Upcoming
Events
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event on Onzuka.com?
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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)
7/21/07
Garden Island Cage Match 6
(Kickboxing, MMA)
(Hanapepe Stadium, Kauai)
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)
6/12/07 or 6/13/07
Full Contact Showdown
(San Shou, Kickboxing, MMA)
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
(Kickboxing)
(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)
4/20/07
Kickin It 2007 Part 3
(Kickboxing)
(Filcom Center, Waipahu)
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)
*Cancelled*
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 2
|
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
"Take
chances, make mistakes. That's how you grow. Pain nourishes your
courage.
You have to fail in order to practice being brave."
Mary Tyler Moore, American Actress/Comedian/Star of "The
Mary Tyler Moore Show"
|
KICKIN
IT 2007 PART 3 Tonight!
FRIDAY APRIL 20TH
FILCOM CENTER
DOORS OPEN AT 6:00
KICKIN IT WAS SUPPOSE TO HAVE THEIR NEXT SHOW ON MAY 19TH BUT
DUE TO A DEMAND FOR ANOTHER SHOW. KICKIN IT SCRAMBLED UP A CARD
IN 2 1/2 WEEKS TO PROVIDE THESE KICKBOXERS WITH SOME SWING TIME.
THE MAIN EVENT WILL FEATURE THE QUICKNESS OF RICKY MURRILLO AND
THE HARD KICKIN HIAPO KOLO. BOTH OF THESE FIGHTERS HAVE A LOT
OF RESPECT FOR EACH OTHER SO IT'LL BE ALL ABOUT TECHNIQUE AND
WHO WILL MAKE THE FIRST MISTAKE. ANOTHER FIGHT NOT TO MISS WILL
BE YOSHIDA AGAINST OSTOVICH. DAS RIGHT ITS GOING DOWN, THESE
TWO GUYS WERE SUPPOSE TO MEET A WHILE BACK BUT SAGE BROKE HIS
ARM AND HAD TO PULL OUT BUT COME APRIL 20TH, THESE TWO GUYS WILL
BE ONLY TRYING TO PULL OUT A WIN. THIS CARD WILL HAVE A LOT OF
FIRST TIME FIGHTERS SO YOU KNOW THESE ROOKIES WILL HAVE SOME
FAST AND HEAVY SWINGING IN THE FIRST ROUND. AND THE ONLY THING
THAT WILL BE HEAVY AFTER THAT , IS THEIR BREATHING. SO COME DOWN
AND CHECK IT OUT.
1.HIAPO KOLO 160 RICKY MURRILLO
PAPAKOLEA
FIGHT CLUB BANGAHSVILLE
IN
THE 2006 SEQUEL THIS FIGHT LASTED ONLY 30 SECONDS. THIS WAS THE
MOST ANTCIPATED FIGHT ON THAT CARD. HIAPO IS KNOWN FOR HIS STRONG
KICKS AND HIS ROCK SOLID JAW. RICKY IS KNOWN FOR HIS SPEED AND
HIS RIGHT HAND. RICKYS STRAIGHT RIGHT TO HIAPOS BODY IS WHAT
ENDED THE FIGHT SO FAST. BUT AT THE LAST KICKIN IT HIAPO CAME
INTO THE RING TO ASK RICKY FOR ANOTHER SHOT. RICKY ACCEPTED THE
MATCH AND BULKED UP TO MEET HIM AT HIAPOS FIGHTING WEIGHT. IS
THIS REMATCH GOING TO BE A REPEAT OR A REDEMPTION. ITS ON.
2.ROYCE
POAHA 145 MARCUS MARTINEZ
TEAM
DEVASTATION BULLSPEN
2006
WELTER WEIGHT JUNIOR KICKIN IT CHAMPION (ROYCE) WILL TAKE ON
ONE OF BULLSPENS OUTSTANDING 145 LB KICKBOXERS. ROYCE HAS GREAT
TIMING IN HIS PUNCHES AND LIKES TO MAKE HIS BIG SHOTS COUNT.
MARCUS HAS ONLY ONE LOSS ON HIS RECORD AND WILL TRY TO GIVE ROYCE
HIS FIRST LOSS COME APRIL 20TH.
3.OTTO
HOOPII 300+ JUNIOR CHAVEZ
TEAM
ANILAND HSD
4.KOLOA
KAHALE 220 JUDE KAPUA
TEAM
ANILAND TEAM DEVASTATION
5.STEVE
LIM 145 MATT KANAHELE
LAUPAHOEHOE
MUAY THAI BIG TYME FIGHT
6.
RYAN MURAKAMI 155 CHAD VALENTINE
LAUPAHOEHOE
MUAY THAI HMC
7.ABE
CAGANAP 145 RICHARD BERNARD
LAUPAHOEHOE
MUAY THAI HSD
8.
JENNIFER KAKIO 135 ANJELICA
LAUPAHOEHOE
MUAY THAI ANIMAL HOUSE .
