Upcoming
Events
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(All events on Oahu, unless noted)
2008
1/26/08
NAGA Hawaii
(BJJ & Sub Grappling)
(Location TBA)
Tentative
2007
11/24/07
Kickin It
(Kickboxing)
(Dole Cannery Ballroom)
11/10/07
Aloha State
Championship of BJJ
(BJJ/Sub Grappling)
(Klum Gym UH Manoa)
10/26/07
Kickin It / Got Skills
(Kickboxing, Varios)
(Filcom Center, Waipahu)
9/28/07
Kickin It / Got Skills
(Kickboxing, Varios)
(Filcom Center, Waipahu)
9/15/07
Icon Sport
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena)
September
Gracie Fighting Championships
(MMA)
8/23-25/07
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu World Championshihps
(BJJ)
(The Pyramid, Long Beach, CA)
8/12/07
Punishment
In Paradise 17
(MMA & Kickboxing)
(Hawaiian Waters, Kapolei)
8/10/07
Kick In It / Got Skills
Filcom Center
7/28/07
Maui Jiu-Jitsu Tournament
(BJJ & Sub Grappling)
(Maui War Memorial Gymnasium, Wailuku, Maui)
7/21/07
Garden Island Cage Match 6
(Kickboxing, MMA)
(Hanapepe Stadium, Kauai)
7/14/07
Patriot Fighting Championships
(MMA & Kickboxing)
(Kaneohe Marine Corps Base)
7/13/07
Hawaii Fighting Championships: Stand Your Ground 3
(Kickboxing & MMA)
(Dole Cannery Ballroom)
6/30/07
Icon Sport: Fearless
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena)
6/29/07
MMA Contendors: Conflict - The Beginning
(MMA)
(Farrington H.S. Gym)
6/23/06
Ultimate Fight Night
(BJ Penn vs Jens Pulver)
(Spike TV)
6/23/07
Hawaiian Open of BJJ
(BJJ/Sub Grappling)
(Klum Gym UH Manoa)
6/22/07
Got
Skills
(Kickboxing/MMA)
(Waipahu Filcom)
6/12/07 or 6/13/07
Full Contact Showdown
(San Shou, Kickboxing, MMA)
6/12/07
UFC Fight Night
(MMA)
(Spike Oceanic 559)
6/3/07
The Quest for Champions 2007
(Sport-Pankration, Submission-Grappling, Continuous Sparring
and Sport-Jujitsu)
(Saint Louis High School Gym)
5/27/07
Benefit Concert for the 2007 Hawaii Junior Olympic Boxing Team
(Ewa Ranch, Ewa Beach)
5/26/07
UFC 71 Liddell vs Rampage
(MMA)
(PPV Oceanic 701)
Memorial Day Mayhem
(Kickboxing)
(Kalaheo High School Gym)
5/19/07
Kickin it
(Kickboxing)
(Waipahu Filcom Center)
5/12/07
Punishment In Paradise: Untouchables
(Kickboxing)
(Hawaiian Waters, Kapolei)
USA-Boxing Hawaii Fundraising Event
(Boxing)
(Palolo Gym)
5/5/07
ROTR Qualifer: Beat Down 3
(MMA)
(Hilo Civic Center, Hilo)
4/28/07
Pride
Fighting Championships:
(PPV)
(Thomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas, NV)
Maui MMA Event
(MMA)
(Maui)
K-1 World GP
(Kickboxing)
(Honolulu)
4/27/07
XMA
(MMA, Kickboxing)
4/24/07
Professional Boxing
(Boxing)
(Waipahu Filcom Center)
4/20/07
Kickin It 2007 Part 3
(Kickboxing)
(Filcom Center, Waipahu)
4/7/07
Got Skills
(Kickboxing)
(Waipahu Filcom Center)
Papakolea Jiu-Jitsu Club Tournament
(BJJ & Sub Grappling)
(King Intermediate, Kaneohe)
4/6/07
Hawaii Fighting Championships: Stand Your Ground 3
(MMA)
(Dole Cannery Ballroom)
4/5/07
Ultimate
Fight Night
(Spike TV)
3/31/07
Icon Sport
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena)
3/25/07
Kickboxing Benefit Event for Mrs. Faagai
(Kickboxing)
(Waianae H.S. Gym)
3/24/07
Garden Island Cage Match
5
(MMA)
(Kauai)
The 2007
Hawaii State/Regional Junior Olympic Championships (Boxing)
(Palolo District Park)
UFC:
Tito Ortiz vs. Dana White boxing match
(Nevada)
*Cancelled*
3/17/07
X-1
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena)
Island Warriors
(MMA)
(Maui War Memorial)
3/13/07
Ultimate
Fight Night
(Spike TV)
3/10/07
Hawaiian Championship of BJJ
(BJJ/Sub Grappling)
(Klum Gym UH Manoa)
3/3/07
UFC 68
(PPV)
(Columbus, Ohio)
Kickin It
(Kickboxing)
(Waipahu Filcom)
2/24/07
Pride Fighting Championships:
(PPV)
(Thomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas, NV)
2/17/06
Got
Skills
(Kickboxing/MMA)
(Waipahu Filcom)
2/16-17/07
USA-Boxing Hawaii State & Regional Championships
(Boxing)
(Palolo District Park Gym)
2/16/07
Punishment
In Paradise 15
(MMA & Kickboxing)
(Hawaiian Waters)
2/9/07
Icon Sports
(MMA & Kickboxing)
(Blaisdell Arena)
2/3/07
UFC
67
(Lutter vs Silva)
(PPV)
2/2/06
Got
Skills & Kickin' It
(Kickboxing/MMA)
(Waipahu Filcom)
1/23/07
Ultimate
Fight Night
(Spike TV)
1/20/07
IFL
(MMA)
1/14/07
NAGA Hawaii
(BJJ & Sub Grappling)
(St. Louis H.S. Gym)
1/13/07
USA Boxing Amateur Boxing
(Boxing)
(Palolo Gym)
1/12/07
K-1 Dynamite
(MMA)
(PPV, 5:00 PM Ch: 701)
|
|
June 2007 News Part
1
|
Casca Grossa Jiu-Jitsu
is now the O2 Martial Arts Academy with 6 days a week training!
We are also offering Escrima (stick fighting) on Monday nights
and Kickboxing Tuesday and Thursday!
Click
here for info!
Take classes from the Onzuka brothers in a family-like environment! |
 
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price, click on one of these banners above! |
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Teleivision
Tuesdays at 7:00PM
***NEW TIME***
Olelo Channel 52 on Oahu
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Check
out the FCTV website! |
Got a question for us? Email info@onzuka.com
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Quote
of the Day
"Flattery
is like cologne water, to be smelt of, not swallowed."
Josh Billings, 1818-1885, American Humorist and Lecturer
|
Kickin
It and Got Skills 2007 Schedule of Events!
08/10/07 KICK IN IT / GOT SKILLS FILCOM CENTER FRI
09/28/07 KICKIN IT / GOT SKILLS FILCOM CENTER FRI
10/26/07 KICKIN IT / GOT SKILLS FILCOM CENTER FRI
11/24/07 KICKIN IT SATURDAY DOLE CANNERY
Source: Derrick Bright
|
Hawaiian
Open of BJJ
Gym 1,
UH Manoa Campus, Honolulu
June 23, 2007
Klum Gym's bathrooms are between Klum Gym and Gym 1.
The 2nd leg of the
Triple Crown series, 2007 HAWAIIAN OPEN OF BRAZILIAN JIU-JITSU,
has been confirmed. Due to circumstances beyond their control,
Triple Crown organizers have been forced to change the tournament
date to Saturday, June 23, 2007, at the University of Hawaii
Gym #1 (next door to Klum Gym). Event organizers made every effort
to maintain the original date, but after an exhaustive search
through public, private and military facilities, little options
were available and the date and venue had to be altered. Event
organizers sincerely apologize for the added inconveniences and
cost to some. Registration packets will be mailed to various
schools and all details available and posted within the week.
|
DYNAMITE
BREAKS ATTENDANCE RECORD
CSAC Releases FEG / Dynamite Ticket Figures
By FCF Staff
The
California State Athletic Commission released the final ticket
figures today for last weekend’s June 2nd, K-1 Hero’s
Dynamite USA event. According to the release, FEG, the parent
company of K-1, handled 39,083 tickets for the event, while the
L.A. Memorial Coliseum and Ticketmaster sold 3,674. The total
attendance for the night was 42,757.
According
to the CSAC report, of the 75,332 tickets printed, 13,600 were
given away by the promotion as complimentary. The total gross
gate receipt for the card was $2,545, 590.
With
a final attendance figure of 42,757, Dynamite USA sets a new record for the largest
crowd to attend an MMA event in North America.
Source: FCF
|
K-1
DYNAMITE ATTENDANCE BREAKDOWN
by Ivan Trembow
The final attendance figures for last weekend's K-1 Dynamite
show have been released by the California State Athletic Commission.
As is often the case with attendance figures, there are two groups
of figures: The figures that are 100% official and verifiable,
and the figures that are claimed by the promoters of the event
that are not verifiable or fully documented.
Starting
with the basics, the seating capacity of the Los Angeles Memorial
Coliseum is 92,000. The total number of tickets printed for K-1
Dynamite was 75,332. Out of the 75,332 tickets printed, the number
of those tickets that were not sold, used, or given away was
18,975.
Verified
Paid Attendance vs. Non-Verified Paid Attendance
The
verified paid attendance number for K-1 Dynamite was only 3,674,
which generated $203,090 in revenue. This includes just 94 of
the tickets that were sold for $250, and just seven of the tickets
that were sold for $1,000. The fact that these 3,674 tickets
were sold to consumers is something that was tracked and verified
by Ticketmaster.
FEG,
the promoters of the event, paid $2,342,500 to buy 39,083 tickets
to its own event. The fact that FEG bought that specific amount
of tickets for that specific price is something that was tracked
and verified by the California State Athletic Commission, which
charged FEG the appropriate taxes for purchasing 39,083 tickets
to its own event.
It
is FEG's claim that after they (FEG) purchased 39,083 tickets
to the event for $2,342,500, FEG then turned around and sold
exactly 39,083 tickets to consumers for $1,602,610. This is the
part that is not independently verifiable.
In
terms of the taxes that FEG has to pay the California State Athletic
Commission, FEG only has to pay taxes on the amount of $2,342,500.
The claim that FEG re-sold all 39,083 of those tickets for $1,602,610
is not something that affects the taxes that FEG owes in any
way, so the figures cannot be independently verified by the California
State Athletic Commission.
The
fact that FEG did indeed purchase 39,083 tickets to its own event
does not set any kind of paid attendance record, as "paid
attendance" figures are created by paid ticket sales to
actual fans who come to events. To use a college football analogy,
if a game were held in a 150,000-seat stadium, and the host college
purchased all 150,000 tickets without selling any of those tickets,
and zero fans showed up to the game, the number of fans in attendance
with paid tickets would be zero, not 150,000.
There
is no way of knowing whether or not FEG actually did re-sell
all 39,083 of the tickets that it bought for its own event. FEG
might have sold those tickets to fans, or FEG might have given
away many of those tickets to fans for free.
In
the Japanese media, FEG has been claiming that the attendance
was 54,000, and that has not been supported in any way by the
numbers that have been released by the California State Athletic
Commission.
In
addition, FEG reported to the CSAC that it gave away 13,600 tickets
as free "comp" tickets, but there is no documentation
regarding what happened to those 13,600 tickets after they were
given away. Furthermore, out of all the thousands of people who
were documented passing through the turnstiles at the L.A. Coliseum
on the night of the event, only six people passed through the
turnstiles with tickets that were marked as free "comp"
tickets. It would seem to be peculiar that 13,600 tickets would
be given away and then less than 0.1 percent of those people
would show up to the event.
While
this would seem to call into question the veracity of FEG's claims,
the fact remains that there is no way to know for sure how many
tickets were actually sold to fans for the K-1 Dynamite event.
The unverified number is 42,757 (or 54,000 in the Japanese media),
but the number of tickets that were verifiably sold is still
3,674.
The
verified paid attendance record for a mixed martial arts event
in the United States is still held by the Strikeforce event that
was held in San Jose, California on March 10, 2006. The verified
paid attendance for that event was 17,465.
The
second highest verified paid attendance for an MMA event in the
United States is held by UFC 68, which took place in Columbus,
Ohio on March 3, 2007. The verified paid attendance for that
event was 17,358.
Verified
Total Attendance vs. Non-Verified Total Attendance
A
somewhat more clear picture of the total attendance for the K-1
Dynamite event is gained because the California State Athletic
Commission verified the actual number of people who got their
tickets clicked at a turnstile and walked into the venue. That
number was 18,340.
While
it was possible to gain entry into the venue without getting
a ticket clicked at a turnstile, those fans are by definition
not officially counted. As reported by Sam Caplan, who writes
for CBS Sportsline and Five Ounces of Pain, the California State
Athletic Commission "had someone whose sole job it was on
Saturday [June 2nd] to handle tracking the number of fans entering
the Coliseum."
So,
as with the paid attendance figures, there is no way of definitively
knowing the total number of fans in attendance, but the documented,
verifiable number is 18,340. It would seem to be peculiar that
there would be 18,340 fans who passed through ticket turnstiles
and entered the venue if FEG did indeed sell over 39,000 tickets
to fans as it claims.
The
face value of the tickets that passed through the turnstiles
was $1,529,530, but again, there is no way of knowing how much
of that amount came from fans who actually bought tickets and
how much of that amount came from tickets that FEG purchased
itself and subsequently gave away to fans.
The
verified total attendance record for a mixed martial arts event
in the United States is still held by UFC 68, which took place
in Columbus, Ohio on March 3, 2007. The verified total attendance
for that event was 19,079.
The
verified total attendance of 18,340 for the K-1 Dynamite event
is now the second highest in U.S. MMA history. The event that
previously had the second-highest verified total attendance for
an MMA event in the U.S. was the March 2006 Strikeforce event
in San Jose, California. The verified total attendance for that
event was 18,265.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Marcelinho
trains at Team Quest
Three-time ADCC champion to fight MMA in September
The week after having been announced as K-1 Hero’s' newest
reinforcement, Marcelo Garcia is already training hard to do
well in MMA. With his debut set for the September 17th edition
of Hero’s, the Alliance black belt spent the week at Team
Quest, the team that is home to such forces in MMA as Dan Henderson,
Rameau Sokodjou and the Brazilian Vinicios Pezao Magalhaes.
