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(All events on Oahu, unless noted)
2008
1/26/08
NAGA Hawaii
(BJJ & Sub Grappling)
(Location TBA)
Tentative
2007
11/24/07
Kickin It
(Kickboxing)
(Dole Cannery Ballroom)
11/18/07
The Quest for Champions 2007 II
(Sport-Pankration, Submission-Grappling, Continuous Sparring)
(St. Louis High School Gym)
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 / Got Skills
(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
Kickin It / Got Skills
(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)
|
|
September 2007 News
Part 1
|
Casca Grossa Jiu-Jitsu
is now the O2 Martial Arts Academy with 6 days a week training!
We are also offering Escrima (stick fighting) on Monday nights
and Kickboxing Tuesday and Thursday!
Click
here for info!
Take classes from the Onzuka brothers in a family-like environment! |
 
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Teleivision
Tuesdays at 7:00PM
***NEW TIME***
Olelo Channel 52 on Oahu
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Check
out the FCTV website! |
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Quote
of the Day
“Sometimes
a player's greatest challenge is coming to grips with his role
on the team.”
Scottie Pippen, American Basketball Player
|
RAMPAGE
WINS; FANS RALLY AROUND HAMILL
Quinton “Rampage” Jackson became the first ever unified
champion since the purchase of Pride by Zuffa when he won a unanimous
decision over Dan Henderson on Saturday at UFC 75, while the
focus of the show turned out to be a judges’ decision that
left a lot to be desired.
Coming
into the fight, Quinton “Rampage” Jackson had said
in numerous interviews that he was more focused and ready for
this fight than anyone could imagine. He showed that en route
to a dominant performance over Dan Henderson.
Rampage
never let Henderson get comfortable in his game as he took the
Team Quest fighter down multiple times throughout the bout and
controlled the ground action to many surprised fans and onlookers.
Outside
of a kimura attempt and a couple of takedowns, Henderson never
let his hands go much against Rampage and the Memphis, Tenn.
native stayed the more aggressive fighter and worked an effective
clinch game as well.
As
the round progressed Rampage seemed to stay just as strong as
ever showing that his cardio was ready for the five round fight.
To
Henderson’s credit, he never put himself in any real danger
from Rampage’s powerful hands or signature slams but it
looked like he was being the more tentative fighter the entire
time.
As
the judges’ decision came in, the fans roared as Quinton
“Rampage” Jackson was announced as the first unified
champion combining the UFC and Pride 205lb belts and giving Rampage
a win in his first title defense.
In
what ended up being the focal point for the majority of the fans
watching UFC 75, Michael “The Count” Bisping won a
very controversial split decision over Cincinnati, Ohio native
Matt “The Hammer” Hamill, in what will almost surely
go down as one of the worst decisions in UFC history.
Hamill,
who was a competitor on the Ultimate Fighter season 3 alongside
Bisping, showed a much improved MMA game as he looked like a
much better striker than the heavily favored British native in
the early part of the fight.
The
former collegiate wrestler landed a number of jabs and combinations
that put Bisping on the defensive right away.
Hamill
stalked Bisping throughout rounds 1 and 2 landing crisper, cleaner
punches and taking the eventual winner of the Ultimate Fighter
season down at will.
To
almost everyone’s surprise watching the fight, Hamill looked
like the more experienced and well rounded fighter when even
after taking Bisping down, he let his opponent back up where
he punished him on the feet.
The
3rd round was the only time Bisping put up much offense as he
let his hands go and worked his stand-up against Hamill.
While
he never landed anything truly devastating due to the Ohioan’s
good boxing defense, Bisping was more aggressive late in the
fight, but again didn’t do anything that ever put Hamill
in any real danger.
The
judges’ scorecards came in and when the first read a 29-28
decision for Bisping, the reaction was instantaneous as to shock
how the Brit won 2 rounds. The 2nd judge saw it 30-27 for Hamill,
while Cecil Peoples, who has been involved in controversial decisions
in the past, scored the bout 29-28 for Bisping.
Michael
Bisping pulled off a split decision win and in his post fight
interview refused to give any credit to his opponent’s performance
acting like he just won by knockout instead of being handed a
gift decision.
On
the other side of the fight, Hamill showed a tremendous amount
of graciousness in defeat and should be commended for not being
more upset after a horrendous decision.
The
fans were also very vocal about this particular fight as the
callers into MMAWeekly Radio’s post fight show rallied around
Matt Hamill in this bout and voted him Fighter of the Night for
his performance and grace in the face of defeat after a decision
that no one seemed to agree with.
Cheick
Kongo solidified himself as a new contender in the UFC’s
heavyweight division after a 3 round unanimous decision win over
former Pride star, Mirko CroCop.
In
the 1st session, CroCop looked much better this time around than
he did against Gabriel Gonzaga, pushing the pace on Kongo for
the entire 5 minutes.
The
Croatian walked his opponent down and while he didn’t look
dominant on his feet, he did get the fight to the ground where
he unleashed a solid ground and pound attack, finishing up the
round in the mount reigning down punches on Kongo.
The
2nd and 3rd rounds saw a much different fight as Kongo took over
with superior clinch work and a better stand-up attack than the
former K-1 kickboxer in CroCop.
Kongo
was much stronger working knees and punches from within the clinch
and when he did take the fight to the ground he controlled the
position and avoided any reversal attempts from CroCop.
The
end of the fight saw Kongo pick up the biggest win of his career
defeating Mirko CroCop by unanimous decision, handing the former
Pride Grand Prix champion his 2nd straight loss in a row.
This
loss could be as important to CroCop as it is for Kongo as two
fighters seem to be headed in separate directions with the Frenchman
getting the nod in a strong performance, while Mirko suffers
his 2nd straight loss to a previously unranked fighter and may
not have a long future in the UFC.
Houston
Alexander showed fans that his: 48 second win over Keith Jardine
was no fluke as he crushed Italian boxer Alessio Sakara in just
over a minute in their bout at UFC 75.
Alexander
looked phenomenal in the clinch, pummeling Sakara with knees,
one of which put the Italian on the mat.
The
Omaha, Neb. Native then unleashed a ground and pound attack that
soon finished off Sakara handing Houston Alexander his 2nd win
in the UFC and another great performance.
The
Fight of the Night as voted by the listeners of MMAWeekly Radio
was the match-up between “The Irish Hand Grenade” Marcus
Davis and Paul Taylor who put on a fantastic show in their bout.
Taylor
landed a huge high kick that floored the Maine based fighter
early in round 1 and just as it looked like referee Yves Lavigne
was stepping in to stop the fight, Davis composed himself and
pulled guard to withstand taking any more punishment.
From
here, Marcus Davis showed his steadily improving ground game
as he reversed position and ended up mounting Taylor, reigning
down shots on the British fighter.
Just
as Taylor reversed Davis from the mount, it was the “Irish
Hand Grenade” who pulled out an armbar forcing the submission
late in the 1st round.
UFC
75 started out with a ton of fire as Houston Alexander and Marcus
Davis seemed to steal the show, while what should have been a
historic night based around the title unification bout between
Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and Dan Henderson, the focus
instead turned into the terrible decision rendered in the Michael
Bisping/Matt Hamill fight.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
FIGHTERS
& PROMOTERS SPEAK OUT AGAINST BMA
The British Medical Association has a new cause to focus on,
as they have stated that they now wish to ban mixed martial arts
in England. This comes after years of work from the BMA in an
effort to ban boxing as well.
In
a recent article published with the BBC, the BMA has stated they
wish to ban the sport due to its violent roots and claiming it
causes traumatic brain injuries, joint injuries and fractures.
“This
kind of competition hardly constitutes a sport - the days of
gladiator fights are over and we should not be looking to resurrect
them,” stated Dr. Vivienne Nathanson, head of science and
ethics for the BMA. "As doctors, we cannot stand by while
violent fighting tournaments are allowed to take place.”
While
serious injuries are rare in sanctioned mixed martial arts events,
the doctors in the BMA believe MMA needs to go.
Dave
O’Donnell, a promoter for Cage Rage, spoke to MMAWeekly
recently about the comments released from the BMA about mixed
martial arts.
“This
reminds me of 25 years ago when they tried to ban kickboxing,”
said O’Donnell. “You had people saying guys were going
to get maimed, they were drawing comparisons with boxing and
saying it’s more brutal and guess what? There wasn’t
a single KO for something like 6 months.
“This
is just something new to them and something they want to jump
on, something to give these people purpose in the morning, a
meaning to life. Their comments aren’t based on research
or facts and chances are they haven’t event attended an
event.
“My
advice to them would be to do some research, it probably wouldn’t
take you more than an hour and get some facts. We faced something
similar 4 shows ago from a similar organization, but nothing
came of it. They were saying it was barbaric sport, this and
that and the sport is still going strong. Do some research!”
Ian
Freeman, who has fought in professional mixed martial arts for
more than a decade, expressed similar sentiments about the BMA’s
stance on the sport.
“The
BMA have been trying to ban boxing for ages, but they never succeeded
and if they haven’t banned boxing, then they won’t
manage to ban MMA, especially as statistically ours is a safer
sport. I don’t see this complaint going anywhere.
“What
is interesting is that Sir Henry Cooper received a knighthood
for his contribution to British Sport via Boxing, a sport they
would have arguably banned.
“I
wouldn’t say that the BMA is ignorant because there are
very highly educated individuals involved. They take offence
to that, but I would say that they lack education on our sport
as a whole,” stated Freeman.
“What
concerns me more is that you can watch a program on television
about BMX or motorbike jumping and you can see crashes with people
getting all smashed up. There was a kid up here who crashed his
BMX jumping off a ramp and broke his collarbone, his tibia, his
fibia and various other injuries, and I have never seen anything
like that in MMA. How can you argue that MMA is dangerous when
compared with that?”
Many
other fighters have stepped up in England to defend MMA when
it comes to the attacks from the BMA. Gary Turner, who has competed
in Cage Rage among other promotions in England, talked about
the risk of injuries in MMA as well.
“Taking
a hit to the head always runs the risk of damage, all fighters
should take note of that and we try to take as many precautions
as we can to protect ourselves through training, understanding
and managing the risk,” said Turner in an interview with
MMAWeekly. “However, this is a contact sport and by the
nature of it, as willing participants, we choose to take that
risk. We have rules and regulations in the sport and compete
under strict medical supervision.
“The
BMA’s comments strike me as ideological as they openly admit
on their website and via spokesmen that more injuries occur in
other sports. I believe they are calling a ban on MMA because
we compete with the intention of engaging in combat, as such
they appear to be forming their views on ideology rather than
medical grounds. What is interesting about the BMA is that they
are a trade union and don’t represent all British doctors,
in fact, many doctors enjoy MMA.”
The
BMA, as previously stated, has been on a similar crusade against
boxing since 1982, and the sport has continued to thrive in England.
The
statements made by the BMA are not much different from many other
uninformed sources that speak out against MMA from time to time.
The growth of the sport cannot be denied and promoters and fans
from around the world continue to embrace it as one of fastest
growing competitions in professional athletics.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
WCF:
RUSSIAN "MUMBO JUMBO"?
One
of the most important developments in exercise has been the concept
of “Periodization.”
For
those that don’t know (and to keep it fairly simple), periodization
is the concept of breaking training down into blocks (usually
called “cycles”) to achieve certain goals.
Utilized
and popularized (to most of the rest of the world) by the Eastern
Bloc countries, periodization is used to design cycles that prepare
an athlete to “peak” (i.e. – achieve maximum physical
performance) for his/her given competition period. This could
be for any period of time – say every four years for an
athlete wanting to compete in the Olympics, to every year for
an athlete competing in a seasonal sport.
Many
times, these blocks would be extended periods of time, and would
each have a different primary focus. For example, in a yearly
template, you might have a 2-month phase for rehab/general physical
preparedness/endurance, then a 2-month phase for hypertrophy
(muscle gain), then a 3-month phase for strength, then a 3-month
phase for power, then competition. The phase length and focus
would depend on the sport in which the athlete was competing.
Though
many countries in the Eastern Bloc used periodization, it was
the Russians who achieved the greatest successes – especially
in the Olympics. Through great amounts of government funding,
Russian sports scientists were able to study athletes, and design
programs that prepared said athletes to achieve amazing athletic
success. They utilized periodization to its greatest potential,
sending shockwaves throughout the Western world.
When
periodization hit the West, many trainers/trainees tried to copy
exactly what the Russian sports scientists were doing. This was
a mistake for various reasons. First (and I don’t want to
start a debate on this hotly-contested topic), there were widespread
rumors of blood doping and steroid/drug use among Eastern athletes.
Second, possible drug-usage or not, the Russians were dealing
with elite-level athletes who had been training at this high
level for a number of years. These athletes had been “fine-tuned”
(for lack of a better term) so that the sports scientists could
make the smallest changes to their programs, and it would make
dramatic differences.
Many
stereotypes of Russian periodized training involve utilizing
a great number of different percentages and such. As a result,
there was a certain “mysticism” associated with a lot
of Russian periodized training, and some thought that there was
a chase for the ultimate training percentage and protocol, while
others thought it was just a load of complicated crap.
Now,
I’m not going to argue the effectiveness of periodization
– too many great athletes have been trained, and too many
great athletic achievements have been accomplished while on this
training protocol. I would argue, however, that for fighters/combat
athletes (as well as many of us “regular folk”), there
is certain way we should use periodization.
At
its most basic, periodization is simply cycling. Go hard, back
off, go hard, back off, etc. Periodization is just a way to organize
it.
The
problem (per se) with the way periodization has been traditionally
used is that it takes too long. Fighters routinely take fights
on short notice – sometimes as little as a few days. You
don’t want to be offered the chance of a lifetime, and have
to say, “Sorry, I’m not in shape – I’m in
my strength phase right now. Come back in 6 weeks after I ramp
my conditioning back up.” You need to be ready all the time.
Naturally,
you can’t be competition ready (as in the case of signing
for a fight 8-10 weeks out) all the time. I’d call this
situation “peaking” for your fight. But you can always
be “in shape.” You might not be at your absolute best,
but you can be pretty close.
The
same goes for us “regular folk.” Say you’ve got
family that needs you to help them move. What are you going to
do, say “Sorry – I’m in my endurance phase right
now. Can you put it off until I’m done with my strength
work for the year?” You never know what physical necessities
you might come across – you’d better be ready when
they happen.
Now,
to do this, you have to drastically shorten the traditional length
of periodization. There are several ways to so this. In bodybuilding
circles, Leo Costa and Dr. R.L. Horine put out a series of books
that, supposedly based on Bulgarian Olympic Lifting protocols,
detailed what they called “micro-periodization.” This
compressed traditional periodization into a single week. Instead
of focusing a few months each on endurance, strength, and power,
you trained a bodypart 3x/week, with a workout focused on each.
Though the book was designed for bodybuilding, you could easily
apply the principles to a Strength & Conditioning program
for fighters.
Another
way would be to sort of “auto-regulate” your training
tonnage with your sets/reps scheme so that over a given period
of time, you’ve done your endurance, strength, and power
work. For example, do 2 sets of 20 reps on an exercise. The next
workout, add 5-20 lbs. (depending on the exercise). Keep doing
this each workout until you can no longer get 20 reps. At that
point, drop down to 2 sets of 10 reps. Keep up the process going
until you can’t do 10 reps. Then do 2 sets of 5. Keep repeating
until you can’t get 5. Then do 2 sets of 3. Keep repeating.
When you can’t get your 2 sets of 3, drop the weight back
down, and go back to 2 sets of 20. However, you should now be
starting with a weight much higher than you started the whole
cycle with the last time around. Depending on the exercise and
how often you can train, this whole cycle should only take 4-5
weeks.
