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(All events on Oahu, unless noted)
2007
11/10/07
Aloha State
Championship of BJJ
(BJJ/Sub Grappling)
(Klum Gym UH Manoa)
10/6/07
Punishment
In Paradise 18
(MMA &
Kickboxing)
(Dole Cannery)
7/28/07
Maui Jiu-Jitsu Tournament
(BJJ & Sub Grappling)
(Maui War Memorial Gymnasium, Wailuku, Maui)
7/13/07
Punishment
In Paradise 17
(MMA & Kickboxing)
(Dole Cannery)
6/23/06
Ultimate Fight Night
(BJ Penn vs Jens Pulver)
(Spike TV)
6/22/07
Got
Skills
(Kickboxing/MMA)
(Waipahu Filcom)
6/16/07
Hawaiian Open of BJJ
(BJJ/Sub Grappling)
(Klum Gym UH Manoa)
6/3/07
The Quest for Champions 2007
(Sport-Pankration, Submission-Grappling, Continuous Sparring
and Sport-Jujitsu)
(Saint Louis High School Gym)
5/26/07
Memorial Day Mayhem
(Boxing)
(Kalaheo High School Gym)
5/20/07
Pride
Fighting Championships:
(PPV)
(Lightweight Grand Prix)
5/19/07
Kickin it
(Kickboxing)
(Waipahu Filcom Center)
5/12/07
Punishment In Paradise: Untouchables
(Kickboxing)
(Hawaiian Waters, Kapolei)
USA-Boxing Hawaii Fundraising Event
(Boxing)
(Palolo Gym)
5/5/07
Punishment
In Paradise 16
(MMA & Kickboxing)
(Dole Cannery)
4/28/07
Pride
Fighting Championships:
(PPV)
(Thomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas, NV)
Maui MMA Event
(MMA)
(Maui)
K-1 World GP
(Kickboxing)
(Honolulu)
4/27/07
XMA
(MMA, Kickboxing)
4/24/07
Professional Boxing
(Boxing)
(Waipahu Filcom Center)
4/7/07
Got Skills
(Kickboxing)
(Waipahu Filcom Center)
Papakolea Jiu-Jitsu Club Tournament
(BJJ & Sub Grappling)
(King Intermediate, Kaneohe)
4/6/07
Hawaii Fighting Championships: Stand Your Ground 3
(MMA)
(Dole Cannery Ballroom)
4/5/07
Ultimate
Fight Night
(Spike TV)
3/31/07
Icon Sport
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena)
3/25/07
Kickboxing Benefit Event for Mrs. Faagai
(Kickboxing)
(Waianae H.S. Gym)
3/24/07
Garden Island Cage Match
5
(MMA)
(Kauai)
The 2007
Hawaii State/Regional Junior Olympic Championships (Boxing)
(Palolo District Park)
UFC:
Tito Ortiz vs. Dana White boxing match
(Nevada)
3/17/07
X-1
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena)
Island Warriors
(MMA)
(Maui War Memorial)
3/13/07
Ultimate
Fight Night
(Spike TV)
3/10/07
Hawaiian Championship of BJJ
(BJJ/Sub Grappling)
(Klum Gym UH Manoa)
3/3/07
UFC 68
(PPV)
(Columbus, Ohio)
Kickin It
(Kickboxing)
(Waipahu Filcom)
2/24/07
Pride Fighting Championships:
(PPV)
(Thomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas, NV)
2/17/06
Got
Skills
(Kickboxing/MMA)
(Waipahu Filcom)
2/16-17/07
USA-Boxing Hawaii State & Regional Championships
(Boxing)
(Palolo District Park Gym)
2/16/07
Punishment
In Paradise 15
(MMA & Kickboxing)
(Hawaiian Waters)
2/9/07
Icon Sports
(MMA & Kickboxing)
(Blaisdell Arena)
2/3/07
UFC
67
(Lutter vs Silva)
(PPV)
2/2/06
Got
Skills & Kickin' It
(Kickboxing/MMA)
(Waipahu Filcom)
1/23/07
Ultimate
Fight Night
(Spike TV)
1/20/07
IFL
(MMA)
1/14/07
NAGA Hawaii
(BJJ & Sub Grappling)
(St. Louis H.S. Gym)
1/13/07
USA Boxing Amateur Boxing
(Boxing)
(Palolo Gym)
1/12/07
K-1 Dynamite
(MMA)
(PPV, 5:00 PM Ch: 701)
|
|
April 2007 News
Part 1
|
Casca Grossa Jiu-Jitsu
is now the O2 Martial Arts Academy with 6 days a week training!
We are also offering Escrima (stick fighting) on Monday nights
and Kickboxing Tuesday and Thursday!
Click
here for info!
Take classes from the Onzuka brothers in a family-like environment! |
 
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! |
Got a question for us? Email info@onzuka.com
or click here to send us
an email.
Fighters'
Club TV LOGO ANIMATION CONTEST
Everyone
knows that Onzuka.com's loyal readers are the most talented in
the state, if not the world! (can you already see where our fluff
complement is going already?) FCTV is looking for a talented
computer graphics whiz to animate our logo for the show. Winner
receives the snazzy RAZE Fightwear shirt and whatever else we
can dig up!
Here
is our logo:
If you have seen the show, you have seen how our old logo has
been animated. We are basically looking to create a cool animation
for our new logo.
We need a long version (10 Seconds) and a short version (3 Seconds)
if possible. Also, any ideas you may have as to what to do with
it would be appreciated too.
Email
entries to: fctv@onzuka.com
Mahalo,
Mark
|
Quote
of the Day
“Anybody
with a little guts and the desire to apply himself can make it;
he can make anything he wants to make of himself.”
Bill Shoemaker, 1931-2003, American Jockey
|
MATT
SERRA SHOCKS THE WORLD
HOUSTON, TEX. – Upsets are a natural part of any sport and
they seem to happen all the time, but they never fail to shock
when they actually happen. On Saturday night in Houston, Texas
former 155-pound competitor, Matt “The Terror” Serra
pulled off one of the biggest upsets in mixed martial arts history
winning the UFC welterweight championship when he defeated former
champion, Georges “Rush” St. Pierre by TKO in the first
round.
Just
about everyone said that Serra had little to no shot in this
fight with St. Pierre, but that never phased the New York native
as he came out strong in the opening of the fight and showed
that he would not back down in the face of the #1 welterweight
fighter in the world. Serra looked to work his stand-up against
the champion early on. St. Pierre in turn threw multiple high
kicks against his much shorter opponent, but landed few.
Serra
bobbed and weaved showing his much improved boxing. After a few
exchanges, the winner of the Ultimate Fighter Season 4 landed
a shot that staggered St. Pierre, sending him backwards against
the cage. As the crowd in the Toyota Center stood up in disbelief,
Serra shot in and unloaded punch after punch as he refused to
let St. Pierre have any time to recover.
Eventually,
Serra put St. Pierre on his back where he continued to reign
down punches and elbows until referee Big John McCarthy stepped
in to stop the fight. With the stoppage, Matt Serra becomes the
new UFC welterweight champion by defeating a fighter widely seen
as one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the sport in Georges
St. Pierre. (On an interesting side note, former champion Matt
Hughes was seen in the crowd, smiling and cheering Serra’s
win, most likely a happy man that he won’t have to face
St. Pierre again right away.)
The
other big fight on the card for UFC 69 was another welterweight
showdown between former Ultimate Fighter housemates, Diego Sanchez
and Josh Koscheck. The heat between the two fighters reached
a fevered pitch at the weigh-ins where Sanchez pushed Koscheck
and the two fighters had to be separated. Unfortunately, the
heat at the weigh-ins was much more exciting than the actual
fight that took place in Houston on Saturday night.
Diego
Sanchez looked painfully tentative through all three rounds.
When he did engage, it was Koscheck who got the better of the
stand up. The only ground action in this fight took place towards
the end of the first round when Koscheck slammed Sanchez to the
ground, only to be reversed, but nothing much happened before
the round ended.
Koshceck
peppered Sanchez with punches in each of the three rounds, but
neither fighter showed much killer instinct to finish the bout.
At the end of the day, it was Koscheck who pulled out the unanimous
decision victory, avenging his loss to Sanchez on the Ultimate
Fighter show and giving the New Mexico fighter the first loss
of his career.
Yushin
Okami showed why he belongs among the upper echelon of fighters
in the middleweight division after a dominant victory over Mike
Swick. Outside of a flurry of punches in the second round, Swick
never really got going in the fight, being put on his back multiple
times. Okami controlled Swick from the clinch and landed takedown
after takedown in each round.
In
the third round, Okami worked to the mount position where he
started to land shots on a seemingly defenseless Swick. While
Swick was eventually able to reverse the position and finish
the fight in Okami’s guard, it was the Japanese fighter’s
night to shine. Okami won a unanimous decision over Swick, which
puts him very close to title contention.
Roger
Huerta picked up another win in UFC competition, but not without
a fight from a very game Leonard Garcia in an absolute war that
stole the show (until Matt Serra literally stole the show). Huerta
started out the fight in control, putting Garcia on his back
and working a feverish ground and pound attack. Huerta pounded
down on his opponent throughout the round, but Garcia persevered
and even smiled back as if to say he was still in the fight.
The
second round was simply a slugfest between two great lightweight
fighters as both Huerta and Garcia threw punch after punch hoping
to put the other down. No one went down until Huerta took the
fight there where he continued to unleash strikes. Garcia, who
has recently been training with Greg Jackson’s camp in New
Mexico, did try to slip in a submission here and there, but Huerta
was able to avoid any danger and the fight moved on to a third
round.
Much
of the same followed in the third round where both fighters unleashed
strikes on each other until Huerta took the fight back to the
ground. Showing tremendous heart and an iron chin, Garcia managed
to reverse the position and took Huerta’s back. He almost
sunk in a rear naked choke to finish the fight, but was reversed
and again found himself on the short end of Huerta’s attacks.
The fight ended with both men exhausted after one of the most
entertaining fights in UFC history. Roger Huerta won the fight
with a unanimous decision over Leonard Garcia.
Former
Ultimate Fighter winner, Kendall Grove, continued his winning
ways after decimating a seemingly overmatched Alan Belchar in
their fight at UFC 69. Belchar had no answer for Grove’s
height and reach advantage and just looked lost when he engaged
his opponent during the bout. Grove grabbed Belchar in a Muay
Thai clinch multiple times during the bout, handing out knee
strikes and punches. Belchar crumbled under the pressure when
Grove pounced on him on the ground and applied a choke that put
an end to his night and gave Kendall Grove another victory in
the Octagon.
In
preliminary action, Heath Herring scored a hard-earned unanimous
decision victory over returning Brad Imes. Brazilian Thales Leites
also scored a unanimous decision with a dominating win over New
Yorker Pete Sell. Marcus Davis reversed Pete Spratt’s fortunes
when he locked on a fight-ending ankle lock, cutting short the
Texan’s impressive performance. In the evening’s first
bout, Luke Cummo knocked out Josh Haynes.
UFC
69 was a very good event overall with some exciting fights. The
evening was, of course, highlighted by Matt Serra’s victory
over Georges St. Pierre, making him the new UFC welterweight
champion of the world. Serra (no shock here) earns MMAWeekly’s
Fighter of the Night after dispatching of the former champion.
Roger Huerta and Leonard Garcia definitely earned Fight of the
Night after a war in the Octagon that will surely land in Fight
of the Year candidacy when its all said and done.
Source: MMA Weekly |
NO
WANDERLEI, BUT MAYBE A SURPRISE OR TWO
In a very emotional press conference in Japan for Dream Stage
Entertainment's final Pride event – the promotion was recently
purchased by Frank and Lorenzo Fertitta, the owners of the Ultimate
Fighting Championship and World Extreme Cagefighting – DSE
president Nobuyuki Sakikabara announced a proposed fight for
Wanderlei Silva will not take place.
On
just a few hours notice, Pride was able to secure Akira Shoji
to take on Gilbert Yvel. A visibly moved Shoji was proud to be
able to participate on DSE's final Pride event. Yvel originally
was scheduled to face Bazigit Atajev, but he had to withdraw
due to an "internal disease."
Sakikabara
didn't stop there though. In his final moments as head of Pride,
he announced that his final fight card may not yet be finished,
"I am still working on surprises for [the] show. We have
the official announcement of eight matches, but I am still working
on giving you one more or maybe two more fights because that
is the last thing that I can give you as the promoter of this
Pride. So please look forward to a big surprise."
There
has been no word on what or rather who those surprises may be.
Source: MMA Weekly |
SILVERBACKS,
TIGER SHARKS, CURRAN WIN AT IFL
MOLINE, ILL. – The IFL returned to Moline, Ill., home to
the defending champion Quad City Silverbacks. 5,308 fans were
in attendance to watch a solid night of fights. The Silverbacks
kept their playoff dream alive with a much needed team victory
over Ken Shamrock’s Lions. In addition, Maurice Smith’s
Tiger Sharks moved back into the title chase with a win over
Igor Zinoviev’s Red Bears.
TIGER
SHARKS VS. RED BEARS
Shad
Lierley vs. Mike Correy
In the opening bout, the Tiger Shark’s Mike Correy took
on the Red Bears’ Shad Lierley. In what ended up being the
fight of the night, the two lightweights entertained fans with
a very competitive match, highlighted by some quick scrambles
and good exchanges. After three rounds, Shad Lierley earned a
split decision.
The
Tiger Sharks take an early lead, 1-0.
Brad
Blackburn vs. Mark Miller
Welterweight Mark Miller earned a controversial split decision
over Brad Blackburn. The Tiger Shark fighter dropped Miller early
on and threw punches from Miller’s half guard for the remainder
of the round. A good exchange started the second before Blackburn
secured a takedown. Blackburn clearly controlled the round and
attained full mount at one point. Miller came out strong in the
third, landing some nice hooks. The Red Bear fighter stunned
Blackburn with a right hook half way through the round and finished
in dominant position. I scored the fight as a unanimous decision
for Blackburn, two rounds to one.
The
Red Bears tie it up, 1-1.
