / K-1 Rules / 3 Min. 3R
Yusuke Fujimoto (Japan / MONSTER FACTORY) def. Marcus 'XL' Royster
(U.S.A. / Team VooDoo)
TKO count not answer the 10 count at 2:16 minutes in Round 1.
*Eric 'Butterbean' Esch withdrew due to injured leg.
Reserve winner Mike Malone withdrew due to injury.
Marcus Royster replaces both fighters.
Super
Fight / K-1 Rules / 3Min. 3R
Hong-Man Choi (Republic of Korea / Freelance) def. Akebono (Japan
/ Team Yokozuna)
TKO, Akebono could not answer the 10 count at 2:53 minutes in
Round 1.
Hawaii
GP Tournament Finals / K-1 Rules / 3 Min. 3R
Gary 'Big Daddy' Goodridge (Trinidad and Tobago / Freelance)
def. Yusuke Fujimoto (Japan / MONSTER FACTORY)
TKO via corner throwing in the towel at 1:19 minutes in Round
3.
*Gary Goodridge is the K-1 World Hawaii Grand Prix Tournament
Champion.
Super
Fight / Mixed Martial Arts Rules / 5Min. 3R
B.J. Penn (U.S.A. / B.J. Penn MMA) def Renzo Gracie (Brazil /
Renzo Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Academy, NYC)
Unanimous decision [(23-28), (30-28), (29-28)] after 3 rounds.
|
More
on Aloha Stadium Attendance
By Jeremy Wall
As a follow up to the report on maXfighting regarding the ticket
sales being slow for Friday night's K-1 event at Aloha Stadium,
the Honolulu Star-Bulletin has reported that K-1 is expecting
an attendance figure of around 13,400 for the event, which is
headlined by BJ Penn against Renzo Gracie in an MMA rules match.
MaXfighting
had previously reported that ticket sales would come in way under
capacity for Aloha Stadium, and we were right on the money. The
goal with the event, besides the traditional K-1 goal of simply
drawing a hit rating on Japanese network television, is to break
the North American attendance record for mixed martial arts.
The record currently is roughly 13,700, held by UFC 41 in Atlantic
City in February 2003, a show coming off the heels of the highly
successful Ken Shamrock-Tito Ortiz fight that was also headlined
by the return to MMA of Tank Abbott.
13,400
of course comes up about 300 or so bodies short of the North
American record. Since K-1 doesn't have to report real figures
that are made public via a governing body, then odds are we won't
really know if they broke the record or not.
The
record paid attendance in North America still is UFC 40 with
Shamrock vs. Ortiz at 13,055 bodies, and the record gate is $2,575,450
for UFC 52 with Randy Couture vs. Chuck Liddell coming off the
first season of "The Ultimate Fighter". UFC 52 would
also easily be the highest grossing overall event in North American
MMA history. The all-time attendance record for MMA worldwide
is 71,000 fans at the co-promoted Pride and K-1 "Dynamite"
event at National Stadium in Japan in August 2002, headlined
by Kazushi Sakuraba vs. Mirko Cro Cop. The fake attendance figure
that Pride claimed for that event was 91,000.
Source: Maxfighting
|
Sherdog.com
Exclusive Q&A
Candid Penn: “I Want to do
it All”
by Josh Gross (joshg@sherdog.com)
Despite recent troubles with the law, a contentious court case
in which he sued his former promoter and the pressures that come
from headlining a fight in his home state against a man with
a legendary last name, life is good for B.J. Penn.
With
the grandiose vision of filling 20,000 seats inside Honolulu’s
Aloha Stadium, home for the NFL’s Pro Bowl, K-1 approached
Penn about fighting Renzo Gracie, who, despite a serious downturn
in his career over the past four years, still carries with him
the stature that colors the first family of mixed martial arts.
Before
it’s all said and done, Penn hopes that his surname holds
as much weight. And he’s got a vision, very much his own,
on how to make that happen.
His
is a story of defiance. Of breaking rules and, smartly or foolishly,
challenging authority. With B.J. Penn, there is much to discuss,
particularly on the eve of his first K-1 main event, which will
be carried throughout North America via tape-delayed pay-per-view
this Sunday.
