Upcoming
Events
Do you want to list an
event on Onzuka.com?
Contact Us
(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)
9/05
Proving
Grounds -
ROTR
Qualifer
(MMA)
(Kauai)
8/27-28/05
International
Masters & Seniors BJJ Tournament
(Tijuca Tenis Clube, Tijuca, Brazil)
8/05 (tentative)
ROTR 8
(MMA)
(Las Vegas, NV)
7/23-31/05
World BJJ
Championships (Mundial)
(Tijuca Tenis Clube, Tijuca, Brazil)
7/23/05 or 7/30/05
Hawaii Grappling
Grand Prix
(BJJ & Sub Grappling)
(TBA)
7/21-23/05
World Cup of BJJ
(BJJ)
(São Paulo, Brazil)
7/9/05
Proving
Grounds -
ROTR
Qualifer
(MMA)
(Hilo Civic Center)
7/2/05
The Art Of War:
The East vs. The Rest
(MMA & Kickboxing)
(Blaisdell Arena, Honolulu)
6/18/05
The Pride of Martial Arts Tournament
(Sport-Jujitsu, Sport-Pankration, Extreme (continuous) Sparring,
Submission Grappling)
(TBA)
Longman BJJ Tournament
(BJJ)
(Kauai)
|
|
June 2005 News Part
1
Wednesday night and Sunday
classes (w/ a kids' class) now offered!
 
For the special Onzuka.com
price, click on one of these banners above! |
Tuesdays at 8:30PM on
Olelo Channel 52 |
Quote
of the Day
"Watch your "Thoughts," they become words. Watch
your "Words," they become actions. Watch your "Actions,"
they become habits. Watch your "Habits," they become
character. Watch your "Character," for it becomes your
"Destiny.""
Frank Outlaw
|
Penn's
Prelim Hearing Today;
Lawyer Contends Fighter was Pursued by Officer to His Car
By Loretta Hunt
Former UFC Welterweight Champion and current K-1 MMA competitor
BJ Penn is scheduled for a preliminary hearing this afternoon
in the Waikiki District Court of 7C in Hawaii. The local fighting
celebrity has been charged with assaulting District Six Waikiki
police officer Richardson Pouoa in the first degree, as part
of a multi-person altercation which started outside the Club
Zanzabar on May 8th, the site of Rumble On the Rock 7's afterparty
proceedings.
In
court documents obtained by FCF, Officer Pouoa, working a Special
Duty assignment that evening at the nightclub, contends Penn
punched him on the "left cheek area of his face" and
attempted to flee. At the time, Pouoa says he was attempting
to break up a large fight outside the club. Pouoa has stated
that Penn and others involved in the fracas did not comply with
the Officer's repeated instructions to leave the area and that
he deployed police-issued O.C. spray in Penn's direction from
a distance of 4 to 6 feet prior to the alleged assault.
"The
information that we have is that BJ was trying to leave,"
Penn's lawyer Michael Green says, "and actually left the
car at one point to try and help his brother who was getting
the crap beat out of him, and then they went back to the car."
According
to an anonymous witness close to Penn that spoke with FCF, the
officer pursued Penn to his car and held the vehicle door open,
impeding the fighter's exit from the scene. Attorney Green concurs
that his witnesses have described the same scenario.
"The
cop said something to BJ in the backseat and the cop was standing
on the street and BJ had something to say to him and the cop
reached into the car and blasted him in the face from probably
half a foot full-on with mace," Green explains.
"The
one witness who I spoke with who was a security guard, who really
didn't know BJ that night, said BJ jumped out of the car like
his head was on fire," Green continues. "It looked
to her like all he was trying to do was that his arms were waving
and he was trying to clear his eyes and get the fumes away from
him, and this cop grabbed him. I don't think he had a clue who
it was who grabbed him and he had just been punched and kicked
earlier. So, there was no intention to hurt anybody and he certainly
didn't know it was a police officer."
Penn's
preliminary hearing today to determine probable cause in the
case should also introduce a circuit court arraignment date.
Although Penn's legal representation already entered a "non
guilty" plea for his client at his initial court appearance
on May 12th, the Honolulu Prosecutor's office said a formal plea
will be entered at the arraignment.
Source: FCF |
EILERS
OUT FOR 6-8 MONTHS, MAYBE MORE..
It will probably go down as the single most injuries sustained
in one fight in the history of the UFC by one fighter. The news
yesterday did not get any better for Justin Eilers.
MMAWeekly
has leaned that the news was NOT good as Eilers received his
test results back yesterday. Eilers learned that he tore both
minuscus in his knee and he has no ACL whatsoever. This is on
top of two broken hands, a broken nose, and a badly sprained
ankle.
MMAWeekly
is hearing that he will be out for a minimum of 6 to 8 months
and he could be out a year. Right now the options for Eilers
is to use a hamstring from a cadaver to replace it.
Eilers
also said that he does want to come back from all the injuries
and once he does, that he will cut weight and fight in the Light
Heavyweight division at 205.
Source: MMA Weekly |
Diaz
Post Fight Interview
GF- Did the fight against Oishi go pretty much as planned and
are you happy with the result?
ND-
I'm happy with the way it turned out. I expected him to come
out and look for the takedown. It actually suprised me that he
wanted to stand and strike throughout the fight. The tapes that
I had seen made me think he would probably shoot in on me. I
know he had beaten Lytle and I had expected a different game
from him.
GF-
There has been some talk that you are challenging Diego Sanchez.
Can you comment on that?
ND-
I'm not challenging him. I don't think I have anything to prove.
I know he got on here by winning on The Ultimate Fighter. I also
think there are tougher guys in the UFC right now that got here
the hard way and not on some t.v. show. I was asked if I would
like to fight him and I said, "sure I would". I would
like to fight anyone they put in front of me. The only person
I want to challenge is Matt Hughes. That is because he is the
champion and I am the challenger.
GF-
What's next for you at this point?
ND-
I am boxing next month and there's a possibilty I will be cornering
my brother in a show in Japan. Other than that I'm still training
every day and staying in shape.
GF
Thanks Nick and good luck.
Source: Gracie Fighter
|
JAKE
R REPORT:
LINDLAND - RIGGS UFC 54 RUMOR
In another exclusive report for Fightsport.com, this cyber reporting
stud can reveal that Zuffa is planning on setting up Matt Lindland
and Joe Riggs in August. Also, sources in Iowa are telling me
there is a strong possibility Zuffa will market this as yet another
in the long line of recent UFC grudge matchs.
As
usual, stick to the Jake R Report for news that is days, weeks,
and even months ahead of the other mma media sites.
*Exclusive
Jake R Report, must credit the Jake R Report when discussing
this article.
Source: Fight Sport
|
SILVA
VS SYLVIA?
MMAWeekly.com has learned that the UFC has contacted Assuerio
Silva to fight Tim Sylvia at UFC 54.
It
looks as though the two sides have agreed in principle to face
one another in Las Vegas on August 20th.
Sylvia
says he will begin his training camp soon and he will be on the
radio show Friday to soundoff about a few issues.
For
Silva, it will mark the first time he has fought in the Octagon.
He has an overall record of 10-3. Size could be the issue in
this fight as Silva stands just 6'0 and weighs around 235.
For
Sylvia, he stands 6'8 and weighs 260, so Tim Sylvia will definitely
have the size advantage at UFC 54.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Ronaldo
Jacaré
By Marcelo Alonso
Reviewing
ADCC 2005
Ronaldo
Jacaré was one of the great athletes of ADCC 2005. After
doing eight fights and taking the - 88kg title home, Jacaré
fought tough guys as Marcelinho Garcia, Alexandre Cacareco at
the open class and did review the final of BJJ Worlds 2004, against
Roger Gracie. However, his fight started even in Brazil, before
departing, due to some visa troubles. During this interview,
made on the day after the competition, Jacaré talks about
his problems to get a visa, his fights with Marcelinho, Cacareco
and Roger and other things he's seen at ADCC 2005.
How
did you submit with leg-lock a specialist as Alexandre Cacareco?
I
fixed the hook from behind and fell down to his side. His leg
got stuck in my hook. I caught him and pulled with the hook and
then submitted him by leg-lock.
During
your fight with Marcelinho. did you have a special strategy?
I
wanted to fight on the top or bellow. I pulled him to my closed
guard and fixed a triangle choke, once he is smaller and his
arms would be spread. I attacked alternating the triangle choke
and kimura. He ended submitted by a kimura from the guard.
And
tell me about your strategy against Roger Gracie.
I
was doing a great fight with Roger, but unfortunately I allowed
him to get positioned. By the time he caught my back. He was
superior on the fight.
Even
winning the bout, you didn't play the tight game and kept fighting.
Yes.
But in certain time he caught my back. He didn't even put the
hooks. He passed through and fixed a triangle choke in my waist.
I stood up. That is his position. With his long legs. (laughing)
There
was a time referee said something for you and you gesticulated.
What happened in that moment?
He
said something with me and I was thinking he wanted us to go
to the middle of the mat. I pointed with my finger I would go
to the middle. I relaxed and Roger fixed the rear naked choke
in my neck and submitted me. I thought referee had stopped the
fight, because he touched me and I don't really understand English.
But maybe Roger would catch me anyway, because it's his favorite
position. and so far he had submitted everyone from there.
Dou
you want to face Roger at the BJJ Worlds?
Absolutely.
I want and I like to fight him. I appreciate fighting with a
tough guy. My happiness is fighting! My goal is facing the best
fighters. Xande Ribeiro means good fight. I like to fight him.
If I have to fight him, I'll always do because it will kick ass.
I enjoy difficult fights and Roger for me is the most difficult
fighter for me.
But
do you have a strategy to defeat him now?
There
is always a move you use in the certain time.
And
about the visa? Without it you would be out of ADCC...
I
start this story from Manaus. In two occasions, I've renewed
my visa by the internet. I visited Embassy's web site, pay the
first tax and then return to the web site and schedule an interview.
The problem is they didn't have time for me until end of June.
Then I called the Embassy everyday and I was not working. A week
before, some people started to help me. Vitor from Koral was
the guy who motivated me the most. In the last time I told Vítor:
"I think I'll not fight ADCC". And Vítor, who
is my sponsor, told me: "You will! You cannot give up. You
shall never give up! I trained in plenty agony for 15 days.
But
then you got it.
We've
sent a letter to the Consulate and a Xerox copy of the flight
ticket. Kid Peligro helped me a lot. Vítor sent a fax
as a manager and also the invitation letter of ADCC. The interview
was on May 27, it means a day before the event. ADCC guys allowed
me to weight at the time. I went to the consulate 5:30 am and
called the dispatcher to help me out. At 11am my name was in
the list and I haven't felt any kind of prejudice because I'm
black. Every time I went to the Consulate I was never mistreated.
I was treat as a professional athlete. When I left the building
I screamed and shouted: "I will fight Abu-Dhabi!"
And
tell me about the plane trip.
When
a competition is near to happen, I only care about sleeping.
On the plane I ate a lot. Even the stewardess though I was funny.
Because I slept and ate the whole time. I ended weighting 88kg.
I've never weight like this in my whole life.
Source: Tatame
|
Quote
of the Day
"Life is 10% what you make it and 90% how you take it."
Irving Berlin, 1888-1989, Russian Composer
|
The
Art of War:
The East vs. The Rest Changes Date & Venue!
The
inaugural event has gone through the ringer even before they
put on their first event. The event date will now be July 2nd
and the venue is now the Blaisdell Arena, so there will be room
for everyone.
The
tentative fight card will be delivered fairly soon. |
Inside
Fighting Notes
WOW! What a weekend of boxing and mixed martial arts! Ricky Hatton's
performance against Kostya Tszyu was nothing short of amazing.
The energetic young fighter proved that he is one of the best
- if not the best - 140-lb.'er in the world by beating the champion
into submission with unrelenting pressure and nonstop punching.
After a brutal 11 rounds, Tszyu decided to retire on his corner
rather than come out for the final round. Read about the fight
now on InsideFighting, and see where Hatton now ranks in the
hallowed 140-lb. division.
Not to be outdone by a boxer, Cincinnati's Rich Franklin made
good on his promise to win the UFC Middleweight Championship
in an epic war with Evan Tanner. Franklin used an outstanding
jab and accurate strikes from the outside to cause serious swelling
and bleeding on the champion's face causing the ringside doctor
to stop the action at 3:25 of round four. Check out InsideFighting
for all the results from UFC 53, as well as a tremendous photo
gallery by Ed Mulholland.
The now-former champion must be applauded, though, for his gutsy
performance. Tanner showed amazing heart and courage in the fight.
He refused to quit and kept pressing for victory until the final
bell. Thank you for a great fight.
In a fight that actually occurred two weeks ago, the "New
York Bad Ass" Phil Baroni breathed new life into a stalled
career by brutally knocking out Ikuhisa Minowa in the second
round of his Pride debut, as shown on a two-week PPV delay broadcast
last night. The fighters engaged in an entertaining battle that
both men display tremendous chins, excellent standup and solid
ground work in the fight. Check back for an exclusive interview
with Baroni tomorrow.
Source: Inside Fighting
|
...AND
NEW UFC MIDDLEWEIGHT CHAMPION
RICH FRANKLIN!
In
a fight that had just about everything that fans could hope for,
Rich Franklin was able to live his dream and reach the pinnacle
of mixed martial arts and win a major title for the first time
in his career. A native of Cincinnati, Ohio, Rich Franklin has
come out and proved himself a fierce competitor time and time
again.
In
his very first match-up out of the gates under the bright lights
of the UFC, Rich was able to show his dominant style by getting
a huge win over Evan Tanner. In that one fight, he was able to
solidify himself as a top name in his weight class and start
his rise up the ranks in the octagon.
Rich
Franklin was fairly unknown up to that point, but did hold wins
over great competitors like Marvin Eastman and Travis Fulton.
With a victory over Tanner, he was invited back into the octagon
at UFC 44 against Edwin Dewees. Despite having a groin injury
going into the battle, Rich was able to again overwhelm his opponent
with his striking style and walked out a winner again.
It
was on New Year’s eve in 2003 that Franklin’s career
took a turn for the worse. He took a fight in Japan on the Inoki
Bom-Ba-Ye card against Ryoto “Lyoto” Machida. Though
Franklin seemed ready for the fight, he was stopped for the first
time in his career by Machida and his future in the UFC seemed
uncertain. Although, Franklin had two wins in the octagon, losing
in Japan by KO made some question whether he was really ready
for another fight in the UFC.
Despite
great success fighting at 205lbs, Rich was able to see that if
was to have a prosperous future in MMA he would need to drop
down to the 185lb weight class. Rich walked around for most of
his fights in the light heavyweight division at or around 210lbs
which was much less than many of the top fighters in that weight
class. Rich was then able to make a comeback to the UFC and start
his climb into the middleweight division.
His
first match-up was against tough as nails fighter, Jorge Rivera
at UFC 50 in Atlantic City. Franklin looked somewhat thin for
the fight and many critics speculated that the drop in weight
affected his performance. He had a very tough fight with Rivera,
but was able to show off his submission skills as he tapped out
Jorge with an armbar in the third round.
Now
back into the UFC, Rich was waiting to get another fight in the
185lb division when an offer came across his table that was just
too good to pass up on. The legendary Ken Shamrock was set up
to fight for the main event of the “Ultimate Fighter”
finale on Spike TV and Franklin was picked to take him on. Again,
Franklin had to regain the weight and take the fight at 205lbs.
It was obvious very early in the fight that Franklin was more
than ready for the war in the octagon. He landed strikes at will
and just a few minutes into the first round, Franklin ended Shamrock’s
night with a barrage of punches on the ground. With that fight,
not only did Franklin concrete himself as a top competitor, but
he gained instant stardom.
It
was announced that Franklin would drop back down to 185lbs to
where he felt he belonged and get a shot at a title in a rematch
with his opponent from his first UFC opponent, Evan Tanner. At
UFC 53, Franklin returned to Atlantic City to live his dream
and get the title he so badly wanted. Tanner to his credit was
a phenomenal champion in his own right and was more than ready
for another shot at Franklin.