A
way I like, and use most of the time (I used it in all the programs
I designed for “Working Class Fitness – The Programs”)
is to break things down into a monthly block. I pick a primary
focus that I want to increase. The focus of my training is on
this one objective, but I do enough basic accessory work to maintain
all other facets of training. I push hard for 3 weeks; then have
a back-off week of easier training. In the case of my “WCF
– The Programs”, I generally repeated this type of
program twice back-to-back, but making changes to how the workouts
were structured or what sort of exercises were used.
For
example, let’s say you wanted to increase your speed, and
decided to do this with 40-yard sprints. You would pick two days/week
to do sprints. On another two days (sometime after you had had
time to recover from you sprint days), you’d do some lower-body
strength/power training to help increase the force you apply
to the ground when you sprint. Either on the same training days
as your lower-body work, or on other days (depending on how you
have the program laid out), you do some very basic upper-body
work, just to maintain. Do this for 3 weeks, and then on a 4th
week, do a basic strength program with some easy conditioning,
or maybe a couple hard (but not super intense) interval workouts.
Now, at the end of your month, you’ve maintained your upper-body
strength/power, maintained or increased your lower-body (and
many times, in turn, your full-body) strength/power, and now
your sprint speed has increased.
(NOTE
– Program #4 in “Working Class Fitness – The Programs”
is about developing sprinting speed, and the workouts I designed
used the above template.)
Periodization
doesn’t have to be rocket science. Just take a “Working
Class” approach to it, and figure a way to apply it to your
training. When all else fails, remember what it is was designed
to do – organize a way for you to go hard, back off, go
hard, back off…
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Quote
of the Day
"Life
without love is like a tree without blossoms or fruit."
Kahlil Gibran, 1883-1931, Lebanese Poet and Novelist
|
UFC
75: Champion vs Champion Results
UFC 75: Champion vs. Champion
Saturday, September 8, 2007
O2 Arena in London, England
Bout
#1 - Welterweight
Jess Liaudin def. Anthony
Torres
via TKO (strikes) - R1 (4:10)
Bout
#2 - Lightweight
Dennis Siver def. Naoyuki Kotani via KO - R1 (2:04)
Bout
#3 - Light Heavyweight
Thiago Silva def. Tomasz Drwal via TKO (strikes) - R2 (4:23)
Bout
#4 - Lightweight
Gleison Tibau def. Terry Etim via unanimous decision after 3
rounds
Bout
#5 - Light Heavyweight
Houston Alexander def. Alessio Sakara via TKO (strikes) - R1
(1:01)
Bout
#6 - Welterweight
Marcus Davis def. Paul Taylor via submission (armbar) - R1 (4:14)
Bout
#7 - Heavyweight
Cheick Kongo def. Mirko "Cro Cop" via unanimous decision
after 3 rounds
Bout
#8 - Light Heavyweight
Michael Bisping def. Matt Hamill via split decision after 3 rounds
Bout
#9 - UFC & PRIDE Light Heavyweight Unification Title
Quinton "Rampage" Jackson defeats Dan Henderson by
Decision
Source: MMA Fighting
|
UFC
75: Champion vs. Champion Review
By Robert Rousseau
UFC 75: Champion vs. Champion came to us Saturday from the O2
Arena in London, England. Of course, being that the fight was
in Great Britain, Michael Bisping was on the card. However, he
wasn’t just up against garden variety competition this time.
We’re
talking about former TUF teammate Matt Hamill.
Meanwhile,
Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic, perhaps the greatest heavyweight
striker in mixed martial arts history, was back in England hoping
to redeem himself after a devastating knockout loss to Gabriel
Gonzaga. How would he be mentally? Then, of course, was the main
event of the night: PRIDE Champion "Dangerous" Dan
Henderson vs. UFC Champion Quinton "Rampage" Jackson.
Before
the first televised bout against Alessio Sakara, Houston Alexander
said that the question everybody was asking would be answered.
"Everybody saw the Keith Jardine fight. I’m here to
show the UFC fans that it wasn’t a fluke."
We
should’ve all just listened to him and took the time to
get a beverage. After all, before even a minute had gone by in
the first round, Alexander landed a right knee that dropped Sakara.
Punch after punch while in his opponent’s guard later, the
referee had to step in, leaving Alexander with a KO victory at
the 1:01 mark.
Then
came the round of the night when Marcus Davis took on Britain’s
own Paul Taylor.
Davis
got dropped in the first by a Taylor high kick and then took
an immeasurable amount of punishment via ground and pound, but
still Yves Lavigne did not stop the fight -rightfully so, he
took into account the toughness of the fighter. Finally, Davis
did recover and eventually turned his opponent over onto his
back. Then he took side control. Next came a barrage of punches
and elbows that rivaled what Taylor had just gotten done doing
to him.
But
the fight still was not stopped -again, the right decision. And
just after Davis mounted Taylor, the British fighter turned him
over. In other words, the pendulum looked as if it was swinging
back to Taylor.
Not
so. Davis transitioned to an armbar and forced his opponent to
tap at 4:14 of round one.
Then
came Mirko Cro Cop versus Cheick Kongo. Cro Cop won the first
round by mounting Kongo and working him over on the ground, but
for some reason Joe Rogan said that "you could arguably
give him (Kongo) the first round"– not so.
However,
Cro Cop definitively lost the second round after going for a
guillotine and getting taken to the ground for his lackluster
effort where he was pounded on.
But
in the third, Cro Cop looked like a beaten fighter. He was backing
up. He wasn’t throwing punches or kicks. This simply was
not the fighter MMA fans had become used to seeing. And the referees
agreed afterward via unanimous decision.
Cro
Cop simply isn’t fighting like an elite fighter anymore.
Who would’ve ever thought?
Finally,
just before the main event, Michael Bisping and Matt Hamill entered
the Octagon to settle their TUF dispute. Beforehand, Bisping
aptly summarized things.
"I
don’t like him; he doesn’t like me. What more is to
say?"
Unfortunately,
despite all the bad blood and the opportunity, an argument can
be made that they didn’t really settle anything.
Hamill
won the first round clearly. The surprising thing is that he
did so on his feet, opening small cuts under Bisping’s eyes.
The second round was much closer; in addition, Hamill was able
to take Bisping down. However, the Brit consistently got up when
he did so and sustained little damage. Further, Bisping looked
better on his feet in the second.
But
still, most of his punches landed on Hamill’s arms -though
the deaf fighter tended to drop his hands when they were separated,
he brought them back up when his opponent got closer. Because
of this, Rogan thought Hamill won the second round as did this
writer.
The
third, despite some takedowns by Hamill, went to a seemingly
rejuvenated Bisping, who nailed his opponent with several shots
on the feet. Further, he was more active on the ground than his
opponent, even when on the bottom.
But
this is London, people. And in London it’s quite hard to
beat a native son like Michael Bisping. Thus, Bisping took home
a victory via split decision. One judge gave it to Hamill 30-27.
The funniest part was that Bisping seemed oblivious to the fact
that this was a highly controversial decision. On the other hand,
Hamill was quite gracious in defeat.
Dan
Henderson aptly described what many were feeling coming into
the main event of the evening. "It’s the biggest fight
ever in MMA."
However,
his friend Jackson got nostalgic for only a moment before making
a prediction in his own unique style. "Dan Henderson has
never been knocked out before. Granted, that’s real. There’s
a first time for everything."
The
first round went to Henderson, as he succeeded in tying Rampage
up against the wall and connecting with several knees to the
legs. Further, Henderson took him down– even though Rampage
did a good job of getting to his feet after escaping a crucifix
position set up– and nailed him with a nice left during
one of the few separations in the round.
Soon
after the second round started, Henderson was able to take Rampage
down from the clinch, achieve side control, and utilize some
ground and pound. Still, Rampage showed some good escapability
and was able to get to his feet near the two minute mark. Then
Henderson clinched and went for another takedown. Didn’t
work this time, though, because Rampage ended up defending well
and on top on the ground. From there Jackson did a really good
job of ground and pounding away at Henderson’s ribs until
the round ended.
A
very close round.
In
the third, the two opened up a little with the striking. Rampage
hit more often and harder, though no one was in trouble at the
outset. However, after a hard knee by Henderson, Rampage dropped
a level and took him down. From there, Jackson transitioned to
half guard and pounded away at Henderson’s midsection and
ribs. Meanwhile, Hollywood went for a Kimura.
Eventually,
Henderson’s efforts paid off and he was able to turn Jackson
over. From there he let the Kimura go. However, he did hit home
with some nice ground and pound. Rampage turned over, eventually
got up, and then the two traded hard punches, most of them missing,
until the end of the round.
Another
very close round.
In
the fourth Jackson caught his opponent with a hard left that
dropped him. This allowed Rampage to follow his opponent to the
ground where he controlled Henderson well and continually pounded
away at his midsection with elbows and punches from the half
guard. However, Big John decided to bring them to their feet.
Puzzling, as Rampage was doing damage to the body.
The
rest of the round on the feet was a toss up. A clear round for
Rampage. So who’s winning coming into the final stanza?
Who
knows? But from an overall fight perspective– if this were
PRIDE judging– one has to feel that Rampage has kind of
taken over.
The
final round, may have went to Henderson. Most of the stand up
in the round– through the first three minutes or so–
was even. However, Henderson hit home with a couple of very hard
shots and then took Rampage down, controlling him up against
the cage until Rampage was able to get up at around the 30 second
mark. From there, in the clinch, Rampage connected with some
nice knees and took Henderson down.
At
the conclusion, Rampage was on top of Henderson raining down
punches.
This
was a very close fight. But the judges– rightfully so–
gave it to Rampage via unanimous decision.
After
the fight, Rogan asked Jackson to talk about what he was thinking
during a certain moment in the fight. And, in usual humor, Rampage
said "I was thinking damn, boy I better do something or
Dan’s gonna kick my ass."
Just
to throw some flavor in.
In
the end, UFC 75 was a good night of fights. The Marcus Davis-
Paul Taylor one round fight was extremely exciting, the Hamill-
Bisping bout possessed its share of up and down action -especially
the decision, and the Rampage- Henderson fight was very close.
Not to mention, the MMA world got to see the entrance of a true
player on the scene in Houston Alexander, and, unfortunately,
perhaps a man on his way out in Mirko Cro Cop, who just doesn’t
look like the same fighter anymore.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
ELITE
XC PRE-FIGHT CONFERENCE CALL
Rua,
Lawler, Shields and Carano Ready for September 15th
By Kelsey Mowatt
Elite
XC held a media conference call today in preparation for the
promotion’s upcoming September 15th event in Honolulu, Hawaii. The card, which will
be the result of a strategic partnership between Elite XC, ICON Sport and Rumble
on the Rock,
will be headlined by a middleweight title fight between Elite
XC champ, Murilo “Ninja” Rua and ICON title holder,
Robbie Lawler. Also scheduled on the event, FCF’s 8th ranked
170lb. fighter Jake Shields will take on BJJ instructor Renato Verissimo, UFC and Pride veteran
Nick Diaz will fight Hawaii’s Mike Aina, Joey Villasenor is set to meet Riki
Fukuda, and rising star Gina Carano will battle Tonya Evinger.
Elite
XC Live Events Division President, Gary Shaw, participated in
today’s call, and fielded several questions pertaining to
issues outside of the upcoming September 15th card. In regards
to today’s announcement that ProElite, the parent company
of Elite XC, has acquired Cage Rage, Shaw stated that the British
promotion’s co-founders Andy Geer and Dave O’Donnell
would remain integrally involved with the event. Due to the purchase
just being finalized, Shaw did not discuss the financial particulars
of the deal.
In
respect to recent rumors that have been circulating that ProElite
is also engaged in negotiations to acquire ICON Sport and King
of the Cage, Shaw responded;
“Yes,
there is a letter of intent out on both properties that is correct.”
If
indeed both those promotions become ProElite property, that would
give the growing MMA company a foothold in Hawaii, the U.S.,
England and South Korea, as Shaw reminded the calls participants
today that ProElite has also acquired Spirit MC. The promoter
also re-iterated ProElite’s intention to allow the free
movement of its fighters throughout the MMA world,
“Sure,
there is nothing stopping us from fighting anyone,” Shaw
said in response to a question about the possibility of Rua or
Lawler fighting Strikeforce 185lb. champ Frank Shamrock. “We’ll
fight any fighter in the UFC, we’ll let our fighters go
into the UFC to bring back their belt, our will do it on Showtime,
on an Elite XC card, or an ICON card, or Cage Rage, it doesn’t
make a difference, that’s what makes this exciting, so everyone
has a chance.”
The
Elite XC Live Events President also revealed that the organization
is examining creating a permanent 160lb. division, but has not
decided on whether or not they would keep promoting that alongside
a 155lb. division in the future. Shaw also confirmed today that
the winner of the September 15th fight between Lawler and Rua
would retain both the Elite XC and ICON Sport middleweight championship
belts. To which Rua responded through his translator,
“Now
he’s more excited, if what we understand, if both belts
is true, Ninja is saying he’s more excited now with both
belts on the line. For sure, Ninja believes this is the best
moment of his career, he’s feeling very well with the support
from the media and the fans, and is feeling very well fighting
for the fans in the U.S.”
Rua’s
opponent, Miletich fighter Robbie Lawler ,also sounded excited
about the upcoming opportunity,
“Well
I’m very excited to fight, I’m in good shape, ready
to go, I’m healthy. I’m looking forward to putting
on a good show and knocking Ninja out.”
Lawler
maintained in answering further questions that he hopes to keep
the fight standing, and that he believes he will be able to stifle
any attempt from Rua to take the fight to the ground. Rua laid
claim to the Elite XC title in June by stopping Joey Villasenor
in the second round, while Lawler knocked out Frank Trigg in
the 4th round at ICON Sport 50 in March, to win that promotion’s
185lb. belt.
Gina
Carano has quickly become not only the poster girl for the organization’s
women’s competition, but one of ProElite’s more notable
athletes. When asked about her upcoming fight with Evinger, Carano
said,
“I
just want to say thank you to ProElite and Showtime for putting
me on this card, it’s an honor once again, I’m really
planning on putting on a good fight, I’ve got a really tough
opponent, and I really respect that they put this fight on, so
I’m hoping to put on a good show.”
And
as far as the welterweight match-up between the notable grappling
practitioners in Shields and Verissimo, the Cesar Gracie trained
fighter had this to say,
“I’m
excited for the fight, Charuto (Verissimo) is someone I was supposed
to fight twice before and it fell through,” said Shields.
“I think he’s a great jiu-jitsu guy and I’ve trained
my ass off, I’m ready to go out there and fight you know?
Hopefully I’ll be able to do a little stand-up with him,
hoping to bring a little pressure and knock him out.”
Source: Full Contact Fighter
|
Mauricio
Shogun: From married to the ring
By Bernardo
Seabra
Preparing for his debut on the UFC octagon, Mauricio Shogun had
before another important compromise. The Chute Boxe athlete had
married in the last September first with the physiotherapist
Renata Riberio in Maringa , Paraná state, . “I was
really nervous in the day before, but in the moment I was relax”,
said Shogun, who interrupted his trains over three days for the
wedding, but his already back with full strength looking for
UFC 76. “I was upset with Wanderlei. He trained with me
and went to train with the guy I will fight”, said Shogun
in an exclusive to TATAME.com, about his ex teammate Wanderlei
Silva, who went to train in Randy Couture Gym, it has as an athlete
Forrest Griffin, next opponent of Shogun. Confer below the complete
interview.
How
was your wedding? You wore more nervous there or in the ring?
I
was nervous in the day before, but at the moment I was relax.
The whole crew was there, was great.
Forrest
make you remark your honey moon. He will pay for that?
I
hope so (laughers). I hope to bring this victory to the gym.
The trains were pretty good, but I stop for three days because
of the wedding. But now I’m already back and I’ll be
100% on the day fight.
How
is going the trains with Fabricio Werdum?
Werdum
is pretty good, was a great acquisition. It’s a good train
to the whole team.
With
the Werdum ground experience, you are already going to show some
evolution of your game in this fight against Forrest?
