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(All events on Oahu, unless noted)
2005
12/10/05
Proving
Grounds -
ROTR
Qualifer
(MMA)
(Hilo Civic Center)
11/19/05
ROTR 9
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena)
11/14/05
3rd American National BJJ Championships
(Torrance Unified School District, Torrance, CA )
10/29-30/05
Brazilian Team Titles
(Equipes)
(Brazil)
10/05
Proving
Grounds -
ROTR
Qualifer
(MMA)
(Lahaina Civic Center, Maui)
9/05
Proving
Grounds -
ROTR
Qualifer
(MMA)
(Kauai)
8/27-28/05
International
Masters & Seniors BJJ Tournament
(Tijuca Tenis Clube, Tijuca, Brazil)
8/05 (tentative)
ROTR 8
(MMA)
(Las Vegas, NV)
7/23-31/05
World BJJ
Championships (Mundial)
(Tijuca Tenis Clube, Tijuca, Brazil)
7/21-23/05
World Cup of BJJ
(BJJ)
(São Paulo, Brazil)
7/9/05
Proving
Grounds -
ROTR
Qualifer
(MMA)
(Hilo Civic Center)
5/7/05
ROTR 7
(MMA)
(Stan Sheriff Arena, UH)
5/7-8 & 14-15 & 21-22/05
Brazilian National BJJ Tournament
(Youth, Adult, Master & Senior)
(Tijuca Tenis Clube, Tijuca, Brazil?)
4/16-17/05
2005 Junior
Olympic Male and Female State / Regional Boxing Championships
(Boxing)
(Palolo Boxing Gym
/ Rec Center)
4/15 or 16/05
Punishment In
Paradise 10
(Kickboxing, MMA)
(McKinnley H.S. Gym)
4/9/05
Super Brawl
(MMA)
(Blaisdell
Arena)
4/1-3/05
Pan American
& Team Title USA vs Brazil BJJ Tournament
(BJJ)
(California State University Dominguez Hills, Carson, CA)
3/26/05
Proving
Grounds -
ROTR
Qualifer
(MMA)
(Lahaina Civic Center, Maui)
3/25/05
Shooto Hawaii: Pro/Am
(MMA)
(Blaisdell - Hawaii Suite)
3/19/05
Lock Down in Paradise
(MMA)
(Lahaina Civic Center, Maui)
Super Brawl: Full Contact Showdown 2
(MMA)
(Kahuna's Sports Bar & Grill, Kaneohe MCBH)
So You Think You're Tough 8
(MMA and Kickboxing)
(Kauai)
3/12/05
The Second Annual Maui
Jiu-Jitsu Open
BJJ tournament
(BJJ)
(Maui War Memorial Gym, Wailuku, Hawaii)
3/11/05
ROTR - Proving Grounds
4
(MMA)
(Dole Cannery Ball Room, Honolulu)
3/6-7/05
Hawaii State High School Wrestling Championships
(Blaisdell Arena)
3/5/04
SUMA
(Kickboxing)
(Hyatt Waikiki)
So You
Think You Tough 7
(Boxing, MMA)
(Kauai)
Proving Grounds -
ROTR
Qualifer
(MMA)
(Honolulu)
3/4-6/05
Arnold
Schwarzenegger Gracie World Submission Championships
(BJJ & Submission Grappling)
(Columbus, Ohio)
|
|
March 2005 News
Part 2
Wednesday night and Sunday
classes (w/ a kids' class) now offered!
 
For the special Onzuka.com
price, click on one of these banners above! |
Tuesdays at 8:30PM on
Olelo Channel 52
New Time! |
Quote
of the Day
"You can chain me, you can torture me, you can even destroy
this body,
but you will never imprison my mind."
Mahatma Gandhi ,1869-1948, Indian Political and Spiritual Leader
|
Normal
Road Trip Delay
Onzuka.com and Fighters’ Club TV will be going to Maui to
cover the Lockdown in Paradise event, so the news for Sunday
will either be late or non-existent, depending on the condition
of us when we come back.
Thank
you for your understanding!
|
3
Events In 1 Night Tonight!
On Maui:
Lockdown in Paradise
Lahaina Civic Center, Lahaina, Hawaii
Ron Jhun (808 Fight Factory) vs. Jay Heiron (Renzo Gracie)
On Oahu:
Super Brawl: Full Contact Showdown 2
Kahuna's Bar & Grill, Kaneohe Marine Corps Base Hawaii, Kaneohe,
Hawaii
Featuring: Steve Byrnes, Kaipo Kalama
On Kauai:
So You Think You Tough 8
Featuring: Eben Kaneshiro, Kyle Sukehira, Kaeo Lopez
|
Cabbage Wins & Ross The Boss & Gassaway is a
No Contest at WEC!
Dan Marks of the Cesar Gracie Academy, defeated Mike Alirez in
only 31 seconds of the 1st round by KO with a devastating kick
to the head. Marks was cornered by trainers Jake Shields and
Gilbert Melendez.
In other action, Wes
Cabbage
won by ref stoppage (strikes from mount) and Mark Weir succumbed
to a triangle choke. The Pit Fight Team went 3-0 for the evening
as Antonio Banuelos, Abe Baxter, and John Polakowski all won
their fights. Polakowski was declared the winner when Olaf couldn't
come out for the 2nd round due to a hip injury.
Brian Gassaway's fight against Ross Ebanez was ruled a no contest (head butt). In all a
very entertaining evening.
Source:
Gracie Fighter
|
POLAWKOWSKI
WINS ON BIZARRE INJURY TO OLAF
On another amazing night of fights from the Palace Indian Gaming
Center in Lemoore, California, John Polawkowski won the much
awaited rematch with Olaf Alfonso, when Olaf's hip popped out
of joint in between the first and second rounds.
"I
didn't know what happened. Olaf had a good first round and I
was ready to go for the second, I look over and a chiropractor
is trying to pop Olaf's hip back in," Polakowski told MMAWeekly
Olaf
dominated a fast and furious first round as the two picked up
from where they started a year ago by trading right and left
combinations when the opening bell rang. Later it was Olaf who
would force the fight on the ground.
Once
the fight hit the ground it was Polawkowski suriving an onslaught
of vicious ground n pound blows by the wild man from Ensenada,
Mexico. After the bell sounded to end Round 1, Olaf was walking
back to his corner and all of the sudden doubled over and winced
in pain as his hip popped out.
His
corner worked feverishly trying to pop his hip back into the
socket, but couldn't do it. After the referee said time was up,
Olaf then hopped up on one leg and said he was ready to go.
Referee
Josh Rosenthal said, "Olaf you can't go". Olaf told
Rosenthal, "F#$@ that I'm going to fight on one leg"
as the wild man hopped up and down like a pogo stick. It was
obvious Olaf couldn't go and they had to stop the fight in what
was turning out to be just as good a fight as the first one.
Now look for a third installment of this fight very soon.
Wesley
"Cabbage" Correira knocked out Walt Pels in just 23 seconds into
the fight. It was a referee stoppage from strikes from the mount,
but Pels was knocked out at the moment of stoppage. Walt came
out and threw a kick and slipped. Cabbage immediately pounced
on the overmatched fighter as "Cabbage" unloaded on
Pels.
Homer
Moore tapped out to strikes in the 2nd round as Terry Martin
got the win. Moore tapped out due to fatigue as he was not in
good shape for the fight. The end came at 3:14 of round two.
Alex
"The Russian" Serdyukov defeated Mark Weir at 2:56
of Round Two by Arm Triangle/Side Choke in the fight of the night.
Weir came out and hit the Russian with literally everything in
his arsenal.
Three
consecutive kicks punished Serdyukov early, who had shown throughout
the fight that he had a chin of stone. This was a slugfest as
Serdyukov then turned the tables going for armbars and triangles
toward the end of the first round which had Weir escaping several
submission attempts.
Both
came out game for the second round as both guys continued an
all out assault, but it was Serdyukov's ground game that was
just too much in the end as he applied the choke at 2:56 of Round
2 to secure the victory. Great fight!
Gabe
"Godzilla" Ruediger defeated Jason Maxwell at 3:28
of Round One by Rear Naked Choke. It was a very impressive display
on the ground by "Godzilla." Gabe Ruediger is the WEC
World Lightweight Champion.
Brad
Imes and Mike Dexter in one of the bloodies matches in MMA history,
battled for a round soaked in blood. Imes wins at 3:44 of round
one with a triangle choke. This fight was such a bloody mess
that "Mr. International" Shonie Carter got blood on
his nice yellow suit while sitting in the front row as the two
took turns punishing each other. When one fighter was in the
other's guard, blood poured like a faucet on each another. Watch
HDNet next week to see probably the bloodiest fight in WEC history.
Irish
Abe Baxter came through on St. Patrick's Day with a win over
Pat "Kanikaze" Kazi at 4:59 of round one. Ref stoppage
due to strikes from the mount.
Brian
Olsen defeated Craig Zellner at the two minute mark in round
two by referee stoppage due to punches.
The
fight between Ross
"The Boss" Ebanez and Brian Gassaway was ruled a No Contest from
a cut caused by a headbutt. Ebanez received a big cut over his
left eye but many people watching didn't see the headbutt.
Josh
Green (below) defeated Troy Miller at 1:56 in Round One by Rear
Naked Choke.
In
preliminary action, Carlton Jones (a councilman by day) defeated
Chris Botelho at 3:14 in Round One by ground n pound and referee
stoppage due to strikes.
Dan
Marks defeated Mike Alirez at 31 seconds of the first round with
a high kick that landed right on the money for the KO.
Antonio
Banuelos defeated Mike Linquist at 1:38 of Round One by Rear
Naked Choke.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
PRIDE
CONFIRMS HENDO AND JACKSON
SILVA
VERSUS YOSHIDA; JACKSON AND HENDERSON ADDED TO PRIDE FIGHTING’S
TOTAL ELIMINATION 2005
From
Dream Stage Entertainment
TOKYO,
Japan – One match up and two additional fighters have been
announced for PRIDE FIGHTING’S 2005 Middleweight Grand Prix
… TOTAL ELIMINATION 2005.
The
first announced match for the opening round will feature defending
2003 Grand Prix Champion, Wanderlei Silva, taking on Japanese
Judo star Hidehiko Yoshida. The two originally met in the semi-finals
of the 2003 tournament in which Silva won a hard fought decision
over the former Judo Olympic gold medallist.
Added
to the previously announced eight fighters will be two Americans
… Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and Dan “Hollywood”
Henderson. Jackson reached the finals of the 2003 tournament,
eventually succumbing to Wanderlei Silva in one of the most memorable
bouts of the year. Since then, the native of Memphis, Tennessee
has gone on to defeat Ikuhisa “The Punk” Minowa, Ricardo
Arona, and Murilo “Ninja” Rua. Team Quest’s Henderson
is making his Grand Prix tournament debut. Always among the elite
in his weight class, “Hollywood” is coming off of wins
over Yuki Kondo, Kazuhiro Nakamura, Murilo Bustamante and Shungo
Oyama.
Wanderlei
Silva (Brazil) Hidehiko Yoshida (Japan) Quinton Jackson (USA)
Dan Henderson (USA)
Tournament
Participants:
Wanderlei
Silva
Antonio Rogerio Nogueira
Quinton “Rampage” Jackson
Igor Vovchanchyn
Kazushi Sakuraba
Dan Henderson
Mauricio “Shogun” Rua
Yuki Kondo
Hidehiko Yoshida
Kazuhiro Nakamura
Tournament
Matches:
Wanderlei Silva (Brazil) vs. Hidehiko Yoshida (Japan)
Additional
tournament participants and match ups to be announced soon.
(Participants
and Matches Subject to Change)
PRIDE
FIGHTING’S 2005 Middleweight Grand Prix Tournament will
span three events … TOTAL ELIMINATION (opening round), CRITICAL
COUNTDOWN (Second Round) and FINAL CONFLICT (Semi-Finals and
Finals). Dates for the latter two events will be announced soon.
TOTAL
ELIMINATION 2005 takes place on April 23rd, 2005 from the Osaka
Dome in Japan and premieres on North American pay per view via
iNDEMAND, DIRECTV, DISH NETWORK, UrbanXtra, TVN1, VU!, and Viewer’s
Choice Canada on April 23rd 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.
You
can listen to the show for free by listening LIVE at 9am Pacific/12
Noon Eastern, every day Monday through Friday.
If
your busy at work or school, then click on the radio archive
to listen at your convenience any day, anytime, 24 hours a day,
7 days a week.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Alexandre
Pequeno
By 18h
Chasing new challenges
Sky
is the limit to Alexandre Pequeno. After retaining a belt of
Shooto, Pequeno is the man who defended it for so long. Now Lightweight
super champion is searching for a bigger challenge: fighting
at 70kg GP. 'My dream is fighting at Pride GP or K-1 MMA -70kg.
I want to show how good I am in that division,' he said. Check
out bellow what the major Luta-Livre representative has to say
about his other plans for the future and how was the fight with
João Roque, at last March 11.
This
fight between you and João Roque invocated lots of comments.
How was it inside the ring?
It
was a very good fight. I did a good game on the feet and I applied
take downs and worked on the floor. I did not fight on the ground
more because he avoided it all! He didn't try to sweep me, submit
me with a triangle choke, arm-lock... He just grabbed my arms
and stopped the fight, so the referee had to start it on the
feet. In the beginning I almost fixed a key-lock, but he rolled
and fell out of the ring.
It
was really tight?
Yes,
it was. I heard a snap when he fell out of the ring. I really
did not understand when the referee told us to return on the
feet.
Did
you feel threaten during the fight?
No,
not at all. I did not lose control of the fight. I did my game,
took him down, passed his guard and worked from the side.
Tell
me about the guillotine choke he fixed during the second round...
His
guillotine was kind of blunt. He tried a move I am a specialist
at. I know the best defense for it. I raised him and leg went
high. It was like free falling. The audience loved it. I fell
on the half guard and passed his guard. Then I worked with punches
and knees from the side. On the second round I also hurt his
forehead with a right punch. In the end I mounted and he tried
to escape.
Season
of training in Curitiba made some difference?
Lots
of difference. I threw lots of punches during the fight... in
the body, legs, from inside and outside. Training in Curitiba
was very important for me!
Every
fighter dreams about becoming a champion. You already have earned
Shooto belt and once again you retain it. What is missing for
you now?
My
dream is fighting at Pride GP or K-1 MMA -70kg. I want to show
how good I am in that division. I also want to fight guys like
Takanori Gomi and BJ Penn. I guess it would be great fights.
Have
you seen the comments of the bout at TATAME's forum?
Of
course...I was really pleased with the support and cheering.
Thanks so much guys!
Source:
Tatame
|
K-1
World GP 2005 Final tomorrow
Thanks to Monty di Pietro
The road to the K-1 World Grand Prix 2005 Final begins in Seoul
tomorrow, where eight fighters will do battle in the K-1 Asian
Grand Prix. The winner of the tournament will be the first fighter
of the year to join last year's Final Eight in qualifying for
the K-1 World GP Final Elimination tournament, set for Osaka
this September.
There
were two days of press briefings at the COEX and Grand International
Hotels in Seoul in advance of the Asia World GP -- the event
has garnered unprecedented public interest in Korea, not least
due the participation of Hong Mam Choi, the mammoth Korean Sireum
wrestling champion who is making his K-1 debut here. Choi stands
218cm (7'2") and weighs 157kg (346lbs) -- and that, he informed
the media, is his slimmed-down self, the result of a new diet
of "vegetables I had never seen before," and a tough
training regimen. Choi's first-tier fight opponent will be a
Japanese Sumo, 38 year-old Wakashoyo. The fighter who gets through
here will meet the winner of a bout between another big guy,
former Sumo Grand Champion Akebono, representing Japan, and Nobuaki Kakuda, a Seidokaikan
master coming out of retirement for this fight. Kakuda flexed
his muscles for the media, and the guy looks great for a 43 year-old.
Speaking in Korean to the delight of the crowd, Kakuda said that
his training has prepared him for the fight and promised to do
his best.
In
the other bracket, Korean Muay Thai fighter Myeon Ju Lee will
take on boxer Hiraku Hori of Japan. Lee is a former Korean Muay
Thai Association Heavyweight Champion, but Hori will bring a
10cm (4") height and 10kg (25lb) weight advantage to this
contest. Both of these fighters have struggled as of late, losing
a combined five of their last six bouts. The fourth quarterfinals
will pit Zhang Qing Jun, who at just 18 years of age is the tournament's
youngest participant, against Kaoklai Kaennorsing of Thailand.
The inexperienced Chinese Wushu fighter will face a formidable
opponent in Kaoklai, who won last year here in Seoul to take
the first K-1 Asia GP. As the reigning Champion, Kaoklai has
to be the favorite to repeat tomorrow. But with so many variables
of age, size, and styles at play in the tournament, anything
could happen.
K-1
Asian Grand Prix 2005
Saturday, March 19, 2005
Olympic Gymnasium - Seoul - South Korea
COMPLETE
CARD (subject to change):
-
Remy Bonjasky (Holland / Mejiro Gym) VS Ray "Merciless"
Mercer (U.S.A. / Fayetteville Boxing Team);
-
Peter Aerts (Holland / Team Aerts) VS Carter Williams (U.S.A.
/ Team Voodoo USA);
-
Semmy Schilt (Holland / Golden Glory) VS Montanha Silva (Brazil
/ Sit Master Rony);
-
Hong-Mam Choi (Korea / Freelance) VS Wakashoyo (Japan / Team
Paon);
-
Akebono (Japan / Team Yokozuna) VS Nobuaki Kakuda (Japan / Seido
Kaikan);
-
Lee Myeon Ju (Korea / Freelance) VS Hiraku Hori (Japan / Team
Dragon);
-
Kaoklai Kaennorsing (Thailand / Ihara Dojo) VS Zhang Qing Jun
(China / Beijing Sheng Hua Wushu Fighting Club);
-
Tatsufumi Tomihira (Thailand / Ihara Dojo) VS Min Ki Kang (Republic
of Korea / Jungsin Gymnasium);
-
Yong Seok Ko (Republic of Korea / Team Max) VS Jong Man Kim (Republic
of Korea / Seo-Kwang Gym).
Source:
Tatame
|
Carter
Williams: “My plan is to hit people hard and put them on
their backs!”
by "Big Dog" Benny Henderson Jr.
Hard
hitting former K-1 USA tournament champion Carter Williams (20-6-1,
15 KOs) is set to face old school fight veteran Peter Aerts (78-23-1,
57 KOs) in a three round Superfight during K-1’s World Grand
Prix in Seoul on March 20th.
The
young lion wants to kick off 2005 with a bang and a win over
Aerts would do nothing but boost Williams’ career and confidence.
Williams became known to the fight world in May of 2003 when
he came in as an 18-1 underdog to win the K-1 USA tournament
title, defeating three opponents on that fateful night in Las
Vegas.
The
6’1” Team Voodoo fighter has beaten the likes of Michael
McDonald, Rick Roufus and looks to add another big name under
his belt. From the streets to the ring, Williams has evolved
into a massive dose of pure warrior in the ring. He looks to
be that man and will give all he has to become him, as he anticipates
bringing home the belt to America, and under the tutelage of
longtime trainer Gene Fields he will settle for nothing less.
Carter stopped by MAX FIGHTING to talk about his upcoming match
as well as his future.
Benny
Henderson Jr. - Give Max Fighting your thoughts on your opponent
Peter Aerts whom you will be facing at the K-1 World GP 2005
in Seoul this month.
Carter
Williams - Peter Aerts is the World Grand Prix Champion and it
is a pretty good match-up for myself; I believe this is the stepping
stone to rise to the top and get the respect I’m looking
for from the fans and the press at K-1. I am basically excited
about it and have been training hard, and I can’t wait to
get the rumble in the jungle on, you know what I mean. (Laughs)
BH
- Aerts has 57 knockouts in his 78 wins, so he has the knockout
power. Does his punching power concern you a great deal?
CW
- No, it doesn’t concern me at all. I have watched Peter
fight since I was a child. When I was younger you got these guys
that I would say to myself, wow these guys are pretty bad, but
as I grew older I realized what type of fighter that I have become
and I am still becoming and I’m still growing in the sport.
I look at it as I am fighting my idol or my hero, so his power
and strength doesn’t concern me because I have watched him
for so long and have studied him for so long it is like I am
being put to the test. He has over a hundred fights and has the
experience but I am from the streets, I have been rumbling since
I was a child myself and I’m not afraid of getting knocked
out, and that ain’t going to happen, as a matter if fact
the only person that’s going to get knocked out is my man
Peter Aerts.
BH
- What inspired you to want to be a fighter, and when did you
begin the martial arts?
CW
- It was something that I just came across. As a child I got
into a lot of street fights but my dream was to be a football
player and I was always competitive and into the martial arts.
I grew up fighting in the streets but then realized there is
something out there to fight for. I wanted to be part of the
high paid organizations and become champion, so I thought it
was good for me and the United States to have an up and coming
American champion. Once I found out we never had an American
K-1 champion I felt that was my destiny, it was a calling for
me. I am going to be the first American champion, that’s
how I feel, it’s not a matter of if, but when so I will
let the puzzle put itself together.
BH
- In the tournaments you can fight up to three times in one night
so that can be some punishment on the body. Do you ever fear
the punishment you may take throughout your career will one day
take its toll on your body?
CW
- Definitely, you take kicks to the knees, and all kinds of punishment.
I do fear that I will probably end up getting hurt one day; that
is probably one of my biggest fears. A lot of people aren’t
very spiritual, but I’m a believer in the Lord that he watches
over me and protects me. If a person isn’t careful in their
training with what they do I think they put their selves at a
much higher risk. My coach put me on a good training regime and
they take care of me, I eat healthy and stretch all the time
so hopefully none of that will happen to me and I can finish
up my career injury free.
BH
- Can you give us your most favorite moment in your career as
well as the one moment you would prefer to forget about?
CW
- My favorite part if my career was probably the beginning of
the career that I felt that I had. I was training, but I thought
I was just training for point fighting in tournaments but in
the years the phone started ringing and I got opportunities and
then my coach asked me if I wanted to take part in K-1 and I
said yeah. I felt with all my hard work and training that I might
as well put it to something. But the best and most unforgettable
was in 2003 when I won the North American Title. To have nothing
in my life and living in the ghetto and being on welfare and
having holes in my shoes and pants, just being a straight poor
boy and then have this opportunity, 2003 was my life. It was
something great for me, and here I am now working harder and
trying to be one of the K-1 Grand Prix Champions, and I think
it is a matter of when, not if.
BH
- What is the hardest aspect of being a professional fighter?
CW
- The pressure, I had a coach tell me once upon a time that fighting
was 75% mental and 25% physical, and that was how he left it.
Over the years I thought about what he said, over the years of
me fighting I finally got it. It isn’t 75% mental in the
ring it’s 75% mental out of the ring. It’s the training,
people want to always hit you up for cash or sit around on your
couch and girls want to do this and that, it all distracts you.
It’s the distractions that occur when you are a professional
fighter, it’s the pressure around. Those around me that
want to see me fail, or the people who want to me do good. I
say 75% of the people probably want to see me fail, 25% want
to see me succeed. So I have a high ratio of people wanting me
to wanting me to fall of that ladder, but I do it and I stay
focused, priorities first then games later. The Lord is watching
my back so it’s cool.
BH
- You stepped in the in the ring as a professional boxer back
in 2002 and won both of your bouts, have you ever thought about
resuming a boxing career?
CW
- I have done three types of sports, I have boxed, kick boxed
and I have been in the cage. Boxing takes longer and doesn’t
pay the best. In kickboxing we haven’t had an American champion
so that’s a great opportunity for me I think. After I conquer
K-1 I might go to boxing and get me the WBC title, then have
a K-1 GP title and a WBC title, and maybe later on go to PRIDE.
I’m only twenty-five and some guys fight until they are
forty so if I do it right I can do it, I will take one step at
a time.
BH
- How has it been working with your trainer Gene Fields?
CW
- I have been with Gene since I was sixteen; it has been a good
experience. He is like a father figure to me, we are real close.
He and his wife have been nothing but good to me for all these
years.
BH
- What do you think ’05 has in store for you?
CW
- The W’s man, I want victories, it’s all up to me.
I do honestly feel that this is my year.
BH
- Is there anything you would like to add in closing?
CW
- Carter Williams is coming back harder than ever, thanks to
the fans and the people who believe in me and support me. My
plan is to hit people hard and put them on their backs, for real.
Source:
Maxfighting
|
Quote
of the Day
"Time never stops to rest, never hesitates, never looks
forward or backward. Life's raw material spends itself now, this
moment - which is why how you spend your time is far more important
than all the material possessions you may own or positions you
may attain."
Denis Waitley, 1933-, American Author, Speaker, Trainer, Peak
Performance Expert
|
3
Events In 1 Night Begins Tomorrow
On Maui:
Lockdown in Paradise
Lahaina Civic Center, Lahaina, Hawaii
Ron Jhun (808 Fight Factory) vs. Jay Heiron (Renzo Gracie)
On Oahu:
Super Brawl: Full Contact Showdown 2
Kahuna's Bar & Grill, Kaneohe Marine Corps Base Hawaii, Kaneohe,
Hawaii
Featuring: Steve Byrnes, Kaipo Kalama
On Kauai:
So You Think You Tough 8
Featuring: Eben Kaneshiro, Kyle Sukehira, Kaeo Lopez
|
Passing
The Guard Makes
Its Hawaii Debut on April 6th!
Brazil’s
popular show finally makes its way to KFive channel 5 on Wednesdays
at 10:30-11PM starting April 6th. On May 18, Rumblevision re-airs
and shares an hour slot with Passing The Guard.
Check
it out.
|
New
Opponent for Cooper in Hawaii
Promoter - Shooto Hawaii
At the Blasidell Arena on March 25, 2005
Originally the main-event for the upcoming Shooto Hawaii promotion,
was set to feature Ray "Bradda" Cooper against the
crafty Santino DeFranco out of Arizona. This was to be Coopers
debut at 154 lbs, were he can test the waters of the lower weight
class, where his natural weight of about 164 lbs is more appropriate...
However,
DeFranco suffered an injury in training, and was forced to cancel
in what was sure to be a great fight. This was a devastating
blow to Shooto Hawaii promoters, as finding a quality replacement,
to face a bruiser like Cooper, on such short notice, would be
a difficult task indeed. It put the main-event for the show in
jeopardy, and would have delayed the weight class shift that
Cooper was looking forward to... It was a huge disappointment.
But
as luck would have it... The timing for what seemed like an unfortunate
situation, could not have been better... On the look out for
fight opportunities, and literally chomping at the bit to take
on top tier talent, was UFC veteran and top 155 lber Hermes Franca.
Coming off a very close and disappointing decision loss in his
rematch with Yves Edwards in New Jersey, Franca’s management
put the word out that Hermes wants to fight... BAD!!! So the
planets aligned on this one, and have brought together a main-event
that should set the islands on fire.
Also
on the card are three Class-B Shooto bouts 2 of which feature
some of Hermes teammates:
Jim
Kikuchi (808FF) vs.
Ryan Kronwitter
Ryan Lee
(Bulls Pen) Vs.
Andre Soares (ATT)
Casey Daniels
(Team MMAD)
Vs. Thiago Gonclaves (ATT)
Also
scheduled are some exciting Amateur Shooto bouts and exciting
kick boxing action...
Shooto
Hawaii is promoted by Linbred, LLC and is an official Shooto
promotion sanctioned by the International Shooto Commission (ISC).
Source:
Rich Santoro, Shooto USA
|
Akebono Takes On Japanese
Kickboxing Legend Kakuda
K-1 World GP 2005
Olympic Gymnasium-1, Seoul, Korea
March 19 2005
Sungle
fights:
Remy Bonjasky vs. Ray Mercer
Peter Aerts vs. Carter Williams
Asia
GP tournament:
Akebono vs. Nobuaki Kakuda
Wakashoyo vs. Hong-Mam Choi
Hiraku Hori vs. Lee Myeon Ju
Kaoklai Kaennorsing vs. Zhang Qing Jun
Source:
Fight Sport
|
Kohsaka:
the only who defeated Fedor
Pride super champion Emelianenko Fedor has been waiting anxiously
for upcoming Pride Bushido, which happens April 3. All because
he will have a change to reverse the only loss in his career:
to Tsuyoshi Kohsaka at Rings King of Kings, in 2000. "Kohsaka
was the only one who defeated me and I want to return this loss.
I could rest a little bit after Pride Shockwave and now I am
feeling great. I also have been improving my game on the feet.
Kohsaka is a tough fighter, but I want to defeat him. For real,"
Fedor said.
Kohsaka
is also anxious to debut at Pride and do the main fight against
Heavyweight champion. "I really to want fight him again.
It does gonna be man versus man. After our bout Fedor became
a Pride champion and since then that first fight does long exist.
I am positive I can beat him on the ground. I will defeat him
and show I am the best heavyweight," Japanese Said during
a press conference in Japan.
COMPLETE
CARD (subject to change)
Pride
Bushido 6
Sunday, April 3, 2005
Saitama Super Arena, Saitama - Japan
-
Emelianenko Fedor Vs Tsuyoshi Kohsaka;
-
Aleksander Emelianenko Vs Ricardo Morais;
-
Ikuhisa Minowa Vs Gilbert Yvel;
-
Ryuta Sakurai Vs Murilo Bustamante;
-
Júnior Buscapé Vs Luis Azeredo;
-
Daijyu Takase Vs Daniel Acácio;
Pride
GP Middleweight trial:
1- Amar Suloev Vs Paulão Filho;
2- Dean Lister Vs Akira Shoji;
Source:
Tatame
|
Roberto
Traven says good-bye to MMA
After drawing with Yukiya Naito at Warrior Realm 3, held last
Saturday (12), in Brisbane, Austrália, Alliance's balck
belt Roberto Traven decidied to retire himself from the rings.
In a open letter, Traven explains his reasons.
"I
want enjoy this opportunity to say I am retiring. Now I will
just fight gi competitions and Submission. I know I did not have
such an excellent career in Vale-Tudo. In other hands it wasn't
bad. Now I am 36 and my records are: 6-3-1. I would like to thank
everybody who supported me by those years. Specially master Romero
Jacaré, who taught me a lot more than Jiu-Jitsu. He taught
me how to face life situations with honor and respect. Thanks
so much," Traven wrote.
Source:
Tatame
|
UFC
52: 'Couture vs. Liddell 2'
April 16th, 2005
MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, NV
Randy Couture vs. Chuck Liddell
Matt Hughes vs. Frank Trigg
Matt Lindland vs. Travis Lutter
Georges St. Pierre vs. Jason Miller
Lee Murray vs. Patrick Cote
Mike Van Arsdale vs. John Marsh
Renato 'Babalu' Sobral vs. Travis Wiuff
Ivan Salaverry vs. Joe Riggs
Source:
Fight Sport
|
PRIDE
Announces
Wanderlei Silva vs Hidehiko Yoshida
TOKYO, Japan – One match up and two additional fighters
have been announced for PRIDE FIGHTING’S 2005 Middleweight
Grand Prix … TOTAL ELIMINATION 2005.
The
first announced match for the opening round will feature defending
2003 Grand Prix Champion, Wanderlei Silva, taking on Japanese
Judo star Hidehiko Yoshida. The two originally met in the semi-finals
of the 2003 tournament in which Silva won a hard fought decision
over the former Judo Olympic gold medallist.
Added
to the previously announced eight fighters will be two Americans
… Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and Dan “Hollywood”
Henderson. Jackson reached the finals of the 2003 tournament,
eventually succumbing to Wanderlei Silva in one of the most memorable
bouts of the year. Since then, the native of Memphis, Tennessee
has gone on to defeat Ikuhisa “The Punk” Minowa, Ricardo
Arona, and Murilo “Ninja” Rua. Team Quest’s Henderson
is making his Grand Prix tournament debut. Always among the elite
in his weight class, “Hollywood” is coming off of wins
over Yuki Kondo, Kazuhiro Nakamura, Murilo Bustamante and Shungo
Oyama.
Tournament
Participants:
Wanderlei Silva
Antonio Rogerio Nogueira
Quinton Jackson
Igor Vovchanchyn
Kazushi Sakuraba
Dan Henderson
Mauricio Rua
Yuki Kondo
Hidehiko Yoshida
Kazuhiro Nakamura
Tournament
Matches:
Wanderlei
Silva (Brazil) vs. Hidehiko Yoshida (Japan)
Additional
tournament participants and match ups to be announced soon.
(Participants and Matches Subject to Change)
PRIDE FIGHTING’S 2005 Middleweight Grand Prix Tournament
will span three events … TOTAL ELIMINATION (opening round),
CRITICAL COUNTDOWN (Second Round) and FINAL CONFLICT (Semi-Finals
and Finals). Dates for the latter two events will be announced
soon.
TOTAL
ELIMINATION 2005 takes place on April 23rd, 2005 from the Osaka
Dome in Japan and premieres on North American pay per view via
iNDEMAND, DIRECTV, DISH NETWORK, UrbanXtra, TVN1, VU!, and Viewer’s
Choice Canada on April 23rd 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:
Sherdog
|
Getting
to Know Matt Lindland
by Marco Antico
MA: Hi
Matt, thanks for taking the time to do this interview. Let’s
get right into it. What are your thoughts on fighting Travis
Lutter at UFC 52?
ML:
I really don’t know much about him. I’m sure he’s
a tough guy. I’m certainly not looking past him at the title
shot they’ve talked about.
MA:
Is that your understanding that you will fight Evan Tanner if
you defeat Travis Lutter?
ML:
That’s what Dana said at the press conference so I would
think so.
MA:
Okay, I’ll get to Tanner in a second, but back to Lutter
for now. How do you think you match-up with him?
ML:
I actually think I match up really well with him. But he’s
good you know? I’ve got to watch out.
MA:
You say that you match up well with him. Is that because you
feel his strength is his ground and that’s where you feel
that you’re better than him?
ML:
Yes, that’s pretty much it exactly.
MA:
He’s a good submission guy though.
ML:
I’m not worried about the submission at all. Submissions
don’t seem to give me much trouble.
MA:
Okay. Speaking of Evan Tanner; Frank Trigg said something on
MMARadio that I thought was interesting. He said that you two
know each other so well that you’ll end up neutralizing
one another and that the fight wouldn’t be that exciting.
Do you agree with that assessment?
ML:
I’ll be going in there to win. I won’t be trying to
neutralize anything. Yes, we know each other well but we’re
both fierce competitors. I don’t think having trained together
will be a big issue in that fight.
MA:
How do you see that fight unfolding? Where do you see it won?
ML:
I think we’ll both be looking for that top position. We
both enjoy working from the top and I think we’re both pretty
dominant from that position. I think we’re pretty even standing
so it will come down to whom can get the other guy down.
MA:
Does the David Terrell fight still weigh heavily on your mind?
ML:
Sure, I’d love to rematch Terrell. I want my redemption.
But I also want that belt. I think it should be Tanner first
and then I’ll get back in there with Terrell or whoever
else they want me to fight. It really doesn’t matter to
me.
MA:
You’ve recently fought and won in Rage Cage and in Sportfight.
Do you plan on continuing to fight for other organizations?
ML:
I’m on a one fight contract with the UFC right now. I would
assume that they’d want to lock me up if I can get by Lutter
and challenge for the title. That would be fine with me.
MA:
Are you watching The Ultimate Fighter?
ML:
Ya, mostly because I know some of the guys on it.
MA:
Are you not a fan of the show?
ML:
No, I don’t care for it much. I probably wouldn’t watch
it if it weren’t for the guys I know. But, it’s getting
great ratings so I guess I don’t know what good TV is (chuckling).
MA:
What would you say to those fans that are accusing Randy Couture
of being biased towards the Team Quest guys, particularly Chris
Leben?
ML:
It’s a show, not reality. There’s really no such thing
as reality TV, you know?
MA:
Are you implying that the SPIKE TV executives are the ones giving
Leben the breaks?
ML:
I’m just saying that we don’t see everything that goes
on behind the scenes that’s all.
MA:
Fair enough. How lofty are your goals for the Sportfight organization?
ML:
The show is doing great. We’re drawing 2,000 people to our
events. Our main priority right now is striking a TV deal. I’d
say those are pretty big goals.
MA:
Can you disclose any details on that?
ML:
There’s really nothing to say at this point. We’re
busy editing our previous shows and presenting them to a couple
of networks. It’s in the final stages and we hope to hear
something soon.
MA:
We all know of your partner in Sportfight, Randy Couture. Who
else is behind the scenes?
ML:
There’s Robert Follis who is our coaching and gym operations
guy and there is Jay Weston who is our financial guy.
MA:
There are many great MMA teams out there. Each has something
that people associate with them. For example, the Chute Boxe
fighters are known as being super aggressive and having killer
instincts. Caesar Gracie’s team is regarded as excellent
submission fighters. For Team Quest, there’s the wrestling
aspect of course. But there’s also an undeniable recognition
that you guys are a bunch of winners. There’s the future
hall of famer and 2 time heavyweight and light heavyweight champion,
Randy Couture. There’s you and Dan Henderson that always
seem to be amongst the best in your weight class. BJ Penn comes
to train with you guys and he wins the welterweight title. Rulon
Gardner joins Team Quest and puts on a flawless, workmanlike
performance against Yoshida. What do you attribute all this success
to and why do you think everyone seems to want to train with
you guys?
ML:
There are no egos here. Our priority is definitely on winning.
I think that some people get nervous when they think of training
with a bunch of new guys. They think that their new training
partners are going to try and rough them up. We’re not like
that. We’re really laid back and focused on winning.
MA:
How is Duane “Bang” Ludwig doing?
ML:
Oh man, the guy is so much fun to spar with. His kick-boxing
skills are incredible!
MA:
How are his ground skills?
ML:
Well that’s why he’s here. He needs some work, but
he’s got great reflexes and a decent sprawl. If he can add
some stuff to his ground game, he’ll be dangerous.
MA:
Do you see Ludwig being a top contender in the welterweight division?
ML:
For sure, he’ll be a force. With some more ground stuff
he can be right up there.
MA:
There was talk that you were fighting Kazushi Sakuraba at PRIDE
Shockwave 2003. Did you ever learn why that didn’t materialize?
ML:
No. I thought that the deal was done. The next phone call I was
expecting was information on when my plane was departing. Instead,
I got a phone call saying that they decided to go with someone
else.
MA:
Do you think he turned you down?
ML:
It could have been that. But he’s a tough guy. Heck, he’s
fought Wanderlei Silva three times! I can’t imagine why
he’d have a problem with fighting me. I don’t know
what happened with that.
MA:
For quite some time, the names Matt Lindland and Phil Baroni
were used simultaneously. You guys had one of the best feuds
ever in the UFC. You’ve continued to progress towards a
title shot meanwhile, Phil Baroni now finds himself fighting
to get back in the UFC. Do you have any thoughts on that?
ML:
If you go and read previous interviews of mine you’d think
I was a prophet now! Phil’s closer to dancing for nickels
at a car wash as opposed to being a legitimate contender. And
you know what else? The beatings are only getting worse.
MA:
Wow, I was sort of thinking there might be some closure there
but I guess I was wrong. There’s still no love between the
two of you then.
ML:
No, you reap what you sow. When you’re not a good person,
you know, these things happen.
MA:
Any predictions on Baroni versus Team Quest’s Art Santore?
ML:
It’s a good match-up. Both guys are exciting fighters. Hopefully
they’ll both go in there and try to win instead of going
in there and trying not to lose. It’s a close fight.
Source:
MMA Fighting
|
Rodrigo
Nogueira: On the Rebound
by Portal do Vale Tudo
Former
PRIDE heavyweight champion Rodrigo “Minotauro” Nogueira
is back in the gym following his fight against Emelianenko Fedor
on New Years Eve. In this interview from Brazil, “Minotauro”
speaks about his state of mind after his second defeat to the
Russian, what he thinks of a potential Fedor-Filipovic showdown,
as well as other insightful topics.
Sherdog.com:
After the vacation time following PRIDE Shockwave 2, are you
already back training?
Rodrigo
Nogueira: I already started to train, then in the beginning of
February and [I stopped during] the carnival. I am in the expectation
of fights, am training and improving my technique. But I did
not push the training because I do not have a scheduled fight.
When it has been scheduled, I [will] come back a 100 percent.
Sherdog.com:
Has your contract already been extended?
Nogueira:
Still I have not signed. I am in negotiations with them, but
my desire is to continue in PRIDE.
Sherdog.com:
What are your plans for 2005?
Nogueira:
I want to win all the fights that I will have, and to position
myself to fight for the belt again.
Sherdog.com:
Any preference to fight against Fedor?
Nogueira:
Either him or “Cro Cop”—whomever has the belt
does not matter. My bigger objective is to catch the title once
again.
Sherdog.com:
You must have watched your last fight against Fedor many times,
what you can say about it?
Nogueira:
I did not watch the fight very much, one or two times only. Strategically
the man is good; he has a fast entrance, designed to strike and
to attack the legs or give a straight punch … then I never
knew when he was going for the straight punch or for the legs.
So it was very difficult to defend the takedowns, which complicated
the fight. He took me down some six times, very fast. He is very
explosive. I was able to box with him OK, but I didn’t find
myself in the first round. In second, more or less, I was not
[fighting] with a good distance so I wasn’t able to take
him down. In the end of the first round I had a good moment,
obtaining the top position, but the round was over. He made a
difficult fight and strategically he is very good. I’m going
to have to train more and improve my game. Each time that I make
a fight like this, I learn something. With certainty this fight
was better than the first one. The second fight was good. In
the third he dominated the fight, with takedowns and on the ground.
He was smart, did not want to work the ground with me; you saw
that he did a little ground-and-pound and then stood back up.
It is difficult because he did not want to be in the ground to
pass the guard, and this was pretty confusing for me. He was
more worried about punching from the guard. He took me down,
pounded a little and stood up. It was difficult.
Sherdog.com:
What would you do differently while training for a new fight
against Fedor?
Nogueira:
I would give more emphasis to wrestling. He did takedowns there
that I could not have fallen.
Sherdog.com:
And are you already training more wrestling?
Nogueira:
Already I am training. People have three modalities—standing,
wrestling and ground. I am training more wrestling because when
I am on top I find the fight very easy for me. I give a lot of
heat when the fella is [on his back]. Then he does not have reason
to be making guard always.
Sherdog.com:
PRIDE is trying to get Fedor to fight “Cro Cop.” Who
do you think will win between to two?
Nogueira:
It’s going to be a hard fight for Fedor, but I find he likes
to fight more; he is more of a fighter. Mirko is very gifted.
He locates well in ring, he has good sprawl, he has a good kick,
but I find Fedor warlike. He is sharper.
Sherdog.com:
What are your expectations for the participation of your brother
Rogério in the PRIDE middleweight GP?
Nogueira:
Rogério fought well against Alistair (Overeem). I am with
a good expectation for him. It will have good fighters: Shogun,
Wanderlei, Quinton Jackson … but I [believe] more on our
side. He will have some good fights this year.
Sherdog.com:
Pedro Rizzo is about to sign with PRIDE. What do you think of
this?
Nogueira:
I find it wonderful. He is one hell of a fighter, very experienced.
In the cage they were always trying to smother him, and that
was about all they did. When a fighter goes from an event to
another he has a new spirit up, he goes to fight different. He
was in the UFC for several years and it’s always that same
mood, that same song. In PRIDE he goes to have another adrenaline,
another motivation.
Sherdog.com:
What do you think about the ascension of Andrei Arlovski in the
UFC?
Nogueira:
Man, I saw his last fight and he was good. He punches well, [and]
has a decent ground game. It’s hard to put him down. He
is a man that is on the rise, but I am more like us, and [like]
Pedro (Rizzo), we catch him.
Sherdog.com:
Pedro already knocked Andrei out
Nogueira:
It is the truth. It was a big right that he gave to the dude.
To tell you the truth, Pedro already beat all the champions of
the Ultimate. He beat Andrei, Josh Barnett, Ricco Rodriguez,
(Mark) Coleman … the only problem is that he never beat
them for the title.
Sherdog.com:
In the end of 2004, they filmed a reality show in your house.
How was it?
Nogueira:
The man filmed the training that people make to fight. Everything
that rolls exactly: the diet; the training; the physical preparation;
the environment of the house; people waking up. He showed all
the rituals that people make before the fight. The man filmed
before my last fight, this last one with Rogério, and
must film before my next one. Then he goes to show how an athlete
behaves before the fight.
Sherdog.com:
Your house is a center of training …
Nogueira:
It is truth. Before the fights friends always come here …
[there] is always a fight climate 24-hours-per day, which is
good. They only speak of fighting and even women are forbidden
here.
Sherdog.com:
Randy Couture is 41 years old and is about to defend his title
in the UFC. What do you think of him?
Nogueira:
The man is a monster. I was seeing old fights of him and he is
very strong. I find that now he is even more of a technician.
He improved after being older. Everybody that speaks of MMA speaks
of the man. He was champion, lost the title two times, came back
and was champion, lost another fight and was champion again.
He is an example of determination. … He is a great champion.
Sherdog.com:
Wanderlei Silva has said many times that he wants to fight against
the champion of the UFC. Do you also have this desire?
Nogueira:
I [fight for] PRIDE and if they ask me to fight in the Ultimate
would; that would be an honor. If they make one interchange,
I am open to fight, but I do not have one fighter there that
I want to fight.
Sherdog.com:
To finish, leave some message to your fans.
