Sign our Guestbook!
Experience the Man Page!

Upcoming Events
Do you want to list an event on Onzuka.com?
Contact Us
(All events on Oahu, unless noted)

2006

3/25/06
Garden Island Cage Match #3
(MMA)
(Kapaa H.S. Gym, Kapaa, Kauai)

3/4/06
Kickin It
(Kickboxing)
(TBD)


2/26/06
Hawaii State Championship
(BJJ & Sub Grappling)
(Honolulu)
Tentative

2/11/06
Icon Sport 44
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena)

2/4/06
Kickin It Up
(Kickboxing)
(Pagoda Hotel)

January
Grappler's Quest Hawaii
(Submission Grappling)
(TBA)

1/20/06
ROTR 10

(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena)

1/7/06
Kickin It
(Kickboxing)
(Dole Cannery Ballroom)

2005

12/10/05
Full Contact Showdown
(MMA)
(Kahuna's Sports Bar & Grill, Kaneohe Marine Corps Base)

12/10/05
So You Think You Tough
(MMA, Kickboxing)
(Kona Gym, Kona)

12/4/05
Longman Jiu-Jitsu Open
(BJJ & Sub Grappling)
(Kauai)

11/29/05
Tuesday Night Fights
(Kickboxing)
(Central Pacific A.C.'s Academic and Athletic Training Center, Hilo)

11/25/05
Kickin It 2005 "The Sequel"
Kickboxing Championships
(Kickboxing)
(Ilikai Hotel Ballroom)

11/19/05
UFC 56: Full Force

(MMA)

(
MGM Grand Garden Arena)

11/15/05
Tuesday Night Fights
(Kickboxing)
(Central Pacific A.C.'s Academic and Athletic Training Center, Hilo)

11/14/05
3rd American National BJJ Championships
(Torrance Unified School District, Torrance, CA )

11/12/05
Full Contact Showdown
Super Brawl Qualifer
(MMA)
(Kahuna Bar & Grill, Kaneohe Marine Corps Base)

Aloha State Championships of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
(BJJ/Grappling)
(Saint Louis School Gym)

11/5/05
Rumble On The Rock 9: Just Scrap

(MMA)
(Edith Kanakaole Tennis Stadium, Hilo)

 News & Rumors
Archives

Year 2005
October 2005 Part 3
October 2005 Part 2
October 2005 Part 1

September 2005 Part 3
September 2005 Part 2

September 2005 Part 1
August 2005 Part 3
August 2005 Part 2

August 2005 Part 1

July 2005 Part 3
July 2005 Part 2
July 2005 Part 1

June 2005 Part 3
June 2005 Part 2
June 2005 Part 1
May 2005 Part 3
May 2005 Part 2
May 2005 Part 1

April 2005 Part 3
April 2005 Part 2
April 2005 Part 1
March 2005 Part 3
March 2005 Part 2

March 2005 Part 1
February 2005 Part 3
February 2005 Part 2
February 2005 Part 1

January 2005 Part 3
January 2005 Part 2
January 2005 Part 1

Year 2004
December 2004 Part 3 December 2004 Part 2 December 2004 Part 1
November 2004 Part 3

November 2004 Part 2
November 2004 Part 1
October 2004 Part 2
October 2004 Part 1

September 2004 Part 3
September 2004 Part 2
September 2004 Part 1
August 2004 Part 3

August 2004 Part 2
August 2004 Part 1
July 2004 Part 3
July 2004 Part 2
July 2004 Part 1
June 2004 Part 3
June 2004 Part 2
June 2004 Part 1
May 2004 Part 3
May 2004 Part 2
May 2004 Part 1

April 2004 Part 3
April 2004 Part 2
April 2004 Part 1
March 2004 Part 3

March 2004 Part 2
March 2004 Part 1
February 2004 Part 3
February 2004 Part 2
February 2004 Part 1
January 2004 Part 3
January 2004 Part 2
January 2004 Part 1

Year 2003
December 2003 Part 3
December 2003 Part 2 December 2003 Part 1
November 2003 Part 3
November 2003 Part 2
November 2003 Part 1
October 2003 Part 2
October 2003 Part 2
October 2003 Part 1
September 2003 Part 2
September 2003 Part 1
August 2003 Part 3
August 2003 Part 2
August 2003 Part 1
July 2003 Part 3
July 2003 Part 2
July 2003 Part 1
June 2003 Part 3
June 2003 Part 2
June 2003 Part 1
May 2003 Part 3
May 2003 Part 2
May 2003 Part 1
April 2003 Part 3
April 2003 Part 2
April 2003 Part 1
March 2003 Part 3

March 2003 Part 2
March 2003 Part 1
February 2003 Part 3
February 2003 Part 2
February 2003 Part 1
January 2003 Part 3
January 2003 Part 2
January 2003 Part 1

Year 2002
December 2002 Part 2
December 2002 Part 1
November 2002 Part 2
November 2002 Part 1
October 2002 Part 3
October 2002 Part 2
October 2002 Part 1
September 2002 Part 3
September 2002 Part 2
September 2002 Part 1
August 2002 Part 2
August 2002 Part 1
July 2002 Part 3
July 2002 Part 2
July 2002 Part 1
June 2002 Part 3
June 2002 Part 2
June 2002 Part 1
May 2002 Part 3
May 2002 Part 2
May 2002 Part 1
April 2002 Part 3
April 2002 Part 2
April 2002 Part 1
March 2002 Part 3
March 2002 Part 2
March 2002 Part 1
February 2002 Part 2
February 2002 Part 1
January 2002 Part 3
January 2002 Part 2
January 2002 Part 1

Year 2001
December 2001 Part 2
December 2001 Part 1
November 2001 Part 2
November 2001 Part 1
October 2001 Part 2
October 2001 Part 1
September 2001 Part 3
September 2001 Part 2
September 2001 Part 1
August 2001 Part 2
August 2001 Part 1
July 2001 Part 3
July 2001 Part 2
July 2001 Part 1
June 2001 Part 2
June 2001 Part 1
May 2001
April 2001 Part 2
April 2001 Part 1
March 2001
February 2001
January 2001

Year 2000
Nov-Dec 2000
October 2000
Aug-Sept 2000
July 2000
March-May 2000

November 2005 News Part 1
 

Wednesday night and Sunday classes (w/ a kids' class) now offered!


For the special Onzuka.com price, click on one of these banners above!


Tuesdays at 9:30PM on Olelo Channel 52


 11/10/05

Quote of the Day

"The production of too many useful things results in too many useless people."

Karl Marx, 1818-1883, German Political Philosopher and Social Theorist

X-1 Battlegrounds at the O-Lounge 2
Weigh-ins Today!


Weigh-ins at the O Lounge at 7PM.

Come by to see the fighters and party at the O Lounge!


X-1 Battlegrounds at the O Lounge 2
O Lounge Night Club, Honolulu, Hawaii
November 11, 2005

Tentative Fight Card (Subject To Change)
Derek Thornton (Rock Bottom Fight Team) vs. Deutsch Puu (Freelance)
Vilatonu Fonokalafi (Freelance) vs. Tomas Rosser (Freelance)
Danny Ferriera (Freelance, Streetfighting) vs. Joshua Ferreira (Freelance, Kickboxing)
Jensen Reese (Freelance, Boxing) vs. Hugh Jones (Freelance, Boxing)
Makoa Hanaike (Team M.M.A.D, Wrestling) vs. Bronson Delima (Bulls Pen)
Bernard Monderen (Freelance, Kickboxing) vs. Kenneth Mack (Team Submit)
Chris Procopio (Eastsidaz) vs. Derek Stadler (Bulls Pen)
Thomas Gilbert (Team Mix Breed) vs. Ikaika Jhun (Freelance, Boxing)

The O-Lounge is located next to Ala Moana Shopping Center and is above Venus night club.

Source: Event Promoter

BENNETT BREAKDOWN:
ROTR, TUF, TRIGG AND LEBEN


Sorry boys and girls. With football in both College and NFL in full bloom I have been way too busy with my "real" sports job. Time to address a billion emails with your questions in another edition of the Bennett Breakdown.

"I truly felt Nick Diaz won the fight vs. Diego Sanchez. He was more active on the ground and Diego didn't do much on the ground. How did you see it and what's next for Sanchez?" Marvis Banuelos - Oxnard, CA

I couldn't disagree with you more. I think it was a close fight and I scored it 29-28 for Diego, but I don't have a problem with the way the judges scored it, which was 30-27 for Sanchez. The only offense Diaz really mounted was the upkick he landed and he landed a couple of shots during the stand up. Other than that I was surprised how well Diego neutralized every move Diaz had for him on the ground. There was some amazing jiu-jitsu by both guys on the ground and the average guy who doesn't know the ground fighting game, was impressed as my pseudo sports friends said they enjoyed the "ground stuff" for the first time ever.

Diego's ground n pound was very good, especially the first two rounds. He did get a little tired the third round, but still this was Diego's coming out party. This kid is better than most thought and he will have a chance to continue to earn the respect from the hardcore MMA fans who don't want to give it to him for whatever reason. I wouldn't be surprised to see Diego face Karo Parisyan Super Bowl weekend.

What's up with your boy Frank Trigg? How is his ankle and when is he going to fight again? - Richard Manning - Columbus, OH

Trigg is doing fine and his ankle is healing very well. Trigg is a freak of nature where his body heals extremely fast. He mentioned before that his injury is very similar to Terrell Owens surgery last year as T.O. played in the Super Bowl just six weeks after the surgery. Trigg if he had to go, could probably fight at the end of the month; it's healing that well at six weeks after surgery. As far as where and when he will fight next, I honestly have no idea. All the major players of MMA have contacted him and when I say everybody, I truly mean everybody. The major players want him to fight and he will have to sit down and sort it out. He will be back for early 2006, but the big question is whether it will be in California, Hawaii or Japan, which are all, knocking on his door.

Tell me about Rumble on the Rock's Tournament for January. Who is in it? - Steve Niumatalolo - Hawaii

This should be a great tournament at 175 pounds. To my knowledge they have locked in Renato "Charuto" Verissimo, Dennis Hallman, Jake Shields, Ronald "Machine Gun" Jhun. I understand they have been talking with Carlos Newton, Frank Trigg, Sean Sherk, Anderson Silva and Joe "Diesel" Riggs. They are also bringing in from Japan, Riki Fukuda who is supposed to be a bad hombre from all accounts. I've heard nothing but good things from him. If they can sign the guys they are negotiations with, this will be a tournament for the ages. It's definitely shaping up to be something very special. By the way, the winner of this tournament gets to fight BJ Penn.

Can you talk about the rumor about a major pro-wrestling player that wants to get involved in MMA? - Chris Figueora

It's been interesting to see this story gain momentum in the past week. It sounds like Paul Heyman, formerly of ECW fame and has done stuff for the WWE, is interested in starting his own MMA organization. I guess Heyman's WWE contract expires at the end of December. Dave Meltzer talked about how he has been closely studying the MMA industry, while the PWTorch, a pro wrestling insider publication said quote, "Paul believes he has the next big concept that will revolutionize the industry a second time, just as he did in the late-90's with ECW."

Heyman will have to get sanctioned in the state of Nevada or New Jersey to become a major player, which may or may not be difficult with his pro wrestling background. The other thing is if he wants to "revolutionize" MMA, then he better have deep pockets to do so. It's going to take a ton of money from any organization to compete with the UFC at this stage of the game. He didn't have enough money in ECW to compete with the WWE back in the 90's. He will have a similar hill to climb if he wants to compete with the UFC who now has a TV deal, PPV numbers, and tons of new fans.

Is Baroni fighting Chris Leben in the UFC? - Ted Crumpler - Redmond, OR

Good question. Leben was not happy to hear the story that he "dodged Baroni". Rumor has it that Leben was supposed to fight Baroni in November, but didn't have enough time to train. That didn't sit well with Leben. Leben came on MMAWeekly.com a couple of weeks for the Sunday Night Conversation and basically said he would welcome a fight against Baroni anytime and he wanted that fight. There is a rumor floating around that the reason why Baroni isn't fighting in England for Cage Rage was because the UFC offered him to fight in the Octagon. I heard Baroni was offered a fight on Super Bowl weekend in the UFC, while Leben believes he is fighting on January 16th's live Spike TV special. The dates don't match up right now, but both Baroni and Leben want the fight by all accounts. Hopefully they can work it out so we can see a great fight.

I will be back next week for more of your emails, for those who have emailed me and I didn't get to your question, please catch me on the radio end. We do our show LIVE everyday Monday through Friday at www.mmaweeklyradio.com at 9am Pacific/12 Noon eastern. It's easier to reach me there and we can address any or all of your questions on the show with myself and MMA fighter Frank Trigg. Until next time have a great week.

Source: MMA Weekly

MMA REFEREE: TOUGHEST JOB IN MMA

Much has been said recently about fight stoppages that are either too quick or not soon enough and the recipient of the majority of the blame falls directly at the feet of the referee. Refereeing as a whole, whether the sport be mixed martial arts, boxing, football or whatever, is possibly the most thankless job in all of professional athletics. Recently, many of the referees in mixed martial arts have come under heat from fans and critics for the decisions they make, and very rarely to they receive much praise for this extremely difficult job.

The sport of mixed martial arts as a whole is still very much evolving. From the early days of the UFC when fights would go on until literally one man couldn’t take anymore to now where state athletic commissions like Nevada and New Jersey have put rules in place to protect the fighters and sanction these rules that the referees governing the match have to enforce.

For a sport that is only still in it’s infancy, the referees who are in charge of the fights haven’t had the years of watching and learning their trade like referees or umpires in some of the major sports. But for all the criticism that the mixed martial arts referee receives, it is they who protect the fighters from harm and are placed with the supreme power to decide when enough is enough in any fight.

One of the most controversial referee stoppages in MMA was in 2003 in a fight between Phil Baroni and Evan Tanner. Referee Larry Landless, who hasn’t been seen in the UFC for quite some time, was on top of the action as Evan Tanner gained a very dominant position on Baroni and started to reign down elbows. Baroni kept his composure for the most part, blocking most of the shots that Tanner was throwing. Landless could be heard asking Baroni if he wanted out, and through the muffled words being spoken, apparently Landless heard “yes” and stopped the fight and declared Tanner the winner.

Baroni was enraged by the stoppage and even went as far as to swing at Landless, an act that would give the “New York Badass” a lengthy suspension. Although through numerous replays it was hard to tell if any words were said by Baroni that led the referee to believe he was giving up, he was definitely in a very tough position with Tanner on top throwing some very heavy elbow and forearm shots.

One stoppage that garnered referee Herb Dean instant criticism and then adoring praise was his decision in the UFC Heavyweight title fight between Tim Sylvia and Frank Mir. As the fight quickly went to the ground, Mir was able to kick up on his larger opponent and secure a tight armbar from his guard. Sylvia instantly recognized the danger he was in and tried to pull out, but in the fray Mir turned his hips even further causing Sylvia’s arm to snap in two places. Still, Sylvia did not give up but referee Herb Dean came rushing in calling a stop to the fight.

Sylvia was instantaneous with his protests and the commentators at cage side were quick to point out that the Miletich trained Sylvia didn’t tapout. As the instant replay was shown a closer angle displayed Mir pushing against Sylvia’s arm and two succinct breaks that clearly showed the broken arm. As the cameras moved around the octagon, Sylvia’s arm was clearly swelling up and the fight was officially stopped and Frank Mir was declared the champion.

Referee Herb Dean was attacked almost instantly for his stoppage in the fight but after numerous replays that clearly showed Sylvia’s arm being snapped, Dean was vindicated. After the fight ended and Sylvia was able to realize the extent of the injury that he has just sustained, and thanked the referee for helping to save his career because if the fight had continued, there was a definite possibility that the injury could have been so severe, Sylvia may have never fought again.

A recent fight that comes to mind when referee’s decisions come under question was in a match-up between “Ultimate Fighter” season 1 participant, Nate “The Rock” Quarry and his opponent, Pete “Drago” Sell. World renowned boxing referee and often UFC judge, Cecil Peoples was in charge of the action and only seconds into the fight, Quarry landed a very solid shot to Sell that dropped him to the ground. Quarry was quick to jump on his downed opponent and landed one more shot and Peoples was fast in stepping in to stop the fight.

At the same time as Quarry was about to fire off another shot and Peoples was stepping in to stop the fight, Pete Sell, a student of Matt Serra’s jiu-jitsu, seemed to be trying to pull guard and appeared to be protecting himself. Quarry pulled away from his downed opponent and Sell quickly jumped up and protested the stoppage. It was a very tough call to make but the referees in the octagon have to make the call the way they see it and Cecil Peoples was doing nothing more than trying to protect the fighters.

