Upcoming
Events
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(All events on Oahu, unless noted)
2008
11/8/08
Aloha State Championship of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
(BJJ/Sub Grapping)
(Gym #1, UH Manoa)
6/5-8/08
World Jiu-Jitsu Championsihps
(BJJ)
(Long Beach, CA)
5/3/08
Hawaiian Open of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
(BJJ/Sub Grapping)
(Gym #1, UH Manoa)
3/28-30/08
Pan Jiu-Jitsu Championship
(BJJ)
(Carson, CA)
2/08
OTM Grappling Tournament?
2/17/08
Hawaiian Championship of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
(BJJ/Sub Grapping)
(Gym #1, UH Manoa)
1/26/08
NAGA Hawaii
(BJJ & Sub Grappling)
(Location TBA)
Tentative
Kickboxing event
(Kickboxing)
(Dole Cannery Ballroom)
1/19/07
UFC 80: Rapid Fire
(BJ Penn vs. Joe Stevenson)
Newcastle, England
2007
UFC 79: Nemisis
Las Vegas, NV
12/15/07
Clinton A.J. Shelton 3rd Annual Memorial Boxing Event
(Boxing)
Palolo District Park)
12/8/07
Ultimate Fighter Season 7 Finale
Las Vegas, NV
12/7/07
Punishment In Paradise
"BEST OF THE BEST"
11/23/07
MMA Contenders
(Kickboxing, Various)
(Filcom Center, Waipahu)
Hawaii Fighting Championships 4
(Kickboxing & MMA)
(Dole Cannery Ballroom)
11/18/07
The Quest for Champions 2007 II
(Sport-Pankration, Submission-Grappling, Continuous Sparring)
(St. Louis High School Gym)
11/17/07
Man Up & Stand Up
(Kickboxing, Various)
(Kalaheo High School, Kailua)
UFC78: Validation
Newark, NJ
11/16-17/07
Hawaii Training Center Boxing match event
(Boxing)
(Hawaii Training Center, Waipahu)
11/11/07
Aloha
State Championship of BJJ
(BJJ/Sub Grappling)
(Klum Gym UH Manoa)
10/27/07
Freedom Fighting
"Battle on the Base"
(MMA)
(Kahunas Ballroom, MCBH, Kaneohe)
10/26/07
Kickin It / Hawaii's Most Wanted
(Kickboxing, Various)
(Filcom Center, Waipahu)
X-1 Presents
Fight Club Meets The Night Club
(MMA)
(O Lounge Night Club, Honolulu)
10/19/07
Hawaii Fight League
(MMA)
(Dole Cannery)
10/6/07
Gracie Proving Ground
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena)
9/28/07
Hawaii's Most Wanted
(Kickboxing, Various)
(Filcom Center, Waipahu)
9/15/07
Elite XC
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena)
September
Gracie Fighting Championships
(MMA)
9/8/07
UFC
75
(02 Arena in London, England)
(PPV)
Hawaii Fighting Championships 4
(Kickboxing & MMA)
(Dole Cannery Ballroom)
8/31/07
Fighters Journey
Pro-Am MMA Event
(MMA)
(tba)
X-1 Presents
Fight Club Meets The Night Club
(MMA)
(O Lounge, Honolulu)
8/25/07
UFC
74: Respect
(Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas, Nevada )
(PPV)
8/23-25/07
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu World Championshihps
(BJJ)
(The Pyramid, Long Beach, CA)
8/12/07
Punishment
In Paradise 17
(MMA & Kickboxing)
(Hawaiian Waters, Kapolei)
***Postponed***
8/10/07
Hawaii's Most Wanted
(Filcom Center, Waipahu)
8/4/07
X-1
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena)
Island Warriors Fighting Championship
(MMA)
(Maui War Memorial Gym, Wailuku, Maui)
7/28/07
Maui
Jiu-Jitsu Tournament
(BJJ & Sub Grappling)
(Maui War Memorial Gymnasium, Wailuku, Maui)
7/21/07
Garden Island Cage Match 6: Caged Fury
(Kickboxing, MMA)
(Hanapepe Stadium, Kauai)
Palolo Boxing Club & Kawano Boxing Club
presents amateur boxing
(Boxing)
(Palolo Gym)
7/14/07
Patriot Fighting Championships
(MMA & Kickboxing)
(Kaneohe Marine Corps Base)
***Postponed***
7/13/07
Hawaii Fighting Championships: Stand Your Ground 3
(Kickboxing & MMA)
(Dole Cannery Ballroom)
7/8/07
Dan Henderson Seminar
(MMA)
(O2
Martial Arts Academy, Aiea)
7/7/07
UFC
73: Stacked
(PPV)
7/1/07
Mike Swain Seminar
(Judo)
(O2
Martial Arts Academy, Aiea)
6/30/07
Icon Sport: Fearless
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena)
***Postponed
to 9/15***
6/29/07
MMA Contendors: Conflict - The Beginning
(MMA)
(Farrington H.S. Gym)
X-1 Presents
Fight Club Meets The Night Club
(MMA)
(O Lounge Night Club, Honolulu)
6/23/06
Ultimate Fight Night
(BJ Penn vs Jens Pulver)
(Spike TV)
6/23/07
Hawaiian
Open of BJJ
(BJJ/Sub Grappling)
(Klum Gym UH Manoa)
6/22/07
Got
Skills
(Kickboxing/MMA)
(Waipahu Filcom)
6/16/07
UFC 72: Victory
(PPV)
6/12/07
UFC
Fight Night
(MMA)
(Spike Oceanic 559)
6/3/07
The Quest for Champions 2007
(Sport-Pankration, Submission-Grappling, Continuous Sparring
and Sport-Jujitsu)
(Saint Louis High School Gym)
5/27/07
Benefit Concert for the 2007 Hawaii Junior Olympic Boxing Team
(Ewa Ranch, Ewa Beach)
5/26/07
UFC
71 Liddell vs Rampage
(MMA)
(PPV Oceanic 701)
Memorial Day Mayhem
(Kickboxing)
(Kalaheo High School Gym)
5/19/07
Kickin it
(Kickboxing)
(Waipahu Filcom Center)
5/12/07
Punishment In Paradise: Untouchables
(Kickboxing)
(Hawaiian Waters, Kapolei)
USA-Boxing Hawaii Fundraising Event
(Boxing)
(Palolo Gym)
5/5/07
ROTR Qualifer: Beat Down 3
(MMA)
(Hilo Civic Center, Hilo)
4/28/07
Pride
Fighting Championships:
(PPV)
(Thomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas, NV)
Maui MMA Event
(MMA)
(Maui)
K-1 World GP
(Kickboxing)
(Honolulu)
4/27/07
XMA
(MMA, Kickboxing)
**Cancelled**
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)
|
|
November 2007 News
Part 3
|
Casca Grossa Jiu-Jitsu
is now the O2 Martial Arts Academy with 6 days a week training!