Click here to check out, on the Team Quest official
site, some photos of Marcelinho Garcia training with the team.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
WILL
BARONI GET A UFC TITLE SHOT?
In a conference call with the media today, Phil Baroni and Frank
Shamrock fielded questions about their upcoming headline bout
for Strikeforce. In the midst of the banter back and forth between
the two, Baroni made a few comments about his future that caught
a lot of attention.
Baroni
and Shamrock are fighting for the vacant Strikeforce middleweight
title and Joey Villasenor and Murilo “Ninja” Rua are
fighting for the vacant EliteXC middleweight title on the June
22nd event. Asked whether the winner of him and Shamrock would
fight the winner of Villasenor-Rua, Baroni commented, “
I haven't talked to them about it, but I'm sure it's in the works.
I'm sure they're thinking about it and either one of those guys
would be a great opponent for me.”
Baroni’s
follow-up statement is what really drew interest though. “I
have a multiple fight contract with Strikeforce,” said Baroni,
continuing with, “It's also non-exclusive, so I'll be able
to fight for the UFC title which Dana White promised after I
knock [Shamrock] out and defend my Strikeforce title... I look
to unify titles.”
Of
course, the Ultimate Fighting Championship has a policy of exclusivity
with its fighters. So, even with a non-exclusive contract with
Strikeforce, it is unlikely that Baroni would be able to fight
in the UFC, let alone for a title, before his contract with Strikeforce
has been fulfilled.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Eating
crow
By Adam Morgan
Two days ago I ripped Dana White for allowing Noah Thomas and
Marlon Sims to not only compete in the UFC but allowing them
to fight one another as the live opener for The Ultimate Fighter
Finale on June 23rd.
It
now seems I owe Dana an apology. Whether or not Dana knew about
the fight and approved it is up for debate. Either way, taking
the fighters off the show and out of the UFC was the correct
choice and validates what Dana said on the show about projecting
a certain image. Was this due to the media backlash from the
MMA community about allowing these hooligans to fight? Again,
that’s up for debate.
However
they came to the conclusion that these guys need to no longer
be associated with UFC doesn’t matter. What does matter
is the end result and this time Dana and the UFC have made things
right. Don’t promote foolishness and meatheaded behavior
because it makes the sport look bad.
Thanks
for sticking to your word, Dana, and making a fool out of me.
Source: Fight Opinion
|
Quote
of the Day
"People
who bite the hand that feeds them usually lick the boot that
kicks them."
Eric Hoffer, 1902-1983, American Social Writer
|
Rigan
Machado Seminar
Rigan will be coming to Hawaii in a couple of weeks to do a seminar
for the new ICON Fitness gym on Oahu on June 16th.
Rigan has expressed interest in setting up additional seminars
after June 16th while visiting Oahu.
If you are interested, please contact me so we can see if there
is something we can do to help set something up.
We need to get his travel dates set relatively quickly so we
need to hear back from anyone who's interested right away.
I apologize for the short notice.
Please feel free to contact me with any questions or to discuss.
Aloha,
Vince
Source: The Vince
|
“Cabbage” and the “Colossus”
Set to Clash in July
Across the Pond: British MMA News
By David West
Cage
Rage has announced the final match-up for their July 14th show,
Cage Rage 22 – “Hard As Hell”, with Britain’s
James “The Colossus” Thompson set to take on Wesley “Cabbage”
Correira.
Thompson is coming off a big win over Don Frye at Pride 34, but
with the future direction of the promotion still unclear, he’ll
be keeping off the ring rust fighting in his native country.
At 18-13-0 Cabbage has more rounds under his belt than the imposing
Englishman, but he’s only 1-5 in his last six outings, losing
his last two, so he’ll be looking to break his run of bad
luck when he steps in to the cage. The only opponent that the
two men have in common is Eric “Butterbean” Esch, who
stopped Cabbage by TKO after two rounds at Rumble on the Rock
8 and KO’d Thompson at Cage Rage in February. Correira may
have the edge on Thompson standing up, so expect The Colossus
to look for the takedown so he can ground and pound the Hawaiian.
The
other adjustment to the line-up for Cage Rage 22 is Edson Drago
replacing Rob Broughton to face Gary “Smiler” Turner.
At 9-2-0, Drago has seven stoppages by strikes in his nine wins
and showed his powerful punching by blasting out Tengiz Tedoradze
in just five seconds at Cage Rage 16. However, Turner’s
wealth of experience in K-1 served him well against Tank Abbott,
when he survived an early knockdown to ground and pound Tank
for the win. Turner is unlikely to be intimidated by Drago’s
fisticuffs and should give as good as he gets in any standing
exchange. The fight may well be decided in the grappling, where
Drago has looked vulnerable, having lost his last two fights
by submission. Turner’s mat experience from sport jiu-jitsu
competitions may give him the edge if the fight makes it to the
floor, but expect both men to be happy to stand and slug it out.
Source: FCF
|
NAGA
Hawaii Tentively Set for
January 26, 2008
January 26 (Saturday) NAGA Hawaii
Honolulu, HI. 150 Gi & No-Gi Divisions - Tentative
Source: NAGA
|
Tommy
Morrison to step into the cage Today
Tommy Morrison, a former WBO boxing heavyweight champion, will
make his mixed martial arts debut Saturday at World Fighting
Championship in Camp Verde, Arizona.
He
is scheduled to face the 340-pound John Stover, who is being
billed as having 8 professional MMA fights.
Morrison,
who has zero mixed martial arts training, is calling this fight
a one-time thing to help out his advisor Peter McKinn and to
earn some extra money along the way.
Morrison
left boxing in 1995 after receiving a positive HIV test. Earlier
this year, Morrison was able to prove that the positive test
was false and was approved of a boxing license by the West Virginia
Athletic Commission. He officially returned to the boxing ring
on February 22 by scoring a second-round knockout over John Castle.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
For
Immediate Release
Gamma-O
Partners With Strikeforce, EliteXC
For “Shamrock vs Baroni”
June 22 at HP Pavilion, San Jose, Calif.
San Jose, CA; June 7, 2007 – Leading nutritional supplement
company, Gamma-O, has joined forces with Strikeforce and EliteXC
for the “Shamrock vs. Baroni,” live Pay Per View mega-fight
card featuring the long-awaited showdown between bitter rivals
Frank Shamrock and Phil Baroni at San Jose, California’s
HP Pavilion on Friday, June 22nd. At stake during the fight between
Shamrock (strikeforceusa.net, frankshamrock.proelite.com) and
Baroni (strikeforceusa.net, philbaroni.proelite.com) will be
the vacant Strikeforce world middleweight (185-pound limit) championship.
“Gamma-O
is excited about the partnership for this event that will help
bring the fans the most exciting fights with the most elite fighters
in MMA today,” said John Napolitano, President of Gamma
Enterprises, LLC. Gamma-O is also the official supplement sponsor
of Baroni as well as that of a handful of other top mixed martial
arts competitors.
“We
are looking forward to having Gamma-O aboard for our biggest
event yet,” said Strikeforce CEO, Scott Coker. “The
Gamma-O product does a tremendous job of enhancing an athlete’s
performance. It is a perfect fit for our product, which demands
the most of its athletes both mentally and physically.”
Established
in 2003, Gamma Enterprises designed its unique Gamma-O product
using Gamma Oryzanol, a natural form of rice bran oil, as its
cornerstone. Gamma Oryzanol effectively boosts the body’s
levels of testosterone and endorphins. The increase in the two
chemicals assists the growth of lean muscle tissue while burning
off unwanted fat without the harmful side effects of steroids,
pro-hormone or andro products. Strength and energy are enhanced
and stress levels are reduced.
“Gamma-O
offers athletes a world-class product that and we are thrilled
about the opportunity to communicate their brand message with
our world championship event,” said Gary Shaw, President,
Live Events for Pro Elite, EliteXC’s parent company.
The
live Pay Per View event will be distributed by SHOWTIME®
PPV beginning at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT with a suggested retail
price of $34.95. For more information and to order “Shamrock
vs. Baroni,” viewers should contact their Pay-Per-View providers.
For
more information on the free online broadcast of the four-fight
undercard, visit www.ProElite.com or www.strikeforceusa.net.
Ticket
prices for “Shamrock vs. Baroni” are on sale at Ticketmaster
(408-998-TIXS) and Ticketmaster online (www.ticketmaster.com)
as well as at the HP Pavilion box office (408-287-7070).
The
star-studded event will also feature the return of undefeated
world San Shou kickboxing champion and middleweight mixed martial
arts contender, Cung Le (strikeforceusa.net, cungle.proelite.com),
who will face his greatest test to date in Tony “The Freak”
Fryklund.
Strikeforce’s
latest recruit, 2003 K-1 North America tournament champion, Carter
Williams (strikeforceusa.net, carterwilliams.proelite.com), will
meet hard-hitting Paul Buentello (strikeforceusa.net, paulbuentello.proelite.com)
in a heavyweight matchup.
In
another top-notch bout, EliteXC’s Charles “Krazy Horse”
Bennett (krazyhorse.proelite.com), who is coming off a stunning,
upset knockout victory over EliteXC’s KJ Noons (kjnoons.proelite.com),
will take on Victor “Joe Boxer” Valenzuela (joeboxer.proelite.com).
EliteXC
fighters, Joey Villasenor (joeyvillasenor.proelite.com) and former
Pride star, Murilo “Ninja” Rua (murilorua.proelite.com),
will lock horns for the vacant EliteXC middleweight title. On
February 10th, Villasenor pulled off a shocking upset by outmaneuvering
and, eventually earning a unanimous decision over EliteXC’s
David “The Crow” Loiseau (thecrow.proelite.com). Villasenor’s
career is highlighted by a 15 fight-winning streak put together
between December 2002 and April 2006. A member of the famed Chute
Boxe fight squad in Brazil, Rua was last seen in action on September
30th when he submitted British kickboxer Mark Weir (markweir.proelite.com),
with an arm triangle choke in the second round of their meeting.
UFC
veteran and K-1 Max star, Duane “Bang” Ludwig, will
go head to head with British Cage Rage champion, Paul “Semtex”
Daley, in a bout that will be shown to viewers should there be
sufficient time remaining on the Pay Per View broadcast following
the first three of six main card bouts scheduled to air live.
“Shamrock
vs. Baroni” is co-produced by ProElite, Inc., the parent
company of EliteXC, and Strikeforce.
About
ProElite, Inc.
ProElite,
Inc. delivers the most exciting entertainment experience in the
world of mixed martial arts (MMA) with live arena-based entertainment
events, cable television programming on Showtime Networks and
community-driven interactive broadband entertainment via the
Internet. ProElite embraces MMA with the highest levels of honor,
integrity, discipline and self-esteem all the while remaining
inclusive for fighters, fans and schools. ProElite’s live
fight division, EliteXC, delivers spectacular live MMA fight
events that showcase the world’s top fighters. ProElite’s
interactive business, ProElite.com, capitalizes on the growing
popularity of the sport of mixed martial arts by building a community
of mixed martial arts enthusiasts. In addition to streaming the
most exciting live fights to the web, ProElite expands the fan
base of the sport by providing a comprehensive set of online
social networking tools for fans, fighters and organizations.
ProElite.com – Empowering the Fight Community TM
About
Strikeforce
Strikeforce
is a world-class mixed martial arts cage fight promotion which,
on Friday, March 10, 2006, made history with its “Shamrock
vs. Gracie” event, the first sanctioned mixed martial arts
fight card in California state history. The star-studded extravaganza,
which pitted legendary champion Frank Shamrock against Brazilian
Jiu-Jitsu black belt Cesar Gracie at San Jose’s HP Pavilion,
played host to a sold-out, record crowd of 18,265. The rapidly
growing organization recently re-launched its website, www.strikeforceusa.net,
which boasts a bold new look and all-new features, including
video streaming capability. Since 1995, Strikeforce has been
the exclusive provider of martial arts programming for ESPN and,
after 12 years of success as a leading, world championship kickboxing
promotion, the company unveiled its mixed martial arts series
with “Shamrock vs. Gracie.”
About
Showtime Networks Inc.
Showtime
Networks Inc. (SNI), a wholly-owned subsidiary of CBS Corporation,
owns and operates the premium television networks SHOWTIME®,
THE MOVIE CHANNEL™ and FLIX®, as well as the multiplex
channels SHOWTIME® TOO™, SHOWTIME® SHOWCASE, SHOWTIME
EXTREME®, SHOWTIME BEYOND®, SHOWTIME NEXT®, SHOWTIME
WOMEN®, SHOWTIME FAMILYZONE® and TMC XTRA. SNI also offers
SHOWTIME HD®, THE MOVIE CHANNEL HD™, SHOWTIME ON DEMAND™
and THE MOVIE CHANNEL ON DEMAND™. All SNI feeds provide
enhanced sound using Dolby Digital 5.1. SNI is also an owner
and manager of SUNDANCE CHANNEL, a venture of NBC Universal,
Robert Redford and SNI. SNI also manages Smithsonian Networks,
a joint venture between SNI and the Smithsonian Institution.
SNI markets and distributes sports and entertainment events for
exhibition to subscribers on a pay-per-view basis through SHOWTIME®
PPV.
For
more information and fighter interviews, contact Mike Afromowitz,
(917) 566-8754 or muaythaimes@aol.com.
Source: Mike Afromowitz
|
IFL:
Two spots for four teams
Understand the battle for a place in the playoffs
On June 16 the IFL will reach the final stage of qualifiers for
the team competition. As the format of the event is not the most
usual in the world of MMA, GRACIEMAG.com decided to make life
easier for web-surfers, explaining the chances of qualifying
for each of the teams, two of which, the Pitbulls and Dragons,
are made up of Brazilians.
With
the wins last weekend, the Sabres and Anacondas guaranteed a
place among the four teams with the best campaign in the first
phase, and thus are already qualified. On the coming 16th, four
more enter into action and their fates will be decided.
Find
out below what each one needs to do:
Pitbulls
(2 wins and – losses in team competition)
Renzo Gracie’s team is in a comfortable situation. If they
beat the Dragons on the 16th they will automatically be in. However,
with a record of 7 wins and 3 losses record in the individual
count of the current season indicates that in the event that
they are defeated by Carlos Newton’s team the situation
could get complicated. If they lose 3 of the five bouts, they
will be tied with the Silverbacks, Dragons or possibly the Lions.