Nogueira:
I wanted to thank the people who were cheering to me in this
last fight, but unfortunately, I did not win. But I have my head
up high and I’ll continue training to fight for Brazil and
the people who have been cheering for me. Those people who had
stopped cheering for me—I saw a group in the Internet speaking,
"Ah, ‘Minotauro’ fought badly”—know
that I trained very hard for this fight, it was not due to lack
of training. I continue to improve, because there are days that
people fight well, but there are days that people do not obtain
to develop our game. I am with my head up high and I’m going
to have many more victories in the future.
Source:
Sherdog
|
Mário
Reis trains with Tererê at TT
4x BJJ champion Mário Reis was in São Paulo, at
TT Jiu-Jitsu to train with his friend Fernando Tererê.
After spending two months locked in an American prison, Tererê
has thought about quitting fighting, but everybody around has
been supporting him to keep BJJ black belt on the mat. Mário
enjoyed the trip to São Paulo and visited Tererê.
-
Tererê is such a friend of mine. He was happy when he saw
me in there. I spent two days with him and he taught me lots
of things. I avoided conversation about what had happened in
US, and he told me he is a little bit tired of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
competitions. I said I was such a fan of his Jiu-Jitsu and he
is an example for his pupils - Mário said. He also confirmed
Tererê is recovering himself. "He seemed a little
shaken, but I am sure things going to be right, he said.
Source:
Tatame
|
NAMES
IN THE GAME: Bart Palazewski
by Tim Spagnola
This
Saturday MMA action returns to the state of Illinois as the X-Treme
Fighting Organization presents XFO 5. The main event of this
card will feature current XFO Champion Bart Palaszewski defending
his lightweight title against the always tough Joe Jordan. Palaszewski
is a local up and coming fighter that is coming off several impressive
wins. "Bartimus" possesses both devastating KO power
and an impressive BJJ background- both coming with a little assistance
from the 'Big Frog'. MMAWeekly's Tim Spagnola recently had the
opportunity to speak with "Bartimus" to learn about
his thoughts regarding this weekend's anticipated match-up, what
it is like training with Jeff Curran, and overall future plans
in this sport.
MMAWeekly
is pleased to feature Bart "Bartimus" Palaszewski as
one of this week's 'Names in the Game'.
MMAWeekly:
Bart-
thanks for taking time out of your training to speak with MMAWeekly.
Let's talk a bit about your background- How did you first get
involved with MMA?
Palaszewski:
I
began training with Jeff Curran at his original school on May
15th, 1999. I was doing Jiu-Jitsu and Thai Boxing. I loved it.
After I went to see my first NHB fight I saw myself doing that
someday. I was sixteen at that time. I competed for the first
time in the Pan Ams of 2000 in Jiu-Jitsu.
MMAWeekly:
And
today, who are you currently training with?
Palaszewski:
The
Big Frog! I never stopped training with Jeff since the beginning.
Jeff and I share a boxing coach. His name is Dr. Doug Mango.
He has helped not only me, but the whole team.
MMAWeekly:
And
speaking of the Big Frog, what is it like to have the opportunity
to train and work with an experienced fighter like Jeff Curran?
Palaszewski:
It's
great. I have been spoiled since the beginning. Jeff is a small
guy and at the time when I started training I was smaller than
him. He made me his training partner all the time in his own
classes. Plus, I was a bit annoying so he always picked on me.
I think that is what toughened me up for this sport.
MMAWeekly:
You
currently hold a professional MMA record of 12-6 correct?
Palaszewski:
Actually
my professional record is 13-6. I have a :10 sec KO victory over
Jimmy Bruketta. That was my first pro bout. It was on a kickboxing
card in Peoria, IL so for some reason I never got the credit
for it. I started fighting very young. I was 17 when I took my
2 fights with Brian Szhor who out weighed me by like 20 lbs.
I fought him twice and got 2 tough decisions. My decision losses
to Bruketta and Darrell Smith were terrible decisions. I won
both of those fights and everyone knew it. So, regardless I got
some losses early on. Jeff and I decided to step back and re-group.
I won the Extreme Challenge Trials Tourney and Extreme Challenge
Nationals. That was 5 good wins right there. Since then we have
been doing fine. A couple upsets, but everything is good.
MMAWeekly:
A
:10 KO? Now speaking of your recent victories, you are coming
off three straight wins and have shown impressive KO power- Where
is your ground game at this point in your training?
Palaszewski:
When
it comes down to it, Jiu-Jitsu is in my blood and bones. It runs
through my heart I guess you could say. So, getting my hands
better and better just allows me to not sweat being taken down.
My Jiu-Jitsu continues to get better everyday. I still train
with a gi on. I am a purple belt and look forward to winning
medals in BJJ tourneys before I make my brown belt someday.
MMAWeekly:
To
date- what has been your toughest fight? And why?
Palaszewski:
The
fight that took its biggest mental toll on me was losing to a
triangle to Cole Escovedo back when I was 18 years old. Reason
is because I am a Jiu-Jitsu guy who knew better. I just was too
comfortable in the fight. Physically, my fight with Kola Koka was probably the toughest
physically at the time. I just felt weak in that fight for some
reason.
MMAWeekly:
This
weekend you will be defending your XFO title -add any pressure
getting focused for fight?
Palaszewski:
No
pressure here. I am driven by having my hometown behind me in
a fight. All my friends, students, family and training partners
are there to watch me win. I have no choice but to give them
that.
MMAWeekly:
You
will be on the XFO card facing the tough veteran Joe Jordan.
What do you know about your opponent?
Palaszewski:
I
know he can wrestle, he has good hands, and he trains with a
great camp. His BJJ defense is good. He matches badly with me
though. I know this. My hands are better, my power is better
in punches, my Jiu-Jitsu is better and I have good takedown defense.
Of course I am one sided on this though. (laughs) NO, Joe is
a great fighter all around and he has all the tools to win at
our level. I have to respect that.
MMAWeekly:
What
are your overall thoughts about the upcoming fight?
Palaszewski:
I
think it will end in the first round or go the distance. I actually
think Joe agrees with me. I can't wait till the fight is over
so I can get back to MFS for some training. I think that this
fight is a classic match up of two good fighters who come from
good backgrounds. It will be a good one either way.
MMAWeekly:
It
should be a great one. Care to make a prediction?
Palaszewski:
I
only predict that the fight will happen. I won't Jinx myself.
A fight is a fight- anything is possible, right?
MMAWeekly:
Point
taken. Beyond this event, do you have any other upcoming fights
scheduled?
Palaszewski:
I
am scheduled for a re-match against Kola Koka in Super Brawl. That is April 30th.
I don't want to release much more about that event, because details
are still being worked out. My bout with Koka has been confirmed though.
MMAWeekly:
That
is also going to be a very exciting card. When you look over
the Lightweight class there are a number of impressive names
out there. Anyone in particular out there you would like to face
in the future?
Palaszewski:
Josh
Thompson. I think he is well rounded and exciting. We match well
for a good battle I think.
MMAWeekly:
I
am sure fans would agree. Now speaking of your weight class,
care to comment at all on the current state of the 155lb. division
in the UFC?
Palaszewski:
What
division?? Just kidding. I think 155lbers are a more exciting
fight than heavy weights, but we get lower pay and no opportunities.
I would love to see a LW title back in the UFC so I have something
to chase, but who knows.
MMAWeekly:
Speaking
of chasing- What are your goals overall in this sport?
Palaszewski:
Stick
it out and hope for something big to happen for the lightweights
I guess. I love fighting and it helps pay the bills for me right
now. I plan on staying at it as long as I can.
MMAWeekly:
Now
before I let you run, fans may know you as the 'Bartimus', care
to share the story behind that name?
Palaszewski:
When
I went for the EC Trials a guy called me Gladiator because he
saw my fight with Szhor and when I came home and told this to
Jeff, he ended up calling me The Great Bartimus. Sorta like Maximus
in the Gladiator. I think that is what he was getting at. So
now, I am just known as Bartimus. Jeff recently issued me a new
nickname too. He has been calling me Bartsy, but that doesn't
seem as tough, so I will keep Bartimus.
MMAWeekly:
Bartsy
huh? Not tough at all Bro. Lastly, anything you would like to
say to your fans?
Palaszewski:
Fans?
I didn't know I had any! No, thanks to everyone and the support
they have shown. Some of my fans travel far to watch me fight
and spend a good dollar to do so. I am grateful for that. I love'em
all.
MMAWeekly:
Thanks
for taking the time to speak with MMAWeekly Bart, and best of
luck to you this weekend.
Palaszewski:
You're
welcome Tim. Thank you to MMAWeekly for the interest.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Marcelo
Garcia
By André Araújo
Marcelinho: First Arnold, then ADCC
BJJ
black belt Marcelo Garcia was the highlight of the last ADCC,
held in São Paulo, Brazil, in May of 2003. Now he is the
man to be defeated at 2005's edition, which happens on May 28th
and 29th, in California. Now the main star of Alliance Team,
this Fábio Gurgel pupil did a Submission test at Arnold
Wrestling Submission, which happened last March 5, in Columbus,
Ohio. He ruled the -89kg division and in the final match, he
defeated Saulo Ribeiro by referee's decision. Team TATAME had
seven questions for Garcia. He replies below:
What
do you think about fighting at Arnold Wrestling Submission?
It's
the second time I fight and win. Different from last year, I
fought in a heavier category. I did think it was a big sacrilege
to lose weight before ADCC., once I will have to do it. Arnold
is a competition where you see high level athletes from all modalities.
I was well treated and received by North American audience and
they cheered for me. It was awesome.
How
many fights did you do?
Saulo
and I had to do three fights to meet in the final. But my first
opponent did not show and I won by WO. The second fight I fought
Rodrigo Pinheiro and I submitted him via foot-lock. It was the
first time I used this submission in competition.
Tell
me a little bit about your fight with Saulo. It seems he liked
facing you...
Fighting
Saulo was an honor for me. I have seen him fighting for a long
time and he said he wanted to fight me. He was sure it would
be a great bout. This first meeting ended postponed when he got
hurt during the 2004's BJJ Worlds, in the open class. When I
knew he would fight at the Arnolds, I though it would be a perfect
chance to meet him. This fact helped me to decide not to lose
weight for the competition. I admire him because after several
world titles he still fights.
Arnold
was a great test for the upcoming ADCC?
Arnold
is a show made for the American audience. ADCC is much bigger...
made for the whole world. There is no doubt about the ADCC's
refereeing... and the purses are way better also.
How
do you feel being the man to be defeated at ADCC?
I
am on my way to Brazil and I will train hard. I want to train
harder and harder to do the same things done two years ago. Winning
at ADCC was one of the best feelings in my life. About being
the man to be defeated, I guess it's nice people are aware about
my Jiu-Jitsu. I like to fight under the audience's attention...
Who wouldn't?
Tell
me about your seminars in United States and Canada... guys are
enjoying it? How do you see the soft art development in those
places?
My
seminars are filled and I conducted many private classes. I believe
people are having the time of their life in sports. I just conducted
a seminar with 76 people at Romero Jacaré's academy. I
see Jiu-Jitsu in the United States with better technology. Everybody
stop me to talk about my tapes... but even getting developed
fast, I believe they will take a while to threaten Brazil's leadership.
In
your opinion... who are your main opponents in ADCC?
I
don't know... I believe there is lots of people who will receive
invitations. But I really want to fight Jean Jacques. He is a
very good fighter...
Source:
Tatame
|
Jake
Shields vs. John Fitch at Gracie Open
Jake
Shields vs. John Fitch is on for this Saturday at the Gracie
Open! The match will be one of the gi-less superfights. We spoke
with Fitch's manager, Bob Cook, who confirmed Fitch's participation
in the event.
In other Gracie Open news, Jeff Glover, who just ran away with
the brownbelt division at the Copa Pacifica, called to tell us
he is ready to do the same in his superfight at the Open. We
also remind all competitors that there will be no late fees if
they sign up before Saturday.
We are looking forward to another exciting show and invite everyone
to attend what promises to be an epic event.
Source:
Gracie Fighter
|
Quote
of the Day
"Leadership is not something that is done to people, like
fixing your teeth. Leadership is unlocking people's potential
to become better."
Bill Bradley, American Basketball Player, US Senator
|
Quick
Notes on MMA This Weekend!
Super Saturday for MMA!
The venue has changed for the Super Brawl Super Show set for
April 9. It will no longer be held at the Stan Sheriff Arena
at UH, but it will now be moved back to Super Brawl's home, the
Blaisdell Arena. The date will stil be April 9, but remember
the event now will be held at Blaisdell Arena. Tickets go on
sale next Wednesday (March 23rd). Get your tickets early so you
are not left out of this huge event.
Three events
on the same day on different islands. Looks like everyone should
be able to get their fix of MMA on Saturday
Lockdown
in Paradise with Ron
"The Machine Gun" Jhun headlining will be at the Lahaina
Civic Center this Saturday. The Onzuka brothers and Fighters' Club TV will be there on Maui
for this inaugural event with an Octagon and the Jumbo Trons.
We
have just received word that Full Contact Showdown will be held
at Kahuna’s Bar & Grill on Kaneohe Marine Corps Base
Hawaii on Saturday for the Oahu fans as stated above.
So
You Think You're Tough 8 will be making their debut on Kauai.
|
Shooto
Hawaii - Unleashed
Updated Fight Card
March 25, 2005 7:30 PM
Neal Blasidell - Hawaii Suites
Amateur
Shooto 2X3 Min 143 Lightweight
Edmund Li (Freelance) Vs. Ryan Fukuda (808ff/Casca Grossa)
Kickboxing 3x2 Min Rounds 165
Kevin Smith (Team Big Dog ) Vs. Ben Rodriquez (Nanakuli Kickboxing)
Amateur Shooto 2X3 Min 167 Middleweight
Brandon Wright (JIL) VS. Nolan Hong (JKD Unlimited)
Kickboxing 3x2 Min Rounds 185
Josh Versola (Advanced Kenpo) Vs. Chevas Lamoya (Team Big Dog)
Amateur Shooto 2X3 Min Cruiserweight
Rob Chung (Kodenkan) Vs. Jason Ryan (808FF)
Kickboxing 3x2 Min Rounds 182
Wayne Perrin (Team Big Dog) Vs. Denver Gonsalves (Nanakuli Kickboxing)
182
Amateur Shooto 2X3 Min Cruiserweight
Jarret Lindsey (Bulls Pen) Vs. Hansen Apo (Kodenkan)
KickBoxing 2x3 Min 123
Bruce Niimoto (JIL) Vs. Bruno Escalante (East Oahu Boxing Club)
KickBoxing 2x3 Min 145
Randy Rivera (HMC) Bs. Tony Rodriguez (Team Big Dog)
Professional
Shooto Bouts
Class B - 2x5 Min Rounds Featherweight 132.3
Ryan Lee (Bulls Pen) Vs. Andre Soares (American Top Team)
Class
B - 2x5 Min Rounds Lightweight 143.3
Jim Kikuchi (808FF) Vs. Ryan Kronewitter (Team Integrated)
Class
B - 2x5 Min Rounds Light Heavyweight 183.0
Casey Daniels (Team MMAD) Vs. Thiago Jambo Gonclaves (ATT)
Main
Event
Class A - 3x5 Min Rounds Welterweight 154.3
Ray "Bradda" Cooper Vs. Hermes Franca (ATT)
Source: Promoter |
CABBAGE
NEEDS WIN THURSDAY NIGHT
Wesley
"Cabbage" Correira desperately needs a win this Thursday
night in WEC. He has gone from from winning six straight fights,
with wins over Tank Abbott, Sean Alvarez and even Justin Eilers
in SuperBrawl, to now losing three straight.
Four
losses in a row would be costly at this stage of his career.
His last three losses include losing to the UFC Interim Champ,
Andrei Arlovski, then a couple of losses on the Rumble on the
Rock card to John Marsh (who will be fighting at UFC 52) and
Japanese fighter Yoshihiro Nakao who is undefeated.
"It's
not like I've lost to bad fighters", Cabbage told MMAWeekly.
"I will be ready to go on Thursday night". His opponent
Thursday night is Walt Peles from the AWOL Fight Team in Northern
California. Cabbage knows he is in a must win situation this
Thursday Night at the Palace Casino in Lemoore California.
The Main Event of the card will feature Olaf vs John Polawkowski
II, which was considered by many as the Fight of the Year for
2004. UFC Veteran Mark Weir is also featured on the card as is
Jason Maxwell vs Gabe Rudinger for the WEC Lightweight Title.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
QUINTON
JACKSON TALKS ABOUT FUTURE
Quinton
"Rampage" Jackson is gearing up for the Pride middleweight
grand prix. MMAWeekly recently spoke with Quinton about his split
decision victory over Murilo "Ninja" Rua, and the possibility
of facing Wanderlei Silva for a third time.
When
the bell sounded signifying time had expired ending Quinton Jackson's
match with "Ninja" Rua, Quinton wasn't confident that
he won the fight. His actions following the split decision gave
every indication that Quinton thought he lost. "I've noticed
something about me. Every time I win by decision, I always think
I lose. You can go back to that Bustamante fight. When I barely
won, I always think I lose when I win by decision. I don't know,
I have some type of weird complex. I hate winning by decision.
I honestly thought I lost because I got slammed in the fight,
and Ninja was taking it to me. And then I watched the fight,
and I barely won," said Jackson.
Quinton
added, "Ninja actually surprised me. Ninja actually surprised
me. If Ninja wasn't out of shape too, he probably would have
beat me. If Ninja would have known about the fight before I did,
then Ninja probably would have beat me because I got tired in
the first two minutes of the fight. I didn't have nothing. I
don't even understand how I kept going. My mind kept telling
me to give up, but I cannot give up. That's not even in my vocabulary."
"Rampage"
is now in preparation to compete in the upcoming Pride middleweight
grand prix. He's hearing that his first round match up will be
against Mauricio "Shogun" Rua. When asked about it,
Quinton said, "I'm looking forward to anything. Last time
I was supposed to fight Arona in the first round remember? Then
I fought Busta. I found out the day I got to Japan, so you know
what I'm saying. That's the best thing about Pride, anything
can happen."
Quinton
went on to say, "Shogun, he's tough. He's tough, but he
don't have that much experience. You know what I'm saying? I'll
fight him. It's just like when they threw me to the dogs. You
know what I'm saying? Like my first time in Pride, they threw
me to Sakuraba or somebody like that, but it's the grand prix
now though. It's kind of like take what you can get."
Jackson
was runner-up in the last middleweight grand prix, losing in
the finals to Wanderlei Silva. Their rematch was possibly the
fight of the year in 2004, but Jackson was defeated by a brutal
knockout. Quinton was asked about a possible third match up with
Silva. He commented, "If Wanderlei beats me one more time,
if he beats me three times, it's like man, hang it up. There
ain't no sense in it." He elaborated, "If Wanderlei
beats me three times then it would be like there's no sense in
me trying to fight him. It would be stupid. It would be like
I'm chasing a guy who keeps whooping up on me. You know what
I'm saying? I don't make no sense, but the third time man, I
really need to beat him. The stupid thing is though, I think
the grand prix should held like, you know what I'm saying, everybody
be in the grand prix but Wanderlei, and whoever wins the grand
prix gets to fight Wanderlei for his belt right. That's the way
it should be man. I don't understand what they're thinking, but
it's their show. It ain't my show. If it were my show, that's
what I'd do."
Further
commenting on a third fight with Silva, Quinton stated, "The
first time (they fought) was in a tournament right. I had to
fight Chuck, then I had to fight Wanderlei. The second time I
fought Wanderlei, it was like two months after I was born again.
My head wasn't even right to be honest. That's one of the most
confusing things that has happened to me. I was born again you
know what I'm saying? I thought I was superman. I wasn't even
nervous....I was just like, there's no way I was going to lose
because I've got God with me. I wasn't even nervous. I was over
confident. You know what I'm saying? I did some stupid things.
This time, if I fight him in the tournament, what if it's like
again, I get a real tough opponent and he gets an easy opponent....To
be honest with you, I really don't want to fight him again in
the tournament. I will if I have to, but I want to fight him
straight up, one fight, me and him, lets go at it, but you can't
always get what you want in this world. This time I'm just going
to be a little bit more focused. I might be a little bit more
cautious because he beat me two times; you know what I'm saying,
bad. This time I might be a little bit more cautious but I still
know that I can beat him. I know that I can beat him."
At the end of the interview Jackson was asked about the UFC 52
main event between Randy Couture and Chuck Liddell. Quinton said,
"I'm looking forward to it. I'm going to be at the TV looking
at that one. Probably be at the TV looking because man. You know
me and Randy have the same manager and Chuck, he's cool with
me too. We done threw down. I'm going to tell you one thing about
that fight, the first time Chuck was surprised. He didn't think
Randy would be that tough. I don't know why, Randy was in the
heavyweights fighting those big boys, but this time I think Chuck's
going to be a little bit more ready, but man I still don't know
how that fights going to go."
Source: MMA Weekly |
CRO
COP VS FEDOR IN JUNE ACCORDING TO MIRKO
Mirko
Cro Cop announced on his website this weekend that he indeed
will fight Fedor Emelianenko. Mirko announced yesterday that
he will face Fedor Emalianenko June 26th in Pride.
It's
also interesting to note that on the website it also says, "
The news hasn't been confirmed by PRIDE officials."
In
either case, this is great news for fight fans who have waited
a long time for this showdown. Fedor will first have to get by
Tsuyoshi “TK” Kosaka in the Pride Bushido show coming
up in three weeks.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
WWE
OFF SPIKE, WHERE DOES THAT LEAVE UFC?
Spike
TV sent out this press release this weekend - "After several
months of negotiations, we have decided to end our discussions
about extending our relationship with the WWE beyond September
2005. Moving forward, Spike TV will expand its investments in
original programming and new acquisitions for its core audience."
It
looks as though the WWE will now leave, most likely for the USA
Network. So where does this leave the UFC? MMAWeekly talked to
one member of the public relations department at Spike TV who
told us that quote, "We enjoy our relationship with the
UFC and they have shown everyone that they are a viable option
with our programming." Does that mean a second season of
the Ultimate FIghter will happen on Spike? Most likely as the
two sides continue to try to get things done for a second season.
Fox
Sports Network also seems to be very interested in carrying UFC
programming as well. They continue to run their UFC specials
and now there could be a need for more programming on Fox Sports
Network. It appears the network will not renew host Tom Arnold
on the Best Damn Sports Show and if that's the case, the show
could be cancelled. It will be interesting to see if they would
pursue the UFC.
For
now though, with the current success of the UFC on both networks,
hopefully not only will we see the Ultimate Fighter 2, but hopefully
a weekly fight show on one of the two networks.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Quote
of the Day
"At the center of the universe is a loving heart that continues
to beat and that wants the best for every person. Anything we
can do to help foster the intellect and spirit and emotional
growth of our fellow human beings, that is our job. Those of
us who have this particular vision must continue against all
odds. Life is for service."
Fred Rogers (of "Mister Rogers" TV fame)
|
Big
Show vs Akebono?
It all started in early February when SmackDown! visited Japan
and former Sumo Grand Champion Akebono was in attendance.
Big
Show invited Akebono to the ring, but there was no animosity
on this night as both giants exchanged a respectful handshake.
A
few weeks later, Funaki, SmackDown!’s proclaimed No. 1 announcer,
tracked Big Show down backstage and told him word out of Japan
was that Akebono wanted to face Show at WrestleMania 21 on April
3 in Los Angeles.
Then,
on the March 10 edition of SmackDown!, Big Show told Josh Mathews
that he gladly accepted the challenge, even though it will be
a Sumo style match, something that figures to give Akebono a
major edge.
Few
WrestleMania matches have included two men this large. Don’t
miss WrestleMania 21, live on pay-per-view, to see how this collision
of International giants turns. |
Cage
Rage 11 Card
You
could barely move at Cage Rage 10 for fear of tripping over another
rumor about Cage Rage 11. Everywhere I turned I could feel the
semi-solid things, slimy and slithering across my skin, singing
siren songs to me and generally trying to seduce me until I believed
their gospel truths.
Like
others, I hoped and prayed that some of these rumors were true.
I probably even went a little bit over the top—when some
guy down the pub pointed out a particularly juicy specimen (Igor
Vovchanchyn to take on Ian Freeman at Cage Rage 11), I think
I may have reacted in a most inappropriate manner.
Like
the best things in life, anticipation is full of triumphs and
frustrations. Below is the confirmed card, so far, for Cage Rage
11, dubbed: “Face Off.” The absence of Lee Murray is
conspicuous, but since he’ll be fighting at UFC 52, that’s
probably forgivable. There is still plenty here to wet even the
driest whistle, as it were, as even the quickest glance at the
card will demonstrate.
The
message to take away seems to be that this show will have less
of an emphasis on bringing along home grown talent and more of
an emphasis on just making great fights.
The
encounter between Anderson Silva and Jorge Rivera will represent
Silva's first defense of his CR world middleweight title since
he won it by defeating Lee Murray at Cage Rage 8 last year. Mark
Weir versus Curtis Stout has all the hallmarks of being a great
striking battle with the possibility of ending by a knockout
every bit as grotesque as that produced by Stout at CR 10. And
the fight between Manhoef and Rea is another to look forward
to. Both of these guys produced impressive performances at the
last show and I'll be extremely interested to see how they match
up.
Evangelista
"Cyborg" Santos will be brought back, too. The intimidating,
tattooed Brazilian will come face to face with the scariest man
in England: Mark "Face like a Murderer" Epstein. I
have to say that I'm also looking forward to the clash between
Daley and Jenkins, with the latter almost guaranteed to make
a characteristically ludicrous and entertaining ring entrance.
The
final fight that I wanted to talk about is the Jess Liaudin-Abdul
Mohammed clash. I had a chance to catch up with Liaudin the other
day, and right before he kicked me savagely in the face, he offered
his opinion on his opponent.
"He's
good at what he does," Liaudin said. "He's a wrestler,
and he's good at taking people down and keeping them there. I
just hope that he won't try to lay on me as if he hasn't had
a girlfriend for months ... but either way I'll open up Abdul's
head like a tin of baked beans."
I
presume that in France people open tins of beans with knees and
elbows because I'm not sure whether the referee will be particularly
pleased to see Liaudin trying to fasten a manual can-opener to
Mohammed's head.
Cage
Rage 11 is set for April 30, once again at the Wembley Conference
Centre. The card, so far, is:
Ian
"The Machine" Freeman vs. Kristof Midoux
Anderson Silva vs. Jorge "El Conquistador" Rivera
Curtis "Red Nose" Stout vs. Mark "The Wizard"
Weir
Evangelista "Cyborg" Santos vs. Mark "The Beast"
Epstein
Melvin Manhoef "Holland" vs. Antony "The Wild
Thing" Rea
Sol "Zero Tolerance" Gilbert vs. Damien Riccio
Jess Liaudin vs. Abdul Mohammed
Paul “Hands Of Stone” Jenkins vs. Paul “Semtex”
Daley
Alex “Reidernator” Reid vs. Hassan Muridi
Andy “The Rock” Costello vs. Robert “Buzz”
Berry
Brad “One Punch” Pickett vs. Aaron Blackwell
Atilla “Mr T” Kubilay vs. Richard Bowkett
Source:
Sherdog |
|
The
Headache of Sean Gannon in UFC
Rumor
has it that Sean Gannon has been signed to a contract by UFC.
If this is true, we all know why. It's not because Gannon is
a mixed martial artist bursting with potential. It's not like
he's an unbelievably skilled heavyweight that is setting the
MMA scene abuzz because of his abilities. He is setting the MMA
internet fanbase abuzz, but that has nothing to do with in-ring
skill and more to do with the self-promotion of his "legendary"
fight against Kimbo Slice, something of which didn't resemble
the sport of mixed martial arts which UFC produces.
I'm
not a die hard fan of UFC's style of MMA. I think the whole sport
over spectacle paradigm is short-sighted and completely misses
the point of promoting a combat sport. I don't drool over fights
between highly skilled unknowns such as Chris Lytle and Karo
Parisyan (although I would rather see Lytle vs. Parisyan or a
similar matchup any day over Kimbo vs. Gannon). I'd rather see
an exciting fight between guys like Tank Abbott and Cabbage than
the dull kinetic chess of Murilo Bustamante vs. Kazuhiro Nakamura.
But
I loathe the idea of Sean Gannon being signed by UFC. There's
no proof that this guy is a quality mixed martial artist. He
only has a number of fights under his belt, fighting in matches
which are billed as "amateur" in Mass Destruction,
a very minor independent promotion. The question is, if a tape
of the Sean Gannon-Kimbo Slice streetfight didn't exist, would
UFC still be interested in hiring him?
I
received a lot of negative feedback about my article on Slice
vs. Gannon from two or three months ago, most of it not very
well thought it. The point of my original article wasn't that
Gannon-Slice was or wasn't a mixed martial arts bout, but that
booking that fight in UFC would be pointless since neither of
them are UFC-calibre athletes, and no one outside the few thousand
fans on the internet would know who they are.
What
if Sean Gannon gets destroyed in his first fight in UFC? I'm
not saying it's guaranteed to happen, but it's certainly a possibility.
Would his name appeal still be the same as it was when he had
an unblemished UFC record because he hadn't competed in that
company yet?
The
answer is yes, because Gannon has no name appeal. The internet
fanbase only represents about a third of the total current UFC
fanbase tops, and if The Ultimate Fighter continues to be a successful
show, that ratio will dwindle as the UFC fanbase grows.
If
this guy was talented, why not bring him in? Fighting at the
independent level is all about proving yourself and honing your
skills until you're ready to take on better competition. Why
is there a double-standard for an "internet legend"
such Gannon and a guy who has had to work his way to the UFC
by earning a long streak of undefeated fights, such as Tim Sylvia,
just as example?
It's
because Zuffa clearly believes that there is an opportunity to
market Gannon, a guy who was recently on the front page of the
Boston Herald, which featured a very negative article on Gannon,
a cop, doing that street fight with Kimbo.
Once
this guy fights in UFC, Zuffa has become SEG. They can no longer
claim sport over spectacle. They can no longer say that they
are about premium mixed martial arts when they are booking streetfighters.
Yes, Gannon has competed in mixed martial arts as noted above,
but that's not the reason he's in UFC. If you believe it is,
you're delusional.
It's
not that Kimbo vs. Gannon or other similar ideas aren't marketable.
There's probably a big market out there on home video and on
pay per view for freakshow streetfights. UFC is not a freakshow
streetfight. It was ten years ago, but this is suppose to be
a new decade with new management who have new concepts of this
still new sport.
There's
a difference between booking Gannon and Tank Abbott. Not that
signing Tank Abbott to $150,000 a fight was a stroke of genius,
because it was one of the most bizarre moves Zuffa has made.
But Tank was a guy who started his career in mixed martial arts
when the skill level was lower and streetfighters (and "trapfighters"
and "pitfighters") were part of the scenary. Tank had
at least made it the finals of a couple of important tournaments
in that era, and although he never defeated a quality fighter,
at least he had fought a ton and usually had exciting matches
in the process.
Gannon
hasn't faced quality competition. Most people would have no idea
who this guy is before the hype of his fight with Slice. Even
many of the new fighters to come into UFC are familiar with MMA
insiders as quality up-and-comers. There are fighters with more
skill out there than Gannon dying to get into the UFC, and many
of these fighters are as easily marketable.
It's
just mind boggling why they would sign this guy. They don't need
internet publicity when their show on cable TV is drawing killer
ratings for a station that struggles to get above a 1.0 with
anything but pro wrestling. What if the Boston Herald does a
follow up story on Gannon when he competes in UFC, talking about
how UFC is a disgusting cockfight and all that garbage, and that
story gets picked up by other major newspapers? Is this the kind
of publicity Zuffa is looking for?
At
its best, the signing of Gannon will bring a fighter into UFC
who has little prior experience who will have a hard time moving
up the ranks against the high-calibre mixed martial artists in
this promotion. At worst, it will be a publicity disaster, and
could wash away the amount of progress they've made these last
four years. Zuffa needs to start weighin their risk-reward ratio
a little more evenly.
Source:
Maxfighting |
***For
Immediate Release***
For More Information and Fighter Interviews, Contact Mike Afromowitz,
(917) 566-8754 or mike@k-1usa.net.
K-1
Returns To Las Vegas April 30th
McDonald,
Mighty Mo, Goodridge, O'Haire, and Cooper amongst confirmed tournament
competitors
K-1
will return to Las Vegas, Nevada's Bellagio Hotel and Casino
with an eight-man, single-elimination tournament and a collection
of single "Superfights" on Saturday, April 30th. Three-time
tournament champion Michael McDonald (49-12 (23 KO's), "Mighty
Mo" Siligia (25-3 (20 KO's), "Big Daddy" Gary
Goodridge (40-20 (29 KO's), and former WWE wrestler Sean O'Haire
(19-2 (10 KO's) are amongst the seven martial arts fighters that
will see tournament action during Battle at Bellagio IV, the
K-1 "World Grand Prix 2005 in Las Vegas," which will
air live on Pay Per View television.
Two-time
world kickboxing champion and undefeated boxer Dewey "The
Black Kobra" Cooper (42-7-3 (26 KO's) will take part in
the tournament as will Brazil's Glaube Feitosa and Japan's Yusuke
Fujimoto (11-6 (6 KO's). The final tournament participant has
yet to be named.
At
40 years of age, McDonald is still going strong in the twilight
of his career. Labeled by many critics as over the hill after
he had been exiled from the annual single-elimination event in
its opening round in 2003, "The Black Sniper" returned
to Las Vegas with a vengeance last April and defeated three straight
opponents, including championship round adversary Cooper, to
take hold of his third-career tournament crown.
During
what was only his second K-1 tournament start last August, the
stocky, 280-pound Siligia put on a monstrous display of physical
power. After gaining a unanimous judges decision over quarterfinal
round opponent, Sergei Gur, and stopping fellow American Scott
Lighty in the semifinal round, the former college football standout
and professional boxer utilized his big right hand to chop down
6 foot 4 inch, 255 pound Brecht Wallis in the championship round
of battle.
Another
hard-hitting brawler, Goodridge is a longtime veteran of the
martial arts fight game who has tested his durability against
the sport's most accomplished icons, including three-time K-1
"World Grand Prix Finals" champion Peter Aerts and
world Muay Thai champion, Jerome LeBanner. After scoring an impressive
first round knockout on New Zealand's Toa during a "Battle
at Bellagio II" Superfight last April, "Big Daddy"
was brought back to Las Vegas for another single fight matchup
during the annual, August K-1 event. There, he gained a split
decision over Cooper.
O'Haire
is the latest figure to cross over from another form of sport
to the world's fastest growing one. Following a stint in professional
wrestling's most prominent federation, the 6 foot 5 inch, 265
pound hulk enlisted in California's Shark Tank martial arts center
to pursue training in the art of Muay Thai. On November 20th,
he demonstrated his newfound combat skills by pounding out Japan's
Shungo Oyama during a "Rumble on the Rock 6" contest
at Honolulu, Hawaii's Blaisdell Arena.
Tickets
for the April 30th K-1 event are on sale and are priced at $50,
$100, $200 and $300, respectively. They may be purchased at the
Bellagio's box office or by calling 1-800-963-9634.
The
live Pay Per View television broadcast of Battle at Bellagio
IV, the K-1 "World Grand Prix 2005 in Las Vegas" will
begin at 10 PM Eastern Standard Time (7 PM Pacific Standard Time)
and will be available on iNDemand, DirecTV, and TVN.
K-1 is a martial arts fighting sport that derives its name from
its inclusion of a wide array of combat disciplines, including
Karate, Kung-Fu, and Kickboxing ("K"), and its intent
to determine one champion in one ring ("1"). After
being staged for the first time in Japan in 1993 under the direction
of founder Master Kazuyoshi Ishii, it later evolved into the
country's most popular sport and achieved popular culture status
there as its athletes turned into larger-than-life celebrities.
Source: |
Quote
of the Day
"I like living. I have sometimes been wildly, despairingly,
acutely miserable, racked with sorrow, but through it all I still
know quite certainly that just to be alive is a grand thing."
Agatha Christie, 1891-1976, British Mystery Writer
|
Luke
Hacker is OK!
Chris just spoke to Bruno Ewald, head of Longman Jiu-Jitsu, who
told us that Luke Hacker is doing good and is back home resting.
The doctors told him to rest for two weeks which will probably
take him out of the Pan Ams which is unfortunate because he was
a sure favorite to place after his past performances in all of
the recent tournaments where he was burning up the mats with
his non-stop and well balanced style.
For
those who don't know, there was a freak accident where Luke was
knocked unconscious while sitting on the side of the mat watch
a purple belt match when the competitors flew in to him. This
was at the Maui Open Jiu-Jitsu Tournament on Saturday. He was
rushed to the hospital and examined thoroughly. Luckily Casca
Grossa's Dr. Byron Izuka, who was also competing that day, was
there to offer assistance until the ambalance arrived. We believe
that Luke suffered a concussion. Another great thing was that
the hospital was right across the street from the Maui War Memorial
so he had a short drive until he could receive medical assistance
at the hospital.
Thanks
to all the people there who helped and prayed for Luke during
this trying time. Please continue to pray for his complete recovery
and we hope to see him back on the mats soon!
|
CROW
MOVIE WITH ORTIZ COMING OUT...
An
MMAWeekly.com reader send this to us. This write up was on-line
at "aintitcoolnews.com" regarding Tito Ortiz's performance
in the upcoming movie.
I
can't believe no one has posted anything about this, but the
new Crow movie was screened this past Wednesday in LA. I bought
a ticket for Constantine and saw Eddy Furlong smoking a cig by
the door. There was a little too much fanfare for an off night
at the movies so I snuck into the theater after he went in. I
had no idea it was the Crow. It was some kind of cast and crew
screening because the producer introduced the director, who spoke
before the show and I spotted Marcus Chong from The Matrix sitting
in the back. To be honest, I don?t know much about the comic,
liked the first movie and hated the sequel. I didn?t even know
there was a third one until I looked. I?m no big critic, but
thought your fans would like to see an early review of the Crow:
Wicked Prayer.
First
off, the movie has a very Western tone?no big city rooftops in
sight. Eddy plays an ex-con, whose hot girlfriend is the daughter
of the town sheriff. Enter David Boranez, the guy from Angel,
whose plan is to become the Devil and needs both Furlong?s heart
and his girlfriend?s eyes to do it. Tara Reid plays David?s girlfriend/witch
who whips up the spells to pull it off. The story isn?t much,
guy comes back from dead, angel versus devil etc. but it?s got
a lot going and has some real good performances to boot.
First
off, I didn?t expect much from Eddy as The Crow, but he more
than held his own. He plays a true underdog character--the last
person you'd see the Crow inhabit and that's what I liked about
it. I liked him sans makeup more, but in the Crow costume, he
manages to pull off the best scene in the movie. It?s a twist
I don?t want to give away. This one?s big on redemption. That
said, David steals the show. He?s over the top, as is his ?Four
Horsemen?, but does it so well. He had some awesome lines. ?I?d
slice all your throats, but I have to get to the burial grounds.?
I
recognized Tito Ortiz, the guy from the ultimate fighting championship,
and he was actually pretty good, very soft spoken but a big presence.
I saw him at the screening too he?s a pretty big guy. He, Marcus
Chong and some Asian guy make up David's posse known as The Four
Horsemen. Tara didn?t do much, but she wasn?t a distraction either.
I liked a scene where she washes her hands clean of blood. However,
David carried most of her scenes, he was fun to watch.
What
really makes the film is the relationship between Eddy and his
girl and that comes off very pure. The scenes with Eddy and her
really worked. The film had a strong beginning, but almost lost
it near the end. A sequence with Dennis Hopper seemed very out
of place, but some people were laughing so maybe it?s just my
tastes. The film made up for it in the end.
I
wasn?t expecting much, but found myself enjoying this movie,
partly because it moved quickly. The audience, though obviously
biased, seemed to dig it. The movie had a good pace and it?s
clear the director was going for something different. I was never
bored.
Bottom
line, I was expecting another mess and was pleasantly surprised
with something different. Don?t expect any big action scenes
though. This was definitely more of a character story and it
showed in the care with the performances. It had heart and I
have to mention the music .it honestly took the film to a whole
new level. I'd definitely buy the score if it was released. It's
very classy, soulful stuff.
I
thought this was going to be a direct-to-video movie, but honestly,
I could see it coming out in theaters. This one certainly deserves
a look. It has way more heart than half the crap I?ve seen lately.
I think Crow fans will be happy, they?ll probably get a lot more
out of it than I did, but I left the theater feeling pretty good.
Ending strong is a big plus in my book.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
HUGHES
TO FIGHT TRIGG FOR UFC
WELTERWEIGHT TITLE, APRIL 16
Light Heavyweight Belt On Line In Main Event Of UFC 52:
Couture vs. Liddell 2 Live On Pay-Per-View From MGM Grand
6 Additional Fights On All-Star Card In Las Vegas
TICKETS ON SALE NOW!
LAS
VEGAS, NEV., March 10, 2005…Randy Couture and Chuck Liddell
won't be the only championship re-match on the Ultimate Fighting
Championship ®52: Couture vs. Liddell 2 card Saturday, April
16, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
UFC®
World Welterweight Champion Matt Hughes will also fight a previous
nemesis when he and Frank Trigg hook up again with Hughes' title
on the line. In their first meeting, Hughes kept the welterweight
belt submitting Trigg with a rear naked choke in November 2003
at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn.
Tickets
priced at $400, $300, $200, $100 and $50 for the all-star, eight-fight
card are now on sale at the MGM Grand Garden Arena box office
in Las Vegas, all Ticketmaster locations, www.ticketmaster.com,
www.mgmgrand.com and by telephone at 800-929-1111 or 702-891-7777.
Ticket purchases are subject to transaction fees. UFC 52: Couture
vs. Liddell 2 also will be available LIVE on pay-per-view at
10 p.m. EDT on iNDemand, DirecTV, Dish Network, TVN, Echostar,
Bell ExpressVu and Viewers Choice Canada. The suggested retail
price is $34.95.
"This
fight will be completely different than the first one. I know
I am the underdog, and it will be one of the few re-matches where
you can count on the underdog winning. He completely surprised
me with the choke last time. Now, I know how to better train
for him and I know his flaws. I am already in a better place
both mentally and physically than I was for the last fight,"
Trigg said.
Hughes
said he sees this re-match "pretty much the same as the
first fight."
"I
think I am a better submission fighter than he is, a better wrestler
and just as good a striker. He's a tough guy and deserves a title
shot. But, I don't see him winning," Hughes said.
Hughes
(38-4-0 in mixed martial arts) from Hillsboro, Ill., re-gained
the UFC world welterweight crown last October in Atlantic City,
N.J., by stopping Georges St. Pierre by tap out with an arm bar
at 4:59 of the first round. Previously one of the longest-reigning
UFC champions, Hughes lost the title on January 31, 2004 when
BJ Penn surprised him with a rear naked choke at UFC 46. But,
Hughes quickly returned to the title hunt with a devastating
ground and pound unanimous decision victory June 19 over Renato
Verissimo at UFC 48. In the interim, Penn violated his contract
with the UFC and was stripped of the welterweight crown.
Trigg
(14-2-0) from El Segundo, Calif., recovered from his title loss
to Hughes with a first-round knockout of Dennis Hallman, a longtime
Hughes nemesis who had twice defeated him, at UFC 48, and a second-round,
technical knock out win over Verissimo at UFC 50.
Hughes
relies on his extensive wrestling experience to take down opponents
and finish them with a devastating ground and pound game. Trigg
also is an excellent wrestler but has greatly improved his standing
and striking skills. Who will have the most surprises ready for
April 16?
Couture and Liddell compete against each other weekly as the
coaches of Team Couture and Team Liddell in the new, exciting
The Ultimate FighterÔ reality show on Spike TV. But they
will clash for Couture's light heavyweight belt in the main event.
It's
the re-match everyone has wanted since Couture (13-6-0) from
Portland, Ore., made a dramatic impact on the light heavyweight
division with a third-round TKO of Liddell (14-3-0) from San
Luis Obispo, Calif., to win the interim light heavyweight title
June 6, 2003 in Las Vegas. Couture, the former two-time heavyweight
champion, then defeated Tito Ortiz September 26, 2003 for the
undisputed title; lost the belt to Vitor Belfort on January 31,
2004 when a glancing left hook sliced his left eye only 48 seconds
into the fight forcing its stoppage, then won it back from Belfort
on August 21 with a dominating ground and pound performance.
Liddell
didn't allow the loss to Couture affect his game. He rebounded
April 2 with a second round knockout of Ortiz, then followed
in August with a first-round KO of Vernon "Tiger" White
on the same Couture-Belfort card.
"It's
going to be different this time," Liddell predicts. "I'm
going to win by a knockout and be the light heavyweight champ."
But
Couture is just as adamant.
"This
fight will end just like the last one. At the end of the night,
I'm still going home with the belt."
Three
middleweight fights, a heavyweight bout, a light heavyweight
match and a welterweight bout will complete the card.
In
middleweight action, Couture's fellow Team Quest mate Matt Lindland
will fight Travis Lutter; Ivan Salaverry will meet Joe Riggs
and England's Lee Murray returns to face Canadian Patrick Cote.
In the heavyweight fight, Mike Van Arsdale will take on John
Marsh; thelight heavyweight match will have Brazilian Renato
"Babalu" Sobral fighting Travis Wiuff and in the welterweight
battle, Cote's teammate Georges St. Pierre will meet Jason Miller.
