Upcoming
Events
Do you want to list an
event on Onzuka.com?
Contact Us
(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)
6/27-29/08
OTM Pacific Submission Tournament
(Blaisdell Convention Center)
MMA Expo
(Blaisdell Convention Center)
6/14/08
EliteXC
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena, Honolulu, HI)
6/5-8/08
World Jiu-Jitsu Championsihps
(BJJ)
(California State University Long Beach, Long Beach, California)
6/1/08
Hawaiian
Open of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
(BJJ/Sub Grapping)
(Gym #1, UH Manoa)
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)
Hawaii Fighting Championships 9
(MMA)
(Dole Cannery Ballrooms)
5/3/08
Full Force 4
(MMA)
(Maui War Memorial Gym, Wailuku, Maui)
5/2/08
Heart-of-a-Cage-Fighter
(Kauai
Veterans Center, Lihue, Kauai)
4/25/08
Punishment
in Paradise
(Kickboxing)
(Farrington High School)
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 3
|
Casca Grossa Jiu-Jitsu
is now the O2 Martial Arts Academy with 6 days a week training!
We are also offering Escrima (stick fighting) on Monday nights
with Ian Beltran and Kickboxing Tuesday and Thursday with Kaleo
Kwan!
Click
here for info!
Take classes from the Onzuka brothers in a family-like environment! |
In Memory of
Lars Chase
Rest in peace my brother
March 10, 1979 - April 2, 2008 |
Looking for a hotel
room on Oahu?
Check out this reasonably priced, quality hotel in Waikiki!
For the special Onzuka.com price, click on one of these banners
above! |
Check out the FCTV website! |
Fighters' Club TV
The Toughest Show On
Teleivision
Tuesdays at 7:00PM
***NEW TIME***
Olelo Channel 52 on Oahu
Also on Akaku on Maui
Fighters' Club TV Radio
The Toughest Show On
Radio
Mondays at 9:00-10:00AM
AM1500 The Team
(808) 296-1500
- Call
in with questions and comments
with hosts Mark Kurano
& Icon Sport's Patrick Freitas |
Got a question for us? Email info@onzuka.com
or click here to send us
an email.
Onzuka.com
Hawaii Underground Forum is Online!
Chris, Mark,
and I wanted to start an official Onzuka.com forum for a while
now. We were searching for the best forum to go with and hit
a gold mine! We have known Kirik, who heads the largest and most
popular forum on the net, The Underground for years.
He
offered us our own forum within the matrix know as MMA.tv. The
three of us will be the moderators with of course FCTV808 being
the lead since he is on there all day anyway!
We
encourage everyone from Hawaii and our many readers around world
to contribute to the Hawaii Underground.
If you
do not have a login, it's simple and fast to get one.
Click here to set up an account.
Don't worry about using Pidgin English in the posting. After
all it is the Hawaii Underground and what is a Hawaii Underground
without some Aloha and some Pidgin?
To
go directly to the Onzuka.com Hawaii Underground Forum
click here!
|
Want to Advertise on Onzuka.com?
Click here
for pricing and more information!
Short term and long term advertising available.
More than
1 million hits and counting! |
O2 Martial Arts
Academy Day Classes Start May 2!
Women & Kids Kickboxing Class starts May 4!
Click here
for pricing and more information!
O2MAA Relson Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Day Classes will be held on Monday,
Wednesday, and Fridays from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm and will be taught
by one of Relson Gracie's first black belts, Sam Mahi!
We will be starting a Womens and Kids kickboxing class on Sunday
afternoons from 5:00 pm to 6:00 pm. The class will be taught
by none other than O2's Kaleo Kwan! It will be a non-competitive,
fun atmosphere and allow the ladies and kids to get in a quick
workout and learn some legitimate kickboxing technique before
the long work week starts.
|
Want
to Contact Us? Shoot us an email by Clicking Here!
Quote
of the Day
“The
talent for being happy is appreciating and liking what you have,
instead of what you don't have.”
Woody Allen, American Film Director/Writer/Comedian
|
Franklin
a favorite with Montreal crowd
MONTREAL
– Rich Franklin wasn’t sure what sort of reaction he’d
get from the fans at the Bell Centre on Saturday night. By and
large, the festive sellout crowd got behind Canadian fighters
and rooted against Americans.
“I
stood behind the curtain and I had my fingers crossed,”
Franklin said. “I wasn’t sure if I was going to get
booed or not.”
Turns
out he had nothing to worry about. The popular former UFC middleweight
champion got a thunderous ovation, second on the evening only
to hometown hero Georges St. Pierre, as he entered the octagon
to face Travis Lutter.
“It
was crazy out there,” Franklin said. “There was this
one guy who had my right hand and wouldn’t let go, security
had to do this karate thing to get him off me.”
ADVERTISEMENT
Franklin
justified the crowd’s enthusiasm by giving the sort of workmanlike
effort that made him a UFC fan favorite. The 33-year-old from
Cincinnati took all Lutter had to offer and dished out a second-round
beatdown to win via TKO.
Lutter
looked strong for much of the first round, getting Franklin into
an armbar and nearly working it into perfect position. But Franklin
managed to get to his feet and escape.
“I
could stay on the bottom and not expend a lot of energy and hope
to ride out the rest of the round, but that’s not my style,”
he said.
By
the second, Franklin was able to dictate the pace and wear Lutter
down, which Franklin said was in the game plan.
“We
looked at a lot of tape on Lutter,” Franklin said. “I
was banking on the fact my conditioning was better. He had given
me the best he could offer and came up short. From that point
on he started to slow down and my pace stayed the same.”
After
the convincing victory, Franklin was asked what he would like
to do next, considering he’s already lost twice to the current
middleweight champion, Anderson Silva.
“This
is my first fight after a loss,” Franklin said. “My
plan for the future is another fight and another win. I would
love to make my way back to the middleweight title, but right
now I have to look at the first 200 feet in front of me.”
Michael
in the middle
Michael
Bisping looked like a brand-new fighter in his victory over Charles
McCarthy. The light heavyweight winner of The Ultimate Fighter
was a smaller-sized 205-pounder who did not cut much weight,
and he largely got outmuscled in his controversial win over Matt
Hamill in September and his split-decision loss to Rashad Evans
in November.
But
a fit, energetic Bisping took it to McCarthy and never slowed
down, earning the win when McCarthy could not continue at the
end of the first round.
Bisping
had long resisted the move down to 185, but in hindsight, he
sees it as the right move.
“Early
in my career I used to destroy guys,” Bisping said. “Then
the level of competition got tougher and I was just kind of lazy.
“I
always knew it never would be an easy thing (dropping to 185),
but I was a bit stubborn. I would get lazy, eat a slice of pizza.
I’m proud of what I achieved at light heavyweight. But I’m
excited about what I can accomplish at middleweight.”
Kalib
Starnes, track star
One
of the biggest topics of discussion at the post-fight news conference
was Kalib Starnes’ game plan, or lack thereof, against Nate
Quarry. The Surrey, B.C., native backpedaled in circles for the
better part of 15 minutes in losing a unanimous decision. One
of the judges was so unimpressed with Starnes’ performance
that he scored the fight 30-24 in favor of Quarry. The other
scores were 30-26 and 30-27.
“When
I was making my comeback, I asked for Starnes as my opponent
for my comeback fight,” said Quarry, who missed more than
a year due to back surgery before beating Pete Sell in September.
“And they refused to take it, said I wasn’t worthy.
So then he comes out and he doesn’t fight.”
The
Bell Centre crowd of 21,390, which passionately cheered the action
for the bulk of the night, turned on the match as Starnes did
his Michael Johnson impersonation, at one point chanting “boring.”
Eventually, though, the crowd recognized Quarry was at least
attempting to engage.
Quarry
let out his frustrations at the end of the fight by high-stepping
toward Starnes as Starnes ran, then followed by taunting his
opponent, drawing gales of laughter from the audience.
“I
loved the crowd,” Quarry said. “They were going to
side with whoever showed a warrior’s heart and not just
cheer guys because of what country they’re from.”
Perhaps
ominously for Starnes’ future, his boss wasn’t impressed.
“It
takes two guys to fight,” UFC president Dana White said.
“Nate Quarry was the only person who showed up to fight.
If you’re fighting in your home country, I’d rather
fight and get knocked out than run in circles for 15 minutes.”
TUF
enough
Ultimate
Fighter 6 winner Mac Danzig won a grueling battle over Mark Bocek,
opening up a gruesome cut over Bocek’s left eye before the
fight was stopped late in the third round.
It
was Danzig’s first match since winning the welterweight
Ultimate Fighter 6. Danzig, who now fights at lightweight, was
asked about the “TUF” tag.
“For
whatever reason, people tend to discount the people on the show,”
Danzig said. “(TUF 5 winner) Nate Diaz is doing really good
and showing the guys from the show are not to be taken lightly.
It shows how this (TUF) is an opportunity. It’s good to
shut people up, but some people will never will shut up (no matter
what).”
Bonus
babies
With
a gate of more than $5 million, the UFC was generous in handing
out bonuses, giving $75,000 to each of the evening’s standout
performances. Local favorite Jonathan Goulet and Kunyioshi Hironaka
took fight of the night honors for Goulet’s second-round
TKO win in the opener of the 11-fight card; Jason MacDonald got
KO of the night for his flurry of elbows which took out Joe Doerksen;
and Demian Maia took submission of the night honors for his leg
triangle against Ed Herman.
Source: Yahoo Sports
|
What
would happen if Silva faced Jones?
What
would happen if you matched up a mixed martial artist and a boxer?
The recent talk of an Anderson Silva-Roy Jones Jr. boxing match
has revived an old question.
It
was actually Silva, the UFC middleweight champion and top ranked
pound-for-pound fighter, who came up with the idea of fighting
Jones, one of his idols, under Jones’ rules. Jones, the
former top pound-for-pound boxer, was up for the challenge, even
talking about it on an HBO boxing broadcast last weekend.
And
why wouldn’t he be? Under boxing rules, Jones would be a
prohibitive favorite. It’s a fight that would garner far
more interest than a past-his-prime Jones bout at this point
could with an opponent who, based on Silva’s 1-1 pro boxing
record record, would appear to pose less of a threat.
Why
Silva, with far more to risk by going into someone else’s
game, would ask for this fight is a bigger question.
Ed
Soares, the Brazilian Silva’s interpreter, claimed Silva
and his boxing coaches believe that with five months of intense
boxing training, he could be competitive. Silva, arguably the
best striker in MMA, gets tired of hearing about how mixed martial
artists lack the skills with their fists that boxers have. But
the key to Silva’s striking skills is a multi-pronged attack
of knees from the clinch, and kicks, as well as the punches.
Jones
has made it clear doesn’t have the background to do MMA,
Muay Thai, or even kickboxing. Under any of those scenarios,
Silva would be a huge favorite.
Longshot
The
fight isn’t going to happen any time soon. Silva has an
exclusive contract with UFC, and it’s really a no-brainer
for UFC president Dana White to not allow the match. Besides
the obvious of not wanting one of his top fighters to fight outside
the organization, it’s a clear case of the risk not being
worth the reward.
Even
if Silva is competitive, those defending boxing will note that
it’s UFC’s best striker against a boxer who is past
his prime. If Jones were to win, and by all rights he should,
to the general public, it would be viewed, even though it’s
a wrong perception, that even the best fighter in UFC is not
at the level of fighter as a name pro boxer.
On
the remote chance Silva could win, it’s not like he beat
the current widely recognized world champion. But for White and
UFC, it’s only the latter remote chance scenario that doesn’t
come across as a negative to the company in the eyes of the average
sports fan. The odds are strong this would be a setback for MMA
in general.
Anyone
who has followed both sports closely, or is involved in both
sports, will tell you the truth that the idea of the Superman
fighter was always a myth. But there is a generation that grew
up on the idea that the heavyweight boxing champ, from Joe Louis
to Mike Tyson, was the baddest man on the planet. But the truth
is, and always was, when you have top athletes from different
fighting disciplines competing, the outcome will largely be determined
based on who the rules favor.
“For
me, it’s a circus,” said Gary Shaw, who promotes both
sports. “I love boxing and I consider myself an expert in
boxing and I’m a lot newer to MMA, but there’s no way
any pure boxer can compete in MMA with someone with equal skills
in his sport as the boxer.”
At
the same point, a honed pure top-level boxer under his specific
rules is going to be far more skilled than even an MMA fighter
whose fists are his best weapon and even trains with boxers,
because it’s a different game.
MMA
gloves are smaller, so a mixed martial artist isn’t going
to have the defensive capabilities of blocking a boxer’s
punches. Stances are also different as the MMA fighter, even
if you see him win with punches standing, has to be able to constantly
defend takedowns and low kicks, which are not a consideration
in boxing.
But
in a fight, nothing is 100 percent certain. Years ago in Japan,
current UFC light heavyweight champion Quinton “Rampage”
Jackson was offered up as a sacrificial lamb for kickboxer Cyril
Abidi under kickboxing rules.
Abidi
was well known in his sport, but not a top level guy. Jackson
overwhelmed Abidi early and knocked him out, and even won a decision
in a rematch. It is highly unlikely, but possible a boxer in
an MMA match could get in the right punch in an before a clinch
or takedown and do damage. It’s possible a boxer could fight
an MMA striker in a boxing match, perhaps come in overconfident
and get caught.
Shaw
said he would bet everything he owns on the MMA fighter if the
fight is held under MMA rules.
Shaw
did say he’d love to promote a name vs. name MMA vs. boxer
fight, but also felt the idea you could do huge business based
on getting the MMA fan base and boxing fan base both buying the
show may not be the case. He also said his ultimate goal for
his biggest MMA start, Kimbo Slice, was to first make him a name
in MMA, and then cross him over to boxing with the idea he’d
draw from both fan bases.
“As
a promoter, while I will always love boxing, for sure the MMA
fans will be interested (in a star vs. star mixed match),”
he said. “But I don’t think the boxing fans would be
as interested.”
War
of words
When
UFC started gaining popularity, the sport of boxing felt threatened,
which is a good thing, because the result has been the making
of more high-quality boxing matches the past few years.
It
was inevitable that challenges would be thrown between the two
sports, and the first verbal volley came from Floyd Mayweather
Jr., who ran down MMA while building up the Oscar De La Hoya
fight last year. The idea was probably as much to get press as
being serious. Since that period of time, Mayweather has teased
fighting MMA for Mark Cuban, which will probably never happen,
done pro wrestling, and even appeared as an MMA team owner and
got into an argument with MMA fighter Shonie Carter on BET’s
“Iron Ring,” claiming boxing was better because they
have to go 12 rounds instead of three to five.
White
tried to take advantage of the press by having his lightweight
champion at the time Sean Sherk, challenge Mayweather, which
went unanswered. Kermit Cintron, a top-level boxer who had a
good high school wrestling background, was interested in doing
an MMA match, but White felt Cintron was hardly Mayweather-level
as far as promoting a big fight as he had no fame outside the
boxing hardcore fan base.
Wayne
McCullough, a former WBC bantamweight champion in boxing, who
now trains with UFC fighter Martin Kampmann and does public relations
work for the company, said his feeling is neutral rules would
be kickboxing rules, because you eliminate the MMA fighters beat
weapon against a boxer, which is taking him down and working
for submissions.
“But
once you get hit with a knee, it’ll be over quick,”
he said.
Source: Yahoo Sports
|
New
date set for Gilbert Melendez vs. Josh Thomson
Gilbert
Melendez (14-1) will defend his Strikeforce lightweight belt
against Josh Thomson (14-2) on Friday, June 27 in San Jose, California.
The
two Californians were originally scheduled to clash on the main
card of the hugely popular "Shamrock vs. Cung Le" event
on March 29 but Thomson withdrew in January because of a left
shoulder injury that required surgery. Now the two will headline
Strikeforce's next event, the appropriately titled "Melendez
vs. Thomson" at the HP Pavilion.
Melendez,
a product of the Cesar Gracie camp, has defeated the likes of
Tatsuya Kawajiri, Clay Guida and Rumina Sato and is currently
ranked #5 on MMAFighting.com's list of the top ten lightweights
in the world.
Thomson,
who trains with Team AKA in San Jose, compiled a 2-1 record with
the UFC and a 1-0 record with PRIDE Bushido.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Cro
Cop to face Jerome LeBanner at DREAM.4
MMA-ID,
a virtual community that sponsors Mirko Cro Cop, has confirmed
that the Croatian's next fight will be against French kickboxing
phenom Jerome LeBanner at DREAM.4 on June 16.
Rumors
of the bout have been swirling since a March 11 post on Cro Cop's
blog in which he stated there was "a possibility of facing
some good fighters from K-1 under MMA rules."
After
two lackluster performances in the UFC, Cro Cop headed back to
Japan and signed with the upstart DREAM, where it took him less
than a minute to dispatch of Tatsuya Mizuno in his first fight
with the promotion.
LeBanner
is only 3-1-1 in mixed martial arts competition but has amassed
a stellar 73-14 record in professional kickboxing. His most recent
fight was a KO loss in the K-1 World Grand Prix 2007 Final to
eventual champion Semmy Schilt.
The
two last fought in March of 1996, with Cro Cop scoring a decision
win.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Jacare
faces Ian Murphy at Dream 2
The
Dream organization today announced the wrestler Ian Murphy will
be the opponent to face Ronaldo Jacare at Dream 2, the event
to take place on the 29th, in Saitama, Japan. Initially the Brazilian
was quoted to face Frank Trigg, but the American thereafter denied
ever having signed a contract with the Japanese organization.
The
bout Jacare vs Murphy is part of the middleweight GP. Dream 2
has seven other bouts already defined. Check it out:
Middleweight
GP
Kazushi
Sakuraba vs Andrews Nakahara
Denis Kang vs Gegard Mousasi
Kiyoshi Tamura vs Masakatsu Funaki
Ronaldo Jacaré vs Ian Murphy
Magomed Sultanakhmadov vs Zelg Galesik
Yoon Dong Sik vs Shungo Oyama
Kin Taiei vs Ikuhisa Minowa
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Hendo:
‘Anderson was lucky’
Fighter looks to next fight
Despite
a devastating loss by submission in the second round, Dan Henderson
seems unconvinced as to the abilities of Anderson Silva. The
veteran wrestler, waiting to find out who his next opponent will
be and when he will be back fighting in the UFC, seems not to
have forgotten his defeat suffered at the hands of the Brazilian
at UFC 82, in March.
In
a recent interview with NBCSports.com, the fighter justified
his loss in a way that keeps with all the experience from his
11-year career as a professional MMA fighter and went off on
the fighter who defeated him. The “Spider”, who also
does not know when he will return to the octagon, is considered
by many to be the best pound for pound fighter in MMA currently.
My
body was feeling odd that night. I didn’t have the best
weight-cut the last day and a half. My body felt a little fatigued.
In the second round my body was real fatigued and I should have
had a takedown when I had him in the clinch. I’m a much
better fighter than him and more well-rounded. He caught me and
that’s the way it goes. I felt he was more lucky against
me,” said Hendo.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Xande
praises Brazilian fighters at FFF
At
the corner of the Brazilian fighters Vanessa Porto and Carina
Damm on the Fatal Femmes Fighting at Los Angeles, United States,
at April 3rd, the three times BJJ world champion Xande Ribeiro
gave total support to the athletes, that were well at the American
octagon with a good fight of Vanessa Porto and a great exhibition
of Carina Damm, that puts her as a big name for the title shot.
“I loved to be at the corner of two of the biggest Brazilian
fighters, I wanted to help with my best. I was screaming there
like a crazy guy, Vanessa dominated the fight, put the opponent
to the ground, but failed a little”, analyzed Xande, that
commented about the new gym with his brother Saulo, at San Diego,
California.
“The
gym is great, we have an interesting proposal, fighting for the
athlete’s profissionalization. It’s a great work, my
brother and I have an open mind, Jacaré went there, Lovato
too, we don’t have a ego competition, we’re there to
learn”, told the BJJ world champion, that is training the
UFC athlete Diego Sanchez and EliteXC’s and IFL’s Fabrício
Morango.
Source: Tatame
|
Demian
wants to grow at UFC
With
a great BJJ work on the UFC octagon, the Brazilian fighter Demian
Maia got his eight victory on his perfect card with only victories
and appeared as another strong name on the middleweight category.
This time, the victim of the strong triangle was the expert fighter
Ed Herman, that tapped after 2 minutes of the second round. “Everything
was just like I expected, but I think I did some thing wrong,
wanted to beat a lot, but everything was right in the”,
said Maia, that believes that needs to grow more on the UFC to
fight for the belt. “I believe that it’s not time for
the belt yet, I only have eight fights on MMA and the middleweight
champion is the best of the world… This fight will come
on the right time”, said the Brazilian athlete.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Overkill
and Inefficiency? An Inside Look at the CSAC - Part II
By Steve Kim (April 22, 2008)
Last Tuesday in Los Angeles, a Promoters and Stakeholders Informational
Meeting was held where promoters, managers, cornermen, and really
anybody, could come and discuss issues that pertain to the business
of boxing in the state of California.
At
this meeting, which was run by the executive officer of the California
State Athletic Commission, Armando Garcia, the agenda dealt with
such issues as the non-resident withholding tax for out-of-state
fighters and the lingering problem of unlicensed MMA shows that
are sprouting up all across the state.
The
majority of those in attendance seemed to be local MMA promoters
and owners of MMA gyms. Only two boxing promoters were in attendance,
Ed Holmes and Roy Englebrecht. As the floor was opened up by
Garcia, Englebrecht, who is perhaps the states most prolific
and respected club promoter, inquired about the, "staffing
of the office," in Sacramento. Englebrecht, like many other
promoters, had grown increasingly frustrated at the process in
which paperwork - which green lights the fighters to appear on
a show – is handled by the CSAC.
He
spoke of dialing up fax machines that had no transmissions and
he wondered why each fighter's medical paperwork needed to be
20 pages long. Garcia would respond by telling the small audience
that they had just, "hired another body in the office,"
and would be hiring an additional person soon. He also explained
that in the process of moving, their fax machines were out of
service. But Garcia would point out that, while they did admittedly,
"kill a lot of trees," by law, every single one of
those papers needed to be there for the weigh-ins and at the
fights for the ringside physician and paramedic in case of an
emergency.
As
a show is planned, each promoter must send in what is called
a 'Who's, who,' which means on a six-fight card, 12 Fight Fax
records of the boxers involved for approval, in addition to the
battery of medical examinations that a fighter must be cleared
on. Englebrecht wondered if there was a more streamlined process
in which to do this in the computer age.
As
these papers are sent to Sacramento - and they must receive all
the pages - if something is missing, 'Need' is put down. But
what irks many of the promoters is that when this occurs, or
when a red-flag is raised about a particular fighter, that original
paperwork, which is usually turned in weeks ahead of time by
most responsible promoters, is then returned in many instances
so late that a suitable replacement for that fighter or bout
cannot be found.
The
CSAC does not have an easy task. Under Garcia's reign, which
began in the middle of 2006, the state of California has averaged
around 180 shows (if you combine boxing and MMA), and if you
do the math on what we just talked about above, that's a lot
of paperwork to sift through. But a cadre of small promoters,
managers and matchmakers involved in the sport has their horror
stories of how they send Fed Ex'd documents that are signed off
on, only to be told weeks later they never arrived. Or what a
difficult process it is to transfer medical forms of one state
to another. Then there are interminably long delays, overall,
in getting out-of-state fighters licensed. It's clear that the
office of the CSAC is understaffed and underfunded.
But
on the flip side, you go to any small club show in California
and you'll see up to seven or eight inspectors working that event,
which is highly unusual. It's almost universally accepted within
the boxing community that for a club show, you need no more than
half of that to patrol the locker rooms and enforce the rules
of the commission. Our source within the Florida State Boxing
Commission says that for a club show, "You can get away
with four." And for a televised show, "Maybe five,
six tops."
Garcia
makes no bones about the amount of inspectors California regularly
employs. "Sometimes we have more than seven or eight,"
he admits, pointing out that the budget comes out of the support
fund." So I staff events based on the number of fighters
and so on and how much money I have to work with because I can't
go over budget. It's not like they gave me extra money for inspectors.
With that said, if you have, let's say, 10 fighters and you have
five fights, it’s a very small show. So knowing you have
10 fighters, you have potentially up to four people in each corner.
So let's say you have two people in each corner, not four; now
you have 20, no, you have 30 people and this is a very small
show. So now you have 30 people to oversee, that you are literally
responsible for, in maybe three, four dressing rooms or more.
"How
do you properly supervise those people without people working
that? When you also include the anti-doping process, you need
people for that. I'm very conscious about our money and we're
doing really, really well going into fiscal month ten. I staff
the shows to protect health and safety and consumer integrity."
California,
unlike most jurisdictions, administers a drug test to every fighter
on a show, which means inspectors are needed to track fighters
before and after they perform. Most others merely drug test the
main event, any championship bout and a random fighter on the
undercard. Certainly, you want to protect the integrity of the
sport and the health of its participants, but let's be honest,
only at the highest and most lucrative levels have fighters tested
positive for performance enhancing drugs in boxing. The reality
is that most four and six round fighters simply can't afford
HGH or steroids. And it's not as if steroid use at the lower
level was ever rampant in boxing.
A
source tells Maxboxing that in the last 12 months that there
have been 65 positive drug tests in California. 53 have come
in MMA, ten in boxing and one in kickboxing. The majority of
the positive drug tests for boxing have been for marijuana use.
On
each show, the promoter must give up 5-percent of their gate
(for instance, at $50,000 they cough up $2,500) which goes to
the 'State Fee', which funds the commission. This money is used
for the staff, drug tests, travel costs, inspectors, office rent
and health benefits of the commission. So in essence, it's the
promoters who pay for all this.
So
with that being said, would Englebrecht rather have a few less
inspectors at each show, and put that money towards having a
bigger support staff?
"There
is no doubt that if I had my choice, more Sacramento office staff
or more inspectors, I would vote unanimously to take money from
inspectors and put more staff in Sacramento, so that promoters
can get their concerns and their questions answered quicker,"
Englebrecht would tell Maxboxing.
Jerry
Hoffman, of 12 Sport Productions, who has promoted such events
as the 'Shakedown in Quaketown' and the 'Riot at the Hyatt' for
the past 15 years, says of the paperwork process, "It's
such an overkill and I gotta go backwards here for a second,
because the system wasn't broken until Armando arrived. Armando
was hired on the basis of, 'There's something wrong with boxing
in California and dammit, I'm going to fix it,' and in the process
the Department of Consumer Affairs, who knows nothing about boxing
says, 'I'm going to protect you.' So he is a supreme politician.
His decisions are motivated to impress his employer, rather to
do what's best for boxing, boxers, matchmakers, promoters, trainers
and the people that are involved that bear the brunt of the expense
and the hassles that we have to go through based on his arbitrary
decisions."
On
the issue of inspectors, he says, "It's total overkill;
we never had that many inspectors to begin with, plus we never
know who these inspectors are that are coming. Of course it's
overkill. When you have for five or six on a club show without
television, why do you need more than one or maybe two inspectors
for each dressing room?"
And
he also believes that not every single preliminary boxer should
be obligated to give a urine test after each fight.
"Boxing
is by far and away the most regulated sport and there are fewer
transgressions in our sport than any sport. Name one sport that's
cleaner than boxing, with the possible exception of golf?"
Hoffman
is the one of the few promoters willing to go on the record and
air his grievances against the CSAC. But he does speak on the
behalf of many others who echo his thoughts, but only in private
for fear of retribution.
But
Dan Goossen says that Garcia has brought a level of stability
to the commission.
"He
put the system together from the standpoint of the rules and
regulations of California, and part of the problem that fighters,
promoters, managers, and commissions have is that our rule books
has been outdated, and based upon that, some of the rules that
have now been designed to follow have created this discontent
with certain people," said the veteran promoter, who runs
Goossen-Tutor. "From my end, Armando's been a fair executive
director, certainly not one that I see has anything but the best
interest of boxing at the forefront of any decision he makes.
"Now,
that doesn't make things easy for what Tom Brown (Goossen's matchmaker)
has to go through to make matches and medicals and all the different
licensing procedures. But on the other hand, again, those are
items that have been ignored throughout the years and what we've
got to do is get new rules into the system."
But
what bothers many of the smaller promoters is that while they
get hassled on so many of their fights, they firmly believe that
the name brand promotional outfits - the ones who bring big television
money on a consistent basis - get rubber stamped on their shows.
"There
have been issues with every show that I've done on decisions
that Armando has made that impact my shows since he got here,"
says a frustrated Hoffman. "For 13 years before he got here,
I never had any incidents, never had any issues. Dean Lohuis
knew everything that was going on with the state and always said,
'Man, you make matches,' and I only did two shows a year. I take
great care of the matches I make. I have to prep them. There's
a reason for every match that I make.
"But
for some reason or another, arbitrary decisions by Armando have
taken away fights from me pretty consistently in the last couple
of years."
Lohuis
is the chief inspector for the state, and he is regarded by the
boxing community in California to be as knowledgeable as they
come in regards to the local fighters and the fight scene. But
in recent years he has had his power and responsibilities stripped
away by Garcia, which has frustrated many matchmakers and promoters
in the state.
But
it's no surprise that there are two divergent opinions on Garcia
from the major and small promoters. It's not unusual for any
commission to give a bit of leeway to shows that are put on by
the big promoters. After all, most of the time they bring in
huge amounts of revenue to the state. Hate to say it, but that's
life in the big city.
But
Garcia insists that everyone plays by the same rulebook.
"I
want to make it a level playing field," he would tell Maxboxing,
"but I gotta tell you with all due respect to the people
before me, people that are still involved here in the commission,
it was not a level playing field. People here, this particular
name used to be able to do this and this one did it and there
was selective enforcement. When I came in, I tried to treat everyone
equally. The little guy and the big guy. And sometimes people
don't like that."
But
Hoffman isn't buying it. He believes he's a small fish who has
been made very expendable in a big pond.
"I
can't speak for other promoters; for me, much of the fun has
gone out of it. The state of California requires so much from
promoters and matchmakers, to get all of their particulars in,
meaning all the Fight Faxes that we're required to get in and
submit, so we can get bout approval. The problem is you get everything
in - and I'm anal about that, I get stuff in three, four weeks
before my show, so in theory I have time to make adjustments
in case there are any – but sure as s**t, whenever I submit
my stuff, I never get a return response in a timely fashion.
"It's
always the week of the show and it's too late for me to do anything
about it."
CONUNDRUM
Another
thing Hoffman and many others have complained about is that in
recent years, MRI's, eye exams and EKG's are now mandatory for
all licensed fighters in California. The MRI is good for five
years, the EKG for three. They are all for the safety of the
fighters, but they also believe that many young aspiring boxers
are priced out of getting their licenses because with the new
mandatory policies - which now puts California in line with states
like Nevada - the price of obtaining a license has gone from
around $300-$400 to around $700-$800.
There
are two ways to look at this argument. First, shouldn't every
fighter come in with a clean bill of health? And even if it's
a fighter making his pro debut, they still have taken jarring
shots to the head during their days as an amateur and in sparring
sessions in the gym.
But
others will point out that the state of California has been a
relatively safe state for the most part when it comes to ring
fatalities. Last September, Jackson Bussell would lose his life
after a six-round draw against Javier Garcia, and there were
recent close calls involving Victor Burgos and Ruben Contreras
in recent years.
But
it had been awhile since California had had to deal with a ring
death. There were two-high profile casualties in the early 80's.
