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(All events on Oahu, unless noted)
2009
1/31/09
UFC 93 BJ vs GSP
(PPV, Las Vegas, NV)
1/30/09
MMA Event
(MMA)
(Schofield Barracks)
1/24/09
Eddie Bravo Seminar
(BJJ)
1/10/09
Jiu-Jitsu
Tournament
(Gi & No Gi)
(Binhi At Ani Maui Filipino Community Center)
1/3/08
Uprising - Maui
(MMA)
(Binhi
At Ani Maui Filipino Community Center)
Hazardous Warfare - Maui
(MMA)
(Lahaina Civic Center)
2008
12/27/08
UFC 92
(PPV, Las Vegas, NV)
12/20/08
4th Annual Clint Shelton Memorial
(Boxing)
(Palolo Gym)
12/14/08
Submission Wrestling Tournament
(Sub Wrestling)
(IWFF School, Maui)
12/13/08
The Ultimate Fighter 8 Final
(PPV, Las Vegas, NV)
12/10/08
UFC Fight
For The Troops
(Spike TV)
Got Skillz Fighter
(Triple Threat)
(Waipahu Filcom)
11/25/08
X-1 at Cirque Hawaii
(MMA & Kickboxing)
(Cirque Hawaii, Waikiki)
11/22/08
Longman Jiu-Jitsu Open
(BJJ)
(Kauai Veterans Center,
Lihue, Kauai)
Hawaiian
Classic Kickboxing
(Kickboxing)
(Kalaheo H.S. Gym)
11/21/08
UFC: Penn-GSP Press Conference
(Blaisdell Concert Hall)
X1 World
Events
(Boxing & MMA)
(O'Lounge Night Club)
Man Up & Stand Up
(Kickboxing)
(Waipahu Filcom Center)
11/15/08
Destiny
(MMA)
(Aloha Tower Pier)
Aloha State Championship
of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
(BJJ/Sub Grapping)
(Gym #1, UH Manoa)
UFC 91
(PPV, Portland, OR)
11/7/08
HFC Stand Your Ground IX
(Kickboxing & MMA)
(Dole Cannery Ballroom)
10/25/08
X-1
(MMA & Boxing)
(Palolo Hongwangji Hall)
UFC 90
(PPV, Chicago, IL)
10/19/08
Clay Guida Seminar
(Icon Fitness & MMA Gym)
10/18/08
Destiny
(MMA)
(Waipahu Filcom Center)
UFC 89
(PPV, Birmingham, England)
10/17/08
Hawaiian Amateur Pankration Association
Presents
Friday Night Fights At Pipeline Café
(MMA)
(Pipeline Cafe, Honolulu)
10/12/08
HFL Championships
(MMA)
(Waipahu Filcom)
10/11/08
NAGA
(BJJ & Sub Wrestling)
(Blaisdell)
10/10/08
Man Up & Stand Up
(Kickboxing)
(Waipahu Filcom Center)
10/4/08
The Quest
for Champions Martial Arts Tournament
(Sport-Pankration, Submission Grappling and Continuous Sparring)
(Kalani High School Gym)
EliteXC on CBS
(TV)
808MMA
(TV)
9/27/08
X-1 Presents Temple of Boom
(Palolo Hongwanji, Honolulu)
(MMA & Boxing)
9/20/08
Boxing
(Palolo District Park)
(Boxing)
9/17/08
UFC Fight Night 15
(PPV, Omaha, NE)
9/7/08
2008 Samahan Filipino
Martial Arts Tournament
(Forms, Fighting, Masters Demonstrations)
(Pearl City High School Gym)
9/6/08
UFC 88:
Break Through
(MMA)
(PPV)
9/5/08
Got Skillz Fighter
(Kickboxing & MMA)
(Waipahu Filcom Center)
8/23/08 & 8/24/08
Hawaii Training Ctr Boxing
(Boxing)
(Waipio
Industrial Court)
8/15/08
MMA At The O
(MMA)
(O Lounge Night Club)
8/14/08
Paragon Fighter
(Kickboxing)
(O Lounge)
8/9/08
K-1 Hawaii Grand Prix
(Kickboxing & MMA)
(Stan Sheriff Center, UH at Manoa)
Man Up & Stand Up
(Kickboxing)
(Kalaheo High School)
UFC 87
(MMA)
(PPV)
7/26/08
Maui Jiu-Jitsu BJJ Tournament
(BJJ)
(Maui War Memorial Gym, Wailuku, Maui)
7/19/08
Kawano B.C., Palolo B.C., & USA-Boxing Hawai Amateur Boxing
Show
(Boxing)
(Palolo District Park Gym)
Affliction - Fedor vs. Sylvia
(PPV)
7/12/08
Aloha State
Mixed Martial Arts Competition
10AM - 7PM
(Kickboxing & MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena)
7/11/08
Hawaii Fighting Championships 10
(MMA)
(Dole Cannery Ballrooms)
7/5/08
UFC 86 - Jackson vs. Griffin
(PPV)
6/27-29/08
OTM Pacific Submission
Grappling Tournament
(BJJ/Sub Grappling)
(Blaisdell Exhibition Hall)
MMA Expo
(Blaisdell Convention Center)
6/21/08
Hawaii
Xtreme Combat
(MMA)
(Lahaina Civic Center, Lahaina, Maui)
Ultimate Fighter 7 Finale
6/20/08
Paragon
(MMA Hybred)
(O Lounge)
6/15/08
Grapplefest
(Submission Grappling)
Anderson Silva Seminar
Studio 4, UH at Manoa
1-4PM
$100
Mauricio "Shogun" Rua Seminar
Tropic Lightning TKD
Waipahu
5-7PM
$60
6/14/08
EliteXC
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena, Honolulu, HI)
6/7/08
UFC 85 - Bedlam
(PPV)
6/6/08
Punishment in Paradise
Pound 4 Pound
(Kickboxing)
(Ahuna Ranch, Maili)
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)
WEC 33
(Faber vs. Pulver)
(PPV)
5/31/08
CBS EliteXC
Saturday Night Fights
(9-11 p.m. ET/PT)
(CBS)
5/25/08
Man Up Stand Up
(Kickboxing)
(Filcom Center, Waipahu)
5/24/08
UFC 84 - Ill Will
BJ Penn vs. Sean Sherk
(PPV)
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
Hawaii
Fight League
Season 1, Event 3
(MMA)
(Filcom Center, Waipahu)
Full Force 4
(MMA)
(Maui War Memorial Gym, Wailuku, Maui)
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)
|
|
December 2008 News
Part 2
|
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!
Kids Classes are also
available!
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
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Check out this reasonably priced, quality hotel in Waikiki!
For the special Onzuka.com price, click on one of these banners
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Tuesdays at 8:00PM
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AM1500 The Team
(808) 296-1500
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with hosts Mark Kurano
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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
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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.
New
O2MAA Kid's Jiu-Jitsu Class Starts Friday, December 5 from 5:30
to 6:30 PM!
Adult Wrestling Class Starts Starts Friday, December 5 from 8:30
to 9:30 PM!
|
Want to Contact
Us? Shoot us an email by Clicking Here!
Quote
of the Day
“Reason
should direct and appetite obey.”
Cicero
|
JUNIE
BROWNING GETS TUF WIN, APOLOGIZES TO MIR
"The Ultimate Fighter" season 8 official bad boy, Junie
Browning, returned to action on Saturday night with an impressive
win over former teammate Dave Kaplan by submission early in the
second round of their match-up.
Almost
immediately into the first round, Browning's training with Xtreme
Couture coach Shawn Tompkins was evident, as he looked very strong
with his stand-up attack, peppering Kaplan with punches and kicks.
Browning
says that while he still trains with his old camp, it was understanding
that fighting is a full time commitment that brought him to Xtreme
Couture.
"I
still train at home back at Four Seasons, but I just feel like
I've been there so long and stuff, I don't get the same look,
everyone's getting so good. I had to get up here (to Vegas) where
everybody does it for a living," Browning commented after
the fight.
The
Kentucky native did a great job of keeping Kaplan off balance
for the duration of the fight, never letting him gain any kind
of real momentum.
In
the second round, Browning got Kaplan to the mat and it wasn't
long before he was transitioning to an armbar that forced the
tap out, giving the "Lunatic" his first official win
in the UFC.
While
The Ultimate Fighter reality show has been a springboard for
many great fighters, Browning has become synonymous with the
frat-type antics displayed on the show. He is never one for staying
out of trouble while the cameras were rolling.
"It
wasn't all planned. It was just more the fact that I didn't let
the cameras dictate the way I was going to act," Browning
said about his behavior on the show. "Somebody messed with
me, I just snapped. If I'm going to get pissed, I might as well
make it entertaining."
Taking
the show as a learning lesson, Browning has obviously grown up
since the filming finished. He even offered an apology to former
coach, Frank Mir, who has been openly critical of his former
student on the show in recent weeks.
"I
gave (Frank) Mir a hard time on the show. I just want to apologize
to everybody, everyone watching and stuff," said Browning.
"Mir was actually an awesome coach. It was more my fault.
I don't think I would have put up with myself either. I apologize
to Mir and the rest of Mir's team, they were awesome coaches."
Source: MMA Weekly |
JOHNSON
AND GOUVEIA IMPRESS AT TUF 8 FINALE
One fighter exacted a measure of revenge, while another found
redemption after missing weight, as the veterans looked impressive
on "The Ultimate Fighter" season eight finale Saturday
night.
An
unfortunate eye poke brought an end to the first fight between
Anthony Johnson and Kevin Burns, but the second go-around was
a definitive finish, leaving no room at all for controversy.
Through
two rounds of action, Johnson and Burns battled on the feet and
on the ground with neither fighter gaining a dominant upper hand.
The
third round was the difference maker as Johnson, who has been
working with Strikeforce middleweight champion Cung Le and Strikeforce
lightweight titleholder Josh Thomson, showed off his new kicking
power as he unloaded a thunderous left high kick that put Burns
out and sent him timbering to the mat.
"It
just happened," Johnson said after the knockout. "I
just decided to throw it and it connected."
After
a disappointing day on Friday when he didn't make weight, American
Top Team fighter Wilson Gouveia tried to earn back part of the
purse he had to give up by making quick work of Canadian Jason
MacDonald. He finished the fight early in the first round by
TKO.
MacDonald
tried to get the fight to the ground right away, but Gouveia
was able to get back up quickly, where he showed his dominant
stand-up game.
A
left straight from Gouveia put MacDonald down on the mat and
the Brazilian born fighter followed up with a series of hammer
fists and elbow strikes that opened a gash on the Canadian's
head. The stoppage came just seconds later.
"The
feeling to even fight in the UFC is great, it's unbelievable,"
Gouveia said after the win. "Jason's a really tough fight
and after this fight I think I put myself in the top contention."
Gouveia
has always been seen as a top contender, but after failing to
make weight for the fight he promised a new commitment going
forward.
"My
weight class is at middleweight. I made some mistakes. I want
to apologize to the UFC, to Jason, all my fans. I promise that
will never happen again," Gouveia commented.
Source: MMA Weekly |
DARTH
BADER STRIKES BACK, NEW ULTIMATE FIGHTER
He was an All-American wrestler while competing at Arizona State
University, but now Ryan "Darth" Bader can add "Ultimate
Fighter" season 8 champion to his list of accolades after
putting away Vinicius Magalhaes in the first round of their match-up
on Saturday night.
Coming
into the fight as an underdog for probably the first time ever
in his professional career, Bader took it upon himself to impress
in his finale match-up and did exactly that.
With
his wrestling background and Magalhaes' extensive jiu-jitsu pedigree,
the light heavyweight finals saw no ground action, but plenty
of stand-up.
The
fighters traded kicks early, and both showed good footwork to
stay in punching range, but each respected the other's power.
It
was a big overhand right from Bader that glanced off of Magalhaes'
head that sent the Brazilian crashing to the canvas, rocked and
in obvious trouble.
"My
right hand's pretty powerful," Bader stated. "I'm not
just a wrestler, and I hope people see that. I look forward to
being back in the Octagon soon."
He
followed up with a few more hammer fists before the referee stepped
in to stop the fight and declare the Arizona Combat Sports member
the new Ultimate Fighter winner.
"I
was comfortable wherever the fight went, but I had kind of a
lackluster fight last fight and I wanted to keep it on my feet.
Vinny's a stud on the ground, you guys saw that," Bader
said following the win. "Just keep it on my feet, worked
on my boxing at Arizona Combat Sports with the Lally brothers
and it paid off a lot."
It
was the stand-up and boxing work he had done that gave Bader
the confidence in his hands to finish the fight with strikes,
earning him his ninth professional win, and first official win
in the UFC.
With
an ever developing striking prowess, Bader's wrestling could
be considered some of the best in the UFC, even at this point
in his young career. The Reno, Nev. native will definitely be
a force against any opponent at 205 pounds.
Source: MMA Weekly |
Time
to end TUF antics
LAS
VEGAS – It can hardly be a coincidence that the two men
who won titles on “The Ultimate Fighter 8” were also
among the few who avoided rowdy and disgusting behavior in the
house.
Ryan
Bader knocked out Vinnie Magalhaes in the light heavyweight final
and Efrain Escudero bested Phillipe Nover via unanimous decision
on Saturday in the lightweight finale at The Pearl at the Palms
in what can only be described as a victory for taste and common
sense.
If
the best SpikeTV producers and the UFC can do is to show men
urinating and ejaculating in others’ food, throwing a glass
at a defenseless fighter and making a star out of someone without
a whit of class, then it’s time to put a wrap on the reality
series.
UFC
owner Lorenzo Fertitta has called the show the company’s
Trojan horse, because it enabled the UFC to gain widespread exposure
at a time when it was on its deathbed. The show has been phenomenally
successful in and out of the cage, not only introducing another
generation of fans to mixed martial arts, but also producing
two world champions (Forrest Griffin and Matt Serra) and numerous
other fighters who have become main-card regulars.
But
each season, it seems, the show degenerates just a little more.
Season 7 will best be remembered for Jesse Taylor acting like
a drunken fool and getting booted off the show after taping was
completed for kicking a window out of a limousine and then terrorizing
casino guests.
Season
8, despite quality performances from the likes of Bader, Escudero
and Nover, will be remembered for the antics of Junie Browning,
who was twice nearly thrown off the show by UFC president Dana
White for antisocial behavior.
It’s
clearly not representative of the way MMA fighters conduct themselves,
yet no one at the UFC has done a thing to halt it.
Bader,
a one-time wrestling star at Arizona State, was baited by a drunken
Browning in one of the season’s early episodes and was dragged
into a pool.
“That
sucked,” Bader said of the incident with Browning.
Bader
didn’t react, because he’d seen the show before and
knew White would likely kick him off if he defended himself.
“In
any other situation, any other man, I would have killed him,”
Bader said, grinning. “But I thought about being kicked
out. Every time a guy got kicked off the show before for fighting,
I’d be thinking what an idiot he was. I wasn’t about
to be that person, even though it was forced upon me. You never
know. People have been kicked out for less. I didn’t do
anything and I’m glad I didn’t.”
Bader’s
self-control also helped him to the victory over Magalhaes, a
former jiu-jitsu world champion. Bader was as focused in the
cage as he was on the show and refused to allow Magalhaes to
take the fight to the ground.
He
ended it in a flash, connected with an overhand right that, though
Magalhaes managed to block it partially with his left arm, sent
the Brazilian spiraling to the canvas. Bader quickly finished
him on the ground at 2:18 of the first.
“I
have a heavy right hand and I hit him square in the temple,”
Bader said. “It doesn’t take much when you hit someone
there.”
Escudero
neutralized Nover’s vaunted striking power, which had prompted
White to dub him the “next Anderson Silva,” but using
his wrestling ability. Escudero repeatedly took Nover down throughout
the three rounds and, while he didn’t inflict much damage,
he prevented Nover from ever seriously mounting an attack.
Escudero
stayed in the background for much of the show, even when he was
antagonized, and like Bader, focused on learning from his coach,
Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira. Because of White’s comments about
Nover, Escudero was overshadowed and overlooked going into the
finale. He never, though, lost sight of what he needed to do.
It
was no different from the way he carried himself during the show’s
taping in the house, when he was harassed by a drunken Shane
Nelson.
“The
guys who were confident stayed in the background and we did our
work, and the guys who had doubt, they tried to make a name for
themselves by pulling pranks and drinking and doing all that
other stuff,” Escudero said. “It got them some publicity,
but do you think they’d trade with me? It got them a little
publicity, but everyone knows who we are because (Bader and I)
won the thing. That’s what it was all about.”
At
least it’s what it should be about. But the show has devolved
into little more than gutter behavior and the emphasis is as
much on zany behavior as on mixed martial arts and the fights.
Frank
Mir, who coached one of the teams, was turned off by everything
that went on and called it “disgusting.”
