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)
4/27/07
Punishment In Paradise
16
(MMA & Kickboxing)
(Dole Cannery)
3/24/07
Garden Island Cage Match
5
(MMA)
(Kauai)
2/9/07
Punishment In Paradise
15
(MMA & Kickboxing)
(Dole Cannery)
1/14/07
NAGA Hawaii
(BJJ & Sub Grappling)
(Location: TBD)
2006
12/9/06
Grapplers Quest West X
(All Sport Arena, Las Vegas, NV)
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)
11/12/06
Aloha State Championship
of BJJ
(BJJ & Sub Grappling)
11/4/06
Suma
Up Martial Arts (SUMA)
(Kickboxing)
(Blaisdell Arena)
November TBA
RWE
Qualfiers
(MMA)
(Maui)
10/21/06
Pride Fighting Championships:
The Real Deal
(PPV)
(Thomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas, NV)
RWE Qualfiers
(MMA)
(Hilo)
10/14-15/06
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)
10/7/06
Hawaii Fighting Championships: “Stand Your Ground I”
(Kickboxing/Jiu Jitsu/MMA)
(Dole Cannery Ballroom)
10/6/06
X-1 Battlegrounds
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena)
Got Skills 5
(Kickboxing/Boxing & Wrestling/Sub Grappling)
September
ROTR Qualifers
(MMA)
(Maui)
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*** |
|
September 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
The Toughest Show On
Teleivision
Tuesdays at 7:00PM
***NEW TIME***
Olelo Channel 52 on Oahu
Akaku on Maui
Check
out the FCTV website! |
Fight
To Defend Mixed Martial Arts In Hawaii!
The Hawaii Government
is trying to ban or restrict MMA in Hawaii. Please contact your local representative and
let them know that you support MMA in Hawaii. Click the link
below to look up your Representative and his contact info!
HB3223 has been
passed with Amendments. Basically the bill has been rewritten
to create a MMA Commission to regulate MMA in Hawaii and passed
on to the Consumer Protection & Commerce Committee and the
Judiciary Committee for further hearings.
Get
all the details concerning the two MMA Bills by clicking here
|
Got a question for us? Email info@onzuka.com
or click here to send us
an email
Quote
of the Day
"A
good conscience is a continual Christmas."
Benjamin Franklin, 1706-1790, American Scientist/Publisher/Diplomat
|
Many
Thanks!
Thanks
to everyone that called us yesterday to give us contact names
and numbers or offered their services. We really appreciate it!
Onzuka
Brothers
|
Minotouro
talks about Pride GP OW
TATAME.com
crew went to the Brazilian Top Team filial in Rio de Janeiro,
and met Rodrigo Minotauro's brother, the BJJ black belt Rogério
Minotouro, who returned to Brazil on Tuesday with the BTT team,
which was in Japan for the Pride GP Open Weight finals. Minotouro
gave us an exclusive interview and he analyzed his brother defeat
for the American Josh Barnett, talked about the performance of
Wanderlei Silva and Mirko Cro Cop and also about his expectation
about a possible dispute of the Pride medium belt. "I already
proved my potential and I am qualified to dispute this belt.
I am just waiting the Pride put this fight for I can go there
and get this belt from Wanderlei", he said.
Source: Tatame
|
Is
PRIDE doing a reality TV show?
By Zach Arnold
Japanese
blogger Gryphon has picked up on a lead that Ed Fishman, the
rumored Las Vegas backer for PRIDE, is going to try to pitch
a new PRIDE reality show for TV in America.
If
this is true, it makes PRIDE look like a copycat to UFC as far
as what PRIDE’s American mindset is. UFC was on Fox Sports
Net several years ago, then PRIDE goes on board to FSN. UFC has
a couple of years of success with their reality show, now PRIDE
apparently wants to get into reality TV. Will it work as well
for PRIDE as it has for UFC?
Meanwhile,
Daily Sports indicates that DSE is trying to get Mike Tyson to
fight for them on New Year’s Eve — but the fight won’t
happen in Japan, and instead will have to occur in another country
(not Japan).
Source: Fight Opinion
|
Tyson
analyses Wilson Gouveia at UFC
The
former Boxing world champion Mike Tyson is each day more involved
at the MMA world. After talk about Leo Chocolate performance
at Cage Fighting Championship, in March, he got impressed with
the game of the Brazilian fighter Wilson Gouveia, who submitted
Wes Combs with a rear naked choke at 3min23s of the first round,
at UFC 62, on August 26th. "Tyson liked Wilson Gouveia's
Boxing during the event", said the physical trainer of ATT
André Vinícius Aurnheimer, the Benkei, talking
about the possibility of the American goes to his team. "He
thinks that in the future he could fight MMA. And knows also
ATT has a most aggressive style than the other teams with their
origin on the ground. But this is nothing about ATT.", said
him.
Source: Tatame
|
Quote
of the Day
"Laughter
is the sun that drives winter from the human face."
Victor Hugo, 1802-1885, French Poet/Dramatist/Novelist
|
Plumbers
Needed
We are
in the need of a plumbing estimate to add a bathroom and possibly
a shower to an existing commercial building. We would need a
licensed plumber that has the qualifications to apply for a building
permit or at least be able to sign on as a plumbing contractor
on a building permit.
