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(All events on Oahu, unless noted)
2008
11/8/08
Aloha
State Championship of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
(BJJ/Sub Grapping)
(Gym #1, UH Manoa)
7/26/08
Maui Jiu-Jitsu BJJ Tournament
(BJJ)
(Maui War Memorial Gym, Wailuku, Maui)
6/5-8/08
World Jiu-Jitsu Championsihps
(BJJ)
(California State University Long Beach, Long Beach, California)
6/14/08
EliteXC
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena, Honolulu, HI)
5/25/08
Man Up Stand Up
(Kickboxing)
(Filcom Center, Waipahu)
5/16/08
X-1: Legends
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena, Honolulu, HI)
5/9/08
Man Up Stand Up
(Kickboxing)
(Filcom Center, Waipahu)
5/3/08
Hawaiian
Open of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
(BJJ/Sub Grapping)
(Gym #1, UH Manoa)
Hawaii Fighting Championships
9
(MMA)
(Filcom Center, Waipahu)
Heart-of-a-Cage-Fighter
(Kauai
Veterans Center, Lihue, Kauai)
4/26/08
Elite XC
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena)
4/18/08
Local Pride
Friday, April 18, 2008
(MMA)
(Dole Cannery Ballroom)
4/12/08
Man Up &Stand Up
(Kickboxing)
(Filcom Center, Waipahu)
4/6/08
GrappleFest: Submission
Sundays
(Submission Grappling)
(Hawaii Room, Neal Blaisdell Center)
3/29/08
Garden Island Cage Match 7
(MMA)
(Hanapepe Stadium, Hanapepe, Kauai)
Hawaii Fighting Championships 8
(MMA)
(Maui War Memorial)
3/28-30/08
Pan Jiu-Jitsu Championship
(BJJ)
(Californina State University, Dominguez Hills, CA)
Registration ends 3/22/08
3/16/08
Sera's Kajukenbo Open Tournament
(Continuous
Sparring, MMA, Submission Grappling)
(Maui High School Gym, Kahului, Maui)
Icon Fitness Gym Tournament
(Submission Wrestling)
(Icon Fitness Gym)
3/15/08
Icon Sport
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena)
3/9/08
2008 Pacific Invitational BJJ Tournament
(BJJ )
(Hibiscus Room, Ala Moana Hotel, Honolulu)
3/7/08
Got Skillz Fighter
(Kickboxing/MMA)
(Waipahu Filcom)
3/1/08
USA-Boxing
Hawaii, Palolo B.C. & Kawano B.C. Presents Amateur Boxing
(Boxing)
(Palolo District Park)
2/29/08
X-1 at the O-Lounge
Fight Club Meets Nightclub 4
(MMA)
(O-Lounge, Honolulu)
2/24/08
Icon Grappling Tournament
(Sub Grappling)
(Icon Gym)
2/17/08
Hawaiian
Championship of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
(BJJ/Sub Grapping)
(Gym #1, UH Manoa)
2/15/07
Midwest Invasion: Team Indiana vs. Team Hawaii
(MMA)
(Coyotes Night Club, 935 Dillingham Blvd, Kalihi)
2/8/08
Hawaii Fighting Championships 7
(Kickboxing & MMA)
(Dole Cannery Ballroom)
2/2/08
Man up and Stand up
(Kickboxing)
(Dole Cannery
Ballroom)
1/26/08
X1 World
Events: Champions
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena)
1/20/08
Big
Island Open Jiu-Jitsu Tournament
(Konawaena High School)
(BJJ/Sub Grappling)
(POSTPONED)
1/19/08
UFC 80: Rapid Fire
(BJ Penn vs. Joe Stevenson)
Newcastle, England
1/12/08
Hawaii Fight League
Season 1, Event 2
(MMA)
(Dole Cannery Ballroom)
|
|
April 2008 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
with Ian Beltran and Kickboxing Tuesday and Thursday with Kaleo
Kwan!
Click
here for info!
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Onzuka.com
Hawaii Underground Forum is Online!
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Quote
of the Day
“The
world always looks brighter from behind a smile.”
Source Unknown
|
RIP
Lars Chase
O2MAA student
Lars Chase passed away earlier this week. He was a great friend
who always put people in a good mood and a fierce competitor
on the mats. When you rolled with Lars, you better bite down
and hope for the best. He represented our school many times in
competition and we were honored that he came to our school and
had a chance to meet him.
His funeral services are this Friday (4/11/08) from 10:30 am to 2:00 PM
at the Moanalua Community Church and burial will be held at Punchbowl
cemetary at 3:00 pm.
Moanalua Community Church
4867 Bougainville Drive, Honolulu Hawaii 96818
The church is located on the street that is between the NEX and
the Golf Course right near Moanalua Shopping Center (more Makai).
|
Skrap
Magazine
|
Kim
Couture to make MMA debut tonight
Kim Couture, the wife of UFC Hall of Famer Randy, will make her
mixed martial arts debut Saturday night at the Roseland Theater
in Portland, Oregon. Couture will take on Reality Combat's Jessica
Cruz in a 3-round 125-pound bout.
The
event, "Rumble at the Roseland XXXIV," is being held
by the Full Contact Fighting Federation, an amateur promotion
founded by WEC middleweight title contender Chael Sonnen.
Couture
previously competed in a Muay Thai exhibition bout on February
23 that was broadcasted on HDNet.
UPDATE:
Couture won via referee stoppage due to ground and pound strikes
in the third round.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Jose
Aldo on Pequeno fight
Battle will take place at the WEC, in June
He’s
won in Japan and in England; his record is great and shows nine
wins and but one loss, although the best is yet to come for Jose
Aldo. The Nova Uniao representative will have the most important
fight of his career on June 1st, for one of the biggest events
in the world, World Extreme Cagefighting. With beautiful displays
in 2007, Aldo caught the attention of the American who recruited
him along with another Brazilian, the tough Alexandre Pequeno.
His
adversary was Shooto champion, where he earned the nickname “King
of the guillotine,” but to young Aldo, who is only 21 years
old, this may play to his favor. “My adversary is well known
in the fighting world and it will surely be a fight that will
be talked about, so that is why I’m training everything
and this will be the time to show my hard work,” said the
confident fighter, who despite having finished four of his fights
by technical knockout and being a striker prefers not to predict
what he’ll do in the fight:
“I
expect the best, I know he’s good on the ground but I’m
training both too. I can’t promise anything, it depends
on how the fight goes, I can hand on top or on the bottom, I’m
prepared for anything,” he added.
In
a chat with GRACIEMAG.com, Jose Aldo also talked of how he’d
maintain his style and the secret to his appealing style is the
factor that was always present in his appearances: aggressiveness.
“I
don’t want to get there and fight mediocre, I want to put
on a show for the crowd, and be aggressive. I go for the attack,
I’m an attacker, I’m going to go after him and the
best man will win,” concluded the youth.
Source: Gracie Magazine |
The
professional dilemma
Wand’s physical trainer comments on the challenge of training
Baroni, Ninja’s adversary
Throughout
many years, Wanderlei Silva, Murilo Ninja and Mauricio Shogun
made up the Chute Boxe family. Since last year, however, they
opted to take their own paths. Wand moved to Las Vegas, and the
Rua brothers left the team led by Rudimar Fedrigo to blaze their
own trails. Wanderlei’s physical coach and friend Rafael
Alejarra is very familiar with the relationship between the former
teammates, and thus, in a conversation with GRACIEMAG.com, voiced
his affliction about finding out one of his students in Vegas,
Phil Baroni, will be Ninja’s next opponent, in a fight to
take place on May 31, at Elite XC.
GRACIEMAG.com
went to Las Vegas, and, in the company of Alejarra, visited the
Xtreme Couture facilities, owned by Randy Couture and where such
big Brazilian names as Wand, Ronaldo Jacare, Ze Mario Sperry,
Robert Drysdale and Sidney Silva trained or train in recent times.
In
the car, on the way to practice, Alejarra commented on the situation
he is living through, made a point of intercepting any criticism
and explains the decision to train the adversary of the boss’s
– Wand’s – friend.
“I’d
like to stress that when we speak of the growth of MMA, we should
not forget that professionalism too is involved. So I want to
make it very clear that I have much respect, not just for Ninja
but for Shogun. But like I said, I’m a professional and
I need to work. Phil Baroni looked me up shortly after his last
fight and at the time we didn’t even know he was going to
fight Ninja. It wouldn’t be at all professional of me to,
when I found out the fight would be against Ninja, tell Phil
I would no longer train him,” says Alejarra.
Having
lived the last 11 months living in the United States, the Brazilian
say the MMA training environment in the land of Uncle Sam is
a little different than that in Brazil.”Here there isn’t
much of a team issue, each individual pursues what is best for
him. It’s total professionalism. You want to train with
Couture? Go, pay and train. You go where the best are, you do
whatever it takes to get better,” he stated.
Source: Gracie Magazine |
Brasa
will open a branch at Japan
Brasa’s
black belt, Ramon Lemos said that the team will open a branch
at Japan. "I’m finishing the agreements at Japan and
we’ll open a branch on next months. I don’t wanna this
to be only a new branch, I want answers with results to Brasa
and Jiu-Jitsu", said Ramon, that’s with a high morale
at Japan.
Brasa
received the visit from Fightwear Bull Terrier, an important
Japanese fight magazine, to follow two days training of Ramon
and his team. "I’m very happy for our job being recognized
at Japan, because everything is happening if from out work there.
The team in Rio Claro grown too fast and the athletes started
having recognition and it’s very important, it’s a
natural way from their job", said the black belt.
Source: Tatame
|
Marcus
Vinicius De Luccia
"I think we should eliminate the classic blows that we used
to see at Pride. Some people think we are copying Ultimate’s
rules, but I don’t think that way"
Black
belt and owner of Beverly Hills Jiu-Jitsu team, Marcus Vinicius
de Luccia did a course at Nevada Athletic Commission and will
participate at the Brazilian commission created by Wallid Ismail.
In exclusive interview to TATAME, Marcus told about the MMA promoter
work at Brazil, the rules that will be adopted here and about
opening a team at USA. Check below the complete interview with
Marcus Vinicius.
What’s
the importance of the MMA Athletic Commission to the development
of the sport in Brazil?
Wallid’s
idea was to do a job looking at the athletic commission of Nevada
and California. I had had this idea before, I always fought for
the Vale-Tudo having only one rule on the whole world, but the
events have others ideas. We’ll try to do it at Brazil,
call all event promoters and try to make it real and become the
Brazilian MMA more professional.
Will
you get closer to UFC’s or Pride’s rules?
Our
examples are the events under California’s and Nevada’s
commission. With doping, weight categories, difference in fights
of preliminary or belt fights, round difference. Pride’s
rules shocks people more, it’s more complicated, otherwise
we like more to see the fight without rules, but the crowd, in
general, doesn’t like it. Otherwise, they allow using the
elbow, what hurt a lot and make the athlete bleed a lot and sometimes
get him out of the fight. We can eliminate the elbow too, like
we did at Jungle Fight.
Brazilian’s
reality is different from American’s... What would you do
different from theirs commission?
In
my opinion, we’ll have to discuss it yet, I think we should
eliminate the classic blows that we used to see at Pride. Some
people think we are copying Ultimate’s rules, but I don’t
think that way. So, we could do rules like American way, but
without the elbow.
How
are the events? What would you do as Wallid Ismail’s partner?
Wallid
stopped a little with Jungle Fight, that was his biggest event,
the MMA World League that has becoming the World Wide way, in
other words, that’s going to be showed at the whole world.
He settled down some partnerships in Brazil and United States
and will do some professional and amateur events, to give opportunity
to new talents.
In
last few years, a lot of big athletes went from Brazil to United
States, especially Las Vegas... How do you see this exodus?
Beverly
Hills Jiu-Jitsu is better than ever. Last year we had excellent
results at big championships as Pan-American, World Cup, American
Championship, US Open, Pan No-Gi, World Cup No-Gi, at all the
important championships we were great. We had new good athletes
coming last year, an athlete from Brazilian Top Team, a black
belt from Alliance that make the team stronger. This year I started
with Ratinho, Otavio Couto, from Akxe that I know from years,
that actually started with the white-belt with me before knowing
Jacaré and getting the black-belt with him at Alliance,
and now we meet again at tatamis ready to work together.
You
had partnership with Chute Boxe and received some teachers from
there to do Wrestling work and now stopped... How is the Vale
Tudo part from your team?
I
tried to keep all different styles inside my gym, I believe it’s
important to get ready to learn everything. Wrestling is good
for Jiu-Jitsu, to personal defence, Muay Thai too. So, I always
wanted to keep a gym like it was originally, as all arts inside
the gym.. I had difficulties with Muay Thai, because all good
teachers I had had too many work and couldn’t teach too
much, so I invited Chute Boxe and they sent me a guy that teached
here for a year, but our philosophy wasn’t the same of his
and it didn’t work, but it’s past. I have a new Boxing
teacher, that’s part of the team and I’m with an excellent
Wrestling teacher, that does the Jiu-Jitsu and Grappling part
too. I got now a Krav-Maga teacher to personal defense that came
from Special Force. It’s better than never.
You
were one of the first Brazilian coaches to teach at United States...
What’s the advice you give to the people from today that
are trying this way too?
To
be great at United States, you need to do the right thing, one
step in his time. The first thing you need to do is the location,
going somewhere already has a lot of gyms is not good, it won’t
work. Do a map and see where the big gyms are, so go the unexplored
locations. Try to be legal at America, get a Green Card, because
being illegal it’s lot good and uncomfortable. America is
a good place to work, if you wanna easy life you won’t be
great there.
You
went to America with nothing and paid from your pocket the builds,
created a gym... Tell us this story...
When
I went to America for the first time my family didn’t got
the visa, and my life in America wouldn’t be this easy without
my family. I hadn’t this intention to stay there alone,
so I came back for two years and worked here. I got the visa
for my family and went to America and everybody worked at my
gym, two years later the owner decided to sell it and I sold
everything I had to buy it. People think that only because you’re
going to America you’ll be rich because you receive in dollar,
but you pay in dollar, rent, everything is very expensive, but
it’s good. It’s a lot of work, and it’s just starting.
Source: Tatame
|
Why
some fighters get no rankings love
The
Georges St. Pierre-Matt Serra match at UFC 83 on April 19 kicks
off a six-week span in which four of the Top 10 fighters in the
world compete.
But
we’re coming off the first month since the inception of
the Y! MMA poll last summer in which none of the Top 10 fought.
So
now seems a good time to address persistent fan questions regarding
why a handful of fighters never seem to get votes in the poll.
You know, those combatants who have developed a fan following
or hold a championship – or both – but who don’t
seem to get the same respect afforded to those in the Top 10:
Matt
Serra: Yes, Serra is the UFC welterweight champion. Serra considers
himself a much-improved fighter, and with wins in four of his
past five matches (which doesn’t include victories in Ultimate
Figher 4 prelims), he has a case. But Serra is still a fighter
with losses to Din Thomas and Shonie Carter on his record. Bottom
line, the gregarious Long Islander needs to take St. Pierre again
in the rematch to dispel the notion that his title victory on
April 7 of last year was nothing but a lucky punch.
Cung
Le: Le’s Strikeforce middleweight title victory over Frank
Shamrock on March 29 was stirring. The former San Shou champion
and kickboxer has proven himself a legitimate mixed martial artist,
and the complexity of his kicking game is already among the best
in the sport. But Le has yet to be tested against a fighter at
his peak with a legit ground game, and he is not likely to receive
serious consideration until then.
Frank
Shamrock: If we were going to rank fighters based on their promotional
intelligence, Shamrock would be the runaway leader. Shamrock’s
ability to sell a fight without the help of the UFC’s hype
machine is unparalleled, as evidenced by the $1.18 million gate
in his fight with Le on March 29. But much like Tito Ortiz still
can talk viewers into watching his fights though he no longer
is a Top 10 fighter, Shamrock’s recent record doesn’t
merit Top 10 consideration. He’s 2-2 since returning to
action in 2006, with the biggest win coming over Phil Baroni,
who has lost three of his past four. The other victory, against
Cesar Gracie, put Gracie’s career MMA record at 0-1.
Kimbo
Slice: This comes largely from new fans, but yes, there are people
who think Kimbo belongs in the Top 10. This includes one reader,
who shall go nameless, who actually argued that Kimbo belongs
instead of Fedor Emelianenko. Kimbo may some day evolve into
a Top 10 fighter. He is taking the game seriously, he is not
treating this as a joke, and he is training with the legendary
Bas Rutten. But right now, Elite XC promoter Gary Shaw is giving
Kimbo precisely the type of kid-gloves protection you would expect
from an old-school boxing promoter who stumbled onto a meal ticket.
If solid veteran heavyweights like Josh Barnett, Andrei Arlovski,
and Heath Herring aren’t getting Top 10 consideration, Slice
certainly isn’t going to get any at this stage of his career.
The
Yahoo! Sports MMA Top 10 pound-for-pound poll, the only one of
its sort in mainstream sports media, features 15 reporters and
editors from the major national sports websites; newspapers that
cover MMA; and legitimate MMA-only news-related websites. Each
voter selects his or her own top 10, with 10 points awarded for
a first-place vote, nine for a second, etc., down to one point
for a 10th-place vote.
The
only two guidelines placed on voters are: 1. Fighters need to
have competed at least once within the past 12 months in order
to be considered; 2. Fighters under suspension for banned substances
or drugs of abuse cannot be considered until they are reinstated.
For more info on the panel, including links to their sites, click
here.
10.
Miguel Torres
Points: 12
Affiliation: WEC
Weight class: Bantamweight (WEC bantamweight champion)
Hometown: E. Chicago, Ind.
Record: 21-1
Last month’s ranking: 10
Most recent result: def. Chase Beebe, R1 submission, Feb. 13
Analysis:Torres has a big challenge ahead of him on June 1, as
he puts his title and 14-fight win streak on the line against
unbeaten Manny Tapia (9-0-1), who is coming off a war in his
split decision win over Antonio Banuelos at WEC 32.
9.
Dan Henderson
Points: 31
Affiliation: UFC
Weight class: Light heavyweight/middleweight
Hometown: Victorville, Calif.
Record: 22-8
Last month’s ranking: 9
Most recent result: lost to Anderson Silva, R2 submission, March
1
Analysis: No word yet from Henderson’s camp on what he plans
on doing next with his career, and whether it will involve staying
at middleweight or going back to light heavyweight. Either way,
Henderson has earned the right to take as long a break as he
wants after back-to-back fights against Wanderlei Silva, Quinton
Jackson and Anderson Silva.
8.
Randy Couture
Points: 52
Affiliation:Under contract to UFC
Weight class: Heavyweight
Hometown: Gresham, Ore.
Record: 16-8
Last month’s ranking: 8
Most recent results: def. Gabriel Gonzaga, Round 3 TKO, Aug.
25
Analysis: Nothing new to report here, as Randy’s one-man
struggle against the big machine winds its way through the court
system. Assuming there is no settlement in the interim, Couture
would become ineligible for the poll on Aug. 25, the anniversary
of his dramatic win over Gabriel Gonzaga.
7.
Urijah Faber
Points: 56
Affiliation: WEC
Weight class: Featherweight (WEC featherweight champion)
Hometown: Sacramento, Calif.
Record: 20-1
Last month’s ranking: 7
2007 results: def. Jeff Curran, R2 submission, Dec. 12
Analysis: The winner of 12 consecutive matches, Faber defends
his title on June 1 in Sacramento against Jens Pulver in what
is shaping up as the biggest card in WEC history.
6.
Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
Points: 67
Affiliation: UFC
Weight class: Heavyweight (UFC interim heavyweight champion)
Hometown: Vitoria da Conquista, Brazil
Record: 31-4-1
Last month’s ranking: 6
Recent results: def. Tim Sylvia, R3 submission, Feb. 2
Analysis: With word that Frank Mir will face Justin McCully in
his next match, Andrei Arlovski still in contract limbo, and
the fans not likely to want Nogueira’s fourth match vs.
Heath Herring, the UFC’s interim heavyweight champion doesn’t
have seem to have a good matchup on the horizon.
5.
B.J. Penn
Points: 89
Affiliation: UFC
Weight class: Lightweight (UFC lightweight champion)
Hometown: Hilo, Hawaii
Record: 12-4-1
Last month’s ranking: 5
Most recent result: def. Joe Stevenson, R2 submission, Jan. 19
Analysis: It is tempting to look past Penn’s May 24 title
defense against Sean Sherk and ponder the potential for exciting
matchups against the likes of Kenny Florian or Roger Huerta.
But a focused Penn is beyond the point of looking past opponents,
which should be bad news for Sherk.
4.
Fedor Emelianenko
Points: 93
Affiliation: Free agent
Weight class: Heavyweight
Hometown: Stary Oskol, Russia
Record: 27-1 (1 no-contest)
Last month’s ranking: 4
Most recent result: def. Hong Man-Choi, R1 submission, Dec. 31.
Analysis: Those who blamed UFC president Dana White when negotiations
between the UFC and Fedor broke down all of sudden are quiet
now that it turns out that Fedor’s affiliation with M-1
also fell apart. Funny how it works out that way every single
time. Anyway, with Fedor back on the open market, both UFC and
Elite XC have indicated they’re interested in the Russian
heavyweight. But given that Emelianenko can spend the rest of
his career fighting cream puffs in Japan for huge paychecks,
why would he rush into a deal that isn’t to his liking?
3.
Quinton “Rampage” Jackson
Points: 112
Affiliation: UFC
Weight class: Light heavyweight (UFC lt. heavyweight champion)
Hometown: Memphis, Tenn.
Record: 28-6
Last month’s ranking: 3
Most recent result: def. Dan Henderson, unanimous decision, Sept.
8
Analysis: Rampage is back in the spotlight, as Season 7 of “The
Ultimate Fighter” is under way. By the time he steps into
the octagon against Forrest Griffin in July, both fighters will
have been out of competition since September. Which fighter will
be able to more easily shake off the ring rust?
2.
Georges St. Pierre
Points: 131 (two first-place votes)
Affiliation: UFC
Weight class: Welterweight (interim welterweight champion)
Hometown: Saint-Isidore, Quebec
Record: 15-2
Last month’s ranking: 2
Most recent result: def. Matt Hughes, R2 submission, Dec. 29.
Analysis: The only question left for St. Pierre heading into
his April 19 showdown with Serra is this: How will he handle
the pressure? GSP will face an unprecedented amount of attention
fighting in front of more than 20,000 fans in his hometown, not
to mention that UFC 83 will be far and away the biggest card
in Canadian MMA history.
1.
Anderson “Spider” Silva
Points: 145 (13 first-place votes)
Affiliation: UFC
Weight class: Middleweight (UFC middleweight champion)
Hometown: Curitiba, Brazil
Record: 21-4
Last month’s ranking: 1
Most recent result: def. Dan Henderson, R2 submission, March
1
Analysis: UFC president Dana White indicated he’s not going
to allow Silva to face off against Roy Jones Jr. under boxing
rules. Which is smart because Jones would slaughter Silva in
his game, much as Silva would do the same to Jones under full
mixed martial arts rules. In the meantime, “The Spider”
will bide his time until the company decides on his next victim.
Source: Yahoo Sports |
Can
Florian finish his quest for a title?
*
Florian finishes Lauzon in UFN main event Apr 2, 2008
* Fastest finish of modern era brings controversy Apr 2, 2008
BROOMFIELD,
Colo. – UFC 1 was held in Denver, only a couple of miles
from where Kenny Florian and Joe Lauzon electrified a boisterous
sellout crowd of 6,742 that had paid a venue-record gate of $753,429
to watch Ultimate Fight Night 13.at the Broomfield Events Center
on Wednesday.
UFC
1 was dubbed “The Beginning,” and, in many ways, it
was the beginning of a career for one of the world’s finest
fighters.
Florian,
who became interested in fighting after his younger brother,
Keith, was enthralled by UFC 1 about 14 ½ years ago, stopped
Joe Lauzon in the second round of a compelling lightweight bout
that pushed him to the top of the heap in the crowded 155-pound
division.
The
Boston-area native, who said his training camp was interrupted
when he suffered two bulging disks and tears in his back about
a month ago, mounted Lauzon early in the second round and pummeled
him until referee Herb Dean mercifully stopped it at 3:28.
“It
was amazing (to be fighting here), because this is what started
it all,” Florian said after his fourth consecutive victory,
all of which have been stoppages. “I remember my brother,
Keith, calling me after UFC 1 and telling me about this skinny
Brazilian guy named Royce Gracie. He said, ‘This skinny
guy is beating all these monsters.’ It all took place here.
This is where it all started.
“It’s
what got me and my brother wrestling and throwing each other
and getting rug burns and training for hours, beating each other
up. Who would ever have thought that would lead to actually fighting
in the UFC one day? It’s weird to even think about that,
but it was great to be part of it.”
ADVERTISEMENT
Few,
if any, of the fighters at UFC 1 – even Gracie – had
the all-around type of game that Florian has developed. A black
belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, Florian has become, at the worst,
above average in each of the skills needed to succeed in mixed
martial arts.
Florian
began as a one-dimensional grappler, but soon added other aspects
to his game, which he displayed against Lauzon.
Lauzon
lived up to his billing as a fast starter, bringing the fight
to Florian from the start. He took Florian down early, but suffered
a cut on the top of his head when Florian inadvertently elbowed
him.
Dean
warned Florian for the illegal blow, though he defended himself
by pointing out that Lauzon ducked his head as the elbow was
coming.
Lauzon,
who moved from the Boston area to train full-time in Hawaii with
UFC lightweight champion B.J. Penn, was the underdog, but he
was fearless and worked feverishly to finish the fight himself.
He put a pair of heel hooks on Florian, one of which nearly made
Florian trainer Mark DellaGrotte choke.
“That
heel hook was pretty close and it was kind of scary there for
a second,” DellaGrotte said.
Florian
showed one of the many facets of his game when he managed to
work free of the submission attempt and bring the fight into
the second round.
Once
there, it was all over for Lauzon. Florian took him down, got
a dominant position on Lauzon’s chest and wouldn’t
allow Lauzon to buck him off.
He’s
one of the game’s best finishers, as he’s proven by
stopping his last four opponents and seven of his last eight.
He
hardly looks like a terror, with his spindly build and angular
features, but his brother said inside of that thin body is a
terrific athlete.
