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Quote
of the Day
"Life isn't a matter of milestones, but of moments."
Rose Kennedy, 1890-1995, Matriarch of the prominent Kennedy family
of the United States
|
Anthony
Torres
Possibly Fighting Tomorrow Night on The Ultimate Fighter Season
2 on Spike!
We believe Anthony Torres, the local fighter who is currently
appearing on Spike TVs hit reality show The Ultimate Fighter,
will compete on television tomorrow night, Monday, Oct 10th.
Thousands of local fans have been waiting for Anthony to have
"his moment" on the show....tomorrow night, we believe,
it will happen.
Anthony's contract with Spike TV and the Ultimate Fighting Championship
forbids him from disclosing the results of the show, so he has
been hush-hush about it. However, a month ago the New York Times,
while reporting on the show's big TV ratings, leaked a story
that Anthony will fight Luke Cummo. We've been trying figure
out when this fight would happen for weeks. Based on the process
of elimination and a few inside rumors, we believe tomorrow night
is the big night.
The Ultimate
Fighter airs 8:05 pm Monday on Spike (basic channel 76; digital
channel 559) with repeats on 8pm Thursday and 7pm Saturday.
Patrick Freitas
Icon Sport
808 375-1645
|
Rumble
World Entertainment Presents:
Rumble
on the Rock 8: "Showdown in Maui"
Lahaina Civic Center, Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii
October 7, 2005
I thought every one would appreciate the beautiful Rumble/Ainokea
ring girls.
|
The
Savage Truth: The Silent Treatment
by Greg Savage
So
it’s finally official.
Absolutely
no MMA media will be on hand to cover this week’s UFC 55
card. No weigh-in video. No post-fight interviews.
I
have heard all of the conspiracy theories floating around the
Internet from the ill-informed pseudo insiders:
The
UFC’s decision to rescind MMA media access was due to the
TUF 2 spoilers leaked on the Internet.
(Sorry
kids, word of the ban was out before any spoilers were posted.
Feel free to try again.)
It
has something to do with UFC’s purported entrance into the
publishing realm. Word has it there will be a revamped Web site
as well as a brand-spanking new UFC magazine.
(Quite
possible, but I am not 100 percent sold on that one yet.)
Perhaps
UFC President Dana White has had enough of what he perceives
as the less than supportive coverage of his company from the
people whose livelihood he thinks is dependant upon the UFC.
(Ding,
ding, ding. I think we have a winner.)
The
word on the street is the Prez attributes the success of Sherdog.com,
MMAWeekly.com, Full Contact Fighter, et al, to a massive coattail
effect. Now there is no denying the recent popularity enjoyed
by the UFC has contributed to an increase of traffic for our
site; I would imagine the same is true of others in the industry.
But
don’t forget, Sherdog.com was growing long before The Ultimate
Fighter fell into Zuffa’s lap and turned its ledger from
an ocean of red to the sea of black I would imagine it is today.
With
that said, White has every right to do what he has done —
with a few caveats attached that is.
Those
exceptions being that Zuffa outline a clear set of criterion
for those who wish to cover their shows and uniformly enforce
those requirements across the board, without exception.
The
book on this calamity could be slammed shut in minutes and all
questions answered if only a line of communication would open
up between Zuffa and those media entities Dana White himself
was so anxious to praise less than six months before. Is it too
much to ask for these “new” requirements? If we do
not meet the requirements, we would at least know what we should
be aspiring to.
Now
I don’t know if Mr. White was on an emotional high after
seeing his friend and former client Chuck Liddell (Pictures)
take home UFC gold after knocking out Randy Couture (Pictures),
but he can be seen and heard on the UFC 52 post-fight presser
video singing the praises of a couple of the now unwelcome media
outlets.
How
the tide has turned. In just a few short months we have gone
from an integral part of the evolution of the UFC to a band of
illegitimate hacks. I, on the other hand, would have thought
we were moving in the other direction. But what do I know?
Well
one thing I do know is that there will be a big uproar over this
and rightly so, but I really don’t think it’s that
big a deal for Sherdog.com as a company. Don’t get me wrong,
less UFC access will have its drawbacks but the fact of the matter
is Sherdog.com covers the sport of mixed martial arts, and although
some entities in and around this sport may disagree: the UFC
is just a cog in the machine that is MMA.
Sure,
it is a huge part of the sport, but a part nonetheless.
I
know this was not a popular decision in the Zuffa office, for
good reason. And I wonder what the true motivation was behind
its inception. I can tell you this: It would have been a whole
lot easier to swallow had there not been a long history of personal
rather than sound business decisions being handed down from atop
the Zuffa throne.
And
the silence we, as an industry, have been met with regarding
our concerns about this new policy speaks volumes.
All
we are asking for are the new set of qualifications Zuffa is
using to grant credentials. Seems simple enough, don’t you
think? The only reason I can come up with for the refusal on
Zuffa’s part is my belief that there is no new set of guidelines
and this decision was made in the most arbitrary of manners.
Does
it make sense to clean out press row? You bet your ass it does.
I can’t tell you how many times I have been sitting in the
pressroom watching fans, err “journalists” posing for
photos, soliciting autographs, and just plain gushing over fighters
like teenaged girls fawning over Brad Pitt. But it makes absolutely
no sense to throw the baby out with the bathwater and that’s
what they are doing when they ban the top MMA media sites.
When
I wrote about this issue last January I hoped to shine a light
inside the world of MMA media. Little did I know Dana White was
getting ready to take a flamethrower to press row.
I
shouldn’t have been surprised. Shortly after purchasing
the UFC, the Zuffa brass thought it was ready to take the world
by storm and at UFC 32 it tried to relegate the MMA media to
second-class citizen status.