The staple to refereeing in mixed martial arts has always been “Big” John McCarthy, who has been with the UFC pretty much from the beginning. He was around when there were virtually no rules to now where the UFC is a sanctioned sporting event. McCarthy has been involved as a referee in almost every major title fight or main event in the UFC and has rarely been critiqued for his decisions.

McCarthy, who along with Nelson “Doc” Hamilton, founded MMARefs, who offer instructional seminars and teach those who want to learn the art of refereeing in full contact sports. McCarthy is definitely the measuring stick by which all professional referees are judged. No one is infallible, but McCarthy’s decisions have rarely been questioned and he continues to prove why he is the best in the business with each fight that he is in charge of the referee duties.

One aspect that hasn’t been touched on very much are the referees in Pride, who have been up and down with their decisions as well. Many people feel that the referees in Pride allow the action to go on too long and potentially endanger the safety of the fighters. Many fights in Pride have shown some very questionable judgment in regards to the referees and the amount of punishment that they will allow. But to the contrary of that are the fights that the referees allow to go on and the fighter that seems out is able to recover and comeback to win.

A recent fight between UFC and Pride veteran Ken Shamrock and Pride superstar, Kazushi Sakuraba, came under heavy fire for the stoppage that occurred. Sakuraba landed a very solid shot and Shamrock turned and fell against the ropes. As Sakuraba came in to try to finish his opponent, the referee jumped in very quickly and called a stop to the action. Shamrock did look dazed by the shot and landed with his head between the ropes and out of the ring, but did regain his composure fairly quickly as well. Again, the downed fighter was quick to protest and this time Shamrock did file a protest for the stoppage, although it is highly unlikely that anything will come of it.

Referees in mixed martial arts have a clear cut responsibility and that is to keep the action legal and within the rules and also protect the fighters at all times and keep anyone from being seriously injured. Very rarely do the referees receive accolades for their great work and it is often when they are criticized for what others may call a questionable decision. In a full contact sport that moves very quickly it is hard to truly be mistake free, but the referees of mixed martial arts definitely have one of the toughest jobs in the entire industry.

Source: MMA Weekly

IS DIAZ'S FUTURE IN DOUBT?

Speculation has run rampant about the future of Nick Diaz. There were some things backstage that did not sit well with management before the fight even began.

Apparently it stems from a backstage incident between Diaz and Sanchez. There obviously was some heat before the fight started between the two fighters. One fighter who competed on the show told MMAWeekly.com quote, "It was bizarre before the fight. We were all warming up backstage and Diaz and Sanchez were verbally jawing one with another. There isn't a whole lot of room backstage. Then Diaz took off his shoe and threw it at Diego. They almost had a brawl backstage before the fight even started."

Diaz didn't make many friends in the crowd either watching live at the Hard Rock Hotel. Before the fight started, Diaz flipped off Sanchez across the ring and yelled some profanities at him. The crowd watching in attendance that was already pro-Sanchez started booing Diaz at the gesture. Was it part of Diaz's plan to win the psychological war by playing mind games? Probably. The biggest argument against that though was the problem that this was on Spike TV, not pay per view television. People are much more lenient on pay per view compared to free tv.

As far as Diaz'a contract goes, this was NOT the last fight on Diaz's contract as a few websites had reported, but with any contract once you lose a fight you can be cut at anytime.

MMAWeekly Radio host and former UFC Fighter Frank Trigg talked about UFC contracts today on the radio show. Trigg said, "People think that since you are cut from your contract that you will never be back. That isn't the case. Somewhere down the road, guys come back. I think Ivan Salaverry will be back and other guys will be back. Bottom line, it's business. If you are making $10,000 for your first fight, $15,000 for your second and $20,000 for your third fight of a contract, it's smart for Zuffa to cut you after your second fight if you lose. Then they don't have to pay you 20 grand for your last fight. Instead, if you lose, then they can pay you less money which is good business period. As far as Diaz goes, it could go either way. If he pissed them off, he won't be back; if they know it was gamesmanship, then he will."

Source: MMA Weekly

 11/9/05

Quote of the Day

"We do not believe in ourselves until someone reveals that deep inside us is valuable, worth listening to, worthy of our trust, sacred to our touch. Once we believe in ourselves we can risk curiosity, wonder, spontaneous delight or any experience that reveals the human spirit."

E.E. Cummings, 1894-1962, American Poet

Interview - Pedro Rizzo

Takimoto- Thank you for talking with us... Now, you first emerged as the Marco Ruas (UFC 7 tournament champion) number one student. This was true until the Randleman defeat, who at the time was the heavyweight to be beaten. Your biggest weapon was always the low kicks (the strongest in MMA) and your stand up game. You have always been considered one of the best strikers in the circuit. Do you think your game became old or it were the others fighters that evolved?

Rizzo- It was MMA that developed, like Emelianenko Fedor, for example, who is an excellent wrestler and muay thai fighter. He is winning because he represents a very good MMA game, a complete one. I have to do what he is doing, to be more complete. I'm training to evolve my game now. The one who thinks he will win now-a-days doing just one modality will not win anything.

Takimoto- Tell us a little bit about your recent fight against Kharitonov.

Rizzo- I fought real badly. I fought against an opponent who was in the competition pace and that was it. I felt a lot of ring rust; after all, I went one year and a half without fighting. It was not my day.

Takimoto- You still have fights to do in Pride. When we will see you again?

Rizzo- Unfortunately, in December will be only the Pride stars, which are fighting and winning. I hope to be listed in the first Pride of 2006, have and earn a convincible win so to be invited to be part of the Heavyweight GP.

Takimoto- What changed in you training routine after the defeats, mainly after this last one, where you were defeated by TKO?

Rizzo- I put in my mind that I have to improve some fundaments that I feel I'm weak. I am improving my ground skills and the takedowns. I'm sharpening even more the stand up part staying more time in Holland. I'm trying to become more complete.

Takimoto- What do you think you need to do to be in the top of the rankings again and to be respected again as one of the best or the best?

Rizzo- I think I have to fight against someone recognizable. I truely need to win against a top fighter and show that I can fight against anyone. I had the chance to figure between the 4 best, but I lost. Now I will run and try to be again in the top of the MMA world.

Takimoto- Fedor is the man to be beaten in the heavyweights. What is the possibility we have to see any Brazilian conquering the belt?

Rizzo- His main opposition has to evolve more. Today you have to know how to trade [strikes], take people down, know the ground game, always inverting positions. This is what Fedor does. He is doing the right MMA game, doing everything. I think this is the thing that the other fighters must do better to win against him. What Fedor does is almost the same of what Shogun is doing.

Takimoto- Don't you think about fighting in K-1?

Rizzo- Not now, I'm very focused in MMA and in Pride. If I had conquered everything in MMA, I would like to fight K-1. But there are still a lot of things to happen before this.

Takimoto- What are the differences in the trainings that you do here and in Holland?

Rizzo- The difference is that there I'm the shortest and the thinnest; the human material for the heavyweights there is very big. Holland is, in the stand up capitol, where Brazil is in the grappling one. And know I knew a wrestling academy where Russians and Bulgarians train and they are helping me a lot and sharpening my take down abilities.

Takimoto- Today, Ruas Vale Tudo has a partnership with top Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Academy - Nova Uniao. What are your thoughts about this about this?

Rizzo- I think it is excellent. Andre Pedreneiras [Nova Uniao] is a lot like me, we have the same mentality and principles. We are friends and professionals; we respect the name of the academy and the name of the fighters to give the best for the academy. We complete their stand up part and they do the same with our ground part. It was very valid.

Takimoto- Who do you think are the stand outs of the team?

Rizzo- I think Antoine Jaoude, Eric Tavares, Vitor "Shaolin" Ribeiro, Thalles Leite, Jose Aldo Jr., and, outside, some athletes that Marco is training.

Takimoto- Thank you again, please leave a message to your fans.

Rizzo- Next year will be a year with a lot of fights and I will win my very expected classic to put myself again as one of the world's best. I thank everybody who roots for me.

Source: Maxfighting

November 12th - 8th Grapplers Quest West in Vegas!
THE GREATEST GRAPPLING SHOW ON EARTH!!!
8th Grapplers Quest West Coast Grappling and BJJ Championships
When: Saturday, November 12th, 2005
Time: Weigh-ins start at 8:00 AM, Tournament starts at 10:30 AM

Location: Durango High School
7100 West Dewey Drive

Las Vegas, NV

Download a tournament package now: http://grapplers.com/article_images/gq_west_8.doc

Pre-Register online and SAVE up to $30 and $10 per ticket, go to: http://grapplers.com/store/midscreen.cfm

Event to Feature:
- 163 No-Gi Submission Grappling and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Divisions
for Children, Teens, Men, Women, Executives (30-40 yrs.) and Masters (40 yrs. +) and Skill Levels (Novice, Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced)
53 Championship Belts on the line for the following No-Gi Divisions:

Children's Advanced, Teen's Advanced, Executive Absolute, Masters Absolute, Women's Advanced and Absolute, Men's Advanced
33 Championship Gold Cups on the line for the following BJJ Divisions:

Children's Advanced, Teen's Advanced, Women's Absolute, Men's Purple, Brown, and Black Belts

$5,000 in Cash Prizes: 8-Man Lightweight Tournament and 8-Woman Superfight Tournaments

LeveRAGE.tv presents: 8-Man Lightweight Superfight Tournament:

Rani Yahya (Rickson Gracie)
vs.
Chris Brennan (Next Generation)

Wagnney Fabiano (Toronto BJJ/Nova Uniao)
vs.
Gilbert Melendez (Cesar Gracie/#2 RANKED SHOOTO Fighter in the World)

Sandro "Batata" Santiago (Ralph Gracie - Defending Lightweight Champ
vs.
Wander Braga (Jorge Pereira Black Belt)

Jeff Glover (Paragon BJJ)
vs.
Phil Cardella (Relson Gracie/Arnolds Lightweight Champ)

Alternates: Jack McVicker ("Megaton" Diaz Black Belt)
More Alternates Needed: Please send resumes to: President@Grapplers.com

LeveRAGE.tv presents: 8-Women Lightweight Superfight Tournament:
Gazzy Parman (Nova Uniao/John Lewis)
vs.
Kathleen Rozzi (Saulo Ribeiro/Rozzi Self Defense)

Lisa Plaski (Machado - 2-Time GQ Champ)
vs.
Cathy "CJ" McCue (Alberto Crane/Santa Fe BJJ)

Cindy Hales (Demon Jiu-Jitsu/Seattle BJJ Academy)
vs.
Jeanette Portocarrero (Jean Jacques Machado)

Amanda Buckner (AMMA)
vs.
Felicia Oh (10th Planet JJ/Jean Jacques Machado)

Alternate: Gisele Braga (Rodrigo Medeiros - Revolution Team)
More Alternates Needed: Please send resumes to: President@Grapplers.com

LeveRAGE.tv presents: 8-Women Cruiserweight Superfight Tournament:
Kizma Button (Randy Bloom/Ground Zero)
vs.
Michele "GrappleGirl" Farrow (American Martial Arts Center)

Katie Wilebaker (Paragon Jiu Jitsu - Worlds BJJ Champ)
vs.
Milda Shibonis (Pedro Sauer), 2-Time Grapplers Quest Advanced Champ

Marianna Garcia (Machado Black Belt - 2-Time GQ Champ)
vs.
Kelly Paul (Ralph Gracie - Pan Ams Champion)

Christy Thomas (Relson Gracie - Arnolds Pro Champion)
vs.
Sarah Boyd (Alberto Crane/Santa Fe BJJ)

The Best Referee Team in America:
Chris Savarese, Brandon Vera (UFC Veteran), Tyrone Glover, Amal Easton, Alberto Crane, Eliot Marshall, Rick Migliarese, Dan Haney, Tim Carpenter, Rick Macauley, Chris Moriarty, Andrew Smith, Klint Radwani, Tracy Taylor, Amilcar "Mica" Cipili, and Randy Bloom

For more information, go to: http://www.Grapplers.com

Source: Maxfighting

Grrr! The Ultimate Fighter Is Good for America

Lessons in the Octagon

OK ... so you're not a fan of Ultimate Fighting or mixed martial arts competitions.

I can't say I blame you. Fighting is not for everyone.

But if you can get past the scariness of witnessing two athletes going toe-to-toe in the middle of a ring called "The Octagon," you might find a lesson worth passing on to your kids, or one for yourself.

Last week, on Spike TV's "The Ultimate Fighter," a reality show that puts the word "real" back in reality television, aspiring professional fighter Sammy Morgan, a 23-year-old Minneapolis landscaper and nightclub security person, stepped into the ring with one of the most talented and fierce fighters the UFC has ever seen, a completely unassuming guy named Luke Cummo.

Luke is pretty much a dork.

He meditates, eats the weirdest concoctions of food and has a unique way of training. What everybody learned after seeing Luke fight is that what may look unconventional for some can be the secret to success for others.

Luke is one of the baddest, smartest fighters this side of Matt Hughes, a UFC veteran and also a coach on the TV show.

When Sammy and Luke squared off, viewers and fight fans were treated to a round-one action reminiscent of the legendary bout between Forrest Griffin and Stephen Bonner from last season's finale show. Round two brought a different reality, however.

Luke knocked Sammy out cold with a knee to the side of the face.

Why am I telling you this? Bear with me one minute.

Last week, I read a story about an apparently wealthy New Jersey family that is suing New York's famed Plaza Hotel because the hotel cancelled a Bas Mitzvah for the family's daughter.

The Plaza is undergoing a massive renovation and the place has to be shuttered during a time when the party is scheduled to take place. So a few days after making the booking, the hotel called the family and broke the bad news.

The Plaza subsequently refunded the family's $12,000 deposit on the estimated $21,000 party (a Grrr! in and of itself), and also covered $2,060 for the family's costs for invitations, pins and a family photo montage.

But that wasn't good enough, so they called a lawyer.

You see, the parents were both engaged and married at the Plaza, and the wife's brothers and sisters all celebrated their coming-of-age parties at the Plaza as well.

It's a family tradition that they were understandably looking forward to sharing with their daughter. Most people can reasonably understand their disappointment.

But a lawsuit seeking unspecified damages for "humiliation, indignity, distress of mind and mental suffering"?

The place is undergoing renovations, for crying out loud. These things happen. Start a new family tradition. Take up the Four Seasons. How about the Ritz? Surely there are other lavish places in which to begin new traditions.

What, the New York courts don't have other things to deal with — like prosecuting white-collar criminals and drug dealers and murderers and hit-and-run drunk drivers — that this family wants to help out the local justice system with something to occupy their time before dismissing this ridiculous claim?

It's shocking, to say the least.

But what does any of this have to do with Sammy Morgan getting knocked out? It goes right to the heart of what's wrong in our great nation — a nation of coddled citizens who throw tantrums in the form of lawsuits every time something doesn't go their way.

Morgan was competing for a six-figure contract to become a professional fighter in the UFC league. The UFC is sanctioned by state athletic commissions and holds pay-per-view and live fighting events in Las Vegas, Connecticut, New Jersey, Florida and other states.

Sammy is looking to make his dream come true, and with that comes sacrifice. It means leaving his jobs to train. It means going to bed early, exercising like a madman, lifting weights, eating well — in other words, working hard for a better life, something fewer and fewer of us are doing to live the American Dream.

These days, we simply expect that dream. We act like being born in this great country means we deserve of all the things it stands for, without the sacrifice.

When Sammy got his wits back after being knocked out, the realization that he was out of the competition and back to the drawing board hit him harder than Luke's knee.

"I didn't make it," he said. "I didn't make it."

And then the muscular fighter with the heart of gold and steel at once, a quiet man with an eye of a tiger, a man you'd want by your side in any dark alley anywhere in the world, cried his eyes out. He buried his face in his gloves and cried.

He then sought out his opponent and congratulated him on the win, and stood with his head high in the center of the ring while the ref announced Cummo the winner.

Sammy had class.

All the way across the country, in what is a world away from Sammy's reality, a wealthy and successful family is suing a storied establishment because their daughter won't be able to have her lavish party there. What kind of lesson do you think those parents are teaching their daughter?

I feel sorry for her. I'll take Sammy's way any day of the week. Nobody deserves anything, and when things don't work out, lick your wounds and find another way. Come on!

Source: Fox News

 11/8/05

Quote of the Day

"The welfare of each is bound up in the welfare of all."

Helen Keller, 1880-1968, American Blind/Deaf Author and Lecturer

Kona's Event "So You Think You Tough" Has Been Moved to December 10th!