In
the first round, the two fighters traded punches and kicks, but
with just about a minute to go, Tanner connected flush on Franklin’s
jaw with a heavy right hand and dropped the former school teacher.
Tanner jumped on the chance to end the fight, but Franklin was
able to defend effectively and get out of the round. The rest
of the time in the fight was dominated by Rich Franklin. He caught
Tanner with strikes throughout the next two rounds and was excellent
with his muay thai clinch and knees. By the 4th round, Tanner’s
face was cut multiple times and he seemed outmatched by Franklin’s
stand-up. A doctor determined that Tanner’s injuries were
too much to continue and the fight was stopped, and with that
Rich Franklin was crowned the new middleweight champion.
Now,
Rich Franklin has the title that he has sought for so long and
he’s also earned himself a spot as one of the coaches on
the newest season of “The Ultimate Fighter.” Rich was
already a star after his defeat of Ken Shamrock, but now with
the second win over Evan Tanner and a primetime slot as a coach
on the top rated cable show, Franklin could be one of the biggest
names in the game.
Rich
Franklin earned his title and throughout his career he has proven
that he belongs among the top fighters in the world. Now, the
Cincinnati native can not only be called a top fighter, but Rich
Franklin can be called champion.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
MARQUARDT
SIGNS WITH UFC
Pancrase
champ Nate "The Great" Marquardt signed a multi-fight
agreement with the Ultimate Fighting Championship. As might be
expected, the 7-times King of Pancrase is very happy to be fighting
on his home turf for the first time in many years.
Marquardt
has long hoped to show American fans what has made him a superstar
in Japan. At just 26 years old, Marquardt has been training and
fighting in Japan since 1999. During that period, Marquardt has
been consistently ranked among
the top-ten middleweight fighters in the world.
Following
in the footsteps of former Pancrase greats Bas Rutten and Ken
Shamrock, he eventually went on to surpass their formidable accomplishments
by doing the impossible, winning the King of Pancrase title seven
times.
Even
more impressive, all of Marquardt's Pancrase fights were under
the closed fist, UFC-like rules, adopted by Pancrase in 1999.
Marquardt's UFC debut takes place on "Ultimate Fight Night",
a Spike TV network special program, shown live on August 6, 2005,
from Las Vegas, Nevada. The fight will be a main event, middleweight
bout against AMC Pankration fighter Ivan Salaverry (11-3).
Source: MMA Weekly
|
"The
Ultimate Fighter”: Success Again at UFC 53
The
power and influence of television was never clearer than on Saturday
night at UFC 53 at the Boardwalk Hall. With the debut of the
light heavyweight winner of the “Ultimate Fighter”
competition in Forrest Griffin, and Nathan Quarry, who became
a fan favorite after his devastating ankle injury kept him from
competing for the show, both were met with huge ovations in their
official octagon debuts.
Many
questioned the signing of Nathan Quarry because of the fact that
he never fought once during the show and his record is still
somewhat lacking of a usual UFC fighter. Quarry walked to the
octagon in front of a packed house, and the fans were very much
on his side. The crowd rose to their feet and cheered almost
as loud as they did for any fighter on the card, when the Team
Quest prodigy made his way octagon.
Another
factor that set Quarry apart as the obvious fan favorite was
the fact that usual crowd pleaser, “Mr. International”
Shonie Carter was booed during his flashy entrance. Shonie came
out sporting another great outfit, carrying both his cane and
cup, playing to the crowd. As the sounds of “Superfly”
filled the arena, the crowd let Carter have it as they were supporting
a face that was mostly known to them from the popular Spike TV
series. Quarry didn’t disappoint in his fight either.
After
a series of exchanges, one of which stunned Quarry, he gained
the upperhand and unloaded on Carter. Shonie was pushed back
a couple of times during the fight, and Quarry looked much bigger
than Carter when the two locked up against the cage. After just
a few minutes, Quarry ended Shonie’s night with a combination
that left him stunned and stumbling in the octagon. The referee
stopped the fight giving the TKO win to the newest star to the
UFC, Nathan “Rock” Quarry.
Forrest
Griffin arguably one of the most popular fighters featured on
the show both in and out of the octagon. His persona was built
for TV as he showed a ton of humor and an amazing heart as he
battled back from a cut above his eyebrow to be able to fight
in the semi-finals of the light heavyweight division. Forrest
was also one of the top picks to win the division from the very
beginning of the show, and he was featured in one of the top
fights in UFC history when he fought co-competitor, Stephan Bonnar
in the finale.
The
battle that Bonnar and Griffin waged was one for the ages. A
slugfest from start to finish also got the attention of more
than 10 million fans watching on live TV. Griffin got the decision
that night and made his official debut for the UFC on Saturday
taking on TKO heavy hitter, Bill “The Butcher” Mahood.
Griffin
was seen working hard before the fight along side training partner,
Rory Singer, in preparation for his pay per view entrance. Much
like Quarry’s walk to the cage, Forrest Griffin was met
with a huge ovation from the New Jersey crowd. His face was well
known to the fans due the exposure on the “Ultimate Fighter”
and fans cheered him loudly as he made his way down for his fight.
Griffin made short work of the Canadian stand-out as he tapped
him out due to a rear naked choke in the first round. With a
win in his first fight as an official UFC fighter, Forrest Griffin
also through his name into the mix of the light heavyweight division.
Both
Quarry and Griffin lived up to the hype that the show built so
well. The crowd was louder during their performances than for
any other fight on the card. Quarry was emotional in the post
fight press conference as he was very thankful for the shot to
prove himself inside the UFC octagon. Griffin was poised and
ready for his UFC debut and made quite an impression to the crowd
with a great win. At UFC 54, the middleweight winner of the “Ultimate
Fighter”, Diego “Nightmare” Sanchez will make
his official debut as he will drop to his natural weight and
fight at 170lbs, and he is sure to make an impression on the
crowd as well.
President
Dana White has said for years that the UFC would see huge success
with a television show, and he was right on multiple levels.
The UFC now has a regular slot on cable television with live
fights throughout the year. And with the competitors from the
first season of the “Ultimate Fighter” now officially
fighting inside the octagon, the crowds are cheering them on
in record numbers. A second season is set to debut on August
22nd with coaches Rich Franklin and Matt Hughes. The heavyweights
and welterweights are on display this time and a new set of stars
are sure to be made.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Quote
of the Day
"One can never consent to creep when one feels an impulse
to soar."
Helen Keller, 1880-1968, American Blind/Deaf Author, Lecturer,
Amorist
|
ARLOVSKI
OUTCLASSES EILERS
Great
champions, beat who they are supposed to beat. It would've been
very easy for Andrei Arlovski to overlook Justin Eilers. The
Pit Bull was coming off demonstrative wins over Vladimir Matyushenko,
Cabbage Correira , and Tim Sylvia.
For
just over four minutes, the interim champion was peppering Eilers
with jabs, overhand rights and lefts, as well as inside leg kicks.
While Arlovski didn't get the knockout win like most people thought
because of a freak accident to Eilers knee.....it was clear
who the best fighter was in the Octagon this weekend.
His
name IS Andrei Arlovski. The man from Belarus, made Eilers look
slow in the stand up exchanges as there was no doubt who would
win the fight. During the pay per view broadcast, Mike Goldberg
made reference that with this latest win by Arlovski, it
would set a showdown between him and Frank Mir for October. Now
there is still now word whether or not Mir will be ready to go
for an undisputed fight, however you would think if they would
take the liberty to promote the match for October, that all parties
involved believe it could happen.
Where
does Arlovski rank in the world among UFC and Pride Heavyweights?
Probably close to the top. While it may be a for gone conclusion
that Pride has the best heavyweights in the world according to
most MMA insiders, Arlovski continues to improve and has stamped
his name as one of the best in not only the UFC, but the world
in MMA.
Source: MMA Weekly |
UFC
53 Heavy Hitters: Prelim Fighters Deliver the Goods for Live
Crowd
There
were four UFC veterans returning for the preliminary portion
of UFC 53 Heavy Hitters. These are the guys that are enlisted
to come out and warm up the live crowd, hoping that there will
be enough time on the pay-per-view broadcast to get their fight
shown at some point to the thousands watching on television.
In Atlantic City, these guys all did their jobs and more. Not
one fight went to a decision… in fact, all three fights
were finished by TKO!
Nick
Diaz is a quiet guy that comes to the ring to fight… nothing
more, nothing less. On Saturday night, Diaz did just that. As
part of a deal to allow David Terrell to fight at UFC 51, the
Japanese Pancrase organization sent Koji Oishi over to face Diaz.
Surprisingly, Oishi, normally known for his solid takedowns and
ground and pound strategy, chose to stay on his feet and trade
blows with Diaz. Though he landed a few blows that appeared to
be a faulty strategy for Oishi.
Flat-footed
for most of the fight, Oishi took numerous powerful left hands
to the face that put him on his back little more than a minute
into the fight. Diaz quickly dropped on top of him and sealed
the deal with a couple of final blows before referee Mario Yamasaki
stepped in to stop the bout.
Diaz
has only lost one of his five bouts in the UFC and that was a
split decision lost to fellow welterweight contender Karo Parisyan.
He is one of the most complete and aggressive young fighters
in the world today. It shouldn’t be long before we see him
fighting for the title. With champion Matt Hughes one of the
coaches on the next season of The Ultimate Fighter, maybe we’ll
get to see Diaz rematch with Parisyan in the mean time.
Canadian
striker David “The Crow” Loiseau is another UFC veteran
that was enlisted to excite the live crowd. He stepped in against
UFC rookie Charles McCarthy, a submission specialist. This was
a classic striker vs. grappler matchup that went far beyond expectations.
McCarthy was very aggressive in round one, taking Loiseau’s
back and nearly landing a rear naked choke. The choke was defended
well as Loiseau turned the tables and landed some strikes to
finish out the round.
In
round two though, it was The Crow. After some solid ground and
pound by Loiseau, the two were stood up. McCarthy was peppered
with a couple of solid jabs then stunned more by a flying knee.
Loiseau immediately saw the opening and landed a crushing spinning
back kick and followed with another flying knee, but it was the
spinning back kick that put McCarthy on the mat and ended the
fight, a spectacular finish by Loiseau.
The
win over McCarthy marks Loiseau’s fourth win in succession
and should put him back on the main pay-per-view card in the
future. His manager, Stephane Patry, is currently negotiating
with the UFC and hopes to have Loiseau fighting again on the
August 20th UFC 54 card. Whether he is or not, it’s a good
bet that we’ll be seeing more of him soon. How about a matchup
between Loiseau and David Terrell to start setting the stage
for the contenders to Rich Franklin’s new middleweight championship?
Although
UFC 53 was Nate Quarry’s first appearance on a UFC pay-per-view
card, he was very impressive in his victory over Loudon Sincaid
at The Ultimate Fighter Finale. He had a difficult task in front
of him facing longtime veteran Shonie Carter who is nearing 100
mixed martial arts bouts to his credit. Carter’s last appearance
in the Octagon occurred before Quarry even started fighting.
This was one of those bouts to be used to gauge where both fighters
are at in their careers. Is the new dog for real? And what does
the old dog have left in his bag of tricks?
Carter
is a crafty veteran with a very unorthodox style that threw various
spinning kicks and backfists at Quarry looking to throw him off
of his game. But Quarry is a very orthodox fighter that isn’t
easily shaken. He was very collected as he looked for the openings
in Carter’s unorthodox techniques and exploited them fully.
Quarry
rocked Carter over and over with his straightforward boxing style,
dropping him early in the round. He punished Carter with a barrage
of elbows and forearms, but couldn’t put the veteran away
on the mat. Carter worked the fight back up to the feet, but
Quarry quickly clinched, landed some solid knees, and then threw
a solid combination of punches that left Carter stumbling to
the mat for the final time halfway through the first round.
It
took nine years of training and fighting for Quarry to arrive
at this point. He’s an emotional guy that wears his heart
on his sleeve and seems to appreciate how fortunate he is to
have earned this moment in his life. At the post fight press
conference, a teary-eyed Quarry commented on his memories of
sitting back and watching Carter in the UFC so long ago and now
he has defeated him. A mature and fundamental fighter from the
Team Quest camp, Quarry appears to be gearing up for a long run
in the UFC. With such a strong performance against a veteran
like Carter; look for Quarry to be stepping into the Octagon
with a middleweight title contender in his next fight.
In
the end, all three preliminary bouts were shown on the pay-per-view
broadcast after the main event was finished treating the viewing
audience to some tremendous performances.
Source: MMA Weekly |
TANNER
SHOWS HEART, JUST DIDN'T HAVE IT AGAINST FRANKLIN
Evan
Tanner wanted respect and finally got it in his last fight against
David Terrell. In the first round of the UFC Championship fight
against Rich Franklin, it looked like Tanner was ready to shock
not only the MMA world, but Franklin by standing up and exchanging
strikes. Tanner landed a huge right hand that dropped challenger,
toward the end of the first round. It looked as though the champ,
would shock everyone by knocking out Franklin, the better striker
going into the fight.
But
give Franklin credit. He took the champs best right hand, recovered
and then dominated the next three rounds. Tanner did not have
an answer for Franklin on Saturday night. Tanner became the ex-champ
as he was dominated in the final three rounds. Tanner showed
a lot of heart as he never gave up in the fight. However this
night was Rich Franklin's, not Tanner's. Franklin beat Tanner
to every punch after the first round. Tanner couldn't take Franklin
down and he couldn't get off in the clinch, which is his bread
and butter.
So
what now for the ex-champ? That's a good question. David Terrell
would probably like a rematch. Matt Lindland would probably love
a fight as well. Only time will tell. This is what we do know.
Tanner will look to earn that respect once again as he drops
to 31-6 in his MMA career.
Source: MMA Weekly |
Quote
of the Day
"It is never too late to be what you might been."
George Eliot, 1819-1880, British Novelist
|
Fernando
“Margarita” Pontes Seminar
Wednesday,
June 8, 2005
Relson
Gracie Main Academy
844
Queen Street, 2nd Floor
7:30-9:30PM
$50
per person
Saturday,
June 11, 2005
Hawaii
Martial Arts Center (HMC)
King's
Gate Plaza
555 North King Street
(808) 841-5144
Time: to be determined
Cost: to be determined |
2005
HAWAIIAN OPEN OF BRAZILIAN JIU JITSU RESULTS
Kids
Gi Division
5
- 6 years old:
1) Isaiah Calpito
Gracie Kailua
2) Noah Robinson
Relson Gracie Kaneohe
7
- 8 years old:
1) Paliku Victorino
Relson Gracie Kaneohe
2) Juan Milian-Gutierrez Jr.
