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2005
12/10/05
Proving
Grounds -
ROTR
Qualifer
(MMA)
(Hilo Civic Center)
11/19/05
ROTR 9
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena)
11/14/05
3rd American National BJJ Championships
(Torrance Unified School District, Torrance, CA )
10/29-30/05
Brazilian Team Titles
(Equipes)
(Brazil)
10/05
Proving
Grounds -
ROTR
Qualifer
(MMA)
(Lahaina Civic Center, Maui)
9/05
Proving
Grounds -
ROTR
Qualifer
(MMA)
(Kauai)
8/27-28/05
International
Masters & Seniors BJJ Tournament
(Tijuca Tenis Clube, Tijuca, Brazil)
8/05 (tentative)
ROTR 8
(MMA)
(Las Vegas, NV)
7/23-31/05
World BJJ
Championships (Mundial)
(Tijuca Tenis Clube, Tijuca, Brazil)
7/23/05
BJJ & Submission Grappling Tournament
(TBA)
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)
4/16/05
Warriors Quest
(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)
|
|
March 2005 News
Part 3
Wednesday night and Sunday
classes (w/ a kids' class) now offered!
 
For the special Onzuka.com
price, click on one of these banners above! |
Tuesdays at 8:30PM on
Olelo Channel 52
New Time! |
Quote
of the Day
"Anybody can become angry - that is easy; but to be angry
with the right person, and to the right degree, and at the right
time, and for the right purpose, and in the right way -- that
is not within everybody's power and is not easy."
Aristotle, BC 384-322, Greek Philosopher
|
THE
JAKE R. REPORT:
JUNE UFC TO MOVED TO U.S.; GANNON'S DEBUT
A little
birdy told us that the UFC in June may be held in Hawaii. Now
before you ask, I could tell you, but then I would have to kill
you. Remember, if it comes to pass, you heard it first on Onzuka.com
Before reading any further, please read our disclaimer first.
In
yet another in the long line of exclusives for Fightsport.com,
sources in Iowa have informed this cyber reporter that the planned
UFC in June has now been changed to an American location. Zuffa
had originally wanted to stage the June show in Japan.
Also,
rumors are swirling that the card will have a heavyweight representative
from PRIDE.
Finally,
sources in New England are telling me that Sean Gannon, of Kimbo
Slice fight fame, will be on the June card making his UFC debut.
As
usual, stick to the Jake R Report for exclusive reports that
are days, weeks, and even months ahead of the rest of the MMA
Media.
Source: Fight Sport
|
THE
JAKE R. REPORT: TRIGG AND 'KTFO' NEWS
Before
reading any further, please read our disclaimer first.
Sources
close to the camp of Frank Trigg have informed me that 'KTFO'
offered Frank Trigg a chance to wear a KTFO patch on his shorts
as sponsorship. Like most people involved in the sport, Trigg
views KTFO as a joke. Accordingly, he demanded USD$4,000 for
the patch, which KTFO turned down, and which also soured relations
between the two camps.
As
usual, stick to the Jake R Report for exclusive reporting you
won't read anywhere else for days, weeks, and even months.
Source: Fight Sport
|
ROYCE
SPEAKS
Royce Gracie
The
'Times Leader' newspaper recently interviewed Royce Gracie. Here's
what Royce had to say (interview by Brian Thomas):
Times
Leader: How did you first hear about the Ultimate Fighting Championships
back in 1993?
Royce:
My brother created the show.
Times
Leader: What were the expectations when you went into the event?
Did you think it was going to be a one time thing?
Royce:
I was right there in the same house, and we were living together
when he set up the event. The way he set up the whole thing,
I knew it would be around for a while.
Times
Leader: When you got into it, did you think it would grow to
the level that it is at today?
Royce:
Yes, just because people were interested in seeing [for example]
Muhammad Ali stepping in the ring against Bruce Lee, with no
rules... the curiosity of the people. So, we knew it was going
to grow.
Times
Leader: You had some guys in the early days who liked to shoot
their mouths off with challenges. Do you get a lot of that on
the street?
Royce:
No, I never got that, but there's a lot of Internet wars out
there. They can challenge and talk trash, but never show up or
do anything.
Times
Leader: Did you have a lot of background on the fighters in the
early days, or was it like a surprise?
Royce:
Kind of like a surprise. I knew their style. Some of the them
[the fighters] I knew of them... because of their ranking.
Times
Leader: In UFC 1, Art Jimmerson said in a pre-fight interview:
"You can't hit what you can't see." He never even hit
you once. How do you feel about guys who make statements like
that?
Royce:
[laughing] He was talking about ME hitting him, because he was
going to be very fast, and it happened to him.
Times
Leader: In the early days it seemed like you and your family's
techniques had almost a few years advantage... It took the world
time to catch up, and now the whole world uses your family's
techniques. Did you have to adapt, and did you think the world
was going to catch on?
Royce:
If we didn't want them to catch on, we wouldn't be teaching seminars
and opening schools all over the world, so the intention is to
spread the word. I'm no Superman. We're not anybody special.
We just know what we are doing.
Times
Leader: When you fought Kimo in UFC 3, did you get physically
hurt or were you just too exhausted to continue?
Royce:
Dehydration.
Times
Leader: In a recent book released about the UFC, it has come
to light that in UFC 3, Ken Shamrock was supposedly injured and
could not continue. But in reality, Ken Shamrock actually "refused
to come out of the locker room" because he found out you
could not continue. What are your thoughts?
Royce:
"I think Ken Shamrock is full of shit because he's never
won a tournament. He was a 'made-up fighter.' He never won a
UFC tournament, that's why a lot of UFC fighters got pissed they
named him as "The World Most Dangerous Man", and they
put him in the superfights.
Times
Leader: Do you think in the early days jiu-jitsu was not respected?
Royce:
Grappling arts were NOT respected at all. They were not considered
to be martial arts. If you opened up a Black Belt magazine over
15 years ago, there was no judo, no wrestling, no grappling,
no jiu-jitsu. Nothing! Today, you open a Black Belt magazine,
there are tons of articles.
Times
Leader: Family pride and family honor is more than just a saying,
or more than a logo you might put on a shirt. Can you tell me
how that's helped you in your career?
Royce:
Everything that I am... is jiu-jitsu. From the technique and
dignity of the sport, and our flag, and I'll take care of my
family's name with sweat, affection, and love.
Times
Leader: In your most recent fight, you proved you still have
the skills to get the job done. Fighter Randy Couture seems to
be on top of his game in his early 40's, and even maybe better
than when he started. How much longer do you intend to keep fighting?
Royce:
I was done five years ago. Man, they keep bringing me back! [laughing]
Times
Leader: So what makes you come back and fight?
Royce:
Challenges! Give me good challenges!
Times
Leader: It has been said that behind every great man, there's
a great woman. How important is it to have a supportive wife
and family in this sport?
Royce:
For the last three years I have NOT been home on my birthday,
Christmas, or New Years. You tell me?
Times
Leader: Where do you see Mixed Martial Arts and Ultimate Fighting
going in the next 10 to 20 years?
Royce:
Becoming very popular - more shows. Fighters will get paid more.
More sponsors will get involved. People now realize this is a
sport.
Times
Leader: In closing, what do you want to the world to know about
Royce Gracie? What kind of legacy do you want to leave behind?
Royce:
In a perfect world, I would not be a fighter. [laughs] I just
fight because I know what I'm doing. Whatever you do, you might
as well do it well. Simple as that!
Source: Fight Sport
|
Quote
of the Day
"We are hungry for more; if we do not consciously pursue
the More, we create less for ourselves and make it more difficult
to experience More in life."
Judith Wright, Author, There Must Be More Than This
|
PRIDE
Audition Winner to Debut in
Super Brawl April 9th
Neal Blaisdell Arena
Fights start at 7:30 PM
Tickets on sale now!
If KJ Noons thought life would get easier after winning the Pride
auditions in Los Angeles he was mistaken. He was immediately
sent to Matt Hume's AMC Pankration in Seattle, WA. for intense
training. "He is very talented, but also very raw. We have
really pushed him these past weeks. He was lacking some tools
to be a top fighter. He has made alot of progress, we think it
is time for his first test." Matt Hume
KJ will fight on Super Brawl 39, scheduled on April 9th, in Honolulu,
Hawaii. The card will be headlined by Super Brawl World Champion
Masanori Suda and #1 contender Falaniko Vitale. Pride executives will be on hand. Super Brawl
will be adopting Pride rules for this event. In addittion Pride
referee Yuji Shimada will be oversee all the fights.
|
WEEKEND
OF UPSETS:
FRANCA KO'D BY COOPER..
PENN LOSES DECISION IN JAPAN
While
most people wouldn’t consider BJ Penn losing at heavyweight, the oddsmakers
did make Penn the favorite. MMA’s premiere oddsmaker, Joey
Oddessa told MMAWeekly Radio on Friday, “If I did make a
line on thefight, it would’ve been Penn as a slight favorite
at -200….”
So
with that in mind, Penn’s loss to Lyoto Machida may be a
slight upset to some, but no one would have guessed that Hermes
Franca, a top 10 fighter in the world, would get knocked out
by Ray
“Bradda” Cooper in Hawaii at the Shooto event.
Cooper
defeated Hermes Franca by KO from a punch from the guard! He
landed the shot at 2:57 minute in Round 1. So the big question
is what becomes of the two fighters who lost this weekend.
BJ
Penn had nothing to lose and since he forced a majority decision,
his stock is still sky-high. It’s
going to be interesting to see if he even wants to come down
to 170 ever again, or if he will fight in
the 185 division since he has been fighting right around 180
pounds.
This
was a bad loss for Franca and a huge win for Cooper. Hermes is
a great fighter; however, he has just two wins in his last six
fights. Yes, it was against world class competition, and yes
there were controversial decisions, but 2-4 is still 2-4.
Cooper
is now in an interesting position. He has won 6 of his last 8
fights. In that time span he has split two fights with Jake Shields
and now has a win over Hermes Franca.
Shooto
has been good to Cooper and he may be in position with one more
win, to get involved
in some of the bigger tournaments around the world at 155. It’s
unfortunate for Cooper that he won’t fight in the UFC anytime
soon, because with a win this weekend he probably has the credentials
to fight in the Octagon, IF they still were promoting the lightweight
division. For now the UFC Lightweight division is on hold. A
Cooper vs Yves Edwards match up would be sensational between
two great stand up fighters. Rumble on the Rock are you listening?
Source: MMA Weekly
|
THE
CHOPPING BLOCK: TITO ORTIZ
Commentary by 'Theaxemurderer'
Welcome
to the latest edition of 'The Chopping Block', a place where
I will air out all my thoughts about MMA.
Let's
get started...
Tito
Ortiz Is without a doubt the biggest pussy in MMA of the new
millenium.
Let's
look at the FACTS:
-
Tito is the 2nd biggest light heavyweight in the world.
-
He is afraid to join the PRIDE middleweight GP, the most prestigious
event ever held, and an oppurtunity that some people would give
their 'sack' for... and they are supposedly offering him big
money as well. However, I think Ortiz will eventually realize
that after he fights Shammy (Ken Shamrock), that Dana White will
never, ever, ever give him another big pay day. Unless, of course,
there is a rubber match.
Tito's
the fighter of UFC in the 90's... but his short 15 minutes of
fame is over in America now. And in the last 5 years after his
decline, he is a free agent, and not signed by the UFC. PRIDE
is offering him not only an oppurtunity to prove he is the 'best
in the world', but to prove all the naysayers wrong.
-
My personal opinion is that Tito is afraid of the possibility
of fighting guys like Igor Vovchanchyn, Vitor Belfort (IN PRIDE!!),
Vanderlei Silva, Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson...
SO
what it all boils down to folks, is that Tito Ortiz is a two-faced
person.
When
he is in the octagon and carrying the flag up the bleachers,
he claims to be the best fighter on the planet, and believes
it too...
But
then when he comes back to reality, he bitches out to guys like
Ken Shamrock (not signing to fight him), gets clocked by Patrick
Cote, and of course beaten down by Vitor Belfort.
Tito
lets opportunity pass him by, and that is why he will never reach
even close to the true potential which he is supposedly capable
of... He just closes his eyes and lets the world go past, failing
to rise above the rank of 'journeyman'.
And
before you think I am simply bashing him... think to yourselves
one thing...
would
any true fighter that you know give up a chance to fight in the
PRIDE middleweight GP????
FUCK
NO.
I
know people who would give up a NUT or TWO to get into PRIDE
middleweight GP. Getting invited is like an honor. To pass on
it shows you are obviously not confident in yourself and your
skills, and have no bussiness in the RING.
Stick
to the CAGE Tito! You can always win lay'n'pray decisions.
Next
stop... WWE.
Source: Fight Sport
|
Names
in the Game celebrates two year Anniversary..
With 2 Names in the Game..
MMAWeekly
first debuted the popular column entitled 'Names in the Game'
in March 2003. The concept was simple- to showcase some of the
rising fighters in the world of Mixed Martial Arts.
Over
the past two years the column has featured fighters like Jorge
Rivera, Hermes Franca, and Rich Crunkilton all before their big
event debuts. More recently, fighters like Charles McCarthy,
Jorge Gurgel, and Chatt Lavender have been introduced to our
sport's growing audience. MMAWeekly is proud of this milestone
and continues to introduce tomorrow's MMA stars today in 'Names
in the Game'.
To
mark this special occasion we offer a double installment this
week.......
MFS
standout Jason Reinhardt returns to action this weekend in the
main event of the Courage Fighting Championship. Reinhardt will
look to remain undefeated as he fights in front of his hometown
crowd. MMAWeekly's Tim Spagnola recently spoke with one of this
sport's rising Bantamweights as Reinhardt discussed his training
background, his overcoming chronic back pain, and future fighting
plans including the possibility of competing in Japan. MMAWeekly
is pleased to feature Jason Reinhardt as one of this week's 'Names
in the Game'.
MMAWeekly:
Jason-
thanks for taking the time to speak with MMAWeekly. Can you tell
us a bit about on how you first got involved with MMA?
Reinhardt:
I
started Tae Kwon Do at age ten. Competed in over hundred tournaments,
until I was eighteen years old. I won the Junior Olympics and
the Nationals 2 times. I thought Tae kwon Do was the shit! I
went to college in St. Louis, Mo. and hooked back up with my
original Korean instructor and opened a Tae Kwon Do school in
Edwardsville Illinois to help pay some of my college. I didn't
finish college, sold the school after 2 years and came back to
my hometown Decatur, Illinois in 199O, and ran and instructed
another Korean Tae Kwon Do DoJo for 6 years man. I still was
brainwashed. When I saw the first UFC and Royce Gracie dominating
I started to question my fighting ability, and realized I was
no fighter. I was a Dancer doing these Tae Kwon Do jumping Tornado
kicks and down blocks, and forms that wouldn't save me in the
street if my life depended on it. I had a talk with my 9th?Degree
Grandmaster (Laughs) and the sucker still managed to convince
me to continue with Tae Kwon Do and teach for him. (His Way)
He was smart because I was making him a lot of moneyman. I had
116 students, and I was getting paid $200 a week. What an idiot
I was. But Tae Kwon Do did teach me one thing as a child and
that was Respect, Honesty, and Loyalty, which I still value to
this day. I'm grateful to my Parents for spending all the time
and money for getting me into Tae Kwon Do, and the endless hours
my mother would drive me to class and wait hours for me. I felt
very guilty leaving all those students, but if I was going to
be a real fighter and become a true martial artist I had to leave.
MMAWeekly:
So
what was the next step in the quest?
Reinhardt:
I
finally got the courage and told Grandmaster Joong S. Chung I
was leaving to study Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. He always talked bad
about the UFC and the Gracie's. I saw through all that, and I
left in 1996. I taught for him every single day from 1990 to
1996. Six days a week. No Vacations. This is how nuts this guy
was.
So,
I searched for a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu school and could not find
one so I started Judo instead. I competed, and found Judo very
frustrating, with all the rules and stuff. I finally found my
first BJJ instructor named Greg Giddings from Springfield Illinois.
Those days were awesome. Greg studied directly under Royce and
is an amazing teacher, and he had NHB experience. If he would
have continued I believe he could have gone far, but he had no
real desire. He just wanted to do it a couple times. He stuck
to the exact techniques the Torrance Academy trained him in.
I trained with Greg for two years driving back and forth 35 miles
to Springfield Illinois. I fought some amateur fights Greg use
to put on called GMAP "Giddings Martial Arts Program"
in basically a warehouse with no real mats. It was wild, but
ran professionally. Then Greg drove me to another one of his
instructors near St. Louis named Mike Griffin from Pro Gym. Then
I found out a lot of the techniques I was learning was coming
from Mike Griffin, because he was teaching Greg when Greg wasn't
going to Torrance Gracie Academy anymore. Mike Griffin actually
had one of the first, if not the first Gracie Academy's in Illinois.
Mike took privates from Rickson Gracie, and has also been in
martial arts over 30 years. So, I started driving to Mike Griffin's
school two and a half hours near St. Louis and still trained
with Greg Giddings. Mike Griffin Trained UFC Vet C.J Fernandez
and UFC Veteran Jermaine Andre comes and trains with Mike. Actually
Jermaine and I just completed a lot of extensive training privately
with Mike Griffin last month. Mike Griffin is a great NHB coach
and trainer. He's been very good to me!
MMAWeekly:
What
about today? Who are you currently training with Jason?
Reinhardt:
In
the beginning of 1999 I met my favorite fighter in the UFC 5
time World Champion Pat Miletich. Pat and Jeremy Horn did a seminar
close to my house and I couldn't believe I was in the room with
these guys. I looked up to Pat as a fighter because he took MMA
to the next level, and guys wouldn't be where they are today
in this sport if it wasn't for guys like Pat. Monte Cox and Pat
accomplished a lot together.
Pat
accepted me and offered me to come to Iowa and train, as did
Jeremy. It was a huge honor. Mike Griffin encouraged me to make
the drive to Iowa. I did this every week at first and then every
other week or so and trained for 3 or 4 days as much as possible.
Then I tried to make it at least once a month. I would come back
home and practice for hours with what all the guys at MFS shared
with me. It's a three hour drive, and believe me I took my beatings
in the old racquetball court and it's what's made me the fighter
I am today. I can't see myself giving up in a fight. That's not
in me, unless it's a joint submission I can't escape. Pat's made
my mind strong!
I
will never forget and I will always be grateful to Kelly Wiseman,
Jason Black, Jens Pulver, Tim Silvia, Tony Fryklund, Jason Medina,
Spencer Fisher and his wife Emily, Justin Eilers, Roy Markem,
Robbie Lawler, for always offering me their homes to sleep at.
They would always get pissed when I got a hotel. I just hate
to impose on people. But, they let me stay many, many nights
at their homes. I'm actually getting ready to go next week to
train. Iowa is my get away man. I'm most at peace when I am there.
It's weird. It's just a great energy and vibe. You can't explain
it until you experience it. You know when good energy is in a
room, your training goes smooth, and your confidence gets better
and better. Being a Team is so important. It can be the difference
between success and failure. Fighting is 75% mental, and your
mind has to be right. When the team is a family and everyone
is Loyal you can accomplish anything. Sorry for the long answer,
but I have a lot to say and this is my very first interview in
six years, and I want to thank a lot of people. I really don't
fight for myself. I fight for all the guys who have put their
time and effort in me. I always want to represent.
MMAWeekly:
Jason-
Not a problem at all and thanks for sharing your story. Now you
currently hold an undefeated professional MMA record correct?
Reinhardt:
Undefeated
doesn't mean shit. All it means is that you haven't been beat
yet. It's way over-rated, and you keep fighting in this sport
and your day will come. When my day comes I just hope it's a
war, and a great fight. However- I don't plan on losing anytime
soon. Let me make that very clear. I train very hard and dedicate
myself 110%. Ask my Wife - I'm surprised she hasn't divorced
me yet. However, Just like Matt Hughes says- "Everyone's
undefeated until they lose". I liked that quote.
