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January 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 classes) on Monday
nights!
Click here for info! Take classes from the Onzuka brothers in
a family-like enviornment!
 
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price, click on one of these banners above! |
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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
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Quote
of the Day
"I
have friends in overalls whose friendship I would not swap for
the favor of the kings of the world."
Thomas Edison, 1847-1931, American Inventor/Entrepreneur/Founder
of General Electric
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RANDY
COUTURE RETURNING TO CHALLENGE TIM SYLVIA
MMAWeekly has confirmed through various independent sources close
to the situation that Randy “The Natural” Couture is
set to announce his return from retirement. Never one to sidestep
a challenge, his first opponent is to be UFC Heavyweight Champion
Tim Sylvia.
Couture
surprisingly announced his retirement less than a year ago following
a loss to UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Chuck Liddell at UFC
57. At the time, having just lost 2 out of 3 fights with Liddell,
it appeared there weren’t many choice fights left for the
first man to win titles in two different UFC weight classes.
Always
a competitive spirit, Couture has since competed on Spike TV’s
“Pros vs. Joes” and fought to a draw in a professional
submission grappling match with Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza.
It now appears that Couture is ready for a new challenge in MMA,
returning to the heavyweight division to confront Sylvia at UFC
68 on March 3rd in Ohio.
There
had been negotiations to have Sylvia make his next title defense
against heavyweight contender Brandon Vera. But Vera has only
one fight left on his current contract and the UFC will not extend
a title shot to a fighter that could wind up leaving the promotion
following the fight. Apparently negotiations on an extension
with Vera are at an impasse with sources revealing that Vera
is asking for a rather large signing bonus that the UFC is unwilling
to agree to. It is likely that Vera will end up sitting for much
of the remainder of his contract, reportedly in the neighborhood
of eight months, and then be given a fight in a preliminary bout
to finish out his contract.
Despite
taking some flack for not being as exciting as some fans would
like recently, Sylvia has been on a tear winning his last six
fights in a row, pushing his record to 23-2. The streak includes
an impressive knockout of Tra Telligman, a decision over Assuerio
Silva, a TKO of Andre Arlovski to regain the heavyweight title,
and decision defenses against Arlovski and Jeff Monson.
Having
just added a three-fight extension to the one fight left on his
previous contract, Sylvia poses a difficult task for Couture.
He is much larger than Couture, cutting weight to make the 265-pound
limit of the heavyweight division and stands 6’8” tall.
Couture has had difficulty with larger fighters in the past,
he lost to both Josh Barnett and Ricco Rodriguez, neither of
which has the size of Sylvia.
In
a post-fight interview at UFC 57, MMAWeekly co-founder Ryan Bennett
told Couture, “Captain America can’t retire… you’re
not going anywhere.” Couture responded with a chuckle saying,
“It’s gotta end sometime. I’m ready to focus on
something else.” Although his focus did shift to other areas
for a while, Couture never really strayed too far. And now, Captain
America is ready to return.
Source: MMA Weekly
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Zé
Mario analyses Minotauro’s bout
One
of the leaders of BTT, Zé Mario Sperry analyzed the bout
of Rodrigo Minotauro against Josh Barnett at Pride of New Years
Eve with a great victory. “Minotauro fought right, he did
everything right. He was determinate, concentrated, punished
Barnett and didn’t try the submission. He was really concentrated
and that was a great victory”, said Zé Mario, who
went to making his contract with the International Fighting League
(IFL). “The IFL is my main objective, I will use the BTT
as my base and I want a tough team. I am closing my contract
and I will probably participate of some super bouts!”, said
the black belt.
The
leader of BTT went to USA and also enjoyed the opportunity to
watch the victory of Renzo Gracie under Carlos Newton. “I
thought that Newton had won because I use to see the Pride rules
where the last round is the biggest one. But I stopped and analyzed
the combat a little bit and I saw that Renzo really deserved
that, he was better stand up and also did a omoplata choke”,
said Zé Mario, who fights on January 20th at Gracie Fighting
Championship against the American fighter Wes Sims. “The
expectation is really big. I am waiting the victory, but I will
also respect my adversary. I will try to do a fast game, take
him down and do the best BJJ game”, finished Sperry.
Source: Tatame
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Pitbull
talks about victory at UFC
The
athlete from American Top Team, Thiago Pitbull Alves comes from
a great victory under the black belt from Nova União Tony
de Souza, knew as Mendigo in , at UFC 66, that was held on December
30th in 2006 in Las Vegas, United States. Pitbull KO’d the
Peruvian fighter at 1min10s of the second round and each day
turns himself into the top ones of the category. “I am sure
they will give me other bouts. The line under my category is
really big and who lives in Brazil doesn’t follows the UFC,
but this category is the best one of the world. But in the end
of 2007, with much faith and hard work and training, I will bring
this title for us!”, said Thiago Pitbull in exclusive interview
that you may check out during this weekend.
Source: Tatame
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Thiago
Pitbull
By Eduardo Ferreira
Waiting
for the belt
The
athlete from American Top Team, Thiago Pitbull Alves comes from
a great victory under the black belt from Nova União Tony
de Souza, knew as Mendigo in , at UFC 66. Pitbull KO’d the
Peruvian fighter at 1min10s of the second round and each day
turns himself into the top ones of the category. “I am sure
they will give me other bouts. The line under my category is
really big and who lives in doesn’t follow the UFC, but
this category is the best one of the world. But in the end of
2007, with much faith and hard work and training, I will bring
this title for us!”, said Thiago Pitbull in exclusive interview
that you may check out now:
How
was your bout?
The bout was faster than I was expecting. Toni tried to take
down in the first round how I was expecting; I just waited the
right time to attack. He tried the KO with a right punch. But
then, I was under him punching a lot and he tried to let the
position. I did a uchi-mata under him and I punched him and I
noticed that he felt the weight of my hand, so I did the mounted
and he gave me his backs, so I still punching him and I though
that the referee would stop the bout at that time, but the round
did finish. At the second round I knew that he would attack to
be better than in the first one, so he tried to get my legs,
I defended myself and got him with a hook. So I tried to make
he thinks that I was tired. So he came to my legs again and I
did the knee blow and I got the KO!
So,
everything happened as you were expecting?
Thanks God, yes. The strategy was made by Uncle Liba (Ricardo
Libório) and the rest of the folks, everything worked
well.
Did
he seem dangerous some time?
Toni is a dangerous man. You can’t relax, especially during
a competition like this one, of high level. You must know that
he will always be a dangerous.
A
lot of people didn’t believe that you would win because
they already watched Mendigo fighting. What do you have to say
after this victory?
It is normal that people from thinks like that, he is from Nova
União team and already faced top guys in and was pretty
good. And also because a lot of Brazilian people doesn’t
like me because of the name of my team (American Top Team). They
like to say that we don’t love , that we like to do like
the American people do. But I can’t say anything, I love
ATT, I am proud of it. Here I am able to make my dreams comes
true, to help my Brazilian family, not just me, but all the Brazilian
fighters from the team. You can’t imagine how it is hard
to let our family and came here to do your dream in a different
country. I am ATT, but I have a Brazilian blood and I am proud
of where I am now. So, for these people who talks about me, stop
and thinks about it better, because it isn’t easy to anyone!
Who
do you want to face under this category? Who are the top ones
and how can you do to defeat them?
My category is considered the most disputed one of the world
all over the events, because we have lots of people fighting
under this weight (77kg) at UFC. So, facing anyone from this
category will be a tough bout, but I want revenge John Fitch,
because I already lose to him at UFC and now we will se what
happens. The top ones are George St.Pierre, Matt Hughes, Diego
Sanches, Karo Parisyan, John Fitch… They are the top 5 of
the category. To defeat them is just possible with much training,
dedication, faith and some lucky.
After
this victory, do you believe that you are close to dispute the
belt or do you think they will give you some other bouts?
I am sure they will give me other bouts. The line of my category
is really big and who lives in doesn’t follow the UFC, but
this category is the best one of the world. But in the end of
2007, with much faith and hard work and training, I will bring
this title for us!
Source: Tatame
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Quote
of the Day
"Music
can change the world because it can change people."
Bono, Irish Musician/Social Activist/Lead Singer of U2
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New
Fighters' Club TV Episode Airs Tonight!
Happy Holidays
Everyone!
Fighters'
Club TV Episode 46 is cut and submitted to Olelo Programming.
It will run in our normal timeslot at 7pm every Tuesday night on Olelo
Oahu Channel 52. Airdates are Dec. 19, 26, Jan 2, and 9.
Episode
46 features:
-Jason
Mayhem Miller vs Ruthless Robbie Lawler + intvw w/ Robbie (from
Icon's Sep 2 show)
-Tyson
Nam vs Marc Oshiro + intvw w/ Marc (from Icon's Dec 1 show)
-Technique
of the Week: Shooto Middleweight Champion and Pride Star, Shinya
Aoki demonstrating the upside down heel hook
-FCTV
EMAIL: Mike and Mark answer YOU THE VIEWERS in our newest HIT
SEGMENT!
-Mike
interviews Frank "Twinkletoes" Trigg after his win
in the Dec 1 Icon UNSTOPPABLE show.
-stay
tuned for the credits for KITV's report on Mayhem vs Trigg
and
of course, the ever-increasing antics of Chris, Mike and Mark.
Comments,
Questions, and Suggestions to: fctv@onzuka.com
Aloha
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K-1
Dynamite to Air Jan 12 on PPV
K-1 Dynamite
that was held New Years Eve will finally be broadcast on Oceanic
Digital Channel 701 on January 12, 2006 at 5:00 pm to 8:00 PM
Hawaii time.
Here
are other air times:
(IN1)
Channel 701
Fri 1/12 5:00 PM
(IN3)
Channel 703
Sat 1/13 6:00 AM
(IN1)
Channel 701
Sat 1/13 12:00 PM
(IN3)
Channel 703
Sat 1/13 3:00 PM
(IN3)
Channel 703
Sun 1/14 8:00 AM
(IN1)
Channel 701
Mon 1/15 2:00 PM
(IN3)
Channel 703
Wed 1/17 6:00 AM
(IN1)
Channel 701
Wed 1/17 11:00 AM
(IN3)
Channel 703
Thu 1/18 1:00 PM
(IN3)
Channel 703
Sat 1/20 9:00 AM
(IN1)
Channel 701
Sat 1/20 12:00 PM
K-1 Dynamite 2006 Fight Card
Sunday, December 31st, 2006
K-1
Rules:
- Hong Man Choi vs. Bobby Ologun;
- Musashi vs. Randy Kim;
- Masato vs. Yong-Soo Choi;
- Badr Hari vs. Nicolas Pettas;
MMA:
- Genki Sudo vs. Damacio Page;
- Ken Kaneko vs. Andy Ologun;
- Kid Yamamoto vs. Istvan Majoros;
- Akebono vs. Giant Silva;
- Hideo Tokoro vs. Royler Gracie;
- Katsuhiko Nagata vs. Shuichiro Katsumura;
- Yoshihiro Akiyama vs. Kazushi Sakuraba;
- Tokimitsu Ishizawa vs. Kin Tai Ei.
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Nogueira’s
brothers wants two belts
The
year didn’t started completely and Rogério Minotouro
already made his own plans and his family plans to 2007. “I
believe that everything will be fine and I am ready to get this
belt. I am training and well prepared for this bout with Wanderlei
Silva. But Rodrigo, after that Mirko Cro Cop went to Ultimate,
can be the challenger of Fedor, and so we will be able to get
two belts in 2007”, believes Minotouro, who also commented
the victory of Minotauro at Pride Shockwave, under Josh Barnett.
-
Rodrigo did an excellent bout. We were all pretty anxious, that
was a revenge, he couldn’t lose. He was much better at this
time, he was well trained – remembers Minotouro, who didn’t
watch Mauricio Shogun’s bout, but commented about the victory
of the athlete from Chute Boxe. “Nakamura is a tough guy,
but Shogun is an excellent athlete and does his own game. I am
sure he is the man now”, finished him.
Source: Tatame
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Jaoude
talks about his MMA return
The
International Fighting League (IFL) confirmed the card for the
next event of January 19th, that will be held on Oakland , Oracle
(USA). Antoine Jaoude and Rodrigo Ruas are confirmed at the Condors
team, lead by Marco Ruas.
Beyond
Jaoude and his nephew Rodrigo, Marco will also have in his team
three pupils: Adam Lynn, Jeremy Williams and Justin Levens. Before
traveling, Antoine talked with site TATAME about his return.
-
My priority is the Wrestling, but I received this amazing invitation
of representing Marco Ruas, so instead of getting some rest on
December, I prepared myself really well with Beto Leitão,
Pedro Rizzo, Márcio Pimentel and Cesário –
told Jaoude, who haven’t got yet a guaranteed participation
to fight at the Pan-American Championship, that will be held
in 2007, but is in a better position than his adversaries. “From
the three selective stages, I won two of them and the third one
is on May, so I am better than the other athletes so I know I
will fight this event. I am preparing myself also for the Olympic
Games in ”, finished Jaoude. Check out the complete card
of IFL:
COMPLETE
CARD (subject to change):
IFL
Oakland, Oracle
January 20th, 2007
Condors
against Sharks:
-
Adam Lynn vs. Shad Lierley;
-
Rodrigo Ruas vs. Brad Blackburn;
-
Jeremy Williams vs. Bristol Marunde;
-
Justin Levens vs. Reese Andy;
-
Antoine Jaoude vs. Curtis Crawford;
Lions
against Razorclaws:
-
John Gunderson vs. Josh Odom;
-
Pat Healy vs. Ray Steinbeiss;
-
Daniel Molina vs. Brian Foster;
-
Vernon White vs. Raphael Davis;
-
Roy Nelson vs. Vince Lucero;
Super
bout:
-
Jeremy Horn vs. Niko
Vitale.
