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2008
11/8/08
Aloha
State Championship of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
(BJJ/Sub Grapping)
(Gym #1, UH Manoa)
6/5-8/08
World Jiu-Jitsu Championsihps
(BJJ)
(California State University Long Beach, Long Beach, California)
5/3/08
Hawaiian
Open of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
(BJJ/Sub Grapping)
(Gym #1, UH Manoa)
4/26/08
Elite XC
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena)
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)
(Carson, CA)
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)
|
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February 2008 News
Part 3
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Quote
of the Day
“If
we could sell our experiences for what they cost us, we'd all
be millionaires.”
Abigail Van Buren, American Advice Columnist
|
X-1
at O-Lounge Tonight!
Fight Club
Meets Night Club 4
Friday, February 29, 2008 - 7pm
O-Lounge Night Club
Fight Card:
Darnell
"Doc" Mason vs Kolo Koka exhibition MMA
Team MMA Hawaii 170 MMAD
Dale
Kamai vs Kolo Koka exhibition MMA
Maili Soljah 170 MMAD
Miguel
Cabrera vs Steven "Soul Samurai" Saito MMA
Team FTS 155 Team ICON
Makana
Vertido vs Guru Daf MMA
Ruthless 205 Team ICON
Andy
Kau vs Jordan Patterson Kickboxing
Jus Rush 260 Team FTS
Randy
Kamaiopili vs Sean Le Kickboxing
NoRemorse 145 Freelance
Ryan
Desoto vs Eddie Ohia XMA
Ruthless 170 No Remorse
Brandon
Mendoza vs Tyler Meyakawa Kickboxing
Ruthless 170 NoRemorse
Kelii
Aiwohi vs Frank Ruiz MMA
Ruthless 185 Knockout Factory
Todd
Young vs Nolen Vierra MMA
Ruthless 170 Knockout Factory
Antony
Kinoshita vs Eddie Edwards MMA
NoRemorse 205 Team Edwards
Blaze
Noa vs Shane Medeiros XMA
Ruthless 145 Freelance
Lindell
"Smokey" Brown vs Cheyenne Padeken XMA
Knockout Factory 205 Freelance
Miller
Ualesi vs Des Miner exhibition MMA
Ruthless 225 MMAD
MAIN
EVENT
Joaquin
"Dabbs" vs Vilitonu "Vili"Fonokalfi MMA
Freelance290 6'6" Super HW NoRemorse 270 6'0"
**Fight
card subject to change without notice |
EXCLUSIVE:
DANA WHITE TALKS UFC & BUD LIGHT
COLUMBUS,
Ohio – On Thursday afternoon, UFC president Dana White along
with Tony Ponture, vice president, global media and sports marketing
for Anheuser-Busch, announced a new three-year deal between the
fight promotion and Bud Light, making it the major sponsor for
the organization going forward.
White
expressed his excitement about the new deal with Bud Light.
“Not
only did we get and land a blue chip sponsor, we landed the biggest.
The biggest sponsor in sports, period,” he stated. “Not
only are these guys the biggest and the best at what they do
in their industry, but they’re the biggest and the best
marketers in the world. We’re not talking the United States.
We’re talking the world. When I say these guys are No. 1,
No. 2 is far behind them.”
The
addition of Bud Light as a sponsor for the UFC is a major step
for the promotion and one that White recognizes for its historical
significance.
“To
stand here today and tell you guys that Anheuser-Busch is now
a sponsor of the UFC, this is as big to me as (when) we got sanctioned
in Nevada, we got back on pay-per-view, we got a television deal,”
he proclaimed. “This is seriously a historical moment for
this company.”
Tony
Ponturo, who represented Anheuser-Busch at the UFC press conference
on Thursday, also spoke about the choice for Bud Light to team
up with the UFC.
“Bud
Light didn’t have to be involved with the UFC, it wanted
to be involved with the UFC,” he exclaimed.
The
deal will begin on May 24 with UFC 84: Ill Will in Las Vegas.
The current sponsorship deal will run three years and includes
the UFC, the Ultimate Fighter reality series and the UFC’s
sister promotion, World Extreme Cagefighting, as well.
Ponturo
talked to MMAWeekly.com about the sponsorship deal and how the
company has recently changed its sponsorships with boxing and
now with the UFC.
“I
think what we watched was the consumer base. The 21 to 34-year-old
male in this country started gravitating to the UFC,” said
Ponturo. “It’s pretty amazing looking at the growth
of the sport to that demographic. I think in some respects boxing
became a little less interesting to them and what the UFC people
have been doing has been interesting to that consumer group.”
The
deal with Bud Light is also expected to have positive results
for the UFC with many mainstream sports outlets where Anheuser-Busch
is such a recognizable name in the industry
“I
think it will get some attention to say that Bud Light is involved,”
commented Ponturo. “Obviously with our reputation of being
a big sports sponsor, I do think it will raise some eyebrows.”
The
announcement came on the heels of the EliteXC deal with CBS that
was announced Thursday morning. But White didn’t seem overly
impressed.
“A
year ago it was the (International Fight League). Where’s
the IFL now? Last week it was Mark Cuban. Mark Cuban and HDNet
don’t look as scary anymore do they?” said White. “It’s
just another guy. They’re going to keep popping up left
and right.”
He
continued, “One of my theories is their numbers were declining
and they weren’t pulling good numbers on Showtime, but they’re
going to pull better numbers on CBS? When you jump to network,
you better be powerful. Network numbers and cable numbers are
completely different. They’ve got their work cut out for
them.
“There’re
a lot of guys with money trying to get into this business. There’s
one company that knows how to do it. They keep coming and every
press conference that I do over the last two years, I’ve
got to hear about the next three letters that just jumped in
and bought a cage.”
Source: MMA Weekly
|
MARIO
SPERRY ON BTT SPLIT, PRIDE'S FALL & IFL
With
the reformation of the International Fight League in 2008, the
promotion looked to infuse new talent into the promotion to compete
with the long standing remaining teams and fighters. And key
among those additions looks to be former Brazilian Top Team leader
Mario Sperry and his World Class Fight Center (WCFC).
After
years of leading one of mixed martial arts’ most successful
teams, Sperry decided to leave the comfort of his native Brazil
and head to the United States to seek to take the qualities he
helped embody at BTT and bring it to American soil.
At
Friday night’s IFL event at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas,
he will get the first opportunity to showcase some of the talent
he will be bringing to the promotion as three of his WCFC fighters
lock horns with representatives of Shawn Tompkins’ Team
Tompkins squad.
From
his new home in Las Vegas, Sperry spoke to MMAWeekly recently
to discuss his departure from the BTT, the downfall of Pride
in Japan, and his new start with the WCFC and the IFL.
MMAWeekly:
First off Mario, tell us how you got involved with the IFL.
Mario
Sperry: Well, I first got in involved with the IFL a while ago.
I got a call from (IFL Commissioner) Kurt Otto and he said he
had interest to hire me to be a coach and try to form a new team.
I was very pleased because I liked the show’s format, the
teams concept, and it was good because I always had a dream to
come to America and teach here. So, I moved to the United States,
living in Las Vegas right now and looking for a location to open
up my gym here. It’s great to be working with the IFL and
in America; it’s beautiful.
MMAWeekly:
Tell us about the fighters who will be participating Friday night
on behalf of the World Class Fight Center, and what fans can
expect from them against Team Tompkins.
Mario
Sperry: Most of the fighters, they have the Brazilian Top Team
concept. They know how to fight very well on the ground and know
how to lead the fight to the ground game. We have Rafael Dias,
originally he used to fight at 155, but now he dropped to 145.
He’s a great athlete on the ground. His hands are getting
much better, and he’s pretty good at the takedowns too,
so he’s very much a complete fighter.
Alexandre
Ferreira is one of the most talented guys I’ve ever had
the opportunity to train with. He’s a great submission wrestler,
is very strong, with good takedowns. He fought like five times
last year and he submitted (his opponent) in all his fights.
He’s very confident and is going through a very good time
in his career.
We
also have Leopoldo Serao, I didn’t have an opportunity to
work with him too much, but he has good skills, and fights very
well on the ground with his back against the mat. He’s going
to do fine. He’s a very complete fighter and he’s been
waiting to get his chance, and I think he’s going to do
all right. They’re really looking forward to showing what
they’ve got.
MMAWeekly:
Okay, let’s talk about your split from the Brazilian Top
Team right now. Can you give us an idea of what happened and
why you chose to leave the team and come to the US.
Mario
Sperry: I was in Brazilian Top Team almost eight years and had
a great time there. And I always had a dream to come to America,
it was a thing that I had in my mind, and I don’t know why,
but I felt that America would be a great spot to open a Brazilian
Top Team or my own gym. Because the Americans, whatever they
are into, they like to do it very well. And that’s what’s
happening now; America is the biggest MMA spot in the world.
A
lot of things are happening now, and that’s one of the main
reasons I decided to come here. And also with what happened in
Japan kind of rushed my decision. And I’m here, I want to
do exactly what I did there, I want to do here. I want to do
a jiu-jitsu school with base in ground skills, and MMA team.
That’s like exactly what I did in Brazil with the Brazilian
Top Team.
MMAWeekly:
So you are still on good terms with your former BTT teammates?
Mario
Sperry: Oh yeah, no problems. It’s a decision that I took
myself. I think Brazil is the spot to live; I have all my friends
there, my family’s there. Then again, I love my career and
I want to do everything I can out of my career and I don’t
see myself in other places other than America.
MMAWeekly:
You mentioned about what happened in Japan with Pride. What was
it like for you and the other Brazilian camps when the company
was sold to the Ultimate Fighting Championship and ultimately
disbanded?
Mario
Sperry: It was hard for us. Not just because Pride was finished,
but because the UFC just went up. It was two different things
that happened. The UFC got in a position that they were not (in
before); they raised to a very high spot and are now the biggest
show in the world. Like three years ago it was not like that,
it was Pride. So two things happened at the same time. For us,
Brazilian Top Team and other teams like Chute Boxe, most of all
our fighters were in those shows in Japan, it was pretty hard.
Especially
because the Japanese were very good to us, and we were very well
paid when we were there, don’t get me wrong, but they would
not allow us to put our fighters in other shows. They would kind
of block us, in a nice way. They wanted to use our fighters,
so they gave us very good offers, but at the end of the day we
didn’t have any other connections around. We just have our
names. So at the end of the road, we got in the position, we
just had Pride, and when Pride was over, we didn’t have
anywhere to go.
MMAWeekly:
Moving on, what about your fighting career? You haven’t
fought since July of last year; will we be seeing you again in
the ring in the future?
Mario
Sperry: Since we made the Brazilian Top Team, I was so busy taking
care of all those fighters. (Ricardo) Arona, the Nogueira brothers
(Antonio Rogerio and Antonio Rodrigo), Paulo Filho, all those
fighters, I had to take care of them and not just train them,
but teach them how to behave behind the cameras, to take care
of them concerning their weight, and how to behave with the promoters.
So
it was a very stressful job. I enjoyed it though, but it took
a lot of time and so I could not train the way I liked. Sometimes
I could train well. Sometimes I had to manage with the time I
had, but I think now that I come to America it’s going to
be easier. After my gym is done and the team of my gym is set,
I think I’m going to start training hard, the way I like
to train, and for sure if there is any invitations I would like
to fight again.
MMAWeekly:
Thanks so much for your time, Mario. Is there anything you’d
like to say as we head out?
Mario
Sperry: I’d like to just say that my gym is going to be
open pretty soon in Vegas; you should check it out. We’re
just building the website right now, check out www.worldclassfightcenter.com.
We
hope we please everybody with our fighting (Friday night in the
IFL). It’s going to be hard. They’ve got a great team,
but as I’ve said before, we like the challenge. You are
defined by the opponent that you chose. It couldn’t be a
harder opponent, so I feel good. It will be a good test.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
IN-DEPTH:
DAN HENDERSON AT UFC 82
Dan
Henderson is one of the most seasoned fighters in mixed martial
arts. The two-time Olympic Greco-Roman wrestling team member
has been wrestling since the age of five and has fought in the
most prominent mixed martial arts promotions in the world, obtaining
both the Pride middleweight and welterweight championships.
At
UFC 82: Pride of a Champion, Henderson will get the opportunity
to add another belt to his collection when he takes on reigning
UFC middleweight titleholder Anderson Silva.
Here
is a breakdown of what Henderson brings to the Octagon against
Silva.
STRIKING:
Henderson
may come from a wrestling background, but he likes to let his
hands go. He possesses knockout power as shown in his fights
with Wanderlei Silva, Akihiro Gono and Ryo Chonan in recent years.
His
grappling ability allows him to plant on his punches with no
fear of being taken down. Henderson isn’t the most technical
of strikers, bringing more of a brawling style to the ring, but
he only needs one punch to finish a fight.
GRAPPLING:
Henderson
is a two-time Olympian in Greco-Roman wrestling. What more really
needs to be said? He has 31 years of wrestling experience. There
is nary a fighter in MMA that is going to be able to out-wrestler
him.
Henderson
utilizes his strikes to close the distance and get to the clinch
position to drop for a single-leg takedown, execute a trip or
simply power his opponents to the mat.
From
the top position Henderson unleashes an onslaught of ground-and-pound.
From the bottom, he is very difficult to keep on his back and
has excellent reversals.
SUBMISSIONS:
Henderson's
submission game is more defensive than a threat of catching someone
in a submission. In fact, over his 11-year, 28-bout career, Henderson
has never submitted an opponent and isn’t likely to start
with Anderson Silva, a Brazilian Jiu-jitsu black belt.
He
is listed as having one submission victory in 1999 over Bakouri
Gogitidze in the Rings promotion, but it was due a well-placed
knee.
The
two times Henderson has ever been finished in his career have
been via submission, but the Team Quest fighter hasn't lost by
submission in nearly three years.
OCTAGON
CONTROL:
Henderson
has the ability to control the pace of a fight with effective
clinch work and grappling. His wrestling pedigree accompanied
with his punching power makes for a difficult match-up for almost
anyone.
If
he doesn’t set the distance to land the big overhand right
for the knockout, clinching and controlling the pace of the fight
is Henderson’s forte. Like many fighters with a Greco-Roman
base, he is good at grinding down his opponent, wearing them
out.
CONDITIONING:
Henderson
is coming off a five-round fight that went the distance against
UFC light heavyweight champion Quinton "Rampage" Jackson.
He’s been through the wars and half of his 22 wins are by
decision.
For
this fight, Henderson traveled to Big Bear to prepare in isolation
and at elevation. He has stepped up his conditioning and is expected
to be in excellent shape. Conditioning shouldn't be a factor
in this fight.
THE
"X" FACTOR:
Henderson
changed training camp locations for this fight and whether or
not it pays off will be seen when the Octagon door closes on
Saturday night.
Both
Henderson and Silva have been in big fights. Both have been in
main events and both have been in five-round bouts. Nerves will
not be a factor, but Silva has competed in a cage more often
recently than Henderson and the Brazilian could be more comfortable
competing in that environment.
This
fight should be won or lost in the clinch. Henderson's Greco-Roman
clinch eliminates space, something Anderson Silva's Muay Thai
clinch needs to inflict the most damage. Which fighter is able
to impose their clinch style on the other will most likely be
the one with his hand raised.
If
Henderson isn't able to get to the clinch position or secure
takedowns, he could be in for a long night, or a short one. If
forced to stand and trade with Silva, Henderson could be picked
apart and become frustrated. Frustrated and over committing with
strikes against Anderson Silva is the absolute worst-case scenario
for anyone.
KEYS
TO SUCCESS:
For
Dan Henderson to defeat Anderson Silva, the Pride Champion needs
to eliminate space. Silva is most effective when he has the space
to display his craft. Without distance, Henderson could nullify
Silva's strikes.
Even
from the clinch position, Silva needs distance to throw his trademark
knees. Establishing the Greco-Roman clinch will reduce Silva's
ability to deliver the devastating knees.
From
the clinch, Henderson needs to get this fight to the ground and
work ground-and-pound, while avoiding submission attempts and
working to pass Silva's guard. Side control is where Henderson
will have his best opportunity to finish Silva, unleashing an
array of punches, forearms and elbows.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Quote
of the Day
“If
the path be beautiful, let us not ask where it leads.”
Anatole France, 1844-1924, French Author and Nobel Prize Winner
|
X-1
at O-Lounge This
Friday!
Fight Club
Meets Night Club 4
Friday, February 29, 2008 - 7pm
O-Lounge Night Club
Fight Card:
Darnell
"Doc" Mason vs Kolo Koka exhibition MMA
Team MMA Hawaii 170 MMAD
Dale
Kamai vs Kolo Koka exhibition MMA
Maili Soljah 170 MMAD
Miguel
Cabrera vs Steven "Soul Samurai" Saito MMA
Team FTS 155 Team ICON
Makana
Vertido vs Guru Daf MMA
Ruthless 205 Team ICON
Andy
Kau vs Jordan Patterson Kickboxing
Jus Rush 260 Team FTS
Randy
Kamaiopili vs Sean Le Kickboxing
NoRemorse 145 Freelance
Ryan
Desoto vs Eddie Ohia XMA
Ruthless 170 No Remorse
Brandon
Mendoza vs Tyler Meyakawa Kickboxing
Ruthless 170 NoRemorse
Kelii
Aiwohi vs Frank Ruiz MMA
Ruthless 185 Knockout Factory
Todd
Young vs Nolen Vierra MMA
Ruthless 170 Knockout Factory
Antony
Kinoshita vs Eddie Edwards MMA
NoRemorse 205 Team Edwards
Blaze
Noa vs Shane Medeiros XMA
Ruthless 145 Freelance
Lindell
"Smokey" Brown vs Cheyenne Padeken XMA
Knockout Factory 205 Freelance
Miller
Ualesi vs Des Miner exhibition MMA
Ruthless 225 MMAD
MAIN
EVENT
Joaquin
"Dabbs" vs Vilitonu "Vili"Fonokalfi MMA
Freelance290 6'6" Super HW NoRemorse 270 6'0"
**Fight
card subject to change without notice |
USA-BOXING
HAWAII, PALOLO B.C. & KAWANO B.C.
PRESENTS
AMATEUR
BOXING
THIS SATURDAY, MARCH
1ST, 2008
5 P.M. PALOLO DISTRICT PARK
BOXERS FROM OAHU, MAUI, BIG ISLAND, AND KAUAI EXPECTED TO PARTICIPATE.
10 - 15 BOUTS SCHEDULED
ADMISSION
IS $12 AT THE DOOR.
Both 2008 Champions will represent Hawaii at the 2008 U.S.A.
National Championships on March 7- 16th at the Olympic Training
Center in Colorado Springs, CO. Let’s wish them luck!!
