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(All events on Oahu, unless noted)
2007
11/10/07
Aloha State
Championship of BJJ
(BJJ/Sub Grappling)
(Klum Gym UH Manoa)
10/6/07
Punishment
In Paradise 18
(MMA &
Kickboxing)
(Dole Cannery)
7/28/07
Maui Jiu-Jitsu Tournament
(BJJ & Sub Grappling)
(Maui)
7/13/07
Punishment
In Paradise 17
(MMA & Kickboxing)
(Dole Cannery)
6/23/06
Ultimate Fight Night
(BJ Penn vs Jens Pulver)
(Spike TV)
6/22/07
Got
Skills
(Kickboxing/MMA)
(Waipahu Filcom)
6/16/07
Hawaiian Open of BJJ
(BJJ/Sub Grappling)
(Klum Gym UH Manoa)
4/27/07
Punishment
In Paradise 16
(MMA & Kickboxing)
(Dole Cannery)
4/9/07
UFC
GSP vs Hughes 3
(PPV)
4/5/07
Ultimate
Fight Night
(Spike TV)
3/24/07
Garden Island Cage Match
5
(MMA)
(Kauai)
3/13/07
Ultimate
Fight Night
(Spike TV)
3/10/07
Hawaiian Championship of BJJ
(BJJ/Sub Grappling)
(Klum Gym UH Manoa)
3/3/07
UFC 68
(PPV)
(Columbus, Ohio)
2/24/07
Pride Fighting Championships:
(PPV)
(Thomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas, NV)
2/17/06
Got
Skills
(Kickboxing/MMA)
(Waipahu Filcom)
2/16/07
Punishment
In Paradise 15
(MMA & Kickboxing)
(Hawaiian Waters)
2/9/07
Icon Sports
(MMA & Kickboxing)
(Blaisdell Arena)
2/3/07
UFC
67
(Serra vs GSP, Lutter vs Silva)
(PPV)
2/2/06
Got
Skills & Kickin' It
(Kickboxing/MMA)
(Waipahu Filcom)
1/23/07
Ultimate
Fight Night
(Spike TV)
1/20/07
IFL
(MMA)
1/14/07
NAGA Hawaii
(BJJ & Sub Grappling)
(St. Louis H.S. Gym)
1/13/07
USA Boxing Amateur Boxing
(Boxing)
(Palolo Gym)
1/12/07
K-1 Dynamite
(MMA)
(PPV, 5:00 PM Ch: 701)
|
|
January 2007 News
Part 3
|
Casca Grossa Jiu-Jitsu
is now the O2 Martial Arts Academy with 6 days a week training!
We are also offering Escrima (stick fighting) on Monday nights!
Click
here for info!
Take classes from the Onzuka brothers in a family-like enviornment! |
 
For the special Onzuka.com
price, click on one of these banners above! |
 |
Fighters' Club TV
The Toughest Show On
Teleivision
Tuesdays at 7:00PM
***NEW TIME***
Olelo Channel 52 on Oahu
Akaku on Maui
Check
out the FCTV website! |
Got a question for us? Email info@onzuka.com
or click here to send us
an email.
Fighters'
Club TV LOGO ANIMATION CONTEST
Everyone
knows that Onzuka.com's loyal readers are the most talented in
the state, if not the world! (can you already see where our fluff
complement is going already?) FCTV is looking for a talented
computer graphics whiz to animate our logo for the show. Winner
receives the snazzy RAZE Fightwear shirt and whatever else we
can dig up!
Here
is our logo:
If you have seen the show, you have seen how our old logo has
been animated. We are basically looking to create a cool animation
for our new logo.
We need a long version (10 Seconds) and a short version (3 Seconds)
if possible. Also, any ideas you may have as to what to do with
it would be appreciated too.
Email
entries to: fctv@onzuka.com
Mahalo,
Mark
|
Quote
of the Day
"The
essence of all beautiful art, all great art, is gratitude."
Friedrich Nietzsche, 1844-1900, German Philosopher
|
Kickin
It 2007
WEIGH-INS
ARE GOING TO BE ON THURSDAY FEB 1 AT NANAKULI BEACH PARK PAVILLION
AT 6PM. FIGHTERS UNDER 18 MUST BRING PARENTS TO SIGN WAIVER FORMS.
NO PARENT - NO FIGHT
WHAT
- KICKIN IT 2007
WHEN
- FEB 2, 2007
WHERE
- WAIPAHU FILCOM CENTER
DOORS
OPEN AT 6:00PM
DAVIN
KIM 125 JULIO MORENO
EWA
BEACH FIGHT CLUB EXHIBITION BULLSPEN
THIS
FIGHT IS STILL IN TALKS BUT OH WHAT A FIGHT THIS WOULD BE. MORENO,
JUST THE NAME BRINGS EXCITEMENT TO A CARD. BUT DONT COUNT OUT
THE YOUNGSTER DAVIN, WHO HAD A SLOW START IN THE BEGINNING OF
LAST YEAR. BOTH OF THESE FIGHTERS HAVE BEEN LIGHTING UP THEIR
LAST FEW OPPONENTS. LESS THAN ONE YEAR OF EXPERIENCE FOR THESE
TWO FIGHTERS BUT YOU WOULDN'T THINK IT IF YOU WATCHED THESE GUYS
FIGHT.
BEN
SANTIAGO 165 OLA PLUNKETT
BANGAHZVILLE
ANIMAL HOUSE
BOTH
OF THESE FIGHTERS FOUGHT TO A DRAW FOR THE KICKIN IT SUPER MIDDLEWEIGHT
TITLE LAST YEAR IN THE SEQUEL. BEN WAS ANNOUNCED THE WINNER EARLIER
BUT WHEN THE SCORE CARDS WAS REVIEWED FOR THE SECOND TIME. BEN
ACTUALLY MISSED ONE KICK IN THE FIRST ROUND WHICH COSTED HIM
THE WIN. IT WAS THAT CLOSE. BOTH OF THEM RECEIVED BELTS FOR A
JOB WELL DONE THAT NIGHT. EXPECT SOME BIG SWINGING LIKE THE LAST
TIME THESE TWO GUYS MET. WILL OLA'S FLAG STILL BE WAVING ITS
COLORS OR WILL FEB 2ND BE ALL ABOUT THE BENJAMIN. CHECK IT OUT
KYLIE
DELACRUZ 120 MANA WOOLSEY
EWA
BEACH FIGHT CLUB HSD
MAKE
SURE THAT YOU DONT MISS THIS FIGHT. BOTH ARE TEEENAGERS AND BOTH
ARE FROM THE WESSIDE. SO YOU KNOW THE ACTION WILL BE IN EFFECT
WHEN THE BELL RINGS. THESE TWO FIGHTERS WILL BRING MAJOR SKILLS,
SPEED AND MANA (POWER). THESE GUYS CARRY NO FEAR AS WELL AS NO
BODY FAT. 120 POUNDS SOLID. THIS FIGHT WILL DEFINITELY BE A SHOW
STOPPER.
NUI
WHEELER 145 DAVID BALICAO
TEAM
SOLJAH EXHIBITION HSD
BOTH
OF THESE GUYS ARE CHAMPIONS AT THE SAME WEIGHT DIVISION BUT AT
DIFFERENT CALIBERS. THEY WILL BE ENTERING A DIFFERENT KIND OF
FIGHTING ON FEB 2ND. BOTH OF THESE GUYS ARE VIRGINS TO THE GROUND
GAME. THEIR BREAD AND BUTTER ARE IN THEIR STAND UP. THEY HAVE
NEVER BEEN ROCKED OR KNOCKED OUT BUT CAN THEY BE TAPPED OUT?
BE THERE
KILEY
RAMIRO 80 MICAH
HMC
TEAM DEVASTATION
KANA
LOA 120 JAN QUIMOYOG
BANGAHZVILLE
INNER CIRCLE
WAYNE
PURVEY 185 DONOVAN COLLIER
TEAM
ISLAND THUNDER INNER CIRCLE
ITO
190 KOLOA KAHALEWAI
WESSIDE
CONNECTION TEAM ANILAND
PHILLIP
BENJAMIN 150 JERELL MUNOZ
WESSIDE
CONNECTION HSD
RICHARDSON
SUNGA 150 DAMIEN GOMES
VEGAS
FIGHT CLUB HSD
KENJI
SAITO 240 MAKANA VERTIDO
ANIMAL
HOUSE VEGAS FIGHT CLUB
KOICHI
TANJI 145 TONY PERERRA
HMC
WAIANAE KICKBOXING CLUB
KAWAI
QUIZON 185 JASON LOPES
TEAM
DEVASTATION JESUS IS LORD
MIKE
LEMAIRE 175 WILL HARVEST
TEAM
ISLAND THUNDER BIG TYME FIGHT
JOHN
SMITH 100 KALAI MCSHANE
ANIMAL
HOUSE EWA BEACH FIGHT CLUB
MANA
KRYZKA 150 JON MENDONSA
TEAM
DEVASTATION NAKOA FIGHT CLUB
MARSHALL
POAHA 145 AJ BROWN
TEAM
DEVASTATION BIG TYME FIGHT
GARY
REBALLIZA 140 RANDY KAMAIOPI
INNER
CIRCLE EASTSIDAZ
MATCHES
AND PARTICIPANTS MAY BE SUBJECT TO CHANGE
TICKETS
AVAILABLE AT ALL PARTICIPATING SCHOOLS OR CALL DOUG AT 721-6019.
Source:
Promoter
|
Minotouro
trains hard to Pride USA
Rogério
Minotouro is training hard even doesn’t knowing yet who
will be his adversary at the Pride USA, that will be held on
February 24th, in Las Vegas . The BTT athlete, who was the highlight
of the Pan special newspaper, said that is improving his ground
game. “I am working my ground game. I did lose some gas,
but I am working hard. I am also training my Boxing and Muay
Thai”, said the BTT athlete. Minotouro talked a little bit
about his training plans until the fight day. “I am doing
a resistance job on the ground and under my Boxing, with big
trainings. Next week I will train not so much time and when I
know my adversary, I will start an specific training”, told
Minotouro.
Source: Tatame |
Great
BJJ names at Luta Casada
The
new Brazilian event called Luta Casada.com will be held on next
Saturday (27) at Barra da Tijuca, in Rio de Janeiro . The card
of the event was made by the audience, who choose the bouts by
the internet. The competition will have only one feminine bout
between the world BJJ champion Letícia Ribeiro and the
vice world champion Hanette Quadros. The competition is plenty
of big BJJ names as the two times world champions Marcio Pé-de-pano
and Rodrigo Comprido who will face each other.
Beyond
them, the competition also brings us the Brazilian champion Alexandre
“Pulga” Pimentel, who will face Tiago Alves and the
world champion of 2006 Marcelinho Garcia facing Rômulo
Barral. Check out the complete card and stay tuned at site TATAME
next week for the complete results.
COMPLETE
CARD (subject to change):
Luta
Casada.com
Ribalta – Barra da Tijuca, Rio de Janeiro
Saturday, January 27th, 2007
-
Leonardo “Tunico” Leite vs. Bruno Frazatto;
Tunico by points
- Celso Venícius vs. Eduardo Pessoa;
Vinicius by points 12-0?
- Tiago Alves vs. Alexandre “Pulga” Pimentel;
Alves by choke from the back at 7 min 13 sec
- Delson Pé-de-chumbo vs. Demian Maia;
Maia by points 2-0
- Marcelinho Garcia vs. Rômulo Barral;
Garcia by points 2-0
- Antonio Braga Neto vs. Leonardo Leite;
Leite by points 3-0
- Jefferson Moura vs. Robert Drysdale;
Moura by points 9-6
- Letícia Ribeiro vs. Hannette Quadros.
Quandros by footlock at 5 min 40 sec
- Rodrigo Comprido vs. Marcio Pé-de-Pano;
Pe de Pano by points 2-0
Source: Tatame
|
MARKHAM
TO MISS SILVERBACKS 2007 IFL DEBUT
When the Quad Cities Silverbacks attempt to take their first
step towards defending their two-time IFL Championship on February
2nd in Houston, Texas, they will be without one of the team’s
most exciting and dependable fighters, Rory Markham.
Markham,
who is 4-1 in the IFL, explained his absence from the card to
MMAWeekly shortly after having laser eye surgery to fix his injury.
“What
I had in my eye is what they call a 3% retinal hole,” said
Rory. “[They call it 3%] because that’s how big the
hole was. It’s impact induced, so it’s from getting
hit in the eye over the course of the last couple of months.”
According
to Markham, if he had not found out about the injury when he
did, it could have lead to a potentially devastating prognosis
“It
can lead to a retinal detachment eventually, which is a very
serious injury that sometimes leads to blindness,” exclaimed
Rory. “Luckily I caught it early enough in stage one, that’s
the earliest you can catch it.”
Markham
continued, “I went in, they welded it up, and the IFL paid
for it. They [the IFL] made good on their promise to insure us
as fighters, which I can do nothing but thank them for that.”
Rory
is not only happy the IFL came through with financing his surgery,
but he’s also grateful to them for being the reason he found
out he had the injury in the first place.
“I
had no problems with my vision at all whatsoever, but we had
a routine ophthalmology exam for the 2nd of February Houston
show. I needed to get my eyes cleared again and that’s when
the doctors found it,” explained Markham.
Rory
added, “[Having fighters get tested for medical clearance]
is one thing the IFL has always done and will continue to do
so. That’s the last complaint I’d ever make is to have
to get these exams done and all that again. They’re all
for the fighters’ benefit.”
As
for a prognosis of when he’ll return, Markham stated, “It’s
a quick out-patient procedure and the doctor said with a good
3-4 weeks of absolutely no contact – no impact to the face
or eyes – I should be back 100% and ready to fight.”
Rory’s
replacement on the February 2nd card against the Bas Rutten coached
Los Angeles Anacondas will be Victor Moreno, who sports an impressive
20-7 record and will be participating in his first fight of the
year.
Interestingly
enough, one of Moreno’s only losses came at the hands of
the man he’s temporarily replacing on February 2nd, Rory
Markham.
“I
can’t say that I know too much about him, except for when
I fought him, so I don’t know how he is in the room [training]
or any of that, but I can say this much, that kid comes to fight,”
said Markham of his replacement.
“He’s
going to bring it against Jay Hieron. He likes to bang and he’s
got some good reach, so it should be interesting. I can at least
guarantee that fans can expect fireworks out of Victor. He comes
in, sets up and is ready to throw,” further exclaimed Rory.
Victor’s
temporary ascension into the ranks of the Silverbacks comes from
the fact that he was recommended by a trusted acquaintance of
the team.
As
Markham explained, “[UFC veteran] Josh Neer is friends with
him and suggested him knowing Victor’s potential. So if
Josh Neer recommends him, I stand behind whatever Neer’s
decision is.”
Even
though injury will prevent Rory from being in the ring on February
2nd in Houston as the Silverbacks begin to make a run at an unprecedented
third straight IFL title, he will be at the show and actively
participating in a new role.
“Absolutely
I’ll be at there,” said Markham. “Pat [Miletich,
Silverbacks Coach] is like, ‘Hey buddy you’re going
to wear a different hat this time out. We’re going to make
you a coach. We need you; we need you for the support and helping
out the guys.’”
“It’s
cool to know that you’re needed and not only just because
you can throwdown. So I’m working right now with my guys
and team and hopefully I’ll get somebody to throw a Superman-punch
for me in my stead,” concluded Rory with a chuckle.
Source: MMA Weekly |
SOSZYNSKI
VS. ROTHWELL REMATCH OFF
Early indications are that the Anacondas’ ever-improving
heavyweight, Krzysztof Soszynski, is off the card for his squad’s
matchup with the defending champ Silverbacks on February 2nd.
Many
had hoped this would be an exciting rematch between Soszynski
and Silverbacks heavyweight Ben Rothwell, after Rothwell TKO’d
Soszynski in their first meeting last year.
But
word is that an injury suffered in training has sidelined Soszynski
for now, which means fans will have to wait to see just how much
the Polish-born fighter has improved since his first bout with
Big Ben. All Soszynski’s teammates can talk about is his
rapid development, but maybe he still isn’t quite ready
for a juggernaut like Rothwell.
In
his place will be local Houston fighter Matt Thompson (3-1).
Obviously, the smart money has to be on Rothwell against a much
less-experienced fighter, but Thompson will have the hometown
crowd behind him.
Source: MMA Weekly |
Quote
of the Day
"Vegetables
are interesting but lack a sense of purpose when unaccompanied
by a good cut of meat."
Fran Lebowitz, American Writer and Humorist |
FCTV
Episode 47 is Out!
Fighters'
Club TV Episode 47 is cut and submitted to Olelo programming.
It will air our normal timeslot of 7pm every Tuesday night on
Olelo
Oahu Channel 52. It will show on Jan. 23, 30, Feb 6 and 11.
Episode
47 features:
-Highlights
from the 2007 January NAGA Absolute No-GI Division,
featuring Bruno Ewald, Dave Chew, Rylan Lizares, and a few more
of
Hawaii's top grapplers.
-interviews
with NAGA promoter Kipp Kollar and MMA.TV owner, Kirik
Jenness.
-Icon
Sport highlights of Jeremy Williams (Pro Boxer) vs Ron Fields
(MMA veteran)
-Technique
of the week, Mike and Mark demonstrate the kimura keylock
-FCTVemail,
Mike and Mark go over a bunch of viewers questions so don't
miss this as it might be yours!
Please
send your Suggestions, Comments, or Questions to:
fctv@onzuka.com
aloha,
fctv808
|
Details
of the Horn/Vitale Fight
Jeremy
Horn failed to make the middleweight limit, weighing in at 188.5lbs,
but his opponent Falaniko Vitale accepted a larger match fee
to take Gumby on over the 185 limit.
The inability to make the weight limit may explain the lack of
fi ghting edge from Horn
in his fi ve-round split decision win over Niko. After a Horn
took the first round, Vitale
found his range with his punches and repeatedly stuffed Horn’s
takedowns in the
second and third stanzas.
However,
despite cutting around Horn’s left eye in the third, Vitale
couldn’t back up Horn. With the match ebbing away, Horn
stepped up his work rate
in the last eight minutes, seemingly taking Vitale down at will
in the fi fth round.
Source: Total MMA |
Throwdown
Fight Gear "Throws Down" with MaxFighting
When
you talk to an owner of one of the biggest and most popular brands
of MMA clothing, gear, and cages in America you might expect
a shrewd and tightly wound businessman to answer the phone. When
I spoke with Hans Molenkamp of Throwdown Fight Gear I was pleasantly
surprised to find just the opposite. An action sports and MMA
enthusiast, Hans is a down to earth and approachable guy, despite
the fact that many of the biggest stars in the sport of MMA are
wearing his clothes and gear to train and fight in. Not to mention
that a large number of MMA fighting organizations and fight schools
get their cages from Throwdown. It has been a busy year for the
booming company. Thankfully, Hans was able to take time out of
his schedule to talk to MaXfighting and update us on his success
of this past year.
MaxFighting:
So, what's happening, Hans? Tell me about Throwdown and what's
going on with it.
Hans
Molenkamp: It's Crazy right now, Sean. We just opened a second
fabrication house and we're building cages for everybody, every
organization under the sun right now. It's been pretty nuts.
MaxFighting:
If you were to call Throwdown or somebody wanted to do business
with you, what kind of services could you offer them?
HM:
We offer everything from, well we build and manufacture cages
and have a ton of clothing and gear out there. We just signed
a big deal with Title boxing to do all of our training equipment.
You know, everything from muay thai shin pads, boxing gloves,
and other things like head gear and such. Pretty much the entire
deal. Plus, we offer a full line of training clothing along with
the training gear that our athletes represent.
MaxFighting:
How long have you been open? How long has Throwdown been around?
HM:
Throwdown has been around for four years, but we officially launched
it in March, 2006. My partner and I both left our previous place
of employment. I used to do a company called Osiris shoes for
7 years. It was rooted in the action sports industry and we did
surfing, skateboarding, and motocross. My partner designs and
builds skate parks for pretty much all of the cities in America.
MaxFighting:
But, you're not new to MMA, obviously.
HK:
No, no. I have been training and fighting for the last four years.