(This
was the impetus for the classic Eddie Goldman meltdown —
I would love to explain but I don’t have an extra 10,000
words so let’s just say it involved Eddie unleashing an
F-bomb laced tirade on the girl in charge of media credentials
after finding out he was not going to be sitting ringside. And
for good measure he put an exclamation point on his remarks with
a word that rhymes with “hunt.”)
That
Zuffa policy lasted less than one show, as we were allowed to
fill in all the spots that had been reserved for all the “mainstream”
media that failed to show.
I
fear this time we might have a tougher fight on our hands. We
all know what we are up against and personally I feel the best
course of action is to continue to conduct ourselves in a professional
manner. This will leave the UFC little wiggle room on the true
reason for the sudden and unwarranted revocation of media credentials
for outlets such as Sherdog.com, MMAWeekly.com and Full Contact
Fighter. The reason is still a mystery and will continue to be
until Mr. White finds time to address the issue. I would imagine
if there were legitimate reasons he would be shouting from every
mountaintop, reassuring MMA fans that he still has the best interests
of the sport at heart.
Sometimes
silence can be deafening.
As
always, comments are welcome — even from you Dana. Drop
me a line at greg@sherdog.com and let us know what you think.
The
opinions expressed in this piece do not necessarily reflect the
views of Sherdog.com
Source:
Sherdog
|
 VS. 
FEDOR POSSIBLY
TO K-1
Sources
in Russia are saying that K-1 is in talks with the management
of Fedor Emelianenko, and is prepared to pay Fedor over USD$1
million to participate on their December 31st card.
HUNT
AND PRIDE NOT ON SAME PAGE
Sources
in the Japanese media are reporting that the management of Mark
Hunt is supposedly having some negotiations problems with DSE/PRIDE.
Hunt
was supposedly going to be on the PRIDE 30 card on October 23rd,
but a deal was not worked out.
While
DSE/PRIDE feels confident it can work out a deal for Hunt to
appear on the December 31st card, sources in the Japanese media
are saying that K-1 might try to sign Hunt to their December
31 show as well, and for a lot more money.
More
news on this to come next month.
Source:
Fight Sport
|
PULVER
EYE INJURY
Monte Cox, the manager of Jens Pulver, announced in an interview
that Pulver took an elbow to his right eye in last week's loss
to Hayato Sakurai, and still can not see out of the eye.
Cox
added that according to doctors, Pulver sustained a corneal abrasion
and was blinded in the eye as soon as he sustained the damage.
Source:
Fight Sport
|
“Shogun”
Rua Remembers Late-Summer Heroics
by Gleidson Venga
Quinton Jackson, Rogério “Minotoro” Noguiera,
Alistair Overeem and Ricardo Arona. Maurício “Shogun”
Rua had a spectacular performance in the 2005 PRIDE Middleweight
Grand Prix, ending up the champion of the event and inheriting
the title that belonged to his teammate Wanderlei Silva.
Back
in Brazil for several weeks now, the young Chute Boxe fighter
is still enjoying his deserved vacation, and the champion told
us everything that happened during one of the greatest moments
of his life.
Sherdog.com:
When you were selected to fight in the PRIDE GP, did you expect
such a good performance?
Shogun:
Actually I always believed. I believed in my potential and I
think anybody felt I could achieve what I got, only my team believed
in my potential. I always believed, but didn’t think about
the final. I always fought about the next fight. I only started
to think about the final when I won against Overeem.
Sherdog.com:
When you went to fight Alistair Overeem did you already know
about Wanderlei’s defeat? Did this play an influence at
the time of the fight?
Shogun:
I knew that Wanderlei had lost because I saw the fight in the
backstage while I was warming up. It was something that influences
— his defeat — but I focused well and went relaxed
for the fight. I think this is important.
Sherdog.com:
In the beginning of the bout Overeem came straight forward at
you. How was that moment?
Shogun:
He started the fight with a tough rhythm, but I knew that he
was going to gas out because he started too speed up. So I knew
he was going to gas out and I would have my opportunity. So when
I got the top position I couldn’t let that chance pass.
Sherdog.com:
He surprised you by starting the fight with that kind of rhythm?
Shogun:
No, but I was surprised by his wrestling. He has a very good
game, is a tough guy; I think he evolved a lot in MMA. I became
impressed with his wrestling.
Sherdog.com:
Did Wanderlei’s and Ninja’s defeats to Arona motivate
you more for the final match?
Shogun:
Actually no. I was motivated by being in the Grand Prix final.
After the victory over Overeem I was very proud of myself; I
was happy so I thought, “now that I am here, I will have
to win this thing.” I concentrated myself the maximum that
I could and went very relaxed for the fight, so I could let my
game flow.
Sherdog.com:
So you went straight at him …
Shogun:
That’s right. Arona is a good fighter, but thank God I didn’t
let him do his game. I controlled the pace of the fight and did
my game.
Sherdog.com:
Do you think the fact that he hit his head changed the fight?
Shogun:
Telling the truth to you, I don’t know. But if he hit his
head, it was at 20 seconds into the fight and our bout lasted
three minutes. So I think that, if he is an MMA fighter, and
couldn’t recoup from this blow in two minutes, I think he
could not even fight. If he really hit his head I don’t
know, but let’s assume that it is true, but the fight ended
up much later, he had to have recovered. It is so true that he
stood up, gave me some knees, and tried to put me down. I think
this is not an excuse.
Sherdog.com:
And this misunderstanding with Paulo Filho, what happened?
Shogun:
When the presentation of the match was happening, Paulo keep
provoking me, doing a sign with the number two, which means that
it was going to be two in one night. I stayed relaxed, but after
I won the fight, I told to Paulo: “So Paulo, four times
now?” So he kept arguing with my brother. He said he would
fight against anyone and bla bla bla. Now he has to maintain
what he said, that he will fight against my brother. So now let’s
see.