* Match and confirmed bouts.
Order of bouts might change also.
RED CORNER WEIGHT BLUE CORNER
3 ROUNDS
1). Wayne Pagan III 9/60 60lbs 9/60 Logan Yoon
Wailuku Maui B.C. 06/03/98 1 min. 11/24/98 Villaver B.C.
2). Cain Del Rosario 11/70 70 10/72 Dustin Somera
Southside B.C. (Maui) 01/31/97 1 min. 08/13/97 PearlSide B.C.
3). Devin Manuel 13/85 85 12/87 John Clifford Enanoria
A.P. B.C. (Big Island) 1 min. 07/24/95 Villaver
4). Keoni Adric 10/72 70 9/65 Nainoa Dung-Cummings
Waipahu Boxing 09/01/97 1 min. 02/11/99 Five-O B.C.
5). Abraham Reinhardt 12/90 90 12/90 Travis Tauaefa
Wailuku B.C. 11/27/95 1 min. 08/04/96 Villaver B.C.
6). Kendall Cuba 16/140 140 16/145 Mackey Ige
A.P.B.C. 2 min. PearlSide B.C.
7). Brian Ranchez 16/110 115 16/115 Cory Artura
A.P.B.C. 2 min. Central Maui B.C.
8). Jason Cruz 160 165 165 Jordan Jovera
Southside B.C. 2 min. PearlSide B.C.
9). Mike Simms 170 170 20/165 Michael Flannery
Southside B.C. 2 min. A.P.B.C.
10). Jennalyn Ganaban 15/119 115 14/112 Xina Garrett
Kalakaua B.C. 2 min. Hawaii Youth B.C.
11). Steven Cabilis 190 185 180 Kalani Brown
Kalakaua B.C. 06/27/90 2 min. SouthSide B.C.
10 min.***** INTERMISSION***** 10 min.
12). Ezra Cabang 128 130 16/130 Anthony Ibanez
A.P. B.C. 10/01/91 2 min. 09/24/92 Wailuku B.C.
13). Devin Ah Chong 15/115 112 15/110 Kalai McShane
A.P.B.C. 12/22/92 2 min. 01/19/93 Five-O B.C.
14). Rocky Balala 13/105 105 14/100 Jonathan Benitez
Central Maui B.C. 11/21/94 1 ½ min. 09/23/93 Five-O B.C.
15). Matt Takata 125 130 19/130 Tyler Kraker
Palolo B.C. 02/22/81 2 min. Central Maui B.C.
16). Manny Luiz 18/260 201+ 28/240 Elliot Edmunds
A.P.B.C. 2 min. 05/03/79 Kawano B.C.
17). Dustin Ah Chong 15/115 115 15/119 Lopaka Armitage
A.P.B.C. 12/22/92 2 min. Five-O B.C.
18). LaFredrick Conley 152 150 145 Jesse Alonzo
Unattached 07/15/84 2 min. 06/02/86 Kawano B.C.
19). Emmit Bolibol 15/106 110 15/110 Kurtis Hagi
Hawaii Youth B.C. 01/08/93 2 min. 08/23/92 Honolulu B.C.
**********MAIN EVENT*******
2008 178lb Hawaii State/Regional Champion vs 2008 165LB Hawaii
State/Regional Champion
20). Nainoa Seitz 175 170 165 Kainoa Oca- Kauhane
Palolo B.C. 03/13/89 2 min 02/10/86 Kawano B.C.
Both 2008 Champions will represent Hawaii at the 2008 U.S.A.
National Championships on March 7- 16th at the Olympic Training
Center in Colorado Springs, CO. Let’s wish them luck!!
Medals Sponsored by the Alyssa/David Kane family, Automatik,
and Red Lions University.
Outstanding Boxer: Gloves Sponsored by Hawaiian Fight Gear:
Outstanding Boxer: Ringside Bag, Sponsored by Bruce Kawano:
Outstanding Bout: Gift Bag Sponsored by Bruce Kawano and Joel
Kim:
2 Sportsmanship Awards: Gift Bag Sponsored by Bruce Kawano and
Andy Taam:
Thanks to our Sponsors- Hawaiian Fight Gear, Automatik, Red Lions
University, and the Kane family. Also, to the Coaches, Boxers,
Officials, Door workers- Cornelio family, Glove Table, Parents,
LBC President – Ralph Martin, Boxing Commissioner- Herbert
Minn, and “YOU” our Boxing Fans who help support Amateur
Boxing in Hawaii.
Special Thanks to Dr. Myles Suehiro, Danny, and the Palolo Med.
Students.
All Boxers will receive Gold Medals for just stepping in the
Ring. In Amateur Boxing everyone is a Winner.
Mahalo for Your Support!! Thank You Again!!
Source: Bruce Kawano
|
DAN
HENDERSON'S SECOND CHANCE AT UFC GOLD
The term “undisputed” is a relatively new moniker in
the world of mixed martial arts. In March of 2007, Dan Henderson
found himself holding two championship belts in two weight classes
after the demise of Pride Fighting Championships. He had the
respect and status that came with the yet unmatched feat, but
nowhere to prove it.
After
signing with the Ultimate Fighting Championship, Henderson was
the focal point of a movement to unify the titles – however
sentimental that distinction became – as an active champion
who would step into the Octagon and put his Pride silver against
UFC gold.
Henderson
came up short in his bid to capture the light heavyweight title
from Quinton Jackson last September, but has been given a second
chance in facing Anderson Silva. He admits there were mistakes
against Jackson; he wasn’t aggressive enough, and waited
too often for the perfect opening.
“It
won’t happen this time,” Henderson said at his Team
Quest gym in Temecula.
It’s
a second chance few, if any, fighters have gotten so soon. It
came out of a simple necessity: there weren’t any other
serious contenders out there.
“Dana
White asked me to cut down to 185 (pounds), and without this
fight in mind, he told me I should cut down in weight,”
Henderson said. “I said I want to stay at 205. I feel I
can beat everybody there. Then he offered me this fight, and
the more I thought about it, the more I got excited about it.”
Silva
is widely considered to be the best pound-for-pound fighter in
the world right now. He’s obliterated the top-tier middleweights
in the UFC. But if there’s one thing that Henderson has
proven before, it’s that hype doesn’t mean a thing
to him.
“When
I hear that, it puts a smile on my face,” he said. “I
don’t consider him the top MMA fighter in the world. He’s
definitely beaten some good guys, (but) the guys in the UFC have
definitely complimented his style. In my heart I know I’m
going to beat him up.”
Following
a three-week training camp in Big Bear, Calif. – the first
time he’s trained in the popular location – Henderson
ramped down his schedule on his home turf. French Pride veteran
Cyrille Debate was on hand to replicate Silva’s style and
reach, something that took a little adjustment for Henderson.
“It’s
been good to get a feel of getting hit from a farther distance
than what you’re normally comfortable at,” he said.
“It’s given me a better look at how Anderson Silva’s
going to be.”
The
clinch plays a central part of both fighters’ games. Silva
is known for his Muay Thai skills, while Henderson brings a Greco
Roman approach to the position. It’s ground zero for the
momentum of the fight, a place where Henderson feels he has the
advantage.
“With
being on two Olympic teams in Greco, I don’t see myself
getting out of position in the clinch to let him have his position.”
Silva’s
position, one where knees have ended many fighters’ nights,
is not a place Henderson wants to remain. But he feels confident
his power will overcome Silva’s technical mastery.
“I’m
not going to out-slick him on my feet, but I’m definitely
going to land the harder shots,” he said.
For
Henderson, the UFC title is about fulfilling a need for challenge.
He’s tasked with beating up a bully, and playing the role
of underdog. He’s unfazed with that role, and sees March
1 as the chance to attain a lifelong dream.
“It
would be a big achievement, to be the undisputed world champion,”
he said. “It’s always been a question in the fans minds
and fighters as well, who’s really the top guy in the world.
It’s gonna be a good fight.”
Source: MMA Weekly |
Got
Skillz Fighter
March 07, 2008
Filcom Center
135LBS-MICAH
BURROWS VS. KEKOA CONCEPTION
155LBS-TRISTON REBALLIZA VS. GEORGE SOPI
115LBS-RANDALL SATO VS. KANALOA COOKE
210LBS-TRE VS. ROYAL
185LBS-HOKU VS. JON FERRELL
125LBS-JAN QUIMOYOG VS. PAUL VARQUEZ
125LBS-JOSHUA SILVA VS. ISRAEL MORRIS
205LBS-WADE MEDEIROS VS. MIKE
175LBS-DUSTIN SHIMATSU VS. KAINOA THOMAS
150LBS-JULIUS FAJOTINA VS. KAINOA
155LBS-ROB CARLYON VS. AARON DEVICTORIA
155LBS-JESSIE WES VS. SHAYNE OSHIRO
175LBS-PHILIP AKUI VS. ANDREW ADAM
145LBS-KAIMANU PINE VS. TYLER KOBAYASHI
160LBS-MATAGI TOILOLO VS. OWEN MORRIS
135LBS-JORDAN FIONTEZ VS. CALFORD PADOR
120LBS-SHAWN ORTIZ VS. GARON REBALLIZA
230LBS-JAIME REGO VS. KEKUMU CAMBRA
135LBS-KALANI PAINUI VS. JUSTIN PRATT
170LBS-CARL IGE VS. BRUSKI LOUIS
135LBS-JULIO MORENO VS. JUMAR ESCOSIO
55LBS-SUI CRAWFORD VS. ZION LISTA
80LBS-KILEY ROMERO VS. DENNIS ESPINA
|
DREAM
ADDS MORE LIGHTWEIGHT GRAND PRIX BOUTS
Dream, the new Japanese event produced by Fight Entertainment
Group (the parent company for K-1 and Hero’s) and former
Dream Stage Entertainment staff members, held a press conference
Tuesday in Tokyo to announce three additional bouts to its March
15 premier.
A
bout between Gesias “JZ” Calvancante and Shinya Aoki
was previously announced for the Dream 16-man lightweight tournament.
The promotion has now added Tatsuya Kawajiri vs. Kultar “Black
Mamba” Gill, Joachim Hansen vs. Kotetsu Boku, and Kazuyuki
Miyata vs. Luiz “Buscape” Firmino.
Other
participants expected to take part in the tournament, but not
yet paired up, include Andre “Dida” Amade, Mitsuhiro
Ishida, Caol Uno, Gilbert Melendez, Artur Oumakhanov, and Jung
Bu-Kyung.
The
lightweight tournament now includes six of the Top 10 fighters
in the world in the division, according to the MMAWeekly.com
World MMA Rankings. In fact, the only fighter in the top six
not in the tournament is No.1 ranked Takanori Gomi, who is facing
Duane “Bang” Ludwig on World Victory Road’s debut
event on March 5.
In
addition to its Lightweight Grand Prix, Dream is also hopeful
to have Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic fight on the March
15 event. Filipovic was released from his Ultimate Fighting Championship
contract in order to return to Japan to fight.
Dream
reportedly offered the bout to K-1 veteran Ray Sefo. But according
to a post on the Xtreme Couture website, he felt that he didn’t
have enough time to prepare. Sefo told Xtreme Couture that he
would relish the fight with Filipovic, hoping that it might take
place at a later time, possibly this summer.
Sefo
has recently relocated his mixed martial arts training to Couture’s
Las Vegas-based gym.
Dream
has also released the format for its fights, at least for the
bouts in the tournament. Not surprisingly, each bout will consist
of a 10-minute first round, followed by a 5-minute second round;
the same format utilized by the defunct Pride Fighting Championships.
Dream
Stage Entertainment was the former parent company of Pride FC.
Source: MMA Weekly |
Leozinho
Vieira
"That was the first time at history that the same team got
all prizes, at all categories..."
Juvenile,
Adult, Master and Feminine... Commanded by Leozinho Vieira, Brasa’s
team ran over the other’s team at the Jiu-Jitsu European
and got whatever they could, from white to black belt, and left
as the best team of the competition. On an exclusive interview
for TATAME, the black belt Leozinho Vieira spoke about the success
at the competition and the expectation for 2008 at the sport
inside the tatami and the changes on the federations. Check below
the complete interview.
How
was the victory from Brasa’s team at the European?
That
was great, because we went with the people from outside, from
Sweden, Denmark, England, Italy, everybody from all parts of
Europe. We had more athletes and won everything. Michael at white
belt, won the juvenile with only one athlete, the Sweden boy,
Pascal Ramsby, champion at weight and absolute, won the feminine,
master... That was the first time at history that the same team
got all prizes, at all categories.
Which
are the plans for the team at 2008? Brasas’s focus already
is Jiu-Jitsu?
We
have subdivisions and each one has their goal. We has the focus
at MMA, Submission and Jiu-Jitsu, so the fighter can get interested
at one of those and we, teachers, focus at this or that competition.
We have activities at whole year at gym and athletes getting
prepared to fight everything. We’re here to win everything.
Which
athlete from Brasa do you believe that’ll rise now?
Man,
I believe that this thing of rising if the media that does. We
have good athletes that sometimes doesn’t appear because
the media emphasizes only one. An example was at the World Championship,
at the middleweight category, when Lucas Leite was champion with
André Galvão. He is much younger than André
and won a lot of competitions, including winning good fighters,
fought the World Champion and beaten the toughest fighter, Murilo
Santana, that had already won André Galvão at a
previous competition and the didn’t show any fight from
Lucas. Showed a lot of fights from André but didn’t
showed any from Lucas. If you ask today if I hope a name is because
the athlete wasn’t winning now but will win today. Lucas
is a guy that already won a lot of things, but the media haven’t
discovered it yet. We have a lot of names, since purple belt
coming up to brown, from brown to black, and believe that will
rise a lot more. That’s what I’ve said, I believe that
to an athlete rise up, the media needs to give space. Everybody
speaks a lot about black belt and forgets about purple and brown,
excepting some cases in which you have a strong last name.
What
do you think about this changing at the federations and CBJJE’s
growth? Brasa will continue at all championships?
Brasa
will, it’s for the sport. If there’s a confederation
with 50 federations, and if they’re ready to defend the
sport, we’ll be there competing. While there’s an interest
on the sport, at competition, from federations to growth the
sport, will exist the interest of our team. If we feel that they’re
interested more on them than the competitions and the athletes,
we’ll get out. Just like Boxing, that has a lot of federations
and champions. The only problem is that our championships are
amateur, the fighters are amateurs. We have the World Champion,
the European, all championships are very amateurs, so that’s
hard to notice a performance and that’s bad for the athlete,
that lately can change to another sport or activities.
Source: Tatame |
Lyoto
must train with Anderson Silva
With
the fight against Tito Ortiz confirmed at UFC 85, Lyoto Machida
told to TATAME’s site about his training and what he waits
for the fight, that will be at May 24th at Las Vegas, United
States. “I’m doing he basic training, Jiu-Jitsu with
gi, Karate with gi, as I used to do with my family, to do after
the specific training for the fight. I’m thinking about
doing Wrestling, but I’m only thinking yet”, told the
Karateca, that pretends training with Anderson Silva for the
fight.
“He
is at USA and as soon as his fight finishes we must contact him
to do this first training at Black House at Rio de Janeiro or
here. I let him focused at his fight, I don’t wanna disturb
him”, said Lyoto, that bet on a Brazilian victory. “I
believe a lot on Anderson Silva because he is a guy that dedicates
a lot and is well prepared. He has a big arsenal. Without demereting
Dan Henderson, that made a great history inside MMA, Anderson
is in a great time and I believe that he has much more chances”,
bet Lyoto, that believes that the best way to get out of the
octagon with a victory is fighting stand. “Anderson beats
really strong, thought, one punch well done is hard for Dan Henderson
to get it. He can take a lot, but if one or two punches get in
he’s capable to win the fight”, said.
Source: Tatame |
Quote
of the Day
“If
we could sell our experiences for what they cost us, we'd all
be millionaires.”
Abigail Van Buren, American Advice Columnist
|
PELLEGRINO
FOCUSES ON DIAZ FOR UFC FIGHT NIGHT
Kurt Pellegrino didn’t get much of a chance to enjoy the
fruits of his recent victory over Alberto Crane as the UFC came
calling again, this time with the opportunity to face another
“Ultimate Fighter” winner in Nate Diaz on April 2 in
Colorado.
In
an interview with MMAWeekly.com, Pellegrino said he immediately
accepted and went right back into training to prepare for the
upcoming bout.
“I
got my stitches out in eight days, from my lip, and the day they
took them out I put Vaseline on my face and went right back in
the gym and starting training jiu-jitsu,” Pellegrino said.
“My shape now is better than it was for Alberto (Crane).
I kept my foundation so this is the best camp I could ever ask
for.”
The
stitches he refers too were courtesy of a high kick to his face
from Crane that left a gash in his chin.
This
will be the second time Pellegrino has faced an “Ultimate
Fighter” season winner. The first was a loss to season two
champion Joe Stevenson, and Kurt doesn’t plan on going 0-2
when he faces Nate Diaz.
“His
name has already been in the stars, he won the ‘Ultimate
Fighter’ show,” said Pellegrino about his UFC Fight
Night 13 opponent. “His name will forever be in the stars.
When I fought Joe Stevenson, I had the opportunity to put my
name in the stars as well and make the stars shine above me when
I walk in the ring.
“I
failed that test. I let myself down by breaking my hand and fatiguing
from the pain and all that stuff. This is my opportunity in my
life to set things straight. The UFC has given me another chance
in my life to make the stars shine for me.”
Pellegrino
respects what Diaz had to accomplish by winning the show and
facing some stiff competition along the way.
“Nate’s
a tough kid. He’s young in this sport. He won the ‘Ultimate
Fighter’ show and there’s a lot of tough guys on that
show,” Pellegrino stated. “Matt Wiman, who is a former
teammate of mine, he was there. And Gray Maynard, he’s an
amazing wrestler. Manny Gamburyan was on the show; I know he
was tough. Cole Miller was on the show, Joe Lauzon. Those are
all pretty good guys.”
Considered
one of the most dangerous ground fighters in the UFC’s lightweight
division, Pellegrino plans on testing Diaz’s pedigree in
this fight.
“This
is definitely Nate’s biggest step in competition for sure,”
he commented. “Because of my background in wrestling and
jiu-jitsu. My boxing is really good now, too; I’ve been
working on it for like six years. He’s going to have his
hands full, and I’m going to have my hands full, too. I
think whoever comes ready to fight that day is going to win it.
“Good
luck to him and everyone he’s training with.”
Source: MMA Weekly |
JOE
RIGGS TO UNDERGO PROCEDURE FOR BACK
This Thursday, Joe “Diesel” Riggs will undergo surgery
to repair spinal damage sustained in his fight with Cory Devela
at “Strikeforce at the Dome” last Saturday.