Sonny Westbrook's event based in Kona that features kickboxing and MMA
has been moved back one week and will take place on Saturday, December
10th. If you on the Big Island or definitely in the Kona area, you
haven't lived unless you have checked out one of these events.

Source: Event Promoter

The Ultimate Fighter Season 1 v. Season 2

The success of the reality show, the Ultimate Fighter on Spike TV has been overwhelming and resounding. Still, fans compare the two seasons consistently and rate the first season far better than they do this year’s Ultimate Fighter 2. I want to look at the main differences between the seasons and their fighters. Which season was better? Let’s compare the two in three key areas.

Drama

That is what reality is all about and what makes for good television. Season 2 started with some smiles, some handshakes, and a few laughs. This is in stark contrast to Season 1 where Chris Leben rolls into the house, gets wasted, annoys everyone, and then pees on Jason Thacker’s bed. Excuse me, “spritzes”. That one episode was arguably more entertaining than any two season 2 episodes combined and that’s what Spike TV wants. They need entertainment for ratings and loyal viewers. Why isn’t drama like that present on Season 2? Firstly, these guys have the benefit of having seen the mistakes that the fighters from season 1 made and the things that worked for them. Why do you think there has been no binge drinking? Jorge Gurgel was right on the money about drinking and training not going hand if you wanted to win on that show. Everyone else must have agreed because there wasn’t any drunken deviance on season 2, not at all. The personal conflicts on the show were minimal and the fighters respected each other on Season 2 more so than season 1.

Enemies

Season 1 saw several house arch rivalries develop and that also makes for great television. Koscheck and Leben, nuff said. Melvin and Jorge were the most outspoken on season 2 for sure. Melvin was eliminated early and Jorge injured himself in his fight with Jason Von Flue causing him to lose and have to leave the show. After those two left, the biggest moments in the house were the water/food fight, Team Franklin in their underwear, Rashad’s injury practical joke, and Luke pigging out. There was no real hatred between the competitors unless you count Jorge and Jason, but that was obviously built up to be more than it was. Hatred brings out the worst in people and makes them want to beat the other person more than just to advance. The biggest rivalry on the show seemed to be Rashad Evans and coach Matt Hughes after his bizarre antics in the ring against Tom Murphy. The fighters all seemed to be a lot more relaxed, maybe this carried over to the octagon, and that made for a less exciting show overall.

Fighting

Pacing. Plain and simple. Season 2 started with little to no human fireworks. The worst fight in Ultimate Fighter history occurred between Rashad and Tom, Melvin and Josh put up a decent fight, and then Brad and Rob rolled to a disappointing submission that many feel Rob let happen. In my opinion, the fighters this year all tried a little too hard at just getting by enough to win. Sure, there were memorable fights like Gurgel vs. Von Flue, Luke vs. Sammy, and Rashad vs. Keith but the last two were in the finals. Throughout the season, the fights were marred by injuries, poor performances, and somewhat stale decisions. Many fans said that they would have settled for a cut victory or anything else besides a decision or another lackluster fight. Season 1 saw many finishes whereas season 2 saw a whopping total of three.

Season 2 had its moments but it lacked was personalities. Gurgel, Melvin, and Rashad were the real stars of this show from an entertainment standpoint. I think for the most part that the show was a success but it really seemed like the emotion was drained from the house after a few weeks. There will most certainly be a season 3 and a loyal following but how will it stack up against the previous 2 seasons? Only time will tell.

Source: Maxfighting

Ultimate Fighter Journal: Episode Twelve

The entire final episode of The Ultimate Fighter 2 featured the remaining two semi-finals matches. They opened the show with the revealation of whether or not Jason Von Flue will be able to compete against Joe Stevenson. Turns out the cut on his forehead was healed enough for him to fight, so Marcus Davis, brought in as a backup in case Von Flue was injured, was once again ousted from the competition.

Dana White and Matt Hughes favour Joe Stevenson against Jason. It is implied that Jason is better standing and that Joe should take him down, but Joe says that he wants to keep it standing to score a knockout and the $5000 bonus.

That could have turned out to be a mistake for Joe, but it ended up turning out nicely despite the fact that Jason was actually dominated the standup in the first round until Joe decided to take him to the ground. From there, it was easy as Stevenson was able to submit Von Flue with an armbar late in the round. He should've simply taken Von Flue down out of the gate and he would have finished the fight much more quickly. So now he's set to face Luke Cuommo in the finals in what should be a very interesting matchup that will probably garner more fan interest than the heavyweight fight.

Next up was Brad Imes vs. Seth Petruzelli. Dana White picks Seth as the winner, same as me and just about everyone else. Seth, who has done K-1, was able to dominate the fight early with strikes standing up. However, in the second round, Seth made the mistake of taking Brad to the ground where Brad was able to do damage to Seth punching up from his back.

With the first two rounds split, the third round saw Brad take Seth down and pound him on the ground as Seth faded late in the fight and showed little ability away from his stand-up skills.

It actually ended up being a split-decision victory for Brad, even though he clearly won the final two rounds of the fight. He is now facing Rashad Evans in the finals, which is not the fight I think most people expected to see at heavyweight. Either this means that the "top" heavyweights in this competition were overrated, or that competition at the heavyweight level is such a fluke thing that anyone can win.

And that ends this series. The heavyweight competition ended up being a big surprise, especially with Mike Whitehead and Keith Jardine both being eliminated by Rashad Evans. Evans looked to have little heart early in the series, but he has really turned out an excellent, surprising performance by series end. With the welterweights, Joe Stevenson making the finals is no surprise. I remember a couple of years ago I did an article in an old Touch of Evil Newsletter on King of the Cage where I recommended that two future stars from that promotion could be Charles Bennett and Joe Stevenson. I would love to see Bennett on The Ultimate Fighter. Nevertheless, Rashad-Brad and Joe-Luke are the two finals matches set for this Saturday night.

Source: Maxfighting

 11/7/05

Quote of the Day

"Histories make men wise; poets, witty; the mathematics, subtle;
natural philosophy, deep; moral, grave; logic and rhetoric, able to contend."

Francis Bacon, 1561-1626, British Philosopher/Essayist/Statesman

Rumble On The Rock 9: Just Scrap Results
by Michael Onzuka

Rumble On The Rock 9: Just Scrap
Edith Kanakaole Tennis Stadium, Hilo, Hawaii
November 5, 2005

ROTR has come back to its roots at the Edith Kanakaole Tennis Stadium with match ups that proved to be short, but action packed. The time keeper was busy, but the judges weren't as all the fights ended in the first round with the majority of the fights ending with a mata leao or reverse naked choke. Some fights to note in the very fast paced event were Mercado/Rodrigues fight where both fighters were highly touted boxers. Rodrigues hit Mercado with a wicked hook that stunned Mercado who kept his bearings and took the fight to the ground where he controlled the positioned and eventually secured the choke and the Carter/Dacquel fight were both fighters were hurt during this very quick bout. Both fighters clinched and Carter kept a Muay Thai clinch throwing knees, but Dacquel kept his head up and fired back with some devastating punches that stunned Carter. Carter countered with blows on instinct in an attempt to create some space to recover and caught Dacquel with a vicious knee that opened a cut that required 14 stitches and finished with straight right to drop Dacquel and cause a halt to the fight. It was a blood bath due to the huge cut, but it was probably the most action packed 38 seconds I have seen in a while. I would not doubt that these two fighters may rematch in the future because both were very well matched and other than the cut, the fight was going back and forth. Relative unknown Carlos Condit, a 21 year old sporting an impressive 12-2 record, proved that he is the real deal by taking some solid shots from a hard hitting Ross the Boss and was very active with some slick Muay Thai elbows and knees as well as some smooth arm bar attempts from the guard. Condit eventually swept Ibanez, mounted, and pounded until the referee saw enough and called a halt to the bout. The main event was the most anti-climatic fight of the night as boxer Sua came out swinging some huge hooks while Cabbage countered with some crisp jabs. Cabbage softened up Sua with some leg kicks and then body locked Sua eventually to the ground after Sua was holding the cage numerous times. Once they hit the ground, Sua immediately tapped and did not let Cabbage do any damage on the ground.

Ikaika “Crazy Brown” Brown (Dirty Curty Team Submit) vs. Mike Bickers (Nova Uniao)
Bickers by reverse naked choke at 54 seconds in round 1

Devin Telles (Da Barn) vs. Mike Justo (Nova Uniao)
Justo by corner stop due to punches from half guard at 1:02 minutes in round 1

Maluhia Kuahiwinui (Puna Boyz) vs. Buddy Betts (Nova Uniao)
Betts by reverse naked choke at 2:55 minutes in round 1

Gaven Mata vs. Albert Manners (Puna Boyz)
Manners by reverse naked choke at 27 seconds in round 1 (Mata was put to sleep)

”Sugar” Shane Nelson (BJ Penn MMA) vs. Isaac Kuikahi (Mix Breed)
Nelson by reverse naked choke at 3:09 minutes in round 1

Justin Mercado (Grappling Unlimited) vs. Brent Rodrigues
Mercado by reverse naked choke at 1:10 minutes in round 1

Scott “Superman” Spencer (Nova Uniao) vs. Patrick Fonohema (Team Tama)
Spencer by reverse naked choke at 1:49 minutes in round 1

Jay “Excailbur” Carter (BJ Penn MMA) vs. Jason Dacquel (Mix Breed)
Carter by TKO (referee stoppage) at 38 seconds of round 1 (Dacquel had a major cut)

Ross “Da Boss” Ebanez (BJ Penn MMA) vs. Carlos Condit (Fit NHB)
Condit by TKO (referee stoppage due to punches from the mount) at 1:27 minutes in round 1

Wesley Correira (BJ Penn MMA) vs. Junior Sua (LAP)
Correira by tap out as soon as Correira took his opponent down at 1:21 minutes in round 1



Source: Event Promoter

PRIDE NEW YEAR CARD

Below are some of the official and unoffical matchups that are being circulated in the Japanese media for the PRIDE card on December 31st. A total of 10-11 matchups is expected to take place on the card:

Fedor Emelianenko vs. Hidehiko Yoshida
Mirko 'Cro Cop' Filipovic vs. Mark Hunt or Rodrigo 'Minotauro' Nogueira
Rodrigo 'Minotauro' Nogueira vs. Sergei Kharitonov or Mark Hunt
Vanderlei Silva vs. Ricardo Arona
Dan Henderson vs. Murilo Bustamante
Takanori Gomi vs. Hayato Sakurai
Kazushi Sakuraba vs. TBA
Ken Shamrock vs. 'Tank' Abbott
Paulo Filho vs. Ryo Chonan
'Zuluzinho' vs. TBA

Source: Fight Sport

Belfort Confirmed for Cage Rage 14
by Pedro Wrobel

LONDON, Nov. 4 — Sherdog.com can reveal that a bout between Vitor Belfort and Antony Rea has just been confirmed for Cage Rage 14, scheduled for the Wembley Conference Centre on December 3.

Speaking exclusively with Sherdog, Cage Rage co-promoter Dave O'Donnell confirmed two further star-studded bouts, with PRIDE fixture Akira Shoji taking on UFC veteran Mark Weir and Luiz Firmino, from the Brazilian Top Team, taking on the Capital City Fighting Alliance's Tyrone Glover. The participants of the latter match are fighting for a place at a forthcoming Bushido show.

In other big news, Cage Rage continues to attract more attention from the mainstream UK media. Front, a popular magazine aimed at men, will be running a four-page article covering Cage Rage 13 in its December edition. The February edition of the same magazine will be running a six-page article on how MMA training compares with a conventional gym workout.

Their plucky reporter is currently suffering from injuries sustained whilst training at the Elite gym in South London.

Cage Rage 14 has seen a couple of changes from the card previously advertised. The latest version is:

Vitor Belfort vs Antony Rea
Curtis Stout vs. Anderson Silva
Akira Shoji vs Mark Weir
Tyrone Glover vs. Luiz Firmino
Alex Reid vs Daijiro Matsui
Matt Lindland vs Antonio Schembri
Mark Epstein vs Brian Adams
Sol Gilbert vs Xavier Foupa-Pokam
Brad Pickett vs. Robbie Oliver
Robert Berry vs. Marc Goddard
Dean Bray vs. Nigel Whitear
Dave Legeno vs. Alan Murdock
Ross Mason vs Darren Guisha
Ryan White vs Mark Buchanan
Paul Daley vs Joey Van Wanrooy

Source: Sherdog

UFC 56 CARD

Below are the official and unofficial matchups that are scheduled for the UFC 56: 'Full Force' card on November 19th. A total of eight matchups are expected to be announced soon:

Rich Franklin vs. Nate Quarry
Matt Hughes vs. Joe Riggs
Tim Sylvia vs. Aussuerio Silva
Georges St-Pierre vs. Sean Sherk
Jeremy Horn vs. Mike Van Arsdale
Stephen Bonnar vs. James Irvin
Sam Hoger vs. Jeff Newton

Source: Fight Sport

Zuluzinho wants a Pride belt
By Alexandre Lobo

After making his first fight at Pride 30, on last October 23, Zuluzinho - son of the legendary King Zulú - has already retook the training and said that is ready to fight and get on the tops of the biggest Vale-Tudo events of the world. During this exclusive, the giant of 2,20m and 175kg shows he is not a big man. Aware of the big opportunity, Zuluzinho promises to give his best to take to the world the legacy left for his father.

Which was the sensation of fighting at Pride?

I accomplished an old dream. I was impressed with the Japanese fans affection. I didn't even know I would have fans in there. People are starting to get to know me now, but I have been working hard for a while. I have fought 37 times in North Region of Brazil and I defeated all my opponents by KO. Now, I have a structure that allows me to fully dedicate me to the training. Now I am working on to be one of the best of the world in the heavyweight. Pride will have to think about making new larger belts.hihihi

A lot of people say you are not ready to fight good fighters. That you are fighting at Pride because of your father.

I have been following chats and commentaries on the internet. The most part of people are rooting for me. That is really good. I am happy about the big affection that the fans feel about my father. He did important things to the fight history and a lot of people are rocking because of him. When I say I am here to payback, I am serious. I know I own my dad to be fighting at Pride. And I am really proud to may continue his job. I don't like to be polemical. I just want to be good inside the ring.

Are you happy with the end of your first fight at Pride?

I think that the judge committed a mistake. he shouldn't stop the fight so early. But I understand his decision. Sentoryu accepted to fight with me besides the weight difference of 70kg and the height difference of 25cm. He is a good fighter, he was lighters then me. However, he suffered some knee blows of the head and fell really fast. But who commands the fight is the judge and I left the ring pleased with my performance. I am training to be better for the next event. I hope to make a good show and prove that I deserve to be there.

What do you think about your weight?

Well, I have big and heavy bones, but I know that I would be more agile if I lose some weight. The problem is I've never had the perfect training conditions. Only now I have. Now I am calm and focused to train. I want to be the best heavyweight I could be. A lot of people are working for me. And now I just need few sponsors to help hem out to develop my game. Pride, my family and my technician also believe in me. That's all I need.

There are some rumors that you are being welded for some big teams...Have you received some formal invitation?

A lot of people think that the people from North are outdated. That we are not reached by advanced techniques. I don't need rescues. This is just prejudice. Where's the best of Jiu-Jitsu currently? My technician, Ricardinho Bulldog, is excellent. He's won 12 Vale-Tudo bouts. I'm training Jiu-Jitsu with him for about seven years. My Boxing trainer, Lula, already journeyed a lot of times with Brazilian Boxing team. In Belém and in Maranhão I have sparrings of my size to beat and to roll in the soil. I don't need to go to Rio de Janeiro or Curitiba. Pride saw me here, training at Bulldog Team and I intend to still represent it. I am happy to be able to show to the North fighters that we don't need to let our teams to apply to the biggest shows.

When can we see you fighting again?

I'm training really hard. Besides my first fight wasn't that good, I think Pride liked my performance. I don't have anything confirmed yet, but I am waiting for a new invitation.

Source: Tatame

 11/6/05

Quote of the Day

"Better to understand a little than to misunderstand a lot."

Source Unknown

Kickin It Updated Fight Card!