Josh
Gross: I remember talking to you before you fought Jens Pulver,
which was ages ago, and you said one of the reasons you trained
in San Jose with AKA was because the Islands offered so many
distractions and there was trouble out there. Was [the incident
with the police, in which Penn was arrested for allegedly assaulting
a police officer outside a night club in Waikiki] a situation
where you were prophetic, that’s exactly what happened?
B.J.
Penn: This is just something that happened. Something that took
place. Life is like a box of chocolates. There’s nothing
I could do about it.
Gross:
Have you felt that way at all since returning to Hawaii or has
it been a purely positive thing for you?
Penn:
Yeah, purely positive. Back home I don’t have to wait in
traffic to go anywhere because the other island, Oahu is just
like a regular city. Hilo is like a small town. One minute to
get to the gym. One minute to get home. Not like an hour to get
to the gym and an hour to home and wasting all that time. But
I’m a lot better. I’m a lot happier fighter. I don’t
take fighting as serious as I did back then. I just have fun.
That’s why if it’s not fun for me I don’t want
to even do it. So just having a good time.
Gross:
So if it’s not fun for you, there’s no point. What
are you current goals? What keeps you fighting?
Penn:
My only goal was to get the UFC belt. After that happened, I
don’t know, I just fight for fun now. Just to have a good
time. I still like fighting. I enjoy it. Everything else is just
boring to me. I mean I’m a human being first. I do whatever
I want first and fighting comes second to me. I just live my
life and have a good time and just have fun.
Gross:
You’re fortunate. You grew up in a pretty good financial
situation. You didn’t have to worry about much. Did that
have a big impact on how you handled the situation with the UFC?
You figured, “I’m going to go off and do my own thing
because I can do it”?
Penn:
No. I always wanted to fight in the UFC. It was just me looking
at what K-1 could offer me. They could offer me new fighters
to fight with. They could offer me exposure in Japan. They wanted
to pay me a bunch of money. And I told the UFC, “I don’t
want to hold you guys hostage. I’ll fight for whatever you
guys want me to fight for too. Let’s do it both. Look, I
got it written in this K-1 contract I can fight in UFC, too.
You know what I mean? Let’s do it. I’ll fight in different
weights or in each one, you know. And it doesn’t really
come down to, like you said, I could live a good life. I don’t
fight to live, I live to fight. You know what I mean? I’m
not somebody who has to fight to eat a piece of food that night.
I’m not a billionaire or something but I got food on the
table. I always eat. I’ll never go hungry. But I live to
fight because I love to fight. You know what I mean? I’m
not forced to do it. It’s just something I love to do and
the situation was just good exposure for me in Japan, good exposure
for me in the U.S. I was trying to become a worldwide fighter
but the UFC cut the neck on me on the U.S. side. So, whatever.
Gross: I heard there was a deal on the table for you to re-sign
with the UFC but it was contingent upon you apologizing. Is that
true?
Penn:
Yes, that is very true.
Gross:
Who demanded that you apologize and who were you supposed to
apologize to?
Penn:
It was demanded that I say I’m sorry to all the fans. That
I let them down, and this and that. And let down the UFC and
that I know I made a mistake and now I know that. It was a mistake
leaving and now I know it was a mistake.
Gross:
So this was supposed to be a public apology. It wasn’t behind
closed doors to [UFC President] Dana (White) or anything like
that?
Penn:
Yeah, strictly public apology. I mean if would have done it I
would have been on “The Ultimate Fighter” season two
probably with Hughes now, and this and that. Getting my face
out there. But, yeah, that’s how it goes. That’s how
things are. Everything happens for a reason. But I’m sure
things will work its way out later and I think I’ll be fighting
in the UFC one day.
Gross:
Are there any regrets? Obviously apologizing, it’s not something
you want to do or be forced into. Unless you really mean it,
there’s no point, right?
Penn:
If I really meant it then I’d do it in a second. “Hey
man, I’m really sorry for leaving. This and that.”
But I don’t really believe it, so why am I going to go out
and do it? If Dana wants to feel that he saves face that way,
then that’s how he feels and that’s his business. And
if I feel that I want to save face my way, then that’s my
business. I’m not going to go up there and do something
that I don’t believe I should be doing just to get my face
on TV and do this and this and that. And basically just give
up everything, trying to take my manhood asking me to do something
I don’t believe is right.