MMAWeekly:
Most
of your professional wins have come with the submission and an
overall impressive ground game, where is your standing game at
this point in your training?
Reinhardt:
Yeah,
I've got the submissions, because I think being smaller and always
training with bigger guys I was forced to work off my back. However,
since I broke my neck and had surgery in 2002, I had to go through
a lot of re-hab if I wanted to continue to fight. So I really
started training boxing more and more, because it hurt my back
so much to grapple. But that is all behind me now, and I'm back
to wrestling and doing Jiu Jitsu. It's been a long road. I like
striking and I box every week and Justin Eilers says I hit very
hard, and he's lifted my confidence. So hopefully I can bang
a little, but I won't be Jens Pulver anytime soon.
MMAWeekly:
Besides
the beatings you get in training all day- to date who has been
your toughest fight?
Reinhardt:
Man,
that's a hard one. My toughest fight was probably Ray Duke from
Arizona. The guy was a stud wrestler and a good boxer (too bad
he didn't continue fighting, he had a lot of potential). He broke
my nose in that fight and I was actually out. He landed on my
back and threw an elbow on the back of my neck and woke me up.
It was a weird feeling. Some guy from the crowd caught my mouthpiece
and gave it to the ref. It was the first time I had been hit
hard like that in NHB. Luckily I got back to my feet, shot a
shitty takedown. Ray Duke stuffed my shitty takedown and I pulled
guard and finally got the armlock. He was strong and had weight
on me. It was for the SFC Bantamweight Title Belt. The late Brian
Madden's event- who started promoting NHB shows in the St. Louis
area. It was really tough because Brian passed away suddenly
unexpected a week before this big show, but despite this tragedy
so many great people from our sport made the drive and made the
show happen. It's what Brian would have wanted.
MMAWeekly:
What
I am sure he would have wanted indeed. Now you will be in the
main event of the Courage Fighting Championships #2, who will
you be facing?
Reinhardt:
I
will be fighting Tom Logdon. I think that's his name. He's from
Indiana. I hear he's a toughman fighter who likes to bang. He
a toughman fighter who converted over to MMA. On March 15th he
had another boxing match. This is perfect for me, because I want
to give my hometown friends an exciting fight. I will stand and
trade with him, and have fun. I'm not worrying too much about
winning or losing. The last thing I want to do is take him down
and get a fast submission. I just hope my instincts don't take
over. I can't underestimate his ground game at all, because I
hear he has won by submissions also.
MMAWeekly:
What
are your overall thoughts about the upcoming fight?
Reinhardt:
I'm
as excited as ever to show my hometown what I work so hard at.
MMAWeekly:
Can
I get you to make a prediction?
Reinhardt:
I
will be 12-0 March 26. I've trained too hard for this fight to
lose.
MMAWeekly:
Beyond
this event, do you have any other upcoming fights scheduled?
Reinhardt:
Yes,
possibly. Monte Cox is speaking to ZST in Japan. He sent them
pictures, and hopefully something will come of it.
MMAWeekly:
How
would you respond to the MMA fan that is critical of the lighter
weight classes?
Reinhardt:
Critical.
How could they be? I have a hard time accepting this or understanding
this. I train as hard as anyone, and I am self-motivated. You
will never see me come in out of shape. I promise that. You should
be critical of a fighter who doesn't take the sport seriously,
not the weight class.
MMAWeekly:
What
are fans missing in the Super Fly division?
Reinhardt:
Excitement,
and non-stop action! People would be surprised how hard some
135 and 140-pound fighters hit. Also, fast submissions, and a
lot of heart. What more can you ask for??
MMAWeekly:
What
are your goals overall in this sport?
Reinhardt:
My
number one goal and dream would be to one-day fight in the UFC.
Since the UFC doesn't express interest in the 135-140 pound division,
I will set my goals to Japan. Not that Japan is second best,
because it's not- but I am an American, and what American fighter
who fights MMA would not dream of fighting in the Octagon. Just
like many of us, I've watched the UFC since the beginning. If
it doesn't happen- than it was meant to be. But I'm still not
giving up hope. The UFC should get involved in the lighter weights,
just try it once, and see how it sells. I think they may be surprised.
MMAWeekly:
Well
thanks for the time Jason. Anything you would like to say to
your fans before I let you go?
Reinhardt:
Yes.
Without the fans we do not fight period and the sport dies. I
appreciate everyone who supports this sport. This sport has the
greatest fans and support I have ever witnessed. We have something
very special, and it's amazing to me how MMA has grown. Monte
and I will have over 2000 fans at Courage Fighting Championships,
and this is no accident. It's because of all the people from
the beginning who have fought tooth and nail to keep MMA alive.
It just proves what perseverance will do.
MMAWeekly:
Thanks
for taking the time to speak with MMAWeekly, and best of luck
to you in your upcoming fight.
Reinhardt:
Thank
you Tim- It was an Honor.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Quote
of the Day
"I do not know what path in life you will take, but I do
know this: If, on that path, you do not find a way to serve,
you will never be happy."
Albert Schweitzer. 1875-1965, German Born Medical Missionary,
Theologian, Musician, and Philosopher
|
WARRIORS
QUEST
"RESURRECTION"
SAT, APRIL 16, 2005 Mc Kinnley High Gym
One of Hawaii's Premiere Mixed Martial Arts event is BACK, Mark
your calender as history will once again take place. Hawaii's
Badest MMA and Kickboxing fighters will meet to square of in
one RING. WARRIORS QUEST has a reputation on bring exciting fights
and we promise to keep you entertained!!
Don't miss April 16, 2005 "RESURRECTION"
|
Alexandre
Pequeno
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 blunt. He tried a move I am a specialist
at. I know the best defense is for it. I raised him and leg went
high. It was like a 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 |
PRIDE
FC: BUSHIDO VOLUME 6
Fight Card
(Bouts shown in order from first to last)
Denis Kang (Canada)
vs.
Takahiro (Japan
Amar Suloev (Russia)
vs.
Paulo Filho (Brazil) *
Dean Lister (USA)
vs.
Akira Shoji (Japan) *
Daisuke Nakamura (Japan)
vs.
Marcus Aurelio (Brazil)
Luis “Buscape” Firmino (Brazil)
vs.
Luis Azeredo (Brazil)
Daijyu Takase (Japan) vs. Daniel Acacio (Brazil)
Aleksander Emelianenko (Russia)
vs.
Ricardo “The Mutant” Morais (Brazil)
Ryuta Sakurai (Japan) vs. Murilo Bustamante (Brazil)
Ikuhisa “The Punk” Minowa (Japan)
vs.
Gilbert Yvel (Holland)
Winner Suloev/Filho
vs.
Winner Lister/Shoji
Fedor Emelianenko (Russia)
vs.
Tsuyoshi “TK” Kosaka (Japan)
*
Four Man Middleweight Tournament
Winner Must Fight Twice in One Night
Winner Earns Slot in PRIDE Middleweight Grand Prix
(Fight
Card Subject to Change)
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 PS
Source: Pride FC |
THE
Z-FILES - PART II
BY SCOOP MCTROLL
Remember
take this with a grain of salt. It is just good reading.
In
the January of 2001 the ailing reality fighting contest known
as The Ultimate Fighting Championship, was purchased from its
founder, the SEG CORPORATION by ZUFFA LLC. Three men, Frank Fertitta
III, his younger brother Lorenzo Fertitta and their brother in
law, the low profile but nonetheless powerful, Blake Sartini,
are the owners of ZUFFA LLC. Sartini has since resigned from
Station Casino's however and his current role in ZUFFA is unknown
to this reporter.
The
Fertitta brothers Frank III and Lorenzo, take the limelight in
this partnership and have recently become known to millions of
people through the reality television show 'American Casino'.
As the CEO and President respectively, of the Station Casinos
Empire, they appear on the surface to be amiable and successful
young businessmen. Las Vegas residents may know of Frank through
his involvement in many charities and community projects, including
Catholic Charities, Opportunity Village and the Las Vegas Chapter
of the I Have A Dream Foundation. They may know of Lorenzo Fertitta
from his time on the board of the Nevada State Athletic Commission,
or as the chairman of the Nevada Resort Association. The two
brothers donate hundreds of thousands of dollars per year to
the Republican Party and they are an integral part of the Las
Vegas A-list social scene. Many people have wondered just how
they came to be so successful at such relatively young ages and
where they came from. Our in depth report 'The Z-Files' will
explore these issues and attempt to throw some light on the history
of the family behind The Ultimate Fighting Championship. I hope
you enjoy reading The Z-Files; it is the result of several months
of research.
Part
II
In
1960 Las Vegas was a sleazy paradise for the scum of society,
the mob was heavily invested in Vegas, through both the covert
ownership of Casinos and in the skimming scam that earned them
millions of dollars. Guiseppi 'Nick' Civella was the head of
the Kansas City mob and along with his brother, Carl 'The Cork',
had been making a fortune through illicit means in Vegas casinos.
They received a setback however when they became charter members
of the infamous Nevada "Black Book", which banned them
from all Vegas gaming venues for life. Their nephew, Anthony
Civella would soon become the third family member to end up in
the black book. This meant that they needed to find another way
of getting some of the money being splashed around Vegas.
Frank
Fertitta jr. arrived in Vegas in the same year and his family's
reputation appeared to open many doors for him. He immediately
got work in one of the Casino's and his official job was that
of a bellboy. In a remarkable rate of success, Frank soon became
a Blackjack dealer and then worked his way into management. Throughout
the 1960's Frank Fertitta jr gained a reputation for being a
street smart operator who understood the business as well as
anyone could. Not bad for a guy who arrived in town a few years
prior with little more than the shirt on his back, or so the
story goes.
During
this same period, the Kansas City mob were eager to get their
claws back into some of the Vegas revenue. In 1970 the FBI ran
surveillance on Nick Civella through the use of wire taps and
acquired enough evidence to arrest him and several other mobsters
for fixing the Superbowl between Kansas and Minnesota. An associate
of Civella's named Sol Landie was given immunity in return for
testifying against Civella. In November that same year, Landie's
home was invaded by 4 black men who forced him to watch as they
stripped his wife naked and forced her to commit felatio on each
one of them. Then they took turns at savagely raping and sodomizing
her while forcing Landie to watch the entire ordeal. Once they
had finished with his wife, they murdered Landie. Before they
left, they arranged the room to look as though it was a botched
robbery attempt. A few days later the 4 men were arrested and
they admitted that they had been paid to kill Landie because
of his testimony. Eventually, Nick Civella would serve 20 months
for his part in the Superbowl scam.
By
the early 1970's the Kansas City mob had struck up an association
with a high profile Vegas Casino star named Carl Thomas. Thomas
was soon taken under the wing of the Kansas City mob and he was
used by them as a front man, a respectable cover for the mob.
The Kansas City mob controlled the notorious Teamsters Union
and they had been using the Teamster union members fund money
for several years to fund illegal activities. Using Teamsters
Union money, the mob purchased several casinos in Las Vegas,
the most famous one being the Stardust. Through a strawman named
Alan Glick, the Kansas City mob also purchased and sold The Fremont,
the Tropicana, the Hacienda and the Marina during the 1970's.
Carl
Thomas had been made the Chief Executive Officer of Glick's casinos
and he quickly recommended his friend Frank Fertitta jr for a
President's position. The one time bellboy was now the President
of the Fremont and worked directly under the mob stooge, Alan
Glick. Many of you may remember Glick's thinly diguised character
'Mr Green' in the Martin Scorcese movie 'Casino' starring Robert
De Niro. 'Casino' was based on the true story of the mafia casino
skimming operations at Glick's casinos. Skimming operations that,
according to FBI wiretap transcripts, Frank Fertitta was involved
in.
The
movie 'Casino' was based on the skimming of the Fremont Casino,
when Frank Fertitta jr was it's President.
In
1976 the Kansas City mobster Carl Thomas formed a partnership
with Frank Fertitta jr and they started a 5000 square foot gaming
venue aptly named 'The Casino', the name would later be changed
to 'The Bingo Palace' and eventually 'Palace Station'. Now, Vegas
executives did get paid decent salaries even in those days, but
it's difficult to believe the official version that together
they "scraped together" the money to start 'The Casino'.
For one thing, Carl Thomas was owned by the Kansas City mob and
anything he was involved in, they were involved in. There is
little doubt that at least Thomas's share of 'The Casino' was
backed by mob money, namely that of the Civella Brothers and
their La Cosa Nostra mafia chapter in Kansas City.
Oddly,
Fertitta and Thomas continued to work for the other casinos,
despite now owning one themselves. As a mafia strawman, Glick
was pushed to one side by the mob and they put their own guys
in to run the casinos. Frank "Lefty" Rosenthal and
Tony "The Ant" Spilotro, made millions for the mob
by skimming the slot machine takings at the casinos. Rosenthal,
who was played by the actor Robert de Niro in the movie 'Casino'
(Tony "The Ant" Spilotro was played by Joe Pesci),
was officially known as Glick's entertainment director and he
allegedly reported to the mafia bosses in Kansas and Chicago,
who between them had financed Glick with $62 million in loans
from the Teamsters Union.
The
FBI had long suspected an elaborate skimming operation was taking
place at some of the four Glick owned casinos and launched 'Operation
Strawman', which was a massive surveillance operation that included
telephone wiretaps. It is in one of these wiretaps that Frank
Fertitta jr becomes implicated in the skimming operation. In
this particular scam, the management rigged the scales to make
them read only a third of the actual weight of the coins. The
extra money was skimmed and set aside, later being converted
into paper bills. The skimming was taking place at The Tropicana
and at the Fremont, where Frank Ferttita jr was the President.
Below
is the transcript of the FBI wiretap involving Frank Fertitta
jr, Tropicana Manager Don Shepard and Kansas City mobster Carl
Thomas.
FBI
Wiretap of the Bingo Palace Casino, Las Vegas, Nev. Feb 7, 1979.
9.00pm outgoing call:
Frank
Fertitta Jr, Carl Thomas voices heard, inaudible conversation
takes place between them as the number 9739-2222 is dialled from
The Bingo Palace.
FEMALE
OPERATOR: Tropicana
FERTITTA:
Don Shepard, please (casino manager)
FERTITTA:
Hello Shep.
SHEPARD:
Yeah.
FERTITTA:
Frank.
SHEPARD:
What are you doing?
FERTITTA:
I'm sitting here having a glass of wine with Mr. Thomas.
SHEPARD:
Oh, good.
FERTITTA:
He's telling me how smart he is and, im sitting here listening
to him like an idiot.
SHEPARD:
Yeah.
FERTITTA:
Yeah.
SHEPARD:
If you need anybody to tell you how dumb you are come on over,
im pretty good at that.
FERTITTA:
(Laugh)
SHEPARD:
Ah, this, listen this conversation isn't being recorded is it?
FERTITTA:
I, I really couldn't tell ya.
SHEPARD:
Yeah. Ask, ask, a ask Carl if anybody's going to go boogie-ing
tonight. I'm ready to boogie, do a little YMCA number.
FERTITTA:
You're ready?
SHEPARD:
Oh, yeah, shit, yeah.
FERTITTA:
Jesus Christ, I don't believe this.
SHEPARD:
I'm just sitting here, my legs are twitching. I can hardly wait
to dance.
FERTITTA:
We, were just talking about going out of town or something.
SHEPARD:
Oh, yeah, well actually I should go out of town to dance.
INTERUPTION
OF RECORDING
SHEPARD:
Did you see me?
FERTITTA:
I didn't see you.
SHEPARD:
Oh?
FERTITTA:
No.
SHEPARD:
A quarter of it whatever.
FERTITTA:
Right, so if these coins cost us say $20,000, we got $150,000
on, you know, we're going to have like $130,000 in excess cash.
SHEPARD:
Yeah.
FERTITTA:
You know.
SHEPARD:
Yeah. We don't have that problem over here.
FERTITTA:
Well, yea, you...well I don't mean excess cash, but I mean more
cash than they have so, I don't think its funny here.
SHEPARD:
We've got…I've got about like $80,000 stock
piled.
FERTITTA:
Yeah.
SHEPARD:
You know or something, we, we haven't felt any crunch or anything
I was just curious if you're, you know.
FERTITTA:
Well we had $50,000 see, but I didn't want to make the change
over here until we got them all cause $50,000 wouldn't, you know,
we couldn’t make the change with 50, so, ah,
we need like 150.
SHEPARD:
When are you going to switch your tokens?
FERTITTA:
As soon as I get them all.
SHEPARD:
Yeah.
FERTITTA:
I'll switch in fact I think we're supposed to have them all.
Oh, Jimmy gave me a date today, but I've forgot what it was.
Ah, now maybe next week or something, then I'll probably just
go ahead and switch over.
SHEPARD:
Okay, well listen I'll talk to you.
FERTITTA:
OK
The
FBI swooped on Glick's strawman empire in 1979 and arrested Fertitta's
partner Carl Thomas, Glick, the Civello Brothers and about a
dozen others. Despite the seemingly incriminating wiretap transcript,
the FBI could not get enough substantial evidence to charge Fertitta.
Despite the testimony of former Fremont Security Chief, Harold
McBride, where he swore under oath that Frank Fertitta jr had
been involved in the skimming operation at the Fremont, and wiretap
evidence of the Civella's and Thomas that implicated him, Fertitta
was never charged with the skimming at Fremont casino where he
presided.
Amazingly,
when Thomas first became implicated by the FBI, the ownership
of The Bingo Palace was transferred solely to Frank Fertitta
jr. Did this mean that Frank Fertitta was now a front man for
the Kansas City mob, or are we to believe that they happily sold
him Thomas's share of the casino and wished him well? It's a
tough call, I know.
In
1979 the Nevada Gaming Control board ordered Glick to sell up
and he did, to associates of Moe Dalitz, the man that Frank's
relative, Sam Maceo had helped to get started all those years
ago. Glick sold for $2 million in cash, the assumption of $92
million in debts and with another $66 million to be paid from
the casino's earnings by 1991.
Although
he was one of the few to escape prison, Frank Fertitta jr did
not go completely unscathed in the aftermath of the skimming
scandal. Fertitta was the target of a four year investigation
by the Nevada Control Board but in 1989 they voted 2-1 not to
initiate disciplinary action against him.
Despite
this decision, Fertitta's reputation had been damaged. Some sources
claim that Frank Fertitta jr knew that his mob connections could
hamper any future applications for gaming licences. Whatever
the actual reasons, in 1993 Frank Fertitta jr officially stepped
down as the Chairman of the board and handed over to his son,
Frank Fertitta III, or 'Frankie Three Sticks', as he is known
in some circles. The company then became public. Station Casino's
then applied for licences with the Missouri Gaming Commission
to run casinos in Missouri. Many would ask if it's possible for
a business that was believed to be built on mob money and mob
connections to become squeaky clean simply by changing the name
of the Chairman.
In
1993 the Missouri Gaming Commission called on Frank Fertitta's
former employer and business partner, the convicted casino skimmer
Carl Thomas. They requested information from Thomas about Frank
Fertitta jr, Thomas agreed to attend an inquiry with them. Before
he did this however, Thomas drove to Vegas from his home in Oregon
and met with Station executives to discuss his testimony with
them. Noone really knows exactly how that meeting went down or
what transpired. The people that do know, arent talking. He then
left Vegas to return to Oregon before heading to meet with the
Missouri Gaming Commission. Before he could attend that meeting
and give testimony on Frank Fertitta's background, Thomas was
killed in a bizarre single car accident, it was a clear night
and the road was in good condition. Thomas knew the area well.
Due to Thomas's untimely death, the Missouri Gaming Commission
were unable to complete their inquiry into Frank Fertitta jr
and they granted licences to Station Casinos.
Today,
Frank Fertitta jr keeps busy with his finance company, Frank
Fertitta Enterprises and with his many positions in the community,
including being on the board of Trustees of the University of
Las Vegas and a member of the Bishop Gorman High School Development
Corporation. These days Frank Fertitta jr mixes with the Governor
of Nevada and is a respected member of the Las Vegas community.
