Upcoming
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(All events on Oahu, unless noted)
2007
10/6/07
Punishment In Paradise
18
(MMA &
Kickboxing)
(Dole Cannery)
7/13/07
Punishment In Paradise
17
(MMA & Kickboxing)
(Dole Cannery)
6/22/06
Got
Skills
(Kickboxing/MMA)
(Waipahu Filcom)
4/27/07
Punishment In Paradise
16
(MMA & Kickboxing)
(Dole Cannery)
3/24/07
Garden Island Cage Match
5
(MMA)
(Kauai)
2/18/06
Got
Skills
(Kickboxing/MMA)
(Waipahu Filcom)
2/9/07
Punishment In Paradise
15
(MMA & Kickboxing)
(Dole Cannery)
2/2/06
Got
Skills
(Kickboxing/MMA)
(Waipahu Filcom)
1/14/07
NAGA Hawaii
(BJJ & Sub Grappling)
(St. Louis H.S. Gym)
2006
12/31/06
Pride FC Shockwave
(PPV)
IFL 2hr Championship Show
(Fox Sports TV)
12/30/06
UFC 66
(PPV)
12/16/06
Boxing Smoker
(Boxing)
(Palolo Gym)
12/3/06
Ultimate Fight Night
(Spike TV)
(Miramar, Marine Corps Air Station), San Diego, CA)
12/9/06
Grapplers Quest West X
(All Sport Arena, Las Vegas, NV)
12/2/06
Aloha State Championship
of BJJ
(BJJ & Sub Grappling)
(Klum Gym, UH)
12/1/06
Icon Sport
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena)
11/25/06
Kickin' It
(Kickboxing)
(Dole Cannery Ballroom)
11/24/06
Punishment In Paradise 14
(MMA &
Kickboxing)
(Dole Cannery)
11/19/06
The Quest for Champions
(Sport Jujitsu, Submission Grappling)
(St. Louis High School Gym)
IFL (11/4 event)
(Fox Sports TV)
11/18/06
UFC
65: Bad Intentions
(PPV)
11/18/06
Got
Skills
(Kickboxing/MMA)
(Waipahu Filcom)
11/11/06
The Ultimate Fighter 4: Finals
(Spike TV)
11/5/06
Pride Bushido 13
(PPV)
11/4/06
Stand
Up Martial Arts (SUMA)
(Kickboxing)
(Blaisdell Arena)
10/28/06
Palolo Boxing
(Boxing)
(Palolo District Park)
10/21/06
Pride Fighting Championships:
The Real Deal
(PPV)
(Thomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas, NV)
RWE Qualfiers
(MMA)
(Hilo)
10/14/06
Kickin It
2-4PM
(Kickboxing)
&
Got Skills 5
7-10PM
(Kickboxing/Boxing & Wrestling/Sub Grappling)
(Ilima Intermediate, Ewa Beach)
UFC 64: Unstoppable
(PPV)
Pacific
Island Showdown
International Invitational Ultimate Full-Contact Stickfighting
Championship
(Stickfighting)
(Filipino Community Center Ballroom, Waipahu)
HLTC Olympic
Sport Taekwondo Seminar
(Taekwondo)
(Kihei Public Charter School Auditorium – 300 Ohukai Road
#209- Kihei, Maui)
10/13/06
RWE Qualfiers
(MMA)
(Katchafire Concert,
Guam)
10/10/06
Ultimate Fight Night
(Spike TV)
10/8/06
IFL (9/23
event)
(Fox Sports TV)
10/7/06
Hawaii Fighting Championships: “Stand Your Ground I”
(Kickboxing/Jiu Jitsu/MMA)
(Dole Cannery Ballroom)
10/6/06
X-1 Battlegrounds
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena)
10/2/06
IFL 2 hr
Special
(Fox Sports TV)
9/30/06
Jason "Mayhem" Miller Seminar
(HMC)
9/24/06
IFL (9/9 event)
(Fox Sports TV)
9/23/06
UFC 63: Hughes vs. Penn 2
Arrowhead Pond,
Anaheim, California
9/16/06
Kickin' It
(Kickboxing)
(Waipahu Filcom Center)
9/9/06
Punishment In Paradise 13
Unfinished Business
(Kickboxing, MMA)
(Dole Cannery Square Ballroom)
9/2/06
Icon Sport 47
(MMA, Kickboxing)
(Blaisdell Arena)
8/26-27/06
International
Masters & Seniors Championships
(BJJ)
(Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)
8/26/06
Got Skills 3
(Kickboxing/Boxing & Takedowns/Submission Grappling)
(Ilima Intermediate, Ewa Beach)
Palolo Gym Smoker
(Boxing)
(Palolo Gym)
UFC 62
(MMA)
(PPV)
8/21/06
UFC 62 Countdown: Liddell vs. Sobral
(Spike)
UFC: All Access Renato "Babalu" Sobral
(Spike)
8/18/06
Kickin' It
(Kickboxing)
(Waipahu Filcom Center)
8/17/06
Ultimate
Fight Night 4
(MMA)
(Las Vegas, NV)
The Ultimate Fighter 4:
The Comeback Premiers
(Spike)
8/12/06
Hawaiian Open of
BJJ
(BJJ & Sub Grappling)
8/5/06
Rumble On The Rock
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena)
Garden Island Cage Match 4
(MMA)
(Kauai)
Island
Warriors Fighting Championship
(MMA)
(War Memorial Gym, Wailuku, Maui)
7/28/06
RWE & PXC
(MMA)
(University of Guam Fieldhouse, Mangilao, Guam)
7/22/06
RWE Qualifiers
(MMA)
(Hilo Civic Center, Hilo)
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)
7/8/06
Ring of Honor
(MMA & Kickboxing)
(Waianae H.S. Gym)
7/7/06
Kickin' It
(Kickboxing)
(Waipahu Filcom Center)
UFC 61
(MMA)
(Las Vegas, NV)
7/3/06
Got Skills 2
(Kickboxing/Boxing & Wrestling/Sub Grappling)
(Pagoda Hotel Ballroom)
s 2006 Tournament
(Sport-Jujitsu, Sport Pankration, Sub Grappling, Extreme Sparring)
(St. Louis H.S. Gym)
7/1/06
Pride
(MMA)
(Saitama Super Arena)
6/24/06
The Ultimate Fighter 3 Finale
(MMA)
(The Joint, Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, NV)
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*** |
|
November 2006 News
Part 2
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
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Teleivision
Tuesdays at 7:00PM
***NEW TIME***
Olelo Channel 52 on Oahu
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Check
out the FCTV website! |
Got a question for us? Email info@onzuka.com
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Quote
of the Day
"There
has nevër yet been a man in our history who led a life of
ease whose name is worth remembering."
Theodore Roosevelt, 1858-1919, 26th President of the United States
|
O2
Martial Arts Academy's Grand Opening
Tonight
at 6:30PM!
It has been over 11 years of running the Relson Gracie Jiu-Jitsu
Aiea Academy, then it became Academia Casca Grossa de Jiu-Jitsu
(A Relson Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Association) and now it has evolved
into the O2 Martial Arts Academy!
Basically we have finally made the decision to move out of Rainbow
Gymnastics Academy and open up our own Academy.
It is right on Kam Hwy between Best Buy and Cutter Ford Aiea
on the second floor above Goodwill, The Bike Factory and Small
Engine Clinic. It is across the street from Waimalu Shopping
Center.
98-019 Kam Hwy, 206A
Aiea, Hawaii 96701
We are having an official grand opening with the first Jiu-Jitsu
class being taught at 6:30PM.
|
Garden
Island Cage Match 5 is set fro March 24th!
Hi All,
Next event is scheduled for March 23rd (weigh ins) Kukui grove
and 24th Hanapepe stadium.
Looking foward to working with you all again.
Drop
me a line with comments, suggestions, ideas....
Sponsors,
fighters, can start to contact me if you havent done so already.
We
may also have OC16 cover the event, they have already started
the ball rolling with me so this event may be very high exposure
for all.
Fight
card is already starting to shape up.
TTYL,
Aloha
Vance
Source: Event Promoter
|
ULTIMATE
FINALE FIGHTER SALARIES
by Ivan Trembow
MMAWeekly has obtained the fighter salary information for the
Ultimate Fighter 4 Finale, which took place on Saturday, November
11th.
The
following figures are from the fighter salary information that
the UFC is required by law to submit to the Nevada State Athletic
Commission, including the winners' bonuses. Any "secret
money" that the UFC also pays its fighters is not included
in the figures below.
In
the listings below, "Main Event Fighters" are defined
as fighters who compete in the main event of a show on a show.
"Main Card Fighters" are defined as fighters whose
fights appear on the main card, but not in title fights or in
the main event. "Preliminary Match Fighters" are defined
as fighters whose matches take place before the live broadcast
goes on the air, regardless of whether or not those matches end
up airing on the TV broadcast.
In
the cases of Matt Serra and Travis Lutter, who won the TUF 4
tournaments, it was noted during the season that the two winners
would each receive a cash bonus of $100,000, and you'll notice
those bonuses reflected in the figures below.
Without
further ado, here are the fighter salaries for the Ultimate Fighter
4 Finale.
Ultimate
Fighter 4 Finale Fighter Salaries
Event took place on November 11, 2006 and aired on Spike TV
Main
Event Fighters
-Matt
Serra: $110,000 (defeated Chris Lytle)
-Travis
Lutter: $110,000 (defeated Patrick Cote)
-Chris
Lytle: $10,000 (lost to Matt Serra)
-Patrick
Cote: $10,000 (lost to Travis Lutter)
Main
Card Fighters
-Jorge
Rivera: $20,000 (defeated Edwin Dewees)
-Din
Thomas: $20,000 (defeated Rich Clementi)
-Edwin
Dewees: $10,000 (lost to Jorge Rivera)
-Rich
Clementi: $10,000 (lost to Din Thomas)
Preliminary
Match Fighters
-Scott
Smith: $20,000 (defeated Pete Sell)
-Pete
Spratt: $20,000 (defeated Jeremy Jackson)
-Charles
McCarthy: $20,000 (defeated Gideon Ray)
-Martin
Kampmann: $15,000 (defeated Thales Leites)
-Jeremy
Jackson: $10,000 (lost to Pete Spratt)
-Pete
Sell: $10,000 (lost to Scott Smith)
-Gideon
Ray: $10,000 (lost to Charles McCarthy)
-Thales
Leites: $3,000 (lost to Martin Kampmann)
Disclosed
Fighter Payroll for Ultimate Fighter 4 Finale: $408,000
Source: MMA Weekly
|
The
Top 10 Most Influential UFC Fighters of All-Time Part 2
By Sean McClure
5. Matt Hughes
Matt’s
speaking may not make him the most influential of people, but
his actions inside the Octagon do. Hughes has only really become
vocal as of late with his upcoming fight against top contender
Georges St. Pierre. Win or lose, Matt is a hall of famer for
sure and right now is the most dominant champion in UFC history.
His bragging rights are earned, but he doesn’t exercise
them and it’s okay because his record of accomplishment
speaks for itself. Hayato Sakurai, Gil Castillo, Frank Trigg
x2, Georges St. Pierre, and his now famous win over BJ Penn.
He has beaten Carlos Newton twice with the first being the start
of his championship reign. Although he lost it to Penn at UFC
46, Hughes regained it shortly after and his waist has been golden
ever since. Matt is a completely different person inside the
cage than he is outside. He is all business and will fight anyone
the UFC places in front of him. Matt has established himself
as the man to beat at 170 pounds in the MMA world. He helped
bring credibility to the UFC’s welterweight division and
establish it as a marketable division. Like I said before, win
or lose at UFC 65, Matt Hughes is going to be remembered as one
of the best fighters to ever step inside the Octagon long after
he retires.
4.
Randy “The Natural” Couture
Randy’s
record is 14-8-0. Of those 14 wins, he holds of victories over
Vitor Belfort, Tito Ortiz, Chuck Liddell, Pedro Rizzo x2, Maurice
Smith, and Jeremy Horn. His bouts with Rizzo are legendary as
was his rivalry with Chuck Liddell. Randy is the reason that
Chuck can say, “I am a completely different fighter”.
After he dominated Liddell at UFC 43, he embarrassed Tito at
UFC 44. He didn’t do a lot of damage to Tito, but he was
able to beat him at his own game and secure himself the light
heavyweight title by doing so. Randy has and always will be one
of the best ambassadors for the sport. As Matt Hughes brought
credibility to the welterweight division so has Randy brought
it to the UFC in general. Randy was one of the first fighter
respected for being an athlete and not just an MMA fighter. He
was extremely likeable and marketable. He was one of the few
fighters to make no excuses even if there was one to make. He
showed legions of younger fighters how to win and how to lose
with dignity.
He
was a coach on the Ultimate Fighter season 1 and part of the
reason it was so popular. He represented the sport and gave it
a friendly face when it needed it the most. As the UFC’s
popularity rose, so did its criticism. With Randy as the biggest
name in the UFC and possibly mixed martial arts at the time,
the naysayers had a hard time finding something to nitpick about
him. As I said before, Randy was an incredible ambassador for
the sport.
When
Randy retired, it was a sad day for MMA and for me personally.
I wrote a very emotional tribute piece for MaXfighting that is
thankfully permanently displayed on his website. It may be read
here: http://thenatural.tv/content/view/24/29/ That pretty much
sums up why Randy to me had such an impact on the UFC and the
MMA world in general.
3.
Ken Shamrock
Yes,
the same Ken Shamrock that was beaten handily by Tito Ortiz three
times and the same one that lost to Sakuraba, and Rich Franklin.
It’s not really Ken’s MMA credentials that put him
so high on this list. Of course, he was a pioneer and was a UFC
champion and that counts for a lot, but Ken did something that
no other MMA legend has been able to do. Shamrock became bigger
than the sport.
Even
though some MMA fans may not want to acknowledge the significance
of his accomplishments with the WWE they have to be recognized.
When Ken needed some time away from the UFC and MMA he took his
persona and chiseled physique to where the money was. He signed
a contract with Vince McMahon to wrestle for the WWE and smartly
at a time when WWE wrestling was in its “Attitude’
era and at an all time high. Not only was Ken successful, but
he was accepted almost instantly. His credentials as a UFC fighter
made him an easy fit for the WWE and an easy sell to the fans
of wrestling. Does this have anything to do with MMA? Nope, but
Ken did something here that no one else had been able to do.
He was making lots of money, lots of it from his experience in
the UFC. He made being in MMA seem cool to millions of people
who probably could have cared less about it before then. He helped
introduce the persona of an MMA fighter, over the top as his
portrayal was. Shamrock is slammed a lot by hardcore fans for
his jump to the WWE, but they should applaud him for it. Many
other fighters had doors opened up to them because of his marketability
and how much the WWE made from his appearances. His “Worlds”
Most Dangerous Man” moniker embedded itself in the minds
of millions of television viewers and he was ready for a return
to the UFC.
When
Ken returned to MMA, he participated in what is now considered
the biggest rivalry in all of MMA. Shamrock’s hatred for
Tito Ortiz brought him out of UFC retirement and got him back
in fighting shape. It was the highest grossing pay per view of
all time when it aired, and is still number 10 on the all time
list of shows held in Las Vegas. It has been overtaken because
of the incredible number of new fans watching the UFC today and
buying their pay per views each month. It still stands as a reminder
to what Ken’s rise in popularity with the WWE was able to
do to bring in new viewers.
Ken’s
“Lion’s Den” is one of the most famous of all
fight stables and for a time in the UFC they were the top of
the food chain. They had Vernon White, Guy Mezger, Mikey Burnett,
Jerry Bohlander, Tra Telligman, Pete Williams, Trevor Prangley,
and Ken himself. It was also one of the first big fight teams
in MMA. Yet again, Ken was at the front end of something big.
He will be remembered as one of the greatest and even Tito had
to verbally recognize that when Ken announced his retirement
from MMA after their third encounter this year and Ken’s
third loss to the “Huntington Beach Bad Boy”. Ken Shamrock
was a pioneer and deserving of number 3 on the top 10 list. Oh,
but he will hate number 2.
2.
“The Huntington Beach Bad Boy” Tito Ortiz
I
could have just said his name and been done with it. There is
no other name, NONE that can bring out emotions like Tito’s
does. Fans boo him when he comes to the cage, chant his name
while he is in it, and then boo him when he wins. He was at the
top of the MMA world and then the bottom. He was the most respected
and marketable champion and one of the reasons that Zuffa was
able to take the UFC out of the debt that had built up. At UFC
40, Tito Ortiz cemented himself as one of the most popular and
best-known fighters of all times. He ushered in the new era of
the UFC with a three round beating of Ken Shamrock that was stopped
by the Lion’s Den founder’s corner due to excessive
punishment. Tito has been in the MMA spotlight ever since.
If
you look up the number of top MMA pay per views by the UFC before
the Ultimate Fighter season 1 and UFC 52 occurred, you will see
that he has headlined 4 of the top 10 money grossing pay per.
Tito was the UFC’s first real star power and one of the
reasons that they were able to keep going after running in to
a stagnant time for American MMA.
Tito’s
ties with Punishment Athletics made the clothing line a prominent
one and soon other clothing lines were signing other top stars
to represent them. This was not a new practice, but due to the
effect Tito wearing Punishment Athletics had on their sales,
there was a burst in clothing sales and fighter sponsorships.
Tito
has stage presence, plain and simple. People pay attention to
him whether it is to hear what he has to say or to say, “Here
we go again”. Ortiz is never at a loss for words and when
he returned to the UFC, it didn’t take long for him to call
out the current champion.
Truthfully,
the Tito of today is much different from the “Huntington
Beach Bad Boy” that lost to Couture and Liddell. Tito has
matured and reformed the once defunct Team Punishment. The days
of Tito, Ricco Rodriguez, Quentin Jackson, and others have faded
and a new breed of fighters has emerged. Due to his excellent
coaching on the Ultimate Fighter Season 3 reality show, Tito
is in demand for his abilities to make others better through
his teaching methods and cardio training. Kendall Grove, Matt
Hamill, and a host of newer faces have been taken under his wing
and are now successful. Tito’s legacy will live on no matter
what happens on December 30th.
At
UFC 66, Tito is scheduled to fight in a rematch against Chuck
Liddell.
1.
Royce Gracie
Was
there even a doubt? A question? Royce Gracie is the reason that
Brazilian jiu jitsu is what it is today. He showed the world
that size doesn’t matter even when the fight goes to the
ground. Royce was a “skinny little Brazilian guy” who
was beating bigger fighters. He was the real life David to the
status quo Goliaths. Royce would relentlessly pursue submission
after submission while his opponents would scramble just to survive.
Because of the value of jiu jitsu as displayed by Royce’s
dominance MMA fighters adopted it in to their every day training.
Without Royce, we would be a lot further back in mixed martial
arts evolution then we are today.
That’s
not saying that Royce was invulnerable. It took a lot of time
for him to submit some fighters and time limits were introduced
into the sport in 1995. Ken Shamrock would become the first fighter
to survive Royce Gracie's submission assault and earn himself
a draw. The match lasted for 30 minutes and a 5-minute overtime.
Fans have been calling for a rematch ever since.
Royce
Gracie won UFC 1, UFC 2, and UFC 4. He was slated to fight in
the finals of UFC 3, but due to dehydration and excessive fatigue
in his famous victory over Kimo Leopoldo, his corner answered
the bell and threw in the towel. Royce was recovering in the
locker rooms and suffered his only loss in the Octagon without
ever really losing.
That
last statement is true until you bring up Matt Hughes’s
names. Royce returned to the Octagon to face the current middleweight
champion. Although, Royce looked like a shell of his former self
and was beaten handily, he still had a large fan base that showed
up to support him. Royce announced that he would be back in the
UFC after the fight was over and I really hope so. He is easily
one of the most recognizable and discussed names in MMA.
People
at MMA events still ask me…………..” When
is Royce Gracie fighting again”?
Source: Maxfighting
|
Abdominal
Training
The abdominal region of the body is a critical training zone
for an MMA fighter. Without a strong core, the fighter will be
unable to throw powerful punches and kicks, apply throws or takedowns,
or work from the bottom or top on the ground. This is probably
one of the most neglected and misunderstood areas of the body
when it comes to training, not just for MMA, but for all sports.
By Martin Rooney, MHS, PT, CSCS, NASM
The
abdominal muscles are some of the most popular muscles to train
by athletes and fitness enthusiasts all over the world. The only
problem is, most people are either using them in training for
the wrong reasons, or they are just plain training them incorrectly.
When you look at gyms around the world, there are more exercise
gadgets, videos and classes that are specific to abdominal training
than for any other area of the body. Not only that, you can always
find gyms packed with people working their abs almost every day,
yet how many of the people in all of these gyms have a good looking
set of abs?
Usually
it is almost none of them. This fact should tell us all that
most people are not doing the right things to show off their
abs both in the gym and outside of it as well.
There
are three main reasons that I have identified why people train
the abdominal area:
1.
The most common reason is that people want a thinner, more defined
waist and abdominal area.
2.
The second reason is that people want to strengthen their abdominal
area for fitness or sports related reasons.
3.
Finally, people commonly work their abs because they want to
protect their back (this is a commonly seen prescription by doctors,
therapists, and trainers around the world).
The
Fastest Way to a Thinner Waistline
If
I had a dollar for every time a trainee or athlete asked me what
abdominal exercises are the best to thin their waists and make
them look more defined, I would be a millionaire. Even though
it may seem commonsense, (and you know fitness equipment manufacturers
want you to believe it) working the abdominal muscles is not
a good way to thin your waistline. This is known as the Spot
Theory, and it is actually a terrible use of your time if that
is one of your goals at all. The truth is, diet and nutrition
play the biggest role in whether or not you can see those rock
hard abs. Let’s face it, everyone has a nice set of abs,
just most of us have them covered with a layer of fat. No matter
how much you work those muscles, until you decrease your bodyfat
percentage, you still won’t see at thing.
So
the two best exercises I can suggest for developing better looking
abs are the table bench press (where you push yourself away from
the table early) and the reading of a quality nutrition book.
Newsflash!
The Abs are just like other muscles
Would
you curl your arm up and down for hundreds of reps if you wanted
to make it stronger? Probably not. Most people would instinctively
grab a heavy weight and do a low number or reps with that weight
and then repeat. All of us know by now about the Principle of
Progressive Overload, yet no one ever seems to apply it to abdominal
training. Take a hard look at how we train our abs “to get
stronger.” Usually it is with a limited number of exercises
for thousands of reps, almost every workout with no external
weights involved.
The
abdominal muscles respond to training just like the other muscles
of the body.
Use
heavy resistance and low reps, they get stronger, use no resistance
with lots of reps, they build endurance. Either method you choose,
you are also going to have to leave time for recovery t improve.
If you try to train them every day, increases in strength are
going to be hard to find. Beside this fact that most people are
training their abs with the wrong reps, sets and recovery schema,
they also don’t seem to apply the Principle of Variety either.
Usually most people just use some form of sit ups and maybe a
twisting motion. The training of the abdominal area requires
much more than this to work all of the muscles completely. Knowing
this, your workouts should now begin to add heavy resistance
to the exercises you are doing as well as adding new exercises
periodically to add a new stimulus to the training.
These
new exercises should also have purpose toward your specific goals.
For instance, if your sport requires rotation with strength,
like wrestling and grappling, your training better have some
of the same. If all you do is crunches and that is no a major
movement in your sporting event, you may be wasting your time.
A
great piece of advice is to treat the abdominal area just like
you would other parts of your body. Most people work their legs
one day, and save upper body for another. What about the core?
Why should the most important area that links the arms to the
legs be treated any different? If you are training smart, this
region should have its own day as well. Start throwing it in
and you will thank me for the results.
Want
to Protect the Back? Then Work the Back!
Since
the muscles of the abdominal wall and lower back are all sheathed
in the same envelope, many practitioners believe that the abs
are the ticket to good back health. They are on the right track,
but unfortunately, they often fail to see the real issue. There
is an optimal abdominal to back strength ratio. Most doctors
and trainers will focus on the abdominal area, train it incorrectly,
and completely forget about training the low back. To strengthen
the core properly, the low back region should have the focus,
not only because it is more functional, but it is a great way
to work the abs as well. For instance, squats, deadlifts and
overhead presses are exercises that are feared by many athletes,
doctors and trainers, yet they are much more effective ways to
train the core than high rep sit ups or crunches that do nothing
more than leave you with a burning stomach.
If
nothing else, I hope this article has you questioning your ideas
about and methods of training the abdominal region. To summarize,
if you follow a healthy diet, and train properly, you can have
the abdominal region you always dreamed of. If you don’t
follow the concepts expressed above, you will probably continue
with the abs you’ve got no matter how “hard” you
work them.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Quote
of the Day
"People
who cannot find time for recreation are obliged sooner or later
to find time for illness."
John Wanamaker, 1838-1922, American Merchant
|
O2
Martial Arts Academy's Grand Opening
Monday, November 20th at 6:30PM!
TOMORROW
It has been over 11 years of running the Relson Gracie Jiu-Jitsu
Aiea Academy, then it became Academia Casca Grossa de Jiu-Jitsu
(A Relson Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Association) and now it has evolved
into the O2 Martial Arts Academy!
Basically we have finally made the decision to move out of Rainbow
Gymnastics Academy and open up our own Academy.
It is in the same area, fronting in Kam Hwy between Best Buy
and Cutter Ford Aiea on the second floor above Goodwill, The
Bike Factory and Small Engine Clinic. It is across the street
from Waimalu Shopping Center.
98-019 Kam Hwy, 206A
Aiea, Hawaii 96701
The O2 Martial Arts Academy will be offering Gracie Jiu-Jitsu,
Submission Wrestling, and Escrima six days a week. We hope to
add Kickboxing and Boxing soon!
Check out the O2
Martial Arts Academy website for all the details!
We are
having an official grand opening on Monday, November 20th at
6:30PM. Please feel free to stop by and check out the new academy
and say howzit!
|
The
Quest for Champions Today!
|
Viloria exits ring without
belt
By Darren Nichols
Special to the Star-Bulletin
LAS VEGAS » Waipahu's
Brian Viloria
let his World Boxing Council 108-pound title rematch fall into
the hands of the three judges last night at the Thomas and Mack
Center, and they didn't treat him kindly.