Source: Tatame
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Cro
Cop: the best of 2006
You
all already choose the best fighter of 2006. Mirko Cro Cop, the
absolute champion of the Pride won the poll of the best MMA fighter
of 2006 getting 55% of the votes, followed by the Brazilian fighter
Paulão Filho with 12%. The third place went to the UFC
champion Anderson Silva, with 10% of votes. After them, comes:
Wanderlei Silva (8%), Chuck Liddell (5%), Fabrício Werdum
(4,9%), Vitor Shaolin (3,1%), Gesias Cavalcanti (2%) and Takanori
Gomi with only 1% of votes.
Don’t
miss the new poll of site TATAME. Which MMA event will rock 2007
year? We give you nine options of important international events:
Pride, UFC, IFL, Gracie Fighting Championship, Jungle Fight,
Cage Rage, Super Challenge, APEX or Bodogfight. Check out now
this new poll and give your
vote!
Source: Tatame
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Quote
of the Day
"Can
anything be so elegant as to have few wants, and to serve them
one's self?"
Ralph Waldo Emerson, 1803-1882, American Poet and Essayist
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FRANKLIN
TO RETURN AGAINST MacDONALD
“The Athlete” Jason MacDonald will indeed face former
middleweight Rich “Ace” Franklin at UFC 68 in Ohio,
according to cbc.ca. This fight has been rumored since MacDonald
disposed of Chris Leben last Saturday night at UFC 66.
MacDonald
was recently on MMAWeekly Radio and mentioned that he wasn’t
necessarily looking for a fight with Franklin. “A Rich Franklin
fight is not a great fight for me, he’s coming off a loss
and I’m coming off two wins, but it is Rich Franklin and
he is one the top middleweights in the world,” said the
young Canadian.
MacDonald
said that he wanted to fight Kendall Grove next. “That’s
the fight I’m looking for is Kendall Grove," he said.
That fight will have to be put on hold for now. A win over Franklin
would instantly put MacDonald in line for a title shot.
Rich
Franklin is coming off a devastating loss to Anderson Silva at
UFC 64. Franklin is in need of a win in order to get back to
his number one contender status. A win over MacDonald would be
a major confidence booster for the Ohio native. Franklin had
two successful title defenses as middleweight champion, and the
road back to the title begins with Jason MacDonald. Franklin
is a consummate professional and knows how to bounce back after
a loss. After his loss to Ryoto Machida back in 2003, Franklin
rattled off eight straight wins.
This
is a significant step up in competition for MacDonald. Franklin
knows that this fight is very important and is a pivotal point
in his career. After MacDonald disposed of Chris Leben and Ed
Herman, Franklin has to know not to take MacDonald lightly. Franklin
should have a few advantages such as size and experience. But
one thing is for sure, after last Saturday night, every fighter
in the middleweight division including Rich Franklin knows that
MacDonald is for real and not to be taken lightly. This fight
will really set the bar for the number one contender in the middleweight
division.
According
to Sherdog.com, who spoke to MacDonald’s manager Mark Pavelich,
the UFC’s Joe Silva has been so impressed with MacDonald
that he included a signing bonus and a new four-fight contract
as part of the offer to fight Rich Franklin.
Source: MMA Weekly
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INTERVIEW
WITH "DEAN OF MEAN" KEITH JARDINE
When
Ultimate Fighter Season 1 champion Forrest Griffin was announced
to fight Ultimate Fighter Season 2 competitor Keith Jardine,
many fans knew this fight could be yet another of those now legendary
UFC battles. Each man was prepared both mentally and physically
to go full throttle for a complete 15 minutes, but just over
four minutes into the first round of their UFC 66 match up this
past Saturday night, Keith Jardine terminated all hopes that
fans would catch any glimpse of a long, hard-fought war. The
Dean of Mean ended Griffin’s night with a solid punch combination
followed up by a short but sweet ground-and-pound clinic.
With
under a minute to go in Round 1, Jardine caught Griffin with
a crisp combination that wobbled Forrest on his feet. Jardine
then immediately closed the distance in an effort to overwhelm
the now unsteady Griffin. Both men started throwing punches wildly,
but the hard-hitting Jardine landed a punch flush to Griffin’s
chin knocking the TUF Season 1 winner to the ground. Jardine
gave Forrest no time to recover and continued raining down huge
right hands until ‘Big’ John McCarthy jumped in and
stopped the contest at the 4:41 mark of the very first round.
It
was widely understood leading up to this contest that this fight
would be the biggest to date of Jardine’s 15-fight career.
Participating in a fight of this magnitude – even with all
of the mental and physical preparations fighters do – can
be a nerve-wracking experience if that individual allows it to
be. Keith was as prepared as he could be, but even a man who
is as mentally strong as Jardine occasionally feels the pressure.
Keith
said, “I can’t tell you how nervous I was all day leading
up to that fight. Not nervous for my opponent, but just cause
I’ve worked so hard and I wanted to finally showcase my
talents…I’ve never been so nervous before leading up
to a fight.”
Both
fans and MMA enthusiasts alike suspected that this fight would
be a close one, but it seems like most people still expected
Forrest coming out as the victor. Jardine recognized that he
was a bit of an underdog, but he also knew that he’d already
put in the time at the gym and all that was left was his hard
work finally coming to fruition.
Keith
said, “In my heart I believed that I was going to win it,
but it was just…would it pay off, you know?”
Well,
Saturday night at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nev., it paid off
for Jardine. With this win Keith has undoubtedly placed himself
among the upper echelon in the UFC’s light-heavyweight division.
If
you’d like to hear more about what Keith Jardine said about
his latest fight, join Damon Martin and Jeff Cain on the Tuesday,
January 2nd edition of MMAWeekly’s SoundOff Radio show.
Keith went into much more detail about who he’d like to
have as an opponent in the near future, who he would never even
consider fighting, what Forrest had to say to him after the fight
and much more, so for the answers to all of these questions and
more listen to Tuesday night’s edition of MMAWeekly’s
SoundOff Radio.
Source: MMA Weekly
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SPORTFIGHT
& BODOGFIGHT TEAM UP
BodogFight, the mixed martial arts (MMA) reality television phenomenon
and brainchild of digital entertainment mogul Calvin Ayre, will
be the official Presenting Sponsor for "Turning Point",
a 10-bout Sportfight mega-card set for Saturday, January 6, at
the Rose Garden in Portland, Oregon.
"We
are extremely excited about this opportunity to work with Randy
Couture and Matt Lindland," says Calvin Ayre, the founder
of Bodog.com Entertainment who recently returned from the filming
of BodogFight: St. Petersburg. "Randy is an MMA legend and
role model for the sport while Matt is an Olympic silver medalist
who understands the commitment required to become one of the
world's top competitors. Since combining their athletic and coaching
qualities together, it's no wonder that Team Quest is producing
a distinguished list of incredible fighters."
The
Sportfight event brings together some of the Pacific Northwest's
top emerging and seasoned fighters for an MMA fan spectacular
headlined by a bout between Portland's Enoch Wilson and Travis
Bush of Coeur D'Alene, Idaho.
Fighting
in the 170-pound weight class, Wilson brings a ferocious attitude
and impressive 11-3-0 record to the canvas. He is recognized
for possessing a steel chin and strong takedown abilities. In
his Sportfight debut, Wilson withstood an onslaught from Shanti
Johnson that would have put many others to sleep. He has since
gained experience in various events.
Bush,
meanwhile, touts an impressive 5-1-0 record and hails from the
Lion's Den training camp in Coeur D'Alene, also home to BodogFight
warrior Trevor Prangley. Although Bush does not have as much
experience as Wilson, fans should expect a bloody, stand-up battle
that leaves one of the combatants face down on the canvas.
With
the BodogFight series gaining worldwide popularity, title sponsorship
opportunities such as this one with Sportfight work to solidify
Bodog.com Entertainment's position as an integral player within
the MMA industry. The premiere episode of BodogFight: St. Petersburg
is set for January 23. As in the inaugural season of the series,
fans can expect elimination battles, behind-the-scenes training,
interviews with fighters, and a soundtrack featuring Bodog Music
artists. The weekly, one-hour BodogFight: St. Petersburg episodes
will lead into a PPV main event in April 2007. For up-to-date
MMA action visit "The Latest" section on the official
BodogFight website: www.bodogfight.com.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Quote
of the Day
"I
want to work with the top people because only they have the courage
and the confidence and the risk-seeking profile that you need."
James Joyce, 1882-1941, Irish Writer and Poet
|
UFC
66 BREAKS RECORDS; UFC BUSINESS YEAR-IN-REVIEW
Last weekend's UFC 66 event at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in
Las Vegas, Nevada generated $5,397,300 in gross ticket sales,
which is more than any other event in UFC history.
Prior
to UFC 66, there had been three events in UFC history that drew
more than $3 million in gross ticket sales: UFC 57 (headlined
by Chuck Liddell vs. Randy Couture), UFC 61 (Tito Ortiz vs. Ken
Shamrock; and Tim Sylvia vs. Andrei Arlovski), and UFC 62 (Liddell
vs. Renato "Babalu" Sobral).
The
live gate figure of $5,397,300 that was announced by Zuffa after
UFC 66 is indeed the legitimate live gate figure. However, Zuffa's
claim that the building was sold out with 14,607 fans in attendance
is not accurate.
The
actual number of fans in attendance, according to the Nevada
State Athletic Commission, was 13,761. Of the 13,761 fans in
attendance, 12,191 of those fans paid for their tickets, while
the remaining 1,570 people in attendance had free "comp"
tickets.
The
UFC's all-time record for highest paid attendance is still held
by UFC 59, for which 13,060 tickets were sold. In addition, the
UFC record for the highest total attendance still belongs to
UFC 60, which had a total of 14,765 fans in attendance (although
4,418 of those fans had free "comp" tickets).
Nonetheless,
the amount of the live gate is far more important from a business
standpoint than the number of fans in attendance, and UFC 66
simply blows away every other UFC event in history when it comes
to gross ticket sales. The event that previously held the all-time
record was UFC 57 (with gross ticket sales of $3,382,400), and
UFC 66 surpassed that mark by more than $2 million.
Just
over a month prior to UFC 66, a fight between Matt Hughes and
Georges St. Pierre headlined UFC 65 in Sacramento, California.
The event drew a live gate of $2,138,020, making it the ninth
highest-grossing UFC event in history (including UFC 66).
Both
events took place in California and both events featured a Matt
Hughes fight in the main event, but UFC 65 (with Hughes vs. St.
Pierre) drew approximately $550,000 more in gross ticket sales
than UFC 63 (with Hughes vs. BJ Penn).
However,
the public claims that 15,350 fans were in attendance at UFC
65 are false. The legitimate total attendance was 14,666, with
12,362 of those fans paying for their tickets and the other 2,304
fans receiving free "comp" tickets.
UFC
Business Year-in-Review
Heading
into 2006, the UFC had drawn live gates of $2 million or more
on just two occasions in its history (UFC 52 with Liddell vs.
Couture, and UFC 54 with Liddell vs. Jeremy Horn).
In
the year 2006 alone, the UFC surpassed the $2 million mark in
ticket sales with seven different events, three of which also
surpassed the $3 million mark, and one of which also surpassed
the $5 million mark.
Chuck
Liddell has been in the main event in five of the nine events
in UFC history that have drawn live gates of $2 million or more.
The only two fighters who come close to Liddell's record are
Tito Ortiz and Matt Hughes, each of whom have been in the main
event in three of the UFC's nine events that have had ticket
sales of more than $2 million.
In
addition, Chuck Liddell has been in the main event in three of
the four events in UFC history that have drawn live gates of
$3 million or more, and he fought three different fighters in
those three events (Randy Couture, Renato Sobral, and Tito Ortiz).
Ortiz has been in two of the top four events, with Liddell and
Ken Shamrock as his opponents.
The
UFC held a total of ten pay-per-view events in 2006, and without
taking pay-per-view revenue into account, those ten events generated
$27,532,225 in ticket sales. The revenue in ticket sales, while
impressive, is dwarfed by the skyrocketing PPV revenue.
Using
the most conservative possible estimates for the UFC PPV events
that took place in late 2006, the gross PPV revenue that was
generated by the UFC's ten PPV events in 2006 surpassed $200
million. The total may actually be well over $200 million, depending
on how well UFC 64, UFC 65, and UFC 66 performed at the PPV box
office.
Using
Zuffa's own public predictions of 1.2 million buys for UFC 66,
that would mean that UFC 66 alone generated approximately $47.94
million in pay-per-view revenue.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
WEC
UNVEILS NEW LOOK, HEADS TO LAS VEGAS
World Extreme Cagefighting, now under the ownership of Zuffa
LLC alongside the Ultimate Fighting Championship, officially
unveiled their new look earlier this week and confirmed reports
that the newly revamped promotion will premier in Las Vegas,
Nevada.
“I
am pleased to announce that the WEC will present its first-ever
Las Vegas fight card at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino,”
said Peter Dropick, WEC Vice President of Event Operations &
Production in a statement released by the promotion. “We
are looking forward to this first fight with the Hard Rock Hotel
& Casino, and many more down the line. We plan to expand
the WEC throughout 2007 and bring it to a whole new level –
for WEC fans and fighters – and compete with all the top
organizations in the sport.”
In
addition to announcing their move to Las Vegas, the WEC also
made official three title fights for their January 20th card
at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. “Razor” Rob McCullough
faces Kit Cope for the vacant lightweight title, Jorge Olivera
vies for the vacant light heavyweight belt against Doug “The
Rhino” Marshall, and Urijah Faber will defends his featherweight
crown against Joe Pearson.
