Upcoming
Events
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event on Onzuka.com?
Contact Us
(All events on Oahu, unless noted)
2007
11/10/07
Aloha State
Championship of BJJ
(BJJ/Sub Grappling)
(Klum Gym UH Manoa)
8/12/07
Punishment
In Paradise 17
(MMA & Kickboxing)
(Hawaiian Waters, Kapolei)
7/28/07
Maui Jiu-Jitsu Tournament
(BJJ & Sub Grappling)
(Maui War Memorial Gymnasium, Wailuku, Maui)
7/21/07
Garden Island Cage Match 6
(Kickboxing, MMA)
(Hanapepe Stadium, Kauai)
7/13/07
Hawaii Fighting Championships: Stand Your Ground 3
(Kickboxing & MMA)
(Dole Cannery Ballroom)
6/30/07
Icon Sport: Fearless
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena)
6/23/06
Ultimate Fight Night
(BJ Penn vs Jens Pulver)
(Spike TV)
6/22/07
Got
Skills
(Kickboxing/MMA)
(Waipahu Filcom)
6/16/07
Hawaiian Open of BJJ
(BJJ/Sub Grappling)
(Klum Gym UH Manoa)
6/12/07 or 6/13/07
Full Contact Showdown
(San Shou, Kickboxing, MMA)
6/3/07
The Quest for Champions 2007
(Sport-Pankration, Submission-Grappling, Continuous Sparring
and Sport-Jujitsu)
(Saint Louis High School Gym)
5/27/07
Benefit Concert for the 2007 Hawaii Junior Olympic Boxing Team
(Ewa Ranch, Ewa Beach)
5/26/07
Memorial Day Mayhem
(Kickboxing)
(Kalaheo High School Gym)
5/20/07
Pride
Fighting Championships:
(PPV)
(Lightweight Grand Prix)
5/19/07
Kickin it
(Kickboxing)
(Waipahu Filcom Center)
5/12/07
Punishment In Paradise: Untouchables
(Kickboxing)
(Hawaiian Waters, Kapolei)
USA-Boxing Hawaii Fundraising Event
(Boxing)
(Palolo Gym)
5/5/07
ROTR Qualifer: Beat Down 3
(MMA)
(Hilo Civic Center, Hilo)
4/28/07
Pride
Fighting Championships:
(PPV)
(Thomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas, NV)
Maui MMA Event
(MMA)
(Maui)
K-1 World GP
(Kickboxing)
(Honolulu)
4/27/07
XMA
(MMA, Kickboxing)
4/24/07
Professional Boxing
(Boxing)
(Waipahu Filcom Center)
4/20/07
Kickin It 2007 Part 3
(Kickboxing)
(Filcom Center, Waipahu)
4/7/07
Got Skills
(Kickboxing)
(Waipahu Filcom Center)
Papakolea Jiu-Jitsu Club Tournament
(BJJ & Sub Grappling)
(King Intermediate, Kaneohe)
4/6/07
Hawaii Fighting Championships: Stand Your Ground 3
(MMA)
(Dole Cannery Ballroom)
4/5/07
Ultimate
Fight Night
(Spike TV)
3/31/07
Icon Sport
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena)
3/25/07
Kickboxing Benefit Event for Mrs. Faagai
(Kickboxing)
(Waianae H.S. Gym)
3/24/07
Garden Island Cage Match
5
(MMA)
(Kauai)
The 2007
Hawaii State/Regional Junior Olympic Championships (Boxing)
(Palolo District Park)
UFC:
Tito Ortiz vs. Dana White boxing match
(Nevada)
*Cancelled*
3/17/07
X-1
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena)
Island Warriors
(MMA)
(Maui War Memorial)
3/13/07
Ultimate
Fight Night
(Spike TV)
3/10/07
Hawaiian Championship of BJJ
(BJJ/Sub Grappling)
(Klum Gym UH Manoa)
3/3/07
UFC 68
(PPV)
(Columbus, Ohio)
Kickin It
(Kickboxing)
(Waipahu Filcom)
2/24/07
Pride Fighting Championships:
(PPV)
(Thomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas, NV)
2/17/06
Got
Skills
(Kickboxing/MMA)
(Waipahu Filcom)
2/16-17/07
USA-Boxing Hawaii State & Regional Championships
(Boxing)
(Palolo District Park Gym)
2/16/07
Punishment
In Paradise 15
(MMA & Kickboxing)
(Hawaiian Waters)
2/9/07
Icon Sports
(MMA & Kickboxing)
(Blaisdell Arena)
2/3/07
UFC
67
(Lutter vs Silva)
(PPV)
2/2/06
Got
Skills & Kickin' It
(Kickboxing/MMA)
(Waipahu Filcom)
1/23/07
Ultimate
Fight Night
(Spike TV)
1/20/07
IFL
(MMA)
1/14/07
NAGA Hawaii
(BJJ & Sub Grappling)
(St. Louis H.S. Gym)
1/13/07
USA Boxing Amateur Boxing
(Boxing)
(Palolo Gym)
1/12/07
K-1 Dynamite
(MMA)
(PPV, 5:00 PM Ch: 701)
|
|
May 2007 News Part
2
|
Casca Grossa Jiu-Jitsu
is now the O2 Martial Arts Academy with 6 days a week training!
We are also offering Escrima (stick fighting) on Monday nights
and Kickboxing Tuesday and Thursday!
Click
here for info!
Take classes from the Onzuka brothers in a family-like environment! |
 
For the special Onzuka.com
price, click on one of these banners above! |
 |
Fighters' Club TV
The Toughest Show On
Teleivision
Tuesdays at 7:00PM
***NEW TIME***
Olelo Channel 52 on Oahu
Akaku on Maui
Check
out the FCTV website! |
Got a question for us? Email info@onzuka.com
or click here to send us
an email.
Fighters'
Club TV LOGO ANIMATION CONTEST
Everyone
knows that Onzuka.com's loyal readers are the most talented in
the state, if not the world! (can you already see where our fluff
complement is going already?) FCTV is looking for a talented
computer graphics whiz to animate our logo for the show. Winner
receives the snazzy RAZE Fightwear shirt and whatever else we
can dig up!
Here
is our logo:
If you have seen the show, you have seen how our old logo has
been animated. We are basically looking to create a cool animation
for our new logo.
We need a long version (10 Seconds) and a short version (3 Seconds)
if possible. Also, any ideas you may have as to what to do with
it would be appreciated too.
Email
entries to: fctv@onzuka.com
Mahalo,
Mark
|
Quote
of the Day
"There
are so many men who can figure costs, and so few who can measure
values."
Source Unknown
|
IFL
2007 First Quarter report
By Zach Arnold
The numbers are in on the IFL’s 2007 First Quarter report
and the verdict is not good. The IFL’s first quarter saw
the company have a net loss of $7 million USD. They claimed $1.6
million USD in revenues, but the cost to obtain that revenue
was $6.4 million USD - $5.6 million USD of it alone for live
event costs. In short, the house shows (and the way they are
poorly promoting events) are killing the company and the IFL
is bleeding cash very quickly. The quarterly report states that
the IFL has $9.2 million USD left in cash and cash equivalents.
Also, IFL Chief Marketing Officer Joel Ehrlich announced his
resignation (effective June 30th).
The
IFL stock price closed at $3.00 USD/share on Tuesday afternoon.
I don’t expect it to stay at $3.00/share. Just based on
the 10k report and today’s filing, the IFL has had a net
loss of $16.6 million USD since the promotion started in 2006.
Related post at Sprawl ‘n Brawl.
Source: Fight Opinion
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Gregor
Gracie to debut in MMA
The Carlos Gracie Jr. black belt to fight at Cage Fury
Yet
another Gracie will be inducted into the world of MMA. This time
it is the turn of Gregor Gracie, who has his MMA debut set for
June 23, in Atlantic City, New Jersey, at Cage Fury Fighting
Championships (GFFC). The Carlos Gracie Jr. black belt will face
the American Josh Lydell, who has four fights on his record,
three of which are losses and only one win. Gregor will fight
for team Renzo Gracie / Ricardo Almeida.
Beyond
Gregor’s debut, the event will include a participation from
the brother of current UFC welterweight champion, Matt Serra,
Nick Serra and the legendary street fighter Kimbo Slice. Out
of the cage, the GFFC will include the presence of a UFC Hall
of Fame member, Dan Severn, as a commentator. The event is sponsored
by the American magnate Donald Trump's group.
Source: Gracie Magazine
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UFC
Fight Night 10
June 12, 2007
Hollywood, Florida
Here is the current card for the next UFC Fight Night card scheduled
to take place June 12th at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel &
Casino in Hollywood, Florida.
The
main card will air live on Spike TV beginning at 9pm.
Lightweights:
Sam Stout (9-2-1) vs. Spencer Fisher (20-3)
Welterweights:
Roan Carneiro (11-5) vs. Jon Fitch (18-2)
Welterweights:
Luigi Fioravanti (11-2) vs. TBA
Welterweights:
Pete Spratt (16-8) vs. Tamdan McCrory
Lightweights:
Gleison Tibau (24-3) vs. TBA
Welterweights:
Steve Bruno vs. TBA
Source: MMA Fighting
|
BUDO
REVIEW: SHOOTO PREVIEW, INOUE DEFENDS
by Ricardo Mendoza
On Friday night in Korakuen Hall, Shooto puts on the latest edition
of its “Back To Our Roots” show with several promising
Class A bouts on tap. In the main event, Shooto Lightweight Champion
“Lion” Takeshi Inoue defends his title for the first
time against Shooto Pacific Rim Lightweight Champion Akitoshi
Tamura.
In
a number one contender’s match in the Shooto Lightweight
division, Pride veteran Hatsu Hioki takes on Shah Franco/AACC
fighter Antonio Carvalho. In another number one contender’s
match in the Shooto Featherweight division, Wajyutsu Keisyukai
A3 fighter Kenji Osawa takes on Nova Uniao fighter Marcos Galvao.
CLASS
A FEATHERWEIGHT BOUT:
ATSUSHI YAMAMOTO VS. KOETSU OKAZAKI
Killer
Bee fighter Atsushi Yamamoto takes on 2004 Shooto Featherweight
Rookie Champion Koetsu Okazaki. Yamamoto has a 10-3-1 record
in MMA and trains out of Killer Bee with Norifumi “Kid”
Yamamoto. Koetsu Okazaki has a 4-0-1 record in MMA and trains
out of Cobra Kai MMA Dojo with Dokonjonosuke Mishima. Yamamoto
last fought at Shooto “Back To Our Roots”, beating
2005 Shooto Featherweight Rookie Champion Takeya Mizugaki by
decision. Okazaki enters this fight coming off of a dominant
decision victory over So Tazawa at Shooto GIG West 6.
Okazaki
has been dominant since he returned to fighting after an 18-month
hiatus and looks to build himself up towards a title shot as
does Yamamoto, who has gone 2-0 since moving down to featherweight.
Both fighters are predominately ground fighters, whoever gets
on top first will have a distinct advantage over their opponent.
Its an interesting fight because the winner sets himself up for
a possible shot at the title down the line. Both fighters are
evenly matched, but I give the slight edge to Yamamoto. He is
the more polished striker of the two and if he gets on top he
has excellent control. In a very close fight, Yamamoto should
be able to pull out a close decision based on the fact of being
more active and being a more polished striker.
Prediction:
Atsushi Yamamoto by decision.
CLASS
A BANTAMWEIGHT BOUT:
MASATOSHI ABE VS. DANIEL OTERO
AACC
fighter Masatoshi Abe takes on Brazilian Jiu Jitsu world champion
Daniel Otero. Abe has a 7-1-1 record in MMA and trains out of
AACC with Hiroyuki Abe. Otero has a 4-0-1 record in MMA and trains
out of Brazil. Abe is coming off a stoppage victory over Junji
Ikoma, breaking Ikoma's orbital bone in July of last year. Otero
stopped Japanese fighter Tomohiro Hashi with strikes at Shooto
Brazil 10.
Abe
is in line for the next shot at the Shooto Bantamweight Championship,
which is held by former friend and teammate “BJ” Kojima.
Otero is a tough opponent, but is nowhere near ready to take
on Abe, who has been on tear since coming back to competition.
Otero’s only shot at winning is catching Abe on the ground
with some type of submission, but Abe should be ready for anything
that Otero has to offer on the ground. On the feet, Abe has a
distinct advantage and he should be able to exploit that to full
effect against Otero. This should be a warm-up fight for Abe
en route to meeting his former teammate for the Shooto Bantamweight
Championship.
Prediction:
Masatoshi Abe by TKO in the first round.
CLASS
A FEATHERWEIGHT BOUT:
KENJI OSAWA VS. MARCOS GALVAO
In
a number one contender’s match for the Shooto Featherweight
Championship, Wajyutsu Keisyukai A3 fighter Kenji Osawa takes
on Nova Uniao fighter Marcos Galvao. Osawa has a 12-5-1 record
in MMA and trains out of Wajyutsu Keisyukai A3 with Hidetaka
Monma. Marcos Galvao has a 5-1 record in MMA and trains out of
Nova Uniao with Vitor “Shaolin” Ribeiro. Osawa recently
knocked out 2005 Shooto Featherweight Rookie Champion Takeya
Mizugaki in November of last year. Galvao is coming off a decision
victory over Shooto veteran Naoya Uematsu at Fury FC 1.
We
have a classic grappler vs. striker match-up here. Both fighters
last loss came to the same opponent in Shooto Featherweight Champion
Akitoshi Hokazono. If Osawa keeps the fight on the feet, it will
only be a matter of time before he lands that big punch that
puts Galvao on his back. Galvao needs to crowd Osawa and set-up
the takedown without getting tagged in the process, taking the
fight to his world.
This
fight has fireworks written all over it and will no doubt live
up to expectations. Osawa seems to be on a mission to become
a champion and he showed tremendous heart in his last fight by
surviving Mizugaki’s onslaught and coming back to knock
him out, this fight should be no different. Galvao will get it
on the ground early, but Osawa will eventually get back to his
feet and take care of business.
Prediction:
Kenji Osawa by KO in the second round.
CLASS
A LIGHTWEIGHT BOUT:
HATSU HIOKI VS. ANTONIO CARVALHO
In
a number one contender’s match in the Shooto Lightweight
division, Pride veteran Hatsu Hioki takes on Shah Franco/AACC
fighter Antonio Carvalho. Hioki has a 12-1-1 record in MMA and
trains out of ALIVE with Daisuke “Amazon” Sugie. Carvalho
has a 9-2 record in MMA and trains out of AACC with Masatoshi
Abe. Hioki won a controversial decision over Mark Hominick at
TKO 28 in a rematch of their first encounter where Hioki choked
out Hominick to win the TKO Featherweight Championship. Carvalho
comes off a stoppage loss to current Shooto Lightweight Champion
“Lion” Takeshi Inoue in May of last year.
This
could no doubt turn out to be the fight of the night with the
amount of skill and talent that both fighters bring to the fight.
Carvalho is coming off a serious knee injury and has been out
of action for a whole year, so ring rust could be a huge factor
in the fight. He also made a change in training having recently
switched camps to AACC under the tutelage of Hiroyuki Abe, which
should improve his stand-up. Hioki has been on a tear the past
couple of years with his only hiccup being a draw with Bao Quach
last year. Hioki will no doubt use his reach advantage over Carvalho
to tag his legs with low kicks to set-up a takedown. Expect both
fighters to be very active on the ground, but I doubt either
fighter will be able to submit the other. In what should be an
exciting fight, Hioki should be able squeak out a close decision
over Carvalho.
Prediction:
Hatsu Hioki by decision.
SHOOTO
LIGHTWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP BOUT:
“LION” TAKESHI INOUE VS. AKITOSHI TAMURA
In
the main event, Shooto Lightweight Champion “Lion”
Takeshi Inoue defends his title for the first time against Shooto
Pacific Rim Lightweight Champion Akitoshi Tamura. Inoue has a
12-1 record in MMA and trains out of Shooting Gym Yokohama with
Tenkei Fujimiya. Tamura has a 10-5-1 record in MMA and trains
out of Tsudanuma Dojo with Yoshitaro Niimi. Inoue knocked out
Hiroyuki Abe in an exciting fight at Shooto “Back To Our
Roots”. Tamura pulled off the upset at Shooto “Back
To Our Roots”, becoming the new Shooto Pacific Rim Lightweight
Champion by winning a decision over Tenkei Fujimiya.
This
is a rematch of a fight from November of 2005 where Inoue won
a close decision over Tamura in a fight that many believed Tamura
may have won if it weren’t for an early knockdown that Inoue
scored over Tamura. Since being knocked out by Fujimiya in May
of last year, Tamura has been on a three-fight win streak including
avenging his knockout loss to Fujimiya at Shooto “Back To
Our Roots”. Inoue has gone 3-0 since winning the Shooto
Lightweight Championship with two of those fights being close
wins. Inoue has reckless stand-up with not much technique, but
he has lots of power behind those punches. Tamura doesn’t
have much power, but is a very good counter puncher. This fight
is the perfect recipe for an upset and that is what will happen
with Tamura winning a decision by taking advantage of Inoue's
wreckless style.
Prediction:
Akitoshi Tamura by decision.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Couture
tries hand as movie star
Rodrigo Santoro and Alice Braga chosen for “Redbelt”
Yet another gig for Randy Couture. Besides preparing to defend
the UFC heavyweight belt against the Brazilian Gabriel Napao
on August 25, the 43-year-old veteran has just signed up to participate
in the film "Redbelt", which begins production the
coming month, in Los Angeles.
According
to information on the site Variety.com, Redbelt will tell the
story of a problematic fight-film actor (to be played by Tim
Allen), who seeks a martial arts master after being beaten up
in a street fight. Also called up for the film, there will be
the British actor Chiwetel Ejofor in the main role, the Brazilians
Rodrigo Santoro and Alice Braga and the fighter John Machado,
Danny Inosanto, Enson Inoue and Ray Mancini.
The
world premier of “Redbelt” is expected next year.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Quote
of the Day
"Facts
are facts and will not disappear on account of your likes."
Jawaharlal Nehru, 1889-1964, Indian Nationalist and Statesman
|
KICKIN
IT 2007 PART IV TONIGHT!
WHAT - KICKIN IT 2007 PART IV
WHEN
- SATURDAY MAY 19, 2007
WHERE
- WAIPAHU FILCOM CENTER
DONT
KNOW WHAT KIND OF DRAMA THE LAST KICKBOXING EVENT CAUSED WITH
MISMATCHING FIGHTERS OR WHATEVER THE DRAMA MAY BE. KICKIN IT
HATES TO BE THE ONE TO SAY, WE TOLD YOU SO BUT WE TOLD YOU SO.
BUT IF UNDERAGED FIGHTERS HAVE THEIR SCHOOL ID'S, THEN BRING
IT TO THE WEIGH INS TOMMORROW. KICKIN IT USUALLY DONT ASK FOR
SCHOOL IDS BECAUSE IF THEY LOOK UNDER AT LEAST 21, THEIR PARENTS
ARE USUALLY WITH THEM TO SIGN THE WAIVER FORMS OR THEY WILL NOT
FIGHT. NO COACHES ARE ALLOWED TO SIGN FOR UNDERAGED FIGHTERS
(THAT IS KICKIN IT LAW). "DAS RIGHT"
CHECK
OUT THE TALENT ABOUT TO BLOW UP ON SATURDAY NIGHT.
KEKOA
CONCEPCION 125 ROBBIE OSTOVICH
NAKOA FIGHT CLUB JESUS IS LORD
KEKOA
STEPPING UP HIS GAME AND TAKING ON ONE OF THE BEST 14 YEAR-OLD
120 LB KICKIN IT FIGHTER. KEKOA'S AND ROBBIE'S DADS ARE COACHES
FOR THEIR CLUBS SO THIS SHOULD BE ANOTHER INTERESTING MATCH UP
LIKE THE LAST TIME ROBBIE FOUGHT. MAY THE BEST COACHES SON WIN.
KONA KAOLULO SHW JUNIOR CHAVEZ
TEAM ANILAND HSD
DICKIE
REBALIZA 145 KALAI
INNER CIRCLE TEAM DEVASTATION
KOLOA
KAHALEWAI 220 MAKANA VERTIDO
TEAM ANILAND LAS VEGAS FIGHT CLUB
JOHN
MENDONSA 145 VAN SHIROMA
NAKOA FIGHT CLUB HMC
KAHELE
KAOLULO 145 GARY REBALIZA
TEAM ANILAND INNER CIRCLE
IKAIKA
CAMBRA 165 TONY BELEN
TEAM ANILAND INNER CIRCLE
MIKE
UEMOTO 145 MARSHALL POAHA
ANIMAL HOUSE TEAM DEVASTATION
MERVIN
LINKE 168 LUCKY TURNBOW
TEAM ANILAND TEAM BAD INTENTIONS
RIN
DAO 110 SOLOMON DIXON
BULLSPEN HMC
BOTH
THESE FIGHTERS ARE UNDEFEATED. DAO WILL TRY TO DO WHAT HIS YOUNGER
BROTHER FAILED TO DO WHEN HE MET DIXON IN THE LAST KICKIN IT.
DIXON HAS A WICKED ROUNDHOUSE THAT WILL SEND ANY 13 YEAR OLD
TO DREAMLAND. BUT THIS DAO ISNT 13 AND HE'S BANDED FROM DREAMLAND.
WILL BIG BROTHER BE SUCCESFUL. BE THERE.
GINO
KANAHELE 98 GERON REBALIZA
TEAM ANILAND INNER CIRCLE GRAPPLING
KAI
HOLLENBECK 175 DALE KAMAI
HMC MAILI SOLJAHS
TAA
235 RANDY DUENESS
TEAM ANILAND 5 - 0 BOXING
RENO
REMIGIO 160 ADRIAN TAVITA
HMC TEAM BAD INTENTIONS
JUSTIN
KAHALE 80 JESUS SANTOS
TEAM ANILAND HMC
KAHALE
IS STEPPING UP TO HIS LAST OPPONENTS TEAMMATE WHO PLANS TO RETURN
THE FAVOR OF WHAT KAHALE DID TO HIS TEAMMATE. THOUGH THESE KIDS
ARE ONLY 12 YRS OLD, EXPECT BIG THINGS AND BIG SWINGS FROM THESE
YOUNGSTERS. VERY TALENTED KIDS.
RICHARD
"HIT TOO HARD" BERNARD 145 JUSTIN WONG
HSD HMC
THIS IS THE FIGHT THAT YOU DONT WANT TO MISS. HIT TOO HARD IS
DEFINITELY AIMING HIGH WHEN HE EXCEPTED THIS MATCH. MAYBE THIS
ISNT THE GUY YOU WANT TO START A FIGHT NAME WITH. JUSTIN IS ONE
OF HMC'S TOP 145 LB AMATEUR KICKBOXERS. THE QUITEST , THE HUMBLEST,
AND HIS MOM SAYS THE CUTEST (NOT). THAT WAS KICKIN IT HUMOR.
BE THERE TO FIND OUT IF THIS WAS THE RIGHT TIME TO TAKE THIS
FIGHT OR THE WONG TIME.
ERIC
TAKOBOK 135 DAVID LUI
HSD HMC
NATHAN
NAKI 160 RICKY MURILLO
HSD BANGAHZVILLE
RICKY
MURRILO IS BACK. TAKING ON KICKIN IT WELTERWEIGHT JR KICKIN IT
#1 CONTENDER NAKI. MURRILLO WAS SCHEDULED TO FIGHT HIAPO KOLO
BUT DUE TO MINOR DIFFICULTIES IT HAS BEEN POSTPONED AGAIN. SO
MURRILLO WILL SHOWCASE HIS QUICK HANDS IN AN EXHIBITION MATCH
AGAINST NAKI WHO MUST HAVE A SET OF WHAT EVERY LIPPER WISHES
THEY HAD. MUCH PROPS TO THE BRAVE AND THE _ _ _ _ (PICK A LETTER)
NAKI.
DALE CRAWFORD 220 KINGSTON PATCHO
HAMMERHOUSE TEAM DEVASTATION
MANA
WOOLSEY 125 SHAWN ORTIZ
HSD FREELANCE
MATCHES
AND PARTICIPANTS MAY BE SUBJECT TO CHANGE
Source: Derrick Bright
|
GFC:
Evolution Today!
Saturday, May 19, 2007
Value City Arena, Columbus, Ohio
Thomas
Denny vs. Fredon Piaxao
Alex Fierra Cacareco vs. Brandon Lee Hinkle
Chris Brennan vs. Adam Disabato
"Jacare" Ronaldo de Souza vs. Bill Vucick
Daniel Moraes vs. Matt Brown
Vinicious Malgahaes vs. George Bush
Leopoldo Serao vs. Robert Wince
Rafeal Dias vs. Phil Cardella
Nissen Osterneck vs. Chris Meyers
Damian Maia vs. Ryan Stout
Michael O' Donnell vs. Adriano Nasal
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Benefit
Concert for the 2007 Hawaii Junior Olympic Boxing Team on May
27th!
We are having a Benefit Concert on May 27th at the Ewa Ranch
beginning at 5:30 p.m - 10:30 p.m.. Gates open at 5. Bands participating
are B.E.T., Koa Uka, Kawao, Next Generation, Paakane, Beyond
Paradise, Pohaku, Kaena, and Rappers. Follow Renton road past
park on left, a big sign will guide you from there. Money raised
at door will be used to help defray costs for the 2007 Hawaii
Junior Olympic Boxing Team to the National Junior Olympic Championships
in Marquette, Michigan (home of the U.S. Olympic Education Center)
on June 23rd to July 1st. These boxers are all 15 and 16 years
old.
Tickets are $15 pre-sale or $20 at the door. Tickets available
at Tamura in Waianae, and Hair Hut in Ewa Beach. For more info.
call 590-9084 or 853-8586. Thank You For Your Support!!
Bruce Kawano
2007 USA-Boxing Hawaii Team Manager/Regional Coordinator.
USA-Boxing Hawaii Junior Olympic Chairman.
USA-Boxing Hawaii Board of Dir./Gov.
National Coaches Committee.
Ringside Board of Advisors.
|
Evening
news update: UFC 71 coverage heats up
The MMA
World League web site is going to stream the Gracie Fighting Championship
event (on May 19th from Ohio). Wallid Ismail is building up this
web site pretty fast and is doing a good job with it. Let me
know if you watch any of the events streamed on that site and
what the quality is.
An
intriguing article in The
Columbia Missourian, talking about how the Missouri State House attached
an amendment about ‘midwifery’ and licensing private
investigators in order to stall a bill that would regulate MMA.
Source: Fight Opinion
|
UFC
PRESIDENT COMMENTS ON HBO DEAL
by Ken Pishna
The Ultimate Fighting Championship being telecast on premium
cable channel HBO has long been a hot topic of discussion amongst
mixed martial arts fans. Several times the deal has been reported
by inside sources to be all but signed, only to continue dragging
on due to the complexities of the negotiations.
With
the recent firing of HBO Chairman and CEO Chris Albrecht, who
was pushing for the sport to be a part of the channel’s
programming, speculation has run rampant as to the state of the
negotiations between HBO and the sport’s premier organization,
the UFC.
In
comments to MMAWeekly, UFC President Dana White commented on
the situation and how he felt Albrecht’s dismissal would
affect the deal, “It’s unfortunate… [but] we haven’t
come to a deal with HBO anyway. We’re still hitting that
thing back and forth.”
There
had been much resistance to program MMA from HBO Sports President
Ross Greenburg. Albrecht went against the norm at HBO and reportedly
vetoed Greenburg’s decision and basically instructed him
to add MMA programming, leaving Greenburg only to negotiate the
contract.
But
at this point, with Albrecht out of the equation, it is anyone’s
best guess as to what the fallout will be. Obviously, the shakeup
at HBO goes far beyond their dealings with the UFC. As a result,
despite how close to completion things seemed, it could be quite
some time before the situation plays out.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Couture's
Foundation to aid Soldiers in needBy Thomas Gerbasi
Heavyweight Champion Randy Couture sees the headlines. He reads
about the tragedies, hears many wonder what the youth of the
United States are doing to effect change in this world, and the
prognosis is almost always negative. But then he’ll visit
a military base or medical facility, and he’ll see young
people who are not only doing their part to improve their lives
and the lives of those around them, but who epitomize the best
of what this country has to offer.
“You
go and meet a bunch of these soldiers, some of whom are perfectly
healthy and over there putting it on the line, and some of them
who have come back wounded, and you realize quickly that you
are looking at and staring in the face of the backbone and of
the foundation that our country was built on,” said Couture.
“It’s alive and well in these guys.”
That’s
a good thing for the present and future here in the States, but
there is also the down side, the fact that many men and women
from our armed forces come back from combat much different from
the way they left, whether it’s physically, emotionally,
or financially. That’s where Couture, his wife Kim, and
the Xtreme Couture G.I. Foundation come in.
“We’re
hoping to create foundation that is gonna give these guys some
financial support,” said Couture, a veteran of the United
States Army who served six years. “They need prosthetics;
they need a lot of different things moving forward to help their
families out. And we’re still trying to determine what’s
gonna be the best use for the funds we are able to raise, and
we obviously want those to go to the soldiers that are in need.”
The
first part of the process for the foundation is a fundraiser
titled ‘Operation: Xtreme Sacrifice’ at Couture’s
Xtreme Couture Gym in Las Vegas on Sunday, May 27th, the night
after UFC 71. It’s a huge event for the budding foundation,
with a host of A-list celebrities expected to be on hand. Also
expected are some of Couture’s peers from the mixed martial
arts world, athletes who not only respect ‘The Natural’,
but the cause as well.
“I
think they get it and they understand, and it’s something
they feel they can get behind as well,” said Couture. “The
reaction has been very positive.”
If
you’ve ever talked to the three-time heavyweight and two-time
light heavyweight champion before, ‘positive’ may be
the first word that comes to mind when you think of his attitude.
Couture has always been the ‘glass is half-full’ kind
of person, but in his numerous visits to the military, whether
here or abroad (such as his trip to Iraq in 2006), there are
moments where emotions can undoubtedly get the best of you, especially
when you’re looking at a 20-year old kid who may never walk
again.
“The
last thing you want to do is go into a room like that where a
kid’s missing three of his four limbs and he’s on his
21st surgery to get himself cleaned up and straightened out,”
explains Couture. “You don’t want to be a bummer and
you don’t really want to ask certain questions. You’re
a little intimidated and you don’t want to go in there and
get emotional and bring anybody down, but they don’t give
you the chance. They’re so upbeat and so excited –
first of all that you showed up, and second of all that you’ve
taken the time to listen to their story. They’re very eager
to tell their stories, and they’re not shy about it at all.
It doesn’t give you a chance to be overwhelmed by what you’re
seeing because of their attitude and their personalities. And
surprisingly, a lot of them get back to their units and get back
into the fight.”
Its
soldiers like these that inspired Couture to begin a fight of
his own to help them get the help they need for life after war.
“I
was a soldier,” he said. “I served in the Army for
six years, and could have just as easily been in conflict during
that time when I enlisted, and was fortunate enough that we didn’t
have anything like that happening. So I understand where the
guys are at. And it’s something that affects you. I don’t
care who you are, whether you served or not, or what your belief
is in the war or your political position, that’s something
that affects you. So given the opportunity to do something and
try to make a difference, we started the foundation. You think
about the guys that are coming back, especially with missing
limbs, and you wonder how do they re-integrate themselves back
into society, how are they going to take care of their families,
how are they moving forward? Are they going to get by? I think
the most amazing thing when you meet these guys is their patriotism
and their spirit. Even in the worst of situations, it’s
still very strong, and I think what our country was founded on.
We’re trying to do something to help these guys out if possible.”
Couture
has also made it crystal clear – and this is a very important
part of the mission – that this foundation is not politically
motivated. In other words, you don’t need to support the
war in Iraq to support the men and women who are representing
our country.
“This
isn’t about a political statement,” said Couture. “I
don’t care whether you’re for or against the war, this
is about supporting our guys and gals that are over there putting
it on the line, who stand for what this country was founded on.
That goes way beyond anything political.”
And
Couture has gone way beyond what we usually see from professional
athletes, many of whom are only interested in the next paycheck
or endorsement deal. At 43, he has not only broken the mold athletically
by excelling at an age when most are relaxing in retirement;
he has broken the mold as a human being.
“You
always want to feel like you’re contributing, like you’re
doing something positive, to set an example and have a particular
standard and integrity,” he said. “I always tried to
represent that in fighting and in life, in general. This is just
another opportunity to uphold that.”