Lindland
(11-3-0) from Eagle Creek, Ore., is looking to get back in the
middleweight title hunt against Lutter (7-1-0) from Ft. Worth,
Tex. An Olympic Silver medalist in Greco-Roman wrestling, Lindland
says his career won't be complete until he adds UFC gold to his
list of credentials. Meanwhile, Lutter made an impressive UFC
debut in the light heavyweight division at UFC 50: War Of '04
with a knockout of Marvin Eastman at the 33-second mark of the
second round. Lindland's forte is a patented Team Quest ground
and pound attack while Lutter is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu fighter
with good striking skills, who is dropping down a weight division.
Salaverry
(9-3-1) from Seattle, Wash., and Riggs (24-4-0), from Phoenix,
Ariz., are both recent UFC winners. Salaverry, one of MMA's most
well-rounded fighters made quick work of Tony Fryklund at UFC
50 in Atlantic City, N.J., with a tap out victory in just 1:36
in the first round. A right hand strike followed by a left kick
left Fryklund reeling and Salaverry applied a body lock. Riggs,
a heavy-handed striker, made an impressive debut at UFC 49 in
Las Vegas when he defeated Joe Doerksen by submission due to
strikes at 2:39 of the second round.
Murray
(8-2-1) from London, England, is one of the U.K.'s top-ranked
middleweights and is known as a powerful striker, but in his
debut at UFC 46, he quickly defeated highly rated Jorge Rivera
with a triangle arm bar in just 1:46 of the first round. Cote
(6-1-0) from Montreal, Quebec, Canada, is also a knockout puncher
with a great chin. At UFC 50, Cote switched opponents when Guy
Mezger sustained a late training injury and fought as a light
heavyweight against former champion Tito Ortiz. Although he lost
a unanimous decision, Cote said he "got a lot of experience
from the fight" and proved he will not back down from anyone.
In
heavyweight action, Marsh (12-4-0) from Redondo Beach, Calif.,
will match his submission and striking skills against Van Arsdale
(9-1-0) from San Jose, Calif., whose well-known wrestling prowess
includes powerful takedowns. Marsh will make his debut after
scratching from the UFC 50 card when he sustained a hip injury
in training and could not fight Tra Telligman. In his last UFC
fight, Van Arsdale defeated Gracie Jiu Jitsu fighter Joe Pardo
with an arm lock at UFC 17.
The
light heavyweight fight matches Sobral (24-5-0) from Rio de Janeiro,
Brazil, a Gracie Jiu Jitsu specialist, against Wiuff (34-3-0)
from Rochester, Minn., who is a strong wrestler with improved
submission and Jiu Jitsu weapons. Sobral has won his last seven
consecutive fights and Wiuff has won 18 fights in a row.
St.
Pierre (8-1-0) from Montreal will pit his takedown and ground
and pound skills against Miller's (24-4-0) from Las Vegas, Nev.,
Jiu Jitsu and Thai kickboxing. Miller will make his UFC debut
while St. Pierre is coming off a welterweight title loss to Hughes
at UFC 50. St. Pierre is one of MMA's most well-rounded athletes.
"I know he is very skilled," Miller said. "But,
I don't think his chin has been tested."
The
Ultimate Fighter Continues On Spike TV
The
Ultimate Fighter, which premiered last month continues to wow
audiences each Monday at 11 p.m. EST/PST on Spike TV. Viewers
can follow the remaining fighters each Monday night for nine
more episodes as they train, work out and live together before
the final show on Saturday, April 9. At the end of each week,
one fighter from each of the two teams must fight in the Octagon
to avoid being kicked out of the UFC training center until only
two remain in each of two weight divisions. In the end, The Ultimate
Fighter will be determined by a live competition match –
a head-to-head fight to the finish in the Octagon
Source:
Zuffa |
Gracie
Open Superfights Announced
The
Gracie Open has had a long tradition of outstanding superfights
and it looks like this year will be no exception. Nick Diaz is
the latest entry to an already impressive array of matchups.
Diaz will be taking on Ralph Gracie prodigy, Luke Stewart. When
asked about this year's tournament, Cesar Gracie commented, "We
will have some of the most competitor friendly rules in the country.
Competitors will have the option to weigh-in either the day before
or on the day of the event. If a competitor doesn't make weight,
we will simply move him to the next weight division. We heard
alot of negative feedback from participants who failed to make
weight at other tournaments and were not given the option to
simply move up in weight class. They complained that they were
automatically disqualified, forfeited their entrance fee and
were only allowed to compete in the open weight class division.
I think this can only hurt the sport. We will also be weighing
in without the gi and we have decided to add an overtime in case
a match is tied at the end of regulation. It's better to see
if the match can be decided by the competitors on the mat instead
of a referee."
So
far the confirmed superfights are:
Jeff
Glover vs. Jimmy Comandango
Vinicius Magalhaes vs. Jayson Collard
Nick Diaz vs. Luke Stewart
Source:
Gracie Fighter |
Quote
of the Day
"Personal development is your springboard to personal excellence.
Ongoing, continuous, non-stop personal development literally
assures you that there is no limit to what you can accomplish."
Brian Tracy, American Trainer, Speaker, Author, Businessman
|
Proving
Grounds 4 Results
Dole Cannery
Ballroom, Honolulu, Hawaii
March 11, 2005
By Chris Onzuka - Chris@Onzuka.com
Proving Grounds, the feeder show for Rumble on the Rock marked
three important events, one was Proving Grounds' debut on Oahu,
secondly it marked the return of Marcelo Tigre and finally, it
is hosting the best 155lbs tournament consisting of only Hawaii
fighters. Proving Grounds flew in its custom built cage for the
event and was held in the Dole Cannery Ballroom, which provided
an intimate venue where everyone in the house could almost feel
the punches and experience the slam of a take down. More details
to come later.
Single MMA match:
Kurt Tsuneyoshi (Team Platinum) def. Curtis "Dirty Curty"
Pedro (Backyard Dojo)
TKO via referee stoppage due to strikes from the mount at 2:16
minutes in Round 1.
8-man 155lbs MMA
Quarter-finals (2 Rounds - 3 Minutes)
Kaleo Kwan (Eastsidaz) def. Ashton Castro (AP Hilo Boxing)
Verbal submission at 1:25 minutes in Round 2.
8-man 155lbs MMA
Quarter-finals (2 Rounds - 3 Minutes)
Mike Aina (BJ Penn's MMA, Hilo) def. Rob Villapando (808 Fight
Factory)
Unanimous after 2 rounds & overtime.
8-man 155lbs MMA
Quarter-finals (2 Rounds - 3 Minutes)
Neal Andres (HMC) def. Randy Rider (Team Yokozuka, Waimanalo)
TKO via referee stoppage due to strikes at 1:33 minutes in Round
1.
8-man 155lbs MMA
Quarter-finals (2 Rounds - 3 Minutes)
Harris Sarmiento (808 Fight Factory) def. James Pit (Team Yokozuna,
Waimanalo)
Submission due to strikes from the back mount at 2:29 minutes
in Round 1.
Single MMA match:
Kaimi Santiago (Puna Boyz) def. Kaipo Kalama (Team MADD)
KO at 31 seconds in Round 1.
8-man 155lbs MMA
Semi-finals (2 Rounds - 3 Minutes)
Kaleo Kwan (Eastsidaz) def. Mike Aina (BJ Penn's MMA, Hilo)
Unanimous decision after 2 rounds & overtime.
8-man 155lbs MMA
Semi-finals
Harris Sarmiento (808 Fight Factory) def. Neal Andres (HMC)
Unanimous decision after 2 rounds.
Single MMA match:
Roy Alaidanu (Hard Knocks) def. Pat McBraun (Puna Boyz)
Unanimous decision after 2 rounds.
8-man 155lbs MMA
Finals
Harris Sarmiento* (808 Fight Factory) def. Kaleo Kwan (Eastsidaz)
TKO via referee stoppage due to strikes from the mount at 3:37
minutes in Round 2.
*Harris Sarmiento is the tournament champion.
Main Event:
Marcelo Tigre def. Jody "Taxi Joe" Demeritt (6'4",
200lbs, Karate)
Submission due to strikes from the mount at 52 seconds in Round
1.
|
2nd
Annual Maui Jiu-Jitsu Open
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Tournament
Today!
Wailuku, Maui, Hawaii
Saturday, March 12, 2005
The
Onzuka Brothers and the Relson Gracie Team will be there.
We will see you there!
2nd
Annual Maui Jiu-Jitsu open Tournament
War Memorial Gymnasium
732 Makaala Drive
Wailuku, Maui, Hawaii 96793
Email: mauibadboy@aol.com
www.mauijiujitsu.com
Ph. (808) 298-7698 Lee
(808) 357-0657 Luis
|
Congrats
to Native Blend!
Congratulations to Casca
Grossa Purple Belt, Lester Gantan's band Native Blend
They Take Second at the Hawaii Music Awards
The
8th Annual Hawaii Music Awards Results!
A big congratulations to all the winners, and a wonderful mahalo
to all of this year's nominees and everyone who has supported
us in making this possible.
|
'HEROS'
CARD
The following matchups were officially announced for the 'Heros'
card, scheduled for March 26th. The final card is expected to
have around 8-10 matchups:
Bob
Sapp vs. Min-Soo Kim
Jerome Le Banner vs. Alan Karaev
Sam Greco vs. Heath Herring
B.J. Penn vs. 'Lyoto' Machida
Kaoru Uno vs. Joachim Hansen
Kazuyuki Miyata vs. Ian Schaffer
Source:
Fight Sport
|
Rumina
Wins & Pequeno beats Joao Roque
Shooto Results
Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan
March 11, 2005
Results:
Rookie
tournament: Ryuhei Sato defeated Yoshinori Ashikawa via referee
stoppage (ground and pound) at 54 seconds in round 1.
Rookie
tournament: Tenkei Fujimiya defeated Keisuke Yamada via unanimous
decision after 2 rounds.
Hideki
Kadowaki defeated Akitoshi Tamura via unanimous decision.
Takeshi
Inoue defeated Jin Kazeta via rear naked choke submission at
4:17 of round 2.
Rumina
Sato defeated Makoto Ishikawa via unanimous decision.
Alexandre
Franca Nogueira defeated Joao Roque via unanimous decision.
Source:
MMA Fighting
|
Pequeno
also won at TATAME'S poll
Surprising all web-users of TATAME.com, Pequeno retained his
Shooto Title over Nova União's João Roque by unanimous
referee's decision. Over 50% of the voters said he would win
by guillotine choke and 33% believed João Roque woul defeat
Pequeno by KO. Other 11% said Roque would submit Pequeno and
gain his title. Well, we got a fight description of last March
11's fight and now you will be able to know what happened inside
the ring of lightweight belt dispute.
In
round 1 Roque threw a front kick, Pequeno grabbed it, lifted
his leg high, and slammed Roque into side mount. Roque quickly
got guard. Pequeno set back for an Achilles lock and they rolled
out of the ring. Restart standing. Pequeno threw a leg kick and
Roque threw a punch. Roque's left hook is a grazing blow. They
clinched and Roque went for a guillotine on the master of guillotines.
Pequeno, unconcerned, lift Roque and took him down again into
half mount. Pequeno passed to side mount before round 1 ended.
In
round2, Pequeno opened the round with a hard leg kick. Roque
fired one back, but Pequeno grabbed it and took him down into
the guard. Pequeno stood and Roque is in the butt scoot. Roque
stood up. They traded punches, clinched, and again Pequeno scored
a takedown, landing in half mount. Pequeno looked to pass and
landed one hard punch. He lands some more punches and then stood
up. Roque butt scooting. Pequeno dropped into Roque's guard.
He threw some small shots to the body and the ref stood them
up. Doctor checked a small cut around Roque's eyebrow. Fight
restarts standing, and the rounds ends.
In
the last round the same happen as round 2. Some strikes standing,
but Pequeno's wrestling is better and he scores the takedowns.
GnP. He passed to side mount toward the end of the round and
went for the mount, but Roque was able to regain guard. Fight
ended this way. In the end, Alexandre Pequeno defeats Roque by
unanimous decision and retains his title: (30-27, 30-27, 30-27).
Source: Tatame
|
Thai
Martial Arts Star Aim to Kick High in U.S.
By Craig Reid
LOS
ANGELES (Reuters) - From a standing position, he jumps straight
up, kicks a pad suspended 15 feet above the ground and on the
way down spins like a yo-yo and lands on one foot, then effortlessly
leaps up and runs across the shoulders of five men like stepping
stones on a river.
No
wires, special effects, no camera techniques, just a live demonstration.
Welcome
to the world of To.y Jaa, not only Thai cinema's most famous
martial arts star, but with his debut film "Ong Bak: The
Thai Warrior" perhaps the next big martial arts movie icon
to follow in the steps of Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan and Jet Li by
breaking through in the West.
"Ong
Bak" is frenetically directed by Thai television ad director
Prachya Pinkaew and is a story about pious Buddhist country bumpkin
Ting (Jaa) who is sent to "Sin City" Bangkok to retrieve
the stolen head of a statue, his jungle village's symbol of life.
With
his interest in Asian film sparked by working with Jet Li on
"Kiss of the Dragon" and the soon to be released "Unleashed,"
it's no wonder that Luc Besson, director of "Fifth Element"
and "Joan of Arc," purchased the English-language distribution
rights to the film.
The
film is currently in limited release but expected to open nationwide
later.
When
asked how he developed such phenomenal jumping abilities, Jaa
said in an interview with Reuters, "Flower and Leaves"
and therein lies the tale:
Born
Panom Yee-rum in a jungle village in Thailand's northeastern
Surin province, near the Cambodian border, Jaa raised elephants
as a child and each day would leap up onto the backs of two baby
elephants, Flower and Leaves, and did so every day for many years;
as the elephants grew so did his jumping abilities.
"Riding
elephants is a skill in itself," Jaa says, "but when
you train them to like pick up leaves or water and throw it back
at you, you become attached to the elephant and you must eventually
become one with them."
But
childhood life wasn't all peaceful and serene.
"As
a kid playing with the elephants, we'd always be reminded we
lived in a Red area near the Cambodian border," Jaa says,
"so there was a constant wartime reminder where we'd hear
the planes coming and have to literally run away from the bombs."
During
those tumultuous times, besides tending his father's rice paddies
and somersaulting off elephants into the river, Jaa found solace
and direction by watching Bruce Lee and early Jackie Chan films
shown outdoors on white sheets when a pRojectionist visited the
village.
"Because
of Bruce and Jackie, I realized I wanted to be a martial arts
film star," Jaa said. "But they were doing Chinese
kung-fu. I wanted to do something to show the world Thai culture,
Thai martial arts, so I decided to practice Muay Thai Boran."
To
Westerners, Thai martial arts are Thai kickboxing, known as Muay
Thai. However, Muay Thai is not a martial art but a sport that
has been around since 1930, its techniques being a watered down
version of the lethal martial art Muay Boran.
With
a $12 million budget and four years in the making, "Ong
Bak" features Jaa in highly stylized, pugilistic Muay Thai
mayhem, performing overtly dangerous stunts that rival the best
of Chan all done without doubles, wires and special effects.
"I
refuse to use wires for safety because I want people to see it's
real and bring back that feeling from Jackie's prime years and
show those kind of film stunts to the public eye.
"Besides,
the wires interfere with the real techniques and I wish to show
the world the other side of Thai martial arts, not just what
most think is the ring fighting," he said.
Source:
Reuters
|
'CRO
COP' CANCELS UFC APPEARANCE,
SAYS FEDOR HAS NO STANDUP
Mirko 'Cro Cop' Filipovic announced on his website that he will
not be participating in any future UFC until after he gets his
shot at Fedor Emelianenko, due to wanting to focus all his training
for the Fedor fight.
According
to Cro Cop:
"....Fedor
is too dangerous to be taken easily, and that is the reason of
canceling my UFC debut. I consider myself as a favourite in that
fight, no matter what, his record, status and experience. He
doesn't have much of a standup technique, he possess a great
hook and he is excelent on the ground." -Mirko "Cro
Cop" Filipovic
Source:
Fight Sport
|
TYSON
TO TRAIN MUAY THAI IN THAILAND
The Associated Press reports the following news regarding Mike
Tyson, and his plans to possibly train in Muay Thai and possibly
compete as a professional Muay Thai fighter:
BANGKOK
(AP) - As a heavyweight boxer in the United States, Mike Tyson
used his fists - and sometimes his teeth - to tackle his opponents.
Now, the former world champion may learn to fight with his knees,
elbows and feet during a training stint in Thailand.
A
newly formed organization for traditional Thai kickboxing, or
muaythai, is considering a request for Tyson to be trained in
the martial art in Thailand, said police Gen. Kovid Bhakdiphum,
chairman of the World Boxing Council Muaythai.
"Tyson's
representatives contacted us and asked what I can do to help
Tyson, who is interested in switching from regular boxing to
muaythai," he told The Associated Press.
Kovid
said he would have to evaluate the behaviour of the fighter,
infamous for biting off part of Evander Holyfield's ear during
a 1997 bout, before accepting him for training. The 38-year-old
fighter has had several public brawls and run-ins with the law.
"If
he's not punching people outside the ring or biting the ears
of opponents and shows he's well disciplined, we will take him,"
Kovid said.
Kovid
said he spoke to a Tyson representative Wednesday night, and
that chances for the visit seemed good. An official from the
WBC Muaythai, recently named a division of the World Boxing Council,
will fly to Las Vegas next week to discuss details with Tyson,
he added.
He
said he was initially contacted with about the proposal by WBC
President Jose Sulaiman's office, and that the move seemed to
be an attempt to breathe new life into Tyson's waning career.
Tyson
could help promote Thai kickboxing, a hugely popular sport in
Thailand, internationally, Kovid said.
Further
details about the plan were not immediately known.
Tyson
was jailed in 1992 for raping a beauty pageant contestant, and
in 1999 for assaulting two Maryland motorists.
More
recently, he was cited on suspicion of criminal damage for allegedly
jumping on the front of an Arizona man's vehicle outside the
Pussycat Lounge in suburban Scottsdale on Nov. 27. The man dropped
his complaint after he was paid $1,400 US for the damage.
Source:
Fight Sport
|
FEDOR
TRAINING WITH HOOST
By Tape Lord
The Japanese media reports that Fedor Emelianenko is in Holland
right now training with Ernesto Hoost.
Fedor
is scheduled to face Tsuyoshi Kohsaka on April 3rd, but the Japanese
media is saying that Fedor will possibly face Mirko 'Cro Cop'
Filipovic on June 26th.
Source:
Fight Sport
|
BARONI
POSSIBLY IN PRIDE GP
People close to the camp of Phil Baroni are saying that there
is a chance Baroni will be invited to participate in the upcoming
PRIDE middleweight GP on April 23rd.
Furthermore,
these same sources are saying that Baroni may be participating
on a future PRIDE Bushido card.
Source:
Fight Sport
|
HENDERSON
TRAINING HARD FOR POSSIBLE FIGHT
After suffering four straight loses in the UFC, Phil Baroni got
a much needed win last weekend over Chris Cruit. On St. Patrick's
Day "The New York Bad Ass" takes on Art Santore in
Hollywood, California.
Santore
is a Team Quest member also a former King of the Cage Champion
who trains under Dan Henderson. MMAWeekly SoundOff Radio tracked
down Dan Henderson on Thursday and talked about Santore vs. Baroni.
Art
Santore has an 8-3-0 professional MMA record with fights in Gladiator
Challenge, King of the Cage, Pancrase, as well as SportFight.
Henderson thinks Santore can beat Baroni. Dan said, "I think
style wise, matching up against Baroni, he's got a good chance
at pounding the crap out of him." Dan added, "He wrestled
a little bit in high school. He's a decent wrestler. He has some
good hands."
Fellow
Team Quest member Matt Lindland said that Santore puts on a good
show. Art is quite the showman on his way to the ring and after
bouts. Lindland added, "And he likes to stand and bang it
out."
Dan
was asked where Santore has the best chance at beating Phil,
standing or on the ground, Henderson replied, "I don't know.
Art's got a pretty good reach, and he's pretty good on his feet.
I don't think it matters either way where ever we go. Baroni
doesn't seem to be in the best shape, so Art, being on short
notice, hasn't been training real hard." Henderson joked
that both Phil and Art would probably be gassing in the second
round.
As
far as what Henderson is up to, he is currently in Oregon working
out with Randy Couture, Matt Lindland, Bas Rutten and Duane "Bang"
Ludwig who are all up in Oregon at Team Quest.
When
asked when he was going to fight next "It looks like the
next Pride Grand Prix." Dan doesn't know his opponent yet,
but is training none the less. He just wants a shot at trying
to win the Pride Grand Prix.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
UNO
VS. HANSEN
The matchup of Kaoru Uno vs. Joachim Hansen was announced for
the 'Heros' show on March 26th.
Source:
Fight Sport
|
HANSEN
CONFIRMED FOR K-1 HERO’S SHOW
by Ken Pishna
According to Joachim Hansen’s manager, Marko Leisten, the
Scandinavian superstar fighter has signed a one-fight deal to
participate on the K-1
Hero’s show on March 26th. Leisten declined to name an opponent
saying “K-1 will say that in a few days.”
Hansen
was supposed to have faced Yves Edwards on the last Euphoria
show in the United States, but was unable to participate due
to a broken hand. He originally suffered the broken hand in July,
but was brought back too soon and re-broke the hand in October.
In November, Hansen had surgery on the hand, which involved a
steel plate and ten screws.
By
the time the Euphoria show rolled around, it was still too soon
for him to make a full return to the ring. Leisten insists that
Hansen’s hand is now doing fine and that he has been boxing
five days a week over the past month.
Hansen
is completely focused on his fight at Hero’s right now,
but is still looking forward to fighting in the Untied States.
According to Leisten, he has a close working relationship with
AFC/Euphoria promoter Miguel Iturrate and when Hansen does finally
debut in the States it will be with AFC, Euphoria, or the Ultimate
Fighting Championship.
As
of right now, Hansen has no plans beyond the Hero’s show;
but as long as he makes it out of the fight healthy, he will
be moving forward with a busy year. Leisten plans to see what
can be worked out with Iturrate and Hansen will also return to
the promotion that he gained recognition fighting for. “Of
course, [Hansen] will make one or two fights for Shooto in Japan.
Shooto is number one for us,” according to Leisten.
Stay
tuned as we hope to have Hansen’s opponent for the Hero’s
show within the next few days.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Exciting
Action from Japan
For the 4th consecutive year, the Japan Shooto Association unveils
its annual Rookie tournament. This system is designed to develop
the talent and name-recognition of the next "big thing"
in the Shooto circuit. The current Shooto Welterweight World
Champion (regarded as the BEST 154 lbs fighter in the world)
came up through the Rookie tournament format back in 2002, as
did other Shooto stand outs like Kuniyoshi Hironaka (who defeated
the very talented Nick Diaz) and Hiroyuki Takaya (top contender
for the Shooto Lightweight World Title). This proves that the
Rookie tournament format helps bring the cream to the top.
Another
former rookie tournament champion, Hideki Kadowaki, is on the
card as well... He is facing a Class-B opponent in Akitoshi Tamura,
who himself is looking to make a name for himself. Kadowaki has
been hot and cold lately, winning some, but losing out in the
big fights. This is a make or break time for him while Tamura
can potentially catapult into the upper echelon of the Shooto
network with a win over a respected name.
In
Class-A action, striking sensation 'Lion' Takeshi will bring
his formidable skills up against savvy veteran Jin Kazeta. Kazeta
has faced the best in the business such as Shooto standout Naoya
Uematsu, so he will serve as a solid litmus test for the undefeated
up-and-comer in Takeshi.
With
all of that exciting action on the undercard, it is a surprise
that the main-events promises to be greater still... Shooto superstar
and snap submission specialist Rumina Sato is making his bid
for a Shooto title one again. He has faced the likes of Kaoru
Uno and Takanori Gomi for the Shooto 154 lbs title in the past,
coming short each time. He has changed gears in his fighting
style a bit, becoming more strategic and methodical (like his
controlled submission win over Bao Quach, and his impressive
KO over Katsuya Toida) so he is set to climb back to the title
contention picture. For this bout he will be fighting the powerful
and aggressive Makoto Ishikawa for the newly developed Shooto
Pacific Rim title. It will allow Sato to achieve the championship
recognition that he craves, or it could give Ishikawa the chance
that he needs to assert himself as the top guy for the World
title, should he win.
Finally,
long time Champion and master of the guillotine, Alexandre "Pequeno"
Nogueira will defend against fellow countryman, Joao Roque of
Nova Uniao. Arguably one of the best pure grapplers in the fight
game, Roque has been waiting a long time for this shot. Competing
in Japan as for back as 1997 Vale Tudo Japan, Roque has always
been one of the top names for the lower weights... But Nogueira
IS the top name at 143 lbs, so Roque's quest for top status is
in jeopardy.
Total
card:
March
11th
Kourakuen Hall
Tokyo, Japan
Promoter – Sustain
Complete
Line-up (subject to change)
Light
Heavyweight (Class-B) 2005 Rookie Tournament
First Round
Ryuhei Sato (R-GYM) vs. Yoshinori Ashikawa (RJW G2)
Lightweight
(Class-B) 2005 Rookie Tournament First
Round
Tenkei Fujimiya (STG Yokohama) vs. Keisuke Yamada (K'z
FACTORY)
Lightweight
(Class-B)
Hideki Kadowaki (Keisyu Kai) vs. Akitoshi Tamura
(Tanaka Juku)
Lightweight
(Class-A)
Jin Kazeta (Philoctetes Niigata) vs. Lion Takeshi (STG
Yokohama)
Lightweight
(Class-A) Pacific Rim Championship
Makoto Ishikawa (PUREBRED Omiya) vs. Rumina Sato (K'z
FACTORY)
Lightweight
(Class-A) World Championship
Alexandre Franca Nogueira (World Fight Center) vs.
Joao Roque (Nova Uniao)
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Diaz
to Make Pro Boxing Debut
Nick Diaz will be making his professional boxing debut on the
29th of April. The fight is scheduled to take place at the Sacramento
Radisson Hotel. Diaz will be fighting at 168lbs (super-middleweight)
and hopes to keep busy boxing in between his UFC appearances.
"I've been wanting to get a boxing fight for a while now.
I train with plenty of pros and feel I can do good against whoever
they throw at me", stated Diaz.
Besides his busy training schedule, Nick still plans to continue
to compete in grappling tournaments. His next match is set to
take place at the Gracie Open on March 19th in Pleasant Hill,
Ca.
Source:
Gracie Fighter
|
The
Brazilian Notebook
by Portal do Vale Tudo
Brazil
washed its soul in PRIDE 29. The balance was four victories and
one defeat, much better than the nightmare of PRIDE Shockwave
2, where Wanderlei Silva and Rodrigo "Minotauro" Nogueira
fell to defeat.
Meanwhile,
we highlight new talents displayed throughout the country in
events such as SHOOTO Brazil and Storm Samurai. It is the cultivation
of a new Brazilian harvest.
Rogério
“Minotouro” talks about his victory over Overeem
Rogério
"Minotouro" Nogueira was satisfied with his victory
over Alistair Overeem in PRIDE 29. According to him, it lacked
a finish, but the satisfaction came mainly on account of the
aggressiveness that was showed in ring against an athlete who,
as well as Nogueira, will be in the PRIDE Middleweight Grand
Prix.
"I
liked my performance," Nogueira said. "[I] had good
moments in the combat, fought well [standing] and the ground.
I am ready for the GP."
Brothers
Rua in Distinct Situations
Brothers
Mauricio "Shogun" Rua and Murilo "Ninja"
Rua carried out distinct moments in PRIDE 29. While "Shogun"
literally ran over Hiromitsu Kanehara, "Ninja" lost
to Quinton Jackson in a contested decision.
According
to leader of the Chute Boxe, Rudimar Fedrigo, the performance
of "Shogun" can be considered an attempted homicide
by his pupil, such was the slaughter that he imposed in combat.
In relation, Fedrigo considered “Ninja” victim of an
injustice and was disappointed with the judges at the event,
also suggesting it could be part of a plot against his team based
on the recent defeats of Wanderlei Silva against Mark Hunt and
"Ninja" against Jackson.
After
the fights "Ninja" lamented about another a defeat
in his career and affirmed that he needs a good victory in his
next fight; "Shogun" defied "Rampage" and
waits to face him in the PRIDE GP or at some point during the
year.
Jéferson
“Tank” and Carina Damm Shine in 4º Submission
Wrestling
The
city of São João da Barra his 4º Submission
Wrestling of São João da Barra on February 18 and
19. The event counted on a festival of fights, parading great
fights of the Brazilian sport. In the wrestling matches Adrian
Jaoude, of Ruas Vale Tudo, was distinguished as the next the
great example of the sport in Brazil, easily winning his bouts.
In
submission, the victorious fighters were Rodrigo Damm (under
66-kg); Milton Vieira (under 77-kg), who beat the excellent Edson
"Sururu" in the finals; Jorge Patino "Macaco"
(under 88-kg), beating in the finals Delson "Pé de
Chumbo"; and Marcelo Uirapuru (under 99-kg).
But
it was the MMA fights that had the public shaking. In the mini-grand
prix, Danilo Moto-Serra and Fabrício Monteiro had a great
battle in the finals, with Monteiro winning a tough decision
after three five-minute rounds.
If
the climate wasn’t already hot, it got hotter with the MMA
super-fights. The female revelation Carina Damm gave a great
show and she did not allow any chances to her adversary, Vanessa
Bueno. Demonstrating much bravery, the fighters didn’t stop
for the whole two-round fight, leaving the decision to the judges.
With
much advantage in the combat, Damm took the victory, leaving
fans euphoric with her beauty and her toughness demonstrated
in ring.
"We
are showing that the girls are not only in this earth to cook,”
Damm said. “We are here getting our spot in the combat sport.
This was my second fight, but I want to make a thousand more.
I am very euphoric."
The
final fight of the night was between Jéferson "Tank"
and Dimitri Wanderley. More experienced, also at participation
in the circuit of the K-1, "Tank" was surprised in
the beginning of the fight, when Wanderley came after him, trying
to intimidate with a sequence of punches. "Tank", however,
proved that he deserves a chance in the international MMA, with
sharp wrestling. He applied some beautiful falls and he defined
the combat with a series of three powerful kicks to the stomach
of his adversary, closing the event with gold key.
"The
combat was really tough," commented "Tank." “The
boy valued the fight; he was very good. I already waited through
the toughness of it, to come to top and such. I have passed the
last 15 months without fighting and in the start I needed some
time to get the rhythm. The only thing that I found was my wrestling,
therefore it entered well. I played on the ground and finished.
Now, thanks to God, I finished finding the hand, the knee I entered,
I struck a blow to the liver. … It’s never easy. I
don’t underestimate nobody and also do not choose my opponents.
Inside people see who is the best, because we are professionals."
Hermes
Franca Discusses Defeat in Euphoria
Hermes
Franca was not satisfied with the decision of the judges in his
last fight against Yves Edwards in Euphoria. Defeated by Edwards
in another contested decision one year ago, Hermes said, "This
time it was worse. I won the first one and third round and he
won the second. But look at the name of the championship: ‘The
USA against the world’ … this already says everything."
In
return the ATT fighter says that his two controversial defeats
against Edwards do not mean that he has something personal against
his adversary: "He is good people. I have no rancor against
him."
His
three defeats in MMA, all by decision, were at the very least
contested. Hermes does not know what to make of it. "I do
not get discouraged,” he said. “The only thing that
I can do at the moment is laugh. Lamentable.”
Storm
Samurai is Coming
Technical
Director of Chute Boxe and organizer of the Storm Samurai, Rafael
Cordeiro announced the complete card of his next event, which
rolls into Curitiba on the 19th. The main event features Katel
Kubis and Fabrício Morango.
Marlon
Mathias (Chute Boxe) vs. Pablo Guermande (Ponto 1/ Nova União
Maringá)
Wagner Tibúrcio (CWB) vs. Luiz Paulo Sorriso (Gracie Pitbull)
Maicon Costa (Chute Boxe) vs. Junior Besouro (RFT)
Marcelo Brito (Academia Arena) vs. Jorge Brito (Gracie Tijuca)
Ed Carlos Monstro (Chute Boxe) vs. Ricardo Macula (Fighteam)
Maurício Veio (Chute Boxe) vs. Ricardo Manteiga Bastos
(Fighteam)
Cláudio Popeye Matos (Chute Boxe) vs. Franklin Jenssen
(Alliance Santa Catarina)
Edval Pedroso (World Muay Thai Team) vs. Antônio Negão
(Cristiano Marcello)
Gildo Lima (Chute Boxe) vs. Aritano Barbosa (RFT)
Gustavo Treta (Macaco Gold Team) vs. Matheus Andrauf (Thai Boxe)
Rodrigo Riscado (Nova União) vs. Alessandro Steffan (Macaco
Gold Team)
Katel Kubis (CWB) vs. Fabrício Morango (Gracie Tijuca)
SHOOTO
Brazil 6 Results
The
public who was in Curitiba to follow the SHOOTO Brazil 6 did
not have anything to complain about. The good fights on February
26 excited the fans there that witnessed athletes of the main
Brazilian teams in action.
Here
are the results:
Renato Matos (Giudice) def. Fabio Tigrão (Shooto Brazil
Dojo) TKO
Josenildo Índio (Giudice/ Equipe 1) def. Willian Casquilha
(VB Team) TKO
Cristiano Neguinho (Gracie Curitiba) def. Wanderlei Smala (Zenedin)
armbar
Helio Dipp (Power Team) def. Wagner Tibúrcio (Nogushi)
KO
Ivonildo Cafu (Never Shake) def. Marcus Vinícius (BIT)
TKO
Eduardo Pamplona (Never Shake) def. Carlinhos Lima (BIT) rear-naked
choke
Julian Jabá (RFT) draw Paulo Bueno (Zenedin)
Wagner Gávea (CWB) def. Fábio Baum (Falcão/Santa
Catarina) verbal submission
José Carlos (Shooto Brazil Dojo) def. Mateus Andraus (Thai
Boxe) decision
Erinaldo Pitbull (Gracie Barra Combat Team) def. Ricardo Rodrigues
(VB Team) rear-naked choke
Rodrigo Fajardo (GBCT) def. Sergio Schiavon (Ponto 1) armbar
Luiz Beição (GBCT) def. Paulo Boiko (BTT) decision
Jean
Silva Talks About Cage Rage
Jean
Silva earned a draw against Leigh Remédios Cage Rage 10.
The Chute Boxe fighter, who initially was supposed to face Chris
Brennan, commented on his fight: "One week before the fight
the organizers call me saying that the Brennan had been hurt.
I was until happy, because I broke two ribs in the training.
But the organizers wanted me to fight, to show my new belt, and
they had compelled me to face Leigh Remédios.
“I
was very sick; also I had been interned. But I was with 68-kg
and he with 75-kg. In the fight I crushed the fella, but as he
was English and friend of the judges, the fight finished being
in a tie. But [afterwards] the promoters saw the tape and considered
me the winner and, most important, I kept my belt."
News
and Notes
Alexander
"Pequeno" Nogueira and João Roque will make
one of the most awaited fights by the Brazilian public in the
next edition to the SHOOTO on Friday, March 11. The fight is
for the SHOOTO lightweight championship, which has been under
the power of "Pequeno" for seven years.
With
the exit of its leader, Vítor Belfort, who came back to
the Brazilian Top Team, the VB Team has changed its name, to
simply “Fight Team.” With headquarters in São
Paulo, the team has as one of its representatives, Gabriel "Gladiador,"
who beat Mark Weir in the Cage Rage 10.
In
our next column, we open with Wanderlei Silva who speaks on Tito
Ortiz, the PRIDE Middleweight GP and his next challenges.
Source:
Sherdog
|
Quote
of the Day
"If money is your hope for independence, you will never
have it.
The only real security that a man can have in this world is a
reserve of
knowledge, experience and ability."
Henry Ford, 1863-1947, American Industrialist, Founder of Ford
Motor Company
|
Proving
Grounds 4 Tonight
Friday,
March 11, 2005
Dole Cannery Ballrooms
Fights start at 7:00 pm
The
rumor that Marcelo Tigre is back in Hawaii is true AND it is
also true that he will be fighting on ROTR: Proving Grounds,
the feeder show for Rumble On The Rock on March 11th. This will
be Proving Grounds' first event on Oahu, the events are usually
held in Hilo, Hawaii.
After
finding out that Tigre was on the fight card, the big question
everyone was asking was who will be his opponent? Not to be confused
with Bazooka Joe, Tigre's opponent will be Taxi Joe. Jody “Taxi
Joe” Demeritt is 6’4”, 200lbs and a street fighter
with a background in Karate. He claims to be undefeated, but
we could not obtain any proof of that record. Tigre told me that
his bout at Proving Grounds will be a tune up fight for his appearance
in Rumble On The Rock, where he may face a "name" opponent.
Tigre is looking to get back in the big picture and what better
place than in one of the fastest growing promotions in the world,
Rumble On The Rock.
The
event will also feature a 8-man MMA tournament, which may crown
Hawaii's best fighter at 155lbs. This tournament features fighters
from almost every top MMA school in Hawaii. The tournament is
stacked with some of Hawaii's most successful lightweights. Some
of the fighters that will be going head to head are Harris Sarmiento
(808 Fight Factory), Mike Aina (BJ Penn's MMA), Neal Andres (HMC)
and Kaleo Kwan (Eastsidaz). There will be a couple individual
matches, adding to the already action packed event. Proving Grounds 4 will
be held at the Dole Cannery Ballroom in Honolulu on March 11th.
|
Villaver
International Production Inc. Presents
Only The
Strong Survive Tonight!
Neal Blaisdell Arena, Honolulu, Hawaii
Friday,
March 11, 2005
Doors open at 6:30PM
Starts 7:30PM
Rey
“Boom Boom” Bautista (WBO Asia-Pacific Champion, Philippines)
Vs.
Aree Phosuwangym (Former Amateur Thai National Champion, Thailand)
Plus
exciting preliminary local bouts!
Hawaii
vs. California
Tickets
available at the Blaisdell box office, charge by phone toll free
at 877-750-4400 and ticketmaster.com.
|
2nd
Annual Maui Jiu-Jitsu Open
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Tournament
Weigh-Ins
War Memorial Gymnasium, Wailuku, Maui, Hawaii
Saturday, March 12, 2005
THE TOURNAMENT
IS THIS SATURDAY!
Dear
Friends,
Weigh-ins
will be held on Friday March 11, at the new Maui Jiu-Jitsu academy
location on Hanamau Street, near the airport (directions included)
from 1 pm to ??.
Opening ceremonies and late registrations will held at the War
Memorial Gym at 8:00 am, Rules briefing at 9:30 am, Competition
to begin promptly at 10:00 am.
Neighbor Island competitors can weigh-in on the day of the event,
but it is strongly urged that all competitors weigh-in on friday
in the interest of starting on time.
It
is our hope that you and your organization will join us in the
spirit of sportsmanship and competition, and help us in promoting
the sport of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu throughout the State of Hawaii.
Please
feel free to contact us should you have any questions.
2nd
Annual Maui Jiu-Jitsu open Tournament
732 Makaala Drive
Wailuku, Maui, Hawaii 96793
Email: mauibadboy@aol.com
www.mauijiujitsu.com
Ph. (808) 298-7698 Lee
(808) 357-0657 Luis
Thank you for your interest in the 2nd Annual Maui Jiu-Jitsu
Open Tournament. Your support for our tournament is greatly appreciated,
and it is Maui Jiu-Jitsu’s goal to support and compete in
many other tournaments hosted by our friends statewide.
|
AKEBONO VS. 'BIG SHOW' SUMO
MATCH
'The Wrestling Observer reports that 'Akebono' will do a sumo
match against the pro wrestler, 'The Big Show', at the upcoming
'Wrestlemania' event in Los Angeles.
K-1
and the WWE are supposedly working together on this.
Source:
Fight Sport
|
FRANCA
TO FIGHT IN SHOOTO IN HAWAII
MMAWeekly's Greg Honda reports from Hawaii that Ray "Bradda"
Cooper
was originally supposed to face Santino DeFranco in Shooto Hawaii
on March 25th.
Due
to an injury, DeFranco was forced to pull out. Honda reports
that Cooper's new opponent is now Hermes Franca. Franca has been
staying very active as of late, most recently competing against
Yves Edwards in Euphoria.
Now
Franca will step up against Cooper, who is 13-7 and is coming
off back to back losses against tough competition in Jake Shields
and Dennis Hallman.
Cooper
however will be the bigger fighter in this fight. Cooper fought
Dennis Hallman at 185 at Rumble on the Rock. Cooper used to fight
at 170 and has dropped down to 155.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
UFC
PRESIDENT TALKS ULTIMATE FIGHTER
Recap by Jeff Cain
UFC president Dana White took time out of his busy schedule to
do an impromptu interview on MMAWeekly SoundOff Radio Monday.
Dana covered the gauntlet of topics in the fifteen minutes he
was on the air.
He
discussed The Ultimate Fighter, his expectations for the season
finale ratings, the possibility of BJ Penn coming back to the UFC, and much more.
This is just a brief recap of what White had to say. To hear
the show in it's entirety, click on the radio archive.
Ever
since it was previewed on the reality show that an eliminated
fighter was coming back, MMA Internet message boards have been
lit up with predictions, enhanced photos, and debate about the
identity of the mystery fighter returning to the show. It's been
MMA's version of who shot JR. It turned out to be Chris Leben.
Dana White talked about the rules of the reality show and his
role in it.
White
stated, "Basically what everybody has to understand is,
this is a game. It's like playing Fear Factor. It's like being
on Fear Factor, or any other game show. There were rules that
were set before this thing even got started. The rules don't
change throughout. It is what it is. You know what I mean? And
I had no control over this show. This show was like a million
different things. Originally, it was supposed to be kind of like
American Casino. It was going to be called American Promoter,
where they go behind the scenes and do all this stuff. Then it
became something else.
It
evolved into what you're watching now. Originally, I wasn't supposed
to be on this show that much. As the show started to progress,
the producers wanted me to be on more and more to kind of bridge,
and be the guy to tell the story lines of what was going on.
So this thing really evolved, and it ended up that I became a
participant in the show, which a lot of the times I didn't know
what was happening either until they told me. The producers would
tell me, you know, this is what's going to happen next. This
is what you need to let the fighters know, and I more or less
became sort of the host of the show, but that was never the intention
from the beginning."
Dana
was asked why the fights on "The Ultimate Fighter"
are only two rounds instead of the norm for UFC fights of three
rounds. White replied, "You guys have to understand, there's
only forty-four minutes to tell a story. When you have all the
commercials that are in this thing, there's only forty-four minutes
to tell the story. With all the footage you didn't see, I could
do thirteen more episodes with stuff you didn't see. These guys
were filmed for almost three months, seven days a week, twenty-four
hours a day. You know how much stuff went on here? You know?
It's a great cast. We picked a great cast. This television show
is awesome. It just gets better and better."
White,
as well as Spike TV, have high expectations for the show's season
finale episode on April 9th. Ken Shamrock, UFC Hall of Famer,
is headlining the event against UFC veteran Rich Franklin. The
two winners of the UFC contracts from the reality show will be
settled in the co-main event bouts.
Dana
talked about what he expects the ratings to be for that final
episode. He said, "I'm going to go strong on this one. Spike
and Craig, our producer, believe that this is going to be the
highest rated show ever on Spike TV. Even more than any of the
WWE's have done. We're talking about a six rating....We're all
predicting a six." Dana added, "Spike's going to pump
this show big time."
If
you listened to Friday's radio show, you heard an epic battle
of words between Frank Trigg and BJ Penn. Radio show host Ryan
Bennett asked Dana White about the likelihood of BJ Penn returning
to the UFC.
Dana
replied, "I don't know. I don't know. There's a lot for
me and the Penn family to overcome." Bennett followed up,
asking White about whether the differences with the Penn family
could be mended within this calendar year. Dana answered, "Anything
is possible, but like I said, it's one thing to sit here and
say hey, what do you think about BJ Penn getting back in the
UFC and fighting Trigg. There would be a lot to overcome. For
me and his family to sit down and start ripping through all the
bad stuff that happened, you know, there's a lot of work and
a lot of damage to repair."
As
previously stated, this is just a recap. To hear the entire interview
with Dana White, click on the radio archive. The archive is available
to MMAWeekly Premium Members 24/7.
To
listen to the show check it out at www.mmaweeklyradio.com at
9am Pacific/12 Noon Eastern. Of course when you catch the show
live, it's absolutely free.
If
your busy at work or school, then click on the radio archive
to listen at your convenience any day, anytime, 24 hours a day,
7 days a week.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
EIGHT
FIGHTERS ANNOUNCED FOR
PRIDE FIGHTING'S TOTAL ELIMINATION 2005
TOKYO, Japan – Eight of the sixteen participants have been
announced for PRIDE FIGHTING'S 2005 Middleweight Grand Prix ...
TOTAL ELIMINATION 2005.
Included
is defending Grand Prix Champion (2003) Wanderlei Silva, the
Brazilian Top Team's Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, Grand Prix Finalist
(2000) Igor Vovchanchyn, Japanese hero Kazushi Sakuraba, Chute
Boxe's rising star Mauricio "Shogun" Rua, Pancrase
star Yuki Kondo, Grand Prix Semi-Finalist (2003) Hidehiko Yoshida,
and Yoshida protégé Kazuhiro Nakamura.