Bristol
Marunde vs. John Kading
MMA newcomer John Kading was a late replacement for Chris Albandia
and took the fight on only two days’ notice. Kading stunned
Marunde early with his scrappy style. Overcoming his frustration,
Marunde dropped Kading with a right hook and followed with strikes
on the ground, forcing referee to stop the fight.
The
Tiger Sharks take the lead, 2-1.
Allan
Goes vs. Homer Moore
Pride veteran Allan Goes dropped down to light heavyweight to
face the debuting Homer Moore. Moore stunned Goes early on with
a right hook while Allan was content to answer with leg kicks.
In the second round, Goes’ low kicks began to take their
toll on his opponent. After a hard right low kick, Moore immediately
dropped to the mat and Goes instinctively followed with a flurry
of strikes. Unable to intelligently defend himself, the referee
stopped the bout. Moore eventually made it back up to his feet
with the assistance of teammates. With the win, the Tiger Sharks
secured the team victory and kept their playoff dreams alive.
The
Tiger Sharks win, 3-1.
Reese
Andy vs. Adam Maciejewski
Tiger Shark heavyweight Reese Andy methodically dominated Adam
Maciejewski en route to a rear naked choke victory. Andy took
the Polish fighter down early and controlled the majority of
the round. In the second, Maciejewski was unable to stop Andy’s
takedowns and eventually gave up his back.
Tiger
Sharks finish, 4-1.
SILVERBACKS
VS. LIONS
Rory
Markham vs. Pat Healy
In one of the most exciting fights of the evening, Silverbacks
welterweight Rory Markham came from behind with a third round
knockout over UFC veteran Pat Healy in dramatic fashion. Healy
dropped Markham early on with a straight right punch. Markham
survived the consequent strikes, but clearly lost the first round.
In the second, Healy was able to take Markham down and control
the round until the Silverbacks fighter scrambled back to his
feet. Markham managed to land some nice combinations before being
taken down again. An energized Markham started the third round
confidently as Healy started to show signs of fatigue. Markham
landed a beautiful three-punch combination that sent his opponent
to the mat and marked the end of a great comeback.
The
Silverbacks take the lead, 1-0.
Ryan
McGivern vs. Dan Molina
Ryan McGivern dominated Dan Molina en route to a unanimous decision
victory. Molina didn’t have an answer for McGivern’s
constant pressure and found himself on the receiving end of many
exchanges. After three rounds, it was apparent who won the fight.
The
Silverbacks go up, 2-0.
Sam
Hoger vs. Vernon White
Former Ultimate Fighter contestant Sam Hoger filled in for injured
Silverback Mike Ciesnolevicz to face sturdy veteran Vernon “Tiger”
White. The Lion’s Den fighter caught Hoger’s leg early
on and took the fight to the ground. After a period of inactivity,
the fight was stood back up and the remainder of the round was
relatively uneventful. “The Alaskan Assassin” started
the second round with two sloppy high kicks. The two clinched
in the corner and Hoger secured a standing guillotine, but White
eventually broke free. They clinched again and the fight was
reset in the middle of ring. White performed a beautiful roll,
taking control of Hoger’s back, then sunk in a rear naked
choke forcing Hoger to tap out.
Silverbacks
still up 2-1
Ben
Rothwell vs. Roy Nelson
Sporting a portly belly, Roy “Big Country” Nelson took
the fight to Ben Rothwell in a sloppy, albeit entertaining, slugfest.
Rothwell teed off on Nelson early on, landing many combinations.
The two continued to exchange as some rowdy fans urged Rothwell
with a chant to “Get the gut!” By the end of the fight,
both fighters were fatigued. After three rounds, Rothwell earned
a split decision. At the post-fight press conference, a disgusted
Rothwell expressed his disappointment in his performance.
The
Silverbacks win, 3-1.
Bart
Palaszewski vs. John Gunderson
In one of the most anticipated fights of the evening, fan favorite
Bart Palazewski won a controversial split decision over John
Gunderson. The Oregon native went for a takedown early while
Palaszewski countered with a guillotine choke. Unable to secure
a deep choke due to poor positioning, Palaszewski was forced
to give up the hold and spent the remainder of the round on his
back. In the second, Gunderson landed a couple of spinning side
kicks early on. Palaszewski displayed better takedown defense
in this round and countered by nearly securing an anaconda choke.
The last round was all Gunderson as he was able to take Bart
down twice and attempted a key lock from half guard. Gunderson
clearly won the round. At the post-fight press conference, Palaszewski
also expressed disappointed in his performance.
The
Silverbacks finish, 4-1.
SUPERFIGHT
Jeff
Curran vs. Kevin English
In the superfight of the evening, Jeff “Big Frog” Curran
defeated Kevin English. Shortly into the first round, fans chanted
“Let’s go Big Frog” as the fighters circled each
other. Curran dropped English with a left hook and continued
to control the fight on the ground. The first round ended with
Curran nearly securing an armbar. English seemed reluctant to
exchange in the second round, recognizing Curran’s ground
prowess. After closing the gap, Curran was able to secure a guillotine
choke, forcing English to tap.
Source: MMA Weekly |
Quote
of the Day
“Even
a mistake may turn out to be the one thing necessary to a worthwhile
achievement.”
Henry Ford, 1863-1947, American Industrialist and Founder of
Ford Motor Company
|
PRIDE
34 REVIEW: THE END OF AN ERA
In
what was a very emotional night, Dream Stage Entertainment held
its last ever Pride show before officially transferring control
to the Frank and Lorenzo Fertitta. It was a night of submissions
and knockouts as none of the eight fights went past the first
round.
In
what was billed as the first Pride vs. UFC match, Pride veteran
Kazuyuki Fujita took on American Top Team fighter Jeff Monson.
Both fighters came out cautious, neither landing any significant
blows. Monson went for a takedown, but Fujita defended well and
scrambled to get on top. Monson never stopped moving and escaped
any real danger. This pattern would ensue throughout the fight
with Monson trying to end up on top, but Fujita spoiling his
efforts with a good sprawl. Halfway through the round, Fujita
began to tire and Monson saw his opening and took full advantage.
Monson was able to sink his hooks in and get Fujita’s back.
He slowly worked for the choke and finally secured it as he rolled
Fujita over, forcing him to submit at 6:37 of the first round.
Revenge
was on Ricardo Arona’s mind as he took on Sokoudjou, who
defeated Arona’s teammate Antonio Rogerio Nogueira by knockout
at Pride 33. Both fighters traded vicious low kicks before Arona
finally went for a takedown. Sokoudjou defended well and once
they separated, he landed a huge uppercut that dropped Arona
and then finished him off with a pair of punches and a soccer
kick. The referee stopped the fight at 1:49 of the first round.
Sokoudjou is the real deal. He proved his win over Nogueira wasn’t
a fluke as he finished another top five light heavyweight in
Arona.
Shooto
Middleweight Champion Shinya Aoki took on Dutch striker Brian
Lo-A-Njoe in a lightweight bout. Lo-A-Njoe came out with a flying
knee, but was caught by Aoki as he pulled guard. Lo-A-Njoe took
full advantage landing several shots from the top before they
were back on their feet. He again came out with a flying knee,
but was taken down by Aoki. Lo-A-Njoe quickly reversed, but was
soon caught in an armbar that forced him to verbally submit at
1:36 of the first round. Aoki then asked fans to support him
in his bid to win the Pride Lightweight Grand Prix later this
year.
In
a rather surprising turn, Kazushi Sakuraba returned to Pride
after leaving the company almost a year ago. Sakuraba was in
tears as Kiyoshi Tamura made his way into the ring, finally setting
up their long-awaited grudge match in a Pride ring in the near
future.
In
what turned out be an all out brawl, James Thompson took on UFC
and Pride legend Don Frye. Both fighters came out full bore with
Frye dropping Thompson, but unable to finish him. Back on their
feet, they traded blows in the corner before Thompson secured
a takedown. After several scrambles on the ground, Thompson began
to take control of the fight. As Frye tried to regain his feet,
Thompson landed two brutal soccer kicks that rocked Frye. Thompson
then began to unload several punches on Frye that landed solid,
while Frye just stood in the corner taking them and offering
no offense in return. At this point, Thompson was landing at
will while Frye was taking more punishment than necessary. The
referee finally stepped in and called a halt to the fight at
6:25 of the first round.
Dutch
bad boy Gilbert Yvel returned to Pride to take on late replacement
“Mr. Pride” Akira Shoji. Yvel came out wild with knees
and punches before Shoji scored a takedown. After some stalling
on the ground, the fighters began to trade leg locks, ending
with Yvel getting on top of Shoji, finishing the fight with some
vicious shots before the referee stopped the fight at 3:46 of
the first round.
Cage
Rage British Middleweight Champion Zelg Galesic made his Pride
debut taking on Olympic Judo gold medalist Makoto Takimoto. Galesic
came out aggressive with kicks before Takimoto got a nice trip
takedown. After a ground scramble, Takimoto ended up in side
mount and began working for an armbar that Galesic escaped. Galesic
started to takeover as they were stood back up and he began to
open up on Takimoto, dropping him with punches and landing some
soccer kicks before Takimoto regained guard. Takimoto went for
an armbar from the bottom, switching to an oma plata and ending
up on top. From there he switched arms and cranked a straight
armbar that forced Galesic to tap at 5:40 of the first round.
In
the battle of the giants, Eric “Butterbean” Esch came
out on top defeating Zuluzinho. Both fighters came out swinging
before Zuluzinho scored a takedown. Butterbean reversed Zuluzinho,
landing several hammer shots before finally submitting Zuluzinho
with a key lock
Yoshihiro
“KISS” Nakao made quick work of Brazilian Top Team
heavyweight Edson Drago. Nakao immediately got a takedown, putting
Drago on his back. After some quick groundwork, Nakao locked
on a modified neck crank that forced Drago to tapout.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
ANTONIO
RODRIGO NOGUEIRA SIGNS WITH UFC
Former Pride Heavyweight Champion Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira signed
a contract with the Ultimate Fighting Championship on Saturday.
Sources close to the dealings indicated that although Nogueira
could be seen with UFC president Dana White at Thursday night’s
UFC Fight Night in Las Vegas, Nev., the deal had not yet been
inked at that point. In actuality, Nogueira put pen to paper
just a few short hours prior to last night’s UFC event in
Houston, Texas.
Although
Frank and Lorenzo Fertitta now own the Pride Fighting Championships,
Nogueira was not simply “assigned” to the UFC. In fact,
he was not yet under a contract with any organization and White
had expressed interest in luring Nogueira to the UFC in the past.
This
latest move bolsters what was once considered a weak UFC heavyweight
division. Aside from Nogueira, the current heavyweight roster
includes newly crowned champion Randy Couture, former Pride contender
Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic, former UFC champions Tim
Sylvia and Andre Arlovski, Heath Herring, and a host of young,
rising talent.
With
a professional record of 29-4-1 in mixed martial arts, Nogueira
is highly regarded as one of the most prolific ground fighters
in the world and one of the most dynamic fighters in the division.
He is currently ranked as the #3 heavyweight in the world on
MMAWeekly.com.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
KOSCHECK
PUTS AN END TO THE NIGHTMARE
Houston,
Texas served up a stunning night of upsets as the Ultimate Fighting
Championship debuted in a chill rain in the Lone Start State
last night. Although not anywhere near as surprising as Matt
Serra’s crushing defeat of Georges St. Pierre, American
Kickboxing Academy fighter Josh Koscheck proved his mettle by
putting an end to his version of a recurring nightmare.
While
both Koscheck and opponent Diego Sanchez are primarily known
for their prowess in the grappling arts, they chose to challenge
each others striking skills for the majority of their three-rounder.
Koscheck controlled the range and the pace for the duration of
the fight, scoring a one-sided unanimous decision over the #4-ranked
Sanchez.
There
was plenty of animosity between the two leading up to this bout
and it appears that animosity isn’t going away anytime soon.
In
this one-on-one video interview, MMAWeekly takes you In The Cage
with Josh Koscheck following his victory over Diego Sanchez at
UFC 69. He talks about the friction leading up to the fight,
his continuing discontent with Sanchez, how he felt the fight
went, his future prospects, and more.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Quote
of the Day
"One
forgets words as one forgets names. One's vocabulary needs constant
fertilizing or it will die.
Evelyn Waugh, 1903-1966, English Writer
|
UFC
69 Shootout Results
Kendall Grove Wins!
UFC 69
- Shootout event review
By Erin Bucknell
Man
the UFC is really making the rounds. Ohio, Houston, and Manchester
next time, sheesh.
Damn,
they didn’t show the angle where Diego lands right on his
ass after shoving Koscheck. That footage is simply too good for
words.
Kendall
Grove vs.
Alan Belcher
There
seems to be a lot of hoping for underestimation tonight.
Belcher
really seems to like his fringy shorts. It automatically makes
me think of tacky lampshades or the women’s dresses from
“Dancing with the Stars”.
Round
1. Belcher gets the takedown into side control after a few moments
of standup. Grove gets the fight back up and hits a couple of
knees on the way. They end up clinched against the fence where
Grove busts out with the foot stomps. Grove throws a few straight
kicks before blocking a takedown attempt. They clinch against
the cage until the ref returns them to the center. There’s
a bit more standup until the end of the round.
Round
2. Grove goes for a flying knee as the round starts and Belcher
gets stuck up against the cage. Grove blocks a takedown attempt,
and Belcher will not let go of the leg. Grove ends up on top
and drops some serious elbows. They get back up and both guys
are working with kicks. Grove gets them back to the fence and
hit some knees and punches before dumping Belcher to the mat.
Grove works for a submission but is unable to sink it in. He
gets it again and Belcher is out.
Winner:
Kendall Grove via submission (a choke that I have no idea how
to spell).
***D'Arce choke was used***
Mike
Swick vs. Yushin Okami
Round
1. Not much action for the first few minutes with both guys mostly
just checking each other out with a few kicks in between. Swick
finally goes in for a knee and they clinch and move into the
cage. Okami wrestles Swick to the ground where Swick gets half
guard. Okami works to get a full mount but Swick does a good
job of holding him off. Okami starts working for a kimura, but
Swick fends it off until the end of the round.