In this case, they would need to use the tie-breaker criteria
of the combination of quickest bout-enders of each team. In the
event that they are defeated by 4 to 1 or 5 to 0 the Pitbulls
would be virtually eliminated. Called up for a decisive confrontation
with the Dragons are the brazucas Fabio Leopoldo, Delson Pé
de Chumbo and Marcio Pe de Pano.
Silverbacks
(2 wins and 1 loss in team competition)
The current champions will not fight in the final phase of the
elimination round. With a record of 9 wins and six losses in
the individual count, Pat Miletich’s team is routing for
a good performance from the Pitbulls. This would eliminate the
Dragons and guarantee the fourth best campaign for the Silverbacks,
awaiting the result of the Lions vs Scorpions. A tie for fourth
place with the Lions is possible, but in this case Miletich would
be favored for having won the direct confrontation. If the Pitbulls
lose, the Silverbacks will need to hope it is by more than 3
to 2. A 4 to 1 or 5 to 0 win for the Dragons would put them in
third place, leaving the Silverbacks in fourth.
Dragons
(1 win and 1 loss in team competition)
Carlos Newton’s soldiers, who count 6 wins and four losses
in the original count, need to win, and preferably, by a good
margin. Defeat means immediate elimination. Even a 3 to 2 win
would put them even with the Pitbulls and Silverbacks, or worse,
a four-way tie if the Lions manage to enter the party. For a
battle against the Pitbulls, the Dragons will count on the Brazilians
Wagnney Fabiano and Rafael Feijão.
Lions
(1 win and 1 loss in team competition)
Ken Shamrock’s team’s situation is the most complicated.
The Lions don’t just need to win but to win by 5 to 0. A
simple defeat on the 16th would complicate everything, as the
team would reach a maximum of 8 wins and 7 losses in the individual
count, which would not be enough to qualify for the playoffs.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Dynamite
in Japan
By Zach Arnold
The K-1 Dynamite!! show on Tokyo Broadcasting System (show was
on June 2nd, aired June 4th from 9:00 PM-10:54 PM in Japan) drew
an 11.1% TV rating. Not terrible at all considering the circumstances
regarding the show. In other words, no real damage for K-1 in
Japan. In fact, because the Japanese press played along with
K-1’s company line, this show may in fact be a plus for
them in the end. Incredible. Furthermore, a well-connected Japanese
fight industry source that I deeply trust insists that K-1 made
money on the LA Coliseum show via TV money from TBS (along with
other deals including South Korean TV) and sponsorship money
from Softbank. This is the perfect example of compare-and-contrast
between K-1 and the IFL, two companies that share a similar business
model except one is able to generate millions of dollars on television
rights and the other company is making $50,000 USD/show on MyNetworkTV.
According
to a Las Vegas source (not associated with Zuffa), the IFL show
scheduled for the Las Vegas Hilton on June 16th is supposedly
a ‘four wall deal.’ Generally, it means that the rent
is free for the facility (in the case of the IFL, they are expected
to be using a ballroom) and that costs for advertising, producing,
etc. are picked up by the promoter. The promotion is supposedly
going to be paying retail for everything else (hotel rooms, transportation,
ec.) The IFL had originally scheduled a show at the Reno Events
Center (about an hour away from Ken Shamrock’s Lions Den
facility in Susanville, California), but cancelled the booking
and shifted it to the LV Hilton instead. The Hilton is handling
the box office.
Source: Fight Opinion
|
Quote
of the Day
"Knowledge
speaks, but wisdom listens."
Jimi Hendrix, 1942-1970, Hall of Fame American Guitarist/Singer/Songwriter
|
Sports:
Man Among Boys
Mark Kurano is not your average
mixed martial artist.
By Kyle
Galdeira
Mark Kurano’s two lives: wine sales and martial arts. photo:
Rae Huo
When Mark Kurano makes his mixed martial arts debut as part of
the Icon Sport: Fearless fight card on June 30 at the Neal S.
Blaisdell Arena, he just hopes his wife—who is set to vacation
in South Korea at the same time—doesn’t find out what
he’s up to.
The
38-year-old Hawai‘i Baptist Academy alumnus and graduate
of Hawai‘i Pacific University knows that at his age, now
is the time to show what he can do.
“This
is my first mixed martial arts fight, but I’ve been doing
grappling arts pretty much my entire life,” Kurano says.
“This is the final level of competition. The younger guys
have something to prove, but I don’t have much more time
to decide if I can compete at that level.”
Kurano,
a wine sales representative, has practiced grappling since he
was a teenager, but is not a typical mixed martial artist. Not
only is the father of two an elder compared to the twenty-somethings
who make up the majority of the sport, he is trained in the traditional
martial arts of judo and jiu-jitsu—rare in today’s
world of fighters, who employ a hodgepodge of disciplines in
the ring.
In
addition to a black belt in judo, Kurano also holds a purple
belt in jiu-jitsu, which he earned after studying under legendary
Brazilian fighter Relson Gracie. He teaches his trade at the
Shobukan Judo Club, the studio at which he has honed his craft
since first taking classes in 1983.
Kurano
is preparing with two training sessions a day to face a fellow
first-timer, 21-year-old Jose Diaz, a former high-school wrestler
and reformed gang member from California who has since turned
his life around.
“He’s
going to come into the ring with a lot of heart, and I’m
really looking forward to it,” says Kurano of his opponent,
who is actually closer in age to his 10-year-old son. “I’m
just glad to be able to fight someone from the Mainland.”
Kurano was reluctant to fight an Islands-based martial artist,
since he has so many friendships with members of local training
schools. Of course, the tension of fighting a friend may not
be anything compared to the tension his wife could create when
she finds out.
Source: Honolulu Magazine
|
Scott
Junk's
Opponent Changes to Jimmy Ambriz for the Maximum Fighting Championship
Heavy Weight Title
Ambriz Vs. Junk to Headline Maximum Fighting Championship 12
By FCF Staff
The
Maximum Fighting Championship announced via a press release this
week that Jimmy Ambriz (10-5-1) will now face Scott Junk (5-1) at MFC 12, June 22nd, in Edmonton,
Alberta, for the promotion’s heavyweight title. Wade Shipp
had originally been scheduled to fight Junk in the main event,
however, according to the statement, has withdrawn due to an
injury. Ambriz heads to Edmonton on a 2 fight winning streak,
most recently, he knocked out Brian Peoples at Dragonscage 3
in May. After going 8-0 to begin his professional MMA career,
Ambriz is 2-5-1 in his last 8 fights, however, several of his
losses have come against such notable fighters like Josh Barnett,
Ricco Rodriguez and Dan Christison.
The
Hawaiian
heavyweight Junk
has won 5 fights in a row, with his only career loss coming to
Ricco Rodriguez at Rumble on the Rock 7 in 2005. Most recently
the Pro Camp fighter stopped Dominic Richard at MFC Unplugged
3 in April. Prior to that, Junk knocked out Johnny George in
10 seconds at ICON 49 on January 9th.
Also
scheduled for the MFC 12 card, UFC veteran and MFC Light-heavyweight
Champion Victor Valimaki (9-0) will fight Marcus Hicks (4-6)
in a non-title bout.
Source: FCF
|
Shaolin
in Rio training for Hero’s
The Nova Uniao athlete to fight again on July 16
Vitor Shaolin touched down in Rio de Janeiro coming from the
United States yesterday. In Los Angeles, the Nova Uniao black
belt watched Royce Gracie’s win over Kazushi Sakuraba at
K-1 Dynamite USA, last Saturday. With his leisure time over,
Shaolin is focusing on his next career challenge: taking the
Hero’s GP title.
The
first step was successfully made after beating the Japonese Ryuki
Ueyama in March. “I will now concentrate on preparing for
the GP. I have a fight marked for July 16, and if I win I will
fight again in September, with the final phase of two fights
on the same day,” said Shaolin to GRACIEMAG.com.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Jason
Black - Filling The Void
By Thomas Gerbasi
comes when you least expect it. Jason Black, a seven year veteran
of mixed martial arts, with 22 wins in 25 fights and a reputation
among the hardcore followers of the sport as one of the most
underrated fighters in the game, had given up waiting, had given
up expecting that he was going to one day get that call to fight
in the UFC.
“Every
day that goes by, you wonder if it will ever come,” said
Black, “but you’ve just got to be true to yourself.
They’re running a business and if they don’t think
I’m good enough to be in their show, you have to move on
and take what’s there.”
Being
good enough was never a question. For the first five years of
his career, from 2000 to 2005, the only blemish on Black’s
record was a draw with Antonio McKee in 2001. Wins over John
Alessio, Ivan Menjivar, Gideon Ray, and Keith Wisniewski dotted
his record, and when he finally did lose in 2006 to Shonie Carter,
it was due to an elbow injury. So Black was good enough, but
the phone never rang. Most observers assumed that with a host
of his MFS Elite teammates filling up the UFC ranks throughout
the years, and a limited amount of shows, that the timing was
never right for him, but no one ever made that known to him.
“I
never talked to anyone about it and I’ve never had anybody
tell me they know why (I never got the call for the UFC),”
he said. “It was out of my hands.”
Well,
not for long, as Black found out what a difference 15 pounds
can make, and after a drop to lightweight and wins in two out
of three subsequent fights in 2006-2007 (including two in PRIDE),
he finally got the long overdue call.
“It
was a blessing,” said Black of his invite to take on Brazil’s
Thiago Tavares at UFC Fight Night in Hollywood, Florida this
Tuesday. “It’s the stage that every fighter wants to
fight on, and to get that phone call means that I finally get
my opportunity to showcase my talents in front of the biggest
crowd in mixed martial arts.”
And
for those who have never seen the Iowan in action, he gives the
following introduction: “The fans should expect me to give
my all, no matter what. Whether it’s a good performance
or a bad performance, it will be everything I have on that day.”
That’s
always been Black’s M.O. He’s not flashy with one punch
knockouts and flying armbars, and he’s not one to talk trash
for days to build up a fight. Like his colleagues in the Bettendorf
gym, he likes to let his fighting do the talking, and he’s
got the blue collar attitude fitting for a guy who puts in a
full week of work as a railroad switchman.
And
it’s not easy. Third shift on Wednesdays, second shifts
on Thursdays and Fridays, and first shift on both weekend days,
leaving him precious little time to train and see his wife and
two kids. But he somehow manages to do it.
“On
two of those days I only get eight hours off in between work
so it’s real taxing on my body, but it allows me Monday,
Tuesday, Wednesday to train twice a day, and I get to train once
a day on Friday, Saturday, Sunday, so Thursday is basically my
day off from training, but it’s not really a day off as
far as rest and relaxation because I only get eight hours off
in between my shifts. So I’m always going.”
What
keeps him going though? It’s a simple enough question, but
the answers aren’t as easy to come by, especially for someone
who has already gone through a one year sabbatical from the game
just because he had run out of reasons to keep doing it on a
professional basis. So why come back and do it?
“I
wish I knew,” he said. “There are a lot of psychiatrists
that wish they knew too. (Laughs) I grew up wrestling, and always
had that schedule of having to work out. Even when I wasn’t
fighting, I was still working out half or at least three quarters
as much as I was when I was fighting. So I never really left
the sport; I just wasn’t fighting. I was probably still
training more than 80% of the people in the gym. It’s just
a way of life for me, and then the opportunity came about to
fight in King of The Cage, and Pride was right after that, and
now the UFC.”
And
like any athlete who knows what it’s like to compete at
a high level, there’s always that sense of unfinished business,
that desire to come back and do better than you’ve done
in the past. Black fits that mold perfectly.
“I
think everybody’s goal, when they get in this sport, is
to be the toughest guy at their weight, and sitting around gave
me the relaxation I needed to step back from the sport and take
another look and decide if I wanted to take another run at it,”
he explains.
Black’s
first fight back after his layoff was a first round submission
win over Kyle Jensen, which was then followed by the loss to
Carter and a TKO win over Won Jin Eoh in PRIDE less than four
months later. He would lose his next fight via submission to
Shinya Aoki, also in PRIDE, and though his comeback then stood
at 2-2, he had no excuses for the defeat.
“It
was disappointing, but he was the better fighter on that day
and he deserved to win,” said Black of the Aoki fight. “All
I can ask out of myself is to train my best and try to perform
at my best. I felt like I trained as hard as I could for that
fight and then I went out there with every intention of winning,
but I didn’t. You can’t really be disappointed with
yourself if you put everything you’ve got into it.”
Everything
means a lot of sacrifice – mainly of time with his family.
He admits that he and his wife still haven’t had a honeymoon
after two and a half years of marriage, and that he hasn’t
had a vacation in almost six years because of his fight career.
His employers try to work with him on his schedule, but he still
has to use vacation time to travel for fights.
“People
have no idea the hell I go through,” he admits, but it doesn’t
stop him from continuing to fight and chase his dream. Ask him
what it is though, and he’ll just chuckle.
“I
don’t know. I hope I know it when I see it. And it won’t
be money. If I got a crazy amount of money for this fight, that
would help, but it won’t solve the hunger inside.”
That’s
what keeps him going - even at the age of 34 and with years of
training and fighting – the hunger.
“Right
now I’m trying to feed the empty on the inside,” he
admits. “Always wanting more, wanting to be better. You’re
never really the best because there’s always someone coming
up. Even if you were at the top, there’s always that stud
coming up behind you. Look at Matt (Hughes) – even when
he was on top, everybody was still talking about (Georges) St-Pierre.
There’s never a good time to leave. You just have to find
that inner peace and be able to walk away and say ‘I did
what I’ve come here to do,’ and hope that you don’t
stick around too long.”
And
despite his street cred among hardcore fight fans, in the great
scheme of things, Black is coming into Tuesday’s fight as
the unknown vet taking on the 22-year old up and comer with the
gaudy 15-0 record in Tavares. So if you think he’s just
going to show up with a smile, simply happy to be in the Octagon,
you’d be wrong. He’s still searching for something
when that bell rings, and that’s the greatest motivation
of all.
“If
I thought I’d found what I was looking for, I would slack
off,” said Black. “I try to train harder for every
fight. I remember what I did the time before, so I’ve got
to do at least that because if I don’t, I’ll know in
the back of my mind that I didn’t train hard enough.”