For
the second consecutive bout, Viloria failed to decipher Mexico's
Omar Nino, who kept his title with a majority draw as two judges
scored the fight 113-113 with the third giving Nino the nod with
a 115-112 score. Despite two knockdowns by Viloria and being
more active in the ring, it wasn't enough to recapture the title
he lost three months ago to Nino, who is now 24-2-1 with 10 knockouts.
Viloria is 19-1-1 (12 KOs).
"What
were those judges watching?" Viloria said. "I felt
I clearly won the fight."
Viloria
knew coming into his first professional rematch bout against
Nino that this was a make-or-break type fight, one that would
either end with his WBC title back around his waist, or one that
could end his career.
"I
didn't lose this fight, so I am not going to retire," said
Viloria, who is anxious for an unlikely third shot at Nino. "That's
what I want most and that's who I want next. Next time I will
take it out of the judges' hands and knock him out."
As
Viloria waited for his rematch with Nino to begin, Nino's cornermen
held the WBC belt high for everyone in the arena to see. Viloria
focused his attention on the title that could have been his once
again, while Nino danced in his corner getting warmed up for
another grueling match.
Riding
on the coattails of the Philippines' favorite son, Manny Pacquiao,
and Mexico's Erik Morales, it was clear where the fans of Viloria
and Nino were seated around the arena as legendary ring announcer
Michael Buffer projected their names around the arena's sound
system.
Once
the first bell sounded, Viloria came out and swung first with
a wide right hook. He landed the first punch of the night in
the form of a crisp, short left jab. Viloria got the attention
of his opponent with a straight right that put Nino against the
ropes, and the crowd was on its feet, alive with excitement that
this could possibly be a short night for Viloria, and that he
would soon have his title back.
It
was clear Viloria was more focused than he was when he faced
Nino the first time around. Nino, however, attacked the body
of Viloria, but using his quickness, the Waipahu native countered
with a combination of hooks and crosses that landed flush to
the head of Nino.
Viloria
scored his first big punch of the fight in the third round. After
a low blow by Nino, Viloria answered with a right-hook, left-cross
combination that buckled the knees of Nino. This forced Nino
to grab Viloria in order for his head to clear, while the crowd
cheered.
The
beginning of round four saw Nino throw another low blow, and
this time the referee stopped the action to give Nino a warning.
Once the fight resumed, both fighters bobbed and weaved in front
of each other, as they looked for an opening on their desired
target.
With
a minute left to go in the round, Nino missed with a wide left
hook, allowing Viloria to answer with a left hook of his own,
landing it flush on the head of Nino, and putting the crowd into
a frenzy.
When
the bell sounded to end the fourth round, Nino attempted to touch
gloves with Viloria as a sign of respect, but Viloria turned
his back and would have none of it.
Viloria
scored his first knockdown in the fifth round with a wide right
hook that included both glove and forearm, landing them on the
head of Nino, causing the champ's glove to touch the canvas,
and forcing the referee to give Nino a mandatory standing eight
count.
Nino
landed a huge right hook to Viloria's head in round seven followed
by a left hook upstairs that got the Mexican crowd vocal for
the first time since Nino entered the ring. Both of Nino's punches
sprayed the ringside observers and Nino continued his successful
attack on Viloria's head until the timekeeper rang the bell.
In
the eighth frame, Viloria allowed Nino to get inside and land
telling blows to Viloria's head. Knowing that he was taking the
round on the judges' scorecards, Nino wisely chose to stay outside
of Viloria's reach, only coming in to counter Viloria's quick
jabs with wide right and left hooks that landed flush on the
head of Viloria.
In
the ninth round, Nino followed a similar game plan that worked
so well for him in the previous round. Taking a page out of Muhammad
Ali's book, Nino did the old stick and move, coming within reach
of Viloria's arsenal to land a quick right jab, and then moving
to Viloria's side to dodge the challenger's counter punches.
However,
Viloria quickly wised up to Nino's tactics, and when Nino came
in to throw one of his scoring jabs, Viloria met him with a right-left-right
combination to Nino's head that put the WBC champ on his seat.
Nino
was given another standing eight count, but time had run out
before Viloria could take advantage of the damage he had done.
But it was the last round that Viloria clearly dominated.
Nino
told reporters after the bout that the first knockdown was a
push and should not have counted. Obviously disappointed, Viloria
told reporters, "What do I have to do to beat this guy?
I controlled Nino with my pressure and I knocked him down twice,
what more do I need to do?"
Source: Star Bulletin
|
Wow
Pacquiao! Pacman Gobbles El Terrible in Three!
by Gabriel Montoya
In front of raucous sell out crowd of 18,276(the second largest
in the arena’s history) at the Thomas and Mack Center in
Las Vegas, Nevada, Manny Pacquiao blew out Erik ‘El Terrible’
Morales in three explosive, action packed rounds to claim supremacy
in their trilogy.
The
crowd was electric all night long with chants of ‘Manny’
and ‘Morales’ drowning each other out every time either
man’s face appeared on the Jumbotron leading into the bout.
Both men looked in peak form warming up in the dressing room
and coming into the ring.
The
action started with both men looking to establish the jab and
trying to back the other up. Morales, circling to his left, landing
the jab. Pacquiao landed a hard uppercut to the body and it seemed
as if every time both men thought about throwing a shot, the
crowd would go wild. Morales landed a solid double jab left hook
combo and seemed intent on boxing from the outside while Pacquiao
looked to get inside behind a hard right jab and straight left.
Pacquiao landed a
hard right hook and Morales came back with left-handed flurry
to punctuate the action.
Round
two Pacquiao came out fast and strafed Morales along the ropes
with lefts and rights but Morales came back with a flurry of
his own landing a double jab followed by a right hand. Pacquiao
came back with a double right jab and left hand off Morales’
miss. And big left from Pacquiao sent Morales to his knees but
the game warrior got to his feet and went after Pacquiao, which
would prove to be his undoing. Morales has a history of abandoning
the game plan when he is hurt and tonight was no exception.
The
third round began with Morales pursuing Pacquiao and digging
to the body. A right by Morales gave hope to the large Mexican
contingent in the crowd but a flurry from Pacquiao in what was
quickly becoming a brawl would signal the beginning of the end
for Morales. Morales would land a good shot to the body and an
uppercut. Pacquiao would land a big right hook that stunned Morales
and would follow up with a left that would put Morales down for
the second time. Speed at this point was indeed killing Morales.
Morales would rise and jump on Pacquiao landing a left right
combo with a Pacquiao flurry to follow. A huge, brutal left and
then another by Pacquiao and Morales hit the canvas for the third
a final time. As he rose to a knee, Morales looked over to his
corner and shook his head in defeat. He began to rise shakily
but referee Vic Drakulich wisely stopped the action at 2:57 of
the third round.
For
Pacquiao the sky is the limit with a potential showdown rematch
with Marco Antonio Barrera on the horizon. For Morales, the only
thing on the horizon is the sun setting on his glorious career.
Retirement is very possible with nothing left to prove but being
the warrior Morales is, he may fight on.
Source: Doghouse Boxing
|
UFC
65: Bad Intentions Results!
Arco Arena, Sacramento, California
November 18, 2006
Fight #1 - Light Heavyweight
Jake O'Brien (232.5 lbs) def. Josh Shockman (235 lbs) via unanimous
decision.
Fight
#2 - Heavyweight
James Irvin (205.5 lbs) def. Hector Ramirez (203 lbs) via referee
stoppage due to strikes at 2:36 of the second round.
Fight
#3 - Heavyweight
Antoni Hardonk (242.5 lbs) def. Sherman Pendergarst (247.5 lbs)
via KO at 3:15 of the first round.
Fight
#4 - Welterweight
Nick Diaz (171 lbs) def. Gleison Tibau (171 lbs) via referee
stoppage due to strikes at 2:27 of the second round.
Fight
#5 - Lightweight
Joe Stevenson (155 lbs) def. Dokonjonosuke Mishima (154.5 lbs)
via guillotine choke at 2:07 of the first round.
Fight
#6 - Light Heavyweight
Drew McFedries (202 lbs) def. Alessio Sakara (204 lbs) via referee
stoppage due to strikes at 4:07 of the first round.
Fight
#7 - Heavyweight
Brandon Vera (230.5 lbs) def. Frank Mir (254 lbs) via referee
stoppage due to strikes at 1:09 of the first round.
Fight
#8 - Heavyweight Title
Tim Sylvia (262.5 lbs) def. Jeff Monson (237.5 lbs) via unanimous
decision. Sylvia retains his UFC heavyweight title.
Fight
#9 - Welterweight Title
Georges St. Pierre (169 lbs) def. Matt Hughes (170 lbs) via KO
at 1:25 of the second round. St. Pierre is the new UFC welterweight
champion.
UFC 65
Review
On a night where two championship belts were on the line ( both
Miletich fighters, by the way ) it was anyone's guess how things
would turn out. Of course, if you didn't catch the fights and
would rather not guess anymore, we may just be able to help you
out.
For a breakdown of the bouts that were expected for television,
read on.
Joe
Stevenson vs. Dokonjonosuke Mishima
Famous
last words. - "On the ground, I'm going to beat him up."
- Dokonjonosuke Mishima
Round
1 - At the outset, Mishima tries to land a couple of strikes
that really don't amount to much; then they clinch, and the Japanese
fighter successfully throws Stevenson to the ground. Mishima
immediately tries to pass, but can't.
Then
Stevenson sinks in a guillotine. Mishima lifts him up and slams
him, hoping to jar it loose; but his attempt doesn't work. In
fact, "that just makes it tighter," says Couture.
Mishima
starts turning red; it's not looking good for him. But then,
somehow, he gets out of the choke and soon after jumps into side
control. For several moments the two fighters stay very active,
with Mishima trying to gain a better position and Stevenson attempting
a couple of guillotines.
Then
Stevenson tries for another guillotine. This time he catches
his opponent. Mishima again turns red.
Difference
is, this time he taps.
Joe
Stevenson wins via guillotine choke at 2:07 of the first round.
Frank
Mir vs. Brandon Vera
"He's
just another block in the road." - Vera
Round
1 - Mir takes the center of the Octagon and looks good initially,
landing a few glancing shots confidently. Vera returns fire in
similar fashion; then Mir lands a hard left. Unfortunately for
him, Vera answers that punch with a very hard right.
Then
they clinch.
Vera
rocks Mir with a knee. The former heavyweight champion goes for
a takedown, but Vera sprawls out of it and then moves right into
side control. First Vera goes for a neck crank; then he starts
dropping rights on Mir's face that do significant damage.
Mir
just covers up.
And
the referee steps in.
We
get two things from this fight. First, Vera is the real deal
and probably deserves the next title shot. Second, Mir is nowhere
near the fighter he once was ( at least right now ). That's unfortunate,
as he really was one of the best heavyweights in the world before
the accident.
Vera
wins via TKO at 1:09 of the first round.
Alessio
Sakara vs. Drew McFedries
"I'm
looking forward to walking across that ring and wreaking havoc
on Sakara." - Drew McFedries
Round
1 - McFedries lands a a kick, runs Sakara into the wall, and
starts landing some nice punches. Sakara gets off the wall, takes
the center of ring, and connects with some nice punches of his
own. Then they clinch, and Sakara lands some knees to the body,
though most are blocked.
Then
they trade in the center of the ring. It looks like McFedries
hurts Sakara for a moment, and soon after they end up on the
ground. McFedries hits him some, and then Sakara gets up again.
This
is showing to be a very good stand up fight. Along with this,
they trade again before Sakara runs his opponent into the wall.
A Sakara - driven flurry follows, and this one does some damage
(mostly straight punches). McFedries returns fire back at him
(he's got a good uppercut). Still, Sakara nails him with a nice
right, and although the back and forth battle continues, Sakara
is clearly getting the better of things.
But
this McFedries- a Miletich fighter- is clearly one tough guy.
Suddenly
Sakara goes for a leg and no one, including Randy "The Natural"
Couture, can understand why, as he is winning on his feet.
Perhaps
a glimpse of stranger things to come.
Regardless,
Sakara misses the takedown, and McFedries lands a couple of strikes
standing. Then Sakara really starts going off, connecting with
a solid left hook and more. Getting beaten pretty badly, McFedries
achieves a body lock and takes his opponent down, immediately
gaining side control.
After
a few strikes, however, Sakara gets up again.
Sakara
really drops a formidable flurry on McFedries, but somehow the
Miletich fighter manages to get back at his opponent with some
uppercuts. Sakara looks tired, and inexplicably falls down onto
his back purposefully.
Perhaps
he was just that tired; regardless, it was a bad move.
McFedries
follows Sakara down and starts landing rights to the head. Next
his strikes begin to hit home to Sakara's body; then he ends
things off with a bunch of lefts to the head.
The
referee is forced to stop the fight. Nice bout with a rather
strange ending.
Drew
McFedries wins via TKO at 4:07 of the first round.
Hector
Ramirez vs. James Irvin
Huh?
- "They call me the sick dog for a reason. And a dog it's
in his home; and the cage is kind of like a home; and there's
another dog, and you're home; you gotta run him out." -
Hector Ramirez
Round
1 - Starts off with Irvin attempting to land kicks; he misses
his first attempt but lands his second. Ramirez takes the center
of ring, trades some kicks with Irvin, and goes for a takedown.
It works, but Irvin quickly turns things around and gets up.
A few strikes later, they end up against the Octagon wall. Ramirez
takes him down again; but once again Irvin follows by getting
up.
Short
lived, though, as Ramirez takes him down in the center of the
ring soon after. Ramirez then takes his back and gets both hooks
in (he's on Irvin's back while he's in a crab position).
Uh
oh.
They
stay in that position for awhile. Ramirez is too high on his
back and therefore can't get a choke sunk in. He lands some glancing
blows, but nothing hard. Eventually, Irvin tries to roll over
but only ends up looking at the ceiling with Ramirez on his back;
so they return to their original position. Unfortunately for
Ramirez, he loses one of his hooks.
Giving
up the position, the two stand.
Irvin
lands a solid high kick that hurts Ramirez. Unfortunately for
him, he loses his balance on the kick and falls to the mat, allowing
Ramirez to regain his composure.
Still,
Irvin charges, lands a low kick, and then a right. Ramirez once
again returns fire. Irvin goes for a high kick and slips to the
ground once more.
Ramirez
takes advantage and ends up in Irvin's guard.
Ramirez
disengages for a moment; but then re-engages and ends up in side
mount. Soon after, Irvin inexplicably gives up his back again
( same position as earlier in the bout ). This time Ramirez lands
some hard shots; but again, Irvin finds his way up. In fact,
Irvin nearly lands a spinning back fist.
Unfortunately
for him, he misses, and the wiff allows Ramirez to get inside
for a takedown.
Then
the bell sounds; a good round.
Round
2 - Both fighters look fatigued and they fight like it early
on. A couple of mild shots later, Ramirez runs Irvin into the
wall and drops a nice flurry on his opponent. Irvin answers with
a low kick.
For
awhile, they trade sporadic low kicks (Irvin) for sporadic face
shots (Ramirez). Then Irvin lands a Superman punch. Ramirez shakes
his head at him, which probably means that it hurt. Irvin starts
landing some unanswered low kicks.
Then
Irvin nails Ramirez with a straight right that drops him.
He
puts his hands up in victory, but the referee hasn't called it
yet. Suddenly Irvin realizes this and responds with a kick to
Ramirez's body and follows it up with an elbow.
Then
the referee steps in.
James
Irvin, the crowd favorite in his hometown of Sacramento, is very
emotional afterwards (the crowd goes nuts). A very good fight.
Irvin
wins via TKO at 2:36 of the second round.
Jeff
Monson vs. Tim Sylvia
True
or false? - "If this fight goes to the ground, which it
will because I'm going to take him down, then the fight's over.
And he knows that."- Jeff Monson
Round
1 - The two circle, and then Monson goes for a takedown; he manages
to grab a leg, but Sylvia successfully sprawls out and gets up.
Sylvia lands a hard jab, and then Monson once again goes for
a takedown that Sylvia successfully sprawls out of. They stay
in that position for awhile ( on the ground ) with Sylvia landing
mild shots before referee John McCarthy stands them up.
Standing,
Sylvia lands sporadic hard punches the rest of the round and
shirks another takedown along the way. Though Monson lands one
nice right, the rather uneventful round belongs to Sylvia ( he
ends it going for a high kick that misses ).
Round
2 - Sylvia throws a couple of jabs that miss, then he shirks
another takedown. Monson throws an overhand right that misses.
They trade glancing blows. Sylvia then lands a jab, a right,
a jab, and another right. Munson goes for another takedown and
once again misses. This time Monson falls on his back and takes
some leg kicks from a standing Sylvia.
Then
Sylvia steps away and they both get up.
Soon
after, Sylvia lands a solid right; Monson returns fire with his
own.
Sylvia
is literally stalking Munson. He is once again forced to sprawl
out of a takedown, then lands a solid straight right. The champion
follows it with a nice combination.
Soon
after, he lands another solid right.
With
less than 15 seconds to go Sylvia sprawls out of another takedown
Then
the bell.
Round
3 - Sylvia throws some punches and looks to be more aggressive.
He lands a combination.
And
then gets taken down by a double leg. Monson ends up in Sylvia's
guard.
Sylvia
holds Monson close in his guard; Monson starts hitting him to
the body, perhaps because he cannot reach Sylvia's face ( as
Couture puts it ). Sylvia does a good job of holding Monson's
arms and defending. The Snowman stands to try and break Sylvia's
guard; this works for a moment, but when they re-engage he ends
up back in the guard again. Monson starts trying to work on one
of Sylvia's legs to break the guard, but doesn't achieve this.
Sylvia
then lands an elbow to Monson's head from the guard.
Monson
stands in the guard again and starts raining down punches to
the body.
Then
Sylvia kicks him away; a big mistake. Utilizing the separation
to his advantage, Monson gains side control. Then he starts moving
toward the north - south position. Sylvia tries to stand up,
but gets caught in a guillotine.
So
he flips out of it and ends up back in side mount.
Monson
lands some knees to body and then goes north - south again. Sylvia
begins to stand once more and the same thing happens ( he ends
up in a guillotine ). However, this time Sylvia is able to turn
into it, escaping and ending up in a dominant north - south position
himself.
Sylvia
gets to his feet. Monson is cut under his eye ( maybe the elbow
on the ground did it ). They stop and let the doctors look at
the wound for a moment before starting back up again.
Sylvia
lands some mild shots; then Munson connects. Suddenly, Sylvia
lands a hard knee that rocks Munson; then he follows that with
a flying knee to the body that drops The Snowman.
But
the bell saves Monson from further blows.
Round
4 - Starts very slow. Monson goes for a takedown, and of course
Sylvia sprawls out. However, unlike past attempts this time Sylvia
turns him over and ends up in side control. He lands several
short elbows to Munson's head. Then Sylvia begins to drop rights
to the top of his cranium.
Monson
then scrambles to the half guard position. From that position,
Sylvia goes for an Americana but doesn't get it ( Monson simply
relaxes his way out of it ). The Snowman then goes through the
back door and turns him over.
Therefore,
Monson is now in Sylvia's guard.
Monson
stands up and lands some mild punches to Sylvia's body. Then,
surprisingly, Sylvia nearly sinks in a triangle.
But
he just can't lock it in.
Monson
looks tired. Then the bell.
Round
5 - Monson goes for a takedown, misses, and ends up in the north
- south position with Sylvia on top. Instead of playing down
there, Sylvia stands up.
For
the most part, this round was terribly slow. It even got to the
point that McCarthy had to break the two up and remind them that
this was a fight.
But
his attempt didn't change much.
In
short, Sylvia landed some mild blows ( mostly while Monson was
on his back with leg kicks ) and sprawled out of two takedown
attempts.
In
addition, he landed a few punches at the end of the fight.
The
middle rounds were good in this bout, with Sylvia proving his
ability to escape submissions. However, the last round left a
bad taste, for sure.
Sylvia
wins via unanimous decision.
Matt
Hughes vs. Georges St. Pierre
"Matt
Hughes will find out right after the first round that I am not
the same guy." - Georges St. Pierre
Round
1 - St. Pierre lands a low kick and a few misses; then Hughes
connects with a body kick. However, St. Pierre is clearly the
more aggressive fighter, landing several kicks and jabs from
there. Soon after, he connects with a spinning back kick to Hughes's
body.
They
slap hands afterwards, an attempt by Hughes to acknowledge how
good a strike it was.
Hughes
comes inside and gets popped, but returns fire with a jab of
his own. Another low kick by St. Pierre hits home, and then the
two trade jabs for a bit.
Then
St. Pierre left kicks Hughes to the groin inadvertently. He gets
some time to recover, but then St. Pierre does it again.
Another
stoppage. Referee John McCarthy speaks to St. Pierre about how
his kicks are sliding up.
When
they return to action, St. Pierre lands a kick to Hughes's body
and follows it with a jab. They trade a bit with Hughes clearly
getting the worst of it all.
Then
Hughes connects with an uppercut. Unfortunately for him, St.
Pierre nails him with a right soon after that; then they clinch,
and St. Pierre lands a very nice knee to the face.
After
they separate, Hughes hits his opponent with a body kick that
St. Pierre almost catches in his hands. Hughes tries another,
and this time St. Pierre does catch it.
With
leg in hand, St. Pierre takes Hughes down.
St.
Pierre ends up in his half guard, but Hughes gets up rather quickly.
They clinch for a moment, and St. Pierre delivers a hard knee.
The two trade some jabs, and then St. Pierre tries a body kick
that Hughes catches. He locks up with St. Pierre.
But
is unable to take him down.
The
two separate and St. Pierre connects with a low kick and then
a very effective superman punch. He follows things up with a
combination of lefts and rights that drop Hughes.
The
champion was clearly in trouble, but the bell saves him.
Round
2 - The first real action starts with the two in a clinch; though
Hughes lands some knees, he is unable to lock in for a takedown.
Then they separate, and St. Pierre hits with some low kicks (
one in fact actually sweeps Hughes ) but the champion gets back
up quickly.
Then
St. Pierre really starts to take over, hitting Hughes with calculated
kicks and punches from a variety of positions.
In
the midst of it all, he lands a hard left kick to Hughes's head
that drops him.
The
Canadian pounces on top of Hughes, raining down hosts of punches
and then finally, elbows. John McCarthy has no choice but to
stop the fight.
Georges
St. Pierre wins via KO at 1:25 of round two.
Afterwards,
Georges St. Pierre was extremely gracious, compelling Hughes
to keep on keeping on, so to speak. He also indicated that he'd
get his rematch.
A
dominant win for Georges St. Pierre. Looking forward to the rematch
on this one.
In
sum.
Overall,
it was a good night. All the bouts had action in them, even if
the Sylvia - Monson encounter certainly had its share of ho hum
activity as well. In terms of competitiveness, the Irvin - Ramirez
and McFedries - Sakara bouts were the best.
Still,
anytime Matt Hughes actually loses, that's the fight that takes
center stage. You've just got to love Georges St. Pierre's humility.
See
you next time.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
WAY
OF A WARRIOR: DENIS KANG
by Al Yu
Going into the semi-finals of Pride’s Bushido welterweight
Grand Prix, Denis Kang was considered one of the favorites to
win the entire tournament. After recently suffering the tragic
loss of his fiancé, Kang trained through tears and somehow
managed to remain focused on the final round of the Pride Bushido
Grand Prix.
At
Bushido 13, the American Top Team fighter defeated Akihiro Gono
via unanimous decision in the semi-finals while Paulo Filho submitted
Kazuo Misaki in the other tournament match-up. Kang would later
lose a decision in the finals, ending an impressive winning streak.
During
his fight with Akihiro Gono, Kang suffered an injury. “That’s
where the bicep injury [occurred],” explained Kang. ”I
had an MRI with the doctor yesterday and the diagnosis was I
had a torn bicep. I have to take a little bit of time off, probably
no more than a month or two.”
As
fans recall, Paulo Filho was injured during his fight with Kazuo
Misaki and was unable to continue. According to Pride rules,
Misaki was named as his replacement to face Kang in the finals.
Undeterred
by his bicep injury, Kang continued on like a true warrior and
the result was one of best fights of the year. “It wasn’t
a decision [regarding quitting], I knew I was going out there,”
emphasized Kang. “Even if I only had one arm I was going
out there. That’s just the decision that I’ve made.”
Going
into the finals, Denis found out that Kazuo Misaki replaced Paulo
Filho just 15-20 minutes prior to the last match. Kang would
go on to lose a split decision to Misaki in a very competitive
and exciting fight.
“I’m
not disappointed with the fight at all. It was a great experience
for me; I gained a lot of ring time and a lot of knowledge about
myself for having gone through that,” revealed Kang. “Of
course, I wish it would have turned out the other way. I know
the fight was close and I know that I didn’t give up and
that’s what counts for me.”
The
MMA community had mixed feelings regarding the conclusion of
one of the most exciting tournaments in Pride history. The 183-pound
Grand Prix may have been tarnished by the fact that due to Filho’s
injury, a losing semi-finalist (Misaki) came back and consequently
won the tournament. Fans speculated if Kang was angered by the
fact that Misaki was given a second chance.
“It
doesn’t make me angry, everybody makes their own choices.
Tournaments are a good way to show who really has the heart to
be a champion; not to say that [Paulo] Filho doesn’t have
the heart to be a champion,” stated Kang. “When you
win a tournament, the winner of the tournament really had a lot
of heart because he’s made it through the injuries.”
Prior
to the Grand Prix, a match-up between Denis Kang and Paulo Filho
had long been a fight that fans wanted to see. Due to circumstances,
the fight didn’t materialize for the tournament finals.
Kang commented about the possibility of facing Filho in the future.
“You never know. If it happens to be me and Filho, so be
it; we’re in the same weight class,” said Kang.
In
addition to Filho, Denis expressed his interest in a rematch
with Kazuo Misaki. “I’d love to get a rematch with
Misaki in a single fight, that would be great. I think in a rematch
I could win.”
Despite
coming up short in the Grand Prix, Denis Kang has had a successful
year. In fact, many people have considered 2006 as Kang’s
break-out year.