We are also offering Escrima (stick fighting) on Monday nights
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.
Onzuka.com
Hawaii Underground Forum is Online!
Chris, Mark,
and I wanted to start an official Onzuka.com forum for a while
now. We were searching for the best forum to go with and hit
a gold mine! We have known Kirik, who heads the largest and most
popular forum on the net, The Underground for years.
He
offered us our own forum within the matrix know as MMA.tv. The
three of us will be the moderators with of course FCTV808 being
the lead since he is on there all day anyway!
We
encourage everyone from Hawaii and our many readers around world
to contribute to the Hawaii Underground.
If you
do not have a login, it's simple and fast to get one.
Click here to set up an account.
Don't worry about using Pidgin English in the posting. After
all it is the Hawaii Underground and what is a Hawaii Underground
without some Aloha and some Pidgin?
To
go directly to the Onzuka.com Hawaii Underground Forum
click here!
|
Quote
of the Day
"Polite
conversation is rarely either."
Fran Lebowitz, American Writer and Humorist
|
Hawaii
Xtreme Combat Presents
HOSTILE TAKEOVER
On Maui
Tomorrow
Hawaii Xtreme Combat Presents
HOSTILE TAKEOVER
Lahaina Civic Center, Lahaina, Hawaii
Saturday, December 1, 2007
7pm (Doors Open at 6)
FIGHT CARD!
MAIN
EVENT
KILI "HAWAIIAN PRINCE" MADRID
Wailuku Kickboxing
VS
SERGIO "MONSTAH" MAMONE
BJ Penn MMA
CO-MAIN
EVENT
TRAVIS LINCOLN
Fight For Life
VS
MIKE "ROCKY" MALONE
Eastsidaz
135lbs
CHAMPIONSHIP BELT
MIKE "PITBULL" PEDRO
Bang Inc./Brazilian Freestyle
VS
DAVID "HOLLYWOOD" BALICAO
Jesus is Lord
BRANDON
"VIPER" VISHER
Wailuku Boxing
VS
MATT COMEAU
Team MADD
PAT
MAKINI AIKAU CLARK
Team Koali Freestyle
VS
LORENZO MORENO
Bulls Pen
DYLAN
CLAY
Brazilian Freestyle
VS
KIMO WOEFEL
Eastsidaz
ERMIN
FERGERSTROM
Brazilian Freestyle
VS
DAVID "TAN SUPERMAN" PADILLA
Jesus is Lord
CLAYTON
"KAZU BOY" NOHARA
Lanai Underground
VS
BRADDAH VIVE COSTELLO
Bulls Pen
LOREN
GANOY
Lahaina Underground
VS
IKAIKA CHOY FU
Jesus is Lord
JAVIN
SANTOS
Bang Inc./Brazilian Freestyle
VS
IAN DELA CUESTA
Jesus is Lord
DONALD
GONZALVES
Bj Penn MMA
VS
BRYSON HANSEN
Team MADD
KAEO
LINKEE
Bang Inc./Brazilian Freestyle
VS
KAWIKA MADDELLA
Freelance
Weigh-ins
Friday, November 30th
7pm
Queen Kaahumanu Center Stage!
Tickets
Available at:
Otopia (Kaahumanu Center)
Uncle Jesse's
Akamai Coffee Company
Local Motion, Lahaina
Source: Event Promoter
|
RAMEAU
THIERRY SOKOUDJOU
Portrait of a Fighter as a Young Man
By Steven Marrocco
There
was a time not too long ago when fighting was about fighting
for Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou. He would show up to Team Quest,
train, then go to fight. He won a couple and lost one. Those
times didn’t last for long.
After
scoring two of the biggest upsets of 2007 against Antonio Rogerio
Nogueira and Ricardo Arona, the 23 year-old Sokoudjou is a marked
man. He’s the subject of endless speculation amongst hardcore
fans. Friends and strangers alike give him the star treatment.
It’s no longer just about fighting.
“I
want to say ‘Hey, it’s just me,’” he told
FCF after his win over Nogueira. “It kind of sucks….because
I’m still the same jungle boy from Africa.”
As the spotlight has continued to shine, he’s gotten a little
more used to it, but it’s still irksome. He stays away from
the internet and media interviews; no distractions are allowed.
“All
I do now is train, go home, watch TV, and get ready,” he
says.
The
Cameroon native finally has a fight to get ready for. After months
of speculation about Sokoudjou’s new home after the demise
of Pride, the Ultimate Fighting Championship announced they had
signed him to fight Lyoto Machida at UFC 79. Earlier in the year,
Elite XC had aggressively courted Sokoudjou, leading many to
believe he would sign with the Showtime-broadcast organization.
He
won’t go into details about the delays to his commitment,
but confirms that the UFC gave him a better offer than Elite
XC. It was another lesson on how fighting takes a back seat to
the business of MMA.
“There
are other factors that I wasn’t aware of that I understand
better,” Sokoudjou says. “The only bad thing is that
I’ve been inactive for such a long time. But it’s been
a good thing because I learned a lot by going through some stuff
I didn’t know about. It was a little bit of both.”
Sokoudjou
was excited to learn he’d be facing Lyoto Machida. He expected
to be put on the undercard for his debut.
“Instead
they stepped it up and got me Lyoto,” he says. It’s
a good thing because it will make me train harder and stay focused
for the fight. He’s a tough fighter and I feel honored to
be fighting him.”
Sokoudjou
is on the third week of his training camp, alongside Jason “Mayhem”
Miller and Team Quest captain Dan Henderson. He’s happy
to fight in the cage again. Despite the results, he claims he
was struggling with the ring. For preparation, Machida’s
fight with judoka Kazuhiro Nakamura will be studied meticulously.
“He’s
more of a counter-puncher,” Sokoudjou says. “He’s
got a good left leg kick and this left hand that comes out of
nowhere. When he fought Nakamura, he would throw that left and
run into the clinch. People say he’s boring but he always
makes sure he wins.”
A
win against Machida will not only increase his stock as a fighter,
but will expose him to a bigger audience of casual fans that
make up the UFC’s fan base. He only hopes that audience
doesn’t extend to the one person he still doesn’t want
to know he’s a fighter: his Mom.
“I’m
a little concerned,” he says. “I’m praying and
hoping she won’t know until the proper time to tell her.”
What
if she finds out?
“I’m
going to have to hide for a bit,” he says with a laugh.