Johnny Owen would lose his life after twelve hard rounds against
Lupe Pintor in September of 1980. And then Kiko Bejines would
pass away after his bout versus Albert Davila in September of
1983. Then in 1988, David Gonzalez would die as a result of his
eighth-round knockout at the hands of Rico Velasquez.
Source: Maxboxing |
The
Commission vs. the Cornermen? An Inside Look at the CSAC - Part
III
By Steve Kim (April 23, 2008)
As the fights were taking place inside the ring all over California,
it turns out that in the very beginning of Armando Garcia's run
as the executive officer of the California State Athletic Commission
that things were getting quite heated between the state inspectors
and veteran trainers and cornermen inside the dressing rooms
as they prepped their fighters for battle.
There
were numerous stories circulating about loud and inflamed arguments
that took place between those who were there to enforce the rules
of the CSAC and those working the boxer’s corner. More than
a few exasperated veterans of the sport, sick of being questioned
over the way they wrap hands, would sometimes resort to giving
their tape and gauze over to the inspectors and asking them to
do it themselves (only to be told they themselves had no clue
on how to wrap a fighter’s hands properly). Others objected
to having used medicine being tossed aside. Some felt like school
children as they were instructed to take out the chewing gum
in their mouths.
It
was frustrating to be dictated to by a group of inexperienced
boxing hands whose manner left much to be desired. An acrimonious
atmosphere existed in many locker rooms between the commission
and their licensees.
"We
absolutely had those issues," admitted Garcia, when asked
specifically about the issue. “Especially when we started
the inspector program. Number one, it's because we were enforcing
regulation that had basically never been enforced and the people
that were enforcing it hadn't been trained sufficiently and didn’t
have the experience to be able to do it. And it takes not only
that but it takes a certain personality to be able to tell someone
about something. So we obviously had those issues, particularly
on the hand wraps.
“But
people here, they were skinning gloves, stacking, they were wetting
the hand wraps and obviously, not everyone was doing it. But
the inspector doesn't know who's the good guy, who's the bad
guy. And then when we incorporated MMA, my God, I'm telling you,
they do everything and everything and its really difficult to
police. By now though, most of my guys know everybody and you
have your top guys, who are people who literally complained to
me about it - Freddie Roach, Joe Chavez, Tony Rivera, a bunch
of other people that come to me and said, 'Hey, man, what is
this?' Now, these things are pretty much either smoothed out
or being smoothed out.
"Do
we still have some issues? Yes, we will have issues when you
have so many different personnel involved in that. But if we
don't do it, we literally had a table after every show where
it was a 'show and tell' of the stuff people brought in the dressing
room. I mean some of that was suspendable stuff."
Roach
was one of the trainers who had problems with the new regime
from the get go.
"A
lot of controversy over hand-wraps, of course, and I've wrapped
hands for a long time and all of a sudden they told me to wrap
a certain way," he recalled. "And I just said, 'I'm
just protecting my fighter’s hands. I don't do anything
illegal.' We had a big blow up about that and I told the commission
off pretty good and I told them all to f**k themselves. They
were a little pissed at me but since that time though, they've
come around. They've changed the rules. I think things are beginning
to settle in a little bit."
What
bothered Roach just as much as the regulations on just how much
tape and gauze could be used (which has since been amended) was
the demeanor of the commission and it's inspectors.
“The
thing is, I thought it was too much of a dictatorship at first.
Because when he was there, everyone went by his rules. But when
he wasn't there, people were going by their own rules and by
the old rules and what they used to be. So it was inconsistent
and that's what I hate, the inconsistency. As long as the rules
are the same for everybody, I can live with it."
But
Roach says that this current administration has brought conformity
in how boxers hands can be wrapped. And he believes it had leveled
the playing field in many respects.
"Before
the new commission came in, people in California were taping
on the skin, taping over the knuckles, then putting gauze on
and hiding it. Hiding the tape and then going over that,"
he explained. "And I really, really had a tough time with
that because I didn't want to do that myself but my opponent’s
doing that, so am I giving them an advantage? Should I do it
myself? I just couldn't bring myself to do that and I feel that's
breaking the rules. I don't like to do that."
Chavez,
a respected boxing figure who has literally wrapped hundreds
of thousands of hands in his years of boxing, was someone who
was greatly frustrated by what was taking place the past few
years. But he says that recently, "They slacked down. Things
have gotten better."
Miguel
Diaz, who had a severe disagreement with the California inspectors
in early January at a show held at the Alameda Swap Meet, had
promised to never work again in the state. However, after relaying
his concerns to Garcia, he said he had no problems working the
rubbermatch between Israel Vazquez and Rafael Marquez on March
1st at the Home Depot Center.
But
others, like Joe Goossen, believe that nothing has changed.
"No,
to tell you the truth I liked how the style of the commission
was run before," he says bluntly. "Not that I have
anything against anybody, but I have to tell you, from the time
I got into this game, which was three decades ago, when I took
my first test for my corner’s license with Joey Olmos in
downtown LA, from that time on - that was in the early 70's -
till just maybe a couple of years ago, when Dean Lohuis reigned,
it pretty much ran the same way without change.
"I'm
just trying to figure out, not so much about the change, but
why the change? Why? What was so wrong about it? I still have
not heard one good reason why that 30 year run had to change.
So it's not left a good taste in my mouth because it was a much
more personable relationship between the commission, the trainers
and the fighters. Everyone kinda knew what they had to do. I
never saw any mischief in the locker rooms or some of the things
that were pointed out as the rationale for this big change. I
never saw where there were any riots in the corners or fistfights
in the middle of the ring where all the scrutiny of the corners
had to be looked at so closely."
With
the increase of inspectors that are utilized by Garcia, what
Goossen and others resent is the ‘Big Brother' aura that
exists.
"I
mean, you're followed everywhere you go, basically. What I'm
saying is that you didn't have anybody to tell you, 'Hey, don't
chew bubble gum in the locker room.' You know why you didn't
need anybody to tell you that? Because there's nothing wrong
with it. But there is now. If something as simple as that is
being scrutinized, you know that a lot of people are not going
to be happy, because it's just overbearing."
It
has bothered many corner men that they have been banned from
giving their boxers a banana (which is great in potassium) in
the locker room.
"We
recently changed that to allow produce and vegetables,"
Garcia would point out. "So you can take fruits, you can
take vegetables. What we tried to get away from, which was initially,
was that they tried to bring in supplements, they bring in milkshakes,
they bring in pills in containers that the pills don't belong
in. It was a huge, huge problem for us. So we initially had to
just bite the bullet and say, 'OK, we're not going to accept
any of this. Then we're going to monitor this,' and now we've
relaxed it."
One
thing that still bothers Roach is that as they enter a dressing
room they are searched as if they are going through airport security.
"They're
treating us a little bit like criminals," he states. "The
first thing they want to do is check our bags. I said, 'What
do you want to check my bags for? I'm a criminal right off the
bat? Do you have a search warrant? Y'know he (Garcia) was a police
officer."
Trainers
like Roach and Goossen are at more liberty to discuss their true
feelings than others. They command respect. Many other lower
profile trainers believe they have no other choice but to grin
and bear it. They also believe, that much like the small promoters,
they are treated differently than their big-name counterparts
by the commission.
Our
unidentified source at the CSAC, who has seen first-hand what
takes place in the dressing room during fight cards, says, "It's
an adversarial-type relationship. These guys that don't have
the boxing experience, they've been taught at a clinic, allegedly
by Armando or whoever, really don't understand what the purpose
of the wrappings is for and are telling guys who have been wrapping
for 20, 30 years how to wrap and it gets into verbal altercations
all the time. Plus, you'll see people with a Diet Coke get it
taken away from them in the dressing room."
Goossen
says he has no problems with inexperienced guys learning on the
job; what he resents is the lack of respect shown to them by
certain inspectors.
“It’s
crushed all goodwill in the locker room, it really has,"
he insists. "I think he's got all the greatest of intentions
but there's too much of whatever it is he's trying to institute
and it's not needed. It's superfluous. You don't need people
watching our backs. It would be just the same as someone following
Joe Torre out to the mound, a commissioner from baseball, to
see what he had to say to the pitcher. Or if he was handing him
anything illegal."
Source: Maxboxing |
MASTER
RAFAEL CORDEIRO TALKS CHUTE BOXE U.S.A.
MMAWeekly.com’s Ivan Canello sat down with Chute Boxe’s
Master Rafael Cordeiro to discuss the camp’s recent move
into the American market.
MMAWeekly:
How would you describe the structure and the level of the Chute
Boxe USA Camp?
Rafael
Cordeiro: We are very happy with our new home, which comes to
add the USA, which has a very good support for the athletes.
With our combined experience, it has everything to – in
a short period of time – make several champions. The camp
is located in a very good place on Beach Boulevard and Garfield
in Huntington Beach, Calif.
MMAWeekly:
What is the main target in the U.S., beginners or advanced and
professional students?
Cordeiro:
Our classes will be the same as Brazil, separated classes to
beginners that have never been in touch with MMA and the professional
that wants to add in their game our Chute Boxe ingredients that
made great champions through all these years. The Muay Thai classes
are led by me and coach Gerson and the Jiu-Jitsu classes are
led by Junior Gazzé, who got second place in the Pan-American
Jiu-Jitsu Championship. So we have all the qualities needed to
build a great champion.
MMAWeekly:
Some famous fighters were at Chute Boxe over the last few weeks.
Tell us about that. Is there the possibility of a partnership
between those fighters and Chute Boxe?
Cordeiro:
A couple days ago, Michael Bisping came and did some training
with Junior Gazzé to prepare for his next fight and Quinton
Jackson came because his coach, Waldomiro Junior, is Gazzé’s
master. Waldomiro and Gazzé have a very good relationship
and they are together all the time. About the partnerships, everything
that is good for Chute Boxe is welcome. Nowadays here in the
U.S. everybody wants to train with everybody, and those who want
to train at Chute Boxe will need to bring the spirit and they
will need to defend our flag and give themselves to Chute Boxe.
MMAWeekly:
How do you plan the trade of experience from those athletes that
are coming from Brazil to train at Chute Boxe in the U.S.?
Cordeiro:
They will come to train with me for their next fights. They are
all my students and they have my formation, which is from Master
Rudimar, and that formation is passed generation to generation.
MMAWeekly:
Who is in charge of the training at Chute Boxe in Brazil since
you came to the U.S.?
Cordeiro:
I have coached students since I was 16 years old, and today I
am 34 years old. Each day I learn more and more because I have
never stopped training and the fact that I moved to the U.S.
only adds to this background. In Brazil, I had the pleasure to
form great champions that all the world knows already and today
this idea of building champions came to the U.S. Our goal is
to go ahead all the time. Now Master Nilson Castro is the main
coach in Brazil, and professors such as Osmar Dias, Fabio Cunha
and Cristopher Led. In jiu-jitsu, Cristiano Marcello, Fabricio
Werdum, Luis Brito and Jorge Patino Macaco and Luiz Azeredo are
building new champions everyday.
MMAWeekly:
How do you plan to take care of the training in Brazil, since
you are the main coach at Chute Boxe?
Cordeiro:
In the first months, I need to be here in U.S. to put the Chute
Boxe flag in USA, but we are making a new system with cameras
and audio where I will be able to see, listen and talk with everybody
in Brazil. They will be training and I will be watching and speaking
with them live and I can correct something if I need to. And
by this video I can talk to my friends and students at the gym.
It’s pretty cool.
MMAWeekly:
How do you see this year for Chute Boxe?
Cordeiro:
This year is the year of the results. In Jesus’ name, we
are doing such good work and we are getting stronger and stronger
as men and fighters, and each one of us are feeling that we need
to give ourselves, where our hearts are our treasure.
MMAWeekly:
Anything you would like to say in closing?
Cordeiro:
I would like to say thank you very much to MMAWeekly. It is an
excellent website and many thanks for the space. And to all the
MMA fans, try to work on your dreams and become a better person
each day. Think always in the good for all and let God guide
your life because there are no impossible dreams for Jesus. Good
luck in your choices!
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Clementi
will take Emerson's place at UFC 84
Rich Clementi took little time to savor his split decision victory
against reigning TKO lightweight champion Sam Stout at UFC 83
on Saturday.
A
product of season four of "The Ultimate Fighter" reality
series, Clementi (31-12-1, 4-3 UFC) will square off with England's
Terry Etim at UFC 84: Ill Will on May 24 in Las Vegas. He replaces
Rob Emerson, who withdrew from the bout with an undisclosed injury.
UFC officials confirmed the lightweight pairing late Tuesday.
The
31-year-old Clementi has reeled off five consecutive victories
since his unanimous decision loss to Roan Carneiro at UFC Fight
Night 9 in April 2007. Clementi holds notable victories against
reigning International Fight League lightweight champion Ryan
Schultz, Melvin Guillard and Anthony Johnson.
Etim
(10-1, 1-1 UFC), a veteran of the Cage Gladiators promotion,
will look to rebound from his first career defeat — a unanimous
decision loss to the American Top Team's Gleison Tibau at UFC
75 in September. An accomplished ground fighter, the former Cage
Gladiators lightweight champion has delivered nine of his 10
career wins by submission. Etim, 22, made his promotional debut
at UFC 70 last April as he coaxed a tapout from Matt Grice with
an opening-round guillotine choke.
A
lightweight title match between champion B.J. Penn and Sean Sherk
will serve as the featured attraction at UFC 84.
Source: Fox Sports |
PETE
SPRATT AND THOMAS SCHULTE WIN AT UWC
Before 4,828 fans at the Patriot Center in Fairfax, Va., Pete
Spratt didn’t take long to win the battle of The Ultimate
Fighter alums. He disposed of Jason Von Flue by knockout in just
2:34.
It
was an important win for the veteran fighter, having lost his
most recent bout to Ryan Ford in February. Spratt, now 37-years-old,
having ridden the proverbial roller coaster throughout most of
his career, told MMAWeekly before the bout that he is gearing
for a return to the major leagues.
“You’re
either one win in or one loss out,” he commented. “The
UFC brought back some guys that hadn’t been there in a while,
so there’s always an opportunity to get back.
“I
just have to make sure that when I’m fighting on these smaller
shows that I get the ‘W’ and finish guys decisively.”
In
the evening’s feature bout, F.I.T. NHB fighter Thomas Schulte
added to his winning streak finishing Ultimate Fighting Championship
veteran Zach Light by armbar little more than one minute into
the opening round. It was Schulte’s third straight submission
victory.
-Pete
Spratt def. Jason Von Flue by KO at 2:34, R1
-Thomas Schulte def. Zach Light by Submission (Armbar) at 1:20,
R1
-Carlo Prater def. Marcelo Brito by Unanimous Decision, R3
-Marcus Foran def. Tenyeh Dixon by Submission (Armbar) at 4:04,
R2
-Aaron Riley def. Thiago Minu by Unanimous Decision, R3
-Mike Easton def. Gerald Lovato by KO at 2:48, R1
-Josh Feldman def. Johnny Curtis by KO at 1:07, R1
-Mike Corey def. Dwayne Shelton by TKO at 0:33, R2
-Reshad Woods def. Ron Stallings by KO at 1:25, R1
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Quote
of the Day
"When
anger rises, think of the consequences."
Confucius, 551-479 B.C., Chinese Thinker and Social Philosopher
|
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. Interview 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
|
Civil
War? An Inside Look at the CSAC – Part I
By Steve Kim (April 21, 2008)
On February 5th, inside the Dept. of Consumer Affairs Conference
Room in Sacramento, California, the California State Athletic
Commission held one of its scheduled meetings to discuss various
issues that concerned their jurisdiction, and to listen as an
MMA fighter stated his case in front of the panel to have his
punishment for testing positive for a banned substance pared
down. It was a rather routine and mundane affair for the most
part.
But
as the 'public comment' portion of the meeting was held, the
fireworks would begin and evidence of a divided and fractured
commission would become very evident. This part of the gathering
is open to anyone who wants to have his or her voice heard on
anything that was not included on the agenda. What this particular
session became was a referendum on the merits of executive officer
Armando Garcia. And the lines of where you stood were made very
clear.
With
Garcia presiding over the meeting, various judges, referees and
inspectors would state their case for and against the executive
officer (whose performance is being evaluated on a month-to-month
basis), right in front of him.
First
up was David Mendoza, a judge and referee, who extolled Garcia’s
virtues as someone who has brought unprecedented economic success
to the state of California. He would be followed up by noted
referee and judge Pat Russell, who asked why certain allegations
that have been levied against Garcia were seemingly being swept
under the rug and forgotten about by the higher-ups. Referee
Jon Schorle would stutter and stammer through a prepared statement
in Garcia's defense. Max De Luca would also state his support
for the embattled executive officer. And then Jack Reiss would
echo many of the same statements as Russell, while asking why
there was an email that was circulated only to certain members
of the CSAC that attempted to elicit support for Garcia on this
day.
Then
a long procession of CSAC inspectors (all wearing black-on-black
ensembles with their traditional red ties) would come in waves,
speaking of the leadership and vision of Garcia. Reading off
scripted statements, he was compared to everyone from George
Washington to Vince Lombardi.
And
it's no accident that the 'men in black' came as if they were
dressed for work on behalf of the commission. In an email that
was obtained by Maxboxing, Dwayne Woodward, an inspector for
the state and a Garcia supporter, would send out a group email
that had a copy and pasted version of a story penned by Michael
Swann of 15rounds.com that talked of the alleged transgressions
of Garcia, that, among other things, accuses him of engaging
in acts that constituted conflicts of interest (by working seminars
for sanctioning bodies and receiving compensation). It was just
one allegation that was brought up in an illuminating series
that was produced by Swann a few months ago.
Woodward
would write: "Ladies and gentlemen, you need to read what
is below. This is how organized the few and the loud are and
what obscene lengths they will go to in order to regain their
power over boxing in California." He would urge everyone
to show up on February 5th to support Garcia.
One
response, from Nate Arnold, would conclude by saying, "It
would be nice to have everyone there, especially if they were
dressed in black with red ties. An example needs to be made that
we support Armando for everything he has done for the sport."
To
which Woodward would respond, "I agree with Nate. I will
be in uniform of the A-team."
Among
those who are on the list of recipients is Garcia himself.
It's
been no real secret to those inside the sport that there is a
deep division within the CSAC. There is a group of veterans who
supported Russell to take over the reigns of the commission from
Rob Lynch a few years ago. Most of them are made up of the old-guard
referees and judges that most boxing fans are familiar with.
Then there are those who stand behind Garcia (who was eventually
appointed by the state), the large majority of whom are recent
hires from his regime. It may not be the Nortenos versus the
Surenos, but there seems to be a great divide within the CSAC.
Those
who are known to have supported Russell's bid, his long-time
friends and those who don't uniformly agree with Garcia, believe
they are punished by not getting the bigger, high profile assignments.
"The
officials, well, the officials want what the officials want,"
Garcia would say to Maxboxing last week, when questioned about
the seeming divide that exists. "They're the highest paid
officers in the country per show, basically, except the big,
big shows we don't have. They can not have any input or authority
on assignments; that could be a conflict of interest. I've always
tried to do the assignments as best as I could, with the assistance
of (chief inspector) Dean Lohuis, and some people aren't happy
about that. But it's a very, very small group. If you look at
so, so many officials that live here in California, and other
people that come, from that whole group of people there's really
a handful of people that may not be happy.
"But
what you have to find out is why aren't they happy? They might
believe they're not making enough money, they may not believe
they're doing certain shows. The whole assignment thing has been
a very difficult task for all previous executive officers. And
it's almost an impossibility to make everybody happy all the
time."
But
accusations of favoritism are heard loud and clear.
"There
will always be accusations of favoritism for any executive officer,"
Garcia would state. "'Who's the best person for a particular
fight? Who is at the championship level? Who is at the regional
level?' I suggest to you very humbly, I was a referee for almost
19 years before I took this job. I started with eight and nine
year old Junior Olympians and I worked my way up to the USA team.
Then I started doing professional title fights and then I started
doing seminars. I have a very good knowledge of who is best for
which fight and if you ask the fighters, they want the best person
to work the fight. They don't want the guy that's up or the lady
that's up. And when you make these decisions like that, there's
rivalry. I mean, there's so much rivalry between them. It's really
sad because I would almost venture to say that most of them hate
each other."
There
is no doubt that for the credibility and the integrity of the
sport and the CSAC it is incumbent that the best, most deserving
officials be given the most important assignments. Russell and
Reiss are generally regarded by those in the know as the top
officials in the state. In fact, the management of Israel Vazquez,
before his third bout against Rafael Marquez, insisted on having
either one of them as the referee, instead of Schorle, who was
to have gotten the assignment. Russell, despite a controversial
point deduction he docked on Marquez for low blows, was lauded
for his work that night on March 1st at the Home Depot Center
in Carson.
Schorle,
however, has a shaky reputation for handling big fights. The
consensus is that he let the bout last year between Vic Darchinyan
and Victor Burgos go on too long, with nearly grave consequences,
as Burgos nearly lost his life. Then there was his botched handling
of the Bobby Pacquiao-Carlos Navarro bout. He also let a fight
continue in which a fighter spit-up after getting hit (which
is usually the first sign of a concussion). Just recently, in
the bout between Joel Casamayor and Michael Katsidis on March
22nd, he allowed Casamayor to hit Katsidis while he was down
on the canvas after a knockdown with nary a penalty or warning.
Many also questioned if he should've allowed Katsidis to continue
after being floored hard by Casamayor in the tenth round of that
contest. It's interesting to note that in his statements in front
of the commission in February, he would give Garcia credit for
being an AIBA official, while pointing out that he himself was,
"Never good enough to be an AIBA referee."
Which
begs the question, how does a referee who's not good enough to
do world class amateur fights get so many big assignments in
California?
Mendoza,
has a rather dubious track record of late himself. Back in October
he would score the bout between Sergio Mora and Elvin Ayala 99-91
in favor of Mora, in a fight that many had Ayala winning. His
colleagues that night, had it 95-95 (De Luca) and 96-94 in favor
of Ayala (Raul Caiz Jr.) The bout ended in a draw. He was then
rewarded for that by getting the assignment to judge the Fernando
Vargas-Ricardo Mayorga fight in late November at the Staples
Center. In a fight won by Mayorga (with two knockdowns), Mendoza
would have the bout scored 113-113, raising a few more eyebrows.
De
Luca, meanwhile, is universally regarded as one of the state’s
best judges.
A
veteran member of the CSAC, who spoke on the condition of anonymity,
tells Maxboxing, "There are quite a few officials that are
unhappy with the situation. It's gotten to a point where so many
people have complained, that on the agenda is an action, an agenda
item, where the commission is now going to look at world championship
and television fights and how they're assigned. And I believe
they might be changing, taking the power away from him or setting
a rule on how he has to do it. That's how bad it's gotten."
That
particular commission meeting takes place this Tuesday.
So
do certain individuals get assignments based more on their personal
relationship with Garcia rather than actual merit?
"Absolutely!!
Are you kidding!?!?" answered our source, incredulously.
In
other sports, leagues grade their officials, and from there,
playoff and All-Star game assignments are doled out. But it's
not clear if the state of California does this based on merit
or merely a rotation.
"You
might say it's a combination of both and here it is," explained
Garcia. "Generally speaking, okay, no commission in the
country has an evaluation system for judges or referees. I've
already committed both of those processes to writing, and it's
going to go in front of the commission in June. They will argue
about that also. But basically those things will be identifying
your theoretical knowledge in refereeing or judging and monitor
your performance. Some people would say we used to do it, but
I challenge anybody to produce any documents that show you that
it was done fairly and equitably. So if you ask me, it's never
been done here properly. So now, I've committed it to writing
because it's part of my job and then we'll see if the commission
approves it and then we have to figure out who is going to evaluate
the officials because that's another thing.
"Should
I evaluate 'Steve' when 'Steve' is competing for the same work
as I am? That wouldn't be fair. Can you just put any old guy
to do that? No, that wouldn't be fair either. And with the number
of shows that we have, it's almost impossible to evaluate every
single fight. But we have to start somewhere."
Another
complaint from many veteran officials (most of whom are located
in Southern California) is that they were promised opportunities
to work MMA fights if they completed some clinics and became
certified. Thus far, many of them, who paid around $500 for this
process, have yet to do MMA shows on a consistent basis. Meanwhile,
their counterparts up north, and individuals such as Richard
Bertrand, are selected to work all the big MMA events in California.
It
turns out Bertrand has a long-standing relationship with Garcia.
Multiple sources have confirmed to Maxboxing that while Garcia
was a referee in Florida, he got into hot water for uttering
a racial epithet in regards to a Puerto Rican boxer.
"He
did make a racial remark and he was shelved for awhile; he wasn't
officially suspended, but he was shelved for a long time,"
confirmed this source, who is a member of the Florida commission.
"All his assignments were way down, he didn't get any major
assignments for a long period of time."
But
at an official inquiry, it was Bertrand, then an inspector for
Florida, who testified on Garcia's behalf. "That's why Armando
has taken care of him out there," says the source. And what
irks many of the California officials is that Bertrand was not
that much more experienced than they were in MMA at the time.
According to this source, he had worked only once in Florida
before doing a big pay-per-view show in California in the summer
of 2006.
"He
never trailed as an official. He never had any training to be
an official. He got licensed because the administration in Florida
was changing and he got in through the cracks and somebody did
him a favor by licensing him, and the rest is history,"
said the source.
Maxboxing
has obtained a letter that Garcia sent on CSAC letterhead to
Tom Molley, the executive director of the Florida State Boxing
Commission, that is dated October 5th, 2006, and which lauds
both Bertrand and Ric Bays (a judge in Florida) for their participation
in a commission program that had around 140 officials in attendance.
"They
were outstanding in every way!" wrote Garcia, who later
added, "It is refreshing to find officials with a great
attitude and knowledge. These officials need to be motivated
and helped to continue their skills for the betterment of the
sport that we regulate.
"I
am very proud of them, as I know you are. Please recommend them
on my behalf. The doors are always open to them in California."
What
is strange is that despite having a multitude of qualified officials
in California, Bertrand, who on his myspace page lists his hometown
as Miami, Florida, continues to get the big events in California.
According to our Florida source, he is not licensed in their
state. It's highly unusual for a judge - in either MMA or boxing
- to get work while not even being licensed in his own jurisdiction.
The
source within the California commission believes that there is
a vast fission within the organization.
"Because
people don't recognize what he is," says the source. "He's
slick, but there's no substance behind what he says. If they
would just look into the issues and investigate the issues people
have brought forth, they would recognize how transparent he was.
There's no substance behind him."
And
the biggest group of Garcia's loyalists come from the new guard
of inspectors (who work in the corners and the dressing rooms
to enforce the rules of the commission), the 'men in black' that
went in mass to support Garcia in February. They seem to fit
a particular profile.
"I
believe most of them are correctional officers, but they're not
made up of all his people in the Northern California area; they’re
made up of a combination of anyone he can exploit," the
source explains. "In other words, they came in, most of
them, 90-percent of them, since he started his reign. So they
owe him their loyalty. He bought their loyalty, so of course
they're going to be loyal to what he says. But if you look closer,
there's a lot of people he dismissed that have been on the commission
for years and there are people that aren't in good graces because
they stand up for what they believe is right and they call it
for what it is when they see it."
To
this source, their loyalty is a matter of simple economics.
"You're
a corrections office making whatever you make in the corrections
department, or you’re a private guy making this money. A
friend tells you that you can come and get a job with the commission.
You don't know anything about boxing, you never done anything
with boxing before, but you have experience as a corrections
officer and you go down and you kiss up to this guy and you get
this job and he gives you the training. You really don't have
the understanding about professional boxing and what it's all
about. You didn't come in the front door; this guy gave you the
job.
“Now,
you're getting gigs, making $200, $300 a night between MMA and
boxing and weigh-ins and things that have to be done. That's
easily eight-to-ten opportunities for you to make that kind of
money a month. Now you're making $1,600 to $2,000 a month that
you weren't making before. What do you think you're going to
do? And I would like to see the salaries of the guys who are
his real close cronies, the guys who flew up to speak for him,
the guys making all this extra money. I'd like to see what they're
making a month and what they were doing before."
(Part
II of the series will deal, in part, with just how many inspectors
are actually needed for a show. California goes against the grain
of most states by employing up to a dozen or more for certain
cards.)
Many
believe that if you don't kiss Garcia's ring, you get beheaded
- or benched. Those on the 'A-team' are the privileged few.
"It's
absolutely a hostile work environment; he rules with an iron
thumb," says the member of the CSAC. "In fact, his
inspectors are like the Gestapo; if you look at any organization
throughout history that protects a president, like the Secret
Service, or people who protect stars and people who are in other
commissions, they are anonymous, they're incognito, you never
know they're there, except for maybe a pin on their lapel. They're
behind the stars, in the shadows. His guys are upfront, wearing
this goofy looking uniform, like the Gestapo.
“Why
is that? The show isn't about them, it's about the fighters.
Maybe he read a little of Fidel Castro's books or maybe he read
a little of Adolph Hitler’s, and that's where he follows.
I don't know."
More
than one person has referred to his leadership style as a 'dictatorship'
and believe he is incredibly vindictive and will try to thwart
anyone who disagrees with him.
But
Garcia responds by saying, "Here's what I like; I like adults
to act like adults, and when adults don't act like adults, then
'the boss' - and I hate to refer to myself as that - has to take
some kind of action. I think, and this is my style, if you talk
to the people that work in my office, we have a completely open
process. I'm the ultimate decision maker, but I see input in
almost every day-to-day operation, because they're the ones who
are in the trenches. As far as my style, I'm not a micro-manager;
I like to give the people the tools to succeed, and if I tell
you, 'OK, here's what you need to do, here's the tools to do
it,' I expect you to do it. And if you don't tell me that you
have an issue, what do I think? I think you went ahead and did
it and everything is OK.
"And
things pop up, then I’ve got an issue. But I don't consider
myself a dictator; I'm a very responsible state employee and
I really need my job. So I try to do the very best that I can
with the tools that I have."
As
one member of the boxing community told me, "Everyone has
an issue with all these guys. Everyone complains about somebody."
Which is true, as it's impossible to please everyone. It can
be a thankless task, but according to Garcia, a former cop in
Miami, not the most thankless.
"No,
I don't think so. I think being a police officer on midnight
in a crime infested area, where nobody wants to see you and sometimes
even your own department doesn't want to support you because
it's a big department, that might be a little bit more thankless.
To me, an honest cop, I have them up on a pedestal."
Source: Maxboxing
|
Beating
Kang Could Be Mousasi's Breakthrough
Gegard
Mousasi will face Denis Kang Tuesday in what promises to be one
of the most competitive and action-packed middleweight fights
of the year so far.
The
battle, which is set for the Dream middleweight grand prix, picks
up the thread of 2006's Bushido tournament in which both fighters
competed. Kang reached the finals before losing to Kazuo Misaki,
and Akihiro Gono eliminated Mousasi in the quarterfinals.
Twenty
months have passed since then. Mousasi has progressed tremendously
as a fighter, winning all seven of his fights and finishing six.
Now the well-rounded 22-year-old from Armenia is hovering around
the top 10 in the middleweight rankings.
"While
I wasn't ready to fight at such a high level two years ago, I
consider myself a fighter that has a chance against anybody in
the middleweight division now," Mousasi said. "Of course
I have to beat top-ranked guys like Denis Kang to be considered
a top-10 fighter myself, but those rankings are not without flaws.
Sometimes a guy that isn't even in the top 50 can beat a top-10
caliber opponent. It's all about the style of a particular fighter
working well against certain opposition and less successfully
against others."
While
the "Young Vagabond" intends to win the whole Dream
tournament, he has nothing but respect for his first-round opponent.
