Upcoming
Events
Do you want to list an
event on Onzuka.com?
Contact Us
(All events on Oahu, unless noted)
2007
2/10/07
Punishment In Paradise 13
(MMA, Kickboxing)
(Blaisdell Arena)
2006
November
Aloha State Championship
of BJJ
(BJJ & Sub Grappling)
ROTR Qualfiers
(MMA)
(Kauai)
11/25/06
Kickin' It
(Kickboxing)
(Dole Cannery Ballroom)
October
Rumble On The Rock
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena)
September
ROTR Qualifers
(MMA)
(Maui)
9/16/06
Kickin' It
(Kickboxing)
(Waipahu Filcom Center)
August
Icon Sport 48
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena)
8/26-27/06
International
Masters & Seniors Championships
(BJJ)
(Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)
8/18/06
Kickin' It
(Kickboxing)
(Waipahu Filcom Center)
8/12/06
Hawaiian Open of
BJJ
(BJJ & Sub Grappling)
8/5 or 8/12
Rumble On The Rock
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena)
Garden Island Cage Match 4
(MMA)
(Kauai)
Island
Warriors Fighting Championship
(MMA)
(War Memorial Gym, Wailuku, Maui)
7/22/06
ROTR Qualifiers
(MMA)
(Hilo Civic Center, Hilo)
ROTR Qualifiers
(MMA)
(Guam)
7/22-30/06
CBJF World
Championships
(BJJ)
(Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)
7/21/06
Punishment In Paradise 12
(MMA, Kickboxing)
(Dole Cannery Ballroom)
7/20-24/06
CBJJO World Championships
(BJJ)
(Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)
7/?/06
RAZE MMA Fight Night 2
(MMA)
(San Diego, CA)
7/7/06
Kickin' It
(Kickboxing)
(Waipahu Filcom Center)
6/25/06
Quest for Champions 2006 Tournament
(Sport-Jujitsu, Sport Pankration, Sub Grappling, Extreme Sparring)
(St. Louis H.S. Gym)
6/17/06
RWE Qualifiers
(MMA)
(Afook
Chinen Civic Auditorium, Hilo)
USA-Boxing Hawaii
(Boxing)
(Palolo District Park)
6/10/06
X-1 Battlegrounds 4
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena)
6/4/06
PRIDE Bushido 11: 'Bushido
Survival '06'
(PPV)
6/3/06
X-2 Extreme Wars:
Bay Area Brawl
(MMA)
(Oakland Alameda Coliseum, Oakland, CA)
2006 Relson Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Associations Gi Tournament
(BJJ)
(Gracie Main Academy)
5/27/06
UFC 60:
Royce Gracie vs. Matt Hughes
(PPV)
5/26/06
Icon Sport 45
(MMA)
(Blaisdell 6Arena)
5/20/06
3rd Maui Jiu-Jitsu Championships
(BJJ & Sub Grappling)
(Maui War Memorial Gym, Wailuku)
5/13/06
Got Skills Fighter Event
(MMA)
(Pagoda Hotel)
4/29/06
RAZE MMA Fight Night
(MMA)
(ipayOne center , former San Diego Sports Arena
San Diego, CA)
4/21/06
Rumble on the Rock
11: Grand Prix
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena)
4/15/06
UFC 59: Reality Check
(MMA)
(Arrowhead Pond, Anaheim, CA)
4/7-9/06
2006
Pan-American Jiu-Jitsu Tournament
(BJJ)
(California State University Dominguez Hills, Carson, CA)
4/6/06
Ultimate Fight Night on Spike TV
(MMA)
(Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas, NV)
4/1/06
Punishment in Paradise
(Kickboxing)
(Sea Life Park)
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*
2/25/06
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)
January
Grappler's Quest Hawaii
(Submission Grappling)
(TBA)
***Cancelled*** |
|
June 2006 News Part
1
Wednesday
night and Sunday classes (w/ a kids' class) now offered!
 
For the special Onzuka.com
price, click on one of these banners above! |
 |
Fighters' Club TV
The Toughest Show On
Teleivision
Tuesdays at 9:30PM
Olelo Channel 52 on Oahu
Akaku on Maui
Check
out the FCTV website! |
Fight
To Defend Mixed Martial Arts In Hawaii!
The Hawaii Government is trying to ban or restrict MMA in Hawaii.
Please
contact your local representative and let them know that you
support MMA in Hawaii. Click the link below to look up your Representative
and his contact info!
HB3223
has been passed with Amendments. Basically the bill has been
rewritten to create a MMA Commission to regulate MMA in Hawaii
and passed on to the Consumer Protection & Commerce Committee
and the Judiciary Committee for further hearings.
Get
all the details concerning the two MMA Bills by clicking here
|
Quote
of the Day
"My
motto was always to keep swinging. Whether I was in a slump or
feeling badly or having trouble off the field, the only thing
to do was keep swinging."
Hank Aaron, Hall of Fame American Baseball Player
|
Strikeforce:
'Revenge' Results
June 9th, 2006
HP Pavilion, San Jose, CA
Alistair
Overeem defeats Vitor Belfort by unanimous decision.
Cung Le defeats Brian Warren by TKO at 4:19, RD 1.
Gilbert Melendez defeats Clayton Guida by split decision.
Bobby Southworth vs. James Irvin declared a no contest.
Tyson Griffin defeats Duane Ludwig by TKO at 3:57, RD 1.
Josh Thomson defeats Harris Sarmiento by triangle choke at 3:19,
RD 3.
Eugene Jackson defeats Mike Seal by TKO at 2:49, RD 2.
Daniel Puder defeats Tom Tuggle by armbar at 0:28, RD 1.
Jared Hamman defeats Scott Graham by TKO at 1:36, RD 1.
Luke Stewart defeats Bill Duvall by armbar at 1:15, RD 1.
Clint Coronel defeats Juan Miranda by choke at 1:43, RD 2.
Chris Amarante defeats Sean Bassett by armbar at 4:37, RD 1.
Source: Fight Sport
|
X-1:
Extreme Fighting: Battlegrounds 4
Tonight
Blaisdell Arena, Honolulu, Hawaii
June 10, 2006
Marcelo
Tigre faces UFC Vet Trevor Prangley
Local MMA icon Marcelo Tigre faces his toughest opponent yet
in Trevor Prangley. On top of being a four-time UFC veteran,
Prangley has excellent wrestling skills and has faced some of
the top names in MMA. He has faced fellow UFC veterans Renato
"Babalu" Sobral, Jeremy Horn, Chael Sonnen and holds
wins over UFC's Curtis Stout, Andrei Semenov, and Travis Lutter.
Prangley can hang with the best and even in his losses, none
of these top names could finish him. All the fights went to a
decision. His wins were by referee stoppage or by knockout which
means that Prangley is a heavy handed finisher that likes to
punish his opponents. Prangley sports an impressive 11-3 record
in MMA primarily in the 185 lb. class. He will move up to 205
lbs to face Tigre here in Hawaii. If Tigre can pull off a win,
he may have the UFC knocking on his door and he will prove to
the world that he deserves all the recognition of being one of
the most exciting and tough fighters still active.
Amateur MMA: 2 Rounds x 3 Minutes - 155lbs
Peter Placido (Bulls Pen) VS Gene "Bino" Gregory (Mix
Breed)
Amateur
MMA: 2 Rounds x 3 Minutes - 260lbs
Thomas Ferguson (Team Devastation) VS Nickolas Agricola (HMC)
XMA
Match/Stand Up: 3 Rounds x 2 Minutes - 140lbs
David Balicao (HSD) VS Donald Gonzales (Young Guns de Luta)
MMA:
2 Rounds x 3 Minutes - 155lbs
Marcus Moreno (Bulls Pen) VS Alika Rincon (Young Guns de Luta)
MMA:
2 Rounds x 3 Minutes - 150lbs
Lorenzo Moreno (Bulls Pen) VS "Dirty Dave" Moreno (Freelance,
Kona)
MMA:
3 Rounds x 3 Minutes - 155lbs
Kaleo Kwon (Eastsidaz) VS Lorin Ishimine (Brazilian Freestyle
Jiu-Jitsu)
MMA:
3 Rounds x 3 Minutes - 170lbs
John Crisostomo (808 Fight Factory) VS Chad Guzman (Team Papakolea)
MMA:
3 Rounds x 3 Minutes - 170lbs
Dylan Clay (Brazilian Freestyle Jiu-Jitsu) VS Kimo Wolfel (Eastsidaz)
MMA:
3 Rounds x 3 Minutes - 185lbs
Bryson Kamaka (808 Fight Factory) VS Josh Ferriera (Freelance,
Waianae)
MMA:
3 Rounds x 3 Minutes - 145lbs
Ed Newalu (808 Fight Factory) VS Kainoa Walther (Young Guns de
Luta)
MMA:
3 Rounds x 3 Minutes - 135lbs
Mark Oshiro (Bulls Pen) VS Tony Belvidere (Team Devils Den)
MMA:
3 Rounds x 3 Minutes - 145lbs
Vacant Super Lightweight Championship Bout
Eddie Yagin (Grappling Unlimited) VS Kana Hyatt (Young Guns de
Luta)
MMA:
3 Rounds x 3 Minutes - 170lbs
X-1 Welterweight Championship Bout
Mark Moreno (Bulls Pen) VS Johnny Geraghty (Freestyle Academy)
MMA:
3 Rounds x 3 Minutes - 205lbs
X-1 Light Heavyweight Championship Bout
Marcelo "Tiger" Dantas VS Trevor Prangley (American
Kickboxing Academy)
Source: Event Promoter
|
Fuji
TV cancels PRIDE FC
Today, Fuji TV officially severed all ties with the PRIDE Fighting
Championships. This means that PRIDE FC currently has no television
coverage in Japan. The cancellation is effective immediately.
Yesterday's PRIDE Bushido 11 show, which was supposed to be broadcasted
in 5 days, will not be shown.
Fuji
TV claimed that the reason for the cancellation is due to a breach
of contract by Dream Stage Entertainment, the parent company
of PRIDE FC. Although Fuji TV did not mention how DSE violated
the contract, it is likely because of DSE's connections with
organized crime.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
HBO
BOXING'S JIM LAMPLEY BASHES MMA
Tuesday, June 06, 2006 - by Ivan Trembow
The
voice of HBO Boxing, Jim Lampley, bashed the sport of MMA on
Monday during his guest-hosting gig on Jim Rome's show.
While
UFC president Dana White continues to say, as recently as last
week in the Washington Post, that the UFC is "coming soon"
to HBO, it seems pretty clear that Lampley does not approve and
will not be rolling out the welcome mat when or if the UFC does
sign with HBO.
Lampley
said that while boxing is a real sport, UFC events are nothing
more than a bunch of bar fights. Lampley showed no respect for
MMA or its competitors, even saying that MMA fighters are "not
athletes."
Mixed
martial arts and the UFC were repeatedly referred to as "no-holds-barred
fighting" by Lampley, even though that hasn't been true
since 1994. He apparently didn't even get the proverbial memo
about how Zuffa added all of the rules in 2001.
Lampley
went on to say that any of the top fighters from the UFC or K-1
would lose very quickly to a top boxer. That may be true in a
boxing match, but it would certainly not be true in an MMA fight.
Even
if an MMA fighter did beat a top boxer in an MMA fight, Lampley
said it would "mean nothing" because "it's a bar
fight," and he could go to a bar at any time if he wanted
to see a bar fight.
Regarding
the popularity of MMA in the United States, Lampley said that
the UFC will never be bigger than boxing, which is already a
factually incorrect statement when it comes to TV ratings and
all but the biggest boxing pay-per-views.
Lampley,
who has come under fire from some boxing fans in the past for
"cheerleading" the HBO-backed fighter in many major
boxing matches, is not exactly Mr. Credibility, so his comments
should not come as much of a surprise. As the long-time play-by-play
man for HBO Boxing, Lampley is also a major player in the old-school
boxing crowd, the majority of which feels very threatened by
MMA as it continues to chip away at boxing's audience.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
BJJ
Clash:
"Minotauro" Likely Faces Werdum in PRIDE OWGP's Second
Round
By Eduardo Alonso
In the middle of a series of intriguing PRIDE related events
that has been gathering MMA fans' attention throughout the world,
many are forgetting about the second round of PRIDE's Open-Weight
Grand Prix, scheduled for July 1st, in Tokyo, Japan, and news
concerning this upcoming show are developing at full force. In
what will be a clash of Brazilian jiu-jitsu experts, Brazilian
Top Team superstar Rodrigo "Minotauro" Nogueira will
very likely face Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic's jiu-jitsu
trainer Fabricio Werdum in a second round match-ups.
In
a press conference scheduled for this Thursday in Japan, DSE,
the company that runs PRIDE, is likely to officially announce
this bout, as well as address other issues concerning the show's
current TV deal situation in Japan. Recent news from Japan is
the promotion has lost its contract with FUJI, its major carrier.
Regardless,
the second round promises exciting action with a clash of two
jiu-jitsu stylists with ever improving boxing skills, as well
the rumored bout that may be announced as well between the "Axe
Murderer" Wanderlei Silva and Japanese wrestler Kazuyuki
Fujita. That leaves a big question mark in the pairing of the
remaining competitors in the Grand Prix: Filipovic, Hidehiko
Yoshida, Josh Barnett and Mark Hunt.
Source: FCF
|
Cage
Rage 17 Update
By Mark Pickering
Cage
Rage has announced three additions to Cage Rage 17 on July 1st
at Wembley Arena, London, England.
Mark
Chen faces Robbie Olivier in a featherweight contest
In
a rematch of their Ultimate Combat X clash, PRIDE’s James
Thompson confronts Tengiz Tedoradze
John
Marsh tackles Brazilian UFC veteran Pe De Pano
Full
Card:
David
“Tank” Abbott vs. Amokrane “Kiane” Sabet
Melvin Manhoef vs. Ian “The Machine” Freeman
Curtis Stout vs. Evangelista “Cyborg” Santos
James Thompson vs. Tengiz Tedoradze
John Marsh vs. Pe De Pano
Henry Miller vs. Robert Berry
Mark Epstein vs. Dave Legeno
Mark Chen vs. Robbie Oliver
Daijiro Matsui vs. Zelg Galestic
Brad Pickett vs. Robbie Oliver
Jeremy "Bad Boy" Bailey vs. Remy de Way
Chris Bacon vs. Andy Costello
Paul Daley vs. Paul Jenkins
Abdul Mohammed vs. Jean Silva
Ross Mason vs. Eddie Ruiz
Darren Geisha vs. Dean Bray
Source: Maxfighting
|
Quote
of the Day
"If
I keep a green bough in my heart, the singing bird will come."
Chinese Proverb
|
808
Fight Factory's Harris Sarmiento Fighting on Strikeforce Card
STRIKEFORCE II
June 9, 2006
Main
Event: Vitor Belfort vs. Alistair Overeem
Title Fight: *Clayton Guida vs. Gilbert Melendez
Bobby
Southworth vs. James Irvin
Tyson Griffin vs. Duane Ludwig
Cung Le vs. Brian Warren
Eugene Jackson vs. Mike Seal
Josh Thomson vs. Harris Sarmiento
Brian Ebersole vs Crafton Wallace
Puder vs. TBA
Scott Graham vs. TBA
Luke Stewart vs. TBA
*
155 lb. title holder
|
808
Fight Factory's Bryson Kamaka
Fights In KOTC
King of the Cage: MANGLER
Soboba Casino in San Jacinto, CA
Friday, June 9th
Complete
fight card:
- Bobby Hoffman vs Ruben Villareal
- Al Garza vs Shawn Bias
- William Sriyapai vs Charles Benway
- Thomas Kenney vs Bryson
Kamaka
- Aaron Witherspoon vs Jeremiah Metcalf
- Big Will vs Chance Williams
- Jerry Davis vs Alan Zunner
- JR Perea vs Sambo Blankenship
- Jaime Sandec vs Gene Gilsdorf
- Richard Blankenship vs Luis Giblanski
- Brian Sesma vs Moises Castillo
- Manny Rodriguez vs Adrian Perez
- Bobby Lee vs Brandon Beckering
- Chris Lair vs Pat White
- Richard Johnson vs Marcos Nava
- Clark Bevans vs Randy Palmer
- Rubin Taigle vs Ron Cushen
- Jason Alsman vs Mike Morales
- Danny Suarez vs Elijah Young
|
X-1:
Extreme Fighting: Battlegrounds 4
Tomorrow
Blaisdell Arena, Honolulu, Hawaii
June 10, 2006
Marcelo
Tigre faces UFC Vet Trevor Prangley
Local MMA icon Marcelo Tigre faces his toughest opponent yet
in Trevor Prangley. On top of being a four-time UFC veteran,
Prangley has excellent wrestling skills and has faced some of
the top names in MMA. He has faced fellow UFC veterans Renato
"Babalu" Sobral, Jeremy Horn, Chael Sonnen and holds
wins over UFC's Curtis Stout, Andrei Semenov, and Travis Lutter.
Prangley can hang with the best and even in his losses, none
of these top names could finish him. All the fights went to a
decision. His wins were by referee stoppage or by knockout which
means that Prangley is a heavy handed finisher that likes to
punish his opponents. Prangley sports an impressive 11-3 record
in MMA primarily in the 185 lb. class. He will move up to 205
lbs to face Tigre here in Hawaii. If Tigre can pull off a win,
he may have the UFC knocking on his door and he will prove to
the world that he deserves all the recognition of being one of
the most exciting and tough fighters still active.
Amateur MMA: 2 Rounds x 3 Minutes - 155lbs
Peter Placido (Bulls Pen) VS Gene "Bino" Gregory (Mix
Breed)
Amateur
MMA: 2 Rounds x 3 Minutes - 260lbs
Thomas Ferguson (Team Devastation) VS Nickolas Agricola (HMC)
XMA
Match/Stand Up: 3 Rounds x 2 Minutes - 140lbs
David Balicao (HSD) VS Donald Gonzales (Young Guns de Luta)
MMA:
2 Rounds x 3 Minutes - 155lbs
Marcus Moreno (Bulls Pen) VS Alika Rincon (Young Guns de Luta)
MMA:
2 Rounds x 3 Minutes - 150lbs
Lorenzo Moreno (Bulls Pen) VS "Dirty Dave" Moreno (Freelance,
Kona)
MMA:
3 Rounds x 3 Minutes - 155lbs
Kaleo Kwon (Eastsidaz) VS Lorin Ishimine (Brazilian Freestyle
Jiu-Jitsu)
MMA:
3 Rounds x 3 Minutes - 170lbs
John Crisostomo (808 Fight Factory) VS Chad Guzman (Team Papakolea)
MMA:
3 Rounds x 3 Minutes - 170lbs
Dylan Clay (Brazilian Freestyle Jiu-Jitsu) VS Kimo Wolfel (Eastsidaz)
MMA:
3 Rounds x 3 Minutes - 185lbs
Bryson Kamaka (808 Fight Factory) VS Josh Ferriera (Freelance,
Waianae)
MMA:
3 Rounds x 3 Minutes - 145lbs
Ed Newalu (808 Fight Factory) VS Kainoa Walther (Young Guns de
Luta)
MMA:
3 Rounds x 3 Minutes - 135lbs
Mark Oshiro (Bulls Pen) VS Tony Belvidere (Team Devils Den)
MMA:
3 Rounds x 3 Minutes - 145lbs
Vacant Super Lightweight Championship Bout
Eddie Yagin (Grappling Unlimited) VS Kana Hyatt (Young Guns de
Luta)
MMA:
3 Rounds x 3 Minutes - 170lbs
X-1 Welterweight Championship Bout
Mark Moreno (Bulls Pen) VS Johnny Geraghty (Freestyle Academy)
MMA:
3 Rounds x 3 Minutes - 205lbs
X-1 Light Heavyweight Championship Bout
Marcelo "Tiger" Dantas VS Trevor Prangley (American
Kickboxing Academy)
Source: Event Promoter
|
KARO
VS. DIEGO SET FOR TUF 4 LEAD-IN SHOW
by Ivan Trembow
Spike TV and Zuffa have scheduled an Ultimate Fight Night event
for Thursday, August 17th with the main event of Karo Parisyan
vs. Diego Sanchez.
MMAWeekly's
Rumors section previously noted that Parisyan and Sanchez were
going to be fighting in August, and that fight has now been moved
from the UFC 62 pay-per-view (on August 26th) to the Ultimate
Fight Night broadcast on August 17th.
The
date of the Parisyan vs. Sanchez fight, and the fact that the
fight is scheduled to happen in the first place, has also been
confirmed by a graphic on Diego Sanchez' official web site.
The
August 17th live fight special will air from 8:00 PM to 10:00
PM and will serve as the lead-in to the season premiere of The
Ultimate Fighter 4: The Comeback.
After
the strong ratings that were drawn when a live "Ultimate
Fight Night" event served as the lead-in to the season premiere
of The Ultimate Fighter 3 back in April, it only makes sense
that Spike TV and Zuffa are doing it again.