Gross:
So why do you feel — I mean it sounds like there is, maybe
animosity is not the right word, but there is still hard feelings
— why do you feel that one day you’ll be back in the
UFC?
Penn:
I don’t think it’s hard feelings. Of course, everybody
knows how Dana is on a professional level when he gets mad. A
lot of decisions from him are made emotionally. But it still
is business and I think business-wise we will be in there again.
We just keep winning our fights. We keep learning our things.
We keep growing as a fighter. Getting my name out there. I’m
still doing things. This next show will be shown in 60 countries
around the world. We’re the main event, the first time a
mixed martial arts fight has been in any kind of [K-1] Grand
Prix. We’re the main event. We probably won’t be huge
on pay-per-view in the U.S., but the hardcore fans will probably
watch it. So we’re still getting our name out there a little.
But in the other countries we’re blasting our name out there.
My last fight with Lyoto wasn’t shown on TV. It was a lackluster
fight. But the Ludwig fight was shown on TV. So we’re pushing.
We’re getting our name out there.
Gross: How much are you guys doing behind the scenes to get K-1
more interested in promoting MMA fights and putting MMA fights
on TV? If you’re doing anything at all.
Penn:
No, no. We’re pushing Rumble World Entertainment. But when
K-1 comes to town and they want some help with stuff we have
a good business relationship with them and we help them out.
Gross:
Since you fought Hughes, obviously you fought Rodrigo Gracie
and you fought Ryoto Machida and you had another fight. But do
you feel that you’ve been challenged at all since you started
taking those fights? They’re good fighters but they’re
not the top-level fighters — not Gomi and Hughes.
Penn:
Definitely. I got a lot from this last fight with Lyoto. I really
learned a lot. What really works. That was definitely stepping
into the fountain of knowledge in that fight. I found out what
I can do in there, a lot of different stuff. I really grew a
lot, I feel, as a fighter in that fight. But I mean, to say that
those guys aren’t the same kind of caliber as Gomi and Hughes
when I finished Gomi and I finished Hughes and I didn’t
finish Rodrigo and I didn’t finish Lyoto, those guys are
very good fighters too. It’s just perception of people.
But I’ve been in the ring with all those guys. I know if
I’m in the ring with Hughes again, I’ll finish him
again. Gomi same thing. Actually, next time I fight Rodrigo,
if it ever does happen, I’d put him away and finish him.
Definitely, I’ve grown as a fighter since these last couple
fights. Not to say Gomi and Hughes haven’t grown. I mean
they’re awesome. They’re great fighters. Look what
Gomi’s done, knocking everybody out. Hughes coming back,
beating all those guys again and this and that. So, I mean, it’s
not like they’re on a tear but I feel I’m a great fighter
and contend with anyone.
Gross:
There’s an argument out there that basically the fights
that you’ve taken against these heavier guys puts you in
a “no lose” situation. If you lose the fight, so what?
You fought a bigger guy. If you win then you get a lot of accolades.
Do you feel you’re putting yourself in a “no lose”
situation where a loss doesn’t really hurt you and there’s
really not much to gain out of it?
Penn:
The only thing they can say that about is about the Lyoto fight
or something because I fought Ludwig — if I had lost that
would have been terrible. I fought Rodrigo, who was the same
size. If I had lost that, that would have been terrible. I fought
Lyoto. You know what I mean? F__k man, I thought I was going
to win that fight. I still think I can go in and do good. I want
to have better training partners. I don’t want to make any
excuses. If I ever fight him again I want to have better training
partners. People like Chuck Liddell. People like that kind of
people to train with if I fight Lyoto. And Renzo. If I lose,
where is my career going? It’s f__ked.
Gross:
Renzo is 1-5 in his last six fights and hasn’t been a player
in that division in a long time. So why did you accept that fight?
