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(All events on Oahu, unless noted)

2006

November
Aloha State Championship of BJJ
(BJJ & Sub Grappling)

August
Hawaiian Open of BJJ
(BJJ & Sub Grappling)

8/26-27/06
International Masters & Seniors Championships
(BJJ)
(Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)

7/22-30/06
CBJF World Championships
(BJJ)
(Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)

7/20-24/06
CBJJO World Championships
(BJJ)
(Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)

3/26/06
3rd Maui Jiu-Jitsu Championships
(BJJ & Sub Grappling)
(Maui War Memorial Gym, Wailuku)

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

3/11/06
Hawaiian Championship
of BJJ
(BJJ & Sub Grappling)
(St. Louis H.S. Gym)

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

3/4/06
Kickin It 2006
(Kickboxing)
(Venue TBA)

2/26/06
NAGA Hawaii State Championship
(BJJ & Sub Grappling)
(Honolulu)
*Cancelled until Summer*

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

2/4/06
Kick it Up
(Kickboxing)
(Pagoda Hotel Ballroom, Honolulu)

UFC 57:
Liddell vs. Couture 3

Mandalay Bay Events Center, Las Vegas, NV
(PPV)

1/27/06
So You Think You Tough
(MMA, Kickboxing)
(Kona Gym, Kona)

1/20/06
ROTR 9

(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena)

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

 News & Rumors
Archives

Year 2006
January 2006 Part 2
January 2006 Part 1

Year 2005
December 2005 Part 3
December 2005 Part 2
December 2005 Part 1
November 2005 Part 3
November 2005 Part 2
November 2005 Part 1
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

January 2006 News Part 2
 

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Check out the FCTV website!


 1/20/06

Quote of the Day

"The final test of a leader is that he leaves behind him in other men the conviction and the will to carry on."

Walter Lippmann, 1889-1974, American Writer/Journalist/PoliticalCommentator

Rumble On The Rock Tonight!

Rumble on the Rock 10: Grand Prix
Blaisdell Arena, Honolulu, Hawaii
January 20, 2006

Rumble World Welterweight Grand Prix
Anderson Silva (Muay Thai Dream Team) vs. Yushin Okami
Ronald Jhun (808 Fight Factory) vs. Frank Trigg (R-1 Training Center)
Jake Shields (Cesar Gracie) vs. Dave Menne
Renato"Charuto" Verissimo (Nova Uniao) vs. Carlos Condit

Superfights
Eric "Butterbean" Esch vs.
Wesley" Cabbage" Correira (BJ Penn's MMA)
Ross "Da Boss" Ebanez (BJ Penn's MMA) vs. Josh Donahue
Scott Junk (BJ Penn's MMA) vs. Vilafonu Vonakalafi
Mike Malone (Eastsidaz) vs. Kengo Ura

Source: Event Promoter

PUNISHMENT IN PARADISE POUND 4 POUND

April 1, 2006

After a successful EAST vs. WEST , Punishment In Paradise will do it K-1 STYLE RULES a 170lbs tournament with winner of tournament receiving $1,500.00 and Runner up getting $500.00. Along with the tournament we will still be doing american kickboxing rules with all experiences welcome.

So far commitments from Punishment In Paradise Champions such as Wayne Perrin, Kaleo Kwan, Domi Lopez, Kevin Smith, Val Ulafale, Cisco Bringas and Keoni Bryant. Look to see an exciting card with 3 Big main events.

Interested teams contact promoter Brennan Kamaka bdkamaka@comcast.net or 408-916-8082 or contact Assistant matchmaker John Kukahiko 808-351-4898

Source: Event Promoter

ROTR PROFILE: CHARUTO VERISSIMO
By Ken Pishna

Charuto center

When you’re the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu instructor of a fighter aptly title “The Prodigy” and you decide to step into the ring, you better be good. And if you’re invited to participate in the Rumble on the Rock 175-pound Grand Prix along with the likes of Dave Menne, Frank Trigg, Jake Shields, Anderson Silva, and more, you better be damn good.

While he may not yet have garnered the attention of his prize pupil, BJ Penn, Renato “Charuto” Verissimo hasn’t exactly kept himself on the down low either. Known as a BJJ maestro, Charuto has yet to submit an opponent in MMA competition despite his impressive 6-2 record. All but one of his victories have come via TKO, typically from strikes or a cut.

He hasn’t skated through with easy opponents either. In just the fourth fight of his career, Charuto stopped UFC veteran Gil Castillo. Following that fight, he got the call to the Octagon and was impressive, dominating Carlos Newton en route to the only decision victory on his resume.

Seemingly put on the fast track, Charuto then had to face Matt Hughes, who was coming in fresh off a loss to Penn. It was a tremendous battle, which Charuto nearly finished early on with a triangle choke, but ended up losing when the judges awarded Hughes a very controversial decision.

With such a great showing against Hughes, Charuto was given another shot in the UFC, this time against then number-one contender Frank Trigg. Again Charuto nearly secured victory in the first round with a tight triangle choke, but like Hughes, Trigg fought his way out and then turned the tables on Charuto in the second round. Charuto suffered the first decisive loss of his career when Trigg finished the fight by TKO from strikes.

It would be more than six months before Charuto would enter the ring again, but return he did, this time on his home turf at Rumble on the Rock 7 where he stopped Yuichi Nakanishi due to a cut. By the time he enters the cage against Carlos Condit at the Grand Prix it will have been more than eight months since that win over Nakanishi.

That said, will ring rust be a problem? Probably not, Charuto is the type of guy that is continually training, whether he has a fight coming up or not. Not to mention that he is very active anyway. With a love for the outdoors, Charuto has a passion for activities that help keep him in shape. He can often be found surfing the waves of Hawaii or even hiking or cycling around the islands.

Even though it may sound as if Charuto has it easy in the first round, just because most people haven’t heard of Condit, don’t be fooled, he’s a solid fighter with a 13-2 professional record. His only losses were to a very tough Carlo Prater and number-one ranked Pancrase welterweight Satoru Kitaoka. A well-rounded fighter with a very aggressive style, Condit could be the dark horse in this tournament and should not be overlooked.

If this fight hits the mat, things definitely swing into Charuto’s favor. He isn’t BJ Penn’s jiujitsu coach for nothing. Condit is good on the ground, but not in the league that Charuto is. But with a solid wrestling base, it’s possible that Condit will be able to keep this fight on the fight, at least for a time, and this is where he wants to be against Charuto. With a very aggressive and confident style, Condit is not afraid to strike with anyone. He handily decisioned UFC veteran Pete Spratt in a recent kickboxing bout, only the third of his career.

If a dark horse emerges from this tournament, it is likely to be Condit. He is a young fighter that is good enough that he doesn’t realize that he shouldn’t be defeating fighters with the worldly experience that the fighters in this tournament bring. But Charuto has only lost to Matt Hughes and Frank Trigg, so he’s used to difficult challenges. This is a tough fight to call. If it goes to the ground, expect a win for Charuto unless Condit can gain a ground and pound position. If the fight is on the feet, don’t be too surprised at an upset.

Source: MMA Weekly

SHOOTO Champion Suda Retires
by Stephen Martinez

TOKYO, Jan. 17 — Current SHOOTO light heavyweight (183 pounds) champion Masanori Suda announced today, through the official SHOOTO Web site in Japan, his retirement from professional SHOOTO and mixed martial arts competition.

While details are still unclear at this moment, Suda has expressed interest to counsel teenagers in his local hometown in Japan after his fighting career was over.

The official ceremony when Suda is going to return his SHOOTO professional license along with the light heavyweight belt will be held at Yoyogi No.2 Gymnasium as part of the regular show held by the International SHOOTO Commission on Febraury 17.

With his retirement and official return of the SHOOTO light heavyweight crown, Suda joins the latest trend of SHOOTO Japanese champions like Ryota Matsune (featherweight 132 pound champion - injury), Rumina Sato (lightweight Pacific Rim champion - unavailable to defend title) and Koutetsu Boku welterweight Pacific Rim champion - injury) who returned their respective belts in the last couple of months.

This basically leaves the oldest MMA organization in the world with the difficult task of crowning four new champions in four different weight division in 2006.

SHOOTO: "The Victory of The Truth

The International SHOOTO commission made official three new matches for the upcoming February 17 Yoyogi No.2 Gymnasium show.

SHOOTO Lightweight Rookie of the Year tournament winner Tenkei Fujimiya is getting his first shot at a SHOOTO Class A fighter as he takes on Hiroyuki Abe, while female sensation and Abe's teammate Megumi Fujii fights Misaki Takimoto.

The latest announced match features SHOOTO Welterweight Rookie of the Year tournament champion Mizuto Hirota taking on Brazilian Danilo Cherman.

Finally, there are strong rumors in Japan that the International SHOOTO commission is looking to place either Jeff Curran or Joao Roque as Rumina Sato's opponent, with the winner securing a title match against either Alexandre Franca Nogueira or Gilbert Melendez later this year. Also, Japan's grappling prodigy Shinya Aoki is schedule to take on current SHOOTO middleweight champion Akira Kikuchi in a non-title match.

Official card: Main Event SHOOTO World Welterweight Title Bout 5 min./3R
Tatsuya Kawajiri (Japan / T-BLOOD) vs. Joachim Hansen (Norway / Team Scandinavia)

Lightweight Bout 5 min./3R
Rumina Sato (Japan / roots) vs. TBA

Lightweight Bout 5 min./3R
Makoto Ishikawa (Japan / PUREBRED Omiya) vs. Lion Takeshi (Japan / Shooting Gym Yokohama)

Lightweight Bout 5 min./3R
Hiroyuki Abe (Japan / AACC) vs. Tenkei Fujimiya (Japan / Shooting Gym Yokohama)

Featherweight Bout 5 min./3R
Kenji Osawa (Japan / Wajiu-tsu Keishu-kai) vs. Naoya Uematsu (Japan / Cross Point)

Welterweight Bout 5 min./3R
Mizuto Hirota (Japan / GUTSMAN Shooto Dojo) vs. Danilo Cherman (Brazil / Nova Uniao)

Women's Bout 5 min./3R
Megumi Fujii (Japan / AACC) vs. Misaki Takimoto (Japan / Zendo-kai)

Source: Sherdog

 1/19/06

Quote of the Day

"When someone is impatient and says, "I haven't got all day,"
I always wonder: How can that be? How can you not have all day?"

George Carlin, American Stand-Up Comedian and Actor

Leozinho Vieira seminar

There are a couple of open spots left!

Monday Jan 23
6-9pm
3 hrs
cost:$50.00

Wahiawa BJJ (right next to Jack-in the box)

World champion and ADCC champion Leozinho Vieira will presnt a three hour seminar one night only. This is your chance to learn from one of todays best grapplers, All are welcome!!!!!

For info call: Tammy (808) 228-1711 or email
centraloahujiujitsu@yahoo.com

Rumble On The Rock Press Conference

Ala Moana Mall Centerstage
Thursday at 5PM

Directions can be found at:
http://www.alamoana.com/hoursdirs.htm

Source: Event Promoter

Miller Likely to Fight Lawler, Says Icon Promoter
By Derek Callahan

Jason Miller

Nearly a month after popular fighter Jason Miller turned himself into the Kalihi police station following an incident where he allegedly broke into an ex-girlfriend's Hawaii home and fought with a man who was spending the night in the house, Icon promoter
T. Jay Thompson remains optimistic his star competitor will be able to fight in February.

Miller voluntarily reported to local authorities on December 16 following the altercation and was later charged with first-degree burglary; a court date awaits him on January 20, according to Thompson, who has vested interest in Miller's future.

The date is set for, "a preliminary hearing where the judge will decide if there's enough evidence to go on with the charges," says Icon's Thompson, with whom Miller recently signed a lucrative multi-fight contract. Despite the incident, Thompson is confident that Miller will still be able to challenge champion Robbie Lawler February 18th for the Icon Middleweight title.

"The announcement is very, very likely that Jason is fighting, but we won't know for sure until the 20th," says Thompson. Part of what makes Thompson confident, is that even if the charges are pursued, "it's a long process," he says, and may leave room for a fight. "I still publicly support whatever action is taken. You've got to be responsible for your own actions."

According to Thompson, fences have been mended between the three parties involved in the December incident. "As far as the people involved in the incident, it's done," says Thompson. That being said, Thompson maintains that pending the extent of Miller's punishment, he is welcome to fight out the duration of his contract.

"The only way it would be affected is on his side, if he couldn't fight anymore," he says.

Repeated attempts to contact Miller were not answered.

Source: FCF

Charuto: Home Field Advantage?
by Mike Sloan

Renato Verissimo, more commonly known as “Charuto,” is preparing to defend his home turf of Hawaii this Friday night. No, he’s not involved in some sort of street skirmish with dozens of other tough guys like in The Warriors.

Charuto is about to go head-to-head with a solid competitor — and in his mind, that’s exactly how he likes it.

Participating in one of the featured bouts on the stellar Rumble on the Rock card this Friday night in Honolulu, Hawaii, Charuto will fight in front of teammates, friends and plenty of family with hopes of electrifying those in attendance by scoring a victory over the rugged Carlos Condit.

While not exactly the second coming of, say, vintage Frank Shamrock, Condit will provide a sturdy enough test for Charuto, a fight he could very well lose.

Charuto scoffed at the notion of losing because, he said in a recent interview with Sherdog.com, he is fully prepared for everything imaginable and he trains with the best team on the planet.

“Training has gone very good,” he said. “I feel real good and I am very prepared for my fight. My team, B.J. Penn’s MMA, has really gotten me prepared. I think I have the best teammates in the sport. We really know how to work with each other and they really have me focused.”

Charuto has never seemed this relaxed before and never has he sounded more confident. There are several factors that could explain how composed he is, but it could also be because he knows very little about his opponent. It also could be because he lives in glorious Hawaii. But either way, a relaxed Charuto doesn’t stress over the fact that Condit isn’t well known.

“I don’t know too much about him, to be honest, aside that he is a good fighter,” Verissimo claimed. “I haven’t seen hardly any of his fights. But it’s OK, I know he is a tough guy and I am sure that he’ll be just as ready as me and I expect a good, tough fight. I expect to win, of course, but I think it’ll be tough. He has good submission skills and his striking seems to be good. It should be a good fight.”

Many fighters spend countless sleepless nights studying and reviewing stacks of film on their opponents, but Charuto has no such luxury for this battle. Not knowing what to expect once the bell rings could work against some fighters, while at the same time knowing every single twitch in one’s opponent could also spell doom for the “thinking” fighter. But to Charuto, it doesn’t really matter either way because, he says, he has never felt more focused in his life.