Sherdog.com:
How is your situation in PRIDE now? You are the Grand Prix champion
and Wanderlei the weight-class champion. Is there any possibility
of the organizers pitting both of you to fight?
Shogun:
Everything is really well. Both titles are with us, everything
is great. About a fight between us, I think it’s not going
to happen. We would do this only in the Grand Prix, outside it
no. The title is with Wanderlei, is in good hands, so I’m
not worried about it. I only worry about winning my bouts and
not keep thinking about the middleweight belt.
Sherdog.com:
Is there a chance that you would fight in the heavyweight division?
Shogun:
No. Actually there is a chance, but not right now. I think it
is still early. I want to gain more experience and then go up
in weight. Maybe two years from now.
Sherdog.com:
And how was the moment when you received your jiu-jitsu black
belt?
Shogun:
After the Grand Prix fight was over, the guys from my team came
to the ring and Nino Schembri started to slap my back. So I said,
“Damn Nino, stop hitting me,” then he started to give
me another slap. So he turned to me and said, “Damn ‘Shogun,’
you got the black belt, you have to get a beating!” It was
sensational, one more happiness. There was so much joy in such
a few days, now I have to correspond to all of this.
Sherdog.com:
With so many battles in 2005, do you think the rivalry between
Chute Boxe and Brazilian Top Team is more sharpened this year?
Shogun:
Actually we are professionals. This rivalry environment between
us is only inside the ring. These are the two best MMA teams
in the world, so our rivalry is only up there. I don’t have
anything against anyone outside the ring and I think my team
doesn’t have either. The only disagreement that happened
was that one with Paulo — he said a lot of bullshit and
has to keep his word now.
Sherdog.com:
And how is the train with Sakuraba in Chute Boxe?
Shogun:
He is still with us. Now he is more relaxed. In the beginning
he was a little ashamed; now he is really relaxed, and keeps
telling jokes, laughing. The guy is really funny. What a character.
Source:
Sherdog
|
Luiz
Azeredo
By Eduardo Ferreira
Chute
Boxe: Out of the final
After
returning from Japan, where he fought the Pride Bushido GP until
73kg, the black belt of Jiu-Jitsu and Muay Thai Azeredo Luiz
reached the semifinals of the category. But once again he didn't
handle Japanese quarry Takanori Gomi. Resting in Curitiba, Chute
Boxe athlete waits for a new chance to fight at Pride. "I
was defeated and it belongs to our lives," says the fighter.
Read the full contend below:
How
it was your first fight?
It
was a hurricane that passed there. The man even touched me. I
haven't much what to talk about this fight. I entered the game
to define the two fights fast.
But
the second fight, against Takanori Gomi, you were not able to
impose your strategy...
Yes...
but I exchanged very well with him. He was too fast in the ring
and I was not able to punch him in the chin. When I put him down,
he only moored and he didn't accept the ground game. The referee
was helping him and quickly came back the fight in foot, what
Gomi really wanted.
Why
didn't you beat him?
He
got two green cards due his moor and showed a little Boxing.
In other hand, I showed much more versatility. I used Muay Thai,
Jiu-Jitsu, Wrestling and threw a flyer knee. I think that this
victory should be mine. Well, we did a tremendous game on the
feet.
This
fight was different of the first one, when Gomi ruled you by
KO.
We
fought until the end this time. I showed him he is not a good
fighter. He doesn't know how to fight on the ground. He only
knows Boxing and nothing else. I was defeated and losing is bad,
but it belongs to every warrior's life. Now I wait for a new
chance to fight at Pride.
It
seems that you lost some teeth.
(laughs)
Well. my teeth were kind of broken before the fight. The front
ones were already bad since Curitiba. During the fight, they
fell and I gave then to master Rafael Cordeiro and I said: 'hold
it. In Brazil I will take care of' (laughs).
What
happened with Daniel (Acácio) against (Akihiro) Gono?
Daniel
fought well, but I think he was injured. Daniel got lost and
concerned about the knee. It was a tied fight, but in the end,
Gono got mounted and this fact impressed the referees.
Source:
Tatame
|
Quote
of the Day
"They are never alone that are accompanied with noble thoughts."
Sir Philip Sidney, 1554-1586, English Poet/Courtier/Soldier
|
Rumble
On The Rock Goes To Maui!
Results!
Rumble World Entertainment Presents:
Rumble on the Rock 8: "Showdown in Maui"
Lahaina Civic Center, Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii
October 7, 2005
By Chris Onzuka - Chris@Onzuka.com
There
was still a long line to enter the Civic Center at almost fight
time, but everyone squeezed in and packed the house to support
their local Maui fighters. This was Rumble's first event on the
island of Maui and they utilized the services of local promoter
Bradda Kamanse to help things run smooth. The night had a number
of great fights which both fighters constantly fighting for dominance
in the fight. The Rob Villapando-Shane Nelson fight along with
the Paco Woods-Lorrin Ishimine fight went back and forth with
each fighter getting the edge only to lose it and fight to regain
it. Mike Aina gets better with every fight, not only using good
strategy but executing it with perfection. The contrast of Kendall
Grove's ground work versus Jay Carter's stand up skills made
for an interesting fight with one tactical error by Carter costing
him the match. The Scott Junk-Bobby Hoffman fight never took
place because Hoffman pulled out at the last minute, but it made
for an interesting situation when Junk tried to coax Hoffman
back into the fight. This escalated into Junk giving Hoffman
a push in the cage and both fighters trying to go after each
other in and out of the cage. The main event could not have capped
off the night any better. The King of the Cage Champion, Lloyd
"Kadillac" Marshbanks took on Hawaii's own Wes "Cabbage"
Correira. Kadillac showed off incredible agility for a man his
size, reversing positions and flowing on the ground. Cabbage
looked revitalized from his last fight. He looked in good shape,
moved really well on the ground and showed an improved sprawl
that he tested to its limit with Kadillac's great wrestling.