Swick
seems kinda worried about Okami’s strength during the break.
Round
2. They circle again for the first few minutes before Okami closes
the difference and locks up Swick. He then gets the takedown
and ends up in Swick’s guard. The ref stands them up after
both man advances much, and Swick shows signs of life in with
some quick punches. Okami gets another takedown. The ref stands
them again (rather quickly I thought) and Swick makes a BIG comeback
with punches up to the end of the round.
Round
3. Swick gets some good shots in before Okami gets another takedown.
Okami manages to get full mount and drops a lot of punches. Swick
rolls to his stomach to get out but doesn’t make much progress.
Every time Swick tries it Okami hangs on. Swick finally reverses
the positions and Okami gets rubber guard. Round ends.
Winner:
Yushin Okami via unanimous decision
Yushin
forgets to take out the mouthpiece for the interview and even
his interpreter can’t understand him.
Dana
announces that the UFC has signed Nogiera. This is damn cool
seeing as he’s probably the second or third best heavyweight
in the world. Amazing how much of change the heavyweight division
has gone through in the past year.
Does
everyone come from the “mean streets”? Does no one
have a happy suburban childhood?
I
don’t really get why people wear headphones to the fight.
If your entrance music doesn’t get you ready to fight, why
are you using it?
Roger
Huerta vs. Leonard Garcia
Round
1. Huerta gets Garcia down but gets stuck in a guillotine on
the way down. Huerta slides out and gets Garcia’s back,
then switches to full mount. Garcia gets back to standing. Garcia
gets another guillotine, but Huerta once again slips out. Huerta
traps Garcia up against the fence. Whole lot of up and down and
I’m getting tired just trying to keep up with it. Garcia
is on top as the round ends, but Huerta doesn’t look any
worse for wear.
Round
2. Huerta gets a takedown against the fence and drops some elbows.
Back to standing and both guys are swinging hard. Huerta starts
to get the better of the fight but Garcia isn’t giving up.
Huerta gets a takedown into a mount. Garcia gets it back to full
guard before getting back up and exchanging more punches. Huerta
with another takedown and stays on top to the end of the round.
Round
3. Garcia tries for a takedown but is shrugged off. Huerta gets
his takedown and starts working the elbow. Garcia swings around
and gets Huerta’s back but Huerta reverses and is dropping
bombs on Garcia. Garcia hangs on until the end of the round.
Both fighters bond after the fight. Excellent fight.
And
yes, I am five years old as I giggled at the “trying to
stop Roger from mounting him” line.
Winner:
Roger Huerta via unanimous decision (who unlike Florian actually
has his Xyience can opened).
Pre
fight commentary, Koscheck does a pretty decent Sanchez impersonation,
ha.
Josh
Koscheck vs. Diego Sanchez
I’m
not your biggest fan Koscheck, but I’ll root for anyone
who has a chance against Diego.
Diego
brings out the Mariachi’s again. Unless one of them is Antonio
Banderas, I really don’t care. All of his aggression is
either going to work really well for him or really badly. This
really doesn’t go with the whole Zen Master gig.
Round
1. Koscheck tries a few head kicks to feel out Sanchez. Both
are a bit hesitant and not really doing much. Koscheck finally
goes in for a takedown and gets them up against the fence. Sanchez
reverses it as the round ends. Boring first round, but understandable
seeing as neither guy wants to make a mistake.
Round
2. Stand up again with Koscheck seeming to get a bit better of
it. That’s pretty much all that happens. No one really does
a whole lot, though Koscheck is doing better in stand up than
I would have thought.
Round
3. And more uneventful stand up. The crowd is Not Pleased. Not
that it’s a horribly boring fight, but it’s not hugely
exciting either. Koscheck busts out with some high kicks as the
round ends.
Winner:
Josh Koscheck via unanimous decision.
Thank
you Koscheck. I normally wouldn’t support the post-fight
“woo-ha” but it’s against Diego, who does it a
lot himself.
Serra
comes out to a very entertaining Rocky Theme/Rap mash-up, it
almost qualifies for my call of sillier entrance theme songs,
but I doubt that was the intent. I miss GSP’s butt wiggling
music.
Georges
St. Pierre vs. Matt Serra
Round
1. Both guys feeling each other out GSP feeling more with the
kicks until Serra gets inside and starts pummeling GSP. Georges
manages to almost get back up several times but Serra is relentless
and finishes the fight with ground ‘n pound.
Winner:
Matt Serra via TKO.
Well
holy shit that was seriously out of right field. I still love
you George. Hugs, many hugs for GSP.
Josh
Haynes vs. Luke Cummo
Round
1. Cummo gets a takedown after a clinch against the cage but
it doesn’t last long and they are back against the cage
shortly. Back to the center of the cage until the round ends.
Round
2. All stand up in this round with Cummo getting a big kick to
Haynes’ head and the ref calls it.
Winner:
Luke Cummo via knockout
Source: Fight Opinion
|
Pride
34: Kamikaze Results
Event review
By
far (to me), the most interesting theme of this show is how DSE
is trying to put this show over as a tribute to Nobuyuki Sakakibara.
Yesterday at the Japanese press conference, Akira Shoji said
he was fighting for “bara-chan” (Sakakibara). Frank
Trigg (on the US broadcast) mentioned that Don Frye came to fight
at PRIDE 34 in honor of DSE and Mr. Sakakibara.
The
lead announcer kept lumping Frank Trigg in with Mark Coleman
and Kevin Randleman as three legends of MMA and three legends
of PRIDE.
Yoshihiro
Nakao defeated Edson Drago in R1 by submission.
Butterbean defeated Zuluzinho in R1 by submission.
Makoto Takimoto defeated Zelg Galesic in R1 by submission.
Gilbert Yvel defeated Akira Shoji in R1 by TKO at the 3'46 mark
(strikes on the ground).
James Thompson defeated Don Frye in R1 by referee stoppage (strikes).
Frye, at this point, had the most babyface heat out of any of
the fighters on the card. Frye told the fans he was sorry for
what happened tonight and that it would never happen again. It
wasn’t all of his fault, but that big bastard (Thompson)
had something to do with it. He won fair and square, no excuses.
“Sakakibara-san, thank you very much for inviting me here.
I am sorry I let you down like the rest of Japan.” “The
only people happy on the planet now are Britain”. Sakakibara-san,
thank you very much for putting on this event. PRIDE is a great
fight league and the best show on earth.
During intermission, we saw a Nobuyuki Sakakibara video package
and Kevin Randleman saying that PRIDE is better than “WWF”
and UFC. Randleman then told he viewers that if they go to the
bathroom during the Fujita/Monson fight, they can still return
and see these guys fighting. Randleman finished his statements
(as he got cut off) by thanking the Fertittas for “bringing
us in” and also thanking Jerry Millen. Frank Trigg is now
discussing what will happen to all of the PRIDE employees now
that DSE’s ownership is coming to an end. This is surreal.
I think this says it all.
Nobuhiko
Takada and Nobuyuki Sakakibara came into the ring. Kiyoshi Tamura
and Kazushi Sakuraba came out as Sakakibara’s “big
surprise.” Sakuraba came out in his white & orange tiger
mask. Tamura talked a lot. Sakakibara thanked the fans. This
looked like a funeral ceremony. Lenne Hardt screamed “PRIDE
FOREVER!” on the house microphone.
We
see a Shin’ya Aoki video package showing him going to Shizuoka
in a car. They show comments from his 53-year old father (who
seems to be quite the character). A video package for Brian Lo-A-Njoe
in which he is labeled the “Dynamite Kid” of Holland.
Aoki is shown crying backstage after his win over Joachim Hansen
on the Man Festival 2006 show.
Shin’ya Aoki defeated Brian Lo-A-Njoe in R1 in 93 seconds
with arm scissors (or armbar, pick your terminology).
Sokoudjou
is called as “champion of the jungle” in a video package.
Sokoudjou is playing along with the gimmick as being a jungle
fighter. He’s being labeled a lion. Ricardo Arona is being
labeled as a “Brazilian tiger.” This is the battle
of the Jungle fighters. Arona is shown talking about his jungle
training. Ricardo Arona’s strengths as listed on the PRIDE
chyron graphic - determination, intelligence, and strategy.
Sokoudjou defeated Ricardo Arona in early R1 by KO. That was
a quick stoppage by the referee. On replay, it looked fine to
stop the fight (two punches and then a soccer kick).
Video
footage from the March 27th Roppongi Hills Arena press conference
is shown. They are putting over the MMA World Series concept
now, leading into a video package for Jeff Monson and Kazuyuki
Fujita. Monson came out to absolutely no crowd heat. Fujita came
to the ring with the PRIDE theme song, wearing a PRIDE t-shirt.
Sakakibara joined the Japanese commentary booth to talk about
the Monson/Fujita fight.
Jeff Monson defeated Kazuyuki Fujita in R1 with a choke sleeper
hold.
The
PRIDE theme song played after the fight and all of the fighters
returned to the ring. Butterbean hugged Jeff Monson, which was
quite a site. Sakakibara shook hands and hugged all of the fighters.
Wanderlei Silva, Sanae Kikuta, Akihiro Gono, and many other fighters
made appearances. Dan Henderson addressed the crowd and put over
the fighters along with the show. He said that the fighters tried
a little harder because this was Sakakibara’s final show.
Takanori Gomi then cut a short promo. Mauricio Shogun then cut
a promo in Portuguese. Kazuo Misaki then cut a promo. Mark Coleman
grabbed the microphone and said it was time for the old man to
talk. He said it was a great 10 years and that Dream Stage is
truly No. 1. He said, “Thank you, we all love you”
to Sakakibara. wanderlei silva then grabbed the microphone and
cut a promo. Silva said that PRIDE was the No. 1 event and he
thanked Sakakibara, then bowed to him. Sakakibara then grabbed
the microphone to address the crowd. He thanked everyone who
helped him out, including SkyPerfect Communications and Samurai
TV. Sakakibara thanked the fighters in broken English. Nobuhiko
Takada then addressed the crowd. Takada closed out by putting
over the next show (Lightweight GP - 5/20 Saitama Super Arena).
Everyone posed for group photographs afterwards. The referees
tried herding the fighters like cattle, pointing them out to
wave to the fans on each of the ring and bow.
The
fighters then picked up Sakakibara and started throwing him in
the air. A graphic in English displayed, “The final show
under Dream Stage Entertainment” with footage of the Roppongi
Hills Arena press conference meeting shown during the credits
in English. Outtakes were shown including Sokoudjou watching
animals mating at a zoo. In the post-show commentary, Sakakibara
joined the commentating team again to reflect on PRIDE. They
put over PRIDE’s Lightweight GP 2007 show on 5/20 at Saitama
Super Arena. And the show closed with a graphic - 2007 Dream
Stage Entertainment Inc.
Source: Fight Opinion
|
GOT
SKILLS FIGHTER RESULTS!
SATURDAY, APRIL 7th
WAIPAHU FILCOM CTR.
DOORS OPEN 6PM
140 lbs
Tony Perera (Waianae Kickboxing) defeated Gary Rabellizsa (Inner
Circle Grappling) by majority decision in another of the fight
of the night! Unbelievable punches and kicks were showcased throughout
this fight by the two youngsters.
170 lbs
Josh Adams (Jesus is Lord) defeated Steve Farmer (Universal Combat
Sport) by unanimous decision to become the 170 Got Skills Champion
155 lbs
Justin Dano (HMC) defeated Kapena Abiley (Valentino Kickboxing)
by unanimous decision
Dano gave his trophy to Abiley as a good gesture for the Big
Island fighter which showed a huge amount of good sportsmanship
for such a young man.
230 lbs
Alika Velarosa (Animal House) defeated Oto (Team Aniland) by
unanimous decision
150 lbs
Richard Bernard (HSD) defeated Maika Talaeai (Ewa Freestyle Grappling)
by unanimous decision
Under 170 lbs
Grappling Only
Marshal Harvest (Animal House) defeated Kai Hollenbeck (HMC)
by 9-0.
Hollenbeck's opponent did not show up so Harvest jumped in for
a last minute grappling match.
140 lbs
Van Shiroma (HMC) defeated Sean Matsumoto (Universal Combat Sport)
by KO in round 1 by a vicious kick to the body.
195 lbs
Brandon Martin (HSD) defeated Macky Kauwe (Jesus is Lord) by
unanimous decision
135 lbs
Jumar Escosio (Ewa Freestyle Grappling) defeated Damien Das (Inner
Circle Grappling) by unanimous decision
135 lbs
Grappling Only
Jerry Samson (Jesus is Lord) defeated Jordan Fattora (Animal
House) by armbar
160 lbs
Reno Remigo (HMC) defeated Tony Belen (Inner Circle Grappling)
by unanimous decision in one of the fights of the night! There
was toe to toe action in this one.
135 lbs
Thomas Mathias (Waianae Kickboxing) defeated Deshaun Johnson
(Ewa Freestyle Grappling) by unanimous decision
160 lbs
Makana Faronde (Bullspen) defeated Daniel Rada (Animal House)
by unanimous decision
145 lbs
Paul Lopes (Jesus is Lord) defeated Jerell Munoz (HSD) by unanimous
decision.
185
lbs
Fred Cabanting (Bullspen) defeated Kawai Quizon (Team Devastation)
by unanimous decision.
150 lbs
Grappling Only
Justin Wong (HMC) defeated AJ Anthony Lani (Animal House) by
triangle.
|
Dean
Lister out of ADCC 2007
The American would have been in the superfight with Roger Gracie
A considerable setback for the ADCC 2007. Exactly one month before
the greatest submission grappling competition on the planet is
to take place, the organizers were surprised by the news that
Dean Lister will no longer defend his superfight title, which
would do by fighting Roger Gracie.
According
to information on MMAWeekly, Lister suffered a muscular contusion
on his biceps, and went under the knife to fix the problem. Thus,
the American fighter need to recuperate for around three and
a half months, making his participation in the ADCC impossible.