All
of the UFC's previous live fight specials, as well as the upcoming
specials on June 24th and 28th, have taken place in Las Vegas,
Nevada. However, as of today, Zuffa has not made a request with
the Nevada State Athletic Commission to hold an event in the
state of Nevada on August 17th. This could mean that Zuffa is
planning to venture outside of Nevada for the first time on Spike
TV, or it could simply mean that Zuffa has not yet secured a
venue for August 17th in the state of Nevada.
Karo
Parisyan had been publicly promised a shot at the UFC Welterweight
Title after he won three consecutive fights in the UFC, which
were against Nick Diaz, Chris Lytle, and Matt Serra. Parisyan
was scheduled to fight for the title against Matt Hughes last
November, but Parisyan injured his quadriceps in training and
had to pull out of the fight. Parisyan seemingly lost his status
as a top contender due to the fact that he got injured, as his
next fight in the Octagon was a victory over Nick Thompson, who
was making his UFC debut.
After
winning the middleweight competition in dominant fashion on the
first season of The Ultimate Fighter, Diego Sanchez moved to
the welterweight division, where he won back-to-back fights with
impressive performances against Brian Gassaway and Nick Diaz.
The latter is one of the most-watched fights in UFC history,
as it was the main event on the UFC's most-watched live fight
special in history. Last week at UFC 60, Sanchez won a close
fight via judges' decision over John Alessio.
While
it's rumored that BJ
Penn believes
he should get the first title shot against the winner of this
fall's battle between Matt Hughes and Georges St. Pierre for
the UFC Welterweight Title, one could certainly make the case
that the winner of the Parisyan vs. Sanchez fight should receive
that distinction instead.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
'PE
DE PANO' VS. MARSH
Marcio "Pe de Pano" Cruz
Brazilian
magazine 'Tatame' reports that the matchup of Marcio 'Pe De Pano'
Cruz vs. John Marsh will take place on the Cage Rage card in
London, England, on July 1st.
Source: Fight Sport
|
MAURICE
SMITH: 'I FUCKING HATE ZUFFA AND K-1'
Maurice
Smith was recently interviewed by American journalist Brett Atchley.
Here's what Smith had to say:
Interviewer:
How did this opportunity come your way?
Smith:
It's been in the planning stage for sometime. They initially
offered the position to Randy (Couture) but he was under contract
with the Zuffa and couldn't do it so they offered to me and here
we are.
Interviewer:
Is Ivan Salaverry going to be on the team?
Smith:
No, there has been more than a little bit of confusion over that.
Initially MMA Weekly, I think, posted that Ivan was on the team
roster. Ivan saw that, called me and wanted to know what the
hell was going on. Realize that we were only negotiating at that
time so Ivan thought I assumed that he was going to agree. I
did nothing of the kind; I don't know where they got that. All
in all, the IFL offered Ivan a very lucrative offer. He passed
on it. He has a child on the way and is opening his new gym and
those are the reasons why he couldn't accept the offer. Ivan
is a good friend of mine and I did my best to persuade him but
he is not signed with the team. I don't understand it.
Interviewer:
Not long ago Zuffa wanted him back to fight Evan Tanner. Evan
posted that on a blog on My Space right after he had spoken to
Joe Silva.
Smith:
That may have been what Zuffa says or Evan says but in any event
it wasn’t for that reason. I told Ivan that
I didn't care who he fought for as long as he was getting paid
to do it and Zuffa screwed him as they do with all of the fighters
when they don't put on the show they want. Ivan signed a contract
for three fights and after he fought Nathan (Marquardt) they
dumped him. That was bullshit. Everybody has bad fights, Randy,
Chuck, Tito etc. Get where I’m going?
Interviewer:
No, where are you going?
Smith:
Ivan had great fights with Riggs and Frykland, but since he wasn't
a poster boy or a favored son they just tossed him. Dana tossed
him.
Interviewer:
How are the Tigersharks shaping up?
Smith:
Things are coming along pretty well. I primarily have a team
with a collegiate wresting base. So right now we are working
on conditioning; conditioning first and some basic boxing and
stand up skills. I'm attempting to determine where their strengths
and weaknesses lie. I've got Dennis Hallman who is the most experienced
athlete on the team.
Interviewer:
How is that working out for you?
Smith:
How is what working out?
Interviewer:
How is Dennis working out?
Smith:
Honestly, I thought he was going to be a real pain in the butt,
but that has not been the case at all. He has been real supportive
and very helpful. He does all of my scouting which has proven
to be a real asset. Very happy with him. I think he will have
to take on the leadership role with the team.
Interviewer:
In terms of compensation and benefits for the fighters how does
it meter out?
Smith:
This is what makes this so good for all of us as employees, that's
what we are. The fighters get a set amount for the first fight
and they get a bonus for a KO, TKO, or submission. If the team
wins, they get an additional bonus and they get an amount for
training that has an annual cap on it. It all comes out to about
$5,000 not including the training money. They receive health
insurance which is huge as you can imagine. The money for fighting
increases as the IFL grows.
Interviewer:
Do you mean that the IFL has to show a period of growth before
the athlete is paid more that what you just shared?
Smith:
No, there are promises in place that ensure that the pay will
increase in the next event and on from there. The IFL is putting
out a sizable amount of start up money for just the fighters.
That should tell you where their priorities are. They are focused
and determined to take care of the athletes so that they don't
have to struggle to make ends meet. The money for them now isn't
great but it's more than what Zuffa is offering some of their
experienced fighters and they are not getting any insurance.
The potential financial security for the athletes in this organization
is very good.
Interviewer:
The coaches are being well taken care of?
Smith:
Yes, I mean it's not huge money but I'm very happy with the arrangements.
Interviewer:
Do the coaches have ownership in the IFL?
Smith:
We are compensated with stock options as part of our salary.
The base salary is ok.
Interviewer:
Do any other organizations offer this sort of package?
Smith:
None that I’m aware of, but that doesn't mean
anything. I've been out of the know for sometime.
Interviewer:
What do you mean?
Smith:
Listen, before all of this came about I had made my mind up that
I was out of this industry. I was just disgusted with it. People
would ask me if I saw that fight or knew this person and I didn’t
care or didn't want to know. These fighters that are up and comers
now? I don't know any of them.
Interviewer:
So you don't know who Forrest Griffin is?
Smith:
Forrest who?
Interviewer:
He's fighting Tito Ortiz in the next UFC.
Smith:
No, I don't know him, never heard of him and don't care unless
one of my guys has to fight him, which is highly unlikely.
Interviewer:
Why were you disgusted with the industry?
Smith:
I was involved with SEG and K-1. I fucking hate Zuffa and I fucking
hate K-1. I never considered myself a Zuffa champion, I was a
SEG champion. Zuffa never gave any of us that respect. I shouldn't
have to call and ask for tickets to an event. I shouldn't have
to negotiate the best deal for a trip. I'll bet Michael Jordan
doesn't or John Elway. That's what I mean; I am a former UFC
heavyweight champion and a former K-1 champion. Do I get treated
like one? Fuck no. These guys fighting in those organizations
now have to sell their souls. One paycheck to the next. They
don't care about these guys. All they care about is how much
money they can make off of these athlete's blood and injury.
I'm not saying I want Zuffa to fail because they have done a
lot for the sport, but without these athletes they wouldn’t
be making all that money. They are not letting most of the fighters
see any of it.
Interviewer:
They have signed a deal with FSN, what are your thoughts on that?
Smith:
The t.v. deal is huge. It will be instant exposure. How long
did Pride and Zuffa work on getting a t.v. deal? Ya, well I would
think by how this whole thing is coming together that the IFL
is putting to rest any talk of whether they are serious or not.
Interviewer:
I think so. Are they going to increase the number of teams in
the IFL?
Smith:
Yes, they are working on that on an international level already.
When that happens then you have a valid world championship title.
Interviewer:
As opposed to a Pride championship belt or UFC, K-1 etc.?
Smith:
Yes, I mean just because you're a UFC champion, what does that
really mean? Nothing. It only means that you are the champion
in that organization. There is no world title validity. I think
that Pride is a more valid belt because they draw fighters form
all over the world. They will not ever unify those belts because
someone is going to have to give up a large piece of their pie.
Too much money at stake, fuck what's best for the fighter or
the sport.
Interviewer:
Can you divulge any prospects on future coaches?
Smith:
I think Don Frye would be a great coach.
Interviewer:
Are you saying they are talking to Don?
Smith:
No, I said I thought he would be a good coach.
Interviewer:
Hmmm, he is in the US fighting this week. A coincidence.
Smith:
Maybe, I don't know.
Interviewer:
How about Frank Shamrock?
Smith:
No, he's busy with other things.
Interviewer:
What does Frank think about the IFL?
Smith:
We didn't talk about it much, why don't you ask him?
Interviewer:
Well maybe I will. Frank was quoted as stating that the people
at Zuffa are stupid, did he share his opinions further with you?
Smith:
If he said that than I would think that pretty much explains
it...don't you?
Interviewer:
You have named Roman Roytberg as an assistant coach.
Smith:
Yes, he's a good friend and he has had success in the industry
on a lesser level. He knows his way around and I trust him.
Interviewer:
What about his dental practice?
Smith:
He's giving that up to be a thespian.
Interviewer:
What is he thinking?
Smith:
I don't know, but he's serious and if that is what he wants to
do then fine.
Interviewer:
Geeeeeez, I gotta talk to him.
Smith:
Ya, maybe someone else can talk some sense into him.
Interviewer:
You said earlier that you were done with the fight game. What
changed?
Smith:
When I was down in Australia with Pete (Spratt) one day something
happened. I don't know what to call it, but I don't want to say
it was spiritual or anything. More psychic. All I know is I came
back a different man both internally and on the outside. Male
menopause or something. I'm just more emotional and things; people
mean more to me now in different ways than they used to. I mean
I had my emotional episodes when I won K-1 and I have them now
over the most insignificant reasons. Parts of movies, kids, you
know stuff like that. I care about these guys I'm coaching and
care about their well being. The IFL cares about them too and
that is something that I believe in. If they were anyplace else
trying to do what they are doing they would just get used, broken
up and thrown on the street when their services were no longer
valued or needed. I'm confident that won't happen here. There
aren't a lot of egos around here. It's a team effort.
Interviewer:
That's probably an appropriate note to conclude this interview
on.
Smith:
Yes, it would be.
Interviewer:
Thanks for talking with me Mo and glad your back.
Smith:
Anytime, and good luck.
Source: Fight Sport
|
Quote
of the Day
"Never
look down on anybody unless you are helping them up."
Jesse Jackson, American Clergyman and Civil Rights Leader
|
Results
for Hawaii -vs- Las Vegas Boxing Match
Hawaii
wins 4-3
May 27, 2006
Las Vegas, NV
1) J.J.
Benitez (Hawaii/ Kawano/Tiki Ent. B.C). def. DeShawn Bringhurst (unattached)
at 75lbs. by decision.
2). Mason
Cornelio (Hawaii/Kawano/Tiki Ent. B.C.) def. David Beltran (Barry's Boxing)
by Referee Stopped Contest (RSC) 3rd round.
3). Ricardo Vidana (Barry's Boxing) def. Kekoa Bonifacio Concepcion (Hawaii/Evolution
B.C.) by
decision at 119 lbs.
4). Louie Padilla (Barry's Boxing) def. Kawika Tangjian Jr. (Hawaii/Kawano/Tiki
Ent. B.C.)
by dec. at 120lbs.
5). Marco Russell (L.V. Boxing) def. Cameron Ursua (Hawaii/Palolo B.C.) by RSC-2nd at 155lbs.
6). Daly
Tipoti (Hawaii/Kawano/Tiki Ent. B.C.) def. Anthony Lavelle (Barry's Boxing)
by decision at 201+.
7). Francis
Tursi (Hawaii/Evolution B.C.) def. Edgar Vallin (Steele Boxing) by decision
at 201+.
Final Score:
Hawaii - 4
Las Vegas - 3
Notes: Francis Tursi pulled it out for us when Hawaii and Las
Vegas were both tied going into the last bout. Crowd was going
crazy. Excellent tough bout. David Tangjian Jr. lost an excellent,
tough, and very close bout to Louie Padilla currently ranked
# 3 right now in the U.S. We sounded like we had as much Hawaii
Supporters as Las Vegas did. Thanks to J.J. Benitez, parents
and family members, they came with about 20 supporters from Hawaii.
We thank Johnny Jackson for taking care of us, and putting on
a great show. It was a memorable and fun experience.
Source: Bruce Kawano
|
USA-BOXING
PALOLO BOXING CLUB AND KAWANO/TIKI ENT.
PRESENTS
USA-BOXING
HAWAII
Saturday, June 17, 2006
Palolo District Park 6 p.m.
WEIGH-INS: 12 NOON, JUNE 17TH AT PALOLO GYM
Tentative Bouts, updated 06/05/06
15-20 BOUTS SCHEDULED
TOP
BOXERS FROM OAHU, BIG ISLAND, MAUI AND KAUAI WILL COMPETE.
1).
James Callos-Jordan 10/60 - Tristen Kamaka 9/65
Wailuku (Maui)(0) Kai Kamaka (0)
2). Justly Laquihon 11/67 - Kai Kamaka III11/72
Unattached (0) Kai Kamaka (0)
3). Rocky Balala 11/91 - Patrick Cullen 11/95
Central Maui (5+) Kalakaua (5+)
4). Jonard Devera 14/100 - Dustin Ah-Chong 13/105
Kalakaua (5) A.P. Big Island (1)
5). Jenson Juan 14/97 - Devin Ah-Chong 13/100
Kalakaua (0) A.P. (0)
6) . Alex Camala Palacios 14/145- Josh Nakagawa 14/145
Oki B.C. (Kauai) (1) Southside (Maui) (1)
7). Eddie Carrillo 21/140 - Chris Williams 17/140
Unattached (0) A.P. (0)
8). Gino Ramos 15/110 - Ezra Cabang 14/107
Kawano (5+) A.P. (?)
10 minute- Intermission
9). Ronick Daniel 15/122 - German Lee 16/122
Wailuku (1) A.P. (1)
10). Hoku Dusenberry 16/145 - Noah Abdil 16/145
Oki B.C. (0) Southside (0)
11). Aaron Echales 18/130 - William Miura 21/134
Central Maui 2 bouts A.P. (2)
12). Joe Bissen 160 - Paul Gutierrez 160
Central Maui(2) Kawano (4 )
13). Kawika Maddela 178 - Kainoa Oca-Kauhane 170
Central Maui(0) Kawano (1)
14). Todd Park 155 - Josiah Cabang 152
Pearlside (?) A.P. (5+)
15). Amadeo Ezzo-White Jr.127 - Tommy Ordonez 134
Unattached (5+) A.P. (5+)
Intermission- followed by 3 Main Event Bouts.
16). Sasha Tatsuhara 104 - Gina Ramos 99
A.P. (2) Kawano (8)
17). Matt Takata 128 4 rounds David Tangjian Jr. 121
Palolo (4) Kawano (13)
18). Isaiah Vasquez 200 4 rounds Gabe Aio 200
Evolution (8) Kawano (9)
State
Champions with scheduled matches:
Gina
Ramos- 3X State Champion, 1st Hawaii female to ever win the National
Junior Olympics , and USA National Championships, Ringside World
Champion, ranked #1 for the year of 2005, 2006 by USA-Boxing.
Currently ranked #1.
Tommy Ordonez - 2X State J.O. Champion from Big Island. Opponent,
Amadeo Ezzo-White Jr- 2X J.O. Champ, 2X Open Champ.
Gino Ramos- 06 J.O. State Champ for 15/16 at 106, will compete
in Marquette, Michigan at the National Junior Olympics at the
end of this month. Opponent- Ezra Cabang 2006 State Champion
at 106 in the 13/14 age division.
Joe Bissen - 2004 J.O. State Champ
Gabe Aio- 2006 Hawaii State Heavyweight Champ. His opponent Isaiah
Vasquez is 8-1 formerly from Texas, 4 rounds.
Other 2006 State J.O. Champions scheduled are: Oahu's Justly
Laquihon, Maui's - Rocky Balala, Big Islands- German Lee, and
Kauai's - Hoku Dusenberry.
Admission
will be $10, 12 and under - $5 at the door.
All participants must be registered with USA-Boxing Hawaii.
Need
more info email me at bkawano@aol.com or Joel Kim at mangoman923@earthlink.net
Source: Bruce Kawano
|
Mauricio
"Shogun" Rua
Mauricio 'Shogun' Rua was recently interviewed by Brazilian magazine
'Tatame'. Here's what Shogun had to say (interview by Andre Araujo,
translation by Ricardo Alonso):
Tatame:
Did you see the first round of the PRIDE Open Weight GP? Did
anyone surprise you? In your opinion, who is the favorite to
win the Open Weight GP title?
Shogun:
In all honesty, there were no surprises. The fighters who won
were stronger, they were the favorites. I didn't see the fights,
I only heard the commentary. In my opinion, Minotauro and Vanderlei
are the favorites.
Tatame:
How did the controversy with Mark Coleman end up being resolved?
Will there be a rematch? You have not accepted this defeat, correct?
Shogun:
That's for sure. I want to show the entire world that I am capable
of beating him. Coleman is a great athlete and I'd like very
much to face him again, but it all depends on PRIDE.
Tatame:
Is it true that you surprised your doctors with how fast you
are recovering?
Shogun:
Yes, they've been impressed with my fast recovery... I'd like
to thank Marcio Mamba, Dr. Carlos, and Vita Hospital for their
assistance. I've already started to swim and do some running.
I was going crazy at home, not being able to train. I was wanting
badly to get back to training, and I just started my Muay Thai
training today. I did some shadow boxing and some kicks on the
bag. I'll still take it slowly getting back into Jiu-Jitsu, but
I'll be training Muay Thai three times a week while I continue
my physiotherapy to fully recover from my elbow surgery.
Tatame:
Can your fans expect a return to the ring in the second half
of the year?
Shogun:
Even though the doctors have confirmed that I'm recovering rapidly,
they've also said that the earliest I can return to fighting
is in September. I won't be able to help Vanderlei (Silva) much
right now, but as I recover more I will be able to help him more
so that he can win the Open Weight GP belt.
Tatame:
You're the champion of the PRIDE 205-pound GP and your brother
is entering the PRIDE 183-pound GP. What advice have you given
to him? Aside from your brother, who do you think are the strongest
fighters in the 183-pound GP?
Shogun:
I told him that despite his loss to Paulo (Filho), he's still
one of the favorites of that weight class. It all depends on
him. If he works hard at it, then he totally has all the qualities
to take the title. Regarding your second question, in this day
and age, every fighter is difficult. You can never overlook anyone.
But for sure, Paulo (Filho), Murilo Bustamante, and Dan Henderson.
They're the ones who stand out the most in that weight class.
Source: Tatame
|
SAPP:
'K-1 THREATENED MY SAFETY'
Bob Sapp
Bob
Sapp recently spoke with American journalist to talk about his
side of the story about why he left the Amsterdam arena before
his scheduled K-1 fight against Ernesto Hoost in Amsterdam, Holland,
on May 13th.
According
to Sapp, he had already completed a 20-fight contract with K-1.
His agreement with K-1 was to re-negotiate a new contract on
his 21st fight, with the promise of a substantial bonus, and
the promise a new contract would be in place by his 22nd fight.
The fight with Hoost would've been his 22nd fight for the K-1
organization and an agreement on a new contract was expected
by Sapp.
According
to Sapp, one week before the Hoost fight was to take place, K-1
and the promoter of the K-1 Holland event, Simon Rutz, contacted
Sapp and promised him in good faith that a new contract had been
drawn up by the K-1 counsel and would be available for his review
in Amsterdam. According to Sapp, also stated that the money for
the new contract would supposedly be in the USD$500,000 range
and that it would be deposited into his account or in escrow
before his arrival to Amsterdam.
According
to Sapp, no money had been deposited yet when he arrived in Amsterdam
four days prior to the event. A day before the fight was to take
place, Sapp contacted K-1 attorney, Toru, who supposedly displayed
an irritable attitude towards Sapp and brushed him off.
After
more attempts to contact K-1 management, it became clear to Sapp
they would not engage him, at which point Sapp went to K-1 Holland
promoter Rutz and offered to fight Hoost for free if K-1 agreed
to release him completely from all current and future obligations,
or that he be presented with the promised contract, signed by
K-1 matchmaker Sadaharu Tanigawa, that they were in severe breech
of.
Sapp's
demands were then conveyed to Tanigawa, and he was then told
that he would have his contract signed on the morning of the
event. Sapp had his own contract drafted just to cover his bases.
The
day of the event, Less than four hours from the start of the
event, there was still no contract. At that point, Sapp would
not go to the arena and took a firm position that he would not
participate in the event unless he had a valid contract of some
nature.
Two
hours before the event was to commence Sapp got a call from Rutz,
supposedly begging Sapp to come to the arena, and was once again
assured that everything would be in order. Sapp then went to
the arena, and when he got there he was met by both Tanigawa
and Toru and directed to go to his dressing room to get ready
and taped, and that they would be there with the documents containing
within them a new contract.
Sapp
then got ready for the fight but Tanigawa and Toru never came
to the dressing room with a new contract. Numerous attempts to
contact them by cell phone were unsuccessful. Sapp then went
outside to look for them and found them, at which point he demanded
that they sign the contract he had drafted up. They refused,
and insisted they needed an American to interpret the contract
first.