When
asked about his former associates Frank Fertitta jr and Carl
Thomas, the infamous criminal Frank 'Lefty' Rosenthal, recollects;
"Carl
introduced me to Frank Fertitta, as "my main guy",
and his right-hand man. Frank became the President of Allen Glick's
Fremont Hotel Casino at the recommendation of Carl Thomas during
my temporary absence from the industry while I was awaiting the
outcome my appeal versus the Nevada Gaming Commission. When I
regained my former position as the CEO of all properties under
the "Argent" (Allen R. Glick Enterprises) umbrella
Frank and I became more interactive. Frank had gained a solid
reputation as a topnotch casino executive who understood the
games with a high degree of professionalism. After several private
meetings and close personal observation I too agreed that Frank
was well suited to operate the second largest Casino in the downtown
area.
During
the course of the next several years Frank with assistance from
Carl Thomas forged an imposing empire. Soon thereafter Carl Thomas
died when his car ran off a winding road in the mountains of
Oregon, I think he could have been bumped! In 1976 Frank opened
the Bingo Palace, ultimately renamed Palace Station. Next came
Boulder Station, then Texas Station, Barley's and Sunset Station.
Frank
was driving hard on course to become a behemoth within the gaming
industry. In 1998 he purchased King 8, renaming it The Wild,
Wild West. Next came the Santa Fe and Fiesta casinos. Frank acquired
49 acres near Jackie Gaughn's Suncoast, with future plans to
build on other parcels at Craig Ranch Station and Martin Luther
King Road. Frank decided he had enough and retired into the sunset.
Some guys always seem to windup with all the dirty work. Estimated
wealth $1 Billion" - Frank 'Lefty' Rosenthal.
Coming
soon in the Z-files III. Frank Fertitta jr and his son "Frankie
Three Sticks" set their sights on Missouri. 'Lucky' Lorenzo
joins the family business and the brothers sign up for Boxercise
classes. Watch this space for the Z-Files III.
Source: Fight Sport |
Quote
of the Day
"We all have a spiritual purpose, a mission, that we have
been pursuing without being fully aware of it, and once we bring
it completely into consciousness, our lives can take off."
James Redfield , Canadian Author, ''The Celestine Prophesy''
|
Inaugural
HERO's Show
Lights Up Japan!
Joachim
Hansen defeated Caol Uno by KO at 4:48, Round 3
In
a fight that everyone is calling the fight of the year in 2005
so far, Caol Uno and Jaochim Hansen fought almost the entire
3 rounds of their fight. That is, until Hansen caught Uno with
a solid knee that knocked the Japanese fighter out with just
12 seconds left in the fight. MMAWeekly's Scott Butler, "In
my opinion, Hansen vs. Uno was easily... EASILY... Thee Best
Fight Ever!"
There
were some good exchanges throughout the fight, but most people
had Uno leading the fight due to his domination of the ground
game up until the time of the knockout. After the fight, Hansen
commented that "this was a more tiring fight than when I
fought Gomi. Uno was up and moving, throwing my legs around.
In the third round I was getting a little bit worried... just
a little... when I couldn't take his back."
Coming
off of a broken hand injury there were questions about whether
or not Hansen was ready. Asked about his hand, Hansen said, "It
was no problem today. I do need to be careful with it, it's in
such a condition that it could break again." That must be
why he decided to go with the knee instead.
Lyoto
(Ryoto Machida) defeated BJ Penn by Unanimous Decision after
3 Rounds
People
thought BJ Penn was crazy for moving up in weight to fight Matt
Hughes. He won. Then they thought he was even more unstable for
goig even higher to fight Rodrigo Gracie. He won that fight,
too. But Saturday in Japan, Penn finally went a step too far
when he faced undefeated heavyweight fighter Lyoto.
Giving
up more than 40 pounds to Lyoto, it appeared that Penn began
to tire as he carried Lyoto's weight. That coupled with no answer
for Lyoto's leg kicks left Penn with the second loss of his career,
the first since his loss to Jens Puler more than three years
ago.
With
the unanimous decision vicotry, Lyoto, the man who knocked out
Rich Franklin, improved his record to an unblemished 6-0. Lyoto
was very humble in victory. After the fight he commented, "Penn
is small, but very strong. His punches were hard. He's a champion.
He has a lot of experience. I want to use this experience and
continue and improve."
Genki
Sudo defeated Ramon Dekker by Heel Hook at 2:54, Round 1
A
kickboxer by trade, Ramon Dekker knew that he would be in trouble
once this fight went to the ground. He took the fight with Sudo
anyway. "The fight went to the ground quickly, that was
new to me. I've only trained like one week on the ground. I've
fought 24 years in kickboxing. I want a rematch in K-1 stand
up rules."
Though
he ended the fight quickly with a heel hook, Sudo isn't opposed
to giving Dekker the rematch that he desires. "[He] came
out with a lot of fire, I wonder what it would be like to fight
him in the K-1 Max."
Sam
Greco defeated Heath Herring by Referee Stoppage due to a Leg
Injury at 2:41, Round 1
Another
of the K-1 fighters crossing over into MMA, Sam Greco matched
up well with Heath Herring. Being a fighter that likes to stand
and trade strikes, Herring did just that with Greco. But before
this one could hit the halfway mark in the first round, Herring
went down with an injured leg and the referee stopped the fight.
It was a disappointing loss for Herring, who has been trying
to get back on track.
Bob
Sapp defeated Min Soo Kim by KO at 1:12, Round 1
No
matter how good Royce Gracie and Hidehiko Yoshida are, it still
seems suspect when a fighter competes in MMA wearing a gi. Min
Soo Kim wore his traditional uniform against Bob Sapp and it
really made no difference... because Sapp didn't let it get that
far. Despite making a strong go against Sapp, Kim was floored
little more than a minute into the first round by a powerful
Sapp punch.
Jerome
Le Banner defeated Yoshihiro Akiyama by KO at 2:24, Round 1
Gary
Goodridge defeated Alan Karaev by Rear Naked Choke at 2:58, Round
1
Shungo
Oyama defeated Valentijn Overeen by Heel Hook at 1:28, Round
1
FULL
RESTULTS:
Chalid Arrab defeated Yukiya Naito by Unanimous Decision after
2 Rounds
Shungo Oyama defeated Valentijn Overeen by Heel Hook at 1:28,
Round 1
Ian Schaffa defeated Kazuyuki Miyata by Split Decision after
3 Rounds
Joachim Hansen defeated Caol Uno by KO at 4:48, Round 3.
Genki Sudo defeated Ramon Dekker by submission (heel hook) at
2:54 of round 1.
Gary Goodridge defeated Alan Karaev by Rear Naked Choke at 2:58,
Round 1
Lyoto Machida defeated BJ Penn by unanimous decision.
Sam Greco defeated Heath Herring by referee stoppage (leg injury)
in 2:41, Round 1
Bob Sapp defeated Min Soo Kim by KO at 1:12, Round 1
Jerome Le Banner defeated Yoshihiro Akiyama by KO at 2:24, Round
1
Source: MMA Weekly
|
***For
Immediate Release***
For More Information and Fighter Interviews, Contact Mike Afromowitz,
(917) 566-8754 or mike@k-1usa.net.
Bonjasky
Faces 'Mighty Mo' in Las Vegas K-1 Superfight
In
what is destined to be a slugfest of epic proportions, reigning
K-1 World Grand Prix champion Remy Bonjasky (49-10 (30 KO's)
will collide with K-1 "Battle at Bellagio III" tournament
victor, "Mighty Mo" Siligia (25-3 (20 KO's), in a Battle
at Bellagio IV, "World Grand Prix 2005 in Las Vegas"
Pay Per View televised Superfight at Las Vegas, Nevada's Bellagio
Hotel and Casino on Saturday, April 30th.
The
matchup will mark the first time that the pair of champions will
face one another in the squared circle. Bonjasky's appearance
comes hot off the heels of his stunning, 22 second stoppage of
former world heavyweight boxing champion "Merciless"
Ray Mercer that the former produced with a vicious headkick during
the K-1 Grand Prix card in Seoul, Korea on March 19th.
At
29 years of age, Bonjasky has cemented his status as the man
to beat in "The New Fighting Sport." The 6 foot 4 inch,
240-pound Dutch fighter's unprecedented style of combat that
blends elements of classic Muay Thai with flying kicks and knee
strikes that he is able to launch from all angles has baffled
and rendered defenseless even the strongest adversaries in the
sport. His remarkable use of agility combined with his mild mannered
disposition outside of the ropes has earned Bonjasky the tag
name "The Flying Gentleman."
On
December 4th, Bonjasky set out to defend the first World Grand
Prix Finals championship of his career. The event's opening tournament
round pitted the young star against the man universally recognized
as the greatest martial arts fighter of all time: "Mr. Perfect"
Ernesto Hoost. Bonjasky's versatility helped him overcome the
only four-time K-1 World Grand Prix champion in history by way
of a judges decision after an overtime round was added to determine
a clear-cut winner. The Dutchman followed up the splendid performance
with victories over former world heavyweight boxing champion,
Francois Botha, and Japan's Musashi, respectively, and was left
standing in the winner's circle.
April
30th will mark Bonjasky's second career appearance in Las Vegas.
On August 15, 2003, he fascinated a sold out Bellagio crowd with
his dynamic skills and defeated three consecutive opponents,
including defending champion Michael McDonald, during the premiere
installment of "Battle at Bellagio."
A
former collegiate football standout and professional boxer, Siligia
has terrorized the world's most prestigious martial arts fighting
circuit with his furious punching power since he made his K-1
debut in Japan a little over a year ago. During what was only
the second tournament start of his career last August, the stocky
275 pound California resident, who is of Samoan descent, claimed
victory over three straight opponents to take hold of the "Battle
at Bellagio III" single-elimination championship. The right
hand bomb that he unleashed to chop down 6 foot 4 inch, 250 pound
Brecht Wallis in the second round of the single-elimination event's
championship fight sent a strong message to his competition.
Two
additional Superfights, the participants of which have not yet
been named, as well as K-1's customary, eight-man tournament
will be staged during the April 30th K-1 card.
Tickets
for Battle at Bellagio IV, the K-1 "World Grand Prix 2005
in Las Vegas" 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 the event 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: Mike Afromowitz
|
ADCC
2005 - 6th Submission Wrestling World Championships - Current
Lineup
U
-66 KG
Leo Vieira 2003 World Champion (Brazil)
Wagney Fabiano Brazilian Qualifier (Brazil)
Javier Vazquez North American Qualifier (USA)
Toni Kroger European Qualifier (Finland)
Tetsu Suzuki Japanese Qualifier (Japan)
Eugene Hynson Australian Qualifier (New Zealand)
66
- 76.99 KG
Marcelo Garcia 2003 World Champion (Brazil)
Juan 'Jucao' Carneiro Brazilian Qualifier (Brazil)
Cameron Earle North American Qualifier (USA)
Martin Lindqvist European Qualifier (Sweden)
Shinja Aoki Japanese Qualifier (Japan)
Gavin Kulper Australian Qualifier (Australia)
77
- 87.99 KG
Saulo Ribeiro 2003 World Champion (Brazil)
Demian Maia Brazilian Qualifier (Brazil)
Marcos Avellan North American Qualifier (USA)
Marko Helen European Qualifier (Finland)
Hidemi Mihara Japanese Qualifier (Japan)
Larry Papadopoulos Australian Qualifier (Australia)
88
- 98.99 KG
Jon Olav Einmo 2003 World Champion (NORWAY)
Roger Gracie Brazilian Qualifier (Brazil)
Jamal Patterson North American Qualifier (USA)
Alistair Overeem European Qualifier (Holland)
Yukiya Naito Japanese Qualifier (Japan)
Anthony Perosh Australian Qualifier (Australia)
Over
99 KG
Marcio 'Pe De Pano' Cruz 2003 World Champion (Brazil)
Gabriel Napao Brazilian Qualifier (Brazil)
Karim Byron North American Qualifier (Canada)
Mustafa Al-Turk European Qualifier (UK)
Jun Ishii Japanese Qualifier (Japan)
Dennis Roberts Australian Qualifier (Australia)
SUPERFIGHT:
Ricardo Arona CHAMPION (BRAZIL) v. Dean Lister Challenger (USA)
LADIES
DIVISIONS:
Under 60.00 KG (132.00 LB):
- Leka Vieira (BRAZIL)
- Gazzy Parman (USA)
- Leonor Coco (USA)
- Kyra Gracie (BRAZIL)
- Megumi Fuji (JAPAN)
- Leticia Ribeiro (BRAZIL)
- Ludmila 'Mila' Sundukova (Italy / Russia)
- Roxanne Modafferi (USA)
- Tara Larosa (USA)
- Sari Redzeposki (Australia)
Over
60.01 KG (132.01 LB):
- Camilla Gielsten (Norway)
- Marloes Coenen (Holland)
- Juliana Borges (Brazil)
- Hannette Stack (Brazil)
- Debi Purcell (USA)
- Stacey Cartwright (Australia)
- Megumi Yabushita (Japan)
- Yuki Kondo Kubota (Japan)
- Amanda Buckner (USA)
- Jessica Ross (USA)
Source: ADCC
|
Ultimate
Fighter Journal: Week Ten
By Jeremy Wall (March 26, 2005)
In order for there to be a Team Liddell vs. Team Couture fight
in the finals in both the middleweight and light-heavyweight
divisions, they switched things up this episode where teammates
had to fight each other, starting with Kenny Florian defeating
Chris Leben via doctor stoppage in a disappointing match with
a disappointing result.
The
idea of having teammate vs. teammate is usually not a good idea
when it comes to mixed martial arts, because fighters are generally
far less willing to go full throttle against someone they are
friends with. This means that more often than not you end up
with a boring fight.
Florian
vs. Leben wasn’t exactly the most exciting fight in the
world, either, which backs up that point. One of the bigger problems
with the series thus far has been the somewhat disappointing
action in the octagon, as most fighters seem to be taking their
fights conservatively and there have been no real barn burners.
The casual audience has been expecting these guys to light each
other up, and it hasn’t been happening.
A
prime example of this is the Leben-Koschek fight, which featured
the peak rating thus far for the series. However, after the fight,
the ratings went on a steady decline for a number of weeks. It’s
very possible that his happened because people were expecting
Leben to go all out against Koschek since their fight was “personal”.
The fight actually ended up being pretty dull, which turns people
off because they were essentially promised something that wasn’t
delivered.
The
loss against Florian is the second time that Leben has lost on
the series, and he’s out of the show, meaning that there’s
no chance for a Koschek vs. Leben fight in the finale. However,
it’s entirely possible that UFC could book that fight down
the line on pay per view to follow up on the success it had on
free television.
Florian
was able to open Leben up with an elbow in a fight that Leben
was most likely ahead on in points. The cut was above Leben’s
eye, and it ended the match.
Week
ten also saw Bobby Southworth come back into the house as a possible
replacement for Forrest Griffin. Griffin suffered a bad cut in
his week nine fight against Alex Schoenauer, and it’s unclear
right now whether he will be able to continue in the series.
Griffin is one of the best fighters on the show, and would be
a heavy favourite to win the light-heavyweight division in the
finale. Southworth, however, is a great heel character and it’s
a positive to have him back on the show.
Next
week they have Josh Koschek vs. Diego Sanchez in a middleweight
fight, with the winner meeting Kenny Florian in the finals for
the middleweight division. In the light-heavyweight division,
Mike Swick will fight Stephan Bonnar and Sam Hoger will fight
either Forrest Griffin or Bobby Southworth depending on whether
or not Griffin can compete.
Most of the show was built around Chris Leben, talking about
his background and fleshing out his character even moreso than
before heading into the fight with Florian. It’s interesting,
because just a few months ago, people like Leben and Koschek
and Forrest Griffin were complete unknowns, but now their popularity
is at least that of some of the biggest stars in UFC history.
This is just because of the amount of people that have been watching
The Ultimate Fighter, and it’s turned some of the guys into
overnight superstars.
With
the idea of The Ultimate Fighter being brought back for a second
season, it’s just a question of how the ratings will hold
up or if this is just a flash in the pan thing. All of the WWE
programming is being moved off of Spike TV later this year, which
would presumably make The Ultimate Fighter the top rated show
on Spike and the only show that consistently draws above a 1.0
on that network. This would seemingly give UFC some leverage
in gaining more television time, which should continue to bolter
UFC’s image in North America.
Source: Maxfighting
|
Quote
of the Day
"No man ever achieved worthwhile success who did not, at
one time or other,
find himself with at least one foot hanging well over the brink
of failure."
Napoleon Hill, 1883-1970, American Speaker, Motivational Writer,
''Think and Grow Rich''
|
PRIDE
GP ODDS
PRIDE Fighting Championships-MMA Middleweight GP Opening Odds
from Joey Oddessa & Sportsbook.com
Vanderlei
Silva -285
Hidehiko Yoshida +225
Tournament Matchup- Middleweight GP on April 23rd, 2005 3am est
Dan
Henderson -165
Rogerio 'Minotoro' Nogueira +135
Tournament Matchup- Middleweight GP on April 23rd, 2005 3am est
Igor
Vovchanchyn -285
Yuki Kondo +225
Tournament Matchup- Middleweight GP on April 23rd, 2005 3am est
ODDS
TO WIN Entire PRIDE Fighting Middleweight GP CHAMPIONSHIP by
Joey Oddessa & Sportsbook.com
Vanderlei
Silva +200
Dan Henderson +340
Rogerio 'Minotoro' Nogueira +360
Igor Vovchanchyn +700
Mauricio 'Shogun' Rua +1000
Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson +1200
Hidehiko Yoshida +1300
Vitor Belfort +2200
Kevin Randleman +2350
Kazuhiro Nakamura +2500
Kazushi Sakuraba +2950
Yuki Kondo +3200
Alistair Overeem +3200
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Chute
Boxe may become cartoon
Shimada, Total Muscle's creator, was in Curitiba visiting Chute
Boxe training center. In there he was hoping to find a new inspiration
to create a new cartoon. "I'm searching for new ideas,"
Shimada said. Wanderlei Silva fan, the cartoonist did a first
contact with Chute-Boxe in Japan, through José Zito Jr,
who teaches at Chute Boxe Tokyo. "Chute Boxe in Japan is
such a success and it has becoming popular," tells Zito.
Source: Tatame
|
FRYKLUND
STARTS NEW TEAM
There comes
a time in all things where people must move on and forge their
own paths. It is an inevitable part of life and the same can
be said for MMA. With the ever evolving landscape of training
facilities continues to grow, many fighters are leaving existing
teams to start their own and take what they’ve learned and
pass it onto the next generation of fighters.
One
fighter who recently made the move away from an established team
to start his own is Tony Fryklund. Along with Ken Hahn, a former
bare-knuckle karate champion, the two have formed Striking Unlimited/Miletich
Las Vegas combining the best of both worlds. MMA Weekly’s
Mick Hammond recently spoke with Fryklund and Hahn about their
new venture and what people can come to expect from it.
The
conversation began with Fryklund updating everyone on the status
of his health after suffering a back injury in his last fight
at UFC 50. “Things are going well, we’re down here
in Las Vegas now living and training as you know with Ken. Since
the fight I got healthy fairly quickly, my back has always been
a problem since from when I did stunt work and coming up in my
20’s I abused my body so bad it’s plaguing me now.
During that fight and that week in fact it was bad and it got
pinpointed by Ivan (Salaverry) and it took about three weeks
to recover from that because the sprain was so bad. Then it’s
just normal back to work with therapy and regular training, gritting
my teeth, same as usual.”
Hahn
may be a name that not many are familiar with in the MMA community,
but that doesn’t mean he’s new to combat sports. As
Ken explained, he has a long history in the fighting arts, “Basically
I train a lot of the Miletich fighters in Muay Thai stand up
theory and concepts. Originally I grew up in Hawaii with BJ Penn
and Cabbage, I started doing martial arts and got my second degree
blackbelt in Tae Kwan Do, then I switched over to bare knuckle
karate for the Sabaki Challenge (in Denver). For the MMA fans
an interesting point is the old UFC was based a lot on the Sabaki
Challenge and the guy that runs Sabaki helped set up the early
UFC shows. I won the Challenge in 2001 and got my second degree
and teaching certification in that style. Then I moved to San
Francisco and hooked up with Fairtex Muay Thai.”