For
more information on the Xtreme Couture G.I. Foundation and to
donate or buy tickets to May 27th’s Operation: Xtreme Sacrifice,
visit http://www.xtremecouturegifoundation.org
Source: UFC.tv
|
Promoter
comments on MMAC
MMAC faced obstacles from the commission
Last
Saturday, Nino Schembri returned to the ring, for the first time
in one and a half years, and rediscovered his winning ways, with
a slick submission over Amir Rahnavardi. The star's return took
place at the MMAC, the first MMA event to take place in Washington
D.C., capitol of the United States.
Behind
the event were the brothers Mario and Fernando Yamasaki, partners
of the gyms bearing their last name. Below you may read an interview
taken today with Fernando, who speaks of the hardships he faced,
and the rewards he reaped, from the event. And he makes it known
that there will be more - and better - installments of the MMAC.
Where
did the idea of putting on this event come from?
I had already put together some vale-tudos, I had worked together
with some promoters in Brazil. I also did a lot in Rio de Janeiro,
those events that took place in the Metropolitan, during the
90’s. I took the UFC, my brother and I, to Brazil, in 1998.
Plus I always had the desire, I always put my money on this business.
With another partner of mine, from a gym I have in Virginia,
we got cracking on getting permission from the government, etc.
And after about three months we got permission. That's when we
started putting the event together.
Were
there any hardships?
Many hardships. The boxing commission here has taken it upon
themselves to control MMA. They try to put up all the obstacles
they can, so that nothing MMA takes place. They run the event.
You pay and they run your event. It is tough, very tricky - especially
for a Brazilian, who is not used to this. I invested in the event,
and the boxing commission ran my event.
In
what ways?
In the technical aspect. It goes from the best seats having to
be theirs, to even the refereeing, the weigh-ins. And if they
say "no", the event doesn't happen, for whatever reason.
What
was the response from the public?
The response from the public was the best. At the very first
event, we had 2,300 paying spectators. This is a positive when
compared to Brazil. Because in Brazil, if you hire your own private
security, all the police go in for free. In Brazil, nobody wants
to pay for tickets, so it becomes even harder to put on an event
in Brazil. Here no. Here each partner - and there were four -
had ten free tickets. And we had to deal with it. I had to buy
tickets for some people. And my brother and the other partners,
too.
What
did you guys make of the event?
We always see things differently from how others see things.
We identified some errors, and we will improve starting from
there. But what we heard from the crowd in attendance is that
it was excellent.
Did
everything run smoothly?
I believe everything did run smoothly. All the suffering took
place before the event, with some unexpected medical exams. For
example, two months earlier we asked if we had to take medical
exams of the brain; they said we didn’t. Three days before
the event they said medical exams of the brain were needed. You
can't argue with the boxing commission. So we had to run off
and spend almost 11 thousand more dollars on these exams.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Quote
of the Day
"Facts
are facts and will not disappear on account of your likes."
Jawaharlal Nehru, 1889-1964, Indian Nationalist and Statesman
|
KICKIN
IT 2007 PART IV TONIGHT!
WHAT - KICKIN IT 2007 PART IV
WHEN
- SATURDAY MAY 19, 2007
WHERE
- WAIPAHU FILCOM CENTER
DONT
KNOW WHAT KIND OF DRAMA THE LAST KICKBOXING EVENT CAUSED WITH
MISMATCHING FIGHTERS OR WHATEVER THE DRAMA MAY BE. KICKIN IT
HATES TO BE THE ONE TO SAY, WE TOLD YOU SO BUT WE TOLD YOU SO.
BUT IF UNDERAGED FIGHTERS HAVE THEIR SCHOOL ID'S, THEN BRING
IT TO THE WEIGH INS TOMMORROW. KICKIN IT USUALLY DONT ASK FOR
SCHOOL IDS BECAUSE IF THEY LOOK UNDER AT LEAST 21, THEIR PARENTS
ARE USUALLY WITH THEM TO SIGN THE WAIVER FORMS OR THEY WILL NOT
FIGHT. NO COACHES ARE ALLOWED TO SIGN FOR UNDERAGED FIGHTERS
(THAT IS KICKIN IT LAW). "DAS RIGHT"
CHECK
OUT THE TALENT ABOUT TO BLOW UP ON SATURDAY NIGHT.
KEKOA
CONCEPCION 125 ROBBIE OSTOVICH
NAKOA FIGHT CLUB JESUS IS LORD
KEKOA
STEPPING UP HIS GAME AND TAKING ON ONE OF THE BEST 14 YEAR-OLD
120 LB KICKIN IT FIGHTER. KEKOA'S AND ROBBIE'S DADS ARE COACHES
FOR THEIR CLUBS SO THIS SHOULD BE ANOTHER INTERESTING MATCH UP
LIKE THE LAST TIME ROBBIE FOUGHT. MAY THE BEST COACHES SON WIN.
KONA KAOLULO SHW JUNIOR CHAVEZ
TEAM ANILAND HSD
DICKIE
REBALIZA 145 KALAI
INNER CIRCLE TEAM DEVASTATION
KOLOA
KAHALEWAI 220 MAKANA VERTIDO
TEAM ANILAND LAS VEGAS FIGHT CLUB
JOHN
MENDONSA 145 VAN SHIROMA
NAKOA FIGHT CLUB HMC
KAHELE
KAOLULO 145 GARY REBALIZA
TEAM ANILAND INNER CIRCLE
IKAIKA
CAMBRA 165 TONY BELEN
TEAM ANILAND INNER CIRCLE
MIKE
UEMOTO 145 MARSHALL POAHA
ANIMAL HOUSE TEAM DEVASTATION
MERVIN
LINKE 168 LUCKY TURNBOW
TEAM ANILAND TEAM BAD INTENTIONS
RIN
DAO 110 SOLOMON DIXON
BULLSPEN HMC
BOTH
THESE FIGHTERS ARE UNDEFEATED. DAO WILL TRY TO DO WHAT HIS YOUNGER
BROTHER FAILED TO DO WHEN HE MET DIXON IN THE LAST KICKIN IT.
DIXON HAS A WICKED ROUNDHOUSE THAT WILL SEND ANY 13 YEAR OLD
TO DREAMLAND. BUT THIS DAO ISNT 13 AND HE'S BANDED FROM DREAMLAND.
WILL BIG BROTHER BE SUCCESFUL. BE THERE.
GINO
KANAHELE 98 GERON REBALIZA
TEAM ANILAND INNER CIRCLE GRAPPLING
KAI
HOLLENBECK 175 DALE KAMAI
HMC MAILI SOLJAHS
TAA
235 RANDY DUENESS
TEAM ANILAND 5 - 0 BOXING
RENO
REMIGIO 160 ADRIAN TAVITA
HMC TEAM BAD INTENTIONS
JUSTIN
KAHALE 80 JESUS SANTOS
TEAM ANILAND HMC
KAHALE
IS STEPPING UP TO HIS LAST OPPONENTS TEAMMATE WHO PLANS TO RETURN
THE FAVOR OF WHAT KAHALE DID TO HIS TEAMMATE. THOUGH THESE KIDS
ARE ONLY 12 YRS OLD, EXPECT BIG THINGS AND BIG SWINGS FROM THESE
YOUNGSTERS. VERY TALENTED KIDS.
RICHARD
"HIT TOO HARD" BERNARD 145 JUSTIN WONG
HSD HMC
THIS IS THE FIGHT THAT YOU DONT WANT TO MISS. HIT TOO HARD IS
DEFINITELY AIMING HIGH WHEN HE EXCEPTED THIS MATCH. MAYBE THIS
ISNT THE GUY YOU WANT TO START A FIGHT NAME WITH. JUSTIN IS ONE
OF HMC'S TOP 145 LB AMATEUR KICKBOXERS. THE QUITEST , THE HUMBLEST,
AND HIS MOM SAYS THE CUTEST (NOT). THAT WAS KICKIN IT HUMOR.
BE THERE TO FIND OUT IF THIS WAS THE RIGHT TIME TO TAKE THIS
FIGHT OR THE WONG TIME.
ERIC
TAKOBOK 135 DAVID LUI
HSD HMC
NATHAN
NAKI 160 RICKY MURILLO
HSD BANGAHZVILLE
RICKY
MURRILO IS BACK. TAKING ON KICKIN IT WELTERWEIGHT JR KICKIN IT
#1 CONTENDER NAKI. MURRILLO WAS SCHEDULED TO FIGHT HIAPO KOLO
BUT DUE TO MINOR DIFFICULTIES IT HAS BEEN POSTPONED AGAIN. SO
MURRILLO WILL SHOWCASE HIS QUICK HANDS IN AN EXHIBITION MATCH
AGAINST NAKI WHO MUST HAVE A SET OF WHAT EVERY LIPPER WISHES
THEY HAD. MUCH PROPS TO THE BRAVE AND THE _ _ _ _ (PICK A LETTER)
NAKI.
DALE CRAWFORD 220 KINGSTON PATCHO
HAMMERHOUSE TEAM DEVASTATION
MANA
WOOLSEY 125 SHAWN ORTIZ
HSD FREELANCE
MATCHES
AND PARTICIPANTS MAY BE SUBJECT TO CHANGE
Source: Derrick Bright
|
GFC:
Evolution Today!
Saturday, May 19, 2007
Value City Arena, Columbus, Ohio
Thomas
Denny vs. Fredon Piaxao
Alex Fierra Cacareco vs. Brandon Lee Hinkle
Chris Brennan vs. Adam Disabato
"Jacare" Ronaldo de Souza vs. Bill Vucick
Daniel Moraes vs. Matt Brown
Vinicious Malgahaes vs. George Bush
Leopoldo Serao vs. Robert Wince
Rafeal Dias vs. Phil Cardella
Nissen Osterneck vs. Chris Meyers
Damian Maia vs. Ryan Stout
Michael O' Donnell vs. Adriano Nasal
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Benefit
Concert for the 2007 Hawaii Junior Olympic Boxing Team on May
27th!
We are having a Benefit Concert on May 27th at the Ewa Ranch
beginning at 5:30 p.m - 10:30 p.m.. Gates open at 5. Bands participating
are B.E.T., Koa Uka, Kawao, Next Generation, Paakane, Beyond
Paradise, Pohaku, Kaena, and Rappers. Follow Renton road past
park on left, a big sign will guide you from there. Money raised
at door will be used to help defray costs for the 2007 Hawaii
Junior Olympic Boxing Team to the National Junior Olympic Championships
in Marquette, Michigan (home of the U.S. Olympic Education Center)
on June 23rd to July 1st. These boxers are all 15 and 16 years
old.
Tickets are $15 pre-sale or $20 at the door. Tickets available
at Tamura in Waianae, and Hair Hut in Ewa Beach. For more info.
call 590-9084 or 853-8586. Thank You For Your Support!!
Bruce Kawano
2007 USA-Boxing Hawaii Team Manager/Regional Coordinator.
USA-Boxing Hawaii Junior Olympic Chairman.
USA-Boxing Hawaii Board of Dir./Gov.
National Coaches Committee.
Ringside Board of Advisors.
|
Evening
news update: UFC 71 coverage heats up
The MMA
World League web site is going to stream the Gracie Fighting Championship
event (on May 19th from Ohio). Wallid Ismail is building up this
web site pretty fast and is doing a good job with it. Let me
know if you watch any of the events streamed on that site and
what the quality is.
An
intriguing article in The
Columbia Missourian, talking about how the Missouri State House attached
an amendment about ‘midwifery’ and licensing private
investigators in order to stall a bill that would regulate MMA.
Source: Fight Opinion
|
UFC
PRESIDENT COMMENTS ON HBO DEAL
by Ken Pishna
The Ultimate Fighting Championship being telecast on premium
cable channel HBO has long been a hot topic of discussion amongst
mixed martial arts fans. Several times the deal has been reported
by inside sources to be all but signed, only to continue dragging
on due to the complexities of the negotiations.
With
the recent firing of HBO Chairman and CEO Chris Albrecht, who
was pushing for the sport to be a part of the channel’s
programming, speculation has run rampant as to the state of the
negotiations between HBO and the sport’s premier organization,
the UFC.
In
comments to MMAWeekly, UFC President Dana White commented on
the situation and how he felt Albrecht’s dismissal would
affect the deal, “It’s unfortunate… [but] we haven’t
come to a deal with HBO anyway. We’re still hitting that
thing back and forth.”
There
had been much resistance to program MMA from HBO Sports President
Ross Greenburg. Albrecht went against the norm at HBO and reportedly
vetoed Greenburg’s decision and basically instructed him
to add MMA programming, leaving Greenburg only to negotiate the
contract.
But
at this point, with Albrecht out of the equation, it is anyone’s
best guess as to what the fallout will be. Obviously, the shakeup
at HBO goes far beyond their dealings with the UFC. As a result,
despite how close to completion things seemed, it could be quite
some time before the situation plays out.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Couture's
Foundation to aid Soldiers in needBy Thomas Gerbasi
Heavyweight Champion Randy Couture sees the headlines. He reads
about the tragedies, hears many wonder what the youth of the
United States are doing to effect change in this world, and the
prognosis is almost always negative. But then he’ll visit
a military base or medical facility, and he’ll see young
people who are not only doing their part to improve their lives
and the lives of those around them, but who epitomize the best
of what this country has to offer.
“You
go and meet a bunch of these soldiers, some of whom are perfectly
healthy and over there putting it on the line, and some of them
who have come back wounded, and you realize quickly that you
are looking at and staring in the face of the backbone and of
the foundation that our country was built on,” said Couture.
“It’s alive and well in these guys.”
That’s
a good thing for the present and future here in the States, but
there is also the down side, the fact that many men and women
from our armed forces come back from combat much different from
the way they left, whether it’s physically, emotionally,
or financially. That’s where Couture, his wife Kim, and
the Xtreme Couture G.I. Foundation come in.
“We’re
hoping to create foundation that is gonna give these guys some
financial support,” said Couture, a veteran of the United
States Army who served six years. “They need prosthetics;
they need a lot of different things moving forward to help their
families out. And we’re still trying to determine what’s
gonna be the best use for the funds we are able to raise, and
we obviously want those to go to the soldiers that are in need.”
The
first part of the process for the foundation is a fundraiser
titled ‘Operation: Xtreme Sacrifice’ at Couture’s
Xtreme Couture Gym in Las Vegas on Sunday, May 27th, the night
after UFC 71. It’s a huge event for the budding foundation,
with a host of A-list celebrities expected to be on hand. Also
expected are some of Couture’s peers from the mixed martial
arts world, athletes who not only respect ‘The Natural’,
but the cause as well.
“I
think they get it and they understand, and it’s something
they feel they can get behind as well,” said Couture. “The
reaction has been very positive.”
If
you’ve ever talked to the three-time heavyweight and two-time
light heavyweight champion before, ‘positive’ may be
the first word that comes to mind when you think of his attitude.
Couture has always been the ‘glass is half-full’ kind
of person, but in his numerous visits to the military, whether
here or abroad (such as his trip to Iraq in 2006), there are
moments where emotions can undoubtedly get the best of you, especially
when you’re looking at a 20-year old kid who may never walk
again.
“The
last thing you want to do is go into a room like that where a
kid’s missing three of his four limbs and he’s on his
21st surgery to get himself cleaned up and straightened out,”
explains Couture. “You don’t want to be a bummer and
you don’t really want to ask certain questions. You’re
a little intimidated and you don’t want to go in there and
get emotional and bring anybody down, but they don’t give
you the chance. They’re so upbeat and so excited –
first of all that you showed up, and second of all that you’ve
taken the time to listen to their story. They’re very eager
to tell their stories, and they’re not shy about it at all.
It doesn’t give you a chance to be overwhelmed by what you’re
seeing because of their attitude and their personalities. And
surprisingly, a lot of them get back to their units and get back
into the fight.”
Its
soldiers like these that inspired Couture to begin a fight of
his own to help them get the help they need for life after war.
“I
was a soldier,” he said. “I served in the Army for
six years, and could have just as easily been in conflict during
that time when I enlisted, and was fortunate enough that we didn’t
have anything like that happening. So I understand where the
guys are at. And it’s something that affects you. I don’t
care who you are, whether you served or not, or what your belief
is in the war or your political position, that’s something
that affects you. So given the opportunity to do something and
try to make a difference, we started the foundation. You think
about the guys that are coming back, especially with missing
limbs, and you wonder how do they re-integrate themselves back
into society, how are they going to take care of their families,
how are they moving forward? Are they going to get by? I think
the most amazing thing when you meet these guys is their patriotism
and their spirit. Even in the worst of situations, it’s
still very strong, and I think what our country was founded on.
We’re trying to do something to help these guys out if possible.”
Couture
has also made it crystal clear – and this is a very important
part of the mission – that this foundation is not politically
motivated. In other words, you don’t need to support the
war in Iraq to support the men and women who are representing
our country.
“This
isn’t about a political statement,” said Couture. “I
don’t care whether you’re for or against the war, this
is about supporting our guys and gals that are over there putting
it on the line, who stand for what this country was founded on.
That goes way beyond anything political.”
And
Couture has gone way beyond what we usually see from professional
athletes, many of whom are only interested in the next paycheck
or endorsement deal. At 43, he has not only broken the mold athletically
by excelling at an age when most are relaxing in retirement;
he has broken the mold as a human being.
“You
always want to feel like you’re contributing, like you’re
doing something positive, to set an example and have a particular
standard and integrity,” he said. “I always tried to
represent that in fighting and in life, in general. This is just
another opportunity to uphold that.”
For
more information on the Xtreme Couture G.I. Foundation and to
donate or buy tickets to May 27th’s Operation: Xtreme Sacrifice,
visit http://www.xtremecouturegifoundation.org
Source: UFC.tv
|
Promoter
comments on MMAC
MMAC faced obstacles from the commission
Last
Saturday, Nino Schembri returned to the ring, for the first time
in one and a half years, and rediscovered his winning ways, with
a slick submission over Amir Rahnavardi. The star's return took
place at the MMAC, the first MMA event to take place in Washington
D.C., capitol of the United States.
Behind
the event were the brothers Mario and Fernando Yamasaki, partners
of the gyms bearing their last name. Below you may read an interview
taken today with Fernando, who speaks of the hardships he faced,
and the rewards he reaped, from the event. And he makes it known
that there will be more - and better - installments of the MMAC.
Where
did the idea of putting on this event come from?
I had already put together some vale-tudos, I had worked together
with some promoters in Brazil. I also did a lot in Rio de Janeiro,
those events that took place in the Metropolitan, during the
90’s. I took the UFC, my brother and I, to Brazil, in 1998.
Plus I always had the desire, I always put my money on this business.
With another partner of mine, from a gym I have in Virginia,
we got cracking on getting permission from the government, etc.
And after about three months we got permission. That's when we
started putting the event together.
Were
there any hardships?
Many hardships. The boxing commission here has taken it upon
themselves to control MMA. They try to put up all the obstacles
they can, so that nothing MMA takes place. They run the event.
You pay and they run your event. It is tough, very tricky - especially
for a Brazilian, who is not used to this. I invested in the event,
and the boxing commission ran my event.
In
what ways?
In the technical aspect. It goes from the best seats having to
be theirs, to even the refereeing, the weigh-ins. And if they
say "no", the event doesn't happen, for whatever reason.
What
was the response from the public?
The response from the public was the best. At the very first
event, we had 2,300 paying spectators. This is a positive when
compared to Brazil. Because in Brazil, if you hire your own private
security, all the police go in for free. In Brazil, nobody wants
to pay for tickets, so it becomes even harder to put on an event
in Brazil. Here no. Here each partner - and there were four -
had ten free tickets. And we had to deal with it. I had to buy
tickets for some people. And my brother and the other partners,
too.
What
did you guys make of the event?
We always see things differently from how others see things.
We identified some errors, and we will improve starting from
there. But what we heard from the crowd in attendance is that
it was excellent.
Did
everything run smoothly?
I believe everything did run smoothly. All the suffering took
place before the event, with some unexpected medical exams. For
example, two months earlier we asked if we had to take medical
exams of the brain; they said we didn’t. Three days before
the event they said medical exams of the brain were needed. You
can't argue with the boxing commission. So we had to run off
and spend almost 11 thousand more dollars on these exams.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Quote
of the Day
"Jealousy,
that dragon which slays love under the pretence of keeping it
alive."
Havelock Ellis, 1859-1939, English Psychologist and Author
|
CHRIS
LEBEN COUNTING THE DAYS
by Ken Pishna
UFC veteran Chris Leben has accepted a position as Head MMA Instructor
at the new ICON
Fitness gym
on Oahu,
Hawaii.
The gym is under the ownership of ICON Sport fight promoter T.Jay Thompson.
Following
his fight with fellow Ultimate Fighter veteran Kalib Starns at
UFC 71 in Las Vegas, Nev., Leben laid out his plans as a coach,
“I'm going to start coaching at a gym out in Hawaii. ICON
Sport is opening a gym out on Oahu and I'm going to be the head
coach out there. So, as soon as my fight is over, I'm going to
be hanging out in Hawaii and training.”
“T.Jay
from ICON called me up and talked to me,” continued Leben.
“We worked out a great deal. There's a bunch of guys to
train with over there and Matt Hume is going to be coming over
to work with me, as well.”
With
less than a year left on his original Ultimate Fighter contract,
MMAWeekly Radio co-host Jeff Cain asked about the possibility
that we might see Leben fighting for ICON Sport in the future.
“Absolutely,”
said Leben. “I hate to say it, but I'm counting the days
on my contract… because then I'm going to be able to cash
in with this contract because I signed a contract on the show
[The Ultimate Fighter]. I just got a raise. I'm up to like $10,000
and $10,000 now after like 8 fights in the UFC.”
“There's
going to be people that want to pay me a lot more money and hopefully
the UFC will realize how great I've been for them and step up
to the plate,” continued Leben. “And if they do, I'll
stay with the UFC, obviously. But if they don't, I'll go fight
in ICON Sport and make some money and bring some attention to
that show.”
Source: MMA Weekly
|
PUNISHMENT
IN PARADISE
New Rules affective May 17, 2007
If you wanna fight in Punishment In Paradise these are the guildlines
you must follow thier are no acceptions what so ever. You don't
have the following by weigh ins you won't particpate.
1. All fighters will make me a copy of their I.D
2. All fighters must have a Physical that their in good health.
Every physical will be good for a year. I also will hold a copy
for myself.
3. By Jan 1, 2008 All fighters will be required to have a H.I.V
test that will be good for a year. I will hold that copy
4. Fighters that don't make weigh ins will not get a chance to
weigh in next day.
I have taught long a hard and listen to the people with their
suggestion. Thier right we need to start doing these things for
the athletes.
ANY QUESTION PLEASE CONTACT PUNISHMENTINPARADISE@YAHOO.COM
Also this is a step to get them ready because when they fight
in the Mainland they will need this plus more. So this is a step
to better our sport..
Source: Brennan Kamaka
|
KICKIN
IT 2007 PART IV Tomorrow!
Weigh Ins Today!
WEIGH - INS AT THE SHACK (RESTAURANT AND BAR) IN MILLILANI ACROSS
FROM THE MILLILANI 24 HOUR FITNESS GYM AT 6:30PM.
YOU KNOW THE RULES, FIGHTERS UNDER 18 YEARS OLD : NO PARENT -
NO FIGHT "DAS RIGHT"
WHAT - KICKIN IT 2007 PART IV
WHEN
- SATURDAY MAY 19, 2007
WHERE
- WAIPAHU FILCOM CENTER
DONT
KNOW WHAT KIND OF DRAMA THE LAST KICKBOXING EVENT CAUSED WITH
MISMATCHING FIGHTERS OR WHATEVER THE DRAMA MAY BE. KICKIN IT
HATES TO BE THE ONE TO SAY, WE TOLD YOU SO BUT WE TOLD YOU SO.
BUT IF UNDERAGED FIGHTERS HAVE THEIR SCHOOL ID'S, THEN BRING
IT TO THE WEIGH INS TOMMORROW. KICKIN IT USUALLY DONT ASK FOR
SCHOOL IDS BECAUSE IF THEY LOOK UNDER AT LEAST 21, THEIR PARENTS
ARE USUALLY WITH THEM TO SIGN THE WAIVER FORMS OR THEY WILL NOT
FIGHT. NO COACHES ARE ALLOWED TO SIGN FOR UNDERAGED FIGHTERS
(THAT IS KICKIN IT LAW). "DAS RIGHT"
CHECK
OUT THE TALENT ABOUT TO BLOW UP ON SATURDAY NIGHT.
KEKOA
CONCEPCION 125 ROBBIE OSTOVICH
NAKOA FIGHT CLUB JESUS IS LORD
KEKOA
STEPPING UP HIS GAME AND TAKING ON ONE OF THE BEST 14 YEAR-OLD
120 LB KICKIN IT FIGHTER. KEKOA'S AND ROBBIE'S DADS ARE COACHES
FOR THEIR CLUBS SO THIS SHOULD BE ANOTHER INTERESTING MATCH UP
LIKE THE LAST TIME ROBBIE FOUGHT. MAY THE BEST COACHES SON WIN.
KONA KAOLULO SHW JUNIOR CHAVEZ
TEAM ANILAND HSD
DICKIE
REBALIZA 145 KALAI
INNER CIRCLE TEAM DEVASTATION
KOLOA
KAHALEWAI 220 MAKANA VERTIDO
TEAM ANILAND LAS VEGAS FIGHT CLUB
JOHN
MENDONSA 145 VAN SHIROMA
NAKOA FIGHT CLUB HMC
KAHELE
KAOLULO 145 GARY REBALIZA
TEAM ANILAND INNER CIRCLE
IKAIKA
CAMBRA 165 TONY BELEN
TEAM ANILAND INNER CIRCLE
MIKE
UEMOTO 145 MARSHALL POAHA
ANIMAL HOUSE TEAM DEVASTATION
MERVIN
LINKE 168 LUCKY TURNBOW
TEAM ANILAND TEAM BAD INTENTIONS
RIN
DAO 110 SOLOMON DIXON
BULLSPEN HMC
BOTH
THESE FIGHTERS ARE UNDEFEATED. DAO WILL TRY TO DO WHAT HIS YOUNGER
BROTHER FAILED TO DO WHEN HE MET DIXON IN THE LAST KICKIN IT.
DIXON HAS A WICKED ROUNDHOUSE THAT WILL SEND ANY 13 YEAR OLD
TO DREAMLAND. BUT THIS DAO ISNT 13 AND HE'S BANDED FROM DREAMLAND.
WILL BIG BROTHER BE SUCCESFUL. BE THERE.
GINO
KANAHELE 98 GERON REBALIZA
TEAM ANILAND INNER CIRCLE GRAPPLING
KAI
HOLLENBECK 175 DALE KAMAI
HMC MAILI SOLJAHS
TAA
235 RANDY DUENESS
TEAM ANILAND 5 - 0 BOXING
RENO
REMIGIO 160 ADRIAN TAVITA
HMC TEAM BAD INTENTIONS
JUSTIN
KAHALE 80 JESUS SANTOS
TEAM ANILAND HMC
KAHALE
IS STEPPING UP TO HIS LAST OPPONENTS TEAMMATE WHO PLANS TO RETURN
THE FAVOR OF WHAT KAHALE DID TO HIS TEAMMATE. THOUGH THESE KIDS
ARE ONLY 12 YRS OLD, EXPECT BIG THINGS AND BIG SWINGS FROM THESE
YOUNGSTERS. VERY TALENTED KIDS.
RICHARD
"HIT TOO HARD" BERNARD 145 JUSTIN WONG
HSD HMC
THIS IS THE FIGHT THAT YOU DONT WANT TO MISS. HIT TOO HARD IS
DEFINITELY AIMING HIGH WHEN HE EXCEPTED THIS MATCH. MAYBE THIS
ISNT THE GUY YOU WANT TO START A FIGHT NAME WITH. JUSTIN IS ONE
OF HMC'S TOP 145 LB AMATEUR KICKBOXERS. THE QUITEST , THE HUMBLEST,
AND HIS MOM SAYS THE CUTEST (NOT). THAT WAS KICKIN IT HUMOR.
BE THERE TO FIND OUT IF THIS WAS THE RIGHT TIME TO TAKE THIS
FIGHT OR THE WONG TIME.
ERIC
TAKOBOK 135 DAVID LUI
HSD HMC
NATHAN
NAKI 160 RICKY MURILLO
HSD BANGAHZVILLE
RICKY
MURRILO IS BACK. TAKING ON KICKIN IT WELTERWEIGHT JR KICKIN IT
#1 CONTENDER NAKI. MURRILLO WAS SCHEDULED TO FIGHT HIAPO KOLO
BUT DUE TO MINOR DIFFICULTIES IT HAS BEEN POSTPONED AGAIN. SO
MURRILLO WILL SHOWCASE HIS QUICK HANDS IN AN EXHIBITION MATCH
AGAINST NAKI WHO MUST HAVE A SET OF WHAT EVERY LIPPER WISHES
THEY HAD. MUCH PROPS TO THE BRAVE AND THE _ _ _ _ (PICK A LETTER)
NAKI.
DALE CRAWFORD 220 KINGSTON PATCHO
HAMMERHOUSE TEAM DEVASTATION
MANA
WOOLSEY 125 SHAWN ORTIZ
HSD FREELANCE
MATCHES
AND PARTICIPANTS MAY BE SUBJECT TO CHANGE
Source: Derrick Bright
|
Memorial
Day Mayhem kickboxing at Kalaheo High School May 26
East O'ahu- Waimanalo Boxing Club is sending fighters to Kansas
City and Palm Springs to compete in two different tournaments-
Desert Showdown & Ringside Amateurs- in the hopes of bringing
home a championship belt and a national amateur title. The young
fighters (ages 8-16) humbly ask for your help to assist them
in achieving this goal by attending Memorial Day Mayhem kickboxing
at Kalaheo High School Sat. May 26, 2007. Mahalo.
Weigh-ins for this event will be at Round Table pizza
Keolu Shopping Center, Kailua.
Thursday May 24th from 5-7 pm.
Source: Rich Tomas
|
2007
Hawaii Boxing Team Delegation to the U.S. Championships
The 2007 Hawaii Boxing Team Delegation to the U.S. Championships
in Colorado Springs, Colorado on May 29th to June 9th has been
determined.
This is the lone Tournament to the Olympic Trials. Quarterfinalist
of the Men's tournament will advance to the Olympic Trials in
Chicago in August. Our 2008 Olympic Team for Beijing will be
picked in August.
Hawaii State/Regional Champions:
106lbs- Thomas Juan (Wailuku Boxing Club),
*112- Nathan Umeda (Palolo B.C.)
119- David Tangjian Jr. (Kawano B.C.),
*125- Amedeo Ezzo-White Jr. (Kawano B.C.),
132- Isaac Arasato (Palolo B.C.),
141- Thomas Ordonez (Kawano B.C.),
152- Earl Fitts III (Wailuku B.C.),
165- Kainoa Oca-Kauhane (Kawano B.C.),
178- Filipo Toelau (Kawano B.C.),
201- Matt Monkewicz (Kawano B.C.),
201+- Frank Pojsl (Palolo B.C.),
Females 95lbs- Gina Ramos (Kawano B.C.),
101- Colleen Loo (PearlSide B.C.) representing P.A.L.,
138- Triva Pino (Kawano B.C.),
176- Chanelle Valdez (Evolution B.C.).
Team Manager/Regional Coordinator- Bruce Kawano, Coaches- Jeff
McKee, and Joel Kim.
* Champion but will not attend
Bruce Kawano
2007 Hawaii Regional Coordinator/Team Manager
USA-Boxing Hawaii Board of Dir./Gov.
USA-Boxing Hawaii Junior Olympic Chairman.
National Coaches Committee.
Ringside Board of Advisors.
|
4th
Annual Maui Jiu-Jitsu Open Tournament
It is our great pleasure to invite you and your organization
to attend and compete in the 4th annual Maui Jiu-Jitsu open Tournament.
The event will take place on Saturday, July 28, 2007 at the War
Memorial Gymnasium in Wailuku, Maui, Hawaii. We also welcome
back all who attended last year’s event. We expect this
year’s tournament to be even larger, with bigger and better
competition!
Competition
will consist of matches in all belt levels and weight divisions
with medals, trophies, and prizes to the winners as well as the
always competitive team competition, with trophies and prizes
to the top three teams. As with the growth of our sport, we at
Maui Jiu-Jitsu are always striving to expand and improve on our
tournament. At this time, we are planning to hold several exhibition
matches between black belt competitors. Anyone locally here who
are interested – please contact us.
Due
to the growth of our tournament, we are implementing a new registration
and weigh-in system to help facilitate a timely start and finish
to the event. Please pay close attention to the changes made
in order to ensure an enjoyable and problem free tournament experience.
Registration
and entry forms:
Registration may be done by mail, or online at our website. Entry
forms must be received no later than Wednesday, July 25, 2007.