Sapp
then declared that he would not fight, at which point arguments
broke out between all parties involved. According to Sapp, he
was then told by both Toru and K-1 representative Dieasuke Karaguchi
that if he did not fight, his physical well being, as well as
the physical well being of those who were with him, would be
compromised.
At
that point, Sapp and his entourage immediately returned to his
hotel room and made a phone call to a well known billionaire
friend who immediately arranged for eight bodyguards to see him
and his team safely out of harms way.
Sapp
and his team were led from the hotel with eight security personnel
to an undisclosed location in Amsterdam where they spent the
night and then caught a plane back to the United States. The
aftermath of what happened is something that is almost beyond
belief in what it reveals about K-1, its personalities, its athletes,
and the industry as a whole.
According
to Sapp, he's since been speaking with all MMA organizations
in North America and is actively pursuing an MMA career with
these organizations. According to Sapp, K-1 is doing everything
in its power to legally recieve compensation if Sapp signs with
another MMA promotion in North America.
However,
if Sapp has indeed completed his K-1 contract, then it would
appear they have no case. Sapp just laughs it off and says, "Let
them make their move, they got no game over here, they're delusional."
Source: Fight Sport
|
Interview
with King of the Cage Owner
Terry Trebilcock
By Bernie Calderon
BC: Your last Pay Per View had the return of Don Frye to the
U.S. His match against Warpath went to a draw. Does that change
any future plans you had for him?
Terry
Trebilcock: No not at all it was a great fight. I’m more
interested in guys that put on good fights. I’m not interested
in guys that think they need to win every fight, although it
doesn’t hurt. I’d much rather have a guy go out there
and leave it all in the ring, than a guy try and pad a record.
The crowd cheers for people who leaves it all in the cage, they
don’t cheer for the guy that just wins the fight. As a matter
of fact, there’s a lot of times when a guy wins a fight
and the cheer is light. They cheer for a guy that leaves it all
in the cage like Don Frye does. Who is a better legend today
than Don Frye? Who of the original legend group is a better fighter
at the present time than Don Frye? Definitely not Royce Gracie.
Definitely not Ken Shamrock, as everyone saw a year ago. None
of the original guys from UFC can compete with Don Frye.
BC:
What future events do you have on tap?
TT:
I have an event at Soboba (Casino) coming up June 9th. Then I
have a big show August 4th, pay per view show.
BC:
Who are currently KOTC Champions?
TT:
135- Manny Tapia
145-
Urijah Faber
155-
Mac Danzig
170-
Matt Stansell
185-
Joey Villasenor
205-
James Lee
Heavyweight-
Tony Bonello
Super
Heavyweight- Eric Pele
BC:
What makes KOTC different from all the other fight organizations
such as WFA and IFL?
TT:
Compared to the WFA, we run a successful business plan and we’ve
honored all our commitments and contacts. I don’t know why
the guys from WFA are coming back. It was an organization that
was defunct in the first place. I don’t think they honored
a lot of contracts, business the first time around. The IFL is
a brand new organization and they seem like really nice people
but again, they’re starting off. I have 150 fights under
my belt. I have 160 hours of fight footage on many of the best
guys in the sport. You wanna look at what the guys are like in
the UFC right now, probably 7 of their top 12 most marketable
guys are (KOTC) guys. They are all guys I own the majority footage
of. All four champions of the Spike TV reality show were all
from KOTC. Now Forrest Griffin only scheduled a couple fights,
3 fights I think it was with me. But Joe Stevenson, all his fights
except the fight we put for him outside is with KOTC, 29 fights.
Diego Sanchez, Rashad Evans, we continually produce the best
guys in the world. I continually put on the most exciting fights
in the sport. I like the smaller cage. It gives for less room
for fighters running. And I provide more matches for the fighters
and for the fans.
BC:
Speaking of Joe Stevenson, Diego Sanchez, and Rashad Evans, how
do you feel KOTC prepared them for the next level?
TT:
I don’t know if there is a “next level.” I’d
like to look at who you talk about in the next level. The last
guy to beat Chuck Liddell is Quinton Jackson, which is a KOTC
guy. Tim Silvia couldn’t make KOTC when he was coming up;
he only fought in Gladiator Challenge. I don’t believe there’s
a next level out there. I believe that my top guys can compete
with anybody out there. Top guy for top guy, I’ve proven
I can put my top guy against their top guy any day. Let me ask
you a question, who do they have at 145 pounds that can beat
Urijah Faber? Even at 155? And Joey Villasenor…Rich Franklin
wouldn’t fight Joey Villasenor, there’d be no chance.
They would never let it happen. Don’t get me wrong Matt
Hughes is a super champion, and absolutely I’d have to say
the best 170 pounder in the world. But don’t get me wrong,
but as soon as he won the championship and (UFC) went to him
as being the marquee guy, I took Dennis Hallman right after he
beat Hughes the second time to KOTC, and had him under contract
for a year. So I had the guy that was beating him. In the heavyweight
division, look at how well Buentello is doing. Isn’t he
4-1 in the UFC? Ricco Rodriguez, prior to him you know, getting
out of shape and stuff, he ran the table at Pride and UFC. So
the “next level?” I don’t think there is. They
claim there’s a next level but if there really was a next
level, then the guys who end up leaving or losing some of the
guys that I lose, they’d go on and be lucky to go 50-50
if there was another level. They wouldn’t go 2-1, 5-0. What
is Joe Stevenson’s record since he started fighting in UFC?
What is Diego Sanchez’s? What is Karo Parisyan’s? What
is Paul Buentello’s? What is Duane Ludwig’s? You start
adding up the numbers and guys who were stars in KOTC and you
realize these guys are like 16-4, 16-5. These guys are stars.
Randy Couture didn’t have that good of record. The fact
is the proof is in the match ups. KOTC guys have dominated in
the UFC, and continue to do so.
BC:
I’ll give you some names of fighters. Let us know their
status with KOTC. First, Joey Villasenor.
TT:
Villasenor is under contract with KOTC and Pride. He’s fighting
in Pride June 4, I’ll be there for it. Joey Villasenor and
Crazy Horse are both going over to Pride. He has three more fights
with KOTC. His next fight with KOTC is July 29 in Durango Colorado.
BC:
John Alessio
TT:
John Alessio has never been under contract with KOTC, just sort
of a journeyman guy. Try to help him out get him a fight once
in awhile. We have nothing to do with Alessio at this time.
BC:
Urijah Faber
TT:
Urijah Faber is under contract with KOTC. He has 4-5 fights left
with KOTC I believe before his contract expires or gets renewed.
I don’t see him fighting anywhere else but KOTC till the
end of this year for sure unless we decide to put him somewhere
else. We have some great matchups for him for the rest of the
year. He’s fighting a guy from Shooto in July. Then he’ll
come back in August to fight Ivan Menjivar, that’s a rematch,
in Soboba (Casino). And then October we have him scheduled also.
He’s under contract with KOTC. His schedule is so full with
KOTC he won’t be fighting anywhere else, unless we make
a deal.
BC:
Mike “Joker” Guymon
TT:
Guymon is a great fighter, don’t have him on any type of
contract. He’s actually right there in line to fight for
the title. From my understanding, he has a mild injury but should
be ready by the pay per view show in August.
BC:
Thomas “Wildman” Denny
TT:
Thomas Denny lost his belt, got choked out the last time he fought.
I had booked the fight for him to fight Miletich in LA, then
come back to fight on the pay per view card in August. We have
a contract in place, but I don’t know if that Miletich fight
gonna happen. We’ll have to find out. We do have, I want
to say a 4 fight deal with Thomas Denny.
BC:
Nam Phan
TT:
Nam Phan has had a tough time in school lately. He had to take
some time off to work on his schoolwork. He’s making a little
push to get his bachelor’s degree. It looks like he’s
going to fight only one fight this summer, August 4.
BC:
How has KOTC grown from your first pay per view?
TT:
It started off in a tennis court in ’99. Got our first pay
per view contract in 2002. Been on pay per view 4 years. It’s
our 4 year anniversary this month on pay per view. I now reach
17 countries, 52 million North American homes. I’m on pay
per view every month. I’m on TV 12-15 days per month. So
I control somewhere between 120-150 days of TV per year. I’m
close to signing a mainstream TV deal right now. I put more fans
in the seats than any organization outside of Japan. I hands
down sell more DVDs than anybody, including the UFC. They can
get the reports from the magazine, but they don’t include
the Walmart sales. My Walmart sales on video and DVD are phenomenal.
When UFC puts out a show they get so many pay per view buys,
I get so many pay per view buys. I sell so many videos, they
sell so many videos. Hands down, we’re in just as many homes
as they are when it’s all said and done. We do it, and we
make money every single show. We consistently turned a profit
since day one. We didn’t throw $60-$70 million dollars and
hope that money would come back. We ran a business profit from
day one, and that’s what we’ll continue to do.
BC:
Where do you see KOTC in 5-10 years?
TT:
In another year, I should have my mainstream TV deal. That creates
stars around whoever you decide to put on TV. As good as the
fighters are, the stars are determined around the amount of money
you put into the fighter. Don’t get me wrong Urijah Faber
is a fantastic fighter. But the more people that know about him
the more he’s appreciated as a star. If somebody jumped
on the air tomorrow and put $100 million to a 145 pounder that
had three fights but never fought Urijah Faber. More people would
buy into that guy would beat Urijah Faber. The problem is, there
is nobody out there who’s gonna beat Urijah Faber. He’s
the best fighter out there at 145. Although anybody can be beat
on any night, hands down he’s the best 145 pounder in the
world. He’s probably the best 155 pounder in the world too.
BC:
Is there anything you would like to say in closing?
TT:
I’d like to thank you for the interview. You obviously followed
up good, grabbed a lot of questionable issues that were going
on and you got it straight from the horse’s mouth.
Source:
MMA Fighting
|
Nathan
Diaz VS. Joe Hurley
Nathan Diaz will be fighting Joe Hurley in the WEC on June the
15th. Hurley is a former KOTC and IFC Champion, with notable
wins over Yves Edwards and Chris Brennan. At one time he was
a top 10 fighter apparently headed for the UFC. His hopes were
derailed after high profile losses to Shaolin and then a very
painful loss to rising star Nick Diaz. The Nick Diaz fight came
at a high price, as Hurley suffered a severely broken arm in
the encounter. Since then Hurley has only fought once. (Losing
to a fighter Nathan Diaz has already beaten)
Now Hurley is back and wants to regain the prestige he once held.
Nothing would be sweeter than defeating the brother of the man
that in 2003 devastated his career.
Nathan Diaz is a rising star in his own right. Defeating Joe
Hurley would be a stepping stone to greater things to come for
the 20 year old. On June 15th the grudge match will be settled.
Info
at www.wec.tv
Source: Gracie Fighter
|
Quote
of the Day
"If
you don't invest very much, then defeat doesn't hurt
very much and winning is not very exciting."
Dïck Vermeil, American Football Coach
|
Ed
Newalu vs. Kainoa Walther
Just Added To X-1 Card
MMA: 3
Rounds x 3 Minutes - 145lbs
Ed Newalu (808 Fight Factory) VS Kainoa Walther (Young Guns de
Luta)
|
X-2
Sports Extreme Wars "Bay Area Brawl" Results
By Harry
Handono
Oakland, CA
June 3, 2006
estimated 2000 fans
Fight
Card Results
Main Event - Light Heavyweight (185.1 to 205)
Vladimir "The Janitor" Matyushenko (Retchisa, Belarus)
Vs.
Anthony "El Toro" Ruiz (Oakhurst, CA)
- Vladimir Matyushenko by Submission, 2:03 in the 1st Round
Women's Super Heavyweight (Over 175.1)
Lethal Lana Stefanac (Kirtland, OH)
Vs.
Martha Salazar (San Francisco, CA)
- Lethal Lana Stefanac by Submission, 2:09 in the 1st Round
Super Heavyweight (Over 265)
Big Shane Carwin (Denver, CO)
Vs.
Justice "The Monster" Smith (Los Angeles, CA) WWE Tough
Enough contestant in 2004
- Big Shane Carwin by Ground n Pound TKO, 0:31 in the 1st
Round
Welterweight (155.1 to 170)
Carlos "Natural Born Killer" Condit (Albuquerque, NM)
Vs.
Irish Pat Healy (St. Louis, MO)
- Irish Pat Healy by Submission, 2:53 in the 3rd Round
Welterweight (155.1 to 170)
Antonio McKee (Las Vegas, NV)
Vs.
Ronald
"Machine Gun" Jhun (Honolulu, HI)
- Antonio McKee by Split Decision
Lightweight (145.1 to 155)
Matt "The Wolverine" Grice (Norman, OK)
Vs.
Dan Marks (San Francisco, CA)
- Matt Grice by Unanimous Decision
Welterweight (155.1 to 170)
Doug "The Demon" Evans (Las Vegas, NV)
Vs.
Thomas "The Constrictor" Schulte (Albuquerque, NM)
- Thomas Schulte by Submission, 1:31 in the 1st Round
Welterweight (155.1 to 170)
Andy Wang (Los Angeles, CA)
Vs.
Jamal Perkins (Honolulu, HI)
- Andy
Wang by
Unanimous Decision
|
K-1
World GP 2006 in Seoul Results
June 3rd, 2006
Olympic Gymnasium-1, Seoul, Korea
Single matchups:
Hong Man Choi defeats Semmy Schilt by split decision.
Ray Sefo defeats Ruslan Karaev by KO at 1:42, RD 1.
Peter Aerts defeats Hiraku Hori by KO at 1:23, RD 2.
Myeon-Ju Lee defeats Kai Li by KO at 2:45, RD 2.
Rikijyo defeats Yong Soo Park by KO at 2:27, RD 1.
K-1
2006 Asia GP quarterfinals:
Min Soo Kim defeats Kyoung Suk Kim by unanimous decision.
Mourad Bouzidi defeats Mehdi Mirdavoudi by unanimous decision.
Tsuyoshi Nakasako defeats Kaoklai Kaennorsing by unanimous decision.
Yusuke Fujimoto defeats Dong Wook Kim by unanimous decision.
Semifinals:
Min Soo Kim defeats Mourad Bouzidi by unanimous decision, OT.
Yusuke Fujimoto defeats Tsuyoshi Nakasako by majority decision.
Final:
Yusuke Fujimoto defeats Min Soo Kim by KO at 0:23, RD 2.
Source: Fight Sport
|
"Rickson
would submit Matt Hughes"
Just like all Jiu-Jitsu comunity in Brazil, Paulo Filho got really
upset about Royce´s lost to american wrestler Matt Hughes.
"Royce is living legend of Vale-Tudo. Everybody who fights
today has to admire him. There can be some fighter as brave as
him but never braver than him", said Filho packing the bags
to go to Japan tuesday to fight first phase of Pride Bushido
tournament. Filho saw the fight in the internet site youtube.com
and comented Hughes perfect combat for us. "Royce is an
amazing and very technical fighter but He was out of the octagon
for a long time, while Hughes has been fighting quite often.
He was always one movement ahead of Royce and did a perfect fight.
I got also impressed that Matt fought Jiu-Jitsu against Royce.
Pass the guard, mounted, got the back and aplyed an armlock (americana)
that I don´t know Royce could escape", said a impressed
Filho pointing Hughes as current no1 in the world in 76kg.
Asked
about the possibilitty of Matt Hughes in 83kg category in a tournament
like Pride Bushido, Filho said: "I have no doubt that Hughes
has great possibilities against anyone in this tournament, but
it wouldn´t be so easy like in 76kg category because He
would have to face me to get the title", challenged Filho,
who guaranteed it would have been a great pleasure for him to
defend Jiu-Jitsu. "Anyone who beat a Jiu-Jitsu representative
I´m ready to face. I respect Hughes a lot and it would
be a pleasure for me to face him and avenge Royce", said
Filho.
After
train with Rickson Gracie three times in a small dojo mounted
by Rickson in his apartamente in Rio de Janeiro, Paulo Filho
said that He has no doubt that if Matt Hughes faces Rickson,
He would be taped out. "I respect Royce a lot, but Rickson
is the No1 of Gracie family. He is the most technical ground
fighter that I´ve ever seen. As far as I could see, He
has lots of tricks against ground and pound game. Rickson´s
guard is amazing, I truly belive that, in case He fights Matt
Hughes, He would made him tap", guarateed Filho.
Source: Tatame
|
UFC
OWNER TO FIGHT IN FUTURE UFC
By Scoop
McTroll
Lorenzo Fertitta in serious training for his UFC debut. Brother
"Frankie Three Sticks" can be seen in the background
cluelessly staring at a floor to ceiling ball.
It
has been revealed to me by sources close to the Fertitta family
that UFC Owner Lorenzo Fertitta is in training to fight in a
UFC event sometime in 2007.
According
to the source, Lorenzo first discovered that he had fast hands
and good footwork during his days training in gruelling lunchtime
boxercise sessions at the Dana White Gym in the late 1990's.
Former Boxercise instructor turned UFC President, Dana White,
once described Lorenzo as "an animal in the board room and
in the boxercise class". Since purchasing the UFC he has
been training regularly in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Muay-Thai and
Wrestling and is now at a level where he feels that he can be
a "serious threat to any professional MMA fighter."
"He
has already had two full contact sparring sessions with fighters
from Pat Miletich's school and has performed very impressively",
the source said.
Lorenzo
hopes to fight in the welter weight division and has mentioned
potential opponents such as UFC veteran Phil Johns, Shannon 'The
Cannon' Ritch and Matt Wiman.
Source: Fight Sport
|
The
Ultimate Blood Test UFC Is a Vicious Combo of Martial Arts, Mayhem
By Eli Saslow Washington Post Staff Writer Thursday, June 1,
2006; Page E01
LOS
ANGELES -- Fifteen minutes remained before he stepped into a
locked cage to fight a 260-pound Brazilian man with black belts
in kickboxing and combat karate, but Brandon Vera's suffering
had already begun.
His
mind raced and his stomach flipped as he paced across a small
locker room tucked in the entrails of Staples Center. He bounced
across a wrestling mat that covered the floor and stopped a few
steps away from the door, pausing to hear the steady rumble of
a nearly filled arena. "It sounds crowded out there,"
Vera said. The color drained from his face.
No
matter how much pain Vera, 28, endured last Saturday night, this
nervousness tormented him most. As a budding star of the fast-growing
sport of mixed martial arts, Vera faced an extreme double dose
of anxiety. The Ultimate Fighting Championship bout would almost
certainly leave him injured or unconscious. It would unfold before
almost 15,000 fans, the latest large crowd for a sport that,
in four years, has doubled its attendance and pay-per-view numbers
to rival boxing's popularity.
An
Air Force veteran, a jujitsu champion and an undefeated mixed
martial arts fighter, Vera had rarely felt so feeble and intimidated.
As his manager and two trainers changed into their ringside clothes,
Vera made his own final preparations. He excused himself to the
bathroom, bent over the toilet and vomited.
"Sometimes
before I go fight," Vera said, "I almost have to wonder,
'Okay. Am I crazy?' "
Different
Disciplines
He's
sane.
No
lunatic could have trained with such singular focus and exhausting
precision. Vera vowed to become a heavyweight champion when he
first saw the UFC on television in 2001, and his determination
rarely wavered. Once something of a floater -- a year as a wrestler
at Old Dominion University, a job installing cable, a stint at
the U.S. Olympic Training Center as a Greco-Roman wrestler --
Vera transformed into a compulsive trainer.
In
its struggle to gain attention, UFC had advertised itself as
the scale that weighed one fighting discipline against another.
In three, five-minute rounds, who would win between a boxer and
a wrestler? Between a kick-boxer and a jujitsu master?
Vera
believed he had the ability to take a different approach: become
proficient in each discipline instead of masterful in only one.
For
two years, Vera traveled each weekend from his hometown of Norfolk
to mixed martial arts events across the East Coast. He trained
often in Camp Springs with Lloyd Irvin, a renowned wrestler who
specializes in submission moves. Then he moved to San Diego and
worked with Rob Kaman, widely regarded as the greatest kick-boxer
ever.
The
result of this expert training: A fighter so revolutionary he's
nicknamed The Truth. Vera's long, 6-foot-3 body makes him flexible
and cunning as a grappler. His kicks -- often aimed at an opponent's
head -- land with force similar to that of a swinging baseball
bat. Vera estimates that at least a dozen times an opponent has
stuck out a forearm to block Vera's kick only to have the forearm
snapped and splintered like wood.
"Even
when I'm blocking [his kicks] with huge pads, it's like torture,"
training partner Mike Easton said. "Just one of those could
kill you."
In
little more than two years as a professional fighter, Vera has
earned a reputation as one of the sport's most intimidating threats.
He came into last Saturday's bout with a 6-0 professional record
and won his first two UFC fights with violent knockouts. The
UFC marketed his fight at Staples Center as the featured bout
of eight undercard fights. A victory would likely leave Vera
just a win or two from a title shot, but a daunting obstacle
blocked his path.