Other
bouts announced for January 20th include Alex Karalexis vs. Olaf
Alfonso, Carlos Condit vs. Alex Serduykov, and Josh Smith vs.
Casey Olson.
As
witnessed by the featherweight title defense, the WEC will continue
to feature many of the lighter weight fighters that don’t
have many options in the United States. In addition to the 145-pound
featherweight division, the WEC will also feature bouts in the
little-used 135-pound bantamweight division.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
IFL
EXPANSION TAKES LEAGUE TRULY INTERNATIONAL
The International Fight League (OTC.BB: IFLI), the world’s
first team-based professional mixed martial arts league, today
announced the addition of four teams expected to begin competition
with the 2008 season. The addition of these four teams, to be
based in Brazil, France, San Diego and South Korea, brings the
number of IFL squads to 17, with 12 competing in the first 11-date
IFL season (which begins January 19, 2007, at ORACLE Arena in
Oakland, Calif.) and at least five more expected to begin in
January 2008.
“We
are very excited to continue our worldwide growth by adding these
four teams for 2008,” said IFL Co-founder and Commissioner
Kurt Otto. “Making this announcement now gives these teams
the ability to train together with world champion coaches for
a full year so that they are ready to go for their first full
season in 2008.”
Expected
to coach the four new teams are PRIDE welterweight champion Dan
Henderson (coaching a San Diego-based team), 2000 K-1 world champion
and world super heavyweight champion Jerome LeBanner (coaching
a French team), four-time Korean national champion of judo D.B.
Park (coaching a South Korean-based team) and three time world
jiu-jitsu champion Mario Sperry (coaching a Brazilian team).
These four are in addition to the 2008 British team to be coached
by Ian Freeman that was announced in late September. Nicknames
and logos for the new squads are to be announced.
The
IFL already has teams based in Toronto and Tokyo, in addition
to its 10 United States-based teams for 2007. The full 12-team,
11-date IFL 2007 season can be found at www.ifl.tv.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Quote
of the Day
"Drink
the first. Sip the second slowly. Skip the third."
Knute Rockne, 1888-1931 American Football Coach
|
NSAC:
THIAGO ALVES POSITIVE FOR DIURETIC
According to the Nevada State Athletic Commission, American Top
Team fighter Thiago Alves tested positive for the banned substance
Spironolactone. Alves is coming off of a victory over Tony DeSouza
at UFC 66. The Brazilian fighter did not test positive for steroids
or any other performance enhancing drugs.
A
prescribed drug, Spironolactone is a diuretic that is used mainly
to lose weight and can mask steroids. The NSAC banned substance
causes a person’s kidneys to remove excess sodium and water
from their body. The use of Spironolactone is considered a dangerous
way for someone to lose excess weight and can cause dehydration.
The drug has negative side effects that include ataxia, impotence,
an increased risk of bleeding from the stomach and many other
symptoms.
The
NSAC has yet to officially suspend or fine Thiago Alves.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
"UPSET
KID" JASON MacDONALD IS FOR REAL
Jason MacDonald has one major saying: “I’m nobody’s
stepping stone.” After his performance on Saturday night,
nobody will ever think of him that way again. “The Athlete’s”
impressive performance in his victory over Chris Leben puts him
right in the mix as a contender in the 185 lb. division.
After
successfully disposing of Team Quest members’ Chris Leben
and Ed Herman, MacDonald has everyone in the middleweight division
looking at him. His fight with Leben was a good test for MacDonald.
It wasn’t the most technical fight at times, but it was
definitely an exciting one. “It was a bit of an ugly fight,
but it was a win,” said MacDonald on MMAWeekly Radio.
MacDonald
spoke with UFC middleweight contender Mike Swick prior to the
fight and Swick advised him ‘not to get in a brawl with
him.’ MacDonald admitted he ended up in a brawl with him
at times. When the fight went to the ground, Jason had no intention
of trying to submit “The Crippler.” “Initially
my intention was not to submit him with the guillotine,”
MacDonald acknowledged.
Jason
admitted that he wasn’t letting go of the hold until the
referee pulled him off. “Before the fight, Steve Mazzagatti
said that there were problems with fighters tapping, and then
claiming they didn’t tap. He said not to let go until the
referee stops the fight.”
The
future looks bright for the young Canadian. He has been on the
most watched live MMA special in North America when he submitted
Ed Herman on the Tito Ortiz vs. Ken Shamrock 3 card, and then
submitted Chris Leben on UFC 66, which was probably the most
ordered PPV in UFC history. When asked how he felt about fighting
in the big shows, he replied modestly saying, “for sure,
I’m honored to go out there and fight for the UFC and do
my job. I’m doing what I like to do, and that’s fight.”
There
has been much speculation that his next fight will be against
the former middleweight champion Rich Franklin. MacDonald is
not crazy about the proposition, but not because he is afraid.
“A Rich Franklin fight is not a great fight for me, he’s
coming off a loss and I’m coming off two wins, but it is
Rich Franklin and he is one the top middleweights in the world.”
While speculation has pointed to Franklin, MacDonald would like
to dispose of another TUF fighter in Kendall Grove. “He
beat Ed Herman and so did I. That’s the fight I’m looking
for is Kendall Grove.” Joe Silva has mentioned that he has
a “surprise” for Jason’s next fight. One thing
is for sure, whomever he does fight, MacDonald will not take
him lightly.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
MIKE
C. ON THE SILVERBACKS' DOMINANCE
If the International Fight League had a Comeback Fighter of the
Year award it would probably have to go to Quad Cities Silverbacks’
light-heavyweight Mike Ciesnolevicz [pronounced Sez-no-lev-ich].
After
losing his first two fights for the promotion, he rebounded in
impressive fashion, winning his last two, helping to propel the
Silverbacks to a second straight IFL Team Championship.
In
his last bout for the IFL in the World Team Championship Finals,
“Mike C.” as he’s often referred to, choked previously
undefeated-in-the-IFL standout Aaron Stark of the Portland Wolfpack
after three rounds of hard-fought war during the Silverback’s
4-1 dominating victory.
“I
knew he was a powerhouse wrestler and freakishly strong, so the
gameplan was to stand-up and stuff his takedowns, but the first
round didn’t really work out like that,” said Mike
of his fight with Stark. “The second round was pretty close.
I thought he would fade a little bit as the fight went on, because
in his previous fights he got a little tired.”
“Before
the third round Pat [Miletich, Silverbacks Coach] was like, ‘He’s
tired, he’s ready to go, and you’re not even breathing
hard, so it’s time to pick up the pace.’ In the third
round I stuffed a takedown, landed a good right hand and then
the head kick. It all happened so fast. He was rocked and I just
slipped in the guillotine because I knew he wasn’t going
to be able to defend it. It didn’t go exactly to plan, but
it worked out,” continued Ciesnolevicz.
With
the victory Mike raises his overall pro record to 9-2 and has
proven himself a worthwhile part of a Silverbacks team that once
again reigns supreme as IFL Champions, a feat Ciesnolevicz is
very proud of helping them accomplish.
“It’s
great,” exclaimed Mike of his teams championship repeat.
“I expect nothing less with the way that Pat makes us train.
With the things we go through, anything else would be a disappointment.
I just hope we can do the same thing in 2007. I think being a
team, being so close, like best friends, puts us over the top.”
Looking
back over last year, in which Ciesnolevicz competed a staggering
seven times, Mike feels overall it was a solid year that means
more to his overall growth as a fighter than individual accomplishments.
“I
think 2006, the whole IFL season was a step up in competition
for me,” admitted Ciesnolevicz. “I lost a split decision
and a fight by TKO. I lost my first two fights and so I changed
a few things. I trained a little harder because the competition
level went up, and I think it showed my last two fights at the
end of the year, winning both by submission. I think it was kind
of a growing year. It was a year for me to change my training,
get more serious and add to the level of competition.”
As
it would happen, there’s little rest for both Mike and the
Silverbacks as they make a quick turn around to begin the defense
of their title on February 2nd in Houston, Texas against the
one of the other original four IFL teams, the Los Angeles Anacondas.
“I
knew we needed a couple days off here because a couple of the
guys are sore, no one’s injured or anything, but a couple
of guys are a little sore from the wear and tear of everything,”
explained Ciesnolevicz. “We’re all in shape, that’s
one of our biggest advantages as a team, so we can afford to
take a couple of days off here, do some light stuff this week
with cardio, but nothing like we normally do for a fight.”
Mike
further commented, “Monday everything’s going to pick
back up again and we’ll be ready for another great season.
I’m excited, all the guys are excited, we’re looking
to keep the streak going and look to repeat again.”
As
for his team’s chances to repeat and capture a third consecutive
title, Ciesnolevicz is very confident that the Silverbacks will
once again defend their championship, even if opposing teams
do everything in their power to prevent that from happening.
“I
actually think our chances are really good,” exclaimed Mike.
“I think a lot of the teams – to me it seems –
are trying to stack the deck against us. If you look at a team
like the Sabers, none of those guys are from Japan; they’re
all veteran fighters like Vladimir Matyushenko, John Marsh and
Antonio McKee. A lot of teams are trying to stack the deck against
us like that, but I don’t think it’s going to work.
[The] Toronto [Dragons] tried to do that to us last year with
Ivan Menjivar, [Keith] Wisniewski, and [Joe] Doerksen, and it
didn’t work out.”
“We’re
just strong as a team – we have team unity, it’s just
a different type of atmosphere than other teams that don’t
train together and might not all get along or whatever. We don’t
have that problem. So I’m feeling really good about our
chances. Anything can happen, but with the way we train, we train
harder than anybody out there and it’s going to take a special
team to dethrone us and I don’t see that in any of the line-ups
on the other teams,” added Ciesnolevicz.
When
it comes to his personal goals and where he’d like to see
himself continue to evolve in 2007, Mike maintains that consistency
is the key, both in training and in surroundings.
“I
think the biggest thing for me this coming year is experience,”
said Ciesnolevicz. “I needed this 2006, with four fights,
so I could raise my level of experience and see what it was like
to fight in a big show. So I think in 2007 I’ll continue
to grow and do the same things. I want to stick with the IFL,
there’s no other place I’d want to go. They really
do take great care of us fighters and it’s exciting; I’m
really into the team concept, so I’m definitely looking
to stay in the IFL.”
Mike
concluded by wanting to give a thanks to those who’ve helped
him on his continued path through MMA and by wanting to remind
the fans that the Silverbacks’ return is just a few short
weeks away and that they should definitely check out the show
in Houston either live or via Fox Sports Net.
“I’d
like to thank John Palmer at Quad City Suzuki, he’s the
sponsor that’s given me the ability to train full-time,
that really helped me get my shot in the IFL… Joel Gold
at Full Contact Fighter… and Jake Shannon at Scientific
Wrestling, big sponsors, they’ve helped me out a lot,”
finished Ciesnolevicz. “I hope everyone tunes in for the
February 2nd fights. I actually thought the Anacondas were who
we should have fought at the 2006 [season two] Finals, so I think
it’s going to be fireworks. I hope everyone checks out IFL.tv
for all the details.”
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Quote
of the Day
"Friendship
doubles our joy and divides our grief."
Swedish Proverb
|
Mirko
"Cro Cop" Filipovic speaks about the UFC
The
UFC officially announced the capture of PRIDE 2006 Open-weight
GP Champion, Mirko Cro Crop during Saturday’s Liddell-Ortiz
II pay-per-view at the MGM Grand Arena, Las Vegas.
In
the wake of his decision to make the anticipated transition to
the Ultimate Fighting Championship, Mirko Cro Crop fielded questions
from the media in his native Zagreb on Tuesday.
The
Croatian Sensation, who ended a five-year association with PRIDE
FC to sign a two-year six fight deal with the UFC, openly discussed
his motivation for venturing into America and the financial incentives.
To
his former employer’s, Dream Stage Entertainment, Cro Crop
offered a compassionate farewell, “I can only say, that
I thank PRIDE for the understanding, cooperation and support,
especially president N. Sakakibara and director N. Takada.”
While
his European and American fans enthuse over the prospect of seeing
the red, white and blue bearing veteran, alongside his Cro Crop
camp, set for battle inside the octagon – his Japanese following
are universally aggrieved.
“I'm
asking them (my fans) for understanding in respecting my decision.
I think it's the best for me in this phase of my career. I hope
all of my fans will understand this and support me further,”
said Mirko.
He
attributed his decision to leave PRIDE FC to the opportunity
of facing a new challenge and the UFC’s superior financial
proposal.
“Until
now I went to Japan 42 times in my career, there I achieved a
reputation and a name in sport, but the American octagon is still
a big new thing (for me).
“Also
the financial proposal of the UFC was better. The Japanese knew
they could not come close to the American proposal, therefore
they did not try it,” Mirko confessed.
The
220-pounder remains optimistic of a rematch with PRIDE Heavyweight
Champion Fedor Emelianenko, which prior to Mirko’s foot
injury was tentatively set for New Years Eve.
“I
believe that the chance for a fight with Fedor isn't lost forever.
Maybe we will manage to meet each other in the ring if PRIDE
and UFC cooperate”.
From
previous adversaries to future foes, he cited former UFC Heavyweight
Champion Andre Arlovski as the standout of the division while
also disclosing his admiration for Randy Couture and Chuck Liddell.
Mirko
offered a final statement of intent as he refuted assertions
that his sights were set on Hollywood, “At the moment I
don't have time for movies, I go to the U.S. to fight”.