“As
long as I can remember, Kenny was good at whatever he did in
sports,” said Keith Florian, who is also a black belt and
a part of his older brother’s training team in Somerville,
Mass. “He played soccer, he was great at tennis.
“I
think (UFC president) Dana White tried to build that image up
to help (“The Ultimate Fighter 1”). He was saying,
‘Hey, here’s this skinny, nerdy looking guy who is
fighting all these bigger guys.’ It was just his way of
trying to pump it up. But don’t take him for granted as
an athlete. He’s always been very, very good.”
One
of his problems now is that he’s in perhaps the sport’s
best division and he’s already had a shot at the crown.
His only loss in his last eight fights came against Sean Sherk
in a bid for the vacant lightweight belt at UFC 64 on Oct. 14,
2006.
There
are so many fighters deserving of a shot, as Gray Maynard alluded
to moments after his unanimous decision victory over previously
unbeaten Frankie Edgar.
“There
are a lot of tough guys and I have a long, long way to go,”
said Maynard, who broke his right hand during the victory.
Florian’s
trip back to the top shouldn’t be long. B.J. Penn will defend
the belt against Sherk at UFC 84 on May 24 in Las Vegas. After
that, Florian should be up next, based on what he’s accomplished.
He
didn’t want to get into it and suggested a fight with Roger
Huerta would be a good one for him later in the year.
But
Florian is separating himself from the pack, though DellaGrotte
said he can still get significantly better.
“He
knows he has holes in his game,” DellaGrotte said, “but
he plans on filling them and that’s why he’s continuously
camping with us and continuously dieting. There’s never
an off-season.
“He
knows he’s not the best Kenny Florian he could be, but he’s
striving to become the best Kenny Florian. And he’s really
come a long, long way. I’m proud of him.”
Source: Yahoo Sports
|
Quote
of the Day
“Thinking
is one thing no one has ever been able to tax.”
Charles F. Kettering, 1876-1958, American Engineer and Inventor
|
O2MAA
Has Two New Purple Belts!
Congratulations
to long time students Chris Slavens and Kelly Pahio who were
awarded their purple belts last night. Both gentlemen have excellent
technique as well as are true leaders for our school. Chris Slavens
co-instructs our boxing and kickboxing classes with Kaleo Kwan
and always helps out with every aspect of the school Kelly is
known as the question man and always is searching for the inner
working of the techniques and also is a major contributor to
the school.
Congratulations to Chris and Kelly!
|
Gesias
vs Aoki good to go
Buscape-Kawajiri also at Dream
The
rematch between Gesias Cavalcante and Shinya Aoki has a date.
The long-awaited bout will take place April 29, at the second
edition of Dream, which will also bring the first round of the
middleweight Grand Prix.
Such
names as ATT’s Denis Kang and Kazushi Sakuraba have been
confirmed among the under-84kg fighters. JZ and Aoki had a fight
scheduled for Yarennoka at the end of last year, but the injured
Brazilian had to wait until March 15th, when the fight ended
a no-contest due to an illegal strike by Gesias.
The
winner of the match Will have less than 15 days to recover, since
the second round of the lightweight GP will be held on May 11.
The other news unveiled by the Japanese today was exactly about
that second round, with the announcement of the quarterfinals
line-up. Check out the bouts:
Mitsuhiro
Ishida vs Caol Uno
Joachim Hansen vs Eddie Alvarez
Tatsuya Kawajiri vs Luis "Buscape" Firmino
Katsuhiko Nagata vs Shynia Aoki ou Gesias Cavalcante
Source: Gracie Magazine |
Nino
Schembri
Back in Rio after three years, rubber-man Nino Schembri intends
to compete in three modalities. Learn secrets of mobility and
moves your opponents won’t see coming
It seems reasonable to say that Antonio Schembri is happy. It
is a simple assumption one can make from the laughs and smiles
he lets show, quite frequently, on his face covered with allergy
marks caused by some burly bug that attacked him while climbing
the Pedra da Gávea mountain.
Nino
has returned home, and he is full of the positive feeling of
being surrounded by family. It is not that he broke up with Chute
Boxe, nothing like that. Much to the contrary: Nino even thought
of opening an affiliate to the Curitiban academy in Rio de Janeiro,
but decided to install himself in the brand new Black House gym
instead, so as not to have to worry about teaching and managing
a school. There is only one thing on his mind: to compete, and
a lot.
“I
found the pace at the Worlds really fast, but I think that, for
someone who hadn’t fought since 2000, I did well”
Which
is something Schembri hasn’t been doing much of. Before
the Worlds of 2006, in which he took third after being submitted
in the semifinal by Andre Galvão, Nino spent six years
without fighting in sport Jiu-Jitsu tournaments. And, during
his three-year stay at Chute Boxe, he only fought MMA three times,
against such fighters as Sakuraba, Ryo Chonan and Matt Lindland.
Three defeats. But the pace now will be different, he affirms.
The exit from Wanderlei Silva’s team does not mean he will
be less dedicated to MMA.
Not
at all. At 32 years of age, Nino says he feels young, and is
still full of piss and vinegar to let out as a competitor. It
is time to make up for lost time. Just as 2007 begins, he already
has several propositions on his plate. “I have a vale-tudo
in January, in an André Pederneiras event; I’ll do
a fight for the site Luta Casada at the end of January; I fight
on February 23rd in Santa Monica, in the United States; and I
want to compete in the ADCC qualifiers at the beginning of February,”
lists the black belt that managed to knock out Kazushi Sakuraba,
in 2003.
Fluid
style
So ok, we are in Black House, situated in the basement of X-Gym
academy, in Barra da Tijuca, where Nino and his brother Pepe
meet the GRACIE Magazine team to converse and teach. While he
speaks, Nino stretches his legs in bizarre positions, as easily
as one would crack one’s knuckles. He is literally at home,
as the gym is less than 10km from where he lives. “[Manager]
Joinha invited me, and this is all very pleasant and economic
– I am not spending money on anything,” he says.
“Now
I’ll play all across the board. But it doesn’t help
to only train with the gloves and then, two weeks before a Jiu-Jitsu
tournament, put on the gi”
Nino
horses around with his older brother and discusses, with him
and black belt photographer Gustavo Aragão, Jiu-Jitsu
techniques. Nino is known for his fluid and unusual style, due
partly to genetic characteristics; for one of the moves proposed,
he shows a personalized variation: “But here I would do
this.” As a little more play-time passes, he starts to show
some moves that he has surprised adversaries and training partners
with over the years. Many of them, once caught by such techniques
as the police bar or the embarrassing catch-the-sucker, exclaim,
“What the heck is that?” or even “That doesn’t
count!” Nino’s response, he says letting out a jester-like
cackle, is: “Tap out first, then I’ll teach you!”
“With
more training time, I’ll get back to the top in my weight
group in Jiu-Jitsu again”
Many
of these moves require the flexibility that the vast majority
simply does not have, and many might never have, even with great
effort. Nino himself, while doing a maneuver reminiscent of the
Cirque du Soleil, tells of how he was born with all the flexibility
he now has. “My mom even told me once how my flexibility
never got better – it just got worse,” he confesses.
“Once I said, ‘Mom, I can put my leg behind my head,’
and she responded, ‘My son, you were even more flexible
when you were younger.’”
“The
beat-down is rough at Chute Boxe training sessions. I made a
lot of friends and took a lot of bruises, but I’m back in
one piece”
Nino
tells of how he already loved to stretch when he was a blue belt
of only 15 years of age, and that, upon receiving his black belt,
he started intensifying his stretching routine as a weapon in
combat. If you never were double-jointed, but have the open mind
to learn some things that are beneficial to many aspects of the
game, you are welcome to try some of the exercises proposed by
“Mr. Schembri” to come. According to Nino, you should
be able to reach incredible levels of flexibility in around one
year of training daily. But be careful: the process is slow and
you should respect your body; excessive stretching of the muscles,
joints and ligaments can cause irreparable damage if done without
supervision from an experienced instructor or physical trainer.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
BRIAN
STANN HUMBLE IN VICTORY
Brian Stann entered the cage at World Extreme Cagefighting 33
determined and with one goal in mind: to take the title away
from Doug Marshall. Many odds makers and fans alike thought that
Stann wasn’t experienced enough to dethrone an experienced
fighter like Doug Marshall. However, few have dealt with the
kind of pressures that Brian Stann has.
Stann
ended up only needing 1:35 to end Doug Marshall’s title
reign and to become the new WEC light heavyweight champion. MMAWeekly
spoke to Brian Stann a few days after his victory to discuss
the fight and how it feels to be the champion. “It feels
great”, he exclaimed. “I finally got home on Saturday
and I got to spend time with my family and that's when it really
started to sink in.”
Early
in the fight, the reach advantage was evident as Stann kept Marshall
at bay by establishing his jab. Since Stann had known Marshall
for some time, he knew he would have a good size advantage on
him. “I met him before a couple of times and I knew that
there was going to be a decent size advantage.”
The
final exchange of the fight, Marshall seemed to have found some
range and unloaded a strong combination against the challenger,
with some of the punches getting through. However, Stann didn’t
back down. While Marshall was throwing some wide punches, Stann
unloaded a counter left hook that dropped Marshall. “The
whole punch was coming into him with the height advantage,”
recalled Stann. “I kind of reacted a little too quick, thinking
the fight was over. But I knew I caught him solid, because I
felt it in my arm and shoulder that I caught him solid.”
The
punches that Marshall landed in the exchange looked like it hurt
the Silver Star recipient, but he claims it didn’t. “If
you watch the fight in slo-mo, one left hook got in clear and
one other left hook just skinned off my hand. I was not rocked
at all. He was throwing hard, I could tell you that much. My
forearms and hands were feeling it after the fight. Doug brings
it. My hat's off to him.”
Most
fighters will tell you that fights are won and lost in the gym.
The grueling training that most of these fighters go through
is far worse than what actually occurs in the cage. At least,
that’s the way Brian feels. “Being real honest, I told
some people before the fight, that I just felt that the quality
of training and how much I improved since my last fight, that
if I performed to the best of my abilities, the fight wasn't
going to be as good a fight as everyone thought it was supposed
to be. I expected to dominate the fight, but I didn't expect
the fight to be that short because Doug is such a tough guy.
He can put people in trouble in a lot of different ways. I just
thought that I had won that fight weeks before I stepped into
the cage.”
There
are very few, if any, fighters that bring the kind of life experience
that Stann has brought into his mixed martial arts career. When
he steps into the cage for a fight, he doesn’t just feel
the pressure of the task at hand, but also the hopes and support
of the Marine Corps and the military. “There are a lot of
guys in the Marine Corps and the military in general that support
my career. It was kind of a lot of emotional events leading up
to that point. Everything I have been fighting for to bring recognition
to, you know, sacrifices that so many of my comrades and that's
really why it was so emotional. One of my best friends that died
in Iraq actually bought a Harley Davidson before he left that
April before he left for deployment. I talked to his mom the
day after the fight, and as soon as she saw the Harley Davidson
emblem in the center of the cage, she knew her son was with me.
Things like that and people like that, I go into the cage with
a lot more than a game plan and my recognitions on my mind. I
won that for a lot more than me.”
Source: MMA Weekly |
'The
Ultimate Fighter 7' premiere attracts 1.7 million viewers
The
first episode of "The Ultimate Fighter 7: Team Rampage vs.
Team Forrest" on Wednesday night drew in an average of 1.7
million viewers for Spike TV.
The
hour-long episode, featuring four complete fights, received a
household rating of 1.3. Last season's premiere also drew 1.7
million viewers.
UFC
Fight Night: Florian vs. Lauzon, which aired directly before
"The Ultimate Fighter 7," brought in an average of
1.3 million viewers and received a household rating of 1.1 This
was a small drop from last year's UFC Fight Night 11, which drew
in an average of 1.5 million viewers.
Source: MMA Fighting |
Jungle
Fight returns
Wallid Ismail with his partners.
New format to reveal stars
GRACIEMAG.com
was yesterday at the press conference that made official the
rebirth of Jungle Fight. The promotion that, in the past,was
home to the MMA debuts of such stars as Ronaldo Jacare, Fabricio
Werdum, Gabriel Napao and Lyoto Machida will be back with a new
form of competition.
This
time, the main tournament will take place at the Jardim Guanabara
yacht club, in Rio de Janeiro next month, but until then there
will be qualifiers, whose standouts Will later be called for
the big night. President and former MMA fighters Wallid Ismail
won’t be alone in the endeavor. His supporters are brothers
Rodrigo and Rogerio Nogueira, former minister of sports Bernard
and secretary of sports and Olympic medalist Rogerio Sampaio,
who said: “Organized MMA will be another great instrument
of social integration in Brazil.”
With
the intention of turning mixed martial arts into a sport that
is both Professional and accepted by public in Brazil, the Carlson
Gracie black belt Will also have the help of Pedro Gama Filho
(president of the Brazilian Confederation of Associated Fights)
and of the recently-created Athletic Commission, whose goal is
to set standards for the sport and make it more accessible to
the public.
Another
factor stressed by the promoters present is the attention that
will be paid to new talents and athletes who haven’t yet
had their shot. With that in mind, Jungle Fight will count on
company Ability, responsible for the management of the careers
of all sorts of athletes. Thus, the fighters who stand out Will
have full financial and technical support to work without worries.
“If
we have na athlete that is indicated by some academy, we’re
going to give them all the structure and incentive to reach their
goal,” said Ability president Fred Souza.
The
first qualifying event Will be held this Sunday, at 6pm, at the
new training center created by UFC heavyweight champion Rodrigo
Minotauro, in Rio.
“This
Sunday will be the beginning of a great journey. I’m honored
to be a parto f this event, which is the biggest one in Brazil,
and Will help make the sport more professional in our country.
With this kind of union, we wise to make champions and take athletes
abroad to represent us, just like happened with Anderson Silva,
Wanderlei Silva, me and my brother,” said Rodrigo Minotauro.
Now
check out the card of Jungle Fight’s first qualifier:
Leonardo Pecanha vs Paulo Thiago
Ricardo Cruz vs Wagner Ribeiro
Maicon Ribeiro vs Rodrigo Smurf
Zorababel Jr. vs Pedro Manoel
Paulo Eduardo vs Alexandre “Pulga” Pimentel
Marcus “Bicudinho” Marciel vs Andre de Oliveira
Source: Gracie Magazine |
Buscapé
waits for Japanese at Dream
The
only Brazilian to win at Dream’s lightweight GP, Luis Buscapé
told TATAME about his fight and his possible opponent on next
stage. "My fight was good, I was without fighting for a
long time and I’m sure the event will put me to fight against
a Japanese fighter", said Buscapé, that may face
Tatsuya Kawajiri, Katsuhiko Nagata or Mitsuhiro Ishida at May
11th.
After
his fight, Buscapé commented the polemical fight of the
night, the No Contest at the two times Hero’s champion Gesias
Cavalcante and Shinya Aoki. "I was at the side of the ring
and the Japanese was really scared and didn’t wanted to
fight. I believe that there’s no way they stay out of the
GP. Gesias is the two times Hero’s champion and Aoki is
idol at Jaan, they may set another fight between them",
said Buscapé.
Source: Tatame
|
Pamplona
predicts Banha’s knockout at UFC 85
Luis
Banha’s teacher, that will fight at UFC 85, Eduardo Pamplona
is confident for his fight at London and predicts the result.
"Knockout. We’re training here and I can only expect
a knockout. We’re training hard here, we’re complete
here at the training center", said Pamplona, that is arranging
his back to MMA. "Probably I’ll close with Cage Fighting
Championship (CFC) at England. I’m only waiting confirmation
for next week", said the athlete, that will fight at 77kg
category.
Source: Tatame
|
Quote
of the Day
“Never
talk defeat. Use words like hope, belief, faith, victory.”
Norman Vincent Peale, 1898-1993, American Preacher and Author
of "The Power of Positive Thinking"
|
Fighters'
Club TV Tonight!
Channel 52, Tuesdays
at 7:00 PM
FCTV episode
58 will run in our normal timeslot of 7pm on Oceanic Channel
52 Olelo Oahu Tuesday nights, March 25, April 1, 8, & 15.
Episode
58 features:
Highlights
from the Pacific Invitational Jiu-Jitsu tournament including:
1. Interview & footage with purple belt heavyweight &
absolute winner, Kelly Grissom
(Relson Gracie Kaneohe Team)
2. Internview with tournament director Ronn Shiraki
3. Highlights & great subs from Jake Scoval & Luke Hacker
from Longman JJ, Dustin
Grace from Kaneohe Team, Lenora from Team HK, Andy Marshall vs.
Dr. Suehiro & many
more...
-HFC
highlights from the Dole Cannery including:
-Interview with fight promoter Sly Kekahuna
-170 lbs HFC champion Keoni Bryant
-Interview with Koa Ramos with highlight of fight with Bryson
Kamaka
-Highlight of Brennan Kamaka in action
Technique
of the Week:
-Mario "Zen Machine" Sperry demonstrates the standing
guard pass
Rob
Demello's report
-Kala Hose vs Phil Baroni fight highlights & inteview with
Kala Hose
-Extended unedited interview with Phil Baroni
Comments,
Questions, and Suggestions to: fctv@onzuka.com
|
Heart-of-a-Cage-Fighter
May 3rd, 6:30pm
Kauai Veterans Center, Lihue
For
more information, email info@eternalfighter.com
|
THIAGO
ALVES TALKS WIN OVER PARISYAN
Thiago "Pit bull" Alves improved his professional mixed
martial arts record to 14-3-0 and his Ultimate Fighting Championship
resume to 8-2-0 by finishing top five ranked Karo "The Heat"
Parisyan at UFC Fight Night 13.
Since
losing to Jon Fitch in June of 2006, Alves has reeled off five
wins in-a-row solidifying himself as a contender in the UFC welterweight
division.
"I'm
really, really happy and one step closer to the belt," Alves
told MMAWeekly.
Alves
was tentative in the opening round against Parisyan, but in the
closing minute of the first stanza Alves found his range. 34
seconds into round two, Alves dropped Parisyan with a well placed
knee and finished him by follow-up strikes.
"I
always think of a fight as a fifteen minute fight," said
the American Top Team trained fighter. "You've got fifteen
minutes to fight, so figure it out, see what he's got and then
do something. Feel him out, feel his strength and speed and then
take over. That was pretty much the game plan."
Parisyan
was able to take Alves down in the first round, but Alves avoided
damage and was able to work his way back to his feet. "I
was very comfortable everywhere," said Alves. "He took
me down, but here's the thing. I train with the best grapplers
in the world. There was nothing he could do that I haven't seen
before, so I was just taking my time waiting for him to move.
As soon as he moved, I'd move back and got right back up."
"I
knew as soon as I started to push him and pick up the pace, moving
my feet and everything, he couldn't keep up, so it was just a
matter of time."
The
victory over Parisyan was the biggest win of 24-year-old fighter's
career. Alves commented, "Karo was the biggest guy I ever
fought. No disrespect to my other opponents, but he's the top
guy in the ring that I've ever fought before, so that was the
biggest fight for me."
Some
thought the referee stoppage was premature, but Alves was not
one of them. "As soon as I threw the knee, if you put it
in slow motion and replay it, he dropped fast," stated Alves.
"He woke up because I kept punching him in the face. That's
why he woke up. I think the referee did a great job."
"He
(Parisyan) called my coach afterward and apologized for the attitude.
Karo's a great guy and I love the guy to death. Hopefully we're
going to see each other again in the octagon, but Wednesday night
was my night. I was the better man in the octagon."
Alves
attributes his success to work ethic. He said, "Hard work
pays off. It's a big accomplishment for me. I went there, did
my work. Did what I was supposed to do and look forward to the
next one."
With
the win over Parisyan behind him, Alves looks forward to getting
back to the grind and getting back in the octagon. "I hope
by June or July I want to be back in the octagon."
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
HEAVYWEIGHTS
ROUND OUT UFC 84 FIGHT CARD
The Ultimate Fighting Championship has confirmed, via its website,
several bouts for its May 24 event in Las Vegas.
The
headline bout at UFC 84 features a lightweight championship bout
between current champion B.J. Penn and former champion Sean Sherk. Following a
suspension by the California State Athletic Commission for a
positive test for performance enhancing drugs, Sherk was stripped
of the title. Penn won the vacated championship in January by
defeating Joe Stevenson.
Other
bouts confirmed on Monday include Rousimar Palhares vs. Ivan
Salaverry, Terry Etim vs. Jeremy Stephens, and Shane Carwin vs.
Christian Wellisch.
Carwin
is a notable addition to the UFC’s heavyweight division.
He is a Division II All-American in both wrestling and football.
He is also undefeated, at 8-0, in mixed martial arts. Carwin
should provide an athletic boost to a division that has seen
the recent exodus of Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic, former
champion Tim Sylvia, and, likely, Andre Arlovski, also a former
UFC champion.
Wellisch
is 8-3 as a professional, but hasn’t seen action in the
Octagon since last September due to finishing up law school.
He is 2-1 in the UFC defeating Scott Junk and Anthony Perosh,
losing only to Cheick Kongo. The American Kickboxing Academy
teammate of Jon Fitch, Mike Swick, and Josh Koscheck has a wealth
of experience and should prove a difficult first bout in the
Octagon for Carwin.
UFC
84 also features the returns of Keith Jardine and Wanderlei Silva,
who will battle in a light heavyweight contest. Another notable
bout is the last fight on Tito Ortiz’s UFC contract, which
he says he will not renew, against No. 4 ranked and undefeated
light heavyweight Lyoto Machida.
UFC
84 Bouts (officially announced):
-B.J. Penn vs. Sean Sherk
-Keith Jardine vs. Wanderlei Silva
-Lyoto Machida vs. Tito Ortiz
-Wilson Gouveia vs. Goran Reljic
-Thiago Silva vs. Antonio Mendes
-Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou vs. Kazuhiro Nakamura
-John Koppenhaver vs. Yoshiyuki Yoshida
-Dong Hyun Kim vs. Jason Tan
-Rousimar Palhares vs. Ivan Salaverry
-Terry Etim vs. Robert Emerson
-Shane Carwin vs. Christian Wellisch
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
UFC
& SPIKE TV UPBEAT ON RATINGS
The Ultimate Fighting Championship’s UFC Fight Night 13
and Ultimate Fighter season seven premiere teamed up with Spike
TV’s new original series “DEA” to draw the highest
cable ratings of the night from 7 p.m. to Midnight ET/PT on Wednesday
night in the valued Men 18-49 and Men 25-34 demographics. The
five-hour time slot brought in a 1.42 rating in the Men 18-49
demographic and 1.83 in the Men 25-34 demographic.
Season
seven of The Ultimate Fighter scored an overall household rating
of 1.3, which averages out to about 1.7 million viewers. The
demographic breakdown had the premiere doing a 1.8 with Men 18-49
and 2.21 with Men 18-34.
UFC
Fight Night 13 earned an overall household rating of 1.1, which
averages out to about 1.3 million viewers over the course of
the telecast. It peaked during the Kenny Florian vs. Joe Lauzon
main event at about 1.8 million viewers. The Fight Night telecast
scored higher than the ESPN telecast of the NBA’s Boston
Celtics and Indiana Pacers game.
The
demographic breakdown for UFC Fight Night saw the show score
a 1.35 rating with Men 18-49, 1.56 with Men 18-34, and .84 with
People 18-49.
“From
the UFC stars in the Octagon to the DEA heroes on the streets
of Detroit, Spike originals feature distinctive characters seen
nowhere else on television that resonate with our young guy audience,”
said Kevin Kay, president, Spike TV.
Source: MMA Weekly |
Grove vs. Tanner at TUF
Finale on June 21
Kendall
Grove will
take on Evan Tanner at "The Ultimate Fighter 7 Finale"
on June 21 in Las Vegas, according to the Grove's official site.
Grove
was the season three winner of "The Ultimate Fighter,"
defeating Ed Herman in one of the best bouts in 2006. The Hawaiian
won two more before suffering back-to-back first-round (T)KO
losses.
Tanner
returned to the UFC last month in a loss to top ranked Yushin
Okami. Tanner won the UFC middleweight title in February 2005.
The
Finale will air live on Spike TV from the Pearl Concert Theater
at Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas.
Source: MMA Fighting |
Chuck
Liddell irked by Kimbo’s popularity
Former
UFC light heavyweight champion Chuck Liddell (21-5), arguably
MMA’s biggest star just as the sport began its march toward
the mainstream, is appalled by Kevin “Kimbo Slice”
Ferguson (2-0) and says a checkered past of beating up a “bunch
of guys on the street” is the only reason for his popularity.
Liddell
talked about EliteXC’s prized heavyweight in a recent interview
with our friend Mark Gilbert of The Sun.
According
to Liddell, Ferguson is training and learning MMA, but he “hasn’t
done anything” to earn the praise he receives.
“Kimbo’s
one of those guys who doesn’t have any ground game,”
Liddell told The Sun. “He’s training and he’s
learning but he’s been built up as such a big star, and
that’s the thing that bothers me.
“People
talk about him like he’s the next great thing when he really
hasn’t done anything. He’s been built up because of
the Internet and him beating a bunch of guys on the street.”
Ferguson’s
initial fame came from underground fight videos posted on YouTube
and other video-sharing websites. Based in Miami, the 34-year-old
almost always dominated his opponents in the bare-knuckle fights.
(Ferguson, though, was eventually stopped by Boston police officer
Sean Gannon, who was later signed by the UFC with a mere 1-0
professional record.)
“I
could make some impressive knockout videos too if you let me
walk outside and just punch people and knock them out—“hey
you, come fight!” Liddell told The Sun. “F*** we can
make a highlight reel tomorrow and go round beating people up
and talking about it. We could just go up to people and start
dropping them. Wow!”
Liddell
is currently slated to face Rashad Evans in the main event of
UFC 85, an event that takes place June 7 in London. After winning
seven consecutive fights, Liddell suffered back-to-back defeats
for the first time in his career, losing his belt to Quinton
Jackson in the process. He rebounded for a victory over Wanderlei
Silva in December.
Ferguson,
meanwhile, is slated to headline the first EliteXC-CBS event
on May 31. The organization hasn’t announced an opponent,
but James Thompson appears to be the leading candidate.
