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.
After that there were rumors that a deal with World Extreme Cagefighting
was in the works, but a contract never materialized.
“Right
now I’m thinking about where I want to go. I’d be willing
to consider a promotion in America, Japan or Korea … I’d
welcome an offer from the Ultimate Fighting Championship, as
I know that I am already fighting at that level after training
in Japan with (UFC middleweight) Yushin Okami.”
Kim
also works out with fellow Korean Lim Jae Seok, who won via a
first-round rear naked choke in his EliteXC debut in Corpus Christi,
Texas last month.
“Our
training program is focused on sparring,” Kim says. “We
practice like we’re in real fights.”
Kim
is a lanky, hard hitting fighter who has finished five of his
last six opponents with strikes. His style is reminiscent of
some of Chute Boxe’s best, (all the better because he has
competed thus far in organizations that allow soccer kicks and
stomps), and since he has yet to be picked up by the UFC or another
large promotion, you can still find his fights on the Internet.
Source: MMA Weekly |
Quote
of the Day
“In
the midst of movement and chaos, keep stillness inside of you.”
Deepak Chopra, Indian-born Physician and Spiritual Author
|
HUGHES
VS. ST-PIERRE FOR INTERIM UFC TITLE
The Ultimate Fighting Championship on Saturday announced that
Georges St-Pierre will step in to take Matt Serra’s place
on Dec. 29. Serra had been scheduled to defend his welterweight
championship against Matt Hughes, but suffered a herniated disc
in his lower back and will be unable to fight.
This
will be the third time that St-Pierre and Hughes have faced each
other. Hughes won the first match-up by armbar, while St-Pierre
won by TKO in their second meeting.
St-Pierre
versus Hughes 3, at UFC 79 in Las Vegas, has been declared a
fight for the interim UFC welterweight championship.
“Obviously,
the loss of Matt Serra was brutal, but the great thing about
the UFC is that we can put together great fights like Hughes-St-Pierre
at a moment’s notice and bounce right back,” said UFC
President Dana White.
“I
have the utmost respect for both Hughes and St-Pierre for stepping
up for this fight, and not only are the fans going to see two
of the greatest welterweights of all-time settle their score
in a rubber match, but they're going to do it in a five-round
interim title fight, and the winner is going to face off next
year against Matt Serra for the undisputed title.”
“I’m
so excited to get this fight,” said St-Pierre. “I’m
fighting Matt Hughes for the interim title right now, and then
after that I’m going to go after Serra. I’ve wanted
that rematch against Serra, and this is the best scenario that
can happen.”
Via
his website, Hughes said that he asked for this fight to be for
an interim title. He didn’t indicate why he accepted the
bout against St-Pierre other than to say, “I’ve got
a couple reasons why I’ve made this decision and I will
share those at a later time.”
Serra
stated that the fight between St-Pierre and Hughes puts him in
an awkward position. “I can’t believe the position
this puts me in,” he said. “I’m actually rooting
for Matt Hughes so I can beat his ass.”
Bouts
officially announced for UFC 79:
-Matt Hughes vs. Georges St-Pierre
-Chuck Liddell vs. Wanderlei Silva
-Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou vs. Lyoto Machida
Rumored
bouts not yet confirmed by the UFC:
-Dean Lister vs. Jordan Radev
-Manny Gamburyan vs. Nate Mohr
-Rich Clementi vs. Melvin Guillard
-Roan Carneiro vs. Tony DeSouza
-Doug Evans vs. Mark Bocek
-Eddie Sanchez vs. Soa Palalei
Source: MMA Weekly
|
FEDOR,
OTHERS TO FIGHT ON NEW YEAR'S EVE
As reported by MMAWeekly.com, Fedor Emelianenko will compete
on New Year's Eve at the Saitama Super Arena in Japan; however,
the No. 1 ranked heavyweight in the world's opponent remains
questionable.
It
was reported that Emelianenko would return to action against
Korean Hong Man Choi. Although Choi is the likely candidate,
the bout has not yet been finalized.
Last
week, M-1 Global Mixed Martial Arts along with former Pride/Dream
Stage Entertainment staff held a press conference in Japan announcing
the year-end event being billed as Yarennoka!
Along
with Emelianenko, Hayato "Mach" Sakurai, Shinya Aoki,
Tatsuya Kawajiri, and Mitsuhiro Ishida were on hand and expected
to participate on the fight card.
The
Russian Mix-Fight Championship website announced that Fedor’s
brother, Aleksander, and Roman Zentsov are scheduled to fight
as part of the event.
Other
notable names such as Joachim Hansen, Ricardo Arona, Gilbert
Melendez, Luiz Azeredo, and Kazuo Misaki were also mentioned
as possibly being on the card. No official match-ups have been
announced, but MMAWeekly.com is following the situation closely.
Source: MMA Weekly |
JAMES
LEE LEAVES KOTC TO FIGHT AT UFC 80
King of the Cage light heavyweight champion James Lee trades
the cage for the Octagon, signing with the Ultimate Fighting
Championship. He will debut at UFC 80 in New Castle, England
against Alessio Sakara.