It
is speculated that UFC president Dana White will introduce the
thirty-two-year-old Filipovic to the American viewing audience
during tomorrow’s UFC 66 pay-per-view broadcast. Filipovic,
(21-4-2), is the PRIDE Fighting Championships’ 2006 Open
Weight Grand Prix Champion. A native of Croatia,
Filipovic
was a commando in an elite police anti-terrorist unit and is
renowned for his arsenal of explosive strikes, which is highlighted
by a devastating left high kick.
the
UFC officially announced Saturday night during the Liddell-Ortiz
II pay-per-view at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. UFC president
Dana White revealed at the post-fight press conference that "Cro
Cop" had signed a two-year, six fight deal with the Las
Vegas-based mixed martial arts promoter.
Source: Maxfighting
|
MySpace
for MMA
By Sean McClure
You
know, I didn't think it would take as long for something like
this to develop. With the popularity of MySpace and Facebook
growing every day, it was only a matter of time before someone
came up with something specifically for MMA fighters or a fans.
MyMMASpace did just that and it is a pretty close facsimile of
the original MySpace. It has all of the main features and some
extras designed especially for MMA.
One
of the cool features that it sports is a "Fighter/Fight
Teams" listing that you can sort by name or search through.
The directory allows a picture to be displayed along with the
fighters/fight team name, location, last login, and fighting
styles. It has a fighter classifieds section along with a most
viewed MyMMASpace fighter/fight team page listing listed on the
right hand side. It is truly a useful and unique feature that
make the features interesting and compellingly necessary for
users of the site.
Another
feature that is unique to MyMMASpace is a specific list just
for the MMA ring girls. This is a good example of how this website
could be used for networking. It not only highlights fighters,
ring girls, and fightwear companies., but a promoter could possibly
book fighters, sponsors, and the like from the site.
There
are forums, groups, video posting, and much more available to
users who want to get more involved in this relatively new internet
MMA community. I joined about two months back and I have been
inactive as my time has been insanely occupied, but I plan on
spending more time on the site in the future.
If
you would like to check out the website you may do so by visiting
here:
http://www.mymmaspace.com/
Source: MMA Weekly
|
NEW
JERSEY INSTITUTES INSTANT REPLAY IN MMA
New
Jersey announced that they have introduced instant reply into
mixed martial arts bouts. In a statement released by the State
Athletic Control Board, instant replay is allowed effective immediately
for all regulated mixed martial arts, professional boxing, and
kickboxing contests.
Though
competitors currently have a process by which they can appeal
a decision made by a referee in New Jersey, that process does
not take place until well after the bout has taken place. With
instant replay, the state hopes to “allow the Commissioner's
review to commence in a more timely fashion, namely, on the night
of the bout itself.”
Instant
replay, according to New Jersey, would allow the Commissioner
to review certain issues on the spot, such as:
–
a knockdown versus a slip
– accidental versus intentional fouls
– if a cut was the result of a legal strike
– if a fighter beat the count
– low blows
– whether or not a strike landed before the bell rang
According
to the statement, “The Commissioner, if approached during
a round by the contestant's chief second, would review the issue
at the end of the round. The bout would be temporarily stopped
during the rest period and the Commissioner would have a maximum
of three minutes to render a decision or choose to reserve his
judgment because further review is needed. Upon the Commissioner's
ruling, the bout would then be restarted and would continue.”
There
is a catch though. The State of New Jersey is not able to supply
instant replay. They are leaving it up to the promoter to provide
the necessary equipment if the promoter so chooses. Promoters
that don’t have the funds or simply choose not to employ
instant replay will not be required by the State to do so. At
this point, instant replay will be employed if the promoter chooses
to utilize it, but it will not be uniformly required.
Instant
replay is employed in many other professional sports leagues,
such as the National Football League, the National Basketball
League, the National Hockey League, the Canadian Football League,
and others.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Quote
of the Day
"Never
be afraid to laugh at yourself. After all, you could be missing
out on the joke of the century."
Dame Edna Everage, Australian Actor and Comedian (character played
by Barry Humphries)
|
ST.
PIERRE OFF OF FEBRUARY 3RD UFC CARD
The Ultimate Fighting Championship announced today on their web
site that UFC Welterweight Champion Georges St. Pierre has had
to withdraw from his first title defense, which had been scheduled
for the February 3rd’s UFC 67. He was to face Ultimate Fighter
Season 4 welterweight winner Matt Serra.
According
to St. Pierre’s manager, Stephane Patry, “Georges went
down to New Mexico to help Keith Jardine, Rashad Evans, and Nate
Marquardt to prepare for their fights, returning a favor. [The
Greg Jackson-trained fighters had helped St. Pierre prepare for
his fight with Matt Hughes.]” Patry continued, “They
were doing some wrestling drills and he slipped on some sweat
and hurt his knee. He was still going to be able to fight, but
it got worse when he came back to train in Montreal.”
St.
Pierre, the #1 Welterweight in the MMAWeekly Rankings, went to
a specialist and had the knee examined. Patry said that it was
determined that St. Pierre sprained both his MCL (medial collateral
ligament) and PCL (posterior cruciate ligament), but was adamant
that there was no damage to his ACL (anterior cruciate ligament).
The MCL and PCL are crucial to stability in the knee joint. Patry
confirmed that although “the injury is not career threatening.
The doctor recommended Georges take 4 weeks off for the injury
to heal” before returning to training, which would give
him hardly any time to be prepared for the fight with Serra.
Patry
indicated that St. Pierre would be ready to fight as soon as
March, but that April was a more likely possibility for a return,
as he believed the March UFC fight card was already nearing completion.
He was hopeful that April would happen, but that there has not
been a determination one way or the other between St. Pierre’s
camp and the UFC.
As
for the April UFC, Patry did confirm already published reports
that the UFC has postponed their Canadian debut. He said that
his understanding was that the UFC would likely debut in Canada
in the Fall of 2007, but that determination is obviously left
to UFC President Dana White and Zuffa.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Minota
wins Barnett with broken toes
Less
than 24 hours after the revenge against Josh Barnett, Rodrigo
Minotauro talked with team TATAME by the phone. The fighter from
Bahia had a bad voice because of a cold that he had for nine
days, but he told us that his technique of punches him all the
time and don’t worry about submission wasn’t because
of the American fighter declarations, who said that would break
his legs. “He does that to disturb the adversary. For the
first time I believed him and I lost. But at this time I did
my training game and I felt that he almost did fall down for
two times”, said Minotauro, who also said that broke his
two toes 15 days before the event.
-
The pain was awful, that was difficult to train from the mounted,
but I did train well but I didn’t fell anything during the
bout. The cold did disturb me because I wasn’t with the
same pressure. I am sure that if I was feeling myself better
I would punch him more and more – said the fighter from
Bahia , guaranteeing that has no reason to celebrate his second
place at the Pride ranking. “I am not worried about the
Pride ranking, I just wanted to defeat him”. Minotauro also
showed himself pretty anxious about a possible confrontation
against Emilianenko Fedor in 2007. “I will spend 15 days
treating my toes and then I will be back to trainings, Hunt showed
to me that I might trains some other points”, said Rodrigo.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
A
WORD FROM THE ASIAN SENSATION...
…saddening.
sad·den
tr. & intr.v. sad·dened, sad·den·ing,
sad·dens
To make or become sad.
It
was saddening to watch Kazushi Sakuraba get pummeled for the
second consecutive fight. Last Saturday at K-1 Premium Dynamite!
2006, the former Pride fighter suffered another beating at the
hands of Yoshihiro Akiyama. The Judoka rocked Sakuraba with a
flurry of strikes and then proceeded to throw over 50 unanswered
punches before the fight was finally stopped. Yes, I said over
50 (there’s more regarding this and I will go into detail
shortly). Blood rolled out of Sakuraba’s right ear as all
that appeared to be left of the “Gracie Hunter” was
a swollen and bloodied face. There’s no doubt that the Japanese
legend thinks he still has the fighting spirit left in him but
I can’t even begin to express my discontent for Sakuraba’s
decision to continue fighting.
Where
was the referee during all of this? The inept ref allowed the
fight to go on too long, forcing outside officials to halt the
fight. Although some of Akiyama’s strikes were partially
blocked by Sakuraba, it was clear that he was hurt.
Now,
onto the controversy…
[Note:
Before I go into detail, I want to note that I’ve watched
this fight multiple times and personally feel that the controversy
has some merit. However, I also feel that Sakuraba would have
likely lost the fight despite his appeals.]
After
the fight, Sakuraba complained that Akiyama’s legs were
very slippery. As Sakuraba was receiving his 50+ punches, he
was talking to the ref, trying to get him to intervene and investigate.
The referee seemed to ignore the “Gracie Hunter” and
the fight was eventually stopped by the officials at ringside.
Afterwards, the ref did go over to check Akiyama’s body
for any oils or lubricants and didn’t appear to find any
traces. However, the ref did not check his legs. Although I didn’t
witness this fight live in Japan, Akiyama’s legs did appear
to be a little ‘shiny’ from the video I saw. Moreover,
Akiyama seemed to escape Sakuraba’s single leg attempts
rather easily.
If
you’ve seen most of Sakuraba’s fights then you would
know that he’s not the type to make excuses or complain.
After the match was over, an angered Saku left the ring without
shaking Akiyama’s hand and refused a post fight interview.
His actions weren’t typical of his character. Conspiracy
theories aside, it’s a shame to see Sakuraba endure a situation
like this. It may be difficult to prove foul play but it’s
hard not to sense that something was wrong or awkward. It’ll
be interesting to see if K-1 further addresses the issue or chooses
to remain silent.
So
where does Sakuraba go from here? When the Japanese legend jumped
ship from Pride to K-1, it signified a changing of the guard.
Maybe the guard should change again…
The
“Neo Samurai” Retires
Shortly
after his submission victory over Damacio Page, UFC and K-1 veteran
Genki Sudo announced his retirement from the sport. Fans were
shocked by the announcement and a look of sadness and admiration
could be seen on their faces. A herniated disc was cited as his
reason leaving the sport. The Japanese fighter ends his career
with a record of 15-4-1 and has notable wins over Nathan Marquardt,
Hiroyuki Takaya, Royler Gracie and Mike Thomas Brown.
Thank
you for the enjoyable walk-in entrances. Thank you for your unorthodox
yet entertaining fighting style. And most importantly, thank
you for being an MMA fighter.
“We
Are All One.”
Gomi
Proves Us Wrong
Takanori
Gomi proved once again why he’s the number one lightweight
fighter in the world with an impressive stoppage of Mitsuhiro
Ishida at Pride Shockwave 2006. I truly believed that Ishida
was going defeat Gomi given his recent performances. I was wrong.
Ishida had the tools to win but he played into Gomi’s game.
Apparently he didn’t learn from his teammate Tatsuya Kawajiri’s
mistakes and felt the need to stand with the champion. I have
to give the “Fireball Kid” his dues and hopefully this
is a glimpse of the ‘old Gomi’ prior to his loss to
Marcus Aurelio. I look forward to his future title defenses and
his American debut. With the win, DSE avoided another non-title
match disaster.
An
Epic Battle…
I
studied all of the expert analysis and memorized it verbatim.
I was on the edge of my seat all night. I waited in fevered anticipation
and I wasn’t disappointed. The action was scintillating
and the fight lived up to all of my expectations.
…Giant
Silva defeated Akebono by kimura!!!
Another
Win for the Man in Yellow…err Rainbow Tights
“I
think I proved today that my grappling is better than Joachim’s
striking,” said Aoki. As he walked away from the ring after
the fight, Shinya broke down in tears. “It was the first
time my father came to the stadium to see my fight. My father
told me that ‘he was very proud of me’. That made me
cry,” explained the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt.
It’s
not often that you see a fighter win via a gogoplata. It’s
also not often to see it used to defeat a top five ranked lightweight
fighter. Current Shooto 167-pound Champion Shinya Aoki extended
his undefeated streak in Pride to 3-0 with a very impressive
submission victory over Joachim Hansen. The Scandinavian fighter
is a tough opponent for anyone and was considered the favorite
going into the fight. It’s no secret that Aoki is one of
my favorite fighters and now fans can understand why. There are
many intriguing match-ups that await this young up-and-comer
and I’m glad that fans are starting to take notice.
Tobikan
Judan!
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Quote
of the Day
"Never
be afraid to laugh at yourself. After all, you could be missing
out on the joke of the century."
Dame Edna Everage, Australian Actor and Comedian (character played
by Barry Humphries)
|
K-1
12/31 Osaka Dome Dynamite event
Official
show results can be seen in full-post view. The claimed attendance
was 50,930 at the Osaka Dome. Genki Sudo indicated that he would
retire after his fight with Jackson (Damacio) Page. The main
reason stated is due to a herniated disc injury that will not
heal and has required him to take pain killing injections to
train.
1.
Andy Ologun defeated Ken Kaneko after 3R by a 3-0 judges’
decision.
2. Katsuhiko Nagata defeated Shuichiro Katsumura in R1 in 4 minutes,
12 seconds by TKO (punch).
3. Kin Tai Ei defeated Tokimitsu Ishizawa (Kendo Ka Shin) in
R1 in 2 minutes, 48 seconds with a left high-kick for the KO.
4. Hideo Tokoro defeated Royler Gracie after 3R by a 3-0 judges’
decision.
5. Giant Silva defeated Akebono in R1 in 1 minute, 2 seconds
with an arm-lock.
6. Badr Hari defeated Nicolas Pettas in R2 in 1 minute, 28 seconds
with a right knee for the TKO.
7. Musashi defeated Randy Kim in R3 in 33 seconds with a straight
right for the KO.
8. Semmy Schilt defeated Peter Graham after 3R by a 3-0 judges’
decision.
9. Genki Sudo defeated Jackson Page in R1 in 3 minutes, 5 seconds
with a triangle lock.
10. Norifumi “Kid” Yamamoto defeated Istvan Majoros
in R1 in 3 minutes, 46 seconds with a left knee strike for the
KO.