WHAT : KICKIN IT 2005 "THE SEQUEL"
KICKBOXING CHAMPIONSHIPS
WHEN : NOVEMBER 25, 2005 (FRIDAY 6PM - 10PM)
WHERE : ILIKAI HOTEL BALLROOM

MAIN EVENT
BOB ATISANOE (3-0) KING OF THE GIANTS TITLE (2-2) ANTHONY BILIANOR
HSD 251 AND OVER GOODSPORT KICKBOXING

DAVID BALICAO (9-1) SEMI-PRO WELTERWEIGHT TITLE (5-0) BRANDON VISHER
HSD 140-146 GOODSPORT KICKBOXING

NUI WHEELER (3-1) LIGHTWEIGHT TITLE (3-3) TAVIS KAGAWA
TEAM SOLJAH 130 - 134 LAUPAHOEHOE MUAY THAI

VINNIE DELASANTOS (2-1) SUPER WELTERWEIGHT TITLE ((3-2) DEREK MINN
TEAM SOLJAH 147 - 152 LAUPAHOEHOE MUAY THAI

THIS FIGHT WILL HAVE LEG KICKS AND THE BIG ISLAND BOY(MINN) IS A TECHNICIAN IN THAT FIELD. MINNS LAST FIGHT WAS IN THE WELTERWEIGHT DIVISION. HIS COACH FEELS THAT HE WILL STILL HAVE A GOOD CHANCE AT THE SUPER WELTERWEIGHT DIVISION WHEN HE MEETS TEAM SOLJAHS DELASANTOS WHO IS ALSO A VETERAN IN FIGHTING LEG KICKS BUT LOOKS MORE CONFIDENT WITH HIS HANDS. MINN WILL TRY TO SHOW DELASANTOS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A KICKBOXER AND A THAI BOXER (W/OUT THE KNEES AND ELBOWS).

KAIKA CHOYFOO (2-2) MIDDLEWEIGHT TITLE (2-0) SHANEN KIRA
JESUS IS LORD 153 - 159 TEAM MIXBREED

DALE KAMAI (2-1) LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE (2-0) NICK TIQUI
TEAM SOLJAH 167 - 174 ANIMAL HOUSE
TEENAGER CHAMPIONSHIPS
BEN RODRIGUES (4-1) SUPER MIDDLEWEIGHT JR. TITLE (2-0) LORENZO MORENO
HSD 158 -165 BULLSPEN

SHAISON LAUPOLA ((3-0) SUPER WELTERWEIGHT JR. TITLE (2-1) TIM LAPITAN
JESUS IS LORD 147-152 BULLSPEN

RED DAVIS (2-1) SUPER LIGHTWEIGHT JR. TITLE (1-2) EDMUND LI
ANIMAL HOUSE 135-139 HMC

JUSTIN PIAMONTE (2-1) FEATHERWEIGHT JR. TITLE (1-2) DARRYL LABRADOR
ANIMAL HOUSE 120 - 124 HSD

DARRYL (17) WILL BE WITH A REACH ADVANTAGE ON NOVEMBER 25 WHEN HE MEETS JUSTIN (15). DARRYLS ONLY WIN CAME FROM SOMEONE WHO HE DIDNT HAVE A REACH ADVANTAGE OVER. JUSTIN WHO USUALLY FIGHTS IN THE SUPER BANTAMWEIGHT (115-119) WILL STEP HIS GAME UP AGAINST A HEAVIER AND OLDER OPPONENT. DONT LET JUSTINS GOOD LOOKS FOOL YOU, THIS PRETTYBOY CAN BANG. DARRYL WILL TRY AND CHANGE THAT. HIS LOOKS THAT IS.

KIDS CHAMPIONSHIPS

SAGE YOSHIDA (2-1) 11 -13 YRS OLD BANTAMWEIGHT TITLE (1-0) FRED WAGNER
HMC 110 - 114 HSD

KONA MEYERS 8 YRS. OLD 55# TITLE TBA
HSD HMC

KAI KAMAKA (1-1) 10 YRS. OLD 65# TITLE (2-0) JUSTLY LAQUIHON
808 FIGHT FACTORY HMC

MICAH ABCEDE 9 YRS. OLD 70# TITLE KILEY RAMIRO
EWA BEACH FIGHT CLUB HMC

ROBBIE OSTAVICH (2-0) 12 YRS. OLD ATOMWEIGHT TITLE (0-0) WAYNE SMITH
JESUS IS LORD 98 - 103 ANIMAL HOUSE

JACELYN KIM 11-12 YRS. OLD GIRLS ATOMWEIGHT TITLE JAZLYN KIM
EWA BEACH FIGHT CLUB 98 - 103 GOODSPORT KICKBOXING (MAUI)

THIS WILL BE KICKIN ITS FIRST CHAMPIONSHIP FIGHT FOR A GIRLS TITLE. THE LAST NAMES ARE THE SAME BUT NO RELATION. YOU'LL FIND OUT THAT THEY ARE NOT RELATED ONCE THE BELL RINGS. THE EWA BEACH GIRL PUT ON AN IMPRESSIVE SHOW OF SKILLS AT KICKIN IT 2005 PART 3 IN AN EXHIBITION BOUT AGAINST TEAMMATE TAWNY KAHEAKU. THE MAUI GIRL WILL MAKE HER DEBUT ON NOV. 25 AND HER COACH FEELS CONFIDENT SHE WILL PUT ON A GOOD SHOW FOR THIS WILL BE BOTH OF THE GIRLS FIRST REAL FIGHT.

DAHWEN BRIGHT 8 YRS OLD 60# TITLE JESUS SANTOS
HSD HMC

ALL PARTICIPANTS AND MATCHES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE

Source: Event Promoter

ANDERSON SILVA MAY SOON RECIEVE BJJ BLACK BELT FROM 'MINOTAURO'

Brazilian magazine 'Tatame' reports that former Chute Boxe star Anderson Silva is close to getting his Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt from Rodrigo 'Minotauro' Nogueira.

Anderson has been training often with the Nogueira brothers in BJJ and boxing since he left Chute Boxe. "Rodrigo and Rogerio are like brothers to me. Thanks to them, I improved my ground skills a lot", stated Anderson.

Source: Fight Sport

Dream Match Up
Fedor Emelianenko vs. Andrei Arlovski

by Robert Rousseau

There are plenty of outstanding fights that have never taken place, nor likely will ever take place in mixed martial arts. I, like many fight fans, often wonder what would happen if the best that Pride has to offer were to tangle with the UFC. With Dream Match Up, I’ll break down these fights as if they were going to happen for fight fans.

DREAM MATCH UP

It’s never happened, but what if it did?

Fedor Emelianenko vs. Andrei “The Pit Bull” Arlovski

What Fedor brings to the table– Fedor is one of the most powerful men to ever fight in mixed martial arts. He’s redefined the ground and pound by becoming the most dangerous puncher ever while in someone else’s guard, and in his two sound defeats of Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira he showed the ability to literally power out of submissions by one of the very best jiu- jitsu practitioners going. What’s more, Fedor is a master game planner. He always knows how to attack his opponent and doesn’t deviate from a successful strategy. In his recent fight with Cro Cop, Fedor demonstrated his tactical superiority by staying in a constant attack mode which resulted in “The Croatian Sensation’s” inability to set his feet and deliver the devastating kicks we’ve come to expect from him. Thus, Fedor actually out struck a man that may be the very best overall striker in heavyweight history.

Beyond this, Fedor has strong submission skills, a good chin (also shown in the Cro Cop fight), and always enters the ring in shape. With the exception of having never displayed anything significant in the line of kicking skills, Fedor really has no weakness.

What Arlovski brings to the table– Arlovski’s hands are sledgehammers. This was best demonstrated when he knocked out the previously impossible to stop “Cabbage” Correira. Since then, Arlovski’s powerful fists have become near legendary, having taken out the likes of Justin Eilers and a very talented stand up fighter in Paul Buentello quite easily. In his fight with Tim Sylvia, Arlovski not only showed the power we’ve come to expect by dizzying the former champion with a single punch, but also proved his worth with a successful submission– the right after the takedown kind that many talented Sambo practitioners are able to put into play– ending Sylvia’s chances with a leg lock

Beyond this, in a few of his fights, Arlovski has demonstrated the ability to take a good punch. He has also exhibited more than adequate low kicks.

Despite a list of impressive knockouts, Arlovski still hasn’t demonstrated well rounded fighting skills as of yet. How good is his ground game? How about his wind? It’s been difficult to tell because his fights don’t usually last long, nor do they end up on the ground. Why not? Well, in actuality, it’s because no one ever tries to take him to the ground (most of his UFC fights have been against guys that prefer to strike). Therefore, even his take down defense is semi- unclear.

But he’s definitely dangerous. Very dangerous.

How would it look if Fedor won?– Fedor would crowd Arlovski in much the same way that he crowded Cro Cop. This would result in an eventual take down. And once the fight ended up on the mat with Fedor on top, the Pride Champion would begin to throw bombs. Arlovski– untested on his back– would be up against one of the best guard destroyers in history. In that type of predicament, things would get ugly quick. Though Arlovski would show toughness and a good jaw, it would only be a matter of time before he tired under the tremendous onslaught. That’s when Fedor would either submit him or the referee would stop the bout on the account of a cut.

How would it look if Arlovski won?– Fedor’s attempt to crowd Arlovski wouldn’t work. Why? Because crowding would be less effective with Arlovski than it was with Cro Cop simply because Arlovski’s legs aren’t his best weapon– his hands are– and hands need less room to maneuver and gather power. Arlovski would throw his customary fast and decisive haymakers, scoring on the somewhat less skilled boxer, Fedor. Then Arlovski would hit him with that punch. You know, the one that dizzied Tim Sylvia and knocked out Buentello, Eilers, and “Cabbage.” Fedor would hit the mat like a ton of bricks– violently knocked out in the first round.

Who would actually win in the Octagon (UFC rules)?– Arlovski is dangerous and the Octagon is his home, but it would actually work against him. In order to win Arlovski would have to keep it standing and the walls of the Octagon would actually help the Pride fighter to floor him more quickly. Though Fedor doesn’t have much experience– as far as I know– at using the Octagon walls, as is customary with him, his training team would have him ready to use them come game time. And he would use them, delivering powerful blow after blow to Arlovski’s face while the UFC Champion’s guard was tested. In addition, the UFC’s elbow allowance would actually serve to help Fedor in the dominant position by giving him another weapon. Only “The Pit Bull’s” toughness would get him through the first round, but by the second Fedor’s blows will have done their damage, eventually causing the referee to stop the bout midway through that round (UFC timed rounds- five at five minutes a piece) due to a bad cut over one of Arlovski’s eyes.

Who would actually win in the ring (Pride rules)?– Unfortunately for Arlovski, though the ring would be to his benefit, and he would nail Fedor with a few hard punches in the first round, Fedor’s chin would once again prove worthy. Toward the end of the first round, the Pride Champion would finally take Arlovski to the ground and begin to exert his dominance. By the end of the second round, a round where the second half would be a demonstration of Fedor’s ability to ground and pound, Arlovski would begin to wilt under the pressure. By the middle of the third and final round, Arlovski, tired and battered, would make a mistake born of fatigue and Fedor would capitalize with an arm bar.

Winner no matter what the case– FEDOR EMELIANENKO

Source: MMA Fighting

'CRO COP' SPEAKS

The PRIDE official website interviewed Mirko 'Cro Cop' Filipovic a few days after his second victory over Josh Barnett. Here's what Cro Cop had to say:

Interviewer: This event had a sub-title of "Starting Over" (only in Japan). How do you feel about this?

Cro Cop: It was a very important fight. I put pressure on myself by fighting Josh, a former UFC Champion, 7 weeks immediately after I lost to Fedor. I'm glad it turned out the way it did.

Interviewer: You had the advantage on the ground. Was this in response to Barnett saying that you don't have a ground game?

Cro Cop: I was completely better on the ground. I think I had an advantage over Josh 2 or 3 times.

Interviewer: You took some knees in the thigh.

Cro Cop: There was no damage at all.

Interviewer: You still seem to be tired from the last fight. What do you think?

Cro Cop: This was definitely a short period for my body. The theme of this event was "Starting Over", and my opponent was Josh, so I thought this is something I have to do as a fighter.

Interviewer: What will you do from now?

Cro Cop: I'll leave that up to PRIDE.

Interviewer: How about New Year's Eve?

Cro Cop: I will be back.

Interviewer: You said before that you would like to fight Nogueira on New Year's Eve?

Cro Cop: Anybody will be fine. That's for PRIDE to decide.

Interviewer: When would you like to fight Fedor?

Cro Cop: If PRIDE will put the fight together, anytime.

Interviewer: You will probably have to fight Fedor in next year's Heavyweight Grand Prix. What do you think about that?

Cro Cop: I'm always ready.

Source: Fight Sport

 11/5/05

Quote of the Day

"A good head and a good heart are always a formidable combination."

Nelson Mandela, Former President of South Africa and Anti-Apartheid Activist

Rumble On The Rock 9: Just Scrap Tonight!

Rumble On The Rock 9: Just Scrap
Edith Kanakaole Tennis Stadium, Hilo, Hawaii
November 5, 2005

Not only does Rumble head back to Hilo, but it also returns to the venue that started it all, Edith Kanakaole Tennis Stadium. The same venue that the world’s largest and most prestigious Hula competition.

Ikaika “Crazy Brown” Brown (Dirty Curty Team Submit) vs. Mike Bickers (Nova Uniao)
Maluhia Kuahiwinui (Puna Boyz) vs. Buddy Betts (Nova Uniao)
Gaven Mata vs. Albert Manners (Puna Boyz)
”Sugar” Shane Nelson (BJ Penn MMA) vs. Isaac Kuhihahi (Mix Breed)
Justin Mercado (Grappling Unlimited) vs. Brent Rodrigues
Scott “Superman” Spencer (Nova Uniao) vs. Patrick Fonohena (Team Tama)
Jay “Excailbur” Carter (BJ Penn MMA) vs. Jason Daquel (Mix Breed)
Ross “Da Boss” Ebanez (BJ Penn MMA) vs. Carlos Condit (Fit NHB)
Wesley Correira (BJ Penn MMA) vs. Junior Sua (LAP)

Source: RWE

ULTIMATE FIGHTER 2: ULTIMATE FINALE LIVE
TODAY
And On & Coming Schedule

* Saturday, Nov 5 - 9:00 PM - Midnight, ET THE
ULTIMATE FIGHTER 2: ULTIMATE FINALE LIVE

Saturday, Live on Spiketv - The Ultimate Fighter II Finale

Main Event - Welterweights
Diego Sanchez vs Nick Diaz

The Ultimate Fighter Season 2 Heavyweight Final
Rashad Evans vs Brad Imes

The Ultimate Fighter Season 2 Welterweight Final
Luke Cummo vs Joe Stevenson

Welterweights
Kenny Florian vs Kit Cope
Marcus Davis vs Melvin Guillard
Josh Burkman vs Sammy Morgan

Heavyweights
Keith Jardine vs Kerry Schall

UFC Upcoming Events and News
November 3, 2005

On Spike TV this Week -
Click Here for Schedule

* Tonight, Thursday, Nov 3 - 11:00 PM - Midnight, ET/PT
UFC UNLEASHED

* Friday, Nov 4 - 9:00 - 10:00 PM, ET/PT
TUF 2 (encore episode #11)

* Friday, Nov 4 - 10:00 - 11:00 PM, ET/PT
TUF 2 (encore episode #12)

* Friday, Nov 4 - 11:00 PM - Midnight, ET/PT
UFC UNLEASHED

* Saturday, Nov 5 - 9:00 AM - 9:00 PM, ET/PT THE
ULTIMATE FIGHTER 2 MARATHON

Source: UFC

ROYCE DISSES EDDIE BRAVO

Royce Gracie made the following statements on the UG forum regarding Eddie Bravo:

Royce when asked what he thought of Eddie Bravo's jiu-jitsu innovations: "I have no idea what Eddie Bravo is doing with jiu-jitsu."

Royce when asked if he thought Eddie Bravo got lucky when he submitted Royler Gracie: "Well what has Bravo done since?"

Source: Fight Sport

Marcus Vinícius de Lucia Training professionals
By Eduardo Ferreira

Owner of one of the biggest BJJ academies in American West Coast: Beverly Hills Jiu-Jitsu Club, Marcus Vinícius de Lucia is concerned about the development of Vale-Tudo around the globe. As far the sports grow up, Marcus Vinícius believes there isn't room for amateurs. That's the reason BJJ back belt organizes the I Seminário Internacional de Vale-Tudo e MMA (1st Seminar of Vale-Tudo and MMA), in Rio de Janeiro, on November 17 to 20. During interview to team TATAME, Marcão talks about the seminar expectation and what fighters and pupils may expect from it.

Tell me how the idea of the seminar came out?

Vale Tudo is getting developed in all over the world. Brazil is still the main polo of masters and fighters. We also have specific professionals working in that area, I mean, for Vale-Tudo. We are exporting athletes, trainers for many countries and the idea of creating a seminar came out because of this need. I gathered together an excellent group of professionals to feature a huge seminar. I want the pupils to have a high level instruction. I am positive this course will bring benefits for all and for the sport.

What people might expect for the seminar?