"I
think Denis Kang is well rounded and has a lot of experience,"
Mousasi said. "His strength is that he doesn't have a lot
of weaknesses, but if I had to single out one, I'd say his standup
is the weakest link. Personally, I know him from the Bushido
GP, and he has always been very friendly when we met."
Kang
started out as a jiu-jitsu player, but he has picked up boxing.
Mousasi, on the other hand, is a kickboxer who has also mastered
the ground game. So where does he want the fight to take place
and how does he see it ending?
"I
have a very good game plan and, quite frankly, I don't care if
the fight is going to the ground or not," Mousasi said.
"My ground game has improved by leaps and bounds in the
past months, especially from the occasional training with Fedor
(Emelianenko). I'd say my ground work is now up to par with my
striking. In the end, I don't care how I win as long as I win."
A
victory over Kang would likely propel Mousasi into the middleweight
top 10. A subsequent win over a Japanese legend like Sakuraba
or Funaki, both of whom are in the tournament, could make him
an instant star in Japan. Mousasi remains humble, though, and
isn't looking too far forward.
"First
I need to beat Kang, which is hard enough," he said. "Should
I make it past him, I don't have any preferences. The only fighter
I don't want to face is [Ikuhisa] Minowa. We have been training
together in the past, and I consider him a good friend."
Mousasi's
original plans for 2008 were quite different than what's playing
out. Before he was invited to the Dream tournament, he intended
to move up to light heavyweight with a bout against Antonio Rogerio
Nogueira looming on the horizon. Those plans are only postponed
for the time being.
"Next
year," he said, "I will definitely move up a division
to fight the guys at 205 pounds."
Mousasi
also wants a future matchup with Dutch fighter Melvin Manhoef.
"I
really want to fight Manhoef because everybody in Holland is
saying how good he is, that he is a beast," he explained.
"They don't say those things about me, so I want to prove
that I can beat him."
Mousasi
might just get what he is wishing for. Manhoef has just confirmed
that he will be fighting both at Dream 3 on May 11 and also at
Dream 4, which is tentatively scheduled for June 15. Provided
that Manhoef doesn't get the chance to advance in the middleweight
tournament like Aoki and Calvancante have in the lightweight
grand prix and if Mousasi is eliminated in the first round, the
duo could meet this summer.
With
both men under contract to Dream promoter Fighting & Entertainment
Group, it is almost certain that they will cross paths sometime
in the future.
Source: Sherdog
|
Paulo
Filho
“He is the liar! He screamed just like a little girl and
after that he said he didn’t tap out, but he tap twice and
everybody saw it”
After
face the depression with the same drive as he conquered the WEC
84kg belt, Paulão Filho conceded an exclusive interview
to TATAME website and talk about his return to trains and the
controversial with Chael Sonnen, that call the Brazilian of “liar”,
when the news about Filho’s depression were posted at the
internet. “He is the liar! He screamed just like a little
girl and after that he said he didn’t tap out, but he tap
twice and everybody saw it”, said the WEC champion that
talked about his friend Anderson Silva last bout. Check out the
complete interview below:
How
is your train?
They
are good. Now I stand up, with the help of Thiagão Mediros,
Buiu, they are very well with me… I am happy to comeback
and I am loving to train.
What
is your plan now for WEC? Do you still want to face Sonnen?
I
have a contract with the event, I will fight against who they
want, I don’t choose. I don’t know what is going to
be, but I believe that is going to face him. Sonnen fought very
well against an undefeatable fighter. I believe people are arguing
with this fight, two tough guys and I believe that is just him
at WEC, at the same event as me.
What
happened this period that you were away from train?
I
was depressive and I could not make anything, just eat and sleep…
I earn a lot of weight and it was too close to lose weight, I
was with 106kg and I couldn’t get the right weight, I could
damage my health. I explained the situation to the owners of
the event and they were comprehensive, they know that it is a
disease not whining of children. I will comeback soon and giber
pride to everybody.
Sonnen
call you liar…
He
is the liar! He screamed just like a little girl and after that
he said he didn’t tap out, but he tap twice and everybody
saw it. He screamed and I make the position. He was better then
me at the fight, but it was a five rounds bout, I submit him
at the second round, we have already three rounds. He start better,
it is normal, he is a top wrestler fighter, but he must believe
that Jiu-Jitsu is a complete art. He screamed and the judge stopped,
otherwise I could broke his arm and he say he didn’t tap
out. He has to be honest, he can say he tap out and that he can
defeat me, but he can’t say he didn’t tap out.
Did
you watch Anderson Silva’s bout?
I
watched live, and I was very proud… Dan ( Henderson ) was
at Sonnen corner when he fought me and said he was going to win,
that Sonnen was the perfect guy and that I could not win, but
he saw that against me is different… He was submitted, Anderson
is Brazilian and never give up, he is a warrior, a good man.
Many
appoint you as a strong guy to defeat Anderson … Would you
face him?
I
don’t have any intention to face him, unless for something
that is good for both of us, a lot of money. We are professionals,
but It has to be something very good to us. We are friends, I
don’t want to fight, he deserves to be where he is. He is
a warrior, collect belts, a good father, an exemple as an athlete
and as a Brazilian.
Is
there anybody in especial that you want to face?
Sonnen
is past… Scarred and was submitted. He doesn’t have
strong punches. I was calm, in a very comfortable situation,
at the end I was with that normal damages for a fight, but I
was ok… He just take down goodly, but don’t decide
the positions. When he took down I was good and I make the arm-lock
twice. When I am under my opponent, I am very dangerous, he make
silly with his elbows and were submitted, was ridiculous and
now he wants the return fight…He is a liar! My message:
Lions don’t make deals with men. My manager is going to
deal with this now and I don’t want to know who am I going
to face, I think it is going to be him. I want to destroy him,
he is going to face a much more prepared guy and I am not going
to let it out, he is going to tap out to everybody see it.
Source: Tatame
|
Galvao
submits Telles in HK
Pan champion takes one more title
Former
Eduardo Telles student during the days of TT Jiu-Jitsu, Andre
Galvao submitted his old teacher to take the 2nd Copa Hong Kong
title, in the tournament that took place yesterday in China.
In reaching the highest spot on the winners’ stand, the
current Pan-American absolute champion won three fights, one
of which was against his old teacher.
“I
submitted Telles with a forearm choke from the back, he went
nuts, but we’re all in the same gang (laughs)! I went through
the first fight against a Japanese fighter from Barbosa JJ, Makoto,
and submitted him with a brabo choke. The second fight was against
Pedro Schmal (Brazilian living in London). I won by 21 to 2,”
Galvao recounted to GRACIEMAG.com.
With
the victory, Galvao took a US$ 2 thousand check. Today, he and
Telles will participate in a seminar to take place after the
no-gi dispute at Copa Hong Kong.
On
the 5th, Telles, Galvao and other Brazilians will participate
in a Jiu-Jitsu tournament organized by Rickson Gracie and some
Japanese partners. The competition will conform to International
Jiu-Jitsu Federation rules. Stay tuned and shortly GRACIEMAG.com
will bring further information about the tournament.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Travis
Lutter released from UFC contract
Travis Lutter, the middleweight winner of "The Ultimate
Fighter" season four, has been let go by the UFC.
Lutter
received the news six days after his loss in Montreal to former
UFC middleweight champion Rich Franklin.
"Friday
afternoon I was told by my manager that UFC matchmaker Joe Silva
had left him a message on his phone that I had been released
from my UFC contract because of my 2 losses in a row," Lutter
wrote on his myspace blog.
Lutter
debuted for the company in Oct. 2004 with a knockout victory
over Marvin Eastman, but dropped his next two Octagon fights
against Matt Lindland and Travis Langley. In 2006, Lutter was
given an opportunity for a "comeback" when he was selected
as a cast member on "The Ultimate Fighter 4." He made
the most of it and ended up defeating Patrick Cote in the Finale
to earn a title shot against Anderson Silva.
However,
his next two UFC bouts would turn out disastrous. Lutter failed
to make weight against Silva at UFC 67, and stumbled again when
he gassed after one round against Franklin at UFC 83.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Mailbag:
Where should UFC visit?
For
months it was a joke among the media and UFC president Dana White
at news conferences and conference calls.
Once
White opened the floor to questions, Neil Davidson of the Canadian
Press would invariably ask if and/or when the UFC would come
to Canada. And White would always reply that it was in the company’s
plan to put on a show in Montreal.
On
Saturday, after a crowd of 21,390 jammed the Bell Centre to watch
UFC 83, it was clear why the talented Davidson was so persistent
and why White was so agreeable about getting to Montreal.
Once
there is governmental sanction in Hawaii, New York, Massachusetts and Illinois,
the company will stage shows in Honolulu, New York, Boston and
Chicago.
ADVERTISEMENT
But
here are five other North American cities which have not hosted
a UFC card that White should seriously consider for a main show
before long:
Portland,
Ore.: There are a ton of mixed martial arts fans in the Pacific
Northwest and the show would draw from all over the region. A
card featuring one of the many fighters from that area could
fill more than 18,000 seats in its Rose Garden Arena.
San
Francisco: Promoter Scott Coker has had great success with Strikeforce
shows in San Jose, Calif. There is a strong and loyal fan base
in the Bay Area. San Francisco is such a popular town that it
would attract many fans to travel, just as they do to a place
like Las Vegas.
San
Antonio: The UFC needs to court fans in the Southwest outside
of Las Vegas. San Antonio is a fight town and once had a massive
crowd for a boxing match between Julio Cesar Chavez and Pernell
Whitaker at the Alamodome. Imagine how many tickets the UFC could
sell in that venue.
Indianapolis:
Clearly, MMA is big in the Midwest. The venues are there and
it’s accessible from a number of cities, such as Columbus,
Ohio, and Cincinnati, that have already put on successful cards.
Pittsburgh:
Imagine Big Ben and Sid the Kid sitting cageside at Mellon Arena.
The show would draw from Cleveland (and throughout Ohio), upstate
New York and Baltimore, as well as Western Pennsylvania.
With
that, I’ll answer your questions in my reader mailbag. As
always, my answers are in italics after the question.
ALVES-FITCH?
I’m
a fan of Thiago Alves, and I read that he’s second in line
for a title shot after Jon Fitch. What are the chances that the
UFC might set up an Alves-Fitch fight in order to determine who
gets a shot at Georges St. Pierre? How do you think that fight
might go?
Dario
Polski
Buenos Aires, Argentina
It
would be a close, competitive fight, but I’d favor Fitch
if it happened. But I don’t anticipate it happening, at
least any time soon, since I believe Fitch will fight St. Pierre
for the title next.
CAN
GSP TAKE SILVA?
What
chance would you give Georges St. Pierre against Anderson Silva
if/when they meet? His wrestling is certainly at a higher level,
but it’s just as clear that Anderson’s striking is
leagues ahead of anyone in the UFC right now. Silva has also
submitted better wrestlers (Henderson) and grapplers (Lutter)
than GSP. Furthermore, St. Pierre won’t have the size and
strength advantage he holds over the welterweights, and Silva’s
ability to put opponents in a body triangle has proven to be
a safe and effective weapon from the bottom while he works for
a sweep or a triangle choke. An inability to pass guard and his
seeming tentativeness in the striking game of late would not
bode well against the top middleweight in the game.
Vince
Abrego
Chicago
It
would be an epic bout, were it to occur. I’d favor Silva
for a number of reasons. His striking is better and if Serra
could knock out St. Pierre, what would Silva do if he connected?
Silva would be getting a huge advantage with the weight, as well.
For St. Pierre to win, I believe he’d have to use a series
of legs kicks, then shoot in and take Silva to the floor where
he could try to finish him with the ground and pound. But I think
Silva would find a way to win on strikes.
KIMBO
TALKING SMACK
What
do you think about Kimbo Slice calling out Chuck Liddell? After
Chuck said that Kimbo hasn’t fought anyone good yet (which
is true,) Kimbo went on to say that he’d fight Chuck on
the street, etc. Chuck would dominate Kimbo, in my opinion. What
do you think?
Nate
Ohio
I
had not seen or heard that Kimbo had said anything derogatory
about Liddell. But as fighters, they’re not nearly in the
same league. Liddell would knock him out without question.
FRANKLIN
TO LIGHT HEAVY?
With
Rich Franklin already having lost twice to Anderson Silva, there
seem to be some questions about his future. There’s been
some talk of him going up to 205. What about a fight at middleweight
with Dan Henderson? Does Michael Bisping need to win a few more
before a fight with Franklin or does his work at 205 help his
case?
Adam
Buckalew
Minneapolis
Franklin
is the world’s second-best middleweight. He’s said
himself he’s staying at 185 pounds, so I’ll take his
word for that. A fight with Henderson would be perfect for both
men. Bisping is ready for Franklin, but he needs to win another
fight or so in the division. A Franklin-Bisping fight would be
a lot of fun, because both are so good on their feet.
DEDUCT
THEIR PAY
In
PRIDE, fighters were deducted a percentage of their pay if they
did not engage in any action during a fight. Will Dana White
adopt that rule in UFC in the wake of the Kalib Starnes fiasco?
Andrew
Harwood
Las Vegas
I
would be against it and I would believe that it’s barred
contractually. What should have happened in Starnes’ fight
with Nate Quarry was that the referee should have penalized Starnes
a point for not fighting. For those who didn’t see it, Starnes
spent nearly all of the three rounds of the fight running in
circles. White later cut Starnes in response. But I’m not
in favor of taking money out of the fighters’ pockets, even
in a situation like the one involving Starnes. If the referee
had been more involved, he could have induced them to fight.
DANA
WAS NUTTY
Was
Dana White drunk when he decided to book Kalib Starnes vs. Nate
Quarry on the main card and put Sam Stout vs. Rich Clementi on
the preliminary card Saturday? Sam Stout was in arguably the
best lightweight fight of 2007 when he fought Spencer Fisher,
and Rich Clementi’s fight against Melvin Guillard at UFC
79 was exceptional. I would have loved to have seen their fight,
but instead, we were treated to the most boring fight in recent
memory as Starnes ran backward for three rounds.
Todd
Michael
Pittsburgh
I
agree. It’s easy to rip the call in hindsight, but I liked
the Stout-Clementi match from the moment it was made. I just
didn’t expect Starnes to do what he did. And no one reasonably
could have. Starnes is suffering a great deal of abuse from the
fans, and rightly so, but it takes a great deal of courage simply
to walk up the steps and into the cage. If he wanted to quit
for some reason, he could have asked his corner to stop it. Who
would possibly sign him now knowing his reputation is in tatters?
HURT
THE SPORT
When
I saw that Kalib Starnes fight, I couldn’t even look. It
was like watching an awkward, embarrassing moment you only see
in TV sitcoms. I agree that letting him go was the right move
by Dana White. However, I can’t help but believe that Kalib
is forever going to be labeled as the running man. Other fighters
who do similar acts will be compared to him. That fight alone
set MMA back in intelligence and skill 10 years.
Nick
McKnight
Fontana, Calif.
I
don’t believe it hurt the sport at all, Nick. I think it
hurt one person: Starnes. He’s now looking for a job and
I wouldn’t be shocked if his career as a fighter were over.
That’s a not a great way to be remembered, by running the
way he did.
GSP
WAS BRILLIANT
GSP
fought beautifully on Saturday. Anyone who says otherwise just
doesn’t know MMA. His standup was on point, his ground and
pound was solid and his grappling was there. I just need to praise
it because it is what a complete showing of what a full MMA fighter
looks like. I think Jon Fitch is in store for a very eye-opening
experience. I really don’t know what Fitch’s game plan
could be after GSP outwrestled his more polished wrestling partner,
Josh Koscheck. Would you give a short idea of the fight in your
opinion?
J.P.
Villa
El Paso, Texas
It’s
going to be difficult for Fitch, or anyone else, at this point
to beat St. Pierre. But if you make a plan for Fitch, you first
have to look at making it a long and slow fight. St. Pierre is
so athletic that he can overwhelm you. So it makes sense to slow
him down and keep him fighting at a different pace than he wants.
I think Fitch would need to work in a lot of kicks, particularly
low kicks. I don’t think he should make it a standup battle,
but I do think he should use his striking to keep St. Pierre
off stride. But when St. Pierre wants to stand, Fitch needs to
take it down and when St. Pierre looks to get it to the ground,
Fitch should try to keep it standing. No matter what, though,
I think he’ll be in for a long and difficult night.
Source: Yahoo Sports
|
Quote
of the Day
"When
anger rises, think of the consequences."
Confucius, 551-479 B.C., Chinese Thinker and Social Philosopher
|
Fighters'
Club Radio Today!
Tune in
every Monday morning for your weekly fill of MMA talk on the
radio with Pat and Mark.
Tell
everyone to tune in to AM 1500 from 9:00 to 10:00 am every Monday
morning right after Leahey and Leahey!
Please
call in and give your opinion on the topic of the day or your
view of MMA in general!
|
DREAM.2
Middleweight Grand Prix Preview
By Robert Rousseau
DREAM.2 will be coming to us all on April 29, 2008 from the Saitama
Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. We’re talking about a Middleweight
Grand Prix in true former PRIDE style, folks. So without further
ado, let’s get down to the pickings.
The Middleweight Grand Prix
Denis
Kang (29-9-1) vs. Gegard Mousasi (20-2-1): Denis Kang is one
of those guys that just seems to fall short quite a bit. There’s
no arguing that he has excellent technical striking skills combined
with much of the same when it comes to submissions and jiu jitsu.
It’s just that his recent first round KO loss to Yoshihiro
Akiyama was surprising to say the least. At the time, so was
his clear decision loss to Kazuo Misaki at PRIDE: Bushido 13.
Yet, the talent is undeniably there. But sometimes you have to
wonder when it will all finally jell like you know it can.
Gegard
Mousasi is a guy that just flat out knocks people out. What’s
more, he has submission skills. But he hasn’t really been
in there consistently with the same quality of MMA opponent that
his adversary has, leaving some questions.
Prediction:
At some point, things should all come together for Denis Kang.
Figure the road to that starts here.
Denis
Kang wins via submission in round two.
Kazushi
Sakuraba (23-10-1) vs. Andrews Nakahara (0-0): Kazushi Sakuraba
has no doubt lost a step or two over the years. That said, he
still has elite caliber submission skills and is a danger to
tap someone out every second of any fight. Further, he’s
got good technical striking skills and strong takedowns/ takedown
defense.
Unfortunately,
he doesn’t have a lot of power on his feet. Further, how
hard he’s training these days is unknown (Sakuraba has been
known to party).
But
still, he is a warrior.
Andrews
Nakahara is a karate fighter with no MMA fights.
Prediction:
This fights seems designed to get a Japanese favorite to the
next round.
Kazushi
Sakuraba wins via submission in round one.
Kiyoshi
Tamura (30-13-1) vs. Masakatsu Funaki (38-12-1): Kyoshi Tamura
is a very good wrestler with excellent submissions. Masakatsu
Funaki has only fought once in the last seven years, but was
one heckuva Pancrase fighter earlier in his career. In other
words, he had excellent wrestling and submissions. So whom do
you go with: The fighter that was great way back when or the
guy that has been more consistently involved in the fight game
recently.
Kiyoshi
Tamura wins via decision.
Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza (7-1) vs. Frank Trigg (16-6):
Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza is one of the best Brazilian
Jiu Jitsu /submission fighters out there. Along with this, all
seven of his MMA victories have come by way of submission. His
striking skills are improving, even if they are definitely a
relative weakness.
Despite
Souza’s clear BJJ dominance there are some MMA questions
on him. First, he’s never gone beyond the first round in
a mixed martial arts match, so how’s his cardio when it
comes to a sport that isn’t strictly submission fighting?
Second, he hasn’t faced elite MMA opposition, so it’s
hard to know how he’ll fare once he does.
On
the other hand, the reason why Souza’s fights don’t
go very long is because he tends to stop people rather quickly.
Frank
Trigg is a solid striker with outstanding wrestling skills and
strength. On one hand, he’s been in there with some outstanding
MMA competition and defeated the likes of Renato Verissimo, Dennis
Hallman, Jayson “Mayhem” Miller, Kazuo Misaki, and
Edwin DeWees. On the other hand, he’s lost to most of the
best he’s fought, including Carlos Condit (submission),
Georges St. Pierre (submission), Matt Hughes (twice by way of
submission), and Robbie Lawler (KO).
Prediction:
Trigg has proven susceptible to submission fighters in the past.
Here’s the thing, though: He has better striking skills
than his opponent and may have better takedowns and takedown
defense.
Expect
Trigg to be able to control where this fight goes and do some
damage in ground and pound fashion as well. Souza is outstanding—Just
have a feeling that Trigg’s wrestling will allow him to
stay away from bad positions.
Frank
Trigg via decision.
Taiei
Kin (2-2) vs. Ikuhiso Minowa (39-27-8):
Ikuhiso
Minowa is a very strong wrestler that fights with a lot of heart.
In addition, he has solid submission skills (particularly leglocks)
and solid stand up as well.
In
other words, he’s a true warrior and is a pretty well rounded
mixed martial artist.
Taiei
Kin is an outstanding kickboxer and karate practitioner. However,
his ground skills are suspect.
Prediction:
Expect Minowa to take his opponent down in this one. From there,
he should be in a good place.
Ikuhiso
“The Punk” Minowa wins via submission in round one.
Magomed
Sultanakhmedov (4-1) vs. Zelg Galesic (7-3): Zelg Galesic is
a tough Croatian fighter with excellent striking skills and power.
He also has good takedowns/ takedown defense, but submissions
are somewhat limited, as is his submission defense.
Magomed
Sultanakhmadov is a good Muay Thai fighter. Still, most of his
fights go to decision and his ground skills may also be somewhat
limited.
Prediction:
One guy seems to have more power here.
Zelg
Galesic wins via KO in round two.
Yoon
Dong Sik (3-4) vs. Shungo Oyama (7-10): Dong Sik Yoon (same as
Yoon Dong Sik) is an outstanding judo fighter that competes with
a lot of heart. Beyond outstanding takedowns and takedown defense,
Yoon also possesses strong submission skills. Along with this,
he has won his last three fights by way of submission.
Though
striking is a relative weakness, he is improving in this regard
and can take a punch.
Oyama
is a very tough guy. He’s a survivor that is used to fighting
against very good competition. Further, he has some decent submission
skills and is unorthodox to the point of frustration for his
opponents.
Prediction:
Oyama is tough. But Yoon is on a roll, and guess is that will
continue.
Yoon
via TKO (ground and pound) in the final round.
The
Other Big Fight
The
rematch: Shinya Aoki vs. Gesias “JZ” Calvancante: Bottom
line is that upon further review the elbows to the back of the
head that Calvancante supposedly threw in their last fight don’t
look so illegal anymore. Either way, that fight was probably
going to end in a knockout, and this one likely will as well.
Aoki
is an awesome ground fighter that has a chance at submitting
anyone. But right now Calvancante seems just too strong for him
to get to the canvas, and too good on his feet for the Japanese
fighter.
JZ
Calvancante wins via TKO in round one.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
MAC
DANZIG TALKS SUB OF BOCEK AND KNEE INJURY
by Damon Martin
“The Ultimate Fighter” season six winner, Mac Danzig,
proved he belongs among the growing list of top lightweights
in the Ultimate Fighting Championship after defeating Brazilian
jiu-jitsu black belt Mark Bocek by submission at UFC 83 in Montreal.
After
a tough first five minutes that saw Bocek take Danzig down, the
newest member of Xtreme Couture stepped up his game coming out
for the next session. Taking advantage of every situation, both
standing and on the ground, Danzig was able to impose his will
on Bocek, who seemed to fade a bit after the first round.
“It’s
kind of the way I fight. I break people down, and it’s just
something that I have an ability with. I think it’s good
for me because I have the ability to notice when someone’s
breaking down and I can tell,” said Danzig about his second
round takeover. “Some people, they just fight and they don’t
really have any intuition or any sense on what their opponent
is feeling, but I could tell that he was starting to break down.”
As
Danzig was working to finish the fight he went for a gogoplata,
a rarely used submission in mixed martial arts, and he ended
up hurting himself worse than he did his opponent.
“Unfortunately,
I messed up my knee going for that,” Danzig stated about
the submission attempt. “I didn’t realize how hard
I pulled my leg and I heard a pop while I was going for that
gogoplata, I heard my knee pop. I actually just got back from
the doctor’s today and I got an MRI on it and I’m going
to get the results tomorrow.”
Since
that time, MMAWeekly.com was able to reach Danzig for further
comment about the injury. He stated that he only suffered muscle
damage, not a ligament tear. So no surgery will be required for
the injury. He should be back in training in about three weeks.
In
the third round, Danzig took over completely, opening a large
cut on Bocek’s face and then ended the fight by submitting
his opponent with a rear naked choke. Considering Bocek’s
considerable pedigree in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, Danzig admits winning
by submission felt nice.
“I
know how good my ground is, I know what level my ground is, and
I know where I stand in that world,” Danzig commented. “It
feels good to be able to show people that I’m pretty dangerous
when it comes to grappling. But then at the same time, a lot
of that has to do with how I wore him out and what I did in the
fight leading up to that. I definitely take pride in that, and
it means a lot to me. It’s like getting a knockout on a
really high level kickboxer.”
Danzig
admitted during the UFC 83 post fight press conference that he
is his own worst critic, and while his performance was still
phenomenal, he knows he can improve.
“I
felt I could have done a lot better, but I look forward to building
off that and my next performance is going to be ten times better
than this one, I guarantee you.”
Source: MMA Weekly
|
GSP
Moves Up P4P List, But Not to Top
It
was a slow month for the 10 fighters on the Sherdog pound-for-pound
ranking. Only one, Georges St. Pierre, competed. His dismantling
of Matt Serra avenged a shocking defeat from one year ago, and
continued the momentum he's seized since losing the UFC welterweight
title. In regaining the belt, GSP moved passed Fedor Emelianenko
on the list. Outside of that, it remains unchanged.
1.
Anderson Silva (21-4)
Silva, the UFC middleweight champion, owns this perch until further
notice. During his dismantling of Dan Henderson on March 1, the
31-year-old Brazilian showed all aspects of his game en route
to the first tapout to a choke of Henderson's career. Japan's
Yushin Okami appears to be Silva's next UFC challenger, yet the
185-pound "Spider" has voiced more of an interest in
boxing Roy Jones Jr.
2.
Quinton Jackson (28-6)
"Rampage" sits firmly in the second spot, a couple
notches behind Silva. While a case could be made that the 29-year-old
UFC light heavyweight champion belongs at the top following victories
over Chuck Liddell and Dan Henderson, "Spider" Silva's
destruction of Hendo makes Jackson's five-round decision win
against the Greco-Roman Olympian appear less impressive. Jackson,
however, has dominated since coming to the UFC, and he will get
his highest profile fight as champion when he defends against
Forrest Griffin this summer.
3.
Georges St. Pierre (16-2)
The 26-year-old French Canadian moves up one spot with his dismantling
of Matt Serra in his home city of Montreal. St. Pierre could
be considered the most dominant fighter in MMA if he handles
Jon Fitch later this year and continues to impose himself on
the welterweight division. Talk would then turn to a potential
superfight between GSP and "The Spider."
4.
Fedor Emelianenko (27-1, 1 NC)
Negative press based on his inactivity having been weathered,
the previous leader of this list gets back to business July 19
against former UFC heavyweight champion Tim Sylvia. A dominant
performance would immediately put the 31-year-old Emelianenko
back in contention for the top spot, and quiet critics who suggested
he was never as good as advertised. Should he lose, however,
the Russian's stock would take a severe blow.
5.
Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (31-4-1, 1 NC)
If not for Fedor, "Minotauro" would be regarded as
the top heavyweight in MMA history. As it stands, the 31-year-old
Brazilian holds onto No. 5 as he waits for his next challenge.
The victory over Tim Sylvia for the "interim" UFC heavyweight
crown offered fans who had not followed Nogueira's career during
or after his championship reign in Pride a chance to see just
how tough and technical he is. Heavyweight defections from the
UFC could limit how far Nogueira can rise on this list, however.
6.
Urijah Faber (20-1)
Currently standing as World Extreme Cagefighting featherweight
champion, Faber's near perfect record and ability to connect
with fans immediately made him the best known mixed martial artist
under 145 pounds. The aggressive wrestler, who turns 29 in May,
has worked diligently on rounding out his game with an improved
focus on standup and submission. Faber's next challenge comes
June 1 in his hometown of Sacramento, Calif., against former
UFC lightweight champion Jens Pulver.
7.
Takanori Gomi (28-3, 1 NC)
Japan's perennial lightweight king earned his first victory since
Dec. 31, 2006, with a stoppage of Duane Ludwig on March 5. Gomi's
overall record is impressive, yet his recent inactivity has angered
many fans that feel he's failed to fight the best in the division.
The fact of the matter, however, remains that Gomi, 29, owns
wins over the bulk of top-division talent. A rematch versus B.J.
Penn (Pictures) or bouts with other viable 155-pound fighters
would go a long way in answering questions over Gomi's spirit
to fight. His next chance to prove his place comes in June.
8.
Norifumi Yamamoto (17-1, 1 NC)
After establishing himself as a top featherweight, "Kid"
jumped to K-1 three years ago and moved up to lightweight for
payday purposes. Along the way he happened to become a superstar
in Japan, where he picked up some solid wins. Yamamoto, now 31,
stopped Rani Yahya on New Year's Eve, showing once again how
explosive he can be. Fighting at a more natural weight (near
135 pounds), Yamamoto could be a quick riser on this list if
he is matched with quality opposition. His next bout comes this
summer against an undetermined opponent.
9.
B.J. Penn (12-4-1)
While "The Prodigy" has always had P4P talent, inconsistent
performances and confusing excursions into far-too-heavy weight
divisions kept him off this list. Having settled in nicely at
155 pounds, Penn has brought the sort of technical dominance
that has many fans and fighters alike calling the Hawaiian the
best fighter in the sport. Fighting Sean Sherkon May 24, Penn,
29, has the opportunity to bust into the top three, including
the very real possibility that he would challenge Anderson Silva
for the top spot if he dominates the steroid-tainted former UFC
lightweight champion.
10.
Miguel Torres (32-1)
Torres is the reason lists like this exist. Recognizing talent
across all weight divisions, Torres is the first 135-pounder
to make his presence felt. Toiling in obscurity before the bantamweight
class was featured in the United States by World Extreme Cagefighting,
Torres captured an organizational championship title with a masterful
effort versus Chase Beebe. The 27-year-old fighter from East
Chicago, Ind., offered a varied and high-paced submission attack
before catching Beebe in one of the best submissions this year.
Torres defends his title for the first time June 1 versus Yoshiro
Maeda .
Source: Sherdog
|
Distak
doesn’t discard Anderson vs. Roy Jones Jr.
By Guilherme Cruz
Not
confirmed yet, the Boxing fight between Anderson Silva and Roy
Jones Jr. is shaking the MMA World. As the UFC middleweight Champion
Boxing coach, Josuel Distak said that he needs to change a lot
his way of fighting to face Roy Jones, but he doesn’t discard
the bout. “To a Boxing fight, we have to comeback to the
beginning at the Boxing trains. I say that because he is focus
at the MMA. It would be great a challenge like this, but not
now”, said Distak, that prefers that Anderson keeps focus
at MMA for while.
“Let
him continue at the MMA, because he is very well, he is the best
in the world and is not good change to another event, unless
it is a fight at Boxing and another at MMA. Our Boxing is prepared
for MMA, for Boxing we would have to do a long job, but we fight
against him with great pleasure”, said Minotauro Team Boxing
coach.
Source: Tatame
|
UFC
To Be Televised On FOX?