Source: FCF
|
Super
Challenge and drop-outs
Promoter of event praises participants
In
an official statement, president of West Promotion, Paulo Vasconcellos,
responsible for the Super Challenge Grappling promotion, goes
public with his praise of the fighters that accepted their invitations
to the event. To Paulo, the drop-outs the card recently suffered
are the main proof that Super Challenge Grappling, with its innovative
new rules, will be the biggest submission grappling tournament
ever held. The event is confirmed for the coming 8th of December,
in the Paulistano Athletic Club, in Sao Paulo. The statement
is as follows:
“In
some ways the recent drop-outs took a bit of the shine off the
event. The names we’ve confirmed already guarantee it will
be the greatest tournament of all times! It really is a shame
we will not be able to count on some of the big stars like Roger
Gracie, Robert Drysdale, Marcelo Garcia and Jacare. However,
the fact that some of them alleged they did not have enough time
to prepare for an event like Super Challenge Grappling, just
makes us surer that the tournament is really tough and that,
considering our rules, the athlete needs to be 100% prepared
both physically and technically.
We
must praise the courage of the warriors that even with their
enviable careers in Jiu-Jitsu, submission grappling and MMA,
decided to put themselves to the test, even knowing that the
possibility of defeat is real. Therefore, I would like to take
the chance to say to Werdum, Demian, Jeff Monson, David Avellan,
Nino, Andre Galvao, Tarsis, Pe de Chumbo, Xande, Rafael Lovato,
Yamashita and Endo, that, to me, their losing would not take
the luster off their careers but put them in the history of the
sport as the warriors they are.”
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Javier
Vazquez:
A man whose ground game will be missed
By Robert Rousseau
The term ‘great’ isn’t an easy one to get attached
to your name. Though most of us hope for such accolades in whatever
walk of life we pursue, holding your breath waiting isn’t
recommended. Combat sports are obviously no different.
Lucky
for Javier “Showtime” Vazquez, the term ‘great’
has always applied to his ground game. After all, we’re
talking about a 2004 ADCC North American Trials champion, Grappling
Games Advanced Division champion (voted Most Technical Fighter),
two time Copa Pacifica champion, Gracie Worlds champion, Black
Belt Challenge champion, three time California State jiu-jitsu
champion, four time U.S. Open jiu-jitsu champion, and a man that
once placed third in the Grapplers Quest Open Weight Invitational
Tournament. And that’s not even mentioning his stellar 12-2
overall MMA record with seven submissions attached.
Said
another way, anyone that can pull off wearing pink shorts to
work on a regular basis without much flack has got his colleagues’
respect.
Along
with this, the last time we saw Vazquez– on 10/26/07 at
ShoXC– he was doing what he has done throughout his career
on the ground against J.C. Pennington, submitting his opponent
after only 1:15 via rear naked choke. Afterwards, however, is
when something occurred that no one who knew Vazquez from afar
had been expecting.
Vazquez
retired. In a sport where competitors tend to stay in the game
a little bit too long, it was rather shocking to hear that the
30 year old had decided to step down from the MMA game.
In
fact, the decision was so shocking that MMAFighting.com felt
they needed more information on the former King of the Cage Lightweight
Champion’s decision. And luckily, Vazquez offered it all
up quite readily to Robert Rousseau.
MMAFighting.com:
Let’s start a ways back and move forward. How was your training
camp for the J.C. Pennington fight?
Javier
Vazquez: It was good. Nothing major. Didn’t do anything
different. Kind of like a general training camp.
MMAFighting.com:
Did you anticipate handling him so easily on the ground when
that fight went off?
Javier
Vazquez: I didn’t know what to expect. I thought I was better,
but sometimes purple belts, blue belts, whatever, are really
hard depending on what their style is. (Still) I knew I was better.
I
think the reason I handled him so easily was that I hurt him
with that punch; that kind of rocked him, and then I mounted
right away. I think that’s what screwed him up; he just
started to turn and then I caught him. I’m pretty good that
once I get position; I can finish pretty well. . . from basically
anywhere. . . Had the fight had gone on longer it might have
been a tougher fight but I just got lucky I guess (and) finished
it early.
MMAFighting.com: Afterwards, you kind of surprised everyone.
Part of what you said was that “I have a family now, I have
a wife, and I’m better suited right now as a coach than
I am as a fighter.” Could you speak a little more on the
role your family played in your surprising decision to retire?
Javier
Vazquez: Well, I’ve had my injuries throughout the years,
and I just (usually) push through everything. It (my family)
just kind of made me realize that you’re kind of beating
yourself up; I’m not making millions of dollars here. Kind
of didn’t make sense anymore. I could spend my time doing
other things and making just as much as I was doing fighting.
When you train for fights it takes a lot of time away from your
family and it just kind of got hard.
MMAFighting.com:
When you talked about making just as money doing other stuff.
. . What kind of things are you thinking about doing from here
forth?
Javier
Vazquez: Like I said, we’re building the gym. I teach. .
. I make money doing other things. I do some investment stuff.
I’m not an idiot (laughing). I’ve got other things
going on and I like to fight and I like to train. It just got
hard as soon as I wasn’t single anymore. It’s just
different.
MMAFighting.com:
How far in advance of that Pennington fight did you know that
you were going to retire?
Javier
Vazquez: I’d say right around the time that I took the fight
I knew that was probably going to be it. I started training and
it just wasn’t the same. I used to want to be in the gym
all the time, and I just don’t want to do that anymore.
It’s kind of a hard job to wake up and be miserable for.
I enjoy training, don’t get me wrong. I like teaching and
training and stuff. (But) to be in the gym and have to train
everyday and have to do all the extra stuff (it takes to fight
for a living); I just didn’t want to do it.
MMAFighting.com:
Yeah, you were saying that it was beginning to feel like a job.
Javier
Vazquez: Yeah. Once that happened I was like man: I had my day,
no one’s forcing me to do it.
MMAFighting.com:
Yep, that’s true. At this point it would seem kind of fitting
to talk about your MMA career. Was there an MMA fighter or fighters
that kind of caught your eye before you got involved in this
sport? Someone you really looked up to and thought ‘I want
to be like him?’
Javier
Vazquez: Everybody says Royce Gracie. That was what started it;
that was what got my interest in it. There are a lot of great
fighters out there. . . They’re just fun to watch fight.
I’m somebody that appreciates how good they really are.
I think B.J. Penn is amazing Setting away my personal feelings,
I think Matt Hughes is a very good fighter. I think Georges St.
Pierre is a very good fighter. Just a basic general list of guys.
MMAFighting.com:
Are there one or two people that you think deserve a lot of thanks
for helping you to get where you did in the fight game?
Javier
Vazquez: Betiss Mansouri was my first jiu jitsu coach. He’s
done a lot for me, still does do a lot for me by helping me out
a lot in different ways. It was funny, just because of political
things that have happened, I got my black belt before he did.