Assuerio
Silva outweighed Vera by 20 pounds, and he had won 25 more professional
fights. In early May, Vera tried to narrow the imbalance with
a weeklong training camp at Irvin's martial arts academy. He
launched a video blog -- http://brandonveratraining.com/ -- so
fans could follow his progress. Then he watched film of Silva
and trained for three sessions each day.
"This
is all business," Vera said. "I've never been this
focused on a fight."
Body
on the Line
He's
crazy.
In
a silent Staples Center locker room, Vera slowly dressed in his
protective gear. A protective cup, boxing shorts, two small weightlifting
gloves that left his fingers exposed and . . . wait. Nothing
else? UFC rules force fighters to enter the ring practically
naked, as it has since it held its first event in Denver in 1993.
"Once you're in the cage," Irvin said, "there's
nothing but you for protection."
Usually,
that defense falls short. UFC brawls can end three ways: a fighter
falls unconscious and a referee stops the fight; a fighter "taps
out" and concedes to avoid more pain; or officials make
a decision at the end of the third five-minute round. Of the
nine UFC bouts Saturday night at Staples Center, only one ended
with a decision.
Vera
watched the preliminary fights unfold on the television in his
locker room and gleefully celebrated bloody results. In the first
fight, a man took a hard right hand to the face and fell unconscious
-- even before his head violently bounced off the ground. In
the third fight, a flying knee to the face knocked a fighter
motionless. When he finally limped out of the cage, he walked
into a waiting ambulance inside Staples Center.
"Ouch!"
Vera said. "That fight was awesome."
Vera grew up the son of a Filipino mother and Italian father
in a house crowded with 10 siblings, and he learned to stand
out with cocksure assertiveness. "Nothing can stop me but
me," Vera said. "I don't care what other people think."
He
scheduled his wedding for the day after a UFC fight in Las Vegas
last year, bruises and black eyes be damned. He tattooed profanity
on his wallet. He disobeyed all conventional wisdom the night
before his fight at Staples Center, stuffing his body like a
garbage disposal. He ate cheeseburger soup and a chicken quesadilla
at his hotel before proceeding to The Palm for chicken curry
and a strawberry smoothie. After midnight he ordered and devoured
a full meat lover's pizza. He finally went to bed at about 4
a.m.
Thirty
minutes before his fight, Vera sweated through his T-shirt while
grappling on the floor with Irvin. Then Vera huddled with Irvin,
Kaman and Manager Mark Dion, and the fighter's hardened eyes
said what he had already told this entourage many times: If necessary
to win this fight, Vera would willingly endure deep gashes, concussions
and broken bones.
"I
do what it takes," Vera said. "I'm willing to wreck
my body."
Growing
Popularity
He's
sane.
This,
after all, is no backyard brawl he sacrifices for; it's a legitimate,
lucrative business that has made him a niche celebrity. As a
public address announcer revved up the crowd at Staples Center,
Vera walked down the hall leading to the arena and landed smack
in the middle of a cultural phenomenon. A spotlight hit his face
and thousands of fans -- some wearing Vera shirts that read "Truth
Hurts" -- hollered his name. In the first few rows, Paris
Hilton, Cindy Crawford and Nicholas Cage stood applauding.
In
five years since Dana White became UFC's president, the organization
has morphed from a renegade sideshow to a corporate juggernaut.
In the late 1990s, Senator John McCain launched a campaign against
the UFC after watching a tape of a fight. He wrote a letter to
each governor suggesting all states ban the sport, and the UFC
survived only in small venues and with niche audiences until
White took over in 2001.
White,
36, helped establish 31 rules to govern the sport and give it
legitimacy; he campaigned and won sanctioning in more than 22
states, including California in February. "We had a pretty
optimistic five-year plan when we took over," White said,
"and we accomplished everything in four years."
The
UFC holds about one event each month with anywhere from seven
to 10 bouts on the card, and it has sold out 12,000-plus-seat
venues in Las Vegas and Anaheim, Calif. The season debut of an
ultimate fighting reality show on Spike television in April attracted
2.4 million households -- more than competing broadcasts of the
Masters and an NBA doubleheader. The cheapest tickets at Staples
Center last Saturday sold for $100; second-level tickets cost
$400. The potential gate receipts neared $10 million.
At
the center of this whirlwind, Vera enjoyed financial rewards
he never imagined fighting could provide. The UFC paid him $16,000
to show up for his fight last Saturday night, and another $16,000
if he won. Sponsorship deals doubled that package to a potential
net worth of almost $70,000. Vera believed even that figure would
amount to UFC pocket change in a few years. Already, titleholders
receive as much as $250,000 per fight. A major deal with HBO
and domestic beer sponsorship are "coming soon," White
said. More than 60 countries televise the UFC, and it plans to
open an office in Europe later this year.
On
pay-per-view, UFC events have doubled in popularity during the
last three years and now draw as many as 400,000 buys -- a number
comparable to major boxing events. In a move UFC executives heralded
as foretelling, former Nevada Athletic Commission president Marc
Ratner, long one of the most respected figures in boxing, took
a job with UFC earlier this month.
"If
things keep going like this, it's going to be crazy in a few
years," ultimate fighter Forrest Griffin said. "We're
all going to be millionaires."
And
for such enticement, Vera willingly made a calculated sacrifice.
He had always walked away from his fights with what he called
"minor injuries": broken bones, dislocations, and muscle
tears. In 12 years of sanctioned UFC fights, no competitor had
ever died. Referee John McCarthy, the UFC's longest-tenured official,
stepped into the cage a moment before Vera, and he prided himself
on breaking fights up quickly.
"If
I see a guy who is vulnerable, I'm going to jump in there and
end it," McCarthy said. "All contact sports have some
risks, but this one isn't any more dangerous. I'm in there to
stop somebody from taking a savage beating."
A
Stand-Up Guy
He's
crazy.
By
the time Vera's fight began, Staples Center was a cauldron of
raging testosterone, a fraternity party on steroids. Fans had
already been drinking for three hours and were ogling scantily
dressed, UFC-employed women who paraded around the cage between
rounds.
Now
they wanted to see a fight. And blood.
Vera
immediately asserted himself as the aggressor, throwing three
leg kicks that Silva deftly defended. Vera tried shoving Silva
and accidentally poked him in the eye with a finger. The Brazilian
glared, then responded with a clean punch that smacked Vera in
his left eye. Less than a minute into his fight, Vera had already
suffered the most direct hit of his UFC career.
From the edge of the cage, Irvin and Kaman implored Vera to rely
on his kicks, and Vera whirled his right leg at Silva's knee.
This time, though, the impact hurt Vera most. He hit Silva so
hard it aggravated Vera's already-tender shin, so Vera fell back
to the ground and Silva jumped on top of him.
Fans reacted as they usually did when UFC fights turn into wrestling
battles fought on the ground: They booed resoundingly. While
fighters regard grappling as artful and technical, it typically
bores UFC fans. They prefer stand-up fights with definitive blows.
"That's all they understand," said Dion, Vera's manager.
"Most of the time, the fans have no clue what's actually
going on."
Vera
quickly confused the crowd further. A little more than two minutes
into his fight, Vera slid up against the side of the cage, and
Silva bent down to try to pick him up. Vera locked his forearm
around Silva's neck to secure what wrestlers call the guillotine
hold. Even as Silva picked Vera up on his back, Vera maintained
dominance. He twisted the Brazilian to the ground and tightened
his grip on the fighter's neck, turning it violently and limiting
his air supply.
After
about eight seconds, Silva tapped Vera on his side and conceded.
Vera danced in the cage, then waded back through the outstretched
arms of fans to get back to his locker room. A UFC official greeted
him there and suggested he go to the hospital for treatment.
"I
don't think I need to go," Vera said. "Really. I'm
fine."
Once
the official walked out of the room, Vera made a second diagnosis.
His left eye had probably suffered some sort of muscle damage,
he said. And his right shin?
"I'm
hoping that it's just something little," Vera said, "like
maybe a hairline fracture. "
Source: Washington Post
|
Quote
of the Day
"No
one is useless in this world who lightens the burdens of another."
Charles Dickens, 1812-1870, British Novelist
|
Congratulations
to Relson Gracie's
Newest Black Belts
Ronn Shiraki, Kimo Kreis, and Phil Cardella
These three were awarded their black belts at the Relson Gracie
Main Academy along with a ton of other promotions ranging from
the youngest students to some of our most senior.
Congratulations everyone!
|
Fighters'
Club Television Episode 40
Tonight!
Fighters' Club Television Episode 40 is cut and submitted to
Olelo Programming. It will air in our timeslot of 9:30pm Tuesday
nights on June 6, 13, 20, and 27.
Episode
40 features:
-
Highlights from Rumble on the Rock's 175 lbs tournament:
- With special interviews done by our guest host, Jason "Mayhem"
Miller from the weigh-ins
- Interview with tournament winner Jake Shields
-
Featured bout from Brennan Kamaka's Punishment in Paradise between
Ryan Cayetano (Smith TKD) vs Ikaika Choi Fu (JIL)
-
Featured bout from Icon Sport: David "Kawika" Padilla
vs Adam Bass
-
Technique of the Week:
Jason Miller demonstrating his famous "D'arce" Choke.
and
don't miss the credits where you can catch FCTV's Mike and Chris
Onzuka (and the other guy, Mark Kurano), hamming it up after
the fights. Somebody actually "threw in the towel"
on us - you don't want to miss that!
Questions,
Comments, Suggestions:
fctv@onzuka.com
|
Interview
with Pride veteran: Murilo Bustamante
By Takimoto
BTT's Murilo Bustamante takes on Russian fighter Amar Suloev
in the first round of the BushidoWelterweight GP 2006 at the
Saitama Super Arena. Bustamante is coming off upset loss last
December 31th, losing a split decision to eventual winner Dan
Henderson.
MaxFighting:
Your loss to Dan Henderson was a tough fight to decide and the
judges gave the nod to Henderson. What is your view?
Murilo Bustamante: Sure I got upset by not winning the belt,
but I was satisfied with my performance. I think I fought very-well;
I chased Henderson whole time during that fight. We had a clean
fight without any accidenst and the fight was balanced. The judges
gave Henderson the victory, but I did think I won and a lot of
fans have the same opinion that I do. I think that fight would
have made a great tournament final and I am sure the fans liked
the fight. Both fighters deserved to be World Bushido Welterweight
Champion, but only one could be. I keep fighting, I do what I
like to do. I want the belt and I will fight for it. I feel well
and my body is ok, so I'm going to try for the belt again.
MaxFighting:
When the second finished, did you think you had won?
Murilo Bustamante: Sincerely, I did think I had won, but the
judges have their criteria and they scored Henderson such as
the winner. I knew my performance was good. My corner instructed
to put the pace low and administrate the result, but my intention
was to finish the fight and I kept chasing Henderson.
MaxFighting:
Did you feel overconfident in the fight?
Murilo Bustamante: I was confident, I had opened a cut in his
face and I was good in both rounds.. I went ahead to finish the
fight, and then I ate a counter-punch. Maybe if I had walked
back and dictated a low pace over round 2, I could be the winner.
I paid for my impulse and Henderson got things tied up with that
knee, however. I do not think that was enough to make him the
winner, but these things happens.
MaxFighting:
You connected with a soccer kick to the face in round 2, could
that have been the finishing blow if it landed differently?
Murilo Bustamante: It should have connected with the upper part
of my foot and not with the down part. I wanted to kick his face
(lol). It connected and scared him, that's okay.
MaxFighting:
How do you see this year's Grand Prix?
Murilo Bustamante: For me nowadays, I have to fight in my own
category. I am 40 years old fighters and I have a huge problem
of carrying my old injuries. To fight against a heavier fighter
can open gaps for new injuries and this is not what I am looking
for. I have 30 years of fights and I never took steroids, so
I have to have extra discipline to keep in good shape and condition.
MaxFighting:
How do you compare this years welterweight grand prix to last
years?
Murilo Bustamante: I think this GP is toughest than last year.
We have Paulo Filho, Amar Suloev, Denis Kang and Murilo “Ninja”
Rua. But this GP has an unusual characteristic, the strongest
fighter are facing each other in first match. In my opinion 4
favorites are going to battle in first stage, they're: Kang x
Ninja and Suloev x me. I do not see other tough matches like
these ones, these fights will put two favorites out of the game.
MaxFighting:
What about you opponent in Suloev?
Murilo Bustamante: I watched his fights several times, he is
good technically, mainly on the feet. I'll look to create a good
strategy and use my strengths to neutralize him.
MaxFighting:
People are talking good things about Cuban fighter Hector Lombard.
What do you know about him?
Murilo Bustamante: I never saw Hector fight. I heard he is skilled
in Boxing and Judo. lLet's see him inside a Pride ring and how
he is.
MaxFighting:
This time, the GP will be disputed in a different formula than
last GP, right?
Murilo Bustamante: We are going to fight once now, and then once
again in August 26th, and then twice in November.
MaxFighting:
Do you prefer it this way?
Murilo Bustamante: Does not matter. You have to fight twice in
same day. I think if you had to fight twice in first stage this
would be(theoretically) the easiest fights. But this time you
are fighting once and this first fight is already a tough match.
You know, everything is theoretical. Maybe we can face a lesser
opponent in semifinals or quarter-finals than you're facing in
first phase. But mentioning again, it is all theoretical...
MaxFighting:
There is a chance of facing your teammate Filho. Would this happen
only in the finals?
Murilo Bustamante: Only in finals. This is a complicated situation
because Filho is like a younger brother to me. So this will be
a weird and tough situation, if we reach the finals. We know
we are professional fighters, and we know what to do, but we
will be glad because we would have reached the finals and BTT
will place 1st and 2nd place in this important tournament.
Source: Maxfighting
|
AFP
TOP TEN FOR THE MONTH OF MAY
HEAVYWEIGHT
1.) Fedor Emelianenko Russia
2.) Rodrigo 'Minotauro' Nogueira Brazil
3.) Mark Hunt New Zealand
4.) Mirko 'Cro Cop' Filipovic Croatia
5.) Fabricio Werdum Brazil
6.) Sergei Kharitonov Russia
7.) Josh Barnett USA
8.) Alexander Emelianenko Russia
9.) Tim Sylvia USA
10.) Kazuyuki Fujita Japan
LIGHT
HEAVYWEIGHT
1.) Mauricio 'Shogun' Rua Brazil
2.) Vanderlei Silva Brazil
3.) Ricardo Arona Brazil
4.) Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson USA
5.) Chuck Liddell USA
6.) Rogerio 'Minotoro' Nogueira Brazil
7.) Alistair Overeem Holland
8.) Renato 'Babalu' Sobral Brazil
9.) Randy Couture USA
10.) Vitor Belfort Brazil
MIDDLEWEIGHT
1.) Dan Henderson USA
2.) Murilo Bustamante Brazil
3.) Kazushi Sakuraba Japan
4.) Paulo Filho Brazil
5.) Rich Franklin USA
6.) Matt Lindland USA
7.) Frank Shamrock USA
8.) Anderson Silva Brazil
9.) Phil Baroni USA
10.) Yuki Kondo Japan
WELTERWEIGHT
1.) Georges St-Pierre Canada
2.) B.J.
Penn USA
3.) Matt
Hughes USA
4.) Karo Parisyan USA
5.) Daniel Acacio Brazil
6.) Sean Sherk USA
7.) Jake Shields USA
8.) Carlos Condit USA
9.) Frank Trigg USA
10.) Diego Sanchez USA
LIGHTWEIGHT
1.) Marcus Aurelio Brazil
2.) Vitor 'Shaolin' Ribeiro Brazil
3.) Takanori Gomi Japan
4.) Hayato Sakurai Japan
5.) Joachim Hansen Norway
6.) Tatsuya Kawajiri Japan
7.) Kaoru Uno Japan
8.) Genki Sudo Japan
9.) Yves Edwards USA
10.) Koutetsu Boku Japan
FEATHERWEIGHT
1.) Norifumi 'Kid' Yamamoto Japan
2.) Gilbert Melendez USA
3.) Jens Pulver USA
4.) Hideo Tokoro Japan
5.) Alexandre 'Pequeno' Nogueira Brazil
6.) Joao Roque Brazil
7.) Ivan Menjivar El Salvador
8.) Jeff Curran USA
9.) Hatsu Hioki Japan
10.) Takeshi Inoue Japan
Source:
Fight Sport
|
“Maximus”
Uncensored:
Aurelio Talks Gomi, “Shaolin”
Less than a week after Marcus Aurelio (14-2-0) shocked the mixed
martial arts world by choking 2005 fighter of the year Takanori
Gomi to the brink of unconsciousness, the Brazilian spoke with
Sherdog.com editor Josh Gross about the win and his career.
In
his uncensored — and explicit — way Aurelio, who returns
to the ring Sunday in Japan versus Mitsuhiro Ishida, discusses
the Gomi result and its aftermath.
The
American Top Team product also answers questions about his two
career losses, and the dominant Vitor Ribeiro (Pictures), whom
Aurelio offers a sharp opinion of.
Sherdog.com:
After defeating Takanori Gomi, how was the response for you?
Marcus
Aurelio: Man, you have no idea how happy I am. Fuck, I’m
fucking happy. You know. I’m feeling great because I said
before the fight that I am going to do that, and I will do, and
I did. So I trained hard for the fight. I did a lot of strategy.
So, my teammates, they help me a lot. I put everything together,
you know, and it worked. I beat the guy.
Sherdog.com:
How long did you train for Gomi?
Aurelio:
Four weeks. They told me about the fight four weeks before. I
didn’t have enough time, but it was good. I used the time
right and I did good.
Sherdog.com:
As soon as you learned about the fight, what were the first steps
you took?
Aurelio:
I started to train. Right after I started to train and we got
all his tapes of his fights and make a strategy. And I said,
fuck, I have four weeks. I gotta get in better shape, gotta improve
physical condition and boxing, to keep my hands up and make me
work good in the ring. The main point is I gotta put my jiu-jitsu
better and better and better. I know I could submit this guy
on the ground; his ground sucks. And that’s what I did.
I did a lot of jiu-jitsu. Everyday I did a lot of jiu-jitsu drills,
a lot of repetitions. That’s why I felt good on the ground,
you know.
Sherdog.com:
When you’re seeing the tapes of him and preparing for the
fight, you’re game plan is to take him down and use your
jiu-jitsu?
Aurelio:
Yeah, that’s what I thought. I thought I know I can exchange
punches but I know he has a better level of boxing. He knocked
a lot of good guys out. But I knew, man, I can change. I can
support that. I can give him good shots, too. I know my boxing
is good too; I can hit hard, you know. So I’m not going
to be like crazy, because he likes to knock you out and then
you go crazy. And I said no, I’m going to wait him and he’s
going to be pissed because he always waits for people to come
and then he goes. And I said no, fuck that. I’m going to
wait for him to come. If he comes to my distance I’m going
to punch him, and I’m going to make him feel like “fuck,
he’s dangerous too.” I had to make him feel like I’m
dangerous too. If he comes in I’m going to punch hard, maybe
I can knock him out if he gives me the chance. But if he gives
me the chance I’m going to take him down and go to the ground
because that’s my game.
Sherdog.com:
You finished him with an arm-triangle choke. Did you see when
you were preparing, like watching tape, that you could catch
him with that choke?
Aurelio:
Yeah. That was one of the opportunities that I saw. You know,
like I said, his ground is not so good so he does a lot of mistakes.
That was one of the mistakes. He always gives the kata-gatame.
Sherdog.com:
Why do you think you were successful at finishing with that when
others were not?
Aurelio:
You know what I think the difference was: I was completely confident.
I think he felt this in the beginning of the fight. When I gave
him the takedown I thought he was done. I gave him a strong takedown
and right away I started to pass, go to the half-guard and start
to punch. He was breathing [heavy]. And I said he’s gonna
have a hard time now. That fight made me strong. The strong takedown,
the work on the ground — half-guard, punching, punching
— and I saw he was moving wrong. He doesn’t know what
to do. I said man, this was a good time for a submission. He
gonna give me something, because I work on my submission a lot.
I had a lot of submission to give to him.
Sherdog.com:
I don’t know if you saw his comments after the fight, but
he was asked what the reason for his loss was, and he said he
didn’t train enough. Do you think that’s fair or is
he making excuses?
Aurelio:
He’s making excuses, man. How the No. 1 guy — he knows
everyone is going after his head. How is he not going to train
for this fight? If he did this, it’s a big mistake. Bad
for him. I don’t think so. I don’t think so. You know
what happened? I put him in a different world, you know what
I mean. Different planet. So that’s why he felt like shit.
Because every guy when he goes to the ring against Gomi he wants
to have big balls and prove to the world he can beat Gomi by
punch. Sometimes that’s stupid. I’m going to go there
to prove how good I am in my game. Man if I need to go punch
against everyone, I will do. I train to fucking box everyday.
Muay Thai. I know I have a [high] level too. But, you know, strike
is a strike. Did you see Azeredo and Hansen? Azeredo was doing
good. He got knocked out. Stupid. If he does a right game he
can beat the guy. He can punch, do a nice strike and then take
him down and punch him on the ground. Work the ground. But he
wanted to do a big show. He wanted to show everyone “Hey,
I’m fucking tough. I have big balls.” I prefer to go
like that. I can show I can be tough too and submit guys on the
ground like “Minotauro” does. Nobody can say “Minotauro”
doesn’t have big balls. People sometimes think stupid. Fuck.