9.MIKE
UEMOTO 150 HARRISON KOLO
ANIMAL
HOUSE TEAM ANILAND
10.KOICHI
TANJI 135 RICKY TANGERA
HMC
WAIANAE KICKBOXING
KOICHI
HAS CRAZY HAND SPEED THAT HAS WON THE RESPECT FROM A LOT OF THE
KICKIN FANS. IN HIS LAST FIGHT, HE FOUGHT ONE OF HAWAII'S BEST
TEENAGE FIGHTERS. (TONY PERRERA) THEY PUT ON A GREAT SHOW THAT
NIGHT. ON APRIL 20TH KOICHI WILL BE FACING TONY'S TEAMMATE RICKY
TANGERA WHO IS KNOWN TO BE A POWER PUNCHER. BE THERE WHEN SPEED
VERSUS POWER.
11.GARON
REBALIZA 100 PIN DAO
INNER
CIRCLE BULLSPEN
12.TY
KAHALUA 220 MAKANA
HSD
LAS VEGAS FIGHT CLUB
13.JUSTIN
KAHALE 90 KILEY RAMIRO
TEAM
ANILAND HMC
14.JOE
LAWE 240 KONA KAOLULO
FREELANCE
TEAM ANILAND
15.ANDREW
GANABAN 145 KAHELE KAOLULO
WESSIDE
CONNECTION TEAM ANILAND
16.MACKY
190 MAX MURRAY
JESUS
IS LORD HMC
17.SAGE
YOSHIDA 125 ROBBIE OSTOVICH
HMC
JESUS IS LORD
SAGE
IS THE 2004 KICKIN IT CHAMPION AND ROBBY IS THE 2005 CHAMPION,
BOTH FIGHTERS ARE ONLY TEENAGERS THAT ARE LOOKING TO EXCEL IN
THEIR STAND UP GAME. THE SKILLS AND THE TECHNIQUE THESE TWO WILL
DISPLAY WOULD BE EXPECTED FROM ADULTS. BOTH THEIR FATHERS ARE
GREAT FIGHTERS WHICH THEY HAVE PASSED DOWN TO THEIR KIDS (SAGE
& ROBBY), I GUESS ITS ALL ABOUT BLOODLINE. SO YOU KNOW THAT
THEY'RE GONNA BRING IT COME APRIL 20TH.
18.IKAIKA
PATCHO 105 SOLOMON DIXON
TEAM
DEVASTATION HMC
MATCHES
AND PARTICIPANTS MAY BE SUBJECT TO CHANGE
Source: Derrick Bright
|
"What
happens in Vegas Stays in Vegas!"
Relson
Gracie Kaneohe Team
members compete in the Grappler's Quest Vegas competition. Bryan
Perelta, Makoa Gaughen, and Hikina Gaughen competed with the
nations best youth and brought away two medals in the advanced
gi division, met many pro fighters, and got to train with the
best. Special thanks to Brandon, Kendall Groves, and Mark Laimon
for the mat time! Also Bill Cooper (Paragon Jiu-Jitsu), Pablo
Popovitch (ADCC Finalist), and Leandro "Tatu" Escobar
(American Top Team) for the extended invitation to train. Here
are the results and some Highlights!
Makoa Gaughen 2nd Place Gi Advanced
Bryan Perelta 3rd Place Gi Advanced
Pic# 1 Mark Laimon and the boys.
Pic# 2 Pablo Popovitch, Leandro "Tatu" Escobar, and
the boys.
Pic#3 Bill Cooper and Makoa Gaughen.
Pic#4 Joe "Daddy" Stevenson getting some Hawaiian
pay back.
Pic#5 Xande Riberio with the boys.
Source: Kula Gaughen
|
Underdogs
Ready to Roar at UFC 70
By Thomas Gerbasi
UFC 70
Hawaii Air Times!
6:00 pm to 9:30 PM
Channel 559 (Spike) Digitial
Channel 76 (Spike)
MANCHESTER, April 19 – Whether it’s facing one of the
most feared strikers in the game in Mirko Cro Cop or being sent
into the UK lions den as the opponent of local hero Michael Bisping,
it goes without saying that Gabriel Gonzaga and Elvis Sinosic
will be facing uphill battles in their fights this Saturday at
the MEN Arena.
But
after weeks of intense training, when Gonzaga and Sinosic met
the media at the Lowry Hotel for the final UFC 70 press conference,
it was apparent that neither fighter was ready to mail it in
against their high-profile foes.
“Everybody
says that I’m an underdog because Cro Cop has fought for
a longer time and is better known in the business,” explained
Gonzaga, who will be facing the Croatian bomber in a heavyweight
title eliminator. “But I don’t feel I am the underdog
myself, so I’ll be very aggressive and I’ll be fighting
to win.”
Sinosic’s
sentiments were similar for his light heavyweight bout with Bisping,
the winner of ‘The Ultimate Fighter’s third season.
“I
like being the underdog,” said the ‘King of Rock and
Rumble.’ “It makes me fight harder.”
Sinosic,
owner of an 8-9-2 record that was earned against some of the
sport’s best, promises to bring the fight to Bisping, and
he expects that philosophy will earn him a victory.
“I
hope he’s not underestimating me,” said Sinosic, “because
I plan on winning the fight.”