If
you know of someone, please have them shoot us an email or give us a call
(381-9530 Mike and 381-5959 Chris) ASAP!
We
are not against union workers, but if you also know of non-union
inexpensive plumbing companies or businesses, please forward
their information as well.
Every
time we have made a request on our page, our readers never have
let us down.
Thanks in advance! |
Icon
Sport Signs Frank Trigg vs. Mayhem Miller
September 18, 2006 Honolulu, HI. Frank “Twinkle Toes”
Trigg, the former number one U.F.C. welterweight contender, is
back. And he’s hoping to stop the “Mayhem.”
On Friday, December 1st Trigg will square off with Jason “Mayhem”
Miller for the Icon Sport World Middleweight Title. This will
be Mayhem’s first title defense in the middleweight division.
Like Mayhem and Robbie Lawler before him, Trigg is moving up
from welterweight (170lbs) to middleweight (185lbs) in Icon Spot.
Trigg recently considered retiring from MMA, but his non-stop
training regimen indicates that he is anything but retired. In
the last few months Trigg has intensified his workouts under
legendary grappler and trainer Rico Chiapparelli. He has also
focused on strength training, and is rumored to be both fit and
agile at 200-plus pounds.
When not training, Trigg serves as the color commentator for
Pride Fighting Championships broadcasts on Fox Sports Net.
Icon Sport Founder/President T. Jay Thompson commented on Trigg
vs. Mayhem:
“Trigg has all the tools to become the next Icon Sport Middleweight
Champion. He excels at doing damage from the top position. And
we saw what happened when Lawler got on top of Mayhem in that
now-infamous second round of their bout…Lawler nearly finished
the fight right there. Mayhem will be in real trouble if he finds
himself under someone who has the wrestling and ground-and-pound
skills of Trigg. Trigg vs. Mayhem will be an absolute war.”
The December 1st Icon Sport event, which will be named “Unstoppable,”
will be one of the biggest MMA events of the year.
- Robbie Lawler returns looking for a victory so that he may
fight the winner of Trigg vs. Mayhem and regain his former Icon
champion status.
- Former Icon champion Falaniko Vitale comes home to the organization’s
light heavy weight division (205lbs), a class better suited for
his large stature.
- The Icon Sport North American Welterweight Title fight between
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Black Belt Jay Jack and local Brown Belt
Sidney Silva promises to be a dazzling showcase of adept ground
fighting and submissions.
- In what is already one of the most-talked-about local match-ups
in years, Mark Oshiro takes on undefeated up-and-comer Tyson
Nam for the Icon Sport State Bantamweight (135lbs) Title. Icon
Sport may move this bout to co-main event, based upon the local
interest.
- Twelve bouts are scheduled for Icon Sport: Unstoppable on December
1st.
WHO: Frank “Twinkle Toes” Trigg vs. Jason “Mayhem”
Miller
WHAT: Icon Sport: Unstoppable
WHEN: 7:30pm, Friday, December 1st
WHERE: Blaisdell Arena, Honolulu
TICKETS: On sale September 30th at Ticketmaster and outlets.
|
Rudimar:
Soon u will see Silva again
Chute
Boxe's leader Rudimar Fedrigo just came back from Japan, where
we went to watch the final of the Pride GP Open Weight and he
wanted to talk about the gossips about Wanderlei's injuries after
his fight against Mirko Cro Cop and that Wand would be possible
one year out of the event. "Wanderlei didn't have a serious
injury and he is already asking for the next bouts", said
the leader of the Curitiba team.
Even
felling very sad with the defeat of the biggest star of the team,
Rudimar said he is proud about how his athlete fought. "Lost
and win is part of the fighter career who doesn't choose his
opponents, like Wanderlei does. The biggest prove of this fact
is that the audience and the Japanese press said several times
that Wanderlei is really brave of getting in this match with
heavier athletes. Unfortunately was Cro Cop's night", analyzed
Fedrigo taking the fans calm. "You will see Silva back in
the rings really soon".
Source: Tatame
|
ERIN
TOUGHILL WINS IN HER U.S. MMA DEBUT
You know it’s a great night when not a single fight goes
the distance or, for that matter, even making it to the third
round. Such was the case Friday night when Valor Fighting presented
“Showdown at Cache Creek II” in Brooks, CA. With nine
MMA fights and less than half of those seeing a second round,
you would think the energy in the room would have the entire
crowd cheering at the top of their lungs, and for the most part
that held true although there were some exceptions. On more than
one occasion that evening the crowd turned from cheers to jeers
at what I can only assume they thought were early stoppages by
the referee. I can’t say that in any of the instances where
the crowd went sour that I was an agreement with them. Being
a referee is a thankless job and you have to make decisions in
fractions of a second and from my ringside seat, both referees
did a great job. A referee’s job is to insure the safety
of the fighters, not play marionette to the crowd’s whim.
Even though the refs may be the true targets for the smattering
of boos, it’s always disheartening to watch a crowd deflate
a great win for a fighter. Frank Mir winning the UFC heavyweight
title is a great example of this, as was Erin Toughill’s
U.S. MMA debut this Friday night.