They will be able to watch all the theoretical classes. Who desires may join the practical ones too. I'll introduce the seminar with a speech about Vale-Tudo. I will discuss important topical as history, rules, deals, career plan, training and many other subjects.

Who else will be conducting the talk during the seminar?

Minotauro will teach Jiu-Jitsu made for Vale-Tudo and American Darrel Gohlar will teach Wrestling. Teaching Muay Thai, we would feature Rafael Cordeiro, due to his excellent job with Chute Boxe, but unfortunately he will not be able to show up due to Storm Samurai. So, Pedro Rizzo will replace him. We are also going to have Professor Paulo Caruso talking about physical preparation. Inside the poll, the train is commanded by Professor Alexandre da Gama. Both of them are masters and have great experience with fighters. About nutrition and supplementation, Dr. Oswino Pena, will chat about it. Former Vale-Tudo fighter, Jiu-Jitsu master and psychologist João Alberto Barreto will take care of the mind preparation of the fighter. Dr. Patrick Fowler, who owns Premiere Clinic, in California, will talk about lesion prevent techniques. He works with several Vale Tudo and Jiu-Jitsu fighters and other professional athletes. Well, I built the "Dream Team" of Vale-Tudo preparation.

You said there are going to be more attractions. Tell me about your plans.

The foreigners will have translation in the seminar. We will also feature a competition and point fighters to fight at Jungle Fight and WEC. They will receive prizes and equipment. We are going to have special guests, who are going to be interviewed as Wallid Ismaill/JFC, Scott Adams/WEC, Rogério Minotouro/BTT, José Mário Sperry/BTT, Murilo Bustamante/BTT, Renato Babalu/GBCT, Roberto Correa/GBCT, Joinha /SPORTV, Marcelo Alonso/TATAME, Flávio Canto/Judô and others. We gonna have a party to celebrate the seminar and also a Ring Girl contest. The winners will earn several prizes!

Please, send a message to wants to apply it?

I believe this seminar will add a lot for athletes, trainers, professors, and fighters. It will be an unforgivable experience. Who faces the seminar as an important chance will be in a high level of knowledge. It is such an investment and the return is certain. There is no room for amateurs in the market. Who want to appear, has to be professional and know a lot about Vale-Tudo.

Source: Tatame

JAPANESE OLYMPIC WRESTLER SIGNS WITH K-1

The Japanese media announced that K-1 has signed Japanese Olympic wrestling silver medalist Katsuhiko Nagata, and that Nagata will make his MMA debut on K-1's December 31st card.

Nagata will most likely fight at 185 pounds. He is also the brother of Japanese pro wrestling star Yuji Nagata.

Source: Fight Sport

 11/4/05

Quote of the Day

"Inventories can be managed, but people must be led."

H. Ross Perot, American Businessman/Politician/Founder of Electronic Data
Systems

Rumble On The Rock 9: Just Scrap Tomorrow!

Rumble On The Rock 9: Just Scrap
Edith Kanakaole Tennis Stadium, Hilo, Hawaii
November 5, 2005

Not only does Rumble head back to Hilo, but it also returns to the venue that started it all, Edith Kanakaole Tennis Stadium. The same venue that the world’s largest and most prestigious Hula competition.

Ikaika “Crazy Brown” Brown (Dirty Curty Team Submit) vs. Mike Bickers (Nova Uniao)
Maluhia Kuahiwinui (Puna Boyz) vs. Buddy Betts (Nova Uniao)
Gaven Mata vs. Albert Manners (Puna Boyz)
”Sugar” Shane Nelson (BJ Penn MMA) vs. Isaac Kuhihahi (Mix Breed)
Justin Mercado (Grappling Unlimited) vs. Brent Rodrigues
Scott “Superman” Spencer (Nova Uniao) vs. Patrick Fonohena (Team Tama)
Jay “Excailbur” Carter (BJ Penn MMA) vs. Jason Daquel (Mix Breed)
Ross “Da Boss” Ebanez (BJ Penn MMA) vs. Carlos Condit (Fit NHB)
Wesley Correira (BJ Penn MMA) vs. Junior Sua (LAP)

Source: RWE

"FABER,DANZIG, AND MONTOYA EXECUTE AT KOTC"


This past Saturday, October 29th youth was served and the next generation of fighters made a statement at the taping of King of the Cage’s “Execution Day” PPV in Reno, NV. On an evening that not only saw the largest crowd for an MMA event in Reno in over two years, eight of nine fights ended in finishes, providing for an exciting night of action.

Headlining the card where two KOTC Championship bouts as well as a special feature match showcasing talent from Ken Shamrock’s new Lion’s Den team. In the main event, KOTC Lightweight Champion Takumi Nakayama faced off against rising American prospect Mac Danzig who had what could only be described as one of the best all-around performances by a fighter all year.

Nakayama, a veteran of Shooto and ZST, was the favorite coming into the bout, but had a difficult time the entire evening applying himself against Danzig. Throughout the whole fight Mac displayed skills on par with some of the best 155lb fighters in the world, effectively stifling nearly all Nakayama’s attacks.

Early in the first round Danzig landed multiple high knees out of clinch to Takumi’s head, controlling the stand up action before applying a spinning belly-to-belly style wrestling takedown. From there Danzig controlled the action, showing great patience on the ground, keeping Nakayama from escaping or making position changes. As the round came to an end Danzig managed to take Nakayama’s back but time expired before he could exploit his advantage.

In the second round it was much of the same as Mac landed a solid knee to Takumi’s head as Nakayama came in for a shot. Showing great heart and warrior spirit, Nakayama managed to work hard and secure a takedown but Danzig quickly escaped and landed quick combo as they stood up. It was here that Danzig’s skills proved to be superior as he showed tremendous head movement, avoiding nearly all Takumi’s punches, and conversely landing combos and flurries with crisp, accurate precision. The second round closed out with Mac landing a hard right hand and sprawling out of an attempted takedown by Takumi, who try as he would, couldn’t get any advantage in the fight.

As the third round opened, Nakayama landed his best punch of the night with a good counter left, only to be driven back by a flurry from Danzig. As the two clinched Takumi had his best offensive output as he attempted many knees to the body, landing a couple, in an effort to steer momentum his way, but it didn’t last. As the two separated Danzig landed a hard right hand followed by knees and yet another flurry of punches, opening up a deep gash on Nakayama’s head. Takumi’s corner wisely threw in the towel as a bloody Nakayama was being driven back against the cage by Danzig’s relentless assault, putting an end to the fight at 2:45 of the third round.

Again, Nakayama showed the heart of a champion, but in the end it was Danzig’s complete performance, standing, wrestling, and grappling, that won him the title. If Mac continues to do what he did against Nakayama in his future bouts, he could very well be the next great American lightweight fighter.

The evening’s other title match didn’t go nearly as long as standout 145lb fighter Urijah Faber of the Capital City team defeated a game, but overmatched Shawn Bias to retain the KOTC Bantamweight Championship. Right from the start the two very aggressive fighters had a wild standing exchange before going to the ground. From there it was even more chaotic as both worked feverishly for an advantage.

To his credit, Bias matched the speed of Faber, who is known for his tremendous energy level, but Urijah’s skill was just too much for his opponent to handle. As the two worked on the ground Faber found himself on Bias’ back in north/south position, from there Bias tried to posture up and flip Faber off of him using Urijah’s legs, but Faber synched in hard, locking something of a triangle choke on Shawn. Bias was able to escape but as he pulled back to stand up and get away from Faber, Urijah locked on a guillotine choke forcing Bias to tap out at 1:55 of round 1.

Faber continues to prove he’s one of the best at the 145lb division, which is quickly becoming a showcase for some of the best young fighters around. With the win Faber will now look to defend his title against top contender Nam Phan or possibly head to Japan where he could make a big impact possibly in Shooto’s 143lb division. One thing is for sure, Urijah Faber is a star in the making, and is definitely someone to keep an eye out for in the coming year.

In the evening’s last feature bout, local fighter Richard Montoya of the new Lion’s Den, took on Aaron Brink in a fight sandwiched between the two title matches. Montoya continues to improve his overall game, becoming a complete fighter under Shamrock’s guidance, as he quickly clinched the former heavyweight Brink as the fight started. Montoya was able to trip Brink to the ground briefly before the two worked their way back to the standing position where Richard applied a standing guillotine on Aaron. From there Montoya was able to pull guard and finish off Brink with the guillotine at 1:55 of Round 1.

Montoya continues to look more impressive each time out, and with each bout he becomes a more complete fighter compared to his striking-heavy earlier days. With continued work at the new Lion’s Den, Richard could begin to make a serious name for himself as he evolves into a solid prospect at 205lbs.

In other action on the under card, KOTC staple Ruben “Warpath” Villereal got back on the winning track, after losing his last bout to Ricco Rodriguez in July, by defeating an overmatched Jason Wieff by TKO in the first round of a fight totally dominated by Warpath. Takefumi Hanai defeated Royce Gracie/Travis Lutter product Buddy Clinton by KO just 18 seconds into the third round of their bout after landing a wicked right hand to put Clinton on the ground before pouncing on him to finish the fight. Hanai’s unorthodox style seemingly confused Clinton while the two were standing, whereas Clinton controlled the ground fighting, and ultimately Hanai’s power advantage became the great equalizer.

Lastly two local prospects shined bright as well, the first being undefeated lightweight Ryan Healy, who beat a resilient Adam Torres by armbar at 3:50 of round 1. Healy slammed his way out of a standing guillotine choke after missing a big right hand to start the fight. From there the two jockied for position and Torres even managed to reverse being back mounted by Healy only to have Ryan apply the arm bar to finish the fight. Later in the evening local heavyweight fighter Dan Molina out of the new Lion’s Den looked extremely impressive as he dominated fellow Reno product Phil Garcia. Just seconds into the bout Molina got a double-leg takedown and proceeded to work from side mount to north/south position where he applied a very Shamrock-esque ankle lock at 1:00 of round one to force Garcia to tap out. With the win Molina further proves the fact that the next generation of the Lion’s Den are going to be tough to beat in the coming years.

Full Event Results

Mac Danzig def. Takumi Nakayama by TKO (Corner Stoppage) @ 2:45 of Round 3

Richard Montoya def. Aaron Brink by Guillotine Choke @ 1:55 of Round 1

Urijah Faber def. Shawn Bias by Guillotine Choke @ 1:24 of Round 1

Ruben Villereal def. Jason Wieff by TKO (Referee Stoppage) @ 3:52 of Round 1

Takefumi Hanai def. Buddy Clinton by KO @ :18 of Round 3

Jamie Jara def. Joe Coda by Split Decision (30-26, 28-29, 30-27)

Dan Molina def. Phil Garcia by Ankle Lock @ 1:00 of Round 1

Ryan Healy def. Adam Torres by Armbar @ 3:50 of Round 1

Arron Jameson def. Stephen Thames by Guillotine Choke @ 1:12 of Round 1

KOTC “Execution Day” will debut on PPV on November 11th on TVN, In Demand PPV, and Dish Network.

Source: MMA Weekly

BJJ Brazilian Team results available

Gracie Barra and Pedro Gama Filho were the two big teams of BJJ Brazilian Team Championship, which took place on October 29, at Universidade Gama Filho's gymnasium, in Rio de Janeiro. Making his debut in Jiu-Jitsu, Renato Babalú fought and lost but Gracie Barra got the heavyweight title, ruling the tournament with brown and black belts. At the final, Gracie Barra defeated TT Jiu-Jitsu by 3x1. Over the lightweight division, Barra athletes ended defeated by Pedro Gama Filho athletes, by 3x2.

Source: Tatame

BARNETT SPEAKS

Josh Barnett (bottom left) was dominated in both the standup and ground game, enroute to losing a second straight fight to Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic.

The PRIDE official website interviewed Josh Barnett a few days after his second loss to Mirko 'Cro Cop' Filipovic. Here's what Barnett had to say:

Interviewer: Do you agree with the decision?

Barnett: I completely agree. I just didn't think it would go the way it did.

Interviewer: Has your shoulder completely healed?

Barnett: It's healed but it's not 100%.

Interviewer: Did it have any effect on the fight?

Barnett: There was no effect at all. The only effect it might have had was that I didn't train enough.

Interviewer: Was a standing fight one of your strategies?

Barnett: Yes and no. Don't you think so now that you've seen it? I wanted to take it to the ground and finish it there. I'm an MMA fighter and that's a big strength for me. I've knocked out Takada and Kitao with kicks. If it had been K-1, I probably would have done that and I probably would have won. My biggest problem is that my conditioning isn't good and I didn't train enough. I didn't have enough stamina.

Interviewer: How much training did you do? How much time do you think you would need to win?

Barnett: I had a month and a half. Normally, if I had a month I would have been doing a pro-wrestling tour and training for an MMA fight, so I don't think the problem was the length of time. It's difficult to do pro-wrestling and train for MMA at the same time. I can't say exactly what the problem was this time but the entire reason for my loss is that I didn't do what I needed to.

Interviewer: What is your next goal?

Barnett: I have several goals but I need to take another look at myself. I know to think about it for a while. This was my 36 th fight since I was 18. I know everyone expects a lot from me.

Interviewer: Pressuring him life Fedor did made it hard for him to attack you. Do you think that will work for everyone?

Barnett: I don't think it will work for everyone. Mirko is quick, smart and strong. He listens to what his corner man says. Fedor's fight went very well. Even if we have a rematch, I don't think my strategy will change much.

Interviewer: What do you think about Mirko's ground skills?

Barnett: Mirko is really a basic fighter but he's smart and his way of attacking was good. That's any important point and I was tired. I clinched with him but it didn't go well. He used the corners well, too. I think that strategy was sent from his corner. I was tired and wasn't able to respond to that.

Source: Fight Sport

SHAMROCK FILES PETITION WITH PRIDE

Ken Shamrock supposedly in disbelief over the controversial quick stoppage to his fight with Kazushi Sakuraba.

Ken Shamrock announced that he has filed a petition with DSE/PRIDE over the controversial stoppage in his fight against Kazushi Sakuraba, which took place last week on the PRIDE 30 card.

Source: Fight Sport

 11/3/05

Quote of the Day

"I think, at a child's birth, if a mother could ask a fairy godmother to
endow it with the most useful gift, that gift would be curiosity."

Eleanor Roosevelt, 1884-1962, Former First Lady of the United States

SHIELDS: TRIGG RUNS HIS MOUTH TOO MUCH

Jake Shields is without doubt one of the most underrated fighters in MMA. A former Shooto Champion at 167.5lbs, Shields has defeated some of the toughest fighters around including Jeremy Jackson, Hayoto “Mach” Sakurai, Milton Vieira, and Akira Kikuchi. And if that wasn’t enough, earlier this year he defeated TUF 1 Champion Diego Sanchez at Abu Dhabi 2005.

Yet Shields, a member of the Cesar Gracie Fight Team, still remains virtually unknown by the majority of the new generation of MMA fans. Jake was hoping to change that this year at the upcoming Rumble on the Rock 175lb tournament. But when he spoke to MMA Weekly recently, Shields revealed the tournament is going to be on hold until next year, a fact that he is not happy about.

“The tournament keeps moving back,” said Shields. “I just found out today that they moved it to January 20th. First it was November, then December, and now January. I’m kind of frustrated about this, I want to fight.”

Jake continued, “I was really excited about being in the tournament but I’m getting tired of them pushing it back. I’ve been training hard for it and am in great shape. There’s a bunch of those guys I wanted a piece of, Frank Trigg, Dennis Hallman, and Charuto Verissimo. You know I really want a piece of Trigg, we’ve had a few words in the past and I think he runs his mouth too much.”

Now that the tournament is delayed, Shields will continue to train, help his teammates, and look for other opportunities before the end of the year. “I’m not going to wait for the tournament, I want to take something and I told Cesar today to start calling around. I’ve been beating the crap out of people in training and I’m two weeks away from being in fighting shape, so if something came up that is a good offer, I will take it,” explained Jake.

Along with getting himself ready to fight, Shields plans to help teammate Nick Diaz prepare for his upcoming bout with Diego Sanchez on the season finale of TUF 2 in November. According to Shields, his match with Sanchez at Abu Dhabi opened his eyes to some of Diego’s weaknesses and he’ll pass along those insights for Nick to exploit.

“I’ll be working with Nick next week. I saw holes in Diego’s game that I know Nick can take advantage of. Diego’s a tough guy, but we’re working on a good strategy and Nick should be able to take the match. Diego doesn’t have the hands to stand with Nick. He thinks he does, he’s very cocky, but Nick will change that,” proclaimed Shields.

After Diaz’s fight, Shields will again focus on his career, and as he says, he’s ready to step up and make his mark once and for all against the best competition around.