“It’s not really hard to train for a fighter that I know very little about,” he explained. “I just stick with my team and my team never changes. It is always the same corps of guys with B.J.’s MMA. I don’t know if it would be easier to train for an opponent if I knew everything about him, but I am confident that I have done enough training and preparations. I would like to know ahead of time what he is capable of, though, but it’s OK. I am confident in myself and my team.”

Charuto also doesn’t appear to be the type of guy who seeks vast fortune and fame from his fighting career. Naturally, he’d like to get paid handsomely, but Charuto’s main goal is, in reality, to enjoy what he does. Training and fighting are what makes him content and as long as he is able to continue to do that, life will be grand.

“Well, I just want to stay active and keep fighting the best guys I can,” he said. “I like to train and I like to compete and I want to keep doing what I am doing. This is something I truly enjoy doing and I look forward to doing it more and more. I hope that I can keep fighting for Rumble on the Rock because it is a very good organization. I’ll fight anybody, anytime, but the most important part is that I am enjoying myself.”

The happy-go-lucky Hawaiian is also undeterred by the sometimes-negative press or fan reaction to his career. Charuto hasn’t scored a string of enormous wins over the cream of the crop and some “insiders” gripe about how the welterweight is overrated and simply riding Penn’s coattails. Charuto, of course, isn’t fazed by such gibberish and simply lets anything negative towards him roll off his back.

“Oh, it doesn’t matter to me,” he said about some of the criticism he’s received. “People can say whatever they want. I am not fighting for them or to please them. I fight because I like to and because it makes me happy. Because I lost to Matt Hughes (Pictures) and (Frank) Trigg doesn’t really matter to me. I actually hear more positive things about me than negative, but you know you can’t please everybody. There will always be somebody who has something negative to say no matter how good you are. It doesn’t bother me. I just enjoy what I am doing.”

And provided the Hilo native wins Friday night, he’ll have plenty to be happy about.

Source: Sherdog

MMAWEEKLY RADIO LIVE FROM HAWAII

Aloha from Hawaii as MMAWeekly Radio gets ready to go live the rest of the week from the islands as we get set for the Rumble on the Rock Grand Prix Tournament. The forecast? A high of 82 and a low of 70 and plenty of beatings ahead.

MMAWeekly Radio goes live at our regular time today, however Thursday and Friday we go at a different time. Hosts Ryan Bennett and Frank Trigg will be LIVE at 9am Pacific/12 Noon eastern and 7am local Hawaii time. As always, the show is absolutely free by logging on www.mmaweeklyradio.com.

For those of you in Hawaii that want to see the show live, go to the Waikiki Sand Villa Hotel and the guys will be doing the show on the 2nd floor pool side this week. Wednesday we will have Charuto Verissimo, JD Penn, BJ Penn and more.

Thursday and Friday we will be going live at 9am Hawaii time, 11am Pacific, 2pm Eastern so please adjust accordingly later in the week.

We will also have a big announcement on Friday that WON'T change the MMA world forever, but it will make you very, very happy. See you at our regular time today at 9am Pacific/12 Noon Eastern and 7am Hawaii time and if you want to see the show live stop on by.

Source: MMA Weekly

***For Immediate Release***
For more information, contact Mike Afromowitz, (917) 566-8754 or muaythaimes@aol.com.

Shamrock-Gracie Finally A Go

Cung Le To Debut In California’s
Historic First MMA Event

January 10, 2006; New York, NY….Mixed martial arts’s oldest family rivalry will be re-ignited when former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) middleweight king Frank Shamrock (20-7-1) collides with undefeated Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Black Belt Cesar Gracie (14-0) in a showdown at San Jose, California’s HP Pavilion on Friday, March 10th. Undefeated world San Shou kickboxing champion, Cung Le (16-0 (10 KO’s), will make his highly anticipated mixed martial arts debut while rising star Josh “The Punk” Thomson (10-1 (1 no contest) and seasoned veteran Eugene Jackson (12-7-1) will return to action during what will be the first mixed martial arts fight card sanctioned in California since the sport was officially legalized there last month.

“This guy came out and challenged me, hid behind his name, hid behind his students and, now, I’m finally gonna get a crack at him,” said Shamrock of his opponent and the feud that has been brewing between the two for the last two years. “I’ve always wanted to fight a Gracie and they’ve always ran from me but, suddenly, this one’s gone nuts so I’m gonna take care of him.”

At 33 years of age, Shamrock, a San Jose resident, is recognized as one of the greatest forces in mixed martial arts’s 12-year history. During his career, he has defeated the likes of former UFC light heavyweight king Tito Ortiz; Bas Rutten; and 1992 Olympic Gold Medalist, Kevin Jackson, whom he stopped in a world record 14 seconds by way of armbar submission. His victory over Japan’s Minoru Suzuki in January of 1996 earned Shamrock the prestigious King Of Pancrase championship.

The matchup with Gracie will be Shamrock’s first since March 27, 2003 when he easily submitted Bryan Pardoe by way of armbar in less than two minutes. In 1999, Shamrock temporarily retired to pursue a career in Hollywood. To date, he has appeared in the former HBO hit prison drama series, OZ, and Chuck Norris’s former CBS television blockbuster series, Walker Texas Ranger, as well as a nationally televised spot for fast food conglomerate, Burger King. Later this year, Shamrock will make his silver screen debut in the cage fighting drama No Rules that stars Gary Busey, Pamela Anderson, and Tom Sizemore. The film also features appearances by mixed martial arts legends Randy Couture and Don Frye.

A veteran of over 200 Jiu-Jitsu contests, Gracie has become a fixture in Pleasant Hill, California where, as a trainer, he has produced a host of world-class mixed martial arts talent by imparting on his students the teachings of Gracie Jiu-Jitsu, the progressive style of combat conceived in the early part of the 20th century by his grandfather, Carlos. “This is a great opportunity for me to showcase my skills,” said Gracie. “Of course there’s a lot of pressure in terms of upholding the family legacy but, ultimately, the only person I can represent is me and I’m going to do that and show the world what I’m made of when I come face to face with Frank.”

The Shamrock-Gracie saga began twelve years ago when Gracie’s cousin, Royce, defeated Shamrock’s brother, Ken, en route to becoming champion of the first-ever UFC. The two fought to a draw during a rematch a year and a half later.

Le’s transition from the world of stand-up combat serves as a response to fight fans who have long beckoned the 185-pound limit, Vietnamese-born fighter to test his superior technique in the fiercely competitive waters of mixed martial arts.

Le’s last start came on June 4th at the HP Pavilion where he earned a unanimous decision over Shamrock protégé, Brian Ebersole, in a bout contested under San Shou rules. Le is also a four-time victor of K-1 “Superfights” staged in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Thomson is a veteran of both the UFC and Japan’s Pride Fighting Championship. His last start, a Muay Thai rules on the Le-headlined June 4th card, saw him quickly stop Toshiyuki Nakagawa only 54 seconds after the opening bell rang.

The matchup between Shamrock and Gracie was originally scheduled to take place on October 1st of last year. A delay in the proceedings necessary to ratify the bill sanctioning mixed martial arts in the state of California, however, caused a postponement of the bout.

Tickets for “Shamrock vs. Gracie” will officially go on sale on Saturday, January 28th at the HP Pavilion box office and at all Ticketmaster (408-998-TIXS) outlets nationwide. Tickets can also be purchased by calling the Ticketmaster hotline at 408-998-TIXS or by visiting Ticketmaster online at www.ticketmaster.com. Ticket prices will start at $30.

Doors to the event will open at 5 PM Pacific Standard Time on March 10th. The first preliminary bout will begin at 6 PM.

The “Shamrock vs. Gracie” bill is being promoted and produced by Silicon Valley Sports and Entertainment (SVSE, www.svse.net), a leading producer of major sporting and entertainment events and the exclusive producer of such events for San Jose, California’s largest entertainment arena, the HP Pavilion. SVSE’s many properties include “Miller Lite Fight Night,” world championship boxing; the National Hockey League’s San Jose Sharks; and the annual ATP men’s professional tennis “SAP Open” event.

Source: Mike Afromowitz

GCM MARS PROJECT

"GCM Mars Project" takes place on Saturday, February 4th 2006 at the Ariake Colosseum in Japan. The event is being produced in association with FEG, the same group behind K-1 Hero's. Here is the latest lineup:

FIGHT CARD

- Eiji Mitsuoka (Bushido 1 and 4) vs. Vitor "Shaolin" Ribeiro (Shooto, Cage Rage 12 and 13)
- Hidetaka Monma vs. Rodrigo Gracie (Pride 19 and 24, Bushido 1 and 2)
- Hiroki Ozaki vs. Kazuhiro Hamanaka (Pride 26, Bushido 1)
- Takumi Yano vs. Rani Yahya
- Kuniyoshi Hironaka vs. Ryan Schultz (Team Quest)
- Osami Shibuya vs. Thales Leites
- Ian "The Barn Owl" Loveland (Team Quest) vs. Akitoshi Tamura
- Anthony Rea vs. Mikko Rupponent

Source: MMA Fighting

 1/18/06

Quote of the Day

"Standing in the middle of the road is very dangerous; you get knocked down by the traffic from both sides."

Margaret Thatcher, Former Prime Minister of Great Britain

PELE: 'MY STRATEGY WILL BE TO GO FOR THE KO'

Jose 'Pele' Landi-Jons recently spoke with Brazilian magazine 'Tatame' regarding his upcoming match against Travis Lutter on the Cage Rage 15 card on February 4th. Here's what Pele had to say:

"The preparation has been good, but right now I'm only concentrating on physical conditioning, and in two weeks I'll study my opponent's game. For sure my strategy in the octagon will be to go for the knockout." Jose 'Pele' Landi-Jons

Source: Fight Sport

IT'S SHOWTIME CARD

It's Showtime
May 13th, 2006
Amsterdam Arena,
Amsterdam, Holland

K-1 will team up with the Dutch promotion called It's Showtime, for the It's Showtime card on May 13th:

Ernesto Hoost vs. Bob Sapp
Remy Bonjasky vs. Jerome Le Banner
Semmy Schilt vs. Lloyd Van Dams
Ramon Dekkers vs. Joerie Mes
Dave Dalgliesh vs. Fatih Kocamis
Fikri Tijarti vs. Drago
Murat Drekci vs. Ray Staring

Source: Fight Sport

ROYLER POSSIBLY ON NEXT HERO'S CARD

Royler Gracie told Brazilian magazine 'Tatame' that he may be participating on the K-1/HERO's card in March, but that nothing is signed yet. Here's what Royler had to say:

"There is a big possibility that I will fight on the HERO's card in March, in Japan, but nothing is certain as of yet. The event will only consist of single fights, but I don't know who my adversary will be. I only know that I'm old, but the people still want to see this old man fight. (laughs)

I'm 40 years old and I think I can still fight until I'm 45. Royce is 39 years old and still thinks he can fight a few more years. Rickson, who is 46 years old, is still thinking of doing one more fight. Still, you have a lot of guys who think they're at the end of their career when they reach 27 years of age. If you take care of yourself, you can really extend your vale tudo career." -Royler Gracie

Source: Fight Sport

 1/18/06

Quote of the Day

"Standing in the middle of the road is very dangerous; you get knocked down by the traffic from both sides."

Margaret Thatcher, Former Prime Minister of Great Britain

Cesar Gracie vs. Frank Shamrock on!

During an exclusive to our friends from MMAWeekly.com, UFC veteran Frank Shamrock confirmed his MMA fight with Cesar Gracie. After two years of standby, American fighter confirmed the date of the challenge: March 10th, San Jose California, at the HP Pavilion, The Shark Tank. He also enjoyed the interview to tease Brazilian fighter calling him a pussy.

- I think he's a pussy, and I don't think he's got any skills. But I've always wanted to fight a Gracie. I've been waiting my whole life and my whole career every since Ken got choked out by a skinny guy, Royce. I've been waiting my whole career to stomp a Gracie, and now finally one of them has the nuts to accept the challenge, so I'll take care of it - teased Shamrock.

Source: MMA Weekly

Carter taps out at Unfinished Business

Mr International Shonie Carter did not stand after tapping out due a triangle choke applied by his opponent Mike Pyle, at World Extreme Cagefighting, in Leemore, California. The submission was applied in early round one, surprising the whole audience at 2min06s. Called 'Unfinished Business' the show was held last Friday (13) featuring ten bouts in the card. Check out below the full results of the show.

COMPLETE RESULTS:

World Extreme Cagefighting: 'Unfinished Business'

Friday, January 13, 2006

The Palace Indian Gaming Center - Lemoore, CA

- Josh Green defeated Rafael Real by No Contest (Unintentional Knee) at 3:26 in R1;

- Devin Cole defeated Mike Kyle by TKO (Strikes) at 2:56 in R2;

- Richard Crunkilton defeated Nick Ertl by TKO (Strikes) at 3:55 in R2;

- Chris Lytle submitted Savant Young by Strikes at 3:50 in R1;

- Scott Smith defeated Justin Levens by KO at 1:58 in R1;

- Mike Pyle submitted Shonie Carter by Triangle Choke at 2:06 in R1;

- Casey Olsen defeated Joe Martin by Unanimous Decision;

- Billy Evangelista defeated Ryan Healy by TKO (Strikes) at 2:06 in R2;

- Vernon White defeated Jason Guida by TKO (Doctor Stoppage) at 5:00 in R1;

- Brian Olsen submitted Lavar Johnson by Knee Injury at 0:14 in R2.

Source: Tatame

Wagnney wins at Apex Freedom Fight

BJJ black belt of Nova União Canada, Wagnney Fabiano did a great home work at Apex Freedom Fight, MMA event which took place last Saturday, January 14 at Palais des Congres, in Quebec. Leonardo Santos' brother fought Matt Fiordirosa and defeated him by unanimous decision. Check out the complete results below and also the pictures, hosted at www.mmaxtreme.com.