And
while the always game Australian will give Bisping a run for
his money, the underrated Gonzaga may have the better chance
of upsetting the UFC apple cart when he faces the highly regarded
Cro Cop, especially since the Brazilian has looked better and
better with each of his UFC wins thus far.
“I’m
getting better because I’m training harder,” said ‘Napao’.
“I have 15 years training jiu-jitsu and six years training
mixed martial arts, so it’s a matter of training.”
WERDUM
MAKES OCTAGON DEBUT AGAINST ARLOVSKI
One
of the most highly-anticipated bouts of Saturday’s card
(which will be aired on Spike TV in the United States and on
PPV elsewhere) features former UFC heavyweight champion Andrei
Arlovski against Octagon newcomer Fabricio Werdum, a Brazilian
Jiu-Jitsu wizard who has impressed worldwide fans with his performances
in the Pride organization. Has he picked the brain of his training
partner Cro Cop for advice on the transition from a ring to the
Octagon?
“It’s
not gonna really make a difference,” said Werdum. “I’ve
been training in an Octagon for the past month or so, and I feel
welcome. Whether it’s in a ring or a cage, I’m ready.”
Arlovski
is a tough test for your UFC debut though, isn’t it?
“He’s
a very complete fighter, very tough,” Werdum admits. “He’s
very good on the ground and he has a very good base on the ground,
so it’s gonna be a good fight.”
GATE
NEWS
UFC
70, the UFC’s first foray back to the UK since UFC 38’s
Brawl at the Hall in 2002, has already produced a gate of 1.3
million pounds, which puts it among the top five gates in MEN
Arena history.
MORE
UFC 70 TICKETS RELEASED
Approximately
600 tickets in the 25 and 50 pound price ranges have been released
for Saturday’s show. The 10 fight card begins at 5:35pm
local time. Doors open at 4:45pm
Source: UFC.tv
|
MEDIA
RELEASE
For immediate release
New Fight
Card announced for K-1 World Grand Prix 2007 Hawaii with Scott Junk out and local Mike Malone now competing
HONOLULU, HAWAII, April 16, 2007 - Officials for the K-1 World
Grand Prix 2007 Hawaii have announced changes to the fight card
with Scott Junk out now due to injury. Additions to the card
include local Hawaiian powerhouse Mike "Rocky" Malone
(6'0" 215lbs) who will compete against the biggest K-1 fighter
and champion of K-1 Seoul, Korea, Hong-Man Choi (7'2" 355lbs).
In addition, US fighter Julius "Towering Inferno"
Long (7'1" 249 lbs) has been added to the card and will
fight against Jan "The Giant" Nortje (6'11" 327lbs)
from South Africa.
The
updated fight card for the K-1 World GP 2007 on 28th April at
the Blaisdell includes:
K-1
USA GP 2007 Tournament - 3Min. 3R Ext.1R
Mighty Mo (USA) vs Kyoung Suk Kim (Republic of Korea)
Jan "The Giant" Nortje (South Africa) vs Julius
"Towering Inferno" Long (USA)
Gary Goodridge (Canada) vs Patrick Barry (USA)
Alexandre Pitchkounov (Russia) vs Tatsufumi Tomihira (Japan)
K-1
Heavyweight Title Match - 3Min. 3R Ext.2R
Badr Hari (Morocco) vs Yusuke Fujimoto (Japan)
Super
Fight - 3Min. 3R Ext.2R
Remy Bonjasky (Holland) vs Glaube Feitosa (Brazil)
Junichi Sawayashiki (Japan) vs Randy Kim (Republic of Korea)
Hong-Man Choi (Republic of Korea) vs Mike "Rocky"
Malone (USA)
Reserve
Fight - 3Min. 3R Ext.2R
Jerrel Venetiaan (Holland) vs Peter Graham (Australia)
** Please note that fighters may change due to injury.
Last
held in 2005 at Aloha Stadium, this year's top-notch event will
also include the first-ever K-1 Heavyweight title bout between
Moroccan bad boy Badr Hari (6'6" 203 lbs) and K-1 Asia GP
2006 Champion Yusuke Fujimoto (5'10" 225lbs).
All
K-1 fighters in this event will be competing for the same goal,
the title of K-1 USA GP Tournament Winner, then the opportunity
to advance towards the prestigious K-1 World Grand Prix Final
and the ultimate title of "King of Kings" in December
2007.
Tickets
to the event are on sale through Ticketmaster and priced at $40,
$60, $100, $150, and VIP at $500 and doors will open at 5.00pm
for a 6.00pm start.
Tickets
are available through:
Ticketmaster: 1-808-591-2211
Website: www.ticketmaster.com
Times Supermarket Stores: In store
-ends-
For event and media enquiries please contact the K-1 Hawaii Information
Office:
Contact: Justine Mitchell, Harris Agency, LLC
Telephone: (808) 946-1988 Cell: (808) 927 5926
Email: pr@harris-agency.com Website: www.k-1.co.jp/k-1gp/index.htm
Source: Justine Mitchell
|
Ultimate
challenge for Mayweather?
By Dan Wetzel, Yahoo! Sports
Floyd Mayweather stands almost 5-foot-9, weighs 154 pounds, has
a 72-inch reach and can drop most mortals with a single swing
of either hand.