A late fee of $20 will be assessed to all applications received
after the deadline. The decision was made to implement this system
in order for us to be able to have all brackets made and posted
prior to the event without having to weigh competitors prior
to the event. Please mail all completed entry forms to:
732 Makaala Drive, Wailuku, Hi. 96793.
Don’t forget to include a phone number if we need to reach
you and make sure you check the weight class you want to compete
in.
We
are also offering a deal for any school that brings more than
10 students, they will receive 1 free entry for a student from
the same school. Similarly, if any school brings skilled and
reliable referees we will waive the entry fee for a student from
the same school.
DOWNLOAD
ENTRY FORM IN PDF FORMAT
Weigh-ins:
Competitors will be weighed prior to their matches. All contestants
must ensure that they meet the weight limits for their respected
weight classes or forfeit the match. There will be no moving
up to the next weight class if weight is not met.. Please be
sure to make your weight! – no exceptions! If you have any
questions, please feel free to call Luis or Lee at the numbers
listed, or email us. It is our hope that you will join us in
the spirit of friendly, fun competition and to further promote
the art of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu!
Divisions:
Adult, Kids, Women, Masters
All Weight Divisions, All Levels.
Medals for 1st and 2nd place, (All kids receive medals!)
Individual Achievement Awards, prizes and trophies
Team competition trophy and prizes
Competitor
Fees: (Includes T-Shirt)
Adults: $60
Kids: $30
(Make checks payable to: Maui Jiu-Jitsu)
When:
Saturday, July 28, 2007
Location:
War Memorial Gymnasium
Kaahumanu Avenue, Wailuku, Maui, Hawaii
Event
Schedule:
Wednesday, July 25, 2007 – APPLICATION DEADLINE! - $20 late
registration fee
9:30 – 10:00 am Opening Ceremonies and rules briefing.
10:00 am Start of Competition.
All competitors to be weighed prior to their matches.
Information:
Lee
Theros
Event Coordinator
Ph. (808) 298-7698
Email: mauibadboy@aol.com
This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need
Javascript enabled to view it
Luis
“Limao” Heredia
Head Instructor – Maui Jiu-Jitsu
Ph. (808) 575-9930
Website: www.mauijiujitsu.com
Tournament
Rules and Information
Weight
Divisions:
Rooster:
110-121 lbs.
Super Feather:
122-130 lbs.
Feather:
135-147 lbs.
Light: 148-160 lbs.
Middle:
161-173 lbs.
Light Heavy:
174-187 lbs.
Heavy:
188-202 lbs.
Super Heavy:
203-213 lbs.
Unlimited:
214 lbs. & over
Time
Limits:
Adult
White Belt 5 Minutes
Blue Belt
6 Minutes
Purple Belt
7 Minutes
Brown Belt
8 Minutes
Black Belt
10 Minutes
Children (under 16 yrs.)
4 Minutes
Requirements
for Competition:
1.Clean Gi
2.Sleeves no shorter than 4 inches from the wrist.
3.Four finger cuff clearance
4.Signed Waiver
5.Paid entrance fee.
Points:
Throws
/ Takedowns
2 pts.
Knee on Stomach 2 pts.
Sweep
2 pts.
Pass Guard
3 pts.
Mount
4 pts.
Back (2 hooks in)
4 pts.
Submission/Tap Out
End of Match
In
the event of a tie at the end of regulation, the match will be
awarded to the fighter determined to have earned the higher number
of advantages during the match. (Referee discretion)
Rules:
1.Competitors shall shake hands at the start of, and at the end
of the match.
2.Competitors shall observe and follow all of the referee’s
instructions at all times.
Illegal
Techniques:
1.Heel hooks and knee bars
2.Single Digit Toe or Finger Manipulation
3.Striking of any kind (Punching, Kicking, Shoulder)
4.Slamming opponent from inside the guard
5.Placing fingers in eyes, ears, or mouth
6.Neck Cranks
Source: Event Promoter
|
Lesnar
Cleared to Fight by CSAC
The California State Athletic Commission confirmed yesterday
that Brock Lesnar has completed all licensing requirements and
has been officially cleared to fight at K-1 Dynamite’s USA
card on June 2nd. The event, which will take place at the Los
Angeles Memorial Coliseum, will be co-headlined by the former
professional and collegiate wrestling star taking on Hong Man
Choi. Lesnar will be making his MMA debut that night. The event’s
other main event will feature Kazushi Sakuraba fighting Royce
Gracie, in a re-match of their historic Pride bout in 2000.
K-1’s
first MMA venture into the U.S. will also feature; Jake Shields
fighting Ido Pariente, Marvin Eastman vs. Ray Sefo, Melvin Manhoef
vs. Yoon Dong Sik, Hideo Tokoro vs. Brad Pickett, Javier Vasquez
vs. Katsuhiko Nagata, Gina Carano vs. Jan Finney, and Johnnie
Morton vs. Bernard Ackah.
Source: FCF
|
Nathan
Talks TUF
THE HOUSE
The first few weeks were the worst. It was just so boring it
got to the point I was thinking about jumping the gate and leaving
for home. There wasn't shit to do like we were in jail or something.
I started doing stuff hoping they would send me home. I ended
up not leaving 'cause I didn't want people thinking I was scared
to fight or something.
JENS
PULVER
Man, Jens was cool. He was a good coach that was about winning.
Our team worked good together. I wasn't aware of all of the problems
Penn's team was having until I saw the show.
EMERSON
FIGHT
I Felt throughout the fight I was gonna win. I never got hit
with any good shots and my jiu-jitsu was a lot better than his.
GABE
RUEDIGER
There's nothing I can say to make him look worse than he already
does. He brought it on himself. That's just how he really is.
Gabe called Weems out cause he's a coward. He would have made
weight for that fight but with Corey he didn't want to make the
weight. I wasn't worried about Gabe, he's scared of me. I would
beat "Chubby Tits'" ass.
THE
CRYING
They looked like a bunch of crybabys. There was nothing to cry
about. I was thinking, 'hey fighting's your job so quit acting
like a little bitch'.
Source: Gracie Fighter
|
Tito
Ortiz buys De La Hoya’s house
UFC Bad Boy pays US$ 2.1 million for the mansion
Money
is not an issue for Tito Ortiz. Considered to be one of the best
paid fighters in the UFC these days, Ortiz has just bought a
house owned by Oscar De La Hoya, a star of not only American
boxing but world boxing. For the mansion, which has, besides
the main house, another one for guests with three bedrooms, and
a garage for four cars that De La Hoya used as a training center,
Ortiz paid the bargain basement price of US$ 2.1 million.
With
out his abode, which is about 150 kilometers from the city of
Los Angeles, De La Hoya will train in Porto Rico from now on.
And Ortiz acquired a beautiful property in the city where he
usually trains for his challenges in the octagon, as Big Bear
Lake is located around 2,300 meters above sea level, helping
to improve stamina.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Quote
of the Day
“Family's
first, and that's what matters most. We realize that our love
goes deeper than the tennis game.”
Serena Williams, American Tennis Player
|
Hawaii
Fighting Championship
July 13,
2007
Dole Cannery
Doors open at 6:00 pm and fights start at 6:30 pm
This event will feature a mix of fighting action. Pro and Amatuer
kickboxing and MMA as well as a Stand and Ground division.
If
you have any questions or concerns feel free to reach me
at 953-8646.
Take Care and God Bless.
Source: Sly
|
SYLVIA
HAS BACK SURGERY, LOOKING TO FUTURE
After his upset loss to Randy Couture at UFC 68, former UFC Heavyweight
Champion Tim Sylvia was met with a shower of boos during his
post-fight Octagon interview. In front of more than 19,000 fans,
Sylvia alluded to an injury he suffered during training that
garnered a thunderous reaction from the crowd.
Was
Sylvia making excuses?
Although
he may have regretted mentioning about his injury, Sylvia did
acknowledge Randy Couture was the better man that evening. “[The
pain] was pretty bad, but I think I went in there a little overconfident,
thinking ‘all I had to do was hit Randy once’ and it
would be over,” humbly stated Sylvia. “I should have
pulled out [of the fight] to be honest with you, I really should
have. I owed Randy a lot more than that; I owed the UFC a lot
more than that. It bothered me a month before the fight and when
it got this bad, I should have just pulled out so they could
find a replacement or reschedule.”
The
“Maine-iac” had surgery at the beginning of the week
to alleviate his pain. “Healing up, just had back surgery
Monday,” said the former champ. “It went really well.
I feel good and I’m actually pain free now. Looking forward
to getting released from the doctors and start my rehab.”
After
many attempts to rehabilitate his injury, Tim resorted to surgery.
“I tried everything. I did three cortisone shots, I did
some rehab, muscle sound, ultrasound, massages; I did everything
I could and nothing would work. Surgery was my last resort, that’s
why I waited so long since the fight. I waited like two months.”
“I
had three bulged discs. It was pinching my sciatic nerve. What
they did is they made a 4-inch incision on my spine, went in
and moved the nerves aside and cut the bulges off that were hindering
the sciatic nerve,” explained the Miletich fighter. “I
feel great. I have lots of feeling in my left foot. The tingling
down my leg, the huge pain in my buttocks and hamstring are no
longer there.”
With
the unfortunate loss comes a potential opportunity to avenge
a previous defeat. At UFC 48, Sylvia faced Frank Mir for the
vacant UFC Heavyweight crown. Mir secured an armbar, breaking
Tim’s arm in just 50 seconds of the opening round. Since
making his comeback from a motorcycle accident, Mir has lost
two of his last three fights. After regaining his belt from Andrei
Arlovski, Sylvia successfully defended his title twice before
losing to Couture. Both fighters need to rebound from tough losses
in order to stay in championship contention.
“That
fight interests me more than anything,” commented the Maine
native. “I definitely would like to avenge that loss and
me being the heavy champ, I was never able to do that. I can’t
comment on who my next fight’s going to be because I’m
injured right now. Whatever the UFC sets forth for me is what
I’m going to do. I just want to be treated fair, that’s
all.”
April
was a month of major upsets. Ultimate Fighter 4 winner Matt Serra
did the unthinkable when he finished Georges St. Pierre with
strikes, earning him the UFC Welterweight belt. At UFC 70, Gabriel
Gonzaga defied odds and knocked out former Pride star Mirko “Cro
Cop” Filipovic in ironic fashion. After dominating the Croatian
fighter for the majority of the first round, Gonzaga landed a
devastating right high kick that gave Mirko the worst loss of
his career.
“That’s
the way the sport has always been. It’s just that you see
a lot more guys hungrier now,” said the 31-year old fighter.
“Unfortunately, I was hoping to be the one to do that to
Cro Cop. We’ve been looking to fight Cro Cop since he came
into the UFC. We thought that fight would be down the road. I
talked with my boxing coach and the same gameplan we were going
to use was the same one Gonzaga used [laughs]. I actually picked
Gonzaga to win by TKO, ground and pound or submission. If someone
said, ‘I’ll bet you a million dollars he’ll knock
him out with a head kick,’ I would have said I’ll take
that bet.”
Prior
to the Fertittas’ intent to purchase Pride, UFC vs. Pride
debates were almost a daily occurrence. With the news of the
potential purchase, many of these heated discussions subsided.
Mirko’s shocking knockout loss to Gonzaga revitalized some
of the wearisome, yet often tumultuous debates among the MMA
community.
“It’s
kind of funny, all of these Pride guys are supposed to be the
best and they’re better than the UFC. Then you got a guy
who isn’t ranked in the top ten of the world knocks out
the number two guy in the world. I think it goes to show you
how much tougher the UFC guys are. Heath Herring came here and
he didn’t live up to expectations. Wanderlei got pounded
on and Gomi got beat by Nick Diaz…I just don’t know
why the fans don’t realize how good the UFC guys are. Things
are changing and I’m looking forward to getting back in
there and mixing things up with all these guys.”
After
the former UFC Heavyweight Champion recovers from his surgery,
he plans on regaining the coveted belt that he has owned on two
prior occasions.
“I
want it back bad. I got to get back there and win the belt…whatever
I have to do. If it’s going to be Gonzaga, Randy, Cro Cop,
it doesn’t matter. Nogueira, Heath Herring, I want to fight
them all. I don’t care who has the belt when I come back.
I’m on the road to getting it back and whoever has it, I’m
planning on going in there and beating him up.”
Source: MMA Weekly |
King
of the Streets Returns to the Ring
At
the age of 46, Marco Ruas returns to the ring this Saturday in
Chicago after a six-year absence to face Maurice Smith in an
International Fight League superfight. Anxious to return, Ruas,
whose Southern California Condors also take the ring, said that
this could be his last fight.
How
do you feel to be back in the ring?
I'm
working hard, training a lot. I'm a little bit nervous because
there are six years since my last fight; everything seems new
to me. But I'm well trained. I dedicated all my time to the training
sessions. I was giving classes, but now everything has changed.
Besides, I'm always keeping myself in shape. I never relaxed
about it, but training to fight is a very different thing. Training
for MMA demands a lot of dedication because you have to mix every
discipline. But I'm happy to fight again after all these years
-- it's a challenge to me. I'm happy because they gave me this
opportunity, I was invited, and one more time destiny smiles
on me, so I'm going to take this chance.
Just
like back in the 1990s, you are training for this fight along
with Pedro Rizzo, Roberto Leitão Filho, Antoine Jaoude
and Rodrigo Ruas, plus others. Do you feel like you're back to
the past?
It's
true, everything is back. That same warrior's spirit of a fighter
rises again. Being back in the ring brings me a very good feeling.
I can't wait for the moment to fight again. My expectations are
even bigger because my team will fight also. This will be an
amazing challenge.
Maurice
Smith defeated you in the UFC, so in addition to the fact that
you will fight one more time, will there be a feeling of revenge?
For
sure, this is a fact. When I fought him before I was injured
and that was a very frustrating thing for me. This fight now
has a lot of different ingredients. This time I'll only leave
that ring victorious or knocked out, because now my knee isn't
injured, and I'm very healthy. … Of course in a fight anything
can happen, but I'm ready to win because I trained hard. This
time I'll only leave there knocked out, because I won't stop.
I won't quit.
How
were your training sessions for this fight?
Training
as the hardest, that was the worst part. I think the toughest
part about fighting is the training. I had to stop with my classes
-- and I had a lot of classes. Now I train, come home, eat, take
a rest and back to training. This is a boring routine. So I train
hard, and when I'm tired I improve more and I became excited.
Because when you train three rounds and come weary, later you're
able to train four or five more rounds; this is a very good thing.
I'm ready to fight until the end, but I hope to win before it.
Anything can happen, but I'm ready to fight five rounds.
You
both have not fought for a long time, but you're keeping your
shape for all this time. Do you think Smith will feel his time
away?
He
is a very smart fighter. … I think he will spare himself,
he won't try to run over me, so I'll have to impose my rhythm.
The last time I saw him, he was a little fat; I think he was
a little relapse. I'm always giving classes and training, so
I can keep my shape. About him, I think he will have two difficulties:
to cut weight and to sharpen himself. He is an athlete who fought
many times before, so all of this is business to him. He is not
like Brazilians, who face the fights as a matter of life or death.
He has a very calm mind about it. I don't know how he is training,
and I'm not worried about it. I think he is without an MMA fight
longer than I am, but he fought in two kickboxing matches.
Will
this be your last fight, or do you have plans to fight again?
I
think I'll stop. Of course, they can offer me another fight after
this, but for me it is a very difficult thing. You have to change
the routine of all your family. I had to stop my classes, and
the students are asking for me; they become dependent on us.
A lot of them got in shape because of my training. I had students
who train with me for six years. I can't lead my career like
this anymore. If I should lead this in an awkward way, saying
f__k off all of this, I could do it. I met a fighter who has
the same age as mine, and he would fight in PRIDE. I asked him
if he had trained well, then he told me he had trained for five
days only. He would fight for the money. The more technical and
brave you are, it is a lot harder to win training five days only.
If it's hard for a young guy, it's much harder for a guy my age.
He went there for the paycheck, but to me winning is what really
matters. If someone comes to me offering a win or a paycheck,
for sure I'll choose to win. To real fighters like us, there
is nothing as pleasant as the taste of a victory. I felt the
taste of winning and the sour taste of losing. I know that the
taste of winning is better. Better than the money, better than
anything else.
Your
team is in a very sad situation right now, with the suicide of
a member of your team, Jeremy Williams How are you dealing with
it?
This
was a big loss, everybody is shaken. He was a nice guy, full
of life and talent. I invited him to our team because he had
a lot of potential, striking and grappling. He was a guy full
of talent. He was a very educated kid. I can't understand why
he did it. Everybody is sorry for this. Now we have to get passed
it, everyone will give their best, and we will dedicate our victories
to him. We can't be shaken forever. Just the opposite: we will
look for the victories, and dedicate it to him.
Your
team, the Condors, will face Frank Shamrock's Razorclaws. What
are you expecting from this confrontation?
We
have big chances to win this match. I moved Justin Levens to
another weight class, and I replaced him with a new guy. We have
big chances. If we win, we will advance to the next level. Everybody
here is in a great phase. I'm trying to bring Eric Tavares here
to put him into the team. He is living here in USA, is a brave
kid, I like him. He holds the banner of the team, and I didn't
include him before because we didn't have time.
What
did you think about Pedro Rizzo's return, and what are you expecting
from him in the future?
Pedro
impressed me. He lost two fights in a row, being knocked out.
He surpassed it. He was very aggressive, ran over the guy, took
him down, did his ground-and-pound, he was aggressive all the
time. He looked for the fight all the time. This win is very
important to him. When you lose a fight, even if you don't want
to think about it, you become afraid to be knocked out again.
He could clean his mind, forget about it, and move on. I was
very excited, just like he was, so everything ran well. At his
age, and with his potential, he can't be saving himself. He trains
as a workaholic, so if he keeps this rhythm he will be able to
show all his potential in the ring. If he shows in the ring everything
he does in training then everybody will be in trouble. No one
will have chance; he can beat everybody. I'm very excited with
him. That fight [against Justin Eilers] was awesome because he
fought all three rounds, and the guy didn't make things easy
on him. He ran over, took a knockdown, but he didn't stop. He
was very brave. He was there to win. Pedro didn't quit.
Source: Sherdog |
Unofficial,
Official Guide to May/June MMA
Beginning
with Saturday's IFL event in Chicago, a dozen mid-to-major mixed
martial events will be held in the next five weeks.
All
told, some 50-odd athletes will suffer losses, stitches and morning-after
headaches; another 50 will log wins that could lead to bigger
money, more television time, or a better grade of groupie.
The
coming month is probably the busiest in the sport's abbreviated
history, a big flashing neon light of a sign that the market
is nearing capacity. In more than a few cases, fledging promoters
will be more nervous than the participants in the ring.
In
case you'd like to keep score:
IFL (5/19,
Chicago, IL; 6/1, Everett, WA; 6/16 Las Vegas, NV; Airdates beginning
6/15 on FSN)
Despite
constant fretting from amateur stockbrokers online, the publicly
traded International Fight League seems determined to continue
providing a substantially different template than other promotions.
Athletes
are bred in a team climate, warming up near the ring and rooting
for their peers from the sidelines, the euphoria of winning (and
the noxious stint of defeat) now a communal experience.
The
idea hasn't penetrated as much as organizers had hoped -- I have
yet to see any civilians sporting a Tigersharks t-shirt, and
I'm not sure I ever will -- but at the least, it's not like any
other MMA on television.
May
19 sees Pat Miletich's defending champion Silverbacks needing
a win over Igor Zinoviev's Red Bears in order to advance to the
playoffs. Opposing Silverbacks heavyweight standout Ben Rothwell
is new Red Bears recruit Travis Fulton, a workhorse of a competitor
with more than 100 bouts to his resume.
Later
in the evening, promoters are staging a rematch between Maurice
Smith and Marco Ruas. Industry geezers may recall that Ruas quit
between rounds during their first meeting in 1999. The 40-something
"King of the Streets" has fought only once since, a
submission victory over Jason Lambert in 2001.
That
makes him only slightly less dormant than 45-year-old Smith,
who bowed out of MMA after a loss to Renato Sobral in 2000. Cornermen
should bring buckets of WD-40 for the collective amount of ring
rust on display here, but the IFL should get credit for keeping
aging athletes in their own competitive bracket. (In the UFC,
Ruas would likely get served up to Mirko Cro Cop; Smith would
be asked to dodge a speeding car.)
Regardless
of the outcome, a Ruas-Ken Shamrock bout later in the year would
pique interest, as does an intriguing June 16 light heavyweight
showdown between Mike Whitehead and Vernon White.
Gracie Fighting
Championships (5/19, Columbus, OH; Live on Dish Network, TBA
on DirecTV/iNDemand)
More
than a year after their first installment, the GFC returns to
the Buckeye State for a card that's light on marquee attractions.
Of the butt-numbing 12 bouts scheduled, the most appealing promises
to be the continuing progression of grappling sensation Jacare
in mixed-style competition against Bill Vucick.
Also
appearing: Chris Brennan and Branden Lee Hinkle (Pictures).
UFC 71 (6/26,
Las Vegas; Pay-Per-View)
As
the current ESPN: The Magazine cover subject, Chuck Liddell is
probably the most recognizable MMA athlete in the game. That
he's facing his most formidable opponent in years should be producing
the kind of electricity afforded to last weekend's coaxial Ambien
of a bout between Oscar De La Hoya and Floyd Mayweather Jr. But
so far, it's been crickets.
No
matter: Those hip enough to understand where the sparks are should
enjoy the fireworks. Since losing to Jackson in 2003, Liddell
has been on a tear, knocking out contenders and enjoying the
confidence that comes with a seven-fight win streak.
That
sheen of invincibility looked mighty dull against Jackson in
Japan, though, where Liddell was out-struck and outgunned, beaten
so thoroughly on the ground that his corner threw in the towel.
Come May 26, we'll see a better Liddell, but can the same be
said for Jackson?
Despite
his protests, Jackson's conversion to Christianity in recent
years seems to have nullified his killer instinct. The man who
once slammed Ricardo Arona through the mat has had to settle
for decision wins over the likes of Murilo Rua and Dong Sik Yoon.
And Quinton's striking, while ferocious, lacked accuracy even
in their first meeting.
Because
of these factors, Liddell-Jackson II presents as the best kind
of fight: one where you have no clue what's going to happen.
The
undercard struggles to maintain the same interest, but it'll
be nice to see Ivan Salaverry return after paying penitence for
his sins; ditto Karo Parisyan and Chris Leben, who both prefer
to fight in third gear.
K-1 Dynamite
(6/2, Los Angeles, CA; SHOWTIME Pay-Per-View)
The
Car Accident of the Month Award has a frontrunner, and here it
is.
In
booking the mammoth Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, K-1's MMA
arm seems determined to put on the promotional equivalent of
shoving money in a paper shredder. With an obscene payroll --
headlined by both Royce Gracie and reformed pro wrestler Brock
Lesnar -- the organization is offering $10 tickets and intends
to block off a significant portion of the arena … which
makes one wonder why they bothered booking it in the first place.
Their
financial Kamikaze act aside, Lesnar's MMA debut should be a
sight, particularly since he's opposing the enormous Hong-Man
Choi. Much has been made of Lesnar's powerful frame and wrestling
credentials, but MMA conditioning makes demands on the body that
has broken some serious athletes in half. At 265 pounds of muscle,
it'll be interesting to see where all that oxygen comes from.
The
co-main, which pits Royce Gracie against Kazushi Sakuraba in
a rematch of their classic 2000 contest, has no chance to be
as riveting as that 90-minute war of attrition. But for those
who were introduced to the sport via a ratty video store copy
of UFC 2, Gracie's presence on a card never fails to capture
attention.
All
of this assumes his opponent will be cleared for competition.
"He (Sakuraba) will be required to undergo all of the medical
testing, including an extensive neurological exam," California
State Athletic Commissioner Armando Garcia told Sherdog.com.
"I have also requested a previous MRI from his latest bout
for comparison value.
Additionally,
all medicals will be done in the United States under the supervision
of an approved commission physician. No medicals from outside
of the country are ever accepted here."
(In
a teleconference conducted with media last week, K-1 partner
Gary Shaw didn't elaborate on a Plan B if Sakuraba was deemed
unfit to compete.)
The
longstanding rivalry between the Gracies and Sakuraba is likely
to be lost on the American public: time will tell whether SHOWTIME's
barker show, airing weekly leading up to the event, can reform
them.
Source: Sherdog |
Quote
of the Day
“The
real leader has no need to lead -- he is content to point the
way.”
Henry Miller, 1891-1980, American Writer
|
DANA
WHITE DOUBTS BOXERS IN MMA
There was a time when mixed martial arts always walked in the
shadow of boxing. But it seems that lately, despite a record-setting
pay-per-view by the recent Oscar De La Hoya and Floyd Mayweather,
Jr. bout, boxing has been riding the coattails of MMA to grab
the spotlight.
Even
garnering approximately 2.15 million pay-per-view buys and a
live gate of more than $19 million for their blockbuster bout,
Mayweather was parlaying the popularity of the UFC to lead up
to the record-setting numbers from his fight with De La Hoya.
In weeks building toward the fight, he said things like, “[The
UFC] ain’t nothing but a fad… These are guys that couldn’t
do boxing.”
When
UFC President Dana White called him on his comments, offering
to give Mayweather the chance to back them up by facing UFC Lightweight
Champ Sean Sherk, Mayweather quickly retracted his statements,
sending word to White that it was just hype for the fight.
On
MMAWeekly Radio recently, Sherk didn’t hold back his thoughts
on Mayweather’s comments, “I took it as a direct insult,
as the UFC champion. I wanted to get that fight set up. It was
something Dana and I talked about. Immediately after the fight,
he retracted it. He said he did it just to sell tickets.”
He
continued, “I would have loved to have a fight like that.
That would have been great to expose boxing for what it is, it’s
one dimensional.”
Since
that time, International Boxing Federation Welterweight World
Champion Kermit Cintron, ranked #7 in the world by The Ring magazine,
has said he wants the fight with Sherk.
“I
want the fight,” said Cintron. “I can wrestle. I can
box. I can beat those UFC fighters at their own game. Tell Mr.
White to make me an offer and I’ll take on his guy after
I fight Matthysse...”
Cintron
was referring to a mandatory defense of his IBF title against
challenger Walter Mattysse on July 14. The fight is scheduled
to take place on the Arturo Gatti vs. Alfonso Gomez fight card
on HBO.
With
all of these boxers, now including former heavyweight champion
Tommy Morrison, jumping on the MMA bandwagon, White gave his
thoughts on situation to MMAWeekly, "Boxing is in a position
now where to get any notoriety they have to come out and say
they're going fight our guys. Not Floyd (Mayweather), Floyd's
the real deal.”
The
UFC President also doubts that these boxers really want to fight
MMA at all. Addressing whether or not Mayweather would really
agree to such a fight, White stated, “No. Come on. Kermit
Cintron doesn’t want to fight any of these MMA guys either.
No one knows who Kermit Cintron is.”
Informed
that Cintron is the current IBF Welterweight Champion, White
replied, “Which means what? What does that mean? It means
nothing. I mean, when they're calling us out now, obviously it's
a good thing.” Of course referring to boxing’s numerous
attempts to piggyback MMA’s popularity.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
BOXER
TOMMY MORRISON TO STEP IN THE CAGE
The boxing vs. mixed martial arts debate is nearing a full-blown
frenzy of late. Former heavyweight contender Tommy “The
Duke” Morrison is the latest to enter the fray, but he has
actually signed on the dotted line to back up his talk.
Though
it’s not of the ilk of a Sean Sherk vs. Floyd Mayweather
bout, Morrison will step into the cage to face 340-pound mixed
martial artist John Stover. The bout is scheduled to take place
as part of the June 9 event at Cliff Castle Casino in Arizona
presented by Worldwide Fighting Championship. Far from the credentials
of a fighter like UFC Lightweight Champion Sean Sherk, who has
a professional record of 31-2-1, Stover is still an experienced
fighter with 8 bouts to his credit.
Morrison,
however, is no slouch. He holds a professional record of 47-3-1,
according to BoxRec, has wins over the likes of George Forman,
held two different heavyweight title belts and was in line for
big money fights against boxers like Mike Tyson.
At
the height of is career, in 1996, Morrison quit boxing because
he tested positive for HIV during routine testing prior to a
fight in Nevada.
“I
had just signed a three-fight deal with Don King,” Morrison
recalls in a published statement, “that was going to lead
to a showdown with Mike Tyson that was worth $38 million. My
first fight was against Stormy Weathers in Las Vegas, but then
came the test result and the fight was cancelled. I estimate
that cost me around $100 million in fight purses over the past
10 years.”
Claiming
to be symptom free, Morrison was approved by the West Virginia
Athletic Commission in February of 2007 to return to the ring,
following negative test results in Phoenix, Arizona. He defeated
John Castle in his return bout in West Virginia.
What
spurred Morrison on to try his hands at MMA were the remarks
of UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Chuck Liddell on a local Dallas,
Tex. morning show. When asked by the host who Liddell wanted
to fight, he replied that he would like to face Morrison.
“I
couldn’t believe that,” Morrison says. “It’s
one thing to talk about fighting someone, but another thing to
actually do it. Let’s see if Chuck Liddell’s heart
is as big as his mouth.”
Morrison
continued, “He is crazy to want to get into the cage with
me. I beat George Foreman. Nobody in the history of boxing hit
harder than George Foreman. So why would I be afraid to get hit
by Chuck Liddell? He should be the one to be afraid. Liddell
has never been hit by anyone like me.”
“[UFC
President] Dana White always talks about how a top cagefighter
like Liddell could beat a top boxer, so here’s a chance
to make it happen. I want to know if Liddell and Dana White really
mean what they say or if they are just full of talk.” Throwing
down the gauntlet, Morrison finished, “I will take on Chuck
Liddell anytime, anyplace, anywhere.”
Aside
from his accolades in the boxing ring, Morrison is also well
known for his role as Rocky Balboa’s protogé Tommy
Gunn in the movie Rocky V starring Sylvester Stallone.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
COUNTDOWN
TO DYNAMITE!! USA STARTS TONIGHT
As mixed martial arts fans eagerly await the biggest MMA event
in years, SHOWTIME will take viewers behind the scenes, inside
the ropes and into the lives of the competitors on the June 2
“Dynamite!! USA” fight card. On Monday, May 14, (8:30
p.m. ET/PT) SHOWTIME will premiere the first of a four-part series
entitled "Countdown to Dynamite!! USA." Each 30-minute
episode will profile the world-class fighters, detail the explosive
and compelling match ups and preview the historic night of action.
The
first episode of Countdown introduces viewers to many of the
fighters on the eclectic card and profiles in detail the main
event match up between former NCAA and WWE wrestling champion
Brock Lesnar and 7-foot-2 South Korean giant Hong Man Choi. Also
featured in episode one is the beautiful and talented female
fighting sensation Gina Carano of Las Vegas along with her June
2 opponent, the heavy-handed and charismatic Jan “Cuddles”
Finney of Springfield, Ohio.
Episode
two, premiering Monday, May 21 at 8:30 p.m. ET/PT on SHOWTIME,
will feature new and familiar faces to MMA fans. Former USC Trojan
and NFL superstar wide receiver Johnnie Morton is preparing for
his MMA debut and LA Coliseum homecoming. Morton, who used to
catch touchdown passes on USC’s home turf, will look to
catch the attention of the MMA faithful in his bout against Bernard
Ackah of the Ivory Coast. Also in episode two, Antonio “Big
Foot” Silva readies himself for his Super Heavyweight bout
against Jonathan Wiezorek. Finally, the episode profiles Samoan
slugger Mighty Mo, who is training for his fight against South
Korea’s Mu Bae Choi.
The
third installment of “Countdown to Dynamite!! USA”
returns on Monday, May 28 at 8:30 p.m. ET/PT on SHOWTIME to go
deep into one of the most anticipated bouts of the year. MMA
legend Royce Gracie and Japan's Kazushi Sakuraba are training
for their historic rematch of an MMA classic. Their first meeting
is widely considered one of the best in MMA history, a record-setting
90-minute battle in 2000 with Sakuraba winning by stoppage. It
is a long-awaited grudge match between Gracie, a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
Master and Sakuraba, who is dubbed “The Gracie Killer”
for having defeated three other members of the Gracie family.
Also featured in episode three is San Francisco slugger Jake
Shields, who promises to pummel Israeli tough guy Ido Pariente,
and Dutch warrior Melvin Manhoef, who will showcase his startling
speed and power as he prepares for his match against Dong Sik
Yoon.
Episode
four will be a 30-minute highlight show recapping the series.
The episode will touch upon each featured fighter and match-up,
serving as a last call for the highly anticipated June 2 event.
The final episode premieres Friday, June 1 at 8:30 p.m. ET/PT
on SHOWTIME.