I have been training with Dean Lister, Brandon Vera, and a bunch
of other people in San Diego. Well, how it all happened was,
I'm a skateboarder and a surfer and I needed something to do
at night *laughs*. I hooked up with Dean and as the sport progressed...I've
been in to the surf/skate thing for a really long time and I
was the vice president of marketing for Osiris shoes, which is
a 65 million dollar skate shoe company. I basically just took
everything I had been doing, before that I was DC shoes and XYZ
clothing, I just took all of my marketing experience and applied
it to what we are doing right now. I shoot all the ads and I
lay them all out. I design all the clothing and everything pretty
much as far as the apparel line. My partner, Mike designs all
of the cages and we can fabricate in house now. We put everything
together here. We just took something that was kind of a concept
and made it a reality last year and it just happened to be the
year that MMA exploded. So it worked out pretty well.
MaxFighting:
Well, it sounds like just from my talking to people in the business
that Throwdown's name is already spreading through MMA quickly.
Are you guys sponsoring many fighters?
HM:
Well, yeah, I mean this is what we have done. We work exclusively
with; Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, Bas Rutten, Jason
"Mayhem" Miller, Randy Couture, Cung Le, Chuck Liddell,
Edwin Dewees, and Thomas Denny. We have a bunch of people that
we throw a lot of product to. Some of them we do more on the
cage end and some we do more on the apparel end. Like, "Rampage"
gets both worlds. We do everything with cage and with fight gear
stuff with him.
"Mayhem", he gets apparel because he doesn't have a
training center yet.
Most of our guys get cages once they get on the team.
MaxFighting:
So, you guys actually manufacture cages not just for training
centers, but for major organizations?
HM:
Yeah, we do custom cages. We're doing the Gracie Fighting Championships
cage, we did the Strikeforce cage, and we're doing the Total
Combat cage. We also did the CSC cage, I mean the list goes on
of cages that we have built out. Legends gym, we did the back
racks and all of the systems for them. We did their cage, too.
We basically go in to a training center and lay it out and we'll
show them the design. We are doing two cages for Randy Couture
right now. One for Vegas and one for Washington. We lay it out
and put the cage in there along with all of their other needs.
If it's an organization we'll just give them the cage. Our cages
are for event fighting and training.
MaxFighting:
I'm guessing there are quite a bit of these fight teams that
come and ask you for cages, equipment, etc.. For their schools.
HM:
Yep. All the time. What we do unlike some of our competitors,
we just take a lot of pride in our equipment. Being fighters
we know what it takes to build something right. Unfortunately,
there are some organizations out there that would rather go cheaper
on it than really stress the importance of having something professionally
done.
MaxFighting:
Hans, I appreciate your time and I am very happy that Throwdown
is exploding right now.
HM:
No sweat. If you want to check us out go to http://www.http://www.throwdownfightgear.com/
Source: Maxfighting |
CAN
MILETICH'S SILVERBACKS REPEAT?
At last December’s IFL World Team Tournament Finals one
of the biggest surprises of the evening was Quad Cities Silverbacks
middleweight Ryan McGivern defeating fan-favorite veteran Matt
Horwich of the Portland Wolfpack, helping the Silverbacks repeat
as IFL Champions.
McGivern
was coming off his second straight loss whereas Horwich was riding
a two-fight winning streak. So when Ryan was able to control
the Wolfpack fighter en route to a unanimous decision victory,
it capped off a tumultuous year that saw McGivern break into
the bigtime, struggle, then rebound in strong fashion.
“It
was a rollercoaster for sure,” said Ryan of his 2006. “There
were some pretty cool ups and definitely some downs.”
McGivern
continued, “I was real happy with how the inaugural tournament
went, and then I had a rough start to the last tournament. I
was happy for our team to win [the second tournament] and to
finish on a good note. It would have been beyond frustration
to go 0-3 in the tournament that your team wins.”
Despite
personal highs and lows, Ryan feels that being a part of the
IFL made the entire year a success and he’s enthusiastic
to begin his second year with the promotion.
“I
will say this, it was a real fun experience, just getting to
see how everybody is behind the scenes of the IFL was cool,”
exclaimed McGivern. “It’s not just like the founders,
Kurt Otto and Gareb Shamus, but everybody you come in contact
with in the organization really believes in the IFL.”
“They
really believe in every one of the fighters so it’s really
cool to see everything develop and to see what they have lined
up for 2007 is going to be some really cool stuff,” added
Ryan.
What’s
lined up first for McGivern and the Silverbacks is their first
IFL show of the year this coming Friday, February 2nd in Houston,
Texas, as they take on another of the original four IFL teams,
the Bas Rutten-coached Los Angeles Anacondas.
Even
though both teams generally remain the same from last year, the
Silverbacks will be temporarily missing a key component to their
two IFL Championships, welterweight Rory Markham.
According
to Ryan however, the team is unfettered and confident they can
continue to succeed, thanks to their legendary coach Pat Miletich’s
conditioning of the squad.
“Missing
Rory definitely puts more on our shoulders because we don’t
know what’s going to happen in the fight,” admitted
Ryan. “It’s a sad deal but Pat’s got our heads
going in the right direction, so we know what need to do to get
right back to business.”
McGivern
further commented, “Me, personally, I’m training as
I always train. I know Benji [Radach, Ryan’s opponent] is
a really experienced fighter and I’ll just work on everything
in my game and be in the best shape of my career so I can go
in there and do what I’ve got to do.”
Should
the Silverbacks defeat the highly-regarded Anacondas, it will
make them the inside favorite to win an unprecedented third straight
IFL Championship, something that Ryan is confident they can do.
“I
believe so, absolutely [we can repeat as champions],” stated
McGivern. “I know that’s how our mindsets are and that’s
how we’re going [into this season].”
“At
the same time, everybody is going to be training hard too because
they want to do well against us. We know they’re gunning
for us, but it pushes us to work harder and gives us more motivation
to stay on top,” continued Ryan.
McGivern
concluded by wanting to thank those who’ve helped make this
past year a big year for him and to remind fans to check out
the IFL when they make their Texas debut in Houston on February
2nd.
“I
want to give a complete shoutout to everybody that’s watching
MMA in general and the IFL. Huge thanks to everybody in the organization
for their hard work,” said McGivern. “Personally, I
want to give a shoutout to my friends, family and my fiancé
for all their love and support, that helps me a long the way.
Anybody around the Houston area, come out and watch, there’s
going to be some battles.”
Source: MMA Weekly |
UFC'S
LATEST IMPORT – DENNIS SILVER
The UFC have signed German welterweight prospect Dennis Siver
to a three-fight contract. The Cage Warriors veteran is expected
to make his octagon debut in April. His opponent has yet to be
determined.
An
accurate striker, Siver is known for his powerful kicks and comes
from a background in Judo, wrestling and kickboxing. The OC Fight
Team fighter was the runner up in the Cage Warriors welterweight
tournament.
Source: MMA Weekly |
Quote
of the Day
"Pleasure
in the job puts perfection in the work."
Aristotle, 384-322 B.C., Greek Philosopher
|
Contact:
Patrick Freitas
Icon Sport
Director of Promotions
(808) 232-3481
superbrawl21@yahoo.com
Icon Sport
Signs Scott Junk, “Charuto,” and Poai Suganuma.
Icon Sport
Blaisdell Arena
Friday, February 9
Fights start at 7:30 PM
Buy your tickets now!
January 26, 2007. The future is bright for Icon Sport. Within
the last 2 weeks, Icon has signed fighters who each hold the
potential to become champions within their respective weight
classes: Heavyweight Scott Junk, Middleweight “Charuto”
Renato Verissimo, and Light Heavyweight Poai Suganuma:
Scott “Punk Haole” Junk, a collegiate football stand-out
who was invited to try out for the Pittsburg Steelers, has successfully
made the transition from team sports to the individual challenge
of MMA. Junk, now 3-1, makes the move to Icon from the Rumble
on the Rock organization. Junk’s only loss came in his exciting
MMA debut against former UFC Heavyweight Champion Ricco Rodriguez.
He has gone undefeated since his debut. Junk will work towards
the now-vacant Icon Sport Heavy Weight Title, previously held
by Wesley “Cabbage” Correira. Junk has signed an exclusive
multi-fight deal with Icon, and will make his debut in the Friday,
February 9th event, All In.
“Charuto” Renato Verissimo, needs no introduction in
the MMA industry. The Brazilian Jiu Jitsu expert has competed
against – and beaten – some of the best in the world,
including UFC Champion Matt Hughes, UFC Champion Carlos Newton,
and current Icon Middleweight Champion Frank Trigg. “Charuto,”
a native of Brazil who resides in Hawaii, was a water polo stand-out
who competed in the U.S. Nationals. He was drawn to MMA after
witnessing competitions in Brazil in the early 1990’s. “Charuto”
plans on moving up quickly in Icon’s hot middleweight division,
joining the mix of Frank Trigg, Robbie Lawler, Mayhem Miller,
and Falaniko Vitale. Charuto has signed a multi-fight deal with
Icon and will make his debut in the Friday, February 9th event.
Poai Suganuma, could be the future of Icon Sport’s Light
Heavyweight division. Still in the early stages of his MMA career,
Poai has shown the potential to compete with the world’s
best in the very near future. After a successful high school
(State Champ, Waiakea HS) and collegiate wrestling career, Poai
moved to Japan to train MMA with Tokyo-based Team Twist. In just
14 months, Poai amassed a 5-1 record in the Japan's Pancrase
organization. Poai returns home to work towards becoming Hawaii's
next MMA super star, in the steps of Egan Inoue, B.J. Penn, and
Falaniko Vitale. Poai has signed a multi-fight deal and will
make his Icon debut in April.
Source: Promoter |
Kid
Yamamoto Injured
K-1
HERO’s star, Norifumi "Kid" Yamamoto, was hospitalised
today after sustaining a disclocated elbow while competing in
his semi-final match at Japan’s national freestyle wrestling
championships, the Emperor’s Cup, at the Komazawa Gymnasium
in Tokyo.
The
29-year old, who was hugely successful in amateur wrestling,
including three state championships in four years, before making
the transition into mixed martial arts, announced a leave of
absence from the sport last year to chase his dream of competing
at the 2008 Olympic Games in Bejing.
Yamamoto,
competing at 132 pounds, started strongly before being sidelined
in his second match against 2004 Olympic Bronze Medallist Kenji
Inoue from an arm whip takedown in the opening moments of the
first round.
The
former K-1 HERO’s Middleweight Champion, who cited freestyle
wrestling’s return to the three two-minute round system
as the determining factor in his return to the ancient sport
after an eight-year absence, will now have to win Meiji Milk
Cup in June to continue his Olympic bid.
While
winning this weekend’s championship and the Meiji Milk Cup,
the All Japan selections championship, later this year would
have secured him an automatic spot in the Japanese Olympic team,
Yamamoto now has to win the latter tournament and win a play-off
match against Emperor’s Cup winner Kennichi Yumoto. Then
the Tokyo native would compete in the world championships in
September and be required to finish inside the top eight, in
addition to winning the 2008 Emperor’s Cup.
Source: Maxfighting |
K-1
Elite to Yokohama; New Weight Class Announced
TOKYO,
January 25 - K-1 announced today it will launch its World Grand
Prix 2007 season with an All-Star event in Yokohama. The fightsport
organization also outlined plans to create a new weight class,
as well as a program to kickstart the development of young Japanese
fighters.
Joining
K-1 Event Producer Sadaharu Tanikawa in the Imperial Hotel press
conference were a couple of K-1's Japanese stars -- Musashi and
Yusuke Fujimoto. These fighters will face one another at this
year's first World GP event, set for Yokohama Arena on March
4. Headlining the talent-rich card is a bout between defending
WGP Champ Sammy Schilt and Ray Sefo of New Zealand. In other
action, Korean giant Hong-Man Choi will step in against American
Mighty Mo; Ruslan Karaev of Russia will tango with Dutchman Badr
Hari; Chalid "Die Faust" of Germany will take on Japanese
tough guy Hiromi Amada; and French kickboxer Cyril Abidi will
test Japanese fighter Mitsugu Noda.
Tanikawa
also outlined a new K-1 weight classification scheme. "In
1993, when K-1 started, the final eight fighters in the championship
tournament were all about 90 kg each," he said. "But
in recent years, bigger and bigger fighters have emerged who
have good skills. And so, in order to make the sport more competitive
and exciting, we will be experimenting this year with a 100 kg
(220lbs) weight classification."
The
new over/under 100kg weight division will be applied in K-1 Superfights.
Overall, the World Grand Prix will continue as an open weight
class format.
Also
unveiled today was a reality television concept aimed at discovering
and developing fighters in this country. The program will take
the form of an ongoing competition between two teams -- one coached
by Ernesto Hoost, the second by Mike Bernardo. Tanikawa said
he hoped young Japanese fighters would flourish under the tutelage
of these K-1 veterans. Viewers will follow their progress on
the weekly Fuji TV fightsport program "SRS" (Special
Ringside).
Source: Maxfighting |
Quote
of the Day
"If
you give your life as a wholehearted response to love, then love
will wholeheartedly respond to you."
Marianne Williamson, American Spiritual Author and Lecturer
|
Papakolea
Fight Club 2nd Anniversary Picnic
A great time was had by everyone that attended PFC's 2nd anniversary
picnic at Ala Moana Beach park. There were tons of games for
adults and kids, good food and great prizes. Everyone got a chance
to get out of the gi and have some fun with everyone and their
family in a casual setting. There was even a heated, highly contested
volleyball battle with Team Papakolea taking on Team O2. After
an arduous, hard fought battle (I have to say that because you
can already figure out who won), Team Papakolea came from behind
at a couple of points and pulled out three victories.
Goal for Team O2: Practice volleyball and stop choking under
pressure!
Either way it was a great time and we look forward to many more
of these.
|
PRESS
RELEASE
Contact:
Patrick Freitas
Icon Sport
Director of Promotions
(808) 232-3481
superbrawl21@yahoo.com
Icon
Sport Signs Scott Junk, “Charuto,” and Poai Suganuma.
January 26, 2007. The future is bright for Icon Sport. Within
the last 2 weeks, Icon has signed fighters who each hold the
potential to become champions within their respective weight
classes: Heavyweight Scott Junk, Middleweight “Charuto”
Renato Verissimo, and Light Heavyweight Poai Suganuma:
Scott “Punk Haole” Junk, a collegiate football stand-out
who was invited to try out for the Pittsburg Steelers, has successfully
made the transition from team sports to the individual challenge
of MMA. Junk, now 3-1, makes the move to Icon from the Rumble
on the Rock organization. Junk’s only loss came in his exciting
MMA debut against former UFC Heavyweight Champion Ricco Rodriguez.
He has gone undefeated since his debut. Junk will work towards
the now-vacant Icon Sport Heavy Weight Title, previously held
by Wesley “Cabbage” Correira. Junk has signed an exclusive
multi-fight deal with Icon, and will make his debut in the Friday,
February 9th event, All In.
“Charuto” Renato Verissimo, needs no introduction in
the MMA industry. The Brazilian Jiu Jitsu expert has competed
against – and beaten – some of the best in the world,
including UFC Champion Matt Hughes, UFC Champion Carlos Newton,
and current Icon Middleweight Champion Frank Trigg. “Charuto,”
a native of Brazil who resides in Hawaii, was a water polo stand-out
who competed in the U.S. Nationals. He was drawn to MMA after
witnessing competitions in Brazil in the early 1990’s. “Charuto”
plans on moving up quickly in Icon’s hot middleweight division,
joining the mix of Frank Trigg, Robbie Lawler, Mayhem Miller,
and Falaniko Vitale. Charuto has signed a multi-fight deal with
Icon and will make his debut in the Friday, February 9th event.
Poai Suganuma, could be the future of Icon Sport’s Light
Heavyweight division. Still in the early stages of his MMA career,
Poai has shown the potential to compete with the world’s
best in the very near future. After a successful high school
(State Champ, Waiakea HS) and collegiate wrestling career, Poai
moved to Japan to train MMA with Tokyo-based Team Twist. In just
14 months, Poai amassed a 5-1 record in the Japan's Pancrase
organization. Poai returns home to work towards becoming Hawaii's
next MMA super star, in the steps of Egan Inoue, B.J. Penn, and
Falaniko Vitale. Poai has signed a multi-fight deal and will
make his Icon debut in April.
Source: Event Promoter
|
DIAZ
TO MEET GOMI IN NON-TITLE BOUT
Pride 33 "The Second Coming" Card Beginning to Take
Form
Diaz to Meet Gomi in Non-Title Bout
By FCF Staff
Three more fights have been officially added to the upcoming
Pride 33 card to be held February 24th at the Thomas and Mack
Center, in Las Vegas, Nevada. In what has been rumored for sometime
now, Pride's website now confirms that UFC veteran Nick Diaz
has indeed been signed by the Japanese promotion, and will be
facing the organization's lightweight champion, Takanori Gomi
in a non-title bout. Diaz, (14-6) has looked impressive in his
last two fights, stopping Gleison Tibau in the first round with
strikes at UFC 65 on November 18th last fall, and prior to that,
submitting Miletich fighter Josh Neer with a kimura at UFC 62
last August. Despite the fact that Diaz has lost six times, his
losses have come way competing against the UFC's best welterweight
fighters, including Diego Sanchez, Karo Parisyan and current
UFC Lightweight Champion Sean Sherk. The Cesar Gracie fighter,
who also has notable victories over Drew Fickett and Robbie Lawler,
should present a tremendous challenge for the Japanese champion.
Diaz, who has been competing at 170 pounds, will have to drop
ten pounds for his fight with Gomi, a weight loss that should
have little effect on the 23 year old fighter.
Gomi
has won his last three fights in a row, including his recent
victory over Mitsuhiro Ishida at Pride's New Year's Eve "Shockwave"
event, where Gomi stormed through his highly regarded opponent,
stopping Ishida with strikes in the first round. Pride's lightweight
champion went 3-1 in 2006, avenging his loss to Marcus Aurelio
in April at Bushido 10, by working his way to a unanimous decision
victory over the American Top Team fighter at Bushido 13 in November.
In between his bouts with Auerlio, Gomi defeated David Baron
at August's Bushido 12 card. Gomi, will bring a record of 27-3
when he faces Diaz on February 24th.
Another
intriguing bout that has been added to the card will feature
Frank Trigg taking on Kazuo Misaki in a Pride welterweight bout.
(183 pounds) Trigg has of course recently re-invigorated his
fighting career in fine form by stopping Jason Miller with strikes at Icon Sport "Unstoppable" on December 1st. Since
exiting the UFC, Trigg has gone 2-1, losing to Carlos Condit
at Rumble
on the Rock
9 last April, after defeating Rhonald Jhun at ROTR 8 on January 20th, 2006. Trigg's current
record now stands at 14-5.
The
veteran Misaki (18-7-2) has entrenched his reputation for being
one of the sport's more resilient fighters over the last year,
going 4-2 in that time competing against some of worlds better
183 pound fighters. Misaki defeated Denis Kang by decision on
November 5th, last fall to lay claim to Pride's Welterweight
Grand Prix Title, after Paulo Filho, who had defeated Misaki
earlier that evening, was unable to continue due to injury. Misaki
also went 1-1 in 2006 against Pride Welterweight Champion Dan
Henderson, and also defeated Phil Baroni by unanimous decision
on June 4th at Bushido 11.
Veteran
American fighter Travis Wiuff (43-9) will make his Pride debut
against Kazuhiro Nakamura (11-6) in the lightheavyweight division.
Nakamura, who dropped a unanimous decision loss to Mauricio "Shogun"
Rua at Pride's Shockwave event last month, will be looking to
rebound against Wiuff, who went 3-3 in 2006.
The
announcement by Pride confirms 5 fights now for the upcoming
event, which will also include Wanderlei Silva defending his
middleweight title against Dan Henderson, and Mac Danzig's Pride
debut against Hayato Sakurai.
Source: FCF
|
Randy
Couture Fights Back
Mixed martial arts star talks about his return to the professional
fight game
By Joe Fernandez
Bodog Nation Contributing Writer
A reluctant fighter is asked if he wants a shot at the heavyweight
title.
It’s
not just the premise for the first Rocky, It’s also the
life of mixed martial arts legend Randy Couture.
Since
his last fight against Chuck Liddell in February 2006, the 43-year-old
"retired" former Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight
and light heavyweight champ has avoided the rocking chair and
remains a rock star.
"He’s
busier than ever," said Randy’s wife, Kim Couture.
"I know that he’s looking forward to getting back to
fighting so that he can take a break from business. His business
meetings aren’t the typical person’s business meetings,
where you’re running around town going from meeting to meeting.