Wanderlei has a big balls. Why? Just because he exchange punches?
Fuck, I know he’s tough, but not because he exchanges punches.
[It’s] because Wanderlei, if he needs to fight on the ground,
he’ll go fight there too. That’s why I think Wanderlei
has big balls, not just because he’s crazy and exchanges
punches against everyone. Fuck that. Everyone can do that. Everyone
can be a crazy bitch: “OK man, I don’t care if he knocks
me out.” Man, I don’t care if he knocks me out when
I’m doing what I have to do. OK. But if he knocks me out
because I want to prove to everybody that I’m a fucking
bad boy and don’t go to the ground, I’m going to feel
stupid.
Sherdog.com: A lot of people don’t know about the ZST Grand
Prix that you won. Your success in that tournament and going
to Japan and winning something like that, did that prepare you
mentally to succeed against someone like Gomi?
Aurelio:
Of course. Fighting in ZST helped me a lot because I did three
fights in one night and had a bunch of tough guys there. That
night I beat Imanari, Morkevicius, another tough guy, and in
the end I beat Clementi. Another tough guy. So in the end of
the night I had no injury. Like last time against Gomi, I had
no injury. Was nice for me, ZST, because it gave me a better
head, stronger mind to support some situations like me and Gomi.
I had a lot of pressure. Ninety-point-nine percent were for Gomi
to win, and zero-point-one percent for Marcus. And I said fuck
that. Fuck Gomi. Fuck everybody. Man, I’m going to beat
this motherfucker. I don't give a shit what people are talking.
You know, I know how good I am. I know I’m tough. Fuck that.
And I started to be confident. Like that night in ZST I thought
the same shit. “Fuck, I’m here in Japan. I have a bunch
of tough guys to fight, but it’s a lot of money. I need
this money. I need to help my family. I need this money.”
And I put this goal, “I don’t give a shit if someone
knocks me out, breaks my face, I’m going to win.” It
made me strong.
Sherdog.com:
Do you now feel you’re the No. 1 160-pound-and-under fighter
in the world?
Aurelio:
Yeah, I feel it. I really feel. He was No. 1 already. He proved
that. He beat the shit out of everybody. I beat him, so now I
know I’m ready to fight against everyone in PRIDE. I know
this. My last two fights I didn’t do so good because …
I had some problems before. My head was not so good my last two
times when I fought against Nakao and [Nakamura]. But now everything
is nice in my life. My head is good. So I know I have enough
skills to beat everyone. I’m confident because I train a
lot.
Sherdog.com:
This was a non-title fight. Has PRIDE told you when you’d
fight for a title?
Aurelio:
No, they didn’t tell me yet. But I talked to them and told
them I wanted a fucking rematch. I want this belt. So tell me
when. I’m excited for that.
Sherdog.com:
You said that last time no one picked you to win. What’s
it going to be like this time, either as the favorite against
Gomi or will people look it as an even fight? Does that change
the pressure at all for you?
Aurelio:
Man, I think this time it will be minimum 50-50. Now, I don’t
know. People in Brazil will say Marcus Aurelio will win, 70 for
me and 30 for him. I think. But you know, I don’t like to
hear this shit because sometimes you look for this and people
say what they want to say. Sometimes I don’t like to go
to the Internet and see this. Like last time I went to the Internet
before the fight, everyone said Marcus is going to lose, he has
no chance. I said fuck that, I don’t want to sit in front
of the computer anymore. But people are going to say what they
want to say. I hope everybody likes my fights and I hope people
say I’m going to win. It’s going to be a good fight
for me. Good energy.
Sherdog.com:
Marcus, how old are you?
Aurelio:
I’m 32.
Sherdog.com:
So you’ve been doing this for a while now. Things are starting
to pay off.
Aurelio:
Yeah. You know, MMA, professionally, I’ve been doing just
for four years. That’s why I think American Top Team is
the best team because everything we made, we made in four years.
Four years ago I started to do MMA and now I beat the No. 1.
We’re working good here. We’re working hard here. So
I’m feeling good for this.
Sherdog.com:
You started when you were 28. How did you come about stepping
into the ring for the first time?
Aurelio:
I fought a lot of time jiu-jitsu, and jiu-jitsu doesn’t
give you good money. I came here because Dan (Lambert) invited
me to come. He said, “Hey, I’m going to open a gym.
We’re going to start doing MMA. You have good skills on
the ground. You have good wrestling. So you have to start doing
MMA. What do you think?” I said, “I think this is awesome.
I like this, I want to do it.” He said, “Come here
and you’re going to have big support. I’m going to
start a team.” And then I started. I moved to America and
started.
Sherdog.com: I want to talk about your two losses. The first
to Antonio McKee. I think I was actually there for that fight.
That was at Soboba Casino in California.
Aurelio:
Yeah, I got fucked in that fight. I didn’t fight good, but
I didn’t lose that fight. That fight sucked, I know. But
I didn’t lose. He didn’t win either. So he was in his
hometown. Everybody was for him.
Sherdog.com:
And against Dokonjonosuke Mishima, that was a very competitive
fight. The decision was a split decision. Do you feel that you
won that fight, or did you deserve to lose?
Aurelio:
No, I didn’t lose. Let me tell you why. I had a big problem
at that time with PRIDE. When I went there we had a big problem
because of the weight. His manager, he made a deal with my manager.
They said the weight is going to be 73 kilos. I said, “OK,
no problem. Just let me know the weight.” When I got there
the day of the weigh-in I made 72.9 and the guy said I was 2.9
kilos over. My manager started to talk with his manager and his
manager said “No, the deal was 70.” They started talking
a lot of shit. I told my manager I had to go to the hotel. I
gotta drink. I gotta eat. She said, “OK go to the hotel.
I’m going to fix this … You can eat, no problem.”
They said no, I have to go back in one hour and drop one more
kilo. I said OK, I will do. And I went to the gym again and dropped
one more kilo and I made 72. And Mishima’s manager said,
“No, no. You gotta do 70.” I said, “Fuck you man.
I’m tired of this shit.” I told [my manager] I’m
going to the hotel. She said, “OK. Go there, I’ll fix
this.” I told her I’m going to eat and she’s got
to fix this, it’s not my fault. I ate and drank. Then I
was 76, 77 (kilos). Around 9 o’clock at night Liborio came
to my room and said, “We have a big problem. Mishima said
he won’t fight against you tomorrow because you didn’t
make the weight. He’s out.” And I started to cry. Fuck
that, I wanted to fight. It was the first time in PRIDE. I said
I’ll do whatever he wants me to do. Fuck man, please. Liborio
said, “No man, for me you’re not going to fight.”
I started to cry again. I wanted to fight. I said I could drop
the weight again. I got crazy. I started to drop the fucking
weight and they said OK. PRIDE brought the scale to the room
next to mine like 9:30 at night. I started again. I was 77 kilos.
I put everything — the plastic bags, the clothes —
and started to run. Fuck, I made 70 kilos. I finished at 4 a.m.
When I finished the fucking weight, I said, “Fuck. I’m
fucked up. Like shit, man. I’m fucking tired. After 4 o’clock
I went to eat something and I slept like at 5 o’clock and
I had to wake up at 9:30, 10 o’clock. When I woke up Liborio
asked me how I’m feeling. I said, “Man, I’m feeling
like I took a fucking six-pack of Corona.” I was angry with
Mishima. I was like man, I’m going to kill this motherfucker.
I lost my mind, lost my goal. “No, no, you cannot be angry.
You gotta have your head right.” Fuck that man. If I see
him in the street I’m going to drop a fucking chair on his
head. Fuck man, he’s a motherfucker. I was angry bro. That’s
why I think I lost that fight, because I gave him a head butt.
I put the head in his belly and the referee, the fucking referee
gave me a yellow card. That’s why I lost that shit. But
I think I did OK. I don’t give excuse. He was better at
the moment of the fight. You know he doesn’t want to give
me the rematch because he knows what’s going to happen.
Sherdog.com:
People talk about Vitor Ribeiro as the best Brazilian jiu-jitsu
lightweight in the world. Do you think you’re better than
him?
Aurelio:
He’s not the best lightweight. Why is he the best? Man,
he’s not better than me in jiu-jitsu. Probably we are the
same level, but he’s not better than me.
Sherdog.com:
Would you fight him?
Aurelio:
Yeah, of course. He’s my friend, but fuck that. People talk.
I know he’s tough. “Shaolin” is a tough guy. But
I know we are the same level on the ground. He is not that much
better. He is not the best guy at this weight on the ground.
He’s gonna do the same ground like me. And my skill in the
guard is better than his skill. I do a better guard than him;
I know this.
Sherdog.com:
How important is it for you to prove your win over Gomi wasn’t
a fluke?
Aurelio:
That’s why I want a rematch. I want to prove again. A rematch
is so important for me now, man. I can guarantee that belt for
myself. And then I can prove everybody that it was not luck.
Now, it’s going to be a big time for me. I’m going
to train more and more and do whatever I need to do. I will prove
this. I just couldn’t prove it yet. My last two fights before
Gomi, that wasn’t so good. That was me in that time. But
if you see me fight in ZST, I fought good and I got a lot of
improvement since then. So I know, I know I can be where I am.
I can hold this. I want to fight against Gomi again, prove that
and then start to fight everyone. Every tough guy, I’m excited
to fight them. I want to fight against Hansen. I want to fight
against Sakurai. “Shaolin” … I can’t talk
about him because he’s in another association. But, the
guys from PRIDE, man I want to fight against all those guys.
Source: Sherdog
|
Phil
Baroni Interview
Phil Baroni was recently interviewed by the PRIDE website. Here's
what Baroni had to say:
Interviewer:
Hi Phil! Thanks for taking the time to do this interview. So,
what have you been up to since your recent victory over Yuki
Kondo?
Baroni:
Training, I was back in the gym the next day.
Interviewer:
You doing anything for fun?
Baroni:
Right now, nothing, just no time for fun. Time to win the Grand
Prix. I'm not doing anything fun right now. And when I do win
the GP, then I'll go on vacation, go to the beach and chill out.
But right now I'm on a mission, I have something to accomplish.
Interviewer:
We all have our own talents and want to be the best at something.
Why was your calling MMA?
Baroni:
I felt I've always been a fighter. You see, there are different
ways people express themselves, writers write stories, painters
paint pictures, musicians play music, I'm a fighter and that's
how I express myself. I don't know if you want to call it an
art form, but that's what I am and that's what I do. I don't
know if I decided to become a fighter or was born a fighter,
but there nothing else harder and nothing else feels better.
Ever since I was a little kid I wanted to box. I was shadowboxing
Mike Tyson and always wanted to be a fighter. That was my dream.
Interviewer:
Tell me about your fighting background? Wrestling boxing?
Baroni:
I wrestled in high school and college and did some boxing and
kickboxing. I think MMA is the way to put them together. The
best boxer isn't necessarily the best fighter in the world. MMA
finds out who the best fighter is.
Interviewer:
What are some mottos that you live by?
Baroni:
My main motto is to never give up, set goals and to accomplish
them and never give up. Just don't give up and believe in yourself.
Interviewer:
How'd you get the name, NYBA? And do you miss New York?
Baroni:
I was doing some boxing, kickboxing, and I knocked out this champion
and they gave me this nickname.
Interviewer:
How long have you been with Hammer House and how are they treating
you?
Baroni:
Good, it's a life long fraternity. Blood in, blood out.
Interviewer:
You guys seem like a very close-knit family.
Baroni:
We're tight.
Interviewer:
What's going through your mind when you're standing in the ring,
looking over at your opponent, hearing your name being introduced
to all the fans in attendance, about to get the fight started?
Baroni:
I'm thinking about all the hard work and sacrifices that are
coming together. It takes a lot of discipline to get here and
now it's just time to perform and to fight my fight and leave
it up to God. Don't hold back, just keep on pushing no matter
how bad I'm hurt, I have to hit harder, not to give up due to
the pain or the frustration and just to keep going and fight
through it and make him feel what ever you feel.
Interviewer:
Tell us about your hardcore battle against Minowa?
Baroni:
It was a great fight. I was dealing with a lot of personal demons
and for a couple years I was down about myself and when I got
to Japan I only wanted to fight my ass off and with every last
bit of strength I had. I want to look in the mirror and say I
did my best; I trained hard, and made many sacrifices. I trained
by myself for that fight so it was a hard fight. From that fight
I learned that i could beat anybody at anytime and that I have
what it takes to be a champion.
Interviewer:
What did you learn and what would happen if you guys went at
it a third time?
Baroni:
I'd win a third time. We would pick up where we left off and
it would end in a KO. I know what to expect from him.
Interviewer:
What can we expect to see from you in this tournament that we
haven't seen thus far?
Baroni:
I'm a well-rounded fighter, I'm gonna fight the way I always
fight, and hopefully I'll get to show how well rounded my game
is. I've trained for a long time, I can fight on the ground and
fight standing up. I'm a great wrestler, that's my background.
I've won countless grappling tournaments and well versed on the
ground and if they make me show it, they're gonna be surprised.
Interviewer:
What do you expect from your opponent Kazuo Misaki? Last time,
he lasted 2 rounds with the welterweight champ Dan Henderson.
Baroni:
He's tough. I think he's a good opponent. I hope he has the courage
because we're gonna go to war. Be a man and let's see who the
better fighter is. He's not going the distance with me like he
did with Dan Henderson. He will try to survive. We'll see who
the man is. He's a good fighter, he likes to fight and it'll
be a good fight.
Interviewer:
Is there anything special about your training routine that sets
you apart from other fighters?
Baroni:
I train harder, smarter, longer, make more sacrifices, and watch
my diet. I take supplements and take gamma o. I don't cheat and
do all my training and hard sparing, and don't cut corners. Every
time I step in there I know I did everything right and deserve
to win. I know I don't cheat here or there and give myself the
best opportunity to win when I step in the ring.
Interviewer:
You sound like a guy who loves to fight, loves the competition,
and basically just wants to go to war.
Baroni:
I love to fight. I'm not fighting because I want to be rich or
be a movie star or because I'm a troubled guy. I'm fighting because
it's my passion and I'll fight anybody, anywhere! It's what I
was born to.
Interviewer:
You've only fought three opponents so far in PRIDE, if you could,
who would you like to KO next?
Baroni:
I want to fight the guy with the belt and be the best fighter
in my weight class.
Interviewer:
Anything you want to say to Kazuo Misaki?
Baroni:
Hands up, chin down! Because I'm coming for you bro and I'm throwing
bombs. Let's just fight and see who the man is and make it a
dogfight and see who the bigger dog is. Let's go and put on a
show!
Interviewer:
Do you have a moment in your career that you are most proud of?
Baroni:
Beating Minowa while coming back from an injury.
Interviewer:
How does it feel to knock out a MMA veteran like Kondo in 24
seconds?
Baroni:
Feels great. I'm proud of that, he's a tough guy, he's never
been knocked out but I beat him with standup at his own game.
Interviewer:
How do you like fighting in Japan as opposed to the USA.
Baroni:
I love it! It doesn't matter where I fight. I love Japan and
the fans have accepted me and taken me in. I appreciate all the
support and love fighting for them. I think they are the greatest
fans in the world and show much respect for fighters, and believe
me, it's appreciated because I haven't always had that. When
I get lots of applause and it motivates me to fight harder and
gives me a great feeling when I win.
Interviewer:
What's your opinion of the sport today with PRIDE coming to the
US and MMA getting more popular each day?
Baroni:
I'm excited about PRIDE coming to the US and I'm happy that PRIDE
has given me the opportunity and very happy fighting for them,
the biggest fight organization in the world.
Interviewer:
We're glad you're with us too! Thanks for your time Phil. It
was awesome talking to you. Anything you want to tell the fans
in the US?
Baroni:
PRIDE's coming home, don't forget about me, catch me on ppv's,
on FSN. The best fighters in the world are in PRIDE and we're
international. If you want to see the best, and see what real
fighting is, watch PRIDE. And to the fans, its a trip! People
want to shake my hand and get my autograph. I love it and realize
that this is my passion and I'd like to thank the fans for giving
me the opportunity to perform for them.
Source:
Fight Sport
|
Quote
of the Day
"Write
injuries in sand, kindnesses in marble."
French Proverb
|
PRIDE
Bushido 11 Results
PRIDE Bushido 11: 'Bushido Survival '06'
Saitama Super Arena, Saitama, Japan
June 4, 2006
PRIDE 183-pound GP matchups:
Kazuo Misaki defeats Phil Baroni by unanimous decision.
Denis Kang defeats Murilo 'Ninja' Rua by TKO, RD 1.
Akihiro Gono defeats Hector Lombard by unanimous decision.
Gerard Mousasi defeats Makoto Takimoto by TKO, RD 1.
Ryo Chonan defeats Joey Villasenor by split decision.
Paulo Filho defeats Gregory Bouchelaghem by unanimous decision.
Amar Suloev defeats Murilo Bustamante by unanimous decision.
Single
matchups:
Hayato Sakurai defeats Olaf Alonso by KO, RD 1
Tatsuya Kawajiri defeats Charles Bennett by kneebar, RD 1.
Mitsuhiro Ishida defeats Marcus Aurelio by unanimous decision.
Jason Black defeats Eoh Won Jin by TKO, RD 1.
Source: Fight Sport
|
SAKURABA
VS. PENN OR MANHOEF
 
K-1 producer Sadahuru Tanikawa spoke with the Japanese media
and commented that Kazushi Sakuraba will face either B.J. Penn
or Melvin Manhoef in the first round of the HERO's 187-pound
GP.
Source:
Fight Sport
|
MMAWEEKLY'S
LATEST TOP 10 POLL
MMAWeekly.com has released our FINAL Top 10 Fighters & Broadcasters
poll ever. Coming up next month, we will have a new rankings
system that will change the way you view the Top 10s. More details
to come on our new poll system very soon, but for now, back to
the final Fighters & Broadcasters Poll.
HEAVYWEIGHT
DIVISION (265-pound limit)
Not
surprisingly, every single ballot in the Heavyweight division
had Fedor as #1, Nogueira as #2, and Cro Cop as #3.
What
is surprising is that Andrei Arlovski still finished slightly
ahead of Tim Sylvia, despite the fact that Sylvia defeated Arlovski
in April. Arlovski and Sylvia have each beaten the other once,
and they will meet for a third time in July.
1.
Fedor Emelianenko - 100 Points (including 10 first-place votes)
2. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira - 90 Points
3. Mirko Cro Cop - 80 Points
4. Andrei Arlovski - 64 Points
5. Tim Sylvia - 57 Points
6. Josh Barnett - 40 Points
7. Sergei Kharitonov - 26 Points
8. Aleksander Emelianenko - 20 Points
9. Fabricio Werdum - 17 Points
10. Heath Herring - 16 Points
Other
Fighters Receiving At Least 5 Points:
Jeff Monson - 14 Points
Mark Hunt - 14 Points
Brandon Vera - 6 Points
Hidehiko Yoshida - 6 Points
LIGHT
HEAVYWEIGHT DIVISION (205-pound limit)
While
the actual order of the top fighters did not change, some of
the first-place votes did. Even though Shogun had three votes
for first place and Wanderlei Silva had none, Wanderlei still
managed to finish just ahead of Shogun in the overall point totals.
Also, Forrest Griffin almost took the #10 spot from Vitor Belfort.
1.
Chuck Liddell - 97 Points (including 7 first-place votes)
2. Wanderlei Silva - 87 Points
3. Mauricio "Shogun" Rua - 86 Points (including 3 first-place
votes)
4. Ricardo Arona - 70 Points
5. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira - 60 Points
6. Renato "Babalu" Sobral - 47 Points
7. Tito Ortiz - 34 Points
8. Quinton Jackson - 33 Points
9. Alistair Overeem - 26 Points
10. Vitor Belfort - 6 Points
Other
Fighters Receiving At Least 5 Points:
Forrest Griffin - 5 Points
MIDDLEWEIGHT
DIVISION (185-pound limit)
Rich
Franklin and Dan Henderson remained in an extremely close race
for the #1 spot, and Franklin came out ahead by two points. Franklin's
domination of David Loiseau, coupled with Henderson's unspectacular
performance against Kazuo Misaki, is likely what shifted the
balance in this race ever-so-slightly towards Franklin in recent
months.
1.
Rich Franklin - 95 Points (including 6 first-place votes)
2. Dan Henderson - 93 Points (including 3 first-place votes)
3. Matt Lindland - 83 Points (including 1 first-place vote)
4. Murilo Bustamante - 70 Points
5. Anderson Silva - 61 Points
6. Jeremy Horn - 41 Points
7. Nathan Marquardt - 21 Points
8. David Loiseau - 19 Points
9. Paulo Filho - 16 Points
10. Phil Baroni - 11 Points
Other
Fighters Receiving At Least 5 Points:
Evan Tanner - 10 Points
Ivan Salaverry - 7 Points
Jason "Mayhem" Miller - 6 Points
WELTERWEIGHT
DIVISION (170-pound limit)
Matt
Hughes got every single first-place vote except for one. The
last remaining ballot ranked BJ Penn as the #1 welterweight,
in a vote that must have been cast by someone who believes that
Penn was completely robbed by the judges in his loss to Georges
St. Pierre.