Following
the premiere of each episode, (with the exception of the final
episode) replays will air regularly on SHOWTIME and on the network’s
multiplex channels. They also will be available anytime on SHOWTIME
On Demand. For a complete list of air dates and times for all
SHOWTIME programming, please visit www.SHO.com/schedule.
The
history-making live MMA event on June 2 will feature six fights,
including the co-main events of Gracie vs. Sakuraba and Lesnar
vs. Choi, available live on pay-per-view beginning at 10 p.m.
ET/7 p.m. PT. Prior to the pay-per-view, SHOWTIME will televise
three live bouts, free to SHOWTIME subscribers from 9-10 p.m.
ET/6-7 p.m. PT featuring three of EliteXC’s top performers:
rising women’s superstar Carano, Brazil’s 6-foot-4,
300-pound Silva, and the speedy and powerful Shields. For pay-per-view
pricing and ordering information, viewers should contact their
cable or satellite provider.
Tickets
for Dynamite!! USA are on sale via Ticketmaster locations, www.ticketmaster.com
and the LA Coliseum box office. Seats will be available on the
field and throughout the majority of the stadium bowl, with the
exception of limited blocked sections on each end for restricted
viewing. In the stadium bowl, seats in the upper sections will
sell for $30, with the exception of the west end, which will
be $10. The lower bowl will sell for $60 in most areas and $30
in the west end. On the field, tickets will run at $100 on the
outer rim, $250 in the middle section and $1,000 at ringside.
Dynamite!!
USA marks the first FEG event on U.S. soil and the inaugural
MMA contest in the L.A. Coliseum’s 74-year history. FEG’s
Heroes MMA events in Japan and Korea have routinely sold out
major arenas and stadiums, including the 74,000-seat Tokyo Dome.
The inaugural Dynamite in August 2002, held at Tokyo National
Stadium, drew a record crowd of 92,000 fans.
Dynamite!!
USA is presented by FEG (Fighting Entertainment Group), ProElite,
Inc. and SHOWTIME Networks Inc.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Quote
of the Day
“If
you would thoroughly know anything, teach it to others.”
Tryon Edwards, 1809-1894, American Theologian
|
Fighters'
Club TV on Tonight!
Channel
52
Tuesdays at 7:00 PM
The latest Fighters' Club TV episodes features a good filling
of Mark and Mike as well as...
Interview
with new Icon Sport Middleweight Champ Robbie Lawler.
They don't call him Ruthess for nothing. I think he calls out
Mike not once, but twice during this relatively short interview.
Between you and me, I would try to take a grazing punch and lay
down. So what?!
Charuto Verissimo is back in action as he features his world
class Jiu-Jitsu technique in the last Icon Sport with a post
fight interview. This footage is the closest you will get to
being in the fight without being in the ring! Make sure that
you listen in closely when the leather is flying.
He is definitely in the Icon Sport championship mix.
One
of our favorite segments, FCTV Mail, is starting to gain momentum.
This episode we discuss the following topics:
BJJ vs Traditional JJ
Myspace
School Coverage
Why are we so sexy? Ok, I added that one in.
Not enough description? You better tune in...and please write
in with your questions to fctv@onzuka.com and if it is absolutely,
positively, spell binding and memorizing, we will read it on
the air. Who are we kiddng? Maybe we'll read it even if it sucks.
Kalihi native, now Cali boy Jason Mayhem Miller does a great
Dan Henderson impersonation. Was that Mayhem's last fight in
Hawaii?
Enson Inoue teaches us a mount neck crank in our Technique of
the Week!
Finally, one of the most exciting and talented new stars in Hawaii
MMA, Justin Buchholz teaches us about the power of the loco moco.
Of
course, it wouldn't be a FCTV show without a little eye candy
spread out in very strategic locations throughout the fights.
Daddy like!
If
you have anything to comment on or want to see on the show, please
email us at fctv@onzuka.com.
|
MARSHALL
AND MAYHEM MILLER REIGN AT WEC
LAS VEGAS, NEV. – World Extreme Cagefighting held its latest
offering at The Joint in the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in
Las Vegas. Tonight’s card went through several changes before
it was finalized as the night’s original main event was
intended to be WEC Lightweight Champion “Razor” Rob
McCullough defending his title for the first time against Rich
Crunkilton, but injuries would eventually force both fighters
off the card.
In
the main event, WEC Light Heavyweight Champion Doug Marshall
took on XFO Light Heavyweight Champion Justin McElfresh. From
the start, McElfresh looked to use his significant reach advantage
over Marshall. Marshall was ready and countered the difference
in reach by incorporating low kicks to slow down his bigger opponent.
McElfresh looked good in the opening minute, keeping Marshall
from getting inside, but Marshall was able to overcome that by
tagging McElfresh with solid punches. Just as it looked like
McElfresh had weathered the storm, Marshall again got inside
with punches. He rocked McElfresh with a series of right hands
with one final punch finishing off McElfresh at 2:16 of the first
round.
Jason
“Mayhem” Miller made his much-anticipated WEC debut taking on
Japanese striker Hiromitsu Miura. Miller quickly took the fight
to the ground, shortly thereafter taking Miura’s back. Miller
would work for the choke, but Miura showed excellent defense
and prevented Miller from securing the choke. This scenario would
play for the rest of the round, as Miller was unable to finish
the rugged Japanese fighter.
The
second round was a much different story as Miura kept the fight
standing up taking full advantage, tagging Miller on several
occasions with excellent punch combinations. Miller tried several
times to get the fight on the ground, but Miura halted every
attempt.
With
the fight on the line in the last round, both fighters came out
to assert themselves, but Miller landed an errant kick to Miura’s
groin that would halt the action. Miura would recover and the
fight continued with Miller getting a quick takedown, once again
securing Miura’s back, following a banana split. Miura was
able to reverse Miller, getting back to his feet and taking Miller
down with a beautiful Judo throw. Miller got back up and the
fighters ended the night trading blows. In a close fight, Miller
was awarded the unanimous decision with all three scores being
29-28 in his favor.
Cuban
national Ariel Gandulla made a successful WEC debut, beating
Gary Padilla by split decision. The entire fight played out on
the feet and it ended up being to Gandulla’s advantage,
as he was the aggressor throughout the fight. Charging in with
wild flurries, Gandulla was able to keep Padilla on his toes.
In
the second round, Padilla landed an accidental knee to Gandulla’s
groin that halted action for a bit. After the restart, Gandulla
continued to be the aggressor for the reminder of the round.
Again
in the third round, Gandulla was able to be the aggressor and
land the cleaner shots, as Padilla had no answer for Gandulla’s
superior striking abilities. In a last ditch effort to steal
the round, Padilla would attempt a takedown, but Gandulla defended
it with ease, sealing the victory.
San
Diego’s Charlie Kohler took on Freestyle Academy fighter
Sherron “Rob Roy” Leggett in an exciting lightweight
attraction. Both fighters came out swinging to start the fight,
as Kohler tagged Leggett a couple of times forcing him to pick
Kohler up for a huge slam. Leggett began to land solid shots
from the guard, but Kohler went for an omoplata, almost securing
it before switching to an armbar. Leggett escaped and spent the
rest of the round tagging Kohler with solid ground and pound.
The
second round was all Leggett, as he punished Kohler keeping him
pinned to the cage in a turtled position. Leggett landed some
huge knees to Kohler’s body as he mixed in punches too.
After offering no offense in return and Leggett punishing him
at will, the referee finally halted the fight at 2:25 of the
second round.
In
a back and forth lightweight scrap, Texan Marcus Hicks submitted
Freestyle Academy fighter Sergio Gomez at 3:20 of the second
round. Gomez took the fight to the ground early, landing solid
elbows as Hicks got back to his feet but was slammed by Gomez.
Hicks got back to his feet and Gomez took over as he tagged Hicks
with solid punches that bloodied him, shutting his right eye.
In
the second round, Gomez began to tag Hicks again before taking
him to the ground. Hicks would get back to his feet and reverse
the tables by slamming Gomez and then securing a guillotine choke
that forced Gomez to tap.
Midwest
fighter Tom Speer battled Brazilian Sidney Silva. Silva would get an early takedown,
but was unable to capitalize as Speer got back to his feet. Speer
then picked Silva up and slammed him hard to the mat. From there,
Speer stood up in guard and started to drop bombs on Silva, connecting
with several devastating shots that knocked Silva out cold at
4:33 of the first round.
Former
King of the Cage Flyweight Champion Manny Tapia simply was too
much for Brandon Foxworth. Both fighters came out slugging, but
Tapia would drop Foxworth with a wicked punch. Tapia continued
his assault on the ground, but Foxworth somehow survived and
got back to his feet. Tapia again dropped Foxworth and for the
rest of the round punished him with brutal ground and pound.
A
beaten and bloody mess, Foxworth came out swinging to start the
second round, but Tapia put him on his back. Foxworth reversed
and made it back to his feet, clinching with Tapia along the
fence. Tapia eventually broke free and started to unload on Foxworth,
who again took loads of punishment as Tapia connected with solid
shots that forced the referee to stop the fight at 3:17 of the
second round.
An
injury halted a promising lightweight fight between Ed Ratcliff
and Johnny
Sampaio.
Sampaio got an early takedown and passed the guard, securing
a standing rear naked choke on Ratcliff, who escaped after a
struggle. Just as Sampaio attempted a Judo throw, his left knee
gave out and forced a halt to the fight at 1:31 into the first
round with Ratcliff as the winner.
Cobra
Kai fighter Eric Schambari won an uneventful decision over veteran
Art Santore. Throughout the fight, Schambari took Santore to
the ground, landing occasional elbows to stay busy. Santore had
his moment in the second round as he was on top for the majority
of the round before being reversed by Schambari. In the final
round, Schambari used the same strategy as in the first two rounds
to pick up the unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27).
RESULTS
- Eric Schambari defeated Art Santore by unanimous decision (29-28,
20-27, 30-27)
- Ed Ratcliff defeated Johnny Sampaio by TKO (Injury), 1:31 of
the first round
- Manny Tapia defeated Brandon Foxworth by TKO, 3:17 of the second
round
- Tom Speer defeated Sidney Silva by KO, 4:33 of the first round
- Marcus Hicks defeated Sergio Gomez with a guillotine choke,
3:20 of the second round
- Sherron Legget defeated Charlie Kohler by TKO, 2:25 of the
second round
- Ariel Gandulla defeated Gary Padilla by split decision (29-28,
28-29, 29-28)
- Jason Miller defeated Hiromitsu Miura by unanimous decision
(29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Doug Marshall defeated Justin McElfresh by KO, 2:16 of the
first round
Source: MMA Weekly
WEC 27
Live Play-by-Play
Eric
Schambari vs. Art Santore (Pictures)
Round 1
Schambari quickly shoots and scores a slick single leg takedown.
Santore tried to apply a kimura while holding half guard, but
Schambari was able to muscle out of it. Santore escaped from
the ground and was able to get the fight back to his feet, but
was taken down again. Schambari scooted over and had side control
for a while but Santore reversed it perfectly. Santore finished
the round stuck in half guard and was able to land a few moderately
clean punches. Not a ton of action and the round was very close.
Sherdog.com scored it 10-9 for Santore.
Round
2
Another good takedown from Schambari starts off the round and
Schambari wound up in half guard. Slick, textbook sweep/reversal
from Santore and now he's in half guard. Not a whole lot action
as both men equal each other out. Schambari wall walked up the
cage and reversed it and landed a few decent elbows. Again, another
extremely close round but it seemed to be Schambari's round due
to the late flurry of elbows and punches. Sherdog.com scored
it 10-9 for Schambari.
Round
3
Whoever wins this round wins the fight, according to Sherdog.com's
scorecard. Both middleweights are very tired to start off the
third round. Schambari tried another takedown but Santore was
able to sprawl. Very slow-paced third round thus far due to fatigue.
On the ground again; Schambari in Santore's full guard but not
much action whatsoever. Surprisingly, the crowd is not booing.
Schambari is able to land several decent/glancing punches and
elbows. Both guys are fighting very hard but they continuously
thwart the other's attacks. A large laceration opens over Santore's
left eye; looks like it's in his eyebrow. Schambari is smothering
Santore and looks like he's doing just a little bit more. The
fight ends. Sherdog.com scored it 10-9 for Schambari. It was
a very close, competitive fight but Sherdog.com scored it 29-28
for Schambari.
Official
scores: 29-28 and 30-27 (twice) for Eric Schambari.
Ed
Ratcliff vs. Johnny
Sampaio
Round 1
This fight should be a high-intensity lightweight war. Good single
leg takedown from Sampaio quickly, but he wound up in Radcliff's
guard. Radcliff tried but missed an armbar and within seconds,
Sampaio latched onto his back for a rear naked choke. Radcliff
escaped. The two were back on their feet and in a clinch when
Sampaio appeared to try a judo throw, but he collapsed instantly.
It turns out that he blew his left knee out; his leg completely
collapsed and referee Steve Mazzagatti quickly stopped the fight.
The official decision is a verbal submission win via injury at
1:31 of the opening round for Radcliff. Too bad; this was going
to be an awesome fight. Replays show that Sampaio tried a judo
hip toss and his left knee completely blew out. Hopefully he'll
be able to recover soon.
Brandon
Foxworth vs. Manny Tapia
Round 1
Bantamweights in this one and the fight should be explosive.
Foxworth threw a lazy left jab and Tapia lands a huge right cross.
Foxworth is down, but he is okay and pulls guard once Tapia tried
to unload. Stalemate on the ground and referee Yves stands them
up. Tapia drops Foxworth again with a right cross and they are
back on the ground. Foxwroth pulls another closed guard. Tapia
broke the guard and landed two huge right hands while Foxworth
was on his back. Tapia is bombarding Foxworth with right punches
and hammer strikes. Tapia continues to pummel Foxworth with strikes.
What is keeping this guy awake? Either Tapia can't punch too
hard or Foxworth has a granite chin. The round ends with Foxworth
with a reddened, puffy face. Sherdog.com scored it 10-8 for Tapia.
Round
2
Foxworth looks a little woozy to start the round and Tapia unloads
punches, but misses most of them. Foxworth looks like he's in
slow motion and is getting beaten soundly, but he's got plenty
of heart. The two clinch along the fence for a few minutes and
Tapia finally seperates himself from Foxworth. Tapia lands two
brutal right hands and Foxworth was on his way out, but referee
Yves jumps in to stop it. It was a good call on Yves' part. The
official time of the TKO for Tapia is 3:17 of the second round.
Tom
Speer vs. Sidney
Silva
Round 1
Silva landed a decent right high kick onto the left side of Speer's
face, but it wasn't very hard. After a minute and a half of clinching
along the fence, Silva scored a takedown and secured side mount.
Speer scrambled and got back into a clinch along the fence. Speer
scored a powerful scoop slam and is hammering away in half guard.
Speer stood out when Silva opened his guard and after a few seconds
of posturing, Speer landed a devestating right handed bomb onto
Silva's jaw. He was knocked out instantly, but Speer landed three
more thunderous punches to Silva's face. Silva was down and out
cold for about a minute or two before he finally came to. It
was a somewhat scary moment for him. The official time of the
knockout came at 4:33 of round one.
Marcus
Hicks vs. Sergio Gomez
Round 1
The two lightweights had some trash talk with each other leading
up to the fight, so we'll see if that will lead into a great
fight. Both men are undefeated, so it adds a little more intrigue.
Gomez landed a right hand right at the bell and turned that into
a superb double leg takedown. About a minute in, Hicks' left
eye is swollen and almost closed from that one punch. Hicks keeps
scrambling but Gomez keeps scoring double leg takedowns. The
fight is intense thus far, but both men expending tons of energy.
Hicks scrambled again and took Gomez' back, but he couldn't secure
the rear naked choke. Hick's left eye is now completely closed
with just over a minute left. Some hard right hands from Gomez
late that wobbled Hicks, but he survived and scored a takedown
late. Very exciting, action-packed opening round. Sherdog.com
scored it 10-9 for Gomez.
Round
2
Quick double leg scored for Gomez early in the round. It's now
a classic grappling match and the action slows just a little.
Gomez was in Hicks' guard for more than two minutes until Hicks
swept him, and brought it back to the feet. Hicks scooped up
Gomez and scored a beauty of a slam and wound up in half guard.
Gomez tried to scramble out and reverse Hicks, but Hicks latched
on a tight guillotine. After several seconds, Gomez had no choice
but to tapout. Very good fight. The official time was 3:20 of
round 2.
Charlie
Kohler (Pictures) vs. Sherron Leggett
Round 1
Decent action to start as both men trade punches; nothing clean
lands, though. Leggett scores a good takedown a minute in and
lands some strikes in Kohler's guard. After Kohler tried to scramble,
Kohler sunk in a deep omaplata and he had it locked in completely.
Leggett was in intense pain but he somehow miraculously was able
to escape the hold, but he found himself immediately caught in
an armbar. Again, he slipped out of the submission and eventually
reversed the position. Leggett is now in Kohler's guard and landed
some good strikes. Kohler is cut on his left eyebrow. Kohler
tried another armbar and almost had it, but Leggett escaped and
rolled into half guard. With a few seconds remaining in the round,
Leggett got full mount and rained down punches, but he ran out
of time. Excellent round. Sherdog.com scored it 10-9 for Leggett.
Round
2
The two trade blows on the feet to start the round and eventually
Leggett had Kohler pinned along the fence. Kohler dropped to
his knees in an effort to escape but Leggett was all over him.
Legget rained down a plethora of knees to the ribs and left fists
to the face. Kohler couldn't escape and after a few dozen painful
strikes, referee Yves Levigne stopped it. The official time of
the stoppage came at 2:25 of the second round.
Gary
Padilla (Pictures) vs. Ariel Gandulla
Round 1
Both light heavyweights sizing each other up for a few minutes.
Not much action thus far. The entire round saw both men stalking
and landing few strikes. Very even round, very close. Padilla
closed in late and landed two hard liver kicks. Sherdog.com scored
it 10-9 for Padilla.
Round
2
Gandulla landed a flurry of punches punctuated by a right hand
that wobbled Padilla. Gandulla swarmed him and when he charged
in, he was hit by a hard front kick to the stomach, which sent
him reeling back and onto his trunks. The two scrambled on the
floor and when they got back to their feet, they clinched and
Padilla unintentionally landed a fierce knee to the groin. Gandulla
is down and the clock has stopped. There is a five minute delay
to make sure Gandulla can continue. The knee was a total accident.
Gandulla only takes about 2 minutes rest and the fight continues.
Not much action formnthe rest of the round save for a few flurries
from Gandulla but nothing noteworthy landed. Very little action.
Sherdog.com scored it 10-9 for Gandulla.
Round
3
Each man has won a round on the Sherdog.com scorecard so the
fight is up for grabs. Gandulla is an accomplished wrestler and
judoka from Cuba but he never once tried for a takedown. Padilla
is backing away from Gandulla too much this round and that could
sway then judges to think he's either hurt or running. Gandulla
only throws right hooks but nothing hard or clean has landed
yet this round. Gandulla not really winning the round convincingly
but Padilla is not doing anything at all. Very lackluster fight
until the end. Close fight but the Cuban did more damage aside
from a cut under Gandulla's left eye very late. Sherdog.com scored
it 10-9 for Gandulla. Official scores: 29-28 Gandulla, 29-28
Padilla, 29-28 Gandulla. Gandulla won a split decision and some
in the crowd angrily boo the verdict.
Jason
Miller
vs. Hiromitsu Miura (Pictures)
Round 1
Miller entered the cage in a suit and tie. Miller started out
with several hard legs kicks and then scored a double leg takedown.
Miller quickly scored full mount and then transitioned over to
a rear naked choke. Miura defended it well. Miller has a tight
body triangle from behind and tries another rear naked choke.
Most of the round took place along the fence with Miller on Miura's
back landing glancing strikes and trying for rear naked chokes.
Very little action. Sherdog.com scores it 10-9 Miller.
Round
2
Both striking early in the second. Miller actually looks tired.
Not much action but Miura is getting the best of Miller on the
feet. Miller looks confused as the round wears away. Miller tried
to shoot but it was a poor attempt. Miller looks very tired while
Miura looks as fresh as Spring air. Miller tried another takedown,
but he was stuffed and thrown judo-style from Miura. Miura landed
several stinging punches at the bell. Sherdog.com scored it 10-9
for Miura.
Round
3
Crucial round for each man. Miller kicked Miura right square
in the groin, but it was totally unintentional. Miura is down
and grimmacing in pain. It was a brutal kick but it was clearly
an accident. Miura is laying on his back trying to regain his
strength. Miura might not be able to continue; he is still down
and in severe pain. Replays show how vicious the kick was. After
three or so minutes, Miura finally sits up. Sherdog.com doesn't
see how this fight will continue. Miura needs the strength of
ten tigers as the rest time is almost expired. Referee Steve
Mazzagatti is warning Miura's corner that time is almost up.
Fight is finally back on. Miura is re-energized. Miura dove in
for a knee bar, but Miller quickly stuffed him and apllied a
figure four body lock. Miller latches on a deep banana split,
but somehow Miura escaped, but he wound up caught in a rear naked
choke. Miura is defending properly but he can't break free from
the body triangle that Miller has on him. Miura stretched out
Miller's left arm and escaped the rear naked choke. Miura escapes
and is back on his feet. They clinch along the fence and Miura
goes for the gusto; he needs a KO to win. Two knees to the groin
hurt Miller and now the fight is stopped. Time runs out for Miura
and it seems as though Miller won the fight. This is a fight
that needs a fourth and/or fifth round. It was a superb demonstration
of grappling. Sherdog.com scored it 10-9 for Miller. Official
scores: 29-28 (all) for Miller.
Doug
Marshall (Pictures) vs. Justin McElfresh (Pictures)
Round 1
McElfresh starts off by landing some pesky right jabs that bother
Rhino. After a little while, Rhino starts unloading vicious leg
kicks. McElfresh mistakenly starts to close in on the smaller
Rhino, a move that might not be wise. Rhino lands a couple loopy
overhand rights that seem to stun McElfresh. The two clinch and
McElfresh can't deliver his knees from in close. Rhino lands
several powerful overhand rights. One lands hard behind the ear
and McElfresh lands face first. The fight is over. The official
time of the knockout is 2:16 of the first round. Rhino keeps
his light heavyweight WEC title.
Source: Sherdog
|
UFC
71 CROSSING CULTURAL BOUNDARIES
Las Vegas, Nev. (USA) – In anticipation of UFC 71: LIDDELL
vs. JACKSON taking place May 26th in Las Vegas, Azteca America
– the fastest growing Hispanic Television Network in the
United States – will present a one-hour special dedicated
to this UFC® mega-fight of the summer. “La Venganza
de Chuck Liddell,” hosted by Troy Santiago, will telecast
Saturday, May 12th immediately following the quarter finals of
the Mexican League soccer game Cruz Azul vs. Tecos.
“La
Venganza de Chuck Liddell” marks the first ever mixed martial
arts (MMA) special to air on a national Spanish television network
in the United States. Fox Sports en Espanol Spanish soccer narrator
Troy Santiago hosts this Ultimate Fighting Championship®
special, guiding Azteca America viewers through a series of fights
including UFC 66: LIDDELL vs. ORTIZ.
The
special focuses on Chuck Liddell’s mission to avenge all
of his previous losses to date. Considered the most recognizable
mixed martial arts fighter in the world, and currently featured
on the cover of ESPN The Magazine, Liddell has been fighting
in the UFC since UFC 17 in 1998. He has fought with the organization
17 times and has only lost three times in his nearly ten-year
history. He avenged his first loss to Jeremy Horn at UFC 54 in
2005, and his second loss to Randy Couture at UFC 52 and again
at UFC 57 in their rubber match. Now Liddell looks to erase his
last career loss to Quinton “Rampage” Jackson at UFC
71.
Liddell
won the UFC Light Heavyweight title in April 2005. He has knocked
out his last seven opponents, which includes his last four title
defenses. He intends to make UFC 71 his fifth successful defense
with a knockout win over Jackson.
“I’ve
been waiting for this fight with Rampage for a long time. I’m
excited about it and I will knock him out,” said Liddell.
“This is the last loss on my record that I have to avenge
so I want to put that behind me and then look at new challenges.”
“I'm
excited to make this long awaited rematch a reality for UFC fans,”
said UFC President Dana White. “Chuck has been on a mission
to avenge all of his losses. He avenged Randy Couture, then Jeremy
Horn and now standing in the way is Quinton “Rampage”
Jackson. Rampage is extremely excited to finally be in the UFC,
and is very confident that his second fight in the UFC will earn
him the light heavyweight championship. This is without a doubt
the blockbuster fight of the summer.”
Source: MMA Weekly
|
WASHINGTON
D.C. USHERS IN MMA
WASINGTON, D.C. – As it turned out, mixed martial arts in
D.C. was definitely ready for its close-up. With local media
buzzing about the first-ever sanctioned MMA show in the District
and over 2,100 people in attendance, fans were treated to a thrilling
night of action, with only two fights going to decision and eight
bouts finishing in the first round.
The
fledgling promotion, Mixed Martial Arts Championship (MMAC),
provided an evening of entertainment that more than made up for
its paucity of well-known fighters with a fast-paced show with
impressive production values. Despite their inexperience, the
promotion pulled off a near flawless event that proved a big
hit with those in attendance, most of whom had never seen an
MMA show in person.
Perhaps
the show’s only weakness (aside from titling a show “The
Revolution” in the nation’s capital) was the anti-climax
of its main events. In the first of two featured bouts, Nino
Schembri took on fellow Pride veteran Amir Rahnavardi. Fighting
for the first time in over a year, Rahnavardi was taken down
within seconds of the opening bell. Schembri quickly transitioned
from side control to a slick armbar/top-side triangle choke that
forced Rahnavardi to tap out a mere 57 seconds into the fight.
In
the night’s final match, Brazilian Top Team’s Fabiano
Capoani bested UFC vet Homer Moore when Moore verbally submitted
due to a re-aggravation of an existing knee injury. Fans were
quick to boo during the initial feeling-out process, in which
neither fighter threw a punch for the first three minutes. The
remaining minute of the fight saw Capoani attempt a takedown
that put Moore in top position. Capoani worked methodically from
the guard, attempting an armbar and triangle choke in quick succession.
Moore pulled out of both maneuvers, but after standing up briefly,
he fell to the mat and was unable to continue.
The
night also saw impressive performances by Brazilian Rafael Bastos
and former Green Bay Packers running back Herbert Goodman in
each of their fights. Bastos came out swinging in his fight against
Minnesotan Chaylen Rader, connecting with two good right hooks
and a jumping knee. Following a spinning back fist attempt that
drew “oohs” from the crowd, Bastos was able to take
the fight to the ground, transition to mount and pound out a
TKO in just one minute and 38 seconds.
Goodman’s
night was even shorter. Looking uncannily like a younger Marvin
Eastman (another former running back), Goodman endured a thunderous
body slam by wrestler Shane Dezee, only to secure a tight guillotine
choke that ended the fight only 36 seconds after it had begun.
For
those in the DC area that missed it, the event was taped in HD
for broadcast later this summer on the TV-One network. Most appropriate
for an event in wonky D.C., The Revolution will be televised.
Full
Event Results:
Fabiano
Capoani def. Homer Moore by TKO at 3:59 of Round 1
Nino Schembri def. Amir Rahnavardi by armbar at 0:57 of Round
1
Herbert Goodman def. Shane Dezee by guillotine at 0:36 of Round
1
Rafael Bastos def. Chaylen Rader by TKO at 1:38 of Round 1
Chris Manuel def. Killa B. Niimi by TKO at 0:31 of Round 3
Edson Conterraneo def. Rocky Batastini by Unanimous Decision
Matt Lee def. Ashe Bowman by guillotine at 2:48 of Round 1
Rodrigo Botti def. Sam Liera by TKO at 4:29 of Round 3
Antwain Britt def. Patrick Barrentine by KO (punch) at 1:12 of
Round 1
Marcelo Brito def. Omar de la Cruz by Split Decision
Brian Caraway def. Saul Mitchel by armbar at 3:04 of Round 1
Kyle Baker def. Ron Foster by TKO at 3:41 of Round 1
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Quote
of the Day
“Everything
becomes a little different as soon as it is spoken out loud.”
Hermann Hesse, 1877-1962, German-born Writer and Nobel Prïze
Winner
|
PUNIISHMENT
IN PARADISE RESULTS
"UNTOUCHABLES"
May 12, 2007
Hawaiian Waters Adventure Park
175lbs.
P.I.P Championship(3x2 Mintue Rounds)
Keoni Bryant (Jus Rush, Kailua) vs. Tony Miyose (Westside Connection,
Nanakuli)
Bryant by decision (30-27)(29-28)(29-28)
145lbs
P.I.P Championship(3x2 Minute Rounds)
Kyle Rideau (Tabuso Fight Team, California) vs. Toni Geraldi
(Geraldi Muay Thai, Aiea)
Rideau did not show up. Fight cancelled.
170lbs.
(3x2 Minute Rounds)
Ben Santiago (Team Ruthless, Makaha) vs. John Visante Jr. (Sit
You Down, Waianae)
Visante by decision (30-26)x3
***INTERMISSION***
150lbs. P.I.P Championship(3x2 Minute Rounds)
Shaison Laupola (Team Ruthless, Makaha) vs. Chris Kutzman (Westside
Connection, Nanakuli)
Laupola by TKO in round 1 after knee in the stomach and Kutzman
could not continue.
140lbs.
P.I.P Jr Championship(3x2 Minute Rounds)
Bronson Cayetano (Smith Taekwondo, Kaneohe) vs. Glenn Miyose
(Westside Connection, Nanakuli)
Miyose by KO at 15 seconds of round 2.
165lbs.
(3x11/2 Mintue Rounds)
Dean Lista (HMC, Kalihi) vs. Bryson Okada (Sit You Down, Waianae)
Okada by decision (29-28)(29-28)(29-28)
185lbs.
(3x1 ½ Minute Rounds)
Cameron Silva ( HMC, Kauai) vs. Curtis Jones (Dream Team, Waianae)
Jones by TKO at 1:26 of round 2 because of ref stoppage after
two knockdowns.
135lbs.
(3x1 ½ Minute Rounds)
Colin McKenzie (Team Ruthless, Makaha) vs. Jarret Matsuda (Koden
Kan, Kailua)
Matsuda by TKO in round 2. McKenzie verbally submitted.
140lbs
(3x1 ½ Minute Rounds)
Jon Bernard (Team Ruthless, Makaha) vs. Jordan Sua (Fighters
Union, Waianae)
Bernard by TKO after end of round 1. Sua verbally submitted.
150lbs.
(3x1 ½ Minute Rounds)
Peterson Purdy (Team Ruthless, Makaha) vs. Josh Vissel (Sit You
Down, Waianae)
Purdy by decision (29-28)(29-28)(28-29)
150lbs.
(3x1 ½ Minute Rounds)
Jacob Smith (Smith Taekwondo, Kaneohe) vs. Josiah Viante (Sit
You Down, Waianae)
Smith by decision (30-27)(30-27)(29-28)
185lbs.
(3x1 ½ Mintue Rounds)
Josh Keanu (Team Ruthless, Makaha) vs. David Vasequez (Sit You
Down, Waianae)
Vasquez by decision (29-28)(29-28)(28-29)
140lbs.
(3x1 ½ Minute Rounds)
Sam Quel (Team Ruthless, Makaha) vs Jonah Visante (Sit You Down,Makaha)
Visante by decision (30-27)x3
130lbs.
(3x1 ½ Minute Rounds)
Hiram Hollaway (Team Ruthless, Makaha) vs. Derrick Cavalu (Sit
You Down,Makaha)
Hollaway by decision (30-27)(30-27)(29-28)
Source: Starving & Thirsty Judge
|
GRAPPLING
UNLIMITED
presents a MMA seminar with Superbrawl Champion
EGAN INOUE
DATE: June 2nd
TIME:
1pm-5pm
LOCATION:
Grappling Unlimited
TYPE
OF SEMINAR: MMA (Mixed Martial Arts)
REQUIREMENTS:
Participants must bring
- mouthpiece
- protective cup
- shingards
- 16 oz. boxing gloves
NOTES:
There is very limited space for this seminar. We will only accept
(16) people. Sign up soon!
PRICE:
$90 general public / $70 GU & Studio members
Source: Marcia
Inoue
|
***For
Immediate Release***
For more information and fighter interviews, contact Mike Afromowitz,
(917) 566-8754 or muaythaimes@aol.com.
Strikeforce
Launches New-Look Website
May 11, 2007; New York, NY….World championship mixed martial
arts federation, Strikeforce, has re-launched its website, www.strikeforceusa.net, with a bold, new
look and a host of new features, including video streaming capability
that will allow the organization to host fight footage online.