Following
his eleventh fight in KOTC, a successful title defense against
Hank Barela, Wednesday night in Mt. Pleasant, Mich., Lee announced
to the crowd that he was leaving for the UFC.
Of
his fight with Sakara, Lee stated, “It means a chance to
prove that I am the best in the world. I am extremely excited
to meet the fans in England. They seem wonderful and very supportive
of the sport.”
Lee
(13-2-0) hasn't been defeated in more than four years. He has
reeled off nine straight victories without a loss.
Alessio
Sakara (11-6-0) is coming off a TKO loss to Houston Alexander
at UFC 75 in September.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
PROMOTERS
COMBINE EFFORTS IN BRAZIL
Two of the biggest mixed martial arts companies in Brazil have
combined their efforts and decided to make one single event.
MTL (Mo Team League) – once headed by Wanderlei Silva, Murilo
Bustamante, Pedro Rizzo and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira – will
now work together with Predador FC.
MTL
was managed by the company B-Tough, but the business didn’t
work good enough according to MTL owner Monica Marquetti. She
decided to move forward and contacted the president of the FPMM
(Sao Paulo Federation of MMA), Alessandro Renner, who is also
the owner of Predador FC. Together they decided to make MTL vs.
Predador, which is scheduled to hold its first event in late
January 2008.
"The
idea is to make a crossover between our champs, and it has everything
to do with big fights and huge success. Monica and me are expecting
a very good event with great fights," said Renner, now responsible
for MTL and Predador FC.
Several
world-class fighters have contracts with Predador and MTL. Pancrase
and K-1 Hero’s fighter Fabio Silva (Chute Boxe), Luciano
Azeredo (RFT Luta Livre), Alexandre Cacareco (BTT) and Helio
Dipp (Chute Boxe) are a few of the fights currently under contract.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Quote
of the Day
"Make
no small plans for they have no power to stir the soul."
Niccolo Machiavelli, 1469-1527, Italian Philosopher/Musician/Poet
|
MMA
CONTENDER
Today!
Friday, November 23
Waipahu Filcom Ctr.
Doors open 6PM
Pre-Sale $25, At door $30
Ticket info. 450-1553
Sure to be exciting with 4+ pro bouts in the largest cage on
Oahu!
Source: Event Promoter
|
HFC:
STAND YOUR GROUND VI
Today!
HFC: STAND YOUR GROUND VI
Dole Cannery Ballrooms, Honolulu, Hawaii
November 23, 2007
Doors open at 5:30 pm and show starts at 6:00 pm
Fight Card
Nassor
Lewis vs. Preston Kealoha
Ryan
Cabinian vs. Lorenzo Moreno
Keoni
Diggs vs. Ikaika Moreno
Makana
Fronda vs. Jon Vistante Jr.
Shaison
Laupola vs. Bryson Okada
“Razor”
Ray Rodrigues vs. John Barnard
Endreb
Acosta vs. Daniel Maesta
Daniel
Sun Bin vs. John Sanborn
Jodi
Mesiona vs. Vernon Tangonan
Colin
Makenzie vs. Bryson Hansen
Ben
Santiago vs. Kyle Kaahanui
Sunny
Camat vs. Wes Mossman
Armando
Pacheco vs. Chris Kutzan
Sam
Quel vs. Julio Moreno
Garren
Rabalisza vs. Kalae McShane
Mana
“Kurty” vs. Jesse Cabana
Larry
Ladao vs. Luis Parra
Brennan
Kamaka vs. Jon Joao
Jay
Bind vs. Josh Keanu
Dale
Crawford vs. Makinaleko Pitole
Source: Event Promoter
|
Fedor’s
future soon to be announced
Russian should fight on New Years
This week promises to be full of expectations. This is because
several sources in the United States and Japan have announced
the participation or not of Russian heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko
in an event on New Years to be carried out by former Pride employees
that should be announced in the coming days.
Yesterday
the specialized media in the United States pointed out Choi Hong-Man,
the giant South Korean known for his appearances in K-1, as the
Russian Pride champion’s adversary. However, there has been
no official confirmation of this, and some sites announced that
Choi is only one of the candidates for facing Fedor.
GRACIEMAG.com
will continue to follow history as it unfolds and will be back
at any moment with further information. Stay tuned.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Nate
Marquardt has not yet signed a new contract with UFC
By Brian Knapp
Contrary
to published reports, former UFC middleweight championship contender
Nate Marquardt revealed today that he has not yet signed a new
contract with the Las Vegas-based promotion. The former seven-time
middleweight King of Pancrase has won four of his five fights
inside the Octagon, the lone setback a first-round TKO loss to
185-pound titleholder Anderson Silva at UFC 73 in July.
“We’re
working on [a new contract],” Marquardt said. “Hopefully,
it will happen soon.”
Still
considered one of the top contenders inside what many view as
the UFC’s weakest division, Marquardt called reports of
a February bout against Thales Leites at UFC 81 “just talk.”
The 28-year-old Coloradan holds UFC victories over Dean Lister,
Ivan Salaverry and Joe Doerksen.