As
for Tavares?
“I
hope he brings everything he’s got, because I’m going
to, and we’ll just see what happens.”
Source: UFC.tv
|
Trouble
for UFC sponsors
By Zach Arnold
If
you’ve followed the MMA scene on the Internet for the last
couple of years, you’ve heard all the gossip and innuendo
about the trouble that Xyience, UFC’s primary sponsor, allegedly
has been in. Well, today, another shoe dropped as Amp’d
Mobile filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The New York
Times has more on the story.
I
point this story out because one of the knocks against UFC in
the American corporate media (primarily from CNBC’s Darren
Rovell) is that UFC (and MMA in general) has not been able to
attract the major blue-chip sponsors. This was also a claim that
insiders leveled against PRIDE (which had many non-traditional
or non-blue chip companies sponsoring their events). What made
the criticism against PRIDE in terms of sponsors interesting
is that Japan is home to the world’s largest ad agency,
Dentsu. Plus, PRIDE had many free-to-air television events on
Fuji TV.
The
two other major sponsors currently for UFC are Toyo Tires and
Mickey’s malt liquor.
Source: Fight Opinion
|
Quote
of the Day
“I
saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free.”
Michelangelo, 1475-1564, Italian Renaissance Sculptor and Painter
|
A
Look Back at
Memorial Day Mayhem with some Pics!
Memorial
Day Mayhem 2007 was a success! All in all, A GREAT NIGHT OF FIGHTS
! Approx. 400 in attendance despite "Rampage" and Liddell
on PPV and the Natural Vibes CD release party. Big Mahalos to
all the people who made this event possible. Our sponsors- Icon
Sport, Punishment in Paradise, Stanton Mortgage, Knockout Clothing
Co., Braddah Gino and Deep Roots, Hawaiian Fight Gear, OG Clothing
Co., Hawaii Fugitive Task Force, and Hayn Hog Dog Hunting Supplies.
Also, the professional organizations represented by all the fighters
and coaches- Lionel, Fats and the warriors from Papakolea, Red
and the gang from Nakoa Fight Club, Derrick Bright and HSD, Danny
and the 5-0 Boxing boys, Eichi, Donny and the Pearlside Club,
and the Wai'anae Hui- Coach Fred and his fighters, and the all
the Maui guys who flew in to participate. You guys (all the fighters
AND coaches) are true professionals whose dedication and service
to the youth gives kids options and opportunities and experiences
like this one. I'm in your corner and I'm always just a phone
call away. Johnnie Kukahiko, Kaleo Kwan, Kolo Koka, Cisco Bringas,
Keoni Bryant, the 2 Jareds (you know who you are), you guys are
true champions inside the ring and out, the sport is better because
of people like you guys...
LETS
DO THIS S_ _ T AGAIN !
 
Left (above):
Andy Mello & Thomas Matias Throwing Down.
Right (above): Big Boys Koali Castillo and Koloa Kahalewai
 
Left (above):
Hit 2 Hart Bernard and Jason Hong Banging!
Right (above): Storm Makaneole & Mana Woolsey puttin on a
show!
The future...Kauhi
Tomas and Justus Vergara doing battle!
Source: Rich |
Paulão:
“I am Royce since I was a kid”
Black
belt of Carlson Gracie, Paulão Filho said that will always
support Royce Gracie to win the revenge against the Japanese
Kazushi Sakuraba no K-1 Hero’s, that will be held tomorrow
(June 2nd) in United Stataes. “I am Royce since I was a
kid. Sakuraba is a clever guy, he know everything about ring,
but if Royce has some time during the bout, I think he has all
the conditioned to win this bout”, said Paulão, who
doesn’t see any advantage about Sakuraba had already trained
at Chute Boxe team and has Rudimar Fedrigo in his corner. “For
the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, for the Gracie family, it don’t
exists the lucky thing. We can put Super Man in the other side
of the ring that he will be there to fight”, commented Paulão
Filho.
Paulão
also analyzed the victory of Quinton Jackson under Chuck Liddell
at UFC. “I said to everyone that Quinton would win. The
Brazilian audience doesn’t know these things. During the
fight, the game must fit and Quinton’s game doens’t
fits with Chuck’s one. Liddell fights well against someone
who catches him, but Quinton has good blows and he is a striker.
Quinton surprised me for the time he took to finish the bout,
but for his victory. I tough it was gonna to be like a battle”,
said Paulo Filho.
Source: Tatame
|
Feijão
talks about confrontation against Pé-de-pano at IFL
Pupil
of Rodrigo Minotauro and Rogério Minotouro, Rafael Feijão
have been training hard to face the two times BJJ world champion
Márcio Pé-de-pano at IFL on June 16th, that will
be held in United States. Feijão talked exclusivelly to
site TATAME and told about how it is going his preparation for
the bout. “I think it is great to face Pé-de-Pano.
He is a man who have name and he is a great athlete. I respect
a lot all my adversaries, but this is an old history, we will
solute everything up the ring. I don’t know him very well,
I never trained with him. I already watched him fighting in many
BJJ Championships, but BJJ is one thing, MMA is other thing.
I am training hard for this bout, I prepared myself for three
months, with no break, training with the best ones of the world,
like Rogério, Rodrigo, Cunha, only phenomenon, so I will
do there what I use to do everyday. I will go up there and do
what I use to do each day”, said Feijão.
Source: Tatame
|
Shogun:
“Liddell thought that I was the best of the world”
The
fighter from Chute Boxe Mauricio Shogun analyzed the victory
if Quinton Jackson under Chuck Liddell at UFC 71, which gave
the Light-Heavyweight belt to Rampage. “Liddell thought
that I was the best of the world, but who follows the MMA world
knows that this is not true. Quinton had already showed that
in another bout and his victory didn’t surprise me”,
commented Shogun. After being pointed as the leader of the American
ranking, Shogun reaffirmed that he wants to conquer the belt
of a big event still this year. “I hope to be able to fight
this year for the belt, with Quinton or with Henderson ”,
said Shogun, who also commented about a possible return for July.
“There is nothing right yet, but I believe that I will be
back to fighting in July”, said the athlete from Chute Boxe.
Source: Tatame
|
Quote
of the Day
“I
saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free.”
Michelangelo, 1475-1564, Italian Renaissance Sculptor and Painter
|
Hawaiian
Open of BJJ Date Change!
6/23/07
Hawaiian Open of BJJ
(BJJ/Sub Grappling)
(Gym 1 at UH Manoa)
The 2nd leg of the Triple
Crown series, 2007 HAWAIIAN OPEN OF BRAZILIAN JIU-JITSU, has
been confirmed. Due to circumstances beyond their control, Triple
Crown organizers have been forced to change the tournament date
to Saturday, June 23, 2007, at the University of Hawaii Gym #1
(next door to Klum Gym). Event organizers made every effort to
maintain the original date, but after an exhaustive search through
public, private and military facilities, little options were
available and the date and venue had to be altered. Event organizers
sincerely apologize for the added inconveniences and cost to
some. Registration packets will be mailed to various schools
and all details available and posted within the week.
|
Fighter's
Corner Best of the Best
If you
had the chance this past sunday to open up the sunday advertiser,
you might have noticed that FC was voted as one of Hawaii's best
sports store in the Honolulu Advertiser's Best of the Best awards!
Thank you to all of you who voted and spread the word about FC
and the contest! This is
a great honor that we credit to each and every one of you, our
FC family! This is only the start for FC and we are going to
unveil a lot more this year, just you wait! Thanks again Hawaii
for making Fighter's Corner one of the BEST OF THE BEST!
Source: Nolan |
MMA
CONTENDORS
WHO - MMA
CONTENDORS
WHAT - CONFLICT - "THE BEGINNING"
MIXED MARTIAL ARTS (AMATEUR & 3 PRO BOUTS)
WHEN - JUNE 29, 2007 FRIDAY - 6:30 PM
WHERE - FARRINGTON HIGH SCHOOL GYMNASIUM
BEING THAT THE EVENT WILL BE HELD IN THE BULLSPEN HOMETOWN OF
KALIHI. CONFLICT HAS ASKED ONE OF THE MOST WELL KNOWNED TEAMS
ON THE ISLAND (BULLSPEN) TO SHOWCASE THIS EVENT. THEY WILL HAVE
SOME OF THIER WELL-KNOWNED AND UP AND COMING FIGHTERS TO FIGHT
ON THIS CARD. OTHER SCHOOLS WILL INCLUDE ANIMAL HOUSE, FIGHTERS
UNION, AND MMAD JUST TO NAME A FEW. THIS WILL BE THE FIRST OF
MANY TO COME OF MMA EVENTS THAT CONFLICT WIL BE FEATURING. A
LOT OF THESE FIGHTERS HAVE BEEN TRAINING FOR THIS CARD A WHILE
NOW. SO WHEN JUNE 29TH ARRIVES, SO WILL THE TAP OUTS, CHOKE OUTS
AND KNOCK THE F*** OUTS. THIS EVENT MAY CATER TO AMATEUR MMA
CONTENDORS BUT PLEASE BELIEVE THE ACTION WILL NOT BE AMATEUR
STATUS. BE SURE TO CHECK ON HERE EVERY WEEK TO SEE FOR ANY CHANGES
OF MATCHES AND WRITE UPS ON SOME OF THE FIGHTERS THAT WILL BE
PARTICIPATING IN THIS EVENT. THERE ARE TWO MORE BOUTS ON STAND-BY
IF ANYONE GETS INJURED OR TURNS YELLOW AT THE LAST MINUTE (NAH).
FEAR IS NOT ALLOWED WHEN THERES CONFLICT INVOLVED. (BELEEV DAT)
DEVIN DAMO 135 DWAYNE HANEY
ANIMAL HOUSE BULLSPEN
MARSHALL HARVEST 155 PETER PLACIDO
ANIMAL HOUSE BULLSPEN
THOMAS FERGUSON 270 KAWIKA HONG
TEAM DEVASTATION GOODSPORT KICKBOXING
THESE TWO FIGHTERS DEFINITELY FAVOR THEIR STAND UP. EXPECT A
BIG BLOOD DONATION WHEN THESE TWO GUYS MEET ON JUNE 29TH. THOUGH
THESE TWO FIGHTERS LOVE TO BANG, THEY BOTH WON THEIR FIRST FIGHT
BY REAR NAKED CHOKES. HONG WILL BE FLYING IN FROM MAUI WITH PLANS
TO TURN FERGUSON INTO A SLEEPING GIANT. BUT THE WAIANAE BOY SAYS
THE ONLY FLIGHT PLANS THAT ARE SCHEDULED IS THE ONE WAY TICKET
TO THE E.R THAT HE RESERVED FOR HONG. BE THERE TO FIND OUT WHO
WINS A FREE TRIP TO THE WRECKSHOP. GIANTS, BLOOD DONATIONS, BANGING,
FLYING, E.R. - THAT SOUNDS ABOUT RIGHT WHEN CONFLICT GETS STARTED
WITH TWO GIANTS. DAS RIGHT
DONOVAN COLLIER 185 FRED CABANTING
INNER CIRCLE GRAPLING BULLSPEN
KENNETH GUSMAN 210 HUNTER SEELBINDER
PAPKOLEA FIGHT CLUB BULLSPEN
JAY BOLOS 135 MARK TAJON
ANIMAL HOUSE BULLSPEN
JOE SIMPLICIANO 165 HERMAN SANTIAGO
FIGHTERS UNION INNER CIRCLE GRAPLLING
BRAD TAVARES 185 THOMAS SODENO
UNIVERSAL COMBAT SPORT BULLSPEN
DAVID BALICAO 145 CHAD MIGUEL
JESUS IS LORD BULLSPEN
ISIAH ADAMS 145 MATT COMEAU
ANIMAL HOUSE MMAD
STANLEY RABELLIZSA 155 RAYMOND TRAN
INNER CIRCLE GRAPPLING BULLSPEN
HUGH JONES 155 MARCUS MORENO
FIGHTERS UNION BULLSPEN
THESE TWO GUYS HAVE MET IN MMA COMBAT BEFORE WITH MARCUS EARNING
THE VICTORY. BUT THAT WAS A WHILE BACK. THIS TIME, HUGH GETS
ANOTHER SHOT AT HIM AND HE FEELS THAT HE IS A MUCH BETTER FIGHTER
THIS TIME AROUND. MARCUS WHO IS A WELL-ROUNDED FIGHTER LIKE ALL
OF THE BULLSPEN FIGHTERS WILL MAKE SURE THAT HUGH REGRETS ASKING
FOR 2NDS. BUT HUGH, ALSO A WAIANAE BOY AND REPS FIGHTERS UNION
WHO ARE KNOWN FOR THEIR STRONG STAND UP SKILLS WILL HAVE MARCUS
PAY HIS DUES WHEN HE'S STANDING IN FRONT OF SOMEONE WHOS WITH
THE FIGHTERS UNION. THIS MATCH IS GONNA GO OFF. SO BE THERE
KAINOA SOUZA 205 JOHN FERRELL
TEAM DEVASTATION FREEELANCE
NUI WHEELER 145 FRED STANFORD
MAILI SOLJAHS FREELANCE
THIS MATCH HAS BEEN CANCELLED - ADDED ON WILL BE
KIMO GALON 205 PELE FANOTI
BULLSPEN ANIMAL HOUSE
MATCHES AND PARTICIPANTS MAY BE SUBJECT TO CHANGE
|
Paulão
close to WEC
The
black belt from BTT Paulão Filho guaranteed that he is
close to do a deal with the event WEC, World Extreme Challenge,
which is leaded by UFC. “I am making the deal with the WEC
organization. I will close three or four bouts with the event,
a parallel one of the UFC. I am pretty glad”, said Paulão,
who is training hard with Josuel Distak for two months.
Paulão
said that will also probably fight until July, but for that he
needs to get the weight. “I have to get the weight until
July so I will be able to fight. I am 95kg, but I am only doing
the technician training, when I will be doing the physical training
and take care of the foods I will get the right weight”,
said Paulão.
Source: Tatame |
IFL
BATTLEGROUND FEATURES TAPOUTS TONIGHT
The International Fight League takes a look at the league’s
top submissions and tap-out artists in the next episode of “IFL
Battleground” on Monday, June 4, at 8 p.m. ET/PT (7 p.m.