The
co-main event for the evening, and the reason I traveled 450+
miles, was a women’s bout between Erin Toughill and undefeated
Jen Case. Although Toughill may already have 9 pro MMA fights
under her belt this was the first time she’d be competing
in an MMA event on U.S. soil. I made the trek expecting a very
competitive and exciting fight and I was not let down one bit.
From the opening bell both women put it on the line, Toughill
being the more experienced striker (with 12 pro boxing matches)
it was no surprise that she was more than comfortable in keeping
the fight on their feet but Case was no one to be bullied, landing
two great high kicks of her own. From the clinch neither women
appeared to have the clear cut advantage both landing knee strikes
but it was from this position that the fight was able to transition
to the ground. Don’t let the boxing credentials fool you,
Toughill has some great grappling skills and she displayed them
by going for the only solid submission attempts of the fight.
Case defended well and was able to escape all 3 submission attempts
including an armbar that would have made Tim Sylvia tap.
The
last two minutes of the fight was a great back and forth battle
with each opponent mounting the other and going for the finish,
the crowd loved every minute of it and had no problem verbalizing
it. At 2:22 of the second round, referee George Adkins jumped
in between Toughill and a mounted Jen Case when Case apparently
verbally submitted from a barrage of punches, the crowd was not
happy. Visions of a distraught Frank Mir entered my head as Erin
Toughill stood in the center of the ring with her arm raised,
winning her U.S. debut amidst a chorus of boos. Upon speaking
to Toughill at the end of the night it was apparent that the
crowd’s reaction had certainly gotten to her and she was
visibly disappointed. Having endured the passing of a family
member while training for this fight, she showed true heart and
it’s unfortunate that her coming out party wasn’t able
to sit better with her at the end of the night.
In
the main event of the evening Ruben “Warpath” Villareal
took on, Season 2 Ultimate Fighter, Mike Whitehead. Villareal
threw some heavy punches right out of the gate but Whitehead
was having no part of it and shot in on Warpath’s legs quickly.
Whitehead had a little bit of trouble in taking him down so instead
he opted to take him up, lifting him high for a huge slam ala
Matt Hughes. Landing in side control Whitehead left Villareal
no room to escape and immediately started working for the keylock.
After a couple unsuccessful attempts at bumping Whitehead off,
Villareal had no choice but to tap at just over the minute mark
of the first round.
After
suffering the first loss of his career last year it has been
an up and down road for James Irvin winning only 3 of his last
7 fights. His last fight with Bobby Southworth was ruled a No
Contest after falling through an unlocked cage door at the Strikeforce
event in June and a good hometown win this weekend will do him
some good. His opponent Gary LaFranchi was obviously outmatched
but that didn’t stop him from being the aggressor in the
opening seconds of the bout. Despite his penchant for knockouts,
Irvin took LaFranchi down and took the mount position where he
carefully picked his punches before settling on an armbar at
only 1:47 of the first round.
FULL
RESULTS
Mike Whitehead def. Ruben Villareal - Keylock - Rd. 1 - 1:02
Erin Toughill def. Jen Case - TKO - Rd. 2 - 2:22
James Irvin def. Gary LaFranchi - Armbar - Rd. 1 - 1:47
Clint Blake def. John Martinez - Triangle Choke - Rd. 1 - 2:03
Travis LeBurn def. Troy Acker - KO - Rd. 2 - 1:20
Marcus Gaines def. John Pop - KO - Rd. 2 - 1:45
Rick Cayo def. Louie Moreno - TKO - Rd. 2 - 3:13
Rick Randolph def. Richard Blake - Rear Naked Choke - Rd. 1 -
1:37
Clark Bevans def. Larry Rodriguez - TKO - Rd. 1 - 2:55
Source: MMA Weekly
|
K-1
EVENT TO PREMIERE IN U.S. WITH 1-MONTH DELAY
The opening round of this year's K-1 World Grand Prix will be
available on American pay-per-view outlets, but not until four
weeks after the event takes place in Japan.
The
field of sixteen remaining fighters from across the world will
be narrowed down to eight on September 30th at the "Final
Elimination" event in Osaka, Japan, and the event will debut
on United States pay-per-view outlets on Friday, October 27th.
Like previous K-1 PPVs, this event will be three hours long and
will carry a suggested retail price of $29.95.
In
addition, Doug Jacobs of Integrated Sports, the company that
distributes K-1's PPV events in the United States, tells MMAWeekly
that the company will be distributing the October 9th K-1 Hero's
event on American PPV, although a premiere date has not been
set. The Hero's MMA event in question is not on the schedule
for October, so the earliest that it could possibly premiere
on American PPV is November 1st.
Jacobs
also said that Integrated Sports plans to distribute the K-1
World Grand Prix Finals on American PPV. The event takes place
on November 25th in Tokyo, Japan, and a PPV premiere date for
the United States has not yet been set. On this event every year,
the field is narrowed from eight quarter-finalists to one World
Grand Prix Champion, and it was MMA veteran Semmy Schilt who
won the crown last year.