Riggs
injured his back in the first minute of the fight. Devela threw
a kick, which Riggs tried to catch and use for a takedown. Instantly,
he knew something was wrong.
“I
felt fire shoot down my right leg,” Riggs told MMAWeekly.com.
Still,
he tried to fight, throwing knees as the two clinched against
the cage. Instinctively he drove forward for a takedown, his
legs going numb, and walked into a hip toss that Devela executed
perfectly.
When
he hit the ground, it was no longer a question as to whether
he could continue.
“I
was like, I’m done. I’m done; I can’t do anything,”
Riggs said. “I thought I was paralyzed.”
Doctors
will use a procedure called Radiofrequency Denervation to heat
the inside of his spinal discs, which will relieve pressure on
his sciatic nerve that was aggravated by two previous back injuries.
Last
April, Riggs had undergone surgery to repair a herniated disc
between his L-4 and L-5 vertebrae. Then, four months ago, he
broke a transverse process, a bone that protrudes from the vertebra
and attaches to muscles and ligaments.
When
Riggs cranked his back for the takedown, his sciatic nerve pinched
against his transverse process and the afflicted vertebrae.
As
a fighter with a strong sense of pride, the experience has deeply
unsettled Riggs. He feels credit is being given where it isn’t
due, and regrets taking the fight. When he arrived in Washington,
his back was already acting up.
“I’m
pulling my hair out over this thing, it’s embarrassing,”
Riggs said. “I’m not trying to disrespect the guy,
but he had no business beating a guy like me.”
On
the bright side, the procedure has a short recovery period. Doctors
have told Riggs he can get back into the gym a week after the
process. Just to be safe, he’s taking two.
He
also has an immediate rematch clause in his contract, so more
than anything, he’s looking forward to proving Devela’s
win was a fluke.
“I
vow my career on it; it will be a total, complete ass whooping,”
Riggs said.
Source: MMA Weekly |
Nortje,
Sefo join Xtreme Couture
K-1
veterans Jan "The Giant" Nortje and Ray Sefo have joined
Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas, the gym announced Monday.
The
South African-born Nortje (2-5) was victorious this past Saturday,
stopping Bob Sapp in 55 seconds at "Strikeforce At The Dome"
in Tacoma, Washington.
Sefo
(1-0) of New Zealand competed once in mixed martial arts in July
2005, knocking out judoka Min Soo Kim with a kick to the head.
According to the Xtreme Couture blog, Sefo was offered a fight
last week against Mirko "Cro Cop" for DREAM.1 on March
15, but Sefo turned it down due to the short notice.
Source: MMA Fighting |
'Iceman'
falls out of New York Times Top 10
Former UFC light heavyweight champion Chuck Liddell's biography
"Iceman: My Fighting Life" fell in its third week to
the number 16 spot on this week's New York Times Bestsellers
List.
The
hardcover, released on Jan. 29, debuted in the number 9 position
and stayed there for a second week before slipping this week.
Co-authored
with Chad Millman, the book chronicles Liddell's childhood life
all the way to the upset loss to Keith Jardine at UFC 76.
Liddell
will step into the Octagon next on June 7 at UFC 85, when he
takes on Mauricio "Shogun" Rua at the O2 Arena in London.
Source: MMA Fighting |
Hermes
Franca released by UFC
Brazilian serves suspension for doping
The
one-year suspension given to Hermes Franca after his fight with
Sean Sherk at UFC 73 may not have been the end of the world,
as the black belt recently said in an interview with GRACIEMAG.com.
“I’m doing seminars, opening academies affiliated with
my team (Team Hermes Franca) and making MMA and Jiu-Jitsu dvds.
The market is good and the time is now. Without mentioning my
family, I was fighting so much I didn’t have time for them.”
However,
as every fighter needs their stage, the wait till July (when
the suspension is up) can be anguishing, even more so since the
Brazilian is not sure where he will be appearing, since he declared
on the forum of MMA.tv that he no longer possesses a contract
with the UFC.
After
my fight I was suspended for a year,i could not fight in USA,so
I got some calls to fight in Canada, England, Japan etc …
so i asked Joe Silva to finish my contract with UFC, I told him
I need to fight to make money ,told him to please let me fight
and finish my contract( i was out of focus) and his gently did
it. So, I spoke with Mr. Armando Garcia, and he told me, if I
do some fights out of USA I could not fight in USA anymore never.
So I decide don’t fight and wait until july,So now I don’t
have any contract, but of course I will try come back to the
UFC( just if u guys wish hermes franca back again lol), or wait
for another offer from another organization,” Hermes wrote.
Source: Gracie Magazine |
Abdominal
Training
The abdominal region of the body is a critical training zone
for an MMA fighter. Without a strong core, the fighter will be
unable to throw powerful punches and kicks, apply throws or takedowns,
or work from the bottom or top on the ground. This is probably
one of the most neglected and misunderstood areas of the body
when it comes to training, not just for MMA, but for all sports.
By Martin Rooney, MHS, PT, CSCS, NASM
The
abdominal muscles are some of the most popular muscles to train
by athletes and fitness enthusiasts all over the world. The only
problem is, most people are either using them in training for
the wrong reasons, or they are just plain training them incorrectly.
When you look at gyms around the world, there are more exercise
gadgets, videos and classes that are specific to abdominal training
than for any other area of the body. Not only that, you can always
find gyms packed with people working their abs almost every day,
yet how many of the people in all of these gyms have a good looking
set of abs?
Usually
it is almost none of them. This fact should tell us all that
most people are not doing the right things to show off their
abs both in the gym and outside of it as well.
There
are three main reasons that I have identified why people train
the abdominal area:
1.
The most common reason is that people want a thinner, more defined
waist and abdominal area.
2.
The second reason is that people want to strengthen their abdominal
area for fitness or sports related reasons.
3.
Finally, people commonly work their abs because they want to
protect their back (this is a commonly seen prescription by doctors,
therapists, and trainers around the world).
The
Fastest Way to a Thinner Waistline
If
I had a dollar for every time a trainee or athlete asked me what
abdominal exercises are the best to thin their waists and make
them look more defined, I would be a millionaire. Even though
it may seem commonsense, (and you know fitness equipment manufacturers
want you to believe it) working the abdominal muscles is not
a good way to thin your waistline. This is known as the Spot
Theory, and it is actually a terrible use of your time if that
is one of your goals at all. The truth is, diet and nutrition
play the biggest role in whether or not you can see those rock
hard abs. Let’s face it, everyone has a nice set of abs,
just most of us have them covered with a layer of fat. No matter
how much you work those muscles, until you decrease your bodyfat
percentage, you still won’t see at thing.
So
the two best exercises I can suggest for developing better looking
abs are the table bench press (where you push yourself away from
the table early) and the reading of a quality nutrition book.
Newsflash!
The Abs are just like other muscles
Would
you curl your arm up and down for hundreds of reps if you wanted
to make it stronger? Probably not. Most people would instinctively
grab a heavy weight and do a low number or reps with that weight
and then repeat. All of us know by now about the Principle of
Progressive Overload, yet no one ever seems to apply it to abdominal
training. Take a hard look at how we train our abs “to get
stronger.” Usually it is with a limited number of exercises
for thousands of reps, almost every workout with no external
weights involved.
The
abdominal muscles respond to training just like the other muscles
of the body.
Use
heavy resistance and low reps, they get stronger, use no resistance
with lots of reps, they build endurance. Either method you choose,
you are also going to have to leave time for recovery t improve.
If you try to train them every day, increases in strength are
going to be hard to find. Beside this fact that most people are
training their abs with the wrong reps, sets and recovery schema,
they also don’t seem to apply the Principle of Variety either.
Usually most people just use some form of sit ups and maybe a
twisting motion. The training of the abdominal area requires
much more than this to work all of the muscles completely. Knowing
this, your workouts should now begin to add heavy resistance
to the exercises you are doing as well as adding new exercises
periodically to add a new stimulus to the training.
These
new exercises should also have purpose toward your specific goals.
For instance, if your sport requires rotation with strength,
like wrestling and grappling, your training better have some
of the same. If all you do is crunches and that is no a major
movement in your sporting event, you may be wasting your time.
A
great piece of advice is to treat the abdominal area just like
you would other parts of your body. Most people work their legs
one day, and save upper body for another. What about the core?
Why should the most important area that links the arms to the
legs be treated any different? If you are training smart, this
region should have its own day as well. Start throwing it in
and you will thank me for the results.
Want
to Protect the Back? Then Work the Back!
Since
the muscles of the abdominal wall and lower back are all sheathed
in the same envelope, many practitioners believe that the abs
are the ticket to good back health. They are on the right track,
but unfortunately, they often fail to see the real issue. There
is an optimal abdominal to back strength ratio. Most doctors
and trainers will focus on the abdominal area, train it incorrectly,
and completely forget about training the low back. To strengthen
the core properly, the low back region should have the focus,
not only because it is more functional, but it is a great way
to work the abs as well. For instance, squats, deadlifts and
overhead presses are exercises that are feared by many athletes,
doctors and trainers, yet they are much more effective ways to
train the core than high rep sit ups or crunches that do nothing
more than leave you with a burning stomach.
If
nothing else, I hope this article has you questioning your ideas
about and methods of training the abdominal region. To summarize,
if you follow a healthy diet, and train properly, you can have
the abdominal region you always dreamed of. If you don’t
follow the concepts expressed above, you will probably continue
with the abs you’ve got no matter how “hard” you
work them.
Source: Gracie Magazine |
Shogun:
“Minotauro boasted the Brazilians”
Designated
to face Chuck Liddell at UFC at June, Mauricio Shogun told TATAME
that hopes getting out the octagon with a victory, like Rodrigo
Minotauro did against Tim Sylvia. “Minotauro showed a lot
of strength and talent. He boasted the Braziliand”, said
the athlete from Universidade da Luta, before Minotauro wins
the UFC heavyweight belt. Fighting adains Wanderlei Silva’s
enemy at June, Shogun showed some confidence. “It’ll
be a tough fight, very tough. Liddell deserves all respect because
he’s a tough guy at Boxing and Wrestling, and with all sure
he’s the guy to be defeated. I’m doing all my work
and certainly will beat him”, said Shogun, that’s prepared
to the fight.
“I’ll
train everything, Muay Thai, Wrestling, Jiu-Jitsu. His best ability
is Muay Thai, so I’ll train everything”, said Shogun,
that waits for another Brazilian victory at UFC, with the middleweight
champion Anderson Silva, that’ll face Dan Henderson at UFC
82 at March 1st. “Anderson is very talent, I believe he’ll
win this fight. He’s more complete than Handeson, stand
up or at the ground. Henderson will try to take this fight at
the ground and pound, by he won’t make it”, bet.
Source: Tatame |
Cobrinha
desirous for Jiu-Jitsu
Disappointed
with not participating at the European Jiu-Jitsu Championship,
Charles Cobrinha told to TATAME’s site the problems that
impeded his participation on the competition. “I wanted
to fight, it was on my competition program this year, but I had
some unexpected problems. I was depending on my passport and
work visa of and without it I can’t leave the country. I’ll
surely be at the next one”, said the World gi and no-gi
Champion, that will have other problems with the visa delay.
“I
have some seminars to take, but I have to delay. I believe that,
by the end of February, I’ll be with my visa and start doing
the seminars”, told the Brazilian fighter, that miss his
country. “I wanna fight at this year, at Brazilian Championship,
and visit my mother too, because I miss her so much”, said
Cobrinha.
Source: Tatame |
Quote
of the Day
“Example
is not the main thing in influencing others. It is the only thing.”
Albert Schweitzer, 1875-1965, Alsatian Theologian/Musician/Medical
Missionary
|
Fighters'
Club TV Tonight!
Channel 52, Tuesdays
at 7:00 PM
Fighters'
Club TV Episode 57 is complete and submitted to Olelo
programming. It will air in our normal timeslot at 7pm Tuesday nights
on February 19 and 26, and March 4 and 11 on Olelo Oahu Oceanic Channel
52.
Episode
57 features:
-highlights
from Gil Yrojo's HAWAII FIGHT LEAGUE w/ interview from Gil,
Dr. Izuka, and Larry Perreira
-interview
from Kai Garcia's Boar's Nest w/ Mario Sperry!
-Technique
of the week: teh MMA HALFGUARD PASS by Mario Sperry
-Rob
Demello's KITV report on ICON's "To HELL and BACK"
Kala vs Baroni
-and
of course, two of your favorite Olelo personalities, Mike Onzuka
and Mark Kurano
Don't
forget to join up on MMA.TV and become part of the most
prestigious MMA forum in Hawaii, THE HAWAII UNDERGROUND! where
you can
talk to us and many other key players in the MMA industry in
Hawaii
including some of the top fighters here and in the world!
Comments,
Questions, and Suggestions to: fctv@onzuka.com
|
Tyson’s
life may be made into film
Ex-pugilist says he is off the drugs
If
happiness in the ring is a thing of the past, the deal is to
give another realm of the entertainment industry a shot. Once
knows as “Iron Mike”, Mike Tyson this week announced
he is working on turning his life into a movie, to be produced
by a big studio in Hollywood.
“I’m
thinking of producing a film, probably two years from now. Jamie
Foxx and I will be working together. He will play me in the film
about my life. We already talked about it several times,”
said Tyson, during a visit to a center for juvenile delinquents,
in Las Vegas.
While
talking to the youths, Tyson revealed that for the first time
in his life he is free of drugs, and that only happened because
of time spent in a rehabilitation clinic after having been thrown
in jail in 2006 for cocaine.
“I
learned a lot about the system. I had never been clean and sober
my whole life. This is the first time. Even when I was training
for a fight, there were no drugs, but I would drink. I’m
tired of losing. I lost the trust of my family, my five kids.
I didn’t like that way of life and decided to change. I
saw the devil and didn’t want that,” he finished.
Source: Gracie Magazine |
Xande
and his plans for the future
MMA becomes priority after Worlds
Despite
having been absolute world champion in 2006, three-time world
champion at weight (heavyweight), winner of Super Challenge Grappling,
and of the 99kg division at the last ADCC, Alexandre Ribeiro
wants more and already has his eye on the Worlds this year.Living
in California, where he teaches with his brother (Saulo Ribeiro)
in his academy, University of Jiu-Jitsu, Xande will have another
important and busy year ahead of him in his career.
The
reason being that the black belt is part of a legion of Brazilians
that are making the transition from Jiu-Jitsu to MMA. GRACIEMAG.com
spoke with Xande, who talked about his academy, the move to MMA
and training with UFC fighters Brandon Vera and Diego Sanchez.
GRACIEMAG.com:
How have classes been going at University of Jiu-Jitsu?
Xande:
Been going great. We now have some partners working with us on
MMA, like the Alliance Training Center, where we practice standup
and MMA and some of their athletes put on the gi and do Jiu-Jitsu
with us. We also have the Jiu-Jitsu Pan-American coming up, or
in other words, we’re going to receive a lot of people from
all around. Besides that we received the reinforcement of Fabricio
Morango, who will do an MMA fight here and will train with the
gang. We receive an average of five new students every month
and here we also seek to teach Jiu-Jitsu’s history, its
importance and value. So students take a test on The Gracie Way,
Helio Gracie’s book. Of the 40 students that took the exam,
only 3 didn’t pass and could not be promoted, since the
book is a prerequisite in doing so.
GRACIEMAG.com:
How has training been going and your preparations for 2008?
Xande:
I’m doing my pre-season training. I had a lot of injuries
in 2007 so I’m working on my physical conditioning and physiotherapy,
to get my body ready for the competitions I’ll be in this
year. I’ve also been training my boxing and muay thai, aside
from Jiu-Jitsu.
GRACIEMAG.com:
What competitions will we see Xande in this year? Are you thinking
of fighting MMA?
Xande:
I’m not going to fight in the Pan, because I want to focus
on preparing my students. My goal will be the Worlds and later
I’ll concentrate on making my MMA debut. Soon after the
Worlds I’m going to increase my training load to do vale
tudo. This transition is hard so I’m doing it in pieces.
GRACIEMAG.com:
Have you already received a proposal or will you leave that till
after the Worlds?
Xande:
I’ve made contact with the UFC and organizations in Japan,
but nothing is certain yet.
GRACIEMAG.com:
What is this partnership with the Alliance Training Center like?
Xande:
We receive some of their athletes to help with their preparations.
Our focus right now is Diego Sanchez, who will fight in the UFC.
He’s really tough, for those who don’t remember him
he beat Jake Shields in the ADCC and had a hard fight with Marcelinho
Garcia. He is a diamond in the rough, we’ll help him with
his Jiu-Jitsu. Another athlete who should be training with us
is Brandon Vera, who has a fight scheduled against Werdum. He’s
a really tough Jiu-Jitsu brown belt too. But lets go by parts,
first priority is Diego Sanchez who has a fight coming up, soon
thereafter will be Morango, then me and the Worlds and then comes
the fight with Vera, we like to do things in stages.
GRACIEMAG.com:
Do you think it’s important for MMA athletes to train in
the gi?
Xande:
A lot of these guys think they know Jiu-Jitsu but they really
don’t. They don’t even know how you get to certain
positions. I think it’s essential to train in the gi. Many
don’t put it on to train, which I think is wrong, those
who come here have to train in the gi, which is where technique
is learned. I come from the gi, so that is how I teach.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Horwich
staying hungry for first IFL title defense
IFL Middleweight champion Matt Horwich is set to defend his title
at the “New Blood New Battles” IFL event February 29th
at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas Nevada. The bible-quoting Horwich
won the middleweight belt last December at the IFL’s World
Grand Prix event when he knocked out Benji Radach in the second
round.
“I
was way stoked to get the victory,” gushed Horwich, “and
thankful to get a knockout against one of the top strikers in
the IFL.”
Horwich
celebrated his victory with friends in his hometown of Seattle.
“I’ve
been telling them for the last seven or eight years that I’m
going to bring them a middleweight belt,” Matt chuckles,
“and was blessed enough to bring them one, and wear it around
on New Years.”
The
free-spirited Horwich (21-9-1) will make his first title defense
at the Orleans Arena against Ryan McGivern (11-5) and is not
taking it lightly.
“I’m
trying to stay as hungry as I was to win the belt, to defend
it,” Matt says. “Ryan McGivern is an awesome fighter
and a really dangerous fight.”
McGivern
is coming off a knockout victory of his own against Fabio Leopoldo
during the IFL 2007 Championship last September, when the New
York Pitbulls spoiled the three-peat aspirations of the Quad
Cities Silverbacks. The IFL has since abandoned the league-chosen
teams in favor of spotlighting team training camps. They also
adopted a more traditional structure of crowning individual champions
by weight class, which were determined at the World Grad Prix
tournament last December.