COMPLETE RESULTS

Apex: Freedom Fight 2006

Saturday, January 14, 2006

Palais des Congres, Quebec - Canada

- Daniel Grandmaison defeated Nick Castiglia by TKO at 2:55 in R3;

- Shaun Krysa submitted Randy Newell at 2:24 in R1;

- Jamie Helmer defeated Jerry Spiegel by unanimous decision;

- Mark Holst defeated Shane Savage by TKO in R1;

- Nabil Khatib defeated Chester Post by TKO at 1:59 in R1;

- Nuri Shakir defeated Kevin Manderson by TKO at 3:21 in R1;

- Wagnney Fabiano defeated Matt Fiordirosa by unanimous decision;

- Craig Brown defeated John Clarke by TKO at 2:21 in R1;

- Stephan Potvin defeated Art Santore by split decision.

Source: Tatame

 1/17/06

Quote of the Day

"The desire of knowledge, like the thirst for riches, increases ever with the acquisition of it."

Laurence Sterne, 1713-1768, British Author

Fighters' Club TV Episode 36 Tonight!


Episode 36

- Rumble On The Rock Highlights
- David "Tank" Abbott vs Wes "Cabbage" Correira
(with interview with Tank)
- Highlights from X-1 Battlegrounds at the O-Lounge
- Interview with event promoter, Curt Tsuneyoshi
Technique of the week:
- Bruce Kawano teaches the Cuban slip and punch

questions, comments, suggestions?
email us at:
fightersclubtv808@hotmail.com


If you have not checked out the Fighters' Club TV website, check it out.

The show is still on every Tuesday night at 9:30PM on Channel 52 and on Akaku in Maui.

Leozinho Vieira seminar
Monday Jan 23
6-9pm
3 hrs
cost:$50.00

Wahiawa BJJ (right next to Jack-in the box)

World champion and ADCC champion Leozinho Vieira will presnt a three hour seminar one night only. This is your chance to learn from one of todays best grapplers, All are welcome!!!!!

For info call: Tammy (808) 228-1711 or email
centraloahujiujitsu@yahoo.com

ULTIMATE FIGHT NIGHT RESULTS!
JANUARY 16th
The Joint - Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
Las Vegas, Nevada

PRELIM RESULTS:
- Jason Von Flue defeated Alex Karalexis by side choke 1:17 into Rd. 3
- Spencer Fisher defeats Aaron Riley, ref/Dr stoppage due to broken jaw 5:00 of Rd. 1
- Duane Ludwig defeats Jonathan Goulet 0:11 of Rd. 1 by KO (punch)
- Josh Neer defeats Melvin Guillard by Triangle Choke at 4:20 of Rd. 1

MAIN CARD RESULTS:

- Chris Leben defeats Jorge Rivera by TKO (strikes) at 1:44 Rd. 1
- Josh Burkman defeats Drew Fickett by Guillotine Choke at 1:07 in Rd. 1
- Stephan Bonnar defeats James Irvin at the 4:30 mark of Rd. 1 by Kimura
- Tim Sylvia defeats Assuerio Silva by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, and 29-28)

Also announced was Royce Gracie vs Matt Hughes in a future UFC!

Source: MMA Weekly

ROTR Press Conference on Thursday!

The ROTR press conference will be held on Thursday at 5:00 pm at Ala Moana Center Center Stage. Come check out the fighters as they prepare for battle on Friday night at the Blaisdell.

Don't wait to buy your tickets and expect that you can get them on fight night. There were some upset people when ROTR sold out in one of their previous shows. Don't be left out on this killer 175 lb tournament and the showdown between Cabbage and Butterbean!

ROTR PREVIEW: YUSHIN OKANI

At the upcoming Rumble on the Rock January 20th show there will be a gathering of eight of the best fighters around to compete for the company’s first ever 175lb tournament title. Among the eight fighters is one that not many American fans may be familiar with, but he could just end up being the dark horse that wins the whole thing. That fighter is Yushin Okami, the tournament’s Japanese seed and x-factor.

Okami is a veteran of nearly every promotion in Japan, including Greatest Common Multiple, Pancrase, Pride and K-1. He’s faced off against some of the toughest competition in each promotion and has so far amassed an impressive overall record of 17-2.

Originally debuting as an amateur on Pride’s Pre-Pride and The Best series in 2002, Okami quickly proved that he was an all-around style fighter that could take the fight anywhere. During his first 10 fights, all of which he won, Yushin showed a penchant for standing and trading, while also being able to take advantage of the ground game and if necessary, outlast opponents to decisions.

It was only until he fought Amar Suloev at an M-1 show in Russia that Okami could be stopped. Perhaps going too far above his natural weight, Okami had difficulty against the larger, hard-hitting Russian fighter. In the end the size difference was just too much to overcome as Suloev ended Yushin’s winning streak at 10 via KO in the first round of their bout.

Determined to not let the loss set him back, Okami returned and knocked out fellow Japanese fighter Kousei Kubota and was impressive enough that he would be welcomed back to Pride, this time on their Bushido imprint. At Bushido 2, Okami stifled Ryuta Sakurai for 15 minutes and won the fight by unanimous decision.

While not as impressive as his previous fight, his performance was strong enough to earn him a trip to Hawaii to take on fan favorite Niko Vitale at in Superbrawl. During one of the closest fights of the year in the company, Yushin lost a tight split decision to Vitale.

Since the loss Yushin has been on a tear, winning five straight, including a win over future UFC veteran Nick Thompson in GCM. Most recently Okami steamrolled Myun Joo Lee at K-1 Hero’s Korean event this past November and continues to look impressive both on the ground and standing. With his successes in Japan Okami would be invited to be the Japanese representative in ROTR’s 175lb tournament.

In the first round of the tournament Okami is set to face off against UFC alum Renato “Charuto” Verissimo. And while Yushin has faced off against some tough talent in the past, this fight could easily represent the toughest of his career, as when Verissimo is on his game, he’s one of the toughest fighters to beat in the middleweight division.

Patience should be the key for Okami against Charuto. If he rushes and decides to slug it out right away with the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu blackbelt, he could find himself being taken down, as Verissimo has used such a tactic against past opponents. If Okami takes his time and picks his shots carefully he can neutralize Charuto’s attempts to get Yushin to rush in and eventually work his way to guard where Verissimo is dangerous.

Charuto in the past has been prone to set himself in a submission and not continue to work to stop position changes. Such is the case when Verissimo fought Matt Hughes and Frank Trigg, in those fights he had both in a lot of trouble but was too content to sit in one submission and got caught with position changes. So if Okami gets caught in a submission he must continue to work and use the overconfidence of Charuto against himself.

Some feel that Okami is being used as a set-up opponent for Verissimo’s advancement in the tournament, but he has shown in previous bouts, he’s not someone to be overlooked or underestimated. If the field does that, you could very well see Yushin make a long run in the tournament, possibly to the finals and ultimate victory.

Not many fans are expecting much out of Okami, with possibly less to lose than the other fighters, and that makes him a most dangerous opponent in the tournament. With the Japanese market always on the lookout for the next great hero to get behind, Okami could quickly fill that role and become a star overnight if he does well. And that’s incentive enough to play the role of the tournament’s wild card fighter, win the whole thing, and be overlooked no more.

Source: MMA Weekly

RICCO UPSET IN RITC IN ARIZONA

UFC fighters Matt Hughes, Joe Riggs, Edwin Dewees and Gilbert Aldana made special guest appearances at RITC 78 welcoming fans to a new year of Rage in the Cage action.

In a stunning upset, Robert Beraun decisively beat UFC and Pride veteran Ricco Rodriguez by unanimous decision. Beraun landed many hard punches to the head and was able to withstand Ricco's submission skills on the ground for the well deserved win. This impressive victory earned Fighter of the Night ( FOTN ) for Beraun. Beraun was coming off a KO victory over Aaron Brink two months ago where he earned FOTN honors for that showing.

Other notable fights included Jamie Varner winning the vacant Welterweight championship and Rich Beecroft upsetting Andy Montana with a perfectly executed kimura.

Other candidates for FOTN were David Smith, Sean Ballantine, Joe Lira, Jeremiah Navarro, Rich Beecroft, Gerald Perkins, Steve Cantwell and Jamie Varner.

Three schools went undefeated for the evening: ACMMA ( 4-0 ), Team Sacrifice ( 3-0 ) and One Kicks Gym ( 2-0 ).

Results:

Fight #1

Jesse Barrett ( 183 ), ACMMA
won by ref stoppage ( strikes ), 1:03 Rd 1
Justin Fisher ( 185 ), Team Brausa

Fight #2

Daniel Betzold ( 161 ), ACMMA
won by decision ( 3-0 )
Josh Donahoo ( 153 ), Team Brausa

Fight #3

David Smith ( 148 ), One Kicks Gym
won by submission ( arm bar ), 2:47 Rd 1
Rosco McClellan ( 150 )

Fight #4

Sean Ballantine ( 197 ), US Army
won by submission ( ankle lock ), 1:47 Rd 1
Chris Devno ( 207 ), AJJA

Fight #5

Andrew Brittin ( 173 ), ACMMA
won by submission ( key lock ), 1:04 Rd 2
John Ivicevic ( 171 ), AMAC

Fight #6

Jamie Schmidt ( 177 ), ACMMA
won by ref stoppage ( strikes ), 1:14 Rd 1
Jason Cassel ( 184 ), Freestyle

Fight #7

Joe Lira ( 150 ), Team Sacrifice
won by ref stoppage ( strikes ), 2:04 Rd 2
Robert Davis ( 140 ), AMAC

Fight #8

Jeremiah Navarro ( 161 ), Team Sacrifice
won by submission ( choke ), 1:41 Rd 2
Richie Reyes ( 168 ), Devil's Den

Fight #9

Rich Beecroft ( 236 ), No Regrets
won by submission ( kimura ), :38 Rd 1
Andy Montana ( 261 ), Genesis JJ

Fight #10

Gerald Perkins ( 174 ), Team Hardcore
won by submission ( choke ), 2:16 Rd 1
Anthony Triliegi ( 179 ), Freestyle

Fight #11

Steve Cantwell ( 205 ), One Kicks Gym
won by submission ( arm bar ), 2:01 Rd 1
Mike Ashford ( 204 ), Devil's Den

Fight #12 ( Welterweight Championship )

Jamie Varner ( 169 ), ACS
won by submission ( choke ), 1:07 Rd 2
Leonard Wilson ( 164 ), C.C.K.K.

Fight #13 ( Main Event )

Robert Beraun ( 256 ), No Regrets
won by decision ( 3-0 )
Ricco Rodriguez ( 330 ), Team Punishment

Visit www.rageinthecage.com for more information.

Source: John Petrilli ( RITC )

 1/16/06

Quote of the Day

"My religion is very simple. My religion is kindness."

Dalai Lama, Spiritual and Temporal Leader of the Tibetan People

ULTIMATE FIGHT NIGHT TONIGHT!
SPIKE CHANNEL 559 OCEANIC DIGITAL
STARTS 8:00 PM HAWAII TIME
JANUARY 16th

The Joint - Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
Las Vegas, Nevada

MAIN CARD ON SPIKE TV
- Assuerio Silva VS Tim Sylvia
- Stephan Bonnar vs. James Irvin
- Chris Leben vs. Jorge Rivera
- Josh Burkman vs. Drew Fickett

PRELIM CARD
- Jason Von Flue vs. Alex Karalexis
- Aaron Riley vs. Spencer Fisher
- Duane Ludwig vs. Jonathan Goulet
- Melvin Guillard vs. Josh Neer

Source: MMA Weekly

BENNETT BREAKDOWN:
QUINTON, FRANK, KEN & MORE



MMAWeekly.com's Ryan Bennett has his latest installment of his Bennett Breakdown which talks about Quinton Jackson, Frank and Ken Shamrock, Josh Thomson and more.....

"What an amazing live show from the WEC this weekend. I will tell you right now remember the names Mike Pyle, Scott Smith and Justin Levens. Those three are ready for the UFC right now. Levens I think needs to cut to 185 but he has so many skills, even in the loss he impressed me. Smith is a bulldozer and he may be another guy that should cut to 185, but I don't know if he can. He has power in both hands and can KO anybody if he hits you.

Pyle is a special talent at 170 and needs to face top flight competition. He is that good. He trains in Las Vegas with Randy Couture, Heath Herring, Forrest Griffin and company.

One other WEC note. Vernon Tiger White looked impressive in a win. He then went on to call out "Chuck the EYES-man Liddell" was his specific quote in his post fight interview. Vernon still believes the reason he lost was a finger in the eye, not the punches.

Onto other MMA News....

I had it confirmed that Quinton Jackson and Frank Shamrock both have fights coming up in February and March respectively. Jackson confirmed it to to me this weekend that he will be fighting in the upcoming Pride show at the end of February against an opponent to be named soon. The show is scheduled for February 26th at the Saitama Arena. I've also heard that Nogueira, Mauricio Shogun Rua, Mark Coleman, Kevin Randleman, Sergei Kharitonov, Mario Sperry, and possibly Josh Barnett are expected to compete.

Frank Shamrock vs Ceasar Gracie finally will happen in mid March. The fight is scheduled to take place in San Jose, California for the Strike Force promotion. Shamrock apparently is expected to fight in Japan after this fight, as I hear Sakuraba wants to face Frank, but in order to fight in Japan, he has to fulfil the signed contract to face Gracie first. That's why this fight is on the fast track to finally happen and it looks as though Strike Force event will take place in San Jose in mid March.

Josh Thompson will also be a part of the Strike Force card in March as Thompson told me he is set to square off against either Hermes Franca or Charles "Crazy Horse" Bennett for the event. Speaking of Thompson he told me this weekend that after his next fight in Strike Force, he will then head to Japan to compete in Pride for their April show.

I talked to Ken Shamrock over the weekend. I asked him if he will attempt a Lion's Den type of crazy training that you saw on MMAWeekly TV for the upcoming Ultimate Fighter show... Ken said "No, these guys know what to expect. They should already be in shape by the time they get into the house. I will test them more mentally, than physically." Taping for the Ultimate Fighter Show begins this upcoming week from Las Vegas featuring the 185 pound weight class and the 205 Light Heavyweight Division.

This is an amazing month for MMA and it will become the norm now. The UFC is expected to put on a live show per month. For January we saw the WEC put on a spectacular card Friday, Monday is Ultimate Fighter on Spike and Friday is the Rumble on the Rock card from beautiful Honolulu, Hawaii. Three stacked shows in 9 days. Great for the MMA fans.

What to watch for....

