Upcoming
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(All events on Oahu, unless noted)
2007
11/10/07
Aloha State
Championship of BJJ
(BJJ/Sub Grappling)
(Klum Gym UH Manoa)
10/6/07
Punishment
In Paradise 18
(MMA &
Kickboxing)
(Dole Cannery)
7/28/07
Maui Jiu-Jitsu Tournament
(BJJ & Sub Grappling)
(Maui War Memorial Gymnasium, Wailuku, Maui)
7/13/07
Punishment
In Paradise 17
(MMA & Kickboxing)
(Dole Cannery)
6/23/06
Ultimate Fight Night
(BJ Penn vs Jens Pulver)
(Spike TV)
6/22/07
Got
Skills
(Kickboxing/MMA)
(Waipahu Filcom)
6/16/07
Hawaiian Open of BJJ
(BJJ/Sub Grappling)
(Klum Gym UH Manoa)
6/3/07
The Quest for Champions 2007
(Sport-Pankration, Submission-Grappling, Continuous Sparring
and Sport-Jujitsu)
(Saint Louis High School Gym)
5/20/07
Pride
Fighting Championships:
(PPV)
(Lightweight Grand Prix)
5/19/07
Kickin it
(Kickboxing)
(Waipahu Filcom Center)
5/5/07
Punishment
In Paradise 16
(MMA & Kickboxing)
(Dole Cannery)
4/28/07
Pride
Fighting Championships:
(PPV)
(Thomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas, NV)
Maui MMA Event
(MMA)
(Maui)
K-1 World GP
(Kickboxing)
(Honolulu)
4/24/07
Professional Boxing
(Boxing)
(Waipahu Filcom Center)
4/9/07
UFC
GSP vs Hughes 3
(PPV)
4/7/07
Got Skills
(Kickboxing)
(Waipahu Filcom Center)
Papakolea Jiu-Jitsu Club Tournament
(BJJ & Sub Grappling)
(King Intermediate, Kaneohe)
4/6/07
Hawaii Fighting Championships: Stand Your Ground 3
(MMA)
(Dole Cannery Ballroom)
4/5/07
Ultimate
Fight Night
(Spike TV)
3/31/07
Icon Sport
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena)
3/25/07
Kickboxing Benefit Event for Mrs. Faagai
(Kickboxing)
(Waianae H.S. Gym)
3/24/07
Garden Island Cage Match
5
(MMA)
(Kauai)
The 2007
Hawaii State/Regional Junior Olympic Championships (Boxing)
(Palolo District Park)
UFC:
Tito Ortiz vs. Dana White boxing match
(Nevada)
3/17/07
X-1
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena)
Island Warriors
(MMA)
(Maui War Memorial)
3/13/07
Ultimate
Fight Night
(Spike TV)
3/10/07
Hawaiian Championship of BJJ
(BJJ/Sub Grappling)
(Klum Gym UH Manoa)
3/3/07
UFC 68
(PPV)
(Columbus, Ohio)
Kickin It
(Kickboxing)
(Waipahu Filcom)
2/24/07
Pride Fighting Championships:
(PPV)
(Thomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas, NV)
2/17/06
Got
Skills
(Kickboxing/MMA)
(Waipahu Filcom)
2/16-17/07
USA-Boxing Hawaii State & Regional Championships
(Boxing)
(Palolo District Park Gym)
2/16/07
Punishment
In Paradise 15
(MMA & Kickboxing)
(Hawaiian Waters)
2/9/07
Icon Sports
(MMA & Kickboxing)
(Blaisdell Arena)
2/3/07
UFC
67
(Lutter vs Silva)
(PPV)
2/2/06
Got
Skills & Kickin' It
(Kickboxing/MMA)
(Waipahu Filcom)
1/23/07
Ultimate
Fight Night
(Spike TV)
1/20/07
IFL
(MMA)
1/14/07
NAGA Hawaii
(BJJ & Sub Grappling)
(St. Louis H.S. Gym)
1/13/07
USA Boxing Amateur Boxing
(Boxing)
(Palolo Gym)
1/12/07
K-1 Dynamite
(MMA)
(PPV, 5:00 PM Ch: 701)
|
|
March 2007 News
Part 2
|
Casca Grossa Jiu-Jitsu
is now the O2 Martial Arts Academy with 6 days a week training!
We are also offering Escrima (stick fighting) on Monday nights
and Kickboxing Tuesday and Thursday!
Click
here for info!
Take classes from the Onzuka brothers in a family-like enviornment! |
 
For the special Onzuka.com
price, click on one of these banners above! |
 |
Fighters' Club TV
The Toughest Show On
Teleivision
Tuesdays at 7:00PM
***NEW TIME***
Olelo Channel 52 on Oahu
Akaku on Maui
Check
out the FCTV website! |
Got a question for us? Email info@onzuka.com
or click here to send us
an email.
Fighters'
Club TV LOGO ANIMATION CONTEST
Everyone
knows that Onzuka.com's loyal readers are the most talented in
the state, if not the world! (can you already see where our fluff
complement is going already?) FCTV is looking for a talented
computer graphics whiz to animate our logo for the show. Winner
receives the snazzy RAZE Fightwear shirt and whatever else we
can dig up!
Here
is our logo:
If you have seen the show, you have seen how our old logo has
been animated. We are basically looking to create a cool animation
for our new logo.
We need a long version (10 Seconds) and a short version (3 Seconds)
if possible. Also, any ideas you may have as to what to do with
it would be appreciated too.
Email
entries to: fctv@onzuka.com
Mahalo,
Mark
|
Quote
of the Day
“It
is easy to be brave from a safe distance.”
Aesop, 620-560 B.C., Greek Fable Author
|
BAS
RUTTEN STEPS DOWN AS IFL HEAD COACH
Mixed martial arts legend Bas Rutten has stepped down from his
position as a coach in the IFL to take on a higher-profile role
in the relatively new MMA promotion.
Prior
to the IFL event on Saturday night, Rutten announced the news
to the live crowd at the Forum in Inglewood, California.
Originally
reported by Sherdog.com's Greg Savage, Rutten's role with the
IFL will transform from coach to the "Face of the IFL"
in the broadcasters' booth as well as hosting the "IFL Battleground"
series on MyNetworkTV.
Rutten
is a three-time King of Pancrase, a former UFC Heavyweight Champion,
and a former longtime color commentator for Pride Fighting Championships.
Rutten's charisma and knowledge of the sport would seem to make
him tailor-made for his IFL TV roles.
Los
Angeles Anacondas' assistant coach Shawn Tompkins will replace
Bas as head coach.
The
Anacondas defeated the Pat Miletich-coached Silverbacks, who
are the two-time IFL Team Champions, in the season opener, and
swept the Frank Shamrock-coached San Jose Razorclaws last night.
Tompkins will be coaching a team that may very well be the favorites
to win the Team Championship of the IFL's first full-length,
12-team season.
Source: MMA Weekly |
BUDO
REVIEW: CAGE FORCE 3
Cage Force held the first round of its lightweight and welterweight
tournaments today.
No
real surpises came out of the first round expect in the welterweight
tournament, as former Welterweight King of Pancrase Katsuya Inoue
was upset by Shooto veteran Yoshiyuki Yoshida in their quaterfinal
bout. Other winners in the welterweight tournament include former
Shooto Middleweight Champion Akira Kikuchi and HEROS veteran
Hidetaka Monma. Kikuchi is currently the world's #8-ranked welterweight
fighter in the MMAWeekly Rankings.
Former
Shooto Pacific Rim Welterweight Champion Koutetsu Boku advanced
to next round of the lightweight tournament after brutally dispatching
Finnish fighter Jarkko Latomaki with strikes. Other fighters
advancing include; Pride veteran Eiji Mitsuoka, DEEP veteran
Wataru Takahashi, Cage Warriors Lightweight tournament winner
Tomonori Kanomata and Pancrase veteran Artur Oumakhanov.
The
winners of tonight's bouts now move on to the next round, which
is scheduled to happen on May 27. They will be joined by Takumi
Nakayama and Wataru Miki in the lightweight tournament. Dan 'The
Outlaw' Hardy and Welterweight King of Pancrase Daizo Ishgie
join the welterweight tournament.
GCM:
Cage Force 03
Tokyo Differ Ariake
March 17, 2007
Cage
Force Lightweight Tournament Bouts
-Koutetsu
Boku beat Jarkko Latomaki by TKO, 2:33 of the first round
-Eiji Mitsuoka beat Brian Cobb with a guillotine choke, 1:38
of the third round
-Wataru Takahashi beat Kim In Seok by TKO, 3:06 of the second
round
-Artur Oumakhanov beat Kaynan Kaku by TKO, 3:57 of the second
round
-Tomonori Kanomata beat Jacob Sidic by TKO, :09 of the first
round
Cage
Force Welterweight Tournament Bouts
-Yoshiyuki
Yoshida beat Katsuya Inoue by TKO, 1:45 of the first round
-Hidetaka Monma beat Janne Tulirinta with an armlock, 2:48 of
the first round
-Akira Kikuchi beat Jared Rollins by TKO, 1:34 of the second
round
Source: MMA Weekly |
YOUNG
TALENT SHINES AT PANCRASE RISING
Young prospect Ryo Kawamura extended his undefeated streak with
a KO victory over journeyman Hiromitsu Kanehara.
Daiki
“DJ Taiki” Hata defeated late replacement Kentaro Imaizumi
via decision. Hata’s original opponent Djavathan Salmanov
was unable to participant due to complications in obtaining a
visa. Fans were not graced by Daiki’s much touted about
‘Spiderlock’ technique. “DJ Taiki” previously
defeated Imaizumi back at Pancrase - Spiral 5 in 2005.
Popular
ZST veteran Takumi “The Oriental Mystery” Yano was
knocked out in the first round. Yano fell victim to a knee from
Eriya Matsuda and was taken out of the ring on a stretcher after
the fight.
Pancrase
Rising Tour results:
Asaki
Honda and Seiki Ryo fought to a DRAW – RD2
Yuji Hoshino def. Shou Ji – Decision, RD2
Eriya Matsuda def. Takumi Yano – KO, RD1 1:30
Daiki “DJ Taiki” Hata def. Kentaro Imaizumi –
Decision, RD2
Alavutdin Gadzhiev def. Ichiro Kanai – TKO, RD1 1:05
Ryo Kawamura def. Hiromitsu Kanehara – KO, RD3 1:36
A
scheduled fight between Koji Oishi and Djalili Salmanov was cancelled.
Salmanov was unable to participant due to complications in obtaining
a visa.
Source: MMA Weekly |
Quote
of the Day
“The
function of the imagination is not to make strange things settled,
so much as to make settled things strange.”
G.K. Chesterton, 1874-1936, English Writer
|
JENS
PULVER READY TO START FROM THE BOTTOM
Jens Pulver had less than a stellar performance his first fight
back in the Octagon at UFC 63. Jens was so happy about being
back in the UFC that he self-admittedly forgot to concentrate
on Joe Lauzon, his opponent. Forty eight seconds later, that
fight was over.
Jens
hasn’t fought since then because he was chosen to be a coach
on season five of the Ultimate Fighter. He will be facing his
top nemesis in BJ
Penn on
the live season finale.
Jens
was on MMAWeekly Radio to talk about his experience on the Ultimate
Fighter and his thoughts on BJ Penn. “It was definitely
different,” said the former UFC lightweight champion. “I
had a great time. It was really fun going to war with BJ. I ended
up not liking him a lot as the show went on.”
The
Ultimate Fighter has been the number one reason for the UFC’s
heightened popularity the last three years. Nothing makes a show
work like controversy. BJ and Jens definitely have animosity
for one another. Host Damon Martin asked Jens about BJ. “I
think he’s a great fighter, he has a lot of skills. But
the difference is he has no respect for me, and that pisses me
off. I’m gonna knock him out, that’s all there is to
it.”
Apparently,
Jens has been going through some things and is looking to get
back on top. The Ultimate Fighter show definitely lit a fire
under the 31 year old. “I’m done being fat and lazy.
I’m tired of half-assing my career.”
Coaching
hasn’t really been something that Jens has done before,
so this was new territory for him. He found out that it isn’t
as easy as he may have thought. Jens remembers back when he used
to be tough to coach and he personally wanted to thank coach
Pat Miletich for that. “I called Pat and apologized for
all the tantrums I threw in practice. It definitely gave me a
new perspective.”
The
fight between BJ Penn and Jens Pulver is scheduled to be on the
finale of the Ultimate Fighter 5. Jens is very fired up for this
fight and he doesn’t want to just beat BJ, but hurt him.
“I don’t wanna just fight him. I wanna knock the s---
out of him. I don’t care if I get submitted. As long as
I can knock out eight of his teeth, I’ll tap right there.
This is the biggest fight of my life. I just lost everything.
I’m starting from the bottom. This is the biggest fight
of my life. Period.”
Last
season of TUF lacked the excitement of two rival coaches. Most
of the shows were not very controversial. We were assured by
Jens that this would be a fantastic season with some crazy antics.
“Nothing was scripted. Nothing was set up. They just ended
up with some of the craziest s---. The first show you don’t
wanna miss. I know its cliché. You do not want to miss
it. There’s some s--- that goes down, right in the very
first show.”
Source: Maxfighting
|
Got
Abs? Get it at the Honolulu Club Today!
Looking
for an AB solution?
Carve out your middle with Dr. Michael Luan
• do you want to improve the shape of your abs? • looking
for some new, effective, and quick ab exercises?
• are you willing to sweat the small stuff in order to train
the weak links in your body?
• join dr. michael to get a great workout and receive his
“top 10 ab defining tips”.
Seminar:
MONDAY MARCH 19TH
5:00-6:00 PM
HONOLULU CLUB, STUDIO #2
$15 MEMBERS, $25 NON-MEMBERS
*TO REGISTER, VISIT THE HOSPITALITY DESK IN PERSON OR CALL 808.543.3900
Dr. Michael Luan, D.C. is a Body Behavior Coach, Professional
Speaker, and Instructor of Integrative Movement and Biomechanics.
Dr. Michael is a Doctor of Chiropractic, holds a Masters in Oriental
Medicine and a Bachelor of Science degree in Biomedical Engineering
from USC. He has studied various forms of martial arts for sixteen
years and holds a black belt in Ashihara Karate.
His other qualifications include: sports training, peak performance,
body rolling, mind/body modes, rehabilitation, yoga, patterning,
and teacher training. Dr. Michael is also a corporate consultant,
regular speaker for the Fitness Training program at UC Santa
Barbara, and an advisor for various learning programs.
www.MichaelLuan.com
Source: Dave Liu |
Jorge
Gurgel Academy Reshaping Midwest MMA
If
your success is measured by the respect you get in your profession
then MaxFighting friend, Jorge Gurgel has it in spades. He is
one of the most talented jiu-jitsu black belts in North America
and possibly the world. Have you ever been rolled up like a basketball,
dribbled around the mat, and then 360 degree slam dunked in to
arm bar? You have if you have grappled with Gurgel...trust me.
Gurgel
now owns a brand new training facility that has the largest continous
grappling mat in the country. It also sports a full size cage,
cardio equipment, two large workout mats in the back, and even
weight training equipment. As for the using the cage, "You
don't just get to walk in there", Jorge said. "You
have to earn it. It is a right, a privilege." Basically,
if Jorge tells you that you can step in to their cage, you have
accomplished a lot. Maybe even impressed him...........a little.
It is not an easy task to impress a world class fighter and
trainer in his own school of outstanding MMA athletes.
On
Saturdays you can visit the school and find a large number of
MMA enthusiasts, amateur and professional fighters, and professional
athletes from other sports all training together. Former UFC
middleweight champion, Rich Franklin is there every Saturday
and spars, rolls, and boxes with anyone, including yours truly.
Did I mention Rich has a cannon for a left hand?
"We
have top-notch wrestlers, a muay thai world champion, several
pro boxers, and so many other different types of athletes that
call my school home. Each one of them trains here for a different
reason, but they all train and that's what is important. None
of my fighters are allowed to do their training halfway. If
you want to compete on my fight team you have to be serious about
it. That is my name and reputation on the line whenever they
step in to the cage".
Serious,
they most certainly are. Rich Franklin, Dustin Hazelett, and
Jorge all fight in the UFC currently. That's not where it stops,
though.
Professional fighters come from all over the country to train
in Jorge's school. West Chester, OH isn't exactly the MMA capital
of the world...but it could be if this school's growth is any
indication.
Jorge
has stated on numerous occasions that he would never let his
school become commercial. Gurgel said, "I would rather be
poor and keep my school's integrity than be rich and watered
down", when asked if he would ever teach some of the watered
down, mainstream martial arts.
All
of this being said, there is still an open door policy for anyone
who wishes to start their training in MMA. I have trained there
as much as possible for over two years and don't see myself stopping
anytime soon.
For
more information you should visit their website at http://www.ohiomma.com
Jorge's
next fight in the UFC is sometime in June. Visit his website
http://www.jorgegurgel.com
Rich
Franklin's website is http://www.richfranklin.com
Source: MMA Weekly
|
ANACONDAS,
SABRES WIN AT IFL IN L.A.
LOS ANGELES, CA – Control of the L.A. Anacondas changed
hands on Saturday night, but it didn’t slow the team one
bit as they swept the San Jose Razorclaws 5-0 in a dominating
performance.
Head
coach Bas Rutten officially passed the torch to assistant coach
Shawn Tompkins before the event, handing over his Anacondas jersey
to the Canadian fight trainer so he could focus on his career
as a TV personality and color commentator.
“I
was scared as hell,” admitted Tompkins, after the win. “I’ve
known Bas for eight years. He’s my mentor. I wanted to prove
myself to him.”
The
team looked as strong as ever at each weight class, and every
Anacondas fighter notched a convincing win. Lightweight Chris
Horodecki improved to 9-0 while putting on a striking clinic
against the Razorclaws’ Josh Odom. Odom fought very defensively
from the opening bell, and said he regretted his inability to
move forward and engage the nineteen-year-old striker.
Middleweights
Benji Radach and Jay Hieron both earned first-round victories
for the Anacondas, utilizing guillotine chokes to finish Brian
Foster and Donnie Liles, respectively. Light heavyweight Alex
Schoenauer got the split decision over Brian Ebersole, despite
suffering a minor knee injury in the process.
Perhaps
the most surprising fighter of the night was the Anacondas’
Krzysztof Soszynski, who proved too quick for heavyweight Dan
Christison, a recent addition to the ‘Claws. Soszynski executed
a well-thought out game plan consisting of body shots and double-leg
takedowns, wearing the bigger man down en route to a decision
victory.
“My
first fight in the IFL was against Ben Rothwell and I wasn’t
ready for that,” Soszynski said. “Now I am. I’m
getting better with every fight and I’m looking forward
to meeting him in the Grand Prix.”
Razorclaws
coach Frank Shamrock dispelled notions that this loss would cause
him to again replace the majority of his fighters, saying he
planned to work on improving the mental game of his team first
and foremost.
“This
is the team we want,” said Shamrock. “We just had a
bad night. I think we have a little bit of bad chi on our team
right now. I need to get these guys mentally ready. It may not
be this season, but next season we’re going to crush everybody.”
In
the other team contest, Ken Yasuda’s Tokyo Sabres remained
unbeaten in 2007, edging out the Condors 3-2 behind strong performances
from Savant Young, Antonio McKee, and Vladimir Matyushenko.
Young
looked particularly tough, knocking out the Condors’ Adam
Lynn with a devastating right hand at 0:21 of round two. McKee
won a decision victory, which Condors coach Marco Ruas objected
to, saying he thought McKee’s strategy of takedowns and
ground control was not indicative of a complete MMA fighter.
“I
need to get the win for my team, not just myself,” McKee
said, defending his fighting style. “It doesn’t make
sense for me to go out there and try to stand with a striker.
Guys need to learn to defuse my wrestling if they want to stop
me.”
Yasuda
said he thought his team’s strength was their unity and
sense of teamwork. He pointed to McKee’s “team-first”
attitude as a sign of that, saying that kind of selflessness
“almost makes me want to cry.”
When
asked if he felt his Tokyo-based team should have more Japanese
fighters, Yasuda responded by saying the team was heavily influenced
by his Japanese way of looking at things.
“In
some ways, I’m very conservative. If I say, ‘Be in
the lobby at 1:30,’ I don’t mean 1:40. That’s
the Japanese way. It’s like the New York Yankees. They have
guys from many different cities, but they are united under one
influence.”
The
Sabres are now almost assured of a spot in the postseason, having
gone 2-0 in 2007 with only one contest left to go. A top performer
for the squad so far has been light heavyweight Vladimir Matyushenko,
who downed Justin Levens with a first-round TKO after controlling
the fight on the ground.
“I’m
a humble guy,” Matyushenko said when asked if he was the
top 205-pounder in the league. “I’ll say I’m the
best when I’ve proved myself the best at the end of the
season.”
The
Sabres final match-up may be their toughest test yet, as they
face the Portland Wolfpack on June 1st. As for the Anacondas,
they’ll take on the Seattle Tiger Sharks on the same card.
With
both teams thus far undefeated, they may be seeing even more
of one another in the postseason.
FULL
RESULTS:
ANACONDAS
DEFEAT RAZORCLAWS (5-0)
Alex Schoenauer defeats Brian Ebersole via split decision
Benji Radach defeats Brian Foster via TKO (guillotine choke)
at 1:04 of round 1
Chris Horodecki defeats Josh Odom via unanimous decision
Jay Hieron defeats Donnie Liles via submission (guillotine choke)
at 2:49 of round 1
Krzysztof Soszynski defeats Dan Christison via unanimous decision
SABRES
DEFEAT CONDORS (3-2)
Savant Young defeats Adam Lynn via KO (punch) at 0:21 of round
2
Antonio McKee defeats Rodrigo Ruas via unanimous decision
Jeremy Williams defeats Kaz Hamanaka via TKO (triangle choke)
at 0:59 of round 1
Vladimir Matyushenko defeats Justin Levens via TKO (ref. stoppage)
at 3:53 of round 1
Antoine Jaoude defeats Wayne Cole via KO at 0:56 of round 2
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Quote
of the Day
"Age
is not a particularly interesting subject. Anyone can get old.
All you have to do is live long enough."
Groucho Marx, 1890-1977, American Comedian
|
X-1
world events-presents-Xtreme Fighting 2
Results!
Blaisdell Arena, Honolulu, Hawaii
March 17, 2007
MMA: 3 Rounds - 3 Minutes
Paco Woods (BJ Penn's MMA) def. Kaipo Gonzales
Unanimous decision [(30-26), (30-26), (30-26)] after 3 Rounds.
MMA:
3 Rounds - 3 Minutes
"Dirty" Dave Moreno (BJ Penn's MMA) def. David Padilla
(Jesus Is Lord)
Submission via rear naked choke at 1:54 in Round 1.
MMA:
3 Rounds - 3 Minutes
Harris Sarmiento (808 Fight Factory) def. Henry Martinez
Unanimous decision [(30-27), (30-27), (30-27)] after 3 Rounds.
MMA:
3 Rounds - 3 Minutes
Fernando Gonzalez def. Jay Carter (BJ Penn's MMA)
Unanimous decision [(29-28), (29-30), (29-28)] after 3 Rounds.
Women's
MMA match: 3 Rounds - 3 Minutes
Tonya Evinger def. Shonie Plagmann
KO at :10 in Round 2.
XMA:
Stand & Bang Match: 3 Rounds - 3 Minutes
Brett Rogers def. Deutsch Pu'u
TKO via referee stoppage at 2:23 in Round 2.
X-1
Lightweight (155lbs) Championship
MMA: 3 Rounds - 5 Minutes
"Sugar" Shane Nelson (BJ Penn's MMA) def. Kolo Koka
(M.M.A.D)
Unanimous decision [(27-24), (29-28), (29-28)] after 3 Rounds.
Shane Nelson becomes the new X-1 Lightweight Champion.
X-1
Welterweight (170lbs) Championship
MMA: 3 Rounds - 5 Minutes
Mark Moreno (Bulls Pen) def. Nik Lentz
TKO via doctor's stoppage after the end of Round 1.
K1
rules Kickboxing
3 Rounds - 3 Minutes
Kaleo Kwan (Eastsidaz) def. Danny Steele
Unanimous decision [(30-27), (30-27), (30-27)] after 3 Rounds.
MMA:
3 Rounds - 5 Minutes
Falaniko Vitale (808 Fight Factory) def. Mavrick "Soul Collector"
Harvey
Submission due to strikes from the back mount at 2:41 in Round
1.
MMA:
3 Rounds - 5 Minutes
Chris "Monster" Marez def. Wesley "Cabbage"
Correira (BJ Penn's MMA)
Unanimous decision [(30-27), (29-28), (29-28)] after 3 Rounds.
|
808
Fight Factory's Jody Mesiona and Duke Saragosa Win at Gladiator Challenge
Gladiator Challenge: HEADHUNTERS
Eagle Mountain Casino
Porterville, CA
3/11/07
David
Martinez defeats Chris Garfield TKO R1 0:17
Hector Celaya defeats Kendall Bays TKO R2 0:35
George Albanez defeats Barnie Garfield SUB (guillotine) R1 0:30
Arnold Ayala defeats Loren Lenares SUB R1 1:50
Tony Vera defeats William Johnson SUB (guillotine) R1 0:46
Morris Aldaco defeats Damien Hernandez TKO R1 0:56
Brandon Miller defeats Daniel Pinedo SUB (rear naked choke) R2
3:00
Mike Craddock defeats Chris Ajulni TKO R2 1:58
Jody Mesiona defeats Eric Olsen
TKO R1 1:33
Francisco Loredo defeats Dominic Pena TKO R1 1:35
Tom Contreras defeats Ryan Dhindsa SUB (triangle) R1 1:42
Reggie Moor defeats Mike Price TKO R1 0:24
Duke Saragosa defeats Sergio Cortez
DEC (split) R2 5:00
Carlos Ochoa defeats Cody Canterbury TKO R2 0:34
Jared Williams defeats Lewis Steele SUB (rear naked choke) R1
2:09
Rolando Torres defeats Kenny Kingsford TKO R1 2:32
Source:
|
Nine
Who Need to Hang Up the Gloves
by Jake Rossen
Mustering up all his congested wisdom, geriatric prize fighter
Larry Holmes once stated, "The thought of being broke scares
me."
The sentiment could help explain why Holmes stepped into the
ring right into his mid-50s, and why having the spotlight shine
on someone else seemed anathema to him.
Fighters know fighting. So few fighters know anything but fighting
that even a lopsided career is better than none at all. And like
boxing, MMA has seen its share of ill-qualified contenders continue
to step in the ring, even when declining skills, advanced age,
or lack of common sense should be enough to dissuade them.
These are nine athletes who no longer seem prepared to match
the price of admission. Astute readers may note the lack of Kazushi
Sakuraba; because I've railed against his morbid participation
for years, suffice it to say that any further mention would be
redundant. Call him the tenth, absentee entry.
In random order:
"Tank"
Abbott
Hard to believe, but the ample-bellied Abbott was once as foreboding
a figure as any you'd find in a sport full of very stern-looking
individuals. His eyes are positively reptilian in their apathy
for other living things.
And though they say power is the last thing to go, Abbott's physical
deterioration since a return bid in 2003 has forced a 1-5 record.
Get him on the floor and he's absolutely helpless - vs. Kimo,
Frank Mir; stand with him and you're likely to plow right through
his molasses-glazed striking - vs. Correira, Buentello. A penchant
for nightlife has rendered his athleticism, once effective even
in spite of its bulbous overcoat, stagnant.
Were it not for Wesley Correira willingly standing still and
allowing himself to be clocked, Abbott's last victory would have
been nearly a decade old. "Tank" is undoubtedly not
the sort of someone you'd shove in a bar, but the sport's current
criteria is - thankfully - a bit more strict than that.
Dan Severn
Nearing age 53, Severn is truly the iron man of the game. He
was there virtually at its inception in the States, and he continues
to toil in smaller programs, a marquee name for a bargain rate.
His performances are uninspiring affairs, largely wars of attrition
against shark bait with two left feet. His constitution seems
indestructible.
But if you were to wager on what demographic might be most likely
to receive life-threatening injuries in the ring, chances are
good you'd take the social security contingent. Despite his pedigree,
Severn's reaction time, reflexes, and bone structure make him
a risk factor for a still-fledging sport. Against a poorly chosen
opponent, he's a walking time bomb of serious injury waiting
to happen.
Elvis Sinosic
To borrow from Sara Lee: Nobody doesn't like Elvis. He's a genial,
polite gentleman with the demeanor of a priest.
Unfortunately, he hits like one, too.
Sporting an 8-9-2 record, the affable Sinosic is a plodding 1-5
in UFC competition, with his only victory coming over Jeremy
Horn in 2001. There have been scattered wins in other promotions:
a KO over Roberto Traven, submissions over the unheralded Mark
Epstein and Shamoji Fujii. But Sinosic's anemic winning percentage
against the UFC's formidable opposition is evidence that he's
unable to seal the deal against upper-echelon talent.
Against mid-tier fighter Alessio Sakara at UFC 57, Sinosic was
brutalized so badly that judges registered rare 10-8 rounds on
the cards.
Now he's fodder for UK poster-boy Michael Bisping in the UFC's
upcoming trek to England. What does the fight do for Bisping?
More importantly, what does it do for the fans?
Mark Coleman
One can imagine Mark Coleman viewing Randy Couture's performance
at last weekend's UFC and stoking the fires of his own competitive
furnace. Here was a man, Coleman's slight senior, who just manhandled
a dominant champion.
He should get an extinguisher. Mark Coleman is not Randy Couture,
and vice versa. The things that made Couture a multi-belt champ
- stand-up prowess, cardio conditioning, strategy - have largely
been absent in Coleman's own career. He looked shell-shocked
against Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic, folding in a corner
after the kickboxer unleashed a combination. Against Fedor Emelianenko,
he was positively decimated.
You'd have to rewind to the 2000 PRIDE Grand Prix - when he kneed
Igor Vovchanchyn into oblivion - to find a relevant Coleman victory.
At age 42, it seems likely that the decorated wrestler won't
discover a better night than that one.
Kevin Randleman
Randleman, who made my list of "The Disappointments"
last year, has more fast-twitch muscle fibers in his left leg
than the entire New York Jets put together. He was an early,
dominant champion of the UFC, with ferocious wrestling ability.
And when that stopped being enough, he didn't seem to care.
Save for a miraculous knockout of Mirko "Cro Cop,"
Randleman's tenure in PRIDE has been a rather amazing series
of catastrophic losses. Since 2002 the Ohio State wrestler mustered
a 2-8 record in PRIDE, and notched a lone victory against anonymous
Fatih Kocamis in Rotterdam.
He's gone through serious health problems, a car accident, numerous
surgeries, and a steroid scandal. When he seems on the verge
of winning a bout - against Fedor, for example - he finds a way
to drop it.
Like mentor Coleman, Randleman seems reluctant to change with
the times. The era of the one-dimensional wrestler has gone the
way of the 45 record. At this point, only a very recent or very
single-celled recruit to the sport would express any suspense
over a Randleman outcome.
Wesley
"Cabbage" Correira
"Boy," announcers would observe, "that Correira
can definitely take a shot."
That he can.
"Cabbage" has garnered notoriety for having a head
the density of a bowling ball - with a fight strategy to match.
Correira seems content to eat punch after punch, wading in with
the expectation his opponent won't have nearly the same resilience.
Sometimes it works. Most of the time, it doesn't. Correira is
1-4 in the past 14 months, the most ignoble of which was a loss
against Mike Plotcheck, a former WWE wrestler better known by
the name Bart Gunn. After years of incessant talk about how faux
grapplers wouldn't stand a chance in MMA, a 40-year-old reformed
actor goes and beats a former Top 10 heavyweight contender.
Correira has endured substantial beatings in both losses and
wins, and at some point, it would be refreshing to see a friend
or family physician take some stock of what their cumulative
result might be. One would like to see Correira changing diapers
in the coming years, not wearing them.
Frank Mir
It's both strange and sad that a 26-year-old athlete could make
a laundry list of decomposing athletes, but that's what a motorcycle
accident will do for you.
Mir was a kinetic heavyweight in 2004, a burly grappler who could
move like a lightweight. His forearm-crunching submission over
Tim Sylvia was water cooler talk for months afterward. But following
his wipeout and subsequent rehab on a bum leg, Mir has appeared
to be only a shadow of his former self.
Against Marcio Cruz, he was pounded out. Against Brandon Vera,
knocked out. Rumors circulated that Mir knew his limitations,
but wanted to eek out a few more paychecks before calling it
quits.
That's a shaky motivation for a hobbled fighter. Even at 100
percent, it's a dangerous game. When you're operating on fumes,
eventually you're going to find yourself in some real trouble.
Mark Kerr
Unless something dramatic happens, August of this year will mark
seven years since the last time Mark Kerr had his hand raised
in victory.
Since then, he's been the subject of a sordid documentary on
his drug addictions; suffered a tumultuous private relationship;
and dropped five straight bouts. Kerr returned to action late
last year against Mike Whitehead, and was easily handled. In
an ominous reappearance, he appeared bulked back up to his old
physique for a February loss against Mustapha al Turk. In both
outings, Kerr seemed deflated and disenchanted with the vocation.
His documentary, The Smashing Machine, was galvanizing for fans.
Perhaps Kerr himself needs to watch it again.
Shannon
Ritch
Thanks to an off-radar fighter named Vincent Perez, Shannon Ritch
had his staggering 10-fight losing streak snapped this past summer.
So enamored was he of Perez's ineptitude that he fought him again
a month later.
One has to wonder about the point of Shannon Ritch. Because of
his schedule - fighting up to four times in a single month -
he rarely displays anything approaching gameness. The guy would
tap after a bad tuna sandwich. And yet he keeps getting fights,
because regional promoters know his infamy will drive interest.