CT/MT). “IFL Battleground” airs every Monday night
on MyNetworkTV.
The
show features full fights and highlights of IFL bouts which have
ended via submission, and also includes demonstrations by “IFL
Battleground” Co-Host Bas Rutten and IFL athletes such as
the Tokyo Sabres’ Antonio McKee (Long Beach, Calif.).
Additionally,
the search for the next IFL Ring Girls continues, with audition
footage of some contenders – and a few pretenders –
from searches conducted in New York and Los Angeles.
Some
of the competitors seen in the episode include:
•
Lightweight John Gunderson (Houston/Medford, Ore.) of the Lions
vs. Josh Odom (Tallahassee, Fla.) of the Razorclaws
•
Middleweight Benji Radach (Coconut Creek, Fla.) of the Anacondas
vs. Brian Foster (Moreno Valley, Calif.)
•
Middleweight Jeremy Williams (Laguna Niguel, Calif.) of the Condors
vs. Bristol Marunde (Sequim, Wash.) and Kazuhiro Hamanaka (Tokyo)
of the Sabres
•
Middleweight Matt Horwich (Portland, Ore.) of the Wolfpack vs.
Brent Beauparlant (Ottawa, Ontario) of the Dragons
•
Welterweight Jay Hieron (Las Vegas) of the Anacondas vs. Donnie
Liles (Colorado Springs, Colo.) of the Razorclaws
•
Light Heavyweight Jamal Patterson (Hoboken, N.J.) vs. Alex Schoenauer
(Las Vegas) of the Anacondas
Source: MMA Weekly |
Quote
of the Day
“I
would like to find a stew that will give me heartburn immediately,
instead of at three o'clock in the morning.”
John Barrymore, 1882-1942, American Actor
|
THE
QUEST FOR CHAMPIONS 2007 RESULTS
Martial Arts Tournament
June 3rd, 2007
SPORT-PANKRATION
DIVISION:
(Jr.
Division 16- 17yrs).
1. Aaron Miyamoto (MMA)
2. Vincent Gazmen (Advanced Kempo)
(Adult
Fly Wt. 142-lbs)
1. Joseph Benavente (808 Fight Factory)
2. Ryan Scoville (Kempo Unlimited)
3. Kaimi Furtado (KMFS)
(Adult
Lt. Wt. 151-lbs)
1. Damon Flood (Kempo Unlimited)
2. Jared Miyamoto (MMA)
(Adult
Lt. Mid Wt. 162-lbs)(A-bracket)
1. Chris Mahavong (Self)
2. Nicholas Moore (HMC)
3. Daniel Kim (HMC)
(Adult
Lt. Mid Wt. 162-lbs)(B-bracket)
1. Herman Santiago (Inner Circle)
2. Viterbo Tabaquin (Kempo Unlimited)
3. Lance Sylva (Shootfighting)
(Adult
Mid. Wt. 182-lbs.)
1. Stanley Rabellizsa Jr.(Inner Circle Grappling)
2. Darnell Mason (HMC)
3. Ryan Kuoha (Kempo Unlimited)
(Adult
Lt. Hvy Wt. 202-lbs.)(A-bracket)
1. Gavin Paguyo (Advanced Kempo)
2. Iokepa Medeiros (KMFS)
3. Luke Kalahiku (KMFS)
(Adult
Lt. Hvy Wt. 202-lbs)(B-bracket)
1. Ryan Toole (Central Oahu Jiujitsu)
2. Bryan Mau (Kempo Unlimited)
3. Randal Kennedy (Central Oahu Jiujitsu)
(Adult
Hvy Wt. 202+lbs)(A-bracket)
1. Paul Wright (Shootfighting)
2. Jeremy Vicens (Kempo Unlimited)
(Adult
Hvy Wt. 202+lbs)(B-bracket)
1. Byron Bush (Gojukan MCBH)
2. Joshua Versola (Advanced Kempo)
EXTREME
"CONTINUOUS" SPARRING DIVISION:
Children Division -55lbs(A-Bracket)
1. Micah Kuoha (Kempo Unlimited)
2. Sagel Bush (Gojukan MCBH)
3. Skylar Yoshimoto (Kempo Unlimited)
Children
Division -55lbs)(B-bracket)
1. Jonah Yano (Kempo Unlimited)
2. Jett Uehara (Kempo Unlimited)
3. Logan Luke (Kempo Unlimited)
Children
Division -55lbs)(C-bracket)
1. Dylan Yang (Kempo Unlimited)
2. Colby Tomita (Kempo Unlimited)
3. Ryder Uehara (Kempo Unlimited)
Children
Division -55lbs(D-bracket)
1. Dannen Dano (Advanced Kempo)
2. Aaron Tomita (Kempo Unlimited)
3. Nolan Goo (Kempo Unlimited)
(Children
Division -66lbs)
1. Nainoa Dung (Team Nainoa)
2. Miranda Oda (Kempo Unlimited)
3. Bronson Luke (Kempo Unlimited)
(Children
Division -77lbs)
1. Jaron Pagaduan (United Gojukan)
2. Austyn Aglanao (Combat 50)
3. Pomai Yamaguchi (Kempo Unlimited)
(Children
Division -88lbs)
1. Justin Kahalewai (Family Martial Arts)
2. Harmony Pacheco (Kempo Unlimited)
3. Kai Tilley (Kempo Unlimited)
Children Division -99lbs)
1. Aizeah Caldeira (Kempo Unlimited)
2. Angus Mersberg (Kempo Unlimited)
3. Christian Lee (MMA)
Jr.
Division (13-14yrs)
1. Austin Coen (Kempo Unlimited)
2. Nainoa Mesiona (808 Fight Factory)
3. Jesse Mcmillin (Shiois Kajukenbo)
(Adult
-174lbs)
1. Anthony Kimolani Jr. (Inner Circle)
2. Travis Rabellizsa (Inner Circle)
3. Darnell Mason (HMC)
(Adult-Females
-174lbs.)
1. Amy Coleman (Kempo Unlimited)
2. Kahea Ching (Kempo Unlimited)
3. Emmie Quetulio (Advanced Kempo)
(Adult
Super Heavyweight +200lbs.)
1. Anthony Billianor (Maui Full Contact)
2. Mark Newgert (808 Fight Factory)
3. Daniel Bruce (Advanced Kempo)
SUBMISSION
GRAPPLING DIVISION:
(Junior Division -132lbs)
1. Eddie K. Lani (Inner Circle)
2. Aaron Miyamoto (MMA)
3. Isaia Souza (GMA)
(Junior
Division -142lbs)
1. Tim Pader (Combat 50)
2. Micah Barro (Inner Circle)
(Adult
Lt. Wt. -142lbs)
1. Russel Doane (808 Fight Factory)
2. Durant Leung (Self)
3. Jimson Ng (Kempo Unlimited)
(Adult
Lt. Mid Wt. -152lbs)
1. Brandon Pieper (Jesus is Lord)
2. Jared Miyamoto (MMA)
3. PJ Villamero (808 Fight Factory)
(Adult
Mid Wt. -162lbs)
1. Bryan Mau (Kempo Unlimited)
2. Dale Maeda (Inner Circle)
3. Paul Lopes (Jesus is Lord)
(Adult
Lt. Hvy Wt. -182lbs.)
1. Joshua Adams (Jesus is Lord)
2. Marcus Chapman (Freelance)
3. Bradley Cabrera (Milliani Judo Academy)
(Adult
Open Wt. 202+lbs)
1. Yancy Medeiros (Hardknocks)
2. Byron Bush (Gojukan MCBH)
3. Jaron Rios (Freelance)
SPORT-JUJITSU
DIVISION:
(Childrens 6-7yrs)(A-bracket)
1. Micah Chevalier (MMA)
2. Dylan Yang (Kempo Unlimited)
3. Micah Kuoha (Kempo Unlimited)
(Childrens
6-7yrs)(B-bracket)
1. Kacie Sakamaki (Kempo Unlimited)
2. JP Tilley (Kempo Unlimited)
3. Logan Luke (Kempo Unlimited)
(Childrens
8-9yrs)(A-bracket)
1. Miranda Oda (Kempo Unlimited)
2. Jodee Sakamaki (Kempo Unlimited)
3. Kiara Vicens (Kempo Unlmited)
(Childrens
8-9yrs)(B-bracket)
1. Nainoa Dung (Team Nainoa)
2. Austyn Aglanao (Combat 50)
3. Bronson Luke (Kempo Unlimited)
(Childrens
8-9yrs)(C-bracket)
1. Christian Lee (MMA)
2. Aizeah Caldeira (Kempo Unlimited)
3. Kai Tilley (Kempo Unlimited)
(Childrens
10-11yrs)
1. Angela Lee (MMA)
2. Bryston Watase (MMA)
3. Sonny Deguzman (Kempo Unlimited)
(Childrens
12-13yrs)
1. Austin Coen (Kempo Unlimited)
2. Carson Coen (Kempo Unlimited)
3. Matthew Sunajo (Combat 50)
(Junior
Division 14-15yrs)
1. Isaia Souza (GMA)
2. Vivien Deguzman (Kempo Unlimited)
3. Dallas Reis (Kempo Unlimited)
(Adult-Female
Divison-132lbs)
1. Elise Batey (MMA)
2. Kahea Ching (Kempo Unlimited)
Source: Tommy Lam
|
UFC
ANNOUNCES BELFAST MAIN CARD LINEUP
The Ultimate Fighting Championship today officially announced
the main fight card for its June 16, 2007 event in Belfast, Northern
Ireland. Dubbed UFC 72: Victory, former UFC Middleweight Champion
Rich “Ace” Franklin faces Japan’s Yushin Okami
in the headline bout. Franklin is angling towards a shot at regaining
the title he lost to current champion Anderson Silva, while Okami
is riding a six-fight winning streak and looking to stake his
own claim to a title shot.
Other
featured bouts include Forrest Griffin, returning from a loss
to Keith Jardine, against Hector Ramirez, who lost in his UFC
debut last November. ‘The Ultimate Fighter’ veteran
Rory Singer lost to Okami his last time out in the Octagon. He
returns at UFC 72 to face Canadian Jason MacDonald, who lost
his last time out to Franklin. Two young guns in the UFC, Clay
Guida and Tyson Griffin, round out the main card.
Rumored
preliminary bouts according to MMAWeekly.com, not officially
announced by the UFC:
-Jake
O'Brien vs. Tom Murphy
-Ed Herman vs. Scott Smith
-Marcus Davis vs. Jason Tan
-Eddie Sanchez vs. Colin Robinson
-Dustin Hazelett vs. Stevie Lynch
UFC
72: Victory marks the promotions debut in Northern Ireland and
its continued expansion into the European mixed martial arts
market.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
WEC
28 FIGHTER SALARY BREAKDOWN
MMAWeekly
has obtained the fighter salary information for WEC 28, which
took place last night, June 3rd, in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The
event was the WEC's fourth since being purchased by UFC parent
company Zuffa, and it was also the WEC's live debut on cable
television channel Versus.
The
following figures are based on the fighter salary information
that Zuffa and the WEC are required by law to submit to the state
athletic commissions, including the winners' bonuses.
Although
MMA fighters do not have collective bargaining or a union, the
fighters' salaries are still public record, just as with every
other major sport in the United States. Any undisclosed bonuses
that Zuffa and the WEC also pay its fighters, but do not disclose
to the athletic commissions (specifically, pay-per-view bonuses
for the top pay-per-view main event fighters, which would not
apply since this event was not on pay-per-view), are not included
in the figures below.
In
the listings below, "Title Match & Main Event Fighters"
are defined as fighters who compete in the main event of a show
and/or compete in a title fight on a show. "Preliminary
Match Fights" are fights that are taped before a television
or pay-per-view show goes on the air, regardless of whether or
not those fights aired on the telecast or pay-per-view broadcast.
Title
Match & Main Event Fighters
-Urijah
Faber: $20,000 (defeated Chance Farrar)
-Chance
Farrar: $4,000 (lost to Urijah Faber)
Main
Card Fighters
-Alex
Karalexis: $10,000 (defeated Josh Smith)
-Rani
Yahya: $10,000 (defeated Mark Hominick)
-Brian
Stann: $8,000 (defeated Craig Zellner)
-Mark
Hominick: $6,000 (lost to Rani Yahya)
-Craig
Zellner: $2,000 (lost to Brian Stann)
-Josh
Smith: $1,000 (lost to Alex Karalexis)
Preliminary
Match Fighters
-John
Alessio: $18,000 (defeated Alex Serdyukov)
-Brock
Larson: $16,000 (defeated Kevin Knabjian)
-Cub
Swanson: $8,000 (defeated Micah Miller)
-Alex
Serdyukov: $6,000 (lost to John Alessio)
-Jeff
Bedard: $6,000 (defeated Mike French)
-Charlie
Valencia: $6,000 (lost to Brian Bowles)
-Brian
Bowles: $4,000 (defeated Charlie Valencia)
-Micah
Miller: $4,000 (lost to Cub Swanson)
-Mike
French: $3,000 (lost to Jeff Bedard)
-Kevin
Knabjian: $2,000 (lost to Brock Larson)
Disclosed
Fighter Payroll: $134,000
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Quote
of the Day
"Vulgarity
is the garlic in the salad of taste."
Cyril Connolly, 1903-1974, English Author/Editor/Critic
|
The
MMA Education of Brock Lesnar
by Jake Rossen (jrossen@sherdog.com)
Using
the antiquated body mass index provided by our good friends in
Washington D.C., we can make absolutely certain of one fact:
Brock Lesnar is a morbidly obese individual.
Fluctuating
between 265-300 pounds, the former collegiate wrestling champion's
body mass seems ridiculously disproportionate to his 6' 2"
frame, more suited to perpetual rotation at a fast food drive-thru
than any athletic endeavor.
That's
the story on paper. In reality, Lesnar is a mammoth human being,
layered in enough muscle to put Hasbro's sculpting department
to shame.
Unlike
most men of his dimensions, his physique is functional: as a
high school senior, he amassed a 33-0 record on the mat; in 2000,
he placed first in the NCAA Wrestling Championships; in four
years of college, he lost five bouts and won 106.
He
is, in short, a very scary man.
With
a reputed mean streak and a deep-sea diver classification in
the waters of grappling, Lesnar seemed a good fit for MMA, where
hard-nosed wrestlers had dominated. Unfortunately, his graduation
in 2000 ran parallel to a poor year for the sport, with limited
exposure on television and weak crowds stateside.