In
the meantime, St. Pierre finished as a strong #2 in overall points,
Frank Trigg is making his last appearance on this list after
recently announcing his retirement, and Sean Sherk is also making
his last appearance on this list before his upcoming move to
the 155-pound division.
1.
Matt Hughes - 99 Points (including 9 first-place votes)
2. Georges St. Pierre - 89 Points
3. BJ Penn
- 83 Points (including 1 first-place vote)
4. Karo
Parisyan - 70 Points
5. Sean Sherk - 57 Points
6. Diego Sanchez - 44 Points
7. Jake Shields - 43 Points
8. Carlos Condit - 21 Points
9. Jon Fitch- 11 Points
10. Frank Trigg- 10 Points
Other
Fighters Receiving At Least 5 Points:
Josh Neer - 9 Points
Akira Kikuchi - 6 Points
LIGHTWEIGHT
DIVISION
(160-pound limit in some organizations; 155-pound limit in other
organizations)
This
was a fascinating race among many great fighters. Even though
Takanori Gomi recently lost to Marcus Aurelio in a non-title
match, the voters still chose Gomi as the top fighter in the
weight class. Aurelio only finished in sixth place, even though
he got three first-place votes, primarily because voters seemed
to either make Aurelio number one on their ballots or pay him
little attention at all. Yves Edwards is the only UFC fighter
left on a list that is stacked with international talent.
1.
Takanori Gomi - 96 Points (including 6 first-place votes)
2. Hayato "Mach" Sakurai - 80 Points
3. Joachim Hansen - 75 Points
4. Norifumi "Kid" Yamamoto - 63 Points (including 1
first-place vote)
5. Tatsuya Kawajiri - 62 Points
6. Marcus Aurelio - 45 Points (including 3 first-place votes)
7. Vitor "Shaolin" Ribeiro - 43 Points
8. Genki Sudo - 30 Points
9. Yves Edwards - 23 Points
10. Jens Pulver - 12 Points
Other
Fighters Receiving At Least 5 Points:
Duane "Bang" Ludwig - 7 Points
Gesias "JZ" Cavalcante - 7 Points
Source: MMA Weekly
|
André
Galvão changes TT to Brasa
The
two defeats for Marcelinho Garcia in the Brazilian JJ Championship
of this year were the special motive for the JJ black-belt André
Galvão changes the TT-JJ for the Brasa team. Confirmed
by the own athlete, tha change happened on Sunday (28), when
Galvão communicated the leaders of the team Eduardo Telles
and Fernando Tererê. "I'm already in ATT for about
three or four years and I was training by myself each day more.
I think that it is too early for that and I need a hard training
to improve my Jiu-Jitsu", said Galvão, that decided
her entrance in the Brasa team after the Brazilian Championship.
-
When I lost to Marcelo, I realized that I didn't have a corner.
There was anyone on my side. I miss Tererê. So, I always
had friends from Brasa (old Máster) they had always let
the doors open to me - said Galvão, that will be already
defending the new flag at the World-Wide Championship of JJ,
in July.
Source: Tatame
|
NEW
COACHES TO BE ANNOUNCED IN IFL
MMAWeekly.com has learned that the IFL will make the announcement
that there are four new teams that will be added to the mix in
the IFL. The four new teams will represent Canada, Japan, and
the United Kingdom, in addition to another team in the United
States.
MMAWeekly.com
has learned that the coach of Team Canada will, in fact, be Carlos
Newton, which is something that has been mentioned on the forums
for quite some time.
What
has not been mentioned before is that WFA fighter Matt Lindland
will be the coach of a new team based in the U.S., which will
be announced this weekend. The location of the team will be unveiled
by the IFL this weekend.
Team
Japan will be coached by Antonio Inoki, and it's believed that
the UK team will be headed up by Mark Coleman. Once again, details
are a bit sketchy right now, but the IFL will make the big announcement
this weekend.
The
IFL is currently gearing up for their live event from the Boardwalk
in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Here is how the card is shaping
up.
Weigh-in:
June 2, 2006 at 6:00 PM Eastern Time
Location: Trump Taj Mahal, Xanadu Theatre
Fight
Date: June 3, 2006 at 8:00 PM Eastern Time
Location: Trump Taj Mahal, Atlantic City, NJ
Tiger
Sharks vs. Silverbacks - First Team League Championship
Maurice
Smith – Coach | Pat Miletich – Coach
155 lbs. Steve Bruno vs. Bart Palaszewski
170 lbs. Brad Blackburn vs. Rory Markham
185 lbs. Dennis Hallman vs. Ryan McGivern
205 lbs. Reese Andy vs. Mike Ciesnolevicz
265 lbs. Devin Cole vs. Travis Wuiff
Super
Fights
155 lbs. Erik Owings vs. Chris Horodecki
170 lbs. Jay Hieron vs. Jake Ellenberger
205 lbs. Alex Schoenauer vs. Jamal Patterson
Grudge
Match - Super Fight
265 lbs. Daniel Gracie vs. Wes Sims
Source: MMA Weekly
|
BET,
MTV 2, and Oxygen to add martial arts shows
According to this article in Television Week, Cable networks
have already found ways to try to cash in on the success of The
Ultimate Fighter 3 and the rising popularity of mixed martial
arts.
The
two channels currently running mixed martial arts programming
are Spike TV and Fox Sports Net. Spike TV airs Ultimate Fighter,
UFC Unleashed, and Ultimate Fight Night. Fox Sports Net airs
PRIDE Fighting and International Fight League.
BET,
MTV 2, and Oxygen will be joining them soon with their own take
on fighting.
-
MTV 2 will premiere "The Final Fu" in July. The show
is a stylized version a martial arts competition.
-
Oxygen, a channel for young women, will have a women's MMA show
called "Fight Girls."
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Quote
of the Day
"Many
an opp.ortunity is lost because a man is out looking for four-leaf
clovers."
Source Unknown
|
2006
RELSON GRACIE JIU-JITSU ASSOCIATIONS GI TOURNAMENT RESULTS!
RELSON GRACIE MAIN ACADEMY, HONOLULU, HAWAII
JUNE 3, 2006
KIDS RESULTS
5-7 year-olds
GI
1 - Taniya Alo
2 - Kamaehu Suzuki-Scott
NOGI
1 - Teniya Alo
2 - Kamaehu Suzuki-Scott
7 year-olds
GI
1 - Hikina Gaughen
2 - Noah K.
NOGI
1 - Hikina Gaughen
2 - Zach
8 year-olds
GI
1 - Teshiya Alo
2 - Makoa Gaughen
NOGI
1 - Teshiya Alo
2 - Makoa Gaughen
10 year-olds
GI
1 - Josh Terao
2 - Jacob Palimoo
NOGI
1 - Josh Terao
2 - Kulana Salrea
11 year-olds
GI
1 - Nahoa Salera
2 - Jacob Palimoo
NO GI
1 - Noah Hashimoto
2 - Nahoa Salera
12 year-olds
GI
1 - Keanu Ching
2 - Brian Peralta
NOGI
1 - David Terao
2 - Keanu Ching
13-15 year-olds
GI
1 - Michael Morales
2 - Kawai Ching
15-16 year-olds
NOGI
1 - Michael Morales
2 - Seth
ADULT GI RESULTS
WHITE BELTS
Feather
1 - Joseph Wigfall
2 - Shawn Chun
Light Weight
1 - James Walker
2 - Alakai Kim
Middle Weight
1 - David Kane
2 - Isaac Lima
Heavy Weight
1 - Tyler Bailey
2 - Kenneth Guzman
BLUE BELTS
Light Weight
1 - Joey Jordan
2 - Jesse Lima
Middle Weight
1 - Jesse Wade
2 - Xavier
Heavy Weight
1 - David Chew
2 - Kelly Grisham
Super Heavy
1 - Loa Chandler
2 - Bob
|
Punishment
In Paradise 12 Tentative Fight Card
Dole Cannery Ballroom, Honolulu, Hawaii
July 21, 2006
70lbs.
Bout
Kai Kamaka III (808 F.F, Salt Lake) Vs. Jacoby Visante (Sit You
Down, Waianae)
145lbs.
Bout
Sam Kalani Vat Ming Cong (Smith Taekwondo, Kaneohe) Vs. Sammuel
Ferriera (Sit You Down, Waianae)
200lbs
Bout
Rob Chong (Koden Kan, Kailua) Vs. Noah Souza (Team Devastation,
Waianae)
165lbs.
Bout
Evan Bowler (Jesus Is Lord, Waipahu) Vs. Mike Cuban (Uprising,
Waihiawa)
140lbs.
Bout
Justin (Jus Rush, Kailua) Vs. Keoki Cruz (Team Devastation, Waianae)
145lbs.
Bout
Leonard Ja-reaux (Smith Taekwondo, Kaneohe) Vs. Erwin Celes (Sit
You Down, Waianae)
135lbs.
Bout (2x3 Mintue Rounds)
Chaz Schmidt (TEAM MMAD, Kailua) Vs. Jay Bolos (Animal House,
Ewa Beach)
160lbs
Bout (2x3 Minute Rounds)
Keoki Cyrpiano (Jus Rush, Kailua) Vs. Kawika Kalani (Team Devastation,
Waianae)
175lbs
Bout (3x1 ½ Minute Rounds)
Weston Victorio (Disciples of Puhi, Kuaui) Vs. Zane Kamaka (Sit
You Down, Waianae)
205lbs.
Bout (2x3 Minute Rounds)
JJ Richardson (Jus Rush, Kailua) Vs. Lee Jay Gatewood (Sit You
Down, Waianae)
160lbs
Bout (3x2 Minute Rounds)
Dean Henze (Smith Taekwondo, Kaneohe) Vs. Duke Saragossa (808
F.F, Wahiawa)
175lbs.
Bout (2x3 Minute Rounds)
Jesse Ware (Kaneohe Team, Kahalu'u) Vs. Joey Corn (Team Tiger,
Waianae)
160lbs.
Bout (3x2 Minute Rounds)
Dake Kamai (Team Soljah, Maile) Vs. Kevin Smith (Team Bigdogs,
Waianae)
132lbs.
PIP Champiosnhip Bout (3x2 Minute Rounds)
Bronson Mohika (808 F.F, Kaneohe) Vs. Nui Wheeler (Team Soljah,
Waianae)
150lbs.
P.I.P Championship Bout (3x2 Minute Rounds)
Marcus Moreno (Bulls Pen, Kailihi) Vs. Ola Plunkett (Animal House,
Ewa Beach)
137lbs.P.I.P
Championship Bout (3x2 Minute Rounds)
Ryan Lee (Bulls Pin, Waipahu) Vs. Domi Lopez (Team Bigdogs, Waianae)
165lbs.P.I.P
Championship Bout (3x2 Minute Rounds)
Keoni Bryant (Jus Rush, Kailua) vs. John Visante Jr (Sit You
Down, Waianae)
167lbs.
Bout
Dominic Kamealoha' Ah Nee (Feelance, Maui) Vs. PJ Dean (Bad Intentions,
Waianae)
155lbs.
Bout
Kaleo Kwan (Eastsidaz, Waimanalo) Vs. Zack Rapal (Fighters Union,
Waianae)
Welterweight
Shooto Bout (3x5 Minute Rounds)
David Padilla (Jesus is Lord, Waipahu) Vs. tba
Shooto
Middleweight Pacific Rim Championship (3x Minute Rounds)
Keita Nakamura (Shooto, Japan) Vs. Ronald Jhun (808F.F, Waipahu)
Subject to change.
Source: Event Promoter
|
PRIDE
BUSHIDO GRAND PRIX ODDS
Today!
BetEagle.com
PRIDE - Bushido 11
Saitama Super Arena, Saitama, Japan
June 4, 2006
GP
- Dan Henderson is the odds on favorite to win the entire Grand
Prix, with Paulo Filho a very close second. Hendo of course has
the first round bye in the tournament.
-Dan
Henderson +240
-Paulo
Filho +250
-Murilo
Bustamante +360
-Akihiro
Gono +800
-Murilo
"Ninja" Rua +900
-Phil
Baroni +1000
-Joey
Villasenor +1400
-Amar
Suloev +1450
-Gegard
Mousasi +2750
-Denis
Kang +2900
-Ryo
Chonan +3400
-Makoto
Takimoto +4000
-Hector
Lombard +4250
-Kazuo
Misaki +4500
-Field
(Any fighter not listed above) +500
PRIDE
- Bushido 11
June 4, 2006
Saitama Super Arena,Saitama, Japan
Welterweight
Grand Prix 1st Round
Gegard Mousasi -260
Makoto Takimoto +200
Mousasi opens up as the favorite. You would have to bet $260
to win $100 bucks on Gegard, but if you like the underdog Takimoto
you bet $100 to win $200.
Welterweight
Grand Prix 1st Round
Joey Villasenor -130
Ryo Chonan +100
In what could be a surprise to some it's Villasenor, the King
of the Cage champion opening up as the favorite at -130 against
the veteran Chonan.
Welterweight
Grand Prix 1st Round
Akihiro Gono -275
Hector Lombard +215
It's the Japanese fighter Gono that opens up the favorite over
Lombard.
Welterweight
Grand Prix 1st Round
Phil Baroni -330
Kazuo Misaki +260
Baroni is the solid favorite in his first round bout with Misaki.
Baroni is at -330 as the big favorite.
Welterweight
Grand Prix 1st Round
Murilo Rua -165
Denis Kang +135
Ninja Rua is a slight favorite over Dennis Kang. Some insiders
thought it would be Kang as the favorite but it's Ninja opening
up as a slight favorite.
Welterweight
Grand Prix 1st Round
Murilo Bustamante -270
Amar Suloev +210
This could be a very interesting matchup as Suloev is clearly
the underdog against Murilo Bustamante in what could be the fight
of the first round.
Lightweight
Single Fight
Tatsuya Kawajiri -1000
Charles Bennett +600
The Oddsmakers think you are a Crazy Horse if you pick Bennett
over Kawajiri. It's the biggest mismatch according to oddsmakers
on the card.
Lightweight
Single Fight
Marcus Aurelio -165
Mitsuhiro Ishida +135
Aurelio is coming off the upset of Gomi and is just a slight
favorite over Ishida in the single fight match up.
Lightweight
Single Fight
Hayato Sakurai -1000
Olaf Alfonso +600
The crazy man Olaf makes his Pride debut tied for the biggest
underdog on the card taking on Sakurai.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Leozinho
Seminar In Hawaii on DVD!
How
much is a DVD featuring 2x Abu Dhabi Champion Leo Viera sparring
with BJ Penn Worth? What if you throw in an entire seminar by
Leo? The sparring itself is worth $29.95, so support top level
athletes coming to Hawaii to share their techniques by ordering
this DVD. See the details below.
Leo
Vieira Seminar in Paradise
2
X ADCC World Champion and BJJ World Champion Leozinho Vieira
Seminar in Hawaii.
In
this 1 hour DVD Leo covers both Gi and No-Gi featuring guard
passing. Considered one of the greatest guard passers in the
game, Leo shows his incredible passing technique in a progessive,
step by step way.
In
the Gi section Leo covers guard passing including side control
and choke.
In
the No-Gi section Leo goes over takedowns, his trademark No-Gi
guard passing and other techniques.
DVD
bonus includes a friendly training session between the World
Champions Leo & BJ Penn. Watch as the two top fighters play
like cats demonstrating their mastery of guard passing and defense.
The bonus footage is worth the DVD price alone!
A
must have DVD
Order
it by going to www.bjjmart.com.
|
LEE
MURRAY UPDATE
Lee Murray
The
following article is courtesy of 'The Sun':
HEIST:
THREE WOMEN HELD
By
Richard White, Mike Sullivan, and Tony Bonnici
THREE
women have been arrested over the 53 million pounds Tonbridge
heist, it was revealed last night.
It
is believed a mother and her two daughters were held in raids
at two houses.
One
of them is said to be a friend of cage fighter Lee Murray, who
is on the run.
The
women are being held in connection with money laundering and
handling stolen property.
Cops
swooped at 1am yesterday in Thamesmead, near Woolwich, South
East London.
One
house was empty but a woman was arrested five hours later as
she arrived home.
A
neighbour said: "There must have been at least ten cops.
"There
was a lot of noise as they smashed down the door and windows."
A
Kent Police spokesman said last night: "Officers investigating
the Tonbridge Securitas robbery arrested three women in London
for money laundering and handling stolen property."
Forensic
teams spent yesterday searching one of the houses before boarding
it up.
Kickboxer
Murray, 28, rented the car salvage yard in Welling, Kent, where
7 million pounds from the record robbery was found. He and a
business pal were first thought to have fled to South America.
But
Murray - who was stabbed in a bloody fight after a celebrity-filled
West End party last year - is now thought to have returned to
Europe.
Cops
have arrested 21 people so far and charged five.
They
are still looking for 33 million pounds.
Source:
Fight Sport
|
Quote
of the Day
"Seize
the moment of excited curiosity on any subject to solve your
doubts; for if you let it pass, the desire may never return,
and you may remain in ignorance."
William Wirt, 1772-1834, American Politician
|
2006
RELSON GRACIE JIU-JITSU ASSOCIATIONS
GI TOURNAMENT
TODAY!
SATURDAY
JUNE 3, 2006
AT
THE RELSON GRACIE ACADEMY
844 QUEEN STREET HONOLULU, HAWAII
ALL
ASSOCIATIONS AND NON-GRACIE ASSOCIATIONS
ARE INVITED TO ATTEND
ENTRY FEE: KIDS AND ADULTS $40
SPECTATOR FEE: $5
TENTATIVE COMPETITION SCHEDULE:
FRIDAY:
6:00-9:00 PM WEIGH INS
SATURDAY:
KIDS
7:30-8:00 AM LATE WEIGH INS
8:00-8:30 AM BRACKETING AND RULES CLINIC
8:30-10:30
AM KIDS DIVISIONS
ADULT
COMPETITORS PLEASE ARRIVE
AFTER 10:00 AM
SATURDAY:
ADULTS
10:00-11:00 AM LATE WEIGH INS
11:00-11:30 AM BRACKETING AND RULES CLINIC
11:30-1:00
PM ADULT WHITE BELTS
1:00-2:30
ADULT BLUE BELTS
2:30
PURPLE AND UP
2:45
ALL CARS MUST BE MOVED FROM QUEEN BEE PARKING LOT
3:30
FINISH TOURNAMENT
*AWARDS
HANDED OUT THROUGHOUT TOURNAMENT
STREET
PARKING AVAILABLE WITH ADDITIONAL VALET SERVICE AT THE QUEEN
BEE RESTAURANT-ON THE CORNER OF QUEEN AND COOKE. ALSO, PLEASE
PAY CLOSE ATTENTION TO NO-PARKING SIGNS (TOW AWAY ZONES ARE HIGHLY
ENFORCED BY NEIGHBORING BUSINESSES)
THIS
IS A GREAT OPPORTUNITY FOR ALL OF RELSON'S ASSOCIATION MEMBERS
TO MEET AND LEARN FROM ONE ANOTHER.
FOR
MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: RONN SHIRAKI AT (808) 387-1961 OR
E-MAIL HIM AT GRACIEHAWAII@YAHOO.COM.
ADULT
WEIGHT CLASSES
134 AND BELOW
135-147
148-160
161-173
174-187
188-200
201-213
214- AND OVER
Source: Ronn Shiraki
|
Extreme
Wars "Bay Area Brawl"
TONIGHT
By X-2 Sports Press Release
X-2 SPORTS, EXTREME WARS is proud to present the toughest mixed
martial artists in the world to California’s toughest city.
The Oakland Arena will be the home of “The Bay Area Brawl”
on June
3rd 2006.
Oakland California is in for a night of complete and total destruction.
X-2 has put together the most competitive card California has
seen to date. As always with Extreme Wars, the weak need not
apply.
The
main event pits UFC & PRIDE veteran John “The Bull”
Marsh up against K-1 superstar and striker extraordinaire, Carter
“The Beast” Williams. Grappler-ground and pound master
against a phenomenal striker. You can’t go wrong with this
one.
MMA
Bad boy John “Machine” Lober will take on the Headhunter
Bristol Marunde in what is sure to be an epic battle at 205 lbs.
Ron
“H2O” Waterman's protégé, the massive
6’4” 285 lb Big Shane Carwin will stroll into the arena
to light it up against Team VooDoo’s Justice “The Monster”
Smith. Smith at 6’10” tall and 290 lbs. is reason enough
to reinforce the ring.
Hold
on tight Oakland! “Lethal” Lana Stefanac, the 2006
Pan American Women Heavyweight Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Champion is
coming to the arena to show everyone what the term “You
fight like a girl” really means. Lana will put her perfect
7-0 MMA record on the line. Lana has submitted every opponent
she has met by submission in less than one minute. You can bank
on Extreme Wars to give her the toughest test she has faced yet.