Marquardt
(25-7-2) was expected to test Silva in their UFC 73 main event,
but with 10 seconds left in the opening round, the challenger
was victimized by his Brazilian counterpart’s lethal strikes.
It was the first time in Marquardt’s eight-year career that
he had been stopped by KO or TKO.
“I
learned I need to fix some things,” Marquardt said. “I
have to be more confident in my skills. I didn’t follow
my gameplan. Basically, I let everything people were saying affect
the way I fought.”
Marquardt
admitted he was eager to begin his climb back up the UFC middleweight
ladder, provided a new deal is finalized in the coming weeks.
A
rematch with Silva – who will defend his crown against former
Olympian Dan Henderson at UFC 82 on Saturday, March 1 –
remains a chief goal for Marquardt, a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black
belt who has secured more than half (14) of his 25 career victories
by submission.
“Most
definitely, I want a rematch with him,” Marquardt said.
“I can’t wait for that.”
Source: The Fight Network
|
Jason
“Mayhem” Miller is co-main event at HDNet Fights “Reckless
Abandon”
By Brian Knapp
Team Quest representatives have confirmed that Jason “Mayhem”
Miller will square off with Tim Kennedy in the co-main event
at HDNet Fights “Reckless Abandon” on Saturday, Dec.
15 at the American Airlines Arena in Dallas, Texas.
Kennedy
(8-1) will replace UFC veteran Sean Salmon, who was medically
suspended by the California State Athletic Commission following
his knockout loss to Jorge Santiago at Strikeforce “Four
Men Enter, One Man Survives” on Nov. 16 in San Jose, Calif.
Miller
has a history with Kennedy, who defeated him by decision at an
Extreme Challenge event in February 2003. An Army Ranger who
was awarded the Bronze Star for his service in Operation Iraqi
Freedom in 2006, Kennedy has not lost a fight in more than six
years.
Kennedy
will enter the Dec. 15 bout on an eight-fight winning streak.
He last competed at IFL Chicago in May, as he submitted Ryan
McGivern with a second-round guillotine choke. The 28-year-old
is also scheduled to compete in a preliminary bout at the IFL
World Grand Prix on Saturday, Dec. 29 at the Mohegan Sun Arena
in Uncasville, Conn.
The
former Icon Sport middleweight champion, Miller (19-5) has won
seven of his last eight fights, a stretch of success that includes
a submission victory over current EliteXC 185-pound titleholder
Robbie Lawler. The eccentric 27-year-old also holds victories
over the American Top Team’s Denis Kang and Hawaiian veteran
Falaniko Vitale.
Miller
last fought at WEC 27 in May, when he earned a unanimous decision
over Hiromitsu Miura. A product of Team Quest, he has lost only
once in the last two years – a TKO defeat to Frank Trigg
at an Icon Sport event last December.
HDNet
Fights “Reckless Abandon”
Saturday, Dec. 15
American Airlines Arena
Dallas, Texas
Jason
Miller
vs. Tim Kennedy
Frank Trigg vs. Edwin Dewees
Chris Bowles vs. Cory Mahon
Yves Edwards vs. Alonzo Martinez
Pete Spratt vs. Tristan Yunkar
Patrick Castillo vs. Jay White
Freddie Espiricueta vs. C.B. Dollaway
Krzysztof Soszynski vs. Robert Villegas
Jason House vs. Liam McCarty
Lee King vs. Marcus Lanier
Source: The Fight Network
|
Punishment
In Paradise
"BEST OF THE BEST"
FRIDAY DEC 7,2007
MAIN EVENTS
IKAIKA CHOY FU (JESUS IS LORD, KAILUA)
vs.
JOHN VISANTE JR (SIT YOU DOWN,WAIANAE)
ZANE KAMAKA (SIT YOU DOWN, WAIANAE)
vs.
STEPHEN MIYOSE (WESTSIDE CONNECTION, NANAKULI)
Source: Event Promoter
|
Yaren!
New Year's Eve 2007 event announced
The New Year's Eve event Fedor Emelianenko will compete on has
been announced as "YAREN! New Year's Eve! 2007 supported
by M-1 Global."
Many
former PRIDE competitors and employees are participating in this
PRIDE revival of sorts.
Nobuhiko
Takada, Hiroyuki Kato, Sataro Shinoda are among the former PRIDE
executives who have been organizing this event.
The
card itself is stacked with PRIDE's biggest stars who haven't
been signed away by the UFC and HERO's: Shinya Aoki, Mitsuhiro
Ishida, Tatsuya Kawajiri, Gilbert Melendez, Hayato "Mach"
Sakurai, Hidehiko Hasegawa, Ricardo Arona, Kazuo Misaki, Joachim
Hansen and Luiz Azeredo.
Also
expected on the card are fighters out of Fedor's camp, the Red
Devil Sports Club, including Aleksander Emelianenko and Roman
Zentsov.
Expect
the event to even sound the same. The matchless Japanese and
English ring announcers from PRIDE have already signed on.
The
event will take place at the Saitama Super Arena in Japan.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Tito
Ortiz officially announced for "Celebrity Apprentice"
Tito Ortiz was officially announced as a cast member on Monday
for "Celebrity Apprentice" on NBC.