“The
Ultimate Fighter” has been a great marketing tool for the
UFC and has been a boon to the sport, but it’s lately begun
to portray the fighters and the sport in the wrong way.
Season
8 was as much about Junie Browning’s bizarre behavior as
it was about the talent of Ryan Bader and Efrain Escudero.
If
Fertitta and White don’t act soon, they’re going to
turn off an entire generation of fans and attract lowlifes who
think watching a couple of drunks urinate in someone’s food
is funny.
It’s
beyond time to act.
Source: Yahoo Sports |
Wand-Nog
Partnership
Alejarra: “A dream come true”
The
training partnership that blew the minds of Brazilian MMA fans
had a mentor: Rafael Alejarra. Wanderlei Silva’s physical
conditioning coach since mid-2005, the Brazilian was the one
to see to the technical cooperation between two of the biggest
names in world MMA. In an interview with GRACIEMAG.com, Alejarra
didn’t hid his joy at seeing Wand and Rodrigo Minotauro
training together for UFC 92, to take place on December 27th,
in Las Vegas.
“I’m
privileged, the happiest guy in the world, for having the opportunity
to work with two of the biggest names in MMA. I couldn’t
do that before, since one was on one team (Wand on Chute Boxe;
Minotauro on BTT), and the other on another. Now the two share
the same workout room. I managed to bring the two together, to
help each other, which I feel reflects on their professionalism.
It’s the evolution of MMA. I’m very thankful to the
both of them,” Alejarra commented.
The
idea of the invitation came about during recording of the eighth
season of the The Ultimate Fighter reality show, in which Minotauro
was a main character, performing as coach. “After work in
the house was over, Minotauro stuck around in Las Vegas training
some. Wand was in Brazil. That’s when I had the idea of
inviting Minotauro to train at our gym here in Vegas. I spoke
with Wand and he was pleased. We’re anxious for the folks
to get here,” he continued.
Initially
the partnership was set to go on till the 27th. At the event,
Alejarra will have to watch his heart. “I even remarked
to my wife. I want to end the year on a high note. I had Demian
Maia’s win (UFC 91) and now we’re going for Minotauro
and Wand. The academy is ready, Minotauro and Wand will participate
in the closed-door inauguration. They can make use of the barometric
room, which simulates high altitudes, official sized octagon,
ice pool. Everything is on course for the 27th,” the physical
coach said in finishing.
Source: Gracie Magazine |
Wand
and Nog training together?
Partnership should happen in Vegas
Along
with coaches Amaury Bitetti and Rodrigo Artilheiro, Rodrigo Minotauro
set off this Friday (December 12) for Las Vegas, where the final
of the eighth season of the The Ultimate Fighter reality show
will take place. In the USA, Minota will only return after his
December 27 challenge against Frank Mir. And for this UFC fight
to determine who will challenge Brock Lesnar for the definitive
UFC heavyweight belt, the Brazilian will count on a big-name
buddy: Wanderlei Silva.
In
the past the news would be hard to believe, since the two fighters
belonged to teams with a fierce rivalry – BTT and Chute
Boxe, - but the current MMA panorama makes it clear those days
are gone. These days professionalism comes first and, as the
two will go to battle on the same day (Wanderlei faces Quinton
Jackson), so they decided nothing could be better than making
a union between compatriots.
“We’re
going to be in the corners for the final fights of the TUF house.
After the event, we’ll stick around till Minotauro’s
fight,” said coach Amaury Bitetti, who added:
“We
should train at Wanderlei’s gym, in Las Vegas, and use the
structure he has set up there. Rafael Alejarra, who’s a
really cool guy, and Wanderlei himself invited us. We’ll
train together and put together a strategy. We’ll be mostly
swapping information,” said Bitetti, who, when asked if
Nog and Wand would be training together, responded:
“That’s
right. United we stand!”
Source: Gracie Magazine |
A
lesson from Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
An article by David Zappasodi, GB San Diego (Encinitas) student
The
other day I was in my Brazilian Jiu Jitsu class, and our instructor,
Rafael Ramos, was talking about some of the characteristics of
the “black belt” level. It takes about 8 - 10 years
to achieve a black belt in our martial art, but our instructor
told us that black belts aren’t doing very much that is
different from white belts; they are using many of the exact
same techniques.
The
difference: black belts have performed those techniques thousands
upon thousands of times.
Because of this, black belts rarely think about techniques, because
they perform them automatically. They are familiar with the different
circumstances where certain techniques can be applied, and they
instantly know how to react or change the circumstances because
they’ve done it so many times before.
So,
if you’re wondering where I’m getting with all this,
here’s my point…
The path to becoming truly healthy is exactly the same as the
path to “black belt” in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. You have
to do “healthy” things over and over again, until they
become part of your daily routine, and you don’t have to
think about them anymore. You have to keep making the same mistakes
until you realize that they are mistakes, and finally stop making
them.
I
see so many people who are “white belts” in health,
but want to become “black belts” over night, without
making any efforts or changing their lifestyles. It just doesn’t
work that way… there needs to be self-effort, and there
will always be perceived ups and downs, so you need to keep pushing
even when you don’t see progress, because in the end…
you still get out of it exactly what you put in.
Source: Gracie Magazine |
Quote
of the Day
“Nurture
your mind with great thoughts; to believe in the heroic makes
heroes.”
Benjamin Disraeli
|
Today!
Source: Island Warriors
|
The
Ultimate Fighter 8 Finale
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, NV
Preliminary Bouts:
1.
Lightweight Bout
Roli Delgado def. John Polakowski via submission (guillotine
choke) - R2 (2:18)
2.
Lightweight Bout
Shane Nelson def. George Roop via split decision
3.
Light Heavyweight Bout
Tom Lawlor def. Kyle Kingsbury via unanimous decision
4.
Light Heavyweight Bout
Eliot Marshall def. Jules Bruchez via submission (rear-naked
choke) - R1 (1:27)
5.
Light Heavyweight Bout
Krzysztof Soszynski def. Shane Primm via submission (kimura)
- R2 (3:27)
Televised
Bouts (Spike TV):
6.
Lightweight Bout
Junie Browning def. David Kaplan via submission (armbar) - R2
(1:32)
7.
189-lb. Bout (Gouveia didn't make weight)
Wilson Gouveia def. Jason MacDonald via submission (strikes)
- R1 (2:18)
8.
Welterweight Bout
Anthony Johnson def. Kevin Burns via KO (head kick) - R3 (0:28)
9.
TUF 8 Light Heavyweight Final
Ryan Bader def. Vinicius Magalhaes via TKO (strikes) - R1 (2:18)
10.
TUF 8 Lightweight Final
Efrain Escudero def. Phillipe Nover via unanimous decision (29-28,
29-28, 29-28)
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Adrenaline
MMA 2 Recap: Miletich KOs Denny
by Robert Rousseau
Adrenaline II came to us all live from the I Wireless Center
in Moline, Illinois. Ben Rothwell was on the card; so was Mike
Russow. But this local midwest event was about one very important
fighter: former UFC champion Pat Miletich. Miletich would be
returning to the cage to take on Thomas “Wildman” Denny,
a crafty fighter intent on taking home victory in what potentially
would be the biggest fight of his life.
Get ready, get set, go!
“I’m
probably going to catch him with something on the feet, take
him to the ground, and finish him with strikes on the ground,”
said Ryan Williams before taking on Miletich fighter Jesse Lennox.
Early
on, Williams connected with some nice low kicks and scattered
punches before clinching with his opponent. Upon separation,
Lennox hit home with a nice left hand. From there, until just
before the 2:00 mark Lennox started showing his boxing superiority,
connecting with nice shots in spots. Then Williams managed to
take him down.
Bad
move.
Lennox
transitioned from a viable armbar attempt that failed to a triangle
choke that didn’t, and that was that.
Jesse
Lennox wins via triangle choke in round one.
Next
up was a fight between Pat Curran and Ramiro Hernandez. Hernandez
was another Miletich fighter, competing close to home. You have
to ask yourself whether the home crowd would be helpful for all
of these fighters or simply add to the pressure on them.
Hernandez
came out dancing to Stevie Wonder music and looking loose, so
maybe that was a poorly placed question.
From
the outset, Curran looked very good in this one, connecting with
some very nice low kicks and then a right that sent his opponent
to the ground. Hernandez then weathered a flurry on the ground,
fighting back the whole time, before Curran gained the mount
position. Somehow Hernandez escaped and got to his feet. Soon
after, Curran took Hernandez down again and achieved the mount
again. After taking some more abuse, Hernandez achieved the guard.
It’s
going to be hard to take Hernandez out. He’s one tough hombre.
For
the rest of the stanza, Curran switched in and out of full mount,
connecting with some sporadic ground and pound along the way.
That is, until Curran’s armbar attempt, which was valid
but started too late.
Because
that’s when the bell tolled.
The
second round saw Curran land a nice overhand right early on.
But then Hernandez began to connect with punches and kicks in
spots while staying away from his opponent’s power. Near
the 2:00 mark, Curran connected with another nice overhand right
and soon after clinched with his adversary. Then came the takedown.
From
there, Curran transitioned to side control and then the mount.
Then came another armbar attempt that might have worked had the
bell not gonged, saving Hernandez. Hernandez won most of this
round on his feet. But Curran landed a couple of nice shots,
gained a takedown, and went for a submission, so give him the
stanza. After a possible two point first round for Curran anyway,
figure that Hernandez must stop his opponent to win.
The
next round saw Hernandez connecting with the best punches and
kicks of the fight. Further, he shirked a couple of takedown
attempts. That said, Curran eventually did take him down and
then took the mount. Hernandez almost got up and gained guard
for his efforts.
But
then Curran took the mount once more. For the rest of the round,
Curran connected with sporadic ground and pound while his top
position kept changing. Hernandez was a little bloody by the
end of the stanza.
Pat
Curran wins via unanimous decision.
Next
up was a fight between former IFL champion Ryan McGivern and
Geno Roderick. Would Roderick even have a chance against a guy
with the cardio of a Ryan McGivern?
No.
McGivern
started things off by tripping Roderick to the canvas. Soon after,
he took his opponent’s back. Then came the rear naked choke.
Ryan
McGivern wins via rear naked choke in round one.
Before
his fight against Gabe Lemley, Dan Loman said, “I look for
any weakness that I can exploit.” Of course, Lemley spoke
of his well-roundedness before this bout as well. So who would
have the weakness to exploit?
Lemley
took Loman down quickly and ended up in his adversary’s
guard. But Lemley stood up and allowed Loman up, possibly worried
about submissions. Then Loman landed a big right that dropped
his adversary. Loman followed him to the ground only to see Lemley
stand up, take him down, and get him in a north- south position
choke. But Loman simply waited it out and didn’t panic.
So Lemley transitioned to the mount and started landed punches.
But then Loman got out and to his feet.
This
is some fight so far!
After
some trading on their feet, Lemley achieved another takedown,
though it was short lived. Then, however, Lemley connected with
a big punch. He followed Loman to the canvas afterwards, where
he connected with several more unanswered punches before Lemley
surprisingly walked away.
Huh?
That
allowed Loman to get up. For the rest of the round, the two traded
some nice shots. A great round that goes to Gabe Lemley.
The
second round was a brawl while it lasted with both fighters landing
big shots. However, at one point a big flurry by Loman hurt Lemley.
Punch after punch with a knee mixed in landed from there. This
eventually resulted in Lemley falling to the ground before the
referee stepped in.
Dan
Loman wins via second round TKO. Why Lemley walked away from
his downed opponent in the first round is hard to understand.
Next
up was a match between Derrick Mehmen and Mike Ciesnolevicz (Mike
C). “I’m gonna be bigger and stronger than Mike, so
wherever this fight goes I have it under control,” said
Mehmen beforehand.
Early
on, Mehmen pressed Mike C. up against the wall and connected
with some sporadic strikes. But upon separation, Mike C. attempted
a high kick that left him off balance, falling to the canvas.
Mehmen followed him to the canvas and connected with a very nice
flurry. Still, Mike C. got up and connected with a strong one-
two combination. Soon after, Mehmen hit home with a nice knee.
For
the majority of the rest of the stanza, the two traded some big
shots. But then a big right by Mike C. left Mehmen dizzy. Still,
he recovered and the two traded with Mike C. doing better than
his adversary before the bell.
An
excellent and close round.
The
second round saw some trading, with Mike C. coming through with
the better of it as time went on. Then Mike C. pulled guard along
with a guillotine and soon after Mehmen tapped.
Mike
Ciesnolevicz wins via second round guillotine choke.
Next
up was a match between Braden Bice and Mike Russow. Bice spoke
of his wrestling background before this match. Would that be
enough to defeat the favored Russow, who, by the way, looked
much bigger than his opponent?
Russow
slammed his adversary to the canvas early on. Then he gained
the north- south position and got the choke there. Yep, that’s
that.
Mike
Russow wins via early first round choke.
Next
up was one of the big fights, a match between Chris Guillen and
Ben Rothwell. “I didn’t come here planning to lose,”
said Guillen coming in. Well, that’s a good attitude. Let’s
see how it plays out.
Guillen
started off landing some low kicks. He eventually shot in, an
attempt that was easily shirked by Rothwell. With Guillen turtled
up, Rothwell landed several shots, including hammerfists, before
changing the trajectory and gaining side control. Then Rothwell
moved to the mount and almost went for the armbar before getting
on top and landing elbows to Gullen’s face, causing him
to tap.
Ben
Rothwell wins via first round submission due to strikes.
“Leaving
with a loss, that’s a monkey on your back you don’t
want to live the rest of your life with for sure,” said
Pat Miletich before taking on Thomas “Wildman” Denny
in the main event of the night. “So I’m very motivated
to go out and win this fight.” Of course, the last time
Miletich fought, Renzo Gracie used his neck injury against him,
defeating him via guillotine choke. So what would happen this
time?
Miletich
landed a big left early and then took Denny down hard. Soon after
he gained side control but lost the position to his opponent
for the guard moments later. Some mild ground and pound followed
until Miletich stood up. Eventually, Miletich landed a very hard
body shot that left Denny on the canvas again. Miletich followed
him down. Not a lot of action until the bell.
Miletich
isn’t doing much on the ground but looks very good on his
feet.
Denny
started off with jabs and low kicks in the second. But soon after,
Miletich landed another big shot and then two consecutive huge
rights that left his opponent on the canvas out cold. Wow! Great
return to the cage for Miletich. Remember all that talk about
Miletich’s neck?
Forget
it.
Pat
Miletich wins via second round knockout.
In
the end, Adrenaline II was a fun night of fights in a lot of
cases. The early bouts between Dan Loman and Gabe Lemley and
Pat Curran and Ramiro Hernandez were excellent. Though the Rothwell,
Russow, and McGivern bouts were mismatches, watching Pat Miletich
come back so strong was something to see, particularly those
striking skills of his. Let’s put it this way, the hometown
crowd was certainly happy.
-
Pat Curran def. Ramiro Hernandez via unanimous decision
- Ryan McGivern def. Geno Roderick via submission (RNC) - R1
(1:27)
- Dan Loman def. Gabe Lemley via TKO (strikes) - R2 (1:54)
- Mike Ciesnolevicz def. Derrick Mehmen via submission (guillotine
choke) - R2 (1:46)
- Mike Russow def. Braden Bice via submission (north-south choke)
- R1 (1:13)
- Ben Rothwell def. Chris Guillen via submission (strikes) -
R1 (3:40)
- Pat Miletich def. Thomas "Wildman" Denny via KO -
R2 (0:50))
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Tim
Sylvia Looking for Dynamite Against Ken Shamrock
By Tim Ngo
After being taken out by the world’s greatest fighter in
only :36 seconds, Tim Sylvia is looking to get back on the horse
against UFC Hall-of-Famer Ken Shamrock. The two were originally
scheduled to meet on December 20th but that has since been postponed
to February. Sylvia is now looking to fight on New Year’s
Eve in Japan for K-1’s “Dynamite!!”
Sylvia and his manager Monte Cox both state that they are currently
in negotiations to get Sylvia overseas to face Shamrock but Shamrock’s
camp denies any serious conversations on their part.
Cox
says that Sylvia has already gotten the green light to compete
in other promotions and that Sylvia would sit out Affliction’s
second event, “Day of Reckoning”, which is scheduled
for January 24th.
Source: Fight Line
|
Three
Pancrase Champions Are Crowned
Ariel Shnerer
Coming
off a TKO loss to Nick Diaz at Dream 3 in May, Katsuya Inoue
(17-6-3) successfully rebounded to become the lightweight King
of Pancrase Sunday at Pancrase: Shining 10. The Japanese Pancrase
veteran earned a hard-fought unanimous decision victory over
Koji Oishi (17-8-5).
Manabu
Inoue (7-5-1) ended the unbeaten streak of Seiya Kawahara (6-1)
to become the inaugural bantamweight King of Pancrase. Inoue
clinched the win with a rear-naked choke at the 4:44 mark of
the second frame.