Relson Gracie Kaneohe
9
years old:
1) Makana Valdez
Relson Gracie
2) Makoa Gaughen
Relson Gracie Kaneohe
10
years old:
1) Noah Hashimoto
Relson Gracie Kaneohe
2) Angel Fergerstrom
Brazilian Freestyle Jiu Jitsu
11
- 12 years old:
1) Keanu Ching
Relson Gracie Kaneohe
2) Bryan Peralta
Relson Gracie Kaneohe
10
- 13 years old Heavyweight:
1) Sage Yoshida
HMC / Brazilian Freestyle
2) Keola Mayural
Relson Gracie Kaneohe
13
- 15 years old:
1) Kamanao Chun
Relson Gracie Kahaluu
2) Kena Gugudan
Relson Gracie
15
years old Heavyweight:
1) Keola Knight
Gracie Kailua
2) Jacob Matta
Relson Gracie Kaneohe
Mens
White Belt
Featherweight:
1) Sadhu Bott
HMC / Nova Uniao
2) Mark Enomoto
Brazilian Freestyle Jiu Jitsu
Lightweight:
1) Marc Hasegawa
Alliance
2) Chris Procopia
Gracie Kailua
Middleweight:
1) Omar Fleury
Relson Gracie Kaneohe
2) Jordan Ware
Brazilian Freestyle Jiu Jitsu
Light
Heavyweight:
1) Mike Maatta
808 Fight Factory
2) Luis Feliciano
Relson Gracie Casca Grossa
Heavyweight:
1) Grant Manning
Longman Jiu Jitsu
2) Bo Lagmay
Kauai Tech
Super
Heavyweight:
1) Travis Dasher
Relson Gracie Kaneohe
2) Kaimiloa Chandler
Relson Gracie Kaneohe
Mens
Blue Belt
Super
Featherweight:
1) Sergio Hurtado
Longman Jiu Jitsu
2) Brandon Thompson
Relson Gracie Kaneohe
Featherweight:
1) Andrew Kawada
Relson Gracie Casca Grossa
2) Jake Scoval
Longman Jiu Jitsu
Middleweight:
1) Kekoa Rogan
Relson Gracie Kaneohe
2) Anya Douglas
North Shore Jiu Jitsu
Light
Heavyweight:
1) Rob Thompson
Relson Gracie
2) Jonathan Collins
Relson Gracie
Heavyweight:
1) Imiloa Lindsey
Relson Gracie
2) David Chew
Relson Gracie
Super
Heavyweight:
1) Raymond Seraile
Grappling Unlimited
2) Maui Wolfgramm
Relson Gracie Kahaluu
Blue
Belt - Master
Lightweight:
1) David Hattori
Brazilian Freestyle Jiu Jitsu
2) Chan Abenes
Brazilian Freestyle Jiu Jitsu
Purple
Belt
150
- 180 lbs:
1) Sidney Batista
Brazilian Freestyle Jiu Jitsu
2) Tyson Coloma-Nahooikaika
Brazilian Freestyle Jiu Jitsu
Brown/Black Belt
Lightweight:
1) Baret Yoshida
Baret Submission Grappling
2) Tulio Perrone
Alliance
Kids
No Gi Division
5
- 6 years old:
1) Isaiah Calpito
Gracie Kailua
2) Kaleo Batista
Brazilian Freestyle Jiu Jitsu
7
- 8 years old:
1) Paliku Victorino
Relson Gracie Kaneohe
2) Hikina Gaughen.
Relson Gracie Kaneohe
9
years old:
1) Makana Valdez
Relson Gracie
2) Makoa Gaughen
Relson Gracie Kaneohe
10
years old:
1) Noah Hashimoto
Relson Gracie Kaneohe
2) Kaeo Paik
Relson Gracie Kaneohe
11
- 12 years old:
1) Keanu Ching
Relson Gracie Kaneohe
2) David Terao
Relson Gracie Kaneohe
10
- 13 years old Heavyweight:
1) Sage Yoshida
HMC / Brazilian Freestyle
2) Keola Mayural
Relson Gracie Kaneohe
13
- 15 years old:
1) Kamanao Chun
Relson Gracie Kahaluu
2) Alvon Caller
Relson Gracie Kaneohe
15
- 17 years old Heavyweight:
1) Jacob Matta
Relson Gracie Kaneohe
2) Justin Wong
HMC / Nova Uniao
Mens
No Gi Novice
Featherweight:
1) Kaipo Orellana
Wahiawa Jiu Jitsu
2) Ian Hasegawa
Wahiawa Jiu Jitsu
Lightweight:
1) Masa Kurita
HMC / Nova Uniao
2) Chris Procopio
Gracie Kailua
Middleweight:
1) Omar Fleury
Relson Gracie Kaneohe
2) Jordan Ware
Brazilian Freestyle Jiu Jitsu
Light
Heavyweight:
1) Mitchell Johnson
Relson Gracie Kaneohe
2) Luis Feliciano
Relson Gracie Casca Grossa
Heavyweight:
1) Grant Manning
Longman Jiu Jitsu
2) Jason Sanchez
Relson Gracie
Super
Heavyweight:
1) Calvin Gibbs
Jesus Is Lord
2) R.K. Castillo
HMC
Mens
No Gi Intermediate
Featherweight:
1) Jake Scoval
Longman Jiu Jitsu
2) Justin Wong
HMC / Nova Uniao
Lightweight:
1) Brian Gugerty
City Boxing
2) Mark Hasegawa
Alliance
Light
Heavyweight:
1) Carlos Molestina
North Shore Jiu Jitsu
2) Elijah Young
North Shore Jiu Jitsu
Heavyweight:
1) Bo Lagmay
Kauai Tech
2) Thane Fowler
Jesus Is Lord
Super
Heavyweight:
1) Maui Wolfgramm
Relson Gracie Kahaluu
2) Brandon Nunley
Wahiawa Jiu Jitsu
Mens
No Gi Advanced
Featherweight:
1) Baret Yoshida
Baret Submission Grappling
2) Sergio Hurtado
Longman Jiu Jitsu
Middleweight:
1) Sidney Batista
Brazilian Freestyle Jiu Jitsu
2) Brad Scott
Relson Gracie Kaneohe
Heavyweight:
1) Raymond Seraile
Grappling Unlimited
2) David Chew
Relson Gracie
Team
Points
Relson
Gracie 80
Brazilian Freestyle Jiu Jitsu / HMC / Nova Uniao 31
Longman Jiu Jitsu 14
Gracie Kailua 11
North Shore Jiu Jitsu / Wahiawa Jiu Jitsu 10
Grappling Unlimited 6
Baret Submission Grappling 6
Alliance 5
Jesus Is Lord 4
808 Fight Factory 3
City Boxing 3
|
Niko
Vitale Seminar on Kauai
%20kauai%20copy.jpg)
|
Hawaii
Karate
Roots: 105 Years of Karate in Hawaii Exhibit
Aloha,
It
is my pleasure to invite you to the opening ceremony for "Hawaii
Karate
Roots: 105 Years of Karate in Hawaii." This exhibition will
run from
Saturday, June 25th until Friday, August 19, 2005 in the Community
Gallery
of the Japanese Cultural Center of Hawai`i:
2454
S. Beretania Street
Honolulu, Hawai`i 96826
(across from Star Market)
Telephone:
(808) 945-7633
The
Community Gallery is on the ground floor on the Ewa side of the
building (next to the Kenshikan martial arts dojo). The exhibition
and
opening is *free of charge* and open to the public. Parking is
available
in the JCCH parking structure for a fee. There is some street
parking in
the area. Normal Gallery hours are from Tuesday to Saturday,
from 10 a.m.
to 4 p.m.
The
opening ceremony will be from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m. on Saturday
the 25th
of June. The Gallery will remain open until 4 p.m. that day.
There will be
a ribbon cutting ceremony at 11 a.m. and a Karate and Kobudo
(ancient
weapons art) demonstration at noon. The demonstration will be
by members
of the Hawaii Karate Kodanshakai (and/or their students) and
Professor
Feliciano "Kimo" Ferreira, as well as members of the
Hikari Dojo
(instructors and students from my dojo). Kodanshakai members
who are
scheduled that day include: Bobby Lowe, Jimmy Miyaji, Pat Nakata,
Joseph
Bunch, Lee Donahue, Alan Lee, Paul Ortino, and possibly others.
The
purpose of this exhibition is to recognize and honor the pioneers
of
Karate in Hawaii. We will be presenting about 130 photographs,
some being
shown for the first time. We will also present many rare Karate
weapons
(such as sai, nunchaku, tonfa, kusarigama, tobikuchi, and yawara)
and other
artifacts.
Karate
arrived in Hawaii in 1900 with the very first group of Okinawan
immigrants. Successive waves of immigrants, first from Okinawan
and later
from Japan, brought the art with them. Many Hawaii residents
returning
from military or government service in the orient had also learned
the art.
Prominent
Karate instructors visited Hawaii before World War II. These
included Kentsu Yabu (1927), Choki Motobu (1932), Mizuho Mutsu
and Kamesuke
Higashionna (1933), and Chojun Miyaji (1934). We have photographs
of all
of these instructors, plus many others.
Issei
instructors in Hawaii included Seio Morikone, Seiichi Urasaki,
Chonin
Sanra Arakaki, Watoku Higa, Chinyei Kinjo, Oki Shikina, and others.
One of
the first nisei instructors was Thomas Shigeru Miyashiro, who,
with Seishin
Uehara, Mizuho Mutsu and Kamesuke Higashionna, founded the Hawaii
Karate
Seinenkai in 1933.
Our
research is ongoing. While we have not covered every Karate sensei
in
Hawaii, we have included most of the early ones and many in the
post-War era.
More
than anything else, we wish to honor and remember Hawaii's Karate
pioneers. Without them, we would not have the art here in Hawaii
today.
Please
join us for the opening ceremony. It should be a memorable event
and many Karate seniors are expected to attend. You never know
who you
might get to see that day. Very light refreshments will be served.
We are
putting the emphasis on the collection rather than food. There
are many
nice places to eat in the surrounding area.
Please
feel free to invite your family, friends and students (if you
are an
instructor). You are welcome to forward this email to them. Please
RSVP
(confirm that you will attend) by calling Nayna Tanega Goodin
at 488-5773
or by sending her email at tanega@hawaii.rr.com.
I
look forward to seeing you that day. We expect a big turn out
and I will
be doing my best to show the collection and coordinate the
demonstration. It might be very hectic. However, I want to personally
thank you for your support. Without the support of senior Karate
sensei,
and their families, students and supporters, this event would
not be
possible. I particularly want to thank everyone who donated photographs,
artifacts, books, and weapons to our museum.
Each
photograph in the exhibition is a glimpse into the life of a
Karate
pioneer or senior. Karate helps us to become better people, like
them. They are our examples and role models. By studying their
lives, we
can become better students, and hopefully better teachers too.
This
exhibition is being presented by the Hawaii Karate Museum, which
is a
part of the Hikari Institute, a Hawaii nonprofit corporation
and tax exempt
organization. For any donations, checks should be made to the
Hikari
Institute.
For
more information about our projects, please visit: http://Hikari.us/.
And
if you have any items that you might consider donating to the
Hawaii
Karate Museum (or allowing us to scan any old Karate related
photographs),
please contact me.
Thank
you very much again.
Respectfully,
Charles
C. Goodin
Hikari Institute (Hawaii Karate Museum)
98-211 Pali Momi Street, Suite 640
Aiea, Hawaii 96701 USA
e-mail:
goodin@hawaii.rr.com
tel: (808) 488-5773
fax: (808) 488-5778
|
Coaches
For The Second Season of TUF
Las
Vegas, NV--UFC welterweight champion Matt Hughes has been selected
to be one of the coaches for the second season of Spike TV’s
hit reality series The Ultimate FighterTM, while the second coaching
spot was decided Saturday inside the OctagonTM at UFC 53: Heavy
Hitters, UFC.
Not
only was the middleweight belt be on the line between Evan Tanner
and Rich Franklin at UFC 53, but the winner also becoame the
coach opposite Hughes on The Ultimate Fighter.
“Matt
Hughes is a great champion of the UFC and will be an outstanding
coach on The Ultimate Fighter,” said White leading up to
this event. White was equally excited about the second coaching
spot also going to a UFC Champion... That being the newly crowned
Rich Franklin.
The
Ultimate Fighter’s second season is scheduled to tape this
summer in Las Vegas and will premiere on August 22, 2005 on Spike
TV.
Season
No. 1 (13 weeks) of The Ultimate FighterTM averaged a 1.7 household
rating (1.5 million) with a 2.0 (1,015,000) among males18-49
a 2.4 (604,000) in M18-34 and an average audience of 2.1 million
viewers. The coaches for the first season were light heavyweights
Randy Couture and Chuck Liddell. Forrest Griffin (light heavyweight)
and Diego Sanchez (middleweight) were The Ultimate Fighter champions
for the premiere season and each received a six-figure deal with
the UFC® organization. Stephan Bonnar was also awarded a
contract after his epic battle in the Finals versus Griffin.
The audience peaked during the Bonnar/Griffin fight with 3.3
million viewers. Craig Piligian of Pilgrim Films and Television,
Frank Fertitta III, Lorenzo Fertitta and Dana White of Zuffa,
LLC are the show’s executive producers.
The
Ultimate Fighting Championship brand is the world’s leading
professional mixed martial arts association and offers the premier
series of MMA sports events. Owned and operated by Zuffa, LLC,
and headquartered in Las Vegas, Nev., UFC fight programs feature
six live pay-per-view events annually through cable and satellite
providers. In addition to its U.S. distribution, UFC fight programs
are distributed internationally throughout the world, including
broadcast on WOWOW, Inc. in Japan, Globosat in Brazil and Bravo
in the United Kingdom.
Zuffa,
LLC licenses the distribution of its fight show DVDs through
Studioworks Entertainment, a Ventura Distribution company. “Ultimate
Fighting Championship,” “Ultimate Fighting,” “UFC,”
“Submission,” “As Real As It Gets” and the
Octagon cage design are registered trademarks or trademarks owned
exclusively by Zuffa, LLC in the U.S., Japan and other jurisdictions.
All other marks that may be referenced herein belong to their
respective holders.
Source: Maxfighting
|
Phil
Baroni Speaks Out
Sorry
about the language, but there are Phil Baroni quotes.
Phil
Baroni will always be Phil Baroni. You say you don't know what
that means?
"I
feel I stole the [third] round with the big slam in the last
minute," says Baroni on his bout with Matt Lindland from
UFC 41, maybe the most famous fight of his career. "The
whole third round I pounded the sh!t out of him. Beat his fu<king
@ss. I had him holding on for dear life. I made his candy @ss
p!ss blood for two weeks. Fu<k what the judges say. They don’t
know shit about MMA. I won that fight."
Now
you know what that means.
Baroni
is coming off one of the biggest wins of his career over Ikuhisa
Minowa at Bushido 7. "It was a great win. I proved a lot
of people wrong," says Baroni. But it was not a great win
because it was in a main event, because it wasn't. It was not
a great win because it was a title fight, because it wasn't.
It was a great win because it was Baroni's first step in silencing
the critics that have been claiming he's washed up after losing
four fights in a row in UFC... with the last loss being against
unknown Pete Sell.
"First
of all, who gives a sh!t about the past? It's history,"
says Baroni. "Who cares about yesterday's news? What really
matters is not my win over Minowa but who I'm gonna knockout
next. You don't wanna talk about Dave Menne or Amar Suloev do
you? Why everyone loves to talk about my losses is that everyone
knows these are guys I should have beat. They were huge upsets.
Upsets that I'm over finally. Upsets that I'm never gonna let
happen again."
"And
as far as my last fight [against Sell] it was a pressure thing,"
continues Baroni. "I let the pressure get to me. I froze
up. Fought like sh!t. Didn't open up and tried to play it safe.
[I] fought not to lose. Being on my back with a bad cut five
seconds into the fight due to a slippery canvas didn’t help
matters. Even so I dominated fourteen minutes of that fight.
I was tired, stressed out, [and] made a simple mistake and paid
the price for it. Happy Birthday! I got caught. One thing I will
say is that kid had a big fu<king mouth after the fight and
when I see him I'm gonna shut it permanently. That motherfu<ker
can't hold my big sweaty jock. He wouldn't last one round with
me if we fought again."
And
so far, Baroni has been proving himself to be correct starting
with his knockout victory over Minowa in what was Baroni's Pride
debut. One of the biggest question marks that has been raised
over Baroni's career is his cardio conditioning, a question which
Baroni feels he answered by outlasting Minowa.
"The
cardio obstacle is over. We went at it for ten minutes hard grappling.
Back and forth. We went to war," says Baroni. "An Olympic
wrestling match is two three minute periods. And those guys are
dead after the match. Newsflash: wrestling balls out is fu<king
tiring. We went balls out for ten minutes. What the fu<k!
In the past my conditioning hurt me, yes. But to ask or say that
about this fight makes me sick. I worked my @ss off training
with Matt Smith world renowned strength and conditioning coach."
So
what is Baroni's contract status with Pride? "Let's just
say I'm planning on fighting here for a long time," answers
Phil. "I got my eyes set on the Pride Grand Prix. I wanna
prove without a doubt that I'm the best 185 lbs. fighter in the
world. And the Pride Grand Prix is the most prestigious title
in the world."
Is
there anyone Baroni wants to face in Bushido, whether it be in
a Grand Prix or in a single fight? "I don't pick my opponents.
That's not my job. My job is to kick @ss," explains Baroni.