PRIDE
FIGHTING'S 2005 Middleweight Grand Prix Tournament will span
three events ... TOTAL ELIMINATION (opening round), CRITICAL
COUNTDOWN (Second Round) and FINAL CONFLICT (Semi-Finals and
Finals). Dates for the latter two events will be announced soon.
TOTAL
ELIMINATION 2005 takes place on April 23rd, 2005 from the Osaka
Dome in Japan and premieres on North American pay per view via
iNDEMAND, DIRECTV, DISH NETWORK, UrbanXtra, TVN1, VU!, and Viewer's
Choice Canada on April 23rd 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.
Source:
DSE/Pride
|
POSTAL
CONNECTIONS: ROYCE/PRIDE GP UPDATE
By Tape Lord
Hello my friends,
My
postal connections in the DSE/PRIDE organization are telling
me that DSE/PRIDE is still negotiating with Royce Gracie to secure
his participation in the upcoming PRIDE Middleweight GP.
According
to these sources, Royce was originally offered between USD$450-475,000
per fight, plus a win bonus, but now DSE/PRIDE has supposedly
upped the offer to approximately USD$500,000 per fight, plus
the win bonus.
It
is said that Royce is still considering the offer, and will give
a final word in within 2-3 weeks.
Source:
Fight Sport
|
Fedor
headlines Bushido Volume 6 fight card
by Turi Altavilla
Headlining PRIDE FIGHTING’S BUSHIDO VOLUME 6 card will be
both Emelianenko brothers as heavyweight champion Fedor Emelianenko
faces Japanese star and mixed martial arts veteran Tsuyoshi “TK”
Kosaka and Aleksander Emelianenko takes on the 6’9, 270
pound Ricardo “The Mutant” Morais of Brazil. In addition
is a four man middleweight tournament featuring Amar Suloev (Russia),
Paulo Filho (Brazil), Dean Lister (USA), and Akira Shoji (Japan).
The tournament winner must fight twice in one night … at
stake, a slot in PRIDE’s 16-man Middleweight Grand Prix.
Other fighters scheduled on the main card include Ikuhisa “The
Punk” Minowa, Gilbert Yvel, Murilo Bustamante, and Daijyu
Takase.
BUSHIDO
VOLUME 6 will take place from the Yokohama Arena in Japan and
is scheduled to debut on North American pay per view via iNDEMAND,
DIRECTV, DISH NETWORK, UrbanXtra, TVN1, VU!, and Viewer’s
Choice Canada on Thursday, April 14th, 2005.
Schedule:
iNDEMAND, DISH Network, DIRECTV: Thursday, April 14th, 2005,
ALL DAY TICKET
TVN: Thursday, April 14th, 2005, 10:00pm EST, 7:00pm PST
Fight
Card
Fedor Emelianenko (Russia) vs. Tsuyoshi “TK” Kosaka
(Japan)
Aleksander Emelianenko (Russia) vs. Ricardo “The Mutant”
Morais (Brazil)
Ikuhisa “The Punk” Minowa (Japan) vs. Gilbert Yvel
(Holland)
Ryuta Sakurai (Japan) vs. Murilo Bustamante (Brazil)
Luis “Buscape” Firmino (Brazil) vs. Luis Azeredo (Brazil)
Daijyu Takase (Japan) vs. Daniel Acacio (Brazil)
Four
Man Middleweight Tournament
Winner Must Fight Twice in One Night
Winner Earns Slot in PRIDE Middleweight Grand Prix
Amar
Suloev (Russia) vs. Paulo Filho (Brazil)
Dean Lister (USA) vs. Akira Shoji (Japan)
(Fight
Card Subject to Change)
BUSHIDO
VOLUME 6 will be available at a reduced rate of $19.95.
For additional replay times, please contact your pay per view
provider or pridefc.com.
Source:
MMA Fighting
|
SAPP
VS. KIM
The newly-formed 'Heros' promotion announced the main event matchup
of Bob Sapp vs. Min Soo Kim.
Heros
is being run by for RINGS promoter, Akira Maeda, and is in affiliation
with K-1.
Source:
Fight Sport
|
Alliance/Team
Jacaré wins at Arnold
Drove by BJJ black belt Marcelo Garcia, brown belt Tarsis Humphreys
and purple belts Chris, Ryan and Eamon, Alliance/Team Jacaré
got the first place at Arnold Submission Wrestling, which happened
last march 5, at Columbus, Ohio. Relson Gracie got in second
place followed by Carlson Gracie. Among Brazilians, BJJ black
belts from Gracie Humaitá did it great! Daniel Moraes
conquered the lightweight division and Alexandre Ribeiro ruled
among the heavies. On the main fight of the night, Marcelo Garcia
won the -89kg defeating BJJ black belt Saulo Ribeiro, who returned
to the mats. 'Marcelo is just great! He is an honored human being.
He gave me lots of satisfaction during my return," Saulo
wrote a message to Garcia's wife, Tatiana Tognini.
Source:
Tatame
|
TAMURA
OUT OF PRIDE GP
The Japanese meida reports that Kiyoshi Tamura has still not
recovered from an injury he sustained in his fight against Aliev
Makhmud last month, and will not be able to participate in the
first round of the PRIDE middleweight GP on April 23rd.
Source:
Fight Sport
|
Why
“7” is the Magic Number for Alexandre “Pequeno”
Nogueira and Rumina Sato
by Stephen Martinez
TOKYO,
March 9 — Like any good sports fan, or better yet like any
good MMA junkie, I always liked the idea of checking the history
of the sport from its very beginning. Since I moved to Japan,
I started to follow more closely every aspect related to the
Japanese organizations and the “mysticism” behind their
fighters.
Now
I’m telling you this because of an upcoming SHOOTO show
on Friday, March 11 in Tokyo, when any fan could witness the
mysticism behind some matches—in this case, a double title
match between Alexandre “Pequeno” Nogueira vs. Joao
Roque and Rumina Sato vs. Makoto Ishikawa.
Let
me start by pointing out how similar Rumina Sato and Pequeno
Nogueira are in real life. I know they don’t look anything
alike, probably because one is from Brazil and the other is from
Japan, but only for a minute lets skip the obvious and concentrate
in how these guys become what they are now.
There
is no need to look further than to when both fighters started
their careers. SHOOTO was the very first place they fought, and
unfortunately for many MMA fans, they keep fighting there without
a chance to perform elsewhere (besides Sato’s short runs
in Hawaii Super Brawl, which used to be under the SHOOTO banner).
Both
Sato and Pequeno share similar styles, since they both rely more
in submissions than striking. Actually, both fighters are guilty
of showing poor stand-up skills, but on the other hand both are
well respected and feared on the ground.
Now,
the most in interesting point—and probably why I think “7”
is the magic number between both fighters—is the fact that
one has been champion for seven years, but the other has been
chasing the title for the same amount of time.
“Pequeno”
Nogueira started his reign of terror inside SHOOTO with what
is now his trademark move, the guillotine choke, over SHOOTO
legend and Rumina Sato’s teacher, Noboru Asahi, back in
September 1999.
Since
1999 Pequeno quickly earned the SHOOTO fans’ support and
respect as the most fearful champion ever to walk in the organization.
The SHOOTO commission played the difficult role of finding the
best of the best in their rankings to face the new Brazilian
prodigy, but Pequeno remained on top after surviving, one by
one, against every single fighter he faced in a title match.
Out
of Pequeno’s five title match defenses, he remained on top
with three choke submission wins over Uchu Tatsumi, Tetsuo Katsuta
and Hiroyuki Abe, as well as a unanimous decision over Katsuya
Toida and draw against dangerous Hawaiian striker, Stephen Palling.
This
makes Pequeno the longest running MMA champion in the history
of the sport. But oddly enough, with only five official titles
defenses during this span of time. This doesn’t mean Pequeno
is one lazy champion who only fights once in awhile. The SHOOTO
commission has this “sport-like” way of matching fighters
to see who deserves a title match. So, in other words, Pequeno
has faced other opponents inside SHOOTO, but without the risk
of placing the title on the line.
What
makes his match against fellow countryman Joao Roque so interesting?
Well, keep in mind that Pequeno’s opponents so far (besides
Palling) have been Japanese fighters. In fact, Pequeno’s
professional record is rooted in fights against Japanese fighters,
with the only exception been two matches versus the Hawaiian.
Joao
Roque is a different kind of monster, the likes of which Pequeno
has never faced before. Sure he survived an onslaught of good
strikers like Palling, Hiroyuki Abe, Mamoru and Tetsuo Katsuta.
Yes he made good grapplers like Noboru Asahi, Uchu Tatsumi, Katsuya
Toida, Hideki Kadowaki, Masahiro Oishi and Rumina Sato look like
amateurs. But until now, not a single opponent played so well
against Pequeno’s game and strength like Roque appears to
do.
Roque
is a veteran from Vale Tudo Japan, UFC and DEEP. And he was '96
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu World Championship Pluma division champ,
'98 Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Oscar Cup winner and '99 Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
Team competition champ. He also sports a black belt in Jiu-Jitsu
under Andres Pederneiras from Nova Uniao, besides being known
as a fearful ground fighter with excellent control and submission
game.
On
the other side, Rumina Sato got his first title match opportunity
the same year as Pequeno, in 1999; the only difference is he
lost what many consider the best SHOOTO fight in history to Caol
Uno by choke.
Since
then, SHOOTO’s “charisma,” as Sato is known inside
Japanese circles, has captivated the imagination of thousands
of fans in Japan and around the world as one of the most entertaining
and fun fighters to watch. His daredevil skills and submission
game, the always “go for broke” attitude, and his overall
personality inside and outside the ring, truly places him among
the biggest MMA stars from Japan.
But
all this accomplishments are not enough when there is something
missing, something so important that it reminds me of the NFL’s
Buffalo Bills during the early 1990s. Sato, like the Bills, had
a complete game and the fans behind him. He was big news with
magazines covers, toys, clothes and videos. But once again he
fell short of scoring the big one, always rushing until the last
second to miss the end zone. Like the Bills from those seasons,
Sato has all the records but lacks something really important:
a champion title.
Sato’s
first opportunity came when SHOOTO living legend Yuki Nakai returned
the welterweight title. Back in 1999 the SHOOTO commission placed
the two most exciting and young fighters from the welterweight
division in a title match for the now vacant title.
In
one corner was a young and rising star, Caol Uno, facing the
biggest challenge of his life against the wildly popular Sato.
After three rounds of and insane back-and-forth war from both
fighters, Uno manage to secure a rear-naked choke over the fatigued
Sato to claim the title.
A
year later in 2000 these two were once again face-to-face. Uno
was defending his title for the first time and Sato was still
chasing the dream to become the champion. Minutes into the first
round, Sato sat over the ropes with an ice bag over his head,
Uno in front of him, bent over his knees, paying respect to the
fallen warrior.
Sato
once again let the dream get away after he met a kick and punch
combination from Uno early into the first round. His dreams to
become a part of history were once again broken into pieces.
Still
Lady Luck was not done with Sato. After Uno returned the title
in 2000 to pursue his dream to become an international fighter
with UFC, the SHOOTO commission once again picked Sato for a
third run to the title, this time against an ex-teammate, Takanori
Gomi.
Both
Gomi and Sato used to train under the same roof at K’z Factory,
but as soon as the SHOOTO commission offered both fighters the
chance to fight for the title Gomi, without think twice, packed
his gloves, shorts and wrestling shoes and moved out under Kikuchi
Wrestling School in order to face Sato for the title.
Sato
was coming into this match as a clear favorite, but the wrecking
machine Gomi had other ideas in mind. After surviving Gomi’s
takedowns and ground-and-pound for three rounds, Sato saw his
dream slip for the third time away when the SHOOTO commission
president placed the title around Gomi’s waist.
Now,
like any never ending story, Rumina Sato is bouncing back from
a critical point in his career after surviving through high and
low points to once again get the opportunity to fight for a belt.
Makoto
Ishikawa is Sato’s new nemesis on the way to the title.
Fighting out of Enson Inoue’s Purebred Gym, Ishikawa packs
power in his punches besides being well versed in wrestling and
submission defense.
These
two will face each other for the new SHOOTO Pacific Rim lightweight
title on the same card with Pequeno-Roque SHOOTO World lightweight
title.
I’m
not superstitious, but the Japanese culture indicates “7”
as a lucky number. This could be both Sato’s and Pequeno’s
night when destiny is fulfilled and dreams become true, or this
could be the night dreams are once again shattered and new champions
are born.
Source:
Sherdog
|
Wallid
sets Jungle 5 for Las Vegas
BJJ black belt and organizer of Brazilian fight show Jungle Fight,
Wallid Ismail is in Las Vegas, where he intends to close a deal
to held Jungle Fight outside Brazil. Due this trip, Jungle Fight
4 had to be postponed from March 26 to April 9. "I want
to set up a Jungle Fight in Las Vegas for next July. Jungle Fight
4 has a new name: Road To Las Vegas is alright. It's going to
haven on April 9 at Tropical Hotel. But about the card, I will
just release names when everybody had signed! - Wallid said.
Source:
Tatame
|
Quote
of the Day
"Before you can inspire with emotion, you must be swamped
with it yourself. Before you can move their tears, your own must
flow. To convince them, you must yourself believe."
Winston Churchill, 1874-1965, British Statesman, Prime Minister
|
Onzuka.com
Exclusive
Marcelo
Tigre Is Back In Hawaii And Fighting In Proving Grounds 4
This Friday,
March 11, 2005
Dole Cannery Ballrooms
Fights start at 7:00 pm
The
rumor that Marcelo Tigre is back in Hawaii is true AND it is
also true that he will be fighting on ROTR: Proving Grounds,
the feeder show for Rumble On The Rock on March 11th. This will
be Proving Grounds' first event on Oahu, the events are usually
held in Hilo, Hawaii.
After
finding out that Tigre was on the fight card, the big question
everyone was asking was who will be his opponent? Not to be confused
with Bazooka Joe, Tigre's opponent will be Taxi Joe. Jody “Taxi
Joe” Demeritt is 6’4”, 200lbs and a street fighter
with a background in Karate. He claims to be undefeated, but
we could not obtain any proof of that record. Tigre told me that
his bout at Proving Grounds will be a tune up fight for his appearance
in Rumble On The Rock, where he may face a "name" opponent.
Tigre is looking to get back in the big picture and what better
place than in one of the fastest growing promotions in the world,
Rumble On The Rock.
The
event will also feature a 8-man MMA tournament, which may crown
Hawaii's best fighter at 155lbs. This tournament features fighters
from almost every top MMA school in Hawaii. The tournament is
stacked with some of Hawaii's most successful lightweights. Some
of the fighters that will be going head to head are Harris Sarmiento
(808 Fight Factory), Mike Aina (BJ Penn's MMA), Neal Andres (HMC)
and Kaleo Kwan (Eastsidaz). There will be a couple individual
matches, adding to the already action packed event. Proving Grounds 4 will
be held at the Dole Cannery Ballroom in Honolulu on March 11th.
|
2nd
Annual Maui Jiu-Jitsu Open
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Tournament
War Memorial Gymnasium, Wailuku, Maui, Hawaii
Saturday, March 12, 2005
THE TOURNAMENT
IS THIS SATURDAY! THERE ARE STILL OPEN AIRFARES TO MAKE IT TO
THE TOURNAMENT!
The
Onzuka Brothers and the Relson Gracie Casca Grossa Team will
be there, so make your arrangements to get to Maui for the tournament.
Last year's tournament went extremely well, with a ton of talented
JJ fighters who had a great time.
For Tournament information, please email us and we can email you details and registration
forms.
Aloha
Airlines
has $125 tickets and Hawaiian Airlines has $138 tickets.
Click on the companies to go to their websites because these
fares are available online only.
Dear
Friends,
It
is our great pleasure to invite you and your organization to
attend and compete in the 2nd Annual Maui Jiu-Jitsu open Tournament.
The event will take place on Saturday, March 12, 2005 at the
War Memorial Gymnasium in Wailuku, Maui, Hawaii. We also welcome
back all who attended last year's event. We expect this years
tournament to be even larger, with bigger and better competition!
Competition
will consist of matches in all belt levels and weight divisions
with medals, trophies, and prizes to the winners. There will
also be a team competition this year, as well as a number of
exhibition matches between advanced level competitors. (Anyone
interested - please contact us).
Weigh-ins
will be held on Friday March 11, at the new Maui Jiu-Jitsu academy
location on Hanamau Street, near the airport (directions included)
from 1 pm to ??. Opening ceremonies and late registrations will
held at the War Memorial Gym at 8:00 am, Rules briefing at 9:30
am, Competition to begin promptly at 10:00 am.
Neighbor Island competitors can weigh-in on the day of the event,
but it is strongly urged that all competitors weigh-in on friday
in the interest of starting on time.
It
is our hope that you and your organization will join us in the
spirit of sportsmanship and competition, and help us in promoting
the sport of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu throughout the State of Hawaii.
Please
feel free to contact us should you have any questions.
2nd
Annual Maui Jiu-Jitsu open Tournament
732 Makaala Drive
Wailuku, Maui, Hawaii 96793
Email: mauibadboy@aol.com
www.mauijiujitsu.com
Ph. (808) 298-7698 Lee
(808) 357-0657 Luis
Thank you for your interest in the 2nd Annual Maui Jiu-Jitsu
Open Tournament. Your support for our tournament is greatly appreciated,
and it is Maui Jiu-Jitsu’s goal to support and compete in
many other tournaments hosted by our friends statewide.
One
of the greatest obstacles of having a successful tournament is
of course, the substantial cost of traveling to the neighbor
isles. Understanding this, We at Maui Jiu-Jitsu would like to
provide you with some information on accommodations and transportation,
while here on Maui.
Hotel
options:
1.
Maui Beach Hotel – 170 Kaahumanu Ave. Ph. 877-0051 ( 2 miles
from airport & gymnasium)
Probably
the best option – better than average rooms, approx. $110
/ night.
2.
Maui Seaside Hotel – 100 Kaahumanu Ave. Ph. 877-3311 (next
door to Maui Beach)
Slightly
cheaper, but not quite as nice as Maui Beach – decent.
3.
Maui Islander – 660 Wainee Street Ph. 667-9766 or 1-800-367-5226
(A little farther away – 20 miles)
As
another option, we are currently in the process of building our
new academy and should be on schedule to move in within the next
2 weeks. We would like to offer anyone who in the interest of
saving money, would want to stay at the academy. Accommodations
would be limited to sleeping bags on the matted training area,
but if you don’t mind, plenty of space is available as well
as bath facilities. Call us for more info.
Thanks
again for your support of our tournament. We hope to make your
experience here as enjoyable as possible, and hope that we will
continue to grow and make this event better in the years to come.
Mahalo!
Luis
Heredia and Lee Theros
(Event Promoters)
|
Villaver
International Production Inc. Presents
Only The
Strong Survive
Neal Blaisdell Arena, Honolulu, Hawaii
Friday,
March 11, 2005
Doors open at 6:30PM
Starts 7:30PM
Rey
“Boom Boom” Bautista (WBO Asia-Pacific Champion, Philippines)
Vs.
Aree
Phosuwangym (Former Amateur Thai National Champion, Thailand)
Plus
exciting preliminary local bouts!
Hawaii
vs. California
Tickets
available at the Blaisdell box office, charge by phone toll free
at 877-750-4400 and ticketmaster.com.
|
GROSSMAN
INSIDER:
SPIKE TV PULLS SUPERBRAWL ADS
My
source at Spike TV, known as 'Cable guy', tells me that Spike
TV will stop airing all SuperBrawl commercials Superbrawl effective
immediately.
It's
interesting to note that the UFC reality show is also on the
same Spike TV cable channel, and SuperBrawl could possibly be
seen as the competition.
Source: Fight Sport
|
GRACIE
VS. NAKAMURA
The
Japanese media reports that the matchup of Ryan Gracie vs. Kazuhiro
Nakamura may possibly take place in the first round of the PRIDE
Middleweight GP on April 23rd.
Source: Fight Sport
|
Macaco
mocks rival Roberto Godoi
They
were as close as brothers, and in fact they were partners of
the biggest Jiu-Jitsu team in São Paulo, the 'Godoi -
Macaco' Team. Ever since they broke up over misunderstandings
regarding the organization of the team, Jorge Patino 'Macaco'
and Roberto Godoi have simply started to hate each other's guts.
They not speak to each other and they already fought once in
a Jiu-Jitsu bout, with a victory for Patino.
A
rematch in the rules of MMA has been a major topic of conversation
in Brazil, but Patino believes that this fight never will happen:
'The
fight with Godói is only marketing, It's never gonna happen.
The man is asking for R$50.000 (about US$ 20.000) to get into
the ring, and the dude only has 3 fights, a victory and two defeats.
Godói is using the media to get attention, because nobody
speaks about him. It's been 3 years since his last win. I have
33 fights and 25 victories, and I'm asking for R$20.000 (about
US$ 7.000) to go fight, then comes this dude and asks for HUGE
value - it is clear he does not want to fight. But I don't care
about Godói, there are many better fighters out there
that can give me a better fight than him'.
Source: Tatame
|
A.
Jaoude wants Olympics of 2012
Star
Brazilian wrestler in the last years, also having participated
in the Olympic Games of Athens, Antoine Jaoude plans his career
in Wrestling and waits to even fight in the Olympic of 2012:
-
I'll be 35, the same age that the Alexander Karelin was three
times Olympic champion, the Georgian who I fought in the Olympics
was champion world-wide with 35 years, at last, some good athletes
with international prominence who had finished giving spirit
to me. I was half discouraged, finding that Athens had been mine
last Olympics, but from what I saw, I wait to be well financially
with a good sponsorship to be able to compete ok.
The
wrestler discloses the name of new fighter that it is for blunting
internationally:
-
My brother Adrian is a serious case, he it is a born talent,
even more than I, because he almost does not compete, but when
he arrives in the competition seems like he fought the entire
year. He is a born talent that if not to invest in it, will be
wasted. And he certainly will bring medals. I always look for
to give instructions, to be on his side, but I always am made
an impression when he goes to compete. In World-wide I was in
his corner, he fought against a Turkish and an Ukrainian, people
finding that he went to be bad, but was a fight of highest level,
I had been hard fights. He goes to give what to speak.
Source: Tatame
|
Quote
of the Day
"No matter how dark things seem to be or actually are, raise
your sights and see the possibilities - always see them, for
they're always there."
Norman Vincent Peale, 1898-1993, American Christian Reformed
Pastor, Speaker, Author
|
Press
Release
“Lock
Down in Paradise”
Maui’s
First Mixed Martial Arts Cage Event
This event
is coming up very quickly so make sure you buy your tickets now
to ensure that you will be able to get in. The venue is relatively
small and with this line up, the show may be a sell out!
Title
fights:
Ronald
“Machine Gun” Jhun
Vs.
Jay
Hieron
Fabiano
Iha
Vs.
John
“Razor” Cox
Professional
fights:
Tyson
Coloma-Nahooikaika
Vs.
Jason
Dacquel
Kendal
Groves
Vs.
Savant
Young
Under
card Featuring:
Pako
Woods, Sonny Boy Ka’anana, Eha Souza, Adam Ah Sue, Shaun
Souza and many more!
_____________________________________________________________
Saturday,
March 19, 2005, at 6:00 pm
At
Lahaina Civic Center
Lahaina,
Maui, Hawaii
Lahaina
(March 7, 2005) - The all new “Lock Down in Paradise”
makes it’s debut at the Lahaina Civic Center, on Saturday
March 19, 2005. This is sure to be the greatest Mixed Martial
Arts Fight Maui has ever seen. Headlining this historic event
is Ronald “Machine Gun” Jhun (28-14-2 MMA record) from
808 Fight Factory, Honolulu, HI, taking on Jay Hieron (4-1 MMA
record) of Long Island, NY.
In
the co-featured main event, Jiu Jitsu master, Fabiano Iha (8-5-0
MMA record) of Huntington Beach, CA, battles John “the Razor”
Cox of Los Angeles, CA., for the Super Weight title belt. The
title holders will be back to defend their titles in “Lock
Down in Paradise 2” held in June 2005.
Also
featured is Maui’s own Tyson Coloma-Nahooikaika (3-2 MMA
record) in a Middle Weight showdown against professional fighter,
Jason Dacquel (2-0 MMA record) from Honolulu, HI.
Rounding
out the Professional fights is Kendal Groves (4-1 MMA record)
of Kihei, Maui, fresh off of his TKO win in Mexico, against Savant
Young (3-1 MMA record) of Los Angeles, CA.
Highlighting
the undercard will be 6 action packed bouts, showcasing the best
MMA fighters in the islands of Hawaii.
Tickets
are available at Ainokea in the Queen Kaahumanu Center, Paradise
Audio in Lahiana, and at Paradise Bluz on Front St.
The
tickets are $25 presale and $30 at the door, kids 5 and under
are free. There will also be floor seating upgrades for $20 available
for purchase at the event. Doors open at 4:30 and the show starts
at 6:00.
Source: Promoter
|
PRIDE
STILL WORKING ON FEDOR
According
to Zach Arnold at PuroresuPower a source close to DSE reports
that PRIDE management is in Europe right now trying to work with
management of Emelianenko Fedor to get him signed.
In
the latest edition of Kakutogi Tsushin, it's been reported that
DSE management would like to get Fedor to work their 4/3 Yokohama
Arena (Bushido) show.
However,
no agreement has been reached between Fedor and DSE management
yet. They say money is a main issue.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Pessoa
and Santos ruled Nagoya
BJJ
fighters from Nova União Eduardo Pessoa and Leonardo Santos
did a great job at X-Premium Professional Jiu-Jitsu, which invaded
Chikusa Cultural Theater Nagoya, Japan, last Saturday (5). Meanwhile
Leo Santos gave no changes and submitted Daisuke Amazon Sugie
by sleeve choke at 7:33, Eduardo Pessoa had a hard time and only
defeated Japanese Shinya Aoki by points (5x2).
X-Premium
Professional Jiu-Jitsu
Saturday,
March 5, 2005
Chikusa
Cultural Theater Nagoya, Japan
COMPLETE
RESULTS:
-
Hororigo Jun Hirakawa defeated Ayumu Gozo Shiota;
-
Eduardo Pessoa defeated Shinya Aoki by 5x2;
-
Mauricio Souza defeated Shinuke Fukuzumi by 9x0;
-
Takashi Watanabe defeated Daelcy Carvalho Junior;
-
Mitsuyoshi Hayakawa defeated Marco Antonio Barbosa by 4x3;
-
Leo Santos submitted Daisuke Amazon Sugie by sleeve choke at
7:33.
Source: Tatame
|
Pequeno
negotiates to fight in Europe
Shooto's
Lightweight champ since 1999, Alexandre Pequeno is negotiating
to fight in an European tournament for the first time. His manager
in Europe, Sergio Cunha, is talking with the biggest shows in
the continent and remembers Pequeno will still continue fighting
at Shooto. "His contract says in Japan he can only fight
in Shooto, but he's free to fight in any tournament outside Japan",
explains Cunha.
One
of the biggest MMA tournaments in England, Cage Rage can be the
first show to have Shooto's Lightweight champ fighting at. "We've
talked with the British guys and we know their show need more
lightweight representatives", states Cunha. About Pequeno
fighting in an octagon, Cunha says that's ok: "it's better
for his game. Could you imagine Pequeno being put against that
fence? He'll put everyone to sleep!".
Source: Tatame
|
Quote
of the Day
To make a man happy, fill his hands with work, his heart with
affection, his mind with purpose, his memory with useful knowledge,
his future with hope, and his stomach with food.
Frederick E. Crane, Chief Judge, New York Court of Appeals
|
INTERVIEW
OF THE WEEK: BAS RUTTEN
Earlier
this month it was confirmed that Pride Commentator and MMA legend
Bas Rutten would be traveling to Gresham, Oregon to work with
Randy Couture and Team Quest in preparations for Couture's upcoming
UFC title defense against "The Iceman" Chuck Liddell
in April. MMAWeekly's Mick Hammond spoke to Rutten amidst his
hectic traveling schedule to talk about Couture, sobriety and
the upcoming Pride Middleweight Grand Prix.
MMAWeekly:
First off Bas, tell us about your plans to go up to Oregon and
work with Randy for his next fight.
Bas
Rutten: Randy is a great guy, he's in my decade in the age department,
actually I just entered his, I just turned 40, and this guy has
an unbelievable mind and body. He's so mentally and physically
strong and everything. I know Chuck is training really hard so
we are going up to help Randy all we can. My little sis (Shannon
Knapp) is helping him out as his personal assistant and I'm going
to help him prepare for Chuck.
MMAWeekly:
I know you've been up to Oregon for things other than training.
You've done seminars up there and attended Sportfight, are there
other activities on the docket along with training?
Bas
Rutten: This is the first time I've worked with him. You're right
I've gone to do a seminar there, but this is our first time really
training together. The seminar is on Saturday (March 12th) and
that's going to be after a week of long work together. A Swedish
TV station is going to come over to do an interview. They are
going to come over and shoot stuff with the whole gym. The greatest
thing is that Duane "Bang" Ludwig is coming too. I
haven't seen him in a while. The last time was he came to California
was when he was training to fight (Serkan) Yilmaz in K-1. I'm
sure that Randy and Matt (Lindland) are going to have a lot of
fun with him.
MMAWeekly:
What can people expect from a Bas Rutten seminar?
Bas
Rutten: First of all you'll meet the whole Team Quest, Randy,
Matt, and all of them will be there. Little sis and Bang will
be there, and let's not forget El Guapo himself (laughs). It's
going to be lots of fun, lots of striking and submissions teaching.
There will be some takedowns too, sometimes when people are new
I don't like to do takedowns because they are not used to it
and they get injured, so we do a lot of striking. If you want
to come to a seminar and learn and have fun this is the one you
want to go.
MMAWeekly:
You mention your little sis Shannon being part of the seminar
and helping Randy as an assistant. I know she also plays a big
part in Bas Rutten Enterprises and is working on the upcoming
Sportfight TV show. How happy are you to see her starting to
make an impact in the MMA community?
Bas
Rutten: She's great, she keeps going and is great at doing what
she's doing. She is working on Sportfight with Randy, they are
working on getting that on TV and she's wonderful on it. She
will be boom up to the same speed we do (Rutten and Mauro Ranallo)
in front of the camera. In the strength department, she's just
as strong as anyone and a great trainer.
MMAWeekly:
Sounds like she has a chance to become more popular than you
are.
Bas
Rutten: It's okay, she can be more popular because I'm better
looking (laughs).
MMAWeekly:
Do you ever get the urge to return to fighting?
Bas
Rutten: You know what, all the fighters that have come and trained
with me they say that I should go back, but the answer is real
easy, I'm going to be home for five days over the next few weeks.
Needless to say my lifestyle is too busy right now for fighting.
I have a family and I want to spend time with them, but it's
hard with everything I do. It's different when money talks and
you have to make a living to support yourself and your family.
If they (a fight promotion) came to me with a good deal and I'd
have to put everything aside and train for 2 or 3 months and
I can't do it. I came to California be an actor, that's my first
goal, if that doesn't work guess I can go back to fighting, it
wouldn't be easy but I'm still kooky enough to do it (laughs).
MMAWeekly:
You mention that you're only going to be home for a short time
due to your schedule, how do you balance it all?
Bas
Rutten: I feel like I'm in not in good shape sometimes. My stomach
is bad, all tied up, it's like an ulcer. It's too crowded, it's
too much, sometimes, and it really affects me. Right now as I'm
talking to you I'm in San Francisco doing a seminar, then I go
to Portland, come home on 13th, then I leave on the 16th for
Holland, I come home on the 29th and then on the 31st I'm in
Japan for Pride. That's like 5 days in total I'll be home. The
trick is to stay sober. I stopped drinking and that's the only
way to do it.
MMAWeekly:
I know those of us in the industry that know you and your friends
were concerned about your drinking at one time. What finally
made you decide to clean up that aspect about your life?
Bas
Rutten: The thing is that I don't want to have a real job (laughs).
I love what I do and I want to keep doing what I do. I don't
care if I go for 18 hours straight as long as I'm focused. When
you are working very hard, it's difficult to stay focused and
do it right, and it's worse when you drink. I know that to stop
drinking it's for a better future and it's going to be. I stopped
drinking so I have a future for myself and my family.
MMAWeekly:
The next big thing for Pride is the upcoming Middleweight GP
that starts in April. Tell us your thoughts about it.
Bas
Rutten: I think the people around the world know those 16 guys
in the middleweight tournament, they are freakshows. They are
all going to be unbelievable fighters. Everybody from Wanderlei
(Silva), (Ricardo) Arona, Rampage (Quinton Jackson), (Dan) Henderson,
sixteen of those guys all in one tournament, it's a scary middleweight
tournament this year.
MMAWeekly:
At the last Pride, Fists of Fury, we saw perhaps some precursors
to the GP with some of the fights on the card. Who were you most
impressed with that could possibly be entered into the GP?
Bas
Rutten: You know what to tell the truth, the thing about being
me is I know everybody and it's difficult to watch fights and
not be bias. So with Quinton against Ninja (Murilo Rua) I heard
on the net that Bas is bias, but hey I just put down one of my
best friends. It' was a great fight and I hope both of them get
a chance in the GP. I think personally the biggest impression
I got was from Igor Vovchanchyn. He has a big chance to win the
whole GP. I mean him and Wanderlei they match up so good, it
could be the best fight of the year if they fought in the GP.
That for me is the biggest breakthrough in last three years that
Igor went to middleweight. I saw him in 1996 in the Ukraine,
he was 196lbs fighting in a tournament and the lightest guy he
faced was like was 300lbs, he knocked out everybody, I was blown
away and now he's back to the weight. I think that Jackson, Silva,
and Vovchanchyn could all win the tournament. There are so many
good middleweights now in Pride, Shogun (Mauricio Rua) I think
for Chute Boxe has a great chance too. I think he's better than
Ninja at this point. He's accurate, got the reach, is good on
the ground, he's just a complete fighter. They (Chute Boxe) are
exciting, they will never be boring; I look for him to have a
great tournament.
MMAWeekly:
Someone else that made quite an impression was Mirko "Cro
Cop" Filipovic. He continues to evolve into such a complete
fighter and very quickly. What are your impressions of his performance
against Mark Coleman?
Bas
Rutten: Mirko is just scary. I think I was the first that said
that Cro Cop when he came to Pride, I said watch this guy he
is going to be a champion a lot of people gave me grief about
it. But this guy's sprawl is better in a month than mine was
and is to date. I mean now I have a good one but he's better.
He's so strong and fast and if Mark Coleman cannot take him down
he's unbelievable. He and Fedor (Emelianenko) will make a great
fight. I think in the future when we and go back in history that
this is the best fight ever, it's gong to be a super match.
MMAWeekly:
How important is a Cro Cop VS Fedor bout for Pride?
Bas
Rutten: I think it's very important for Pride. They want to have
Japanese fighters in the title fight, the reason that K-1 is
not big in the US is because they don't have an American champion,
so for Pride the next best thing is to have Fedor and Mirko fight.
In Japan it's about unorthodox fighting, in Japan they would
love to have a Japanese guy against a foreign guy, but I think
with all the fights available the biggest draw would be Mirko
and Fedor. I think that show would be sold out six weeks before.
These guys could sell out a show if it was just them fighting,
that's how big it can be.
MMAWeekly:
Let's talk about some of your other business ventures you've
got coming up. I know one thing you mentioned on the last Pride
and the last time I interviewed you was the Big DVDs of Combat,
tell us where that project is at right now.
Bas
Rutten: The DVDs are going to take longer than I expected. They
will be out soon and anyone who buys it they are going to be
happy with it. It's going to be the biggest instructional set
in the world. It's got over 12 hours of instruction, over 60
armbars alone with escapes. It's not like a separate thing, all
the techniques and instruction is on one thing. Like with the
leglocks, I show how to apply it and then right away show to
escape it. The menu is great also. It's set up for like if you
want to see an armbar from sidemount you can go into the menu
and find it easily. The menu is going to be big for sure. People
keep telling me I should split it all up and sell it individually
and make more money and I could have split it up, but I'm not.
I'm simple guy from Holland who likes to do things simply and
everybody is going to get it all in one set for 100 bucks.
MMAWeekly:
Also recently you were featured on TV as well. Tell us how the
acting career is going.
Bas
Rutten: Yesterday I was on the Extreme Makeover, I didn't see
the King of Queens because I was traveling. I did something called
Kingdom of Ultimate Power, it's a short comedy and we are talking
to HBO about it. I've seen a really bad rough version of it and
I like it a lot. If I like it in this rough way then I say it's
going to be the funniest thing in the world when it's completely
done. This is going to be like Bas Rutten on 40 cups of coffee
it's really funny; I play 4 different characters and have a blast
in it. It's a lot better than anything I've done so far.
MMAWeekly:
Sounds great Bas, can't wait to see it, is there anything you'd
like to say to the fans before we close out this interview?
Bas
Rutten: Okay guys this is El Guapo saying he loves you all. When
I'm walking around anywhere talking to little sis people stop
me and tell me I'm great and how big a fan they are. That shows
how great that MMA is breaking through into the States and the
world, I get stopped everywhere by fans, it's unbelievable. I
stopped fighting 4 years ago and I'm more popular now than ever
and it's thanks to all of you fans.
MMAWeekly:
Thanks for the interview as always Bas, it was an honor as always.
Have a safe trip up to Oregon and when you get there take it
easy on Randy, okay?
Bas
Rutten: Anytime my friend and I should ask Randy to take it easy
on me (laughs). When people in the future ask me how many times
I train I will know it because after training with Randy I won't
need to train for a year (laughs).
Source: MMA Weekly |
BARONI
IS BACK WITH WIN
Coming
off of four consecutive UFC losses, Phil Baroni knew that he
would need to defeat Chris Cruit at Saturday night’s EFC
XI. But who could have guessed that he’d need to do it twice?
In
a fight that was contested largely on the ground, Baroni used
devastating knee strikes and a series of chopping, hatchet-like
punches to force Cruit’s corner to toss in the towel midway
through the first round.
And
then things got interesting.
Cruit
cited a miscommunication with his corner and begged the event’s
promoters to allow him to continue. Baroni, in a testament to
his honor and dedication to his fans, gave up the assured victory
and agreed to keep fighting.
Over
the remainder of the fight, Cruit proved tough and elusive but
seemed to have a hard time mounting a significant attack. Baroni
continued to control the action on the ground, at one point hammering
Cruit’s head into the canvas six times in succession. Baroni
finally closed the show early in the second round with a flawlessly
executed arm bar.
After
the bout’s second and final stoppage, an emotional Baroni
took the microphone and addressed the packed house, thanking
his fans for their support and vowing to come back stronger than
ever.
“It’s
the start of a new era,” Baroni said, “I’m 1-0…I’m
1-0 now.”
As
the arena emptied, Cruit smoked in his dressing room, drank his
trademark Mountain Dew, and commented candidly on Baroni’s
performance. “He’s a killer,” said Cruit, “I
hurt…I hurt a lot.” Despite his bruises, the likeable
Cruit remained upbeat and told MMAWeekly that he hoped to secure
a fight with Jeremy Horn in May.
As
a whole, Bo Kimly’s EFC XI event was another huge success,
drawing a capacity crowd including notable faces like Mark “The
Hammer” Coleman, Shonie Carter, and boxers Vinny Pazienza
and Hector “Macho” Camacho. In what can only be described
as a fan’s dream, all 16 bouts on the card were decided
by knockout or submission.
Source: MMA Weekly |
Ismail
Talks Penn VS Machida, Announces
Jungle Fight 4 Date
Last
week a lot of buzz was started when it was announced that BJ Penn would be fighting
in a heavyweight bout against young Inoki prospect Ryoto "Lyoto"
Machida at the upcoming Romanex 2 show later this month. Not
surprisingly many people have little knowledge of Machida and
are unsure how to view the fight, but there is one man who has
his mind made up about the outcome. Wallid Ismail, a champion
BJJ practitioner, veteran MMA fighter, and promoter of the well
received Jungle Fight series in Brazil, offered his insight on
the fight to MMAWeekly when contacted this past weekend about
the fight, his promotion, and the state of MMA.
"BJ
Penn is in for a big surprise," said Ismail, "I don't
know why he accepted the fight." For sure many people immediately
questioned Penn's move into the heavyweight division after having
spent the majority of his fighting career on the opposite side
of the weight spectrum at 155lbs. But according to Ismail, it's
not the weight difference that Penn should be worried about.
Ismail
trained Machida at the Inoki Dojo in Los Angeles and gave the
fighter that NJPW's website claims is "The Second Inoki"
one of his first breaks into MMA when he fought on the inaugural
Jungle Fight in September of 2003. So having such first hand
knowledge of what Machida can do, Ismail is extremely confident
in Machida's chances against Penn. "Lyoto's a tough guy
and it's going to be a hard fight. He's very good, he's a real
fighter, he does not play around when he is fighting. He trains
very hard and has been training for many years."
Initially
to those unfamiliar with Machida, it could be possible for them
to write him off as a pro wrestler who has just gotten lucky
in his forays into MMA, but that's not the case according to
Ismail. "He's a real fighter, he beat Rich Franklin and
Stephan Bonner, and they are both very tough guys. He is really
going to surprise a lot of people in the fight. He can fight
stand up and on the ground, a fight is a fight, he comes to win
every time."
So
confident in Machida's skills are Ismail; that according to him,
if he were a betting man, he'd wager a rather substantial amount
of money on Lyoto. "I would bet all my money, everything
I had on Lyoto," said Ismail with the utmost confidence.
Among
other topics discussed in the conversation with Ismail was his
growing MMA promotion Jungle Fight. The company is quickly approaching
their fourth edition, to which Ismail exclusively announced to
MMAWeekly first would be taking place on April 9th in Manaus,
Brazil. "Your site is the first site to know the official
date of the show. Originally we were in talks to have it in March,
but we have decided on April 9th as the official date."
The
fourth edition of Jungle Fight will be extremely important for
the company, as it is to lay the foundation for their next event,
which will be taking place for the first time outside of Brazil.
"The official name for Jungle Fight 4 is Jungle Fight Championships:
Road to Las Vegas, " proclaimed Ismail. "We are hoping
to have the next Jungle Fight (5) in Las Vegas in July."
There are also plans to take Jungle Fight to Asia according to
Ismail, "We are hoping to go to Japan at the end of the
year."
One
reason for the expansion outward from their established home
in Brazil has been the success of the three previous installments.
"The Jungle Fight broke all the PPV records for Brazil.
It sold more than the UFC and Pride. Brazil is the land of Vale
Tudo/ MMA; people go crazy for it in Brazil. We've just had three
shows and already it's been a success. It's very big in Brazil
and I've been getting calls about it from all over the world,
" said Wallid.
It
would be easy for people to understand if monetary gains were
the main reason behind Ismail's involvement in Jungle Fight,
but according to him, there are more important reasons for getting
into the promotion game. "We have the Jungle Fight in Manaus
to help the people there and bring them something they do not
have. We have it in the forest so we can bring attention to preserving
the Amazon rain forest. We want to help show that people can
make a living there without having to destroy the forest because
it won't be around if man keeps cutting down and burning the
forest."
Ismail
continued, "At the show we are going to do in Vegas, we
are going to an expo about the rain forest. We are going to try
to bring activism and attention to it. We are going to bring
in people to show people the right way to treat the forest and
we are going to give money to our foundation to save the forest.
This is the first time an MMA show is going to do something really
nice for the environment and put on a great show with great fighters
at the same time."
Beyond
his strong environmental connections involved in Jungle Fight,
Ismail also has a very passionate desire to use the company to
help usher along the next generation of fighters. "I love
promotion and giving opportunity to new kids. Like Lyoto fought
in the first Jungle Fight and now he's going to become a big
star. Fabricio Werdum fought twice in Jungle Fight and now he
is a star in Pride. I love to see the new guys come up and make
something for themselves. Jungle Fight opens doors for next generation.
I know what needs to be done to make a better future for MMA.
This is the sport for the next generation. I've talked to famous
people in LA like Sylvester Stallone and James Caan and they've
told me in their generation it was football, boxing, and baseball
which were 'the' sports, the next generation it is MMA."
So
passionate has Ismail become about promoting his organization
and the sport that his prospects to returning to the ring himself
looks far off in the horizon. "I love a challenge, like
back when I was one of the first to challenge Luta Livre in 1991,
it was to find out what was the best, BJJ or Luta Livre and I
took it on myself to show how strong BJJ was. Promoting is the
challenge I do now. When I fought I enjoyed it very much; it
was tough and rewarding. The promoting is like fighting; we have
to do business every day to get better like how a fighter trains.
When the show finish I'm very happy like how when I was when
I won a fight. I'm not sure if I will fight again, you never
know, I'm very happy with what I do right now. I can help with
the new generation, help my country and the amazon. I made my
name fighting and training and I use that now to show the world
how great the area I come from is and how great MMA is. I still
train every day, but I am more focused to make the Jungle Fight
big. I am born for this, I love the promotion, I love to see
the young fighters and next generation."
Ismail
is very quick to point out the success and growth of Jungle Fight
is not his doing alone, the involvement of legendary Japanese
pro wrestler Antonio Inoki has been indispensable. "I have
the best teacher in the world, Mr. Inoki, for me is the best
promoter of all time, in wrestling and MMA," exclaimed Ismail.
" People don't understand that before Inoki the fight game
in Japan was small. He was the first man to book the (100,000
capacity) Tokyo Dome. Everybody says he was too crazy because
it's too big, but he's filled the dome. He has big vision of
the fight game. I'm lucky to have him to teach me how to the
promotion. He loves the fight game and wants to see it grow like
I do."