Professional
wrestling courted Lesnar … understandably eager to inflate
the traditionally empty bank account of collegiate grapplers,
he listened.
To
the dismay of fight fans, Lesnar became a sentient action figure,
competing in faux matches that had more in common with cartoons
than professional sports. He traveled the world for three years,
playing the Bearded Lady to Vince McMahon's P.T. Barnum, before
realizing that he hated it, hated the schedule and hated the
theatrics.
And
then Lesnar simply quit.
There
was the attempt at playing professional football, though no one
since Vince Papale had managed to walk off the street and into
the league. (Lesnar had never played college ball, making his
NFL hopes suspect at best.) There were the lawsuits against WWE,
which had hoped to tie up Lesnar in a no-compete clause through
2010. (He eventually extricated himself from the agreement.)
Nearing
30, Lesnar was approaching that valuable window of physical opportunity
for a combat artist, where a career that starts at 35 is likely
not going to be a career that lasts very long.
So
it comes down to Saturday, where, after roughly one year of training,
Lesnar will strap on four-ounce gloves and attempt to spike Min
Soo Kim -- who, rumor has it, has replaced Hong-Man Choi in the
"Dynamite USA!!" main event -- through the mat. No
points are given for a pin, and no script is memorized before
the party.
And
with a win or a loss comes a realization: either we'll witness
the beginning of a tyrannical heavyweight legacy, or we'll be
shaking our head at yet another alleged tough guy who couldn't
hack the peerless rigors of an MMA ring.
Is
Lesnar the most credentialed wrestler to compete in the game?
Not hardly. Kevin Jackson, Kenny Monday, and Matt Lindland all
have Olympic medals in their display cases. Is he the most athletic?
Doubtful. Egypt's Karam Ibrahim has more fast-twitch muscle fibers
than an African safari.
But
what Lesnar does have is the kind of complete physicality that
anyone in any athletic pursuit should envy: despite his bulk,
he's incredibly quick. (Using a highly complex mathematical formula,
we can deduce that "speed + power" = "hospitalization.")
And though strikes make greater demands on the cardiovascular
system, Lesnar's lungs seem up to the challenge of oxygenating
his considerable muscle mass.
There
was a time when that was all a wrestler needed to dominate. Mark
Coleman, a fellow collegiate champion, came into the UFC in 1996
and ran roughshod over his opponents, to the point where you
actually began pitying the next one; Kevin Randleman was a multi-time
UFC champ because no one could reverse his positional control;
and Randy Couture… well, hell, it's easier to recommend
you read his forthcoming autobio for that story.
But
because MMA's landscape is under consistent tectonic shift, wrestlers
who remain wrestlers are no longer the buzz saws of the genre.
Strikers learned how to defend a takedown, and promoters learned
that the glorified dry-humping that some grapplers engaged in
on the mats were anathema to fans.
If
you're a wrestler, you'd better know how to punch. And if you're
a puncher, you'd better know how to wrestle. That's the mandate
for 2007.
We
don't know if Lesnar can punch. We don't know if he can take
a punch. (Though that bull neck shouldn't hurt the cause.) We
don't know how formidable his ground striking is, and we don't
know if he can defend submissions, or apply them.
The
training is more than respectable: Lesnar started out spending
time with Pat Miletich, who is arguably the most effective coach
in the game today, the same Miletich who took another farm boy
in Matt Hughes and turned him into the most decorated welterweight
of all time.
Greg
Nelson then settled in as Lesnar's primary coach; his protégé,
Sean Sherk, became the UFC's lightweight champion.
The
pedigree is impressive and indicates that Lesnar understands
he's a ball of clay at this point, mostly potential and no real
work of art. But how effective Kim is going to be in sculpting
him remains to be seen.
Kim
presents with a far different approach than what Lesnar had been
training for in Choi, a gigantic South Korean kickboxer with
a background in modified wrestling. An Olympic silver medal judoka
during the 1996 Atlanta Games, Kim will happily engage Lesnar
in the clinch.
In
the wrestler's favor is the fact that Kim is, to put it mildly,
a wet washcloth of an MMA fighter, with a 2-5 record and no significant
wins to his credit. Against strikers, he's been knocked out four
times. Against reformed pro wrestler Sean O'Haire, he pulled
off a submission win. (O'Haire is 1-2 in the sport; Kim's other
submission victim, Yoshihisa Yamamoto, is 6-16.)
He's
bulbous, with the physique of an athlete who enjoys his cheat
meal on a daily, rather than weekly, basis. Completely ineffectual
on his feet, he doesn't like being in the pocket: against Mighty
Mo, he was positively bashful, keeping his distance before kissing
canvas.
It's
obvious that a fight between Lesnar and the unheralded South
Korean won't pack the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, but K-1,
mindful of financial support from Asian TV networks, needs Kim's
ethnicity. And Lesnar, being a debuting MMA athlete, needs to
cut his teeth with a pillow fight rather than a gunfight.
But
a punch to the face is a punch to the face, and Kim has the benefit
of being a ring veteran.
The
closest approximation to this bout in terms of experience and
style is a 2004 clash between Olympic wrestler Rulon Gardner
and judoka Hidehiko Yoshida. While Yoshida had logged plenty
of time in the PRIDE ring, Gardner was making his MMA debut.
The rookie battered Yoshida from ring post to ring post, laying
heavy hands and imposing his will when it went to the ground.
He won a decision.
Lesnar
would certainly enjoy a similar outcome; beholden to the erratic
and obtuse K-1 for only one bout, an impressive win would leave
him open for generous offers from the UFC, Pro Elite, and other
suitors. The elephant in the room is undoubtedly Kurt Angle,
whose rivalry with Lesnar from their WWE days would make for
explosive box office in a reality setting.
"I
humbled him," Angle told Real Fighter magazine of their
grappling contest behind closed doors. "Everybody knew who
the man was."
Imagine
that kind of talk from both men for months on end, and you can
understand the kind of business a showdown would generate.
Future
plans aside, the idea that a decorated wrestler with a desire
to compete and the most complete athletic tools of any heavyweight
fighter to date should be enough to bait observers into seeing
what the "Next Big Thing" can do, regardless of their
distaste for his prior vocation.
As
for the outcome? Common sense gives the advantage to the bigger,
stronger grappler, but that's the appeal of this bout: no one
really knows what Lesnar has to offer. And that ignorance breeds
a certain kind of suspense among fans, one that recalls the single-discipline
ninjas and death-touch practitioners in the early days of the
Octagon.
Lesnar
may be turn out to be a mediocre mixed martial artist, but he
possesses something that no amount of training, diet, or drills
can teach: he's a charismatic presence that people will pay to
see, an enigma that piques curiosity.
He
is, in short, an attraction -- even if the FDA thinks he could
drop a few pounds.
Source: Sherdog
|
Pé
de Pano to face Feijão in IFL
As a reserve, Celsinho could face Wagnney
There is a battle of Brazilians brewing. After four fights in
the UFC, the only organization for which he has fought MMA till
now, Marcio Pe de Pano Cruz has been called up to defend the
Pitbulls against the Dragons at the installment of the American
league set for the 16th of June. Pe de Pano’s adversary
will be the also-Brazilian Rafael Feijão, heavyweight
representative of the Dragons.
Another
that may show up on the card is Celsinho Vinicius. Current World
lightweight lightweight champion at black belt, Celsinho has
been called up as a reserve for the American Erick Owings. In
the event of a need for substitution, Celsinho will face the
Carioca Wagnney Fabiano.
“We
will bring Celsinho no matter what happens. If Erik’s elbow
worsens, Celsinho will fight. But for now it’s Erik, who
has a chance to qualify for the GP at his weight,” said
Renzo Gracie, coach of the Pitbulls.
The
battle between the Dragons and Pitbulls is crucial for the teams
in this season’s IFL, as it will be the last event before
definition of the teams qualified for the playoffs. On the same
evening the Lions face the Scorpions.
Refer
to the updated card below:
Dragons
vs Pitbulls
Wagnney
Fabiano vs Erik Owings
Gideon Ray vs Delson Heleno
Brent Beauparlant vs Fabio Leopoldo
Wojtek Kaszowski vs Jamal Patterson
Rafael Feijão vs Márcio Pé de Pano
Lions
vs Scorpions
John
Gunderson vs Gabe Casillas
Pat Healy vs Mike Guymon
Daniel Molina vs Seth Baczynski
Vernon White vs Mike Whitehead
Roy Nelson vs to be announced
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
"THE
SPORT HAS FINALLY ARRIVED..."
Mixed martial arts, particularly the Ultimate Fighting Championship,
has seen a surge in popularity in the last couple of years powered
by the Spike TV reality show ‘The Ultimate Fighter.’
Before the sport found it’s way on cable television it was
driven by the internet fueled by hardcore fans.
There
was a time when getting mentioned by a mainstream publication
was a hope, a mirage in the desert. Today mixed martial arts
has caught the eye and gained the attention of the biggest news
outlets and respected names in sports coverage.
“Some
amazing things happened for the sport this week, the cover of
ESPN the magazine, the cover of Sports Illustrated, playing so
much on SportsCenter. It’s absolutely shocking and surreal,”
UFC president Dana White commented Saturday night at the UFC
71 post fight press conference.
ESPN
recently jumped on board the mixed martial arts bandwagon by
showing highlights of the UFC 69 main event welterweight title
bout between Georges St. Pierre and Matt Serra, but their coverage
of UFC 71 was unprecedented.
“We
knew this was going to be a big fight just from the weigh-ins.”
The UFC president commented. “We had over 3,000 people at
the weigh-ins for this fight.”
The
UFC weigh-ins have become an event of their own. The fighters
stepping on the scale for UFC 71 was broadcast live on ESPN News,
YahooSports.com, NBCSports.com, as well as the UFC’s website.
‘The
Ultimate Fighter’ and the UFC marketing machine have played
significant roles in the sport's recent exposure, but Dana White
gave credit where credit is due. He credited the fighters. “The
reason this sport is where it is right now is because of what
you saw here tonight. These guys come out and they fight. There’s
a lot of hype behind these fights, and these guys actually live
up to the hype. That’s one of the million reasons we’re
doing as well as we are and boxing is dropping.”
UFC
71 was announced as a sold-out crowd of 14,728 with live gate
revenue of $4.3 million. The pay-per-view buy rate is expected
to approach or surpass sales records for an MMA event.
Modestly,
White stepped around the question of expected pay-per-view buys
of UFC 71 saying, “This was a big fight. Chuck is not only
the biggest superstar in MMA; he’s a superstar in the sports
world period. What made this fight so interesting and exciting
was Rampage Jackson was the last guy to beat him, so people wanted
to see that fight. We’ll find out in a couple of days how
many people wanted to see it."
Asked
about the widespread coverage of the UFC and ESPN giving the
sport it’s just due, Dana White said, “It’s big.
The sport has finally arrived...”
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Four
WEC bouts to air live on VERSUS
VERSUS will televise the final two hours of the June 3 WEC 28 card beginning
at 9pm ET.
The
four bouts that will air on VERSUS live are:
Chance
Farrar vs. Urijah Faber
Rani Yahya vs. Mark Hominick
Josh Smith vs. Alex Karalexis
Craig Zellner vs. Brian Stann
The
rest of the card:
Brock
Larson vs. TBA
Alex Serdyukov vs. John Alessio
Micah Miller vs. Cub Swanson
Mike French vs. Jeff Bedard
Brian Bowles vs. Charlie Valencia
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Comprido
sets sail for Chicago
Traven makes MMA plans and celebrates gym
The
black belt Roberto Traven is at full sail. Having opened his
new gym a month and a half ago, in Atlanta, Georgia, the absolute
champion of ADCC 1999 is again making plans for MMA, as he tells
GRACIEMAG.com first hand.
“The
new gym is going well (thank God). We opened on April 9th and
in a month and a half we have reached 130 Jiu-Jitsu students,
an excellent number for only having 45 days of work," tells
Traven.
“I
have some students that promise to be excellent fighters, both
in MMA and Jiu-Jitsu, but it is still too early to name names.
I am trying to coach in the IFL in the 2008 season, and as you
know they put the coaches to fight. So, if that happens, I will
return to competition. But whether or not that happens, I am
training at a good pace, helping in the training of some UFC
fighters, so I have to always keep myself constantly in good
physical and technical shape," says the Carioca instructor.
Another
preparing to invest in Jiu—Jitsu in the USA is his colleague
Rodrigo Comprido Medeiros, who awaits a visa to move once and
for all to Chicago, Illinois. “The main thing we already
have, which is an academy with good infrastructure, set up by
Dino, who was Andrei Arlovski’s boxing instructor. Dino
– who is one of my three partners – also trained some
with Demian [Maia] beforehis fight at Gracie FC,” finishes
Comprido.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Quote
of the Day
"In
this business if you're good, you're right six times out of ten.
You're never going to be right nine times out of ten."
Peter Lynch, American Wall Street Stock Investor and Author
|
GRAPPLING
UNLIMITED
presents a MMA seminar with Superbrawl Champion
EGAN INOUE
Today
DATE: June 2nd
TIME:
1pm-5pm
LOCATION:
Grappling Unlimited
TYPE
OF SEMINAR: MMA (Mixed Martial Arts)
REQUIREMENTS:
Participants must bring
- mouthpiece
- protective cup
- shingards
- 16 oz. boxing gloves
NOTES:
There is very limited space for this seminar. We will only accept
(16) people. Sign up soon!
PRICE:
$90 general public / $70 GU & Studio members
Source: Marcia
Inoue
|
Korean
in for Choi Hong-Man
Min Soo Kim should face Lesnar at K-1 Dynamite
Today!
Failing
to pass the medical exam demanded by the California Athletic
Commission, the giant Choi Hong Man should have his spot filled
by another compatriot, in his fight against Brock Lesnar at K-1
Dynamite USA, on Saturday, in Los Angeles. According news coming
out of the United States, the South Korean Min Soo Kim should
be called up to face off against the American wrestler.
Kim’s
record is not the most impressive. Up until now he has seven
professional MMA matches, with only two wins and five losses.
Among his vanquishers are the well-known Bob Sapp, Semmy Schilt,
Don Frye and Ray Sefo.