Penn:
I think it’s all about filling up a 20,000-seat arena, you
know what I mean. I think that’s what K-1 wants to do and
what they want to try to put together to fill up a 20,000-seat
arena. But besides that, it’s a good fight. It’s going
to be an exciting fight. I mean, if you look at every single
one of the people—you know, fighting in a show it’s
all about who’s going to watch the thing—if you look
at all the people in the UFC welterweight division, even I think
the middleweight division, a lot more people know who Renzo is,
especially worldwide, not just in the U.S. Because the UFC is
just in the U.S. market. But this is going to be worldwide on
television in 60 countries and stuff like that. I guess it was
a no-brainer for them to try and put that together.
Gross:
This is a mega-fight in Hawaii and this arena is huge. What’s
that like headlining a show in your home state, obviously in
front of a pro-B.J. Penn crowd?
Penn:
It’s awesome. I like fighting over here. The day of the
fight I can sleep all day. It’s nothing new. It’s not
in my hometown, but on another island. Same state. So I just
feel comfortable. It’s the same air I breathe everyday.
It’s good. When I get in that ring, I like how Renzo stares
people down, I’ll be on the other side walking around looking
at him. We’re looking at each other. The hype and the energy
and everything is building up. I’m going to feel it. I’m
going to feel the hair on my body standup and look across the
ring. It’s going to be excitement. There’s going to
be electricity in between the two of us standing across the ring
looking at each other. Renzo’s a crazy guy to count out.
He can fight good with a lot of people. I don’t know how
much he’s been training in his last fights. I heard he just
showed up the fights. He was teaching, doing business and this
and that, not taking it serious though. He’s a lot older.
He’s 38 years old. He’s had a lot of time off. That’s
the best thing a lot of times. When you fight so often, you’re
so active you take a year off and you’re just on it. You’re
ready to train. You’re ready to fight. There’s something
missing in your life for that one year. So it’s back. He’s
got a challenge like me to step up to fight and I’m sure
he’s going to come in hard, fighting hard.
Gross:
If you don’t stop him or submit him, will you be disappointed?
Penn:
Who’s the last person who did stop him or submit him? Sakuraba
right? Oh, Henderson knocked him out. Of course I’m going
to go full bore to stop him or submit him. But I’m not going
to say I’m going to be disappointed in myself. As long as
it’s an exciting fight, you know what I mean. As long as
fans can say, “I got my money’s worth. This is what
I paid for.” As long as the fans go home happy, I’ll
go home happy.
Gross:
There are still a lot of fans who wish you would stick with a
division and clean it out and fight the best. Beating Gomi and
beating Hughes you have a good argument that you already did
that. But do you feel at all for the fans who really want to
see you fight the best of the best, at least that’s how
they’re perceived?
Penn:
If they want to see me fight the best of the best, let me fight
all the guys. I’ll fight Hughes again in a second. We’re
trying to put a fight together with Jeremy Horn at 185, so it’s
not like I’m trying to jump out of the weight class. Because
I’m walking around at 185 right now. That’s what I’m
fighting at. And when I said I really want to test myself against
someone like Wanderlei Silva and people like that, I’m serious.
I want to do those kind of things. I want to fight those kinds
of people. I want to take it as far as I can take it, especially
for myself too. I want to know how good I am. I don’t want
to sit back later and be like, “yeah man I was the best
welterweight ever. Nobody in the whole world ever, ever could
mess with me. No one could ever touch me.” I want to see.
I want to know my limit. I want to know how far I can take it.
I want to know who I am. I want to face all these people. I want
to look across the ring and look at them in the eyes and stare
at them and see how it feels and feel all that emotion. I want
to do it all.
Source: Sherdog
|
Terrell
out of UFC 54
David Terrell has pulled out of UFC 54 against Trevor Prangley
on the advice of his doctor. An MRI report came back positive
showing a tear in the cartilage of his elbow and Terrell was
subsequently sidelined from fighting or training.
"I
feel terrible about pulling out of this fight. My shape is excellent
and I was looking forward to fighting again. I injured my arm
and tried to train through it but it was impossible. After the
cortizone shot had no affect I decided to get an MRI and the
doc said I wasn't going to heal without giving it rest for the
next several weeks." -Terrell
Source: Gracie Fighter
|
COFFEE
GUY EXCLUSIVE:
REAL REASON TITO WANTS TO FACE FORREST
By Coffee Guy
Forrest Griffin, the new face of American MMA in the mainstream
media.
Before
reading any further, please read our disclaimer first.