Not only is Ismail determined to see his own organization grow,
he has great admiration for other promotions' efforts to bring
MMA to the masses and is adamant about cooperation between companies
for the better good of MMA. "The UFC is doing great for
the sport, they appreciate the sport. We don't compete against
the UFC, we are here to promote the sport and make it grow like
they do. We need to work together and not compete against each
other. I don't like guys who come in and just try to make money,
I like the guys who come in and try to make the sport the biggest
sport in the world. I knew in those early days when we were fighting
for 100 dollars that MMA was going to be big. Today now I promote
fights and I still believe this sport is going to grow every
day and month and people will appreciate the product, but we
need to work together to make it the greatest sport in the world."
Source: MMA Weekly |
Quote
of the Day
"We must combine the toughness of the serpent and the softness
of the dove, a tough mind and a tender heart."
Martin Luther King, Jr., 1929-1968, American Civil Rights Leader,
Nobel Prize Winner, 1964
|
So
You Think You Tough 7 Results
Swing Zone, Kailua-Kona, Hawaii
March 5, 2005
By Chris Onzuka - Chris@Onzuka.com
The
latest event returned to its earlier days by taking the event
outdoors. The weather was perfect for the night of fights under
the stars. The level of young boxers has steadily increased with
every event. Crisp punches thrown in fast combinations help to
warm up the crowd for the matches that this event is known for,
Grudge matches. These matches are meant to settle personal scores
between people and for the most part it works. Most of the time
the details of the issue are not known, however, whatever Tyson
Decker did to Nigel Stevens was enough for Stevens' supporters
to come to the event with a banner saying "Kick Ass, Stop
your lippin' (crap)" and those same supporters were heckling
Decker the whole time. Unfortunately for the Stevens crowd, Decker
was the one that would have the final word by choking Stevens
into submission. Other matches brought the crowd to their feet
were the come from behind wins from Gersaba and Lindsey.
The
night was capped off with something that you would only see in
Kona. In the main event match, right after the Doctor signaled
to the referee to put a halt to the McBraun-Fuga match due to
Fuga injuring his elbow, Bounty hunter Leland Chapman, son of
famous bounty hunter Duane "Dog" Chapman, came into
the cage, handcuffed Pat McBraun and took him away with the Sheriffs.
McBraun had an outstanding bench warrant and the promoter felt
that it was safer to allow the Sheriffs and Chapman to apprehend
McBraun in the cage instead of in the crowd. A&E television
cameras were there following Chapman around all night and got
a taste of how unruly a crowd can be when one of the cameras
was pushed or hit while following McBraun out of the area. On
a side note, Leland Chapman's Da Kine Bail Bonds has been one
of the event's sponsors and provided a lot of support to the
event for a long time. McBraun was seen later in Lulu's, a popular
bar later that night and had no hard feelings toward the promoter.
Exhibition
Boxing: 3 Round X 1.5 Minutes
Ezra Cabang (AP Hilo Boxing Club) def. Kevin Eichorn (Kona Boxing
Club)
Decision after 3 rounds.
Exhibition
Boxing: 3 Round X 1.5 Minutes
Michael Goodman (A.P. Hilo Boxing Club) def. Russell Ariola (Kona
Boxing Club)
Decision after 3 rounds.
Exhibition
Boxing: 3 Round X 1.5 Minutes
Joesia Cabang (Hilo) def. Keoni Burgo (Ocean View)
Decision (87-84) after 3 rounds.
Grudge
Matches/MMA: 2 Rounds X 3 Minutes
Tyson Decker (Kona) def. Nigel Stevens (Kona)
Submission via rear naked choke at 48 seconds in Round 1.
Grudge
Matches/MMA: 2 Rounds X 3 Minutes
Nick "Bad Boy" Gersaba (Kona Boxing Club) def. Arnold
Santiago (Puna Boyz)
Submission via arm bar at 2:53 minutes in Round 1.
Women's
Grudge Matches/MMA: 2 Rounds X 3 Minutes
Kahea "Da Bull" Keli'ipio (Kona) def. Taura Gaspar
(Kona)
By forfeit, Gaspar was a no show.
Grudge
Matches/MMA: 2 Rounds X 3 Minutes
Carry "Da Haole" Hill (Kona) def. Keoki "Da Local"
Kama (Kona)
TKO via referee stoppage due to strikes at 1:50 minutes in Round
2.
MMA:
2 Rounds X 3 Minutes
Aaron Castrol (A.P. Hilo Boxing Club) def. Albert Manners (Puna
Boyz)
Verbal submission after the end of Round 1.
MMA:
2 Rounds X 3 Minutes
Kainea Walters (Young Guns) def. Malu Kuahiwinui (Puna Boyz)
Submission via rear naked choke at 2:52 minutes in Round 1.
MMA:
2 Rounds X 3 Minutes
Chris Crisnero (Young Guns) def. Ashton Castrol (Puna)
Submission via guillotine choke at 2:34 minutes in Round 1.
MMA:
2 Rounds X 3 Minutes
Tama Emelio (Kalihi) def. Paki Fukafuka (Kona)
TKO via referee stoppage at 33 seconds in Round 1.
Co-Main
Event
MMA: 3 Rounds X 3 Minutes
Rocky "The Rock" Lindsey (Kona Boxing Club) def. Mr.
T Samoa (Waianae)
Submission via guillotine choke at 2:45 minutes in Round 1.
Co-Main
Event
MMA: 3 Rounds X 3 Minutes
Pat McBraun (Puna) def. Pama Fuga (Kona Boxing Club)
TKO via doctor's stoppage due to injured elbow after the end
of Round 1.
|
Warriors
squeeze past Lahainaluna;
Low wins third title
By
Wes Nakama
Advertiser Staff Writer
Kamehameha
edged Lahainaluna by two points, 128.5 to 126.5, last night to
deny the Lunas a historic first Neighbor Island team state wrestling
championship at Blaisdell Arena.
Saint
Louis' Brandon Low went on to pin Moloka'i's James Blair in a
semifinal match at 125 pounds. Low then beat Kaiser's Bricen
Yakabe for his third state title.
Kamehameha's only individual champion was Gerritt Vincent at
171 pounds. Vincent beat Mike Egesdal of Punahou, 13-8.
"It
was just the team," said Vincent, explaining the Warriors'
first state title since 1999. "Everybody didn't give up,
and when it came to the really important matches, every guy came
through. Everybody just had fun out there."
In
addition to Vincent's title, Kamehameha got a runner-up finish
from Alapa'i Bungo (135) and third-place finishes from Reggie
Torres (130 pounds), Jared Sandobal (140), Bryson Vivas (145)
and Gaison Ontai (160), plus a sixth-place finish from Kenrick
Pai (152).
The
Warriors actually were 10 points behind leader Lahainaluna entering
the championship, third-place and fifth-place finals.
"I
guess 'rebound' is the key word," Kamehameha coach Billy
Venenciano said. "The kids pulled through. They didn't give
up, wrestled within themselves and made the best out of their
opportunities. All of their hard work paid off."
Lahainaluna's last chance to win the team trophy came in the
championship final at 189 pounds, but Roosevelt's Jonathan Duquette
defeated the Lunas' Patrick Kaina, 5-4.
Duquette
took a 5-1 lead early in the second period, but Kaina closed
it to 5-3 with two escapes entering the third period. Kaina got
another escape early in the third, but could not score again
in the final 40 seconds.
Lahainaluna
also lost two tough title bouts at 119 and 160.
At
119, Waiakea's Landon Kurata defeated Michael Villoria, 5-3,
in overtime. And at 160, Baldwin's Ryan Tuzon rallied for an
8-6 victory over Nathan Harris.
Baldwin
(123 points) took third place, followed by Punahou (112.5), Kahuku
(106), Saint Louis (87.5) and Iolani (84).
Meanwhile,
Saint Louis' Brandon Low won his third straight state championship,
this time at 125 pounds. Low, a junior, won the 112-pound title
as a sophomore and the 119 crown last year.
Last
night, Low defeated Kaiser's Bricen Yakabe, 5-0. Low took a 2-0
lead on a takedown in the first period. After a scoreless second
period, Low scored on an escape and then a takedown to close
out the third.
"I
saw (Yakabe) wrestle and I knew I had to avoid his leg ride,"
Low said. "I've been practicing defending leg rides for
the past month, and everything the coaches told me worked out."
Low
became the 15th boy wrestler in the 40-year history of the state
tournament to win three championships. If he should win next
year, Low will join Iolani's Patrick Higa (1986) and Saint Louis'
Jonathan Spiker (2003) as the only boys to win four titles.
Low
said he did not feel the pressure of that feat this weekend.
"This
probably was the least nervous I've been for the state tournament,"
Low said. "My coaches and my dad tried to calm me down.
I'm really happy right now. Now I'm going to focus on relaxing,
on anything but wrestling for a while."
In
addition to Low, Kahuku's Daniel Morita (135), Hilo's Johanson
Quist (140) and Konawaena's Dylan Rush (215) also were repeat
champions last night.
Morita
defeated Kamehameha's Bungo, 10-4, Quist defeated Baldwin's Mikey
Lauer, 8-3, and Rush defeated Leilehua's Michael Mullen, 10-1.
SCORING
POINTS IN WRESTLING
INDIVIDUAL
POINTS
Takedown:
2
Reversal:
2
Near
Fall: 2-3 (4, if stopped for injury time)
Escape:
1
Stalling:
(warning after first violation, 1 point awarded after second,
3 points after third and wrestler is disqualified after fourth)
Locking
of the hands/Illegal hold: (1 point is awarded after first violation,
1 for second and wrestler is disqualified after third)
Championship
matches: 4 points for win plus bonus. Most points possible is
6.
TEAM
POINTS
Third
and fifth place matches: 2 points for win plus bonus (pin, superior
decision). Most points possible per match is 4.
Source: Honolulu Advertiser |
Raider
girls use their depth to edge
Baldwin by a point
By Wes Nakama
Advertiser Staff Writer
Iolani
became the first private school to win a girls wrestling state
title since the tournament began in 1998, edging Baldwin by one
point in the team standings, 130.5 to 129.5.
Iolani's
Carla Watase, top, rallied to beat Kahuku's Danica Auna in overtime
in the 103-pound final. The Raiders became the first Hawai'i
private school to win a girls state wrestling title.
The Raiders also won state championships in boys basketball,
and boys and girls swimming eight days ago, but last night's
victory broke new ground.
"Four
years ago, we had only two girls in our program, and three years
ago, we only had four," said Matthew Ha, who coaches Iolani's
girls wrestlers. "But these seniors made a pact — they
said they didn't want anyone laughing at them anymore."
The
Raiders got the last laugh thanks to individual champions Kira
Tamashiro (98 pounds), Carla Watase (103) and Joleen Oshiro (108),
plus key victories in the consolation rounds by Catherine Chan
(114), Brandee Toyama (120) and Akemi Holmes (220).
Every
one was crucial, down to Holmes' win by fall over Farrington's
Ashlee Lilo for third place in the tournament's final match.
That pushed Iolani past Baldwin by one point. Kahuku (116 points)
took third, followed by Moanalua (92), Pearl City (91) and Farrington
(86).
"It
actually was everybody who won it for us," Ha said. "Everybody
had to score on the front side (championship rounds) and everybody
had to score on the back side, and that's exactly what they did
for the team. The whole team needed all of the points they got."
Two
of the individual Raiders champions won by slim margins. Tamashiro,
who did not qualify for any of the past three tournaments, trailed
her title match 4-1 to Kealakehe's Joyce Transfiguracion before
rallying to tie it with 15 seconds left in regulation. Tamashiro
then scored a pin with four seconds left in overtime.
"It
was all for the team, to go for the extra pins," Tamashiro
said. "Coach (Ha) said we were in third place, that we were
still in the running for the team championship, so I told myself,
'Don't be lazy. Just do it, go for the pin.' "
Iolani's
Kira Tamashiro won the girls' 98-pound division by pinning Kealakehe's
Joyce Transfiguracion in overtime last night.
Watase, last year's state champion at 98 pounds, also needed
overtime to defeat Kahuku's Danica Auna, 4-2. Auna took a 2-0
lead in the first period on a takedown. Watase tied it at 2-2
early in the third period on a reversal, then won with a reversal
16 seconds into the overtime period.
Oshiro,
who won last year's 103-pound title, defeated Farrington freshman
Tani Ader, 10-4.
Chan,
the No. 2 seed, was upset in Friday's quarterfinals but came
back to win third place over Word of Life's Sarah Aoki.
"I
was disappointed (Friday), but I felt like I owed it to my teammates
(to win in the consolation rounds)," said Chan, a senior
who won a state judo championship in 2004. "I found the
motivation to do what I can on the mat. It's awesome for my teammates,
because they all worked so hard. We came far, and I'm glad I
got to be part of it."
Toyama
also lost in the quarterfinals but came back to take sixth place.
Iolani's other wrestlers were Courtney Whang (125), Sridevi Fourmier
(140) and Lindsey Tufono (175).
Waipahu's
Delilah Joung repeated as the 155-pound champion, defeating Moanalua's
Alicia Fu, 7-6. And Kamehameha's Hoku Nohara retained her 220-pound
title, pinning Wai'anae's Chasity Molina.
Source: Honolulu Advertiser |
State
wrestling results
BOYS
Team
scoring
SCHOOL
POINTS
1,
Kamehameha 128.5
2, Lahainaluna 126.5
3, Baldwin 123
4, Punahou 112.5
5, Kahuku 106
6, Saint Louis 87.5
7, Iolani 84
8, Roosevelt 72
9, Pearl City 64.5
10, Waiakea 55.5
11,
Wai'anae 54.5; 12, Hilo, Konawaena 49.5; 14, Mililani, Waipahu
48; 16, Leilehua 45; 17, Moloka'i 31; 18, Hana 29; 19, Pahoa
26. 20, Kealakehe 24; 21, Kaiser 22. 22, Honoka'a, Kalaheo 21.
24, Moanalua 20; 25, Farrington, Mid-Pacific, Moloka'i Christian
15; 28, Nanakuli 17; 29, Maui 14; 30, King Kekaulike 13; 31,
Hawai'i Prep, Kapolei 11; 33, 'Aiea, Radford 9; 35, McKinley
7.5; 36, Damien 6; 37, Castle, Waialua 5; 39, Kalani 4; 40, St.
Anthony 4; 41, Academy of the Pacific, Christian Academy 2.
103
POUNDS
Championship
Nick
Matayoshi (Iolani) defeated Bryson Fukushima (Punahou), 8-4.
Matayoshi opened with a takedown in the first quarter, but Fukushima
tied the match with a point for stalling by Matayoshi and an
escape in the second period. Matayoshi took the lead for good
on a takedown in the second, then had two more takedowns.
Third
place
Richie
Mitchell (Honoka'a) dec. Nathan Duarosan (King Kekaulike), 10-0
Fifth
place
Brandon
Mina (Waipahu) dec. Joshua Tingman (Moanalua), 15-1
Semifinals
Matayoshi
dec. Mitchell, 15-5
Fukushima
dec. Duarosan, 7-4
112
POUNDS
Championship
Aaron
Ishikawa (Iolani) defeated Lean Gumbac (Baldwin), 6-5. Ishikawa
fought back after being down 3-1 after the first period and having
a 4-1 deficit early in the second. He scored on a takedown to
make it 4-3, then escaped to tie the match at 4 early in the
third period. He had a takedown with 39 seconds left for the
6-4 lead, then was penalized for stalling for Gumbac's final
point.
Third
place
Royce
Madarang (Waipahu) dec. Lopaka Samudio (Lahainaluna), 4-2
Fifth
place
Lee
Inouye (Roosevelt) dec. Dylan Klink (Kahuku), 4-3
Semifinals
Gumboc
dec. Klink, 12-3
Ishikawa
pinned Mandarang, 4:52
119
POUNDS
Championship
Landon
Kurata (Waiakea) defeated Michael Villoria (Lahainaluna), 5-3,
in overtime. Kurata took a 2-0 lead in the first period, before
Villoria tied it at 2-2. Villoria took a 3-2 lead in the second
period on an escape, but was called for an illegal hold in the
third period to send it into overtime. Kurata then scored on
a reverse in the opening moments to win it.
Third
place
Richard
Torres (Kahuku) dec. Zach Matayoshi (Iolani), 6-2
Fifth
place
Keani
Nishigaya (Saint Louis) dec. Kauila Moore (Roosevelt), 4-1
Semifinals
Kurata
dec. Torres, 14-10
Villoria
dec. Matayoshi, 4-2
125
POUNDS
Championship
Brandon
Low (Saint Louis) defeated Bricen Yakabe (Kaiser), 5-0. Low took
a 2-0 lead on a takedown in the first period. After a scoreless
second period, Low scored on an escape and then a takedown to
close out the third.
Third
place
Daniel
Chow (Punahou) dec. Bailey Ball (Lahainaluna), 3-2
Fifth
place
Jared
Kawamata (Mililani) dec. James Blair (Moloka'i), 14-6
Semifinals
Low
pinned Blair, 5:54
Yakabe
dec. Ball, 9-8
130
POUNDS
Championship
Brenden
Whitt (Punahou) defeated Van Michael Shiroma (Roosevelt), 6-3.
Whitt had a takedown in the first period, and neither scored
a point in the second. Whitt had a takedown and a reverse in
the third, and Shiroma scored on a reverse and escape.
Third
place
Reggie
Torres (Kamehameha) dec. Kelsey Kokubun (Iolani), 14-8
Fifth
place
Torey
Seminara (Pearl City) pinned Nevin Kamaka'ala (Kahuku), 6:37
Semifinals
Whitt
dec. Kamaka'ala, 2-0
Shiroma
pinned Torres. 1:35
135
POUNDS
Championship
Daniel
Morita (Kahuku) defeated Alapa'i Bungo (Kamehameha), 10-4. Morita
opened with a takedown, but Bungo took the 3-2 lead on an escape
and a takedown. Morita had an escape to tie and a takedown to
take the lead for good, then extended his lead with two more
takedowns and an escape, against one point off an escape by Bungo.
Third
place
Steven
Chong (Punahou) dec. TJ Dowell-Howko (Mililani), 16-2
Fifth
place
Lindsay
Baybayan (Lahainaluna) dec. Chad Fujiyoshi (Waiakea), 3-1
Semifinals
Morita
dec. Chong, 8-3
Bungo
dec. Dowell-Howko, 14-6
140
POUNDS
Championship
Johanson
Quist (Hilo) defeated Mickey Lauer (Baldwin), 8-3. Quist took
a 4-1 lead in the second period, before Lauer closed to 4-3 on
a reverse. Quist then scored a takedown to take a 6-3 lead into
the third period, and scored another takedown to seal it.
Third
place
Jared
Sandoval (Kamehameha) dec. Seth Ching (Pearl City), 14-6
Fifth
place
Chris
Bovo (Kalaheo) dec. Andrew Byron (Punahou), 11-7
Semifinals
Quist
dec. Ching, 18-3
Lauer
dec. Sandobal, 6-3
145
POUNDS
Championship
William
Smithe (Mililani) defeated John Stricklin-Pu (Hana), 7-4. Smithe
scored on three takedowns and an illegal hold by Stricklin-Pu,
and allowed Stricklin-Pu four points on escapes for the win.
Third
place
Bryson
Vivas (Kamehameha) pinned Garrett Roan (Waiakea), 4:38
Fifth
place
Josh
Green (Wai'anae) dec. Darell Poole (Kalaheo), 8-4
Semifinals
Stricklin-Pu
dec. Roan, 17-9
Smithe
dec. Vivas, 7-4
152
POUNDS
Championship
TJ
Kuahine
(Baldwin) defeated Clinton Manley (Moloka'i Christian), 8-3.
Kuahine took a 5-0 lead in the second period, then Manley closed
it to 5-3 early in the third with a reversal. Kuahine then scored
an escape and reverse to seal it.
Third
place
Bryson
Pascua (Pearl City) dec. Charles Smiley (Saint Louis), 7-1
Fifth
place
Simon
Ioane (Farrington) def. Kenrick Pai (Kamehameha) by forfeit
Semifinals
Kuahine
dec. Pascua, 16-0
Manley
dec. Pai, 2-1
160
POUNDS
Championship
Ryan
"Bulla" Tuzon (Baldwin) defeated Nathan Harris (Lahainaluna),
8-6. Tuzon fell behind 2-6 on three takedowns by Harris early
in the second period after a scoreless first period. Tuzon scored
point off two escapes, tied the match at 6 with one minute remaining
on a takedown, then took the lead with 30 seconds to go on a
near fall.
Third
place
Gaison
Ontai (Kamehameha) dec. Jordan Alencastle (Saint Louis), 8-4
Fifth
place
Thomas
Iinuma (Pearl City) dec. Jared Hao (Kealakehe), 6-3
Semifinals
Tuzon
dec. Iiuma, 6-0
Harris
dec. Ha'o, 8-3
171
POUNDS
Championship
Gerritt
Vincent (Kamehameha) defeated Mike Egesdal (Punahou), 13-8. Vincent
dominated, recording five takedowns to Egesdal's one, jumping
out to a 4-2 lead after the first, and an 8-5 lead after the
second.
Third
place
Nicholas
Kuhn (Lahainaluna) dec. Keoni Leong (Baldwin) by technical fall,
3:13
Fifth
place
Ikoa
Rosa-Paris (Leilehua) dec. Samson Tanele (Wai'anae), 3-2
Semifinals
Vincent
dec. Long, 15-7
Egesdal
dec. Kuhn, 9-8
189
POUNDS
Championship
Jonathan
Duquette (Roosevelt) defeated Patrick Kaina (Lahainaluna), 5-4.
Duquette took a 5-1 lead early in the second period, but Kaina
closed it to 5-3 with two escapes entering the third period.
Kaina got another escape early in the third, but could not score
again in the final 40 seconds.
Third
place
Yancy
Medeiros (Wai'anae) dec. Jared Silva (Saint Louis), 11-6
Fifth
place
Matt
Maze (Hawai'i Prep) dec. Jorey Baysinger (Konawaena), 5-0
Semifinals
Duquette
dec. Silva, 3-2
Kaina
dec. Medeiros, 10-4
215
POUNDS
Championship
Dylan
Rush (Konawaena) defeated Michael Mullen (Leilehua), 10-1. Rush
recorded two takedowns, an escape, a reverse and a near fall
for three points for his 10 points before Mullen scored his lone
point on an escape at the end of the match.
Third
place
Joshua
Gisa (Nanakuli) dec. Elijah Medeiros (Hilo), 7-6
Fifth
place
Clellan
Aalona (Kahuku) dec. Nicholas Spotkaeff (Wai'anae), 10-2
Semifinals
Rush
pinned Spotkaeff, 5:25
Mullen
pinned Medeiros, 2:55
275
POUNDS
Championship
Matt
Tanielu (Moloka'i) defeated Max Fairclough (Kahuku), 3-1. Tanielu
had a takedown to give him the 2-1 lead in the second period
after Fairclough scored a point for an escape, and Tanielu added
a point for an escape in the third period.
Third
place
Matt
Wharton (Pahoa) pinned Russell Fisher (MPI), 4:11.
Fifth
place
Shannon
Faili (Waipahu) dec. Philip Trani (Kapolei) 4-3.
Semifinals
Tanielu
dec. Saili, 7-2
Fairclough
dec. Fisher, 6-4
GIRLS
Team
scoring
SCHOOL
POINTS
1,
Iolani 130.5
2, Baldwin 129.5
3, Kahuku 116
4, Moanalua 92
5, Pearl City 91
6, Farrington 86
7, Kamehameha 82
8, Kealakehe 77
9, Punahou 67.5
10, Waipahu 62
11,
Aiea, Kaiser, Kapolei 37; 14, Wai'anae 35; 15, Lana'i, Roosevelt
29; 17, Lahainaluna 21; 18, University, Word of Life 20; 20,
Castle 19; 21, Kaimuki 18; 22, McKinley 16; 23, Kailua 15; 24,
Maui 14; 25, Kohala, Mid-Pacific 11; 27, St. Anthony 10; 28,
Leilehua 8; 29, Maryknoll 7; 30, Kamehameha-Hawai'i 6; 31, Moloka'i
5; 32, Hawai'i Prep, Konawaena, Kamehameha-Maui 4; 35, King Kekaulike
3.
98
POUNDS
Championship
Kira
Tamashiro (Iolani) pinned Joyce Transfiguracion (Kealakehe) at
6:56. Transfiguracion took a 4-1 lead early in the third period
on a reversal, but Tamashiro got a point pack on an escape and
then tied it at 4-4 with 15 seconds remaining on a takedown.
Tamashiro finally took control at the end of the overtime period
and got the pin with four seconds left.
Third
place
Candace
Sakamoto (Castle) dec. Agriana Aquino (Kahuku), 4-2
Fifth
place
Kristanlyn
Daquip (Baldwin) pinned Erin Uwaine (Mid-Pacific), 3:21
Semifinals
Tamashiro
pinned Aquino, 1:37
Transfiguracion
dec. Sakamoto, 10-7
103
POUNDS
Championship
Carla
Watase (Iolani) defeated Danica Auna (Kahuku), 4-2, in overtime.
Auna took a 2-0 lead in the first period on a takedown. Watase
tied it at 2-2 early in the third period on a reversal, then
won with a reversal 16 seconds into the overtime period.
Third
place
Samantha
Batoon (Farrington) pinned Keri Kaneshiro (Kaimuki), 2:47
Fifth
place
Tonya
Kageno (Pearl City) pinned Ashley Hayase (Lahainaluna), 2:03
Semifinals
Watase
pinned Kaneshiro, 3:16
Auna
pinned Batoon, 3:14
108
POUNDS
Championship
Joleen
Oshiro (Iolani) defeated Tani Ader (Farrington), 10-4. Oshiro
jumped out to a 4-1 lead in the first period, then went up 6-2
in the second after a takedown before closing it out in the third.
Third
place
Shaelene
Kamaka'ala (Kamehameha) dec. Vanessa Chavez (Baldwin), 10-4
Fifth
place
Lisa
Katsura (Moanalua) dec. Vickey Milanio (Lahainaluna), 5-1
Semifinals
Oshiro
pinned Katsura, 1:37
Ader
pinned Chavez, 3:57
114
POUNDS
Championship
Cori
Arisumi (Roosevelt) pinned Danica Lute (Lana'i) at 4:58. Arisumi
took a 3-0 lead early in the second period before Lute closed
it to 3-2 with a takedown. Arisumi then went up 7-2 after an
escape and reversal and 9-3 with a takedown before the pin.
Third
place
Catherine
Chan (Iolani) dec. Sarah Aoki (Word of Life), 14-7
Fifth
place
Lianne
Tomishima (McKinley) pinned Clarissa Reidy (Kapolei), 3:31
Semifinals
Arisumi
pinned Reidy, 1:06
Lute
dec. Tomishima, 9-5
120
POUNDS
Championship
Shyla
Iokia (Baldwin) defeated Lauren Primiano (Punahou), 13-6. Iokia,
who defended her state title, opened to a 7-1 lead early in the
second period behind a couple of takedowns, then held off Primiano
in the third period with two more takedowns.
Third
place
Ashley
Poling (Kaiser) dec. Ashlee Estioko (Kahuku), 6-4
Fifth
place
Cherae
Pascua (Pearl City) dec. Brandee Toyama (Iolani), 6-4.
Semifinals
Iokia
dec. Estioko, 11-6
Primiano
dec. Poling, 6-5
125
POUNDS
Championship
Danica
Kamakana (Moanalua) pinned Chaelyn Tan (Kapolei) at 1:22. Kamakana
took an early 2-0 lead with a takedown before scoring the pin.
Third
place
Nicole
Chorney (Punahou) dec. Natasha Chang (Baldwin), 4-0
Fifth
place
Kalimari
Billings (Pearl City) pinned Shante Ho'okano (Kaiser), 4:14
Semifinals
Tan
pinned Billings, 3:27
Kamakana
pinned Ho'okano, 5:59
130
POUNDS
Championship
Kara
Takasaki (Punahou) defeated Pukea Kalalau (Baldwin), 10-4. Takasaki
jumped to a 7-1 lead in the second period off three takedowns,
then scored three points in the third period on a near fall.
Third
place
Merisa
Wong (Kealakehe) pinned Jackie Baniaga (Waipahu), 2:11
Fifth
place
Ku'uipo
Bedayos (Wai'anae) dec. Punahale Luafalemana (Moloka'i), 4-2
Semifinals
Takasaki
pinned Luafalemana, 3:38
Kalalau
dec. Baniaga, 19-3
140
POUNDS
Championship
Summer
Alo (Kahuku) defeated Krystal Kiyuna ('Aiea), 8-6, in overtime.
Kiyuna took a 6-3 lead after a reversal early in the third period,
but Alo scored on an escape and then Kiyuna was called for stalling
with 22 seconds remaining, tying it at 6-6. In overtime, Alo
scored an early takedown to win it.
Third
place
Nicole
Young (Pearl City) dec. Ku'ulei Barton (Kealakehe), 9-1
Fifth
place
BN
Alafonso (Farrington) pinned Candace Coratibo (Baldwin), 1:41
Semifinals
Alo
pinned Young, 1:17
Kiyuna
dec. Alafonso, 7-3
155
POUNDS
Championship
Delilah
Joung (Waipahu) defeated Alicia Fu (Moanalua), 7-6. Joung successfully
defended her state title by scoring two takedowns in the third
period to break a 3-3 tie.
Third
place
Lani
Visesio (Maui) dec. Amanda Soliai (Kahuku), 10-8
Fifth
place
Penny
Rodrigues (Kealakehe) pinned Faye Toyama ('Aiea), 4:56
Semifinals
Joung
pinned Rodrigues, 4:41
Fu
pinned Visesio, 3:14
175
POUNDS
Championship
Talina
Kawa'a (Kamehameha) defeated Desiree Memea (University High),
6-1. Memea took a 1-0 lead early in the second period, but Kawa'a
quickly went up 5-1 after a reversal and near fall. Kawa'a was
awarded a point in the third period after an illegal hold, and
held on for the victory after being briefly injured.
Third
place
Leolani
Corpuz (Baldwin) pinned Stacey Ikawa (Pearl City), 0:30
Fifth
place
Kiele
Lehel (Kailua) dec. Christine Meredith (Kahuku), 6-5
Semifinals
Kawa'a
pinned Corpuz, 4:14
Memea
pinned Ikawa, 5:47
220
POUNDS
Championship
Randolyn
"Hoku" Nohara (Kamehameha) pinned Chasity Molina (Wai'anae)
at 1:01. Nohara, who defended her state title, scored early on
a takedown, then prevented Molina from escaping from her hold,
pinning her halfway through the first period.
Third
place
Akemi
Holmes (Iolani) pinned Ashlee Lilio (Farrington), 0:59
Fifth
place
Andrea
Reyes (Moanalua) dec. Autumn Williams (Pearl City), 2-1
Semifinals
Nohara
pinned Lilio, 1:41
Molina
dec. Holmes, 3-2
Source:
Honolulu Advertiser |
Iolani
girls, Kamehameha boys win wrestling titles
Raiders come from behind to top Baldwin for the state girls crown
By Billy Hull
The
phrase "every match counts" might seem like nothing
more than a clichŽ, but for the Iolani Raiders, their belief
in it is why they are now called state champions.
A
year's worth of dedication and hard work all came down to the
final weight class of the HHSAA/Chevron 2005 State Girls Wrestling
Championships as unseeded Akemi Holmes, needing a victory by
pinfall, defeated Farrington's Ashlee Lilo in such fashion to
give Iolani a come-from-behind one-point victory over Baldwin
to win the school's first-ever girls state wrestling title yesterday
at Blaisdell Arena.
"It
has come full circle for these girls," Iolani coach Matt
Ha said. "In 2003 I think the girls got tired of people
laughing at them. We only had four wrestlers and while they would
all win, we would get crushed in the dual meets."
Holmes,
who had been pinned by Lilo earlier in the season, had no idea
that the team championship was going to come down to her match.
"I
think I was glad I didn't know," she said. "In the
ILH (championships), I knew it might come down to me and I got
a little pressured, but this time I just went out there focused,
concentrated and gave it my all."
A
fast start by the Raiders yesterday set the table for Holmes'
final match as Iolani claimed the first three weight divisions.
In
the opening and arguably most exciting final, top-seeded senior
Kira Tamashiro forced overtime against third-seeded Joyce Transfiguracion
by scoring a takedown with just 5 seconds left to tie the score
in regulation, and then turned the clinching takedown into a
pin with 4 seconds left in the extra period to claim the 98-pound
state title, her first.
"I
really don't know what happened at the end; it's all a blur,"
Tamashiro said of the overtime period. "I just was thinking
about the team and how hard we all worked. Our one-team spirit
is really strong."
"She
could have just gotten up after the takedown and won," Ha
added. "But she kept with it and pinned her and that was
so huge because we needed it in the end."
Continuing
Tamashiro's trend, top-seeded Carla Watase also needed overtime
to win the 103-pound title, defeating Kahuku's second-seeded
Danica Auna 4-2 with a takedown 17 seconds into the extra period.
Only a sophomore, Watase kept her dreams alive to become a four-time
state champion. She was the 98-pound champion last year.
"That's
my goal since I started," Watase said. "This was definitely
the hardest match of the year. When the referee said 'OK girls
this is sudden death' I was really nervous."
Completing
the trifecta for Iolani was Joleen Oshiro, the top seed at 108
pounds. After two overtime matches, last year's 103-pound state
champion made the final in her new weight class seem easy, defeating
Farrington's third-seeded Tani Ader 10-4 to complete an undefeated
senior season.
"This
one is actually better than last year's one," Oshiro said.
"Everyone wanted to take me down and I was the target this
year, so I had to work a lot harder. I felt like I had all this
pressure because people expected me to dominate."
The
only other returning state champions to successfully defend their
titles were Kamehameha's Randolyn Nohara, who needed just 61
seconds to pin Waianae's Chasity Molina, and Waipahu's Delilah
Joung, who narrowly defeated Moanalua's Alicia Fu 7-6 in the
155-pound championship.
In
an all-freshman 125-pound final, unseeded Chaelynn Tan's dramatic
run to the finals ended on a sour note as she was pinned by Moanalua's
Danica Kamakana with 38 seconds left in the first round. Tan
had knocked off top-seeded Nicole Chorney on Friday.
Other
surprise unseeded winners included 114-pound champion Cory Arisumi
from Roosevelt, 175-pound champion Tilana Kawaa of Kamehameha,
and Kahuku's Summer Alo, who tied the 140-pound final late in
regulation, and then scored a takedown with 18 seconds left in
overtime to beat defending state champion Krystal Kiyuna.
Baldwin's
Shyla Iokia and Punahou's Kara Takasaki successfully lived up
to their No. 1 seeds, winning the 120- and 130-pound titles.
The
Warriors earn their fourth boys state crown and first since 1999
By Paul Honda
The
worthy challengers came from the island of Maui, but Kamehameha's
Warriors fought them off down the stretch.
Kamehameha
amassed 128.5 points to edge Lahainaluna (126) and Baldwin (123)
to win the Chevron State Boys Wrestling Championships last night
at Blaisdell Arena. It is Kamehameha's fourth state boys crown
and the first since 1999.
It
was a special night for the Warriors and coach Billy Venenciano,
who originally hails from Molokai of the Maui Interscholastic
League.
"The
key was that last round. Our kids were in the finals and we could
get extra points," he said.
Some
key performances by his grapplers, like Reggie Torres Jr., gave
the Warriors the valuable points they needed. Torres, wrestling
in the 119 weight class, came through with a win in his third-place
battle for two valuable points.
"When
I asked the kids who they wanted in their corner, Reggie wanted
his dad," Venenciano said.
So,
he called on Reggie Torres, who also happens to be the head coach
of Kahuku.
"Reggie's
style is more mental, and he beat the wrestler from Iolani. That
really helped," Venenciano said.
Most
of the top seeds won, but there were some remarkable upsets.
Unseeded
Jonathan Duquette knocked out No. 1 seed Jared Silva of Saint
Louis in the semifinals and went on to edge Lahainaluna's Patrick
Kaina, 5-4, to win the 189 championship.
Another
big upset came from Landon Kurota of Waiakea. He won the 119
state crown with a 5-3 overtime win over Lahainaluna's Michael
Viloria.
At
145, Mililani's William Smithe outquicked the taller No. 1 seed,
John Stricklin-Pu of Hana, 7-4, for a state championship title.
In
one of the most intense matches of the night, Molokai's Matthew
Tanielu and Kahuku's Max Fairclough went back and forth in a
defensive battle for the 275 crown.
After
an even opening period, Tanielu became the aggressor. However,
the slippery Fairclough got away and scored for a 1-0 lead midway
through the second quarter.
Tanielu
came through with a leg shoot for two points late in the second
to take the lead. Early in the third, he slipped away from Fairclough's
grasp to take a 3-1 lead.
Tanielu
escaped four leg shoots by Fairclough in the final minute to
pull out the win.
Another
classic duel came from two MIL wrestlers, Ryan "Bulla"
Tuzon of Baldwin and Nathan Harris of Lahainaluna.
Harris
was the more aggressive wrestler from the start, but the first
period ended without a score. That changed quickly. Harris scored
two points shortly into the second period, and added another
two-point score for a 4-1 lead with a minute left in the third.
Harris
led 6-2 late in the second period, but Tuzon chipped away, escaping
Harris' clutches twice to pull within 6-4 with 1:37 left. Tuzon
then came through with a pair of two-point moves to take an 8-6
lead with 29 seconds remaining. Tuzon hung on in the final seconds
for the win.
Harris
was unseeded, but the close battle wasn't a surprise. Tuzon outpointed
Harris in overtime at the MIL championships.
Perhaps
the most decisive win came from two-time state champion Dylan
Rush of Konawaena.
Rush
led just 2-0 going into the second period, but was in complete
control. The 6-foot-3 junior added three more points in the second
en route and was cruising to a win when the unseeded Mullen surprised
Rush midway through the fourth.
Mullen
came relatively close to getting a hold on Rush, but the Wildcat
escaped and was never threatened again. Rush captured his second
state championship in a row at 215.
Source: Honolulu Star Bulletin |
Tournament
Draw Finalized For K-1 Korea Event
Defending
champ Kaennorsing leads pack of eight fighters
Twenty-one
year old martial arts fighting sensation, Kaoklai
Kaennorsing, will set out to defend his first career K-1 tournament
championship when he faces China's Zhang Qing Jun during the
quarterfinal round of the K-1 "World Grand Prix Seoul"
Pay-Per-View
televised event in Seoul, Korea on Sunday, March 20th.
At
5 feet 11 inches and 170 pounds, Kaennorsing of Thailand is a
physical anomaly in K-1's original weight class that has
traditionally been comprised of fighters who weigh a minimum
of 200
pounds. During his debut in "The New Fighting Sport"
the smallest
superheavyweight in K-1 history shocked the world last July by
conquering three challengers in one night of action during the
first-ever "World Grand Prix Seoul" tournament.
Kaennorsing's
victory in Korea gained him a bid into the annual
December "World Grand Prix Finals" eight-man tournament
in Japan's
Tokyo Dome where he was confronted with the seemingly impossible
task
of stopping 283-pound American powerhouse, "Mighty Mo"
Siligia. Once
again, though, Kaennorsing astonished the masses when he launched
a
flying roundhouse kick that caught Siligia on the side of the
head
and put the big man out of commission during the first round
of the
fight.
This
time around, the Thai knockout artist will be faced by another
member of the sport's new generation in the 18-year-old Qing
Jun.
Last July, the 6 foot 1 inch, 228 pound Chinese kickboxing stylist
made what remains his sole K-1 appearance to date during the
inaugural event in Seoul. There, he gained a judges decision
over
sumo wrestling legend, Akebono.
The
winner of the matchup between Kaennorsing and Qing Jun will face
the victory of a quarterfinal round bout between Japan's Hiraku
Hori
and Korea's Lee Myeon Ju.
The
other half of the "World Grand Prix Seoul tournament"
draw will
see Akebono return to action in a one of a kind matchup with
Japanese
Seido Kaikan Karate Master, Nobuaki Kakuda. Kakuda's appearance
comes after he originally announced his retirement from competition
two years ago.
The
final quarterfinal round contest pairs two newcomers - 7 foot
2
inch, 353 pound giant, Hong-Man Choi, of Korea and 5 foot 11
inch,
309 pound, Wakashoyo, of Japan -against one another.
The
winners of each semifinal round bout will square off with one
another in the tournament's championship round.
The
live broadcast of World Grand Prix Seoul will begin at 9 PM
Eastern Standard Time (6 PM Pacific Standard Time) and will be
available on iNDemand, DirecTV, and TVN.
K-1
is a martial arts fighting sport that derives its name from its
inclusion of a wide array of combat disciplines, including Karate,
Kung-Fu, and Kickboxing ("K"), and its intent to determine
one
champion in one ring ("1"). After being staged for
the first time in
Japan in 1993 under the direction of founder Master Kazuyoshi
Ishii,
it later evolved into the country's most popular sport and achieved
popular culture status there as its athletes turned into
larger-than-life celebrities.
Source: Mike Afromowitz |
Quote
of the Day
"Once we realize that imperfect understanding is the human
condition,
there is no shame in being wrong, only in failing to correct
our mistakes."
George Soros, American Businessman, Financier
|
Brandon
Low Makes it 3 in a Row!
The next great thing in Hawaii High School Wrestling continued
on the road to become the third four-time state wrestling champion
behind Pat Higa and Jonathan Spiker (Low's former teammate at
St. Louis). Brandon pinned all three of his opponents to make
it in to the finals where he fought a tough and game opponent,
but proved to be too much and won his third state championship
by points.
The
team titles went to Iolani for the girls and Kamehameha (Oahu
Campus) for the boys both teams winning by a point and two points
respectively over two tough Maui teams.
Congratulations
to all the competitors of the Hawaii State Wrestling Championships
and the newly crowned champions!
|
'Bang'
Ludwig On His Way To Oregon
As
a further sign of how training has begun to kick into high gear
around Team Quest, MMA Weekly has learned that Bas Rutten and
Duane "Bang" Ludwig will be traveling to Oregon to
help prepare and train with Randy Couture and Matt Lindland for
their upcoming fights in April. Rutten is no stranger to the
Quest facilities, having gone to Oregon last year to work with
Team Quest as well as attend Sportfight, the promotion run by
Couture and Lindland.
For
Ludwig however, this is his first time heading north to work
with Quest. When contacted by MMA Weekly, Ludwig seemed very
enthusiastic about the trip, "It's my first time going up
there," said Ludwig. "Bas is going to help train Randy
and we're going to do a seminar. It's going to be fun, I'm looking
forward to good times."
Word
has it that Rutten is not the only former UFC Champion to be
heading to Oregon, sources close to the situation say that Don
Frye will also be making the trek to work with Team Quest also.
This is no surprise considering that Team Quest has long been
a location for many fighters to train outside their normal routines.
Fighters who've gone to the famous Gresham facility include Middleweight
King of Pancrase Nate Marquardt, UFC veterans BJ Penn, Caol Uno,
Ricco Rodriguez, The Ultimate Fighter's Mike Swick, and renowned
trainer Marc Laimon.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Brazilians
fight at Pancrase tonight
Nilson
de Castro (Chute Boxe Academy), Gustavo "Ximu" Machado
and teammate Flavio Moura (Gracie Barra Combat Team) will be
fighting tonight (6) at Pancrase 2005 Spiral Tour, which happens
at Yokohama Cultural Gymnasium, in Kanagawa, Japan. Check out
full results later at TATAME.com. Stay tuned!
Pancrase
2005 Spiral Tour
Sunday,
March 6, 2005
Yokohama
Cultural Gymnasium - Kanagawa, Japan
COMPLETE
LINE UP (subject to change):
-
Asaki Honda (P's LAB Yokohama) vs. Yuki Takaya (SK Absolute);
-
Hidenobu Koike (Grabaka Gym) vs. Hirokazu Takamoto (Unplugged
Kokubunji);
-
Hisae Watanabe (AJ Gym) vs. Naoko Omuro (Wajutsu Keishukai Tokyo
Hombu);
-
Masahiro Yamagishi (YMC Nagano) vs. Ken Orihashi (Team POD);
-
Takuya Wada (SK Absolute) vs. Hiroki Nagaoka (Dobuita);
-
Sehaku (Wajutsu Keishukai RJW) vs. Ryuta Noji (Pancrase Megaton);
-
Hidehiko Hasegawa (SK Absolute) vs. Satoru Kitaoka (Pancrase
ism);
-
Keiichiro Yamamiya (Pancrase Grabaka) vs. Nilson de Castro (Chute
Boxe Academy);
-
Yuki Sasaki (Pancrase Grabaka) vs. Gustavo "Ximu" Machado
(Gracie Barra Combat Team);
-
Kazuo Misaki (Pancrase Grabaka) vs. Flavio Moura (Gracie Barra
Combat Team);
-
Akihiro Gono (Pancrase Grabaka) vs. Yuji Sakuragi (Seiken Kaikan).
Source: Tatame
|
Maurício
Shogun Getting some room
Few
years ago he was known by Murilo Ninja's brother. After four
knockouts at the main stage of international MMA (Pride), Maurício
Milani Rua is known as Maurício Shogun. At age 24, Shogun
fought nine times as Professional (8-1-0) and now he will have
his great chance: Pride GP Middleweight, which first round happens
in April and his main opponent may be teammate Wanderlei Silva.