Horwich
is looking to redeem an earlier loss to McGivern in the IFL 2006
Championship when the Silverbacks defeated the Wolfpack to win
their second straight championship. With the championship already
decided by the third fight, Horwich stepped in to face McGivern
but lost by unanimous decision in a slow, plodding fight. Though
‘revenge’ is a really strong word for the deeply religious
Horwich, he looks forward to fighting McGivern and is honored
to compete against him a second time.
“Everyone
needs a good challenge in life,” Matt opines. “Nothing
worth having comes without some sort of a fight.”
To
prepare for the fight, Matt has trained with Mario Sperry and
the Couture gang. He’s concentrating on cardio, strength-training
and stand-up with Chris Riley. He’s improving his Jiu-Jitsu
by training with Eddie Bravo.
“I’ve
got a lot of really good middleweights to work with,” Matt
says. “My wrestling and takedown defense is always improving,
learning from my favorite coach in the world, Matt Lindland.”
Matt
feels fighting for Team Quest gives him a lot of resources to
work with. Team Quest fighters visit other schools, such as BJ
Penn’s, to learn fresh techniques.
“The
great thing about our team, is that we encourage each other to
be open-minded and learn other things to bring back to the team,”
Matt adds. “They even brought in Bas Rutten to give a seminar.”
But
win or lose, a day after the fight, Horwich is getting married
and spending a week in Las Vegas on honeymoon, hopefully as Mr.
& Mrs. Middleweight Champ.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Loiseau
to meet Gouwenberg at HCF on March 29
Former
UFC middleweight title contender David "The Crow" Loiseau
will headline the HCF "Crow's Nest" event on March
29 against Todd Gouwenberg in Gatineau, Quebec, Canada.
Gouwenberg,
who fought as a light heavyweight in a losing effort to Antonio
Rogerio Nogueria at the last HCF event, will move down to middleweight
to replace Evangelista "Cyborg" Santos, who was removed
as Loiseau opponent for signing to fight on the March 5 World
Victory Road "Sengoku" card.
"It
is with a heavy heart we terminate Cyborg’s contract as
he is one of my favorite fighters however we cannot allow fighters
to dictate the terms of contracts to us as this can impact the
integrity of our events," HCF President Dave Houshiar said.
With
his spinning back kick and his dangerous elbows, Loiseau was
a star for the UFC in 2005. But after stepping foot into the
Octagon against Rich Franklin, Loiseau has dropped four of his
last five fights. Loiseau recently lost a split decision to Jason
Day at HCF: Destiny.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Quote
of the Day
“The
best way to give advice to your children is to find out what
they want and then advise them to do it.”
Harry S. Truman, 1884-1972, 33rd President of the United States
|
Quote
of the Day
“The
best way to give advice to your children is to find out what
they want and then advise them to do it.”
Harry S. Truman, 1884-1972, 33rd President of the United States
|
WANDERLEI
CONFIRMS UFC 84 BOUT WITH JARDINE
There has been a lot speculation and hint dropping lately that
a fight was brewing between former Pride fighter Wanderlei Silva
and Ultimate Fighting Championship contender Keith Jardine. That
fight is about to become a reality.
“I’m
leaving right now to sign the Jardine fight contract and you
are the first ones to know officially,” said Silva on his
website on Friday. “I am starting to train hard again to
be able to get the victory.”
Although
Jardine’s management could not confirm the fight, sources
close to the fighter’s camp indicate that Jardine is prepared
to sign a bout agreement to face Silva on May 24 at UFC 84 in
Las Vegas.
As
for Silva’s training for the fight, he elaborated on his
situation, saying, “This week I went to talk to (Randy)
Couture and I’ve asked him to be my new coach. He was very
happy with my wish and he will teach me some wrestling. I’ll
be doing the fighting training with his athletes in a time where
everybody train together.”
Silva
is a very popular fighter, but is at an important crossroads
in his career. He has lost his last three bouts, the first time
he has ever done so. He was knocked out in a heavyweight bout
with Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic and then dropped his
205-pound Pride title to Dan Henderson, also by knockout. In
his most recent bout, his return to the UFC, he lost a unanimous
decision to Chuck Liddell.
Silva
has indicated that he wasn’t as effective in utilizing the
cage as he should have been when he faced Liddell, which is a
significant part of his decision to train with Couture. He believes
that the UFC heavyweight champion can help him adapt his skills
for the Octagon.
Jardine
had seemed to be steadily working his way into title contention
with back-to-back victories over Wilson Gouveia and Forrest Griffin
before being derailed by then UFC newcomer Houston Alexander.
In his last fight out, Jardine scored a victory over Liddell,
putting him back on the track towards the title. A win over Silva
would likely put him on the cusp of that coveted shot at UFC
gold.
Liddell
confirmed to MMAWeekly that he has signed to fight Mauricio “Shogun”
Rua at UFC 85. With Jardine’s victory over Liddell coming
via split decision and with Forrest Griffin and Quinton Jackson’s
title bout reportedly not happening until late summer, if Liddell
and Jardine both win, it is a distinct possibility that the two
might have to rematch before either is able to challenge the
light heavyweight champion.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
HAZELETT
READY FOR WAR WITH KOSCHECK AT UFC 82
Dustin Hazelett will step into the Ultimate Fighting Championship
Octagon for the fifth time when he faces Josh Koscheck at UFC
82. He is the underdog going into the bout, but it’s a role
the Kentucky native relishes, as all the pressure is on Koscheck.
"I
don't mind being the underdog. I think it kind of alleviates
some pressure because nobody is really expecting you to win,"
Hazelett told MMAWeekly. " I think that it's one thing that
might give me an advantage in this fight, as I think he might
take me lightly also."
Hazelett
is 3-1 in the UFC riding a three-fight win streak heading into
the bout. Koscheck is coming off of a loss to Georges St. Pierre
at UFC 74 and Hazelett feels like all the pressure is on Koscheck.
"I
never really feel the pressure. I would say, for him, he should
be feeling some pressure going against someone like me who's
a relative unknown in the grand scheme of things. A loss like
that on top of being his second loss in a row would kind of be
detrimental to his career," commented Hazelett.
When
presented with the opportunity to face Koscheck, Hazelett liked
the stylistic match-up and didn't hesitate accepting the fight.
"I was very excited because this is a chance to really showcase
my skills and test myself against a really tough opponent,"
said the 21-year-old fighter.
"One
reason I was really excited about his fight is because I'm fighting
a wrestler, who in order for him to play into his strong suit,
he has to also play into my strength."
He
continued, "I'm real good about catching submissions on
the way down from takedowns, so that's something I always look
to implement. Anytime anyone takes someone down, no matter how
good of a wrestler that they are, there's always a split second
where they're over-extended or posting on the mat, and that's
something that if you're quick you can take advantage of."
Hazelett's
training was tailored specifically for Koscheck and he feels
he's ready whether it stays standing or goes to the ground. "I've
been working a lot of striking because I watched the Diego (Sanchez)
fight and I realized that was a very real possibility in that
if I couldn't out-strike him that I would be in trouble. That's
been one of my top priorities is being able to out-strike him
and outwork him off my back. Those are the main two things I've
been focusing on."
He
added, "I don't' really care if I get taken down, so it
really frees up my striking because I don't have to worry about
throwing big shots or kicks or anything like that against a wrestler
because if they take me down I'm in my guard, which is my strongest
place. It really liberates your stand up when you don't have
to worry about getting taken down."
When
he steps into the Octagon with Koscheck, Hazelett is expecting
and looking forward to a "war," and he "can't
wait for it."
Source: MMA Weekly
|
CHRIS
LEBEN READY TO SWIM IN THE DEEP WATER
It wasn't too long ago that Chris Leben was one of the top contenders
to face then Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight titleholder
Rich Franklin. That was until Leben ran into the buzz saw that
is Anderson Silva. Instead of solidifying himself as the number
one contender, he found himself going back to the drawing board.
Leben
then knocked out Jorge Santiago in his first fight after his
loss to Silva. Unfortunately, Leben would succumb to back-to-back
losses to Jason MacDonald and Kalib Starnes. While many fighters
would get a lesser opponent after dual losses, Leben was sent
to face the very tough Chicago native Terry Martin, who had been
on a four-fight winning streak.
Martin
was winning even though Leben was making a good fight out of
it. However, Martin decided to engage in a punching exchange
with the iron-jawed Leben that ended up being his fate. Leben
landed a clean shot to Martin's jaw rendering him unconscious.
That
win was a significant win for Leben, especially as he starts
to climb the ladder back into the middleweight title picture.
“It was a close fight,” reflected Leben. “I was
probably on the down side according to the judges. It was a huge
win for me.”
That
fight was huge for Leben because it was also his last fight on
his original contract with the UFC. Despite some rumblings a
few months ago that Leben may leave the promotion at the end
of his contract, “The Crippler” has recently resigned
a new deal that will keep him with the UFC for two more years.
While he may have gotten a raise, he's also very happy that he
gets to stay with the number one mixed martial arts organization
in the world.
“For
me, so far things have worked out well in the UFC,” said
Leben. “I just wanted to feel like I was getting respect.
I love the UFC. They are the biggest and the best.”
Leben
will have the opportunity to build on his winning streak at UFC
82 on Saturday night, when he faces Alessio Sakara, who is moving
down from light heavyweight. He is making his middleweight debut
against Leben.
Sakara
is known for his above average boxing skills and standing toe-to-toe
with almost anyone that he has faced. That kind of matchup intrigues
Leben because that's his style of fighting as well. Even though
he expects Sakara to stand up and bang with him, that doesn't
mean that Leben doesn't have a set game plan in place.
“Obviously,
I will adapt my game plan for anyone I fight. I've watched the
tape on him. I know how he likes to fight. Of course I have a
game plan for that.”
Even
though Leben just knocked out a tough contender in Martin, he
doesn't feel slighted that he is taking on Sakara in his first
185-pound fight. “Everybody is tough at 185. He's got to
fight somebody. One thing is for sure; it's guaranteed to be
an exciting matchup.”
A
former Team Quest member, Leben moved to Hawaii and has been
training out there for quite some time now. He still works out
with Matt Hume and has a close relationship to several fighters
from Team Quest, but he enjoys living in Hawaii.
How
does he motivate himself to train in such a beautiful place?
“It actually makes it easier when you get up and go running,
when it's nice and sunny outside,” he commented. “It's
kind of low key. I live across the street from the gym, so I
wake up and go across the street and train. It makes it real
easy for me.”
Leben
has the opportunity to put on another very exciting performance
against Sakara, since both fighters are likely to stay in the
pocket and throw down. However, he has a specific plan for Sakara,
which he plans on implementing.
“My
plan is to push the pace. My cardio is great right now. I'm going
to go full speed for three rounds. I'm gonna put him in the pressure
cooker and take him into deep water to see how he handles it.”
Source: MMA Weekly
|
YAMAGUCHI
SCORES WIN IN SHOOTO MAIN EVENT
At Shooto’s “Shooting Disco 4” event in Tokyo
on Saturday, Mamoru Yamaguchi lead the charge of the decision-laden
event. He scored a unanimous decision victory over Yuki Shoujou
to get back on the winning track.
Akihiro
Murayama also improved his record – having gone without
a loss in his last nine bouts – by also scoring a unanimous
decision over Hiroki Sato, handing Sato his first professional
loss.
SHOOTING
DISCO 4 RESULTS:
Mamoru
Yamaguchi def. Yuki Shoujou by Unanimous Decision, R3
Akihiro Murayama def. Hiroki Sato by Unanimous Decision, R2
Ryuichi Miki def. Kenji Hosoya by Unanimous Decision, R2
Shintaro Ishiwatari def. Kazuhiro Ito by KO at 2:17, R1
Masatoshi Kobayashi def. Tomonori Taniguchi by TKO at 3:01, R1
Noboru Tahara def. Takehiro Ishii by Unanimous Decision, R2
Rookie
Tournament Bouts
Lightweight:
Daiki Tsuchiya def. Hidenori Nishino by KO at 0:54, R2
Featherweight:
Yuki Baba def. Tatsuya Nakajima by Unanimous Decision, R2
Light
Heavyweight:
Naoji Mikoshiba def. Taijiro Iseki by Majority Decision, R2
Featherweight:
Haruo Ochi def. Masumi Tozawa by KO at 3:11, R1
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Quote
of the Day
"Success
is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss
of enthusiasm."
Winston Churchill, 1874-1965, English Politician/Author/Nobel
Prize Winner
|
Strikeforce
at the dome results
Dome in Tacoma, Wash
2/23/08
Nathan
Coy def. Dave Corshane at 1:46 of Rd. 1 by KO.
Zach Skinner def. Scott Shaffer at 5:00 of Rd. 3 by Unanimous
Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Mike Hayes def. Matt Kovacs at 5:00 of Rd. 3 by Unanimous Decision
(29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
Lyle Beerbohm def. Ray Perales at 1:19 of Rd. 3 by Submission
(Guillotine Choke)
Jorge Masvidal def. Ryan Healy at 5:00 of Rd. 3 by Unanimous
Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Eddy Ellis def. Steve Berger at 5:00 of Rd. 3 by Unanimous Decision
(30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
Maurice Smith def. Rick Roufus by submission (Kimura) 1:53, R1
-Cory Devela def. Joe Riggs by submission at 1:22, R1
-Jan Nortje def. Bob Sapp by TKO at :55, R1
Source: MMA Weekly
|
THE
LEGALIZATION OF MMA IN FRANCE
by Lee Whitehead
France has become quite a hot bed for mixed martial arts talent
over the years, but not one that immediately springs to mind
on the world stage. Why? Because MMA as a sport in France has
been banned for many years; mainly for political reasons and
to protect the sanctity of traditional martial arts, but the
times they are a changing.
It
was recently announced that there will be a test event in April
that will be used to assess the sport. If it gets the all clear,
promotions will be popping up all over the place to satisfy previously
withheld demand. The inaugural promotion is as yet unnamed, but
a basic outline of the approved MMA format is as follows:
-
There will be no “Cage” events; all events must be
held in a ring.
- There will be no kicks to the body or the head on the ground.
- There will be no knee strikes to the head on the ground, but
the body is allowed.
- There will be no elbow strikes on the ground.
Aside
from the above, the basis of the rules remains similar to the
“Unified Rules” format as adopted by the Ultimate Fighting
Championship and the vast majority of promotions worldwide.
The
legalization of MMA as a sport in France has massive implications,
positive and negative. Established fighters will finally be able
to fight in their own country without having to fight abroad.
They will be able to advertise their gyms as MMA disciplined
and thus increase awareness of the sport, in turn gaining new
members and increasing the depth of talent in training. Finally,
they will be able to be recognized for the talented fighters
they are in their own country.
“About
four or five years ago, the U.K. was in a similar situation to
France in relation to the amount of good solid teams you could
train at. If you wanted everything in-house, top notch, you went
to London Shootfighters, but now things are different and there
are literally gyms all over the country that offer top-level
training. It’s not just limited to one place anymore,”
stated UFC veteran Jess “The Joker” Liaudin about the
potential talent pool growth.
“This
will likely be the same in France, we have excellent strikers
there and excellent grapplers too, it’s only a matter of
time before they all come together”
Negatively,
if promotions start popping up too fast, there could be infighting
between them and a lot of sharks getting involved under the perception
that the sport will sustain them. If new promotions don’t
tread carefully from a medical and safety point of view, it would
take only a few incidents to undo all the positive work undertaken
so far in legalizing the sport. If established fighters demand
too much money and place themselves outside of the affordability
range at this early stage, the French fans will still not get
the chance to be able to see their stars.
French
fighter Cyrille “The Snake” Diabate offered his thoughts
on the subject, “Well, as I was expecting... now that the
sport is allowed a lot of people are going to be fighting to
get the key functions in the sanctioning body. There's going
to be a lot of bickering and disputes and I'm not sure that the
first period of MMA in France is going to be a very good one
for the sport. We'll just have to wait and see and hope I'm wrong”
Liaudin
also weighed in, saying, “It is going to be a year of mistakes
and politics, but it’s good that it’s legal now. We
just need to avoid experienced guys with 15-0 records fighting
local nobodies and damaging the sport. If you look at MMA globally,
it took 10 years to get to where we are now. France will not
change overnight, it will take time, but people will rush it
and jump on the bandwagon to make a quick buck.”
From
a global MMA point of view, the sport’s legalization in
France presents an interesting opportunity for the UFC. It had
previously been mentioned that the American MMA Goliath had considered
running an event in Monaco, but due to close political affiliation
with France, Monaco had become less of a prospect of late. With
the relaxing of stance relating to MMA in France, the principality
becomes a very wealthy and elite potential location for a premiere
MMA event.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Drug
Cocktail Led to Gracie's Death
by Gleidson Venga
Ryan is second from left.
The first report on the death of Ryan Gracie states that he died
due to a combination of illegal drugs and prescription medication.
Two
months after his body was found in a Sao Paulo jail cell, the
"Fantastico" television program on Rede Globo in Brazil
cited a toxicology report conducted by experts that indicated
Gracie had consumed marijuana and cocaine. He also had the following
anti-anxiety medications in his system: Midazolam, Alprazolan,
Prometazina, Clozapine and Haloperidol.
The
medications were given in therapeutic doses, according to the
official report. Yet official investigator Paulo D'Amico Jr.
said it was the combination of drugs, not their measurement,
that caused Gracie's death. D'Amico explained that the drug cocktail
affected Gracie's heart and also noted the fighter's history
of dependence.
Psychiatrist
Sabino de Farias Neto administered the medication.
"For
31 years I have treated patients who use marijuana, cocaine,
[alcohol]," Neto said. "And use medications exactly
at this level."
Psychiatrist
Marcelo de Mello, who had no connection to the case, commented
during the "Fantastico" program's report on the effects
of several drugs in the body.
"The
thing you will notice is the amount of drugs that were used at
the same time," Mello said. "One interacts with the
other, which can increase the number of side effects. In this
case, especially the heart. The heart may start to knock off
the pace, [beat] more seriously -- it can lead to cardiac arrest."
The
use of cocaine can exacerbate the situation. Furthermore, problems
were likely compounded when Gracie left the Legal Medical Institute
and returned to jail.
Dr.
Neto visited him inside the cell.
"And
in jail he gave more medicines to Ryan," said Flavia Gracie,
Ryan's sister. "At the time of leaving, he took a remedy
out of his pocket and said, 'Ryan, if you need it in the middle
of the night. This is one of mine.'"
The
official cause of death, based on an analysis of the toxicology
report, is expected in the next week. The investigator, D'Amico
Jr., will wait for official disclosure before he decides whether
to implicate the doctor for homicide without intent to kill or
even intentional murder.