I
hope to show on this fight yes. He is a big guy, heavy and I
never get some guy big like that in the fight, will be great.
He is technique, pass us a lot of positions. I hope my ground
game get better.
What
you thing about Couture’s victory over Napão?
I
saw twice the fight and I still can’t see with was the jab
or the head that broke Napao’s nose. I guess this make the
difference, because with a broke nose he can’t breath. I
guess with he doesn’t have a broke nose, Napao win certainly,
in the ground or stand up game.
What
you thing about Wand had a train with Couture?
They
are two MMA star, but I was upset with Wand. He trained with
and went to train with the guy I will fight.
Wand
has told us that he never fight against you, for no money. You
have the same opinion or you professionally fight against him?
I
guess I didn’t fight him. Wand is a great friend of mine
and I never fight against him.
How
is your brother for the belts defend fight on EliteXC?
He’s
very well and is going to bring back the belt for . My brother
is going to face a good opponent, but he has some extra cards
to win this fight.
Source: Tatame
|
Terry
Martin to take on Chicago Mayor, Police Department
When UFC middleweight Terry Martin finishes his fight against
Chris Leben at UFC Fight Night
on September 19, he will have another fight already lined up:
versus the City of Chicago.
The
26-year-old Martin has pressed charges against Mayor Richard
M. Daley and the Chicago Police Department for alleged corruption
that took place in October 2005.
Martin
was stopped for not using his turn signal on October 22, 2005.
But instead of a routine ticket, Martin alleges that he was verbally
harassed by police officers -- including being called the n-word.
Martin's
problems escalated the following day when he decided to report
the incident at a police station, according to Blake Horwitz,
who is representing Martin in this misconduct case.
"While
trying to enter the station, the officers that were involved
in the incident the night before saw Martin. They rushed him
and arrested him. They handcuffed Martin, refused his request
for a lawyer (laughing at him), impounded his car and ridiculed
him. Martin was criminally prosecuted for fleeing and eluding,
on said date, even though he was approaching the police department,
in his car, to complain about the officers' misconduct."
Luckily
for Martin, he successfully defended himself in criminal court
when another officer -- not involved in the incident -- supported
Martin's story that he did not flee the scene prior to the arrest.
The
Law Offices of Blake Horwitz says Martin will claim in court
"that political corruption, internal conflicts of interest
between the mayor and the police department and bogus internal
affairs investigations cause Chicago police officers to run amok."
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Josh
Thomson vs. Adam Lynn set for Strikeforce on Sept. 29
Former UFC and PRIDE lightweight Josh "The Punk" Thomson
(34-2) will face IFL Condors' Adam Lynn (11-7) at Strikeforce's
September 29 event at the Playboy Mansion in Beverly Hills, California.
Thomson,
28, will be entering his sixth straight appearance for the Strikeforce
promotion with a four-fight win streak. In his previous outing,
the American Kickboxing Academy competitor submitted Nick Gonzalez
with a rear naked choke on the "Shamrock vs. Baroni"
pay-per-view card. Thomson has defeated the likes of "Razor"
Rob McCullough, Duane "Bang" Ludwig and Hermes Franca.
Lynn,
29, is a member of the IFL's Southern California Condors. He
completed the 2007 IFL season with a 1-2 record, but notched
an unanimous decision win in his season-ending fight against
Josh Odom. Prior to the IFL, Lynn has fought all over California
- including two stints with the pre-Zuffa WEC, where he lost
to Richard Crunkilton and Jay Hieron. Lynn is currently training
with Greg Jackson in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Strikeforce
regulars Gilbert Melendez, Bobby Southworth and Daniel Puder
will all compete on the card against opponents to-be-determined.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Quote
of the Day
"Of
all the music that reached farthest into heaven, it is the beating
of a loving heart."
Henry Ward Beecher, 1813-1887, American Preacher/Orator/Writer
|
Fighter
hopes experience offsets age in pro debut
By Dayton Morinaga
Advertiser Staff Writer
ELITEXC: UPRISING
What: Professional mixed martial arts
Where: Blaisdell Center Arena
When: Sept. 15, preliminary bouts start at 3 p.m.
Who: Robbie Lawler vs. Murilo "Ninja" Rua in main event,
plus 10 other bouts.
TV: Five bouts, including the main event, will be shown live
on Showtime.
Tickets: $25 for upper level, $35 for risers (off center), $45
for loge and risers (center), $75 for floor; $150, $250 or $400
for ringside. Available at Blaisdell box office or www.ticketmaster.com.
Some fine wines need to be aged properly before being opened.
Mark
Kurano, who is employed as a wine distributor, is hoping the
same theory applies to mixed martial arts.
Kurano,
who is 38, will make his debut in the sport of mixed martial
arts next week at the EliteXC organization's "Uprising"
card at the Blaisdell Center Arena.
"I'm
at the end of my window, I realize that, and I would have preferred
to do this a few years earlier," he said. "But the
main reason why I'm doing this is because I don't want to have
any regret. Five or six years from now, I want to at least say
I gave it a shot."
His
age is not the only factor that makes him an unlikely competitor.
Kurano
is married and has two young children. His kids — Andy,
10, and Amanda, 7 — are not allowed to watch mixed martial
arts because Kurano believes it is too violent.
He
has a college degree in business administration and is a former
Air Force pilot.
By
day, he is a wine distributor for Johnson Brothers of Hawai'i
and Gallo Winery.
"I
want to show people that someone like myself, who is educated
and has a clean image and a good job, can also participate in
mixed martial arts," Kurano said. "I, personally, don't
like the image mixed martial arts holds right now. A lot of the
fighters, especially in the bigger organizations, are thuggish
and trash-talkers. I don't think you have to have that image
to be successful."
By
night, Kurano is a tireless practitioner of mixed martial arts,
and he is not jumping into the cage next week on a whim.
He
has 24 years of experience in judo — he is now a black belt
and an instructor at the Shobukan Judo Club. He also has seven
years of training in jiu-jitsu, three years of boxing, and he
started taekwondo this year.
"I
try to do something different every night," said Kurano,
who resides in Nu'uanu with his family. "I really wish I
got into some of the other stuff, like boxing, when I was younger.
I'm sure getting hit in the face would have been much easier
to take when I was younger. The headaches last a little longer
at my age."
Patrick
Freitas, who is a matchmaker for the EliteXC organization and
helped coordinate Kurano's debut, said: "Mark's judo skills
are top-notch. His grappling and submission talents are on par
with some of the top MMA fighters in the world. He understands
the sport and he knows his strength. He's literally studied the
sport for more than a decade."
Kurano
will face California's Jose "The Bomber" Diaz in a
middleweight (185 pounds) bout on the undercard of the Sept.
15 event.
"Anybody
with the nickname 'The Bomber' is probably going to be a brawler,"
Kurano said. "But from what I know, he's limited in his
experience, so that's good for me."
Kurano
was originally scheduled to make his debut for the Icon Sport
organization June 15. However, that card was postponed, giving
Kurano an opportunity to fight on the EliteXC card next week.
The
main event bouts from next week's card will be televised live
nationally on the Showtime cable network. The undercard bouts,
including Kurano's, will be streamed live on the Internet at
proelite.com.
"If
I fought on that June card, it would have been a big local event,"
Kurano said. "All of a sudden, it's a big national event.
I wasn't stressed out in June, but now ... I feel like I have
to absolutely win decisively to show I can do this."
Kurano
is also a familiar face to fans of mixed martial arts in Hawai'i.
He is a co-host of the Fighters Club TV show that airs weekly
on the 'Olelo network. He has also served as a commentator/analyst
for the Icon Sport organization.
He
said his future in the sport may depend on the outcome of his
Sept. 15 debut.
"When
my wife asks me if this is a one-time thing, my answer is absolutely
yes, so that I can put her mind at ease," Kurano said. "But
truthfully, it really depends on how I do."
Reach
Dayton Morinaga at dmorinaga@honoluluadvertiser.com.
Source: Honolulu Advertiser
|
Hawaii
Fighting Championships Tonight!
September
8, 2007
Dole Cannery Ballroom
Fights start at 6:00 pm
|
UFC
75: Champion vs. Champion Preview
By Robert Rousseau
Today!
Hawaii Air times
Spike Digitial Cable 559
6:00PM
UFC 75: Champion vs. Champion will be coming to us all on September
8, 2007 from London, England at the 02 Arena with a unification
bout between PRIDE champion Dan “Hollywood” Henderson
and UFC champion Quinton “Rampage” Jackson.
Mirko
“Cro Cop” Filipovic is also on the card in an effort
to make amends for a terrible showing against Gabriel Gonzaga
when he takes on Cheick Kongo.
Finally,
we’ll all get to see the TUF championship fight that never
was when Matt Hamill collides with TUF 3 champion Michael “The
Count” Bisping in front of his hometown English crowd.
How
will it all shakedown?
Michael
“The Count” Bisping (13-0, 9 (T)KO’s, 4 submission
victories) vs. Matt Hamill (3-0, 2 (T)KO’s)
What
Bisping brings to the table: Everything. Michael Bisping has
strong submission skills, better than average wrestling (takedowns,
takedown defense, and ground control), good power, and strong
technical striking skills. Oh yeah, and he also always comes
to fight in shape. In other words, this guy is the real deal.
Which
is why he’s a former TUF Champion. The sky is the limit.
What
Hamill brings to the table: Hamill is an inhumanely strong wrestler
that is still working on transitioning to the MMA world. Speaking
of his wrestling skills, Hamill is a three time Division III
National Champion. So, he’s got a clear and decisive advantage
over Bisping in that regard.
However,
his technical striking skills are lacking -- even if the power
is there.
In
the end: Hamill is an elite wrestler with unbelievable power.
That plus the training he’s been receiving with Tito Ortiz
and the gang could very well allow him to take Bisping down countless
times and control him.
However,
Bisping is a survivor with outstanding cardio, submissions, and
striking. Thus, if Hamill slips up in any way, it could spell
the end. And, unfortunately for him, Hamill’s game is not
yet polished enough to avoid slipping up through an entire fight.
Bisping
via TKO in round three once Hamill tires in front of the home
crowd.
Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic (22-5-2, 15 (T)KO’s,
4 submission victories) vs. Cheick Kongo (10-3-1, 7 (T)KO’s,
1 submission victory)
What
Cro Cop brings to the table: Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic
is one of the greatest mixed martial arts heavyweight strikers
of all- time. Along with this, he throws fast, straight punches
that land with force, has better than average defensive skills
on his feet, and demonstrates the best kicks (both low and high)
that the sport has ever witnessed.
Beyond
that, Cro Cop is very strong and extremely hard to take down.
In fact, he has even exhibited decent takedown capabilities when
called upon. That said, his jiu-jitsu skills, though improving,
are not nearly as advanced as the rest of his game. Further,
he has very limited experience fighting in an Octagon and with
elbows on the ground.
And
the experience he does have with the aforementioned (Gabriel
Gonzaga, anyone?) hasn’t been good.
What
Kongo brings to the table: First, there’s the sheer size.
After all, Kongo is 6-foot-4, 230 pounds of solid muscle. Beyond
that, there’s the athleticism. In other words, Kongo is
a freakishly strong and explosive fighter.
And
all of this leads to brutal knockout power in his fists.
However,
when you break Kongo down there are certainly holes in his game.
He’s got good technical striking skills, not great. His
takedown defense leaves something to be desired, and he doesn’t
really possess much in the line of submission skills yet. Though
Kongo does have some decent submission defense– he’s
never been submitted and escaped a Christian Wellisch armbar
rather nicely back at UFC 62– he can be controlled on the
ground.
In
the end: Never get to caught up in one fight. All of those guys
that had Gabriel Gonzaga beating Randy Couture and then Fedor
soon after will agree.
Along
with that, Kongo is a good striker with great power. Cro Cop,
on the other hand, is a world class striker with nice power in
his hands and ridiculous once-in-a-lifetime power in his legs.
Expect Cro Cop, with little worry about being taken down (Kongo
probably wants to keep this one on his feet as well), to hit
his adversary a lot more than he gets hit. Further, his leg kicks
should make Kongo’s reach advantage negligible.
In
other words, with very little threat of a ground attack–
the fact is that Cro Cop’s ground skills may actually be
better than Kongo’s– elbows on the ground won’t
make nearly as much of a difference as they did when Gonzaga
took on Cro Cop. For that matter, neither should the Octagon
around him. And when it comes to stand up, Kongo probably only
has a puncher’s chance (though he is one strong puncher
and that can’t be dismissed).
Cro
Cop by TKO in round two.
Quinton
“Rampage” Jackson (27-6, 12 (T)KO’s, 7 submission
victories) vs. Dan “Hollywood” Henderson (22-5, 10
(T)KO’s, 1 submission victory)
What
Jackson brings to the table: Jackson has good technical striking
skills. He has better than good technical wrestling skills (takedowns,
takedown defense, and ground control). Rampage also has a good
jaw (no one would have stood up against the onslaught that Wanderlei
Silva dished out in their two battles). Further, his cardio has
proven to be pretty good in the past and is likely to be improved
right now as his training regiment has changed for the better.
But
when it comes Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, the conversation
starts and finishes with his unbelievable brute strength. Remember,
this is a man that picked Ricardo Arona up while in a triangle
and slammed him unconscious. In terms of raw power, he’s
the Fedor of the 205 pound division.
Jackson
has good submission defense– AKA, the slam– but not
much in the line of true submission skills. However, neither
does his opponent. Speaking of Henderson. . .
What
Henderson brings to the table: Dan Henderson has outstanding
takedowns, takedown defense, and ground control skills.
In
other words, he’s an Olympic caliber wrestler.
Beyond
that, Henderson is also well- rounded, with solid technical striking
skills and a right hand that hits quick and very hard. Oh yeah,
and he’s also nearly impossible to submit (it’s only
happened once during his career).
That
said, he doesn’t have much in the line of submissions.
In
the end: This is a very tough one to call. Both guys have similar
prowess in terms of their technical striking skills. Henderson
is a little bit faster on his feet and has the better technical
wrestling skills.
However,
Rampage has it on him when it comes to sheer size and power.
With neither guy likely to pull of a submission. . . Hmmm.
Unfortunately
for Henderson, this is his first foray into the UFC. The rules
probably won’t be an issue for him (in other words, elbows
and the Octagon). However, the loudness of the crowd and the
glitter of America might be. After all, PRIDE transfers Antonio
Rodrigo Nogueira, Heath Herring, and Quinton Jackson himself
(after his UFC debut fight against Marvin Eastman he said that
he’d never been so nervous before a fight) seem to have
had difficulty with the new American environment in their initial
Octagon ventures. This plus the size disadvantage– he’s
had some problems with bigger grapplers in the past like the
Nogueiras and Ricardo Arona– may render Henderson to the
losing side. . . barely.
A
never more confident Quinton “Rampage” Jackson by decision.
The
Rest
Alessio
Sakara vs. Houston Alexander: What happens when two guys get
in a ring that like to throw down?
The
guy who knocked out Keith Jardine wins, that’s what.
Houston
Alexander by TKO in round two.
Thiago
Silva vs. Tomasz Drwal: Drwal has compiled 14 wins and only one
loss (that was avenged) against wholly below average competition.
Silva is undefeated at 10-0 with a couple of quality wins. Both
guys like to knock people out, though Drwal, on paper, has the
better submission skills.
But
that’s only on paper against questionable competition. Take
the guy that’s fought in the UFC before.
Silva
by TKO in round three.
Paul
Taylor vs. Marcus Davis: Davis is much bigger and stronger than
he was back when he emerged on TUF. In other words, he has now
takedown defense, ground skills, and strength to go with his
strong stand up. Taylor won his Octagon debut against an excellent
submission fighter in Edilberto de Oliveira. Tough one to call,
but there’s no denying Davis’s nine straight victories.
Davis
by decision.
Anthony
Torres vs. Jess Liaudin: Liaudin is on a roll and has some well-rounded
skills. But Torres may be the better fighter.