He's
fast, athletic and dodges punches as well as anyone, maybe ever.
In 13 world title fights, he won all 13. His next one is May
5 in Las Vegas, this time as a junior middleweight, against Oscar
de la Hoya, as big a fight as boxing has seen in years.
His
nickname may be "Pretty Boy," but he is one bad, bad
man.
On
Cinco de Mayo we'll find out if the heavily-favored Mayweather
can beat de la Hoya – but could he beat a snarling, menacing,
multi-skilled champion of the Ultimate Fighting Championship?
How
about lightweight (155 pound) champ Sean Sherk, who may stand
just 5-foot-6, may suffer from a distinct reach disadvantage,
but as a mixed martial arts master is schooled in "interdisciplinary
forms of fighting that include jiu-jitsu, judo, karate, boxing,
kickboxing, wrestling."
Could the best pound-for-pound fighter in the old combat sport
(boxing) handle a champion in the new combat sport (UFC)?
"UFC's
champions can't handle boxing. That's why they are in UFC."
Mayweather said Tuesday from Las Vegas during a break in training.
"Put one of our guys in UFC and he'd be the champion. Any
good fighter, he'd straight knock them out."
Dana
White, a one-time boxer and boxing instructor and current UFC
president, laughs at that.
"Boxers
couldn't become mixed martial artists. That's why they're boxers,"
White countered Wednesday from England where UFC has an event
Saturday. "They are one trick ponies. Our guys can do everything.
They can box, they can kick box, they can wrestle and do jiu-jitsu.
They are much better athletes than boxers."
Mayweather
may be right, but he'd have to be. Any boxer stepping into the
UFC octagon would have to knock his opponent out before the mixed
martial artist got a hold of him, because once the fight fell
to the mat, where things get nasty, the boxer is all but finished.
But,
as Mayweather points out, the often (by boxing standards) clumsy
and lead-with-their-face UFC guys would have to walk through
a hail of vicious jabs, crosses and hooks to get there.
"Take
Chuck Liddell," Mayweather said of the UFC's biggest star
and light heavyweight champion (about 205 pounds). "Put
him in the ring with a (boxer) who is just 10-0 and Chuck Liddell
would get punished."
So
you'd punish a UFC champion, too?
"Come
on, man. What'd you think? Am I just 10-0?"
Mayweather
is 37-0.
Liddell,
with six inches and 50 pounds on Mayweather, isn't possible,
but someone like Sherk, someone his size? With that insane reach,
unreal punching power and by UFC rules aided by small, light
4-ounce gloves would Mayweather carve up Sherk instantly? Or
would Sherk fight throughout the barrage and get Mayweather in
a clutch no ref will save him from?
"They
wouldn't have a chance to grapple (us) because we'd knock them
out," Mayweather said in general. "(The fighter) would
be knocked out before he even touched us."
Of
course, perhaps no punch is strong enough to stop a charging
opponent.
No
one really knows what would happen at such an elite level.
"I
used to talk like Floyd Mayweather when I was involved in boxing,"
White said. "I talked just like him, until I educated myself
about this sport. These guys are amazing athletes, Floyd Mayweather
is one of the best boxers ever, (and) Sean Sherk will whoop his
ass in under two minutes."
"Any
day that Mayweather wants to put his money and his ass where
his mouth is, I'm ready," White continued. "If he wants
to step up, let's do it."
First
off, Mayweather was talking mostly in general about his disdain
for UFC – "Boxing is an art, UFC is a fad." But
Mayweather has spent almost as much time this spring ripping
UFC as de la Hoya, who he seems to consider as little more than
a matinee idol useful for only increasing the purse.
"I
never knew popularity to win any fight," Mayweather said.
"I'll beat him and come home and watch basketball."
The
UFC, though, is clearly on his mind. He brought it up on his
own Tuesday. Earlier this month he cracked that "anyone
can put a tattoo on their head and get in a street fight."
Mayweather
may be a talker – loquacious doesn't begin to describe the
30-year-old – but he isn't dumb. So maybe he is setting
up another big pay day in the event he dusts de la Hoya and boxing
has little to offer. Or maybe he just wants to promote a fight
involving others.
Of
course, the economics of UFC would have to change to get Mayweather
to participate. UFC fighters make a fraction of top boxers. As
part of the family business, Mayweather, his dad and his uncle
handle all aspects of his career. For the de la Hoya fight he'll
earn millions.
"Why
would I go into a sport paying hundreds of thousands when I'm
in a sport paying $20 million?" Mayweather said.
Mayweather
knows full well, though, that the pay per view money is there
for the taking on something like this, a battle that would be
intriguing at nearly every level. White would just about kill
for this to go down, preferably with Mayweather involved as a
fighter.
"I'm
willing to put together a fight for Sean Sherk and Floyd Mayweather
with numbers that would make sense for Floyd," White said.
"And I guarantee you he would not accept it. Floyd Mayweather
would never fight in the UFC because he would get his head ripped
off."
Yes,
he would. But only if Sherk didn't get his head ripped off first.
Dan
Wetzel is Yahoo! Sports' national columnist. Send Dan a question
or comment for potential use in a future column or webcast.