Kadillac landed some huge blows, almost every one of them looked
to land on Cabbage's chin, staggering the big man back, but Cabbage
showed that he can not only give, but he can take big punches.
Cabbage landed a well place knee to Kadillac that turned the
whole fight around. Cabbage landed a few big punches of his own,
sprawled on a Kadillac shot and continued unloading on him until
Kadillac fell to the canvas. Rumble's Maui debut was a huge success
and marked a statewide expansion of Rumble On The Rock's event.
The next Rumble scheduled for November 19th on Oahu promises
to be the best ever with a huge announcement coming very soon.
William
Armstrong (808 Fight Factory) drew Jeremy Paet (Native Action
Fight Team)
Majority Draw [(20-19), (19-19), (19-19)] after 2 rounds.
Kawika
Ferriera (BJ Penn's MMA) drew Kevin Agliam (Native Action Fight
Team)
Majority Draw [(20-19), (19-19), (19-19)] after 2 rounds.
Brandon
Visher (Maui Full Contact Fighting) def. Jumar Dumalao (808 Fight
Factory)
TKO due to injury (knee) at 1:47 minutes in Round 1.
Kirk
Wahyick (BJ Penn's MMA) def. Gene Gregor
Submission via rear naked choke at 3:45 minutes in Round 1.
Rob
Villapando (808 Fight Factory) def. "Sugar" Shane Nelson
(BJ Penn's MMA)
Majority decision [(20-18), (20-18), (19-19)] after 2 rounds.
Mike
Aina (BJ Penn's MMA/Team MADD) def. Albert Rios (228th Street
Gym)
Unanimous decision [(20-18), (20-18), (20-18)] after 2 rounds.
Paco Woods (BJ Penn's MMA) def. Lorrin Ishimine (Maui Full Contact
Fighting)
Majority decision [(19-19), (20-19), (20-19)] after 2 rounds.
Kendall
Groves (Cobra Kai) def. Jay Carter (BJ Penn's MMA)
Submission via triangle choke at 3:25 minutes in Round 1.
Scott
Junk (BJ Penn's MMA) vs. Bobby Hoffman (Shark Tank)
Never took place because Hoffman pulled out at the last minute.
Both fighters were brought into the ring to announce what happened
and Junk called out Hoffman. Junk even pushed Hoffman and the
fight almost took place right there. Both fighters had to be
held back and settled down.
Wes "Cabbage" Correira (BJ Penn's MMA) def. Lloyd "Kadillac"
Marshbanks
TKO via referee stoppage at 3:16 minutes in Round 1.
|
NAGA's
Hawaii State Championship's
Date Tentatively Announced!
It has been released in the NAGA e-newsletter that the Hawaii
State Championships, which was cancelled recently will be tentatively
set for Saturday, February 26, 2006
There will 130 Gi & No-Gi Divisions.
Source: NAGA
|
Memos
from Media Purgatory
by Jake Rossen
The
seismic shift felt in the MMA community in the past several weeks
could be attributable to one of two things: either Akebono has
taken another inevitable spill onto the canvas in a fleshy heap
of kamikaze glory, or Zuffa has issued their umpteenth edict
designed to leave onlookers doing their best Curious George.
If
you guessed the latter, give yourself a prize. (But don’t
despair, losing team: ’Bono is probably being airlifted
to the ER as we speak.)
Zuffa
has recently decided to put a moratorium on most members of the
print and Web MMA media attending UFC-branded events. Effective
with the October 3 SpikeTV special, no media credentials will
be issued to such mainstays as Sherdog.com, Full Contact Fighter,
MMAWeekly.com, and a host of others.
It’s
been hypothesized the media blackout is an attempt to internalize
all UFC-related news, with Zuffa's ultimate intention being to
create a proprietary Web site and control the content and distribution
of information.
(You'll
find a similar business strategy in practice with the press-shy
World Wrestling Entertainment and its use of branded periodicals.)
Mixed
martial arts, as one would be quick to point out, is a sport,
not sports entertainment. The very purpose of sport is to use
a public forum to disseminate results of athletic contests. Journalists
should feel free to interpret sporting events as they see fit,
and they should be accommodated within reason by the promotional
body in order to do so.
As
Sherdog.com and others have learned, Zuffa does not share this
sentiment.
The
Tex Avery-inspired double takes from editors that met credential
denials were followed by phone calls to Zuffa PR, who retorted
only with confirmation that criterion had been established —
no elaboration was offered. Media relations firm Brener Zwikel
& Associates states only that these sites fail to meet Zuffa’s
qualifications for admittance.
These
oft-referenced standards seem to be a well-kept secret. Jacket?
Tie? BA in English? A strong resemblance to Dean Cain? It’s
a mystery to site administrators. We can dismiss traffic, since
Sherdog.com resembles the I-95. Print media? Didn’t help
Full Contact Fighter.
Zuffa’s
motivations are unclear. And largely unimportant. To allow the
UFC to self-police its promotion and distribute information in
a way that casts no critical light is more than an insult to
fans: it's an outright dangerous practice. The uproar that would
accompany the NFL refusing press at the gate would be deafening.
No legitimate sport can operate in a bubble. There’s no
substitution for live eyewitness accounts.
Granted,
a good chunk of purported “journalism” circulating
online is little more than a fan’s self-indulgent ramblings.
As the UFC begins cutting the Internet’s umbilical cord,
it would be understandable to see the incoherent sites fall by
the wayside. Evolution is unforgiving like that.