Not because I didn’t earn it. He just kind of stepped on
the wrong foot, you could say. He was my first coach and when
I was like a white belt– I just started– he was already
a purple belt and (yet) I gave him his black belt (laughing).
MMAFighting.com:
That’s something.
Javier
Vazquez: It was funny. I always tell him call me Sensei from
now on. He’s a good friend. Romie Aram’s been there
with me, basically cornered every one of my fights. They’re
the ones, MMA wise, that have basically been there since the
beginning.
MMAFighting.com:
What would you say your career MMA highlights were?
Javier
Vazquez: I think when I beat Rumino Sato, at the time that was
a pretty big deal. Woulda, coulda, shoulda, you know? . . . People
make a big deal about my Alberto Crane fight because of the way
it went down. . . That’s pretty much what people know me
for.
MMAFighting.com:
Your plans for the future. You talked about coaching and the
gym. Can you talk a little bit about the gym?
Javier
Vazquez: The gym is actually under construction right now. It’s
getting pretty close to being finalized. It’s called Millennia
Jiu-Jitsu, which is actually my original school with Romi. I
left for a little bit and opened up my own gym and everything.
As far as the facility, it’s got a ring, a cage, two matted
areas, cardio kickboxing, and crossfit circuit conditioning.
It’s really going to have everything as far as an MMA facility
goes. We’re just excited to try to build this gym up. .
. We want to build it the way Millennia used to be- one of the
best in Southern California- I think we can be there again.
MMAFighting.com:
Is there any chance that we’ll ever see you in MMA in the
future?
Javier
Vazquez: I’m happy. To be honest, and I don’t want
to sound like a (cliche), but money talks, you know? (Laughing).
If somebody offers you a ridiculous amount of money then (that’s)
definitely something to consider. But right now, with what I’m
making. . . I love fighting (but) it doesn’t make sense
for me right now. I’ll never rule it out because I can do
it; I’m not over the hill or anything– my skills are
(still) there. If the opportunity is right, I’ll do it.
If it’s not then I won’t think twice about saying no.
. . (In other words) if something financially makes sense I’m
more than willing to do it. That’s not why I retired to
start with but with all the people asking me about this, I’m
just being honest.
MMAFighting.com:
You’d want it to be the right guy and the right money. The
right deal for you or there’s no reason to come back.
Javier
Vazquez: Yeah, exactly. I don’t want to sound like a greedy
person but it’s just gotta make sense.
MMAFighting.com:
It sounds logical. To end off, is there anything you want to
say to fans out there?
Javier
Vazquez: I just want to thank everyone who supported me, who
helped me out. I’ve had a lot of people through the years
help me out. I want to thank my sponsors. . . (and) for all those
people who supported me, I’m sorry. I just had to do what
was best for me and my family. It kind of sucks because I really
still feel like I can beat anybody out there. But it’s just
one of those things. It’s just the way it is right now.
I’ll fight anybody, but it’s gotta to make sense. For
the amount of training and what I feel I deserve, it’s got
to make sense.
MMAFighting.com:
Well, you never know what can happen in the future. Regardless,
It was a lot of fun watching you fight, I really appreciate you
taking the time to talk with me, and good luck in the future
with Milennia.
Javier
Vazquez: Thanks a lot.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Quote
of the Day
“You
don't write because you want to say something, you write because
you've got something to say.”
F. Scott Fitzgerald, 1896-1940, American Author
|
JZ
VS. AOKI ADDED TO NEW YEAR'S EVE IN JAPAN
Organizers for the Yarennoka! event in Japan have announced the
first pairings for the Dec. 31 event at Saitama Super Arena.
With
Fight Entertainment Group’s Sadaharu Tanigawa, DEEP president
Shigeru Saeki M-1 Global CEO Monte Cox, and former Pride executive
Nobuhiko Takada in attendance, it was revealed that Gesias “JZ”
Calvancante would face Shinya Aoki at the event. Also announced
was a bout between Hidehiko Hasegawa and Hayato “Mach”
Sakurai.
Calvancante
is the two-time winner of K-1 Hero’s 154-pound Grand Prix
Tournament. He is currently ranked as the No. 6 lightweight in
the world by MMAWeekly.com. Holding a 14-1-1 professional record,
Calvancante has not lost in more than three years.
Currently
the No. 5 ranked lightweight in the world, Aoki is on an eight-fight
winning streak, but hasn’t fought since Pride’s farewell
event in April of this year.
Hasegawa
is the current DEEP welterweight champion despite a precarious
2-1-2 record over the past year.
Although
the Ultimate Fighting Championship had been pursuing Sakurai
earlier this year, a rumored bout with Diego Sanchez never materialized.
Amassing a 7-1 record over his past eight bouts – the lone
loss to No. 1 ranked lightweight Takanori Gomi – Sakurai
hasn’t fought since defeating current “Ultimate Fighter”
contender Mac Danzig at a Pride event in February.
Currently
ranked No. 2 in the world at lightweight, Sakurai is likely to
face Hasegawa in a welterweight showdown though promoters have
not yet disclosed that information.
Also
confirmed for Yarennoka! is the participation of M-1 Global’s
Fedor Emelianenko, though no opponent has been named.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
JACKSON
SAYS GSP WILL BE READY FOR WAR
When it was announced that Georges St-Pierre would step up on
short notice to battle Matt Hughes for the interim welterweight
title on Dec. 29, Greg Jackson, St-Pierre’s coach and trainer,
kicked into overdrive to make sure his fighter would be ready
for the task at hand, a five-round title fight with possibly
the most dominant champion in Ultimate Fighting Championship
history.
To
prepare for the upcoming bout, Jackson will focus on getting
his fighter ready in a short amount of time without sacrificing
any of the components needed to fight someone like Hughes.
“We’ve
just got to make sure we really focus on that conditioning and
make sure Georges can go all five rounds,” said Jackson.
“We’re expecting a good five-round war. We speed up
the process a little bit and make sure he can peak at the right
time.”
With
weight cutting always being a major concern for most fighters,
St-Pierre admitted during a UFC conference call on Monday that
the only thing he needed to watch was what he was eating. Jackson
feels confident the weight cut won’t be a problem.
“We
just have to make sure that Georges does everything right,”
he stated. “Eats right, cuts right and he’s done it
before and shouldn’t have a big deal with it.”
On
the upside of taking a fight on short notice is the fact that
St-Pierre never really takes himself out of fight shape and also
works consistently with the other fighters at Jackson’s
camp in New Mexico.