The
annual K-1 Dynamite show, which takes place every year on December
31st, will also be distributed on American PPV at some point,
but once again a premiere date has not been set.
While
the next two major K-1 events (Final Elimination Hero's) will
have significant tape delays in the United States, Jacobs said
that Integrated Sports plans to air K-1's events on American
PPV with shorter tape delays in the future. Jacobs said, "We
will certainly try to do future US-based shows live. As far as
Japan shows, we are exploring same-day delay and quick turnaround
delay."
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Quote
of the Day
"The
best way to predict the future is to create it."
Peter F. Drucker, American Management Consultant and Author
|
Cro
Cop: A Class Act and a Resilient Challenger
“Right leg, hospital. Left leg, cemetery.”
Those
are the now infamous words that Mirko Filipovic better known
as “Cro Cop” uttered so stone faced a short while ago.
This statement isn’t too far from the truth. Just ask Wanderlei
Silva whom he faced on the recent Open Weight Grand Prix card
in the Pride FC organization. Mirko made Wanderlei look much
like Babalu did against Chuck Liddell. After a bruised and battered
Silva had blocked several hard body shots, Cro Cop launched his
ballistic, trademark left high kick and knocked him senseless.
It’s not like Silva isn’t a world class fighter. He
is the Pride middleweight champion after all. It’s just
that on this night, Cro Cop was so much faster and for lack of
a better term, better.
After
aggressively dispatching Silva, he dominated world-class fighter
Josh Barnett making this the third time in his career Mirko defeated
him. Barnett had beaten one of the greatest heavyweights of all
time, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, in a split decision earlier that
night to make it to the finals along with Filipovic. After beating
Josh, Cro Cop established himself as the number two heavyweight
in the world by all accounts and now he has his sights set on
number one. Fedor Emilianenko.
Fedor
and Cro Cop met on August 28, 2005 at Pride’s Final Conflict
show. The fight was an epic battle that saw both men win some
exchanges and gain better positions. Fedor Emilianenko is not
considered the best fighter on the planet (universe if you visit
MMA forums) by mistake and he proved it in this fight. The closer
it got to the final bell, the stronger Emilianenko got. It was
like a building wave of energy and dominance that hit a crescendo
when Fedor once again raised his hands in victory and Mirko’s
aspirations at becoming the world champion were crushed.
Rebounding,
Filipovic would win against Barnett for the second time in his
career at Pride 30: Fully Loaded by unanimous decision. It seemed
like his career was on the right track and aimed at a rematch
with Fedor down the road, but those thoughts were put on hold.
In his next fight, he would lose a split decision to granite
chinned power puncher Mark Hunt, which could have been called
either way in my opinion. Hunt deserved the win I am not disputing
that. I am saying it was a close fight and I wouldn’t have
been upset if they gave the nod to Mirko. It was a disappointing
setback for him, but again he would show his resiliency.
After
the Hunt loss, Cro Cop would defeat Ikuhisa Minowa and Hidehiko
Yoshida in May and July of this year respectively. It was a boost
he badly needed because shortly before these fights, the rumors
were that he made some comments regarding a possible retirement.
Thankfully, they were just rumors.
Cro
Cop had plenty of momentum going in to this weekend’s finals
of the OWGP and he made the most of it. With his confidence back
he fought like a man possessed and on his 32nd birthday he became
the OWGP champion. In a post fight interview he said he was disappointed
that Fedor Emilianenko was not in the tournament, but acknowledged
Emilianenko’s injured status. He said that no one could
stop him on this night, “no one”. “Not even Fedor.”
I agreed after seeing his incredible performance.
It
looks as if there will be a Cro Cop vs. Fedor rematch very soon.
Emilianenko has a fight against Mark Coleman coming up on Pride’s
first American show this October so Filipovic will have to wait
for his rematch. When it happens, many believe the unbeatable
cyborg named Fedor may finally be disassembled by Mirko “Cro
Cop” Filipovic. I cannot wait to see these two polished
professionals go at it one more time.
When
asked what it meant when he was crying at the final ceremony
Mirko simply stated, “It means nothing. It means that I
am just a human being”. To some he is more, to some he is
an inspiration, to fighters he is a role model, and to fans,
he is worth the price of admission. Call him what you want, but
Mirko Filipovic is definitely a class act.
Source: Maxfighting
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THE
WORLD FIGHTER GOING BIG, FAST
Like most new fighting promotions, the rumors started to slowly
trickle in about The World Fighter Championships. But with Cesar
Gracie in charge of matchmaking duties and the signing of Frank
Shamrock to a multi-million dollar deal, the pace picked up quickly.
The World Fighter is here and aiming straight for the top spot
in mixed martial arts.
Gracie
announced his position with the company and the signing of Frank
Shamrock on his website, GracieFighter.com, and days later, Sherdog.com
published the confirmation from Shamrock that his deal with The
World Fighter was a one-year, multi-million dollar proposition.
The rumors then started to peak.
As
a guest on MMAWeekly.com’s SoundOff Radio with Damon Martin
and Jeff Cain, Gracie put the rumors to rest and discussed the
new promotion, their plans, and some of the fighters that they
have already signed and who they are going after.