In
addition to highlights from select fights, Strikeforce’s
online home will soon feature video interviews with its athletes
and other behind-the-scenes footage that will give visitors an
in-depth look into the world of mixed martial arts. Up to date
news coverage of Strikeforce events and fighters is provided
as is an option to subscribe to Strikeforce’s free online
newsletter.
The
new site is equipped with an integrated store in which fans can
shop for the promotion’s DVD titles, apparel, and other
Strikeforce merchandise. Future titles will be available for
pre-order shortly.
The
re-launch of the Strikeforce website comes one month prior to
its biggest fight card to date, “Shamrock vs. Baroni,”
that will feature a long awaited showdown between former UFC
middleweight champion, Frank Shamrock, and UFC and Pride Fighting
Championship veteran, “The New York Badass” Phil Baroni.
Strikeforce has partnered with EliteXC to co-produce the 12-bout
mega-card that will be distributed live by SHOWTIME® Pay-Per-View
from San Jose, California’s HP Pavilion on Friday, June
22nd. For ordering and pricing information, contact your pay-per-view
provider.
Fans
can view the fight card on the Strikeforce website. The card’s
six main bouts will air during the television broadcast while
the six preliminary matchups will be streamed online, live on
www.ProElite.com, the online social
network for mixed martial arts.
Strikeforce
is a world-class mixed martial arts cage fight promotion which,
on Friday, March 10, 2006, made history with its “Shamrock
vs. Gracie” event, the first sanctioned mixed martial arts
fight card in California state history. The star-studded extravaganza,
which pitted legendary champion Frank Shamrock against Brazilian
Jiu-Jitsu black belt Cesar Gracie at San Jose’s HP Pavilion,
played host to a sold-out, record crowd of 18,265.
Source: Mike Afromowitz
|
Quote
of the Day
"Kissing
is like drinking salted water: you drink and your thirst increases."
Chinese Proverb
|
WEC
Results
Miller
wins, but Silva & Sampaio fall short
"Mayhem" wins WEC debut; Marshall retains 205-pound
title
By MMAFighting.com on May 12, 2007
Doug "Rhino" Marshall (6-2) retained his WEC 205-pound
title in spectacular fashion, knocking out Justin McElfresh (5-2)
with overhand rights in the main event of Saturday’s WEC
27 at The Joint in the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.
This
was Marshall's first title defense since winning the strap against
Lodune Sincaid in August 2006.
Middleweight
Jason "Mayhem" Miller (19-5) had a successful first
outing as a WEC fighter as he unanimously outpointed Hiromitsu
Miura (7-4) after three rounds of action. All judges scored the
bout 29-28.
Results:
1.
Middleweights: Eric Schambari def. Art Santore via unanimous
decision
2.
Lightweights: Ed Ratcliff def. Johnny Sampaio via TKO (injury) - R1 (1:31)
3.
Bantamweights: Manny Tapia def. Brandon Foxworth via TKO (strikes)
- R2 (3:17)
4.
Welterweights: Tom Speer def. Sidney Silva via KO - R1 (4:33)
5.
Lightweights: Marcus Hicks def. Sergio Gomez via guillotine choke
- R2 (3:20)
6.
Lightweights: Sherron Leggett def. Charlie Kohler via TKO (strikes)
- R2 (2:25)
7.
Light heavyweights: Ariel Gandulla def. Gary Padilla via split
decision
8.
Middleweights: Jason
"Mayhem" Miller def. Hiromitsu Miura via unanimous decision
9.
Light heavyweights: Doug Marshall def. Justin McElfresh via KO
- R1 (2:16)
Source: MMA Fighting
|
USA-Boxing
Hawaii Fundraising Event Results!
USA-BOXING HAWAII ASSOCIATION INC., PALOLO B.C. AND KAWANO B.C.
PRESENTS A FUNDRAISER MATCH EVENT FOR THE 2007 HAWAII BOXING
TEAM TO THE U.S. CHAMPIONSHIPS IN COLORADO SPRINGS, CO. ON MAY
29TH TO JULY 9TH, 2007.
AN OLYMPIC TRIALS QUALIFIER.
MAY 12, 2007.
PALOLO GYM
6:30 P.M.
RED CORNER WEIGHTS BLUE CORNER
AGE 3 ROUNDS AGE
1).
Anthony Pereira (145lb J.O. Champ) 155 (165lb J.O. Champ) Faleauto
Manutulila WON-DEC.
Waiane B.C. 2 min Hawaii Youth B.C.
2). Tombrylle Villegas 75lbs James Hashimoto LOST- DEC.
Villaver B.C. 1 min. Palolo B.C.
3). Jermichael Sengphrachanh 100 Mason Cornelio WON-DEC.
Evolution B.C. 1 min Kawano B.C.
4). Rocky Balala 95lbs Jonathan Benitez WON- DEC.
Central Maui B.C. 1 min. Kawano B.C.
5). Micah Matsushima (125lb J.O. Champ) 130 Arnold Berdon III
LOST-DEC.
Oki B.C. (Kauai) 2 min. Kawano B.C.
--------------------------------10 MIN.-- INTERMISSION --10 MIN.------------------------------
6). Ezra Cabang (114lb J.O. Champ) 115 Gino Ramos (110lb J.O.
Champ) A.P. B.C. Big Island 2 min. Kawano B.C. WON-DEC
7). Jay-Ar Bautista 119 Nathan Umeda (112lb Open Champ)
A.P. B.C. (Big Island) 2 min. Palolo B.C. LOST- DEC.
8). James Drayden 160 Faamanu Siuta
Evolution B.C. 2 min. Kalakaua B.C. WON-DEC.
9). Dustin Awaya 155 Jessie Alonzo
Palolo B.C. 2 min. Kawano B.C. WON-DEC.
------------------------------------------MAIN EVENT----------------------------------------
10). Ronald Miller (06 All-Marine Team) 170 (165lb Open Champ)
Kainoa Oca Kauhane
Fighters Unlimited B.C. 2 min. Kawano B.C. LOST-DEC.
2007
J.O. Champions competing today: Gino Ramos (110), Ezra Cabang(114),
Micah Matsushima (125), Anthony Pereira (145lbs), Faleauto Manutulila
(165).
2007 Open Champions competing today: Nathan Umeda (112), Kainoa
Oca- Kauhane (165)
Don't
forget a Fundraiser Concert for the Hawaii Junior Olympic Boxing
Team to Marquette, Michigan.
May 27th at Ewa Ranch, Gates open at 5 p.m. Concert at 5:30 p.m.
Koa Uka, B.E.T. and many more will perform. More info call 590-9084,
or 216-9685.
Hawaii
Champions competing at the U.S. Championships May 29th to June
9th in Colorado Springs: 106lbs- Thomas Juan (Wailuku B.C.),
112- Nathan Umeda (Palolo), 119- David Tangjian Jr. (Kawano B.C.),
132- Isaac Arasato (Palolo B.C.), 141- Thomas Ordonez (Kawano),
152- Earl FittsIII (Wailuku), 165- Kainoa Oca Kauhane (Kawano),
178- Filipo Toelau (Kawano), 201- Matt Monkewicz (Kawano), 201+-
Frank Pojsl (Palolo), Females- 95lbs- Gina Ramos (Kawano), 132-
Triva Pino (Kawano), 176- Chanelle Valdez (Evolution). Also,
101- Colleen Loo (Pearlside) representing P.A.L.
Special
Thanks to all our Volunteers- Dr. Chong, HPD Officer Daryl Takata,
Coaches, Boxers, Officials, Parents, Door People, etc, and "YOU"
our Boxing Fans. Medal Sponsors: Red Lions University, Hawaiian
Fight Gear, Kalakaua B.C. and Andy Cruz (Red Bull). Thank You
Again.
Source: Bruce Kawano
|
KICKIN
IT 2007 PART IV FIGHT CARD!
WHAT - KICKIN IT 2007 PART IV
WHEN - SATURDAY MAY 19, 2007
WHERE - WAIPAHU FILCOM CENTER
MAIN EVENT
RICHARD "HIT TOO HARD" BERNARD 145 KEO DOANE
HSD ANIMAL HOUSE
KICKIN IT WOULD LIKE TO MAKE A CORRECTION ON RICHARD BERNARDS
FIGHT NAME. ITS ACTUALLY "HIT TOO HARD". THATS A BIG
NAME TO BACK UP. AND KEO WILL TRY TO CHANGE RICHARDS FIGHT NAME
TO RICHARD "HIT THE GROUND TOO HARD" BERNARD ON MAY
19TH. SO COME DOWN AND CHECK OUT THESE FIGHTS WHEN WE FIND OUT
WHOS L COLUMN WILL STILL BE EMPTY.
KEKOA CONCEPCION 125 ROBBIE OSTOVICH
NAKOA FIGHT CLUB JESUS IS LORD
KONA KAOLULO SHW JUNIOR CHAVEZ
TEAM ANILAND HSD
SHAWN ORTIZ 128 DICKIE REBALIZA
FREELANCE INNER CIRCLE
MATT KANAHELE 165 TBA
BIG TYME FIGHT
KOLOA KAHALEWAI 220 MAKANA VERTIDO
TEAM ANILAND LAS VEGAS FIGHT CLUB
EZEKIEL LOPEZ 175 ALAN GILAPIA
NAKOA FIGHT CLUB HAWAII CHINESE KENPO
JOHN MENDONSA 145 VAN SHIROMA
NAKOA FIGHT CLUB HMC
KAHELE KAOLULO 145 GARY REBALIZA
TEAM ANILAND INNER CIRCLE
KAUI KAUOLULO 165 TONY BELEN
TEAM ANILAND INNER CIRCLE
AJ LANI 145 BERTO SANSANO
INNER CIRCLE TEAM DEVASTATION
MERVIN LINKE 168 LUCKY TURNBOW
TEAM ANILAND TEAM BAD INTENTIONS
MARCUS MARTINEZ 150 MIKE UEMOTO
BULLSPEN ANIMAL HOUSE
RIN DAO 110 SOLOMON DIXON
BULLSPEN HMC
GINO KANAHELE 98 GERON REBALIZA
TEAM ANILAND INNER CIRCLE GRAPPLING
KAI HOLLENBECK 175 DALE KAMAI
HMC MAILI SOLJAHS
TAA 235 RANDY DUENESS
TEAM ANILAND 5 - 0 BOXING
RENO REMIGIO 160 ADRIAN TAVITA
HMC TEAM BAD INTENTIONS
NUI WHEELER 135 JOHN HOSOKAWA
GEE YUNG
MAILI
SOLJAHS
MATCHES AND PARTICPANTS MAY BE SUBJECT TO CHANGE
Source: Derrick Bright
|
Stephan
Bonnar to face Mike Nickels at UFC 73
By Sean McClure
Stephan Bonnar confirmed to MMAFighting.com today that he will
make his
anticipated UFC return at UFC 73 after being suspended for 9
months by the Nevada State Athletic Commission.
His
absence from the Octagon was a result of testing positive for
a banned
substance after his inevitable rematch with Forrest Griffin at
UFC 62. His post-fight urine test detected the presence of the
Boldenone Metabolite, an anabolic steroid, in his system.
It
is said that Bonnar is extremely focused and ready to step back
into the Octagon on the July 7 UFC 73: Stacked card in California,
attempting to break his current two-fight losing streak with
a win over TUF 3 veteran, Mike Nickels.
Stephan
lost to Rashad Evans by decision on June 28, 2006 on Ultimate
Fight
Night 5 and then to Forrest Griffin at UFC 62: Liddell vs. Sobral.
Mike
Nickel’s lone win in the UFC was against Wes Combs at the
TUF 3 finale in June of 2006.
Current
UFC 73 Fight Card: Sean Sherk vs. Hermes Franca, Anderson Silva
vs. Nate Marquardt, Tito Ortiz vs. Rashad Evans, Jorge Gurgel
vs. Diego Saraiva, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs. Heath Herring
and Stephan Bonnar vs. Mike Nickels.
Source:
MMA Fighting
|
Thiago
Silva talks about his American debut
Thiago
Silva, the new talent of the Macaco Gold Team, commented about
his expectations for his debut at the American event UFC. In
exclusive interview to TATAMETV team, the Brazilian athlete said
that is ready for the victory. “I am ready to win as always
and never to lose. I am focous and I think this is the biggest
differencial”, guarateed Silva, who also let a message for
his fans who are waiting ansiously his debut. “I will be
there all the time for this belt. Chuck Liddell, wait for me”,
challenged him.
Source:
Tatame
|
Beating
business
By Kevin Iole, Yahoo! Sports
He was running his own company at the age of 17, but Greg Jackson
laughs and concedes he didn't have much business sense. He didn't
understand politics or how important relationships are at the
grass roots level when trying to establish and grow a business.
He
didn't know much, he admits, about anything other than trying
to discover innovative ways of beating someone up.
Jackson
grew up in one of the roughest sections of Albuquerque, N.M.,
where, he says proudly, "throwing down and fighting is a
part of the culture."
He
bears the telltale signatures of a life lived fighting in the
streets. There is the lower jaw that's about two inches offset
from the upper. And there's the rib on the right side of his
body that protrudes like a fork from a Thanksgiving turkey. And
then there's the nose which changes directions more than an Olympic
giant slalom course.
Not
too many people who do your taxes look like that. But, he points
out, a lot of them want to. Or, at the least, they want to learn
how to make someone else's body look as battered and beaten as
Jackson's.
And
that's where Jackson's business sense turns out to have been
not so bad. He opened a martial arts academy in Albuquerque as
a teenager, where he taught others to fight just so he could
support his own interest in learning.
Today,
15 years later, he's the most sought-after coach in mixed martial
arts, the most curious of men who created his own style. His
Jackson Martial Arts Academy is not only home to some of the
biggest names in MMA, but it's also an in-demand stop for those
who just want to learn to defend themselves.
"In
this sport," Jackson says proudly, "you never feel
like you've made it to the top. It's a constant evolution. There's
always a better way to do something."
Jackson,
who will be 33 on June 16, has learned most of them, as evidenced
by his large and deep stable of world-class mixed martial artists.
Jackson
is the primary trainer of UFC stars Georges St. Pierre, Diego
Sanchez, Keith Jardine, Nate Marquardt and Rashad Evans.
He
could have a larger group, but says he limits the number he'll
work with because he wants to be able to give them his best.
"I
don't think I'd be in the position I'm in now were it not for
him," said Evans, who fights ex-UFC light heavyweight champion
Tito Ortiz on July 7 at Arco Arena in Sacramento, Calif. "He's
terrific."
When
he started, though, Jackson said the word that comes to mind
is "crazed." He had a thirst for knowledge and experimented
to find out what would work and what did not.
He
used to strike students in the shins with a stick in order to
toughen their legs, an awkward and ill-conceived attempt to help
them prepare to be kicked during a bout.
It
wasn't long before he dispensed with that tactic, though he was,
he concedes, "brutal" in his early days as a trainer.
But
as his fighting style slowly evolved into what he refers to today
as the "Gaidojutsu" form of mixed martial arts, he
became a more patient and understanding teacher.
He
hails from a family of wrestlers. His grandfather started the
tradition and was quickly joined by his father, his uncles and
his brothers. Greg, though, had thoughts beyond wrestling and
began to contemplate how other forms of martial arts could be
combined with wrestling.
When
he read a book on judo, he had a defining moment in his life.
He knew he had discovered the future of fighting.
Around
that time, the UFC was born. The Gracies, a legendary family
in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, started the UFC in 1993, though the sport
of mixed martial arts was still several years away.
"When
the UFC was begun, it was supposed to be the answer to the question,
'What would happen if you took all these different fighting styles
and threw them in with each other?’ " UFC president
Dana White said. "It wasn't mixed martial arts, then. It
was to prove which style was the best."
And
though there were a lot of tough guys in the world, none of them
understood the nuances of the other disciplines.
Most
foreign was the Gracie Jiu-Jitsu. Slender Royce Gracie, all 175
pounds of him, won the first event despite being the smallest
man in the competition.
"The
Gracies were light years ahead of where I was, but I could see
where this was headed," Jackson said.
When
he opened his first martial arts academy, which was a 1,000-square-foot
building in a strip mall in a rundown section of Albuquerque,
Jackson didn't worry about retaining his students or building
his business.
He
just wanted to learn, to find ways to create the ultimate fighting
system.
"I
never wanted to get in the cage and be a (professional) fighter
myself," said Jackson, who nonetheless engaged in more than
his share of brawls on the city streets. "I had this fascination
with the combat sports and wanted to learn as much as I could
so I could share what I learned with others."
Now
that he has reached the point in MMA that, say, Emanuel Steward
has reached in boxing, Jackson has a reputation to uphold.
And
he's not sitting behind a desk shouting orders while chomping
on a doughnut.
"I
spar with my guys, I run with them, I do it all, because I can't
really learn about them and what they can do until I've had a
chance to feel their strength, to take one of their punches,
to see how they move first-hand," Jackson said. "I
try to lead from the front. I'm definitely hands on."
And
while there is no question who is in charge, Jackson insists
he's not a drill sergeant looking to embarrass anyone.
But
he never hesitates to push and to try to coax just a little bit
more out of every session. It is, Evans said, the reason so many
flock to him.
"He's
a unique person because he doesn't want anything from you,"
Evans said.
And,
indeed, Jackson refuses to accept money from any professional
fighter. He makes his living from those who enroll in classes
or for private instruction at his academy.
"He
has the ability to get your trust right away," Evans said.
"He does it on a personal level and a professional level.
His reputation is very big in this sport. He could charge a lot
of money and guys would still want to work with him, because
of who he is, but he's very sincere and he doesn't want anything
from you.
"When
you work with him, you see how well he knows his stuff. And he
gets his point across to you so easily and it’s easy to
learn from him. He's my idea of what a coach should be."
Kevin
Iole covers boxing and mixed martial arts for Yahoo! Sports.
Send Kevin a question or comment for potential use in a future
column or webcast.
Source:
Yahoo Sports
|
Mark
Hunt: The Rock
GRACIE Magazine begins with New Zealand’s Mark Hunt the
series of profiles of the candidates to the Pride OW GP belt
First published July, 2006 (GM #112) / Photos by Susumu Nagao
Mark
Hunt is cautious with words. In interviews, he usually gives
simple answers with very few words. Despite that, those who know
him well say he is a nice fellow, but the first impression is
of a reserved guy. Mark is a well-known glutton who never passes
on a good McDonald’s during his trips to Japan for his fights
at Pride events. His Jiu-Jitsu coach, Brazil’s Marcelo Rezende,
points out Hunt’s appetite as his biggest opponent. “I
also think he needs to improve his Jiu-Jitsu skills,” completes
Rezende, the Vietcong..
Born
in Auckland, in the North Island of New Zealand, Hunt had a pretty
standard childhood: “I did everything the other kids my
age did.” Standard but without money: “We never had
enough money around so I had to go after my own money,”
Hunt recollects. The struggle for money led Mark to Australia.
The world of fighting came into his life almost as an accident.
One night, as he was leaving a nightclub in Sidney he got involved
in a street fight and punched a guy. The nightclub bouncer was
so impressed that he invited Hunt to participate in a kickboxing
event he was promoting that weekend. Mark would get a pack of
beers as payment. He accepted, knocked a guy out and the bouncer
then became his first muay thai coach. Striking was the pathway.
Strong, big and practically impossible to knock down, Hunt was
an immediate success as a striker. His first title was the World
Kickboxing Federation belt, in 2000, a championship promoted
by Lucy Tui, who became Hunt’s first manager later on.
Nervous
at the debut
Hunt’s
debut in K-1 earned him his first major title. He won the K-1
Oceania Grand Prix 2000. Successful at home, Hunt decided to
try Japan and failed – a defeat to Jerome Le Banner in the
first round of the K-1 Grand Prix Nagoya. “I’ve never
been so nervous. I lost the fight before I got in the ring,”
said Hunt at the time. Defeated, he went back home and trained
some more. Results appeared soon and he conquered the second
K-1 Oceania GP in 2001. It was a perfect three-KO night and then
it was time to go back to Japan. The 2001 K-1 World Grand Prix
final was held in the Japanese city of Fukuoka. Hunt had to put
behind him all the bad memories he had of Japan. And so he did.
The title came with a victory over Brazilian karate fighter Francisco
Filho.
The
year of 2002 was a bad one for Mark Hunt. In March he was defeated
by Croatia’s Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic. Revenge
for that would come only in 2005, with Hunt’s win in their
Pride rematch. May reserved another win by his old rival Jérôme
Le Banner in Paris, the first time Hunt fought outside Asia.
The third setback came in December, when Banner set the score
3-1 over Hunt.
“My
dream came true when I won the K-1 title but I also lost the
drive to fight. I needed a new challenge.” The challenge
Hunt wanted came from Japan and knocked on his door. The settlement
with Pride opened a new perspective and also created a big problem
for Hunt, who began in kickboxing and had his entire career in
K-1. He had no ground skills at all. That’s when Brazilian
Marcelo “Vietcong” Rezende, the founder of Gracie Barra
Australia, appeared in his life. A common friend led Hunt to
Rezende: “Hunt lived in Sydney and as he was invited to
fight in Pride, a pupil of mine told him to train Jiu-Jitsu with
me,” Vietcong recalls. Mark’s debut in Pride came too
soon. He was still unprepared for the new kind of fighting. Japanese
judoka Hidehiko Yoshida needed only five minutes to avoid Hunt’s
strikes and apply an armbar that left Hunt with no other option
than to tap out. Hunt needed four more months to improve his
ground skills with Marcelo before he could return to Japan and
conquer his first win at Pride. Dan Bobbish was the victim. The
path was set.
"I
punched the guy and the bouncer asked me if I wanted to fight
in his event. I said yes"
Wanderlei
and becoming popular
Brazil’s
Wanderlei Silva remained undefeated for five years and three
months in Pride. He had fought 19 times, including opponents
as tough as Cro Cop, Dan Henderson, Quinton Jackson and Japanese
star ­Kazushi Sakuraba. Excellent striker in perfect shape,
Silva arrived at Pride Shockwave 2004, on New Year’s Eve,
as favorite for the bout against Hunt. After the fight, he told
GRACIE Magazine: “I was clearly knocked down, he has a heavy
hand,” and complained about the final result arguing that
he, Silva, had done much better on the ground. “I was robbed
blind.” A humble Hunt didn’t even celebrate the victory.
The fight against Silva reinforced his fame of being the hardest
to knock down among all MMA fighters. He kept a low guard during
the fight against Silva and proved his resistance and agility
by escaping Wanderlei’s stomps. Marcelo Rezende defined
Hunt’s resistance: “Mark has that alligator skin. There’s
no way you can cut it.” The victory put an end to Wand’s
winning streak and skyrocketed Hunt’s popularity. “He’s
never been so popular. He has a unique way of fighting,”
says Rezende. That unique way includes the “atomic sit-down”
– maybe the strangest move ever performed in an MMA ring
– that was used against Wand.
Future
Mark
Hunt gets into the ring again on July 1st, in Pride OW GP’s
second round. He has no opponent defined yet but respects all
of them and guarantees that he does not have a favorite. “They
are the best in the world, each one with his specialty and with
his own good qualities. It’s going to be a very hard round
to pass,” he says. Vietcong, on the other hand, has a pick
for his pupil’s next foe, a choice that smells like the
setting of an old score: “I’d like to see a rematch
against Yoshida because when they fought Hunt had no ground experience.”
Is it the time for a Pride GP belt? Trainer and fighter are cautious
about it: “I’m prepared to fight and win. If I’m
going to conquer the GP only time will tell,” says a cool
Hunt, who does not hide the thirst to face champion Fedor Emelianenko
one day. “I think he is moving towards the title,”
Vietcong bets..
Source:
Gracie Magazine
|
Quote
of the Day
"All
great deeds and all great thoughts have a ridiculous beginning."
Albert Camus, 1913-1960, French Author/Philosopher/Nobel Prïze
Wïnner
|
PUNISHMENT
IN PARADISE TONIGHT!
Hawaiian Waters, Kapolei
Saturday May 12, 2007
175lbs. P.I.P Championship(3x2 Mintue Rounds)
Keoni Bryant (Jus Rush, Kailua) vs. Tony Miyose (Westside Connection,
Nanakuli)
145lbs P.I.P Championship(3x2 Minute Rounds)
Kyle Rideau (Tabuso Fight Team, California) vs. Toni Geraldi
(Geraldi Muay Thai, Aiea)
170lbs. (3x2 Minute Rounds)
Ben Santiago (Team Ruthless, Makaha) vs. Johnn Visante Jr. (Sit
You Down, Waianae)
***INTERMISSION***
150lbs. P.I.P Championship(3x2 Minute Rounds)
Shaison Laupola (Team Ruthless, Makaha) vs. Chris Kutzman (Westside
Connection, Nanakuli)
140lbs. P.I.P Jr Championship(3x2 Minute Rounds)
Bronson Cayetano (Smith Taekwondo, Kaneohe) vs. Isiah Ganiban
(Westside Connection, Nanakuli)
165lbs. (3x11/2 Mintue Rounds)
Dean Lista (HMC, Kalihi) vs. Bryson Okada (Sit You Down, Waianae)
190lbs. (3x2 Minute Rounds)
Miller Ualesi (Team Ruthless, Makaha) vs. Carl Sua (Fighters
Union, Waianae)
135lbs. (3x1 ½ Minute Rounds)
Colin McKenzie (Team Ruthless, Makaha) vs. Jarret Matsuda (Koden
Kan, Kailua)
140lbs (3x1 ½ Minute Rounds)
Jon Bernard (Team Ruthless, Makaha) vs. Jordan Sua (Fighters
Union, Waianae)
185lbs. (3x1 ½ Minute Rounds)
Cameron Silva ( HMC, Kauai) vs. Curtis Jones (Dream Team, Waianae)
150lbs. (3x1 ½ Minute Rounds)
Randy Rivera (HMC, Kalihi) vs. Peterson Purdy (Team Ruthless,
Makaha)
150lbs. (3x1 ½ Minute Rounds)
Jacob Smith (Smith Taekwondo, Kaneohe) vs. Josiah Viante (Sit
You Down, Waianae)
185lbs. (3x1 ½ Mintue Rounds)
Josh Keanu (Team Ruthless, Makaha) vs. Sam Quel (Sit You Down,
Waianae)
140lbs. (3x1 ½ Minute Rounds)
Sam Quel (Team Ruthless, Makaha) vs. David Rulloda (Sit You Down,Makaha)
Source: Brennan Kamaka
|
USA-Boxing
Hawaii Fundraising Event Tonight!
USA-BOXING HAWAII ASSOCIATION INC., PALOLO B.C. AND KAWANO B.C.
PRESENTS
A FUNDRAISER MATCH EVENT FOR THE 2007 HAWAII BOXING TEAM TO THE
U.S. CHAMPIONSHIPS IN COLORADO SPRINGS, CO. ON MAY 29TH TO JULY
9TH, 2007. AN OLYMPIC TRIALS QUALIFIER.
PALOLO
GYM AT 6:30 P.M.
RED CORNER WEIGHTS BLUE CORNER
AGE 3 ROUNDS AGE
1).
Anthony Pereira 16 152 Faleauto Manutulila 15
Waiane B.C. 12/30/90 2 min 10/26/91 Hawaii Youth B.C.
2). Tombrylle Villegas 10 75lbs James Hashimoto 11
Villaver B.C. 07/21/96 1 min. 08/23/95 Palolo B.C.
3). Jermichael Sengphrachanh 12 100 Mason Cornelio 12
Evolution B.C. 06/17/94 1 min 03/23/95 Kawano B.C.
4). Rocky Balala 12 95lbs Jonathan Benitez 13
Central Maui B.C. 11/21/94 1 min. 09/23/93 Kawano B.C.
5). Ezra Cabang 15 115 Gino Ramos 16
A.P.B.C. (Big Island) 10/01/91 2 min. 09/24/90 Kawano B.C.
6). Micah Matsushima 16 130 Arnold Berdon 16
Oki B.C. (Kauai) 02/29/92 2 min. 02/26/91 Kawano B.C.
------------------------------10 MINUTE INTERMISSION------------------------------
7). Jay-Ar Bautista 119 Nathan Umeda
A.P. B.C. (Big Island) 07/13/87 2 min. 12/30/88 Palolo B.C.
8). James Draydon 165 Faamanu Siuta
Evolution B.C. 09/12/81 2 min. 01/28/85 Kalakaua B.C.
9). Dustin Awaya 155 Jessie Alonzo
Palolo B.C. 12/08/87 2 min. 11/08/87 Kawano B.C.
------------------------------------------MAIN EVENT----------------------------------------
10). Ron Miller 170 Kainoa Oca Kauhane
Unattached (Marines) 2 min. 02/10/86 Kawano B.C.
2007
J.O. Champions competing today: Gino Ramos (110), Ezra Cabang(114),
Micah Matsushima (125), Anthony Pereira (145lbs), Faleauto Manutulila
(165).
2007 Open Champions competing today: Nathan Umeda (112), Kainoa
Oca- Kauhane (165)
Don't
forget a Fundraiser Concert for the Hawaii Junior Olympic Boxing
Team to Marquette, Michigan. May 27th at Ewa Ranch, Gates open
at 5 p.m. Concert at 5:30 p.m. Koa Uka, B.E.T. and many more
will perform. More info call 590-9084, or 216-9685.
Hawaii
Champions competing at the U.S. Championships May 29th to June
9th in Colorado Springs: 106lbs- Thomas Juan (Wailuku B.C.),
112- Nathan Umeda (Palolo), 119- David Tangjian Jr. (Kawano B.C.),
132- Isaac Arasato (Palolo B.C.), 141- Thomas Ordonez (Kawano),
152- Earl FittsIII (Wailuku), 165- Kainoa Oca Kauhane (Kawano),
178- Filipo Toelau (Kawano), 201- Matt Monkewicz (Kawano), 201+-
Frank Pojsl (Palolo), Females- 95lbs- Gina Ramos (Kawano), 132-
Triva Pino (Kawano), 176- Chanelle Valdez (Evolution). Also,
101- Colleen Loo (Pearlside) representing P.A.L.
Special
Thanks to all our Volunteers- Dr. Chong, HPD Officer Daryl Takata,
Coaches, Boxers, Officials, Parents, Door People, etc, and "YOU"
our Boxing Fans. Medal Sponsors: Red Lions University, Hawaiian
Fight Gear, Kalakaua B.C. and Andy Cruz (Red Bull).
Thank You Again.
Source: Bruce Kawano
|
WEC
FIGHTERS MAKE WEIGHT
by Ricardo Mendoza
All of the WEC fighters made weight with ease on Friday afternoon
at Body English in the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino for tonight’s
WEC show at The Joint in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The
highlight of the weigh-ins was Jason “Mayhem” Miller. While stepping up to the scale, Miller
took time to take out his platinum grill right before weighing
in.
WEC:
Marshall vs. McElfresh
May 12, 2007
The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
Las Vegas, NV
Middleweight
Bout
Eric Schambar- 184lbs
Art Santore- 185.5lbs
Lightweight
Bout
Johnny
Sampaio- 155lbs
Ed “9MM” Ratcliff- 154.5lbs
Bantamweight
Bout
Brandon Foxworth- 134lbs
Manny Tapia- 133.5lbs
Welterweight
Bout
Tom Speer- 170.5lbs
Sidney
Silva- 170lbs
Lightweight
Bout
Marcus Hicks- 153lbs
Sergio Gomez- 154lbs
Lightweight
Bout
Sherron “Rob Roy” Leggett- 155lbs
Charlie Kohler- 155lbs
Light
Heavyweight Bout
Gary Padilla- 205lbs
Ariel Gandulla- 201lbs
Middleweight
Bout
Hiromitsu Miura- 184lbs
Jason “Mayhem”
Miller- 185lbs
WEC
Light Heavyweight Championship Bout
Justin McElfresh- 203lbs
Doug “Rhino” Marshall- 204lbs
Source: MMA Weekly
|
PRESS
RELEASE
Contact:
Patrick Freitas
Icon Sport Promoter
(808) 232-3481
superbrawl21@yahoo.com
ICON SPORT:
FEARLESS - TICKETS
ON SALE TODAY
May 10, 2007 Honolulu, HI. Tickets went on sale today for Icon
Sport: Fearless, one of the most exciting cards in the organization’s
12 year history. In the main event, Icon Sport Middleweight Champ
“Ruthless” Robbie Lawler will face a confident Hawaiian
rising star, Waianae’s Kala Kolohe Hose. Many will consider
Hose an underdog in this match-up. But Hose is confident that
he will walk out on June 30th with the Icon World Title. Hose
stated:
“If (Lawler) thinks I’m a stepping stone…he
better think twice. I’m here to come after (Lawler) and
HE will be my stepping stone. It’s my time to shine. My
time is now.”
Hose came to Icon in 2005 as an oversized light heavyweight.