“Georges
is always training. He’s always trying to improve himself
and get better,” Jackson said. “He comes down to New
Mexico a lot, even when he really doesn’t have to, to help
out the guys and kind of get himself on the cutting edge.
“I
think that’s one of the advantages of having a team that
really cares about each other. Those guys are constantly coming
back and helping each other.”
The
fight between St-Pierre and Hughes will be the third bout in
a series that has seen each fighter get a win, and Jackson understands
the threat the former welterweight champion poses.
“I
think Matt Hughes is going to be really hungry to avenge his
loss,” he said. “I think he’s not going to play
the stand-up nearly as much as he’s done in the past. I
think he’s going to try to get Georges on his back, put
him up against the fence and keep him down.”
As
far as St-Pierre’s game plan going into the fight with Hughes,
Jackson has already demonstrated his ability to dissect a bout
for each of his fighters, as he’s proven in past fights
such as St-Pierre versus Josh Koscheck and Keith Jardine winning
over Chuck Liddell.
“I
figured we were going to fight Hughes sooner or later, so I don’t
know if it’s the perfect game plan, but it’s the plan
we’ll use and hopefully we’ll be successful with it,”
he stated.
In
the end, St-Pierre will work tirelessly over the next four weeks
to prepare himself for the bout with Hughes and Jackson understands
the test that faces his fighter in just a month.
“It’s
going to be a matter of proper preparation,” said the highly
sought after trainer. “I don’t think he’s looking
past Matt Hughes at all. Quite the contrary, we’re really
excited. Matt’s in great shape, I’m sure, from training
so hard to fight Serra, so we’re expecting a five-round
war and we’re going to make sure that we’re not expecting
to knock him out. We’re not expecting to tap him out. If
that happens, hey that’s great, we’re expecting to
be in a great war.”
Source: MMA Weekly
|
LEONARD
GARCIA IS WEC'S LATEST 145-POUNDER
With the growing popularity of the lighter weight classes, more
and more fighters are starting to find the division that they
excel in. The newest addition to that list will be Leonard Garcia,
who is expected to drop to 145 pounds and move from the Ultimate
Fighting Championship to compete in World Extreme Cagefighting’s
featherweight division, as confirmed to MMAWeekly.com by his
coach and trainer, Greg Jackson.
Garcia
made a huge impact in his Octagon debut, putting on a “fight
of the year” performance with Roger Huerta. Even in defeat,
he garnered praise from fans and critics who saw the talent in
the young fighter.
Going
1-1 in the UFC since that time, most recently dropping a unanimous
decision to former “Ultimate Fighter” competitor Cole
Miller, it’s now time for Garcia to fight at a more natural
weight for him, which will be 145 pounds.
“Leonard
(Garcia) is such a great fighter and a strong guy, but he walks
around at like three pounds over weight,” said Jackson about
his fighter’s move to featherweight. “He had to eat
the morning of the weigh-ins the last time. We’ve got to
bring him down a weight class where he’s going to be more
effective.”
It
was after the fight with Miller that Jackson and Garcia decided
it would be the best move for his career.
“We
talked after his last fight and 145 is where he’s going
to be,” Jackson stated. “I’m really looking forward
to proving ourselves in that division in the WEC.”
Garcia
should only serve to bolster the ranks of the WEC’s ever-growing
featherweight division. The promotion will see its champion,
Urijah Faber defend his title against Jeff Curran at the company’s
next show on Dec. 12 in Las Vegas. At that same event, former
UFC lightweight champion Jens Pulver will also join the WEC’s
145-pounders when he faces title contender Cub Swanson.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
JAMIE
VARNER BELIEVES HE'S UNDERESTIMATED
“Razor” Rob McCullough may have played more than a
small part in bringing Jamie Varner to this point in his career.
The
23-year-old Varner is scheduled to face McCullough for the World
Extreme Cagefighting lightweight championship in early February.
It’s the first title shot in his career. He feels a win
will satiate a desire to achieve that went unfulfilled after
an injury cut his wrestling career short.
“I
didn’t get to achieve all my goals in wrestling,” he
says. “I was an All-American, but I never got to be a champion.
I’m still pretty young, so the fact that I get a title shot
and have a chance to be a world champion at age 23, that’s
a pretty big accomplishment.”
When
he was 18, Varner made a pilgrimage to Huntington Beach to meet
the fighters of Team Punishment. The camp was at its apex; at
the time, Tito Ortiz was seemingly unbeatable. He met McCullough,
who had just begun his career in MMA after making a name in kickboxing.
“I
remember it like it was yesterday,” Varner says. “Going
there and watching all these big fighters I’d heard of.
(Razor) was a cool guy. I was like ‘oh (expletive), you’re
Razor Rob.’”
Varner
rolled with as many people as he could before heading back to
Arizona. A year later he was fighting in Rage in the Cage, Arizona’s
most well known MMA promotion. His work there led to the Ultimate
Fighting Championship, where he contested Hermes Franca for three
rounds before being caught in an armbar. After besting Jason
Gilliam at UFC 70, he made the jump to the Zuffa-run WEC, defeating
Sherron Leggett by TKO. He was offered the title shot earlier
this month.
“It’s
crazy, because I looked up to this guy before, and now here I
am having to fight him,” he says.
It
won’t stop him from taking away McCullough’s belt,
though. Varner feels particularly confident about his hands.
“Everybody
that’s seen me fight knows that I have great wrestling technique,”
he says. “But the one thing that people haven’t seen
… I grew up boxing way before I ever started wrestling.
I’m really confident in my boxing; I’ve just never
had a chance to show it.”
McCullough
told MMAWeekly.com that one of his chief concerns was Varner’s
shot. Varner believes that will be the champ’s downfall.
“I’m
glad that he’s worried about my wrestling, because that’s
going to set up my big shots for my big punches,” he says.
“I can use my punches to set up my takedowns, and my takedowns
to set up my punches. He’s going to be constantly playing
defense and worrying about what I’m doing. I don’t
see how he’s going to be able to mount an offense without
being worried about being taken down.”
At
23 and 13-3, Varner is two years and two fights shy of McCullough’s
experience in MMA. He’s come a long way from the 18-year-old
dreamer who walked into the Huntington Beach gym that summer.
“As
far as my toughest opponent, he isn’t,” Varner said.
“It would mean a lot to beat him, but it’s a bigger
accomplishment having that WEC belt around my waist. I know he’s
a tough guy and he knocks a lot of people out, but every time
he gets into a tough fight he loses. I have the ability to decide
where this fight goes. I don’t think that’s something
he can look past.”
Source: MMA Weekly
|
HDNET
FIGHTS TO GIVE ITS FANS A SCARE
Rob Zombie's scare thriller “Halloween Unrated” has
partnered up with HDNet Fights to promote “Reckless Abandon,”
which will be held on Dec. 15 at the American Airlines Center
in Dallas.