Obviously,
with the signing of Shamrock, The World Fighter is not looking
at taking things slow. “They’ve got some pretty lofty
ideas,” said Gracie.
The
premise is to have a 16-man tournament in each weight class to
determine a champion. Each show will consist of tournament fights,
plus a super-fight, thus, the signing of Shamrock.
“The
Shamrock name has been here for a long time… a lot of people
remember him from the old UFC days. He’s a very exciting
fighter… Ken was another one, they sell shows when he fights,”
said Gracie in reference to the need to have a big name draw
right away because The World Fighter intends to be on pay-per-view
from the start. “We’re doing a pay-per-view deal. There
are two different networks with offers on the table.”
Gracie
and The World Fighter president Jason Aiello are fully aware
that to make a splash on the MMA scene in the United States,
they have to go after top-tier talent. In addition to signing
Shamrock, Gracie has gone after many other name fighters, not
all of which he would reveal.
“There
are a couple of bigger names that I’m not really allowed
to announce right now. There are contracts sitting on some people's
tables right now. I just got off the phone with Matt Lindland's
manager not too long ago. I'd love to have that happen. I think
he's a really good fighter,” said Gracie, naming some of
the fighters they are going after. “Joey Villasenor has
shown a lot of interest. We sent him out a contract. We're trying
to get the better fighters.”
He
also knows that getting the top guys in the world isn’t
going to be easy, “Obviously, the best of the best, a lot
of the known names... we're not going to get Chuck Liddell right
now, or whoever, because they're signed on to the UFC. If this
thing grows like I think it's going to, when their contracts
are ending, I think they're going to be jumping over.”
Gracie
has already signed quite a few highly regarded fighters though.
“[Former StrikeForce champion] Clay Guida is doing it,”
he said, as well as confirming the signing of many of his own
fighters including MMAWeekly.com’s seventh-ranked welterweight
Jake Shields and tenth-ranked Nick Diaz along with Nick’s
brother Nathan Diaz.
The
thing that, if they are able to sustain it, could really bring
the fighters flocking to The World Fighter is money. Shamrock
is a good example of the kind of money that they are willing
to put forth, but Gracie said that the fighters that compete
for them will be compensated at a level that he feels they deserve.
“The
winner of the tournament… you make over 2 million dollars
on a weight class. That kind of money is huge. A lot of people
kind of scoffed at that, but if you look at how much the top
pro boxers make, they make $20 million a fight,” commented
Gracie. “This thing is really going mainstream. As the money
comes in, the sponsors coming in, it becomes more and more popular
in the United States; there's no reason the fighters shouldn't
make what they're worth.”
Of
course, a lot of this type of sentiment has been expressed before.
Is The World Fighter really going to have the funding to pull
this off or are they relying on future monies coming in from
sponsors yet to be secured?
Gracie
sounded assured that the money is there now. “With my talks
with Mr. Aiello, I believe they’ve already got the money
together for the first two or three shows already in the coffers.
He’s a financier, so he’s been getting more and more
people committed to it. So, the money for the first couple of
shows is already in there.”
With
such big money being thrown around, it’s likely that most
fans and industry insiders will remain a bit skeptical until
The World Fighter actually starts putting on shows and proving
its worth. But we shouldn’t have long to wait as they plan
on their first event, featuring Frank Shamrock in a soon to be
announced headline bout, to take place in Las Vegas and on pay-per-view
early in 2007.
Source: MMA Weekly
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ALEX
REID TALKS ABOUT FRYKLUND, NINJA, AND WEIR
Alex Reid is a fighter predominantly known in the UK circles,
but the charismatic Brit is starting to attract marquee fights
in the Cage Rage promotion, and his performances are attracting
the attention of international promotions.
Reid
is currently scheduled to fight Miletich team member Tony Fryklund
at the Cage Rage show on September 30th. I managed to catch up
with Reid following a grueling training session at the London
Shootfighters stable...
MMAWeekly:
You were originally scheduled to fight Mark Weir for the third
time. How did the [Tony] Fryklund fight come about?
Alex
Reid: Get this, I was originally offered Ninja [Murilo Rua],
but since Weir is back fighting here, he refused the third fight
with me and ended up with the Ninja fight. I would have liked
to have fought Weir again, but he doesn't want to fight me. They
then offered me Fryklund, who is a tough guy. He has fought some
really tough guys and hasn't really had the best of luck, but
he is coming of the back of a couple of wins. I am looking forward
to it.
MMAWeekly:
Do you think you will ever get the third match with Weir?
Alex
Reid: Pfff, Weir doesn't want the fight. I like Weir and I support
him when he fights but fighting is a business and I want that
title. There has been a lot of shit on the internet forums about
comments Weir has made about London Shootfighters and that he
thinks his camp [Range Fighting] is a better one – if you
don’t like someone then fine but don’t slag a whole
camp. And on top of that you have Matt Ewin out there talking
shit trying to get another fight with me as well, and he's one
of Weir's guys. With Weir I lost the first fight then they stopped
the second on a cut. I will get that fight and I want that title
[Cage Rage British Middleweight Title].