- Ultimate Fighter - Stephan Bonnar vs James Irvin - Bonnar went from unknown to Ultimate Fighter Superstar overnight. This is a great spot for Irvin who I think has been disrespected to an extent by the hardcore MMA fans. This could be a coming out party for Irvin if he can overcome the "moment" of the UFC that froze him for the Mike Kyle fight. I don't think Irvin has shown what kind of fighter he is in the UFC yet and he has chance to showcase his skills against Bonnar. For Bonnar it's simple. With a win Stephan puts himself on the fast track to face a Top 10 fighter to show he is legit at the weight. So far we've seen his friend in Season 1 like Diego Sanchez, Mike Swick and Chris Leben show they are legit. Speaking of Leben...

- Jorge Rivera vs Chris Leben - I have no idea who will win this fight. Rivera is nasty in the clinch and is a very hard puncher, but will he get frustrated when he can't knockout Leben? Leben has a concrete head as Patrick Cote found out. Cote he hit him flush and Leben smiled back at him. If Rivera can be patient like he was in his win over David Loiseau, he will do well in the fight. Leben may not be the most talented striker, but he has heart and will not back down from anyone, not to mention an iron chin which will be tested once again. Great fight all the way around and the fans no doubt win.

RUMBLE ON THE ROCK

I haven't been this excited about a tournament in a very long time. I truly believe every single underdog on this card can win. The favorites should be the favorites, however let me give you some info about the underdogs.

Carlos Condit is from the same gym in New Mexico as Diego Sanchez and Nathan Marquardt. This guy has very good skills and I hear their gym is extremely confident that he will not only beat Charuto Verissimo, but be the dark horse in the tournament. Very well rounded and ready to go. Should be a great battle.

Ronald "Machine Gun" Jhun is still dangerous at this point of his career. If any of you have seen his fight with Team Quests' Ryan Schultz you can see how dangerous he truly is. Jhun is very much like the University of Hawaii football team. Very good at home, not very good on the road. Jhun has fought well in Hawaii and has trained very hard and will be tough to beat in Oahu. Trigg still has to answer the questions about his losses to Hughes and St.Pierre mentally. After two difficult losses, you wonder how he will react if he gets rocked in the fight. Will Trigg come out tentative in this fight or aggressive. This could be a great scrap in Hawaii.

Yushin Okami is a huge underdog against Anderson Silva. Word in Japan is that Okami has good ground skills and he doesn't expect this fight to be on it's feet much. Silva's last few fights have been against strikers. For Anderson to win this tourney he will have to go through Okami, Menne or Shields and possibly Trigg or Charuto. Silva won't have a chance to show off his stand up skills for very long in this tournament in my opinion. We will have a great idea where Anderson Silva is after the tourney. Okami hopes to be the first to pull off the upset.

Not sure if Shields is an underdog to Menne or not. I guess when the odds come out next week we will all know who the underdog truly is in the oddsmakers point of view. Shields has great submissions and is a bit disrespected in the fight game, especially being a former Shooto champion.

This is Shields chance to prove he is a legit Top 10 fighter. For Menne this could be a coming out party or the end of era for the former UFC Champion. We've seen a downslide for guys that have had almost too many fights. Shonie Carter found that out this weekend and is defintely on the decline. Is Menne at the same point of his career? We should have a better idea if Menne is on his way down or if he's still a top contender. Menne believes this can be his coming out party showing the world he's ready to return to the Top 10.

One other thing regarding the Tournament it's not all in one night. The first round is Friday night, then in April will be the completition of the tournament with the semi-finals and finals. Cabbage vs Butterbean should be interesting to say the least.

This week the radio show goes live from Hawaii starting Wednesday as we will have more information upcoming throughout the week. Enjoy one of the best MMA months in recent memory and see you live from Hawaii starting Wednesday. Aloha.

Source: MMA Weekly

BONNAR NOT WORRIED ABOUT FIGHT

UFC superstar and star of the first season of The Ultimate Fighter Stephan Bonnar joined the radio show "Between The Ropes" on Central Florida's Sports Radio 740 The Team to discuss his fight with James Irvin on Spike TV's Ultimate Fight Night this Monday night.

Stephan started off talking about his fight on Monday on Spike TV with James Irvin. He just wrapped up his intense training on Wednesday night and planned to take the next four days to recover and prepare. He said the Irvin flying knee probably won't be a problem since he's taller and doesn't shoot from the outside. But Irvin has a heavy right hand and can be dangerous.

"I talked to Chris Leben the other night and we're actually in the same boat. He's fighting Jorge Rivera. We're both guys who like to stand up and throw down, but we both feel we're better than our opponents on the ground. So I kind of like it. I'm really not worried about anything. I can let my hands and my feet go. I'm not worried about him taking me down because I like it on the ground. He's going to be worried about me taking him down. If the opportunity is there, I'll do it. If not, I'll just pull out and trade more. So I feel pretty good going into it."

Stephan said his broken hand is doing fine now. He said the injury didn't hinder his training much since he was able to do most everything with the cast. He was ready to fight back on November 19, but UFC wanted to save it for Spike TV.

Bonnar got into martial arts at age 10 with wrestling. He started tae kwan do at age 12. He got into jiu-jitsu after seeing the early UFC events. He noted the tae kwan do is more useful than he thought it would be, particularly mixing it with boxing to surprise an opponent with a spinning back kick or the like.

Asked if there are greater expectations on him coming off the notoriety of The Ultimate Fighter reality series, Bonnar said every fight is do or die for him and every fight is the most important. He said he always hears from people about the classic fight with Forest Griffin when he goes out and it's usually good for a free drink. He said he's not worried about having to live up to the expectations of the first fight with Griffin if there was a rematch. He believes their styles mesh well enough to produce a good fight every time.

Bonnar discussed his training, particularly in the Chicago/Indiana region where he's from. Since he's not affiliated with any specific team, he's more of a lone soldier. He goes to the jiu-jitsu school to work on his ground, but no one there can help him work on his stand up. So he has to move on Windy City Boxing to train in stand up. He goes from gym to gym that specialize in different fighting styles throughout the region.

Asked how he would describe his fighting style, he said he's pretty much a hybrid. He prefers to throw down, but he also enjoys grappling and submissions. For him, the fun is throwing spin kicks and landing good punches.

Bonnar was asked who he would like to face if he can get past Irvin on Monday. "I'm no dummy so I know my chances with [Chuck] Liddell get better with his age so I'm in no hurry with that. But I would like to beat Irvin and to fight a big name would be nice, like a [Ken] Shamrock or a Vitor Belfort. To get a big name like that to fight that would be a honor. I've been idolizing those guys since I was like 19. I remember watching Vitor Belfort bust on the scene when I was in college at Purdue at 19 years old. I was like, 'Holy crap, this dude is awesome.' It's just amazing that I could actually fight him now. It's funny, he's a veteran of the sport. He's been doing it since then. And I'm kind of a rookie but we're about the same age."

Bonnar said he's a fight junkie and watches tapes of any MMA he can find. He used to watch a lot of NBA and NFL, but now it's mostly fighting. He recently watched some K-1 World Max DVD's and loved them. He never misses a PRIDE event and loves to watch ESPN Classic Boxing.

Asked what he thought of the 'kiss of death' involving Heath Herring at the PRIDE New Year's Eve show, "I don't blame Heath Herring at all. That's just something you don't do. You don't kiss your opponent before the fight. He was asking for it. If you're going to kiss your opponent on the lips like that, you better have both hands up by your chin."

Bonnar ended by discussing his training regimen before Monday night's fight. He's been training a lot lately with a lot of sparring to get his wind up. He trained every day last week with a couple of two-a-day's and Sunday off. He continued Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday of this week. From that point on, it's mainly preparation, resting, and stretching for four days to allow his body to recover for Monday night.

To listen to the Stephan Bonnar interview, including some interesting stories of instigating fights back in school with special ed kids and more UFC thoughts, and the entire January 11 edition of Between The Ropes in streaming audio, visit the show online at http://www.BetweenTheRopes.com. Join us for Between The Ropes for two hours every Wednesday night at 10:00pm ET on Central Florida's Sports Radio 740 The Team and worldwide on BetweenTheRopes.com.

Source: MMA Weekly

GRACIE WORLD EVENT

This year the competition will be held at the Nationwide Arena adjacent to the Greater Columbus Convention Center. This venue is a "State of the Art" Professional sports Arena and holds 17,000.00 plus spectators.

Events:

March 3rd
Weigh-ins for Gi competition

*weigh-ins for No Gi amateur and professional will be held on March 4th at Nationwide Arena

*weigh-ins for amateur MMA will be held at the competition on March 4th and 5th

March 4th
Gi Competition-All belts, weights and age categories
Professional No Gi Qualifier
Gracie Junior Worlds
Amateur MMA

March 5th
Amateur and Professional No Gi Competition
Amateur MMA

New for 2006

Friday evening, March 3rd GFC Professional MMA "Pay Per View-Indemand Event"

Gracie Fighting Championships Amateur MMA

Gracie Junior Worlds-Rotary Scholarship

Please visit our website for more Registration fees, weigh-ins times and location and general updates on all of the events www.gracieworlds.com

ROTR PREVIEW: YUSHIN OKANI

At the upcoming Rumble on the Rock January 20th show there will be a gathering of eight of the best fighters around to compete for the company’s first ever 175lb tournament title. Among the eight fighters is one that not many American fans may be familiar with, but he could just end up being the dark horse that wins the whole thing. That fighter is Yushin Okami, the tournament’s Japanese seed and x-factor.

Okami is a veteran of nearly every promotion in Japan, including Greatest Common Multiple, Pancrase, Pride and K-1. He’s faced off against some of the toughest competition in each promotion and has so far amassed an impressive overall record of 17-2.

Originally debuting as an amateur on Pride’s Pre-Pride and The Best series in 2002, Okami quickly proved that he was an all-around style fighter that could take the fight anywhere. During his first 10 fights, all of which he won, Yushin showed a penchant for standing and trading, while also being able to take advantage of the ground game and if necessary, outlast opponents to decisions.

It was only until he fought Amar Suloev at an M-1 show in Russia that Okami could be stopped. Perhaps going too far above his natural weight, Okami had difficulty against the larger, hard-hitting Russian fighter. In the end the size difference was just too much to overcome as Suloev ended Yushin’s winning streak at 10 via KO in the first round of their bout.

Determined to not let the loss set him back, Okami returned and knocked out fellow Japanese fighter Kousei Kubota and was impressive enough that he would be welcomed back to Pride, this time on their Bushido imprint. At Bushido 2, Okami stifled Ryuta Sakurai for 15 minutes and won the fight by unanimous decision.

While not as impressive as his previous fight, his performance was strong enough to earn him a trip to Hawaii to take on fan favorite Niko Vitale at in Superbrawl. During one of the closest fights of the year in the company, Yushin lost a tight split decision to Vitale.

Since the loss Yushin has been on a tear, winning five straight, including a win over future UFC veteran Nick Thompson in GCM. Most recently Okami steamrolled Myun Joo Lee at K-1 Hero’s Korean event this past November and continues to look impressive both on the ground and standing. With his successes in Japan Okami would be invited to be the Japanese representative in ROTR’s 175lb tournament.

In the first round of the tournament Okami is set to face off against UFC alum Renato “Charuto” Verissimo. And while Yushin has faced off against some tough talent in the past, this fight could easily represent the toughest of his career, as when Verissimo is on his game, he’s one of the toughest fighters to beat in the middleweight division.

Patience should be the key for Okami against Charuto. If he rushes and decides to slug it out right away with the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu blackbelt, he could find himself being taken down, as Verissimo has used such a tactic against past opponents. If Okami takes his time and picks his shots carefully he can neutralize Charuto’s attempts to get Yushin to rush in and eventually work his way to guard where Verissimo is dangerous.

Charuto in the past has been prone to set himself in a submission and not continue to work to stop position changes. Such is the case when Verissimo fought Matt Hughes and Frank Trigg, in those fights he had both in a lot of trouble but was too content to sit in one submission and got caught with position changes. So if Okami gets caught in a submission he must continue to work and use the overconfidence of Charuto against himself.

Some feel that Okami is being used as a set-up opponent for Verissimo’s advancement in the tournament, but he has shown in previous bouts, he’s not someone to be overlooked or underestimated. If the field does that, you could very well see Yushin make a long run in the tournament, possibly to the finals and ultimate victory.

Not many fans are expecting much out of Okami, with possibly less to lose than the other fighters, and that makes him a most dangerous opponent in the tournament. With the Japanese market always on the lookout for the next great hero to get behind, Okami could quickly fill that role and become a star overnight if he does well. And that’s incentive enough to play the role of the tournament’s wild card fighter, win the whole thing, and be overlooked no more.

Source: MMA Weekly

 1/15/06

Quote of the Day

"It is not because things are difficult that we do not dare, it is because we do not dare that they are difficult."

Marcus Annaeus Seneca, 3 B.C. - 65 A.D., Roman Philosopher/Dramatist/Statesman

Punishment In Paradise: East vs. West II
Sea Life Park, Honolulu, Hawaii
January 14, 2006
By Chris Onzuka -
Chris@Onzuka.com

Punishment In Paradise returned with an event that was held in an interesting venue, Sea Life Park. A large tent was erected and fight fans from the East side and West side crammed in to watch a great night of fights. Head instructor of the Koden Kan fight team took on recent transplant James Martinez. Kukahiko executed a perfect strategy by pressing the action, staying inside and out punching Martinez. A great match up that had fans on their feet cheering was the Val Ulafale-Hansen Apo fight. Both young fighters went after each other and had great exchanges with Ulafale started to take the edge in the fight as Apo tired. The unassuming Henry Hori proved that he has heavy hands by rocking Kapena Abilla enough for the referee to step in and protect Abilla from further punishment. Kyle Miyahana executed a beautiful climbing arm lock on PJ Dean quickly ending a short, but fast paced fight.

The main event pitted two boxing technicians in Kaleo Kwan and Kevin Smith. Both fighters displayed a balance of skill and power. As the fight went on, Kwan's experience started to turn the tide in his favor. Smith fought back like a warrior and stayed in the fight, but Kwan kept up the pressure and slowly picked apart Smith.

Lightweight Kickboxing Bout: 3 Rounds - 1.5 Minutes
John Kukahiko (Koden Kan, Waimanalo) def. James Martinez (Freelance)
Unanimous decision [(29-28), (30-27), (29-28)] after 3 rounds.

Kickboxing Bout: 3 Rounds - 1.5 Minutes
Bronson Kamaka (808 Fight Factory, Waipahu) drew Jason Pembelton (Fairtex San Francisco)
Draw [(28-28), (29-29), (28-28)] after 3 rounds.