In
a third title match, a rematch following a draw in October, Takuya
Wada (18-8-9) vanquished Masahiro Toryu (6-4-4) by decision to
become the lightweight Pancrase champion.
Here
are the full results from the Differ Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan:
Katsuya
Inoue def. Koji Oishi via Unanimous Decision
Manabu Inoue def. Seiya Kawahara via Submission (Rear-Naked Choke)
at 4:44, R2
Takuya Wada def. Masahiro Toryu via Unanimous Decision
Ichiro Kanai def. Daijiro Matsui via Submission (Arm Triangle)
at 2:25, R1
Rin Nakai def. Tomomi Sunaba via TKO (Strikes) at 1:33, R1
Tomoyoshi Iwamiya def. Hiroyuki Nozawa via Unanimous Decision
Stanislav Nedkov def. Masayuki Kono via TKO (Strikes) at 1:35,
R1
Hirotoshi Saito drew Tashiro Nishiuchi
Daisuke Hanazawa def. Maximo Blanco via Submission (Arm Triangle)
at 2:19, R2
Isao Hirose def. Tokuaki Ninomiya via Majority Decision
Source: The Fight Network
|
BABALU
VS. SOKOUDJOU AT AFFLICTION 2
by Ken Pishna
Affliction Entertainment on Thursday announced that Renato "Babalu"
Sobral will face Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou at the promotion's
"Day of Reckoning" event on Jan. 24 in Anaheim, Calif.
Babalu
is coming off of his fourth straight victory, a win over Bobby
Southworth that crowned him the new Strikeforce light heavyweight
champion. The fight will be his second start for Affliction,
having defeated Mike Whitehead as part of the promotion's debut
in July.
It
will be Sokoudjou's debut for Affliction following a disappointing
attempt to break into the Ultimate Fighting Championship's light
heavyweight ranks. After knocking out two Top 10 opponents while
fighting for Pride Fighting Championships, Sokoudjou went 1-2
during his UFC tenure.
After
Day of Reckoning was rescheduled from an October date in Las
Vegas, Babalu was being matched against No. 3 ranked middleweight
Matt Lindland at a catch weight. After further consideration
by the promotion and Babalu's camp, however, Lindland was put
back into his original Day of Reckoning match-up against Vitor
Belfort, making it possible for Babalu to be paired at his natural
weight of 205 pounds with Sokoudjou.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Akiyama
turns down offer to fight at 'Dynamite'
Yoshihiro Akiyama will not fight on the "Dynamite"
New Year's Eve card.
"Yoshihiro Akiyama has decided not to fight on New Year's
Eve," FEG producer Sadaharu Tanikawa said Thursday. "We
offered him a fight in Dynamite and gave him a list of ten fighters.
He was supposed to pick one. However, in the end he refused to
fight in Dynamite."
Akiyama
(11-1) wasn't originally on the list of participants for the
New Year's Eve show but Tanikawa later spoke about a possible
fight between Akiyama and Shinya Aoki.
"I'm
tired of negotiating with him," Tanikawa continued. "He
doesn't understand what fans expect from him and his position.
I don't know the reason why he turned down the offer. I'm very
disappointed in him."
Akiyama
last fought for DREAM in November at DREAM 6. But afterwards,
Akiyama called out Hidehiko Yoshida -- a fighter for DREAM's
main competitor Sengoku.
Aoki,
a loyal DREAM fighter, took offense to this and challenged Akiyama
to a fight on New Year's Eve. With Akiyama out of the picture,
Aoki will fight Eddie Alvarez.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Danzig
Breathes New Life into Career
by Mike Sloan
Quite a bit has changed since the last time Mac Danzig had to
punish himself during a grueling training regime. Not only has
the Las Vegas resident become a father for the first time (his
baby daughter was born nearly two nerve-rattling weeks late),
but he has a newfound vigor for the fight game.
Danzig
will look to carry that fresh momentum into his next bout against
Josh Neer for UFC Fight Night 17 on Feb. 7 at the USF Sun Dome
in Tampa, Fla.
A
winner of “The Ultimate Fighter 6” in 2007, Danzig
saw it was time for a change. His methodology inside Xtreme Couture
Mixed Martial Arts’ walls had become stagnant and he’d
lost his thirst to train as hard as some of the other warriors
inside Las Vegas’ most famous gym. Not that his training
partners or the facility itself had become outdated by any means;
Danzig admits he just wasn’t as focused or serious as he
should have been, especially leading up to his most recent bout.
Last
September, Danzig (18-5-1) dropped a unanimous decision to wrestler
Clay Guida at UFC Fight Night 15 in Omaha, Neb.
“I
was listening to my corner with their combinations, but I was
throwing them like a robot and I got a little too anxious where
I should have just relaxed and waited and then picked him apart,”
Danzig said of Guida. “I should have let him shoot into
one of my knees but instead I was throwing knees at the end of
combinations after he was already backing up so, of course, the
knee isn’t there and he would use that to get a takedown.”
His
new baby has given Danzig the fire in his belly he needed though.
Mac
Danzig has a new perspective on life.“I always train hard
and I wasn’t sure if the fire was still there like it was
(in the past),” he said. “But having this kid has changed
me a lot. It’s given me a new perspective and has given
me a whole lot of motivation to go in there and really do right
by myself and my family and get the most out of my career. I’m
starting to watch tapes again and really getting back into the
whole mindset of combat, which I was getting a little tired of
after a while. I’m ready to go and I got a new reason to
fight.”
New
priorities have brought on a new way of looking at his bouts,
as well as remembrance of what worked for Danzig in the past.
“What
I learned is that fifteen minutes isn’t that long of a time
and you really gotta do something and make something happen,”
said Danzig. “Sometimes you can’t force it if your
opponent is neutralizing you but fifteen minutes isn’t really
enough time to finish a guy. You gotta do right by yourself and
fight your type of fight. Against Guida I didn’t really
fight my fight. I usually fight where I think a lot and I try
to think two or three moves ahead and that chess match mentality
has helped me in my career in the past and I kind of abandoned
that.”
Neer
(24-7-1), another experienced veteran who desperately needs a
win to stay afloat in the 155-pound title hunt, won’t be
a pushover by any means, though his fighting style could play
into Danzig’s strengths. Roughly half of Neer’s defeats
have come via submission, an aspect of the fight game that Danzig
excels at.
“He’s
still really good on the ground, much better than people give
him credit for,” said Danzig. “The few losses that
he’s had have come by submissions, but I don’t think
that he has serious weakness on the ground. Nate Diaz is extremely
good on the ground and those guys were trading back and forth
some really good technique.
Still,
Danzig acknowledges a potential opening.
“I’ve
submitted and beaten a lot better guys than him as far as grappling
skills go,” said Danzig. “[Mark] Bocek comes to mind
right away. It’s all about hitting him a lot and making
him think and softening him up first. That’s what’ll
give me the submission if I get it but, man, I’m still looking
for my first knockout; that clean knockout. That’s what
I’m going for. And I don’t feel bad for saying that,
either.”
A
special addition to his life has renewed Danzig’s sense
of purpose, but don’t be surprised to see the winner of
old return to the cage on Feb. 7.
“In
this fight I need to just go out there and be the thinker that
I am,” said Danzig. “I think it’ll serve me well
in this fight.”
Source: Sherdog |
Dream
announces two more bouts
Alvarez vs Aoki; LeBanner vs Hunt announced
Dream
this Thursday announced two more bouts for “Fields Dynamite!!”
to take place December 31st. Eddie Alvarez vs Shinya Aoki (lightweight)
and Jerome LeBanner vs Mark Hunt (heavyweight) are two more MMA-rules
bouts added to the card.
The
bout between Eddie Alvarez and Shinya Aoki calls special attention,
as it pits the would-be finalist of this year’s Dream lightweight
GP, who was left out due to injury, Eddie Alvarez, against Shinya
Aoki, the man he would have faced in the final after his ill-fated
win over Kawajiri and the last fighter to defeat last year’s
champion, Gesias Cavalcante. Also on the card is another intriguing
match-up in this year’s lightweight GP champion Joachim
Hansen facing off against last year’s champion Gesias Cavalcante.
Check
out the updated "Fields Dynamite!!" card:
MMA
rules
Kazushi Sakuraba vs Kiyoshi Tamura
Gesias "J.Z. Calvan" Cavalcante vs Joachim Hansen
Eddie Alvarez vs Shinya Aoki
Jerome LeBanner vs Mark Hunt
K-1
rules
Kozo Takeda vs Tatsuya Kawajiri
Musashi vs Gegard Mousasi
Tatsuya Kawajiri vs Kozo Takeda
K-1
KOSHIEN Semifinal
Ryuya Kusakabe vs Koya Urabe
K-1 KOSHIEN Semifinal
Hiroya vs Shota Shimada
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
M-1
President Responds to Dana White Namecalling
Press Release
For
over a year now UFC President Dana White has used an open forum
to label the management of Fedor Emelianenko, led by M-1 President
Vadim Finkelchtein, as "the crazy Russians."
For
much of that time, White has influenced the United States media
to reflect his beliefs, as Finkelchtein tended to urgent matters
of business -- namely promoting his M-1 Challenge and managing
fighters such as Fedor and Aleksander Emelianenko and Gegard
Mousasi - instead of engaging in a war of words.
However,
during a recent M-1 Challenge event, Finkelchtein responded to
White's statements in an interview conducted by M-1 executives
Joost Raimond (serving as Finkelchtein's translator) and Jerry
Millen (serving as the interviewer).
Thanks
to a three-part YouTube series, members of the U.S. MMA media
are finally being presented the other side of the story so that
they can form an opinion for themselves.
During
the interview, Finkelchtein was asked by Millen what he thinks
when he's referred to in the press by White as a "crazy
Russian."
"Dana
White has a tendency towards arrogance and everything not Dana
White is either crazy or stupid," Finkelchtein began to
respond through Raimond.
"All
this stuff about us not wanting to work with UFC is just utterly
and completely untrue," he continued. "We've always
been completely open to basically working with anybody, including
the UFC, because our goal has always been to put the greatest
fighters against each other. And if the greatest fighter is a
part of the UFC, fine, let's put him up against our best guy
and see how they do."
Raimond
added that Finkelchtein indicated that the UFC is very protective
of their market share but that M-1 isn't looking to take the
UFC's "pie" away, that his promotion simply wants to
share some of it.
Finkelchtein
also responded to a question from Millen regarding comments made
by White during a November press conference in Toronto to promote
UFC 94. In the interview, which can be seen on YouTube, White
responds to a question from a fan regarding Fedor fighting for
the UFC by stating at one point that he has never even met Fedor.
White's
claim that he has never met Fedor is accurate, but it's also
a situation that Finkelchtein is more than willing to rectify.
"The
invitation is right there," Finkelchtein expressed through
Raimond. "If Dana wants to sit down at the table, he can
come to St. Petersburg -- he is very welcomed here. He can meet
up with (me), he can meet up with Fedor. It's not a problem at
all."
Finkelchtein
indicated during the interview that he has traveled to Las Vegas
in the past to meet with White. And if White does not have time
to travel to Russia, Finkelchtein extended him an open invitation
to meet the WAMMA heavyweight champion in Anaheim, California
before he competes against Andrei Arlovski on Jan. 24 just prior
to Affliction and M-1's "Day of Reckoning" event.
"We're
not going to eat the UFC pie, but we want to share," said
Finkelchtein. "The invitation stands. They are welcome at
any point in time, and definitely at the Jan. 24 event. We'll
talk about it (and) discuss it. We're open to any kind of deal."
To
watch the interview in its entirety and hear Finkelchtein talk
about M-1's origins; what M-1 means to him; MMA's place in Russian
culture; his feelings about working with the UFC; whether he's
open to a fight in the future between Fedor and UFC heavyweight
champion Brock Lesnar, please visit the URLs below:
Finkelchtein
Interview Part I: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=etPY2Gh1Q30
Finkelchtein
Interview Part II: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mulgRV9x-v0
Finkelchtein
Interview Part III: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oY7RLaYWMsE
Source: The Fight Network
|
HILL
OUT 18 MONTHS; OTHER MEDICAL UPDATES
A night of jaw-dropping injuries and stoppages at UFC’s
“Fight for the Troops” were reflected in medical suspensions
issued by the North Carolina Boxing Authority on Thursday.
Corey
Hill is suspended indefinitely for the visible left leg fracture
he suffered after opponent Dale Hartt checked his leg kick in
the opening exchange of the second round. Following a referee
stoppage, he was taken to a nearby hospital after the leg was
placed in an aircast.
Hill
underwent surgery for a broken leg Thursday morning at Cape Fear
Valley Medical Center in Fayetteville, N.C., according to a report
from the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
Expected
to be out of action anywhere from a year to 18 months, Hill is
currently resting in the hospital with his family. The former
Ultimate Fighter standout is handling the injury well and is
reportedly in good spirits.
UFC
newcomer Razak Al-Hussan is also suspended indefinitely for his
joint-popping armbar loss to former WEC light heavyweight champion
Steve Cantwell. Ringside doctor Sara Neal will require Al-Hussan
to see an orthopedic doctor before being cleared to fight again.
Al-Hassan
was treated and released from the hospital Wednesday night after
suffering a dislocated right elbow.
Newcomer
Brandon Wolff is suspended for 45 days for a contusion/hematoma
on his forehead following his TKO loss to Ben Saunders.
Nate
Loughran is suspended for 30 days due to lacerations suffered
in his loss to Tim Credeur.
Co-main
event fighter Jonathan Goulet is suspended for 60 days following
his knockout loss to Mike Swick. Goulet must have his left elbow
x-rayed and cleared by an orthopedist before being cleared to
fight.
Main
event fighter Yoshiyuki Yoshida is suspended for 90 days following
his knockout loss to Josh Koscheck.
Yoshida
and Goulet were both treated and released for concussions. Goulet
will also have his knee checked out when he returns to his native
Canada.
In
other notes, Assistant Supervisor Locklear estimated an audience
of around 10,000 attendees at the event. In the spirit of its
charity cause, the North Carolina Boxing Authority collected
no taxes from promoter Zuffa, LLC for the show.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Rothwell:
From Affliction to Adrenaline
by Lotfi Sariahmed
When Ben Rothwell debuted in Affliction back in July against
Andrei Arlovski, it was a chance for the recently christened
top-10 heavyweight to cement himself among the upper echelon
in his division. But in the third round Rothwell fell victim
to an Arlovski knockout, leaving the Miletich Martial Arts fighter
with a lot to improve upon for his next bout.
“I’m
just really disappointed in how I performed,” Rothwell told
Sherdog Radio Network’s “Beatdown” show on Wednesday.
“People were saying I was in there for three rounds and
this and that. It was great and I’m glad I was able to show
that I at least belong there. I certainly didn’t get to
show where I feel I’m at or how much more I have to show.
But just that fight alone, to see where my skills have gone in
the last 4-5 months, all my coaches have noticed and said something.”
Those
skills will be on display next not for Affliction, but for the
latest installment of Adrenaline MMA, the promotion owned and
run by his manager Monte Cox. Rothwell (29-6) is set to fight
Chris Guillen, a far cry (at 13-11 overall and on a four-fight
losing streak) from the step up in competition he took fighting
former UFC champion Arlovski. But such is life for a fighter
not making his living inside the UFC’s acclaimed Octagon.
“I’d
love to fight tough guys again but it’s hard,” Rothwell
said. “It’s hard to get fights and I’m fighting
tomorrow night just to stay active. I’ve got to fight so
I can fight and show everybody what I can do.”
That
doesn’t mean Rothwell’s overlooking Guillen.
Rothwell
will set his sights on Chris Guillen (pictured) Thursday.“It’s
actually more of a threat because you don’t want to make
mistakes against a guy like that,” said Rothwell. “The
big joke in the IFL was whoever had to fight Wojtek Kaszowski,
who was 0-7. The guy was 0-7, but who wants to lose to that guy?
It’s the same thing here. I’m putting myself out there
but I have to do it.”
As
for not fighting on the next Affliction card, Rothwell’s
expectations have always been a bit tempered.
“They’re
not using me in January for multiple reasons I guess,” Rothwell
said. “The word is that they’re going to do a third
show and I’m supposed to fight on that. I’ve always
been a guy that never counts his eggs before they’re hatched.
I mean they say it and that’s great that they say it at
least. But it doesn’t mean anything to me until I’ve
signed a contract or I see my face on the poster.”
Rothwell
wasn’t expecting his publicized exit from the IFL in 2007
prior to their grand prix, where individual title belts were
to be awarded to each division’s winner in a tournament
format. With the grand prix fights not a part of the original
contract Rothwell signed, the IFL tried to renegotiate with their
star heavyweight –- who was 9-0 for the promotion -- beforehand.