The
following exclusive report was sent to us by our Zuffa informant
called 'Coffee Guy':
"My
sources are telling me that the real reason Tito Ortiz is pushing
hard to start a public rivalry on the internet forums with Forrest
Griffin is because he'd like to sign a main event matchup between
him and Griffin for a pay-per-view event he is trying to co-promote
with the Maloof brothers, who are also the billionaire owners
of the Sacramento Kings of the NBA.
The
reason that they'd like Tito's opponent to be Griffin is because
they want to try and capture 'The Ultimate Fighter' viewing audience.
As
MMA fans will remember, Griffin eventually won the light heavyweight
tournament of The Ultimate Fighter show, and became a mainstream
media poster boy for American MMA in the process.
Most
experts I've talked to feel Griffin has become more famous then
Tito ever was, and he did it all by himself. He wasn't handed
his poster boy status the Tito was with Zuffa. According to these
same experts I've talked to, they think a Forrest Griffin vs.
Tito Ortiz matchup would do great ratings if it gets the right
marketing and media exposure."
Source: Fight Sport
|
UFC
55 news
By Mark Pickering / Sean McClure
It appears that former UFC Heavyweight Champion Frank Mir will
no longer be facing Andre Arlovski at UFC 55 for the anticipated
title unification bout. A graphic on the home page of http://www.paulbuentello.com/
reveals a "coming in UFC 55" by-line and features images
of Paul Buentello and Arlovski apparently signifying a potential
clash in October.
Details
are scarce with UFC remaining tight lipped on the UFC 55 fight
card and the recovery of 25 year old Mir. An announcement should
be expected on UFC's upcoming TV special's on Spike TV, commencing
on August 6th.
Buentello
knocked out Justin Eilers, who himself was granted a title shot
at Arlovski at UFC 53, and then he forced Kevin Jordan to submit.
UFC fans have been buzzing about this fight since Paul’s
arrival back at UFC 51 and many have speculated that this would
happen in the next few UFC’s. It is doubtful that they predicted
it to be this soon, especially since word came out of Frank Mir’s
camp that the was getting healthy. This should be an incredible
stand up battle and in my opinion is worth the price of admission
alone.
Source: Maxfighting
|
Quote
of the Day
"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in
moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times
of challenge and controversy."
Martin Luther King,1929-1968, American Black Leader, Nobel Prize
Winner, 1964
|
INOUE
IN AUTO ACCIDENT
Our prayers go out to Enson for a quick and speedy recovery
if this is true.
The Japanese media reports that Enson Inoue was in an auto accident.
No severe injuries were sustained, but the car was totalled.
Source: Fight Sport
|
K-1
Is Finally Here!
K-1 World
Grand Prix 2005
Aloha Stadium, Honolulu, Hawaii
July 29, 2005
HAWAII
GP Tournament Quarter Final / K-1 Rules / 3 Min. 3R
Yusuke Fujimoto (Japan / MONSTER FACTORY) VS Scott Junk (U.S.A. / B.J. Penn MMA)
HAWAII
GP Tournament Quarter Final / K-1 Rules / 3 Min. 3R
Eric 'Butterbean' Esch (U.S.A. / Team Butterbean) VS Marcus 'XL'
Royster (U.S.A. / Team Voo Doo)
HAWAII
GP Tournament Quarter Final / K-1 Rules / 3 Min. 3R
Carter Williams (U.S.A. / Team Voodoo U.S.A.) VS Nobu Hayashi
(Japan)
HAWAII
GP Tournament Quarter Final / K-1 Rules / 3 Min.
Gary 'Big Daddy' Goodridge (Trinidad and Tobago / Freelance)
VS Wesley
'Cabbage' Correira (U.S.A. / B.J. Penn MMA, HI)
Super
Fight / K-1 Rules / 3 Min. 3R
Musashi (Japan / Seido Kaikan) VS Rickard Nordstrand (Sweden
/ Vallentuna Boxing Camp)
Super
Fight / Mixed Martial Arts Rules / 5Min. 3R
B.J. Penn
(U.S.A. / B.J. Penn MMA) VS Renzo Gracie (Brazil / Renzo Gracie Jiu-Jitsu
Academy, NYC)
Super
Fight / K-1 Rules / 3Min. 3R
Akebono
(Japan / Team Yokozuna) VS Hong-Man Choi (Republic of Korea / Freelance)
|
TRIGG
BREAKS DOWN PENN VS. GRACIE
When it comes to the topic of BJ Penn, UFC welterweight contender,
and MMAWeekly Sound Off Radio co-host, Frank Trigg, has never
been at a loss for words especially when asked for his opinion.