Ortiz,
who started his own clothing line, "Punishment Athletics,"
will be competing with 13 other celebrities to raise $250,000
for a charity of his choice. He will be joined by the likes of
Lennox Lewis, Stephen Baldwin and Gene Simmons on the series
slated to premiere January 3, 2008.
Ortiz
was rumored to rematch Rashad Evans at UFC 78: Validation. UFC
President Dana White has said Ortiz told him he was injured (which
could very well be true) only to learn that Ortiz was taping
episodes for the NBC series. To Ortiz’s defense, cast members
were sworn to secrecy about their participation on the show until
Monday’s announcement.
Ortiz
released a statement last month saying that he expects to compete
again in early 2008.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
|
11/22/07
Happy Thanksgiving! |
Quote
of the Day
"Friendship
is born at that moment when one person says to another,
"What! You too? I thought I was the only one."
C. S. Lewis, 1898-1963, Irish Author and Scholar
(known for the children's series "The Chronicles of Narnia")
|
MMA
CONTENDER
Tomorrow!
Friday, November 23
Waipahu Filcom Ctr.
Doors open 6PM
Pre-Sale $25, At door $30
Ticket info. 450-1553
Sure to be exciting with 4+ pro bouts in the largest cage on
Oahu!
Source: Event Promoter
|
HFC:
STAND YOUR GROUND VI
Tomorrow!
HFC: STAND YOUR GROUND VI
Dole Cannery Ballrooms, Honolulu, Hawaii
November 23, 2007
Doors open at 5:30 pm and show starts at 6:00 pm
Fight Card
Nassor
Lewis vs. Preston Kealoha
Ryan
Cabinian vs. Lorenzo Moreno
Keoni
Diggs vs. Ikaika Moreno
Makana
Fronda vs. Jon Vistante Jr.
Shaison
Laupola vs. Bryson Okada
“Razor”
Ray Rodrigues vs. John Barnard
Endreb
Acosta vs. Daniel Maesta
Daniel
Sun Bin vs. John Sanborn
Jodi
Mesiona vs. Vernon Tangonan
Colin
Makenzie vs. Bryson Hansen
Ben
Santiago vs. Kyle Kaahanui
Sunny
Camat vs. Wes Mossman
Armando
Pacheco vs. Chris Kutzan
Sam
Quel vs. Julio Moreno
Garren
Rabalisza vs. Kalae McShane
Mana
“Kurty” vs. Jesse Cabana
Larry
Ladao vs. Luis Parra
Brennan
Kamaka vs. Jon Joao
Jay
Bind vs. Josh Keanu
Dale
Crawford vs. Makinaleko Pitole
Source: Event Promoter
|
Strikeforce
"Four Men Enter, One Man Survives" fighter salaries
The California Athletic Commission has released the salary figures
for the November 16 Strikeforce "Four Men Enter, One Man
Survives" event in San Jose.
San
Shou legend Cung Le earned $50,000 for headlining the event against
The Ultimate Fighter alum Sam Morgan, who received $10,000.
Jorge
Santiago, who knocked out two opponents to win the 185-lb. tourney,
took home $15,000 while runner-up, Trevor Prangley, earned $30,000.
The other two tournament participants, Falaniko Vitale and Sean
Salmon, earned $20,000 and $5,000, respectively.
Brian
Schwartz, an undefeated kickboxing champion, earned $30,000 in
his mixed martial arts debut.
Alistair
Overeem pocketed $30,000 in his 205-lb. Strikeforce championship
win against Paul Buentello, who received $20,000.
Dennis
Hallman ($5,000 + $5,000) def. Jeremiah Metcalf ($5,000)
Evan Esguerra ($1,000) and Chris Drumm ($1,000) went to a no
contest
Alexander Crispim ($5,000 + $1,500) def. Clint Coronel ($3,000)
Anthony Figueroa ($3,000 + $1,000) def. Pete Sabala ($1,000)
Eric Lawson ($5,000) def. Josh Neal ($1,500)
Trevor Prangley ($30,000) def. Falaniko Vitale ($20,000)
Jorge Santiago ($15,000) def. Sean Salmon ($5,000)
Luke Stewart ($5,000 + $5,000) def. Bryson Kamaka ($1,500)
Anthony Ruiz ($3,500) def. Bobby Southworth ($10,000)
Lemont Davis ($1,500 + $500) def. Brian Schwartz ($30,000)
Alistair Overeem ($30,000) def. Paul Buentello ($20,000)
Cung Le ($50,000) def. Sam Morgan ($10,000)
Disclaimer:
These are the salaries reported by Strikeforce and may not represent
the exact compensation received by the fighters.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
FEDOR-CHOI
NOT A LOCK
Japanese Promotion Will Pay Emelianenko $1.5 Million for Dec.
31 Fight
By Brian Knapp
A
press conference will be held at 3 PM (1 AM ET) today in Tokyo,
Japan to formally announce former PRIDE heavyweight champion
Fedor Emelianenko’s participation in a mixed martial arts
event on Monday, Dec. 31 at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama,
Japan. The promotion behind the New Year’s Eve show remains
unnamed, but former PRIDE officials Hiroyuki Kato and Sataro
Shinoda spearheaded negotiations.