11. Choi Hong-Man defeated Bobby Ologun in R1 in 16 seconds by
TKO (punch).
12. Masato defeated Satoru Suzuki in R2 in 2 minutes, 22 seconds
with a right low-kick.
13. Yoshihiro Akiyama defeated Kazushi Sakuraba in R1 in 5 minutes,
37 seconds by TKO (punch).
Source: Fight Opinion
|
AKIYAMA
FOILS SAKU AT K-1; GENKI SUDO RETIRES
OSAKA,
JAPAN – Yoshihiro Akiyama defeated Kazushi Sakuraba in the
Main Event, Hideo Tokoro upset mixed martial arts legend Royler
Gracie, and Defending K-1 World GP Champion Semmy Schilt beat
Peter Graham to notch his sixth-straight win tonight at the K-1
Premium Dynamite '06 event at the Kyocera Dome Osaka.
With
matchups comprising fighters with all manner of skills, sizes
and shapes, Dynamite has become a popular part of the New Year's
Eve experience in Japan, appealing equally to martial arts purists
and dabblers, appealing even to grandma and grandpa. A live and
television audience numbering in the tens of millions watched
tonight's 14 bouts -- contested mostly under Hero's mixed martial
arts rules, with a quartet fought under K-1 rules.
The
main event was a 85kg/187lbs showdown between Japanese fighters
Yoshihiro Akiyama, who brought a judo background to mixed martial
arts to capture this year's Hero's Light Heavyweight Championship;
and Kazushi Sakuraba, whose tremendous achievements in mixed
martial arts, not least of which his success against the world-famous
Gracie clan, have made him into a living legend.
Both
fighters tested with kicks from the bell, Sakuraba lunging in
several times looking for a leg takedown, Akiyama backstepping
to foil him. The pair fought the first almost entirely on their
feet, exchanging a flurry of punches at the midway point. But
roughly halfway into the 10-minute first, the pair went to the
mat. Here it was Akiyama who got the upper position and put in
the punches. Akiyama rained quite a beating on Sakuraba, who
was able to partially block many of the strikes, but in no position
to launch any counters. Finally, the bell was sounded to stop
the bout in favor of Akiyama.
"I
am of course happy with the win," said Akiyama from the
winner's circle, "but I think it should have been stopped
earlier. This was a fight, but it is also a sport. I understand
that since I won the Hero's title earlier this year, fighters
are going to try their best to beat me, I have to remember that
and not be too cocky in the ring. This is a great way to finish
the year, and I look forward to spending 2007 as the champion!"
Among
the K-1 rules bouts (all fought with a 3min x 5R format) was
a matchup that saw WGP '06 Champ Semmy Schilt of Holland step
in against World GP in Melbourne '03 Champion Peter "Rolling
Thunder" Graham of Australia. Schilt's knees are the most
feared weapon in K-1, but Graham positioned and blocked well
to stay out of harm's way, and just missed in the first with
one of his spectacular rolling thunder flying kicks. Graham was
aggressive again in the second, mixing up the attacks well, threading
in a good body blow, coming just short with a spinning back punch
but also eating a solid left straight. Schilt's size and strength
stood him in good stead as usual, and Graham paid a price getting
inside.
Graham
appeared fatigued by the end of the third, dropping his guard
to call Schilt in; an invitation the Dutch fighter declined.
Schilt continued to fight cautiously but solidly through the
fourth, waiting for his opponent, staying out of the path of
another rolling thunder attempt. More of the same in the final
round, Schilt jabbing well from outside, clinching and bringing
up the knees when the distance closed. Graham's late rolling
thunder attempt missed once again, and although Graham scored
with a couple of body blows, Schilt was better here, connecting
with a hard high kick. Kudos to Graham for staying on his feet,
but in the end it was a unanimous decision by a comfortable margin
for Schilt.
"It
was short notice for the fight but I am happy with the result,"
said Schilt afterward. "Peter is a strong fighter and always
dangerous. Now that it's over I can look ahead to 2007 and becoming
a three-time World Grand Prix champion!"
Nicholas
Pettas, the Danish karate great who has not competed in K-1 since
breaking his leg in a bout with Sergei Gur back in 2002, made
his long-awaited return in a K-1 rules bout with Dutch "golden"
bad boy Badr Hari.
There
was all manner of legwork in the fast-paced first -- Hari firing
up middle and high kicks, Pettas in with the low, spinning and
ax kicks. Hari used his reach to keep Pettas outside, jabbing
and pushing with front kicks. Pettas kept on coming, but appeared
to be having a problem with his left arm. Hari's fist connected
with Pettas' elbow in the second, and the Dane turned away in
pain, the referee stepping in to assess a standing count. Soon
afterward, Pettas winced in pain after blocking a kick with the
same arm, and his corner threw in the towel, giving Hari the
win.
K-1
World Max '03 Champion Masato of Japan took on former Japanese
middleweight boxing champion Satoru Suzuki in a 73kg/160lbs weight-class
bout. This was a fast and furious fight, Suzuki connecting solidly
with the straight punches and blocking Masato's kicks well. But
in the second Masato came out much more aggressively, relentless
now with his low kicks, and in no time Suzuki's left leg was
hurting bad. A couple of kicks dropped the boxer, who beat the
count, but with his mobility compromised, Suzuki was no longer
able to come forward with the punches. Masato simply picked his
spots, getting at the lame leg to drop his opponent twice for
the victory.
Japan's
strongest K-1 heavyweight, Musashi, went up against the power-first
shot-put champion Randy Kim of South Korea in the fourth of the
K-1 rules matchups. Winless in four K-1 fights this year, Musashi
wanted to finish 2006 on a positive note before his hometown
crowd. But Kim took the initiative in the early going, coming
in with one-two punch combinations, clocking the Japanese fighter
with a straight left. Musashi began to work the low kicks some
in the second, but could not sustain pressure. Kim's guard was
terribly low and loose throughout the fight, and in the third
round Musashi finally exploited this, firing in a right hook
and following with a left to put Kim down hard and pick up the
win by KO.
Hero's
rules mixed martial arts format bouts were the focus here, with
keen interest focused on the two Ologun brothers, who hail from
Nigeria and have carved out a niche on Japanese television shows.
Big brother Bobby, who enjoyed remarkable success in the last
two Dynamite events -- dispatching Cyril Abidi and former Sumo
Grand Champion Akebono -- faced another big challenge in Korean
K-1 fighter Hong Man Choi, who was making his mixed martial arts
debut.
All
smiles, Choi the loveable brute rapped and danced his way into
the ring, followed by Ologun, who wore a Nigerian gown and a
headband emblazoned with the kanji for "party.
Ologun
charged forward from the bell with his legs flailing, intent
on surprising Choi with a flying knee, or perhaps a kick -- this
wasn't clear as Ologun's wild trajectory landed him woefully
short, and he ended up in a heap on the mat. Choi nonchalantly
reached down, grabbed a leg, dragged Ologun to the center of
the ring, and began pumping in the fists. Several blows to the
face later the referee literally leapt between the pair to stop
the bout, waving his arms even as Ologun vainly protested, "It's
not over!" Called at a mere 16 seconds, this was the fastest
win ever recorded by Choi.
The
younger Ologun, 23 year-old Andy, faired better when he entertained
television personality and sometime jiu-jitsu fighter, Ken Kaneko
of Japan, in a 72kg/158lbs match. Kaneko came in quickly looking
for a takedown, and while Ologun clearly wanted to fight on his
feet, it wasn't long before the pair went to the mat. But Ologun
did a fine job in guard, tying his opponent up to repeatedly
force standing starts, whereupon he punished Kaneko's right leg
with low kicks. The fight went the distance, Kaneko's leg only
barely able to support him by time the final bell sounded, Ologun
picking up the win by unanimous decision.
In
a 70kg/154lbs matchup, it was Katsuhiko Nagata of Japan, a Greco-Roman
wrestling silver medallist at the Sydney Olympics, facing countryman
Shuichiro Katsumura. A surprisingly spirited start, both wrestlers
coming out swinging fast and hard. Nagata got on top of his felled
opponent midway through the first, then fired in a dozen punches
to earn a referee stop and victory.
Japanese
pro wrestler Tokimitsu "Kendo Kashin" Ishizawa shed
his mask to face Seidokaikan fighter Taiei Kin, also of Japan.
Kin fiercely resisted Ishizawa's early takedown attempts, peppering
his opponent with low kicks before firing up a high kick to the
jaw to end it in spectacular style.
In
a 70kg/154lbs bout, 41 year-old Royler Gracie represented Brazil's
foremost fighting family against a mixed martial arts scrapper
12 years his junior, Hideo Tokoro of Japan. The pair went to
the mat early and stayed there, twisting and turning for purchase
in an exciting first marked by a number of deft reversals. In
the second, after an extended period of clinching, Tokoro surprised
Gracie with a well-placed jumping knee, following up with punches
before going once more to the mat and stalemate. Tokoro was the
more aggressive after the standing restart, firing in fists and
kicks to end the round. The third saw a lot of good action on
the mat, Tokoro creating numerous chances against his experienced
opponent. Gracie got into mount late in the round, and went to
the side to work a triangle even as the final bell sounded. But
this was, as they say, too little and too late, and when the
judges' decision was announced it was Tokoro whose arm was raised.
A huge win for the Japanese fighter, who was all smiles as he
high-fived gleeful ringside fans during his exit.
American-Japanese
Former Sumo Grand Champion Akebono was back at it here, lumbering
his 210kg/463lbs frame into the ring to meet the 230cm/7'7"
Brazilian Giant Silva in a battle of the behemoths. After an
early clinching session came dangerously close to spilling over
the ropes and into the crowd, the men earthquaked to the mat,
where Silva got hold of Akebono's right arm and hyperextended
for a submission.
With
it's festive New Year's Eve atmosphere, Dynamite provides the
perfect vehicle for Japanese fighter Genki Sudo's elaborately
choreographed ring entrances. Sudo showed up for his date with
American fighter Jackson Page accompanied by a dozen acrobatic
dancers in a theatrical treatment, which suffused the animism
and astronomy-based Mayan rituals of the first millennium with
the contemporary bling of a Las Vegas production number.
When
the bout finally started, Page rushed past Sudo's peculiar crab-walk
and extended-rump defensive posture and quickly affected a takedown
and mount. The wily Sudo however turned this to his advantage,
squirming to work his legs round Page's head for a triangle choke
and submission.
Somewhat
anti-climatically, the fight had ended faster than the ring entrance.
But Sudo was not done with the dramatics: In his victory speech,
he first thanked the crowd for their support, then abruptly announced
he was retiring from the fight game effective immediately. He
later explained to reporters that a neck injury suffered earlier
this year forced him to rethink his future, and said he now plans
to spend some time traveling the world and writing.
Norifumi
"Kid" Yamamoto of Japan, currently training as a wrestling
hopeful for the '08 Beijing Olympics, tested his skills against
Hungarian Istvan Majoros, who won the Olympic gold in Greco-Roman
Wrestling at the '04 Games.
Yamamoto
turned aside Majoros' early single-leg takedown attempt, got
into a reverse headlock then pumped up a knee before starting
in with the low kicks, which Majoros clearly did not like. The
Hungarian wrestler was no fonder of the hard knee visited upon
his midsection shortly afterward, and collapsed to the mat. Showing
Olympian sportsmanship, The Kid eschewed further hard attacks
on his prone and defenseless opponent, waiting instead for the
flummoxed referee to step in and stop the fight.
In
an undercard bout, Yukiya Naito of Japan weathered some early
attacks before getting big Korean Dong Wook Kim on the ground
and pounding him into submission.
The
K-1 Premium Dynamite event attracted a sellout crowd of 51,930
to the Kyocera Dome Osaka. The event was broadcast live on New
Year's Eve on the TBS network in Japan, and in South Korea on
MBC-ESPN. Delayed pay-per-view broadcasts will be available in
some 50 countries, check with local providers for scheduling
details. As always, find comprehensive coverage on the K-1 Official
Website (www.k-1.co.jp)
Source: MMA Weekly
|
PRIDE
2007 schedule notes
The promotion announced the formation of a Super Heavyweight
division (creating a Monster GP tournament).
Schedule
of event dates this year:
2/24 Las Vegas (PRIDE 33),
4/8 Saitama Super Arena (PRIDE 34),
May (Saitama Super Arena - Lightweight GP),
June in Los Angeles at the Staples Center (PRIDE 36),
July in Nagoya (PRIDE Lightweight GP),
8/20 in Osaka (PRIDE 37),
9/20 in Tokyo (Lightweight GP finals),
10/20 in Las Vegas,
12/31 TBA.
Source: Fight Opinion
|
Quote
of the Day
"Beauty
in things exists in the mind which contemplates them."
David Hume, 1711-1776, Scottish Philosopher/Historian/Economist
|
New
Fighters' Club TV Episode Airs Tuesday!
Happy Holidays
Everyone!
Fighters'
Club TV Episode 46 is cut and submitted to Olelo Programming.
It will run in our normal timeslot at 7pm every Tuesday night on Olelo
Oahu Channel 52. Airdates are Dec. 19, 26, Jan 2, and 9.
Episode
46 features:
-Jason
Mayhem Miller vs Ruthless Robbie Lawler + intvw w/ Robbie (from
Icon's Sep 2 show)
-Tyson
Nam vs Marc Oshiro + intvw w/ Marc (from Icon's Dec 1 show)
-Technique
of the Week: Shooto Middleweight Champion and Pride Star, Shinya
Aoki demonstrating the upside down heel hook
-FCTV
EMAIL: Mike and Mark answer YOU THE VIEWERS in our newest HIT
SEGMENT!