He’s running around the world. It’ll be nice to have
him home for a while, eating, sleeping and training."
With
Randy involved in commentating on mixed martial arts, launching
his new gym and continuing his acting career, he still managed
to field that phone call from UFC president Dana White.
"He
said 'You’re not retiring'. Every other month he’s
going, 'When are you coming back?' I’ve kind of been in
the position all along that in the right circumstance, the right
situation, I’d jump all over the opportunity," Randy
Couture said. "He called me a few weeks ago and said, 'What
about Sylvia? Come back and fight for the heavyweight title against
Tim Sylvia.'
"I
said, 'Hell, yeah.'"
The
Randy Couture File
Full name: Randy Duane Couture
Birthplace: Lynnwood, Wash.
Resident: Las Vegas
Height: 6-1
Weight: 205 pounds
Fighting style: Greco-Roman wrestling
MMA record: 14-8-0
At UFC 68 on March 3, Couture will look to become the oldest
champion in the league's history. According to Couture, he will
enter the fight at around 230 pounds, 25 pounds heavier than
his last fight against Liddell. Even though he’s giving
six inches in height and more than 30 pounds in weight to Sylvia,
Couture remains confident with his game plan.
"I’ve
trained with Tim quite a bit," Couture said. "I do
need to rely on my wrestling background. I’ve got to get
past his hands, under his hands and into that clinch range. From
there, use my unique wrestling background to take him down to
the ground. I’m still at a disadvantage from the weight
perspective, but that just means you have to be smarter and a
little more diligent about what positions you put yourself in."
Couture’s
last heavyweight match came in September 2002. The two-time heavyweight
champion lost his second consecutive match, this time by submission
to Ricco Rodriguez. The Lynnwood, Wash. native then decided to
drop to light heavyweight - and the move was a success. His first
fight in that weight class came against Liddell.
The
TKO victory over Liddell would precede a unanimous-decision win
against then light-heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz. Couture became
the first person to hold the light heavyweight and heavyweight
titles, but, at 43, the question remains – why fight bigger
fighters?
Randy
Couture has bulked up to fight Tim Sylvia as a heavyweight. (Photo
courtesy of RandyCouture.tv)"I guess that’s the question
that needs to be answered," Couture said. "Is it stupid
to come back at heavyweight? Should I be coming back at 205?
I don’t know, I feel pretty comfortable with this matchup.
Tim’s absolutely the biggest heavyweight we’ve ever
had. I’ll just get ready to deal with him and see where
the chips fall."
Considering
all the excitement MMA has provided in recent memory, Couture,
along with many fans, haven’t been happy with the heavyweight
division as of late.
"What
tends to be the marquee weight class hasn’t been in some
time," Couture said. "Outside of Tim and Andrei [Arlovski],
there hasn’t been a lot of exciting stuff going on for a
while."
With
all the great MMA rivalries out there, Couture doesn’t see
this as a personal matter.
"Tim
and I are friends," Couture said. "I like Tim a lot,
I think he’s a very personable guy. I don’t understand
why he comes across the way he does. The fans really just don’t
care for him. He chooses to represent himself that way. I don’t
think the fans appreciate it."
Couture,
who left the sport as a huge fan favorite, says he is now in
great physical and mental shape.
"When
I retired I had a lot of stuff was going on," Couture said.
"I was going through a nasty divorce. I needed to settle
a bunch of stuff that was going on with my family. I’m not
one to make excuses, but it’s hard to focus and do the things
you need to do with that on your back. Once the dust settled
and I started feeling more like myself, the competitive [drive]
was still there."
Randy
and Kim, who got married in October, met at a party exactly two
years prior to the date of their wedding. The two live together
in Las Vegas and are in the process of opening up Extreme Couture
MMA, a gym dedicated to training fighters. The gym, which will
be the third he owns, is set to open up Feb. 3 in Las Vegas and
gives Couture the chance to follow his other passion.
Randy
Couture has been a favorite fighter of MMA enthusiasts. (Photo
courtesy of RandyCouture.tv)"I love to coach," Couture
said. "I like being around the guys, seeing the guys progress.
It’s not about ego, I think the guys get that. It’s
about them, I want them to be successful."
The
world may need to get ready for Randy Couture the movie star
as well. Besides a small role in Invincible with Mark Wahlberg,
the former champ finished shooting Big Stan, a movie starring
Rob Schneider.
But
Couture isn’t ready to leave the sport permanently just
yet. And why should he? There are those loyal fans who feel that,
like Rocky Balboa, Couture still has “stuff left in the
basement.”
"Everyone
gives him a hard time about the age thing," Kim Couture
said. "Randy is younger and more active than most 30-year-old
guys that I know…With Tim being 6-8, Randy is going to be
faster. The bigger they are the harder they fall, and the harder
it is for them to get back up. I see Randy finishing it with
a ground-and-pound."
Source: Bodog Nation
|
RADACH
RETURNS AS IFL'S NEWEST ANACONDA
by Mick Hammond
Imagine being trapped in a cell, unable to do the thing you most
enjoy. Now imagine that cell is your own body, riddled with injuries,
constantly holding you back regardless of progress you make to
return to 100% health.
Such
a scenario is a difficult one for anyone to fathom, but alas
it’s been the world of MMA fighter Benji “Razor”
Radach over the past three years. Once a promising middleweight
prospect, Radach has suffered an unbelievable amount of physical
setbacks starting with his last fight in June of 2004.
Now
after finally healing and getting back into fighting form, Benji
is set to return February 2nd as the new 185lb representative
of Bas Rutten’s Los Angeles Anacondas as they take on the
two-time defending IFL Champion Quad Cities Silverbacks in Huston,
Texas.
Radach
spoke to MMAWeekly shortly after a training session at Florida’s
American Top Team facilities to discuss his long road back to
fighting, being part of the IFL, and his individual match-up
with IFL veteran Ryan McGivern.
MMAWeekly:
First off Benji, for the newer fans that may not be familiar
with everything you’ve gone through over the last three
years, give us a rundown of what kept you away from the sport.
Benji
Radach: It’s been a crazy road. The first thing, it actually
started right before my last fight with Chris Leben [at Sportfight
4] about three years ago, I was bit by a brown recluse spider,
it got infected, and I had about a golf ball sized hole in my
calf. I was just getting over that when I took the fight with
Leben, we went into the third round and I got caught with a left
hook and it broke my jaw.
After
that not much longer I had healed up from my jaw, which took
about six months, and I was training to fight JT Taylor up at
the Tacoma Dome [for X-Fighting Championships] with Tito Ortiz,
Ivan Salaverry and Dennis Hallman. I was training with Ivan and
afterwards I had this huge pain running through one side of my
trap [trapezoid muscle] and down my back, so I went in and found
out I had to have surgery because it was a herniated disk. It
had broken off, was floating around and mashed up a bunch of
nerves. So I woke up in the morning and couldn’t even flex
my chest muscle in my right pec [pectoral] or my right tricep.
I had to wait two months to have surgery due to my job and during
that time I had lost the muscles down to the bone. I got surgery
and took another six months or more to get through that or more
actually.
I
started rolling again, joined the ATT a year later, started getting
in good shape and tore my meniscus in my knee. I hadn’t
had an ACL in that knee since I was about 10 years old, so I
decided to get both done at the same time. I went to LA, had
the surgery and got a humungous staff infection in the knee.
It was bad; they almost cut my leg off. I had to fight the infection
for three months, I had a catheter in my arm that went all the
way to my heart and had to have a nurse come in twice a day to
deal with it. That was just last March or April when I had all
that done. It’s kind of crazy where I’m at right now
considering all the crazy stuff I’ve had happen to me.
MMAWeekly:
At any point were you thinking you’d never get back into
the ring?
Benji
Radach: Definitely…I went back to the drawing board every
time because they were all pretty bad injuries. I was kind of
like, “Is this a sign that I shouldn’t be doing this
sport? Is there something telling me that I need to do something
else? Or is this something just something testing me to get stronger
and something better is going to happen in the long run?”
That’s the whole thing that kept me driving was that I felt
that there was something bigger or better happening down the
line.
MMAWeekly:
It must feel good to return to be returning to action for the
IFL. Tell us how you got involved with the promotion and ended
up on Bas’ team.
Benji
Radach: It feels great. Before it [the IFL] even became public
Bas came to me and asked me to be on his team a long time ago
when I was in Japan with him. I was cornering Aaron Riley [in
PRIDE] and he told me about the IFL and asked me if I’d
be on his team and I said, “Right on, definitely.”
That was between injuries and things started happening [to me]
again and so I wasn’t able to be on the team. [Recently]
Mike Pyle took that fight with Showtime [EliteXC] and so a spot
came open, Bas asked me, and of course I jumped on it.
MMAWeekly:
Let’s talk about your individual fight scheduled to be against
Ryan McGivern. What are your thoughts on that match-up?
Benji
Radach: The way I look at it right now I’m definitely the
underdog because I haven’t fought in so long. At the same
time, I’m always a competitor, always throwing hard, will
be in good shape and plan on throwing lots of punches. It just
takes one to land, you know? A lot of my fights have been one-punch
KO’s, so we’ll see. I know he’s a tough competitor,
he just beat Matt Horwich and so I’ve got my hands full.
I just hope it’s a good fight. Win or lose, I just hope
it’s a good fight and I plan on giving it my all.
I
plan on winning. I’m training really, really hard here at
ATT; I trained up at Team Quest for a couple weeks with Ed Herman
getting him ready for his fight coming up and trained with Chris
Leben before he took off for his fight. I’m in really good
shape and I’m excited to fight this fight. This guy’s
a good wrestler, I’m a good wrestler, I’ve got some
hard, heavy hands and I plan on landing some.
MMAWeekly:
And what about the Anacondas? How do you feel about your team’s
chances against the Silverbacks?
Benji
Radach: I think it’s awesome, great, and we’re going
to go in and show that we’re one of the top teams. I think
it’s even better for me, having not fought in three years
and here I am right in the mix against one of the toughest teams.
I think it’s great for me as an individual and the team.
[Chris] Horodecki has been proving himself over and over, I know
what Jay Hieron can do, we have a great team. Pat Miletich has
a great team too, he’s a great coach and they’re always
ready to bang and throwdown, so I’m excited for it.
MMAWeekly:
It’s got to feel good knowing that even throughout the whole
injuries process that Bas and the IFL kept an eye out for you
and brought you in when a spot opened.
Benji
Radach: It’s been great that my name’s been thrown
around, ever since I’ve been out my name’s always popping
up here and there, I’m really fortunate for that. I get
a chance to prove it now. Bas is a great friend of mine and I’m
completely honored to be part of the team and honored he kept
me in mind.
MMAWeekly:
The sport has come a long way since the last time you fought.
Especially with the IFL there’s a lot more structure now
in activity. What are your thoughts on the set schedule the league
has implemented?
Benji
Radach: I like it because you know who/when you’re going
to be fighting five months out. You can start training and visualizing
everything in your head. I’m constantly thinking of who
I know I’m already going to be fighting. I’m putting
them in my head, going through situations in my brain and it’s
really cool and I like that. I like the fact that I’m going
to be training with Bas and learning stuff from him along with
the ATT. Now that I’m on a salary I can bounce around a
little bit and train at different things, it’s great.
I
expect the IFL to get better and better. The sport’s blowing
up as everyone knows and people may think that I’m just
using the IFL as a stepping stone or whatever, but I think the
IFL is going end up being one of the top dogs, if not “the”
top dog in the sport and the money will fallow.
MMAWeekly:
Thanks for your time Benji, is there anything you’d like
to say as we head out?
Benji
Radach: I have a ton of people that I have to thank: Ricardo
Liborio and Dan Lambert at ATT…Matt Lindland and Team Quest…Shannon
Knapp has been a huge help to me, she’s been supporting
me, keeping my name up with the IFL and kept them informed of
everything that was going on, she’s been a great friend,
and the same with Bas…and of course Dennis Hallman, he’s
been a great friend, a true friend throughout all of this.
I’m
stoked, I just hope everyone’s as excited as I am and comes
out, checks us out and watches me throwdown and go all three
rounds guns blazing.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Shooto
"Back To Our Roots"
Year-End Show on Feb. 17
For the second straight year Shooto has moved its big traditional
December show to February. This is a result of K-1 and PRIDE
grabbing up Shooto talent for their big New Year's Eve shows.
Two
of Shooto's biggest stars will not be competing at "Back
To Our Roots" February 17 from the Pacifico Yokohama in
Kanagawa, Japan. They handed over their titles this past week.
Unable
to fight due to medical suspension, Mitsuhiro Ishida turned over
his Pacific Rim 154-pound title. Ishida was knocked out by Takanori
Gomi at the December 31 PRIDE Shockwave event and will not be
allowed to fight until March. Shooto has arranged Takashi Nakakura
vs. Mizuto Hirota for the vacant title.
Ishida's
teammate Tatsuya Kawajiri relinquished his World 154-pound title
because he will not be able to defend his title due to a broken
left thumb.
2004
Pancrase Neo-Blood Tournament champion Atsushi Yamamoto makes
his Shooto debut against Takeya Mizugaki.
Current
Fight Card:
167
lbs Title Bout: Shinya Aoki (Champion) vs. Akira Kikuchi
Pacific Rim 143 lbs Title Bout: Takashi Nakakura vs. Mizuto Hirota
Pacific Rim 132 lbs Title Bout: Tenkei Fujimiya vs. Akitoshi
Tamura
143 lbs Non-Title Bout: Takeshi "Lion" Inoue (Champion)
vs. Hiroyuki Abe
Yusuke Endo vs. Ganjo Tentsuku
Kenichiro Togashi vs. Koutetsu Boku
Takeya Mizugaki vs. Atsushi Yamamoto
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Nova
União heavy weights trains hard
Knew by the big force of the light group of athletes, the Nova
União team promises to surprise us with heavy weights
athletes at the ADCC selective that will be held on February
2nd, 3rd and 4th at Botafogo Gymnasium in Rio de Janeiro . The
team which was training with Wendell Alexander last week at Campos
city, went to Flamengo neighborhood on last Saturday (20) to
do an exclusive training with André Pederneiras. There
happened some physical condition training, technician training,
some advices of health and diet... the athletes trained for about
two hours.
At
the end of the training, André Pederneiras talked about
the importance of this kind of meeting. “The most important
thing is the own athlete. I always try to make all the athletes
to get the best shape at the competitions”. Bruno Bastos,
who didn’t participate of last ADCC because of some visa
problems, agrees with the professor. “This kind of training
with Dedé and Dell gives me more confidence and security
for this competition. I take my doubts, I do like a recycle...
this is really important for my career”, analyzed Bastos.
Source: Tatame
|
Helio
Gracie, part 2
In this second chapter, we go back almost 80 years and cover
the first half of Master Helio Gracie's life.
Written by Luca Atalla
HE BECAME A NATIONAL HERO FOR MEMORABLE FIGHTS, AGAINST ADVERSARY’S
WEIGHING OVER 100 KGS, HIMSELF WEIGHING ONLY 60 KG, AS WAS RECORDED.
PEOPLE CAME FROM JAPAN, IMAGINE. FIGHTS WITHOUT RULES, ASTONISHING.
"A TIME WHEN THE NEWSPAPERS DID NOT HAVE MUCH TO WRITE ABOUT,"
THE CHARACTER HIMSELF JUSTIFIES. THE WRITER DRAWS HIS OWN CONCLUSIONS.
Spring
of 1951. We are talking about a half-century ago, when a team
of Japanese fighters, sponsored by the Jornal São Paulo
Shimbum (São Paulo Shimbum Newspaper), that included the
Jiu-Jitsu champions Kato and Kimura, went to Brazil. The latter,
number one in the Land of the Rising Sun, had gone undefeated
for 13 years. The scheduled fight was between Helio Gracie and
Kato. “They came to beat me, they were the favorites,”
remembers Helio. “They arrived with the reputation of being
champions of the world, and in such a way that I could not even
intend to beat them. I was from Brazil, and was curious about
their Jiu-Jitsu. I wanted to lose to Kimura, not to Kato. But
he said: ‘You are very light, and what I will do to you,
Kato can do.’ As I had that conviction that there was no
way the guy could get me - I was under the impression my Jiu-Jitsu
was invincible -, and my brother Carlos argued: ‘Helio,
fight this Kato, because you will win and get to fight twice
rather than once,' and I ended up accepting the fight.”
The
fight took place in the brand new Mario Filho stadium, the Maracanã,
the biggest stadium in the world, built for the Soccer World
Cup of the previous year. It was the 6th of September, and the
‘OGlobo’ newspaper of the day posted Helio’s declaration
on the first page: “Today I will carry out my greatest endeavor,
which is to face an element of such tremendous prestige as Kato,
5th degree black belt of only 22 years of age.” It happened
that, one week earlier, Helio had fractured two ribs, during
a training session with the marine gunner Marinho. But he did
not want to postpone the fight, as recorded by the journalist
Jose Amadio, then editor-in-chief of the Assis Chateaubriant
group, which included such newspapers as "Diarios Associados"
and the magazine “O Cruzeiro”: “I’ll fight
any way I can. Nobody will say I’m running away.” Helio
declared. The fight ended in a draw, after three ten minute rounds.
Helio insisted on saying he took a beating, by suffering more
than 20 takedowns. The newspapers at the time interpreted it
differently. “So we arrive at the end of the first round,
without seeing the Japanese fulfill his promise of winning easily
and Helio, cold as ice, is already familiar with his adversary's
moves. (...) And Kato was only not beaten by pulling his attacker
out of the ring, which provoked boos from the audience."
(O GLobo 7-9-51).
The
fact is that Kato himself was not satisfied and proposed a revenge
match, which took place in São Paulo on the 29th of the
same month. Five days earlier, Helio, accompanied by his brother
Carlos and student Pedro Hemeterio, left for the capital of the
state by car. But not without first declaring: “I know what
I will face. I duly studied Kato’s possibilities, and I
can give this warning: victory, this time, is in my plans.”
As we will see in greater detail ahead, the result was no different
but the Brazilian’s performance was impressive, despite
Helio having been 17 years older and 15 kilos lighter. Helio
was then coming close to ending his career as a fighter, but
continued to be the answer to the test of the fundamental enigma
of martial arts: “How do you defeat a bigger and stronger
opponent?”
Adapting
the Jiu-Jitsu
The
answer started to unfold in Rio de Janeiro during the 20s, when
Carlos Gracie opened his first Gracie Jiu-Jitsu academy, on 106
Marquês de Abrantes street, Flamengo. That was where the
little guy nicknamed “Caxinguelê” boarded, at
his older brother’s invitation. “My father had separated
from my mother and went to São Paulo, and Carlos asked
me to live with him,” explains the master. The family doctor,
Dr. Gabio Carneiro de Mendonça had prohibited the boy
from frequenting the academy, because of his frequent fainting
spells and dizziness. “Nobody knew what it was. If I saw
blood, I fainted; if I heard moans, I would pass out; if I got
excited, the same thing would happen; I even fainted in a church,
when I went to pray," he tells. Boredom, and nothing else,
kept him at the academy the whole day. "I didn't like Jiu-Jitsu.
I didn't get excited about it, but I didn't have anything else
to do except watch Carlos' classes," relates the master
who, as time went by, was promoted by a student, to the status
of instructor. "One day, Carlos was late, and Mario Brand,
who was an important employee of the Bank of Brazil, arrived
for his class. I was just a little bugger and ventured an offer
to teach him what was on the program for the day. I did what
Carlos did and answered as he would have answered. I knew everything
by heart, like a parrot. Mario liked my performance and, when
Carlos arrived, asked if he could have his classes with me from
then on. My brother, who was tired, thought it was great,"
he recalls.
Helio
would gain, all at once, a profession and a problem. “I
started out wanting to just repeat everything Carlos did, but
I couldn't. So I did it my way. It’s like a strong guy that
can lift a car with his hand. I would need a tire-jack. And that
was how I created the Jiu-Jitsu of today," said the teacher,
without knowing exactly how. "I don't know because I didn't
do it using intelligence, I did it by instinct. It’s like
when you are sitting and cross your legs because you are tired
of the position. You do it without thinking. In the same manner,
I perfected the technique, without deserving any credit, as it
was necessary for me. When I discovered the trick, I practiced
it," he tells. Soon, Helio started to beat the uninitiated
that would show up at the academy. The owner of "O Globo”
himself, Roberto Marinho, bore witness to his first training
sessions, with the fighter Edgar Santos Rocha. "I remember
it well: when I went in to take the guy down, I collapsed under
his weight. He gave me a guillotine from behind and wrapped his
legs around my waist, with me belly up. I was turning purple
when, using my leg, I gave him a foot lock and he tapped,”
recalls the master.