The
ADCC’s organizers have yet to name Lister’s substitute
in the bout against Roger Gracie.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Roan
Jucão: Focus for the debut
By Marcelo Alonso
In
exclusive interview to site TATAME, the black belt from BTT Roan
Jucão talked about his debut at the UFC, saying that he
wantd to dispute the title ofhis new category, under 77kg. “I
want to be among the four best ones, with much training, much
concentration, to dispute the title and win”, commented
Jucão, who also said that is coming into the biggest event
of the world.”Ithink the best event nowadays is the Ultimate”,
said the BTT athlete. Check out now the complete interview:
How
will be this back?
I
am pretty excited about that. They changed my adversary, but
I got motivated because the guy is experienced, he already foigh
at the Hero’s, at the UFC, at the King of the Cage, he has
more than 50 bouts. I am glad to fight at the UFC, to debut in
Las Vegas and I won’t be easy. I will debut at the category
until 77kg, the hardest thing will be get the weight. I did sign
the contract of three bouts and I am exciting about fighting
at the Ultimate.
What
do you think about the champion of your category, George St.
Pierre?
I
watched him fighting at the Abu Dhabi , a really tough guy, well
trained and I think this is the hardest category of the UFC.
They had the Jon Fitch, who is not very famous in , mas is pretty
good. There also has the Diego Sanchez, Matt Hughes, Matt Serra,
I want to be among them. I want to be at least among the four
best ones, with all the training, dedication, to dispute the
belt and win.
How
do you see the UFC's development?
The
MMA developted pretty fast on the last six months, this is amazing.
The Pride was one of the biggest events, they had the best fighters,
they paid better and now the UFC bough it. The Pride alwayas
had glamour for beign held in , but the UFC was a great and big
concorrent. I think the best event nowadays is the Ultimate.
At
your opinion, which is the best athlete of the category under
83kg?
Absolutly
is Anderson Silva. He is showing himself and I think it is hard
for him to lose this belt. I think that now nobody is able to
beat him. I think that if he keeps this rythim, this performance,
he will do at least the double of what Wanderlei did in holding
the belt.
What
about in the Pride?
Until
83kg of course that is Paulo Filho. Not just because he is a
big friend of mine, but he helps me a lot, advises me, always
remembers everybody to always use the BJJ techniques, because
a lot of people lets behind the BJJ because it is training some
other modalities. Paulo Filho, for me, nobody is able to beat
him under 83kg category.
What
about under 93kg category?
The
category under 93kg I have no doubt that this is Arona. I believe
that returning now and doing this bout, he already won one time
and he will be able to win again, also to win Shogun. I don’t
see Dan Henderson as the owner of this belt. I think they have
to put Arona to defend thios belt later with Shogun or put Shogun
to dispute later with Arona. One of these two options. I think
this belt must stays herfe in and I am sure it will be in Ricardo
Arona’s hand.
Source: Tatame
|
Quote
of the Day
"The
love of liberty is the love of others; the love of power is the
love of ourselves."
William Hazlitt, 1778-1830, English Writer and Literary Critic
|
Hawaii
Fighting Championships Results
Stand Your Ground III
Dole Cannery Ballroom
Friday, April 6, 2007
Yes, do the math, there were 25 fights on this card that ran
from just before 7 pm to about 12:30 am. The fans had to have
gotten their money worth. There were a good mix of everything,
submissions, wars, and KO's. There were a number of quick, brutal
KO's with some of the fighters not stopping after the KO and
continuing with unnecessary punishment which never is a good
thing for the sport. There was a high energy in the crowd that
often got too close to ringside and had to be reminded many times
to back off. There were many competitive action packed fights
that kept the crowd excited throughout the event and kept the
judges and referees awake due to the marathon event. There were
also some extra curricular activities outside the ring that kept
the sheriffs and later HPD busy as well as the heated energy
in the ring was transferred to the crowd. Everyone has to remember
that in order for these events to continue, they must keep their
emotions in check and get excited, but keep the excitement to
yelling and screaming encouragement to the fighters and keep
the fighting in the ring.
145
lb Championship Pro bout 3x2-1/2 min rounds
Donald Gonzales (BJ Penn's MMA) vs. Glenn Mesiona (Westside Connection)
Gonzales by KO at 6 seconds in to round one with a kick to the
head.
170
lb. Pro MMA Championship Bout 3x2-1/2 min rounds
Nasser Lewis (808 Fight Factory) vs. Tommy Lawhorn (Freedom Fighters)
Lewis by guillotine at 2:08 in round 1
185
lb Pro MMA Championship Bout 3x2-1/2 min rounds
Bob Ostovich (Jesus is Lord) vs. Mike Creech (Freedom Fighters)
Creech by TKO (Referee Stop) due to punches from the guard at
1:37 of round 2
170
lb Amateur MMA Championship Bout 3x2-1/2 min rounds
Koa Ramos (Eastsidaz) vs. Chayne Todani (808 Fight Factory)
Ramos by rear naked choke at 35 seconds of round 2.
135
lb Amateur MMA Championship Bout 3x2-1/2 min rounds
Chris Williams (House of Thunder) vs. Russell Doane (808 Fight
Factory)
Williams by guillotine at 22 seconds of round 1.
145
lb Amateur Championship Bout 3x2-1/2 min rounds
Chris Tennis (Da Hui Fight Club) vs. Zach Rapal (Fighter's Union)
Tennis by unanimous decision (29-28 by all three judges)
Exhibition
Kick Boxing Match 3x1-1/2 min rounds
William Armstrong (Uprising Fight Team) vs. Tony Meosi (West
Side Connection)
No winner since it was an exhibition
155
lb Amateur MMA Bout 2x2-1/2 min rounds
Duke Saragosa (808 Fight Factory) vs. Luis Parra (Free Lance)
Saragosa by KO at 4 seconds in to round 2
145
lb Amateur MMA Bout 2x2-1/2 min rounds
Bryson Hansen (Team MMAD) vs. Mark Tejun (Bulls Penn)
Hansen by unanimous decision (20-18 by all three judges)
185
lb Amateur MMA Bout 2x2-1/2 min rounds
John Joao (Uprising Fight Team) vs. Michael Brightmon (Free Lance)
Brighten by unanimous decision (20-18 by all three judges)
170
lb Pro Kick Boxing 3x1-1/2 min rounds
Bryson Kamaka (808 Fight Factory) vs. John Vistante Jr. (Team
Sit You Down)
Kamaka by KO at 18 seconds in round 1.
175
lb Amateur MMA Bout 2x2-1/2 min rounds
Jesse Cabana (Uprising Fight Team) vs. Travis Coyle (Freedom
Fighters)
Coyle by TKO (referee stoppage) due to punches from the mount
at 2:02 of round 2.
155
lb Amateur MMA 2x2-1/2 min rounds
Matt Comaou (Team MMAD) vs. Joe Rivera (Hawaii Fight Club)
Comaou by TKO (referee stoppage) due to punches from the mount
at 2:11 of round 1.
225
Amateur MMA Bout 2x2-1/2 min rounds
Chris Bernard (Uprising Fight Team) vs. Jethrow Parks (Freedom
Fighters)
Bernard by rear naked choke at 36 seconds of round 1. Bernard
put Parks to sleep.
75
lb Stand and Ground Championship Bout 2x1-1/2 min kickboxing
and 1x2-1/2 min Submission Grappling
Kai Boy Kamaka (808 Fight Factory) vs. Justin Kahalewai (Papakolea
Fight Team)
Kamaka by unanimous decision (29-28), (30-27), (30-27)
125
Stand And Ground Championship Bout 2x1-1/2 min kickboxing and
1x2-1/2 min Submission Grappling
Julio Moreno (Bulls Penn) vs. Jonah Vistante (Team Sit You Down)
Moreno by unanimous decision (29-28), (29-28), (30-27).
155
lb Amateur Kick Boxing Championship 3x1-1/2 min rounds
Ikaika Martin (House of Thunder) vs. Shaison Laupola (Team Ruthless)
Laupola by majority decision (27-30), (27-30), (29-28)
170
lb Amateur Kick Boxing 3x1-1/2 min rounds
Zane Kamaka (Guts and Glory) vs. Kona Ke (Team Ruthless)
Kamaka by unanimous decision (30-26), (30-26), (30-27)
165
lb Kick Boxing 3x1-1/2 min rounds
Daniel Kalanai (Team Sit You Down) vs Fatu Tuitasi (808 Fight
Factory)
Kalanai by unanimous decision (29-28) by all three judges.
145
lb Kick Boxing 3x1-1/2 min rounds
Bronson Mohica (808 Fight Factory) vs. Desmond Lau (Team Sit
You Down)
Mohica by TKO (referee stop) at 1:23 of round 2.
145
lb Kick Boxing 3x1-1/2 min rounds
Collin McKenzie (Team Ruthless) vs.Dale Elkhill (Hawaii Fight
Club)
McKenzie by unanimous decision (29-28), (29-28), (30-27)
145
lb Amateur Kick Boxing 3x1-1/2 min rounds
Keoni Lino (Guts and Glory) vs. Robo (Team Sit You Down)
Robo by majority decision (28-29), (29-28), (29-28)
150
lb Kickboxing 3x1 min rounds
John Bernard (Team Ruthless) vs BJ Cruz (House of Thunder)
Cruz by KO at 51 seconds of round 2
100
lb Kickboxing 3x1 min rounds
Nainoa Messiona (808 Fight Factory) vs Isaan Hatori (Team Sit
You Down)
Hatori by majority decision (29-28), (28-29), (28-29)
100
lb Kick Boxing 3x1-1/2 min rounds
Kevin Villanueva (House of Thunder) vs. Kanaloa Cooks (Team Sit
You Down)
Cooks by KO at 29 seconds of round 1 |
GOT
SKILLS FIGHTER TONIGHT
SATURDAY, APRIL 7th
WAIPAHU FILCOM CTR.
DOORS OPEN 6PM
140
GARY REBEALIZA VS. TONY PEREIRA
INNER CIRCLE - WAIANAE KICKBOXING
145
JERELL MUNOZ VS. PAUL LOPES
HSD - JESUS IS LORD
140
VAN SHIROMA VS. MARK TAJON
HMC - BULLSPEN
195
BRAD TAVARES VS. ELROY AKANA
UNIVERSAL COMBAT - LIVE CLEAN FIGHT DIRTY
170
JOSH VS. KAI HOLLENBECK
JESUS IS LORD - HMC
135
DAMIEN DAS VS. JUMAR ESCOSIO
INNER CIRLCE - EWA FREESTYLE
125
BRYSEN KEALOHA VS. PAYL VARQUEZ
TEAM DEVASTATION - EWA FREESTYLE
230
ALIKA VELAROSA VS. KAINOA VILLLALON
ANIMAL HOUSE - LIVE CLEAN FIGHT DIRTY
130
JULIO MORENO VS. DAVIN KIM
BULLSPEN - O FIGHT CLUB
185
MAX MURRAY VS. KAWAI QUIZON
HMC - TEAM DEVASTATION
135
THOMAS MATHIAS VS. DESHAUN JOHNSON
WAIANAE KICKBOXING - EWA FREESTYLE
160
TONY BELEN VS. RENO REMIGIO
INNER CIRCLE - HMC
150
RICHARD BERNARD VS. MAIKA
HSD - EWA FREESTYLE
150
JUSTIN DANO VS. KAPENA ABILEY
HSD - VALENTINO KICKBOXING
170
JON CRUZ VS. STEVE FARMER
FREELANCE - UNIVERSAL COMBAT
195
BRANDON MARTIN VS. MACKY
HSD - JESUS IS LORD
150
MASA KURITA VS. JUSTIN
HMC - ANIMAL HOUSE
TICKET INFO CALL #779 3237. Or go to www.gotskills.cc.
AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE @ PARTICPATING SCHOOLS.
Source: Event Promoter
|
Papakolea
Jiu-Jitsu Tournament Today
King Intermediate School Gymnasium, Kaneohe
April 7, 2007
Both Gi & No Gi divisions will be held.
10AM - 5PM
Adults $30
Kids $15
Spectators $3
|
Lawler
No. 8 in world
By Dayton Morinaga
Advertiser Staff Writer
A spectacular knockout last week put Iowa's Robbie Lawler into
the top 10 of the world rankings in the middleweight division
of mixed martial arts this week.
Lawler
defeated Frank Trigg by a fourth-round knockout Saturday at the
Blaisdell Arena to reclaim the Icon Sport organization's middleweight championship.
In
the world rankings released yesterday by MMA Weekly, Lawler is
ranked No. 8, and Trigg is No. 10. The middleweight division
is for fighters in the 185-pound class.
"I
think it reinforces the fact that we have some of the best 185-pound
fighters in the world competing right here in Hawai'i,"
Icon Sport president T.
Jay Thompson
said.
The
rankings are based on votes from the staff of MMA Weekly, which
covers mixed martial events around the world.
Lawler,
who improved to 14-4, is expected to defend his Icon Sport title
June 30 at the Blaisdell Arena.
"Robbie
still has three fights left on his contract with us," Thompson
said. "The plan is for him to headline the next card (on
June 30), but the hard part will be figuring out his opponent."
Candidates
include Trigg, Jason "Mayhem" Miller, and Renato "Charuto"
Verissimo.
"If
there was ever an argument for an immediate rematch, this was
it," Thompson said. "The heroic effort that Frank Trigg
put out certainly earned him another shot. But there's also the
argument that Jason Miller and Charuto have earned their shots
as well, so we'll have to wait and see how it plays out."
Miller
defeated Lawler last September for the Icon Sport championship.
Trigg then beat Miller for the title in December.
Trigg,
who is 15-6, was taken to a nearby hospital and diagnosed with
a concussion after Saturday's fight.
"What
happens next with Trigg is his option, but he told me on Sunday
that he wants to fight again, so I think we'll see him in the
Icon ring again, for sure," Thompson said.
PENN
RANKED THIRD
Hilo's
BJ Penn is ranked No. 3 in
the world in the welterweight division (170 pounds) of the latest
MMA Weekly rankings.
UFC
champion Georges St. Pierre of Canada is No. 1, and former champ
Matt Hughes of Illinois is No. 2.
Penn
is the only Hawai'i-based fighter currently ranked in the top
10 of any division.
For
the next three months, Penn will be one of the coaches on "The
Ultimate Fighter 5" reality television series on Spike TV.
