Upcoming
Events
Do you want to list an
event on Onzuka.com?
Contact Us
(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
|
|