“I was hoping to get in some good fights this year. I was offered to fight (Hayoto) Sakurai (earlier in the year) but he wouldn’t fight me. I’m ready to fight anyone now. I don’t know if I’ll go back to Shooto, making the cut to 167.5lbs has been tough on me. I’ve been lifting more and getting bigger so even the cut to 170 would be a hard cut. That’s why the tournament was perfect for me at 175lbs. Plus I heard the winner of the tournament was going to fight BJ Penn, I think that would be a great fight. If that didn’t happen I was maybe going to call out Matt Hughes and see what happened.”

Source: MMA Weekly

TUF 2 HEAVYWEIGHT SETH PETRUZELLI


A newcomer featured on season 2 of Spike TV’s hit reality show The Ultimate Fighter is rapidly attracting new fans and making waves. Seth “The Silverback” Petruzelli is a Cape Coral, Florida native currently living in Orlando where he studies and trains MMA at one of the legendary Gracie Jiu-Jitsu schools, and is also on the Dean’s List at The University of Central Florida with a GPA of 3.0. Seth is ambitious, athletic and academically impressive and is excited about his future in the sport.

Cindy Ortiz interviewed the 25 year-old TUF 2 heavyweight last week. Seth is 6’ tall, weighs 229-pounds and not only does he have the best eyebrows in the business, he’s also one of the funniest and kindest gentlemen in the sport of MMA. In this one-on-one interview, Seth gives us a little bit more insight into The Silverback.

Cindy Ortiz: Hi Seth!

Seth Petruzelli: Hey Cindy! How ya doing?

Cindy: Pretty good. Are you ready to get started?

Seth: Sure!

Cindy: Had you not become a fighter, what do you think you would have become?

Seth: Probably doing what I’m doing now, working in real estate with my family in Cape Coral, Florida.

Cindy: Why and how did you get into the sport of MMA to begin with?

Seth: It was my friend, Carl that introduced me to the sport of MMA. He started telling me about it and took me to a couple of classes because he knew I wrestled and was good in karate so he thought I would like it. I picked up on it really easy and went from there.

Cindy: How long have you been training?

Seth: I’ve been taking martial arts for 19 years and for the past five years, I’ve been training as a pro. My amateur record is 1-0-0 and my pro record is 9-2-0.

Cindy: That’s respectable. Are you part of a fight team or do you represent a certain gym?

Seth: Yeah, I fight under Macio Simas Jiu-Jitsu Gracie Barra in Orlando, Florida.

Cindy: What martial art forms have you trained in and what’s your current level of proficiency?

Seth: Shito-Ryu Karate, 1986-present
Wrestling, 1994-present
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, 1999-present
Kun Tao Kung Fu, 1993-1995
Muay Thai Kickboxing, 1999-present

Cindy: Tell me a little bit about your immediate family (parents, siblings).

Seth: My father, brother and I own a real estate business where we buy property, fix it up and sell it.
My mother works as a title insurance agent and my sister works with her.

Cindy: Are there any fighters in your background?

Seth: No, but my brother (23 years-old), sister (20 years-old) and parents are all black belts in traditional karate.

Cindy: Now that’s a cover for Pro Karate Weekly! Who has been the single most influential person in your career thus far and why?

Seth: There have been a number of people who drive me; myself not wanting to fail at anything I do has been a big part of it. I got that from my karate instructor Bernie Dougherty. He was a huge part of my life growing up and without his teachings, I don’t think I would be fighting professionally. He really went out of his way to guide each student to be a better person, not just in karate but in life and to follow the rules. My family is very supportive, as well, and I want them to be proud of me. That’s important.

Cindy: Now Bernie sounds like an awesome instructor. Is he still around?

Seth: Yeah, he still teaches in my hometown, Cape Coral, Florida. I would highly recommend his influence and teaching methods to anyone because Bernie is just one of those people who make you want to be a better person, and those lessons stay with you for the rest of your life.

Cindy: That’s great, Seth. I have also noticed there seems to be a lot of emphasis on making your immediate family proud of you. Why is their approval so important?

Seth: Oh, wow… let me see if I can explain this. The Petruzelli name… I don’t know; I guess I want to be the first Petruzelli to really get our name out there… you know, like be the first famous Petruzelli.

Cindy: You know Seth, that’s the impression I kept getting, but I didn’t want to “put the words” in your mouth. So, it is a “fame-game!” What gives?

Seth: (laughter) I’ll say it. I want to be famous and I want my family to be proud of me and look up to me!

Cindy: Do you come from a competitive family of over-achievers? Every one of ya’ll have black belts in karate!

Seth: Oh, yeah. My family is really competitive, but in a good way. My grandfather on my mom’s side of the family owns shipyards all over the country and all her family works for them; they’re very competitive they all have their own shipyard and they try to make their business better and more successful than the others, so yeah… I want to achieve something for my family that is a step above anything they can do (laughter)!

Cindy: Well, alright then! Who impressed you the most from season one of The Ultimate Fighter?

Seth: Forrest, for sure! He’s a great person and is funny like me (laughter)! I hung out with him at the last UFC (55) before and after his fight with Elvis and he’s a cool guy and has the same personality as I do as far as goofing off and not taking things too seriously.

Cindy: What was the first MMA event you ever saw and what did you think about it?

Seth: It was a UFC event and I’m pretty sure it was UFC: 1. I was like 12 years-old when I saw it and to be honest, I thought it was dumb because I was a “karate kid” annnnnnnd THAT was the best art form (laughter)! Obviously, I’ve “grown up” since then and appreciate so many of the other styles out there.

Cindy: When you showed up for TUF on day one, besides yourself, who else did you think would make it to the finale in both weight divisions?

Seth: Wow; there were a lot of talented fighters on the show. I’d have to say Keith and Joe (based on my day one thoughts) because I knew they both could fight.

Cindy: What were you doing at the exact moment you got the call and found out you were in?

Seth: (laughter) I was getting wasted (j/k)! I think I was just watching TV when I got the call.

Cindy: What single piece of advice would you give to up and coming fighters?

Seth: Train your ass off and don’t give up on your dreams, even if others tell you to. You’ll regret it later if you do.

Cindy: What do you think fans would be surprised to learn about you?

Seth: I think they would be surprised at how sensitive I am.

Cindy: For the record, is Seth Petruzelli available?

Seth: (laughter) No, he’s not… he’s not. Seth has a girlfriend.

Cindy: Do you want to share anything about her?

Seth: Her name is Leslie and she’s a really cool girl. I think we make a good team; we both shoot for the stars and we’re both pretty independent. She’s one of the top mortgage brokers in the company and she graduated from UCF a few years ago.

I definitely want to put it out there how much I appreciate all the support and understanding she gives me. She’s a really great girl and she makes me want to be a better person and (laughter) I don’t know anyone else who would put up with me like Leslie does!

“Take It From Me” Feature

The best overall advice anyone can give to potential TUF competitors is to “expect the unexpected!” Unfortunately, the generalization doesn’t shed any light on what the experience is really like. Having gone through it yourself, what would you tell potential TUF hopefuls they should expect from these key areas?

Cindy: What should they expect from the housing environment?

Seth: The house will break all the time. The A/C and electric suck! The A/C was constantly broken and the power would shut down all the time. If you were cooking and someone tried to turn something on, the power would shut down.

Cindy: From the coaches?

Seth: To beat you till you puke… then beat you some more (laughter)!

Cindy: From the trainers?

Seth: Same as the coaches… and Ganyao to make you do 10,000 elbows. He’s big on throwing elbows and he taught me a lot. What’s funny is I’ll be cornering a fight and in the background I’ll hear Ganyao yelling for the guy to throw some elbows from clear across the ring! He’s cool, though! So is Marc Laimon and Peter Welch!

Cindy: From the Spike TV crew?

Seth: To make you do retakes. There were times (a lot) when Dana would get mad and start yelling about something and we’d start smirking or Randy would be trying to explain a challenge and we couldn’t keep a straight face! I don’t even know what was so funny about it all but it would just happen and they’d make us do the scene again… and again… and again, until we weren’t smiling!

Cindy: From Dana?

Seth: To tell you aren’t tough enough! Dana was messing up, too. He’d say something wrong or start laughing and would say, “Oh shit!” and have to shoot it again. Nothing that would change the outcome or anything, but like someone would make a noise or something that would make him laugh when he was trying to be cool or mean and it would mess him up! Dana’s actually a great guy and he’s just like the rest of us were… until you pissed him off!

Cindy: From the fellow competitors?

Seth: To probably make friends, even if you try to avoid it… and to see them naked… even if you try to avoid it!

Cindy: From the public after the show starts airing?

Seth: To be in love with you! ha-ha! Seriously though, people have been so supportive when they recognize me and that’s a good feeling. I appreciate it.

Cindy: TUF is not a reality show meant for every MMA fighter out there. What type of fighter should NOT consider doing the show and why?

Seth: A shy fighter with no personality because you won’t get any air time. A fighter in need of privacy… well, obviously that’s not possible. Fighters unable to make adjustments, like with their training regimen or schedule.

Cindy: We often hear about a fighters “heart.” What is your definition of heart?

Seth: To never give up no matter if you are winning or losing. Never quit.

Cindy: How do you prepare mentally before a fight?

Seth: I meditate and think to myself “no one has been training as long as I have, so I am better and more prepared.”

Cindy: Do you get nervous before a fight?

Seth: Yes, I get very nervous, like huge butterflies in my stomach all day long; about winning, not about getting hurt.

Cindy: Tell me the names of a few fighters you wouldn’t mind “mixing it up with” in the octagon and why.

Seth: I’d love to fight anyone… especially any of the light-heavyweights from season one. All of my pro fights were HW and I fought guy’s way bigger than me. I knocked out Bob Sapp, fought Gan McGee, so if I’m destroying the big guys, I’m thinking I’d like to take on some of the 205’ers from season one.

Cindy: So, you’d be interested in stepping down a weight division and challenging some of those guys?

Seth: Yeah, I’d like to.

Cindy: What are some of the sacrifices you have made in order to compete in the sport of MMA?

Seth: Let’s see… I have been in college for seven years because of fighting and I can’t go out all the time because it’s not good to when you’re training. I have done nothing but eat, sleep and train hardcore for fighting for the past five years. I have been around the world fighting and have met some great people and have beaten a lot of good fighters because of it. It’s all worth it.

Cindy: How many more credits do you need to complete your degree?

Seth: Let’s see, I need five more classes so that’s 15 credits.

Cindy: Which is stronger: your mental or your physical game?

Seth: I’m mentally and physically equally tough.

Cindy: Do you keep in touch with any of the other fighters from the show (if so, who)?

Seth: I keep in touch with all the season 2 guys. They are all good friends of mine. Great guys!

Cindy: What is the biggest misconception the public has about the TUF or the sport of MMA?

Seth: That we are all bad-ass guys with no respect; we’re actually quite the opposite. Most of us fight for the competition; it’s not out of hatred for another person. The sport of MMA is like a human chess match. I think the UFC and Spike TV are doing a lot as far as educating the public about the sport of MMA so it can gain real mainstream acceptance because martial arts is something just about anyone can get involved with and benefit from.

Cindy: Who are 3 established fighters you would like to train with?

Seth: Cro Cop, Sakuraba and Randy Couture. Actually, I got to train with Randy during the show and it was great.

Cindy: But there are a couple of Pride fighters you’d like to train with?

Seth: Yeah. When I fought my last K-1 fights in Japan, it was such a great experience. That was the time of my life in Japan, I loved it there and me being in karate since I was six and exposed to the Japanese culture and I love everything about it. I’d love to fight in Japan. Maybe the UFC will have a show there eventually.

I love Sakuraba’s crazy fighting style and I try to imitate a lot of it with my spinning back-kicks and stuff and training with him and picking his brain would be awesome.

Cindy: Yeah, I noticed the kicks when you fought Dan Christison on the show! What is the strangest experience you have had with a fan?

Seth: Oh man! I got a funny one! One time when I fought for K-1 in Japan, I got a call from a Japanese guy to come up to my room and talk. I thought he was a news guy so I let him in and he sits next to me like TOOO close and I was like “OK… when is this interview going to start?” He said, “No interview; I just want to look at you…” with this creepy look on his face! I got up ASAP and got my Japanese friend to kick him out!

Cindy: You must have been wearing that same wig you have on in the picture posted on the TUF forum! Seth is a total hottie as a woman, too!

Seth: Yeah, I am… thanks, Cindy! My friends, family and girlfriend will be pleased! Just kidding! I have a lot of fun!

Cindy: How important are fans to this sport and what are some ways you feel they can show their support for their favorite fighters?

Seth: The fans are the main reason I fight; without them, there’s really no point. They can show their support by coming up to me in public and say “hello” because it makes me feel good to be recognized for my hard work. They can also buy a t-shirt at silverbackseth.com!

Cindy: There you go pimping your site already! While you’re at it, tell me who some of your sponsors are and how did you secure them?

Seth: Sponsors? What are those? Anyone interested in sponsoring me, please send me an e-mail (budo1437@aol.com). I need some sponsors and I’ll definitely fight hard to win and make you look good!

Cindy: And you’ll pimp their logo on your web site, right?

Seth: You got that right! Sponsors are very important, especially MMA fighters because this is a new sport and our athletes aren’t as well known as most pro athletes, even though MMA is probably the most physically demanding sport on the planet. Cindy, did I happen to mention I am in need of some sponsors (laughter)? It would help me with my training so that I don’t need to worry about other things; I could concentrate on fighting and I’d be a great investment.

Cindy: Hmm… I think you might have said something about needing sponsors about 15 seconds ago, but I’ll make sure I get it in at least one more time, just in case! By the way, Seth, what do you do to promote the sport of MMA?

Seth: I am on the internet talking to fans 24/7 and I am on a national radio show every week to promote it and educate people about mixed martial arts because the popularity of the sport is growing, but as an athlete involved with MMA, I’m committed to keep pushing it. Sometimes people get sick of hearing me talk about it all the time, but that’s what it takes to spread the word.

Being part of TUF is a once in a lifetime opportunity, but I figure there’s a lot of other athletes who have the same dream me and the other season one and two fighters did, so we owe them their chance to compete because we got ours. I don’t know… that’s how I look at it anyway.

Cindy: Do you have a web site, dojo, trainer/instructor, sponsors you’d like to plug, or a message for your fans?

Seth: Yeah, www.silverbackseth.com is my web site and everyone should check it out. There are a lot of pictures posted and fans can send me an e-mail and say “hello.” They can also visit me at www.theultimatefighter.tv site where all of the fighters have online forum fan clubs and we love to hear from you guys. I appreciate each and every one of my fans because without them, there’s really not much of a point to fight. Being a part TUF and the UFC is a dream come true for all of us and thanks to everyone for all the support and encouragement because it makes a huge difference.

Cindy: Well Seth, that’s going to about do it. Thanks for taking the time to share some of the “behind the scenes” action with your fans. Good luck next weekend!

Seth: Thanks, Cindy! I appreciate the interview!

Cindy: You’re welcome!

Source: MMA Weekly

DO WE FINALLY HAVE MONDAY NIGHT WARS?
Full-Blown Monday Night War on the Verge of Breaking Out?

The face of Monday nights may be on the verge of changing once again, with a full-blown Monday Night War having the potential to break out sometime in the next six months. Information obtained by MMAWeekly indicates that some or all of the following things may be on the verge of happening: A) Spike TV continuing to air UFC Unleashed in the Monday at 10:00 PM timeslot for considerably longer than the network originally anticipated, B) Spike TV continuing to air UFC programming in the Monday at 11:00 PM timeslot even after the second season of The Ultimate Fighter concludes, and C) Spike TV giving the "TNA Impact" pro wrestling show a new timeslot of Monday nights at 9:00 PM, head-to-head with the first hour of WWE Raw.

If all of those things happened, it would be a full-blown revival of the famed Monday Night Wars. Instead of WCW Nitro on TNT providing the head-to-head competition for WWE, it would be a combination of TNA and UFC programming serving as Spike TV's weapons against WWE Raw on USA Network. As was the case with the October 3rd one-night showdown, nobody on the Spike/UFC/TNA side is delusional enough to have the goal of outright beating WWE Raw in the ratings. Instead, the goal would simply be to draw away a significant portion of the young male demographic that often watches WWE Raw on Monday nights.

Spike TV first dipped its toes in the proverbial "Going Head-to-Head with WWE Raw" water by scheduling a live UFC special to run head-to-head with WWE's return to USA Network on October 3rd, a move that caused Vince McMahon to go into full-fledged "War Mode," complete with all of the consequences that pro wrestling promoters have been all-too-familiar with since the 1980's.