During exclusive interview to team right after returning from
Pride 29, Shogun comments his last victory over Hiromitsu Kanehara,
his challenge to Quinton Jackson and his chances at Pride GP.
Do
you have any relation with Marco Ruas?
No.
It's a Portuguese name came from my dad. But of course I am a
fan, because he was one of the pioneers of Vale-Tudo. In the
past, the guys were great on the ground or in the stand up game.
He was the first one to show his skills in both ways. This worked
as an incentive for me.
How
did you start fighting?
My
brother started to train with Zito. So I train until red belt
graduation and ended moving to my dad's house, when I was 17
years old, in Santa Catarina. In there I started to train Jiu-Jitsu
and nowadays I am a brown belt. I am 23, Murilo, 25 and the youngest
brother is only 19.
When
ring bells it seems like you and your brother turn on a motor
and just end punching and kicking when the fight is over. What's
the secret of the family Rua?
I
guess it's genetic. My mother join marathon proves. She is 50
and she occupies the 5th place of the ranking. But I have to
say this energy is due to our train.
Do
you think of fighting among heavies?
Mestrão
Rudimar decides. But I prefer to have more experience among the
middleweights. Who knows someday I will fight as a heavyweight?
What
are you expecting of this Grand Prix?
Our
goal is done. We are on the top of middleweight fighters in the
world. Now I want to win as much I can and help Wanderlei to
keep his belt.
According
to Rudimar, you and Wanderlei would do a real fight in the tournament.
As
far I know, we will be in different brackets and may fight the
final. During a tournament like this, where is fulfilled with
tough fighters, the last think I am concerned is the final match.
Are you crazy? Fighting with Wandeco is rough. But it's my job
and we are professional fighters... if I reach the final, we
gonna fight.
Quinton
seemed enjoying your challenge. At this time he wanted to give
a Pride trophy to your brother...
I
guess he's learned the lesson, Wandeco taught him with punches.
No doubt he is way far humble.
What
has impressed you the most in this event?
Minotouro
fought very well. He presented a good Muay Thai and showed himself
well prepared. Igor Vovchanchyn also fought very well. I guess
Middleweight GP will be one of the most disputed ones. But the
favorite one is still Wanderlei.
You've
got nine fights and just one loss (to Renato Babalú).
Would you like a rematch?
I
am a Professional of Vale-Tudo. I'll fight anyone. But no doubt
I still have a hard time accepting this loss. If I have a chance
I would like to face him one more time.
Source: Tatame
|
Quote
of the Day
"Patience is not passive; on the contrary, it is active;
it is concentrated strength."
Edward G. Bulwer-Lytton, 1803-1873, British Novelist, Poet
|
So
You Think You Tough Today in Kona!
The hallmark event of Kailua-Kona on the big island is back.
So You Think You Tough 7
Kona Gym, Kona, Hawaii
March 5, 2005
The main event pits two of the big islands' heaviest hitters.
Kona's Kaleo Padilla faces one of Puna's most dangerous punchers
in Kaimi Santiago. The undercard will feature boxing and mixed
martial arts matches.
Onzuka.com will be there covering all the action. If you are
on the big island and have never been to one of Sonny Westbrook's
events, you are missing out. From the raw cage to the infamous
grudge matches, there are no padding records or conservative
fighters, the competitors come to fight and lay it all out in
the cage.
|
For
Immediate Release
Contact:
Patrick Freitas
(808) 375-1645
superbrawl21@yahoo.com
Super
Brawl XXXIX: Destiny
Masanori Suda vs. Falaniko Vitale
for the 185-Lb Title Belt
 
Honolulu, HI., March 3, 2005 – A world championship event
two years in the making is finally confirmed. On April 9, 2005
at the University of Hawaii’s Stan Sheriff Center, Falaniko
Vitale will fight for possession of the 185-lb Super Brawl Title
Belt, currently held by Japan’s Masanori Suda, in the main
event of “Super Brawl XXXIX: Destiny.”
Masanori
Suda, undefeated in the last three years, is regarded as one
of Japan’s preeminent Mixed Martial Arts (M.M.A.) fighters.
Suda is also one of the most feared fighters ever to compete
in Hawaii He has never lost to any of the State’s athletes,
tallying wins over Ray Cooper, Ronald Jhun, and Egan Inoue. Suda
earned the 185-lb Super Brawl Title Belt with his dominant victory
over Inoue at the highly publicized May 9, 2003 Super Brawl XXIX.
Over 8,000 fans witnessed this match first hand, making it one
of the largest fight events ever held in Honolulu.
Two
years ago – at the time of Suda’s victory over Inoue
- Falaniko Vitale was the top student at Inoue’s Grappling
Unlimited training academy in Halawa Valley. Vitale, a football
phenom from Waipahu High School, went on to a decorated college
football career at the University of Hawaii. Although a knee
injury sidelined his opportunities into the NFL, Vitale found
professional athletic success immediately after college in Arena
Football and in the burgeoning M.M.A. circuit.
Vitale
flourished under Inoue’s tutelage at Grappling Unlimited,
going undefeated in Super Brawl over a four year span. Vitale’s
only loss since 2001 came by decision in U.F.C. (Ultimate Fighting
Championship) #45 against U.S. Olympic Wresting Silver Medalist
Matt Lindland; Vitale had already beaten Lindland by knockout
in U.F.C. #43 just five months earlier. Vitale hopes to win the
belt not only for his own accomplishment, but also for the honor
of Hawaii’s M.M.A. athletic community. Vitale has stated
on numerous occasions that he believes Hawaii, per capita, has
the most talented pool of M.M.A athletes in the sport. With a
win over Suda in Super Brawl XXXIX, he would surely establish
his position among the elite 185-lb fighters in the world.
Tickets
for Super Brawl XXXIX: Destiny will go on sale in mid-March.
Ticket prices TBA. Call 944-BOWS, log on to www.etickethawaii.com,
or visit the Rainbowtique for more information.
Source: Event Promoter
|
FIREWORKS
BETWEEN TRIGG AND PENN ON MMAWEEKLY RADIO!
 
One of the better shows, maybe the best so far this year as Frank
Trigg and BJ
Penn went
toe to toe for a half hour on yesterday's show.
If
you missed it you definitely want to check out the radio archive.
It was some quality smack talk between the two fighters.
Part
of the smack talk originated from Wednesday's show where Jens
Pulver and Trigg had plenty to say about BJ Penn going up in weight. Here was part
of the exchange with Pulver on Wednesday...
Ryan
Bennett: I want to get your thoughts Jens. Today (Wednesday),
have you read MMAWeekly?
Jens
Pulver: Of course. I start my morning off with MMAWeekly. What
are you talking about? It's my favorite site still.
Bennett:
There you go. Good. I've got to roll a promo on that. Hey, BJ Penn, fighting a guy that
you know because Rich Franklin lost to him. What do you think
about that Penn facing Lyoto?
Jens:
He's crazy man. More power to him. Rock on. Fire it up.
Bennett:
Can he win that fight?
Jens:
That one, he may have bit off a little more than he can chew....If
you get hit with heavy shots, it hurts. It's an MMA fight right?
Bennett:
Yep.
Jens:
He can take him down and bear it out Rodrigo [Gracie] style.
He needs to stop flushing his toilet and floating his boat after
he beats people like this. You know, I beat a Gracie. Yeah, you
beat one that's got no stand up and has submission skills, and
he's in your game plan. OK, good. Thank you. You know, I want
to fight Horn. Well, I know Horn will fight anybody and everybody,
so you didn't try too hard. Jens is ducking me. Nah, I'm just
waiting for a payday higher than ten thousand. Don't offer me
retarded money, and I know [Frank] Trigg and Matt [Hughes] would
fight him right now. So he's doing this big mountain climb, which
more power to him. Hey have a great time. You know, become this
most amazing fighter, but do I need to. I'll go get a fat crippled
man and fight a heavyweight too if I really need to. He may have
bit off a little more than he can chew with this guy.
The
guy brings the thunder, so we'll see what happens. It's been
fun to watch. It's entertaining. I enjoy entertainment like anyone
else, but on the same token, to say I'm the world's greatest
and fight in all the weight classes. To be the world's greatest,
fight all the weight classes. Fight the best that's in the weight
class. OK, that's different. I'll take my hat off to you. He's
a good fighter, so BJ Penn is BJ Penn and he can do what he wants
to do. We'll all watch it and see what happens.
Bennett:
That sounded almost like Frank Trigg right there. [laughs]
Jens:
Like Trigg says, you don't duck the best guys. There's enough
tough guys at 170. There really was no reason to go up, and then
to go up and beat who? To fight who? OK, Rodrigo Gracie. I don't
care if his name is Gracie. What's that mean anymore? Nothing.
I mean, is this 94' and I only know Karate? No. It means nothing,
you know, anymore to me. And the guy what? Got stuck on his back
and couldn't out grapple BJ in what BJ is strongest at in grappling.
OK, thank you. Good deal. Did you knock him out on your feet?
No. OK.
When
you get probably the top five contenders in each weight class,
thin it out a little bit like boxers do, and then go up. OK,
my hat will come off to you. I mean holy cow, this guys is as
bad as it gets. Right now, I think it's funny. I think it's fun.
More power to him if he wants to gain weight and fight heavier,
but don't ever, don't act like he can't fight Jeremy Horn. Jeremy
Horn fights, he'll fight for a thousand dollars on a weekend
show before his big Pride fight. He don't care. When he does
that, he'll have bitten off more than he can chew. Don't fight
Jeremy Horn. BJ, I'm telling you right now, don't fight Jeremy
Horn. He'll hurt you.
Bennett:
Is that fight being talked about right now Jens?
Jens:
I just remember when it was being talked about. My thing is this,
the most underrated and disrespected fighter on the planet is
Jeremy Horn. In my opinion, this is my view, mine, he's the best
all around fighter I've seen in my life. Did you see what he
just did? I'm going with the mentality that he's as calm as anybody
can be. He can stand up. He can go to the ground. He can do it
all day long. I mean, best all around fighter I've ever seen.
Bennett:
Trigg, do you agree with Jens' assessment on BJ?
Frank
Trigg: Yeah, totally. He's quite the knucklehead. He's out there
trying to keep his name in the limelight doing all these crazy
things. He's becoming almost a circus act. Like Jens said, there
was no reason for him to jump out of 170. There are more than
enough tough guys out there for him to stay in there and keep
trying to bang them out. The only reason why he came out of 155
is he got lazy and didn't want to cut the weight anymore. Now
he weights 180.
Bennett:
Let me say this in BJ's defense. Isn't it impressive that he
went from 155 up to 170. He beat Matt Hughes. He went up another
weight class to 185, and whatever you think of Rodrigo Gracie,
the guy was still undefeated at the time. Isn't that still impressive
in your books?
Jens:
Oh it's impressive. It is impressive, but on the same token,
I'm saying if you're going to act like you're cleaning out the
weight classes, then clean it out. Beat the top five guys in
each one. Do like it is supposed to be done. That's all I'm saying.
OK, he went up to 185 because he didn't want to cut weight, alright
you beat Rodrigo Gracie. Fantastic. More power to him. Maybe
I couldn't have done it. I mean, who knows? The thing is, clean
it out man. There's some tough guys at 185. Fight them.
Bennett:
Jens, will we see you ever fight BJ Penn again?
Jens:
Me?
Bennett:
Yeah.
Jens:
I'm back at 160. I weigh 170 now. I've spent the last three and
a half months lifting weights and getting big. I don't see why
not.
Bennett:
What weight would you fight BJ Penn at?
Jens
65.
Bennett:
65?
Jens:
65 would be fine.
Bennett:
OK.
Jens:
I know how it's going to go. It doesn't matter. He's going to
try to beat me on the ground. I already know. If he don't, he'll
get knocked out. He knows what's going to happen. He ain't going
to take me down. I spent twenty minutes on the ground with him
last time. I ain't hearing about almost had arm bar. Stop it.
Let it go. I went two more rounds with you on the ground and
I beat you like you were nothing. If you were America's best
then I guess I was the world's best on that day because I beat
you like you were nothing. The five minutes I finally got standing
up, you almost got knocked out. Had to kick me in the balls to
save himself. Whatever. I'll fight him anytime. I don't care.
I'm done.
Bennett:
I've got two guys on the line right now that both want a shot
at BJ Penn. How about that Trigg?
Trigg:
Yeah, how about that? It was really hard to arrange. All you
had to do is close your eyes and put your finger in the phone
book and not hit Hawaii and you'd be fine.
Bennett:
(Laughs)
Jens:
I ain't asking for a shot at BJ Penn. I ain't ducking him and
that's all I'm saying. I've got my career. I've got things to
do. You know what I'm saying? I need to gain weight. I tried
to shoot the lights out with Gomi. I got shocked. It happens,
so I've got to get heavier for one, my punches are more effective,
and two, the heavier punches aren't as, you know, I need to learn
to drill them a little better. I've got things to do right now
too right now. I've still got the Pride lightweight Grand Prix.
If he really wanted to get conquering everything, come enter
the tournament....
Trigg:
BJ is running around like Napoleon challenging everyone... eventually
he's going to find his Waterloo.
As
mentioned before, Jens had a lot more to talk in the conversation.
To hear the interview in it's entirety, click on the radio archive
for Wednesday and while your at it, listen to the epic Trigg
vs Penn fireworks show yesterday.
Yesterday's
show Penn discussed plenty of things including....
-
If he thinks will return to the UFC
-
His breakdown of the Trigg vs Hughes fight at UFC 52
-
What the possibilities are for him to fight at the Pride Grand
Prix
-
If he will ever fight Takanori Gomi...
-
Why he was calling UFC President Dana White today
The
archive is available to MMAWeekly Premium Members 24 hours a
day, 7 days a week and while the LIVE radio show is free, the
archive is just five bucks per month and this week has been incredible.
Yves Edwards, Ivan Salaverry, Stephen Quadros, Monte Cox, Jens
Pulver, BJ Penn and more.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Nova
União ready to fight in Japan
Nova União is ready to step inside the Pro Jiu-Jitsu X's
mats, event which happens in few hours at Chigusa-ku Culture
Theater, in Nagoya, Japan. The fight show will put face to face
top Brazilian fighters facing five Japanese. Leo Santos faces
Daisuke Sugie, Eduardo Pessoa gets on Shinya Aoki. Mauricio Souza
fights Shinsuke Fukuzumi, Daelcy Junior gets on Takashi Watanabe
and Marcos Barbosa fights Mitsuyoshi Hayakawa.
COMPLETE
CARD (subject to changes):
Pro
Jiu-Jitsu X
Chigusa-ku Culture Theater, Nagoya, Japan
Saturday, March 5, 2005
-
Tatsuya Onose (PUREBRED Omiya) Vs Masakazu Imanari (Barbosa Tokyo);
-
Eduardo Pessoa (Nova União) Vs Shinya Aoki (PARAESTRA
Tokyo);
-
Mauricio Souza (Academia Bonsai) Vs Shinsuke Fukuzumi (Nagoya
BJJ);
-
Daelcy Junior (Barbosa JJ) Vs Takashi Watanabe (PARAESTRA Niigata);
-
Marcos Barbosa (Barbosa JJ) Vs Mitsuyoshi Hayakawa (TRI-FORCE);
-
Leonardo Santos (Nova União) Vs Daisuke Sugie (ALIVE).
Source:
Tatame
|
Carlos
Gracie prepares for the U.S.
Carlos Gracie Jr., the owner of Gracie Barra and the president
of the Confederation of Brazilian Jiu-jitsu, is reportedly preparing
to move to the United States. His protoge, Marcio Feitosa, is
already here and there is speculation that Carlos is making the
move in order to get the CBJJ organization firmly entrenched
in American soil. Carlos currently has a near monopoly on the
Brazilian market hosting the country's largest tournaments, the
Nationals and the Mundial's (the World's). With Jiu-jitsu quickly
becoming America's fastest growing martial art, it is easy to
see why Carlos would make this move.
Source:
Gracie Fighter
|
Randy
Couture Gives His Thoughts On His Rematch With Liddell, The Ultimate
Fighter, And His Career
by "Big Dog" Benny Henderson Jr.
Randy Couture - a born fighter who evolved into a superb wrestler
and fought his way into becoming a living legend. That would
be the simple definition of describing the man known as “The
Natural”, but there is so much more, with so much more to
come.
At
the age of ten, Randy was introduced to wrestling, and from there
his passion for the sport grew into what it is today, his career.
Honing his skills in Greco-Roman wrestling while in college,
he competed in a multitude of tournaments and earned his way
into being a three-time All-American in college, a two-time runner-up
at the NCAA National Championships, a four-time World Team member,
and a Pan America games champion, just to name a few of his accolades.
After
witnessing a good friend compete in the UFC, Couture tried his
hand in MMA and in his UFC 13 debut, he defeated two men in the
same night to win the four-man tournament. Since his first match
in the UFC in 1997, Couture has handed out losses to a list of
superstars in MMA such as Vitor Belfort, Tito Ortiz, Jeremy Horn,
and Chuck Liddell, whom he is set to face in a rematch April
16th at UFC 52 for Couture’s light heavyweight title.
Couture
has competed in Rings and Vale Tudo Japan, but it is primarily
in the Ultimate Fighting Championship where Randy has become
a four-time champion powerhouse and the warrior he is today.
Couture
is highly respected in mixed martial arts and is looked upon
as a fighting machine that is still competing with the young
guns successfully at the age forty-one. With all his accolades
Randy has an easygoing demeanor, but is easily transformed into
a gladiator of the octagon when he faces his opponents.
A
vicious athlete who is a wicked wrestler, Couture continues to
awe the fans and others with his unwillingness to stop, his uncanny
ability to win and his neverending gratitude to the fans. After
his time on Spike TV’s Ultimate Fighter, Randy is set to
make another successful showdown with Chuck Liddell in April,
and he looks to continue his reign as the light heavyweight champion
as well as the all-time octagon warrior. Randy took the time
out of his training to chat with MAX FIGHTING and give his thoughts
on his future, the rematch and the Ultimate Fighter.
Benny
Henderson Jr. - How are you preparing for your rematch with Chuck
Liddell at UFC 52 in April, and can you give us your thoughts
on the fight itself?
Randy
Couture – Well, my preparation is going very well; everything
is going great. I have developed some new skills and new techniques
that I’m anxious to try out against Chuck and I think it
will be a very exciting fight. He is going to come out throwing
hard and trying to find a way to knock me out and I think that’s
going to play right into my hands, and being more aggressive
is going to make him more vulnerable to be taken down. I’m
going to try to take him down as much as I can and put him on
the bottom and frustrate him and wear him out and score as much
as possible.
BH
- How is it working with Chuck on the Ultimate Fighter knowing
that you two already fought once and in the near future are pretty
much planning on beating the piss out of each other?
RC
- It’s not really an issue. Chuck and I love to fight and
he’s a great competitor, so you know it is an honor for
me to get in there and compete against him. He’s one of
the best guys in the business so you know it is just what we
do. We are both pretty easy to get along with, we don’t
talk a lot of trash, and we just like to fight. What better guy
to fight than Chuck?
BH
- So is there any kind of tension in the air whatsoever when
you two are around each other, honestly?
RC
- Not really at all; I don’t notice any and you know I can’t
speak for Chuck but I don’t have an issue with it at all.
I have never had that kind of problem with people or guys that
I fight; it’s not really about animosity or anything like
that. It’s just a competition and may the best man win on
fight night.
BH
- Do you feel that the reality series Ultimate Fighter can and
will bring a new fan base to the world of mixed martial arts,
and how does it feel to be a part of the series?
RC
– Well, there is no question that we are getting a lot of
mainstream notoriety and exposure through the vehicle of this
reality TV show, and I have been very pleased, first of all with
my experience during the filming of this show and working with
the guys and being at the training center and working with the
assistant coaches and learning new skills and techniques and
kind of imparting some of what I know to be a part of the fighting
to the guys in the show. I have been very pleased with the episodes
and how the show has come out of the editing process. Now I haven’t
agreed with everything they have done, but for the most part
I think they have accurately represented what took place during
the training and during the two months we spent in Vegas.
BH
- You have had some pretty monumental bouts in your time in MMA,
so out of your career which would be your top three most memorable
bouts?
RC
- That is pretty easy to pick actually, the first most memorable
bout was with Vitor Belfort the very first time back in October
of 1997 in Bay St. Louis Mississippi. Then the other two would
be Chuck Liddell the first time and Tito Ortiz. I think in all
those instances I was a huge underdog and nobody really gave
me any chance of wining those fights. Anytime that you come through
those odds and kind of prove everybody wrong that is a special
thing.
BH
- What is the hardest aspect of being a No Holds Barred fighter?
RC
- Hmm, well there are a lot of difficult things but I think the
biggest thing is the sacrifice you end up making with your family,
traveling and training and being a part of this lifestyle is
very difficult for the family and the family life. It has its
advantages too, but on the whole it is not a real normal existence.
It’s not your typical nine to five and weekends free type
of job like that, and that’s probably the hardest thing
to keep in perspective and try and get through.
BH
- I was backstage in the media room before the show at UFC 51;
you came in with your girlfriend and answered questions for this
radio show and of course they asked about your age. Your girlfriend
told me people always ask you questions about your age, so all
I want to know, do you ever get tired of people asking about
your age and usually making that a hot topic in your interviews?
RC
- (Laughs) It’s not a huge issue for me, I think that the
fact that I’m competing and beating guys in their mid to
late twenties at the age of almost being forty-two is kind of
astonishing to a lot of people, and it doesn’t surprise
me that that is a very common theme and common question that
I get asked. I have really no explanation for that other than
I work really hard at what I do and I have done a diligent job
of taking care of my body and I have been blessed with some gifts
and genetics that have allowed me to be pretty competitive at
this age and my body has held up very well. So it doesn’t
bother me that people are interested in that and that they tend
to focus on that, it is just part of the mystique that goes along
with my fight career.
BH
- Ok one question, what about your age? (Laughs) Sorry, just
kidding man.
RC
- (Laughs) That’s all right.
BH
- What is your daily workout regime?
RC
- Well it depends on the time of year I fight. Usually two to
three times a year generally when I’m peaking for a fight
- what I call the peaking phase - I like to have about ten weeks,
and during that time frame I’m working out six days a week
usually. Generally twice a day, and morning workouts tend to
be more conditioning oriented with some technique involved but
mostly circuit training or cardio vascular training. Afternoon
workouts tend to be more sparring on certain situations, sometimes
focusing on stand up fighting and kick boxing and sometimes grappling
but most of the time just mixed martial arts in general and cross
training.
BH
- To date, how would you define your career?
RC
- Obviously I have had some great fights and have been very successful.
I have been in a lot of championship fights but I think the most
notable thing has been the attitude and integrity I have tried
to bring to this sport of mixed martial arts, and if that is
what I am remembered for then I’ll be happy.
BH
- How much longer do you feel you can and will continue as a
mixed martial arts fighter?
RC
- I don’t know the answer to that, but I’m enjoying
what I do and again, my body is holding up very well, I’m
able to prepare and train the way I know I need to for these
fights, and as long as I continue I don’t see any reason
to quit fighting. I love fighting. I’m blessed with the
ability to be able to do what I love for a living, so I’ll
hang in there as long as I can.
BH
- Any advice that you would give to a young fighter?
RC
- The most important that a young fighter needs to do is find
the right atmosphere, the right gym, and the right training environment
to progress. Find people that care about you that are going to
take care of you and not put you out there too soon. Make sure
they bring you along and teach you all the pieces of the puzzle
and that can be a difficult thing to find. You are only as good
as your workout partners, so find a group of guys that you match
up well with, and just be willing to check your ego at the door,
so to speak, and take care of each other.
BH
- Any predictions for UFC 52?
RC
- I’m not real big on predictions; I know I’ll be prepared.
I’m going to go out and get into Chuck’s face and make
him work, and I feel confident that I have the skills and the
tools to win that fight, but it is still a fight. Chuck is a
very good opponent and I know he’s going to bring it too,
so it’s going to be good.
Source:
Maxfighting
|
THE
MAN WHO WILL FACE AARON RILEY
Tonight
will mark the HOOKnSHOOT and Shooto 'Invasion' of Columbus, Ohio.
MMA Action returns to the Buckeye state with a card that is to
feature a number of Ohio's best and up-and-coming fighters. However,
there is one Texan that is ready to make some noise of his own
at this event and beyond. One of tonight's featured (and highly
anticipated) match-ups will feature rising star Andrew Chappelle
meeting the always tough UFC veteran Aaron Riley. For fans that
may not know, Chappelle is a fighter that is no stranger to tough
opponents. This fighter out of Texas boasts impressive grappling
and striking skills and MMAWeekly's Tim Spagnola sat down with
'The Powerhouse' right before tonight's show to talk about his
MMA background, the match-up with Riley, and his future overall
future goals in this sport. MMAWeekly is pleased to feature Andrew
Chappelle as one of our 'Names in the Game'.
MMAWeekly:
Andrew-
thanks for taking the time to speak with MMAWeekly. Can you tell
us a bit about your fighting background?
Chappelle:
Thank
you, I am more than happy to take the time out for MMAWeekly.
My background started off with a lot of Jiu-Jitsu. I've always
loved boxing, and wrestling- even before I started training Jiu-Jitsu.
Of course I now train MMA like all professionals do. I train
a lot of Thai boxing, and I should be fighting professionally
in both Thai boxing and boxing soon.
MMAWeekly:
How
you first got involved with MMA?
Chappelle:
I
got involved with MMA thanks to my good friend Eric Williams
(Black Belt under Pedro Alberto). He asked me if I wanted to
fight in a local show almost 3 years ago, gave me a lot of advice,
and helped me train. He really opened my eyes to see that this
is a real sport with real athletes.
MMAWeekly:
And
today, who are you currently training with?
Chappelle:
I
train with Team Rangel at San Antonio Muay Thai Academy. I like
to take trips to Houston, TX. and New Orleans, LA. as well. When
I go to Houston I will try and call up my buddies Carlo Prater,
and/or Eric Williams. If I have any business, or pleasure in
New Orleans, I definitely hit up Rich Clementi, Kyle Bradley,
and the rest of Team VooDoo. Most important- my number one training
partner who will make his mark soon enough, Travis Lamb. He has
helped me more than anyone in the gym.
MMAWeekly:
Now
most might know you for you background in Muay Thai, but most
of your professional wins have come with the submission. Where
is your ground game at this point in your training?
Chappelle:
I
don't see ANYONE at my weight class messing with me on the ground!
I mean that. I have always had a strong ground game, but now
I am so much smarter and mature.
MMAWeekly"
Now
you currently hold a professional MMA record of 4-2 correct?
Chappelle:
As
a professional, Yes.
MMAWeekly:
And
you have faced tough talent in the likes of Carlo Prater and
Ronald
Jhun- who
has been your toughest fight to date? And why?
Chappelle:
Wow,
you know- those fights were both very tough. Carlo had the better
stand up, and Jiu-Jitsu, but Jhun
was so much stronger. I can't say which fight was tougher, but
I will say that if I were to have a rematch with both fighters
that Carlo would probably be more of a challenge than Jhun. I would love a rematch with both
fighters. My only real mistake was letting them go to decision.
MMAWeekly:
Now
a few weeks ago you were set to face Chatt Lavender correct?
What happened with that fight?
Chappelle:
Chatt
Lavender injured himself in his prefight warm ups. I flew all
of the way to Atlanta, and didn't even get to fight. Chatt did
tell me he was sorry he couldn't fight, and will fight me in
the near future.
MMAWeekly:
This
weekend you will be facing a tough competitor in UFC veteran
Aaron Riley, what are your overall thoughts about the upcoming
fight?
Chappelle:
You
know Aaron Riley can fight, no question about that, and I am
glad he is accepting this fight with me. I see this fight going
my way. If I play my cards right I should be too much for him
too handle. I really don't know how good he really is, but I
know where I am at- and I have the weapons to beat him.
MMAWeekly:
Care
then to make a prediction?
Chappelle:
I
am not planning to finish him in any particular way. I will try
to KO him standing and if it goes to the ground, I will go for
submission after submission.
MMAWeekly:
Any
fights planned beyond this HOOKnSHOOT event?
Chappelle:
I
am hoping to fight Chatt Lavender in April, but nothing is official.
MMAWeekly:
That
is a fight I am sure fans want to see happen. What are your goals
overall in this sport?
Chappelle:
My
overall goal is too not only become a world famous fighter, but
to be known for my skills. I am interested in fighting in the
UFC. I would like to fight in Pride as well. There are a lot
of top fighters out there I would like to fight.
MMAWeekly:
Now
fans may know you as the 'The Powerhouse'. Before I let you run-
care to share the story behind that name?
Chappelle:
I
am a former gymnast. I use to do most of my conditioning in a
gymnasium. My old trainer Jamie Miller and I were thinking about
a name to call our Team, and I had mentioned how people at the
gymnasium would call me 'The Powerhouse'. He told me someone
had said the same thing to him, so we named our Team: Team Powerhouse
and My nickname became 'The Powerhouse'.
MMAWeekly:
Makes
sense now knowing that story. Anything you would like to say
to your fans?
Chappelle:
Yes,
I would. Thank you all for supporting the Sport of MMA. Too all
of my fans; pass the word. If you don't know about Andrew Chappelle,
you are in for a surprise!
Thanks
for taking the time to speak with MMAWeekly, and best of luck
to you this Friday at HOOKnSHOOT.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Quote
of the Day
"Tenderness and kindness are not signs of weakness and despair,
but manifestations of strength and resolutions."
Kahlil Gibran, 1883-1931, Lebanese Poet, Novelist
|
So
You Think You Tough This Saturday in Kona!
The hallmark event of Kailua-Kona on the big island is back.
So You Think You Tough 7
Kona Gym, Kona, Hawaii
March 5, 2005
The main event pits two of the big islands' heaviest hitters.
Kona's Kaleo Padilla faces one of Puna's most dangerous punchers
in Kaimi Santiago. The undercard will feature boxing and mixed
martial arts matches.
Onzuka.com will be there covering all the action. If you are
on the big island and have never been to one of Sonny Westbrook's
events, you are missing out. From the raw cage to the infamous
grudge matches, there are no padding records or conservative
fighters, the competitors come to fight and lay it all out in
the cage.
|
Fighters'
Club TV Episode 29 Preview!
Episode 29 is cut and submitted to programming. It will air:
March 8 and 15
Tuesday night
8:30pm
Oceanic cable Channel 52.
This
episode was cut by Enson Inoue himself and sent to us. It's a
great highlight real of his career in Japan and a must see for
diehard Yamato Damashii fans so don't miss it.
Comments,
questions, suggestions?
Email
us @: fightersclubtv808@hotmail.com
|
BANG
MOVES UP TO 170 TO FIGHT IN MMA
Duane "Bang" Ludwig hasn't fought in MMA since his
loss to BJ
Penn on
K-1's Romanex card. He's ready to fight again soon, not only
in MMA, but moving up a weight class as well in MMA.
Ludwig
is our featured interview where he talks Bas Rutten, how many
MMA fights he will have this year, and training with Team Quest.
Bang sits down with our Ryan Bennett, in our Interview of the
Week,
MMAWeekly
- It's been awhile since we've seen you fight MMA. I hear you
are about to make your MMA return. Can you tell us about that
and also about how many MMA fights you will compete in this year?
BANG
- MMA is all I want to do from now on. I plan on fighting at
least 3 times this year. My first fight will be in the Ring of
Fire April 9th but the opponent is up in the air as Manny Reyes
would not take the fight. Jakuro Nakio has been mentioned but
nothing set. After that fight if I win, I plan on doing another
fight somewhere and then hit the UFC by the end of the year.
MMAWeekly
- I know you will still stay active in K-1. Rumor has it you
may be participating in a K-1 video game?
BANG-
Actually, with my weight moving up, I will no longer fight K-1
rules but maybe in their MMA division. K-1 has 154lbs and 200
plus so fighting at 170 is not an option unless it's MMA. I'm
excited about the K-1 MAX video game, K-1 has always been my
main dream but it never came true so being on their video game
is really cool man. I get to play with myself and it's OK. They're
even paying me a little for the game. Now I get to fight Masato
again, JWP, Kraus and Genki, I may even get the K-1 MAX TITLE
FINALLY. YA BABY, I'M GETTING REALLY EXCITED MAN.
MMAWeekly
- What is the deal with you and s#&# talker extraordinaire,
Manny Reyes. We saw Hermes Franca take him out in a big way,
and it seems like he's been talking smack about you as well.
What gives?
BANG
- He says that he wants to be the most hated guy in MMA and so
far, he has it but that's something I wouldn't want. He talked
all this crap about me, Yves, Jens and the whole lightweight
division. I'm glad that Hermes KO'd him, that was so funny man.
THANKS HERMES. I'm making my MMA return so I really wanted to
kick the shit out of him so my manager Sven BOOGIE Bean got it
set up for Manny and I to fight in the AFC but Manny turned it
down. Looks like he wasn't serious about the fight. He said that
the AFC was too small of a show so we set it up for the Ring
of Fire and he turns that down too. Making excuses like crazy.
Shows his true colors huh? Seems a little to me.
MMAWeekly
- I heard some talk you may be working with Mayhem Miller for
his upcoming UFC bout. How do you two know each other and what
will you be doing to help him out?
BANG
- If it works out, I will go to Vegas to help him with is Cardio
and stand up, those are my 2 qualities so that's what I can offer.
It got hooked up through KTFO.TV Craig and also my buddy Eric
from NHBFIGHTS.COM.. St. Pierre is a really good fighter so it
will be big test for Jason, but we all know that Jason will scrap
so there are no worries there.
MMAWeekly
- Speaking of the UFC, it sounds like you are moving up in weight
to 170 from 155. Why are you moving up and how will that affect
your power?
BANG
- I'm moving up because I'm just getting bigger and bigger man.
It's been hard as hell to make 155 for the last year or so, really
hard. I'm walking around at 183 now man. When I landed in Japan
for the 2004 K-1 MAX Qualifier against JWP I was 176 man, I cut
18lbs in 2 days but I was still 4lbs heavy and could not make
the weight so they had me wear these big gloves that looked like
I was fighting at the county fair. It was a joke man. It was
all my fault though, I didn't make the weight and that is what
happens.
It
was weird though; I would get hit and go down and be back up
in less then 2 seconds. I could not take a hit from cutting the
weight at all. I can take some good shots in the gym but when
I would cut that much weight, I couldn't handle it. Now things
are good though, I can eat pizza for dinner if I want and it's
cool. I'm so much more happy. Training is fun again and I'm back
to having that natural raw energy in training. When I was making
155, I was always cranky and hated training, it was like a job
I hated and you have to love fighting or it's not worth it. My
power is way stronger, my right hand is like taking a round kick
on the Thai pads according to my pad holders, I don't throw with
full power in sparring, just on the pads.
MMAWeekly
- Mick Hammond did an article where he said you will be up with
Team Quest training with Couture and Lindland. Talk about why
you are heading up to Oregon?
BANG-
The thing is we all know that Randy is the man, Matt Lindland
is a stud and my wife just grabbed my belly from behind me and
said I had a fat gut. Sorry, it just happened and it was funny.
Team Quest is the best place for a fighter of my style to go,
if I can stay off the ground and let my strikes fly, I'm happy.
Plus, Bas will be there for a while so it's going to be the best
of both worlds for me, BAS'S STAND UP AND TEAM QUEST'S WRESTLING=ONE
BIG BANG!
MMAWeekly
- A guy that has always been in your corner is the great Bas
Rutten. Talk about your relationship. How did you get to know
Bas and obviously you guys are close because I always see him
in your corner....
BANG
- When I first met Bas was at the first ever K-1 in Las Vegas,
he was with Peter Aerts and of course I knew them but I was still
an amateur Thai boxer at the time so they did not know me at
all. It was just the 3 of us and I really wanted to get a pic
with them. I grabbed someone in the hall to take a pic of Bas
and I then the person leaves but I still wanted to get a photo
with Peter Aerts and there was no one around so Bas just grabs
my camera and takes the photo for me. I was like damn man, that
is so cool of you. Bas was really a cool guy. Everyone that knows
Bas, knows that he is just 100% genuine. Everyone loves the guy.
I met some other fighters there that were not as happy to take
photos with me but Bas was just as happy as I was. It blew me
away. Then a local promoter used Bas's name for his shows out
here and would fly Bas out to be here for them. The Bas Rutten
Invitationals. Once Bas realized the benefit of altitude training,
he came here to train for his fight with Randleman and I helped
him everyday I could until I was kicked in the groin without
a cup during sparring and had to get surgery so I could no longer
help him train. It wasn't Bas who kicked me though. From there
I would train with Bas as much as I could, our styles were similar
and we are a lot a like. Bas has always helped me in anyway he
could, he must have saw something in me. I go to Bas for advice
in a lot of situations, I look up to Bas a lot, I love his energy
and his openness to help others. I'm not too sure how you would
label our relationship but I wouldn't be too happy if someone
was messing with Bas.
MMAWeekly
- Anything else before I let you go...
BANG
- That should be it, I'm just excited to train at Team Quest
and make my MMA return.
MMAWeekly
- Bang always look forward to speaking with you and can't wait
to see you fight, especially in MMA.
BANG
- Thanks Ryan, I have to thank a few sponsors, KTFO.TV, there
making it possible for me to train at Team Quest, GLCDIRECT.COM
for keeping me healthy, Real Fight Gear for hooking me up with
pads and gear and MMAWEEKLY for the time. I'd also like to thank
Team Quest for letting me train with them and you can see what
training is like at Team Quest by reading my daily training log
on DUANEBANGLUDWIG.COM THANK YOU TO THE FANS, THERE WILL BE A
BETTER DUANE BANG COMING THIS YEAR. I WILL NOT BE KNOWN AS JUST
A STRIKER, THERE WILL BE CHANGES.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
BAS
ON KING OF QUEENS!
by Ivan Trembow
Former UFC Heavyweight Champion and current Pride color commentator
Bas Rutten had a guest role on the March 2nd episode of the long-running
CBS comedy, King of Queens. Rutten played the role of a bouncer
in a scene where Doug and Carrie (played by Kevin James and Leah
Remini) were trying to get into an exclusive nightclub. Doug
tried to make friends with Rutten and went to put his hand on
his shoulder, causing Rutten to firmly say, "Don't touch!"
with his Dutch accent. A few seconds later, Rutten let Doug's
wife into the club, but not Doug. Doug went to tap Rutten on
the shoulder from behind, causing Rutten to spin around, put
Doug in a choke-hold, and repeat, "Don't touch!" in
the same Dutch accent.
I
assumed that would be all we would see of Bas Rutten on the show,
but he also appeared in the final scene. The Doug character played
by Kevin James works for a fictional mail delivery company, and
he knocked on an apartment door. Bas Rutten answered from the
other side of a chain lock, so they could see each other but
the door still wasn't open. Rutten said that the package was
for his roommate who wasn't home right now, but he would take
the package. Doug recalled that he was the bouncer who didn't
let him into the club the other night, and then said he would
need the roommate's signature for the package, and then hilariously
said, "Don't touch!" several times in a parody of Rutten's
accent. At this point, Rutten ripped the chain and opened the
door, causing Doug to scream in a girl's voice and run frantically,
and in the process of doing so he dropped the package.
Kevin
James is a big supporter of MMA in general, and a couple of weeks
ago on King of Queens, James' character was wearing a UFC t-shirt
that prominently displayed the letters "UFC" on primetime
network television. Bas Rutten does training sessions with many
celebrities, with two of them being Kevin James and Will Smith.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
***For
Immediate Release***
For More Information and Fighter Interviews, Contact Mike Afromowitz,
(917) 566-8754 or mike@k-1usa.net
Williams
Gearing Up For K-1 Superfight With Aerts
Former
K-1 USA tournament champion Carter Williams (20-6-1 (15 KO's)
will kick off his fourth year in the professional fight game
in dramatic fashion when he faces all-time great Peter Aerts
(78-23-1 (57 KO's), in a three-round Superfight during K-1's
"World Grand Prix Seoul" mega-card on Sunday, March
20th. The event will air live on Pay-Per-View television from
Seoul, Korea's 20,000-crowd capacity Olympic Stadium.
"I'm
ready to go," said the 24-year-old Williams, whose last
appearance came on November 20th in Honolulu, Hawaii where he
laid to rest fellow American contender, Tom "Green Beret"
Howard, with an onslaught of punches during the first round of
their meeting. The young gun's latest challenge finds him eager
to get back to business. "I think it's a nice, high-caliber
matchup between Peter and myself. Once again, here I am fighting
a more experienced K-1 fighter. But, like I've said before, I
think its time for the up and coming dog to come up."
In
May 2003, Williams put his name on the map by capturing the K-1
USA tournament title as an 18 to 1 underdog. The event in Las
Vegas, Nevada saw him defeat three straight adversaries, including
defending champion Michael McDonald and six-time world kickboxing
champion, Rick "The Jet" Roufus. Williams's impressive
first round stoppage of Roufus during the final matchup of the
tournament confirmed that the world of martial arts fighting
had a new superstar on its hands.
Universally
recognized as a living legend, the 34-year-old Aerts is one of
only two fighters in history who has been crowned a champion
of K-1's annual "World Grand Prix Finals" tournament
three times. From the old elite to the standout talent of today,
the 6 foot 4 inch, 230-pound Dutchman has met and defeated nearly
every K-1 rival of any consequence.
Williams
is one of two Americans who were selected to take part in the
second-ever K-1 event in Korea. The other, former world heavyweight
boxing champion, "Merciless" Ray Mercer (33-5-1 (25
KO's), will square off with reigning K-1 king, Remy Bonjasky
(48-10 (29 KO's), in a three-round Superfight.
The
live broadcast of "World Grand Prix Seoul" will begin
at 9 PM Eastern Standard Time (6 PM Pacific Standard Time) and
will be available on iNDemand, DirecTV, and TVN.
K-1 is a martial arts fighting sport that derives its name from
its inclusion of a wide array of combat disciplines, including
Karate, Kung-Fu, and Kickboxing ("K"), and its intent
to determine one champion in one ring ("1"). After
being staged for the first time in Japan in 1993 under the direction
of founder Master Kazuyoshi Ishii, it later evolved into the
country's most popular sport and achieved popular culture status
there as its athletes turned into larger-than-life celebrities.
Source: Mike Afromowitz
|
Remy
Bonjasky: The Flying Gentleman
by "Big Dog" Benny Henderson Jr.
Remy
Bonjasky, the fast paced heavyweight known to the K-1 world as
“The Flying Gentleman”, secured his place at the top
of K-1’s elite last December when he became the two-time
World Grand Prix champion, defeating his opposition for the night,
ending with a decision win over Musashi to continue his reign.
Bonjasky defeated Musashi in the last K-1 World GP Championship
finals to gain the title and with this win remains superior over
his competition.
Born
in the Netherlands, Remy was engulfed in soccer as a boy, but
after being sidelined due to injuries he was introduced to kickboxing
and his life in the sport exploded from there. Working a full
time job, Remy didn’t have much time to train, so when he
was twenty-five years old he was forced to make a difficult decision
- dedicate his life to the sport he loves or continue to be a
full time employee. Well, we all know the outcome. He chased
his dream and in December of 2003 Remy entered the K-1 tournament
and finished up as the victor.
Throughout
his sensational career Bonjasky has had victories over such names
as Ray Sefo, Francois Botha, and Bob Sapp. And he still continues
his claim to the top with his slick style and flexibility in
the ring. The 6’4” 29-year-old champion has his sights
set on the future and more titles, and with his hard work, dedication,
and ability to win, he should have no problem doing so. The reigning
K-1 champ took the time out to talk to MAX about his back-to-back
wins at the World K-1 GP Championship as well as his future in
the sport
Benny
Henderson Jr. - First I would just like to congratulate you on
your second World GP championship. Can you give us your thoughts
on this year’s tournament?
Remy Bonjasky - This year’s tournament was very tough, but
I’m very happy to be the champ again. I’m looking forward
to the ’05 finals. I’m going to try to keep my belt.
BH
- You now have two K-1 World GP Championships back to back; how
does it feel to fulfill your dream of being the best K-1 fighter
in the world, and do you consider yourself to be so?
RB - Of course I think I’m the best fighter this moment,
but every year you have to keep up the mental and physical strength
to stay the best.
BH
- You have battled it out with some heavy hitters in your career
like Sapp, Botha, and McDonald. Who would you say has been the
hardest hitter you have ever faced?
RB - Botha of course, he is definitely the hardest hitter; I
can still feel his punches!!
BH
- You faced Musashi and defeated him in both final GP bouts to
become the Champion. What were the differences in the two matches
you and he had?
RB - Musashi has been training with the former heavyweight champion,
Franky, and I can really see the improvement. If he will keep
on doing like this, maybe he can be a real problem for me in
the future.
BH
- What do you feel your best quality is as a fighter?
RB - My flexibility and speed as a heavyweight.
BH
- What inspired you to want to compete in the K-1 tournaments?
RB - The K-1 images I saw when I was younger. I thought, this
is it, this is what I want.
BH
- Is there any particular fighter you would like to face in the
ring, and why?
RB - I would like to face Mike Tyson, although he is one of my
favorite fighters in the world, I would still like to beat him
because it will be another crown on my career.
BH
- What has been your toughest K-1 bout to date?
RB - Francois Botha.
BH
- What would you like to accomplish in the future, and is there
anything you would like to add in closing?
RB - I want to end up in Hollywood, making a movie, and I want
five K-1 titles in my name, but without the support of my wife
and son, I will never be able to accomplish my dreams. So I hope
they will stand by me through thick and thin. They are everything
to me.