Each
fan that will attend the show will receive “Halloween Unrated”
on DVD.
“A
lot of our fight fans are ‘Halloween’ fans as well,”
said HDNet CEO Andrew Simon. "For our customers to be able
to come to the fights and also receive a movie, valued at $30,
is just an added bonus to the fun that they will be having on
Dec. 15."
“Reckless
Abandon” will feature ten bouts and will also mark the return
of Ultimate Fighting Championship and Pride veteran Frank Trigg.
He will be fighting fellow UFC veteran Edwin Dewees. Also scheduled
on the card is Jason “Mayhem” Miller, as he will be
rematching International Fight League fighter Tim Kennedy. Kennedy
holds a unanimous decision win over the outspoken middleweight
in 2003.
Yves
Edwards will also try to continue on the winning path as he takes
on Alonzo Martinez on the undercard. Edwards was last seen in
EliteXC submitting Nick Gonzalez in the first round. Pete Spratt
will also be returning to HDNet Fights and newcomer Nissen Osterneck
will make his promotional debut.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Quote
of the Day
“The
man who will use his skill and constructive imagination to see
how much he can give for a dollar, instead of how little he can
give for a dollar, is bound to succeed.”
Henry Ford, 1863-1947, American Industrialist and Founder of
Ford Motor Company
|
RAMPAGE
RULES THE LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT DIVISION
1. Quinton Jackson
While competing in the Pride Fighting Championships, Jackson
lost twice to Wanderlei Silva and once to Mauricio “Shogun”
Rua, two other top ten light heavyweights. But since the loss
to Shogun, and upon his emergence in the Ultimate Fighting Championship,
he has been a dominating force. Jackson has reeled off six straight
victories including a TKO of former UFC champ Chuck Liddell and
a unanimous decision over Dan Henderson, the former Pride champion.
2.
Mauricio “Shogun” Rua
Despite losing his most recent bout, a late-fight submission
to Forrest Griffin, Shogun has set himself apart as a true force
in the division. He is 12-2 over a four-year span, defeating
the aforementioned Jackson, Ricardo Arona, Alistair Overeem,
Kazuhiro Nakamura, and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, among others.
Besides the loss to Griffin, his only other loss over that time
period was due to a broken arm during a takedown attempt by Mark
Coleman.
3.
Dan Henderson
Henderson has finally been coerced by his camp and UFC president
Dana White to move down to the 185-pound division to face champion
Anderson Silva, but the move is not without resistance. He lost
a decision to Jackson, but Henderson’s prior accomplishments
in the 205-pound class include knocking out the venerable Wanderlei
Silva and wins over the likes of Vitor Belfort, Murilo Bustamante,
Yuki Kondo, Nakamura, and others.
4.
Chuck Liddell
A recent split decision loss to Keith Jardine and the TKO loss
to Jackson have taken the luster off of Liddell’s UFC dominance,
but there’s a reason he’s still top ten material. Prior
to his recent two-fight skid, he chalked up a seven-fight streak,
finishing all seven opponents by either knockout or TKO. That
streak included victories over Randy Couture and Tito Ortiz (twice
each), Jeremy Horn, Vernon “Tiger” White, and Renato
“Babalu” Sobral. He’ll get a chance to reestablish
himself when he faces Wanderlei Silva on Dec. 29.
5.
Wanderlei Silva
Silva held the Pride 205-pound division championship for six
years. He reeled off one stretch of 18 fights without a loss.
He was knocked out in his last two fights, by Henderson at light
heavyweight and Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic at heavyweight.
His wins though include Arona, Jackson (twice), Kondo, Henderson,
Nakamura, Hidehiko Yoshida, and Kazushi Sakuraba (three devastating
times). Now training with Randy Couture, he will be looking at
the Liddell fight as a chance for his own redemption.
6.
Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou
Five fights is not the typical level of experience of most top
ten fighters. Sokoudjou isn’t your typical top ten fighter
though. A product of Henderson’s Team Quest in California,
his overall record is 4-1, but in his last two fights Sokoudjou
knocked out Antonio Rogerio Nogueira and Arona, both top ten
fighters in their own right.
7.
Keith Jardine
Despite stumbling against “Ultimate Fighter” veteran
Stephan Bonnar and heavy-handed Houston Alexander, Jardine has
gone 5-2 since emerging in the UFC. His recent split decision
victory over Liddell sits atop successful performances against
Forrest Griffin, Wilson Gouveia, and Mike Whitehead.
8.
Forrest Griffin
Solidifying his place in history in a classic battle with Bonnar
in the first “Ultimate Fighter” finale, Griffin has
been on a roller-coaster ride since. His victories over Hector
Ramirez, Elvis Sinosic, Bill Mahood, Bonnar (in a rematch), and
most recently, Shogun, are divvied up with losses to Ortiz and
Jardine.
9.
Ricardo Arona
Amassing a 12-2 record to start off his career, Arona has lost
three of his past four fights. A win over Overeem sits amid losses
to Sokoudjou, Shogun, and Wanderlei Silva. He hasn’t fought
since losing to Sokoudjou in April of this year, but all indications
are that he is soon to be headed to the UFC.
10.
Antonio Rogerio Nogueira
Once one of the most dominant fighters in the world with a 12-1
start to his career, including wins over Nakamura, Sakuraba,
Overeem (twice), and Henderson; Nogueira has stumbled recently
with losses to Sokoudjou and Shogun sandwiching his rematch victory
against Overeem.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
HUGHES
AND ST-PIERRE READY FOR BATTLE
The Ultimate Fighting Championship on Monday held a conference
call with Matt Hughes and Georges St-Pierre, who will be fighting
for the third time when they meet on Dec. 29 in Las Vegas. Hughes
was originally slated to face current UFC welterweight titleholder
Matt Serra, but the champion suffered two herniated discs in
his back, leaving him unable to defend the belt at UFC 79.
“It’s
bad in the fact that I’m fighting a lot tougher opponent
than Matt Serra,” said Hughes of the change in opposition.
“I
just feel that Matt Serra is getting the easy way out. If he
would have beat me, then he would have fought Georges again;
so he would have fought both of us. Now, he's getting the easy
way out, fighting just one of us, possibly.”
He
continued, “As you can tell, I'm not a big Matt Serra fan
right now because of what he's said about me.
The good thing about this fight is I'm not fighting this guy
that's been bad-mouthing me, but I’m fighting somebody that
I really respect. It'll be a pleasure to fight Georges St-Pierre,
a stand-up character like he is, as opposed to somebody like
Matt Serra who is just running his mouth.”
As
for the relatively short notice for this change, both Hughes
and St-Pierre felt that five weeks was ample time to be ready
for each other.