My next opponent, I could care less. That's up to Pride and my
manager. I don't give a fu<k who I fight next, all I care
about is shutting my co<ksucking critics up and knocking motherfu<kers
out."
Yes,
Phil Baroni will always be Phil Baroni.
Source: Maxfighting
|
Quote
of the Day
"If your ship doesn't come in, sail out to it."
Jonathan Winters, Actor
|
PRIDE
BUSHIDO 8 NEWS
DSE/PRIDE announced that the following fighters will participate
on the PRIDE Bushido 8 card on July 17th:
Ryo
Chonan
Hayato Sakurai
Joachim Hansen
Takanori Gomi
Tatsuya Kawajiri
Marcus Aurelio
Luis 'Buscape' Firminho
Ikuhisa Minowa
Jutaro Nakao
Kazuo Misaki
Naoyuki Kotani
Masakazu Imanari
Source:
Fight Sport
|
Ricardo
Arona
By Marcelo Alonso and Alexandre Lobo
Pride GP on the road
Ricardo
Arona was one of the big names of first round of Pride GP Middleweight,
on last April 23. Now, Brazilian Top Team is ready for another
war, at this time against Kazushi Sakuraba, during the quarter
of finals. From your home, in Itacoatiara (Rio de Janeiro), Arona
hosted TATAME crew and chat for long hours. During this conversation,
BTT black belt pointed his favorites to Pride GP and analyzed
all fighters, including his next opponent, Kazushi Sakuraba.
How
was leaving behind ADCC 2005 to keep fighting at Pride GP? It
was ADCC who put you in the road...
It
was not easy and I was not happy with this decision. For me,
Pride is way far important as ADCC. But, be sure I'll be fighting
in 2007 and I'll be running at weight category to be back on
the top once again.
Do
you think you are the best middleweight fighter nowadays?
Each
fighter has it best moves. Some are better applying take downs,
other exchanging punches... I consider myself a complete athlete.
But I still have to improve my game, as the others.
Who
is the favorite to win the belt in your opinion?
It's
hard to point a champion. I believe in me, Rogério and
I ma not sure about Alistair Overeem and Maurício Shogun.
If they will fight the final match I don't know, but I really
want this belt.
And
Wanderlei (Silva)?
I
don't think Wanderlei is favorite. His ground game is not good
and Wrestling is not his thing. On the feet, he only counts on
his pitty move. He only have it! He is just aggressive and with
this move he might decide the bout. He is less complete than
me, Minotouro, Shogun and Alistair, who for me improved his ground
game a lot.
You
are famous in BTT because you do not show up during the trains...
How is your training for this second phase?
(laughing)
Well, after this first round things are going to be a little
complicated. Of course I'll have to train harder with my teammates.
But to be honest, when I am not at BTT headquarter, I am taking
care of my psychological or training in Niterói, with
Toniko Júnior (Muay Thai) and Marcelo Saroldi. I am not
100% doing only that and I know I will have to split my time
with this kind of training.
How
do you see all four bouts of this quarter of finals?
Overeem
will not have major problems against Igor (Vovchanchyn) because
he is taller. It's better to take Alistair to the ground and
punish him. Igor showed a really ground game with Kondo, but
I don't believe he will do it again. Wanderlei and Nakamura:
Wanderlei is very strong and he may define the fight with a single
move. But Japanese fighters are such a warriors and Nakamura
is very intelligent. Against Shogun, Rogério cannot keep
the fight on the feet. Shogun has a pretty violent knee and he
might define the fight with a single blow, as he did with Quinton.
In the end, even tough I do not have a fight strategy, I guess
my fight will feature a great time on the feet and then a real
battle on the ground.
Sakuraba
said you are good on the feet and he would fight you to submit
you or KO you...
(laughing).
It's going to be great. I will be waiting for him. Does not matter
how he plans to fight me. These days every Vale-Tudo fighter
needs to be prepared to face any type of situation. I am not
concerned about his plans. I am worried about how am I gonna
be feeling on June 26. Sakuraba is a dangerous fighter and he
has fought all tough guys. He's lost some fights, but won other
ones. I cannot let this fight be decided by referee. Because
they certainly will prefer a Japanese fighter doing the final.
Lots
of people say you do a tied game. What do you think about that?
Every
time I face a grappler I will do a tied game. And it cannot be
different because he will try to submit me. When I faced Ninja,
I had to tie it up, because he Pride, and my team honor. Zé
Mário got defeated by him and nobody deserves to take
risks.
And
against Sakuraba, don't you fear being defeated by referee's
decision?
No.
Sakuraba plays different. He is dangerous and his ground is basic.
Like you do since you are a white belt. He only attacks with
Americana, arm-lock, guillotine, Yu don't see Sakuraba doing
hald guard.
What
are you going to do if you win this GP?
If
I win, I will fight for the weigh belt. against Wanderlei.
Source:
Tatame
|
Diaz
Wins, asks for Hughes
Nick Diaz just won by 1st round TKO! Diaz came out throwing an
assault of punches and kicks that Oishi had no answer to, forcing
the referee to intervene at 1:24 of rd1. Diaz wants Hughes next.
"I would like to be one of the coaches on "The Ultimate
Fighter". -stated Diaz. "If Hughes is the other coach
and we fought each other at the end of the show, it would be
a dream come true. I think I could contribute more to the fighters
in way of training and actual technical knowledge, where Hughes
is probably going to teach takedowns and stalling. Who wants
to see that?"
We
send our congratulations to Nick and await his return to the
academy.
Source: Gracie Fighter
|
Quote
of the Day
"If you don't have a dream, How you gonna have a dream come
true?"
From Lyrics for Happy Talk, South Pacif
|
Full
Contact Showdown 3 Results!
Super Brawl: Full Contact Showdown #3
Kahuna's Sports Bar & Grill Ballroom, Marine Core Base Hawaii
- Kaneohe Bay
Saturday, June 4, 2005
By Chris@Onzuka.com
Super
Brawl's feeder show, Full Contact Showdown returned to Kaneohe
Marine Corps base for a full card of kickboxing and MMA. The
"No Train Just Fight" Puna Boyz were flown in from
the big island to be matched with the 808 Fight Factory fighters.
There was a mixed bag of results concerning those match ups.
One injury, a disqualification and a referee stoppage; the Puna
Boyz were on the wrong side of two of the three results. The
808 Fight Factory, on the other hand, came out strong with dominant
performances. Bryson Kamaka was controlling his bout with Shane
Pacarro before he miscontrued Pacarro's position and kicked him
in the head KO'ing him and getting disqualified in the process.
Kamaka just fought and won a match earlier in the week at Gladiator
Challenge in California. Another fighter who showed a ton of
heart was Bronson Dellima from the Bulls Pen when he looked to
injure his ankle off a scramble, but was still able to continue
fighting and lock up a triangle choke for the win. The two "hometown"
Marines brought the crowd to a fever pitch even though they both
lost. The heroes aka service men and women in the crowd, a lot
of which recently came back from serving a tour in Iraq, showed
their appreciation for the opponents of their Marine brethren.
The main event featured one of 808 Fight Factory's top fighters
making his return to the ring. Dominant ground and pounder Jamual
Perkins returned to action, taking it to the tough Edward Williams.
There were a lot of pickups, hard slams, and big punches which
are regular occurrences in Perkins fights. Williams showed a
lot of toughness by taking a tremendous amount of punishment
before the referee put a halt to the bout.
Amateur: 145-lb Kickboxing: 3 Rounds - 1 Minute
Kaipo Gonzalez (M.M.A.D., Kailua) def. Jumar Dumaolo (808 Fight
Factory)
Majority decision after 3 rounds
Amateur:
155-lb Kickboxing: 3 Rounds - 1 Minute
John Honda (Grappling Unlimited, Honolulu) def. Tim Lapitan (Bulls
Pen, Honolulu)
TKO via referee stoppage at 30 seconds in Round 1.
Amateur:
125 Kickboxing: 3 Rounds - 1 Minute
John Hosokawa (Lee's Shaolin Boxing, Honolulu) def. Junior Yucap
(808 Fight Factory, Waipahu)
Split decision [(29-28), (28-29), (29-28)] after 3 rounds.
Amateur:
155-lb MMA: 3 Rounds - 3 Minutes
Bronson DeLima (Bulls Pen, Honolulu) def. Lee Peneku (808 Fight
Factory, Waipahu)
Submission via triangle choke at 2:10 minutes in Round 1.
Amateur:
MMA: 3 Rounds - 3 Minutes
Shane Pacarro (Puna Boyz, Puna) def. Bryson Kamaka (8088 Fight
Factory, Waipahu)
Disqualification due to kicking a downed opponent in the head
at 2:56 minutes in Round 1.
Amateur:
155-lb MMA: 3 Rounds - 3 Minutes
Makoa Hanaike (M.M.A.D., Kailua) def. Justin Holcombe (Bulls
Pen, Honolulu)
Submission via rear choke at 2:40 minutes in Round 1.
Pro:
135-lb MMA: 3 Rounds - 3 Minutes
Gerald "G-Money" Arevalo (808 Fight Factory, Waipahu)
def. Albert Manners (Puna Boyz, Puna)
TKO due to injured ankle at 2:00 minutes in Round 1.
Pro:
170-lb MMA: 3 Rounds - 3 Minutes
Kyle Miyahana (Freelance, Kaneohe) def. Mike Leonguerrero (Bulls
Pen, Honolulu)
Submission via 10 finger guillotine at 2:05 minutes in Round
2.
Pro:
155-lb MMA: 3 Rounds - 3 Minutes
Jamual Perkins (808 Fight Factory, Waipahu) def. Edward Williams
(Puna Boyz, Puna)
TKO via referee stoppage at 2:32 minues in Round 1.
|
Results
Complete results will be posted once they are received.
Team Titles:
1st Place: Relson Gracie
2nd Place: Brazilian Freestyle Jiu-Jitsu/HMC
3rd Place: Gracie Kailua
|
UFC
53 Results!
Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey
Nick
Diaz defeated Koji Oishi via KO at 1:24 in round 1.
David
Loiseau defeated Charles "Chainsaw" McCarthy via referee
stoppage at 2:10 in round 2. Loiseau hurt McCarthy with a spinning
back kick to the stomach and followed with a flying knee.
Nathan
Quarry defeated Shonie Carter via referee stoppage at 2:37 in
round 1.
Paul
Buentello defeated Kevin Jordan via guillotine choke at 4:00
in round 1.
Forrest
Griffin defeated Bill Mahood via rear naked choke at 2:18 in
round 1.
Rich
Franklin defeated Evan Tanner via doctor stoppage at 3:25 of
round 4. Franklin is the new UFC middleweight champion.
Karo
Parisyan defeated Matt Serra via unanimous decision.
Andrei
Arlovski defeated Justin Eilers via referee stoppage at 4:10
in round 1. Eilers twisted his right knee and went down. Arlovski
pounded away until the ref stopped the fight. Arlovski keeps
the Interim UFC Heavyweight title.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Wallid
Ismail
By Eduardo Ferreira
Exporting Jungle
Wallid
Ismail's plans are ambitious. Istead of doing like most of the
fight events in Brazil and reveal new talents, Wallid wants more.
He desires to create a new concept and feature Jungle Fight worldwide.
After putting on TV, Wallid gives a new step and takes Jungle
to Las Vegas. During an exclusive to team TATAME, Ismail talks
about the plans for Jungle, justify why he thinks Jungle is one
of the best events in the world and gives a preview of Jungle
5!
Can
you do an evaluation of Jungle Fight 4?
I
thank God. The event was great and many fights ended by submission
or KO. Even Carlão who got injured was very good. Once
again athletes and crew who helped me with the organization were
just great. Now everybody is waiting for the rematch between
Carlão Barreto and Vladimir Matyushenko.
Do
you think Jungle is one of the best MMA events in the earth?
Only
if I was a jerk, or a completely dork I would say Jungle Fight
would be one of the best events in earth without consulting international
media. To have an idea, French Kassin Annan, who submitted Marcos
Valle by rear naked choke did not fight in England to come to
Jungle Fight. We have prestigious in the whole world as Rodrigo
Minotauro in Japan. I don't want Jungle to be one of the best
events in the world. I want it to be the best!
Tell
me about Jungle 5 in Vegas. Why did you choose Vegas?
We
cannot forget Mr. Inoki is the boss. Las Vegas is the entertainment
center of the world. So nothing better than taking Jungle Fight
there. It's also important to say we don not export only athletes.
We do export events. We have been setting up lots of new for
Jungle 5. One of them remains to an Amazonas exposition. and
other involves American police.
Who
would you like to take to Jungle?
Leopoldo
Montenegro, Frédson Paixão, Carlão Barreto
and Vladimir Matyushenko. Lyoto Machida also must fight. But
I have other names in mind as well, like Hélio Dipp and
Pelé Landy.
You
said you might fight if somebody paid you a great purse. How
do you feel about it. Did your career as a fighter end?
People
have been probing me. but I live for Jungle Fight now. I will
only fight if somebody paid me a great purse. My work now is
giving opportunity to new generation of fighters, to ones who
fought and want to come back. I treat them as starts of my show.
I set them up in five starts hotels, breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Now I work for Jungle 24 hours a day, but I still do consider
myself as a fighter.
Source:
Tatame
|
THE
INSIDE WORD - UFC MOVIE 'TAPS OUT'
By Scoop McTroll
Greetings MMA fans, Scoop McTroll here, bringing you The Inside
Word, the latest news, rumors and gossip in the MMA scene.
Today's
Inside Word is about all the past hype regarding the new UFC
movie starring Mark Wahlberg aka Marky Mark. It was announced
just before the christmas of 2004 by Insomina Entertainment,
which is another play company that doesnt need to perform, by
the billionare Fertitta brothers of Las Vegas.
My
sources in Hollywood are telling me that despite reports to the
contrary, Mark Wahlberg has not signed a contract to do any movie
with Insomnia entertainment.
A
source close to Wahlberg claimed that he isnt even sure if he
wants to do it now. Wahlberg is busy filming another movie and
wont be available for some time as he is committed to several
other projects.
Scheduled
for release or production in 2006 are:
The
Italian Job II (2006)
Invincible
(2006)
The
Departed (2006) (filming now)
Four
Brothers (2005) (filming now))
These
movies all have far more class and budget than the UFC movie
that Wahlberg entertained the thought of doing in a momentary
lapse of reason. It would be an extremely dangerous career move
to go from doing movies with Martin Scorcese and John Singleton,
to doing something that Don 'The Dragon' Wilson probably wouldn't
touch with a barge pole.
If
the movie does still go into production with the 5ft 8"
145lb 'Marky Mark' in the lead role. It will not be possible
until at least late next year.
Insomnia
entertainment have ceased all press releases about the seemingly
failed project and are remaining tight lipped on the matter.
Dana
White was not available for comment when I contacted his office.
Source:
Fight Sport
|
GONG
Grapple Magazine Premiers!
For our friends in Japan, please support Gong's magazines
because not only do they provide great worldwide coverage by
world reknown photographer Manabu Takashima, but Onzuka.com's
own, Chris Onzuka has been featured in this fine magazine numerous
times. (Shameless plug)
Dear Friends,
GONG
grapple magazine 2nd edition will be on Store on 8th June.
We
are proud put ADCC 2005’s Marcelo Garcia on the cover page.
GONG
grapple feature ADCC 2005 as 20page full color report.
Also
we cover great grappling games such as Grappler Quest US open,
Sambo European championships, BJJ Brasileiro and Women wrestling
world cup.
We
also have special reports about Marc Laimon, Sergio Pencha, Rico
Chiapparelli and Paragon Jiu-Jitsu.
And
GONG grapple pays attention Japan domestic Grapple tournament
as SMACK GIRL-F, Copa Paraestra East, Copa Dumau Kimonos and
etc…
Another
reports,,,,, Takanori GOMI meets Olympic wrestler Makoto Sasamoto
Mongolian
wrestling in Tokyo, our old favorite NANA TEI JUDO, Sambo’s
legends Gusein Hibullaev report and etc...