Welterweight MMA Bout: 2 Rounds - 3 Minutes
Marshal Harvest (Animal House, North Shore) def. Keoni Bryant (Jus Rush, Kailua)
Unanimous decision [(20-18), (20-18), (20-18)] after 2 rounds.

Flyweight MMA Bout: 2 Rounds - 3 Minutes
Chas Schmidt (Team MMMAD, Kailua) drew Jay Bolos (Freelance, Waipahu)
Majority Draw [(19-19), (18-18), (18-19)] after 2 rounds.

132lbs Kickboxing Bout: 3 Rounds - 1.5 Minutes
Bronson Mohika (808 Fight Factory, Waipahu) def. Devin Damo 'Pihana (Valentino K.B ,Ewa)
Split decision [(29-28), (28-29), (29-28)] after 2 rounds.

Heavyweight Kickboxing Bout: 3 Rounds - 1.5 Minutes
Val Ulafale (Team Bigdogs, Waianae) def. Hansen Apo (Eastsidaz, Waimanalo)
Unanimous decision [(29-28), (29-28), (29-28)] after 2 rounds.

165lbs MMA Bout: 2 Rounds - 3 Minutes
Fatu Tuitafa (808 Fight Factory, Waipahu) def. Jimmy Nakamura (Koden Kan/JKD, Kailua)
Unanimous decision [(20-18), (20-18), (20-18)] after 2 rounds.

145lbs Kickboxing Bout: 3 Rounds - 1.5 Minutes
Henry Hori (Koden Kan, Kailua) def. Kapena Abilla (Valentino Kickboxing, Hilo)
TKO via referee stoppage in Round 2.

Heavyweight MMA Bout: 2 Rounds - 3 Minutes
Keahi Kuikahi (Team Bigdogs, Waianae) def. Kealoha Emsley (Jus Rush, Kailua)
Split decision [(20-18), (20-18), (20-18)] after 2 rounds.

Light Heavyweight MMA Bout: 2 Rounds - 3 Minutes
Maui Wolfgram (Team MMAD, Kailua) def. Ron Verdadereo (Jesus Is Lord, Waipahu)
Unanimous decision [(20-18), (20-18), (20-18)] after 2 rounds.

150lbs. MMA Bout: 2 Rounds - 3 Minutes
Albert Manners (BJ Penn's MMA) def. Kaipo Gonzales (Team MMAD, Kailua)
Unanimous decision [(20-18), (20-18), (20-18)] after 2 rounds.

163lbs. MMA Bout: 2 Rounds - 3 Minutes
Kyle Miyahana (Team MMAD, Kailua) def. PJ Dean (Bad Intentions, Waianae)
Submission via arm bar from the guard in Round 1.

170 Kickboxing Bout: 3 Rounds - 1.5 Minutes
Wayne Perrin III (Bigdogs, Waianae) def. Bryan Ingram (808 Fight Factory, Waipio)
Unanimous decision [(30-27), (30-27), (30-27)] after 3 rounds

Lightweight MMA Bout: 3 Rounds - 3 Minutes
Makoa Hainake (Team MMAD, Kahuku) def. David Padilla (Jesus Is Lord, Waipahu)
Unanimous decision [(29-28), (29-28), (29-28)] after 3 rounds

Lightweight MMA Bout: 2 Rounds - 3 Minutes
Kaleo Kwon (Eastsidaz, Waimanalo) def. Kevin Smith (Team Bigdogs, Waianae)
Unanimous decision [(30-27), (30-27), (30-27)] after 3 rounds.

Shogun Elected Best of 2005
By Alexandre Lobo / Team TATAME

Pride GP Middleweight champ Maurício 'Shogun' Rua was elected by a team of specialists as the number 1 fighter of 2005. The election was held by the most important MMA magazine in Brazil, TATAME Magazine, and included names such as Master Carlson Gracie, Quinton Jackson, Rodrigo Minotauro, among others. “I’ve no doubt to say: Shogun was the fighter of the year, due to his technique, his cardio conditions, his heart and determination. Shogun has the blood and the soul of a real fighter”, stated one of the most important fighters of the MMA history, Master Carlson Gracie.

Shogun’s opponent at the Pride GP Middleweight 2005 first round, Quinton Jackson agrees with Master Carlson and says that Shogun is also a great guy outside the ring. “He is not only the best of the year, but he’s the best fighter nowadays. Shogun also has a great mood outside the ring”, Jackson says. Brother of Rogério Minotouro, Shogun’s opponent at the GP second round, Rodrigo Minotauro confirms: “2005 was Shogun’s year. He beat some of the better fighters on his weight, such as Ricardo Arona and Minotouro. He deserved the GP’s belt”. Shogun thanks everybody for the nice words and promises to his fans another great year.

"I’m very happy to be chosen the best of 2005 and I promise I’ll repeat the good performances now in 2006”, Shogun states.

Source: Maxfighting

Alexandre "Cacareco" Ferreira
- Brazilian Fighting Machine

Two quick victories by submission in last two fights turned the plans of any fighter. This would not be different to BTT's Alexandre "Cacareco" Ferreira, who had in his mind just the plans of a career focused in Submission Grappling competitions. We caught-up a motivated Cacareco after his less thgan one minute submission victory over ChuteBoxer Julio Cesar "Jamanta" in last edition of Jungle Fighting Championship (fifth edition) in last November '05 in Brazil

Takimoto- Cacareco, tell us how does your rivalry with Julio Cesar "Jamanta" started?

Alexandre Ferreira- It started in Portugal, because besides the fact that he didn't reach the weight to fight against me, he kept calling me a chicken, that he were going to knock me out and send me to the hospital. After my victory in 15 seconds, he said that I had won against a "dead man" [because of the weight cutting]. After this fight, Wallid
Ismail had interest to put our fight together in Jungle Fight 5 and it happened like that… That fight was personal I put all my angry off and lasted only 52 seconds to submit him.


Takimoto- Tell us what happened at breakfast in the hotel after the JFC fight against Julio Cesar.

Alexandre Ferreira- What happened is that they do not know how to lose and Chute Boxe took a beating in Jungle. Only CYBORG won and, even him, won against a tomato can. If the guy had a little more knowledge about fighting and stamina, he would surely have won the fight. They, when they lose, they can not stay with anyone socially. It is hard to stay around them. They tried to come at me with a group of people, but I took the initiative and they hesitated… So, Fabio Piemonte called me to fight. I took off my watch and went straight forward him. But at this time Carlos Barreto, along with Marcelo Alonso (TATAME Magazine editor) and others held us.

Takimoto- A lot of people criticized your gestures after your victories over Julio Cesar and Alexandre "Cafe" Dantas [at a submission event]. What do you have to tell about this?

Alexandre Ferreira- With Julio Cesar it was personal. He did not know how to respect me and my team. That gesture was to but off my emotion, to showed that the ones who talk too much are out. The thing with Cafe Dantas, I am regretted because I did that, he did not deserve what I did. After all, he treat me well and is a guy that I already trained with. I apologize to him once again.

Takimoto- Do you have any bad feelings toward any fighter or academy?

Alexandre Ferreira- No, I do not. The few problems that I had were solved with talk or insidethe ring.

Takimoto- Do you consider yourself better in submission or MMA?

Alexandre Ferreira- I consider myself better in submission, but, as incredible as it can be, I let my game flow more in MMA, where I obtain more finishes.

Takimoto- How is it to train in one of the best Jiu - Jitsu and MMA academies of the world?

Alexandre Ferreira- It is very good, there I feel myself at home, and it only has tough trainings. You look at your side and only see champions and this thing gives me spirit to train harder to conquer my goals.

Takimoto- What do you think about Chute Boxe?

Alexandre Ferreira- It is, without a doubt, a great team. Everybody knows, any guy from there can be a champion in any event of the world. And I clap hands to Rudimar Fedrigo for consider him the fight genius, because he went to a city that did not had this fight culture and built an empire. Congratulates to him.

Takimoto- Who do you consider the bests of the world?

Alexandre Ferreira- At 83kg, without a doubt, Paulo Filho. At 93kg, there is Ricardo Arona, Wanderlei Silva, Mauricio "Shogun" Rua, Renato "Babalu" Sobral, Alistair Overeen, Rogerio "Minotouro" Nogueira and Tito Ortiz. At the heavyweights, I think the best are Rodrigo "Minotauro" Nogueira and Emelianenko Fedor.

Takimoto- You said Sobral's name and was his teammate, what do you have to tell about him?

Alexandre Ferreira- I consider Sobral one of the world's best, if not the best. His game is very similar with Fedor's game. A lot of stamina, wrestling, ground and stand up. In a little time, he will be the best.

Takimoto- Your next fight will be against Alistair Overeen at Cage Rage. What do you expect about this fight?

Alexandre Ferreira- I expect to do a tough fight and, of course, I expect to win. I know that he is one of the Pride's top 5 and winning, it will bring to me a big reward.

Takimoto- When will we see you at bigger events, like UFC and Pride?

Alexandre Ferreira- If God wants, it will happen in a little time. Jose Mario Sperry is trying to put me in the UFC at 83kg. We are waiting and if Rodrigo Nogueira had fought in Pride, I was going to be in his corner for the Japanese audience to know me, but it was not this time.

Takimoto- Leave a message to your fans.

Alexandre Ferreira- To all fighters who are starting now, be careful with the false managers who promise this and that. Look for a good academy, train hard and
keep going forward that everything is going to be right.

Source: Maxfighting

UFC v. WFC - "FIGHTING" It Out In Court
By WFC - Joe Mesa

Denver CO, January 11, 2006: The Ultimate Fighting Championship and its ownership company Zuffa LLC, has filed a federal lawsuit against the Worldwide Fighting Championship for using the words “fighting,” and “championship,” within its name.

The lawsuit was filed Wednesday, January 11, 2006 stating that the use of the terms “fighting,” and “championship,” is a violation of copyright law and somehow misleads fans into thinking that the two promotion companies are somehow related. In addition to the suit, Zuffa LLC, is moving to stop the WFC from using its name as well as stopping the event “Rumble in the Rockies,” slated for January 21, 2006 at the Budweiser Events Center.

The WFC feels that the verb “fighting,” and the noun “championship,” is a generic term used to describe the type of sports event being produced. The term “Fighting Championship,” is the MMA industry’s equivalent to the term “Operating System,” or “OS,” used in the technology industry. Many different companies such as Microsoft Windows XP, and Macintosh OS 10, are companies that use and rely on the term to provide consumers with a description of the service provided.

The unprecedented lawsuit by Zuffa LLC, has far reaching ramifications, and poses the question of whether the UFC will now file against MMA companies like the Japanese super-promotion PRIDE Fighting Championship for the same reason.

This controversial action by Zuffa LLC is the latest of moves intended to alienate the promotion company from the rest of the MMA industry in a negative manner. The first such action came as the UFC banned all online media from covering UFC events except for in-house and mainstream media outlets.

The WFC prides itself on openness and accessibility and will continue encourage and invite all forms of media to cover WFC-related events and promotions. The WFC feels that the lawsuit is completely baseless and a ploy to create an illegal monopoly by claiming ownership of a generic term.

The UFC has been criticized within the MMA industry as of late for its lack of serious championship contenders and lackluster fight cards. UFC has elected to handle this matter with lawsuits against other companies rather than delivering a superior product.

The bottom line is that the WFC feels that this frivolous lawsuit will be dismissed in a timely manner and plans for “Rumble in the Rockies,” are in full force and fans will again fill the Budweiser center. It is obvious that the UFC fears the competition from this relative new kid on the block and the WFC will continue unencumbered, as the fastest-growing MMA promotion company in the country.

For tickets, visit www.comcasttix.com, or for more information please check www.thewfc.com or www.Budweisereventscenter.com. We invite all writers and photographers to cover the event and media credentials can be reserved by contacting J. Mesa at jmfighterinfo@hotmail.com. See you ringside – J.

Source: Maxfighting

 1/14/06

Quote of the Day

"Remember that fear always lurks behind perfectionism. Confronting your fears and allowing yourself the right to be human can, paradoxically, make you a far happier and more productive person."

David M. Burns

PUNISHMENT IN PARADISE Tonight!
EAST vs. WEST II

Friday Jan 13,2006 6pm
Sea Life Park

For ticket Outlets or Fight Information feel free to call or email me at bdkamaka@comcast.net or 408-916-8082

Tentative Fight Card

Lightweight MMA Bout

Kaleo Kwon (Eastsidaz, Waimanalo) Vs. Kevin Smith (Team Bigdogs, Waianae)

Lightweight MMA Bout

Makoa Hainake (Team MMAD, Kahuku) Vs. David Padilla (Jesus Is Lord, Waipahu)

Middleweight MMA Bout

Kimo Wolfel (Eastsidaz, Waimanalo) Vs. Dylan Clay (Maui Freestyle Jiu Jitsu)

163lbs. MMA Bout

Kyle Miyahana (Team MMAD, Kailua) Vs. PJ Dean (Bad Intentions, Waianae)

170 Kickboxing Bout

Bryon Ingram (808 Fight Factory, Waipio) Vs. Wayne Perrin III (Bigdogs, Waianae)

143lbs MMA Bout

Chico Cantiberas (Eastsidaz, Kailua) Vs. Gene Gregory (Mixed Bred, Waipahu)

Heavyweight MMA Bout

Kealoha Emsley (Jus Rush, Kailua) Vs. Keahi Kuikahi (Team Bigdogs, Waianae)

150lbs. MMA Bout

Kaipo Gonzales (Team MMAD, Kailua) Vs. Issac Ukiah (Mixed Bred, Waipahu)

Light Heavyweight MMA Bout

Maui Wolfgang (Team MMAD, Kailua) Vs Ron Verdadereo (Jesus Is Lord, Waipahu)

145lbs Kickboxing Bout

Jarret Iha (Koden Kan, Kailua) Vs. Kapena Abilla (Valentino Kickboxing, Hilo)

165lbs MMA Bout

Jimmy Nakamura (Koden Kan/JKD ,Kailua) Vs. Fatu Tuitafa(808 Fight Factory, Waipahu)

Heavyweight Kickboxing Bout

Hansen Apo (Eastsidaz, Waimanalo) Vs. Val Ulafale (Team Bigdogs, Waianae)

140lbs MMA Bout

Scott Miyamoto (Team Koden Kan, Kailua) Vs. Isiah Cobb Adamms (Animal House, Ewa Beach)

Flyweight MMA Bout

Chas Schmidt (Team MMMAD, Kailua) Vs. Jay Bolos (Freelance, Waipahu)

132lbs Kickboxing Bout

Bronson Mohika (808 Fight Factory, Waipahu) Vs. Devin Damo ‘Pihana (Valentino K.B ,Ewa)

Welterweight MMA Bout

Keoni Bryant (Jus Rush, Kailua) Vs. Marshal Harvest (Animal House, North Shore)

Lightweight MMA Bout

John Kukahiko (Koden Kan, Waimanalo) Vs. Shane Nelson (BJ Penn MMA, Hilo)

Mahalo & Happy New Year,

Brennan Kamaka

Rodrigo Minotauro
By By Alexandre Lobo
Searching for the throne

For a long time, Rodrigo Minotauro was the great fighter of Pride. With his danger ground game and race, he dominated Japanese rings until Emelianenko Fedor shows up. After two matches against the Russian, Minotauro is preparing himself to get back the Heavyweight belt of Pride. During this exclusive to TATAME web site, Rodrigo talks about his absence at Pride Shockwave, his preparation to GP 2006 and the possible dispute with Fedor.