Reprovado
no exame médico exigido pela Comissão Atlética
da Califórnia de enfrentar Brock Lesnar no K-1 Dynamite
USA, sábado, em Los Angeles, o gigante Choi Hong Man deve
ver sua vaga ocupada por um compatriota. De acordo com notícias
vindas dos Estados Unidos, o sul-coreano Min Soo Kim deve ser
escalado para uma medir forças com o wrestler americano.
O
cartel de Kim não chega a ser dos mais impressionante.
Até hoje foram sete lutas profissionais de vale-tudo,
com apenas duas vitórias e cinco derrotas. Entre seus
algozes estão os conhecidos Bob Sapp, Semmy Schilt, Don
Frye e Ray Sefo.
Check
out he updated K-1 Dynamite USA card (subject to change):
K-1
Dynamite USA
LA Coliseum, Los Angeles, California USA
Saturday, June 2, 2007
Brock
Lesnar vs Min Soo Kim*
Kazushi Sakuraba vs Royce Gracie
Mighty Mo vs Choi Mu Bae
Melvin Manhoef vs Yoon Dong-Sik
Javier Vasquez vs Katsuhiko Nagata
Brad Pickett vs Hideo Tokoro
Johnnie Morton vs Bernard Ackah
Gesias Cavalcante vs Nam Phan
Antonio Pezão Silva vs Jonathan Wiezorek
Jake Shields vs Ido Pariente
*
not officially confirmed
Source: Gracie Magzine
|
DSE
rumor mill
By Zach Arnold
First, let’s cover the court beat. Today, all the parties
involved in the Fishman Companies vs. DSE Inc. lawsuit are scheduled
to meet in Clark County, NV. court to resume legal proceedings.
The main attorney for DSE Inc. filed a motion to dismiss the
case or get a summary judgment. One of the expected issues to
be raised is whether or not a contract existed between Ed Fishman
and DSE Inc. Witness depositions on behalf of Fishman Companies
is still expected to occur.
Source: Fight Opinion
|
Inter.
grappling seminar in Rio
The meeting is set for June 23 and 24
The
Brazilian Confederation of Associated Fights (CBLA), the World
Grappling Committee and the International Federation of Associated
Fights (FILA) on June 23rd and 24th promote, at the Hotel Scorial,
in Catete, the 1st International Grappling Seminar to be held
in Brazil.
The
course will be administered by representatives of the World Grappling
Committee Jason Townsend and Jean François Court and has
the purpose of demonstrate the rules and peculiarities of this
new modality, developed by FILA and possibly soon to be an Olympic
sport.
Aside
from the international representative, the course will include
the presence of the national grappling department of the CBLA,
among them masters Sylvio Behring, Eduardo Paz (international
FILA referee), Álvaro Barreto, João Alberto Barreto
and Roberto Leitão (father).
“The
course has two main objectives, at least from CBLA’s point
of view: the first is to understand all the nuances of the new
rules proposed by FILA, through demonstrations by those that
made them (CMG) and discussion. And the second is to promote
our first official representatives, capable of teaching the peculiarities
of this new style throughout the world representing CBLA and
Brazil through seminars requested by other countries," said
Pedro Gama Filho, president of the CBLA.
“Besides
that, the participants will leave with a FILA diploma, which
provides incredible credibility in the fighting world for those
that possess it. It is a great investment for teachers worried
about worldwide development and teaching of ground styles,"
he finishes.
More
information on www.fila-wrestling.com or by email info@cbla.com.br
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
TUF5
Profile - Joe Lauzon
By Thomas Gerbasi
Joe Lauzon heard the rumblings before his September 2006 fight
with Jens Pulver, and it didn’t really bother him. He knew
he was the designated hittee for the former UFC lightweight champion,
the guy brought in to lose in Pulver’s heavily-hyped return
to the Octagon.
What
he didn’t take too kindly was how lightly regarded he was,
despite his 12-3 record and reputation as an up and comer at
155-pounds. It was something that hit home as soon as he arrived
for his pre-fight medical exams.
“Part
of the slap in the face about fighting Jens is the fact that
I knew that they were already talking about having him as the
coach,” said Lauzon, referring to the fact that Pulver was
expected to land a spot as one of the coaches for season five
of the Ultimate Fighter reality show after beating the Massachusetts
native at UFC 63. “I knew about that long before I fought
him – they were expecting him to knock me out and they were
already planning to put him on the show.”
Ah,
but what is it that’s said about the “best laid plans”?
Oh yeah, they can go awry, and after a left hook by Lauzon and
a follow-up flurry on his downed opponent, “J-Lau”
had a 48 second upset victory, and the UFC seemingly had a problem.
But
if the organization has proved anything over the years, it’s
the ability to take negatives and turn them into positives, and
not only did Pulver’s coaching spot on TUF5 stay intact,
a familiar face was brought in as one of the contestants –
Lauzon.
It
was a golden opportunity for fireworks, but when the two saw
each other for the first time since the night of their fight,
it was simply a meeting of two classy pros – not that there
wasn’t some early trepidation.
“I
had no idea how it was gonna go,” admitted Lauzon. “I
talked to him after our fight and he was super cool. We were
hanging out before the press conference, maybe 45 minutes or
so. We were talking about stupid stuff – video games and
all sorts of other things. He said he wasn’t gonna make
excuses – ‘you threw the punch, it landed, and that’s
the game we play.’ And when I got there (for the first day
of TUF5 filming), we first walk into the door of the gym and
he gave me a big hug and started telling me how I screwed up
all his plans, all joking and being friendly about it. It was
cool from the beginning, and we talked about it here and there,
but not really. A lot of the guys on his team were trying to
pull it out of him, ‘Lauzon got lucky, right?’ But
from what the guys told me, he was class act about it from start
to finish.”
When
it comes to Lauzon and Pulver, that’s not a surprise. But
what was a little shocking was that the same guy who once said
he was never leaving his day job because of $90,000 in student
loans and who was back at work the Monday after beating Pulver
decided to take off for six weeks for a reality television show.
What gives here? Was it to push his career further, or the opportunity
to train with a former world champion like the coach who selected
him, BJ
Penn?
“It
was definitely both,” said the 23-year old from Bridgewater.
“You can’t ask for someone better to train with than
BJ Penn. And then on top of
that, we knocked out Jens Pulver and people are like, ‘oh
you did so well, it’s so great,’ and everything else,
but we’re still signed to an entry level UFC contract. So
just by doing the show, if I lose my first fight and I’m
done, one and out, it doesn’t matter – I’m still
gonna get a better contract. So it’s kinda win-win. I feel
like I’ve gotten so much better being able to just train
for six weeks.”
At
press time, Lauzon is 2-0 on TUF5, with wins over Brian Geraghty
and Cole Miller. He’s been one of the most impressive fighters
on the Spike TV show thus far, but it wasn’t particularly
easy for him early on, especially since he entered the house
having only trained twice in the previous two months due to wrist
and neck injuries.
“Evalutation
day was my first day of doing anything – grappling, boxing,
wrestling, anything like that,” he remembered. “I thought
that maybe this wasn’t such a good idea. I was getting beat
up by everyone. But in a couple of days it all started to click
again and then I was right in there.”
It
didn’t help him deal with life in the fish bowl any easier
though.
“The
biggest adjustment for me was trying to go to sleep when you
have the camera in front of you,” he laughs. “But for
the most part the (camera) guys didn’t even bother me. Within
a day I had forgotten all about them altogether.”
Getting
away from his computer was a tougher sell.
“That
was killer,” he admits. “Guys are saying, ‘I’m
missing my kids, my family.’ I was missing my e-mail, all
the stuff I do compulsively. (Laughs) It was ridiculous. It was
a good change because I was getting a little OCD about checking
e-mail and stuff, and I still am a little bit, but if I’m
not checking it non-stop, I understand that the world’s
not gonna stop spinning.”
The
world didn’t stop for Lauzon once taping ended in Las Vegas.
He was back at work as a network administrator, dealing with
rush hour traffic and the 9 to 5 grind like everyone else. Hey,
at least he was able to get away for six weeks.
“Work
loves me,” he said. “They love that I fight and all
that type of stuff. I work for a small company and it’s
basically two of us in the IT department. The other guy can cover
most of the stuff, but having a second guy there makes sure we
get a lot of the stuff done in advance. The company got by.”
They
also encouraged Lauzon to chase after a shot most fighters would
give anything for.
“Someone
from my work asked me, ‘do you want to pass up an opportunity
which is a once in a lifetime deal? You can always do a regular
job and everything else, but this is a one shot deal. If you
pass up on it, it’s not gonna come around again.’ That
was what really drove me because I hate to go and regret anything.”
And
why would he? He gets the exposure of being in the nation’s
living rooms every Thursday night and a leg up on his fighting
career after being able to train in a highly competitive atmosphere
every day. He admits that TUF5 has made him a better fighter.
“I
got to train with such world-class guys like BJ Penn, Regan (Penn), and Tony (DeSouza), and even the
other guys on our team,” said Lauzon. “It was a great
measuring stick. You think ‘I can do okay against this guy
or that guy’, but until you actually get to do it, you really
have no idea. I think being put up against the best was awesome
for me because I know where I am and where I have to get and
how I measure up against other people. It’s weird because
when you train with ‘your’ guys, you really don’t
have as much of a measuring stick to other people. When you get
to go up against the best, it’s a much more accurate read.”
Needless
to say, whether he wins or loses the rest of the way on TUF,
the future’s bright for the rapidly improving Lauzon. And
win or lose, there’s still that $800 a month student loan
bill waiting for him as well, just to keep him grounded and motivated.
But who knows, the kid who could never think of quitting his
day job for fighting may just be letting that thought creep into
his head a little more than before.
“If
I didn’t have those student loans, I’d probably be
in Hawaii right now, hanging
out with BJ and training,”
he laughs. “But I am thinking about it (fighting full-time)
a lot more than I was before.”
Source: UFC.tv
|
Quote
of the Day
"The
luck of having talent is not enough; one must also have a talent
for luck."
Hector Berlioz, 1803-1869, French Romantic Composer
|
UFC
in Hawaii?
Post-UFC 71 Press Coference News
Sellout attendance of 14,728 people
Live gate of $4.3 million which is the second biggest UFC live
gate ever behind UFC 66: Liddell vs. Ortiz II
Over 3,000 people attended the weigh-ins.
Dan Henderson chose to fight as a light heavyweight in the UFC.
Dana White contradicted Henderson in saying that Rampage and
Henderson will both have their titles on the line in their fight
this fall.
When asked about unifying the Pride and UFC titles Dana wasn’t
sure on how they were going to handle the title situation but
did say they had to respect title holders of the organization.
Chuck Liddell confirmed he will continue fighting saying he would
be ready to fight as soon as his suspension is up.
SI choose Roger Huerta for the cover of their magazine. Dana
praised the decision saying Huerta is a superstar.
White stated Liddell would likely face Wanderlei Silva in his
next fight (more on that fight here).
Fight of the night - Kalib Starnes vs. Chris Leben
Submission of the night - Din Thomas
KO of the night - “Rampage” Jackson
Rampage and Dana agreed the Mayweather vs. De La Hoya bout “sucked”
Houston Alexander sounded confident of his win over Keith Jardine
praising his training staff in helping him prepare.
Karo Parisyan attempted to mimic “Borat” with his song
after his win. He also requested a title shot to which Dana seemed
open to, although he will have to wait until after “Matt
and Matt” after season 6 of The Ultimate Fighter essentially
putting the division on hold.
Although Tito is still considered a top contender for a title
shot Dana indicated he would have to win another fight before
he would be given a title shot.
Tito’s opponent at UFC 73, Rashad Evans, would also be a
top contender with a win but Dana seemed to imply neither would
get a light heavyweight title shot with a win.
White stated that all of the top talent would be coming to the
UFC and that they are currently in talks with Pride Heavyweight
Champion Fedor Emelianenko.
Among potential UFC locations are Montreal, New York, Chicago,
and Hawaii.
Source: UFC Daily
|
K-1/Pro
Elite Update
Despite some last minute snares, we can report that the K-1/Pro
Elite event will be taking place this following Saturday and
will be airing on Showtime as planned. There have been some changes
on the card that will be announced shortly. We can say that Javier
Vazquez will not be fighting on the card. Pro Elite was not able
to place Vazquez on the main card due to the spaces previously
assigned by K-1 fighters. Vazquez was previously promised a TV
slot and with that promise unable to be fulfilled he was removed
from the card.
Jake Shields will be fighting after clearing all of his medicals
as will Royce Gracie and Japanese legend, Kazushi Sakuraba.
Source: Gracie Fighter
|
Dynamite
dud or surprise?
K-1 has come up with an ingenious idea to promote star power
at their upcoming Dynamite show at the LA Coliseum this weekend
- give a media push to Dennis Rodman. Sports Navigator reports
that they would like to see Rodman compete in MMA, as early as
late June in Holland. Yes, the Japanese report alluded to the
fact that Rodman wrestled in WCW in 1997.
Just
how bad was the IFL stock plunge on Wednesday? It’s a story
in The Los Angeles Times newspaper today.
GracieFighter.com
reports that the reason Gabe Ruediger will not fight on the K-1
Dynamite show is because he was declared ‘mentally unfit
to fight.’
Source: Fight Opinion
|
Brazilian
Notebook: Sperry Eyes Return
by Gleidson Venga (gvenga@sherdog.com)
As the Brazilian winter approaches, fight promoters are promising
to keep mixed martial arts fans warm, producing big events with
bigger things to come.
Fury FC showed it has not stopped growing, while Fatality Muay
Thai and MMA has jumped into the fray. Also, Mario Sperry , Cristiano
Marcello and other Brazilian fighters are training hard for their
next challenges.
Sperry confirmed for Cage Rage
Mario Sperry is confirmed to participate on the undercard of
Cage Rage's next event on July 14. The Brazilian legend will
face Lee Hasdell, a veteran English kickboxer with a sub-.500
record in MMA.
"Cage Rage is the biggest organization in Europe, and I'm
happy to fight there, and even happier because my hand is healed,"
said Sperry. "About my opponent I don't know much; all I
know is he likes to strike on his feet and he has a lot of knockouts
in his career, plus this will be his Cage Rage debut and he will
have the audience supporting him."
After this fight, the Brazilian Top Team leader will start to
train a squad for the International Fight League (IFL), where,
by the way, he would like to fight against the first man to beat
him in a MMA match, Russian Igor Zinoviev, coach of the Chicago
Red Bears.