-Mike
interviews Frank "Twinkletoes" Trigg after his win
in the Dec 1 Icon UNSTOPPABLE show.
-stay
tuned for the credits for KITV's report on Mayhem vs Trigg
and
of course, the ever-increasing antics of Chris, Mike and Mark.
Comments,
Questions, and Suggestions to: fctv@onzuka.com
Aloha
|
UFC
CONFIRMS CRO COP'S SIGNING; A LOOK AT TITLE PICTURES
As previously reported by MMAWeekly.com's Ken Pishna, Mirko "Cro
Cop" Filipovic has signed with the UFC, and this news was
officially confirmed at the UFC 66 event on Saturday night.
Cro
Cop will make his UFC debut against Eddie Sanchez at UFC 67 on
February 3rd. Cro Cop is the #2 Heavyweight in the MMAWeekly
Rankings, behind only Fedor Emelianenko.
A
commercial for UFC 67 aired several times during the UFC 66 pay-per-view
broadcast and also on the big screens at the MGM Grand Garden
Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Cro
Cop's name got somewhat of a lukewarm reaction from the live
crowd in Las Vegas, indicating that many of the UFC fans in attendance
do not know who he is.
The
expectation of this kind of response from casual MMA fans is
primary reason for not giving Cro Cop an immediate title shot
in the UFC. If Cro Cop has one fight in the UFC and beats Sanchez,
far more UFC fans will be familiar with and interested in Cro
Cop headed into a potential UFC Heavyweight Title match.
Brandon
Vera had been scheduled to get the next shot at UFC Heavyweight
Champion Tim Sylvia, but that fight will only happen if Vera
signs a multi-fight contract extension with the UFC (Vera currently
has one fight left on his UFC contract).
Vera
recently made an appearance at the introductory press conference
of the Showtime-backed Elite XC promotion, where he told the
Los Angeles Times that he wants his next contract to be with
"whoever wants to take care of me the best."
The
commercial for UFC 67 also prominently featured Quinton "Rampage"
Jackson, the #8 Light Heavyweight in the MMAWeekly Rankings.
Jackson will be making his UFC debut at UFC 67 against Marvin
Eastman.
The
next shot at the UFC Light Heavyweight Title had been tentatively
slated to go to Forrest Griffin if he defeated Keith Jardine
at UFC 66, but Griffin's loss to Jardine throws a monkey wrench
into those plans.
With
Jardine defeating Griffin by TKO, the next shot at Chuck Liddell's
UFC Light Heavyweight Title would seem to be most likely to belong
to Jackson if he is able to beat Eastman on February 3rd, but
it could also conceivably go to Jardine.
After
his second TKO loss to Liddell, Tito Ortiz would not appear to
be in the UFC Light Heavyweight Title picture for now. However,
a rematch between Ortiz and Griffin would still be highly marketable,
and Ortiz has already laid the marketing groundwork in recent
days and weeks for a potential fight against Renato "Babalu"
Sobral, whom Ortiz has repeatedly referred to as a "B-level
fighter."
The
UFC has also confirmed previous MMAWeekly.com reports that Heath
Herring has signed with the UFC and will be fighting Jake O'Brien
at UFC Fight Night on January 25th in a battle of heavyweight
contenders.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
PRIDE
SHOCKWAVE REVIEW
Pride
Shockwave 2006 - Recap
Fan
eagerly waited in the Saitama Super Arena in Japan as Pride’s
biggest show of the year was about to begin. Otoko Matsuri (Shockwave)
had the potential to be one of the best cards of the year and
it didn’t disappoint. The event opened up with Nobuhiko
Takada playing the piano with a talented female soloist singer.
Shortly after, the stage curtains rose to reveal a Pride ‘gospel
choir’ while footage covering 2006’s events played
in the background. The theme was very positive and the fans seemed
to enjoy the performance. Although the show seemed a bit scaled
down compared to previous Shockwave’s, the level of excitement
from the fans remained intact. On a side note, I could gone without
seeing Takada in ‘man-thong’.
In
the opening fight of the evening, Ikuhisa Minowa and Kiyoshi
Tamura faced off in a rematch from their first encounter in 2002.
The strangely charismatic Minowa entered the ring sporting sunglasses
while his opponent wore an ‘I Heart U’ U-File T-Shirt.
Tamura engaged with his usual left low and mid kicks while Ikuhisa
leaped in with his punches. At one point, Minowa charged in and
was countered by Tamura’s knee, stunning the fighter. It
seemed as though Minowa may have suffered a rib injury or had
the wind completely knocked out of him. “The Punk”
went down on the mat and ref stopped the fight after some unanswered
kicks from Tamura.
In
one of the most anticipated fights of the night, former Shoot
Champion Joachim Hansen squared off against current Shooto 167-pound
Champion Shinya Aoki. Hansen threw a kick early that was caught
by Aoki. The Scandinavian fighter would subsequently lose his
balance and allowed Aoki to control the fight from that point.
The Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt used his ground prowess to
submit Hansen in the first round with a gogoplata.
Apparently
abandoning his DJ Ozma entrance routine, Akihiro Gono and his
crew appeared wearing baseball outfits while walking out to music
by Jay-Z. Half way down the aisle, a famous Japanese baseball
player joined them. DJ Ozma’s ‘Age Age Every Night’
began playing shortly after and the group performed another classic
choreographed dance routine. Too bad the fight wasn’t as
entertaining as the intro.
Akihiro
Gono redeemed himself with a dull win over Yuki Kondo in their
rematch. Kondo was the aggressor throughout the match, moving
forward and engaging his opponent. Gono did a good job at fending
Kondo off and landing a variety of kicks. Unwilling to over-commit,
the fight turned into a tentative chess match with neither fighter
landing any significantly clean shots. Known as a slow starter,
Gono gained more confidence and momentum as the fight went on.
After two rounds, Akihiro Gono earned a split decision over the
King of Pancrase and avenged his loss.
The
2005 Pride Middleweight Grand Prix Champion Mauricio “Shogun”
Rua earned a unanimous decision over Kazuhiro Nakamura. Rua controlled
most of the fight, scoring takedowns and attaining full mount
on different occasions. Nakamura wasn’t able to take advantage
of his Judo background but did defend Rua’s many submission
attempts well. The Judoka had spurts of punching flurries but
his offense was negated by Rua’s clinches and subsequent
takedowns. Nakamura seemed exhausted after the fight.
Shooto
Welterweight Champion Tatsuya Kawajiri took on undefeated Gilbert
Melendez in a highly anticipated match-up. Kawajiri dropped Melendez
early with a right hook and the first round had many exciting
exchanges. Both fighters displayed great wrestling skills and
fans enjoyed competitive transitions. The “Crusher”
defended Melendez’s takedown attempts well and scored a
few takedowns of his own. In the second round, Kawajiri seemingly
got the better of Gilbert on their feet, beating him to the punch
on many occasions. In the end, the judges awarded Gilbert the
unanimous decision and the elated Melendez knelt down on the
mat. Although Melendez was consistently more aggressive, the
T-Blood fighter landed more shots, defended takedowns and got
more takedowns on his opponent. Regardless, this was the best
fight of the evening and an easy a candidate for fight of the
year.
Former
Japanese Pro Wrestler Kazuyuki Fujita had an easy night defeating
MMA newcomer Eldari Kurtanidze. Fujita landed an uppercut that
caused the Georgian wrestler to fall face first to the mat. “Iron
Head” followed up with a few strikes and kicks causing the
ref to stop the fight.
Pride
Lightweight Champion Takanori Gomi defeated Mitsuhiro Ishida
with strikes in a non-title fight. Playing into Gomi’s game,
Ishida decided to stand with the champion early on and throw
kicks. The “Fireball Kid” countered one of the kicks
with a left hook, sending his opponent to the canvas. Ishida
tried to pull guard afterwards but was unable to recover from
the punch. After many unanswered strikes, the ref halted the
bout in the first round.
James
Thompson defeated Gold Medalist Judoka Hidehiko Yoshida in a
sloppy yet entertaining fight. Yoshida controlled Thompson on
the ground early, making a few submission attempts. After the
fighters stood back up, the two proceeded to exchange punches.
Foolishly, Yoshida refused to back down as Thompson got the better
of the exchanges. Seemingly out on his feet on a few occasions,
Yoshida was unable to intelligently defend against the “Colossus”
on the ground, prompting the ref to stop the fight in the first
round. Thompson pulled off the biggest upset of the night after
and gained a much needed victory.
In
a highly anticipated rematch, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira put himself
back into title contention with a unanimous decision over Josh
Barnett. Both fighters were content to stand and exchange early
on. The rematch wasn’t quite as entertaining as their first
encounter but nonetheless is was still a great fight. Nogueira
displayed an improved ground-n-pound while Barnett’s conditioning
wasn’t quite up to par as his previous performance. After
Nogueira was announced as the victor, Barnett nodded in agreement
with the decision.
Pride
Heavyweight Champion Fedor Emelianenko retained his title with
a submission victory over Mark Hunt. The two fighters approached
each other cautiously with Hunt throwing low kicks. Fedor clinched
off of the ropes and threw Hunt down, landing in a full mount
position. Emelianenko attempted an armbar but Hunt was able to
escape. At one point in the fight, Hunt attempted to submit Fedor
two times with a keylock but was unsuccessful. Although he was
a bit tentative, it was a decent showing by Hunt. The New Zealander
would eventually succumb to a kimura in the first round.
Overall,
Shockwave was a great event and produced some excellent fights.
Takanori Gomi was back to his old self with an impressive stoppage
of Mitsuhiro Ishida. Shinya Aoki proved that he could compete
against top opposition with a dominate submission victory over
the always tough Joachim Hansen; the win will likely push Aoki
into the top ten rankings. 2006 has been a difficult year for
Pride and it’s nice to see the year end on a positive note.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
IFL
"WORLD TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP" FULL REVIEW & PHOTOS
UNCASVILLE,
CONN – With an inaugural season that showed a lot of promise,
the International Fight League drew a paid audience of 6,825
to the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn., to crown its first
IFL World Team Champion. It was a card that consisted of some
entertaining match-ups, a bit of controversy, as well as the
anticipated Superfight between Renzo Gracie and Carlos Newton.
RENZO
GRACIE vs. CARLOS NEWTON
In their first meeting there was a great deal of controversy
surrounding the split decision that ultimately gave Newton the
victory. In the anticipated rematch it was as if history repeated
itself with only a small change to the script. Gracie himself
commented after the contest that “life has an odd way of
working at times” as both fighters pushed one another all
3 rounds to again put the contest in the hands of the judges
to determine a victor.
In
the opening round both fighters took a moment to feel one another
out with a few evenly traded exchanges before action move to
the ground. Gracie saw an opportunity for a choke, but Newton
escaped easily and continued to fight for ground position. As
time was running out, Newton gained side control, but with little
activity to follow it up, the referee stepped in to reset the
action that was quickly followed by the bell to end the round.
The
second round again opened with a quick exchange standing before
action move back to the ground. Newton was again on top with
Gracie looking to secure an arm for a submission attempt. Newton
pushed off and went back to his feet. The two once again exchanged
strikes and went back to the ground with Newton regaining side
control. Gracie was able to flip him over and take top control,
but left his ankle open for Newton. Gracie was able to roll out
of the submission attempt and both fighters got back to their
feet to exchange a few more blows standing as the round came
to an end.
The
final round found both fighters again feeling one another out.
Gracie had a small cut on his nose from the ending flurry of
the previous round. Newton looked to press the action and throw
jabs. One jab that was quickly followed by a wild right did not
look to do a lot of damage, but it again brought action to the
ground. Newton wanted no part and quickly backed off and they
both stood back up. As they squared off again, Newton continued
to keep the pressure on as they tied up in the corner. The referee
stepped in to break them up and Newton continued to press forward.
Gracie did appear to be a bit out of gas as time was ticking
down as Newton continued to throw, although nothing landing squarely.
With thirty seconds left on the clock, Newton threw a big right
upper cut that partially hit Gracie and sent him to the mat.
Newton not only did not rush in to finish the fight, but rather
walked over and offered his hand to Gracie to help him up. They
had one last exchange and the bell rang.
The
judge’s cards read 29/28 Gracie, 29/28 Newton, and 29/28
Gracie for the winner. Although there were a large contingent
of Gracie fans in attendance, it was clear that the majority
of fans did not agree with the decision. In post fight interviews
Newtown did comment that he felt he won the fight and that even
Gracie acknowledged it to him with a comment after the final
bell. Gracie was respectful in post fight comments and was unhappy
that judges had to decide the victor in a contest like this,
but happy for the win none the less. Gracie said that he knows
how Newton feels because the roles were reversed in ’03
when Gracie felt he should have won. Indications from both fighters,
as well as the IFL indicate that fans can look forward to the
rubber match in the coming year.
SILVERBACKS
vs. WOLFPACK
To fans that watched the opening season of the IFL it was really
no surprise to see these two teams make the finals. Coach Matt
Lindland won the coin toss that allowed him to choose the first
match up of the night and things got underway with the light-heavyweights.
The
Silverback’s Mike Ciesnolevicz commented after the fight
that he took it as a slight that Coach Lindland called him out
as the first match up of the two teams and that was all the motivation
needed as he went out and defeated Aaron Stark in an entertaining
fight. With a combination of knees and strikes, Ciesnolevicz
ended the fight with a guillotine choke to secure the ‘Submission
of the Night’ honors.
The
Silverback winning ways continued as the Heavyweights came up
next and Ben Rothwell won in impressive fashion with of all things
a high upper kick. Devin Cole showed heart and looked to exchange
with the big man, but Rothwell just marched through the strikes
with a smile on his face landing several brutal strikes before
taking ‘KO of the Night’ honors.