Because of his reluctance to gut it out, I don't concern myself
with Ritch actually getting hurt. I simply fail to see how or
why he's worth even the cheap seats in a dilapidated arena. Nothing's
at stake.
"The Cannon" is the worst kind of combat athlete: irrelevant.
And one who needs a break …
Alistair
Overeem
Overeem's career highs and lows have come at the velocity of
a bullet: in 2005, he had just destroyed celebrated athletes
Vitor Belfort and Igor Vovchanchyn. And prior to his loss against
"Shogun" Rua in a tournament, he was giving the Brazilian
a thorough beating. For a capper, he moved up to heavyweight
and demolished Sergei Kharitonov.
So what happened? Like someone trying to beat a bad gambling
debt, Overeem ran off six fights in 2006, an impossible schedule
for anyone at his level. The wear and tear was evident against
Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, where he essentially quit against the
ropes.
His latest attempt, a rematch against Rua, ended far sooner than
their previous engagement. On his game, Overeem is a nightmare
of devastating strikes and a lanky frame that can easily frustrate
opponents. His recent performances belie his potential. The guy
needs a cruise.
Source:
Sherdog
|
PRIDE
34: Kamikaze scheduled for Apr. 8 Saitama Super Arena
The next PRIDE is scheduled to take place Apr. 8 from the Saitama
Super Arena in Japan.
Jeff
Monson will fight Kazuyuki Fujita in the main event.
Possible
participants are: Mark Hunt, Sergei Kharitonov, Josh Barnett,
Wanderlei Silva, Denis Kang, Ikuhisa Minowa, Makoto Takimoto,
Zulu, and Butterbean.
Notes:
For
the first time, U.S. viewers will not have to wait for the tape
delay and can order the pay per view live.
Wanderlei
Silva is under suspension from the Nevada State Athletic Commission.
If Silva is cleared by a doctor, the NSAC will allow Silva to
fight on the card.
PRIDE
34 is being billed in Japan as the ten year anniversary show
for the company.
Source:
MMA Fighting
|
UFC
68 BREAKS NORTH AMERICAN ATTENDANCE RECORD
by Ivan Trembow
The final attendance figures for UFC 68 have come in from the
Ohio Athletic Commission, and the event has officially broken
the all-time total attendance record for a mixed martial arts
event in North America.
The
total number of fans in attendance at UFC 68 in Columbus, Ohio
on March 3rd was 19,079. The previous record for an MMA event
in North America was set by the Strikeforce promotion, which
drew a total of 18,265 fans at a show in San Jose, California
on March 10, 2006.
The
paid attendance for UFC 68 was 17,358. This falls just short
of Strikeforce's paid attendance record for an MMA event in North
America, which still stands at 17,465 for its March 10, 2006
event in San Jose.
The
initially announced figure of $3,014,520 for UFC 68's live gate
revenue was not correct, as the final live gate figure for the
event was actually $2,741,820.
This
is almost identical to the live gate total for UFC 67 ($2,767,130),
despite the fact that UFC 67's paid attendance of 8,700 was much
smaller than UFC 68's paid attendance. The reason for this disparity
is that UFC 68 had much cheaper ticket prices than most of the
UFC's Las Vegas events. The average price per ticket sold for
UFC 67 was $318, while the average price per ticket sold for
UFC 68 was $158.
UFC
68 out-drew the Pride event that took place one week earlier
at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. UFC 68
came out on top in total attendance (19,079 to 12,911), paid
attendance (17,358 to 8,334), and live gate revenue ($2,741,820
to $2,033,098).
Comparisons
to Previous UFC Records and Worldwide MMA Records
The
previous record for total attendance at a UFC event was set by
UFC 60, which was attended by a total of 14,765 fans in Los Angeles,
California on May 27, 2006. The UFC's web site still claims that
UFC 59 drew over 17,000 fans in Anaheim, California on April
15, 2006, but the building capacity for that sold-out show was
actually 13,814.
The
new record of 19,079 in total attendance is strictly for North
American MMA events and does not apply to Japanese MMA events.
Pride has sold out the Saitama Super Arena numerous times, and
with Pride's seating configuration, the arena can hold approximately
35,000 fans (though the attendance is usually announced as being
over 45,000).
However,
Pride has never drawn anywhere near as much pay-per-view revenue
as the UFC, which generated $222,766,000 in pay-per-view revenue
in 2006 alone.
The
worldwide total attendance record for an MMA event was set at
Tokyo Outdoor Stadium on August 28, 2002, as a Pride and K-1
co-production drew over 70,000 fans (though it was announced
as being 91,107).
Compared
to WWE's biggest pro wrestling event in the United States over
the past twelve months (WrestleMania 22 in Chicago, Illinois
on April 2, 2006), UFC 68 out-drew WrestleMania in total attendance
(19,079 to 17,155) and in live gate revenue ($2,741,820 to $2,500,000).
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Alexandre
Cacareco: Back to training
By Eduardo Ferreira
The
athlete from Brazilian Top Team, Alexandre Cacareco had a great
performance at the Floripa Fight 3, which was held on March 10th
in Florianópolis, after submitting Rodrigo Riscado by
back choke. What not so many people know is that Cacareco wasn’t
training since the Super Challenge, which was held on October
of 2006, but he accepted the challenge at the same way. “I
was not very excited because of the Super Challenge result and
because of some comments about me after that fight. I tough about
not accepting this bout, but Zé Mário, Bebeo and
Murilo had called me and they did incentivate me to go back and
fight”, told Cacareco in exclusive interview to site TATAME
you may check out right now:
What
did you think about your bout at Floripa Fight 3?
I
think that this is my real weight, 93kg and period. Doesn’t
matter the size of my adversary, I fell good at this weight,
I feel myself stronger and this bout against Riscado did prove
me that.
Which
is the experience you've learn fighting at the category until
83kg?
Fighting
under this category I got a low weight porcentual, about 3% less
than normally, I fell myself weak. Now I want to see Felipe Mongo,
who defeated me at the Super Challenge, accept to face me at
this category. He said some bullshits after the fight and I want
to see if he fights me now.
You
didn’t train since the Super Challenge and you did accept
this bout. How was that?
I
wasn’t so excited because of the Super Challenge’s
result and because of some comments that some people did after
that bout. I tought about not fighting, but Zé Mário,
Bebeo Duarte and Murilo Bustamante called me and did incentivate
me to be back and fight. I accepted to fight at the Floripa Fight,
but I didn’t train for this event. I’ve never seen
a guy who wins a bout be payed attention by someone. Zé
Mário did complain with me because I didn’t train
for this fight (laughs).
But
did you get worried about not getting enough gas?
Fighting
is complicated; I always say that MMA is like 50% of chances
for each one. But I wasn’t worried about that, I did my
own game and I got this victory.
You
were invited to fight one more ADCC. Will you be focous at the
ADCC or will you fight some MMA event before that?
Well,
I am a fight labor. I will be training for the ADCC, but if I
have some opportunity to fight at MMA I will fight.
That
will be your fifth participation at the ADCC. Which is our expectation
for this event and who will be the biggest tough athletes at
your category?
I
tried for four times but I wasn’t able to win the ADCC.
At this year I hope to get this title and I won’t have any
responsibility for the ADCC, because at the other times the responsibility
did disturb me a little bit. But I know it won’t be an easy
thing, we have many good athletes as Márcio Pé-de-pano,
Gabriel Napão and some others. But Cacareco 2007 is back
and I hope to reach all my goals.
Source:
Tatame
|
Quote
of the Day
"A
hot dog at the ball park is better than steak at the Ritz."
Humphrey Bogart, 1899-1957, American Actor and Film Legend
|
Press
Release
X-1 world
events-presents-Xtreme Fighting 2
Tonight!
March 17, Saturday
Blaisdell Arena
Get
your tickets now before the last minute rush!
Double Main Event
Wesley 'Cabbage' Correira vs Chris 'Monstser' Marez
Falaniko
Vitale vs Mavrick 'Soul Collector' Harvey
K1 rules Kickboxing
Kaleo Kwan vs Danny Steele
X-1
Championship Title Defense
170 welter wt. Mark Moreno vs Nik Lentz
155
light wt. Kolo Koka vs 'Sugar'Shane Nelson
145
super Lt wt. Eddie Yagin vs Brandon Foxworth
Womens match
Kelly Cobalt vs Tonya Evinger
MMA
matches
Fernando
Gonzalez vs Jay Carter
Harris
Sarmiento vs Henry Martinez
David
Padilla vs Dirty'Dave'Moreno
Kaipo
Gonzales vs Paco Woods
Preliminary
match
Steve
Farmer vs Scott Anderson
Another
X-1 World Event
Source: Event Promoter
|
Island
Warriors On
Maui Tonight!
Saturday,
March 17, 2007
Maui War Memorial Gym
Fights start at 6 pm
Source: Promoter
|
UFC
70: Nations Collide to air free on Spike TV
Spike TV confirmed today that UFC 70: Nations Collide from the
M.E.N. Arena in Manchester, England will be televised on tape
delay on Saturday, April 21 at 9:00 PM ET.
This
will be the first and possibly last pay-per-view type card to
be made available free on cable television. The UFC wanted to
air UFC 70 on HBO but the deal fell through.
The
main card will be shown: Mirko Cro Cop vs. Gabriel Gonzaga, Michael
Bisping vs. Elvis Sinosic, Andrei Arlovski vs. Fabricio Werdum,
and Forrest Griffin vs. Lyoto Machida.
Source:
MMA Fighting
|
Jeff
Monson says he will face Fujita at Pride 34
The American says Bodog will not be happening
In his personal blog, Jeff Monson makes it known that he will
be facing Kazuyuki Fujita at Pride 34, on April 4, in Japan.
Initially chosen to face Aleksander Emelianenko at Bodog Fight
on April 7, the American wrestler says he believes the event
has been cancelled, which has not been officially announced by
the organization.
If
confirmed, this will be Jeff Monson’s debut in Pride after
four fights during his second tour of the UFC. In his last performance
in the octagon, the Snowman was defeated by Tim Sylvia, thus
losing the chance to win the American organization’s heavyweight
belt.
Source:
Gracie Magazine
|
K-1
Hero’s changes rules
Akiyama episode forced changes to protocols
Those that fought at the last edition of Hero’s, this Monday,
noticed some changes were made to the stance of the Japanese
organization. According to information published by Jordan Breer,
Sherdog’s articulator, the news rules impede such cheating
as was perpetrated by Yoshihiro Akima, the judoka that used an
excessive amount of moisturizer on his body before his fight
with Kazushi Sakuraba during the end-of-the-year event.
Starting
with this week's event, the fighters were prohibited from putting
on their gloves in the dressing room, instead putting them on
in the official offices in front of the dressing rooms. Besides
that, fighters will receive their gloves when they are in the
office and shall only be allowed to remove them in the presence
of officials.
Fighters
are also prohibited from using any kind of cream, whether it
is moisturizer, Vaseline or anything else of that nature, on
the eve and day of the fight.
So
that everything goes according to the regulations, no less than
12 professionals will be responsible for overseeing that the
rules be obeyed. And in the event of one being caught for attempting
to infringe upon the rules, fighters will be severely punished.
Source:
Gracie Magazine
|
Quote
of the Day
"To
vilify a great man is the readiest way in which a little man
can himself attain greatness."
Edgar Allan Poe 1809-1849, American Poet/Novelist/Short Story
Writer
|
Press
Release
X-1 world
events-presents-Xtreme Fighting 2
Tomorrow!
March 17, Saturday
Blaisdell Arena
Get
your tickets now before the last minute rush!
Double Main Event
Wesley 'Cabbage' Correira vs Chris 'Monstser' Marez
Falaniko
Vitale vs Mavrick 'Soul Collector' Harvey
K1 rules Kickboxing
Kaleo Kwan vs Danny Steele
X-1
Championship Title Defense
170 welter wt. Mark Moreno vs Nik Lentz
155
light wt. Kolo Koka vs 'Sugar'Shane Nelson
145
super Lt wt. Eddie Yagin vs Brandon Foxworth
Womens match
Kelly Cobalt vs Tonya Evinger
MMA
matches
Fernando
Gonzalez vs Jay Carter
Harris
Sarmiento vs Henry Martinez
David
Padilla vs Dirty'Dave'Moreno
Kaipo
Gonzales vs Paco Woods
Preliminary
match
Steve
Farmer vs Scott Anderson
Another
X-1 World Event
Source: Event Promoter
|
Island
Warriors On
Maui Tomorrow!
Saturday,
March 17, 2007
Maui War Memorial Gym
Fights start at 6 pm
Source: Promoter
|
Garden
Island Cage Match 5
Hanapepe Stadium, Hanapepe, Kauai, Hawaii
March 24, 2007
Partial Card:
Lightweight title defense
Eben Kaneshiro vs Buck Bisbey (C3 seattle,Wa)
Light Heavyweight Title
Taurus Cabbab (Team MMAD) vs Mario Miranda (C3, Seattle, Wa)
Keoni Bryant (Jus Rush) vs Kaeo Lopez (Kamole)
Zack Rapal (Fighters union) vs Shane Kahananui (KTI)
Bronson Delima (Bulls Pen) vs Pauly Kawamura (KTI)
Heather Eichens (Freelance-Oahu) vs Emma Bush (C3, Seattle, Wa)
Am Welterweight Kickboxing title
Marcus Moreno (Bulls Pen) vs Issac Josiah (Quicksilva)
14
bouts in all!
Show is close to a sellout, Kauai it is going off!
Source:
Event Promoter
|
Hermes
França disputes UFC belt
The Brazilian faces Sean Sherk for lightweight title.
Yet another Brazilian will have a chance of strapping on the
most coveted belt in MMA at the moment. After an impeccable 2006,
with seven wins in seven fights, the Brazilian earned the right
to face the current champion of the division, the American Sean
Serk. The battle is set for UFC 71, on the seventh of April,
the same day Anderson Silva returns to the octagon.
“Thank
God I have made it to this point,” says Hermes exclusively
to Graciemag.com. “I am training a lot," the leader
of team The Armory tells. And the Brazilian will need all the
training he can get, as Sherk has an impressive re”ord of
31 wins and only two losses. As he has been injured, the American
has not fought since October of last year.
Source:
Gracie Magazine
|
IFL
COMMISH KURT OTTO APOLOGIZES
by Ken Pishna
An obviously humbled Kurt Otto, Commissioner of the International
Fight League, took to the airwaves of MMAWeekly Radio last night
and not only faced the firestorm of criticism following the IFL’s
debut on network television, but apologized to the fans, athletes
and coaches that were disappointed with the initial episode of
IFL Battleground on MyNetworkTV:
“I
would like to apologize on behalf of the IFL and MyNetwork if
we upset or disappointed anybody in the MMA world. We’re
all about MMA being seen in a positive light. In this instance,
we dropped the ball and we promise to make everybody proud. We
realize as a group that we made a mistake with some parts of
the show, but we will learn from this and grow. We want to make
this the best possible platform for the sport as possible. The
IFL would also like to apologize to our athletes and our coaches.
We promise that it will be corrected and we as a group will learn
from this.”
Otto
realized that a huge mistake was made and didn’t shy away
from facing it. “I look at an organization like the UFC
and they have really accomplished some unbelievable things and
I don’t want this to be viewed as something that sets the
sport back five or ten years. I really think that’s making
a mountain out of a molehill. I think the sensationalism that
occurred on the show last night was overdone. It was not our
intention to upset anybody. This was a decision that was made
and it was shown,” said Otto.
He
continued by explaining a little bit about the dynamics of how
the more upsetting moments of IFL Battleground, such as the constant
promo of a fighter leaving on a stretcher made it to air. “It
was made as a group. Sometimes as a group we debate each other
on certain views or style or design or how it’s produced…
If we respect each other’s opinions, sometimes we have to
take risks. Ultimately, it probably backfired. But as a group,
meaning IFL and MyNetwork, we made a mistake and we’re going
to correct it.”
Otto
was clear to point out that IFL Battleground is a docu-drama
type of show, not like the FSN shows that were designed to be
fight shows in a traditional sports manner. But he also was clear
that what took place on IFL Battleground’s initial episode
was not indicative of the future of the show.
“What
happened [Monday] night is not what we’re going to do. Ultimately
I’m proud of some parts of it and disappointed in others.
It will get better, I promise. I can guarantee that the next
show is going to be night and day and will be seen in a positive
light.”
Talking
specifically about the “fighter leaving on a stretcher”
promos, Otto had this to say: “It wasn’t a good idea.
There is a review process that Gareb and I have. As a group,
we were not happy about that particular section. It was asked
to be corrected, but by the time we got that, it was too late,
we tried to correct it. I think there was a little bit of confusion
on the network’s view on the show and our view on the show,
but I think that has been corrected. It’s a give and take
and it has to be done right. And that was a conversation that
Gareb had with the network today. When I saw that part…
I wanted to go out on a stretcher myself. That was over the top.
It was a mistake.”
The
details surrounding dealing with a network definitely make for
a difficult situation, but Otto was clear to reiterate that it
would not happen again. “150% guaranteed [it will not happen
again]. It was silly. There’s no other way to say it. It
was very, very upsetting to us. I mean, look what we’re
doing today. We’re trying to scramble and explain it to
you,” said Otto.
Addressing
the pressures of the IFL becoming a public company, Otto stated,
“The IFL is no longer the Kurt and Gareb show, we’re
accountable. It’s positive pressure for us to take this
to the next level and grow. We’re taking on Battleground
and we’re going to get it right. We as a company and the
network, we apologize and I promise you guys that you will see
a night and day difference [as Battleground continues].”
In
his appearance on MMAWeekly Radio, Otto also explained the production
process and some of the details surrounding how things came out
the way they did for the premier episode of IFL Battleground.
Before he left, Damon & Jeff also talked to the Commissioner
about the IFL’s next show this Saturday night at The Forum
in Los Angeles.
You
can listen to the entire radio show in the MMAWeekly Radio Sound
Off Archives. If you’re not already, you can sign up to
become an MMAWeekly Premium Member with just a few minutes of
time and $5 a month to get access to the Radio Archives and the
complete MMAWeekly TV Video Library 24 hours a day, 7 days a
week.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
UFC
70: Nations Collide full card announced
Forrest Griffin developed a staph infection and had to withdraw
from the UFC 70 card.
Earlier today, the UFC released the rest of the UFC 70 "Nations
Collide" card at the M.E.N. Arena in Manchester, England.
Fight
Card:
Mirko
Cro Cop vs. Gabriel Gonzaga
Michael Bisping vs. Elvis Sinosic
Lyoto Machida vs. TBA
Andrei Arlovski vs. Fabricio Werdum
Assuerio Silva vs. Cheick Kongo
Matt Grice vs. Terry Etim
Junior Assuncao vs. David Lee
Victor Valimaki vs. Alessio Sakara
Dennis Siver vs. Jess Liaudin
Edilberto Souza De Oliveira vs. Paul Taylor
Spike TV will televise the event on tape delay Saturday, April
21st at 9:00 PM ET.
Source:
MMA Fighting
|
Shaolin
talks of Hero’s victory
Black belt will check out IFL in Los Angeles
In the arrivals line at San Francisco airport, in California,
the fighter Vítor Ribeiro looks nervously at the American
policeman that approaches him. After looking over the Brazilian,
the serious official lets out: “Congratulations! Where is
Dedé?” Shaolin’s latest declared fan knew the
name of his teacher Dedé Pèderneiras from the media
specializing in fights, and had just watched the fighter’s
debut at K-1 Hero’s, in which he submitted Ryuki Ueyama
with an armbar, at 1 min 48 secs of the first round.
From
Los Angeles, where he intends to spend a week helping his friend
Wander Braga train for Ultimate Fight Night 9 (against Kurt Pellegrino,
from Hermes França’s team), Shaolin spoke with GRACIEMAG.com
about his fight.
“When
I took him down I went a little too far over, missing the chance
to take his back, he slipped a little, but I was quickly able
to position my leg to sweep and flip him over, falling sideways.
But the main thing was, when I grabbed the wrist, I didn’t
leg go. It was good because the fight, although it was quick,
there was a lot of movement and the crowd enjoyed it. I was very
treated very well this first time at Hero's, at the photo session,
in the hotel etc, they took very good care of us fighters. Now
I want to watch the IFL, to see Antoine Jaoude and Rodrigo Ruas
fight and feel the mood of the new event, which I have heard
good things about,” said the Nova União instructor,
who returns to Brazil after Los Angeles.
Source:
Gracie Magazine
|
Quote
of the Day
“You
can have it all. You just can't have it all at one time.”
Oprah Winfrey, American Television Talk Show Host/Actress/Entrepreneur
|
Xande
Riberio DVD Now Shipping!
The documentary
about current Absolute Black Belt World Champion Xande Riberio
is being pre-sold at http://www.bjjmart.com. Check out the training
background of Xande under the guidance of multiple time Black
Belt World Champion brother Saulo Riberio as Xande prepared for
the Mundials and how Xande finally claimed the championship and
the title of best Jiu-Jitsu practioner on the planet!
Here
is the summary on www.bjjmart.com:
Xande
Ribeiro Road to a Championship DVD
"The Road To A Championship"
The
road to the top is built on sacrifice, dedication and a lot of
heart
Everybody
wants to be a champion but very few people have what it takes.
This is the history about one person’s dream to be the best
and the road he took to get there. Xande Ribeiro went to Oahu,
Hawaii in June 2006 for the last stages of preparation for the
biggest challenge of his life: Win the Absolute in the World
BJJ Tournament.
In
the "The Road To A Championship" you will be able to
follow Xande’s training including some special water exercises.
You will hear directly from him, the mental approach and fight
strategies that led to his success. Additionally Xande showcases
some of his favorite techniques that he has used successfully
in competition including the 2006 World Championships
The DVD is
now shipping so place your order today and get this killer DVD
rushed to you!
DVD
50 minutes
Source: JD |
Got
Abs? Get it at the Honolulu Club!
Looking
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Seminar:
MONDAY MARCH 19TH
5:00-6:00 PM
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*TO REGISTER, VISIT THE HOSPITALITY DESK IN PERSON OR CALL 808.543.3900
Dr. Michael Luan, D.C. is a Body Behavior Coach, Professional
Speaker, and Instructor of Integrative Movement and Biomechanics.
Dr. Michael is a Doctor of Chiropractic, holds a Masters in Oriental
Medicine and a Bachelor of Science degree in Biomedical Engineering
from USC. He has studied various forms of martial arts for sixteen
years and holds a black belt in Ashihara Karate.
His other qualifications include: sports training, peak performance,
body rolling, mind/body modes, rehabilitation, yoga, patterning,
and teacher training. Dr. Michael is also a corporate consultant,
regular speaker for the Fitness Training program at UC Santa
Barbara, and an advisor for various learning programs.
www.MichaelLuan.com
Source: Dave Liu |
UFC
70 TO AIR ON SPIKE TV
With a star-studded line-up that includes top ten heavyweights
Mirko Cro Cop, Andrei Arlovski, and Fabricio Werdum, the UFC's
April 21st show in the United Kingdom is an event that many fans
in the United States would have gladly bought on pay-per-view.
Instead, due to an unforeseen chain of events, U.S. audiences
will be able to watch the event for free on Spike TV.
The
news, which was previously listed on MMAWeekly's Rumors page
for UFC 70, has been confirmed in media interviews by UFC president
Dana White, who told the Boston Herald that the event "will"
air on Spike TV and told CBS Sportsline that the event "will
probably" air on Spike TV.
White
previously said that UFC 70 was Zuffa's target date for the company's
first show on HBO. Privately, negotiations have been ongoing
between Zuffa and HBO, but a number of sticking points have kept
the two sides from reaching an agreement in time for UFC 70 to
air on HBO.
Zuffa
could not air UFC 70 on HBO without having an HBO deal, and Zuffa
also could not air UFC 70 on pay-per-view because all of the
PPV advertising deadlines for an April 21st event have long since
passed.
This
sequence of events left Spike TV as the only logical option as
the U.S. home for UFC 70. Spike TV was interested in broadcasting
UFC 70 due to the strong ratings that it is sure to draw, and
Zuffa was interested in airing the event on Spike TV not only
because there wasn't much of a choice, but also because it will
build some goodwill with fans.
The
event is scheduled to air live on Spike TV from Manchester, England
on Saturday, April 21st, with the U.S. start time of the broadcast
tentatively set for 2:00 PM Eastern Time (although that is subject
to change).
The
top four fights on the card are Mirko Cro Cop vs. Gabriel Gonzaga
(with the winner fighting Randy Couture this summer), Andrei
Arlovski vs. Fabricio Werdum, Ryoto Machida vs. Forrest Griffin,
and Michael Bisping vs. Elvis Sinosic. All of those fights look
excellent on paper, with the exception of the Bisping bout, as
Sinosic has an MMA record of 8-9-2.
If
there is a fifth fight on the live Spike TV broadcast, it would
likely be Cheick Kongo's fight with Assuerio Silva. The complete
line-up as it currently stands is listed at the end of this article.
Zuffa
could have booked a United States pay-per-view date for UFC 70
while privately hoping to have reached a deal in time for the
event to potentially air on HBO, as was the case with UFC 69.
The fact that Zuffa never did book a U.S. PPV date for UFC 70
demonstrates how confident the company was that an HBO deal would
be reached by this point.
Now,
without a PPV date booked for UFC 70 and without an HBO deal
in place, UFC 70 is set to air on Spike TV.
As
a result, HBO has lost out on an event that would have likely
garnered more interest than many of the lopsided boxing offerings
that have aired on HBO recently, and Zuffa has lost out on millions
of dollars in PPV revenue. The winner in this unusual chain of
events is clearly the fans, who will be able to watch a PPV-quality
event for free on Spike TV.
As
for why Zuffa wasn't able to reach a deal with HBO in time for
UFC 70 to be the company's first event on HBO, there have been
a number of snags in the negotiations between the two sides.
Zuffa
president Dana White has said consistently over the past eleven
months that the UFC would be on HBO "very soon." However,
while HBO Sports president Ross Greenburg has publicly said things
like, "We're still measuring it, looking at it, and getting
comfortable with the UFC" (which he recently said in an
interview with trade journal MultiChannel News), Greenburg is
said to be strongly against the UFC deal behind the scenes.
Acclaimed
boxing writer Thomas Hauser wrote in an article on the Seconds
Out web site in January that Greenburg had "opposed the
UFC deal as vigorously as possible" and was doing "everything
in his power not to televise mixed martial arts." In the
same article, former HBO Sports president Seth Abraham actually
compared MMA to "naked boxing." Abraham said that MMA
would tarnish HBO's boxing heritage, a view that is shared by
many people who still work at HBO Sports.
In
an unprecedented move, HBO Chairman and CEO Chris Albrecht actually
veto'd HBO Sports president Ross Greenburg and insisted that
HBO would air MMA programming at some point, leaving Greenburg
only to negotiate the details of such a deal. According to Hauser,
this move "represented a marked shift in HBO's corporate
culture... in the past, an HBO chief executive officer would
not have ordered sports programming over the objection of the
sports department."
Left
only to come to terms on the details, some of the key disagreements
between Zuffa and HBO Sports have been whose production crew
will film the event, whose announcers will commentate on the
event, and how those announcers will go about commentating on
the event.
Dave
Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer recently summarized the dispute
as follows: "HBO wants full control of the product, and
to use its crew and its announcers and cover it like a network
broadcast team would cover a major sporting event. UFC doesn't
want to give up its control of the product, wants its own crew
to film it, and wants to use its own announcers, who are closer
to pro wrestling announcers whose role is to build up the product
as opposed to providing detached, objective commentary."
UFC
70 Line-Up
-Mirko Cro Cop (#2 Heavyweight in the World)* vs. Gabriel Gonzaga
-Andrei Arlovski (#7 Heavyweight in the World)* vs. Fabricio
Werdum (#8 Heavyweight in the World)*
-Ryoto Machida vs. Forrest Griffin
-Michael Bisping vs. Elvis Sinosic
-Assuerio Silva vs. Cheick Kongo
-Dennis Siver vs. Jess Liaudin
-Alessio Sakara vs. Victor Valimaki
-Terry Etim vs. Matt Grice
-David Lee vs. TBA
*
Based on MMAWeekly Rankings
Source: MMA Weekly
|
DENIS
KANG VICTORIOUS IN KOREA
Denis
Kang rebounded from his first loss since 2003 with a decision
victory over the tough Jung-Kyu Choi at Spirit MC Inter League
5 in Korea. The American Top Team fighter utilized jabs, kicks
and strong takedowns to earn a unanimous decision and successfully
retained his Spirit MC title. Choi exhibited a very strong chin
but was unable to stop Kang’s takedowns.
American
Top Team’s Steve Bruno extended his winning streak with
a TKO victory over Ho-Jin Kim. Kim was unable to intelligently
defend himself against strikes, forcing the referee to halt the
fight. With the win, Bruno has earned a title shot with current
Spirit MC Middleweight Champion Jae-Seok Kim.
Dong-Hyeon
Kim defeated Myeong-Kwang Min, Dae-Gun Kim and Ki-Chool Jung
en route to winning the Spirit MC Middleweight Tournament. The
DEEP veteran extended his undefeated record to eight wins. A
few more solid wins could see Kim in contention for the middleweight
title.
Spirit
MC results:
Middleweight
Tournament Reserve Match:
Soo-Young Kim def. Jae-Seong Jung – Decision, RD2
Middleweight
Tournament Matches (1st Round):
Dae-Gun Kim def. Sang-Yull Lee – Decision, RD2
Dong-Hyeon Kim def. Myeong-Kwang Min – Decision, RD2
Ki-Chool Jung def. Jin-Young Song – Submission (Rear Naked
Choke), RD1
Seong-Choo Kim def. Ji-Sun Jun – Decision, RD2
Chan-Ran
Joo def. Ki-Young Nam – TKO, RD1
Chull-Hyeon Jung def. Dae-Jeong Lee – TKO, RD1
Middleweight
Tournament Matches (Quarterfinals):
Dong-Hyeon Kim def. Dae-Gun Kim – Submission (Triangle Choke),
RD1
Ki-Chool Jung def. Seong-Choo Kim – Submission (Armbar),
RD1
Duk-Young
Jang def. Haeng-Ki Kim - Submission (Armbar), RD1
Chang-Hyeon Kim def. Young-Kwang Choi - Submission (Rear Naked
Choke), RD1
Jeong-Hwan Cha def. Yoon-Young Kim – Submission (Armbar),
RD1
Middleweight
Tournament Finals:
Dong-Hyeon Kim def. Ki-Chool Jung – Decision, RD2
Steve
Bruno def. Ho-Jin Kim – TKO, RD2
Kwang-Hee Lee def. Ah-Seul Kweon – KO, RD1
Spirit
MC Heavyweight Title Match:
Denis Kang def. Jeong-Kyu Choi – Unanimous Decision, RD3
Source: MMA Weekly
|
The
Ultimate Fighter season 5 cast revealed
A publicity
photo of The Ultimate Fighter 5 cast has leaked to the internet
revealing the identities of all sixteen lightweight fighters.
1.
Alan Berubie is a 2-0 fighter with the Real Fighting Championships.
2.
Nathan Diaz is the brother of UFC veteran and current EliteXC
fighter Nick Diaz.
3.
Robert Emerson is a King of the Cage and Pancrase veteran who
lost his professional MMA debut to Jens Pulver.
4.
Manvel Gambaryan is fighter who has not fought in the past three
years but holds wins over UFC veterans Sam Morgan and Jorge Santiago.
5.
Brian Geraghty is a fighter from Kenosha, Wisconsin.
6.
Corey Hill is a 1-0 fighter who won by TKO at a local show in
Casper, Wyoming.
7.
Joe Lauzon is a fighter from Massachusetts who TKO'd Jens Pulver
at UFC 63.
8.
Gray Maynard is a two-time All-American wrestler from Michigan
State University with a professional MMA record of 2-0.
9.
Brandon Melendez is a former Sportfight welterweight champion.
10.
Cole Miller is a fighter from the American Top Team with a record
of 11-2.
11.
Gabe Ruediger is a former WEC lightweight champion and UFC 63
veteran.
12.
Marlon Sims is a 33-year-old fighter with a record of 3-1 and
holds the Ring of Combat 175-pound title.
13.
Noah Thomas is a fighter out of Colorado with a record of 10-4.
14.
Matt Wiman is a UFC 60 veteran who lost to Spencer Fisher via
flying knee.
15.
Andy Wang is a fighter who was born in Taipei, Taiwan. BJJ Black
Belt and former Hawaii resident.
16.
Wayne Weems is a fighter from the Midwest with a record of 11-2.
The
Ultimate Fighter 5 premieres on April 5th at 10 pm ET.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Quote
of the Day
“Enthusiasm
is a vital element toward the individual success of every man
or woman.”
Conrad Hilton, 1887-1979, American Hotelier
|
King
of the Cage Results
The local
boys from 808 Fight Factory did not fare too well in their quest
to become King of the Cage Champions, but it was good exposure
for them to fight in a high profile fight.
Ryan
Diaz submitted Ed Newalu by armar at 3:11 min of round 1
Aaron
Wetherspoon won by TKO over Bryson Kamaka at 0:11 of round 1
|
SAKURABA,
UNO, TOKORO WIN AT K-1 HERO'S
After a controversial end to 2006, K-1 returned with its first
Hero’s show of the New Year. Headlined by K-1’s “Cinderella
Boy” Hideo Tokoro, FEG hoped to rebound from a ‘greasy’
situation with a solid event showcasing some of its familiar
names and a few new faces. Brevity best described the evening
as none of the main card fights advanced to the second round.
2006 K-1 Hero’s 187-pound Tournament Champion Gesias “JZ”
Calvancanti was originally scheduled to fight on the card but
was not be able to participate due to a lack of training time.
The American Top Team fighter recently recovered from hand surgery.