“They
came to me, [owner] Kurt Otto even and, he did a lot of good
things and I’m not trying to talk bad about him, but this
particular situation with his negotiation was just a bit off,”
Rothwell said. “I just wasn’t having it. My last fight
I made ‘x’ amount of dollars for the finals against
Ricco Rodriguez. Now I could’ve won both fights in the grand
prix and barely made a little bit more than I did in that fight
against Ricco. Does that make any sense to you? I asked Kurt
that and I said, ‘What are you doing? Why would you do that
to me?’ And he goes, ‘Ben, the belt! Think about the
belt.’ I don’t give a f--- about the belt.”
The
relationship between fighter and promotion quickly began to unravel.
“Basically
after that happened that was pretty much the end of it,”
said Rothwell. “Then management and him didn’t see
eye to eye and then they tried to redo things and I was just
ready to move on. I was insulted. I felt like I fought my ass
off for those guys and that was my payment? To come and fight
for that? What did I do wrong? So it was just better off that
way. I always wished them the best. I didn’t want to see
them fold. There were a lot of guys who were getting jobs and
able to fight. I always thought the more MMA the better. They
just made too many mistakes and when they brought [Jay] Larkin
in that was the end.”
Even
with the troubles of the IFL behind him, Rothwell still has problems
getting fights consistently given Affliction’s issues. But
Rothwell’s goal as a fighter remains the same.
“I
was either going to on a top-10 list and be looked at as one
of the best or fall by the wayside and be a nobody and that’s
not what I want,” said Rothwell. “I want to eventually
work my way to the top. I’m one of the youngest on the list
so I have that at least. But I’m not getting any younger.
So just each fight from here on out I’ll show something
to everybody so you can see me improving just like all the other
top fighters. That’s what I’m going to keep doing.”
Source: Sherdog
|
Quote
of the Day
“When
you win, say nothing. When you lose, say less.”
Paul Brown
|
UFC
The Ultimate Fighter Finale
(12/13/08) in Las Vegas
By Zach Arnold
Hawaii Air Times 7:00 - 10:00PM
Channel 559 Spike
Undercard
Lightweights:
Rolando Delgado vs. John Polakowski
Lightweights: Shane Nelson vs. George Roop
Light Heavyweights: Kyle Kingsbury vs. Tom Lawlor
Light Heavyweights: Eliot Marshall vs. Jules Bruchez
Light Heavyweights: Krzysztof Soszynski vs. Shane Primm
Main card
Lightweights:
Junie Browning vs. Dave Kaplan
Welterweights: Kevin Burns vs. Anthony Johnson
Middleweights: Jason MacDonald vs. Wilson Gouveia
Light Heavyweight: Ryan Bader vs. Vinicius Magalhaes
Lightweights: Phillipe Nover vs. Efrain Escudero
Commentary
Ivan
Trembow on Sleazeball Promoters and Trash TV: What The Ultimate
Fighter has become:
White
also presented the ridiculous argument on the show that Browning
would have been able to tell people in his hometown that he was
kicked off of TUF for being so much of a bad-ass, as if that
factor is equal in its importance to the show’s remaining
credibility being destroyed.
Keeping
Junie Browning in the UFC after five separate actions that would
have individually warranted kicking him off the show and out
of the UFC is not “justice being served,” as White
said. It’s White acting like a sleazeball promoter. That’s
what it is.
One
must also keep in mind the message that this sends to future
TUF contestants. When the UFC actually does want to send a message
about something to other fighters, they do that by making examples
out of people. (Ask Jon Fitch about that for verification.)
In
Browning’s case, instead of sending a message of that kind
of behavior not being tolerated, the exact opposite message has
been sent.
“Act
like an idiot, do things that could and should get you kicked
off the show, and we’ll build an entire season around you
and keep you in the UFC instead of kicking you out of TUF and
outside of the UFC.”
David
Mayeda:
As
a criminologist, even one with extremely liberal tendencies who
thinks America’s “get tough on crime” movement
does far more harm than good, I felt tonight’s episode of
TUF (episode 12) portrayed some of the most hideous dimensions
that can emerge from MMA when manipulated by gluttonous intentions
and/or poor judgment.
In
the past few months, we’ve seen mixed martial arts make
major strides. The extensive mainstream media coverage of Randy
Couture vs. Brock Lesnar and UFC 91as a whole was not characterized
by questions about MMA’s legitimacy, nor did it insinuate
that MMA was comprised of street fighting thugs. MMA was constructed
in the media as an exciting sport with talented, hard working,
articulate athletes. What we saw on episode 12 of TUF was quite
the opposite. Junie Browning’s exit from TUF as a result
of losing to Efrain Escudero was not justice; it was convenient.
MMA was turned into an institution used to settle non-sporting
violence. That sends a horrible message to viewers, reinvigorates
the connection between MMA and street violence, and is neither
sport, nor justice.
Dave
Meltzer & Bryan Alvarez had a slightly different take. Some
quotes include:
“I
was just in awe of Dana White in the second episode.” —
Meltzer
“What a worker!” — Alvarez
“He was awesome!” - Meltzer
Dave
went on to say that Junie Browning should have been kicked off
two months ago, but that Dana White handled the situation like
a skillful old-time pro-wrestling promoter. (Partially paraphrasing
here, but listen to the audio yourself if you can for validation
of this notation.)
Update:
Junie Browning compares himself to Muhammad Ali in an interview
with AOL Fanhouse:
“I
think The Ultimate Fighter made me look a little nicer than I
was,” Browning said. “I was pretty happy about that.
I did other stuff like that that they didn’t show —
the usual, me acting like a prick.”
“They’ll
probably boo me and probably throw rocks at me,” Browning
said. “They’ll probably try to fight me coming out
to the cage. But that’s OK. Some of the best fighters in
the world, everyone hated them starting off. I think people will
grow to like me once they see I can fight. Muhammad Ali, people
hated him.
Source: Fight Opinion
|
'The
Ultimate Fighter 8 Finale' Preview
by Robert Rousseau
When The Ultimate Fighter 8 Finale goes off on December 13, it
will officially put a close to the most recent version of this
highly watched MMA show. In the end, as in years past, this season
will be remembered most for its champions and perhaps some great
final fights. Oh yeah, and there was Junie Browning.
No one, not even Chris Leben, brought as much confusion to TUF
as he did.
Speaking
of Browning, he’s on the final card. Not to mention a match
up between Wilson Gouveia and Jason MacDonald. So let’s
get this thing going.
Phillipe
Nover (5-0-1) vs. Efrain Escudero (10-0): Escudero proved the
word coming into the show on him was true, as he displayed solid
wrestling skills and good submissions on his way to defeating
two fighters, one named Junie Browning, to make the final. Throughout
his professional MMA career previous to TUF, Escudero had accumulated
9 submission victories.
Escudero
is one of those guys that is able to stay calm under difficult
circumstances, which is something that came in handy when his
fight against Browning came up (Browning and he had openly been
involved in a war of words leading up to the match). His striking
skills also looked solid during the show, which was a question
many had on him coming in.
Phillipe
Nover was dominant on the show. First, he’s extremely athletic,
fast, and powerful, which is something you just can’t teach.
Second, he has strong submission skills. Last, his striking from
an offensive standpoint can be overwhelming and powerful. From
a defensive standpoint, he sometimes left himself open on the
show. Then again, he was never really on the defensive.
Prediction:
Escudero is good on the ground. The thing about Nover, however,
is that he seems to be more athletically gifted. On their feet,
Escudero proved solid on the show but doesn’t look to be
good enough to weather the overwhelming barrage of punches that
he’s likely to be hit with in this fight. This could be
a good one; Escudero has proven to be a worthy opponent. But
Nover seems to have too much.
Phillipe
Nover wins via second round TKO.
Ryan
Bader (7-0) vs. Vinicius Magalhaes (2-2): Ryan Bader is a powerhouse
former Division 1 All American wrestler. In other words, he dictates
where fights go with his power and elite takedowns and takedown
defense. Striking is not his forte, necessarily, even if he did
show some decent skills in that regard on the show. Though he
has three submission victories throughout his MMA career, two
have been chokes and one has been via strikes. Therefore, he
does not possess a diverse submission game yet.
Vinicius
Magalhaes does not have a great MMA record. On his feet, he doesn’t
look very comfortable at all, as he showed some decent low kicks
but not much else on the show. But when it comes to Brazilian
Jiu Jitsu. . .
Wow!
The
second he hits the ground with anyone, they’re in mortal
danger. Further, he’s shown a willingness to pull guard
with opponents to their demise, which is something that he’s
very likely to try against Bader.
Prediction:
Magalhaes’s mediocre MMA record is troubling, even if he
is a highly decorated grappler. Further, his lack of striking
skills make it likely that he will lose this fight for as long
as it stays standing, which could be a long time considering
Bader will dictate where the fight goes.
But
Magalhaes pulled Krzysztof Soszynski into his guard for one moment
in the fight leading to the final and then it was all over. Soszynski
is no joke. So the question becomes, can Magalhaes get this fight
to the ground for even one minute before being knocked out by
his adversary?
Let’s
go with a yes.
Vinicius
Magalhaes wins via submission in round one.
Jason
MacDonald (21-10) vs. Wilson Gouveia (11-5): Gouveia is a tough
customer. He possesses strong submission skills, excellent technical
striking skills, and some decent power. He’s also not easy
to take down.
Gouveia
is a true mixed martial artist.
Jason
MacDonald is an outstanding submission fighter. He’s also
gifted athletically. Further, his striking skills are solid.
So
this isn’t an easy one to call.
Prediction:
This is one of those fights where both fighters are pretty evenly
matched. Gouveia may have a stand up advantage. MacDonald may
have a ground fighting advantage. But in the end, expect MacDonald’s
athleticism to be what puts him over the top.
Jason
MacDonald wins via unanimous decision.
THE
REST OF THE TUF 8 FINALE
Kevin
Burns (7-1) vs. Anthony Johnson (5-2): Johnson should’ve
won this one last time if not for getting poked in the eye.
Anthony
Johnson wins via TKO in round two.
Junie
Browning (2-0) vs. Dave Kaplan: Browning is the better fighter
here. Guess is that his head will be on straighter now that he’s
out of the house.
Junie
Browning wins via unanimous decision.
Krzysztof
Soszynski (15-8-1) vs. Shane Primm (1-0): Soszynski has way too
much experience.
Krzysztof
Soszynski wins via TKO in round one.
Eliot
Marshall (5-1) vs. Jules Bruchez (0-0): Marshall has way too
much on the ground.
Eliot
Marshall wins via first round submission.
Kyle
Kingsbury (7-1) vs. Tom Lawlor (4-1): Tough call.
Tom
Lawlor wins via unanimous decision.
Shane
Nelson (10-3) vs. George Roop (8-3): Roop proved to be a tough
guy on the show. Nelson did some talking before the fight that
got him booted. Is he better than that? Probably. Still. . .
George
Roop wins via unanimous decision.
Rolando
Delgado (5-3-1) vs. John Polakowski (2-1): Delgado is better
on the ground. But guess is that he can’t get the fight
there.
John
Polakowski wins via unanimous decision.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Tomorrow
Source: Island Warriors
|
Buyrates
for UFC 91, De La Hoya vs. Pacquiao
Ariel Shnerer
HBO
has released the official buyrate for Saturday's fight between
Oscar De La Hoya and Manny Pacquiao. The pay-per-view megafight
drew 1.25 million buys with $70 million in revenue. These numbers
are promising given the current state of the economy. De La Hoya
pocketed $20 million, while Pacquiao was guaranteed $11 million.
More
promising numbers are out in the mixed martial arts world as
Dave Meltzer of The Wrestling Observer Newsletter is reporting
that UFC 91 drew 1,010,000 buys, which would make it the highest
grossing UFC pay-per-view since UFC 66, which was headlined by
Chuck Liddell vs. Tito Ortiz. However, this number has yet to
be confirmed and initial reports had hinted that the show did
about 800,000.
According
to the Nevada State Athletic Commission, UFC 91 sold 10,845 tickets
for a live gate of $4,815,675. Total fighter payroll was $1,118,000,
plus $240,000 in bonuses.
Source: The Fight Network
|
12
Questions for Pat Miletich
by Jack Encarnacao
Back to Fighting
When
you’ve been in the game as long as Pat Miletich has, you
need to be either training yourself or training someone else
for a fight. If you’re not, you feel like something is not
right, that the rhythm of life is disrupted. That’s part
of why the 40-year-old Miletich (28-7-2), the UFC’s first
welterweight champion and founder of the once-dominant Miletich
Fighting Systems camp, took a fight against Thomas “Wildman”
Denny. The fight on Thursday night will headline the latest offering
from Monte Cox’s “Adrenaline” promotion, which
airs live from Moline, Ill., on HDNet.
Two
years after a swift loss via guillotine choke to Renzo Gracie
in the IFL, Miletich, one of MMA’s most tenured sages, spoke
to Sherdog about his return, Brock Lesnar, the illness at UFC
35 that allegedly caused accidents and hallucinations in the
cage, and the future of his heralded camp.
Q:
What moved you to take a fight now?
A: Well, it’s a couple of different reasons. I’m tired
of not competing, something I’ve done since I was five years
old. It basically drives me insane to not have goals and not
work towards things. I love the adrenaline, love fighting, love
the crowd, the fans, things like that. I love the camaraderie
of training with a lot of guys and everybody working toward a
goal.
Also
it’s Monte Cox, who has been my manager for my entire career,
doing the Adrenaline shows. It’s nice to be part of that.
The show probably wouldn’t have taken place here in the
Quad Cities, my hometown, had I not fought on the card. And so
that would be one less fight that my guys get. It’s a televised
bout, it gives those guys more exposure, so hopefully it will
help those guys be seen by more eyes and get some contracts for
those guys. They’re all very tough, world-class fighters
on the card from my gym. I want to see those guys’ careers
move on and do great things.
Q:
Why Thomas Denny?
A: It was just something that Monte came up with. He just said,
“Thomas Denny’s an exciting guy, he comes out, he gets
after it, he sells tickets and puts on a good show, and I think
you guys can go out and get after it right away and make the
crowd stand up,” and I said that’s fine.
Thomas
and I have known each other for years. He and I have always been
real friendly toward each other. I never, ever had an issue with
him. We always have gotten along real well. As far as his fighting
style, I think he’s a pretty well-rounded guy. He got two
takedowns on Nick Diaz, which isn’t easy to do. And he slugged
with him. That first round was going at a pretty high pace. I’m
kind of expecting the same type of thing out of him for this
fight, to come out and get after me right away. Which is good,
because it will wake me up and make me snap out of my ring rust
right away.
Why
Thomas Denny?Renzo’s a guy that I really, really like a
lot. Every time I see him we give each other a hug. He’s
just that kind of guy. Punching him was actually … he was
one of those few people where you’re like, “I really
don’t want to hit this guy.” But with Thomas, even
though we get along real well, Thomas is the kind of guy that’s
going to stand and trade with you. So I’m not going to have
a problem hitting Thomas. And I expect to hit him a lot.
Q:
Who are your main training partners these days?
A: Jesse Lennox, Ryan McGivern, L.C. Davis, Junior Hernandez,
who is an incredible boxer, really good at grappling. I’ve
also had the help of Pedro Silveira and Rodrigo Uzeda, both very
good jiu-jitsu black belts who have been coaching me on the ground
and grappling with me a lot, getting me back to basically the
way I used to flow on the ground. I used to feel like I could
hang with anyone on the ground.
I’ve
never really had anyone coach me and train me for a fight ever
in my career. I’ve just been part of a team basically and
kind of led the practices and all that sort of stuff as a coach.
Kind of like Paul Newman in the movie “Slap Shot” so
to speak, kind of a playing coach, a fighting coach. It’s
been nice to actually have people spending the time coaching
me. It’s something that I’ve never experienced really
in MMA.
Q:
What’s the state of Miletich Fighting Systems in the wake
of some of its top names leaving, like Matt Hughes, Robbie Lawler
and Jens Pulver? It seems like its dominance has waned.
A: Well, we just have a second generation of monsters who are
coming in now who are very well-rounded, very good fighters.
Ben Rothwell, Ryan McGivern, Mike Ciesnolevicz, L.C. Davis, Junior
Hernandez, Jesse Lennox. Those are the guys that are going to
be the champions of tomorrow. It’s just a rebuilding type
process. The younger guys are just taking over as the leaders.
I was wondering when that was going to happen. I kind of sat
around and I waited for it. I did nudge a little bit and tell
guys that they need to step it up and become leaders. They’re
doing that now. That’s pretty cool to see.
A
lot of the older guys have moved on and gotten financial gain
from opening their own places and things like that, which you
can’t blame people for, for wanting to move out on their
own. I mean those guys, all of them were basically with me for
10 years. I was sad to see those guys go, but at the same time
guys have to go out on their own. That’s just the natural
process of things, and it doesn’t bother me. Matt (Hughes)
and I just e-mailed each other the other day and talked and he’s
going to be coming up to the Adrenaline fight here in the Quad
Cities and hang out with us and stuff. It will be nice see him
and Robbie (Lawler).