“You
could say that. I kind of sat on the sidelines last year because
of my hand injury but…you can say that this is my break-out
year,” said Denis. “My training went really well and
every time that I fought I got in better shape. A lot of it was
because I had regular fights every two months so I knew exactly
how to prepare and how to peak at the right time.”
Kang
will now take some time off to recuperate and heal his injuries.
The Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt looks forward to 2007 with
a renewed confidence. Next year, there will be plenty of competitive
match-ups that await Kang and fans will anticipate his return.
“I
want to go to the top. I want to fight the toughest guys.”
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Dream
Match Up: Mauricio "Shogun" Rua vs. Chuck Liddell
By Robert Rousseau
There are plenty of outstanding fights that have never taken
place, nor likely will ever take place in mixed martial arts.
I, like many fight fans, often wonder what would happen if the
best that Pride has to offer were to tangle with the UFC. With
Dream Match Up, I’ll break down these fights as if they
were going to happen for fight fans.
DREAM
MATCH UP
It’s
never happened, but what if it did?
When
Dana White announced the Wanderlei Silva versus Chuck Liddell
fight, this column looked as if it might actually disappear.
We were all within inches of seeing the PRIDE versus UFC fights
we craved, not simply imagining them.
Of
course now it all looks as if it was too good to be true. The
Silva- Liddell fight appears as if it may never happen, and with
that being the case, all we can do is wonder once again.
Hence,
the next installment of Dream Match Up.
Mauricio
“Shogun” Rua versus Chuck “The Iceman” Liddell
What
Rua brings to the table - Rua sports a record of 14-2 with 12
(T)KO’s and one submission victory to his credit. He trains
with Brazil’s famed Chute Box Academy, which of course is
the reason why this recent PRIDE Grand Prix Champion has never
gotten a shot at the middleweight title.
He
and teammate, Wanderlei “The Axe Murderer” Silva, simply
will not fight; the team is just too close to one another.
Rua
is only 24 years old, but in that short time he’s accumulated
a reputation for explosiveness, unreal cardio ( everyone in Chute
Box seems to have it ), and very well- rounded skills. In fact,
he’s even a more complete fighter than his buddy, Wanderlei.
Rua’s technical stand up is very good. However, his striking
strengths seem to lie in his ability to overwhelm opponents.
When Rua smells blood, his already fast hands and legs seem to
get even faster. Those patented low kicks come off crisper; his
knees are that much more sudden.
And
whatever you do, don’t fall to the ground in a PRIDE rules
match against this guy. His stomps are very accurate and deadly.
What’s
more, Rua has excellent grappling skills. His takedowns and ground
control are very good as he showed in a close victory over Antonio
Rogerio Nogueira on 6/25/06 ( one where for a period of time
he was losing the stand up battle ). Further, he’s only
been submitted once in his career ( by Renato “Babalu”
Sobral ); thus, he’s got good submission defense.
In
terms of weaknesses, Rua has only finished one fight by submission
( on the PRIDE- America card against Kevin Randleman ). Yes,
if a limb is out there he is capable of finding it, but submissions
are not his forte.
Further
and perhaps most importantly, he is a very good technical striker,
but not an elite one. For example, in a recent match against
Cyrille Diabate, a man with a kickboxing background, he looked
rather uncomfortable standing up early in the fight. In addition,
against Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, he also seemed to have some
trouble on his feet for a period of time.
So,
in short, Rua is damned dangerous on his feet. Especially when
he’s on the attack ( which is almost always ). However,
his stand up is not impenetrable or unbeatable.
In
addition, it is difficult to judge “Shogun’s”
jaw. Unlike teammate Wanderlei Silva, he has not, to a large
extent, gotten a chance to prove his toughness in that regard.
What
Liddell brings to the table - Chuck Liddell sports a 19-3 overall
MMA record with 12 wins coming via (T)KO.
He
has never been more confident, nor popular.
Liddell
has won his last six fights in a row, including victories over
Randy “The Natural” Couture ( twice via KO ), Tito
Ortiz ( KO ), Jeremy Horn ( KO ), Vernon “Tiger” White
( KO ), and Renato “Babalu” Sobral ( TKO ). Along with
this, he is by far the UFC’s most marketable name. Why?
Because
he hits harder than anyone in the 205 pound division; chicks
love the long ball, and Americans just love the knockout.
Along
with that power, Liddell is a very good boxer. Though his punches
are hardly worthy of a demo on straightness, his unorthodox strikes
have time and time again shown to be one punch knockout worthy
( just ask Alistair Overeem about that looping overhand punch
of his—if he remembers it, that is ). In addition, “The
Iceman” needs very little room to throw a knockout punch
( ex. the punch that took out Couture in their second fight ).
On occasion Liddell has utilized powerful leg kicks to take people
out as well ( the first Babalu fight ), though it’s a rarity.
Along with his power, Chuck’s greatest skill is his takedown
defense; it’s what has allowed him to take great wrestlers
like Tito Ortiz, Kevin Randleman, and Randy Couture out. Even
better than his standard takedown defense is his ability to get
up once he’s been put down. There’s nothing in MMA
quite like it.
It’s
hard to comment on Liddell’s takedown skills because he
hardly ever employs them. His jiu- jitsu and guard, though proven
serviceable against the likes of Couture in their first fight,
aren’t much beyond that. Though he did gas in fights several
years ago ( Rampage, Couture I ), he hasn’t looked even
remotely fatigued in any fight since.
Of
course, he’s only gone beyond the second round once in his
last six fights.
The
questions regarding Liddell are simple and few. Everyone knows
he has the best takedown defense and deadliest hands in the division.
There is just no question about it. However, in his only PRIDE
appearance, he did not look good, particularly on his feet. He
was getting beat against Overeem before he caught him, and Rampage
really did him in both standing and on the ground.
Still,
that was over three years ago, and Liddell has looked great since.
Was it a blip on the radar? Or does it say something about his
actual skills? Are the PRIDE fighters in the 205 pound division
better than their UFC counterparts when it comes to striking?
How
it might look if Rua were to win.
Rua
would be the better man on the ground. Fortunately for him, he
isn’t stupid. He would realize coming in that the chances
of getting Liddell there are nil and none. Thus, he would do
what he normally does.
Come
out fast on his feet.
He’d
start the fight using low kicks and flurries of punches, stymying
Liddell. His striking speed would immediately take Liddell, a
man used to opponents that want to get him to the ground, off
guard. Though Liddell would hit Rua with scattered punches throughout,
none of his patented power shots would land.
This
is how it would go until the third round ( in a PRIDE match )
or fourth round ( UFC ).
Then,
due to his youth and unreal conditioning, Rua would willingly
venture inside and clinch. Liddell, usually dangerous when a
fighter attempts to enter into his zone for any length of time,
would be too confused and tired to get off in time.
Then
the knees would start; soon the body punches would take over
( as Rua delivered in his first round TKO win over Rampage ).
Liddell would hit the ground.
And
then the real flurry of strikes would start. Stomps would follow
( in a PRIDE rules match ). Then it would be over.
A
TKO win for Rua.
How
it might look if Liddell were to win.
Let’s
go the simple route. Rua would come out aggressive. He would
attempt to overwhelm Liddell in the same way he did to Quinton
“Rampage” Jackson. His aggressiveness, however, would
leave his defenses lacking for just a moment.
One
moment is too much with Chuck Liddell.
Liddell
would land a right to the temple. Rua’s knees would buckle.
Before
he hit the ground, he’d feel Liddell’s wrath two more
times.
Liddell
via KO.
How
it would really go in the ring of PRIDE.
Okay,
first thing’s first. Chuck Liddell would not remember Japan,
PRIDE, or the ring fondly ( assuming this PRIDE event would end
up taking place in Japan and not the United States ). The ring
itself wouldn’t hurt him; but the fact that the entire crowd
would be rooting for Rua would be uncharted territory ( he’s
always the crowd favorite ). In addition, his last appearance
in PRIDE probably left a psychological scar.
So
in other words, all of that might throw him off for awhile. Awhile
meaning a couple of minutes until the dust settles.
However,
with Rua, the dust tends to settle quickly. “Shogun”
would come out fast, starting with low kicks and quickly gaining
enough confidence to venture into “The Iceman’s”
zone.
Initially,
this would work for him. Four minutes into the first ten minute
round, Rua would be winning the fight. Frank Trigg and whoever
is taking Mauro Ranallo’s place would be calling the fight
excitedly. The youthful Rua would really open up. Unfortunately
for him, things would be going so well that he’d get careless.
Then
wham!
A
looping, unorthodox right hand would land on Rua’s temple.
His legs would buckle, but in true warrior fashion he would manage
to throw a couple of punches to keep Liddell at bay.
However,
all the confidence problems that Liddell was experiencing, all
the strangeness of the environment, with that one punch would
disappear. Liddell would begin to gain some points standing until
around the seven minute mark.
When
he would get tired.
Not
because he’s out of shape; more because he wasn’t used
to fighting a ten minute round. Unfortunately for Rua, he would
not take advantage of Liddell’s fatigue; he would be too
cautious because of the punch “The Iceman” landed earlier.
Then the round would end with Rua leading by a little.
During
the intermission, Rua’s corner would compel him to return
to the aggressive fighter he was earlier. They would explain
that his opponent was tired. Rua would take their pleas to heart.
Perhaps
too much.
The
“Shogun” that started the fight would begin the second.
First, he’d start with the low kicks to Liddell’s already
red legs; then he would once again venture inside.
But
this time Liddell would be waiting. A hard right later, Rua would
find himself staggering backwards.
Liddell
would attack in a way similar to how he finished Tito Ortiz;
a furious flurry of punches. Rua would get knocked back into
the ropes and fall forward. Though he would try to pull Liddell
into his guard from the ground, the strength needed for this
would elude him.
One
more punch to a defenseless opponent and it would all be over.
A
TKO win for Chuck Liddell.
How
it would really go in the UFC Octagon.
Boy
would the crowd be nuts. America loves “The Iceman”,
and he would come into this one confident. Rua, on the other
hand, would be fighting in strange surroundings. Usually he too
is cheered, and Japanese crowds are far more respectful to the
less popular fighter in a match than Americans crowds are.
In
other words, he would be booed.
This
would leave the youthful Rua angry. Though he tends to fight
with a fury, the boos would impact his ego more than he would’ve
ever guessed, leading to a desire to start very strong.
Bad
idea.
Rua
would come in immediately looking for a big knockout. This would
leave him less than cautious early on. Because of this, he’d
open himself up to a big strike.
And
Liddell would oblige.
The
first right would stagger him into the Octagon wall. Liddell
would attack, throwing punch after powerful punch, missing with
some, hitting with others. Rua, not used to this kind of trouble,
would swing away as well despite the dizziness. Instead of trying
to survive, he would mistakenly continue to open himself up.
Then
another big Liddell right would land.
And
Rua would slump to the floor with his hands up to block.
Seconds
later, referee John McCarthy would step in.
An
early first round TKO for Chuck “The Iceman” Liddell.
In
sum.
Mauricio
“Shogun” Rua is the most well- rounded fighter in the
205 pound division. However, being well- rounded doesn’t
help against Chuck Liddell because no one is ever able to get
him to the ground. Thus, this one would stay standing because
Liddell would want it to.
Is
it possible that Rua would win the fight on his feet? Yes. Further,
he seems to be the future of this division as he’s still
quite young. It is also possible that he could survive one or
more of Liddell’s power punches.
Still,
when trying to make an educated guess as to whether or not someone
will win a fight, you look at the history. Rua has never been
hit as hard as Liddell would hit him and lived to tell about
it. That’s a good thing, because it means that he is usually
tearing through the competition. However, his aggressive style
is ripe for a power punch to land.
Unlike
his stable mate Wanderlei Silva, Rua cannot boast that he has
been hit by the Mark Hunt’s of the world and survived as
of yet ( by the way, no one but Mark Hunt survives a clean left
high kick from Mirko Cro Cop, so don’t hold that against
Wanderlei ).
Might
Rua be able to? Sure. But the proof is in the pudding, and from
what we know about Liddell he is likely to land at least a couple
of big shots..
This
one could be previewed differently in the future, perhaps even
the near- future. But for right now, given the information, Chuck
Liddell would look to be the safer bet.
If
there ever is such a thing in a Dream Match Up.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Quote
of the Day
"The
ones who want to achieve and win championships motivate themselves."
Mike Ditka, Hall of Fame American Football Player and Coach
|
GOT
SKILLS FIGHTER TODAY
SATURDAY. NOVEMBER 18.
ILIMA INTERMEDIATE. EWA BEACH.
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SECOND ROUND TAKEDOWNS.
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"Do you got the skills to be one of Hawaii's next upcoming
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FOR MORE INFO, CHECK OUT:
http://www.gotskills.cc/events.html
SOURCE: Promoter
135
ALAN CORDEIRO (BULLSPEN) vs. COLIN MCKENZIE (TEAM RUTHLESS)
145
DERRICK GALINDO (BULLSPEN) VS. SEAN MATSUMOTO (UNIVERSAL COMBAT
SPORT)
220
HUNTER SEELBINDER (BULLSPEN) VS. KAINOA VILLALON (KNUCKLES FIGHT
TEAM)
185
JASON (BULLSPEN) VS. KALAI IRVINE (UNIVERSAL COMBAT SPORT)
140
DWAYNE HANEY (BULLSPEN) VS. LOREN OTAKE (KNUCKLES FIGHT TEAM)
155
NAINOA CALLAHAN (BULLSPEN) VS. TIKI (FREELANCE)
160
MAKANA FRONDE (BULLSPEN) VS. TBA
135
JACOB FEARS (BULLSPEN) VS. FRANKIE HILONGO (ANIMAL HOUSE)
180
KIMO GALLON (BULLSPEN) VS. RYAN SATELLA (UNIVERSAL COMBAT SPORT)
140
GEORGE CRUZ (TEAM DEVASTATION) VS. JUSTIN (ANIMAL HOUSE)
200
ELROY AKANA (KNUCKLES FIGHT TEAM) VS. TEDDY MAHELONA (UNIVERSAL
COMBAT SPORT)
150
KOA (HARD KNOCKS) VS. MICAH (EWA BEACH GRAPPLING)
175
TYRONE (HARD KNOCKS) VS. DANE GALINDOSE (TEAM RUTHLESS)
125
ARNOLD BERDON (TEAM DEVASTATION) VS. PAUL VARQUEZ (EWA BEACH
GRAPPLING)
230
RICHARD DESFONTE (HARD KOCKS) VS. AUSTIN LORENZO (KNUCKLES FIGHT
TEAM)
250
ALIKA VALOROSO (FREELANCE) VS. CHRIS BERNARD (TEAM RUTHLESS)
145
DEVIN CHONG (HARD KNOCKS) VS. SHAISON LAUPOLA (TEAM RUTHLESS)
113
LENA DELACRUZ (WAIANAE KICKBOXING) VS. KAILIN CURRAN (ANIMAL
HOUSE)
ALL
MATCHES & PARTICIPANTS SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE.
|
Couture
Draws with “Jacare” and Garcia Wins Again
by Josh Gross
CULVER CITY, Calif. Nov. 17 — Randy Couture may have hung
up his four-ounce fingerless gloves, but the lifelong wrestler
will always find a way to sow his competitive oats.
“I’m
going to grapple until I can’t walk,” the American
mixed martial arts legend said after his Professional Submission
League debut Friday against two-time Brazilian jiu-jitsu world
champion Ronaldo ‘Jacare’ Souza Dos Santos. “I
love to wrestle. I love the training and the competition.”
Stepping
into a competitive arena for the first time since leaving MMA,
the only man to hold UFC titles in separate weight divisions
went to a scoreless draw with “Jacare” in front of
roughly 1,000 submission-grappling fans at the Veterans Memorial
Hall.
With
the familiar face of “Big” John McCarthy officiating
the action, Couture quickly looked comfortable on the large,
white square mat that served as home for the evening’s eight
matches.
Though
he was quite a bit larger than “Jacare,” Couture, who
said he was sick leading up to the match but refused to back
out, could not muscle the slick jiu-jitsu man to the floor. Instead,
the two circled and exchanged failed takedowns.
When
action did move to the ground, “Jacare” flirted with
Kimuras, armbars and triangles, but it wasn’t anything the
veteran Couture hadn’t seen before.
Without
a takedown, position improvement or near catch in the opening
round, the score was tied 0-0 after one, though Santos’
cornerman Wallid Ismail loudly suggested to officials that his
man should have received something for his efforts.
Couture
was slippery with sweat and the Brazilian’s early explosiveness
had dissipated as the bout moved into the second of two four-minute
periods — the same round format for each bout on the card.
Ismail,
now pounding on the canvas as he screamed for “Jacare”
to attack, saw his man do little on the scoreboard, despite a
solid bit of grappling on the bottom.
Tied
at 0-0 after eight minutes, PSL rules mandated overtime in the
form of two 60-second rounds. Neither man attacked in the first
overtime period, and though they engaged in the final frame,
neither landed an advantage, which forced a shrug-inducing draw
from Couture.
“He’s
a great competitor,” Couture said of Santos. “Very
slick. Very quick. [I was] basically surviving.”
“It’s
not a precursor to fighting or coming back,” he said when
asked if this was the first step to an MMA comeback. “I’ve
said all along under the right circumstance maybe I’d come
back, but that hasn’t presented itself. No plans.”
Like
“The Natural,” Marcelo Garcia has earned a reputation
among fans as a man that simply cannot do any wrong. The shifty
submission expert did nothing to diminish that reputation during
a rather easy victory over respected grappler and mixed martial
artist Jake Shields.
Garcia,
an Abu Dhabi and Mundial world champion, opened the scoring by
putting Shields to the canvas with a single-leg takedown. The
two deliberately rolled before Garcia locked onto Shield’s
neck.
In
an effort to alleviate the pressure, Shields fell to his back.
Garcia adeptly secured top position and cranked, to which Shields
tapped out with 22 seconds remaining in the opening round.
Vladimir
Matyushenko and Vinicius Magalhaes earned the night’s first
boos — and the only warning from officials — in the
opening round of their heavyweight clash.
After
a lackluster four minutes, Matyushenko managed the bout’s
lone point with a controlled single-leg takedown. Magalhaes could
not pull Matyushenko into his guard or return to his feet and
the bout ended with the 1-0 tally.
King
of the Cage veterans took to the mat when Alberto Crane met Joe
Camacho. Crane, who appeared to be the much larger competitor,
mounted a game Camacho in the first period before adding three
points for a catch on an anaconda choke.
In
the second, Crane again landed a point for taking mount. He transitioned
to armbar and secured Camacho’s left arm for the tapout
victory.
With
Rickson Gracie in his corner, Kron Gracie scored a shutout against
Andy Wang. Gracie opened the scoring with a beautiful inside
trip takedown. Despite protests from Wang, Kron scored three
more points for an attempted Achilles lock.
The
second period slowed to a crawl, and with four points in his
pocket Gracie simply needed to defend positions to win.
Rafael
Lovato Jr. dominated on points to defeat Roberto Camarago 7-0.
Lovato Jr. put Camarago down with a single-leg takedown to take
an early lead. He added three points to close out the first round
by jumping into guard for a guillotine choke.
In
the second frame a nice transition to armbar netted Luvato Jr.
an additional three points, closing out the most lopsided win
of the night.
Jeff
Glover earned a 3-0 decision over Shane Rice. Glover’s catch
came as he transitioned into a kneebar during the opening period.
The two exchanged interesting positions in the final four minutes,
but Rice mustered little offense.
Mac
Danzig took a 6-0 lead before catching Alan Zborovsky in a north-south
choke. A near Kimura put the King of the Cage lightweight champion
up, and he followed with another catch before finishing with
the choke.
Source: Sherdog
|
UFC
65: Bad Intentions Preview
Today!
By Steve Brown
Arco Arena in Sacramento, California
November 18, 2006
Hawaii
times:
UFC 56 Countdown on Spike Channel 76 / 559 4-5PM
UFC 56 Channel 702 4:30PM (Countdown then UFC 56)
UFC 56 Channel 703 4:30PM
Matt
Hughes vs. Georges St. Pierre
The
most anticipated fight of the year is finally here, when champion
Matt Hughes (40-4) will take on Georges St. Pierre (12-1) for
the Welterweight Championship. This fight should be absolute
fireworks from start to finish. The two fighters fought back
at UFC 50 when Matt Hughes submitted GSP at 4:59 of Round 1.
GSP controlled most of that round leading to his submission loss.
There is no doubt Matt Hughes is the greatest UFC welterweight
of all time. He has beaten Carlos Newton, B.J. Penn, Frank Trigg,
Sean Sherk, Royce Gracie, and Hayato Sakurai. GSP has beaten
BJ.Penn, Sherk, Trigg, and Karo Parysian. The two fighters are
so evenly matched it is unbelievable. I believe the two are even
in wrestling, ground and pound, strength, and conditioning. Matt
Hughes’ advantages are that he has better submissions and
he has the experience in these title bouts. GSP’s advantages
are his reach and his standup is much better than Matt’s
standup. I think for Matt to win this fight he needs to end the
fight with a submission or a ground and pound stoppage, which
he very well can. For GSP to win, he needs to take advantage
of his reach and use his standup to score with the judges or
he can outwrestle Hughes for a 5 round decision. I think GSP
grinds out a decision victory in this one. You will see GSP land
shots standing, stuff takedowns, and then maybe get a few takedowns
of his own.
PREDICTION:
Georges St. Pierre decisions Matt Hughes
Tim
Sylvia vs. Jeff Monson
The
heavyweight championship is on the line when Tim Sylvia (22-2)
faces off against submission master Jeff Monson (22-5). Tim Sylvia
submission defense will be put to the test Saturday night when
he fights Jeff Monson. Sylvia has sick knockout power and will
be looking to sprawl and brawl. Jeff Monson has won 16 straight
fights and is very deserving of his title shot. His biggest wins
are against Marcio Cruz and Brandon Lee Hinkle. Monson will be
looking to put this fight on the ground, as he is a BJJ Black
Belt and Abu Dhabi grappling champion. Monson also has good wrestling
and is extremely strong. For Monson to win this bout he needs
to put the fight on the ground early and look for a quick submission.
Sylvia’s reach and height will be a huge advantage for him.
I see the fight playing out like this; beginning of first round
will be Sylvia shrugging off takedown attempts. I think towards
the middle or end of round one Sylvia catches Monson with a big
shot and puts him to sleep.
PREDICTION:
Tim Sylvia KO over Jeff Monson Rd 1
Brandon
Vera vs. Frank Mir
Former
heavyweight champion Frank Mir (9-2) will be fighting heavyweight
contender Brandon Vera (7-0). The winner of this fight will most
likely get the next heavyweight title shot down the road. Vera
has looked almost invincible in his 3 UFC fights defeating all
his opponents with ease. Vera’s style includes kickboxing
and Jiu-Jitsu. Vera is trained under legendary kickboxer Rob
Kaman and he is also a BJJ Brown Belt under Lloyd Irvin. Frank
Mir has seen the highest and lowest points of this sport. Back
in 2004 Mir defeated Tim Sylvia and became the heavyweight champion,
shortly after he was injured in a motorcycle accident. Since
his return he is 1-1 losing to Marcio Cruz and defeating Dan
Christison. Mir is known for his super slick submissions and
his wrestling. He is very dangerous early in his fights, but
he seems to fade as the fight goes. Some people are very surprised
Vera is a 3 to 1 favorite over the former world champion, but
I am not. For Frank to win this fight he must come in top shape
and have a gameplan to win. Vera can stop this fight on his feet
or with ground and pound. Many people think Mir will get a submission
early, but if they have seen Vera on the ground before, they
might change their mind. Vera is a brown belt and he is an 8-time
Grapplers Quest Champion. So I think neither of them have a clear
advantage on the ground. They are both that good on the floor.
Round 1 will be very close, Round 2 Mir will come out gassed
and he will get stopped with punches from Brandon Vera.
PREDICTION:
Brandon Vera TKO Rd 2 over Frank Mir
Alessio
Sakara vs. Drew McFedries
Miletich
fighter Drew McFedries (4-1) will fight Alessio Sakara (10-4)
in an exciting light heavyweight bout. Both fighters have boxing
background and will be happy to stand up and bang. Sakara showed
how good his boxing skills were when he fought Ron Faircloth
and Elvis Sinosic, but recently Dean Lister at UFC 60 quickly
submitted him. Drew McFedries will be making his UFC debut this
Saturday. He trains at the Miletich camp and is very anxious
to get in the octagon and show his skills. He has a good boxing
background with some wrestling with it. He will show up well
prepared as all Miletich fighters do. This fight was put on the
main card for a reason and that reason is that this will be a
standup war. I have to go with Sakara based on how crisp and
clean his standup is. This fight will resemble a good old-fashioned
boxing match.
PREDICTION:
Alessio Sakara Decisions Drew McFedries
Joe
Stevenson vs. Dokonjonosuke Mishima
The
lone lightweight bout of the evening features two very well rounded
fighters as Joe Stevenson (30-7) takes on Dokonjonosuke Mishima
(17-4-2). The typical fans don’t know who Dokonjonosuke
Mishima is, but he is an extremely well rounded fighter that
should be a serious threat in the lightweight division. He is
a veteran of the PRIDE and DEEP fight organizations. He even
holds a win over top 5 ranked Marcus Aurelio. Joe Stevenson was
the TUF 2 Welterweight champion and has since moved down to 155
to move his way up the rankings. Stevenson is really smooth on
the ground. He is well versed in submissions as well as having
vicious ground and pound. Both fighters like to put the fight
on the ground so we will most likely see a ground war. Both fighters
seem to be evenly matched in all aspects of the fight game. I
see one advantage for Stevenson and that is his strength at 155.
I think he will bully Mishima on the ground as he did to Yves
Edwards. Stevenson is a finisher so I look for this fight to
end in either the first or second round.
PREDICTION:
Joe Stevenson submission rd 1 over Dokonjonosuke Mishima
Source: MMA Fighting
|
The
Quest for Champions Tomorrow!
|
***For
Immediate Release***
For more information and fighter interviews, contact Mike Afromowitz,
(917) 566-8754 or muaythaimes@aol.com, or visit www.strikeforceusa.net.