"Dr.
[Neto] took the risk of causing Ryan's death in those conditions
where he was," D'Amico Jr. said.
Lazarini
Pedro Neto, the doctor's lawyer, denies the guilt of his client.
"I
am distressed, anxious, [because of] this report," Dr. Neto
said. "It is sad because I went there to save lives."
Source: Sherdog
|
King
of the Cage competitor dies after sparring session
Rene Ayangma, a one-time King of the Cage competitor, collapsed
Tuesday after a sparring session and later passed away in a nearby
hospital, reports The Canadian Press.
There
is no clear explanation yet for his sudden death. An autopsy
was scheduled for Wednesday night.
Ayangma,
20, was a student at the University of Prince Edward Island in
Prince Edward, Canada. The biology major was training for his
second professional mixed martial arts bout on the upcoming Extreme
Cage Combat card on March 15 in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The Canadian
middleweight won his mixed martial arts debut by rear naked choke
submission at King of the Cage: Avalance on December 15, 2007.
MMAFighting.com
would like to send our condolences to the family and friends
of Ayangma.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Terrell
Released From UFC
David Terrell has been officialy released from his UFC contract.
He first debuted in the UFC back in August of 2004 where he shocked
the MMA world with a vicious knockout win over heavily favored
Matt Linland in the early seconds of the 1st round. He then lost
a title fight against Evan Tanner and then rebounded by beating
Scott Smith in April of 2006.
Unfortunately
that was the last we saw of Terrell fighting in the Octagon.
Plagued by injuries and unhappy with the financial terms of his
bout agreements, Terrell sat out the remainder of his contract.
Now focused on getting his career back on track, Terrell will
be looking to signing and fighting with another organization.
Source: Gracie Fighter
|
Werdum
comments on Brandon Vera
Werdum comments on Brandon Vera Fight to take place at UFC 85
Back
on the list of the greatest challengers to the UFC heavyweight
title, now belonging to Rodrigo Minotauro, is Fabricio Werdum
who has his next appointment in the octagon scheduled on his
way to the coveted belt. The Chute Boxe black belt’s adversary
will be Brandon Vera, a striker with nine MMA fights and but
a single loss, to towering Tim Sylvia at UFC 77.
On
the list of Vera’s triumphs his knockouts of Frank Mir and
Brazilian Fabiano Pega-Leve can be included. The bout will take
place on June 7th in London at UFC 85, so the Brazilian will
have three months to prepare. GRACIEMAG.com spoke with the two-time
Jiu-Jitsu world champion about his hopes for the fight, Brandon
Vera and training.
GRACIEMAG.com:
How has your break after the fight with Napao been?
Werdum:
I spend a month in Spain with my family teaching a lot of seminars
and assisting some of my students. I’m in Porto Alegre now
where we are setting up a new Chute Boxe training center, which
should be inaugurated on March 13th. However, I will be doing
my training for the fight in Curitiba and in the future we will
do an exchange between the two academies.
GRACIEMAG.com:
And what about the fight with Brandon Vera, is it a done deal?
What do you know about his game?
Werdum:
It’s 100% confirmed. I accepted the fight right off the
bat and I think it was well matched. It will be a good fight,
it won’t stop, anything can happen. He’s a tough guy
who’s going after his. He’s big and fast, a tall striker,
he’s 1.88meters, and good with his knees, he’s also
a Jiu-Jitsu brown belt and has gotten the submission in several
fights.
GRACIEMAG.com:
When will you be returning to heavy training? Have you talked
to the team to lay out a strategy for the fight?
Werdum:
I’ll go back to heavy training and see about my plan on
Monday. I have three months to get ready. I’ll prepare myself
a lot better for this fight, like never before. I want to be
ready for anything.
GRACIEMAG.com:
Do you think it’s already about time to fight for the title
or do you think it’s best not rush things?
Werdum:
After the fight with Napao, Dana White said I’d returned
to the top 5 and that maybe I would get a shot at the title,
but it wasn’t for sure. I already thought before I’d
have to fight one more time. I think everything is happening
at the right time, I don’t want to do anything prematurely.
I don’t have the right to now because I lost to Arlovsky;
if I’d won it would be another story. I have two more appearances
on my UFC contract, I want to do this one and then fight for
the belt.
GRACIEMAG.com:
Would you like to face Minotauro for the belt? What did you think
of his fight with Tim Sylvia?
Werdum:
I was sure that Minotauro would submit him, but I knew it wouldn’t
be easy. He’s really good, is always ahead of his adversary,
thinking about the future. He surely practiced that move a lot.
I’d like to fight him, to get a revenge match. I always
modeled myself on him, but at the time we fought, I was not well,
my Master Mauricao had just passed away.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Quote
of the Day
"No
member of a crew is praised for the rugged individuality of his
rowing."
Ralph Waldo Emerson, 1803-1882, American Poet and Essayist
|
Icon
Grappling Tournament Today!
Saturday, February 23
Weigh-ins at 9:30 am
All are welcome. $20 entry fee ($25 day of). No Gi
Lots
of Prizes and special guests!
808-373-4266
For Entry Forms. (Available Monday Feb 4th)
Tournament will be round-robin. We are not expecting a huge turn-out
and will try and keep divisions/weight classes to 8 people or
less.
Levels
beginner = Up to 1 year training.
Intermediate = 1-3 Years Training.
Advanced = Over 3 years Training.
Weight
Classes
130lb, 140lb, 155lb, 170lb, 185lb, 205lb, Over 205lb.
Tournament
will be No-Gi Only! (plan to expand to Gi in future tourneys)
You
will wrestle each competitor in your bracket. (ie: 8 competitors
guarantees 7 matches)
Each
preliminary match will be 3 minutes long.
If
fighters stall on their feet they will be forced to start in
a neutral clinch position.
Submissions
score 1 point.
Draws
(no submission in 3 minutes) score 1/2 point.
The
two highest scoring competitors will compete in finals in a 6
minute match. If no submission in 6 minutes, match will restart
as 'sudden death' with 1 minute rounds. Competitor referee deems
has 'advantage' choses dominant position (mount, back mount,
etc.) to start from. If 1 minute passes without submission dominant
position switches. 1 minute rounds will continue as such till
one competitor is submitted.
Rules.
Beginner
and Intermediate divisions are not allowed heel hooks (achiles
locks and knee-bars allowed).
We
view this as a 'practice tournament' giving competitors a chance
to compete in multiple matches in a friendly, safe, competitive
atmosphere.
|
John
McCain, candidate against MMA
Copyright www.Johnmccain.com
Republicans
or democrats, American MMA athletes and fans already has a candidate
that won’t be voted for president. Candidate on next election,
the republican John McCain fought for a long time against MMA
at USA. While MMA was growing at United States and all over the
world, John did whatever he could to prohibit events like UFC.
For one moment, the UFC had to be transferred to Alabama by plane,
with octagon and everything, to be done. John McCain will have
to face some “strong” opponents at presidential run.
Source: Tatame
|
IFL
MOVES ON FROM MYNETWORKTV WITH HDNET
by Ken Pishna
The International Fight League is in the midst of a rebirth of
sorts, changing many aspects of the promotion as it readies for
its first event of 2008 on Feb. 29 in Las Vegas. Perhaps chief
among all the changes is the promotion’s television presence.
Earlier
this month, the IFL and HDNet announced a partnership, which
calls for HDNet to air the first three IFL events of 2008 live
on its network.
Lost
to most among all the changes has been the parting of ways between
the IFL and MyNetworkTV. According to IFL CEO Jay Larkin, “It
was a mutual decision. They were going in a different direction
with the programming, finding their way as a young network, and
we respect that.”
Despite
MyNetwork’s new direction, it’s not surprising that
the IFL wouldn’t be that put off by a separation from the
network. Sources indicate that the promotion was spending more
money in production of its “Battleground” series than
it was bringing in.
The
current deal with HDNet is for the IFL’s first three events
of 2008. It answers many detractors of the promotion’s presence
on television last season, which was all on a pre-recorded basis.
HDNet will air the events live.
The
biggest criticism now has been the limited reach of HDNet. The
network reportedly reaches between six to eight million homes,
whereas MyNetworkTV is available in more than 95 percent of all
homes in the U.S.
Larkin,
however, doesn’t see HDNet’s smaller audience as a
barrier. “The fact that HDNet is limited helps us in the
important area of after-market sales, particularly with DVD sales
and Fox Sports Net broadcasts. Since it is virtually untouched
product, other than with the core fans who know where HDNet is
for live coverage.”
In
regards to the FSN broadcasts, Larkin said that they have an
“open-ended deal” with the sports network, but that
“FSN is committed through 2008.”
And
it doesn’t appear that the IFL is done exploring other television
deals. Saying that the loss of MyNetworkTV was “not a blow
at all,” Larkin commented, “We have moved on and are
exploring other broadcast options.”
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Ortiz
won't return to the UFC as long as White is president
Tito Ortiz is still angry with UFC President Dana White and has
no plans to re-sign with the leading promotion when his contract
expires in May.
When
NBCSports.com’s MMA Fight Weekly asked Ortiz the likelihood
he'll return to the UFC, Ortiz responded, "As Dana White
president, zero percent."
Ortiz's
final trip inside the UFC Octagon will be at UFC 84 in Las Vegas
on May 24. The former light heavyweight champion will be taking
on the undefeated Lyoto Machida.
"I
respect Machida, one hundred percent,” Ortiz said. “I
think he’s a great fighter. But it’s not about Machida
at all, it’s about Dana White. It’s about Dana White
and how he’s treating me. I feel sorry for Machida because
of Dana. I’m backed into a corner and I got to fight my
way out of it."
For
White to set up Ortiz’s farewell bout against Machida, the
UFC President must have had the utmost confidence that Machida
will come out on top. Ortiz agreed that Machida wasn’t a
preferred opponent, but that’s for business reasons.
"Machida
would not be the person I would have picked," Ortiz said.
"It was so built around me and Rashad rematch, that I thought
that was the proper fight to fight. It would have been a bigger
pay-per-view.
White,
who also spoke with NBCSports.com, fired back by saying Ortiz
is once again making excuses.
"You
don’t know how bad this guy didn’t want to fight Machida,"
White said. "Did not want to fight Lyoto Machida. He’s
12-0, Tito. He’s ranked in the top ten. Tito isn’t
a top ten-ranked fighter anymore. He’s not ranked in anybody’s
top ten. He hasn’t won a significant fight in two years."
One
thing's for sure, if Ortiz can deliver Machida's first loss,
he'll be far more attractive to promoters who will no doubt court
him as soon as he leaves the UFC. Ortiz mentioned EliteXC, M-1
Global and HDNet Fights as companies he's paying close attention
to.
"I
just want someone that’s going to respect me, that’s
going to support me, and make me be the star that I truly am."
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Drysdale
talks about new phase
Yesterday the black belt signed with Xtreme Couture
With his eye on MMA and reaching new heights, the absolute champion
of the last ADCC, Robert Drysdale yesterday signed with Xtreme
Couture, where he will be a grappling and Jiu-Jitsu instructor
while training for his MMA debut.
The
fighter, who moved to Las Vegas, doesn’t want to lose any
time and has already met his new team, and mainly his new boss,
the former light heavyweight and heavyweight champion of the
UFC, Randy Couture. Awestruck by the structure of his new team,
the Brasa black belt spoke with GRACIEMAG.com about his first
impressions, his relationship with Couture and his expectations
for his MMA debut.
How
did this opportunity to work with Couture come about?
It
was actually really interesting. I received an email from the
manager of Xtreme Couture, who found out I was in Las Vegas,
inviting me to get to know the academy. I was impressed with
the structure and the treatment I received.
What
did you think of him as a person and fighter? Did you get a chance
to train with him?
As
a fighter I think we all know him, the guy is without a doubt
a phenomenon. Not just anyone can be UFC champion at 44 years
of age. I haven’t yet had the opportunity to train with
him, as I only just signed with them yesterday. As a person he
seemed to be really friendly, humble and positive. Without a
doubt the guy’s really cool to be around and is someone
I can learn a lot from. I’m really happy about this opportunity.
You
are now in one of the biggest MMA schools. What will the technical
exchange between yourself and the other fighters be like?
The
idea is this. Today I talked with several fighters from the academy
and we are already swapping experiences. Everybody is cool and
focused. The idea is to help them with their ground game while
they help me transition from sport Jiu-Jitsu to MMA. They are
two completely different sports. To me this experience is really
good. It’s like being a white belt all over again.
Are
you already thinking of debuting in MMA of do you think you need
more time to be better prepared?
I’m
in no hurry. I’m aware that I’m still far from where
I want to be. I’m training every day and right now that’s
all that matters. I always consider conquests to be the consequence
of lots of work and discipline. When my coaches think I’m
ready I’ll be happy to get in the ring. But training always
precedes results.
Are
you going alone or with your family? How has your adaptation
been?
I’m
used to the USA. Of course I’ll miss my family and students
in Itu and my friends at Brasa in Sao Paulo. My girlfriend, Michelle
Nicolini, should be moving here shortly and that helps a lot.
Andre Galvao and Lucas Leite also plan on moving here. Having
friends nearby also helps. The problem is that in Brazil the
professional side of things is very limited. I felt I had met
all my objectives in Brazil and that the time had come to grow
professionally. To reach new goals. To soar a little higher.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Mark
Coleman will be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame
By Brian Knapp
Mark Coleman, the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s first
heavyweight titleholder, will be inducted into the UFC Hall of
Fame as part of UFC 82 “Pride of a Champion” on Saturday,
March 1 at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. MMAJunkie.com
confirmed the long-rumored induction this week.
A
two-time All-American and former national champion with the Ohio
State University wrestling team, Coleman will join Randy Couture,
Ken Shamrock, Royce Gracie and Dan Severn as the only men to
receive the UFC’s highest honor. Coleman, 43, last competed
at Pride 32 “The Real Deal” in October 2006 and has
not set foot inside the Octagon since dropping a decision to
Pedro Rizzo nine years ago.
Widely
credited with introducing ground-and-pound into the world of
mixed martial arts, Coleman wrestled in the 1992 Summer Olympics
in Barcelona, Spain, before he moved on to a successful career
in MMA. He competed against some of the world’s premier
heavyweights, including Fedor Emelianenko (twice), Mirko “Cro
Cop” Filipovic and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira.
Coleman
cemented his legacy in May 2000, when he ended Igor Vovchanchyn’s
31-fight unbeaten streak to become Pride’s first grand prix
champion.
Source: The Fight Network
|
Yahoo!
to distribute UFC pay-per-views online
Fans will now be able to watch live UFC pay-per-views events
online via Yahoo! Sports.
The
UFC announced today that Yahoo! Sports will be distributing UFC
pay-per-views starting with UFC 82: Pride of A Champion on March
1. Live webcasts were only previously available on the UFC On
Demand website.
Yahoo!
Sports offered a live webcast of mixed martial arts in the past,
airing the "Strikeforce At The Mansion" event last
September free of charge.
As
the UFC continues to expand globally, this move allows the UFC
to provide fans from around the world to watch live UFC events.
The
cost to watch pay-per-views on Yahoo! Sports will be the same
as watching it on television, $44.95.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
HDNet
Fights to Broadcast Mar.15th Xtreme Fighting League
By FCF Staff
HDNet
Fights has announced that the high definition network will broadcast
the upcoming March 15th, Xtreme Fighting League card live, at
the Expo Square Pavilion in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The event will feature
bouts with competitors from Oklahoma, Osaka, Japan, as well as
match-ups that will include members of Team Takedown (a new fight
team based out of Texas comprised of former notable, collegiate
wrestlers). In addition, the card will feature 2 XFL title fights,
with the promotion's welterweight and lightweight belts on the
line.
"I
am excited about this partnership with HDNet Fights." XFL
founder and promoter Dale Cook was quoted in the release saying.
"This card and the exposure on HDNet is tremendous for our
League, our fighters and our city."
"Dale
always has a strong regional show and we're excited about partnering
with him," stated HDNet Fights President Guy Mezger. "He
can continue to grow his shows and we'll have high quality mixed
martial arts programming for HDNet."
Three
of Takedown’s fighters, and former members of the Oklahoma
State University wrestling team, Jake Rosholt, Johnny Hendricks,
and Shane Roller, are scheduled to compete.
Rosholt
(3-0), a former 3 time NCAA wrestling and 4 time All-American
will battle Chad Jay (7-2), Hendricks (3-0) a 4 time All-American
and 2 time NCAA champ will fight Blake McDaniels (5-0) and Roller
(2-1), a 3 time All-American will meet up with Yoshihiro Kitaoka.
The
card will also feature two XFL title bouts, as the promotion’s
170lb. champion, Levi Avera (8-2) will look to defend against
Brandon Newsome (6-1) while XFL 155 lightweight champ, Jon Carson
(4-0), will take on Mike Budnick (8-0).
Some
of the other bouts scheduled for the card include; Chris Bowles
(7-2) vs. Adrian Sanchez (5-3), Jason Brazeal (4-1) vs. Warren
Walkerd (4-2) and Demarco Powrill (6-1) vs. Akira Ninjo (6-4).
Source: Full Contact Fighter
|
US$
1 to fight at EliteXC
Kimbo Slice took home US$ 175,000
The
old saying that some have it all and others have none fits perfectly
with the payouts given by EliteXC to the athletes that participated
in Saturday’s event, Street Certified. The main bout between
street fighters Kimbo Slice and Tank Abbott fattened up the bank
accounts of both, who received 175,000 and 126,000 dollars, respectively.
In
the second most important fight of the night, Brazilian Antonio
Pezao Silva pocketed US$ 80,000, while challenger Ricco Rodriguez
took US 20,000. Besides the high purses paid to its main athletes,
bringing it quite close to the purses paid by the UFC, another
fact that caught attention was the curious purse given to undefeated
Moyses Gabin (2w), who took home just one dollar, after beating
Jirka Hlavati, who received the second smallest purse of the
night: US$ 500.
The
American site MMAJunkie tried investigating but failed to discover
the reason for the US$ 1 payout to a professional fighter, fighting
in an event of such magnitude as EliteXC.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
BTT’s
leader answers American article
Murilo Bustamante, Brazilian Top Team (BTT)’s leader, has
sent an open letter where he refuted the criticizes made by Tim
Leidecker at Sherdog.com. At the article, o journalist affirmed
that BTT and Chute Boxe are losing production and that both team
started falling after the end of Pride, and cited the left of
big stars from the teams, like Rodrigo Minotauro and Wanderlei
Silva. Check below the letter sent by Murilo Bustamante.