MMAWeekly:
Do you think that if you beat Fryklund and he gets past Ninja,
the title fight will happen?
Alex
Reid: When I beat Fryklund and if he beats Ninja, then yes, it
has to happen. I want that title...
MMAWeekly:
Realistically, with Weir getting ever closer to 40, how much
longer do you think he has left in him?
Alex
Reid: You know, that's a really interesting question. Maybe a
couple of years, if that. Like I said, I like watching Weir fight,
but I recently saw the [Denis] Kang fight and it really opened
my eyes. Kang really showed [Weir's] vulnerabilities. Then I
heard Weir at Contenders and it just makes me think about how
much he wants this anymore.
MMAWeekly:
So looking at it, with Matt Ewin talking smack, what incentive
is there for you to fight him when you're being offered guys
like Fryklund, Daijiro Matsui, Dave Menne, and Ninja?
Alex
Reid: Exactly! There isn't, and it makes me annoyed... that guy
is a plonker. He goes around saying all this shit, yet I beat
him once already. He wants another match, but the same thing
will happen. Weir is the fight I want, not Ewin. The funny think
is when I was in Thailand I saw [Ewin's] last fight on TV along
with the rest of the world seeing him get his ass beaten up!
I love that fact, that everyone in the world saw it.
MMAWeekly:
So what were you doing in Thailand?
Alex
Reid: I teach MMA over there in the Tiger MMA academy, so I kinda
took a bit of a holiday and trained the MMA class out there.
I was there for three months.
MMAWeekly:
Moving on to the Fryklund fight, do you think he will try and
follow the pattern of your last fights?
Alex
Reid: Well, Fryklund is predominantly a brawler, a tenacious
scrapper. I know he's tough and I know he trains out of the Miletich
camp. He knows submissions, but I see him coming in for a scrap
and I see me landing vicious leg kicks all the way.
MMAWeekly:
Do you think reach will be an advantage?
Alex
Reid: I have a better reach, but he is a real brawler. I don't
wanna get into a brawl with him. I have prepared for every eventuality,
but I want to pick him apart with superior technique and overwhelm
him completely.
MMAWeekly:
You don't think he will come in and just try to put you on your
back?
Alex
Reid: Well, the Menne fight highlighted that I needed to modify
my training. I mean, I landed way more damage on him. He was
f---ed at the end of the fight! The thing being that fights are
scored more on position, and that's how Menne was fighting, looking
for the takedown and scoring points. I was landing way more shots
and at three separate occasions in the fight, I threw my hands
to the side to try and get the ref to stand us back up. He wasn't
doing much. I was trying to rope-a-dope... Right at the end of
the fight, I landed three solid shots, a knee and two punches.
The bell went, and I was like, "Mother f---er, if I would
have had maybe 10, 15, 30 seconds more I could've finished that
fight, but it just wasn't my day!
MMAWeekly:
I know you had interest for TUF 3 but were fighting that same
weekend (Daijiro Matsui). Have you had any further UFC dealings
since they announced European expansion plans?
Alex
Reid: Not with the UFC, but I have been in contact with K-1 Heros.
I was offered a choice of two fights with them by Paul Hommesey.
Basically, he called me up and asked if I could fly to Tokyo
to square off with either Carlos Newton or Melvin Manhoef. The
notice was too short to make $10K revenue worthwhile. I mean,
I thought, "F--k it, I am interested, I'll get in there
and fight anyone." I am sure that every fighter says this,
but when I feel on top of my game, I really feel I can beat anyone.
But in the end I didn't want to ruin my chances of putting on
a great fight because of the short notice to get prepared. The
funny thing is this isn't the first time with K-1 anyway, as
I was there for the Vegas tryouts at the Mirage Casino Hotel.
MMAWeekly:
Finally, looking at the life of an MMA fighter in the UK, is
it financially viable?
Alex
Reid: The money could definitely be better. I mean, it's not
cheap to train. The guys at Shoot are great, but I live 40 miles
away from them... petrol, food, all that stuff comes into it,
but I run my own business anyway and that’s how we do it.
I train MMA and personal training at Reidinator Vale Tudo [laughs]...
kind of like Ruas Vale Tudo, but with the Reidinator...
MMAWeekly:
Alex, great speaking to you. Best of luck against Fryklund.
Alex
Reid: Cheers, man.
Source: MMA Weekly
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Quote
of the Day
"Never
a lip is curved with pain that can't be kissed into smiles again."
Bret Harte, 1839-1902, American Author and Poet
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HLTC
Olympic Sport Taekwondo Seminar - Maui
Date:
October 14th, 2006
Time:
9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Location:
Kihei Public Charter School Auditorium – 300 Ohukai Road
#209- Kihei, Maui
Presenter:
High Level Training Center – Herb Perez, 1992 Olympic Gold
Medalist
Cost:
$50 per participant, pre-registration is required and space is
limited.