Unbeatens
Puder and Cook Face Off At Strikeforce
November
15, 2006; New York, NY….Former World Wrestling Entertainment
(WWE) star, Daniel Puder, will put his perfect professional mixed
martial arts fight record on the line against another undefeated
up and coming heavyweight, Mike Cook, during Strikeforce’s
“Triple Threat” world championship fight card being
presented by BodogFIGHT at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, California
on Friday, December 8th.
“I’m
gonna come out guns blazing, as usual,” said the 24-year-old
Puder, whose record stands at 3-0 since he submitted Tommy Tuggle
in a mere 28 seconds with an armbar during Strikeforce “Revenge,”
which also took place at the HP Pavilion on June 9th. “I’ve
been training hard and I’m in fantastic shape. I could go
five rounds easily, but I’m looking for the quick finish.”
The
winner of the WWE’s “Tuff Enough” reality television
series two years ago, Puder’s triumph earned him a $1 million
paycheck as well as a one year contract with the leading professional
wrestling organization.
The
pinnacle of Puder’s run on the UPN-televised reality show,
which aired between October and December 2004, came when he was
granted the opportunity to grapple with 1996 Olympic Gold medalist
and professional wrestling legend, Kurt Angle. To the amazement
of WWE officials and the millions of TV viewers looking on, Puder
successfully placed Angle in a “kimura” submission
hold, bringing about a tremendous upset victory for the young
contender.
Before
he became a recognizable TV star and hero, Puder, a former student
of mixed martial arts legend Frank Shamrock, made his professional
mixed martial arts debut in Japan on September 6, 2003. He earned
a three round unanimous judges’ decision over fellow American
Jay McCown.
Puder’s
big heart holds more than his love for sport combat, which explains
why he dedicates a great deal of his leisure time to helping
the youth of Northern California. His two non-profit organizations,
“Puder Strength Training” and “Tough Enough Kids,”
the second of which sends him on hospital visits to lift the
spirits of terminally ill children, have had a significant impact
on the community. “It’s a big reason why I’m doing
professional sports,” he said. “Its nice to go into
to a hospital where there’s a dying 12 year-old sad as hell
and, when I walk in, he couldn’t be happier.”
On
Friday, October 7th, Cook, also 24 years of age, notched the
third victory of his professional career when he battered Carlton
Jones into submission on the canvas during Strikeforce’s
first-ever fight card in Fresno, California. Cook is a member
of the Central Valley, California-based mixed martial arts squad,
Team Rock Solid.
Tickets
for Strikeforce “Triple Threat” are on sale at Ticketmaster
(408-998-TIXS) and Ticketmaster online (www.ticketmaster.com)
as well as at the HP Pavilion box office (408-287-7070). Tickets
are priced at $200.00, $150.00, $100.00, $75.00, $50.00, and
$40.00, and $30.00.
The
December 8th card will feature Strikeforce’s first-ever
205 pound light heavyweight championship bout. Bobby Southworth,
a veteran of the first season of The Ultimate Fighter, will face
off with hard-hitting road warrior and K-1 and Pride Fighting
Championship veteran, Vernon “Tiger” White, for the
vacant crown.
Making
his third-career mixed martial arts start, undefeated world San
Shou kickboxing champion, Cung Le, will face his toughest test
to date in Jason “Live Wire” Von Flue, a contestant
on season two of The Ultimate Fighter.
Off
the heels of his victory on October 7th, lightweight sensation,
Josh “The Punk” Thomson, will be challenged by another
dangerous adversary in 23-year-old rising star, Nam Phan.
World
Muay Thai champion and UFC and K-1 Max veteran, Duane “Bang”
Ludwig, will move up to the 170 pound weight class to meet hard-nosed
battler, Tony “The Freak” Fryklund.
Old
rivals Eugene “The Wolf” Jackson and Ronald “The
Machine Gun” Jhun will collide for the second time in their
careers. Jhun is looking for payback eight years after Jackson
submitted him with a forearm choke during a contest in Hawaii.
Strikeforce’s
155 pound lightweight champion, Gilbert Melendez, will attempt
to extend his perfect record to 14-0 when the San Francisco,
California native mixes it up with an opponent that has yet to
be named. Heavyweight contender, Paul “The Headhunter”
Buentello, who stopped UFC legend David “Tank” Abbott
on Strikeforce’s October 7th card, will also return to action
against a yet to be named opponent.
The
Strikeforce mixed martial arts event is being produced by Silicon
Valley Sports and Entertainment (SVS&E, www.svse.net), a
leading producer of major sporting and entertainment events and
the exclusive producer of such events for San Jose, California’s
largest entertainment venue, HP Pavilion. SVS&E’s many
properties include “Fight Night at the Tank” professional
boxing; the National Hockey League’s San Jose Sharks; and
the annual ATP men’s professional tennis “SAP Open”
event.
Strikeforce
is a world-class mixed martial arts cage fight promotion that,
on Friday, March 10th, made history with its “Shamrock vs.
Gracie” event, the first sanctioned mixed martial arts fight
card in California state history. The star-studded extravaganza,
which pitted legendary champion Frank Shamrock against Brazilian
Jiu-Jitsu black belt Cesar Gracie at San Jose’s HP Pavilion,
played host to 18,265 fans, the largest-ever attendance at a
mixed martial arts fight card held in North America.
Source: Mike Afromowitz
|
Quick
IFL & PRIDE thoughts
By Zach Arnold
Here’s an odd headline (one of those stories with a “make
of it what you will” warning) from Burning Spirit…
All the entries for Yuji Shimada’s online blog are gone.
Mr. Full (of Burning Spirit) speculates that either Shimada stopped
the blog because he didn’t have the time to keep it updated
or he wrote something inappropriate and the blog was halted.
On
the PRIDE front, Hidehiko Yoshida confirmed his status (positive)
for fighting on both the Man Festival & 2/24 Las Vegas events.
A couple of weeks ago, DSE teased the idea of Yoshida facing
a South Korean judoka. The newest tease is a Man Festival main
event of Emelianenko Fedor vs. Hidehiko Yoshida. If that happens,
then the chances of Fedor vs. Mirko II happening on 2/24 in Las
Vegas would significantly increase. Yoshida’s management,
J-ROCK, has significant power in PRIDE right now.
PRIDE Otoko
Matsuri 2006
Fighters announced today (who will participate on the 12/31 Saitama
Super Arena show): Emelianenko Fedor, Mark Hunt, Mirko Cro Cop,
Josh Barnett, Vanderlei Silva, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Hidehiko
Yoshida, Kazuyuki Fujita, Takanori Gomi, Mauricio Shogun, and
Dan Henderson.
Tickets
go on sale this Sunday starting at 10 AM.
Source: Fight Opinion
|
Urijah
Faber confronts internet rumors, articles, and his future
By Sean McClure
Urijah Faber was the hottest free agent at 145 pounds on the
market. I say “was” because the World Fighting Alliance
has snatched him up in a multi-fight deal. Lately, Faber’s
fighting style has come under verbal attack and he is not happy
with that, not at all. The rumors of the UFC fight deals were
true and he opens up to us about what prompted him to choose
the WFA. What does his future hold? Obviously a fight with Brazilian
Top Team fighter, Fabio Mello on the WFA’s December 9th
card in Las Vegas, NV. What else can we expect to see this year?
Only Faber knows for sure and he thankfully had time to talk
with MaXfighting about all of this.
MaxFighting:
Urijah, you currently hold titles in the King of the Cage, World
Extreme Cagefighting, and Gladiator Challenge organizations,
correct?
Urijah
Faber: Right.
MaxFighting:
What obligations do you have to them now that you have signed
with the WFA?
Urijah
Faber: I don’t really have any obligations to Gladiator
Challenge or King of the Cage. I’ve got another fight with
the WEC that might happen in January, it just depends. The WFA
is my first priority right now.
MaxFighting:
Coming up in the WFA you are fighting Fabio Mello from Brazilian
Top Team. What do you know of or is there anything about him
that might give you trouble?
Urijah
Faber: I have watched him. I watched his tapes today for the
first time he looked like..well, they said when he fought Gomi
he weighed 165. He’s got about 15 pounds on me. Other than
that it looks like he has some strong kicks, muay thai kicks.
He’s a southpaw and I haven’t really fought a strong
southpaw I don’t think. He has a very heavy left hand so
we’ll see what happens. I’m usually pretty good about
getting out of the way so I don’t know if any of that is
going to be a factor, but his striking is pretty tough.
MaxFighting:
The last event you fought at before this you opened up your fight
with kicking and I think that surprised many people. Is he going
to see something that maybe we haven’t seen that might give
him problems?
Urijah
Faber: Well, I have been training with the best fighters in the
world on what I consider my weaknesses. The technical side of
striking is one of my weaknesses since I am from a wrestling
background. I have been working a lot on my kicks and a lot on
my boxing. I’m really getting to the point where I feel
comfortable in any position in a fight and that’s where
I want to be. In MMA, it’s so important that you are comfortable
in all of the positions. Other than that, I can pretty much do
anything, you know. Punches, kicks, elbows, knees and I am looking
forward to doing whatever it takes to beat him up.
MaxFighting:
I do not agree with this comment, but I had to ask. Have you
heard others call your style, “slash and survive”?
Urijah
Faber: Well you know I heard Todd Hester say that, who is actually
the guy who brought Bibiano Fernandes to fight me. He’s
kind of a biased dude as far as that goes. AND he completely
fabricated that whole article* and I have been meaning to say
something to Sherdog about that. Todd Hester, like I said…..he’s
had Bibiano on the cover of his magazine and he’s pissed
off. He completely fabricated a quote from me saying that I wanted
to “break him open and watch him bleed”. That’s
not my style at all to say something like that let alone be thinking
that. I was fighting the guy and playing by the rules. A Brazilian
jiu jitsu world champion had my back and I got out and landed
elbows and punches to end the fight. Seriously, 3 of my fights
out of 17 have ended in cuts. Slash and survive? I’m just
playing by the rules.
MaxFighting:
That’s what we thought after watching the fight. It didn’t
look like you were fighting like someone who was working to cut
someone.
Urijah
Faber: No, I was trying to smash his face in. It really pissed
me off that Todd made up a quote from me because I never even
called the guy. Then I called Terry Troublecock and he was pretty
pissed off. He never even said anything that was printed in that
article either. You know, let alone that Terry supposedly said
that he couldn’t believe that elbows were legal. Terry has
the power to make whatever rules he wants to in that organization.
He could take them out if he really wanted to. I didn’t
feel like I was in danger in any way in that fight. I had practiced
with a world champ and…man, that was ridiculous that Todd
Hester even said that. It was weird that Sherdog would, you know….I
don’t know Todd Hester personally, but he was taking advantage
of being able to write what he wants when he is given a position
like that.
MaxFighting:
Just to kill the rumors, did you ever receive an offer from the
UFC?
Urijah
Faber: I have talked to the UFC on a number of occasions. They
basically offered me the 2 & 2, 5 & 5, and 7 & 7.**
It was rumored that I was going to be fighting Mark Hominick,
but that’s basically it. It never happened, but that was
what I heard.
MaxFighting:
What’s the WFA paying you if I can ask?
Urijah
Faber: I am not allowed to say that, but it’s a lot better
than the UFC. It’s like 3 or 4 times than what the UFC was
offering.
MaxFighting:
I would have taken that, too. It is the first fight on a multi-fight
contract, right?
Urijah
Faber: That is right. It’s a three fight deal and it’s
within one year. Three fights in one year and we’ll see
if I continue with them after that or if someone else is throwing
out more cash.
MaxFighting:
Urijah, thanks for the interview and good luck on December 9th.
Urijah
Faber: Thanks Sean, anytime.
*
Urijah is referring to an article on another website that can
be read by clicking this link - http://www.sherdog.com/news/articles.asp?n_id=5991
**This
is the UFC’s standard contract offered to some new fighters.
$2000
to fight and $2000 to win
$5000
to fight and $5000 to win
$7000
to fight and $7000 to win
Source: Maxfighting
|
Hermes
to defend belt Jan. 6th
Brazil’s Hermes Franca has an impressive fight record of
7-0 in 2006. He also co-runs the academy The Armory, holds WEC
and AFC belts and has prospects of fighting for the UFC lightweight
belt in 2007 – a task which has just become a lot harder
now that BJ Penn is scheduled to go back to this weight class.
This is what he had to say about some of his plans for the near
future.
Do
you have any fight scheduled currently?
Yes, but nothing definitive yet. It’s the AFC here in Florida
on January 6.
So
it’s vacation till then?
No way, brother. We just ended the repairs here in the academy,
installed a cage ring and a bunch of other stuff – hell,
it was a lot of work. And now comes the real work.
How
is your UFC contract? Any chance of fighting this year or are
your seven wins enough?
Still got one fight to go, but only next year. Let’s see
if in 2007 I can break my record.
Did
you get hurt this year?
Nothing serious.
What
is your main focus now?
The academy. Today we have many students and an A-class gym.
Of course, I intend to fight for the lightweight UFC belt, but
there’s no pressure in that sense. If it’s meant to
be mine, it will be. These days I have to think more about the
business side of it. I have athletes who fight in the UFC, and
many who are about to blow.
So
are you a partner at The Armory?
Yes, but I did not found it. It was already a BJJ academy; I
started teaching class, but it was only me till recently. I came
up with the idea of enlarging it, because in our area there were
no big academies.
So
do you consider yourself an agent?
No, no. I’ve been learning a lot, and it’s not that
easy. I’m still fighting – I don’t wanna take
steps prematurely, but in the future, yes, definitely.
What
did you think of your WEC belt defense against Nick Diaz?
It was one of my toughest fights; now I’m going on to defend
my AFC belt for the second time. This time that I’ll have
before it will be good because I want to be in great shape for
next year.
Don’t
all of those events you compete in get jealous of each other?
[Laughs.] Thank God all the promoters from the events I’m
fighting at know one another. Dana White was there watching my
WEC bout with his partners. It was cool.
Do
you even think in terms of fighters you want to face or that
you find challenging, or do you just let things happen?
I think Sean Sherk, because he has the belt. At the other events
I am the champion, so it’s really not up to me.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Quote
of the Day
"Walking
with a friend in the dark is better than walking alone in the
light."
Helen Keller, 1880-1968, American Blind/Deaf Author and Lecturer
|
Hawaii's
Anthony Torres & Steve Byrnes Scheduled on UFC Fight Night!
Breaking
News: Torres is out due to broken hand
Breaking
News: Unfortunately, Anthony Torres' return to the UFC will be
delayed once again as he just broke his hand. I saw him Wednesday
night and he had just broke his hand.
UFC Fight Night
Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, San Diego, CA
December 13 , 2006
The first ever live UFC event on a military base.
MAIN
EVENT
Welterweight
Bout
Joe “Diesel” Riggs (28-8-0) VS Diego ”The Nightmare”
Sanchez (17-0-0)
Co-Features
Welterweight
Fight
Marcus “The Irish Hand Grenade” Davis VS Shonie “Mr.
International” Carter
Welterweight
Fight
Drew “The Master” Fickett (30-4-0) VS Karo “The
Heat” Parisyan (23-3-0)
Welterweight
Bout
Jeff “The Inferno” Joslin (5-2-0) VS Josh “Kos”
Koscheck
Preliminary
Bouts:
Middleweight Bout
Logan Clark (7-0-0) VS Steve Byrnes (6-0-0)
Fighting
out of: Lake City, MN Fighting out of: Kauai, HI
Welterweight
Bout
Keita Nakamura (13-0-2) VS Anthony “The Crush” Torres
Welterweight
Bout
Dave “The Warrior” Menne (35-5-1) VS Luigi Fioravanti
Middleweight
Bout
Alan Belcher (8-2-0) VS Jorge Santiago
Light
Heavyweight Bout
Victor “The Matrix” Valimaki VS David Heath
|
Showtime
signs Hilo martial arts group
By Dayton Morinaga
Advertiser Staff Writer
Hawai'i's popular mixed martial arts scene has found a national
stage.
Rumble
World Entertainment, a mixed martial arts organization based
in Hilo, finalized a three-year contract with the Showtime cable
network yesterday.
"This
is huge; it shows how far this sport has come," RWE matchmaker
Richard Chou said. "Showtime has 14 million subscribers,
so this is a really big audience we're looking at."
RWE
will be responsible for setting up live mixed martial events
for Showtime from 2007-09, starting with the first card on Feb.
10, 2007. Chou said they will try to promote one event per month.
He
said the Feb. 10 event will be staged at a yet to be determined
site on the Mainland, but future cards could be produced in Hawai'i.
The
RWE events will be available to all Showtime subscribers.
"We're
not looking at pay-per-view right now," Chou said. "Showtime
already is doing great with its boxing cards, so we're looking
at doing the same thing."
The
Ultimate Fighting Championship — which is considered the
biggest mixed martial arts organization in North America —
is the only other organization that produces live fights on cable
television. The UFC is currently under contract with Spike TV.
"Having
seen the great success of Ultimate Fighting Championship on basic
cable and pay-per-view, we knew that this programming held great
potential for Showtime," said Ken Hershman, Showtime's senior
vice president and general manager of sports and event programming.
"MMA is a global phenomenon that is impossible to ignore.
This will be the perfect complement to our boxing franchise and
we are proud to be the first premium network to embrace it."
Jay
Dee Penn is the president of RWE. He is the older brother of
mixed martial arts superstar B.J. Penn.
Chou
said he will try to sign top fighters from around the world to
appear on the Showtime cards. He said many Hawai'i fighters will
also be showcased, although he did not want to reveal any names.
B.J.
Penn is currently under an exclusive contract with the UFC, so
he is not expected to appear on Showtime anytime soon.
Among
the fighters who have appeared on RWE's 2006 events at the Blaisdell
Center Arena are Eric "Butterbean" Esch of Alabama,
Anderson Silva of Brazil, Jake Shields of California, and Hawai'i
fighters Wesley "Cabbage" Correira, Ronald Jhun and
Renato "Charuto" Verissimo de Oliveira.
Reach
Dayton Morinaga at dmorinaga@honoluluadvertiser.com.
Source: Honolulu Advertiser
|
Punishment
In Paradise "CHAMPIONS COLLIDE"
TICKET ARE OUT AND MOVING!
Ticket Outlets
ONLINE
PURCHASE www.piphawaii.com
East
Outlets
Smith Taekwondo Kaneohe
Eastsidaz (Kailua-Waimanalo) 723-0773
Jus Rush (Kailua) 620-3004
Koden Kan (Kailua) 351-4898
HMC (Kalihi) 841-5144
Bulls Pen (Kalihi) 368-3284
West
Outlets
808 Fight Factory 671-4140
Jesus Is Lord (Waipahu) 282-2232
Team Ruthless (Makaha)
Sit You Down (Waianae)
Jay Bolos 368-5568 (Waipahu)
for
fight or ticket information (808) 631-8199
Source: Event Promoter
|
GOT
SKILLS FIGHTER TOMORROW!
Weigh-ins Today!
SATURDAY. NOVEMBER 18.
ILIMA INTERMEDIATE. EWA BEACH.
DOORS OPEN 6.30PM.
TICKET INFO. 779.3237.
PRE-SALE $20. DOOR $25.
GOT SKILLS
WEIGH-INS
This FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 17
6:00PM @ ILIMA INTERMEDIATE
91-884 Ft. Weaver Rd. - EWA BEACH
*Pass 7-11 in Ewa Beach and it will
be on the left off of Ft. Weaver Rd.
REMINDER: Those who are under 18 must be accompanied by parent/legal
guardian w/picture i.d.
NO EXCEPTIONS.
THE First EVENT OF IT'S KIND:
IT'S LIKE 3 EVENTS IN 1 ~
FIRST ROUND KICKBOXING.
SECOND ROUND TAKEDOWNS.
THIRD ROUND SUBMISSIONS.
"Do you got the skills to be one of Hawaii's next upcoming
fighters??"
FOR MORE INFO, CHECK OUT:
http://www.gotskills.cc/events.html
SOURCE: Promoter
135
ALAN CORDEIRO (BULLSPEN) vs. COLIN MCKENZIE (TEAM RUTHLESS)
145
DERRICK GALINDO (BULLSPEN) VS. SEAN MATSUMOTO (UNIVERSAL COMBAT
SPORT)
220
HUNTER SEELBINDER (BULLSPEN) VS. KAINOA VILLALON (KNUCKLES FIGHT
TEAM)
185
JASON (BULLSPEN) VS. KALAI IRVINE (UNIVERSAL COMBAT SPORT)
140
DWAYNE HANEY (BULLSPEN) VS. LOREN OTAKE (KNUCKLES FIGHT TEAM)
155
NAINOA CALLAHAN (BULLSPEN) VS. TIKI (FREELANCE)
160
MAKANA FRONDE (BULLSPEN) VS. TBA
135
JACOB FEARS (BULLSPEN) VS. FRANKIE HILONGO (ANIMAL HOUSE)
180
KIMO GALLON (BULLSPEN) VS. RYAN SATELLA (UNIVERSAL COMBAT SPORT)
140
GEORGE CRUZ (TEAM DEVASTATION) VS. JUSTIN (ANIMAL HOUSE)
200
ELROY AKANA (KNUCKLES FIGHT TEAM) VS. TEDDY MAHELONA (UNIVERSAL
COMBAT SPORT)
150
KOA (HARD KNOCKS) VS. MICAH (EWA BEACH GRAPPLING)
175
TYRONE (HARD KNOCKS) VS. DANE GALINDOSE (TEAM RUTHLESS)
125
ARNOLD BERDON (TEAM DEVASTATION) VS. PAUL VARQUEZ (EWA BEACH
GRAPPLING)
230
RICHARD DESFONTE (HARD KOCKS) VS. AUSTIN LORENZO (KNUCKLES FIGHT
TEAM)
250
ALIKA VALOROSO (FREELANCE) VS. CHRIS BERNARD (TEAM RUTHLESS)
145
DEVIN CHONG (HARD KNOCKS) VS. SHAISON LAUPOLA (TEAM RUTHLESS)
113
LENA DELACRUZ (WAIANAE KICKBOXING) VS. KAILIN CURRAN (ANIMAL
HOUSE)
ALL
MATCHES & PARTICIPANTS SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE.
|
…‘X-Mission’
After months of preparation, the final card is set for the Professional
Submission League’s ‘X-Mission’ at the Culver
City Veterans Memorial in Culver City, CA. This Friday, November
17, 2006, the PSL invites you to witness history in the making
as MMA legend Randy ‘the Natural’ Couture and BJJ superstar
Ronaldo ‘Jacare’ Souza battle on the PSL tatame for
submission dominance. ‘X-Mission’ features the greatest
submission artist of our time competing on an oversized, raised
tatame platform that is ideal for both spectators and athletes.
Here are final match ups and more …
Danzig and Wang Step Up
Last minute changes to the card have been made as Bill ‘the
Grill’ Cooper is unable to compete in this Friday’s
event leaving Kron Gracie without an opponent. Have no fear because
Andy Wang, a BJJ Blackbelt under Eagan Innoue & Barret Yoshida
and the BJJ instructor at the R1 Center has stepped up to fill
the void. Also stepping up to the PSL tatame at ‘X-Mission’
is King of the Cage World Champion Mac Danzig who is now set
to face Alan Zborovsky a two time US Open BJJ Champion from Renato
Magno’s Street Sports BJJ.
170 lbs
Mac Danzig
(King of the Cage World Champion)
vs
Alan Zborovsky
Street Sports BJJ (Renato Magno)
2 x US Open BJJ Champion
145
lbs
Jeff Glover
Cobra Kai/Paragon BJJ (Ricardo 'Franjihna' Miller)
Pan Am BJJ Champion
vs
Shane Rice
Rickson Gracie International BJJ Center (Rickson Gracie)
Pan Am BJJ Champion
200lbs
Rafael Lavato Jr.
Lavato BJJ (Saulo Ribiero)
Budo Challenge Champion
Vs
Roberto ‘Tussa’ Camargo de Alencar
Gracie Barra (Carlos Gracie Jr)
BJJ Brasilieo Champion
175 lbs
Andy Wang
Grappling Unlimited/R1 (Egan Innoue / Baret Yoshida)
BJJ Blackbelt
vs
Kron Gracie
Rickson Gracie Intenational BJJ Center (Rickson Gracie)
BJJ World Cup & Mundial Champion
155
lbs
Alberto Crane
Gracie Barra BH (Vinicius ‘Draculina’)
BJJ Mundial & King of the Cage World Champion
vs
Rani Yahya
OC Dojo (Ataide Jr)
ADCC Silver Medalist
HWT
Vladimir Matyushenko
R1
USSR Freestyle Wrestling Champion
vs
Vinicius 'Pezao' Magalhaes
Cesar Gracie BJJ (Royler Gracie)
BJJ Mundial Champion
175 lbs
Jake Shields
Fairtex/Cesar Gracie BJJ (Cesar Gracie)
World Shooto Champion / ADCC Bronze medalist
vs
Marcelo Garcia
Alliance BJJ (Fabio Gurgel)
BJJ Mundial & ADCC Champion
Absolute
Randy Couture
Team Quest
US Open Greco Roman Champion (4X)
UFC Light Heavyweight & Heavyweight Champion
vs
Ronaldo 'Jacare' Souza
Asle-Behring BJJ (Henrique Machado)
BJJ Absolute Mundial & ADCC Champion
The
PSL would like to invite all MMA fans to our public Weigh In
& PSL Athlete autograph session starting at 3 pm at Jiu Jitsu
ProGear located at 4646 Manhattan Beach Blvd in Lawndale, CA
(310.370.0116). Please come down to the South Bay of LA, where
it all started and join our all star line up of submission stars
together with PSL officials Saulo Ribiero (BJJ Mundial Champion
6X), Sean Williams (Hollywood BJJ) and Chris Hauter (Machado
Blackbelt) with special guest official Big John Mc Carthy for
the evenings Main Event.
There are a limited number of tickets still available for ‘X-Mission’
but the seats a going fast. Do not miss your chance to witness
this unprecedented event LIVE and in person.