M-1
Global president Monte Cox, whose promotion owns the rights to
Emelianenko, confirmed late Tuesday that the Russian Sambo champion
would be competing at the event. Emelianenko will be paid $1.5
million by the Japanese promotion. Cox did not reveal what compensation
M-1 Global will receive for lending out Emelianenko's services.
Cox
said that reports on MMAWeekly.com and Sherdog.com naming South
Korean kickboxer Hong Man Choi – who stands 7-foot-2 and
weighs in at more than 350 pounds – had already been selected
as Emelianenko's opponent were premature. Cox said Choi has neither
been confirmed nor signed to face Emelianenko.
“Part
of the deal is that they choose the opponent,” Cox said.
“They’re choosing an opponent that makes sense for
the Japanese market.”
Cox
said M-1 Global and Emelianenko would remain open to whichever
opponent the Japanese promotion presents, Choi included.
Undefeated
in 24 fights (including one no contest), Emelianenko has been
almost universally received as the world’s top heavyweight
since he defeated Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic at PRIDE
“Final Conflict 2005” two years ago last August.
Emelianenko
(26-1, 1 NC) last fought in April when he submitted former Olympic
silver medalist Matt Lindland at Bodog Fight “Clash of the
Nations” on April 14 in St. Petersburg, Russia. The 31-year-old
has submitted his last four opponents and has not felt the sting
of defeat in nearly seven years. Eighteen of his 26 career victories
have come in the opening round.
Source: The Fight Network
|
Shaolin
to train again in December
Black belt recovers from eye surgery
December will be a welcome month for Vitor Shaolin Ribeiro. Still
recovering from a delicate operation on his eye, the Nova Uniao
black belt should return to training next month. “My recovery
is coming along well, all is going according to plan and soon
I’ll pick up my training routine again,” comments Shaolin
to GRACIEMAG.com.
With
a contract signed with K-1 Hero’s, Shaolin has not fought
since September, when he was defeated by also-Brazilian Gesias
Cavalcanti in an under 70kg GP semifinal fight. On the occasion,
Shaolin ended up suffering a serious injury to his eye, prompting
him to be operated on. The date for his return to the ring, however,
has not yet been defined.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Forrest
Griffin appeared on the hit NBC drama “Law & Order:
Special Victims Unit”
UFC light heavyweight contender Forrest Griffin – following
in the acting footsteps of his mentor, three-time UFC Heavyweight
Champion Randy Couture – will appear as a special guest
star on the hit NBC drama “Law & Order: Special Victims
Unit” at 10 PM ET/9 PM CT tonight. “Law & Order:
Special Victims Unit” chronicles the activity of the Special
Victims Unit of the New York Police Department, an elite squad
of detectives who investigate sexually based crimes. Created
by Emmy Award-winning producer Dick Wolf, the show is in the
midst of its ninth season. In the upcoming episode, Griffin portrays
Mike Kona, a mixed martial artist who becomes a suspect in the
death of a teen-ager.
Source: The Fight Network
|
SEVERN
TO MEET RICHARD IN KOTC
The ageless Dan Severn will compete in his 102nd professional
MMA bout when he collides with Don Richard at King of the Cage
“Bad Boys” this Wednesday at the Soaring Eagle Casino
and Resort in Mount Pleasant, Mich.
Severn
(79-15-7) last competed in June when he submitted Victor Vincelette
with a first-round choke at Worldwide Fighting Championship “Rumble
in the Red Rocks.” One of four men – Royce Gracie,
Ken Shamrock and Randy Couture are the others – to be inducted
into the UFC Hall of Fame, Severn rose to fame during the early
days of the now booming Las Vegas-based promotion. The 53-year-old
last appeared with the UFC at UFC 27 in 2000, as he submitted
to strikes from Pedro Rizzo.
The
bout with Richard will be Severn's eighth this year. The Coldwater,
Mich. native has secured 49 of his 79 victories by submission.
Source: The Fight Network
|
Quote
of the Day
"Memory
is the diary that we all carry about with us."
Oscar Wilde, 1854-1900, Irish Dramatist/Novelist/Poet
|
MMA
CONTENDER Weigh-ins
Friday, November 23
Waipahu Filcom Ctr.
Doors open 6PM
Pre-Sale $25, At door $30
Ticket info. 450-1553
TONIGHT,
WEDNESDAY - NOVEMBER 21, 2007
ILIMA INTERMEDIATE CAFETERIA
AT 6:30PM
Sure to be exciting with 4+ pro bouts in the largest cage on
Oahu!
Source: Event Promoter
|
Quest
for Champions 2007
Results!