Source: MMA Junkie
|
DESPITE
BROKEN ARM,
FRANK SHAMROCK PLANS RETURN
Frank Shamrock, in defense of his Strikeforce middleweight championship
a week ago, gave fans exactly what they wanted, other than a
victory. He stood and went toe-to-toe, blow-for-blow with San
Shou champion Cung Le. Unfortunately for him, Shamrock not only
lost his title, but the use of his right forearm for the near
future.
Blocking
several of Le’s powerful kicks with his forearms, Shamrock
had to block one too many and ended up suffering a broken right
ulna. It was evident near the end of the third round, when Le
threw a left head kick that Shamrock obviously had time to put
his arm up to block, but instead opted to brace himself and move
into the kick. Not the optimum defense for kicks as powerful
as Le’s.
The
injury required six screws and a metal plate to repair. It will
keep him out of action for upwards of eight months, depending
on how his body heals up.
He
is not deterred though. Shamrock's camp told MMAWeekly.com that
he does plan to fight again, although the plate will have to
be removed before he can re-enter the ring.
Source: MMA Weekly |
CUNG
LE TAKES CENTER STAGE
It was one of the most exciting and entertaining fights of the
year. Cung Le engaged in the biggest challenge of his young mixed
martial arts career and emerged a champion. The former San Shou
star put on an impressive performance in front of 16,326 fans.
Utilizing
his powerful kicks, Le broke Frank Shamrock’s arm and claimed
the Strikeforce 185-pound title after Shamrock was unable to
continue.
“The
fans created so much energy it was almost overwhelming. I like
to feed off that energy, but there was so much energy I had to
ground myself, close my eyes and take a deep breath,” commented
the newly crowned champion as he reflected back on his entrance
into the cage.
“It
was a very tough fight. Frank brought the best out of me. I rose
to the occasion. I fought a very hard, fast-paced fight,”
said Le. “I never thought he would stand that long. Since
he did, the fight definitely lived up to the hype.”
Love
him or hate him, Frank Shamrock knows how to entertain. He has
been known to provoke his opponents with the occasional taunt
and this fight was no exception as the former UFC champion greeted
Le with a few gestures and acknowledgements.
“That
didn’t bother me at all,” explained Le. “I was
prepared; I worked hard. He’s such a tough dude and has
a great poker face. I had to be smart and be patient.”
The
third round of the championship fight was the most memorable
as both fighters were willing to exchange. Shamrock stunned Le
with a straight right that had the challenger seemingly in trouble.
With a minute left, Le recovered and fired back with a barrage
of his own that included the kick which ultimately ended the
fight.
“During
the fight he was catching me with some cross punches. The third
round he did rock me. He rocked me pretty good. I didn’t
expect that. I actually thought he was going to shoot and was
getting ready to stuff the shot. The shot never came except for
a right hand. Frank has a hard head, but so do I.”
After
the round ended, Shamrock walked towards his corner and knelt
down in pain. He could be seen acknowledging an arm injury as
he sat on his stool.
“I
threw a really hard kick with bad intentions. I knew he was going
to cover it, but I was just going to kick through his arm. As
soon as I hit him, I heard this crazy sound and I knew his arm
was broken,” revealed Le. “He tried to shake it off
and I chased him down into the fence and started opening up.”
With
just six fights under his belt, Cung Le has fulfilled one of
his goals as a professional fighter.
“This
is a dream come true,” exclaimed the undefeated fighter.
“This was the biggest fight of my life. I’m just grateful
to be part of this mega fight and to win; to beat someone like
Frank… I’m honored, I feel blessed and I’m happy.
“The
fans are crazy; they’re true fans. It’s great,”
added Le. “That night, I had a lot of Frank Shamrock fans
say that they were Cung Le fans now.”
Le
dedicated a lot of his time in preparation for his fight with
Frank Shamrock. Now that it is over, he intends on spending some
time with his family.
“I’m
going to take a little time off. I don’t see myself fighting
probably until the end of the year.”
Cung
Le has long been recognized as a San Shou champion. He will now
be known as an MMA champion. He has successfully crossed over
from another sport and established himself as a fighter to watch
for. Not bad for guy who started his career just two years ago.
“I’m
always working hard. I have to continue to grow and be more well-rounded
as a martial artist and as a person. I’m definitely going
to stay focused.”
Source: MMA Weekly |
Shamrock
still relevant in big picture
Where
Frank Shamrock stands among the upper echelon of fighters can
be debated, particularly after his loss of the Strikeforce middleweight
title to Cung Le on March 29.
But
what can’t be debated is that there isn’t another fighter
in the business who is better at marketing himself. The Shamrock-Le
match at the HP Pavilion in San Jose gave Shamrock main event
spots in two of the three largest paid attendances ever in North
America for a mixed martial arts event.
But
he did so without the television exposure or the ticket selling
value of the UFC name.
Shamrock
not only doesn’t mind if people hate him, he relishes it,
if it results in them wanting to see him fight just to see him
humbled. And after being knocked off the horse in the Le match
with a broken arm, and five hours or surgery on Sunday which
left the arm in a massive cast, he’s already planning his
next moves.
The
timetable for Shamrock’s return looks to be in about eight
months. He had a plate and six screws inserted to put his ulna
bone in his right forearm back together.
He
felt it break in the second round but kept fighting on it. It
had turned red and started swelling, and he noticed when throwing
punches that instead of the impact reverberating up his arm and
into his shoulder, it just stopped on one side of the arm, at
the forearm. He was able to fight with it, and had Le on the
run late in the third round.
But
a kick by Le with ten seconds left in round not only turned things
around, but in reality, ended things. Le’s second-to-last
kick completely separated the bone. Shamrock tried to throw a
punch with the right arm and immediately realized he was done.
He absorbed one last vicious head kick as the round ended.
Shamrock
was told it would take four months for the bone to heal, and
then he’ll need a second operation to remove the plate and
screws because he can’t fight with them. It will take another
ten or so weeks before the arm will be ready for fighting.
The
Le fight left Shamrock with several gruesome souvenirs: the big
cast on one arm; what appeared to be the world’s largest
blood blister covering most of his left forearm, also from blocking
Le’s kicks; nine staples near the top of his head from another
kick and a discolored left eye as his souvenirs. But Le also
took plenty of physical damage in a fight that took him from
being a local star to a national one.
Shamrock
didn’t appear all that upset over anything, even that aura
of invincibility he had over not having been stopped in a fight
in nearly 12 years is gone.
“It
humanized me,” he said, eyeing a new marketing direction
to build for a rematch, no longer pushing the idea that he can’t
be beat as much as pushing the idea he always comes to give people
an entertaining fight. “It was a good fight, and it was
a good story.”
Shamrock
felt if the forearm hadn’t have completely given out and
rendered the arm useless, that he would have taken over the next
round.
While
he was losing on the scorecards, before the kick that did the
final damage, he had the strongest offensive flurry of the fight
in the prior minute.
“I
felt he was good for three rounds,” said Shamrock. “He
has a great style but it’s not 100 percent biomechanically
correct. Throwing all those kicks will tire you out. I felt in
the fourth and fifth rounds I’d destroy him.”
While
one can never be sure, the buzz around San Jose in the aftermath
of the fight gives the impression a second fight will do better
than the first. But that also depends on Le maintaining the title.
“He
was exactly what I thought he was,” said Shamrock, conceded
some of Le’s kicks were harder than expected and he was
surprised by Le’s ability to take a punch. “I thought
he’d run more but he didn’t. I clipped him a few times
and I figured he wouldn’t last. He had no power in his punches
when he hit me with clean shots. His kicks were good. Some were
hard. Some weren’t hard. They were deceptive.”
“I
tried to be too technical,” he said, saying that something
he can’t fully explained happened to him that changed in
his psyche two weeks before the fight.
“I
got wrapped up in the technique of the stand-up game,” he
noted. “When my psyche changed, I lost some of my confidence.
I don’t know why.”
If
Shamrock can book his future, which he always tries to do, it’ll
be a fight with adopted brother Ken Shamrock, the “Blood
Brothers” pay-per-view concept that he and Elite XC promoter
Gary Shaw have been talking about for months, followed by a rematch
with Le.
Even
though Ken Shamrock looked shot in his March 8 loss in London,
England, to unheralded heavyweight Robert “Buzz” Berry,
Frank believes the platform of reaching a completely new audience
on CBS can still make the fight big. He recognizes the need for
the right television vehicle like a reality show for both to
tell their stories, plus the uniqueness of two brothers who were
pioneers in the sport and had many ups and downs with each other
in the process. And while it’s been years since Ken has
looked good in a fight, he’s one of Frank’s legitimate
rivals in the ability to sell a fight.
“He
can talk the fight up big, but then he doesn’t deliver,”
said Frank. “It’s like a girl who’s a tease.”
Source: Yahoo Sports
|
Quote
of the Day
“Kindness
is the golden chain by which society is bound together.”
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, 1749-1832, German Poet/Dramatist/Novelist
|
Fighters'
Club Radio
TUNE IN
TOMORROW MORN - MONDAY, AUG 7TH
9AM
- 10AM
AM
1500 RADIO "HAWAII'S SPORTING NEWS"
FIGHTERS
CLUB RADIO
WITH
KURANO & FREITAS
VERY
SPECIAL GUEST:
FALANIKO VITALE
CALL
IN AT 296-1500
OTHER
TOPICS:
- NVP EVENT APRIL 18
- MORE ON X1 EVENT
- GRAPPLEFEST REVIEW
- TUF 7
- SHOXC / PO'AI RECAP
- UFC 83: ST. PIERRE vs SERRA PREVIEW
|
Grapple
Fest a Success!
Congratulations
to all the competitors that entered Grapple Fest. The new rules
and scoring had most of the competitors and coaches confused
for a bit, but everyone slowly got a decent grasp of the new
system. I am sure everyone is looking forward to the next event.
Congratulations to O2 Martial Arts Academy's Shane Agena and
Kyle Snyder-Olivares who closed the advanced bracket and Kyle
who won a birth in to the Pro-Absolute and beat two very tough
competitors in Jonathan Moeller and Michael Brightmon before
losing by points to Ron Jhun. By going so far in the tournament,
Grapple Fest staff awarded Kyle a pro-card so that he is financially
rewarded at future Grapple Fest events.
Another
star of the day was Rylan Lizares who won the absolute and pocketed
a cool $1,000 by beating a very talented Ron Jhun in the finals,
but he also had to beat a couple of good wrestlers to meet Ron.
One was Johnny Hendricks who was an NCAA Division I wrestling
champion and who trains with world reknown grappling coach March
Laimon.
There
were some incredibly talented kids such as O2's Brandon Saiki,
Nainoa Dung, and Mykah Kuratani, the Army of great competitors
from Team Papakolea and Kaneohe Team, and even the Kamaka boys,
Kai Jr. and Tristin, were ripping it up.
|
Local
Pride
Friday,
April 18, 2008
Dole Cannery Ballroom
Fights start at 7:30 pm
|
SUGANUMA
WINS IN 15 SECONDS
Saturday, April 5, 2008, at 11:30 p.m. ET/PT on SHOWTIME
Table Mountain Casino, Friant, California
FRIANT, Calif. (April 6, 2008) – There were highlights aplenty
during the latest EliteXC presentation of ShoXC: Elite Challenger
Series Saturday on SHOWTIME at the Table Mountain Casino.
In a tough, hard fight, undefeated Giva “The Arm Collector’’
Santana established what is believed to be a mixed martial arts
world record with his 10th consecutive victory by first-round
submission, all by – what else ? -- arm bar.
Comebacking Fabricio “Morango” Camoes was sensational
in his EliteXC and United States debut, Shayna “The Queen
Of Spades’’ Baszler was phenomenal – again –
and underrated Bao Quach won his seventh straight in a match
he took on two day’s notice.
But fans and viewers were left with a sour taste after an eagerly
anticipated main event was stopped – most agreed, prematurely
– by the referee 15 seconds after it began.
Once-beaten Po’ai
Suganuma
(9-1), of Hilo, Hawaii, was declared the winner over previously
undefeated Jared Hamman (10-1) of San Bernardino, Calif., in
a fight most felt should have been allowed to continue at least
for a few more seconds.
Suganuma had rocked Hamman with a right hand, and then the Hawaiian
dropped him with a beautiful right knee to the face. But a moment
before he could pounce and land what potentially might have been
the finishing blow, or blows, he was pulled off by the referee
and declared a TKO winner.
“No one likes to win in controversial fashion,’’
Suganuma said. “I thought I had him dazed but I don’t
think he was completely out. I was a little surprised the ref
did what he did but only because I wanted to hit him again. If
he wants to fight again, that’s fine with me. Let’s
do it.’’
The generally gentleman-like Hamman, a college football coach,
was lived afterward. “I am so mad right know,’’
he said. “I don’t know what happened or why it was
stopped. I wanted to keep fighting. I felt I could keep fighting.
I don’t want to make excuses. I absolutely want a rematch.’’
A return match will definitely be made, EliteXC Live Events Vice
President Jared Shaw promised. “You can bet there will be
a rematch in the near future,’’ he said. “No one
is more concerned for a fighter’s safety than we are, but
this fight was just stopped too soon.’’
There was no controversy in the four other televised fights that
aired on SHOWTIME at 11:30 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the west coast).
The card was the third in three weeks for Los Angeles-based ProElite,
Inc.’s live fight division, Elite XC – all on SHOWTIME
-- and fifth in 29 days.
Camoes (10-4), a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu who was making
his first start since Oct. 7, 2006, registered a scintillating
3:30, first-round TKO (strikes) over Joe Camacho (10-14-3) of
Los Angeles in a 160-pound fight.
“I worked hard for this but did not think it would end that
fast,’’ said the talented Camoes, who resides in San
Diego Calif., and once went 27 minutes with Anderson Silva before
losing.
“But I am very happy. I wanted to give a spectacular showing
for the fans. I thank EliteXC and all involved for giving me
the opportunity. I came to the United States to fight for the
belt. I look forward to fighting anybody that will get me closer
to achieving my goal.’’
Baszler (11-4) of Sioux Falls, S.D., scored her fourth consecutive
first-round victory when she submitted (neck crank) Keiko “Tama
Chan’’ Tamai (16-15) at 2:05 of a dazzling 140-pound
skirmish.
The rapidly improving, confident Baszler, who enters the cage
with a guitar, struck all the right chords as she dispensed another
splendid performance in what may have been the fight of the night.
“I really wanted to give the fans something to think about
and talk about later and I think I did,’’ said Baszler,
who overcame a quick start from Tamai to dominate. At one point,
Baszler brought the crowd to their feet with a reverse body slam.
“I wanted to stand more, and probably could have done a
little more a lot faster, but I was under control,’’
Baszler said. “I expected her to come out aggressively.
It’s time for others in my weight class to realize that
when they enter the cage to face me they are entering my world.
“I am ready to fight anybody next and would love to fight
Tara LaRosa again.’’
Santana (12-0) of Irvine, Calif., submitted southpaw Matt “Luke
Duke’’ Lucas (9-1) of Phoenix, Ariz., at 4:49 of the
first round in a battle of unbeatens at 185 pounds.
“I feel great but this was definitely one of my toughest
fights,’’ said Santana after adding another arm to
his mantle. “He is a great fighter, but I got him.’’
In the telecast’s opening fight, Quach (13-8-1) of Irvine,
Calif., scored a 55-second, first-round TKO (strikes) over Doug
Evans (6-3) of Anchorage, Alaska, in a bout at 140 pounds.
Quach avoided an early takedown attempt by Evans, landed two
big right hands that dropped Evans and then pounced on him and
landed two more shots before the ref stepped in.
“No way I thought it would go that quick,’’ said
Quach after registering his second consecutive minor upset on
ShoXC. On Jan. 25, 2008, he won a unanimous three-round decision
over Bobby McMaster. “I am always ready for anything and
to fight anybody.
“Maybe with this win, people will start taking me a little
more seriously.’’
The SHOWTIME fights were scheduled for three, 5-minute rounds
with the exception of Baszler-Tamai, which was slated for three,
3-minute rounds.
In non-televised bouts, exciting, crowd-pleasing Melanie “The
Shadow’’ La Croix (2-0) of Los Angeles registered an
impressive 2:58, first-round TKO (strikes) over Melissa Vasquez
(3-3) of Ft. Wayne, Ind., in a non-stop action scrap at 140 pounds;
Brent Cooper (2-0) of Irvine, Calif., scored an impressive 1:30,
first-round TKO over Jaime Iracheta (0-1) of Fresno, Calif.,
at 185 pounds; and Roberto Vargas (2-0) of Rancho Cucamonga,
Calif., submitted (shoulder lock) Telly Sanders (0-1) of Fresno
at 1:53 of the third round in a highly competitive clash at 165
pounds.
In other non-televised fights, “Cool Hand” Luke Riddering
(1-0) of San Luis Obispo, Calif., scored a 1:53, first-round
TKO (strikes) over Yasser Pezzat (0-1) of Fresno in a give and
take slugfest at 170 pounds; Tony “Kryptonite’’
Lopez (5-2) of Huntington Beach, Calif., made like Superman as
he scored a 1:09, second-round TKO (strikes) over Terrell Dees
(2-1) of San Francisco at 265 pounds; and up-and-coming Lucas
Gamaza (2-0) of San Francisco won a hard-fought unanimous three-round
decision (30-27 twice and 29-28) over Devin Howard (1-10) of
La Habra, Calif., in a 175-pound contest.
Non-televised fights were scheduled for three, 3-minute rounds
with the exception of the Howard-Gamaza and Dees-Lopez fights,
which were set for three, 5-minute rounds.
Source: ProElite
|
SHOXC
RESULTS: CONTROVERSY REIGNS AGAIN
On a card where there were numerous first round finishes, light
heavyweight Po’ai Suganuma kept the familiar theme rolling
dispatching Jared Hamman in :15 seconds giving the previously
undefeated fighter his first loss.
Suganuma
(9-1) opened the bout with a huge overhand right that stunned
Hamman (10-1). Sensing Hamman was hurt, the BJ Penn trained fighter
followed up with a huge flying right knee that dropped his opponent
to the canvas. Suganuma quickly pounced and looked to deliver
more strikes only to be stopped by referee Jon Schorle.
The
fight was mired in controversy when Hamman, a former college
football player, questioned the referee’s decision to call
the fight. It seemed Hamman quickly recovered from the knee that
sent him crashing down.
The
pro-Hamman crowd erupted in boos showing their displeasure of
the outcome. Suganuma expressed his displeasure of winning in
a controversial manner and both men showed interest in a future
rematch.
In
other televised bouts, upstart Fabricio Camoes defeated veteran
Joe Camacho via a vicious ground and pound attack.
After standing up and trading strikes, Camacho was taken down
by Camoes and his ground game ensued.
Camacho
was very active from the bottom, but Camoes softened up his older
opponent with a light barrage of punches which quickly turned
into more viscous strikes that had the referee calling it at
3:30 in Round 1.
Womens’
MMA had a chance to shine with a bout between Shayna “Queen
of Spades” Baszler and Tama Chan. Chan, a former pro-wrestler
from Japan, who was outclassed by Baszler.
The
“Queen of Spades” gave Chan a trip back to her pro-wrestling
days with a suplex in which she transitioned in to taking Chan’s
back. After trying for a rear naked choke, Baszler instead submitted
Chan with a side neck crank.
Givanildo
Santana lived up to his nickname as “The Arm Collector”
and his opponent Matt Lucas was his latest victim. Gilvanildo,
who cites fellow Brazilian Antonio Nogueira as one of his idols
put a very Nogueira-like performance by withstanding punishing
strikes from Lucas standing up and later from his guard.
Gilvanildo
showed heart and resilience until the fight was stopped when
Lucas left his arm out for Gilvanildo to lock up a submission
victory by armbar.
Bao
Quach took his fight against UFC veteran Doug Evans on short
notice and made short work of the Alaskan fighter. Quach, a jiu-jitsu
fighter, knocked out Evans with a big right at 4:05 in the first
round.
In
preliminary bouts:
- Melanie La’Croix def. Melissa Vasquez by TKO at 2:58 in
R1
- Roberto Vargas def. Telly Sanders by submission (Shoulder Lock)
at 1:53 in R1
- Lucas Gamaza def. Devin Howard by Unanimous Decision at R3
- Luke Riddering def. Yasser Pezzat by TKO (Strikes) at 2:53
in R1
- Brent Cooper def. Jaime Iracheta by TKO at 1:30 in R1
- Tony Lopez def. Terrell Dees by Ground and Pound at 1:09 in
R2
Source: MMA Weekly
|
UWC
ANNOUNCES FULL FIGHT CARD
Ultimate Warrior Sports Development, LLC on Saturday announced
the full card for its Ultimate Warrior Challenge (UWC) debut
in the Washington, DC market taking place at the GMU Patriot
Center in Fairfax, Va. on April 26.
Previously
UWC announced Pete Spratt vs. Jason Von Flue, Carlo Prater vs.
Marcelo Brito, and Thomas Schulte vs. Zach Light.
A
notable addition is Ultimate Fighting Championship veteran Aaron
Riley taking on Brazilian fighter Thiago Minu. Formerly training
at American Top Team, Riley recently moved to Virginia and now
trains and is the MMA instructor at One Spirit. Minu trains out
of UDL in Brazil, the new training facility started by Mauricio
“Shogun” and Murilo “Ninja” Rua and Andre
“Dida” Amade.
-Pete
Spratt vs. Jason Von Flue
-Aaron Riley vs. Thiago Minu
-Thomas Schulte vs. Zach Light
-Carlo Prater vs. Marcelo Brito
-Rex Richards vs. Antwain Britt
-Marcus Foran vs. Tenyah Dixon
-Mike Corey vs. Josh Gaskins
-Johnny Curtis vs. Josh Feldman
-Gerald Lovato vs. Mike Easton
-Reshad Woods vs. Ron Stallings
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Quote
of the Day
"The
person who seeks all their applause from outside has their happiness
in another's keeping."
Dale Carnegie, 1888-1955, American Author and Achievement Expert
|
Marc
Laimon Seminar!
|
Submission
Sundays No-Gi Grappling Tournament
Today!
Neal Blaisdell Center - Hawaii Room 777 Ward Avenue
Sunday, April 6, 2008
Register
Online For Tournament: www.grapplefest.net or at the Door
Session
1 (8:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. including weigh-ins)
Divisions:
14 and Under
Weigh-Ins start at 8:00 a.m.
Grappling starts at 9:30 a.m.
Grappling completes around 11:30 a.m.
4 Man Round Robins
4 minute match
Targeting 3 matches with 1 every half hour.
Entry "Free" must purchase $10 yearly insurance card.
Awards for 1st-4th
Session
2 (10:30 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. including weigh-ins)
Divisions:ALL
OTHER DIVISIONS 15 AND UP
Weigh-Ins start at 10:30 a.m.
Grappling starts at 11:30 a.m.
Grappling completes around 4:00 p.m.
4 Man Round Robins, 8 man Brackets, Challege Matches
6 minute match
$40 entry fee
Awards for 1st-4th $1000 Absolute Prize
Basic
Rules Sheet
Points/Scoring
Abbreviations:
1.
Takedown (T2) 2 pts.
* anytime a grappler goes from neutral position to top control
2. Low amplitude throw (T3) 3 pts.
* must be an upper body hold from neutral position
3. High amplitude throw (T5) 5 pts.
* must be an upper body hold and meet the Grand amplitude criteria
4. Side Mount (SM3) 3 pts.
5. Full Mount (FM4) 4 pts.
6. Back Mount (BM5) 5 pts.
7. Escape (E1) 1 pt.
* anytime a grappler goes from being on bottom to neutral position
8. Reversal (R2) 2 pts.
* anytime a grappler goes from being on bottom to top control
9. Submission Appreciation Point (SAP) 1 pt.
* SAP’s are awarded for having more Sub Advantage Marks
at the end of regulation time.
10. Submission Advantage Mark (AS)
* Sub Advantage Marks serve as the first criteria for First Choice
in the 1st OT period.
Control
must be established for a count of 3 seconds to score any of
the above points or marks.
Source: Event Promoter
|
Hawaii
State/Regional Junior Olympic Boxing Championship on April 5th
& 6th!
Today!
Our Hawaii State/Regional Junior Olympic Boxing Championships
will be held on Saturday, April 5th, 6 p.m. at Palolo Gym.
Winners of the 15/16 yrs old will advance to the National Junior
Olympics which will be held at the U.S.O.E.C. in Marquette, Michigan
on June 16- 21st.
If you have any questions email me back.
Thank You,
Bruce
Kawano
USA-Boxing Hawaii Junior Olympic Chairman
Source: Bruce Kawano
|
Minotouro
back in July
Opponent yet to be defined
GRACIEMAG.com had a talk this Thursday afternoon, in Rio de Janeiro,
with Rogerio Minotouro, former Pride fighter, who currently fights
for the Canadian event HCF. The twin brother of UFC heavyweight
champion Rodrigo Minotauro had his debut for the event in February,
when he beat Todd Gouwenberg by technical knockout in the second
round.
The
Brazilian, holder of a 13 win and 3 loss record does not yet
know his opponent, but guarantees he is training at full steam
in his new recently-built training center in Recreio dos Bandeirantes,
Rio de Janeiro, that will house the first stage of Jungle Fight
this Sunday.
“My
next fight would have been in May, but as there was a delay and
there was not enough time to promote the fight, the date changed
to July 9,” said the athlete in a conversation with our
reporter and Amaury Bitetti, Nogueira’s ground-fighting
coach.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Matt
Hughes Vs. Mauricio "Shogun" Rua?
By Jason Perkins
April 1, 2008 - First off, I wanted to wish Tommy good luck for
his fight tomorrow night. He’s got some photos from when
he was training at the gym posted on his website. So, if you
haven’t seen those yet, you can check them out at tommyspeer.com.
Well,
for a long time I’ve talked about going up in weight class
and I’ve decided to finally do it. Only I’m not going
up to 185, I’m going up to 205 to fight Mauricio “Shogun”
Rua in June. I’m bulking up now and packing on muscle and
I’m thinking that it will be nice to not have to cut weight
for a change. I think it’s a great match-up for me and I’ve
told Dana that if I win this, then I want a shot at the 205 title
next.
Sorry
for the short blog this week, I’m here in Colorado helping
Tommy get ready for his fight, so I’ll try to have more
for you all next week. I just wanted to break the big news. -matt
Source: Fight Line
|
AOKI
AND CALVANCANTE TO REMATCH AT DREAM.2
by Ricardo Mendoza
DREAM officially announced the second round match-ups for its
Lightweight Grand Prix, which will take place on May 11 at DREAM.3.