So, why are you out of Pride Shockwave?

I was going to fight Zuluzinho but later they gave him Emelianenko Fedor. Then I didn't know what was going on until the last days. they were planning to set up a fight against Fabrício Werdum, but he got his foot injured and the fight got cancelled. Now I am on my way to France... I will spend New Year's Eve there and then fly to Madagascar and run a seminar.

Are you upset because Pride's delay to inform your opponent?

I think that we can't think about if we will fight or not. I already though in other opportunities that I was going to fight and it didn't happen. So, this is normal. At this time I hurt myself during the trainings and it disturbed me also in the negotiations, because I didn't confirmed my participation. After that, everything was right for me to fight against Werdum and he also got hurt. So, they gave me Zuluzinho, but after that they put him to fight with Fedor. I am still training.

This year you've just fought one time. What changed in your relation with the Pride?

Since 2003, I hurt my right elbow and them I hurt the left one. I spent all this time recovering myself and I am close to 100%. Against Pawel Nastula, I did not have conditions, but I had a deal with Pride and I gave my best. In October, I decided to don't fight until I recover myself totally. I need to take care of myself to be 100% for the upcoming GP 2006.

Don't you think fighting once is just bad?

A lot of fighters have done that yet. I was the different one. I was fighting like five times per year. Now my job is for the GP, which will take place in February or April. I want to be one of the finalists.

What about Fedor?

He is the strong name to be beaten. I bet all my job to face him.

After three fights with the Russian fighter, you already know his game well. What is your tip for Zuluzinho?

The strong thing in Fedor is the beats and take downs. Zuluzinho must keep the distance to don't fall. I think he should use the jab and walk around the ring. So he will not be easy.

Source: Tatame

HUNT SPEAKS

Mark Hunt

Mark Hunt was recently interviewed by the PRIDE website. Here's what Hunt had to say:

Interviewer: What did you do after your fight on December 31st?

Hunt: I went to Yoshinoya and ate gyudon (beef on rice). Yoshinoya's gyudon is one of my favorite Japanese foods. (laughing) After that, I went back to the hotel and went straight to sleep.

Interviewer: You didn't go out drinking and partying?

Hunt: No, I didn't. I'm going to lead a moderate life for my next fight, so I'm not going to go crazy.

Interviewer: That's very stoic.

Hunt: Of course! I only fought once in 2005. I'm being careful about my conditioning and thinking about my body now so I will be able to fight a lot this year.

Interviewer: I'd like you to look back on your fight with Mirko (Filipovic). How did it feel to fight him?

Hunt: I think it was a good fight. I think his strategy was probably to make me tired, but I didn't like it because Mirko wouldn't come out to face me.

Interviewer: You looked frustrated during the fight. Did you feel frustrated?

Hunt: Exactly. I was frustrated many times. If you run around like that, you can't fight a real fight and I wasn't able to do what I wanted to, either. So, I'm not just frustrated with Mirko. I'm frustrated with myself, too.

Interviewer: You wanted to strike more with Mirko?

Hunt: Yes, because that's what a good fight is.

Interviewer: You personally hate fighters that just look for counters and keep their distance?

Hunt: It's not about liking or hating him. That kind of fighting style isn't a fight. The fans buy tickets and come to see a fight. You have to show them a fight in your match.

Interviewer: It seems that Mirko had a cold and his foot was injured. What do you think about that?

Hunt: I didn't know anything about it. When I fought Mirko in 2001, I only had 2 weeks (notice) before the fight. But, I don't want to make that into an excuse. A loss is a loss, no matter what the reason. If Mirko's condition was really bad, that's too bad. I'm not going to hold back because Mirko's sick, and if our positions were reversed, I wouldn't want Mirko to hold back just because I'm sick. When you're a pro, you give your best in the ring, no matter what the conditions are.

Interviewer: I see. What were you thinking of doing in the fight?

Hunt: I wanted to stagger Mirko with punches and then body slam him from the top rope. (laughing)

Interviewer: You're not allowed to use the ropes. (laughing) For example, did you want to ground and pound, since you have been doing MMA training?

Hunt: No, I just wanted to KO him with punches.

Interviewer: When did you hurt your leg during the fight?

Hunt: I don't know exactly when, but I think I hurt it because I was always blocking Mirko's kicks.

Interviewer: You defended perfectly against Mirko's specialty, his left high kick. Was that something you planned before the fight?

Hunt: My conditioning was good and I was able to see his movements. I trained on defense a lot, too. And even if I'm hurt, I recover quickly.

Interviewer: Did you feel rusty during the fight, after being away for so long?

Hunt: I didn't think it would affect me so much, but really looking back on it, my timing was off and I wasn't able to lead the fight like I wanted. I think it did affect me.

Interviewer: I think a lot of your punches actually hit their mark. Did they feel good to you?

Hunt: I wanted them to be better. I wasn't able to grab Mirko well and after being away from fighting for a year, my timing was off.

Interviewer: You seemed to be throwing a lot of body shots yesterday. Was that something you had planned before the fight? Or did you think during the fight that they would be effective?

Hunt: I always thought that body shots would be effective. I used them during the fight to stop Mirko from running around.

Interviewer: Your wrestling was really good, too. Did you train that especially for this fight?

Hunt: No, I train striking and grappling equally.

Interviewer: What gym do you train at? Do you have coaches for each area of your training?

Hunt: I have a coach that I train with. There aren't many fighters where I live in Oceania that can fight in PRIDE. For example, there aren't any good organizations like Brazilian Top Team or Russian Top Team. So, I want to create that kind of gym.

Interviewer: Some fans and media in Japan are beginning to think that you might be the only one that can beat Fedor, since you beat Fedor's rival Mirko. What do you think about that?

Hunt: Fedor is an incredibly good fighter. He's good at striking and grappling. If I have the chance this year, I'd like to fight him.

Interviewer: If you hit him with your punches, would Fedor go down?

Hunt: Sou desu. ("That's right" in Japanese).

Interviewer: After the event, Dream Stage Entertainment CEO Sakakibara said that there is a possibility of an open weight grand prix. Are you interested in that?

Hunt: Is that fair? I would probably win if I just punched a fighter smaller than me. If I got an offer, I would fight of course, but isn't it dangerous to have me fighting in an open weight class?

Interviewer: I think a lot of Japanese fans want to see a fight that goes beyond weight categories, like your fight against Silva.

Hunt: But Silva almost weighs 100 kg (220 pounds). Silva is less than 93 kg (205 pounds) so he is a light heavyweight, and I'm more than 93 kg (205 pounds) so I'm a heavyweight. Personally, I think Silva and I are in about the same weight category.

Interviewer: If you think so, I think that's fine.

Hunt: Good, because I just want to fight a lot next year!

Source: Fight Sport

SPERRY POSSIBLY IN PRIDE 31


Mario Sperry

Mario Sperry spoke with the Brazilian media and stated that he will most likely be participating on the PRIDE 31 card on February 26th.

Source: Fight Sport

GRACIE FAMILY ARTICLE
The following article is courtesy of Gracie Magazine:

Gracie Family Values
What makes them so victorious?

by Martin Rooney III

Most people that I have met around the world describe only two things when they are asked about the Gracie Family: fighting and blood ties. This is one of the most inaccurate descriptions that I could ever think of to describe this family. This limited observation has two causes: these people have only seen the Gracie's fight, and they have never met any of them. This article is going to give any people that hold the narrow belief mentioned above insight into what it means to be a member of this family.

I, like many others, was first introduced to the Gracie Family when Royce Gracie entered the Octagon at UFC 1 and dominated the competition in 1993. At that point, even to me they were just a family of fighters connected by a history of techniques and blood. Two and a half years later, a friend of mine told me about a charismatic fighter that I had to meet. His name was Renzo Gracie. Since my first training session at his New York City academy all those years ago, Renzo treated me like a brother. I have been lucky to have met many members of the Gracie family and have accompanied them on trips all over the world. The relationships I developed even got me the honor of writing for Gracie Magazine. The trip to Japan for PRIDE Bushido, held in October of 2003, however, would be one of the most historic events I would be involved with the Gracie family to date. It would be the day that they were to take on Japan.

On my flight to Japan to see PRIDE Bushido, I was definitely caught up in the hype that the Gracie "Family" was taking on Japan. I was excited and also nervous about the pressure that this event could have in store for the Gracie's that were competing. Could this be the end of a revolution that this family started over ten years ago in MMA? Could this be a historical event that could threaten the legacy for what this family has worked for over the last century? These were the questions that everyone was asking, and I too was listening to the propaganda.

The training session on the morning of PRIDE Bushido eased much of my apprehension. Renzo's punches were crisp and accurate, Rodrigo looked strong and explosive, Ryan was aggressive and focused, and Daniel looked relaxed and confident. Everyone also discussed how great Ralph looked, and that he was surely ready for his match. I think that session calmed many of the people that were there, and demonstrated how ready the Gracie's were for action. As the entire team left the hotel for the arena later that day, Rodrigo Gracie let out a roar, "Are we ready for a war?" As I saw all of the people that left with us in the same black and white Team Gracie shirts, the army that I was now with put me at ease. It was not until the bus ride to the Saitama Super Arena that all of my fears and doubts were completely gone. When I rode for that hour over to the arena I had an epiphany of what this family is all about. By the time the PRIDE event was over that night, every belief that I developed on that bus ride came true.

There are many characteristics of a successful family. When a family has the characteristics of a quality family, they can take on anything. As I am about to show, these values are as important to the Gracie's success as is their technique and fighting history. These values are the glue that has held this family together and allowed them to take on not just a single country, but the world. The following paragraphs are going to be a back stage description in chronological order of PRIDE Bushido and what it taught me about this family.

The first essential characteristic of a family that I learned on that bus ride was Unity. A family must be unified in their beliefs and purpose if they are to be successful. If there is not unity present, a family is sure to break down. There may not be total alignment at all times within a family, but there must be unity. For instance, there is an old saying, "If it is you versus me, I choose me, but if it is you versus them, I choose us!" Everyone on that bus was unified with only one purpose in mind: victory.

The next characteristic that came on that bus ride was Support. A family is nothing if it does not have a culture in which every member supports the other. This characteristic could not be denied from the Gracie family on this day. There were so many members of the family and a support staff from all over the world that it was absolutely amazing. Everyone was there to help in any way possible. Every member of the team was also supported equally. There was no one that lacked the attention and the support of the entire group.

An interesting characteristic that many people may not understand is that a family must be able to Agree to Disagree. There are going to be arguments. There are going to be differences in opinion and conflict. No family is free from this, and that includes the Gracie's. A family must allow these opinions to make sure there is proper communication. If this is not allowed, the relationships will be superficial. During the bus ride, and during our wait before the fights in the locker room, the Gracie brothers (Ryan, Ralph, and Renzo) argued about things as simple as whose gloves were whose and what to wear. To an outsider, this conflict could be seen to undermine the situation, but this did not threaten the integrity of the family or the day. That is because a simple argument cannot disrupt a family that knows it can express its opinions. When conflict is allowed, relationships and the family actually grow stronger.

A critical characteristic that was displayed throughout this day by the Gracie family was Trust. Without trust within a family, the family is going to dissolve and fragment for sure. Each member knew what their responsibilities were on this trip. For the fighters, their responsibility was to represent the Gracie legacy and win. For the corner men, their responsibility was to make sure the fighter was physically and mentally prepared, as well as deliver the right strategy at the right time during the fight. When we were in the locker rooms preparing the fighters for the event, every family member had a job to do. Whether it was preparing the gloves and water bottles, making sure there was enough to eat, stretching and warming the athletes, giving last minute advice or keeping the press out of the room at critical times, everyone was trusted in their position. This trust is not something you are given in a family, this trust is earned. Every member of the team this day earned that responsibility with accountability over time. Because of this fact, there would surely not be anyone let down on this day.

As the fights began I was aware of two characteristics that the family also displayed: Tradition and Pride. A family is about history, and a family will often do anything to defend that honor. Why they defend that history is because of their family pride. When a family has enough tradition and pride present, they command respect. I can only try to imagine the feeling a fighter faces jumping into the ring to fight. Add the fact that your family tradition and pride is at stake, and the pressure could be overwhelming. Because of who these Gracie's are, and what their family represents, they had no problem taking that weight on their shoulders. When the fights were tied 2-2, I could feel the tension in the air. As I stood on the platform behind the curtain with Ryan Gracie and the other members of Team Gracie, I knew what was at stake. Ryan was focused and eager to accept the responsibility of the deciding fight. As the curtain rose and Ryan burst out toward the ring through the cheering fans, he had only one purpose: deliver a win for the family.

Could he win the fight? Could the Gracie family defeat Japan? One might think that for one family to take on the traditions and pride of an entire country would be impossible. On closer examination, however, it should be easy to see why one might take the family over the country to win. Throughout history, countries are often divided by civil war. People within countries are often divided by different interests and desires. This leads to lack of unity, communication, support, and trust. Each member of Team Japan may have felt pride to represent their country, but every fighter was surely first there for themselves. This was not true for any member of the Gracie family on this day. Each man was there for a bigger reason than personal fulfillment and country pride. There is one characteristic that Team Japan may have been lacking that could not allow them to defeat Team Gracie: Responsibility. Ryan went into the ring with the responsibility to produce a victory. That is something his opponent may not have possessed.