Trigg was asked about the up coming match between BJ Penn and
Renzo Gracie July 29th in Hawaii.
Frank
Trigg was questioned what Renzo can do to win this fight. Trigg
commented, "Well BJ's hands are too good to make that huge
of an improvement for Renzo's style between now and then, so
what Renzo's going to have to do, what he hasn't done in his
last couple of fights, is come in, in amazing shape. That's probably
the one thing that he's going to do differently is come in, in
just incredible shape to be able to handle BJ's high energy when
he fights. And like I said, I don't think there's enough time
to improve his hands enough to beat BJ's hands, but he's going
to have to be sneaky about it. If I were Renzo, knowing Renzo's
style, and knowing BJ's style, if I were going to change something
to fight BJ, the only thing really that Renzo can do to improve
upon in this amount of time that he has is to just come in, in
the best shape he's ever been in."
Who's
better on the ground, BJ Penn or Renzo Gracie? In Trigg's opinion,
"I think BJ's a little bit better on the ground just because
he's a little bit more flexible. He can get in some strange positions
that most guys can't get their legs and their bodies into. I
think he's got just a little bit of a better spot on the ground,
but I think Renzo's a little bit better on top from the top position
than BJ is as far as the fight game goes, but I think BJ's better
on the bottom, and I think BJ's better on the bottom with Renzo
on top than the roles reversed...I just feel BJ has a slight,
slight edge in that. I really think the big edge in this fight
is going to be who's in better shape, and BJ's hands. I think
that's going to be a huge factor in this fight."
Trigg
picked BJ Penn to defeat Renzo Gracie. He feels that BJ has the
better hands of the two, and has the edge on the ground. The
only question in his mind was which fighter will show up in the
better shape. July 29th, all the questions will be answered.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Sato
Surprises Shooto Dojo with Visit
By Roxanne Modafferi
Revered Shooto veteran Rumina Sato made a rare guest appearance
at Cross Point Kichijouji in Tokyo, Japan on July 21st to fill
in for regular instructor Naoya Uematsu, also a Shooto vet, who
had already gone to Brazil to prepare to compete in the famed
Mundial Jiu-Jitsu World Championship. The 23-8-2 fighter, who
has graced the Shooto stage since 1994, gave students an impromptu
lesson in some of the intricacies of MMA.
Sato teaching at Cross Point Kichijouji
Cross Point Kichijouji is home to many professional and amateur
fighters of Shooto, kickboxing, MMA, as well as Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu,
whose enthusiastic students pack themselves into the underground
dojo in a collage of white, blue, black and red gis.
On
this night, however, a large percentage of the BJJ participants
took off their gi tops and stayed to learn from K'z Factory fighter
Sato, while some new faces joined in to participate in what might
as well have been a free seminar. The deadly yet congenial MMA
fighter taught for a solid hour and a half, covering arm-drag
techniques from standing, heel picks, takedowns off of slipping
punches, and a particularly unusual reverse triangle choke from
spider guard.
After
he finished showing technique, Sato opened the class to free
training and even rolled with some of the students. Sato will
be competing in an upcoming Shooto event against Cesar Gracie-trained
fighter and rising star Gilbert Melendez (7-0) on August 20th
at the Yokohama Cultural Gymnasium.
Source: FCF
|
Rickson
to Corner Renzo
Rickson Gracie will be cornering Renzo in his bout with Hawaii's
BJ Penn. Also in Renzo's corner will be Ryan and Ralph Gracie.
BJ was a former student of Ralph's and in a twist of fate will
now be fighting Ralph's older brother, Renzo.
The matchup between the 2 jiu-jitsu fighters is an interesting
one. Renzo was at one time one of the world's best MMA fighters.
He entered any tournament regardless of the weight of his opponents.