In
the main event of the evening, Hideo Tokoro faced Karate practitioner
Kazuya Yasuhiro. The match started tentatively with both fighters
trying to feel each other out. After more than two minutes of
circling, Tokoro scored a takedown and transitioned into a full
mount. Yasuhiro was able to reverse the position but rolled into
a triangle choke attempt. As Yasuhiro tried to escape, the former
janitor secured an armbar and earned his third straight victory.
UFC
and K-1 Hero’s veteran Caol Uno overcame an aggressive Ali
Ibrahim to win via submission. Ibrahim landed a few good shots
early and secured a takedown. The Olympic Judoka began throwing
punches aggressively from Uno’s guard. Keeping his composure,
“Uno Shoten” eventually attempted an armbar from his
back. Ibrahim tried to slam his way out of the hold but was forced
to submit.
Kazuyuki
Miyata submitted Kultar Gill in the eighth fight of the night.
After scoring a double leg takedown, Miyata slammed out of an
armbar attempt by the “Black Mamba”. As Gill tried
to counter a kimura by Miyata, the Japanese wrestler transitioned
into a brabo choke, forcing his opponent to tap. With the loss,
Gill extended his losing streak to three fights, all by submission.
In
his first fight since the ‘greasing’ incident with
Akiyama, Kazushi Sakuraba took on relatively unknown and inexperienced
Yurij “Play Boy” Kiseliov. Sporting a black gi with
a playboy symbol on the back, Kiseliov was easily taken down
by the “Gracie Hunter” early on. Yurij threw many rabid
punches from his back and was warned for hitting on top of Sakuraba’s
head. The Japanese star attained side mount and attempted to
secure an armbar. Yurij was able to escape but Sakuraba transitioned
into a triangle choke/armbar. After tapping out, Kiseliov was
gracious in defeat and congratulated Sakuraba in the ring.
Gary
Goodridge faced Jan “The Giant” Nortje in a rematch
from their first encounter back in 2001. Usually not one to hold
back his strikes, Goodridge seemed tentative and I didn’t
recall the K-1 veteran throwing a single punch during the first
few minutes. “Big Daddy” was content to lean against
the corner and block all of Nortje’s punches and knees while
the referee carefully watched on. Halfway through the round,
Gary scored a takedown and landed strikes from side mount. After
many unanswered blows, the referee ended the fight.
Katsuyori
Shibata made short work of journeyman Yoshihisa Yamamoto with
a first round TKO victory. Yamamoto came out aggressive early
and was caught with a right hand that knocked him down. Consequent
strikes from Shibata forced the referee to halt the match.
In
what was the most competitive and entertaining fight of the evening,
Hiroyuki Takaya faced Chute Boxe prospect Andre Dida. The majority
of the fight stayed standing with both men taking part in some
good exchanges. The first round progressed and it seemed that
Dida’s striking did more damage as Takaya’s eyes swelled
up. After the round ended, the doctors determined that Takaya
was unable to continue due to a broken nose. Replay video showed
that a right uppercut from the Chute Boxe fighter caused the
injury. Dida’s striking was reminiscent to that of Wanderlei
Silva’s but more controlled and refined. The Brazilian fighter
is one to watch for in the future.
Fans
long waited for the major organization debut of former Shooto
Champion Vitor “Shaolin” Ribeiro and they weren’t
disappointed. The Nova Uniao fighter made quick work of Ryuki
Ueyama, submitting him in the opening round. Vitor had Ueyama’s
back early on while working for submissions. As Ryuki tried to
counter, “Shaolin” transitioned into a reverse triangle
choke which consequently extended into an armbar. Vitor was impressive
in victory and will be a favorite in Hero’s upcoming tournament.
2004
K-1 World Grand Prix Champion Siala “Mighty Mo” Siliga
made his K-1 Hero’s debut against Korea’s Min-Soo Kim.
The first few minutes consisted of a feeling out process with
neither fighter willing to over-commit with their strikes. After
a few failed clinch attempts by Kim, “Mighty Mo” stunned
the Judoka with a right haymaker. The K-1 veteran battered Kim
to the other corner of the ring where another right hook sealed
the deal. The win was the second for “Mighty Mo” under
MMA rules. Siliga last fought back in 2003 where he knocked out
Mark Smith at UAGF 4.
Prior
to the start of his fight with former King of Pancrase Yoshiki
Takahashi, Dutch striker Melvin Manhoef was given a yellow card
for apparently having some sort of moisturizer/lubricant on his
body. In order to prevent another incident akin to Yoshihiro
Akiyama’s ‘greasy’ situation, K-1 Hero’s
staff wiped down his body and legs with towels to ensure the
fight would go on without any negligence. Manhoef threw a few
kicks early and displayed good takedown defense. About two and
half minutes into the round, Melvin landed a short right hook
that dropped Takahashi. The former Cage Rage Champion followed
his opponent with strikes to the head after he fell to the mat.
In my opinion, the ref allowed Takahashi to absorb too much punishment
before stopping the fight.
Comedian/variety
show personality turned MMA fighter Bernard Ackah made a successful
foray into the sport with a first round TKO over Hyun-Pyo Shin.
After a brief exchange of strikes and kicks, Ackah landed a nice
high kick that dropped his opponent. The Korean fighter would
get back up and the two exchanged again. Clinching his opponent
near the ropes, Ackah threw four unanswered uppercuts that forced
the referee to stop the fight.
Overall,
K-1 Hero’s 8 was average at best. It was rare to see an
event with thirteen fights that didn’t go past the first
round. Although it was entertaining, the poor matchmaking that
K-1 has been notorious for ensured that the fans were robbed
of the most competitive fights they could see. The fight of the
evening belonged to Hiroyuki Takaya vs. Andre Dida. With the
inclusion of Vitor “Shaolin” Ribeiro and Andre Dida,
fans can look forward to this year’s Hero’s lightweight
tournament.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Hendo
got good contacts after Wand
Dan Henderson has a full agenda now. After his victory under
Wanderlei Silva, which gave him one more Pride belt, the American
wrestler is geeting good contacts because he is the only athlete
who got two belts, in two different categories, at the same time.
The Pride champion had participated at the TV show "Bubba
The Love Sponge". The UFC champion Chuck Liddell had already
participated of this talk show either some time ago.
Another
fighter who have been getting good contacts is Randy Couture,
who is 43 years old and defeated Tim Sylva for the heavy belt
of the UFC. The American fighter had participated of a chat at
the ESPN web chat. And beyond of that, Couture will probably
be the highlight of documentary about fighting, where he will
tell about his MMA career since the beginning. The movie director
is Pericles Lewnes and the title of the movie is “Fighter,
a documentary”.
Source: Tatame
|
Darrel
Gohlar analyzes Randy & Hendo
He is a former fighter, professor of important academies as BTT
and Nova União, he is half Brazilian and half American
and already faced great fighters as Randy Couture and Dan Henderson,
current champions of UFC and Pride, respectivelly. In exclusive
conversation with site TATAME, Darrel Gohlar, one of the most
respectfull wrestlers of United States, analysed the victories
of Randy, who he faced for six times with six victories, and
of Dan Henderson, who he already defeated three times of the
total four bouts against him.
-
Hendeson is a light fighter but he still faces heavy guys and
he is also pretty clever. His biggest qualiy is the discipline.
But Randy is real tough athlete and he is also pretty experienced
and has too muh control under his bouts -, said Darrel, who also
pointed possible winners against both of them: “I think
Muril Bustamante and Ricardo Arona has conditios to defeat Randy,
they are both pretty good. But I think against Dan Henderson,
Paulão will be able to win. He is tough and brave”,
said him.
Source: Tatame
|
Interview:
James Lee wins PRIDE debut on 3 days notice
By Ray Hui
James Lee’s first invitation to PRIDE came at a fairly inconvenient
time. Late one Wednesday night, Lee found himself playing video
games with his son when his phone rang. Setting aside his cupcake,
Lee discovered that PRIDE was finally putting him on a fight
card, something which he had been working towards for years.
It
was a good thing that PRIDE called before he finished his dessert,
since he was informed that they wanted him to fight in only three
days.
Despite
the short notice, Lee found that he couldn’t turn PRIDE
down. He began negotiating, and finalized a deal by 1 A.M., giving
him time to catch a 4 A.M. flight to Las Vegas.
Upon
arrival, Lee found that his already strenuous three days of preparations
had been cut down to two, as his medicals ate up his entire first
day in Vegas. Thursday night, less than 48 hours until the fight,
was his first chance to begin not only his training, but also
his attempts to get down to the 205-pound weight limit.
“I
didn’t get to check into the hotel probably until 8 or 9
o’clock at night. Went for a run, got up, ran again, and
then hopped in the sauna at 8 in the morning, and cut 14 and
a half pounds in like 5 hours,” said Lee.
FACING
“THE DIESEL”
On
top of everything else, Lee’s opponent for the fight was
no slouch. Travis “The Diesel” Wiuff had accumulated
over 40 MMA wins over the past six years.
Lee
had never seen Wiuff fight, and admitted to not having a well-thought
out game plan going into the fight. However, in his first attempt
in the PRIDE ring, Lee tried to simply block out the stressful
nature of the fight and work to give the best effort he could
against Wiuff.
“I
can fight a round out of shape. And I figured I’d gas midway
through the second. That’ll be my breaking point. Depending
on the pace of the fight,” said Lee. “I’ll go
balls out, and see what happens, give it my all, one hundred
percent.”
And
he did. Lee connected on his first punch and did not hesitate
to take advantage of the stunned Wiuff.
“I
power punched him real fast. And I’m thinking the whole
time, like s—t I can’t let this guy go. I better keep
the pressure on him and finish this guy off before he gets some
confidence.”
Lee
followed with relentless rights and attempted a kimura before
submitting Wiuff with a guillotine choke. All told, it took him
only 39 seconds to upset the IFL and UFC veteran.
BACK
TO DETROIT
Lee
has one more fight left on his contract with PRIDE. However,
he does not know when he will step foot in the PRIDE ring again.
After the dominating performance, Lee thinks he should deserve
a spot on the card in the future instead of being brought in
as a reserve.
“If
I put my best foot forward, I hope that they would put me in
the limelight a little bit more, and say ‘hey, this guy
stepped to the plate, and he seized his moment to shine,’
and that’s what champions do. I hope that they will see
that.”
Until
his inevitable return to PRIDE, Lee will continue training with
MASH (Martial Arts Submission Hybrid”)—which he co-founded
in 1989–as he prepares to defend his King of the Cage 205-pound
title this June in his home state of Michigan.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
UFC
VETERAN GILBERT ALDANA DEAD AT 29
Ultimate Fighting Championship veteran Gilbert Aldana is presumed
dead today according to reports out of Arizona. Reporting for
Arizona's Family 3 KTVK, Kim Martinez said that it is believed
that 6'2" 245-pound Aldana drowned yesterday at Lake Pleasant
in Arizona.
According
to the report, "Aldana was just setting out on his boss'
boat for a family outing Sunday morning when his shirt reportedly
flew out of the boat and into the water. He dove in to try and
grab it and started struggling. Someone dove in to help, but
Aldana never resurfaced."
Although
rescue units responded immediately, the scene quickly turned
from a search and rescue to a search and recovery according to
Fire Marshal Howard Munding, whom Martinez interviewed.
Aldana,
who started off to an impressive 5-0 record early in his career,
struggled during his time in the UFC losing to Paul Buentello
and Cheick Kongo. Little more than a month ago, Aldana returned
to his winning ways, submitting Rich Beecroft at his old stomping
grounds at Rage In The Cage.
Gilbert
Aldana was 29 years old. He leaves behind his wife and two boys.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Quote
of the Day
“Effort
only fully releases its reward after a person refuses to quit.”
Napoleon Hill, 1883-1970, American Speaker/Motivational Writer/Author
of "Think and Grow Rich"
|
Raw
Episode 48 Airs Tonight
the RAW
version of Fighters' Club TV Episode 48 has been submitted to
Olelo programming and will run in our normal timeslot: 7pm Tuesdays
on
Oceanic Ch52 (Olelo-Oahu)
Episode
48 features
-our
very own Mike Onzuka's "behind the scenes" look at
a filming of
ICON's preview show.
-footage
from ICON's "All In" including interviews and highlights
of
Jeremy Williams vs Derek Thorton, Scott Junk vs John "Furious"
George,
and Trigg vs Mayhem
-Interview
with Enson Inoue
-Technique
of the Week featuring ENSON INOUE
comments,
questions, and suggestions to: fctv@onzuka.com
|
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808
Fight Factory's Bryson Kamaka & Ed Newalu Fight on KOTC
On March 17, in Sacramento, Paul Savea will be fighting for the
205lbs Gladiator Challenge world title and Duke Saragosa will
also be fighting a back to back fight.
We would like to thank all our sponsors with these guys we would
not be able to get it done.
Xyience,Sprawl,Knoxx MMA,Pamalu Bed Liners,Da Hui and Swain Mats.
Aloha,
Kai
Source: Kai Kamaka
|
Uncensored
Phil Baroni interview
‘Bad Ass’ talks Shamrock
With his fight against Frank Shamrock finally looking like it’s
going to take place, Phil Baroni recently talked to GRACIEMAG.com
about what he expects from it. Language gets nasty from this
point on, so beware. With this guy, unlike Shamrock (whose interview
can be read here), things are always personal.
So
when is the fight against Shamrock gonna happen? Is it all set?
And why did it take such a long time?
It took such a long time because he is a scumbag. He didn’t
honor his contract with Scott Coker and Strike Force by fighting
for Show Time and the whole thing ended up getting pushed back.
The guy is a jerk-off and he is going to get what is coming to
him on June 22. That’s when the fight is going to be in
his backyard in San Jose at the HP Pavillion.
How
have you been preparing lately? Are you doing anything different
for the Shamrock fight?
Fuck no, I’m not doing anything different. His ass better
start doing something different. I’m not even training.
I’m partying like it’s 1999.
How
has your game been evolving? Do you see any mistakes in your
latest bouts that you are working on, or do you see improvement
on some aspects, or both?
I’m a Christian so I don’t believe in evolving. What
you see is what you get with me. I’m coming to bang. I see
a lot of mistakes every time I fight. And just like anyone I
try to fix them so they don’t happen again. I think I’m
getting better all the time. I better get better theses days
– everyone is well rounded. Everyone at the top level is
super tough.
This
is what Frank told me months ago about the fight between the
two of you: “Phil Baroni has decided that he doesn’t
want to get knocked out by me, so he now has ‘personal issues’
that won’t allow him to compete. When Cesar was doing his
things and calling me out, and trying to make a name for himself,
Phil Baroni jumped on the bandwagon and tried to do the same
thing: challenge me and say a bunch of stupid stuff that brought
him some attention. So I did like I did for Cesar and called
him up and said, ‘If you’re serious about it, I’ll
put it together and make it work.’” Do you have any
comments on that?
The guy is a fucking liar. He and Scott Coker approach me about
the fight. I was always in their mind penciled in as the next
opponent. They were trying to build Frank with my name. Every
one knows the New York Bad Ass. I’ve fought in the biggest
shows all over the world. Who the fuck knows that cock sucker!
Everywhere I go people want to know me. People want to be around
me take a pic. That dick don’t get recognized in the Seven
Eleven around the corner from his house. Nobody cares about Frank.
Nobody. So Strike Force decided to get me as an opponent that
Frank felt he could beat to get his name out there. That’s
the truth. I never liked the asshole, I wanted to break his fucking
stupid face in 2002 when he started talking shit about me. Trying
desperately to keep his name out there.
And
that dick ain’t knocking shit out. Don’t make me laugh.
Who the fuck has that punk KOed? He thinks he’s some kind
of knockout artist. Since fucking when? That asshole will be
the only one getting KOed. Face down counting sheep in his own
backyard.
In
your point of view, have things become personal or is it all
just business?
It’s always personal.
Have
you watched Frank's fight against Renzo, and has it given you
any clue as to how to beat him?
I saw it. He is a dirty motherfucker, ain’t he? Im nothing
like Renzo he is a BJJ black belt. There isn’t much I can
take from that fight. Except when the going gets tough Frank
gets cheating.
Just
expect me to turn up the heat. I’m coming guns ablazing.
It’s all or nothing for me. This is the biggest, most important
fight of my life. In order for him to beat me he is going to
have to kill me. And in order to be able to kill me he is going
to have to be willing to die himself.
He
don’t want it that bad. I can see it in his eyes. I’m
knocking his ass out.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Josh
Barnett called for ADCC 2007
Igor Vovchanchyn also on list of competitors
One of Pride’s current big names, Josh Barnett was invited
to ADCC 2007, the greatest submission grappling event on the
planet. If he accepts the invitation to fight with the over 99
kg fighters, Barnett could come up against fighters of such caliber
as Gabriel Napão, Márcio Pé de Pano, Luiz
Big Mac, Alexandre Cacareco and Rolles Gracie.
Another
name recognized in the world of MMA is Igor Vovchanchyn. The
Ukrainian is on the list of fighters in the under 99kg category.
Check out the updated list of the two heaviest categories in
the competition and stay tuned to GRACIEMAG.com for more information
about ADCC 2007:
Under 99kg
Critiano
Titi Lazzarini
Xande Ribeiro
Anthony Perosh
Mikhail Cirkunov
Ricardo Arona
Robert Drysdale
Igor Vovchanchyn
Vicbart Geraldino
Nick Ackerman
Tim Boetsch
Steve Rusk
Over 99kg
Jeff
Monson
Gabriel Napão
Márcio Pé de Pano
Mario Rinaldi
Alexandre Cacareco
Ricco Rodriguez
Roy Nelson
Luiz Theodoro Big Mac
Elvis Sinosic
Rolles Gracie
Josh Barnett
Source:
Gracie Magazine
|
Tito
Ortiz Versus Who?
By Sean McClure
After his second, much better performance in his loss to Chuck
Liddell, Tito Ortiz is set to return to action possibly at UFC
71. Initially, Tito was under the impression he was to face Forrest
Griffin, but that has changed since we spoke back then. With
that fight off the radar, another name thrown around was Babalu
Sobral, but the UFC had other plans for the light heavyweight
division and felt it wasn't ready for the Sobral vs. Ortiz fight
just yet.
From
behind the scenes, a third name surfaced that provided a slightly
more intriguing scenario. Keith Jardine, who recently knocked
out Forrest Griffin, seemed to be moving higher up the ladder
in the 205 pound division. Forrest would have received a title
shot if he won his fight with Keith, but that was not to be.
Keith, on the other hand was not the recipient of Forrest's try
for the light heavyweight championship, even though he defeated
the #1 contender.
A
rematch for Griffin against Ortiz would have made sense since
they were both coming off losses, but Dana probably didn't want
to risk that pay day. Both fighters needed a win to build the
public interest in that fight, but I am confused at the Griffin
vs. Lyoto Machida fight if that is the case. Machida is a much
more dangerous test for Forrest than Jardine was and is a bad
match-up for Griffin. Getting back to the point, Jardine would
have been a real challenge for Tito since he has some good striking
and a great chin to match his fairly solid ground game. All that
being said, the Jardine rumor has also been smashed leaving a
lot of people trying to make some sense out of the UFC's decision
making process.
Enter
Rashad Evans.
After
speaking with several people today, I can tell you that many
think that this will happen soon, that Rashad will face Ortiz
in his next fight. Sure, Rashad said that he is not ready for
a title shot, but this is the closest thing you can get to it
in the light heavyweight division. I feel, as do many others
that Tito would be wearing the belt if Chuck Liddell was not
in that division. Truly, if Rashad can get past him then he will
assure himself and his critics that he deserves a title shot
at 205.
Tito
would have to bring his A-game for this one because Rashad can
strike and take you down, pound you out. Ortiz's highly criticized
boxing skills are not as bad as hardcore fans or forum dwellers
might have you think. Tito is a solid fighter, more so then when
he faced Chuck Liddell the first time. Tito's takedowns are top
notch and Forrest Griffin was getting smashed in his fight against
the former champion until Tito gassed. Griffin aside, I see Rashad
as more of a challenge for Ortiz than a Keith Jardine or Forrest
had he been facing a healthy Tito. Looking at this fight, both
Evans and Ortiz have similar styles making this one that could
be decided by the number of takedowns and who has more heart.
I
will say this, Rashad is touted to be the future of the light
heavyweight division and he is a very talented competitor. I
agree with that statement and a win in this high profile fight
will make a very clear statement, if indeed it materializes.
MaxFighting
will keep you up to date if this fight is signed.
Source: Maxfighting
|
Island
Warriors
Saturday,
March 17, 2007
Maui War Memorial Gym
Fights start at 6 pm
Source: Promoter |
Press
Release
X-1 world
events-presents-Xtreme Fighting 2
March 17, Saturday
Blaisdell Arena
Get
your tickets now before the last minute rush!
Double Main Event
Wesley 'Cabbage' Correira vs Chris 'Monstser' Marez
Falaniko
Vitale vs Mavrick 'Soul Collector' Harvey
K1 rules Kickboxing
Kaleo Kwan vs Danny Steele
X-1
Championship Title Defense
170 welter wt. Mark Moreno vs Nik Lentz
155
light wt. Kolo Koka vs 'Sugar'Shane Nelson
145
super Lt wt. Eddie Yagin vs Brandon Foxworth
Womens match
Kelly Cobalt vs Tonya Evinger
MMA
matches
Fernando
Gonzalez vs Jay Carter
Harris
Sarmiento vs Henry Martinez
David
Padilla vs Dirty'Dave'Moreno
Kaipo
Gonzales vs Paco Woods
Preliminary
match
Steve
Farmer vs Scott Anderson
Another
X-1 World Event
Source: Event Promoter
|
Quote
of the Day
"Love
is the only way to grasp another human being in the innermost
core of his personality."
Viktor Frankl, 1905-1997, Austrian Neurologist and Psychiatrist
|
The
Ultimate Fighter Season 5: The Lightweights
Gray Maynard, Matt Wiman, Robert Emerson, Nate Diaz, Noah
Thomas, Marlon Sims, Cole Miller, Jens Pulver, Gabe Ruediger,
Brian Geraghty, BJ Penn, Brandon Melendez, Andy Wang, Manvel
Gambaryan, Corey Hill, Wayne Weems, Alan Berubie and Joe Lauzon.
The leak is out, finally a glance inside the UFC's incredibly
popular show, The Ultimate Fighter Season 5 on the Spike cable
channel. This season features the lightweights and is coached
by former UFC Lightweight Champion Jens "Lil Evil"
Pulver and Hawaii's own "The Prodigy" BJ Penn. The
finale of this season will be on the Ultimate Fight Night event
and feature the much anticipated rematch between Jens Pulver
and BJ Penn, back down to 155lbs, on Spike on June 23rd.
|
MIR
OUT OF UFC FIGHT NIGHT DUE TO SHOULDER INJURY
by Ken Pishna
Frank Mir is out of his scheduled bout with Antoni Hardonk on
the April 5th UFC Fight Night due to a shoulder injury. According
to Sherdog.com, Hardonk will now face Justin McCully at the Palms
in Las Vegas on April 5th.
Mir
evidently suffered the shoulder injury in training and it wasn't
healing properly for him to be able to fight. MMAWeekly spoke
to his Business Manager, Dean Albrecht, who said, "We're
not sure if it's the rotator cuff or a labrum injury." It's
not even readily apparent when he suffered the injury. "He
is not sure if it was from falling on the outstretched limb or
just constant strain."
Albrecht
said that they "should be receiving the results of an MRI
and other related tests any day," but that the shoulder
just wasn't strong enough for Mir to go into this fight. "With
shoulder injuries, you get pain, instability, locking, decreased
range of motion and loss of strength. Frank has it all with the
most prevalent being loss of strength, which inhibited his submissions
and, as you know, that is his strength. So it was decided to
concentrate on being in top condition for his next fight."
Mir
has struggled since returning from leg injuries sustained in
a motorcycle crash in September of 2004. In his first fight back
he was TKO'd by Marcio Cruz, won an uninspired decision against
Dan Christison in his second, and then was TKO'd again in the
first round, this time by Brandon Vera, his last time out. So,
it is not really a good time for Mir to be taking unnecessary
chances with his career.
Albrecht
says that the initial indication is that it will take several
weeks to rehab the shoulder, but the MRI should tell them a little
more about the injury and give them a more definitive idea on
rehab. If everything goes well, Mir is expected to fight on the
next open UFC card following his rehab, which would most likely
be in July or thereabouts.
With
the free agent market heating up, Albrecht says that Mir has
no plans to go elsewhere. "He is contracted to the UFC and
does not want to fight in any other organization. Dana White
and Lorenzo Fertitta have been extremely supportive of Frank
since day one and Frank loves fighting in Vegas for the UFC,"
affirmed Albrecht. "This injury has come at an unfortunate
time since his training was going so well and the fight was in
Vegas. He is training under Marc Laimon and at Randy Couture's
[new gym] on a daily basis with a group of pros who go over there
and all was falling into line for this fight, so he is very regretful
that he had the injury."
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Robert
"Buzz" Berry retires, Bob Sapp loses opponent
British heavyweight Robert "Buzz" Berry abruptly announced
his retirement from mixed martial arts Friday leaving Bob Sapp
without an opponent for Cage Rage 21.
Berry
cited a recent promotion at work and his duties with his family
as his reasons for retirement. Berry simply does not have the
time to train properly as a fighter.
Berry
began his professional MMA career in 2001 and made his Cage Rage
debut in 2004 at Cage Rage 10. Berry contended for the Cage Rage
British heavyweight title twice but fell short both times against
Tengiz Tedoradze and Rob Broughton.
The
Goshin Ryu and Cage Rage mainstay walks away from the sport with
a record of 10 wins and 5 losses.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Rosters
Set for IFL Debut in Los Angeles
By Jerry
Milani, IFL.TV
NEW YORK and LOS ANGELES, Calif., March 7, 2007 - The International
Fight League (OTC.BB: IFLI), the world’s first team-based
professional mixed martial arts league, today announced the 10-bout
card at The Forum in Los Angeles, set for Saturday, March 17,
beginning at 7:30 p.m. The event will feature the Condors of
Southern California, led by MMA and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu legend
Marco Ruas facing off against the fresh strategies of Ken Yasuda’s
Sabres, who are based in Tokyo but train in Los Angeles. The
second match-up of the night will highlight the skills of the
Razorclaws under Frank Shamrock as they take on Bas Rutten and
his hometown Anacondas.
Some
highlight bouts include a light heavyweight battle between Vladimir
Matyushenko of the Sabres and Justin Levens of the Condors, and
a lightweight matchup between Josh Odom of the Razorclaws and
Chris Horodecki of the Anacondas. Eight of the athletes competing
live full-time in Southern California, while several others reside
there part-time.
The evening is part of the full 11-event IFL 2007 schedule, the
most comprehensive advance schedule in the history of fight sports.
Below are the matchups for the Los Angeles event:
Sabres
(Tokyo) (1-0) vs. Condors (Southern Calif.) (1-0)
LW/155: Trenell “Savant” Young (Los Angeles) (1-0 IFL,
7-4 0verall) vs. Adam Lynn (Huntington Beach, Calif.) (0-1, 10-6)
WW/170: Antonio McKee (Lakewood, Calif.) (1-0, 18-3-2) vs. Rodrigo
Ruas (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) (0-0, 3-3-1)
MW/185: Kazuhiro Hamanaka (Tokyo) (0-1, 4-3-1) vs. Jeremy Williams
(Laguna Niguel, Calif.) (1-0, 6-2)
LH/205: Vladimir Matyushenko (El Segundo, Calif.) (1-0, 16-3)
vs. Justin Levens (Laguna Niguel, Calif.) 0-1, 9-4)
HW/265: Wayne Cole (Oklahoma City) (0-0, 6-3) vs. Antoine Jaoude
(Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) (1-0, 5-2)
Razorclaws
(San Jose) (0-1) vs. Anacondas (Los Angeles) (1-0)
LW/155: Josh Odom (Tallahassee, Fla.) (1-1, 4-2) vs. Chris Horodecki
(London, Ontario) (4-0, 8-0)
WW/170: Donnie Liles (0-0, 7-2) vs. Jay Hieron (Las Vegas) (3-1,
11-3)
MW/185: Brian Foster (Moreno Valley, Calif.) (1-1, 8-10) vs.
Benji Radach (Coconut Creek, Fla.) (1-0, 13-3)
LH/205: Brian Ebersole (San Jose, Calif.) (0-0, 27-12) vs. Alex
Schoenauer (Las Vegas) (2-3, 10-7)
HW/265: Dan Christison (Las Vegas) (0-0, 8-4) vs. Krzysztof Soszynski
(Winnipeg, Manitoba) (2-2, 11-6-1)
Tickets
are available through www.ifl.tv or via Ticketmaster at www.ticketmaster.com,
by telephone or at Ticketmaster outlets.
Each
of the nine regular season IFL events will consist of four teams
– each with an athlete in all five weight classes competing
– along with a special Superfight, for a minimum of 11 bouts
per card. The team that wins the best three of five match setup
will be declared the team winner for the match, similar to collegiate
and high school wrestling meets. The IFL also differs from other
MMA organizations in that the bouts are held in an oversized
five-rope boxing ring with three, four-minute rounds, each designed
to create the most compelling in-arena experience for local fans.
Each
of the 12 IFL teams for 2007 will compete in three regular season
events; the teams with the top four overall win-loss team records
will advance to the semi-finals, which will be held on Thursday,
August 2, at Continental Airlines Arena in East Rutherford, N.J.
The 2007 IFL Finals will then be held at The Forum on Saturday,
September 15.
The
10 venues for the 2007 season (The Forum will host two events)
will scale to between 7,000 and 13,000 seats, which has been
consistent with the IFL’s plan of managed growth.
About
the IFL
International
Fight League™ (IFL) is the world’s first professional
mixed martial arts sports league. IFL has its headquarters in
New York, NY and offices in Las Vegas, NV. For more information
about IFL, please see: www.ifl.tv
Source: Maxfighting
|
Pedro
Rizzo defeats Justin Eilers
The Brazilian back to winning after 39 months
The fast is over. Without a win since November of 2003 (during
which time he fought and lost twice), Pedro Rizzo tastes once
more the sweet taste of victory on overcoming the American Justin
Eilers by unanimous judges' decision in the main event of Art
of War, which took place last night in Dallas, USA.
With a good standing game, with punches and kicks that punished
his adversary, Rizzo dished out some knockdowns during the confrontation,
but Eilers withstood until the final bell. Triumphant, Rizzo
is now the holder of the recently-created organization led by
Guy Mezger's belt.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Vazquez's
Next Fight
Javier Vazquez is set to once again enter the cage on the Showtime
network. This time it will be in a coproduction between Elite
XC and the Strikeforce organization.
Javier's
last fight was an exciting win over BTT blackbelt and hometown
favorite, Adriano Pereira.
The
show is slated for June 22nd and will be occuring in San Jose,
California on the Phil Baroni VS. Frank Shamrock card.
Source: Gracie Fighter
|
Helio
Gracie, part 3
A colossal gym; retirement interrupted; children and a not so
conventional conjugal relationship; lots of philosophy and jiu-jitsu.
Dive, henceforth, into the conclusion of the saga of Grandmaster
Helio Gracie... but don't go too deep, or you may be bitten by
the sharks of Abrolhos.
The
year of 1952, following the year of his epic fight against the
Japanese Kimura, stood out in the life of Grandmaster Helio.
That was when his first legitimate son, Rorion, was born, and
when he, along with his brother Carlos, inaugurated a massive
gym on Rio Branco Avenue, in downtown Rio de Janeiro, which was
kept running for 30 years. Also in ’52, Carlos bought a
"house" in Teresópolis, which served as the
setting for the entire Gracie family's weekends until the 1980's.
“We
had 600 students per month, with all the timeslots filled. Students
would, sometimes, wait a whole year for an opening," Helio
Gracie
Helio
had announced his retirement after the big fight, and started
dedicating himself to the administration of what was, according
to him, the greatest Jiu-Jitsu academy of all times. “There
has never been and will never be anything like it,” says
the master with pride. “Although Rorion’s gym in California
is more spacious, the Rio Branco organization was a business.
It took up the whole floor of the building, with five rings and
100 private lessons per day. We had 600 students per month for
over 20 years. Double what Rorion has these days,” he compares.
At
the time there were no computers, but Hélio organized
his entire contingent of students: as he explains: “When
the student would sign up, he would receive an ID card and pay
his contractual fee. The student would come and pick up his card
and go to the clothing booth. The academy would provide a gi
and towel, when he would present his card at the clothing booth.
The employee would then check to see if everything was in order
(time, payment etc.) and he would hand over the little basket
with the towel and gi. When the student would go to the dressing
room, the employee at the clothing booth would call the secretary
informing her that the student had arrived at such and such a
time. When he would go to the ring, another call was made to
the secretary informing her of the time of entry. All of this
she would make note of on the student's form. He would have his
class and, when he left the ring, the teacher would go to the
reception and turn in the class form signed by the student to
the secretary.”
(ABOVE)
HELIO STILL KEEPS THE FORMS OF THE THOUSANDS OF STUDENTS THAT
FREQUENTED THE OLD GRACIE ACADEMY. “THE OWNERS OF BRAZIL
WOULD GO THERE," HE STATES. ABOVE, AN ILLUSTRIOUS STUDENT:
MÁRIO ANDREAZZA, WHO WAS A MINISTER, DURING THE DAYS OF
THE DICTATORSHIP.
Discipline
The team of instructors at the Gracie academy (Carlson and Robson
Gracie, Hélio Vígio, Armando Wriedt and João
Alberto Barreto were the ones that spent the most time teaching
there) was rigorously supervised by Hélio: “I kept
track and charged fines for lateness. The teacher had one minute
to leave the ring with the student and bring in the next one,
in between half-hour classes. Every minute over was a certain
amount. If the student arrived late, he would leave at the right
time. There was no make-up class, because there was no time for
it. Sometimes, people would wait a whole year to sign up for
their class. Everything was full, from seven in the morning to
seven at night. The teachers ate in the gym, there was no time.”