Sponsors:
South Maui Learning Ohana and Hawaii Optimum Sport Training
Host:
Maui Taekwondo and Hapkido Center
Contact:
Betty Silvira-Donald, 875-7499 or bsd@mauitaekwondo.com
Info:
www.mauitaekwond.com/events
General
Information:
Maui
Taekwondo was recently named the official High Level Training
Center provider for the Hawaiian region. High Level Training
Centers are focused on delivering cutting edge training methods
to Olympic sport taekwondo athletes nation wide. Seminars and
camps centered on raising the level of expertise among local
athletes will elevate skill levels at the grass roots level.
Hawaii’s taekwondo athletes struggle to gain valuable experience
because travel is so expensive. This program will bring exclusive
training camps and seminars to Maui, making it much easier for
our Hawaii competitors to gain important experience. For more
information about sport taekwondo training camps and seminars
please call Betty Silvira-Donald at 875-7499.
Mahalo,
BSD
Source:
Betty Silvira-Donald
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MMA
TELEVISION GUIDE LAUNCHES ON MMAWEEKLY
MMAWeekly is pleased to announce the launch of MMA Television
Guide, a free service provided by MMAWeekly.com.
This
new section of MMAWeekly features the most detailed listings
in existence of MMA-related television programming in the United
States.
Among
the events included in this section are full listings for every
premiere and replay airing of pay-per-view events produced by
the UFC, Pride, WFA, K-1, and King of the Cage; along with full
listings for all premiere and replay airings of TV shows produced
by the UFC, IFL, and Pride. When new groups emerge in the future
to produce events that are available on national television and/or
pay-per-view, they will be also covered extensively in this section.
Do
you want to know when the most recent episode of The Ultimate
Fighter is replaying next on Spike TV? Do you want to know when
the Pride Grand Prix Finals event is replaying on pay-per-view?
Do you want to know when the IFL's next TV show airs on your
particular Fox Sports Net affiliate? These are just a few of
the numerous things that you'll be able to find in our MMA Television
Guide.
With
so much MMA-related programming on both pay-per-view and cable
television, there is hardly a day that goes by in which there
isn't at least one MMA event airing on at least one nationally
available outlet. MMA Television Guide will be your complete
guide to all of these events.
The
interface of MMA Television Guide provides a calendar overview
of any given month, and you can always click on any of the event
titles for more listing information on any specific event, including
the length of the broadcast, as well as the price for PPV events.
Source: MMA Weekly
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Anatomy
of a Championship: Franklin vs. Silva
By Sean McClure
Rich Franklin is one of the biggest names in mixed martial arts
right now. The current UFC middleweight champion sports one loss
to Ryoto Machida, but that was before beginning his training
with UFC lightweight contender Jorge Gurgel. Rich once told me
that he was almost to the point of quitting at one point because
doors just weren’t opening for him. Fate stepped in thankfully,
and we have a charismatic, hard working, and down to earth champion.
I
will be the first to admit that his list of title defenses is
pretty weak compared to the other title holders in the UFC. That’s
not Rich’s fault, not at all. Nate Quarry, was rushed in
to a title shot and then number one contender, David Loiseau.
Loiseau was given a good chance of beating Franklin before the
fight, but was quickly squashed by the well-rounded champion.
Rich broke his hand in this fight and severely injured his foot
as well. Despite this Rich dominated all five rounds and proved
to everyone that he was deserving of the accolades he was receiving.
This wasn’t the first time Rich Franklin has controlled
a fight. Franklin dominated Evan Tanner so fiercely that it ended
up forcing the doctors to stop the fight. Franklin thrashed Edwin
Dewees, decimated Ken Shamrock, and submitted Jorge Rivera. Jorge
had only been submitted once in his career before this fight
and that came at the hands of the very talented Lee Murray. It
has not been an easy road for Rich and he has earned his way
to the number one spot on most all middleweight top 10 lists.
He wins by whatever way presents itself. His latest challenge
may be the defining moment in his championship career. The UFC
wasted no time in placing top competition in front of him. Coming
off his injuries At UFC 64 on October 14th, Rich Franklin will
face a very dangerous Anderson “The Spider” Silva.
Anderson
Silva is an extremely talented striker. He has faced some of
the best that the world has to offer and has come out on top
most all of the time. Silva has beaten names like Jeremy Horn,
Lee Murray, Tony Fryklund, Carlos Newton, and Hayato Sakurai.
A list of names that many fighters have fallen to over the past
couple of years. He wins by consistent pressure and by pushing
the pace of the fight to match his aggressive style. There is
no down time for Silva. He will keep coming until the fight is
over win or lose.
Franklin’s
keys to winning this fight are simple. Don’t get caught
with your hands down and take this fight to the ground. I am
not saying that Rich’s hands aren’t just as good as
Silva’s or better. I believe they are better, by the way.
I think that he is much more talented than Anderson on the ground.
Rich controlled the fight on the canvas with Dewees, Loiseau,
and just about everyone else he has faced. This isn’t by
accident. Rich trains with Brazilian jiu jitsu black belt Jorge
Gurgel and is currently a brown belt under the talented Brazilian.
Jorge’s school sees professional fighters visit all of the
time. Joe Riggs, Tim Sylvia, Marcus Davis, Mike Patt, and many
other fighters have been on the mat with Franklin. They know
he has the skills to win this fight handily if it makes it to
the mat. The key word is “if”. I guarantee you that
Anderson Silva has other plans.