THE QUEST
FOR CHAMPIONS 2007
MARTIAL ARTS TOURNAMENT
NOVEMBER 18TH RESULTS:
SPORT-PANKRATION:
(CHILDREN'S
DIVISION (6-7YRS. OLD)
1. Jonah Yano (Kempo Unlimited)
2. Blake Furuta (Kempo Unlimited)
3. Chad Foster (Kempo Unlimited)
(CHILDREN'S DIVISION (8-9YRS. OLD)
1. Pomaika'I Yamaguchi (Kempo Unlimited)
2. Angus Mersberg (Kempo Unlimited)
3. Nainoa
Dung ( O2 Martial Arts)
(CHILDREN'S
DIVISION (10-11YRS. OLD -100lbs)
1. Josh Crimmins (IKF, MMAD)
2. Miranda Oda (Kempo Unlimited)
(CHILDREN'S
DIVISION (10-11YRS OLD +100LBS)
1. Cole Dante (Kempo Unlimited)
2. Brandon Kurosawa (Kempo Unlimited)
3. Josh Crimmins (IKF, MMAD)
(CHILDREN'S
DIVISION (12-14YRS. OLD +100LBS)
1. Nathan Goo (Kempo Unlimited)
2. Nainoa Mesiona (808 Fight Factory)
3. Rodney Deguzman (Submit One)
(CHILDREN'S
DIVISION (14-15YRS. OLD)
1. John Reed (Sera's Kajukenbo)
2. Kaloa Kalama (No Remorse)
(MEN'S
NOVICE DIVISION (18+ LT. WT.)
1. Ellis Bourbonnais (HMC)
2. Meeran Breseeg (Kempo Unlimited)
3. Ian Andersen (Extreme Fitness)
(MEN'S
NOVICE DIVISION (18+ LT. MID WT)
1. Josh Kamaiopili (No Remorse)
2. Brandon Ness (Kempo)
(MEN'S
NOVICE DIVISION (18+ MID WT)
1. Shane
Nakagawara (O2 Martial Arts)
2. Cheyenne Canis (Sera's Kajukenbo)
3. Terry Coykendall (Sera's Kajukenbo)
(MEN'S
NOVICE DIVISION (18+LT HVY WT)
1. Michael Nunez (Freestyle)
2. John Gibo (GMA)
(MEN'S
NOVICE DIVISION (18+ HVY WT)
1. Mark Newgent (808 Fight Factory)
2. Lance Lee (Team Submit)
(JR.
DIVISION (16-17YRS INTERMEDIATE)
1. Sean Kamaiopili (No Remorse)
2. Alakai Akaka (Advanced Kempo)
3. Dee Jay Kanoa (No Remorse)
(MEN'S
18+ INTERMEDIATE LT WT)
1. Tomoyasu Nobeyama (Kempo Unlimited)
2. Rio Laigo (Kickboxing)
(MEN'S
18+ INTERMEDIATE LT MID WT)
1. David Mayeda (Fighter's Corner)
2. Devin Chong (Hardknocks)
(MEN'S
18+ INTERMEDIATE LT HVY WT)
1. Ryan Toole (Central Oahu)
2. Braddah Kepa Medeiros (Team Submit)
3. Daniel Kelukoa (Team Submit)
(MEN'S
18+ INTERMEDIATE HVY WT)
1. Frank Kuamoo II (Sera's Kajukenbo)
2. Don Guevarra (Kempo Unlimited)
3. Luke Kalahiki (Team Submit)
(WOMEN'S
MASTERS 40+ MID WT)
1. Kahea Ching (Kempo Unlimited)
2. Kathy Koch (Goju Kan)
(MEN'S
MASTERS 35+ HVY WT)
1. Byron Bush (Goju Kan)
2. Dominic Soberano (Sera's Kajukenbo)
SUBMISSION
GRAPPLING:
(JUNIOR'S
16-17yrs DIVISION LT WT)
1. Calford Pader (Combat 50)
2. Tim Pader (Combat 50)
3. Isaia Souza (GMA)
(JUNIOR'S
16-17yrs DIVISION MID WT)
1. Michael Izumi (Team Submit)
2. John Reed (Sera's Kajukenbo)
(MEN'S
DIVISION 18+ LT MID WT)
1. Brandon Ness (Kempo)
2. Ellis Bourbonnais (HMC)
(MEN'S
DIVISION 18+ MID WT)
1. Austin Pecpec (Combat 50)
2. Brian Hoopai (Guts and Glory)
(MEN'S
DIVISION 18+ LT HVY WT)
1. Jesus Robles (Army)
2. Alvin Loapcion (Freestyle)
3. Chyene Runis (Sera's Kajukenbo)
(MEN'S
DIVISION 18+ HVY WT)
1. Eddie Ohia (No Remorse)
2. John Gibo (GMA)
3. Baron Ladia (Sera's Kajukenbo)
(MEN'S
DIVISION 18+ OPEN WT)
1. Alonzo Madero (Army)
2. Michael Nunez (Freestyle)
3. Jeremy Wong (Kempo Unlimited)
(MEN'S
DIVISION 18+ INTERMEDIATE LT MID WT)
1. Kevin Delima (Bulls Pen)
2. Tomoyasu Nobeyama (Kempo Unlimited)
3. Devin Chong (Hardknocks)
(MEN'S
DIVISION 18+ INTERMEDIATE MID WT)
1. David Mayeda (Fighter's Corner)
2. Steven Saito (HMC)
(MEN'S
DIVISION 18+ INTERMEDIATE OPEN WT)
1. Byron Bush (Goju Kan)
2. Don Guevarra (Kempo Unlimited)
3. Dominic Soberano (Sera's Kajukenbo)
(MEN'S
DIVISION 18+ ADVANCED OPEN WT)
1. Bob Ostovich (Jesus is Lord)
2. Guillermo Villa ( Relson Gracie)
3. Greg Hoyt (Sera's Kajukenbo)
EXTREME
CONTINOUS SPARRING:
(CHILDREN'S
4-5YRS OLD)
1. Colby Tomita (Kempo Unlimited)