“I'm
at the top of my game right now. The only thing I was doing wrong
is not eating as well as I should, like as well as if I would
(be preparing for a) fight,” said St-Pierre.
As
for the fight itself, he seemed excited about the opportunity.
“I don't wish nobody bad luck ... but for me it is very
important to fight for the interim world title. I am glad to
fight Matt Hughes. I consider him as the best welterweight on
the planet right now.”
Hughes
wasn’t overly concerned about his own preparations, saying
the biggest change in training will be his focus. “I think
I really need to concentrate more and be more focused. There's
such a difference in competition when you look at Matt Serra
and when you look at Georges St-Pierre. I've publicly said before,
Georges St-Pierre knocks Matt Serra out nine out of ten times,
so now I've really got to step it up and I’ve got to mentally
focus and stay on my game to fight someone like Georges.”
One
thing that Hughes apparently has working in his favor is a new
training regimen. He discussed his exodus from Pat Miletich’s
camp and how things are going now that he has broken away from
his longtime mentor. This fight with St-Pierre will be his first
without having trained at Miletich’s center in Iowa.
“I’m
getting much better workouts than I have in the past. I really
think I’m going to be in a lot better shape in this fight,”
stated Hughes.
“Up
at Pat’s it was kind of the same routine. Nobody really
told me what to do; I did what I wanted to do. Here, I've got
some great coaches, they tell me what to do. I don't have the
option of saying, 'You know, I don't feel like doing all of that
today. I'm just going to run on the treadmill.'
“So
I've got some coaches that really know what's going on and they
are pushing me. It’s human nature to take the easy way out.
I’m a nine-time UFC champion, and yet I’m still human
in the fact that I will look for the easy way out. I need to
be pushed like everybody else does and now I've got people that
are going to do that.”
This
being the rubber match – Hughes won their first meeting
and St-Pierre dominated the second – both fighters have
past successes and disappointments to think about. But neither
seems to dwell on the past.
“I’ll
have a whole different mindset (compared to the loss to St-Pierre),”
said Hughes about this fight. “I’m not going to go
into what I’m going to do different right now … I just
need to get my head screwed on straight and get thinking about
Georges and stop thinking about Matt Serra and I'm going to be
fine. I've got plenty of time to do that.”
Despite
winning their last meeting, St-Pierre knows he has to keep his
head “screwed on straight” as well. “I’m
not overconfident at all. I remember, Matt beat me once and I
beat him once. So now it's equal. We beat each other one time.
We’re both going to be different fighters this time. We
grew up from our win and loss and it’s going to be a total
different fight.”
UFC
president Dana White had no qualms about switching gears for
what is likely to be the promotion’s biggest event of the
year. In fact, he seemed to be rather proud of being able to
pull of such a prominent “replacement” fight on short
notice.
“If
this were boxing we’d be canceling this whole event and
every ounce of promotion we did would be for nothing. The fact
that we were able to pull an amazing fight like this out of our
asses is incredible,” said White.
“Georges
stepped up to the plate and said he'd do it. Then Hughes said
he’d do it. I found out Serra was out and I was devastated
and then the way these two stepped up and jumped into this fight...
I was just blown away.
I love the sport when stuff like this happens.”
The
fight between Hughes and St-Pierre on Dec. 29 will be for the
interim welterweight title. White also verified that it will
indeed be the headline bout atop of a loaded card that also features
the long-awaited bout between Chuck Liddell and Wanderlei Silva.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
THIAGO
ALVES READY TO MOVE TOWARDS A TITLE
Thiago
Alves became only the second fighter ever to finish Chris "Lights
Out" Lytle in Lytle's 44-fight mixed martial arts career.
He stopped the cagey veteran at Ultimate Fighting Championship
78 in Newark, N.J. by TKO stoppage due to cuts.
Alves
is on a quest for the UFC welterweight belt and hopes to be back
in action by February.
But
his game plan going into the fight was to go toe-to-toe with
Lytle.
"The
first round I was going to see what was going to happen, see
what he's got and let him bring it on. I got the knockdown in
the first round, so I thought it was good for the first round.
The second round I just tried to take over the fight," Alves
told MMAWeekly.
Throughout
the fight he effectively worked leg kicks and punches. "That
was kind of like the game plan because I knew he was a good boxer.
Usually when you're a really good boxer you don't defend your
legs very well. That was pretty much the game plan, to chop his
legs down so it would slow him down and try to knock him out
after that."
The
opening round was clearly won by Alves, but the second round
was extremely close. Damage he inflicted in round one, when he
opened up a cut over Lytles' left eye with the first punch of
the fight, led to the stoppage between the second and third rounds.
"It
was the first punch of the fight. It was a big one, but it was
above the eye so it wasn't that bad, but it was a pretty big
cut."
In
the second stanza he opened up another cut over the same eye
except the second laceration was on the eyelid. Between rounds
the doctor called a halt to the action.
With
a win over Lytle, Alves looks to take on contenders that will
place him in line for a title shot. He said, "I've never
asked for an opponent, but I want to get the belt, so you have
to fight the best. I don't mind fighting anyone. I just want
to be in contention and I'm going to beat whoever is in front
of me.
"I
hope to fight again in February. I want to fight again in February.
It's perfect timing."
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Quote
of the Day
“A
baby is God's opinion that the world should go on.”
Carl Sandburg, 1878-1967, American Poet/Historian/Pulitzer Prïze
Wïnner
|
Fighters'
Club TV Tonight!
Channel 52
Tuesdays at 7:00 PM
Make sure to tell your friends and family!
Another
exciting episode is tonight while we ramp up for our big end
of year show!
We meet Dave Chew and Dog's famous son Leland Chapman along with
much much more zaniness that you have come to expect.
|
Triple
Crown Competition Dates!
Dates set
for our 3 tournaments for 2008 is as follows:
Sunday, Feb 17th, 2008 Hawaiian Championship of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu,
1st leg of the 2008 Triple Crown Series, Gym #1, University of
Hawaii - Manoa
Saturday, May 3rd, 2008 Hawaiian Open of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu,
2nd leg of the 2008 Triple Crown Series Gym #1, University of
Hawaii - Manoa
Saturday, Nov 8th, 2008 Aloha State Championship of Brazilian
Jiu-Jitsu (Final Conflict) 3rd and Final leg of the 2008 Triple
Crown Series, Gym #1, University of Hawaii - Manoa
Championship Belt Winners:
White Belt Division: Dwayne Yuen - Brazilian Freestyle Jiu-Jitsu
Blue Belt Division: Sean Skiendiel - Brazilian Freestyle Jiu-Jitsu
Purple/Brown Belt Division: Joe Scovel - Longman Jiu-Jitsu
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Novice Division: Dwayne Yuen - Brazilian Freestyle Jiu-Jitsu
Intermediate Division: Sean Skiendiel - Brazilian Freestyle Jiu-Jitsu
Advanced Division: Luke Hacker - Longman Jiu-Jitsu
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Fastest Submission - Sean Skiendiel - 0.41 sec. Guilloutine
182 Adults + 92 kids = 274 Competitors in all - New Record High!!!
Working on new changes for next year's events.