Torres
by decision.
Terry
Etim vs. Gleison Tibau: Both guys are very good on the ground.
But Etim is fighting in front of the home crowd.
Etim
by decision.
Naoyuki
Kotani vs. Dennis Siver: Go with the more experienced fighter.
Kotani
by submission.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
LIGHTS,
CAMERA, ACTION:
RAMPAGE STARS IN UFC 75
by Damon Martin
The story of Quinton “Rampage” Jackson reads much like
a Hollywood screenplay. It started with a tough upbringing in
the streets, then a turn to professional fighting, suffering
tough defeats and then finding redemption that carries with it
championship gold.
Yes,
Quinton Jackson has seen a lot in his young life and now he is
fulfilling a dream by carrying the UFC light heavyweight championship
and he will write one more chapter in his legacy when he takes
on Pride champion, Dan Henderson, this Saturday in England.
Jackson
has been on quite a ride over the last few years, including a
stint in Pride that made him one of the most charismatic figures
in all of MMA.
But
with that charisma came much criticism as the always vocal fighter
suffered 2 losses to former champion Wanderlei Silva and a loss
to his teammate, Mauricio “Shogun” Rua that made many
question whether or not he could ever get to the top of the sport.
What
Rampage did have was a growing fan base and when his contract
with Pride expired in 2006 almost every fan state side were clamoring
for the fighter to be brought into the UFC to fight Chuck Liddell,
arguably the most popular competitor in the sport today and someone
that Jackson defeated in 2003.
Instead,
Jackson signed with the reformed WFA organization who intended
the Memphis, Tenn. native to be their star and they showcased
him on their lone pay-per-view in July 2006 against Matt Lindland.
The
model for the WFA didn’t work as Rampage did squeak out
a razor thin decision over the former Olympic silver medalist,
but the organization had financial troubles and soon they closed
their doors and Zuffa, parent company of the UFC, bought them
up, swallowing all of their fighters’ contracts with them.
The
stage was set for Rampage to finally step up to the biggest show
in the United States and see if he could work his way into a
title shot with then champion Chuck Liddell, who had looked almost
invincible since their last fight.
The
first order of business was taken care of as Jackson disposed
of Marvin Eastman in his debut bout, a rematch from a fight that
Eastman won when Rampage was still very much in his MMA infancy.
While
Rampage asked for more time and another bout to ready himself
for Liddell, the UFC saw things differently and put a match-up
together right away pitting the two together again headlining
the pay-per-view in late May 2006.
On
that night in May it seemed like Rampage made lightning strike
in the same place twice as he again finished off Liddell, this
time in the 1st round, and picked up his first major championship
as he won the UFC light heavyweight title.
Since
that time, Rampage has been enjoying the fruits of that victory,
becoming the headlining and mainstream star that everyone thought
he could become many years ago.
Rampage
has quickly become one of the most recognized and popular stars
in the UFC, now taking his show overseas as he gives England
a taste of American MMA.
The
light heavyweight champion is set to face off against Dan Henderson,
the Pride 205lb champion, who won the title by defeating the
man who twice knocked out Jackson in Wanderlei Silva.
Jackson
has been on media frenzy over the past few weeks helping the
UFC hype the show in England, but word from his camp is that
this could be the best Quinton “Rampage” Jackson fans
have ever seen.
Win,
lose, or draw, Rampage will surely keep things entertaining and
while his life may turn into a movie one day, he is sure to add
a few more twists and turns before the sun sets on this UFC star.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
ProElite
Acquires Britain’s Cage Rage
By Kelsey Mowatt
ProElite,
the media and entertainment parent company of Elite XC, confirmed
today that it has acquired Britain’s Cage Rage promotion.
After reports surfaced this summer stating that the company was
in negotiations to acquire the British event, today’s announcement
makes it official. Elite XC President Gary Shaw was quoted in
the statement as saying;
“This
is an exciting day for all of our organizations, but the biggest
winners will be fans in the U.K.,’’ Shaw said. “In
a short span of eight months, EliteXC has already got the well-deserved
reputation for staging sensational fights with the world’s
top fighters. With the acquisition of Cage Rage Championships,
ProElite and EliteXC continues to establish itself as the fast-growing,
premier MMA organization in the world.”
Cage
Rage co-promoter Andy Geer was quoted in the press release as
saying,
“ProElite’s
involvement is an important step in our company’s growth
and development, as we emerge as the premium MMA organization
in Britain. The EliteXC brand is held in the highest esteem in
fighting echelons, and we are honored by their support.”
Cage
Rage co-founder and promoter Dave O’Donnell also weighed
in on today’s announcement,
“Our
fight nights will reap the benefit of ProElite’s support,
as we continue to show audiences the breadth of athleticism and
excitement this sport embodies. Our goal is to help MMA shake
off its ‘underground’ image and showcase the true skills
and commitment required to reach the top in this fight format,
which combines no less than four Olympic combat disciplines.”
No
details regarding the financial particulars of the deal were
announced.
With
the recent run of UFC events in the United Kingdom, including
this Saturday’s Quinton Jackson vs. Dan Henderson card in
London, Cage Rage was likely looking for some backing to ensure
it remains a viable competitor to the American MMA giant. From
the looks of it, ProElite is quickly gaining the assets to do
so. Over the last few months it appears that the new MMA promotion
has intentions of gaining a controlling interest in King of the
Cage, and has entered into strategic agreements with ICON Sport
and Rumble on the Rock. The company also has a broadcasting deal
with the Showtime Cable Network, which includes Elite XC programming
as well as the new ShoXC series.
Although
speculation persists as to what the final arrangement may be
in regards to ProElite and the Hawaiian events, September 15th
will feature the first co-promoted event between the organizations.
Headlining the card will be a middleweight title fight between
Elite XC champion Murilo Rua and Icon Sport champion Robbie Lawler.
Up next for Cage Rage, September 22nd will see the promotion
hold Cage Rage 23 at Wembley Arena, which will be broadcast live
on Britain’s Sky Sport 3 television network.
Source: Full Contact Fighter
|
Urijah
Faber vs. Jeff Curran set for December 12
A showdown between two of the top American featherweights has
been signed for the next live WEC on Versus on December 12, the
Versus Network announced today.
Urijah
Faber (19-1) will be making his fourth WEC title defense when
he takes on UFC veteran Jeff Curran (16-6-1) in this highly anticipated
145-pound bout.
Curran
was already looking forward to fighting Faber upon signing with
the WEC: "And just a little word to Mr. Faber here: Look
out bro, I will be seeing you soon. Can't wait," Curran
told MMAFighting.com in June.
Curran
has fought for just about every notable MMA promotion, competing
in events such as the UFC, PRIDE, IFL, TKO (formerly UCC), King
of the Cage, ZST and Icon Sport (formerly Super Brawl) since
fighting professionally in 1998. He made his WEC debut in August
by winning a unanimous decision over Stephen Ledbetter. While
the fight will largely be forgotten, it was moreso a way for
the WEC to introduce Curran to the promotion's fans to set up
a title affair with Faber.
Faber,
who is widely considered to be one of the top 5 featherweights
in the world, has compiled an eleven-fight winning streak since
October 2005. He has also held the King of the Cage and Gladiator
Chalenge featherweight titles.
Versus
orders 15 more live WEC events
The
Versus Network also announced today that it has ordered fifteen
additional live WEC events and 20 WrekCage episodes, extending
its partnership with the Zuffa-owned promotion at least through
2008.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
After
the Worlds, here comes the JJ American
Signups are open for the September 30 event
In
the wake of the success of the 2007 Jiu-Jitsu World Championship,
disputed at the end of last month, in Long Beach, comes the American
National Jiu-Jitsu Championship on the 30th of this month. Under
the responsibility of the United States Jiu-Jitsu Federation
(USJJF), the competition will have as its venue the gymnasium
of California State University Dominguez Hills, in Carson City.
As
was the case with the World Championship, the sign up process
will be online and available till the 23rd of September. The
USJJF reserves the right to close registration if the ceiling
on the number of athletes is reached. More information can be
attained by email at usjjf@usjjf.com or the site www.usjjf.com.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Quote
of the Day
"I
am not a has-been. I am a will be."
Lauren Bacall, American Film and Stage Actress
|
Hawaii
Fighting Championships Tomorrow!
September
8, 2007
Dole Cannery Ballroom
Fights start at 6:00 pm
|
Hélio
Gracie at Brazilian bigger magazine
At the first page of the weekly magazine Veja Rio, a local magazine
to Rio de Janeiro State, Hélio Gracie is remembered as
one of the ninety’s mans (people with more than 90 years)
born at Rio de Janeiro, that have their stories mixed with the
story of the city. Hélio Gracie is together with Royler
Gracie in a two pages article, talking about the trainings with
his sons , Rickson, Royler, Royce, Rolker, Rorion and about his
routine at his little farm at Itaipava. “here I don’t
have any neighbors to disturb me”, said Hélio, that
born at 1913. The article putted Hélio between names such
as the Fifa President of Honor João Havelange (91) and
the architect Oscar Niemayer (99).
Source: Tatame
|
Cobrinha:
a champion and more
A World title without giving up a single point
By Luca Atalla
Cobrinha
fractions of a second from being crowned two-time world black
belt featherweight champion; photo Guilherme Rafols
I
can’t remember who it was that described Cobrinha to me,
the first time.
“He’s
a lightweight (Ronaldo) Jacaré.”
It
was a good try. The overwhelming style is similar, but Cobrinha
has a different game; he has, well, his own game.
But,
like Jacaré, he hardly makes mistakes.
During
last year’s Worlds, he put on an impeccable campaign, and
he only didn’t manage to finish Márcio Feitosa, who,
one could say, makes a point of having good defense. And he proved
it there.
Having
hit new heights after the success of 2006, Cobrinha stopped off
in Japan, in the United States. There in the house of an older
Jacare, Romero, in Atlanta, he impressed.
The
founding "uncle" of Alliance, and master of Fabio Gurgel,
confided in me: "Look, the kid is a machine. You have to
see him training with Marcelinho [Garcia], they catch fire.”
At
the Pan-American this year, however, Cobrinha was more cautious.
He won, but was frugal, going through several fights without
getting the submission. Against Mario Reis, in the final, they
were dead even, the Southern Brazilian even left complaining
(perhaps for good reason) about the penalty he suffered and that
decided the title for the former student of Terere.
But
Cobrinha saved his best for the Worlds, in Long Beach.
In
the final, he passed the dangerous guard of Mario Reis, took
his back and finished him, around the neck, as is best told through
this photo by Guilherme Rafols.
With
the exception of Bruno Frazzato, in the semis, he tapped everyone,
repeating his campaign from the previous World Championship,
and deservedly was crowned two-time World Champion.
One
more, not so little, detail escaped our story.
And
it was Rubens who took it upon himself to catch our attention,
with his humble ways showing through in the email he sent to
editor Marcelo Dunlop.
One
can imagine his paused manner of speech, with his hair rigorously
combed. See for yourself:
“Hey,
Marcelo, is everything alright with you? During my interview
[for GRACIE Magazine, after his win], I forgot to say one thing:
in this championship, I didn't suffer one point, nor advantage.
Is that a record?
“Or
maybe that’s just silly (…)”
A
world championship without suffering a single point, nor advantagte.
Could that be considered silly?
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
WEC
30 FIGHTER SALARY BREAKDOWN
by Ivan Trembow
MMAWeekly has obtained the fighter salary information for WEC
30, which took place on Sept. 5 in Las Vegas.
The
event was the WEC's sixth since being purchased by UFC parent
company Zuffa, LLC and it was also the WEC's third live event
on cable television channel Versus. In official Nevada State
Athletic Commission documents, the Promoter of the event is listed
as WEC Promotions, LLC, and the Matchmaker of the event is listed
as Dana White.
The
following figures are based on the fighter salary information
that Zuffa and the WEC are required by law to submit to the state
athletic commissions, including the winners' bonuses.
Although
MMA fighters do not have collective bargaining or a union, the
fighters' salaries are still public record, just as with every
other major sport in the United States. Any undisclosed bonuses
that Zuffa and the WEC also pay its fighters, but do not disclose
to the athletic commissions (specifically, pay-per-view bonuses
for the top pay-per-view main event fighters, which would not
apply since this event was not on pay-per-view), are not included
in the figures below.
In
the listings below, "Title Match & Main Event Fighters"
are defined as fighters who compete in the main event of a show
and/or compete in a title fight on a show. "Main Card Fighters"
are defined as fighters whose fights appear on the main card,
but not in title fights or in the main event. "Preliminary
Match Fighters" are defined as fighters whose matches take
place before the live broadcast goes on the air, regardless of
whether or not those matches end up airing on the TV broadcast.
MAIN
EVENT & TITLE MATCH FIGHTERS
-Rob
McCullough: $24,000 (7th fight in WEC; defeated Rich Crunkilton;
includes win bonus of $12,000)
-Rich
Crunkilton: $10,000 (8th fight in WEC; lost to Rob McCullough;
win bonus would have been $10,000)
-Chase
Beebe: $10,000 (2nd fight in WEC; defeated Rani Yahya; includes
win bonus of $5,000)
-Rani
Yahya: $6,000 (2nd fight in WEC; lost to Chase Beebe; win bonus
would have been $6,000)
MAIN
CARD FIGHTERS
-Miguel
Torres: $20,000 (1st fight in WEC; defeated Jeff Bedard; includes
win bonus of $10,000)
-Brian
Stann: $10,000 (4th fight in WEC; defeated Jeremiah Billington;
includes win bonus of $5,000)
-Jeff
Bedard: $4,000 (3rd fight in WEC; lost to Miguel Torres; win
bonus would have been $4,000)
-Jeremiah
Billington: $2,000 (1st fight in WEC; lost to Brian Stann; win
bonus would have been $2,000)
PRELIMINARY
MATCH FIGHTERS
-John
Alessio: $22,000 (5th fight in WEC after 2 fights in UFC; defeated
Marcelo Brito; includes win bonus of $11,000)
-Marcus
Hicks: $8,000 (2nd fight in WEC; defeated Scott McAfee; includes
win bonus of $4,000)
-Donald
Cerrone: $6,000 (1st fight in WEC; defeated Kenneth Alexander;
includes win bonus of $3,000)
-Bryan
Baker: $6,000 (1st fight in WEC; defeated Jesse Forbes; includes
win bonus of $3,000)
-Blas
Avena: $6,000 (3rd fight in WEC; defeated Joe Benoit; includes
win bonus of $3,000)
-Ian
McCall: $4,000 (1st fight in WEC; defeated Coty Wheeler; includes
win bonus of $2,000)
-Jesse
Forbes: $4,000 (1st fight in WEC after 1 fight in UFC; lost to
Bryan Baker; win bonus would have been $4,000)
-Kenneth
Alexander: $3,000 (1st fight in WEC; lost to Donald Cerrone;
win bonus would have been $3,000)
-Marcelo
Brito: $3,000 (1st fight in WEC; lost to John Alessio; win bonus
would have been $3,000)
-Scott
McAfee: $2,000 (1st fight in WEC; lost to Marcus Hicks; win bonus
would have been $2,000)
-Joe
Benoit: $2,000 (1st fight in WEC; lost to Blas Avena; win bonus
would have been $2,000)
-Coty
Wheeler: $2,000 (1st fight in WEC; lost to Ian McCall; win bonus
would have been $2,000)
DISCLOSED
FIGHTER PAYROLL: $154,000
Source: MMA Weekly
|
K-1
HERO's news and notes
We have some news bits for the September 17 HERO's event:
-
Yoshihiro Akiyama, who was indefinitely suspended by K-1 for
applying cream before his December 2006 fight with Kazushi Sakuraba,
could be returning to HERO's in two weeks. FEG president Sadaharu
Tanigawa said that he feels Akiyama has been suspended long enough
and is open to bringing last year's 187-pound tournament champion
back into the organization.