As
the academy provided the gis, the Gracies had a stock of 3,000
complete kits, manufactured by themselves. At the end of the
week they would load up a pickup with 600 dirty gis and take
them to be laundered, using two industrial laundry machines,
they maintained in the house in Teresópolis. “One
of them I still have in my house,” says the master, who
used the gis to weed out weaknesses in the system. “I had
the records on the gis we washed. It could not go over that count,
I knew the number of classes by the number of gis, and I challenged
the secretary to steal from me without my knowing it. But there
was no way, the system was so complex that no one understood
it completely, except me,” he says with pride, recalling
one case: "Once, a secretary named Mary tried to pocket
some money from an extra class. But, when I was looking over
the student's form, I noticed he had taken a class outside of
his normal schedule, and I asked her: ‘Where is the money
from so-and-so’s extra class?’ She turned red and answered:
‘Didn’t you say I could take it?’ ‘So put
it back,' I replied. The system was perfect.”
But
the master’s demand that the gym be maintained just the
way he wanted it was not limited to organization and punctuality.
In fact, he was even more rigorous concerning method, which he
says he perfected over the years, just like his Jiu-Jitsu. “We
had internal phones everywhere. I would enter each ring for five
minutes. If I knocked on the door and the teacher opened it,
he would be fined. He could only open the door by calling first,
and if it was me. And he had to teach the class the way I wanted
it taught, because I teach for the student to learn, not to fool
around. Nobody teaches like I do. I am a nitpicker, I only think
about solving the student's problem. I love the student; I don't
want to hear about anything else. Sometimes, the student is a
little dumb, or awkward, but that is not his problem. And these
inspections helped me find out when a teacher was impatient,
intolerant, or bad at explaining things. At the end of the day,
I would call everyone over and question them."
Despite
the discipline adopted, Hélio would praise his teachers:
“They were good. Sometimes I would go over the method again
with each one, and work on their morale. If I caught someone
saying, 'So-and-so, lie down,' I would notice. ‘Lie down,’
no way! It’s ‘Mr. So-and-so, would you please lie down?”
They were little things, but they made up the method. The student
must feel respected. We taught presidents, ministers of the state.
Can you imagine: ‘Lie down, Figueredo?’ Deep down the
guy doesn’t like it. He would already step on the mat cowering,
as he was physically inferior, and the instructor should not
use strength to hurt the guy’s self-esteem. So, I had a
way to keep the student, by way of attention, out of politeness,
a set of things that keep the student. As I tell my kids, the
student only stays away from the gym because of sickness, travel
or a lack of money. There is no other reason. What other reason
would they have for not doing what they enjoy?" he challenges.
It
happens that there was something that caused the Gracie academy
to empty out in the 70s: the traffic. "Downtown grew a lot
and, all of a sudden, no one could stop their car near the academy.
We would teach 200 children classes, but their parents would
bring there kids and there would be nowhere to park near the
gym. So we lost a large part of our clientele,” explains
Hélio, telling of what transpired next: “I ended
up closing the gym and teaching at Vasco da Gama. After some
time, I moved to Padre Antônio Vieira highschool, where
my sons Royler and Rolker are to this day.”
Public
challenge
One
of the most famous challenges Hélio Gracie ever made was
to the American boxer Joe Lewis. Everything started seven years
before he arrived in Brazil. In 1943, the magazine Seleções
published an article stating that a boxer had beaten a Jiu-Jitsu
fighter, in a fight to demonstrate the superiority of one style
over the other. Even though he knew the fighter was not from
the Gracie Academy, Hélio felt offended and proposed to
fight five boxers from any nation, with or without gloves, in
a single evening.
The
challenge was published in the O Globo newspaper, but nobody
accepted the test. But in 1950, Lewis came to Brazil, and Hélio
saw the opportunity to avenge Jiu-Jitsu’s reputation. This
time, he challenged only the American, in a telegram printed
on the cover of the periodical: "I have just learned of
the possible arrival of Joe Lewis, ex-world boxing champion,
in our capital. I would like to notify everyone possible that
I would like to face him in a fight between boxing and Jiu-Jitsu
to prove the superiority of the art I practice, as well as to
clear up the doubts raised by the magazine Seleções.
Hélio Gracie"
The press went wild with the telegram, and there was almost daily
coverage of the challenge. But, to Hélio’s chagrin,
Joe Lewis never accepted the proposal. The response of the American's
agent was as follows: "To all sportsmen in Brazil: this
telegram is to confirm the declaration that Joe Lewis, ex-world
champion of boxing, admires all sportsmen in their respective
areas, and will accept any challenge from anybody wanting to
box with him. We want to thank the press and radio for the consideration
given us, and would like to let the good people of Brazil know
that we will never forget them. Sincerely, Marshall Miles, Joe
Lewis' manager."
A colossal gym; retirement interrupted; children and a not so
conventional conjugal relationship; lots of philosophy and jiu-jitsu.
Dive, henceforth, into the conclusion of the saga of Grandmaster
Helio Gracie... but don't go too deep, or you may be bitten by
the sharks of Abrolhos.
During
the days of the super gym, the dressing room workers would often
also learn Jiu-Jitsu and become sparring-partners for the teachers.
"Armando Wriedt was one of them, and George ‘Frenchie’
was another…” remembers Hélio, referring to
Mehdi, who later went on to perfect his game in Japan and now
runs a well-known judo academy in Ipanema, Rio de Janeiro. Among
the employees, the marbler Waldemar Santana stood out. “I
remember the day he showed up at the gym, which was still in
Flameno,” tells João Alberto Barreto, who the master
pointed out as his best instructor at the time. “Years later,
when we were already at Rio Branco, he left the faucets running
one Friday the water had been turned off and, on Monday, the
mats were soaked. He got told off horribly by the master and
left, then frequenting the academy only as a sparring-partner,"
Barreto clarifies.
Waldemar
would turn out to be a character in the story of the longest
fight Helio ever fought: a vale-tudo that lasted 3 hours and
40 minutes and interrupted the master’s retirement, on the
24th of May, 1955. “Waldemar had already been with me for
five years, and some months before our fight he came to me saying
he had a fight lined up at the Palácio de Alumínio
("the Aluminum Palace"), where worked fights would
take place." I questioned the choice: ‘You don’t
know I’m against that crap?’ And he alleged that his
fight would be for real. ‘It very well may be, but that
place only has worked fights, and if I let you fight there, they
will think my fights are worked,’ I justified,” recalls
the instructor, who ended up taking radical measures. “He
said he had already signed the contract and I said he should
either desist or I would be obliged to kick him out of my house.
And that is what happened,” he relates.
From
then on the press took it upon itself to fuel the discord. “A
malicious journalist got a declaration from him saying I wasn't
all that. I didn't like that and demanded he retract the statement,
he didn't take it back and we ended up fighting, from one day
to the next," tells the instructor. The fight would take
place on May 23, but was stopped by Colonel Menezes Cortez, commander
of the military police. So Helio went to his office and convinced
him there was no reason to do that: "I said he was committing
an injustice, because the fight would take place in private,
without paid entry, with a referee, policing and an audience.
So he called the D.A's office and asked whether there was a legal
recourse to prevent the thing from happening. As there wasn't,
he let it take place," he remembers. When Helio returned
to the locale, there wasn't enough time for the fight to go on,
and it ended up taking place the next day.
Globo
newspaper from the 25th described the events as they transpired
during the fight: “Waldemar spent most of the time keeping
Helio under his body, head-butting him in the chest and chin
and, once in awhile, trying to toss him out of the ring. Helio
heeled him in the kidneys, as well as elbows and chops to the
back of his opponent’s head, trying to stun him. Countless
times, he tried to choke him, and managed to sink one but Waldemar
escaped, always by way of kicks and punches, when the guard would
open." In Carlos Gracie's testimony, from the same newspaper,
he completes the narration: “For over three hours, the battle
was even, with Waldemar resisting all of Helio’s attempts
to finish the fight. However, fatigue got the best of my brother.
After being thrown against the ropes, he delayed in getting to
his feet, and was thus struck by that violent kick.”
Another
report from that same day, the Jornal dos Esports recorded that,
at that moment, “Carlson, Helio’s nephew, was the first
to invade the ring, lifting his unconscious uncle and carrying
him, on his shoulders, to the infirmary.” Helio’s brother
Carlos did not hide his anger in the declarations he made to
O Globo: “Don’t think my explanation is whining. It
is much to the contrary, I wish to, so as to not let my declarations
be exploited, state right off the bat that Waldemar fought well
and his victory cannot be contested by any means," he said
frankly. He added: “However, one must recognize that Helio
only entered the ring as a question of honor, without having
trained once for it. My brother understood that he could not
run away from this fight with his ex-student.
It
was not a question of winning but a question of proving that
a Gracie does not run away from any challenge. Helio wanted to
show that cowardliness has never passed the doors of our academy.
For over five years, Helio prepared Waldemar, one of his favorite
students. He was, at that time, a model of humility and dedication,
but they filled his head with ideas of grandeur and, when we
least expected it, he repeated a common behavior, the creature
rose up against his creator. Waldemar wanted headlines and got
them by challenging precisely the one that taught him to fight.”
The
master himself, who carried no animosity towards his ex-disciple
(“He continued treating me well,” he remembered), analyzed
the fight: “The fear and the respect he had for me kept
him from attacking, and he ran away the whole time. I, weak,
could not go after him. So I waited for him to attack me, to
get him with a counter-attack, which was my forte. That is why
it took so long.” João Alberto Barreto, who along
with Helio Vígio, Carlson and Robson, stood around the
ring during the fight to keep the fighters from falling on the
ground, confirmed: “Helio took a surprise beating, from
an ear infection and a 39 degree fever. And even so he fought
for almost four hours. Afterwards Carlos proposed a revenge match
against Carlson, me, or against Helio himself, to Waldemar. And
he accepted a fight against Carlson.”
Jiu-Jitsu
vs gunpowder
Many
years ago, when on holiday in a dude ranch in Resende (state
of Rio), Helio Gracie found himself up against the stubbornness
of a friend. He insisted on questioning the effectiveness of
Jiu-Jitsu against a gun. His idea was: “Why bother learning
a martial art like Jiu-Jitsu, if all I need to protect myself
is a gun?” The topic of the conversation changed and, with
no one realizing it, Helio asked his wife to go to the room and
bring his gun. He hid it under his shirt and again brought up
the subject of Jiu-Jitsu versus weapons, proposing a challenge
to his friend: "If you think arms are so effective, let's
do this: you pretend you are armed and go to the corner. I will
go to the other, and we will walk, and when we meet each other,
you pull your weapon and let’s see what happens,” he
tells. The teacher had everything already planned. “When
we got near each other, the guy pulled out his finger and I pulled
out my gun. ‘Wait, old man, you don’t have a weapon?’
I asked the guy, who was stunned.” Helio told his friend
that if all he believed he needed to defend himself was a weapon,
then it would be a good idea to always be armed and ready to
shoot. He also talked of how impractical it was to carry a weapon
on a beach, in a marketplace, to a dinner with friends or any
other situation where you are not expecting any danger. The question
was not Jiu-Jitsu's effectiveness against a weapon, but, unlike
a weapon, Jiu-Jitsu is something you carry in your head the whole
time.
A colossal gym; retirement interrupted; children and a not so
conventional conjugal relationship; lots of philosophy and jiu-jitsu.
Dive, henceforth, into the conclusion of the saga of Grandmaster
Helio Gracie... but don't go too deep, or you may be bitten by
the sharks of Abrolhos.
Text and cover photo by Luca Atalla / art by Cleiton
AT
THE END OF THE 1970’S: “CARLOS SAID WE HAD A FAMILY
UNITED BY THE HEAVENS," HE REMEMBERS.
Despite
the setback, Helio went about his normal routine, taking care
of the gym and going with the family to the house in Teresópolis
during the weekends. “The house was spectacular, with eight
bathrooms, 24 bedrooms, 24 telephones, on which six people could
talk at the same time. There was a Swiss television set, 18 servants.
It was a luxury hotel that could house up to 100 people during
a single weekend,” describes the teacher. That is where
Rorion, the master’s favorite son, has his first memories.
"At that time," says the son, "there was still
a train in Teresópolis, somewhere. I must have been about
two or three years old, dad rode Quilate (his favorite horse)
and I would sit in front of him, on the saddle. The train would
pass by beside us and we would gallop, alongside the train, like
in a cowboy movie. Actually, as I've come to understand from
others, we would go to Teresópolis every weekend. Everybody's
history is in Teresópolis. The place was paradise."
TWENTY
BROTHERS YOU DO NOT HAVE, MY SON, BUT FOUR YOU DO,” HELIO,
WHEN HE REVEALED TO RORION HE HAD CHILDREN WITH ANOTHER WOMAN.
The
master would do everything to keep the family together. And Teresópolis
was fundamental in doing so. “Once, we had a carnival party
with 1,200 people at the house, with a band and everything. It
was such a success that the folks from Higino (the city’s
club) came to ask the old man to not throw the party anymore,
because it was effecting their business,” remembers Rórion
who, at 15 years of age, when he believed Relson and Rickson
were his only brothers, he heard a surprising revelation from
his father. "We left the gym, passing the Aterro do Flamengo,
when my father asked me: 'My son, would you like to have more
brothers?' I thought it was the coolest thing that Uncle Carlos
had 21 children, so I responded: ‘Of couse, 20 more, if
that is possible.’ So he told me ’20 you don’t
have, but four more you do,’ and he took me to a house in
Botafogo where I got to meet Rolker, Royler, Royce and Therika,
and Vera, their mother. At first I was sad, as no son would ever
want his parents to separate, but no, he explained that he was
not going to abandon my mother, but she could not have any more
children, which I understood.”
The
story, at first glimpse, is kind of crazy, but the Gracie family,
under the philosophical guidance of Carlos, always believed sex
was for procreation, and as Margarida, his wife, could no longer
become pregnant, Helio did not look the other way when he met
Vera, in the Gracie gym, and saw his chance to have more children.
“I was friends with Oneika, one of Carlos’ children
who was brought up by Helio. When she started taking an English
course, for lack of time, she needed to divide her secretarial
duties at the gym, so she called upon me,” remembers Vera,
who would come to marry the instructor in 1992, two months after
Margarida's death, many years after the couple's relationship
began.
“On
the first day, I ran away because I saw Helio yelling at one
of Carlos' kids, Reylson, for something he did wrong in one of
the classes. I was scared to death. But Oneika called me back
and, one day, when I couldn't find one of the students' forms
he had asked me for, I took the blame. Crying, I locked myself
in the store room to find what he wanted. Then Helio opened the
door, saw me in a panic and felt sorry for me. From then on,
he started treating me well, and I became enchanted by him,"
confesses Vera. As time went by, they began to flirt, but Helio
made it clear he would not separate from his wife. The story
continued, and after one of their first encounters, Vera became
pregnant. “She had three children in a row, with a year
of difference between them. That is very rare,” exalts the
master.
Much later, when Robin and Ricci, the last of the couple's children,
had been born, a letter from Margarida arrived, letting on that
she had found out about everything. “She asked me and I
told her what had happened. I told her that, if she wanted me
to leave, that was fine. But, as my wife, she knew of my desire
to have kids, and she forgave me," remembers the teacher.
Margarida did not only accept it, one day, secretly, she went
to find Vera and the two, without anyone knowing about it for
a long time, became friends. "She, who was very sophisticated,
started taking the bus and subway because of me," remembers
Vera. "When Margarida became sick, Vera would take food
to her in the hospital," recounts Helio.
After
Margarida finding out, all the children came to spend time together,
and now, to the joy of the father, all the men in the family
live Jiu-Jitsu. “My brother Carlos would tell me we had
a heavenly family, and all my children had come to do Jiu-Jitsu,”
he remembers. The first three, Rórion, Relson and Rickson,
along with Royce, now live in the United States. The two girls
married and live in Brazil, with Royler and Rolker, who both
teach in the Humaíta neighborhood of Rio. The youngest,
Robin, is in Spain, and Helio lives in his “Nosso Vale”
ranch, in the Itaipava. There he teaches private lessons, takes
care of the property and uses his free time to philosophize and
write down his thoughts. The path Jiu-Jitsu, the modality that,
as he likes to say, “was the vehicle, the machine,"
has taken bothers him, but, following his own line of thinking,
is that way for us to learn something. “Or would you put
in doubt the wisdom of nature?” he would say.
A colossal gym; retirement interrupted; children and a not so
conventional conjugal relationship; lots of philosophy and jiu-jitsu.
Dive, henceforth, into the conclusion of the saga of Grandmaster
Helio Gracie... but don't go too deep, or you may be bitten by
the sharks of Abrolhos.
Since
the death of Rolls Gracie, almost 20 years ago, one of Helio’s
sons, Rickson, occupied an important position as champion of
the family. In a statement made to GRACIE Magazine, the idol
attributed the influence of his father's personality as a fundamental
factor in his occupying such an important position for so long:
"I think the most important thing I learned from my father
was not exactly the practical side of Jiu-Jitsu. Evidently the
idea and basic idea of using leverage is something you learn
and develop, and he taught me the concept of always looking to
find the easiest route to do things. But the major influence
and great presence of my father was in incorporating the whole
system of life in relation to Jiu-Jitsu. That is the spirit I
have whereby I should go to the gym, relate to the student, what
I want out of training, how to find out the secret of the thing,
and be curious about the positions that are a little odd to me.
To know my limit, have emotional control, cool headedness, precision,
finally, what was important were the conversations we had at
the dinner table, his descriptions of how he reacted to determined
situations. That, you go absorbing and gradually applying and
adapting in your own way. Because the possibilities, life, my
father’s opponents, summed up, all the situations he had
been through, were specific to his time. My evolution is, although
personal, based on his philosophy.”
Swimming
with the sharks
In
1952, Helio Gracie received a medal of honor from the Standard
Oil company for an incredible act of bravery he performed six
years earlier. It all happened on the Tanajé ship, when
he and his brother were on the way to Fortaleza. “We were
on the deck, when we saw a guy in the ocean. Everyone was yelling,
'Man over board!' and the captain turned around to pick up the
guy, stopping around 200 or 300 meters from him. The guy had
tried to commit suicide,” recalls the teacher. A boat with
eight sailors was deployed to save him, which was made more difficult
by the conditions at sea, with enormous waves. “When they
got to the guy, who was passed out and floating like a buoy,
they grabbed him by his hair, but could not put him in the boat.
Carlos said: ‘They are idiots, why don't they just get in
the water to help the others pull him in?’ Behind me, a
sailor said: ‘My friend, we are in Abrolhos, here you don’t
even put a hand in the water, it’s infested with sharks!’
I asked Carlos, ‘You don’t want to get the guy?’
‘I do, but I won’t make it.’ I said: ‘I will,’
and so he said: ‘Then go!’ I took of my clothes, and,
wearing my underwear, jumped in the ocean. I dived off the deck
and, when in the air, I got scared and decided not to go too
deep. I swam all I could, there were so many waves,” he
narrates. The ship’s captain had already ordered that the
boat abandon the rescue and return. Helio passed them and they
told him to go back. “I was tired, I wanted to return to
the boat. My fear was that I would not reach the guy and he would
go under. That would be a disappointment. But I grabbed him,
when I saw that fortune had been cast: ‘If there is a shark,
he will choose one of us.’ I put the fellow in the boat
and got in too, without a hitch. It was about 5:30, getting dark,
about to rain. The sailors were afraid of not reaching the ship,
and I screamed: ‘You wimps, row properly, if not I’m
swimming!’ They did not let me get out, I had become a leader.
In the end, we made it to the ship and there was a great celebration.
When we stopped in Bahia, the guy left in handcuffs,” Helios
tells, who almost went to jail too for having thrown himself
from the boat without permission from the captain. “I changed
my clothes and went to him, and he said: ‘Gracie, you have
nothing to apologize for, you performed an heroic act. I don’t
know how you saved him, if it were up to me to stick a foot in
the water to save my mother, she would die, so certain I would
be my foot would be bitten off,” finishes the master, with
his usual laugh.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Quote
of the Day
"I
have not observed men's honesty to increase with their riches."
Thomas Jefferson, 1743-1826, 3rd President of the United States
|
2007
Hawaiian Championship of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
While the tournament organizers are frantically organizing the
results, here are partial results from the O2 Martial Arts Academy
students. There were some great matches, the tournament organizers
spread out the divisions, which allowed the competitors to avoid
sitting around all day waiting for their matches. The event had
some hicups running the matches back to back and refereeing,
but overall it was a great tournament and held some great matches.
Congratulations to all the competitors!
No Gi Kids
1st Place: Brandon Saiki
White Belt
162-174 lbs
3rd Place: Ryan Matsuyama
Blue Belt
149-161 lbs
1st Place: Jay-Ar Sagario
Blue Belt
202-214 lbs
1st Place: Dave Chew - Main Academy
2nd Place: Blaine Dorton
Beginner:
188-201 lbs?
Not sure what place: Brandon Martin-Frasier
No Gi Intermediate
149-161 lbs
3rd Place: Beau Suh
No Gi Intermediate
162-174 lbs
2nd Place: Ryan Salmon
Advanced No Gi Lightweight
149-161 lbs
1st Place: Andrew Marshall
|
More
808 Fight Factory Fighters Compete
in Gladiator Challenge!
On March 11, in Porterville,
Fresno,
We would like to thank all our sponsors with these guys we would
not be able to get it done.
Xyience,Sprawl,Knoxx MMA,Pamalu Bed Liners,Da Hui and Swain Mats.
Aloha,
Kai
Source: Kai Kamaka
|
The
Quest for Champions 2007 Next Event Just Announced!
The Quest for Champions
2007
Saint Louis High School Gym
Sunday, June 3rd, 2007
features Sport-Pankration, Submission-Grappling, Continuous Sparring
and Sport-Jujitsu
Source: Event Promoter
|
Anderson
Silva vs. Marquardt at UFC
Anderson Silva was confirmed by his entrepeuner Jorge Guimarães,
knew as Joinha, at UFC 72, that will be held on July 7th in United
States. Anderson will put his belt in game against Nathan Marquardt,
who cames from a victory under the ADCC champion Dean Lister
at UFC Fight Night 8. Nathan, who has 33 bouts and is coming
from six victories and the last four ones was at UFC so he conquereed
the right to dispute the belt against the Brazilian athlete.
—
Anderson is coming from a trip and will stay here at Black House
training for three months. He is getting better now from a knee
injury and will train hard for this bout. We will train hard
the ground game because we know what Nathan wants – said
Joinha, who is traveling today to , where he will follow Pedro
Rizzo in his next bout on March 9th at Art of War. “This
is the most important bout of Pedro’s life. We are pretty
confident under his victory”, said the entrepreuner.
Source: Tatame
|
Jerome
LeBanner in Bodog’s sites
Frenchman renews contract with K-1
One of K-1's big names, the Frenchman Jerome LeBanner has re-signed
with the Japanese organization for another four years. What is
different from his previous obligation to the organization, however,
is that this time LeBanner will be allowed to fight for other
organizations. Therefore, the European striker could appear in
days to come on the card of Bodog Fight, whose interest in LeBanner
is well-known.
Another
possibility is that he tries his luck in the UFC, of which the
only problem is that Dana White tends to make fighters’
lives more complicated by demanding exclusivity.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Is
it Nathan's Time?
Nathan Diaz has quietly climbed the MMA rankings with several
impressive performances in the cage. Always known as the younger
sibling to his famous brother Nick, the 21 year old will finally
get his chance to perform on the world stage. Nathan was one
of the chosen 155 pounders to be selected for the coveted TUF
show on Spike TV. For the past 6 weeks Nathan has been in a Las
Vegas home where he literally fought for survival on one of the
teams headed by BJ Penn and Jens Pulver.
The show will be airing in early April and we will all have an
opportunity to see how the young Graciefighter representative
fared.
Source: Gracie Fighter
|
Quote
of the Day
"The
man who has done his level best...
is a success, even though the world may write him down a failure."
B.C. Forbes, 1880-1954, Scottish Journalist
|
2007
Hawaiian Championship of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
Today!
FIRST LEG of "TRIPLE CROWN SERIES"
University of Hawaii Klum Gym
Saturday, March 10, 2007
Junior
Competitions
9:45AM-1:00PM GI & No GI
Adults Competitions
1:00PM-4:30PM Gi
4:30PM-7:00PM No GI
GENERAL
INFORMATION:
- FORMAT: Gi/No Gi Sport BJJ; Single Elimination; See back for
additional information.
- OAHU RESIDENTS/DEADLINE: Registration Form, payment and weigh-in
on Friday, March 9, UH Athletic Complex, 2nd Fl Studio #4, Noon-1
pm, 7:30-8:30 pm OR HKF Martial Arts Ctr, 94-295 Pupuole St.,
2nd Fl., 7:30-8:30 pm.
(Application Forms will be available at weigh-in sites, as well
as our website at www.brazilian-freestyle.com)
- OUTER ISLAND RESIDENTS/DEADLINE: Registration Form ONLY must
be received by Wed., Mar. 7, 3:00 pm.
Form can be submitted in the following ways:
1) Mail To: Triple Crown BJJ, 311 Ohua Ave., #102B, Hon., HI
96815,
2) Fax to: 808-955-2588,
3) E-mail to: barroshawaii@hotmail.com. Outer Island weigh-ins
will be held on the morning of the event from 7:30am-9:30am at
the event site, and entrance fees collected upon arrival. Outer-Island
and Pre-Registration applicants who fail to make weight as designated
on their pre-registration form will automatically forfeit their
match, and no refunds will be provided.
(Note: These are the same registration guidelines as set forth
by the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation/PanAmerican
Jiu-Jitsu Championships).
4) Can also follow registration guidelines as set forth for Oahu
Resident applicants.
- ENTRANCE FEES: $60 Adult/$30 Kids for multiple divisions
- CONTACTS: Romolo Barros @ 392-8330/E-Mail at Barroshawaii@hotmail.com.
Application and more details are at: http://www.brazilian-freestyle.com/events.htm
Source:
Brazilian Freestyle JJ website
|
808
Fight Factory's Bryson Kamaka & Ed Newalu Fight on KOTC
On March 10, in Las
Vegas, Bryson Kamaka will be replacing Thomas Denny in a World
Title fight he will facing Aaon Witherspoon current KOTC Champion.
Ed Newalu will also be on the same card fighting for the 135
World Title vs. Ryan Diaz.
We would like to thank all our sponsors with these guys we would
not be able to get it done.
Xyience,Sprawl,Knoxx MMA,Pamalu Bed Liners,Da Hui and Swain Mats.
Aloha,
Kai
Source: Kai Kamaka
|
ICON
SPORT: EPIC COMPLETE CARD
BLAISDELL ARENA, HONOLULU, HAWAII
SATURDAY, MARCH 31, 2007
view TV spot here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UBUdjsI-X4w
Tickets available at www.ticketmaster.com, Times Supermarkets,
Blaisdell Box Office
WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP MIDDLEWEIGHT MAIN EVENT
Frank Twinkle Toes Trigg (J-Sect/R1, Las Vegas) vs. Ruthless
Robbie Lawler (Miletich FS, Iowa)
Trigg makes his first title defense after dismantling Mayhem
Miller in December and then destroying top-ranked Kazuo Misaki
in February. Lawler is coming off two devastating knockout wins.
Leather will fly. This will be an unforgettable main event.
MAIN CARD
Jason Mayhem Miller (Team Quest, CA. ) vs. Hector Urbina (Team
Wolfpack, Ohio)
Mayhem has the fire in his belly after losing the Icon title
to Trigg. But Urbina, at 8-2, is no easy challenge. Can Mayhem
get back to his winning ways?
Charuto Verissimo (BJ Penn MMA/HMC) vs. Lars Haven (Team Wolfpack,
Ohio)
Once a top ranked welterweight, Charuto continues his rise back
to the top now in Icon’s middleweight division. Haven is
an undefeated young warrior who sees that a win over Charuto
would launch him into the upper echelon of MMA.
Po’ai Suganuma (BJ Penn MMA) vs. Nathan Carey (Team Wolfpack,
Ohio)
Hilo-born Po’ai is an intelligent, articulate, and charming
college graduate with a degree in computer science…AND he’s
an absolute MMA wrecking machine in the 205lb Light Heavyweight
class. He studied judo as a child and matured into a talented
grappler, winning the State wrestling championship for Waiakea
High School. He’s been fighting MMA in Japan since 2005,
so most of Hawaii has never heard of him. His first test in Icon
is a tough one as he takes on 6-1 Nathan Carey.
STATE LIGHTWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP
Marshall Harvest (Animal House) vs. Justin Bucholz (Bulls Pen)
It’s Ewa Beach versus Town in one of the most anticipated
lightweight match-ups in years. Harvest, Ewa Beach’s talented
grappler, was a student of world renowned jiu-jitsu master Barret
Yoshida. Bucholz is an amazing athlete who is skilled at every
aspect of the MMA game.
UNDER CARD
Kala Kolohe Hose (Hard Knocks) vs. Ron Verdadero (Jesus Is Lord)
No Icon fighter has shown as much improvement over the last year
as Waianae warrior Hose, literally going from wild brawler to
skilled MMA assassin. Like Hose, Verdadero has taken his game
to the next level, showing off improved athleticism and devastating
ground-and-pound in his last fight.
Kimo Woelfel (Eastsidaz) vs. Dereck Keasley (Team Wolfpack, Ohio)
Waimanalo brawler Woelfel will be tested by slugger Keasley.
PJ Dean (O2 Martial Arts Academy) vs. Derek Stadler (HMC)
Waianae’s own KO artist, PJ Dean, is considered by most
fight critics (and all opponents) to have some of the heaviest
hands in all of Hawaii. His first Icon test is against Stadler,
who has shown that he knows how to submit strikers via his solid
jiu-jitsu foundation.
Thomas Ferguson (Team Devastation) vs. Carvin Mafatau (Team Wolfpack,
Ohio)
Waianae’s Ferguson has one-punch knockout power. So does
his opponent Mafatau. Buckle up fight fans, these two heavyweights
are going to stand and bang.
Devon Damo (Animal House) vs. Dwayne Haney (Bulls Pen)
Damo’s last Icon appearance was a dominating kickboxing
win. Haney just won his Icon debut in February via rear naked
choke submission. This bout will be fast and fun.
Jay Bolos (Animal House) vs. Ryan Lee (Bulls Pen)
Bolos is a champion kickboxer converted to MMA fighter. Ryan
Lee is a seasoned MMA soldier who has fought every one who’s
anyone in the 135lb division. Guaranteed to be a stand-up war.
Isaiah Cobb-Adams (Animal House) vs. Vinny Delos Santos (Team
Soljah)
Its Ewa Beach versus Waianae as well-rounded Cobb-Adams meets
kickboxer-turned-MMA-fighter Delos Santos.
Source: Event Promoter
|
Sérgio
Cunha: Analyzing Pride and IFL
By Bernardo Seabra
The
Muay Thai trainer from BTT, Sérgio Cunha, in excluive
interview to site TATAME, analysed the defeats of Rogério
Minotouro and Wanderlei Silva at Pride Las Vegas, and the victory
of Rafael Feijão at IFL. “Sokoudjou will never more
do a right punche like that one”, said Cunha about the KO
suffered by Minotouro, but the trainer said that it will just
delay the plans of Minotouro getting the Midleweight belt this
year. “Some Brazilian athlete must take this belt from Henderson
, and I hope he cames here to BTT”, said Cunha in exclusive
intervieto site TATAME you may check out right now:
What
did ou think about the KO applyied by Rafael Feijão at
IFL?
That
was amazing. I was pretty happy. I was already expecting that,
because he was really well prepared. He has all the conditions
to be our new talent this year at the category until 93kg.
What
about the KO of Rogério given by Sokoudjou? What did he
do wrong?
I
believe that Sokoudjou did a right blow under a million blows.
That was a luck blow, that really hurts when gets anyone. I respect
Sokoudjou, who is pretty tough, but that was luck. He will never
more get a punche like that one during his career. People in
Las Vegas was thinking that Minotouro would win, people believed
him more than Cro Cop at UFC, who was also the favorite. If that
bout didn’t go to the ground I know that Minotouro would
KO Sokoudjou. With only 20 seconds of bout, that was no mistake
but Thierry had some luck.
Do
you think that Minotouro’s defeat will disturb the running
for the belt?
It
disturbs a little bit, but only because it delays a little bit
the belt conquest. But at this year we will get this belt. He
does more two bouts and I believe that on August he will fight
for the belt. I even don’t know if Henderson will get this
belt. We will wait to see what happens.
What
did you think of Wanderlei Silva’s defeat?
Wanderlei
faced a motivated Dan Henderson. He was fighting at home, the
audience was supporting him, he was pretty motivated and well
prepared. Only who was at the Pride knows what Wanderlei passed
trough, he also did go to the hospital the night before of the
event. Henderson is pretty smart, really competent e he knows
how to use it.
Who
do you think could win Henderson until 93kg and until 83kg?
Until
83kg he is pretty hard to break, but after the bout they did
at the GP final, I believe that Murilo is able to win. I also
think that Paulo Filho and Denis Kang have conditions to win.
Until 93kg I believe in Rogério. Shogun is tough and Nakamura
is a athlete who is growing, he is always a big surprise.
Which
are Dan Henderson’s weak and strong points?
Strong
point it is hard to say, but I think that he doesn’t fights
so well down someone and he is not so good defending himself
from the hooks. He has a few weak points and a lot of good and
strong points. He has race, trains hard and studies his adversaries.
Some Brazilian athlete needs to get this belt, and I hope he
cames here to BTT.
Source: Tatame
|
Josh
Koscheck talks upcoming UFC 69 bout with Diego Sanchez
By Robert Cheshire
“It is a fight and I would love to be the first person that
puts that notch on Diego” – Josh Koscheck
I
caught up with Josh recently during a break in his training schedule.
We talked about his upcoming fight with Diego Sanchez at UFC
69 in Houston, TX on April 7th and his other plans for the future.
Josh has been training hard and is making great strides towards
removing the notion that he is or ever will be called “The
Blanket” again.