By Jason Perkins
According to Adam Smith of MMAPayout.com The UFC is in serious
negotiations with FOX. Apparently, White met with FOX executives
earlier this month and the two sides are progressing toward a
network deal.
There have also been rumors of a possible deal with ESPN. Our
sources have confirmed that the two sides have been in periodic
discussions since last fall but have yet to reach a deal. Sources
at MMAPayout have stated that that ESPN has yet to decide whether
or not they would like to pick up MMA programing or coverage.
Source: Fight Line
|
MCCARTHY
ANNOUNCES RETIREMENT
Middleweight
Charles McCarthy announced his retirement on Thursday, less than
a week after being drubbed in a first-round technical knockout
loss to Michael Bisping at UFC 83: Serra vs. St. Pierre 2 in
Montreal.
His
fighting career given new life through his appearance on season
four of “The Ultimate Fighter” reality series, McCarthy
finishes with a 10-5 mark – though he won only once in three
trips inside the Octagon. All 10 of the Brazilian jiu-jitsu brown
belt’s victories came by submission, including his 2006
win over Gideon Ray at “The Ultimate Fighter 4” Live
Finale.
“I
have achieved many of the goals I set out to accomplish in this
sport and found others just out of reach,” McCarthy said
in a written statement. “It is now time for me to lay down
my gloves and rededicate my attention towards my business, my
fighters, my family and my team.”
Based
out of the American Top Team, McCarthy made his professional
debut in 2003, when he submitted Jay Massey at an Absolute Fighting
Championships show in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. He credited his teammates
and trainers at ATT for his growth, personally and professionally.
“Being
involved with true champions at American Top Team has guided
me to become a better father, husband, teacher and friend,”
he said. “The successes I have found in my career are due
in large part to all the great people who have helped me along
the way."
Source: The Fight Network
|
ULTIMATE
FIGHTING CHAMPIONSHIP UPDATE
3 More Bouts Confirmed for UFC 86
By FCF Staff
The
Ultimate Fighting Championship has confirmed 3 more bouts for
its upcoming July 5th card, which will take place at the Mandalay
Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. UFC 86 will be headlined
by light-heavyweight title bout between champion Quinton “Rampage”
Jackson and challenger, Forrest Griffin.
Cote
At middleweight, Patrick Cote will take on renowned jiu-jitsu
practitioner, Ricardo Almeida (9-2). Cote has won 4 straight
since losing to Travis Lutter at the Season 4 Finale of “The
Ultimate Fighter,” and is coming off a TKO victory over
Drew McFedries at UFC Fight Night 12 in January.
Almeida
returned to MMA competition for the first time in nearly 4 years
in February, and submitted Rob Yundt with a first round guillotine
choke at UFC 81.
In
the welterweight division, Josh Koscheck (10-2) will fight the
veteran Chris Lytle (25-15-5). Koscheck is coming off a TKO stoppage
of Dustin Hazelett at UFC 82 in March, which extended his UFC
record to an impressive 8-2.
Lytle
is 3-2 in his last five UFC bouts; most recently the former TUF
4 competitor stopped Kyle Bradley in dramatic fashion at UFC
81.
At
lightweight, Cole Miller (13-3) will look to back on the winning
track against Jorge Gurgel (12-3). Miller is coming off a second
round TKO loss to Jeremy Stephens at UFC Fight Night 12. Prior
to that, the ATT fighter earned a Unanimous Decision over Leonard
Garcia at Fight Night 11 in September.
Gurgel
is 3-2 in his last five UFC bouts, at UFC 82, the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
black belt worked his way to a Unanimous Decision win over John
Halverson.
Source: Full Contact Fighter
|
Brandon
Vera: “It’s my one-year goal — to win both titles."
By Jason Perkins
The following quote from Brandon Vera is provided courtesy of
Philstar.com:
“It’s my one-year goal — to win both titles. I’ll
fight anyone UFC wants me to fight. I’m not scared of anyone.
I train ridiculously hard for all my fights. I drive myself to
the point of exhaustion. In the past, I’ve collapsed in
the gym. When I’m training for a fight, I work out thrice
a day from six to eight weeks. Each day, I do 50 minutes of conditioning,
including working six six-minute rounds, then 1 1/2 hours of
repetition drills and finally, 1 1/2 hours of doing whatever
my coaches want, like sparring or banging the bag or hitting
the mitts…. After I get the heavyweight belt, I’m going
after Rampage (light heavyweight champion Quinton Jackson). I’ve
already challenged Rampage. We’ve agreed that whoever wins
will buy a car of his opponent’s choice but the plate will
show the word ‘loser.’ I wouldn’t like to drive
a Lamborghini with ‘loser’ on the plate so I don’t
intend to lose.. I’ve trained with Rampage and he’s
tough. But when the title’s on the line, it’s anything
goes in the UFC.”
Source: Fight Line
|
Quote
of the Day
"We
choose our joys and sorrows long before we experience them."
Kahlil Gibran, 1883-1931, Lebanese Poet and Novelist
|
IFL
ANNOUNCES BOUTS FOR RETURN TO MOHEGAN SUN
The International Fight League on Thursday announced several
bouts to round out its May 16 card at the Mohegan Sun in Connecticut.
Pennsylvanian
fighter Lamont Lister takes on Team Quest fighter Aaron Stark.
Lister comes off a stoppage victory over Oleg Savitsky at YAMMA
1, while Stark submitted Dallas Browning at Sport Fight 21.
Undefeated
welterweight prospect Nick Calandrino faces off with Boston native
John Howard. Calandrino submitted George Sullivan at Battle Cage
Xtreme 4, while Howard knocked out Jose Rodriguez at Ring of
Combat 18.
Oregonian
fighter Joey Guel takes on former IFL middleweight champion Matt
Horwich. Guel lost a decision to Falaniko Vitale at X-1: Champions
in his last bout. Horwich also lost recently, dropping a decision
to Ryan McGivern at an IFL event in Las Vegas.
IFL
draft participant Josh Souder takes on lightweight wrestler Zac
George. Souder comes off a submission victory over Craig Meagher
at Legends of Fighting 8, while George dropped a decision to
Mike Joy at Sport Fight 21.
Brazilian
submission fighter Fabricio Camoes takes on Ring of Combat lightweight
champion Jim Miller. Camoes submitted Joe Camacho at a recent
ShoXC event, while Miler scored a decision over Bart Palaszewski
at the recent IFL event in New Jersey.
Danillo
Villefort, another IFL draft participant, takes on Team Bomb
Squad fighter Mike Massenzio. Villefort earned a TKO stoppage
victory over Todd Carney at Word Fighting Championships 5. Massenzio
enters the bout having submitted Lance Everson at Ring of Combat
17.
Already
announced for the card are three championship fights. IFL lightweight
champion Ryan Schultz defends his title against New York lightweight
Deividas Taurosevicius, middleweight champion Ryan McGivern defends
his title against New Jersey middleweight Dan Miller, and heavyweight
champion Roy Nelson defends his title against Hammer House fighter
Brandon Lee Hinkle.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
UFC
85 to air on pay-per-view
UFC 85 at the O2 Arena in London will air on pay-per-view and
not Spike TV.
The
official UFC website previously listed Spike TV as the carrier
of UFC 85, but late this morning, made the correction. The UFC
has confirmed to MMAFighting.com that the correction will stand.
UFC
85 is currently missing a main event and an event title after
Chuck Liddell withdrew from his bout versus Rashad Evans due
to a torn hamstring. Evan's new opponent is expected to be James
Irvin.
The
price for UFC pay-per-views is $44.95, which began with UFC 81:
Breaking Point last February.
FIGHT
CARD:
205
lbs: Rashad Evans vs. James Irvin (not officially announced)
265 lbs: Brandon Vera vs. Fabricio Werdum
185 lbs: Martin Kampmann vs. Jorge Rivera
170 lbs: Mike Swick vs. Marcus Davis
185 lbs: Nate Marquardt vs. Thales Leites
155 lbs: Matt Wiman vs. Thiago Tavares
205 lbs: Jason Lambert vs. Luiz Cane
185 lbs: Roan Carneiro vs. TBA
265 lbs: Antoni Hardonk vs. Neil Wain
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Thiago
Silva fight to keep undefeatable
By Guilherme Cruz
With
an impressive résumé at MMA, Thiago Silva is already
appointed as one of the bests at his category at the UFC. After
a easy win against Houston Alexandre, Thiago will face the also
undefeatable Antônio Samuray, with 11 victories at his
card. But first, Thiago commented his last fight. “ Houston
is very strong. I trained a lot and I made an specific tactical
train because he has strong punches. I impose my game because
he won all his fights at the stand up game and nobody knew how
was his ground game. So I made the right thing and finish the
fight”, analyzed Thiago.
Thiago
didn’t want to face a Brazilian but he state that he is
professional. “Unfortunately I am going to face a Brazilian,
but I am here to work. I don’t choose my opponents. Ultimate
wants me to face him so I will. I know that he is a striker but
nothing scare me. I saw some of him fights at the internet and
apparently he had never face a international level athlete. He
is having his opportunity and I am here. Theoretically I came
from a much hardest fight.”
Source: Tatame
|
UFC
Referee Dan Miragliotta Recounts Run-In With Fan At UFC 83
By Jason Perkins
Many outlets have erroneously reported that a crazed fan attacked
6-4, 296 pound UFC referee Dan Miragliotta who promptly put the
fan in a rear naked choke before other authorities arrived to
make the arrest.
Miragliotta
recounted his side of the story about his run-in with the fan
in an email to Mr. Sunshine:
The only thing, is that he wasn’t going after me he was
charging either GSP or the ring. I just happened to be in between
him and his targets. I was asked by the UFC to help with security
when the 2 fighters entered the ring area. They where more worried
about Matt then GSP. Next thing I know some wack job is jumping
over the barriers and charging the ring. I didn’t want to
hurt the guy so I was just going to put him to sleep and then
help get him out of there before he hurt someone or himself.
Source: Fight Line
|
Dream
Pulled from Primetime TV
by Jordan Breen
In
a less-than-dreamy scenario, Fight Entertainment Group's Dream
MMA brand has been ousted from primetime television on the Tokyo
Broadcasting System.
The
change comes after the debut edition of Dream garnered lackluster
ratings in a make-or-break scenario for FEG and TBS.
The
event grabbed only an 8.9 percent rating average on TBS in primetime,
according to Japan's Video Research Ltd. The telecast's peak
was a 12.7 for the Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic bout against
Tatsuya Mizuno, which was edited into the main event slot due
to the no-contest debacle in the Shinya Aoki-Gesias Calvancante
fight -- the show's true main event. TBS was fifth out of the
six major Japanese networks during the time slot, besting only
the perennial sixth-place finisher, TV Tokyo.
The
ratings were crucial for the primetime continuation of FEG's
MMA product. Rumors within the Japanese MMA community surfaced
late last year suggesting that TBS could take FEG's Hero's promotion
out of primetime due to sagging, lackluster ratings.
Although
FEG's restructuring of its MMA program and the invention of Dream
were celebrated by hardcore MMA fans, the move was not an altruistic
one. Rather, it was an attempt to revitalize FEG's MMA product
and ignite interest on television.
TBS
is now scheduled to air the forthcoming April 29 Dream card on
a week's tape delay in heavily edited one-hour installments.
The broadcasts will air both in afternoon and after-midnight
timeslots. However, future Dream events will air live on SkyPerfecTV
pay-per-view.
The
announcement is in no way a death knell for the revamped promotion.
Pay-per-view is not a lucrative medium in Japan, though, as it
is in North America. Being forced out of primetime does heavily
slash advertising revenues for FEG, which will limit the ability
for the promotion's growth in the foreseeable future.
For
the time being, FEG continues to have television success with
its central kickboxing brands, K-1 and K-1 Max. The April 9 K-1
Max telecast on TBS garnered a 12.4 percent rating average in
primetime on TBS, and the April 13 K-1 telecast in primetime
on Fuji Television scored a 12.8 percent. The only sports programming
to score higher thus far in April was the April 5 Nippon Professional
Baseball game between the Yomiuri Giants and Hanshin Tigers,
which notched a 13.8 rating on NHK.
Despite
the disappointing news, there is some measure of a silver lining
for hardcore fans. With the shift to pay-per-view, Dream's future
events will air unedited, in their entirety. This will resolve
the usual griping regarding the heavily edited product created
to air in a two-hour primetime television slot, which often leaves
many fights unaired or shown only in highlight form. The April
29 Dream pay-per-view telecast is scheduled for roughly six hours
of pay-per-view time, broadcasting live from 4:00 p.m. to 9:55
p.m. Tokyo time.
Also,
with the shift out of primetime on TBS, the Dream pay-per-view
telecast will feature the return of Daisuke Sato, the influential
video director who was responsible for the much-celebrated pre-fight
promo packages for Pride.
Source: Sherdog
|
THE
GREAT FIGHT NORTH
News and Notes from Canada
By Mike Russell
Gary
Goodridge’s on again, off again Maximum Fighting Championship
debut is now off again, according to a statement issued this
week by the Edmonton, Alberta-based promotion. The release states
that the UFC, Pride and K-1 veteran was forced out of his main
event bout with Eric Pele due to a sciatic nerve injury.
Wayne
Cole will replace Goodridge at MFC 16: Anger Management on Friday,
May 9 at the River Cree Resort and Casino in Enoch, Alberta.
Cole (11-6) has already fought three times this year, including
his 45-second submission of Mike Kyle at Strikeforce/EliteXC:
Shamrock vs. Le last month. MFC owner Mark Pavelich expects big
things from Cole.
“Wayne
is stepping in to face Pele at 225 [pounds], and he said if he
wins, he wants to drop down and fight Roger Hollett for the MFC
205-pound title,” Pavelich said. “I told him, ‘No
problem … 100 percent if he beats Pele, who is fighting
at 250 pounds.’”
One-time
reality television star Pele (11-4), who appeared on the A&E
series “Miami Ink,” once tipped the scales at 350 pounds.
Since then, he has been training diligently at Xtreme Couture
Mixed Martial Arts. Trainer Shawn Tompkins said the hard work
and dedication Pele has put in at the gym shows.
“Eric
is in the best shape of his life,” Tompkins said. “I
think a lot of people are going to be surprised when they see
the new and improved Eric Pele. He has worked really hard preparing
for this fight, and he will be ready.”
Inactive
since losing to Akhmet Sultanov under the Bodog Fight banner
in November, Pele has competed against such notables as Aleksander
Emelianenko, Antonio Silva, Wesley Correira and Dan Christison.
MFC
16: Anger Management
Friday May 9
River Cree Resort and Casino
Enoch, Alberta
Wayne
Cole vs. Eric Pele
Ryan Ford vs. C.J. Fernandes
Ryan Jimmo vs. Adam Maciejewski
Mike Maestas vs. Ben Henderson
Kaipo Miller vs. Matt McGrath
Chris Camozzi vs. Dwayne Lewis
Ryan McGillivray vs. Gavin Neil
Jason Kuchera vs. Aron Lofton
Mike Sorenson vs. Jeremy Martin
Mike Tubbs vs. Troy Sorrensen
Source: The Fight Network
|
Paulao
could go to the UFC
Dana White wants to bring in WEC fighters
Belonging
to the same parent company (Zuffa), the UFC and WEC are taking
steps to maximize profits and draw a greater line of distinction
between the promotions in the eyes of the public. According to
statements from head man Dana White to Yahoo, the standouts will
be among the heaviest (middleweights, light heavyweights and
perhaps even the welterweights) would be sheltered at the UFC
and strengthen the already heavily-disputed categories in the
organization.
Meanwhile,
the WEC would focus on the lighter weights, with the aim of dethroning
Japan and become a greater power in the world of the under-70kg
categories. Another reason mentioned behind the scenes is the
low audience numbers on tv and at the WEC shows.
This
news could bring good value to the UFC, in the form of champions
Carlos Condit (under 77kg), who is coming off seven wins in a
row, five by submission and two by knockout, Brazilian Paulo
Filho (under 84kg), who is undefeated in MMA in 16 appearances,
and event number one challenger Chael Sonnen, who even considers
himself a UFC fighter on his official website.
“We’re
going to make the WEC for the lighter weights and the UFC the
heavyweights. We’ll probably bring some of the heavier guys,
the champions to the UFC. We’re still working it out,”
said the UFC president.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
JASON
MACDONALD
With Doerksen Feud at Rest, MacDonald Looks Towards Next Opponent
By Kelsey Mowatt
Saturday
night in Montreal, Quebec, Jason “The Athlete” MacDonald
earned his 4th UFC victory, by stopping fellow Canadian middleweight
Joe Doerksen in the second round of their UFC 83 clash. The win
not only got MacDonald back on the winning track, after the Red
Deer fighter lost his last bout by Unanimous Decision to Yushin
Okami at UFC 77, but earned the veteran fighter the UFC’s
knockout of the night honor, an award that came with a $75,000
check.
“It
was the biggest card ever, so Dana (White) said he was going
to give the biggest bonus ever,” MacDonald, who worked for
years as a corrections officer in Canada, told FCF. “So
he went with $75,000, so ya, it’s pretty amazing to win
that. Mark (Pavelich, MacDonald’s manager) phoned me at
the after party and told me. Man that was two or three year’s
salary when I was working at the jail.”
Of
course, to earn the knockout of the night award one has to typically
end a fight in dramatic fashion, and MacDonald did just that.
After taking Doerksen down to the mat early in the second round,
MacDonald landed a series of elbows to his opponents head from
side-mount, which rendered the notable Canadian fighter unconscious.
According to MacDonald the bout has put an end to the animosity
that had existed between himself and Doerksen. Heading into UFC
83, the two fighters were critical of the other publicly in many
of their pre-fight interviews, an intense relationship that dates
back to 2005, when MacDonald defeated Doerksen at an Ultimate
Cage Wars event.
“Right
after the fight, we talked back stage and I said let’s put
an end to this Joe, this is silly, this is not my style,”
MacDonald said. “I don’t like getting caught up in
the soap opera type drama before a fight. So we put an end to
it, Joe said ‘you beat me the first time, you didn’t
have to take the fight because you beat me the first time, let’s
let bygones be bygones.’ Any problems that were between
Joe and I is in the past now.”
MacDonald also wanted to clarify what transpired at the end of
the bout, when it appeared at first glance, that he might have
struck Doerksen a couple of more times after referee Steve Mazzagatti
had stopped the fight.
“I
saw that Joe was knocked out, and I stopped elbowing him,”
MacDonald told FCF. “I looked at Mazzagatti, and he had
moved in, but he had only moved in to get a better position to
see. He hadn’t stopped the fight. I looked at Mazzagatti
and he kind of looked at me as if, ‘what are you doing,’
so I started punching again. Then he finally realized that Joe
was out so he stopped the fight and I stopped punching. They
come to your dressing room before you fight and tell you, ‘do
not stop fighting until we separate you.’ Actually Mazzagatti
and I took the bus together back to the hotel and he apologized
to me. He said it was his error, he didn’t realize Joe was
hurt so badly from the elbows.”
The
fight actually looked like it might end early, as in the first
round; both fighters appeared to be seconds away from ending
the fight via submission. After Doerksen worked his way free
from an early guillotine attempt from MacDonald, the jiu-jitsu
black belt quickly had MacDonald on the defensive with a Kimura.
“Joe
had that Kimura in really, really deep,” MacDonald acknowledged.
“I went for that guillotine choke, and you have to make
a decision if you’re going to go for it, and I thought I
was, so I went for it 100%. When Joe finally got out my arm was
completely spent and he transitioned right into that Kimura.
My arm was so tired I didn’t really have the strength to
fight it off, he had it to the point where something was about
to snap, so I had my hand up in case it went to that point where
it actually began to crack or pop. I was telling myself the whole
time to calm down, and work my way out of it. The combination
of Josh’s (Russell, MacDonald’s jiu-jitsu instructor)
jiu-jitsu and my years of experience helped me to get out of
that horrible situation.”
With
the victory, MacDonald’s UFC record now sits at 4-2, with
wins coming against Rory Singer, Chris Leben, Ed Herman and Doerksen.
Due to the fact MacDonald’s losses came against two of the
middleweight division’s current top contenders in Rich Franklin
and Yushin Okami, it will be interesting to see who the UFC matches
him up against next.
“I
have no idea,” MacDonald said in discussing who he might
fight next. “The middleweight division is so stacked, you
have Anderson Silva up on a pedestal, than you have Dan Henderson
and Rich Franklin as second and third. Underneath that you have
a whole set of guys that on any given night they can win big
fights. You have Nate Marquardt, Thales Leites, look at Patrick
Cote, couple of fights ago he was almost out of the picture now
he’s back as a contender. You got Ricardo Almeida, Nate
Quarry, Chris Leben’s on a bit of a comeback. The one thing
I would like is a fight with one of those guys, you have Michael
Bisping as well, I’d like to fight one of those guys that
I mentioned that will put me in a position where I could be a
number one contender sometime this year. The way the division
is right now, one or two key wins over some of the top guys and
you could be in that number one contender slot.”
Source: Full Contact Fighter
|
Quote
of the Day
"Courage
can't see around corners, but goes around them anyway."
Mignon McLaughlin, 1913-1983, American Journalist and Author
|
One
bout changed for UFC 84: ill will
Rich Clementi, who won a split decision over Sam Stout at UFC
83 in Montreal, has been added to UFC 84: ill will in Las Vegas.
Five
weeks from last Saturday's fight, Clementi will replace the injured
Rob Emerson against Terry Etim.
UFC
84 "ILL WILL"
Saturday, May 24, 2008
MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, NV
Pay-Per-View
Card:
155
lbs: B.J.
Penn vs.
Sean Sherk
205 lbs: Wanderlei Silva vs. Keith Jardine
205 lbs: Wilson Gouveia vs. Goran Reljic
205 lbs: Tito Ortiz vs. Lyoto Machida
205 lbs: Antonio Mendes vs. Thiago Silva
Under
Card:
205
lbs: Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou vs. Kazuhiro Nakamura
170 lbs: Jon Koppenhaver vs. Yoshiyuki Yoshida
185 lbs: Rousimar Palhares vs. Ivan Salaverry
170 lbs: Dong-Hyun Kim vs. Jason Tan
155 lbs: Terry Etim vs. Rich Clementi
265 lbs: Shane Carwin vs. Christian Wellisch
Source: MMA Fighting
|
NEW
REALITY SERIES: "FIGHTING FEDOR"
Though the details are somewhat sporadic, Mix-Fight M-1 on Thursday
announced a new reality show centered around the opportunity
to face Fedor Emelianenko.
The
show, titled “Fighting Fedor,” will reportedly bring
16 heavyweight fighters from around the world to Saint Petersburg,
Russia. According the M-1, “During the show, they’ll
live and train in (the Red Devil sports club).”
Not
coincidentally, the owners of M-1 also guide Emelianenko’s
career and operate the Red Devil sports club and fight team,
of which Emelianenko is a part of.
The
fighters will “once in a while … be joined by well-known
fighters to hold master-classes and training,” according
to the report on the Mix-Fight M-1 website.
The
fighters will compete against one another until only one remains.
That fighter will then get an opportunity to face Emelianenko,
currently ranked as the No. 1 heavyweight fighter in the world.
No
details as to the time frame of the show, its casting, where
it will be available for viewing, or when or where the bout with
Emelianenko will take place was forthcoming in the announcement.
Emelianenko
is currently scheduled to fight former Ultimate Fighting Championship
heavyweight titleholder Tim Sylvia under the banner of the new
Affliction promotion on July 19 in Dallas, Texas.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Cesar
Gracie Interview
-MMAYOU.com
Cesar
Gracie
MMAYOU.com: Thank you Cesar for talking to us at MMAYOU.COM.
MMAYOU.com:
Would you like to rematch Frank Shamrock? If you did fight again,
what would be your strategy?
Cesar:
I think every fighter would want to get another crack at a fight
he lost. Get it to the ground and don't strike with a striker.
MMAYOU.com:
The Machado brothers were your BJJ teachers for a time. What
influence did they have on your game?
Cesar:
The Machados lived at my house for some time. I actually started
them in the US and learned some good fundamentals from them.
Later I also trained at Rickson's and that helped to influence
what I teach today.
MMAYOU.com:
If your student Jake Shields ends up fighting GSP, Matt Hughes,
and BJ Penn one day, how do you see these fights going?
Cesar:
Jake Shields has the skills to defeat any welterweight in the
world. Obviously styles make fights but I believe he matches
up well with the 3 fighters mentioned. Hughes is past his prime
and Jake is at his prime. I don't see Matt making it through
the 2nd round without being overwhelmed and submitted. BJ Penn
would have to defeat Jake in the first or he would gas and be
submitted. I think BJ is the more gifted fighter but Jake's pressure
game and cardio would be the deciding factor. ST. Pierre would
pose the toughest challenge. He has quicker hands and is the
more explosive wrestler. On the ground St Pierre would be outmatched
by Shields. Remember St Pierre was submitted by a guy that Shields
later submitted in the same tournament. This would be a great
fight.
MMAYOU.com:
Who has had the biggest influence on you as a BJJ teacher and
fighter?
Cesar:
Rolls Gracie was a childhood hero. Later, Renzo's positive attitude
and toughness was an inspiration to me.
MMAYOU.com:
What strategy is needed to defeat Fedor?
Cesar:
Fedor could be defeated by a wrestler that can take him down
and pound him while having the grappling skills to avoid submissions.
Watch the fight against Arona for a game plan.
MMAYOU.com:
Many people in the Gracie family, such as yourself and Roger,
take the Gracie last name although their fathers have different
last names. Why is this?
Cesar:
In Brazil it's common to also use your mothers maiden name. My
parents were separated shortly after I was born and I was raised
exclusively by the Gracie side of my family so it was also natural
for me to only go by the Gracie name.
MMAYOU.com:
Who are the top five all time no holds barred fighters in the
Gracie family?
Cesar:
Carlson, Renzo, Carlos, Rickson, Royce.
MMAYOU.com:
Who was the creator of Gracie Jiu Jitsu, Carlos or Helio?
Cesar:
Carlos was the founder of Gracie Jiu-jitsu. He was Helio's teacher
and mentor. In Brazil this is common knowledge. When Helio's
son Rorion came to America he tried to re-invent history for
his own agenda. What Gracie Jiu-jitsu is today is a result of
many Gracies such as Rolls, Rickson, Renzo, myself, etc.. Carlos
was always refining the techniques so we have followed in his
footsteps.
MMAYOU.com:
Is there anything you would like to add?
Cesar:
Just to express my desire that jiu-jitsu should be enjoyed by
people of all ages to appreciate the art and the friendships
it helps to create and not to be misused by thugs and bullies.
Source: Gracie Fighter
|
Trigg
don’t confirm fight against Jacaré
By Bernardo Seabra
Although
the confirmation by DREAM, that Ronaldo Jacaré vs. Frank
Trigg was confirmed at the first round of the Middleweight GP
of the event, the American says the opposite. "I haven't
heard anything from DREAM in about a week and a half. We started
talking about a month ago, but lately, there's been no communication.
I really haven't even thought about it lately, said him to MMAJunkie.com.
The
article says too that Trigg neither has a visa to go to Japan
and that his wife can be one delay to DREAM plans. “My wife
is very pregnant and can't fly. “She'd miss the whole tournament,
and that's a big deal for to take a fight without her there by
my side", said Frank Trigg.
Source: Tatame
|
Matt
Lindland Signs With Affliction, Calls Out UFC
By Jason Perkins
Matt Lindland is set to fight at Affliction's inaugural show
on July 19th. Lindland (20-5) made the announcement on Friday's
edition of HDNet's Inside MMA.
Lindland last fought 15 months ago against Fedor Emelianenko,
dropping the fight via submission in the first round due to armbar.
No
opponent has been named but Lindland did speak about his decision
to sign with Affliction over the other major promotions that
courted him, including EliteXC, Dream, and Strikeforce. He had
the following to say about EliteXC in particular.
“They’re
doing big things; they’re on CBS, and they’re putting
out a good product,” Lindland told The Fight Network Radio.
“We talked, but I don’t think they had the same budget
that Affliction had. [Affliction] wanted to sign top fighters,
and it sounds like they’re doing that.”
When
asked about the UFC, Lindland was less complementary.
“The
only organization that wasn’t willing to make me an offer
was the UFC,” Lindland told Fight Network. “They don’t
want the best fighters; they want the best fighters that they
can control.”
Source: Fight Line
|
Chiqueirinho
Wins Title at Shooto Brazil
by Gleidson Venga
RIO
DE JANEIRO, Brazil, April 19 -- Willian Chiqueirinho won the
South American title Saturday at the sixth edition of Andre Pederneiras'
Shooto Brazil.
In
a bout that was the best of the night, Chiqueirinho took on Giovani
Diniz. Heavy-handed, Diniz landed with excellent punch combinations
and had the early advantage. Chiqueirinho, nevertheless, was
not intimidated and responded with his own punches.
During
one of several toe-to-toe trades, Chiqueirinho connected with
a powerful strike that dropped Diniz and prompted the referee's
intervention.
"I've
been training a lot for this fight, and all my efforts were worthwhile,"
Chiqueirinho said. "Now I want to be on top."
Igor
Chatubinha faced Sergio Junior in a very active fight. Chatubinha
started by taking the bout to the floor and trying to attack
Junior's lower body. Junior escaped, though, and retaliated with
a guillotine choke. Chatubinha didn't stop for even a moment
and, in the second round, he used an anaconda choke to force
Junior to submit.
Renan
Brandão spent three rounds perfectly neutralizing Willian
Viana's game. The fight was equal on the feet, but on the floor
Brandão controlled and earned the decision.
Eliene
Pit was victorious over Alan Chatuba. Pit was the aggressor,
punching with good strikes and eventually knocking down Chatuba,
who felt he could not go on and quit.
Amilcar
Alves and Ari Marcel kept the same pace of combat from beginning
to end. Marcel tried to take down his opponent, but his attempt
was defended. Amilcar eventually out-positioned him to win the
decision.
Alexandre
Pinheiro was responsible for the surprise of the night. He took
on tough striker Marlon Moraes, who used his muay Thai well early.
Pinheiro kept a short distance, took his opponent to the ground
and pounded him out for the win.
Danilo
Cherman put on a technical show against Rivanio Aranha in another
standout performance. Right away Danilo took Aranha to the ground,
passed the guard and took the back before finishing with a rear-naked
choke.
Ralf
Loren imposed his rhythm on Aquiles de Campos. During the three
rounds of the contest, Loren struck well standing and was capable
on the ground to capture the decision.
In
the first fight of the night, Oto Rodrigues knocked down Rogério
Paraíba. However, Paraíba showed a very offensive
guard, attacking with a triangle choke and an omoplata. Eventually
he finished Rodrigues with a series of punches on the ground.
Source: Sherdog
|
‘DOOMS’
DAY WANTS BISPING
Five
days removed from his impressive first-round technical knockout
victory over Alan Belcher in his promotional debut at UFC 83,
Lethbridge, Alberta native Jason “Dooms” Day has already
targeted his next potential opponent. New fan favorite Day indicated
he would like to face a fighter who also recently dropped down
from light heavyweight to middleweight.
“I’d
like to fight [Michael] Bisping. I think I match up really well
against him,” Day said. “He’s a cocky fighter,
like Belcher, so I’d have no problem getting motivated to
fight him. Belcher thought he would roll through me, and you
saw what happened. He didn’t have anything to say to me
after the fight.”
However,
Day may have to wait for his opportunity to test himself against
Bisping, the Liverpool, England-based light heavyweight winner
of “The Ultimate Fighter” season three. Several outlets
report that Bisping will likely square off with Chris Leben in
the main event at UFC 85 on Saturday, June 7 at the O2 arena
in London.