-
Chute Boxe's Andre Dida will replace the injured Kultar "Black
Mamba" Gill in the HERO's tournament semifinals against
Caol Uno.
-
Former PRIDE fighter Sergey Kharitonov will be added to the card.
HERO's
9/17 Fight Card:
Tournament:
Gesias "JZ" Cavalcanti vs. Vitor "Shaolin"
Riberio
Tournament: Caol Uno vs. Andre Dida
Tournament Reserve: Kazuyuki Miyata vs. Harvey Harra
Kazushi Sakuraba vs. Katsuyori Shibata
Yoon Dong Sik vs. Zelg Galesic
Ikuhisa Minowa vs. Kevin Casey
Norifumi Yamamoto vs. Bibiano Fernandes
Wataru Takahashi vs. Tashiro Nishiuchi
Takenori Sato vs. Kenji Nagai
Source: MMA Fighting
|
THE
POLISH GORILLA
‘Fedor-esque’ Drwal Eyes Octagon Debut at UFC 75
By Stash Capar
A
lot of talk has surrounded Tomasz Drwal lately. While his name
may be obscure to the casual fan, hardcore mixed martial arts
enthusiasts have witnessed the Polish light heavyweight wreaking
havoc on the European circuit; some have even gone as far as
to describe his skills as “Fedor-esque,” comparing
him to PRIDE Heavyweight Champion Fedor Emelianenko.
It
should come as no surprise then that European MMA forums erupted
when the UFC announced the 25-year old Krakow University student
would be making his Octagon debut against Brazilian Thiago Silva
at UFC 75 “Champion vs. Champion” Saturday at the O2
Arena in London, England. For his part, the modest Pole (14-1)
can’t quite understand what all the hype’s about.
“I’m
a normal fourth-year university student,” Drwal says. “I
don’t know what’s going on with people comparing me
to the masters of our sport.”
Like
so many other fighters, Drwal – who carries the nickname
“Goryl” (Polish for “Gorilla) – developed
an interest in MMA after watching a UFC tape in his youth. Still,
the multi-talented Pole has taken an interest in a plethora of
sports and activities, including swimming, skiing, weightlifting
and life-guarding.
“When
my MMA career is over, I want to have other options,” Drwal
says. “As of now, I’m not only a student and fighter
but also a swimmer, skier, fitness and self-defence instructor,
as well as a lifeguard. Of course, MMA has now become top priority.”
With
the UFC rumoured to be scouting all four corners of Continental
Europe for talent, it was probably just a matter of time before
the promotion found Drwal. With 10 of his 14 wins coming via
first-round KO or submission, he appears a perfect fit for an
organization trying to quench the fans’ appetites for quick,
spectacular contests.
However,
that’s not to say his journey has been easy. While Drwal,
who recently began training with Polish Judo legend and PRIDE
competitor Pawel Nastula, seemingly tore through the majority
of his competition in the past, he admits the learning experience
has been rough, full of ups and downs.
“I
took my first MMA fight with about three months of grappling
experience,” Drwal says. “My opponent was a guy named
Piotr Baginski, a very experienced grappler. It happened in a
square cage with one 30-minute round, and somehow I managed to
earn a tie. Another time, I was quite ill before a fight. I drove
all night to get to the event, then slept a few hours in the
car. By the time I was supposed to fight, I was ready to pass
out; I was very lucky I didn’t. Either way, it was a great
lesson in what not to do.”
With
the biggest tilt of his life days away, the pressure is on Drwal.
As the UFC’s first Polish competitor, he will be entering
the Octagon with the expectations of a nation on his shoulders.
With that said, he doesn’t have to worry about making his
family proud.
“My
parents aren’t interested in my MMA career at all,”
Drwal says. “In fact, they don’t know anything as of
yet. They just want to see me complete my studies as soon as
possible.”
Source: The Fight Network
|
Mark
Cuban serious about MMA and Fedor
White
Chocolate Management LLC (www.whitecm.com) has announced after
being contacted by Mark Cuban’s company HD Net, it has successfully
completed high level discussions with Cuban and other members
of his organization regarding mixed martial arts. Reed Wallace,
founder and President of White Chocolate Management (WCM), Eduardo
Borges, Vice President of WCM, and strategic partner Ryan Schinman,
President of Platinum Rye Entertainment, met in New York to discuss
HD Net with Cuban, as well as his interest in MMA and Fedor Emelianenko,
who is represented in the USA by WCM. After the completion of
their discussions in New York, the parties reconvened in Dallas
for meetings through the weekend with Guy Mezger, one of Cuban’s
representatives overseeing MMA operations. Also present for these
discussions was Ed Fishman, ex-President of PrideFC-USA. As Mr.
Fishman orchestrated several Pride shows in Las Vegas and has
arranged for major MMA events to take place in 2008 in China,
Macau, Las Vegas, London and other major global destinations,
Wallace stated, “it is clear that White Chocolate, Mr. Fishman
and Mr. Cuban’s organization are in a position to work together
on producing MMA events and developing MMA content.” Currently,
Fishman is working with another TV icon for a unique MMA show
which is expected to air in early 2008. As Fishman has been actively
involved in the MMA business, he has been in discussions with
major international MMA athletes and, according to Mr. Wallace,
“agrees that Fedor is the most exciting heavyweight fighter
in the industry and would be a major asset to any initiative
involving MMA events and the Cuban organization.” At the
conclusion of the meetings, Wallace was clearly impressed about
the potential of Cuban being a part of the sport. “Mr. Cuban
has a strong interest in MMA, that he is very serious about Fedor
and is entering the MMA business with very serious partners”,
reported Wallace. “Mr. Cuban is widely known to treat his
athletes with great respect and care, and there were discussions
regarding health insurance and many other areas for supporting
MMA athletes and their families.”
Source: The MMA Digest/Fight Opinion
|
Quote
of the Day
“Art
does not reproduce the visible; rather, it makes visible.”
Paul Klee, 1879-1940, Swiss Painter
|
T.
Jay & Pat Get Recognized in the Business World!
Pick up
the September issue of Hawaii Business Magazine if you get a
chance or check out www.hawaiibusiness.com. Right now their site
is still showing the August edition.
September edition should be up in a few days.
|
WEC
30 RESULTS: McCULLOUGH BY TKO
MMAWeekly is on location at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino bringing
you LIVE results from WEC 30 in Las Vegas.
"Razor"
Rob McCullough puts his WEC lightweight title on the line against
Rich Crunkilton and Chase Beebe will defend his WEC bantamweight
belt against Rani Yahya.
The
preliminary bouts are sceduled to begin around 6:30pm EST / 3:30pm
PST.
The
main card bouts air live on Versus starting at 9:00pm EST / 6:00pm
PST.
**REFRESH
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BANTAMWEIGHT
BOUT:
Ian McCall def. Coty Wheeler by TKO (Strikes) at 4:34, R3
Round
1 – McCall got a takedown early and rained down some ground
and pound, cutting Wheeler pretty bad. They went back up to their
feet briefly, but McCall took Wheeler down again and finished
out the round, controlling Wheeler from different positions.
(MMAWeekly scores the round for McCall 10-9.)
Round
2 – McCall starts teeing off on Wheeler a couple minutes
into the round after a slow start and scores another takedown,
went directly to side mount and started forearms and punches.
McCall mounted and then took Wheeler’s back. Wheeler managed
to escape to the feet, but the round finished out standing with
McCall scoring the better shots in the stand-up game. Wheeler’s
face is showing the two rounds of abuse that he has taken thus
far. (MMAWeekly scores the round for McCall 10-9.)
Round
3 – The third round saw the fight standing through most
of the round with McCall again getting the better of Wheeler.
McCall then scooped up Wheeler and slammed him to the mat. From
there, McCall was standing in Wheeler’s guard dropping down
heavy punches until the referee stopped the bout.
WELTERWEIGHT
BOUT:
Blas Avena def. Joe Benoit by Submission (Guillotine Choke) at
0:29, R1
Round
1 – Avena comes out swinging. Benoit goes for a takedown,
but gets caught in a guillotine choke, which Avena finished moments
later.
LIGHTWEIGHT
BOUT:
Donald Cerrone def. Kenneth Alexander by Submission (Triangle
Neck Crank) at 0:56, R1
Round
1 – Cowboy lands a couple of punches early. Alexander goes
for a takedown and as the fighters hit the mat, Cerrone locked
his legs in a triangle around Alexander’s head, without
either arm trapped, to get the submission by triangle neck crank.
MIDDLEWEIGHT
BOUT:
Bryan Baker def. Jesse Forbes by TKO (Strikes) at 4:15, R1
Round
1 – Forbes dropped Baker with punches to start the fight.
Baker got back up, but Forbes started to light him up with more
punches. Forbes then picked Baker up for a big slam and worked
for a guillotine choke. Back on their feet, Baker then picked
Forbes up and slammed him. They scrambled on the ground, Baker
got back to his feet again and then it was Forbes who scored
another takedown. Forbes took Baker’s back, but Baker reversed
into Forbes’ guard and proceeded to tee off on Forbes with
big punches before moving to side mount and then full mount,
dropping down some heavy blows. Forbes then gave up his back
and Baker finished the fight from Forbes’ back with strikes.
LIGHTWEIGHT
BOUT:
Marcus Hicks def. Scott McAfee by Submission (Guillotine Choke)
at 2:13, R1
Round
1 – Hicks takes McAfee right away and starts landing some
sporadic ground and pound. Hicks then moves to side mount, then
there was a scramble, and Hicks locked on a guillotine choke,
fell to his back and got the tap.
WELTERWEIGHT
BOUT:
John Alessio def. Marcelo Brito by Unanimous Decision, R3
Round
1 – Both fighters came out cautious, but Alessio is outstriking
Brito, landing some of the better shots. They then clinch and
after a bit of clinching, Brito falls to his back. Alessio, standing
in Brito’s guard, drops the occasional punch and kicks to
the backs of Brito’s thighs. (MMAWeekly scores the round
for Alessio 10-9.)
Round
2 – Both fighters start cautiously again and again Brito
falls to his back. For the next couple of minutes, Alessio stands
over him landing the occasional shot before the referee stands
them back up. Brito lands a flurry and Alessio clinches, then
Brito falls to his back and the round ends with Alessio standing
over him as the round ends. A slight edge to Alessio gives him
the second round. (MMAWeekly scores the round for Alessio 10-9)
Round
3 – More of the same in the third round, both fighters being
cautious on their feet, but instead of Brito falling to his back
from the clinch, Alessio picked him up and threw him to the ground.
After tossing him down a second time, the round again ended with
Alessio standing in the guard of Brito. (MMAWeekly scores the
round for Alessio 10-9)
BANTAMWEIGHT
BOUT:
Miguel Torres def. Jeff Bedard by Submission (Triangle Choke)
at 2:30, R1
Round
1 – Torres, avoiding Bedard’s shot, falls to his back
early. Bedard works from Torres’ guard, plodding with his
ground and pound, but not doing much damage. Midway through the
round Torres climbs Bedard’s back with his legs, with Bedard
still in guard, and quickly lands a triangle choke to finish
him.
LIGHT
HEAVYWEIGHT BOUT:
Brian Stann def. Jeremiah Billington by TKO at 3:07, R1
Round
1 – Billington rushes in early, but Stann uses his power
to control from the clinch and land some heavy knees to the midsection.
They separate and Stann lands a powerful right hand and Billington
tries to shoot, but ends up in the clinch along the cage again.
Stann is visibly much larger than Billington and wears him down
on the fence, landing more knees and some good uppercuts. They
separate and Billington rushes in again, but Stann puts him on
his back and starts working from Billington’s guard, picking
his shots from standing and finishes Billington with some brutal
punches while standing in the guard.
WEC
BANTAMWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP BOUT:
Chase Beebe def. Rani Yahya by Unanimous Decision, R5
Round
1 – Beebe drops Yahya in a brief exchange, follows him down
into Yahya’s guard and nearly gets caught in a leg submission
before escaping to the feet. Yahya immediately works to get the
fight to the ground and does so with a single-leg takedown. Beebe
nearly escapes, but nearly is caught in another leg submission.
Yahya gets to the top and nearly secures a guillotine choke,
but Beebe fights it off. Yahya works position, Beebe scrambles
out and they go back up to their feet, but Yahya immediately
pulls guard. Beebe passes guard and gets to Yahya’s back
briefly before being put back in Yahya’s guard. Yahya uses
his phenomenal guard to fend off Beebe’s ground and pound
attempts, nearly sets up an omo plata, before transitioning to
a darce choke as the round ends. (MMAWeekly scores the round
for Yahya 10-9.)
Round
2 – Yahya immediately shoots in and gets caught in a guillotine
attempt by Beebe, but escapes. Beebe scrambles to side control,
but Yahya immediately puts him back into his guard. Beebe passes
up to a sort of half-mount position and lands a couple good hammer
fists that look to hurt Yahya and scrambles around to Yahya’s
back, sinking in his hooks and starts throwing punches to Yahya’s
head, who appears hurt. Beebe is working for the rear naked choke,
but Yahya defends, working back to a butterfly guard position.
Beebe lands a few sporadic punches as Yahya makes a last ditch
attempt at an armbar moments before the round ends, but Beebe
fends off the attempt before the bell. (MMAWeekly scores the
round for Beebe 10-9.)
Round
3 – The fighters clinch early before Yahya pulls Beebe down
as he falls to his back, but Beebe winds up in side control as
Yahya is on all fours. A scramble leaves Beebe in mount, dropping
some pretty solid shots on Yahya’s body and head, really
working over his ribs. Yahya gets back to his full guard, but
Beebe quickly passes to side again with Yahya on all fours, then
moves to back mount and gets his hooks in. Beebe puts a figure-four
body lock on and punishes Yahya with some punches to the face
from behind, bloodying his nose. Beebe stays busy, alternating
between rear naked choke attempts and punching Yahya in the face
and Yahya looks thoroughly exhausted as the round ends. (MMAWeekly
scores the round for Beebe 10-9.)
Round
4 – Yahya lands a couple good leg kicks to open the round,
but gets caught with a left cross shooting in. Yahya looks re-energized,
but his single-leg attempt is fended off by Beebe who sweeps
Yahya over to side control again. Beebe moves to mount with Yahya
on his side and starts punishing him with punches and forearms.
Yahya gets his half-guard back, but Beebe is still able to keep
working the punches and forearms until Yahya gets his full guard
back. Beebe starts to become more aggressive from Yahya’s
guard, pushing the pace and trying to land more punches from
inside the guard, pushing Yahya up against the cage. Beebe works
to half-guard and continues to punish Beebe. Yahya moves to all
fours again and attempts a sweep, but Beebe defends and is postured
up in half-guard and finishes the round continuing to punish
Yahya. (MMAWeekly scores the round for Beebe 10-9.)
Round
5 – Yahya lands a couple of leg kicks again to start round
five, shoots in, but nearly gets caught in the guillotine choke
before escaping to his back and putting Beebe in his guard. Beebe
continues to brutalize Yahya landing heavy punches and forearms
to the ribs and pot-shotting Yahya’s face, which has blood
trickling from the mouth. Yahya, even with his left eye swelling
shut, continues to search for a submission, but Beebe keeps the
pressure on throwing blows from every angle, not giving Yahya
a chance to get comfortable. Beebe finishes in control, pounding
on Yahya. (MMAWeekly scores the round for Beebe 10-9 and the
fight for Beebe 49-46.)
WEC
LIGHTWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP BOUT:
“Razor” Rob McCullough def. Rich Crunkilton by TKO
(Strikes) at 1:29, R1
Round
1 – Crunkilton opens with a kick, which McCullough catches
and fires back with a right hand. McCullough then gets the better
of another flurry, then drops Crunkilton with a straight right.
Crunkilton gets back up and gets dropped again with another right
hand. He gets back up again and continues to eat right hands
and gets dropped for a third time before referee Herb Dean steps
in to call off the fight.