Q: What occupies most of your time when you’re not fighting?
A: Family for the most part. And other things with business ventures
and stuff like that. For about two years now, a guy who did marketing
for me … has been sending out mass e-mails and building
Web sites with slanderous stuff about me and my gym. A judge
handed down a $2.1 million judgment against him for what he’s
done to me. The guy … is on the run in California now and
still up to his tricks, sending out mass e-mails to people saying
that I’m closing my gym and all that stuff.
Everything
that you read, all these negative things that are going out to
everybody, understand who it’s coming from and that basically
none of it’s true. I told him he was no longer going to
be part of the organization because he was threatening lawsuits
around people that I did business with.
Q:
You were one of the first people in MMA to scout UFC heavyweight
champion Brock Lesnar when he came through MFS briefly. What
are your thoughts on what we’ve seen from him?
A: Seeing him for the first time in person, you could tell that
he was a great piece of clay to have in your hands as a trainer.
(He’s) very big, very explosive, great athlete, great wrestler
obviously. It was pretty obvious that as long as he got with
somebody who was a good trainer, an experienced trainer, he was
going to turn into a pretty scary guy. Greg Nelson up in Minnesota
is one of the best trainers in the world. I’m happy that
Brock was able to land there with him. I would have loved to
have had Brock down here, but I think Brock wanted to stay closer
to home up in Minnesota.
Randy
(Couture) did very well given the size difference and the wrestling
ability that Brock has. I think Brock fought a smart fight, didn’t
go crazy and just waited for his chance. When Randy went down,
you’ve got to imagine a fist that’s wider than your
head hitting you. It’s not going to feel good. He’s
just a big, powerful guy, and for Randy at 220-something pounds,
that’s a tall order. And I’m a guy just like everybody
else who learned to not bet against Randy. Randy’s a guy
that pulls off a lot of great fights that people thought he was
going to lose. I really wasn’t sure what was going to happen,
but I had a feeling that Brock was going to be able to win the
fight.
Q:
What have been some of the fun stories and lasting scenes from
the MFS camp over the years?
A: There’s been just so many fun times on the road with
the guys going and doing different fun stuff. Just going to gun
ranges and shooting guns or hanging out riding the waves at the
wave pool at Mandalay Bay and goofing around and tripping the
lifeguards and stuff like that. Hughes and I and Robbie used
to do that a lot. We’d body surf on the waves and go flying
past the life guards and pull their legs out from underneath
them, just having fun with them. They knew that we were just
joking around and stuff, so they’d laugh.
God,
I remember one UFC, I think it was New Jersey or Connecticut
at the Mohegan Sun (Reporter’s Note: UFC 35, January 2002),
when everybody in the show got sick with a really violent flu.
(Kevin) Randleman actually wore I think three pairs of fight
shorts because he was crapping himself during his fight, having
diarrhea. Dave Menne on that card fought Murilo Bustamante. Dave
was so dehydrated from having the flu and vomiting and diarrhea
that he was hallucinating during the fight. Jens and Matt Hughes
got violently ill on that trip. I got lucky, I was one of the
few people who didn’t get sick out of all the fighters,
the camps, the trainers, the TV production people. I mean you
name it, everybody got this flu. It just took off like wildfire
through the hotel. It was crazy.
Q:
Can you talk a little about your history with the IFL as a team
coach and fighter and what you think happened there? We saw the
rise and fall really. What’s your assessment?
A: I think the team thing, instead of going with the camp thing
right off the bat, might have caused some problems with kind
of the hokey names of the teams. It was something that didn’t
sit well I think with the fans. And I think not having people
in place who knew the MMA business. I mean, being a smart businessperson
is one thing, but knowing the MMA business is another thing also.
I think they needed more people who knew the fight game a little
more in control of that organization. People that start fight
organizations will hopefully take lessons from that and hire
people that are well respected and have experience in the MMA
game to be the face of their organizations. I think they were
all smart businesspeople, but they didn’t understand the
MMA game and the demographics and maybe the way to market it.
And
having a gigantic staff with large payrolls also does damage.
With the IFL and Pro Elite, we’ve seen both with a lot of
payroll. That causes problems. I mean you don’t need a million
people to run an organization. Monte Cox used to run shows by
himself, he did 300 shows on his own and was always profitable.
I think he probably had two shows where he didn’t make money
out of all of those. He’s a bright guy and knows how to
run shows, so anybody that’s planning on starting anything
really big might want to look towards people with experience
like that.
Q: What are your thoughts on a fighters’ union?
A: I think it will happen, I think it has to happen. I think
the sport is big enough now where it’s going to happen without
a doubt. It’s just a matter of it being organized. A fighters’
union is obviously needed.
Q:
Looking back, would you say there was a highlight or simply an
emotional high in your career?
A: The first time fighting in a big show was an emotional high,
winning the four-man tournament in the UFC was pretty big. I
just remember signing my first autograph after I won my fight.
I had sweat and tears falling down on the paper I was signing.
So pretty neat. Pretty neat feeling.
Q:
You won the first 15 fights of your career. Then you had the
doctor’s stoppage against Matt Hume, and then you were undefeated
for another nine fights until the Jutaro Nakao fight in SuperBrawl.
What do you remember about that four-year run?
A: When I fought Matt Hume, I was a little overwhelmed. I think
I was ranked fourth in the world at the time, fourth or fifth,
and he was ranked number one. I was pretty overwhelmed by the
cameras and stuff. You know, I had a dear-in-the-headlights type
of thing. I was doing quite well. I took him down several times
and things like that and then the doctors stopped the fight because
they thought my nose was broken.
The
fight against Jutaro Nakao, when I lost again later on in my
career, that was a situation that was really weird. I had defended
my title in the UFC at that time against Jorge Patino from Brazil,
and then I fought a pro boxing match a week later and the week
after that I was in Hawaii fighting Jutaro Nakao. And I had no
idea who Jutaro Nakao was. I was supposed to be fighting a really
easy fight in that one, and that guy backed out and they brought
in Jutaro Nakao. I remember being in the locker room before that
fight and I said to Frank Shamrock, “Are you familiar with
this guy that I’m fighting?” I was warming up, getting
ready to go out. And Frank Shamrock goes, “Yeah, I know
a lot about him.” And I go, “How good is he?”
And he goes, “Are you serious?” I go, “Yeah.”
And he goes, “He’s really f------ good.”
And
so that was a little surprising. I don’t think I had a bad
fight against him. I took him down a couple of times, he hit
me with a good liver kick, and then I took him down after that.
I had already gotten out of one of his triangles and passed the
guard and mounted him and stuff. And he got me in the triangle
again and I thought, “Yeah, no big deal, I’ll get out
of it.” And I went to start getting out of it, the next
thing I know I woke up and he was standing on the ropes and the
crowd was cheering. He’s got a pretty good triangle.
Q:
After such a long run in the fight game, are your goals more
personal than professional now?
A: When I had my neck injury that lasted for so long, my body
was dictating to me what I could do. All my injuries that I’ve
ever had in my career, through my mind I was able to defeat those
injuries and, no matter what, get out and do well and win the
world title and have a good career. I want to be the one mentally
who can overpower my body. I’ve done that through rehab
and just convincing myself that I can do it and made my neck
strong again. I want to be the one that tells my body when it’s
time to quit, not my body telling me.
Source: Sherdog
|
CAGE
RAGE FOUNDER WANTS PROMOTION RETURNED
by Lee Whitehead
The plot thickens in the ProElite debacle with a new slant on
the situation not yet revealed… a conversation with Andy
Geer following the inaugural Ultimate Challenge show this past
weekend revealed that although Cage Rage had been purchased by
ProElite, they hadn’t actually paid for it before going
under.
Geer
explains the situation, “To all intents and purposes, ProElite
had entered into an agreement to purchase Cage Rage. A deal was
struck with a deposit accepted. Then they had a cut-off date
to make a balloon payment; they never completed the purchase.”
It
is widely regarded that the administrators are currently trying
to auction off the carcass of ProElite and its assets. The common
perception is that King of the Cage is one of the entities in
the bidding war, but wasn’t Terry Trebilcock’s promotion
already part of the ProElite group? How can a company that was
sold, be bidding for the same company that was due to purchase
it? Well, if KOTC were in the same situation as Cage Rage, then
it implies that they never received full compensation either,
ditto for Icon Sport and Rumble on the Rock.
Back
to Geer and the Cage Rage predicament. Hasn’t Dave O’Donnell
already moved on with the Ultimate Challenge brand?
“Let
me just state that Dave is one of my closest friends both in
the industry and personally, and he has his own concern going
at the moment. But there is still a lot of money to be made from
this sport, and a lot of investors out there that can tap into
that potential. I am currently pursuing my legal right to the
Cage Rage brand and assets in order to secure new backers and
to build upon this mess in a positive light,” clarified
Geer.
He
added that the situation isn’t dissimilar to a home purchase
gone wrong. “They made a deposit and had big plans, but
they never completed, and as of today, they still owe me $2 million
worth of final payment, let alone what they owe Dave O’Donnell
and the silent partner. Clearly, the brand isn’t theirs,
and I intend to claim my legal right to the business.”
It
is a complex legal situation for sure. So what does Trebilcock
stand to gain from the purchase of ProElite if Cage Rage and
potentially the other promotions are technically free agents?
The key elements to the answer are the potentially lucrative
fighter contracts that can be sold to other organizations or
retained to continue building his brand and close links to CBS
and Showtime Networks to try and build on the network television
opportunities presented.
With
the right business plan, a re-born EliteXC could build on the
6.51 million viewers that tuned in to the last show and make
a serious run at being successful. But it would require deep
pockets to start with, a completely brutal shedding of dead wood,
and of course, the willingness of a jaded CBS to play ball.
“They
raised $60m in funding and always said that EliteXC was a profit-making
business, so where did all the money go? Someone spent the money
and it wasn’t us. We weren’t a loss-making company
and we had fighters like Babalu, Belfort and Sperry fighting
because we had a smart business plan, but as soon as (ProElite)
came onboard, all that changed,” explains Geer with regards
to the perception of Cage Rage as a loss-making organization.
Despite
some occasional mistakes along the way, Cage Rage came from humble
beginnings of a 3,000 attendance figure at the Wembley Conference
Centre, through sell-out shows at 8,000 before finding a live
audience that was estimated to be on average 4,500 people, over
a five-year period.
What’s
the prognosis for another show? Geer doesn’t know yet. “We
are aiming to bring it back in 2009; that’s the plan. With
new backers and a new approach, Cage Rage will be back to being
British again that is for sure.”
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Ronys
on UFC move
Fighter should debut in March
Carlos Osorio, PortaldasLutas.com
With
a contract freshly signed with the UFC, Ronys Torres blazed an
arduous trail on his way to the greatest event in the World.
From the state of Amazonas, he left for Rio de Janeiro to try
his luck in the hardship-ridden life of a fighter. In pursuit
of his dream, he overcame many obstacles, like being away from
his family and even the theft of all his money, in a city where
he knew no one. An athlete of faith, he knows that “God
writes correctly in crooked lines.” With that thought in
mind, he persevered and achieved victory. Find out a bit of the
story of Ronys Torres conceded to Portal das Lutas, GRACIEMAG.com
partner site.
Portal
das Lutas – How are you facing the opportunity to go to
the UFC?
Ronys
Torres – I was really happy. I knew the negotiations were
underway, I just couldn’t say anything to anybody. I had
to wait till the deal was sealed. Nilton Maia, who’s a partner
of ours at the gym, called me and said it was done, that a contract
would arrive for me to sign and I’m really happy for the
achievement. It’s another dream fulfilled. I know where
I come from, I know what I’ve been through and I can’t
wait to fight in the UFC. I’m really happy and I think my
time has come. The time has come for change in my life and that
of my family. Now I’ll train even harder and ask God to
continue to guide me. I don’t think he put me there to not
do well.
PDL
– Your category (70kg) has a lot of big names like BJ Penn,
Kenny Florian, Tyson Griffin and Sean Sherk, among many others.
What do you expect?
RT
– I know there are a lot of strong guys and, aside from
those better-known ones, I know everyone there is tough. Just
for their being in the UFC, for sure they’re well prepared
and there because they deserve to be. I’m going after my
place. I have this opportunity, I’ll go up step by step
and try for the belt.
PDL
– What was coming to Rio de Janeiro like?
RT
– I’m from small-town Amazonas, the municipality of
Manacapuru and always competed in Jiu-Jitsu. I was undefeated
there a long time, from green belt to purple, but that was more
because of my stamina, because my gym was really small. Mascarenhas,
who’s a friend of Dede (Andre Pederneiras), saw me and said
I had to go to Rio if I wanted to be a fighter and make a living
like that. He put me in touch with Dede when there was a Jungle
Fight in Manaus and I told him I dreamed of becoming a fighter.
He gave me a chance and said I had five months to show him what
I could do. If I didn’t do well, I’d have to go hoe.
Despite my whole family and my teacher thinking it was a crazy
decision, I worked with my uncles and put the money together.
It was rough, because I’d never been to Rio and didn’t
know anyone. I slept on the mats for a long time and won a lot
of Jiu-Jitsu competitions like the Brazilian nationals and state
championships. A thief broke into the academy and robbed all
my money, more than two thousand reais. All I had left was the
change in my wallet and I called home to ask for money to go
back. At that time, I fough in submission grappling and MMA,
I made some money and decided to stay. I couldn’t give up.
Last year I fought 11 MMA matches, I secured sponsorship with
the Manacapuru city government and kept myself up. Now I’m
there and really happy. I’m very thankful to Shooto and
Jungle Fight, which built me up to go to the UFC.
PDL
– Was the team’s unity important for your staying?
RT
– There’s never a falling out in the team. The gang
that comes in loves it and stays. In other teams there are all
kinds of fallings out and here that never happens. It’s
like Shaolin said once, here Dede is our chieftain and everyone
has him as a father. He believes in us, invests in us and now
I’m in the UFC. He told me my time had come and, if he said
that, it’s because it really has. I’m going to give
my best to do well and represent Amazonas and Brazil. I’ll
give it my life.
PDL
– When should your debut be? Also send a message to your
fans.
RT
– I debut at the beginning of March. I am thankful to everyone
who’s ever cheered for me and who’ve lent me their
positivity. That helped me a lot. Once I told you in an interview
that when God wills it I will fight abroad. I saw a comment on
the site once saying, if it depended on Him, I’d never leave
Brazil. I was saddened by this, but now I have the answer and
I wasn’t wrong. Now I’ll give it my all in this next
stage.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Lennox
Lewis Named To Boxing Hall of Fame
Darko Milivojevic
Three-time
heavyweight champion Lennox Lewiswas induced into the 2009 International
Boxing Hall of Fame in Canastota, N.Y.
Others
that were named for induction include American bantamweight champion
Orlando Canizales and South African junior lightweight champion
Brian Mitchell.
Honourees
include middleweight champion William Jones, welterweight champion
Billy Smith and middleweight champion Billy Soose.
Larry Merchant
Inducted to Boxing Hall of Fame
Darko Milivojevic
The
HBO boxing commentator Larry Merchant is among the newest class
of inductees into the International Boxing Hall of Fame.
ABS/CBN
5 news reports that Merchant said “Television is the medium
of show and tell. The show, meaning the fighters, are the most
important by far. I’m just one of the tellers and I am deeply
honored to be a footnote of all the great fighters that are in
the Hall of Fame."
Top
Rank promoter Bob Arum said in a post-fight comment that "if
not for Larry this fight (Pacquiao vs De La Hoya) would not have
happened." There was an added glow in Merchant's eyes as
he interviewed Pacquiao on the HBO telecast since he had also
said that if Pacquiao managed to avoid De La Hoya's big shots
in the first four or five rounds he would win ... and he did.
Full
story at ABS/CBN 5 http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/sports/12/10/08/larry-merchant-boxing-hall-fame
Source: The Fight Network
|
Shooto
Brazil defines five champions
By Eduardo Ferreira
Big
screen, vip area with free buffet, and big combats with a good
public. Near to six thousands people crowded the Paulo Serasate
gymnasium, in Fortaleza, Ceará, to watch the ninth edition
of Shooto Brazil, that counted with five belt fights. If the
public attended in big number, the fighters corresponded on the
ring with a show of striking and Jiu-Jitsu.
Just
in the first title fight, Juciê Formiga (Kimura/ Nova União)
and Maicon Willian (Nocaute Fight) made one of the best fights
of the night. Formiga dominated the first two rounds, applying
a triangle and an arm-lock, both defended by Maicon, who still
had gas to dominate the last round. Formiga’s victory in
split decision gave to Jair Rodrigues’ pupil the 56kg belt
of the event. ”I searched all the time the submission, but
Maicon avoided all them. In the end I still felt a knee blow
in the rib and I lost a little bit of the gas, but I imposed
my game and captured the belt, that I pretend to keep by a long
time in Natal”, guarantees Juciê.