Source: Manabu Takashima
|
PRIDE:
'Critical Countdown 2005'
Saitama Super Arena, Saitama, Japan
June 26th, 2005
Below is the developing line-up for the PRIDE GP card on June
26th. At least two more single matchups are still expected to
be announced:
Single
matchups (official)
Rodrigo 'Minotauro' Nogueira vs. Pawel Nastula
Pedro Rizzo vs. Sergei Kharitonov
Single
matchups (unofficial):
Mirko 'Cro Cop' Filipovic vs. Ibrahim Magomedov
Hidehiko Yoshida vs. TBA
PRIDE
middleweight GP quarterfinals (official):
Vanderlei Silva vs. Kazuhiro Nakamura
Ricardo Arona vs. Kazushi Sakuraba
Mauricio 'Shogun' Rua vs. Rogerio 'Minotoro' Nogueira
Igor Vovchanchyn vs. Alistair Overeem
Source:
Fight Sport
|
Royler,
Pequeno, Kid Yamamoto, Uno In Hero’s Lightweight Tournament!
Below is the lineup for the developing HERO's card on July 6th:
Single
matchups (MMA rules):
Jerome Le Banner vs. TBA
Peter Aerts vs. TBA
Rodrigo Gracie vs. TBA
Yoshihiro Akiyama vs. TBA
HERO's
lightweight tournament (MMA rules):
Royler Gracie vs. Koji Yoshida
Alexandre 'Pequeno' Nogueira vs. Hideo Tokoro
Norifumi 'Kid' Yamamoto vs. Ian Schaffa
Kazuyuki Miyata vs. Arslan Magomedov
Kaoru Uno vs. TBA
Hiroyuki Takaya vs. TBA
Remigijus Morkevicius vs. TBA
Source:
Fight Sport
|
Quote
of the Day
"To accuse others for one's own misfortunes is a sign of
want of education. To accuse oneself shows that one's education
has begun. To accuse neither oneself nor others shows that one's
education is complete."
Epictetus, 50-120, Stoic Philosopher
|
Triple
Header Begins Today!
We start out at St. Louis High School Gym for the Hawaiian Open of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
Then you have to set your VCRs or TIVOs to take UFC 53, so you
can go to Super Brawl: Full Contact Showdown 3 at Kaneohe Marine
Corps Base in Kaneohe. We will be at all of these and feeling
the pains of old age in the morning.
See you all there!
|
Full
Contact Showdown 3 Tonight!
Doors open
7pm First Bell 8pm
175-lb Kickboxing: 3 Rounds - 1 Minute
Stoka Solla (Lee's Shaolin Boxing, Honolulu) vs. Brian Rigby
(Grappling Unlimited, Honolulu)
125
Kickboxing: 3 Rounds - 1 Minute
John Hosokawa (Lee's Shaolin Boxing, Honolulu) vs. Jumar Dumaolo
(808 Fight Factory, Waipahu)
155-lb
Kickboxing: 3 Rounds - 1 Minute
Tim Lapitan (Bulls Pen, Honolulu) vs. John Honda (Grappling Unlimited,
Honolulu)
145-lb
MMA: 3 Rounds - 3 Minutes
Kaipo Gonzalez (M.M.A.D., Kailua) vs. Edward Williams (Puna Boyz,
Puna)
155-lb
MMA: 3 Rounds - 3 Minutes
Bronson DeLima (Bulls Pen, Honolulu) vs. Lee Peneku (808 Fight
Factory, Waipahu)
155-lb
MMA: 3 Rounds - 3 Minutes
Arto "Pocko" Woods (808 Fight Factory, Waipahu) vs.
Brian Wiehle (M.M.A.D., Kailua)
155-lb
MMA: 3 Rounds - 3 Minutes
Justin Holcombe (Bulls Pen, Honolulu) vs. Makoa Hanaike (M.M.A.D.,
Kailua)
135-lb MMA: 3 Rounds - 3 Minutes
Albert Manners (Puna Boyz, Puna) vs. Gerald "G-Money"
Arevalo (808 Fight Factory, Waipahu)
155-lb
MMA: 3 Rounds - 3 Minutes
Mike Leonguerrero (Bulls Pen, Honolulu) v. Kyle Miyahana (Freelance)
155-lb
MMA: 3 Rounds - 3 Minutes
Jamual Perkins (808 Fight Factory, Waipahu) vs. Shane Paccaro
(Puna Boyz, Puna)
|
Today!
|
UFC
53 Today!
UFC 53: Heavy Hitters weigh-in results
The fighters have weighed in for tommorow night's UFC 53 "Heavy
Hitters."
Nick
Diaz (171) vs. Koji Oishi (162)
Charles Mccarthy (186) vs. David Loiseau (185)
Shonie Carter (182) vs Nathan Quarry (185)
Kevin Jordan: (228) vs. Paul Buentello (250)
Bill Mahood: (204) vs. Forrest Griffin (204)
Rich Franklin (185) vs. Evan Tanner (186)
Matt Serra (170) vs. Karo Parisyan (169)
Justin Eilers: (228) vs. Andrei Arlovski (241)
Source:
MMA Fighting
|
SPORTSBOOK.COM
PRESENTS LIVE UPDATES FROM ATLANTIC CITY TONIGHT!
It's
finally here. The most popular thread in MMA is set to kick off.
Live updates around the clock kick off tonight from the Trump
Plaza in Atlantic City, New Jersey on the Soundoff Forum.
MMAWeekly's
Scott Petersen, Ken Pishna, Damon Martin and Tim Spagnola are
in Atlantic City to cover UFC 54 and tonight they will have live
updates of what is going on as we get set for tomorrows weigh-in.
The
24 hour thread on the Soundoff Forum is brought to you by sportsbook.com.
Don't forget you can bet on all the fights at sportsbook.com
for UFC 53. Speaking of which here is the latest odds up at sportsbook.
UFC
53 - Heavyweight Fight Matchup
6-4-05 105 Andrei Arlovski -325
11:30 PM Justin Eilers +250
UFC
53 - Middleweight Fight Matchup
6-4-05 110 Evan Tanner +105
11:30 PM Rich Franklin -135
UFC
53 - Welterweight Fight Matchup
6-4-05 115 Karo Parisyan -175
10:00 PM Matt Serra +145
UFC
53 - Welterweight Fight Matchup
6-4-05 120 Nick Diaz -325
10:00 PM Koji Oishi +250
UFC
53 - Middleweight Fight Matchup
6-4-05 125 David Louiseau -225
10:00 PM Charles McCarthy +185
UFC
53 - Middleweight Fight Matchup
6-4-05 130 Nathan Quarry -220
10:00 PM Shonie Carter +180
UFC
53 - Light Heavyweight Fight Matchup
6-4-05 135 Forrest Griffin -135
10:00 PM Bill Mahood +105
UFC
53 - Heavyweight Fight Matchup
6-4-05 140 Paul Buentello -450
10:00 PM Kevin Jordan +300
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
UFC
53 PROFILE: KOJI OISHI
By Ken Pishna
At
UFC 53, Koji Oishi finally makes his return to the Ultimate Fighting
Championship. Yes, that's right, his return. Oishi actually made
his professional mixed martial arts debut at UFC 25: Ultimate
Japan 3 against Laverne Clark more than five years ago. At Heavy
Hitters in Atlantic City, he returns to face welterweight contender
Nick Diaz.
A
member of the famed Japanese fight team Pancrase-ism (a distinction
he shares with Yuki Kondo), Oishi has spent the majority of his
career fighting for the Pancrase organization. With a record
of 11-3-4, 15 of those bouts have been under the Pancrase banner
and he is currently ranked third in their welterweight division.
Most
of Oishi's career has been built upon a solid base of wrestling
and ground and pound. While he has a respectable record, 11 of
his bouts have ended in a decision and 4 went to a draw, so Oishi
is far from being classified as a finisher. Lately, he has added
a solid dose of Brazilian Jiujitsu and started taking a lot more
chances with his stand up game, knocking out his opponent in
his last two victories.
Oishi's
shot at UFC 53 comes as part of a deal between the UFC and Pancrase
that allowed David Terrell to compete against Evan Tanner at
UFC 51 for the vacant middleweight title. He is quite a different
fighter from his first fight at Ultimate Japan 3, but Oishi has
a difficult road ahead of him. Across the Octagon from him will
be Cesar Gracie fighter Nick Diaz.
The
one area where Oishi may (and I stress may) have the advantage
over Diaz is in the takedown department. Outside of that, Diaz
definitely has much more advanced submission skills, his stand
up game has been proven to be deadly (just ask Robbie Lawler),
and almost no one adapts to his opponent's style with the proficiency
of Diaz.
Oishi
is a tough fighter that may make a battle out of this one, but
don't expect him to be able to get past Diaz. Though it would
be a tremendous accomplishment for Japan and Pancrase in particular
if Oishi pulled off the win, Diaz was on a bullet train for a
welterweight title shot before being derailed by Karo Parisyan.
He has since got back on track by destroying Drew Fickett and
won't look past Oishi as he works his way back into title contention.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Nick
Diaz Pre-Fight Interview
JW- What are your thoughts on your upcoming fight with Koji Oishi?
ND-
I've seen him fight and I think he's a good fighter. Pancrase
has a lot of good fighters with lots of experience and I'm not
taking him lightly.
JW-
How is training for the fight going so far?
ND-
I'm done with my hard training. It's too close to the fight for
any serious training so I'm just running a little.
JW-
How do you usually prepare for a fight?
ND-
I do a whole lot of everything.
JW-
How much tape have you seen of Oishi? How much do you know about
him?
ND-
I have seen about 7 of his fights. He used to be just a wrestler
but now he'll stand more with his opponents.
JW-
How many fights do you have on your current contract with UFC?
ND-
This is my last fight. They have mentioned wanting me back for
another 3 fight contract.
JW-
Is there anyone you want to face next in the UFC, win or lose
against
Oishi?
ND-
Assuming I win I would like to fight Matt Hughes next.
JW-
Are you hunting for a welterweight title shot against Matt Hughes?
How do you think a fight between yourself and Hughes would go?
ND-
Yes, I think I can beat him. He probably wouldn't stand with
me and I feel good on the ground so my chances are good.
Source:
Gracie Fighter
|
Arlovski’s
Dream Hangs in the Balance Saturday
by Josh Gross
ATLANTIC
CITY, June 3 — It’s not quite Ellis Island, but this
city on the New Jersey shore has earned a special place in Andrei
Arlovski’s heart. Five years ago, like generations of immigrants
before him, Arlovski traveled for the first time from his native
Belarus to the United State in pursuit of a dream.
The
military wasn’t for him. Neither was life as a police officer,
for which he began preparing at 16 and didn’t stop until
deciding to leave for the States.
“I
wanted something changed in my life,” Arlovski told Sherdog.com
on Thursday. “I have a lot of dreams and I do anything for
my dreams and I do this in the United States.”
A
child of the Cold War, Arlovski was hesitant to speak about his
experience behind the Iron Curtain. His father was a military
man and his mother an engineer in a machinery plant. Life in
Belarus was “hard and difficult” and opportunities
were limited.
When
the Berlin Wall fell in November 1989, Arlovski, then a 10-year-old
boy living with his family in Soviet-occupied Hungary, hardly
noticed what was happening in East Germany.
After
working his way through the police academy, Arlovski, who excelled
at sports, particularly soccer, was introduced to Sambo. Three
years later, he was a two-time world champion and on his way
to America and the UFC.
“Of
course it’s different style of life in American than Russia,”
he said. “I like America. I like Russia, too. But in American
there is more opportunity. If you want to do something, you can.”
His
dream was to fight like the slender gi-wearing submission-throwing
icon of the early Ultimate Fighting Championships, Royce Gracie,
whom Arlovski watched on tape.
Arlovski’s
debut came on November 2000 in this wind-worn city. Fifty-four
seconds after the opening bell he armbarred Aaron Brink and introduced
himself to America and its MMA fans.
Consecutive
losses to Ricco Rodriguez and Pedro Rizzo, however, had most
people dismissing the Belarusian as overmatched and unprepared
to contend with the UFC’s best fighters.
Three
years after his highlight-reel knockout loss to Rizzo, Arlovski
enters Saturday’s fight as a vindicated fighter who comes
into the Octagon on a tear, winning three of four bouts by stoppage
in under two and a half minutes.
Few
people expect this bout to go the distance and in many ways the
dream he brought with him from Belarus hinges on a fight he’s
expected to walk through. After winning the interim UFC heavyweight
belt in February, Arlovski will go a long way in answering questions
about his legitimacy as champion if he dominates.
(Often,
it’s the destruction of opponents you’re supposed to
beat, not victories against equally skilled challengers, that
helps define a fighter’s dominance.)
Eilers
.500 record (1-1-0) in the UFC is hardly deserving of a title
shot. The football player turned fighter was knocked out in his
last UFC appearance but here he is, a day away from possibly
winning one of the largest prizes in mixed martial arts.
“I
can tell that Justin is not the best in the world but he’s
very dangerous,” Arlovski said. “He knocked out Mike
Kyle. Right now I know he’s training in Utah with Jeremy
Horn. Horn’s a good guy in jiu-jitsu. But I want to win
this fight. I’m doing everything for my victory.”
“You
know, everybody can be champion,” he said. “I think
[Eilers] trained hard. I trained hard. Who will be stronger,
more conditioned for this fight?”
The
main event of UFC 53 is a classic no-win situation for the 26-year-old
Arlovski (5-2-0), the face of this pay-per-view and the man Zuffa’s
tabbed to market the card. There’s no doubt that losing
the belt to Eilers would damage both Arlovski’s selling
power and the UFC’s argument that he belongs in a discussion
of the world’s best heavyweights.
A
victory would confirm his status as titleholder and move his
winning streak to five. It would also keep him on track to fight
UFC champion Frank Mir, laid up after breaking his leg in a motorcycle
accident, later this year.
“Of
course it’s important for me because right now I’m
interim heavyweight champion and on Saturday night I must defend
my title,” Arlovski said. “But it’s interim —
it’s not the real heavyweight championship. I hope that
I win my next fight and meet in October with Frank Mir.”
For
Arlovski, future success also means he might be able to bring
his family over from Belarus.
“If
everything is good for me in the United States,” he said,
“of course I want my family to come here.”
Their
transition will likely mirror his. Learning to speak English
was his toughest assignment. He’s improved greatly —
watching television and reading newspapers has been the key —
over the last year, enough so that he conducted this interview
without aid of a translator. After Saturday’s fight, Arlovski
said he will enroll in an English course in a local college.
His
is a story not so different from generations of future Americans
who came to this country with the goal of working towards their
dream.
Source:
Sherdog
|
ARLOVSKI
TO TRAIN WITH ROY JONES JR.
Sources in America are saying that Andrei Arlovski may be training
in boxing with boxing great Roy Jones Jr..
The
two supposedly met at the recent Brewster vs. Golota boxing match,
and talks progressed from there.
Source:
Fight Sport
|
New
Generation Puts Gracies Back on Top
Roger Gracie has taken the mantle as the best grappler on the
planet. His 8-0 run at the ADCC Championships has established
him as the man to beat. Since the beginning of the ADCC, there
has not been a grappler that has not only won his weight class
and the absolute division, but also submitted every one of his
opponents in doing so. As if this was not enough, Roger is also
the reigning Brazilian Jiu-jitsu World Champion. On the way to
that illustrious title Roger defeated such notables as Marcelo
Garcia, Terere and Comprido. Roger has won the World's as a bluebelt,
purplebelt, brownbelt and blackbelt. On his way to the ADCC's
Roger submitted all 5 of his opponents to secure his spot as
the Brazilian representative. All of this and he is only 23 years
old.
Amazingly
enough the women of the Gracie clan have their own champion.
Kyra Gracie is also the Brazilian Jiu-jitsu World Champion and
the ADCC World Champion! She is considered the best female grappler
in the world and is only 20!
The
torch has been passed to the new generation of Gracies and they
have put the Gracie name back on top of the podium.
Source:
Gracie Fighter
|
'PEQUENO'
SIGNS WITH HERO'S
The Brazilian media reports that Alexandre 'Pequeno' Nogueira
has signed a 3-fight deal with the HERO's promotion, which is
run by Akira Maeda and K-1.