RC:
Everyone knows how the feud between you and Chris Leben started.
How did it start between you and Diego?
JK:
After we fought on the show we pretty much didn’t like each
other. When we saw each other he would give me dirty looks and
would run his mouth saying he kicked my ass. This and that you
know. I don’t really know; I just know we don’t like
each other. The whole aspect of us getting to fight again is
going to be a bitter sweet victory.
RC:
Which one do you dislike more?
JK:
(laughter) Whew…Ummm, I don’t know.
RC:
You dislike them both on different levels.
JK:
Yeah, with Leben just because of his antics and his attitude.
However, with Diego it’s more his personality, his look,
how he tries to hotdog you and s--t like that. I honestly just
don’t like either of them that well.
RC:
What did you think of Diego’s Valentine’s Day message
to you on your myspace account?
"HAPPY
VALENTINES DAY HUMAN BLANKET, I HOPE YOU PACK SOME BALLS IN YOUR
SUIT CASE WHEN YOU COME TO H TOWN, PLEASE DONT TRY TO DRY HUMP
ME LIKE ALL YOUR OTHER BORING ASS FIGHTS. IM READY RIGHT NOW!!!!
I ASKED DANA FOR YOU!! P.S. YOU AINT GOT HANDS" - Diego
Sanchez
JK:
Actually, I thought it was funny that he would go that low to
post something on my myspace. I have a friend that runs it for
me and I don’t even go on there and check the messages.
I heard it through the grapevine. It’s pretty funny and
that shit doesn’t bother me. I don’t get on the forums
or read the interviews. I’m just focused on my training
and worrying about myself. I don’t care what Diego is doing
or posting on myspace. He is obviously nervous about the fight
or he wouldn’t go on there and do that.
RC:
Your only UFC loss was from Drew Fickett where you were dominating
until those last few seconds when you got caught with the knee.
Where do you see yourself in line for a title shot?
JK:
I’m not worried about a title shot right now. I’m just
focusing on Diego Sanchez. I’m not even focused on gold
right now. I still have a lot of work to do. My priority is focusing
on my training for the next month and doing what I have to so
I can win my fight on April 7th.
RC:
What camp are you training with right now?
JK:
I’m still with American Kickboxing Academy in San Jose.
Training is going well and I have a lot of great training partners.
I’ve been training with Jon Fitch getting him ready for
his fight. I’ve also been training with Mike Swick, Josh
Thomson, Bobby Southworth, Trevor Prangley, Jake shields, Gilbert
Melendez, and just an endless amount of talent in training partners.
RC:
I know that you sometimes go to other camps and help people train
for their fights. Do you still do that?
JK:
I did that in the beginning because I wanted to get as much experience
as I could with different people. I have that experience now
so I’m focusing on my career and my training. Now, if someone
is willing to pay me to come in and train with them I would do
that.
RC:
I can tell with your last few fights that you have improved on
your striking and that you were visibly discouraged in your post
fight interview from the Joslin fight where you tried to show
the other elements of your striking game but had to return to
your strong point with the wrestling and weren’t able to
showcase some of your other strengths.
JK:
Yeah, in my last fight I didn’t get to strike and I was
disappointed with that. I just didn’t have my movement.
I think because I had been working super hard on my strikes I
had too high of expectations; higher than normal so I was disappointed.
The important thing is you win and move on. You put yourself
up there in top contention for a title someday.
RC:
You have a role in the movie “Never Submit” that starts
filming around April right?
JK:
Yeah, I got a part in the movie and it should be pretty dope!
Hopefully it turns out to be a good movie. It has always been
a dream of mine since I was a kid to get into the movies and
fighting has opened that opportunity for that. I’ve got
my lines and have been working on them in my spare time. It has
been fun. It’s going to be a good opportunity for me to
get my foot in the door. If I do a good job, which most of the
things I touch I do a good job with, hopefully I will have other
opportunities in the future to do more movie roles.
RC:
I have read the synopsis for the movie and it looks like they
do a good job of portraying a mma fighter.
JK:
The thing about me is that I didn’t want to be a fighter
in the movie. I want to show my acting and not get stereotyped
as just being a fighter. I can do other skills and want to just
straight up act and show that. I want to expand on the movie
industry in the future
RC:
So you’re not going to be a fighter in the movie?
JK:
No, I’m not.
RC:
OK, because I was going to say that I heard that the UFC is no
longer supportive of this movie due to Imperia Entertainment
violating an agreement with the UFC and Dana and was going to
ask where that left you. Since you’re not a fighter in the
movie I guess that changes things a bit.
JK:
I don’t know the whole logistics to it, but I can do whatever
I want in the movie. If I choose to be a fighter I could do it
but I chose not to because I don’t want to be stereotyped
into being a fighter in a fighting movie. If I take the right
roles early in my career I think it will be beneficial to my
future. I want to be in a leading role someday.
RC:
When you were on season one of The Ultimate Fighter they made
a big deal of saying you, Bobby Southworth and Chris Leben had
to pay for damages to the house. However, since then it appears
that the fighters are encouraged to tear things up. What are
your thoughts on that?
JK:
Yeah, they should reimburse us! (laughter)
RC:
That was my thought.
JK:
I’m just a fighter trying to make some money. I want to
be able to support myself and become financially set and that’s
why I’m fighting. I’m fighting because I have the opportunity
to make some money. I’m tired of eating Ramen noodles, macaroni
& cheese, and hot dogs. Eventually, I want to win that belt
and make some real money. That’s why I’m fighting.
RC:
Yeah, it doesn’t seem fair that Chris goes through a door
and you all have to pay for it then Mikey Burnett is encouraged
to go through a wall and we don’t hear anything else about
paying for damages.
JK:
That’s life and you have to deal with it. That was then
and this is now and times are changing. Lorenzo, Frank, Dana
and the producers said we had to pay for it. They are the bosses
and we are the grunts so we have to do what they say.
RC:
Are you at liberty to say how much you had to pay?
JK:
I honestly don’t remember and don’t have a clue how
much they made us pay. I just remember they did take it out of
our checks.
RC:
What have you thought about some of the other seasons of The
Ultimate Fighter?
JK:
I think they are good. Obviously, everyone is going to remember
the first season because it was the originator. I think the other
seasons are very good and have their strong points and some their
weak points. Ultimately, it’s the best thing for the sport
to continue to have The Ultimate Fighter on Spike TV to get the
publicity the sport needs to grow the fan base for fighters.
Growing the fan base helps everyone make more money. If the sport
doesn’t grow then you will never see pay increases for the
fighters or million dollar purses on a consistent basis for more
than just a few fighters in the UFC.
RC:
Right! Plus it helps so much with the fan base knowledge. My
wife started watching the UFC shows on Spike just because I did
and the last couple of seasons she has been able to remember
who many of the different TUF and UFC fighters are. The first
few times she did that I was like “this is my wife that
knows this?!?” That’s why I think it’s fantastic
to build the knowledge base.
JK:
That’s what it is. It’s about people becoming educated
on the sport and understanding the sport. That brings in more
fans. Once we get more fans and the UFC grows, the fighters make
more money. That’s what I’m doing. I don’t want
to fight for s--t money the rest of my life. I want to make a
living and make it where my family someday won’t have to
worry about working.
RC:
The exposure gets you more name recognition too which can help
with acting or whatever else it is you want to do.
JK:
Absolutely and until we have that recognition and the sport grows
to where it needs to be we are going to be in that same boat.
We need to grow as a whole not just as one organization but as
a whole community in mixed martial arts.
RC:
Has there been anyone that has impressed you on the other seasons?
JK:
There are a lot of good fighters. I think that anybody that steps
in there to fight has respect just because he has the balls to
step in there and go one on one with another guy that is training
just to kick your ass. There are a lot of guys that are doing
well since they were on the show. I’m real impressed with
Melvin Guillard. I love the way he fights. He is tough and loves
to bang and is very athletic. He is going to be hard to beat.
RC:
Is there anybody from the other seasons that you would like to
fight?
JK:
I don’t really care who I fight. Be it Diego, Leben, Matt
Hughes, St. Pierre, Karo Parisyan or anybody the UFC wants to
put in front of me I just want to fight some of the best in the
weight class and put myself in contention for a title shot. Then
I can win the title and make some real money.
RC:
Is your contract for several more fights or is it about to be
renewed?
JK:
I should be up for another contract in about 6 – 8 months
if the UFC wants to keep me. Hopefully I will get to stay with
the best organization around and that is the UFC. I’m going
to do everything in my power to keep wining and they will have
to keep me (laughter). You never know. Right now I have a good
relationship with the UFC and I’m very loyal to them. I
do what I can to support them and I don’t think there is
another organization that can compare to the UFC and I hope I’m
their champion someday.
RC:
In the news they recently talked about Eric Wray passing away.
Did you know him or train with him much?
JK:
Yes I did actually. It was a sad thing. We came into practice
on Wednesday and they were talking about it and I’m like
“WHAT?!?” It really is a sad thing. He was not only
someone I know and trained with but it sucks that he had to go
out like that. He was a good kid. He had a good record and his
only loss was to Von Flue at Strike Force. He was an up and coming
kid. He was young and it was sad to see someone be addicted to
something. I don’t know all the details of how he passed.
May God be with him and his Family. For you young kids out there
– keep your head on straight and stay out of the drugs.
RC:
Do you have any sponsors that you would like to thank since you
can’t do it in the ring anymore.
JK:
Yes I do. I actually have a new clothing line coming out called
Mar Clothing and it should be out this Spring. I also have several
sponsors and you can go to my website at www.kosmma.com to check
them out.
RC:
Is there anything you’d like to add or say to the fans?
JK:
Fans – keep supporting me. I know a lot of people go online
and bitch about how much the UFC pays its fighters but it is
all about you guys. You’ve got to keep buying the PPV’s,
keep supporting your fighters and go to their web pages and buy
their gear. That is what supports the up and coming fighters.
A lot of them have it hard trying to support themself and train
full time. If you want to see this sport grow we’ve got
to take care of our young fighters.
RC:
That’s all the questions I have. I appreciate you taking
the time for the interview.
JK:
Hey, no problem. You have a good day.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Quote
of the Day
"This
life is worth living, we can say, since it is what we make it."
William James, 1842-1910, American Psychologist/Professor/Author
|
2007
Hawaiian Championship of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
Tomorrow!
Weigh-ins
Today!
FIRST LEG of "TRIPLE CROWN SERIES"
University of Hawaii Klum Gym
Saturday, March 10, 2007
Junior Competitions
9:45AM-1:00PM GI & No GI
Adults Competitions
1:00PM-4:30PM Gi
4:30PM-7:00PM No GI
GENERAL
INFORMATION:
- FORMAT: Gi/No Gi Sport BJJ; Single Elimination; See back for
additional information.
- OAHU
RESIDENTS/DEADLINE: Registration Form, payment and weigh-in on
Friday, March 9, UH Athletic Complex, 2nd Fl Studio #4, Noon-1
pm, 7:30-8:30 pm OR HKF Martial Arts Ctr, 94-295 Pupuole St.,
2nd Fl., 7:30-8:30 pm.
(Application Forms will be available at weigh-in sites, as well
as our website at www.brazilian-freestyle.com)
- OUTER ISLAND RESIDENTS/DEADLINE: Registration Form ONLY must
be received by Wed., Mar. 7, 3:00 pm.
Form can be submitted in the following ways:
1) Mail To: Triple Crown BJJ, 311 Ohua Ave., #102B, Hon., HI
96815,
2) Fax to: 808-955-2588,
3) E-mail to: barroshawaii@hotmail.com. Outer Island weigh-ins
will be held on the morning of the event from 7:30am-9:30am at
the event site, and entrance fees collected upon arrival. Outer-Island
and Pre-Registration applicants who fail to make weight as designated
on their pre-registration form will automatically forfeit their
match, and no refunds will be provided.
(Note: These are the same registration guidelines as set forth
by the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation/PanAmerican
Jiu-Jitsu Championships).
4) Can also follow registration guidelines as set forth for Oahu
Resident applicants.
- ENTRANCE FEES: $60 Adult/$30 Kids for multiple divisions
- CONTACTS: Romolo Barros @ 392-8330/E-Mail at Barroshawaii@hotmail.com.
Application and more details are at: http://www.brazilian-freestyle.com/events.htm
Source:
Brazilian Freestyle JJ website
|
Mir
Out, McCully In Versus Hardonk
by Josh Gross
Former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir has fallen off April
5's UFC Fight Night Card with an undisclosed injury, Sherdog.com
learned Wednesday. Taking the 27-year-old Mir's place versus
Dutch striker Antoni Hardonk is UFC newcomer Justin McCully.
Mir
(9-3-0) has fallen hard since suffering serious leg injuries
stemming from a motorcycle accident in Sept. 2004. Returning
to the Octagon last year, Mir went 1-2, losing in the first round
to Marcio Cruz and Brandon Vera while taking a close decision
against Dan Christison.
McCully
(7-3-2) had not fought for three years before winning twice in
Oct. 2006. Losing to Evan Tanner in the finals of Pancrase's
1998 New-Blood tournament, McCully fought actively until 2000.
Today he is best known for being a training partner of former
UFC light heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz.
Source: Sherdog
|
HMB
martial arts champ convicted of molestation
By Michelle Durand
A Brazilian martial arts champion and instructor accused of giving
inappropriate massages to four boys, including three students,
is facing two years in prison and life-long registration as a
sex offender after pleading no contest to one felony and three
misdemeanors counts of child molestation.
Joao
Pierini, 35, changed his plea at a pre-trial conference rather
than stand trial on the original nine charges including contributing
to the delinquency of a minor, annoying a child under 18, sexual
battery and lewd and lascivious behavior. If convicted of those
charges, he faced up to five years in prison. Instead, he is
looking at no more than two years in prison when sentenced April
14.
The
plea bargain is satisfactory because he copped to the felony
and must register as a sex offender, said Chief Deputy District
Attorney Steve Wagstaffe.
Pierini’s
plea nearly ends a case that has flown through the local court
system since his December arrest. Pierini previously waived a
preliminary hearing and was set for trial March 19 until he changed
his plea.
On
Dec. 15, four boys ages 15 to 17 allegedly ran into Pierini at
a local Starbucks coffee shop and he invited them back to his
studio, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu at 2830 N. Cabrillo Highway in Half
Moon Bay, where he also lives.
Pierini
reportedly gave the boys his keys, told them to put their beer
in the refrigerator and said he’d meet them there.
As
they drank beer, Pierini offered the boys massages. The first
victim later reported Pierini massaged his genital area until
he got up and rejoined his friends without sharing what had happened.
The next day, he asked the other boys if they had a similar experience
and they agreed. The boys told the first victim’s father
and they reported the situation to the Half Moon Bay police.
Pierini
is a 25-year jiu jitsu veteran with a third-degree black belt,
according to the biography posted on his workplace Web site.
The
Web site also advertises therapeutic massage for trainers.
Pierini
moved to the United States from Sao Paolo, Brazil in 1999 and
opened the Half Moon Bay school with Jim Irizarry. The two also
created the Joao Pierini Association and a competition known
as the California Open International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu &
Submission Grappling Championships.
According
to the Ultimate Fighting Championship Web site, in 2002 Pierini
fought under the moniker “The Tasmanian Devil."
He
remains in custody in lieu of $500,00 bail and has no prior convictions
in San Mateo County.
Michelle
Durand can be reached by e-mail: michelle@smdailyjournal.com
or by phone: (650) 344-5200 ext. 102. What do you think of this
story? Send a letter to the editor: letters@smdailyjournal.com.
Source: The Daily Journal/MMA Weekly
|
Minotouro’s
bane speaks
"To tell you the truth, I knew I was going to war for about
fifteen minutes"
Already
considered to be one of the greatest upsets in MMA's recent history,
the Cameroonian Rameau Thierry Sokondjou is still coming to terms
with his sudden fame after knocking out the Brazilian Rogério
Minotouro Nogueira in only 23 seconds at Pride 33, on February
24. In an interview carried out in the USA, the African recognized
he did not expect to leave the ring victorious so quickly.
“To
tell you the truth, I knew I was going to war for about fifteen
minutes. I knew he (Minotouro) was a good boxer and had never
been knocked out, but me beating him like that was kind of not
unexpected,” said Sokondjou.
The
fact that he was so heavily regarded as the underdog before the
fight that someone betting US$ 100 would take home US$ 1,300,
did not scare the Cameroonian. "Those "many people"
get paid for saying what they're saying, and I get paid to fight...
and the more they talk, the more it will make me train harder
to prove them wrong just like I proved them wrong by beating
Nogueira... Nobody expected me to win, but I did,” he said.
Sokondjou
also recalled how he started training at Team Quest, where he
trained side-by-side with the recently-crowned middleweight champion,
Dan Henderson. “Actually it was back in 2004 when Dan Henderson
was getting ready to fight Nakamura and was looking for someone
who knew Judo.
I got the call from my boss (I was a bouncer in a local club
at the time) then went to train with him and I liked it thereafter.
Rulon Gardner was fighting Yoshida and I helped him train as
well. Those two experiences made me stay with Team Quest and
also the people out there, really friendly and they're a real
family...” he finished.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Quote
of the Day
“Peace
and justice are two sides of the same coin.”
Dwight D. Eisenhower, 1890-1969, 34th President of the United
States |
White
vs. Ortiz Approved
LAS
VEGAS (AP) - Nevada regulators on Monday approved an unusual
grudge match between Ultimate Fighting Championship president
Dana White and the "bad boy" of Huntington Beach, Calif.,
Tito Ortiz.
White,
is the 37-year-old president of the mixed martial arts promotion
company that has become a heavyweight in the pay-per-view business.
Ortiz (15-5-0) is one of its toughest, most popular combatants.
Ortiz
made the three-round match - in which both fighters will box
only, no grappling - a condition of his recent contract negotiations.
White
was once Ortiz' manager, but the two "had a real bad falling
out" in 2003, White said.
"The
last time Tito and I boxed was six years ago and he's a lot better
than he was six years ago," White said after a hearing at
the Nevada Athletic Commission, which approved the fight 3-1.
"I'm a lot older than I was six years ago, so we'll see."
Regulators
expressed concern that White would be seriously hurt by Ortiz,
32.
But
most commissioners were reassured by sparring tapes showing White
in the ring against another heavyweight from two months ago.
White said he's been training since last July.
"I've
seen Tito as a boxer, and he's probably not as good as you are,"
commission chair Dr. Tony Alamo told White.
Ortiz
will weigh in at 205 pounds, while White weighs 196 pounds, both
the boxing equivalent of heavyweight fighters.
The
fight March 24 will likely take place at the UFC training center
in Las Vegas and be broadcast later on the company's Web site,
http://www.ufc.com , the company said.
Source: MMA Weekly |
Press
Release
X-1 world
events-presents-Xtreme Fighting 2
March 17, Saturday
Blaisdell Arena
Get
your tickets now before the last minute rush!
Double Main Event
Wesley 'Cabbage' Correira vs Chris 'Monstser' Marez
Falaniko
Vitale vs Mavrick 'Soul Collector' Harvey
K1 rules Kickboxing
Kaleo Kwan vs Danny Steele
X-1
Championship Title Defense
170 welter wt. Mark Moreno vs Nik Lentz
155
light wt. Kolo Koka vs 'Sugar'Shane Nelson
145
super Lt wt. Eddie Yagin vs Brandon Foxworth
Womens match
Kelly Cobalt vs Tonya Evinger
MMA
matches
Fernando
Gonzalez vs Jay Carter
Harris
Sarmiento vs Henry Martinez
David
Padilla vs Dirty'Dave'Moreno
Kaipo
Gonzales vs Paco Woods
Preliminary
match
Steve
Farmer vs Scott Anderson
Another
X-1 World Event
Source: Event Promoter
|
UFC
PRES FORESEES SANCTIONING IN EVERY STATE
Since 2001, the Ultimate Fighting Championship has run the better
part of their shows in Las Vegas, Nevada. Along the way, they
took a couple of detours, most frequently in New Jersey and Connecticut,
but as of late, they have started to push out beyond the normal
hot spots, seeking out emerging markets for their product. That
should come as no surprise as they have plans for more than 30
shows this year alone and that number is growing all the time.
In
the past year, they have already expanded their reach to Sacramento,
Anaheim and San Diego in California; Hollywood, Florida; and
most recently to Columbus, Ohio. "We’re gonna start
doing fights all over the country," said UFC President Dana
White on a recent edition of MMAWeekly Radio. "We’re
going to Ohio, we’re gonna go to Texas, we’ve been
in California... we’re looking to go over to all these new
markets. We’re going to the UK. We’re gonna start traveling
the show around a lot more."
Of
course, not every state in the U.S. has actually sanctioned mixed
martial arts competition and the UFC has no plans to go where
there is no sanctioning. Their way around that? Simple, just
hire the Executive Director of the most influential athletic
commission in the country and have him work on getting sanctioning
not only in the places where the UFC wants to go, but even where
they don't.
When
asked by radio host Damon Martin how close states like Illinois
and Michigan – with cities like Chicago and Detroit –
are to sanctioning, White responded, "We’re working
on that. That’s why we hired Marc Ratner." Ratner is
the former Executive Director of the Nevada State Athletic Commission
and now works for the UFC.
"Our
goal has always been to get this thing sanctioned in every state,"
stated the UFC President. "We might never do a show in Idaho...
But someone is doing a show in Idaho and one of the big concerns
for us has always been when these rinky dink little shows go
out there and not do all the things they’re supposed to
be doing: medical testing, drug testing, etc., etc., and then
somebody getting seriously hurt. That’s what we’ve
always been worried about, so we want to make sure that this
sport is sanctioned in every state."
White
continued, "I want states that I don’t even plan on
going to, sanctioning mixed martial arts. We have a plan for
this sport. We want this sport to grow and become legitimate
worldwide. It takes a lot of work to get this done and believe
me, we haven’t even begun. It’s gonna be a long hard
battle for the rest of my life and as long as I’m involved
in this sport."
Source: MMA Weekly |
Shogun
choosed to face Henderson
The
champion of the categories until 83kg and until 93kg of the Pride,
Dan Henderson has already a defined adversary for the belt dispute,
if the decision depends of the Brazilian audience choose, who
did vote at the TATAME poll and answered “Who must face
Dan Henderson for the belt?”. Maurício Shogun was
the biggest champion of this poll with 54% of votes, followed
by Paulão Filho who got 11%. Paulão got in this
poll because he was the only one who never faced Henderson at
the category until 83kg. In the third place, Ricardo Arona drew
with Wanderlei Silva with 10,5% of votes, the fourth place was
for Vítor Belfort with 10% and the last one placed was
Rogério Minotouro with only 4,5% of votes.
Don’t
miss the new poll of site TATAME and answer who you would like
to watch fighting at the Lightweight GP of the Pride. The options
are: the athletes from BTT Milton Vieira and Junior Buscapé;
the athletes from Chute Boxe Luis Azeredo and Jean Silva; the
athlete from Gracie Tijuca Fabrício Morango; the athlete
from Nova União Leo Santos; the athlete from RFT Luciano
Azevedo; the athlete from GBCT Fabrício Monteiro; and
the athlete from ATT Marcus Aurélio. Check it out and
give your vote!
Source: Tatame |
COACH
YASUDA TALKS IFL SABRES' REBIRTH
When
compared to the other Head Coaches on the various IFL teams,
Sabres' coach Ken Yasuda stands out for a myriad of reasons.
Most
obviously, unlike the other coaches, Yasuda was never an active
MMA fighter, but that doesn’t make him any less a competitor
or qualified to run an IFL team.
A
former Major League-drafted baseball player, Ken has trained
in martial arts since he was six, eventually creating a newer,
more practical martial art, Choshin Ken, before moving onto competitive
weightlifting, becoming one of Japan’s most famous bodybuilders.
Having
worked on strength and conditioning with fellow IFL coach Don
Frye of the Scorpions, PRIDE’s “Ironhead” heavyweight
Kazuyuki Fujita, and MLB All-Star Ichiro Suzuki of the Seattle
Mariners, Ken’s drive for excellence is nothing short of
phenomenal.
After
taking over the Sabres' head coaching position for this year’s
IFL full-year season, Yasuda led the team to its first ever victory
this past February against the Scorpions, and now Ken looks to
lead his team to success March 17th in Los Angeles, California,
against Marco Ruas’ Condors.
“First
of all, our guys were much better conditioned than they were
for the last event [in February],” said Yasuda of the Sabres
heading into March 17th. “That was kind of like a warm-up
event for everybody. Now, we stayed in shape, trained harder,
and we did all the analysis of Marco’s fighters, so we’re
in much better shape and educated.”
Ken
continued, “We did our homework, so we’re ready to
go. We feel very good, and the team is more organized. We practice
as a team every day. Last September, everybody was living in
different areas, so we weren’t really organized. The first
time everybody was together was when we came to the event, but
now, it’s a totally different story.”
Last
September, as Yasuda mentions, was the month when the Sabres
made their dismal IFL debut, going 0-5 to the Anacondas. But
much has changed since then, including the ousting of Japanese
pro wrestling legend Antonio Inoki as the team’s Head Coach,
and the ascension of Ken into the role.
“That
time was a little confusing,” admitted Yasuda. “The
obligation wasn’t clear on who should do how much and as
we went on, basically I was doing everything. At the last minute
I had to do everything to get done to make it happen. So there
was an issue.”
“Then
it changed and I became the official Head Coach and so everything
is on-time and organized, it’s just so much better this
way,” further commented Ken.
Another
factor contributing to the Sabres’ newfound success this
year is the team’s overhauled roster. Gone are many of the
inexperienced fighters and in their place stepped veterans such
as Antonio McKee and Vladimir Matyushenko.
“One
thing they [the veteran fighters] probably hadn’t experienced
was the teamwork, but to get ready for a fight, they know what
to do,” said Yasuda. “So that saves a lot of time and
extra energy, no more trying to figure out who needs what to
get into tip-top shape.”
Ken
added, “[Kazuhiro] Hamanaka is the youngest guy and he can
learn from the veterans how to mentally and physically prepare
for a fight. So the younger ones are benefiting and the older
ones are showing how to behave as professional fighters and get
ready.”
When
it comes to the Sabres’ match-up with the Condors on March
17th, Yasuda believes that his team has a good chance of knocking
off Ruas’ squad, as long as they don’t have any lapses
in concentration.
“I
think in terms of strength and conditioning, I think we’re
way ahead of the game,” exclaimed Ken. “I also scientifically
and physiologically watch and make diet and training plans, everything,
which I don’t think Marco’s team is doing.”
“We
have more balanced skills. A lot of our guys’ backgrounds
is in wrestling, so they can fight on the ground, and we’ve
improved a lot in our stand-up. So, I think overall we are ahead
of the game and as long as we don’t make mistakes, we’ll
be okay,” continued Yasuda.
As
for the rest of the season, which could end up being a grueling
12-month marathon – depending on the team’s performance
– Ken knows what must be done for long-term success in the
IFL.
“Basically
the key, and most important thing, is not to get injuries,”
explained Yasuda. “So we’re always careful in practice
and we always have to be in tip-top shape. I also think the hardest
thing is that if somebody is switched, then we have to see if
the new guy is going to adjust to this team.”
Ken
added, “We’re like a small family, so if someone new
doesn’t get along with the others, then it’s not good
for the team and the guy won’t do well, most likely. So
it’s very important to have the same guys to make a family,
so the real teamwork will kick in. As long as we take care of
those two things, I don’t that it’s going to be a problem
to finish up this season strong.”
Should
everything come together, the Sabres could very well be this
season’s sleeper team in the IFL. As Yasuda states, as long
as everyone fights hard and puts all they have into it, then
there is no way the Sabres won’t at least be one of the
most exciting teams in the IFL.
“At
this event we will show what we’ve got,” said Ken.
“We’re very excited and we’re there to win and
show we’ve got heart. Everybody is going to be impressed,
regardless of what’s going to happen.”
“Watch
us on [IFL] Battleground, we’re going be shown a lot on
Episode 3, which I think is going to be [premiering on] March
24th. They did interviews with Vlady and Antonio, and I think
they’re going to shoot a lot at this upcoming event, so
people will get to know us more,” concluded Yasuda.
Source: MMA Weekly |
Pedro
Rizzo travels on Monday to USA
The
striker Pedro Rizzo travels on next Monday (5) to wih his Wrestling
trainer Beto Leitão to fight at the event Art of War,
tat will be held on March 9th at the American Airlines Center
, in Dallas city. Pedro Rizzo, who will meet his master Marco
Ruas on , will fight for the heavy belt of the event against
Justin Eillers. “I am pretty confident in my victory now.
That will be good for me to be back fighting in a smaller event,
showing a victory”, said Rizzo, who already studied Eillers’s
game.
-
I already watched almost everything, all of his bouts at UFC...
He KO’d Mike Kyle, he was KO’d by Paul Buentello, he
did a good bout with Arlovski until he gets hurt… So I know
he is an aggressive guy, he is good on Wrestling, he is prett
complete athletes… This is the chance I have got to be back
at the market, to be back after one year with no fighting. And
I hope that this year will be a good year of fights – finished
Rizzo.
Source: Tatame |
Quote
of the Day
“It
takes courage to grow up and become who you really are.”
E. E. Cummings, 1894-1962, American Poet/Painter/Playwright |
Nick
Diaz, another black eye?
You
want drama? You don't need Dr. Phil because you needn't look
any further than the MMA community. A surprising number of athletic
commission sponsored failed drug tests have been reported this
year. Starring in these dramatic presentations were Kevin Randleman,
Kit Cope, and Thiago Alves to name just a few. These aren't guys
that you would necessarily dislike to any extreme like might
Tank Abbot or Ricardo Arona. No, these are fighters that arguably
have a certain amount of love and respect from fans that go with
their names and have had their reputation tarnished over the
past six months.
Testing
positive for steroids is one thing, but illegal drugs is another.
Steroids pop up in other sports quite often and the backlash
is severe for the athlete that uses them, in the press and from
the associations they are affiliated with. Lance Armstrong comes
to mind. After he was accused of using steroids the greatest
American cyclist of all time had his name drug throught the mud
until it the allegations were proven wrong. It was too late,
the damage had been done and there will always be a question
surrounding his Tour De France domination. MMA fighters are gaining
respect slowly, but surely and I can assure you that the boxing
mafia would love to have their cronies report as often as possible
that they were popping for drugs.
The
only athlete I could see that the US press wouldn't hammer if
they popped for steroids would be Tiger Woods because hey, he's
Tiger Woods.
The
UFC has the American consumer on a string right now and have
a great opportunity to show the United States government how
incredibly talented the fighters are and how safe the sport of
MMA really is. The world of MMA is one that is populated with
many mean looking, tattooed guys that are not all as eloquently
spoken as Randy Couture, and that is strike number one for a
lot of potential fans. Generally, this is quickly forgotten because
of the tremendous amounts of respect shown between these fighters
before and especially after an MMA fight, breaking the stereotypes
that the detractors of the sport cling to so dearly. The Ultimate
Fighter reality show did wonders for the understanding and humanization
of the sport and built a large amount of interest and respect
for MMA as a whole. All it takes is a few nicks in the armor
and it can all go downhill.
With
the UFC no longer holding events just in Las Vegas and taking
their product in to the suburbs of America, I see this as a crucial
moment in MMA.
I basically see the public accepting the MMA sport for the most
part, but I can't see those athletic commissions that are currently
on the bubble for bringing MMA in to their communities wanting
to bother with it if there are drugs or scandals coming along
with it. Fighters testing positive for steroids is one thing,
but illegal drugs are another. People who use illegal drugs are
considered criminals and there's yet another answer to the question,
"Why isn't mixed martials allowed here in(your state here)".
Back
on task here, Nick Diaz just accomplished the greatest feat of
his young career when he defeated the former number one lightweight
fighter in the world and PRIDE champion, Takanori Gomi. Now,
that win is publicly tarnished, if only slightly among hardcore
fans, by allegedly testing positive for a non-performance enhancing
drug, and of all things marijuana.
That
makes it even worse for MMA in my opinion because steroids would
be expected in a sport that involves such high levels of stress
on an athlete's body. Maybe I am naive, I don't know. I will
say this, I didn't expect world class fighters to be ruining
their bodies with smoking, but as I am finding out, a lot of
these fighters came from environments where this might have been
the standard, and it's hard for them to leave it behind.
Do
I think it's a widespread problem across the board? No, not really.
I
hope that this is not a recurring problem because MMA is on the
rise and coming to a town near you if the UFC and other organizations
have their way.
Let's just hope that bad press involving drugs doesn't come with
them
Source: MMA Weekly
|
BREAKING
NEWS: NICK DIAZ FAILS DRUG TEST
Breaking News on MMAWeekly: Nick Diaz has failed the drug test
that he took shortly before his win over Takanori Gomi at Pride
33: The Second Coming. Diaz tested positive for marijuana, according
to the Nevada State Athletic Commission.
Diaz
will have an opportunity to defend himself at a Nevada State
Athletic Commission hearing in the future.
The
typical punishment for MMA fighters or boxers who test positive
for marijuana in the state of Nevada has been a six-month suspension,
with the most recent example being professional boxer Mikhail
Lyubarsky, who was suspended for six months at his NSAC disciplinary
hearing just this morning.
Diaz
defeated Takanori Gomi by submission at Pride 33: The Second
Coming in a huge upset.
In
addition to being under contract to Pride, Diaz was also under
contract with the Showtime-backed EliteXC to fight on a future
EliteXC card. It is not yet known how or if Diaz' positive test
will affect his status with Pride or EliteXC.
Diaz
Was Hesitant to Take Drug Test
MMAWeekly
spoke with NSAC Executive Director Keith Kizer about Diaz's failed
drug test, and Kizer noted that Diaz was initially hesitant when
he was asked to give a urine sample.
Kizer
said, "It was interesting because when the inspectors went
to take the urine sample before his fight, Mr. Diaz said no at
first. He wanted to give the sample in a stall. The sample has
to be given in front of an inspector, and he wouldn't do it.