Silva
has the nickname “The Spider” for a reason. He is lanky
and what I would call “slippery”. If you were to search
for one of his videos on a popular video upload site you would
see why. He is a bit like UFC light heavyweight Chuck Liddell
in that he always seems to get back to his feet. He slipped inside
of Chris Leben’s hooking punches and picked him apart in
less than a minute at Ultimate Fight Night 5. He is not to be
taken lightly. Ask the 9 TKO’s in his list of wins, the
2 submission victories, and the 5 decision nods he has gotten
in his career. Silva has heavy hands and they are accurate to
boot. His strength is not reflected enough by his size. Silva
is deceptively strong despite his thin appearance. You don’t
dispatch a granite chinned Chris Leben in such a brutal fashion
without strength behind your punches. In this fight though, size
will matter.
Rich
has a lot going for him. The biggest thing being that he is huge
for a middleweight. Rich consistently drops from 215+ to 185
pounds. Rich comes in to his fights weighing significantly more
than his opponents on a regular basis. The same can be said though
of fighters like Joe Riggs, Matt Lindland, Chuck Liddell, Tito
Ortiz, and many others. Size is a factor, but Rich’s true
strength is well…his strength. By now you have probably
seen the UFC all access that featured Franklin. You know the
one that showed his grueling workout routines? It opened a lot
of eyes to his dedication and skill level. If Rich can take advantage
of these size and strength advantages, he will emerge the victor
and remain the UFC middleweight champion.
When
October 14th arrives the questions will be answered. Does Anderson
Silva have enough power and strength to knockout Rich Franklin?
Will Franklin stand and trade with him or will he try and win
this fight on the ground? Is Rich’s hand one hundred percent?
Whose hand will be raised at the end of the night? Right now
it’s anyone’s guess.
Source: Maxfighting
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Louisiana
politician tries to ban MMA
After last year’s debacles in Boston and Taunton, MA. to
try to ban MMA (along with the troubles in the Dakotas), this
year provides us with larger areas trying to ban the industry.
First, it was Eugene (Oregon). Second, it was Kentucky. Now,
it’s Louisiana, a state that once featured a UFC event in
Lake Charles.
The
Daily Advertiser reports that Louisiana State Rep. Emile “Peppi”
Bruneau (spelled Bruno in the article) called the state attorney
general to get MMA banned in the state. The boxing commission,
which oversees MMA regulation in the state, is completely against
Bruneau’s attempts to ban the sport. Here is the home
page for Mr. Bruneau.
Source: Fight Opinion
Bruno makes
push to erase mixed martial arts
State representative trying to ban events with MMA.
Brady Aymond
baymond@theadvertiser.com
This
weekend's "September to Remember" boxing/MMA card will
certainly be one for the history books.
But it may also be the last of its kind - if State Representative
Peppi Bruno has his way.
Saturday's card at Blackham Coliseum, presented by Dana Pitcher
Productions, will be the first of its kind, having both boxing
and mixed martial arts featured.
But
Bruno wants MMA banned in Louisiana, meaning cards like this
could be merely a memory.
"Basically what you have is a representative calling the
attorney general (Charles C. Foti, Jr.) concerned about mixed
technique fighting," Louisiana State Boxing Commission Chairman
Buddy Embanato said. "I think what he thought was this was
'Toughman Competitions.'
"These
fights are all sanctioned by the boxing commission. The rules
are all in place for the safety of the fighters.
Alvin
Topham, who served on the boxing commission for 18 years, said
Bruno's argument is really about semantics.
"There
is no law that says you cannot have a mixed martial arts contest,"
Topham said. "So, if it's legal, which it currently is,
someone has to govern it, and that body is the boxing commission.
There is no mixed martial arts commission, it falls under the
umbrella of the boxing commission.
"The
right thing is to let the boxing commission handle these affairs.
That's why you have a boxing commission. I'm not really worried
about it. We have enough smart people that will figure out that
it needs to be regulated."
Topham
says in other states which allow MMA fights, the boxing commissions
handle those events.
"In
Nevada, New Jersey, California, name a state that has mixed martial
arts, you'll find that the governing body is the boxing commission,"
Topham said. "Even in states that don't have a boxing commission,
the group that oversees boxing also oversees the MMA competitions."
Saturday's
card features six scheduled boxing bouts and six scheduled MMA
bouts, the first of its kind in Louisiana.
"We
think it's a great opportunity for fans of both to experience
both," Embanato said. "And it's an opportunity for
boxing fans to see what MMA is about and vice versa."
And
Topham says, despite the concern from Bruno, MMA will continue
to grow in Louisiana, prompting more cards like Saturday's.
"It's
evolved so much since its early days," Topham said. "It's
no longer the bare-knuckled, legal street fight. The fighters
wear gloves, there are rules in place to protect the fighters.
These guys are not going out and fighting for $1000 anymore,
they're fighting for $500,000 purses.
"I
think a lot of the concern is because people hear MMA and think
about those early days. The sport has changed, the athletes have
changed. It's a fascinating sport and I think the people that
come out Saturday will see that."
Source:
The Daily Advertiser (Louisiana)
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