Emerging
unscathed after his fight with Belcher, Day (17-5) expects to
get back to work building houses and training next week after
he takes some time off to relax and bask in the glory of his
first UFC win.
Source: The Fight Network
|
Ninja
explains absence from EliteXC
Reason is foot injury
It
would be the dream of any MMA athlete to participate in the May
21st Elite XC show, when an MMA event will be broadcast live
on network television (CBS) in the United States to over 30 million
people. Unfortunately for Murilo Ninja, the only Brazilian on
the event’s historic card, the dream turned into a nightmare.
An
injury to his foot during training caused the Southern Brazilian
fighter to contact the organization to cancel his fight against
American fighter Phil Baroni. Besides missing his chance of putting
himself at the top of the list of challengers for the belt belonging
to Robbie Lawler, Mauricio Shogun’s older brother will also
be set back for this event being considered the biggest of all
times in terms of market and sponsorship for fighters.
In
a chat with GRACIEMAG.com, Ninja showed his experience as a fighter
in making it clear he will not be put off, and he will be back
shortly.
“I
hurt my foot training, it’s very swollen and I can’t
step properly. I’ll be going to the doctor tomorrow, I don’t
think it’s too serious, but I should go 15 to 20 days without
training. It would surely have been the most important fight
of my life, as it will be seen by over 30 million people, a landmark
for MMA. I was very sad, but all I can do is get back to training
for my next fight when I can. Sooner or later I’ll face
Baroni, as this will be a good fight. EliteXC treated me really
well and gave me all the support it could, also saying they will
try and fit me in the next event. Soon I’ll be fighting,”
said the Universidade da Luta athlete.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
FRED
ETTISH WANTS REDEMPTION
Will YAMMA Pit Fighting Give It To Him?
By Jim Genia
Fred
Ettish stepped into the Octagon at UFC 2, and on that night in
March of 1994, he did what many fighters have done in there since:
he lost. Yet unlike all those who were knocked out, tapped out,
given the thumbs-down by the judges or saved by the referee,
Ettish suffered for years the ridicule of people who viewed him
– with his white karate uniform, Shorin-Ryu black belt and
rigid fighting stance – as the face of traditional martial
arts in the new MMA world. It was an unfair and undeserved burden
to bear for a fight just over three minutes long. But an appearance
in one of YAMMA Pit Fighting’s “masters superfights”
could give Ettish a much-needed shot at redemption. It’s
a shot he deserves.
What
has Ettish been up to all these years? “Training, training,
training, training and teaching,” says the 52-year-old.
“I’m a Miletich Fighting Systems affiliate instructor.
I run my own gym… I train fighters and work out with them.
I try to do the best I can to stay involved with the sport –
doing some refereeing… judged quite a few shows, did some
commentary work. A little bit here and there, but mainly just
working out, staying in shape, and trying to help other people
get ahead in the sport.” What of Ettish’s Shorin-Ryu
Karate training? “I still train in that. I haven’t
left anything behind – I just added a whole lot.”
At
the inaugural YAMMA Pit Fighting event in Atlantic City, old-school
warriors Oleg Taktarov, Mark Kerr and Pat Smith all stepped into
the cage – with Smith, a UFC 2 veteran himself, emerging
victorious after taking out Eric “Butterbean” Esch.
Ettish’s thoughts on the latest Bob Meyrowitz brainchild?
“I absolutely want to fight in that,” says the 170-pounder.
“In my heart and my soul I’ve got a lot of unfinished
business, a lot of unresolved things that I’ve tried to
work out of my system in various ways since 1994 and UFC 2. I’ve
been only limited in my success in that. I’ve come to grips
with a lot of things and dealt with a lot of things, but still
inside of me there’s this driving desire to prove, more
to myself than anybody else, what I can do and what my true capabilities
are.”
Is
there anyone in particular Ettish would like to fight? “That
doesn’t really matter to me,” he says. “I don’t
have any axes to grind with anybody, and I don’t think that’s
what the sport’s about anyway.”
Ettish
has already made Meyrowitz aware that, if YAMMA Pit Fighting
will have him, he’s down for a fight. But he’s not
sure if Meyrowitz understood just how much a fight would mean
to him. “Give me a chance,” says Ettish. “I know
I’m old. [Meyrowitz] asked me how old I was when I called
him. But I will surprise him and everybody who doesn’t know
me already. My conditioning is – it’s hard for me to
talk about myself, but I’m in the gym every day working
out with kids in their teens and twenties. My cardio, my conditioning
overall is excellent. I will go out there and fight with every
ounce of heart and soul I can muster, and I guarantee that whatever
happens, I’m giving you one hundred percent of what I got.
I admire the fact that [Meyrowitz] was there in the beginning,
he helped create this sport that has grown and evolved into what
it is today. I was there from almost the beginning, and what
better way to reunite than to bring me back to the old show –
and this time I’ll do it in a different way.”
Adds
the UFC old schooler: “There’s something inside of
me that needs to do this.”
Source: Full Contact Fighter
|
Quote
of the Day
“It
is not titles that honor men, but men that honor titles.”
Niccolò Machiavelli, 1469-1527, Italian Political Philosopher
and Statesman
|
PUNISHMENT
IN PARADISE
Tonight!
160lbs P.I.P Campionship 3x2 Minute Rounds
Harris Sarimento (808 Fight Factory, Kaneohe) vs. John Visante
Jr.(S.Y.D, Waianae)
175LBS Kickboxing 3x2 Minute Rounds
Zane Kamaka (Guts & Glory, Waianae) vs. Chris Cisneras (Eastsidaz,
Hilo)
140LBS. 3x2 Minute Rounds P.I.P Championship
William Armstrong (Freelance, Waianae) vs. Collin Mckenzie (Gods
Army, Makaha)
INTERMISSION
140lbs 3x 2 Minute Rounds
Peni Tuafao (Eastsidaz, Kaneohe) vs. Erwin Celes (Feelance, Waianae)
155lbs. 3x 11/2 Minute Rounds
Makana Fronda (Bulls Pin, Kalihi) vs. Bryson Okada (SYD, Waianae)
177lbs. 3x1 ½ Minute Rounds
Justin Lave Lave (SYD, Waianae) vs. Ben Santiago (Gods Army,
Makaha)
Heavyweight 3x1 ½ Minute Rounds
Dale Popi (Westside Connection) vs. Chris Benard (SYD, Waianae)
205lbs. 3x 11/2 Minute Rounds
Carl Sua (Fighters Union, Waianae) vs. Makana Vertico (Gods Army,
Makaha)
150lbs. 3x1½ Minute Rounds
Kia Hale Gannigan (Freelance, Waipahu) vs. Ricky Benard (Waianae
B.C, Waianae)
155lbs. 3 x 1 ½ Minute Rounds
Aaron Devictoria (Bulls Pin, Kalihi) vs. Max Halloway (Gods Army,
Makaha)
175lbs. 3x 1 Minute Rounds
Brandon Mendoza (Guts & Glory, Waianae) vs. Lauren Hinojosa
(Gods Army,Makaha)
12Olbs. 3x11/2 Minute Rounds
Wesley Benjamin (Bulls Pin, Kalihi) vs. Kanalo Cook (SYD, Waianae)
185lbs. 3 x 11/2 Minute Rounds
Sean Harris (HMC,Kalihi) vs. Kealii Awohi (Gods Army, Makaha)
125lbs. 3 x 1 Minute Rounds
Gilbert Agrade (Freelance, Waianae) vs. Mike Bernard (Gods Army,
Makaha)
|
B.J.
PENN TESTED BY NSAC, COMES BACK CLEAN
The first test results are in from the Nevada State Athletic
Commission's newly instituted out-of-competition drug testing
program. According to NSAC executive director Keith Kizer, all
of B.J. Penn's test results for steroids and recreational drugs
came back negative on Wednesday, April 23.
Penn
was the first mixed martial arts fighter to be tested since the
program was announced in a memo to "All Nevada Licensees"
on Jan. 7, 2008.
In
the memo, NSAC chairman John Bailey noted that some fighters
“... have become very sophisticated in the timing of taking
prohibited substances,” which is why the Commission has
instituted additional random testing.
“Random
testing throughout the year will further deter any fighters considering
taking non-approved substances,” said Kizer. “The additional
testing, which will be paid for by the Commission, will help
us keep the sport of unarmed combat safe and fair for all fighters.”
The
program has also tested two boxers, Shane Mosley and Zab Judah,
both of whom tested negative.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
RASHAD
EVANS MOVES FROM ICEMAN TO SANDMAN
It didn’t take long for UFC matchmaker Joe Silva to find
a new opponent for Rashad Evans after former light heavyweight
champion Chuck Liddell had to drop out due to an injury. The
former “Ultimate Fighter” winner will now face James
Irvin in London.
“I
was probably upset about the Chuck thing for maybe a couple of
hours, then they was telling me I was fighting James Irvin and
I was like, ‘Aw man I’ve got to snap out of that, that
kid’s just knocking out everybody,’” said Evans.
“I can’t be on his highlight reel so I’ve got
to train really hard.”
The
fight between Evans and Liddell was set to headline the card
and while no formal announcement has been made by the UFC, this
new match-up will likely be a co-main event with another fight.
While
Evans remains focused on Irvin he still expressed his disappointment
about the fight cancellation with Liddell.
“I
definitely didn’t expect it you know. I was very excited
for my fight with Chuck Liddell, but I guess we’ll have
to do it another time,” Evans stated.
“I’m
a little bit disappointed, but I think I’m at the point
where I’m kind of over all of it and focusing on my new
opponent. He’s very tough and brings a lot of things to
the table so I definitely can’t go in there being sad cause
I’m not fighting Chuck.”
This
isn’t the first change of opponents Evans has had to deal
with as he was originally slated to face Thiago Silva as a part
of the upcoming UFC 84 card on May 24.
“This
is my third opponent so hopefully nothing happens to James Irvin,”
Evans commented with a laugh. “I hope he has a good training
camp.”
Obviously,
the match-up with Irvin brings a different dynamic to Evans and
his training camp, but it’s something that he along with
head trainer Greg Jackson will analyze over the next six weeks.
“I
think that James is a bit more explosive than Chuck,” Evans
stated. “He’s very explosive and he’s an athletic
fighter so he definitely presents his own problems being that
fighter. He’s a game opponent and he’s definitely going
to be a tough fight.”
Evans
is already in New Mexico working alongside teammates such as
Keith Jardine, Nathan Marquardt, and Joey Villasenor who are
all preparing for fights around this same time as his.
And
while the former Michigan State wrestler is now focused on James
Irvin, he hopes Liddell comes back soon and a fight between the
two can happen.
“I
hope James stays healthy the whole camp and I wish Chuck the
best on his recovery so we can get in there and do it.”
Source: MMA Weekly
|
CBS-EliteXC
'Saturday Night Fights'
CBS-EliteXC "Saturday Night Fights"
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Prudential Center in Newark, NJ
MAIN
CARD:
Kimbo
Slice vs. James Thompson
Robbie Lawler vs. Scott Smith
Gina Carano vs. Kaitlin Young
Phil Baroni vs. Joey Villasenor
Brett Rogers vs. Jon Murphy
PRELIMINARY
CARD:
Chris
Liguori vs. TBA
and six more bouts
Source: MMA Fighting
|
The
Ultimate Fighter 7 Results
Episode
1 - April 2, 2008 | Recap |
1.
Mike Dolce def. Prince LaDonas McLean via KO - R1
2. Cale Yarbrough def. John Clarke via TKO (strikes) - R1
3. Amir Sadollah def. Steve Byrnes via submission (armbar) -
R2
4. CB Dollaway def. John Wood via TKO (strikes)
5. Dante Rivera def. David Baggett via submission (kimura)
6. Nick Klein def. David Mewborn via TKO (strikes)
7. Paul Bradley def. Reggie Orr via unanimous decision
8. Jeremy May def. Dave Roberts via submission (armbar) - R1
Episode
2 - April 9, 2008 | Recap |
9.
Matthew Riddle def. Dan Simmler via KO - R2
10. Luke Zachrich def. Patrick Schultz via submission (rear naked
choke) - R1
11. Tim Credeur def. Erik Charles via submission (armbar) - R1
12. Brandon Sene def. Aaron Meisner via submission (rear naked
choke) - R1
13. Gerald Harris def. Mike Marrello via unanimous decision
14. Daniel Cramer def. Jeremiah Riggs via unanimous decision
15. Jesse Taylor def. Nick Rossborough via submission (rear naked
choke) - R1
16. Matt Brown def. Josh Hall via TKO (strikes) - R1
Episode
3 - April 16, 2008 | Recap |
1.
Jesse Taylor def. Mike Dolce via submission (rear naked choke)
- R2
Episode
4 - April 23, 2008 | Recap |
2.
Tim Credeur def. Matthew Riddle via submission (armbar) - R2
Source: MMA Fighting
|
GSP
answers all the questions
MONTREAL
– Georges St. Pierre answered the questions about his ability
to handle pressure with a dominant win over Matt Serra to become
the undisputed Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight champion
Saturday night at the Bell Centre.
The
match drew more interest throughout the country of Canada than
any match in UFC history. There were more than 120 credentialed
media for the fight, and more than 1,000 bars and restaurants
across the country ordered the fight, believed to break a record
set in 2002 by the Lennox Lewis-Mike Tyson boxing match.
“I
had a lot of pressure,” said St. Pierre going in, which
Serra was counting on to be one of his advantages in the fight.
“I had a hard time sleeping, but that always happens before
a fight. I’m afraid to fail. But if I don’t feel butterflies,
I can’t perform.”
A
crowd of 21,390 fans paid in excess of $5 million USD, selling
the building out to almost exclusively UFC Fight Club fans, with
virtually no tickets put on sale to the general public. The few
that were put on sale sold out in one minute.
It
was both the largest and loudest crowd in UFC history, with St.
Pierre, Rich Franklin and Sam Stout (who lost a split decision
to Rich Clementi in a preliminary match) getting deafening reactions.
The
crowd, heavily male and almost exclusively people in their 20s
and 30s, came from throughout the country, and were heavily partisan
to all the Canadian fighters. But they were there mostly to see
St. Pierre, who grew up in a small farm town, Ste. Isidore, about
15 miles from the Bell Centre.
St.
Pierre used to say that he got recognized more in Las Vegas than
in Montreal, but with the promotion of this fight, that changed,
and he wasn’t able to go anywhere in recent days without
being mobbed.
St.
Pierre took Serra (16-5) down at will, and tried to use his conditioning
to keep the action fast on the ground. Serra got virtually no
offense in, with two judges giving the first round 10-8 scores
in favor of St. Pierre.
At
4 minutes, 45 seconds of round two, after St. Pierre had connected
with punches on the ground that had blackened both of Serra’s
eyes, and threw four hard knees to the body, ref Yves Lavigne
felt it was enough and stopped the fight.
Serra
was clearly disappointed, feeling he could have lasted out the
round, but was taking it matter-of-factly, and not complaining,
as he was never in the fight.
“This
time Georges kicked my ass,” he said after the match.
It
was a rematch of the biggest upset title change in company history,
held April 7, 2007, in Houston. Serra, an 8-to-1 underdog, knocked
Serra down twice and finished him on the ground in the first
round to win the welterweight title.
St.
Pierre was technically an interim champion by beating Matt Hughes
on Dec. 29, a title set up when Serra missed a scheduled title
defense after herniating two discs in his lower back, and the
fight was to unify the title. But St. Pierre said he was not
accepting that he was champion until he beat Serra and portrayed
himself as the challenger throughout the build-up.
“I
didn’t want to play a jiu-jitsu game with him because he’s
a world champion (at jiu-jitsu),” said St. Pierre, who at
26 is the youngest man ever to regain a UFC title. “As far
as the fight goes, I had a good night and he had a bad night.
Last time I had a bad night and he had a good night.”
Serra
was booed to almost insane levels both at the weigh-ins and when
he came out for the fight. But after it was over, St. Pierre
told the crowd that Serra had said things to hype the fight,
praised him for agreeing to defend the title in Montreal and
told his home fans to cheer Serra. And they did.
St.
Pierre noted the noise level during the fight was so high that
for the first time in his career, he couldn’t even hear
his corner giving instructions.
Both
UFC president Dana White and St. Pierre after the match talked
about Jon Fitch, a former wrestler from Purdue, as the next challenger.
There was some talk by White and the press about a possible champion
vs. champion match with Anderson Silva, the company’s middleweight
champion. The consensus right now is they are the two best pound-for-pound
fighters in the company, if not in the entire sport.
“Never
say never, but I have a lot of training partners at 185 pounds,”
St. Pierre said. “You can play baseball against your friends,
but you can’t play UFC. I will never fight a friend. Maybe
I’d do it for a super fight.”
Source: Yahoo Sports
|
RANDLEMAN'S
OPPONENT AND BARNETT AT SENGOKU II
World Victory Road on Tuesday announced that Kevin Randleman
will face Ryo Kawamura at Sengoku II on May 18 in Tokyo.
Randleman
has not fought in a year and a half. He lost to Mauricio “Shogun”
Rua at Pride Fighting Championships’ inaugural American
event, after which, he was suspended by the Nevada State Athletic
Commission for allegedly providing a fake urine sample for his
required drug test.
Since
then, the former Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight titleholder
has been hospitalized twice, once due to complications stemming
from several surgeries and prolonged use of antibiotics and,
more recently, due to a severe staph infection.
Kawamura
is a teammate of Yuki Kondo on the PANCRASEism fight team. He
is currently ranked No. 2 in the Pancrase light heavyweight division.
He brings to the ring a heavy-handed, brawling style that has
lead him to an 8-2-2 professional record, with five of his wins
coming by way of knockout.
Kawamura
fought at WVR’s inaugural event in March of this year, where
he handed Antonio Braga Neto his first professional loss in six
bouts.
On
Monday, it was announced that highly touted free agent Josh Barnett
would also be participating on the Sengoku II fight card. No
opponent was named for Barnett, although an announcement is expected
later this week.
Sengoku
II Bouts (officially announced):
-Jorge Santiago vs. Yuki Sasaki
-Satoru Kitaoka vs. Ian Schaffa
-Eiji Mitsuoka vs. Kwang Hee Lee
-Mike Pyle vs. Dan Hornbuckle
-Yoshihiro Nakao vs. Jim York
-Kevin Randleman vs. Ryo Kawamura
-Josh Barnett vs. TBA
-Roger Gracie vs. TBA
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Kalib
Starnes threw the fight? A look at Kalib's performance at UFC
83
In
the aftermath of UFC 83, many questions were being asked by much
of the MMA community. Most people would believe that those questions
revolved around what Georges St. Pierre will do next, or where
does Rich Franklin go from here? There were fans adamantly asking
when St. Pierre would take on Anderson Silva in a “super
fight”, and others wondering when the UFC would hit Canada
once again. I also asked these questions, but I also asked myself
“What the hell was Kalib Starnes doing?”.
That
may have been answered today by a huge Sherdog forum thread,
props to BloodyElbow's Michael Rome for the find. Yeah, yeah..
I know, why would I trust a Sherdog forum thread? It's easy.
Either Kalib Starnes went into the cage with a debilitating injury
that caused him to fight like he did, or there was something
else going on. We saw him take on Alan Belcher with some actual
tenacity, yet he runs from Nate Quarry?
The
thread mentions that Starnes was on the last fight of his UFC
contract, and he was not compensated by the UFC for the injuries
he sustained during his fight with Kendall Grove on The Ultimate
Fighter. Amazingly, the UFC declined to pay for his injuries
even though the injury occurred “on the show”. Starnes
protested the UFC's actions by running from Quarry and making
the fight completely worthless for the fans and the UFC. According
to one post, a press conference will be held at his gym on Wednesday
to announce this series of events and reasoning behind the way
he fought.
While
I may not completely believe this reason for such a terrible
performance, it's hard to discount it. The fight was not a fight.
It was Nate Quarry winning, and Kalib Starnes trying to look
like he was fighting, taking some damage, then running around
the cage to avoid damage. The big problem here is that Kalib
Starnes is not a bad fighter. He's got range, decent striking,
good ground skills, and he usually hangs tough in the face of
adversity. He doesn't fold up like a chair.
Something
went wrong here. Whether this “no compensation” story
holds up or Kalib had some type of nagging injury, there is no
way a veteran like Kalib Starnes was just that terribly matched
up against Nate Quarry. If this whole story about money ends
up being true, what a ridiculous way to stick it to the UFC.
Not only did you screw the fans over in Canada from seeing a
great fight, but what about those fans that actually believed
you could beat Quarry or get yourself back into a position to
continue in the UFC? Obviously, that wasn't a priority and that's
probably why it was mentioned on The Savage Dog Show that Starnes
would retire. Leaving the sport of mixed martial arts with the
most disgraceful performance I've seen in a long, long time is
no way to depart from something you have loved for so long.
UPDATE:
Dana White cuts Kalib Starnes from the UFC for his performance...
Source: MMA Analysis
|
Quote
of the Day
“If
we can really understand the problem, the answer will come out
of it, because the answer is not separate from the problem.”
Jiddu Krishnamurti, 1895-1986, Indian Religious Philosopher
|
Hawaiian
Open Championship BJJ Tourney Date Change!
The Hawaiian
Open Championship BJJ Tourney Has Been Moved To Sunday, June
1st!
HAWAIIAN
OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP
Competitor
Fees:
Adults: $65
Kids: $35
When:
Sunday June 1, 2008
11am Kids Rules Clinic & Kids Matches
PM Adult Matches
Location:
Klum Gym
University of Hawaii
TIMELINE:
http://www.hawaiitriplecrown.com/
EARLY
ONLINE REGISTRATION DEADLINE
(1 WEEK PRIOR TO EVENT DAY)
LATE
ONLINE REGISTRATION DEADLINE
(5 DAYS PRIOR TO EVENT DAY)
"PRE-REGISTERED"
CHECK BY APPLICANTS
(4 DAYS PRIOR TO EVENT DAY).
ALL
ERRORS MUST BE ADDRESSED BY THIS DATE OR NO.BRACKETS POSTED ON
WEBSITE
(2-3 DAYS PRIOR TO EVENT DAY)
Divisions:
Adult, Kids, Women, All Weight Divisions, All Levels.
The Adult division is open for everyone, but athletes of other
age
divisions willing to compete here will not be allowed to fight
in their own
division (athletes can only enroll in one age division)
Medals
for 1st, 2nd, 3rd place
Most Technical Competitor Award
Team competition trophy and prizes
STAFF
Time/Score keepers and Referees are needed for the Hawaiian Open
2008
Would
you like a front row seat to see the Hawaiian Open Championship?
Help
our sport grow and be an active part of the development of Brazilian
Jiu-Jitsu?
We
are currently filling staff positions for the Hawaiian Open 2008.
We are
in need of Time/Score keepers and referees. You do not have to
have any
experience to be a time keeper, just the willingness to hang
in there for a
long fun filled day. We will offer a staff meeting at the start
of the day
to answer any questions that you might have.
Information:
Hawaii Triple Crown Staff
|
PUNISHMENT
IN PARADISE
160lbs P.I.P Campionship 3x2 Minute Rounds
Harris Sarimento (808 Fight Factory, Kaneohe) vs. John Visante
Jr.(S.Y.D, Waianae)
175LBS Kickboxing 3x2 Minute Rounds
Zane Kamaka (Guts & Glory, Waianae) vs. Chris Cisneras (Eastsidaz,
Hilo)
140LBS. 3x2 Minute Rounds P.I.P Championship
William Armstrong (Freelance, Waianae) vs. Collin Mckenzie (Gods
Army, Makaha)
INTERMISSION
140lbs 3x 2 Minute Rounds
Peni Tuafao (Eastsidaz, Kaneohe) vs. Erwin Celes (Feelance, Waianae)
155lbs. 3x 11/2 Minute Rounds
Makana Fronda (Bulls Pin, Kalihi) vs. Bryson Okada (SYD, Waianae)
177lbs. 3x1 ½ Minute Rounds
Justin Lave Lave (SYD, Waianae) vs. Ben Santiago (Gods Army,
Makaha)
Heavyweight 3x1 ½ Minute Rounds
Dale Popi (Westside Connection) vs. Chris Benard (SYD, Waianae)
205lbs. 3x 11/2 Minute Rounds
Carl Sua (Fighters Union, Waianae) vs. Makana Vertico (Gods Army,
Makaha)
150lbs. 3x1½ Minute Rounds
Kia Hale Gannigan (Freelance, Waipahu) vs. Ricky Benard (Waianae
B.C, Waianae)
155lbs. 3 x 1 ½ Minute Rounds
Aaron Devictoria (Bulls Pin, Kalihi) vs. Max Halloway (Gods Army,
Makaha)
175lbs. 3x 1 Minute Rounds
Brandon Mendoza (Guts & Glory, Waianae) vs. Lauren Hinojosa
(Gods Army,Makaha)
12Olbs. 3x11/2 Minute Rounds
Wesley Benjamin (Bulls Pin, Kalihi) vs. Kanalo Cook (SYD, Waianae)
185lbs. 3 x 11/2 Minute Rounds
Sean Harris (HMC,Kalihi) vs. Kealii Awohi (Gods Army, Makaha)
125lbs. 3 x 1 Minute Rounds
Gilbert Agrade (Freelance, Waianae) vs. Mike Bernard (Gods Army,
Makaha)
|
Hawaii
MMA Expo
The Hawaii
MMA Expo is down to a limited number of available boothspace.
Anyone interested in participating in Hawaii's first MMA and
Sports and Fitness Expo OR know someone who can benefit from
participating, use/ forward the attched PDF's to sign up...Take
advantage of this opportunity!
10x10 booths are $500 flat
10x20 booths are $700 flat
Any questions call Javen Guzon at (808) 781-6194 or e-mail evolutionsprts@yahoo.com.
ALOHA..................
|
Anderson
Silva vs. Georges St. Pierre equals huge numbers, and it SHOULD
happen... in a year
Dave
Meltzer wrote a piece over at the Wrestling Observer talking
about St. Pierre's move to Middleweight to take on Anderson Silva.
In the article, Meltzer pushes the point that the “super
fight” shouldn't happen because the UFC's top stars shouldn't
fight in an uneven matchup when you refer to physical attributes.
Specifically, he mentions that PRIDE tried to do the same thing
with Sakuraba, and it didn't work out. He also states that St.
Pierre and Silva have a large size difference, but didn't specifically
talk about length, height, or build. I must say, I'm rather put
off by the suggestion that this shouldn't happen, and I don't
agree at all for a number of reasons.
What's
at risk here? Anderson Silva has a crushing advantage over nearly
any current Middleweight, and Georges St. Pierre will demolish
any contender in the division. Do you really believe that Jon
Fitch has a shot after St. Pierre dominated Matt Hughes, Josh
Koscheck, and Matt Serra, all fighters who are specifically known
for their ground games. Fitch had trouble against Chris Wilson
in the standup game, and St. Pierre will have a massive advantage
in both areas of the fight.
Silva
hasn't got any challengers at the moment. Okami is likely to
be next in line, and while I believe that it's a much tougher
fight than people are giving it credit, I still would pick Silva
easily to win. That begs the question as to when will Silva vs.
St. Pierre happen. St. Pierre will likely have one defense against
Fitch first, then the plans may become a reality.
But
what is the risk? Silva is bigger than St. Pierre? That's why
it's called a super fight. No belts on the line, just two of
the best MMA skillsets at a catch weight against one another.
Size will always be a factor in any matchup of that proportion.
It's a weak defense considering fights like this have happened
in the past with size differences.
The
numbers for this type of event should be huge in a Canadian city.
For a St. Pierre vs. Serra event, the attendance was over 21,000.
Imagine if the seats were opened up, and St. Pierre vs. Anderson
Silva was the headliner. The revenues could very well beat Liddell
vs. Ortiz with sufficient main card fights. It's hard to say
that this fight shouldn't happen for any other reason.
I
wil however argue that this fight should wait another year. There
isn't any competition for St. Pierre or Anderson Silva at the
moment, and there could definitely be so more opportunities to
build these fighters toward casual fans. The matchup could be
unbelievable in a year.
Source: MMA Analysis |
A
WORD FROM THE ASIAN SENSATION...
…flawless.
flaw·less
-
adj.
1.
Being entirely without flaw or imperfection.
2.
Perfect
Last
year, Canada’s Georges St. Pierre fulfilled a life long
dream by defeating welterweight legend Matt Hughes in a highly
anticipated rematch and thus claiming the UFC 170-pound Championship.
St. Pierre instantly rose to the top of the welterweight rankings.
Five
months later, the unthinkable happened.
Having
earned a title shot by winning the fourth season of the Ultimate
Fighter, Matt “The Terror” Serra dethroned St. Pierre
in his first title defense. Serra defied monumental odds and
capped off what was arguably the biggest upset in mixed martial
arts history.
One
year later, the highly anticipated rematch has come and gone.
Georges
St. Pierre proved again why he is considered the number one welterweight
fighter in the world by executing a flawless game plan en route
to defeating Serra this past weekend. Serra had no answer for
the now two-time champion. St. Pierre fought intelligently, nullifying
Serra’s strengths while utilizing his wrestling to control
the fight on the ground.
A
frustrated Serra could be seen walking back to his team at the
end of the opening round. The frustration didn’t end there.
The second round mimicked the first with St. Pierre dominating
all aspects of the fight. After many unanswered strikes and knees,
referee Yves Lavigne was forced to put a halt to the match.
In
front of a frenzied hometown crowd, St. Pierre regained his confidence
and avenged a loss. He executed a masterful game plan to reclaim
the belt he worked hard to get. Most importantly, he redeemed
himself.
A
future meeting with Jon Fitch is seemingly inevitable.
Strap
on Your Running Shoes...
Forget
about Mark Hominick vs. Jorge Gurgel. For fans who remember that
fight, it doesn’t hold a candle to what we witnessed this
past weekend.
Hominick
may have pumped up his sneakers to play hard to get during his
less than desirable outing against Gurgel, but Starnes displayed
the athleticism that only track runners dream about. Starnes
refused to engage with Nate Quarry who chased him around over
three rounds, much to the displeasure of the crowd.
It
was a shameful performance by Starnes.
Thank
you, Nate Quarry. Thank you for providing the most hilariously
entertaining final thirty seconds in MMA history. We can now
all look forward to a flood of animated gifs.
A
Star in the Making
Who
is Cain Velasquez?
The
world finally got to see a potential heavyweight star in the
making this past weekend. The two-time PAC-10 Wrestler of the
Year made an impressive Octagon debut, finishing Brad Morris
with strikes in dominating fashion.
Most
fans weren’t familiar with Velasquez prior to his UFC debut.
He now has just three professional fights under his belt. What
he lacks in experience, he makes up for with his ability to adapt
and learn quickly. Coupled with his excellent physical conditioning
and wrestling prowess, Velasquez is on his way to being the next
big thing.
Velasquez
trains at American Kickboxing Academy, home to fighters such
as Mike Swick, Josh Koscheck, and Jon Fitch. For the last year
and a half, Cain has been refining his kickboxing under the tutelage
of former world champion Javier Mendez and been training with
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Judo black belt Dave Camarillo.
Most
fighters aren’t fortunate enough to have an opportunity
to compete in the UFC at such an early stage in their careers.
Velasquez took full advantage of the opportunity and did so with
an impressive performance.
Keep
an eye on Cain Velasquez; he is a fighter on the rise.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
SEVERAL
BOUTS ANNOUNCED FOR WEC 34
World Extreme Cagefighting has added several fights to what will
be their biggest show yet, scheduled to take place on June 1
in Sacramento, Calif. at the Arco Arena.