Source: Yahoo Sports
|
Quote
of the Day
“Do
not the most moving moments of our lives find us all without
words?”
Marcel Marceau, French Entertainer
|
DANA
WHITE DISCUSSES PRIDE PLANS & FIGHTERS
Ultimate Fighting Championship president Dana White spoke in
great detail during a pre-UFC 70 teleconference about his plans
for the Pride Fighting Championships organization, which was
recently purchased by UFC principal owners Lorenzo and Frank
Fertitta.
The
most striking aspect of White's answers to reporters' questions
was the way in which he spoke of Pride as a company essentially
owned-and-operated by the UFC. Any pretense from the initial
buy-out announcement that White would not have anything to do
with Pride (or would not be running Pride) was long gone, as
was any pretense that Pride and the new company Pride FC Worldwide
would not be controlled by Zuffa.
White
set the tone for this early on in the conference call when he
talked about how busy he is: "I'm working on that [the first
round of the Pride Lightweight Grand Prix]. There's only so much
I can do at once. We own the UFC, Pride, and WEC, so it's a lot
of work."
White
also said, "I'm working on a major TV deal for Pride in
the U.S. and in Japan." When asked about the Pride USA office,
he said that all of the Pride employees will be keeping their
jobs but added, "I'm going to be the one going out and signing
deals for Pride."
White's
comments about Pride stand in stark contrast to the statements
made by DSE executives when the announcement was made that UFC
co-owners Lorenzo and Frank Fertitta were buying Pride. At the
time, DSE president Nobuyuki Sakakibara said, "Lorenzo believes
that Pride should maintain its luster, and he will make sure
that Pride is here to stay. I trust and believe in Lorenzo...
but please don't misunderstand the situation. This is not a speech
about the UFC purchasing Pride. The UFC will forever stay as
a competitor to Pride, because the UFC is operated by Zuffa Entertainment
and Mr. Dana White."
White
also contradicted statements made just in the past week by DSE
executives about Pride's upcoming Lightweight Grand Prix. When
asked if it's true that there will be one or more UFC fighters
in the Pride Lightweight Grand Prix, White said that it is absolutely
not true.
At
the press conference last week in Japan where it was announced
that the first round of Pride's Lightweight Grand Prix would
not be taking place on May 20th as originally scheduled, DSE
president Sakakibara said, “I’m sure that the UFC will
send us one of the very best lightweight fighters of the UFC.
That’s what Lorenzo promised me. I’m sure that Lorenzo
will prove his commitment.”
Also,
while DSE announced in Japan this week that the first round of
the Grand Prix would take place on July 16th in Nagoya, Japan,
White said, "We don't have a date for the Lightweight Grand
Prix yet." White said that it's still being determined when
they'll be ready to run their first Pride event.
When
a reporter asked if it's true that Mauricio "Shogun"
Rua will be fighting in the UFC just as Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
will be, White said that Shogun will stay in Pride and added,
"All of the guys who are in Pride will stay in Pride."
White said that there will be no Pride fighters in the UFC before
the big UFC vs. Pride "Super Bowl" event, which he
said will be taking place this year.
When
asked about the recent statements from Shogun's camp that Shogun
has a contract for two fights in Pride and two fights in the
UFC, White said, "I don't know where that's coming from,
but it's not true."
When
a reporter asked about Wanderlei Silva's status as a free agent,
White said that Silva is not a free agent and that he has four
fights remaining on his Pride contract.
When
asked about the status of Pride Heavyweight Champion Fedor Emelianenko,
who recently stated that he is not under contract to Pride, White
said that Fedor is indeed under contract to Pride, but added,
"It's a non-exclusive contract, and I don't do non-exclusive
contracts."
White
said that he is trying to sign Fedor to an exclusive contract
and that if Fedor were to sign a similar non-exclusive contract
with any other MMA promotion in the meantime, "We would
absolutely slap an injunction on that." An "injunction"
in this case would be a temporary restraining order seeking to
legally prohibit Fedor from fighting in any other MMA promotion.
White
was asked about the problem of so many Pride fighters, such as
Fedor, being under non-exclusive contracts. White responded,
"Yeah, it's a problem. I'm working on it. It's a big problem,
but believe me, I'll fix it."
Several
of the reporters did not seem to be aware of White's previous
statements that the UFC and Pride would have the same rules.
When asked about the differences between the UFC's rules and
Pride's rules in the future, White said, "It'll all be the
same."
One
of the reporters on the teleconference said that he feels the
color commentary on the April 8th Pride event was "horrendous"
due to the "constant shilling for Pride" and asked
if White will be making changes to ensure that the Pride broadcasts
will be "more professional" in the future. White responded,
"Absolutely," and said that he "agrees 100 percent"
with what the reporter said. When asked specifically if color
commentator Frank Trigg will continue to be part of the Pride
announcing team, White said, "No, he won't. We're looking
for some new announcers."
Source: MMA Weekly
|
DANA
WHITE SPEAKS ON LATEST UFC MATTERS
In addition to discussing the UFC's deal with HBO and his plans
for Pride, UFC president Dana White also discussed numerous other
issues during a pre-UFC 70 teleconference on Tuesday.