Elbows
So
the older brother, to truly test Helio, set up a fight against
Antonio Portugal, a boxer. Despite not being able to hide his
excitement with making his public debut – “Carlos asked
me something and I wanted to respond but couldn’t, my voice
wouldn’t come out,” he recalls – Helio won in
seconds, with an armbar. Next came his first Japanese opponent,
Takashi Namiki, a black belt from the famous Kodokan school,
in Tokyo. The two met in the João Caetano Theater and
Helio almost broke Namiki’s arm in the 5th round. The time
for the fight was up, and even though Helio had mounted, he had
to swallow the draw. Then came the American giant Fred Ebert,
in November of 1932. Ebert prided himself on his CV, which included,
among his 600 fights, a draw with the world wrestling champion
Jim London. But the reputation did not scare a certain scrawny
little 60 kilogrammer who participated in the event and, with
an enormous boil on his neck, started his habit of going against
doctors' orders. After 110 minutes of fighting, the police broke
up the battle. "Holding any kind of spectacle after 2 AM
was prohibited," recalls Helio, who had punished his opponent.
"My elbows were black like the sole of a shoe, from elbowing
him in the face so much. That was when I got famous," states
Gracie.
The
dizzy spells were behind him. The “A Noite” newspaper
from the day of the fight with Ebert carries the advertisement:
“Learn Jiu-Jitsu. Gracie Academy. Telephone: 5-2538.”
The number, you may notice, has fewer numbers than today. It
was a time when the marathon lasted a half hour longer, for example.
Sport science was still crawling. But Helio Gracie, one of the
phenomena, like Da Vinci and Einstein, was before his time. He
would fight for hours, without any great physical attributes,
just using the technique he had that spared him the need to use
force, that answer to the enigma of martial arts.
In
1934, he faced the Japanese Miaki and Polish Wladek Zbyszko.
The first went to challenge the Brazilian's powerful choke. Miaki
could tie a rope around his neck and resist strangulation from
two people pulling it, as he would demonstrate in public. Helio
didn't believe it, as he remembers: "In the beginning of
the fight, I sunk both my hands deep into his neck, the way I
liked to. The guy let me and started choking me, from within
my guard. I almost passed out and had to let the hold go. The
round was thirty minutes long and I kept an eye on the big clock
of the stadium until there was only five minutes left. I stuck
my hand in his throat again, he wanted to get up, I stuck my
foot in his belly and mounted him. The Japanese reversed, I kept
squeezing and advised the ref: ‘He’s out'. ‘But
he didn’t tap Gracie, don’t let go,’ the ref responded.
I pushed the guy aside and he was sleeping. He defecated in the
ring and almost died.” The fight against the wrestler Wladek
was a draw, after three ten minute rounds. “The fight was
dull, because it was a sport fight, with no kicks or punches,
and since the guy was almost 120 kg, he was in my guard the whole
time. But he got tired, enough that I asked to extend the fight
and he didn't accept,” Helio recounts.
The
next year there were two important fights. The first, in February
of ’35, was against the Brazilian Greco-Roman wrestling
champion Orlando Américo da Silva, in an MMA fight. “Dudu”,
as he was known, had challenged George, one of Helio’s brothers,
but the fight ended up not happening because they added the rule
that being pinned would count as a submission, determining the
winner. George left the ring. "So Carlos sent me in to accept
the terms. They set up the fight and I almost killed that Dudu.
It was my most violent fight," said the teacher. And he
described the battle: "At a certain point, I kicked him
in the mouth and two teeth popped out. When I faked another kick,
he covered his face and I got him in the ribs. He fell down knocked
out.” It was 19 minutes of fighting, after which, according
to the newspapers, Dudu urinated blood from his kidneys.
Saved by the Bell
Towards
the end of 1953, Helio would meet the Japonese Yassuiti Ono,
in the most difficult Jiu-Jitsu battle of his career, as the
master himself evaluates it: "Even though he wasn't the
best of them all, it was with him that I suffered the most. What
happened was that nobody knew how the guy fought, and he arrived
in Brazil saying he could fight all five Gracies the same night.
Carlos told me to stop teaching classes (the thing that took
up most of his time), take some time off and come back on the
eve of the event. I took time off and spent a month at the Aluisio's
(Ribeiro de Castro, friend of the family) farm riding horses,
without training at all, and then I had to fight this Japanese
guy who was tough as a son of a bitch, who was super-fit. That
was why he challenged the whole family. The fight started and
he squashed me so badly I didn't know where I was. When the round
ended, I couldn't see, my vision went dim and I told Carlos I
was going to faint. He took me to the edge of the ring and gave
me something to drink. I woke up and stood up, dead tired. In
the second round, I started to figure out how he worked, but
he was still quick, he didn't stop while between my legs. He
tried everything but just couldn’t mount me. I was dominated.
At the end of the third round, he messed up and I caught him
in a choke, squeezed, he stood up, trying to resist the hold,
but I held it. The bell rang, I let go of the hold, and he fell
down unconscious. (laughs) He was saved by the bell! They came
in the ring, woke up the Japanese, and he skipped out on the
20 remaining minutes.”
Adversaries
had already become scarce, and in the year 1936, Helio faced
two Japanese fighters, Takeo Yano and Massagoishi. The latter
had already been warned of Gracie’s terrible choke and tapped
out to an armbar. “We got wrapped up, he messed up and I
mounted. I went for his neck, the Japanese raised his arm and
I got it. He went nuts. This was the only Japanese I every beat
easily", the teacher observed. In 1937, Helio went to Belo
Horizonte, beat the boxer Erwin Klausner and, that year, faced
Espingarda as well. "It was a private fight, but there were
several like it, I don't remember clearly. People were always
coming to challenge me, but I didn’t fight just anybody
in public. The guy would come and I’d beat him up in the
gym. They would lose quickly. I’d kick them in the butts,
making it ridiculous. And I did all that for free, to convince
myself of Jiu-Jitsu's superiority," explains Helio, who
in this way did not fight in public again until 1950, while he
dealt with other matters.
Horses
and marriage
Master
Helio, as we saw in the first chapter of this piece, is a horse
aficionado, which is a passion he has been feeding since one
of his visits to his friend Aluisio Ribeiro de Castro’s
farm. “I was already mounting my students, so I had a knack
for it. But one day I saw a horse tied to a pole and asked Aluisio
why. ‘This horse will be mounted,' he responded, then suggesting,
'Why, you want to ride it? You can ride it.’ I said yes
and he told me, ‘I’m kidding, this horse is wild, he’s
tied up to make him docile so the cowboy can ride him.’
‘But I will ride it,’ I said. We argued, and he ended
up letting me saddle it up. I got on, the horse threatened to
buck and stopped. It didn’t buck, great, I got off. That
is how I started and little by little I became a specialist in
riding horses. If it hadn’t been for Jiu-Jitsu, I would
have become a farmer. I spent weekends and holidays at the farm,
and I ended up taming 200 wild animals. For a horse to buck me
off it would have to have six legs. Four is not enough,”
challenges the master, who met his first wife Margarida on one
of these trips, which is another unconventional story to come:
“Aluisio
took me to São Lourenço. I was broke. I was just
as broke as I was famous. But, as I was vain, I didn’t let
anyone know. I never hit on any ladies. I went to a party, scanned
the scene, and searched for a woman that tickled my fancy. When
I looked around, I saw a very pretty lady, at a table with another
guy. But I noticed that she looked at me and made a comment.
I left and, the next day, my friend asked me to go ride horses.
That young lady was part of the group. I went ahead of everybody,
but when I came back, my friend, who had been hitting on the
girl, said she had asked if I didn't have another shirt, as the
one I was wearing was torn. 'When women are interested in what
you wear, it is because they like you,’ I thought to myself,
but said nothing. Days later, I ran into her in the woods, smoking.
There was that well-to-do young lady millionaire, all elegant,
with two beautiful kids, but when I saw her smoking I got pissed
off. She greeted me: ‘Hey Helio Gracie, how are you?’
‘You smoke?’, I responded, adding: ‘Do you know
I would never marry a woman that smokes?’ She threw the
cigarette away and, shortly thereafter, we started dating.”
“It
was the greatest emotion of my life, as I confirmed that my Jiu-Jitsu
was superior to his” about his victory over world vice-champion
Kato
At
that time, Margarida was in the process of divorce, and when
the time came, she married Helio in Uruguay. All went well, but
within Gracie’s philosophy, there was one grave problem:
there were no children. So his brother Carlos decided to solve
the problem, letting Helio take part in his brood. "Carlos'
second wife couldn't stand the children of his first," Helio
recalls. "So, he asked me: 'Would you like to take care
of mine?' I ended up with the eight sons, you youngest of which
was Rolls, who was four months old when I got him. Oneika, Sonja,
Geysa, Rose, Robson, Reyson and Carlson were also brought up
by me. I distracted myself with them, and since my wife didn't
get pregnant, I completed myself with them," he tells.
In
the beginning of the 40s, Carlos moved to Ceará, and the
trip obliged Helio to get out from under the wing of his father
figure. “I was dating and didn’t want to go. Margarida
had the idea that I should open my own academy, in the Seabra
building, in Flamengo. It was a big apartment, where I lived
and taught clases, alone. In would come one student, out would
go another, the whole day. I started making money,” says
Helio, who taught there for a few years, until he opened an academy
in downtown Rio with his brother. "Carlos came back from
Ceará and proposed we open an academy together. He had
some money available and bought an entire floor on Rio Branco
avenue. The gym was colossal. There I had up to 600 students
a month," he brags. It was a time when time passed for the
father (still adoptive), horseman and teacher, and 1950 came
around, the year before the Japanese delegation arrived with
Kato and Kimura. Helio was retired, but as he was looking to
make his return, he warmed up with two brazucas that challenged
him. First was Caribe, who was beaten in four minutes in the
Naval School for Physical Education, in July. Three months later,
on Azevedo Maia, the report from the “Diario Carioca”
brought the following news: “in a quick encounter of two
minutes and ten seconds, Helio Gracie responded to Azevedo Maia
leaving him unconscious by choke out.” The journal also
related that, during the events of the fight, Gracie picked up
his opponent and dropped him on his shoulders on the ground.
Maia complained, "That doesn't count!" To which the
teacher promptly responded: “Don’t complain, Maia!
This is a man’s game!” showing yet again his hot temper.
Kimura
Then
came the Japanese, in ’51. Helio faced Kato, in the Maracanã
stadium, and left for São Paulo, where the fighters met
at the Pacaembu stadium. His famous choke, that would seem simple
were it not for the number of techniques he would use to set
it up, went to work, and the Japanese fighter went to sleep.
Two days later, arriving in Rio, described the end of the fight
to the newspaper “O Globo" “(…) He didn’t
realize that my other hand was right on the hem of his gi. We
were, however, both trying for the choke, both with the hold
set up, but it happened that Kato couldn’t get past the
barrier of my legs, making my hold more effective and going in
at the decisive moment of the fight. (…) I realized the
Japanese let go to defend his neck. I tightened the choke and
Kato started to pass out, loosening his grip on my wrists. Thus,
I kept tightening the choke, and summoned the ref’s attention:
'The Japanese is going to sleep.' The ref didn’t hear me
or didn’t understand, but, in the end, I dropped him beside
me, with him falling hard. I went to the corner, while Kato was
being attended to, to wake up a few seconds later.” “It
was the greatest feeling in my life,” he said at the time,
and confirms this today: “It is true, because I proved my
Jiu-Jitsu was better than his.”
With
the failure of his compatriot, Kimura invaded the ring and challenged
Gracie, exactly as Carlos predicted he would. In the heat of
the moment, they agreed that the fight would start on the ground.
He also said that if Helio could resist for more than three minutes,
he would give him the title of champion. Neither thing happened.
But the fight did. And the Maracanã once again served
as the setting for the greatest Brazilian fighter to perform,
on October 23 of that year.
This
time, a record gate was established: 339 thousand cruzeiros,
with the vice-president of the republic, Mr. Café Filho,
in attendance, not taking his eyes off the fight even under the
drizzle.” “The press didn’t want me to fight,"
Helio Gracie recalls. “But I wanted to see how my Jiu-Jitsu
matched up against his, with what hold he would beat me. That
is why I ended up paying to find out," he justifies. In
this confrontation, not only did the fact that Kimura was much
heavier than the Brazilian count. We must provide further context.
If
the accomplishment is today incredible, imagine in the middle
of the century, when there were different parameters. One need
only see that much more recently, in the fight where Muhammed
Ali defeated George Foreman, in 1973, Ali, in his best shape
and peak in his training, as described by Norman Mailer in "The
fight", ran three and a half kilometers during his last
training session. Today, the distance is considered minimal.
The
newspapers say that Helio walked four kilometers, a petty distance
for a Kimura boasting the physique and preparation of an athlete.
The absolute lord of Japan. And even so Gracie resisted the Japanese
machines peak for over 13 minutes (an Olympic judo fight is five
minutes, and wrestling is at most nine), when he was caught by
his opponent’s greatest weapon, an arm twist that provoked
Carlos to throw in the towel, as he feared his brother could
be crippled.
So
Helio declared to "O Globo" newspaper: "Kimura,
being the great sportsman he is, showed surprise when he saw
that I had the technical resources to escape the holds he had
me in. As such, he soon understood he would have to adopt another
tactic to be victorious: to work on only one side of my body.
The other moves I had tried to set up rendered my arm useless
in the fight. First, I wanted to know how he would beat me.
I
must confess, though, that I did not expect him to persist with
the same move so. I am consoled by the fact that only his physical
superiority allowed him to carry out the same move so many times."
Kimura won, but did not show Gracie anything new. Even the final
move, contrary to the established legend, was expected by the
master, who on the cover of "O Globo" on the eve of
the fight, appears performing the same hold. "In São
Paulo, he had trained at the gym, and I saw him applying the
same move on Pedro Hemeterio.
I
knew how to defend it so well that I escaped from the hold several
times during the course of the fight." In the final move,
there was controversy. "Carlos threw in the towel and Kimura
let go of the hold, but the referee didn't recognize it and ordered
us to go on fighting. It would have been foul play’ so I
told Queiroz (Eusebio de Queiroz, the referee of the fight) the
victory was his. I didn’t tap, but I was glad Carlos stopped
the fight, because I was very tired.”
So
Helio, as he announced he would before the event, retired. He
started his own clan, of nine children and 28 grandchildren,
and went on, in another field, to do as much work as possible
for the development of Jiu-Jitsu. The spectacular stories, like
the one that obliged him to return to the ring yet again, continue.
We will see this in the final chapter, along with Rickson, Royce
and co.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Quote
of the Day
"You
may get skinned knees and elbows, but it's worth it if you score
a spectacular goal."
Mia Hamm, American Soccer Player
|
UFC
Fight Night 8 Results
205 lbs: Rashad Evans (205.5) def. Sean Salmon (206) via KO (Kick)
at 1:06 of the second round.
HWT: Jake O'Brien (234.5) def. Heath Herring (250) via unanimous
decision.
155 lbs: Hermes Franca (155) def. Spencer Fisher (154.5) via
referee stoppage (strikes) at 4:03 of the second round.
185 lbs: Nate Marquardt (185.5) def. Dean Lister (185) via unanimous
decision.
170 lbs: Josh Burkman (171) def. Chad Reiner (171) via unanimous
decision.
185 lbs: Ed Herman (186) def. Chris Price (192) via armbar at
2:58 of the first round.
155 lbs: Din Thomas (154.5) def. Clay Guida (154) via unanimous
decision.
170 lbs: Rich Clementi (169.5) def. Ross Pointon (168.5) via
rear naked choke at 4:53 of the second round.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Cro
Cop talks of Pride return
The Croatian wants to face Fedor at New Year’s Eve event
Despite the fact he has not even debuted in the UFC, the organization
with which he recently signed a six-fight contract, Mirko Cro
Cop is already talking of a possible return to Pride. In an interview
published in Japan, the Croatian fighter revealed his desire
the face Fedor Emelianenko, current Pride heavyweight champion,
in 2007. “I want to fight in the New Year’s Eve event
in Japan. Fedor as Pride champion and I as UFC champion,”
says Cro Cop.
When
questioned about the deadline for carrying out his obligations
to the Americans, Cro Cop didn’t show the slightest preoccupation.
“With three fights, and interval of two and a half to three
months in between, I can become champion. I want to win the belt
by summer (in the northern hemisphere) and keep it until fall,"
he declared.
Cro
Cop’s first challenge in the UFC will be on April 3, when
he faces the American Eddie Sanchez.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Pequeno
affirms UFC invitation
The Shooto king, Alexandre Pequeno is pretty anxious waiting
for his first son birth, who will be called Kayque Segatelli
Nogueira, “My son is taking too much time to get out of
my wife, he was supposed to be born on January 15th, but nothing
happened yet”, told the former champion of Shooto, who is
still training to complete his last bout of his contract with
K-1. “I am keeping doing my rhythm and I am feeling myself
really well after the surgery on my knee, I want a complete 2007
with victories”. The guillotine king told us that he was
already searched by the organization of the American event UFC.
“They are opening now the category until 65kg. And my contract
with the K-1 organization allows me to fight out of so I am interested
in another proposal”, said the champion.
Source: Tatame
|
Tito
Ortiz:
Referee Mario Yamasaki Stopped Fight Too Quickly
Last night former UFC light heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz celebrated
his 32nd year on earth with a surprise birthday party that was
open to the public — and heavily promoted by girlfriend
Jenna Jameson. (I’m going to let all of you make your own
jokes about a publicly announced “surprise” party.)
Kevin
Iole of the Las Vegas Review-Journal recently spoke with the
UFC veteran about his UFC 66 title bout with current champion
Chuck Liddell. Ortiz suffered a third-round TKO in the fight,
but apparently, he wasn’t thrilled with what he thinks was
an early stoppage.
From
reviewjournal.com:
Ortiz
said he didn’t agree with referee Mario Yamasaki’s
decision to stop the bout when he did, with Ortiz on his back
covering up as the hard-punching Liddell was on top raining blows
upon him.
Ortiz
said he watched a tape of the card and determined that other
fighters, particularly veterans such as himself, were given longer
to fight their way out of trouble.
“This
was the biggest fight in history, and I think it was stopped
a little prematurely,” Ortiz said. “I’m not a
guy who cries or makes excuses. But John McCarthy is the best
referee we have and this was the biggest fight and I don’t
understand why he didn’t do this fight. He would have let
the fight go a little longer, I believe.
“If
I knew (Yamasaki) was going to stop it, I would have fought a
little harder to get out at that point.”
The
fact that “Big” John McCarthy, who is largely considered
the UFC’s best ref, wasn’t assigned the Liddell-Ortiz
main event was news in itself. In fact, some people even speculated
that Ortiz himself requested someone other than McCarthy. That,
of course, no longer seems to be the case.
Regardless,
I don’t think Ortiz has much of a beef here. In fact, there
were numerous points in the fight where it reasonably could have
been stopped much earlier. And the eventual third-round stoppage
seemed more than reasonable.
This
is probably just Ortiz trying to save face, and while I can’t
blame him for wanting to do that, it’s a shame that Yamasaki’s
name has to be dragged through the mud to do so.
Source: UFC Junkie
|
Helio
Gracie
With will power, courage, discipline and genius that insists
on defying the impossible, he was the fundamental gear in the
machine of the development of Jiu-Jitsu, the martial art that
conquered the world through its efficiency.
Written by Luca Atalla
From
this point on, you can explore through exclusive and unprecedented
accounts of this historic saga in three parts about the life,
routine and mindset of grandmaster Helio Gracie, the greatest
living martial arts legend on the planet.
“It
was only one round, lasting three hours and forty-five minutes.
There has never been and will never again be a fight like that
one. Not even animals fight for so long. I had an ear infection,
38 degree (100 degrees Fahrenheit) fever, was 42 years of age
and weighed 60kg. He was 23 and weighed 88kg. It was so bad that,
in the end, I got dizzy and passed out. Some say he kicked me,
others say it was a punch, and my corner threw in the towel".