But
is that really the motive? InsideFighting’s Jason Probst
speculates that the UFC finds sites that promote fighters or
events as contraindicative of balanced journalism. If true, that
might explain the absence of Full Contact Fighter (publisher
Joel Gold sponsors fighters) and Sherdog (with its peripheral
online store). Throw in Ryan Bennett’s gig announcing for
different promoters and you have a case for a collective conflict
of interests.
It
almost sounds like a noble pursuit. But not quite.
Gold’s
sponsorship is a separate entity from the editorial pages of
FCF; Sherdog’s store differs not one iota from ESPN’s
marketing pursuits; Bennett has done nothing different than boxing
media who’ve broadcast for specific promoters in that sport,
not to mention the fact that his show has substantial UFC content.
To
think that coverage is being re-directed or diluted in some vain
attempt to boost profitability for a sister business is the stuff
tinfoil hats are made of.
Here’s
where the real subversive kowtowing is going on: the Zuffa-supported
ufcfightnews.com and sites and publications buoyed by the UFC’s
advertising dollars will allegedly be permitted entrance. If
Zuffa is so concerned about objectivity, it seems laughably absurd
to expect sites that depend on the Octagon’s sponsorship
to turn any kind of critical eye. Of course, when that perceived
bias benefits them, there’s clearly no problem.
What’s
more, while the MMA media and its ragtag bunch of glorified fanzines
certainly needs some degree of self-monitoring, it doesn’t
seem appropriate for Zuffa to act as mediator. Not when the media
has been overwhelmingly pro-UFC from the start, acting more as
champion and less as critic of an opposed fringe sport.
Try
not to sneeze. This is one precariously balanced house of cards.
The
UFC exhausting the usefulness of fandom isn’t the issue
here: neither fans nor journos are “owed” anything
regardless of the amount of time they spent bailing water out
of SEG’s sinking ship. The issue is Zuffa being so emboldened
as to forgo the gift of free advertising that the MMA media provides.
It’s a mutually beneficial relationship: By facilitating
access to your product, the publication writes about something
of interest to the reader. The product then gets exposed to a
number of people. It’s a simple equation, yet one that Zuffa
has apparently realized no need for.
‘Cause
here’s the thing, gang: While Spike’s Ultimate Fighter
grabs impressive numbers and Pay-Per-View buy rates continue
to escalate, the quote-unquote mainstream press is still plenty
satisfied to give the UFC the Robert E. Howard treatment. Are
we really to expect a general-audience press — for whom
the guard conjures up images of biblical wrongdoing — to
provide the kind of perspective fight fans have grown accustomed
to?
It’s
all very odd, and indicative of the monopoly the UFC currently
enjoys in the United States. Their brand has gone unchallenged
since Extreme Fighting faded with barely a whimper in the mid-1990s.
Undoubtedly, Zuffa wouldn’t dare consider such a totalitarian
move in the face of direct competition. Why allow search engines
and news sites to focus on rival businesses? But knowing that
substantial coverage of events overseas is difficult, they forge
ahead in what amounts to an unprecedented act of hubris.
The
UFC brass must see a pattern to this insanity, a way to bilk
dollars in the absence of comprehensive event coverage. You’d
need to schedule a conference call between Will Hunting and John
Forbes Nash to figure it out, though. Zuffa doesn’t believe
it warrants an explanation.
So
welcome to the New New UFC … where the heavyweight division
is so spartan that an Internet celebrity is getting a crack on
the under card; where you can be 9-3 in middleweight competition
and get cut on a technicality just before your well-earned title
shot; where abrasive business negotiations get the logo on your
fight shorts blurred from repurposed highlight shows; where Chuck
Zito gets a front-row seat while Quinton Jackson (Pictures) is
told they’re fresh out of tickets.
I
remind fans to let their voice be heard. Tell the UFC you cannot
tolerate the concept of propaganda. Tell them you want objective
eyewitnesses to their events. Tell them you refuse to patronize
their editorially skewed product. As fans, you have the right
to unbiased reporting.
To
lose truth in this industry is to lose the very ideals that it
was built on. We are all fans of real combat — unvarnished
reality. To accept anything less in this sport's journalism would
be hypocritical.
The
opinions expressed in this piece do not necessarily reflect the
views of Sherdog.com
Source:
Sherdog
|
Joe
“Diesel” Riggs - Interview
By Sean McClure
Joe “Diesel” Riggs is one of the nicest guys in MMA
and one of the most charismatic. His skills are strong and his
competitive drive is set on “pulverize” at all times.
He trains with the best and he trains hard. I got to sit down
with him at Jorge Gurgel’s MMA Academy while he was there
training for UFC 55 and it was a memorable experience. Here is
my interview with Joe ”Diesel” Riggs the week before
UFC 55.
Thanks
for sitting down with me, Joe.
Hey,
great to be here man.
You’ve
dropped down from Heavyweight at 300lbs to now being at 170lbs.
Watching you train, you look comfortable at 170, how do you feel?
I
feel the greatest, if you have seen any of my fights, I am not
a fat guy, but I look at Rich at 185 and he was in ten times
better shape than I was at 185 so I cut down to 170.
Now
you have Billy Rush in your corner now. As I said earlier, Billy
has just exploded onto the scene. How much has he played a role
in your training?
He
is so intelligent with nutrition and strength conditioning. He
is very knowledgeable in the game. He is there mentally and physically.
He is a great training and a great friend and he has definitely
been a huge role in this.
In
this fight with Chris Lytle, it was originally supposed to be
Pete Sell at 185. Did they expect you to fight at 185 and you
just decided to go to 170 or did they know this ahead of time?
No,
they called me two weeks ago and told me Pete Sell hurt his knee.
They offered me Ed Herman at 185 and he didn’t take it.
He had always been bad mouthing me saying I was ducking him but
I had never heard of the guy. So Billy suggested I go to 170.