Hahn
continued, “Through there during a 3-4 year relationship
I got my instructor certification, more importantly because I
hung out with them and befriended them I got instruction from
all the teachers. Normally when you go through an instruction
only one of the three or four instructor guys takes you under
his wing, and I got all of them, so that’s a little special.
I’m the last person also to be certified under Alex Gong
(who was killed in 2003) and I still have my contacts with them
and whenever any of the fighters come here I usually corner them.”
The
introduction between Fryklund and Hahn came when Ken took the
advice of a friend to help out the team during preparations for
a UFC. “It’s interesting how we hooked up because someone
with Fairtex left San Francisco to come to Vegas who is a mutual
friend between Tony and I, “said Hahn. “He did a lot
work with the Miletich guys. So one day he tells me that if I
want to go down to where the Miletich guys were working out for
the UFC that I could hold pads for Tim Sylvia and if they liked
me I’d have a way to get in. I went right for it because
living and training in Vegas I want to get my name out as a Muay
Thai trainer. So I went in there and didn’t know anybody
and put my pads on and asked if anyone wanted to hit the pads
and basically offered my services to anyone who was training
in the room. Tony right away picked up that I had something that
worked and it kind of Sylvia to come over and train and he liked
it.”
When
asked what about Hahn appealed to Fryklund upon that initial
meeting that eventually lead to the formation of their new alliance,
Fryklund said, “Really the biggest thing is upon the introductions
when he came down with his pads during the preparation for Tim’s
fight with Gan McGee we had sat down later in a lounge at the
Mandalay and just talked. Everyone was supposed to go out for
the big celebration thing but Ken, Tim, and I ended up hanging
out and I especially was interested in finding out more about
his background having been a 21-year martial artist myself. I
got into my first UFC I had gotten into as a Karate stand up/traditional
Japanese Jiu-Jitsu kind of guy back in the day and now I made
my transition into full-blown MMA and I’m bringing back
those elements into actual combat and that’s where Ken comes
in.”
Fryklund
further explained, “I’ve always pursued the top guys
in whatever area I have pursued like Russian Sambo, Judo, and
Jiu-Jitsu and those guys were my mentors for over 10 years. And
now I’m at a certain age I feel I’m at my strongest
now or am coming into my strongest years, especially coming down
to welterweight and here’s Ken who’s one of those mentors
now like I had in the old days. Kenny and I more are like peers
who can actually run together and train together, it’s like
stags in their prime who are most dangerous and we’re coming
into those years. Kenny and I are just hitting those years and
together we are both in developmental stages with the same years
of martial arts experience. His training has been similar to
mine with combat style Karate and he’s a world champion
in bare knuckle Karate as well. He’s mostly got a striking
background but he accentuated it with Akido and Judo and the
last few years he’s dealt with some of the MMA guys like
Ron Jhun, Jake Shields and Dave Terrell, so these guys have all
been touched by the hand of Ken so to speak. After 20 years of
learning how to strike, with what Ken has taught me I still feel
like a beginner. I need someone who is basically my training
partner, like with Pat up at the Miletich camp doing the same
thing, basically we train each other.”
Not
only are Fryklund and Hahn important to the process of creating
a well-rounded fighting system with their striking and ground
skills, they have also incorporated the grappling/wrestling aspect
of the game into the system with the help of an old teammate
of Fryklund’s from Miletich. “We have Mike French from
the Miletich camp handling most of our wrestling, but everyone
brings up such a level that we are all on the same page, said
Fryklund. “Down here we are the three musketeers helping
everybody out. We’ve been asked by many people to get ready
for their fights down here. When it comes to that it really depends
on how people mesh. With Striking Unlimited it’s not Team
Hahn, Team Fryklund, Team Miletich, or whatever, these entities
exist for sure and fall into Striking Unlimited/Miletich Las
Vegas, but what it comes down to is running with the right group
of guys and become a family. Right now we have a strong three
and we are getting better.”
When
asked why it is all the elements gel together so well when it
comes to Fryklund, Hahn, and French, Ken responded, “I think
because all three of us are analytical we can break it down.
Like you either know how to fight or teach, but it’s imperative
where you have the ability to teach and back it up. We have basically
two different disciplines and one that blends it together. We’ve
got a lot of the ground and wrestling from Mike French and the
Miletich Camp, then you have me who covers the striking, and
Tony who puts it together, he bridges the gap. Sometimes you
have clashes of styles because someone doesn’t want to think
their style is lessor, but actually Tony can take both concepts
from wrestling and striking and put it together so we all know
it works.”
As
Fryklund explains, regardless of a person’s background in
fighting arts, bringing different styles together to form a cohesive
system creates a much more prepared and well-rounded fighter.
“I’ve kind of done it all that’s why, I’ve
covered all the bases as a martial artist so I wouldn’t
get my ass kicked outside of the ring. That was always the theories
behind our combat systems, a lot of the theories and concepts
have been not for a title, but for life. I’ve tried to be
many different things and met the Miletich guys in 2000 and got
better at it and decided to fight again and now in 2005 I’m
with Ken and we’re going back to the beginning. Back to
my roots in striking and basically going to sniper school. I’m
bringing everything back, the wrestling, grappling, Judo, and
Jiu-Jitsu backgrounds, but striking is my core. I train in things
constantly; I never dabble in things. I know there are elements
I have to have, you can use kickboxing but you need the judo
and wrestling to take a guy down and the Jiu-Jitsu to submit
them because you’re not always going to be able to stand
with them. So that’s why things work well with Ken, Mike
and I, we know we have to be more well-rounded.”
Hahn
went on to further explain that not only is it the physical training
that brings everything together, but being able to put together
everything on a mental level can be just as important. “If
you think about it, when you get at a certain level you can conceptualize
certain theories, there are always ways things blend in. With
the three of us together we come up with theories and drill them,
we’re always working on things. We watch tapes when we are
not training, we talk about fighting when we aren’t watching
tapes, that’s all we do, we constantly have fighting in
our minds. When you think about Muay Thai when they are clinching,
it’s almost the same as it is on the ground as far as how
you move and how your awareness is. Things blend naturally once
you see the big picture. Sometimes people train one way and they
never want to brake away because it’s all they know and
it’s a business too, so people want to stay with what makes
them money, so a lot of traditional based martial arts only stay
one way. It’s being able to find guys that train, fight,
and conceptualize theories and put it all together is what makes
Striking Unlimited what it is.”
For
people interested in learning more about Striking Unlimited/Miletich
Las Vegas, Hahn provided information on the facility and how
to reach them. “Right now we are working out of Vegas Boxing
Gym that I own half of it. It gives me an opportunity to run
a fight program as well as the cardio boxing that goes on. A
lot of places have a hard time surviving because people think
they are mainly just fighting gyms, but that’s not what
Vegas Boxing is, it’s available to anyone, not just fighters.
It’s got the full cardio boxing set up, cardio machines
like treadmills, a weight room, basically the only difference
between it and our fighting program is the time of day. All the
morning, noon, and night classes are run by instructors that
are fighters under my supervision, so people get the kind training
that for instance I would be giving Tony for his next fight.
We only started less than a year ago and already we have a lot
of guys fighting, doing smokers, and some girls looking to make
their first bouts. We are located at 7035 W. Sahara, Las Vegas,
NV, 89052. You can call us at 702-219-5767 or email us at strikingunlimited@earthlink.net.”
The
conversation closed out with Fryklund talking about his fighting
prospects. “I talked to Joe Silva (UFC matchmaker) and he
said he was interested in getting me in at welterweight so I’m
down to 170lbs and I feel strong. I’m hoping to get back
into the UFC in the coming months and make an impact at my new
weight. I’m feeling stronger than I have in a long time
and like I said, I’m entering into my prime years where
I feel I’m can be my most dangerous.”
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Quote
of the Day
"No matter what age you are, or what your circumstances
might be, you are special, and you still have something unique
to offer. Your life, because of who you are, has meaning."
Barbara De Angelis {American Relationship Expert}
|
Bradda
Is Back!
Shooto Hawaii 3 - Unleashed Results!
Neal Blasidell
- Hawaii Suites, Honolulu, Hawaii
March 25, 2005
By Chris Onzuka - Chris@Onzuka.com
"Bradda" Cooper is back! Some could call it was a divine
intervention when Cooper's originally scheduled opponent got
injured and had to pull out of the fight and the American Top
Team's Hermes Franca just came off another split decision loss
to the UFC's unofficial lightweight champ, Yves Edwards and wanted
to get back in the ring as soon as possible to get out that frustration.
Cooper has come off some bad luck and hard losses against top
level competition. First an initial kick to the head by Dennis
Hallman broke Cooper's forearm forcing Cooper to succumb to Hallman's
follow up guillotine and a heartbreaking loss to Jake Shields
for the Shooto title in July of last year. Cooper took a lot
of time off to contemplate his future in MMA. After a lot of
coaxing by family and friends, Cooper started training again
and jumped at the opportunity to fight Franca who is 5th ranked
by Full Contact Fighter in the 155lbs division. Cooper got to
display his solid wrestling ability by body locking Franca and
slamming him to the ground at the start of the match. Franca
almost locked in an omoplata, that Cooper slipped out of and
controlled Franca. Cooper picked his punches from the ground
and threw some hard punches to a turtled Franca until Franca
successfully rolled to guard. From there, it looked like Franca
tired as he lay back in the guard. Cooper threw a big right punch
that made Franca go stiff, and then the second punch caused Franca
to go limp. The third punch, which was thrown right before the
referee stepped in, woke Franca up. The Hawaii crowd was on their
feet and emotions over flowed in the ring as Cooper was finally
able to show the skill that all his friends and fans in Hawaii
knew he had. This win puts Ray "Bradda" Cooper back
on the map in the 155lbs division.
Exhibition:
Kids Kickboxing: 3X1 Min Rounds
Tristin Kamaka (808FF) vs. Tristen Pebria
Amateur
Shooto C Class 2X3 Min Rounds - 143.3 9 Lightweight
Edmund Li (Freelance) def. Ryan Fukuda (808FF/Casca Gross JJ)
Unanimous decision [(26-19)] after 2 Rounds.
Kickboxing
3x2 Min Rounds - 165lbs
Kevin Smith (Team Big Dog) def. Ben Rodriquez (Nanakuli Kickboxing)
Split decision after 3 rounds.
Amateur
Shooto C Class 2X3 Min Rounds - 167.5 Middleweight
Nolan Hong (JKD Unlimited) def. Pako Woods (808FF/Native Action)
10 finger guillotine choke at 40 seconds in Round 1.
Amateur
Shooto C Class 2X3 Min Rounds - 200.6 & over Cruiserweight)
Rob Chung (Kodenkan) def. Jason Ryan (808FF)
Decision after 2 rounds.
Kickboxing
3x2 Min Rounds - 125lbs
Tony "Boy" Pereira (Waianae Kickboxing Club) def. Bruce
Niimoto (JIL)
Unanimous decision [(29-27), (29-27), (29-27)] after 3 rounds.
Kickboxing
3x2 Min Rounds 185lbs
Josh Versola (Advanced Kenpo) def. Bryson Kamaka (808FF)
Unanimous decision [(29-28), (29-28), (29-28)] after 3 rounds.
Professional
Shooto Class B: 2X5 Min - 132.3 Featherweight
Andre Soares (American Top Team) def. Ryan Lee (Bulls Pen)
Submission via triangle choke at 2:38minutes in Round 1.
Professional
Shooto Class B: 2X5 Min Rounds -
Jim Kikuchi (808FF) def. Ryan Kronewitter (Team Integrated)
Unanimous decision [(20-18), (20-18), (20-19)] after 2 rounds.
Professional
Shooto Class B: 2X5 Min - 183 Light Heavy Weight
Thiago "Jambo" Gonzalves (ATT) def. Casey Daniels (Team
MADD)
Submission via Kimura key lock at 3:51 minutes in Round 1.
Professional
Shooto 3X5 Min Rounds - 154.3 70KG
Ray "Bradda" Cooper def. Hermes Franca (ATT)
KO via a punch from the guard at 2:57 minutes in Round 1.
|
Lyoto
Machida defeats BJ at Hero`s
Brazilain
Lyoto Machida has just defeated Hawaiian BJ Penn at Hero's, held
at Saitama Super Arena (Japan). Weight difference (20kg) plus
Brazilian technique allowed Lyoto to avoid all BJ moves, who
did not stand Lyoto's kicks.
COMPLETE
RESULTS:
Hero's
Saturday, March 26, 2005
Saitama Super Arena, Saitama - Japan
-
Chalid Arrab defeated Yukiya Naito by referee's decision;
-
Shungo Oyama submitted Valentijn Overeem by heel-hook at 1:28
in R1;
-
Ian Schaffa defeated Kazuyuki Miyata by referee's decision;
-
Joachim Hansen defeated Caol Uno by KO (knee) at 4:48 in R3;
-
Genki Sudo submitted Ramon Dekker by heel-hook at 2min54 in R1;
-
Gary Goodridge submitted Alan Karaev by guillotine choke at 2:58
in R1;
-
Lyoto Machida defeated BJ Penn by unanimous referee's decision;
-
Sam Greco defeated Heath Herring by TKO at 2:41 in R1;
-
Bob Sapp defeated Kim Min-Soo by KO (punches) at 1:12 in R1;
-
Jerome Le Banner defeated Yoshihiro Akiyama by KO (knees) at
1:24 in R1.
Source: Tatame
|
CAN
BJ PENN DO IT AGAIN TONIGHT
IN JAPAN?
Tonight we will have live results on the Soundoff Forum of the
Hero's show from Japan. Just click on the Soundoff Forum at 11pm
Pacific/ 2am eastern for all the live action.
Here
is the entire card...
Opening
Fight: Chalid "Die Faust" vs. Yukiya Naito
1.
Shungo Oyama vs. Valentijn Overeem
2.
Ian Schaffa vs. Kazuyuki Miyata
3.
Kaoru Uno vs. Joachim Hansen
4.
Genki Sudo vs. Ramon Dekker
5.
Gary "Big Daddy" Goodridge vs. Alan Karaev
6.
BJ Penn vs. LYOTO (Ryoto Machida)
7.
Heath Herring vs. Sam Greco
8.
Bob Sapp vs. Kim Min-Soo
9.
Jerome Le Banner vs. Yoshihiro Akiyama
There
is a very good article in yesterday's Hawaii Tribune Herald talking
about BJ Penn. Here is the article...
Confident
Penn to fight tough Machida in Japan
By JOHN BURNETT
Tribune-Herald correspondent
Since
taking the unofficial mantle as the world's best pound-for-pound
mixed martial artist with a stunning upset over Matt Hughes for
the Ultimate Fighting Championships welterweight title in January,
2004, Hilo's BJ Penn has been on a mission to prove that he is
even more than that.
"The
Prodigy," who started his career as a lightweight (155 pounds)
before defeating Hughes for the 170-pound crown -- which the
UFC stripped Penn of over a contract dispute -- took on a literally
bigger challenge in his last fight, dominating Brazilian middleweight
Rodrigo Gracie in a unanimous decision win at 185 pounds in Rumble
on the Rock 6 last November in Honolulu's Blaisdell Center Arena.
Now,
Penn has even bigger game in his sights in Ryoto Machida, a.k.a.
"Lyoto," an undefeated 6-foot-1, 220-pound Brazilian
of Japanese ancestry who fights for Office Inoki, the stable
of Japanese wrestling legend Antonio Inoki. According to the
Internet publication MMAWeekly, there is acrimony between Penn
and Machida, resulting from an alleged confrontation at the K-1
Romanex MMA show last May in Saitama, Japan, where Penn scored
a first-round submission victory via arm triangle choke over
champion kickboxer Duane "Bang" Ludwig.
"Not
bad blood, really," said Penn when asked about the incident.
"He's Antonio Inoki's adopted son. They were trying to use
their pull to have me fight some guy who's never fought in his
life. They were saying that he had 93 fights, this and that and
I said, 'That's just a joke. Even if I'm number-one right now,
that's just a joke.' Lyoto was trying to ruin my career trying
to put me in a fight with a guy that he thinks can beat me, even
though the guy's never fought once professionally.
"I
said, 'Lyoto, I want to fight you.' He called back and he said,
'Yeah, I accept the fight, but I'm not going to drop any weight.'
So I said, 'Good, don't."
Penn
(9-1-1) had been in training for a fight in the K-1 HEROS show
Saturday at the Saitama Super Arena when the call came three
weeks ago to let him know that he would be pitted against Machida
(5-0) in a PRIDE rules MMA match. There is no contract weight
for the fight, which will be three five-minute rounds. The fight
will be televised live in Japan, but as yet there are no pay-per-view
arrangements in the U.S., although that could change.
"I'm
ready to fight him," said Penn, who said he would weigh
about 180 pounds. "I'm ready to beat him standing up. I've
got to fight him standing up to get it to the ground. I think
there are going to be some good exchanges in this fight."
Machida
is four inches taller and 40 pounds heavier than Penn and has
victories over three impressive opponents: Rich Franklin (16-1-1),
a legitimate UFC light heavyweight contender; Stephan Bonnar
(6-1), a light heavyweight featured on the Spike TV reality show
"Ultimate Fighter"; and Michael McDonald, a two-time
K-1 champion with a 49-12-1 record with 23 KOs in kickboxing.
The
victory over McDonald, a Canadian known as the "Black Sniper,"
may be misleading. The fight was McDonald's only foray into the
MMA ring. Machida forced a submission with a guillotine choke.
"He's
tough, but I feel supremely confident in this fight," said
Penn. "I really think I can beat him in the second round,
if not sooner."
This
is Penn's final bout of a two-bout contract with Japan's K-1
organization. He will be accompanied in the ring by trainer Rudy
Valentino and his brothers, Jaydee and Reagan Penn. His mother,
businesswoman Lorraine Shin, will be ringside to watch. If he
wins this bout, Penn will almost certainly attain legend status
in Japan. He also hopes to stake a claim as the best MMA fighter
in the world, regardless of weight.
"I
want to fight everybody," Penn said. "From the beginning,
there are all these people who say, 'You should stay in one weight
division, clean it out and this and that. But isn't this the
true essence of martial arts? Isn't what I'm doing what mixed
martial arts is all about and what it was supposed to be all
about from the beginning -- the small man being able to fight
the bigger man? This is why martial arts were created, so the
small man could fight the big man."
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Super
Brawl's Greatest Hits Hosted by Roy Jones, JR. Premiers Today!
Set your VCR's and TIVO's fight fans. Super Brawl's new 30 minute
program titled "Super Brawl's Greatest Hits" , hosted
by Roy Jones, Jr. and Playmate Deanna Brooks premiers this week
late night on E! SPIKE TV and CMT. If you want to expand your
DVD collection we strongly advise you to watch one of these first
few shows. A very special offer will be made.
3/26:
4:30am Late Saturday night (Sunday a.m.) 3-26 E!
3/27: 4:00am Late Sunday night (Monday a.m.) E!
3/28: 4:30am Late Monday night (Tue a.m.) SPIKE TV
4/2: 4:30am Late Saturday night (Sun a.m.) SPIKE TV
4/3: 3:30am Late Sunday night (Mon a.m.) CMT
|
Chute
Boxe exporting MMA to China
After promoting six editions of 'Storm Samurai', Rudimar Fedrigo
and Rafael Cordeiro are planning to export the event to China.
Last March 15, Rudimar, Rafael, Wanderlei Silva and Cristiano
Marcelo had a meeting in Brasilia (political capital of Brazil)
Ministro conselheiro (economico-comercial) da China, Jin Xiangchen
and Conselheiro cultural, Shu Jianping. 'They received us very
well and gave total support concerning our plan to produce Storm
in China. He told us that the interest about Vale-Tudo is growing
a lot in his country. The meeting was very productive and we
must produce the first edition in the end of the year', revealed
Fedrigo. The team traveled to Brasilia along with Parana deputy,
Luciano Pizzatto, a big fan of Chute Boxe team who gave them
a lift in his particular airplane from Curitiba to Brasilia,
than back to Curitiba ! (2732km).