In
the second belt fight, Eduardo Dantas (Nova União) proved
that he has no opponents in Brazil and presented his ground by
submitting the tough Carlos Alberto (RFT). Carlos avoided the
opposed hits of Dudu, but the Nova União athlete had the
calm to hit a flying knee in the second round and, after of being
put down, showed that he has a refined ground, getting Carlo’s
arm and applying a beautiful arm-lock from the guard. “For
those who have though that I had no ground game, I think that
today I’ve showed that I’m with a complete game. I’m
very happy of catching this belt and now I’ll continue to
training hardly to continue with this belt”, told Dantas,
60kg champion.
Kimura’s
second belt came with Renan Barão, who needed three rounds
to defeat Alexandre Pinheiro (JT Caverna) and get the 65kg belt.
Barão avoided Alexandre’s takedowns and kept the
fight standing, but in the last round Barão fell over
and in the ground n‘ pound opening a cut in Alexandre’s
head, forcing the doctor to stop the combat.
Everything
indicated that the night would be of Kimura and Nova União,
but André Chatuba and Igor Chatubinha finished with the
party. Disputing the 76kg belt, Chatubinha faced the tough Hernani
Perpétuo (Nova União), and won after two judges
giving him the victory and the third gives the draw, showing
the equilibrium of the fight. Despite of obtain the riding just
at the beginning of the fight, Hernani lost one point by an illegal
kick in the first round and in the third still had to defend
some submission attempts by Chatubinha. The takedowns applied
by Chatubinha also made the difference in the final pointing
of the combat, because of, in the rules of Shooto, the takedowns
and submission attempts sum good points.
André
Chatuba used his specialty, the hand triangle, to submit quickly
the fight against Dinarte (Kimura/ Nova União) and catch
83kg title. “I get the position in which I’m specialist
and I’m very happy of getting this belt. I want to dedicate
this victory to Robson Relma, with who I train for 11 years”,
declared Chatuba, who already conquered Max Fight’s and
Top Fighters MMA’s tournament belts, and now has 14 victories
and only one defeat in his cartel.
Brazil
passes easily for Argentina
One
more time Brazil overcame easily the Argentineans in MMA. The
brown belt Guybson Sá (Sá Team/Nova União)
debuted in MMA with a big victory against Diego Lopes. After
hitting a punch that balanced the Argentinean, Guybson took him
down and went away quickly in a katagatame, finishing the fight.
In the other fight between Brazil and Argentina, Vítor
Miranda (M-13) showed why he’s the biggest heavyweight striker
in activity in Brazil. Miranda started the fight against Gustavo
Moia hitting good low kicks and in clinch used the knee in the
rib that knocked Moia’s out.
Léo
Santos commands Brazilian show against USA
In
the three combats between Brazil and USA, all Brazilian victory.
Considered by a lot of years the number one between the BJJ lightweights,
Leo Santos (Nova União) showed that he’s also prepared
to strike. Just in the beginning, Léo Santos hit three
low kicks, that were accused by Corey Edwards. Worried in defending
the kicks, Corey was knocked out with a beautiful high kick.
In the second confront, Danilo Cherman (Nova União) striked
a little bit with Mike Bonnette and then just took the fight
down and tried a katagatame, but only in the second round Cherman
applied a beautiful takedown, passed the guard and found an arm-lock,
going then to the triangle choke which defined the combat. With
the support of the crowd, Willamy Chiquerim closed the event
in great style, submitting Randy Steinke with a hand triangle.
Check below the complete results of the event and stay tuned
on TATAME.com to check, tomorrow, an exclusive photo gallery.
COMPLETE
RESULTS
Shooto
Brazil 9
Paulo Serasate Gymnasium, Fortaleza, Ceará
Saturday, November 29th of 2008
Title
fights:
56kg:
Juciê Formiga (Kimura/ Nova União) defeated Maicon
Willian (Nocaute Fight) in split decision;
60kg:
Dudu Dantas (Nova União) submitted Carlos Alberto Betão
(RFT) with an arm-lock in the R2;
65kg:
Renan Barão (Kimura/ Nova União) defeated Alexandre
Pinheiro (JP Caverna) by TKO in the R3;
76kg:
Igor Chatubinha (Minotauro Team) defeated Hernani Perpétuo
(Nova União) in unanimous decision;
83kg:
André Chatuba (Minotauro Team) submitted Dinarte (Kimura/
Nova União) with a hand triangle in the R1;
Brazil
vs. Argentina:
-
Vitor Miranda (M-13) defeated Gustavo Moia by KO in the R1;
-
Guybson Sá (Sá Team/Nova União) submitted
Diego Lopes with a katagatame in the R1;
Brazil
vs. USA:
-
Willamy Chiquerim (Nocaute Fight) submitted Randy Steinke with
a hand triangle in the R1;
-
Danilo Cherman (Nova União) submitted Mike Bonnette with
a triangle in the R2;
-
Léo Santos (Nova União) defeated Corey Edwards
by KO in the R1;
Other
fights:
-
Jamil Silveira (Nocaute Fight) defeated Rivanildo Aranha (Hikari)
in unanimous decision.
Source: Tatame
|
ADRENALINE
MMA: EX-IFL CHAMP McGIVERN RETURNS
by Mick Hammond
In the short history of the International Fight League, three
men held the promotion's middleweight championship. Among them
was Miletich Fighting Systems standout Ryan McGivern. And although
his time as titleholder was short, he proved himself a worthwhile
talent for the company.
Multiple
wins over current Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight
Matt Horwich, as well as victories over Fabio Leopoldo and Dennis
Hallman, cemented McGivern as fighter to watch in the coming
years.
After
taking time off following the disablement of the IFL, he returns
to the cage to be part of this Thursday’s Adrenaline 2 card,
featuring former IFL coach and UFC champion Pat Miletich.
“It’s
always an honor to fight on the same card as Pat, as well as
getting to fight with a lot of our teammates like Ben Rothwell,
Mike (Ciesnolevicz), LC Davis, ‘Junior’ Hernandez and
Jessie Lennox,” said McGivern of his involvement with Adrenaline.
“It’s encouraging that we’re all on the same page.
“At
the gym, we’re all working on the same goal for this Adrenaline
show and the intensity has been really high. Just to be on the
same card and all going through it together kind of helps that
team environment.”
During
his time in the IFL, McGivern was on the same break-neck fighting
schedule that many in the promotion were, often fighting every
other month, to the tune of 11 fights in two years.
Having
an opportunity to rest up this year has been a very welcomed
side effect to the company’s demise.
“With
the schedule the IFL had us on, I only had time for fighting,
so I took a little time to relax,” he commented. “It’s
(been) a chance to heal the body up and get back to neutral in
a sense. I’m getting fired up again for training instead
of having to just go through the grind month after month.
“I
feel in really great shape right now and my body isn’t dinged
up from my last fight. I’ve been able to heal; training
has gone really well, so it’s been beneficial.”
Opposing
McGivern at Adrenaline will be King of the Cage veteran Geno
Roderick. As the MFS fighter states, he may not know much about
Roderick, but that doesn’t change the overall game plan.
“Basically
I have to try to have the same attitude going into any competition,”
he admitted. “I expect the other guy to be ready to go and
fight, so I’m going in there making sure I’m ready
to go and really try to enforce my style.
“Keep
improving my position, whether we’re on the feet or the
ground, wherever it’s at, just keep working to improve.”
Having
had the time off this year that he was not afforded in the past,
McGivern says he has had an opportunity to shore up an area of
his game that had proven problematic to him.
“If
you look at me in the past, I get in trouble falling into submissions,
and I think I’ve been able to step back and work a lot more
on being more aware of what’s happening on the ground and
submission defense,” he stated.
“I’ve
also worked more effectively for submission (attempts), so I
feel more dangerous on the ground than I have in the past. At
the same time, just keep working, sparring, and getting more
comfortable standing.”
Getting
back into fighting after an absence, McGivern is looking to continue
working on his game, take things as they come, and be fully prepared
for any opportunities that come his way.
“I’m
really not in a rush to make any big moves,” he said. “I’m
really just trying to grow and learn a bit more and be more aware
as a fighter. We’ll see what becomes available, keep things
open, see what falls in place and take it one fight at a time.”
With
multiple promotions looking to fill up their 185-pound divisions
with solid talent, it seems only a matter of time before McGivern
gets another shot at the big time and a possible second run as
champion.
“I’d
definitely like to give a shout out to all the guys in the gym
for the training and working out; and Alley Cat Boxing and Jeff
Perez,” he concluded. “Thanks to my family, friends
and wife for their support and getting me ready.
“The
Quad Cities is always great in supporting their teams and athletes,
so everyone out there, there’s going to be some really good
fights and it’s going to be a really fun show. It’s
going to be a great time, so come out and see the action.”
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Quote
of the Day
"As
soon as you trust yourself, you will know how to live."
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
|
UPRISING
- Maui MMA Cage Event
Binhi At Ani Maui Filipino Community Center, Maui
January 3, 2008
Source: Island Warriors
|
Beat
up Oscar De La Hoya and you, too, can get your own parade
By Zach Arnold
If
your name is Manny Pacquiao, that is:
President
Arroyo will designate Pacquiao the country’s new Ambassador
of Peace when she receives him in Malacañang this morning,
in appreciation of the honor and inspiration he has brought anew
to the Filipino people.
Pacquiao
will be fetched by Secretary Lito Atienza of the Department of
Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) at the Centennial Terminal
of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) when he arrives
at 4:30 a.m. on Philippine Airlines flight PR 103.
Pacquiao
attributed his success to a higher power:
In
a short speech before the crowd, Pacquiao recalled how some people
told him that he had a “big problem” with De la Hoya.
But
Pacquiao said that while he had a big problem, he assured them
that there was a “bigger God who was much better.”
Speaking
in Filipino, Pacquiao said, “Sabi nila malaki ang problema
ko, pero sabi ko malaki nga ang problema ko, pero may Panginoon
naman na napakagaling.”
But
Pacquiao said he had this to say to those who didn’t believe
him, “Don’t tell God I have a big problem, but face
your problem because we have a big God.”
Pacquiao
says he is thinking about things in life outside of boxing. Unfortunately,
not everyone is happy about last Saturday’s fight. My favorite
headline: MILF laughs off idea of Pacquiao as peace envoy.
Meanwhile,
Oscar De La Hoya is going to take some time off and go back home
to Puerto Rico. Steroid offender James Toney says De La Hoya
can’t retire.
Source: Fight Opinion
|
DREAM
MAKES ALVAREZ VS. AOKI OFFICIAL
by Ken Pishna
Dream on Thursday announced two more bouts for the FEG FieLDS
Dynamite!! event scheduled for New Year's Eve. Contested under
Dream MMA Rules are a heavyweight bout between Jerome LeBanner
and Mark Hunt and a lightweight contest pitting Shinya Aoki against
Eddie Alvarez.
The
bout between Aoki and Alvarez – previously reported by Sherdog.com
– is drawing particular interest from fight fans.
After
losing in the Dream Lightweight Grand Prix final to Joachim Hansen,
Aoki bounced back at September's Dream 6 event to defeat Todd
Moore. Aoki is currently ranked No. 3 amongst the world's top
lightweights.
Alvarez
had earned a birth to the final of the Grand Prix, but was not
allowed to continue due to an injury. He is currently on a five-fight
winning streak – including victories over Hansen and Tatsuya
Kawajiri – and is ranked No. 2 in the world at lightweight.
As
long as he emerges healthy from the fight with Aoki, he is expected
to fight again less than a month later as Extreme Challenge descends
on Atlantic City, N.J. on Jan. 23. No opponent has been named
for the Extreme Challenge event, but Alvarez's opposition should
be revealed early next week according to manager Monte Cox.
One
of the most decorated kickboxers in the world, LeBanner will
be seeing his first action in MMA since defeating Jimmy Ambriz
in a K-1 bout in early 2006.
After
starting his career with a 5-1 record, Hunt has lost his past
three MMA bouts, to Josh Barnett, Fedor Emelianenko, and most
recently, Alistair Overeem.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Mark
Ecko Enterprises not in talks to buy EliteXC
Marc Ecko Enterprises (MEE) is not among the groups bidding for
ProElite's assets.
"Marc Ecko Enterprises is not bidding on ProElite, and has
not entered into any talks to acquire the company," Laurie
Baker, VP of Communications for MEE, told MMAFighting.com on
Monday.
MMA
apparel company Guillotine reported Friday on its website that
Marc Ecko Enterprises was the leading bidder for ProElite.
Baker
said that while the Marc Ecko Enterprises is not interested in
fight promotion, they're "committed to the sport overall
and will continue to invest in fighters and apparel."
Mark
Ecko Enterprises began sponsoring MMA fighters the past year
and has gone on to sell MMA fight shorts, shirts and hoodies.
The company reported sales of over $1.5 billion in global retail
sales in 2007.
This
leaves a group of investors led by former King of the Cage owner
Terry Trebilcock as the only known bidder for ProElite.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Interview:
Luis Arthur Cane
UFC fighter was present at Santos Fight event
Of
Luis “Banha” Cane’s nine wins, none has made it
to the final bell. Eight came by way of knockout and one by submission.
Another expressive mark on the fighter’s MMA career is the
fact that only one fight went longer than a single round, in
his UFC debut, and no adversary has truly beaten him, as his
only loss, in his UFC debut, came by disqualification (illegal
knee). In Santos, where he accompanied teammate Eduardo Pamplona
at the Santos Fight event, Banja spoke with Portal das Lutas,
GRACIEMAG.com partner site.
Portal
das Lutas – How are you feeling about your good times at
the UFC?
Luis
Banha – It would be better if it weren’t for my debut.
But I went back to training hard and, thank God, everything’s
been working out. Work, not just mine, but of the whole team
has been going well. We’re very united and in 2009 I think
the Gibi Thai family will win a lot.
PDL
– Your category in the UFC is perhaps the toughest in world
MMA. Would you agree with that?
LB
– The light heavyweight category I feel is the most disputed
in the UFC. You can’t even say who the best Brazilian is
over there, because everyone’s really tough, everyone trains
hard. The Americans and foreigners there are really good too,
so it’s a really tough category.
PDL
– How has your training been going?
LB
– I train at Gibi Thai, with Eduardo Pamplona, Gibi and
Heliao. I train Jiu-Jitsu with Casquinha, an Alliance black belt,
and have a great sparring group like Sagat, who is a super tough
guy. He’s 87kg, but he hits like a 100kg guy. And there
area a lot of folks who will soon be standing out overseas, like
Serginho, Jackson and Yugo, who did one of the muay thai fights
at Real Fight 6. Soon he’ll be doing MMA and you’ll
hear about him.
PDL
– And what about the UFC, how’s your career there doing?
LB
– I renewed my contract for another four fights after my
fight with Sokoudjou. I don’t have anything scheduled yet,
but I’ll be sure to fight in the first semester of 2009,
in March or April, against an opponent yet to be named.
PDL
– Sokodjou managed some surprising knockouts over Ricardo
Arona end Rogerio Minotouro, who has highly refined striking
skills. What did this win mean to you?
LB
– It certainly was the fight of my career, my biggest challenge
until now. It was what put me in the top 10 MMA rankings. It
was also good because it was my first fight to go into a second
round so I saw what it was like to sit in the corner. It was
great.
PDL
– After that fight you renewed your contract, whild Sokoudjou
was dismissed. Was this fight what made the difference for you
in the UFC?
LB
– It certainly was, but not because he left the UFC. I don’t
think he left because of me. It must have had something to do
with renewing his contract and I don’t know what happened.
I haven’t heard anything. But it was the win that put me
in the spotlight and made people see me differently. The guy
was a top guy because of the wins he’s had, and this result
was a boost to my career.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
K-1
DYNAMITE 2008 NEWS
Cavalcante:
“I’m Glad to be Back”
Lightweight Eager to Face Hansen on NYE
By Kelsey Mowatt
It
likely hasn’t been the kind of year Gesias “JZ”
Cavalcante had hoped for. This time last year the American Top
Team fighter was continuing his rapid ascension up the world
lightweight rankings, finishing off a banner campaign with wins
over Nam Phan, Andre Amade, and most notably, the highly regarded
Vitor Ribeiro. But due to a No Contest affair and then a follow
up decision loss to Shinya Aoki, coupled with a lengthy stint
on the “DL” with an injured knee, 2008 has been a memorable
year thus far for all the wrong reasons. Now, Cavalcante (14-2-1)
will have a fantastic opportunity to end the campaign on a high
note, as he will face Dream Lightweight Champion Joachim Hansen
at K-1’s “Dynamite” card on New Year’s Eve.