Record:
58 fights 48 Wins 10 Losses 29 KOs
Titles: W.P.K.A. World Super Heavyweight Champion
2003 K-1 World K-1 GP Champion
2004 K-1 World K-1 GP Champion
Source:
Maxfighting
|
Quote
of the Day
"I don't measure a man's success by how high he climbs but
how high he bounces when he hits bottom."
Gen. George Patton, 1885-1945, American Army General during World
War II
|
BJ
Penn in a Heavyweight challenge
The weight difference is really big (98kg against 77kg), but
BJ Penn is being scheduled to face Heavyweight Lyoto Machida
on March 26th K-1 Romanex. In an interview to our partners from
MMAWeekly.com, BJ remembered he would have, literally, a big
challenge on next K-1. "This will be really a big challenge.
There's some bad blood between two of us and this will be a good
fight", stated the former UFC's Welterweight champ.
Source:
Tatame
|
MMAWEEKLY
EXCLUSIVE!!
BJ PENN FIGHTS A HEAVYWEIGHT!
In another MMAWeekly.com exclusive, MMAWeekly has learned that
BJ Penn will fight again very soon . He's scheduled to be on
the K-1 Romanex card that has been scheduled for March 26th in
Japan.
BJ
Penn told MMAWeekly in an exclusive that, "I'm looking forward
to my next challenge and this will be a big challenge literally"
Penn told MMAWeekly.com.
How
big? Try 220 pound Ryoto Machida. If the name sounds familiar
it should. Machida is the one who won by TKO over Rich Franklin,
giving Franklin his only loss in his professional career.
"There's
some bad blood between the two of us, so this will be good to
fight him" Penn told MMAWeekly.
What
is the bad blood about? Penn will talk more about the story tomorrow
on MMAWeekly Radio at 9am Pacific/12 Noon Eastern.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
2005
Hawaiian Championships of BJJ Results
Team Points
Team:
Relson
Gracie
Gracie Kailua
Brazilian Freestyle Jiu Jitsu
Longman Jiu Jitsu
Baret Submission Grappling
Team MMAD
Grappling Unlimited
Nova Uniao
North Shore Jiu Jitsu
Bullspen
Kamehameha Judo Club
Koa's Gym
U.S. Army |
Points
49
27
12
8
8
6
4
4
3
3
3
1
1 |
Purple/Brown/Black Belt
Open
Division:
1) Ron Shiraki
Relson Gracie Kaneohe
2) Baret Yoshida
Baret Submission Grappling
Kids
No Gi Division
9 - 11 year olds:
1) Sage Yoshida
Brazilian Freestyle Jiu Jitsu / HMC
2) Noah Hashimoto
Relson Gracie Kaneohe
Kids
Gi Division
8 year olds - Beginner:
1) Makoa Gaughan
Relson Gracie Kaneohe
2) Paliku Victorino
Relson Gracie
8
year olds - Intermediate:
1) Rocky Mori
Kamehameha Judo Club
2) Paliku Victorino
Relson Gracie
9
- 11 year olds:
1) Bryan Peralta
Relson Gracie Kaneohe
2) Noah Hashimoto
Relson Gracie Kaneohe
12
- 14 year olds:
1) Keola Knight
Gracie Kailua
2) Kekoa Biroan
Koa's Gym
15
- 17 year olds:
1) Ryan Fukuda
Relson Gracie Casca Grossa
2) Justin Wong
HMC / Nova Uniao
Middleweight
Yellow Belt:
1) Michael Bright
Relson Gracie Kaneohe
2) Travis Onzuka
Relson Gracie Casca Grossa
Mens
White Belt
Super
Featherweight:
1) Keiichi Matsumoto
Relson Gracie Team HK
2) Nathaniel Saho
Relson Gracie
Featherweight:
1) Greg Davis
Gracie Kailua
2) Greg Yamasaki
Brazilian Freestyle Jiu Jitsu
Lightweight:
1) Lyle Koleso
Gracie Kailua
2) Fabio Roman
Brazilian Freestyle Jiu Jitsu
Middleweight:
1) Ramon Franco
Gracie Kailua
2) Keith Inouye
Brazilian Freestyle Jiu Jitsu
Light
Heavyweight:
1) Anthony Lynch
Gracie Kailua
2) Luis Feliciano
Relson Gracie Casca Grossa
Heavyweight:
1) Imiola Lindsey
Relson Gracie
2) Frank Prinea
Relson Gracie Casca Grossa |
Mens
Blue Belt
Featherweight:
1) Kirk Wah Yick
Nova Uniao / BJ Penn
2) Noa Moke
Longman
Lightweight:
1) Luke Hacker
Longman
2) Steven Ariel
Relson Gracie
Middleweight:
1) Daniel Espinoza
Gracie Kailua
2) Ahmed Diallo
Brazilian Freestyle Jiu Jitsu
Light
Heavyweight:
1) Henry Stasiukiewicz
North Shore Jiu Jitsu
2) Dan Pandaru
Brazilian Freestyle Jiu Jitsu
Heavyweight:
1) Kyle Enovijas
Relson Gracie
2) John Creedon
Gracie Kailua
Freeweight
215+:
1) Patrick Kaawaloa
Gracie Kailua
2) Raymond Seraile
Grappling Unlimited
|
Mens
No Gi Novice
Super
Featherweight:
1) Keiichi Matsumoto
Relson Gracie Team HK
2) Ross Hirahara
Baret Submission Grappling
Featherweight:
1) Jake Scoval
Longman
2) Greg Davis
Gracie Kailua
Lightweight:
1) Makoa Hanaike
Team MMAD
2) Steffen Dilullo
Gracie Kailua
Middleweight:
1) Adam Ah Sue
2) Ramon Franco
Gracie Kailua
Light
Heavyweight:
1) Kaipo Miller
Team MMAD
2) Anthony Lynch
Gracie Kailua
Heavyweight:
1) Imiola Lindsey
Relson Gracie
2) Kyle Enovijas
Relson Gracie
Freeweight
215+:
1) Matt Mazany
Relson Gracie Team HK
2) Jason Norris
U.S. Army
Mens No Gi Advanced
Featherweight:
1) Scott Miyamoto
Baret Submission Grappling
2) Luke Hacker
Longman
Lightweight:
1) Mike Pedro
Brazilian Freestyle Jiu Jitsu
2) John Simpson
Relson Gracie
Middleweight:
1) Baret Yoshida
Baret Submission Grappling
2) Alessandro Glorioso
Relson Gracie
Light
Heavyweight:
1) Steven Byrnes
Bullspen
2) Ermin Fergerstrom
Brazilian Freestyle Jiu Jitsu
Super
Heavyweight:
1) David Chew
Relson Gracie
2) Dexter Kauahi
Relson Gracie Casca Grossa
Freeweight
215+:
1) Raymond Seraile
Grappling Unlimited
2) Patrick Kawaaloa
Gracie Kailua
|
Source: Event Promoter
|
Ricco’s
Return
by Derek Callahan
Ricco Rodriguez
has a new career waiting for him in the ring. After three straight
losses, Rodriguez picked up a win in Mexico and is now awaiting
an opportunity to take a meaningful fight. As a former King of
the Cage, and UFC heavyweight champ, Rodriguez really has nothing
else to prove, except that he can come out of a skid unaffected,
and get back to winning fights.
BoxingInsider.com:
It’s still relatively fresh in your mind, what did you think
of the Tito/Vitor fight?
Ricco
Rodriguez: I think it was one of the best fights Tito ever fought,
and it’s one that Tito can actually look back at and say,
‘that was great fight.’ I think Vitor had a great fight
himself, it was great judging by the judges, I think it really
was a split decision, I think it was awesome. Showed a lot of
heart from both fighters, they both have nothing to be ashamed
of.
BoxingInsider.com:
What, in your mind, won that fight for Tito?
Ricco
Rodriguez: Tito definitely won the fight, they just gave a round
to Vitor. It could go a couple of ways. Tito was definitely in
shape, conditioned. He was definitely aggressive, constantly
on Vitor. Even when he was injured he was still scrambling and
hustling. That shows great athletic skills from Tito. On the
other hand, Vitor did do a lot of damage. Broke Tito’s nose,
he was constantly in Tito’s face, backing Tito up. There
were some good points, but at the end of the round, Tito caused
more damage every single round. On all three rounds, Tito always
had Vitor on his back, causing damage. The bottom line is, he
was always adding pressure, constantly on him. That to me, made
it decisively perfect.
BoxingInsider.com:
What was different about Tito in this fight than in, say, the
Liddell fight?
Ricco
Rodriguez: Listen, the reality of it was I didn’t train
with Tito for the Chuck fight, I wasn’t there in front of
Tito’s face screaming at him. Granted we trained together,
but you’re partners. I’m realizing as I get older,
this is a one-on-one sport, but you need good training partners
and good people. I really think if anything, thanks should go
to his training partners because those guys really put a lot
of pressure on him, and Tito did good. He really pulled that
camp together in three weeks to be honest. He probably trained
on his own, but I saw him train for only three weeks. If you
want to talk about the Chuck fight, it’s just one of those
things where I don’t think he was physically and mentally
prepared, and that can go to any fighter. You could have the
best training method of all time, three months in Big Bear, whatever.
If you’re mentally not prepared, you’re mentally not
prepared, that goes to any fighter.
BoxingInsider.com:
How was it holding the camp with Tito for the Vitor bout?
Ricco
Rodriguez: Everything was great, I was the verbal coach inside
the octagon just because we’ve had so many years together
and we know exactly what to say to each other when we’re
inside the octagon. I got injured during the training camp so
I didn’t get to finish out. I was there for the first two
weeks. His intensity was there, there was a lot of pressure for
Tito. It was the last fight on his contract, he wanted to show
the fans and Zuffa that he’s still the fighter he is, and
I think that was an awesome fight. That was truly a great fight,
one that I wouldn’t mind watching again. I wouldn’t
mind watching Chuck and Tito again.
BoxingInsider.com:
What were some key things that you saw Tito do against Vitor?
Ricco
Rodriguez: If you really look for key things, we worked in camp
on closing the gap, not letting Vitor punch. Every time we back
Vitor up we were winning the fight no problem,. Every time Tito
got backed up, he was losing the fight,. If you really want to
know what won the fight, [it was] scrambles. People don’t
understand how much energy and time consuming the scrambles take
out of you. That’s wrestling with MMA. Every time he got
u[ he went straight at Vitor.
BoxingInsider.com:
Tito and Ken Shamrock have kept up their noise.
Ricco
Rodriguez: This is the fight that fans ant to see more than anything.
I think Tito is a marketable guy, he can fight anybody he wants
to fight. The reality of it is, it’s gonna be a good showing
every time Tito fights.
BoxingInsider.com:
Would you work on the same gameplan as for the last fight?
Ricco
Rodriguez: That all depends on whether its signed or not, I’m
not gonna go into what’s gonna happen because nothing’s
signed. We could talk about dream fights all day long until the
contracts are signed and people are stepping into the ring.
BoxingInsider.com:
Do you think this is a fight Tito would really want since he’s
already got a win?
Ricco
Rodriguez: Oh definitely, it’s got great marketing and it’s
a good payday, why not get paid for it again?
BoxingInsider.com:
Switching gears, how are you feeling on your own comeback trail?
Ricco
Rodriguez: I really have no interest right now because there’s
nothing signed for me. I think I’m worth a certain amount
of money and I know how hard it takes me to train for something
like this. If I want to do something, great. I had to take a
fight for myself in Mexico because I had three losses. That was
just horrible, I couldn’t live with that so I went and fought
a small show in Mexico, they paid me decent, what I thought was
worth it, and just got a W on my record. Whatever’s gonna
happen, happens. I want to fight in Pride, K-1 or UFC but there’s
bad blood between me and the companies, we’re at a standstill.
There’s nothing I can do but sit back on the sidelines and
watch people I beat become champions.
BoxingInsider.com:
How does that make you feel being pushed to the side?
Ricco
Rodriguez: I have no one to blame but myself, and just live with
my actions. I would love to step up and fight, I know what I’m
capable of doing, I believe the fans know what I’m capable
of doing. It’s all a matter of what I decide I want to do.
BoxingInsider.com:
I can guess after the Nogueira fight why you don’t want
to go back to Pride, but why not the UFC?
Ricco
Rodriguez: I don’t think there’s any bad blood, I think
it comes down to money negotiations. I know what I’m capable
of and what I should get paid. I won’t fight for anything
less than what I think I’m worth. I think the sport is growing,
they’re making money and if other fighters want to fight
for $500 to show and $500 to win, or $3000 to show and $3000
to win, well that doesn’t cover my training expenses. My
coaches, trainers, sparring partners. Tito spends about 25, 30
thousand dollars for camp and that’s why he’s the best.
You’ve got to spend money to make money. I’ll help
all my friends out—any fighters that want to become a champion,
I’ll help them out. I know a formula and it works. If I
were the guys that were champions, like Paul Buentello and Andrei
Arlovski, I’d be calling me up. ‘Hey, how about squashing
that loss?’
BoxingInsider.com:
Did the fight in Mexico wet your appetite at all to compete more?
Ricco
Rodriguez: Oh it did, it’s something I really, really want
to pursue. I want to be back on top, I have to train, get myself
together, focus. Once I do all that I’ll be on track, I’m
just waiting for a window of opportunity to open for me. Once
it does, I’ll be in the spotlight once again, They can’t
hold me down forever. Give me one shot at one person and I’ll
guarantee I’ll be back in the mix. Who do I have to beat?
Tim Sylvia, Arlovski? I beat Arlovski. I’ve got to beat
Mir? No problem I’ll fight Mir. Mike Kyle? No problem. Who
really is in the UFC top 5 heavyweights. You’ve got Mir,
Arlovski, Sylvia, Pedro’s out he went to another company.
Mike Kyle and then you’ve got Paul Buentello now. You’ve
got 5 guys that really are not even in the top5. I’m just
sitting here. Give me a time and a date and I’m ready to
go to work.
BoxingInsider.com:
You seem like you’re waiting for a big pay day, but off
of three losses and a small win, do you feel you need to work
your way back up?
Ricco
Rodriguez: I’m sure I have to work my way up. To me, working
my way up means taking a pay cut. I’ll take a pay cut compared
to what I used to make, no problem. It can happen to anybody,
I just think I know what I’m worth and if not, go build
someone else up. For a lot cheaper than me I guess, but everybody
wants to see me fight—you called me right? You want to know
what’s going on in my life. I’m telling you, nothing.
Just training my friends and kicking back. I got tons of time
but right now I’m in my prime, I should be fighting at least
3 or 4 times a year. I’m working something with K-1 right
now, possibly doing Abu-Dhabi. Just see what’s going on.
This is stuff I already completed in my life, I want to move
to a next chapter. I’d like to hold another title, maybe
retire as champion and move on to something else. Connections
in the movies, something like that. Just having fun, chilling
in Vegas.
BoxingInsider.com:
From the Tim Sylvia fight to the Pedro Rizzo fight, what changed
in your...? What brought you to that point?
Ricco
Rodriguez: I had a really poor relationship in my life. Because
of my choices and my behavior, my feelings basically went down
to shit, Once I won the title from Couture, I completed a goal
that I had tacked in my head. When you say you’re gonna
do something and you do it, you’re left with somewhat of
an emptiness because you have no new goals. My goal was to always
be champ and blah, blah, blah but I didn’t foresee that
happening. I completed a task, and ‘okay now what.’
I wasn’t really into the Sylvia fight. I was physically
prepared I wasn’t mentally prepared. With the Pedro fight,
I was in physical shape. I weighed in about 245, I was running
4 miles a day, I was physically there. It just wasn’t there
for me, Nogueira, that was a fluke. I trained for two weeks and
I still went out and kicked ass, just got a bad call. I really
do not count that one as a loss. I’m willing to have a rematch
with Sylvia, Rizzo, and just clean it up. Those opportunities
are far in between.
BoxingInsider.com:
So what do you do now?
Ricco
Rodriguez: I would love to be back in the mix of MMA. I’m
very grateful to the UFC, I’m very grateful to Pride, two
organizations that took care of me at points of my career. Maybe
time will heal it and I’ll be ready to rock and roll. I’m
here, I’m just waiting to go.
BoxingInsider.com:
Ken Shamrock and Rich Franklin are supposed to fight. What are
your thoughts on that one?
Ricco
Rodriguez: I think this is a very underestimated fight. Every
time I think Kenny is old he always comes back and does something
surprising. Rich Franklin is a new, young buck coming up. I think
he’s paid his dues and people don’t really give him
the respect that he deserves because the reality of it is, he’s
a stud. At the same time, he’s fighting a veteran. He’s
a 185-pounder coming up to 205, we’re gonna see how that
plays. Ken walks around at about 215. 10 pounds for Kenny isn’t
too bad. Great fight. I’d rather see Tito and Ken, but Franklin
can do something.
Source:
Boxing Insider
|
BENNETT
BREAKDOWN:
UFC 52 PRELIMS, LEBEN ON TUF,
UFC 52 TICKET SALES
Alright people plenty to talk about after I made it back from
Japan and K-1. I've had 8 billion emails over the past two weeks,
and 7.9 deal with the same four questions...without further ado,
here you go.
Do
you believe it's Chris Leben coming back next week on the Ultimate
Fighter?
I
think so. I've heard all the rumors about why he's coming back.
Some people believe in theory that Bobby Southworth next week
will ask for a "third" round vs Stephan Bonner and
Randy Couture is rumored to say then bring Leben back and we
will give you a third round.
Then
I've heard other people on forums saying they are bringing Leben
back for ratings. While that's a nice thought, how can they bring
a guy back for ratings, when this show was taped months ago and
they had no prior knowledge that Leben would even be a ratings
getter? The show is taped. If it really is Leben, then he was
brought back months ago with no knowledge of current ratings.
Dana White could have a crystal ball, but I haven't talked to
him lately to find out.
Finally
I know some of you have plenty of time on your hands. If you
want to be Inspector Gadget watch the previous six episodes and
see who has those gray van shoes that the guy returning has.
(For the record my wife believes those are Alex Karalexis's shoes)
Why
isn't the Ultimate Fighter's finale on Spike TV in a bigger arena?
I heard Cox Pavilion has only 3,000 seats?
Not
only that, but it will more likely be around 2,500 seats because
of stage, TV, etc. Bottom line, I don't think the UFC originally
planned on having Ken Shamrock on the card. Couple that with
the fact that from what I've heard, there was NO WHERE to get
an arena in Las Vegas for April 9th. Most big arenas already
have concerts, shows or fights planned ahead of time for that
arena, so Cox Pavilion was a quick way to get an arena this late
of notice.
Which
fights do you believe will be the prelims for UFC 52?
Good
question. I believe these three fights have to be the prelims.
-Matt
Lindland vs. Travis Lutter - This sucks for both guys, because
they are great, but unfortunately for Lutter, while you and I
know him, no one outside of Marvin Eastman in the general public
knows who this guy is, thus both Lutter and Lindland are screwed.
By the way, I hear that if Lindland wins this match he is fighting
for the title against Tanner next.
-Georges
St. Pierre vs. Jason Miller - The description above is basically
the same description for this one. Miller is a very talented
fighter and I think he will give St. Pierre some problems in
this fight.
-Mike
Van Arsdale vs. John Marsh - If Mike Kyle and James Irvin were
on the prelim card, then I believe these two fighters will be.
Usually the UFC likes to showcase the heavyweights, but there
are too many "what if" questions for this fight in
my opinion. The other fights are safer picks.
WILL
UFC 52 BE THE BIGGEST GATE IN UFC HISTORY?
I
hate to sound like an optimist, but yes, this UFC in my opinion
will be the biggest show in the history of the UFC. Why am I
so confident? Look at the early numbers folks.
This
UFC has already sold 7,000 tickets and that was on February 28th.
The show isn't until April 16th. The previous record was Tito
Ortiz vs Ken Shamrock at UFC 40 where the biggest gate ever was
14,400.
The
MGM is slotting 15,000 seats for this show, which if it hits,
will be the biggest live gate in the history of MMA in North
America. Folks, it's time to get on the train, MMA is officially
blowing up in the United States. I will have more next week...
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Exciting
Action from Japan
Just over a week away, another great line-up of exciting Shooto
action is set to take place at the Kourakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan.
For
the 4th consecutive year, the Japan Shooto Association unveils
its annual Rookie tournament. This system is designed to develop
the talent and name-recognition of the next "big thing"
in the Shooto circuit. The current Shooto Welterweight World
Champion (regarded as the BEST 154 lbs fighter in the world)
came up through the Rookie tournament format back in 2002, as
did other Shooto stand outs like Kuniyoshi Hironaka (who defeated
the very talented Nick Diaz) and Hiroyuki Takaya (top contender
for the Shooto Lightweight World Title). This proves that the
Rookie tournament format helps bring the cream to the top.
Another
former rookie tournament champion, Hideki Kadowaki, is on the
card as well... He is facing a Class-B opponent in Akitoshi Tamura,
who himself is looking to make a name for himself. Kadowaki has
been hot and cold lately, winning some, but losing out in the
big fights. This is a make or break time for him while Tamura
can potentially catapult into the upper echelon of the Shooto
network with a win over a respected name.
In
Class-A action, striking sensation ‘Lion’ Takeshi will
bring his formidable skills up against savvy veteran Jin Kazeta.
Kazeta has faced the best in the business such as Shooto standout
Naoya Uematsu, so he will serve as a solid litmus test for the
undefeated up-and-comer in Takeshi.
With
all of that exciting action on the undercard, it is a surprise
that the main-events promises to be greater still... Shooto superstar
and snap submission specialist Rumina Sato is making his bid
for a Shooto title one again. He has faced the likes of Kaoru
Uno and Takanori Gomi for the Shooto 154 lbs title in the past,
coming short each time. He has changed gears in his fighting
style a bit, becoming more strategic and methodical (like his
controlled submission win over Bao Quach, and his impressive
KO over Katsuya Toida) so he is set to climb back to the title
contention picture. For this bout he will fighting the powerful
and aggressive Makoto Ishikawa for the newly developed Shooto
Pacific Rim title. It will allow Sato to achieve the championship
recognition that he craves, or it could give Ishikawa the chane
that he needs to assert himself as the top guy for the World
title, should he win.
Finally,
long time Champion and master of the guillotine, Alexandre "Pequeno"
Nogueira will defend against fellow countryman, Joao Roque of
Nova Uniao. Arguably one of the best pure grapplers in the fight
game, Roque has been waiting a long time for this shot. Competing
in Japan as for back as 1997 Vale Tudo Japan, Roque has always
been one of the top names for the lower weights... But Nogueira
IS the top name at 143 lbs, so Roque’s quest for top status
is in jeopardy.
Total
card:
March
11th
Kourakuen Hall
Tokyo, Japan
Promtoer – Sustain
Complete
Line-up (subject to change)
Light
Heavyweight (Class-B) 2005 Rookie Tournament
First Round
Ryuhei Sato (R-GYM) vs. Yoshinori Ashikawa (RJW G2)
Lightweight
(Class-B) 2005 Rookie Tournament First
Round
Tenkei Fujimiya (STG Yokohama) vs. Keisuke Yamada (K'z
FACTORY)
Lightweight
(Class-B)
Hideki Kadowaki (Keisyu Kai) vs. Akitoshi Tamura
(Tanaka Juku)
Lightweight
(Class-A)
Jin Kazeta (Philoctetes Niigata) vs. Lion Takeshi (STG
Yokohama)
Lightweight
(Class-A) Pacific Rim Championship
Makoto Ishikawa (PUREBRED Omiya) vs. Rumina Sato (K'z
FACTORY)
Lightweight
(Class-A) World Championship
Alexandre Franca Nogueira (World Fight Center) vs.
Joao Roque (Nova Uniao)
Source:
Rich Santoro, Shooto USA
|
SALAVERRY
RECAP ON MMAWEEKY RADIO
by Jeff Cain
MMAWeekly broke the story that Trevor Prangley is out of UFC
52, and Ivan Salaverry's new opponent is Joe "Diesel"
Riggs. Ivan was set to face Prangley once before, at UFC 50,
but an injury forced Trevor out and Tony Fryklund stepped in.
This time it's Joe Riggs stepping in for Prangley to face Salaverry.
Ivan was the featured guest on MMAWeekly SoundOff Radio Tuesday
and spoke about the change of opponent, his new opponent, Joe
Riggs, as well as the rumors that he will be involved in a new
Team Punishment.
Ivan
doesn't think the opponent change will have any impact on his
training. He stated, "Right now, we're just getting a lot
of the conditioning, the cardio. We're doing a lot of technique
work which really doesn't pertain to the individual. That goes
later on in the training, but I was training a little bit harder
for a southpaw, and you know what, it hasn't changed. They're
both southpaws. It's good for me that it came out that way. >From
what I gather, Trevor lost his South African fight he had with
a big cut, so they had to pull him out and I got Joe Riggs. That's
what I've got for right now, at this time."
Discussing
"The Diesel," Ivan said, "This guy is the new
generation of fighter. You know what I mean? He's one of those
hybrid fighters that grew up on the UFC, and cage fighting, and
no hold barred. Not only that, but his coaches, you know his
coaches are from my gym...This guy is well rounded. From what
I've heard, he's very, very strong tough kid. He came from heavyweight
down to 185. He's a strong guy."
Salaverry
hasn't seen much tape on Riggs' fights. He's only really seen
highlights. Ivan commented, "I'm dying to get some film
work. I'm going to get that here, hopefully soon, and I'm going
to study him. Like I've told you before, I study all my opponents
very well, and I'll have a game plan for sure."
Talking
a little about how he approaches fights, Ivan said, "I don't
do anything deliberate. What I seek is what I see open. If the
stand up is what I see that I can work with, I'll be standing
up. If it's clinch and bang on the stand up, I'll do that. If
it's down in the ground and pound, that. If it's Jiu-Jitsu or
submissions, I'll do that. Whatever I see open, I will go there."
Salaverry
went to to add, "I have nothing but wanting to fight Joe
Riggs. Not in a malicious way, but just to challenge myself....I
think it's a fantastic fight for the crowd. It's going to be
exciting. He's a very aggressive fighter, and I consider myself
a very aggressive counter fighter as well. I think it's going
to be a good fight, a very good fight. It's a very good card
to be in as well."
Ivan
was defeated by Matt Lindland back at UFC 39: The Warriors Return,
back in September of 2002. It was a full two years before Salaverry
would make his way back to the UFC at UFC 50. Ivan was asked
if he'd like a rematch with Lindland and he responded, "Absolutely.
That's my brother from another mother. You know, my Northwestern
cousin in Oregon, and out of complete respect, I would love to
have a rematch with him. He's a wonderful guy, a great fighter,
and I think I can show more of a good fight. The thing about
it, that fight, he nailed me. He totally read my situation and
controlled me, and he won. To me, it was a boring fight, and
I think that's what the judges and the people in the UFC saw
and that's when they were like, you know what, we need more excitement,
and from there, they didn't call me. That's what I perceived
as what happened, but I'd love to get a rematch with Lindland.
It would be fantastic."
Ivan
was then questioned about fighting someone he's trained with
in the past and knows so well personally. He replied, "We're
all professionals and the Martial Arts community, the MMA community
is very small. We're all going to be training each other somewhere
or another. We're going to be doing something in Japan, in Hawaii,
in California, in Miami, where ever. We're going to see each
other. We're going to train with each other. We're going to fight
with each other many times, especially in a certain weight division.
We are going to see each other's faces all the time. Matt Lindland's
in Oregon, yes he's going to come up. Yes, I'm going to go down.
We're professionals. At the end of the day, we're fighting for
a paycheck, and my job is to beat the heck out of him, and his
job is to beat the heck out of me, and that's that."
Near
the end of the interview, Ivan was asked about training with
Tito Ortiz for Tito's last match with Vitor Belfort, and about
the rumors that he may be involved in a new Team Punishment.
Ivan commented, "The thing about Tito, he called me so I
could be his training partner, and so and forth, down at Big
Bear. It was a fantastic experience. I thought it was great,
but no. He's out of the picture right now. I'm back in Seattle
training with the guys up here..." About a new Team Punishment,
Salaverry said, "They're planning it. I hope that they have
me in mind. The truth is, I have a great relationship and I live
up in Seattle. That's the one thing. If I lived in Huntington
Beach or in California, it would be a different story maybe.
You know what, I'm always happy at any time, so if Tito picks
up the phone and calls me, wants me to come train with him at
Big Bear or whatever, hey my pleasure. I wish him the best of
success and if I can influence that or help him in that, great."
To
hear the interview in it's entirety, click on the radio archive.
Salaverry had much more to say. Also on the show was "The
Fight Professor," Stephen Quadros. If you missed the show
live, it is definitely one worth listening to.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
'CRO
COP' SPEAKS
The following is from an internet chat Mirko 'Cro Cop' Filipovic
did with with his fans on a Croatian website (translation by
Igor S.):
Question:
What is the measurement of your quadriceps?
Cro
Cop: Hell, I don't know. I've never measured that, but it is
sufficient.
Question:
Mirko, how often do you visit Privlaka?
Cro
Cop: Every time I can. I am going tomorrow.
Question:
Mirko, I read in a newspaper interview, where you said that you
are equal with Fedor on the ground. Do you think that you have
progressed enough to fight with a Sambo champion on the ground?
Actually, he beat Minotauro on the ground, and you lost to the
Brazilian. Salute.
Cro
Cop: I lost to the Brazilian one and a half years ago. In that
period I have progressed sufficiently to fight everyone, including
Minotauro, on the ground. Trust me or not.
Question:
Is there a possibility to arrange this fight in Zagreb?
Cro
Cop: Well, I am planning to organize a tournament this year,
in which I will participate also.
Question:
Mirko, when will you get a title shot?
Cro
Cop: As soon as Fedor signs the contract. Japanese representatives
will go this weekend to Russia to try and sign the fight.
Question:
Mirko, are things going in Cibalia (soccer club in which Cro
Cop plays)?
Cro
Cop: So, so. I don't train enough beacuse of my busy schedule.
Question:
Why do they call you Zeljko Filipovic?
Cro
Cop: Well, I don't know if anybody calls me that, except for
the time they mistakenly called me by that name on the Vlahov
show.
Question:
How much weight can you lift on the bench?
Cro
Cop: I have never gone for maximum because I don't need to. But,
I can lift 150 kg (330 pounds) for three repetitions.
Question:
Do you think that Fedor is scared of a possible fight for the
title against you?
Cro
Cop: I think he is not afraid. He is too great of a fighter to
be afraid of the fight.
Question:
Someone said you deceived Mike Bencic (Cro Cop's previus jiu-jitsu
trainer)?
Cro
Cop: People usually talk nonsense. I don't know in what way he
was deceived by me.
Question:
That you have not paid the full amount he deserved...
Cro
Cop: I don't know what to say about that. Bencic was paid every
last cent, and I don't know what he is trying to do by making
those comments in the newspapers. Maybe he wants to "thank"
me for getting him a chance, through my name and my blood, to
fight in PRIDE and to make money. So he tries to return a favor
like that. But, by talking like that, he talks about himself,
not about me. And I don't want to talk anymore about Mike Bencic.
I just want say that if he would like to promote himself in the
future, let him do it through his own eventual success.
Question:
Do you drink coffee, and have you special nutrition?
Cro
Cop: I don't drink coffee, and yes, I have special nutrition.
Question:
Dinamo or Hajduk? (Croatia's two most popular soccer clubs)
Cro
Cop: Cibalia.
Question:
Mirko, what do you think, will you win the fight against Fedor?
Cro
Cop: I will.
Question:
How many hours a day does your training consist of?
Cro
Cop: Depends on the training phase. But I always train two times
per day. On an average, at least one and a half hours per training
session.
Question:
Of all the PRIDE fighters, with who do you have good relations?
Do you go to lunch or coffee together?
Cro
Cop: We don't have lunch or coffee together. My best pal from
PRIDE is (Quinton) Jackson, but With Fedor I always have warm
grettings.
Question:
Do you watch handball? What did you think of the finals?
Cro
Cop: I watched our handball team with pleasure.
Question:
Do you know to swin?
Cro
Cop: Swimming, yes I do, but swinning I don't.
Question:
Who is your favorite Croatian sportsman?
Cro
Cop: Goran Ivanisevic and Stipe Drvis.
Question:
For how long have you been a member of the anti-terrorism unit
in Lucko?
Cro
Cop: One and a half years.
Question:
Why didn't the Croatian police use your name for promotion, when
they could? Why did they fire you from the job?
Cro
Cop: I don't know. They didn't fire me, I left by my own accord.
Question:
How much will you earn if you beat Fedor?
Cro
Cop: Go to the ring, beat him, and you will find out.
Question:
Who is your idol?
Cro
Cop: I don't have one, but I respect sportsmen.
Question:
Do you listen to Hip-Hop music?
Cro
Cop: Sometimes, but I prefer 80's music.
Question:
It would be very nice and original if one of your fights can
take place in the arena in Pula. What do you think about that?
Cro
Cop: It is high unlikely.
Question:
Just to say, to all of those people who are surprised by your
striking ability, that you were an amateur boxing champ and K-1
fighter. Now in PRIDE they are surprised when you finish your
fight with boxing. You are the best boxer In PRIDE, that's for
sure.
Cro
Cop: Well I am mistaken by them just because I am alive.
Question:
When you said about the possibility of fighting Minotauro in
Zagreb, where would that fight take place?
Cro
Cop: Maybe Dom sportova hall, or Maksimir stadium.
Question:
In which part of the fight is Fedor better than you?
Cro
Cop: Fedor has the best ground and pound on earth. It is incredible
how powerful his strikes are on the ground. But unlike Fedor,
I am not planning to be in that postiton too long.
Question:
Are you bothered by your so called, popularity?
Cro
Cop: I am not bothered by my so called popularity.
Question:
Would you be able to live in Japan?
Cro
Cop: Well, some people live in jails, so I could live anywhere.
Japan is a very beautiful country, but Croatia is the only place
I want to live in.
Question:
Did you fight a lot in school as a young boy?
Cro
Cop: Actually, I didn't.
Question:
Which team will be the Croatian soccer league champion?
Cro
Cop: If I was a visionary, I wouldn't be fighting now. Instead,
I would be making money by betting.
Question:
Did someone ever offer you a bribe?
Cro
Cop: Never.
Question:
Who is stronger, Superman or Batman?
Cro
Cop: You probably wanted to be funny. To tell you the truth,
you are not.
Question:
Would you pose naked for the appropriate money?
Cro
Cop: Depends on the money.
Question:
Or make some tatoo on your body?
Cro
Cop: Depends on the money, too.
Question:
What do you think about cheating (women)?
Cro
Cop: I don't have an opinion.
Question:
What was thr problem between you and Branko Cikatic? He allegedly
threatened to kill you?
Cro
Cop: That is finished story, and I don't want to talk about that.
Question:
If you saw a general, what would you do?
Cro
Cop: I would salute him.
Question:
Do people flatter you because of your size and strength?
Cro
Cop: I am not so big.
Question:
Are you a pizza master?
Cro
Cop: Hey boy, I think you missed the real guest? Naked chef acts
are on the weekend.
Source:
Fight Sport
|
Quote
of the Day
"I not only use all the brains that I have, but all that
I can borrow.
Woodrow Wilson, 1856-1924, Twenty-eighth President of the USA
|
HIGH
SCHOOL WRESTLING
GEORGE F. LEE / GLEE@STARBULLETIN.COM
Crusaders
take ILH crown
By Billy Hull
bhull@starbulletin.com
Unfortunately for the Saint Louis seniors, wrestling in yesterday's
Interscholastic League of Honolulu championships meant missing
their senior luau.
Hopefully
winning a team championship made it a good trade-off.
Led
by Brandon Low's third consecutive ILH individual championship,
the Crusaders used a balanced lineup from the lower weights to
the heavyweights to claim the 2005 title. Saint Louis edged Kamehameha
162-153 yesterday at Hemmeter Fieldhouse.
Jared
Silva was the Crusaders' other champion, defeating Pac-Five's
Micah Mussel in the 189-pound final.
"I'd
rather you talk to my captains," Crusaders head coach Kendrick
Kakazu said after the meet. "They are the ones that did
it; I had little to do with it."
Despite
both Iolani and Kamehameha winning more individual titles, the
Crusaders won with a balanced attack, sending eight wrestlers
to the finals, including Keani Nishigaya, Jordan Alencastre and
Ana Tuiasasopo, who scored upsets as No. 3 seeds.
"We're
really young and emotional," Kakazu said. "But when
we use that emotion properly, good things happen, and our team
really pulled together and fed off of each other's success."
Kamehameha
finished with six individual champions, including Kenric Pai
inthe 152-pound weight class. Pai, an ILH champion last year,
was seeded second, but overcame a bloody mouth suffered early
in the match to defeat Charles Smiley of Saint Louis.
"I
just bit my tongue," Pai said. "I lost to (Smiley)
in the preseason in double overtime, but I knew if I just wrestled
my own game, I'd be fine."
Jarrod
Sandobal (140), Bryson Vivas (145), Gaison Ontai (160), Gerritt
Vincent (171) and Kazden Ikehara, who needed to go a second overtime
period in the 215-pound weight class, were Kamehameha's other
champions.
Iolani,
the two-time defending champion, swept the first three weight
classes. Brothers Nick and Zachary Matayoshi won the 103 and
119 titles, and Aaron Ishikawa won his third-straight ILH title
at 112 pounds, pinning Mark Caberto in 46 seconds.
"Coaches
tell us to get on and off the mat," Ishikawa said. "If
you wrestle sharp, things will come."
Punahou's
Brenden Whitt and Steven Chong also won titles at 130 and 135
pounds, respectively, while Pac-Five's Russell Fisher won the
275-pound title, pinning Tuiasasopo with 11 seconds left in the
second round.
Punahou's
"A" team won the junior varsity title, beating Kamehameha's
"A" team by half a point, 159 to 158.5.
Kamehameha
girls win
Sophomore Randolyn Nohara pinned her way to a second straight
ILH championship, defeating Akemi Holmes in the final match of
the girls meet to push the Warriors past Iolani 128-126.
Trailing by 10 points heading into the finals, Iolani claimed
the first four weight divisions as Kira Tamashiro won the 98-pound
title, followed by Carla Watase, Joleen Oshiro and Catherine
Chan, who all repeated as champions. But the Warriors regained
the lead, finishing strong by winning three of the final four
divisions, anchored by Nohara's pin.
"I
just wanted to go out and pin her in the first round," Nohara
said.
Kiana
Parilla won her first championship in the 140-pound weight class,
and Maile Nitta won the 155-pound crown, as nobody else competed
in her division.
"This
is a very tenacious group with a lot of heart," Warriors
girls coach Brandon Shimabukuro said. "I had no real expectations,
but I believed in them.
Lauren
Primiano, Nicole Chorney and Kara Takasaki won titles for Punahou,
while Pac-Five's Desiree Memea was the only No. 2 seed to win,
upsetting Tilana Kawaa in the 175-pound final.
ILH
championships
At Hemmeter Fieldhouse
2/26/05
Varsity boys Team
1. Saint Louis, 162; 2. Kamehameha, 153; 3. Punahou, 137;
4. Iolani, 123.5; 5. Pac-Five, 54; 6. Damien, 21.
Individual
103--1. Nick Matayoshi, Iol; 2. Bryson Fukushima, Pun; 3. Jordan
Lai, StL.
112--1. Aaron Ishikawa, Iol; 2. Mark Caberto, StL; 3. Ginoa Pelosi,
Dam.
119--1. Zachary Matayoshi, Iol; 2. Keani Nishigaya, StL; 3. Joshua
Plechaty, Pun.
125--1. Brandon Low, StL; 2. Daniel Chow, Pun; 3. Kealii Kobylanski,
Kam.
130--1. Brenden Whitt, Pun; 2. Kelsey Kokubun, Iol; 3. Reggie
Torres, Kam.
135--1. Steven Chong, Pun; 2. Alapai Bungo, Kam; 3. Keigo Kaminaga,
Iol.
140--1. Jarrod Sandobal, Kam; 2. Andrew Byron, Pun; 3. Kai Iwasaki,
Iol.
145--1. Bryson Vivas, Kam; 2. Sheldon Shimoda, Pun; 3. Jeffrey
Kahler, StL.
152--1. Kenric Pai, Kam; 2. Charles Smiley, StL; 3. Evan Killips,
Iol.
160--1. Gaison Ontai, Kam; 2. Jordan Alencastre, StL; 3. Duane
Fukumoto, Iol.
171--1. Gerritt Vincent, Kam; 2. Mike Egesdal, Pun; 3. Matt Balkin,
Iol.
189--1. Jared Silva, StL; 2. Micah Mussel, Pac; 3. Kainoa Carlson,
Pun.
215--1. Kazden Ikehara, Kam; 2. Bubba Tokioka, StL; 3. Miaki
McWayne, WLA.
275--1. Russell Fisher, Pac; 2. Ana Tuiasasopo, StL; 3. Eddie
Williams, Dam.
Varsity
girls Team
1. Kamehameha, 128; 2. Iolani, 126; 3. Pac-Five, 90; 4. Punahou,
65.
Individual
98--1. Kira Tamashiro, Iol; 2. Erin Uwaine, Pac.
103--1. Carla Watase, Iol; 2. Kelsie Ann Mita, Pac.
108--1. Joleen Oshiro, Iol; 2. Shaelene Kamakaala, Kam; 3. Brittany
Atiburico, Mryk.
114--1. Catherine Chan, Iol; 2. Sarah Aoki, Pac; 3. Raena Campos,
Kam.
120--1. Lauren Primiano, Pun; 2. Brandee Toyama, Iol; 3. Jamie
Ahuna, Kam.
125--1. Nicole Chorney, Pun; 2. Sadie Smith, Kam; Natasha Bunin,
WLA.
130--1. Kara Takasaki, Pun; 2. Grace Toyomura, Kam; 3. Elizabeth
Grossman, WLA.
140--1. Kiana Parilla, Kam; 2. Rebecca Jong, Pun; 3. Sri'devi
Fournier, Iol.
155--1. Maile Nitta, Kam.
175--1. Tilana Kawaa, Kam; 2. Desiree Memea, Pac; 3. Lindsey
Tufuno, Iol.
220--1. Randolyn Nohara, Kam; 2. Akemi Holmes, Iol.
Junior varsity boys Team
1. Punahou "A", 159; 2. Kamehameha "A", 158.5;
3. Pac-Five "A", 147.5.
Individual
103--1. Sam Yonezawa, Pac.
112--1. Brysson Morita, Iol.
119--1. Chris Shimizu, Pun.
125--1. Kamalu Beamer, Kam.
130--1. Paul Swain, Kam.
135--1. Omar Mirza, kam.
140--1. Rudie Schaefer, Pun.
145--1. Kenneth White, Pun.
152--1. Kekoa Rosales, Kam.
160--1. Jared Ellis, Pac.
171--1. Keola Williams, Iol.
189--1. JJ Autele, Pun.
215--1. Kanoa O'Conner, Pun.
275--1. Jamin Meletia, Kam.
Source:
Star Bulletin
|
ROTR
NEWS
According to the Japanese media, K-1 will be heavily involved
again in the next 'Rumble on the Rock' card.
B.J.
Penn will once again be in the main event fight, possibly against
another Gracie.
Renato
'Charuto' Verissimo, Gilbert Melendez, and Jake Shields are also
scheduled to participate on the card.
Source:
Fight Sport
|
AFP
TOP TEN FOR THE MONTH OF FEBRUARY
HEAVYWEIGHT
1.) Fedor Emelianenko Russia
2.) Rodrigo 'Minotauro' Nogueira Brazil
3.) Mirko 'Cro Cop' Filipovic Croatia
4.) Frank Mir USA
5.) Andrei Arlovski Belarus
6.) Fabricio Werdum Brazil
7.) Heath Herring USA
8.) Josh Barnett USA
9.) Tim Sylvia USA
10.) Pedro Rizzo Brazil
LIGHT
HEAVYWEIGHT
1.) Vanderlei Silva Brazil
2.) Randy Couture USA
3.) Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson USA
4.) Ricardo Arona Brazil
5.) Chuck Liddell USA
6.) Rogerio "Minotoro" Nogueira Brazil
7.) Tito Ortiz USA
8.) Vitor Belfort Brazil
9.) Renato "Babalu" Sobral Brazil
10.) Murilo 'Ninja' Rua Brazil
MIDDLEWEIGHT
1.) Dan Henderson USA
2.) Kazushi Sakuraba Japan
3.) Murilo Bustamante Brazil
4.) Evan Tanner USA
5.) Ryo Chonan Japan
6.) Anderson Silva Brazil
7.) Jeremy Horn USA
8.) Paulo Filho Brazil
9.) David Terrell USA
10.) Matt Lindland USA
WELTERWEIGHT
1.) B.J.
Penn USA
2.) Matt Hughes USA
3.) Frank Trigg USA
4.) Renato
'Charuto' Verissimo Brazil
5.) Sean Sherk USA
6.) Antonio Schembri Brazil
7.) Daiju Takase Japan
8.) Crosley Gracie Brazil
9.) Carlos Newton USA
10.) Akira Kikuchi Japan
LIGHTWEIGHT
1.) Tatsuya Kawajiri Japan
2.) Vitor 'Shaolin' Ribeiro Brazil
3.) Joachim Hansen Norway
4.) Takanori Gomi Japan
5.) Yves Edwards USA
6.) Hermes Franca Brazil
7.) Kaoru Uno Japan
8.) Din Thomas USA
9.) Genki Sudo Japan
10.) Ralph Gracie Brazil
FEATHERWEIGHT
1.) Alexandre 'Pequeno' Nogueira Brazil
2.) Jens Pulver USA
3.) Joao Roque Brazil
4.) Norifumi 'Kid' Yamamoto Japan
5.) Rumina Sato Japan
6.) Gilbert Melendez USA
7.) Ivan Menjivar El Salvador
8.) Hiroyuki Takaya Japan
9.) Jeff Curran USA
10.) Yoshiro Maeda Japan
Source:
Fight Sport
|
UFC
52 SHOWDOWN:
JOE "DIESEL" RIGGS VS IVAN SALAVERRY
MMAWeekly.com broke the story yesterday morning on the Soundoff
Forum that Ivan Salaverry has a new opponent.