However after years at the top Renzo started losing more than
he won. Many commented that he just wasn't coming in to fights
in good shape. Raising his family, running his school and his
rigorous seminar schedule had taken a toll on his fighting.
During this time Penn was methodically making his way to the
top defeating Uno, Hughes, Ludwig and others. Now a reinvigorated
Renzo will be facing the self proclaimed best pound-per-pound
fighter in the world.
With all of the emotions coming in to this fight and the tempe
rment from both sides we can only hope that this event doesn't
turn out to be more than just a professional one.
Source: Gracie Fighter
|
COUTURE
AND LIDDELL NEWS
Randy Couture
The
following was sent in by the MMA insider known as 'POOPCHUTEBOXE':
"I
talked to a usually accurate source, and he says that Randy Couture
is not taking his upcoming fight against Mike Van Arsdale as
seriously as he should be taking it.
His
current girlfriend, who he hooked up with after splitting with
his wife, is supposedly a stripper. So yes, he really is 'Captain
America', a 40+ year old man trading in the 1960 junker for a
brand new shiny 1985 model.
On
a sidenote, I'm hearing that Chuck Liddell may possibly have
some sort of leg injury, that has been affecting his training.
I can personally vouch for the fact that back at the last UFC
in Atlantic City, we were walking down the boardwalk together,
and he was noticably favoring one leg, and when I asked him about
it, he didn't admit what it was, but he seemed concerned with
it.
I'm
just speculating, but after he lost to Quinton Jackson, his camp
seemed to floated a rumor that he had a torn leg muscle, so it
could possibly be related to that.
Another
side note, I noticed that Chuck sure does like his alcohol."
Source: Fight Sport
|
CBJJ
announces BJJ Worlds schedule
Young fighters will start tomorrow (28) the X edition of Jiu-Jitsu
BJJ Worlds. On the chronogram set up by BJJ Confederation, all
bouts will start at 11am with weights: galo, pluma, pena and
leve. The first day will also feature other young categories
and also female blue belt, purple and blue belt adult. On Friday,
blue belt return to the mats at 11am (pesadíssimo and
super pesado) plus open class, which ends the day. At 12:20 purple
belt take over the mats. On Saturday, the highlights are black
belts, who fight the open class at 15:30. The day begins with
brown and purple belts.
BJJ
Worlds closes the day with the main names of Jiu-Jitsu. Around
9am, fighters as Gabriel Moraes, Ricardo Vieira and Mário
Reis will be fighting at galo, pluma and pena divisions. At 11am,
André Galvão, Daniel Moraes and others will be
fighting for titles. Ronaldo Jacaré and Demian Maia are
confirmed at meio-pesado, which starts at 2:40pm. At 4pm, fighters
as Roger Gracie, Fernando Margarida, Leonardo Leite and others
will be fighting at pesado, super-pesado and pesadíssimo.
Sunday
will also feature girls on the mat at 5:40pm. After Leka Vieira,
Kyra Gracie and Letícia Ribeiro's bouts, audience will
be able to see at Tijuca Tênis Clube (Rio de Janeiro) BJJ
brown belt open class ar 6pm. The finals are scheduled to happen
at 5.pm.
Source: Tatame
|
Quote
of the Day
"Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap, but by the
seeds you plant."
Robert Louis Stevenson, 1850-1895, Scottish Essayist, Poet, Novelist
|
BJ
READY FOR TOMORROW'S WEIGH-IN
From
what I was told, the weigh-ins will be at the Hilton Hawaiian
Village Tropics (near Alii Tower) at 10:00 am. Don't quote me
on the time.
MMAWeekly.com is out in Hawaii covering the big fight this Friday
night between BJ
Penn and Renzo Gracie.
The press conference is going on in a few minutes from Hawaii
and BJ Penn and Renzo Gracie talked briefly with MMAWeekly before
the press conference.
BJ
Penn is walking around at 191 pounds today and says "superior
conditioning will win this fight and I have it for this fight."
BJ looked to be in good shape as he gets set for tomorrow's weigh-in.
MMAWeekly's Ryan Bennett, who is doing the play by play for K-1
on Friday night said "BJ looks pretty solid to me. BJ isn't
going to win any body building contests because of his body structure
put when I hit him on the shoulders today he was a rock. He looks
ready to go and we will all find out Friday night."