A
reporter mentioned that the New Jersey State Athletic Control
Board might be interested in legalizing knees to the head on
the ground in MMA, and asked if White thinks the Nevada State
Athletic Commission would follow suit if that were to happen.
White said, "Probably, because it was New Jersey that didn't
want knees to the head before." White has previously stated
on multiple occasions that he would personally like to see knees
to the head on the ground legalized in MMA.
White
also said that Brandon Vera will be fighting on a UFC card in
the near future, that the Spike TV program Inside the UFC (which
was previously placed on indefinite hiatus) will be returning
at some point, and that ESPN will not only be covering UFC events
from now on, but may also broadcast live UFC events in the future.
Regarding
the UFC's show in the United Kingdom this weekend, White said
that because there is no athletic commission in the U.K. that
regulates MMA events, UFC vice president Marc Ratner will be
regulating and overseeing UFC 70. Ratner is the former Executive
Director of the Nevada State Athletic Commission.
A
reporter asked about all of the recent drug test failures in
the UFC, specifically mentioning Diego Sanchez' positive test
for marijuana and Melvin Guillard's positive test for cocaine,
and White said that it always sucks whenever any UFC fighter
tests positive for anything. When the reporter asked if the UFC
would consider instituting random drug testing of its own, in
addition to the athletic commission drug testing that always
takes place on the day of the events, White did not directly
address the question. Instead, he said that all of the fighters
on The Ultimate Fighter have to pass a drug test before they
can be on the show, and some of the other fighters are drug-tested
by the athletic commissions, but he concluded, "I don't
know what else I can do."
Source: MMA Weekly |
UFC
REACHES DEAL WITH HBO
The UFC has reached a deal to air live events on HBO, according
to statements made by UFC president Dana White on a pre-UFC 70
teleconference.
White
said that the UFC will be putting on live events for HBO and
that the first UFC event on HBO will air this summer. When asked
by a reporter if the HBO deal is "signed, sealed, and delivered,"
White said, "Yes." When asked if the deal should be
reported as official, White said, "Yeah. We will be on HBO
this summer." White also spoke of struggling to sign the
HBO deal in the past tense, as he said, "We would have never
signed a deal if we weren't comfortable with it."
White
said that the UFC broadcasts on HBO will have an HBO production
team and HBO announcers, so UFC announcers Mike Goldberg and
Joe Rogan will not be doing commentary on the UFC's HBO events.
White said that he doesn't know who will be on the HBO announcing
team for UFC events, but when asked if Jim Lampley would be on
the team, White said, "Hell no."
White
inferred that the HBO events will be higher in stature than the
Spike TV events but still lower in stature than the pay-per-view
events. As an example, White said that you could expect to see
the winners from future seasons of The Ultimate Fighter have
their first post-TUF fights on HBO after they win the TUF competition,
whereas the UFC Fight Night events would be the home for all
of the fighters who are on TUF and get UFC contracts even though
they didn't win the TUF competition.
As
another example, White said that you can expect to see Antonio
Rodrigo Nogueira fight on HBO, and he added that Nogueira "will
fight one of the top guys right off the bat." White said
that fans can expect to see top-quality fights whether any given
UFC event is on HBO, Spike TV, or pay-per-view.
White
said that the UFC's June 16th event in Belfast, Northern Ireland
will not be the HBO debut show, as he said that the June 16th
show will be "on Spike TV or pay-per-view." The UFC
web site previously said that the June 16th would be on Spike
TV in the United States.
The
statements made by White on Tuesday would seem to end a period
of more than one year wherein the UFC and HBO were close to a
deal but had not reached a deal. White has said consistently
over the past year that the UFC would be on HBO "very soon,"
dating back to an April 2006 radio interview on 1140 KHTK in
Sacramento, California.
Acclaimed
boxing writer Thomas Hauser wrote in an article on the Seconds
Out web site in January 2007 that HBO Sports president Ross Greenburg
had "opposed the UFC deal as vigorously as possible"
and was doing "everything in his power not to televise mixed
martial arts." In the same article, former HBO Sports president
Seth Abraham actually compared MMA to "naked boxing"
and said that MMA would tarnish HBO's boxing heritage
In
an unprecedented move, HBO Chairman and CEO Chris Albrecht veto'd
HBO Sports president Ross Greenburg and insisted that HBO would
air MMA programming at some point, leaving Greenburg only to
negotiate the details of such a deal. According to Hauser, this
move "represented a marked shift in HBO's corporate culture...
in the past, an HBO chief executive officer would not have ordered
sports programming over the objection of the sports department."
Left
only to come to terms on the details, some of the key disagreements
between Zuffa and HBO Sports were whose production crew will
film the event, whose announcers will commentate on the event,
and how those announcers will go about commentating on the event.
Dave
Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer recently summarized the dispute
as follows: "HBO wants full control of the product, and
to use its crew and its announcers and cover it like a network
broadcast team would cover a major sporting event. UFC doesn't
want to give up its control of the product, wants its own crew
to film it, and wants to use its own announcers, who are closer
to pro wrestling announcers whose role is to build up the product
as opposed to providing detached, objective commentary."