WORLD
EXTREME CAGEFIGHTING 30
September 5, 2007
Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
Las Vegas, Nevada
WEC
LIGHTWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP BOUT:
“Razor” Rob McCullough def. Rich Crunkilton by TKO
(Strikes) at 1:29, R1
WEC
BANTAMWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP BOUT:
Chase Beebe def. Rani Yahya by Unanimous Decision, R5
Brian
Stann def. Jeremiah Billington by TKO at 3:07, R1
Miguel Torres def. Jeff Bedard by Submission (Triangle Choke)
at 2:30, R1
John Alessio def. Marcelo Brito by Unanimous Decision, R3
Bryan Baker def. Jesse Forbes by TKO (Strikes) at 4:15, R1
Donald Cerrone def. Kenneth Alexander by Submission (Triangle
Neck Crank) at 0:56, R1
Blas Avena def. Joe Benoit by Submission (Guillotine Choke) at
0:29, R1
Ian McCall def. Coty Wheeler by TKO (Strikes) at 4:34, R3
Source: MMA Weekly |
FABER
VS CURRAN DECEMBER 12TH ON VERSUS
World Extreme Cagefighting and Versus today announced a new agreement
that will build on their relationship with additional programming.
The first event on the new deal will be a Dec. 12 live show featuring
a featherweight title bout between Champion Urijah Faber and
top-ten 145lb fighter, Jeff Curran.
The
line-up of programming on the new deal includes 15 additional
live shows and 20 additional episodes of WEC Wrekcage, which
features a compilation of previously aired and never before seen
bouts that have taken place in the organization.
“We
are very excited to announce the extension of our partnership
with World Extreme Cagefighting, the premier brand in mixed martial
arts,” said Marc Fein, Senior Vice President of Programming
and Production for Versus. “The WEC has tremendous success
in putting on top quality mixed martial arts events which consistently
deliver a solid television viewing audience. The quality of the
fights and fighters in the WEC sets them apart from the competition
– they're faster, fiercer, they fight in a smaller cage
and they’re only on Versus.”
The
announcement of this deal also includes the title bout between
Urijah Faber and Jeff Curran to take place in December between
the two top-ten fighters in the featherweight division.
Faber
has been seen as one of the premier rising stars in all of MMA,
appearing on television and as a guest on the Howard Stern show.
Jeff
Curran is new to the WEC after spending a career that has literally
spanned the globe. In his debut fight for the promotion, he defeated
Stephen Ledbetter by unanimous decision.
More
fights will be announced for the Dec. 12 WEC show as well as
additional live shows on Versus as information becomes available.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
CAMP
REPORT: BUSY TIME FOR XTREME COUTURE
Xtreme Couture has been on quite a run lately, especially after
UFC heavyweight champion and team founder, Randy Couture, defeated
Gabriel Gonzaga en route to defending his title in Las Vegas
at UFC 74.
The
gym that Couture opened has now spawned a breeding ground for
what should be a number of future champions in many organizations.
A
number of Xtreme Couture’s fighters have upcoming bouts
in the UFC, IFL and other promotions all over the world.
XTREME
COUTURE SAN DIEGO OPENS SEPTEMBER 7TH
With
gyms set to open all over Canada soon, Xtreme Couture is still
expanding in the U.S. as well and the next gym is ready to go
in San Diego, Calif.
The
gym is run in affiliation with MMA fighter and grappling expert
Dean Lister, who is part owner in the gym, and it will feature
fitness and MMA training much like the lead center in Las Vegas.
The
boxing coach at Xtreme Couture in San Diego will be Rob Garcia,
the man who has been training Diego Sanchez recently, as well
as boxing greats like Oscar De La Hoya.
UFC
READY TO FEATURE A NUMBER OF XTREME COUTURE TEAM MEMBERS
On
Sept. 22, Xtreme Couture will have a couple of their fighters
in the UFC including the anticipated match-up between Forrest
Griffin and Mauricio “Shogun” Rua.
Griffin
is coming off a win at UFC 72 in Northern Ireland over Hector
Ramirez. He will likely face the toughest fight of his career
when he faces the current #1 light heavyweight in the world in
Shogun.
Another
Griffin from Xtreme Couture will fight at UFC 76 when Tyson Griffin
steps back into the Octagon to face highly touted lightweight
Thiago Tavares.
Tyson
Griffin also fought at UFC 72, pulling out a split decision win
over Clay Guida.
Coming
up at UFC Fight Night on Sept. 19, as lead-in to the new season
of The Ultimate Fighter, Gray Maynard, an alumnus of last season,
will take on Joe Veres in lightweight action.
Stephan
Bonnar is also training at Xtreme Couture, readying himself for
his bout at UFC 77 in Cincinnati when he squares off against
Eric Schafer.
OTHER
XTREME COUTURE TEAM MEMBERS WITH UPCOMING BOUTS
Gina
Carano returns to action in EliteXC on Sept. 15 when she faces
Tonya Evinger in Honolulu, Hawaii.
Jay
Hieron is set for action in the IFL Grand Prix, although his
opponent is still undecided. It was originally set for him to
take on Antonio McKee, but there has been controversy surrounding
McKee’s appearance after an announcement that he would fight
Jake Shields in October. More on this story as it develops.
John
Alessio returns to the WEC on Wednesday in Las Vegas to take
on Marcelo Brito in a welterweight match-up.
Xtreme
Couture Muay Thai coach, Joey Varner, will step into the cage
in the IFO to face Josh McClintock.
Other
Xtreme Couture team members on that same IFO show:
Eric
Pele vs. Antoine Hayes
Phil Friedman vs. Mark Rommel
Josh Haynes vs. John Cornett
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Robinho
close to deal with Showtime
BJJ
Mundial Champion at Pluma category, Róbson Moura, the
“Robinho”, is very close to have a deal with the American
event Showtime. The Nova União black belt, that is living
at US since 2005, guaranteed that the negotiations are very advanced.
“I will keep fighting at Gi, but I will focus at MMA again.
We are negotiating for a 135 pounds fight at Showtime, and with
god’s help, I will fight until the end of the year. But
first I have some commitments, my seminars, some things schedules
and then I will come back”, said Robinho, that had already
fought for the Shooto belt in a controversial bout that end at
a No Contest result.
Source: Tatame |
No-Gi
Worlds in December
As
the CBJJ president Carlos Gracie Jr announced at TATAME # 136,
the organization will really promote a No-Gi Worlds. No-Gi Worlds
will take place at December 15 of this year, at California State
University Dominguez Hill, Carson, Los Angeles, U.S, the same
place were was hold the Pan-American tournament “No-Gi is
growing all over the world. There’s a possibility that the
sport became Olympic, so we have to prepare the Jiu-Jitsu guys
for that”, said Carlos Gracie Jr.
Source: Tatame
|
Quote
of the Day
“Paralyze
resistance with persistence.”
Woody Hayes, 1913-1987, Hall of Fame American College Football
Coach
|
MIKE
SWICK INJURED, OFF UFC FIGHT NIGHT CARD
Mike "Quick" Swick is off of the UFC Fight Night 11
card scheduled for Sept. 19 at the Palms Hotel and Casino in
Las Vegas due to a rib injury suffered in training.
American
Kickboxing Academy's Bob Cook confirmed to MMAWeekly that Swick
sustained a rib injury while training with Josh "The Punk"
Thomson and has been forced out of the bout with Goulet.
It
was supposed to be Swick's debut as a welterweight. The former
middleweight contender decided to drop down to the welterweight
class following his UFC 69 loss to Yushin Okami.
A
replacement for Swick has yet to be named.
UFC
Fight Night 11 card listed below.
Main
Card Bouts:
-Din Thomas vs. Kenny Florian
-Chris Leben vs. Terry Martin
-Nate Diaz vs. Junior Assuncao
Preliminary
Bouts:
-Kuniyoshi Hironaka vs. Thiago Alves
-Nate Quarry vs. Pete Sell
-Leonard Garcia vs. Cole Miller
-Luke Cummo vs. Edilberto "Crocota" de Oliveira
-Gray Maynard vs. Joe Veres
-Jonathan Goulet vs. TBA
Main
card airs live on Spike TV on Wednesday, September 19 from 9:00
PM to 11:00 PM (ET/PT) as the lead-in to the premiere of The
Ultimate Fighter 6
Source: MMA Weekly |
COWBOY
CERRONE RIDES HIGH INTO WEC DEBUT
It’s no secret that Colorado has developed some of MMA’s
brightest and best talents over the years. From veterans like
Nate Marquardt and Duane “Bang” Ludwig, to the current
crop of young standouts like Leonard Garcia and Alvin Robinson,
there’s no shortage to the state’s supply of talent
– and it doesn’t stop there.
Currently
there’s a group of fighters that will be making their major
league MMA debuts, continuing the tradition of great Colorado
fighters that have come before them, including one of the sport’s
more enigmatic young talents making his debut at this Wednesday’s
WEC event in Las Vegas, Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone.
If
wearing a cowboy hat to the ring with Muay Thai gear during his
fights wasn’t enough of a paradox, the striking-based Cerrone
has managed to go undefeated in six fights, finishing all his
opponents not with his fists or feet, but with submissions.
Enigma
or not, with the recent move to Greg Jackson’s MMA team
in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Donald has had his game upgraded
and looks to fulfill his potential even further, starting at
Wednesday’s WEC event against Kenneth Alexander.
“You
know, the reality of it kind of hit me when I got here, it’s
like a little UFC, and it’s very cool, man,” chuckled
Cerrone about his arrival to the next level of MMA. “To
walk into a sports bar and see yourself on TV and people recognize
you, it’s crazy, man. To be flipping channels at home and
see yourself on TV, it’s a crazy feeling, but I’m excited
for it.”
To
those unfamiliar with Donald, he’s been building a steady
following in his native Colorado, mainly for the Ring of Fire
promotion, due to his always-entertaining style of fighting –
which, at times, has gotten him into trouble in the past.
“I’ve
been working a lot on my wrestling – so hopefully I can
defend the takedown now – instead of being taken down by
wrestlers all the time,” laughed Cerrone. “The guy
I was supposed to fight originally [Sergio Gomez] was a stand-up
guy, but now they’ve got me with another wrestler [Kenneth
Alexander], but I’ve had this kind of fight five or six
times already.”
Donald
continued, “It’s same deal, where wrestlers want to
take me down and ground and pound, and in the interview the guy
[Alexander] is saying he definitely wants to take it to the ground.
So, if I can scramble and stay on my feet I should be fine, if
I get taken down I can always work a submission.”
Helping
Cerrone develop his overall game is one of the sport’s premier
trainers, Greg Jackson, and as Donald puts it, it all begins
with the little details first and then expands from there.
“Working
with Greg Jackson, I’ve been expanding on my everything,”
commented Cerrone. “Working on my striking from guard, looking
at little things that I’ve been doing wrong and making more
sense of it now, just adapting my gameplan.”
“He’s
molding me into the fight that I want to become, so it’s
happening, slowly but surely,” further commented Donald.
Having
someone as detail oriented as Greg Jackson in his corner not
only prepares Cerrone with a gameplan for each fight, but it
allows him to leave the details to Jackson, freeing up Donald
to go out and perform naturally, without restrictions.
“To
have a gameplan instead of just going in there off the hip, it’s
totally like night and day,” exclaimed Cerrone. “I
feel a lot more confident as a fighter having him in my corner.”
Donald
added, “Usually I come out so timid to throw because I know
the wrestlers are going to try to take me down, but this time
I’m prepared. So, I think I’m just coming out guns-a-slinging,
ready to go, use my sprawl, use everything.”
Yet
another area of Greg Jackson’s supervision that is having
a big impact on Cerrone’s career is the fact that unlike
some people in the sport, Jackson knows how to develop talent
slowly, only allowing them to step into situations he feels they
are ready for, instead of throwing them in over their heads just
for a paycheck.
“I
love having someone that actually cares where you go with your
career and is not just, ‘Yeah, yeah, great, take that fight,
awesome, just pay me my monthly dues,’” said Donald.
“I thoroughly enjoy working with Greg, and it’s like
a family down here.”
“Keith
[Jardine] is getting ready to fight Chuck [Liddell], working
with Rashad [Evans], Leonard Garcia and all those guys –
it’s like one big family and I love it,” continued
Cerrone.
Should
all go well this Wednesday in Las Vegas at the WEC, Donald would
like to continue to work towards taking yet another step up towards
his ultimate goal, the UFC.
“Greg
contacted the UFC and they offered me a fight, but we decided
that I wasn’t ready as a fighter yet for that,” explained
Cerrone. “I’m a big head-case [laughs], so, all the
elements have to be right, or I don’t perform right.”
Donald
further commented, “So, for me to step into this smaller
show, get my feet wet, get used to the cameras and all that,
find out what it’s all about before I step into the big
show is the right road to go. But, the UFC is definitely where
I want to be.”
With
the mass of talented Colorado fighters already in the big time
mix, Cerrone looks to add another name to that group of athletes
– his own – and in the process start his own legacy
that hopefully leads to UFC gold.
“I
just want to thank Tapout, for all the opportunity they’ve
given me; and I’d like to thank Greg Jackson and all the
guys who’ll be watching at home,” concluded Donald.
“Wednesday,
September 5th, come check it out in Vegas, there’s definitely
going to be some fireworks; if not, then definitely check it
out on TV.”
Source: MMA Weekly |
WIUFF,
GEORGE CROWNED CHAMPS AT IFO
LAS VEGAS – The International Fighting Organization and
Steele Cage Promotions presented their second edition of Fireworks
In The Cage on Saturday night in Las Vegas.
At
the Riviera Hotel & Casino, UFC and Pride veteran Travis
Wiuff got back on the winning track by defeating fellow UFC veteran
Sean Salmon for the IFO Light Heavyweight Championship.
Former
IFO lightweight belt-holder Eric Payne was recently stripped
of the title following a steroid related suspension by the Nevada
State Athletic Commission. In the bout to decide the new champion,
Zach George knocked out Chris Mickle midway through the first
round.
IFO
/ Steele Cage Promotions: Fireworks In The Cage 2
Saturday, September 1, 2007
Riviera Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada
IFO
Light Heavyweight Championship:
Travis Wiuff def. Sean Salmon by Submission (Guillotine Choke)
at 3:37, R1
IFO
Lightweight Championship:
Zach George def. Chris Mickle by KO at 2:28, R1
Rich
Clementi def. Kyle Gibbons by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) at
2:18, R1
Nate James def. Justin Levens by Unanimous Decision, R3
Dennis Davis def. Matt Williams by Submission (Strikes) at 1:39,
R1
Eric Thompson def. Evan Landry by Disqualification at 1:19, R2
CB Dollaway def. Joe Bunch by TKO (Strikes) at 4:31, R2
Tyler Stinson def. Ken Jackson by TKO (Eye Injury) at 2:24, R1
Source: MMA Weekly |
Quote
of the Day
“History
doesn't repeat itself -- at best it sometimes rhymes.”
Mark Twain, 1835-1910, American Writer and Humorist
|
Fighters'
Club TV Tonight!
Tonight
we feature the wizard Matt Hume. Matt is the trainers' trainer,
one of the pioneers of MMA both as a fighter and promoter as
well as started one of the first, if not the first, MMA organization
in America.
He
is also a master at leg locks. This is a seminar that was done
at the Icon Martial Arts and Fitness Center. |
RIZZO
KO'S THE SNOWMAN AT ART OF WAR
DALLAS – The American Airlines Center on Saturday night
played host to just under 8,000 fans as the Art of War 3: USA
vs. Brazil featured a competitive fight card of world class action.
Although the theme of the night was country vs. country, it was
really a diverse group of spirited fighters that fired up the
crowd.
The
sweltering heat of Dallas was no place for the Snowman on Saturday
night, although his demise didn’t go the way that most fans
would anticipate. On paper, Jeff “Snowman” Monson vs.