The promotion also addressed the controversial bout between Gesias
“JZ” Calvancante and Shinya Aoki at its debut event
on March 15.
Many
fans were left wondering what would happen after officials ruled
the bout, which was part of the lightweight tournament, a no
contest. Calvancante landed a series of illegal elbows to the
back of Aoki’s head during the fight, leaving him unable
to continue.
A
resolution was announced on Friday. The two fighters will rematch
at DREAM.2 on April 29. The winner of that fight will then move
on to the second round, which will be held two weeks later at
DREAM.3, and will face off with 2000 Olympic wrestling silver
medalist Katsuhiko Nagata.
Nagata
defeated former Cage Force lightweight champion Artur Oumakhanov
by decision in the opening round of the Grand Prix.
It
was also announced that T-Blood lightweight Tatsuya Kawajiri
will face off with Brazilian Top Team lightweight Luis Buscape
in a rematch, as part of the second round of the tournament.
These two previously met at Pride Bushido 8 with Kawajiri winning
a decision over Buscape.
Kawajiri
won a decision victory over Kultar “Black Mamba” Gill
at DREAM.1, while Buscape submitted Japanese wrestler Kazuyuki
Miyata on the same show.
In
what looks to be one of the more promising fights of the second
round, former Shooto welterweight champion Joachim Hansen takes
on former Bodog Fight welterweight champion Eddie Alvarez.
Hansen
scored a dominant decision victory over Koutetsu Boku at DREAM.1,
while Alvarez stopped Brazilian striker Andre “Dida”
Amade by TKO.
With
one spot left open in the tournament, Caol Uno will be seeded
into the second round, but has the task of facing former Shooto
Pacific Rim welterweight champion Mitsuhiro Ishida.
Ishida
won a decision over Korean judoka Bu Kyung Jung at DREAM.1, while
Uno hasn’t fought since dropping a decision to Amade at
Hero’s10 in September of 2007.
DREAM.3
Saitama Super Arena
May 11, 2008
Lightweight
Grand Prix Bouts:
-Tatsuya Kawajiri vs. Luis Buscape
-Joachim Hansen vs. Eddie Alvarez
-Mitsuhiro Ishida vs. Caol Uno
-Katsuhiko Nagata vs. Winner of Shinya Aoki/Gesias Calvancante
Bout
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Yamma
Pit Fighting
Here's an early look at "The Yamma." More details will
be released tomorrow.
The
YPF surface, known as "The Yamma," is an evolution
of the traditional fighting structure and is designed to keep
the fighting more explosive and continuous. In today’s MMA
matches, fighters rush their opponents in the quest for a takedown,
and the fight often ends up on the ground and pushed up against
the fence. The action often stalls there, and must be stopped
and moved back into the center of the ring. The Yamma’s
design is specifically aimed at stopping this break in the action.
The Yamma is a circular pit, shaped almost like a bowl, with
a circular flat bottom that rises up around the edge. In this
ring, if a fighter is pushed backwards towards the fence, he
moves up the lip, gaining both a height and leverage advantage
over his opponent. From this position, the fighter on the lip
can use gravity and leverage to reverse his opponent, and take
the fight back into the center without a break in the action.
- Yamma Pit Fighting
Masters
Superfight
Mark Kerr vs. Oleg Taktarov
Gary Goodridge vs. Eric "Butterbean" Esch
8-Man
Tournament
Ricco Rodriguez
Marcelo "Pato" Pereira
Sherman Pendergarst
Tony Sylvester
Chris Tuscherer
Travis Wiuff
Alexey Oleynick
George Bush
Source: MMA Fighting
|
MMA
fighters make top 10 of Sports Illustrated's 25 toughest athletes
By Aniket Deosthali
Sports Illustrated recently compiled a list of the toughest 25
athletes in sports. Two mixed martial artists not only made the
list, but made the top 10 of the list.
UFC Middleweight champion, Anderson Silva, a lethal striker with
equally deadly submission skills was ranked third. He is considered
by many to be pound for pound #1 after defeating Dan Henderson
at UFC 82 and thus unifying the UFC and PRIDE belts.
Fedor
Emelianenko was ranked eighth on the list. The invincible Russian
heavyweight is nearly undefeated in 27 professional fights and
has defeated the likes of Mirko Cro Cop, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira,
Matt Lindland, Mark Coleman, and Mark Hunt.
The
fact that MMA fighters not only made the list, but made the top
crust of the athletes on the list, surpassing both the boxers
on the list shows that Mixed Martial Arts is becoming more mainstream
everyday.
Source: Fight Line |
Nick
Diaz removed from Strikeforce Card by CSAC
In what Pro-Eilte promoter, Gary Shaw, has described as "an
abuse of power" by CSAC Commissioner, Armando Garcia, Nick
Diaz has been pulled from this Saturday's Strikeforce card. Diaz
was reportedly pulled from the card for admitting to being a
Cannabis Club Member. Diaz was planning to pass his drug exam
on the day of his fight, however he had admitted on his State
Application to having used marijuana previously and to being
a member of the Cannabis Club. Marijuana use is legal in California
when prescribed by a doctor. Nick Diaz has a prescription and
was told by the doctors, that were recommended directly by the
CSAC, "We are aware that you tested positive before so if
you are a legal user please present your Cannibas Club Card to
ensure there will not be problems if you do test positive"
Armando
Garcia became aware that Diaz would be submitting legal documentation
proving that he had a legal prescription for the use of marijuana
and threatened to pull him from the card. Pro-Elite consulted
with Diaz and was guaranteed that he had indeed not been smoking
and was prepared to pass the drug test. Two days later Armando,
after reviewing Diaz's initial application, summarily pulled
Diaz anyways.
"This
is like a cop giving you a ticket for owning a Ferrari even though
he did not catch you speeding." - Gary Shaw
When
pressed by Sherdog reporter, Josh Gross, Garcia then stated that
Diaz had not submitted his medicals in a timely manner and that
the Commission did not have ample time to review Diaz's application
and medicals. However Diaz had finished all applications and
medicals on March 10th and was actually the first Pro-Elite fighter
to have completed all his CSAC requirements.
Source: Gracie Fighter
|
Quote
of the Day
"When
you fish for love, bait with your heart, not your brain."
Mark Twain, 1835-1910, American Writer and Humorist
|
Marc
Laimon Seminar!
Tomorrow!
|
ShoXC:
Elite Challenger Series
Saturday, April 5, 2008
Table Mountain Casinio in Friant, CA
Showing on Showtime at 11:30pm ET/PT
COMPLETE
FIGHT CARD:
Jared
Hamman vs. Poai
Suganuma
Fabricio Camoes vs. Joe Camacho
Shayna Baszler vs. Keiko "Tama Chan" Tamai
Giva Santana vs. Matt Lucas
Wilson Reis vs. Doug Evans
Amedo Viola vs. Carl Saumantafa
Yasser Pezzat vs. Luke Riddering
Telly Sanders vs. Roberto Vargas
Jaime Irecheta vs. Brent Cooper
Melanie Lacroix vs. KC Noland
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Hawaii
State/Regional Junior Olympic Boxing Championship on April 5th
& 6th!
Today!
Our Hawaii State/Regional Junior Olympic Boxing Championships
will be held on Saturday, April 5th, 6 p.m. at Palolo Gym.
Winners of the 15/16 yrs old will advance to the National Junior
Olympics which will be held at the U.S.O.E.C. in Marquette, Michigan
on June 16- 21st.
If you have any questions email me back.
Thank You,
Bruce
Kawano
USA-Boxing Hawaii Junior Olympic Chairman
Source: Bruce Kawano
|
The
Wizard and Rampage at OTM!
This weekend
will be huge weekend at OTM. OTM, Boost Mobile and Power 104.3
Xtreme brings one of the wizards of BJJ and The Ultimate Fighter
grappling coach, Marc Laimon will be there on Friday and UFC
Lightheavyweight Champ Quinton "Rampage" Jackson will
be there on Saturday. Come down to meet these two stars!
April 4th
Friday 3:00 - 6:00pm
Marc Laimon will be at the shop
April 5th
Saturday starting @ 4:00pm
Quinton "Rampage" Jackson
|
Submission
Sundays No-Gi Grappling Tournament
Tomorrow
Neal Blaisdell Center - Hawaii Room 777 Ward Avenue
Sunday, April 6, 2008
Register
Online For Tournament: www.grapplefest.net or at the Door
Session
1 (8:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. including weigh-ins)
Divisions:
14 and Under
Weigh-Ins start at 8:00 a.m.
Grappling starts at 9:30 a.m.
Grappling completes around 11:30 a.m.
4 Man Round Robins
4 minute match
Targeting 3 matches with 1 every half hour.
Entry "Free" must purchase $10 yearly insurance card.
Awards for 1st-4th
Session
2 (10:30 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. including weigh-ins)
Divisions:ALL
OTHER DIVISIONS 15 AND UP
Weigh-Ins start at 10:30 a.m.
Grappling starts at 11:30 a.m.
Grappling completes around 4:00 p.m.
4 Man Round Robins, 8 man Brackets, Challege Matches
6 minute match
$40 entry fee
Awards for 1st-4th $1000 Absolute Prize
Basic
Rules Sheet
Points/Scoring
Abbreviations:
1.
Takedown (T2) 2 pts.
* anytime a grappler goes from neutral position to top control
2. Low amplitude throw (T3) 3 pts.
* must be an upper body hold from neutral position
3. High amplitude throw (T5) 5 pts.
* must be an upper body hold and meet the Grand amplitude criteria
4. Side Mount (SM3) 3 pts.
5. Full Mount (FM4) 4 pts.
6. Back Mount (BM5) 5 pts.
7. Escape (E1) 1 pt.
* anytime a grappler goes from being on bottom to neutral position
8. Reversal (R2) 2 pts.
* anytime a grappler goes from being on bottom to top control
9. Submission Appreciation Point (SAP) 1 pt.
* SAP’s are awarded for having more Sub Advantage Marks
at the end of regulation time.
10. Submission Advantage Mark (AS)
* Sub Advantage Marks serve as the first criteria for First Choice
in the 1st OT period.
Control
must be established for a count of 3 seconds to score any of
the above points or marks.
Source: Event Promoter
|
CHAMPIONS
DEFEND AT IFL IN NEW JERSEY
International Fight League champions Vladimir Matyushenko, Wagnney
Fabiano, and Jay Hieron on Friday night all defended their respective
titles at the Izod Center in East Rutherford, N.J.
Light
heavyweight champion Matyushenko retained his belt by stopping
Jamal Patterson by TKO due to strikes with just 30 seconds left
in the second round.
In
an IFL record-setting performance, Fabiano knocked out challenger
Shad Lierley in a mere 37 seconds. The win kept the featherweight
title strapped securely around Fabiano’s waist.
He
couldn’t top Fabiano’s quick knockout, but welterweight
champion Jay Hieron didn’t waste much time in stopping Mark
Miller by TKO little more than two minutes into the opening round.
A
light heavyweight contest between Miletich Fighting Systems’
Mike Ciesnolevicz and Carmelo Marrero, representing American
Top Team, was ruled a no contest when Marrero suffered a cut
on his head due to an inadvertent head butt.
Championship
Bouts
-Vladimir Matyushenko def. Jamal Patterson by TKO (Strikes) at
3:35, R2
-Wagnney Fabiano def. Shad Lierley by KO at 0:37, R1
-Jay Hieron def. Mark Miller by TKO (Strikes) at 2:10, R1
Non-Title
Bouts
-Alex Schoenauer def. Brendan Barrett by Split Decision, R3
-Chris Horodecki def. Nate Lamotte by Unanimous Decision, R3
American
Top Team vs. Miletich Fighting Systems
-LC Davis (MFS) def. Rafael Dias (ATT) by KO (Strikes) at 3:56,
R3
-Emyr Bussade (ATT) def. Jesse Lennox (MFS) by Submission (Kneebar)
at 1:25, R2
-Mike Ciesnolevicz (MFS) vs. Carmelo Marrero (ATT), No Contest
Midwest
Combat vs. Renzo Gracie Academy
-Jim Miller (RGA) def. Bart Palaszewski (MWC) by Unanimous Decision,
R3
-Brad Blackburn (MWC) def. Delson Heleno (RGA) by KO at 1:50,
R3
Source: MMA Weekly
|
MAN-UP
& STAND-UP
WHAT : MAN-UP & STAND-UP (KICKBOXING)
WHEN: APR. 12, 2008 (SATURDAY)
DOORS OPEN @ 6PM
WHERE WAIPAHU FILCOM CENTER
MAN-UP
& STAND-UP IS BACK WITH PART 2 OF 2008. IF YOU THOUGHT THE
FIRST SHOW HAD SOME BANGAZ. YOU GOTTA CHECK OUT THIS ONE. WITH
THE MAIN EVENT FEATURING BEN "THE KING" SANTIAGO GOING
UP AGAINST THE BAD BOY WITH THE COLORED MOHAWK HAIR WHO GAVE
KONA KE A RUN FOR HIS MONEY AT THE 2007 MAN-UP & STAND-UP.
HE GOES BY THE NAME OF HOKU CUBAN OF NAKOA FIGHT CLUB. DAS RIGHT,
THIS GUY HAD ONLY 2 KICKBOXING FIGHTS BEFORE HE FOUGHT KONA.
BUT LASTED ALL 3 ROUNDS AND DIDNT MAKE IT EASY FOR HIM TO PULL
OUT THE WIN. BEN ALWAYS BRINGS HIS DANGEROUS HIGH KICKS TO THE
GAME BUT HOKU'S FISTS WILL BE LOOKING TO GREET BEN WITH A
HAKU
LEI OF STARS AROUND HIS HEAD.
BE
SURE TO ALSO CHECK OUT EXCITING FIGHTERS LIKE DIDO BOY RODRIGUES,
IKAIKA MORENO, MIKE BALASI, JARID IHA & JUST CHECK OUT THE
LINE UP BECAUSE THERES TOO MUCH BANGAZ TO MENTION.
GRAB
YOUR TICKETS NOW FROM ALL PARTICIPATING CLUBS.
KILEY
RAMIRO
95
JONAH SLAUSON
DIDO BOY
105
TBA
JENNALYN GANABAN
135
NANI
KAINOA THOMAS
175
LAWRENCE HINOJOSA
DANIEL MADAYAG
135
KELII KAMOLU
MIKE UEMOTO
145
MAX HALLOWAY
BRANDON NALEEHA
220
WAYNE PURVEY
JONAH KUTZEN
110
SHELDON CRAWFORD
API
135
GEORGE SCHIMIDT
ELLISON BADUA
40
TAZ KAHALEWAI
ZION LISTA
55
SPIKE KAHALEWAI
KOLOA KAHALEWAI
230
CHRIS BARNARD
JARID MATSUDA
145
MIKE BALASI
GINO TEVES
160
MATAGI TOILOLO
JON MENDONSA
150
VINCE LONGBOY
HOKU CUBAN
180
BEN SANTIAGO
EDWIN NAVARRO
155
KAIKA MORENO
ANNA SCHIMITD
165
CHANTELL
KOBY VISANTE
110
KALAI MCSHANE
RICHARD BARNARD
140
JARID IHA
DESMOND
170
KAINOA
Source: Event promoter
|
JACKSON
TO DEFEND AGAINST GRIFFIN AT UFC 86
The Ultimate Fighting Championship on Thursday officially announced
UFC 86: Jackson vs. Griffin.
Having
completed a 13-week stint as coaches on The Ultimate Fighter
season seven, light heavyweight champion Quinton “Rampage”
Jackson and challenger Forrest Griffin will now prepare to fight
each on July 5 in Las Vegas. The event will take place at the
Mandalay Bay Event Center.
"Forrest
Griffin has come full circle; he started in the UFC as a competitor
on The Ultimate Fighter and now he is a coach of the show. Rampage
Jackson took the UFC by storm by defeating Chuck Liddell to become
the UFC light heavyweight champion and then defeating Pride champion
Dan Henderson to unify the belts," said Dana White, UFC
president.
Jackson
isn’t ready to relinquish his championship anytime soon.
“It's my job to stay the champion. I’ve come too far
to back down now, so I'm going to have to drag Forrest through
the woods.”
Having
defeated Mauricio “Shogun” Rua – the No. 1 ranked
light heavyweight in the world at the time – Griffin feels
that he is prepared for a shot at the title. “I think I'm
ready for this fight. I've been watching Rocky a lot. He's really
good at taking a beating. And Rampage always shows up ready for
a fight. In his last fight he went 25 minutes with one of the
toughest guys in the business, so I know he will be ready, too.”
UFC
86 Bout (officially announced):
-Quinton Jackson vs. Forrest Griffin
UFC
86 Bouts (unannounced):
-Josh Koscheck vs. Chris Lytle
-Joe Stevenson vs. Gleison Tibau
-Frank Mir vs. Justin McCully
-Justin Buchholz vs. Corey Hill
-Tyson Griffin vs. TBA
-Cole Miller vs. TBA
-Steve Bruno vs. TBA
-Ben Saunders vs. TBA
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Pequeno
and the Jose Aldo fight
Brazilians set to face off in the WEC
For
the first of June a battle with all the ingredients of being
an explosive encounter is set to take place. Brazilians Alexandre
“Pequeno” Nogueira and Jose Aldo will face off in California
fighting for the first time in the UFC’s sister event, the
WEC.
Nova
Uniao fighter Jose Aldo holds a record of nine fights and but
one loss and is coming off a three-fight winning streak. Now
Pequeno was set to make his debut against Leonard Garcia, an
American fighter who was arrested last week in association with
drug trafficking.
“I
was set to fight Leonard Garcia, who is really tough. I had already
seen some dvds of his and was laying out a strategy. The change
of adversary wasn’t so bad, what’s important is to
have the wind,” said Pequeno, who has never fought MMA outside
of Japan, where he was Shooto champion and also participated
in K-1 Heroes.
Even
with the nickname “Guillotine King,” earned for his
nimble ground game and the ease with which he applies the hold,
the Carioca made it clear he’s also prepared for a different
type of game. “I’ve seen several of Jose Aldo’s
fights; he’s a striker and I’m going for the striking
game. I’ve been emphasizing my boxing and muay thai. Since
my last fight at K-1 Heroes, where I got a knockout, I’m
confident in my standup,” he completed, in a conversation
with GRACIEMAG.com.
Pequeno
further revealed that besides training at the Clube de Luta,
he’ll be going to the United States a month before his engagement
to train at the American Top Team and join the tough team of
fighters led by Ricardo Liborio. “I always wanted to fight
in the United States and now I’m getting my visa to go fight.
Andre Benke (physical trainer) worked with me and now he’s
at the ATT. I’ll do part of my preparation for the fight
there with tough fighters like Thiago Pitbull, Gesias Cavalcante
and Dennis Kang,” the athletes said in finishing.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
MATYUSHENKO
ON FIRST IFL TITLE DEFENSE
by Mick Hammond
Throughout
much of his 11-year mixed martial arts career, Vladimir “The
Janitor” Matyushenko flew under the radar as one of the
sport’s most underrated and underappreciated talents.
Even
though he has amassed an impressive 20-3 record, losses to Tito
Ortiz and Andrei Arlovski in the Ultimate Fighting Championship
and a low-key presence had relegated Matyushenko to journeyman
status. But last year, he proved that label wrong.
As
part of the now defunct Tokyo Sabres, he helped lead the team
to the International Fight League semi-finals, this after a season
in which the team had been shutout completely.
Matyushenko
then followed that up by winning the IFL light-heavyweight title
in November, capping off an undefeated year in the promotion,
thus proving that he is not a fighter to be underestimated.
After
enjoying a break, he returns at the IFL’s event Friday night
in Atlantic City, N.J. to defend his title against a fellow fighter
that has performed beyond expectations in Renzo Gracie student
Jamal Patterson.
“I’ve
been champ for four months, and yeah, it feels good,” said
Matyushenko of is reign so far. “It’s always important,
if you do it (fighting), you try to do the best you can. I did
last year and again I’m going to try to do my best this
year.”
Years
of being the underdog leave him knowing the expectation is on
him to go out and perform if he hopes to overcome his hungry
opponent.
“I
definitely feel the pressure,” commented Matyushenko. “You’re
in the spotlight and Jamal’s the underdog and he wants to
win the championship – so yeah, definitely I think I have
more pressure on me.”
As
for Patterson himself, Matyushenko is expecting a level of relentlessness
that he has showcased in the past.
“The
match-up is good,” stated Matyushenko. “To say that
he’s a Renzo Gracie black belt is to say he’s not a
traditional jiu-jitsu guy.
“He’s
a kind of brawler, more aggressive than a regular jiu-jitsu guy
would be; maybe it’s a strength and maybe it’s a weakness,
we’ll see what happens.”
During
his four-month break, Matyushenko was able to work on his game
at his new gym, VMAT, where he trained alongside fellow UFC veteran
Oleg Taktarov, but Matyushenko knows that training doesn’t
always equate into live fighting.
“I
always want to improve on everything, but again, the fight happens
in the ring and whatever the people see is not necessarily what
I put in,” he commented.
“In
my last fight, (Alex) Schoenauer was doing a good job of eliminating
my strong points; like holding side control. He was always in
half-guard. So it depends on what (my opponent is) going to bring,
if I’ll be able to show my skills or not.”
Now
that he is the champ, Matyushenko shifts his focus towards the
other goal of most fighters, making a living from a sport that
is still difficult for many athletes to do so in.
“The
goal for me, as always, is to make as much money as I can as
a professional,” he said. “I’m just trying to
get to the point to where I make a living out of it. If you’re
good, you can do that.”
With
a desire to continue to make his living at the sport and do so
at a higher level by being a champion, Matyushenko heads into
the fight with Jamal Patterson with enough motivation to succeed
now that he is no longer the underdog.
“I
want to thank my whole VMAT team, and all the guys here on the
East Coast. I have a lot of friends here who are coming to watch
me,” he closed out.
“To
the fans, come to the show and watch ‘The Janitor’
clean up.”
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Top
Female Fighters Star in So Cal
by Cesar Garcia
LOS
ANGELES, April 3 -- Many stars have been born at the Shrine Expo
Center and undoubtedly a few more were unveiled Thursday night
as the ladies of Fatal Femmes Fighting put on an exciting show
for those in attendance.
After
nearly a year layoff, Tokyo-based American fighter Roxanne Modafferi
(Pictures) returned to action to defend her FFF lightweight title
against Brazilian Vanessa Porto (Pictures). She did not skip
a beat in finishing her game challenger with 53 seconds expired
in the third round.
Despite
admittedly being worried about how well her cardio would hold
up, Modafferi came out and took the fight to the tough Brazilian
from the outset, scoring with punches and kicks. Porto would
not back down and managed to take Modafferi to the floor.
Modafferi
remained on offense from her back and nearly secured an armbar
before Porto escaped and took back-control. The FFF champ kept
working, however, and was able to twist into Porto's guard, where
she landed punches until the round ended.
In
the second Modafferi picked up the pace and attacked with sharp
punch and kick combinations that backed Porto to the fence. Porto
immediately shot and grabbed hold of Modafferi's leg before taking
her down with a hard slam. Porto proceeded to land strikes from
side-mount until Modafferi kicked her legs over Porto's head
and locked up a triangle choke, which she then attempted to turn
into an armbar. Neither was working but it did help Modafferi
win the round.
Again
Modafferi came out swinging to start the third round. Modafferi
immediately went for a Thai clinch and after some well-placed
elbows, she began unloading knees to Porto's head, which froze
her in a defensive posture until referee Herb Dean (Pictures)
stepped in and stopped the fight.
"I
wasn't perfect, but I wanted to show what I learned in striking,"
said Modafferi afterwards.
Brazilian
Carina Damm unseated Sofie Bagherdai from the ranks of the unbeaten
in impressive fashion with an armbar at the 1:52 mark of the
second round.
Damm
stalked Bagherdai from the beginning with an expressionless demeanor,
not unlike another Brazilian, Rickson Gracie (Pictures).
When
she would finally get within range the "Brazilian Barbie"
unleashed a destructive assault of spinning backfists and punches
that barely missed. To her credit, Bagherdai did an excellent
job of sticking and moving to try and stay away from Damm's attacks.
In
the second Bagherdai continued with the stick-and-move strategy.
Damm eventually caught up to her again and unleashed another
combination, which Bagderhai only defended with a combination
of her own. After holding her off, Bagderhai circled to the other
side of the cage, but Damm caught her again with another salvo.
Bagderhai
managed to smother with a clinch but Damm simply changed levels
and slammed her foe with a double-leg. Damm wasted no time in
mounting her opponent. And after softening her up with some ground-and-pound,
Damm saw an opening and cinched in an armbar. Bagderhai fought
it off for a moment but Damm stayed with it causing Bagderhai
to tap.
Damm's
performance left an impression on everybody, including EliteXC
brass in attendance, as she secured a date on an upcoming ProElite
card.
FFF
heavyweight champion Lana Stefanac (Pictures) made short work
of Teyvia Reed submitting her with an armbar just 36 seconds
into their fight.
Smack
Girl champion Takayo Hashi (Pictures) out-pointed Amanda Buckner
(Pictures) to earn a unanimous decision. Scores were 30-37 and
29-28 twice.
Hashi
and Buckner displayed a wide range of standup skills as they
put on a show for the crowd. Buckner's only problem was that
her specialty is on the ground and it showed more and more as
the fight went on as Hashi slowly took control with her striking.
"She
scored more but I did more damage," said Buckner afterwards.
"I got too stuck on just stand-up."
Canadian
Alexis Davis (Pictures) outworked Liz Carriero to earn the unanimous
decision. Scores were 30-27 twice and 29-28.
With
an entertaining and aggressive style Ashley Sanchez won over
the crowd but lost the fight to Sarah Schneider by unanimous
decision. Sanchez shook off a several well placed spinning backfists
by Schneider and displayed aggressive striking but was unable
to defend the takedowns. That flaw ultimately swayed the judges
against her. The score was 29-28 on all judges' cards.
Sally
Krumdiak (Pictures) won a hard earned unanimous decision over
the game Jamie Lynn by the score of 29-28 on all three judges'
cards. Lynn took the first round as she controlled Krumdiak on
the ground. Krumdiak's approach got more aggressive after that
as she used crisp striking to set up takedowns, which she turned
to ground-and-pound that won her the last two rounds.