With
those issues resolved, there were no remaining obstacles standing
in the way of a deal between the UFC and HBO.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
BUDO
REVIEW: SHOOTO & CAGE FORCE
SHOOTO “BACK TO OUR ROOTS 3” CARD ANNOUNCED
Crymson
has announced the bulk of the Shooto “Back to Our Roots
3” card, which is scheduled to take place on May 18th at
Korakuen Hall.
In
the main event, “Lion” Takeshi Inoue will defend his
Shooto Lightweight Championship against Shooto Pacific Rim Lightweight
Champion Akitoshi Tamura. The two have already met before with
Lion winning a decision over Tamura back in November of 2005.
Lion is coming off an exciting knockout victory over Hiroyuki
Abe at Shooto “Back to Our Roots”. Tamura is coming
off a decision win over Tenkei Fujimiya at Shooto “Back
to Our Roots”.
In
what is considered to be a number one contender’s match
for the Shooto Lightweight Championship, Pride veteran Hatsu
Hioki takes on AACC fighter Antonio Carvalho. Hioki is coming
off a close decision victory over Mark Hominick at TKO 28. Carvalho
is coming off a stoppage loss to “Lion” Takeshi Inoue
at Shooto: The Devilock.
In
a Class A bantamweight bout, AACC fighter Masatoshi Abe takes
on Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu World Champion Daniel Otero. Abe is coming
off a stoppage victory over Junji Ikoma at a Shooto show back
in July of 2006. Otero is coming off a stoppage victory over
Tomohiro Hashi at Shooto Brazil 10.
Shooto
“Back to Our Roots 3”
May 18, 2007
Korakuen Hall
Shooto
Lightweight Championship: “Lion” Takeshi Inoue vs.
Akitoshi Tamura
Class A Lightweight Bout: Hatsu Hioki vs. Antonio Carvalho
Class A Bantamweight Bout: Masatoshi Abe vs. Daniel Otero
Class B Light Heavyweight Bout: Masashi Yozen vs. Akihiko Adachi
Class B Flyweight Bout: Shinya Murofushi vs. Kenichi Sawada
Class B Lightweight Bout: Hayate Usui vs. Eiji Murayama
2007 Shooto Welterweight Rookie Bout: Ishibashi Aroi vs. Kunio
Nakajima
2007 Shooto Welterweight Rookie Bout: Oni Ani vs. Koichi Taguchi
2007 Shooto Lightweight Rookie Bout: Naohiro Mizuno vs. Yoshiki
Noguchi
GCM
CAGE FORCE ANNOUNCES “EX EASTERN BOUND”
Cage
Force has announced a pair of fights for their May 27 show at
the Tokyo Differ Ariake. Both fights are part of the Cage Force
Welterweight Tournament; Welterweight King of Pancrase Daizo
Ishige takes on Cage Warriors Welterweight Champion Dan “The
Outlaw” Hardy. Ishige is coming off a decision victory over
Kenji Arai at Pancrase: Blow 11. Hardy is coming off a stoppage
victory over Alexandre Izidro at Cage Warriors: Enter the Rough
House.
In
the other tournament bout, Cage Force veteran Yoshiyuki Yoshida
takes on Justin Turtle. Yoshida is coming off an impressive stoppage
victory over Katsuya Inoue at GCM: Cage Force 02. Turtle is coming
off a stoppage victory over Jon Leven at Warriors Realm: Reality
Fighting 7.
Other
fighters that are scheduled to participate include HEROS veterans
Taiyo Nakahara and Yukiya Naito
Cage
Force “EX Eastern Bound”
May 27, 2007
Tokyo Differ Ariake
Cage
Force Welterweight Tournament Bouts
Daizo
Ishige vs. Dan “The Outlaw” Hardy
Yoshiyuki Yoshida vs. Justin Turtle
Scheduled
to Participate:
Taiyo
Nakahara
Yukiya Naito
Source: MMA Weekly |
Quote
of the Day
“I
never think of myself as an icon. What is in other people's minds
is not in my mind. I just do my thing.”
Audrey Hepburn, 1929-1993, Belgian-born Actress
|
Need
a Favor
Can anyone
that was present at my black belt promotion please send me pictures
that you took of me? Surprisingly, I have only crappy pictures.
The group pictures would be great as well.
Thanks!
Mike |
Kickin
It Weigh Ins
WEIGH INS
WILL BE HELD AT THE
WAIKIKI COMMUNITY CENTER - 2ND FLOOR
310 PAOKALANI AVE
7:00 PM
Thursday, April 19.
DIRECTIONS - GOING TOWARDS THE OCEAN ONKAPAHULU AVE
TAKE A RIGHT ON KUHIO (THE ZOO IS ON THE LEFT)
TAKE A RIGHT ON PAOAKALANI AVE.
TRAVEL ONE BLOCK AND COMMUNITY CENTER IS ON THE LEFT.
MUAY THAI AND TAEKWONDO SIGNS ARE ON THE GATE.