American
Top Team fighter Mike Brown will make his World Extreme Cagefighting
debut when he takes on Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt Jeff Curran.
Brown comes off a submission victory over Manny Reyes Jr. at
Premier X-treme Fighting. Curran failed to become featherweight
champion at WEC 31, being submitted by titleholder Urijah Faber
with a guillotine choke.
Former
Shooto lightweight champion Alexandre Franca Nogueira faces off
with fellow Brazilian fighter Jose Aldo. Nogueira knocked out
Shuichiro Katsumura at K-1 Hero’s 9, while Aldo comes off
a decision victory over Shoji Maruyama at the Pancrase: 2007
Neo Blood Tournament Finals.
Russian
fighter Alex Serdyukov takes on the debuting Brazilian striker
Luis Sapo. Serdyukov finished Ryan Stonitsch by submission at
WEC 33, while Sapo scored a decision victory over Jorge Patino
at Midway Fight.
Cobra
Kai middleweight Eric Schambari returns to action after suffering
his first loss to take on the eccentric Tim McKenzie. Schambari
lost via decision to Bryan Baker at WEC 31. McKenzie is also
coming off of a loss, having been knocked out by Steve Cantwell
at WEC 33.
In
bantamweight action, former King of the Cage champion Charlie
Valencia takes on Californian fighter Dominick Cruz. Valencia
lost by knockout to Yoshiro Maeda at WEC 32, while Cruz scored
a knockout victory over Kenneth Aimes at Total Combat 27.
Already
announced is the main event featherweight title bout between
champion Urijah Faber and former UFC lightweight champion Jens
Pulver.
Other
fights that have been confirmed but not officially announced
include a WEC bantamweight title fight between champion Miguel
Torres and Japanese striker Yoshiro Maeda; former WEC lightweight
champion “Razor” Rob McCullough taking on wrestler
Kenneth Alexander; and a lightweight fight between UFC veteran
Rich Crunkilton and Colorado fighter Donald “Cowboy”
Cerrone.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
BOUTS
ADDED TO ULTIMATE FIGHTER 7 FINALE
The Ultimate Fighting Championship on Wednesday announced several
of the bouts for its June 21 finale for season seven of The Ultimate
Fighter.
Already
announced is the main event, Evan Tanner vs. Kendall Grove; a
bout between Diego Sanchez and Luigi Fioravanti; and, of course,
the finals of the reality series.
The
four bouts added on Wednesday are: Jeremy Horn vs. Dean Lister
in a middleweight contest, Spencer Fisher vs. Jeremy Stephens
in the lightweight division, another middleweight fight between
Marvin Eastman and Drew McFedries, and Josh Burkman vs. Dustin
Hazelett at welterweight.
Season
seven features 16 middleweight fighters battling for a contract
with the UFC. The finale is scheduled to take place at the Palms
Casino in Las Vegas.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
KOSCHECK,
SEVERAL OTHERS ADDED TO UFC 86
Amidst a flurry of activity this week, the Ultimate Fighting
Championship on Wednesday announced three more bouts to its UFC
86 fight card scheduled for July 5 in Las Vegas.
Joining
the main event of Ultimate Fighter season seven coaches, light
heavyweight champion Quinton Jackson and Forrest Griffin, top
welterweight Josh Koscheck will face veteran fighter Chris Lytle.
Currently
ranked as the No. 4 welterweight in the world, Koscheck recently
defeated tough Midwest product Dustin Hazelett, bouncing back
from a decision loss to current champion Georges St. Pierre.
Koscheck
commands a lot of respect along with his 10-2 professional record,
and Lytle knows he has no easy task before him. “I’m
very excited. Josh is one of the best in the world and I can't
wait to test myself,” said Lytle. “It's hard to focus
on one or two areas because Josh isn't one dimensional anymore.”
Also
confirmed on Wednesday was a middleweight bout between Patrick
Cote and Ricardo Almeida. Cote enters the bout riding a four-fight
winning streak. On a seven-fight streak of his own, this will
only be Almeida’s second bout back after a nearly four-year
layoff. He defeated Rob Yundt in his return at February’s
UFC 81.
Jorge
Gurgel and Cole Miller will also fight each other in a lightweight
bout on the UFC 86 undercard.
UFC
86 Bouts (officially announced):
-Quinton Jackson vs. Forrest Griffin
-Josh Koscheck vs. Chris Lytle
-Patrick Cote vs. Ricardo Almeida
-Joe Stevenson vs. Gleison Tibau
-Frank Mir vs. Justin McCully
-Melvin Guillard vs. Dennis Siver
-Cole Miller vs. Jorge Gurgel
-Ben Saunders vs. Jared Rollins
UFC
86 Bouts (unannounced):
-Frank Mir vs. Justin McCully
-Tyson Griffin vs. Marcus Aurelio
-Justin
Buchholz
vs. Corey Hill
-Steve Bruno vs. TBA
Source: MMA Weekly
|
KALIB
STARNES' STATEMENT REGARDING UFC
Following one of the most contentious performances of 2008, middleweight
Kalib Starnes has released a statement regarding his fight with
Nate Quarry at UFC 83.
Irked
by what he characterized as inaccurate accounts of his status
with the Ultimate Fighting Championship, Starnes also promises
to release details on the injuries he sustained in the fight.
Below
is Starnes' statement as sent to MMAWeekly.com:
"I
would like to begin by saying that I was very happy to fight
in Montreal, and that I trained really hard for my fight. I know
that there were many people, including myself, who were disappointed
with my performance, and I would like to apologize to my coaches,
trainers and the fans for what happened. It was by far the worst
fight of my career, much to the credit of my opponent who proved
to be a real monster in the ring, I think that they should keep
him in a cave somewhere and feed him raw meat!
During
the fight I received a broken bone in my right foot and I find
out tomorrow if I need to have surgery and get a pin put through
it so that it will heal properly. I also have severe bruising
on my left thigh, lumps on my head, a fat black eye, a sprained
jaw and damage to the nerves in my molars.
My
injuries weren't enough to satisfy Dana White, who made comments
after the fight insinuating that I would have been better served
allowing myself to be knocked out. Comments which prompted me
to ask to be released from my contract.
Those
commenting on my performance and wondering why I asked to be
released from my contract, a contract which they had repeatedly
refused to renegotiate, should keep in mind how fighters are
compensated by the UFC.
In
my last fight for example I was coming off a win against one
of the UFC's top middleweights Chris Leben. I trained for over
three months for the fight, with all expenses coming out of my
own pocket. Food, travel, accommodations, supplements, equipment,
coaching, and cornermen. The athletic commission requires a pre
fight medical exam, blood tests, eye exam, and often an EKG,
ECG, MRA/ MRI, or CT scan. All of these expenses are mandatory,
and are incurred by the athlete.
I
was then injured in the bout and received a huge gash on my forehead,
which caused the doctor to halt the bout prematurely. The cut
became infected and I spent about two and a half months recovering,
during which time I was unable to work or generate any income.
The UFC, a company which earned hundreds of millions of dollars
that year, paid me less than $5,000.
You
should also keep in mind that I was fighting for the sixth time
for the organization and my second time on live PPV, on an event
which generated tens of millions of dollars. In short I paid
somewhere between $20,000 to $30,000 dollars for the privilege
of having my head split open.
For
him to come out and make a statement like that as though I should
be willing to suffer a brain injury while being paid less than
$10,000 is beyond comment. How much is a brain injury worth anyway?
Since
the fight, extremely biased articles and commentary have appeared
everywhere; articles which were of course reprinted quite extensively
by those lacking the imagination to make up their own lies. Accusations
flew and continue to fly about every aspect of my life and character.
I've heard reports that I appeared on a radio show in Montreal
attacking the UFC, that I threw the fight in protest, that I've
been abandoned by my team over my performance, that I escaped
from a polygamist colony in Texas as a child, that I was homeless
for years surviving on nothing but peyote caps and good intentions,
etc, etc.
I've
been bombarded by questions from every media organization you
can imagine. You'd think that I had knocked up Britney Spears,
or strangled Paris Hiltons pet Chihuahua. They ask me clever
questions like: Why would you want to be released from your UFC
contract? Were you injured? What was it like on that reality
show? Exactly what is a ‘hollaback girl’? Do lion-tiger
hybrids (ligers) really exist? Which is better, chocolate, or
vanilla? And finally; Why is your cardio always in question?"
But I don't answer them, ‘I just light my cigarette, and
smile.’
I
have been asked to appear on Inside MMA Friday to discuss it
further. If you're confused about the quote, look it up. I will
make copies of my medical records relating to UFC 83 available
upon request.
I
regret having to discuss this matter in the press, and would
have preferred to discuss this matter in private. I was not given
this opportunity and feel as though I was forced into a position
where I had to respond publicly to the pointed and biased case
building against me in the press.
Regardless
of my dissatisfaction with my contract, I will say that to the
best of my knowledge the UFC honored all agreements made with
me while I was under contract with them. I do not blame the UFC
in any way for my loss, and I hold no grudges against Nate Quarry
or his corner.
This
sport is as much about losing as it is about winning. There is
a winner and a loser in every fight. I tried to win but on that
night I couldn't do it and I lost. Instead of allowing me to
lose with dignity I was booed and called names and ridiculed
beyond anything which seems reasonable to me. I tried to box
with him and I couldn't find my range, I tried to kickbox with
him and I broke my foot, I tried to take him down and grapple
with him but I was unable to, I tried to work in the clinch but
that didn't work either, in short, I failed. No excuses. "
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Délson
“Pe-de-Chumbo” is going to fight at BJJ Mundial
BJJ
Mundial World Champion in 2002, Délson Heleno “Pé-de-chumbo”
wants to return to the mats at the 2008 Mundial. Away from BJJ
competitions to dedicate himself to MMA, “Pé-de-Chumbo”,
member of Renzo’s Gracie IFL team Pitbull, commented to
TATAME about his return to BJJ and his last MMA fight, in April
4.
“I
was better at the fight and I knock him about at the first round
but the time was over. At the second, I kept to hit him well.
At the third, I made a mistake at a double leg and he hit me
with a punch just above the ear and knock me out. I will come
back in August, but now I am focus at BJJ to fight the Mundial”,
said Délson, that commented about his friend Wagnney Fabiano,
current IFL champion at 70kg:
“He
has a very good preparation, a nice mood and I am not telling
this because he is my friend, I follow his train. For me he is
the best at the category and there is nobody else next him. He
is the one to face Kid (Yamamoto). If they fight each other,
I bet Wagnney”, commented Délson.
Source: Tatame
|
CALVIN
AYRE LEAVES BODOG, MMA ARM FINISHED
Bodog on Monday announced the retirement of Calvin Ayre from
the company. In recent years, Ayre served in large part as the
face of the company and reportedly was not all that involved
in the day-to-day operations.
“You’ve
likely heard the rumblings and rumors… and for once….
it’s true… I’m packing it in! Well, who am I kidding?”
said Ayre in a blog entry on his web site on Monday. “…I
was really more of a brand ambassador for Bodog the past while
anyway – but it was fun while it lasted.”
Operationally
speaking, Ayre’s exodus is expected to have little effect
on the company, which is now under the ownership of the Morris
Mohawk Gaming Group based in Canada. The company is, however,
undergoing a restructuring, returning its focus to gaming.
Although
no official word has yet emerged from Bodog, most sources indicate
that Bodog Fight – the arm of the company that was involved
in sponsoring and promoting mixed martial arts events –
is all but defunct.
One
executive, when asked recently what Bodog Fight was currently
working on, told MMAWeekly.com, “I’m sitting in an
empty office.”
Source: MMA Weekly
|
DREAM
Middleweight Grand Prix adds bouts, Trigg vs. Jacare?
DREAM’s
Middleweight Grand Prix set to take place during the second event
on April 29 has made some big updates to their card since I last
visited it some weeks ago. The more name recognizable news from
casual fans is the addition of Ronaldo Jacare vs. Frank “Twinkletoes”
Trigg to the Grand Prix along with Magomed Sultanakhmadov vs.
Zelg Galesic, and Yoon Dong “Dongbar” Sik vs. Shungo
Oyama. Oh yeah… Minowaman is also in there taking on Kin
Taiei. The word on the street is that Yoshihiro Akiyama and Daniel
Acacio may make entrances into the Grand Prix as well to round
out the field, and Marcelo Garcia is rumored to be at least fighting
at the event in a non-GP bout.
Although
DREAM had some poor ratings in their last show, this is definitely
looking to be a great show for hardcore fans and should pick
up in ratings from their last event. Jacare is a world-class
grappling champion while Trigg is an older UFC/PRIDE veteran
with a spark of life still left in his wrestling ability. Although
fans coined the moniker “Rear Naked Trigg” to his name
for his losses in the UFC, Trigg still remains a very good fighter
for his age and his abilities. Jacare will be a very tough challenge,
and it should be interesting to see if he can handle the dynamic
grappling from Jacare. One disadvantage that Jacare won’t
have is the fact that he has actually been fighting MMA for quite
some time, unlike fellow champion grappler Marcelo Garcia who
lost his first MMA bout.
Yoon
Dong Sik finally makes a return to the ring after a small layoff
after his win over Fabio Silva at the K-1 Olympia Hero’s
event in October of last year. At 3-4, his record fools most
fans into believing he isn’t a good fighter, but his first
4 bouts were against top tier competition. He now seems to be
blasting through the middleweights in Japan, and we could finally
see some big names up against his controlling judo and jiu-jitsu
skills on the ground.
With
the potential for seeing Tamura, Kang, Mousasi, Trigg, Jacare,
Dong Sik Yoon, Galesic, and potentially Akiyama in the Grand
Prix in bouts facing one another, this should make for a very
entertaining DREAM event. Hopefully the super bouts will also
begin to materialize soon.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
CAGE
WARRIORS: ENTER THE ROUGH HOUSE 6
Dan Hardy showed once again that he is on the verge of being
a world class fighter with his solid win over the durable Chad
Reiner. After getting an impressive takedown from the start,
Reiner proceeded to apply his wrestling game on the Briton. However,
the pace was draining on the American and at the end of the second
round, he started to leave exploitable holes in his game. Not
content with recording a decision, Hardy did his utmost to stop
the American inside the distance and landed a beautifully crisp
combo with a well placed hook that knocked his opponent down.
By way of exclamation mark, he wasted no time in following up
with strikes to force the stoppage at 2:10 into round 3 via GNP.
The
ever popular Ian "M16" Butlin didn't quite get the
result he wanted upon his return to the cage after a lengthy
layoff. His opponent Cengiz Dana worked himself into an inverted
heelhook after the takedown to force the tap a mere 26 seconds
from the bell. It all happened so fast leaving a brutally evident
look of disapointment on the face of Butlin.
French
submission specialist Bendy Casimir forced opponent Andre Winner
to fight the way he wanted. Casimar continually took Winner down,
forcing him to be defensive off his back. The fluidity of his
takedowns was hugely impressive and continues to underline the
pure talent pool in France at the moment. After two rounds, Winner
knew he had to go for the KO in order to try and salvage the
bout, unfortunately it was a case of time running out and despite
his lightning handspeed Winner went home with a loss.
Matt
Thorpe was angry and it showed with his dominating performance
over Mark O'Toole. Thorpe is at the top of the U.K. talent pool,
but for one reason or another he just can't get the break he
needs to show his skills. After a brief flirtation with Bodog
which didn't open up the doors for him and a couple of unfortunate
results in recent bouts, it has been frustrating for Thorpe.
O'Toole is a gamer but after a quick exchange and being planted
on his back, Thorpe positioned himself for the kimura as he tried
as best as he could to pull the appendage of his opponent- 1:39
into the first round and O'Toole goes home with a very painful
shoulder.
Martin
Stapleton applied a suffocating game plan on David Johnson to
record the unanimous decision. Johnson never seemed to find his
openings in the fight as everytime he looked for distance to
setup his strikes, Stapleton worked for the takedown. Johnson
came into this as a short notice replacement, and it was telling
in his cardio, but there were no gifts in this fight and Stapleton
had to work for the spoils.
"Judo"
Jim Wallhead has every right to change his nickname following
his ultraslick boxing skills in the bout against tough late replacement,
Tom Haddock. The contrasting striking styles really highlighted
how much Wallhead has evolved as he bobbed, weaved and picked
shots for the duration of the bout. A couple of times the fight
hit the floor, but he seemed content to let his opponent rise
and back into the pocket. Haddock may have faired better in the
bout had he strung together some combos, but as it stood his
1-2 approach created openings- one of which let through a tight
hook to put him down. Wallhead wasted to time and unleashed a
battery of strikes before the bout was called at 3:49 into the
second round.
Rising
rough house sensation Dean Amasinger got the kimura he was looking
for at the second attempt... at 4:19 into the first round. From
the bell there were no strikes as he went straight for the double
leg on adversary Jason Muldoon.
Total
Dojo fighter Cliff Hall made short work of experienced veteran
Nigel Whitear by way of guillotine choke at 0:32 of the first
round. Hall didn't even break a sweat in the bout and both fighters
left the cage as though nothing happened, without a single strike
being thrown!
Roughhouse
BJJ instructor Lee Livingstone didn't need to prove his ground
skills, but that's exactly what he did with a quick rear naked
choke win over pro rules debutant Adam Barstow just under a minute
into the first round. Barstow looked completely outclassed and
really had no choice in the flow of the bout.
In
other action, impressive team supreme up-n-comer Eugene Fadiora
slapped on a rear naked choke so tight that it looked like opponent
Dave Bownds eyes were going to pop out. Also, Pete McGurk continued
his display of sick boxing skills with a devastating KO over
Richard Whitmore. And opening the evening, Bloodline fighter
Sean Folan got his Cage Warriors wings with a kimura victory
over Brent Crawley.
Full
Results:
Dan Hardy def Chad Reiner via TKO 2:10 R1
Cengiz Dana def Ian Butlin via Inverted Heel Hook 0:25 R1
Bendy Casimir def Andre Winner via decision 5:00 R3
Matt Thorpe def Mark O'Toole via Kimura 1:39 R1
Martin Stapleton def David Johnson via decision 5:00 R3
Jim Wallhead def Tom Haddock via GNP 3:49 R2
Dean Amasinger def Jason Muldoon via Kimura R1
Cliff Hall def Nigel Whitear via guillotine 0:32 R1
Lee Livingstone def Adam Barstow via RNC 0:56 R1
Eugene Fadiora def Dave Bownds via RNC 2:39 R1
Pete McGurk def Richard Whitmore via KO 1:43 R1
Sean Folan def Brent Crawley via Kimura 2:52 R2
Cage
Kickboxing:
Lola Bamgbala def Kristoff Woodgoise via decision 5:00 R3
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Quote
of the Day
“The
biggest room in the world is the room for improvement.”
Source Unknown
|
LIDDELL
INJURED, OUT OF UFC 85 MAIN EVENT
The main event of the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s return
to London on June 7 hasn’t found the day all that lucky.
The promotion on Monday announced that one half of its headlining
bout, former UFC champion Chuck Liddell, had to withdraw due
to a severe right hamstring injury.
Liddell
was originally slated to face former Pride Fighting Championships
champion Mauricio “Shogun” Rua. His opponent was later
changed to Rashad Evans when Rua had to withdraw due to a knee
injury.
Now,
with Liddell out of action for the foreseeable future, it is
Evans that is left waiting and wondering.
Contacted
by MMAWeekly.com, Evans expressed his disappointment that Liddell
had to withdraw from the bout. He did, however, state that he
does want to remain on the card, hopefully avoiding a rather
long layoff.
Although
Sherdog.com is reporting that several sources indicate James
Irvin – who recently knocked out Houston Alexander in just
eight seconds – is considered the frontrunner to face Evans,
the UFC has not named a replacement.
"Unfortunately,
Chuck Liddell tore his right hamstring during training last week,
and being the warrior that he is, he still wanted to fight, which
is the reason why everyone in the world loves him," said
UFC president Dana White. "But I wouldn't let anyone fight
with his leg looking that way. Let him heal and come back and
fight when he is 100 percent."
It
will be difficult for the promotion to put together another headline
bout with as much drawing power as Liddell carries into a bout.
The UFC intends to make up for that by loading up UFC 85 with
13 bouts, which is the most that it has had on one fight card
in more than a decade.
"We're
adding fights to the card and rearranging it so the UK fans won't
have to worry, we'll still be bringing an amazing card to London
and the O2 Arena,” said White.
UFC
85 Bouts (officially announced):
-Rashad Evans vs. TBA
-Fabricio Werdum vs. Brandon Vera
-Martin Kampmann vs. Jorge Rivera
-Nate Marquardt vs. Thales Leites
-Thiago Tavares vs. Matt Wiman
-Marcus Davis vs. Mike Swick
-Luis Arthur Cane vs. Jason Lambert
-Neil Wain vs. Antoni Hardonk
UFC
85 Bouts (unannounced):
-Ryo Chonan vs. Roan Carneiro
-Jess Liaudin vs. Paul Taylor
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Are
Nogueira and Mir a good idea for The Ultimate Fighter?
In
the recent months, the UFC’s Heavyweight division has come
under fire as being a division that is slowly losing its luster.
Andrei Arlovski, Tim Sylvia, Randy Couture, and Jake O’Brien
have all departed by way of contract issues, being cut from the
promotion, or feeling disrespected. In any case, the division
needs a kick in the pants, and it needs some publicity behind
it to get fans buying up pay-per-views featuring the big men
as well as tuning into The Ultimate Fighter due to their presence.
Antonio
“Minotauro” Nogueira and Frank Mir are both rumored
to be in the final stages of being tabbed as coaches on the show.
Georges St. Pierre and Jon Fitch are also in the running as well
from earlier reports, but I wanted to focus on the heavyweight
rumors due to the community disagreement with the rumor.
Is
Frank Mir a good choice? Many fans are stating that both fighters
are terrible choices for the reasons that pertain to their end
of the series showdown in a potential title fight. Some fans
believe it’s a terrible fight for Mir to suddenly take on,
and others hate the fact that the UFC Heavyweight brass will
be tied up much like the other title pictures were in other seasons.
The fact of the matter is that the UFC still needs to build stars
to maintain the success that they’ve brought to themselves,
and this is the way to do it. We’ve already sat through
multiple title pictures being on hold due to the show, and it
won’t be any different here. The only saving grace is that
the division really doesn’t have a clear cut contender.
With
that said, Mir is a good choice for a couple of reasons. First
and foremost, he can have an abrasive attitude that could produce
some interesting conversations and disagreements on the show.
Whether you reference his comments related to breaking bones
of his opponents in pre-fight interviews or the fact that he
has come off as elitist in other interviews, it could make for
good television. Even if we see a more intelligent Frank Mir
on the show, his vast knowledge of the jiu-jitsu game will only
help the fighters on the show perform even better.
The
bigger problem that fans have expressed is with Antonio Nogueira.
I believe he’s being undervalued by much of the fanbase
in being a coach on the show. Sure, he’s Brazilian, speaks
with an accent and in his Brazilian tongue mostly, but he has
very good English. He also happens to be one of the toughest
fighters to ever grace the ring/cage, and I think it would break
new ground for the UFC to bring in a Brazilian fighter. I would
also wonder if the UFC would potentially look toward Brazil for
more prospects because he would be participating.
To
be perfectly honest, Nogueira’s exposure on SpikeTV is the
more important aspect to his coaching assignment. He’s likely
going to hold the belt for a substantial amount of time, and
the UFC should definitely be keen on promoting him as much as
they can to the fight fans out there. He is, after all, a legend
of the sport, and if some type of personality can come out of
him during the show, he could gain some fans through the process.
Subsequently, we could see slightly bigger draws for those events
in which he is featured.
Although
I don’t believe it is the absolute best choice for The Ultimate
Fighter 8, it’s definitely not a wash. Mir is intelligent
in what he knows about the ground game and MMA in general, and
he knows how to persevere through life’s tragedies and tests
on the human mind and body. Nogueira is also a master at his
trade, and he’s been through tough trials and tribulations
in his career as well and his personal life at a young age. Don’t
doubt for a minute that the UFC won’t push those stories
for fans to eat up with a spoon. They both should make the fighters
on the show much better in their respective skillsets as well.
Source: MMA Analysis
|
MMA
Analytics 04.21.08: UFC 83 Aftermath –
What's Next?
We're
checking out UFC 83, and what's next for the participants in
the aftermath in this edition of MMA Analytics.
On
Saturday evening in front of a sold-out crowd of Canadian fans
from the Bell Centre in Montreal, Canada, Georges St. Pierre
reclaimed the UFC Welterweight title with another dominating
performance over a tough divisional opponent. In this bout however,
that opponent happened to be a man who defeated St. Pierre roughly
a year ago in one of the biggest upsets in UFC history. St. Pierre
crushed Serra in a relentless ground and pound attack that was
reminiscent of the crushing performance he had performed on Matt
Hughes at the end of 2007. St. Pierre now reigns as arguably
the top pound-for-pound fighter in the world alongside Anderson
Silva.
The
lopsided main event was expected by much of the fanbase, but
the rest of the event's lineup was awkward for many fans expecting
some exciting bouts. Much of the main card featured veteran fighters
and TUF alumni that created a stir in the crowd, but the results
of each bout sometimes garnered boos and mixed reactions from
the crowd expecting their Canadian representation in the cage
to spectacularly blow through their opponent. Nonetheless, the
event was the largest crowd in UFC history with an attendance
of 21,390 and a $5+ million dollar gate. The pay-per-view numbers
should be very interesting to see.
With
that said, what's next for the fighters that took part in UFC
83? Were there any impressive performances that produced some
hype of possible title shots? Anyone we should be keeping our
eye on? Who had performances that could possibly put them out
of the UFC? Let's check the card out.
St.
Pierre creates a gap in talent in the division
The
Welterweight division is now in danger of becoming the next Middleweight
division of the UFC. St. Pierre's dominance of the division's
elite has been nothing short of impressive. He went from a man
who was called a "mental midget" to a fighter being
labeled as "gun shy" due to his hesitation to stand
with Koscheck, Hughes, and now Serra. St. Pierre may very well
be gun-shy in the standup game to avoid the career changing flash
knockout, but his wrestling skills on the ground have been unmatched
by NCAA champions and jiu-jitsu experts who are used to being
on their backs. In fact, St. Pierre didn't take any damage in
his victory on Saturday night. Gun-shy? I say who cares.
With
that said, who can challenge Georges St. Pierre at the top of
the division? I'm inclined to say that there is not one fighter
in the UFC's welterweight division that can challenge him in
any aspect of his game.
Thiago
Alves, Karo Parisyan, and Jon Fitch are the top three fighters
in contention right now, but Fitch and Alves are currently in
the running after Alves defeating Parisyan at Ultimate Fight
Night 13. Fitch is mainly a takedown fighter who looked sluggish
in his standup game against Chris Wilson. Pierre should easily
dispatch of Fitch inside the first two rounds of that fight.
Thiago
Alves has dangerous leg kicks and striking, but the jury is still
out on his ground game being able to handle a St. Pierre onslaught.
I highly doubt it could, but Alves's striking game could be a
potential danger. I'd much rather see that fight than Fitch,
but the UFC will likely beef up a Fitch-St. Pierre showdown in
the future.
If
Anderson Silva and St. Pierre remain title holders and their
divisional opponents simply cannot beat them, don't be surprised
if the UFC begins the epic marketing campaign to hype a Silva
vs. St. Pierre showdown of arguably #1 and #2 pound-for-pound
fighters.
Lutter's
tank runs dry, Franklin escapes submission
Rich
Franklin took out Travis Lutter in a fairly predictable TKO victory
in the second round of their matchup. Lutter has definitely been
plagued with cardio issues after the midway point of a fight,
and it showed in the second round. However, Lutter showed some
tough jiu-jitsu skills on the ground in the first round that
nearly ended Franklin's return bout after being dismantled by
Anderson Silva.
Lutter
doesn't seem to have many places to go in the division after
the loss. He showed some great ground skills, but his gas tank
is unbelievably small. With improved cardio, he could potentially
be a danger to contending middleweights.
Franklin
showed some impressive jiu-jitsu escapes in the fight. Specifically,
Lutter had Franklin's arm cranked and looking to end the fight
when Franklin rolled and turned his arm into a position that
relieved the pressure from the strain. It was an impressive feat
from a guy that many consider to be specifically a ground and
pounder with competent defense. It's clear that Gurgel's teachings
have helped his ground defense.
Franklin
doesn't have many places to go. He'll likely defeat contenders,
but he's already been crushed by Anderson Silva twice. It'll
be interesting to see who the UFC has for him, and what they
plan to do with him if he happens to win all of his bouts. Will
they actually make a third installment of Silva vs. Franklin?
Only time will tell.
Starnes
on the outs, Quarry should step up
Kalib
Starnes didn't do much during his bout against Nate Quarry. His
striking was non-existent, he didn't follow through on his rare
takedowns, and his shots were weak and easy for Quarry to counter.
It was a horrible performance from the British Columbian native,
and it wasn't like the tough Kalib Starnes we're used to seeing
in the cage. You simply don't win fights by backpedaling the
entire fight.
Quarry,
on the other hand, pushed the pace, showed some good striking
and seemed to be much more dynamic on his feet with some newly
trained Muay Thai kicks and strikes. I figured this would be
a tough bout for Starnes for the mere fact that Quarry has a
chin made of granite, but Starnes is venerable on the ground.
Unfortunately for Starnes, he wasn't in the arena in spirit.
Look
for Quarry to begin moving up in the deep Middleweight division
to better competition. He's definitely a tough fight for anyone,
especially if he's improving his striking and sprawl. It'll be
interesting to see if the UFC tries to match him up with a grappler.
Starnes
may very well be booted from the UFC. He's had two straight losses,
but his lackluster performance on Saturday could grab the attention
of the UFC's brass to cut his contract. The Middleweight division
has some depth if you take out the top fighters from that list,
so he could still provide a good fight for someone. Hopefully,
he shows up to that fight.
Starnes
did however yell obscenities into the crowd while on camera,
and we all know that Dana White will be very displeased with
that.. or maybe not. Nonetheless, we'll see if Starnes actually
gets another chance.
Bisping
stops McCarthy, looking good at 185
Michael
Bisping isn't my favorite fighter or one that I like very much
at all. In fact, he rubs me the wrong way in many aspects of
his personality and fighting style, but I'm willing to admit
that Michael Bisping looked good at Middleweight. His Muay Thai
has obviously improved significantly, and his sprawl was much
the same as we've seen it while he was at Light Heavyweight.
Will Bisping be a huge threat at 185? Probably not, but he surely
will make for some good fights and draws fans to events.
McCarthy's
antics during the fight were a bit premature. During a few instances
that Bisping reigned knees toward his head, McCarthy popped up
and taunted Bisping. It was justified in the fact that McCarthy
was defending nearly all the blows, but premature in the fact
that Bisping landed a devastating last knee to end the fight.
McCarthy doesn't have a striking game, and his jiu-jitsu skills
are good enough to win him some fights. He just needs to learn
at least enough in the striking game to be a danger.
Quick
thoughts
Danzig
looked good in his win over Bocek. Look for him to continue his
ascension up the ladder at 155. Bocek will likely get another
bout in the UFC, but he definitely needs a win to keep himself
in the promotion. Bocek could definitely benefit from some added
strength and striking.
Jason
MacDonald looks to be regaining a contendership shot after knocking
out Joe Doerksen in the second round of their bout. Doerksen
may be sent packing after losing to MacDonald and Herman.