Please support our great sport and our ticket outlets:
Beverly Hills BJJ (Marcus)
912½ Robertson Blvd
Los Angeles, Ca 90035
310.854.7554
Budo Videos (Jake)
7495 Anaconda Ave.
Garden Grove, CA 92841
800.451.4828
CJ's
Functional Fitness (Cleon)
310.963.7728
www.cjff.org
HCK
(Howard)
Redondo Beach Blvd
Gardena, Ca
310.625.1177
Hollywood BJJ (Sean)
1106 La Cienega Blvd
Suite 103
West Hollywood, Ca 90069
310.360.0554
JJ
Pro Gear (Ron)
4646 Manhattan Beach Blvd
Lawndale, Ca 90260
310.370.0116
OTM
(Scott)
1010 Aviation Blvd
Hermosa Beach, Ca 90254
310.376.3586
Rickson
Gracie BJJ (Shane)
11755 Wilshire Blvd
Brentwood, CA 90025
310.383.8997
R1
(Chad)
113 Sierra St
El Segundo, Ca 90245
310.322.5552 / 310.227.5442
Street Sports BJJ (Allen)
3011 Ocean Park Blvd
Santa Monica, Ca 90405
310.396.5287 / 818.800.9148
Wong
BJJ (Andy)
310.529.9153
For
those unable to attend ‘X-Mission’ there will be a
LIVE PPV Webcast & a FREE LIVE audiocast of the event hosted
by former UFC Heavyweight Champion and current Pride fighting
star, Josh ‘the Baby Faced Assasin’ Barnett at www.prosubleague.com
. More details to follow.
Source: Nick Muge
|
Angle
and Lesnar in HEROs?
By Zach Arnold
 
Two interesting reports. First, Mike Sawyer in an audio interview
at F4W Online reported that Brock Lesnar is scheduled to make
his MMA debut for the HERO’s promotion in February. The
show is apparently set for Las Vegas. That same month, UFC has
their Super Bowl weekend event in early February. PRIDE also
has a show at the Thomas & Mack Center on 2/24. In other
words, it’s going to be an enormously crowded month for
MMA action in the Vegas scene.
Second,
Gryphon at NHB News notes (more here in English) an interesting
item from K-1 matchmaker Sadaharu Tanigawa. In a mini-interview
with Weekly Gong, Tanigawa brings up the name of Kurt Angle possibly
making his MMA debut in America for HEROs (listed as either February
or March). If it is February, this would mean that there is a
possibility of both Angle and Lesnar making their MMA debuts
simultaneously on the same show.
Commentary:
If K-1 pulls this off, it would certain be cause for concern
for their rivals. They would be attacking PRIDE (which needs
as much assistance in America to be successful right now) and
also using big names that UFC had a chance to acquire (Angle
& Lesnar) but didn’t pull the trigger on.
Source: Fight Opinion
|
UFC
66 Terrell vs. Okami
Yushin Okami has been contracted to fight David Terrell at UFC
66. The bout will be held on December 30th and is actually the
re-scheduling of a match that was originally set to take place
at UFC 62. Okami comes in with a record of 18-3 and is undefeated
in his 2 fights in the UFC.
Source: Gracie Fighter
|
Wanderlei
Silva: Wand replies Arona
By Marcelo Alonso
After the bombastic interview of Ricardo Arona to site TATAME,
we talked to Wanderlei Silva so that he could talk about the
facts. The Pride Middleweight champion answered the criticals
of Ricardo Arona, talked about Rogério Minotouro and also
enjoyed the opportunity to tease Paulão Filho. "I
did consider him a favorite, but he showed himself as a chick.
He did quit because a little pain in his leg. An athlete like
him cannot act like this. He must fight in any condition, to
also respect his fans", said Wand in exclusive interview.
Check it out now:
What
will be your next appointment?
I
don't know against whom, but I know when: December 31st. I already
started to train.
Ricardo
Arona didn't like what you said, when you choose Minotouro to
face on December 31st and he said that you will must face him,
liking it or not...
Wonderful!
When I did read this article I acted like a rocket. If he knew
that I get better and better purses each time that he challenges
me. There is no doubt that this bout will happen again, but the
fact is that he had two opportunities and didn't show anything.
His time is already gone. Sincerely, I think that if we had a
virtual ranking his partner would be stronger even because he
did a tough bout with Shogun and he was KO'd, and knowing about
that, he should support him. Arona already got a space in the
media and you can be sure that this bout will be held. It is
just choose the local and the date that I will do that anytime
and anywhere.
After
the bout, Paulão declared that he would like to face Shogun
in the middle category. What do you think about this fight?
I
think that he didn't take his medicine that day, Shogun will
kill him. He was really bad at the Bushido and is talking too
much. I considered him the favorite, but he showed himself as
a chick. He did quit he did quit because a little pain in his
leg. An athlete like him cannot act like this. He must fight
in any condition, to also respect his fans.
What
about your fight against Chuck Liddell, it will finally happen?
Man,
I am almost embarrassing to talk about that. I challenged him,
I went up in the ring and the guy never shows up. The truth is
that I am here, I am the category champion and I am ready to
face anyone.
What
impressed you in the first Pride edition in United States?
Three
things. The show, that was really big for a small stadium, and
the fans. I got impressed by the American passion for the fight.
They got surprised with that simple bouts, imagine when I will
be there doing my bout. And the third thing that impressed me
was Shogun. I don't see anyone to be able to defeat him. If has
anyone who Fedor could face, I believe that this is Shogun.
What
do you expect about Show Fight?
I
will be there to watch Macaco and Sorriso. I believe that Macaco
will rock Margarida. I love watching Sorriso's bout because he
does a show, there are some people that think that the boy is
too confident, but is not like that, he is really fine.
Source: Tatame
|
Quote
of the Day
"Love
takes off masks that we fear we cannot live without and know
we cannot live within."
James Baldwin, 1924-1987, American Novelist and Essayist
|
GOT
SKILLS WEIGH-INS TOMORROW
This FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 17
6:00PM @ ILIMA INTERMEDIATE
91-884 Ft. Weaver Rd. - EWA BEACH
*Pass 7-11 in Ewa Beach and it will
be on the left off of Ft. Weaver Rd.
REMINDER: Those who are under 18 must be accompanied by parent/legal
guardian w/picture i.d.
NO EXCEPTIONS
Source: Event Promoter
|
SHOWTIME
TO TELEVISE MIXED MARTIAL ARTS EVENTS
New
MMA Organization Pro Elite, Inc. Goes Head-to-Head with Ultimate
Fighting Championship®
NEW
YORK (November 13, 2006) — In a landmark deal for premium
television, Showtime Networks Inc. has partnered with Pro Elite,
Inc. to televise live mixed martial arts (MMA) events on SHOWTIME
beginning in 2007, it was announced today by Ken Hershman, Senior
Vice President and General Manager of Sports and Event Programming,
Showtime Networks.
The
first event will air live on SHOWTIME on February 10, 2007, with
additional events airing on the premium television network through
2009. All MMA events on SHOWTIME will be televised in high-definition.
Pro
Elite, Inc. is headed by an impressive team of successful entertainment
producers, event promoters and new media/internet visionaries.
CEO and entertainment executive, Douglas DeLuca (Jimmy Kimmel
Live, The Man Show), and the President of the live event division,
Gary Shaw, will promote the televised events with Rumble World
Entertainment’s President and CEO Jay Dee Penn , a black-belt
in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and a veteran promoter in the field of
mixed martial arts.
Mixed
martial arts is a sport evolved from a number of ancient combat
disciplines including Judo, Jiu-Jitsu, Karate, Wrestling and
Kickboxing. A competition unlike any other, world-class athletes
engage in hand-to-hand combat in a ring—both caged and traditional—and
must adapt their fighting style to fit their opponent. The wide
variety of styles and techniques make every event an unpredictable
and exciting spectacle.
The
intense nature of the contests and the theatrical elements that
accompany the live experience have made MMA one of the fastest
growing spectator sports in the U.S. In the past three years,
the genre has seen exponential growth in popularity, particularly
from the coveted male 18-34 demographic. MMA is sanctioned as
a sport in more than 20 states with others expected to soon follow.
“Having
seen the great success of Ultimate Fighting Championship on basic
cable and pay-per-view, we knew that this programming held great
potential for Showtime,” said Hershman. “MMA is a global
phenomenon that is impossible to ignore. This will be the perfect
complement to our boxing franchise and we are proud to be the
first premium network to embrace it. We can’t wait to deliver
these action-packed events to our subscribers.”
“I’ve
been in and around the boxing business for a long time,”
said Shaw, who will oversee Pro Elite’s live event promotions.
“The energy and the excitement that mixed martial arts events
generate throughout the country and on television are astounding.
Personally, and on behalf of Pro Elite, I am thrilled to be entering
this sport with the exceptional team of professionals at Showtime.”
DeLuca
has an extremely diverse background encompassing over sixteen
years of experience producing feature films, television series
and special events around the world including ABC’s hit
late night program Jimmy Kimmel Live and hit reality show The
Mole. Shaw, in addition to his role at Pro Elite, is also the
president and CEO of Gary Shaw Productions, LLC, one of the country’s
leading boxing promotion companies. Formerly, Shaw was the Chief
Inspector for the New Jersey State Athletic Control Commission
and a member of the commission’s board, and the Chief Operating
Officer of Main Events, another boxing promotional company.
“MMA
is the sport for a new generation,” added DeLuca. “The
participants in MMA are some of the most dedicated and skilled
athletes in the world. Our aim is to shape and nurture the core
values of extreme martial arts and deliver it on multiple platforms
to the fans and the athletes alike. Partnering with Showtime,
a true leader in televised boxing, is an ideal situation for
Pro Elite and all of MMA. Together, we will help this sport flourish
and grow.”
“Rumble
World Entertainment is a family owned and operated business,”
said Penn, a lifelong martial artist. “And we’ve seen
our events and MMA in general grow like wildfire over the past
few years. Our team has been committed to identifying and partnering
with the right company and television network to turn our dream
into a reality. Today, we have truly realized that dream.”
Chairman
of the Board for Pro Elite, David Marshall, who is also Founder
and Vice Chairman of Youbet.com (NASDAQ: UBET), one of the largest
providers of technology and pari-mutuel horse racing content
for sports enthusiasts through Internet and telephone wagering
platforms, and also one of the largest broadcasters of live audio
and video on the Internet, stated: "Mixed martial arts is
not only the fastest growing spectator sport in the world, but
also has perhaps the most passionate fans. This unique partnership
with Showtime will revolutionize the sport by providing fans
with enormous interactive benefits while creating the leading
destination for Mixed Martial Arts on television."
Showtime
Networks Inc.
Showtime Networks Inc. (SNI), a wholly-owned subsidiary of CBS
Corporation, owns and operates the premium television networks
SHOWTIME®, THE MOVIE CHANNEL™ and FLIX®, as well
as the multiplex channels SHOWTIME® TOO™, SHOWTIME®
SHOWCASE, SHOWTIME EXTREME®, SHOWTIME BEYOND®, SHOWTIME
NEXT®, SHOWTIME WOMEN®, SHOWTIME FAMILYZONE® and
TMC XTRA. SNI also offers SHOWTIME HD®, THE MOVIE CHANNEL
HD™, SHOWTIME ON DEMAND™ and THE MOVIE CHANNEL ON DEMAND™.
SNI is also an owner and manager of SUNDANCE CHANNEL, a venture
of NBC Universal, Robert Redford and SNI. SNI also manages Smithsonian
Networks, a joint venture between SNI and the Smithsonian Institution.
All SNI feeds provide enhanced sound using Dolby Digital 5.1.
SNI markets and distributes sports and entertainment events for
exhibition to subscribers on a pay-per-view basis through SHOWTIME®
PPV.
Pro
Elite, Inc. (www.proeliteinc.com)
Pro Elite, Inc. is an entertainment and media company dedicated
to producing world-class sports events and specialized Internet
content. Pro Elite Inc. is creating a leading Internet destination
for sports fans, athletes, and dojos to foster the growth of
the core principles of competition - Pride, Spirit, and Sportsmanship.
Rumble
World Entertainment
Rumble World Entertainment (RWE), a Hawaii-based entertainment
company, has a long history of staging MMA events. With a committed
staff of MMA-industry insiders, RWE has taken its live MMA series,
Rumble on the Rock, from a small Hilo-based show to a globally
recognized brand in just three years. RWE, which premiered Rumble
on the Rock in Dec. 2002, has distributed events in 90 countries
including Japan and U.S. pay-per-view as well as released a number
of events on DVD.
Source: Richard Cho
|
Relson
Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Team HK
NEW STUDENT SPECIAL
November
& December 2006
Unlimited Classes for only $80
All Classes are No-Gi (held 3 times a week)
No new student registration fee
No additional cost
No gear to buy
First class is FREE!
Also
special rates for HPD, HFD, & EMT
contact:
Todd @ 277-1128
e-mail: todd@teamhk.net
www.teamhk.net
Source: Todd Tanaka
|
Who
are the BEST Grapplers in the World?
It
started off with a question posed on one of the forums, about
who the “Best” American No-Gi submission grapplers
were. A lot of names were thrown around; I had a different tact,
there are certainly a lot of fine American grapplers around,
however by definition the best should be the lone person that
stands on top of the mountain, so to speak.
As
there are so many different organizations and events in which
grapplers can participate in, it is difficult to decide a true
#1. Thus we are announcing the OntheMat Editors Poll to help
keep track of the very best Professional No-Gi Submission Grapplers.
This list is purely subjective, but highly informed, and will
be updated from month to month.
The
best example we have currently of a world champion would be the
ADCC (Abu Dhabai) Submission Grappling Championships thus we
will use their weight classes for simplicities sake. AS it currently
stand, the champions of the last ADCC are all considered to be
the best grapplers in world in their respective categories.
World’s
Best Grappler’s
67K:
Leo “Leozinho” Viera
76K Marcelo Garcia
87K Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza
99K Roger Gracie
99K and over: Jeff Monson
Leo
Viera defended his title in 2005 as the best grappler in the
world at 67K –despite having a severely broken foot. It
took him time to recover, he next participated at the Rickson
Gracie Budo challenge (gi) a few months later and although he
won, he didn’t quite look up to usual high standard. He
next participated in PSL’s LA Sub X and put on an absolute
clinic showing why many consider him to be pound for pound the
most exciting grappler on the planet. Leozinho’s next plans
are not revealed yet, but we hope it’s not too long before
we see him back on the scene.
Marcelo
Garcia may be the most talked about man in submission grappling
right now. His title run at ADCC 2003 revolutionized the game
with both his X-guard and more importantly his back control,
and he repeated his effort in 2005. He is among the most active
grapplers on the list, taking on all challenges, great and large
and almost always emerging victorious. Marcelo recently relocated
to New York to teach. He is uninterested in MMA unless the offer
is “very lucrative”. He will be taking on Jake Shields
this Friday at PSL’s X-Mission
Ronaldo
“Jacare” Souza is an absolute terror with the gi on,
and earned the title of OTM’s BJJ Player of the year in
2004. In 2003 he took second at the ADCC championships, however
in 2005 he came back to win the title and take second in the
absolute. The 2x defending Mundial BJJ Absolute champion, Jacare
sat out this year to concentrate on his MMA career. Jacare will
be taking on former UFC Champion Randy Couture at PSL’s
X-Mission (submission grappling) this Friday.
Roger
Gracie is unofficially the new champion of the Gracie family,
and the OTM Submission Grappler of the year 2005. His performance
at ADCC 2005 in ending 7 of 8 matches by submissions surely ranks
among the greatest feats in our young sport. Roger is more active
on the BJJ circuit (he is a three time runner up in the Mundials
Absolute Title) an will make his MMA debut at Bodog Fights on
December 2nd against Ron Waterman.
Jeff
“the Snowman” Monson was the OTM Submission Grappler
of the year 2004 and at one point was the most active competitor
on the planet, competing nearly every weekend in some kind of
event for a period of about 18 month where he only lost one contest!
He has curtailed his participation in Submission Grappling tournaments
somewhat but remained active, this Saturday he is fighting Tim
Sylvia for the UFC heavyweight title.
Best
Submission Grapplers in the United States:
67K
Javi Vazquez
76K Jake Shields
87K Chris Moriarty
99K Dean Lister
99K and over: Jeff Monson
Javi
Vazquez was the ADCC North American Champion in 2005. He had
a bout afterwards against Kaol Uno in which he lost, and then
was sidelined with injuries for over a year (including missing
out on the ADCC championships). That inactivity almost cost him
the top nod here, but he has jumped into various gi competitions
as of late, and scored victories over two other people who would
be on the short list of top contenders here: Jeff Glover and
Rick Lundell. When he is on, Javi Vazquez is certainly a candidate
for the most exciting grappler around period, with his natural
athleticism, speed and blend of jiu jitsu and wrestling. Javi
will likely continue to make appearances at major grappling events,
and is contemplating a return to MMA
Jake
Shields took third at ADCC 2005, going 3-1 despite suffering
a serious injury in the second round. He later went on to win
a stacked field at the California Open Absolute Submission Grappling,
but where he is really making waves is in MMA, where he is considered
one of the top contenders in the very tough welterweight division
and is definitely the king of the so called “B” ranked
shows. Jake Shield’s next challenge will be at X-Mission,
where he takes on Marcelo Garcia.
The
best American 87K grappler was a very, very tough one to call,
but with his title at the ADCC North American Trials Chris Moriarty
may well be the hottest American Grappler this year. In addition
he has two 3rd place finishes at the Brown Belt Absolute at Copa
Mundo and Mundials this year respectively. Chris plans to continue
to be active until the ADCC Championships.
Dean
Lister, as the 2003 ADCC Absolute Champion and 2005 Super Fight
winner earns the nod as top grappler at 99K. Dean has been among
the most visible people on this list, being brought in as Tito
Ortiz’s jiu jitsu coach in the Ultimate Fighter 3. Dean
has lately been concentrating on his school and his own MMA career
(he will be fighting in the UFC in December), as well as a showdown
against Roger Gracie at ADCC 2007.
Note
that to be considered for the choice as “World’s Best
Grappler”, the title must be rigorously defended against
note worthy
opponents. It is not a suggestion that anyone is undefeatable.
A change in ranking might come from a loss, or inactivity, or
simply someone else proving to be more noteworthy of late.
In
the coming months we will attempt to establish a top 5 rank of
professional submission grapplers, as well as look as rank other
regions, including Brazil, Europe and Asia and cover women as
well.
Let
the debate begin! Do you agree with our choices? Have some suggestions
of your own? Want to discuss the Submission Grapplers further?
You have to check out the OTM Forum then!
http://www.onthemat.com/forum/showthread.php?p=2602
Source: On The Mat
|
Mauro
Ranallo leaves PRIDE
The Fight Network reports that announcer Mauro Ranallo has left
PRIDE in what Loretta Hunt indicates is a “re-organization
of PRIDE’s Los Angeles offices in the coming weeks.”
Fight
Report: PRIDE’s ship continues to sink as Ranallo bails
outtMMA Toronto: Mauro Ranallo gone from PRIDE
On
October 22nd, the day after PRIDE’s Las Vegas event, PRIDE
boss Nobuyuki Sakakibara stated on November 10th there would
be an announcement in regards to PRIDE’s attempts to get
on free network television in Japan for New Year’s Eve.
This date was long-circled by many Japanese fight fans as an
important date to find out whether or not PRIDE would rebound
by getting a new TV deal. It’s November 10th right now,
and there is no TV deal announced. This is called losing face,
and in Japanese business culture losing face is a big deal. The
five major free TV networks (TBS, Nippon TV, Fuji TV, TV-Asahi,
and TV-Tokyo) are finalizing plans now for their New Year’s
Eve programming. The longer any sort of announcement by PRIDE
is delayed, the less likely it is they will be back on Japanese
television.
“If
they don’t get a deal for New Year’s Eve, it is a terrible
sign for the organization.” — Dave Meltzer, 11/2/2006
Source: Fight Opinion
|
RANALLO
RESIGNS FROM PRIDE
Mauro Ranallo announced that he has resigned from his post as
a broadcast commentator for the DSE/PRIDE organization.
Ranallo
cited differences with PRIDE's American producer Jerry Millen
as one of his main reasons for leaving, and added that he felt
it was time for him to explore other options.
However,
there are some rumblings in the Japanese media that Ranallo was
possibly going to be fired regardless, and that he may have resigned
first in order to save face. But none of this is certain yet.
Millen
was initially unavailable for comment. A representative for PRIDE's
US office also refrained from making comment.
Source: Fight Sport
|
Couture’s
‘Fighter, a documentary’ moves on to the New York Independent
Film and Video Festival
The documentary is scheduled to screen Monday, November 13
After taking ‘Best Documentary’ at the Foundation for
the Advancement of Independent Film International Film Festival
in Hollywood, CA. ‘FIGHTER, a documentary’ has been
officially selected to New York International Independent Film
and Video Festival (NYIIFVF).
The NYIIFVF is the largest film festival in the world and has
been recognized by the film and entertainment industry as one
of the leading film events on the independent festival circuit.
The festival hosts film, music and art events in the two entertainment
capitals of the United States: New York and Los Angeles. The
NYIIFVF is known as 'the voice for independent film' and receives
extensive media coverage. As indie guru Abel Ferrara famously
quoted in an interview with Movie Maker, "This festival
is the real deal; everybody else just talks about doing it and
these guys just do it."
‘FIGHTER,
a documentary’ has been quietly changing people’s perceptions
about mixed martial arts fighting, its athletes and their motivation.
Set in the late ’90 the film captures a slice of sports
history as UFC Hall of Famer, Randy "The Natural" Couture
transitions from US National team wrestler to MMA fighting legend.
Shot by award winning filmmaker Pericles Lewnes, ‘FIGHTER
a documentary’ provides a riveting myriad of perspectives
from analysis by World Cup gold medalist turned MMA guru Rico
Chiapparelli to a young mothers first experience inside the octagon
, the film deftly captures the skill, dedication, rivalry, camaraderie,
and tremendous mutual respect among these ‘ultimate athletes’.
‘Fighter,
a documentary’ is scheduled to screen Monday, November 13,
2006 at the Village East Cinema at 181 2nd Ave (& 12th St.)
in NYC at 8pm. For free movie clips and more info on fighter
please go to www.mmaclassics.com
Source: MMA Fighting
|
HOOST
SPEAKS
Ernesto Hoost was recently interviewed by Gracie magazine. Here's
what Hoost had to say (interview by Rafael Quintanilha):
Interviewer:
You've been training at Johan Vos's academy for a long time.
Have you ever thought of moving?
Hoost:
I've been training there now for 19 years. But I'm not training
with Vos right now. We had disputes about some things, but he
sold the academy, so right now I'm not training with him. I’m
training myself. Sometimes we need to make some decisions for
ourselves.
Interviewer:
That was unexpected!
Hoost:
I thought things were wrong for a long time now and now I could
do something about it. Things were very wrong. But he sold the
gym and I'm still training there.
Interviewer:
Have you trained Jiu-Jitsu with him?
Hoost:
A little bit, some basics, but not really serious. I like it,
but it's not really my thing. I was too busy with kickboxing.
Interviewer:
What about MMA? Do you still think about doing it?
Hoost:
I know I will never be as good at MMA as in K-1, so I don't want
to be second best.
Interviewer:
You once said your loss to Francisco Filho got you feeling pretty
bad. How so?
Hoost:
Francisco knocked me out quite bad, and of course you never want
to be knocked out anyway. But when he knocked me out, I couldn't
remember what had happened until I was in the dressing room.
Then I saw the tape and saw the knockout was very heavy. To this
day I don't know how long I lay unconscious on the ground. I
even thought, "I don't know if I want to go on fighting.
Do I want this for myself?" My wife was pregnant and she
gave birth five days later. It was just a lot of stress. But
later I started looking at things from a different angle, and
I felt better again.
Interviewer:
Why do you think you lost to Bob Sapp twice in 2002?
Hoost:
Both fights were very difficult stories. I came with an injury
from the K-1 Grand Prix. I had fought Stefan Leko and injured
my foot. Then I fought in April, and in May I fought Leko again
and knocked him out. I was in very good shape. Then I was told
that I was going to fight Bob Sapp in July. A week and a half
before the fight I find out that the fight is not going to happen.
It messed up my program because I was supposed to fight Sapp
on July 14th, and on July 21st I would go on holiday. Then I
was supposed to fight in August, so I decided not to go on holiday
and keep on training for the August fight. It was too much training
and I got sick, because when I'm stressed too much I get skin
problems. So I had the skin problem already in August and I did
the fight first with the Giant in Las Vegas, then I also fought
with Semmy Schilt in August in Tokyo, and by that time I was
sick.
So
I didn't want to fight anymore, but then K-1 came with a proposal
for a fight with Bob Sapp, saying it would be a live fight on
TV. I didn't want to fight, but my trainer, Johan Vos, asked
me to do the fight. I said, "I cannot fight." And he
told me to think about it and he would call me in two days or
something.
Then
he called me again and said that, even if I was very sick I should
be able to beat Bob Sapp. And he put so much pressure on me that
I decided to do the fight. I had everything against me: the referee,
and no one in my corner supported me the right way. He hit me
a few times after the referee said break. There were no rules
for him, and it was okay, because I was supposed to be able to
win that fight. I got a cut above my eye and I had to surrender
the fight.
Then
they made very much effort to let me do the fight with Bob Sapp
again in the K-1 Grand Prix. Semmy Schilt was going to fight
Bob Sapp, but I think they pulled him out and I was scheduled
to fight Bob Sapp again. I knocked him down in the first round
and I got too greedy because I really wanted to finish the fight.
Then I started to make some mistakes and stopped moving, then
he started hitting me and the referee said I couldn't continue
the fight.
Interviewer:
Do you still have any competition goals?
Hoost:
There is one goal left. I will stop fighting at the end of the
year, so there's one more tournament to go. It would be a great
achievement in my career if I could be a 5-time K-1 champion.
Interviewer:
In 1995 you said that Benny Urquidez was a little old for high-class
fighting, yet now you are almost as old as he was then. Are you
perhaps getting too old for it too?
Hoost:
Of course when you are a younger fighter, you look at the older
fighters in a different way. Benny was not fighting that much
anymore, and I did a lot more fights than him, so it makes a
big difference. For me, I've been in competition for a long time,
and always at a high level. I think it's a real good time for
me to retire from fighting, so I want to do one more tournament
and then I finish.
Interviewer:
How did you manage to stay so good for such a long time?
Hoost:
First of all, I used my talent very well. I never took many punches
in a fight, and I think that is very important. I was very careful
with my body. Preparing for the fights is very important to me.