When Ryan delivered his final foot stomp and the referee pulled him away from his knocked out opponent, the Gracie Team swarmed the ring. As different members of the family were hoisted onto the shoulders of other family members, I learned the most important family characteristic of all: Love. To see all the joy and love in the ring at that moment was magical to be a part of. No one that only sees a fight in the ring can ever understand how much love this family has. This is where all of their strength comes from. Not only is this love for members of the immediate family, but it is for the "adopted" members of the family as well. When Ryan addressed the adoring Japanese fans, he yelled, "I love you, I love Japan!" For that moment, he made the Japanese fans part of the family too, and not one of them would deny the invitation.

The Gracie family is amazing in their ability to make people feel part of their family. This family has touched the lives of so many people around the world that it is difficult to calculate. So when everyone was saying that this was Japan versus the Gracie family, I don't think anyone really understood what that meant. It was not just 5 fighters in the ring connected by blood, but all the things that you cannot see that made the difference on this night.

With the understanding of what type of family culture the Gracie's possess, one should be able to see that nothing can threaten this legacy. There is no one win or loss that can disrupt who the members of this family are and what they have done. When a family's culture is interwoven with unity, support, trust, tradition, pride, and love, they can take on anything. That is exactly what this family did in Japan; victoriously.

Source: Fight Sport

 1/13/06

Quote of the Day

"Chance favors the prepared mind."

Louis Pasteur, 1822-1895, French Microbiologist and Chemist

PUNISHMENT IN PARADISE
EAST vs. WEST II Weigh-Ins Tonight!

Friday Jan 13,2006 6pm

WEIGH INS!!

Boardriders, Kailua @6PM Sharp!!

Friday Jan 13,2006 @ Boardriders Kailua, we will be hosting EAST vs. WEST 2nd Anniversary Weigh Ins. Come met the fighters take pictures and sign autographs. 98.5 will be on hand for the weigh in LIVE. Also, this is the last day to purchase Presale Tickets... what ever is left!! To let you know about how fast the tickets are going, 1500 were made and almost gone.. Just a reminder we are only letting in 2,000 people.

For ticket Outlets or Fight Information feel free to call or email me at bdkamaka@comcast.net or 408-916-8082

Recovered, Pequeno is back to train

The biggest champion of the Shooto history, Alexandre Pequeno is back to training after a surgery in his knee. Since the beginning of January, the star of Shooto Brazil Dojo has been training his ground skills with his pupils in Rio de Janeiro and earlier today, he's done his first Muay Thai train, supervised by Toniko Junior. "Now I'm working to improve my knee. But I'm 100% recovered," stated Pequeno, who has been improving him physical condition with trainer André Vinícius Aurnheimer. Alexandre Pequeno was operated on last November 2 due to a broken knee.

Source: Tatame

GFC with Gracie vs. Hammer House

Announced by site TATAME in first hands, the event of the governor of California and the "Terminator" Arnold Schwarzenegger has already the date confirmed. The Gracie Fighting Championship (GFC) will take place on March 3, in Colombus, Ohio (USA), and will put face-to-face representatives of the Gracie family against athletes of the team Hammer House, of Mark Colleman.

Black-belt of Royler Gracie, Daniel Moraes can be one of the representatives of the Gracie family in the competition. After the victory against Rodrigo Damm in the V Brazilian Cyclone of Submission, in December, Daniel, said to team TATAME that he would make his debut in Vale-Tudo in the beginning of this year, in an event created by Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Source: Tatame

Vitor Shaolin: Another challenge ahead

Black-belt of Jiu-Jitsu from Nova União, Vitor Shaolin is getting ready for another challenge. On February 4, Shaolin returns to Japan to fight at Mars against Japanese Eiji Mistsuoka, who already defeated his teammate Gleidson Tibau. Because of it, Shaolin will have to postpone his holidays. "I've never fought during this season. so I will pass my Christmas and the New Years Eve training hard and on diet," he said. Read more about the Nova União star below.

You are confirmed to fight in Japan in 2006. Tell us more about this event...

I am going to Japan on January 29 to fight on February 4, at Mars. This event is a union of GMC with K-1, like Rumble on the Rock made in Hawaii. I will face Eiji Mistsuoka, who already defeated Gleidson Tibau.

So you already know Mitsuoka's game?

Not yet. Mitsuoka defeated Tibau fighting until 77kg, but we will fight in the category until 70kg...despite of I have asked to fight until 73kg. I will get the tape of his fight against Tibau and I will study his game. This will happen soon.

How will be your preparation?

I've never fought during this holiday season, so I will pass my Christmas and the New Years Eve training hard and on diet. I will just eat one sweet "rabanada", but I will get there well and I will conquer more one victory in more one different event that I fight.

This is a great chance to pride people see you in action. What do you think about that?

I'm not thinking about that. One day they will call me to fight there. I don't know why they take so long, but one day they will call me. But I hope that they have one person there to put me in the Pride.

Talking about Pride, we have Murilo Bustamante fighting Dan Henderson. What are you expecting of this fight?

I'm anxious to see Murilo fighting. That is a pity that the fight won't pass by television, but I am sure Murilo will win. He made so many things for the Jiu-Jitsu and for the Vale-Tudo. If he wins, will be something really good, like was to Romario to be the best player of the Brazilian soccer championship at age 40.

We also have the belt dispute between Wanderlei Silva and Ricardo Arona...

If Arona trained hard, I can't see him losing to Wanderlei Silva. I don't know Wanderlei, but I respect him a lot. I just don't think his game had changed since the GP. Arona's game is not very good for Wanderlei. Arona is really strong, explosive, he beats and kicks strongly and he can put the adversary down really well.

Source: Tatame

 1/12/06

Quote of the Day

"What we have done for ourselves alone dies with us. What we have done for others and the world remains and is immortal."

Albert Pike, 1809-1891, American Author

BEING A FATHER OF FIVE & FIGHTING


Ronald ‘The Machine Gun’ Jhun takes on MMAWeekly’s own Frank ‘Twinkle Toes’ Trigg in the opening round of the Rumble on the Rock 8 welterweight tournament that kicks off January 20th. Sixteen fighters in sixteen days is back by popular demand with Ronald Jhun talking about his first round match up with Frank Trigg.

Ronald Jhun is a father of five and a full-time construction worker trying to balance work, family life, and a fighting career. Ronald’s had a roller coaster career in Mixed Martial Arts looking impressive at times. His career has been marked by peaks and valleys and is in a valley. He holds wins over Dave Strasser, Pete Spratt, Shonnie Carter, Ryan Schultz, and ‘The Ultimate Fighter’ season two participants: Joe Stevenson and Jason Von Flue, early in their careers. The last year and a half have been rough. Jhun has lost four of his last five fights and is determined to make Frank Trigg the beginning on an upward track.

With five kids and a full-time job, can Ronald put in the time training to be a serious fighter? He said, "I work construction, so for me I feel that is a workout, doing the daily working: climbing the ladder, carrying material; for me that’s like a workout in a day. I come home at night and I train. I’ve got a solid wife who takes care of the kids. She knows that I’ve got to get into my training. She plays a big role in my fight career."

Ronald continued, "I’ve been training at a high level too, trying to step up my game. I guarantee it’s going to end up in probably a greco-Roman fighting, dirty boxing fight in the clinches . . . I think that whoever withstands the storm and is in better shape is going too win that night."

Trigg has commented that he plans to stand and trade with Jhun, but Ronald isn’t buying it. He said, "They all say they’re going to stand and they do something else, so . . . This is MMA. I mean whatever he feels like doing. You’re out there to fight. You stand and if you get hit, who knows? You take the guy down. I just think Frank Trigg is going to bring a war."

Ronald added, "Frank Trigg has fought the best in the world. Like I said, I’ve always trained for a big fight no matter who I take. Fighting someone like Trigg just steps my game up a notch. I ain’t taking him light, and I hope he ain’t taking me light."

Questioned what concerns him most about Frank Trigg, Jhun replied, "I can’t say I ain’t concerned about Trigg. It’s just more myself I’m worried about me showing up and me reacting. Trigg has got a great wrestling background. He’s a solid wrestler, always comes forward. Just being consistent. Just me reacting to his movement out there, and trying to counter his wrestling, and his stand up, and his Thai and all of that. The thing that concerns me is that he’s unpredictable. If you’ve watched his last three or four fights, he comes out and fights to the style of the fighter . . . I mean he’s unpredictable."

Jhun feels he has one advantage over Frank Trigg and that it will pay off in their fight. He commented, "You can’t question my heart. Trigg, like I said, he brings it. I don’t think Trigg has ever faced anyone like me, someone who never gives up. I think that alone speaks volumes right there."

Jhun brought up an interesting point about the pressure on him and Trigg entering this fight. He said, "I think it’s better for me than him because if he wins they’re going to say Trigg should have won. If I win, I’m back on the map."

Asked if there are holes in Trigg’s game that he can exploit, Jhun answered, "A lot of fighters have holes in their armor. Basically, at the level we fight, the first man that makes a mistake and you capitalize on it. That’s basically what I saw in his last few fights. Trigg was doing good. He made a mistake and his opponent capitalized on it. If you don’t recover and turn the fight around and capitalize on the other guy’s mistakes, it could be short night for anybody."

Closing out the interview, Jhun was asked his prediction for the fight. He answered, "I’m not one to predict man. I expect a war. Anytime I fight, my name is on a fight card, some big things are going to happen."

Source: MMA Weekly

FEDOR VS JEAN CLAUDE VAN DAM

The following was reported on a few or the Russian websites this week. This was taken from the European FightSport Magazine.

"After the victorious fight on New Year's tournament PRIDE Fedor Emelianenko has once again visited Paris under the invitation of the magazine "FightSport" for carrying out of masters - classes.

American actor Jean Claude Van Damme having learned(about his latest win) about it from pages of magazine has invited Fedor Emelianenko to a meeting and a dinner in one of the Parisian restaurants.

Jean Claude appeared to be an old admirer of Fedor and saw practically all his fights in tournaments of PRIDE. Van Damme has expressed the interest about Fedor Emelianenko's participation in the second part once very popular film "BloodSport".

Shootings of the film are scheduled for August and September of 2006. After exploratory talk of the his future producers of the film will send the scripts and the contracts to Fedor for a role in the movie.

Beforehand we assure Fedor's fans, that in case of his(its) consent, Fedor's participation in shootings the film will not be reflected by his participation in tournaments or PRIDE Fighting Championships.

Source: MMA Weekly

UFN 3 PREVIEW: LEBEN VS RIVERA

For the third edition of the UFC and SpikeTV’s Ultimate Fight Night they have finally put together an inspiring card that doesn’t have to rely solely on recent participants of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF). Although Chris Leben is a season one TUF veteran, his brotherhood is actually in the minority for this show.

For Ultimate Fight Night 3, the UFC has brought in some fighters that have been in the UFC before and are earning their way back to a shot at pay-per-view glory as well as some newer talent that has yet to be seen in a UFC event. Leben’s opponent, Jorge Rivera, falls into the first category.

In September of 2003, Rivera made his successful Octagon debut, launching himself into the ranks of the UFC middleweight contenders by defeating Canadian, and now number one ranked middleweight, David “The Crow” Loiseau. Maybe it was too much too fast as Rivera then dropped his next bout, at UFC 46, to a very tough Lee Murray. But Rivera wasted no time gaining entry back into the UFC and took current champion Rich Franklin to the wire before submitting to an arm bar less than a minute before the final bell.

The loss to Franklin again left Rivera on the outside of the Octagon looking in, but it didn’t slow him down. The Massachusetts Submission Academy fighter took the loss to heart and has gone 3-1 since, losing only to Anderson Silva and defeating the likes of Dennis Hallman and Alex Reid. On January 16th, he finds himself returning to the Octagon once again, this time to face Leben.

Following a much different path to the UFC, Chris Leben will be making his fourth UFC appearance since graduating from The Ultimate Fighter. He may have lost twice on the reality show (those bouts were counted as exhibitions and not declared on the fighters’ official records), but Leben has since gone 3-0 in the UFC with the sole loss of his career coming at the hands of fellow UFC veteran Joe Doerksen at the Freestyle Fighting Championships in Biloxi, Mississippi.

At first glance, and second glance, and third… you get the picture… this fight appears to have all the makings of a stand up war. Sure, Leben has trained for many years with Team Quest and is also working with Matt Hume now up in Washington, but make no bones about it, Leben is a strong kid that loves to throw down. And when he throws down, he likes to throw bombs. Just ask Mike Swick. Leben had his cage rattled by Swick in the first round of their bout at WEC 9 before coming out in the second and knocking Swick cold just 18 seconds in. Or talk to Benji Radach about his broken jaw via the hands of Leben.

Then again, this fight isn’t chalked up as a stand up battle just because of Leben’s propensity to drop the hammer down. Rivera is also known for his desire to trade blows. He and Loiseau put on a veritable Muay Thai clinic in the fight that launched Rivera’s UFC career and he and Franklin were knocking each other silly before Franklin had finally had enough and went with the arm bar instead. Yes, Rivera is schooled in submissions, that much should be obvious considering his training with Keith Rockel at the Massachusetts Submission Academy, but again, his love is for the art of striking.

In short, Leben and Rivera both like to stand and trade, both are good at it, and that is what they will do. The question is only, “Who’s stand up style will win out?” As stated, Leben’s style is a much more raw, bone-crunching, power game while Rivera has a much more Muay Thai-influenced technical style. That’s not to say that Rivera can’t lay the hammer down as well, it’s just that he looks much sharper doing it.

This is an important fight with the winner most liking putting himself in position to challenge the winner of the Rich Franklin vs. David Loiseau fight in March. Just who will win probably comes down to a couple of different factors. Though both fighters have a fair amount of experience and successes, Rivera is about eight years older than Leben. His strength in maturity has been seen as a week point in Leben’s game. The other factor is the means with which each fighter uses to get to the end. Again, while Leben’s power cannot be denied, his technical ability is open to scrutiny while Rivera’s technique is sharp as a razor, as are his elbows.

If Leben can keep from getting cut up by Rivera’s slashing style, not a given considering his fight with Kenny Florian on TUF, or if he can land big early, he has a very good shot at taking Rivera out and moving a step closer to title contention. With the odds stacked a little more in his favor, Rivera’s chin has passed the test before as witnessed by his fights with both Loiseau and Franklin, and he should be able to land blows at about a rate of three to every one of Leben’s. He probably won’t be able to knock him out, but his style lends itself to opening up fight ending cuts.

This is a tough one to call. I’d lean in favor of technique over brawn, but I wouldn’t lay any money down on this one. It should be a classic battle with a good shot at “Fight of the Night” honors.