With
only one more win needed to secure the Championship, Bart Palaszewski
of the Silverbacks did not disappoint in what was a very entertaining
fight. The Wolfpack’s Ryan Schultz showed tremendous heart
as he really went out there and tried to keep his team in the
mix. All three rounds were full of action with a number of great
exchanges. Schultz looked to be holding his own and getting the
better of the stand up war, although his face was bruised and
bloody. Palaszewski remained calm and continued to look for his
opening and seized it with wild right hook that sent Schultz
to the mat. Shultz did require emergency attendance ringside
and was carried out on a stretcher, but these actions were simply
pre-cautionary as all reports later were that he was doing fine.
Palaszewski claimed the win and championship for his team and
with that received ‘MVP’ honors for the night.
Silverback
Ryan McGivern got back to his winning way with a lack-luster
unanimous decision win over the always tough Matt Horwich. The
majority of all three rounds really saw both fighters on the
ground fighting for positioning, but McGivern pressed the action
a bit more and got the call putting his team up 4-0.
In
what may be considered an upset in some circles, the Wolfpack’s
Chris Wilson scored a TKO win over Rory Markham. Both fighters
came out looking to throw with Wilson ending the exchange with
a shot that rocked Markham and dropped him to the canvas. Wilson
quickly moved in and it looked like the referee was about to
stop the action, but Markham remarkably regained himself and
scrambled back to his feet. He offered a smile to Wilson and
they went right back at with another exchange until Wilson proved
to be just too much and ended the fight with a nice combination
of strikes.
ALTERNATE
BOUTS
Last night’s card also featured four intraleague match-ups
that featured some exciting action. The opening bout saw the
Pitbull’s Erik Owings defeat the Scorpion’s Ed West
by unanimous decision. This fight was a nice back and forth battle
that featured a solid mix of both stand up and ground action.
This fight was followed by the Pitbull’s Andre Gusmao who
took on the Dragon’s Brent Beauparlant in a fight that went
to a judges' decision. Gusmao threw everything he had at Beauparlant
as the two light-heavyweights went back and forth until eventually
Gusmao proved to be just too much. The Tiger Shark’s Reese
Andy looked very good in his victory over the Pitbull’s
Jamal Patterson. Patterson opened the fight looking confident
and quick on his feet, but Andy was able to wear him down as
the action went into the second round. Andy gained top control
and landed some big shots eventually winning a referee stoppage.
And finally, the Scorpion’s Mike Whitehead got a controversial
decision over the Anaconda’s Krzysztof Soszynski in a fight
that opened with Whitehead playing the aggressor and landing
some big shots. Whitehead caught Soszynski and went for a slam,
but Soszynski was able to land a roundhouse kick to the face
as he hit the canvas. This shot cut Whitehead over the nose.
Soszynski remained calm and was able to begin landing some nice
strikes to the winded Whitehead. The judges gave the decision
to Whitehead, although almost all in attendance disagreed with
the outcome as boos rained down.
INTERNATIONAL
FIGHT LEAGUE
2006 IFL World Team Championship Finals
December 29, 2006
Mohegan Sun Arena
Uncasville, Connecticut
EVENT
RESULTS
ALTERNATE
BOUT:
Jake Ellenberger, Wolfpack, def. Ben Uker, Silverbacks, by TKO,
1:44 in Round 2 (ref stoppage)
INTRA-LEAGUE
SUPERFIGHTS:
LW/155: Erik Owings, Pitbulls, def. Ed West, Scorpions, by decision
(unanimous)
LH/205: Andre Gusmao, Pitbulls def. Brent Beauparlant, Dragons,
by decision (unanimous)
LH/205: Reese Andy, Tiger Sharks, def. Jamal Patterson, Pitbulls,
by TKO (ref stoppage), 3:24 in Round 2
HW/265: Mike Whitehead, Scorpions, def. Krzysztof Soszynski,
Anacondas, by decision (unanimous)
SILVERBACKS
DEFEATED WOLFPACK, 4-1
LH/205: Mike Ciesnolevicz, Silverbacks, def. Aaron Stark, Wolfpack
by TKO (guillotine choke/ref stoppage), 1:03 in Round 3
HW/265: Ben Rothwell, Silverbacks, def. Devin Cole, Wolfpack,
by KO (kick), 3:16 in Round 1
LW/155: Bart Palaszewski, Silverbacks, def. Ryan Schultz, Wolfpack,
by KO (strikes), 2:16 in Round 2
MW/185: Ryan McGivern, Silverbacks, def. Matt Horwich, Wolfpack,
by decision (unanimous)
WW/170: Chris Wilson, Wolfpack, def. Rory Markham, Silverbacks,
by TKO (ref stoppage), 2:14 in Round 1
MAIN
SUPERFIGHT
MW/185: Renzo Gracie def. Carlos Newton, by decision (split)
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Quote
of the Day
"Beauty
in things exists in the mind which contemplates them."
David Hume, 1711-1776, Scottish Philosopher/Historian/Economist
|
WARRIORS
QUEST BACK IN 2007
Aloha to all fighters and teams, Warriors Quest is back as a
feeder show to Punishment In Paradise. After reviewing 2006 our
staff made a descion to bring a smaller event to focus on the
younger and the less experiencs fighters..Since alot of the fighters
couldn't get on the P.I.P cards alot we felt bad and didn't want
to decline any fighter..Warriors Quest will focus on the 16 years
and under fighters firstr of all we will add 16 years old and
over for people who has a limit amount of fights.
Warriors Quest in 2007 will focus on Kickboxing(Head Gear, Gloves
and Shin Guards will be optional), We will also do Shan Shou
and amatuer MMA using shooto rules. We feel very confident in
making Hawaii fighters more complete in everyway!!
Also any person who want to get experience as a referee can use
this as a learning experience also!
Punishment In Paradise will deal with Professional MMA 18 Years
and Over, Pro and Amatuer Kickboxing using K-1 Rules 16 &
Over..So please take a note.
Punishment In Paradise & Warriors Quest Contact info
Brennan Kamaka
808-631-8199
punishmentinparadise@yahoo.com
www.myspace.com/man_on_da_side
www.piphawaii.com
John Kukahiko
808-351-4898
|
UFC
66 Full Results
What a stellar night of fights for the UFC. Quinton Jackson,
Heath Herring, and Mirko Cro Cop were all confirmed for future
UFC events and all of the fights on the card were exciting and
none went to decision. The stoppage in the Ortiz versus Liddell
fight was yet another questionable one for UFC referees and one
that made me very frustrated with the way MMA referees seem to
sometimes get caught up in the moment. That being said let's
move on to the main card fights.
Eric
Schafer versus Michael Bisping
Round
1 - Right off the bat Schafer eats a big right hand and I was
sure that Bisping would have an easy night of it. I was wrong
and proven so as Eric takes Bisping down. Michael quickly gets
back up and Bisping opens up with his legs, kicking Schafer at
the first sign of a good opening. Bisping takes Schafer down
and gains the mounted position, but decides to get back up shortly
after and lands a HUGE kick that hurts Schafer bad. Michael follows
it up with some ground and pound that stops the fight.
Winner
by TKO in round 1, Michael Bisping
Andrei
Arlovski vs. Marcio Cruz
This
one had the most bizarre finish of the night and was the result
of the referee not enforcing his decision to stand them up from
their positions on the ground. On a side note, Babalu was in
Cruz's corner for the fight.
Round
1 - Arlovski stops a take down attempt with a beautiful sprawl
and reversal that puts Cruz on his back. Andrei stand back up
and from there it was like a race to see who could secure a heel
hook the fastest as attempt after attempt was made by both fighters.
The bizarre moment in question came when Herb Dean stepped in
after a heel kick landed to Cruz while both he and Arlovski were
attempting heel hooks. Instead of enforcing his decision to stand
them up to let Marcio recover, he let the fighters dictate whether
they would or not. They choose to stay in the same positions
and Cruz indicates he is okay. As soon as Herb steps away, Pe
De Pano tries to free his leg and doesn't see a big right hand
that connects squarely and knocks him out cold. It is in my opinion
that Dean should have made them stand up, but it is also my opinion
that it was Cruz's mistake. You cannot fault the referee when
the fighter emphatically asks to stay in a bad position.
Winner
by KO, Andrei Arlovski
Jason
MacDonald vs. Chris Leben
Round
1- Chris Leben takes MacDonald down, but quickly gets back up
to his feet where he is most comfortable fighting. They exchange
punches and MacDonald shows that he has a very nice jab. Jason
repeatedly goes for the take down and Leben keeps stuffing them
with extreme prejudice. Chris opens up with knees and hard punches
to end the round.
Round
2- After a weak kick attempt, Leben takes MacDonald down. Jason
gets up and hurts Chris with a big right hand and ends up on
top of Leben who is scrambling to defend. MacDonald secures a
very tight guillotine choke ending the fight by choking Leben
out (much to my friend Kirk's joy).
Winner
by submission, Jason MacDonald
Forrest
Griffin vs. Keith Jardine
Round
1- Immediately Forrest and Keith start trading leg kicks. Both
fighters are swinging for the fences, but Jardine's leg kicks
are hurting Forrest. Griffin is finding his range nicely as he
circles Keith. Out of nowhere, Keith lands a combination that
hurts Forrest bad and he moves in for the kill landing bombs
to the TUF season 1 winner who cannot defend them.
Winner
by TKO, Keith Jardine
Chuck
Liddell vs. Tito Ortiz
The
ending to this fight was questionable, but the fight was undeniably
exciting.
Round
1- As expected they are standing and Tito is game to exchange
with Liddell. Chuck stuffs a Tito take down and starts swinging
wildly with looping rights that are answered in kind by Tito.
Tito gets cut at the two minute mark by a good right hand and
Chuck moves in smelling blood. Ortiz gets rocked and Liddell
tries to finish him, but can't do it and the fight ends up back
on its feet.
Round
2- Tito starts with the take down attempts again and then lands
a very nice leg kick on Liddell. More striking exchanges and
it is here that I start to believe that Chuck could be in for
trouble. Tito lands a nasty body kick and then a big right hand
that rocks Liddell a little bit. Finally, Tito takes him down
and looks like he is in a great position. Liddell, like clockwork
gets right back up and lands an elbow to Tito to end the round.
Round
3- Tito lands more leg kicks and Chuck is swinging like he is
trying to kill Ortiz. Tito attempts a take down and then lands
another big leg kick. Chuck lands some body shots setting up
for a big right hand that misses wide. Tito shoots in and ends
up on his back with Chuck throwing hay makers that miss yet again.
It's up on its feet again and in an exchange, Liddell rocks Ortiz
who drops back in to the fence and then on his back. Chuck steps
on top and starts firing away, but Tito is defending against
almost 90% of the strikes. Tito rolls to get up and a second
later the referee stops the fight in what was obviously a premature
stoppage despite Tito's bad position. Dana looked less than happy
as he walked in the cage, but Tito made no excuses for his loss
and praised Chuck Liddell for his win.
Winner
by TKO, Chuck Liddell
Despite
the bad call at the end of the Ortiz fight there were some major
surprises in Jardine beating Griffin and MacDonald choking out
Leben. Arlovski is back in form, looking to climb back up the
ladder. Finally, Tito showed that he had tremendous courage,
heart, and that he has improved and matured.
UFC
66 delivered some great fights and provided the stage for some
major announcements that I am excited to see come to fruition.
Source: Maxfighting |
UFC
66 REVIEW: ICE AGE CONTINUES AS LIDDELL BEATS ORTIZ
On Saturday night at UFC 66, UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Chuck
"The Iceman" Liddell proved once again why he is widely
considered the best 205-pound fighter in the world when he stopped
Tito Ortiz with strikes for the second time in his career.
The
fight that is expected to go down as the biggest in UFC history
ended when Chuck Liddell’s superior striking once again
floored Tito Ortiz, leaving the “Huntington Beach Bad Boy”
on the ground and being greeted with punches as they rained down
from Liddell. The first round saw Liddell pursue Ortiz and after
some good back and forth exchanges the defending champion landed
a shot that put Ortiz on his back. Liddell followed up with strikes
on the ground that almost stopped the fight, but Tito endured
and made it out of the first round.
The
2nd round saw Ortiz land some very solid shots, a few of which
seemed to stun Liddell. At one point Ortiz was finally able to
secure a takedown on Liddell but he was unable to keep him there
for very long. Liddell did turn away to get back to his feet
and Ortiz briefly gained back control but only for a matter of
seconds before “The Iceman” turned back around and
put distance between himself and Ortiz.
The
3rd round saw more of the striking exchanges and eventually Liddell
landed some good punches when Ortiz shot in for a takedown. After
knocking Ortiz down Ortiz one last time, Liddell relentlessly
pursued his opponent and referee Steve Mazzagatti called a stop
to the action in somewhat questionable fashion. Ortiz didn’t
seem to be in any real danger, but he was also in the fetal position
and wasn't doing much to improve his position, either.
With
his fourth successful title defense, Chuck Liddell has once again
proven himself to be one of the best pound for pound fighters
in the world, and he may have finally dispatched of his famed
rivalry with Tito Ortiz with this 2nd victory over him. Now “The
Iceman” will likely get some time off while he waits for
his chance to avenge the last loss on his record with Quinton
“Rampage” Jackson, who will make his UFC debut in February
against Marvin Eastman. Assuming that Jackson can beat Eastman,
a title shot against Liddell can’t be far behind.
Many
people were expecting a slugfest between former Ultimate Fighter
alums Forrest Griffin and Keith Jardine and nobody was let down
(well, maybe Griffin was when it was all said and done.) The
two light heavyweights were more than comfortable trading punches
and kicks for much of the opening round. Forrest seemed to be
controlling the pace of the fight, landing the cleaner punches
while doing his best to avoid any big strikes from Jardine.