Over
45 years have gone by since the episode, but its main character
talks of the outcome with admirable clarity. It was an historical
battle, which marked the end of fighting career of grandmaster
Helio Gracie, the man who dedicated over 70 years of his life
to Ju-Jitsu’s development. “It’s incredible, I
think about this stuff [Jiu-Jitsu} all the time”, the teacher
confesses, while sitting on the veranda of his country home,
now without his gi on, and even still very willing to teach classes,
not only of Jiu-Jitsu on the mats, but of how his profound knowledge
of how the gentle martial art is reflected in how he thinks and
faces life.
And
if the teacher no longer wears 16 gis to teach the almost 40
classes per day he was accustomed to teaching in earlier days,
his will power and discipline can be measured by the simplicity
with which he carries out his daily routine. It is seven in the
morning at the top of the mountain. It is the hour activity begins
in that simple house that is “stretched according to the
number of children to visit”, and that decorates “Our
Valley”, an over 300 thousand meter piece of land located
in the most valuable part of Itaipava, in the state of Rio de
Janeiro.
They
say its worth something around seven million dollars. “I
bought this here ranch from the Sul do Brasil real-estate company,
which was owned by my in-laws and went bankrupt. It took me 10
years to clear up the paperwork, close the deal and have it as
mine. It is the best place in the world, I wouldn't even trade
it for Michael Jackson's mansion", he says with pride and
without showing any signs of wanting to trade his simple concrete
floor for one of granite, or trade the crude finishing he did
himself for a finer one.
But
regalia would not be appropriate for this general that always
takes his position at the front lines of the battle fields, led
by a single, sometimes suicidal goal: to prove the effectiveness
of the martial art that gave meaning to his life.
At
seven in the morning, already the start of his day, the Gracie
philosophy is present in the traditional breakfast the instructor
prepares for himself and his wife, based on the nutritional guidelines
laid out by his brother Carlos. Fruit juices – guava with
coconut water, sugar and date palm fruit, for example –
accompanied by sandwiches filled with fresh white cheese made
by Master Helio himself from the milk of his own cows.
This
would be the menu of the substantial meal. “I am gluttonous,
but not with anything that will harm my health,” he says,
justifying his adoption of the diet that he has followed with
discipline for more years than double the number of fingers you
have on your hands. The water he drinks is only coconut water
or water from the source in the valley itself.
Seasonal
fruit, like jack fruit and fruta do conde (a sweet, somewhat
perfumed Brazilian seasonal fruit), are stocked in a freezer,
so as to last until the next season. The only sophisticated electric
domestic appliances are a powerful blender and a centrifugal
machine imported under the brand name Champion, which is common
to all the family members for over thirty years and without equal
in the importance it has in separating seeds from the juice of
apples, watermelon and melon.
“The
ones that need my Jiu-Jitsu are the skinny, scared, wimpy, insecure,
defenseless guys. Not the athlete"
These,
besides the grapefruit extract and the already mentioned coconut
water, are, separately, the “water” that mixes with
all the other fruits to result in exotic juices (“apple,
fig and date palm fruit, or fruta do conde with grapefruit juice.
After
breaking fast, the eight dogs that guard the property, some Mastiffs,
Filas and mutts, except the mild mannered Labrador bitch that
is the darling of the grandchildren, are kept behind wire fences
that surround the house. So Master Helio rolls up his sleeves
and goes out to feed the dogs, check whether the grass needs
to be mowed, and do maintenance chores around the property, making
sure there isn't a place on the ranch, from the walls to the
roof, that doesn't have his personal touch: "Either I built
it, or helped the workers.
To
this day housework consumes my whole day. I wake up at seven,
go out after having breakfast, come back in for lunch, go out
again and only come back at night. To me, nothing I do is work,
just a work out. This is how I’ve always been; I never worked
out, ran. My preparation for fights was always working, teaching,"
he compares. "I would teach the self-defense program, which
is basic, and the ground positions, which are also basic fighting
moves: passing the guard, guillotine choke, mount, armbar, footlock,
chokes. All that during the nearly 40 classes in the day.
At
the end of each class, there were always five or ten minutes
with the student. At the end of the day, that was the work out,
and I was tired.” When not working on his own house, the
neighbors from the surrounding area find the pleasure of crossing
paths with the master at the Bramil market, buying legumes or
food for the fish and dogs, or at the bank, for example.
Lunch
time approaches on a typical day and Mrs. Vera, mother of Mater
Helio's six youngest children, is responsible for the meal. She
is proud of her skill in preparing the diet. “I learned
quickly,” she boasts, laying out the food on the cupboard,
behind the dining table, with basins of corn, green beans, chicken,
white rice, beats and hear of palm pie, whose breading is made
from creme of rice, and not wheat, which would throw off the
balance of the carbohydrates, were to be combined with the rice.
Over the last few months, a special guest, who the instructor
says "eats like a horse", has been taking a place at
the table to enjoy these delicious meals.
He
is none other than Ryron Gracie, who, with his 19 years of age
and 92 kilos, surprises no one by eating this way. Despite the
fact that he already teaches classes at the Torrance, California
academy, Rorion’s first-born comes from the United States
to study Jiu-Jitsu for a season under Helio’s tutelage.
Repeating his customary discourse, the master declares: “I’m
not going to teach him Jiu-Jitsu. He already knows everything
I do. The only thing he will learn here is to do the same thing,
just without using force.”
And
to illustrate his point, the instructor extends his customary
invitation to visitors to visit the latest environment to be
built at the ranch, the academy built on the far right of the
house. There, he offers gis and puts on his own, tying it with
a blue belt in place of the red one. His disdain for the color
scheme of today is nothing new. When he fought the great Japanese
champion Kimura, in his most famous fight, he wore the same belt.
“He didn’t like it, he asked why I wouldn't use the
black. I responded: “Because I like this one,” he recalls.
“Kimura
asked why I would use the blue belt. ‘Because I like it’,
I responded"
A
few months from now, on the first of October, the instructor
will begin his ninetieth year on the way to heaven,” as
a poet once said, and on the mat is where you would be most doubtful
of that. With the nimbleness of a cat stalking its prey, Master
Helio makes his move, his years serving as a fine tuning and
not a burden. Anyone can come with all the tricks they know,
like the fox. Gracie prefers to act like the porcupine, who knows
only one trick, the best one. “I don’t beat anybody.
I just don’t let myself get beat.
If
they try to win, they get tired and lose,” he reveals, flashing
a toothy smile. He challenges anyone to mount and try to attack
him. Who knows what he is trying to do by putting himself in
one of the worst situations in fighting, under someone invariably
heavier, and starting the training there. From this totally unfavorable
situation, he uses all his defense techniques to annul the attempted
attacks.
He
never gives up and, usually, his adversary will simply tire of
attacking. He asks to switch places and shows the lethal venom
of his surefire and unexpected attacks and moves. If the opponent
doesn't keep up, he will likely have his arm extended. And if
his two hands get to the neck, things get even worse, there is
a risk of going to sleep. The training session goes on, and if
a position he doesn't agree with pops up, he stops, explains
and fixes it. “I’m a freak, but I’m obsessed with
perfection", he justifies.
He
says he is always getting better: "I don't have strength
or stamina, but I keep evolving, using less force. I’m the
best at the finer details, the subconscious relaxation”,
he analyses. The explanation is as follows: “You might not
want to use force and control that mentally, but if I stab you,
you will become tense. To transform this relaxation into something
instinctive is very difficult and takes a long time. I am relaxed
even when I am sleeping. The minute someone tries to move on
me, their tenseness warns me, and as my reflexes are quicker,
I move forward and defend. Nobody can surprise me."´
If
to most people a lesson like this one is as rare as a precious
diamond, for a privileged group of students the story is different.
Once a week the instructor goes to Rio de Janeiro to share his
knowledge, through private lessons he teaches in the academy
his sons Royler and Rolker manage in the high school Padre Antonio
Vieira, in the Humaita neighborhood. He charges 200 dollars each
lesson.
He
does not attend to professional fighters, just to common people,
who come from far away, such as Dr Jose Eduardo Camargo, a successful
businessman from São Paulo who flies to Rio with the sole
intention of learning from the master. Beyond him, Mrs. Maria
Alice Dantas, Dr. Marco Aurelio Pacha and the writer Gustavo
Barbosa, among others, also drink from the source. “I never
liked teaching athletes,” he says. “Athletes don’t
need it. The ones that need my Jiu-Jitsu are those skinny, scared,
wimpy, insecure, defenseless guys.
Can
you imagine that guy if he were sure he wouldn’t get stabbed,
clubbed, stomped on, punched, kicked? He would learn how to get
out of any situation and become invincible. His timid posture
would change to become one of self-belief, and that is something
priceless. It's as though you were to win a million dollars tomorrow.
You will change completely,” he compares. “I still
haven’t found a student that has wanted to sell, for any
price, what they learned from me.
“I
challenge Sakuraba to beat me without using a single Jiu-Jitsu
move”
I
created a means of providing people security", he says with
pride, criticizing the Jiu-Jitsu taught in most academies: "There
is no way to teach the method of the system in a group-class.
Nobody learns the details, they forget about self-defense and
made Jiu-Jitsu about competition, where only the strongest win.
My own nephews, to whom I gave their diploma, know very well,
but don’t teach the way they should,” he reveals with
sadness.
Master
Helio takes advantage of his day in the city to go to the Ceasa
market, on Brasil Avenue, and fill his blue VW Santana with fruit
to replenish the stock in his kitchen. He doesn’t let anybody
drive for him, “I consider myself to be the best driver
in the world," he says, alleging that cars is one of the
three subjects that he has become a specialist in, next to Jiu-Jitsu
and horses.
"I
was very imprudent, it used to take me 45 minutes to get from
Itaipava to Rio, at 170 km per hour," he recalls. "But
as I almost died once when I bumped a gasoline truck, I created
some rules. To correct myself, I create rules. So, I started
steering the car with one hand, one year. Then, I steered only
with the other, for another year. Next, I started braking with
the other food. There was a time when I would focus on curves,
highways, traffic, etc. By doing one thing at a time, over the
years, I became specialized.”
The
greatest legend in Jiu-Jitsu’s life is not summed up only
by the Itaipava – Rio de Janeiro circuit. His presence is
also very common alongside his son Rorion in California: “I've
spent longer times in the United States, but I avoid flying because
I don't eat or sleep during the flight," he complains. "I
go there when there is work for me, like courses for the armed
services, seminars, recordings of tapes." Another reason
for him to curtail his travel habits is to be ringside, at the
fights of the son he says mirrors his own style.
The
one that is, possibly, the most famous fighter in the world,
Royce Gracie. "He insists that I must be there. And that
is good because then I can see if he did well or messed up",
he judges, as he did with his son’s last performance, in
the one and a half hour fight against Sakuraba. “It was
me that decided he should stop fighting, because Royce had a
broken foot. It wasn’t worth continuing with the sacrifice,”
he remembers, and contests the reasons for the champion to still
be fighting MMA. "In truth, I prohibited my sons from fighting,
because there is no longer any reason to. Everybody already does
Jiu-Jitsu. So, my whole life I'm telling some guy to learn Jiu-Jitsu
and, when he learns, I go and beat him up???
My
whole sacrifice has been to prove that Jui-Jitsu is the most
efficient fighting style. I challenged all the greatest fighters
of my time. Even the champion John Louis had to write and say
he would only accept a fight under boxing rules. I scared everybody,
but with the idea that they would believe in the Jiu-Jitsu that
I was doing. They accepted that in Brazil and, now, the whole
world. So, my reason to fight is over. If they want to make money,
that is fine, go there and fight, but my goal was different.
I never looked at how much I could make for a fight.
My
brother Carlos took care of everything and, when I wanted, he
gave me money to go to the movies," he remembers. “To
fight against a student indirectly, that is wrong. Today, I challenge
Sakuraba, for the price of a ticket from here to Japan: if he
can beat me without using a single Jiu-Jitsu move, nothing that
is in my 40 class program.
“I
don’t beat anybody. I just don’t let anybody beat me.
If they try to win, they tire and lose"
And
he can start from any position he wants,” he says with the
conviction that made him one of the most valiant men in the world,
who was able to face down someone twice his size. And who began
the story as a mere spectator in his brother Carlos’ gym,
prohibited by doctors from exerting any physical force.
Thus,
impeded from practicing the art that consumed his life, a life
of battles and lessons within and without the mats, as we will
find out in the next chapter.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Quote
of the Day
"After
about three lessons the voice teacher said, "Don't take
voice lessons. Do it your way."
Johnny Cash, 1932-2003, American Singer/Guitarist/Songwriter
|
Ultimate
Fight Night Preview
Tonight
on Spike
The UFC continues their Spike TV shows tomorrow night with another
Ultimate Fight Night card, headlined by TUF Season 2 winner Rashad
Evans. Lets dig right in and get some previews and predictions
for the Fight Night card.
Main
Card
Rashad
Evans vs. Sean Salmon - The main event features two fighters
who both have a heavy wrestling background. Rashad was criticized
initially in his UFC career for not finishing fights and just
taking fighters down and laying on them. Evans surprised quite
a few people with list KO victory over Jason Lambert at UFC 63.
Salmon has comparable skills as Evans, but hasn’t faced
quite the level of competition that Rashad has. When two fighters
share the exact same skill set, you’ve got to go with the
fighter with experience against the tougher opponents. Winner:
Rashad Evans
Jake
O’Brien vs. Heath Herring - For those that don’t follow
Pride events, you will get your first introduction to Heath “Texas
Crazy Horse” Herring, who has spent the majority of his
career fighting in Japan with Pride and K-1. Herring has fought
and competed with some of the best heavyweights the world has
to offer, and he should greatly firm up what was an extremely
weak UFC heavyweight division only 2 months ago. O’Brien
is a relatively new MMA fighter at only 22-years of age, but
he sports a 9-0 professional record. O’Brien could have
a nice future in the UFC in the years to come, but fighting Herring
will be much different than his prior UFC fights against Josh
Shockman and Kristof Midoux Winner: Heath Herring
Hermes
Franca vs. Spencer Fisher - Boy, oh boy! If you aren’t excited
about this fight, you need to make sure you still have a pulse.
This could be the fight of the night, and it is expected that
the winner of this fight will be the next one to challenge Sean
Sherk for the UFC Lightweight title belt. Hermes Franca is a
BJJ black belt and should easily have the advantage on the ground
in this fight. Fisher is an MFS product and loves to stand and
throw heavy punches with his opponents. As of late, Fisher has
become somewhat known for the flying knee knockout he delivered
to Matt Wiman at UFC 60. This fight really could go either way,
and my gut is telling me to pick Hermes Franca by submission,
but who cares what my gut says. Winner: Spencer Fisher
Dean
Lister vs. Nathan Marquardt - Lister vs. Marquardt was once the
main event for this Fight Night card, and how it has been dropped
to “swing bout” status. Either way, this fight is an
important one for both fighters. Marquardt is an excellent MMA
fights, with a list of credentials a mile long. Lister has spent
most of his career in KOTC and Pride FC, and is only 2-0 in UFC
events, but is widely regarded as one of the greatest submission
artists in the MMA world today. This fight could end up being
pretty boring if and when the fight hits the mat, but hopefully
the pace stays somewhat active. I’m not really sold on my
choice of victor in this fight, because it really could go either
way, but I see Marquardt winning by pure brute-force. Winner:
Nathan Marquardt
Under
Card
Chad
Reiner vs. Josh Burkman - Josh Burkman is one of thoe guys that
I think has a bright future in MMA. Burkman has wins in the UFC
over Sam Morgan, Drew Fickett and Josh Neer, while Chad Reiner
will be making his UFC debut. Reiner clearly has the edge on
the ground in the submission game, despite Burkman’s wrestling
background. If Burkman can keep the fight standing up and keep
his pace active, he should take this fight. Winner: Josh Burkman
Ed
Herman vs. Chris Price - Ah, good old Ed Herman. “Short
Fuse” thinks the world of himself and his skills, but I
have a feeling he is in for another disappointed night against
Chris Price. Both Herman and Price lost their last fights in
the UFC; Herman lost to Jason MacDonald and Price lost to Kendall
Grove. This is a fight Ed Herman should win, due his greater
experience against tougher fighters. However, I don’t know
if Herman has what it takes to compete on a high level in the
UFC, and I hope we see a nice performance out of Chris Price
here. Winner: Chris Price
Clayton
Guida vs. Din Thomas - This should be an excellent fight and
is one that I would like to see shown on the televised broadcast.
I’ve always been a fan of Din Thomas and his fighting style
and this matchup with Guida should be explosive. Clay Guida fights
like the energizer bunny and barely takes a moment to breath
during the rounds. In 2006 Guida defeated former UFC fighter
Josh Thompson and went a full 25-minutes with Gilbert Melendez,
who is not considered to be one of the top 5 lightweights in
the world. Winner: Din Thomas
Ross
Pointon vs. Rich Clementi - This fight seems pretty pointless
and I’m wondering why fights like these even take place;
obviously, just to fill up a spot on the card. Ross Pointon is
4-8 and has only had a victory in one of his last eight fights.
Clementi has over 30 fights to his credit with a record of 23-11-1
and should win this fight easily. Pointon does have heavy hands,
but he has an even heavier beer-belly. Winner: Rich Clementi
Source: MMA HQ
|
PUNISHMENT
IN PARADISE
EAST vs WEST Anniversary
Friday Feb 16, 2007 @ Waterpark
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Source: Promoter
|
Where
are they now? Robbie Lawler
By Sean McClure
Note:
Robbie Lawler is headlining the upcoming Icon Sports event at
the Blaisdell Arena on February 9
In
2002, a young Miletich prodigy appeared in the UFC and fans seemed
to take notice. At UFC 37, "Ruthless" Robbie Lawler
took on Aaron Riley in what would become one of his most remembered
performances. Being that it was his first fight in the UFC and
such a memorable one, Robbie would instantly become a fan favorite.
So how did the UFC's favored son disappear so quickly from the
spotlight?
Fast
forward if you will past UFC 37.5 where Robbie dispatched of
Steve Berger in the second round by TKO. Doing that we land on
the UFC's biggest money making card. One that garnered the UFC
its biggest interest since its original events were held back
in 1993. UFC 40 would feature the first meeting of Tito Ortiz
and Ken Shamrock. You know the one where Ken's face was turned
in to hamburger by the former light heavyweight champion? Also
on that card was the Chuck Liddell vs. Babalu Sobral fight that
ended with the now famous shin kick to Babalu's forehead. One
of the best fights on that card included a respected striker
at that time, Tiki Ghosn facing off against a bright young upstart
from the Miletich camp.
Ghosn
would be facing Lawler and fireworks were expected by everyone.
Tiki definitely had the technical advantage over Robbie, but
Robbie's much talked about power would end this fight violently.
Lawler connected with a swinging left hook that sent Tiki crumbling
down to the Octagon floor. Robbie quickly dropped some bombs
putting Tiki's lights out and ending the bout.
Humorously, after the fight Tiki would claim it was stopped due
to a cut, but that didn't phase Robbie who smirked through Ghosn's
denial.
The
sky was the limit for Robbie who was being called the next big
thing in the UFC's welterweight division. The UFC decided to
step up Lawler's competition and signed a fight between he and
Pete Spratt at UFC 42. This was not one of Robbie's shining moments
and the fight was stopped due to Robbie submitting because of
a hip injury suffered from Spratt's devastating leg kicks. That
wouldn't stop him for long, though. Robbie would recover and
return with a vengeance defeating Chris Lytle at UFC 45 in a
very exciting fight that seemed to announce the world that he
was back. Nick Diaz would stop the train before it could reach
full-steam.
At
UFC 47 Robbie would face a jiu jitsu whiz named Nick Diaz. No
one gave Nick a chance in this fight if it remained standing,
but that's just what happened. In the second round at 1:31 and
after taunting and baiting Lawler, Nick Diaz knocked Robbie out
for the first time in his career.
Robbie
decided that cutting the weight required to make 170 was too
much strain on his body and moved up to the middleweight division.
His first fight was with Evan Tanner who was much bigger at 185
pounds than Robbie.
Tanner would submit a sluggish looking Lawler by triangle at
UFC 50 in just 2 minutes and 22 seconds of the first round. This
would be Robbie's last fight in the UFC since he had lost 3 out
of his last 4 fights. Another organization was quick to snatch
him up and help him get back to his winning ways.