Source: MMA Weekly

 1/11/06

Quote of the Day

"Jealousy is no more than feeling alone against smiling enemies."

Elizabeth Bowen, 1899-1973, Irish Novelist and Short Story Writer

PUNISHMENT IN PARADISE
EAST vs. WEST II

Friday Jan 13,2006 6pm

WEIGH INS!!

Boardriders, Kailua @6PM Sharp!!

Friday Jan 13,2006 @ Boardriders Kailua, we will be hosting EAST vs. WEST 2nd Anniversary Weigh Ins. Come met the fighters take pictures and sign autographs. 98.5 will be on hand for the weigh in LIVE. Also, this is the last day to purchase Presale Tickets... what ever is left!! To let you know about how fast the tickets are going, 1500 were made and almost gone.. Just a reminder we are only letting in 2,000 people.

For ticket Outlets or Fight Information feel free to call or email me at bdkamaka@comcast.net or 408-916-8082

Tentative Fight Card

Lightweight MMA Bout

Kaleo Kwon (Eastsidaz, Waimanalo) Vs. Kevin Smith (Team Bigdogs, Waianae)

Lightweight MMA Bout

Makoa Hainake (Team MMAD, Kahuku) Vs. David Padilla (Jesus Is Lord, Waipahu)

Middleweight MMA Bout

Kimo Wolfel (Eastsidaz, Waimanalo) Vs. Dylan Clay (Maui Freestyle Jiu Jitsu)

163lbs. MMA Bout

Kyle Miyahana (Team MMAD, Kailua) Vs. PJ Dean (Bad Intentions, Waianae)

170 Kickboxing Bout

Bryon Ingram (808 Fight Factory, Waipio) Vs. Wayne Perrin III (Bigdogs, Waianae)

143lbs MMA Bout

Chico Cantiberas (Eastsidaz, Kailua) Vs. Gene Gregory (Mixed Bred, Waipahu)

Heavyweight MMA Bout

Kealoha Emsley (Jus Rush, Kailua) Vs. Keahi Kuikahi (Team Bigdogs, Waianae)

150lbs. MMA Bout

Kaipo Gonzales (Team MMAD, Kailua) Vs. Issac Ukiah (Mixed Bred, Waipahu)

Light Heavyweight MMA Bout

Maui Wolfgang (Team MMAD, Kailua) Vs Ron Verdadereo (Jesus Is Lord, Waipahu)

145lbs Kickboxing Bout

Jarret Iha (Koden Kan, Kailua) Vs. Kapena Abilla (Valentino Kickboxing, Hilo)

165lbs MMA Bout

Jimmy Nakamura (Koden Kan/JKD ,Kailua) Vs. Fatu Tuitafa(808 Fight Factory, Waipahu)

Heavyweight Kickboxing Bout

Hansen Apo (Eastsidaz, Waimanalo) Vs. Val Ulafale (Team Bigdogs, Waianae)

140lbs MMA Bout

Scott Miyamoto (Team Koden Kan, Kailua) Vs. Isiah Cobb Adamms (Animal House, Ewa Beach)

Flyweight MMA Bout

Chas Schmidt (Team MMMAD, Kailua) Vs. Jay Bolos (Freelance, Waipahu)

132lbs Kickboxing Bout

Bronson Mohika (808 Fight Factory, Waipahu) Vs. Devin Damo ‘Pihana (Valentino K.B ,Ewa)

Welterweight MMA Bout

Keoni Bryant (Jus Rush, Kailua) Vs. Marshal Harvest (Animal House, North Shore)

Lightweight MMA Bout

John Kukahiko (Koden Kan, Waimanalo) Vs. Shane Nelson (BJ Penn MMA, Hilo)

Mahalo & Happy New Year,

Brennan Kamaka

ROTR 8 World Championships Hosts 8-Man Welterweight Tournament at Blaisdell Center Arena January 20th

Event to Feature World’s Top MMA Athletes and Debut of Local Favorite “Butterbean”

HONOLULU, HAWAI'I - Jan 09, 2006 On January 20th Rumble World Entertainment, promoters of Hawai‘i’s largest and most respected Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) event Rumble on the Rock (ROTR), will hold the first ever ROTR World Championships at the Blaisdell Center Arena in Honolulu. The event will be the preliminary test in an attempt to crown the first ROTR world champion at the highly anticipated ROTR Welterweight Grand Prix in April 2006.

RWE searched the world to find eight of the best welterweights in MMA today. In Los Angeles they found UFC contender and World Fighting Alliance (WFA) Champion ranked 5th in the world Frank “Twinkle Toes” Trigg. In Brazil they found Cage Rage Champion Anderson Silva and hailing from Japan is K-1 representative Yushin Okami. Former UFC Champion Dave Menne, former Shooto champion Jake Shields, New Mexico’s Carlos Condit, jiu-jitsu champion and ROTR veteran Renato “Charuto” Verissimo and former King of the Cage (KOTC) champion Ron “Machine Gun” Jhun were also signed to give the ROTR 8 card a bevy of undisputed champions.

To top off the star-studded evening, two Superfights featuring ROTR veteran and Hawai‘i football star Scott Junk as well as Hawaiian knockout royalty Wesley “Cabbage” Correira against Eric “Butterbean” Esch will draw the event to a close with Superfights that are the kind that make MMA history.

Promoters are hopeful that bringing these legends to Hawai‘i’s shores will help to further Hawai‘i’s appreciation of MMA and the caliber of fighters coming to compete in the tournament. According to JD Penn, “The athletes we’ve signed for this event are the very best in the sport right now, the top- ranked group in the welterweight division today. We originally scheduled this event for November but postponed it so that we could bring the fans a card packed with the world’s best. We’ve put together a card we’re proud of and we hope that the fans enjoy it,” he said.

In the first match-up of the evening, Brazilian jiu-jitsu expert and coach to BJ Penn, Renato “Charuto” Verissimo (5-2) will take on the up-and-coming Carlos Condit (13-2). Verissimo, ranked #6 in the world, is known to be the most technical in his division holding victories over Carlos Newton in the UFC and Yuichi Nakanishi in ROTR 7. Condit is a rising star with recent wins over Ross “Da Boss” Ebanez in a ROTR Qualifier event in November 2005 as well as Pete Spratt in a recent kickboxing match.

Hawai‘i’s most experienced professional fighter Ronald “Machine Gun” Jhun (23-15-2) will take on former WFA champion Frank “Twinkle Toes” Trigg in the second match-up of the evening. A former KOTC champion, Jhun is considered to be a heavy underdog. Trigg, known for his flashy antics and exciting style, is currently ranked #5 in the world after beating Verissimo in UFC #50. A possible re- match between Trigg and Verissimo in April’s ROTR Grand Prix Championships is highly anticipated.

The third match-up of the evening will bring together Dave Menne (38-12) and Jake Shields (11-4-1). Menne, UFC’s first-ever middleweight champion, is arguably the most skilled and experienced tournament fighter and will move down a weight class to take on former Shooto champion Shields who is currently ranked #9 in the world.

Former Shooto Champion, current Cage Rage champion and Pride veteran Anderson Silva (14-3) of Brazil will compete against K-1 representativeYushin Okami (13-2) of Japan. Silva who is ranked #1 in the middleweight division will drop a weight class and attempt to capture the ROTR Welterweight Grand Prix Title. Standing in his way is Demolition of Octagon Gear champion and K-1 rival Yushin Okami.

Two Superfights will draw the evening to a close. The first will feature the comeback of football star Scott Junk who returns to ROTR after his impressive debut against UFC veteran Ricco Rodriguez at ROTR 7.

The final Superfight of the evening will be between two knockout artists likely to cause fireworks in the Blaisdell Arena. With a professional record of 63 wins and 3 losses, Eric “Butterbean” Esche of Alabama will make his transition into MMA against Hilo’s Wesley “Cabbage” Correira (17-8). Nicknamed the “King of four-rounders” and “The man Mike Tyson refused to fight,” Butterbean proved to be very popular in K-1’s World Grand Prix event in May 2005 at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu. Hawai‘i fans were so impressed with Butterbean that RWE promoters decided to bring him back to compete in ROTR.

Rising off three straight wins in October, November and December 2005, Cabbage is on a warpath with a vengeance. The relentless 27-year-old Hilo native has come to be known for a willingness to accept bouts with some of the toughest fighters in the sport today. The heavyweight Superfight between Butterbean and Cabbage promises serious knockout power when one of the most famous boxers of our time will make his debut against a Hilo boy who just wants to scrap.

The evening’s grueling tournament promises to bring the action and excitement that has made ROTR the fastest-growing event in the U.S. and Hawai‘i’s premiere MMA event. The event will be held under MMA rules with three, five-minute rounds held in an octagon-shaped cage. A press conference will be held Thursday, January 19 at Ala Moana Centerstage at 5pm. On January 20, doors to the Blaisdell Center Arena will open at 6pm.

The event will also feature world-renown Polynesian entertainment group Malu Productions, known for their Snoop Dogg video performance on MTV as well as their performances with the NFL and the Hawai‘i International Film Festival. Malu Productions highlight the Polynesian dance styles of Tahiti, Hawaii, New Zealand, Tonga and Samoa.

Tickets to ROTR 8 can be purchased at the Blaisdell Box Office, at www.ticketmaster.com, or by calling Ticketmaster toll-free at 1-877-750-4400. Tickets are priced at $35, $60, $100, $200, and $300 Up-to- date event news can be found by visiting www.rumbleontherock.com.

ROTR 8 will be broadcast on Canadian pay-per-view and worldwide Internet pay-per-view on January 21 by visiting www.rumbleontherock.com and clicking on “RumbleVision.”

About Rumble World Entertainment

Rumble World Entertainment (RWE) is a Hawai‘i-based entertainment company who produces Rumble on the Rock (ROTR), ROTR Qualifiers, and RumbleVision. In less than two years, RWE, formerly Prodigy Productions, has taken ROTR from a small Hilo-based show to a globally recognized event broadcast in 90 countries including Japan Pay-Per-View and U.S. Pay- Per-View. Known as Hawai‘i’s premiere MMA event, ROTR draws record audiences of 12,000. RWE hopes to bring their events to California and Las Vegas in the near future.

Website: http://www.rumbleontherock.com

Source: Rumble World Entertainment

One Bout Added to UFC 57

UFC 57 - One Bout Added
February 4, 2006
Mandalay Bay Events Center
Las Vegas, Nevada

Full Line-up:

Heavyweight Bout - New bout
Keith Jardine vs. Mike Whitehead

Heavyweight Bout
Jeff Monson vs. Branden Lee Hinkle

Heavyweight Bout
Paul Buentello vs. Gilbert Aldana

Heavyweight Bout
Brandon Vera vs. Justin Eilers

Light Heavyweight Bout
Alessio Sakara vs. Elvis Sinosic

Light Heavyweight Bout
Renato "Babalu" Sobral vs. Mike Van Arsdale

Heavyweight Bout
Frank Mir vs. Marcio "Pe De Pano" Cruz

Welterweight Bout
Nick Diaz vs. Joe Riggs

Light Heavyweight Title Bout
Champion Chuck Liddell vs. Randy Couture

==============================

UFC 58 - Sneak Peak

Welterweight Bout

George St. Pierre vs. BJ Penn

Middleweight Bout

Rich Franklin vs. David Loiseau

Source: MMA Weekly

CONVERSATIONAL BRAZILIAN PORTUGUESE

Brazilian Portuguese
(Brazil) Sat 06/11 - 07/23 21
8:30-11:30 a.m.
$21
Room U202

"Have patience with all things, but chiefly have patience with yourself. Do not lose courage in CONVERSATIONAL BRAZILIAN PORTUGUESE

NUTSHELL COURSE DESCRIPTION
With concentration on everyday, modern Brazilian usage, special attention is paid to quickly gain understanding of polite, informal and colloquial language, verb conjugations, past & present tenses, masculine-feminine nouns & adjectives (big obstacles in Romance language-learning) with goals of attaining native pronunciation and fluency of speech. Brazilian regional variations in pronunciation and vocabulary are recognized.

This class is ideal for:
1) Those interested in travel to Brazil
2) English speakers with Brazilian friends/spouses/partners
3) Practitioners of Brazilian martial arts (Capoeira, Jiu Jitsu)
4) Speakers/students of other Latin-derived languages.

ABOUT THE INSTRUCTOR:

Sandy Tsukiyama de Oliveira, a Honolulu native, was drawn to the musical culture of Brazil while studying for her BA in Ethnomusicology at UH Manoa in the 1970s.
Portuguese language studies were at UH-Manoa with Dr. Stefan Baciu, and at Windward Commnunity School for Adults with Cecy de Souza Browne. Sandy worked as a Spanish & Portuguese-speaking tour escort for over 10 years, receiving hands-on experience in the language locally while promoting the Hawaii visitor industry.

She lived in Rio de Janeiro, from 1980-83; spending the first year at the Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro Escola de Música on Rotary International Post-Graduate Fellowship for International Understanding, afterward working as a vocalist in upscale restaurant/bars and teaching English.

Performing in Brazilian music groups (The Rio Trio, Mistura, Banda Carioca) after her return to Hawaii, Sandy maintained her contact with Brazilian culture in the community while pursuing education in simultaneous conference interpretation at UH Manoa Center for Interpretation and Translation Studies. She then continued in the field of Secondary Education, receiving certification for Spanish and Special Education.

Sandy has worked freelance as an English/Spanish/Portuguese interpreter/translator, as well as in Federal and State courts, for the Honolulu Police Dept., US Immigration and Naturalization Service, various international conferences, is on staff for the Bilingual Access Line of Helping Hands Hawaii and is a member of the Hawaii Interpreters and Translators Assn.
Currently a Special Education teacher at Roosevelt High School, she has been teaching Portuguese at FCSA for the past four years.

TEXTBOOK:
Fala Brazil! Português Para Estrangeiros
by Pierre Coudry & Elizabeth Fontão (Pontes Editores)
Accompanying cassettes/CD available

RECOMMENDED SUPPLEMENTAL BOOKS:

501 Portuguese verbs
by John J. Nitti & Michael J. Ferreira (Barron's)

Portuguese Verbs and Essentials of Grammar
by Sue Tyson-Ward (Passport Books)

For information on registration, location, dates, fees & class times, please visit the Farrington Community School for Adults website:
http://fcsa.k12.hi.us
or call: (808)832-3595


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