"Yes, I said I don't care against who I will fight, the
competition is the most important," Sperry explained. "But
for sure a fight against Zinoviev will be very interesting. But
it doesn't matter if I just want this fight. The organization
needs to have interests in matching us up. So, like he beat me
in 1995. This fight has all the ingredients we need to be matched
up."
About his IFL team, Sperry warned: "I will be there to win.
I didn't choose the names of the fighters or the team. But I'm
warning everyone, we will give our best."
Fury FC 3 promises a lot of action this season
On May 19 in São Paulo, Fury FC 3, an outstanding organization
in the Brazilian scene featuring international-level talent such
as Chute Boxe's Thiago Silva , who debuted in the U.S. this weekend
on the UFC card in Las Vegas, promoted the opening round of an
eight-man 183-pound tournament.
The quarterfinals produced four fighters destined for the next
round in August.
The organization confirmed three other fighters for the late-winter
(in Brazil) card: Eduardo Pamplona , Daniel Acacio and Rousimar
Palhares. Acacio and Pamplona won on May 19, as did rising name
Luciano Azevedo.
183-pound tournament:
Gil Freitas def. Paulo Bueno TKO R2
Juliano Belgine def. Viscardi Guimarães armbar R2
Flavio Moura def. André Mikito decision
Leandro Batata def. Luis Brito decision
Undercard:
Jorge Michelan def. Mycon Pessoa arm-triangle choke R1
Takafumi Otsuka def. Leandro Issa TKO R3
Daniel Acacio def. Michelli Verginelli decision
Luciano Azevedo def. Rodrigo Ruiz triangle choke R2
Eduardo Pamplona def. Matti Makela decision
Wallid working on new project
Wallid Ismail is a fighting pioneer in Brazil. In the 1990s,
he was the first professional Brazilian jiu-jitsu fighter to
make a living in the sport. As a mixed martial artist he fought
in UFC, PRIDE and several other organizations.
Now retired from the ring, Ismail joined forces with Antonio
Inoki to direct Jungle Fight, the organization in which Fabricio
Werdum , Ryoto Machida and Gabriel Gonzaga established their
careers.
The Brazilian is currently part of another project: the Mixed
Martial Arts World League, a Web site where fights are transmitted
over Internet.
"The MMAWL is just like a TV channel," explained Ismail.
"We will show several MMA shows and soon we will bring BJJ
classes to the Internet."
The Web site showed three events already, including last weekend's
Gracie Fighting Championship.
"I give my best to spread and to improve the sport,"
Ismail said. "I always did it as a fighter and now as a
manager. I work a lot so this sport and our fighters will be
known all around the world. I work really hard. I hope everybody
helps us to make MMA even bigger."
Simoes outstanding at Fatality Muay Thai and MMA
On May 23 in Niteroi, the first card promoted by Fatality Muay
Thai and MMA took place. Organized by Gustavo Machado and Diogo
Tavares, the event featured five MMA matches.
At the end of the night, all the attention was focused on BTT
fighter Eduardo Simoes, who showed a lot of technique in the
ring, knocking out his opponent with a soccer kick.
Results:
Leonardo Tangerina def. Carlos "Tuca" decision
Eduardo Simoes def. Fabio Jamaica KO R1
Fabio Abreu def. Laercio Ribeiro rear-naked choke R2
Amilcar Alves def. Alessandro de Souza decision
Eduardo Pachu def. William Casquilha TKO R3;
News and notes
The two top Peruvian fighters in MMA will be on opposite sides
of the ring soon. Experienced Tony DeSouza stated he will possibly
face Ivan Iberico, who showed amazing performances in his three
professional fights. A student of Alexandre Franca Nogueira ,
"Pitbull" Iberico confirmed he also wanted this fight
against the UFC veteran.
Chute Boxe BJJ coach Cristiano Marcello signed a contract to
fight in Art of War and will make his debut August 18 against
Hector Munoz. "I don't know much about him, but he is a
Royce Gracie black belt," stated Marcello. "I hope
to knock him out."
Currently training for his UFC bout in Hollywood, Fla. on June
12, Gleison Tibau has also been busy in the ring, fighting earlier
this month for the Nordeste Combat Championship. Tibau stopped
Antonio Fernades, who had his nose broken during the fight.
The Midway Fighting Championship brought the experienced Jorge
Patino to fight Luis "Sapo" in the main event on May
10. "Sapo" dominated most of the fight and won by judges'
decision.
Source: Sherdog
|
TUF
UPDATE
Thomas Vs. Sims Confirmed:
“Rematch” Bout to Take Place in Octagon
By FCF Staff
An official, sanctioned bout between Marlon Sims and Noah Thomas
will take place on June 23rd, at the Ultimate Fighter Finale
in Las Vegas, Nevada, Spike Television confirmed today. The two
Season 5 competitors who engaged in a now infamous backyard brawl
in last week’s episode, drew the ire of UFC President Dana
White, resulting in both Thomas’ and Sims’ expulsion
from the show.
Thomas
(10-4) was on a four-fight winning streak before the start of
this season’s Ultimate Fighter. The Colorado Springs resident
began fighting professionally in 2005, and went 4-1 as an amateur
prior to that. Sims (3-1), who has had less experience fighting
in a MMA ring compared to his upcoming opponent, won 2 fights
in a row prior to TUF 5.
The
“rematch” between Thomas and Sims will open the finale
broadcast, an event that will not only feature the final bouts
for Season 5, but a main event tilt between BJ Penn (10-4-1)
and Jens Pulver (21-7-1).
Source: FCF
|
Bloodyknux.Com
Exclusive Interview:
1 on 1 with UFC Star Tyson Griffin
We
here at Bloodyknux.Com always strive to bring our readers interviews
with the stars and up and comers of the MMA world. Recently our
own Tyler Horton was fortunate enough to catch up with Rising
UFC Lightweight star Tyson Griffin. Read on as Tyson talks about
shaking off his recent defeat to Frank Edgar, preparing to fight
overseas for the first time and much more.....
BK:.
What first got you started in MMA? When did you decide you wanted
to become a professional fighter?
TG:
I basically got into the sport because I needed a place to work
out. I was in Santa Rosa, CA because I moved there to wrestle
for the Junior College. After I decided to drop school all together
I kept hearing about Dave Terrell’s gym where a lot of the
wrestlers would go to work out and train jiu-jitsu. I finally
was too fat and out of shape and it was time for me to do something.
So I started going to Dave’s to just get some weight off
and have fun really. Dave told me one day he thought I would
be good at MMA and that I should come train with him at Caesar’s
gym. My first MMA session was with the Diaz brothers, Jake Shields,
Gilbert Melendez, Gil Castillo and of course Dave. I ended up
getting cut at the end of the work out and while I waited at
the emergency room to get stitches I decided that this was something
that I’d want to do and it sure would beat the long construction
days I was working.
BK:.
What is a typical training day like for you?
TG:
In the morning I do plyometrics or run a couple miles and do
some mit work or grappling. In the evening I’ll go back
to the gym and we’ll warm up and start sparring mma for
at least 5 rounds. I like to keep things simple and just work
hard
BK:.
One thing I have heard is that you are a man who loves his food
and who also loves to cook. Does this make it hard to keep on
a diet training wise or easier for you?
TG:
You heard right my friend, I should be on those before and after
ads for weight loss pills or something. Although I don’t
like letting myself get too big after fights my love of food
kinda takes over sometimes. Especially since my lady just graduated
culinary school and can cook with the best of them. The fact
that I cook a lot does help me control what I put in my body
when im dieting so it goes both ways. Man, that question made
me hungry !
BK:
You have trained with Dave Terrell and co out at the Nor Cal
Fighting Alliance. Any up and comers from there you could tell
us about that might be joining you in the UFC in the near future?
TG:
I did start there, but I recently relocated to Las Vegas where
I now train at Xtreme Couture with guys like Grey Maynard, Jay
Hieron, Mike Pyle, Alex Schoenauer, Joey Varner. The list goes
on, including Randy himself of course. Check it out for yourself
at Xtremecouture.tv. To answer your question though, there is
plenty of talent still at NCFA that you may see in the UFC in
the next year or so.
BK:
Your career has been moving along at a pretty advanced level.
Did you ever feel in over your head so to speak in taking on
guys like Urijah Faber and Duane Ludwig within your first seven
fights?
TG:
No, not at all actually. I love being the underdog or the guy
that’s supposed to lose. It was like that when I wrestled
in high school and JC. There’s no pressure at all except
for what I put on myself of course. If I got beat by Urijah,
big deal I lost my third fight to a good fighter. If I got ko’d
by Duane, no biggy got beat by one of the best strikers in MMA.
However, I live to challenge myself in the octagon and fight
bigger and better competition each time. Proving people and critics
wrong always feels good too
BK:.
Speaking of Urijah Faber, He is being pushed it seems at the
face of the WEC brand that Zuffa purchased recently and is going
to air on the VERSUS network. Any interest at all in giving him
a rematch, this time surely for a much larger paycheck and with
bigger exposure than when you two first fought in Gladiators
Challenge? Do you think Faber would be willing to step up to
155 to meet you?
TG:.
Like I say to everyone else, I told Urijah the day I beat him
he could come up and fight me at my weight since I dropped to
his and beat him. I originally tried to get a catch weight of
150 for the first fight which he disagreed to and that was expected.
He then played games around weigh-ins which I will leave out
details and because there was no commission at the event there
was nothing we as a camp could do but wait. The bottom line is
I hope, dream and wish he would have the balls to step up and
get whooped again, just so I wouldn’t have to answer this
question anymore. I think he knows better though. He always says
stuff about money when my name comes up, but I think its just
an excuse. Or he just wants to make sure the beating would be
worth it this time.
BK:.
The Lightweight division in the UFC was a division that was long
dormant up until about two years ago. In the past two years however,
the division has been one of the most exciting in the UFC with
bouts such as yourself and Frankie Edgar, Roger Huerta / Leonard
Garcia and Joe Lauzon/ Jens Pulver providing the fans with non
stop action and suprises. With that in mind as well as the focus
on the 155lb division in this season’s version of The Ultimate
Fighter, where do you feel the Lightweight division is in terms
of general fan recognition today?
TG:
I think its through the roof today. People understand now how
technical and skilled us “little guys” can be. Not
only that, most of the guys in the lightweight division have
great cardio and can go and go and go. I’ve had people from
the average joe to the hard core fans compliment what myself
and the other lightweights bring to the table. Even the big weight
lifting guys are finally fans and respect the fact that we could
take it to them if we wanted. They don’t like it, but now
they respect it. Lightweights are the real deal
BK:.
What are your thoughts on the PRIDE/UFC merger? One thing PRIDE
was known for is its wealth of LW talent, which was featured
quite regularly in their BUSHIDO series. Is there anyone from
the PRIDE side of the LW division that you would aspire to matchup
against such as a Takanori Gomi or Mach Sakurai now that all
the talent is under the Zuffa banner?
TG:
Anyone in the top twenty in the world really. Both those names
sound good to me. But like you said, there are many others that
would be an amazing challenge.
BK:
Speaking of your fight against Frankie Edgar, a few brief questions
about that.
How long did it take you to shake off dealing with your first
professional defeat? Was there any dwelling on what if situations
in the bout or was it a case of “ Ok., I lost, it happens
time to let it go and move on to training for my next bout and
not making the same mistake again?”
TG:It
was exactly what you said, no dwelling, you lose from time to
time. it happens in every sport and I was just fortinute enough
to have won my first 8 bouts.
BK:What
if anything would you have done differently strategy wise against
Edgar?
TG:
I actually wouldn’t have done anything different strategy
wise. At the time I was dealing lots stuff like moving to vegas
and dealing with the drama from switching teams I had some health
issues affecting my training. I was overweight for my liking
and had to lose too much water for weigh-ins. I didn’t have
a perfect training camp going into the fight but It wasn’t
an issue or the first time that I wasn’t 110% ready to go.
I didn’t lack any confidence going in, I told myself, “I
had done it before and could do it again” looking back I
think those factors made a bigger part than anything that happened
on fight night. Frankie came ready to bang and he deserved to
win that night. He’s a tough dude, period.
BK:What
were your thoughts when you had Edgar in that full kneebar and
he was not tapping? How close do you feel you were to destroying
his knee?
TG:
I was thinking about taking his leg home with me. I did feel
his knee pop a couple times when I had his leg on my chest and
couple more times when I put it under my armpit.
BK:
When you got hit clearly below the belt/nut shotted and Mazzagatti
told you to fight on, did that affect you in any way?
TG:
No, getting hit in the nuts happens sometimes and unfortunately
I didn’t get the chance to recover, but it didn’t break
my spirit.
BK:
Id like to ask you a couple of questions now about your upcoming
bout against Clay Guida at UFC 72. This will be your first fight
outside of the United States. Are you excited about fighting
in front of the European Crowd in Belfast?
TG:
Yeah I’m excited, It will be interesting to see the level
of knowledge they hold for the sport. I know fighting in general
is huge over there so I suspect they will be an excited crowd
with lots of energy.
BK.
Guida is a submission and wrestling specialist first and foremost.
Do you plan on trying to keep the bout standing with him or will
you go to the ground and try to finish him if necessary?
TG:
I’ll fight him anywhere. I’ve got great submissions
and pretty good wrestling myself and submissions is one of the
areas I should attack more but I like punching people in the
face better So I guess only time will tell.
BK:
Tyson, lastly id like to thank you for taking the time to answer
our questions here at Bloodyknux.com. Is there anyone that you
would like to thank personally or sponsor wise?
TG:
First off, thank you, It was my pleasure. Thanks to all my fans
for supporting me in my loss and hopefully we’ll get back
on track June 16th. I have to thank Kim and Randy Couture for
making my dreams a reality. I cant thank them enough and to all
the guys at my new home at Xtreme Couture (www.xtremecouture.tv)
Thanks for treating me like family Thanks to my sponsors for
being there from day one. Northbay Firearms (www.northbayfirearms.com),
Ground and Pound Fightgear (www.groundandpoundfightgear.com),
Fairtex (www.fairtex.com)
-Tyler
Horton
Photo by Jim Kirkland
NOTE-
Id like to thank our staff member John Walters and our forum
members TT and Mattias for their question contributions to this
interview. Without our member participation these interviews
would not be possible.
Source: Bloodyknux.Com
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