Source:
Fight Sport
|
ORTIZ
CAMP RESPONDS TO MMAWEEKLY INTERVIEW
The following letter was sent from Tito Ortiz's agent, Bardia
Ghahremani, to MMAWeekly.com last night.
"I’d
like to address Dana White’s comments during an interview
posted on this website (MMAWeekly.com) on Tuesday, May 24th.
"Several
statements were made about why Tito was not allowed in the octagon
at UFC 52, why he wasn’t on camera, why he’s been pulled
off the website, etc. All because Tito Ortiz is no longer a UFC
fighter. Understood.
"However,
when Dana states that “Tito has this fantasy that he's the
biggest guy in MMA, that he is the God of all MMA” that
is where I take exception. No, Tito does not think he’s
the “God of all MMA” but I can say that the belief
that Tito Ortiz is the biggest or one of the biggest names in
MMA is not a “fantasy”.
"Dana
further went on to state that right now more people know who
Stephan Bonnar and Forrest Griffin are than know who Tito Ortiz
is. And why? Because they were a part of a show that ten million
people were watching at one point. For hypothetical purposes,
let’s say that less than 10 million watch the NBA Eastern
Conference Finals this week between the Detroit Pistons and Miami
Heat. Would that mean that more people know who Stephan Bonnar
and Forrest Griffin are than who Shaquille O’Neal is? Of
course not.
"There
are several factors that play into an athlete’s popularity.
Being in front of a national television audience of ten million
helps but it’s not the sole determinant. Tito's involvement
in movies, TV shows, prints and other media outlets outside of
the UFC has given Tito exposure that goes beyond the MMA loyal
and into a much larger audience that dwarfs the viewing of the
latest in a string of reality shows.
"I
would put this question to industry experts to determine if Dana's
theory holds water. I would be willing to put Tito up against
Forrest or Stephan in a Q score study. As I'm sure Dana knows,
the Q scores are the industry standard for measuring familiarity
and appeal of performers, characters, sports and sports personalities
across a broad audience. Forrest and Stephan may be up and coming
in the UFC world but this can't negate the growth and popularity
that Tito has brought to the sport over the years and the Q scores
would prove it.
"Nonetheless,
it can be concluded that it is in poor taste for one entity to
make comments or insinuations that another assumes it’s
"the God of all MMA", especially if both insist that
the number one goal is the promotion and growth the sport. MMA
will keep growing and become more main-stream via the vehicle
known as the fighter, not the president of an organization.
Bardia
Ghahremani
International
Sports Agency
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Quote
of the Day
"If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams,
and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will
meet with a success unexpected in common hours."
Henry David Thoreau, 1817-1862, American Essayist, Poet, Naturalist
|
KHNL
News 8 Featured Sydney Silva on the Stand
Local
MMA and BJJ fighter Sydney Silva was on KHNL news defending himself
when he came home one night to find a burglar had broken into
his home with his wife and child in the house. He did what anyone
of us would have done, defend his family against the criminal.
In the news report he stated that the incident lasted 12 minutes.
All of us should be watching this case closely and backing up
Sydney for defending his family and property.
Source:
Special K
|
Full
Contact Showdown 3
Fight Card
Doors open 7pm First Bell 8pm
175-lb Kickboxing: 3 Rounds - 1 Minute
Stoka Solla (Lee's Shaolin Boxing, Honolulu) vs. Brian Rigby
(Grappling Unlimited, Honolulu)
125
Kickboxing: 3 Rounds - 1 Minute
John Hosokawa (Lee's Shaolin Boxing, Honolulu) vs. Jumar Dumaolo
(808 Fight Factory, Waipahu)
155-lb
Kickboxing: 3 Rounds - 1 Minute
Tim Lapitan (Bulls Pen, Honolulu) vs. John Honda (Grappling Unlimited,
Honolulu)
145-lb
MMA: 3 Rounds - 3 Minutes
Kaipo Gonzalez (M.M.A.D., Kailua) vs. Edward Williams (Puna Boyz,
Puna)
155-lb
MMA: 3 Rounds - 3 Minutes
Bronson DeLima (Bulls Pen, Honolulu) vs. Lee Peneku (808 Fight
Factory, Waipahu)
155-lb
MMA: 3 Rounds - 3 Minutes
Arto "Pocko" Woods (808 Fight Factory, Waipahu) vs.
Brian Wiehle (M.M.A.D., Kailua)
155-lb
MMA: 3 Rounds - 3 Minutes
Justin Holcombe (Bulls Pen, Honolulu) vs. Makoa Hanaike (M.M.A.D.,
Kailua)
135-lb MMA: 3 Rounds - 3 Minutes
Albert Manners (Puna Boyz, Puna) vs. Gerald "G-Money"
Arevalo (808 Fight Factory, Waipahu)
155-lb
MMA: 3 Rounds - 3 Minutes
Mike Leonguerrero (Bulls Pen, Honolulu) v. Kyle Miyahana (Freelance)
155-lb
MMA: 3 Rounds - 3 Minutes
Jamual Perkins (808 Fight Factory, Waipahu) vs. Shane Paccaro
(Puna Boyz, Puna)
|
Shields
and Melendez Shine at ADCC
On paper neither man was to have made it far in this World Series
of Grappling Tournaments. Jake was in possibly the toughest middleweight
bracket ever assembled and Melendez was an MMA fighter who had
only competed once in a submission grappling tournament and was
a mere blue belt in the art of Brazilian Jiu-jitsu. Melendez
would now face Hawaii's top 145lbs grappler, the 2x ADCC runner
up, Baret
Yoshida.
Yoshida, a BJJ Black belt, is known for his phenomenal guard
work and finishing prowess. He was one of the tournament favorites
and was expected to go through Melendez like a hot knife through
butter.
However someone forgot to tell Melendez, who despite finding
himself in trouble early, toughed his way out of every submission
attempt and then used reversals and takedowns to outpoint the
seasoned veteran. This was one of the tournaments biggest upsets.
Melendez was not as fortunate in his next match. He lost on points
when his opponent reversed a takedown attempt and amassed an
8 point lead. Melendez then scored 2 points of his own and looked
to have turned the tide on his wearied opponent, but it was too
late as time ran out. Overall a great performance by Gilbert
Melendez.
Jake
Shields had the type of performance that would redefine mat toughness.
His first match of the day was against "The Ultimate Fighter"
winner, Diego Sanchez. Jake has for some time now wanted to compete
in the UFC and now he had the chance to face off against their
new poster boy, Sanchez. Shields would not disappoint. Sanchez
came in confident after going through his pre-fight ritual of
slapping himself in the head and face as if to awaken some inner
spirit. The 2 men battled each other in a test of wills, each
man impressing the crowd. At the 5 minute mark the scoring phase
began and it was then that Shields took control of the match.
He twice reversed Sanchez and took him down to build a commanding
lead. Sanchez looked tired and had no answer for Jake's aggresive
style. Shields prevailed and a distraught Sanchez was left to
reassess himself while Shields awaited his match against Cameron
Earle.
Earle
is widely considered one of America's top Black belts. The Ralph
Gracie prodigy has amassed wins over the likes of Javier Vasquez,
Eddie Bravo and Marcelo Garcia. He has only lost once in his
weight and has only been submitted once by a heavier David Terrell.
The rivalry between Northern California's 2 top Jiu-jitsu schools
is friendly in nature but a very fierce one. As Earle and Shields
took the mat it was clear that this would be once again Team
Cesar Gracie vs. Team Ralph Gracie.
Earle came out and went to guard on Shields where he worked his
sweeps and submission attempts. It was there that Earle secured
a deep armbar. There looked to be no escape for Shields as he
tried to pull his arm out, wincing in pain.
As Shields' arm began to pop he was able to get out just before
it completely broke. Earle looked shocked that Shields had not
tapped. After a scramble, Shields took Earle down and then worked
hard for the pass. Earle was forced to turn to his knees to avoid
giving up points for the pass. From there Shields secured both
hooks and attacked Earle's neck. As the time ran out it was clear
that Shields would be advancing.
Jake's
next opponent was scheduled to be Pablo Popovitch. However it
seemed that this match would not happen due to the fact that
Jake's arm had ballooned to twice its original size and was no
longer able to straighten. Earle's armbar had taken its toll.
After some consideration Jake decided to continue. He had come
too far and refused to quit. Unlike his two previous matches
Popovitch was more tactical, refusing to engage and taking advantage
of the rules and frustrating Shields. He picked his shots and
finally scored on a takedown, arm-dragging Shield's bad arm.
Pablo was winning 6-0 but he was tired and took various timeouts,
citing an eye problem, blood on Shield's foot, etc.. Pablo advanced
to the finals against Marcello Garcia and Shields was left to
fight for 3rd place against Leo Santos.
Leo
Santos had been impressive in the tournament with an electrifying
flying armbar on UFC fighter, George St. Pierre. Santos lost
to Marcello Garcia by the thinnest of margins. Garcia scored
no points on Santos and won only by an advantage. The multiple
time Jiu-jitsu Black-belt World Champion looked to beat his American
opponent. Santos immediately went to guard and attacked Jake's
injured arm. His attack was dangerous but Jake was able to again
work his way out. From there Jake was relentless. While trying
to pass he went to Santos' back, secured one hook and looked
for the other. Santos defended the second hook but left his neck
vulnerable to Jake's favorite attack; the choke. With Jake's
choke sunk in tight Santos was forced to tap. Jake Shields had
gained the respect of the grappling world and the admiration
of his entire team.
We congratulate our warriors Gilbert Melendez and Jake Shields.
Source:
Gracie Fighter
|
maX
Preview: UFC 53
By Jeremy Wall
UFC 53
will take place on Saturday, June 4th at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic
City. The time for talking is done.
Well,
not quite, as we need to talk about predictions for each fight.
Overall, in comparison to the latest show with Liddell vs. Couture
it's a weak card, but nothing could really compare to the month
of April which UFC had this year. This is not the kind of show
to draw huge on pay per view, and I think any drawing power in
the show will be based on Rich Franklin challenging Evan Tanner
for the middleweight title since Franklin has been positioned
as a popular character after defeating Ken Shamrock. Andrei Arlovski
may be the heavyweight champion and he may take up the largest
amount of space on the UFC 53 poster and he may be a helluva
fighter, but he is far from being a money draw for UFC.
The
last show UFC did in Atlantic City was this past October, with
Tito Ortiz returning against Patrick Cote who was a late replacement
for an injured Guy Mezger. The show did a mediocre gate and nothing
spectacular has been heard about what it drew on pay per view.
Since Ortiz is still a bigger name than any of the top fighters
on this card (although I think if Forrest Griffin, who is on
the undercard, were put in a headline spot in the right match
with the right promotion, this event could pull in a solid number
on pay per view), I doubt this event will do any better at the
box office.
The
five fights guaranteed to get on TV are Arlovski vs. Eilers,
Tanner vs. Franklin, Buentello vs. Jordan, Quarry vs. Carter,
with Serra vs. Parisyan as the swing fight. However, all the
fights will probably end up airing.
Now
on to the fights:
Andrei
Arlovski vs Justin Eilers
Eilers
is going into this fight coming off a knockout loss to Paul Buentello
earlier this year. Eilers was not UFC's first pick to fight Arlovski
here but there was no one else available at the time the fight
was signed.
In
a lot of people's minds this makes Eilers a mega-underdog since
it's clear that he wouldn't be given a title shot if he wasn't
one of the only fighters available to take on Arlovski. However,
Eilers is a skilled striker and Arlovski has been knocked out
in the past. So it's entirely possible that if Eilers bangs with
Arlovski that he could knock him out. And Eilers will bang with
Arlovski.
Arlovski
has only lost twice in his career via TKO to Ricco Rodriguez
and a knockout loss to Pedro Rizzo. Rizzo is a far more refined
striker than Eilers, so Eilers' chances of knocking Arlovski
out may not be as good.
If
Eilers chooses to grappler with Arlovski early in the fight he
may get submitted. None of Arlovski's fights have every gone
the distance and odds are this one won't either. Someone is getting
finished. They can both knock their opponent out plus be knocked
out themselves, although I would give the slight edge in striking
to Arlovski. Arlovski has the edge when it comes to finishing
the fight via submission, so overall I have to agree with the
majority and give a definite advantage to Arlovski. But a knockout
win for Eilers is only a split-second away from happening at
any time.
Pick:
Arlovski via submission
Evan
Tanner vs. Rich Franklin
The
last time they fought it was at 205-pounds. Franklin took Tanner
apart quickly, but dfon't count on that happening again this
time.
Tanner
has looked dominant at middleweight, whereas Franklin's only
fight in UFC at middleweight was against Jorge Rivera, whom Franklin
didn't submit until late in the fight. Since defeating Tanner
at UFC 42 Franklin has also only defeated unknown Edwin Dewees
and aged Ken Shamrock in the UFC, so he still has a lot to prove.
Franklin
is a good striker. Tanner can strike well from the clinch and
has a hard chin, but Franklin probably has the edge standing
up.
This
is a tough fight to pick despite the fact that the two have met
in the octagon previously. Most people seem to be writing off
the last fight between the two as having little bearing on the
rematch simply because so many things have happened between then
and now. Franklin is the public pick because of his high-profile
win over Shamrock on The Ultimate Fighter Finals, and this fight
could realistically go either way... Vut Tanner has looked so
incredibly good at middleweight that it's hard to pick against
him.
Pick:
Tanner via decision
Paul
Buentello vs. Kevin Jordan
Buentello
is an accomplished striker coming off his UFC debut, a knockout
win over Justin Eilers. Jordan is making his UFC debut here in
the midst of a six-fight winning streak.
Jordan
is an unknown to the point where Buentello himself doesn't even
know much about him. This could swing in either man's advantage.
Since he hasn't seen much of Jordan, Buentello will probably
fall back on his primary strength as a fighter, which is striking.
Jordan has shown a variety of skills based on the results of
his fights but has only started training in striking in the last
two or three years. Thus Buentello has far more experience than
him in that aspect of the game.
If
the fight stays on it's feet, and Jordan indicated in an interview
with maXfighting.com that it would be alright with him if it
did, then Buentello will probably score the knockout. If it goes
to the ground, then it could be anyone's game. But all of this
is hard to say because Jordan could be bringing something to
the table that we are all not aware of. Odds are that this fight
won't be going to a decision since it is taking place at heavyweight.
Pick:
Buentello via TKO
Nathan
Quarry vs. Shonie Carter
Quarry,
a member of Team Quest, is 6-1 in MMA and is coming off his debut
in the UFC, which was a win over Lodune Sincaid at The Ultimate
Fighter Finals events in April. He was, of course, a cast member
of The Ultimate Fighter, but was eliminated part way through
the show due to suffering an injury. His only career loss was
to Gustavo Machado via decision in King of the Cage two years
ago. Shonie Carter will be easily the best competition he has
faced in his career.
Carter
is an accomplished striker with a long record of fights that
ends up at 29-12-6. He hasn't fought in UFC since being knocked
out by Pat Miletich in June 2001. His record since that loss
has been a mixed bag, and his most recent fight was a loss to
Jorge Oliveira in WEC earlier this year. Carter stands a chance
to win this via knockout or at least take home a decision and
since he's an underdog it seems that a lot of people are willing
to take bets on him seeing as he's the underdog here. I'm not
so confident with that, as I see Quarry winning a decision.
Pick:
Quarry via decision
Matt
Serra vs. Karo Parisyan
This
is jiu jitsu vs. judo. Serra has a mixed record in UFC, but his
record is deceiving as he is a far better fighter than his stats
in UFC indicate. Parisyan is the favorite because he's on a hot
streak, plus Serra is moving up from lightweight to take this
fight and has not fought in a year. However, Serra cuts a lot
of weight to make lightweight and is one of the biggest fighters
in that division (when UFC had that division), so I don't think
that weight will be an issue. It would seem unlikely that either
fight will be able to submit the other, and a knockout doesn't
seem likely from either. Since both of these guys have the cardio
to go the distance then it will probably be a decision. It's
just hard to tell who the decision will be for. It's one of those
fights that could go either way and could end up close enough
to warrant a split-decision. I like Serra as an underdog here,
so I'm going to go out on a limb and pick him.