Hawaiian
legend Ronald
“Machine Gun” Jhun gets his chance to avenge his UFC loss to none
other than Chris “Lights Out” Lytle.
808
is coming to Oakland to represent. In addition to Ron Jhun, his Hawaiian stable
mates from the infamous 808 Fight Factory will come to show what
a Hawaiian Beat Down really is. X-1 145lb Champion Ed Newalu and also Hawaiian
power house, 165 lb Jamal
Perkins
will be pitted against the top mainlanders in their weight classes.
The
“Natural Born Killer” Carlos Condit (FIT/NHB Albuquerque,
New Mexico) will be bringing his seek and destroy game to the
bay area. Carlos has just rolled off huge wins against Pete Spratt,
Charuto Verissimo and Frank Trigg. Its your chance to come see
the NKB in person.
Thomas
“The Constrictor” Schulte also of FIT/NHB, will face
off against World Class Muay Thai striker Doug “The Demon”
Evans. This one is going to be a barn burner, no doubt about
it.
This
bout will be contested at 170lbs.
If
that was not enough you will see 155 lb. Oklahoma Wrestling sensation
Matt “The Wolverine” Grice put his 7-0 MMA record on
the line against Fairtex San Francisco fighter Dan Marks.
Source:
MMA Fighting
|
Hawaiian
Open Of BJJ Sets A Date
The 2nd
Crown of the Triple Crown of Jiu-Jitsu has been set for Saturday,
August 12, 2006 at St. Louis High School.
|
PRIDE
Bushido 11 'Survival' - Preview and Analysis
By Al Yu
Event Date: 06.04.06
Fight
Card:
Jason
Black vs Eoh Won Jin
Murilo Bustamante vs Amar Suloev **
Paulo Filho vs Gregory Bouchelaghem **
Ryo Chonan vs Joey Villasenor **
Makoto Takimoto vs Gegard Mousasi **
Mitsuhiro Ishida vs Marcus Aurelio
Tatsuya Kawajiri vs Charles Bennett
Hayato Sakurai vs Olaf Alfonso
Akihiro Gono vs Hector Lombard **
Denis Kang vs Murilo Rua **
Kazuo Misaki vs Phil Baroni **
**
Welterweight Tournament Match
Jason
Black (19-1-1) vs Eoh Won Jin (1-1-1)
Jason
Black is a Miletich trained fighter and a veteran of many MMA
organizations including the WFA and Extreme Challenge. Black
recently suffered his first professional loss when his elbow
was dislocated in a fight against UFC veteran Shonie Carter.
Black holds wins over John Alessio, Keith Wisniewski and Ivan
Menjivar. Eoh Won Jin is a wrestler representing Korea. Jin is
coming off of a KO loss to PRIDE Bushido veteran Seichi Ikemoto.
This will be the PRIDE debut for both fighters.
It
could be a very tough fight for Jason Black as there is a contrast
of styles here. Jin is a wrestler who is transitioning into MMA.
His most notable accomplishment is fighting DEEP Champion Jutaro
Nakao to a draw. Black brings a very well-rounded game with good
striking and submissions. Jin is very inexperienced when compared
Black’s record and that may play a factor in the fight.
Jin can throw a hard punch but he hasn’t shown the ability
to finish, which is something he will learn through experience.
This fight has the potential to be pretty boring as Jin will
probably go for takedown after takedown. I can see the referee
standing the fight up multiple times. Once on their feet, Black
will take advantage of his striking and finish Jin in the first.
Prediction:
Jason Black TKO Eoh Won Jin RD1
Murilo
Bustamante (12-5-1) vs Amar Suloev (20-5)
Murilo
Bustamante is a former UFC middleweight champion and a veteran
of PRIDE. At Shockwave 2005, Murilo lost a close decision to
Dan Henderson for the vacant PRIDE welterweight belt. Amar Suloev
is a veteran of PRIDE and the UFC. He is coming off of a submission
loss to Paulo Filho at Bushido 6. Suloev holds wins over Andrei
Semenov, Din Thomas and Dean Lister.
Bustamante
is trying to rebound from his loss and Suloev will be a formidable
opponent in his quest to be the only fighter to hold a championship
title in both the UFC and PRIDE. It’s no secret that Suloev
is dangerous on his feet. Bustamante is good with his hands too
and has a boxing background. I felt Murilo handled himself well
when he stood with Dan Henderson. However, Suloev is a much better
striker than Dan and has power in both of his hands.
This
is not going to be an easy fight for either fighter. Suloev needs
let his hands fly and intelligently use his sprawl and clinch
takedown defense. Murilo needs to be very aggressive just like
his teammate Paulo Filho and go for the takedown. Look for Murilo
close in on Suloev and setup his superior ground game from the
clinch. Murilo may struggle to get Suloev down and will probably
absorb some punishment. Once the fight hits the mat, Bustamante
will submit Suloev by armbar and move on to the next round.
Prediction:
Murilo Bustamante submits Amar Suloev RD1
Paulo
Filho (11-0) vs Gregory Bouchelaghem (5-2)
Paulo
Filho is a member of Brazilian Top Team and a PRIDE veteran.
At Bushido 10, Filho spoiled Murilo ‘Ninja’ Rua’s
welterweight debut by earning a decision over the Chute Boxe
fighter. Gregory Bouchelaghem is a veteran of Cage Warriors.
He is coming off of a loss to another member of Brazilian Top
Team, Roan Carneiro. Bouchelaghem holds wins over Mark Weir and
Andrei Semenov. The Frenchman is a late replacement for Filho’s
original opponent, Yoon Dong Sik, who is out due to injury. This
will be Bouchelaghem’s PRIDE debut.
Paulo
Filho is being picked by many as an early favorite to win the
entire welterweight tournament. He dominated ‘Ninja’
Rua with his superior strength and takedowns. Gregory Bouchelaghem
is a talented Frenchman and is well-versed in submissions. In
his last fight against Roan Carneiro, Gregory was unable to stop
the takedowns but was very active from the bottom. Bouchelaghem’s
debut won’t be an easy one as he is pitted against arguably
the best takedown artist in the welterweight division. Filho
will be able take the fight to the mat with ease. Once on the
ground, Bouchelaghem should be competent enough to avoid Filho’s
submission attempts. This fight could be very similar to Filho’s
last fight against Murilo Rua. Superior takedowns and top control
will earn Paulo a spot in the next round of the tournament.
Prediction:
Paulo Filho decisions Gregory Bouchelaghem
Ryo
Chonan (11-6) vs Joey Villasenor (21-3)
Ryo
Chonan is a DEEP and PRIDE veteran. After back to back losses
to Phil Baroni and Dan Henderson in Bushido, Ryo rebounded with
a TKO victory over Ryuta Sakurai. Joey Villasenor is the current
King of the Cage middleweight champion. The ‘Dream Smasher’
recently earned a decision over Yuya Shirai at DEEP 24th Impact
and is on a fifteen fight winning streak.
It’s
good to see Villasenor finally make his debut in a major organization.
Joey is a well-rounded fighter with heavy hands and trains with
the guys at Jackson’s Submission Fighting. His recent decision
over Yuya Shirai seemed lackluster and didn’t show the potential
he has. In a recent interview, Joey stated that jetlag was one
of the main reasons why he didn’t fight like his normal
self. Ryo Chonan will be a good test for Villasenor and arguably
his toughest opponent to date.
Although
Chonan hasn’t looked his best of late, he’s still a
dangerous fighter and is capable of pulling off a slick submission.
Chonan has been training with PRIDE welterweight champion Dan
Henderson and the guys at Team Quest. According to Henderson,
he was impressed with how much Chonan learned in such a short
time. Regardless of his new training, Baroni and Henderson have
exposed Chonan’s chin and that’s something that can’t
be improved. Chonan’s style may prove to be difficult for
Villasenor but Joey’s striking power will be the deciding
factor in this fight. I feel that this will be a very competitive
match-up and could be the most entertaining fight of the evening.
After avoiding Chonan’s many submissions attempts, Villasenor
will finish Ryo in the first with strikes.
Prediction:
Joey Villasenor TKO Ryo Chonan RD1
Makoto
Takimoto (2-2) vs Gegard Mousasi (12-1-1)
Makoto
Takimoto is a Judo Olympic gold medalist and has made four appearances
in PRIDE. He trains with Hidehiko Yoshida and is coming off of
a loss to Sinae Kikuta at Shockwave 2005. Gegard Mousasi is a
striker from Armenia and has made two appearances in DEEP. He
is coming off of a victory over Hidetada Irie at DEEP 24th Impact.
This will be Mousasi’s PRIDE debut.
I
have never been impressed by Takimoto and his recent performances
have not changed my opinion of him. He is a great Judoka but
hasn’t shown much progress in his MMA skills. He did display
good submission defense in his loss to Sinae Kikuta but his offensive
skills are still lacking. Mousasi is a very good striker and
will have a reach advantage. I feel that Gegard’s submission
skills are underrated. Mousasi’s takedowns seemed amateurish
so I think he’ll want to keep this fight standing and try
to avoid the clinch. Takimoto has a suspect chin and Mousasi
will prove to be the most difficult striker he has faced. I foresee
Takimoto taking the fight to the ground but his tentativeness
will force the referee to stand the two fighters back up. On
their feet, Mousasi will use his superior striking skills and
reach advantage to finish Takimoto in the first round.
Prediction:
Gegard Mousasi TKO Makoto Takimoto RD1
Mitsuhiro
Ishida (11-2-1) vs Marcus Aurelio (14-2)
Mitsuhiro
Ishida is the current Shooto Pacific welterweight champion and
teammate of Tatsuya Kawajiri. He won the title last February
when he defeated Kenichiro Togashi. At Bushido 10, Ishida made
a successful debut by submitting Paul Rodriguez. Marcus ‘Maximus’
Aurelio is a BJJ practitioner and trains with American Top Team.
Aurelio is a PRIDE and ZST veteran and holds wins over Masakazu
Imanari and Remigijus Morkevicius. At Bushido 10, Aurelio pulled
off arguably the biggest upset of 2006 by submitting PRIDE lightweight
champion Takanori Gomi in a non-title fight.
Aurelio’s
confidence should be soaring after defeating the best lightweight
fighter in the world. Now considered PRIDE’s ‘unofficial’
lightweight champion by many, Aurelio is pitted against another
tough competitor in Ishida. Mitsuhiro is a very good wrestler
with great takedowns. Aurelio has a strong submission game and
is more than comfortable fighting from his back. A good Brazilian
BJJ practitioner could be Ishida’s weakness as he has been
defeated by Vitor ‘Shaolin’ Ribeiro. The ability to
finish the fight will be the deciding factor for the victor.
Ishida will no doubt take the fight to the ground but I believe
Aurelio’s multiple submission attempts will earn him a decision
in what could be a very close fight.
Prediction:
Marcus Aurelio decisions Mitsuhiro Ishida
Tatsuya
Kawajiri (16-3-2) vs Charles Bennett (14-12-2)
Tatsuya
Kawajiri is a PRIDE veteran and the current Shooto lightweight
champion. In a highly anticipated fight, Kawajiri was submitted
by Takanori Gomi during the opening round of the inaugural Bushido
lightweight tournament. Kawajiri’s last Shooto appearance
against Joachim Hansen ended quickly when he was kicked in the
groin, resulting in Hansen’s disqualification. Charles ‘Krazy
Horse’ Bennett is a King of the Cage and PRIDE veteran.
Always entertaining in and out of the ring, Bennett will be making
his fifth appearance in PRIDE. ‘Krazy Horse’ is looking
to rebound from back to back losses.
This
is an interesting yet potentially entertaining match-up. Next
to Takanori Gomi, Kawajiri will probably be the toughest fighter
Bennett has yet to face. With his past fights, ‘Krazy Horse’
has shown to be susceptible to submissions. Though Kawajiri is
more than capable of pulling off a submission, he will use his
physical strength and ground-n-pound against Bennett. On their
feet, I would have to give the edge to Bennett. ‘Krazy Horse’
may stop a few takedown attempts but eventually he will succumb
to Kawajiri’s strength. After a dominating first round,
Kawajiri will finish Bennett with strikes in the second.
Prediction:
Tatsuya Kawajiri TKO Charles Bennett RD2
Hayato
Sakurai (27-7-2) vs Olaf Alfonso (5-4)
Hayato
‘Mach’ Sakurai has fought in many organizations including
Shoot, UFC, DEEP and PRIDE. 2005 sparked a comeback for the popular
Japanese fighter as he defeated Jens Pulver and Joachim Hansen
to advance to the finals of PRIDE’s inaugural lightweight
tournament. Sakurai faced Takanori Gomi in the finals but was
unfortunately stopped by strikes. Olaf Alfonso is a long time
veteran of the WEC, having fought his entire career for the organization.
Though he may not have the best professional record, Olaf does
come to fight and is a fan favorite. Alfonso is coming off of
a devastating knock out loss to ‘Razor’ Rob McCullough.
This will be Alfonso’s PRIDE debut.
This
is a good tune-up fight for Sakurai. Win or lose, Olaf Alfonso
is a fighter who likes to make things entertaining. Alfonso has
never faced a fighter the caliber of Sakurai and I think DSE
signed him to represent a sacrificial lamb. The odds are greatly
against Olaf and with good reason. Can we say low kicks? Sakurai
gets back into the win column with a first round dismantling
of Alfonso.
Prediction:
Hayato Sakurai TKO Olaf Alfonso RD1
Akihiro
Gono (24-11-7) vs Hector Lombard (5-0)
Akihiro
Gono is a veteran of Pancrase, Shooto and PRIDE. At last year’s
inaugural welterweight tournament, Gono made it to the semi-finals
where he was stopped by Dan Henderson. Gono rebounded with a
win over Dae Won Kim at Bushido 10. Gono holds wins over Ivan
Salaverry, Daniel Acacio and Crosley Gracie. Hector Lombard is
a seven time Cuban Judo champion and a Cuban representative in
the 2000 Olympics. He has mainly fought in Australia and will
be making his PRIDE debut. Lombard holds a win over Daiju Takase.
Recently
joining Yoshida Dojo, Lombard is a very strong Judoka. Hector
is versed in submissions and has powerful hands. His striking
still needs refining as he tends to loop his punches a little.
Though he does possess strong physical attributes, he lacks in
experience and has had questionable opposition. Akihiro Gono
is a very experienced fighter and will be Lombard’s toughest
test. At first I favored Gono to win this fight but I have since
changed my mind. I feel that Lombard’s aggressive style
will be problematic for the experienced veteran. Gono has a decent
chin but I think Lombard has the speed and power to stop him
in the first round.
Prediction:
Hector Lombard TKO Akihiro Gono RD1
Denis
Kang (21-7-1) vs Murilo Rua (11-6-1)
Denis
Kang is an American Top Team fighter and is currently on a sixteen
fight winning streak. At Bushido 10, Kang forced tough striker
Mark Weir to submit with knee strikes. In his last fight at Spirit
Martial Challenge, it only took twelve seconds for Kang to dispatch
of Albert Basconcelles. Murilo ‘Ninja’ Rua is the older
brother of the current PRIDE Middleweight Grand Prix Champion
Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua. At PRIDE 30, the Chute Boxe
fighter submitted Murad Chunkaiev with a heel hook. Most recently,
Rua dropped a decision to Paulo Filho in his welterweight debut.
Easily
the most anticipated fight for me. I’m a fan of both fighters
and this has the potential to be the fight of the year. Kang
has been dominant of late and his winning streak is making a
big statement. Rua is looking to rebound from a poor showing
against Paulo Filho. Both guys are good strikers and well-versed
in submissions. I’d have to give the striking edge to Rua
because of his versatility. Kang is a strong welterweight and
he showed some of his wrestling abilities in his win over Mark
Weir. The winner of this fight will be the one who has the better
conditioning. I don’t think Rua’s conditioning has
adjusted to welterweight yet while Kang is in his natural weight
class. After two exciting rounds, Denis Kang will take a close
decision.
Prediction:
Denis Kang decisions Murilo Rua
Source:
MMA Fighting
|
An
interview with StrikeForce headliner Cung Le
By Rick Caudle
Rick Caudle: First of all, thanks a lot for giving me this opportunity.
You are one of my heroes and it is truly an honor to speak with
you.
Cung
Le: Thank you. I appreciate your time and effort.
Rick
Caudle: You pretty much single-handedly are responsible for the
popularity of San Shou. For those of us who don’t know much
about its origin, can you give us some background information
on this very effective fighting system?
Cung
Le: San Shou is a form of Chinese kickboxing. It incorporates
boxing, kicking at high, medium, and low levels, as well as sweeps,
throws, and takedowns. We also use knee strikes and in China
they include elbows.
Rick
Caudle: Brian Warren contested his match with you in 2004, and
he now believes the outcome will be different this time because
the rules are in his favor. Do you feel that you will be fighting
in his “element” as he puts it?
Cung
Le: Well, it’s all martial arts. The only difference is,
it’s in a cage and there’s groundfighting. Of course,
the gloves are much smaller too. If Brian can take me down, then
he better keep me down. But who’s element is it really?
He needs to remember how many times I hit him last time compared
to how many times he hit me.
Rick
Caudle: Warren has stated that he thinks you are “cocky”.
What would you like to say in your defense?
Cung
Le: The morning of the last fight, I was eating breakfast and
he walked over to my table and threw a packet of honey on my
plate and said “here, you’re going to need this for
the fight tonight”. Now that sounds cocky to me. I am not
cocky, I am just confident in what I do.
Rick
Caudle: Coming from a sport than emphasizes striking, a lot of
folks are not aware that you wrestled in High School and were
a College State Wrestling Champ. I also know you have trained
in Sombo and with the Gracies in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Who is
your groundfighting coach now?
Cung
Le: I was an All American Wrestler in high school and in Junior
College I was California State Champion. I have actually been
wrestling since I was a freshman in high school. My main trainer
is Garth Taylor and I also work a lot with “Crazy”
Bob Cook. Javier Mendez has really been fine-tuning my hands
and my kicks. I also get a lot of good help from all the guys
at AKA.
Rick
Caudle: I understand you have a part in a movie filmed in Russia
called Blizhniy Boy Final Fight. Can you tell us more about it?
Cung
Le: Yes, it was great that I was called to do a role in Final
Fight. There are some pretty big names involved. I worked with
David Carradine, Eric Roberts, Cary Hiroyuki-Tagawa, Avi Kleinberger,
Oleg Taktarov, and Bolo Yeung of Enter The Dragon. It is exciting
because the calls for more movie projects are starting to come
in. I am very happy about that.
Rick
Caudle: I have read in past interviews that you enjoy teaching
martial arts. Do you still have time to teach these days?
Cung
Le: Oh yes, I teach all the time. I have a stable of professional
and amateur fighters. Sometimes I teach a cardio fitness class
as well. I have 2 gyms and over 400 students.
(Check out www.cungle.com)
Rick
Caudle: Everyone really enjoyed watching you throw your opponents
around during your days in the San Shou venue. Do you feel you
will be able to execute those same throws in the MMA world?
Cung
Le: Yes, I feel I can but my last fight ended to quickly to do
any of those throws. You must remember, I don’t force them.
If they are there I will take them. If not, I won’t. It’s
all about the set-up.
Rick
Caudle: On some of the forums from last year people were saying
that your knee injury, which ultimately resulted in surgery,
had slowed you down as a kicker. How is the knee these days,
any problems with it at all?
Cung
Le: Actually, my knee injuries did slow me down a bit against
Brian Ebersole. But, Mike Altman felt my kicking power and speed
when I fought him. He got very gun-shy and I believe I fractured
his arm with one of my kicks.
Rick
Caudle: This is your second Mixed Martial Arts competition, what
did you learn from your first match?
Cung
Le: I learned that all my injuries are totally healed up. I got
experience just walking into the cage, but the match only lasted
3 minutes and 51 seconds, so that’s as much experience as
I got.
Rick
Caudle: I know that when you were young, you experienced racial
prejudice firsthand. What do you say to your own children to
instill positive attitudes to help them deal with those kinds
of things?
Cung
Le: I always try to be the best father I can be. If there is
a problem, I try to remain calm and not yell. I try to teach
them to work things out by explaining things and making sure
they understand. I give them lots of positive reinforcement,
which helps them to learn to deal with difficult situations.
Rick
Caudle: Do you feel that MMA fighting will eventually give you
the same sense of accomplishment that San Shou did?
Cung
Le: People always ask me who I want to fight next. To me, every
time I step into the right it is a chance to challenge myself
and better myself in some way. I really don’t care who the
next opponent is. I take it one fight at a time.
Rick
Caudle: I read an interview you did in the October issue of Inside
Kung Fu Magazine where you talked about just beginning your journey
into MMA. Has the transition been as easy as you thought it would
be?
Cung
Le: Honestly, it has not been as easy as I thought it would be
but it has been a lot more fun than I expected! It is harder
on the body though!
Rick
Caudle: Well, Cung, who would you like to give a shout-out to?
Cung
Le: I would like to thank Sprawl Shorts and Xyience for their
support. To the Vietnamese Community, to all my martial art fans
who have followed my career, and especially to my family, my
friends, and my students.