Emily
Thompson put a hurt on Breanne Vickers, who took the fight on
just one day's notice. Referee Larry Landless (Pictures) stepped
in and stopped ground-and-pound onslaught with 57 seconds gone
in the third round.
It
took Albuquerque native Jenna Babcock just over a minute to take
down Tammie Schneider (Pictures), secure her back and pound her
into submission. The official time of the stop was 1:05 of the
first round.
Michelle
Roody won her professional debut when she landed a left kick-right
hand combination that dropped Franita Gathings (Pictures). On
the ground, Gathings just buried her face in her hands, and referee
Mike Beltran stopped the bout at 2:54 of the first round.
Tamara
Parks defeated Lina Koukov at 2:24 of the first round with an
armbar.
Tierra
Arnold won a split decision over Veronica Locurto (29-28 twice
and 28-29).
Source: Sherdog
|
Gary
Shaw On Fedor: "He has to fight soon. It's been almost 2
years."
By Jason Perkins
ELITE XC PRESIDENT, GARY SHAW ON THE UFC NO LONGER BEING THE
TOP FIGHTING ORGANIZATION, ON Cung Le BEING A TOP 10 FIGHTER,
AND ON THE STATUS OF THE OFFER TO Fedor Emelianenko BY ELITE
XC:
"They
(UFC) got a hole in their dyke right now. It's leaking...No one
organization owns the best fighters."
"(Rankings)
are all bull___! He (Cung Le) was a top 10 fighter before he
walked in the cage."
"He
(Fedor) wants $2 million per fight. We keep going back and forth,
but he has to fight soon. It's been almost 2 years."
To
hear the rest of this interview and other great new interviews
(Fickett, Shields, Le and Melendez), tune into The Lights Out
Show on the Tagg Radio Network at www.TaggRadio.com, which airs
live on Tuesday, April 1, 8e/5p. Archive shows available to listen
to anytime afterward at www.thelightsoutshow.com, www.iTunes.com,
and www.myspace.com/thelightsoutshow.
Source: Fight Line
|
Quote
of the Day
"Do
you want to know who you are? Don't ask. Act! Action will delineate
and define you."
Thomas Jefferson, 1743-1826, 3rd President of the United States
|
The
Wizard and Rampage at OTM!
This weekend
will be huge weekend at OTM. OTM, Boost Mobile and Power 104.3
Xtreme brings one of the wizards of BJJ and The Ultimate Fighter
grappling coach, Marc Laimon will be there on Friday and UFC
Lightheavyweight Champ Quinton "Rampage" Jackson will
be there on Saturday. Come down to meet these two stars!
April 4th
Friday 3:00 - 6:00pm
Marc Laimon will be at the shop
April 5th
Saturday starting @ 4:00pm
Quinton "Rampage" Jackson
|
Hardcore
Championship Fighting: Crow's Nest
Saturday, March 29, 2008
Robert Guertin Arena in Gatineau, QC, Canada
1.
Nino Schembri def. Dan Grandmaison via submission (armbar) -
R1 (2:37)
2. Rodrigo Ruas def. Marcus Vinicios via submission (triangle
choke) - R3 (0:52)
3. Jameel Massouh def. Myles Merola via unanimous decision
4. Bill Boland def. Michal Hamrsmid via TKO (strikes) - R2 (2:59)
5. Dan Hornbuckle def. Andrew Buckland via submission (armbar)
- R1 (3:34)
6. Brent Beauparlant def. Amir Rahnavardi via unanimous decision
7. Nabil Khatib def. Gideon Ray via unanimous decision
8. Hector Ramirez def. Rob MacDonald via unanimous decision
9. Sarah Kaufman def. Molly Helsel via TKO (strikes) - R2 (2:44)
10. David "The Crow" Loiseau def. Todd Gouwenberg via
unanimous decision
Source: MMA Fighting
|
The
Ultimate Fighter 7 Episode 1 Recap
By Cindy Ortiz
Season seven of The Ultimate Fighter made its debut tonight treating
MMA fans to non-stop action from start to finish.
As
expected, a group of new fighters in the middleweight division
were brought to the training center to meet this seasons coaches
and trainers, and to get acquainted with the gym where they would
sweat and bleed for the next six weeks as they vied for the coveted
title of “The Ultimate Fighter” and a six-figure contract
with the UFC.
Unbeknownst
to the group, UFC president Dana White had decided to delay the
last step of the selection process to determine which 16 fighters
would actually make the final cut and get to move into the house
and compete for the contract. Thirty-two fighters were assembled
this season because White said he was sick and tired of extending
a once in a lifetime opportunity to “p-ssies and posers”
that end up quitting because they don’t like the cameras
or never really had what it took to begin with.
White
said he was looking for “real fighters” and the only
way to land one of the sixteen spots this season would be to
fight for it. This was an excellent idea, and who can complain
about getting to see more fights than usual?
Sixteen
matches in the middleweight division were arranged and each winner
earned a spot on the show, eight of which were decided during
the seasons opening episode.
1:
Mike Dolce (4-4) defeated Prince McLean (4-5) via TKO (strikes)
2:
Cal Yarbrough (0-0) defeated John Clarke (6-2) via TKO (strikes)
3:
Amir Sadollah (0-0) defeated Steve Byrnes (6-1) via submission (armbar)
4:
CB Dolloway (6-0) defeated David Baggett (4-2) via TKO (strikes)
5:
Dante Rivera (10-2) defeated Jon Wood (6-3) via submission (kimura)
6:
Nick Klein (3-0) defeated David Mewborn (4-0) via submission
(arm-triangle choke)
7:
Paul Bradley (5-0) defeated Reggie Orr (5-5-1) via unanimous
decision
8:
Jeremy May (6-5) defeated Dave Roberts (4-5) via submission (armbar)
Source: MMA Weekly
|
White
vetoes Anderson vs Roy Jones
Bout would be under boxing rules
 
After submitting former Pride champion Dan Henderson at UFC 82,
we saw Anderson Silva charged up trying to prove MMA fighter
are more skillful than the general public realizes. To prove
this thesis, the “Spider” declared his desire to fight
boxing legend Roy Jones Jr under boxing rules.
For
those who don’t know, the American was chosen by the renowned
Boxing Writers’ Association as pugilist of the decade, having
conquered belts in seven different organizations in three separate
weight categories (middle, super middle and medium heavyweight).
What’s more is that Jones holds a record of 52 wins, 38
of which he won by knockout, and four losses, which would make
him an absolute favorite to beat the valiant Brazilian black
belt.
However,
when the talk started exciting the fans that believed in the
possibility of such a magnificent confrontation between boxing
and MMA, UFC president and owner of the rights to Anderson Dana
White came in to rain on the parade. According to sports columnist
for Yahoo Sports Dave Meltzer, the top dog contacted the current
middleweight champion of his organization’s team and asked
them to stop talking about the fight, as he would not allow them
to go through with it.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Fighter
salaries for Strikeforce-EliteXC 'Shamrock vs. Cung Le'
Here are the salaries reported by Strikeforce/EliteXC to the
California State Athletic Commission for last Saturday's "Shamrock
vs. Cung Le" event in San Jose.
Gate:
$1,117,855
Attendance: 15,192 (14,710 sold, 482 exempt passes)
Jesse
Jones: $1,650 + $500 win bonus
Jesse Gillespie: $1,200
Darren Uyenoyama: $2,000 + $2,000 win bonus
Anthony Figueroa: $2,000
Tiki Ghosn: $6,000 + $2,000 win bonus
Luke Stewart: $6,000
Marlon Sims: $2,500
Billy Evangelista: $5,000 + $5,000 win bonus
Joey Villasenor: $18,000 + $18,000 win bonus
Ryan Jensen: $6,000
Mike Kyle: $10,000
Wayne Cole: $5,000 + $5,000 win bonus
Gilbert Melendez: $50,000
Gabe Lemley: $7,000
Drew Fickett: $5,000 + $5,000 win bonus
Jae Suk Lim: $3,000
Cung Le: $200,000
Frank Shamrock: $300,000
Source: MMA Fighting
|
WEC
33 FIGHTERS CLEAN, KEEP NEVADA STREAK ALIVE
by Ken Pishna
All
nine fighters that were drug tested following World Extreme Cagefighting’s
March 26 event in Las Vegas came back negative, according to
Nevada State Athletic Commission executive director Keith Kizer.
The
fighters tested were Doug Marshall, Brian Stann, Chael Sonnen,
Bryan Baker, Rich Crunkilton, Marcus Hicks, Logan Clark, Steve
Cantwell, and Alex Serdyokov. All nine were tested both for drugs
of abuse (such as marijuana, cocaine, etc.) and performance enhancing
substances (such as steroids).
The
NSAC uses a variety of processes in testing fighters. In some
cases, such as Marshall and Stann, both fighters in a single
bout are tested, while at other times, such as Crunkilton or
Hicks’ cases, random winners are tested.
Kizer
indicated that the NSAC will likely continue to use a combination
of both methods, and “maybe some others” in its testing
procedures.
He
also stated that in Nevada there have been “no positive
tests yet this year, although we have tested way more fighters
in January through March 2008 than in any other January through
March period of years past.”
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Monson
vs. Rodriguez to headline Combat FC
Combat Fighting Championship, based out of Orlando, Florida,
will be putting on its first show in the UK on May 17.
A
heavyweight bout between Jeff Monson and Ricco Rodriguez will
headline the event from the Newcastle Arena.
Other
notable athletes appearing on the card are Melvin Manhoef, Cyril
Diabate, Seth Petruzelli, Jean Silva, Clay French, Dan Hardy,
Brad Imes and Pete Spratt.
The
promotion, which will be holding its fourth event, previously
ran exclusively at the University of Central Florida Arena in
Orlando.
CURRENT
CARD:
Ricco
Rodriguez vs. Jeff Monson
Melvin Manhoef vs. TBA
Seth Petruzelli vs. Cyrille Diabate
Jean Silva vs. Clay French
Dan Hardy vs. Marios Zaromski
Brad Imes vs. TBA
Pete Spratt vs. TBA
Tom Watson vs. Zach Knight
Gaz Roriston vs. Eddie Ng
Source: MMA Fighting
|
FLORIAN
PUSHES FOR HUERTA
UFC Lightweight Contender Calls Bout ‘Incredibly Marketable’
By Brian Knapp
Roger
Huerta has gotten the attention of one Kenny Florian.
In
wake of his second-round technical knockout victory over Joe
Lauzon at UFC Fight Night 13 on Wednesday at the Broomfield Event
Center in Broomfield, Colo., Florian indicated not only an interest
in fighting for the lightweight championship again but also a
potential match-up with Huerta.
“One
fight I think that could be a blockbuster fight in the lightweight
division is me and Roger Huerta,” Florian said. “I
think that’s an incredibly marketable fight, a fight that
could be the hottest fight right now in the lightweight division.”
Huerta
(20-1-1, 6-0 UFC) has reeled off 16 consecutive victories since
suffering the only defeat of his career against reigning International
Fight League lightweight champion Ryan Schultz in June 2004.
The 24-year-old was involved in two “Fight of the Year”
candidates in 2007 – against Leonard Garcia at UFC 69 in
April and Clay Guida at “The Ultimate Fighter 6” Live
Finale in December. Huerta landed on the cover of Sports Illustrated
after his memorable match with Garcia.
A
Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt who has improved his striking
under the tutelage of Muay Thai mastermind Mark DellaGrotte,
Florian (9-3, 7-2 UFC) has won his last four fights since a decision
loss to Sean Sherk in a lightweight title bout at UFC 64 in 2006.
The soon-to-be 32-year-old has delivered all nine of his career
victories by technical knockout or submission. He has openly
campaigned for upper-echelon opposition.
“I
don’t want to go out there, beat someone up and get my paycheck,”
Florian said. “I want to earn it. There are a lot of great
fights out there. Right now, I’m happy to fight whoever
[the UFC wants].”
Much
will be learned about the UFC’s deepest division on Saturday,
May 24, when champion B.J. Penn collides with former titleholder
Sherk in the main event at UFC 84: Ill Will at the Mandalay Bay
Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Does Florian believe he has
earned another shot at the belt?
“There’s
a lot of great fighters at 155,” he said. “It’s
tough for me to say I deserve that over someone else. I hope
the opportunity will come. Obviously, it’s up to the UFC
brass. I just want to keep fighting tough guys. I’m in the
toughest division in the world, and it’s only going to get
tougher.”
Source: The Fight Network
|
Fabiano
Ready for First Title Defense
by Andy Cotterill
Wagnney
Fabiano is very happy with how his life has been going lately.
He expects that soon it will get even better, as Friday marks
the first defense of his IFL featherweight title against Shad
Lierley at the Izod Center in East Rutherford, N.J.
Fabiano
first came to the IFL as a replacement for the injured Ivan Menjivar
just more than a year ago. Since then he hasn't looked back,
racking up an impressive 5-0 record in IFL competition, culminating
in his championship-winning performance over L.C. Davis on Dec.
29.
Now
with an overall tally of 9-1, the 32-year-old Fabiano, who splits
his time between his native Brazil and adopted Canada, looks
to cement his position as a top-tier fighter with another impressive
win. But as good as he has done in the past year, he told Sherdog.com
that he's not entirely satisfied.
Fabiano
is the epitome of humble.
"I'm
very happy with my success so far, but it's another challenge
for me because I have to defend," he said.
In
the 2-1 Lierley, Fabiano will be taking on someone who on the
surface seems not quite ready for a match of this importance.
However, Fabiano isn't dismissing his opponent based solely on
his minimal experience. Lierley poses a threat, the IFL champion
said, and he knows he'll be in for a fight.
"Yeah,
he doesn't have too many fights, but that doesn't mean anything
these days," Fabiano said. "He's a tough fighter. He's
a good wrestler, good boxer and he deserves a shot. I know he's
a very good athlete -- very strong."
To
add a little boost to his fight preparation, Fabiano spent the
past two weeks in New York with longtime friend and IFL coach
Renzo Gracie.
"Renzo
has been in my life a long time," Fabiano explained proudly.
"I was training with him when I was 13 years old, and he's
a great man. He's one of my idols, and I'm very happy to be here
under his name."
Fabiano
didn't have a prediction for the bout, but he did have some words
that to him amount to pretty much the same thing.
"MMA
is so fast and anything can happen," he said, "and
I just come prepared for this war."
Source: Sherdog
|
Quote
of the Day
“The
discipline of writing something down is the first step toward
making it happen.”
Lee Iacocca, American Industrialist and Automobile Executive
|
The
Wizard and Rampage at OTM!
This weekend
will be huge weekend at OTM. OTM, Boost Mobile and Power 104.3
Xtreme brings one of the wizards of BJJ and The Ultimate Fighter
grappling coach, Marc Laimon will be there on Friday and UFC
Lightheavyweight Champ Quinton "Rampage" Jackson will
be there on Saturday. Come down to meet these two stars!
April 4th
Friday 3:00 - 6:00pm
Marc Laimon will be at the shop
April 5th
Saturday starting @ 4:00pm
Quinton "Rampage" Jackson
|
Shobukan
Hawaii judo players make statement at the USA JUDO National Scholastic
Championships in Wisconsin!
Shobukan Judo club sent five athletes to Menomonie, Wisconsin
to compete in the National Scholastic Championships and all five
Medaled! Not only did they all medal but all five carry a 3.0
grade point average or higher!
Here are the results!
Makoa Gaughen 1st place Gold!
Nahoa Salera 1st place Gold!
Jessica Oda 1st place Gold!
Ryan Oda 2nd place Silver!
Derron Maki 3rd place Bronze!
Congrats!
Source:
K Effort
|
COUTURE
INTERESTED IN GRAPPLING KURT ANGLE
Embattled UFC heavyweight champion Randy Couture would be interested
in a submission-grappling match with former Olympic Gold Medalist
and WWE wrestler Kurt Angle, according to sources within Xtreme
Couture, but as of now interest is all that can be shown.
Rumors
began circling recently when Angle mentioned the possibility
of competing against Couture in a grappling contest. HDNet president
Mark Cuban even confirmed that his cable network would broadcast
the bout if it ever came to fruition.
According
to Sean O’Heir, public relations director at Xtreme Couture,
the bout interests Couture, but “Randy has made it quite
clear that he would only pursue such a match, if at all, when
he is contractually free to do so.
“At
this time, the discussions are merely preliminary and no details
of an actual match have been set nor agreed to,” O’Heir
commented in a statement to MMAWeekly.com.
No
further details have come from Angle or the promotion interested
in putting the bout together.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Sylvia
Departs UFC, Wants Fedor
For the first time in three years, former two-time UFC heavyweight
champion Tim Sylvia will compete outside the Octagon.
The
6-foot-8 mixed martial artist announced his departure Friday
evening during an appearance on HDNet's "Inside MMA."
"I've
pretty much come to a crossroads in my career," Sylvia said.
"And there's a lot of big things happening in the MMA world,
and especially outside of the UFC."
As
Sylvia, 32, spoke of the move -- which came with the UFC's blessing
despite one bout remaining on a contract that was set to expire
in July -- the No. 4 ranked heavyweight according to Sherdog.com
was announced as officially joining Adrenaline MMA, a newly-branded
promotion headed by his manager, Monte Cox.
"Adrenaline
is a new promotion, but it allows fighters to fight for other
organizations -- that's huge," Sylvia said. "I've got
three to four years left and want to fight as much as possible,
so this is the perfect choice for me at this time."
On
Monday, Cox told Sherdog.com that his new organization, which
replaces M-1 Global, would debut June 14 in Chicago, Ill. Cox
will act as President and CEO. Bob Clark (COO) and Brian Patton
(VP) follow Cox from the defunct M-1 Global, which failed to
promote an event during its five months in operation.
In
addition to Sylvia (24-4), Adrenaline MMA announced it secured
the services of former International Fight League star Ben Rothwell,
currently ranked No. 10 at heavyweight by Sherdog.com.
"I'm
ready to see how I fare against the best heavyweights in the
world," said the 26-year-old Wisconsinite, whom like Sylvia
is managed by Cox.
Sylvia
and Rothwell (29-5), teammates at Miletich Fighting Systems in
Bettendorf, Iowa, signed multi-fight contracts with Adrenaline
MMA.
"Japan's
starting to get some big shows going again, and Affliction show
is going to be happening," Sylvia said on HDNet. "So
I'm looking to fight in all of them. Be real active, fight five
or six times a year. And there's a guy out there named Fedor
[Emelianenko], who I'd like to fight. And I think the only way
that's going to happen is by me leaving the UFC."
Sylvia
racked up a 9-4 record during his tenure with the UFC, which
began in 2002 when he battered Wesley Correira. In just his second
bout in the Octagon, Sylvia stunned Ricco Rodriguez at UFC 41
to capture the organization's heavyweight crown.
Following
his first defense of the belt, a knockout over Gan McGee, Sylvia
tested positive for anabolic steroids. In his return to competition
following a suspension and fine, not only did the "Maine-iac"
fail to recapture the belt he was forced to vacate, Frank Mir
snapped Sylvia's right arm below the elbow.
Having
worked his way back into the title picture, Sylvia took control
of the belt for a second time with a first-round knockout of
Andrei Arlovski in April 2006. He gave up the title 10 months
later when Randy Couture scored a dominant five-round decision.
In
what would be his last UFC bout before moving to Adrenaline MMA,
Sylvia fell short in a battle for the interim UFC heavyweight
title against Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
Source: Sherdog
|
DREAM
ANNOUNCES MIDDLEWEIGHT GP BOUTS
Dream on Thursday announced some of the match-ups for the first
round of its Middleweight Grand Prix set to start on April 29
at the Saitama Super Arena in Japan.
Despite
speculation that he would not be participating, legendary fighter
Kazushi Sakuraba will return to action after back-to-back wins
to face the relatively unknown Andrews Nakahara.
In
his last fight out, Sakuraba finished Masakatsu Funaki by kimura
during the K-1 New Year’s Eve show to close out 2007.
Former
Pride middleweight, Denis Kang will face Gegard Mousasi in another
first round match-up.
Kang
will be returning for the first time since suffering a knockout
loss to Yoshihiro Akiyama. Mousasi is currently riding a seven-fight
win streak, competing in multiple promotions including Bodog
Fight and Hardcore Fighting Championships.
The
final bout announced pits Kiyoshi Tamura against Masakatsu Funaki.
Tamura most recently defeated Hideo Tokoro at the K-1 New Year’s
Eve show. As previously mentioned, Funaki lost to Sakuraba in
his last fight, which was his first professional competition
in over seven years.
Other
fighters expected to participate include Yoshihiro Akiyama, Dong-Sik
Yoon, Taiei Kin, Shungo Oyama, and Ikuhisa Minowa.
More
bouts are expected to be announced soon.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
NBC
ANNOUNCES WEEKLY STRIKEFORCE SERIES
NBC on Thursday announced that it has partnered with Strikeforce
to bring mixed martial arts to the network. “Strikeforce
on NBC” will premiere the night of April 12 from 2-2:30
a.m. ET on NBC.
"Mixed
martial arts has exploded onto the sports scene. Its athletes
are tremendous competitors and the sport is one of the fastest
growing in the world," said Jerry Petry, Executive Vice
President of NBC Universal Television. "As a leader in this
arena, Strikeforce will be able to deliver some of the finest
and most intense action ever seen on broadcast TV."
"It’s
truly an honor to have the opportunity to bring the Strikeforce
mixed martial arts product to one of the longest-standing and
most well-respected national television platforms," said
Strikeforce Chief Executive Officer Scott Coker. "NBC has
a history of popular late Saturday TV and in the 80’s NBC’s
‘Saturday Night’s Main Event’ show helped catapult
the popularity of professional wrestling. Strikeforce is looking
to follow in suit and establish a legacy of its own on the network."
Each
episode of the series will feature Strikeforce mixed martial
arts fights and highlights as well as fighter profiles. The premiere
Strikeforce episode will feature superstar Cung Le vs. Brian
Warren, Duane "Bang" Ludwig vs. Tony "The Freak"
Fryklund, as well as a profile on Le.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
LEONARD
GARCIA ARRESTED IN TEXAS
Current World Extreme Cagefighting featherweight Leonard Garcia
was arrested on Tuesday in connection with an investigation into
an alleged drug trafficking ring, according to a report by KCBD
in Lubbock, Tex.
The
28-year-old fighter was arrested for his alleged connection with
the cocaine ring.
When
contacted for comment, Garcia’s manager, Sven Bean said,
“It was a shock to me. It definitely came out of left field.
I’ve talked with his family and I’ve had one phone
conversation with his lawyer. We’re just letting him do
his job at this point. Hopefully, we’ll know more as the
days progress.”
According
to the report, authorities arrested a total of 13 suspects after
a four-year investigation into the drug ring that allegedly ran
from El Paso to Hub City.
The
report specifically named Garcia, identifying him as a mixed
martial artist and Ultimate Fighting Championship veteran. None
of the other suspects were identified in the report.
If
convicted, three of the suspects could face up to 40 years in
prison and a $2 million fine, while the others arrested could
face life in prison and up to a $4 million dollar fine.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
IOWA
INCREASING REGULATORY CONTROL OVER MMA
Mixed martial arts regulation has had its ups and downs in Iowa.
Lawmakers attempted to deregulate MMA this past year, but were
unsuccessful. In Iowa, MMA, boxing and wrestling are regulated
by the Department of Labor.
Last
Wednesday a bill was passed that called for more regulation of
the sport. According to WFCCourier.com, the bill would require
event promoters to apply for a license and pay a fee. Organizers
would subsequently report ticket sales, gross receipts and volume
of attendees to the state's labor commissioner.
In
addition, fighters would have to apply for a permit, as well
as submit a fee and undergo both an eye exam and a physical.
"This
will go a long way towards professionalizing this sport,"
stated Representative Jamie Van Fossen.
As
the sport continues to gain popularity and grow in Iowa, the
need for regulation becomes more apparent every day. The passing
of the bill is a step towards the regulation already in place
in states such as Nevada, New Jersey, California, and others.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
In
recovery, Shogun analyzes Dida’s fight
In
recovery from his knee surgery that took him out of UFC 85’s
card, Maurício Shogun commented his team partner André
Dida’s fight at Dream. "He missed a little Jiu-Jitsu
and now we’ll come after it. We’ll train hard on the
Jiu-Jitsu part, because stand up nobody can beat him", said
Shogun, that is starting the physiotherapy to come back fighting.
"I’m already well. I’m doing physiotherapy, running
inside the swimming pool and swimming. In two or three months
I may come back at a light training", said Shogun.
Source: Tatame
|
DIAZ
CAMP PLANS LEGAL ACTION AGAINST CSAC
The Elite XC and Strikeforce co-promoted fight card set for this
weekend underwent multiple changes this week. None garnered as
much fallout as Nick Diaz being pulled from his bout with Jae
Suk Lim due to his medicals not being turned in on time, according
to California State Athletic Commission executive officer Armando
Garcia in a statement to Sherdog.com on Thursday.
EliteXC
live events president Gary Shaw claimed in a conversation with
Garcia that Diaz was being pulled because of Diaz’s prescription
for medicinal marijuana.
Cesar
Gracie, Diaz’s lead trainer, spoke to MMAWeekly Radio on
Thursday evening about the entire situation that led up to his
fighter being pulled from his fight just 72 hours before it was
scheduled to take place.
Gracie
denied Garcia’s claim that Diaz did not turn in his medicals
on time.
“That’s
absolutely not true,” said Gracie about the timing of the
medicals being received. “Because if he didn’t turn
his medicals in, how did (Garcia) know Nick has a cannabis club
card? He found out when the medicals were turned in. Nick doesn’t
turn in medicals. He goes and gets them done and the lab was
turning them in for him.
“There
are fighters on this card that did not get their medicals in
until today. They got them done last night and turned them in
today, and they are fighting.”
According
to his trainer, Diaz was extremely prepared for this fight and
is obviously disappointed after the ruling was handed down on
Wednesday.
“He
had made weight, he was looking forward to putting up a really
good fight,” stated Gracie. “For some reason, like
I said, Armando’s (Garcia) finding every excuse in the book
to not let this guy fight. It’s ridiculous.”
The
entire situation may have to come to a head in a courtroom because
at this late date there is no way Diaz can still compete on Saturday’s
card and Gracie is adamant about their position in this battle.
“That’s
exactly what we’re going to move forward with is legal action
after this,” Gracie said. “We’re going to go ahead
and get our lawyers and we’re going to sit down and go forward
with the proceedings. This is just discrimination, you can’t
do that.