Pick:
Serra via decision
Nick
Diaz vs. Koji Oishi
Oishi
is from Pancrase and boasts an 11-3-3 record. This is actually
not his UFC debut, as he fought and lost to LaVerne Clark in
his debut MMA fight at UFC Ultimate Japan 3 in April 2000. However,
this is his first time back since then. He's won most of his
fights via decision, but holds a couple of TKO wins. Fighting
in Pancrase means that he's also at least decent with submissions.
Diaz is an all-around talented fighter from Cesar Gracie's camp
who seems to adapt to his opponents well. Diaz has a chance to
both stop or submit Oishi but I think most likely in this case
is a Diaz decision victory.
Pick:
Diaz via decision
David
Loiseau vs. Charles McCarthy
Loiseau
is a very good striker and clinch fighter coming off a win over
Gideon Ray in his UFC return. McCarthy is a grappler making his
UFC debut with an 8-2 record. Loiseau is 12-4, having suffered
a couple of submission losses in his career, one against Jeremy
Horn. Loiseau only made it back into the UFC because his management
worked things out for him to get a fight in exchange for Patrick
Cote fighting Tito Ortiz in October on short notice, so odds
are he wouldn't be back here if he had not fought (and defeated)
Gideon Ray. We'll find out how good with submissions McCarthy
is against Loiseau, and whether or not he can take a punch from
a skilled competitor. McCarthy, however, may actually be a very
good underdog pick for people hunting for an upset.
Pick:
McCarthy via submission
Forrest
Griffin vs. Bill Mahood
Griffin
is riding high after winning The Ultimate Fighter by defeating
Stephan Bonnar in a now-legendary match back in April. Mahood
is a tough competitor from Canada who has not fought since suffering
a knockout loss to Patrick Cote last year. This has the markings
of an exciting war if the past fights of these two are any indication.
Anything can happen in situations like that and there's a serious
chance Mahood could upset Griffin. I still have to go with the
favorite in this fight because of his skill level and because
of the amount of time Mahood has been away from the ring.
Pick:
Griffin via TKO
Jeremy
Wall can be contacted at mmachronicle@hotmail.com
Source:
Maxfighting
|
Rich
Franklin Speaks Out About Evan Tanner
By Jeremy Wall
The Middleweight title fight between defending champion Evan
Tanner and challenger Rich Franklin may be the biggest selling
point for Zuffa on pay per view for UFC 53 coming up this weekend.
And the reason for that is the emergence of Franklin as a public
fighter after stopping Ken Shamrock just moments into the first
round of their bout on the April 9th Ultimate Fighter Finals.
The
idea with the fight was for the aged Shamrock, in what was the
final fight of his contract with Zuffa signed in 2002 before
he fought Tito Ortiz at UFC 40, to lose to the up-and-coming
Franklin who signed a multi-fight deal with the company that
leaves him still with six fights after the match with Tanner
this weekend... an extremely lengthy deal for Zuffa.
So
how well did the Shamrock win work in turning Franklin into a
star? "I'm from Cincinnati," says Franklin, "and
that's a place where people don't watch fighting. So it's really
hard to tell, but I noticed that at the last UFC when I was out
there, I was definitely, definitely getting recognized a lot
more often. But at home, nah, it's all the same."
Franklin
goes into the title match on Saturday night with a 17-1 record,
his only loss being against Ryoto Machida in Japan on New Year's
Eve 2003. He remains undefeated in four fights in the UFC. One
of those fights was against Tanner back at UFC 42 in April 2003,
when both fighters were competing at light-heavyweight. Franklin
stopped Tanner just 2:40 into the match.
"I
don't think it will be that quick," answers Franklin when
asked if this fight against Tanner will look anything like the
first. "He's seen the tapes of me now, so he'll be a little
more prepared. And, you know, it's definitely going to go in
my favour but not as quickly as before."
Now
both competitors are fighting in the middleweight ranks, and
this time their meeting will be far more prestigious since they
will be facing off for the UFC Middlweight title. "Coming
into this fight I'm preparing for it like every other fight,"
says Franklin. "I'm relaxed and ready to go. [I'm going
to] treat him like he's not a rematch but a new opponent. And
I'm not focusing on the belt or anything. It's just another day
in the office."
Franklin's
most recent appearance in the UFC other than the Shamrock fight
was against Jorge Rivera, whom Franklin armbarred for a submission
victory in the third round, at UFC 50 last October. It was Franklin's
first fight in UFC after moving down to compete at middleweight.
Franklin also scored a second-round victory over UFC veteran
Curtis Stout at SuperBrawl in December.
He
isn't considered with any future challengers, though, should
he defeat Tanner for the belt. "It doesn't matter to me,"
says Franklin. "Fighting to me is a business. This is my
job, so after this fight whoever the UFC wants to put in the
cage against me next, then that is who I will fight. Whatever
helps propel my career in the direction that I need it to be
going in. I'm not worried about titles or calling certain fighters
out or anything like that."
Tanner
is 29-3 in MMA, and beyond his loss to Franklin he has only lost
once more in the UFC, a quick loss to Tito Ortiz at UFC 30 where
Ortiz slammed Tanner knocking him out in merely 32 seconds.
But
beyond that Tanner holds wins in the UFC over Lance Gibson, Homer
Moore, Chris Hasemen, Elvis Sinosic, Phil Baroni (twice), Robbie
Lawler and most recently David Terrell, which is the match where
Tanner won the vacant Middleweight title, which had not been
defended since former champion Murilo Bustamante left the promotion
in a contract dispute in 2002.
Tanner
has looked especially good in his most recent fights, and has
more experience than Franklin fighting at middleweight against
tough competition. Plus, Franklin had to come down in weight
for this fight in only a couple of months after fighting against
Shamrock at light-heavyweight in April.
But
Franklin feels none of this is a problem at all. "I'll tell
you what, this fight has been great. Everything is going to plan,"
he says. "Usually when I train for an opponent something
happens. Some minor injury, I hurt my wrist or I get sick for
a couple days or whatever. But there has been nothing for this
fight, and everything has gone according to plan, so I'm feeling
good."
Jeremy
Wall can be contacted at mmachronicle@hotmail.com
Source:
Maxfighting
|
Can
Serra Stand the “Heat”?
by Steven Curtis
He
may be “The Terror” in the Octagon, but Matt Serra
is a total class act outside of it. Sherdog.com visited Renzo
Gracie’s No. 1 American student recently at the Serra Academy
in Huntington, New York.
Clearly
jacked up for his UFC 53 fight with Karo Parisyan, Serra took
time out from training to tell us about how he made it to the
“big show” and equally important, how he overcame the
roadblocks along the way.
Matt
didn’t make any bold predictions about his battle with Parisyan,
but one thing’s for sure … expect some fireworks. As
we learned, Matt is all about giving the people what they want:
an all-out war.
Sherdog.com:
First of all, congratulations on the Serra Academy. It seems
to be getting bigger and bigger.
Matt
Serra: Thanks man, we’ve got a lot of students at our two
schools — one in East Meadow, Long Island and the other
in Huntington. It’s been going really well, thank God.
Sherdog.com
Your family also trains here, correct?
Serra:
I have two other brothers that train. Nicky is a black belt.
I’m the first American black belt under Renzo, he’s
the second. He’s real good, and he’s fighting a month
after me in Atlantic City in the WEF. My other brother Damian,
who doesn’t fight competitively, is a brown belt. My father
is a black belt also. Everybody’s rollin’.
Sherdog.com:
First American black belt under Renzo is a pretty amazing accomplishment.
Did you spend much time in Brazil training?
Serra:
I’ve been down to Brazil a bunch of times, beginning in1997,
purple belt level, and I would stay there a month at a time and
just train.
Sherdog.com:
And Drago [Pete Sell] is one of your students, too, right?
Serra:
Yeah, man.
Sherdog.com:
Corso (Sherdog photographer) and I were talking about how that
was one of the most impressive debuts in the Octagon in awhile.
Serra:
To be honest I don’t think he got enough praise for that.
Sherdog.com:
He fought like he’d been in there ten times. But didn’t
he take the fight on really short notice?
Serra:
He took the fight on less than three weeks’ notice, and
he trained well. Not just under me but also with our standup
trainer Ray Longo. And he’d been at UFC fights before —
he’d worked my corner so he kind of knew what to expect.
So come fight time, he was pretty confident. We had covered all
the bases and we knew going in that we had [Baroni’s] number
that night.
Sherdog.com:
For the benefit of those fans who might be seeing you for the
first time this weekend, can you give us a little background
on your career in jujitsu and MMA?
Serra:
I started with Renzo (Gracie) in the early-to-mid 1990s, but
I started out originally training in jiu-jitsu in the early 90s
right out of high school under Craig Kukuk. He was Renzo’s
original American business partner and a black belt. Renzo came
to the U.S. a couple of years later and he and Craig parted ways.
I stayed with Renzo because he always treated my brothers and
I really great and I have been with Renzo ever since.
Sherdog.com:
At what point did you decide you wanted to step out on your own
and form your own academy?
Serra:
I’m still with Renzo; I still visit him and we try to have
him out here as much as we can. I didn’t just get a black
belt and leave. I still was around his academy for over two years,
and I was teaching a little bit. But then you get to that point
where you start getting a little bit older and you start saying
to yourself, “What am I going to be doing five, six, 10
years from now?” So I asked his permission. I asked him,
“Is it alright that I do something on Long Island?”
And he gave me full support. He was like, “Go for it.”
Sherdog.com:
You mention on your website — www.serrajujitsu.com —
at you have him out here for seminars and other events.
Serra:
He’s been very generous to us— it seems like he’s
out here all the time. His cousins have been out here; his Uncle
Carlitos has been out here. Part of it is just giving back to
the Gracies, helping them promote their art, but it is really
good for everybody because the students here really enjoy when
Renzo and his family visits.
Sherdog.com:
Now when did you decide that you wanted to get into MMA?
Serra:
I always knew I wanted to fight ever since the first Ultimate
Fighting. I was like everybody else watching it at home and thinking,
“Man, this is fantastic.” I was just a fan at first
and still am. But then I started to excel at jujitsu and do OK
in tournaments, at first local tournaments, and then super-fights,
and then I won the Pan American gold medal in ‘99, which
was a bigger thing at the time because the Americans weren’t
winning as much. So things were going really well. At the same
time, around purple belt level, I was fighting in local mixed
martial arts fights.
Sherdog.com:
So how many MMA fights before UFC?
Serra:
I had eight MMA fights before UFC.
Sherdog.com:
How did you evolve your game beyond just grappling?
Serra:
To be honest, everybody evolves. If I had no time constraints
in the ring — say an hour to fight somebody — maybe
I wouldn’t have to work so hard on the other stuff. Maybe
I could just tire my opponents out to submit them. But you’ve
got three-five chess game, but it’s almost like speed chess.
You’re trying to pass a half-guard and the guy you’re
fighting is latching on for dear life while the ref is saying,
“Keep moving or I’m gonna stand you up!” Normally
you might be submitting that guy left and right — but in
the Octagon it’s different. You need the strikes to set
up the submissions. You’ve got to adapt to the rules.
Sherdog.com:
But cardio is always a huge emphasis for you, maybe more than
other fighters.
Serra:
When I’m in the Octagon, I’m not worried about getting
hurt. I never say to myself “Oh my God, what if I get cut?”
or anything like that. I’ve been hurt before and most likely
I’ll get hurt again. It comes with the territory and it
doesn’t really bother me. But man, you do not want to get
tired in there. You’re in a cage! (laughs) It’s a terrible
feeling. It’s one thing if you get tired in a marathon or
some other sport, maybe you could ease up a bit and recover.
You get tired in the Octagon and you’ve got guys throwing
elbows, punching, slamming you to the mat. So that’s the
one thing I really, really focus on.
Sherdog.com:
Have you prepared for Parisyan any differently than other opponents?
Serra:
I always make sure cardio is there, and I always study the tapes
of each guy. I know his strong points, which is not to say he
hasn’t developed others — we all do. But the one constant
is cardio. Especially a guy like him; he’s an aggressive
guy like myself. Cardio might be a factor, and if it is it will
definitely not be a factor for me because I know I’m ready.
And I believe that at 170 it will be even better than at 155,
because I won’t be killing myself to cut weight the day
before. I’ve been running constantly, I do long, low intensity
runs, and I also do the hills, the versaclimber, different interval
training. I get the best of all worlds.
Sherdog.com:
When we first spoke you were really pumped because you said,
“Styles make fights.”
Serra:
I think the fight with Karo is great for everyone, for the fans
especially. It’s really going to be an exciting fight. I’ve
never seen the guy go backwards, he always goes for it and so
do I. His main strengths lead to my strengths. So if he gets
his wicked judo throws on me that leads to my strongest points.
I’m sure he feels like he can deal with it because he’s
fought other black belts, but we’ll see. More than anything,
I want this to be an exciting fight. Sometimes I get people approaching
me — and sometimes it’s not even about a fight I won.
For example the Shonie Carter fight, they enjoyed. It’s
a fight I lost. I really just want to get back to putting on
a clinic and having a real exciting fight for everybody.
Sherdog.com:
You mention the Shonie Carter fight. We’ve seen plenty of
great fighters — Rampage is the latest example — who
have one or two difficult fights and can’t come back from
it. They’re just not the same after a tough loss. But you
not only came back, you came back stronger. How did you do that?
Serra:
I remember why I got into MMA in the first place and I try not
to let the pressure get to me. I fought in the pressure cooker
before. My fight after Shonie was with a more dangerous striker
in Yves Edwards. That was my second fight in UFC, and that was
at a time when I had to really deal with the pressure, because
if I had lost again I would have definitely have been out, and
I needed that winning purse to open up my first school. If I
would have sat there and dwelled on it, it could have crushed
me. So I said to myself, “I’m getting paid to fight,
I love to fight, take [the loss] for what it is. Don’t make
it out to be this huge deal. And don’t start thinking about
things like, ‘Oh man, what if I get hit with another shot
like that?’ because believe me, if you start waiting around
for that shot to land, sooner or later it’s gonna land.”
I stayed focused and remembered why I got into the game.
Sherdog.com:
Why did you decide to take this fight at 170 as opposed to 155?
Serra:
Basically a couple of reasons. To begin with, UFC doesn’t
have as many fights at 155 anymore. I was offered the fight with
Karo, so why not? I feel good at this weight; I’m not going
to have to cut that much weight. I may not be the tallest guy
out there, but I am pretty thick, so 155 is brutal for me. I’ll
do it for the big show — I’ll do it for UFC but I don’t
know if I’d do it for anyone else. A lot of guys want to
cut weight because they don’t want to end up on their back.
God forbid they wind up there and they’re smaller than their
opponent. But I don’t have that problem as much because
I can be dangerous off my back. I have a guard. If a guy throws
me then the fight is just beginning so I’m not sweating
that. So I feel I can put on a pretty exciting show at this weight
and I think I can be very tough at this weight for anybody.
Sherdog.com:
Any prediction for the fight?
Serra:
I’m expecting a war. If it ends earlier, great; if not,
I’ll be there for 15 minutes battling it out. I want to
take him out, though, that’s always the game plan.
Source:
Sherdog
|
Quote
of the Day
"Pain is inevitable, suffering is optional."
Buddhist adage.
|
Rizzo's
Back
Two More Fights Announced For Pride's Next Event June 26th
Two
more bouts were announced for Pride's June 26 th pay per view
to go along with the next round of this years middleweight grand
prix.
As
previously rumored on MMAWeekly.com, it has now been confirmed
that former Pride heavyweight champion Antonio Rodrigo "Minotauro"
Nogueira will fight Polish Judo expert Pawel Nastula. Nogueria
who hasn't fought since his loss to current champion Fedor Emelianenko
at the end of 2004, has finally received some much needed rest.
Nastula is obviously a new comer to the sport and is sure to
receive a very rude welcome from a fighter of the caliber of
Nogueira.