To
begin, I’d like to say that Brazilian Top Team’s presence,
at most of Pride’s events, was requested because of the
technical quality of the fighters, and I feel comfortable on
saying the same thing about Chute Boxe. Both teams have worked
seriously to make his fighters so that they could became part
of the biggest MMA fighters of the world. Both had success on
that adventure, both had formed not only champions, but a lot
of high level athletes. By this time, both teams was known as
the two best MMA teams of the world, and a lot of events paid
to see both fighting each other. With that, both teams gave work
not only for athletes, but to teachers too.
Speaking
about BTT, I can say that to build these great fighters the team
had invested heavily in their training. Besides some people say
that BTT demanded and charged too much from the athletes, I can
say now that we charged and still charge. Ten percent from management
and ten percent from training, what, in my opinion, is more than
fair, considering the investment that is made on the athlete.
Before creating BTT, I used to pay 20% from management and 20%
from training, I was always thankful of what my master teached
me. I give all my athletes the opportunity to train all disciplines,
Jiu-Jitsu, Muay Thai, Boxing and Wrestling, without spending
more. We invest on the athlete since the beginning of his career.
This
system is so fair that gives the athlete, on the beginning of
the career, that earns US$200 per fight, have the same training
of the big MMA stars. This athlete pays US$40 for fight for all
his training. If he fights five times a year, he’ll pay
US$200 for the training, something like US$17 per month. Is that
too much? The team teaches the athlete to became a professional
that can earn US$1.000.000,00 per fight, or even more. If the
athlete unfortunately have no luck on his professional career
at MMA, he can choose to work on one of the team branches, or
even open his own team, giving support to his family. I become
furious when someone says that, sometimes some idiots, BTT charged
money from his athletes. We charged and we’ll continue charging
the same thing, and I challenge anyone who says that to come
work at, form big fighters and charge less than we do.
I
can say that both teams, BTT and Chute Boxe, will form new champions
real soon. Both teams, actually, have nothing more to prove,
because who forms Wanderlei, Shogun, Ninja, Anderson, Pelé,
Minotauro, Minotouro, Arona, Paulo Filho, Alan Goes, Murilo Bustamante
and many others has professional capacity. Any of these athletes
came here ready, they were created inside this walls. That’s
why, I’m sorry about this pretentious man that wrote this
article, that BTT were here a long time before he came and will
be a long time after you goes away. I practice martial arts for
31 years, teach Jiu-Jitsu for 20 years and MMA for 16 years,
I can say that I love what I do and will do it forever. When
I couldn’t compete anymore, I’ll continue teaching
my athletes using all the knowledge I’ve got from inside
and outside the rings. That’s why I say that BTT will form
big athletes, and if God wants, some champions, and it won’t
be a bad analysis from some jerks that will stop it. I’ll
use the opportunity to thank all BTT fans all around the world
for keeping trusting on our team.
Thanks,
Murilo Bustamante
Source: Tatame
|
Behind
the Curtain: Zuffa's Finances Come Into Focus
by Adam Swift
Randy
Couture's resignation from the UFC and subsequent speculation
about the company's pay scale have shoved Zuffa's finances back
into the spotlight.
As
a privately held company, Zuffa has no public reporting obligations.
The information that is made public is carefully screened and
released only when convenient to tout the growth and success
of the UFC brand.
As
a result the company's financial status and business model are
largely left to speculation. But recent reports by Standard &
Poor's, one of the leading financial services companies in the
world, have provided new insight into the finances of the undisputed
leader of the MMA world.
On
Sept. 14, S&P cut Zuffa's credit rating outlook from stable
to negative, but overall S&P reports revealed a business
that is still growing. While profit margins are down substantially
due to European expansion efforts, pay-per-view -- the company's
key revenue source -- is up 35 percent through the first half
of the year. Furthermore, despite more than doubling operating
costs from a year ago, the company remains profitable.
According
to S&P, roughly 75 percent of Zuffa's revenues are generated
through the production of live events. Pay-per-view buys account
for the lion's share of live-event revenue with gate receipts
playing a much smaller role.
For
example, although an average show might generate $2 million at
the gate (ticket sales), it generates at minimum roughly $4.8
million in pay-per-view revenue (assuming 300,000 buys and a
60/40 split between Zuffa and the PPV distributor). The company's
contract with Spike TV and assorted sponsorship revenues account
for the remaining 25 percent of revenues.
Last
year Zuffa experienced what can only be described as explosive
growth. In 2006, S&P reported that the average buy rate per
event nearly tripled compared with the previous year.
Accordingly
the company's EBITDA margin (EBITDA represents earnings before
interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization; an EBITDA margin
is akin to a profit margin) more than doubled from the mid-teens
in 2005 to more than 40 percent of gross revenues in 2006. Dave
Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter reported that Zuffa
is believed to have grossed $190 million last year and posted
a before-tax profit of $76 million.
Entering
2007 Zuffa was expected to post an EBITDA margin of more than
50 percent.
Pay-per-view
buys for domestic events have increased 35 percent over the first
half of last year and total revenue growth is up 30 percent,
but the company's EBITDA margin has declined more than 50 percent
due to dramatically increased operating costs.
Operating
costs have more than doubled thanks to production expenses associated
with two events held in the U.K. and an aggressive marketing
campaign to establish the UFC brand in the U.K., the scale of
which was criticized by the company's financial officers, according
to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. As a result the company's
EBITDA as a percentage of gross revenues has fallen to roughly
20 percent for the year thus far.
S&P
began covering Zuffa earlier this year in anticipation of the
company securing a $350 million senior secured credit facility.
That number represents a term loan for $325 million due in 2015
and a $25 million revolving credit facility (a so-called "revolver")
due in 2012. With the arrangement, according to S&P, the
company "will have few, if any, external funding requirements
in the intermediate term once the new capital structure is implemented."
It
is interesting to note that the term loan was originally proposed
at $275 million, as of the May 22 S&P report, only to be
increased to $325 million by the time of the Sept. 14 S&P
report. This time frame coincides with the closing of Zuffa's
purchase of Pride's assets, though the significance of the increase
and its connection to the purchase of Pride is purely speculative.
Proceeds
of the term loan were used to pay a one-time special dividend
to Zuffa's owners, the Fertitta brothers (90 percent) and Dana
White (10 percent), and to refinance the company's existing debt.
The amount of debt Zuffa refinanced and the amount it paid out
in dividends can only be speculated.
However,
some comments in the S&P reports suggested that the dividend
payments could be quite substantial. The company has full availability
on its revolver, indicating that to this point Zuffa has funded
operations out of its normal cash flow. Therefore the revolver
currently represents little more than a rainy day fund. Meanwhile,
as of June 30, 2007, Zuffa's total debt outstanding was $325
million.
The
loans are secured by bank-issued securities as opposed to the
company's assets. In fact, Zuffa has very little in the way of
tangible assets. S&P expects meaningful recovery (50-70%)
of the principal in the event of default, placing the estimated
resale value of Zuffa's assets, namely its brands, contracts,
and cash, assuming a forced liquidation, at roughly $150-240
million.
As
a result of these numbers, free cash flow is paramount in the
minds of the company's creditors. The company's credit rating
outlook was cut because of weak free cash flow caused by decreased
operating margins. Unless free cash flow improves, the owners
will be forced to reduce dividend payments to avoid a cut in
their rating.
S&P
initially assigned Zuffa a credit rating of BB on May 21. A BB
rating reflects a company that is less vulnerable in the near
term than other lower-rated obligors. Yet the rating also indicates
that Zuffa faces ongoing uncertainties and exposure to adverse
business, financial, or economic conditions that could lead to
its inadequate capacity to meet its financial commitments. Bonds
rated BB and below are considered junk bonds due to the risk
of failure associated with the companies that issue them.
At
the time of the May 21 rating, S&P issued the following outlook:
"The
stable outlook reflects our belief that Zuffa's ability to successfully
market UFC events will continue to drive strong revenue and cash
flow growth through the next few years. We also believe UFC has
gained a solid niche following, which will add stability to the
company's financial profile over the intermediate term.
"A
shift in consumer interest away from MMA or a shift to a more
aggressive financial policy could lead to downside rating pressure.
Conversely, if the company continues to drive increased interest
in the sport over the intermediate term while maintaining currently
healthy EBITDA margins and free cash flow generation, the outlook
could be revised to positive."
S&P
also expected Zuffa "to reduce the scale of its international
UFC bouts going forward, with the intent to limit potential losses
generated by these events and return consolidated cash flow to
a level more consistent with 2006 results."
It
will be interesting to see if Zuffa can meet this expectation
given Dana White's stated commitment to the European market place
and aggressive expansion plans. Regardless, despite the anticipated
cost reduction, S&P does not expect Zuffa to return to its
previous EBITDA margin of 40 percent because of "increasing
fighter costs and production expenses for domestic UFC content."
S&P's
most recent report, on Sept. 14, concluded that Zuffa's credit
outlook is negative:
"Failure
to improve the company's currently depressed margins through
more stringent cost controls and continued top line growth or
a shift to a more aggressive financial policy over the intermediate
term could lead to a downgrade. Conversely, if the company can
restore its previously strong credit metrics through cash flow
growth and debt repayment, the outlook could be revised to stable."
Still,
credit outlook aside, the numbers behind the cut reflect a healthy,
growing business.
Adam
Swift is the author of Payout: The Business of MMA.
Source: Sherdog |
Quote
of the Day
"Hope
is putting faith to work when doubting would be easier."
Source Unknown
|
Edwards
to Face Noons April 26th
By FCF Staff
According
to American Top Team representative, John Hartnett, Yves Edwards
will challenge Elite XC 160lb. Champion KJ Noons for his title, April 26th at the promotion’s
upcoming event in Hawaii. Hartnett informed FCF that the bout
was confirmed earlier this morning; just days removed from Edwards’
highlight reel, knockout win, over Edson Berto at Elite XC’s
“Street Certified” this past weekend.
Edwards
(34-13-1) has now won three straight fights since he began training
with ATT last fall. Since that time the veteran fighter has defeated
Nick Gonzalez, Alonso Martinez and of course, the aforementioned,
Edson Berto. Prior to Edwards’ current winning streak, he
had lost 3 straight, with two of those losses coming to ATT fighters
in Mike Brown and Jorge Masvidal.
Noons
(6-2) is coming off the biggest victory in his career to date,
a TKO win (doctor stoppage due to a cut) over Nick Diaz at Elite
XC “Renegade” in November, to clinch the promotion’s
160lb. belt. Prior to that Noons knocked out Berto in the third
round at a ShoXC event last July. Noons only loss since 2002
came at the hands of Charles Bennett at Elite XC “Destiny”
last February, who knocked the Californian fighter out in round
one.
Source: Full Contact Fighter
|
What
is DREAM?
By Robert Rousseau
Fighting Entertainment Group (FEG) and Dream Stage Entertainment
(DSE) have done it. Namely, they’ve merged to form an organization
called DREAM. The idea behind DREAM is that it will serve as
a replacement for the now defunct PRIDE and K-1 Hero’s organizations.
Want to talk demand? Well, according to FEG President Sadaharu
Tanikawa they received, “over 3,000 signatures from fans
who requested that we find a replacement for PRIDE.”
Before
we talk about how they plan on answering the call, it seem is
in order. Namely, who are these groups that have come together
to form DREAM.
Fighting
Entertainment Group is the leading combat sports promoter in
Japan. It is the company behind K-1 Kickboxing, which of course
also makes it the company behind the now defunct Hero’s
mixed martial arts brand. Thus, they’ve been around the
block with mixed martial arts before.
As
was indicated earlier, their president is Sadaharu Tanikawa.
Dream
Stage Entertainment was the parent company of the former PRIDE
organization. Nobuyuki Sakakibara was its president and Keeichi
Sasahara was second in command. Thus, any officials that have
joined up in this venture from DSE—Sasahara was on hand
at the press conference announcing the merger— certainly
have an MMA background. Interestingly, one of the reasons that
PRIDE fell was that it lost its television contract with Fuji
Network in Japan on June 5, 2006 due to a perceived breach of
contract. Further, this all happened amidst rumors that DSE was
a front for a yakuza or Japanese Mafia group.
Perhaps
the best part of this merger, however, is the fact that DREAM
will take the place of Hero’s in more ways than one. In
other words, they will jump in on the TBS network television
contract in Japan where the former left off, which is huge news
for the new organization.
With
television, they have a chance and there is seemingly more where
that came from. But before we go into talking about where DREAM
is going, we might want to dredge up some old problems for more
background. For example, the sale of PRIDE is still not without
issue. Namely, there’s a lawsuit in the works.
The
Fertitta Brothers and their lawsuit against Dream Stage Entertainment
came out on February 1, 2008. Basically, it alleged that DSE
did not live up to its non- compete clause and that they were
not given millions of dollars due to them. DSE indicates that
the UFC violated the sales agreement by not keeping the front
office staff that the former PRIDE organization employed.
We
say this, because the Fertittas and the UFC certainly can’t
be happy about hearing about DREAM right now. It will be interesting
to see how things play out. Speaking of playing out, here’s
what we know from the press conference and various other sources
regarding the future of DREAM.
First,
M-1 Global plans on working with DREAM, which likely means that
we can expect HDNet to show their events live. This on top of
the TBS- Japan contract already in place puts DREAM way ahead
of where PRIDE was before they fell. Second, they plan on holding
Lightweight and Middleweight Grand Prix style events, starting
with the lightweights.
Here are the lightweights already seemingly on board for the
Grand Prix:
Andre
Dida
Mitsuhiro Ishida
Tatsuya Kawajiri
Caol Uno
Joachim Hansen
Gilbert Melendez
Luiz Azeredo
Artur Oumakhanov
Koutetsu Boku
Jung Bu-Kyung
Kazuyuki Miyata
Luiz Firmino
And
on top of that star-studded cast, we also have Shinya Aoki taking
on JZ Calvancanti in a huge match up. Further, DREAM has secured
Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic— at least for a time—
and Kazushi Sakuraba, Kiyoshi Tamura, Norifumi “Kid”
Yamamoto, and Hayato “Mach” Sakurai are all expected
to fight for the promotion in the near future.
Even
better, Royce Gracie and Fedor Emelianenko appeared via satellite
at the press conference and spoke of their desire to participate
on future cards.
Mirko
“Cro Cop” Filipovice vs. Fedor Emelianenko, anyone?
The
final piece to the puzzle, of course, is that a Japanese rival
has already sprouted up by the name of World Victory Road (WVR).
WVR will have their “Sengoku” event on March 5 with
the likes of Kazuo Misaki, Nick Thompson, and Kazuyuki Fujita
on the card along with matches between Josh Barnett and Hidehiko
Yoshida, and Takanori Gomi and Duane “Bang” Ludwig.
So
the rollercoaster that is MMA continues with two Japanese contenders
having sprouted up rather recently. By the way, if you’re
hoping to find a tentative schedule for DREAM, look no further
than below:
DREAM
2008 Schedule
March
15th - HEIWA DREAM.1 Lightweight GP Opening
April 29th - OLYMPIA DREAM.2 Middleweight GP Opening
May 11th - HEIWA DREAM.3 Lightweight GP 2nd Round
Mid June - OLYMPIA DREAM.4 Middleweight GP 2nd Round
July 21st - HEIWA DREAM.5 Lightweight GP Finals
Late September - OLYMPIA DREAM.6 Middleweight GP Finals
Now
what’s better than that?
Source: MMA Fighting
|
NEW
KLITSCHKO-IBRAGIMOV TICKETS RELEASED
With the buzz for Saturday’s heavyweight title unification
bout at Madison Square Garden between IBF champion Wladimir Klitschko
and WBO champion Sultan Ibragimov turning into a deafening roar,
promoters
K2 Promotions and Seminole Warriors Boxing have decided to release
additional tickets to fight fans today for just $150 per ticket.
“When
the 100 dollars tickets sold out so quickly, we figured out in
additional way to make this event more affordable for the fans”
said Tom Loeffler of K2 Promotions.
“The
fans have been a huge part of this promotion from the day the
fight was announced, and their response to this card has been
amazing,” said Leon Margules, Executive Director of Seminole
Warriors Boxing. “We sat down with our co-promoters, K2
Promotions, and realized that the biggest way to say ‘thank
you’ was to re-arrange the setup of the arena production-wise
and offer these 400 seats to the public. So here they are, and
it should be a great night, not only with Klitschko and Ibragimov
unifying the title, but with John Duddy, Joe Greene, and Peter
Quillin also on the card for New York fans.”
Klitschko
vs Ibragimov, a 12 round heavyweight title unification bout,
headlines a historic night of boxing presented by K2 Promotions
and Seminole Warriors Boxing and will be televised live on HBO
World Championship Boxing.
-----
TFN
TO SHOW KLITSCHKO-IBRAGIMOV WEIGH-IN LIVE
On
Thursday at 1 PM, The Fight Network will present special live
coverage of the Sultan Ibragimov-Wladimir Klitschko weigh-in,
live from Madison Square Garden.
IBF
Champion Klitschko, and WBO champ Ibragimov will be participating
in the first heavyweight unification battle since Lennox Lewis
and Evander Holyfield unified the IBF, WBC, and WBA belts in
their November 1999 rematch.
Source: The Fight Network
|
Silva
would move down to middleweight to face Henderson
UFC light heavyweight Wanderlei Silva is open to moving down
to middleweight if he received the opportunity to rematch Dan
Henderson.
"If
Dan Henderson wins [against Anderson Silva at UFC 82],"
Silva wrote in a blog on his official website. "I won't
think twice to lower my weight to fight him."
Silva
lost his PRIDE 205-pound title to Henderson at PRIDE 33 when
he was on the receiving end of a knockout-inducing left hook.
Silva then signed with the UFC after the fall of PRIDE, returning
to the Octagon against former UFC champion Chuck Liddell.
But
even though Silva has said in the past that it is too much weight
for him to lose to get down to 185 pounds, he is rethinking that
stance because of the size of UFC light heavyweights.
Silva
continued, "I am seriously thinking about switching my weight
class here in the UFC because I am very short and the average
athlete here is 1.90 meters (6'2"). At the moment I am only
1.80 (5'9")."
Though
it's still not official, Silva confirmed rumors that he is in
talks to fight Keith Jardine at UFC 84.
"UFC
contacted me to fight in May and I got really happy," Silva
said. "I’m thinking about my next opponent who’s
probably going to be Jardine. I found him a good choice after
his victory over Chuck Liddell. I’m sure it’s going
to be a great fight."
Source: MMA Fighting
|
THIRD
FIGHTER IN TWO DAYS SUSPENDED BY CSAC
Anthony Rubalcava, who last competed for Cage Combat on Feb.
16, 2008, has been suspended for adulterating his test for drugs
of abuse. Bill Douglas of the California State Athletic Commission
announced the suspension on Thursday.