Demian
Maia choked out Ed Herman unconscious via a top control triangle
choke in the second round of their battle. Look out for Maia.
He's an impressive grappler who seems to have a lot of strength
and easily overcomes size and strength of his opponents to out
grapple them. He could very well be a danger in the Middleweight
division. I think Maia may get a shot at some mid-tier to upper-tier
competition next.
Clementi
won a split decision over Sam Stout, and both fighters really
aren't in any position to move. Stout remains a gatekeeper type
fighter while Clementi seems to be moving into the mid-echelon
of talent in the Lightweight division.
Jonathan
Goulet came out in his fight against Kuniyoshi Hironaka with
the Canadian fans behind him, and it proved to be a catalyst
for an explosive knockout in the second round. Hironaka proved
that he just doesn't have the length to do a whole lot against
rangier opponents, but he did hang tough in some flurries. Both
fighters will need more matches to really prove themselves to
the UFC's brass.
Cain
Velasquez, the phenom from American Kickboxing Academy, made
short work on Brad Morris by defeating him via TKO only 2:10
in the first round. He'll likely get another newcomer or gatekeeper
to the division, but keep an eye on him, he's the future of the
division.
Final
thoughts
There
were definitely some great battles on this card, but it was overall
a disappointment in regards to actual excitement. It's a bit
sad when those free Ultimate Fight Night cards are spectacular,
yet the PPV events aren't getting those great lightweight battles.
Hopefully we'll see some better action in the next event.
Florian
was a bit off for my taste. He repeated some of his own phrases
quite a bit during fights, and it was getting rather annoying
at times. His analysis wasn't bad, but I'd have almost rather
seen Frank Mir in the role minus the premature "It's OVER!"
from him.
Demian
Maia received the submission of the night bonus of $75,000, and
Jonathan Goulet's battle with Kuniyoshi Hironaka was labeled
as fight of the night. Jason MacDonald earned an extra $75k for
downing Joe Doerksen.
Source: MMA Analysis
|
Fedor
Emelianenko vs. Tim Sylvia is official, will Fedor prove he's
#1?
MMA Weekly is confirming that Fedor Emelianenko will take on
former UFC heavyweight champion Tim Sylvia in matchup between
two top five heavyweights on July 19th of this year. Previous
rumors that have been leaked out suggest the bout will take place
in Dallas, Texas at American Airlines Arena with HDNet providing
the broadcast and Affliction footing the bill. Details aside,
this matchup will be the first to prove if Fedor Emelianenko
still has the tenacity and skills we've seen in the past, and
it will put him well on his way to proving to the fanbase that
he is in fact deserving of being the greatest.
This
is a bout that has taken years to happen and has been years in
the making. In the days when PRIDE reigned supreme and feud between
which promotion's fighters were better, Tim Sylvia vs. Fedor
Emelianenko was a dream matchup that fans very much wanted to
see happen. Rumors surfaced that Fedor had ducked Sylvia, and
Sylvia had ducked Fedor, but both rumors didn't have much weight
behind them. Sylvia was bound by the UFC's contracts, and Liddell
was chosen to head to Japan for the Grand Prix to take on Wanderlei
Silva. Of course, we all know that the matchup between Liddell
and Silva didn't happen, and the rumor surfaced that Sylvia was
ducking Fedor. The fact is that the matchup just wasn't available
in those days, and now we'll finally get to see the showdown.
The
difference between then and now is Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and
Randy Couture. During Fedor's PRIDE reign, it wasn't inconceivable
to believe that Sylvia had a great shot at defeating Fedor with
his huge size. Today, many fans still believe he can simply stand
and pepper Fedor to a victory. Nogueira submitted Sylvia with
nice transitions, and Couture rocked Sylvia with an overhand
that helped him neutralize Sylvia for the rest of the bout. Both
fights made Sylvia seem vulnerable, a much different perception
than the previous years he had.
How
should this fight play out today? Fedor remains an explosive
fighter with the best transitional MMA skills that we've ever
seen. He's good to great in nearly all areas of the game, and
his ability to reverse his fortunes in the middle of a fight
is a testament to his survivability and diversity in his skillset.
In my opinion, Sylvia is outmatched decisively in this matchup.
Sylvia
has a non-existent ground game to finish a fight, and his only
real advantage on the ground is his length. Length has been something
that Fedor Emelianenko has never had problems attacking. His
size likely won't stop Fedor from taking him down, and the only
opponent that Fedor had problems taking down was the real life
Goliath in Hong Man Choi. Fedor has explosively put bigger opponents
to the ground with ease, and Sylvia will likely be no different.
The
only advantage that appears to be valid is Sylvia's standup skills.
While he does have crisp strikes that don't loop like many heavy
handed heavyweights, will he be able to put Fedor out with a
few? Not before he gets put to the floor. While I think this
is a great matchup for Fedor and Sylvia, Fedor should prevail
easily. One-dimensional fighters such as Sylvia are a beast of
the past. Nonetheless, get ready for a showdown in the deep South.
Source: MMA Analysis
|
Franklin
a favorite with Montreal crowd
MONTREAL
– Rich Franklin wasn’t sure what sort of reaction he’d
get from the fans at the Bell Centre on Saturday night. By and
large, the festive sellout crowd got behind Canadian fighters
and rooted against Americans.
“I
stood behind the curtain and I had my fingers crossed,”
Franklin said. “I wasn’t sure if I was going to get
booed or not.”
Turns
out he had nothing to worry about. The popular former UFC middleweight
champion got a thunderous ovation, second on the evening only
to hometown hero Georges St. Pierre, as he entered the octagon
to face Travis Lutter.
“It
was crazy out there,” Franklin said. “There was this
one guy who had my right hand and wouldn’t let go, security
had to do this karate thing to get him off me.”
Franklin
justified the crowd’s enthusiasm by giving the sort of workmanlike
effort that made him a UFC fan favorite. The 33-year-old from
Cincinnati took all Lutter had to offer and dished out a second-round
beatdown to win via TKO.
Lutter
looked strong for much of the first round, getting Franklin into
an armbar and nearly working it into perfect position. But Franklin
managed to get to his feet and escape.
“I
could stay on the bottom and not expend a lot of energy and hope
to ride out the rest of the round, but that’s not my style,”
he said.
By
the second, Franklin was able to dictate the pace and wear Lutter
down, which Franklin said was in the game plan.
“We
looked at a lot of tape on Lutter,” Franklin said. “I
was banking on the fact my conditioning was better. He had given
me the best he could offer and came up short. From that point
on he started to slow down and my pace stayed the same.”
After
the convincing victory, Franklin was asked what he would like
to do next, considering he’s already lost twice to the current
middleweight champion, Anderson Silva.
“This
is my first fight after a loss,” Franklin said. “My
plan for the future is another fight and another win. I would
love to make my way back to the middleweight title, but right
now I have to look at the first 200 feet in front of me.”
Michael
in the middle
Michael
Bisping looked like a brand-new fighter in his victory over Charles
McCarthy. The light heavyweight winner of The Ultimate Fighter
was a smaller-sized 205-pounder who did not cut much weight,
and he largely got outmuscled in his controversial win over Matt
Hamill in September and his split-decision loss to Rashad Evans
in November.
But
a fit, energetic Bisping took it to McCarthy and never slowed
down, earning the win when McCarthy could not continue at the
end of the first round.
Bisping
had long resisted the move down to 185, but in hindsight, he
sees it as the right move.
“Early
in my career I used to destroy guys,” Bisping said. “Then
the level of competition got tougher and I was just kind of lazy.
“I
always knew it never would be an easy thing (dropping to 185),
but I was a bit stubborn. I would get lazy, eat a slice of pizza.
I’m proud of what I achieved at light heavyweight. But I’m
excited about what I can accomplish at middleweight.”
Kalib
Starnes, track star
One
of the biggest topics of discussion at the post-fight news conference
was Kalib Starnes’ game plan, or lack thereof, against Nate
Quarry. The Surrey, B.C., native backpedaled in circles for the
better part of 15 minutes in losing a unanimous decision. One
of the judges was so unimpressed with Starnes’ performance
that he scored the fight 30-24 in favor of Quarry. The other
scores were 30-26 and 30-27.
“When
I was making my comeback, I asked for Starnes as my opponent
for my comeback fight,” said Quarry, who missed more than
a year due to back surgery before beating Pete Sell in September.
“And they refused to take it, said I wasn’t worthy.
So then he comes out and he doesn’t fight.”
The
Bell Centre crowd of 21,390, which passionately cheered the action
for the bulk of the night, turned on the match as Starnes did
his Michael Johnson impersonation, at one point chanting “boring.”
Eventually, though, the crowd recognized Quarry was at least
attempting to engage.
Quarry
let out his frustrations at the end of the fight by high-stepping
toward Starnes as Starnes ran, then followed by taunting his
opponent, drawing gales of laughter from the audience.
“I
loved the crowd,” Quarry said. “They were going to
side with whoever showed a warrior’s heart and not just
cheer guys because of what country they’re from.”
Perhaps
ominously for Starnes’ future, his boss wasn’t impressed.
“It
takes two guys to fight,” UFC president Dana White said.
“Nate Quarry was the only person who showed up to fight.
If you’re fighting in your home country, I’d rather
fight and get knocked out than run in circles for 15 minutes.”
TUF
enough
Ultimate
Fighter 6 winner Mac Danzig won a grueling battle over Mark Bocek,
opening up a gruesome cut over Bocek’s left eye before the
fight was stopped late in the third round.
It
was Danzig’s first match since winning the welterweight
Ultimate Fighter 6. Danzig, who now fights at lightweight, was
asked about the “TUF” tag.
“For
whatever reason, people tend to discount the people on the show,”
Danzig said. “(TUF 5 winner) Nate Diaz is doing really good
and showing the guys from the show are not to be taken lightly.
It shows how this (TUF) is an opportunity. It’s good to
shut people up, but some people will never will shut up (no matter
what).”
Bonus
babies
With
a gate of more than $5 million, the UFC was generous in handing
out bonuses, giving $75,000 to each of the evening’s standout
performances. Local favorite Jonathan Goulet and Kunyioshi Hironaka
took fight of the night honors for Goulet’s second-round
TKO win in the opener of the 11-fight card; Jason MacDonald got
KO of the night for his flurry of elbows which took out Joe Doerksen;
and Demian Maia took submission of the night honors for his leg
triangle against Ed Herman.
Source: Yahoo Sports |
Move
to middleweight provides Bisping fresh start
A
real fighter is never going to concede that he’s too small
or that his opponent is too strong. He’ll never admit he’s
anything less than 1,000 percent certain of absolute victory.
Even
though UFC lightweight champion B.J. Penn has accepted, for the
time being, UFC president Dana White’s directive to concentrate
on one division, you can bet that during his free time his mind
drifts to fights against welterweight Georges St. Pierre and
even middleweight Anderson Silva.
Real
fighters believe they can overcome even the most insurmountable
odds against them.
And
that’s why, perhaps, Michael Bisping stubbornly continued
to campaign in the light heavyweight division even though it
was obvious to anyone who looked at him that he was far more
suited to fight at 185 pounds.
But
after a disappointing, and highly controversial, win over Matt
Hamill at UFC 75 in September, Bisping returned and suffered
his first career defeat to one-time heavyweight Rashad Evans
at UFC 78 in November.
It’s
a fight that Bisping still believes he could have – and,
perhaps, should have – won. But after a thorough self-examination,
Bisping realized that he was doing himself a disservice by staying
in the 205-pound division.
“I
know I’d said I’d always planned to stay at 205, but
to be honest, when you have two equally skilled and equally conditioned
guys, the bigger, stronger guy is going to win. We’re fighting
for high stakes here and after I lost to Rashad, I had some thinking
to do.”
Evans
was the bigger, stronger guy that night. And, as he moved up
the ladder in the 205-pound division, Bisping would have found
increasingly bigger and stronger men awaiting him.
He
finally realized that dropping to middleweight wasn’t a
concession that he couldn’t compete at 205 but rather a
process of giving himself as much of a competitive advantage
as he could. Bisping will fight Charles “Captain Miserable”
McCarthy on Saturday at UFC 83 at the Bell Center in Montreal
in his debut at middleweight.
Trainer
Juanito Ibarra, who has worked with Bisping at light heavyweight
champion Quinton “Rampage” Jackson’s training
camp in Big Bear, Calif., said it was the only move Bisping could
make.
“He’s
going to be a difficult guy for those middleweights to handle
because now he’s going to be the bigger guy in there most
nights,” Ibarra said. “Those guys he was fighting,
they were just slightly smaller heavyweights. He was giving up
a lot.”
If
he was lacking in motivation, McCarthy gave him plenty with his
bold, frequently outrageous, comments.
In
an interview with Eurosport Yahoo!, McCarthy called Bisping “very,
very average,” and denigrated his wrestling and his striking
skills. McCarthy, who has a brown belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu,
said he believes his jiu-jitsu is better than anyone at 185 pounds,
including Silva. Silva is a black belt.
“I
really don’t think Bisping is anything at all,” McCarthy
said in the interview. “I don’t see anything he does
well. He’s very, very average. I’m just not impressed
or excited by anything he does. His wrestling isn’t good.
His striking isn’t good. His BJJ isn’t good. He’s
just an average fighter with a big name because the UFC is in
England. I think he’s probably the most average fighter
in the whole UFC who has a big name. I’ve watched his fights
very closely. He hasn’t got that much talent or ability.”
But
whatever talent or ability he has will be on display in the Bell
Centre, because McCarthy gave him more motivation he ever needed.
Bisping was plenty motivated to begin with, because he knew many
fans felt he was handled easily by Hamill and because of the
loss to Evans.
But
McCarthy’s bulletin board material took things to another
level in terms of firing up Bisping.
“Honestly,
I’m not sure what prompted all of that,” Bisping said.
“I had been very respectful of Charles and then he went
off on me in the British press. That’s not right. If he
wanted to get my attention, he did.”
Don’t,
however, expect him to rush out of the corner like a Tasmanian
Devil. Ibarra said he’s encouraged Bisping to fight within
himself and not burn so much energy early in the fight.
Bisping,
Ibarra said, has plenty of skills to defeat McCarthy and simply
has to avoid an amateurish mistake on the ground.
“McCarthy
isn’t a bad matchup at all for Mike,” Ibarra said.
“Mike knows what he has to do in this fight. He has everything
he needs to beat this guy.
He
has everything he needs to be most guys at that weight, to tell
you the truth. He just needs to stick with the game plan and
he’ll be fine.”
He’ll
follow the plan just as he followed the strict conditioning routines
that were laid out for him by his new conditioning coaches. When
he lost to Evans and took stock of his career, he realized he
wasn’t doing all he could to win.
He
made the decision that he would make the kind of commitment in
his preparation that he made when he was inside the cage.
“My
diet wasn’t as strict as it should have been and, to be
honest with you, when I really looked at it, I was taking the
easy route too often,” Bisping said.
“It
was disappointing to have (fights with Hamill and Evans) where
the fans didn’t think I did all that well and I lost, but
in a way, it’s done me a lot of good.
“I’m
a lot better today as I talk to you than I was a couple of months
ago. There are no shortcuts any more for me. I’ve taken
the hard road and I know that’s going to pay off for me.
I kind of feel like I’ve found my home (at middleweight).”
Source: Yahoo Sports
|
Yoshihiro
Akiyama won't enter DREAM.2 Middleweight GP
Yoshihiro
Akiyama, an early favorite, will not compete in the DREAM.2 Middleweight
Grand Prix on Tuesday, April 29 at the Saitama Super Arena in
Japan.
Akiyama
announced today that a broken nose will sideline him from participating
in the sixteen-man tournament.
Akiyama
was the winner of the 2006 K-1 Hero's Light Heavyweight Grand
Prix.
CURRENT
FIGHT CARD:
Tai
Ei Kin vs. Ikuhisa Minowa
Magomed Sultanakhmadov vs. Zelg Galesic
Yoon Dong Sik vs. Shungo Oyama
Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza vs. Frank Trigg
Denis Kang vs. Gegard Mousasi
Kazushi Sakuraba vs. Andrews Nakahara
Kiyoshi Tamura vs. Masakatsu Funaki
Shinya Aoki vs. Gesias "JZ" Calvancante
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Shooto
Brazil full of surprises
Willamy Chiquerim takes under 70kg title with knockout over Giovanni
Diniz
Shooto
Brazil 6, which took place last night at the Upper Gym, in Rio
de Janeiro, was full of surprises. The first Shooto South America
title went to Fortaleza, with Nocaute Fight representative Willamy
Chiquerim. He knocked out the pugilist Giovanni Diniz, of Nobre
Art / Nova União, in the final seconds of the first round.
Now
the representative from the Brazil’s northeast will have
one year before having to defend his title, according to Shooto
rules. Another upset was the knockout of Marlon Moraes (Fight
Co), recognized as one of the top domestic muay thai fighter
in his weight group, by Alexandre Pinheiro also in the first
round. Of the nine fights on the card, four ended in knockout,
three in decision and two by submission.
Class
A:
Under
76 kg - Igor Chatubinha (RelmaMMA / RFT) submitted Sérgio
Jr. (Hikari) with an arm triangle
Under 76 kg – Amílcar Alves (Nova União) beat
Ary Marcel (Nocaute Fight) by decision
Under 73 kg - Danilo Cherman (Nova União) submitted Rivanildo
Aranha (Hikari) by rear-naked-choke in R1
Under 70kg – Eliene Pit (Nova União Brasília)
nocauteou Alan Chatuba [(RelmaMMA / RFT) (taking Reynaldo Duarte’s
place at the last minute)] in R1
Under 65 kg - Renan Barão (Nova União) defeated
Willian Viana (Tata) by decision
Under 65 kg - Alexandre Pinheiro (JP Caverna) defeated Marlon
Moraes (Fight Co) by knockout R1
Under 56 kg - Ralph Loren (RFT) defeated Aquiles de Campos (Nova
União) by decision
Class B:
Under
70kg - Rogério Paraíba (Tatá) defeated Oto
Rodrigues (Boxe Thai) by technical knockout
Title dispute:
Under
70 kg - Willamy Chiquerim (Nocaute Fight) took the 70kg title
with a technical knockout over Giovanni Diniz (Nobre Arte/ Nova
União) at the end of the first round.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Alejarra
uses Cuban technique to train Wanderlei Silva
Well-Known
as the “Mcgaiver” of the physical train, Wanderlei
Silva’s coach, Rafael Alejarra, that build a gym at Wanderlei
house at Curitiba, with specials apparatus, arrived from Cuba
with novelties at his suitcase. “This trip was very good.
I learn a lot of very interesting new techniques, but I liked
very much of the snorkel technique that Cubans make with their
Wrestling and Boxing Olympic athletes and now I am making the
same think with Wanderlei and Phill Baroni, that are improving
a lot”, said him, that is living with Wanderlei at Las Vegas.
Source: Tatame
|
Quote
of the Day
“The
important thing is not so much that every child should be taught,
as that every child should be given the wish to learn.”
John Lubbock, 1834-1913, English Archaeologist/Naturalist/Politician
|
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
|
Anyone
know how to contact Teila Tuli?
Is there
anyone out there that has the contact information for Teila Tuli,
the Hawaiian Sumo Wrestler from UFC 1? There is a journalist
that wants to do an interview with him.
If
so, please shoot us an email with his contact number or email.
Thanks!
|
X-1
World Events presents "Legends"
Friday
, May 16th at
Neil Blaidell Arena
Fights start at 7:30pm
Tickets
on sale at Blaisdell Box Office,all Times Super
Market locations,Ticketmaster.com or call 1-877-750-4400
Ticket
discount Children 12 and under and Military
Infants on lap are free. Prices starting at $25
More info at X1events.com , mmahawaii.com ,
onzuka.com
185
Hans Marrero vs Egan Inoue
Team Marrero Grappling Unlimited
155 lightweight title
Ray"Bradda"Cooper vs "Sugar" Shane Nelson
Freelance BJ Penn MMA
170 welterweight title
Brandon Wolff vs Chad"the grinder"Reiner
Team MMAD Southwest mixed martial arts
170
Michael Brightmon vs Kolo Koka
Gorila House Team MMAD
170
Dylan Clay vs Ronald"the machine gun Jhun
brazilian freestyle jiu jitsu 808 Fight Factory
135 featherweight title
Tyson Nam vs Kana"the one man riot"Hyatt
Grappling Unlimited Eastsidaz
265 Heavyweight
Lolohea Meha vs Doug Hiu
Maui Mulisha Team MMAD
170 Welterweight (Amatuer)
Nicolae Cury vs Sean Sakata
brazilian freestyle jiu jitsu No Remorse
142
Tony Giraldi vs Danny Steele
Giraldi muay thai Team Steele
Source: X-1
|
UFC
83 REVIEW: ST. PIERRE FINDS REDEMPTION
MONTREAL – In front of a packed house of 21,390 fans at
the Bell Centre, Georges St. Pierre found his redemption and
another reign as UFC welterweight champion as he stopped Matt
Serra in the second round of their main event bout.
As
the fight began, St. Pierre immediately shot in to take Serra
down, where he displayed a dominant game of ground and pound
for which the New Yorker could only defend. St. Pierre continued
to gain strength as he moved in and out of Serra’s guard
while throwing punches throughout.
In
the second round, Serra again found himself on his back with
the Montreal native on top of him attacking with punches and
knees to the body. Serra tried his best to get out from under
St. Pierre, but the Canadian was simply too strong in his attack.
St.
Pierre began unloading a devastating knee attack to Serra’s
body and after a number of unanswered shots, referee Yves Lavigne
was forced to stop the bout and, once again, Georges St. Pierre
is UFC welterweight champion.
The
crowd in the Bell Centre was obviously very much behind their
hometown fighter, and St. Pierre said he could definitely hear
the fans in attendance.
“I
couldn’t hear my cornermen,” he said with a laugh about
the cheers from the crowd. “It was kind of weird, it was
the first time in my life that it happened. Normally, I can hear
my cornermen. It turned out well. They gave me good positive
energy to finish strong. At the end I used the energy of the
crowd to finish with a flurry.”
St.
Pierre will now take a much-needed vacation and will then move
back into training and preparation for whatever challenge lies
ahead. The most likely scenario appears to be a challenge from
Jon Fitch.
Rich
Franklin returned to his winning ways, putting away Travis Lutter
in the second round of their middleweight showdown. He dominated
the stand-up against his opponent while watching his energy drain
as the round wore on.
In
the opening round, Lutter managed a takedown and even got the
mount position on Franklin, almost catching an armbar, but the
Cincinnati native withstood the onslaught and took over the remainder
of the fight.
Lutter
shot in numerous times to try and take Franklin down, but was
unable to finish. Franklin came into his own in the second round
hitting good jabs and solid knees. Lutter looked gassed as the
round continued. He couldn’t stop Franklin’s stand-up
attack and eventually went down from the strikes. Franklin followed
up with a few more punches on the ground and the bout was stopped.
“I
felt great at the end of the first round, when I went back to
my corner I took a couple of deep breaths, and kind of regained
my composure,” said Franklin after the fight. “But
I knew at that point that he had, had me on the ground, he mounted
me, he had me in a submission and he had given me the best that
he had to offer and come up short. So I knew at that point he
had expended some energy and I didn’t expend any energy
trying to get off the bottom. I knew he was going to be tired.
So from that point on, he started to slow down and my pace stayed
the same.”
Nate
Quarry won a unanimous decision over Kalib Starnes in a highly
uneventful fight that would have benefited from old Pride rules
in which a fighter stalling would receive a yellow card, as Starnes
would have been handed at least three during the bout.
Quarry
did his best to engage his opponent, but Starnes simply defended
and circled away the entire fight. At one point in the third
round, Quarry actually made a “running man” motion
at his opponent to try and get him to fight. The judges saw it
the same way and Quarry won easily, including one scorecard that
put him up 30-24, meaning Starnes only received eight points
in each round, which has previously never been done.
“I
did everything possible to push the fight,” Quarry commented
in his post fight interview. “No disrespect was intended
to Kalib or his camp, it’s just tough to land a shot when
the guy’s moving backwards.”
After
a long war of words, Michael Bisping dispatched of Charles McCarthy
at the end of the first round, as McCarthy could not stand when
the session ended after the British fighter battered him with
knees in the clinch and punches on the ground.
The
fighters exchanged on the feet and McCarthy was able to score
a takedown, transitioning to an armbar, but Bisping defended
well. Back on the feet, Bisping trapped McCarthy against the
cage unloading a barrage of knees, sending his opponent crumbling
to the mat.
“To
be fair, he covered up very well and he wasn’t absorbing
too much,” said Bisping after the bout. “Eventually,
a lot of the knees started to get through and I’m surprised
the referee didn’t stop it towards the end of the first
round.”
As
the round ended, McCarthy was unable to stand and Bisping was
declared the winner in his debut middleweight fight.
“I’m
my own worst critic and I really didn’t want to be on my
back in this fight,” Bisping stated. “Charles was able
to take me down and put me in a submission hold. I definitely
need to work on that preparing for my next fight.”
Mac
Danzig looked very impressive in his first fight since “The
Ultimate Fighter” season six finale, submitting Brazilian
Jiu-Jitsu black belt Mark Bocek in the third round by rear naked
choke.
Danzig
had to play a defensive game in the first round, as Bocek seemed
content to wrestle and work on the ground, but in the second
round, Danzig took over and dominated for the last round and
a half.
The
third round saw Danzig open a big cut on Bocek’s head from
a vicious knee strike and shortly after he got the fight to the
ground, punishing the Canadian until he sunk in the fight ending
submission.
“I
fought with my heart,” said Danzig. “I always fight
with my heart, and I came away with the win.”
Jason
MacDonald settled the grudge match with Joe Doerksen in the second
round of their bout, punishing his fellow Canadian with forearms
and elbows to get the win. Doerksen had MacDonald in deep trouble
in the first round, almost locking on a kimura, but MacDonald
persevered. In the second session, MacDonald took Doerksen to
the ground and then unloaded forearms to get the victory.
Jason
Day, in his UFC debut, made short work of Alan Belcher, ending
the fight with punches in the first round. After working a solid
defensive rubber guard game, Day pummeled Belcher with punches
until the referee stopped the bout.
Demian
Maia continued his climb up the UFC middleweight ladder with
an impressive performance over Team Quest fighter Ed Herman.
Maia didn’t wait long to take the fight to the ground and,
despite his opponent working a solid ground and pound attack,
was able to lock on a triangle choke. Herman fought as best he
could, rolling over, but Maia landed a few punches and the fight
was stopped.
Rich
Clementi picked up a split decision win over Sam Stout after
three hard fought rounds. Clementi had a dominant first round
and looked strong on his feet throughout the fight. Stout managed
a good third round, but in the end Clementi picked up the win.
American
Kickboxing Academy heavyweight Cain Velasquez made an impressive
debut, decimating another UFC newcomer in Brad Morris. Velasquez
pummeled Morris with punches on the feet and on the ground before
referee Steve Mazzagatti finally stepped in to stop the punishment
at 2:10 in the first round.
The
opening bout of the evening saw Canadian Jonathan Goulet finish
Kuniyoshi Hironaka. He peppered his opponent with jabs in the
second round before unloading a vicious 1-2 combination for the
victory. Even early on the Canadian crowd filled the Bell Centre
with cheers for their home country fighters.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
GSP
TALKS WIN AND POSSIBLE MOVE TO MIDDLEWEIGHT
Georges
"Rush" St. Pierre won back the Ultimate Fighting Championship
welterweight title in front of 21,390 spectators at the Bell
Centre in Montreal on Saturday night when he defeated Matt "The
Terror" Serra by TKO.
Fighting
and winning in front of his hometown crowd meant a lot to the
26-year-old Canadian. "It was the most beautiful day of
my life," St. Pierre told MMAWeekly. "I can't describe
it."
Those
live in attendance were so loud that St. Pierre couldn't hear
his corner-men. Admitting that he had butterflies in his stomach
before the fight, St. Pierre rose to the occasion despite the
added pressure of performing in the first UFC main event in Canada.
"A world title in my backyard. It's amazing," said
St. Pierre.
There
was no love loss between St. Pierre and Serra heading into UFC
83. Both took verbal jabs at each other in the media leading
up to the rematch. Commenting on the animosity between the two
and if he carried it into the octagon with him, St. Pierre said,
"Going into the cage I let it go, but at some point in the
fight I used it to pump me up at the end with the flurry of knees."
UFC
president Dana White has stated that Jon Fitch is likely next
in line for a shot at the UFC welterweight title. St. Pierre
predicted victory if Fitch is his next opponent and added, "I
will fight everybody the UFC puts in front of me."
Mentioned
in the UFC 83 post-fight press conference by White and the media,
there's a possibility of St. Pierre moving up to the middleweight
division, but St. Pierre stipulated that it would have to be
a "super fight" situation.
Asked
if he'd consider moving up to take on UFC middleweight champion
Anderson "The Spider" Silva, St. Pierre responded,
"Maybe. Who knows? We'll see. We'll talk about it. Maybe.
It might be interesting. We'll see."
Source: MMA Weekly
|
MMAFighting.com
Fighter of the Week: Georges St. Pierre
Georges St. Pierre is MMAFighting.com’s Fighter of the Week
for his win over Matt Serra at UFC 83 to reclaim the UFC welterweight
title in Montreal, Canada.
For
St. Pierre, he realized a dream by performing the feat in front
of his hometown crowd. Prior to the event, citing scheduling
conflicts, the UFC had never promoted an event north of the border.
21,390 packed the Bell Centre to set a new North American attendance
record.
St.
Pierre’s superior wrestling allowed him to bring the fight
to Serra’s guard, where St. Pierre punished his opponents
with strikes. Serra, who once again came in with a nothing-to-lose
attitude, did his best to stay in the fight by repeatedly giving
up his back and then reverting to full guard. But in the end,
the strikes took a toll, and by the time St. Pierre began launching
knees to the body, Serra’s only response was to simply cover
up.
Besides
the upgrade from an interim belt, St. Pierre has now avenged
all of his career losses – all two of them.
During
his title reign, Hughes defined a true champion as someone with
the ability not only to win a belt, but to also defend it. After
failing in his first title defense as an overwhelming favorite,
St. Pierre will no doubt be ready for his second opportunity
to enter and leave a fight with the belt around his waist.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Former
NFL Pro Bowler defeats IFL veteran at BCX IV
Former NFL All-Star offensive lineman Carlton Haselrig won his
mixed martial arts debut at the age of 42 against former IFL
heavyweight Shane Ott at "Battle Cage Xtreme IV" in
Atlantic City, New Jersey.
Haselrig,
a Pittsburgh Steeler from 1990-1993, came into the main event
fight with a strong wrestling background. He won six NCAA titles
while attending the University of Pittsburgh at Johnston and
was inducted into the NCAA 75th Anniversary Wrestling Team in
2005.
Battle
Cage Xtreme IV
Saturday, April 19, 2008
Tropicana Showroom in Atlantic City, NJ
1.