Well, we've played that game with Mr. Randleman, so we weren't
going to have that, but he refused to do it. So I said, 'That's
fine, no problem, but you're not going to be fighting, of course.
If you're not going to take the drug test, that's fine, but you're
not fighting tonight.'"
Kizer
continued, "So I talked to Turi [Altavilla] at Pride and
then he apparently talked to Nick, and then he was more than
happy to give us a sample. The fight would have been called off
otherwise. I don't know if his hesitance to take a drug test
has anything to do with his positive drug test and whether there's
any correlation there, but it's definitely a factor that I will
be bringing up with the commissioners. Mr. Diaz was the only
fighter [on the Pride 33 card] who showed any hesitance in taking
a drug test."
Fight
Result May or May Not Be Changed to "No Contest"
The
official policy of the NSAC used to be that the result of a fight
would stay the same, no matter what banned substances were found
in the winning fighter's system, but that policy has changed
in recent years.
Now,
if a fighter wins a bout and tests positive for steroids, stimulants,
or other performance-enhancing drugs, the official result is
changed to a no-contest.
Whether
or not that will apply to marijuana as well remains to be seen.
When asked specifically about the official result of the Diaz-Gomi
fight, Kizer told MMAWeekly that the issue will have to be decided
by the commissioners. He added that all of the factors will be
considered before it's decided whether the official result of
the fight should be changed to "no contest" or whether
it should stay the same (Diaz wins by submission).
Regarding
the subject of marijuana use among mixed martial artists in general,
Kizer said to MMAWeekly last month, "The main issue with
marijuana is it slows the reflexes, putting the fighter at much
greater risk. We would not let a fighter compete who is coming
off arm surgery and has not fully recovered his reflexes, or
who is under the influence of alcohol because of the same issue.
Additionally, it may also deaden some pain. That could hurt the
fighter... he may not tap out when he should and he suffers broken
bones or torn ligaments as a result... or that could unfairly
help him if he can trade punches more easily with his opponent."
Potential
Disciplinary Suspension a Moot Point?
Due
to the fact that Diaz suffered a broken orbital bone during the
fight against Gomi and had already been medically suspended by
the NSAC for six months, any potential disciplinary suspension
for marijuana could end up being a moot point, depending on the
length of the disciplinary suspension.
If
Diaz were to be given a six-month disciplinary suspension that
coincided with his six-month medical suspension, the disciplinary
suspension would essentially be a moot point because he wasn't
going to be fighting for six months anyway. The fighter in that
case has actually lost zero days when they "could have fought"
but weren't allowed to fight because they were being punished.
In
other states such as New Jersey, if a fighter is medically suspended
and also fails a drug test, the fighter's disciplinary suspension
begins on the day that his or her medical suspension ends.
This
is not currently the case in Nevada. When asked if the NSAC plans
to change its policy on this matter in the future, Kizer said
that it's up to the commissioners, but he added, "Any drug
violation occurs before any injury, so I am not sure if you should
punish a fighter more because of his injuries."
Nine
Other Pride Fighters Pass Drug Tests
All
of the other fighters who were drug tested at Pride 33: The Second
Coming tested negative for all banned substances, including steroids,
stimulants, and recreational drugs.
The
ten fighters that the Nevada State Athletic Commission chose
to test following their respective fights at Pride 33 on February
24th were Nick Diaz, Takanori Gomi, Wanderlei Silva, Dan Henderson,
Mauricio "Shogun" Rua, Alistair Overeem, Antonio Rogerio
Nogueira, Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou, Joachim Hansen, and Jason
Ireland. The remaining eight fighters on the card were not drug
tested.
At
Pride's first event in the United States last October, three
of the ten fighters who were drug tested failed their tests (Vitor
Belfort, Kevin Randleman, and Pawel Nastula).
According
to the Nevada State Athletic Commission, the total cost of drug
testing one fighter for performance-enhancing drugs, stimulants,
recreational drugs, and all other banned substances is $278.40.
The
NSAC spent a total of $2,784 on drug testing for Pride 33: The
Second Coming, while the total cost of drug testing every single
fighter on the card would have been $4,454. The event drew $2,033,098
in ticket sales.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
UFC
68 FIGHTER SALARIES
MMAWeekly has obtained the fighter salary information for UFC
68, which took place this past Saturday in Columbus, Ohio.
The
following figures are based on the fighter salary information
that the UFC is 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 the UFC also pays its fighters, but does not disclose to
the athletic commissions (specifically, PPV bonuses for PPV main
event fighters), are not included in the figures below. Also
not reflected below are the taxes that the fighters have to pay.
Following
the fighter salaries for UFC 68 are the fighter salaries for
UFC Fight Night 8, which took place on January 25 in Hollywood,
Florida.
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. "Main Card Fighters"
are defined as fighters whose fights appear on the main card,
but not in title fights or in the main event. "Preliminary
Match Fighters" are defined as fighters whose matches take
place before the live broadcast goes on the air, regardless of
whether or not those matches end up airing on the PPV broadcast.
In
addition, next to each fighter's name is the number of UFC fights
that he has had, not counting fights that took place during Ultimate
Fighter seasons because those fights are officially classified
as exhibitions.
UFC
68--- March 3, 2007
Title
Match & Main Event Fighters
-Randy
Couture: $250,000 (17th fight in UFC; defeated Tim Sylvia)
-Tim
Sylvia: $100,000 (11th fight in UFC; lost to Randy Couture)
Main
Card Fighters
-Matt
Hughes: $150,000 (18th fight in UFC; defeated Chris Lytle)
-Rich
Franklin: $42,000 (9th fight in UFC; defeated Jason MacDonald)
-Renato
"Babalu" Sobral: $21,000 (9th fight in UFC; lost to
Jason Lambert)
-Martin
Kampmann: $20,000 (3rd fight in UFC; defeated Drew McFedries)
-Jason
Lambert: $18,000 (5th fight in UFC; defeated Renato "Babalu"
Sobral)
-Jason
MacDonald: $14,000 (3rd fight in UFC; lost to Rich Franklin)
-Chris
Lytle: $10,000 (8th fight in UFC; lost to Matt Hughes)
-Drew
McFedries: $5,000 (2nd fight in UFC; lost to Martin Kampmann)
Preliminary
Match Fighters
-Jon
Fitch: $28,000 (5th fight in UFC; defeated Luigi Fioravanti)
-Matt
Hamill: $10,000 (3rd fight in UFC; defeated Rex Holman)
-Luigi
Fioravanti: $8,000 (4th fight in UFC; lost to Jon Fitch)
-Jamie
Varner: $6,000 (2nd fight in UFC; defeated Jason Gilliam)
-Gleison
Tibau: $6,000 (2nd fight in UFC; defeated Jason Dent)
-Rex
Holman: $3,000 (1st fight in UFC; lost to Matt Hamill)
-Jason
Gilliam: $3,000 (1st fight in UFC; lost to Jamie Varner)
-Jason
Dent: $3,000 (2nd fight in UFC; lost to Gleison Tibau)
Disclosed
Fighter Payroll: $697,000
UFC Fight
Night 8--- January 25, 2007
Main
Event Fighters
-Rashad
Evans: $24,000 (5th fight in UFC; defeated Sean Salmon)
-Sean
Salmon: $3,000 (1st fight in UFC; lost to Rashad Evans)
Main
Card Fighters
-Heath
Herring: $60,000 (1st fight in UFC; lost to Jake O'Brien)
-Hermes
Franca: $24,000 (7th fight in UFC; defeated Spencer Fisher)
-Jake
O'Brien: $18,000 (3rd fight in UFC; defeated Heath Herring)
-Spencer
Fisher: $13,000 (6th fight in UFC; lost to Hermes Franca)
Preliminary
Match Fighters
-Nathan
Marquardt: $44,000 (4th fight in UFC; defeated Dean Lister)
-Ed
Herman: $24,000 (3rd fight in UFC; defeated Chris Price)
-Din
Thomas: $24,000 (6th fight in UFC; defeated Clay Guida)
-Rich
Clementi: $20,000 (3rd fight in UFC; defeated Ross Pointon)
-Josh
Burkman: $14,000 (5th fight in UFC; defeated Chad Reiner)
-Dean
Lister: $11,000 (3rd fight in UFC; lost to Nathan Marquardt)
-Chris
Price: $7,000 (2nd fight in UFC; lost to Ed Herman)
-Ross
Pointon: $5,000 (2nd fight in UFC; lost to Rich Clementi)
-Clay
Guida: $5,000 (2nd fight in UFC; lost to Din Thomas)
-Chad
Reiner: $3,000 (1st fight in UFC; lost to Josh Burkman)
Disclosed
Fighter Payroll: $299,000
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Does
Nick Diaz deserve top honors?
For
years Nick Diaz has been trying to break through the thick shell
encasing the world's top spots in MMA. He has had his share of
ups and downs in his career on the main stage of the UFC. Arguably,
his greatest UFC "up" was when he defeated Robbie Lawler
at UFC 47. He knocked out the knockout artist and anytime you
can do that it's a good thing and one that will get you noticed
right away. He instantly became a fan favorite and most new his
name and began to follow his career more closely. It's not easy
to miss Diaz that's for sure. Nick is always outspoken and often
surrounded by controversy. All of that was put aside and this
weekend he proved he was one of the best. The question now remains,
does he deserve a top spot and the mainstream respect that has
eluded him for so long?
If
you asked me last year if Nick would ever be considered a top
fighter in any weight class I would have said yes. I would have
also clarified to you that I didn't think it would happen anytime
soon. I was publicly corrected by Mr. Diaz when he submitted
one of the greatest lightweight fighters of all time, Takanori
Gomi this weekend at PRIDE's second U.S. show. What does this
mean for Nick's status as a fighter and how will it shake up
the lightweight division?
Just
looking at Nick's past UFC track record, it won't tell you his
whole story right away. Nick lost three of his last five fights
in the UFC. He lost to Diego Sanchez by unanimous decision, Joe
Riggs by unanimous decision, and Sean Sherk by the same. He came
back strong and defeated Josh Neer and Gleison Tibau back to
back. Nick was a much better fighter than his record showed him
to be and the UFC was foolish to dismiss him in my opinion. He
would part ways with the UFC and was quickly scooped up by PRIDE
probably for the best. Ever since the Lawler knockout, Nick has
been hell bent on repeating that performance in every fight and
trying the same taunting that took Robbie out of his game and
made Diaz an instant star. It did make something happen that
I thought should have happened a long time ago. Nick dropped
down a weight class.
At
PRIDE's show on February 24, Nick would drop to 160 pounds, PRIDE's
version of the lightweight division. This was a ver ysmart move
if you ask me. Nick trains hard and has always been in top shape,
but most have always felt he would fare better in the lighter
weight class because of his size.
When at that weight Diaz is much quicker and sharper than when
he is carrying the extra ten pounds at the American welterweight
division's 170 pound weight limit. On Saturday, he was paired
up against the most talented lightweight striker in the world
today by most accounts, Takanori Gomi.
Diaz
would put on an encore worthy performance. His strikes were accurate
and strong leaving Gomi frustrated and desperate to land some
of his own in response. At one point Diaz would be rocked badly
and it seemed like the fight might be over as he fell to the
mat in what seemed like some sort of weird slo-mo. He would fight
on and put on one of the greatest overall showings of his career.
Gomi seemed to have answers to everything Diaz was attempting,
but this would not last long as Nick would return fire fast and
often.
After
trying everything in his arsenal to KO Diaz on his feet or pound
him out on the ground, Gomi was spent. His hands were down and
he was undeniably exhausted. Nick was just warming up and despite
Takanori landing a few bombs, Diaz would win the exchanges in
the striking department with his trademark taunting in full effect.
The end finally came when Gomi fell into Nick's guard and Diaz
locked in a spectacular submission, a rarely seen gogoplata.
Gomi tapped to the leg choke and the rest is history. It would
later be reported that Diaz had a fractured right orbital bone
suffered during the fight, but was still able to pull off the
upset. With that amazing victory, where does this place Nick
Diaz in the pecking order?
I
say top 5. Definitely, without a question top 5 in the world.
He beat the best fighter in that weight class and deserves to
be included on that list.
In
my opinion, the top 5 lightweight fighters in the world right
now are:
5)Shinyo
Aoki
4)Nick Diaz
3)Gilbert Melendez
2)Takanori Gomi
1)Hayato Sakurai
Sakurai
is going to be standard across the board now that Gomi lost,
I would assume. Hayato Sakurai is one of the greatest fighters
of all time and is deservedly number one right now. Aoki has
impressed me as has Melendez lately placing them in my top 5
easily. The competition in the lightweight division is so fierce
right now and the division is so large that making it in to the
top 10 is saying something. With a solid victory over the former
number one fighter in the world, in my opinion Diaz has definitely
managed to crack the
elite top 5 and land securely at #4.
All
of this being said, the question remains.... when am I going
to see Melendez versus Diaz?!?!
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Quote
of the Day
“If
you cannot be a poet, be the poem.”
David Carradine, American Actor
|
Raw
Episode 48 Airs Tonight
the RAW
version of Fighters' Club TV Episode 48 has been submitted to
Olelo programming and will run in our normal timeslot: 7pm Tuesdays
on
Oceanic Ch52 (Olelo-Oahu)
Episode
48 features
-our
very own Mike Onzuka's "behind the scenes" look at
a filming of
ICON's preview show.
-footage
from ICON's "All In" including interviews and highlights
of
Jeremy Williams vs Derek Thorton, Scott Junk vs John "Furious"
George,
and Trigg vs Mayhem
-a
"stalker" level look at the ring girls of Icon
-Technique
of the Week featuring ENSON INOUE
comments,
questions, and suggestions to: fctv@onzuka.com
|
ICON
SPORT TV SHOW PREMIER AT EASTSIDE GRILL THIS SUNDAY
FREE TICKETS!
FREE MERCHANDISE!
We at Icon Sport are really excited about the ucpoming preview
TV show for the March 31st EPIC event...almost as excited as
we are for the event itself. And we'd like to invite every Hawaii
MMA fan to join us at Eastside Grill as we premier the TV show THIS SUNDAY, MARCH 11th @ 9:30PM. Come early, because
we will be giving away some hard-to-get Tshirts (not in stores
or the inter-web) and a pair of tickets to the Icon Sport: EPIC
event.
Trust me, you guys and gals are going to love this show. Trigg
and Lawler do a lot of trash-talking. Mayhem gives a one-of-a-kind
interview, filmed the day after he lost his belt to Trigg. That
interview was one of my favorite video moments ever. Mayhem really
bares his soul, you won't want to miss it. The show also gives
a better look at Charuto's sizzling return. We also introduce
the BEST Hawaii fighter that most of you don't know about: Po'ai
Suganuma. Lastly, we take a look at the Icon Lightweight State
Title match-up of Marshall Harvest of Animal House and Justin
Bucholz of Bulls Pen.
And, oh yeah, I don't want to forget to mention Mark Kurano's
excellent analysis and commentary. He's a natural. Play your
cards right and you may even get his autograph.
We are really proud of the show. We hope you'll join us for food,
drinks, and MMA.
If you haven't seen the 30-sec TV spot for EPIC check out here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YRbGJDF41T0
Eastside Grill is located on University, mauka of the King Street/University
intersection, directly across from Varsity Movie Theater. Parking
is available in the secure lot/garage or in the adjacent metered
lot. They serve great food and the Steinlager is always flowing!
Mahalo!
Patrick Freitas
Icon Sport
superbrawl21@yahoo.com
|
Schilt
wins newly created K-1 super heavyweight title
In a historic night for K-1, 2005 and 2006 K-1 World Grand Prix
champion Semmy Schilt won the newly created K-1 super heavyweight
title Sunday at the K-1 World GP in Yokohama, Japan.
Schilt
scored a second round knock out over Ray Sefo in a rematch from
their 2005 K-1 World GP quarterfinals bout.
K-1
also introduced the heavyweight (under 100 kg) division with
Musashi vs. Yusuke Fujimoto and Ruslan Karaev vs. Badr Hari to
set up a title bout for the new division's title.
Badr
Hari had a come-from-behind performance to earn his title shot.
After being knocked down by Ruslan Karaev and appearing to be
on the brink of losing, Hari came back with a finishing knockout
at 2:46 of the second round.
To
the disappointment of K-1, Fujimoto and Musashi went three lackluster
rounds and had to be given an extra round to be more aggressive.
Fujimoto reacted appropriately by knocking out Musashi at 1:23.
Badr
Hari will fight Fujimoto for the K-1 heavyweight title at the
K-1 World GP in Honolulu, Hawaii on April 28.
The
two champions holding the belt in September earn a spot on K-1
World GP Final Elimination in Seoul, Korea.
Full
Results:
Semmy Schilt def. Ray Sefo via KO - R2 0:26
Yusuke Fujimoto def. Musashi via KO - R4 1:23
Badr Hari def. Ruslan Karaev via KO - R2 2:46
Mighty Mo def. Hong-Man Choi via KO - R2 0:50
Junichi Sawayashiki def. Jerome Le Banner via unanimous decision
- 3 rounds
Zabit Samedov def. Tsuyoshi Nakasako via majority decision -
3 rounds
Alexandre Pitchkounov def. Hiraku Hori via KO - R1 2:27
Gokhan Saki def. Hiromi Amada via KO - R2 3:00
Mitsugu Noda def. Cyril Abidi via unanimous decision - 3 rounds
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Drugs
scandal threatening to knock down Holyfield
Owen Slot, Chief Sports Reporter
A new drugs scandal in the United States is believed to be so
potentially damaging that it has been dubbed “The East Coast
Balco” and yesterday the first global name was implicated:
Evander Holyfield, the four-time heavyweight boxing champion.
Holyfield
issued an immediate denial, but evidence has emerged from raids
on a number of pharmacies on the East Coast that raises serious
questions about his connections with pharmaceutical companies.
Holyfield,
44, started his professional career as a cruiserweight more than
20 years ago. He always traded on his moniker, “The Real
Deal”, and was long viewed as one of the more admirable
figures in the sport. However, that reputation has taken a considerable
hammering in recent years as he has ignored all the evidence
of his advancing years and refused to retire from the ring.
Holyfield
has won only four of his past ten bouts, yet it was only on Tuesday
that he was fuelling the media at a Manhattan press conference
with predictions about his achievements at his next bout, which
is only 15 days away. The contest is in Corpus Christi, Texas,
against Vinny Maddalone, a 33-year-old brawler with an unremarkable
record who, Holyfield attested, would be just another statistic
on his march to becoming undisputed world heavyweight champion
again.
But
even as he spoke, investigators were beginning to analyse their
findings from two drugs raids in Florida earlier that day. They
were carried out by federal and state agents, one on a clinic
in Orlando called the Signature Pharmacy, the other on the Palm
Beach Rejuvenation Center in Jupiter. The former is a client
of the latter, apparently to the tune of some £10 million.
It
is the size of the business that has attracted the interest of
investigators. The fact that their work has thrown up the names
of some notable athletes is, to them, something of a sideshow.
The
first name to appear in newspaper reports on Wednesday was Richard
Rydze, a team physician for the Pittsburgh Steelers American
football franchise, who is alleged to have used his credit card
to buy $150,000 worth of human growth hormone from the Signature
Pharmacy.
Yesterday,
however, a report from CNNSI.com was alleging that the client
lists had led investigators to Holyfield, too. Holyfield was
not named in person but the name “Evan Fields”, caught
their attention. “Fields”, it allegedly turned out,
shares the same birth date as Holyfield — October 19, 1962
— and his address in Fairfield, Georgia, was similar. On
telephoning the number on the documents, the call was answered
by Holyfield himself, investigators allege.
According
to reports, “Evan Fields” did not receive prescriptions
directly through the mail but picked them up through a Georgia
physician, whose offices were also raided. The drugs allegedly
came from Applied Pharmacy, in Mobile, Alabama, which itself
was raided by investigators last autumn.
Two
other names have been linked through the Applied Pharmacy client
lists, one associated with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
baseball franchise and José Canseco, a retired baseball
slugger, whose openness about his drugs history is such that
he has made a considerable amount of money from selling a book
about it.
Investigators
are looking into documents which apparently allege that “Fields”
picked up supplies of syringes plus three vials of testosterone
and two vials of Glukor, a drug used to treat male impotency
but also believed to be used by body-builders before and after
steroid cycles; five vials of Saizen, a brand of human growth
hormone, and other related supplies. It is claimed that he returned
for further treatment for hypogonadism, a form of male impotency.
Holyfield’s
statement yesterday said: “I do not use steroids. I have
never used steroids. I resent that my name has been linked to
known steroid users by sources who refuse to be identified in
order to generate publicity for their investigation.”
Rise
and fall of The Real Deal
1984
Wins bronze medal at Los Angeles Olympics
1986 Beats Dwight Qawi to win WBA cruiserweight title
1990 Knocks out James “Buster” Douglas for world heavyweight
title
1992 Loses title to Riddick Bowe on points
1993 Regains title from Bowe in bout halted by “fan man”
1993 Loses title to Michael Moorer
1996 Regains title in huge upset against Mike Tyson
1997 Has part of ear bitten off in rematch with Tyson
1999 Controversial draw against Lennox Lewis in New York; loses
rematch
2000 Wins vacant WBA title against John Ruiz
2004 Banned in New York on medical grounds
2006 Relicensed in Texas, wins two bouts
Source: Times Online/Fight Opinion
|
Quote
of the Day
"Only
the weak are cruel. Gentleness can only be expected from the
strong."
Leo Buscaglia, 1924-1998, American Author and Expert on Love
and Human Relationships
|
View
the exciting new Icon Sport: EPIC 30-second TV spot here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YRbGJDF41T0
PRESS RELEASE
Contact:
Patrick Freitas
Icon Sport Promoter
(808) 232-3481 **NEW NUMBER**
superbrawl21@yahoo.com
“Icon
Sport: EPIC” T.V. Preview Show
March 3, 2007 Honolulu, HI. Hawaii MMA fans won’t want to
miss the preview show for the March 31st Icon Sport event, EPIC.
The program features a close look at the event’s World Championship
main event between Frank Trigg and Robbie Lawler, the return
of Mayhem Miller, the uprising of Charuto Verissimo, the introduction
of future-star light heavyweight star Po’ai Suganuma, and
insight into the State lightweight championship between Marshall
Harvest and Justin Bucholz. Trash-talking rivals, up-close interviews,
in-depth fight analysis, and some of the best fight-action cinematography
are just a few of the highlights.
The 30-minute program, which airs 14 times exclusively on K5
The Home Team (KFVE, Channel 5), can be found in all Hawaii TV
listings as “Icon: Trigg vs. Lawler Preview.” Showtimes
are also listed below:
Sunday, March 11 @ 9:30 p.m.
Sunday March 18 @ 9:30 p.m.
Monday, March 19 @ 11 p.m.
Tuesday, March 20 @ 11 p.m.
Wednesday, March 21 @ 11 p.m.
Thursday, March 22 @ 11 p.m.
Sunday, March 25 @ 9:30 p.m.
Monday, March 26 @ 11 p.m.
Tuesday, March 27 @ 11 p.m.
Wednesday, March 28 @ 11 p.m.
Thursday, March 29 @ 11 p.m.
Thursday, March 29 @ Midnight Encore
Friday, March 30 @ 11 p.m.
Friday, March 30 @ Midnight Encore
View the exciting new Icon Sport: EPIC 30-second TV spot here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YRbGJDF41T0
Source: Event Promoter
|
To
the MAXson: Silva’s late night meant defeat
By Matt Maxson
This past Saturday, the Mixed Martial Arts community witnessed
the fall of a legend. Wanderlei Silva, PRIDE Fighting Championships
Middleweight champion and 2003 Grand Prix Tournament winner,
finally lost his title as Middleweight champion to Dan Henderson
after holding onto the belt for five years.
The
fight, which was dubbed in promotional posters as being an exhibition
of Silva’s talents, turned out to be quite the opposite
as the Chute Boxe prodigy was knocked out 2:08 into the third
round.
Very
few saw the fight turning out the way it did, though reports
stated that the champ had checked into a hospital the night prior
to the fight to get antibiotics for a strep throat infection.
However, later that night at approximately 1 a.m., I, with several
of my friends, spotted Silva strolling through the Caesar’s
Forum Shops with a girlfriend in tow.
What
would lead a fighter to do something so brash and stupid as to
being out and about in Las Vegas the night before a big fight?
I don’t know, and neither does anybody else. Silva was knocked
completely unconscious during his fight with Henderson and supposedly
made another trip to the hospital, unavailable for comment before
leaving for Brazil.
This
last fight was Silva’s second straight by knockout loss
and places his career in serious jeopardy. A fighter with everything
to lose lost it all and in my mind could have been much better
off if he had stayed the night in bed.
The
question this leaves now is about the future of the Japan-based
company and its forward push into the American market. Witnessing
the losses of two of their most prized 205-pounders, Silva and
Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, while witnessing a paid attendance
of under 10,000 for the second straight fight, PRIDE must seriously
consider its ability to stay above water in the United States.
This event drew the ninth largest crowd in MMA history for Nevada
right behind PRIDE’s last event at the Thomas & Mack.
The top eight spots belong to the UFC.
DreamStage
Entertainment, PRIDE’s principal owning company, has stated,
however, that an event is planned for April to be held in Japan
again, its first of the new year. No names of fighters appearing
have been put forth, but it is most likely that Heavyweight champion
Fedor Emelianenko, the last of PRIDE’s stable fighters,
will return for another title defense.
Source: The Rebel Yell/Fight Opinion
|
Sakuraba
Returns to HERO'S Ring in March
by Jordan Breen
HERO'S parent company Fight Entertainment Group has officially
added three bouts to the line-up of its March 12 card at Nagoya
Rainbow Hall, with some considerable starpower.
The
card will see Japanese icon Kazushi Sakuraba in his first in-ring
action after the Yoshihiro Akiyama greasing controversy, which
embroiled the Japanese fight industry in early 2007. The return
to the ring for "The Gracie Hunter" will be a soft
touch, as he is scheduled to meet unheralded Ukrainian "Playboy"
Jurij Kiselov. The 30-year-old Kiselov's most notable competition
has come in the Lithuanian HERO'S events, where he has suffered
two unceremonious knockout losses.
Devastating
Dutch striker "Marvellous" Melvin Manhoef will return
to HERO'S competition for the first time since his loss to the
aforementioned Akiyama in the HERO'S 2006 187-pound tournament
final last October. Manhoef will take on former King of Pancrase
Yoshiki Takahashi, who has just returned to Japan after spending
the last few weeks in Costa Rica for the filming of bodogFight,
in which Takahashi took on Mark Burch.
Also,
veteran Yoshihisa Yamamoto will take on a fellow former pro-wrestler
Katsuyori Shibata. The 27-year-old Shibata has fought one MMA
bout, defeating another pro-wrestler, Ice Man, at Jungle Fight
in May of 2004. Shibata has since dedicated himself to mixed
martial arts training under Pancrase pioneer Masakatsu Funaki.
Source: Sherdog
|
MMA
LEGALIZED IN PENNSYLVANIA
by Mitch Gobetz
Pennsylvania
has become the latest state to remove the ban of mixed martial
arts. There was a meeting held yesterday with the Pennsylvania
State Athletic Commission to remove the ban, and apparently,
they will begin to write the regulations.
After
an online petition was submitted to the athletic commission,
they decided to have a meeting about the enabling of mixed martial
arts. The petition contained more than 950 electronic signatures.
Executive
director Gregory Sirb confirmed the news to MMAWeekly about the
athletic commission approving what they called “MMA-style
events”. With Pennsylvania approving MMA, they will likely
follow the unified rules in use by most athletic commissions
in the United States.
Philadelphia
is likely to be the largest target market in Pennsylvania for
MMA due to its size, and Pittsburgh is another attractive target
market.
With
the UFC expanding to new markets, this could open up another
venue for them to look at for a future event. The Wachovia Center
in Philadelphia would likely be the first place that most promoters
would target since it holds more than 21,000 people for NBA basketball
games.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
MyNetworkTV
Presents “Countdown to Battleground”
Excitement
Builds for Broadcast Premiere of Mixed Martial Arts Programming
New
York, March 1, 2007 – MyNetworkTV, the broadcast home of
the International Fight League, announced today that it will
present “Countdown to Battleground” on Wednesday, March
7 at 8 p.m. (EST/PST). The one-hour special will give audiences
a sneak preview of the new MyNetworkTV show, “IFL Battleground.”
The
program is designed to introduce audiences to the IFL and mixed
martial arts, as well as the athletes and teams that make up
the league. “Countdown to Battleground” will include
interviews with the fighters and the five legendary coaches,
Ken Shamrock, Renzo Gracie, Pat Miletich, Bas Rutten and Frank
Shamrock. Audiences will also get a taste of the action-packed
fast-paced competition through recaps of recent IFL events.
“We
are excited to bring viewers a taste of the powerful battles,
intense rivalries and inspiring stories that will be featured
this season on ‘IFL Battleground,’” said Greg
Meidel, President, MyNetworkTV.
“We
are looking forward to exposing these great athletes and our
legendary coaches and the sport of MMA to the largest TV audience
ever,” said Gareb Shamus, co-founder and CEO, International
Fight League. “This preview will give viewers an intense
glimpse of the action and the personalities that will be coming
every Monday night starting March 12.”
MyNetworkTV
is a primetime general entertainment broadcast television network.
Targeted to Adults 18-49 and broadcast television’s only
all Hi-Definition network, it reaches over 95% of the country.
MyNetworkTV provides its affiliates 12 hours of programming Monday
through Saturday. Currently, MyNetworkTV airs Twentieth Television’s
dramas “Wicked Wicked Games,” starring Oscar-winning
actress Tatum O’Neal, and “Watch Over Me,” with
Dayanara Torres, Casper Van Dien and Catherine Oxenberg. For
more information, please visit www.mynetworktv.com.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Quote
of the Day
"For
every minute you remain angry, you give up sixty seconds of peace
of mind."
Ralph Waldo Emerson, 1803-1882, American Poet and Essayist
|
Press
Release
X-1 world
events-presents-Xtreme Fighting 2
March 17, Saturday
Blaisdell Arena
Double Main Event
Wesley 'Cabbage' Correira vs Chris 'Monstser' Marez
Falaniko
Vitale vs Mavrick 'Soul Collector' Harvey
K1 rules Kickboxing
Kaleo Kwan vs Danny Steele
X-1
Championship Title Defense
170 welter wt. Mark Moreno vs Nik Lentz
155
light wt. Kolo Koka vs 'Sugar'Shane Nelson
145
super Lt wt. Eddie Yagin vs Brandon Foxworth
Womens match
Kelly Cobalt vs Tonya Evinger
MMA
matches
Fernando
Gonzalez vs Jay Carter
Harris
Sarmiento vs Henry Martinez
David
Padilla vs Dirty'Dave'Moreno
Kaipo
Gonzales vs Paco Woods
Preliminary
match
Steve
Farmer vs Scott Anderson
Another
X-1 World Event
Source: Event Promoter
|
UFC
68 The Uprising Results
-Jamie Varner def. Jason Gilliam by TKO (choked unconscious from
rear naked choke) at 1:34 of Round 1
-Gleison
Tibau def. Jason Dent by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
-Jon
Fitch def. Luigi Fioravanti by submission (rear naked choke)
at 3:05 of Round 2
-Matt
Hamill def. Rex Holman by TKO (referee stoppage due to strikes)
at 4:00 of Round 1
-Jason
Lambert def. Renato “Babalu” Sobral by KO at 3:36 of
Round 2
-Matt
Hughes def. Chris Lytle by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27,
30-27)
-Rich
Franklin def. Jason MacDonald by TKO (corner stoppage) at 5:00
of Round 2
-Martin
Kampmann def. Drew McFedries submission (side triangle choke)
at 4:06 of Round 1
UFC
HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP BOUT
-Randy
Couture def. Tim Sylvia by unanimous decision (30-25, 30-25,
30-25)
RANDY
COUTURE IS THE NEW UFC HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Belfort:
“Wand has not a good chin”
Training for his fight at the Cage Rage 21, which will be held
on April 21st in , Vítor Belfort enjoyed the opportunity
to analyses the bout between Wanderlei Silva and Dan Henderson
on last Staurday (24) at Pride 33. He already faced both athletes;
he defeated Wanderlei Silva by KO at UFC and lost to Henderson
by unanimous decision at the first edition of Pride Las Vegason
last year, so Belfort was already waiting this result.
-
I didn’t get surprised. I was already expecting this result,
because Wanderlei hasn’t got a good chin. Wand didn’t
do any mistake, but Henderson was better than him. The KO doesn’t
lie, nobody can complain. Henderson showed that has much more
game than Wanderlei has – said Belfort , who also analyzed
the bout of Rogério Minotouro against Romeau Thierry Sokoudjou.
“Rogério didn’t have any luck. He wasn’t
KO’d at the second round that happened in the beggining
of the bout. It happens. It is obvious that if the bout was for
the ground, Rogério would submit him”, evaluated
the black belt.
Vitor
also talked about his adversary at Cage Rage 21 e how he is trainin
for the bout. “I don’t remember his name, but I know
he is a real Italian, a European champion. I will fight to win
this bout, because he is a tough fighter, he is good on the Wrestling
game and has a heavy hand”, told Belfort.
Source: Tatame
|
Fabrício
Werdum From Pride to UFC
By Eduardo Ferreira
Fabrício Werdum is one more athlete who is leaving the
Pride ring to get the UFC octagon. The Brazilian fighter will
fight at the UFC 70, which will be held on April 21st in , against
the former-champion of the heavy category of UFC Andrey Arlovski.
BJJ world champion, Werdum received us under an exclusive interview
where he talked bout the organization change, about the bout
against Arlovski, his training and about a possible confrontation
with his former team mate Mirko Cro Cop and with Gabriel Napão,
who Werdum already defeated at Jungle Fight 2. Check out now
the complete interview:
How
was that change from the Pride to the UFC?