I think that's why I was able to last so long.
Interviewer:
Are you going to miss fighting?
Hoost:
Basically, I will be finished with fighting. But there are going
to be a lot of things for me to do, I'm sure.
Interviewer:
What kept you going after you were sure you already had all the
titles you could get?
Hoost:
As I was already European and world champion, I thought that
that was as big as I could get. But of course I couldn't have
known that K-1 would be as big as it is now.
Interviewer:
Do you think huge fighters like Choi Hong-Man and Bob Sapp make
K-1 shows interesting? Which big fighter do you like the most?
Hoost:
I think with Choi they can make it interesting. I think he is
making a lot of progress.
Interviewer:
Do you plan to write a book one day?
Hoost:
I don't know when it will come yet. What I do is I write something
and put it in my computer. I'm not a writer. I want to write
the book myself, but I don't know if I'm good enough at writing
books, so maybe I can talk to somebody who can be my ghostwriter
to help me write it. I don't want to do it with someone interviewing
me and then writing about me.
Interviewer:
You say your career really began in 1993 when you went to fight
in Japan. What would have happened if you had never gone there?
Hoost:
I'm sure I would have stopped fighting. I'd be doing something
else, but I'm not sure what.
Interviewer:
What do you think about Rickson Gracie finally coming back against
Sakuraba?
Hoost:
I think if he is well prepared for it, that it's very interesting.
He hasn't been fighting, but I like his lifestyle. Not his fights
particularly, but the whole thing around it.
Interviewer:
Have you been managing to not get too hurt from your recent fights?
Hoost:
If you fight a lot, then of course you will get hurt sometimes.
But I've succeeded in not getting hurt that much.
Interviewer:
Was it important for you to train for two and a half years before
fighting for the first time?
Hoost:
Looking back, I think so. I had time to develop some skill. I
think it was very important for me.
Interviewer:
Do you like to visit other fighters to train with them?
Hoost:
Actually, no. I like to train at my gym, and if other fighters
want to train with me it's okay. But I'm not looking to train
with other fighters.
Interviewer:
Amongst today's top K-1 fighters, which one do you admire the
most for their skill?
Hoost:
I think Glaube Feitosa made a lot of progress, I was very surprised.
He got very good with the kicking combinations. I think he made
the most progress.
Source: Gracie Magazine/Fight Sport
|
Quote
of the Day
"A
coward is incapable of exhibiting love; it is the prerogative
of the brave."
Mohandas Gandhi, 1869-1948, Indian Political and Spiritual Leader
|
BJ
back at
lightweight
Penn to
drop down to 155lbs
During the TUF 4 finale last Saturday, it was annouced that Hawaiian
star BJ
Penn will
eventually make his return as a UFC fighter under 155lbs –
that is, his original weight class. It was not revealed when
or against whom Penn will fight again. The Hawaiian last fought
against UFC welterweight champion Matt Hughes for the belt, and
wound up being worn out by the athletic Miletich pupil.
Source: Gracie Magazine
BJ Penn's
Commitment to the UFC and Regaining His Title
With all that recent press about my brother, JD, and his recent
business decision, I want all my fans to know that I am committed
to the ufc and to carrying out my dream of regaining the title
of UFC Welterweight Champion of the World. See you all at the
UFC.
BJ Penn
Source: BJ Penn
|
WERDUM
SUBMITS ALEKSANDER EMELIANENKO
Two of the top ten heavyweight fighters in the world squared
off this weekend at the "2 Hot 2 Handle" show in Holland,
as Fabricio Werdum defeated Aleksander Emelianenko by submission.
Aleksander
Emelianenko is the not-so-little brother of Pride Heavyweight
Champion Fedor Emelianenko, while Fabricio Werdum is a world
renowned Brazilian Jiu Jitsu competitor who has also fought in
Pride. Going into the fight, Aleksander was the #7 Heavyweight
in the MMAWeekly Rankings, while Werdum was the #8 Heavyweight.
Another
accomplished submission grappler, Jon Olav Einemo, defeated Great
Britain's James Thompson by submission on the card, while Gilbert
Yvel knocked out Rodney Faverus.
Full
Results
Bouts
with MMA rules:
-Fabricio
Werdum def. Aleksander Emelianenko by submission (triangle choke)
in Round 1
-Jon
Olav Einemo def. James Thompson by submission (armbar) in Round
1
-Gilbert
Yvel def. Rodney Faverus by KO in Round 1
-Murad
Chunkaiev def. Michael Knaap by judges' decision
-Brian
Loanjoe def. Oktay Karatas by submission (rear naked choke) in
Round 1
-Dave
Dalgliesh def. Lukasz Jurkowski by KO in Round 2
-Michael
Ettl def. Anil Dubar by judges' decision
-Thiago
Tavares def. Ulas Aslan by TKO in Round 1
-Jessie
Gibs def. Milco Voorn by submission (armbar) in Round 1
Bouts
with Muay Thai rules:
-Tyrone
Spong def. Joeri Mes by KO in Round 5
-Faldir
Chahbari def. Ali Gunyar by judges' decision
-Murat
Dereci def. Ray Staring by TKO in Round 3
-Henk
Kuipers def. Barrington Patterson by judges' decision (half Muay
Thai rules and half Kyokushin rules)
-Ashwin
Balrak def. Samir Bennazzouz by KO in Round 3
-Alviar
Lima def. Marco Pique by judges' decision
-Germaine
de Randamie def. Joanna Generowicz by TKO in Round 1
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Gracie
Proving Grounds
Vinicius Magalhaes and Fabio Leopoldo traveled to Ohio to compete
at the Gracie Proving Grounds. The winners would be eligible
to fight in January in Florida on pay-per-view at the prestigious
Gracie Fighting Championships.
Leopoldo is a seasoned veteran that is accustomed to weathering
the storm of a tough challenger and this fight would be no different.
He found himself in the guard from where he was able to sweep
his opponent and then secure the lion killer choke enroute to
a first round victory. For Vinicius this would be his debut MMA
fight and it came to a bizarre ending. In the first 15 second
of the fight, Vini secured a takedown into a dominant position.
Unfortunately the weight of the two men rattled the cage door
open and they both fell out. At that point Vini's opponent claimed
he could not continue due to being jarred by the fall and the
fight was ruled a no contest.
"When
we tied up I felt much stronger and was easily able to take him
down. I felt that the fight was mine and I seriously doubt he
was unable to continue. His head never hit the floor. I think
he was just looking for a way out of the contest and claiming
an injury was convenient." -Magalhaes
Source: Gracie Fighter
|
***For
Immediate Release***
For more information and fighter interviews, contact Mike Afromowitz,
(917) 566-8754 or muaythaimes@aol.com, or visit www.strikeforceusa.net.
Ludwig
Looking For Key Win Over Fryklund At Strikeforce
November 12, 2006; New York, NY….In what is shaping up to
be a star-studded affair, knockout artist Duane “Bang”
Ludwig will attempt to rebound from his recent defeat when he
squares off with fellow Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC)
veteran, Tony “The Freak” Fryklund, during Strikeforce’s
“Triple Threat” world championship mixed martial arts
fight card that will be presented by BodogFIGHT at the HP Pavilion
in San Jose, California on Friday, December 8th.
The
matchup, which will be contested at 170 pounds, marks a step
up in weight for Ludwig, who has spent his seven-year professional
career fighting in mixed martial arts’ 155 pound lightweight
division as well as K-1’s 159 pound limit “Max,”
or middleweight, class.
“I’ve
always walked around at about 180 and making 155 has always been
a really tough cut for me. I feel good now,” said the 28-year-old
Ludwig regarding the transition. “I’m eating what I
want and I’m lifting and stuff and doing calisthenics like
cross-training, and I’m holding 185 solid. Sometimes, I
go to bed at 190. It’s taken the stress off of me and put
the fun back in fighting.”
Ludwig
is looking to steer his career back on track after being choked
into submission by rival star, Josh “The Punk” Thomson,
on Friday, October 7th during Strikeforce’s first-ever fight
card at the Save Mart Center in Fresno, California.
On
January 16th of this year, Ludwig broke the all-time record for
the quickest stoppage in mixed martial arts history when he finished
Canada’s Jonathan Goulet with a hard right hand at the 11
second mark of their meeting at UFC “Ultimate Fight Night
3” in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Four
and a half years ago, Bang was taken under the wing of mixed
martial arts legend, Bas Rutten, who observed the young fighter’s
talent and fighting spirit during a grappling event in which
Ludwig was competing. A year after the two bonded, Ludwig made
his first big mark in mixed martial arts by knocking out former
UFC 155 pound limit champion, Jens “Little Evil” Pulver.
The
35-year-old Fryklund is a former member of Team Miletich, the
Pat Miletich-headed elite squad of fighters that includes reigning
UFC kings, Matt Hughes and Tim Sylvia.
A
native of Boston, Massachusetts, Fryklund dove head-first into
the world of mixed martial arts at UFC 14 on July 27, 1997. In
his first effort during the single-elimination tournament format
event, Fryklund came up big, choking out Donnie Chappell in a
minute and a half. The following tournament round, Fryklund was
dealt the same fate he had dished out one fight earlier when
former 1992 Olympic Wrestling Gold Medalist, Kevin Jackson, submitted
him.
The
loss to Jackson proved to be a valuable lesson, however, as Fryklund
reeled off victories in his next seven starts, including a technical
knockout over Rodrigo Ruas at UFC 37.5 on June 22, 2002.
Fryklund
has been successful in three of his four 2006 appearances, stopping
each of three consecutive opponents in a single round of action.
His only loss of the year came at the hands of Brazil’s
Anderson Silva, who has since been crowned UFC middleweight champion.
“I
think he’s more of a stiff striker - not as fluid as I am.
I should be able to catch him,” said Ludwig of his opponent.
“On the ground, I don’t think he’s a super Jiu-Jitsu
stud, so I should be ok there as well.”
Tickets
for Strikeforce “Triple Threat” are on sale at Ticketmaster
(408-998-TIXS) and Ticketmaster online (www.ticketmaster.com)
as well as at the HP Pavilion box office (408-287-7070). Tickets
are priced at $200.00, $150.00, $100.00, $75.00, $50.00, and
$40.00, and $30.00.
The
December 8th card will feature Strikeforce’s first-ever
205 pound light heavyweight championship bout. Bobby Southworth,
a veteran of the first season of The Ultimate Fighter, will face
off with hard-hitting road warrior and K-1 and Pride Fighting
Championship veteran, Vernon “Tiger” White, for the
vacant crown.
Making
his third-career mixed martial arts start, undefeated world San
Shou kickboxing champion, Cung Le, will face his toughest test
to date in Jason “Live Wire” Von Flue, a contestant
on season two of The Ultimate Fighter.
Off
the heels of his victory on October 7th, lightweight sensation,
Josh “The Punk” Thomson, will be challenged by another
dangerous adversary in 23-year-old rising star, Nam Phan.
Old
rivals Eugene “The Wolf” Jackson and Ronald “The Machine Gun”
Jhun will
collide for the second time in their careers. Jhun is looking
for payback eight years after Jackson submitted him with a forearm
choke during a contest in Hawaii.
Strikeforce’s
155 pound lightweight champion, Gilbert Melendez, will attempt
to extend his perfect record to 14-0 when the San Francisco,
California native mixes it up with an opponent that has yet to
be named.
Unbeaten
submission wrestling stylist and former World Wrestling Entertainment
“Tough Enough” reality show winner, Daniel Puder, will
make his fourth career mixed martial arts appearance during “Triple
Threat.”
The
Strikeforce mixed martial arts event is being produced by Silicon
Valley Sports and Entertainment (SVS&E, www.svse.net), a
leading producer of major sporting and entertainment events and
the exclusive producer of such events for San Jose, California’s
largest entertainment venue, HP Pavilion. SVS&E’s many
properties include “Fight Night at the Tank” professional
boxing; the National Hockey League’s San Jose Sharks; and
the annual ATP men’s professional tennis “SAP Open”
event.
Strikeforce
is a world-class mixed martial arts cage fight promotion that,
on Friday, March 10th, made history with its “Shamrock vs.
Gracie” event, the first sanctioned mixed martial arts fight
card in California state history. The star-studded extravaganza,
which pitted legendary champion Frank Shamrock against Brazilian
Jiu-Jitsu black belt Cesar Gracie at San Jose’s HP Pavilion,
played host to 18,265 fans, the largest-ever attendance at a
mixed martial arts fight card held in North America.
Source: Mike Afromowitz
|
KID
Yamamoto will not appear in New York
By Zach Arnold
Sports
Nippon newspaper is reporting that Norifumi “KID” Yamamoto
will not appear at the NYAC Open on November 18th in New York.
This was supposed to be a big event for Yamamoto to participate
in for amateur wrestling as far as his hopes of making the Beijing
2008 Olympics. The newspaper report alludes to rumors that Yamamoto
might be recovering from an injury and couldn’t make it.
The paper claims that Yamamoto will participate in the All Japan
championships in January. The big question is whether or not
he will be able to participate on K-1’s 12/31 Osaka Dome
show if he has to prepare for a big amateur event in January.
Source: Fight Opinion
|
Quote
of the Day
"Don't
dig your grave with your own knife and fork."
English Proverb
|
Show
Fight: Margarida defeats Macaco
The
fifth edition of Show Fight, which was held last night (November
09th) at the Ibirapuera Gymnasium, in São Paulo, was plenty
of emotion moments. "From all the editions that I watched,
that was the most crowd one. Maroni is really good producing
shows", said Wanderlei Silva during the event. With a great
audience, the fighters did their show under the rings. The biggest
surprise of the night was the debut of the BJJ world champion
Fernando Margarida, who defeated the experienced Chute Boxe fighter
Jorge Patino Macaco by unanimous decision. The veteran José
Pelé Landi couldn't be better than Eduardo Pamplona, who
did show in each bout an evolution, and lost by unanimous decision.
In the only international fight of the event, Roan Jucão
submitted the Japanese Yoshitomo Watanabe by kata-gatame in the
first round.
COMPLETE
RESULTS:
Show
Fight 5
Ibirapuera
Gymnasium, São Paulo
Thursday,
November 9th, 2006
BJJ
-
Gabriel Napão defeated Gabriel Vella by 12 x 0;
Submission
-
André Galvão submitted Paulo Horito by foot-lock
in 1R;
Boxing
-
Pedro Otas KO'd Rafael Zumbano in 6R;
Muay
Thai
-
Fernando Maestro defeated Luis Sorriso by unanimous decision;
MMA
-
Michelle Tavares defeated Yasmin Tahira by unanimous decision;
-
Thiago Silva KO'd Dino Pezão in 1R;
-
Assuério Silva KO'd Eduardo Maiorino in 1R;
-
Fernando Margarida defeated Jorge Macaco by unanimous decision;
-
Roan Jucão submitted Yoshitomo Watanabe by Kata-gatame
in 1R;
-
Eduardo Pamplona defeated José Pelé by unanimous
decision.
Source: Tatame |
Minotouro
with Wand on his mind
Rogério
Minotouro traveled yesterday to Buenos Aires, Argentina, where
he will dispute the Boxing South American Competition between
days 10 and 15. After three training weeks with Luis Dórea,
Minotouro travels confident. 'Under my category there are many
good guys from Venezuela, but there is not many good light athletes.
There are some categories that the guys does 11 bouts, but in
mine one I must do 3 or 4 bouts', said the Boxing Brazilian champion
direct from the airport.
When
he arrived at São Paulo airport, Rogério met Anderson
Silva, who was going to UFC. 'I enjoyed the opportunity to congralutes
him, he was great. He said to me that goes to Ultimate Fight
Night and seems that the bout winner will challenge him', revelated
Minotouro. But about Arona's declaration, Minotouro did prefer
to keep his position. 'Arona already fought Wanderlei two times
abd U would like to have my chance. My toughs is focus at the
dispute with Wanderlei in the end of the year. I think that I
deserve to face him'.
About
Wanderlei Silva's interview, when he said that Paulão
was a chick, Rogério did not agree with that. 'I didn't
watched the bout yet, but I heard that Paulão really hurted
himself. Paulão is a tough fighter and if he had his regular
conditions, he would fight and I am sure that he would defeat
Denis Kang', finished Minotouro.
Source: Tatame |
The
first Japanese Gracie was born
On
last November 4th, the first Japanese Gracie was born. Neto de
Carlson Gracie, Carlson Gracie Neto is the first son of Carlson
Gracie Jr, who is married with a Japanese woman from Okinawa
city.
'At
the birth day of Carlson Neto, many Brazilians did debut with
victory at the MMA rings. That was a light day given by the great
master Carlson Gracie', said the new dad Carlson Gracie Jr.
Held
in Chicago, in United States, the International Mixed Martial
Arts Competition brought Daniel Wanderley Cahorrão, who
submitted his adversary with a heel lock in the first round and
André Leite did his opponent lose by rear naked choke.
The only defeat was André Madiz, who was defeated by judge's
decision, in the best bout of the night.
Source: Tatame |
Ricardo
Arona: Looking at the belt
By Nalty Junior
After defeating Alistair Overeem in one of the super fights of
the Pride GP Open Weight, the Brazilian Tiger Ricardo Arona now
is training hard for his possible confrontation against Wanderlei
Silva on December 31st. "The Japanese press and the DSE,
the Pride company organization, did divulge at the Daily Sports
Newspaper that they want me for this belt dispute", said
the BTT black belt, who also said: "I think Minotouro is
a great athlete, but he came into this history after me. And
this belt dispute between me and Wanderlei is an old history
and it can't be different, we must solute it now, no more talking.
Even with all the facts we have a total result of 1x1 and this
new bout would be the big one", said Arona in exclusive
interview that you may check now:
Do
you expect to dispute the belt with Wanderlei Silva on December
31st?
I am expecting that as I never did and all my trainings are for
this bout on December 31st to get my category belt. The Japanese
press and the DSE, the Pride company organization, did divulge
at the Daily Sports Newspaper that they want me for this belt
dispute. The truth is that I and most part of people that watched
the bout didn't though the result was fair. I hope that Wanderlei
Silva will be a real man for we can solve this history now and
see who is the best fighter and deserves the belt. This is what
everyone is expecting!
Wanderlei
said that the man now to dispute this belt against him is Rogério
Minotouro...
The truth is that Wanderlei Silva talks a lot and makes almost
nothing. Who already watched him fighting can understand what
I am talking about. During all of his bouts he attacks the adversaries,
even when he is punished. During the fight against Mirko Cro
Cop, he attacked until lose by KO. In his first fight against
me he was making a boring game and just before that he said for
the press that he likes to do a show and hates boring bouts.
I answered him that who does show is people like Madonna, I fight
and I am a warrior and I proved that. It seemed that he was scared
in the beginning of the fight, he was defending himself, I attacked
him all the time, I was much better since the beginning of the
bout. And in the second bout that was what everyone watched.
That was the same thing, his game doesn't fit with mine one and
he knows that, so he said that Minotouro is the perfect adversary
for him for this belt dispute. He will want to fight anyone,
except me, this is the truth. If Carlson Gracie was alive, he
would say that Wanderlei is a chick and he would be right. Wanderlei
likes to talk, to be the attention center and to do his own marketing.
I like to fight and I would like him to know that who choose
the bouts is the Dream Stage Entertainment (DSE). They organize
the Pride, they are visionary people and they already said that
they did choose me to the press. This is fair, I won him in the
first fight and as I said, his victory in the second bout wasn't
fair. I am fighting to get this belt for a long time and I have
faith that this is my moment and that the opportunities won't
go away.
Rogério
Minotouro also declared to the press that he has important victories
and that he did a fantastic bout against Shogun and now is his
time to dispute this belt...
I think Minotouro is a great athlete, but he came into this history
after me. And this belt dispute between me and Wanderlei is an
old history and it can't be different, we must solute it now,
no more talking. Even with all the facts we have a total result
of 1x1 and this new bout would be the big one. Everyone wants
to watch this fight, everybody knows that. Minotouro is an excellent
fighter and has a good fight cartel, but I think he should support
me in the dispute against Wanderlei, because he will dispute
the Pride GP, the Pan-American games and the Pan 2007 fighting
Boxing, I am sure he will be successful in this category. In
my opinion, if he would fight on December 31st, he should fight
against Mauricio Shogun, who already defeated him. This is the
best thing for Minotouro and the BTT team.
How
started your rivarly with Wanderlei Silva?
The rivalry started when I did my first bout at the Pride 16.
I was really happy at the hotel where all the fighters who participated
of the event were. I woke up and I had my breakfast, and when
Wanderlei came in my direction I was going to say hello to him
and for my surprise he started to say bad things to me and I
can't accept that. Disrespect and no education are unacceptable
things. So this is the reason for our rivalry and we did solve
this problem on the ring. I my opinion, it was really good for
the Pride.
Do
you think that you won both fights against Wanderlei Silva?
In my first bout I was 100%, I dominated the complete fight,
I took him down several times, and he was just defending himself
in the beginning of the fight. I didn't receive any strong blow
and he was much more attacked than me. I took the fight to the
ground, but the judge didn't let the fight go on and it disturbed
me, because the BJJ fighter must have some time on the ground
to be able to submit the fight. The fight all the time came back
standed up and even with that he wasn't better. I think that
it maybe happened because of my victory under Sakuraba and the
fact of the Chute Boxe had called him to train with them and
the audience was influenced with that and he used this to impress
the judges. Wanderlei is a marketing fighter and this was his
best blow during the bout. I didn't have any injury or cut after
the second bout and they gave him the victory. Everyone disagreed
with that. This belt must be mine for a long time. During this
third bout it will be clear, I won't let him do the marketing
under the ring.
Do you want to do the revenge against Mauricio Shogun?
I really want to fight him again and prove that I am able to
win him. My defeat at the Pride GP was an accident, I was hurted,
but my warrior heart was big and even hurted and with no conditions
of competing, I fought thinking about submit and a fatal fact
took me out of the bout. That fatality could happen with anyone.
That happened to me also against Quinton Jackson and with Shogun
against Marc Coleman. But fighting with my conditions in a Pride
GP final is something, no one would do that. I fought that final
respecting the DSE Company and the million people that was there
to watch the show and by the TV. I want to face Mauricio Shogun
again. In 2007, will be held the medium Pride GP and I will send
a request to DSE asking for the bout between Ricardo Arona and
Mauricio Shogun be the first one of the event. I want to be 100%
for this fight and I am sure it will be different. My objective
is fighting with Wanderlei Silva, win the bout and get this belt.
My main objectives are start next year rocking, face Mauricio
Shogun and also get the Pride GP belt.
Who
is your favorite MMA fighter nowadays?
My favorite one is Paulão Filho, I always liked him. Since
the time of the Carlson Gracie academy, we were all training
mates and friends. I think that Paulão still needs an
opportunity to fight in events likes Pride. And the prove is
that they did put Paulão to fight and he already showed
all of his potential and talent. Paulão will just lose
for some fatal fact.
Why
don't you fight anymore the ADCC (Abu Dhabi), where you did win
three times?
I couldn't fight at ADCC because of my contract with Pride organization,
that does not allow me to fight in any event close to the Pride,
even if it is a Submission, or BJJ or Muay Thai event. The date
of the last ADCC was really closed to the Pride GP of last year
and because of that I couldn't fight there. I have great memories
about ADCC and I love to fight there, I am expecting here the
wars to be finished so we can do the event again in Abu Dhabi
and I want to be the great champion again, as I was one day.
Do
you have some social project?
Soon, if everything happens as I am planning to, I will start
my social project. I already have this idea for a long time.
I want to teach martial arts for poor children who don't have
any condition of paying an academy. But they will must have good
grades in the high school to be able to train. Imagine if many
fighters think about that, a lot of people would study and be
out of the wrong way.
Source: Tatame
|
Quote
of the Day
"Writing,
to me, is simply thinking through my fingers."
Isaac Asimov, 1920-1992, Russian-born Science Fiction Writer
and Biochemist
|
TUF
FINALE REVIEW: LUTTER & SERRA WIN TITLE SHOTS
The fourth season of The Ultimate Fighter came to a close on
Saturday night and two more TUF winners were crowned, but this
time around the winners are guaranteed a title shot, putting
more up for grabs than ever before.
When
all was said and done, it was Travis Lutter and Matt Serra who
emerged with guaranteed title shots at the UFC Middleweight Title
and UFC Welterweight Title, respectively.
In
the highly anticipated welterweight finale, Chris “Lights
Out” Lytle took on Matt “The Terror” Serra in
one of the most even match-ups to ever take place in the UFC.
It was this similar style and skill level that unfortunately
led to a very unexciting main event.
Lytle
was pressed against the cage for the majority of the bout, defending
against Serra’s takedowns, but he was never put into any
real danger. The Indianapolis native did manage a solid takedown
in the first that put Serra on his back, but once again, no real
action developed. Much of the fight was spent in the clinch with
both fighters trying to gain the upper hand and Serra landing
a lot of foot stomps. Serra landed a nice spinning back fist
as well as a takedown late in the fight, but Lytle’s defense
was undeniable and he negated any offense from the Renzo Gracie
black belt.
After
three lackluster rounds in a very close fight, it was Matt Serra
who won a split decision, giving him a fight against the winner
of the upcoming Matt Hughes/Georges St. Pierre fight and the
title of Ultimate Fighter Season Four Champion. Serra had a few
harsh words for UFC Welterweight Champion Matt Hughes after the
fight.
The
middleweight final was much quicker and was extremely decisive.
Just as everyone expected, Travis Lutter, the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
black belt, moved in quickly on his opponent, Patrick Cote, and
went for a takedown. Lutter put Cote on the canvas fairly quickly,
and it didn’t take long for Lutter to pass guard and eventually
take Cote’s back, putting the Canadian in a world of trouble.
Transitioning from a rear naked choke to an armbar, Lutter’s
superior ground skill showed in the fight, and Cote had no choice
but to tap out with his arm fully extended and Lutter pulling
with all his strength.
Travis
Lutter looked very impressive in victory and will now go on to
face UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva in a title fight,
tentatively set for February. The ground specialist will once
again hope his game is turned all the way up, and it will have
to be when he takes on arguably the best pound-for-pound striker
in the world, Anderson Silva.