The first episode is scheduled to air tomorrow at 7 p.m. (Hawai'i
time).
GROVE
FIGHTS SATURDAY
Kendall
"Da Spyder" Grove of Maui will face Alan Belcher of Arkansas on
the undercard of the Ultimate Fighting Championship event Saturday
at the Toyota Center in Houston.
Grove
is 9-3, and Belcher is 9-2. The fight will be in the middleweight
division (185 pounds).
Grove
earned a contract in the prestigious UFC organization by winning
"The Ultimate Fighter 3" reality series.
Saturday's
card will be televised on pay-per-view. Georges St. Pierre will
defend his welterweight championship against Matt Serra in the
main event.
Reach
Dayton Morinaga at dmorinaga@honoluluadvertiser.com.
Source: Honolulu Advertiser
|
Silva-Vovchanchyn
rounds out Pride 34: Kamikaze
Wanderlei Silva will face Igor Vovchanchyn at Pride 34: Kamikaze
on April 8 from the Saitama Super Arena in Japan, according to
the official website of Chute Boxe USA.
For
the first time, U.S. viewers will not have to wait for the tape
delay and can order the pay per view live.
Fight
Card:
Jeff
Monson vs. Kazuyuki Fujita (UFC vs. Pride)
Shinya Aoki vs. Brian Lo-A-Njoe
Zelg Galesic vs. Makoto Takimoto
Don Frye vs. James Thompson
Bazigit Atajev vs. Gilbert Yvel
Ricardo Arona vs. Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou
Eric "Butterbean" Esch vs. Wagner da Conceicao Martins
"Zuluzinho"
Edson Drago vs. Yoshihiro Nakao
Wanderlei Silva vs. Igor Vovchanchyn
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Belfort
trains hard to Cage Rage
The black belt from Black House Vitor Belfort, is preparing himself
pretty hard for his bout against the Italian fighter Ivan Serati,
at Cage Rage 21, that will be held in April 21st in London ,
capital of . Vitor have been suported by Rafael Feijão.
“Feijão is supporting me and the trainings are pretty
good, excellents. I have been training at home where I have an
octagon and also at the Black House academy. I will simply fight,
I will be trying the KO or the submission”, said Belfort
about his fight strategy. Check out now the complete card of
the event:
COMPLETE
CARD (subject to change):
Cage Rage 21
London, England
Saturday, April 21st, 2007
Light-Heavyweight
Title:
- Evangelista Cyborg vs. James Zikic;
Other
Bouts:
- Robert Berry vs. Bob Sapp;
- Ivan Serati vs. Vitor Belfort;
- Daijiro Matsui vs. Mark Weir;
- Murilo Ninja vs. Alex Reid;
- Rowman Webber vs. Mark Epstein;
- Paul Kelly vs. Paul Daley;
- Abdul Mohammed vs. TBA;
- Cyrille Diabate vs. Ryan Robinson;
- Alex Owen vs. Brad Pickett;
- Xavier Foupa Pokam vs. Tom Watson;
- James E. Nicoll vs. Matt Ewin.
Source: Tatame
|
Quote
of the Day
"The
more I like me, the less I want to pretend to be other people."
Jamie Lee Curtis, American Actress and Children's Book Author
|
Its
Official!
Mike Onzuka has been awarded his GJJ Black Belt
On Wednesday, April 4, 2007 at the Relson Gracie Main Academy,
after almost 15 and a half years of training and almost 12 years
of running our school, Mike Onzuka was awarded his black belt
by Relson Gracie in the presence of Daniel and Diego Moraes,
Kofi Debrah and Ronn Shiraki. A ton of people showed up to congratulate
and participate in the festivities.
Here is the video of Mike's acceptance speech:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WSreBSI2nQI
Right after the speech, we engaged in the ceremonial belt whipping
that we "borrowed" from our friends John Lewis and
Steve DaSilva. There were about 100 people there, a long line
to crawl through, especially when you take your gi off and go
through the gauntlet bare back. Now he must face the ruthless
and non-sympathetic wrath of our own O2 MAA students!
Sorry for not posting any news yesterday, apparently when you
get your black belt you are too good to post the news. heh heh.
|
Hawaii
Fighting Championships:
Stand Your Ground III Fight Card
Tonight!
Dole Cannery
Ballroom, Honolulu, Hawaii
April 6, 2007
Doors open at 6 pm, fights start at 6:30 pm
145 lb Championship Pro bout
Donald Gonzales (Bj Penn Academy) vs. Kevin Delima (Bulls Pen)
170
lb. Pro MMA Championship Bout
Nasser Lewis (808 Fight Factory) vs. Tommy Lawhorn (Freedom Fighters)
185
lb Pro MMA Championship Bout
Bob Ostovich (Jesus is Lord) vs. Mike Creech (Freedom Fighters)
170
amateur MMA Championship Bout
Koa Ramos (Eastsidaz) vs. Chayne Todani (808 Fight Factory)
Super
Heavy Weight Amateur MMA Bout
Niva Tapua (Uprising/Hawaii Fight Club) vs. Justin Puaoi (West
Side Connection)
135
lb Amateur MMA Championship Bout
Chris Williams (House of Thunder) vs. Russell Doane (808 Fight
Factory)
145
lb Amateur Championship Bout
Chris Tennis (Da Hui Fight Club) vs. Zach Rapal (Union Fighters)
Exhibition
Kick Boxing Match
William Armstrong (Uprising Fight Team) vs. Tony Meosi (West
Side Connection)
155
lb Amateur MMA Bout
Duke Saragosa (808 Fight Factory) vs. Luis Parra (Freelance)
145
lb Amateur MMA Bout
Bryson Hansen (Team MMAD) vs. Mark Tejun (Bulls Pen)
185 lb Amateur MMA Bout
John Joao (Uprising Fight Team) vs. Michael Brighten (Freelance)
170
lb Pro Kick Boxing
Bryson Kamaka (808 Fight Factory) vs. John Vistante (Team Sit
You Down)
155
lb Amateur MMA
Matt Comaou (Team MMAD) vs. Joe Rivera (Hawaii Fight Club)
175
lb Amateur MMA Bout
Jesse Cabana vs. Travis Coyle Uprising Fight Team Freedom Fighters
225
Amateur MMA Bout
Chris Bernard (Uprising Fight Team) vs. Jethrow Parks (Freedom
Fighters)
75 lb Stand and Ground Championship Bout
Kai "Boy" Kamaka (808 Fight Factory) vs. Justin Kahalewai
(Papakolea Fight Team)
155
lb Stand and Ground Championship Bout
Makana Fronda (Bulls Pen) vs. Ben Santiago (Ruthless Fight Team)
125
lb Stand And Ground Championship Bout
Julio Moreno (Bulls Pen) vs. Jonah Vistante (Team Sit You Down)
155
lb Amateur Kick Boxing Championship
Ikaika Martin (House of Thunder) vs. Shaison Laupola (Team Ruthless)
170
lb Amateur Kick Boxing
Zane Kamaka (Guts and Glory) vs. Kona Ke (Team Ruthless)
145
lb Amateur Kick Boxing
Keoni Lino (Guts and Glory) vs. Robo (Team Sit You Down)
145
lb Kick Boxing
Bronson Mohica (808 Fight Factory) vs. Desmond Lau (Team Sit
You Down)
145
lb Kick Boxing
Collin McKenzie (Team Ruthless) vs. Dale Elkhill (Hawaii Fight
Club)
165
lb Kick Boxing
Daniel Kalanai (Team Sit You Down) vs. TBA
100
lb Kick Boxing
Nainoa Messiona (808 Fight Factory) vs. Kanaloa Cooks (Team Sit
You Down)
Source: Event promoter
|
GOT
SKILLS WEIGH-INS TODAY
FRIDAY, APRIL 6th,
6:30PM
ILIMA INTERMEDIATE, Ewa Beach
NOTE: Fighter's who are under 18 must be accompanied by parent/guardian
w/ photo i.d.
GOT SKILLS FIGHTER
SATURDAY, APRIL 7th
WAIPAHU FILCOM CTR.
DOORS OPEN 6PM
140
GARY REBEALIZA VS. TONY PEREIRA
INNER CIRCLE - WAIANAE KICKBOXING
145
JERELL MUNOZ VS. PAUL LOPES
HSD - JESUS IS LORD
140
VAN SHIROMA VS. MARK TAJON
HMC - BULLSPEN
195
BRAD TAVARES VS. ELROY AKANA
UNIVERSAL COMBAT - LIVE CLEAN FIGHT DIRTY
170
JOSH VS. KAI HOLLENBECK
JESUS IS LORD - HMC
135
DAMIEN DAS VS. JUMAR ESCOSIO
INNER CIRLCE - EWA FREESTYLE
125
BRYSEN KEALOHA VS. PAYL VARQUEZ
TEAM DEVASTATION - EWA FREESTYLE
230
ALIKA VELAROSA VS. KAINOA VILLLALON
ANIMAL HOUSE - LIVE CLEAN FIGHT DIRTY
130
JULIO MORENO VS. DAVIN KIM
BULLSPEN - O FIGHT CLUB
185
MAX MURRAY VS. KAWAI QUIZON
HMC - TEAM DEVASTATION
135
THOMAS MATHIAS VS. DESHAUN JOHNSON
WAIANAE KICKBOXING - EWA FREESTYLE
160
TONY BELEN VS. RENO REMIGIO
INNER CIRCLE - HMC
150
RICHARD BERNARD VS. MAIKA
HSD - EWA FREESTYLE
150
JUSTIN DANO VS. KAPENA ABILEY
HSD - VALENTINO KICKBOXING
170
JON CRUZ VS. STEVE FARMER
FREELANCE - UNIVERSAL COMBAT
195
BRANDON MARTIN VS. MACKY
HSD - JESUS IS LORD
150
MASA KURITA VS. JUSTIN
HMC - ANIMAL HOUSE
TICKET INFO CALL #779 3237. Or go to www.gotskills.cc.
AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE @ PARTICPATING SCHOOLS.
Source: Rick Lee
|
Papakolea
Jiu-Jitsu Tournament Weigh-ins
Today
Weigh-ins will be
held at 24 Hour Fitness Kaneohe
12-1PM
7-8PM
Papakolea Jiu-Jitsu Tournament
King Intermediate School Gymnasium, Kaneohe
April 7, 2007
Both Gi & No Gi divisions will be held.
Adults $30
Kids $15
Spectators $3
|
USA-Boxing
Hawaii Match event/Fundraiser
on May 12th
The money made at the door will be used to help defray expenses
for the 2007 Hawaii State/Regional Boxing Team to the National
Championships in Colorado Springs, CO. It will be on Sat. May
12th at Palolo Gym 6 p.m.
USA-Boxing Hawaii Match event
Palolo Gym
Saturday, May 12th
6 p.m.
Source: Bruce Kawano
|
UFC
Fight Night 9 Results
1. LW: Thiago Tavares, 154 lbs def. Naoyuki Kotani, 155 lbs via
unanimous decision after 3 rounds.
2.
WW: Roan Carneiro, 170.5 lbs vs. Rich Clementi, 170.5 lbs via
unanimous decision after 3 rounds.
3.
WW: Kuniyoshi Hironaka, 170 lbs def.Forrest Petz, 170 lbs via
unanimous decision after 3 rounds.
4.
LW: Kurt Pellegrino, 155 lbs def. Nate Mohr, 155 lbs via submission
(ankle lock) at 2:58 of round 1.
5.
WW: Drew Fickett, 170.5 lbs def. Keita Nakamura, 170 lbs via
unanimious decision after 3 rounds.
6.
LH: Wilson Gouveia, 205 lbs def. Seth Petruzelli, 204 lbs via
submission (guillotine choke) at 0:39 of round 2.
7.
LW: Kenny Florian, 156 lbs def. Dokonjonosuke Mishima, 156 lbs
via submission (rear naked choke) at 3:57 of round 3.
8.
HW: Justin McCully, 245 lbs def. Antoni Hardonk, 242 lbs via
unanimious decision after 3 rounds.
9.
LW: Joe Stevenson, 153 lbs vs. Melvin Guillard, 156 lbs via submission
(guillotine choke) at 0:27 of round 1.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Ultimate
Fighter Season 5: Episode 1 Review
By Sean McClure
The vans arrive and the fighters immediately identify it as a
different house than the previous seasons were living in, I am
guessing because all of the staph infections that have manifested
themselves there. They claim their rooms and it seems as if they
are all going to be good friends right off the bat, but we all
know better, though. Give them a few weeks and they will be fighting
about the dirty dishes and hiding someone's basketball.
A
quick recap of Jens and BJ's history is shown and this will provide
enough fire for the show on its own, regardless if the season's
fights are weak or not.
Dana
speaks with both of the coaches before the team selections and
asks them to keep their hatred for each other in check, reminding
them that this is about the fighters.
Jens
gets to evaluate the fighters first and during this, Nate Diaz
is immediately identified as one of the best by Joe Lauzon.
It's
BJ's turn to view the fighters before the selections and he is
frustrated that the fighters are already exhausted from Jens's
evaluation. Penn thinks that Jens did that on purpose so he couldn't
get an honest look.
The
team selections start and the coin flip to decide who goes first
falls to Pulver. Jens gets to decide if he picks the first fighter
or the first fight. Jens takes the opportunity to pick the first
fight.
BJ
Penn asks the fighters to raise their hands if they want to be
on his team. Almost all of the fighters raise their hands, 10
out of 16 to be exact. BJ doesn't understand that you can only
pick one fighter and continues to lobby for picking the ones
that want to be on his team. Jens agrees and Dana has to force
them to do it instead of allowing the fighters who wanted to
be with Penn join his team. When they are asked again to raise
their hand, the number of fighters has decreased as to who wants
to be on BJ's team.
Here
are the official teams:
TEAM
PENN
Gray
Maynard
Matt Wiman
Gabe Ruediger
Joe Lauzon
Rob Emerson
Andy Wang
Allen Berube
Noah Thomas
TEAM
PULVER
Corey
Hamill
Nate Diaz
Brandon Melendez
Marlon Sims
Manny Gamburyan
Cole Miller
Bryan Geraghty
Wayne Weems
In
the van, on the way home the fighters are already fired up and
Corey Hamill is talking trash and continues in to the house.