Big change will be "no weigh-in the day before" - All
weigh-ins to be done on the day of the event, which means registration
and payment must be received 1 week prior to the event!!! Please
help us in getting this out, so everyone can plan accordingly
and well in advance.
Thank you very much for your continued support of our Beloved
Sport,
David Hattori
|
USA-BOXING
HAWAII,
PALOLO B.C. & KAWANO B.C.
PRESENTS
CLINTON
A.J. SHELTON 3RD ANNUAL MEMORIAL BOXING MATCH EVENT
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2007
6 P.M. PALOLO DISTRICT PARK
SEE TOP BOXERS FROM AROUND THE STATE COMPETE.
BOXERS FROM OAHU, MAUI, BIG ISLAND AND KAUAI EXPECTED TO PARTICIPATE.
8 TO 12 BOUTS SCHEDULED.
ADMISSION IS $12 AT THE DOOR.
|
ED
HERMAN BACK ON TRACK WITH FIRST CAREER KO
Ed
Herman picked up his third win in a row at Ultimate Fighting
Championship 78, defeating Joe Doerksen by knockout. The win
avenged an earlier loss in his career to the Canadian fighter
and scored him “knockout of the night” honors, as well.
Originally,
Herman was slated to face Cesar Gracie-trained fighter David
Terrell in the bout, but an injury forced him off the card. Doerksen
stepped in on short notice, giving the Team Quest fighter a chance
to avenge the triangle choke loss of their previous fight.
Herman
looked ready for anything and worked his way to a dominant third-round
knockout, despite a few bumps in the road during the second round.
“You
know how this sport is; it’s highs and lows,” said
Herman about the fight with Doerksen. “It’s definitely
a high.”
The
second round saw him look solid throughout, but late in the session
he was locked into another triangle choke/armbar attempt from
Doerksen and many thought it was deja vu from their first bout,
three years earlier.
“It
was pretty damn tight,” Herman stated about the triangle
choke. “I went to throw a big elbow and I kind of slipped
off and he locked right in on that triangle, he’s got a
good triangle. He was working the armbar too. It popped my arm
a little bit actually, and I was definitely a little bit nervous.
I knew there was a short time, I knew there was just a few seconds
(left in the round).”
Herman
managed to survive the round and came out looking ready for the
third, but the former “Ultimate Fighter” competitor
was still feeling the effect of the submission attempt early
in the final session.
“It
took me a few minutes to recover,” Herman said. “When
I started the third round, it felt like I had a little bit of
a buzz for a second. I shook it off and started moving my feet
a little bit, but it definitely took me more than just a minute
to recover.”
With
the win over Doerksen, Herman has now picked up three impressive
wins in a row after dealing with back-to-back losses to Kendall
Grove in “The Ultimate Fighter” finale and Jason MacDonald
in Hollywood, Fla.
Herman
attributes a change in training and mental focus to his recent
success.
“Everything’s
going my way now,” he said. “I picked up the training
regimen, started training more. I think it’s a mental thing
too, just being mentally prepared.”
With
the middleweight division growing, but the list of potential
contenders for Anderson Silva’s title slimming down, Herman
stays realistic about his goals and knows he has plenty of time
to get ready before a championship looms on his horizon.
“I’m
looking to eventually get a title shot, but I’m in no hurry,”
stated Herman. “I got a long contract with the UFC, and
I’ve got a lot of room to improve.”
For
now, Ed Herman will enjoy the victory over Doerksen and await
the birth of his twins due in just a few months.
Source: MMA Weekly |
SHAMROCK
& GRACIE COACHES OF NEW MMA EVENT
A mixed martial arts promotion based out of Las Vegas is starting
a new event using a team format with MMA legends as coaches.
Platinum Fighting Productions has named its event Ring of Fire
– not to be confused with the venerable MMA promotion of
the same name based in Denver.
PFP
announced Royce Gracie, Josh Barnett, Gokor Chivichyan and Ken
Shamrock as its first four coaches. Its first event is Ring of
Fire, Manila, scheduled to take place Dec. 9 at Araneta Stadium
in the Philippines, the home of the historic Mohammed Ali and
Joe Frazier fight known as “The Thrilla in Manila.”
International
Fight League commissioner Kurt Otto acknowledged Shamrock’s
involvement and confirmed that he is still a coach for IFL as
well.
Each
team will battle in four events to be held in the Philippines,
Macau, Japan and China; with the best two teams progressing to
the Final Ring of Fire event slated for December 2008.
Team
Gracie features Cleber Luciano, Jorge Patino, Daniel Serafian,
John Marsh and Katrine Alendal. Team Barnett will field Koji
Oishi, Yuki Kondo, Renato “Babalu” Sobral, Jeff Monson
and Ginele Marquez. Team Gokar includes Karen Darabedyan, August
Wallen, Rodney Faverus, Hakim Gouram and Amanda Buckner. Rounding
out the field is Team Lion’s Den with Evan Dunham, Kyacey
Uscola, Mike Whitehead, Ricco Rodriguez and Tonya Evinger.
The
Dec. 9 event features Team Barnett versus Team Gokor.
-Koji
Oshi (Barnett) vs. Karen Darabdeyan (Gokor)
-Yuki Kondo (Barnett) vs. August Wallen (Gokor)
-Renato “Babalu” Sobral (Barnett) vs. Rodney Faverus
(Gokor)
-Jeff Monson (Barnett) vs. Hakim Gouram (Gokor)
-Ginele Marquez (Barnett) vs. Amanda Buckner (Gokor)
Ultimate
Fighting Championship veteran Zach Light will also participate
in a separate bout on the Dec. 9 event and will reportedly be
coached by UFC light heavyweight champion Quinton Jackson.
Source: MMA Weekly |
TOP
KOREAN PROSPECT STILL UNSIGNED
Dong Hyun Kim has a professional record of 8-0-1, with the one
draw coming against DEEP welterweight champion Hidehiko Hasegawa,
a fighter Kim finished via TKO in a previous, non-title match.
His
ground game looks more like a product of Sao Paulo than Seoul,
and his standup is equally as dangerous. So why doesn’t
this undefeated fighter have a contract?
He
did, prior to the dissolution of Pride Fighting Championships.
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