Never to refuse a challenge, he took on collegiate Hall of Fame
wrestler Reese Andy in his very first MMA bout. Hose lost via
decision to Andy, who has since tallied up a 6-1 record. But
Hose has gone undefeated since that first loss. And each of his
victories ended with him delivering a thunderous knockout. Icon
Sport President T. Jay Thompson said of Hose:
“Robbie (Lawler) has a lot to worry about when he faces
Kala Kolohe Hose in FEARLESS. Hose has that rare gift of one-punch
knockout power, so Lawler better not take him lightly. Hose is
hungry. He’s been dreaming of fighting Lawler. No matter
what happens, this match-up has all the markings to be one of
the most memorable in Icon Sport history.”
The Icon Sport: FEARLESS card also features:
- Charuto Verissimo, looking to fight the winner of Hose/Lawler
for Middleweight Title
- Mark Oshiro, first Icon 135lb State Title defense
- Po’ai Suganuma, 205lb rising star from BJ Penn MMA in
Hilo
- Mark Kurano, MMA debut of 38-year old Judo master
- Bronson Pieper, first Icon 145lb State Title defense
- Tyson Nam, returns to ring after earning college degree in
Kinesiology.
- Jeremy Williams, pro-boxer returns to challenge Hawaii kickboxer
Mike Malone.
WHAT: Icon Sport: FEARLESS tickets on sale
WHEN: Today - Friday, May 11, 2007
HOW: www.ticketmaster.com, Blaisdell Box Office,
Times Supermarkets, (877) 750-4400
PRICES: Ringside - $150
Floor - $75
Downstair Riser - $60 presale / $65 day-of (new low price!)
Upper Premium - $40 presale / $45 day-of
Upper Standard - $35 presale / $40 day-of
Source: Patrick Freitas
|
BOXING
MATCH SHATTERS PAY-PER-VIEW RECORDS
by Ivan Trembow
This past weekend's fight between Floyd Mayweather, Jr. and Oscar
de la Hoya shattered the pay-per-view industry's all-time records
for buys and gross revenue for a single event, with approximately
2,150,000 pay-per-view buys and $120 million in gross PPV revenue.
The
number of buys for the show exceeded all expectations. Going
into the show, it was believed that the event would break the
all-time record for a non-heavyweight boxing PPV (which was 1.4
million and was set by De la Hoya vs. Felix Trinidad in 1999),
but the event was not expected to break the sport's all-time
record of 1.99 million PPV buys. As it turned out, Mayweather
vs. De la Hoya surpassed that mark by over 100,000 buys.
PPV
RECORDS BROKEN
The
previous all-time boxing PPV records were set by a 1997 fight
between Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield; and a 2002 fight between
Mike Tyson and Lennox Lewis.
The
last time Oscar de la Hoya fought, it was against Ricardo Mayorga
in May 2006. De la Hoya vs. Mayorga drew 925,000 pay-per-view
buys and generated $46.2 million in gross PPV revenue.
The
UFC's biggest event in company history, last December's UFC 66
with Chuck Liddell vs. Tito Ortiz as the main event, drew approximately
1,050,000 pay-per-view buys and grossed approximately $41.95
million in PPV revenue. Prior to that, the UFC's biggest PPV
in company history was UFC 61, which drew approximately 775,000
PPV buys and grossed approximately $30.96 million in PPV revenue.
LIVE
GATE RECORDS BROKEN
The
event is also expected to have broken boxing's all-time records
at the live box office, with over $19 million in gross ticket
sales at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.
The
previous record of approximately $16.9 million was held by the
1999 rematch between Lennox Lewis and Evander Holyfield at the
Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas.
Last
May, Oscar de la Hoya's fight against Ricardo Mayorga generated
approximately $7.6 million in gross ticket receipts at the MGM
Grand.
The
UFC's biggest live event in company history was UFC 66 at the
MGM Grand in December of last year, which generated approximately
$5.4 million in gross ticket receipts. Prior to UFC 66, the UFC's
biggest live gate was drawn by UFC 57 in February 2006, which
featured Chuck Liddell vs. Randy Couture in the main event and
generated approximately $3.4 million in gross ticket receipts.
FIGHTERS'
PAY, THE "24/7" SERIES, & THE REMATCH
Oscar
de la Hoya's guaranteed, upfront purse for the fight was $23.3
million, and his final purse is expected to be nearly $50 million,
according to both ESPN and the Los Angeles Times. Floyd Mayweather's
guaranteed, upfront purse for the fight was $10 million, and
his final purse is expected to be approximately $20 million,
also according to ESPN and the L.A. Times.
A
significant portion of the fight's success is being attributed
to the success of HBO's four-part series, "De le Hoya-Mayweather
24/7," which has come to represent the new state-of-the-art
for promoting an individual fight. A point could certainly be
made that prior to "24/7," nothing else came close
to the UFC's "Countdown" specials on Spike TV in their
effectiveness at promoting certain fights.
However,
the intimate, in-depth look into Mayweather and De la Hoya's
professional and personal lives that was offered by "24/7,"
coupled with the series' incredible production values, have taken
the game to a whole new level.
A
rematch between De la Hoya and Mayweather, perhaps in 2008 after
De la Hoya's pregnant wife has given birth, would appear to be
likely as a result of the overwhelming financial success of the
event. While Mayweather said before and after the event that
he is retiring from fighting, he has also said numerous times
in recent days (including on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno)
that he might have to come out of retirement "if the fans
demand to see a rematch."
Within
the boxing community, it was widely believed even before the
aforementioned comments that Mayweather would fight again if
a huge financial offer was made, which would be no less than
$10 million to $15 million per fight. Now that the record-breaking
numbers have come in, any doubt as to whether Mayweather would
be worth that kind of money for a rematch with De la Hoya has
seemingly disappeared.
THE
MYTH OF BOXING AS A "DYING SPORT"
Much
like Jim Lampley's thoughts on the subject of mixed martial arts,
the whole notion of boxing as a "dead sport" or a "sport
that needs to be saved" is based largely on ignorance of
the facts. The facts are that last year was the second-biggest
year in boxing history at the pay-per-view box office, with $177
million in gross PPV revenue for HBO.
It
would also be inaccurate to say that boxing can't draw decent
PPV buyrates without Oscar de la Hoya. While De la Hoya vs. Mayorga
was boxing's biggest event in 2006, it only generated $42 million
out of the $177 million in HBO's gross PPV revenue last year.
The remaining $132 million in gross PPV revenue was drawn by
fights that did not feature De la Hoya.
One
of the reasons for the existence of this false perception about
boxing's fortunes is the dramatic rise of the UFC on the PPV
landscape in 2006. Even with boxing having its second-biggest
year ever in 2006, the UFC surpassed boxing for the first time
ever in 2006, with gross PPV revenue of $222,766,000 generated
by UFC PPVs in 2006.
The
drastic increase in the UFC's pay-per-view buyrates did not appear
to negatively affect boxing's PPV buyrates. In fact, a major
boxing PPV and a major UFC PPV aired at the same time on PPV
last November, and neither event suffered any significant ill
effects as a result of the head-to-head competition. There is
some crossover between the two sports' fans, but nowhere near
as much as one might assume.
Though
many hardcore MMA fans hate the pro wrestling industry with a
passion, the fact remains that MMA's audience overlaps much more
with pro wrestling's audience than it does with boxing's. It
has been pro wrestling, not boxing, that has seen its United
States PPV buyrates collapse as the UFC's PPV buyrates have increased.
It is pro wrestling, not boxing, that shares a similar demographic
breakdown with the UFC. The #1 demographic for boxing is people
over the age of 50. The UFC doesn't draw particularly well among
35-to-49-year-olds, much less people over the age of 50.
HBO
SPORTS PRESIDENT & UFC PRESIDENT COMMENT ON EVENT
In
comments to the media after the record-setting PPV buyrate was
announced, HBO Sports president Ross Greenburg said, "This
fight never would have materialized if boxing was dying. It's
alive and well." Greenburg expanded on that point in the
L.A. Times: "The sport of boxing is alive and well. If it
isn't, how do you explain this? The naysayers can go take a nap."
In
numerous interviews with the media after the De la Hoya-Mayweather
fight, UFC president Dana White voiced his disappointment with
the fight. In one interview with the Boston Herald, some of White's
statements included: "I went to the fight that night. Inside
the arena, there was no energy whatsoever... I'm not bashing
boxing, I love it, but all these people have destroyed this sport...
It's crazy. It just drives people further from boxing. You get
one fight for 55 bucks. One fight for a $2,500 ticket. You get
people all excited for the buildup and then the fight ends up
sucking. Both guys try to outpoint the other and win a decision."
White
continued, "In the UFC, we give you eight or nine fights,
they’re all good, and the guys are fighting their asses
off trying to finish it."
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
PRIDE
assets allegedly not sold to UFC - yet
By Zach Arnold
On April 27th, we reported that Ed Fishman and the legal team
of Fishman Companies was preparing a deposition list of up to
50 witnesses (all top MMA major players) to be questioned in
relation to the Fishman Companies vs. DSE Inc. lawsuit.
According
to a source with knowledge of the lawsuit, the deposition list
was turned into the court (Clark County, Nevada). However, our
source claims that the deposition process isn’t taking place
now. The reason? The source claims that the much-discussed transaction
between Zuffa LLC and Dream Stage Entertainment Inc. for the
PRIDE assets has supposedly not happened. Last month, DSE Inc.
President Nobuyuki Sakakibara stated that the date proposed for
the asset transaction would be May 1st. Today is May 8th.
Furthermore,
we have been told that there is movement behind the scenes in
regards to the relationship between UFC & PRIDE. In Gong
Kakutougi magazine, Dana White claimed that Zuffa LLC legal adviser
Jamie Pollack would take over as the President of the new PRIDE.
Pollack was scheduled to relocate both he and his family from
Las Vegas to Japan. However, the same source (that claimed no
depositions are taking place now in the Fishman Companies lawsuit)
is also claiming that Pollack and his family (after arriving
in Japan) quickly went back to Las Vegas after his Japanese stay.
The
question we are wondering is why Jamie Pollack and his family
are already back in Las Vegas after such a short amount of time
in Japan. Through an intermediary in Las Vegas, we tried to find
out an answer to this question and failed in getting any sort
of concrete answer.
The
one concrete fact that we know right now in this story is that
Nobuyuki Sakakibara and DSE Inc. management was in Las Vegas
all week, but had supposedly recently left Las Vegas to head
back to Japan.
The
next scheduled court date in the Fishman Companies vs. DSE Inc.
lawsuit is on Thursday, May 17th.
Source:
Fight Opinion
|
Winds
of change
Marcelinho starts off the season with a win, speaks of his evolution
in Jiu-Jitsu and tells how he plans to beat Roger Gracie in 2007
First published march, 2007 (GM #120)
The
24-year-old Marcelo Garcia’s win over Rômulo Barral,
on January 27, may have been the beginning of a historical season.
Marcelinho, who has been recognized as a submission grappling
phenomenon since 2003, will try for his third under-77 kg title
in the ADCC, the tournament where he has only ever lost twice:
to Pé de Pano in 2003 and to Jacaré in 2005, both
in the open-weight division. Born in a city with a population
of little over 60 thousand, a few months ago the black belt kicked
off a new chapter in his life when he moved to New Jersey, coincidentally
the city where the next edition of the tournament originating
in Abu Dhabi is to be held. Always carrying the-man-to-beat status
on his shoulders, the 80kg athlete tells of how he is preparing
for some hard-to-digest challenges even for giants, as you will
see coming up.
How
is your family, including your four dogs?
Like me and Tatiana, the dogs too are really digging it. When
I lived in São Paulo, I didn’t have a yard. I now
live in New Jersey, right next to Manhattan, and I have a great
big yard for the dogs. And my female dog thatI found in the garbage
in São Paulo and now lives in Manhattan, is doing just
great.
How
has the move to New Jersey changed your life?
The change was really only of address, as I have been working
more in the United States than Brazil for some years now. The
DVDs I released were all released outside of Brazil. The championships
that agreed to pay my purses were all overseas, there still wasn’t
yet anything like LutaCasada.com, where I beat Rominho Barral.
With no purse, I will only fight at the Worlds and Brazilian
championship, because I have to adopt a professional posture,
if only just so I can live off of my fights.
And
are the DVD sales a good addition to your income?
They’re an addition to everything. With them, I manage to
publicize Jiu-Jitsu and also show a little of the technique I
use in the championships and in the confines of the gym. I am
already on the fourth collection. It has not been released, but
is ready, and will be put on sale at around the time of ADCC
2007.
Are
you not afraid of letting your adversaries discover your secrets?
That doesn’t make sense to me anymore. I used to think about
that, but then I realized that showing my game would only make
me evolve more. I never hid anything and never had a problem
with that. Every time I show a technique, my students ask me
about certain details regarding the positions that even I had
not noticed when demonstrating them. They make it so I keep developing
them more and more, by asking me, “But that thing you showed,
that you do like this, that you explained in this way...”
Maybe, if I had kept it to myself, I would not have had to respond
to those questions. That helps me become self-aware. These days,
people I don’t know come and ask me about things I had no
idea I did, and I see everything with greater clarity.
As
an illustrious denizen of Formiga, MG, have you ever had any
trouble adapting to life in the United States?
The difficulty in the beginning was only in getting around –
the same difficulty I had when I arrived in São Paulo,
four years ago, I didn’t know how to get to the gym, I didn’t
know where was good to eat at, I didn’t know where to buy
the things I needed. That is no fun. I felt the same thing in
New York – I needed to go somewhere, I didn’t know
how to get there; I didn’t know what mode of transportation
to take, I didn’t know if I should take the bus, how to
take the subway, I didn’t how to get there by car. But I
had the support of a lot of people – I can’t complain,
because it could have been a lot harder, and it wasn’t.
Have
you found yourself in any kind of trouble?
It happens. There is this really gay neighborhood, and I wanted
to buy a leather jacket – I always wanted to have a leather
jacket. One day, without meaning to, I ended up in the gay neighborhood,
and didn’t realize it. So I saw a shop full of leather clothing,
and I said “Damn, this place must have my jacket!”
I went in, and the guys knew I wasn’t from their gang right
away, but didn’t say anything. Only when I grabbed one to
try on did I notice there were some weird photos in the dressing
room. I left immediately.
And
do you ever miss your homeland?
That is a difficulty, of course. But I feel that I am always
taking advantage, in my career, of the opportunities Jiu-Jitsu
has provided me. I started training Jiu-Jitsu in another city,
until it became too small, there wasn’t enough material
for us to practice – the folks were not that interested.
From there I went to Poços de Caldas, where there was
a lot of good training; there was not enough room there; Poços
de Caldas became too small – there was no way to travel
abroad from Poços to do the seminars I do today, and be
in contact with the big events like I am today. That made me
to move to São Paulo, and São Paulo started to
seem far, until I decided to move to the United States. But I
don’t want to be away from my family for too much time,
either. Normally, the longest I stay away is three months.
How
do you see the Jiu-Jitsu of today, from your experience?
I don’t know if I really have all that much experience,
because I still think about doing a lot for the sport. I have
done other martial arts, and luckily Jiu-Jitsu was the one I
devoted myself to. I can see that Jiu-Jitsu will develop a lot
more, as it has developed for me. These days adolescents have
contact with a much more developed Jiu-Jitsu than there was years
ago.
What
was the happiest day of your career?
I don’t know if people put this idea in my head or what,
but I remember Abu Dhabi 2003. A lot changed after that. And
I realized I was feeling something great coming on before that
ADCC, it seems I imagined everything would turn out the way I
wanted it to. My determination was different on that day. It
didn’t matter with whom I would fight, I was very determined
to win. I wasn’t sure, because certainty I only have after
the fight is over. After all, I have lost and won in ways I never
expected to before.
And
in the gym, has any particular day made an impression on you?
Whenever I see someone appreciate my Jiu-Jitsu, that is the greatest
thing in the world – even when someone I don’t know
complements me on a fight of mine, or one of my DVDs. And there
are, among them, people that always were my idols, like Rickson
Gracie, Wallid, Renzo.
After
catching Jake Shields in a guillotine, at X-Mission, you said
you were working on new weapons for ADCC. What do you have up
your sleeve?
I don’t know if folks have noticed this, but more and more
I am fighting the way I do in the gym. This was my motto when
I started practicing Jiu-Jitsu: “What I manage to do in
the gym I will do in the tournament.”
Have
you at any time lost your motivation to fight?
I was never sure I would become a Jiu-Jitsu champion – champion
not just in winning titles, but champion in being recognized,
having people enroll in my gym, people wanting to have private
lessons with me and asking me to do seminars. I was always imagining,
“Could it be it will all work out? Could it be that it will
all work out?” But, at the same time, that was not what
mattered, because, if it didn’t all work out, the only thing
that depended on me to do was to train, and that already was
something that pleased me a lot. I might never have won anything,
but, if I could just keep on training Jiu-Jitsu somewhere, that
was enough for me to live happily.
What
changes in your preparations before a sport Jiu-Jitsu season
and submission grappling season?
To me there is no difference. I just try to live Jiu-Jitsu the
whole time, training in the gi, teaching, doing seminars. I don’t
just train one thing, as that is detrimental to the other things.
I believe that is why everything is working out.
At
the end of the 2006 World Championship, André Galvão’s
fans started chanting “staller” at you. Is Galvão
your greatest rival these days?
No, I don’t feel feelings of rivalry in relation to anyone
that has already lost to me six times. One guy I still want to
train to beat is Roger Gracie, because I believe my technique
is capable of defeating him, despite the size and everything
else. I will train to do so.
Is
the Marcelinho of 2007 better than the one of 2005?
I never slack off, and time only brings me more experience, but
my desire to win is the same. I try to train as much as ever.
But now I carry the experience of knowing myself when I go into
a fight, of knowing how to carry myself, knowing what I have
done that has worked, what has not worked.
As
for the epic victory over Ricco Rodriguez, at ADCC 2005, do you
carry any resentment towards him?
No, what bothers me is that folks asked me if I passed out. I
felt a heckuva lot of pain! If I had passed out I would not have
felt the pain in my chest – the guy almost broke all my
ribs. But resentment? He made that fight the best fight of the
event, doing what he did to me. I have no resentment whatsoever.
From the complements I received, I would go through it all over
again.
In
the end, was his maneuver legal?.
The slam is allowed at any point during a submission. If I had
had my hand on his neck, he could have slammed me. If I had had
a triangle or armbar on him, he could have too. He would not
be allowed to do that if I had only had a closed guard on him.
I didn’t understand the point of restarting the fight, of
him not being disqualified; but it is good that it was restarted,
as I got the submission.
Are
the offers to fight MMA already becoming hard to turn down?
I tell you they are improving more and more. But they will have
to give me the respect that Jiu-Jitsu has given me up until now.
I am not going to fight MMA just because everybody else is doing
it.
And
what has your experience with Rico Chiaparelli’s events
been like?
I’m loving it. Despite the rules being completely different,
the organizers of X-Mission and LutaCasada.com are always trying
to promote a Jiu-Jitsu that is easier to sell to the public,
but fun to watch, with more dynamic rules for TV. And I am always
available to bring more media to my sport.
You
have already taught seminars in places like the Middle East,
China, Japan, Europe. Is there any place you dream of getting
to know?
Thailand.
Source:
Gracie Magazine
|
Fight
Card Set for GFC
Gracie
Fighting Championships has announced the full bull for its May
19 pay-per-view televised event from the Jerome Schottenstein
Center in Columbus, Ohio.
Jeff
Monson, who was set to face Wes Sims in the main event, will
now confront Ohio native Brian Vanderwalle after contractual
issues prevented the 6' 10'' Sims from competing on the card.
Monson
last took to the ring against Kazuyuki Fujita at PRIDE 34 "Kamikaze,"
where the "Snowman" won by first round submission in
the first official UFC-PRIDE "dream match." Vanderwalle,
who sports a record of 4-3, has not seen action since he submitted
Tommy Bacon in January of 2004.
Also
on the card, Pancrase and DEEP veteran Fredson Paixao will tangle
with Thomas Denny for the promotion's vacant lightweight title.
Updated
GFC "Evolution" Fight Card
Leopoldo Serao vs. Rob Wince
Nissen Osterneck vs. Chris Meyers
Matt Brown vs. Daniel Moraes
George Bush vs. Vinicius Magalhaes
Adriano Pereira vs. Mike O'Donnell
Phil Cardella vs. Rafael Dias
Damian Maia vs. Ryan Stout
Adam Disabato vs. Chris Brennan
Branden Lee Hinkle vs. Alexandre Ferreira
"Jacare" Ronaldo Souza vs. Bill Vucick
Jeff Monson vs. Brian Vanderwalle
Thomas Denny vs. Fredson Paixao
Source:
Sherdog
|
Quote
of the Day
"I
am thankful for laughter, except when milk comes out of my nose".
Woody Allen, American Film Director/Screenwriter/Stand-Up Comic
|
PUNISHMENT
IN PARADISE
Weigh Ins
Today!
Hawaiian Waters, Kapolei
Saturday May 12, 2007
Weigh ins
are on Friday, May 11, 2007 at En Fuego in the Market at Kapolei
and start at 7:00 pm! See the banner above for information on
En Fuego and their great food!
TICKETS ON SALE NOW!!
THIER ARE ONLY 800 SEATS AVAILABLE FOR THIS SHOW!!
WEST OUTLETS
WATERPARK, KAPOLEI
TEAM RUTHLESS, COLIN (387-5857)
JESUS IS LORD, DAVID (282-2232)
TEAM BIGDOGS, WAYNE PERRIN
SIT YOU DOWN, JOHN (688-7391)
EN FUEGOS GRILL, KAPOLEI (674-8805)
EAST OUTLETS
JUS RUSH, CISCO (620-3004)
SMITH TAEKWONDO, KANEOHE
HMC, KALIHI
BUY ONLINE WWW.PIPHAWAII.COM
FOR FIGHT OR TICKET INFO CALL (808)631-9164
Source: Brennan Kamaka
|
USA-Boxing
Hawaii Fundraising Event Tomorrow!
USA-BOXING HAWAII ASSOCIATION INC., PALOLO B.C. AND KAWANO B.C.
PRESENTS
A FUNDRAISER MATCH EVENT FOR THE 2007 HAWAII BOXING TEAM TO THE
U.S. CHAMPIONSHIPS IN COLORADO SPRINGS, CO. ON MAY 29TH TO JULY
9TH, 2007. AN OLYMPIC TRIALS QUALIFIER.
PALOLO
GYM AT 6:30 P.M.
TENTATIVE BOUTS
RED CORNER WEIGHTS BLUE CORNER
AGE 3 ROUNDS AGE
1).
Tombrylle Villegas 70lbs James Hashimoto 11
Villaver B.C. 07/21/96 1 min. 08/23/95 Palolo B.C.
2). Jermichael Sengphrachanh 12 100 Mason Cornelio 12
Evolution B.C. 06/17/94 1 min 03/23/95 Kawano B.C.
3). Rocky Balala 12 95lbs Jonathan Benitez 13
Central Maui B.C. 11/21/94 1 min. 09/23/93 Kawano B.C.
4). Charles Kanehailua 15 185 Steven Cabiles 16
PearlSide B.C. 10/13/91 2 min. 06/27/90 Kalakaua B.C.
5). Ezra Cabang 15 115 Gino Ramos 16
A.P. Big Island B.C.10/01/91 2 min. 09/24/90 Kawano B.C.
6). Micah Matsushima 16 130 Arnold Berdon 16
Oki B.C. (Kauai) 02/29/92 2 min. 02/26/91 Kawano B.C.
7). Anthony Pereira 16 155 Faleauto Manutulila 15
Waianae B.C. 12/30/90 2 min. 10/26/91 Hawaii Youth B.C.
------------------------------10 MINUTE INTERMISSION------------------------------
8). Chazzette Sau 14 114 Alyssa Kane 13
Southside Maui B.C. 03/15/93 1 ½ min. 12/15/93 Kawano
B.C.
9). Jay-Ar Bautista 119 Nathan Umeda
A.P. B.C. (Big Island) 07/13/87 2 min. 12/30/88 Palolo
10). James Draydon 165 Faamanu Siuta
Evolution B.C. 09/12/81 2 min. 01/28/85 Kalakaua B.C.
11). Brandon Kamaile 155 Dustin Awaya
Pearlside 04/19/84 2 min. 11/08/87 Palolo B.C
12). Ron Miller 175 John Asi
Unattached 2 min. 12/25/83 Hawaii Youth
Medals
donated by Red Lions, and Hawaiian Fight Gear.
Don't
forget a Fundraiser Concert for the Hawaii Junior Olympic Boxing
Team to Marquette, Michigan. May 27th at Ewa Ranch, Gates open
at 5 p.m. Concert at 5:30 p.m. Koa Uka, B.E.T. and many more
will perform. More info call 590-9084, or 216-9685.
Hawaii
Champions competing at the U.S. Championships: 106lbs- Thomas
Juan (Wailuku B.C.), 112- Nathan Umeda (Palolo), 119- David Tangjian
Jr. (Kawano B.C.), 132- Isaac Arasato (Palolo B.C.), 141- Thomas
Ordonez (Kawano), 152- Earl FittsIII (Wailuku), 165- Kainoa Oca
Kauhane (Kawano), 178- Filipo Toelau (Kawano), 201- Matt Monkewicz
(Kawano), 201+- Frank Pojsl (Palolo), Females- 95lbs- Gina Ramos
(Kawano), 132- Triva Pino (Kawano), 176- Chanelle Valdez (Evolution).
Also, 101- Colleen Loo (Pearlside) representing P.A.L.
Special
Thanks to all our Volunteers- Dr. Chong, HPD Officer Daryl Takata,
Coaches, Boxers, Officials, Parents, Door People, etc. Thank
You Again.
Source: Bruce Kawano
|
Shogun
says he will return in June
The Chuteboxer is coming back and asks for Hendo
Those
that miss watching Mauricio Shogun fight, can get excited. On
his way through the United States, the Pride Middleweight GP
champion from 2005 stated he will return to the ring in June.
His opponent, however, remains up in the air.
Shogun
took the opportunity in his interview with ProElite.com to confirm
that he has a contract with Pride, but could fight for the UFC
in the future, although he does not know when that may happen.
But with all certainty he names his ideal opponent: "Dan
Henderson, I want to fight him for the belt," stated Shogun.
Initially
set to take place on May 20, the first edition of Pride under
the command of the Fertitta brothers, owners of the UFC, was
delayed until June. This is the event where the first fights
for the lightweight GP of 2007 should take place.
In
relation to the possible confrontation between Pride and UFC
fighters, Dana White, UFC president, says he is thinking about
the subject, but does not yet have anything definite planned.
Source:
Gracie Magazine
|
Stout-Fisher
Rematch Headlines UFC Fight Night in Florida on June 12
FIGHT NIGHT™ RETURNS TO FLORIDA
AT THE SEMINOLE HARD ROCK HOTEL & CASINO
IN HARD ROCK LIVE
SPENCER
FISHER vs. SAM STOUT
JON FITCH vs. ROAN CARNEIRO
Tickets
Go On Sale Saturday, May 12 at 12pm ET
Las
Vegas, NV (USA) – The Ultimate Fighting Championship®
(UFC®) organization brings its UFC® Fight Night™
series of live events telecast on Spike TV back to Hollywood,
Fla. for its third event at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel &
Casino in Hard Rock Live. Headlining the South Florida card is
Spencer “The King” Fisher vs. Canada’s Sam “Hands
of Stone” Stout in a highly anticipated rematch of one of
2006’s best lightweight bouts. As a special feature, undefeated
wrestling expert Jon Fitch will take on Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu specialist
Roan Carneiro in a sizzling170-pound matchup. UFC Fight Night
will take place inside the Hard Rock Live and will telecast live
on Spike TV Tuesday, June 12 starting at 9pm ET/PT (tape delay).
Tickets
for UFC Fight Night go on sale Saturday, May 12 starting at 12:00pm
ET and are priced at $250, $150, $100 and $50. All seats are
reserved and available at the Hard Rock Live Box Office, open
daily from noon until 7 p.m. Tickets also are available at all
Ticketmaster outlets online at www.ticketmaster.com or charge
by phone: Miami-Dade (305) 358-5885, Broward (954) 523-3309 and
Palm Beach (561) 966-3309. Doors open one hour prior to show
time. Additional fees and/or service charges may apply.
UFC®
Fight Club™ members will have the opportunity to purchase
tickets to this event Thursday, May 10 starting at 10:00am ET
via the website www.ufc.com. A special Internet ticket pre-sale
will be available to UFC newsletter subscribers Friday, May 11
starting at 10:00am ET. To access this presale, users must register
for the UFC newsletter through www.ufc.com
With
over 20 pro fights to his name in just four years, Spencer “The
King” Fisher is one of the most active lightweights in mixed
martial arts today. That description can also apply to his aggressive
fighting style, which led to two Fight of the Year candidates
in 2006 as he went to war in successive bouts against Sam Stout
and Matt Wiman. Fisher finished off 2006 with an emphatic first
round TKO win over Dan Lauzon at UFC 64 in October, and though
he suffered a setback when he was stopped by Hermes Franca in
January, the Bettendorf, Iowa resident plans on extracting some
payback from the man who gave him his first UFC loss, Sam “Hands
of Stone” Stout.
“Fighting
in this sport, you want to be the best, and that’s what
I strive to be, so fighting as the main event for UFC Fight Night
is a dream come true,” said Fisher. “I’m excited
about this fight. I am going to go out there and try to submit
him as fast as possible.”
Stout
is the North American Welterweight Kickboxing champion, the Canadian
lightweight Muay Thai champion and the Canadian lightweight mixed
martial arts champion. He is an excellent striker and seven of
his eight MMA victories have come by knockout. This 23-year old
striking ace, who is 1-1 in the Octagon, hopes to duplicate his
March 2006 win over Spencer Fisher and send the respected Team
MFS fighter back to the drawing board.
“I’m
twice the fighter I was when we fought last time. I beat him
by majority decision, but I’m excited to fight him again.
To beat him twice would be great!” said Stout. “Being
the main event, there is always a little more pressure, but I
fight best that way. I’m looking forward to giving the millions
of fans watching a finish June 12.”
In
a featured bout, Jon Fitch will face Brazilian Roan Carneiro
in a three round welterweight battle. Fitch carries a simple
philosophy when it comes to fighting, stating, “I fight
like a thief. If you leave a window open I will crawl through
it and make you pay.” So far, that approach has worked like
a charm as the former Division I wrestler from Purdue has compiled
five straight wins in the UFC without a loss, the most recent
being a submission win over Luigi Fioravanti at UFC 68 in March
of this year. But to continue his upward climb in the sport’s
most competitive division, 28-year old Fitch must get by tough
BJJ expert Roan Carneiro.
Once
Rio de Janeiro native Carneiro got a foothold in the world’s
most competitive sport, he ran off a five-fight win streak that
stamped him as a fighter to watch. With tenacity, talent, and
a devastating Anaconda choke, this 29-year entered the Octagon
for the first time in April and defeated standout veteran Rich
Clementi. Now he faces Fitch and looks to establish himself as
one of the best 170-pounders in the UFC.
The
remaining bouts for UFC Fight Night will be announced shortly.
All bouts are subject to change.
For
more information about UFC Fight Night, or current UFC fight
news, visit www.ufc.com or uk.ufc.com.
Spike
TV, the first network for men, is available in 91.6 million homes
and is a division of MTV Networks. MTV Networks, a division of
Viacom International Inc.
Source:
UFC.tv
|
The
Top 10 PRIDE fights of 2006
By Robert Rousseau
Top 10 lists are tough, primarily because it’s all about
opinion. Still, with the fall of PRIDE (as we know it, anyway)
it seems appropriate to run a list of the best fights the organization
put up in its final full year without the Fertittas.
With
that said, here were the three factors– in order of importance–
used to determine this ‘best of 2006' list.
1.
Fight drama and/ or excitement– Obviously, the best fights
are the ones that go back and forth; the kind that seem as if
either fighter could win. That said, there are times when one
fighter exhibits such prowess that it makes for great entertainment
value by itself.
2.
The setting– The bigger the stage, the better. Thus, Grand
Prix and championship bouts were given more credence than lower
echelon stuff. Further, known fighters got a leg up as well.
3.
Shock value– A huge upset means something in terms of making
this list. So does a sudden turn of events.
So,
without further ado, let’s get to it.
10.
Kazuo Misaki vs. Dan Henderson
Event:
PRIDE Bushido 12 on 8/26/06
Result:
Misaki wins via unanimous decision
The
skinny: Henderson had just won a pretty close unanimous decision
over Misaki almost five months earlier. Most believed that Henderson
would show that the close match was a fluke in the first round
of the Grand Prix Welterweight Tournament.