Spike also decided to continue airing new episodes of The Ultimate Fighter every week in the Mondays at 11:00 PM timeslot, instead of moving the new airings of TUF to Saturdays at 9:00 PM as originally planned. Finally, in news that was broken exclusively on MMAWeekly in late September, Spike decided that UFC programming would be matched up against WWE programming on a weekly basis, with new episodes of UFC Unleashed airing every Monday night at 10:00 PM starting on October 10th.

Why Spike TV is Strongly Considering These Additional Moves

These moves are being strongly considered by Spike TV management due to a variety of factors. First of all, there's the fact that the Monday night airings of UFC Unleashed have done fairly well in the ratings when you consider their conspicuous lack of promotion, and more importantly these airings have significantly cut into the second-hour ratings growth that WWE Raw typically experiences.

Last week's episode of UFC Unleashed drew a 1.2 overall rating, the show's highest yet in the Monday at 10:00 PM timeslot, and it also drew a 2.2 rating in the advertiser-coveted 18-to-34-year-old male demographic. It seems likely that the ratings for UFC Unleashed are going to continue to grow as more people figure out that it's on the air every Monday at 10:00 PM.

There is also the fact that WWE is very vulnerable right now, and Spike TV smells blood to a certain extent because of WWE's ratings collapse since its first show on USA Network. The first episode of WWE Raw back on USA Network drew an overall rating of 4.4. The next week, Raw's overall rating was down drastically to 4.0. The week after that, Raw's overall rating was down drastically again to 3.6. The rating was 3.9 last week, but the normally large second-hour ratings growth was non-existent (the first hour drew a 3.9 rating, and the second hour stayed at 3.9).

At the same time, WWE Raw has devolved creatively over the past few weeks into an outlet for the McMahon family to get its jollies on national television, and the numbers would seem to indicate that I'm not the only person who has that opinion. (The latest example would be Vince McMahon making fun of long-time employee Jim Ross' real-life cancer scare in a seven-minute-long skit on this week's Raw.) The amount of people who have been turned off of the WWE product in the past few weeks, as reflected in the ratings and the huge backlash to various offensive things that have been done, is a blow to WWE while at the same time representing a huge opportunity for Spike TV.

The final factor that has Spike TV on the verge of making a major commitment to Monday nights is the fact that the first four episodes of the TNA Impact pro wrestling show on Spike TV have performed very well in the ratings.

(Even though it's pro wrestling and not MMA, it's important to talk about TNA in this case, because any potential Monday Night War would not be UFC vs. WWE; it would be the combination of TNA and UFC vs. WWE.)

Airing in the less-than-ideal Saturday at 11:00 PM timeslot, the first four episodes of TNA Impact have drawn overall ratings of 0.8, 0.8, 0.8, and 0.9. That is considered a big success for a product that had never previously been on national cable television other than a mid-2004 to mid-2005 run on Fox Sports Net, which is more of a collection of regional FSN affiliates than it is a legitimately "national" cable network.

As a result of all these factors, Spike TV has given TNA Impact a huge test by scheduling a two-hour primetime special that will air on Thursday, November 3rd from 9:00 PM to 11:00 PM (followed by UFC Unleashed at 11:00 PM on that date).

If TNA's primetime special performs exceptionally well in the ratings, and if TNA Impact continues to experience ratings growth in its latenight timeslot on Saturday nights, sources have told MMAWeekly that it would become very likely that TNA Impact would be moved to Monday nights at 9:00 PM, possibly as soon as a few months from now.

Additionally, sources tell MMAWeekly that if TNA Impact does indeed get the coveted Monday night at 9:00 PM timeslot up against WWE Raw, it would also be likely that a two-hour block of UFC programming on Monday nights (from 10:00 PM to 12:00 AM) would become a long-term fixture on Spike TV, all of which would combine to mean that another "Monday Night War" would be on in full force.

Repeats of UFC Unleashed could air on Monday nights at 11:00 PM when The Ultimate Fighter is not in season, and in general UFC Unleashed is a show that is produced with a large number of repeat airings intended for every episode. However, as I have written before, Spike TV would need to actually start promoting UFC Unleashed at some point, and the UFC would need to incorporate a lot more behind-the-scenes training footage and interviews to go along with the old fight footage, if UFC Unleashed is to be successful over the long run.

Primetime Specials on Spike TV

If TNA does not impress Spike TV with its primetime ratings on November 3rd, it would still appear to be very likely that the coveted February 13th, 2006 slot on Spike TV will still be going to TNA instead of the UFC. Much to WWE's chagrin, WWE Raw will be preempted on February 13th due to USA Network's coverage of the Westminster Dog Show. This represents an excellent opportunity for Spike TV to put either a TNA special or a UFC special in that timeslot, and right now it appears that Spike TV is much more interested in giving that spot to TNA (which may already have that timeslot on a weekly basis by the time February rolls around).

On the other hand, when WWE Raw is preempted for two weeks in the late summer due to USA Network's coverage of the US Open tennis tournament, the UFC would be much more likely to get a primetime special on either one of those two dates (August 28th, 2006 or September 4th, 2006). Those two dates would be prime real estate for a UFC live fight special on Spike TV because WWE Raw will not be airing on those dates, and the people who normally watch Raw would probably be more interested in watching UFC programming on Spike TV than they would be in watching the US Open on USA Network.

Regardless of what happens with the long-term timeslots of UFC and TNA programming on Spike TV, the UFC has secured the timeslot for another head-to-head ratings battle with WWE and USA Network on January 16th, 2006 (as first reported by MMAWeekly last week). A live UFC fight special is scheduled to air on Spike TV head-to-head with WWE Raw on that date.

There should be absolutely no doubt in anyone's mind that this will be seen by Vince McMahon as another "act of war," so don't be surprised if you see WWE magically decide to make the January 16th, 2006 episode of WWE Raw one of its biggest shows of the year, just as it did with the October 3rd show.

Additionally, there will be two occasions over the next couple of weeks on which repeat UFC programming will be airing head-to-head with WWE programming. First, the 11th and 12th episodes of The Ultimate Fighter 2 will be re-airing on Spike TV on Friday, September 4th from 9:00 PM to 11:00 PM. The first hour of that block will be going head-to-head with WWE Smackdown on UPN, which has been drawing overall ratings in the 2.5 range in its new timeslot of Friday nights from 8:00 PM to 10:00 PM.

Finally, one of the scheduled replays for "The Ultimate Finale" of TUF's second season will be airing head-to-head with WWE Raw. After its first airing at 9:00 PM on November 5th, the three-hour "Ultimate Finale" telecast will be re-aired at midnight that same night; then again at midnight on Sunday night, November 6th; and finally once more at 10:00 PM on Monday night, November 7th, head-to-head with WWE Raw. You can bet that all parties involved will be watching very closely to see what affect, if any, the Ultimate Finale airing will have on Raw's second-hour ratings growth.

Source: MMA Weekly

 11/2/05

Quote of the Day

"The production of too many useful things results in too many useless
people."

Karl Marx, 1818-1883, German Political Philosopher and Social Theorist

Is Ken Shamrock Finished?

Let me pose a simple question to you: coming off his knockout (albeit controversial) loss to Kazushi Sakuraba this past weekend, is the legendary, UFC icon Ken Shamrock finished? There is a very simple answer to this question and it is neither yes or no.

The answer is that he was finished years ago. Ask Fujita. Or Tito. Or Rich Franklin. Or Dan Severn after UFC 9. The point I'm making with this roll call of Shamrock losses is that he has been finished for nearly ten years now. That's actually just one of the points here. The other is that a fighter can be finished forever but will still be around. Ask Evander Holyfield. Or Mike Tyson. Or Sakuraba himself.

Shamrock's fight against Sakuraba was a bad loss. You can't get knocked out by someone so much lighter than you and not be embarassed, even if the ref stoppage was quick and even if the fight was setup so that Sakuraba could score a win over a big name. No matter what the underlying circumstances surrounding the finish, it was still a bad fight for Shamrock. He still got tagged with that punch from Sakuraba. And he still stumbled back.

But Shamrock, who is a terrible boxer even by MMA standards, has stumbled back metaphorically many times before. The loss to Dan Severn, his final fight as UFC Superfight champion, was a joke. It remains the worst (or maybe now the second worst, ask Ivan Salaverry) fight in UFC history. It was a big deal fight on pay per view, a big deal fight at the live gate, but the end of the fight was no big deal as Severn won a joke decision in one of the most boring fights any of us have ever witnessed, even if we've never witnessed it. It hurt Shamrock's credibility badly, and it was such a terrible match that it derailed Severn's career for good despite the fact that he was the guy that won the decision.

So Shamrock fought once more in UFC (a win against Brian Johnston) and left for WWF. And then he came back years later, showing up in Pride in 2000 with a win over pro wrestler Alexander Otsuka. Fine. But what wasn't so fine was his performance against Kazuyuki Fujita. He just gassed out. They were clinched in the corner, Shamrock was gassed, and he gave up. I asked him about that fight when I interviewed him for my book, and he gave the same reason he's given in many other interviews: he had no reason. He was unprepared. He just gave up.

But that was years ago now. People forget about the failures of a big star if they stay away long enough and then make a comeback at the right time. The difference between the Fujita and Sakuraba losses, though, is that now Shamrock is past the age of forty. How long can he stay away at this point? How many comebacks does he have left?

As many as he wants, since Ken Shamrock is an image and not a fighter, and as long he he keeps himself in physical shape and makes all those great excuses that casual fans believe and then comes back at the right time against the right opponent, his age is limitless. I can't imagine him retiring while he still looks fairly young. Same with Sakuraba. People in the U.S. talk about Sakuraba retiring constantly. Sakuraba will retire when he's dead. He's not anywhere close to the end. By far.

Shamrock can write off the loss to Sakuraba as a fluke loss. The ref stoppage is his excuse, just like slipping (or whatever) was his excuse against Franklin and whatever injury he had was his excuse against Tito and a bad decision was his excuse against Don Frye in that loss. People believe it. I don't but people do. And that's okay, because belief is the foundation of image, and image is everything and that is what draws at the box office. Shamrock can lose as many fights as he pleases, but he will never be finished until he fights in the United States in a match that doesn't draw. When that happens, not even another rematch against Kimo can save him.

Source: Maxfighting

Interview – Renato "Babalu" Sobral


Takimoto- Hello Babalu, you are coming off 9 straight victories. That is 3 years without losing and you are consistently ranked as one of the top ten in the world at 93kg (205 lbs). Do you feel you have arrived at the time of being the real champion?

Sobral- I don't know. I'm fighting of course. It all depends on the promoters and my manager. Put someone will be in my line of fire and I am going for the kill.

Takimoto- Tell us a little about your preparation for the recent fight against Chael Sonnen?

Sobral- Well, this fight was really difficult because I had a lot of problems. First because of the weight limit, I did something wrong with my diet and I arrived 9kg heavier and had a lot of difficulties to achieve the 93kg limit and it left me very tired. Besides that, I was coming from an injury and because of that my preparation was very different. My first month was only physical; the second was more the technical part. In reality, I fought in a rush, I was 65% prepared. But my coaches always believed in me and I fought because I wanted to.

Takimoto- What did you know about his fight style?

Sobral- I knew he was part of the national wrestling team, and that we was coming very well trained. This fight was the chance of his life.

Takimoto- Tell us how the fight was.

Sobral- To tell you the truth I don't even remember really well. Everything was real fast, with alot of positions. I only know that I won by triangle.

Takimoto- Before the fight, you promised to destroy his face. Did you acheive that?

Sobral- I didn't have time. The only thing that I have time to do was to break his foot with a heelhook and submit him.

Takimoto- Now you have one fight left in your contract. You have a proposal from Pride or do you prefer to stay in UFC?

Sobral- This thing my coaches and my manager decide. My desire is to become rich.

Takimoto- With the Gracie Barra Combat Team you already have 5 victories, 3 by submission, 1 by KO and 1 by unanimous decision. Can your style now be called Gracie Jiu-Jitsu?

Sobral- It can be called an upgrade in my career because of Gracie Jiu-Jitsu.

Takimoto- Do you know what will be your next fight?

Sobral- Not yet, I only will know after UFC 56.

Takimoto- Is there anybody that you wish to fight?

Sobral- Forrest Griffin. He thinks he is a star [because of TUF popularity] but he knows that I am the real star. But he already let it clear that he doesn't want to fight against me. Let's see if the matchmaker can put this fight together.

Takimoto- And how about Chuck Liddell?

Sobral- Somewhere along the way he will be on my schedule. But his next fight is against Couture. I don't want to keep making challenges to him. But I do want to fight against the champion. So whoever comes, I will crash. Thank you guys!

Source: Maxfighting

Joe Lauzon - Making His Way

Joe Lauzon is coming off of a first place finish at the NAGA North American Grappling Championships, winning the 150-160 pound expert division. Along the way he defeated Lloyd Irvin standout Mike Easton via kneebar.

Lauzon is 8-2 in his professional career, with a win over tough UFC-vet Mike Brown to his credit. He did not fair as well in his last fight against UFC competition, losing in the main event of APEX Championship Fighting: Undisputed to Ivan Menjivar.

His interest in mixed martial arts (MMA) did not come about through the typical story line, instead taking up fighting with his friends through an infatuation with professional wrestling.

“When pro wrestling was big it seemed like my entire high school was crazy over it. We didnt have a wrestling team, but we would try and wrestle with each other, and make each other tap out and give up.”

Lauzon continued, “Then my trainer (Joe Pomfret) came and did a Jiu Jitsu and Karate demo for our high school at an assembly, and that was that.”

Soon after that he was taking grappling classes, and could not get enough of his new sport.

“I was hooked from the start. We had guys training for fights, and I was doing fine against them, so of course I wanted to try too. My only real problem was that I wasn’t old enough; you have to be 18 in Massachusetts,” he said.

He fought in his first match just two weeks after his 18th birthday, and has not looked back.

Joe reflected on his first spotlight match, against hard-hitting American Top Team fighter Mike Brown at Combatzone 8. Brown came in to the match with an 8-2 record, his only losses to top lightweights Genki Sudo (at UFC 47) and Hermes Franca.

“The fight with Mike was tough because he is very good at controlling from the guard,” he said. “I was so exhausted from trying to make things happen. I even started creating openings for him to pass my guard so I could try and catch with a sweep or a submission. It eventually worked when I caught the sweep... but it was a very physical fight.”

Unlike the fight with Brown, Lauzon felt that against Menjivar he let the size of the event get to him. Fighting for one of the largest shows in Canada against a competitor that took Matt Serra the distance, he lost his focus.

Lauzon stated, “I think like a lot of people, I let a big fight screw with my head. I went in there and just fought; everything we had worked on and planned went out the window, which really bothered me after the fight.”

He gave Menjivar the credit due for the win, but clearly had his regrets. “Ivan is a badass, but I felt fine in there with him.”

One glaring problem in the Menjivar fight stems from unique rules the state of Massachusetts has for MMA, where knees and elbows are prohibited.

“One major shortcoming I have had is the lack of training with knees and elbows. We can't do them in Massachusetts, so we don’t really work on them that much, because most of our fighters only fight locally,” he said. “So I don’t think I made any mistakes in the fight, it was more of a mistake in how we trained for the fight.”

Just keeping MMA legal in Massachusetts has been a struggle, with uneducated local communities clamping down on events they see as brutal and excessively violent. Seeing this first-hand, Lauzon knows that there is a delicate balancing act in working with the state’s boxing commission to keep MMA legal, which means sacrificing knees and elbows at this stage.

“It's coming around. The boxing commission has been making steady progress with MMA, and that’s all we can ask for. We really want knees and elbows, but we don’t want to deviate from what the boxing commission set as rules, because we have a clean history and don't want to change anything, and have something happen.”

Next up for Lauzon is Combatzone: Night of Champions, where he will face King of the Cage and Superbrawl combatant Antoine Skinner, who comes in at 16-4 and a wealth of experience.

“I have some video on him, so I think I have a good idea of how the fight will play out. He looks really strong…a good explosive wrestler,” Lauzon said. “He likes to throw his hands, but I'm not really all that worried about any of that. I've been in there with really strong wrestlers before, and, I think, more accomplished wrestlers, and I've done pretty well.”

In addition, Lauzon is looking to his previous loss not as a confidence drain, but motivation to step up his game at the next chance he gets.

“I wouldn't want to fight me after a loss,” he said.

He continued, “I'm my own biggest critic. Even when I win, I watch tape and look at every single exchange and transition, and break it all down as to what I did well or what I could have done better. So even after a win, I'm pretty critical over what went on... but after a loss, its about 10 times worse. My cardio will be great, I feel crisp in standup and wrestling, and once it hits the ground I am always at home.”