“Armando
Garcia is here to help fighters, not to hinder them. He’s
here to make sure fighters are safe, make sure the rules are
being followed, not to legislate from where he’s at, make
laws, that’s not his thing. It’s to enforce the laws
that are made and to make sure everything happens in a fair manner.
And when the fighters do it fairly, it doesn’t matter what
my opinion, or his opinion, or anyone else’s opinion is,
California states that it’s legal to have a cannabis club
card, so that’s just the way it is.”
Regardless
of the legalized marijuana issue, Gracie also says that Diaz
had every intention of being tested and coming back clean.
“He
never took a urine test. We wanted him to take a urine test,”
he said. “We offered for him to take a urine test to show
that he was going to be negative. He was not smoking, so he would
be negative for this fight … they never gave him that opportunity.”
For
now, Gracie will focus on Gilbert Melendez, who will be defending
his Strikeforce lightweight championship on Saturday night against
Gabe Lemley.
Attempts
to reach Garcia for comment went unreturned at the time of publication.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
UWC
ANNOUNCES SPRATT VS. VON FLUE
Ultimate Warrior Sports Development, LLC on Friday announced
that Ultimate Fighting Championship veterans Pete Spratt and
Jason Von Flue will headline its April 26 Ultimate Warrior Challenge
event at the GMU-Patriot Center in Washington, DC.
Spratt
is a prolific striker that has been competing professionally
in mixed martial arts for more than eight years. Holding a win
over current EliteXC middleweight champion Robbie Lawler, Spratt’s
career has been a roller-coaster ride of ups and downs. He lost
his most recent outing to Ryan Ford at the Maximum Fighting Championships
in Canada.
A
veteran of The Ultimate Fighter reality series, Von Flue has
found himself on a rough path since leaving the UFC, recording
a 1-3 record in his bouts since leaving the promotion. He will
look to re-establish himself against Spratt.
UWC
has recently undergone some significant changes signing on UFC
veteran and World Fighting Alliance promoter John Lewis as the
organizations new president. Lewis and CEO S. Marcello Foran
are currently in negotiations with television networks in the
U.S. and Europe. The UWC is also preparing to film its own show
entitled “Making of an Ultimate Warrior.”
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Quote
of the Day
“When
we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged
to change ourselves.”
Viktor Frankl, 1905-1997, Austrian Neurologist and Psychiatrist
|
UFC
FIGHT NIGHT 13: TONIGHT!
APRIL 2,
2008 ON SPIKE TV
venue: Broomfield Event Center in Broomfield, Colorado
Oceanic
Channel 559, Fights Start at 4:00 PM, Replay at 9:00 PM
Main
Card Bouts:
-Kenny Florian vs. Joe Lauzon
-Karo Parisyan (#6 Welterweight in the World)* vs. Thiago Alves
-Matt Hamill vs. Tim Boetsch
-Kurt Pellegrino vs. Nate Diaz
-Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard**
-Houston Alexander vs. James Irvin
Preliminary
Bouts:
-Marcus Aurelio vs. Ryan Roberts
-Din Thomas vs. Josh Neer
-Manny Gamburyan vs. Jeff Cox
-Clay Guida vs. Samy Schiavo
-George Sotiropoulos vs. Roman Mitichyan
-Tommy Speer vs. Anthony Johnson
Main
card airs live on Spike TV starting at 7:00 PM (ET/PT) on Wednesday,
April 2 as a lead-in to the premiere of The Ultimate Fighter
7
|
Marc
Laimon Seminar!
|
ELITEXC’S
THIRD CARD IN THREE WEEKS,
FIFTH
IN 29 DAYS, THIS SATURDAY, APRIL 5,
AT
TABLE MOUNTAIN CASINO IN FRIANT, CALIF.
______________________________________________________________________________
Telecast
Will Include Hamman, Suganuma, Camoes & A Women’s
Match Featuring Baszler
On
A Special Edition of ShoXC on SHOWTIME (11:30 p.m. ET/PT, Delayed
on the West Coast)
LOS
ANGELES (April 1, 2008) – In an excellent matchup of promising
light heavyweights, undefeated Jared Hamman (9-0) of San Bernardino,
Calif., faces once-beaten Poai Suganuma (8-1) of Hilo, Hawaii, in the main event on
ShoXC: Elite Challenger Series this Saturday, April 5, live on
SHOWTIME (11:30 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the west coast) at Table
Mountain Casino at Friant, Calif.
ShoXC
is patterned after the popular SHOWTIME boxing series ShoBox:
The New Generation, which pits developing fighters in tough match
ups. ShoXC, like ShoBox, is a springboard for the future stars
and champions of EliteXC.
Tickets,
priced at $50 (General Admission), $60 (Gold), $70 (Reserved)
and $80 (VIP), are available at the Main Casino Cage at Table
Mountain Casino online at www.tmcasino.com/tickets.html. Doors
open at 4:30 p.m. First live fight is at 5:30 p.m. PT.
The
mixed martial arts fight card is the third in three weeks for
Los Angeles-based ProElite, Inc.’s live fight division,
Elite XC – all on SHOWTIME -- and fifth in 29 days.
EliteXC,
led by Gary Shaw, was involved with cage events on March 8 (London,
Cage Rage), March 15 (Honolulu, Icon Sport) and March 29 (San
Jose, Calif., Strikeforce). It also is EliteXC’s second
ShoXC fight card in three weeks. The other came on March 21 (Santa
Ynez., Calif.).
If
the run of MMA events isn’t enough, Shaw, who’s one
of the world’s top boxing promoters, will also present an
outstanding fistic doubleheader Saturday, April 12, on SHOWTIME.
“I’ve
been racking up the frequent flyer miles, but it’s worth
the effort,’’ Shaw said. “A lot of work goes into
putting on quality, first class shows and the fight team at EliteXC
deserves a ton of credit.
“There
are a lot of willing fighters out there, but it takes excellent
matchmaking to make the best fights happen, and we have an outstanding,
hard-working fight team that continually puts together the kinds
of fights that always offer a bit of everything to those in attendance
and watching on SHOWTIME.
“Like
I’ve said, this (ShoXC) is the best place for young fighters
to establish themselves and make a name. I really believe that
ShoXC continues to do for MMA what ShoBox has done for boxing.
This is truly another great show, for sure, and it’s stacked
with promising prospects.’’
Since
its inception, EliteXC has consistently featured women's fights
on SHOWTIME. On this show, crowd-pleasing, talented Shayna “The
Queen Of Spades’’ Baszler of Sioux Falls, S.D., will
face Japan’s Keiko Tamai (16-14) at 140 pounds. Another
top match will feature comebacking Brazilian, Fabricio “Morango”
Camoes (7-4), who will make his eagerly awaited EliteXC and ShoXC
debut, against Joe Camacho (10-11-3) of Los Angeles in a 160-pound
bout.
In
other televised fights, Wilson Reis (3-0) of Philadelphia faces
Doug Evans (5-2) of Anchorage, Alaska, at 140 pounds and Giva
“The Arm Collector’’ Santana (10-0) of Irvine,
Calif., meets Matt “Luke Duke’’ Lucas (9-0) of
Arizona in a battle of unbeatens at 185 pounds.
Non-televised
bouts include: Promising Melanie LaCroix (1-0) of Los Angeles,
Calif., vs. KC Noland (1-2) of San Luis Obispo, Calif., at 140
pounds; Jaime Iracheta (debut) of Fresno, Calif., vs. Brent Cooper
(1-0) of Irvine, Calif., at 185 pounds; Telly Sanders (debut)
of Fresno vs. Roberto Vargas (1-0) of Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.,
at 165 pounds; Yasser Pezzat (debut) of Fresno vs. Luke Riddering
(debut) of San Luis Obispo at 265 pounds; Carl Saumantafa (2-0)
of Fresno vs. Amadeo Viola (0-1) of Rancho Cucamonga at 265;
and Japan’s Yoko Takahashi (13-9) vs. an opponent to be
announced at 150 pounds.
The
SHOWTIME fights are scheduled for three, 5-minute rounds with
the exception of Baszler-Tamai, which is slated for three, 3-minute
rounds. The non-televised fights are scheduled for three, 3-minute
rounds.
Fans
can watch pre- and post-fight interviews only at ProElite.com.
Fighter pages are below.
Hamman
and Baszler tallied impressive victories Oct. 26, 2007, at Santa
Ynez, Calif., on ShoXC. On the same show, Santana scored a 2:46,
first-round submission (armbar) over Jaime Fletcher in a non-televised
bout. Fletcher won an upset three-round split decision over Aaron
Rosa on the March 21 ShoXC.
Team
Unbreakable’s Hamman submitted Tito Ortiz's training partner,
the aforementioned, previously unbeaten Rosa (rear naked choke),
in the second round. Baszler rocked and socked her way to an
impressive 0:44, first-round submission (arm bar) over Jennifer
Tate.
“Jared
keeps stopping everyone and was awesome against Rosa. Shayna
exemplified once again that women do have a place in MMA,’’
Shaw said. “I can’t wait to see them both in action
again.’’
Hamman
has won all of his MMA fights by stoppage, an overwhelming number
of them by TKO or KO. Despite going down early, he dominated
Rosa with a series of body slams and ground strikes to position
himself for the rear naked choke that Rosa tapped out to at 1:46
of the second round.
“That
was definitely the biggest and most important win of my career,”
said Hamman, a college football coach and former football star
at Atascadero High who’s yet to have a fight enter the third
round.
“It
was very exciting. Fighting on SHOWTIME really added more pressure.
But what’s cool is that all my players (at the University
of Redlands) were able to see me fight and win.’’
Suganuma
majored in computer science in college. After moving to Japan
in late 2004, where he worked as a singer, ukulele player and
English teacher, Suganuma became interested in wrestling.
An
avid weight-lifter, the six-foot-two 26-year-old won a grappling
competition and, then, after a month of MMA training, made his
debut. He won his first five before suffering his lone defeat
to Kestutis Arbocius in the finals of a King of Pancrease fight
stopped due to cuts in the third round Aug. 27, 2006.
Suganuma
returned shortly thereafter to Hilo, his hometown, to train with
BJ Penn. He has gone 3-0 since, including a 3:05, first-round
submission victory (armbar) over Bernard Ackah on Oct. 28, 2007.
Camoes,
a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under world champion Saulo
Ribiero, will make his EliteXC, ShoXC and United States debut.
The last time he fought, he defeated three opponents in one night,
capped by a first-round submission (armbar) over the more experienced
Jean Silva in the finals of the Super Challenge in Brazil on
Oct. 7, 2006.
“I
struggled for years in Brazil,’’ said Camoes, who cites
“personal problems’’ for the layoff. “But
I believe both my team and I will improve in America and I am
ready for new challenges. I am very well prepared and my training
has been excellent. The conditions are excellent in the United
States.
“I
look forward to showing that my game has evolved and fighting
for ProElite and EliteXC on SHOWTIME is very exciting. I am anxious
to fight. This is like a new beginning for me.’’
Camacho
is coming off a second-round knockout over Thomas “Wildman”
Denny on Jan. 24, 2008. The triumph over Denny was Camacho’s
second in a row and extended his unbeaten streak to six (5-0-1).
The
talented Baszler’s triumph over Tate was her third consecutive
first-round victory.
“Honestly,
I didn’t expect it to go that quickly,” said Baszler,
whose eight victories have all come by submission. “I slipped
a punch, the take down was there and I took it. I did what I
trained to do.’’
Tate
came out swinging wild and ate a right hand to the chin. Baszler
swooped in and took the fight to the floor, where she ended it
seconds later with a slick armbar.
“I
love fighting on SHOWTIME,’’ said Baszler, who also
boasts a 2006 victory over Julie Kedzie (who fought Gina Carano
on EliteXC’s history-making fight card Feb. 10, 2007, on
SHOWTIME).
“I
know all of my family and friends were watching last time and
will do so again. I didn’t get a lot of airtime, but I am
very happy with this win. I’ve fought the best and I am
ready to fight anybody.”
Tamai,
who is known for her flamboyant ring attire and personality,
will look to regain her winning ways against Baszler. Tamai,
who has fought tough opposition, defeated Jan Finney via a second-round
submission (armbar) on Feb. 16, 2007.
Reis,
a Brazilian Top Team black belt, will make his initial appearance
on ShoXC. In his last start and EliteXC debut, the fast-rising
featherweight impressively submitted (choke) former Division
1 wrestler Zach Machovsky at 1:15 in the second-round in a non-televised
bout Jan. 25, 2008, at Atlantic City.
An
accomplished wrester who turned pro in July 2007, Reis trains
out of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu United in Jenkintown, Penn., under
Lloyd Irvin black belt Jared Weiner.
Evans,
who helped put the Anchorage-based Alaska Fighting Championship
on the MMA map, has competed at 135 pounds but is looking forward
to fighting at 140.
“It’ll
feel really good to get back to my more-natural weight class
and start being one of the bigger guys in the division again,”
said Evans, who began his career with five consecutive victories.
“I’m excited to fight for EliteXC where I plan on making
my new home.’’
Santana,
a Black Belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and five-time world champion,
has won nine of his 10 starts by first-round submission, all
by armbar, thus the nickname the “Arm Collector.’’
“I
train very hard and am ready to fight the best,’’ said
Santana, who went the distance in his pro debut. “There
are a lot of good fighters in my division. I want to be a world
champion.
“I'm
glad to have signed with EliteXC. This is the kind of opportunity
I have been waiting for.’’
Lucas,
who started training MMA eight years ago, scored a 55-second,
first-round submission (choke) over Rich Beecroft on Feb. 1,
2008. Lucas was victorious in his EliteXC debut in his start
before last, winning a hard-fought unanimous decision over Jon
Kirk on Nov. 10, 2007, at Corpus Christi, Tex.
Takahashi,
a former Smack Girl titlist, has won two of her last three.
Fighter
pages for televised bouts: Hamman (http://jaredhamman.proelite.com),
Suganuma (http:/poaisuganuma.proelite.com), Camoes (http:/fabriciocamoes.proelite.com),
Camacho (http:/joecamacho.proelite.com), Baszler (http://shaynabaszler.proelite.com),
Tamai (http://keikotamai.proelite.com), Reis (http://wilsonreis.proelite.com),
Evans (http://dougevans.proelite.com), Santana (http://givasantana.proelite.com),
Lucas (http://mattlucas.proelite.com).
Fighter
pages for non-televised bouts: Saumantafa (http://carlsaumantafa.proelite.com),
Viola (http://armadeoviola.proelite.com), Pezzat (http://yasserpezzat.proelite.com),
Shilling (http://joeshilling.proelite.com), Iracheta (http://jaime
Iracheta.proelite.com), LaCroix (http://melanielacroix.proelite.com),
Noland (http://KCNoland.proelite.com), Cooper (http://brentcooper.proelite.com),
Sanders (http://tellysanders.proelite.com), Vargas (http://robertovargas.proelite.com),
Takahashi (http://yokotakahashi.proelite.com). .
About
ProElite, Inc.
ProElite
Inc. [PELE.PK] delivers the most exciting entertainment experience
in the world of mixed martial arts (MMA) with live arena-based
entertainment events, cable television programming on Showtime
Networks and community-driven interactive broadband entertainment
via the Internet. ProElite embraces MMA with the highest levels
of honor, integrity, discipline and self-esteem all the while
remaining inclusive for fighters, fans and schools. ProElite’s
live fight division, EliteXC, delivers spectacular live MMA fight
events that showcase the world’s top fighters [elitexc.com].
ProElite’s interactive business, ProElite.com, capitalizes
on the growing popularity of the sport of mixed martial arts
by building a community of MMA enthusiasts. In addition to streaming
the most exciting live fights to the web, ProElite expands the
fan base of the sport by providing a comprehensive set of online
social networking tools for fans, fighters and organizations.
ProElite.com – Empowering the Fight Community TM
About
Showtime Networks Inc.
Showtime
Networks Inc. (SNI), a wholly-owned subsidiary of CBS Corporation,
owns and operates the premium television networks SHOWTIME®,
THE MOVIE CHANNEL® and FLIX®, as well as the multiplex
channels SHOWTIME 2™, SHOWTIME® SHOWCASE, SHOWTIME EXTREME®,
SHOWTIME BEYOND®, SHOWTIME NEXT®, SHOWTIME WOMEN®,
SHOWTIME FAMILY ZONE® and THE MOVIE CHANNEL® XTRA. SNI
also offers SHOWTIME HD®, THE MOVIE CHANNEL® HD, SHOWTIME
ON DEMAND® and THE MOVIE CHANNEL® ON DEMAND. SNI is also
an owner and manager of SUNDANCE CHANNEL®, a venture of NBC
Universal, Robert Redford and SNI. SNI also manages Smithsonian
Networks, a joint venture between SNI and the Smithsonian Institution.
All SNI feeds provide enhanced sound using Dolby Digital 5.1.
SNI markets and distributes sports and entertainment events for
exhibition to subscribers on a pay-per-view basis through SHOWTIME
PPV®.
Source: Pro Elite |
JEFF
CURRAN TALKS NEXT WEC FIGHT AND MORE
World Extreme Championship lightweight contender Jeff Curran
recently spoke with MMAWeekly.com's Al Yu to discuss his next
fight, his new gym, and much, much more.
Al
Yu: Hi Jeff, how have you been? What’s new in your busy
life?
Jeff
Curran: Things have been awesome! I am way more busy than usual
with all that’s going on in my life, but I think I am managing
my time pretty well. I’m trying not to stress over everything.
The best thing that has happened recently is my son, Ty Michael,
just turned one year old. He was born on March 19, so this is
exciting for me. I got him his first Gi for Jiu-Jitsu so I will
start getting him used to having it on.
Al:
I hear you’re in the process of purchasing a new gym facility.
What will happen to your existing gym?
Jeff:
Yeah, we are in the process of purchasing a 24,000-square-foot
building that will become our once and for all “home.”
The building I am in now is leased and it has lots of structural
issues with it being so old and I just rent it, so I have to
move on. The old place will close down and I am opening up literally
a minute down the road. I am looking to expand in many ways and
help the gym and entire team of fighters in general reach new
levels.
I
have been lucky enough to establish a great relationship with
Sean Bormet of Overtime Wrestling School and they are interested
in opening a second location. Overtime is responsible for producing
some of the best wrestlers in the country and actually have their
eyes set on a couple Olympic Hopefuls for 2008. With that level
of wrestling being inside my walls, they will be adding beginner
level wrestling classes and working with fighters as well.
Another
thing I am doing (or trying to do) is to find/hire another full-time
striking coach. My boxing coach Doug Mango is so busy seven days
a week and when I have fights it’s very hard to focus on
the fighters that need attention. My first choice would be to
hire my friend Shawn Tompkins, but he is so stable working out
of Couture’s in Vegas now, that it would be a hard for him
to make time. So, if anyone out there is looking for a place
to call home and to become a full-time trainer, they can send
their resume to my program manager Chuck Pilcher (cpilcher@teamcurran.com)
for me to review.
Al:
Speaking of the team, what’s new with the other Team Curran
guys?
Jeff:
The team right now is very motivated. Our team is very new, very
talented and very lucky to have each other for sure. We got Mike
Marrello facing WEC veteran and XFO light heavyweight champion
Justin McElfresh on April 25 for the XFO belt. We’ve got
Bart Palaszewski fighting on April 4 in the IFL. Nate Mohr is
rehabbing his knee and he’s doing well along with Ben Miller
who is coming off a bad jaw injury.
Our
amateurs are all tearing it up and I can’t wait to get them
out there to start their pro careers. The newest additions to
the team are Tom Belt and Ryan Sturdy from Michigan. These guys
work hard and bring a lot to the table. We are focusing on them
and hoping for good things out of their future. Mike Stumpf is
set for another fight April 25 on XFO as well and we are hoping
to sign him soon with a larger organization. Our newest pro is
Joe Schlotterer. He is great with his Muay Thai and a very exciting
fighter who had a very successful amateur career. Unfortunately,
he had a rough first fight as a pro and lost a decision.
Al:
How are things going with your fight promotion, the XFO?
Jeff:
Well, speaking of the XFO, my cousin Patrick is on cloud nine
right now and is all pumped up that Tapout is coming to film
his next fight in the XFO for an episode. The XFO was lucky to
just have four of its bouts aired on the HDNet show Inside MMA.
Patrick and Mike Stumpf both got their fights aired along with
Josh Rafferty vs. Kevin Knabjian and Joe Vedepo’s fight.
For
me, it’s a dream come true to not just have my younger cousin
fight and get our family name some more recognition on national
TV, but to have it done in our town and on my show is just a
perfect fit. He is slated to face his original opponent, Lazar
Stojadinovic, from the last XFO that had to pull out. Lazar broke
our teammate Ben Miller’s jaw at Extreme Challenge 86 in
a very competitive bout a couple months ago. Hopefully Pat can
go out and make us all proud.
Al:
You're used to fighting often. Does it bother you that you've
had so much down time?
Jeff:
I actually thought I would like having some time off, but it
has really dragged on. By the time I fight it will be like seven
months. Good thing I don’t live just on my fight money,
because I would have been broke a long time ago [laughs]. I wouldn’t
say it bothers me though. Just getting anxious is all.
Al:
You're slated to fight on the June 1 WEC card. Are you facing
Mike Brown?
Jeff:
I have been told and Mike has been told that we are facing each
other; but we don’t have contracts yet. That announcement
will become official (soon) I am sure. I am just so ready to
go fight again.
I
have heard people saying some of the craziest stuff too. People
saying they think I am retired now after fighting Faber. That’s
funny. I get a kick out things like that. I had a hard time dealing
with the loss to Urijah, but I am ready to move on. I’m
ready to continue down my path to being the WEC world champ …
regardless of what I have to accomplish to get there.
Al:
What do you think of your opponent?
Jeff:
I think Mike Brown and I make for a really good fight to be honest.
He is very tough, well rounded and has beaten top level competition.
I am excited to be fighting him. I asked for a tough guy and
someone who wins and wins big. I want to stay at the top level
and hopefully get another shot at the champ.
Al:
If you are successful in defeating Mike Brown, do you think a
match with the winner between Urijah Faber and Jens Pulver is
in your future?
Jeff:
If I beat Mike, I may be right in the mix for another shot at
the winner between Jens and Urijah, but I almost would like to
have one more fight, if possible, to make sure that I put the
pressure on myself and get no easy way to the title shot. That’s
just the way I am.
Al:
Is there anything you’d like to say to your fans?
Jeff:
I would like to thank my fans out there, my family and friends,
and all my team for all their ongoing support. I couldn’t
do it without them in so many ways. Thanks to Tapout, Fairtex
and Schwartz Heating for all their support as well. A special
thanks to my trainers Doug Mango and Dave Davis of Davis Speed
Center for helping me prepare for all my fights and to Pedro
Sauer for simply “Showing me the Way”!
Source: MMA Weekly |
NBC
orders mixed martial arts series
LOS ANGELES
(Hollywood Reporter) - NBC is getting into the mixed-martial
arts genre.
The
network has ordered a new MMA series as a companion for its late-night
"Poker After Dark" program.
"Strikeforce
on NBC" will premiere April 12 and is billed as the first
weekly MMA series to air on broadcast television. The half-hour
program will air in wee hours, from 2 to 2:30 a.m.
MMA,
where fighters of different martial disciplines compete in cage
match bouts, has been a success for cable network Spike TV and
is very popular as a pay-per-view event under the Ultimate Fighting
Championships banner.
CBS
is also getting into the genre, with four "CBS EliteXC Saturday
Night Fights" specials scheduled to debut on Saturday nights
starting May 31. And Comcast's G4 network is developing an MMA
series hosted by fighter Tito Ortiz.
Source: Reuters.com
|
Couture
Litigation Grows More Complex
The legal war between Randy Couture, Zuffa and HDNet Fights continues
to heat up with the parties engaged in an increasingly complex
set of litigation that includes two separate lawsuits, in Nevada
and Texas respectively, and now an arbitration proceeding in
Nevada.
On
March 7, Zuffa filed for arbitration on Couture's promotional
contract, pursuant to the terms of the agreement, in Nevada district
court. The action marks the first time that Zuffa has formally
made the promotional contract the issue of legal proceedings.
According
to Zuffa, the proceeding will "necessarily require resolution
of disputes between Zuffa and Couture over key terms of the promotional
agreement," including those at issue in the HDNet Fights
declaratory judgment action in Texas state court.
The
action also continues in Texas. On March 13, Zuffa filed a notice
of removal to federal district court in HDNet's declaratory judgment
action brought against the company in Texas district court last
month.
The
stated ground for removal, and the basis for federal jurisdiction,
is diversity of citizenship. Federal law provides jurisdiction
to federal courts in matters in which the plaintiff and defendant
are not residents or citizens of the same state. When diversity
of citizenship exists in a suit filed in state court, the defendant
may choose to remove the case to federal court.
However,
it appears that diversity of citizenship has been destroyed by
a clever legal move on the part of HDNet.
HDNet
MMA 2008 is actually a Nevada LLC, formed on Dec. 28, rather
than a Texas LLC, as previously assumed. The citizenship of an
LLC is determined by the citizenship of its members, which in
this case is HDNet Sports Inc., a Nevada corporation formed on
Feb. 1.
Because
HDNet MMA 2008, Zuffa and Randy Couture are all technically citizens
of Nevada for federal jurisdictional purposes, diversity of citizenship
would appear to be destroyed.
Zuffa
alleges that these efforts represent an attempt by HDNet to "manipulate
the court's jurisdiction."
"These
actions were designed to deprive Zuffa of its statutory right
to remove this action to [federal court] and prevent the parties
to the contract at issue in the declaratory judgment action (Zuffa
and Couture) from litigating their disputes in the contractually
agreed upon Nevada forum," alleged Zuffa in court filings
obtained by Sherdog.com.
"Because
HDNet MMA 2008 was incorporated in Nevada for the improper purpose
of circumventing diversity jurisdiction, this court should disregard
the Nevada citizenship of HDNet MMA 2008 for purposes of determining
the existence of diversity jurisdiction and retain jurisdiction
over this action," argues Zuffa in its motion for removal.
In
response, HDNet says Zuffa's "only argument for diversity
jurisdiction is that the court should disregard the admitted
diversity and examine the parties' motives, an argument which
this court expressly rejected in [a 2004 case]."