Corey gets in Gabe Ruediger's face,but Gabe is having none of
it.
BJ
has his team workout at 6 in the morning and has his brother
Reagan, Tony Desouza, and his kickboxing coach are there to help
out.
Gabe
Reudiger weighs in at 175, well over the 155 fighting weight
he would have to make. BJ seems concerned and Gabe is a little
worried about it himself. This will be a problem if he has to
fight this week because of the amount weight he would have to
lose.
Jens
and his fighters give ideas as to who they want to fight and
it ends up that all of the fighters want to fight Gabe because
of his weight dilemma. Reudiger doesn't seem concerned at all.
BJ
does feel that Gabe is in big trouble because his weight is increasing
not decreasing. Penn also feels that Gabe is feeling defeated
because his teammates keep reminding him that he is way above
fight weight. Gabe has a bit of a mental breakdown because of
it.
It's
fight announcement time and Jens chooses Cole Miller to fight
Allen Berube. Gabe is visibly relieved and BJ looks a little
surprised that he was not chosen.
Dana
informs the fighters that they will have to win three fights
this year to make it to the finals since the show is all one
weight class.
Standard
training sessions are shown then the two fighters speculate for
the cameras on what the outcome of their fight will be.
Some
of the Penn fighters at the house are painting parts of themselves
blue in preparation for the fight. Not sure if that is a tribute
to Braveheart or not, but it is kind of cool.
1st
preliminary elimination fight: Cole Miller vs. Allen Berube
Round
1
Cole
throws a head kick and Berube circles out of it. Miller is showing
good footwork and Allen looks for the big punches to land. Berube
takes Cole down and gets caught in a guillotine choke, but gets
out. Allen is just trying to hold Miller down and not really
doing anything significant from the top position while Cole is
trying for submissions. Miller sinks in a triangle and Allen
is forced to tap.
Winner:
Cole Miller in Round 1 via tapout due to a triangle choke
Berube
is shown leaving the gym and getting in the van, becoming the
first fighter to lose and first one to go home.
Source: Maxfighting
|
Barral
is absolute at Pan-American
The
black belt from Gracie Barra BH, Rômulo Barral was the
great champion of the absolute category of the Pan-American Championship,
which did begin on March 30th and finished on April 1st, in Carson
city, California, USA. Barral faced at the absolute final the
athlete from Alliance team, Tarsys Humprhreys, and won by 2x0
points at the advantages, after getting 6x6 points. Tarsys did
get the final after submitting Flávio Cachorrinho by choke
at the semifinal and after defeating Rafael Lovato Jr. by points.
Other great athletes did participate of the event. Check out
now the complete results:
COMPLETE
RESULTS:
Pan-American
BJJ Championship
Carson, California – USA
Sunday, April 1st, 2007
Galo
- Bruno Malfacine (UGF)
- Alex Taveira (Carioca BJJ)
Pluma
- Robson Moura (Gustavo Dantas)
- Dai Yoshioka (Barbosa Japan Tokyo)
- Renato Teixeira (Godoi)
- Tomoya Yanagisawa (Barbosa Japan Tokyo)
Pena
- Rubens Charles Cobrinha (Alliance)
- Mário Reis (Gracie Barra)
- Wellington Megaton (Megaton)
- Bibiano Fernandes (Gracie Barra)
Light
- Lucas Gomes (Brasa)
- Rafael Barbosa Formiga (BTT)
- Theodoro Canal (UGF)
- Thiago Alves (Barbosa JJ)
Middleweight
- Marcelo Garcia (Alliance)
- Edson Diniz (ATT)
- Christian Xaropinho (Gracie Barra)
- Adriano Silva (Barbosa)
Half
Heavy
- Rômulo Barral (Gracie Barra)
- Tarsys Humphreys (Alliance)
- Marcel Lousado (Brasa)
- João Oliveira (Gracie Barra)
Heavy
- Eduardo Telles (Nine Nine)
- Flavio Almeida Cachorrinho (Gracie Barra)
Super
heavy
- Rafael Lovato Jr. (Saulo)
- Cristiano Titi (Gracie Barra)
- Alexandre Santos (Gracie Barra)
- Rodrigo Villas-Boas (Gracie Barra Louisiana)
Heaviest
- Rodrigo Comprido (Brasa)
- Bruno Rodrigues (Gracie Florianópolis)
- Rodrigo Cavaca (Brasa)
- James Foster (No Limits/Lótus Club)
Absolute
- Rômulo Barral (Gracie Barra)
- Tarsys Humphereys ( Alliance )
- Rafael Lovato (Saulo)
- Flavio Cachorrinho (Gracie Barra)
Source: Tatame
|
Quote
of the Day
“Ability
is of little account without opportunity.”
Napoleon Bonaparte, 1769-1821, French General and Politician
|
Daniel
& Diego Moraes Seminar at the
Relson Gracie Main Academy!
Tonight!
BJJ Black belt and Mundial Champion Daniel and his brother Diego
Moraes are set to share some of their best techniques at the
Relson Gracie Main Academy on April 4th. Here are the details:
Daniel & Diego Moraes Seminar
Relson Gracie Main Academy
844 Queen Street, 2nd Floor
(Above Capone's Auto Detailing)
April 4, 2007
7:00-9:00PM
$40.00
Relson
Gracie Belt Promotion The Same Night!
Also on the same night a huge belt promotion will take place
at the Relson Gracie Main Academy! For the Relson Gracie Team
and especially the O2
Martial Arts Academy,
this will be a huge one and we will be shutting down our classes
that night so everyone can attend. We are encouraging all O2 MAA students
to attend!
The promotions will take place from 6:30-7:00PM.
|
ZUFFA
SUES PRO ELITE & SHOWTIME
Zuffa,
LLC has filed a lawsuit against Pro Elite Inc. and Showtime for
a variety of reasons. According to wrestlingobserver.com:
"Zuffa
contends registered footage from UFC Japan, UFC 16, UFC 17, UFC
Brazil, UFC 22, and UFC 45 — dating from Dec. 1997 to Nov.
2003 — was unlawfully utilized by Showtime and Pro Elite
in its broadcast. The lawsuit also contends the defendant's use
of said material 'created a likelihood of confusion among the
public as to the original source of same [the footage] and contributed
to the dilution of the distinctive quality of Zuffa's and the
UFC's work in the marketplace.'"
The
interesting aspect of this lawsuit is the fact that Zuffa believes
that by EliteXC producing their shows as they do, and with usage
of Zuffa's footage, that fans will be confused and think that
they are watching a UFC event.
Following
Lorenzo and Frank Fertitta's purchase of Pride earlier this week,
this has been an interesting and developing story that has led
to many fans critiquing Zuffa about the number of times Zuffa
sues its competition. Zuffa does have a right to protect all
of their material, as does any business owner.
Representives
of Showtime would not comment on the lawsuit when reached by
MMAWeekly. We'll be releasing more information on the lawsuit
as it becomes available.
Source: MMA Weekly |
Roberto
Traven is out of Alliance
The
ADCC champion of 1999, the BJJ black belt Roberto Traven announced
that he will not be part of Alliance team anymore. One of the
oldest Romero Jacaré’s pupil, just like Fábio
Gurgel, Traven is opening his own academy, called as Unit 2,
where he will give BJJ and MMA classes. For bigger information,
contact the website www.unitfitness.com or send an email to
robertotravem@hotmail.com.
Source: Tatame |
Minotauro
opens academy at USA
Doing
a partnership with the black belt from ATT, Daniel Valverde and
with the American Top Team, Rodrigo Minotauro did mount two academies
in . The academies are in Miami Beach and in South Miami . “We
have the ring and the whole structure for fighting. The contact
telephone here in Miami is 786 487 5871", told the fighter
from Bahia Daniel, who always did the final of the BJJ abolut
matches with Minotauro in his land, where they did become friend.
Source: Tatame |
BROCK
LESNAR ON HIS MMA DEBUT
K-1
and Pro Elite made a huge announcement earlier this week that
they will be co-promoting an event on June 2nd at the 92,000-seat
Los Angeles Coliseum. The event will include the legendary Royce
Gracie, former pro football player Johnnie Morton, and a main
event featuring Brock Lesnar vs. Hong Man Choi.
MMAWeekly
was able to catch up with Lesnar to get his thoughts on the fight
with Choi. “He’s a big guy, he’s got a big head,
which makes for a big target,” said Lesnar.
Not
only did Lesnar discuss the fight with Choi, which will be his
mixed martial arts debut, but he discussed his training, what
he thinks his experiences in pro wrestling and football bring
to the fight game, and more importantly what his experience as
an NCAA wrestling champion adds to his skills. We were even able
to get his thoughts on whether he felt fellow pro wrestler Bill
Goldberg might ever be persuaded to step into the ring as a mixed
martial artist.
Source: MMA Weekly |
Quote
of the Day
“Leadership
is the wise use of power. Power is the capacity to translate
intention into reality and sustain it.”
Warren Bennis, American Writer/Educator/Leadership Theorist
|
Raw
Episode 48
the RAW
version of Fighters' Club TV Episode 48 has been submitted to
Olelo programming and will run in our normal timeslot: 7pm Tuesdays
on
Oceanic Ch52 (Olelo-Oahu)
Episode
48 features
-our
very own Mike Onzuka's "behind the scenes" look at
a filming of
ICON's preview show.
-footage
from ICON's "All In" including interviews and highlights
of
Jeremy Williams vs Derek Thorton, Scott Junk vs John "Furious"
George,
and Trigg vs Mayhem
-Interview
with Enson Inoue
-Technique
of the Week featuring ENSON INOUE
comments,
questions, and suggestions to: fctv@onzuka.com
|
PELLEGRINO
SET FOR ULTIMATE FIGHT NIGHT
The UFC lightweight division is soon to become one of the most
jam-packed in the history of MMA.
After
rebooting this past year, the 155lb weight class has seen the
return of veterans, the arrival of new talent, and soon –
thanks to the cast of The Ultimate Fighter 5 and the UFC’s
acquisition of PRIDE – a whole new infusion of soon to be
hitting the famed Octagon.
So
for the fighters who are currently working their way up the ranks,
now is the time to make their case known, lest yet they might
find themselves among the logjam that’s soon to develop
in what is going to be the deepest weight class in MMA.
Among
those fighters who are poised to make their move is Kurt Pellegrino
of The Armory.
Kurt,
a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu standout, has been rejuvenated since returning
to his natural 155lb division, winning two in a row, including
an impressive submission victory over tough Cleuder “Junior”
Assuncao at UFC 64 last October.
After
time off to tend to the birth of his first child, Pellegrino
returns on April 5th to The Palms Resort & Casino in Las
Vegas, Nevada for Ultimate Fight Night, to face off against late
replacement Nate Moore.
“I
feel excellent,” said Kurt of how he’s feeling heading
into his first action of the year. “[I feel] better than
I did for my last fight. I’m very excited and ready to throw
down.”
One
of the reasons why Pellegrino is feeling so well is because unlike
his last UFC fight, making weight is no longer an issue after
coming down from a short stint at welterweight.
“For
my last fight I was more concerned with making sure I could make
the weight, and train the right way,” explained Kurt. “I
felt great when I fought Junior too, it only lasted two minutes,
but I’m sure if it would have been beyond that I would have
been fine with conditioning.”
Pellegrino
added, “With this fight, the weight’s not even a problem.
I’ve been 165 for the last two weeks and still have a week
to go, so my conditioning is probably the best I’ve ever
seen it and I’m looking forward to fighting.”
Kurt
is now slated to face Nate Moore, after initial opponent Wander
Braga was forced to drop out of the fight. According to Pellegrino,
while there’s some letdown because he won’t be able
to face Braga, he’s nonetheless still excited to be returning
to action, regardless of opposition.
“I’m
disappointed, I was really looking forward to fighting Wander
Braga, and I’m sure he was looking forward to fighting me
too,” admitted Kurt. “I was doing a lot of stand-up
for this fight and so I’m not really going to go off my
gameplan at all.”
“I’m
going to keep this fight standing. I know this kid’s a real
good kickboxer, but I’m not really too worried about it,
because I train with Hermes [Franca] and he hits like a Mac truck
and kicks like a freight train, so I’m pretty much covered
there,” continued Pellegrino.
With
an already deep 155lb division in the UFC about to get a lot
deeper with the addition of the TUF 5 cast and the addition of
PRIDE’s lightweights, it would be understandable if Kurt
would feel lost in the shuffle, but he doesn’t. In fact,
Pellegrino feels his time to step up into the spotlight is just
around the corner.
“I
feel like my spot in the UFC is really good,” commented
Pellegrino. “I think I’m at best in the Top 5 to the
belt. I think I’m underrated and after I beat Nate I’d
love to fight someone in the Top 5 or like Joe Stevenson if he
wins or Melvin [Guillard] if he wins [later that night].”
Kurt
further stated, “Once I beat them I’ll get recognized
a lot more. I know what my skills are and know where my level
is, I’m a bad match-up for pretty much anyone in the 155lb
division.”
Not
only is Pellegrino confident in his own standing in the UFC’s
lightweight division, but he feels that soon his Armory teammate
Hermes Franca will be at the top of the division after facing
off against UFC Lightweight Champion Sean Sherk at UFC 72.
“I’m
not saying this because I train with the guy every day, I’ve
never been so confident for him,” said Kurt of Franca. “I
believe that Hermes is going to knock Sean out.”
“Hermes
has too many weapons. Sean’s a great wrestler, you can never
take that away, but Hermes is going to come out punching and
swinging. It’s going to be an exciting fight, but I predict
a knockout,” continued Pellegrino.
So
when all is said and done, by the time autumn rolls around, it
could be a very good year for the Armory if Kurt and Hermes have
their say.
But
first things first, Pellegrino has to take care of business at
The Palms Resort & Casino on April 5th against Nate Moore,
and he urges everyone to see it any way they can.