Not
so.
It
was Misaki that proved their first match was no fluke at all,
proving to be the better striker on the August night in question.
Though this one shouldn’t have been too much of a surprise,
it still was. That and the stage got this fight on the list.
9.
Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic vs. Josh Barnett
Event:
PRIDE Final Conflict Absolute on 9/10/06
Result:
Cro Cop wins via submission (strikes) at 5:32 of round one
The
skinny: Not a great back and forth fight as Barnett never really
seemed to have a chance. But, this was a very exciting bout as
Cro Cop took the fight to the former UFC champion in a big way.
Of
course, the fact that Barnett had just gone through a test of
wills with Nogueira only an hour or two earlier may have had
something to do with his less than standard performance.
But
the reality is that on that September day, Mirko Cro Cop Filipovic
was running on all cylinders. He dominated Barnett on his feet
with laser fast straight punches and then followed him to the
canvas where he continued his striking onslaught, forcing Barnett
to tap due to injury.
And
with Cro Cop’s victory, we may have seen the last open weight
tournament in MMA history (not happening on American soil, for
sure). Thus, it had to make this list.
8.
Joachim Hansen vs. Luiz Azeredo
Event:
PRIDE Bushido 10 on 4/2/06
Result:
Hansen wins via KO at 7:09 of round one
The
skinny: This was a good fight for awhile. In fact, Azeredo was
winning. But then Hansen did to Azeredo what he had done to Imaniri
and Uno earlier in his career.
He
connected with a knee. And suddenly– the keyword is suddenly–
they needed the smelling salts.
7.
Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic vs. Wanderlei Silva
Event:
PRIDE Final Conflict Absolute on 9/10/06
Result:
Cro Cop wins via KO at 5:26 of round one
The
skinny: A great fight in terms of back and forth action? Not
really. But here’s the thing. A lot of people still seemed
to believe that Silva could stand there with Cro Cop like he
did way back in the beginning of Filipovic’s MMA career.
Further, Cro Cop had become more famous for upsetting losses–
Fedor, Kevin Randleman, Nogueira– than great victories.
Thus, many wondered what he’d make of the open weight tournament.
What
the naysayers got was one of the more dominant performances of
the Croatian’s career. In the end, a patented head kick
floored Silva for good. This was as sudden and spectacular an
ending as they come.
6.
Marcus Aurelio vs. Takanori Gomi
Event:
PRIDE Bushido 10 on 4/2/06
Result:
Aurelio wins via arm triangle choke at 4:34 of round one
The
skinny: Was this a great fight? Not really. But here’s what
it was.
Possibly
the most shocking upset of 2006.
This
fight wasn’t even for Gomi’s lightweight belt, primarily
because no one believed that Aurelio was the real deal. But the
American Top Team fighter seemed to prove what some had believed
coming in: Gomi was no match for an elite Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
fighter on the ground.
Shock
value alone gets this one a spot on the list.
5.
Fedor Emelianenko vs. Mark Hunt
Event:
PRIDE Shockwave 2006 on 12/31/06
Result:
Fedor wins by Kimura at 8:16 of round one
The
skinny: Every now and then one catches you off guard. This is
what makes MMA great. After Hunt’s performance against Josh
Barnett– where he was literally submitted within 2:02 of
the first round– people were down on the Samoan’s ground
skills.
Then
Fedor took him down. He transitioned to an armbar. He had it
sunk in. And everybody watching probably considered the fight
already over.
But
somehow, Hunt escaped. Then he established side control on Fedor–
that’s right, Mark Hunt took side control on Fedor.
Best
part is that a few moments later, while on their feet, Hunt reversed
a takedown attempt by the PRIDE champion, gained side control
again, and nearly sunk in an Americana before mounting Emelianenko.
Who
would have ever thought?
But
in the end, Fedor got Hunt with his own Kimura and took home
victory. Still, this one looked gray for awhile.
4.
Hector Lombard vs. Akihiro Gono
Event:
Bushido 11 on 6/4/06
Result:
Gono wins a unanimous decision
The
skinny: Coming into this fight, Cuban judo fighter Hector Lombard
had never lost. In fact, the last four fights he’d competed
in had ended via first round stoppage. In other words, Lombard
liked to start fast.
And
boy did he ever against Gono.
Lombard
literally pounded on Gono, taking him down and beating him to
a pulp. But here’s the thing about Gono; he’s a survivor.
And
he did somehow miraculously survive the Cuban fighter’s
onslaught. Unfortunately for Lombard, he let everything hang
out in those opening minutes. Thus, Gono schooled him for the
rest of the match to take home a decision.
An
interesting change of events in one and a heckuva fight, even
if it wasn’t for huge stakes.
3.
Mark Hunt vs. Yosuke Nishijima
Event:
PRIDE 31: Dreamers on 2/26/06
Result:
Hunt wins via KO at 1:18 of round three
The
skinny: This was former Japanese boxing champion Yosuke Nishijima’s
MMA debut. Boy did the PRIDE brass give it to this guy, pairing
him with a former K-1 elite fighter that outweighed him by 80
pounds.
Or
did they?
In
the end, fans got to watch a stand up battle where both combatants
showed an amazing amount of heart. Nishijima was pounded by power
shots for a good portion of the fight. That said, throughout
the fight– especially in round two– he showed the world
just how good a boxer can be on their feet (winning the round).
But in the end, a powerful right from Hunt finally put Nishijima
down.
This
was the kind of bout that fight fans love.
2.
Gilbert Melendez vs. Tatsuya Kawajiri
Event:
PRIDE: Shockwave 2006 on 12/31/06
Result:
Melendez wins via unanimous decision
The
skinny: This was a stand up war! First, Kawajiri floored Melendez
early in the first round; then Melendez came back and did the
same to Kawajiri later in the round. In sum, it was a fight where
both contestants threw punch after punch with bad intentions,
neither willing to give an inch. In fact, it was amazing that
no one got knocked out.
In
the end, Melendez got the decision. That said, this one could’ve
went either way.
For
the play by play, check out the Shockwave 2006 review.
1.
Josh Barnett vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
Event:
PRIDE: Final Conflict Absolute on 9/10/06
Result:
A split decision victory for Barnett
The
skinny: This one could be considered one of the best ground fights
of all time. Basically, spectators got a lesson in what it means
to be a ground fighter as catch wrestler (Barnett) took on Brazilian
Jiu-Jitsu master (Nogueira). There were certainly some decent
exchanges on the feet. However, this battle will forever be known
for its trading submission attempts and ground positions (both
fighters turned one another over on numerous occasions).
At
the final bell, Barnett had Nogueira in a knee bar. Would he
have escaped? It looked pretty solid; that said, this is Nogueira
we’re talking about. Regardless, that knee bar is probably
what gave Barnett the victory.
Source:
MMA Fighting
|
Tim
Sylvia Update
By Steven Marrocco
Four-time
UFC heavyweight champion Tim Sylvia is currently recovering after
undergoing back surgery yesterday in Ohio. FCF spoke to him shortly
before he underwent the surgery, where he shed some light on
the nature of the injury, his fighting future, and recent critics
of the UFC.
“I
hurt it about three or four weeks out from my fight with Randy,”
Sylvia says of his back. “It was bothering me real bad,
I thought I had some disc problems and after the fight it got
really bad and I went in, had an MRI, and I had three bulged
discs.”
Sylvia
was uncharacteristically rigid in his takedown defense against
soon-to-be-champ Randy Couture, giving up takedown after takedown
in their five round affair. Yet with all the limitation he felt
in his movement, Sylvia felt no pain.
Afterwards,
when the adrenaline subsided, it hit him. “It hurt really
bad, I was limping around and my butt was killing me,” Sylvia
says of his post fight moments in the locker room.
Trainer
Pat Miletich could only watch in dismay as it became clear he
had underestimated the injury. “He said he didn’t realize
how bad I was hurt until he saw me perform out there,” Sylvia
says of their post-fight assessment. “He said he wished
he knew how bad I was so he could have pulled me.”
Sidelined
from hard training, Sylvia had attempted to alleviate the injury
with cortisone shots, but eventually decided on going under the
knife. Of primary concern was one of the bulged discs that was
pinching his sciatic nerve. The nerve caused the pain in his
rear and legs.
“They’re
going to put me under and go in with some surgical tools and
cut the bulges off the discs, that’ll free up the nerve,”
Sylvia says about the procedure.
As
uncomfortable as that sounds, his doctors expect him to recover
fully in 4 weeks, whereupon Sylvia will resume his regular training
regimen. When asked if he would amend his training techniques
to accommodate his injury, Sylvia dismissed the idea.
“I
want to get back to training, start doing some cardio, drop some
weight,” he says of his plans after surgery. “I’m
about 290 right now, so start my diet on Monday and start dropping
weight and get down to fight shape. “
In
the mean time, Sylvia will meditate on his next opponent, which
he declined to name. After recent criticism of the UFC surfaced
again in the build-up to boxing mega-fight De La Hoya vs. Mayweather,
he weighed in the dysfunction between the two sports and their
practitioners. Interestingly, his comments mirrored many of the
criticisms MMA sustained in its rise to prominence.
“We’ve
already surpassed boxing,” Sylvia says. “Everybody
in boxing, pretty much 85 percent of the guys are thugs and scumbags.
You’ve got your great guys like De La Hoya that are great
representatives of boxing, but other than that, most of them
just act like thugs and gangsters, and not very many of them
are educated. A lot of them are just street fighters and they
end up in there because without boxing they’d be in prison
and kill somebody.”
While
Sylvia most likely won’t get to settle his differences with
boxers in the ring (or cage), his road back to the title will
not be easy. With the spectrum of heavyweights expanding under
Zuffa’s acquisition of Pride, Sylvia will have more than
enough to worry about.
Source:
FCF
|
Quote
of the Day
“Doing
the best at this moment puts you in the best place for the next
moment.”
Oprah Winfrey, American Television Talk Show Host/Actress/Entrepreneur
|
BOXING
CHAMP CINTRON ACCEPTS UFC CHALLENGE
In
a prepared statement, Main Events CEO Kathy Duva announced that
IBF World Welterweight Champion and former high school and college
wrestler Kermit Cintron would like to step in and accept the
challenge from UFC President Dana White that Floyd Mayweather,
Jr. has refused.
After
some negative comments about mixed martial arts and the UFC in
particular by Mayweather, White threw out a challenge for the
undefeated boxing champion to fight UFC Lightweight Champion
Sean Sherk in an MMA bout. Sherk’s weight class is defined
at 155 pounds, while Mayweather’s most recent bout against
Oscar De La Hoya was at 154 pounds.
“I
want the fight,” said Cintron. “I can wrestle. I can
box. I can beat those UFC fighters at their own game. Tell Mr.
White to make me an offer and I’ll take on his guy after
I fight Matthysse...”
Cintron
is referring to a mandatory defense of his IBF title against
challenger Walter Mattysse on July 14. The fight is scheduled
to take place on the Arturo Gatti vs. Alfonso Gomez fight card
on HBO.
It’s
not difficult to connect the timing of Cintron’s statements
with the build-up for his fight against Mattysse in Atlantic
City, N.J. It should be noted, however, that the IBF champ is
also ranked the #7 welterweight boxer in the world by The Ring
magazine, with a record of 27-1 (25 knockouts). He also competed
in wrestling in college and finished 10th in the National Junior
College Wrestling Championships.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
FRANKLIN
CONFIRMS OKAMI FOR UFC 72
Rich Franklin confirmed this morning that the Ultimate Fighting
Championship has signed Yushin Okami to face him on the June
16 event in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Franklin was originally
scheduled to face Danish fighter Martin Kampmann, who had to
withdraw due to a severe knee injury.
On
his website, Franklin said that after being notified that Kampmann
was out “Okami was presented as the likely possibility [as
a replacement]. [Monday night] we found out Okami signed.”
Franklin
returned to the Octagon victorious over Jason Macdonald at UFC
68 after having lost his UFC Middleweight Championship to Anderson
Silva in October of last year. A win in Belfast would likely
put Franklin into a title bout with the winner of the Anderson
Silva and Nate Marquardt bout that headlines UFC 73 on July 7.
Okami
is riding a 6-fight winning streak – the last 4 in the UFC
– having recently dominated Mike Swick at UFC 69 in Houston,
Tex. He actually holds a win over current champion Silva, albeit
by disqualification in the opening round of last year’s
Rumble on the Rock 175-pound Grand Prix.
Manager
Ken Pavia told MMAWeekly that Kampmann likely has damaged ligaments
in his knee that may require surgery and an extensive rehab.
He declined detailed information, however, until Kampmann goes
through a second MRI once the swelling in his knee goes down.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
UFC
CHAMP SHERK TALKS MAYWEATHER ON RADIO
Though
he hasn’t fought since winning the UFC Lightweight Championship
in a five-round battle with Kenny Florian at UFC 64 last October,
Sean Sherk has managed to remain in the limelight. In fact, he
was actually hoisted there by a boxer.
In
the build-up to his record-settxing bout with Oscar De La Hoya,
Floyd Mayweather, Jr. took the time to slam MMA, the UFC in particular,
saying, “It ain’t nothing but a fad… These are
guys that couldn’t do boxing.”
He
was called on his comments by UFC President Dana White and the
UFC Lightweight Champ. White saying that he would put Sherk up
against Mayweather as they were nearest each other in weight.
Mayweather defeated De La Hoya for the 154-pound belt and Sherk
owning the UFC’s 155-pound title.
Mayweather
seems to be backpedaling now. According to Yahoo! Sports columnist
Kevin Iole, after the fight, Mayweather sent word to Dana White
via UFC Vice Present Marc Ratner that all the trash talk about
the UFC was just hype for his fight with De La Hoya.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
LIVE
GATE INFO FOR UFC 70, UFC 69, & UFN 9
The UFC held three events in the month of April and two of those
events were very successful at the live box office. The UFC had
strong debuts in two new markets as UFC 69 took place in Houston,
Texas and UFC 70 took place in Manchester, England. The UFC Fight
Night event that took place in Las Vegas on April 5th was less
successful, but the stakes were much smaller for an event at
a smaller venue.
UFC
70
Most
recently, UFC 70 took place at the Manchester Evening News Arena
in Manchester, England on April 21st. The event drew $2,628,472
in gross ticket receipts, making it the ninth-highest-grossing
event in UFC history.
The
venue's capacity with the UFC's set-up was 15,983 and the paid
attendance for the event was 12,708. There were also 2,406 people
in attendance that had free tickets. The total number of people
in the building was 15,114, which was about 900 short of capacity.
The claims made before and after the event that it was a sell-out
were not accurate. The average price per ticket sold was $207
when converted to American dollars.
UFC
69
Two
weeks earlier, the UFC debuted in Texas with UFC 69 taking place
at Houston's Toyota Center on April 7th. The event drew $2,817,200
in gross ticket receipts, making it was the sixth-highest-grossing
event in UFC history. The event narrowly missed out on joining
UFC 57, UFC 61, UFC 62, and UFC 66 on the list of UFC events
that have drawn $3 million or more at the live box office.
The
paid attendance for UFC 69 was 12,516. With the addition of 2,753
people who were in attendance with free tickets, the total number
of people in attendance at the event was 15,269.
The
capacity of the venue with the UFC's set-up was approximately
16,800, so the event was slightly more than 1,500 short of capacity.
The average price per ticket sold was $225, which was slightly
higher than the average for the U.K. event two weeks later, but
still short of the usual prices for the UFC's Las Vegas events.
UFC
Fight Night 9
Just
two days prior to UFC 69 in Houston, UFC Fight Night 9 took place
in Las Vegas, Nevada on April 5th and it was the only UFC event
of the month that was not particularly successful at the live
gate.
UFC
Fight Night 9 was the UFC's debut in the new "Pearl at the
Palms" venue in Las Vegas. The venue was structured to hold
2,500 fans with the UFC's set-up. The total number of fans in
the building was 1,734, and over one-third of that total was
comprised of fans that had free tickets (593 of them, to be exact).
The
paid attendance for the event was 1,141, and the live gate was
$282,750. The average price per ticket sold was $248, which was
higher than the average price for UFC 69 and UFC 70, but still
lower than the average price for most of the events that the
UFC held in the much smaller Hard Rock Hotel in Las Vegas.
Source: MMA Weekly |
THE
EMERGENCE OF SOKOUDJOU
Rameau
Thierry “Sokoudjou”? Maybe you’d recognize him
more by “the guy that knocked out Antonio Rogerio Nogueira”
or “the guy that knocked out Ricardo Arona." Oh yeah,
that guy.
By
now, if you don’t know the name Sokoudjou, you’re likely
living under a rock. After knocking out the aforementioned MMAWeekly
top ten ranked light heavyweight fighters, Sokoudjou himself
has fought his way into the top ten.
A
mixed martial arts fighter from Cameroon, Africa, Sokoudjou now
makes his home at the Dan Henderson branch of Team Quest in Temecula,
Calif. Growing up in Cameroon though, he was a Judoka, winning
several national and international titles. Sokoudjou made the
move to the United States with Olympic dreams swimming in his
head. He did win the Open Division to become a U.S. Open Judo
Champion in 2001, but somehow, he never realized his Olympic
dream.
Since
hooking up with Henderson to help him prepare for a fight with
Kazuhiro Nakamura – also a Judoka – Sokoudjou has made
the transition to a career in mixed martial arts… and he’s
done quite well.
Despite
stumbling against Glover Teixeira – who is trained by UFC
Champ Chuck Liddell and John Hackleman – Sokoudjou has quickly
established himself as a contender in the light heavyweight division
with the knockouts of Nogueira and Arona in the Pride ring.
With
the Fertitta brothers’ recent acquisition of Pride Fighting
Championships, as with many other fighters, Sokoudjou’s
fighting future is currently in limbo while he waits to see what
shape the new organization takes.
Source: MMA Weekly |
FIGHTER
CHOOSES MMA OVER PRO FOOTBALL
There are a very few skilled enough athletes to be able to make
sports their profession. Even fewer are those who are able to
do two professional sports at once. So when the time comes for
an athlete to make a choice between two sports and focus on just
one, it’s a decision that very few can empathize with.
Such
was the life of Rex Richards, super-heavyweight mixed martial
arts fighter and professional football player.
Over
this past year Richards took his love of MMA to the next level,
competing more vigorously than he had in past years, due to his
career with the San Jose Sabercats of the Arena Football League.
So when Rex found success in MMA, especially after an impressive
Strikeforce performance last December, a decision had to be made.
With
the 2007 AFL season in full swing, Richards weighed his options,
MMA or pro football? In the end Rex chose MMA, but as he told
MMAWeekly recently, it wasn’t an easy decision, nor at times
did it look like the right one.
“Deep
down I’ve always been a fighter, and until recently there
hadn’t been any other outlets for it, aside from football,”
said Rex. “I think I was a fighter in a football player’s
body, and now I have a chance to let it out and be who I really
am supposed to be.”
Richards
continued, “That’s always been my personality. Off
the field and stuff I try to be a nice guy and get along with
everybody. On the field I’ve always been – in my opinion,
my coaches’ opinions and a lot of the fans’ opinions
– the most intense guy on the field. I was always attacking,
always going for it – and that’s the way I fight. When
I go out to fight, I fight to finish and MMA allows for me to
really be who I want to be in a career.”
Most
people would kill to have to make such a decision, choosing which
sport to make your full-time career, rather than work a traditional
job. But according to Rex, his decision was not without its struggles.
“I
probably didn’t sleep for two weeks,” admitted Richards.
“I’ve always played football and had always been a
good, solid player with a lot of accolades and stuff, so it was
definitely a big decision. It was probably the biggest decision
I’ve ever made, to switch to fighting full time.”
Then
there were those in the pro football world, which Rex had to
explain his decision to.
“I’ve
built myself there [with the Sabercats] these last few years
and I think I’m a player they’ve wanted to have around
a lot and wasn’t able to [have] this year,” commented
Richards. “I’ve had a lot of football buddies of mine
tell me, ‘You’re crazy; you’re a great football
player, you ought to keep playing football forever.’ But,
I’ve got a lot of my other friends saying to me, ‘Hey,
you’re a great football player, but you’re going to
be an even better fighter.’”
“They’re
all great friends of mine, I talk to them weekly, they wish I
was out there helping them out, but they’re doing really
good right now,” added Rex.
As
for what lead him to choose MMA over pro football, Richards explains
that even though he loves football and his time in it, there’s
just something about MMA that you can’t get anywhere else.
“I
like the personal touch you can get as a fighter,” explained
Rex. “I’ve gone out there and bled in the trenches
for years, but when you win a fight, there’s nothing like
it.”
Richards
added, “It’s great to win as a team and go out there
with a large group of guys and accomplish something together,
but when you’re in a cage, it’s all you. You can thank
your training partners, corner men and people that helped you
get there, but when they close the doors, it’s all you.
The rewards, I think, are much higher than a team sport.”
Since
making the decision to concentrate solely on MMA, Rex has experienced
one of the pitfalls of this sport that pro football experiences
rarely, unexpected cancellations.
“I’m
under a contract with Strikeforce,” said Richards. “They
were kind enough to give me an open contract, and I’ve had
several people call, but I’ve had several things fall through.
Basically this whole time I’ve been getting ready for this
next fight in June.”
“I
would have liked to have had another fight by now and I’m
anxious to get back into the cage, but that’s just the cards
that were dealt and now I’m eager to get another win under
my belt as soon as I can,” continued Rex.
And
when it comes to what he’d like to do after Strikeforce
in regards to his new full-time profession, Richards replied,
“I would really like to compete a lot. I would like to do
six to twelve fights a year. I want to get more fights and get
my name out there.”
Rex
further commented, “I don’t want it to take six or
seven years to be a big name guy; I want to be a big name guy
soon. I’m ready to get in there and fight whoever I have
to, to do that and make myself a career.”
So
with Strikeforce’s big pay-per-view card just over a month
away, fans nationwide could very well get the chance to see one
of the sports biggest [figuratively and literally] up and coming
fighters when Rex Richards steps into the cage.
“I
want to thank the sponsors and really all the fans for making
this sport so huge,” exclaimed Richards. “It’s
all about getting them all up and cheer in excitement and get
into the fight, I want to say I appreciate that.”
“I’m
going to be a breakout fighter this next year, just be ready,
and anybody who’s not a believer in the super-heavyweight
division, come watch me fight and I promise I’ll make a
believer out of you,” concluded Rex.
Source: MMA Weekly |
Quote
of the Day
“Art
is never finished, only abandoned.”
Leonardo da Vinci, 1452-1519, Italian Painter and Sculptor
|
PUNISHMENT
IN PARADISE
Hawaiian Waters, Kapolei
Saturday May 12, 2007
Weigh ins
are on Friday, May 11, 2007 at En Fuego in the Market at Kapolei
and start at 7:00 pm! See the banner above for information on
En Fuego and their great food!
TICKETS ON SALE NOW!!
THIER ARE ONLY 800 SEATS AVAILABLE FOR THIS SHOW!!
WEST OUTLETS
WATERPARK, KAPOLEI
TEAM RUTHLESS, COLIN (387-5857)
JESUS IS LORD, DAVID (282-2232)
TEAM BIGDOGS, WAYNE PERRIN
SIT YOU DOWN, JOHN (688-7391)
EN FUEGOS GRILL, KAPOLEI (674-8805)
EAST OUTLETS
JUS RUSH, CISCO (620-3004)
SMITH TAEKWONDO, KANEOHE
HMC, KALIHI
BUY ONLINE WWW.PIPHAWAII.COM
FOR FIGHT OR TICKET INFO CALL (808)631-9164
Source: Brennan Kamaka
|
SPERRY
& BUTTERBEAN HEAD CAGE RAGE 22
UFC 70 and Cage Rage 21 are fading in our minds now and having
just had the Cage Warriors show, things are all quiet on the
live event front. So it’s a collective picking up of the
pieces for the fighters whilst promoters work hard at booking
the next event.
Cage
Rage has all but finalized the line-up for Cage Rage 22: Hard
as Hell, scheduled for July 14th, and some of the card’s
fights look good, some on the other hand I have no interest in
seeing. But I guess as a promoter you need to appeal to all people
and that is what they have booked for this card.
Butterbean
vs. Tengiz Tedoradze is the first fight that springs to mind.
Don’t get me wrong, I like Butterbean as a character and
he brings entertainment value to a bout, but I have absolutely
no interest in seeing this match. I believe that Tedoradze is
long overdue an international opponent, but in a match that makes
sense. He has a record of 20-7-1 and owns wins over the best
of British in Rob Broughton, Tom Blackledge, Robert Berry, James
Thompson and Marc Goddard leaves you wondering who in the U.K.
will possibly beat him? Mustapha al Turk is the likely fellow
for the job, but till then he has to face a guy like Butterbean
who will not necessarily add much lustre to his mantelpiece.
Mario
Sperry vs. Lee Hasdell is a good fight on paper. It could be
a barnstormer of a match if both come to play hard. Hasdell will
want to keep this standing to play off his Muay Thai and Japanese
anti-grappling background. The Zen Machine (Sperry) will want
to take him down. If they end up playing like Andre Arlovs.ki
vs.. Fabricio Werdum, then it will be a boring night, but if
they push, we could be in for a treat – either Sperry is
getting KO’d or Hasdell is getting subbed.
James
McSweeney is making his MMA debut against a fighter, Mark Buchanan,
that won’t trouble him at all standing and is green enough
on the ground to present opportunities for him. This will likely
be a successful debut for the K-1 hero.
And
finally, Dave Legeno vs. Herb Dean… now don’t get me
wrong, I think it’s great that Dean competes and works are
one of the best referees in the business. It gives you a much
higher regard for his ability to judge a fight because he is
aware of the nuances involved having tested himself first, but
Legeno? Seriously, I don’t want to hate on the guy as he
is a great person to talk to, a genuinely nice guy, but I haven’t
seen him in an interesting fight since his debut. Dan Severn
and Kimo Leopoldo were jokes, Ikuhisa Minowa breezed him and
the second fight with Alan Murdock left me cold.
Put
Legeno against legitimate competition in the U.K. to see where
he is at before throwing all the Americans at him. Tell you what,
put Legeno in there with Blackledge and we will see where he
is at – that is a fight I want to see…
Anyway,
two highlights and two disappointments, the rest of the card
looks solid though. Particularly interesting is the inclusion
of Marios Zaromskis and Paul Cahoon. Both provide fireworks standing
and are rock solid match-ups. That is what makes good a good
event – tough fights where you are really pushed to choose
a winner.
Full
Card / Cage Rage 22: Hard as Hell
-Eric
“Butterbean” Esch vs. Tengiz Tedoradze
-Mario Sperry vs. Lee Hasdell
-Rob Broughton vs. Gary Turner
-Herb Dean vs. Dave Legeno
-Mark Buchanan vs. James McSweeney
-Paul Cahoon vs. Mark Epstein
-Ronnie Mann vs. Robbie Olivier
-Marius Zaromskis vs. Ross Mason
-Ross Pointon vs. Dean Bray
-Joe Mac vs. Jeremy Bailey
-Michael Johnson vs. Damian Riccio
-Tom Watson vs. Ed Smith
Source: MMA Weekly |
Thiago
Silva talks about his American debut
Thiago
Silva, the new talent of the Macaco Gold Team, commented about
his expectations for his debut at the American event UFC. In
exclusive interview to TATAMETV team, the Brazilian athlete said
that is ready for the victory. “I am ready to win as always
and never to lose. I am focous and I think this is the biggest
differencial”, guarateed Silva, who also let a message for
his fans who are waiting ansiously his debut. “I will be
there all the time for this belt. Chuck Liddell, wait for me”,
challenged him.
Source: Tatame
|
Back
to the rings, Aldo wants revenge Azevedo
In
exclusive conversation to site TATAME, just after wins Fábio
Mello (BTT) at Top Fighters 3, the black belt from Nova União
José Aldo, commented about his bout and talked about the
revenge he wants against the athlete from RFT Luciano Azevedo.
“I would be really happy if he gives me the opportunity
to fight him again”, said Aldo, who also talked about his
return to MMA. “That was a tough bout against Fábio
Mello and I was already expecting a hard fight. I am proud of
having fought someone so experienced like him”, guaranteed
Aldo.
Source: Tatame
|
Quote
of the Day
“If
being an egomaniac means I believe in what I do and in my art
or music, then in that respect you can call me that... I believe
in what I do, and I'll say it.”
John Lennon, 1940-1980, British Rock Musician
|
Fighters'
Club TV on Tonight!
Channel
52
Tuesdays at 7:00 PM
The latest Fighters' Club TV episodes features a good filling
of Mark and Mike as well as...
Interview
with new Icon Sport Middleweight Champ Robbie Lawler.
They don't call him Ruthess for nothing. I think he calls out
Mike not once, but twice during this relatively short interview.
Between you and me, I would try to take a grazing punch and lay
down. So what?!
Charuto Verissimo is back in action as he features his world
class Jiu-Jitsu technique in the last Icon Sport with a post
fight interview. This footage is the closest you will get to
being in the fight without being in the ring! Make sure that
you listen in closely when the leather is flying.
He is definitely in the Icon Sport championship mix.
One
of our favorite segments, FCTV Mail, is starting to gain momentum.
This episode we discuss the following topics:
BJJ vs Traditional JJ
Myspace
School Coverage
Why are we so sexy? Ok, I added that one in.
Not enough description? You better tune in...and please write
in with your questions to fctv@onzuka.com and if it is absolutely,
positively, spell binding and memorizing, we will read it on
the air. Who are we kiddng? Maybe we'll read it even if it sucks.
Kalihi native, now Cali boy Jason Mayhem Miller does a great
Dan Henderson impersonation. Was that Mayhem's last fight in
Hawaii?
Enson Inoue teaches us a mount neck crank in our Technique of
the Week!
Finally, one of the most exciting and talented new stars in Hawaii
MMA, Justin Buchholz teaches us about the power of the loco moco.
Of
course, it wouldn't be a FCTV show without a little eye candy
spread out in very strategic locations throughout the fights.
Daddy like!
If
you have anything to comment on or want to see on the show, please
email us at fctv@onzuka.com.
|
KICKIN
IT 2007 PART IV
WHAT -
KICKIN IT 2007 PART IV
WHEN - SATURDAY MAY 19, 2007
WHERE - WAIPAHU FILCOM CENTER
MAIN EVENT
RICHARD "RUN EM HARD" BERNARD 145 KEO DOANE
HSD ANIMAL HOUSE
BOTH OF THESE FIGHTERS SHARE AN UNDEFEATED 4 - 0 RECORD. KEO
WHO HAS BEEN ON THE KICKIN IT CIRCUIT LONGER THAN RICHARD IS
BACK FROM HIS HALF A YEAR VACATION. KEO IS THE TECHNICIAN OF
THE TWO. HE ALWAYS BRINGS HIS CONDITION AS WELL AS HIS SKILLS,
WHEN HE ENTERS THE SQUARE. BUT KEO WILL HAVE HIS HANDS FULL ON
MAY 19. FOR RICHARD IS THE WHITEBOY WHO NOBODY EXPECTED WOULD
MAKE IT IN THE SQUARE. HE IS NOT AS FAST OR AS SKILLED AS MOST
145 POUNDERS. AND THATS PROBABLY WHY HE'S CALLED "RUN EM
HARD", HE'S NO UNDERWEAR - ALL BALLS (HA HA HA). THIS MAIN
EVENT IS ONE NOT TO MISS. WE'LL SEE WHO IS STILL UNDEFEATED THE
DAY AFTER MAY 19TH. BE THERE.
KEKOA CONCEPCION 125 ROBBIE OSTOVICH
NAKOA FIGHT CLUB JESUS IS LORD
KONA KAOLULO SHW JUNIOR CHAVEZ
TEAM ANILAND HSD
SHAWN ORTIZ 128 DICKIE REBALIZA
FREELANCE INNER CIRCLE
MATT KANAHELE 165 TBA
BIG TYME FIGHT
KOLOA KAHALEWAI 220 MAKANA VERTIDO
TEAM ANILAND LAS VEGAS FIGHT CLUB
EZEKIEL LOPEZ 175 ALAN GILAPIA
NAKOA FIGHT CLUB HAWAII CHINESE KENPO
JOHN MENDONSA 145 VAN SHIROMA
NAKOA FIGHT CLUB HMC
KAHELE KAOLULO 145 GARY REBALIZA
TEAM ANILAND INNER CIRCLE
KAUI KAUOLULO 165 TONY BELEN
TEAM ANILAND INNER CIRCLE
AJ LANI 145 BERTO SANSANO
INNER CIRCLE TEAM DEVASTATION
MERVIN LINKE 168 LUCKY TURNBOW
TEAM ANILAND TEAM BAD INTENTIONS
MARCUS MARTINEZ 150 MIKE UEMOTO
BULLSPEN ANIMAL HOUSE
RIN DAO 110 SOLOMON DIXON
BULLSPEN HMC
GINO KANAHELE 98 GERON REBALIZA
TEAM ANILAND INNER CIRCLE GRAPPLING
KAI HOLLENBECK 175 DALE KAMAI
HMC MAILI SOLJAHS
TAA 235 RANDY DUENESS
TEAM ANILAND 5 - 0 BOXING
RENO REMIGIO 160 ADRIAN TAVITA
HMC TEAM BAD INTENTIONS
NUI WHEELER 135 TBA
MAUI KICKBOXING
MAILI
SOLJAHS
MATCHES AND PARTICPANTS MAY BE SUBJECT TO CHANGE
|
HBO
PPV ANNOUNCERS DISAGREE ON MMA
It’s over, finally after weeks of pontification by many
fans and experts, the question was seemingly answered, did Oscar
De La Hoya and Floyd Mayweather Jr.’s highly-anticipated
match-up prove to be the savior of boxing in the eyes of the
general public?