After
being received by Chinese authority, Chute Boxe team had a meeting
with a local politician to set up the final details for next
edition of Storm that will be produced in Brasilia. 'We already
got a great sponsorship and the support of the same company that
will brought Leny Kravitz to Brasil last week. The event will
be promoted in the last weekend of May in a gymnasium with capacity
for 20 thousand people', guaranteed the promoter Rafael Cordeiro.
Rafael,
Cristiano and Rudimar got really impressed about the popularity
of Wanderlei Silva in the political capital of Brazil. 'It was
amazing everybody came to talk to him from the politics to the
garbageman. I didn't know Vale-Tudo was so popular in Brasilia',
concluded Rudimar Fedrigo.
Source: Tatame
|
SHAMROCK
READY FOR FRANKLIN
by Jeff Cain
Ken Shamrock is no stranger to performing on the big stage. He's
fought in every major MMA promotion out there, and headlined
them all. April 9th, when Ken faces Rich Franklin on "The
Ultimate Fighter" season finale, he will fight in front
of a television audience that will total in the millions. Shamrock
spoke with MMAWeekly SoundOff Radio about his bout with Franklin,
his training, and his future.
There's
no denying that Ken Shamrock's fighting career is winding down.
Some have questioned why he continues to do it. Ken's response
to that question was, "I'm doing it because I enjoy doing
it. I still can train hard. You know I've had some problems the
last three or four years. I wasn't doing the things I needed
to do to be fit, and get in there and fight. I corrected those
things. At my last fight with Kimo, I had knee surgery, an ACL
replacement. That fight went well for me, and I felt strong and
good, so now they presented another challenge. I wanted Tito
Ortiz. That fight didn't happen, so now they've placed Rich Franklin
in front of me, a younger kid. I think he's 30-31. He's 18-1.
He's got some pretty impressive wins; Marvin Eastman, Evan Tanner,
Jorge Rivera. Just different guys that are pretty impressive.
He presents a pretty good challenge for me. I'm definitely training
hard, and I'm looking forward to it."
Along
with having his knee repaired, Ken also underwent shoulder surgery.
When asked about his health, Ken said, "I would say I'm
100%, and it's a good feeling. Like I said, the last probably
three or four years, you know, being stubborn and always being
able to overcome injuries and fight. Like Frank [Trigg] said,
you're always hurt somewhat or another, a bruise here, a bang
there, and you go into a fight, but once you're in there all
those things are behind you. I've had some pretty serious injuries,
and I refused to get them fixed thinking, because all of the
other times I've fought with all the bangs and bruises I had,
I was always able to overcome different types of injuries. Of
course with a torn ACL, I tried to strengthen my calves and my
hamstrings thinking it would just go away. I fought two fights
with that, and they didn't, I didn't feel like I could have presented
my best. I wasn't able to do the things I do in training, so
I corrected those things. In probably the last two years, I've
had knee surgery, replacement of the ACL, shoulder surgery right
after the Kimo fight, and right at this point and time, I feel
like I've knocked off about five or ten years on my life. I feel
good. I'm actually for the first time in a very, very long time,
that I feel like I'm 100%. I feel really good and excited to
step in and challenge myself in this next fight."
Not
only has Shamrock addressed his nagging injuries, he's made changes
to his training as well. "For one, it's a big change in
the fact that he's a, I have to understand the southpaw. I've
seen him switch back and forth. The second thing is, all the
fighters now, where as when I started out there were no rules,
there was no time limit, so it was a little bit slower paced.
As the fights have picked up, and the fighters have gotten more
skilled and in better shape, you have to rise to that occasion.
You can't be good striking and not any good on the ground. You
can't just be good on the ground and not good with your striking.
I've really, really studied my combinations of kicks and punches,
and knees and elbows. At the same time I've kept up on my submission
skills. I think in order to win in this day and age, you have
to be in excellent shape, and you have to know both the stand
up and the ground very, very well." Commented Ken.
Shamrock
added, "Every time I step into the ring, I always want to
do my best, and I'm going to go out, and like I said, the last
few years, three or four years, I've been stubborn and hard-headed.
I didn't do the things I needed to do, trying to fight with different
types of injuries thinking I was invincible, and you know it
slaps you in the face. Some people wake up and go OK, it's time
to change. It's time to let your guard down, and throw that ego
aside and start learning from younger people and figuring out
today's world is offering, and that's what I've done. I think
that's very important for my success. I don't put pressure on
myself because the way I look at it, and this is very, very true
for any fighter, and I think this is the way it has to be looked
at, the way I look at it is that all the training is done. The
fight is won or lost behind the closed doors. In the gym, all
the work, it is won or lost right there. You either put out,
get in there, put yourself abused and keep coming, and get up
off the mat and keep coming. Do that extra last round and go
hard, and put all that out in the gym then when you walk down
in the lights that night, you feel confident and able to perform
the way you want to perform, and that's the way I'm doing this
training right now. I'm challenging myself every time I step
into the gym. Every time the bell rings to start a new round
with a fresh fighter, I challenge myself each and every time.
When I step out into the ring on Spike TV that night, April 9th,
I will not be going oh God did I do enough? Oh God am I in shape?
I will be confident in my ability and what I'm able to do, and
then I'll go and do it."
When
questioned about what he needs to do in order to defeat Rich
Franklin, Ken stated, "I've just got to do what I do best
and that's, I mean I'm an aggressive fighter. I've very strong.
I have the capabilities. Like I said, the biggest thing in this
fight, I think the biggest thing in this fight is going to be
1. That I'm able to do the things I need to win this fight training,
and win this fight. 2. That I have hired a dietitian to help
me with my diet. I have not dieted for almost twenty something
years when I fought Tito Ortiz, and I had to drop down to 205.
I had no idea how hard that would be....I've always fought weigh
classes up. In high school I weighed 167 pounds and I wrestled
175 and 185. I just never cut weight. I was always strong enough,
quick enough, and in good enough shape that I could go with heavyweights,
and I was quicker than they were. I never dieted. When we first
started the UFC, there were no weights. You didn't have to, so
it was a test and something I got challenged with. Now I'm not
going to make that same mistake again where I don't diet properly,
so I hired Ryan Parsons to come in and help me with my diet,
and get me where I need to be so I can go into this fight strong
and healthy and in good shape."
The
bout with Rich Franklin is Ken's final fight on his current UFC
contract. He was asked if this could be his last fight. Ken replied,
"I don't like to talk about that kind of stuff. You know
what I mean? That's a mistake I think a lot of fighters make
because fans don't care about that stuff. That stuff goes between
managers and agents. I don't deal with that. I Just train and
I fight, and whatever is worked out is worked out. They come
to me and say this is what we've got, I say yes or no, and they
go back and do it if it's no. The only thing I concentrate on
is fighting, and the rest of it is all worked out with the people
that deserve to work that out. I'm a fighter, and that's what
I'm going to do."
Ken
went on to say, "Hey, I'm not done fighting. I just have
no idea what the UFC is offering or what, but it is my last fight.
I don't know what the UFC is going to offer. I don't care at
this point and time. The only thing I care about is April 9th.
I'm training hard for that. I want to go in there, and I want
to do my best, and let the cards fall where they fall. From that
point, then we'll decide what's happening, but at this point
and time it is my last fight with the UFC. I'm very confident
that they'll step up and do another one. I love the UFC. I love
the United States. I'd like to stay here, and I'd like to continue
to fight, but if that doesn't work out, you know, I will fight
again whether it's in the UFC or somewhere else."
To
hear all of what "The World's Most Dangerous Man" had
to say, such as his breakdown of Hughes vs. Trigg, click on the
radio archive. With four major events happening in April, now
is the time to become an MMAWeekly Premium Member. For only five
dollars a month, you gain access to the radio archive, our video
library of one on one interviews, behind the scenes coverage
of weigh ins and post fight press conferences, and so much more.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
HANSEN
RETURNS FROM INJURY TO FACE UNO
Late tonight , at the inaugural K-1 HERO’S show, Joachim
Hansen makes his return to the ring to face Japan’s Caol
Uno. Fighting out of Norway, the bout with Uno will be Hansen’s
first fight since recovering from surgery due to a broken hand
he suffered last summer and re-injured in October.
Having
won nine of his last ten bouts, the loss being to top-five lightweight
Vitor “Shaolin” Ribeiro, the broken hand sidetracked
Hansen’s return to top form. The loss to Ribeiro came just
after Hansen burst onto the worldwide scene by defeating Rumina
Sato and Takanori Gomi in back-to-back.
Even
with the injury, Hansen has won his last three fights and now
looks to step up once again in the fight with Uno. A win against
Uno, would put Hansen back on the map as far as the lightweight
scene goes.
Caol
Uno is also looking to make a return of sorts. Although he is
on a two-fight winning streak, both wins were against fighters
making their debuts. And this followed a rough stretch where
Uno drew with BJ Penn, lost to Hermes Franca, and drew with Tatsuya
Kawajiri. Once one of the top 3 or 4 fighters in the lightweight
rankings, Uno is now fighting to remain in the top ten and Hansen
is a tough road back.
Although
Uno is one of the top fighters in the world, his confidence has
seemed to be lacking, primarily since his loss to Franca. A win
over Hansen would definitely kick that confidence back into overdrive,
but Hansen is not a good matchup for Uno.
Uno
has had a lot of trouble with stronger fighters, like BJ Penn
and Hermes Franca; that are also good strikers. Hansen falls
smack dab into that category. He is much stronger than Uno and
has great hands, not to mention that Uno has a suspect chin.
The key to this fight could be Hansen’s submission skills,
specifically his knowledge and ability to defend submissions,
which is Uno’s strong suite. This could really open up the
striking game for Hansen.
Then
again, Uno hasn’t defeated the likes of Rumina Sato, Din
Thomas, and Yves Edwards by being lucky. He has the skill to
face any lightweight in the world. If Uno’s mental game
has returned to top form, this could turn out to be an amazing
fight. If not, expect Hansen to take Uno out.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
INTERVIEW
OF THE WEEK:
YUKI KONDO
This year's
Pride Middleweight Grand Prix encompasses some of the best talent
ever assembled for a tournament. With the expansion from eight
fighters to sixteen, the GP gives more fighters the opportunity
to possibly dethrone Wanderlei Silva, Pride's reigning kingpin
in the middleweight division and defending GP Champion. Among
those hoping to accomplish the daunting task of winning four
fights in six months is current Light Heavyweight King of Pancrase
Yuki Kondo. MMA Weekly's Mick Hammond caught up with Kondo as
he prepares for Total Elimination 2005 to get his thoughts on
the tournament, Japan's place in MMA and his controversial last
fight.
MMAWeekly:
First off Yuki, it's been nearly three months since your last
fight at Shock Wave 2004, how is your physical conditioning coming
as you prepare for your first round GP fight?
Yuki
Kondo: My training has been going well and I am in great shape.
MMAWeekly:
In your last fight you faced Dan Henderson in one of the more
controversial decisions of last year. Can you tell us your thoughts
on the fight and the judges' split decision against you?
Yuki
Kondo: I pushed him hard, but he fought a little bit better than
I did and I agree with the close judges' decision. I watched
the videotape and I found that his skill level is not far superior
to mine. I am sure I can defeat him next time.
MMAWeekly:
Would you like to get a rematch against Henderson?
Yuki
Kondo: Definitely. Possibly, either in the coming Pride GP or
the annual Pride New Year's Eve event.
MMAWeekly:
Speaking of the Grand Prix, you were among the first group of
fighters announced for the tournament, please give us your thoughts
on your participation in this year's event.
Yuki
Kondo: This Pride GP is to crown the best middleweight fighter
on the planet. It is a great honor that the promoter gave me
an opportunity to compete with world class fighters. I guarantee
I will show you my best fights.
MMAWeekly:
Are you making any kind of special preparations for the possibility
of fighting four times in three events?
Yuki
Kondo: I will not do any special training. I hope to never take
serious damage in each fight.
MMAWeekly:
Are there any particular fighters you would like to face in the
tournament?
Yuki
Kondo: Mauricio "Shogun" Rua and Igor Vovchanchyn.
MMAWeekly:
Because there is a possibility you could be fighting in the GP
well into August, what does that mean for your Pancrase championship?
Yuki
Kondo: I want to focus on the Pride GP and then I will be defending
the Light Heavyweight KoP title maybe this autumn.
MMAWeekly:
Pride has never had a Japanese champion in either of their GP's
or regular divisions. Is there anything you have to prove being
a Japanese fighter competing for a title in Pride?
Yuki
Kondo: I want to defeat world class fighters to show the fans
that Japanese fighters are technical, strong, and tough.
MMAWeekly:
All right let's shift gears away from the GP and talk about MMA
in general. You're one of the longest standing fighters in the
sport going on nearly nine years of continuous competition. What
is the key to having such a long career?
Yuki
Kondo: I think nine years has not been that long. Luckily I have
suffered from any serious injuries since my debut. A lot of fans
support me and I do not want to let them down.
MMAWeekly:
To many you optimize the famed Japanese fighting spirit. What
is the main key to maintaining such a spirit?
Yuki
Kondo: Not to give up in any cases.
MMAWeekly:
At the most recent UFC Dana White addressed the question of Pancrase
fighters being involved in their upcoming return to Japan slated
for mid-year. If you were unable to represent Pancrase at the
UFC event whom would you like to see participate on the card?
Yuki
Kondo: Koji Oishi, Kenji Arai, and Satoru Kitoaka from PANCRASEism
and Yuki Sasaki from Pancrase GRABAKA.
MMAWeekly:
Pancrase recently instated the Athena division that allows women
to fight for the organization. What are your thoughts on this
division and female MMA fighters?
Yuki
Kondo: Honestly speaking, I do not want to watch two women in
the ring punching each other in the face. But, similarly in other
sports, a women's division could be necessary to spread combat
sports over the world.
MMAWeekly:
The last time you fought in America was in 2001, would you like
to return to the US and represent Japan and Pancrase here again?
Yuki
Kondo: Definitely, possibly next year.
MMAWeekly:
Thank you for your time as always Yuki. Do you have any message
for the US fans as we close out the interview?
Yuki
Kondo: I will do my best to win the Pride GP. See you all in
the US some day soon!
Source: MMA Weekly
|
THE
Z-FILES - PART II
BY SCOOP MCTROLL
Keep in mind that this is from Fight Sport, a site that openly
has strong feelings against the Zuffa and its associated people.
In
the January of 2001 the ailing reality fighting contest known
as The Ultimate Fighting Championship, was purchased from its
founder, the SEG CORPORATION by ZUFFA LLC. Three men, Frank Fertitta
III, his younger brother Lorenzo Fertitta and their brother in
law, the low profile but nonetheless powerful, Blake Sartini,
are the owners of ZUFFA LLC. Sartini has since resigned from
Station Casino's however and his current role in ZUFFA is unknown
to this reporter.
The
Fertitta brothers Frank III and Lorenzo, take the limelight in
this partnership and have recently become known to millions of
people through the reality television show 'American Casino'.
As the CEO and President respectively, of the Station Casinos
Empire, they appear on the surface to be amiable and successful
young businessmen. Las Vegas residents may know of Frank through
his involvement in many charities and community projects, including
Catholic Charities, Opportunity Village and the Las Vegas Chapter
of the I Have A Dream Foundation. They may know of Lorenzo Fertitta
from his time on the board of the Nevada State Athletic Commission,
or as the chairman of the Nevada Resort Association. The two
brothers donate hundreds of thousands of dollars per year to
the Republican Party and they are an integral part of the Las
Vegas A-list social scene. Many people have wondered just how
they came to be so successful at such relatively young ages and
where they came from. Our in depth report 'The Z-Files' will
explore these issues and attempt to throw some light on the history
of the family behind The Ultimate Fighting Championship. I hope
you enjoy reading The Z-Files; it is the result of several months
of research.
Part
II
In
1960 Las Vegas was a sleazy paradise for the scum of society,
the mob was heavily invested in Vegas, through both the covert
ownership of Casinos and in the skimming scam that earned them
millions of dollars. Guiseppi 'Nick' Civella was the head of
the Kansas City mob and along with his brother, Carl 'The Cork',
had been making a fortune through illicit means in Vegas casinos.
They received a setback however when they became charter members
of the infamous Nevada "Black Book", which banned them
from all Vegas gaming venues for life. Their nephew, Anthony
Civella would soon become the third family member to end up in
the black book. This meant that they needed to find another way
of getting some of the money being splashed around Vegas.
Frank
Fertitta jr. arrived in Vegas in the same year and his family's
reputation appeared to open many doors for him. He immediately
got work in one of the Casino's and his official job was that
of a bellboy. In a remarkable rate of success, Frank soon became
a Blackjack dealer and then worked his way into management. Throughout
the 1960's Frank Fertitta jr gained a reputation for being a
street smart operator who understood the business as well as
anyone could. Not bad for a guy who arrived in town a few years
prior with little more than the shirt on his back, or so the
story goes.
During
this same period, the Kansas City mob were eager to get their
claws back into some of the Vegas revenue. In 1970 the FBI ran
surveillance on Nick Civella through the use of wire taps and
acquired enough evidence to arrest him and several other mobsters
for fixing the Superbowl between Kansas and Minnesota. An associate
of Civella's named Sol Landie was given immunity in return for
testifying against Civella. In November that same year, Landie's
home was invaded by 4 black men who forced him to watch as they
stripped his wife naked and forced her to commit felatio on each
one of them. Then they took turns at savagely raping and sodomizing
her while forcing Landie to watch the entire ordeal. Once they
had finished with his wife, they murdered Landie. Before they
left, they arranged the room to look as though it was a botched
robbery attempt. A few days later the 4 men were arrested and
they admitted that they had been paid to kill Landie because
of his testimony. Eventually, Nick Civella would serve 20 months
for his part in the Superbowl scam.
By
the early 1970's the Kansas City mob had struck up an association
with a high profile Vegas Casino star named Carl Thomas. Thomas
was soon taken under the wing of the Kansas City mob and he was
used by them as a front man, a respectable cover for the mob.
The Kansas City mob controlled the notorious Teamsters Union
and they had been using the Teamster union members fund money
for several years to fund illegal activities. Using Teamsters
Union money, the mob purchased several casinos in Las Vegas,
the most famous one being the Stardust. Through a strawman named
Alan Glick, the Kansas City mob also purchased and sold The Fremont,
the Tropicana, the Hacienda and the Marina during the 1970's.
Carl
Thomas had been made the Chief Executive Officer of Glick's casinos
and he quickly recommended his friend Frank Fertitta jr for a
President's position. The one time bellboy was now the President
of the Fremont and worked directly under the mob stooge, Alan
Glick. Many of you may remember Glick's thinly diguised character
'Mr Green' in the Martin Scorcese movie 'Casino' starring Robert
De Niro. 'Casino' was based on the true story of the mafia casino
skimming operations at Glick's casinos. Skimming operations that,
according to FBI wiretap transcripts, Frank Fertitta was involved
in.
The
movie 'Casino' was based on the skimming of the Fremont Casino,
when Frank Fertitta jr was it's President.
In
1976 the Kansas City mobster Carl Thomas formed a partnership
with Frank Fertitta jr and they started a 5000 square foot gaming
venue aptly named 'The Casino', the name would later be changed
to 'The Bingo Palace' and eventually 'Palace Station'. Now, Vegas
executives did get paid decent salaries even in those days, but
it's difficult to believe the official version that together
they "scraped together" the money to start 'The Casino'.
For one thing, Carl Thomas was owned by the Kansas City mob and
anything he was involved in, they were involved in. There is
little doubt that at least Thomas's share of 'The Casino' was
backed by mob money, namely that of the Civella Brothers and
their La Cosa Nostra mafia chapter in Kansas City.