HDNet
goes on to say the "removal is nothing more than a bald-faced
tactic to slow down this case in favor of a later-filed action
or to ensure that HDNet's fight cannot happen."
On
March 18, HDNet filed a motion to remand the case to Texas state
court and asked for expedited proceedings, which the court granted.
Zuffa has until March 28 to respond. HDNet may then submit a
reply, if any, by April 1.
According
to the filings obtained by Sherdog.com, HDNet hopes to promote
Couture vs. Fedor Emelianenko in October of this year.
Meanwhile,
on March 25 in the 8th Judicial District of Nevada, Couture's
motion to dismiss was denied in Zuffa v. Couture -- the state
court action concerning his employment contract.
An
order was also recently entered that softened the language of
the preliminary injunction granted by the court last month. Couture
is allowed to corner fighters, and fighters may wear Xtreme Couture
gear.
Source: Sherdog |
Frank
Shamrock: Entertainment At Its Finest!
Admittedly I am in the group of MMA fans that care about the
fight and the fight only. All the pre-fight and post-fight antics
don’t matter to me now, never have in the past, and likely
won’t in the future. I only care about two competitors getting
in their chosen arena and giving it their all for my entertainment.
I derive my entertainment from the actions of those two competitors
in the cage or ring, and that is all I need. Others look for
more, they want that post-fight smacktalk or the pre-fight staredown
at the weigh-ins. There is one man however that seems to understand
just how entertainment works in MMA to a level that no other
man can claim to have reached. Even for one such as I, where
the fight is all that matters, I am inevitably drawn in by this
man’s antics before, during, and after the fight. Frank
Shamrock is a polarizing figure, most fans either love him or
hate him, but for a different reason than most may suspect he
may very well be the only true MMA legend out there.
The
fight is all that matters, but even I am not shortsighted enough
to ignore that people need to want to watch a fight in order
for that fight to happen. This is where the avenues of promotion
and marketing come into play, avenues that I usually ignore.
However when Frank Shamrock is involved it is hard to ignore
these avenues. Shamrock can talk with the best of them and he
can infuriate with the best of them. Shamrock has the uncanny
ability to make you believe that every fight he enters into is
the be all and end all of the fighting world. The man once managed
to convince the MMA nation that a fight against Bryan Pardoe
was the greatest MMA event of our times. That is a true talent
and something that really needs to be appreciated. In a time
where the sport is growing at an exponential rate Frank Shamrock
still manages to make it seem like his fights are more important
than the rest even when we know that they aren’t. He does
this because of his amazing ability to connect with the fans
at the most basic level, he makes them feel something for him.
Ambivalence
is the worst thing that can ever happen to a person, place, or
thing that wants to be seen. To not care one way or the other
about something usually means the object that is receiving said
ambivalence will not be around for long. This is where Frank
Shamrock’s greatest strength lay. He reaches the MMA fans
where it matters most, he makes them care. There are very few
fans that you will find that don’t harbor any feelings for
Shamrock one way or the other, they either love him and his antics
or they hate him. Shamrock plays up on this through various interviews
and appearances where he makes sure that you know that he doesn’t
care, that he really is that much better than everyone else.
He draws the fans in, he makes his fans love him even more and
he draws the ire of those that hate him to a fever pitch. In
a world where every dollar is needed to stand out from the rest
and every fan is needed to supply that dollar Shamrock seems
to understand that more than the rest. He doesn’t just treat
his occupation as a fight or a job, he treats it as a spectacle,
something to behold, and that is why those who love him and those
who hate him always want to behold what will befall him next.
Where
Shamrock delivers the most is in the actual fight itself. He
taunts and antagonizes his opponents, he keeps his antics up
all fight long, and the fans eat it up with a spoon. But, most
importantly he backs up what he says in the cage. He always put
on a show and as much as those who hate him may want to deny
it he always brings the tools necessary to win any fight to the
cage with him. Not only does he talk a big game while the fight
is going on but he has the skills to back up his talking. He
draws the fans in to his fights, even fights that he is dominating
and that should seem like a formality he makes interesting for
the fans. His serve his ultimate purpose, they ensure that his
fans love him even more and add more fuel to the fire of those
that hate him. Shamrock is as much of a giant inside the cage
as he is outside of it.
Once
the fight is over most fighters are conciliatory win or lose.
They say the right things, they praise their opponent and they
move on. Some fighters are the opposite, they take verbal jabs
at their opponent and refuse to either admit defeat or praise
their opponent in victory. Frank Shamrock is one of the select
few that can combine both worlds and get away with it. Somehow
he has found a way to be both sincere with praise for a fallen
opponent and yet damning at the same time. He has the ability
to sound smug and contrite all at the same time. In short, he
has the power to enthrall everyone yet again. His fans walk away
from his post-fight rhetoric satisfied while those that hate
him walk away with even more hate in their heart. But for Shamrock
he walks away every single time with his ultimate goal achieved.
Through his antics at the end of the fight he has ensured that
everyone will come back to watch him yet again and that even
more people will be present for the nest fight.
Zuffa
would like you to believe that the brand is all that matters,
that MMA is like the NFL where the players are not important
but rather the team is important. Frank Shamrock wants you to
know that Zuffa are stupid. He wants you to know that the fighters
do matter and that one fighter can convince the MMA community
that he still matters on the highest level even when you know
that he shouldn’t. In a world where everything is tied to
promotions and to the overall picture Shamrock wants to stand
out and he does so with zeal. MMA is a sport where the word legend
is bandied about somewhat and it’s debatable as to whether
or not anyone has actually claimed that title. All one need do
is take one look at Frank Shamrock and you will see that MMA
already has at least one certified legend in its midst. Enjoy
watching Frank Shamrock while you can, because there has only
been one fighter like him in the history of MMA and who knows
if there will ever be another. Continue to cheer for him and
continue to hate him, because as long as you never bring ambivalence
to bear upon him them his legend can only continue to grow.
Source: Total MMA
|
Assuério
Silva
“Those people that believe that Assuério Silva is
over are wrong… The opponents should get ready, I’m
coming with everything”
With Pancrase’s heavyweight belt, Assuério Silva
restarted his history at MMA after a bad time at UFC. With a
signed contract with HCF, Assuério told TATAME in an exclusive
interview about the event, his trains with Antonio Samuray, new
Brazilian reinforcement at UFC, and promised a strong back to
MMA. “Those people that believe that Assuério Silva
is over are wrong… The opponents should get ready, I’m
coming with everything”. Check the exclusive interview with
Assuério Silva at TATAME’s site.
I’ve
signed a contract with HCF… How many fights would you do?
I’ve
signed with HCF and my first fight will be at May 10th, but I
don’t know against who it’ll be. I believe that in
a month they’ll give me my opponent, after the event of
March 29th.
Are
you training with Antonio Samuray?
He
went to Europe, we used to train at Fortaleza and he did some
fights for Europe Top Team. I kept contact and existed the possibility
to train with me at Total Punch team, possibility that is right
now. Samuray is with us since two weeks ago. I was looking after
putting him to fight at Pancrase, but the UFC came and we signed
that.
How
are the trains with Samuray?
That
guy is a rock, a strong train. He has everything to be the champion
at 93 kg category. I bet all my chips at him, beats strong, is
talent and power. He’s a Paraiba! (laughs)
How
do you think will be his fight against Thiago Silva at UFC?
Knockout.
He is an ordem from northeast, that guy doesn’t know him
here, he has a lot of fights at northeast by knockout, tough
fights, none easy, he is a rock and has everything to be champion.
He’s training well.
In
which team are you training now?
Total
Punch MMA Team, that has three partners, Marcos, Neto and Fabian.
We’re investing on thins team and we have everything, ring,
working out room… We have one of the best structures of
Curitiba.
When
will you defend your Pancrase belt?
I
left the belt free. I was waiting other events, a better offer,
they started offering me and I’m without fighting for three
or four months. I went to fight last time and the opponent and
he didn’t showed up, after that I didn’t fought anymore.
They made me a proposal and made contact with Pancrase, we made
an arrangement and I devolved the belt, and now I’m going
to HCF and offered me a proposal of 5 fights.
What
did you thought about Minotauro’s fight at UFC?
Speechless.
Minotauro is a warrior, a Vale-tudo monster and a proud for everyone.
Our Ultimate champion, the belt couldn’t be in better hands.
And
Anderson Silva’s victory?
Anderson
is a monster, speechless too. Anderson is the man and have proved
this a lot of times and has the belt to prove it, and I believe
it’ll be in his hands for a long time. I like him because
we trained together and I know about his potencial.
Who
do you believe can beat Anderson Silva?
At
his category, I believe that nobody can beat him. He is investing
a lot on his training, always had been a athlete that likes to
trains and I believe that it’ll be tough to beat him.
Have
you trained with Shogun at Curitiba?
Not
yet. We would train, but he injuried his knee. I trained with
Ninja, we did four training and I’m waiting them to create
his gym. They came here at Total Punch and I’m waiting them
to create the training center to do this training partnership,
train hard.
Do
you still think about UFC?
Of
course. It’s everyone’s dream. I’m doing a campaign
and started well with Pancrase’s belt. Those people that
believe that Assuério Silva is over are wrong… I’m
starting now and I’m very focused, and from now I promise
all victories. The opponents should get ready, I’m coming
with everything.
Source: Tatame |
DAVID
LOISEAU IN NEED OF A HARDCORE WIN
It could be said that it’s now or never for former UFC middleweight
contender David “The Crow” Loiseau.
Following
a stretch that saw him win five fights in a row en route to a
UFC 185-pound title match against then champion Rich Franklin;
Loiseau has struggled, losing four of five fights, at times looking
quite lethargic in the process.
With
a new year comes new opportunities for success however, as David
seeks to rebound this Saturday night in Gatineau, Quebec, Canada
in an important headlining role for the fast-rising Canadian
MMA promotion Hardcore Championship Fighting.
“I
feel great, I’m in great shape and just toning down right
now, making sure I’m on weight for Friday’s weigh-ins,”
said a relaxed and confident Loiseau earlier this week. “I’m
ready to let loose.”
“I’m
looking forward to fighting; to put on a good fight or put on
a good show, it doesn’t matter where or when. When it’s
a fight you want to show up, fight good, fight hard and have
a good fight. It’s important, and it’s what I’m
going to do, show up and fight who I’ve got to fight and
win.”
David’s
eagerness to return to action comes off the heels of a controversial
split-decision loss to Jason Day in Loiseau’s last HCF appearance
in February.
In
the fight, which was a last-minute addition to the card, David
utilized a new aspect of his game, wrestling, to control much
of the action in the second and third rounds after a stagnant
first round.
“I’ve
been wrestling with the Montreal Wrestling Club, and for the
past eight months I’ve been wrestling very hard,” stated
Loiseau. “In my last fight I took my opponent down a couple
of times, picked him up and slammed him, double-legged him and
out-grappled him.”
“That’s
why a lot of people were surprised with my last performance,
because I didn’t get taken down once. I took my opponent
down, out-wrestled him, and was on top, so I do work on my weaknesses.”
Despite
showcasing a more complete fighting style, the judges saw the
match in Day’s favor. And while he’s not happy with
the outcome, David has moved on in anticipation of his upcoming
fight.
“I
was ready; I have no excuses, that’s not how I am,”
commented Loiseau on the loss. “A lot of guys do that, but
that’s not how I am.”
“I
actually won the fight, I won the fight – I just got screwed
by the judges. Anybody that watches the fight can see that.”
At
Saturday’s HCF, David is scheduled to take on Todd Gouwenberg,
an aggressive young fighter that had won four fights in a row
before losing his last bout to Antonio Rogerio Nogueira at the
same event Loiseau lost to Day.
“I
checked out the fight there live and also saw the video and saw
a couple things for sure (I can capitalize on),” said David
of Gouwenberg’s game. “I think it’s going to be
an exciting fight. He comes forward, comes to fight and is a
strong guy, so it’s going to be action-packed.”
Loiseau
knows that in order to work his way back to title contention,
he has to win now and keep winning as the year progresses.
“One
thing I want to do is take fights one fight at a time,”
stated David. “My goal is to one day become the best fighter
in the division, and to do that I’ve just got to take it
one fight at a time. That’s it, work hard, train hard and
fight hard.”
“I
want to thank all my sponsors for this fight for supporting me.
Come and check out the fights this Saturday, March 29th; and
check out my website, www.CrowTime.tv, it’s where you can
get all the info on my upcoming fights, seminars, and all things
The Crow.”
Source: MMA Weekly
|
SARAH
KAUFMAN TO DEFEND TITLE AT HCF
While Sarah Kaufman may contend that she’s just your average
girl from Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, she’s far
from it. A member of the ZUMA fight team, Kaufman is quickly
becoming one of the fastest rising stars in women’s mixed
martial arts.
Over
the course of about two years, she has quickly made her mark
on the Canadian fight scene, winning all six of her fights, laying
out opponents with a combination of solid stand-up and devastating
ground and pound.
In
her last bout Kaufman defeated MMA veteran Ginelle Marquez to
claim the Hardcore Championship Fighting woman’s 135-pound
title in October, and now looks to defend her belt for the first
time on Saturday night in Gatineau, Quebec. She faces the highly
experienced Molly Helsel in a feature bout.
“I’m
feeling really good,” she said heading into Saturday’s
fight. “I’ve been training really hard and I’m
looking forward to this fight and defending my title.”
As
former UFC welterweight titleholder Matt Hughes is known for
saying, a champion truly isn’t one until they defend their
title, and Kaufman is well aware of this.
“I
think especially the first defense is a pretty big deal,”
she commented.
“Once
you’ve defended it already, people understand that you can
hold your own and are doing a pretty good job. If you haven’t
defended it yet, it’s a little more pressure to make sure
that you keep the belt.”
Kaufman’s
first title defense will be no easy feat as she takes on one
of MMA’s most complete female fighters in veteran Molly
Helsel, who enters the match-up on a two-fight winning streak.
“I
know that she’s had some fights where she stays standing,
and quite a few where she goes down to the ground, but I know
it’s going to be a pretty fast-paced fight,” stated
Kaufman.
“I
would assume that she’s probably looking to do a little
more of the ground work, but you never want to underestimate
her stand-up. I tend to like to punch whether it’s standing
or on the ground, and I’m sure we’ll both probably
end up a little bit bruised, but hopefully it will be a good
fight.”
On
a card that features former Ultimate Fighting Championship, Pride
and International Fight League fighters, Kaufman knows the importance
of putting on an entertaining performance to continue to shine
the spotlight on women’s MMA and showcase the talent therein.
“I
think it’s really important for me to put on a good showing,”
she exclaimed. “One of my biggest fears is having a boring
fight where people are booing and are bored, one of those fights
that people want to skip over.
“I
really want to make sure that I give everything that I have and
put on an exciting performance that people want to see, and build
my name up and the Hardcore Championship Fighting as well.”
As
she continues to move forward in her career, Kaufman looks to
continue to escalate her level of competition in one of the sport’s
most stacked divisions.
“This
year I really want to concentrate on improving my all around
game, and also fight as many times as I can, and have good quality
fights, keep stepping up in opponents, and get a good name for
myself and keep my belt,” commented Kaufman.
“More
and more women are getting added to (the 135-pound division)
all the time, with some really top-level competition in the veterans.
I love to keep pushing myself and try to get myself as far along
as I can. If I can fight those top-level women and be considered
one of them in the future, that’d be fabulous.”
At
Saturday’s Hardcore Championship Fighting, the fight of
the night could very well end up being the women’s 135-pound
title bout if Kaufman has any say in it.
“I’d
really like to thank my coach, Adam Zugec; and Impact Fight Clothing;
they’ve helped me out a lot as well,” closed out Kaufman.
“I hope everybody in the Gatineau, Quebec area comes out
and sees the fights; there will be a lot of good fights on the
card.
“I’m
looking to put on Fight of the Night, boys beware – the
women are here.”
Source: MMA Weekly
|
|
4/1/08
Happy April Fool's Day! |
Quote
of the Day
“We
may need to solve problems not by removing the cause but by designing
the way forward even if the cause remains in place.”
Edward de Bono, Maltese-born Psychologist and Authority on Creative
Thinking
|
Fighters'
Club TV Tuesday!
Channel 52, Tuesdays
at 7:00 PM
FCTV episode
58 will run in our normal timeslot of 7pm on Oceanic Channel
52 Olelo Oahu Tuesday nights, March 25, April 1, 8, & 15.
Episode
58 features:
Highlights
from the Pacific Invitational Jiu-Jitsu tournament including:
1. Interview & footage with purple belt heavyweight &
absolute winner, Kelly Grissom
(Relson Gracie Kaneohe Team)
2. Internview with tournament director Ronn Shiraki
3. Highlights & great subs from Jake Scoval & Luke Hacker
from Longman JJ, Dustin
Grace from Kaneohe Team, Lenora from Team HK, Andy Marshall vs.
Dr. Suehiro & many
more...
-HFC
highlights from the Dole Cannery including:
-Interview with fight promoter Sly Kekahuna
-170 lbs HFC champion Keoni Bryant
-Interview with Koa Ramos with highlight of fight with Bryson
Kamaka
-Highlight of Brennan Kamaka in action
Technique
of the Week:
-Mario "Zen Machine" Sperry demonstrates the standing
guard pass
Rob
Demello's report
-Kala Hose vs Phil Baroni fight highlights & inteview with
Kala Hose
-Extended unedited interview with Phil Baroni
Comments,
Questions, and Suggestions to: fctv@onzuka.com
|
MAN-UP
& STAND-UP
WHAT :
MAN-UP & STAND-UP (KICKBOXING)
WHEN: APR. 12, 2008 (SATURDAY)
DOORS OPEN @ 6PM
WHERE WAIPAHU FILCOM CENTER
MAN-UP
& STAND-UP IS BACK WITH PART 2 OF 2008. IF YOU THOUGHT THE
FIRST SHOW HAD SOME BANGAZ. YOU GOTTA CHECK OUT THIS ONE. WITH
THE MAIN EVENT FEATURING BEN "THE KING" SANTIAGO GOING
UP AGAINST THE BAD BOY WITH THE COLORED MOHAWK HAIR WHO GAVE
KONA KE A RUN FOR HIS MONEY AT THE 2007 MAN-UP & STAND-UP.
HE GOES BY THE NAME OF HOKU CUBAN OF NAKOA FIGHT CLUB. DAS RIGHT,
THIS GUY HAD ONLY 2 KICKBOXING FIGHTS BEFORE HE FOUGHT KONA.
BUT LASTED ALL 3 ROUNDS AND DIDNT MAKE IT EASY FOR HIM TO PULL
OUT THE WIN. BEN ALWAYS BRINGS HIS DANGEROUS HIGH KICKS TO THE
GAME BUT HOKU'S FISTS WILL BE LOOKING TO GREET BEN WITH A
HAKU
LEI OF STARS AROUND HIS HEAD.
BE
SURE TO ALSO CHECK OUT EXCITING FIGHTERS LIKE DIDO BOY RODRIGUES,
IKAIKA MORENO, MIKE BALASI, JARID IHA & JUST CHECK OUT THE
LINE UP BECAUSE THERES TOO MUCH BANGAZ TO MENTION.
GRAB
YOUR TICKETS NOW FROM ALL PARTICIPATING CLUBS.
KILEY
RAMIRO
95
JONAH SLAUSON
DIDO BOY
105
TBA
JENNALYN GANABAN
135
NANI
KAINOA THOMAS
175
LAWRENCE HINOJOSA
DANIEL MADAYAG
135
KELII KAMOLU
MIKE UEMOTO
145
MAX HALLOWAY
BRANDON NALEEHA
220
WAYNE PURVEY
JONAH KUTZEN
110
SHELDON CRAWFORD
API
135
GEORGE SCHIMIDT
ELLISON BADUA
40
TAZ KAHALEWAI
ZION LISTA
55
SPIKE KAHALEWAI
KOLOA KAHALEWAI
230
CHRIS BARNARD
JARID MATSUDA
145
MIKE BALASI
GINO TEVES
160
MATAGI TOILOLO
JON MENDONSA
150
VINCE LONGBOY
HOKU CUBAN
180
BEN SANTIAGO
EDWIN NAVARRO
155
KAIKA MORENO
ANNA SCHIMITD
165
CHANTELL
KOBY VISANTE
110
KALAI MCSHANE
RICHARD BARNARD
140
JARID IHA
DESMOND
170
KAINOA
Source:
Derrick Bright
|
FIGHT-BY-FIGHT:
UFC FIGHT NIGHT 13 UNDERCARD
Lightweight
Bout:
Din
Thomas vs. Josh Neer
American
Top Team lightweight Din Thomas takes on Midwest fighter Josh
Neer. Thomas has a 20-7 record and trains out of American Top
Team with Marcus Aurelio. Neer has a 23-6-1 record and trains
out of Miletich Martial Arts with Spencer Fisher.
Thomas
comes off a disappointing submission loss to Kenny Florian at
UFC Fight Night 11, while Neer submitted Nick Sorg at C3: Smokey
Mountain Showdown.
Thomas
injured his knee early in the fight with Florian and wasn’t
able to fight on, giving up position then being submitted. Neer
dropped two straight in the UFC in 2006 and was released, but
has since dropped down to lightweight.
With
quality boxing and stinging low kicks, Thomas is the better striker
and also has a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Neer is the
better wrestler and is likely going to be the bigger fighter
come fight time.
Look
for Thomas to start off slow, as he shakes off the effects of
his injury, but turn up the heat in the later rounds, battering
Neer with crisp punches and out-working him on the ground en
route to a decision.
Prediction:
Din Thomas by decision.
Lightweight
Bout:
Marcus
Aurelio vs. Ryan Roberts
Pride
veteran Marcus Aurelio faces off with newcomer Ryan Roberts.
Aurelio has a 15-5 record and trains out of American Top Team
with Din Thomas. Roberts has an 8-2 record and trains out Mid-America
Martial Arts with Chad Reiner.
A
Pride veteran, Aurelio comes off his first victory in the Octagon
by stopping Luke Caudillo with strikes at UFC 78, while Roberts
won a decision over Joe Doherty at Victory Fighting Championships
22, winning a four-man tournament.
Aurelio
is one of the better ground fighters in the lightweight division,
but a lack of wrestling has hampered him from getting to the
top. Roberts is a late replacement for Spencer Fisher, who pulled
out of the fight due to injury.
A
vastly better fighter on the ground with his strong Jiu-Jitsu
skills, Aurelio is always able to threaten with submissions.
Although his striking isn’t up to par with his ground skills,
he has taken steps to improve it. The only advantage that Roberts
has over Aurelio is a strong wrestling base.
In
what was expected to be a much harder fight for Aurelio when
he was scheduled to face Fisher, he now has an easier task ahead
of him in Roberts. Look for Roberts to take the fight to the
ground and pound on Aurelio for a bit before Aurelio locks on
a fight ending submission.
Prediction:
Marcus Aurelio by submission in the first round.
Lightweight
Bout:
Manvel
Gamburyan vs. Jeff Cox
Ultimate
Fighter 5 runner-up Manvel Gamburyan takes on Midwest fighter
Jeff Cox. Gamburyan has a 7-2 record and trains out of California.
Cox has a 9-4 record and trains out of Strong Style Fight Team
in Ohio.
Gamburyan
comes off a submission victory over Nate Mohr at UFC 79, while
Cox knocked out Joe Cronin at IFO: Fireworks in the Cage 4.
He
looked to be on his way to winning The Ultimate Fighter 5, but
an injury nixed that from happening. Now Gamburyan looks to get
another win in the UFC and make a name for himself in the crowded
lightweight division. Cox was quickly submitted in his UFC debut
and will be looking for redemption.
Gamburyan
is relentless on the ground and on the feet. The only question
mark about him is his durability as he has been prone to injuries.
Cox is a strong wrestler like many Midwest fighters and has some
power in his punches, but seems lacking in other areas.
This
should be a quick fight. Gamburyan will set a fast pace and get
the fight to the ground. From there, look for him to either pound
out a stoppage or submit Cox. With Cox’s lack of submission
defense, it will be more than likely be the latter.
Prediction:
Manvel Gamburyan by submission in the first round.
Lightweight
Bout:
Clay
Guida vs. Samy Schiavo
Relentless
wrestler Clay Guida faces off with French submission fighter
Samy Schiavo. Guida has a 22-9 record and trains out of Hellhouse
with Clay French. Schiavo has a 10-4 record and trains out of
the French Top Team in France.
Guida
comes off of a submission loss to Roger Huerta at The Ultimate
Fighter 6 Finale, while Schiavo submitted Paul Jenkins at a Cage
Rage Contenders show.
This
is an interesting clash of styles with Guida being a super aggressive
wrestler and Schiavo a slick submission fighter. Either way,
the fight should be a quick and exciting affair.
Guida
is an excellent wrestler and has a gas tank for days, while Schiavo
is primarily a submission fighter with not much else behind that.
This bout could come down to who is able to control the fight
on the feet.
Expect
Guida to get back on the winning track. He will hurt Schiavo
on the feet and take him down where he will finish the fight
with strikes.
Prediction:
Clay Guida by TKO in the first round.
Welterweight
Bout:
George
Sotiropoulos vs. Roman Mitichyan
In
a battle of Ultimate Fighter 6 housemates, submission fighter
George Sotiropoulos takes on Armenian fighter Roman Mitichyan.
Sotiropoulos has an 8-2 record and trains out of Team Serra/Longo
with Matt Serra. Mitichyan has a 5-1 record and trains out of
California with Karo Parisyan.
Sotiropoulos
comes off a submission victory over Billy Miles at The Ultimate
Fighter 6 Finale, while Mitichyan submitted Dorian Price at the
same show.
Both
fighters will be looking to get out of the shadow of being on
The Ultimate Fighter and be considered legitimate threats for
the welterweight title. Neither fighter will back down. Both
will want to put on a show, making this an interesting fight.
Sotiropoulos
is a strong submission fighter and is slowly improving on the
feet. Mitichyan is also a submission fighter, but Sotiropoulos
has the edge because he is the better wrestler of the two.
Look
for this fight to hit the ground quickly with Sotiropoulos working
for a submission right off the bat and sealing the victory late
in the first round.
Prediction:
George Sotiropoulos by submission in the first round.
Welterweight
Bout:
Tom
Speer vs. Anthony Johnson
Ultimate
Fighter 6 runner-up Tom Speer takes on Californian striker Anthony
Johnson. Speer has a 9-2 record and trains out of Minnesota.