His
orginal opponent, Trevor Prangley lost over the weekend in South
Africa and will not be in UFC 52. Now enter Joe Riggs into the
equation. Riggs was supposed to fight David Loiseau at the last
UFC, but because of an injury couldn't fight.
Now
Riggs is healed and will end up in a great showdown against Ivan
Salaverry. Both fighters have a lot of respect for each other.
Salaverry told MMAWeekly yesterday "He's a big strong fighter.
He has great skill and I respect him a lot. I can't wait to fight
somebody his caliber."
Meanwhile
the Diesel also has respect for Ivan. "He's a tough guy.
He's a great fighter and he's beat some tough guys. I still plan
on knocking him out in this fight." Riggs told MMAWeekly.
Salaverry
has an MMA record of 11-3, while Riggs enters this fight with
a 21-5 record. Should be a great fight at UFC 52. Ivan Salaverry
will be today's featured guest on MMAWeeklyRadio.com at 9am Pacific/12
Noon eastern with UFC fighter Frank Trigg and MMA Broadcaster
Ryan Bennett.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
THE
ULTIMATE FIGHTER: EPISODE 7
GROUND AND POUND
By Ken Pishna, MMAWeekly.com
Last
week on The Ultimate Fighter, we finally saw the showdown between
Josh Koscheck and Chris Leben. After an uninspiring battle, Koscheck
emerged the winner by unanimous decision. Chris Leben, the guy
everybody loved to hate, was sent packing.
Prior
to this week’s fight, the majority of the episode was fairly
uneventful. Instead of the usual confrontation that Leben brought
to the show, this week was spent building characters and storylines
to fill his absence.
Talk
started early amongst Team Liddell about teammate Sam Hoger not
fitting in. They even went so far as to say that they believed
that Hoger was somewhat of a trader, buddying up with Team Couture.
With
Leben’s exodus, Couture’s team was left with only one
middleweight, Nate Quarry. And with the MRI results not back
yet, Quarry’s injury has left his future on the show in
doubt. As a result, Chuck Liddell was once again forced to send
one of his fighters over to Couture. Liddell expressed extreme
distaste for having to make the move, but eventually ended up
sending Josh Rafferty to Team Couture.
This
far into the show, Rafferty was rather unhappy about having to
switch teams and Team Couture wasn’t so thrilled to have
him. Rafferty is now the black sheep of the green team setting
up future discord.
This
week, the light heavyweights were run through a team challenge
called “The Ring.” All six fighters were harnessed
to a UFC logo metal ring. Circled around the fighters were flags
of each team’s color. Each fighter on each team was charged
with capturing two of their team’s flags. The first team
to gather six flags won.
Finally
working together as a unit, Team Couture finally won a challenge.
As a result, they were charged with selecting one light heavyweight
fighter from each team to fight for their spot on the show. After
much discussion, they chose their own Stephan Bonner to face
Team Liddell’s Bobby Southworth.
The
fight between Bonner and Southworth was much more entertaining
than the Koscheck/Leben fight last week. The two went back and
forth through the entire two rounds. Bonner scored with solid
takedowns and submission attempts. But Southworth held his own
dominating the striking category, coming away with the more effective
strikes and doing much more damage than Bonner. In the second
round, Southworth even stunned Bonner a couple of times and appeared
on the verge of knocking him out.
Both
fighters were preparing for a draw, which means that they would
have had to fight an overtime round. To everybody’s surprise,
Dana White announced that the judges had awarded a split decision
in favor of Stephan Bonner.
Southworth
and Liddell were shocked and vehemently disagreed. Couture and
White were both very surprised thinking that the fight was going
to go to the overtime round. Everyone but Southworth put it in
a realistic light though, saying that you never want to leave
the fight in the hands of the judges.
Southworth
stormed away as the show ended.
Up
Next Week: The controversy over the split decision continues
as Bobby Southworth disrespects Dana White. The rift between
Sam Hoger and the rest of Team Liddell continues to widen. And,
surprisingly, a previously eliminated fighter returns to the
show.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
PULVER
FEATURED IN GAMING SITE
One of the largest community based video game sites, Teamwarfare.com
did a big write up on Little Evil, Jens Pulver. Teamwarfare is
a free, not-for-profit site with almost 400,000 members &
60,000 teams. Here is part of that interview...
"What
does one of the baddest men on the planet do? Well, he plays
Call of Duty: United Offensive with the Silent Warriors on Teamwarfare.com.
The
name Jens Pulver might not immediately ''ring any bells'', but
if you watch ESPN's Tuesday Night Fights, are a fan of Pay-Per-View
fights, or own a copy of the Ultimate Fighting Championship:
Ultimate Knockouts, than chances are you have seen him at least
once. His fights are the things that highlight reels are made
of.
Utilizing
his years of wrestling experience in concert with the Miletich
Fighting System, developed by five time UFC World Champion Pat
Miletich and which combines boxing, jiu-jitsu, and kickboxing,
Pulver has become one of the most powerful and successful lightweight
fighters in Mixed Martial Arts competition. Weighing in between
145-155 lbs. and standing at 5'7'', his stature is deceptive.
His devastating and lightning fast left hand has knocked out
more than a few opponents and ended at least one career.
At
the end of 2001, Pulver, though undefeated, was forced to relinquish
his UFC Lightweight Champion title. Since then, his has been
a tale of despair, personal loss, fortitude, dedication, success,
and finally....online gaming. Yes, you read that last part correctly,
he plays online video games.
For
some adults this may seem absurd, but this is not your old Atari
2600 we are talking about. Today's online video games are astoundling
realistic and graphically advanced. Online game play and real-time,
multi-person voice systems allow for team play in a totally immersive
environment. Just like Pulver, millions of adults all over the
world are competing on teams that play video games.
Here
is Pulver's own story of triumph, Ultimate Fighting, and online
gaming:
''I
gave up everything, I had 2 bags, and I had no idea what to do''
Jens,
could you tell the members of Teamwarfare.com a little about
yourself? Just some basics like where you are from, your athletic
background, and how you ended up fighting in the UFC.
I
was born in Seattle lived all of my life between Seattle and
Portland, Oregon. My parents were jockeys in the thoroughbred
industry, so when the racetrack would close in Washington we’d
go down to Portland Meadows and we’d run horses there until
the track opened up again after the winter in Seattle. Basically,
we traveled back and forth between each state till I was in high
school and then I stayed in Seattle for high school for wrestling
purposes.
So
I stayed in Seattle and then I went to college at Boise State
University in Idaho. And so from there, I basically wrestled
out my season there and when it came down to it I had a degree
in criminal justice minor in sociology.
I
got my first pay-per-view fight in UFC, I think it was UFC-24,
and I had my first fight and I kind of tested myself right there
and I said that if I did well, than this is something that I’ll
continue to do, and if I got smoked then I’ll go back to
working in something with my degree. I did well, I won I stayed
in fighting, I told my job ‘you know, this is what I want
to do’ and they gave me their blessing.
And
with that being said, I moved down with Bob Shamrock because
Ken Shamrock, as everybody knows, was so big at the time and
so his dad (Bob) was kind of a good way of getting me into the
fight world. Take over and kind of guide me the same way he did
Ken. I moved down to California and spent 6 months in Lodi and
the problem was, I was ready to train full time and a lot of
people their idea of full time wasn’t 8 hours a day. It
was more that they had other jobs and they couldn’t make
a living fighting so they worked other places and then came back
and then went to the gym in the evenings, so I was kind of hung
out in the morning and the afternoon with myself.
So,
I went back to Idaho and said, ‘I’m going to go back
and wrestle for a while and train and if anything comes up as
far as fights, just let me know’ and that’s when Bob
said ‘As hard as it is for me to lose you, I’m telling
you to stay there because there’s not much down here for
you and you obviously want to go at it much harder than a lot
of people are willing to’. At that point, I was like ‘You’ve
got to be kidding me’. The house that I rented....now I’m
staying on the couch, with other people renting it, and all of
the sudden I’m a guest and I have nothing. I moved out,
I gave up everything, I had 2 bags and I had no idea what to
do. Bob said, ‘Well, I’m going to make one call’
and he called Monty Cox in Iowa and I knew who he was because
they had a great team with Pat Miletich, and Matt Hughes was
starting in the UFC. So with 2 duffel bags, I hopped on a train
and said ‘This is where I’m going to go, and this is
what I’m going to do’ and 2 1/2 days later I showed
up in Iowa and started fighting.
''When
I hit him, I retired him''
What
stands out as your big fight? What really made people stand up
and take notice of Jens Pulver?
Oh,
without a doubt it was the John Lewis knockout. To this day its
one of the most vicious knockouts anybody has ever seen in this
sport. To this day in all of their [UFC’s] Ultimate Knockouts
they’re constantly showing it, I feel bad for him. That
was without a doubt my turning point because what it was, these
guys came in to Vegas, the guys who now own it [the UFC], the
Fertittas, and basically their representation was John Lewis.
Nobody knew at the time that they were planning on buying the
UFC, but John Lewis did, and going into the fight it was the
biggest for me because John Lewis has been a name for a long
time and he was a gigantic 155 pounder and the physical condition
that I was in was one where basically I had to lay on my bed
2 weeks before the fight because my back was hurting so bad &
my sciatic nerve was burning so bad that I couldn’t train.
Jeremy Horn told me ‘Look, I’d rather have you in the
least amount of pain and be out of shape rather than to be in
shape and be as crippled as you are’. I could barely walk,
but it’s not even a question when you have to get paid,
well, you don’t have a choice you’ve got to fight.
I
remember the 4 days leading up to the fight. I trained in my
hotel room so nobody could see how bad I was. I couldn’t
keep from limping and it was real obvious that I was hurting.
Him [Lewis] being the ground guy that he was, I knew he was working
on his stand up and I knew he was feeling overconfident so all
we did was work on countering, over the top of the head jab,
and hitting him as hard as I possibly could. I really didn’t
have much of a choice, I had to just hit him hard and get out
of there as fast as I could.
With
that fight coming up I stayed hidden, made the weight, and when
I got into that ring it was kind of like everybody was holding
their breath. They knew this was John Lewis and that was definitely
the point right there when they realized, ‘This kid [Pulver]
is definitely for real, not only does he have a good take down
defense, not only is he a constant, constant go-getter, but now
he has knockout power’.
When
I hit him, I retired him, literally. I busted his jaw, shattered
his molars, I mean I destroyed him. Knocked him out in 12 seconds,
had the fastest knockout in UFC history. At that point the new
owners of the UFC were sitting ringside and were like ‘Oh
my god, besides Tito Ortiz, this is the kid we’ve got to
build’. That, without a doubt, was the biggest turning point
of my career and definitely the biggest match as far as taking
me to that next level as one of the elites in the fighting game.
''You
know what? Here’s your belt''
You
were the UFC Lightweight Champ and then you suddenly parted ways.
Are you at liberty to discuss what transpired with the UFC?
Basically
what happened was that I won the title, they went and got me
the #1 ranked fighter in the world, we went over to Japan and
watched him defend his title in a show called Shooto. His name
was Caol Uno. When I beat him, I turned around and had 2 more
defenses and the last fight that came up, I fought B.J. Penn
and I was a 6 to 1 underdog. The UFC wanted to be known as having
the recognized, legitimate World Champion. They didn’t want
any other show to be able to say, ‘Well, we have best guy’.
They wanted to be looked at as being recognized as the #1 fighter
in the world.
Believe
it or not, everybody was paid more than me, and I was the Champion.
All of the challengers got paid more. I remember it came down
to a question of, I wanted more money because I didn’t get
to fight that often. Being the champion I got to fight maybe
twice a year, so I kind of priced my self against what the heavyweights
were making, against what the middleweights were making, what
the lightweights were making, and I was like ‘What is keeping
me from making the same amount of money?’ So when I asked,
they basically gave me a number and I basically asked for....not
much of a raise more, but just a little more. I said I wanted
to be paid the highest paid lightweight. We kind of ran into
a crossroad where they weren’t going to give in and I basically
had to say ‘You know what? Ok, here’s your belt. I’m
not going to re-sign.’ And that was it. ''I had 12 fights,
and I knocked out 11 of them.''
There
is plenty more to this interview. To read it just click on www.teamwarefare.com
and Pulver will be tomorrow's featured guest on MMAWeekly Radio.com
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
CONTACT:
Kimberly Moran & Noah Gold
Brener Zwikel & Associates Inc.
(818) 344-6195, ext. 121, 108
Kimberlym@bzapr.com; noahg@bzapr.com
REALPROWRESTLING
PUTS TEAMS UP FOR BID
LEAGUE READY TO TALK TO PROSPECTIVE INVESTORS FOR 2006 SEASON
LOS
ANGELES (March 1, 2005) - RealProWrestling announced today its
intent to begin searching for prospective investors of eight
regional teams for the second season of the new wrestling league.
The league is working to put teams in big-market regions where
wrestling is a large part of the community including New York,
California, Illinois, Iowa, Oklahoma, Minnesota, Pennsylvania
and Texas. RealProWrestling provides wrestlers an opportunity
to compete beyond collegiate and Olympic competition in a professional
atmosphere comparable to leagues such as the NFL, MLB and NBA.
The
first season of RealProWrestling, the first Olympic style-wrestling
league, was taped in front of a live studio audience on October
8-9 at the Los Angeles Center Studios. The league is looking
to branch out with competitions of regional teams throughout
the season.
RealProWrestling
announced its national television debut of the first Olympic
style-wrestling league on PAX TV and Fox Sports Net. RealProWrestling
will launch its national television debut on PAX TV on Sunday,
March 27, 2005 at 4-5pm EST and on Fox Sports Net Wednesday,
March 30, 2005 at 3-4 p.m. EST (schedule subject to change).
The
RealProWrestling League will be an eight-week series on PAX TV
with the 8th and final episode lasting two hours in duration.
Fox Sports Net will air RealProWrestling for nine weeks with
the last championship episode spread over two weeks.
The
league consists of eight teams from around the country made up
of seven different weight classes ranging from 55 kg/125 lbs.
to 120 kg/250 lbs. Regional teams will include the New York Outrage,
California Claw, Chicago Groove, Iowa Stalkers, Oklahoma Slam,
Minnesota Freeze, Pennsylvania Hammer and the Texas Shooters.
Currently
privately funded, RealProWrestling plans to branch out to local
communities to give the sport of wrestling a professional outlet
for future generations. The regional teams would allow fans to
come out and experience the professional wrestling league and
begin building support for the teams and athletes involved. The
regional teams are a part of RealProWrestling's plan to increase
exposure of the league, provide a professional outlet to wrestlers
in addition to what is currently available, attract sponsorship
and drive television ratings.
Toby
Willis, president of RealProWrestling said, "The sport of
wrestling, which has been around for centuries, has a rich and
deep-rooted history and we are thrilled that through the creation
of teams, RealProWrestling will be able to further promote the
sport and keep it thriving for years to come."
The
investors would be responsible for developing their selected
team, drafting and trading wrestlers, selecting coaches, and
promoting their team and league.
According
to the National High School Coaches Association (NHSCA), more
than one million wrestlers participated in collegiate and high
school programs in the United States in 2003 with an additional
20 million individuals currently living in America having participated
in the sport of wrestling in the past. Studies by National Federation
of High Schools (NFHS) show that wrestling is the sixth highest
participant sport in America despite not having a professional
league or marketing efforts.
Fan
favorite and 2004 Olympic bronze medalist Rulon Gardner will
headline the cast of Olympic wrestlers, including Dan Gable (wrestling
legend and Olympic Gold Medalist), Bobby Douglas (wrestling legend
and Olympic coach), and Steve Abas (2004 Olympic silver medalist),
as they gear up for the inaugural season of the first Olympic-style
wrestling league.
For
additional information about the franchises please call Rich
Christensen (641-394-3200) or visit www.realprowrestling.com.
Brener
Zwikel & Associates, Inc. (BZA)
6901 Canby Avenue, Suite 105
Reseda, CA 91335
T 818-344-6195 Ext. 121
F 818-344-1714
kimberlym@bzapr.com
Source:
Kimberly Moran
|
Quote
of the Day
"Happiness is a perfume you cannot pour on others without
getting a few drops on yourself.
Ralph Waldo Emerson, 1803-1882, American Poet, Essayist
|
Onzuka.com
Exclusive
Marcelo
Tigre Is Back In Hawaii And Fighting In Proving Grounds 4
By Chris Onzuka
The
rumor that Marcelo Tigre is back in Hawaii is true AND it is
also true that he will be fighting on ROTR: Proving Grounds,
the feeder show for Rumble On The Rock on March 11th. This will
be Proving Grounds' first event on Oahu, the events are usually
held in Hilo, Hawaii.
After
finding out that Tigre was on the fight card, the big question
everyone was asking was who will be his opponent? Not to be confused
with Bazooka Joe, Tigre's opponent will be Taxi Joe. Jody “Taxi
Joe” Demeritt is 6’4”, 200lbs and a street fighter
with a background in Karate. He claims to be undefeated, but
we could not obtain any proof of that record. Tigre told me that
his bout at Proving Grounds will be a tune up fight for his appearance
in Rumble On The Rock, where he may face a "name" opponent.
Tigre is looking to get back in the big picture and what better
place than in one of the fastest growing promotions in the world,
Rumble On The Rock.
The
event will also feature a 8-man MMA tournament, which may crown
Hawaii's best fighter at 155lbs. This tournament features fighters
from almost every top MMA school in Hawaii. The tournament is
stacked with some of Hawaii's most successful lightweights. Some
of the fighters that will be going head to head are Harris Sarmiento
(808 Fight Factory), Mike Aina (BJ Penn's MMA), Neal Andres (HMC)
and Kaleo Kwan (Eastsidaz). There will be a couple individual
matches, adding to the already action packed event. Proving Grounds
4 will be held at the Dole Cannery Ballroom in Honolulu on March
11th.
|
Shooto
Hawaii is back!
Bradda to fight Santino Defranco
Shooto Hawaii: Unleashed
Neal Blaisdell - Hawaii Suites, Honolulu, Hawaii
March 25, 2005
Fights Start: 7:30pm
Amateur
Shooto 2X3 Min Rounds - 143.3 9 Lightweight
Edmund Li (Freelance) Vs. Ryan Fukuda (808FF/Casca Gross JJ)
Amateur
Shooto 2X3 Min Rounds - 200.6 & over Cruiserweight)
Rob Chung (Kodenkan) Vs. Jason Ryan (808FF)
Amateur
Shooto 2X3 Min Rounds - 114.6 Flyweight
Shane Dulatre (JIL) Vs. Bryson Sanchez (Kodenkan)
Amateur
Shooto 2X3 Min Rounds
Jarret (Bulls Pen) Vs. Hansen Apo (Kodenkan)
Amateur
Shooto 2X3 Min Rounds - 132.3 Featherweight
Austin Hernandez (Bulls Pen) 137 Vs. Colin Mckenzie (17 yrs 130
6'0 Waianae, JIL)
Amateur
Shooto 2X3 Min Rounds - 167.5 Middleweight
Brandon Ramos (JIL) VS. Nolan Hong (JKD Unlimited)
Kickboxing
3x2 Min Rounds – 125lbs
Bruce Niimoto (JIL) Vs. Bruno Escalante 16, (Eastsidaz)
Kickboxing
3x2 Min Rounds 185lbs
Josh Versola (Advanced Kenpo) Vs. Chevas Lamoya (Team Big Dog)
Kickboxing
3x2 Min Rounds – 165lbs
Kevin Smith (Team Big Dog ) Vs. Ben Rodriquez (Nanakuli Kickboxing)
Kickboxing
3x2 Min Rounds – 182lbs
Wayne Perrin (Team Big Dog) Vs. Denver Gonsalves (Nanakuli Kickboxing)
International
Kickboxing Match – 145lbs
Randy Rivera (HMC) Bs. Tony Rodriguez (Team Big Dog)
Professional
Shooto Class B: 2X5 Min - 200.6 & over Cruiser Weight
Cory Daniels (Team MADD) Vs. TBA
Professional
Shooto Class B: 2X5 Min - 132.3 Featherweight
Ryan Lee (Bulls Pen) Vs. TBA
Professional
Shooto Class B: 2X5 Min - 183 Light Heavy Weight
Casey Daniels (Team MADD) Vs. TBA
Professional
Shooto 3X5 Min Rounds - 154.3 70KG
Ray "Bradda" Cooper VS. Santino DeFranco (Arizona Combat
Sports)
Source:
Event Promoter
|
2nd
Annual Maui Jiu-Jitsu Open
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Tournament
War Memorial Gymnasium, Wailuku, Maui, Hawaii
Saturday, March 12, 2005
The
Onzuka Brothers and the Relson Gracie Casca Grossa Team will
be there, so make your arrangements to get to Maui for the tournament.
Last year's tournament went extremely well, with a ton of talented
JJ fighters who had a great time.
For Tournament information, please email us and we can email you details and registration
forms.
Aloha
Airlines
has $125 tickets and Hawaiian Airlines has $138 tickets.
Click on the companies to go to their websites because these
fares are available online only.
Dear
Friends,
It
is our great pleasure to invite you and your organization to
attend and compete in the 2nd Annual Maui Jiu-Jitsu open Tournament.
The event will take place on Saturday, March 12, 2005 at the
War Memorial Gymnasium in Wailuku, Maui, Hawaii. We also welcome
back all who attended last year's event. We expect this years
tournament to be even larger, with bigger and better competition!
Competition
will consist of matches in all belt levels and weight divisions
with medals, trophies, and prizes to the winners. There will
also be a team competition this year, as well as a number of
exhibition matches between advanced level competitors. (Anyone
interested - please contact us).
Weigh-ins
will be held on Friday March 11, at the new Maui Jiu-Jitsu academy
location on Hanamau Street, near the airport (directions included)
from 1 pm to ??. Opening ceremonies and late registrations will
held at the War Memorial Gym at 8:00 am, Rules briefing at 9:30
am, Competition to begin promptly at 10:00 am.
Neighbor Island competitors can weigh-in on the day of the event,
but it is strongly urged that all competitors weigh-in on friday
in the interest of starting on time.
It
is our hope that you and your organization will join us in the
spirit of sportsmanship and competition, and help us in promoting
the sport of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu throughout the State of Hawaii.
Please
feel free to contact us should you have any questions.
2nd
Annual Maui Jiu-Jitsu open Tournament
732 Makaala Drive
Wailuku, Maui, Hawaii 96793
Email: mauibadboy@aol.com
www.mauijiujitsu.com
Ph. (808) 298-7698 Lee
(808) 357-0657 Luis
Thank you for your interest in the 2nd Annual Maui Jiu-Jitsu
Open Tournament. Your support for our tournament is greatly appreciated,
and it is Maui Jiu-Jitsu’s goal to support and compete in
many other tournaments hosted by our friends statewide.
One
of the greatest obstacles of having a successful tournament is
of course, the substantial cost of traveling to the neighbor
isles. Understanding this, We at Maui Jiu-Jitsu would like to
provide you with some information on accommodations and transportation,
while here on Maui.
Hotel
options:
1.
Maui Beach Hotel – 170 Kaahumanu Ave. Ph. 877-0051 ( 2 miles
from airport & gymnasium)
Probably
the best option – better than average rooms, approx. $110
/ night.
2.
Maui Seaside Hotel – 100 Kaahumanu Ave. Ph. 877-3311 (next
door to Maui Beach)
Slightly
cheaper, but not quite as nice as Maui Beach – decent.
3.
Maui Islander – 660 Wainee Street Ph. 667-9766 or 1-800-367-5226
(A little farther away – 20 miles)
As
another option, we are currently in the process of building our
new academy and should be on schedule to move in within the next
2 weeks. We would like to offer anyone who in the interest of
saving money, would want to stay at the academy. Accommodations
would be limited to sleeping bags on the matted training area,
but if you don’t mind, plenty of space is available as well
as bath facilities. Call us for more info.
Thanks
again for your support of our tournament. We hope to make your
experience here as enjoyable as possible, and hope that we will
continue to grow and make this event better in the years to come.
Mahalo!
Luis
Heredia and Lee Theros
(Event Promoters)
|
FEDOR
VS. 'CRO COP' POSSIBLY IN 2H2H OR M-1
According to people close to the camp of Fedor Emelianenko, the
negotiations between Fedor's manager and DSE/PRIDE have not been
going too well, especially now that DSE/PRIDE are trying to strong-arm
Fedor into signing a new contract by pushing the angle in the
media, to their fans, that Fedor does not want to fight Mirko
'Cro Cop' Filipovic.
Fedor's
management is upset that the offer they are recieving to re-sign
with DSE/PRIDE is supposedly not even half the amount of what
they signed their light heavyweight champion, Vanderlei Silva,
for.
According
to these same sources, if no deal is reached with DSE/PRIDE,
Fedor will challenge Cro Cop to face him in either the M-1 promotion
or the 'Too Hot To Handle' promotion.
Too
Hot To Handle, or '2H2H', recently signed two big television
deals, and is negotiating with some name sponsors for their next
show. According to these sources, 2H2H would offer Cro Cop the
same amount of money he is currently making with DSE/PRIDE, in
order to sign him to face Fedor.
Source:
Fight Sport
|
Akebono in K-1
K-1 World GP 2005
March 19 2005
Olympic Gymnasium-1
Seoul, Korea
Sungle
fights:
Remy Bonjasky vs. Ray Mercer
Peter Aerts vs. Carter Williams
Asia
GP tournament:
Akebono vs. Nobuaki Kakuda
Wakashoyo vs. Hong-Mam Choi
Hiraku Hori vs. Lee Myeon Ju
Kaoklai Kaennorsing vs. Zhang Qing Jun
Source:
Fight Sport
|
UFC
EXHALES AS BABALU VS WIUFF
STILL SET FOR 52
 
Renato Babalu vs. Travis Wiuff
Nothing makes the UFC more nervous than having two fighters compete
in other organizations about 40 days before they face one another
at UFC 52. That was the case for Babalu Sobral and Travis Wiuff
who are on a collision course to face each other in the Octagon
on April 16th in Las Vegas.
Babalu
made short work out of Pierre Guilett. Babalu dominated the fight
as he won by TKO at just 1:57 of Round 1. Meanwhile, Travis Wiuff
is finally getting his due. The fighter who has won 18, count
them, 18 straight fights, put on another impressive performance
defeating highly regarded Pedro Rizzo/Marco Ruas fighter Antoine
Joaude. Joaude, a Pan American Silver Medalist, had a perfect
4-0 record entering the fight. Many people thought Wiuff would
be KO'd if he chose to stand with Joaude, but Wiuff didn't listen.
He stood toe to toe, banging out a very impressive decision.
Now
the UFC can exhale as the showdown is on. Renato "Babalu"
Sobral, a fighter that has won 25 of his last 30 fights, against
Travis Wiuff (pronounced VIEW) who has won 18 straight fights,
and 33 of 37 fights. Wiuff drops in weight from 250 in his last
UFC fight, to 223 in Euphoria to 205 at UFC 52. Can he make it?
One of his trainers said "He's got to 223 still eating ice
cream. He hasn't even began to try and cut. He will make 205
no problem."
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
COFFEE
GUY EXCLUSIVE:
RIGGS MAY REPLACE PRANGLEY FOR UFC 52
By Coffee Guy
The
following exclusive report was sent to us by our Zuffa informant
called 'Coffee Guy':
The
word going around the office is that Trevor Prangley might get
yanked off the UFC 52 card, due to losing a fight in South Africa
last weekend.
Joe
Riggs is rumored to be his replacement.
Source: Fight Sport
|
IMPRESSIVE
START FOR IGOR VOVCHANCHIN
With Pride 29: Fists of Fire having come and gone, the company
is preparing to launch the largest middleweight tournament in
major MMA history with their upcoming grand prix. While at this
time not an official entrant, the “Ukraine Freight Train”
Igor Vovchanchyn has made more than his case for entry in what
should be the year’s premier happening.
It’s
hard to believe that it’s only now after nearly 60 documented
fights that Vovchanchyn is making the move down to 205lbs. Having
had success for so long at heavyweight against much larger fighters,
the 5’9” (depending on who you ask) Ukrainian has faced
some of the biggest names in the sport and come out on top more
often than not. Yet after years of being one of the most consistent
and popular fighters in Pride, ultimate success has seemingly
eluded the grasp of Vovchanchyn. And so now he moves down in
weight to pursue the long overdue championship that he’s
come close to yet never quite achieving.
Few
in the sport will argue that Igor is one of the hardest hitting
fighters in the business. He’s knocked out or submitted
nearly all his opponents from strikes and boasts one of the best
finish percentages in MMA. His willingness to stand and trade
with the biggest fighters in the sport is part of the reason
why he’s so popular, and yet it may also have been his biggest
hindrance to a stellar career.
For
Igor, size has been much like a double-edged sword. It’s
helped him maintain something of a David over Goliath type aura
in his victories over bigger fighters who normally towered above
him in the ring. It’s also cost him when he’s been
overpowered and out-leveraged by opponents who were fighting
in a division where their body mass was more appropriate to their
height than Vovchanchyn’s.
Case
in point have been losses to Mark Coleman, Heath Herring, and
Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic. In each case Vovchanchyn
was facing a naturally larger opponent carrying weight more akin
to their frame. He was unable to get within range to do the kind
of damage he has normally done against fighters closer to the
middleweight class than the unlimited heavyweight class in Pride.
And while he fought without valiantly and without pause each
time, his size could not overcome the naturally larger opposition.
So
after an injury sidelined Igor after he qualified for 2004’s
Heavyweight Grand Prix against ironically much larger Dan Bobish,
Vovchanchyn decided to change things up a bit and take a 9 month
layoff from the sport. When he returned, a svelter, streamlined
Igor appeared and is looking like the Vovchanchyn that was once
regarded as the best striker in the heavyweight division.
Against
Naoya Ogawa disciple Shamoji Fujiii at Bushido 5 the new 205lb
Vovchanchyn made his debut in spectacular fashion. Before the
weight loss Vovchanchyn had always possessed quick hands and
decent mobility, but against Fujiii, Igor looked sharper than
ever, moving less lumberingly as he had in the past. No longer
possessing a stocky thick frame, his new body being more appropriately
sized to his height allowed him to move quickly, flowing more
naturally in his footwork. It only took four minutes before Igor
was in position after a crushing kick to Fujiii’s chest
that he was on top of him raining punches down finishing the
fight in oldschool Igor style.
Then
at this past Fists of Fire, Vovchanchyn returned to the big show
against an overmatched Yoshiki Takahashi and made quick work
of the former Heavyweight King of Pancrase. After a lot of posturing
by Takahashi, Vovchanchyn quickly asserted himself, aggressively
maneuvering Takahashi to the ropes where he would not be able
to avoid the always fast stone hands of Igor and one right hand
was all it took to put Yoshiki on the mat. Again Vovchanchyn
proved that he is still a force to be reckoned with in Pride.
Now
with just under two months until Total Elimination 2005, Vovchanchyn
appears to be one of the wildcards going into the tournament.
Depending on the match-ups that are chosen for the first round
we could easily see Igor in a sleeper type match early in the
show as much of the attention could be placed firmly on the matches
of such fighters Wanderlei Silva, Kazushi Sakuraba possibly returning
Vitor Belfort. Make no mistake about it though, while the main
spotlight may not be on him now, Igor Vovchanchyn is a fighter
who deserves it and will make a definite impact in the middleweight
division and the Middleweight GP if given the chance. And then
perhaps could the glory and titles finally fall the way of one
the most likable, entertaining, and deserving fighters in the
history of Pride.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Darrel
Gohlar is back to Brazil!
After four months out of Brazil, since he had a serious health
problem, the american wrestler has already returning to train
Brazilians fighters in Rio de Janeiro. "I am 100% now, ready
to go ahead with a normal life", stated. Darrel can be found
at Chamapions Factory Team, at Copacabana Beach, and at Royler´s
Gracie Gym, in Tijuca (RJ).
Darrel
Gohlar moved to Brazil in 2001, when he was contacted to ride
wrestling trainning at Brazilian Top Team. After that he teached
some months in Wallid´s Brazil Dojo and finally returned
to USA on last August.
Source:
Tatame
|
Final
Thoughts from PRIDE 29
by Masa Fukui
TOKYO, Feb. 24 –If you get to come to backstage at a PRIDE
event, there is so much information you can get that you’d
never see on a pay-per-view. So I’ll share some of that
info with you and add a few of my thoughts, as usual.
Let’s
start off with Sherdog.net forum regular Tom Erikson against
wonder man, Fabricio Werdum. In this fight, most Japanese fans
focused on newcomer Werdum because Mirko "Cro Cop"
Filipovic mentioned his name whenever he had a chance; also Fabricio’s
entry for PRDIE 29 was announced pretty early. So a lot of people
must have a good image of this young man.
He
is a jiu-jitsu world champion and trains with Cro Cop, who has
been proving himself is the best striker in MMA. (Sounds like
Fabricio is in the perfect environment for MMA training. Well,
the fight ended perfect for him, too, finishing Erikson in the
first round.)
If
my memory is correct, I met Werdum at the world famous Beverly
Hills Jiu-Jitsu Club, and my good friend female fighter Mayra
Conde told me the Brazilian went to Abu Dhabi as Mark Kerr’s
partner. Then, because Ricco Rodriguez didn’t join the tournament,
Werdum replaced Ricco and amazingly advanced to the final.
This
guy is a natural.
But
let’s look at the other corner. This man Erikson had an
offer to fight just 12 days before the scheduled date. Twelve
days notice, fellas! And fighting against the guy who’s
already got on the top of the world in jiu-jitsu competition.
So
Erikson hasn’t fought in PRIDE or any MMA competition for
three years. And he took this 12-day notice fight. Should he
have passed on this offer? What would you have done if you were
a wrestling coach at Purdue University?
He’s
been looking to fight in a big organization for a long time and
he finally he got this offer from PRIDE. What would you do if
you were him? Would you take this offer? To be honest, I’d
take this offer if I were him. And either win or lose, I will
appeal for next fight in any PRIDE show. And that’s what
happened on him. I think it’s very smart move by Erikson.
For him to take this offer is very professional.
No
sarcasm is involved in my words at all. As a professional fighter,
to be exposed in the media is very important. If you want to
fight, you should come out in front of the media and say what
you want.
This
time, in the post-fight interview, Erikson appealed for another
fight in PRIDE. Yes, he has a right to say that because he paid
for it by his blood and braveness. He took this offer, which
is setting him up against some kinda world champion in 12-days
notice. Boy, you need a pair of hardcore cajones to take this
offer.
In
the fight, anything can be happen. How many times have we seen
a fighter break his nose or get a serious injury? Let’s
say Werdum is a grappler who may not have real good strikes.
But, still, he can be knocked out (Travis Lutter put The Beastman
into sleep). And this concussion can give you some serious brain
damage. Or at least you’ll be suffered by anxiety headache.
While
Quinton Jackson was complaining about fighting on short notice
(more than twice as much as Erikson had) he took this offer.
In addition, I agree with Quinton. One month is still very short
if fighters wish to perform their best in the ring or octagon,
especially in MMA. Let’s talk about this short notice issue
another time.
Hopefully,
somebody is listening to what Erikson said after the fight and
he’ll get another shot in PRIDE. I don’t have any problem
with that. I’d like to see how much he could improve his
skill from here, when he has plenty time to prepare for the fight.
This
sports evolves very quickly. The latest fight style can be old
fashion in six months, so I hope he can adjust his style to the
all the "new schoolers" with cooperation from his friend
Gary “Big Daddy” Goodridge or his student Jon Fitch.
Otherwise, his wrestling background can work only for brown hair
Alice Cooper—I mean curly hair Silva. Good luck big man!
Let
me see, my notes that I took at the Saitama Super Arena say,
“Brazil is in carnival season. … And Kazu Nakamura
is pissed.” Sorry it must be written by somebody else. I
don’t remember. But let’s talk about this Japanese
gentleman Nakamura.
He’s
the only Japanese guy who won in PRIDE 29. It’s kinda sad.
We host the show, but we had only one winner. (Oops, my bad.
Mr. Tamura won the fight too.) Anyway, Kazu Nakamura focused
well even though his opponent was changed right before the fight
from Ryan Gracie to Stephen Leko. These two are very different
fighters.
“I
heard that my opponent is changed to Leko on Thursday last week.”
Nakamura said after the fight. “When I heard that I can’t
fight Ryan, I couldn’t train all day on that day because
I was very disappointed.”
Since
his opponent was changed, he faced other pressure. Leko has been
finished in every single fight. Then what kind of pressure could
he have? How about how he beats Leko? That’s how people
evaluate Nakamura. And he told us so in the interview. But the
fight went how he wanted.
He
was saying in an interview before the fight he wants to beat
his opponent until he cries. Well, Leko didn’t cry in the
ring. He may be crying in his heart, but, well, I’m not
gonna talk about Leko anymore. I already wrote about that. And
Kazu won with ease.
Anyhow,
you know what? Nakamura should have gone after Ryan really bad
on New Years Eve. He should have put a fire in Ryan’s heart,
like Josh Koscheck and Bobby Southworth pushed Chris Leben to
the edge (without saying “fatherless bastard”).
After
the fight against Leko, Kazu actually spoke on the mic 10 times
better than what he did to Ryan’s face. “If there’s
somebody who knows Ryan, tell him not to run away from me,”
he said. “I’ll be the main, most featured fighter in
up coming middleweight tournament. So, please remember my name.
Just Kazu is good. And thank you for your support.”
It
was short but at least he said “DON’T RUN AWAY FROM
ME” to Ryan this time. That’s a progress. I think just
those five words may make it done deal of Kazu-Ryan. Hopefully
it happens.
In
the post-fight interview, there was a question: “Would you
fight Yoshida if you have to fight him in the tournament.”
And this young soldier answered the question right away. “Yes,
I don’t have any second thought for fighting against my
sensei,” he said.
Wow,
interesting. Hey, anyone reading this column, can you try to
knockout your instructor? Some maybe really want to do that,
but that’s just not me.
Next
Choi. I wasn’t a fan of this guy but after this PRIDE, I
became his fan. He made me one. I am not a fan of his strength,
but I like his character is good. Every time he come up to the
show, he puts smiles on people’s face.
Didn’t
he even make the Russian killer laugh? Sergei Kharitonov never
changes his face. It’s like he wears a mask. The only time
I see his face is changed is when he speaks. He open his mouth
when he talks. Did you laugh? I’ve never seen such a stare
up and down from right from left.
This
is just my Idea, but I think he finally got enough attention
from the Japanese audience, which is big enough to bring him
back in this ring. Yeah, he’s not the main dish of dinner
yet, but he’s definitely became something you kinda want
on the table, like salt and pepper, or more like soup or salad.
Now
Japan is in the middle of a big Korean boom. Lots of Korean culture
such as TV drama, movie, and music come to this island. Choi
caught a good wave to surf. I’m very happy for him. I’m
looking forward to see his next performance. Come on PRIDE usually
has about 10 fights a night. We can watch some real fight that
is tiny bit comical.
Two
UFCs ago, my mentor Mike Sloan had a little problem when he wrote
that Rich Franklin looks like a zombie when he cuts a lot of.
Hope I don’t get the same problem by saying that Igor Vovchanchyn
looks like zombie. (OK, “zombie” is too strong. But
among Japanese anime characters he definitely belongs to dark
side.)
Man,
Igor looks so different. But even if he lost lots of weight from
his belly or face, he still kept his devastating power on his
punches. He knocked out this tough guy, former Pancrase heavyweight
champion Yoshihiro Takahashi.
Takahashi
spit out how he felt after getting knocked out. “I’ve
never been knocked out by a single punch until today,” he
said after the fight. “I’m still dizzy and have headache.”
“I
was very excited when I saw Igor is facing me in the ring because
that’s Igor Vovchanchyn looking at me to beat me up! That’s
very exciting,” he said.
Holy
Motown! I don’t want to face off against any of those guys.
I think, Igor’s effort to lose weight made his dream come
true. It’s not finished yet, but I think this flashy win
will bring him to the middleweight tournament. Hey boys, would
you like to see Igor vs. Tito or Igor against Wanderlei? Either
fight sounds awesome for me.
Igor
is a brawler with decent technique. I think all of you remember
that war against Enson Inoue against Igor in PRIDE1 0. It’s
a fight that people still talk about as such a tough war. Enson
started to brawl without worrying about anything. But If Igor
didn’t fire back that fight could be not exciting as it
really was.
To
have a legendary battle, there should be brave fighter against
brave fighter. And Igor definitely can be one of those brave
men. He’ll put on a great show in April.
On
a final note, we’d like to say a big thank you to Yoshinori
Ihara from Boutreview.com. He always helps us at the shows. Visit
Boutreview.com or Boutreviewusa.com. Cheers for Mr. Ihara
Peace
Source:
Sherdog
|
LEBEN
ARTICLE IN PORTLAND TRIBUNE
The following article appeared in this weekend's Portland Tribune....
By JASON VONDERSMITH
Portlander
Chris Leben came off as part sore loser, part problem child during
his six-week appearance on the SpikeTV reality series “The
Ultimate Fighter.”
Already
branded with a reputation as a drinker and troublemaker in the
series involving men competing for Ultimate Fighting Championship
contracts in Las Vegas, Leben ingloriously exited the show last
Monday.
Leben
had promised retribution and destruction in his match with fellow
middleweight Josh Koscheck, who disrespected Leben by spraying
water on him while he slept in the previous episode; this after
Koscheck’s buddy called Leben “a fatherless bastard.”
But
in the highly anticipated elimination match among the combat
sports set, Koscheck took Leben down and rode him for most of
the two rounds of their elimination fight, and judges awarded
Koscheck with the unanimous decision.
Rather
than congratulate the winner, Leben whined about Koscheck’s
wrestling tactic and the length of the bout being two rounds
instead of three. He vowed that he would get revenge eventually.
The last scene was of Leben sobbing, slumped over in the front
seat of an SUV headed out of town.
Oh,
what drama.
“I
don’t think he did enough to win the fight,” says Leben,
24, a teacher and competitor at Team Quest in Gresham. “If
you’re wrestling somebody, I don’t think you’re
fighting. It’s within the rules, but if you lay and pray,
take me down and hold me, you’re not doing any damage.”
On
the other hand, relying on wrestling technique in mixed martial
arts has made Leben’s mentor, Randy Couture — a trainer
in the show — the greatest UFC competitor ever. Leben had
to expect Koscheck, a four-time All-American wrestler at Edinboro
(Pa.) University, who went 42-0 in 2001, to try to strictly wrestle
him.
Leben,
a reputed street fighter who wrestled at Benson High, came out
way too tentatively.
“I
was waiting for (his) shot; knew he wanted to shoot,” Leben
says. “My strategy was to sprawl and brawl. I think I probably
gave him too much respect, as far as his wrestling skills go.
“If
I would have been more relaxed, I could have thrown my hands
better. I was pretty upset (with Koscheck). The thing about fighting
is it’s just like … basketball. You can’t get
nervous before the last shot, or be mad before the shot at the
buzzer. You need to be relaxed. I really wanted to knock his
jaw off.”
Was
Leben embarrassed by his post-fight display and other bad behavior?
“Nobody likes to lose. I wish I would have won, but I wasn’t
embarrassed,” he says. “I feel I did my job, he just
came out with the ‘W.’ ”
Besides,
Leben says, although he likes being the bad guy, the show’s
editors do a pretty creative job of building characters. His
behavior wasn’t as bad as edited footage made it appear.
“They can really skew things so that they can portray you
in any light,” he says, citing a few examples.
Leben returned to Portland more focused, he says. “I haven’t
been out drinking and partying as much.”
Says
Couture: “Chris Leben grew more as an individual than anybody
(on the show). He’s matured a whole bunch; he’s trying
to clean up his personal life and extracurricular activities.
Trying to take advantage of his opportunities. He’s been
one of my best instructors (since his return). … I see something
in him you can’t teach — a tenacious desire. I’d
like to see it tempered with some common sense.”
Through
six episodes, Couture’s team has taken a beating in competitions
against Chuck Liddell’s team.
“There’s
no substitute for poor coaching,” Couture quips. “But
you have to keep in mind, it’s a reality show, and there’s
a lot of twists and turns.”
Source:
MMA Weekly
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John
Hackleman Jr. vs Rusty Giminski Rematch
John Hackleman Sr. & The Most Handsome Man In The World,
aka Chris Onzuka...and most modest...
On the 9th of April we will be hosting our kick-boxing smoker
at the Gracie Sports Center. One of the most anticipated matches
will be John Hackleman Jr. vs Rusty Giminski. The two had recently
fought in Sacramento where Rusty won by split decision. John
Hackleman Sr. has asked for a rematch and Rusty's coach, Wade
Vierra, has agreed to the fight. We will also see many of our
top fighters competing against some of the area's best kick-boxing
practitioners.
Source:
Gracie Fighter
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