2. Alexander Deleon (Gojukan)
(CHILDREN'S
6-7YRS OLD)
1. Skylar Yoshimoto (Kempo Unlimited)
2. Kylan Tomita (Kempo Unlimited)
3. Dylan Yang (Kempo Unlimited)
(CHILDREN'S
8-9YRS OLD)(BRACKET-A)
1. Loghan Ramos (Combat 50)
2. Kealohi Kanahele (Kempo Unlimited)
3. Kurt Nakamoto (Goju Kan)
(CHILDREN'S
8-9YRS OLD)(BRACKET-B)
1. Pomaika'I Yamaguchi (Kempo Unlimited)
2. Alexander Moser ( Advanced Kempo)
3. Hogue Bush (Goju Kan)
(CHILDREN'S
10-11YRS OLD)(BRACKET-A)
1. Harmony Pacheco (Kempo Unlimited)
2. Brandon Kurosawa (Kempo Unlimited)
(CHILDREN'S
DIVISION 10-11YRS OLD)(BRACKET-B)
1. Miranda Oda (Kempo Unlimited)
2. Dannen Dano (Advanced Kempo)
(CHILDREN'S
DIVISION 12-13YRS OLD)
1. Nainoa Mesiona (808 Fight Factory)
2. George Sheridan (Shioi's Kajukenbo)
(CHILDREN'S
DIVISION 14-15YRS OLD)
1. Jesse Micmillin (Shioi's Kajukenbo)
2. Sean Cullen (Shioi's Kajukenbo)
(ADULT
18+ WOMEN'S LT WT DIVISION
1. Jasmine Galarita (Kempo Unlimited)
2. Rachel Tayros (Kempo Unlimited)
(ADULT
18+ MENS LT MID WT DIVISION)
1. Landon Ramos (Combat 50)
2. Chris Gillum (Goju Kan)
(ADULT
18+ MEN'S ADVANCED HVY WT)
1. Daniel Bruce (Advanced Kempo)
2. Frank Kuamoo II (Sera's Kajukenbo)
(ADULT
18+ WOMEN'S OPEN DIVISION)
1. Amy Coleman (Kempo Unlimited)
2. Kahea Ching (Kempo Unlimited)
3. Kathy Koch (Goju Kan)
(ADULT
MEN'S 40+ HVY WT)
1. Joe Bardovche (Advanced Kempo)
2. Johnny Harmon (Hi Chinese Kempo)
|
Henderson
to Face Silva in March
By FCF Staff
Ultimate
Fighting Championship President Dana White announced Saturday
at the “Validation” post-fight press conference, that
former Pride 183lb. champion Dan Henderson, will face current
UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva in March. Speculation
has abounded recently as to whether or not the Team Quest fighter
would agree to make the move down once again to 185lbs., as Henderson
(22-6) has consistently stated he prefers fighting at light-heavyweight.
In his return to the Octagon at UFC 75 in September, Henderson
failed to add the UFC 205lb. title to his resume, losing by Unanimous
Decision to current champion Quinton Jackson.
With
his recent repeat stoppage of Rich Franklin, the search was on
for a middleweight fighter that could push Silva (20-4). The
Brazilian has been dominant in his wins over Travis Lutter, Nathan
Marquardt, Chris Leben and Franklin, and the UFC’s middleweight
roster currently does not offer another challenger like Henderson.
Despite his 5 wins in the Octagon, including a recent decision
win over Jason MacDonald, Yushin Okami just lost to Franklin
at UFC 72 in June. Many of the division’s other higher profile
fighters like Patrick Cote, Kendall Grove, and Ed Herman, also
have recent losses on their resume.
Without
question the former Olympic Greco-Roman wrestler and FCF’s
#2 ranked middleweight fighter in Henderson, should pose the
greatest threat to Silva, FCF’s current #1 ranked 185lb.
fighter. No specific details regarding the March fight have yet
been announced by the UFC.
Source: FCF
|
FEDOR
CONFIRMED FOR NYE
Emelianenko Will Face 7-foot-2 Choi at Dec. 31 Event in Japan
By Brian Knapp
Additional reporting by Gino Mongelli
Fedor
Emelianenko will return to the mixed martial arts scene for the
first time in more than eight months when he tackles 7-foot-2
Hong Man Choi on Monday, Dec. 31 in Japan. The bout will serve
as the centerpiece for a year-end show being organized by HUSTLE,
a professional wrestling organization based in Japan that was
once owned by Dream Stage Entertainment (former parent company
of PRIDE Fighting Championships).