My
manager Ken May said that I was going to fight at the Pride 33,
but it seems that they didn’t accept the purse we asked
them, so he though that was better to me to go fighting at UFC.
He didn’t explained to me very well, but I know they will
pay me much better there, I think almost the double that I am
receiving at the Pride organization.
But
didn’t you have a contract with the Pride?
No,
my contract is with Ken May, my contract finishes on December
and I want to renovate. I want to be the champion this year.
I am at UFC now so I want to be the champion there. I did a contract
of four bouts with the UFC and I want to dispute the belt on
the third or on the fourth bout of my contract.
You
were Cro Cop’s trainer during some time and you both always
said that you didn’t want to face each other. He also left
the Pride for the UFC and also wants the belt…
If
we have to face each other some day, we will. He wants the belt
as like me. We will try to avoid this to happen, because we were
from the same team, we have the same manager and we are friends.
He wants me to go back there to train. I went to recently to
do some seminars in and then I went to and we enjoyed the opportunity
to meet him and I wanted to know how he was going on. We talked
a lot.
You
faced and defeated Gabriel Napão at Jungle Fight. Now
he is also at UFC and you can possible face each other to get
the belt. How would be this bout against him today?
Napão
is pretty well know, he had only one defeat I think, that was
for me at the Jungle Fight. I think that this fight would be
much different today. They are both more professionals and at
that bout we didn’t have the same technique. I wish to face
him again and if I have to face him to get this belt we will
fight.
How
is your trainings now?
I
suffered an operation on my throat and nose in the beginning
of the year. I spent three weeks at home to feel myself better,
but I am back to trainings now. I have been training the ground
game with Mário Reis and Márcio Fortes, who is
also a black belt. And I am doing the preparation with a Cuban
fighter who is here with me and I am always training Boxing with
Cafuringa.
What
do you expect of this bout against Andrei Arlovski?
When
we don’t know when will be held our next bout we didn’t
get so motivated, but now I have this fight against Arlovski
and I am pretty excited. I like face tough guys, famous guys
like Arlovski, he is former champion of this category. I don’t
like to face someone who is starting now. Arlovski is dangerous
standed up, he likes to do the counter attack, but I am training
much Boxing. If I have to exchange punches with him I will and
if I had the opportunity to take him down will be much better,
because my good game is the BJJ. I will train a lot to do a good
bout and be able to dispute the belt soon.
What
did you think about Wanderlei Silva and Rogério Minotouro’s
bouts at Pride 33? Where do you think they were wrong?
Minotauro
was really well prepared. His adversary can be good, but I think
that his cross punch was luck. He did that blow for luck. Minotouro
has not a bad chin, but that cross punch attacked him hardly.
If they face each other again, Minotouro will win. But talking
about Wanderlei, I really think Dan Henderson was better than
him. I think the American athlete wanted it much more. Wanderlei
didn’t make a mistake, he had suffered a punch before, and
so he was KO’d with that cross punch.
Who
do you think that was able to defeat Henderson until 83kg and
until 93kg?
Until
83kg I think Paulão Filho defeats him easily and until
93kg the man is Maurício Shogun.
Source: Tatame
|
Michigan
MMA and Toughman
By Robert Rousseau
Back in 2003, a mother of four named Stacy Young was killed as
her husband, Chuck Young, watched. In fact, there were plenty
of people present to witness the event—1500, to be approximate—
as the tragedy unfolded. These eyewitnesses were different than
your standard variety.
You
see, they had paid money to watch the event Stacy Young had decided
to participate in. Taken further, Young died while competing
in a Toughman contest in Florida against a woman with reportedly
much more experience fighting than she.
In
1994, a man named Terry Vermaelen— then a Louisiana Locksmith
with 56 amateur fights and three Louisiana Golden Gloves titles
to his credit— stepped into a Toughman ring in Louisiana
against Bobby Troy Depue. Vermaelen had reportedly come to realize
that Toughman competitors tended to get away with things that
amateur boxers couldn’t (such as holding the back of an
opponent's head). Thus, he utilized this knowledge and overall
boxing experience to make short work of DePue.
By
the second round, the fight was over. Soon after, DePue collapsed
and died.
The
list of unfortunate tragedies seems long (at least eight, maybe
more). Names like Michael Kuhn (Texas Toughman Contest) and Art
Liggins (Idaho) are some of the other people that have met with
terrible consequences for participating in Toughman events.
Now,
unfortunately, MMA fans in the state of Michigan are worried
that Art Dore’s shenanigans (the man who founded Toughman)
are being lumped in with mixed martial arts in the state of Michigan.
The state of Michigan has recently issued a Cease and Desist
Order against Adorable Productions and current promoter Gregory
Allen Ahrens (affiliated with Dore) to block future cage, ultimate
fighting, and Toughman events.
Despite
the fact that this Cease and Desist order names ultimate fighting—which
is the component of it that has many in the MMA community up
in arms—much of the worry may be unwarranted. After all,
when G. Archie Millben, Enforcement Director for the Bureau of
Commercial Services in Michigan’s Department of Labor and
Economic Growth (DLEG), was asked whether this was really all
about one particular situation and not amateur mixed martial
arts as a whole, he responded by saying, “at this time,
that’s true.” Further, he continued to shed light by
voicing the following:
“The
statute [being used] prohibits professional mixed martial arts;
if they hold an amateur contest and don’t pay the individuals,
we’re not interfering with that.”
Which,
by the way, is exactly the reason why the Cease and Desist Order
came down. “We got reports that there were a number of events
where the contestants were being paid,” says Millben. “[Contestants]
had a notice on their website that there was a 25 dollar per
contestant charge and a 50 dollar payout. Once we saw that that
was going on, then we issued a Cease and Desist Order.”
In
short, it’s hard to argue against that. After all, if the
contestants were paid, then that’s illegal in Michigan (professional
MMA, not amateur, is illegal). Further, the fact that Art Dore
and Toughman (a co-promoter with Ahrens in this particular venue)
are calling their events MMA events is not something mixed martial
arts wants to be associated with; hence, the order may be a good
thing for MMA fans. Mixed martial artists are much more than
guys with (sometimes) no training willing to throw punches at
one another in a ring. In fact, they’re some of the best-
conditioned athletes in the world.
That
said, at least at present, MMA enthusiasts in this Big Ten state
probably don’t need to be worried. Michigan’s DLEG
does not appear to be after amateur mixed martial arts as a whole;
rather, it’s trying to stop one organization from operating
in a reportedly illegal fashion.
However,
there also may be some good news for Michigan MMA fans, at least
on the professional front (though holding your breath may not
be warranted). According to Millben, recently there have been
some lobbying efforts with the legislature in the hopes of making
professional mixed martial arts legal in Michigan. Further, he
notes that, “if [these lobbying efforts] were to be approved
by the legislature and signed by the governor, then they’re
looking at an effective date of June 2007.” Millben cautions,
that although there is a significant amount of support for the
initiative, the governor has yet to show any support for professional
MMA in their state. Besides, the legislature hasn’t approved
anything yet.
So
they wait.
Still,
Millben’s final words on the matter of professional MMA
in Michigan would seem to make sense to a lot of fans.
“There’s
a lot of (MMA) events happening out there; we’d just as
soon regulate them than allow them to continue in the form in
which they’re continuing. Our responsibility is to protect
the public, and I don’t think you’re protecting the
public if something is happening and you don’t make some
effort to regulate it.”
Enough
said.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Three
bouts added to K-1 HERO's March 12th
FEG has added Kazushi Sakuraba vs. Jurij Kiselov, Melvin Manhoef
vs. Yoshiki Takahashi, and Yoshihisa Yamamoto vs. Katsuyori Shibata
to Hero's at the Nagoya Rainbow Hall in Nagoya on March 12th.
Current
Fight Card:
Caol
Uno vs. Ali Ibrahim
Kazuyuki Miyata vs.Black Mamba
Hiroyuki Takaya vs. Andre Dida
Ryuki Ueyama vs. Vitor "Shaolin" Ribeiro
Hideo Tokoro vs. Katsuhiko Nagata
Kazushi Sakuraba vs. Jurij Kiselov
Melvin Manhoef vs. Yoshiki Takahashi
Yoshihisa Yamamoto vs. Katsuyori Shibata
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Quote
of the Day
"Teamwork
is what the Green Bay Packers were all about.
They didn't do it for individual glory.
They did it because they loved one another."
Vince Lombardi, 1913-1970, Hall of Fame American Football Coach
|
Shane
Ahlo Makes it to Semi-Finals!
O2 Martial
Arts Academy student and close family friend Shane Ahlo has made
it to the final four at 152 lbs. He was unseeded going in to
the state tournament which makes it a huge accomplishment to
make it this far. This is do or die time for him and we are all
behind him!
State high school wrestling semifinal matches set
Advertiser
Staff
CHEVRON/HHSAA
WRESTLING STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS
At Blaisdell Arena
BOYS
Saturday's
semfinal matchups
103
pounds
No.
1 Jordan Lai (Saint Louis) vs. Roger Ramones (Kahuku); No. 3
Jason Spiker (Kaiser) vs. Dallas Collier ('Aiea)
112
pounds
No.
1 Mark Caberto (Saint Louis) vs. Gino Pelosi ('Aiea); Bryson
Fukushima (Punahou) vs. Cody Gomes (Kamehameha)
119
pounds
No.
1 Reid Oshiro (Punahou) vs. Raymond Mathewson (Wai'anae); Branden
Mina (Waipahu) vs. No. 2 Nick Matayoshi ('Iolani)
125
pounds
No.
1 Travis Okano (Lahainaluna) vs. No. 4 Ryan Higa (Waiakea); No.
2 Arnold Toriumi (Punahou) vs. No. 3 Chad Diamond (Mililani)
130
pounds
No.
1 Jaysen Patao (Baldwin) vs. Andrew Chung ('Iolani); No. 2 Keani
Nishigaya (Saint Louis) vs. Jared Panlasigui (Lahainaluna)
135
pounds
No.
1 Kamaehu Matsuoka (Konawaena) vs. Kevin Tomita (Kaiser); No.
2 Keli'i Palencia (Kamehameha) vs. No. 3 Matthew Higa ('Aiea)
140
pounds
No.
1 Daniel Chow (Punahou) vs. Shane Yakabe (Kaiser); No. 2 Reynell
Transfiguracion (Kealakehe) vs. No. 3 Brock Bal ('Aiea)
145
pounds
No.
1 Richard Torres (Kahuku) vs. Kameona Hokoana (Kamehameha); No.
2 Josh Plechaty (Punahou) vs. Joseph Brandon Lawrence (Roosevelt)
152
pounds
No.
1 Lake Casco (Lahainaluna) vs. Shane Ahlo (Saint Louis); Kekoa Rosales (Kamehameha) vs. Tyson
Tynanes-Perez (Campbell)
160
pounds
No.
1 Clinton Manley (Moloka'i) vs. Nicholas Pait (Pear City); No.
2 Lowen Tynanes-Perez (Campbell) vs. Kalae Parish (Kapolei)
171
pounds
No.
1 Landon Kerbow (King Kekaulike) vs. Christian Pavo (Pearl City);
No. 2 C.J. Criado (Kaiser) vs. No. 3 Truman Chun ('Iolani)
189
pounds
No.
1 Damon Carr (Kahuku) vs. Harrison Flores ('Aiea); Nelson Fernandez
(Roosevelt) vs. Kalena Herrera (Moanalua)
215
pounds
No.
1 Kazden Ikehara (Kamehameha) vs. Weston McIntosh (Pahoa); No.
3 Joshua Schippman (Waialua) vs. Roman Pearl (Kahuku)
285
pounds
No.
1 Mike Mullen (Leilehua) vs. Ana Tuiasosopo (Saint Louis); Miles
Tynanes-Perez (Campbell) vs. Tyler Laufi (Pearl City)
GIRLS
Saturday's
semifinal matches
98
pounds
No.
1 Taylor Ibera (Farrington) vs. Kesie-Ann Mita (Mid-Pacific);
No. 2 Macy Yonamine (Kamehameha) vs. Renee Michell (Kealakehe)
103
pounds
No.
1 Keiko Akamine ('Iolani) vs. Brandie Dela Rama (Mililani); No.
2 Ren Yamashita ('Aiea) vs. No. 3 Alexandra Aoki (Konawaena)
108
pounds
No.
1 Carla Watase ('Iolani) vs. Kalae Johnson (Kahuku); No. 2 Tehani
Ibarra (St. Anthony) vs. No. 3 Samantha Batoon (Farrington)
114
pounds
No.
1 Megan Morisada ('Iolani) vs. No. 4 Joy Yamashita ('Aiea); No.
2 Victoria Milanio (Lahainaluna) vs. Chaelyn Tan (Kapolei)
120
pounds
No.
1 Tani Ader (Farrington) vs. Jada Antolin (Pearl City); Cianah
Hee (Kahuku) vs. Courtney Kinimaka (Kapolei)
125
pounds
No.
1 Danica Auna (Kahuku) vs. No. 4 Mary Brzezowski (Kamehameha-Hawai'i);
No. 2 Ariella Ing (Moanalua) vs. Kaleo Souza ('Aiea)
130
pounds
No.
1 Pi'ikea Kalalau (Baldwin) vs. Kelia Parilla (Kamehameha); No.
2 Amanda Keli'iho'omalu (Kahuku) vs. Punahele Luafalemana (Moloka'i)
140
pounds
No.
1 Kara Takasaki (Punahou) vs. Jillian Fontanilla (Pearl City);
No. 2 Stephanie Geltmacher (Kalaheo) vs. Hoku Kubota (Kamehameha-Maui)
155
pounds
Taisha
Santiago (Kamehameha) vs. Ilima Macfarlane (Punahou); Monique
Dillner (Kailua) vs. Crystal Kalakau (Farrington)
175
pounds
No.
1 Ashley Lilo (Farrington) vs. Leya-Justina Luafalemana (Moloka'i);
No. 2 Kailee Andrade (Baldwin) vs. Ashley Abalos (Wai'anae)
220
pounds
No.
1 Hoku Nohara (Kamehameha) vs. No. 4 Naoli Weller (Hilo); No.
2 Oliva Fatongia ('Iolani) vs. No. 3 Vicky Green (Wai'anae)
Source:
Honolulu Advertiser
|
UFC
68 The Uprising Today!
UFC 68
The Uprising
Oceanic Digital 701 (PPV)
Live 5:00 to 8:00 pm
Replay 8:00 to 11:00 PM
UFC 68: “The Uprising”:
Main
Card:
Tim Sylvia vs. Randy Couture - UFC Heavyweight Title
Chris Lytle vs. Matt Hughes (170lbs)
Drew McFedries vs. Martin Kampmann (185lbs)
Rich Franklin vs. Jason MacDonald (185lbs)
Jason Lambert vs. Renato Sobral (205lbs)
Prelims:
Rex Holman Vs. Matt Hamill (205 lbs)
Jon Fitch Vs. Luigi Fioravanti (170lbs)
Gleison Tibau Vs. Jason Dent (155lbs)
Jason Gilliam Vs. Jamie Varner (155lbs)
|
Kickin
It 2007 Part 2 Today!
WHAT -
KICKIN IT 2007 PART 2
WHEN - MARCH 3, 2007 SATURDAY
WHERE - WAIPAHU FILCOM CENTER
IF YOU THINK OUR FIRST KICKIN IT 2007 WAS A GOOD CARD. CHECK
OUT THIS LINE UP. SOME OF THE MOST TALENTED AMATEUR KICKBOXERS
WILL BE FOUND HERE ON KICKIN IT MARCH 3RD. OTHER PROMOTERS WILL
BE LOOKING TO USE THESE GUYS TO HIGHLIGHT THERE SHOWS IN THE
FUTURE. A LOT OF THE BEST FIGHTERS COME THRU THE KICKIN IT CIRCUIT
FIRST. THIS IS WHERE THEY START A FOUNDATION. (NO FOUNDATION
- NO BUILDING).
SUNSEA FERGUSON 165 BRADLEY ARAKAKI
TEAM DEVASTATION PAPAKOLEA FIGHT CLUB
BENJI "ENDLESS" RODRIGUES 172 TODD YOUNG
HSD (6 - 1) VEGAS FIGHT CLUB (5 - 1)
JOSH BAKER 170 JON MCDONALD
EWA FREESTYLE GRAPPLING TEAM ISLAND THUNDER
RICHARDSON SUNGA 145 JERELL MUNOZ
VEGAS FIGHT CLUB HSD
TONY BELEN 160 HARRISON KOLO
INNER CIRCLE PAPAKOLEA FIGHT CLUB
JASON LOPES 185 KAWIKA PAIA
JESUS IS LORD PAPAKOLEA FIGHT CLUB
KOLOA KAHALEWAI 225 KINGSTON PATCHO
TEAM ANILAND TEAM DEVASTATION
KANA LOA 110 RIN DAO
BANGAHZVILLE BULLSPEN
PIN DAO 100 JERMICHAEL
BULLSPEN NAKOA FIGHT TEAM
RICKY MURILLO 155 CLINT KEALOHA
BANGAHZ VILLE WESSIDE CONNECTION
DIDO RODRIGUES 95 WESLEY DENIGO
WAIANAE KICKBOXING BULLSPEN
JAMES OWANA 300 OTO KAHALEWAI
WESSIDE CONNECTION TEAM ANILAND
MANA WOOLSEY 130 ISIAH MANALO
4TH ROAD KICKBOXING EAST OAHU FIGHT CLUB
KOICHI TANJI 135 TBA
HMC
TONY PERERA 140 PULL OUT DUE TO INJURY
WAIANAE KICKBOXING
DAVIN KIM 125 JULIO MORENO
FIVE - 0 BOXING CLUB BULLSPEN
JUDE 230 RANCE BROWN
TEAM DEVASTATION PAPAKOLEA FIGHT CLUB
EZEKIEL LOPES 195 BRANDON MARTIN
NAKOA FIGHT CLUB 4TH ROAD KICKBOXING
NUI WHEELER 140 RYAN LEE
TEAM SOLJAH BULLSPEN
KEITH CRESPO 125 BRANDON AMANONCE
PAPAKOLEA FIGHT CLUB TEAM DEVASTATION
MAIKA TALEIAI 150 RICHARD BERNARD
EWA FREESTYLE GRAPPLING HSD
DAVID LUI 135 SHONE KIM
HMC PAPAKOLEA FIGHT CLUB
TICKETS AVAILABLE AT ALL PARTICIPATING SCHOOLS OR CALL 699-5290.
PARTICIPANTS AND MATCHES MAY BE SUBJECT TO CHANGE.
Source: Promoter
|
Mixed
martial arts grabbing PPV
By Adam Goldman
Associated Press
Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic kicks Eddie Sanchez in the
head during an Ultimate Fighting Championship bout at Las Vegas'
Mandalay Bay.
Ultimate
Fighting Championship via AP
NEW YORK — In the tough business of putting on pay-per-view
events, Ultimate Fighting Championship is no longer getting counted
out.
The
upstart company that specializes in mixed martial arts matched
the once-dominant World Wrestling Entertainment Inc. in pay-per-view
revenues during 2006 and surpassed boxing-titan HBO. The three
companies make up the bulk of the pay-per-view business.
"It
was a killer year," UFC president Dana White said.
UFC,
a privately held company owned by Zuffa LLC, does not release
financial results, and White would not discuss them. But an industry
executive familiar with the results said the company's 10 pay-per-view
events generated more than $200 million in customer retail revenue.
WWE
said it had 16 events that generated approximately $200 million
in revenue, and HBO had 11 events, reporting revenue of $177
million.
Typically,
the companies take home about half of those customer retail revenues,
with cable companies getting the rest. The cost of the fights
vary. People paid $39.95 to see UFC fighters pummel each other,
while WWE's brawls ranged between $34.95 to $49.95. HBO's most
expensive events cost $49.95.
The
performance marks a significant turnaround for the Las Vegas-based
company — once maligned as nothing more than a money-losing
venture that promoted brawlers in a cage. UFC fought back using
a television show on Spike TV, getting more states to sanction
the fights and drawing huge crowds to the live events.
The
strategy has appeared to work in a big way, helping spur more
PPV buys — sales of one event per household — thanks
to the popularity of UFC fighters such as Tito Ortiz and Chuck
Liddell. UFC has a major PPV fight Saturday in Columbus, Ohio,
where heavyweight champ Tim Sylvia and Randy Couture will slug
it out.
"UFC
has reinvigorated the pay-per-view category," said Deana
Myers, a senior analyst at Kagan Research LLC that tracks the
industry.
To
spark interest in pay-per-view events, WWE and UFC also air bouts
on various networks. WWE's shows — "SmackDown,"
"RAW" and "Extreme Championship Wrestling"
— have been the top-rated shows on their respective networks.
HBO helps promote its fighters on "Boxing After Dark."
FOREIGN
AUDIENCE
One
big difference between WWE and UFC is their audiences. Thirty-nine
percent of WWE's buys came from international viewers. UFC doesn't
have a slice of the international arena but intends to grab market
share from WWE when it holds its first pay-per-view fight in
Manchester, England on April 21. White noted UFC has initiatives
in Canada, Mexico and England, where it recently opened an office
in London.
Dave
Meltzer, editor of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, says competition
between the WWE and UFC has heated up. He said WWE overexposed
itself with too many events, hurting its bottom line. WWE's year-over-year
buys were down 400,000 from 2005, according to the company. On
the other hand, UFC's 5 million buys were a fivefold increase
from 2005.
Media
analyst Michael A. Kelman of Susquehanna Financial Group says
the pay-per-view business will not be a major growth driver for
WWE. But other WWE businesses such as video sales and its film
division should bolster the company's future financial prospects.
Geof
Rochester, WWE's senior vice president of marketing, said pay-per-view
buys comprised 25 percent of its diversified business.
Like
Myers, Meltzer believes some of WWE's audience is gravitating
to the UFC.
"It's
a pay-per-view rivalry," Meltzer said. "I'm not saying
it's huge, but it exists. Right now, UFC is definitely hot."
Meltzer
added that WWE needs to find a new superstar like "The Rock,"
a crowd favorite who drew hordes of viewers.
"What
UFC is doing that WWE and boxing haven't done as well is create
new stars," he said.
WAITING
FOR A CHAMP
HBO,
for instance, has continued to rely on Oscar De la Hoya while
a true heavyweight champion emerges, one with star power like
Mike Tyson — who drew nearly 2 million buys twice in his
heyday.
"The
heavyweight champ of the world has always been the mythical strongest
man in the planet. It's important for the sport," said Mark
Taffet, HBO's senior vice president of sports operation and pay-per-view.
HBO hopes a new champion will surface from heavyweight unification
matches that could take place this year.
Rochester,
of the WWE, said the company is incubating new stars.
"We
have the next Rock in John Cena," he said, referring to
one of WWE's most popular wrestlers.
UFC
managed to grow despite the lack of a heavyweight star, but the
company recently inked a deal with the burly Croatian Mirko "Cro
Cop" Filipovic. He's fighting in Manchester in April.
Most
fans don't know Cro Cop, but he has glimmers of being the UFC's
Mike Tyson.
"He's
the most spectacular knockout artist of any weight," said
Meltzer, the editor of the newsletter. "American fans love
knockout artists."
Taffet
said he isn't worried about UFC's rise. The two companies are
negotiating over HBO possibly airing a UFC fight.
Source: Honolulu Advertiser
|
Does
Nick Diaz deserve top honors?
By Sean McClure
For years Nick Diaz has been trying to break through the thick
shell encasing the world's top spots in MMA. He has had his share
of ups and downs in his career on the main stage of the UFC.
Arguably, his greatest UFC "up" was when he defeated
Robbie Lawler at UFC 47. He knocked out the knockout artist and
anytime you can do that it's a good thing and one that will get
you noticed right away. He instantly became a fan favorite and
most new his name and began to follow his career more closely.
It's not easy to miss Diaz that's for sure. Nick is always outspoken
and often surrounded by controversy. All of that was put aside
and this weekend he proved he was one of the best. The question
now remains, does he deserve a top spot and the mainstream respect
that has eluded him for so long?
If
you asked me last year if Nick would ever be considered a top
fighter in any weight class I would have said yes. I would have
also clarified to you that I didn't think it would happen anytime
soon. I was publicly corrected by Mr. Diaz when he submitted
one of the greatest lightweight fighters of all time, Takanori
Gomi this weekend at PRIDE's second U.S. show. What does this
mean for Nick's status as a fighter and how will it shake up
the lightweight division?
Just
looking at Nick's past UFC track record, it won't tell you his
whole story right away. Nick lost three of his last five fights
in the UFC. He lost to Diego Sanchez by unanimous decision, Joe
Riggs by unanimous decision, and Sean Sherk by the same. He came
back strong and defeated Josh Neer and Gleison Tibau back to
back. Nick was a much better fighter than his record showed him
to be and the UFC was foolish to dismiss him in my opinion. He
would part ways with the UFC and was quickly scooped up by PRIDE
probably for the best. Ever since the Lawler knockout, Nick has
been hell bent on repeating that performance in every fight and
trying the same taunting that took Robbie out of his game and
made Diaz an instant star. It did make something happen that
I thought should have happened a long time ago. Nick dropped
down a weight class.
At
PRIDE's show on February 24, Nick would drop to 160 pounds, PRIDE's
version of the lightweight division. This was a ver ysmart move
if you ask me. Nick trains hard and has always been in top shape,
but most have always felt he would fare better in the lighter
weight class because of his size.
When at that weight Diaz is much quicker and sharper than when
he is carrying the extra ten pounds at the American welterweight
division's 170 pound weight limit. On Saturday, he was paired
up against the most talented lightweight striker in the world
today by most accounts, Takanori Gomi.
Diaz
would put on an encore worthy performance. His strikes were accurate
and strong leaving Gomi frustrated and desperate to land some
of his own in response. At one point Diaz would be rocked badly
and it seemed like the fight might be over as he fell to the
mat in what seemed like some sort of weird slo-mo. He would fight
on and put on one of the greatest overall showings of his career.
Gomi seemed to have answers to everything Diaz was attempting,
but this would not last long as Nick would return fire fast and
often.
After
trying everything in his arsenal to KO Diaz on his feet or pound
him out on the ground, Gomi was spent. His hands were down and
he was undeniably exhausted. Nick was just warming up and despite
Takanori landing a few bombs, Diaz would win the exchanges in
the striking department with his trademark taunting in full effect.
The end finally came when Gomi fell into Nick's guard and Diaz
locked in a spectacular submission, a rarely seen gogoplata.
Gomi tapped to the leg choke and the rest is history. It would
later be reported that Diaz had a fractured right orbital bone
suffered during the fight, but was still able to pull off the
upset. With that amazing victory, where does this place Nick
Diaz in the pecking order?
I
say top 5. Definitely, without a question top 5 in the world.
He beat the best fighter in that weight class and deserves to
be included on that list.
In
my opinion, the top 5 lightweight fighters in the world right
now are:
5)Shinyo
Aoki
4)Nick Diaz
3)Gilbert Melendez
2)Takanori Gomi
1)Hayato Sakurai
Sakurai
is going to be standard across the board now that Gomi lost,
I would assume. Hayato Sakurai is one of the greatest fighters
of all time and is deservedly number one right now. Aoki has
impressed me as has Melendez lately placing them in my top 5
easily. The competition in the lightweight division is so fierce
right now and the division is so large that making it in to the
top 10 is saying something. With a solid victory over the former
number one fighter in the world, in my opinion Diaz has definitely
managed to crack the
elite top 5 and land securely at #4.
All
of this being said, the question remains.... when am I going
to see Melendez versus Diaz?!?!
Source: Maxfighting
|
Quote
of the Day
"If
you want to conquer fear, don't sit home and think about it.
Go out and get busy."
Dale Carnegie, 1888-1955, American Author and Achievement Expert
|
KICKIN
IT WEIGH INS TODAY
KICKIN IT WEIGH INS ARE GOING TO BE HELD AT ILIMA INTERMEDIATE
ON FRIDAY, MARCH 2 AT 6:30 PM
IF EVERYONE MAKES WEIGHT, WE ARE SCHEDULED FOR 22 FIGHTS. TICKETS
HAVE BEEN GOING LIKE CRAZY. JUST AS CRAZY AS THE AMOUNT OF TALENT
THAT WILL BE PERFORMING THAT NIGHT. THESE FIGHTS WILL HAVE PEOPLE
ASKING "WHEN IS THE NEXT ONE" AGAIN. KICKIN IT ALREADY
HAS 7 FIGHTS THAT WE HAD TO PUT ON HOLD DUE TO THIS CARD IS TOO
FULL. SO CALL IN IF YOU WANT TO BE ON THE NEXT ONE (FIRST TO
CALL - FIRST TO GET MATCHED).
WHAT - KICKIN IT 2007 PART 2
WHEN - MARCH 3, 2007 SATURDAY
WHERE - WAIPAHU FILCOM CENTER
IF YOU THINK OUR FIRST KICKIN IT 2007 WAS A GOOD CARD. CHECK
OUT THIS LINE UP. SOME OF THE MOST TALENTED AMATEUR KICKBOXERS
WILL BE FOUND HERE ON KICKIN IT MARCH 3RD. OTHER PROMOTERS WILL
BE LOOKING TO USE THESE GUYS TO HIGHLIGHT THERE SHOWS IN THE
FUTURE. A LOT OF THE BEST FIGHTERS COME THRU THE KICKIN IT CIRCUIT
FIRST. THIS IS WHERE THEY START A FOUNDATION. (NO FOUNDATION
- NO BUILDING).
SUNSEA FERGUSON 165 BRADLEY ARAKAKI
TEAM DEVASTATION PAPAKOLEA FIGHT CLUB
BENJI "ENDLESS" RODRIGUES 172 TODD YOUNG
HSD (6 - 1) VEGAS FIGHT CLUB (5 - 1)
KAI HOLLENBECK 170 JON MACDONALD
HMC TEAM ISLAND THUNDER
RICHARDSON SUNGA 145 JERELL MUNOZ
VEGAS FIGHT CLUB HSD
TONY BELEN 160 HARRISON KOLO
INNER CIRCLE PAPAKOLEA FIGHT CLUB
JASON LOPES 185 KAWIKA PAIA
JESUS IS LORD PAPAKOLEA FIGHT CLUB
KOLOA KAHALEWAI 225 KINGSTON PATCHO
TEAM ANILAND TEAM DEVASTATION
KANA LOA 110 RIN DAO
BANGAHZVILLE BULLSPEN
PIN DAO 100 JERMICHAEL
BULLSPEN NAKOA FIGHT TEAM
DIDO RODRIGUES 95 WESLEY DENIGO
WAIANAE KICKBOXING BULLSPEN
JAMES OWANA 300 OTO KAHALEWAI
WESSIDE CONNECTION TEAM ANILAND
MANA WOOLSEY 130 ISIAH MANALO
4TH ROAD KICKBOXING EAST OAHU FIGHT CLUB
KOICHI TANJI 135 ISIAH GANABAN
HMC WESSIDE CONNECTION
TONY PERERA 140 PULL OUT DUE TO INJURY
WAIANAE KICKBOXING
DAVIN KIM 125 JULIO MORENO
FIVE - 0 BOXING CLUB BULLSPEN
JUDE 230 RANCE BROWN
TEAM DEVASTATION PAPAKOLEA FIGHT CLUB
EZEKIEL LOPES 195 BRANDON MARTIN
NAKOA FIGHT CLUB 4TH ROAD KICKBOXING
NUI WHEELER 140 RYAN LEE
TEAM SOLJAH BULLSPEN
KEITH CRESPO 125 BRANDON AMANONCE
PAPAKOLEA FIGHT CLUB TEAM DEVASTATION
MAIKA TALEIAI 150 RICHARD BERNARD
EWA FREESTYLE GRAPPLING HSD
DAVID LUI 135 SHONE KIM
HMC PAPAKOLEA FIGHT CLUB
THOMAS MATHIAS 135 JUMAR ESCOSIO
WAIANAE KICKBOXING EWA FREESTYLE GRAPPLING
TICKETS AVAILABLE AT ALL PARTICIPATING SCHOOLS OR CALL 699-5290.
PARTICIPANTS AND MATCHES MAY BE SUBJECT TO CHANGE.
Source: Event Promoter
|
PIP
Postponed to May 5th!
All scheduled Punishment In Paradise events will be postponed
to May 5th.
If
you have any questions, you may contact Brennan at bdkamaka@comcast.com
Source:
Brennan Kamaka
|
Wrestlers
vying for state titles
Nohara and Watase can wrap up their fourth straight championships
By Paul Honda
phonda@starbulletin.com
»
State Wrestling: Division by Division
In the art of combat, few champions will let a single word stray.
In
fact, when it comes to wrestling, the norm is as follows:
»
Most coaches never accept the status of being the favorite.
» Fear, of missing the cut at weigh-in, of a severe mistake
on the mat, of anything in general, cannot be ignored.
»
Nearly every wrestler has no clue what his or her exact overall
win-loss record is, or won't admit to knowing it.
When
the Chevron/HHSAA State Wrestling Championships begin tomorrow,
there will be top seeds in 25 classes -- 14 on the boys side,
11 in the girls tournament.
Only
two of them, Randolyn "Hoku" Nohara of Kamehameha and
Carla Watase of Iolani, have a chance to win a fourth state crown.
Punahou
is the favorite in the boys team competition, though Kamehameha
gave the Buffanblu a run in the Interscholastic League of Honolulu
championships last weekend.
Challengers
from the Oahu Interscholastic Association and Maui Interscholastic
League could make it very interesting. Kaiser captured the OIA
title, upsetting perennial powerhouse Kahuku.
"We
have a big group of sophomores who came in last year as freshmen,"
longtime coach Mike Kim said. "This is a tough sport, and
normally, we lose a lot of the freshmen. This group stuck it
out. That's what makes 'em special."