“For
all the UFC fans, come out to The Palms and check it out,”
concluded Kurt. “Anyone that can’t make it out, check
it out on Spike TV. I really appreciate Sprawl and the Submission
Specialists sponsors, my wife for taking care of me so much,
and of course my home, The Armory, thank you.”
Source: MMA Weekly
|
UFC
CLOSING IN ON HBO & ESPN?
Ultimate
Fighting Championship President Dana White has stated several
times that he is working both on a deal to televise the UFC on
premium cable channel HBO and to get ESPN to provide coverage
of the promotion.
It
seemed that the UFC was on the verge of an HBO deal when Larry
Merchant, who is an integral part of the channel’s boxing
coverage, told Pedro Fernandez of RingTalk.com in late 2006,
“People look at it [UFC] as real wrestling. And next year
HBO and Showtime, they both will test the waters and see if this
works. I don't know what Showtime is doing, but we'll do four
and see how it goes."
Showtime
has already aired one MMA event, EliteXC this past February,
and in an announcement earlier this week is expanding their reach
by expanding their MMA affiliations to include K-1, BodogFight,
Strikeforce, Cage Rage, and Spirit MC.
On
Thursday of this week, Variety.com (a leading reporter of news
in the entertainment industry) published an article about HBO’s
interests in getting into the mixed martial arts game.
Variety
spoke with HBO’s Chris Albrecht, who said, “We are
talking to the UFC and looking at ways we can distinguish ourselves
in that area.” But although Albrecht affirmed HBO’s
interest, he stopped short of committing to future programming
saying, “If we decide to be in the mixed martial arts business,
we’ll make sure it’s as distinctive as everything else
HBO does.”
Being
distinctive could be the hanging point of the deal with the UFC.
Speculation has been that HBO wants to use an independent telecast
team that is impartial to the promotion, while the UFC would
prefer to use their proven team headed by Mike Goldberg and Joe
Rogan.
Variety
also verified that ESPN, the unchallenged leader of sports coverage
in the United States, confirmed “that it has held exploratory
talks with the UFC to [secure] some rights.”
Source: MMA Weekly
|
LAWLER
BEATS TRIGG FOR TITLE WITH VICIOUS KO
"Ruthless" Robbie Lawler knocked out Frank Trigg in
the fourth round to regain the ICON Sport Middleweight Championship
at the Blaisdell Arena in Honolulu, Hawaii on Saturday night.
The
main event of ICON Sport "Epic" was just that: Epic.
Frank Trigg looked to be in control of the fight in the first
round, securing multiple takedowns and working his ground and
pound offense within Lawler's guard. Round two saw Lawler rebound,
landing big shots that sent Trigg to the canvas on two seperate
occasions.
Trigg
came back and won round three, but was brutally knocked out by
a combination of punches from Lawler mid-way the fourth round.
Also
on the card, Jason "Mayhem" Miller dominated his opponent,
and Renato "Charuto" Verissimo moved into potential
ICON title contention.
Miller
looked very impressive and made quick work of Hector Urbina,
knocking him out early in round one, while Verissimo took out
Lars Havens by TKO after getting the fight to the ground and
transitioning to the mount position.
The
ICON Middleweight division has a new contender, a new champion
with a familiar face, and several interesting potential match-ups
on the table. Let the rematches begin.
FULL
RESULTS:
-Robbie
Lawler def. Frank Trigg by KO in Round 4
-Renato
"Charuto" Verissimo def. Lars Havens by TKO (referee
stoppage due to strikes) early in Round 1
-Jason
"Mayhem" Miller def. Hector Urbina by TKO (referee
stoppage due to strikes) early in Round 1
-Po'ai
Suganuma def. Nathan Carey by unanimous decision
-Jeremy
Williams def. Charles Jones by TKO at 1:22 of Round 3
-Justin
Buchholz def. Marshall Harvest by KO early in Round 1
-Kala
Kolohe Hose def. Ron Verdadero by KO early in Round 1
-Kimo
Wolfel def. Dereck Keasley by unanimous decision
-Scott
Anderson def. PJ Dean by unanimous decision
-Ryan
Lee def. Jay Bolos by unanimous decision
-Duane
Haney def. Deven Damo by submission (triangle choke) at 1:58
of Round 1
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Quote
of the Day
"The
wisest mind has something yet to learn."
George Santayana, 1863-1952, Spanish-born American Philosopher
|
GOT
SKILLS FIGHTER
SATURDAY, APRIL 7th
WAIPAHU FILCOM CTR.
DOORS OPEN 6PM
140
GARY REBEALIZA VS. TONY PEREIRA
INNER CIRCLE - WAIANAE KICKBOXING
145
JERELL MUNOZ VS. PAUL LOPES
HSD - JESUS IS LORD
140
VAN SHIROMA VS. MARK TAJON
HMC - BULLSPEN
195
BRAD TAVARES VS. ELROY AKANA
UNIVERSAL COMBAT - LIVE CLEAN FIGHT DIRTY
170
JOSH VS. KAI HOLLENBECK
JESUS IS LORD - HMC
135
DAMIEN DAS VS. JUMAR ESCOSIO
INNER CIRLCE - EWA FREESTYLE
125
BRYSEN KEALOHA VS. PAYL VARQUEZ
TEAM DEVASTATION - EWA FREESTYLE
230
ALIKA VELAROSA VS. KAINOA VILLLALON
ANIMAL HOUSE - LIVE CLEAN FIGHT DIRTY
130
JULIO MORENO VS. DAVIN KIM
BULLSPEN - O FIGHT CLUB
185
MAX MURRAY VS. KAWAI QUIZON
HMC - TEAM DEVASTATION
135
THOMAS MATHIAS VS. DESHAUN JOHNSON
WAIANAE KICKBOXING - EWA FREESTYLE
160
TONY BELEN VS. RENO REMIGIO
INNER CIRCLE - HMC
150
RICHARD BERNARD VS. MAIKA
HSD - EWA FREESTYLE
150
JUSTIN DANO VS. KAPENA ABILEY
HSD - VALENTINO KICKBOXING
170
JON CRUZ VS. STEVE FARMER
FREELANCE - UNIVERSAL COMBAT
195
BRANDON MARTIN VS. MACKY
HSD - JESUS IS LORD
150
MASA KURITA VS. JUSTIN
HMC - ANIMAL HOUSE
TICKET INFO CALL #779 3237. Or go to www.gotskills.cc.
AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE @ PARTICPATING SCHOOLS.
Source: Event Promoter
|
Arona
will use ground game at Pride
The BTT athlete, Ricardo Arona, will try the revenge at Pride
34 against the Cameroonian Thierry Sokoudjou, who won by KO his
teammate Rogério Minotouro, at Pride Las Vegas. “The
intention is to win and make revenge my friend Rogério,
who was not very lucky, but will have another chance against
Sokoudjou. I am training much more now, because as much as you
prepare yourself, more close from the victory you will be”
said Arona.
The
BJJ black belt, confess that he doesn’t know his adversary
very well, but he already has a tactical for the bout. “I
will be ready for the ground or the stand up game. I don’t
know absolutely anything about him; I just know that he has good
punches and kicks. Somebody said me that he is Judo black belt,
but I don’t have this confirm. But the thing I know is that
he have a basic ground game, so my objective is to put the fight
to the ground and work with him on the ground”, said Arona.
COMPLETE
CARD (subject to change):
Pride 34
Tokyo, Japan
Sunday, April 8th, 2007
-
Edson Draggo vs. Yoshihiro Nakao;
- Jeff Monson vs. Kazuyuki Fujita;
- Ikuhisa Minowa vs. Don Frye;
- Ricardo Arona vs. Rameau Sokoudjou;
- Shinya Aoki vs. Brian Lo-A-Njoe;
- Makoto Takimoto vs. Zelg Galesic;
- Eric Butterbean vs. Zuluzinho;
- Gilbert Yvel vs. Volk Ataev.
Source: Tatame
|
PRIDE
34: Kamikaze current card
Pride 34 "Kamikaze" is scheduled to take place Apr.
8 from the Saitama Super Arena in Japan.
For
the first time, U.S. viewers will not have to wait for the tape
delay and can order the pay per view live.
Current
Card:
Jeff
Monson vs. Kazuyuki Fujita (UFC vs. Pride)
Shinya Aoki vs. Brian Lo-A-Njoe
Zelg Galesic vs. Makoto Takimoto
Don Frye vs. Ikuhisa Minowa
Bazigit Atajev vs. Gilbert Yvel
Ricardo Arona vs. Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou
Eric "Butterbean" Esch vs. Wagner da Conceicao Martins
"Zuluzinho"
Wanderlei Silva vs. TBA
James Thompson vs. TBA
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Nova
União back competing at CBJJ
The leader of the Brazilian team Nova União, André
Pederneiras, announced this week that the Nova União team
is back to compete BJJ by the Brazilian BJJ Confederation (CBJJ).
The team was four years without competing by the CBJJ organization,
and then now they will be able to live again some historical
confrontations that were held at the first editions of the World
Championships, especially between the light fighters of Nova
União and Gracie Barra teams. “We already did our
contract with the Confederation and we will be back fighting
under their events, we will fight already at the BJJ World Championship
in August. We will have a meeting to know which athletes will
be competing there and how we will get some sponsorship for them
to be able to go to ”, told Dedé Pederneiras.
Source: Tatame
|
Quote
of the Day
"Two
things are bad for the heart - running up stairs and running
down people."
Bernard M. Baruch, 1870-1965, American Financier and Statesman
|
Couture
Back on Duty in Hawaii
Come see the
Randy Couture and the documenary "Fighter" at Pipeline
Cafe at 3:00 pm and 4:15 pm Today!
UFC Champion Randy ‘The Natural’ Couture has a motto
that many close to him believe may be a mantra. “The best
never rest” is a phrase quoted often by the newly crowned
champion who is already a member of the UFC Hall of Fame. One
look at his busy schedule will tell the rest of the story.
Only three weeks removed from his dismantling of Tim Sylvia at
UFC 68 and ‘The Natural’ has been in constant motion.
His historic victory has made him an unofficial goodwill ambassador
for the sport of MMA. Since then, Randy broke the ESPN veil with
an appearance on “Hot List” followed by a spirited
conversation on Fox’s “Your World with Neil Cavuto.”
Both of these media appearances have helped to propel MMA into
mainstream consciousness.
This weekend Couture returns to Hawaii for another tour of MMA
duty. After landing in Honolulu on Friday night Randy was shuttled
out to the Pearl Harbor Memorial so he could pay his respects
to the fallen servicemen and meet some of the troops on the board
the nuclear submarine USS Columbus. The Natural was VIP all the
way as he toured the USS Arizona and USS Utah memorials aboard
his own private launch
.
This evening the champ will attend Icon Sports, “EPIC”
at the Neil S. Blaisdell Arena where he will be a special guest
and cornering former teammate Icon Champion, Frank Trigg. Icon
Sport is the second oldest MMA promotion in the world has broken
such MMA stars as Frank Shamrock, Matt Hughes, Tim Sylvia, Josh
Barnett, Rich Franklin …to name a few.
After the fireworks inside the Blaisdell Arena on Saturday night
Couture is set to host the Hawaii premiere of his award winning
documentary, ‘FIGHTER.’ The premiere sponsored by MMAClassics.com
and Icon Sport will take place on Sunday afternoon at the Pipeline
Café in Waikiki (www.pipelinecafe.net) at 3pm & 4:15pm
(doors open at 2pm). Randy invites everyone out for an afternoon
fun and fight talk as he and his invited guests (a virtual who’s
who of MMA) get together in one of the birthplaces of American
MMA. If you are in the Aloha State this weekend do not be surprised
if you see ‘The Natural’ because by now you should
know that “the best never rest.”
Source: R1 |
Daniel
& Diego Moraes Seminar at the
Relson Gracie Main Academy!
April 4th!
BJJ Black belt and Mundial Champion Daniel and his brother Diego
Moraes are set to share some of their best techniques at the
Relson Gracie Main Academy on April 4th. Here are the details:
Daniel & Diego Moraes Seminar
Relson Gracie Main Academy
844 Queen Street, 2nd Floor
(Above Capone's Auto Detailing)
April 4, 2007
7:00-9:00PM
$40.00
Relson
Gracie Belt Promotion The Same Night!
Also on the same night a huge belt promotion will take place
at the Relson Gracie Main Academy! For the Relson Gracie Team
and especially the O2
Martial Arts Academy,
this will be a huge one and we will be shutting down our classes
that night so everyone can attend. We are encouraging all O2 MAA students
to attend!
The promotions will take place from 6:30-7:00PM.
|
Lawler
KO's Trigg for the title
Charuto & Mayhem win
Bucholz is the new Lightweight Champ
Icon Sport:
EPIC
Blaisdell Arena, Honolulu, Hawaii
March 31, 2007
By Chris Onzuka - Chris@Onzuka.com
An
incredible, and some would say "Epic," night of fights
too place for Icon Sport's latest event. The new Icon Sport Middleweight
Champion, Frank Trigg was back to defend his belt against the
hard hitting slugger and former champ, Robbie Lawler. Both fighters
have reinvigorated their careers after gracing the Icon ring.
Trigg and Lawler have had success in Pride's venture into Las
Vegas and now return to fight for the title that seems to be
a blessing and a curse. No Icon Sport middleweight champion has
been able successfully defend the belt once they have obtained
it. Trigg displayed great timing and took Lawler down at will
in the first round by slipping under punches. Lawler showed a
great butterfly guard, which neutralized Trigg on the ground.
As the fight went on, Trigg tired and Lawler started landing
punches, which bloodied Trigg. By the end of the second round,
both fighters were spent and fighting on pure heart. Trigg pressed
the action and smothered Lawler with punches, but Lawler showed
great take down defense and smiled at Trigg's punch-knee combinations.
Just when it looked like Trigg was going to press forward and
win the decision, Lawler reversed Trigg, putting him in the corner
and unloaded with vicious hooks that crumbled Trigg to the canvas
to re-capture the title. The Icon Sport Middleweight title curse
continues and Lawler looked in the best shape of his life and
regained the fire that he had early in his career.