Superbrawl signed Robbie to fight
against a very tough Falaniko Vitale and some said Robbie was
not ready mentally for this fight. His detractors were silenced
in the second round when Robbie put Vitale's lights out in front
of thousands of screaming fans. Robbie would win by submission
at KOTC-Xtreme Edge before he would find a more permanent fighting
home in Hawaii.
ICON
Sports
middleweight champion, Falaniko Vitale would face Robbie for
a second time. The result was the same and Robbie KO'd Vitale
in 3:33 of the first round becoming the new champion. Robbie
was back on track and ready for greatness again or so it seemed.
Enter Jason "Mayhem" Miller. Mayhem battled Robbie
for 2 1/2 rounds taking a beating along the way for his troubles.
Miller would pull the fight out and submit Robbie with an arm
triangle in the 3rd round. Looking to be at the bottom rung of
his career Robbie would be reborn again in MMA.
Pride
32 - The Real Deal was the Pride organization's first event held
in the USA. They had signed many American fighters to the card
to appeal to the American audiences. One of the fighters was
"Ruthless" Robbie Lawler. He could have easily faded
in to the deep card and disappeared yet again.
Robbie would make an impact once again causing people to take
notice by knocking out Joey Villasenor in :22 by flying knee.
Robbie
Lawler has seen many ups and some ill-timed downs in his career.
Maybe the pressure that was placed on his shoulders in his UFC
run was a little too much for him, too much to live up to. Whatever
the case, Lawler is back on the MMA map and maybe this time he
will achieve the greatness that many believe he is capable of.
Source: Maxfighting
|
Frank
Shamrock to Hold Open Tryouts
San
Jose, CA – Razorclaws coach Frank Shamrock has announced
that he will hold open tryouts this weekend for his Shamrock
Submission Fight Team in San Jose, California.
The
team fields fighters to compete in many of the world’s top
MMA organizations, including his IFL squad, the San Jose Razorclaws.
Though the team is based in northern California, many of its
members live and work elsewhere when not training directly under
Shamrock.
Shamrock
is apparently looking to fill some gaps in the team that just
the past weekend lost a close 3-2 match to his brother Ken Shamrock’s
Nevada Lions. Much was made of the rivalry between the two siblings,
but the Lions notched the victory despite impressive wins by
Razorclaws Clint Coronel and Brian Foster.
The
Lions themselves were formed after Ken Shamrock held open tryouts
of his own before the season began, but this marks the first
time that an IFL coach has opened his gym in the search for new
talent after the first event.
The
tryouts will be held at the Shamrock Martial Arts Academy in
San Jose, California this Saturday and Sunday, January 27-28,
between 11 am and 3 pm.
Most
notably, Shamrock is looking to fill holes in his light heavyweight
division, as well as adding alternates in other weight classes.
Fighters of all classes and experience levels are welcome to
try out, according to Shamrock’s spokesperson.
More
information about the team and the tryouts can be found at www.frankshamrock.com
Source: Maxfighting
|
Martial
arts fighter sues former N.J. Partners
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
By
HUGH R. MORLEY
STAFF WRITER
arrowBrazilian
jujitsu fighter Wallid Ismail is suing a North Jersey corporation
for $10 million in U.S. District Court in Newark, saying four
former business partners broke a multimillion-dollar deal with
him.
For
20 years, Wallid Ismail was a winner in the brutal, fast- growing
sport of mixed martial arts, building a worldwide reputation
as an aggressive fighter and able businessman.
Now,
he is squaring off against four former business associates in
a U.S. District Court in Newark.
The
Brazilian jujitsu fighter has filed suit against Pro Elite Inc.,
a New Jersey corporation formed to promote the sport, claiming
the company's three principals and another partner broke a multimillion-dollar
deal with him to mass market the sport.
The
suit, filed Jan. 9, seeks compensation of more than $10 million
for Ismail's contribution to creating Pro Elite, which the fighter
says was founded with the knowledge he gained from his 20 years
fighting and promoting the sport through his company, Jungle
Fight Championship.
Ismail,
38, says Secaucus-based Pro Elite broke its promise to give him
a $250,000 job promoting and organizing fights, a position now
held by Gary Shaw, a well-known boxing promoter from Wayne.
The
fighter also says he never got the 25 percent or so share of
the company that was promised.
But
Pro Elite -- a public company that recently signed a deal with
Showtime -- says the deal with Ismail was never sealed.
A
Jan. 2 suit filed by the company in Los Angeles says talks with
the fighter broke down in September, shortly before the deal
was to close. It says the partnership foundered on Ismail's statement
that he owned sole rights to a Jungle Fight Web site that could
be part of the new company.
In
fact, according to the suit, Pro Elite learned that Ismail probably
had partners in the Web site, which then could not be part of
the new venture.
"There
is no enforceable agreement, or any agreement," between
Pro Elite and Ismail, the suit says.
A
spokesman for Pro Elite said the company would not comment beyond
the papers.
The
legal battle and Pro Elite's vigorous efforts to promote mixed
martial arts reflect the growing interest in the sport.
That
fan base also fueled the creation of International Fight League,
a mixed martial arts venture created by Bergen County entrepreneurs
Kurt Otto and Gareb Shamus, which went public in December.
Robert
Routh, an analyst at New York-based Jeffries & Co., said
the sport is growing because of the void left by the decline
in boxing. Still, he said, it's not yet clear whether mixed martial
arts has a future.
"It
may be a fad; it may not be," he said. "It's gotten
traction."
In
a sign of its ascent, Showtime in November announced a deal with
Pro Elite to televise live mixed martial arts events.
Shaw
is the head of the Pro Elite division responsible for organizing
the events. The promoter, a former chief inspector for the New
Jersey State Athletic Control Commission, promoted fights by
Mike Tyson in his later career. Shaw also owns Totowa-based Gary
Shaw Productions, a boxing promoter.
The
promoter, who is not a defendant in the suit, declined to comment
on Ismail's claims.
The
fighter says that the Pro Elite's deal with Showtime "would
not have been possible" without his reputation and record
as a promoter to give the new company credibility.
The
suit says Ismail began promoting mixed martial arts fights in
1991, successfully mounting six fights, some of which were screened
in 60 countries.
The
suit says Ismail made his name beating four members of a well
known family of mixed martial arts fighters, the Gracie family.
In one fight, according to the Pro Elite, Ismail choked one family
member "unconscious in less than five minutes."
Chris
Palmquist, editor in chief of the MaxFighting.com Web site, said
Ismail is "known a little bit for his crazy antics."
Still,
said Palmquist in an e-mail interview, "Wallid is a good
businessman and fighter."
"He
has contributed to the growth of the sport in that he helped
to promote it and was fighting long before it was even close
to popular," he said.
Wallid's
suit names four California-based defendants -- Doug De Luca,
David Marshall, Kurt Brendlinger and Eric Pulier -- that he says
helped put the company together. De Luca is co-executive director
of the "Jimmy Kimmel Live" show. Kimmel is a director
of Pro Elite, but is not a defendant in the suit.
Ismail,
in an interview from California, said the defendants knew nothing
about mixed martial arts when he met them.
"I
did everything for four months for these guys," said Ismail.
"They had never been in this sport; they had never been
in an arena, didn't know nothing about this sport."
Another
defendant is a California-based investment company, Santa Monica
Capital Partners, which helped start Pro Elite.
The
suit says Santa Monica and the four defendants agreed to form
a private company and then conduct a reverse merger with a public
company, which they did. The venture merged with Pro Elite, which
sold branded apparel, according to documents filed with the Securities
and Exchange Commission. The documents say the company raised
$10 million in a private share placement in October.
Santa
Monica Capital Partners did not respond to a request for comment.
Source: North Jersey
|
Quote
of the Day
"Wit
has truth in it; wisecracking is simply calisthenics with words."
Dorothy Parker, 1893-1967, American Writer
|
Dr
Peter Goldman:
Zone Healing For the World's Best Fighters
By Ben Cohen: CAT Scans, x-rays, surgery and physiotherapy are
words familiar to most professional athletes. Injuries can hamper
an athlete's career and personal life to the point where retirement
often seems the best option.
Injury
is frequently a major part of an athlete's life, and an issue
many are willing to live with. The process of rehabilitation
is sometimes too prolonged and expensive for many professionals
to take seriously. For fighters, inactivity spells disaster for
their already fragile careers. If they cannot fight, they cannot
get paid.
Chronic
shoulder, neck and back problems are often dampened with painkillers
and cortisone shots so that a fighter can perform. Sometimes,
they will just fight through it. Fernando Vargas suffered serious
lower back issues. Evander Holyfield has fought with chronic
shoulder pain, while Vitali Klitschko retired at the peak of
his career due to the plethora of injuries sustained over the
years.
There
is a man who says with the utmost confidence, that he can help
you in a few sessions. And those sessions take no longer than
2 minutes each.
Dr
Peter Goldman, DC, or 'Dr Pete' as known to his patients, is
open for 2 hours a day, 5 days a week in his Los Angeles practice.
He is a licensed chiropractor, a former competitive full contact
karate fighter and one of the very few 'Zone Doctors' in the
world.
Although
it seems too good to be true, the testimonials of his high profile
patients suggest otherwise. Lucia Rijker, BJ Penn, Rigan Machado, and Rob Kaman (all
world champions in their various combat sports), have been, or
regularly go to see Dr Pete.
Former
welterweight UFC world champion BJ Penn was so impressed with Dr Pete's healing,
that he flies him out to wherever he is fighting.
Says
Penn: "I had suffered for months with a major neck injury
that had been diagnosed as multiple herniated discs in my neck.
I was in constant pain, especially if I tried to train. Nothing
I had tried to heal myself had worked at all. After only 3 Zone
Healing sessions with Dr. Pete (which took about 2 minutes each!),
my neck was 100% healed and has remained that way. I can't believe
it. In fact, as strange as this may sound, I didn't want to believe
it".
Upon
examining other testimonials on Dr Pete's website, www.drpetergoldman.com,
other amazing healing experiences are not the exception, but
the norm.
The
legendary Heavyweight Kick Boxer, Rob Kaman (regarded by many
to be the best ever), was in serious pain after surgery on his
neck before seeing Dr Pete.
"After
110 professional fights I had surgery on my neck for a herniated
disc but never really recovered and I was always in pain",
says Kaman as part of his testimonial.
"After
a couple of treatments with Dr. Pete, I was as good as new. I
met in my career many healers, and Dr Pete is by far the most
simple and effective healer I have met, and I have been around,
believe me. In my book Dr. Pete is # 1."
So
how exactly does the system, created by a man named Dr Thurman
Fleet in the early 1930's, actually work?
"Zone
Healing is a way to adjust the whole person physically, mentally
and spiritually", says Dr Pete.
"Zone
Healing is something that realises that the body is a reflection
of the life, or the soul, an as the soul goes, the body goes,"
he continues. "Meaning that, because we live in a very physical
world, and people are familiar with what they call cause and
effect, when they have something wrong in their body that is
physical, they always look for a physical cause, so they'll say,
'Oh, my stomach hurts, I must have ate the wrong thing', or 'my
neck hurts, maybe I turned the wrong way', but actually that
is almost never the cause."
And
what then, does Zone Healing attribute physical illness to?
"The
cause is on a soul level," he answers sincerely.
Given
modern medicines philosophy of treating the symptoms, rather
than the cause, how can this be explained to the average person
raised on popping pills and visiting traditional doctors?
"If
someone is angry all the time, your stomach is probably going
to hurt", says Dr Pete, emphasising the relationship between
the soul and the physical. "Another example would be if
people don't express their creativity, their glandular system
can break down".
And
how does the Zone Healing system correct this?
"What
zone healing does is it takes the physical manifestation of the
imbalance and it balances it, addressing the six main systems
of the body; the glandular, the eliminative, nerve, digestive,
muscular and circulatory systems."
"On
a physical level, zone healing will determine which of those
systems need balancing, and then go about balancing them."
When
patients come into Dr Pete's office, they are told to lie face
down on his adjusting table. He then prods at the back of the
patients head, which tells him exactly which of the six zones
are off.
"Your
4th zone is off. That's your digestive system. I'll balance it
for you", he says matter-of-factly.
Dr
Pete then runs his hands down the patients back, and adjusts
a spot on the spine. A popping noise is usually heard, followed
by a huge sensation of relief. He follows with further prodding
of the head, and further 'adjustments' along the spine and the
neck.
Overall,
the process takes 1-2 minutes. He sits the patient up, pats them
on the back saying, "You're done. See me a couple more times".
The
physical side to Zone Healing is only the first stage to genuine
health though, says Dr Pete.
"The
next step Zone Healing takes is to heal people not only on a
physical level, but on a spiritual level. And when that level
is also addressed the physical can heal more efficiently"
Lucia
Rijker, regarded almost universally as the greatest female boxer
ever, is a regular at Dr Pete's, and one of his patients who
has taken Zone Healing beyond just the physical.
"Lucia
is a good friend of mine, and she does get adjusted by me, and
she really understands the philosophy of Dr Fleet and she loves
it herself", says Dr Pete.
"She's
a healthy girl. I met Lucia before her scheduled fight with Christy
Martin, and she had some problems, nothing horrible, a few things
that were not healing, and then unfortunately on an unrelated
note, she busted her Achilles tendon while she was training for
that fight. She's a good friend of mine, and I keep her in tip-top
condition."
Despite
being a licensed chiropractor, and uses many of its technique
when working with, his patients, he believes the profession is
not what it once was.
"Chiropractic
has just fallen apart as a profession in general", he says
candidly. "There are still some great ones out there, but
in general it has become very limited. Chiropractic is great,
there are many different techniques, and what they all want to
do is find out how the spine needs to be aligned and they go
about aligning it. So, I'm a chiropractor by degree, but Zone
Healing, according to its founder, Dr Fleet, has to do with stimulating
the spinal chord to balance the brain centers, which is quite
a few steps above chiropractic as it is known today."
"The
actual manipulation of the bones, any chiropractor could do it,
but it is the consciousness behind it that creates the healing,"
he says.
Although
Dr Pete treats many professional athletes, he does not see himself
as a sports doctor.
"I
like it when a woman, or a man, comes into to see me who has
had asthma their whole life, who has been puffing on an inhaler,
and after a few treatments breathes perfectly and never has to
use their inhaler again. That's what I like to see. I like it
when someone comes in who has had migraine headaches for 10 years
and after a few sessions never have one again. That's what is
really cool to see".
December
18th 2006.
Ben
Cohen can be reached at benfu1@yahoo.com
Source:
SecondsOut.com
|
Francisco
Filho: Debut at 36 years old
By Marcelo Alonso
Considered
one of the great names of K-1 and one of the biggest legends
of the Karate Kyokushin, Francisco Filho have been sounded to
fight at Pride. Out of the rings since May of 2004, the biggest
Brazilian striker ever told us in exclusive interview that he
really wants to get retired fighting MMA. “… I don’t
think about follow a MMA career, but I want to get up the ring
to fight MMA by curiosity”, told Filho. Check out now the
complete interview:
Is
that true that you are promoting now a MMA event in São
Paulo ?
Actually
I am organizating the Ichigeki, which means a blow, a KO. This
is a karate event that was already held last year and people
really liked that, it took place at a Gymnasium that did fit
800 people and many people had to be out of the Gymnasium. So
at this time we wanted to do it at a biggest place, the Lourenção
Gymnasium, on March 10th, putting together the MMA, Karate Kyokushin
and Kickboxing categories. We will do an eliminatory match between
the eight best Brazilian fighters of Kyokushin, two international
Kyokusin bouts, four Kickboxing fights and four MMA bouts.
What
do you have to say about the invitation of Sakakibara to fight
at Pride?
I
want to be back at the ring to finish my career, do like one
or two bouts, get retired and dedicate myself to divulgate the
Karate Kyokushin. What can I tell you is that the invitation
really happened and both had interest, but we haven’t got
any time to do a deal and also to get myself prepared, I am out
of the rings since May of 2004. Since that I haven’t been
training much and I started to dedicate myself to do some seminars
and do some events. I can tell you that a fighter life was much
easier some years ago. I miss my training routine. I am 36 years
old and I spent 25 years training, it is not easy to stop.
According
to him, you would debut against Yoshida...
I
think Yoshida’s game fits really well with mine one. I like
his fighting way, he treats his adversaries well, and he hasn’t
any rivalry. Nowadays we don’t need to act like the past,
MMA is a sport and one of my motivations to fight at Pride.
Are
you already training the ground game?
Actually,
since I started at the K-1 I went to train with Maurice Smith,
so I was already training some ground game. At that time he was
pretty good on MMA and used to give me some ground advises. Now
I have two athletes from my team (Ichigeki): Magno Almeida (64kg)
and Pedro Iriê (81kg), who both came from BJJ and are learning
the standed up game with us. They both had already fought MMA.
So
your Idea is making like Cro Cop...starts to train to avoid the
ground game and keep the bout using your own game...
Yes,
exactly. As I told you, I don’t want to follow the MMA career,
but I want to get up the ring to fight MMA by curiosity.
Do
you like any special athlete into MMA?
Yes,
I like many athletes. I think Minotauro is great, not only because
he is a warrior, but also because of his technique and behavior.
As I told you, I like Yohshida because he is a behavior example
inside of the martial arts and obviously Fedor who is really
tough and technician.
What
about our relationship with BTT?
Actually,
everything happened between me and Bebeo. Thanks to our friendship
I have been at BTT, where I was really well received, but for
now I don’t have any deal. Kyokushin is a world-wide organization
as like BTT, so it does not depends only of my friendship with
Bebeo.
Source: Tatame
|
The
History of the IFL (April 2006-Current)
In less than a year, the International Fight League has already
decided two championships, gone public, and secured a television
deal with Fox Sports Net. The first complete season starts on
Friday in Oakland, California. Let's take a look at what has
happened up until this point.
IFL
Legends Championship
4/29/06:
In the inaugural IFL event, four teams participated in a single
elimination tournament to vie for the “Legends” Championship.
Pat Miletich’s Silverbacks defeated Bas Rutten’s Anacondas
4-to-1, and Maurice Smith’s Tiger Sharks defeated Renzo
Gracie’s Pitbulls 3-to-2. The Silverbacks and Tiger Sharks
move on to the finals.
6/3/06:
Pat Miletich and his Silverbacks team took home the first IFL
championship title at the Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City. The
Silverbacks edged out the Tiger Sharks 3-to-2.
IFL
World Team Championship
Four
teams (Wolfpack, Sabres, Razorclaws, Dragons) join IFL's second
season.
9/9/06:
The “World Team” Championship began in Portland and
saw the Wolfpack and Anacondas defeat the Sabres and Tiger Sharks,
respectively, to advance to the semifinals.
9/23/06:
Pat Miletich’s Silverbacks defeated Renzo Gracie’s
Pitbulls, and Carlos Newton’s Dragons defeated Frank Shamrock’s
Razorclaws to advance to the IFL World Team Championship semifinals.
In a coach versus coach superfight, Renzo Gracie spoiled Pat
Miletich’s comeback with a spectacular guillotine choke
victory in the first round.
11/1/06:
The IFL expands to Europe by announcing a team in the UK for
the 2008 season coached by Ian Freeman.
11/2/06:
Wolfpack defeated the Anacondas 3-to-2 and the Silverbacks defeated
the Dragons 4-to-1. The Silverbacks will meet the Wolfpack in
the finals for the second IFL championship.
11/29/06:
The IFL becomes a publically traded company under the symbol
"IFLI."
12/28/06:
Four more teams to be added to the IFL season in 2008. Jerome
LeBanner (France), Grandmaster D. B. Park (Korea), Mario Sperry
(Brazil), and Dan Henderson (San Diego) are the latest martial
artists to join the IFL as coaches.
12/29/06:
The Silverbacks win the 2006 IFL World Team Championship at the
Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. The Silverbacks
needed only three fights to clinch the title.
IFL
2007 Season
1/19/07:
The first full IFL season starts in Oakland, California, the
first in a total of eleven stops on the 2007 schedule. In addition
to the eight teams that participated in the World Team Championships,
four new teams join the league: Red Bears (Chicago), Lions (Reno),
Scorpions (Tucson), and Condors (Orange County).
Source: MMA Fighting
|
LINDLAND
LOOKS FORWARD TO FEDOR FIGHT
by Ken Pishna
“All that's left is [to put] pen to paper,” said Matt
Lindland. He expects that to happen sometime later today, and
then his agreed upon bout with Fedor Emelianenko, the #1 ranked
heavyweight fighter in the world, becomes a concrete reality.