MMAWeekly.com
confirmed the fight with M-1 Global CEO Monte Cox, whose upstart
promotion signed Emelianenko to a non-exclusive contract in October.
“Fedor will fight Dec. 31,” Cox said. “We made
a deal with a Japanese organization to loan him out.”
Talk
of a potential New Year’s Eve bout featuring Emelianenko
reached a fever pitch last week when he published an open letter
to Japanese fans on the Mix-Fight Web site, which read: “I
contacted M-1 Global management and received their complete support
in my desire to continue the tradition of fighting in Japan on
New Year’s Eve.”
Cox,
who could not be reached for comment, originally denied rumors
surrounding the Sambo champion’s participation in the event.
Undefeated
in 24 fights (including one no contest), Emelianenko has been
almost universally received as the world’s top heavyweight
since he defeated Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic at PRIDE
“Final Conflict 2005” two years ago last August. His
public perception seems likely to change with his latest career
choice, as many MMA fans had hoped he might test himself against
an elite heavyweight contender; Josh Barnett has been mentioned
as a possible opponent for his M-1 Global debut in the United
States.
Emelianenko
(26-1, 1 NC) last fought in April when he submitted former Olympic
silver medalist Matt Lindland at Bodog Fight “Clash of the
Nations” on April 14 in St. Petersburg, Russia. The 31-year-old
has submitted his last four opponents and has not felt the sting
of defeat in nearly seven years. Eighteen of his 26 career victories
have come in the opening round.
Choi
(1-0), meanwhile, has just 16 seconds of professional MMA experience
under his belt. The 27-year-old South Korean stopped Bobby Olgun
on strikes at K-1 “Premium 2006 Dynamite!!” last December.
An accomplished kickboxer, Choi was denied a license to fight
in California in June after three MRI exams revealed an abnormal
pituitary gland condition that had manifested itself in the form
of a brain tumor.
He
stands more than a foot taller than Emelianenko and will outweigh
him by some 100 pounds when the two collide next month. Choi
is also scheduled to participate in the K-1 "World Grand
Prix 2007 Final," which will be carried live on The Fight
Network.
Kampiro,
Japan’s largest MMA magazine, reported earlier this week
that former PRIDE executives – including Nobuhiko Takada
and Daisuke Sato – were involved in bringing the New Year’s
Eve show to fruition.
Several
former PRIDE standouts – Hayato “Mach” Sakurai
(30-7-2) and Tatsuya Kawajiri (19-4-2) – are also rumored
to be participating in the event, along with Hidehiko Yoshida
and members of his gym. Shinya Aoki (11-2), one of the world’s
premier ground fighters, confirmed he would be competing on the
card in a separate interview with the magazine.
The
report indicated that Takada, Sato and other ex PRIDE officials,
may seek partnerships with the Fight Entertainment Group, World
Victory Road and M-1 Global in an effort to hold events in Japan
next year.
Source: The Fight Network
|
Mike
Tyson condemned
Former champion will serve sentence in freedom
Mike Tyson suffered yet another knockout today. According to
information coming from the American press, the once iron man
was condemned today for possession and use of drugs, besides
driving under the influence of narcotics. According to the site
ESPN in the USA, Tyson will serve his three-year sentence to
which he was condemned in conditional freedom.
The
trial that began last December, when Tyson was stopped by police
in the city of Scottsdale, Arizona, showing signs of drug-use,
ended today. Upon review of Tyson’s vehicle, the police
found packets of cocaine. To avoid even greater penalty, Mike
Tyson plead guilty to the charges in a hearing held in the middle
of this year.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
IFL
names Jay Larkin has been named CEO
By Brian Knapp
Gareb Shamus, co-founder of the International Fight League, resigned
today as CEO of the team-based MMA promotion, according to a
release from the IFL. Jay Larkin has been named as his successor.
“Taking
a sports and entertainment entity from an idea to an established
brand in 14 months is nothing short of amazing,” Larkin
said. “Gareb should be commended for his vision and leadership
during that period. From first-class events with rising athletes
to quality broadcast television and landmark licensing and sponsorship
deals, the IFL brand that has been built is very strong."
Shamus,
who founded the league along with Kurt Otto in 2006, will remain
with the IFL in a consulting capacity.
Larkin,
meanwhile, joined the IFL as president and COO in September.
He spent more than two decades with media giant Showtime, as
he rose from junior publicist to one of the most powerful and
respected deal makers in the sport of boxing.
During
his tenure with Showtime, the Brooklyn, N.Y. native oversaw the
channel’s growth in boxing, which began in 1986 with Marvin
Hagler’s middleweight title defense against John Mugabi.
He was also one of the key negotiators in what was then the biggest
money prize fight in history – the 2002 heavyweight championship
bout between Lennox Lewis and Mike Tyson. The fight was allowed
to proceed only after a landmark deal was struck between Showtime
(Tyson’s network) and rival HBO (Lewis’ network).
The
IFL will complete its first full season with the conclusion of
the IFL World Grand Prix on Saturday, Dec. 29 at the Mohegan
Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. Five championships – featherweight,
lightweight, welterweight, middleweight and heavyweight –
will be on the line at the event.
Source: The Fight Network
|
|