The
other fight that was announced could be one of the biggest and
best heavyweight fights this year. Sergei Kharitonov who is considered
to be one of the top fighters in the world right now will take
on the returning Pedro "The Rock" Rizzo. The last time
fans saw Rizzo was in a very uninspired match in the UFC with
Ricco Rodriguez in 2003. "The Rock" was rumored to
have signed with Pride almost 2 years ago, but nothing has surfaced
until now.
Obviously
Rizzo has always been considered a very dangerous opponent, but
he won't have a very easy welcome back taking on a fighter such
as Kharitonov. The Russian fighter has only been defeated once
and that was a very close decision to Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
in the semi-finals of the Pride heavyweight grand prix. Meanwhile,
Rizzo has been training and waiting for a fight and he will have
his hands full with Kharitonov.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
ADDITIONAL
MATCHES ANNOUNCED FOR PRIDE FIGHTING'S
CRITICAL COUNTDOWN 2005
Two
non-tournament bouts have been announced for PRIDE FIGHTING'S
next event, CRITICAL COUNTDOWN 2005. In the first, Antonio Rodrigo
Nogueira of the Brazilian Top Team will take on Poland's 1996
Judo Olympic gold-medallist, Pawel Nastula. In the second bout
Russia's Sergei Kharitonov takes on veteran heavyweight, Pedro
"The Rock" Rizzo of Brazil.
Antonio
Rodrigo Nogueira (Brazil) vs. Pawel Nastula (Poland)
PRIDE's
former heavyweight champion, Antonio Rodrigo "Minotauro"
Nogueira is a fighter who needs no introduction. A finalist in
the 2004 heavyweight Grand Prix, "Minotauro" is the
total package, coupling outstanding Jiu Jitsu skills with a solid
boxing background. Nogueira has been in legendary matches with
the likes of Bob Sapp, Fedor Emelianenko, Heath Herring, and
Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic. His opponent will be the
legendary Judoka, Pawel Nastula. The 1995 and 1997 Judo World
Champion and 1996 gold medallist at the Olympic games in Atlanta,
Nastula brings his legendary Judo skills to the PRIDE ring to
compete against the world's elite mixed martial artists.
In
the second bout, Russia's Sergei Kharitonov will take on UFC
veteran, Pedro "The Rock" Rizzo. Kharitonov is one
of PRIDE's toughest heavyweights, boasting wins over Choi Mu
Bae, Semmy Schilt, and Murilo "Ninja" Rua. Kharitonov
reached the semi-finals of the 2004 heavyweight grand Prix. Pedro
"The Rock" Rizzo will be making his PRIDE debut, but
he is no stranger to mixed martial arts. This Brazilian striker
trains under Marco Ruas and has career wins over Ricco Rodriguez,
Tra Telligman, Andrei Arlovski, and Mark Coleman. Kharitonov
versus Rizzo ... which of these heavy-hitting strikers will be
left standing?
In
addition to these matches, there is the second round of the Grand
Prix tournament. Defending tournament champion, Wanderlei Silva,
reached the second round of the tournament after a hard-fought
split decision victory over Hidehiko Yoshida. Yoshida's protégé,
Kazuhiro Nakamura, considered an underdog by many in the first
round, advanced by defeating American Kevin Randleman by unanimous
decision. Japanese fighter, Kazushi Sakuraba, advanced via a
thirty-eight second first round KO of Korean judoka Yoon Dong
Sik. Ricardo Arona advanced after winning a unanimous decision
over Dean Lister. Chute Boxe's rising star, Mauricio "Shogun"
Rua, reached the second round by knocking out 2003 tournament
finalist, Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, in the first round.
Antonio Rogerio Nogueira of the Brazilian Top Team advanced by
submitting Team Quest's Dan Henderson via armbar. Igor Vovchanchyn
advanced by winning a unanimous decision over Japanese Yuki Kondo.
Golden Glory fighter Alistair Overeem advanced by submitting
UFC tournament representative Vitor Belfort via guillotine.
PRIDE
FIGHTING'S 2005 Middleweight Grand Prix Tournament spans three
events ... TOTAL ELIMINATION (opening round), CRITICAL COUNTDOWN
(Second Round) and FINAL CONFLICT (Semi-Finals and Finals). The
date for FINAL CONFLICT will be announced soon.
Tournament
Matches:
Wanderlei
Silva (Brazil) vs. Kazuhiro Nakamura (Japan)
Kazushi
Sakuraba (Japan) vs. Ricardo Arona (Brazil)
Mauricio
"Shogun" Rua (Brazil) vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira
(Brazil)
Igor
Vovchanchyn (Ukraine) vs. Alistair Overeem (Holland)
Additional
Matches (Non-Tournament):
Antonio
Rodrigo Nogueira (Brazil) vs. Pawel Nastula (Poland)
Sergei
Kharitonov (Russia) vs. Pedro Rizzo (Brazil)
Additional
match ups to be announced soon.
(Participants
and Matches Subject to Change)
CRITICAL
COUNTDOWN 2005 premieres on North American pay per view via iNDEMAND,
DIRECTV, DISH NETWORK, UrbanXtra, TVN1, VU!, and Viewer's Choice
Canada on July 1 st at 10:00pm EST, 7:00pm PST (including a countdown
show at 9:30pm EST, 6:30pm PST). For additional replay times,
please contact your pay per view provider or pridefc.com.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Peter
Aerts To MMA
Our
friends at SportsNavi report that Akira Maeda of HERO'S announced
at the K-1 tournament in France, that Peter Aerts will make his
mixed marital arts debut in the 2nd HEROS' event scheduled for
July 6, in Tokyo. Peter Aerts who is 34 and fom Holland is a
three time K-1 champion (94,95,98), and recorded a 2nd round
K.O. victory over Adam Watt in a Rings event in 1992 but that
was strictly under kickboxing rules. In recent years Peter has
been a long way from his championship K-1 form but expects new
possibilities with his first mixed martial arts match. Maeda
commented, "That Peter has the right ability and sense for
mixed martial arts, and I'm very much looking forward to his
upcoming match."
Source: MMA Weekly
|
The
Canadian Takes on The Ultimate Fighter
Bill "The Butcher" Mahood:
The Canadian Takes on The Ultimate Fighter
The
newest crop of fighters that have been debuting in the UFC haven't
been from Brazil, Russia or even Japan...the Canadians have now
invaded the octagon and have a great brand of mixed martial arts
to bring with them. Georges St. Pierre, David "The Crow"
Louiseau, and Patrick Cote are just a few of the names, but now
a light heavyweight force will make his debut at UFC 53.
Bill
"The Butcher" Mahood is a very tough fighter with a
wealth of experience already under his belt. His opponent, Forrest
Griffin, who just won the light heavyweight division during the
"Ultimate Fighter" show is also a veteran and won't
have an easy time with the TKO warrior.
Mahood
who has trained boxing and judo almost his entire life actually
carries a black belt in both Tae Kwon Do and Hapkido, and has
a very impressive record to sport. "The Butcher" has
been seen by many as a very good stand-up fighter with extremely
heavy hands and good ground and pound skills.
Throughout
his career, the British Columbia native has been just on the
cusp of getting a shot at the bigtime in the light heavyweight
division. Mahood has victories over fighters the likes Chris
Haseman, Tom Sauer and Jason McDonald all by TKO.
The
last fight that Mahood had was in the TKO promotion against another
Canadian export to the UFC, Patrick Cote. The fight was highly
touted for both men, but Cote ended Mahood's night with a wicked
KO, and since then he has been training for his next chance.
Bill
Mahood has trained with many great teachers throughout his career
including Denis Kang, John Lewis and Marc Laimon, and his experience
will serve him well as a first timer inside the octagon. Forrest
Griffin has been seen prominently as a stand-up fighter as well
and this fight will most likely stay off the ground unless Mahood
takes it there.
Griffin
has received much stardom from his experience on the "Ultimate
Fighter" but Mahood is not a fighter to be overlooked. When
his striking is in top form, the Canadian fighter is as dangerous
as any in that weight class. As long as Mahood doesn't freeze-up
under the bright lights and attention that the UFC brings with
it, he has a very good shot of winning this fight. Although widely
unknown to the U.S. audience, Bill Mahood is sure to show up
ready to put on a show and if on his game walk out a winner in
Atlantic City on June 4th.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Quote
of the Day
"Too often we underestimate the power of touch, a smile,
a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest
act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life
around."
Leo Buscaglia, American Expert on Love, Lecturer, Author
|
Special
rules match for Nogueira?
On
May 25 PRIDE announced two one-match fights for the second round
of its Middleweight Grand Prix show. 1996 Atlanta Olympics gold
medalist Pawel Nastula will square off against former PRIDE heavyweight
champion Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira. The other match, despite being
far less heralded in the Japanese media, is perhaps more exciting
than the first. In that match, Russian tough guy Sergei Kharitonov
will fight Brazilian puncher Pedro Rizzo, formerly of UFC fame.
The
6/26 fight will mark Nogueira's return to the ring after more
than a half-year's absence, following his loss to heavyweight
champion Fedor Emelianenko in 2004's Man Festival. But he might
come back under different circumstances than those he fought
under last time. PRIDE officials have made it clear that Nogueira's
opponent has asked for changes in the rules, to even the playing
field with the former champ.
Dream
Stage Entertainment president Nobuyuki Sakakibara stated that
Nastula has asked for a judo gi match, a jacket (only) match,
and a Bushido rules time limit (2 rounds, 10 mins. & 5 mins.,
respectively). PRIDE made it clear that if both fighters agree,
a jacket match is a possibility, but no change will be allowed
in the time limit. DSE officials will soon start pinning down
exactly what rules will be used for this match.
No
matter what the rules, Nogueira seemed upbeat in a statement
read at the press conference. "I have just been wanting
to get back in the ring. Nastula is going to be a tough opponent.
But after being away for over 6 months, I'm looking forward to
kicking some ass."
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
"I'm
definitely ready for another go around", says Evan Tanner
Evan
Tanner, UFC Middleweight Champion, will defend his title for
the first time against a familiar face, Rich Franklin, at UFC
53. The two first fought back in April of 2003 at UFC 42 where
Franklin defeated Tanner in just 2:20 of the first round by TKO
referee stoppage. Evan feels the fight was stopped early. That
was the last time Evan Tanner lost a fight, and the last time
he fought at 205. Since then both fighters have dropped from
the light heavyweight division down to compete at 185. Tanner
spoke with MMAWeekly SoundOff Radio about the first fight with
Franklin, and how this rematch will be different. Sixteen fighters
in sixteen days continues with Evan Tanner.
We've seen many fighters move down in weight class recently.
Randy Couture is probably the most notable, but there have also
been Evan Tanner, Rich Franklin, Ken Shamrock, and guys like
Joe Riggs and Patrick Cote just to name a few. "At one point
I was really thinking about trying to stay at 205. Work my way
back up, and get another fight with Tito or something maybe.
Try to avenge that loss, but I let all that go and decided to
go ahead and move to my natural weight. I think I achieve much
more at my natural weight." Evan told MMAWeekly.
On the topic of Franklin's transition from 205 to 185, Tanner
stated, "If the fight with [Jorge] Rivera is any indication,
I think that he didn't look himself at 185 against Rivera. He
looked slower, weaker, less explosive. You know he looked just
kind of drawn. I don't know. Losing the weight probably zapped
his energy. Plus he didn't have as much muscle mass...From what
I've seen he looked much better at 205."
Looking back on the first bout with Rich Franklin, Evan Tanner
commented, "I was unhappy with the stoppage. I thought it
was very premature. Who knows how the fight would have ended
up. I was ready to go some more and let it play itself out, but
we didn't get to, so we get to go another round this time down
at my natural weight. I think I weighed in at exactly 195, and
that was with my sweatpants on and I probably had some change
in my pocket, and keys, a wallet. This is down at my natural
weight. I think I'm much more effective at this weight, and I'm
definitely ready for another go around."
During the interview, Evan somewhat compared and contrasted the
first match with Franklin compared to this time around. He stated,
"Last time some facts that people don't know, last time
I got the fight on two to three weeks notice. I forget exactly.
I had no idea who Rich was. I had no idea what he looked like...We're
walking around trying to guess who he is. I had no idea he was
southpaw, so we get out there completely unprepared. I had no
chance to view any of his fights or anything. Another thing,
the Friday before we left I ended up catching a knee in practice.
It knocked one tooth in half, and it knocked the other one back
up to the roof of my mouth. It totally tore my gum off the jaw
bone, so I had to get my gum stitched back down to my jaw bone....So
anyway I went into that fight, pulled out my stitches. My teeth
were still just aching and hurting. I pulled out my stitches
like the day before the fight. You know those things have an
effect."
He continued, "I was weighing 195. Way too light to be taking
on a guy at that level with that much size. A bunch of little
excuses, but they are the things that come into play. Now, this
time, my health is good. I'm feeling great. The training has
been going awesome. I know what Rich Franklin looks like now.
I know who he is. Unlike last time, so I'm prepared for it."
Discussing his opponent more in depth, Evan said, "I've
been studying his tapes. He's a well rounded fighter. He's strong.
He's got good ground work, good stand up. You never know what's
going to happen until you get in the ring, and everything plays
itself out. I'm very confident with my abilities on the ground
especially when I get in the top position. I'm not worried about
being underneath. I'm not afraid of Franklin's stand, so anything
can happen. It's going to be an awesome fight."
Tanner isn't expecting an easy fight. He's prepared to take Franklin
to the later rounds if need be. He commented, "One of the
keys is going to be conditioning. This fight is for five, five
minute rounds, and that's a long freakin fight especially if
you're tangling with a guy and you're going at it right from
the get go. You get worn out fast, and those later rounds can
be very important."
Evan Tanner is prepared and focused to retain his UFC middleweight
title. This fight could very well turn out to be the fight of
the night on the UFC 53 card. Closing out the interview Evan
said, "I'm definitely looking forward to the fight. I think
it's going to be great...Thanks to all the fans, and see you
on June 4th.
Source: MMA Weekly |
Sudo
could be out of HERO'S tournament
On
May 24 at a hotel in Tokyo, PlayStation2 unveiled their new game,
"K-1 WORLD MAX 2005 Road to the Championship." (Direct
translation from Japanese. The English title is as yet unknown.)
After the ceremony Genki Sudo entertained questions from the
press. When asked about his participation in the opening round
of the HERO'S middleweight tournament scheduled for July 6, Sudo
replied, "I haven't been able to train 100% because of an
injury. I don't know if I'll be ready by then."
Sudo
re-injured a ligament on the outer side of his left knee during
April's first HERO'S show. Further hinting at his inability to
go on 7/6, Sudo went on to say, "I'm not able to spar at
this point. It's a tournament, so if I participate I'm going
to do it with the intention of becoming the champion. Instead
of going into it in less than top condition, I'd rather come
back after healing up." Sudo went on to add that he would
announce one way or the other this month before tickets for the
event go on sale. "If I fight in July, it will be in the
tournament, but if that's not possible, then we'll just have
to see when my next fight will be."
Source: MMA Weekly
|
The
Quest for Champions 2005
FEATURING:
USSJA Sport Jujitsu, Sport Pankration, Extreme Sparring, Juniors/Adults
Novice Divisions, Submission Grappling
Saturday, June18, 2005
9:00 Weigh-In Registration
9:45 All Divisions will begin!
St.
Andrew's Priory Gym
224 Queen Emma Square
Honolulu, HI 96813
$25.00
Per Division
This
is NOT a no holds barred event!
For more information please contact
KEMPO UNLIMITED HAWAII at (808) 778-3601
|
Full
Contact Showdown 3 This
Saturday Night!
|
This
Saturday!
|
UFC
53 Card
Interim Heavweight Championship
Andrei Arlovski vs. Justin Eilers
Middleweight
Championship
Evan Tanner vs. Rich Franklin
Welterweight
Bouts
Matt Serra vs. Karo Parisyan
Nick Diaz vs. Koji Oishi
Middleweight
Bouts
David Louiseau vs. Charles McCarthy
Nathan Quarry vs. Shonie Carter
Light
Heavyweight Bout
Forrest Griffin vs. Bill Mahood
Heavyweight
Bout
Paul Buentello vs. Kevin Jordan
Source: MMA News
|
|