So it was our decision to do it and the UFC agreed to give me
the opponent I asked for in that weight class.
Chris
Lytle is a pretty tough guy and has great hands. Have you been
watching some of his tapes?
I
actually have trained with him. He is one of my favorite people
and he is a great guy. He called me the night I found out I was
fighting him and was all like “You’re goin' down Joe
Riggs!” *laughs* I mean, he is just a great guy and a great
fighter. I couldn’t say anything bad about him. But the
fact is, I am too big for him and too strong for him. Chris isn’t
a killer. He doesn’t have that killer instinct like I have.
I think it will be a great competitive fight, but I think this
is just the first big fight for me at 170.
So
are you looking forward to maybe facing Matt Hughes if he gets
by Karo Parisyan at UFC 56?
Oh,
yeah. Definitely.
One
more question about Lytle, If you remember back to his war with
Robbie Lawler at UFC 45 ….. Have you seen much change in
him since then?
Yeah,
He always had a great ground game but now he is more focused
on his boxing. I have got really good hands and I hit harder
than he does, but I will be the first to tell you that he probably
has more technical hands than I do. He is ranked 11th in the
world in the WMB Boxing. Not many people in MMA can say that.
I
can’t think of anyone right now off of the top of my head.
I
really think he has the best conventional boxing style in MMA
for sure. He has definitely gotten better in all of his fights
with his hands. Not to say I am not going to stand with him.
I have been begging for someone to stand with. But it I was a
smart guy, I would take him down but I want to mix it up on the
feet a little while. I make it difficult for everybody. I want
to enjoy it.
Last
question. Take us through what is going to happen from now until
UFC 55? Most fans don’t understand what actually goes on
when preparing for a fight.
Well
he has got to get his training camp in order and get himself
mentally right for the fight. My training camp is in order and
I am right for the fight. All that is really left to do is to
cut a few more pounds. I am at 184 now and I want to be at 180
when I leave for Connecticut. So really….. just get my conditioning
up and shed a couple pounds and really that’s it. I am pretty
much in line. I am ready to go now. Billy has got me ready. I
am more ready now than I have ever been for a fight.
Prediction
for the Fight?
It’s
gonna be fast and furious.
Round
number?
You
know, it's gonna be round number 1.
Well,
Joe…. MaXfighting thanks you very much and wishes you good
luck at UFC 55!
Source:
Maxfighting
|
VOVCHANCHIN’S
MOVE TO 205 HASN’T WORKED
by Ryan Bennett
Randy Couture shocked the world when he left the Heavyweight
Division to win the Light Heavyweight Championship, beating Chuck
Liddell a couple of years ago. Evan Tanner became champion at
185 by moving down in weight. Same could be said for Rich Franklin,
who left the light heavyweight for the greener pastures of 185
and the championship belt. Cutting weight seems to take certain
fighters to new levels in their careers by becoming champions,
but for other fighters the EXPERIMENT hasn’t worked. Case
in point, Igor Vovchanchin.
Vovchachin
excited the MMA world when he told everyone he was moving down
in weight from heavy to light heavy fighting in 205. In many
fans eyes’ it would be Vovchachin to be the man that would
give Wanderlei Silva a run for his money and his Pride Championship
belt. Instead, after a lack luster win over Yuki Kondo, it was
Vovchachin who was overwhelmed by Alistair Overeem at Pride’s
Critical Countdown last June. To make matters worse, he then
went down against Kazuhiro Nakamura just two months later.
1-2.
A losing record after three fights in Pride. It was not the record
many expected from the pride of Ukraine, as he left the heavyweight
division for the bright lights of 205. Why hasn’t the weight
cutting worked for Igor? MMAWeekly’s very own fighter residential
fighter, Frank Trigg gives his take. “When you move down
a weight class, you find out how quick fighters are. Igor as
a heavyweight was the fastest guy to begin with. Now he's finding
out how quick these guys are. He has the power but not the speed
in my opinion"
Igor,
who may be at the bottom of the barrel right now in his fight
career, can make a comeback of sorts this weekend in Europe.
Vovchanchin will try to resurrect his career this weekend on
the Bushido Europe card and of course it won’t be easy.
Igor will have to face Kevin Randleman, the helter skelter fighter
who can look like a world beater against Mirko Cro Cop, but has
been flat as well, losing lack luster boring decisions against
fighters like Sakuraba, a fighter he out weighed by 30 pounds.
Still Randleman has name value, he’s been a former champion,
and Igor has a shot to revive his career, if he can win impressively
this weekend.
Vovchanchin
has heard the negative criticism. Some say he’s too old,
others believe the game has passed him by. After this fight this
weekend, from the fighter closing in on 60 professional MMA fights,
we should know if critics are right, that his age and game has
passed him by. This fight should truly tell us if he is on his
way back or if he should flat out retire.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Quote
of the Day
"To reach something good it is very useful to have gone
astray, and thus acquire experience."
St. Teresa of Avila, 1515-1582, Spanish Saint and Mystic
|
Rumble
On The Rock Goes To Maui!
Tonight!
Rumble World Entertainment heads to Maui on Friday October 7,
2005 at the Lahaina Civic Center.
Cabbage Correira VS Ron Rumpf
Scott Junk VS Bobby Hoffman
(Fight of the Night for sure!)
Kendall Groves VS Jay Carter
Mike Aina VS Albert Rios
Sonny Boy Kaanana VS Bryse Martines
Paco Woods VS Lorrin Ishimine
Brandon Visher VS Jamar Dumalo
More Fights to Come!
Source: Rumble World Entertainment
|
X-1
Battleground at the O-Lounge
Tonight!