Pedro “The Rock” Rizzo appeared to be the classic grappler
vs. striker, but Monson had other ideas. He decided to test out
his newfound boxing skills.
Monson
attempted to stand and trade with Rizzo throughout most of the
fight. Not only did he attempt it, he actually looked okay doing
it. He showed a solid jab and landed some big power shots, but
just didn’t quite have the polish on his striking game that
the years have honed into Rizzo’s striking.
After
cutting Rizzo’s eye early on in the fight, it would be Rizzo
on the third round that would catch Monson with a flurry that
left a nasty split in the Snowman’s lip and sent him staggering
back against the cage. Rizzo followed up with another combination
and Monson went down with the referee waving it off.
Even
Rizzo was impressed with Monson’s striking after the fight.
“It’s pretty good. It surprised me. Next time I fight
[him] it will be one step back.”
With
the win, Rizzo racked up his second win in as many tries for
the Art of War promotion and defended his International Fighters
Association World Heavyweight Championship for the first time.
Jeremy
Horn never really got started in his fight with American Top
Team’s Jorge Santiago. After working his way out of some
early trouble on the ground, Horn once again found himself on
the mat, this time tapping out to a triangle choke just three
minutes into the first round, giving Santiago an impressive victory.
Admittedly
not expecting much in 41-year-old Ron Waterman’s fight with
Mario Rinaldi, it was amazing when it turned out to be one of
the more exciting finishes of the night. Rinaldi gained control
early, throwing Waterman to the mat from a Greco clinch, gaining
full mount on him and starting to throw down blows. Waterman
amazingly maintained his poise, gave up his back and escaped
back to standing.
This
is where the amazement really began. Waterman landed combination
after combination, staggering Rinaldi back to the fence and finishing
him off with an onslaught of powerful punches. Leaving many agreeing
with post-fight interviewer Frank Trigg’s comment, “This
is the best Ron Waterman that I have ever seen.”
In
a light heavyweight contest, UFC and Pride veteran Alex Andrade
never let Fabiano Capoani get his game started and brutalized
him until the referee stopped the fight in round two. Andrade
pounded Capoani’s ribs throughout the first round as they
were clinched on the fence and then did the same to his head
in the second round when the Brazilian tried to pull guard.
Fighting
out of Houston via Brasilia, Carlo Prater finally, if not definitively,
exacted a small measure of revenge on Keith Wisniewski. This
marked the third time that the two have battled, Wisniewski winning
the first two. With much of this fight spent in the clinch, it
was Prater that controlled the better part of the fight, landing
several knees to the body on his way to a 29-28, 29-28, 28-29,
split decision.
The
win allows Prater to head home to his fiancé to finalize
their nuptials and bring a winner’s smile to his three-month-old
baby.
The
only women’s bout featured 244.5 lb. Lana Stefanac searching
for the takedown against her 205 lb. opponent, Franita Gathings.
Gathings was able to land a few hard shots, but couldn’t
seem to hurt Stefanac, who gave up her grounding attempts, landed
two hard knees to the body and then finished Gathings with a
couple of follow-up punches before the referee stopped the bout.
In
lightweight action, Jason Maxwell took Thomas Schulte down nearly
at will throughout their bout. Schulte fought well off his back,
but it took its toll over the course of the fight, as Maxwell
seemed much stronger as the fight came to an end with Maxwell
winning a unanimous decision.
Schulte’s
corner later indicated that they were going to take a trip to
the local hospital to have him examined as they believe he may
have has his nose broken during the fight.
Luis
Arthur Cane put on a brutal display of striking against an overmatched
Damien Stelly. In all fairness to Stelly, he has an amazing chin.
Stelly ate four knees to the face within a 30-second period early
in the round and fought his way back. But it wasn’t enough
as Cane landed a fifth and final knee that dropped Stelly to
the mat and should have ended the fight. The referee was a little
slow on the stoppage though as Cane landed two or three hard
punches to the face of the downed Stelly before a halt was called
to the bout.
Outside
of some brief stand-up exchanges at the beginning of the fight,
Chute Boxe jiu-jitsu coach Cristiano Marcello controlled all
four minutes and fifty-eight seconds of his fight with Corpus
Christi, Texas fighter Hector Munoz. Showing some impressive
ground and pound skills en route to softening up Munoz, Marcello
sunk in a rear naked choke for the tap just 2 seconds before
the bell.
Following
the bout, Marcello said that although Munoz was a tough opponent,
“I hit him like three times [while Munoz was on his back]
and each time I could feel his spirit leaving him.”
In
the night’s opening bout, Anthony Njokuani knocked out Keyon
Mike Jackson with a brutal knee to the face.
RESULTS:
Pedro Rizzo def. Jeff Monson by KO at 2:40, R3
Jorge Santiago def. Jeremy Horn by Submission (Triangle Choke)
at 3:02, R1
Ron Waterman def. Mario Rinaldi by TKO at 4:39, R1
Alex Andrade def. Fabiano Capoani by TKO at 2:20, R2
Carlo Prater def. Keith Wisniewski by Split Decision, R3
Lana Stefanac def. Franita Gathings by TKO (strikes) at 1:07,
R1
Jason Maxwell def. Thomas Schulte by Unanimous Decision, R3
Luis Arthur Cané def. Damien Stelly by TKO (strikes) at
2:45, R1
Cristiano Marcello def. Hector Munoz by Submission (Rear Naked
Choke) at 4:58, R1
Anthony Njokuani def. Keyon Mike Jackson by KO (Knee) at 2:14,
R1
Source: MMA Weekly
|
PEDRO
RIZZO DISCUSSES VICTORY OVER MONSON
Pedro
“The Rock” Rizzo last night had to go midway into the
third round to defend his International Fighters Association
title against Jeff “Snowman” Monson at Art of War 3
in Dallas.
The
surprising element in the fight wasn’t that Rizzo was able
to finish Monson with his hands, but that Monson was able to
dish out a healthy dose of trouble with his own, newfound boxing
skills.
“It
was a big surprise to me,” said Rizzo following the fight.
“I expected him to box a little bit and shoot on me. So
I was ready for the shooting, but the shoot never came.
“He
showed up in the ring [and] I think he was in the best shape
of his life. He boxed with me like a professional boxer. Jeff
came to box with me … so I had to fight up close with him
to avoid his shooting.”
Monson
wasted no time employing his hands, opening a cut over Rizzo’s
right eye in the first round. It was the kind of cut that could
easily spell trouble for a less seasoned fighter, but Rizzo called
on his experience to take him through the fight.
“I
have been fighting stand up my whole life, so I can take a punch
and keep confident and keep fighting,” stated the Brazilian.
Keep
fighting he did and ended up with the successful first defense
of his IFA World Heavyweight Championship.
“For
me to hold this title is a big honor,” said Rizzo. “It
was a good fight; Jeff fought great.”
Source: MMA Weekly
|
MMAD
LIBS II: WRITING AN MMA HATCHET PIECE
Dear Op/Ed Writer Who Has Just Discovered This Ultimate Fighting
Thing and is Currently on Deadline,
You
need a column pronto and no op/ed writer ever got syndicated
by speaking softly. You need to condemn something and Mixed Martial
Arts seems as good a target as any. Maybe you’re morally
opposed to the idea of hand-to-hand combat as sport, or maybe
you’re a boxing fan with an inferiority complex. Perhaps
you’re a cantankerous coot predisposed to hating anything
invented after Eisenhower left office, when this country up and
went to hell, dadgummit. Whatever you are, you’re in a hurry
and are probably too busy to be bothered with facts.
Luckily,
you’re an op/ed columnist, so that shouldn’t be a problem.
All you need is 600 words of vitriol and you’re good until
next week. But what – besides righteous indignation –
to put in those 600 words? Your exposure to this sport is probably
limited to what someone once told you their 18-34 year old nephew
was watching these days. If you tuned into a UFC program on Spike,
it was probably only long enough to see something you could label
barbaric in the second or third paragraph. So if thoughtful and
well-researched critique is out, you’ll need to sound absolutely
outraged if people are going to believe you have a worthy opinion.
But getting that worked up can be stressful and there’s
no reason to angry up the blood, especially at your age.
I’m
here to help. I’ve already done the job of your colleagues
in the newsroom in my Cautiously Optimistic MMA Trend Piece Template
and now I’m here to make your life a little easier. Critiquing
MMA has become something of a rote exercise; every columnist
makes the same arguments, most of them using the same idioms
and comparisons. Admit it, you were going to use a dog fighting
analogy and pass it off as cogent analysis, weren’t you?
You and everyone else, pal.
So
sit back, relax, and let me do the heavy lifting for you. I’m
sure some journalists would feel uncomfortable profiting off
the work of others and taking credit for someone else’s
ideas. Luckily, you’re an op/ed columnist, so that shouldn’t
be a problem. And to make sure the article sounds like you wrote
it, I’ll even use those one-word and one-sentence paragraphs
you love so much.
Here’s
the template for an MMA hatchet job. Just fill in the blanks,
submit to your editor, and wait for the melodramatic letters-to-the-editor
to come rolling in:
“I
was minding my own business (choose one: flipping channels/having
a drink in the local sports bar/reading the sport section) when
I caught wind of the newest fad catering to American youth’s
(choose one: bloodlust/baser instincts/descent into the gutter),
this so-called “Ultimate Fighting.” If you haven’t
seen this (choose one: disgusting/nauseating/horrific) display
of violence, consider yourself lucky. The fact that the barbaric
spectacle of drunken slobs beating each other senseless is even
sanctioned should (choose one: concern/give pause to/chill the
blood of) any sensible person.
The
rules of Ultimate Fighting are simple: (choose one: anything
goes/there are no rules/kill or be killed). Perhaps it’s
this simplicity that makes Ultimate Fighting so appealing to
the (choose one: slack-jawed/illiterate/sadistic) savages that
make up its fan base. By appealing to the lowest common denominator
of society, Ultimate Fighting has brought (choose one: street
fighting/bar-room brawling/unskilled mayhem) to the masses in
order to turn a profit.
(choose
one: Disgusting/Pathetic/There ought to be a law).
Not
one of the untrained (choose one: punks/thugs/brutes) who compete
in this farce has an iota of the (choose two: grace/class/skill/athleticism/honor)
of a (name of dead boxer) or a (choose one: Muhammad Ali). Trying
to inflict as much damage as possible is not honorable. Kicking
a man when he’s down used to be the benchmark for unsportsmanlike
conduct; in Ultimate Fighting it’s (choose one: applauded/just
part of the game/par for the course).
What
is worse, would you believe people have the audacity to call
this barbarism a “sport?” Trust me, (name of stick
and ball sport) is a sport. (Name of different stick and ball
sport) is a sport. Even (name of less popular, non-stick and
ball sport) is a sport. Punching a man in the groin is not a
sport.
Ultimate
Fighting’s (choose one: Neanderthal/Troglodyte/Homuncular)
fans will have a ready excuse for all of this, calling it pure,
honorable, or “real.”
(choose
one: Please/Spare me/Come on).
This
is nothing more than human cockfighting. If Michael Vick is going
to jail for subjecting dogs to this sort of caged mayhem, the
owners of Ultimate Fighting (choose one: should get a good lawyer/should
go with him/deserve worse).
At
least Vick’s dog fighting operation was witnessed by only
a few cruel individuals. Ultimate Fighting regularly draws more
viewers in the advertiser-coveted demographic of males age 18-34
than (name of any sports league besides the NFL) games.
As
frightening a thought as that is, remember that our children
are watching too. It’s no wonder, after desensitizing them
to violence through (choose two: violent video games/the WWE/heavy
metal music/splatter films like “Saw”), that they would
turn to Ultimate Fighting as the next big thing. Should we be
surprised that after watching these bare-knuckle brawls that
kids emulate this activity (choose one: on the playground/in
their backyards/in amateur “fight clubs”)?
Our
children need to know that violence is wrong and that (choose
one: absurd/antiquated/hyper-masculine) notions of bloodshed
as acceptable spectacle have no place in the 21st century. What’s
next, televised (choose one: knife fighting/fights to the death/executions)?
Let’s
end this (choose one: coarsening of our culture/threat to our
children’s well-being/pockmark on the sporting landscape).
We’ve advanced as a civilization from the days of gladiators
fighting in the Coliseum. The time for action is now. These barbarians
are not at the gates, they’re already in your (choose one:
house/living room/neighborhood).
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Quote
of the Day
“How
glorious a greeting the sun gives the mountains!”
John Muir, 1838-1914, Scottish-born Environmentalist and Natural
|
Fedor
still without UFC deal
The Russian and Dana White negotiated during the week
At least for the time being, Fedor Emelianenko is not part of
the workings of the UFC. According to information from several
American sites, the Russian heavyweight champion of Pride met
with Dana White, president of the American organization, last
Thursday to reach a deal resulting in a signed contract. Nevertheless,
citing sources close to the UFC, the American press announced
that no such deal had been made.
Dana
White’s desire to capture Fedor’s services is so great
that the big boss has already agreed that if he were to sign,
the Russian would immediately fight for the belt, an honor not
conceded to such recent reinforcements as Mirko Cro Cop and Rodrigo
Minotauro.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Couture
to return in February
Minotauro and Fedor possible challengers
Randy
Couture deserves a rest. With a fractured left arm, but victorious
in his battle with Gabriel Napão last Saturday, when he
retained his UFC heavyweight belt, the veteran, at 44, should
only fight again early next year. At least that is what Dana
White has in mind, as Dana mentioned at a press conference he
plans to call upon Couture for the February event.
Dana
White said more. According to the big boss, if Minotauro wins
his next fight (to take place this year) he will have attained
the position of number 1 challenger for the title. If the Brazilian
loses, it is likely the one to beat him will be given a shot
at the belt.
Nevertheless,
the plans may change. For that to happen, it would be just enough
for Fedor Emelianenko to sign a contract with the UFC. In this
case, the Russian, Pride heavyweight champion, would be given
preference in fighting for the belt.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Chute
Boxe dominates Predador FC
Check
out the beset shots of the sixth edition of Predador FC, that
was hold at Ginásio Mauro Pinheiro, at São Paulo
. The athletes of Chute Boxe, Fábio Silva and Jorge Patino
Macaco were the biggest stars of the event. In front of big Brazilian
MMA names as Nogueira brothers (Rogério and Rodrigo),
Francisco Filho, Wallid Ismail and a assistance of more then
3 thousand people, Macaco and Fábio made a nice work with
Fábio winning the 93kg belt, after knock out BTT Claúsio
Godói and Macaco the revenge against Gustavo Ximú,
winning at judge’s decision. Watch here the beset shots
of the night that had Mauro Xuxa and Rafael Motta as Predador
Champions too.
COMPLET
RESULTS:
Predador
FC 6
Ginásio Mauro Pinheiro, Ibirapuera – São Paulo-SP
Saturday, August 25, 2007
-
Juliano Belgine submitted Gérson Índio with an
arm triangle at the 1st round;
- Sérgio Vieira defeated Gilmar by unanimous decision;
- Maurício Alonso defeated Gilberto Galvão by TKO
at the 1st round;
- Pedro Irié defeated Carlos Galvão by unanimous
decison;
- Thiago Jambo defeated Vágner Curió by unanimous
decision;
Welterweight
title bout:
- Mauro Xuxa submitted Ricardo Máximo with a rear naked
choke at the 1st round;
Middleweight
title bout:
- Rafael Motta defeated Márcio Barão by unanimous
decision;
Light
Heavyweight title bout:
- Fábio Silva Knock out Cláudio Godói at
the 2nd round;
Super
Fight:
- Jorge Patino Macaco defeated Gustavo Ximú at judge’s
decision.
Source: Tatame
|
PRIDE
205-pound belt gone after UFC 75
When Dan Henderson walks into the Octagon for his unification
bout against Quinton "Rampage" Jackson at UFC 75, it
will probably be the last appearance of the PRIDE 205-pound title.