Also
returning to the ring was the enormously popular, Jason "Mayhem"
Miller, also a former Icon champ, he is looking to rebound after
his loss to Trigg and get back into title contention. Miller
did just that, with his trademark style, the ground technician
used his striking skills to dispatch Urbana with a huge punch
from the guard that curled his opponent. Another fighter that
added even more depth to the Icon middleweight picture is Charuto
Verissimo. After making a successful Icon debut by dominating
his opponent, Charuto continued his rise, covering up after Lars
Haven unleashed a barrage of punches and taking the fight to
the ground and pounding Haven from the mount. With this win,
Verissimo looks to be the next one in line for a crack at the
title. Another exciting find and debut is that of Po'ai Suganuma.
Suganuma has had a successful run in the Pancrase organization
in Japan and has a style reminiscent of an early Falaniko Vitale.
Suganuma did not disappoint the crowd by being thoroughly tested
by a game and extremely tough Nate Carey. Both fighters battled
back and forth for all three rounds with Suganuma pulling out
the decision in an exciting fight Another great match up that
ended quickly was two young and exciting fighters vying for the
Icon Sport State Lightweight Championship. Harvest has been growing
as a fighter by leaps and bounds and Bucholz impressed everyone
in his last fight. After a very short feeling out period, Bucholz
stepped in with a 1-2 combo that landed sent Harvest to the mat.
Bucholz raised his hands in victory, then saw that the referee
didn't stop the fight, so he followed up with punches on Harvest
to finish him. It was a great night of fights with the Lawler-Trigg
fight sending the crowd into a deafening roar. The Icon Sport
promoters already have a huge event planned for June and hope
to build upon the momentum produced by this show. Lastly, I would
be remise to say that Mike and I were not honored and humbled
to have been selected as the second people (technically second
and third) to have been awarded the Icon Achievement Award and
to be recognized for our efforts over the years. We all do it
for the love of the sport, but it is nice to received a pat on
the back every once in a while.
135lbs
- MMA: 3 Rounds x 3 Minutes
Ryan Lee (Bulls Pen) def. Jay Bolos (Animal House)
Unanimous decision [(29-28), (29-28), (29-28)] after 3 rounds.
140lbs
- MMA: 3 Rounds x 3 Minutes
Dwayne Haney (Bulls Pen) def. Devon "Dynamite" Damo
(Animal House)
Submission via triangle at 2:51 in Round 2.
165lbs
- MMA: 3 Rounds x 3 Minutes
Scott Anderson (M.M.A.D.) def. PJ Dean (O2 Martial Arts Academy)
Unanimous decision [(30-27), (30-27), (30-27)] after 3 rounds.
170lbs
- MMA: 3 Rounds x 3 Minutes
Kimo Woelfel (Eastsidaz) def. Derrick Keasley (Team Mash, MI)
Unanimous decision [(29-28), (29-28), (29-28)] after 3 rounds.
185lbs
- MMA: 3 Rounds x 3 Minutes
Kala Kolohe Hose (Hard Knocks) def. Ron Verdadero (Jesus Is Lord)
KO at 0:38 in Round 1.
160lbs
- Icon Sport State Lightweight Championship
MMA: 3 Rounds x 3 Minutes
Justin Bucholz (Bulls Pen) def. Marshall Harvest (Animal House)
KO at 0:31 in Round 1.
Justin Bucholz becomes the Icon Sport State Lightweight Champion
205lbs
- MMA: 3 Rounds x 3 Minutes
Jeremy "1/2 Man, 1.2 Amazing" Williams (Legends Gym)
def. Charles Jones (Team Mash, MI)
TKO via referee stoppage due to strikes at 1:22 in Round 3.
205lbs
- MMA: 3 Rounds x 3 Minutes
Po'ai Suganuma (BJ Penn MMA) def. Nate Carey (Team Wolfpack,
MI)
Unanimous decision [(29-28), (29-28), (29-28)] after 3 rounds.
185lbs
- MMA: 3 Rounds x 5 Minutes
Jason "Mayhem" Miller (Team Quest, CA) def. Hector
Urbina (Team Wolfpack, IN)
TKO via referee stoppage due to punches from the guard at 1:11
in Round 1.
185lbs
- MMA: 3 Rounds x 5 Minutes
Renato "Charuto" Verissimo (BJ Penn MMA/HMC) def. Lars
Haven (Team Wolfpack, NV)
TKO via referee stoppage due to punches from mount at 2:09 in
Round 1.
Main
Event
185lbs - Icon Sport World Middleweight Championship
MMA: 5 Rounds x 5 Minutes
"Ruthless" Robbie Lawler (Miletich FS, Iowa) def. Frank
"Twinkle Toes" Trigg (J-Sect/R1, Las Vegas)
KO at 1:40 in Round 4.
Robbie Lawler regains the Icon Sport World Middleweight champion.
|
A
Look At Liddell vs. Jackson 2
When I heard that Quinton "Rampage" Jackson was going
to be facing the heavy handed UFC light heavyweight champion,
I was indescribably excited. Chuck Liddell may have one of the
worst haircuts in the history of MMA, but man does he hit hard.
Jackson is no slouch either in that department plus he's a freakishly
large human being. Quinton is only 6'1", but his personality
makes his muscles seem bigger than they really are. Check that,
his head high power bombs that slam his opponents heads on the
canvas achieve that.
Chuck
Liddell is a knockout fan's dream as we all know. His stone hands
provide chin lullabies for his opponents to sleep by on a monthly
basis. Chuck is also another fighter who seems larger in stature
than he really is because of his reputation. Chuck is probably
the scariest 6'2" fighter in MMA today. Even though Chuck
is just one inch taller than Jackson, it really doesn't seem
like that when they face off. Jackson is a stout 205 pounder
and as I said before, he just seems bigger than his opponents.
Watch this fight and when they face off in the middle of the
Octagon tell me I'm wrong.
Quinton
Jackson represents the last, lingering loss that Chuck has not
gotten his sweet revenge for. This is a tremendous opportunity
to do just that and a very important fight for the current champion's
MMA legacy. If he beats Quinton Jackson, then he is truly the
greatest light-heavyweight MMA fighter of this generation. On
the flip side, if he loses Chuck may lose some of his status
in the fickle fan's eyes. Someone wise said that, "you are
only as good as your last fight", and that repeatedly holds
true today in mixed martial arts. If Jackson wins then he is
the new casual fan favorite and Chuck will most certainly be
demoted to the "over-rated" column in the hardcore
fan forums.
Jackson
is a relative unknown to the UFC television fan base as was Anderson
Silva before he beat Rich Franklin, but Silva was given the luxury
of a relatively easy fight when he faced and defeated a talented,
yet less technical, TUF star, Chris Leben. Quinton did not have
this same courtesy, tailor-made for his style lead-in that Silva
got. He was tasked with defeating a true MMA veteran, Marvin
Eastman on his first UFC PPV. It was a fight that served only
to remove the ring rust from the former Pride superstar and announce
his arrival. Hopefully new UFC fans took notice because he could
very well be the next light heavyweight champion.
After
the fight, the charismatic Jackson stated to the raucous crowd
that he needed some "tune up fights" before he faced
Chuck, but Dana White wisely reminded him that he had been fighting
top competition for years needed no such thing. Rampage was signed
to a four fight contract with the first one being a title shot
this May. Jackson must have responded to this with a smile and
trademark, "cha-ching"!
Tune-up
fights or not, Chuck is hard man to beat, especially when he
is on top of his game as he is today. Is this a different Iceman
than we saw the last time he faced Jackson? I think so. Chuck's
loss to Randy Couture and then to Jackson changed his "get
by on natural ability" attitude towards fighting and the
intensity in which he way he trained. He is smarter now with
his strategies in the Octagon and this was evidenced by his demolitions
of Randy, Babalu Sobral, and Tito Ortiz two times a piece. It
is hard to believe that he will adopt a game plan that would
cause him to drop a second fight to Jackson.
Ever
since his return to training exclusively with the PIT, Chuck's
fighting success has increased vastly. He knows how to cut off
angles that his opponents would utilize to shoot in and take
him down and how to avoid the takedown completely. This is an
upgrade of the Chuck Liddell, better than the one who lost to
Rampage back in 2003 in the Pride organization.
This
fight will be an incredibly interesting one to watch and is scheduled
to take place on May 26 at UFC 71. Rampage looks ready to finally
become a champion and Liddell looks hungry to avenge a loss.
MaxFighting
will be covering this fight so check back for the results on
the night of the event.
Source: Maxfighting
|
A
WORD FROM THE ASIAN SENSATION...
by Al Yu
…magnitude.
Mag·ni·tude
- noun
1. great importance or consequence: affairs of magnitude.
2. greatness of size or amount.
After
much speculation, the face of mixed martial arts has changed
forever. The sale of Pride Fighting Championships signified the
largest acquisition in MMA history. Reactions spanned the spectrum
of emotions as the monumental news set in. Some were saddened.
Many were ecstatic. Others are still in disbelief. Gone are the
wearisome, yet often tumultuous UFC vs. Pride debates. The obstruction
to the seemingly unattainable match-ups has been lifted.
At
Tuesday’s press conference in Japan, sadness could be sensed
from Dream Stage Entertainment CEO Nobuyuki Sakakibara. Say what
you will about Sakakibara, his passion for the organization was
unmistakable. Unfortunately, 2006 was a damaging year for DSE
and the company continued to hurt financially into the New Year.
Enter
the Fertitta brothers.
Casino
moguls Frank and Lorenzo Fertitta are intelligent businessmen.
Along with Dana White, they brought the UFC out of the depths
and turned it into a mainstream juggernaut. Although the sale
of Pride must have been a difficult decision for Sakakibara,
he chose to put the company into the capable hands of the Fertittas.
I’d
be lying if I said part of me wasn’t sad. However, I remain
optimistic with the notion that Pride’s new owners will
keep the organization intact. I’m confident that they have
the expertise and resources to turn Pride around and possibly
secure another television contract in Japan.
New
management may have been the financial savior for the ailing
organization but the uncertainty of the future peaks some of
our curiosity. We can be thankful that Pride will sustain its
existence. However, for some, graciousness has been met with
an equivocal attitude. Loyal fans savored their fondest Pride
moments as if a sinking ship were left to meet its final resting
place. To them, Pride Fighting Championships was a revered work
of art, the perfect blend of competitiveness and showmanship.
Utilizing that successful formula, Pride entertained fans with
its trademark production value.
So
why are some fans concerned? Ask Dana White.
"This
is a sport and we're going to follow the unified rules that were
established in New Jersey and then in Nevada. As far as I'm concerned,
if an organization doesn't follow these rules, it's not MMA.”
- Dana White
The
unified rules have been the talk of the town. Heated debates
within the MMA community have been a daily occurrence. UFC Vice
President of Regulatory Affairs Marc Ratner recently confirmed
that future events after Pride 34 will utilize the unified rules.
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Foot stomps, soccer kicks, and knees to the head of a downed
opponent will no longer be allowed.
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Round times will change to 3 x 5-minute rounds and 5 x 5-minute
rounds for championship fights (no more 10-minute first rounds).
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The use of colored penalty cards will be discontinued.
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Elbows will be allowed.
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Shoes, gis, and pants will not be allowed (sorry Aoki).
While
foot stomps and soccer kicks aren’t for everyone, it was
an aspect of Pride Fighting Championships that set it apart from
other organizations. The sudden change in allowable strikes may
be a bit hard for diehard fans to swallow.
Remember
Pride 33? It was a great event. Some fans went so far as to say
it was the best in Pride’s history. It was also held in
the U.S. and sanctioned under the unified rules. I’m not
going to lie; I favor Pride’s rules/regulations over the
current set established by the athletic commissions in the U.S.
However, I do agree that unified rules are necessary for the
sport to legitimize itself worldwide. Other organizations in
Japan such as K-1 Hero’s, Professional Shooto, and Cage
Force currently utilize a similar set of rules (sans elbows with
the exception of the latter). Tatsuya Kawajiri with elbows? Intriguing…
The
unified rules will always be met with mixed feelings. However,
the integration of the rules in Pride is imminent so arguing
about them is pointless.
Aside
from the new rules, other forthcoming adjustments will prove
to be positive and welcome changes.
Pride’s
old weight classes were a bit broad in range, which made it difficult
for some fighters. With better-defined weight divisions, fighters
will be able to compete closer to their natural weight limit.
The recent emphasis on lighter weight classes in the WEC has
been well accepted and perhaps the new structure in Pride could
eventually pave the way for featherweight and bantamweight divisions
of their own.
Tired
of inane non-title fights? Same here. I expect non-title fights
to be eliminated under the new management.
Due
to past political and financial reasons, many dreamed about fights
were unattainable. Fans salivated at the prospect of seeing Wanderlei
Silva fight Chuck Liddell in the UFC only to be let down. With
the roadblock lifted, many cross-promotion super fights will
soon come to fruition. Finally, we can forgot about brand names
and enjoy MMA as a sport.
With
an acquisition of this magnitude, a level of uncertainty remains.
Will there be a loss in production value? How will the fights
be affected under unified rules? Will the amount of broadcasted
Pay-Per-View fights be lessened? With so many unanswered questions,
do fans have a cause for concern? Maybe. However, I’m confident
that those concerns will be addressed in due time.
Dream
Stage Entertainment’s exit signified the end of an era.
After months of negotiations, a new owner has emerged. Pride
Fighting Championships will forge ahead and we should be grateful.
The fighters will keep fighting. The fans will keep watching.
MMA will continue to grow. A new era will begin.
Source: MMA Weekly
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Murilo
Ninja to face Villaseñor
Frank Shamrock vs Baroni in main event of Strikeforce on June
22
Murilo Ninja was announced as one of the athletes on the card
for the next Strikeforce event, to take place on June 22, in
San Jose, California. The adversary of the Brazilian from Chute
Boxe will be the American Joey Villaseñor, who has recently
participated in Pride.
The
main event at Strikeforce will be the much-awaited confrontation
between Frank Shamrock and Phil Baroni. The fight between Paul
Buentello and Carter Williams has also been confirmed. The participations
of Charles “Krazy Horse” Bennett, Josh Thompson and
Cung Le are also foreseen for the card.
Source: Gracie Magazine
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