X-1 makes their Battlegrounds At The O Lounge Debut! They have
already sold out of their 400 plus tickets, but there may be
standing room only space available. Since this is the inaugural
event, I would recommend that everyone be on thier best behavior
because one fight could put an end to this monthly event before
it starts.
Source: Event Promoter
|
Mixed
Martial Arts Media
Denied Credentials to UFC 55
LOS
ANGELES, October 3 -- The Ultimate Fighting Championship, a mixed
martial arts promotion under the direction of Zuffa, LLC and
owned and operated since January 2001 by Las Vegas Station Casino
magnates Lorenzo and Frank J. Fertitta III, has denied media
credentials to several MMA-exclusive Web sites and publications
for UFC 55 on Oct. 7, impeding these media entities from performing
their full responsibilities to report the event to the public.
Full
Contact Fighter, a print publication and Web site that has covered
the UFC and MMA worldwide since 1997, was denied a credential
alongside Sherdog.com, which has reported since 1999 and is the
world's top-rated English-language MMA news Web site, as ranked
by Alexa.com; MMAWeekly.com, home to the most-listened-to daily
MMA Internet radio show; and MMARingReport.com, Canada's top
MMA news source.
Brener
Zwikel & Associates (BZA), a public relations firm hired
to administer credentials for the event, began e-mailing credential
denial notifications on September 12 that stated, "I must
inform you that it has been determined [applicant] does not meet
the qualifications for a media credential. Thank you for your
application, and for your interest in the UFC®."
No
"qualifications" or criterion for approval were provided
with these notifications, which, contrary to previous BZA credential
notifications, were released prior to the application deadline.
Zuffa has denied subsequent requests for photos, graphics and
other media-related materials that they previously provided.
Upon
receipt of credential denial, MMA media members called and emailed
BZA for clarification. BZA indicated that it acted solely upon
Zuffa's directive and that further inquiries should be forwarded
to Zuffa's Director of Public Relations, Jennifer Wenk. When
contacted, Wenk said any qualifications BZA implemented per Zuffa
during the credentialing process were internal and would not
be made available to the media directly affected by this new
policy. Wenk then recommended UFC President and Zuffa minority
co-owner Dana White be contacted.
On
Sept. 20, White received a certified letter from a unified group
of top MMA media that were denied credentials. The letter requested
a phone call or meeting with White to address Zuffa's denial
of longstanding MMA media. White did not respond. A subsequent
phone call to UFC owner Lorenzo Fertitta has also remained unreturned.
On
Sept. 30, one week before UFC 55, White spoke with a designated
representative of the MMA media group and said that Zuffa had
not implemented new qualifications for media credentials. White
said it was his company's prerogative to accept or deny credentials
and that he was presently denying all MMA-exclusive media Web
sites.
However,
Full Contact Fighter, a print publication and Web site, was among
those denied media credentials. Zuffa's decision to deny credentials
has impeded Sherdog.com, Full Contact Fighter (and fcfighter.com),
MMAWeekly.com, MMARingReport.com and other Web sites from providing
the quality and quantity of unbiased, even-handed UFC coverage
that fans and fighters have become accustomed to -- and, in many
cases, dependent upon. It is with great regret and concern that
these media entities cannot provide the usual pre-fight, live-fight,
and post-fight coverage of UFC 55 in the form of articles, video,
and audio that feature the noble athletes of this sport.
Source:
FCF
|
COFFEE
GUY EXCLUSIVE: ROYCE VS. AERTS
By Coffee Guy
 
The following exclusive report was sent to us by our Zuffa informant
called 'Coffee Guy':
"My
sources within the K-1 organization have just confirmed that
Royce Gracie will face kickboxer Peter Aerts in an MMA fight
on their December 31st card.
Royce
will be paid USD$2.5 million for the fight. Expect an announcement
from K-1 soon.
Fightsport.com
has scooped the competitors once again."
Source:
Fight Sport
|
Pride
News!
PRIDE TO
BEGIN PROMOTING STANDUP FIGHTS
The
Japanese media reports that DSE/PRIDE will start promoting standup
only fight cards in 2006, in addition to their regular MMA shows.
According
to the Japanese media, these standup only cards will compete
with K-1, and will showcase more the talents of for Mirko 'Cro
Cop' Filipovic, Mark Hunt, Vanderlei Silva, Sergei Kharitonov,
and Japanese pro boxer Yosuke Nishijima just to name a few.
FEDOR
VS. YOSHIDA POSSIBILITY
The
Japanese media reports that DSE/PRIDE would like to make the
matchup of Fedor Emelianenko vs. Hidehiko Yoshida for their card
on December 31st.
'CRO
COP' VS. HUNT
A
mainstream Croatian newspaper is reporting indicating that the
matchup of Mirko 'Cro Cop' Filipovic vs. Mark Hunt will take
place on the PRIDE card on December 31st.
Source:
Fight Sport
|
PRIDE
CONFIRMS FIGHTSPORT.COM SCOOP
 
DSE/PRIDE confirmed what Fightsport.com first reported on September
26th, that the matchups of Ken Shamrock vs. Kazushi Sakuraba
will take place on the PRIDE 30 card on October 23rd.
THE
JAKE R REPORT: SHAMROCK VS. SAKURABA AND OTHER NEWS
By Jake R
In yet another in a long line of Jake R exclusives for Fightsport.com,
this cyber reporter has learned that Ken Shamrock is definitely
fighting Kazushi Sakuraba, and has been training for it.
Of
course PRIDE could change things around before the show, but
as of right now, PRIDE wants to make Ken vs. Sakuraba.
Also,
I heard that the only reason Ken Shamrock vs. Chuck Liddell didn't
happen is because Randy Couture exercised his rematch clause.
Zuffa had the offer on the table for Ken and wanted it to happen.
Ken has said it was all in Randy's hands, and he didn't want
to wait until after the third fight between Randy and Liddell.