Oddly,
Fertitta and Thomas continued to work for the other casinos,
despite now owning one themselves. As a mafia strawman, Glick
was pushed to one side by the mob and they put their own guys
in to run the casinos. Frank "Lefty" Rosenthal and
Tony "The Ant" Spilotro, made millions for the mob
by skimming the slot machine takings at the casinos. Rosenthal,
who was played by the actor Robert de Niro in the movie 'Casino'
(Tony "The Ant" Spilotro was played by Joe Pesci),
was officially known as Glick's entertainment director and he
allegedly reported to the mafia bosses in Kansas and Chicago,
who between them had financed Glick with $62 million in loans
from the Teamsters Union.
The
FBI had long suspected an elaborate skimming operation was taking
place at some of the four Glick owned casinos and launched 'Operation
Strawman', which was a massive surveillance operation that included
telephone wiretaps. It is in one of these wiretaps that Frank
Fertitta jr becomes implicated in the skimming operation. In
this particular scam, the management rigged the scales to make
them read only a third of the actual weight of the coins. The
extra money was skimmed and set aside, later being converted
into paper bills. The skimming was taking place at The Tropicana
and at the Fremont, where Frank Ferttita jr was the President.
Below
is the transcript of the FBI wiretap involving Frank Fertitta
jr, Tropicana Manager Don Shepard and Kansas City mobster Carl
Thomas.
FBI
Wiretap of the Bingo Palace Casino, Las Vegas, Nev. Feb 7, 1979.
9.00pm outgoing call:
Frank
Fertitta Jr, Carl Thomas voices heard, inaudible conversation
takes place between them as the number 9739-2222 is dialled from
The Bingo Palace.
FEMALE
OPERATOR: Tropicana
FERTITTA:
Don Shepard, please (casino manager)
FERTITTA:
Hello Shep.
SHEPARD:
Yeah.
FERTITTA:
Frank.
SHEPARD:
What are you doing?
FERTITTA:
I'm sitting here having a glass of wine with Mr. Thomas.
SHEPARD:
Oh, good.
FERTITTA:
He's telling me how smart he is and, im sitting here listening
to him like an idiot.
SHEPARD:
Yeah.
FERTITTA:
Yeah.
SHEPARD:
If you need anybody to tell you how dumb you are come on over,
im pretty good at that.
FERTITTA:
(Laugh)
SHEPARD:
Ah, this, listen this conversation isn't being recorded is it?
FERTITTA:
I, I really couldn't tell ya.
SHEPARD:
Yeah. Ask, ask, a ask Carl if anybody's going to go boogie-ing
tonight. I'm ready to boogie, do a little YMCA number.
FERTITTA:
You're ready?
SHEPARD:
Oh, yeah, shit, yeah.
FERTITTA:
Jesus Christ, I don't believe this.
SHEPARD:
I'm just sitting here, my legs are twitching. I can hardly wait
to dance.
FERTITTA:
We, were just talking about going out of town or something.
SHEPARD:
Oh, yeah, well actually I should go out of town to dance.
INTERUPTION
OF RECORDING
SHEPARD:
Did you see me?
FERTITTA:
I didn't see you.
SHEPARD:
Oh?
FERTITTA:
No.
SHEPARD:
A quarter of it whatever.
FERTITTA:
Right, so if these coins cost us say $20,000, we got $150,000
on, you know, we're going to have like $130,000 in excess cash.
SHEPARD:
Yeah.
FERTITTA:
You know.
SHEPARD:
Yeah. We don't have that problem over here.
FERTITTA:
Well, yea, you...well I don't mean excess cash, but I mean more
cash than they have so, I don't think its funny here.
SHEPARD:
We've got…I've got about like $80,000 stock
piled.
FERTITTA:
Yeah.
SHEPARD:
You know or something, we, we haven't felt any crunch or anything
I was just curious if you're, you know.
FERTITTA:
Well we had $50,000 see, but I didn't want to make the change
over here until we got them all cause $50,000 wouldn't, you know,
we couldn’t make the change with 50, so, ah,
we need like 150.
SHEPARD:
When are you going to switch your tokens?
FERTITTA:
As soon as I get them all.
SHEPARD:
Yeah.
FERTITTA:
I'll switch in fact I think we're supposed to have them all.
Oh, Jimmy gave me a date today, but I've forgot what it was.
Ah, now maybe next week or something, then I'll probably just
go ahead and switch over.
SHEPARD:
Okay, well listen I'll talk to you.
FERTITTA:
OK
The
FBI swooped on Glick's strawman empire in 1979 and arrested Fertitta's
partner Carl Thomas, Glick, the Civello Brothers and about a
dozen others. Despite the seemingly incriminating wiretap transcript,
the FBI could not get enough substantial evidence to charge Fertitta.
Despite the testimony of former Fremont Security Chief, Harold
McBride, where he swore under oath that Frank Fertitta jr had
been involved in the skimming operation at the Fremont, and wiretap
evidence of the Civella's and Thomas that implicated him, Fertitta
was never charged with the skimming at Fremont casino where he
presided.
Amazingly,
when Thomas first became implicated by the FBI, the ownership
of The Bingo Palace was transferred solely to Frank Fertitta
jr. Did this mean that Frank Fertitta was now a front man for
the Kansas City mob, or are we to believe that they happily sold
him Thomas's share of the casino and wished him well? It's a
tough call, I know.
In
1979 the Nevada Gaming Control board ordered Glick to sell up
and he did, to associates of Moe Dalitz, the man that Frank's
relative, Sam Maceo had helped to get started all those years
ago. Glick sold for $2 million in cash, the assumption of $92
million in debts and with another $66 million to be paid from
the casino's earnings by 1991.
Although
he was one of the few to escape prison, Frank Fertitta jr did
not go completely unscathed in the aftermath of the skimming
scandal. Fertitta was the target of a four year investigation
by the Nevada Control Board but in 1989 they voted 2-1 not to
initiate disciplinary action against him.
Despite
this decision, Fertitta's reputation had been damaged. Some sources
claim that Frank Fertitta jr knew that his mob connections could
hamper any future applications for gaming licences. Whatever
the actual reasons, in 1993 Frank Fertitta jr officially stepped
down as the Chairman of the board and handed over to his son,
Frank Fertitta III, or 'Frankie Three Sticks', as he is known
in some circles. The company then became public. Station Casino's
then applied for licences with the Missouri Gaming Commission
to run casinos in Missouri. Many would ask if it's possible for
a business that was believed to be built on mob money and mob
connections to become squeaky clean simply by changing the name
of the Chairman.
In
1993 the Missouri Gaming Commission called on Frank Fertitta's
former employer and business partner, the convicted casino skimmer
Carl Thomas. They requested information from Thomas about Frank
Fertitta jr, Thomas agreed to attend an inquiry with them. Before
he did this however, Thomas drove to Vegas from his home in Oregon
and met with Station executives to discuss his testimony with
them. Noone really knows exactly how that meeting went down or
what transpired. The people that do know, arent talking. He then
left Vegas to return to Oregon before heading to meet with the
Missouri Gaming Commission. Before he could attend that meeting
and give testimony on Frank Fertitta's background, Thomas was
killed in a bizarre single car accident, it was a clear night
and the road was in good condition. Thomas knew the area well.
Due to Thomas's untimely death, the Missouri Gaming Commission
were unable to complete their inquiry into Frank Fertitta jr
and they granted licences to Station Casinos.
Today,
Frank Fertitta jr keeps busy with his finance company, Frank
Fertitta Enterprises and with his many positions in the community,
including being on the board of Trustees of the University of
Las Vegas and a member of the Bishop Gorman High School Development
Corporation. These days Frank Fertitta jr mixes with the Governor
of Nevada and is a respected member of the Las Vegas community.
When
asked about his former associates Frank Fertitta jr and Carl
Thomas, the infamous criminal Frank 'Lefty' Rosenthal, recollects;
"Carl
introduced me to Frank Fertitta, as "my main guy",
and his right-hand man. Frank became the President of Allen Glick's
Fremont Hotel Casino at the recommendation of Carl Thomas during
my temporary absence from the industry while I was awaiting the
outcome my appeal versus the Nevada Gaming Commission. When I
regained my former position as the CEO of all properties under
the "Argent" (Allen R. Glick Enterprises) umbrella
Frank and I became more interactive. Frank had gained a solid
reputation as a topnotch casino executive who understood the
games with a high degree of professionalism. After several private
meetings and close personal observation I too agreed that Frank
was well suited to operate the second largest Casino in the downtown
area.
During
the course of the next several years Frank with assistance from
Carl Thomas forged an imposing empire. Soon thereafter Carl Thomas
died when his car ran off a winding road in the mountains of
Oregon, I think he could have been bumped! In 1976 Frank opened
the Bingo Palace, ultimately renamed Palace Station. Next came
Boulder Station, then Texas Station, Barley's and Sunset Station.
Frank
was driving hard on course to become a behemoth within the gaming
industry. In 1998 he purchased King 8, renaming it The Wild,
Wild West. Next came the Santa Fe and Fiesta casinos. Frank acquired
49 acres near Jackie Gaughn's Suncoast, with future plans to
build on other parcels at Craig Ranch Station and Martin Luther
King Road. Frank decided he had enough and retired into the sunset.
Some guys always seem to windup with all the dirty work. Estimated
wealth $1 Billion" - Frank 'Lefty' Rosenthal.
Coming
soon in the Z-files III. Frank Fertitta jr and his son "Frankie
Three Sticks" set their sights on Missouri. 'Lucky' Lorenzo
joins the family business and the brothers sign up for Boxercise
classes. Watch this space for the Z-Files III.
Source: Fight Sport
|
Quote
of the Day
"It doesn't matter which side of the fence you get off on
sometimes. What matters most is getting off. You cannot make
progress without making decisions."
Jim Rohn, American Businessman, Author, Speaker, Philosopher
|
Shooto
Hawaii - Unleashed
Tonight!
Neal Blasidell
- Hawaii Suites
(**Not the arena**)
March 25, 2005 7:30 PM
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
|
Ultimate
Fighting Championships 52 Odds
Sportsbook.com by Joey Oddessa
Randy Couture -265
Chuck Liddell +205
Light Heavyweight Championship
(This bout opened in January at Randy Couture -260 and has since
been bet up.)
Matt
Hughes -175
Frank Trigg +145
Welterweight Championship
(This bout opened in January at Matt Hughes -260/+200 and has
since been bet down.)
Joe
Riggs -165
Ivan Salaverry +135
Middleweights
Matt
Lindland -185
Travis Lutter +155
Middleweights
Georges
St. Pierre -145
Jason Miller +115
Welterweights
John
Marsh -225
Mike Van Arsdale +185
Heavweights
Lee
Murray -400
Patrick Cote +300
Middleweights
Renato
'Babalu' Sobral -115
Travis Wiuff -115
Light Heavweights
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
TWO
ADDITIONAL MATCHES ADDED TO
BUSHIDO VOLUME 6 FIGHTCARD
TOKYO, Japan – Two additional matches have been added to
PRIDE FIGHTING’S BUSHIDO VOLUME 6 fightcard … Denis
Kang (Canada) versus Oba Takahiro (Japan) and Daisuke Nakamura
(Japan) versus Marcus Aurelio (Brazil).
Headlining
BUSHIDO VOLUME 6 card will be both Emelianenko brothers as PRIDE
FIGHTING heavyweight champion Fedor Emelianenko faces the only
man ever to defeat him in Japanese star and mixed martial arts
veteran Tsuyoshi "TK" Kosaka … 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 (TOTAL ELIMINATION 2005). 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
PRIDE
FC: BUSHIDO VOLUME 6
Fight Card
(Bouts shown in order from first to last)
Denis
Kang (Canada) vs. Oba Takahiro (Japan)
Amar Suloev (Russia) vs. Paulo Filho (Brazil) *
Dean Lister (USA) vs. Akira Shoji (Japan) *
Daisuke Nakamura (Japan) vs. Marcus Aurelio (Brazil)
Luis "Buscape" Firmino (Brazil) vs. Luis Azeredo (Brazil)
Daijyu Takase (Japan) vs. Daniel Acacio (Brazil)
Aleksander Emelianenko (Russia) vs. Ricardo "The Mutant"
Morais (Brazil)
Ryuta Sakurai (Japan) vs. Murilo Bustamante (Brazil)
Ikuhisa "The Punk" Minowa (Japan) vs. Gilbert Yvel
(Holland)
Winner Suloev/Filho vs. Winner Lister/Shoji
Fedor Emelianenko (Russia) vs. Tsuyoshi "TK" Kosaka
(Japan)
*
Four Man Middleweight Tournament
Winner Must Fight Twice in One Night
Winner Earns Slot in PRIDE Middleweight Grand Prix
(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.
Source:
DSE/Pride
|
Nakamura
is training in Brazil for GP
As part of his training regimen for the upcoming Pride GP, which
starts in April, Japanese fighter Kazuhiro Nakamura is in Brazil
training with Brazilian teams Nova União and Ruas Vale-Tudo.
'My plan is to spend two weeks training hard with Pedro Rizzo
and sharpening my ground techniques with Vitor 'Shaolin'. I have
been learning a lot of Jiu-jitsu with Shaolin and great Muay
Thai and Vale-Tudo techniques with Rizzo. He is a very tough
guy' said Nakamura pointing to the fight marks on his face, after
a hard training session with Rizzo.
In
the Pride GP, Nakamura claims he is the favorite for the title,
but he also points to his major opponents. 'Wanderlei Silva is
very dangerous, but I really would like to face Ryan Gracie in
the first phase' the Judo black belt said. Nakamura has experience
fighting Brazilians in Japan. Last august, he defeated Brazilian
Top Team's black belt Murilo Bustamante by referee's decision,
he defeated Daniel Gracie at Pride Bushido, and he lost twice
to Rogério 'Minotouro'.
Guest
at Shooto Brazil 7, which happened last Saturday, March 19th,
in Teresópolis (Rio de Janeiro), Nakamura sent a message
to Brazilians that will fight at Pride GP: 'I really like Brazil,
but my samurai heart will speak louder inside the ring' Nakamura
promised.
Source:
Tatame
|
THE
CHOPPING BLOCK: CHUCK LIDDELL
Commentary by 'Theaxemurderer'
Welcome to the latest edition of 'The Chopping Block', a place
where I will air out all my thoughts about MMA.
Let's
get started...
Chuck
vs. Randy is slowly nearing us as we speak..................
Chuck's
first priority I would imagine would be not to get taken down
and more specifically not to get mounted... and after his fight
with Rampage i'm sure he has been totally phobic of being pounded
out, because both those beatings looked like life-altering events.
Chuck
has seeked the help of Eddie Bravo to improve his ground game...
this seems to be a wise move for Chuck. In my honest opinion,
Chuck's best chance to win is to use his kicks, which he has
all but abandoned in the last couple of years due his fears.
But also he must use them very sparingly and very cautiously,
picking the perfect moment to kick Randy in the head, since one
failed attempt will lead to a G'n'P session, in which Chuck's
head will be thobbing.
He
must win quickly. No good can come of going to a second round
with Couture... quick victory is Chuck's only option the way
I see it.
Chuck
Liddel also continues to seek his death wish in his attempt to
fight the champion Vanderlei Silva. After suffering brutal G'n'P
losses to both the number 2 and 3 ranked light heavyweights,
Liddel is hell bent on going after the top dog, even though he
can't get past the number one contender.
This
obviously does not make sense. Chuck obviously wants to prove
to the world that he can beat Vanderlei, a 'myth' that only him
and his pit fighting team really do believe.
If
Chuck was to get a title shot, or even a non-title shot, at Vand,
I believe it would end quicker than Vanderlei vs. Minowa did.
While
Chuck is a tough warrior, but he has not earned his shot... and
frequently when people don't earn their shot, they get demolished
in tragic form. With Vand's take down looking slick after his
fight with Hunt, there is absolutley no aspect of MMA in which
Chuck can contend with Vand in.
Anyone
who thinks Chuck's striking is superior to Vand's needs to get
check out for methyl-mercury poisoning, because they've been
eating too much fish and are going delusional.
Source:
Fight Sport
|
Tony
“Mendigo” Souza is BJJ black belt now
Peruvian Tony Mendigo is the newest BJJ black belt of Nova União.
"Who gave me the belt was Déde (Pederneiras). I am
too happy with my belt," Peruvian fighter said. Tony stays
in Brazil until April 1 and then returns to Lima (Peru), where
will fight at South American Open Championship, on next April
15. "I will face Ângelo Dias, who weights 90kg and
won 8 times in Peru", he explains.
Source:
Tatame
|
MMAWEEKLY
EXCLUSIVE:
ULTIMATE FIGHTER UNDERCARD
By Ivan Trembow
In another MMAWeekly exclusive, UFC President Dana White has
confirmed three of the six fights that will be taking place before
the season finale of The Ultimate Fighter goes on the air on
Saturday, April 9th. Those fights are Nate Quarry vs. Lodune
Sincaid, Josh Rafferty vs. Alex Karalexis and Chris Leben vs.
Jason Thacker.
As
detailed yesterday on MMAWeekly, there will only be enough TV
time to air three fights on the live broadcast of The Ultimate
Fighter's season finale, and those three fights will be the light-heavyweight
finals, the middleweight finals, and Ken Shamrock vs. Rich Franklin.
The other six fights, using previously eliminated fighters from
the series, will take place before the season finale goes on
the air and will not be included on the season finale broadcast.
Nate
Quarry vs. Lodune Sincaid will be a middleweight fight, as Sincaid
moves down from light-heavyweight after his loss to Bobby Southworth
during the TV series. Quarry was not able to fight during the
series and had to leave the show due to an ankle injury suffered
in training.
Chris
Leben vs. Jason Thacker will also take place at middleweight.
Thacker left the show in an "elimination ceremony"
at the beginning of the series without ever having a chance to
fight, but he was believed to be one of the lesser fighters on
the show. Leben was actually eliminated twice. After first losing
to Josh Koscheck via decision, Leben was brought back to the
show when Nate Quarry had to leave the show due to injury. In
his second fight, Leben dominated Kenny Florian but ultimately
lost the fight via doctor's stoppage due to a nasty cut above
his eye.
Josh
Rafferty vs. Alex Karalexis is a battle of middleweights who
were eliminated from the TV show by losing to the dominant-looking
Diego Sanchez. Karalexis was dominated on the ground by Sanchez
before ultimately losing via a rear naked choke submission. Rafferty
showed a large amount of heart in his fight with Sanchez by taking
as much ground-and-pound punishment as he did, but the fact remains
that it was an extremely one-sided fight that Sanchez won by
submission.
Three
other fights between eliminated contestants from the reality
show have not yet been announced, and will bring the total number
of dark matches up to six. As previously reported on MMAWeekly,
though Dana White did not mention any of the possibilities for
how those six fights could be used at a later date, logic would
dictate several legitimate possibilities. The fights could be
aired on Spike TV at a later date, perhaps as a series of two
or three one-hour specials depending on the average length of
the fights. The fights could be made into one of the UFC's off-month
pay-per-view shows, such as this month's "Ultimate Randy
Couture" special, and could cost $10 or $20 to buy on PPV
instead of full price. The fights could be released on DVD, and
certainly if Spike TV was already planning on putting TUF out
on DVD, it would be a great bonus feature to be able to say in
the marketing on top of everything else, "Plus, see the
contestants in six never-before-seen fights!" These are
all legitimate possibilities, but they are also sheer speculation
on my part and have not been decided on within Zuffa.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
UFC
President Confirms:
Vitor Belfort Signed to New UFC Contract
by Ivan Trembow
UFC President Dana White has confirmed to MMAWeekly that Vitor
Belfort has indeed been signed to a new UFC contract. A lot of
questions were created by a vague press release from Pride that
was very carefully worded to avoid saying whether or not Belfort
was under UFC contract. White has now answered at least some
of those questions by stating that the UFC has signed Belfort
to a new contract and is now loaning him out to Pride to compete
in this year's Pride Grand Prix.