It
was late in the round when Jardine clipped Griffin with a good
punch that staggered the Georgia native and when he saw that
his opponent was wobbled, Jardine charged forward and opened
up a flurry of punches. Instead of backing away or trying to
pull for a clinch, Griffin tried to punch right along with Jardine
but got the short end of the exchange and landed flush on the
mat. Jardine quickly jumped down and absolutely blasted Griffin
in the face and continued until the bout was stopped. Forrest
Griffin was visibly upset about the loss after the fight was
over, while Keith Jardine picks up the biggest win of his career
and takes a huge leap forward in the light heavyweight division.
Ultimate
Fighter season 3 champion Michael “The Count” Bisping
finally made his long awaited debut against a very game Eric
Schafer in what could be considered fight of the night for UFC
66. Bisping came out and instantly started to throw some heavy
strikes, which Schafer answered with multiple takedown attempts.
At one point during the first round, Schafer actually took Bisping’s
back and while he was trying to secure the position the English
fighter took a very unorthodox approach to defense by jumping
forward and driving his opponent’s head into the mat. Eventually,
after allowing Bisping to stand up from an exchange, Schafer
landed on his back and the British fighter rained down some devastating
strikes from above, forcing the referee to stop the fight and
declare Michael Bisping the winner.
Andrei
Arlovski returned to his winning ways by finishing former Brazilian
Jiu-Jitsu champion Marcio “Pe De Pano” Cruz by strikes
on the ground in the 1st round of their match-up. To no one's
surprise, Pe De Pano instantly tried to get a takedown on the
former UFC heavyweight champion and did eventually get the fight
to the ground, where he tried to secure a heel hook or leg lock
but was unable to keep Arlovski in position.
While
both fighters grasped for a leg on the ground, referee Herb Dean
stopped the action due to Arlovski kicking Pe De Pano’s
face on the ground, which is of course an illegal maneuver. After
offering to stand the fight up, Pe De Pano declined and requested
to be left in the same position. When the referee called for
the action to resume, a big punch from Arlovski put Cruz out
of the fight for good. The former champ capitalized on Cruz'
stunned state with a huge flurry of punches on the ground, leading
to the TKO victory.
Jason
“The Athlete” McDonald proved that his first victory
in the UFC was no fluke by stepping up and taking out former
Ultimate Fighter veteran Chris Leben in the 2nd round of their
match-up. A back and forth battle ended when McDonald secured
a guillotine choke that was sunk in deeply under Leben’s
chin. After getting his legs wrapped around Leben it was only
a matter of time until the bout ended. To Leben’s credit
he struggled to get free and refused to tap out, but the blood
loss to his head was too extreme and the referee stepped in and
stopped the fight and Jason McDonald now moves to 2-0 in the
UFC.
UFC
66 will likely go down as the most successful pay-per-view to
date in the company’s history and the fights on the card
did not disappoint. Michael Bisping and Eric Schafer deserve
a lot of credit for putting on such a phenomenal bout, which
I feel was the Fight of the Night. It was truly a toss up for
who should receive Fighter of the Night in my book, but at the
end of the day the fighter that probably gained the most respect
at UFC 66 was “The Dean of Mean” Keith Jardine. He
was able to finish Forrest Griffin in very impressive fashion
while also giving himself a huge boost in a newly rejuvenated
205 lb division in the UFC. Chuck Liddell once again proved that
he deserves all of the accolades that he receives, while Tito
Ortiz has to sit back and truly ponder what is next for him after
a 2nd loss to the UFC light heavyweight champion.
Overall,
this was a top notch show that will likely go down in history,
and the fights definitely lived up to the hype.
UFC
66 Full Results
-Chuck
Liddell def. Tito Ortiz by TKO (referee stoppage due to strikes)
at 3:59 of Round 3
-Keith
Jardine def. Forrest Griffin by TKO (referee stoppage due to
strikes) at 4:41 of Round 1
-Jason
MacDonald def. Chris Leben by technical submission (choked unconscious
with a guillotine choke) at 4:03 of Round 2
-Andrei
Arlovski def. Marcio "Pe de Pano" Cruz by KO (strikes
on the ground) at 3:15 of Round 1
-Michael
Bisping def. Eric Schafer by TKO (referee stoppage due to strikes)
at 4:24 of Round 1
-Thiago
Alves def. Tony DeSouza by KO at 1:10 of Round 2
-Gabriel
Gonzaga def. Carmelo Marrero by submission (armbar) at 3:22 of
Round 1
-Yushin
Okami def. Rory Singer by submission (strikes) at 4:03 of Round
3
-Christian
Wellisch def. Anthony Perosh by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28,
29-27)
Source: MMA Weekly |
Silverbacks
Claim IFL World Team Championship
UNCASVILLE,
Conn., December 29, 2006-- The Silverbacks, coached by Pat Miletich
and based in Quad Cities, Iowa/Ill., defeated the Wolfpack, coached
by Matt Lindland and based in Portland, Ore., to claim the 2006
International Fight League World Team Championship title with
a 4-1 victory in tonight’s final at Mohegan Sun Arena in
Uncasville, Conn. In addition, Renzo Gracie (Holmdel, N.J.),
coach of the New York-based Pitbulls, edged Carlos Newton (Newmarket,
Ontario), coach of the Toronto-based Dragons, by split decision
in the headline Superfight. The mixed martial arts competition
was seen by a near-capacity crowd of 6,825.
In
the team event, which was contested in the order determined by
coaches following a coin toss, the Silverbacks’ Mike Ciesnolevicz
(Williamstown, Pa.) defeated Aaron Stark (Portland, Ore.) at
light heavyweight, using a vicious kick at the start of the third
round to stun Stark, leading to a guillotine choke that led to
the referee stopping the bout just over a minute into the final
round. Heavyweight Ben Rothwell (Kenosha, Wis.) gave the Silverbacks
a 2-0 lead with a knockout of Devin Cole (Medford, Ore.) with
a strong finishing right kick after dominating most of the first
round. At 155 lbs., Bart Palaszewski (Wonderlake, Ill.) clinched
the Championship with a second-round knockout against Ryan Schultz
(Eagle Creek, Ore.), breaking open an even bout with a big right
hand to the jaw during a heated exchange, finishing with several
unguarded blows to the ground. Ryan McGivern (Bettendorf, Iowa)
and Matt Horwich (Gresham, Ore.) battled for three rounds in
the middleweight division, with the Silverbacks’ McGivern
earning the unanimous decision. The highly-anticipated welterweight
battle between Rory Markham (Chicago) and Chris Wilson (Portland,
Ore.) went to Wilson via first-round technical knockout, as the
Wolfpack averted the sweep.
In
addition to the Gracie-Newton Superfight, four intraleague Superfights
involving IFL athletes supplemented the card. Erik Owings (New
York) of the Pitbulls topped Ed West (Tucson, Ariz.) of the Scorpions
in a unanimous decision. In a pair of light heavyweight fights,
Andre Gusmao (New York) of the Pitbulls out-slugged Brent Beauparlant
(Montreal) of the Dragons, winning by unanimous decision in a
highly entertaining bout, followed by the Tiger Sharks’
Reese Andy (Billings, Mont.) registering a second-round TKO over
the Pitbulls’ Jamal Patterson (Hoboken, N.J.). In a heavyweight
battle, Mike Whitehead (Central Point, Ore.) of the Scorpions
defeated Krzysztof Soszynski (Winnipeg, Manitoba) of the Anacondas
by unanimous decision.
The
team Finals were preceded by several intra-league Superfights,
pitting members of other IFL squads. In a preliminary fight between
the alternates on the competing teams, Jake Ellenberger (Omaha,
Neb.) of the Wolfpack defeated Ben Uker (Bettendorf, Iowa) of
the Silverbacks with a second-round TKO.
The
event can be seen on Fox Sports Net (U.S.) on New Year’s
Eve, and on Rogers Sportsnet (Canada) on Jan. 6. Check local
listings or www.ifl.tv for times in each region.
The IFL is the world’s first team-based professional mixed
martial arts league. The circuit begins its first full season
of competition in January 2007. The Silverbacks begin their 2007
season in Houston on Feb. 2, when they take on the Anacondas,
coached by Bas Rutten and based in Los Angeles. The Wolfpack
open on Feb. 23 in Atlanta vs. Newton’s Dragons (Toronto).
The
Wolfpack had advanced to the final with victories over the Tiger
Sharks (Seattle) in September and the Anacondas (Los Angeles)
in November. The Silverbacks’ path to the final went through
the Pitbulls (New York) in September and the Dragons (Toronto)
last month.
IFL
World Team Championship Final, Mohegan Sun Arena, Uncasville,
Conn., Dec. 29, 2006 Event Results
Alternate
Bout:
Jake Ellenberger, Wolfpack, def. Ben Uker, Silverbacks, by TKO,
1:44 in Round 2, (ref stoppage)
Intraleague
Superfights
LW/155: Erik Owings, Pitbullls, def. Ed West, Scorpions, by decision
(unanimous), after three rounds
LH/205: Andre Gusmao, Pitbulls def. Brent Beauparlant, Dragons,
by decision (unanimous), after three rounds
LH/205: Reese Andy, Tiger Sharks, def. Jamal Patterson, Pitbulls,
by TKO (ref stoppage), 3:24 in Round 2
HW/265: Mike Whitehead, Scorpions, def. Krzysztof Soszynski,
Anacondas, by decision (unanimous) after three rounds
Silverbacks
(Quad Cities) defeated Wolfpack (Portland), 4-1
LH/205: Mike Ciesnelovicz, Silverbacks, def. Aaron Stark, Wolfpack
by TKO (guillotine choke/ref stoppage), 1:03 in Round 3
HW/265: Ben Rothwell, Silverbacks, def. Devin Cole, Wolfpack,
by knockout (kick), 3:16 in Round 1
LW/155: Bart Palaszewski, Silverbacks, def. Ryan Schultz, Wolfpack,
by knockout (strikes), 2:16 in Round 2
MW/185: Ryan McGivern, Silverbacks, def. Matt Horwich, Wolfpack,
by decision (unanimous), after three rounds.
WW/170: Chris Wilson, Wolfpack, def. Rory Markham, Silverbacks,
by TKO (ref stoppage), 2:14 in Round 1.
Main
Superfight
MW/185: Renzo Gracie def. Carlos Newton, by decision (split),
after three rounds
Source: Maxfighting |
HFC
Stand Your Ground
|
NAGA
HAWAII GRAPPLING CHAMPIONSHIP
IS CONFIRMED!
This is in the official NAGA newsletter and a friend who co-promoted
NAGA here in Hawaii also confirmed it.
Sunday, January 14, 2007
Doors open at 8:00 a.m.
St. Louis School, Honolulu, HI
130 Gi & No-Gi Divisions!
This event is Nationally
860-295-0403
President@nagafighter.com
www.NAGAFighter.com
Pre-Register HERE.
$75 pre-reg
fee
Download
event flyer HERE.
NAGA
makes its much anticipated return to the island of Oahu. Hawaii
is full of incredible grapplers, NAGA is excited about coming
back to give you a fair and fun atmosphere to compete in. Enjoy
the holidays then come and compete against the best grapplers
Hawaii has to offer.
Samurai
swords will be awarded to all 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place finishers.
The
no-gi and gi absolute champion will take home this championship
belt!
Source: NAGA
|
PIP
Returns
www.myspace.com/man_on_da_side (PIP WEBSITE)
WWW.PIPHAWAII.COM
Tenative Card
Heavyweight Bout
Cabbage (Eastsidaz, Hilo) vs, Deutsch Puu (Army Boxing, Ewa Beach)
160lbs. Bout
Kaleo Kwan (Eastsidaz, Waimanalo) vs Danny Steele (Team Steele,
California)
160lbs Bout
Ikaika Choy Fu (Jesus is Lord, Kaneohe) vs. John Visante Jr.
(Sit You Down, Waianae)
145lbs Bout
Lorenzo Moreno (Bull Pin, Kalihi) vs. Zack Rapal (Fighters Union,
Waianae)
170lbs Bout
Wayne Perrin III(Bigdogs, Waianae) vs. Kona Ke (Team Ruthless,
Makaha)
150lbs Bout
Chico Canteberros (Eastsidaz, Kailua) vs. Brandon Piper (Hardknocks,
Waianae)
140lbs Bout
Abe Cortez (Young Gunz, Hilo) vs. Domi Lopez (Team Bigdogs, Waianae)
155lbs Bout
Makana Fonda (Bulls Pin, Kailihi) vs. Shaison Laupola (Team Ruthless,
Makaha)
Heavyweight Bout
Hanson Apo (Eastsidaz, Waimanalo) vs. Carl Sua (Fighters Union,
Waianae)
170lbs. Bout
Koa Ramos (Eastsidaz, Kailua) vs. Zane Kamaka (Guts & Glory,
Waianae)
190lbs. Bout
Rob Chong (Kodan Kan, Kailua) vs. Curtis Jones ( Dream Team,
Waianae)
160lbs Bout
Chad Valentine (HMC, Kalihi) vs. Kia Hale-Gannigan (Untaimed
Bloodline)
135lbs Bout
Chaz Schmidt ( Jus Rush, Kailua) vs. Erwin Celes (Sit You Down,
Waianae)
155lbs. Bout
Randy Rivera (HMC, Kalihi) vs. Louis Smith (Team Ruthless)
140lbs. Bout
Ryan Lee (Bulls Pin, Kailihi) vs. Colin McKenzie (Team Ruthless,
Makaha)
140lbs. Bout
Jacob Smith (Smith Taekwondo, Kaneohe) vs. Jonah Visante (Sit
you Down, Waianae)
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