As
usual, stick to Fightsport.com and the Jake R report for the
inside scoop on the MMA world and Zuffa's activities that you
won't read anywhere else.
*Fightsport.com
and Jake R exclusive, must credit Fightsport.com and The Jake
R Report when discussing this story.*
Source:
Fight Sport
|
SAKURABA
VS SHAMROCK,
TWO ADDITIONAL MATCHES ANNOUNCED FOR PRIDE FIGHTING’S FULLY
LOADED
From
Dream Stage Entertainment
October 5, 2005
TOKYO, Japan –
Three more bouts have been announced for PRIDE FIGHTING’S
upcoming event, FULLY LOADED, including a match up of legend
versus legend as Japan’s Kazushi Sakuraba takes on “The
World’s Most Dangerous Man” Ken Shamrock. FULLY LOADED
is scheduled to premiere on North American pay per view on Monday,
October 24th, 2005 at 10:00 pm ET, 7:00 pm PT.
Sakuraba
versus Shamrock … a match up between two of the sport’s
biggest names, each looking to continue his legend. Sakuraba
returns from Brazil having recently trained at the world-renowned
Chute Boxe Academy in Curitiba, Brazil, home of the biggest rival
of his fight career---Wanderlei Silva. Under the watchful eye
of coach Rudimar Fedrigo, Sakuraba trained with Silva, Murilo
“Ninja” Rua, and Mauricio “Shogun” Rua in
preparation for one of the most important bouts of his career.
Sakuraba’s opponent, Ken Shamrock, makes his return to PRIDE
and Japan, the country where he originally built his legendary
status as a fighter. A former King of Pancrase, Shamrock last
appeared in PRIDE in 2002 facing Don “The Predator”
Frye.
Also
added to the fight card, Murilo “Ninja” Rua of the
Chute Boxe Academy makes his return to the ring taking on Murad
Chunkaev of the Chechen Republic (fighting out of Holland’s
Golden Glory team) and American Sumo Henry “Sentoryu”
Miller battles Brazilian giant “Zulu.”
Previously
announced matches include the return of Quinton “Rampage”
Jackson as he takes on Japanese fighter Hirotaka Yokoi …
a match up of judo legend against judo legend as Japan’s
Makoto Takimoto (Olympic gold medallist) takes on Korea’s
Yoon Dong Sik under mixed martial arts rules … the long-awaited
rematch between Croatian Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic
and American Josh “The Babyface Assassin” Barnett …
and Cro Cop’s teammate, Fabricio Werdum, against rising
heavyweight contender Sergei Kharitonov.
FIGHTCARD:
Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic (Croatia) vs. Josh Barnett
(USA)
Kazushi Sakuraba (Japan) vs. Ken Shamrock (USA)
Sergei Kharitonov (Russia) vs. Fabricio Werdum (Brazil/Spain)
Quinton “Rampage” Jackson (USA) vs. Hirotaka Yokoi
(Japan)
Murilo “Ninja” Rua (Brazil) vs. Murad Chunkaev (Chechen
Republic)
Henry “Sentoryu” Miller (USA) vs. Zulu (Brazil)
Makoto Takimoto (Japan) vs. Yoon Dong Sik (Korea)
Additional
matches to be announced soon.
Fight card subject to change.
FULLY
LOADED premieres on North American pay per view via iNDEMAND,
DIRECTV, DISH NETWORK, UrbanXtra, TVN1, VU!, and Viewer’s
Choice Canada on Monday, October 24th, 2005 at 10:00 pm ET, 7:00
pm PT (including a countdown show at 9:30pm ET, 6:30pm PT).
For
additional replay times, please contact your pay per view provider
or pridefc.com.
For
more information on PRIDE FC, visit pridefc.com!
Source:
Pride
|
Quote
of the Day
"I've finally stopped running away from myself. Who else
is there better to be?"
Goldie Hawn, American Actress/Comedienne/Producer
|
Interview
- Wanderlei Silva
By Takimoto
Takimoto-
Now that it is over, can you analyze your fight against Arona?
Wanderlei
Silva- What fight? Actually, there were no fight. That was one
of the worst fights of my life, I did the wrong tactics. What
I don't accept is because I didn't a good show, I became very
upset because I didn't do what my fans and everybody expected
from me. But, thank God, I absorbed this, saw my mistakes. Now
I have to train more, but I'm already doing this, and I am ready
for the next one.
Takimoto-
And when is going to be the next fight?
Wanderlei
Silva- At first, the next one will be in 31 of December. I still
don't know against whom, but I asked my master Rudimar to do
it again against Arona, because things are not going to stay
like this. It doesn't matter, I never give up and next time that
I face him I'm going to smash everything, go straight forward
him with all my will. I saw that kind of fight is not for me.
Takimoto-
What do you think about some of the critical comments that you
are receiving?
Wanderlei
Silva- That's normal. Every sport is like this. It is a sport
thing, it is a part of the job. You have to know how to absorb
and filter, to not commit this mistakes again. I don't keep myself
down for nothing
Takimoto-
And what do you thing about Mauricio "Shogun" Rua's
performance?
Wanderlei
Silva-I knew that if he made a classic fight he would show how
prepared he is. This year was Shogun's year. He really surpassed
the best. If he and I went to the final in this tourney it would
be unfair, I would feel myself bad. We set up that I would be
the champion. We would fight but come on, I wouldn't do a real
fight with the guy. There's no way we can do this, this will
never happen. I really like him, he is a really good guy, very
humble, there is no way. I even said to the boss "If you
want to let him (Shogun) do this, there is no problem for me",
but he said that I am older, and have more time on the road.
Shogun will have other opportunities. But thank God everything
went fine and he became the champion with his own merits, everybody
saw his superiority against the others. I expect that he keep
| |