However,
the UFC president did not want to get into any contract specifics,
leaving a lot of questions still unanswered. Belfort could be
signed to a one-fight deal, a three-fight deal, a five-fight
deal, or anything in between. It's safe to say that any given
Belfort fight will have to take place in the UFC for it to count
as one of the fights on Belfort's new UFC contract, but beyond
that nothing is known about the duration of Belfort's new UFC
contract.
White
would also not confirm or deny the theory that the UFC still
has the right to release Belfort from his UFC contract if he
doesn't perform well in the Pride Grand Prix. It's not known
how much Belfort is set to be paid under his new UFC contract,
but his old UFC contract was near the top of the pay scale ($100,000
to fight and $30,000 more to win). Though no concrete information
is available on the subject, it's hard to imagine that if Belfort
doesn't do well in the Grand Prix, that he would still be paid
six-figures per fight in the UFC despite losing three of his
last five UFC fights AND doing poorly in the Grand Prix.
As
previously written about on MMAWeekly, having Belfort in the
Pride Grand Prix could help the UFC's image in some ways and
definitely hurts it in other ways. The potential upside for the
UFC's image is that Vitor Belfort has been established as either
the #3 or #4 light-heavyweight in the UFC, depending on who you
think won the Ortiz vs. Belfort fight. He's not the #1 or #2
light-heavyweight in the UFC, and he was completely gassed out
down the stretch against Ortiz. So, if the #3 or #4 light-heavyweight
in the UFC can do well in a tournament full of Pride's 205-pound
fighters, that makes the UFC look good by comparison.
Of
course, that potential upside to the UFC's image only works if
Belfort does well in the Grand Prix. It works in just the opposite
way if Belfort doesn't do well in the Grand Prix. Whether Belfort
does well or not, the fact remains that having yet another UFC
fighter compete in Pride (without a Pride fighter ever coming
to fight in the UFC) only reinforces the image Pride tries to
project that the UFC is the "B-promotion" that sends
its fighters to fight in the "big show" of Pride. The
only scenario that would mitigate that negative image of the
UFC would be if Belfort managed to win the whole tournament or
make it to the finals.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Quote
of the Day
"The highest reward for a person's toil is not what they
get for it, but what they become by it."
John Ruskin, 1819-1900, British Critic, Social Theorist |
PRIDE
MIDDLEWEIGHT GP NEWS
DSE/PRIDE
officially announced today that Vitor Belfort, Kevin Randleman,
and Alistair Overeem will all participate in the upcoming PRIDE
middleweight GP on April 23rd.
The
PRIDE Middleweight GP will consist of a 16-man field. Two fighters
from each team will be allowed.
DSE/PRIDE
may possibly host part of the GP in the United States, in the
state of California.
Fighters
who have been officially confirmed for the GP:
Vanderlei Silva
Mauricio 'Shogun' Rua
Igor Vovchanchyn
Vitor Belfort
Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson
Kevin Randleman
Rogerio 'Minotoro' Nogueira
Dan Henderson
Alistair Overeem
Kazushi Sakuraba
Hidehiko Yoshida
Yuki Kondo
Kazuhiro Nakamura
Fighters
who are unofficially confirmed for the GP:
Ryan Gracie
Hirotaka Yokoi
Makoto Takimoto
Fighters
who DSE/PRIDE may try to sign for the GP:
Royce Gracie
Tito Ortiz
Enson Inoue
Fighters
who are probable but unlikely for the GP:
Kiyoshi Tamura
Sanae Kikuta
Source: Fight Sport
|
IS
THIS SHAMROCK’S LAST TIME IN OCTAGON?
Ken
Shamrock will be fighting his final fight of his UFC deal on
April 9th when he steps in the Octagon against Rich Franklin.
The show will be carried on Spike TV for a two hour special.
The
big question for Shamrock? Will this be his last fight in the
UFC or could this be the last fight in his MMA career? Listen
to MMAWeekly Radio today as hosts Ryan Bennett and Frank Trigg
sit down and talk with the living legend about his future.
Shamrock
will talk not only about his fight with Franklin, but he will
give his opinion on Trigg’s fight with Matt Hughes. Check
it out today live at 9am Pacific/12 Noon eastern.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
2
UFC's and 2 Pride's in 1 Month
February
was a great month for MMA; including, great cards in UFC 52 and
Pride 29. More importantly for the future of MMA, we witnessed
great ratings for SPIKE TV's hit reality series The Ultimate
Fighter in February. Now that February is over, we can look forward
to April which promises to be the greatest month in MMA history.
In North America we will get to watch 2 Pride shows and 2 UFC
shows in the month of April.
It
all kicks off with Pride Bushido 6, which will take place on
April 3 in Japan and air on North American Pay Per View (PPV)
later in the month. April 9 marks the much anticipated date of
the finale of The Ultimate Fighter on SPIKE TV. Here we will
see the 2 finals of both the middleweight and light heavyweight
divisions. We will also see some "grudge" matches from
fighters previously kicked off the show. The main event will
feature UFC legend Ken Shamrock vs. Rich Franklin. The UFC is
hoping that this show will draw huge ratings to help ensure future
UFC programming on cable TV.
April
16 is the date of UFC 53 - Randy Couture vs. Chuck Liddell 2.
It will be interesting to see what kind of effect the reality
show, featuring Chuck and Randy, will have on the PPV buy rates
for this event. The card is already set and looks to be very
solid including another rematch with Matt Hughes defending his
UFC welterweight title against Frank Trigg.
The
best month in MMA history reaches it's peak on April 23 with
the opening round of the 2005 Pride middleweight Grand Prix.
The opening round of this 16 man tournament is shaping up to
be very competitive with the fighters Quinton "Rampage"
Jackson, Mauricio "Shogun" Rua, Kazushi Sakuraba, Hidehiko
Yoshida and Wanderlei Silva competing.
2 UFC's and 2 Prides in 1 month is totally unheard of. Now that's
not just any 2 Pride's or any 2 UFC's. In Pride, we get to look
forward to the opening round of the middleweight tournament.
We will have the most watched event in UFC history in The Ultimate
Fighter Finale and perhaps the most watched PPV in UFC history
in UFC 53. Yes, a lot of MMA history will be made in the month
of April. What about March you ask? You can't wait for April?
The good news is we get to watch a fight on The Ultimate Fighter
every Monday night until the April 9 finale.
Source: MMA Weekly |
Quote
of the Day
"Become a possibilitarian. No matter how dark things seem
to be or actually are, raise your sights and see possibilities
always see them, for they're always there."
Dr. Norman Vincent Peale
|
2x
BJJ World Champ Daniel Moraes Seminar!
Daniel
Moraes, a 2x BJJ World Champion and multiple time Brasileiro
champion will be holding a seminar at the Relson Gracie Main
Academy.
Here are the details:
Relson
Gracie Main Academy
844 Queen Street, 2nd Floor
(808) 589-2524
Wednesday, March 23, 2005
7:30-9:30PM
$40 cost
Daniel
is an incredible athlete and young gun that will be at the top
of the BJJ and submission grappling world for a long time to
come. Take this chance to learn from one of the best.
|
The
Tan Superman vs Kato
Dave Padilla from Jesus is Lord is scheduled to fight the always
dangerous and highly ranked Shooto star Tetsuji Kato in Fury
Full Contact on April 9th. This event will be held in Saipan
which is very close to Guam. This fight will be the main event
and will take place at 155 lbs. Stephen "Bozo" Paling
will corner Dave as he faces his biggest challenge yet.
Good
luck to Dave as he heads west!
|
QUARRY
WILL FIGHT IN THE ULTIMATE FIGHTER
Nathan
Quarry had an unfortunate injury on The Ultimate Fighter show
that kept him out of competition on Spike TV. Quarry was kept
on the show as a trainer, because of his good attitude and how
he dealt with the other fighters.
MMAWeekly.com
has learned that Quarry’s ankle injury has healed sufficiently
enough that he will be on the final show coming up in a couple
of weeks on April 9th. His opponent for the show is unknown and
will be made public on fight week.
In
addition the entire cast that was on the show, "The Ultimate
Fighter" will also be competing on Friday April 9th. That
means the two fighters who did not have a chance to compete,
Chris Sanford and Jason Thacker, (below) will be on the show.
Good
news for the UFC as well. The REPLAYS of TUF on Saturday and
Sunday are doing VERY well. The show has been pulling a little
more than a 1.0 the past few weeks, so everyone that believes
the show has been helped just by WWE programming would be incorrect.
Source: MMA Weekly |
|
CONTENDERS
SHOW DROPS ON SUNDAYS
The
following article appeared on the Reality TV World website.
NBC's
aggressive launch strategy for its reality-competition boxing
show The Contender took a hard hit to the body on Sunday, March
13, when the third episode -- but the first episode in its intended
time slot (Sunday at 8 PM ET/PT) -- hit the airwaves with a resounding
thud.
Although
the ratings for The Contender in its first episode (aired Monday,
March 7) and its second episode (aired Thursday, March 10) did
not deliver the type of numbers that NBC may have wished for,
the numbers were solid in certain demographics (particularly
Men 18-34), and the show showed promise in other areas (especially
Adults 18-49, the most-desired demographic). On both nights,
The Contender was top-ranked in Men 18-34 and second-ranked in
Adults 18-49 in competitive time slots.
After
that start, the third episode, which featured the anticipated
grudge match between Ishe Smith and Ahmed Kaddour, was viewed
as a critical test of whether the audience would stay with the
show. While The Contender didn't conclusively fail, its production
executives also aren't celebrating over its performance. The
overall rating for Sunday's timeslot debut in Adults 18-49 was
only 2.7/7, meaning that it drew just a 7% share of the younger
adult audience. By comparison, its first two episodes had drawn
a 4.0/10 and a 4.7/12 share in Adults 18-49.
In
total, only about 6.7 million viewers watched the show, a significant
drop from the 8 to 9 million that had watched the first two episodes.
By contrast, ABC's competing reality show, Extreme Makeover:
Home Edition, drew a 7.7/18 in Adults 18-49, with 18.4 million
total viewers. Although The Contender outperformed NBC's previously-scheduled
American Dreams in the time period among Adults 18-49, a fourth-place
finish in that demographic in the time slot (also trailing Fox's
The Simpsons and CBS's older-skewing Cold Case) isn't the type
of performance that NBC expected of a show that is costing it
$2 million an episode.
For
now, NBC is vowing to keep The Contender in its Sunday night
time slot. However, these ratings raise the possiblity that Sunday
night is not alright for fighting (unlike, say, Saturday night).
NBC previously has had to make scheduling adjustments with reality
shows, and these numbers indicate that The Contender also might
benefit from such a move.
Source:
MMA Weekly |
Baroni
Fights again next Friday
by
Press Release
Hollywood
California : “The New York Bad Ass” Phil Baroni will
Co- Headline UNIVERSAL ABOVE GROUND FIGHTING’S “ CLOVER
COMBAT .” Pat Miletich to make an appearance. With a few
special guests and surprises !
On
Friday night March 25th 2005 @ 6:30 pm the doors of the SOHO
Restaurant & Night Club will open for a night of explosive
MMA action. Former “ UFC ” Middleweight Contender Phil
Baroni will make his ‘UAGF‘ DEBUT as he will face a
very talented King Of The Cage Fighter Art Santore . The 2nd
half of the Co Main Event promises to be a very hard hitting
Heavyweight match up that will bring the UAGF another SO! LD
OUT crowd. As Vicious MMA Veteran Aaron Brink from the American
Hapkido Karate Academy in Chatsworth Ca. will go to war with
Mike Whitehead from Miletich Fighting Sytstems this match up
is For the VACANT UAGF Heavyweight Championship.
Also
on the card you will see a Lightweight Championship Tournament
with some of the most exciting Lightweight fighters in MMA today
will be involved in this deciding night for the Lightweight Division
of the “UAGF ”. plus Don Roco will be taking on Ghost.
Mussa Toliver out of Antonio Mckee’s camp will be facing
Josh Smith as well as Mike Kasas will battle with Bill Petchpron
.
Ticket
prices are as follows , VIP $100 , Floor level $40 and Balcony
for $35 For ticket information please log on to WWW.TICKETWEB.COM
or call The UAGF directly @ (818) 618-7686 or e mail us at henry_luna@msn.com
or meta0747@msn.com and entitle the e mail UAGF Tickets.
So
remember MMA fans that is this Friday night March 25th 2005 For
a great night of MMA action as only the UAGF can deliver. The
Location of the SOHO Restaurant & Night Club Is 333 South
Boylston st, Los Angeles, California, 90017
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Quote
of the Day
"The most important single ingredient in the formula of
success is knowing how to get along with people."
Theodore Roosevelt, 1858-1919, Twenty-sixth President of the
USA
|
Today
is a Special Day
You are probably thinking what do they mean by this heading.
Well, this is a very important day in Hawaii. Some may say worldwide.
Everyone who reads this site and many who don't have been influenced
or affected as every year passes this day.
Don't
think too hard, but savor this day.
|
Shooto
Hawaii Weigh-Ins This Thursday!
En Fuego in the Marketplace at Kapolei is hosting the weigh-ins.
Come by, have a bite to eat and meet the fighters.
The
show is this Friday! |
The
Ultimate Fighter Journal: Weeks 8 and 9
The last two episodes of The Ultimate Fighter have featured a
couple of twisting plot points, further outlining characters
as the series is now only weeks away from it’s grand finale
on April 9th.
In
week eight’s episode, Chris Leben returned, which of course
is the best thing for the show because it opens up the possibility
of having Leben vs. Koschek on the final episode. Nathan Quarry
brought Leben back as his replacement, as he’s off the show
due to surgery (Quarry was actually one of the favourites). Leben-Koschek
would be the best fight UFC could deliver for the ratings on
the live special on April 9th, which is obvious with the series
high 2.0 rating which the original Leben-Koschek fight delivered.
It
would be extremely disappointing at this point if the show didn’t
deliver another Leben-Koschek fight. It’s seemingly being
hinted at, and there isn’t enough time in the remaining
episodes to build a feud which would be as successful as this.
Sam
Hoger’s character became more established in week nine,
as well. Hoger has become a complete outsider on the show, as
he’s now been accused of stealing hats and gear. I thought
this scene was hilarious. These guys are fighting over HATS.
If they want some hats, I own a bunch and I’d be glad to
send them some. The difference between humans and fights are
that humans will try to avoid a physical confrontation at all
costs, whereas fighters will fight over HATS. Anyway, Hoger eventually
confessed to taking extra hats (maybe it’s really cold where
he lives?) and it’s well established that pretty much no
one else in the house likes him.
The
fights for the last two weeks worth of episodes went almost exactly
the same. Diego Sanchez took Josh Rafferty down and pounded him
to a stoppage within a minute in week eight. Forrest Griffin
took Alex Schoenaur down and pounded him until he tapped out
in just over a minute. This leaves only eight competitors left
on the show with only a handful of weeks to go.
Episode
nine also featured Kenny Florian being moved to Team Couture,
as Team Couture ended up being short fighters again. Florian
is one of the last middleweight lefts on the show, with Koschek,
Leben and Sanchez being the others.
The
consistently dropping ratings, however, present a problem leading
into the final episode. I would say that the final episode logically
should hit at least the 2.0 rating for the peak episode from
a few weeks ago. I think the amount of people that tuned in for
the episode are going to want to tune in to the final as well,
simply to see what happens. I believe the reason for this is
that they tuned in to see what happened as the end result of
the Koschek-Leben feud, so I think they’d want to see the
end result of the entire series as well.
This
also means the obvious way of marking a high rating for the finale
will be another Koschek-Leben fight. As Sam Hoger becomes more
developed as a character over the final few episodes, he could
be placed in a feud that could be a ratings draw as well, possibly
with Forrest Griffin. They need a serious storyline hook for
that to play out well, though. With Bobby Southworth long gone,
there’s far less character development at the light-heavyweight
level than there is at middleweight level.
The
show also needs a serious punch going into the last few weeks,
which it has been lacking since the Leben-Koschek fight. There
really has not been anything nearly as interesting as that match
in almost all of the recent episodes. The Sam Hoger thing can
develop into an interesting story if they can find someone for
him to feud with. But otherwise, they need to either develop
something new in the remaining weeks, or fall back on the Leben-Koschek
feud to make sure the series finishes strong. And since it’s
a reality series, I don’t think they’re really in control
of that, so how the show does until the final episode is anyone’s
guess.
Source: Maxfighting
|
K-1
Results from South Korea
K-1’s major event at the Olympic Stadium Gym in Seoul has
come and past, featuring a large number of freakshow fights taking
place in front of a claimed attendance of 15,958.
It
wasn’t much of a show, with the biggest story coming out
of it being that Akebono actually won a fight.
Yes, I’m serious. No, that’s not a typo. He defeated
Nobuaki Kakuda via decision. Kakuda is a top brass guy in K-1
who is a former competitor that retired awhile ago and he came
back for this match, so you can make your own decision about
that.
Hong-Man
Choi, 7’2” and 346 pounds, ended up winning the one-man
tournament, defeating former sumo Wakashoyo in a freakshow in
the first round. He then beat Akebono in 42 seconds when Akebono’s
corner threw in the towel, and he beat Kaoklai Kaennorsing via
decision in overtime in the final round. Yes, 7’2”,
346 pound Choi actually fought 5’11”, 172 pound Kaennorsing.
Also,
in a pair of superfights, Remy Bonjasky knocked out aging boxer
Ray Mercer in 22 seconds, and Peter Aerts defeated Carter Williams
via decision in overtime.
The
show airs on North American pay per view on March 20th. We’ll
have a full review of it in a few days.
Results:
1.
Yong Seok Ko defeated Jong Man Kim via decision
2.
Tatsfumi Tomihira knocked out Min Ki Kang in the first round.
3.
Kaoklai Kaennorsing defeated Zhang Qing Jun via decision
4.
Hiraku Hori defeated Lee Myeon-Ju via decision
5.
Akebono defeated Nobuaki Kakuda
via decision
6.
Choi Hong-Man knocked out Wakashoyo in the first round
7.
Semmy Schiltt knocked out Montanha Silva in the first round
8.
Kaoklai Kaennorsing defeated Hiraku Hori via decision
9.
Choi Hong-Man defeated Akebono in 42 seconds when Akebono’s corner threw
in the towel
10.
Peter Aerts defeated Carter Williams via decision.
Source: Maxfighting
|
Bas
Rutten's "Little Sis" Shannon Knapp
Normally
MMAWeekly's Names In The Game segment is reserved for an up and
coming fighter who performed well in MMA and is on the cusp of
making a name for themselves in the sport. For this installment
we break with tradition and showcase an individual who has a
unique perspective on the male dominated sport of MMA. Shannon
Knapp, known to many as Bas Rutten's "little sis" has
long been a major part of the success of Bas Rutten Enterprises
and has recently been making an impact in front of the camera.
Having started her broadcast career with King of the Cage she
is soon to be seen co-hosting the upcoming Sportfight television
series with current UFC Light-Heavyweight Champion Randy "The
Natural" Couture. MMAWeekly's Mick Hammond caught up with
Shannon as she accompanied Bas Rutten and Duane "Bang"
Ludwig to Team Quest's Oregon facilities in preparation for Couture's
upcoming title fight for the UFC in April.
Shannon
got her introduction to MMA through legend Bas Rutten, a former
champion of both the UFC and Pancrase and currently a commentator
on Pride's American PPV broadcasts. As Shannon explained, the
connection between their kindred spirits was strong from the
beginning and lead moniker she's often referred to as. "I'm
a Krav Maga self defense instructor and Bas and I first met in
training through mutual friends. With Bas was the first time
I ever grappled MMA style. We hit it off immediately, over the
years we've become pretty close. We're very tight, as close as
you can get without having blood relation, he treats me like
family and that's how the "Bas' little sis" thing started.
People often call me 'Little Bas,' we are that much alike. We've
got the same sense of humor; we train a lot alike. We identify
the same things in fights, we'll be watching them and pointing
out the same things at the same time. It's pretty surprising
to people to find out we aren't actually related. People say
we look a lot alike except I have hair and Bas doesn't. I will
say though that regardless to what Bas told MMA Weekly in his
last interview, I'm better looking than he is."