Baldwin
squeezed in to win the MIL championship. Dark-horse contenders
include Aiea, Pearl City, Saint Louis, Iolani and Lahainaluna.
Kim,
now in his 16th year as head coach, sees the road to a state
title through Buffanblu-tinted glasses.
"Punahou
is so strong. On paper, everyone else is fighting for second,"
he said. "For us to win it, it'll take a lot of help from
other teams. Punahou has qualified all 14 of their wrestlers.
"In
preseason, they were head and shoulders ahead of everybody, but
that gap has closed. Come state-tournament time, anything can
happen. We just want to be in position to have a chance."
Kahuku,
which won the OIA girls title, is a consensus favorite. Farrington,
which lost to the Red Raiders by only six points, is also loaded
with talent and experience.
Iolani
won the ILH girls title last weekend, edging Kamehameha by only
two points. Leadership is a key component for the Raiders, who
do not suit up anyone at 125 and 170.
"We've
had great leadership," coach Yoshi Honda said, referring
to Watase. "In basketball and some other sports, you can
do a lot for your teammates. In wrestling, it's very rare to
make people around you better and that's what she does."
Honda
has seen just about everything in his years as a wrestler and
coach. After winning three state titles at Radford, he was an
assistant at Iolani for 13 seasons under Carl Schroers before
taking the helm for the past decade. His biggest concern after
Iolani won the league title on Saturday was the seeding process
that followed on Sunday.
He
came away from the HHSAA meeting satisfied.
One
of the more closely watched divisions could be the boys 145,
where Richard Torres of Kahuku and Josh Plechaty of Punahou could
square off. Torres and Plechaty have banged heads many times
already this season. In his three seasons, Torres has two second-place
finishes and a third. Plechaty won the 103 class as a freshman,
but didn't place as a sophomore (119) and was fourth last season
at 140.
"We
both want it pretty badly," Plechaty said.
Aside
from Punahou, Lahainaluna's boys are sitting comfortably with
10 qualified wrestlers, all of whom will have a bye through the
qualifying round. Only four Lunas will wrestle in the opening
round for qualification.
Other
boys teams look like this: Kamehameha, nine (plus four unqualified);
Kahuku, eight (plus two); Iolani, eight (plus two): Kaiser, seven
(plus four); Punahou, five (plus eight); Saint Louis, five (plus
five).
The
girls numbers favor the powers: Kahuku, nine (all qualified);
Farrington, nine (all qualified); Iolani, eight (plus one); Kamehameha,
seven (plus two); Lahainaluna, six (plus two).
"Wrestling
is won on the backside," said former Pac-Five coach Keith
Matsumoto, who assists the HHSAA. "So, one kid who pins
in a match in the consolation bracket can make a big difference.
"People
might not understand how important that is. That's why it's the
ultimate team sport."
BACK
TO TOP
State
Wrestling: Division by Division
Here's a breakdown of the top wrestlers, all league champions,
in each weight class.
GIRLS
98
1. Taylor Ibera, Farrington; 2. Macy Yonamine, Kamehameha; 3.
Renee Michell, Kealakehe; 4. Lianne Gumboc, Baldwin.
Pin
points: Ibera won the consolation title last year. ... Gumboc
lost in the qualifying round. ... Yonamine dominated the ILH
meet with two falls followed by a 14-0 win in the final.
103
1.
Keiko Akamine, Iolani; 2. Ren Yamashita, Aiea; 3. Alexandra Aoki,
Konawaena; 4. Maria Sedano, Lanai.
Pin
points: Akamine had won by fall twice, then won her ILH title
match 9-1. She lost in last year's state final to Castle's Candace
Sakamoto. ... Yamashita was ousted in the qualifying round of
states last season.
108
1.
Carla Watase, Iolani; 2. Tehani Ibarra, St. Anthony; 3. Samantha
Batoon, Farrington; 4. Bethly Carmelotes, Kealakehe.
Pin
points: Watase won titles at 98 and 103 (twice) and has a 134-2
career record in Hawaii. Observers believe Batoon could push
Watase, however. ... Ibarra reached the quarterfinal round last
year.
114
1.
Megan Morisada, Iolani; 2. Victoria Milanio, Lahainaluna; 3.
Shina Tohara, Kealakehe; 4. Joy Yamashita, Aiea.
Pin
points: Morisada won three tight matches, including a 4-3 win
over Danica Auna (Kahuku) last year to win the crown. She got
past Reiko Campos 2-0 in the ILH final on Saturday.
120
1.
Tani Ader, Farrington; 2. Raena Campos, Kamehameha; 3. Alyssa
Morimoto, Baldwin; 4. Danielle Hubbard, Konawaena.
Pin
points: Ader was second in the state as a freshman (108) and
won the crown as a sophomore (114). ... Campos, the younger sister
of Reiko, reached the state final last season before losing to
Chirae Pascua of Mililani. ... Morimoto reached the state quarterfinals
at 114 last year.
125
1.
Danica Auna, Kahuku; 2. Ariella Ing, Moanalua; 3. Kiana Parilla,
Kamehameha; 4. Mary Brzezowski, Kamehameha-Hawaii.
Pin
points: Auna moved up two classes after taking the 114 title
a year ago. ... Ing pinned her first two foes last year in the
130 division before losing in the final to Piikea Kalalau (Baldwin).
... Parilla reached the 130 quarterfinals last year. This season,
she pinned both opponents in the ILH championships. ... Brzezowski
lost in the first round of the 114 class last season.
130
1.
Piikea Kalalau, Baldwin; 2. Amanda Keliihoomalu, Kahuku; 3. Jt
Ojerio, Punahou; 4. Grillena Jack, Hilo.
Pin
points: Kalalau is the defending champ in this class. ... Keliihoomalu
lost in the first round of the 125 class last year. ... Ojerio
made it to the 125 quarterfinals last time. She pinned both foes
at the ILH championships. ... Jack lost in the first round of
the 140 division last year.
140
1.
Kara Takasaki, Punahou; 2. Stephanie Geltmacher, Kalaheo; 3.
Jaime "Hoku" Kubota, Kamehameha-Maui, 4. Erenia Michell,
Kealakehe.
Pin
points: Takasaki was dominant last year, pinning all of her foes
en route to the state title. She also pinned her foes in Saturday's
ILH championships. ... Geltmacher lost to Takasaki in last year's
quarterfinals. ... Kubota lost in last season's first round to
Geltmacher. 155
1.
Amanda Soliai, Kahuku; 2. Kulia McGurn, Kamehameha-Maui; 3. Lindsey
Tufono, Iolani; 4. Kacie Davis, Kamehameha-Hawaii.
Pin
points: Soliai pinned her first three foes before losing to Moanalua's
Alicia Fu 2-1 in last year's state final. ... Tufono, daughter
of former Iolani football standout Junior Tufono, lost in the
quarterfinals of the 175 class last year. ... McGurn lost in
the first round last season.
175
1.
Ashlee Lilo, Farrington; 2. Kailee Andrade, Baldwin; 3. Ariel
Moniz, Hilo; 4. Rebecca Jong, Punahou.
Pin
points: Lilo dropped down a class this year after losing in last
season's 220 semifinals to Iolani's Olivia Fatongia. ... Andrade
reached the quarterfinals last season. ... Moniz lost in the
first round last year. ... Jong was in the 155 class last season,
falling to Alicia Fu in the quarterfinals.
220
1.
Randolyn "Hoku" Nohara, Kamehameha; 2. Olivia Fatongia,
Iolani; 3. Vicky Green, Waianae; 4. Naoli Weller, Hilo.
Pin
points: Nohara has been unstoppable throughout her career, but
has experienced some level of resistance from Fatongia in the
past.
BOYS
103
1. Jordan Lai, Saint Louis; 2. Robbie Herbst, Baldwin; 3. Jason
Spiker, Kaiser; 4. Keian Shon, Hilo.
Pin
points: Lai is undefeated, on track after losing in the state
quarterfinals last season. ... Herbst reached the semifinals
last season before losing to Punahou's Bryson Fukushima. ...
Shon lost in the qualifying round last year. ... Lai's toughest
foe could be Brysson Morita of Iolani, who lost to Lai 4-3 in
the ILH final.
112
1.
Mark Caberto, Saint Louis; 2. Richie Mitchell, Honokaa; 3. Bill
Takeuchi, Pearl City; 4. Rodrigo Tabladillo Jr., Lahainaluna.
Pin
points: Caberto (30-1) reached the semifinal round last year.
... Mitchell lost in last year's first round in the 103 division.
... Takeuchi lost in last year's 103 quarterfinals. ... Bryson
Fukushima of Punahou could be a sleeper. Last year's state 103
champ lost to Caberto 3-2 in the ILH final.
119
1.
Reid Oshiro, Punahou; 2. Branden Mina, Waipahu; 3. Stanley Nakamura,
Kamehameha-Maui; 4. Nick Lafarga, Kealakehe.
Pin
points: Oshiro is back after finishing second at 112 last year
to Mina, who drew the second seed in this class. ... Nakamura
lost in the first round at 112 last season to Nick Matayoshi
(Iolani). ... Lafarga reached the 112 quarterfinals last year.
... Matayoshi is a dark horse here after losing to Oshiro in
the ILH final 1-0.
125
1.
Travis Okano, Lahainaluna; 2. Arnold Toriumi, Punahou; 3. Chad
Diamond, Mililani; 4. Ryan Higa, Waiakea.
Pin
points: Okano was the 119 champion a year ago. ... Diamond was
ousted in the qualifying round last season.
130
1.
Jaysen Patao, Baldwin; 2. Keani Nishigaya, Saint Louis, 3. Leonard
Transfiguracion, Kealakehe; 4. Chayne Chang, Farrington.
Pin
points: Patao reached the 125 final last year. ... Nishigaya
was fifth at 119 in 2005 and third at 125 last season. He was
dominant in the ILH championships and is 24-0. ... Transfiguracion
is the latest in a line of outstanding brothers from West Hawaii.
He lost in the quarterfinals last year. ... Chang was ousted
in the 119 quarterfinals last year.
135
1.
Kamaehu Matsuoka, Konawaena; 2. Kelii Palencia, Kamehameha; 3.
Matthew Higa, Aiea; 4. Chris Kaleikini, Baldwin.
Pin
points: Still one of the most competitive divisions, Matsuoka
reached the semifinal round last year. ... Palencia jumped three
divisions after placing second at 119 last season. ... Higa lost
in the first round last year. ... Kaleikini reached the 130 semifinals.
140
1.
Daniel Chow, Punahou; 2. Reynell Transfiguracion, Kealakehe;
3. Brock Bal, Aiea; 4. Daniel Quinlan, Lahainaluna.
Pin
points: Chow, last year's 135 champion, won't have to face nemesis
Richard Torres (145). Neither will Transfiguracion, who lost
to Torres in the 135 quarterfinals. ... Bal lost in the first
round at 135. ... Kamehameha's Omar Mirza, who pushed Chow to
the edge in the ILH final, is a definite contender.
145
1.
Richard Torres, Kahuku; 2. Josh Plechaty, Punahou; 3. Cody Mendoza,
King Kekaulike; 4. Junior Fisher, Hawaii Prep.
Pin
points: Fisher lost in last year's qualifying round.
152
1.
Lake Casco, Lahainaluna; 2. Garrett Cockett, Moanalua; 3. Brad
Tamashiro, Hilo; 4. Shane Irish, Iolani.
Pin
points: Casco lost in the 145 semifinals last year. ... Cockett
reached the semifinal round. ... Irish made it to the 140 semifinals.
160
1.
Clinton Manley, Molokai; 2. Lowen Tynanes-Perez, Campbell; 3.
Keola Williams, Iolani; 4. Tyson Anderson, Keaau.
Pin
points: Manley is back to defend his title. ... Tynanes-Perez
advanced to the 152 semifinals a year ago. ... Williams lost
in the quarterfinals last season.
171
1.
Landon Kerbow, King Kekaulike; 2. Clinton Criado, Kaiser; 3.
Truman Chun, Kamehameha; 4. Luke Knittle, Konawaena.
Pin
points: Kerbow is back after losing to Mike Egesdal in the final
last year. ... Chun went to the semifinal round, where he lost
to Kerbow. ... Knittle lost in the first round. ... Iolani's
James Fitzpatrick is the dark horse after losing to Chun by just
one point in the ILH final.
189
1.
Daymon Carr, Kahuku; 2. Brandon Kingsbury-Santiago, Kealakehe;
3. Jamin Meletia, Kamehameha; 4. Keloni Kamalani, Kamehameha-Maui.
Pin
points: Carr was a semifinalist in the 152 class last year. ...
Cody Kamakana of Iolani is clearly a contender. He lost to Meletia
in the ILH final, 5-3.
215
1.
Kazden Ikehara, Kamehameha; 2. Mike Walter, Maui; 3. Joshua Schippman,
Waialua; 4. Justin Shiraki, Konawaena.
Pin
points: Ikehara was solid en route to the ILH title. He was second
last year, losing only to Jared Silva-Purcell of Saint Louis.
... Walter reached the 189 quarterfinals last season. ... Shiraki
lost in last year's first round.
285
1.
Mike Mullen, Leilehua; 2. Mykenna Ikehara, Kamehameha; 3. Michael
Pohina, Kamehameha-Hawaii; 4. Gregory Puaoi, Molokai.
Pin
points: Mullen lost in the 215 quarterfinals last year. ... Ikehara
lost in the qualifying round last season, as did Pohina. ...
Puaoi made it to the quarterfinals. ... Saint Louis' Ana Tuiasosopo,
who lost in sudden death to Ikehara in the ILH final, is another
serious contender.
Source: Star Bulletin
|
The
2007 Hawaii State/Regional Junior Olympic Championships Are Set!
The 2007 Hawaii State/Regional Junior Olympic Championships will
be held on Sat, March 24th, 2007 at 7p.m. Palolo District Park.
Boxers from 8 yrs old to 16 will compete for State titles, with
the 15 and 16 year old champions advancing to the National Junior
Olympics which will be held at the U.S. Olympic Education Center
in Marquette, Michigan on June 25- July 1st. Any questions feel
free to email me back.
Thanks,
Bruce Kawano
Source: Bruce Kawano
|
Rough
Morning for "The Iceman"
by Josh Gross
Memo
to Chuck Liddell's future opponents: Slip the UFC light heavyweight
champion a NyQuil-based mickey and you should have a much better
chance of taking the belt.
In
Dallas to promote Warner Bros. latest theatric release "300,"
Liddell appeared on Good Morning Texas Thursday. From the outset
Liddell was not lucid, as he slurred his words and had difficulty
putting together sentences.
The
UFC champ told Sherdog.com via text messaging that he is very
ill and had taken "NyQuil too late."
"I
couldn't understand a thing [Liddell] was saying," GMT host
Gary Cogill said later for a video piece on the WFFA Channel
8 Web site.
"He
takes a lot of Nyquil when he's sick," said Liddell's trainer,
John Hackleman. "He goes to bed at 4 a.m. and wakes up at
noon, so if they got him up in the morning I can see how he'd
be like that."
During
the interview, Cogill interjected and asked Liddell if he was
OK. Later, Coghill said Liddell momentarily fell asleep.
"I've
seen him really close to that before," said Hackleman.
During
the conversation with Cogill, Liddell was asked when his next
bout would be and whom he would like to fight. "The Iceman"
answered that he would return to the Octagon in May. Stammering
to recall the name of an opponent, he eventually mentioned boxer
Tommy Morrison.
Asked
about Morrison, Liddell told Sherdog.com that he was "joking"
about the Rocky V star several days ago. Forced to retire from
professional boxing after testing positive for the HIV virus
in 1996, Morrison was in the news recently after tests no longer
showed any traces of the virus known to cause AIDS. Morrison
boxed in West Virginia Thursday, Feb. 22, winning by knockout.
Source: Sherdog
|
Gomi
to try for revenge in April
The man to beat Minotouro should also fight again shortly
Pride
president, Nobuyuki Sakakibara said he is surprised with the
way Takanori Gomi lost to Nick Diaz: submitted by gogoplata.
In an interview after Pride 33, which took place this Saturday,
the leader of the Japanese organization commented on the loss
to the Japanese fans: “Gomi vs Diaz was a great fight, but
Gomi went in unprepared and was very stressed out before the
fight. Gomi will recover and we will have a revenge match in
April. They may even participate in the lightweight GP to take
place in May, said Sakakibara.
To
the big boss, another one that should return soon is Sokondjou,
who beat Rogério Minotouro. “You might think it was
unfortunate (the knockout of the Brazilian in only 23 seconds),
but I knew of his potential. Sokondjou will be back in April
and it will be a great fight, whoever his opponent might be,"
he declared.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Quote
of the Day
“There's
no substitute for guts.”
Paul "Bear" Bryant, 1913-1983, Hall of Fame American
College Football Coach.
|
PRIDE
FIGHTER SALARIES FOR THE SECOND COMING
MMAWeekly has obtained the fighter salary information for Pride
33: The Second Coming, which took place on Saturday, February
24th in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The
following figures are from the fighter salary information that
Dream Stage Entertainment was required by law to submit to the
Nevada State Athletic Commission. Although MMA fighters are not
unionized, the fighters' salaries are still public record in
the United States, just as with every other major sport in the
US.
The
question of, "How much do Pride's fighters make when they
fight in Japan?" still remains unanswered, but the fighter
salaries for this event do provide a great deal of insight into
this question.
Given
that Pride's Japan-based shows often fill the 35,000-seat Saitama
Super Arena, it's likely that the salaries for the USA event
were smaller than the salaries for a show in Japan, but it's
unlikely that the two sets of numbers would be drastically different
from one another.
Just
as with UFC fighter salaries, any undisclosed bonuses that Pride
also pays its fighters, but does not disclose to the athletic
commissions, are not reflected in the figures below.
As
with UFC salaries, we're listing "Main Event Fighters,"
"Main Card Fighters," and "Preliminary Fighters."
All non-main-event fighter for this card are listed below as
"Main Card Fighters" because there were no preliminary
bouts on this card. None of the fights were taped before the
show went on the air, so there were no "Preliminary Fighters."
Though
our listings still note which fighters won their fights and which
fighters lost, there were no winners' bonuses on this card. In
addition, next to each fighter's name is the number of fights
that he has had in Pride.
Main
Event Fighters
-Wanderlei
Silva: $150,000 (28th fight in Pride; lost to Dan Henderson in
main event)
-Dan
Henderson: $50,000 (18th fight in Pride; defeated Wanderlei Silva
in main event)
Main
Card Fighters
-Mauricio
"Shogun" Rua: $50,000 (13th fight in Pride; defeated
Alistair Overeem)
-Takanori
Gomi: $20,000 (15th fight in Pride; lost to Nick Diaz)
-Antonio
Rogerio Nogueira: $20,000 (10th fight in Pride; lost to Rameau
Thierry Sokoudjou)
-Nick
Diaz: $15,000 (1st fight in Pride; defeated Takanori Gomi)
-Joachim
Hansen: $15,000 (6th fight in Pride; defeated Jason Ireland)
-Hayato
Sakurai: $10,000 (11th fight in Pride; defeated Mac Danzig)
-Frank
Trigg: $10,000 (2nd fight in Pride; defeated Kazuo Misaki)
-Kazuo
Misaki: $10,000 (8th fight in Pride; lost to Frank Trigg)
-Sergei
Kharitonov: $10,000 (11th fight in Pride; defeated Mike Russow)
-Alistair
Overeem: $10,000 (14th fight in Pride; lost to Mauricio "Shogun"
Rua)
-Travis
Wiuff: $10,000 (1st fight in Pride; lost to James Lee)
-Rameau
Thierry Sokoudjou: $10,000 (1st fight in Pride; defeated Antonio
Rogerio Nogueira)
-Mac
Danzig: $10,000 (1st fight in Pride; lost to Hayato Sakurai)
-Jason
Ireland: $10,000 (1st fight in Pride; lost to Joachim Hansen)
-Mike
Russow: $10,000 (1st fight in Pride; lost to Sergei Kharitonov)
-James
Lee: $10,000 (1st fight in Pride; defeated Travis Wiuff)
Disclosed
Fighter Payroll: $430,000
Source: MMA Weekly |
TRIGG
BREAKS DOWN PRIDE 33 ON RADIO TONIGHT
Frank "Twinkle Toes" Trigg, fresh off a unanimous decision
win over #4 ranked middleweight Kazuo Misaki, joins hosts Damon
Martin and Jeff Cain on MMAWeekly SoundOff Radio tonight 9PM
EST 6PM PT to discuss his fight and the aftermath of what ended
up being one of the grestest mixed martial arts events in history,
Pride 33, "The Second Coming."
The
fighter/broadcaster pulled double duty Saturday night, fighting
victoriously in the second bout of the evening then accompanying
the rest of the broadcast team to call the action.
Since
his brief retirement, and moving from the welterweight to the
middleweight division, Trigg has put together back to back wins
over Jason "Mayhem" Miller and Kasuo Misaki. He is scheduled to
defend his ICON Sport Middleweight Championship March 31st against
Robbie Lawler in Hawaii.
Don't
miss tonight's show. YOU KNOW!!
Source: MMA Weekly
|
WANDERLEI
SILVA POST-FIGHT INTERVIEW
Prior to Saturday night, Wanderlei Silva was the only man in
history to hold the Pride Middleweight Championship. That distinction
no longer holds true. Silva suffered one of the most crushing
defeats of his entire career at the Thomas & Mack Center
in Las Vegas, Nev. where Dan Henderson knocked him out with a
left hook that left him sprawled on the canvas.
After
a morning of reflection, Wanderlei spoke with members of the
media to discuss his thoughts on the fight. Obviously he was
rather disappoint saying through interpreters that, “I didn’t
expect to lose the belt this way.” And of course, he is
hopeful of a rematch.
Not
making any excuses, Wanderlei also talked about having to make
a trip to the hospital the day before the fight.
Check
out the entire interview now in MMAWeekly TV’s In The Cage.
If you’re not already an MMAWeekly.com Premium Member, you
can become a Premium Member for just $5 bucks a month and gain
complete access to MMAWeekly’s vast library of videos and
the radio show archives.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
A
WORD FROM THE ASIAN SENSATION...
…dis·as·ter
-noun
A
calamitous event, esp. one occurring suddenly and causing great
loss of life, damage, or hardship, as a flood, airplane crash,
or business failure.
Operating
under financial turmoil, DSE continued forward with their second
U.S. show in hopes to make a further impact in a market currently
dominated by the UFC. Pride 33: The Second Coming produced many
exciting fights and was easily one of the best events of the
year. Of the nine scheduled fights, only one went to a decision.
So why was it a disaster?
What
makes an organization is its stable of fighters. Pride’s
large roster consists of some of the best fighters in the world.
Any time a marquee fighter loses, it can have an adverse affect
on an organization. In this case, four of Pride’s stars
faltered on a crucial night for the Japanese organization.
2006
Welterweight Grand Prix winner Kazuo Misaki dropped a decision
to the resurging Frank Trigg. Misaki wasn’t able to defend
Trigg’s takedowns and remained relatively inactive from
his guard.
Antonio
Rogerio Nogueira was knocked by relatively unknown Rameau Thierry
Sokoudjou just 23 seconds into the first round. Considered by
many as the next in line for the Pride Middleweight belt, the
shocking loss derailed the Brazilian Top Team fighter’s
momentum.
In
the most intriguing match of the night, Lightweight Champion
Takanori Gomi and former UFC welterweight Nick Diaz produced
an exciting fight in their non-title bout. After gaining the
advantage early on, Gomi was unable to get past Diaz’s reach
and was seemingly exhausted at the end of the first round. Diaz
continued to use his size and reach to frustrate Gomi on their
feet, causing the champion to go for a takedown. Once in Diaz’s
guard, Gomi fell victim to a gogoplata, forcing the Team Rascal
fighter to tap.
Did
I ever mention that I dislike non-title matches?
The
inane non-title fight reared it ugly head again, this time in
a very devastating fashion. Having openly stated that he intends
to challenge the best fighters in the UFC, Gomi’s loss to
Nick Diaz was a huge setback. UFC pundits will view Gomi as a
fighter who couldn’t beat a former Octagon veteran and the
defeat couldn’t come at a worse time. Pride dodged a bullet
when Gomi destroyed Mitsuhiro Ishida at Shockwave 2006 in a non-title
bout but history has repeated itself this past weekend. For Diaz,
he is now a champion without a crown. Expect Pride to schedule
a rematch later this year.
Team
Quest’s Dan Henderson dealt a devastating blow to Pride
by knocking out long reigning Middleweight Champion Wanderlei
Silva. DSE hoped to continue promoting Silva as the man who would
dethrone UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Chuck Liddell but it’s
highly unlikely the match-up will materialize any time soon.
The opening highlight video hyped Wanderlei with phrases such
as “Is he a god?” and “Is he the devil?”
He was neither. Dan Henderson turned out to be more than just
a stepping stone. Although Silva has fallen, it’s still
possible to push Dan Henderson or Mauricio “Shogun”
Rua into the spotlight. A potential match-up between Liddell
and Rua is very intriguing.
Ed
Fishman’s recent comments further add to the chaos for DSE.
The President of Pride USA issued a challenge to the UFC to put
each organization’s top two fighters in each of the four
weight classes against each other in a best-of-eight “Winner
Take All” format. Both companies would put up $20 million
and the first organization to win 5 of the 8 bouts would take
home the $40 million prize. After Saturday night, I believe laughter
could be heard somewhere in Las Vegas and the voice had an uncanny
resemblance to that of Dana White.
So
can things get any worse for Pride? We will found out in about
a week.
When
it Rain, it Pours.
The
fallout from Yoshihiro Akiyama’s greasing scandal continues.
It appears that Shi Sei Do, a cosmetic company, has cancelled
the Judoka’s TVCF contract due to an overwhelming amount
of complaints and protest by the Japanese public. Coupled with
the rumor that K-1 has/intends to relieve him of his services,
Akiyama’s future career in MMA looks rather grim.
Long
Overdue
Vitor
“Shaolin” Ribeiro will finally make his debut in a
major organization. With an impressive record of 17-1, the former
Shooto Champion is scheduled to face Ryuki Ueyama at K-1 Hero’s
Nagoya Rainbow Hall show on March 12th. The addition of Ribeiro
should bolster Hero’s lightweight division.
Fights
scheduled so far:
Ali
Ibrahim vs. Caol Uno
Kazuyuki
Miyata vs. Black Mamba
Hiroyuki
Takaya vs. Andre Dida
Vitor
“Shaolin” Ribiero vs. Ryuki Ueyama
Katsuhiko
Ngata vs. Hideo Tokoro
Baka
Survivor
Shinya
Aoki proved that his first win over Akira Kikuchi wasn’t
an accident. The 167-pound Shooto Champion successfully retained
his title with a split decision victory over the Killer Bee fighter
in a highly anticipated rematch. Split decision? I thought Aoki
won the first two rounds convincingly and the third was relatively
even. Regardless, Aoki was victorious and further impressed fans
with his grappling prowess. I can’t wait to see Shinya when
the Pride Lightweight Grand Prix kicks off in May.
Hisae
Falters
One
of my favorite female MMA fighters, Hisae Watanabe, lost a decision
to Korea’s Su Hi Ham at DEEP 28th Impact in a non-title
bout. The DEEP Women’s Champion was unable to get past Ham’s
technically superior striking. Ham took the fight to Watanabe
and it was hard to watch Hisae block all of those shots with
her face. Ham landed straight punches at will and was able to
withstand Hisae’s punching power. Coming in as a big underdog,
Su Hi Ham was very impressive in her MMA debut.
Ken
Kaneko…
…I
will miss you. Ok, I lied
K-1
Hero’s American Debut
Back
in December, FEG President Sadaharu Tanikawa stated in an interview
that K-1 Hero’s would make its U.S. debut in 2007. In a
recent article with Nikkansports, Tanikawa said the first American
show would be held on May 19th in Las Vegas. K-1 is planning
to co-headline the event with former WWE star Brock Lesnar and
UFC pioneer Royce Gracie. If K-1 can improve its matchmaking,
it could potentially make an impact in the U.S. One thing is
for certain, K-1 has more money than Pride.
MMAos
February
is MMAos month. Are you wearing your official MMAos t-shirt?
Source: MMA Weekly
|
UFC
68 Saturday Afternoon
UFC 68 The Uprising
Oceanic Digital 701 (PPV)
Live 5:00 to 8:00 pm
Replay 8:00 to 11:00 PM
Heavyweight Title
Tim Sylvia vs Randy Couture
Matt Hughes vs Chris Lytle
Rich Franklin vs Jason MacDonald
Babalu Sobral vs Jason Lambert
|
Kickin
It 2007 Part 2
WHAT -
KICKIN IT 2007 PART 2
WHEN - MARCH 3, 2007 SATURDAY
WHERE - WAIPAHU FILCOM CENTER
IF YOU THINK OUR FIRST KICKIN IT 2007 WAS A GOOD CARD. CHECK
OUT THIS LINE UP. SOME OF THE MOST TALENTED AMATEUR KICKBOXERS
WILL BE FOUND HERE ON KICKIN IT MARCH 3RD. OTHER PROMOTERS WILL
BE LOOKING TO USE THESE GUYS TO HIGHLIGHT THERE SHOWS IN THE
FUTURE. A LOT OF THE BEST FIGHTERS COME THRU THE KICKIN IT CIRCUIT
FIRST. THIS IS WHERE THEY START A FOUNDATION. (NO FOUNDATION
- NO BUILDING).
SUNSEA FERGUSON 165 BRADLEY ARAKAKI
TEAM DEVASTATION PAPAKOLEA FIGHT CLUB
BENJI "ENDLESS" RODRIGUES 172 TODD YOUNG
HSD (6 - 1) VEGAS FIGHT CLUB (5 - 1)
JOSH BAKER 170 JON MCDONALD
EWA FREESTYLE GRAPPLING TEAM ISLAND THUNDER
RICHARDSON SUNGA 145 JERELL MUNOZ
VEGAS FIGHT CLUB HSD
TONY BELEN 160 HARRISON KOLO
INNER CIRCLE PAPAKOLEA FIGHT CLUB
JASON LOPES 185 KAWIKA PAIA
JESUS IS LORD PAPAKOLEA FIGHT CLUB
KOLOA KAHALEWAI 225 KINGSTON PATCHO
TEAM ANILAND TEAM DEVASTATION
KANA LOA 110 RIN DAO
BANGAHZVILLE BULLSPEN
PIN DAO 100 JERMICHAEL
BULLSPEN NAKOA FIGHT TEAM
RICKY MURILLO 155 CLINT KEALOHA
BANGAHZ VILLE WESSIDE CONNECTION
DIDO RODRIGUES 95 WESLEY DENIGO
WAIANAE KICKBOXING BULLSPEN
JAMES OWANA 300 OTO KAHALEWAI
WESSIDE CONNECTION TEAM ANILAND
MANA WOOLSEY 130 ISIAH MANALO
4TH ROAD KICKBOXING EAST OAHU FIGHT CLUB
KOICHI TANJI 135 TBA
HMC
TONY PERERA 140 PULL OUT DUE TO INJURY
WAIANAE KICKBOXING
DAVIN KIM 125 JULIO MORENO
FIVE - 0 BOXING CLUB BULLSPEN
JUDE 230 RANCE BROWN
TEAM DEVASTATION PAPAKOLEA FIGHT CLUB
EZEKIEL LOPES 195 BRANDON MARTIN
NAKOA FIGHT CLUB 4TH ROAD KICKBOXING
NUI WHEELER 140 RYAN LEE
TEAM SOLJAH BULLSPEN
KEITH CRESPO 125 BRANDON AMANONCE
PAPAKOLEA FIGHT CLUB TEAM DEVASTATION
MAIKA TALEIAI 150 RICHARD BERNARD
EWA FREESTYLE GRAPPLING HSD
DAVID LUI 135 SHONE KIM
HMC PAPAKOLEA FIGHT CLUB
TICKETS AVAILABLE AT ALL PARTICIPATING SCHOOLS OR CALL 699-5290.
PARTICIPANTS AND MATCHES MAY BE SUBJECT TO CHANGE.
Source: Promoter
|
Island
Warriors
Saturday,
March 17, 2007
Maui War Memorial Gym
Fights start at 6 pm
Source: Promoter |
Kickboxing
Benefit Event for Mrs. Faagai
March 25, 2007
This kickboxing event was put together to help raise funds to
help Mrs. Faagai who is fighting off cancer. Please come out
and support this event to help the Faagai family. Her son, Jacob
Faagai will be returning to the ring to headline the event.
Here are the event details (more to follow as it becomes available)
Kickboxing Benefit Event
Waianae H.S. Gym, Waianae, Hawaii
March 25, 2007
Source: Brennan Kamaka
|
Xande
Riberio DVD Out Soon & Filmed in Hawaii!
The documentary
about current Absolute Black Belt World Champion Xande Riberio
is being pre-sold at http://www.bjjmart.com. Check out the training
background of Xande under the guidance of multiple time Black
Belt World Champion brother Saulo Riberio as Xande prepared for
the Mundials and how Xande finally claimed the championship and
the title of best Jiu-Jitsu practioner on the planet!
Here
is the summary on www.bjjmart.com:
Xande
Ribeiro Road to a Championship DVD
"The Road To A Championship"
The
road to the top is built on sacrifice, dedication and a lot of
heart
Everybody
wants to be a champion but very few people have what it takes.
This is the history about one person’s dream to be the best
and the road he took to get there. Xande Ribeiro went to Oahu,
Hawaii in June 2006 for the last stages of preparation for the
biggest challenge of his life: Win the Absolute in the World
BJJ Tournament.
In
the "The Road To A Championship" you will be able to
follow Xande’s training including some special water exercises.
You will hear directly from him, the mental approach and fight
strategies that led to his success. Additionally Xande showcases
some of his favorite techniques that he has used successfully
in competition including the 2006 World Championships
Pre-Order
only expected ship date March 14th
DVD
50 minutes
Source: JD |
|