Moving
down in weight from welterweight to lightweight , Rich “No
Love” Clementi and Din Thomas put on an action packed fight,
as the 155-pound fighters usually seem to do. The fight remained
standing for a big part of the first round with Clementi throwing
heavy shots but Thomas was the definitively better striker, landing
the crisper punches throughout.
In
the 2nd round, the action was moving at a feverish pace and Thomas
was able to truly display how much his stand-up game has advanced
when he picked Clementi apart. After a few heavy shots, Thomas
moved to take Clementi’s back, where he secured a rear naked
choke, forcing the submission and getting the win. Din Thomas
is just another very dangerous opponent in an already stacked
UFC lightweight division, but he made no bones about who he wants
next when he called out UFC Lightweight Champion Sean Sherk,
saying that Sherk had his title.
In
the opening bout on the live TV card, Massachusetts native Jorge
Rivera stepped in to take on Edwin “Bam-Bam” Dewees
in a middleweight bout. Both were looking to get back on a winning
track after being eliminated from the show by eventual finalist
Patrick Cote. In the opening moments, Rivera threw a good leg
kick that landed flush on Dewees’ leg, putting him on his
heels instantly.
A
big fan of the clinch game, Rivera tried to open up with some
knees, but Dewees was able to defend effectively. Eventually
both fighters opened up with some good punches but Rivera’s
hands landed flush and dropped Dewees to the mat. While Rivera
wasn’t able to knock Dewees out, he did follow up with a
number of strikes on the ground, and the referee was forced to
stop the action when “Bam-Bam” was unable to improve
his position while enduring the punishment. Jorge Rivera picks
up his third win in the Octagon, this time by TKO in the first
round.
In
what was one of the most exciting fights in recent UFC history,
Scott “Hands of Steel” Smith squared off with his good
friend from the show, Pete “Drago” Sell. This fight
was taped as a preliminary bout earlier in the night and aired
during the Spike TV broadcast.
On
paper, it seemed like Sell would want to take the fight to the
ground, where he would have the advantage over Smith, but it
was much the opposite as these two threw everything, including
the kitchen sink, at each other while standing up. They both
smiled continuously as they pounded on one another and at the
end of the first round, they hugged and almost looked like they
were going to the same corner after the round.
The
second round saw much of the same but with a couple of minutes
remaining, Pete Sell landed a very big shot to Scott Smith’s
ribs, causing him to buckle and stumble towards the corner. Just
as Smith fell to one knee and “Drago” moved in for
the kill, the former WEC Light Heavyweight Champion mustered
just enough strength to throw one more punch, and in dramatic
fashion he absolutely floored Sell with the shot. Just barely
having the strength to jump up and finish the fight, Smith instantly
crumbled afterwards, holding his stomach in obvious pain. There’s
not much of a chance that the UFC won't bring back both of these
fighters after what has to be considered fight of the night.
In
another preliminary fight that aired on Spike TV, Thales Leites
faced Martin Kampmann. Heavily hyped fighters can have a huge
impact on the sport (Anderson Silva), while others are just that...
hype (Sean Gannon). Thales Leites had quite a bit of hype coming
into his bout with Martin Kampmann, but the Brazilian was unable
to live up to the fans' anticipation after gassing out late in
the first round and getting knocked around for the remainder
of the fight.
Kampmann
looked very good with his stand-up, and to Leites credit, he
withstood a world of punishment in the second and third rounds
without being finished. At the end of the day, Martin Kampmann
is the fighter walking out still undefeated in the UFC, while
Leites heads back to Brazil to figure out what went wrong.
All
in all, with the exception of the Serra-Lytle fight and the Kampmann-Leites
fight, every bout on the three-hour Spike TV broadcast was very
action packed and solid from start to finish.
Travis
Lutter and Din Thomas dominated, while the fight between Scott
Smith and Pete Sell simply stole the show. Congratulations must
go to Matt Serra for pulling out the win. The Ultimate Fighter
4 may not have been the best season of the show, but the finale
was phenomenal on almost all levels.
Full
Results
-TUF
4 Welterweight Final: Matt Serra def. Chris Lytle by split decision
-TUF
4 Middleweight Final: Travis Lutter def. Patrick Cote by submission
(armbar) in Round 1
-Din
Thomas def. Rich Clementi by submission (rear naked choke) in
Round 2
-Jorge
Rivera def. Edwin Dewees by TKO (referee stoppage due to strikes)
in Round 1
-Scott
Smith def. Pete Sell by KO in Round 2
-Martin
Kampmann def. Thales Leites by unanimous decision
-Charles
McCarthy def. Gideon Ray by submission (armbar) in Round 1
-Pete
Spratt def. Jeremy Jackson by submission in Round 1
Source: MMA Weekly |
ONE
ON ONE WITH TUF 4'S PETE "DRAGO" SELL
At tonight’s Ultimate Fighter 4 Finale, Pete “Drago”
Sell will make his first appearance at a full UFC event for the
first time in over a year.
Months
lost to various injuries and the weeks spent taping TUF 4, which
saw Sell lose in the semi-finals via decision to Travis Lutter,
kept Sell from making his official return to the Octagon, until
now.
Tonight
Pete matches up with friend and fellow former TUF 4 castmate
Scott Smith in a bout that could very well determine the future
of each fighter in the UFC.
Just
hours before weighing in, Sell spoke to MMAWeekly to discuss
his match, reality TV and his expansion beyond fighting.
MMAWeekly:
Before we get into your fight at the TUF 4 Finale Pete, let’s
talk about the year in which you were away from UFC live events.
I know you missed a lot of time in 2005 due to injury before
getting back into fighting this year.
Pete
Sell: Yeah, listen to this string of bad luck…what happened
was I was supposed to fight Joe Riggs but I tore my meniscus
in my knee. So I was in a knee brace and I couldn’t do jiu-jitsu
or wrestle so I was working a lot on by boxing and busted my
hand and had to get a cortisone shot in my hand and I was a mess.
That whole end of the year was a mess for me.
I
came back and fought in April in Ring of Combat and defended
my title on April 14th and I believe that weekend was the audition
for the show and in May I went to tape it.
MMAWeekly:
Speaking of the reality show, now that you’ve had a chance
to see it, what do you think about the TV show compared to actually
living it for those few weeks?
Pete
Sell: Man it was so different…when you get there everyone
is all excited and everything and then you’re like, “Wow,
there’s nothing to do, it’s so boring.” We had
a good time; we made the best out of it.
On
TV they chopped up stuff, like time oriented things, it was all
chopped up. Like things that happened in the first episode happened
like a long time in and visa-versa, like in the last episode
some things were done towards the end, but not nearly at the
last episode. So everything was kind of chopped up and nothing
was really timed exactly…it’s kind of how things went
down but not really.
MMAWeekly:
One thing about the reality series that’s different than
normally fighting is the preparation time you have. Do you think
having far less time to prepare for a specific fight affected
your performance on the show?
Pete
Sell: You’re fighting a couple times within a few weeks
period, like when I fought; I had to fight within a week and
a half to two weeks of my last fight. Getting prepared for the
[Travis Lutter] fight, I could have been more prepared and worked
more on my takedown defense, but I’m just like a different
fighter now.
That’s
why I think so many guys grow from that show, because you get
to see where you are amongst a bunch of elite athletes and see
where your level is and I know I’m there. I know once I
work on it and get the kinks out of my game that I’m going
to be a force to be reckoned with.
MMAWeekly:
It’s got to feel good to be finished with it and be able
to talk about it after months of secrecy.
Pete
Sell: Yeah it’s like a sigh of relief. Right now I’m
at the Hard Rock and have seen some of the guys off the show
and we’re bugging out laughing about the show. You go through
something with those guys, you have a connection and we’ll
have that the rest of our lives.
MMAWeekly:
Now that you’ve had time to be home and work with your own
team in your own gym, how are you feeling heading into your fight
with Scott?
Pete
Sell: I’m actually feeling better than ever. One of my friends
who used to be a bodybuilder put me on a new diet and I’m
more shredded now than I’ve ever been. I’m feeling
good, in peak condition and ready. I worked my jiu-jitsu with
Matt [Serra] and my wrestling with some wrestlers from Hoffstra
[University]…we worked on my takedown defense and I’m
feeling good, on top of my game.
If
you’ve seen my fights, I get better every fight. When I
first started fighting I’d just use my jiu-jitsu, I’d
jump guard and win fights...it’s crazy. Now I want to bang
with people because I hit hard and I want to show people that
I can be exciting. I know every fight is different and I think
more or less in this fight I’m going to work my stand-up
and see how that goes.
MMAWeekly:
On the TV show Scott lost to Travis Lutter via submission. Coming
from a jiu-jitsu background, do you feel it’s on the ground
where you’re going to win this fight?
Pete
Sell: I definitely have the advantage on the floor, but if you’ve
seen the [David] Terrell or Lutter fights, they all got to his
back and broke him down to get him down, he’s not an easy
guy to get down from straight-forward. He gives up his back a
lot, which I’m sure he worked on and I think he doesn’t
get enough credit.
I
mean, if you see his other fights, he looks awesome…he knocked
out Justin Levins and some other good guys, so people I feel
don’t give him enough credit. It’s a weird thing because
he’s my friend from the show. I want to see him do well…but
not against me [laughs].
MMAWeekly:
You got a fair amount of exposure fighting on UFN last year and
of course a lot more being on TUF, what do you think about that?
Pete
Sell: I think it’s awesome. It’s a lot less pressure
now; you’ve just got to fight. It’s like what happened
with the other guys on the other shows; you already have a fan
base. All the best guys have lost, it’s part of the game,
so there’s a relief on your shoulders knowing you already
have a fan base and that’ll help bring you back [if you
lose].
I’m
breaking into so many scenes right now. I have a clothing line
coming out with a couple of my friends…I’m getting
into the acting stuff…I’m still wanting to fight for
the belt and stuff, but I’m going through many avenues.
MMAWeekly:
So we may be seeing Drago on the silver screen one day soon,
huh?
Pete
Sell: Yeah…that’s what I’m talking about [laughs].
MMAWeekly:
Your trainer/mentor Matt Serra is fighting for the TUF 4 welterweight
title against Chris Lytle on this same show. How are you feeling
about Matt heading into his fight?
Pete
Sell: I think Matt can keep the pressure on him the whole time
and can keep getting him down. Lytle’s pretty good off his
feet, he’s flexible and has a good switch, but we kind of
know how the fight’s going to go and I’m feeling very
good about that with Matt. His pressure is just so good and I
think he’ll just keep getting him [Chris] down.
Even
if Lytle keeps getting back up, he’s not like a BJ Penn
or Din Thomas kind of guy who jabs and then moves, he’s
not that type of guy – he’s a banger – so I don’t
think Matt’s going to have any trouble getting a hold of
the guy.
MMAWeekly:
So it’s definitely looking like to you that it’s going
to be a good weekend for Serra Jitsu and will build good momentum
heading into next year?
Pete
Sell: Yeah, we’re going for the sweep. In 2007 we’re
taking over everything and that’s what’s going down.
MMAWeekly:
Thanks for taking the time so close to your fight for us Pete.
Is there anything you’d like to say as we head out?
Pete
Sell: Check it out, I’m going to put on an exciting fight
for the fans…I’m definitely coming out to do that because
that’s what I’m about. I’m going to push the pace
and fight hard.
I
want to pump up this new line, Now You Know Wear Clothing [www.n-y-k.com]…and
I want to thank Sprawl for always sponsoring me and hooking me
up. And Scott, man I’m sorry…you’re my boy, but
better luck next time. Sorry buddy, but it’s not going to
be me [losing], it can’t be me [losing]…it’s just
not going down like that.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
CHRIS
LYTLE'S NEXT STEP AT TUF FINALE
So close and yet so far away... that has been the summation of
Chris Lytle's UFC career thus far. It is also something that
he plans to change when he steps in the cage tonight.
Lytle
recently joined MMAWeekly’s SoundOff Radio to discuss tonight's
welterweight TUF 4 Finale fight with Matt Serra and his feelings
about his own title shot if he wins. Lytle joined the guys live
from Las Vegas where his months of tough training are finally
coming to an end.
Chris
said, “Things are going great, you know. I’m just kind
of doing my fine-tuning stuff right now…my hard training
is done. I’m just trying to make sure that my timing is
down pat, and everything like that.”
Because
of TUF 4, Lytle has had more of an opportunity to improve on
his skills than he typically does, so it will be interesting
to see how this extra practice comes into play tonight.
Lytle
said, “Yeah, I’ve really done as much as I could for
it, you know. I know what he’s good at and what I need to
work on, so I’ve been just solely preparing for that. I’ve
never really had this much time to prepare for one fight, so
I’ll see how that goes.”
While
this season’s TUF show is titled “The Comeback,”
Lytle doesn’t consider himself to be someone who was ever
that far removed from the competitive mix.
Lytle
said, “I don’t even really know if I’m looking
to comeback…I never really felt like I was that far gone.
I’ve had a couple of chances when I thought that I was close
to the title fight, and one thing or another happened…I
got cut or I lost a fight here and there and I didn’t get
it. So, anything I can do to get me a title shot, that’s
what I want.”
Lytle
continued, “Oh man, it felt like every time [you lose] you
think you blew your last chance at a title fight. It’s depressing…then
all of the sudden you get another opportunity and you feel like
man, this is my fate or my destiny, I don’t know exactly
what it is. All of these things happen for a reason, and I felt
like it happened just like it did so I can be in this situation
that I’m in right now.”
Since
Serra and Lytle were teammates while on TUF 4, it seems that
they each must have a pretty good sense of which skills the other
man possesses. Does Chris consider this to be an advantage…or
not so much?
“I
think it helps me. I feel like I’m a pretty smart fighter
out there. I feel like I’m going to be pretty well prepared
for the fight,” Lytle said.
Though
the sacrifice seems worthwhile now, Lytle didn’t instantly
see the TUF competition to be in his best interests.
Chris
said, “Actually there was [hesitation] for a brief time.
They told me that we’d be able to fight, you know, and we’d
be able to go there and fight for them a couple of times, and
have like four or five months off where you couldn’t fight.
I’m thinking I didn’t know who all was going to be
on the show…man there’s no guarantee, you might be
out of commission for a long time, and I like to remain pretty
active as a fighter. I had a lot of stuff coming up, and some
pretty decent paydays coming up so I was like man I don’t
know if I want to just risk everything for this show…but,
you know…if you get the opportunity to fight for something
like this, you don’t pass it up.”
In
the end, “I kind of weighed my options and it was a pretty
easy decision for me,” Lytle said.
If
Lytle does beat Matt Serra on Saturday night, one thing will
be certain. Chris will have his eyes glued to the Octagon in
the November 18th rematch between Matt Hughes and Georges St.
Pierre.
Chris
said, “Dude, I’m going to be ringside, front row…watching,
studying, taking notes, learning everything that I can.”
Before
that, though, Lytle has to get through a crafty, slick veteran
who is as hungry for a title shot as he is. In the past, TUF
Finale’s have each proven to be extremely competitive, and
Lytle doesn’t expect to see any changes in the story in
this go round.
“Matt’s
pretty tenacious…he’s usually trying to be on someone
the whole time and I like to keep a fast pace as well, so I’m
just guessing that you’re going to see a lot of action going
on,” Chris said.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Web
users wants Wand x Minotouro
Rogério
Minotouro (picture) was the chosen one to face Wanderlei Silva
for the Pride Middleweight GP, on December 31st. At least for
the site TATAME web users, who voted and did choose the BTT black
belt with 49%. The second placed was Ricardo Arona, who received
36% of votes, followed by Vitor Belfort with 12%. And the last
place was Alistair Overeem with 1% of votes and the option none
of them got 2%.
According
to one of the Brazilian Top Team leaders, Murilo Bustamante,
any of them from his team has conditions to get this title, but
the choose of Wand's adversary got the black belt confused.
-
This is not fair; they are all like my children (laughs). I will
tell you that both of them. They both deserve the belt. But Rogério
didn't have the chance to face him yet, while Arona had two opportunities.
So I would do two fights: Arona x Shogun and Rogério x
Wanderlei on December 31st - said Bustamante. Don't miss the
new site TATAME pool. Give your opinion and do your vote: Who
Paulão should face in 2007?
Source: Tatame
|
Quote
of the Day
"Waste
not fresh tears over old griefs."
Euripides, 484-406 B.C., Greek Tragic Dramatist
|
FRANKLIN
ALREADY EYEING RETURN
Rich Franklin is a fighter who has completely remodeled the ‘face’
of the middleweight division over the past two years. Before
doing so, though, Rich moved up to light heavyweight and beat
down ‘The World’s Most Dangerous Man’ Ken Shamrock
in a great display of new-school fighter vs. old. Next, Rich
dropped back down to his native 185-pound class and laid a brutal
beating on the ever-tough Evan Tanner to win the UFC middleweight
belt. Franklin then defended his belt against both Nate Quarry
– via highlight reel knockout – and David Loiseau –
by unanimous decision – laying even greater claim to his
dominance of the 185-pound division.
But
even with the amount of remodeling Franklin did in his class;
a new foreman was anxiously awaiting his shot at the prize. This
man didn’t care that courtesy of Rich; Ken Shamrock’s
head bounced up and down on the Octagon floor like a rubber ball
at a grade-school kickball game, or that Evan Tanner’s whole
face was swollen practically beyond recognition from an 18-minute
leather buffet courtesy of Franklin. Nor did this man care that
the always formidable Nate Quarry laid limp on the canvas with
a dreadfully crooked nose thanks to a Franklin left-hand, or
that David Loiseau’s face was more lumpy than a bowl of
chicken and dumplings after spending 25 minutes in a cage with
the champ.
This
didn’t faze the new guy. He just wanted a shot at the man
in charge.
Enter
Anderson Silva.
Silva
first burst onto the UFC scene by beating the ‘Iron-chinned’
Chris Leben by knockout only 49 seconds into the first round
of their UFN 5 bout. Eyes all over the world were opened. Could
it be? Could there be a striker in the middleweight division
more devastating than middleweight champ Rich Franklin?
At
UFC 64 these questions were answered. The remodeling that Franklin
did to his opponent’s faces finally came full circle back
to him. You know that saying about karma…well it may well
have come true here. Silva dominated Franklin the entire fight
with a powerful Muay Thai clinch that left Franklin battered,
beaten, and broken – maybe not his will, but no doubt his
nose.
According
to Franklin, “I got kneed in the face and my septum was
pushed to one side and the nose was broken in a couple of different
spots. They had to reset all that – they set it the night
of the fight – but apparently they didn’t do a good
enough job, so when I went for surgery they set all of the breaks
and pushed the septum back to the center.”
From
the opening bell Franklin looked stiff and uneasy. On the contrary,
Silva looked focused but relaxed like he was standing by for
an easy-going night out on the town. Early into the fight it
became crystal clear that Franklin was outmatched…maybe
not altogether, but outmatched that night for sure.
Then
came the questions: Could Rich’s lackluster performance
that night be the result of a long layoff between fights? Did
his layoff from competition prove to be detrimental in the long
run?
“I
would like to think that it didn’t, but perhaps it did.
I’m not one to make excuses for me losing a fight…there’s
been talk on the Internet that I was sick…the fans are always
looking for some reason for why you lost the fight,” Franklin
said.
Rich
continued, “The fact of the matter is that night I didn’t
fight up to my capability and Anderson did…and with a top
contender like that, that makes for a bad combination.”
One
of the biggest questions raised by MMA fans since the fight is
simply, “What went wrong for Rich?”
According
to Franklin, “From a preparation point of view, we had planned
on taking the fight to the clinch, and – I haven’t
personally watched the fight myself – but I was actually
doing better fighting from a distance than I thought I would,
and when Anderson clinched me, I was more than happy to clinch
with him.”
Rich
continued, “The only problem was that we assumed that I
was going to be a much larger fighter than he was and he was
big and strong and he caught me off balance, and like a deer
in the headlights I got hit with a couple of knees to the body
and things started shutting down, and from there the fight was
like quicksand…the more I struggled, the worse my situation
became.”
Rich
is now tasked to walk that same lonely road that many of his
former opponents have trodden in an attempt to return to their
former glories. Historically speaking, some fighters are successful
in their returns…others aren’t. Only time will tell
if Franklin is mentally tough enough to make a successful homecoming,
but if the attitude and outlook he displayed during his recent
interview with MMAWeekly’s SoundOff Radio is any indication,
Rich will come back to the UFC with a fresh motivation, and will
be more prepared both mentally and physically than we have previously
seen him.
So
in due time would Franklin like to erase his loss to Silva from
his record?
“Well
definitely, I’m going to have to…he has my belt right
now. I’m looking to climb back on the horse and see what
I need to do to get my belt back,” Franklin said.
Franklin’s
coming back with a vengeance, so all UFC middleweights better
beware…
“I’ll
be back on top soon my friends,” Franklin said.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
TUF
4 DRAWS ANOTHER SERIES-LOW 1.0 RATING
The twelfth and final episode of The Ultimate Fighter 4's regular
season tied the series' all-time low once again with a 1.0 overall
rating on Thursday, November 2nd.
Episode
Nine set the series' new all-time low for a regularly scheduled
new episode by drawing a 1.0 overall rating on October 12th,
then Episode Eleven tied that mark on October 26th, and finally
Episode Twelve tied that mark once again on November 2nd.
The
actual fight on Episode Twelve (Patrick Cote vs. Edwin Dewees)
drew a 1.0 rating, which ties it with Chris Lytle vs. Din Thomas
as the least-watched fights of the season.
Low
Regular Season Ratings Do Not Necessarily Equal Low Finale Ratings
While
it would seem that TUF has no ratings momentum heading into the
November 11th live season finale of TUF 4, that does not necessarily
mean that the live finale isn't going to draw strong ratings.
One
needs look no further than TUF's own ratings history to see that.
The second season of The Ultimate Fighter limped across the finish
line with low viewership levels for the end of its regular season,
yet the live season finale of TUF 2 drew a fantastic 2.0 overall
rating, which made it the UFC's most-watched live fight special
up to that point in time.
When
it comes to the UFC, the ratings for new episodes of TUF are
a different beast altogether than the ratings for live fight
specials. The TUF 2 finale ratings demonstrate that, and an even
more jarring example came just a few weeks ago. A new episode
of The Ultimate Fighter drew an overall rating of just 1.1 on
October 5th, and then the two-hour live fight special that was
headlined by Tito Ortiz vs. Ken Shamrock drew a 3.1 overall rating
on October 10th (shattering every UFC ratings record in the book),
and just two days later the next new episode of TUF drew a series-low
1.0 overall rating.
So,
in a way, the disconnect between "TUF viewers" and
"UFC live fight special viewers" should be encouraging
for Spike TV and the UFC. Yes, TUF 4's significantly decreased
ratings are likely to make the ad rates for future seasons of
TUF lower than they otherwise would have been, but the ad rates
for live fight specials (including the live TUF finales) should
be staying the same or going up because the UFC has still been
able to deliver when it comes to live fight special viewership.
This
trend also means that it would be a mistake to assume that the
live season finale of TUF 4 is going to draw a disappointing
rating. It may or may not draw a disappointing rating, but one
cannot accurately assume that a live TUF finale is going to draw
a low rating just because the regular season has been drawing
less-than-stellar ratings.
Episode
Twelve's Ratings Collapse in Key Demographics
The
overall rating of 1.0 that was drawn by Episode Twelve of TUF
4 may be troubling for the UFC and Spike TV, but the most alarming
aspect of Episode Twelve's ratings was not the overall rating;
it was the dramatic drop-off in the key demographic ratings.
Among
18-to-49-year-old males, Episode Twelve drew a 1.1 rating, which
is a new low for the season and is down significantly from the
previous week's 1.5 rating in the same demographic.
In
the most advertiser-coveted demographic, 18-to-34-year-old males,
Episode Twelve drew a 1.3 rating, which was down significantly
from the previous week's 1.8 rating in the same demographic.
The rating of 1.3 was the lowest of the season in the 18-to-34-year-old
male demographic; the previous low for TUF 4 was 1.7.
In
fact, Episode Twelve of TUF 4 was the least watched episode in
Ultimate Fighter history in the 18-to-34-year-old male demographic.
The previous series low in this demographic was 1.5, which was
drawn by the very first episode of TUF's first season.
Overall
Rating Stays at 1.0 Despite Drastically Decreased Sports Competition
While
it would be natural to assume that head-to-head sports competition
has a direct negative effect on TUF's ratings, that has proven
to be untrue time and time again throughout the series' history,
as previously documented by MMAWeekly.
Prior
to this week, the most recent example was that Episode Ten and
Episode Eleven of TUF 4 went head-to-head with a virtually identical
level of head-to-head sports competition (NLCS Game 7 drew a
rating within one percent of World Series Game 5), and yet TUF's
overall rating dropped 20 percent from Episode Ten to Episode
Eleven.
In
the case of Episode Twelve, it faced a drastically decreased
level of sports competition, so one would think that it would
have drawn a higher rating if head-to-head sports competition
had any significant effect on TUF's ratings.
However,
once again, that wasn't the case. Episode Eleven and Episode
Twelve of TUF 4 both drew the same overall rating (1.0), despite
the fact that Episode Twelve only went head-to-head with sports
programming that drew a combined 7.8 million viewers, while Episode
Eleven had to go head-to-head with sports programming that drew
a combined 18.6 million viewers.
If
head-to-head sports competition had any significant effect on
TUF's ratings, a 58 percent drop-off in head-to-head sports competition
would have led to at least a small ratings increase in TUF, but
it didn't.
For
the record, the head-to-head ratings breakdown for those episodes
is as follows: Episode Eleven of TUF went head-to-head with the
World Series on Fox (16.1 million viewers) and college football
on ESPN (1.4 million viewers), for a combined head-to-head sports
viewership of 18.6 million. Episode Twelve of TUF went head-to-head
with college football on ESPN (6.4 million viewers) and the NBA
on TNT (1.4 million viewers), for a combined head-to-head sports
viewership of 7.8 million.
It's
also not just a case of the bigger college football game on November
2nd drawing away more of the young male audience. On October
26th, up against Episode Eleven of TUF, a combined 8.4 percent
of the 18-to-49-year-old males in the United States were watching
either the World Series or college football on ESPN. On November
2nd, up against Episode Twelve of TUF, a lower percentage (5.3)
of the 18-to-49-year-old males in the United States were watching
either college football on ESPN or the NBA on TNT.