Besides
being ranked the #1 middleweight fighter in the world, Lindland
also confirmed that, “Yes, I am crazy. That’s why I
got into this sport, but I don't make a habit of taking fights
I don't feel I can win.”
“I
want to fight the best guys out there. I always have,” he
continued. “I appreciate Bodog for giving me the opportunity
to fight the best. Some promoters just want to promote their
guys and are afraid to sign the best because they may beat their
guys, so I found a promotion that believes in me and my abilities.”
Lindland
did say that it’s a little early to talk strategy for the
fight, as he does have another challenge in front of him before
he heads to St. Petersburg, Russia. “I am going to focus
on my fight February 2nd in the IFL against Carlos Newton. I
certainly don't want to overlook him. He is a very talented and
athletic fighter. That is my focus right now. When I get through
this fight, I will focus on a game plan for Fedor.”
When
the ink does go down on the contract later today, Lindland will
be looking forward to a lengthy relationship with BodogFight
and many large, home-cooked meals. “I am fighting heavyweight
for Bodog,” stated Lindland. “They have committed three
heavyweight fights to me and I have committed three heavyweight
fights to them. I am super-excited about this great opportunity.”
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Quote
of the Day
"It's
not what you pay a man, but what he costs you that counts."
Will Rogers, 1879-1935, American Humorist and Entertainer
|
World
Extreme Cagefighting Results
The Joint, Hard Rock Hotel, Las Vegas, NV
January, 20, 2007
-Rob McCullough vs. Kit Cope: Winner - Rob McCullough TKO (Cope
sustained rib injury during fight, verbal submission) 2:53 1st
Round. Rob McCullough becomes the new WEC Lightweight Champion.
-Urijah
Faber vs. Joe Pearson: Winner - Urijah Faber - TKO (Strikes)
2:31 Round 1. Urijah Faber becomes the new WEC Featherweight
Champion
-John
Alessio vs. Brian Gassaway: Winner - John Alessio - Submission
(Rear Naked Choke) - 4:50 1st Round
-Logan
Clark vs. Blas Avena: Winner - Logan Clark - TKO 4:23 3rd Round
-Brendan
Seguin vs. Fernando Gonzalez: Winner - Brendan Seguin - Unanimous
Decision (30-27 on all judges scorecards)
-Alex
Karalexis vs. Olaf Alfonso: Winner - Alex Karalexis - TKO (Doctor's
Stoppage due to a cut) 3:53 2nd Round
-Carlos
Condit vs. Kyle Jensen: Winner - Carlos Condit - Submission (Rear
Naked Choke) 2:10 1st Round
-Mike
French vs. Antonio Banuelos: Winner - Antonio Banuelos - Unanimous
Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26)
-Rich
Crunkilton vs. Mike Joy: Winner - Rich Crunkilton - Submission
(Anaconda Choke) 4:23 3rd Round
Source: MMA Weekly
|
PRIDE
33: The Second Coming returns to Las Vegas
PRIDE returns to the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas with
"The Second Coming" on February 24.
The
only announced bout right now is the main event between Wanderlei
Silva and Dan Henderson.
What
else we know...
-
PRIDE lists the following as expected participants: Antonio Rogerio
Nogueira, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Takanori Gomi, Emelianenko
Alexander, Hayato "Mach" Sakurai, Kazuhiro Nakamura,
Ricardo Arona, Kazuyuki Fujita, and Kazuo Misaki.
-
Pride CEO Nobuyuki Sakakibara has confirmed Takanori Gomi will
be on the card.
-
San Shou kickboxing champion Cung Le has stated that he is training
for a fight at PRIDE 33.
-
Travis Wiuff, Joe Doerksen, and Josh Neer signed three-fight
contracts with PRIDE.
Current
Fight Card:
Wanderlei
Silva vs. Dan Henderson
Antonio Rogerio Nogueira vs. TBA
Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs. TBA
Takanori Gomi vs. TBA
Emelianenko Alexander vs. TBA
Hayato "Mach" Sakurai vs. TBA
Kazuhiro Nakamura vs. TBA
Ricardo Arona vs. TBA
Kazuyuki Fujita vs. TBA
Kazuo Misaki vs. TBA
Source:
MMA Fighting
|
Official:
California Approves Use of Ring for MMA
by Josh Gross
It's taken a year and a half, but mixed martial arts promoters
operating in the state of California now have an option to use
a cage, as popularized by the Ultimate Fighting Championship,
or a roped-ring, such as the one employed by the International
Fight League or PRIDE Fighting Championships, Armando Garcia,
the executive officer of the California State Athletic Commission,
informed Sherdog.com Wednesday morning.
Friday
night in Oakland, Calif., the IFL will become the first MMA organization
to make use of the new rule, when it kicks off its 2007 season.
An
informational meeting will take place Jan. 31 in Los Angeles,
Garcia said, to discuss the impact of this news on mixed martial
arts in the Golden State.
Source: Sherdog
|
Cunha:
new Muay Thai trainer of BTT
The former Chute Boxe trainer Sérgio Cunha was confirmed
today as the new Muay Thai trainer of the Brazilian Top Team
(BTT). Cunha, who spent recently one year in training the Judo
fighter Hideiko Yoshida, will replace Paulo Nikolai, who announced
last week to site TATAME that was leaving the team. One of the
BTT leaders, Murilo Bustamante confirmed exclusively that Cunha
will be part of the team now. “We got a Muay Thai trainer
free place after Nikolai was gone and Cunha was spending some
time in Rio and we met accidentally and then we decided that
he was coming into the team”, said Bustamante.
Source:
Tatame
|
IS
IT MAKE OR BREAK FOR FRANK SHAMROCK?
by Matt Hill
The always popular but lately controversial Frank ‘Juarez’
Shamrock has become something of an MMA legend in recent years.
After beating Tito Ortiz in 1999 for what then was the under
200-pound middleweight championship, Frank retired from active
MMA competition leaving both his fans and the owners and commentators
of the UFC speechless.
Since
his retirement, Frank generally stayed out of the limelight and
was only discussed in MMA forums and on amateur ‘Top Ten’
lists. It wasn’t until Frank officially denounced his retirement
last year and said that he would indeed make an MMA comeback
to fight Cesar Gracie that his name was removed from the ‘retired
MMA greats’ list, and he once again became synonymous with
active MMA superstars.
Since
his dramatic 21-second KO win over Cesar Gracie in his comeback
fight, though, Shamrock has been the topic of much speculation
and confusion with many of his alleged “signed” fights
not actually occurring for one reason or another.
Frank
has been bad-mouthing A.K.A. trained fighter Phil Baroni for
months now and has repeatedly said that the reason his and Baroni’s
fights always fall through is because Baroni is scared to fight
him. Well, whatever the reason that Shamrock’s fights seem
to continually fall through, one thing is for certain…if
Frank doesn’t put his money where his larger-than-life mouth
is soon, promoters and fans alike may choose to drop him like
he dropped some of them almost eight years ago.
Frank
recently joined MMAWeekly’s SoundOff Radio crew. When asked
what is going on in the world of Frank Shamrock, Frank said,
“I’m back in the world of professional fighting, I’m
back to being a prize fighter and if the prize is big enough
I’ll go fight for anybody but the UFC.”
Tonight,
Ken Shamrock’s team the Nevada Lions will take on Frank’s
team the San Jose Razorclaws in what will be the first IFL show
of the New Year. Frank and Ken have always had something of a
tense relationship, and this show will finally give each man
the facility to compete – while not fully head to head –
with one another.
Frank
didn’t have all that much to say when asked about how the
IFL show would play out between he and Ken, but he did say, “It’ll
be business as usual, man…he [Ken] doesn’t talk to
me and I don’t talk to him because he doesn’t have
nothin’ for me.”
Shamrock
continued, “Ken decided many years ago that he didn’t
need to grace himself in my life, so I don’t worry about
it. He doesn’t acknowledge me or have a relationship with
me, so I don’t either.”
Frank
also spoke about his feelings on his upcoming February 10th Elite-XC
fight against Renzo Gracie. This fight will be the first in history
to be aired live on Showtime and Frank seems to be excited to
fight who he considers the top of the Gracie food chain.
Frank
said of Renzo, “Well, I think he’s the best of the
Gracie’s. I think he’s the most active and the most
experienced out there right now…I’m so excited to fight
any Gracie and in particular Renzo. I think that his style matches
up with mine perfectly. Most people know – and for those
who don’t know – I’ve been training in boxing
for the past five years, and I just see me knocking his head
off and going home and buying another house.”
Perhaps
the biggest point of contention in Shamrock’s career right
now is his on again/off again fight with the ‘New York Bad
Ass’ Phil Baroni. When asked if his highly anticipated fight
with Baroni was actually going to happen this time around, Frank
simply said, “Yeah, it’s finally going to happen.”
Assuming
that Frank does actually live up to his end of all of the contracts
that he has apparently signed, it will be a busy year for the
former UFC middleweight champion. This quite possibly could be
the most critical year thus far in Shamrock’s career; a
year in which he either solidifies himself as one of the all-time
MMA greats and keeps his legacy in tact, or he and his legacy
go down for the count as nothing more than big publicity stunts.
Hopefully,
this year fans will get a definitive answer on this issue and
will finally be able to truly rank Shamrock for his MMA accomplishments,
not simply his trash-talking talents.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
For
Immediate Release
CONFERENCE
CALL QUOTES
FRANK SHAMROCK, RENZO GRACIE & GARY SHAW
Celebrated former five-time world champion and MMA pioneer Frank
Shamrock and world renowned, revenge-minded Brazilian Jiujitsu
expert Renzo Gracie will usher in the next generation of Mixed
Martial Arts with EliteXC when their match-up highlights an explosive
MMA fight card airing live for the first time on premium television.
The
battle between the two legendary fighters will transpire in the
main event on SHOWTIME, Saturday, Feb 10, at 10 p.m. ET/PT (delayed
on the west coast) from the DeSoto Civic Center in Southaven,
Miss.
Opening
Comments.
Shaw:
Welcome to “Destiny’’ – Shamrock vs. Gracie.
Two world famous names from the two first families of MMA. Took
14 years to make this fight (but it is happening) and we are
so excited to be working with SHOWTIME (for this historic event)
in Southaven, Miss., on Feb. 10. We are going to stream the entire
undercard for the first time live in real time starting at 7
p.m. eastern time. You will get to see every undercard fight,
get in the dressing rooms and do the things that have never been
done in this sport before. You are going to see a great card
and obviously, the main event, I believe, is history making.
For me (to go from) boxing to mixed martial arts, it is unbelievable
that I am involved with Shamrock and Gracie on my very, very
first promotion for EliteXC. So on behalf of ProElite, our public
corporation and everybody that has worked hard to put this together,
we are very excited and I thank you so much for being with us.
Gracie:
It is a great pleasure to be joining this amazing event that
ProElite is putting together with SHOWTIME and it is a great
pleasure to be fighting Frank Shamrock. I cannot wait until Feb.
10. The best thing of all is I will have the best seat in the
house.
Shamrock:
Thank you for (participating on this call) and supporting our
event. This is a monumental time in mixed martial arts, not only
with Shamrock and Gracie, but also with the inclusion of SHOWTIME,
the first major network to experience mixed martial arts. It
is going to open it to a whole new group of people. It is going
to bring a whole new crowd and appreciation of the sport of mixed
martial arts. This is the world’s oldest sport and one of
the most beautiful things you can experience, especially when
you see it live and/or live on SHOWTIME. Fighting Renzo Gracie
has always been a dream of mine and I will bring 100 percent
of my game. I am pleased to show you guys my soul when I fight
that man in the cage.
Press
Questions.
Question:
Describe briefly the family history between the Gracie’s
and Shamrock’s.
Gracie:
I think we are the two biggest fighting names in America. We
have been fighting since 1993. I hope one day I will see my grandson
fighting Frank’s grandson. Even though it looks like it
is a feud between families, it is actually just a feud between
athletes and a chance to measure ourselves against each other
and test our skills.
Shaw:
(Joking) Gracie, do not claim to now suddenly be an American.
Shamrock’s the American. You are the Brazilian. You may
live and eat here.
Gracie:
Just to let you know I was accepted as a citizen a month ago.
Shaw:
Welcome as a citizen, but you will be walking into the cage holding
a Brazilian flag.
Gracie:
No problem. Give me that thing; I will hold it up in the highest
standards as possible.
Question:
Frank, there was some questions when the fight was announced.
Apparently, the contract with Strike Force was to fight in April.
There were some questions to whether that fight could impact
this fight on Feb. 10. Has it been straightened out?
Shamrock:
It has been straightened out. Strike Force and I have a really
good business relationship and we have been able to see past
the points. We are all in a very healthy relationship together.
So I am very much looking forward to not only fighting on Feb.
10 and opening up SHOWTIME, but also fulfilling my obligation
to Strike Force.
Question:
Explain the crossover from boxing and what is the appeal for
you to be in MMA?
Shaw:
Thrilling. I have been watching this space since the late 1990's
when I was a regulator in New Jersey. I had an interest in buying
it when I was Chief Operating Officer of another company. The
last two years, my son kept saying to me, ‘you've got to
get into this space.’ I kept telling him I was a boxing
promoter and to leave me alone. Then one day he said to me, ‘You
know, you have got an A personality and you can go to the train
station and you are not going to be the engineer. You are going
to be standing there watching the caboose pull out.’ That
really resonated with me. Then I put on probably the best fight
in the last decade – Corrales and Castillo. When we only
sold about 3,000 seats and I had to do a lot of papering and
I am looking at all these local and regional mixed martial arts
shows doing 2,000 to 5,000, I said, ‘There is either something
wrong with boxing or something very right with the MMA.”
I just kept watching it and I saw it grow and I saw the pay-per-view
numbers. When I put all this together, I knew I needed to get
into that space.
It
did not mean that I was abdicating my responsibilities tending
to my boxers or to what I do in the boxing arena, but I felt
that this was a spectacular opportunity for me personally with
EliteXC and all the great people here to be involved in a public
company and to try to bring this to the next level and to bring
a real U.S. competitor onto the field that was dominated strictly
by the UFC.
I
am not looking to put them out of business. I am just looking
to be a good competitor as the space in boxing is for (Bob) Arum,
(Don) King and myself. There is enough space and enough fan appeal.
This is a sport with the demographics that everybody says is
18-36. I challenge that. I believe it includes those way past
36. I will bet that if you spoke to Renzo and Frank and other
guys that have schools you will find out what the real demographics
are and they have a lot of people in there past the age of 36.
Mixed
martial arts also has a rabid fan base. In boxing, the demographics
are (different); we do not have a rabid fan base. In boxing,
we are looking for the easy fight. There is something wrong with
a sport where a guy fights two hard fights and then everybody
says you have got to give him an easy fight. He fought two hard
fights. I do not get that because everyday when people go to
work, I do not think they tell the boss, ‘I worked hard
the last two days so for the next two days I should not have
to work hard.’ It is upside down.
The
other thing great about MMA is a loss is not career ending. You
look at champions and they are 14-4 or 18-6, whatever the case
is, and there is nothing wrong with submitting. Everybody goes
in there to win, but there is no embarrassment in a loss. These
are great athletes with great discipline and it just gave me
a wonderful opportunity. I am glad to be the first major boxing
promoter that crossed over into this space. Obviously, what made
it extra special for me was being able to do a three-year deal
with SHOWTIME.
Question:
Gary, can boxing co-exist with this sport?
Shaw:
No, I would not go so far as to say that boxing will be over
the edge. Boxing has survived a lot of black eyes – a couple
that I had on my own face. But it will be here long after I am
gone. It just may not be here in the same way that you see it
today. I believe that the mixed martial arts space will start
to cannibalize, both from SHOWTIME and from HBO. You may see
a lot of mixed martial arts on HBO and a lot on SHOWTIME and
sporadic boxing -- maybe only the big fights or the huge, huge
pay-per-views. I think that is where you are going to see it
upside down. The other difference between us and everybody else
besides us streaming live Internet, real time fights, is the
fact that we are free. Everybody else for the big fights now
are putting everything on pay-per-view. Anybody that has SHOWTIME
can see us. I think that is important. If mixed martial arts
is going to hurt themselves, it will be the same way that boxing
has hurt itself. For free, you can watch Joe against Bob; but
for a real fight, you have got to give us $49.95. That is why
with SHOWTIME we said we had to do X amount of cards that were
not pay-per-view.
Question:
Frank, what is it like now being on a major network and what
are your thoughts as you see the sport progress?
Shamrock:
I have always known the sport would be what it is today and I
have always known that when people see what is really going on,
when society grew up and realized that there was nothing wrong
with it and it is people expressing themselves, I always knew
that it would be where it is. I am just glad to be a part of
it. I am 34 years old. I am nearing the end of my physical prime,
but my mind, spirit and soul are stronger than ever. When people
see that, when people see Renzo express himself and when people
see me knock him out, it is going to be a whole other level of
fan base.
Question:
Gary, you mentioned how this MMA experience is going to be different
for fans with the streaming video on the web. Can you talk us
through more details on that?
Shaw:
We are really excited. The President of our Internet site is
Kelly Perdew, who was the winner of the second season of “The
Apprentice’’ and worked for Donald Trump for 18 months.
Anybody who can do that can really work with us. The streaming
is going to be live. Some have given you webcasts and some have
given it to you after the main card is over. We are giving it
to you real time live. You are going to see it in the quality
of an actual television broadcast. That is the exciting part.
We will be going there, giving you all the things, taking you
backstage, talking to the fighters. Not only those on the Internet,
but we are going to take you into Renzo’s dressing room,
Frank’s dressing room, watching them come in, watching their
camps, getting the stuff that the average fan always wanted to
see. Even when I watched boxing matches, I always said, “Boy,
I wish I could have been at that press conference.” We are
going to film the press conference. We are going to do the weigh-in.
We want to give everybody a total 100 percent complete feel as
if they were part of the EliteXC team. Ultimately, what we want
to do is grow this sport. The hope of everybody at EliteXC is
that in 2012, and it may be a really lofty wish, that we can
make this an Olympic sport. You can only do that by going to
the masses, by showing everything and showing what wonderful
athletes these are. In the 1990's, this was an underground sport.
(Not so anymore). In boxing, we say styles make fights. The same
thing here. You have a Brazilian jujitsu expert or maybe a black
belt, and maybe you have a striker – a guy that is more
like a boxer or a kick boxer. So it is real strategy. To see
all this, to give us the opportunity to bring to you young guys
that will be on the Internet with millions of eyeballs that would
never get this chance (is a thrill). Their big chance is to move
from the Internet to SHOWTIME. We are going to go around the
United States and run some tournaments with prize money and the
big prize will be to get on our Internet show. Then if they show
who they are, right from the Internet, we go right on to SHOWTIME.
We are doing something I do not think has ever been done. Also,
we are doing a half-hour preview barker show for the show that
will run on SHOWTIME. People from SHOWTIME can tell you when
it is actually going to start. But it is a spectacular preview
show. We are spending our money and putting it where our mouth
is by bringing to the fans everything that they have not seen.
That is what the Internet is all about. We are going to build
web sites for the fighters. We are doing things that haven't
been done. We want to be fighter friendly. We want every fighter
to know that it’s not a promoter versus boxer, but we are
a team. So we are going to build web sites for them at our own
cost, do chats, all those type of things that have never been
done for the fighters in this sport.
Question:
How many fights will be part of the SHOWTIME telecast?
Shaw:
There will be five fights on SHOWTIME and five fights live on
the Internet. If we run out of time, I will go in the cage myself.
That is a joke.
Question:
Gary, does Gina Carano have an opponent yet?
Shaw:
Yes, she does. Her opponent is Julie Kedzie. That fight is signed,
sealed and delivered. Gina Carano, looks-wise, is a 12 to a 15.
I went to lunch with Gina. I told her I wanted her to be the
woman’s face of MMA because she is beautiful inside and
outside. She let me talk like a promoter for 20 minutes and then
she leaned over and I thought she was going to kiss me. Instead,
she stuck her finger by my nose and said, ‘I heard you,
but let me tell you something. I can fight.’ Gina will be
the first woman that will ever be featured on SHOWTIME live –
and that’s boxing and mixed martial arts.
Question:
Frank and Renzo, what led you to this fight?