With fights against Brown and Menjivar, a win over Skinner could very well put Lauzon within striking distance of a fight in Pride or the UFC. But, despite his accomplishments at a relatively young age, Lauzon has managed to keep his perspective; he fights for the challenge and the enjoyment, not promises of glory and startdom.

“I'll keep working on things, and when it happens it happens. I'm doing this for fun; if it’s not fun, I have no problem walking away from fighting,” Lauzon said.

Lauzon maintains a busy fighting and training schedule, but also has other things on the horizon.

He replied, “On a normal basis, we train 4 days a week, Monday through Thursday. Monday is kickboxing and grappling, Tuesday and Thursday is grappling, and Wednesday is MMA. We train around 1.5 to 2.5 hours a night, and then take the weekend to rest and heal up. Then by the time Monday comes, all you want to do is train.

“I go to school full-time, and I work. Right now I'm on Co-Op, so I'm working full-time at a job in my major for the semester, because I had classes all summer. So I [fight] until the middle of January, and then it’s back to classes. I keep telling everyone January is the start of Fight Season. I would like to fight once a month from January until August. I like always having something ahead of me, to keep me on top of things.”

Joe wanted to make the following thanks as he continues to prepare for his next fight: “Just wanna thank all the guys who help me out with training, all my guys at RSD and South Shore Sportfighting. They kick my ass on a regular basis to get me ready for fights, and I wouldn’t be doing it without them.”

Source: Maxfighting

 11/1/05

Quote of the Day

"Music expresses that which cannot be said and on which it is impossible to be silent."

Victor Hugo, 1802-1885, French Poet/Dramatist/Novelist

The greatest JJ fighter of all time
Authorities on the sport choose Rolls Gracie, almost unanimously, to defend the 70's


First of all, let’s agree that, before 1970, three fighters reigned undisputed through Brazilian mats: Masters Carlos, Helio and Carlson Gracie. Out of respect they’re not in this election. From the 70’s on, Carlson dedicates himself exclusively to teaching the “smooth art,” as had done the other two Jiu-Jitsu legends. Therefore, a new generation of fighters/competitors starts to show their worth. It is the goal of this report to point out who was the best offspring of the generations that followed the three pioneers of the sport in Brazil. On this first step, GRACIE Magazine heard ten Jiu-Jitsu authorities who answered two simple questions: Who was the best fighter in the seventies? And why?

In the opinion of eight jurors, Rolls Gracie is the great name of that period. Sergio Ires, known as Serginho de Niteroi, got two votes and arrived in second. There was no third place. The recurrent explanation for Rolls superiority was his versatility. “He had a phenomenal ease to learn everything. He was good at boxing, judo, wrestling, and so he perfected his Jiu-Jitsu, which was already excellent,” says master Osvaldo Alves. Rolls was also remembered by most voters as one of the most charismatic fighters in Brazilian martial arts history. Gracie was about to win this election with 100% of votes until we called Master Carlson Gracie in Chicago. The temperature over there was around 0o F, but Carlson set the voting on fire: “I choose Serginho de Niteroi. Rolls never beat him.”

Helio Gracie had already warned us: “My son, the whole truth is something no-one is ever going to know.” Carlson’s statement generated a huge controversy. His right-arm, Osvaldo Paqueta, confirmed that Rolls used to lose to Serginho while training. However, many of the fighters of the time, who didn’t want their names to be published, guaranteed the information was fake. It would be the reporter’s job to get Rolls and Sergio back together to ask: “After all, which of you was the best fighter in the 70’s?” Too late, for they’ve both passed away. Rolls had a fatal kite accident. Serginho was a victim of Rio de Janeiro’s violence in 2000. “They could set the record straight by training up in heaven,” jokes Master Fernando Pinduka, who, in spite of being one of the famous disciples of Carlson, disagreed with his professor and voted for Rolls.

We don’t know for sure in what year those trainings Carlson saw where Sergio beat Rolls took place. Ires was seven years older than Gracie. That is, if they did train in 1970 (as many believe), Serginho was 26 and Rolls only 19. It’s no rule, but fighters’ pinnacle is usually attained around 27, when the athlete obtains a good combination of experience and physical strength. In this case, teenager Rolls was in disadvantage before an almost 20 lb heavier adult Serginho. “Serginho used to win in the beginning, but in time they became leveled, and Rolls turned into a phenomenon,” recollects Master Carlson, unwillingly defending this paragraph’s theory.

Lack of records hinders election

In the 70’s the Jiu-Jitsu championships were rare. “What used to happen a lot was that the guys from one gym went to visit another academy, which, in turn, paid the visit back,” tells us Osvaldo Paqueta. Besides, there was the strong culture of training behind locked doors. What happened inside the academy died there, a sort of silence-law respected to this day. To make it worse, the Jiu-Jitsu Federation, founded in 1967, held the first championship only in 1973. Old-timer photojournalist / tough guy Ricardo Azoury recalls that the number of black-belts was very restricted at the time: “The most expected fights were in blue and purple belts.” As there was no martial arts “market”, there weren’t any specialized magazines that would register the trainings, results and main events in those days. Therefore, all that’s left to the future generations is a couple of pictures and the memory of such witnesses as Master Rorion Gracie: “I remember at that time Rolls lived, slept and breathed Jiu-Jitsu. He was very active and competitive… My vote is an homage to him.”

Master Pinduka shares Rorion’s thinking path and points out, perhaps, Rolls’ main advantage over Serginho: “Niteroi was less of an athlete. He fought less championships, was a politician and wasn’t all that dedicated to the sport. Rolls was more of a competitor, he won all the challenges and was always on the spotlights.” At one of the few times he entered a tournament, in the mid-seventies, Sergio defeated by points no-one less than Rorion Gracie. Rolls was also impeccable at competitions. Once he broke an opponent’s arm with a flying armlock, at 20 seconds of combat. “Of course Rolls didn’t mean to do it. The strike was so fast there was no time for the adversary to give up,” recollects the black-belted policeman Redley Vigo.

But in a championship at Melo Tennis Club, around 1976, Rolls won a close fight against Paulo Roberto de Carvalho, or Paulo Boca (“Mouth,” in English), his friend from the wrestling and judo trainings. GRACIE Magazine located Boca, now 53 (that is, in February ’04) and asked him to talk about the fight. “I weighed 30 pounds more than Rolls, which meant nothing in the face of his technique. He could fight standing – he never ran away – and he confronted me at judo. We both risked a few takedowns till the fight went to the ground. He was at the bottom. I was trying to pass the guard and he was trying to sweep me. The time ran out and the judge gave him the victory. Part of the crowd jeered at the result, but I respect the judge’s decision,” says Paulo Boca, who deems Serginho a great name in Jiu-Jitsu history, but votes for Rolls.

In Serginho’s opinion, the best was…

Before closing the election for the 70’s hall of fame, we looked for Sergio Ires Jr., Serginho’s son, to find out whether he had any information relevant to this report. Bull’s eye. At age 31, Junior recollects that his father and Rolls were great friends: “They adored each other, there was no competition between them. I guess out of respect for their friendship, my father didn’t enroll himself in the same tournaments as Rolls.” Mrs. Selysette Marques, Serginho’s widow and mother to Sergio Jr., tells us that, to Niteroi, the greatest fighter of all time was Carlson Gracie. She doesn’t remember the trainings between Serginho and Rolls, but she guarantees her husband never lost to any of the Gracies. “Rolls was a sweet person, Sergio never told me anything about their serious trainings. They were very close in those days,” Selysette recalls.

“Those were romantic times,” summarizes Master Romero Jacare. “In the championships, for instance, there wasn’t any of today’s organization. People would sell oranges at the benches to throw at the athletes. There was always a barbecue running loose, with smoke on the fighters’ faces – fighters who battled under a zinc roof, that is, at 100oF!” he completes – his vote was for Rolls too. Finally, the State of Rio de Janeiro’s Jiu-Jitsu Federation’s president, Master Robson Gracie, concludes our retrospective with great conviction: “Rolls was the best Jiu-Jitsu fighter ever.”

Thus Gracie wins our election by an undisputed advantage of six votes in relation to second placer Serginho de Niteroi. Some of the jurors in this report point out that, at the end of his reign, maybe a year before dying, Rolls beat easily a new black-belted member of his family, one who was just starting to be noticed. A certain Rickson Gracie… But that is for the second part of our “The greatest of all time” series,” concerning the eighties.

Source: Gracie Magazine

Wanderlei opens his guard
Chuteboxer recognizes bad fight against Ricardo Arona and fires:
“I think about this rematch all the time”


Having recently come home from Europe, Chute Boxe star Wanderlei Silva thinks of nothing but preparing for this year’s last Pride edition, scheduled for the night of December 31st, in the Saitama Super Arena. And in that mood he has already chosen the ideal opponent for the fight: Ricardo Arona, against whom he intends to put his belt at stake. After hearing critiques on his performance and nearly weeping as he returned to Curitiba, with the homage given him by the teammates after the dramatic loss, Wand spoke to GRACIEMAG.com, among other issues, about the relation between his losses to Arona and Belfort, the plan of competing among the heavyweights in 2006 and what it was like to play ball with no one other than the greatest football player in the world, Ronaldo Gaucho, his fan (and idol).

In the fight with Arona, which defined one of the Pride GP’s finalists, what was your tactical mistake? Why didn’t you play aggressively from the start?
I used a completely wrong strategy. I was waiting for him to attack, which he didn’t; I remained in this dilemma and got the worst of it. And when we hit the floor I should have played a little more Jiu-Jitsu. But I’m not here to whine; when it comes to me it’s “you win, you win,” or “you lose, you lose.” There’s no crying over losses, nor saying, after losing, that it was due to hitting my head against the ground.

Do you agree with those who say, as he did himself, that Arona beat you both standing and on the floor?
Except he didn’t fight anything either, it was an awful match. Of the two takedowns he applied, on one I slipped and on the other he just ran in my direction and I ended up falling. And standing I got a few kicks right, but that was pretty much it. Actually it was a bad fight, we both fought poorly.

What went through your mind in the first few moments after the fight?
At the time I was upset, when I got off the ring my only desire was to leave the place, but the boss [Rudimar Fedrigo] talked to me and calmed me down. He is a tremendous coach, a perfect leader, he knows just what to say at the exact time. Soon I cooled down and went on to support Shogun, which was the right thing to do at the time. The moment he was stepping into the ring I yelled, “Finish that guy,” and we all know he did just what I requested [laughs].

After the loss, were you disappointed at yourself?
I was sad for my performance, after all the fight was ugly and boring, quite unlike the way I like to play. At home I watched it twice and decided I’m never watching it again. Not because of having lost, as I’ve stated, but for my attitude. However, this ill success made me reconsider a couple of deficiencies. Losing is always a bitch, but I’ve drawn a few conclusions from it. I also realized that this year I had a tough routine, with a bunch of injuries, which did hinder me a bit. I was well prepared, but a little tired from all the fighting and injuring.

Soon after the match you declared not to be all that interested in fighting Arona again. What happened?
I said that because I had just been knocked out. But I have already asked the boss to schedule the new year’s eve fight with Arona as soon as possible, and now with the title at stake. I think about this rematch all the time – earlier today I was beating the bag thinking of Arona. And I know he’ll accept to fight me because he thinks he did a terrific fight, when what actually happened was that we both fought terribly.

Despite the sadness, you had something to celebrate with your teammate’s win. How do you evaluate Mauricio Rua’s exhibition throughout the Grand Prix?
His victory was undisputed, there was no doubt he was the best this year. He beat the toughest guys and displayed his talent impeccably. After he defeated Quinton Jackson he went on showing the finest fighting skills. He took part in the fight of the year against Rogerio Minotouro and if he keeps it up he’ll remain at the top for a long time. There’s something very positive about him, that is, not to see much difference among the guys he faces. Shogun takes on anyone he is put up against and lets his game loose. In spite of being newer than me in the academy, he’s got a lot to teach me.

What did you feel as you returned home? Was it any different?
I saw that that some things happen for us to perceive we have friends beside us. Both my family and my co-workers gave me a lot of support. I arrived at Chute Boxe after coming from Japan thinking people were going to treat me differently, but it was just the opposite and that was really moving. Everyone there applauded me and I realised they are on my side in the bad moments as well. This reception in Curitiba was very comforting and gave me a lot more will to show my potential, which stimulates me into training even more.

Do you consider this moment as dramatic to your career ass your loss to Belfort? Can you trace a parallel between theses fights?They’re different moments, but they were both really hard. The loss to Vitor was quite complicated, but the lesson that issued from the one against Arona was knowing that I’m a much better fighter than I showed there. This time I was truly disappointed at my Jiu-Jitsu. When the fight ended I was sure I had lost. I’m really hard on myself, I can’t accept such an exhibition. I can hardly wait to fight again.

Were you disappointed at the criticism from the fans? What would you like to tell your critics?
I’m never shaken by criticism. I’ve been competing for a long time now and I take it as normal. I doesn’t happen only to me, you know, but with many athletes in all sports. And some of the criticism is good – as well as sincere when they come from my friends and fans. What I want is to apologize to the fans, not for having lost, but for having fought that way. I’d like to tell them that now I’m gonna show them all my potential and do what they all expect from me, that is, to give a spectacle.

Next year there’s the Heavyweight Grand Prix. Are you really thinking of taking part, and how do you see your prospects?
My contract with Pride ends in and I’ll see what they offer to negotiate from there. If I win on new year’s eve it will be a lot easier, we’re always in evidence after winning. If it’s a good offer, I’m in, I want to take on those guys next year. And they might actually match me against Cro Cop, whom I’ve already fought, but there are plenty of new guys arising who can make good fights against me.

During your stay in France you played ball with Ronaldo Gaucho before Barcelona’s game with Saint Ettiene. So now he is a fan of yours?
[Laughs.] Ronaldo is a nice guy. He told me he watches my fights and likes MMA. I played some ball with him, tried to pull something out, but felt that football isn’t really my calling, it’s hard for me to get a kick right when I’m in the pitch.

Source: Gracie Magazine

Ultimate Fighter Journal: Episode 10

Matt Hughes and Dana White are flabbergasted at Mike Whitehead's loss to Rashad Evans last week, since Whitehead was such a heavy favourite to win the entire heavyweight division. Whitehead speculates that he might not be a fighter after all, whatever that is suppose to mean.

Rashad suffered a sprained wrist in the fight, but fooled everyone left in the house when he returned from the doctor. He broke down and cried and said he would not be able to fight in the semi-finals. Then he laughed. Mean joke.

Jason Von Flue suffered a bad cut in training and had to go back to the doctor. There was speculation that Jason wasn't going to make it to the semi-finals.

They outlined how the semi-finals process is going to work this season. Last year there were an even amount of fighters on each team, so they just head team vs. team semi-finals for each weight divison. But they can't do that this year because the teams are uneven. Dana White told the eight guys still left in the house at that point (seven by the end of the show) that Franklin and Hughes would meet with White and they would determine what the fights would be. They never really outlined criteria for selecting the matches, which makes the competition seem somewhat hollow on that level. That's like just kinda mixing and matching the MLB playoffs based on what matches Bud Selig would like to see.

They ask the different fighters who they want to face. Joe Stevenson wants to fight anyone. Luke wanted to face Jason the most and Joe the least. Luke says he would go nuts if he had to fight Joe. He should have said he would slow the fight down and make it as boring as possible, because then they definitely would not have put that fight together.

Sammy wants to fight Jason. Jason refuses to tell them who he wants to fight.

For the heavyweights, Rashad, Seth and Keith all want to fight Brad. Seth wants to fight him because he likes bigger opponents and the others think Brad is inexperienced. Brad wants Seth or Rashad.

After the commercial, Dana spoke to the fighters. He said he was disappointed with their lack of killer instinct. Nothing like telling your own fighters on your own show that they suck. It's weird because the NHL won't allow anyone involved with hockey to say anything remotely bad about the product right now, whereas here you have the company president talking about how poorly these fighters did. Does Dana have any business training at all? It's times like this when it becomes glaring obvious that his methods are ill-refined.

The welterweight semi-finals are Luke vs. Sammy and Jason vs. Joe. For the heavyweight it is Keith vs. Rashad and Brad vs. Seth. So you likely end up with Luke vs. Joe and Seth vs. Keith in the finals. They bring back Marcus Davis (why him it was never explained) in case Jason's cuts prevent him from fighting.

Luke vs. Sam took place this episode. Luke was able to pull a surprise victory off, dizzying Sammy with a right and knocking him out with an elbow and knee. Luke is the first finalist now, slated to meet the winner of Joe vs. Jason (or possibly Marcus).

Source: MMA Weekly


Counter courtesy of www.digits.com