PARKING IS IN THE BACK
WEIGH INS ON THE SECOND FLOOR
7:00 PM PROMPT
17 YR AND UNDER PARENT MUST ATTEND.
NO PARENT NO FIGHT
|
A
UFCjunkie.com Interview with Andrei Arlovski
Andrei
ArlovskiFormer UFC heavyweight champion Andrei Arovski (10-5
MMA, 8-4 UFC) continues his road back to title contention at
next weekend’s UFC 70 event, where he faces UFC newcomer
and PRIDE Fighting Championships veteran Fabricio Werdum (9-2-1
MMA, 0-0 UFC).
In
the UFC’s first show outside America in nearly five years,
Arlovski is being promoted as one of the night’s top draws
for the international audience.
Since
the Belarusian won the interim heavyweight belt by defeating
former champ Tim Sylvia at UFC 51 (and defended it twice to become
the undisputed champion), Arlovski lost two rematches with Sylvia
and disappeared from the title picture almost overnight. What
was one of the sport’s most recognized fighters was suddenly
gone from the headlines.
“The
Pitbull” made a small step on the comeback trail with a
decisive win over Marcio Cruz at UFC 66, and he’ll lake
to make a great stride in his main-card bout with Werdum next
weekend.
UFCjunkie.com
recently touched base with the former champ about next week’s
fight, his hopes for another title shot, and his desire for a
UFC event in his current home of Chicago.
UFCjunkie.com:
Let’s get right into UFC 70. You’re facing a very accomplished
fighter in Fabricio Werdum next weekend. Although a lot of UFC
fans aren’t familiar with him, could you give us your assessment
of his skills? Do you think Werdum is a championship-caliber
fighter?
Arlovski: He’s very tough. He’s trained before with
[Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic] and has great MMA jiu-jitsu.
I have seen some of his fights. I’m not sure if he’s
a championship-caliber fighter, but he’ll be fighting a
former champion.
UFCjunkie.com:
How did you learn about your fight with Werdum? Did the UFC propose
the fight — or did they make a big push for you to fight
him?
Arlovski: The UFC called and asked me to fight in April at UFC
70. They said Werdum’s name, and I told them no problem.
UFCjunkie.com:
You’re being showcased as one of the major draws for UFC
70. How does it make you feel knowing that the UFC is using you
as an ambassador for the European audience?
Arlovski: I appreciate that they picked me for that card, and
I’m proud to represent Belarus, the U.S. and the UFC as
they start to have events outside of the U.S.
UFCjunkie.com:
You had a very successful return to the Octagon with your latest
win over Marcio Cruz. However, you apparently hit Cruz with an
illegal kick. Can you explain what happened?
Arlovski: It wasn’t a kick; it was a push. What I was trying
to do was break his lock. If it was illegal in the mind of the
ref, he would of disqualified me. It was in [Cruz’s] arm,
not his face.
UFCjunkie.com:
It was rumored that you had a substantial leg injury during your
loss to Tim Sylvia at UFC 61. I know you’re not the type
of fighter to make excuses, but could you tell us about the injury?
Arlovski: I don’t make excuses, and I lost at UFC 61. If
you’re asking — yes, I had some problem with my left
leg and left foot from checking a kick. Everything is fine now.
UFCjunkie.com:
You and Sylvia have taken a lot of criticism for that UFC 61
fight. How did that fight affect you? Do you think you lost fans
because of it?
Arlovski: My real fans — I still have them. If people think
it was boring, they were not a real fan. No, I did not perform
like I wanted to, but inside the cage it was a tough fight.
UFCjunkie.com:
You were in attendance at UFC 68 and watched Randy Couture’s
upset of Tim Sylvia for the heavyweight championship. Can you
tell us your thoughts about the fight?
Arlovski: I am very happy that Randy beat Tim Sylvia. Randy did
a very good job beating him. Randy is a great fighter with a
lot of experience, and I want to give him another congratulations.
UFCjunkie.com:
So you were rooting for Couture, one of your training partners,
in that fight?
Arlovski: Of course.
UFCjunkie.com:
Overall, what did you think about the UFC 68 event? How did that
crowd compare to the ones you usually see in Las Vegas?
Arlovski: It was loud like everywhere. UFC fans are great, and
it gets you pumped up to hear them cheer. Going to different
cities is probably good for the UFC because not all fans can
make it to Vegas. I hope that they come to Chicago one day soon
so I can fight on that card.
UFCjunkie.com:
Let’s assume you get by Werdum next weekend. How soon would
you want a title shot?
Arlovski: First, I will beat Werdum on April 21. We can come
back to that conversation. I want another title shot as soon
as possible, though.
UFCjunkie.com:
Let’s say Randy Couture is the champ during your next title
fight. Why do you think you have the advantage?
Arlovski: I know that he’s a great wrestler, and his boxing
is good too. I would need to train even harder at jiu-jitsu,
boxing and wrestling for that fight.
UFCjunkie.com:
Now, let’s say “Cro Cop” is the champ. Why do
you think you have the advantage? What would your game plan be?
Arlovski: Cro Cop is a very good kicker, and it means I would
need to keep my hands up and protect my head.
UFCjunkie.com:
Is Cro Cop as unbeatable as fans think he is?
Arlovski: Cro Cop has lost like all the best fighters. People
say a lot of fighters are unbeatable, and at some point in their
career, every fighte | |