Hercules Benjamin def. Randy Smith via TKO (strikes) - R1 (0:32)
2. Aaron Salisbury def. Bryce Harrell via TKO (strikes) - R2
(2:02)
3. Ryan Contaldi def. Sean Riehl via split decision
4. Brian DuMuro def. Roberto Concepcion via submission (triangle)
- R1 (0:57)
5. Judah Cievo def. Leandro Hernandez via TKO (strikes) - R2
(2:30)
6. Andre Soares def. Josh Spearman via submission (guillotine)
- R1 (0:19)
7. Andrew Riddles def. Zach Davis via submission (RNC) - R3 (2:02)
8. Robert Goodridge def. Ryan McCarthy via submission (RNC) -
R1 (0:38)
9. Jon Jones def. Carlos Eduardo via KO - R3 (0:24)
10. Ken Stone def. Joe Camacho via TKO (strikes) - R1 (2:51)
11. Josh Key def. Damien Vitale via submission (armbar) - R1
(0:31)
12. Justin Haskins def. Mike Medrano via submission (RNC) - R1
(2:47)
13. Pat Audinwood def. Lester Caslow via unanimous decision
14. Steve D'Angelis def. Blair Tugman via submission (guillotine)
- R2 (1:00)
15. Nick Calandrino def. George Sullivan via submission (strikes)
- R1 (3:13)
16. Tim Troxell def. Kevin Roddy via split decision
17. Carlton Haselrig def. Shane Ott via TKO (strikes) - R1 (4:09)
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Maia
takes best-submission prize
UFC hands out record reward
Besides
going two for two in the UFC, Demian Maia has further reasons
to celebrate. The triangle he applied on Ed Herman at the end
of the second round was elected the best submission of UFC 83,
which took place last night, in Montreal, Canada.
Thus,
Demian goes home with a hefty check for US$ 75 thousand, aside
from the purse for participating and win bonus.
Aside
from the Brazilian, Jonathan Goulet and Kuniyoshi Hironaka also
took prizes for participating in the best fight of the night,
and Jason McDonald for having the best knockout, in beating Joe
Doerksen.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Belfort
vs. Randleman at Sengoku 2?
Vitor
Belfort Boxing coach, Josuel Distak, reveal to TATAME.com the
new plans of the ex-UFC champion at MMA. Without fighting since
September at Cage Rage 23, where he defeated James Zikic at judge’s
decision and become the event champion, Vitor can face the American
Kevin Randleman. “We are training hard and Belfort is close
to a deal to face Kevin Randleman at Japan or at Pro Elite in
June. He is waiting for the best offer to sign”, said Distak.
Randleman don’t fight since his victory against Maurício
Shogun in 2006 at Pride 32.
Source: Tatame
|
IFL
10k report (4/15/08)
Quietly,
the IFL filed their 10k SEC report on tax day. Of note, the following
items in the report:
1.
Since the company’s inception, they have suffered a net
loss of $31 million USD. Revenues are currently insufficient
to run operations past Q3 if things do not change.
2. Costs to promote events in 2007 were $15.9 million USD. The
companie received $1.6 million USD from MyNetworkTV for 2007
programming.
3. There will be no IFL PPVs in 2008.
4. The company generated $498,000 USD in sponsorship revenue
and $117,544 USD in branded merchandise sales for 2007.
Here’s
a paragraph from the 10k filing:
As
a result of our continued losses, our independent auditors have
included an explanatory paragraph in our financial statements
for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2007, expressing doubt
as to our ability to continue as a going concern. The inclusion
of a going concern explanatory paragraph in the report of our
independent auditors could make it more difficult for us to secure
additional financing or enter into strategic relationships with
distributors on terms acceptable to us, if at all, and may materially
and adversely affect the terms of any financing that we may obtain.
If revenues grow slower than we anticipate, or if operating expenses
exceed our expectations or cannot be adjusted accordingly, we
may not achieve profitability and the value of your investment
could decline significantly.
Source: Fight Opinion
|
Dana
White on TSN's Off the Record, interesting thoughts from the
President
Dana
White had an interesting appearance on TSN's Off the Record in
promoting UFC 83's main event in Canada. The show features an
up front profile on Dana White in which he answers some questions,
a panel in which he fires back at critics, and a quick-fire Q&A
session from the host of the show. Not only was it entertaining
to see White on his heels at times, but we got some solid answers
on some of the issues we've wanted to know about for some time.
See the entire show here... Props to MMAMania.com for the heads
up.
The
rundown...
*
Is Dana White the star of the UFC? Dana doesn't believe so, and
he mentioned Chuck Liddell as being unable to go anywhere without
being mobbed by a crowd.
*
Building a brand over building fighting? The UFC was built as
a brand, and Dana mentions how competition in this arena has
failed, and everyone has their opinions of how he acts, but the
business is still very successful. “UFC wasn't allowed on
PPV, and porn was allowed on PPV” referencing the early
days of the UFC, White was able to get those things to happen
later on, testament to his drive and successful work ethic.
*
Marketability and reality vs. entertainment? Dana mentions that
reality is better than the scripts that the WWE uses. When upsets
happen, rematches, drama, and the elements that can create a
prime atmosphere for marketing a fighter.
*
Was PRIDE buyout a mistake? No, they got Wanderlei Silva, other
PRIDE fighters, and the video library. Got rid of their top competitor.
*
A change in physiques when PRIDE fighters came over? Dana did
not dismiss that steroids could have been the cause of this due
to non-testing in Japan.
*
Why is it better for fighters to be clean? Careers last longer,
mentally and emotionally stable.
The
panel...
*
Does UFC negotiate for celebrities to appear? No, they come if
they like the sport.
Is CBS in May a threat? No, competition is around all the time
and most of them fail. EliteXC lost $27 million while the IFL
lost $20 million dollars. Smaller shows breed fighters who want
to aspire to be in the UFC. Evan Solomon of CBC News states that
Boxing has such large amounts of money thrown around that White
can't expect there not to be legitimate competitors in the future.
White came back that other competition does improve the sport,
but nobody does it better than the UFC. Continuing on the topic,
Dana asks if anyone thinks CBS will make money when their ratings
on Showtime continually drop after every show. Solomon makes
a point that NASCAR moved from cable to network, and it became
a huge success, why can't that happen with ProElite and CBS?
White states that using Kimbo Slice as a tool to meet that goal
is a mistake because that isn't who MMA fighters really are,
it will taint the sport. Uneducated fans won't know any better.
White
makes a quote that Kimbo is much like many boxers who got into
the sport. “If it's not for this thing, this guy would be
dead or in jail...”. Dana also talked about hating the freak
show aspect of the promotion on CBS.
*
UFC in Canada more? UFC will get Toronto and Ontario sanctioned..
it's gonna happen. Side note: Ontario is the only province not
allowing MMA competition.
*
Would you let your kids compete? White says he has 3 kids, two
boys. Dana would let his kids fight no problem, they train right
now in it. Dana makes case that football is much worse due to
injuries suffered, references Lorenzo Fertitta's shoulder and
knee surgeries from HS football. Some panel members offer opposing
views to kids competing, violence, hurting their development.
Dana states that not everyone likes MMA, but it doesn't mean
you shouldn't be able to compete.
*
Can sport survive if it crosses the line? Dana says it's inevitable
that something will happen, UFC wants fights sanctioned by commissions
for safety.
Quick-fire...
*
When will Kimbo be in the UFC? “As soon as he beats somebody
credible...”
*
Chuck Norris or Rampage Jackson? Rampage
*
Paris Hilton or Lindsay Lohan? Who cares...
*
Mir vs. Lesnar? Lesnar showed credibility
*
WWE buying UFC before UFC owned it? Very close to happening
*
Dana hates Tito? “Yeah, he's a jackass.”
*
Aerobics trainer? Dana was apparently one.
*
Women's division? Not enough quality women's fighters to make
an entire division yet.
Source: MMA Analysis
|
Let's
end the Sherk saga...
Within the last week, Sean Sherk has resurfaced as a topic of
conversation between fans, writers, and the blogosphere in general.
He was required by the NSAC to submit a test before being licensed
in the state of Nevada to compete in his upcoming matchup with
BJ Penn. The test was only required of him due to his situation
in California with the CSAC and a positive nandrolone test that
popped him with a one-year suspension. After some atrocious procedures
from the CSAC and an epic saga story of what potentially could
have happened to taint the sample or supplement, Sherk had his
suspension reduced. Sherk claims he will never fight in California
again, and nothing else has ever come of the case.
There
seems to be a drive for people to put themselves on one side
or the other on this subject. Either Sherk knowingly used steroids
to improve his skills in the cage, or he used a tainted supplement
that caused the positive test. Sherk is claiming the latter point
that he unknowingly took some steroids from a tainted supplement
that subsequently caused a positive nandrolone test. He also
claimed that it could have also been from a tainted testing machine
at Quest Laboratories and used some sort of paper trail to prove
that along with claiming since his Xyience supplement was tainted,
many of his supplements must be tainted.
It’s
a fair argument if you’re ignorant to the facts and actually
think it proves without doubt that Sherk didn’t “juice”,
but unfortunately for him, anybody who has followed this case
can look at the facts.
1.
CSAC Guidelines and the FAQ on their website actually cite the
studies that warn fighters that over-the-counter supplements
contain traces of steroids that could inevitably lead to a positive
test. It’s up to the fighters to know what they are putting
in their bodies. In my mind, this stipulation creates an open
and shut case. Unless he could prove it were the testing machines,
done deal right there.
With
that said, that’s a pretty bad deal for Sherk. He unknowingly
took steroids, but it’s proven that steroids can improve
performance. After all, that’s why they have been outlawed
in sports and why he was suspended. Unknowingly or not, that’s
the rule as it stands right now. In that capacity, he was guilty.
2.
Sherk had many of his supplements tested from reports and his
own words in interviews, and a Xyience product came up positive
for a steroid that was not Nandrolone. It didn’t prove his
innocence, and it wasn’t the culprit of a positive, but
Sherk seemed to think that it suggested many of his other supplements
would also be tainted and that he should be let off the hook.
Wrong… see above point.
3.
Armando Garcia stated that Quest actually tests the sample four
separate times. The paper trail he provided stated that during
a test, the testing machine came back positive for traces of
Nandrolone before his test. I find it impossible for a lab technician
to keep testing someone’s sample over and over on a tainted
machine, and Garcia stated that the machines are tested after
every test. It just doesn’t happen
4.
The samples that Sherk submitted could have been tainted by himself,
his agent, or anyone else along the way to the CSAC, so they
were obviously irrelevant. Garcia pointed out that the time period
in which they were taken could have easily allowed Sherk to cycle.
5.
One of Sherk's defenses revolved around microbial degradation.
Microbial degradation actually have been proven to cause false
negatives, the exact opposite of what you want to prove in this
case. Way to do your homework...
Maybe
Sherk is unlucky and a tainted supplement hurt him. My suggestion
would be to test those supplements and sue the supplement company.
Many athletes have done this in the past, and in fact, nearly
all of them win their cases by a settlement of some kind outside
of court. Recoup your expenses for the commission hearings and
your own testing to prove your innocence from the supplement
company that screwed you.
The
only unfortunate problem with this solution is that testing costs
money, and you may never find a tainted supplement. Either way,
let’s end the Sherk talk. He wasn’t innocent even if
he didn’t “juice”. At least not innocent in the
context that he wasn’t performance enhanced by a steroid
during his fight. That’s why the commission explicitly states
that you are responsible for what is put into your body. End
of story.
Source: MMA Analysis
|
UFC
cuts Starnes after disgraceful performance
It
was a great night for mixed martial arts on Saturday in Montreal,
as an enthusiastic sellout crowd of 21,390 packed the Bell Centre
to watch hometown hero Georges St. Pierre reclaim the UFC welterweight
title from Matt Serra at UFC 83.
It
wasn't such a good night, though, for Kalib Starnes, who spent
most of the evening running from Nate Quarry in their middleweight
bout. A native of Surrey, B.C., Starnes was booed heavily by
the Canadian crowd that had been boisterous in its support of
all the other Canadians on the card.
After
losing a unanimous decision on scores of 30-26, 30-27, and an
unheard-of 30-24, Starnes received even worse news: He was cut
from his contract by UFC president Dana White.
"He
just doesn’t belong in the UFC and after his performance
the other night, he should consider a new line of work,"
White said Monday.
Quarry
pressed the action the entire fight as Starnes simply circled
and refused to engage. Late in the third round, Quarry pretended
to run like he was a track star in trying to find a way to get
Starnes to fight.
After
the bout, members of Quarry's corner were complaining to Starnes
about his lack of activity. Starnes shouted an expletive at one
member of Quarry's team, called him a derogatory term for homosexuals
and challenged him to a fight.
Starnes
couldn't be reached for comment about his performance, but Quarry
expressed disappointment with Starnes' lack of effort.
A
one-time contestant on The Ultimate Fighter, Starnes was 8-2
going into the bout and had had quality victories over Chris
Leben and Jason MacDonald.
"I
think if you're fighting in the UFC, you've got to come to fight,"
Quarry told UFC.com in a post-fight interview. "I would
much rather get knocked out than lose a decision running backwards.
No disrespect to Kalib. I know the stress really gets to you.
A lot of guys, they focus on not wanting to lose instead of wanting
to win. I didn't mean to disrespect him in any way. I just got
frustrated because you can't fight when somebody's moving backward
that fast."
Source: Yahoo Sports
|
Quote
of the Day
“Kind
words do not cost much. Yet they accomplish much.”
Blaise Pascal, 1623-1662, French Mathematician/Physicist/Theologian
|
Fighters'
Club Radio Today!
Tune in
every Monday morning for your weekly fill of MMA talk on the
radio with Pat and Mark.
Tell
everyone to tune in to AM 1500 from 9:00 to 10:00 am every Monday
morning right after Leahey and Leahey!
Please
call in and give your opinion on the topic of the day or your
view of MMA in general!
|
FEDOR
ANNOUNCES FIGHT WITH SYLVIA IS OFFICIAL
Fedor Emelianenko announced on Friday via his personal website
that he has officially signed to fight Tim Sylvia on July 19
in the United States. MMAWeekly.com has since confirmed the bout
with independent sources.
The
announcement did not mention a specific show, but previous sources
have indicated that it will be a promotion headed by clothing
giant Affliction.
The
news on his website also stated that Fedor has signed on for
two more fights to take place later this year in October and
December, although no particular opponent or organization was
named for either fight.
The
fight in December is set to take place in Japan on one of the
New Year’s Eve shows, as Fedor plans on celebrating his
sixth year in a row overseas.
This
will be Fedor’s first fight since submitting Hong Man Choi
at the Yarennoka event in Japan on New Year’s Even 2007,
while Sylvia will face his first challenge since exiting the
Ultimate Fighting Championship after being its champion on two
separate occasions.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
UFC
83 LIVE RESULTS FROM MONTREAL
MONTREAL – MMAWeekly is on location at the Bell Centre for
Saturday night’s showdown between UFC welterweight champion
Matt Serra and challenger Georges St. Pierre.
The
two are expected to battle before the largest crowd in UFC history,
with more than 21,000 fans expected to fill the arena. If Friday’s
weigh-ins were any indicator, expect the crowd to be the most
boisterous in UFC history as well.
MMAWeekly
will have live results, as the fights happen in Montreal. The
first bout is scheduled to begin at 8:05 p.m. ET / 5:05 p.m.
PT.
Be
sure to refresh your browser frequently for the latest results
and play-by-play…
PRELIMINARY
BOUTS:
Jonathan
Goulet vs. Kuniyoshi Hironaka
R1 - Goulet works an aggressive stand-up game as Hironaka mainly
stays on the defensive. Goulet manages a few solid knees from
the clinch as the Canadian crowd rises with his every punch.
Late in the round Hironaka rocks Goulet and starts to ground
and pound his opponent, but the round ends before he can finish.
R2
- The fighters seem content to stand in this round and again,
Goulet finds a way to use his reach effectively. With Hironaka
rocked by a pepper of jabs, Goulet senses his opponent is hurt
and pursues him against the cage before landing a big 1-2 combination
to finish the fight.
Jonathan
Goulet def. Kuniyoshi Hironaka by TKO (punches) at 2:07, R1
Cain
Velasquez vs. Brad Morris
R1 - Velasquez looks powerful with his striking early on dropping
Morris and then following up with some devastating ground and
pound. The fight works back to the feet where Morris again is
stunned by Velasquez as all he can do is roll away as the former
Arizona State wrestler drops punches on him from above forcing
the referee to step in and stop the fight.
Cain
Velasquez def. Brad Morris by TKO (punches) at 2:10, R1
Sam
Stout vs. Rich Clementi
R1- Clementi takes the fight to the ground early on and as Stout
scrambles, Clementi takes and back and works for a rear naked
choke. Stout is able to roll out, but lands Clementi in the mount
position where he begins to unload punches and elbows. Stout
survives and works his way back to the feet. Stout tries to jab
at his opponent, but Clementi lands another takedown and then
back to mount position. The round ends before Clementi could
finish
MMAWeekly scores R1 10-9 for Rich Clementi
R2
- The fighters stay standing to start the round and despite Stout's
background, it's Clementi who lands the bigger punches, but Stout
is unphased. Stout continues to throw the majority of the punches
throughout the round but doesn't land much to cause damage. Stout
shoots for a takedown, but Clementi pulls guard and works for
a guillotine. Stout works out and the round ends.
MMAWeekly scores R2 10-9 for Rich Clementi
R3-
After a few exchanges, Clementi lands a solid single leg putting
Stout on his back as Clementi works to improve position. Stout
is able to work out and get back to the feet. Stout manages to
land a few hard shots, forcing Clementi to clinch and work for
a takedown. The referee separates the fighters, and Stout looks
strong to end a very close round.
MMAWeekly scores R3 10-9 for Sam Stout
Rich
Clementi def. Sam Stout by split decision (29-27, 29-28, 28-29)
R3
Ed
Herman vs. Demian Maia
R1- Maia goes for the takedown immediately getting Herman on
his back. Herman is able to stand back up as Maia continues to
clinch and work for another takedown. Herman ends up on top of
his opponent where Maia works for an omo plata, but Herman escapes.
Maia attempts a heel hook, but again Herman gets out but this
time Maia ends up on top, mounting Herman. Herman survives and
ends up back on top of Maia where he unleashes punches to end
the round.
MMAWeekly scores R1 10-9 for Demian Maia
R2-
Maia again shoots right away trying to take Herman down, but
he reverses this time and ends up in Maia's guard. Herman works
a steady diet of punches and elbows against his opponent, but
lands in a triangle choke from Maia. Herman rolls and Maia locks
on the submission tighter. The referee stops the bout as Herman
remains motionless on the canvas.
Demian
Maia def. Ed Herman by submission (triangle choke) at 2:27, R2
Alan
Belcher vs. Jason Day
R1- Belcher gets a good takedown on Day to start the round and
lands in side mount. Day is able to work back to full guard,
eventually moving into rubber guard. Belcher struggles to do
much from within Day's guard, but Day is playing mostly a defensive
game. Back on the feet, Day starts to unload on Belcher who can
only put his arms up and defend. Day throws punch after punch
and the referee is forced to step in and stop the fight.
Jason
Day def. Alan Belcher by TKO (punches) at 3:58, R1
Jason
MacDonald vs. Joe Doerksen
R1- The fighters clinch early and MacDonald pulls a tight guillotine
before going to the ground. Doerksen keeps his composure as MacDonald
tries to sink the choke in deeper, but Doerksen escapes and lands
in side mount. Doerksen locks on a kimura which MacDonald rolls
to defend and eventually he makes his way out, but finds himself
trapped under Doerksen. MacDonald scrambles, grabs a leg, and
ends up putting Doerksen on his back. Close round
MMAWeekly scores R1 10-9 for Joe Doerksen
R2-
After a brief exchange on the feet, MacDonald gains dominant
position on the ground and starts to blast Doerksen with forearm
shots and elbows. Referee Steve Mazzaggati stops the fight as
Doerksen appears to be knocked out on the ground.
Jason
MacDonald def. Joe Doerksen by TKO (strikes on the ground) at
:56 seconds, R2
Mac
Danzig vs. Mark Bocek
R1- A feeling out process by both standing for the first minute
with each fighter throwing combinations. Bocek worked for a single-leg
takedown and finally got it after Danzig fended it off for thirty
seconds. Bocek worked ground and pound inside Danzig's guard.
Danzig attempted a triangle but Bocek escaped. Danzig worked
his way back to his feet only to be taken down again. Using the
fence, Danzig gets back to his feet with one minute left in the
round. Danzig gains top position after Bocek took the fight to
the ground. Danzig punished him with punches and elbows. Danzig
could have stolen the round in the final minute, but MMAWeekly
scores round one 10-9 for Bocek.
R2-
Bocek is moving forward but Danzig lands jabs as he does. Danzig
lands a knee to Bocek's face, dropping him to the canvas. Danzig
swoops in to try and finish with strikes. Bocek recovers and
rolls for a single-leg. Danzig lands shots to the body and head
before Bocek gave up on the single-leg. Danzig mounts Bocek.
Bocek rolls and gives up his back. Danzig lets Bocek up and it's
Bocek getting aggressive with his punches. Bocek uses his strikes
to open the opportunity for a single-leg takedown. Danzig displays
his takedown defense. As the round ends Danzig was landing shots
standing over the downed Bocek. MMAWeekly scores it 10-8 for
Danzig.
R3-
Danzig lands a solid right hand. Bocek tries for another single-leg
and gets it. Danzig gets back to his feet. Danzig lands another
knee hurting Bocek. Bocek displaying incredible heart. The referee
stops the action to have a cut to Bocek's left eye checked. Action
restarts Danzig landing jab after jab. The fight goes to the
ground and Danzig mounts Bocek. Bocek gave up his back and Danzig
sunk in a Rear Naked Choke forcing Bocek
to to tap out.
Mac
Danzig def. Mark Bocek by submission (rear naked choke) at 3:48,
R3
Michael
Bisping vs. Charles McCarthy
R1- Both fighters throwing big shots to open the fight with Bisping
getting the better of it. Bisping clinches and unleashes knees
and uppercuts to the arms to the covered McCarthy. McCarthy taunts
Bisping. It's Bisping throwing and McCarthy covering up. Bisping
is setting the pace but over commits and McCarthy secures a double-leg
takedown with 2:30 left in the round. Bisping tries to get back
to his feet but McCarthy was able to get his back and work to
an arm. Bisping escapes and gets back to his feet. Bisping lands
knee after knee to the covered up McCarthy. One gets through
and drops McCarthy. Bisping tries to finish but the round ends.
It's over. The fight was stopped after the bell because McCarthy
could not continue.
Michael
Bisping def. Charles McCarthy by TKO at 5:00, R1 (stopped between
rounds)
Nate
Quarry vs. Kalib Starnes
R1- Quarry is the one pressing the early action with leg kicks.
Quarry trying to corner Starnes, chasing him around the octagon
at one point. Starnes is not wanting to engage as Quarry continues
to stalk him. Starnes clinches Quarry and presses him against
the cage but Quarry rotates out. Quarry has Starnes back-peddling.
Round one was all Quarry. MMAWeekly scores the round 10-9 for
Quarry.
R2-
Starnes opens the round with a combination. Quarry lands more
leg kicks. Quarry is landing right leg kicks at will. Starnes
was able to catch Quarry's leg and briefly had Quarry down before
Nate bounced back to his feet. The round was much like the first
with Quarry moving forward and Starnes retreating. The crowd
started chanting "boring." MMAWeekly scores the round
10-9 for Quarry.
R3-
More of the same, Quarry landing leg kicks and Starnes moving
away. Quarry continues to try to land punches as Starnes refuses
to engage. Starnes' leg looks to be hurt from all the leg kicks.
Quarry taunts Starnes. MMAWeekly scores round three 10-9 for
Quarry.
Nate
Quarry def. Kalib Starnes by unanimous decision at 5:00, R3 (one
judge scored it 30-24).
Rich
Franklin vs. Travis Lutter
R1- Rich opens the round working his jab. Lutter tries to clinch
and Franklin makes him pay with a right hand that looked to stun
Lutter. Lutter immediately goes for a single-leg. Lutter gets
Franklin down and takes his back. Franklin spins and Lutter is
in Franklin's half-guard. Lutter works to pass into side control.
Lutter mounts Franklin with 2:00 left in the round. Franklin
rolls and Lutter goes for an arm bar. Franklin is out and back
to his feet. Lutter immediately shoots for a single-leg but Franklin
sprawls. Franklin lands shots as Lutter continues to go for the
single-leg. MMAWeekly scores round one 10-9 for Lutter.
R2-
Lutter tries to get it to the canvas. Franklin is having none
of it and sprawls and lands shots. Lutter looks to be gassed.
Franklin hurt Lutter with a partially blocked high kick. Franklin
tells Lutter to get back up and makes him pay for it with a knee
followed by uppercuts. Franklin landing big shots. Lutter's hands
are down and Franklin landing at will. It's over. The referee
stopped the fight. Franklin wins by TKO.
Rich
Franklin def. Travis Lutter by TKO at 3:01, R2
Matt
Serra vs. Georges St. Pierre
R1- St. Pierre immediately takes Serra down and moves to half-guard.
Serra gets back to full-guard. St. Pierre unable to do much inside
Serra's guard. St. Pierre postured up and threw a combination.
Serra landing elbows from the bottom. St. Pierre postures up
again and lands shots. St. Pierre passes Serra's guard and lands
hammer fists. Serra gets back to his feet. St. Pierre double-legs
Serra and immediately passes his guard. The round ends. MMAWeekly
scores round one 10-9 for St. Pierre.
R2-
St. Pierre gets a single-leg to open the round. Serra gets back
to his feet. St. Pierre with three straight jabs. St. Pierre
gets another takedown and moves to half-guard. Serra gets back
to full-guard. St. Pierre peppering Serra with punches. St. Pierre
passes Serra's guard again. St. Pierre landing several knees
to Serra's body. The referee stops the fight. Georges St. Pierre
defeats Matt Serra by TKO referee stoppage to regain the UFC
welterweight title.
Georges
St. Pierre defeats Matt Serra by TKO at 4:45, R2.
QUICK
RESULTS:
Georges St. Pierre def. Matt Serra by TKO at 4:45, R2
Rich Franklin def. Travis Lutter by TKO at 3:01, R2
Nate Quarry def. Kalib Starnes by unanimous decision at 5:00,
R3
Michael Bisping def. Charles McCarthy by TKO at 5:00, R1
Mac Danzig def. Mark Bocek by submission (rear naked choke) at
3:48, R3
Jason MacDonald def. Joe Doerksen by TKO (strikes on the ground)
at :56, R2
Jason Day def. Alan Belcher by TKO (punches) at 3:58, R1
Demian Maia def. Ed Herman by submission (triangle choke) at
2:27, R2
Rich Clementi def. Sam Stout by split decision (29-27, 29-28,
28-29) R3
Cain Velasquez def. Brad Morris by TKO (punches) at 2:10, R1
Jonathan Goulet def. Kuniyoshi Hironaka by TKO (punches) at 2:07,
R1
Source: MMA Weekly
|
UFC
HANDS OUT BONUSES AFTER MONTREAL SHOW
After a very successful debut for the Ultimate Fighting Championship
in Canada, UFC president Dana White announced at the post fight
press conference the winners of the show bonuses, including Fight
of the Night, Knockout of the Night and Submission of the Night.
Each
of the award winners will receive a $75,000 bonus, which is the
largest publicized bonus the UFC has given away to date.
Jonathan
Goulet and Kuniyoshi Hironaka each picked up a $75,000 bonus
check for their respective performances in front of the 21,309
fans at the Bell Centre for the Fight of the Night. Goulet battled
back after almost being finished earlier in the fight to pull
out a gutsy win in the second round.
Jason
MacDonald settled his grudge with Joe Doerksen by knocking his
fellow Canadian out and also got the Knockout of the Night bonus
for his outstanding performance.
Submission
of the Night went to Demian Maia, whose unbelievable grappling
skills earned him a victory over Ed Herman by triangle choke
in their contest.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
FIGHTERS
FOR TUF FINALE ANNOUNCED
The Ultimate Fighting Championship on Saturday officially announced
additional bouts for the Ultimate Fighter 7 Finale event scheduled
for June 21 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The
main event features a middleweight bout between former UFC 185-pound
Champion Evan Tanner and Ultimate Fighter season 3 winner Kendall
Grove. Both fighters are coming off of losses and are looking
to get back on track.
Also
announced, Diego Sanchez will face Luigi Fioravanti in welterweight
action. Sanchez, the winner of the inaugural Ultimate Fighter,
continues his quest for title contention as he seeks to extend
his winning streak to two fights since suffering the first of
two defeats of his professional career to Josh Koscheck and Jon
Fitch.
The
June 21 event will take place at the Palms Casino.
Ultimate
Fighter 7 Finale bouts, officially announced:
-Evan
Tanner vs. Kendall Grove
-Ultimate Fighter 7 Middleweight Finals
-Diego Sanchez vs. Luigi Fioravanti
Ultimate
Fighter 7 Finale rumored bouts, not yet announced:
-Josh
Burkman vs. Dustin Hazelette
-Spencer Fisher vs. Jeremy Stephens
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Heart
of a Cage-Fighter On Kauai!
ETERNAL FIGHT WEAR present’s: Heart of a Cage-Fighter
it’s going to be at 6:30pm at the Kauai Veterans Center
in Lihue, Kauai.
We will be having Musical performances including original “Eternal
Fighter” song preformed by “Kaina-boy” Costa,
as well as other musical performances. Our guest speakers are
Ron Waterman UFC veteran, current X-1 Champion, Ron has also
fought in venues such as WEC, PRIDE, PANCRASE, WFA, IFC, and
more plus he has a character on the UFC video games… Also
coming is Doug Evans TUF contestant and AFC champion, we have
2 other possible pro fighter coming out. We will be having an
explosive Mixed Martial Arts Demonstration, MMA DVD presentations,
Door Prizes, Refreshments and Pupu’s, there will be a raffle,
winners get a chance to train personally with these fighters
on May 2nd. Meet the Pro and Local fighters, get autographs and
pictures, there will be sponsorship booths available at the event
with cool merchandise. These guys will be going over techniques,
training, exercise, diet, what it takes to make it professional,
tips on how to win, and advise on how to handle a loss, hear
their testimonies!! It’ll be an exciting and fun environment
for all ages.
Admission is Free, raffle included. For more info they can call
652-6849 or email me info@eternalfighter.com
Shauna
Eternal Fighter
Source: Shauna Castle
|
HFC
Returns!
Hawaii
Fighting Championship
Stand Your Ground IX
Dole Cannery Ballrooms
Friday, May 9, 2008
Doors open at 5:30, show starts at 6:30
|
Maui Jiu-Jitsu BJJ
Tournament Date Announced!
On July 26th, Maui Jiu-Jitsu will host another one of their great
tournaments on the Valley isle. Stay tuned for more details as
they become available.
|
Christine
Young
X-1 World Events Executive
DirectorPhone (808)723-0504
Christine@x1events.com
www.x1events.com
" 5X World Icon Champion
" 2X World Brazilian Champion
" 2X World Racquetball Champion
For Immediate
Release:
"Legend" Egan Inoue's Opponent Named
Inoue, a former state middleweight mixed martial arts champion,
is making a heralded return to the sport headlining X-1 World
Events "Legends" card Friday May 16, 2008, at the Blaisdell
Arena against Hans Marrero Jr..
Also making his MMA comeback at this show is local legend Ray
"Bradda" Cooper, who will be fighting for the X-1 World
Lightweight title.
In addition that night, Chad Reiner of Nebraska defends his X-1
World Welterweight belt against Brendon Wolf of Kailua, Hawaii.
In the 135-pount featherweight division, Kana Hyatt defends his
crown against Tyson Nam. There will also be 8 other professional
MMA matches.
The Inoue press conference begins promptly at 2pm in the private
room on the second floor of Dave and Busters. Pupus and soft
drinks will be served.
For more information about this event or X-1 World Events please
contact
Russell Shimooka at (808) 256-9788 or email at russ@lpshawaii.com
Contact, Christine Young, Ph: 808-723-0504
Email: Christine.x1events@gmail.com
www.x1events.com
Source: Event Promoter
|
|