According
to UFC President Dana White, the winner of the unification bout
will be defending the UFC title belt in his next bout. The PRIDE
belt itself, will essentially be phased out.
Wanderlei
Silva was declared the first-ever PRIDE 205-pound champion when
he defeated Kazushi Sakuraba at PRIDE 17: Championship Chaos
in November 2001.
It
wasn't until Henderson knocked out Silva with a left hook that
a new champion was crowned at PRIDE 33: The Second Coming in
February.
With
the PRIDE 205-pound retired on September 8, there will only be
three PRIDE belts left: Heavyweight (Emelianenko Fedor), 183
pounds (Dan Henderson) and 161 pounds (Takanori Gomi).
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Quote
of the Day
"I
didn't get over 1,300 walks without knowing the strike zone."
Wade Boggs, Hall of Fame American Baseball Player
|
Fighters
Journey
Manoa Grand Ballroom,
Japanese Cultural Center, Honolulu, Hawaii
August 31, 2007
Results!
Fighter and gym owner, David "Tan Superman" Padilla
made his initial foray into the promotional side of mixed martial
arts with his new event, Fighters Journey. Padilla wanted to
bring back a little of the "old" and combine it with
the "new" and set a high standard for his event. The
"old" was bringing back modified amateur Shooto rules,
where amateurs strike while standing, however, when they are
on the ground, it is submission grappling only, no striking.
This is a great way for new comers to get into MMA in a safe
fashion and work their way up to the professional ranks.
3
Rounds - 2 Minutes
145lb Amateur MMA
Cory Nemoto (Team Kritikul) def. Paul Lopes (Jesus is Lord)
Submission via arm bar in Round 1.
3
Rounds - 2 Minutes
145lb Amateur MMA
Anthony Baragama (HMC) def. Jesse Castillo (808 Fight Factory)
Submission via rear naked choke in Round 1.
3
Rounds - 2 Minutes
155lb Amateur MMA
Keoni Diggs (808 Fight Factory) def. Rob Carlyon (HMC)
Knock out in Round 2.
3
Rounds - 2 Minutes
185lb Amateur MMA
Carl Barton (HMC) def. Joshua Lindsey (Animal House)
Submission via rear naked choke in Round 2.
3
Rounds - 2 Minutes
145lb Amateur MMA
Colin Mackenzie (Team Ruthless) def. Jeremy Kubo (Team Kritikul)
Unanimous decision [(30-26), (30-26), (29-27)] after 3 rounds.
3
Rounds - 2 Minutes
175lb Amateur MMA
Ray Tintor (Freelance) def. Ryan Desoto (Team Ruthless)
Submission via rear naked choke in Round 2.
3
Rounds - 2 Minutes
145lb Amateur MMA
David Balicao (Jesus is Lord) vs. Jon Barnard (Team Ruthless)
Draw [(29-28), (28-29), (29-29)] after 3 rounds.
3
Rounds - 3 Minutes
155lb Pro MMA
Dean Lista (HMC) def. Joshua Coleon (808 Fight Factory)
Submission via rear naked choke in Round 1.
3
Rounds - 3 Minutes
185lb Pro MMA
Bob Ostovich (Jesus is Lord) def. Tyson Primm (Team Submit)
Disqualification due to illegal elbows in Round 1.
3
Rounds - 3 Minutes
170lb Pro MMA
Ramon Franco (Gracie Kailua) vs. Daniel Devers (808 Fight Factory)
Draw [(29-28), (28-29), (29-29)] after 3 rounds.
3
Rounds - 3 Minutes
137lb Pro MMA
Peni Taufa'ao (Eastsidaz) def. Brandon Pieper (Jesus Is Lord)
Majority decision [(30-27), (29-29), (29-28)] after 3 rounds.
3
Rounds - 3 Minutes
145lb Pro MMA
Gerald "G-Money" Arevalo (808 Fight Factory) def. Tony
Giraldi (No Mercy)
Submission via guillotine in Round 2.
|
EliteXC
"Countdown To Rua vs. Lawler" premieres
Showtime will be airing a 30-minute preview show for EliteXC's
September 15 "Uprising" event tonight (technically
Saturday morning) at 1 am ET.
"Countdown
To Rua vs. Lawler" will profile the EliteXC Middleweight
Championship bout between Murilo "Ninja" Rua and "Ruthless"
Robbie Lawler as well as the two Team Cesar Gracie vs. Team BJ
Penn bouts: Nick Diaz (Gracie) vs. "Iron" Mike Aina
(Penn) and Jake Shields (Gracie) vs. Renato "Charuto"
Verissimo (Penn).
Airdates
Friday, August 31 1:00 am
Saturday, September 1 12:30 am
Monday, September 3 4:00 pm
Tuesday, September 4 12:00 am
Wednesday, September 5 12:00 am
Sunday, September 9 11:00 pm
Monday, September 10 7:30 pm
Wednesday, September 12 1:30 am
Thursday, September 13 12:00 pm
Friday, September 14 1:15 am
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Maia
talks about UFC debut
ADCC
2007 champion, Demian Maia talked abou his debuta t UFC, that
will be hold at October 20, at UFC 77. Demian praised his opponent.
“I have a four fights contract. And for the first one they
have already give me a hard fighter. Mrvin Eastman is a very
tough fighter. When Vitor fought against him, I trained with
Vitor, Eastman is very tough, explosive, he is not easy to bit”,
said Maia.
Maia
didn’t want to talk about his fight strategy. “I can’t
tell what I am going to do, but I have a strategy. the most important
is to train as hard as you can get. Eastman is a tough fighter,
but if I want to be the champion, I have to face the bests and
win”, argue Demian.
Source: Tatame
|
K-1
interested in Asashoryu?
The headline that has everyone’s attention in Japan is a
report in Tokyo Sports that K-1 made an offer of one billion
yen to Asashoryu for an 8-fight MMA contract. K-1 denied the
report.
One
of the more intriguing stories coming out of Japan is the future
of DEEP. DEEP is ran by Shigeru Saeki, who used to work with
PRIDE on their Bushido shows. When the initial rumors started
floating in late July about ex-PRIDE staffers getting together
and essentially declaring turf wars against UFC in Japan, I was
interested to see which ex-PRIDE members would work with each
other on a new project. We’re starting to get some of those
answers right now. Saeki said in a Japanese interview that he
is aiming to hold a DEEP event outside of Japan and that the
goal is to get the show aired on a good TV network. Gryphon adds
more details to the story, relaying a rumor that Daisuke Sato
will work with Saeki on the project. Sato was the man in charge
of all the tremendous video packages that you saw at PRIDE events.
He was also a coordinator in terms of production of events. The
idea of Saeki and Sato teaming together is to try to recreate
an event series similar to the PRIDE Bushido events, involving
some of the bigger-name Japanese talent that UFC has not hired.
The rumored list of talent would include Hayato “Mach”
Sakurai, Shin’ya Aoki, Tatsuya Kawajiri, Mitsuhiro Ishida,
Dokonjonosuke Mishima, Masakazu Imanari, and other non-heavyweight
Japanese stars.
Source: Fight Opinion
|
Shogun
fears not the octagon
The Brazilian is starting to gain ground in the USA
Mauricio Shogun is not a fighter knows for outlandish behavior
out of the ring. Soft spoken, the Curitiban does not become involved
in controversy, and prefers to resolve his problems in the ring,
after the opening bell. Now in the UFC, the athlete from Chute
Boxe maintains his humble demeanor, knowing that the category
he plans to blaze his trail through is quite a complicated one.
In an interview with the official site of the American organization,
Shogun demonstrated confidence, and guaranteed he was not worried
about the obligatory ring-octagon transition of those coming
from Pride.
I’m
not concerned about the transition. My training in the last two
months is inside the Octagon, and a few years ago I fought twice
in the Octagon. The main difference is in the rules, but my team
is making the adjustments and from now my kicks can be replaced
by the elbows,” said the Brazilian.
Shogun
commented in even greater detail about the light heavyweight
category: “There are some tough guys in this division, a
lot of people running for the belt,” said Rua. “But
see how life is funny, the actual UFC Champion, Quinton Jackson,
I beat him in the first round of the PRIDE Grand Prix two years
ago, he lost twice to Wanderlei (Silva) and he got the UFC belt
from Chuck (Liddell) in less than two minutes. As I told you,
it is very difficult to make any kind of prediction about these
fights. I know that on my way to the belt I will face Forrest,
then maybe Quinton or (Dan) Henderson, and I’m ready to
go. I respect them all, they are professionals like me and it’s
time to prove that I can be the number one in this division,”
said Shogun.
Shogun’s
UFC debut is set for September 22, at UFC 76, against the American
Forrest Griffin.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Quote
of the Day
"To
get back one's youth one has merely to repeat one's follies."
Oscar Wilde, 1854-1900, Irish Dramatist/Novelist/Poet
|
Congratulations
to Dex and his wife!
One of the O2 Martial Arts Academy's stallworths just had a bouncing,
baby boy! Dex Jr was 8.5lbs and 22" long. Momma and baby
are in great health. Congrats to one of the formerly wild boys
of the O2MAA that has been converted to a family man.
|
Breaking
News:
Rickson Gracie Confirms He Plans to Fight on New Years Eve
Over a year ago here on The FightWorks Podcast, we spoke with
Breno Sivak, who is a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu from
Gracie Humaita in Rio de Janeiro. Sivak has been a long time
friend of Rickson Gracie, and in our conversation claimed that
Rickson was preparing to fight another mixed martial arts fight
in December 2006.
Sivak’s
claim was dismissed as rumor by some, but this weekend at the
Brazilian jiu-jitsu Mundials in Los Angeles, I spoke with Rickson
Gracie personally and asked if there was any truth to Sivak’s
statement. Rickson confirmed that he does indeed still intend
to fight and is currently in negotiations with multiple MMA promotions
to fight on December 31, 2007.
So
while Breno’s statement was not entirely spot on, in essence
he was indeed correct that Rickson Gracie is still looking for
another chance to demonstrate the skills of the “Lion of
the Gracie family”. Rickson will be travelling back to Brazil
and has plans for Japan before the end of the year. We will let
you know when we learn more.
Source: Fightworks
|
LISTER
JOINS XTREME COUTURE, READY TO FIGHT
by Ken Pishna
In the swirling waters of today’s mixed martial arts landscape,
MMAWeekly has learned that Dean Lister is the latest fighter
to join UFC Heavyweight Champion Randy Couture’s camp and
is planning a return to the Octagon as part of the UFC’s
Dec. 29 event.
According
to Lister’s manager, Jerry Villasenor, no opponent has been
named yet for Lister’s return bout. He did say that Lister
would like to face the winner of the Oct. 20 middleweight title
bout between Rich Franklin and Anderson Silva that is slated
to take place in Cincinnati.
Lister
lost his last bout by unanimous decision to Nate Marquardt earlier
this year, however, so it is unlikely that the UFC would give
him an immediate title shot upon his return.
Regardless,
Lister, regarded as one of the top grappler’s in the world
today, is currently in Croatia training with Mirko “Cro
Cop” Filipovic to improve his standup and to help Cro Cop
with his ground game.
He
will be in the corner of the former Croatian police officer when
Cro Cop attempts to rebound from a knockout loss at the foot
of Gabriel Gonzaga. Cro Cop faces French kickboxer Cheick Kongo
Sept. 8 at UFC 75 in London.
Upon
his return to the United States, Lister, now an official part
of Xtreme Couture, will not only be training as part of the team,
but is also the head instructor and part owner of a new 21,000
sq. ft. Xtreme Couture gym in San Diego. His partners are aforementioned
manager Villasenor and majority owner Ivan Kountchev, who along
with Alpha Flex, are sponsors of Lister’s.
The
head boxing coach of Xtreme Couture San Diego, says Villasenor,
is Rob Garcia, the boxing coach for both Oscar De La Hoya and
Diego Sanchez. Lister will be training with Garcia as part of
his preparations for the Dec. 29 bout.
Lister
recently finished shooting a 2-hour long documentary on mixed
martial arts with Randy Couture, Bas Rutten and Tito Ortiz called
Fight Science 2, which should air on the National Geographic
Channel in about two months.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Cast
announced for TUF:
Team Hughes vs. Team Serra
A King of the Cage champion, a Hollywood stuntman and an Air
Force veteran are among the contestants for the sixth season
of The Ultimate Fighter, Spike TV revealed today.
The
sixteen 170-pounders of "Team Serra vs. Team Hughes"
will compete in a bracket-style elimination tournament to win
a six-figure UFC contract. The two finalists will compete on
the season finale, which airs Saturday, December 8.
The
cast includes: Matthew Arroyo (2-1), Daniel Barrera (1-0), Blake
Bowman (4-3), Mac Danzig (17-4-1), Paul Georgieff (7-1), Richie
Hightower (7-1), John Kolosci (8-4), Troy Mandaloniz (3-1), Billy
Miles (2-1), Roman Mitichyan (8-1), Dorian Price (8-2), Jared
Rollins (9-3), Ben Saunders (4-0-2), Joseph Scarola (6-0), George
Sotiropoulos (7-2) and Tommy Speer (9-1).
The
fighters trained for six weeks under the guidance of former welterweight
champion and TUF 2 coach Matt Hughes and current UFC welterweight
champion Matt Serra. The coaches will meet in late December (UFC
79) when Serra defends his title against Hughes on pay-per-view.
The
show debuts on Wednesday, September 19 at 11:00 pm ET/PT. As
usual, a new installment of UFC Fight Night will serve as the
lead-in for the season premiere.
Source: MMA Fighting
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Sakuraba
on Hero's card
Injured, Ralek is out of the event
Kazushi
Sakuraba was confirmed today on the Hero’s card for December
17th. Away from the ring since June, when he lost to Royce Gracie
in K-1 Dynamite USA, the greatest idol in Japanese MMA will have
Katsuyori Shibata, a popular pro-wrestling character in the Land
of the Rising Sun.
Other
bouts were confirmed today, the organization however has not
announced anything official regarding the possible substitution
of the fighter Black Mamba for Brazilian Andre Dida in the semifinals
of the under 70kg GP to be disputed also on September 17th. The
one that is confirmed to leave the card is Ralek Gracie. Injured,
he will be substituted by the American Kevin Cassey in the bout
with Ikuhisa Minowa.
Check
out the updated card published on K-1’s official page:
Superfights
Kazushi
Sakuraba vs Katsuyori Shibata
Yoon Dong Sik vs Zelc Gaselic
Ikuhisa Minowa vs Kevin Casey
GP
under 70kg - semifinals
Gesias
Cavalcanti vs Vitor Shaolin Ribeiro
Caol Uno vs Black Mamba (or Andre Dida, to be confirmed)
Other
fights
Takenori
Sato vs Kenji Nagai
Wataru Takahashi vs Tashiro Nishiuchi
Source: Gracie Magazine
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Matt
Hughes opens H.I.T. Squad, starts Team Hughes
Former UFC welterweight champion Matt Hughes (43-5) has decided
it is finally time for him to strike out on his own.
The
33-year-old Miletich product is opening a new gym, "H.I.T.
Squad," which stands for "Hughes Intensive Training,"
to provide himself with a gym closer to home and a place to teach
when he retires from competition.
The
13,500 square-foot facility in Granite City, Illinois will be
co-owned with Matt Pena (boxing), Marc Fiore (wrestling) and
current Icon Sport middleweight champion "Ruthless"
Robbie Lawler. The three martial artists helped Hughes train
the Team Hughes welterweights on the upcoming season of The Ultimate
Fighter.
The
fight team out of the H.I.T. Squad will be called "Team
Hughes" and currently includes Hughes, Lawler, TUF 5's Corey
Hill and Jacob Hey.
H.I.T.
Squad is scheduled to open in October when Hughes expects to
begin using the space to train for his title shot in December
against Matt Serra.
Source: MMA Fighting
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