Rick
Caudle: Thanks again for the interview. Good luck with your match
and I know you’ll do great!
Cung
Le: Thank you very much Rick.
Rick
Caudle: Oh, one last question, Cung. Will we see that trademark
scissor kick of yours this time?
Cung
Le: Well, Rick, I guess we will just have to wait and see.
Source:
Maxfighting
|
WWE
signs K-1 fighter
Sylvester "The Predator" Terkay
The World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) has signed K-1 fighter
Sylvester "The Predator" Terkay. 35-year-old Terkay
officially made his start with the company in an untelevised
match on yesterday's RAW.
Terkay
was an NCAA Heavyweight wrestling champion in 1993 and started
training for K-1 with Eddy Millis of the Shark Tank.
Terkay
finished his mixed martial arts career with a record of 3 wins
and 1 loss. He has defeated Mauricio da Silva, Mu Bae Choi and
Kristof Midoux. His one loss was to Gary Goodridge.
Source:
MMA Fighting
|
Quote
of the Day
"If
we all worked on the assumption that what is accepted as true
is really true,
there would be little hope of advance."
Orville Wright, 1871-1948, American Co-Inventor of the first
practical aeroplane
|
RYAN
BENNETT DIES AT AGE 35
Ryan
was a great guy, personally and professionally and he will be
missed by everyone in the MMA community. We feel blessed to have
known him and our prayers go to his family. Rest in Peace my
friend. Here is a link to the news story which shows the damage
done to their Explorer.
http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=289047
A
tragic car accident claimed the life of our dear friend and founder
of MMAWeekly on Wednesday 5/31/2006 while traveling with his
family. While driving to St. George, UT the tire blew out on
his car, causing the vehicle to roll. Ryan was killed instantly.
Ryan's wife, Tonya, is still in surgery and two of his children
are still in the hospital, while his two youngest have checked
out fine. Our prayers and blessings are with the Bennett family
at this terrible hour in their lives. This is a great loss to
the MMA community. And, the loss of a great friend to many. Please
keep Ryan's family in your prayers.
DONATE
TO THE RYAN BENNETT FAMILY BENEFIT FUND
The
tragic loss of an MMA legend like Ryan Bennett caught all of
us off guard. He was the greatest fan and support of Mixed Martial
Arts in the world.
It
is now our turn to show our support for him and his family during
this time of dire need. Please use the link below to donate to
the Ryan Bennett Family Benefit Fund. ANY AMOUNT IS GREATLY APPRECIATED!!!
Make a donation
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Baret
Yoshida's
ZST Tournament Win
Covered by ADCC
Check out the great shot of the rear naked choke (mata leao)
applied by in the finals of the tournament where he submitted
two of his three opponents.
http://news.adcombat.com/article.html?id=11223
Source: ADCC
|
RWE
Qualifier Is Back!
Tunda Productions and EX Drinks Presents RWE Qualifier
Posted by RWE Staff R.W.E. in affiliation with Tunda Productions
& EX Drinks Announces the next ROTR Qualifier - "BEATDOWN".
Featuring the Return of Ross Da Boss!, Cabbage, Iron Mike Aina,
X-Calibur Jay Carter, Albert "Always Bad" Manners.
BEATDOWN will be held on June 17, 2006 at Afook Chinen Civic
Auditorium on Hilo, Hawaii...
The
Rumble on the Rock Qualifiers offer local fighters the opportunity
to compete in the bigger shows by testing their skills in a professional-level
environment. Rumble World Entertainment utilizes qualifier events
to scout talent for its bigger shows in Honolulu and throughout
Hawaii.
Fighters
Competing in "Beatdown" Include:
Wesley
"Cabbage" Correira
Ross "Da Boss" Ebanez
Albert "Always Bad" Manners
"Iron" Mike Aina
"Sugar" Shane Nelson
Kirk Wahrik
Jay "X-Calibur" Carter vs Kai'imi Santiago
Michael Bickers vs Ashton Castro
Mark Rodriguez vs Pat Mcbraun
Chris Enriques vs Isaac Carbalo
Chad Fujita vs Maluhia
Times:
Doors Open - 6:00 PM
Show Starts - 7:00PM
Ticket Prices:
General $25
Cageside $45
Military & Students (ID Required) $20
Ticket Locations:
Health Haven Fitness
CD Wizard
Employment Experts
Big Island Surf
Source: Event Promoter
|
RUTTEN
RETURNS TO MMA AFTER 7 YEARS
MMAWeekly.com broke the story a month ago that Bas Rutten was
going to return to the fight game. Last night, three sources
confirmed to MMAWeekly.com that Rutten is returning, as initially
believed, against Kimo in the WFA. The fight
will take place in July in Los Angeles at the Forum.
Rutten
hasn't fought since 1999 when he squared off against Kevin Randleman
at UFC 20: Battle for the Gold. Rutten won the UFC Heavyweight
Title when he defeated Randleman by judges' decision after 21
minutes of fighting.
Prior
to that, Rutten defeated Tsuyoshi "T.K." Kosaka by
knockout at UFC 18. If you look at Rutten's record, you'll see
that he hasn't lost in his last 20 fights.
Bas
won 19 of those fights, with one fight going to a draw against
Osami Shibuya. Rutten's last loss came at the hands of Ken Shamrock
in the Pancrase organization back in 1995 by submission due to
a kneebar. Rutten has an overall record of 27-4-1 in his MMA
career.
Rutten's
scheduled opponent, Kimo, hasn't fought in
almost a year. In his last fight, Kimo lost in Pride Bushido
8 last July to Ikuhisa Minowa by submission in the first round.
Kimo beat Marcus Royster in Rumble on the Rock, before losing
to Ken Shamrock at UFC 48's Payback card. Kimo's MMA record is
9-5-1.
An
already stacked WFA card just got that much better with the return
of "El Guapo." Here's how the card shakes down.
Quinton
Jackson (24-6-0) vs Matt Lindland (18-3-0)
Ricco
Rodriguez (22-6-0) vs Ron Waterman (13-3-2)
Lyoto
Machida (7-0-0) vs Vernon White (24-27-2)
Ivan
Salaverry (11-4-0) vs Art Santore (14-4-0)
Kimo
Leopoldo (9-5-1) vs
Bas Rutten (27-4-1)
Rob
McCullough (11-3-0) vs Opponent TBD
Jason
Miller (14-4-0)
vs. Opponent TBD
Tickets
for “WFA: King of the Streets” at The Forum went on
sale and are available at all Southern California Ticket Master
outlets (Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernadino and Ventura
Counties), online at Ticketmaster.com or charge by phone at (213)
480-3232, (714) 740-2000, (661) 322-2525 or (805) 583-8700.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
International
Fight League exclusively on FSN
Hawaii Air Time!
Channel 20 (FSN)
May 21 - 2:00-3:00PM
May 23 - 12:00-1:00PM
May 23 - 11:00PM-12:00AM
May 25 - 8:00-9:00PM
May 25 - 2:00-3:00PM
May 27 - 4:00-5:00PM
May 28 - 2:00-3:00PM
May 28 - 11:00PM-12:00AM
May 30 - 12:00-1:00PM
May 30 - 11:00PM-12:00AM
June 2 - 9:00-10:00AM
Don't miss the debut of the IFL (International Fight League),
exclusively on FSN (Fox Sports Net), on May 21st, THIS SUNDAY
(part I) and NEXT SUNDAY, May 28th (part II)!
It's
an awesome show that features four teams of great mixed martial
arts fighters coached by four legends: Bas Rutten, Renzo Gracie,
Pat Miletich and Maurice Smith!
And...I
am one of the commentators!!!
CHECK
LOCAL LISTINGS FOR TIMES IN YOUR AREA!
Take
care,
Stephen
Quadros
"The Fight Professor"
http://StephenQuadros.com
IFL Color Commentator/Analyst
|
PRIDE
BUSHIDO GRAND PRIX ODDS
BetEagle.com
PRIDE - Bushido 11
Saitama Super Arena, Saitama, Japan
June 4, 2006
GP
- Dan Henderson is the odds on favorite to win the entire Grand
Prix, with Paulo Filho a very close second. Hendo of course has
the first round bye in the tournament.
-Dan
Henderson +240
-Paulo
Filho +250
-Murilo
Bustamante +360
-Akihiro
Gono +800
-Murilo
"Ninja" Rua +900
-Phil
Baroni +1000
-Joey
Villasenor +1400
-Amar
Suloev +1450
-Gegard
Mousasi +2750
-Denis
Kang +2900
-Ryo
Chonan +3400
-Makoto
Takimoto +4000
-Hector
Lombard +4250
-Kazuo
Misaki +4500
-Field
(Any fighter not listed above) +500
PRIDE
- Bushido 11
June 4, 2006
Saitama Super Arena,Saitama, Japan
Welterweight
Grand Prix 1st Round
Gegard Mousasi -260
Makoto Takimoto +200
Mousasi opens up as the favorite. You would have to bet $260
to win $100 bucks on Gegard, but if you like the underdog Takimoto
you bet $100 to win $200.
Welterweight
Grand Prix 1st Round
Joey Villasenor -130
Ryo Chonan +100
In what could be a surprise to some it's Villasenor, the King
of the Cage champion opening up as the favorite at -130 against
the veteran Chonan.
Welterweight
Grand Prix 1st Round
Akihiro Gono -275
Hector Lombard +215
It's the Japanese fighter Gono that opens up the favorite over
Lombard.
Welterweight
Grand Prix 1st Round
Phil Baroni -330
Kazuo Misaki +260
Baroni is the solid favorite in his first round bout with Misaki.
Baroni is at -330 as the big favorite.
Welterweight
Grand Prix 1st Round
Murilo Rua -165
Denis Kang +135
Ninja Rua is a slight favorite over Dennis Kang. Some insiders
thought it would be Kang as the favorite but it's Ninja opening
up as a slight favorite.
Welterweight
Grand Prix 1st Round
Murilo Bustamante -270
Amar Suloev +210
This could be a very interesting matchup as Suloev is clearly
the underdog against Murilo Bustamante in what could be the fight
of the first round.
Lightweight
Single Fight
Tatsuya Kawajiri -1000
Charles Bennett +600
The Oddsmakers think you are a Crazy Horse if you pick Bennett
over Kawajiri. It's the biggest mismatch according to oddsmakers
on the card.
Lightweight
Single Fight
Marcus Aurelio -165
Mitsuhiro Ishida +135
Aurelio is coming off the upset of Gomi and is just a slight
favorite over Ishida in the single fight match up.
Lightweight
Single Fight
Hayato Sakurai -1000
Olaf Alfonso +600
The crazy man Olaf makes his Pride debut tied for the biggest
underdog on the card taking on Sakurai.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
For
Immediate Release:
Contact: Greg Kalikas
Gladiators Fighting Series
ProKarateweekly.com
Greg@prokarateweekly.com
330-324-3034
UFC
star Stephan Bonnar to appear at "Fight Nite in the Flats
2"
Tuesday,
May 30, 2006 (Cleveland, OH USA) Less then two weeks remain until
the Gladiators Fighting Series returns to Ohio on Saturday, June
10, 2006 at the Plain Dealer Pavilion (formerly the Scene Pavilion)
in Cleveland's historic Flats entertainment district.
The
Gladiators Fighting Series announced this week that UFC star
Stephan "The American Psycho" Bonnar will make the
trip to Cleveland to promote his upcoming UFC bout and sit ringside
to witness one of the best Gladiators cards to date.
A
former cast member of "The Ultimate Fighter - Season 1"
reality television series, Bonnar has won three straight fights
in the UFC after losing a tough decision to Forrest Griffin in
last year's TUF 1 finals which aired live on Spike TV. Since
then, Bonnar's popularity has skyrocketed and today he is one
of the sport's most popular fighters.
Also
added to the card this week was former Toughman champion and
renowned striker Jason "Freebird" Freeman who will
be making his professional MMA debut. Freeman will bring his
3-0 amateur MMA record and 73-5 Toughman record in to the "Caged
Colosseum" when he tangles with Gladiators veteran Thomas
"The Beast" Russell in a featured Light Heavyweight
match-up.
The
night's main event will feature UFC and Pride veteran Dan "The
Bull" Bobish who will look to capture the Gladiators MMA
Super Heavyweight title when he takes on Lancaster, Ohio's Erik
Knox. Bobish comes in to this fight with a 12-8 overall record
and will be looking to capture the title in front of his home
town fans.
Cleveland
police officer Jeff Cox (12-3) will enter the cage for the last
time as a fighter when he faces Chris Myers (16-7) for the currently
vacant Gladiators MMA Welterweight Title, while Josh "Heavy"
Hendricks (13-4) tangles with Team Gurgel's Patrick Berrentine
(4-2) for the Gladiators Heavyweight Title.
In
one of the nights most anticipated match-ups, Hammer House product
Rob "The Bullrider" Wince (14-6) will collide with
hard hitting Allan Weickert (8-3) of the Peak Submission Fight
Team for the Gladiators Light Heavyweight Title as both fighters
will be looking to prove that they are the top dog in the Gladiators
205 lb division.
Tickets
for "Fight Nite in the Flats 2" are now available and
going fast. VIP Table Tickets (seats 10 max, includes waitress
service) are $100.00 per person, VIP Booth Tickets are $55.00
per person with a 2 ticket minimum (VIP Booths seat 4 max), Reserved
Floor Tickets are $55.00 and General Admission tickets are $30.00
in advance, $35.00 at the door. To purchase tickets in advance,
call 330-324-2525 or log on to www.Prokarateweekly.com.
Log
on to PKW Live this Wednesday night for week one of a two week
PKW preview of Betonfighting.com’s "Fight Nite in the
Flats 2" with special guests Allan Weickert, Rob "The
Bullrider" Wince and UFC Middleweight Champion Rich Franklin.
Official "Fight Nite in the Flats 2" odds are now available
on Betonfighting.com, the world wide leader in MMA gaming.
Don’t
forget about the Official “Fight Nite in the Flats 2”
POST FIGHT BASH which begins immediately following the show at
the Beach Comber and Tiki Bar located on the east bank of the
Flats. Meet and great the fighters along with LIVE entertainment
from Chicago’s TEN96 and a special appearance by Miss 2003
Bikini America, Gina Lara.
"Fight
Nite in the Flats 2" is proudly sponsored by: Prokarateweekly.com,
BetonFighting.com, McCarthy’s Ale House, SportstalkCleveland.com,
The Beach Comber and Tiki Bar, Tazmanian Freight Systems, Inc.,
The Fan Union, 2XL Sports Gear, XS Energy Drink, Bloody Buddy
Fight Gear, MMAvideo.com, Sounds Crazy DJ Service, The North
American Amateur Fight Series and Red Roof Inns.
"Fight
Nite in the Flats 2" Fight Card
Title
Fights/Main Events
Super
Heavyweight Title Fight – Dan “The Bull” Bobish
(12-8) Team Strong Style vs. Erik Knox (8-8) Lancaster, OH
Heavyweight
Title Fight – Josh “Heavy” Hendricks (13-4) Team
Strong Style vs. Patrick “The Bear” Barrentine (4-2)
Team George Gurgel
Light
Heavyweight Title Fight – Rob “The Bullrider”
Wince (14-6) Team Hammer House vs. Allan Weickert (8-3) Peak
Submission Fight Team/Team BOF
Welterweight
Title Fight – Jeff Cox (12-3) Team Strong Style/Team BOF
vs. Chris Myers (16-7) Team Impact
Featured
Bouts
155lbs
– Jason “Dynamite” Dent (17-6) Team Griffon-Rawl
vs. Luke “The Apostle” Spencer (10-6) Next Level Fight
Team
155lbs
– Jason “Steeltown” Taylor (3-0) Team BOF vs.
Donnie Walker (5-2) Team Griffon-Rawl
195lbs
– Matt Masterson (3-0) Team Strong Style vs. Todd Seyler
(16-8) Modern American MMA
155lbs
– Torrance “The Tyrant” Taylor (2-2) Team BOF
vs. Toby “Tiger Heart” Grear (2-1) True Warrior Fitness
170lbs
– Ryan “The Lion” Madigan (0-0) Team BOF vs. Jake
Schaper (0-1) Eternal Martial Arts
205lbs
– Jason "Freebird" Freeman (3-0) Vander Fighting
Systems vs. Thomas "The Beast" Russell (3-3) Peak Submission
Fight Team
155lbs
– Tommy “Gun” Ridenbaugh (1-4) Team Impact vs.
Casey Leonard (3-1) Combative Grappling Systems
Preliminary
Amateur Bouts
170lbs
– “Smokin” Joe Heiland (2-0) Team Strong Style
vs. Josh McBride (3-1) Northeastern Pummeling Den
205lbs
– Jason “The Wrecking Ball” Jones (5-2) Infinity
Fight Team vs. Terry “The Punisher” Davinney (5-3)
Team Shoot
170lbs
– Dominic Ciricillo (0-0) Team Strong Style vs. Dustin Bloom
(2-2) Team AirGadfly
155lbs
– Tyler “Superman” Combs (6-10) Dayton, OH vs.
John "The Mongoose" Myers (1-1) Vander Fighting System
155lbs
- Carl Dean Roff (1-1) Roff Ryders Fight Team vs. Marcus “Maximus”
Keith (1-1) Peak Submission Fight Team
205lbs
– Dave Osborne (0-0) Team Griffon-Rawl vs. Michael Gleeton
(0-0) Vander Fighting Systems
For
media credentials, sponsorship information or general event info
contact Greg Kalikas @ 330-324-3034 or Greg@Prokarateweekly.com.
Fans can also log on to Prokarateweekly.com or GladiatorsFights.com
for additional info.
Source: Greg Kalikas
|
Quote
of the Day
"Good
communication is as stimulating as black coffee, and just as
hard to sleep after."
Anne Morrow Lindbergh, 1906-2001, American Aviator and Author
|
Rumble
on the Rock Qualifier "Beatdown" 6/17/06
The next Rumble on the Rock qualifier "Beatdown" will
be held on Saturday, June 17 at the Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium
in Hawaii.
Fight
Card:
Wesley
"Cabbage" Correira vs. TBA
Ross "Da Boss" Ebanez vs. TBA
Albert Manners vs. TBA
Mike Aina vs. TBA
Shane Nelson vs. TBA
Kirk Wahrik vs. TBA
Jay Carter vs. Kai'imi Santiago
Michael Bickers vs. Ashton Castro
Mark Rodriguez vs. Pat Mcbraun
Chris Enriques vs. Isaac Carbalo
Chad Fujita vs. Maluhia
Source: MMA Fighting
|
PRIDE
OPEN WEIGHT GP CARD
Below is the PRIDE Open Weight GP card that the Japanese media
is reporting will most likely take place on July 1st:
PRIDE
Open Weight GP matchups:
Vanderlei Silva vs. Kazuyuki Fujita
Rodrigo 'Minotauro' Nogueira vs. Fabricio Werdum
Mirko 'Cro Cop' Filipovic vs. Hidehiko Yoshida
Mark Hunt vs. Josh Barnett
Single
matchups:
Sergei Kharitonov vs. Mark Coleman
Rogerio 'Minotoro' Nogueira vs. Evangelista 'Cyborg' Santos
Roman Zentsov vs. Draggo
Pawel Nastula vs. Kazuhiro Nakamura
Source: Fight Sport
|
UFC
60 DRAWS A PALTRY 7,800 PAID ATTENDANCE
Dana White, inexplicably scheduled the UFC 60 card on Memorial
Day Weekend.
According
to 'The Wrestling Observer', the UFC 60 card at the Staples Center
in Los Angeles could only manage to draw a paltry 7,800 in paid
attendance. The Staples Center has a capacity of just over 19,000
seats.
It
is interesting to note that a large portion of the tickets were
sold a huge discounts. Many tickets were also given away for
free, in order to fill up the Staples Center.
According
to industry sources, one of the major reasons for the poor attendance
could be because the UFC 60 card was inexplicably scheduled on
Memorial Day Weekend, when most people in the UFC age demographic
in Los Angeles are away on holidays.
Another
reason could be because of the extremely high ticket prices,
which were later forced to be sold at huge discounts in order
to stimulate ticket sales.
Source: Fight Sport
|
UFC
Ultimate Fight Night 5 on June 28
For his long-awaited UFC debut, Jorge Gorgel will face TKO star
Mark Hominick. Hominick put himself on the map at UFC 58 when
he submitted Yves Edwards. In his next bout, Hominick was upsetted
by Hatsu Hioki at TKO 25. Gorgel is coming back from reconstructive
knee surgery.
Chris
Leben will meet PRIDE FC and Cage Rage veteran Anderson Silva.
Silva is an experienced fighter making his first appearance in
the UFC.
Leben
won't be the only TUF 1 fighter facing an experienced veteran.
Josh Koscheck is set to fight former UFC Middleweight champion
Dave Menne. This marks Menne's first trip back to the UFC since
his loss to Phil Baroni at UFC 39. Koscheck will make his fourth
UFN appearance in the octagon
Ultimate
Fight Night 5 is live from the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in
Las Vegas on Wednesday, June 28. The show will be broadcasted
on Spike TV at 8pm ET.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
|