“I’m
glad to be back,” said Cavalcante who will take on Hansen
in a non-title affair. “I’m really happy because my
knee is 100%. I’m not feeling anything. I’ve been training
hard for 2 or 3 months, something like that, so I’m hungry
to get back on track. For sure I was a little bit frustrated
because I expected so much for this year, but not too much, because
I feel very special that I get to do what I do. I love what I
do. I get up in the morning and then go to sleep doing what I
love to do. I take the good things out and look at them. My knee
is good now. I took almost the whole year off to recover. I took
a break and improved in a lot of areas. After everything I still
look back and say ‘it was worth it.”
Hansen
(19-7-1) will head into the NYE bout having served notice this
past summer that the Norwegian fighter is still capable of competing
with the world’s best. While stepping in as an alternate
for the injured Eddie Alvarez, Hansen stopped Aoki in the first
round of Dream’s Lightweight Grand-Prix finals on July 21st,
to lay claim to the promotion’s lightweight crown. The upcoming
December 31st bout with Cavalcante will not be the first time
Hansen has faced the Brazilian fighter, as several years ago,
the Pride vet worked his way to a Majority Decision victory over
Cavalcante at a Shooto event in July, 2004.
“No
not really, we’re both different fighters from that time,”
said Cavalcante when asked if his upcoming bout with Hansen is
especially significant due to the prior loss he incurred fighting
the Dream champ. “That fight for me was a big step. Don’t
matter the result. I won the fight in my mind. For me it was
a victory no matter what the result. I took the fight one week
before. I had only four fights and he was already the former
champion of Shooto. I went there on one week’s notice, did
what I did, controlled most of the fight, but the judge’s
saw it different. Most people when they see it they come to me
and say ‘man you won the fight.’ That was at the beginning
of my career but I can do a lot more now. He’s improved
a lot too. So it’s going to be a new match.”
Both
Cavalcante and Hansen have come to be known as aggressive and
well rounded fighters, and as a result, “JZ” is expecting
an exciting bout at the “Dynamite” event.
“Joachim
and I have the same mentality,” Cavalcante told FCF. “We
both come to fight. It don’t matter where, it don’t
matter what, so for sure I don’t see a lot of strategy for
the fight. Both of us can do everything, we are both complete,
so I’ll come to fight. I’m preparing for everything.
Everyday I go to the gym and work on my boxing, Muay Thai, wrestling,
jiu-jitsu, judo. I do everything to be a complete fighter. This
is mixed-martial-arts.”
In
Japan, the New Year’s Eve cards are in a sense, the Super
Bowls of MMA, and due to the fact Cavalcante has yet to compete
on one, the upcoming fight will have even more significance for
the ATT fighter.
“When
I won the title in Hero’s I was supposed to fight at the
end of the year,” said Cavalcante. “I couldn’t
because I was injured. Now finally I get to. It’s really
important for me. It’s a good way to start the New Year
with a good spirit. I want to give good energy for the fans,
for the people, going into next year. I want to thank the fans
for sending me letters, asking for autographs, asking me when
I am going to fight again. It means a lot. It’s good because
I know I’m doing a good job and can pass good energy to
everybody.”
Source: Full Contact Fighter
|
Varner:
‘It’s Good to be on Top’
World Extreme Cagefighting lightweight champion Jamie Varner
seems to have adjusted to life with a belt wrapped around his
waist.
As
he approaches his second title defense, this one against undefeated
Donald Cerrone next month, the confident 23-year-old remains
focused on maintaining his status as the WEC’s top 155-pound
fighter. Success has only strengthened his resolve.
“It
doesn’t feel like I’m any sort of superstar,”
Varner told Sherdog.com in an exclusive video interview. “I
don’t even feel like a world champ, but there’s obviously
a target on my back. Everybody’s gunning for that world
title. There are some big guns coming after me, but you know
what? I like it. It’s good to be on top.”
Varner
(15-2) will carry a four-fight winning streak into his bout with
Cerrone at WEC 38 on Jan. 25 at the San Diego Sports Arena in
San Diego, Calif. Based out of Arizona Combat Sports, he last
competed in August when he stopped the previously unbeaten Marcus
Hicks on first-round strikes at WEC 35. Fourteen of Varner’s
15 career wins have come by knockout, technical knockout or submission.
Cerrone
(9-0), a product of Jackson’s Submission Fighting in Albuquerque,
N.M., defeated former champion “Razor” Rob McCullough
by unanimous decision at WEC 36 in November.
“Donald
Cerrone is probably one of the most dangerous fighters I’m
ever going to fight,” Varner said. “He’s so good
at kickboxing, and he’s got a good, tight jiu-jitsu game
on his back. I’ve had my eye on him for a while.”
Check
out TJ DeSantis’ full interview and watch Varner discuss
how fighting in the WEC benefits him and comment on a potential
move back to the UFC, where he has posted a 1-1 record.
Source: Sherdog
|
Paul
Daley Beats John Alessio at MFC 19
Press Release
ENOCH
RESERVE, Alta. -- Halifax's Roger (The Hulk) Hollett, sputtering
after a lengthy layoff due to knee surgery, lost his Maximum
Fighting Championship title to California light-heavyweight Emanuel
(The Hardcore Kid) Newton on Friday night.
Newton
(18-3-1), always on the move, frustrated Hollett for five rounds
to earn a unanimous decision (50-45, 50-45, 49-46) in the main
event of the aptly named "MFC 19: Long Time Coming"
at the River Cree Resort and Casino in Enoch on the western edge
of Edmonton.
"I
don't know what to say. I got the belt, I'm happy about it. I
wish I could have done better though," said Newton, who
was not happy with his performance despite the win.
Hollett
(8-2) was making the first defence of his mixed martial arts
title in a career derailed by tearing his anterior and medial
cruciate ligaments, as well as the meniscus, in a TKO loss to
Lew Polley on Oct. 20, 2007 in an Extreme Cage Combat fight.
Surgery followed and Hollett did not fight for 11 months, returning
in September to dispatch Marcus Hicks in 95 seconds in another
ECC bout.
The
stocky 205-pounder, who won the MFC title in August 2007 when
he stopped UFC veteran Victor Valimaki at MFC 13, never found
the range Friday.
Hollett
stalked the American throughout the first round. Newton moved
away and counter-attacked while trying to escape Hollett's power.
Newton survived to become the first of Hollett's 10 opponents
to make it to the second round. Only two made it past the three-minute
mark.
Hollett
-- whose shorts were emblazoned with Bubbles Mansion, a Halifax
nightclub themed from the "Trailor Park Boys" TV show
-- kept coming forward and paid for it when Newton took him down.
The American won the round as a result.
Hollett
fought off takedowns in the third, stalking the challenger again
but not connecting., There were boos at the end of the round
and Hollett's corner urged him to get busy.
In
the fourth, Hollett landed a couple of shots but then was taken
down as he tried a kick. The American scored with a second big
takedown later in the round.
The
30-year-old Hollett, who was giving up six years and three inches
to the six-foot-one Newton, was taken down again in the fifth
as the fight continued to go south for the champion.
England's
Paul (Semtex) Daley bided his time before pounding out a second-round
TKO over John (The Natural) Alessio, a native of Duncan, B.C.,
who now lives in Las Vegas.
The
bout was fought at a catchweight after Daley (19-7) failed to
make the welterweight limit, coming in three pounds over at 174.
Daley had to forfeit a quarter of his purse to Alessio as a result.
Daley
was coming off a second-round submission loss to Jake Shields
in October and Alessio (24-12) worked hard to take him down to
the ground where the Briton is weaker. He did it later in the
first round but failed to do damage.
There
was more of the same in the second but Daley began to find his
punching range midway through the round, connecting with a lefts,
uppercuts and a kick. Alessio, a UFC and WEC veteran who trains
at Xtreme Couture in Vegas, went down and turtled face down with
Daley swinging away before the referee stepped in at 2:18.
Earlier,
veteran Derrick (The Eraser) Noble of Peoria, Ill., choked out
lightweight Ariel Sexton, born in Vancouver but now living in
Costa Rica, at 1:30 of the second round. Noble (24-11) wobbled
Sexton with a right hand late in a first round that left both
men bloodied. Sexton tried for a takedown in the second and Noble
pulled guard before catching Sexton (5-2 with one no contest)
in a guillotine choke.
Noble,
a welterweight fighting for the first time at 155 pounds, has
a long MMA resume that includes a win and loss against Thiago
Alves, as well as losses to Chris Wilson, Eddie Alvarez, Chris
Lytle, Josh Neer and Gideon Ray.
"This
is a new start to my career at 155 and I'm looking for a title,"
said Noble.
Light-heavyweight
Aron (Poster Boy) Lofton (5-1) of Tulsa, Okla., made short work
of Edmonton's Jason (The Show) Kuchera, winning via guillotine
choke after just 44 seconds. It was the same submission Lofton
used to win when the two met in a bloody MFC 16 bout in May when
Kuchera tapped out with five seconds left in the second round.
Kuchera
(3-3) looked tentative as the fight started and went down early.
He got back to his feet at the ropes but left his neck exposed
and Lofton locked on a standing choke. It marked Lofton's third
career win within a minute while Kuchera suffered his third straight
submission loss.
Denver
lightweight Colby (The Cobra) Snyder (6-2) was no match on the
ground for jiu-jitsu black belt Josh (The Gringo) Russell of
Calgary. Russell (2-0), who serves as UFC veteran Jason MacDonald's
jiu-jitsu coach, took Snyder down early and improved position
until Snyder gave up his back, tapping out to a rear naked choke
at 1:44 of the first round with MacDonald yelling instructions
from his corner.
Ryan
Machan (9-2) of Red Deer, Alta., choked out Mike Sorensen (4-2)
of Fort McMurray, Alta., at 4:54 of the first round after taking
his back early. Sorenson fought off the rear naked choke for
most of the round but Machan -- on top with Sorensen face down
and dripping blood -- eventually cranked up his neck and got
the opening to apply the rear naked choke. MacDonald directed
action from the corner as his fighter Machan won his sixth straight.
The
fight was supposed to be at a catchweight of 165 pounds but Sorenson,
at 169 pounds, failed to make weight. The fight went ahead anyway.
Halifax
middleweight Kyle Sandford (7-2) surprisingly won a split decision
(29-28, 29-28, 28-29) over Joey Gorczynski (12-4) of Tulsa, Okla.,
in a dullish fight that saw the taller Sandford content to fight
from his back on the ground. The American's striking took its
toll in the third round with the right side of Sandford's face
badly swollen. Sandford tried for the rear naked choke as the
clock wound down but ran out of time.
Source: The Fight Network
|
K-1
on Hari’s case
Fighter may be punished for poor display at World GP
Up
until last week Badr Hari was treated like a gem by K-1. Qualified
as one of the World GP finalists, the Moroccan fighter had no
problem making it through to the final, where he faced Remy Bonjaski.
However, what was supposed to the high point in last Saturday’s
show, ended up being a great disappointment to the organizers
and fans.
By
continuing to strike his Dutch opponent even after falling to
the ground, Hari didn’t just break K-1’s clear rules,
only allowing action while the athletes are on their feet, but
also angered Sadaharu Tanikawa, the company’s executive
producer.
“K-1
is a sport, not a street fight. We had a similar problem with
Bob Sapp in the past. We have rules, to fight in K-1 you must
have a professional attitude. I will be discussing with K-1 Rules
Director Nobuaki Kakuda about an appropriate punishment for Hari.
Peter Aerts told me he wants a rematch with Hari at K-1: Premium
Dynamite 2008 on New Year's Eve, but as we don't know Hari's
penalty yet that seems unlikely” stated the top man, as
reported on mmauniverse.com.
On
the receiving end of the poor conduct, Remy Bonjaski, who with
Hari’s disqualification ended up winning the World GP, entered
the fray., saying: “It's not me who has to decide what sort
of penalty he's going to get, but I think he needs to be punished
where it will hurt most, which is financially. I think he will
not do it again if he's punished financially.Winning is never
easy, it takes a lot to win. But you don't want to win like I
did in the last fight yesterday. I'm a real sportsman, and I
love fighting in the K-1 ring. To win like this is very disappointing.
I've done a lot to achieve my goals, to come to this level. It's
not so satisfying to win like this.”
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Quote
of the Day
“Happiness
gives us the energy which is the basis of health.”
Henri-Frédéric Amiel
|
UFC
FIGHT FOR THE TROOPS RESULTS & PLAY-BY-PLAY
MMAWeekly.com brings you live results and play-by-play from Wednesday
night's UFC Fight for the Troops.
The
main event features Top 10 welterweight Josh Koscheck squaring
off with Yoshiyuki Yoshida and Mike Swick will be looking to
clearly establish himself in the UFC welterweight division as
he faces tough Canadian Jonathan Goulet in a feature bout.
Brodie
Farber and Luigi Fioravanti, originally slated for a welterweight
contest, agreed to fight at a catch weight of 173 pounds.
The
event takes place at the Crown Coliseum in Fayetteville, N.C.
and airs live on Spike TV at 6 p.m. PT / 9 p.m. ET.
PLAY-BY-PLAY:
Josh
Koscheck vs. Yoshiyuki Yoshida
R1- Both fighters respecting their opponents ability and feeling
each other out early. Koscheck lands a couple of right hands
as they briefly clinch. Koscheck with another right hand. Kosheck
with a right hand that hurts Yoshida and follows up with another
that puts Yoshida out cold.
Josh
Koscheck def. Yoshiyuki Yoshida by KO at 2:15, R1
Jonathan
Goulet vs. Mike Swick
R1- No touch of gloves in this one. Swick drops Goulet in the
first exchange with a left hand. He pounces on Goulet and finishes
him off on the ground with devastating left hands and hammer
fists.
Mike
Swick def. Jonathan Goulet by KO at 0:33, R1
Razak
Al-Hassan vs. Steve Cantwell
R1- Al-Hassan moving forward, pressing the pace early. Cantwell
clinches and the fighters were briefly tied up along the cage.
Cantwell lands a right hand and Al-Hassan clinches and lands
two knees to the body. Cantwell partially lands a high kick before
getting the fight to the ground. Cantwell improves his position
to side control and quickly moves to the mount position. Cantwell
lands elbwos and Cantwell applies an arm bar. Al-Hassan doesn't
tap and the referee stops the fight. Al-Hassan's arm may have
been broken. At the least it was damaged by the arm bar.
*The
replay shows Al-Hassan's arm pop at the elbow.
Steve
Cantwell def. Razak Al-Hassan by submission (arm bar) at 4:04,
R1
Nate
Loughran vs. Tim Credeur
R1- Inside leg kickby Loughran to open the fight. Credeur lands
a left hand and Loughran clinches but Credeur presses him against
the cage and lands knees to the body. They separate. Credeur
lands a combination and then a big right hand. Credeur displaying
the better striking thus far. Loughran tries to answer with leg
and body kicks, but Credeur's winging shots are finding their
mark. Credeur landing right hands at will, but Loughran showing
a good chin. Huge right hand by Credeur with 20 seconds left.
The round ends with Credeur going into Loughran's guard, passes
and moves to mount.
MMAWeekly scores round one 10-9 for Tim Credeur.
R2-
Loughran shoots for a takedown early and pulls guard. Credeur
working inside Loughran's full guard and Loughran has a small
cut on his left eye. Credeur moves to half guard. The referee
stands them up with two minutes remaining. Loughran lands kicks
to the body and legs while Credeur answers with right hands.
Loughran's mouth is open, breathing heavy. Credeur pours it on
in the closing moments, landing a series of punches, but Loughran
remains standing.
MMAWeekly scores round two 10-9 for Credeur.
The
fight is stopped bewteen rounds. Tim Credeur is declared the
winner as Loughran sits on the stool.
Tim
Credeur def. Nate Loughran by TKO at 5:00, R2.
-Matt
Wiman vs. Jim Miller
R1- Miller opens with a straight right hand. Wiman slips and
immediately jumps back up. Miller lands a right-left combination.
Wiman clinches and Miller tosses him to the canvas applying a
guillotine choke in the process. Wiman has an arm in and escapes.
Miller in Wiman's guard and lands punches and elbows opening
up a cut on the bridge of Wiman's nose. Wiman scrambles as Miller
tries to pass his guard and ends up on top. Miller gets back
to his feet. Wiman lands his best punches of the fight before
taking a body kick thta hurt him. Miller, who took the fight
on short notice, is breathing heavy. Miller throws a superman
punch that was blocked by Wiman as the round ends.
MMAWeekly scores the round 10-9 for Jim Miller.
R2-
Wiman pushes the pace early and Miller attempts a takedown. Wiman
defends and they're back standing toe-to-toe. Miller lands a
nice two punch combination that seemingly hurt Wiman. Miller
landing big sots to Wiman who is against the cage Miller gets
a single-leg takedown and finds himself in Wiman's guard where
he lands hammer fists to Wiman's head. Miller is dominating Wiman.
The round ends with Miller working ground and pound.
MMAWeekly scores round two 10-9 for Miller.
R3-
Wiman flurries to start the round, landing clean shots on Miller.