In
a simple answer, most likely, no, it did not.
Of
course it’s unfair to place the entire expectations of a
sport on one event, but with all the hype surrounding the fight
and clear battle lines that seemed to be drawn between those
who hope boxing would fend off the coming storm of MMA, and those
who embrace MMA’s rise as the premier fighting sport of
the all-important young male demographic, one would be easily
swayed into believing this fight could stem any tide.
In
what was ultimately a match-up most boxing pundits feared –
a technical bout in which Mayweather’s speed and accuracy
for the most part trumped De La Hoya’s aggression and flurries
– it was pretty much the general consensus that while hardcore
boxing fans may have enjoyed the fight, not as many general fight
fans might have been satisfied.
So
it was with that obviousness that when the HBO broadcasting crew
dissected the fight afterwards, there was the inevitable assertion
that boxing is what it is, it is where it is at, and one fight
will not change it’s future coarse, so why bring up the
comparisons between boxing and MMA?
For
the most part the entire HBO broadcast team avoided the comparison
directly, however, during the post-fight breakdown HBO Commentator/Interviewer
Larry Merchant stated, “Just one word about some of the
build-up to the fight, [in] which a lot of people seemed discomforted
that they were suddenly attracted to a big fight. So the storyline
they invented was: ‘Is this the last big fight in boxing?
Is this the end of boxing? Can this revive boxing?' None of which
means anything. Boxing is what it is, this is a very good fight,
[and] we’ll see a lot more, whether we have this kind of
crowd [in the arena], the folks out there [who purchased the
PPV], those numbers – that is another story. This was good
boxing, good fighting, and a hell of a show.”
And
then HBO Commentator/Analyst Jim Lampley, a long-time opponent
of MMA, replied, “You know, one of the specificities in
that question is, ‘Will boxing have to cede its place on
the stage to other fighting forms like Mixed Martial Arts?’
Mixed Martial Arts is entertaining, [but] the kind of skill level
you saw in the ring tonight – there’s nothing in Mixed
Martial Arts which is within light years of what Mayweather and
De La Hoya are able to do with their hands.”
At
this point, Lampley segued the conversation to the other broadcast
crew in the building, which contained HBO Commentator/Analyst
Max Kellerman, one of combat sports' premier experts.
When
the conversation was directed at Kellerman – after giving
his thoughts on the fight – he retorted Lampley’s comments
directly by stating, “I disagree with Jim. I think there
are Mixed Martial Artists who are operating on a very similar
skill level in what they do to these fighters [De La Hoya and
Mayweather]. And that’s one of the reason[s] why that fight…that
sport’s becoming very popular.”
The
comments were made amidst the backdrop of a possible pairing
between HBO and the UFC to broadcast future events. A union in
which UFC President Dana White, in a recent tele-conference,
said would most likely use HBO commentators, rather than the
usual UFC duo of Joe Rogan and Mike Goldberg.
Which
ultimately lead to the question on whether or not White would
like to see Lampley on said broadcasts, to which Dana emphatically
responded, “Hell no!”
So
it would seem that even those who feel that the comparisons between
boxing and MMA are unfounded, there are equally those who feel
the comparison is warranted and even favorable to MMA, regardless
of what the establishment has long coalesced.
If
anything, should Jim Lampley and Dana White end up in the same
venue at the same time for an HBO or UFC event and happen to
cross paths, it should be one hell of a show, even one that could
eclipse the action inside the ring/octagon.
Source: MMA Weekly |
NOGUEIRA'S
UFC DEBUT SET FOR UFC 73 "STACKED"
The Ultimate Fighting Championship has officially announced the
main portion of the UFC 73 event scheduled for July 7th at the
Arco Arena in Sacramento, Calif. Entitled “Stacked”
the moniker couldn’t be more appropriate.
UFC
73 is the most talent-laden fight card in recent memory, not
only for the UFC, but any promotion. Not only does UFC 73 feature
two title fights – Anderson Silva defending his UFC Middleweight
Championship against Nate Marquardt and Sean Sherk defending
his lightweight belt from Hermes Franca – but UFC drawing
card Tito Ortiz and light heavyweight contender Rashad Evans
will battle it out and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira will make his
UFC debut against Heath Herring in a heavyweight contest.
Many
mainstream fans new to the sport may not realize the importance
of Nogueira’s addition to the card, but as the #2 ranked
heavyweight fighter in the world on MMAWeekly.com, Nogueira is
a prime addition to the UFC’s stable of heavyweight fighters.
The
fight between Ortiz and Evans also carries a lot of weight. This
is a pivotal point in the careers of both fighters. A win for
Ortiz turns his fortunes around and gets him started back on
the road towards contender status. For Evans, a win over the
iconic Tito Ortiz would help to solidify his perception as a
true contender to the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship currently
held by Chuck Liddell and add to his unbeaten record.
“We
have five UFC events lined up now through July in the US and
UK, and every one of them is stacked with great fights,”
said UFC President Dana White. “UFC 73 is one of the best
cards we’ve put together this year. It’s going to deliver
the one-two punch fight fans want – it has Tito Ortiz and
Rashad Evans, two all-state college wrestlers, both who dislike
each other, settling their differences in the Octagon, as well
as title defenses by our two champions Anderson Silva and Sean
Sherk. We’re working on more fights right now to pack this
card even heavier from top to bottom.”
Although
not yet made official by the UFC, rumored undercard bouts for
UFC 73 include the return of Stephan Bonnar – following
a suspension for steroid-related charges in Nevada – against
fellow Ultimate Fighter veteran Mike Nickels, UFC veterans Chris
Lytle and Jeff Joslin squaring off, and Jorge Gurgel making his
return against Diego Saraiva, who recently lost to Gurgel-trained
fighter Dustin Hazlett.
About
his upcoming fight versus Rashad Evans, “Huntington Beach
Bad Boy” Tito Ortiz stated, “Everybody should expect
fireworks. Rashad is standing in the way of my getting another
title shot.”
Evans
countered, “Tito needs to learn the meaning of respect.
On July 7, I’m going to teach him what that’s all about.
I’m focused and on a mission, and my goal is to knock him
out.”
Source: MMA Weekly |
Roan
Jucão comments about his next bout at UFC
The
great star of the BTT Roan Jucão talked about his next
bout at UFC exclusivelly to TATAMETV team. In the video, Jucão
analyses the game of his next adversary at the American event,
the athlete John Fitch. “What I know about his game is that
he is a wrestler, a tough fighter and one of the top five of
my category. I fell that fighting with him I am closer of the
belt dispute”, said Jucão prety excited about his
next challenge in . The complete video is in Portuguese language,
available at TATAMETV. Click here to watch it.
Source: Tatame
|
Quote
of the Day
“A
lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has a chance
to get its pants on.”
Winston Churchill, 1874-1965, English Politician/Author/Nobel
Prïze Wïnner
|
Baret
Claims 3rd Place!
ADCC 2007
Results - Drysdale submits Garcia for absolute title
Super
Fight Result
Roger
Gracie Beat Jon Einamo 5 - 0
Absolute
Result
1st Place: Robert Drysdale
2nd Place Marcelo Garcia
3rd Place: Luis Galvao
4th Place: Cacareco
Drysdale submits Garcia with a reverse head and arm choke to
win.
Men's
Finals:
Over
99 Kgs - Weight Class Results
1st Place: Fabricio Werdum
2nd Place Rolles Gracie
3rd Place: Pe De Pano
4th Place: Darren Andy
Under
99 Kgs - Weight Class Results
1st Place: Xande Ribeiro
2nd Place: Braulio Estima
3rd Place: Robert Drysdale
4th Place: Cacareco
Under
87 Kgs - Weight Class Results
1st Place: Demian Maia
2nd Place: Flavio Almeida
3rd Place: Romulo Barral
4th Place: Tarsis Humphreys
Under
76 Kgs - Weight Class Results
1st Place: Marcelo Garcia
2nd Place: Pablo Popovitch
3rd Place: Luis Galvao
4th Place: Mike Fowler
Garcia submits a total of 7 opponents in this competition which
includes Alexandre Cacareco, Rolls Gracie, Mario Miranda in the
absolute as well as winning the most stacked weight class in
this year's competition. Mike Fowler who was a last minute add
beat Renzo Gracie and Saulo Riberio to take 4th place. Incredible
performance!
Under
65 Kgs - Weight Class Results
1st
Place: Rani Yahira
2nd Place: Leozinho Vieira
3rd Place:
Baret Yoshida
4th Place: Tetsu Suzuki
Yahya submits Leozinho to win.
Baret lost
to Rani Yahya who eventually won the title, but was reported
as continuously attacking.
Women's
Finals:
Over
67 Kgs - Weight Class Results
1st Place:
Penny Thomas
2nd Place: Lana Stefanac
3rd Place: Rosangela Conceicao
4th Place: Celita Schultz
Penny Thomas
who is originally from South Africa trains with Hawaii's own
Luis Heredia of Maui Jiu-Jitsu.
Under
67 Kgs - Weight Class Results
1st Place: Hannette Staack
2nd Place: Kelly Paul
3rd Place: Marloes Coenen
4th Place: Stacy Cartwright
Under
60 Kgs - Weight Class Results
1st Place: Kyra Gracie
2nd Place: Tara LaRosa
3rd Place: Takayo Hashi
4th Place: Hitomi Akano
Under
55 Kgs - Weight Class Results
1st Place: Sayaka Shioda
2nd Place: Felicia Oh
3rd Place: Megumi Fujii
4th Place: Bianca Barreto
Source: European Fight Network
ADCC Heads
Into Final Day
At
Trenton, New Jersey's Sovereign Bank Arena, Saturday's competition
set the stage for Sunday's grand finale of the Abu Dhabi Combat
Club's 2007 Submission Wrestling World Championships.
Perhaps
the most action-packed division so far, the 143-pound bracket,
will resume on Sunday with semifinal bouts between defending
divisional champion Leo Vieira and Tetsu Suzuki, and Rani Yahira
and Baret
Yoshida.
Vieira
had a spectacular Saturday, dominating North American Trials
champion Sim Go 17-0 on points, and taking a 2-0 points win over
Jeff Glover after nearly being submitted with a brabo choke in
the opening minutes. Suzuki earned his semifinal berth by knocking
off France's Renier Nicholas, before avenging his loss to Naoya
Uematsu from the ADCC Japan Trials two weeks ago. Rani Yahira
made short work of his two opponents thus far, choking out both
Darrel Mooley and Bruno Frazatto, while Baret Yoshida also flexed his submission skills
to earn his spot in the semis, tapping out Eddie Sanchez, and
eliminating Dokonjonosuke Mishima with a superb triangle choke.
As
usual, the 168-pound division was a focal point at the ADCC World
Championships, and will continue to be on the final day as the
final four will pit two-time defending divisional champ and grappling
superstar Marcelo Garcia against American stalwart Mike Fowler,
while Pablo Popovich meets Brazilian jiu-jitsu world champion
Andre Galvao.
Garcia
was outstanding as per usual in his first two bouts, quickly
choking out BJJ black belts George Sotiropolous and Kurt Pellegrino.
While Mike Fowler was unspectacular in his decision win over
Renzo Gracie, the American notched one of the days most impressive
feats in the quarterfinals, submitting grappling legend Saulo
Ribeiro with a toehold. Popovich defeated Erick Dahlberg and
Japanese BJJ king Daisuke Sugie, while Galvao took a submission
win over Chris Bright before tapping out Canadian stalwart Mark
Bocek with an ankle lock in the quarterfinals.
With
usual divisional kingpin "Jacare" Ronaldo Souza absent
from competition this year, the 192-pound division will have
a new champion in 2007, as the semifinals will see BJJ world
champion Demian Maia take on Tarsys Humphreys, while "Cachorrinho"
Flavio Almeida will meet Romulo Barral.
Maia
emerged as the division's frontrunner on Saturday with wins over
two-time Japan Trials champion Yushin Okami and BJJ standout
Rafael Lovato Jr. However, Tarsys Humphreys put on one of the
day's most impressive displays. After defeating Jorge Santiago
in the opening round, Humphreys defeated David Avellan in arguably
the day's most sensational match, coming from behind to choke
the stubborn Avellan unconscious to advance. Almeida, the younger
brother of Ricardo Almeida, defeated Rick MacCauley and Sauli
Heliemo to advance to the semifinals, while Barral knocked off
Travers Grubb before leglocking Chris Moriarty to earn his spot
on Sunday.
Like
the 192-pound division, the 218-pound division will also crown
a new king on Sunday, with the absence of defending champion
Roger Gracie. A quartet of well-established grapplers will square
off in the semis, as BJJ world champions Xande Ribeiro and Robert
Drysdale meet on the mats, while Braulio Estima takes on "Cacareco"
Alexandre Ferreira.
The
well-decorated Ribeiro had little trouble in his first two bouts,
deftly armbarring Yukiyasu Ozawa before submitting Tim Carpenter
with a Kimura. Drysdale took a decision win over Mario Miranda,
before choking out Steve Rusk. Estima and Cacareco showed their
finishing skills as well; Estima armbarred Poland's Tomas Szczerer
and arm-triangled Brazilian Cristiano Lazzarini while Cacareco
locked up a Kimura on African Trials winner Carl Bierman before
choking out Poland's Radek Turek.
With
the absence of standouts like Gabriel Gonzaga and defending champion
Jeff Monson, the 218-and-over division yielded little surprise
on Saturday. Heavyweight grappling kings Fabricio Werdum and
"Pe De Pano" Marcio Cruz each earned berths in the
semifinals, where they will meet Darren Andy and Rolles Gracie
respectively.
Werdum
took easy submission wins over Elvis Sinosic and Karol Bedorf
in his first two match-ups, while Darren Andy notched wins over
Pat Staniol, and "Big Mac" Luis Theodoro. "Pe
De Pano" encountered a bit more resistance in submittion
a very game Janne Pietilainen, before taking a close and debatable
decision victory over Marcos Oliveira while Gracie advanced by
defeating Naomichi Nagata and Mario Rinaldi.
In
the female 121-pound class, Japan's most prominent female grappler
Megumi Fujii choked out Rachel Wheatley; North American trials
winner Felicia Oh defeated Leticia Ribeiro; Brazilian Trials
winner Bianca Andrade knocked off Jean Alvisse; and Japan Trials
winner Sayaka Shioda defeated Cindy Hales. The semifinals will
see Fujii meet Oh, and Andrade face Shioda.
The
star-laden 132-pound female class boasts a potent final four.
Saturday's action saw Tara Larosa defeat Rebecca Atwood, Takayo
Hashi best Vanessa Porto, and Smackgirl champion Hitomi Akano
take a points win over Casey Blasso in a great match. Star Kyra
Gracie was the division's most outstanding performer, locking
up a beautiful armbar to defeat Caoimhe McGill. Sunday's semifinals
will pit LaRosa against Hashi, and Gracie against Akano.
In
148-pound female action, Kelly Paul, Marloes Coenen and Stacy
Cartwright all took submission wins over Fiona Muxloy, Keiko
Tamai and Emily Kwok, respectively, while Hannette Quadros bested
Shayna Baszler by decision. In the semifinals, Paul and Coenen
will meet, while Cartwright and Quadros square off.
In
the 148-and-over female category, Rosangela Conceicao submitted
Jennifer Guiola, Lana Stefanac submitted Yoko Takahashi, Penny
Thomas submitted Shannon Hooper and Celita Schultz defeated Mary
Anne Mullahy, setting up semifinal bouts between Conceicao and
Stefanac, and Thomas and Schultz.
Sunday's
action will see the semifinals and finals of the divisional tournaments,
as well as the male and female open-weight Absolute divisions,
and the ADCC 2007 super-fight between ADCC 2005 male absolute
champion Roger Gracie and Jon Olav Einemo. Einemo, a late replacement
for the Dengue Fever-stricken Ricardo Arona, is the last competitor
to have beaten Gracie at ADCC, having defeated him on points
in 2003 en route to winning the 218-pound division that year.
Source: Sherdog |
HENDO
WANTS A SHOT AT UFC CHAMP LIDDELL
“I would love to fight Chuck Liddell,” Pride Middleweight
and Welterweight Champion Dan Henderson recently told me recently.
“That is the fight that would pay me the most and do the
most for my career.”
Hendo’s
remarks bite back at UFC President Dana White’s claim at
the UFC 70 post-fight press conference that, “Dan Henderson
doesn’t want to fight Chuck Liddell.” White also remarked
that Henderson was intended by Pride management to lose his middleweight
championship challenge versus Wanderlei Silva in February.
Henderson
knocked Silva flat in the third round with a left hook. After
the fight, Henderson told me, “Pride wasn't sure who they
were going to have fight Silva. That is when I spoke with Jerry
[Millen] (a former Pride vice-president) about pushing for me
to fight him.”
A
Liddell-Silva showdown had wetted MMA appetites for years and
was announced by White for November 2006 at UFC 61 on July 8,
2006. However, no contract had been signed at the time of the
announcement and the deal inexplicably fell through. Since then,
Silva has ended his last two scraps lights-out on the canvas
versus Mirko Filipovic and Dan Henderson.
Since
defeating Silva for the Pride Middleweight Championship, Henderson
has been the heir to the Pride versus UFC 205-pound controversy.
Neither
Dana White nor Chuck Liddell’s agent, Jervis Cole, have
responded to requests for comment.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
JEREMY
WILLIAMS DEAD OF APPARENT SUICIDE
Please
note that this is NOT the Jeremy Williams that fights in Icon
Sport. He is alive and well!
Officials from the International Fight League this morning confirmed
the death of California Condors fighter, 27 year-old Jeremy Williams.
The Orange County, Calif. Sheriff’s Department Coroner Division
confirmed Williams’ death to the IFL and stated that an
autopsy will be performed to officially determine the cause of
death.
Sources
close to Williams have told MMAWeekly that comments made online
about the situation are true, that Williams did indeed take his
own life. Apparently, he was found in his car and died of what
is believed to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Williams
was the middleweight representative of the Marco Ruas coached
California Condors in the IFL. He had not fought in nearly five
years before Ruas and the IFL made Williams an offer he couldn’t
refuse, so he returned to the ring in January of this year. He
won his first two IFL bouts – over Bristol Marunde and Kazuhiro
Hamanaka – and his career seemed to be headed up. Williams’
overall professional record stands at 7-2.
He
seemed to be happy with his return to fighting and excited to
be a part of Ruas’ Condors. As Williams said in an interview
with MMAWeekly’s Mick Hammond in March of this year, “I
feel good and I’m real excited… I really do feel that
we have the best coach in the IFL. He’s amazing, just the
time he takes with us and the things he teaches us.”
A
very popular figure among friends, the most common sentiment
among those that knew Jeremy seemed to be disbelief and shock.
As one IFL official put it, “We’re all still trying
to come to grips with this. You never know why; but if you knew
Jeremy… it just doesn’t make sense.”
Close
friend Chris Brennan released the following statements yesterday
– reprinted with his permission: “I was fortunate enough
for [Jeremy] to walk into my school not yet 18 years old in 1998.
Jeremy was a best friend to me for many years and I sort of raised
him when he wasn't at home, took him under my wing and showed
him everything I know. He grew as a person, teacher and MMA fighter.
I'm not sure what causes people to do the things they do, but
I feel terribly for his family and everyone around him. Jeremy,
I love you like a brother… and I will miss you dearly.”
IFL
Co-founder and Commissioner Kurt Otto commented, “Jeremy
was a tremendous competitor and teammate, as well as being a
very strong person who lifted the spirits of everyone around
him. Our thoughts and prayers are with Jeremy’s wife, Lauren,
their young daughter and the rest of his family, as well as his
coaches Marco Ruas and Debi Purcell and all his teammates. Everyone
at the IFL, as well as the entire MMA community, will do everything
we can to support them in their hour of need.”
Details
for a memorial service have not yet been announced.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Quote
of the Day
"Understanding
is a two-way street."
Eleanor Roosevelt, 1884-1962, American Humanitarian and Former
First Lady of the United States
|
Oscar
De La Hoya vs Floyd Mayweather ends with some Controversy
Both fighters Speak
Floyd Mayweather Jr defeated Oscar De La Hoya on Saturday with
a split decision. The crowd was on their feet at the final moments
of the fight as De La Hoya and Mayweather traded punches at the
final bell. When the fight stopped, both fighter embraced each
other. The fight ended with some controversy. De La Hoya's corner
said it may protest the decision because the scorecards circulated
at ringside had the fighters in the wrong color corners. The
Nevada Athletic Commission however said they were correct.
In the end, Mayweather got scores of116-112 by judge Chuck Giampa
and 115-113 by judge Jerry Roth. Judge Tom Kaczmarek had De La
Hoya ahead 115-113.
Mayweather
was pleased with the outcome, telling the crowd on hand: "It
was easy work for me. He was rough and tough but he couldn't
beat the best."
De
La Hoya felt he won the fight. "I landed the harder, crisper
punches," De La Hoya said. "I felt when I landed my
punches I could see I was hurting him. If I hadn't pressed the
fight, there would be no fight."
Mayweather's
own father, Mayweather Sr also felt De La Hoya won the fight,
telling the HBO audience. "I thought Oscar won the fight
on points, threw more punches and was more aggressive,"
adding: "My son had good defense and caught a lot of his
punches, but I still thought Oscar pressed enough to win the
fight."
Source: Doghouse Boxing
|
Boxing
Fundraiser On May 12th
We have a boxing match fundraiser on May 12th at 6:30 p.m, Palolo
District Park.
Admission is $10 and 8- 10 bouts are scheduled.
Boxers from Oahu, Maui, Kauai, and the Big Island will be competing.
Money made at the door will be used to help defray costs for
the Hawaii Boxing Team competing at the U.S. Championships May
30th to June 9th in Colorado Springs, CO.
Top 8 boxers from this tournament will compete in the Olympic
Trials in Aug. to make our Olympic Team. I will email you our
delegation before we head to Nationals.
Thank You for Your Support!!
Bruce Kawano
2007 Hawaii Boxing Team Regional Coordinator.
USA-Boxing Hawaii Junior Olympic Chairman.
USA-Boxing Hawaii Board of Dir./Gov.
National Coaches Committee.
Ringside Board of Advisors.
Source: Bruce Kawano
|
Close
Quarters Defensive Tactics Level 1 Seminar with Bob Smith
Source: Bob Smith
|
Liddell
talks UFC upsets
"I don’t believe they have anything to do with each
other,” said the Iceman
With his fight against Quinton Jackson set for May 26, when he
will put his light-heavyweight title up for grabs, Chuck Liddell
has been very sought after by the international press, and curiously,
the question he has been responding to the most lately is not
about his adversary, but his views on the string of surprises
in the UFC octagon, like Randy Couture’s victory over Tim
Sylvia, Matt Serra over Georges St. Pierre, and Gabriel Napão
over Mirko Cro Cop.
“They
are asking me that a lot. I don’t think there is any connection
between the results. You could only say something if one team
were to lose three fights in a row. Then maybe something changed
in training. I am not superstitious at all, so I don’t believe
in this “Underdog fashion," said Liddell.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Swick
to drop down to welterweight
By Sean McClure
Mike Swick is planning to compete as a welterweight in his next
fight for the UFC.
“It’s
almost certain. I will just cut and fight smaller guys,”
Swick told MMAFighting.com.
Swick
said he has been contemplating the move from middleweight to
welterweight for a long time. His decision was swayed in part
by his loss to Yushin Okami at UFC 69.
In
a sport where fighters gain almost enough weight to move up a
division after the official weigh-ins, Swick stepped into the
octagon at 181 pounds — 3 pounds less than he weighed in.
In
between rounds during his fight against Okami, Swick can be heard
telling his corner men how strong Okami was.
Swick
has the luxury of training with welterweights such as Josh Koscheck
and Jon Fitch at the American Kickboxing Academy in San Jose.
”I
train with 3 of the best 170 guys in the world and I think I
will do good.”
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Anderson
Silva talks about belt dispute vs. Marquardt
The Middleweight champion of the UFC, Anderson Silva, after the
press collective of the Predador Kamae, that was held in Ribeirão
Preto city, commented about his bout against Nathan Marquardt,
that will take place at UFC 73, on July 7th. "Nathan is
a great fighter, he have been showing that deserves this opportunity
as I had with Rich Franklin. We will work hard to keep this belt
during the next three years that I want to keep on fighting",
said Anderson.
Anderson
also said that will still training his Muay Thai for the belt
dispute. "We always change something , but I have always
the same focous at the Thailand Boxing, the Muay Thai... We will
work hard to keep this belt and brings this victory to Brazil",
finished Anderson.
Source: Tatame
|
Anacondas
coach Tompkins filling big shoes
By Ben Fowlkes
Special to CBS SportsLine.com
When former UFC champ Bas Rutten stepped down from his post as
coach of the International Fight League's Los Angeles Anacondas,
many fans were stunned at the decision. Rutten was one of the
most beloved and recognizable coaches in the league, and his
Anacondas were sitting in first place after handing the defending
champion Silverbacks their first loss.
What made Rutten's resignation more unfathomable to some was
that he handed the reigns to Canadian Shawn Tompkins, a man most
casual MMA fans had never even heard of. But while Tompkins may
be a mystery to some, in the fighting world his stock is rising
quickly as a trainer and coach.
Tompkins'
most recognizable pupil is undefeated 19-year-old phenom Chris
Horodecki, who Tompkins brought to the attention of Rutten when
he was trying to fill the vacant lightweight spot on his struggling
Anacondas back in 2006. Tompkins began training the baby-faced
striker when Horodecki was just 13 years old, teaching him the
kickboxing skills that have helped him on his unbeaten run.
Tompkins
soon became a fixture on the Anacondas as an assistant coach,
and has trained under the Bas Rutten system for the last eight
years, making him a natural choice when Rutten needed a coach
to take over for him while he pursued his career as a TV personality.
"When
I met (Rutten) at a seminar in Quebec, Canada, I didn't know
anything about him except that he was a giant bald man who won
UFC 20," Tompkins said in a recent interview. "He asked
me to come to California with him, and it took me about three
minutes to say yes."
Tompkins
came to the states and began training with Rutten at his Legends
Gym in Los Angeles. He didn't have a place to stay at first,
he said, and so he slept on the mats in the gym. A kickboxer
at the start of his fighting career, Tompkins spent years fighting
in Muay Thai bouts all across North and South America. Though
his MMA career was brief, his association with Rutten has kept
him in the game as a trainer.
"We've
been through a lot," Tompkins said of his relationship with
Rutten. "We're similar characters, and we've been loyal
to each other."
Now
that Tompkins has taken over coaching duties for the undefeated
Anacondas, not much has changed, according to team members. The
training sessions are just as brutal, and the atmosphere of unity
and togetherness is still of paramount concern.
"We're
one unit. You see how we are out there. We're a family,"
said Anacondas welterweight Jay Hieron. "It's incredible.
We're from all over, but it's a family."
Tompkins
reiterated that point, adding that team unity was not an added
bonus so much as a requirement for success in the IFL.
"Our
philosophy is based in loyalty and trust," Tompkins said.
"I talk with everyone on the team every day, whether I train
with them or not. Our girlfriends and wives are friends, and
we have barbeques at each other's houses. We deeply believe in
that. It's not something that just happens. Our dominance speaks
for itself."
With
a 2-0 record going into their final regular season match-up against
the Seattle Tiger Sharks in Everett, Wash. On June 1, the Anacondas
are hoping to continue that dominance all the way into the postseason.
A victory over Maurice Smith's Seattle squad would guarantee
the Anacondas a top seed, not to mention tremendous momentum
going into the semifinals.
For
Tompkins, it's an opportunity to do what his mentor and predecessor
was unable to do: take the Anacondas to an IFL World Team Championship.
If he can accomplish that, even the casual fans will remember
his name in the future.
Source: CBS Sportsline/MMA.tv
|
ESPN
SHOW HOSTS BASH THE UFC... AGAIN
by Mick Hammond
It
seems that despite the growing popularity of mixed martial arts
and its increasing exposure in the mainstream, there are still
many people within the sporting community who still do not accept
MMA nor understand it, even at a fundamental level.
Case
in point is this Wednesday’s edition of “Pardon the
Interruption” on ESPN.
On
the show, which is one of ESPN’s highest rated and most
popular series, co-hosts Michael Wilbon and Tony Kornheiser [who
are also columnists for the Washington Post newspaper] were speaking
on this upcoming weekend’s boxing match between Oscar De
La Hoya and Floyd Mayweather Jr. and its possible implications
on the boxing landscape when the conversation turned briefly
to MMA, more specifically the UFC.
When
addressing the thought that many young athletes are going into
other sports besides boxing, Michael Wilbon stated, “Well,
but they [young athletes] go into UFC, and that’s like bare-knuckles.
That’s like a trip back to 1880’s and John L. Sullivan
[the last bare-knuckles era Heavyweight Boxing Champion].”
While
Wilbon was making the above statement, Tony Kornheiser replied,
“That’s not boxing. That’s something you do on
barges.”
Wilbon
then continued, “But they sell out these casino/hotels,
Tony.”
Kornheiser
replied to this by making the assertion, “I understand that.
[But] they sell them out in the same way that wrestling sells
out different venues.”
These
erroneous statements are just the latest in a long string of
unflattering comments made by the “Pardon The Interruption”
crew when it comes to MMA. Interestingly, they also come hot
off the heels of Mike Freeman’s recent bashing of MMA –
and the UFC in particular – in his column for CBS Sportsline’s
website in regards to the upcoming De Le Hoya/Mayweather Jr.
fight.
In
Freeman’s column, he makes such statements as, “Boxing
is fighting for its life, and in some ways the largest obstacle
to its rebirth is its greatest competitor -- the worst league
ever invented, the UFC.”
“Which
means it is good vs. evil, Halle Berry vs. Courtney Love, true
sport against the mosh pit of sweat and bloodied skull fractures
known as ultimate fighting,” further wrote Freeman.
Freeman
then equated MMA fighters as, “nothing but thugs and ruffians,”
despite the fact that Olympic medalists such as Matt Lindland,
Hidehiko Yoshida, Karam Ibrahim, and Rulon Gardner have competed
in the sport.
So,
from mainstream sports websites to highly-rated daily television
series on the biggest sports-themed network in the world, MMA
seemingly cannot get an accurate portrayal, regardless of the
fact that the sport is regulated and sanctioned by every major
state athletic commission in the U.S.
Again
it appears that regardless of how far we have come and how much
MMA has grown, there is still a long, uphill battle to be fought
before it truly becomes recognized as a legitimate sport by those
who claim to be the purveyors of sports coverage to mainstream
society.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Quote
of the Day
"Use
soft words and hard arguments."
English Proverb
|
Rumble
Beat Down 3 Event in Hilo Tonight
Doors Open at 5PM, Fights Start at 7PM
Very little is known about this event, so unless you are in Hilo
and want to drive by the Civic Auditorium, unforntunately we
cannot provide more info on it.
Thanks to everyone who emailed what the had on the event!
|
Oscar
De La Hoya vs. Floyd Mayweather
Today!
EVERYONE IS TALKING... ON MAY 5TH THE WHOLE WORLD WILL BE WATCHING
It's the fight everyone is talking about. On May 5th the whole
world will be watching. De La Hoya -- Mayweather: The World Awaits.
It
will be an unprecedented super fight between two boxing superstars
and former Olympians, an event poised to shatter records. Golden
Boy Promotions announces, The World Awaits--six-division world
champion Oscar De La Hoya versus unbeaten, four-division world
champion Floyd Mayweather--for the junior middleweight championship.
The anticipated match-up will take place Saturday, May 5 at MGM
Grand in Las Vegas and will be broadcast live on HBO Pay-Per-View.
Source:
HBO
|
Abu
Dhabi Combat Club Submission Wrestling Championships Today!
On Sale Now! Abu Dhabi Live on ProElite.com | |