Johnson has a 4-1 record and trains out of California.
Speer
comes off a submission loss to Mac Danzig at The Ultimate Fighter
6 Finale, while Johnson comes off a submission loss to Rich Clementi
at UFC 76.
Neither
fighter wants to lose twice in a row because that could very
well mean their exit from the UFC. They will both go for broke
and put on an exciting show in the process.
Speer
is a strong wrestler with punishing ground and pound, while Johnson
is primarily a striker with power in his hands. Neither fighter
is well versed in submissions; so don’t expect many finishing
holds on the ground.
This
is an instant clash of styles with a wrestler and striker being
involved. Speer will quickly take the fight to the ground, avoiding
getting tagged by Johnson’s strikes. From there, he will
unleash a devastating ground and pound assault that will overwhelm
Johnson.
Prediction:
Tom Speer by TKO in the first round.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
JOE
LAUZON FEELS HE'S NO UNDERDOG
Stepping
out of the fifth season of “The Ultimate Fighter,”
Boston native Joe Lauzon has become a fan favorite with his consistent
interaction with fans over the internet and his exciting style
in the Octagon whenever he competes.
On
Wednesday night, he faces the toughest test of his career, as
he will find a familiar Boston face staring straight back at
him. Kenny Florian opposes him in the main event of the UFC Fight
Night event leading into the seventh season of The Ultimate Fighter.
On
paper, the two lightweights are very similar fighters, but due
to Florian’s current run he is the heavy favorite going
in, but don’t tell Lauzon that.
“Everyone
seems to think I’m this huge underdog and everything else.
I see the fight being pretty even,” said Lauzon in an interview
with MMAWeekly Radio. “I really don’t see that either
one of us has an enormous advantage over the other one anywhere.
I think in the stand-up, I have better hands. I think Kenny has
the better kicking. I think I’m a little bit stronger, I
think he has a little better cardio. His jiu-jitsu, he’s
got really slick jiu-jitsu, but it’s MMA. I think I have
better ground and pound. I think it’s a pretty even fight.”
Outside
of the match-up, many other factors have been brought up to Lauzon
in the pre-fight hype leading into the event. One such subject
is Florian’s vast experience in high level fights, having
headlined four UFC Fight Night’s before this one, but Lauzon
isn’t worried about being a part of the main event.
“It’s
the main event on a really big card, but when it comes fight
time it doesn’t matter if it’s the first fight or if
it’s the last fight,” Lauzon stated. “Being the
main event, it’s cool for all the media and the attention,
but when it comes down to it me and Kenny have to fight and whoever
wins, wins. It really doesn’t matter that it’s a main
event.”
Getting
ready for this fight, he once again traveled to Hawaii to work
with UFC lightweight champion B.J. Penn, who has become somewhat
of a mentor to the young fighter. The lessons are tough, but
Penn has taught Lauzon a lot in their short time together.
“One
of the things I definitely kind of picked up from B.J. is every
single time he shows me something, he’s like ‘this
is the best, this is the best.’ No matter what you do, you
believe it, you work with it and you put in the time to perfect
it. It’s going to work for you,” he said about his
time with Penn.
“I
used to have the mentality that some moves would work for me,
others wouldn’t. If it didn’t work so well in the beginning,
I wouldn’t discard it, but I wouldn’t put as much time
into it. I definitely think I’m learning to give things
more of a second chance and put the time into them before I just
kind of blow them off.”
As
mentioned previously, the two fighters are actually fairly similar
with their aggressive style and overall background, and Lauzon
understands the dangers Florian presents for this fight.
“He
sets the pace really well. He kicks really hard, really fast,
you know, great kicks. Obviously, he’s slicing people up
with those elbows. He’s a black belt in jiu-jitsu. He’s
rear naked choked a bunch of people. He’s got a total package.
He’s got the stand-up, got the cardio, got the ground. He’s
dangerous everywhere.”
A
fast pace is expected when Lauzon and Florian finally clash on
Wednesday night and the first 60 seconds could tell the tale
when it’s all said and done.
“I
think the opening minute of the fight is going to dictate the
pace for the rest of the fight,” Lauzon commented. “I
think we’re both going to come out aggressive. It could
be a situation where we both come out aggressive and we both
back off and be more cautious. It could be where we both come
out and try to overwhelm the other; one of us gets the upper
hand. I really do think the opening minute could dictate the
rest of the fight.”
Lauzon
will look to set his pace when he faces Florian in the main event
of UFC Fight Night 13 on Wednesday night in Colorado.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
ALVES
EXPECTS NOTHING LESS THAN A KNOCKOUT
When Thiago Alves re-enters the Octagon on April 2, he will be
facing perhaps his biggest challenge to date, a match with Xtreme
Couture standout Karo “The Heat” Parisyan.
When
asked whether he feels that his match with Parisyan will be the
toughest challenge of his career, Alves said, “Oh, definitely,
definitely, definitely… every fight’s a big fight,
you know. Chris Lytle before was the biggest fight, now it’s
Karo Parisyan… that’s my biggest fight now.”
Alves,
the man known to his fans as “The Pitbull,” has accumulated
an impressive UFC record during his stint in the Octagon. He
has made a name for himself as a fighter who comes into the cage
ready to take it to his opponent each time he steps up to compete.
In
his most recent UFC outing, against veteran fighter Chris Lytle,
both Alves and Lytle took home the Fight Of The Night bonus for
their incredible performances. In his match with Parisyan, Alves
wants to one-up his last performance.
He
said of his upcoming bout, “I’m looking for Knockout
Of The Night and the Fight Of The Night… both.”
Since
joining the UFC, the organization that color commentators Joe
Rogan and Mike Goldberg have deemed “The Superbowl of Mixed-Martial-Arts,”
Alves has racked up wins over Ansar Chalangov, Derrick Noble,
John Alessio, Tony DeSouza, Kuniyoshi Hironaka and most recently,
Lytle.
Any
single Octagon victory is significant in itself, but the young
Alves has managed to pick up six big wins since joining the UFC
in October 2005.
The
past two-plus years have been a roller coaster ride for Alves
– complete with both hills and valleys – but this American
Top Team fighter knows that he has worlds in store for him if
he keeps his nose clean and continues to prepare hard for each
upcoming fight.
Alves
said, “I know I’m going to be the welterweight champion.
It’s coming, so I’m sure it’s going to be another
step on my way to the belt.”
Nearing
the end of his preparation for his upcoming bout with Parisyan,
Alves took some time out of his busy training schedule to catch
up with MMAWeekly’s SoundOff Radio to discuss his upcoming
match up.
When
asked how it felt when the UFC called him and proposed a fight
with Parisyan, he quickly replied, “It was pretty much the
happiest day of my life. Karo’s a big name, man.”
When
asked about his training for his upcoming bout, Alves said, “It
couldn’t be better. I’m ready, man. I can’t wait.
I’ve never been so excited in my life.”
He
continued, “I think that’s the big advantage that we’ve
(fighters at American Top Team) got… you’re always
pushing yourself to the limit. That’s what I think makes
the difference between us and the others.”
So,
with such a talent-filled team behind him and aspirations of
the UFC’s welterweight belt in front of him, what does Alves
believe fans expect to see when he clashes with Parisyan in Colorado
on April 2?
“I’ll
try to knock him out, like always. Pressure, I know he’s
going to bring ‘The Heat,’ I’m going to be even
hotter. So, it’s going to be really fun. I can’t wait.
I’m really excited. The game plan is going to be to stay
in his face the whole fight… and knock him out.”
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Nino
gets sub in Canada
Rodrigo Ruas also wins at HCF
Nino
Schembri needed only 2:37min to submit Daniel Grandmaison with
an armbar and celebrate his triumph at the Harcore Championship
Fighting (HCF) event last night in Montreal, Canada. It was the
second win in a row for Nino since he amassed a series of four
losses between 2003 and 2005. In all, the black belt has five
wins and four losses on his MMA record.
Another
Brazilian to do well in Montreal was Rodrigo Ruas. The Nova Uniao
fighter overcame the also-Brazilian “Marcus Ossoduro Vinicius”
with and arm triangle.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Gesias
wants new fight with Aoki
Frustrated
with the no contect at his fight against Shinya Aoki, the two
times Hero’s GP champion Gesias Cavalcante wants a new fight
to continue on the Dream’s GP, that will have the second
stage at April 29th at Japan. “The promoters didn’t
say anything, but they may set a new fight so that we could continue
on the GP”, told Gesias, that can face his friend Luis Buscapé
(BTT) during the GP. “Buscapé is my friend. We asked
the promoters to stay on different sides of the GP because we
won’t accept a match between us, only at the final. In case
that both get to the final, we’ll fight, but before that
we don’t wanna this match ‘cause our friendship”,
said Gesias.
Source: Tatame
|
Filho
Home, Back in the Gym Soon
Paulo Filho responded well to treatment at a rehabilitation clinic
and is ready to return to training, the WEC middleweight champion's
manager, Jorge Guimarães, told Sherdog.com.
Filho
is home in Niterói, Brazil. Doctors said the fact that
he sought help and was determined to recover aided his quick
improvement.
"The
doctor has released Paulão from the rehabilitation center,
and Monday he returns to train," Guimarães said.
"Paulão is already running, making a diet, a set
diet and from 102 kilograms he has already dropped to 95 kilograms.
He is leading a normal life, is well motivated. About his return,
the WEC will decide the ideal date, but he will be ready when
they call."
Source: Sherdog
|
GINA
CARANO ADDED TO ELITE XC'S CBS DEBUT
EliteXC on Wednesday announced additional bouts for its May 31
debut on the CBS Television Network.
New
bouts announced include Gina Carano vs. Kaitlin Young, Phil Baroni
vs. Murilo “Ninja” Rua, and Brett Rogers and John Murphy.
The
promotion had already announced the participation of Kevin “Kimbo
Slice” Ferguson in the main event against an as yet unnamed
opponent, and a middleweight title bout between champion Robbie
Lawler and Scott Smith.
Carano
hasn’t competed in MMA since defeating Tonya Evinger last
September in Hawaii. Following that bout, she has been busy participating
in the NBC revival of the “American Gladiators” television
show.
Young
is coming off of a loss, the first of her career, to Sara Schneider
at the Feb. 1 Bodog Fight event in Las Vegas. Prior to that,
she had gone undefeated in her first four professional bouts,
including winning a one-night, eight-woman tournament for Hook-N-Shoot.
The
bout between Baroni and Rua had been confirmed by MMAWeekly.com
sources, but had not been officially announced by EliteXC until
Wednesday.
-Kevin
“Kimbo Slice” Ferguson vs. TBA
-Robbie Lawler vs. Scott Smith
-Gina Carano vs. Kaitlin Young
-Phil Baroni vs. Murilo "Ninja" Rua
-Brett Rogers vs. John Murphy
Source: MMA Weekly
|
KAITLIN
YOUNG TALKS FIGHT WITH GINA CARANO
The debut fight card for the Elite XC/CBS Saturday Night Fight
show continues to fill out, most recently adding a women’s
MMA bout pitting popular star and current “American Gladiator”
Gina Carano against up and coming star, Kaitlin Young, in a main
card bout for the May 31 show.
MMAWeekly
spoke to Kaitlin Young just after the news hit that she would
be facing Carano on the debut Saturday Night Fight show.
“I
was ridiculously excited,” said Young about the news that
she would be fighting Gina Carano. “They asked if I wanted
it and I accepted.”
The
historical significance of this show could be a major turning
point for MMA as this will be the first time the sport has been
shown on network television. Young understands her role in this
fight as she prepares to do battle with Carano.
“It
really is a huge opportunity,” stated Young. “I’m
really, really excited about it. People will actually be able
to see this one, I fought in Bodog and Hook ‘N’ Shoot
but it wasn’t televised, it will be my first time fighting
live on television.”
Young
burst onto the scene during a Hook ‘N’ Shoot tournament
in which she won by knocking out all three of her opponents in
less than 3 minutes time.
Her
aggressive style and Muay Thai background set up a perfect fight
with Carano as both have extensive striking pedigrees.
“It’s
awesome that she also has a Thai boxing background, she was a
pro Thai boxer before MMA,” Young commented. “She had
a really good record in that. We’re going to bang, it’s
going to be awesome.”
Beyond
the lights and cameras focused in on this show, Young will also
be stepping into competition for the first time since suffering
the only loss in her fledgling career.
“To
be honest with you, a loss always sucks, it’s miserable,
but I think it’s very important that the loss stays in your
memory,” said Young. “I mean I knew I had to work ground
before, but it’s really put a bug up my ass to really train
really hard. It’s good, it’s given me a lot of motivation.”
Now
Kaitlin’s motivation moves back into to training alongside
her teammates at the Minnesota Martial Arts Academy to prepare
her for Gina Carano.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
MMA
Fastball: Cung Le is both exciting and devastating
Cung
Le is for real: Cung Le answered a few questions in stopping
Frank Shamrock on March 29th. First, Shamrock’s assertion
that Le didn’t have a jaw was proven false when he took
multiple hard shots to the face in the third round and still
managed to end the stanza with his opponent in trouble. Second,
Le’s unorthodox kicks and overall style of stand up do work
against a guy that can really fight. And last, Le does have power;
he just chooses to pick his opponents apart over time.
Anyone
else want to see Anderson Silva and him go at it on their feet?
Cung Le isn’t just exciting, he’s also one hell of
a fighter!
Fedor
Emelianenko is a free agent again: This has been one of the strangest
free agent situations in the history of sports. First M-1 Global
holds a press conference announcing that they’ve signed
Fedor Emelianenko. They even put out a press release talking
Fedor up and give him a lightning fast fight in Japan—something
that he wanted—against a huge kickboxer with little in the
line of MMA experience.
But
as quick as that happens, he’s now back testing the free
agent waters again. Further, we find out that there was really
no true contract in the first place?
Strange.
Also,
it leaves us with a host of questions, many of which we had before
the M-1 Global- Fedor thing. How strong a run will the UFC make
at him this time? Word is that EliteXC has already offered him
a four fight, 18 month contract, but will he take it? Has the
UFC- Randy Couture bridge been burned too badly for a Fedor vs.
Randy Couture bout to ever happen in the Octagon?
Jeesh.
Speaking
of Fedor Emelianenko, he sure has been inactive: Here’s
the problem: There is no way that we are going to see the best
Fedor we can in his next fight. The last normal heavyweight fight
he had was against Mark Hunt, an outstanding kickboxer with little
in the line of ground skills, back on 12/31/06. Since then he’s
taken on an excellent middleweight in Matt Lindland, and a man
with one previous MMA fight in Hong Man Choi.
This
is depressing because if Fedor were to fight a high caliber fighter
in his next bout, unfortunately, he already has a built in excuse
for a poor performance. This is not to say that a man like Fedor
would offer up an excuse; in fact, that’s the last thing
he would do (Fedor is all class).
That
said, it will be hard to ignore his inactivity and the words
‘ring rust’ when he does finally come back, and that’s
frustrating for both the fighters participating as well as the
fans.
HDNet
is MMA: Just in case you haven’t signed up for Mark Cuban’s
HDNet channel, you should consider it. Over the past several
weeks HDNet viewers have taken in Xtreme Fighting League, IFL,
and Ring of Combat shows. What’s more, HDNet carries Inside
MMA, an awesome television show on the sport we all love that
takes you around the country for event highlights and insights
from special guests (recently they’ve had Rampage, Cung
Le, and even a doctor on the show).
Oh
yeah, and Bas Rutten and Kenny Rice serve as the hosts of the
show. Let’s face it: Bas Rutten is colorful enough to have
a show about himself, so that translates to a lot of fun.
Ring
of Combat and the Gracies: At Ring of Combat XVII, both Igor
(his first professional MMA bout) and Gregor Gracie lost. Both
guys fought with heart, so there’s nothing wrong with that.
But here’s an insight that all of you hardcore fans may
appreciate.
There
was a time when Gracies never lost. Thus, that event perfectly
demonstrates how different the game of MMA is today. By the way,
it also shows that it took some guts for Igor to take on a fighter
like Tom Gallicchio in his MMA debut.
Alex
Andrade vs. Krysztof Soszynski: Speaking of Ring of Combat XVII
and HDNet, if you don’t have the channel then you may have
missed Alex Andrade going Tom Golotta on Soszynski. Now if you
didn’t see it. . . Well, keep things that way. It hurt just
to watch.
Team
Takedown is living up to its name: On March 15, 2008 at an Xtreme
Fighting League show, members of Team Takedown—an agency
that is heavy into wrestlers making the transition to MMA—had
a very nice day. Namely, former Division I All American wrestlers
Johny Hendricks, Shane Roller, and Jake Rosholt all stopped their
opponents en route to winning their prospective matches. We’re
talking about takedowns and either ground and pound or submissions
in every case. Expect to see Rosholt with a big outfit soon.
In
fact, expect to see all of them fighting important fights in
the future (don’t forget about Eric Bradley, either). Team
Takedown has a sound business plan and their fighters are going
places.
The
UFC heavyweights: Bottom line is that the UFC has lost Tim Sylvia,
probably won’t sign either Josh Barnett or Fedor Emelianenko,
and is likely to lose Andrei Arlovski as well. If that happens,
well, who’s left?
With
EliteXC about to be shown on CBS, it may be time for the UFC
and Dana White to reevaluate their business plan. Some things
are beginning to get away from them.
Speaking
of EliteXC on CBS: Only two things need to be said. First, the
deal immediately moves the organization up several stairs on
the ladder that the UFC currently stand atop. Second, with such
a grand stage comes a very large responsibility.
EliteXC
needs to do a good job of showing the world that MMA is a viable
sport, not a spectacle like professional wrestling.
Adrenaline
MMA: It never hurts to be longtime MMA agent Monte Cox when starting
a new MMA organization. As soon as the organization was formed,
they already had Tim Sylvia and Ben Rothwell coming along for
the ride.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Nogueira
making a heavyweight impact
Brazilian icon's desire and heart have led him to a heavyweight
title.
REDONDO BEACH --- Just last month he took part in a war for the
UFC's interim heavyweight title against 6-foot-8, 260-pound slugger
Tim Sylvia. And the fight at UFC 81 was a one-sided war for three
and a half rounds, with Sylvia getting the better of Brazilian
Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira with heavy jabs, straight rights and
a few uppercuts that planted Nogueira on the canvas a few times,
and just when the war seemed to be coming to an end, Nogueira
decided enough was enough and the Brazilian Jujitsu black belt
took Sylvia down and moments later forced Sylvia to submit due
to a deep guillotine-anaconda choke.
The
win not only gave Nogueira the heavyweight title but it showcased
to the U.S. fans the heart and toughness that made the Brazilian
a mixed martial arts icon in his home country, and in Japan during
his tenure with Pride FC.
"I
went into (the fight) trying to take him down but he had a good
defense for my takedowns so I was waiting for my chance to get
the opening for that decisive takedown," said Nogueira,
whose hunt for that opening was greeted multiple times by hard
rights to the face. "I know what I was risking looking for
that takedown. I have faced many hard fighters before so I wasn't
too surprised when he knocked me down, but every time that happens
I get up. That's my heart fighting.
"I
fought (Sylvia's) game when we were standing up and when we got
to my game, on the ground, the fight was over."
In
his memorable fights in Japan, and even his debut fight for UFC,
Nogueira took some severe punishment throughout the bout and
appeared to be all but done. Yet somehow, he had enough in the
gas tank to pull off the win and earn a bigger fan base.
"I
like having hard fights like my last one," said Nogueira,
who sports a 31-4-1 record. "It was the best fight of the
night, I like making my fight a good show, too."
Although
6-foot-4, 240-pound Nogueira utilizes his Brazilian Jujitsu black
belt techniques to win most of his fights, he admits that the
ground technique was not his first love; rather, he looked at
it as an interesting form of fighting but nothing he thought
he could pursue.
When
Nogueira was 14-years-old he and his twin brother, Antonio Rogerio,
spent most of their free time in a gym practicing mostly boxing.
And at about that time was when he got a glimpse of the technique
that he is now recognized for when he watched the early UFC fights
that featured a countryman of his, Royce Gracie.
"I
watched a lot of Royce Gracie - I was amazed with his jujitsu
because we weren't familiar with it," said Nogueira with
a smile. "I grew up watching the UFC and that was about
the time when I was doing boxing and saw how jujitsu was being
used and when I saw it, I was like 'wow.' "
A
few years later, Nogueira had a first-hand encounter in his home
gym when he came across a jujitsu class that was being taught
while on his way to his boxing lesson, which was being taught
in the other side of the same gym.
"To
get to my boxing (class) I had to cross the section where they
were practicing BJJ and each time I crossed that section I looked
repeatedly at what they were doing, and the next day I found
myself in the jujitsu class, I was about 17 at the time,"
said Nogueira who was introduced to martial arts, Judo, at the
age of 5.
The
new endeavor came to the heavyweight naturally as some of the
grappling he learned in Judo crossed over jujitsu, and it a matter
of months, Nogueira was leaving a mark in the submission community.
"I
was good at it because I had practiced ground fighting before
but only a little submission, so jujitsu came natural,"
Nogueira said. "In a few months I was winning tournaments
and in three years I got my black belt, I loved it. I quit school
and dedicated myself to the sport."
Nogueira
was set to follow his dream of becoming a professional fighter
and that career choice sat well with his mother but not with
his father. Nogueira's father was a lawyer and expected both
of his sons to follow in his footsteps, the twin brothers were
approximately a year away from completing their law degree when
they decided to quit the family business and pursue mixed martial
arts.
"At
the beginning of my career my family was against it because I
left school and my twin brother did the same and he was only
months from being a lawyer in Brazil and I was attending law
school," said Nogueira with a grin. "And my dad had
(desks) in his office set up for us to work once we became lawyers.
- My dad wasn't interested in combat sports but my mom was a
different story. But now he is a big fan, he supports me a lot
now and once he saw that I was good and serious about it he supported
me."
The
family support that Nogueira has received throughout his nine-year
fighting career has helped him achieve two of his dreams, the
first being crowned the Pride FC heavyweight champion in 2001
and the second, when he stopped Sylvia on Feb. 2 and captured
the UFC's interim heavyweight title thus becoming the only fighter
to win both titles.
Now
his next dream seems to be one that he has earned, but still
may elude him.
"Fighting
Randy Couture is one of the things that motivated me to fight
in the UFC," said Nogueira, of the fighter who currently
holds the other half of the heavyweight title in the UFC. But
Couture has stepped away from UFC in hopes of setting up a dream
with undefeated Russian fighter Fedor Emelinanko and the 45-year-old
has stated that this 'super fight' is the only fight he wants
to have before stepping away.
The
UFC still has Couture under contract for one more fight, but
Couture is adement of not returning to the Octagon because he
feels the UFC didn't make an effort to put the 'super fight'
together among other disagreements. The matter is currently in
the hands of lawyers, and Nogueira's hopes of becoming the undisputed
UFC champion may not materialize.
"Once
you have the title, you have to defend it," Nogueira said
of Couture. "He and Fedor are some of the best fighters
in the world but if they want to be THE best then they have to
fight here in the UFC. If they want to have any belt in any organization
they have to be prepared to fight the best fighters in the world
every two or three months. - That's how you hold the title."
Antonio
Rodrigo wants to show the world that he is the best heavyweight
and he is prepared to beat all the best fighters available, even
if they don't include Couture.
"I
like his style and the type of aggressive fighting he brings
- I think if that fight was to happen it would be exciting. He
has a big name and I have a big name in MMA, too" Nogueira
said. "I was waiting to fight him but even with that not
happening, I get to fight some of the best fighters in the world
here in the UFC. We have the best heavyweights here in the UFC
and the show must go on."
No
timetable has been given to Nogueira on his first title defense
but says he hopes to be back competing in early summer versus
whomever the UFC puts in front of him.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Submission
Sundays No-Gi Grappling Tournament
Neal Blaisdell Center - Hawaii Room 777 Ward Avenue
Sunday, April 6, 2008
Register
Online For Tournament: www.grapplefest.net or at the Door
Session
1 (8:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. including weigh-ins)
Divisions:
14 and Under
Weigh-Ins start at 8:00 a.m.
Grappling starts at 9:30 a.m.
Grappling completes around 11:30 a.m.
4 Man Round Robins
4 minute match
Targeting 3 matches with 1 every half hour.
Entry "Free" must purchase $10 yearly insurance card.
Awards for 1st-4th
Session
2 (10:30 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. including weigh-ins)
Divisions:ALL
OTHER DIVISIONS 15 AND UP
Weigh-Ins start at 10:30 a.m.
Grappling starts at 11:30 a.m.
Grappling completes around 4:00 p.m.
4 Man Round Robins, 8 man Brackets, Challege Matches
6 minute match
$40 entry fee
Awards for 1st-4th $1000 Absolute Prize
Basic
Rules Sheet
Points/Scoring
Abbreviations:
1.
Takedown (T2) 2 pts.
* anytime a grappler goes from neutral position to top control
2. Low amplitude throw (T3) 3 pts.
* must be an upper body hold from neutral position
3. High amplitude throw (T5) 5 pts.
* must be an upper body hold and meet the Grand amplitude criteria
4. Side Mount (SM3) 3 pts.
5. Full Mount (FM4) 4 pts.
6. Back Mount (BM5) 5 pts.
7. Escape (E1) 1 pt.
* anytime a grappler goes from being on bottom to neutral position
8. Reversal (R2) 2 pts.
* anytime a grappler goes from being on bottom to top control
9. Submission Appreciation Point (SAP) 1 pt.
* SAP’s are awarded for having more Sub Advantage Marks
at the end of regulation time.
10. Submission Advantage Mark (AS)
* Sub Advantage Marks serve as the first criteria for First Choice
in the 1st OT period.
Control
must be established for a count of 3 seconds to score any of
the above points or marks.
Source: Event Promoter
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Hawaii
State/Regional Junior Olympic Boxing Championship on April 5th
& 6th!
Our Hawaii State/Regional Junior Olympic Boxing Championships
will be held on Saturday, April 5th, 6 p.m. at Palolo Gym.
Winners of the 15/16 yrs old will advance to the National Junior
Olympics which will be held at the U.S.O.E.C. in Marquette, Michigan
on June 16- 21st.
If you have any questions email me back.
Thank You,
Bruce
Kawano
USA-Boxing Hawaii Junior Olympic Chairman
Source: Bruce Kawano
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