Renzo
Gracie was with Ricardo Almeida and Matt Serra today and he is
currently walking around at his weigh-in weight of 185. He told
MMAWeekly "People will be surprised by the condition I am
in. I will surprise a lot of people this weekend." Ricardo
Almedia told MMAWeekly "I've never seen Renzo in this kind
of shape in years. He knows what lies ahead and he will be the
best Renzo Gracie in many years."
Early
tomorrow morning we will have video interviews up with Renzo
Gracie, BJ Penn, Ricardo Almeida who breaks down the fight, Carter
Williams, Cabbage, the Press Conference and more. NOW IS THE
TIME to get hooked up with MMAWeekly's Premium package because
we are the only american site that has the Gracie vs Penn showdown
covered with pictures, video and interviews, not to mention MMAWeekly
Radio goes live for two hours on Thursday in primetime at 5pm
Pacific/8pm Eastern. It's just five bucks a month and gets you
the most video and radio archived insider information that you
can't get anywhere else.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
RIGGS
OUT, LINDLAND TO FACE DOERKSEN
MMA Weekly has learned that Joe Riggs is indeed out of his fight
with Matt Lindland scheduled for UFC 54 on August 20th. According
to our sources, Riggs has two bulging disks in his neck, which
obviously precludes him from fighting.
According
to Lindland, with Riggs out, the fight has been offered to and
accepted by Canadian fighter Joe Doerksen. A two-time UFC veteran,
Doerksen will step in to take Riggs’ slot against Lindland.
Doerksen is coming off his first win for the company. At UFC
52, he defeated fellow Canadian Patrick Cote via rear naked choke.
The
change in opponents doesn’t make much difference to Lindland
though, “I’m a little disappointed that I don’t
get to beat up Riggs, but I’m looking forward to beating
up Doerksen. I’m just glad I’m still fighting. I’m
glad they got an opponent and didn’t cancel the fight.”
He’s
not even changing up his training for Doerksen. “I don’t
change my style. I’m just going to go out there and do what
I do. I’m going to finish the fight and take care of business,”
according to Lindland.
After
a convincing win over Travis Lutter at UFC 52, Lindland had been
guaranteed a shot at Rich Franklin’s middleweight title
by UFC President Dana White, but it doesn’t sound like he
is letting that affect his thinking at the moment. ““I
would love to see that, but I’m not the one that does the
match making for the company. I’m going to do my part and
go out and put on a great show and give the fans an exciting
finish, it’s up to the UFC what happens after that,”
he said.
Doerksen
and Lindland are no strangers to each other. Late last year,
Doerksen fought for Lindland’s Sportfight promotion and
defeated Lindland protégé Ed “Short Fuse”
Herman via triangle choke in the third round of the fight. In
fact, he’s done quite well in general against Team Quest
fighters with a perfect 3-0 record. “He’s the Team
Quest killer at this point. He took out Chris Leben, Ed Herman,
and recently Art Santore. He’s 3-0 against Team Quest but
he’ll be 3-1 after the UFC,” promised Lindland.
Consistently
ranked as one of the top five fighters in the world in his weight
class, Lindland is sure to be looked upon by most as the veteran
of this matchup. Doerksen may not have the UFC experience that
Lindland does, but in all actuality, he has vastly more mixed
martial arts experience with 37 fights compared to Lindland’s
17. Of course, Lindland makes up for much of that difference
with his background in competitive wrestling, including a Silver
Medal at the Olympics in Sydney, Australia.
Many
people were looking forward to the fight between Lindland and
Riggs primarily due to the trash talking between the two on the
Internet. That same fire doesn’t exist between Lindland
and Doerksen, but what they don’t bring to the fight verbally,
they should more than make up for in the Octagon, as both are
highly skilled and extremely competitive. And Doerksen’s
new moniker as “the Team Quest killer” does add a little
spice to the matchup as well.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
|
Royler
faces Yamamoto at Hero`s GP
Hero's
GP Middleweight has just announced the card of its second round,
on September 7th, in Tókio, Japan. The only Brazilian
still disputing the competition, Royler Gracie will fac | |