Head-to-Head
Network Competition on November 2nd
Episode
Twelve of The Ultimate Fighter 4 did face stiffer competition
from the major broadcast networks on November 2nd, although TUF's
competition was nowhere near as difficult as the competition
faced by its lead-in, UFC Unleashed.
A
repeat of UFC Unleashed aired from 9:00 PM to 10:00 PM on Spike
TV and drew an overall rating of 0.8, head-to-head with two of
the most-watched shows on television. A new episode of Grey's
Anatomy on ABC drew a 13.9 overall rating, while a new episode
of CSI on CBS drew a 12.8 overall rating. Meanwhile, the season
premiere of The OC on Fox drew a 2.3 overall rating, which is
an embarrassingly bad rating for network television and would
almost certainly lead to an immediate cancellation if it wasn't
an already established show. The ratings for The OC collapsed
in the 2005-2006 TV season and have collapsed further with the
first episode of the 2006-2007 TV season. Also in the 9:00 PM
to 10:00 PM hour, Deal or No Deal on NBC drew a 7.9 overall rating.
Going
head-to-head with The Ultimate Fighter in the 10:00 PM to 11:00
PM hour, a new episode of ER on NBC narrowly beat out a new episode
of Shark on CBS, as ER drew a 9.0 overall rating and Shark drew
an 8.9 overall rating. Fox does not air national programming
in the 10:00 PM hour, and ABC's Six Degrees was a non-factor
with a 5.3 overall rating. While ABC may or may not spare Six
Degrees the indignity of being abruptly pulled in the middle
of November sweeps, the chances of the show being around next
season (or even at the end of this season) are almost zero, due
to its low ratings.
Airing
immediately after The Ultimate Fighter from 11:00 PM to 12:00
AM on Spike TV, the pro wrestling show TNA Impact drew an overall
rating 0.8 for the third consecutive week. TNA Impact is bumping
UFC Unleashed from the Thursday at 9:00 PM timeslot starting
on November 16th, and the move comes at a time when neither series
has much in the way of ratings momentum.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
RANDLEMAN
CHARGED WITH FAKING URINE TEST
MMAWeekly has learned that Kevin Randleman has been charged by
the Nevada State Athletic Commission with providing a fake urine
sample for the drug test that he took after his fight on the
Pride card in Las Vegas on October 21st.
If
he is found to be guilty of these charges, Randleman could face
severe disciplinary measures from the athletic commission, which
could include a significant fine, a lengthy suspension, or perhaps
even permanent revocation of his fighters' license.
All
NSAC-sanctioned organizations, including Pride, are required
to honor NSAC suspensions for all of their shows throughout the
world if they want to continue to be licensed to run events in
Nevada.
In
the recent history of unarmed combat drug testing in Nevada,
one fighter was previously alleged to have provided a fake urine
sample, and that fighter's license was flat-out revoked (as opposed
to suspended). That fighter was Sean McCully, who tested positive
for marijuana and the anabolic steroid nandrolone in September
2004, and then allegedly provided a fake urine sample when he
was re-tested in September 2005.
Keith
Kizer, the Executive Director of the Nevada State Athletic Commission,
tells MMAWeekly, "I just spoke with Dr. Hyatt, who said
[Randleman's urine] specimen 'flat-lined' for hormones. This
allegedly means that the urine was fake, similar to Sean McCully’s
case from several months ago."
If
it does indeed turn out that the urine sample provided by Randleman
did not contain any human hormones, that would mean that it was
urine from a dead human or urine from a non-human.
Randleman,
who lost to Mauricio "Shogun" Rua by submission on
the Pride card in question, will have 20 days to respond to the
NSAC's complaint, and then at some point there will be a disciplinary
hearing at which Randleman's status will be determined.
Providing
fake urine or otherwise trying to defraud the drug testing system
is regarded as being just as much of a violation as actually
failing a drug test, if not more of a violation.
Randleman
now becomes the fourth MMA fighter to fail to pass a drug test
in a period of less than two months in the state of Nevada. Stephan
Bonnar tested positive for Boldenone, an anabolic steroid used
to rehabilitate injured horses, after his fight at UFC 62. At
Bonnar's disciplinary hearing last Friday, he admitted that he
knowingly took a banned substance, and he was suspended for nine
months.
Competing
on the same Pride card as Randleman on October 21st, Vitor Belfort
and Pawel Nastula also failed their respective drug tests. Belfort
tested positive for the anabolic steroid 4-hydroxytestosterone,
while Nastula tested positive for the anabolic steroid nandrolone
and the banned stimulants phenylpropanolamine, pseudoephedrine,
and ephedrine (ironically, the same exact combination of banned
substances for which Kimo Leopoldo tested positive after a UFC
fight in 2004). The cases of Belfort and Nastula are still pending
before the NSAC.
Randleman,
Belfort, and Nastula were three of the ten fighters who were
drug tested on Pride's October 21st card. Four other fighters
on the card were not drug tested. In Bonnar's case, he was one
of just four fighters who were drug tested at UFC 62, as there
were fourteen fighters on the card who were not drug tested.
According
to the Nevada State Athletic Commission, the total cost of drug
testing one fighter for all banned steroids, stimulants, and
recreational drugs is $278.40. With ticket sales for these events
in the millions and with more and more fighters failing to pass
their drug tests, a growing number of MMA fans have begun to
question the fact that there isn't mandatory drug testing for
every single fighter on every single card.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Quote
of the Day
"The
more you sweat in practice, the less you bleed in battle."
Source Unknown
|
Kickin
It 2006
WHAT -
KICKIN IT 2006 "THE SEQUEL" (KICKBOXING CHAMPIONSHIPS)
WHEN - (SATURDAY) NOV. 25 2006
WHERE - DOLE CANNERY BALLROOM
DOORS OPEN AT 6PM
CHAMPIONSHIP BOUTS
NATHAN NAKI 13 - 14 YRS. ROYCE POAHA
HSD (4 - 1) WELTERWEIGHT TEAM DEVASTATION (3 - 0)
NAKI BEING THE 13 YR. OLD WILL FACE POAHA IN A RE-MATCH. NAKI
WILL GET A SECOND CHANCE TO BEAT POAHA SINCE HE FAILED THE FIRST
TIME. AT THEIR FIRST MEET AND GREET IN JANUARY, POAHA BROUGHT
OVERWHELMING POWER WHICH MADE NAKI A LITTLE GUN SHY. COME AND
SEE IF 11 MONTHS IS ENOUGH TIME TO MAKE CORRECTIONS AND REDEMPTION.
RICKY MURILLO VS. HIAPO KOLO
BANGAHZVILLE (3 - 1) MIDDLEWEIGHT PAPAKOLEA FIGHT CLUB (3 - 1)
CHAVIS VICTORIA VS. ABLE ROSE
ANIMAL HOUSE (3 - 1) KING OF THE GIANTS BULLSPEN (? - ?)
DENVER GONZALVES VS. KAWIKA HONG
HSD (3 - 1) HEAVYWEIGHT GOODSPORT KICKBOXING (3 - 1)
DENVER WHO HAS BEEN LAID OFF FOR OVER A YEAR HAS COME BACK TO
POSSIBLY CLAIM WHAT HE FEELS IS RIGHTFULLY HIS. KAWIKA ON THE
OTHER HAND HAS BEEN ACTIVE FROM THE MIDDLE OF LAST YEAR AND PLANS
TO MAKE HIS CLAIM ALSO AS THE KICKIN IT HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION.
BOTH FIGHTERS ARE STRONG BUT IN ANY AMATEUR HEAVYWEIGHT FIGHT,
CONDITION IS ALWAYS A FACTOR.
KONA KE VS. TODD YOUNG
TEAM RUTHLESS (3 - 1) SUPER MIDDLEWEIGHT VEGAS FIGHT CLUB (4
- 0)
THIS FIGHT WILL DEFINITELY BE A FIGHT TO SEE. BOTH FIGHTERS ARE
ONLY 16 YEARS OLD AND HAVE THE SAME GOAL IN MIND WHEN NOV. 25TH
ARRIVES. KONA IS THE WESSIDE PLAYA WHO WILL BRING SKILLS AND
ATTITUDE. TODD IS THE HUMBLE PRETTY BOY WHO IS LOOKING TO STAY
UNDEFEATED WHILE WEARING A LITTLE BLING AROUND HIS WASTE WHEN
HE LEAVES THE RING.
EVAN QUIZON VS. FRED WAGNER
TEAM DEVASTATION (4 - 1) FEATHERWEIGHT HSD ((5 - 0)
DALE KAMAI VS. EVAN LOWTHER
TEAM SOLJAH (3 - 3) LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT MMAD (3 - 1)
CHAD PAVAO VS. JUSTIN WONG
HSD (7 - 0) WELTERWEIGHT HMC (4 - 3)
SHARON BARTLEY VS. TEARJA SELLAZ
ANIMAL HOUSE 165 HSD
KAMAKANA CHOYFOO VS. SUNSEA FERGUSON
JESUS IS LORD 165 TEAM DEVASTATION
OLA PLUNKETT VS. BEN SANTIAGO
ANIMAL HOUSE 165 BANGAHZVILLE
TRISTON PEBRIA VS. MICAH
EWA BEACH FIGHT CLUB 70 TEAM DEVASTATION
ROBBIE OSTAVICH VS. SAGE YOSHIDA
JESUS IS LORD 125 HMC
RICHARD BERNARD VS. MARCUS MARTINEZ
HSD 135 BULLSPEN
WILL HARVEST VS. NYE DELASANTOS
BIG TYME FIGHT 175 FREELANCE
WESLEY DENIGO VS. KALAI MCSHANE
BULLSPEN 95 EWA BEACH FIGHT CLUB
JOHN BERNARD VS. KALANI AQUIN
TEAM RUTHLESS 175 BIG TYME FIGHT
JULIO MORENO VS. MANA WOOLSEY
BULLSPEN EXHIBITION HSD
ALL MATCHES AND PARTICIPANTS MAY BE SUBJECT TO CHANGE
TICKETS AVAILABLE AT ALL PARTICIPATING SCHOOLS OR CALL DOUG AT
721-6019.
SEE YOU THERE
THANKS
KICKIN IT
|
Bisping
off TUF Finale
I spoke with a friend of MaxFighting earlier today about his
upcoming fight in November at UFC 65. When I asked him about
attending the Ultimate Fighter season 4 Finale he spoke with
me about the apparent visa problems that Michael Bisping was
having. “The Count” is apparently off the card and
after checking www.ufc.tv it pretty much confirms what I was
told since his fight with Eric Schafer is nowhere to be seen
on the events page. This happens from time to time with foreign
fighters, but this is a major blow for the UFC since Bisping
is the only champion from any season to have not fought one fight
since their respective finale.
This
is disappointing for many of Season 3’s followers because
Michael is such a fan favorite. He is one of the few fighters
on the show to receive real “street cred” with the
hardcore fans to go along with the popularity he has received.
No doubt that Dana White will make sure to include the charismatic
Brit on an upcoming show and may just slip him in at UFC 66 on
December 30th.
MaxfFghting
will keep you up to date as more becomes available.
Source: Maxfighting
|
Boxing
Champion to PRIDE
WBC
Super-Flyweight Champion Masamori Tokuyama has confirmed his
retirement from boxing to enter Pride Fighting Championships.
The
heralded 32-year-old, who sports an admirable 32-3-1 record,
today returned his Super-Flyweight title to the Japanese Boxing
Commision.
Tokuyama,
the first North Korean to win a world crown, is expected to make
his mixed martial arts bow on Pride’s New Years Eve offering
at the Saitama Super Arena.
PRIDE’s
lightweight ace, 160-pound champion Takanori Gomi, today fielded
questions from the media regarding Tokuyama’s pending transition.
The former Shooto Welterweight Champion stated that while he
respected the now former WBC titileist, he’ll face an ardous
battle in overcomeing the difference in weight classes.
As
PRIDE prepares the fightcard for their final event of 2006 on
December 31st, the traditional all-asian marquee attraction could
very well see Tokuyama face a baptism of fire and collide with
Gomi in a domestic superbout, which at least for one night could
serve to revive the companies waning audience.
Source: Maxfighting
|
The
Top 10 Most Influential UFC Fighters of All-Time / Part 1
First,
let me begin by saying that this is just my opinion and not a
hall of fame piece. It is an opinion by a solid fan and someone
who has watched almost every PPV the UFC has ever held. The reason
for this column is that I was attempting to rationalize to a
friend of mine at an MMA event I announced at this weekend why
Royce Gracie, Ken Shamrock, and Tank Abbott had such an impact
on the sport. He had only started watching the UFC at UFC 52
that featured the rematch between Chuck Liddell and Randy Couture.
Another roadblock for me was that his first real exposure to
a pay per view type atmosphere was the Ultimate Fighter Season
1 finale. As far as he knew, Forrest Griffin was the best fighter
on the planet and Rich Franklin just annihilated the world’s
most dangerous man, Ken Shamrock. Truth became subjective, if
you will, for about a year in the UFC among all of the new faces
and new champions. The old guard was out, the new guard was in,
and the UFC had remodeled its “spectacle” image, turning
it in to a more marketable, friendlier one.
Before
the Griffins, the Franklins, and the St. Pierre’s there
were guys who walked the long road from solo martial arts styles
to the hybrids we see today. Guys who put their health and reputations
on the line so that this sport could evolve and change according
to and around their successes and mistakes. Without these 10
fighters, there would be no UFC today as we know it.
The
criteria on this list taken in to consideration were Ambassadorship,
when and from who a title was won, length of time in the UFC,
and contributions to the sport overall. I also took in to consideration
the effects mentioning their name had on people in today’s
MMA scenes and the strength of the feelings their name invoked.
Some of the names on this list made it because of the things
they have done to elevate the UFC of today. Some made it because
of one MMA changing moment that occurred inside th Octagon. Top
ten lists are very subjective and are based strictly on opinion.
That being said….here are mine.
10.
“The Prodigy” BJ Penn
Newer
fans may not see the value of BJ since they have only seen him
fight twice and lose each time. The first was a split decision
loss to Georges. St. Pierre and the second was a loss to Matt
Hughes in a fight that he was dominating for the first two rounds.
BJ apparently suffered a severe rib injury and came out in the
third round looking like he was struggling to move around. Matt
took advantage and scored a third round TKO victory, but that’s
not what puts BJ on this list. What does is his record of accomplishment
before this loss. BJ embarrassed Matt very badly in the Octagon
and the clip of him submitting and then kissing Matt on the lips
was replayed many times and talked about even more than that.
BJ left the UFC due to contract disputes, but has since returned.
In that short time, his presence has evoked so many emotions,
both good and bad and has had people talking in the offices about
the UFC. His fight with Matt was one of the most hotly debated
of this year and the outcome forced even more discussion.
What
makes Penn a shoe-in for this list is that he is one of the most
talented fighters in the UFC and the world for that matter. He
shook up the UFC’s welterweight division when he beat the
unstoppable Matt Hughes decidedly. BJ is rumored to be a coach
on the next season of the Ultimate Fighter reality show. If this
is true then he will also face Jens Pulver at the end of the
season in a rematch. BJ lost the first fight by majority decision
at UFC 35 in a fight for the lightweight title.
9.
David “Tank” Abbott
Like
him or hate him, David Abbott is one of the reasons that fans
tuned in to the UFC when it was getting its feet wet. Tank was
the man who brutally knocked people out when there was this “skinny
little Brazilian” submitting fighters by “laying on
them for 15 minutes”. While the Brazilian comment was not
very accurate, Abbott was the main reason for boxing fans to
switch over and watch the UFC. He was the reason for wrestling
fans to watch the UFC. He was one of the first fighters with
a persona and character that marketed itself. He paved the way
for today’s UFC stars including Tito Ortiz, Chuck Liddell,
and Brandon Vera. All of whom are known for being very vocal
and have their own uniquely marketable personalities and characters.
David Abbott helped attract and establish the first stable fan
base for the UFC in his own unique way.
8.
Dan “The Beast” Severn
This
is likely to be another hot spot for criticism, but I will stand
by it until the end. Dan Severn was the prototype for many fighters
today. Josh Koscheck, Rashad Evans, Tito Ortiz, and many others
are upgrades to “The Beast”. Severn was the poster
boy for wrestlers who wished to test their durability in the
growing hype that was the UFC. Dan really gathered a strong fan
base when he won two tough fights at UFC 4 before losing to Royce
Gracie in the finals. Dan was dominating Royce in his guard for
almost 14 ½ minutes, but could not finish the legendary
Brazilian. It was because of his weakness in striking that Gracie
was able to steal the win, submitting Dan by triangle choke.
In
1995, Severn proved he was as good as people were saying by winning
the Ultimate Ultimate ’95 tournament. The tournament featured
fighters like Marco Ruas, Tank Abbott, Keith Hackney, and Oleg
Taktarov. Severn would beat the favored Taktarov in the finals
by unanimous decision after 30 minutes of fighting. It was a
show of heart and courage and because of accomplishments like
these; Dan is number 8 on my list. He is still actively winning
fights in MMA today and now has a current record of 70-13-7.
7.
Pat "The Croatian Sensation" Miletich
Pat
Miletich is by far one of the most respected fighters on the
planet. Not so much for his fighting, but for his intense and
effective training methods. Miletich Fighting Systems Elite (MFS)
is now a legendary fight stable in the United States and many
young fighters have set a goal to train there some day. MFS holds
claim to two titles in the UFC at this time. Matt Hughes wears
the welterweight championship and Tim Sylvia wears the heavyweight….apparently
everywhere he goes, but that is irrelevant. As a fighter, Pat
was just as successful as he was a coach. He won the first lightweight
tournament at UFC 16 (under 200 pounds) by defeating Chris Brennan.
Then, at UFC Brazil in 1998, Pat beat TUF 4 star Mikey Burnett
by split decision after 21 minutes of fighting to become the
UFC’s under 200 pounds champion.
After
the UFC re-classed the weight divisions to the current ones,
Miletich lost to Carlos Newton in the new welterweight division.
He had defended his title several times before that and despite
this loss; his career was far from over. At UFC 32 Pat knocked
out another TUF 4 star, Shonie Carter. After some encouragement
from the UFC’s management, Miletich moved up to the middleweight
division because his good friend and student Matt Hughes had
just won the welterweight title from Carlos Newton. He lost to
Matt Lindland in his first fight at the higher weight then took
time off to recover from some nagging injuries. Pat has established
himself as one of the most respected coaches on the planet and
his fight record is just as impressive.
6.
Chuck “The Iceman” Liddell
Everyone
who follows MMA today knows who Chuck Liddell is and what he
is capable of inside the Octagon. He is the only man to knockout
Randy Couture and he did it twice. He has bested Tito Ortiz,
Jeremy Horn, Vitor Belfort, Kevin Randleman, and many other great
UFC fighters. Chuck started his UFC career back at UFC 17, but
his stock did not truly rise until he knocked out Kevin Randleman
at UFC 31. Chuck’s involvement as a coach on the first Ultimate
Fighter season 1 made his already marketable look and personality
more available to newer fans and it paid off for the UFC big
time. His face is now on television more than any other UFC fighter
is now that Xyience sponsors him. It’s hard to watch anything
on Spike TV dealing with the UFC without seeing his name or likeness.
He has done more by being an ambassador for this sport and attracted
more fans than almost all other fighters on the roster attract.
He
was and is a striker in what is traditionally a division full
of wrestlers/grapplers and that makes him even more likeable
to some. Liddell’s decimation of his opponents by his crushing
right hand is his calling card and what people pay $39.95 to
see on their television sets when he is scheduled to appear on
a pay per view. Chuck is also considered the best 205 pound fighter
in the world by a large percentage of MMA media rankings and
most hardcore fans have him in their top spot at that weight.
Chuck
has also helped coin the term, “sprawl and brawl” meaning
that he prefers to win by striking and accomplishes this by doing
whatever it takes to keep it from going to the ground.
Well,
there is part one of the top 10 most influential UFC fighters
of all time. Only five more to go and so many names to choose
from for the final spots that will be filled in later this week.
Stay tuned………
Source: Maxfighting
|
The
Quest for Champions
|
GOT
SKILLS FIGHTER
SATURDAY. NOVEMBER 18.
ILIMA INTERMEDIATE. EWA BEACH.
DOORS OPEN 6.30PM.
TICKET INFO. 779.3237.
PRE-SALE $20. DOOR $25.
THE First EVENT OF IT'S KIND:
IT'S LIKE 3 EVENTS IN 1 ~
FIRST ROUND KICKBOXING.
SECOND ROUND TAKEDOWNS.
THIRD ROUND SUBMISSIONS.
"Do you got the skills to be one of Hawaii's next upcoming
fighters??"
FOR MORE INFO, CHECK OUT:
http://www.gotskills.cc/events.html
SOURCE: Promoter
135
ALAN CORDEIRO (BULLSPEN) vs. COLIN MCKENZIE (TEAM RUTHLESS)
145
DERRICK GALINDO (BULLSPEN) VS. SEAN MATSUMOTO (UNIVERSAL COMBAT
SPORT)
220
HUNTER SEELBINDER (BULLSPEN) VS. KAINOA VILLALON (KNUCKLES FIGHT
TEAM)
185
JASON (BULLSPEN) VS. KALAI IRVINE (UNIVERSAL COMBAT SPORT)
140
DWAYNE HANEY (BULLSPEN) VS. LOREN OTAKE (KNUCKLES FIGHT TEAM)
155
NAINOA CALLAHAN (BULLSPEN) VS. TIKI (FREELANCE)
160
MAKANA FRONDE (BULLSPEN) VS. TBA
135
JACOB FEARS (BULLSPEN) VS. FRANKIE HILONGO (ANIMAL HOUSE)
180
KIMO GALLON (BULLSPEN) VS. RYAN SATELLA (UNIVERSAL COMBAT SPORT)
140
GEORGE CRUZ (TEAM DEVASTATION) VS. JUSTIN (ANIMAL HOUSE)
200
ELROY AKANA (KNUCKLES FIGHT TEAM) VS. TEDDY MAHELONA (UNIVERSAL
COMBAT SPORT)
150
KOA (HARD KNOCKS) VS. MICAH (EWA BEACH GRAPPLING)
175
TYRONE (HARD KNOCKS) VS. DANE GALINDOSE (TEAM RUTHLESS)
125
ARNOLD BERDON (TEAM DEVASTATION) VS. PAUL VARQUEZ (EWA BEACH
GRAPPLING)
230
RICHARD DESFONTE (HARD KOCKS) VS. AUSTIN LORENZO (KNUCKLES FIGHT
TEAM)
250
ALIKA VALOROSO (FREELANCE) VS. CHRIS BERNARD (TEAM RUTHLESS)
145
DEVIN CHONG (HARD KNOCKS) VS. SHAISON LAUPOLA (TEAM RUTHLESS)
113
LENA DELACRUZ (WAIANAE KICKBOXING) VS. KAILIN CURRAN (ANIMAL
HOUSE)
ALL
MATCHES & PARTICIPANTS SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE.
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Punishment
In Paradise
"CHAMPIONS COLLIDE"
Nov 24, 2006 @ Dole Cannery
**MAIN EVENTS**
160lbs.
Superfight
Kaleo
Kwan (Eastsidaz, Waiamanlo) vs. Dain Agbayani (Freelance, Waipahu)
160lbs
Superfight
Harris
Sarimento (808 F.F, Kaneohe) vs. John Visante Jr (Sit You Down,
Waianae)
160lbs.
P.I.P Championship
Kaipo
Cayetano (Smith Taekwondo, Kaneohe) vs. Shaison Laupola (Team
Ruthless, Makaha)
**UNDERCARD**
155lbs
P.I.P Championship
TBA
Vs. Kaipo Gonzales (Team MMAD, Kailua)
175lbs.
P.I.P Championship
Weston
Vitorino (Discples Of Puhi, Kauai) vs. Wayne Perrin III (Team
Bigdogs, Waianae)
185lbs.
P.I.P Championship
Joshua
Ferrira (Freaalance, Makaha) Vs. Tellis Sione (808 F.F, Waipahu)
150lbs
P.I.P Championship
Lorenzo
Moreno (Bulls Pen, Kalihi) vs. Duke Saragosa (808 F.F, Waihiawa)
135lbs.
P.I.P Championship
Bronson
Mohika (808 F.F, Kaneohe) vs. Domi Lopez (Team Bigdogs, Waianae)
130lbs
P.I.P Championship
Colin
Mackenzie (Team Ruthless, Makaha) vs. Jay Bolos (Animal House,
Ewa Beach)
240lbs.
Abel
Rose (Bulls Pen, Kalihi) Vs. Jacob Faâagai (Team Bigdogs,
Waianae)
205lbs.
Curtis
Jones (Dream Team, Waianae) Vs. Kekoa Baker (Fearless F.C, Kapolei)
170lbs.
Koa
Ramos (Eastsidaz, Kailua) vs. Fatu (808 F.F, Waipahu)
165lbs.
Dean
Lista (HMC, Kalihi) vs. Ben Santiago (Sit You Down, Waianae)
140LBS
Christian
Chang (Team Holigan, Molokai) Vs. Bronson Cayetano (Smith Taekwondo,
Kaneohe)
175LBS
Kumu
Kupuni (Team Holigan, Molokai) Vs. Kealora Kanokulani (HMC, Kalihi)
140lbs
Erwin
Celes (Sit You Down, Waianae) vs. Jacob Smith (Smith Taekwondo,
Waianae)
For ticket info call 808-631-8199 or go to the outlets below
TICKETS
ON SALE!!
TICKET OUTLETS
Eastsidaz 723-0773
Koden Kan 351-4898
Jus Rush 620-3004
Jesus Is Lord 282-2232
808 Fight Factory 671-4140
BUY IT ONLINE
www.PIPHAWAII.COM
Source: Promoter
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NAGA
Hawaii
on Jan 14th Has A Venue
On the NAGA website, the poster for the NAGA Hawaii grappling
tournament states that the event will be held at St. Louis High
School Gymnasium. An official annoucement via their newsletter
has not been released, but this is a positive sign that the tournament
that has took a hiatus in Hawaii due to a lack of venue is back.
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