The
suspension is in effect from the conclusion of the bout on Feb.
16 through Aug. 14. He has also been fined $1,000.
Rubalcava
becomes the third fighter in two days to be suspended due to
testing in relation to events on Feb. 16 in California. It was
announced on Wednesday that Mike Moreno and Jermaine Wilson both
failed their drug tests following competition on Total Combat’s
event on the same night.
TWO TOTAL
COMBAT FIGHTERS SUSPENDED
Two
fighters that competed on the Total Combat mixed martial arts
event in San Diego on Feb. 16 have been fined and suspended by
the California State Athletic Commission for testing positive
for marijuana. CSAC representative Bill Douglas made the announcement
on Wednesday.
Mike
Moreno, who lost via submission to Gary Padilla, was suspended
from the conclusion of the bout on Feb. 16 through May 16. He
has been fined $500.
Jermaine
Wilson, who also competed for Total Combat in San Diego and lost
via submission to Waylon Kennell, was suspended from the conclusion
of his bout through August 14, 2008. He has been fined $1,000.
According
to Douglas, “This is Mr. Wilson's second suspension for
marijuana in California in a three month period of time. Additionally,
Mr. Wilson was just released from his previous suspension two
days prior to this fight.” Thus, the reasoning behind the
extended length of his suspension compared to Moreno’s.
Douglas
also noted that Total Combat was "randomly" tested
for drugs of abuse only. “Only four athletes total were
tested on this card and two came back positive for drugs of abuse.”
Source: MMA Weekly
|
THIRD
FIGHTER IN TWO DAYS SUSPENDED BY CSAC
Anthony Rubalcava, who last competed for Cage Combat on Feb.
16, 2008, has been suspended for adulterating his test for drugs
of abuse. Bill Douglas of the California State Athletic Commission
announced the suspension on Thursday.
The
suspension is in effect from the conclusion of the bout on Feb.
16 through Aug. 14. He has also been fined $1,000.
Rubalcava
becomes the third fighter in two days to be suspended due to
testing in relation to events on Feb. 16 in California. It was
announced on Wednesday that Mike Moreno and Jermaine Wilson both
failed their drug tests following competition on Total Combat’s
event on the same night.
TWO TOTAL
COMBAT FIGHTERS SUSPENDED
Two
fighters that competed on the Total Combat mixed martial arts
event in San Diego on Feb. 16 have been fined and suspended by
the California State Athletic Commission for testing positive
for marijuana. CSAC representative Bill Douglas made the announcement
on Wednesday.
Mike
Moreno, who lost via submission to Gary Padilla, was suspended
from the conclusion of the bout on Feb. 16 through May 16. He
has been fined $500.
Jermaine
Wilson, who also competed for Total Combat in San Diego and lost
via submission to Waylon Kennell, was suspended from the conclusion
of his bout through August 14, 2008. He has been fined $1,000.
According
to Douglas, “This is Mr. Wilson's second suspension for
marijuana in California in a three month period of time. Additionally,
Mr. Wilson was just released from his previous suspension two
days prior to this fight.” Thus, the reasoning behind the
extended length of his suspension compared to Moreno’s.
Douglas
also noted that Total Combat was "randomly" tested
for drugs of abuse only. “Only four athletes total were
tested on this card and two came back positive for drugs of abuse.”
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Ze
Mario and IFL debut
Adversaries from Couture’s team
Jose Mario Sperry is ready for the next challenge. At 41 years
of age, the athlete who has already participated in Pride and
Cage Rage and put together a record of 13 wins and four losses
is now beginning his work as a true coach, but making it clear
he is anxious to fight again. The absolute Jiu-Jitsu world champion
has a contract with the IFL and is the captain of the World Class
Fight Center, with his first challenge set for the 28th of this
month, in Las Vegas, against Randy Couture’s academy, Xtreme
Couture.
The
representatives of Sperry’s team will be Alexandre Cacareco,
Leopoldo Serão and Rafael Dias, who will have in their
path Lew Polley, Benje Radach and Santino DeFranco respectively.
GRACIEMAG.com contacted the “Zen Machine” to find out
what he is expecting from the debut and how life is going in
America.
GRACIEMAG.com:
How is the preparation of your athletes going?
Ze
Mario: Everything’s running smoothly. Cacareco arrived today,
we did some physical and medical exams and next week the rest
of the gang gets here. It’s hard that we can’t train
together, just because I’ve not been in the States for long
and I don’t have things set up yet, but I’m always
in direct communication with the athletes and I’m very confident.
GRACIEMAG.com:
How’d you come up with these names?
The
IFL offered us three options for weight classes and I chose my
fighter more for my affinity for them. I’ve known Cacareco
for many years and always wanted to put him to fight in the United
States. Rafael Dias I also knew and he’s really good. Only
in the 185 pound category I couldn’t choose, but the organization
suggested Leopoldo Serao, who lives nearby, does a really good
job and is an impressive fighter.
GRACIEMAG.com:
How have you been keeping in shape? Do you ever think of fighting
again?
Ze
Mario: I’ve been training at Randy Couture’s gym, however,
ever since the confrontation was decided I’ve avoided training
there, to avoid an uncomfortable situation because of the fight.
But the guys over there treat me really well. I also train with
Sergio Penha, who is a good friend of mine from way back. I want
to fight too, that is my hope. I’m getting my life in order
here to get back to my training routine.
GRACIEMAG.com:
How has your work as a coach been coming?
Ze
Mario: I have a lot of fighting experience. I’ve been fighting
since ’95 and directed the BTT for eight years. I’ve
been studying a lot of fights and laying out strategies.
GRACIEMAG.com:
What has your adaptation to the United States been like?
Ze
Mario: I’m living in Las Vegas. I decided I want to stay
here and have been looking for a good spot to set up my gym.
I’ve been meeting a lot of people and making good contacts.
GRACIEMAG.com:
What are your hopes for the fight?
Ze
Mario: Couture’s team is really good and it will be tough,
if just because they training together and will fight at home.
But I’m working on leaving there with three wins.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Maeda
turns to amateur MMA with "The Outsider"
Akira Maeda, the founder of RINGS, has his sights set on promoting
amateur MMA events.
Maeda,
49, will launch the inaugural "The Outsider" event
on March 30 at the Differ Ariake in Tokyo, Japan. The promotion,
which will utilize HERO's rules, will provide a platform for
fighters anywhere from 16 to 35 years old with no more than three
MMA fights to get noticed.
Maeda
was most recently a supervisor for HERO's, but FEG has phased
out the event to focus on the new DREAM event.
Maeda's
RINGS was one of the early MMA promotions in Japan. The organization
introduced the world to Fedor Emelianenko, who fought on nine
separate occasions for RINGS before debuting with PRIDE at PRIDE
21.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
What's
Tickling Mark DellaGrotte's Toes
by Joe Hall
That
first night, as Mark DellaGrotte lay in the floor on a rice mat,
trying to sleep and wondering what he was doing on the other
side of the planet, he realized that the creatures brushing by
his feet were rats.
Rats
and other things. There was no door to the too-small room in
which he was packed with 13 others. Anything could scurry in
from the 98-degree night.
DellaGrotte
himself, for instance.
Twenty-four
and traveling the world. Had never left the country, then on
a plane and off a plane and into the sweltering dark of a different
continent.
How,
again, did he get here?
Well,
a man back home in Boston had asked DellaGrotte to train him
in stick and knife fighting. The year was 1997, and DellaGrotte
was devoted to various arts. Weapons intrigued him, but the thing
was, not many sane martial artists were up for real sparring
with real blades. Couldn't quite meet at the park on Saturday
night for too many genuine stick fights either.
DellaGrotte
had begun to look for something else. Something given to competition
and development. Maybe boxing or kickboxing, maybe Muay Thai,
which now was being mentioned by this man in Boston inquiring
about training.
"Whoa,
whoa," DellaGrotte interrupted. "Did you say you've
been to Thailand? To do Thai boxing?"
Yep,
the guy said, and soon DellaGrotte was off for Asia.
That
was a while after he had already quit his other career, running
a Nana's Pizza in town. The pizza business was fine. Steady work,
a fairly solid future, but there was this Italian word that liked
to hop around the DellaGrotte household: passione.
Passion,
of course. To pursue it was the idea, and DellaGrotte did.
Martial
arts had taken hold of him as a child. His uncle introduced him
to some classical styles, and by the time DellaGrotte was 18,
people were trickling down to his parents' basement to train
with him. Eventually he began to make a living on teaching. That's
when "the pizza dream," as DellaGrotte calls it, "drifted
away."
It
seems he was always a mixed martial artist of sorts. With Guy
Chase, who for years had trained with Bruce Lee's top student,
Dan Inosanto, DellaGrotte studied jeet kune do. The JKD philosophy
freed practitioners from adhering to any single martial art,
and in that spirit DellaGrotte experimented with different forms
of fighting. His interest in mixing styles had led him to pre-UFC
tapes of Pancrase and Shooto, shootfighting and shootwrestling
-- all those forerunners to MMA as we know it now that are so
often forgotten in cursory accounts of the sport's history.
Muay
Thai, DellaGrotte suspected, was the next step. A style that
could be honed in training and competition, then incorporated
into a constantly developing system. And that's what had taken
him to Thailand, to learn Thai fighting firsthand from the people
who invented it, who lived it.
That
first night was full of reconsidering. Mosquito bites, too, perhaps,
but by the third night he loved it. By then he was eating bugs.
No
one expected Westerners to live like native Thai fighters. Plenty
of guys visiting the camp preferred hotels, hookers and beaches.
Maybe some training when time allowed. Yet it was through training
that DellaGrotte realized he had come to the right place.
He
learned quickly. Shake your shoes out in the morning, for example.
Hard to hit that warm-up jog if you've crammed your foot in on
a tarantula. He stayed around the gym, never touching a toe in
the ocean. When food was served, here was DellaGrotte surrounded
by Thai children, sitting in the ring with them and eating with
his hands.
"In
order for me to become them, I had to live their lifestyle,"
he says. "If you truly want to get the essence of what these
guys are bred like and what these guys are made of, then you've
got to walk a mile in their shoes. Or jog a mile in their shoes."
Or
jog shoeless, which is what DellaGrotte did whenever the natives
took off without anything on their feet.
At
some point he learned that the fighter nearest to him in the
floor at night was the camp champion. He was shocked at first,
though later he understood. This was a fighter's life in Thailand.
The camp was a place of sacrifice, frequented even by champions
with money and means, who had homes and beds but chose to lie
with their backs against the ground when fights approached.
A
month came and went, and DellaGrotte stepped down from a plane,
back in Boston. Right then it hit him, homesickness. Except the
feeling wasn't for the city where he had been born and raised.
"When
I saw what [the Thai people] were doing was what I had always
dreamt of doing, what they were was what I had always dreamt
of becoming -- at that point," says DellaGrotte, "Thailand
was home to me."
He
couldn't tell you how many times he's been to Thailand since
that first trip in 1997, but he will show you a riddled, retired
passport with no pages left for stamps. At least twice a year
he has traveled there. Usually for a month, sometimes two --
enough to speak fluent Thai. Never has seen much of the country's
beaches.
In Boston, DellaGrotte had immediately shifted his teaching focus
to Thai boxing. He became a certified instructor under Master
Yodtong, and his school became the U.S. branch of the Sityodtong
camp. Then followed the most convincing evidence he had won the
respect of the Thai natives.
During
one of DellaGrotte's many visits, the exact year or trip he can't
recall, he was waiting in the gym when the schoolchildren arrived.
They ranged from about 10 years old to 14. Kids growing up training,
and from a pickup truck they climbed out of the back and over
the sides, to hustle in and bow to their trainers before putting
up their school books and changing into their Thai shorts. DellaGrotte
had seen the ritual countless times, but this particular trip,
suddenly, the children were coming right up to him, bowing and
calling him kru.
"Wow,"
said one of the European fighters training that day. "The
kids bow to Mark."
The
other trainers also began referring to him as kru, which means
teacher and carries a tone of great respect. He had fought in
Thailand, too. Enough to prove himself in the ring but also realize
that while he was a good fighter, he was a better trainer.
"I
really found my niche when I started to develop fighters of my
own," he says. "I started to fight because I didn't
want to be that instructor who was all theory and no practice.
If the people you're trying to teach don't truly trust you, then
you'll never reach them. You'll never touch that person."
Call
it field-testing. DellaGrotte was also still trying new styles.
When local ground specialists visited his school to study standup,
he wouldn't let them leave without showing him some jiu-jitsu.
Kenny
Florian was one of those grapplers. He had trained with DellaGrotte
before being selected for the first season of "The Ultimate
Fighter." Everyone figured Florian was too undersized and
one-dimensional to be successful on the reality show. Then of
course the Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt used an elbow strike
he had learned from DellaGrotte to cut Chris Leben and advance
to the finals.
"That's
when the phone started ringing," DellaGrotte says.
The
next breakthrough came when he was asked to coach on "The
Ultimate Fighter 4." Titled "The Comeback," the
cast was 16 Octagon veterans vying for a title shot.
"These
are your coaches," announced UFC President Dana White the
first day of filming.
Georges
St. Pierre emerged to widespread approval from the cast. Next
was Randy Couture, greeted with a reverent welcome. Then Mark
DellaGrotte.
"Errrrpppp,"
DellaGrotte describes the reaction he received, "like the
DJ had hit the table. Everybody was like, ‘Who the hell
is that?' Nobody knew who I was. I think the only guy on the
show who knew me was Jorge Rivera, and he was one of my students."
So
the first day of training, when the fighters asked him the plan,
he said to glove up.
"Some
of the coaches looked at me and said, ‘You're going to spar?'
I was like, ‘I'm sparring with all 16 of these guys today.'"
DellaGrotte
gave some lumps and took a few. At the end of the day, he was
icing down with the fighters. At the end of the season, he was
welcoming many of them to Boston for more training.
Travis
Lutter, Patrick Cote and Pete Spratt all began to visit DellaGrotte's
gym after the show. Rivera and Florian are still based there,
and he has also added Stephan Bonnar and Marcus Davis to the
growing roster of fighters he helps prepare.
These
guys swear by DellaGrotte. Lutter says it's the way he enhances
a fighter's game without changing it. Bonnar points to his authentic
Thai style built on top of a solid MMA foundation. Florian has
been to Thailand with him and tells of world champions approaching
DellaGrotte, bowing and asking him to hold the pads for them.
Unlike
some striking trainers, DellaGrotte has also embraced the ground
game. The 34-year-old is a purple belt approaching a brown in
Brazilian jiu-jitsu under Florian.
"My
mind always thought MMA, but nobody really thought of me as the
MMA guy," he says. "If you're not putting it all together,
you're missing something. That's why I shifted my focus from
just being a striking coach to actually teaching the whole package."
That's
why MMA classes and grappling are now offered at DellaGrotte's
gym, which is housed in the basement of his father's law office
in Somerville, Mass. It's a nice, clean place. The ceiling drops
low in certain sections, generating a good round of laughter
whenever someone forgets that fact. On any given night, you could
have a hard time finding a spot on the mat. Thai music plays
in the background of the Thai boxing classes, and all the students'
busy jump ropes coalesce into a sound like swarming bees.
Now
this is not Bettendorf, Iowa, where UFC champions walk in and
out of Pat Miletich's gym every three hours or so. Certainly
there are camps and trainers, in Brazil and abroad and stateside
too, who have accomplished more than DellaGrotte has to date.
In New Mexico, it should be said, there's a guy named Jackson
probably answering a phone call right now from yet another pro
fighter hoping to come down for some training.
DellaGrotte
is in the midst of his climb, and he'll tell you as much. He
is here and has goals there, but there's no doubt he's huffing
across that distance daily. The impulses that have compelled
him for more than a decade still drive him -- to figure out the
future, to incorporate it into the present.
Ask
him about cutting-edge MMA, and he'll talk for an hour. That's
the game, he says, to keep mixing it up. Do it differently every
fight, never stop developing, to where no opponent can drop a
finger down on what one of DellaGrotte's fighters will do.
You
could take out a notebook and a pen or you could watch him with
his 15-month-old son, Dante. The father moves through his gym
now, his blue-eyed boy in his arms, grinning. Not that he necessarily
wants his child in a cage 18 years down the road. It's undeniable,
though, that DellaGrotte holds something of what's to come. They
can't pass a heavy bag without Dante pawing out what looks like
a jab. This kid whose father slept with rats tickling his toes
in Thailand, whose mother, Marie, runs the gym in Somerville
and carried him for nine months, during which the world outside
Dante resonated with the ringing of round timers and the thuds
of shins kicking against pads. He has a playpen in the gym, for
when he's not crawling across the mats. This child, who sits
against the cage, watching his father train Kenny Florian toward
a UFC title.
"I've
gone to grappling tournaments and seen these little kids running
around eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and slapping
armbars on each other," DellaGrotte says with a visible
zeal for the future. He can't wait. He's out there, looking for
it.
"It's
crazy," he says. "I'm telling you. I'm telling you
this next generation is going to be scary."
Source: Sherdog
|
TAKING
THE SPORTS WORLD BY STORM
Mixed martial arts is bloody good business
DUSTY LANE
There has been no action and no blood the past two minutes, and
the fans are restless. Eddie “The Manic Hispanic” Sanchez
hears the boos.
It’s three days before New Year’s, and a concussion
and a torn anterior cruciate ligament already have been suffered
at the sold-out Mandalay Bay Events Center. At least three combatants
will go to the hospital before the night is over, but the Ultimate
Fighting Championship is a what-have-you-done-for-me-lately business,
so Sanchez conducts some business.
He
takes a hard right to the face, gets his back pinned to the chain-link
octagon cage.
He
bleeds.
He
laughs.
He
yells: “Yeah, boy!”
A
frustrated Soa “The Hulk” Palelei wraps him up tighter.
Sanchez sneaks a hand in to twist Palelei’s stomach until
the referee catches on and breaks up the clinch. Minutes later,
a flurry of uppercuts leaves Palelei covered in blood, Sanchez
the winner by technical knockout.
The
crowd is satisfied.
For
now.
FROM
SPORT TO BLOODSPORT AND BACK
Mixed
martial arts (MMA) has its roots in the ancient Greek sport of
pankration, which combined elements of boxing and wrestling to
form perhaps the most popular Olympic sport of its time. As sensibilities
changed and people tired of the violence, it gave way to wrestling,
and remained dormant until the 20th century.
The
modern version of the sport stems from Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, largely
developed by the Gracie family in Rio de Janeiro in the 1920s.
Brazilian
Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) focuses largely on ground fighting, emphasizing
striking, grappling and leverage.