Miller takes him to the ground. Wiman gets back to his feet only
to be taken down with a single-leg. Miller picks up where he
left off in the second round working ground and pound before
passing Wiman's guard. Wiman works his way back to guard and
gets back to his feet. Miller again takes him down with a single-leg.
Wiman gets back to his feet and takes Miller down only to have
his back taken. Miller works for a rear naked choke with both
hooks in with a minute remaining. Miller moves to mount but Wiman
uses to opportunity to try to get up. The round ends. It was
all Jim Miller.
MMAWeekly scores the round 10-9 for Miller.
Jim
Miller def. Matt Wiman by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-26, 30-27)
-Luigi
Fioravanti vs. Brodie Farber
R1- Luigi gets the fight to the ground early, lands in Farber's
guard. Luigi gets side control, Farber gets back up and then
is slammed back down. Luigi working for a rear naked choke, but
can't land it. Farber is back up again only to have Luigi take
him down again, back into side control. Luigi controlling the
fight the entire time, punishing Farber throughout.
MMAWeekly scores R1 10-9 for Luigi Fioravanti
R2-
The fighters feel it out on the feet, but Luigi gets another
takedown, moves quickly into side control. Luigi takes his back
again and goes for the rear naked choke. Luigi has Farber against
the cage, but can't land the choke. The fighters scramble and
Farber actually goes for Luigi's back, but can't get there and
the fighters are back up. Farber goes for a flurry at the end
of the round.
MMAWeekly scores R2 10-9 for Luigi Fioravanti
R3-
Farber comes out and tries to land something standing early in
the round. Luigi connects with a shot of his own, then moves
to the ground, gets the mount. Luigi gets his back again and
goes for the rear naked choke. The fighters stand again and Luigi
just misses with a high kick. Luigi gets another takedown. Luigi
transitions, gets Farber's back again and goes for the choke.
Luigi controlling every aspect of the fight, just can't get the
finish.
MMAWeekly scores R3 10-9 for Luigi Fioravanti
Luigi
Fioravanti def. Brodie Farber by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27,
30-27)
-Johnny
Rees vs. Steve Bruno
R1- Rees lands a good knee early, Bruno gets the clinch and puts
Rees against the cage. Rees goes for a takedown and puts Bruno
on his back, but gets back to his feet quickly. Bruno now gets
the fight to the ground and lands in Rees' guard, then moves
to side control and then north/south position. Bruno takes his
back briefly, but Rees works out of it and has Bruno back in
his guard. Bruno gets his back again as Rees stands up. The fighters
separate and Rees gets the clinch, pusing Bruno against the cage.
Round ends, extremely close.
MMAWeekly scores R1 10-9 for Steve Bruno
R2
- Bruno gets a takedown early, tries to go for mount, but Rees
gets out and stands back up. The fighters clinch again against
the cage. The fighters stay clinched against the cage, until
Bruno finally lands a takedown. Scramble on the ground and Bruno
locks on a rear naked choke, Rees submits.
Steve
Bruno def. Johnny Rees by submission (rear naked choke) at 3:44,
R2
*Bruno
thanks the Army Aviation for the medical evacuation from Iraq
and the crowd goes crazy*
-Ben
Saunders vs. Brandon
Wolff
R1- The fighters come out striking early and Saunders lands a
low blow and the fight is paused for a moment. Back to the action,
Saunders lands good kicks and knees, Wolff doesn't have an answer
to his offense. Saunders keeps coming forward with knee strikes
and Wolff is in trouble. Muay thai clinic by Saunders. The referee
steps in to stop the fight.
Ben
Saunders def. Brandon Wolff by TKO (strikes) at 1:49, R1
-Corey
Hill vs. Dale Hartt
R1 - The fighters get to the ground early with Corey Hill working
from inside Dale Hartt's guard. Hill moves to half guard, but
the fighters are quickly back up to the feet. Back to the ground
again, as Hill takes Hartt down again and Hartt gets full guard.
Just as quickly the fighters are back up again. Hill does a good
job using his reach on the feet as well.
MMAWeekly scores R1 10-9 for Corey Hill
R2
- The fighters start trading on the feet as Dale Hartt lands
a leg kick, and just as Corey Hill plants his right leg to throw
a punch, he crumbles to the mat. It appears that Hill has a broken
leg. The sound from the break echos in the arena. Hill is carried
out on a stretcher. Marc Ratner says he is pretty sure Hill has
a broken leg. Dale Hartt stays by Corey's side as he is hurt
in the Octagon. Everybody in the arena is visibly shaken by the
situation in the cage. The replay shows a very, very nasty break
in Hill's leg. Dale Hartt is extremely classy staying by Corey's
side and talking after the fight.
Dale
Hartt def. Corey Hill by TKO at :20 seconds, R2.
-Eddie
Sanchez vs. Justin McCully
R1 - The fighters start early in the clinch trading knees against
the cage. The fighters continue to transition stand-up from the
center of the cage and the backing up against the cage. Sanchez
has a small cut on his right eye. The fighters get to the ground
and Sanchez gets side control, landing some good elbows.
MMAWeekly scores R1 10-9 for Eddie Sanchez
R2
- Beginning of the round, Sanchez comes out swinging with wild
punches. McCully goes for a headkick of his own, but misses.
Both fighters seem content to trade standing with McCully being
the more active fighter. Sanchez goes for a body lock and takedown,
but gets stuffed. Both fighters look very gassed.
MMAWeekly scores R2 10-9 for Justin McCully
R3-
Final round starts slow with both fighters still gasping for
air. McCully goes for another head kick and then flurries on
Sanchez, then working for a takedown. Mostly clinch work again,
but McCully goes for a big flurry at the end of the round as
the crowd was getting restless and booing the action in the cage.
MMAWeekly scores R3 10-9 for Justin McCully
Justin
McCully def. Eddie Sanchez by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27,
29-28)
QUICK
RESULTS:
-Josh
Koscheck def. Yoshiyuki Yoshida by KO at 2:15, R1
-Mike Swick def. Jonathan Goulet by KO at 0:33, R1
-Steve Cantwell def. Razak Al-Hassan by submission (arm bar)
at 4:04, R1
-Tim Credeur def. Nate Loughran by TKO at 5:00, R2.
-Jim Miller def. Matt Wiman by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-26,
30-27)
-Luigi Fioravanti def. Brodie Farber by unanimous decision (30-27,
30-27, 30-27)
-Steve Bruno def. Johnny Rees by submission (rear naked choke)
at 3:44, R2
-Ben Saunders def. Brandon Wolff by TKO (strikes) at 1:49, R1
-Dale Hartt def. Corey Hill by TKO at :20 seconds, R2.
-Justin McCully def. Eddie Sanchez by unanimous decision (30-27,
30-27, 29-28)
Source: MMA Weekly
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KOSCHECK
CAPS TROOPS SHOW WITH BRUTAL KO
On a night of brutal finishes, Josh Koscheck capped off the UFC
"Fight for the Troops" show with a devastating first
round knockout of Japanese judoka Yoshiyuki Yoshida.
Stepping
into the main event just 46 days after a loss to Thiago Alves,
it was Koscheck who insisted on staying put in the previously
scheduled fight against Yoshida and he did not disappoint.
It
was clear in the early going that Koscheck has no problem standing
up, as the former NCAA wrestling champion never even looked towards
a takedown.
As
he pursued Yoshida closer to the cage, Koscheck unloaded an absolutely
punishing straight right hand, and with the Japanese fighter
still on wobbly legs he let one more right hand go.
The
result was Yoshida crashing down to the mat, knocked unconscious.
"I
knew he was looking for the overhand right a lot so I kind of
focused on throwing straight punches," Koscheck said about
his gameplan after the fight.
The
Pennsylvania native has only three losses in his MMA career and
after each loss, he has bounced back with an extremely convincing
win; with the knockout over Yoshida being his latest accomplishment.
With
the focus during the broadcast solely set on the U.S. troops
and the Intrepid Fallen Hereos Fund, Koscheck once again reiterated
the emotion that everyone felt on such an important night.
"What
an honor to fight in front of all you guys out there," Koscheck
said addressing the troops in attendance. "Get on there
and donate; this is what it's about. If that wasn't worth $5
bucks from every UFC fan, I don't know what else I can do."
Koscheck
maintains his position as a top five welterweight, and picks
up a win over another quality opponent as he moves into 2009
with a chance to get closer to a 170-pound divisional title shot.
Source: MMA Weekly
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$30,000
BONUSES AT UFC FIGHT FOR THE TROOPS
There must be something about fighting in front of the men and
women that put their lives on the line for you on a daily basis
that boosts your performance to a whole new level. At least it
appeared so after Wednesday night's UFC Fight for the Troops
event in Fayetteville, N.C., which will be remembered as an event
chock-full of some of the most brutal finishes in UFC history.
Capping
off the night was a crushing knockout by Josh Koscheck. He dazed
Yoshiyuki Yoshida with a strong right punch and as the Japanese
judoka bounced off of the cage, hands down, Koscheck turned his
lights off with another right hand that floored Yoshida.
The
knockout earned Koscheck the UFC Fight for the Troops Knockout
of the Night, which was accompanied by a bonus check to the tune
of $30,000.
MMAWeekly.com
learned of the UFC Fight for the Troops awards and bonuses on
Wednesday night from UFC officials.
Many
have been skeptical of how World Extreme Cagefighting's athletes
from the now defunct WEC middleweight and light heavyweight divisions
would do in the UFC Octagon. WEC light heavyweight champion Steve
Cantwell answered the doubters in impressive fashion on Wednesday
night, submitting a debuting Razak Al-Hussan. The armbar locked
on, Al-Hussan refused to tap. The referee stopped the bout, but
only after Al-Hussan's elbow appeared to dislocate.
Besides
earning a victory in his first UFC start, the brutal armbar finish
was enough to garner Cantwell the UFC Fight for the Troops Submission
of the Night and his own $30,000 bonus check.
Opening
the live telecast on Spike TV, Jim Miller and Matt Wiman left
everything they had laying on the Octagon floor in front of the
U.S. Armed Forces crowd. In the end, it was Miller who would
get the win via unanimous decision, but both fighters went home
$30,000 wealthier for their UFC Fight for the Troops Fight of
the Night distinction.
UFC
FIGHT FOR THE TROOPS AWARDS AND BONUSES
(All awards include a $30,000 bonus for each fighter.)
UFC
Fight for the Troops Knockout of the Night
– Josh Koscheck
UFC
Fight for the Troops Submission of the Night
– Steve Cantwell
UFC
Fight for the Troops Fight of the Night
– Jim Miller and Matt Wiman
Source: MMA Weekly
|
MIKE
SWICK IS QUICK AGAIN IN FRONT OF TROOPS
It was a fight that began in MMAWeekly.com’s forums. Jonathan
Goulet called original “TUF” alumnus Mike Swick out,
apparently on the recommendation of training partners. Swick
was none too pleased, and the subsequent war of words got the
fight booked for Ultimate Fight Night 11.
Then
injuries and careers intervened. Swick was forced off the card
with a rib injury, and both fighters went on to other things.
After recovering, Swick returned to action against Marcus Davis,
winning a unanimous decision at UFC 85. Then, another injury,
this time to his elbow, put Swick on the bench following the
victory.
UFC’s
“Fight for the Troops” was a perfect time to settle
unfinished business, and Swick settled it quickly.
The
American Kickboxing welterweight bounded out of the gate, and
not surprisingly declined to offer his glove. In the first flurry,
Goulet caught Swick with a good straight left, but in the next,
Swick had the final word.
The
two collided at striking range, and Swick let off a flurry of
punches, punctuated by a right hand that clipped Goulet’s
jaw.
The
shot flashed the French Canadian, but he dove for Swick’s
leg despite his fogginess. Swick’s ensuing hammerfists sealed
the deal, knocking Goulet out at 0:33 of the first round.
“I
knew I had to do that. I knew he was going for broke, he’s
a talented fighter, so I had to come out first,” Swick said
afterwards.
Source: MMA Weekly |
MILLER
GRINDS IT OUT; CREDEUR & CANTWELL FINISH
“Handsome” Matt Wiman was not the same fighter after
short-notice replacement Jim Miller nearly choked him out in
the opening frame of their fight.
Whether
it was the lack of blood in his brain or a stubborn insistence
on punching it out, "The Ultimate Fighter” season five
vet went into exchanges head-first, taking several shots from
Miller’s fast hands.
Miller,
taking the fight one week’s notice, was breathing heavily
midway into the first, but pressured Wiman nonetheless through
their fifteen minutes together.
“Matt’s
tough as hell,” Miller said. “I’ve never hit someone
so hard, so many times, and had him still standing there.”
Miller’s
best work was from within Wiman’s guard. The 25 year-old
New Jersey resident stayed on top and plastered Wiman with elbows
and punches. Wiman did his best to minimize the damage, controlling
Miller’s hips with his legs, but by the end of the second
frame, he was far behind in the scorecards.
Wiman
knew this, and came out at the third bell with a flurry of shots
that threatened to erase Miller’s lead. The International
Fight League veteran would have none of it, though, taking Wiman
down whenever the action became too intense.
Miller’s
dominance was apparent in the judges’ scorecards, with one
awarding him a 30-26 score for the contest. The remaining two
gave him 30-27 nods.
Navy
vet Tim Credeur wanted a kickboxing match, and that’s what
he got against Nate Loughran. Mixing kicks to the body with winging
punches, Credeur tagged Loughran throughout the first round,
opening a sizable lead on judges’ scorecards.
Loughran
pulled guard in the second, looking for better luck on the mat,
but Credeur’s jiu-jitsu base stifled any offense he attempted
to mount.
Late
in the second, Loughran opened his mouth and lowered his lead
left hand. Clearly hurt, he could do little as Credeur continued
to tee off with overhand rights and kicks to the body.
Between
the second and third rounds, Loughran told referee Dan Mirgliotta
he was unable to continue, awarding Credeur the TKO victory.
Former
WEC light heavyweight champion Steve Cantwell didn’t quite
know what to make of UFC newcomer Razak Al Hussan.
Hussan
chased him around the round with a Tae Kwon Do/MMA hybrid style,
combining big kicks with mostly arm punches. Hussan’s head
was upright the whole time, however, when Cantwell repaid him
with an uppercut and overhand right, he didn’t blink.
Cantwell
couldn’t even get a tap when he took Hussan down late in
the first and secured a deep armbar. There was no escaping the
hold, yet Hussan attempted to roll through it. Not until referee
Mario Yamasaki caught his elbow joint popping was it clear that
the fight was over.
“I’ve
been waiting so long to do that, you have no idea,” Cantwell
exclaimed post-fight.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
SCARY
MOMENT FOR HILL IN UFC TROOPS PRELIMS
Just
two fights into the UFC Fight for the Troops benefit show on
Wednesday night in Fayetteville, N.C., and the show quickly took
a downhill turn.
After
Justin McCully opened the show by rebounding from a UFC 86 loss
to Gabriel Gonzaga, by decisioning Eddie Sanchez, Dale Hartt
nabbed his first win in the Octagon. Winning the way that he
did, however, probably couldn't have been any worse for Hartt,
unless he was his opponent, Corey Hill.
MMAWeekly.com
had Hill winning the opening round of the fight. But during the
second stanza, as Hill planted his right leg to throw a punch,
Hartt landed a kick to the leg. Hill crumbled to the mat as the
sound of an apparent break echoed through the arena, leaving
the crowd in a stunned silence.
Here
is the second round account of the incident by MMAWeekly.com
special reporters Tucker Max and Tom Batboy:
"The
fighters start trading on the feet as Dale Hartt lands a leg
kick, and just as Corey Hill plants his right leg to throw a
punch, he crumbles to the mat. It appears that Hill has a broken
leg. The sound from the break echoes in the arena. Hill is carried
out on a stretcher.
Marc
Ratner says he is pretty sure Hill has a broken leg. Dale Hartt
stays by Corey's side, as he is hurt in the Octagon. Everybody
in the arena is visibly shaken by the situation in the cage.
The replay shows a very, very nasty break in Hill's leg. Dale
Hartt is extremely classy staying by Corey's side and talking
after the fight."
In
an interview with MMAWeekly.com prior to the fight, Dale Hartt
said, “I need to get back to my roots. For me to be successful
in the UFC, I have to get back to my roots and not worry about
my fights being exciting. I need to not worry about the result.
I need to just worry about the journey; I need to worry about
the road. I’m going to go in there and I’m going to
have a good time.”
Hartt
managed to get the win that he had been searching for, but it
surely didn't come the way he had hoped, nor did he likely have
a good time. But he did show a lot of respect for Hill in staying
by his side in the Octagon.
According
to Matt Brown of FIGHT! Magazine, Hill's leg was set and an air
cast applied before he left the Octagon.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
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Hazardous
Warfare
January
3, 2009
Lahaina Civic Ctr, Maui
Fights start at 6:30 PM
|
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