Gracie:
I have been training a lot over the past eight months and I had
two fights. Then I received the proposal to fight Frank on SHOWTIME.
It is such a big happening, I could not say no even though I
was looking forward to a little vacation in Greece with some
sun and a nice margarita in my hand. It will be afterwards that
I will be having my vacation.
Shamrock:
For me, I was the Michael Jordan of this sport when nobody was
watching. I beat everybody in the world. I beat every world champion.
I fought in 10 different styles, and unfortunately, at that time,
it was not the popular thing to be doing. So I sat out of the
sport and I started some businesses and built some wealth for
my family and I continued to train in martial arts. As the sport
grew and as I watched the idea of MMA become accepted in our
society, I grew more and more excited about fighting. I have
fought for promotions in the past – some of them good and
some of them bad. I have built and launched quite a few promotions
and I have launched quite a few shows. I am very interested now
in reestablishing my name as the name for mixed martial arts.
I believe, and whether everyone else believes it yet or not,
I believe that I am the greatest fighter in the world and I am
just looking forward to showing that to everybody. I let my fists
and my feet and my actions do the talking. If you know me, you
know that I do not let anybody down.
Question:
You both are heavily involved in the International Fight League
and Frank has an event Friday. Has it been difficult to juggle
those responsibilities with preparing for a fight?
Shamrock:
It has been for me. It has been both a blessing and a minor curse.
It takes a lot of energy to build a good time and to guide them
to victory. It takes a lot of you and a lot of discipline to
give of yourself each day to them while at the same time needing
a lot of time to train. But it has been a blessing because I
have my boys there everyday and they want nothing more than victory
and they bring it to me as hard as they can. So it has stepped
my game up a level and it has been worth the sacrifice.
Gracie:
Yes, it is a blessing to have them around because I am actually
pushing them as I push myself. So I am sweaty and suffering together
with them and I see no problem at all in coaching them. It is
actually a blast because that keeps me in shape and keeps me
sharp because they are all fighters. To have the chance to train
with them and spar with them and do everything with them not
only drives them forward, but they are driving me too. So it
has been a great time. The best time of my life actually.
Question:
You have both been involved in this sport since the beginning
and I am sure you both will always be involved in MMA. Renzo,
how much longer do you see yourself taking fights as opposed
to just permanently coaching or something of that sort?
Gracie:
I really do not know. I feel like I am in the best shape of my
life and I feel when I train with the young guys like I can still
have a top game. Even though you need a lot of time to dedicate
yourself towards fighting -- and I have a lot of business going
on right now – my school has 560 students and business is
booming and I need to expand – but I enjoy so much to fight.
Since my childhood, it has been my aim to become a fighter. This
is a dream come true. I never expected to make my living out
of my teaching and I can fight. For sure, I will be involved
in this for the rest of my life.
Shamrock:
I will probably fight until I am about 45 or so. My body is in
great shape. I have always taken care of it. I am a professional
martial artist, so this is what I do each and every day of my
life and this is what I will continue to do until I am too old
to stand up. Then I will sit on the ringside and yell at my grandkids
and tell them what to do. But martial arts is a way of life for
me and as long as they will let me fight, I will keep fighting.
Question:
Gary, can you explain what your thinking is behind the 15-second
ground rule and if that will be enacted and how? Then I would
like Frank and Renzo’s thoughts.
Shaw:
The rule basically right now in mixed martial arts is if there
is no action on the ground, the referee has the right to stand
them up. All I want to do is to allow the fans, both on television
and in the arena, to know what is happening. I am not looking
to change the rule. I am not looking to hurt someone that has
a spectacular ground game. All I am looking to do is to educate
and to keep the fight moving in action. Keep bringing the fans
action and the fan base will keep growing. So all we want to
do is mic the referee so you can hear the referee say to the
fighters, ‘Come on, guys. If I do not see any movement,
I am going to stand you up’ or whatever the referee says.
We are not scripting the referee. At a point where he feels that
there is going to be a lull in the action, he can say, ‘I
am putting you on the clock.’ Both fighters at that point
know that within 15 seconds, if there is not real movement or
fighting or change of position or whatever, the ref is going
to stand them up. Then everybody in the television world and
the people in the arena will know, and at the end of 15 seconds
it will go. The point is that everybody will be educated and
not trying to figure out what is happening on the ground.
Question:
Renzo, do you feel that will affect your game?
Gracie:
No, honestly I think it will be the same fight style. I am very
active when I hit the ground and if I hit the ground, I will
be working, and I do not see any reason to bring the fight up.
I think it was a little misunderstanding when Gary said for the
first time the 15-second rule; people thought (it meant that)
just the moment you hit the ground, (you) count to 15 seconds
and then get up again. But it is not that. It will be actually
15 seconds of inactivity. So if you are just sitting there, it
is better to bring the fight up and throw some bombs to see what
happens. That is better for the people, for the television, and
better for the show.
Question:
Gary is this something that you have discussed with the athletic
commissions and have they been receptive to that?
Shaw:
I have not gone around to 20 or 21 states. Whatever state we
bring our show to, we will always abide by the local commission
rules or regulations. It does not mean that I will not ask them
for an exception to a rule or regulation. But wherever it is
allowed, we will do it.
Question:
How can the sport is going to gain national acceptance and how
long will it take?
Shaw:
I do not know every reporter that is on this call right now.
But I know a couple of boxing writers are on here and I know
I have talked to a couple of boxing writers as well as some boxing
web sites. Those are the things that let me know that everything
is changing. I think what is going to happen with the boxing
writers, it will start off with a boxing column with notes on
the MMA, and little by little, it will switch. I believe the
editors of the newspapers will be telling their sports writers
to start covering mixed martial arts. In the last two weeks alone,
60 Minutes did a complete piece on mixed martial arts. I believe
CNBC is running a three part series of which I saw the first
one on mixed martial arts. I can tell you the Los Angeles Times
had a front- page story, two full pages, on MMA. The New York
Times last week. So I think that speaks for itself. I see it
turning quickly. The fact that SHOWTIME has now gotten into this
space will create other writers to now write about it and travel.
I do not know how many writers we will have in Mississippi for
this fight, but I guarantee that by the end of the year it will
be a question of which writers sit in front row and press row
and who sits in the second and third rows. I think that is going
to be the change. We are a writer friendly corporation. We will
credential everybody. We will feed you all first class. We will
take care of you first class and you will have a first class
experience with EliteXC and ProElite.
Question:
Renzo and Frank, what is your ultimate goal and what do you think
about the future of EliteXC on SHOWTIME?
Gracie:
I do believe it is such a beautiful sport and such an interesting
sport to watch and so appealing. I really look forward to seeing
one day MMA as big as boxing. I do not look down on boxing at
all. I think it is an unbelievable art and I admire all the great
fighters that I have watched through my whole life. I definitely
think MMA fighters should be on the same level. I see the sport
taking off and being on the same level that boxing is today.
Shamrock:
I see this sport being the next greatest sport and if it takes
over boxing, I do not think that is as important as the people
involved or as the idea behind it. It speaks about our society.
It is an American sport. It is what we do. It is man on man and
it is beautiful when you look at it and you understand it, and
you understand the people, and you understand the reasons. When
you live a martial lifestyle, it is a beautiful thing. I think
EliteXC is going to be tremendously successful in promoting that
idea of a martial arts lifestyle into the mainstream and into
the masses. I am glad to be a part of it.
Question:
What is your ultimate goal personally?
Gracie:
My ultimate goal would be to be teaching this art which I love
so much, and pass it to future generations in my family, in order
to bring this sport to a higher level. To be involved in such
a gift, my goal is to actually teach the art that I excel.
Shamrock:
My goal is to make a difference in people’s lives, to change
people’s lives for the better through martial arts. That
is what it has done for me. And if I can teach that and do that
and help people and teach people to do that, then that would
be my ultimate goal. That is what I am doing it all for.
Question:
Gary, you said you wished to encourage more cooperation between
all of the existing mixed martial arts promotions, especially
when it came to the sharing of talent. Now that you have your
card done and you are a few months in, how has that worked out?
Shaw:
Well, it worked out great. The fact that Frank and Renzo came
on board to fight on our first card really legitimized me and
ProElite and EliteXC. For that, whether I last one fight in this
career or 100 years, I will always be eternally grateful to each
one of those two gentlemen. They both have a friend for life
in me. As far as working with other promoters, I believe to grow
this sport, you need to work together because when a UFC fighter
or a Strike Force, etc., hold up those belts, they are only a
club champion. They are only the champion of those fighters in
that organization. My dream is when someone gets in the cage,
to hold up that belt and truly say, “I am the world champion.”
And the sport is growing and it is big, but it could bust out.
It could hit stratospheric levels. If we could put a UFC fighter
against a Pride fighter, etc., that is how you grow this sport.
Then the fans are going to go crazy for this sport. That is how
you will do a $2 million pay-per-view. Being inclusive instead
of exclusive is how you will really grow this sport.
Question:
What has been your experience in the last couple of months suggesting
that to the existing mixed martial arts community?
Shaw:
I have not had the real opportunity to sit one on one with anybody,
but hopefully I will in the near future. I have just been focused
on Feb. 10. I think everybody sees the light and I think everybody
needs to see us put on a show. They want to know how long EliteXC
is going to be around. It is going to be around a long time and
there a lot of very smart people in this company and it is a
public company. There are a lot of people putting their faith
and trust in us. I think we will get a lot of cooperation. Ask
me after Feb. 10 and when we do our next event, and I will be
better able to answer.
Question:
Frank, you said it has always been your dream to fight Renzo.
Could you elaborate?
Shamrock:
I think Renzo is the best of the Gracie’s. He has always
taken the tough fights. He has always presented himself as a
respectful martial artist, as a mixed martial artist, as a warrior.
A lot of the other Gracie’s have not. They have taken easy
fights and have worked hard to protect their name and name value.
I understand the business side of it, but when I think of a Gracie,
I think of Renzo. He is the only one as I see that has the potential
of that family, of that clan, to beat me and the only thing that
gets me up in the morning after 13 years of being a professional
fighter is the fear that somebody might actually beat me.
Question:
Gary, you talked about the appeal of mixed martial arts based
on the high ratings, the large crowds and that type of thing.
In boxing, everybody recognizes those numbers, but there is still
controversy over the legitimacy of MMA as a fellow combat sport
to boxing. Talk a little bit about the sport aspect?
Shaw:
I am a former regulator in the state of New Jersey, and I was
one of the regulators who turned down MMA in the 1990's when
I thought it was the wild, wild west. Since that time, there
have been some rules, medical regulations that have gone into
effect, and I have come to appreciate this sport more by watching
and studying it – I cannot say as a fan, but as a business
venture – and then to see these athletes and to see how
well trained they are and how difficult their disciplines are.
If you get a really great athlete, you can possibly turn them
into a boxer in a very short time. I do not know that you can
get a ju-jitsu black belt in a year or to have the skills that
Shamrock has in a year. That is an example. But you can get a
real talented athlete to start to box and to move. So I think
what I could bring to the sport is, as I go around from town
to town and talk to more and more press and more and more people,
I think I can explain what this sport is about, what it brings,
why it should be an Olympic sport. I am not sure I can understand
the explosion myself. I think part of it is that this generation
grew up with these video games and X-Boxes and computers and
things that you and I did not have. Growing up with all these
video games, they appreciate the MMA. I was in the video game
business. I sold a lot of these games. I collected a lot of quarters
out of machines. The most that I ever collected were out of games
like Mortal Combat and video games like that. So I think the
fan out there is an extension of the video game. The other thing
that this sport has that boxing does not is when you look into
the arena, you see guys with girlfriends, you see guys with wives,
and you see girls with girls. It is different than in boxing.
You do not see that type of crowd. I do not know why. If I stick
my foot in oil and I feel it slide and I can smell that oil,
I know I hit pay dirt. I know in the MMA with EliteXC and ProElite,
I hit pay dirt.
Question:
One big difference from a business standpoint is that your company
will work with Don King Productions or Top Rank in boxing. That
does not happen in the mixed martial arts. Everybody has their
own organization that has its own set of rules and champions
and rankings. Why did EliteXC decide to take that structure rather
than more of a boxing structure?
Shaw:
EliteXC really, under my tutelage, is trying to do the boxing
structure. I am not trying to sign people to exclusive contracts
with EliteXC that says I own you and you cannot fight anywhere
else. To the contrary, I want to encourage the fighters that
fight with EliteXC to go fight in a Pride event or a K1 or whatever
it is. I am trying to say that as big as this sport is right
now, one and one will always only equal two. If we do co-promotions,
one and one will equal three. That is the word I have to get
out and the best way to get it done and to get people to cooperate
is through the writers. Beyond the writers, it is the fighters
themselves, so that the UFC fighter or K1 or Pride or anyone
else finally says to their promoter, ‘Hey man, I want to
fight on SHOWTIME. I want to fight that guy. They say he is the
best. I want to fight him.’ That is the way to do it. When
you get that going, then I will show you $2 million in pay-per-view,
and I will show you standing room only in a 20,000-seat arena.
Maybe by then, we can then go over and get a European against
an American. It just changes the whole sport.
Question:
Frank and Renzo, can you guys talk about how it is being in EliteXC
compared to UFC or some of the other organizations that are out
there?
Shamrock:
Speaking on my behalf, my experience with the UFC was not as
pleasurable. EliteXC is very professionally run and organized.
They obviously have a lot of forethought into the future of mixed
martial arts. So far it has been a very pleasant experience and
they treat talent like talent. When I train six hours a day,
I do not want to go home and worry if my plane ticket is booked
and if things are done. EliteXC, being a public company and a
public entity, I do not have to worry about that stuff. They
are straight up businessmen. Regarding co-promotions, at the
end of the day, the people are going to demand that the best
people fight the best people. The fans are going to say, ‘I
want the best to fight the best.’ If you have 58 million
shows and everybody is claiming to be the best, there can only
be one greatest fighter in the world. There is only one Muhammad
Ali and what Gary is trying to do is the right idea. We need
to find the best fighters and bring them to one show and have
them work together to get it done.
Question:
Renzo, how is it working for you?
Gracie:
I am a very lucky guy. Every experience I have had was great.
I never had the chance to fight with UFC, but every experience
I had fighting was always great. Even the riots that we had in
Brazil were an unbelievable and unforgettable experience. I think
fighting is my business and is what I love. Every organization
that gave me the opportunity to fight is a great organization
for me. I am biased because I love fighting so much that I can
only see the good side.
Question:
Gary, when you were deciding on what your offering would look
like and ways to differentiate your product from the UFC, did
a team-based fight league ever occur to you guys?
Shaw:
Yes, I looked at it before I teamed up with ProElite and EliteXC,
and there is nothing against the IFL because I believe anyone
that is legitimate in this sport helps the sport. However, I
do not see this sport as a team sport. It is a one on one effort.
I have been approached in boxing on several occasions, including
this past year, about doing a boxing league. I just do not see
it. Frank Shamrock worked long and hard for 13-14 years to be
where he is today -- Renzo Gracie the same thing. I do not see
putting a team together. I think what the sport is all about
is man on man, one against one, let it all hang out. As Shamrock
has said over and over, he is going to bare his soul. For me,
I do not see this is a team sport. I do not see it as a tag team.
I see it as one on one, both walk in the cage, and only one walks
out the winner. That is what I think is the real attraction for
the fans. I have nothing against the IFL. I hope they have huge
success because the success that everybody can have on the professional
and amateur level will only help the schools that Shamrock and
Gracie have, and only help the sport, and in 2012 I hope that
I will be somewhere saying I was a part of getting this to be
an Olympic sport.
Question:
What brought the venue to Mississippi for the first show?
Shaw:
Everybody expected us to take the show to Las Vegas or somewhere
in California. I have always believed that the best way is to
see, touch, feel, smell, and when you do that you increase the
fan base. I have done mid-South. I helped do the biggest boxing
promotion in the world in Memphis in Lennox Lewis and Mike Tyson.
I went to Mississippi because it is legal. The arena is 15 minutes
from Beale Street, which is like Bourbon Street in Memphis and
about 20 minutes away from all the casinos. We will know if it
is a good decision by me or you will write what a bad decision
it was on Feb. 11.
Question:
Renzo, what strategies will you use that you would care to share?
Gracie:
Actually, this fight is different from other sports that all
they do is bash each other and try to talk down their opponents
so they can shine. I think it comes down to exactly what you
say. It comes down to both of us in the ring and the referee
to be the mediator. We like our action to speak for ourselves
and we do not need to downgrade anybody in order to look better.
We are both gentlemen. Our sport is a family sport. In that stadium,
you will see kids, wives and grandmothers there. It is a family
sport.
Question:
What are we going to see from you in the ring?
Gracie:
I am going to give everything I have. I am looking to submit
Frank the same way that he is looking to knock me out. The sport
will come down to both of us in there. Nothing we say now will
actually count.
Shamrock:
I have more respect for Renzo than most of my family members.
He is an honorable man, a martial artist. Anybody who lives this
life and teaches and gives back and creates a community is a
good man. When we fight, we fight. I say I am going to knock
him out because that is what I believe. But I harbor no feelings,
negative or otherwise, against him. I respect him more than anything
and that is why I am fighting him. What you are going to see
from me in the fight from a technical standpoint is I am punching
with power. I am going to try to knock his head off and then
he is going to try to get me to the ground and twist off my limbs
and I am going to smash him for doing it and pop back up and
get back into my game. I fight a very fast, effective counter
wrestling, counter jujitsu and striking game, and I am also a
submission expert. So I go with whatever the flow gives me. Everybody
knows what style Renzo has. His expertise is on the ground. He
likes to do a little standup. I love to bang and I love to fight
and I love to make people tired and doubt themselves and then
I like to smack them in the head.
Question:
You do not think ring rust is going to be an issue?
Shaw:
I do not think it is. It has never been a problem in the past
and I think these people that talk about ring rust do not go
to the gym everyday and spar for three or four hours and train
their boys. I do this everyday all day long. I am now going and
doing it on SHOWTIME with somebody that I respect and somebody
that I think can beat me, which makes me train even harder
Question:
Renzo, do you have any closing comments and a prediction on this
fight?
Gracie:
If I can do any predictions, I would actually play the lottery.
Last week was $125 million. I really do not. The beauty of this
sport is it is a surprise, to be there and see what happens.
I can tell you what happened only after Feb. 0.
Question:
Renzo, you make light of the fact Frank is going to beat you
up and obviously you are joking. Seriously, deep down, you are
coming to win and expect to win, right?
Gracie:
Definitely. I know Frank is an extremely dangerous opponent and
that is the main reason why I took this fight. But I am coming
in to win. I am going to give everything I have to win. It is
going to be a battle. It is going to be a wonder to watch. If
I did not have the best seat in the house already, I would be
sitting there to watch that fight.
Question:
With all your experience, do you feel pressure?
Gracie:
No, not at all. I know what my capabilities are and I know my
knowledge. I can perform according to that. I definitely have
a big heart and have proven that many times. I know all these
things combined make a great fighter. I know I have those qualities
and I know it always shows when I fight.
Question:
With all that is at stake, is there any revenge or family feud
type things you are trying to settle?
Gracie:
Actually, I do not even think about revenge. I just let everything
be a blank and I know I can control the techniques that I know.
I let everything be natural and just happen. I am going to be
looking for whatever Frank gives me so that I can use that to
improve my chances to win and to look for a finishing hold or
something like that.
Question:
Frank, any your closing thoughts?
Shamrock:
I want to thank everybody for being supportive of the MMA. I
know it is new and different and I know that it is intimidating
to some. I truly believe in my heart and soul that it is the
purest expression of the human being. Renzo knows this. When
you are in there and fighting, and you are fighting with your
spirit and your soul, there is nothing that makes you more complete
or makes you closer to another person and to the human race than
just letting it all hang out. When I go in and fight, there is
nothing on my mind but winning and victory and doing the most
amount of damage with the least amount of energy and the least
amount of effort. Whoever walks out of that ring the winner on
Feb. 10, everybody is the winner – SHOWTIME, MMA, ProElite,
Renzo, me – everybody is going to win out of this because
we are the first families of mixed martial arts. And for us to
be back in there again at this stage of the game, it just means
that this sport has been reborn and the future is beyond imagination.
Shaw:
Thanks to Frank and Renzo and the first families of MMA. We have
a great supporting cast for them as well. Thank you all for being
on this call for us. You can reach me at gary.shaw@proelite.com.
Source:
Gracie Fighter
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