Along
with being an accomplished instructor, Knapp is also a graduate
of the prestigious Brown University and serves as Vice President
of Bas Rutten Enterprises, the company set up to help market
Bas' training systems and life after fighting. "Bas incredible
instructor, he's timeless in technique and evolution," says
Knapp. "For lack of a better way to say it, I take a look
at where and how we can make money off that. Making a living
in this sport is the name of the game, fighters and people that
work for them have to make money to live too, people often forget
that. We go in and see where he can be marketable, what kind
of products best represent and reflect him. We've got to find
where is the best venues to apply all the knowledge he has. It's
really hard in this industry, the fighters are very underpaid,
they can't train like they would because they can't support family
doing that, and that doesn't change afterwards. In this sport
you have to look for avenues that you can keep their careers
alive so they can continue to support their families. That's
what the business side of things is all about."
One
thing that separates Rutten from many other personalities in
the industry is that little work has to be done to market him,
as he is one of the most respected and beloved individuals in
the history of MMA. His presence alone is enough to instantly
identify him with the sport's fanbase. This is a fact that is
not lost on Knapp, "Working with Bas and finding things
he's good at and what public will respond to is easy. He's extremely
charismatic, he's never met a stranger when it comes to people,
they are all fans. He validates a big point in the industry,
be good to your fans and they will in return be good to you.
The biggest thing that people in this business forget is to take
the time to do things for the fans, show them the respect and
attention they deserve. They put the people in the industry where
they are, if not for the fans none of us would be doing what
we do. If you give them what they give you, it will move you
forward to stay in the limelight. For Bas it's easy he's such
a likable guy."
Rutten
is not the only major name in MMA that Knapp works with, recently
she undertook the job of assisting Randy Couture with his hectic
business life. "Who doesn't like 'The Natural?' I'm the
luckiest person in the world, for someone working in MMA you
can't get any better than Bas and Randy. They are both very important
to the success and popularity of the sport. Without them there
would be a major void in MMA because they are so strongly connected
with the fans. They are a lot alike, just their personalities
are different. They're both highly intelligent, great students
of the sport, and they treat their fans better than just about
anyone in the sport possibly could. That's very good for MMA
no matter how you look at it."
Knapp's
connection to Couture came through her work with Sportfight,
the Oregon based promotion of Couture and Team Quest training
partner Matt "The Law" Lindland. Recently the organization
has begun to wrap up post-production on the first episodes of
a series that they are hoping to get picked up for broadcast
on television. According to Knapp, the show has a lot of potential.
"I've been working for Sportfight for about a year. Randy
and I are the hosts for the upcoming TV show. We just finished
up the trailer and pilot for the series. We've got 3 major networks
looking at it right now. Not sure where it will get picked up,
but it looks promising."
Knapp
continued, "I heard that Randy was looking to fill the position
of co-host and I gave him a call and give him information on
me. I've done King of the Cage PPVs before, and will be doing
the next major one on May 7 th , so I have experience in front
of the camera. I came up and did a show and they were very pleased
with my work and I've been here ever since. One of the things
I like about Sportfight is they care for the fighters, they treat
them just as well as you could possibly do it. I'm a big advocate
of the right treatment. Fighters need to be given respect they
deserve, it's a hard job what they do and they more than earn
the right to be treated well."
Few
women who have managed to break into the MMA business with actual
credentials in the sport. In many cases when companies have brought
in female talent for in front of the camera duties it has gone
less than stellar and has often resulted in backlash from the
MMA fanbase. Many times intelligence regarding the sport has
been sacrificed for pure eye candy when it comes to female broadcast
members, Knapp hopes to change that and show a woman can be an
asset and actually know what she's talking about when it comes
to MMA. "As far as the industry goes, it is tough being
female, finding a spot is very tough because of the general perceptions
of others. For me luckily I have good repoir with fighters. I've
always felt welcomed and haven't had any problems. I think the
fighters see that I know the sport and am genuinely passionate
about it. This industry isn't easy for anybody, but I think to
maintain creditability you do have to come in having studied
the sport and know the ins and outs. As the sport moves into
the mainstream arena, I hope females broaden how the sport is
perceived by being educated broadcasters and bringing in a unique
perspective."
Knapp
offered her thoughts on how integrate women into MMA broadcasting
without sacrificing the quality of the presentation. "I
think it's very important that we break the stereotype of women
in MMA. You have to hold yourself to a professional standard
first and foremost. People think you can't be attractive and
intelligent, but by knowing the sport and being professional
in front or behind the scenes you can change that perception.
People keep checking you, scrutinizing you, so you have to be
that much better at what you're doing because you have the added
pressure on you. The minute I talk and I know the difference
between position and moves and show I know the game, it changes
their opinion if they had a negative one coming in. I hold myself
to a standard to break away from the stereotype. A lot of the
bigger organizations hire just on looks the women they bring
in don't have anything to add other than looks. Personally I
feel it's not sellable or marketable because they are not believable.
Fans often feel insulted because they expect a high level of
professionalism on PPVs and if a member of the broadcast team
obviously doesn't know what they are talking about, it makes
fans feel like the company didn't put in the effort to bring
a quality product. If they bring in someone who knows MMA and
has a broadcasting background, it will enhance the perceptions
people have and add to the broadcast. Bringing in intelligent
and professional people can only help the sport in the end."
The
future is looking bright for Knapp and her passion about the
sport extends to all aspects of MMA. "For me I would like
to continue do what I do now, working for Bas, Randy, KotC and
Sportfight. I want to work my way into in a commentary position,
obviously Pride is my favorite, I would love to work for them
in the future. I am all about equality and being female that's
important to me, I'd like to see us have a chance to get more
involved in front of and behind the camera. I think as far as
women fighting, I would love to watch them fight on the big shows,
but right now the focus has to be on mainstreaming the sport.
The general public are not quite ready for female MMA in the
States on a larger scale than it is, but wait until it is in
the mainstream and I think it can become just as entertaining
and marketable as MMA is now."
Knapp
continued, "I would like to see more equality for the fighters
too. I want to see the fighters get paid what they deserve because
these guys need to be able to make a living and do what they
love. Right now the pay scale isn't what it should be. Compared
to boxing, MMA fighters make a fraction of pro boxers make and
MMA fighters are just as talented and skilled as the best pro
boxers. I interview a lot of fighters, there's a lot of passion
in this sport, they work hard and do this because they love it,
not because they're in it for the money like a lot of other athletes
are in other sports. I would like the general public to see MMA
as a sport because right now we don't get that kind of recognition.
The more we show them that we are a viable real sport the more
it can grow. Hopefully we can also bring on serious sponsorships
which will help the sport grow and allow fighters to train and
fight full time. A lot of people taking an interest in the sport
now and it's only going to help down the line but we have to
help grow ourselves at the same time, it's not going to be easy,
but we can achieve mainstream success."
The
conversation closed out with Knapp saying, "Right now we
are all up here at Quest training and helping Randy get ready.
Bas, Bang, and myself are working hard with the entire team and
it's looking great. Bang is going to concentrate on MMA more
and he's going to make a real impact this year. BasRutten.tv
continues to grow and only going to get better. Soon we're going
to offer a lot of video with exclusive behind the scenes action,
outtakes, training video, and interviews. The instructional DVDs
will be out very soon and they are going to be unbelievable.
Bas and I are working hard on bringing a lot of new projects
together and giving the fans the best products possible give
back to them everything they've given to us."
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Quote
of the Day
"You don't have to see the whole staircase, just take the
first step.
Martin Luther King, Jr. 1929-1968, Civil Rights Leader
|
Lockdown
In Paradise Results!
Definitely a top notch promotion based on the ring girls...
Lock Down in Paradise
Lahaina Civic Center, Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii
March 19, 2005
By Chris Onzuka - Chris@Onzuka.com
The
inaugural event of a new promotional event on Maui billed as
Lockdown In Paradise brought in the first MMA event on Maui held
in a cage. The promoters transformed the Lahaina Civic Center
with an entrance ramp, flanked by two Jumbo tron screens featuring
pre-fight interviews, leading to the custom built cage which
was surrounded by a light rail to illuminate every corner of
the cage. This kind of production is far from the norm for any
island other than Oahu. Maui fight fans packed into the civic
center to see three UFC veterans alongside their local fighters.
The fights ended quickly as the judges laid back and the fighters
decided their own outcome. Not one fight went to a decision,
in fact, not one fight, other than the kids matches, went past
the first round. Even the kids' matches broke new ground, 808
Fight Factory's head trainer, Kai Kamaka brought in his two boys
to fight, one in a kickboxing match, the other in the first kids
MMA match in Hawaii. The next generation of fighters is already
to start taking root.
The
action was quick and for the most part pitted street fighters
against trained MMA fighters. The Maui fighters were game to
fight, but their level of skill on the ground was not up to par
for the fighters from Oahu. All the fights ended on the ground.
The inaugural event hosted two title fights, UFC veteran Fabiano
Iha made his return to the cage and walked through his opponent,
who stepped up at the last minute due to Iha's scheduled opponent
pulling out. Two other UFC veterans, Jay Hieron took on Hawaii's
Ron "The Machine Gun" Jhun. Hieron's wrestling controlled
the fight, but Jhun held a tight guard that caused a restart.
After a restart, Hieron took Jhun down and landed an elbow on
the top of Jhun's head opening up a huge cut that had blood pouring
out of it. The doctor checked the cut and stopped the fight,
disappointing the Hawaii fans. Jhun would later receive 10 staples
to close up that cut. Overall, the production of the event was
excellent and it set a high benchmark, which the promoter looks
forward to raising for their next event scheduled for June.
Amateur
Bouts:
Exhibition Kids Kickboxing: 3 Rounds x 1 Minute
Kai Kamaka III (808 Fight Factory) vs. Abe Reinhardt (Wailuku
Kickboxing)
Exhibition
Kids MMA: 2 Rounds x 1 Minute
Tristin Kamaka (808 Fight Factory) vs. Kahana Kilimaka (Lahaina)
MMA:
3 Rounds x 3 Minutes
Jeremy Payet (Native Action Fight Team) def. Isaac Kuikahi
Submission via arm lock from the guard at 2:29 minutes in Round
1.
MMA:
3 Rounds x 3 Minutes
Jumar Dumaoal (808 Fight Factory) def. Eha Souza (Native Action
Fight Team)
TKO via referee stoppage due to strikes at 2:56 minutes in Round
1.
MMA:
3 Rounds x 3 Minutes
Robert Villapando (808 Fight Factory) def. Sonny "Boy"
Ka'anana
Submission via rear naked choke at 1:09 minutes in Round 1.
MMA:
3 Rounds x 3 Minutes
Adam Ah Sue (Team M.A.D.D.) def. Pako Woods (Native Action Fight
Team)
Submission via rear naked choke at 2:56 minutes in Round 1.
MMA:
3 Rounds x 3 Minutes
Sean Souza (Native Action Fight Team) def. Omar New (Native Action
Fight Team)
Submission due to strikes at 2:09 minutes in Round 1.
Professional
Bouts:
MMA: 3 Rounds x 5 Minutes
Tyson Coloma-Nahooikaika (Wailuku Kickboxing) def. Jason Dacquel
(Team Mixed Breed)
Submission via rear naked choke at 3:33 minutes in Round 1.
MMA:
3 Rounds x 5 Minutes
Savant Young (228 Street Gym) def. Kendal Groves (Cobra Kai Jiu-Jitsu)
TKO via referee stoppage, Young guillotine choked Groves unconscious
at 2:00 minutes in Round 1.
MMA:
3 Rounds x 5 Minutes
Super Weight Championship Match
Fabiano Iha def. John "Razor" Cox (Barrett Academy)
KO via strikes from the mount at 30 seconds in round 1.
Title
fights:
Welterweight Championship Match
MMA: 3 Rounds x 5 Minutes
Jay Hieron (Cobra Kai Jiu-Jitsu) def. Ronald "Machine Gun"
Jhun (808 Fight Factory)
TKO via doctor's stoppage (cut on head) at 4:34 minutes in Round
1.
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Lee
gets second NCAA crown
Cornell
senior Travis Lee won his second NCAA wrestling title yesterday,
defeating Shawn Bunch of Edinboro (Pa.) University, 6-3, in the
133-pound final of the 75th NCAA Championships at St. Louis,
Mo.
Travis Lee
Lee, a 2001 Saint Louis School graduate from Liliha, finished
the season with a 37-1 record, his only loss coming to Bunch
in the championship match of the Southern Scuffle at Greensboro,
N.C., on Dec. 30.
Bunch,
a junior from Leavenworth, Kan., finished 40-2, with both losses
coming against Lee, including in the semifinals of the Las Vegas
Invitational on Dec. 4.
Lee,
who also won the 125-pound NCAA championship in 2003, became
the first Cornell wrestler to win in two different weight classes
and only the school's second two-time champion.
Lee
is only the third wrestler from an Ivy League school to win two
NCAA titles and the first since Cornell's Dave Auble won in 1959
and 1960. Lee also became the first Ivy League wrestler to earn
four All-America honors.
Lee,
the top seed at 133, took a 2-0 lead in the first period yesterday
after spinning around Bunch to score a takedown.
The
match was tied 2-2 when Lee scored a single-leg takedown to take
the lead for good at 4-2 with a minute left in the second period.
With
the score 5-3 in the third period, Bunch shot a very deep double
but was not able to finish as the wrestlers went out of bounds.
Lee
then finished the match by scoring a point for riding time.
Source:
Honolulu Advertiser
|
Lee
wins second NCAA title
Saint Louis School alum Travis Lee, left, of Cornell defeated
Edinboro's Shawn Bunch for the 133-pound title yesterday.
The Saint Louis School alum finishes his Cornell career winning
at 133 pounds
The
bitterness of a defeat last year made Travis Lee's victory yesterday
that much sweeter.
Associated
Press
The
Cornell senior ended a distinguished college wrestling career
by winning his second national title yesterday, defeating Shawn
Bunch of Edinboro (Pa.) 6-3 in the 133-pound final at the NCAA
wrestling championships at the Savvis Center in St. Louis.
"It's
the end of my college career, so it feels great to come out on
top," Lee said after becoming only the second Cornell wrestler
to win two national championships.
Lee,
a Saint Louis School graduate, won his first NCAA title at 125
pounds as a sophomore and was the top seed at 133 as a junior.
He was upset in the quarterfinals at last year's championships
and turned the disappointment into motivation for his senior
season.
He
entered this year's tournament again as the top seed and was
determined to avoid the mistakes that led to a fifth-place finish
a year ago.
"I
just tried to stay focused," Lee said. "That's what
I did my sophomore year and that's what I didn't do my junior
year. I just tried to stay focused on my match and tried not
to worry about anyone else.
"It's
hard to stay focused (as the top seed). You have to take it one
match at a time and it's easy to think ahead to the finals. That's
the one thing I focused on. You can't ever overlook anyone."
Lee
completed his senior season 37-1, with his only loss coming against
Bunch earlier this year. Bunch (40-2, with both losses coming
against Lee) defeated Lee in their prior meeting this season,
but Lee got out to a 2-0 lead yesterday and was able to hold
on for the win.
"I
wrestled him a couple of times, so I knew what he was coming
at me with and I was ready for it," Lee said. "I stuck
to my game plan and wrestled well.
"There
was a little payback and I had to keep focused on the match because
I knew he wasn't going to be a pushover."
Lee
ended his Cornell career as the winningest wrestler in both Big
Red and Ivy League history with a 143-13 record. He is also the
first Ivy League wrestler to win All-America honors four times.
Lee
said he's been accepted to Cornell's Masters of Engineering program
and plans to help the Big Red squad as a coach next season while
also exploring possibilities with the national team.
Lee's
performance helped Cornell post its highest team finish in 52
years. The Big Red's 76.5 points was good for fourth place. Oklahoma
State rolled to the national championship with 153 points.
Oklahoma
State wins its third straight title
ST. LOUIS » Heavyweight Steve Mocco's overtime takedown
wrapped up an undefeated season and a perfect finals for Oklahoma
State, which won all five of its matches to run away with its
third straight NCAA wrestling championship last night.
The
Cowboys also got titles from Zack Esposito at 149 pounds, Johny
Hendricks at 165, Chris Pendleton at 174 and Jake Rosholt at
197 to tie the NCAA record of five championships set by Iowa
in 1997.
"This
team, this weekend, gave the extra effort in every way,"
coach John Smith said. "In every tough situation, we excelled.
It's my best team score-wise and effort-wise."
Oklahoma
State, which has won three straight championships for the first
time since 1954-56, finished with 153 points and a 50-point cushion
over runner-up Michigan. Oklahoma (77 1/2) was third, followed
by Cornell (76 1/2) and Minnesota (72 1/2).
The
event began with an upset, with fifth seed Joe Dubuque of Indiana
edging third seed Kyle Ott of Illinois in a defensive bout, the
score reflecting a lack of action. Dubuque won a similar low-scoring
match to upset top-seeded Sam Hazewinkel of Oklahoma 3-1 in the
semifinals.
Source:
Honolulu Star Bulletin |
Full
Contact Showdown Results
The Full Contact Showdown (FCS) delivered another great night
of fights at Kaneohe Marine Core Base Hawaii's (MCBH) Kahuna's
Sports Bar & Grill ballroom. Despite a number of pre-fight
set backs, including three Alaskan fighters' missed flights,
two injuries, and one illness, FCS managed to resuscitate the
show with the help of athletes from the Big Island's "Puna
Boys No Train Jus' Fight: training academy.
The FCS main event between Hawaii Marine Steve Bynes and Windward-side
fighter Kimo Wolfel was one for the ages, as both fighters pushed
the action with monstrous strikes and amazing ground fighting.
Super Brawl President T. Jay Thompson, who served as the event's
ref, said of the main event: "The Byrnes - Wolfel match
was one the greatest single rounds of fighting I've ever seen...both
fighters have certainly proved in their FCS match-up that they
are Super Brawl-quality athletes."
The FCS was developed by promoter Patrick Freitas with the dual
purposes of delivering a top-notch MMA / Kickboxing show for
Hawaii's military and providing a professional, well-run event
for the growing legions of amateur and young profesional fighters
in Hawaii. The success of the FCS series is largely due to the
support of the following sponsors: Super Brawl, Steinlager, Fitness
& Nutrition, Champs, Kahuna's Sports Bar & Grill, and
Round Table Pizza Waikiki. The FCS will return to Kaneohe MCBH
in June of 2005.
RESULTS:
185-LB Amateur Exhibition Kickboxing
Tillis Sionesini (808 FF) vs. Casey Daniels (MMAD)
EXHIBITION - no declared winner
135-LB Amateur Kickboxing
Jumar Dumalao (808 FF) vs. Tyson Nam (Lee's Shaolin Boxing Academy)
Dumalao no-show - fight scratched.
205-LB Amateur MMA
Aaron Rose (808 FF) vs. Kala Kolohe Hose (Bad Intentions)
Hose winner - cut stoppage between rounds 1 and 2.
150-LB Amateur Kickboxing
Duke Saragosa (808 FF) vs. John Honda (Grappling Unlimited)
Honda winner - split decision
135-LB Pro MMA
Albert "Boy Pilau" Manners (Puna Boys) vs. Mark Oshiro
(Bulls Pen)
Oshiro winner - Round 1 TKO (time not recorded)
170-LB Pro MMA
Malik WIlliams (Puna Boys) vs. Mark Moreno (Bulls Pen)
Moreno winner - Round 1 Arm-Bar submission (time not recorded)
185-LB Pro MMA
Kimo Wolfel (Kodan Kan) vs. Steve Byrnes (Bulls Pen)
Bynes winner - Round 1 Rear Naked Choke submission (4:03 of 5-minute
round)
Please contact Patrick Freitas at 375-1645 for more information
about the Full Contact Showdown.
Source:
Promoter
|
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 |
Fighters'
Club TV Episode 29 Preview!
Episode 29 is cut and submitted to programming. It will air:
March 8, 15, 21
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
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