The
family spawned the sport’s first modern star: Royce Gracie
won three of the first four UFC tournaments in the early 1990s,
defeating much larger opponents in the days before weight classes
were established.
Modern
MMA, originally devised as a way to settle the perpetual argument
between boxers, wrestlers and martial artists over which discipline
was superior, instead became a mix of the best of every combat
sport.
Now,
champions of wrestling, boxing, karate, kick-boxing and other
sports litter most major MMA cards. WBC welterweight champ Floyd
Mayweather Jr. reportedly is considering an offer to fight for
Mark Cuban’s fledgling organization.
There
was a push to ban the sport in the mid-1990s, led by Sen. John
McCain, who famously described it as “human cockfighting.”
It ultimately backfired, as it forced the UFC to adopt basic
rules, revitalizing and legitimizing the sport for a mainstream
audience.
Still,
it’s a dangerous activity. In November, Sam Vasquez became
the first MMA fighter to die in North America, the result of
a knockout during an October card in Houston.
A
2006 Johns Hopkins study concluded MMA isn’t any more or
less safe than boxing.
“The
injury rate in MMA competitions is compatible with other combat
sports involving striking,” the report said. “The lower
knockout rates in MMA compared to boxing may help prevent brain
injury in MMA events.”
‘IT’LL
EITHER HUMBLE YOU OR MAKE YOU WANT TO QUIT’
In
a Gig Harbor gym, in a strip mall hidden from the street by another
strip mall, Jimmy Thompson is teaching three students how to
perform a rollover into a neck wrench.
Daggers,
nunchucks, clubs and other artfully freaky weapons hang on the
wall. On the mat below, Marco Surber pretzels his training partner
over – the key is to roll through your shoulder, not your
head – wraps arms under chin, leans back and twists until
his opponent taps his hand to indicate submission.
It
looks painful.
The
30-year-old Thompson knows something about pain. Five surgeries
on his knee and one on his shoulder have him “leaning strongly”
toward retirement after winning five of his six fights.
Now,
he’s focusing on building his mixed martial arts team, T-Town
MMA. He has about 45 martial arts students, only about 20 of
whom put in the time and training Thompson requires. They work
in gyms in Tacoma and Gig Harbor, depending on the night.
Thompson
said about half his new students decide the sport isn’t
for them after a few minutes with one of his better jiu-jitsu
practitioners.
“Once
you get tapped out once or twice, it’ll either humble you
or make you want to quit,” he said.
On
the menu for those who do stick around: lessons in boxing, kick-boxing,
Muay Thai, BJJ and submission wrestling, among other things.
There
are fights in the Puget Sound area once or twice a month, usually
at armories and community colleges.
The
sport has a firm foundation in the Northwest.
Five-time
UFC champion Randy Couture – easily one of the sport’s
most popular figures – won a state championship for Lynnwood
High in 1981 wrestling at 168 pounds, and he trained out of Oregon
for most of his career.
Former
UFC lightweight champion Jens Pulver won two state titles at
Tahoma High School and was an NJCAA All-American at Highline
Community College.
And
Matt Hume, one of the world’s top trainers, runs American
Martial Arts Center in Kirkland, one of the Northwest’s
largest MMA gyms.
A
major event will come to the Puget Sound area for the first time
Saturday, when former University of Washington offensive lineman
Bob Sapp headlines a Strikeforce card at the Tacoma Dome.
The
more than 4,000 tickets sold as of Monday have overwhelmed the
expectations of promoter Brian Halquist, who is behind most of
the area’s boxing cards: “I’m now in the MMA business,”
he said.
Will
UFC be next to come to town?
At
a postfight news conference, reporters from around the world
– Japan, Mexico, Brazil, Germany, New York – ask UFC
president Dana White when a card is coming to their corner.
New
York and Mexico are highest on the agenda, while others don’t
register. As for the Northwest?
“It’s
not easy, but yeah, we plan on going there,” White said.
Marc
Ratner, the UFC’s vice president of regulatory affairs and
the former executive director of the Nevada boxing commission,
is a part-time resident of Astoria, Ore., and has made bringing
UFC to the Northwest a pet project.
“Right
now, we’re booked through September, but I still want to
bring an event up there,” he said. “I’m very bullish
on the Pacific Northwest. Whether it be Portland, Vancouver or
Seattle, we’re going to do a show and we’re going to
do big, big business.”
UFC
TITLE INSTEAD OF OLYMPIC GLORY
White
is working the crowd in Las Vegas.
As
the UFC’s president and face, he obligingly poses for pictures
and signs autographs for ringside fans at UFC 79: Nemesis.
An
hour later, porn star Jenna Jameson will go through the same
routine in the same place, and it’s not hard to tell who
draws more attention.
Also
at ringside are such divergent personalities as baseball great
Greg Maddux, actor David Spade and singer Mandy Moore. But none
is more popular in this crowd than the charismatic White, who
draws emotional responses from fans and fighters alike.
White
has revived a dying organization and transformed it into what
he describes as the fastest-growing sport in America. In 2006,
UFC pay-per-view revenues were $223 million, easily outstripping
HBO boxing’s $177 million.
White
isn’t satisfied.
“We’re
so far from mainstream, it’s not even funny,” he said.
“There’s so much more work to do in this sport. I honestly
believe this has the potential to be the biggest sport in the
world.”
The
gate this night is $4.5 million, the biggest MMA take in the
U.S. in 2007.
Judging
by the reaction, most of the fans seemed to think they got their
money’s worth from dueling main events that neatly contrasted
the sport’s varying styles.
In
the first half of the main event, Chuck Liddell – the sport’s
most popular figure – won a 15-minute slugfest against Brazilian
Muay Thai specialist Wanderlei Silva. Fans anticipated the matchup
of the aggressive strikers for years, and they weren’t let
down as the pair rarely left their feet in what White later described
as “one of the best matches I’ve ever seen.”
Liddell’s
analysis after the unanimous decision: “I hit him with a
lot of stuff real hard and he kept comin’. ”
The
evening’s final match proves to be a more technical affair.
It
pits two-time welterweight title holder Matt Hughes against French-Canadian
Georges St. Pierre, a BJJ specialist whom many consider the world’s
best pound-for-pound fighter.
Pierre
dominates early as the fighters trade blows. But surprisingly,
he manhandles Hughes on the mat as well, submitting the two-time
Division I All-American wrestler in the second round.
It’s
a brutal match for the 34-year-old Hughes – and maybe his
last. He was asked to fight St. Pierre on short notice when his
original opponent, rival and champion Matt Serra, dropped out
with an injury.
Hughes
isn’t bitter.
“I’m
family with the UFC. I will never jump ship,” he said. “I
won’t fight anybody, anywhere else, unless the UFC wants
me to.”
White
quickly jumps in: “I love when he says that.”
St.
Pierre reveals that – in addition to working with a world
champion boxer – he’d been deep in training for the
Olympic trials. He planned to represent Canada in wrestling at
the Beijing Games, but gave it up so he could fight Hughes for
the interim belt.
“For
me, being UFC champion is more important than being an Olympic
fighter,” he said.
White
again: “I love when he says that.”
Dusty
Lane: 253-852-8742, ext. 6189
FIVE
FOR FIGHTING
Five
mixed martial artists with Washington ties:
Randy
Couture
Former
state wrestling champ at Lynnwood High also attended WSU. “The
Natural,” a five-time UFC champion, resigned from the organization
in October after a reported contract dispute.
Bob
Sapp
“The
Beast” is a former offensive lineman at Washington, and
is “just about as popular in Japan as the Beatles were when
they first came to America,” says promoter Brian Halquist.
Jens
Pulver
A
two-time state wrestling champ at Tahoma High, Pulver in 2001
became the UFC’s first light-heavyweight champion. Currently
working for World Extreme Cagefighting.
Maurice
Smith
West
Seattle High grad is a former UFC heavyweight champion and world
kickboxing champion. Currently coaching the International Fight
League’s Seattle Tigersharks.
Matt
Hume
Lake
Washington High grad is considered one of the world’s top
trainers, but also works as a ref, judge, promoter and commentator.
Owns American Martial Arts Center in Kirkland.
Source: The News Tribune/Fight Opinion
|
Quote
of the Day
“It
takes as much energy to wish as it does to plan.”
Eleanor Roosevelt, 1884-1962, American Humanitarian and Former
First Lady of the United States
|
USA-BOXING
HAWAII, PALOLO B.C. & KAWANO B.C.
PRESENTS
AMATEUR
BOXING
SATURDAY, MARCH 1ST, 2008
6 P.M. PALOLO DISTRICT PARK
BOXERS FROM OAHU, MAUI, BIG ISLAND, AND KAUAI EXPECTED TO PARTICIPATE.
10 - 15 BOUTS SCHEDULED
ADMISSION
IS $12 AT THE DOOR.
RED CORNER WEIGHT BLUE CORNER
3 ROUNDS
*). Cyrus Del Rosario 11/70 70 10/72 Dustin Somera
Southside B.C. (Maui) 1 min. 08/13/97 PearlSide B.C.
*). Keoni Adric 10/72 70 9/65 Nainoa Dung-Cummings
Waipahu Boxing 1 min. 02/11/99 Five-O B.C.
*). Devin Manuel 13/85 85 12/87 J.C. Enanoria
A.P. B.C. ( Big Island) 1 min. Villaver B.C.
*). Brian Ranchez 16/110 115 16/116 Cory Artura
A.P.B.C. 2 min. Central Maui B.C.
*). Kendall Cuba 16/140 140 16/145 Mackey Ige
A.P.B.C. 2 min. PearlSide B.C.
). Jason Cruz 160 165 165 Jordan Jovera
Southside B.C. 2 min. PearlSide B.C.
). Mike Simms 170 165 163 ??Stephen Adams
Southside B.C. 2 min. OR Unattached
). Mike Simms 170 170 20/165 Michael Flannery
Southside B.C. 2 min. A.P.B.C.
). Nathan Umeda 125 125 19/130 Tyler Kraker
Palolo B.C. 2 min. Central Maui B.C.
*). Jennalyn Ganaban 15/119 115 14/112 Xina Garrett
Kalakaua B.C. 2 min. Hawaii Youth B.C.
*). Steven Cabilis 190 185 180 Kalani Brown
Kalakaua B.C. 2 min. SouthSide B.C.
INTERMISSION
*). Rocky Balala 13/105 105 14/100 Jonathan Benitez
Central Maui B.C. 2 min. Five-O B.C.
*). Ezra Cabang 128 130 16/130 Anthony Ibanez
A.P. B.C. 2 min. Wailuku B.C.
*). Devin Ah Chong 15/115 112 15/110 Kalai McShane
A.P.B.C. 2 min. Five-O B.C.
*). Dustin Ah Chong 15/115 115 15/119 Lopaka Armitage
A.P.B.C. 2 min. Five-O B.C.
). LaFredrick Conley 152 150 145 Jesse Alonzo
Unattached 2 min. 06/02/86 Kawano B.C.
*). Emmit Bolibol 15/106 110 15/110 Kurtis Hagi
Hawaii Youth B.C. 2 min. 08/23/93 Honolulu B.C.
MAIN EVENT
2008 178lb Hawaii State/Regional Champion vs 2008 165LB Hawaii
State/Regional Champion
*). Nainoa Seitz 175 170 165 Kainoa Oca- Kauhane
Palolo B.C. 2 min Kawano B.C.
Both 2008 Champions will represent Hawaii at the 2008 U.S.A.
National Championships on March 7- 16th at the Olympic Training
Center in Colorado Springs, CO. Let’s wish them luck!!
* Match and confirmed bouts.
Order of bouts might change also.
Source: Bruce Kawano
|
Icon
Grappling Tournament
Saturday, February 24
Weigh-ins at 9:30 am
All are welcome. $20 entry fee ($25 day of). No Gi
Lots
of Prizes and special guests!
808-373-4266
For Entry Forms. (Available Monday Feb 4th)
Tournament will be round-robin. We are not expecting a huge turn-out
and will try and keep divisions/weight classes to 8 people or
less.
Levels
beginner = Up to 1 year training.
Intermediate = 1-3 Years Training.
Advanced = Over 3 years Training.
Weight
Classes
130lb, 140lb, 155lb, 170lb, 185lb, 205lb, Over 205lb.
Tournament
will be No-Gi Only! (plan to expand to Gi in future tourneys)
You
will wrestle each competitor in your bracket. (ie: 8 competitors
guarantees 7 matches)
Each
preliminary match will be 3 minutes long.
If
fighters stall on their feet they will be forced to start in
a neutral clinch position.
Submissions
score 1 point.
Draws
(no submission in 3 minutes) score 1/2 point.
The
two highest scoring competitors will compete in finals in a 6
minute match. If no submission in 6 minutes, match will restart
as 'sudden death' with 1 minute rounds. Competitor referee deems
has 'advantage' choses dominant position (mount, back mount,
etc.) to start from. If 1 minute passes without submission dominant
position switches. 1 minute rounds will continue as such till
one competitor is submitted.
Rules.
Beginner
and Intermediate divisions are not allowed heel hooks (achiles
locks and knee-bars allowed).
We
view this as a 'practice tournament' giving competitors a chance
to compete in multiple matches in a friendly, safe, competitive
atmosphere.
|
Pequeno
negotiating with WEC
Brazilian
fought only once in 2007
He
wasn’t dubbed the “King of the Guillotine” for
nothing. Seven of the 13 wins in his MMA career came by way of
the famous choke. The Brazilian who fought only two fights in
2006 and 2007 has been defending the flag of K-1 Heroes after
his victorious trip through Shooto.
But
the luta livre fighter is thinking of moving on and conquering
the greatest MMA market in the world: the United States. In negotiations
with the WEC, Pequeno spoke with GRACIEMAG.com and talked of
his plans.
“I’m
waiting for their response, and the final decision should come
out this week. I’d like to fight three times per year and
the contract with them is for exactly that and the second will
already be for the title. I’m going to fight in my category,
which is under 65 kg, where I made my Shooto career. I have great
expectations, I want to make my name in the United States, as
I’ve only ever fought in Japan. It’s always been my
dream to fight there and who knows one day I might also be able
to go to the UFC. It would be really cool if they’d open
an under 65kg category, but if it’s to fight there I’d
just have to go up to 70kg,” said Pequeno.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Barnett
eyeing Roger Gracie
American to face Hidehiko Yoshida at Sengoku
Considered
one of the best heavyweight fighters in the world, American Josh
Barnett will finally be back in the rings. Since December of
2006, when he lost to Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, the catch-wrestler
has been only training, commentating on fights and doing Japanese
pro-wrestling shows.
But Barnett’s time to fight has come. On March 5th the “Baby
faced assassin” will face off against judoka and also-former
Pride fighter Hidehiko Yoshida, who was initially said to be
fighting Roger Gracie. However, Gracie was not forgotten and
is being watched by a potential adversary: Josh Barnett.
“I’m
anxious to fight Yoshida at Sengoku. I’ve already trained
with him and we are friends. He’s a great fighter and excellent
person. I will do my best to knock him out. I want to fight any
strong fighter. I’d like to face Roger Gracie, because I
want to beat someone from the Gracie family,” said the former
Pride fighter to the official Sengoku site in Japanese.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Wanderlei
Silva to middleweight?
Alejarra and Wand training in Las Vegas.
Move will be studied by fighter
Despite
his loss to Chuck Liddell on December 29th, the Brazilian Wanderlei
Silva demonstrated a lot of heart and physical vigor to fans,
who await his return to the octagon.
Over
the last few days rumors have surfaced saying Wand is about to
confirm his next fight and his adversary will likely be one of
the fighters most linked to a shot at the belt: winner of the
third season of the “The Ultimate Fighter” reality
show Keith Jardine. To clear matters up, GRACIEMAG.com contacted
Wand’s team in the United States and spoke with his physical
trainer Rafael Alejarra.
“Wanderlei
made the most of his holidays to rest his body and mind. But
we’ve already done a bit of training this weekend and starting
tomorrow things will pick up. As we only just got back now and
today is a holiday here (Las Vegas) we can’t confirm anything
about the next fight, if just because there is the chance Wand
will drop down in weight. Every fight and adversary is different,
which is why we have to wait to define our training plan. If
he should drop to middleweight, we will work on his losing weight
and preserving his muscle mass, losing only water and fat and
not strength and size, since he normally weight 98 kilos. But
nothing’s for sure yet, we’ll wait and see,” said
Alejarra, who in January spent time in Cuba where he watched
up close the training methods of athletes in the country.
Source: Gracie Magazine |
Diaz
on Fight Night
Nathan Diaz was awarded his brown belt earlier this evening by
Cesar Gracie. Diaz has had an incredible run this past year,
winning Spike TV's TUF show by tapping out his four opponents,
then finishing his first 2 UFC opponents, also by submission.
Nathan is a former Pan-American Champion and American National
Champion. At only 22 years of age, he has amassed a very impressive
resume and has no plans on slowing down.
Nathan Daz has been added to the April 2nd, UFC Fight Night card.
Diaz has submitted every opponent he has faced in the Octagon
and is looking to continue his winning streak. He will be facing
tough competition and we hope to announce his opponent in the
next couple of days.
Source: Gracie Fighter |
Cuban
enters Couture tug-of-war
The likely promoter of a potential Randy Couture vs. Fedor Emelianenko
match was revealed last week when Mark Cuban's HDNet Fights filed
a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Dallas against Zuffa LLC,
the parent company of the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
The
suit is an attempt to get a court ruling on when Couture's contract
expires and when he can fight for Cuban, who is best known as
the billionaire owner of the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks, or
another non-UFC promoter.
The
suit comes on the heels of Zuffa’s attempt through the Nevada
courts to get an injunction to bar Couture from appearing on
rival MMA shows, citing a non-compete clause in Couture's employment
contract. Couture’s employment contract is separate from
the fighting contract, which is the basis for Cuban’s suit.
"Obviously
we're going to address the lawsuit that was filed in Dallas,
Texas, in a timely and very direct fashion," said Zuffa
attorney Don Campbell. "Our point is that Couture is still
obligated to the requirements of the terms of the contract, which
are unambiguous."
Cuban’s
HDNet, a television station available in only a small percentage
of U.S. homes, has heavily focused on building around MMA programming.
Cuban previously made headlines by engaging in talks with Floyd
Mayweather Jr., the pound-for-pound boxing king, about potential
participation in MMA.
A Couture-Emelianenko match would likely have more business potential
on pay-per-view than any MMA fight not promoted by the UFC. Not
only would it possibly put another promotion on the map as a
genuine, significant rival to UFC, something many groups have
tried to be but none have really succeeded at, but it would answer
probably the most important question regarding the future of
the sport:
Is
MMA popular, or just the UFC?
UFC
has run numerous pay-per-view cards that have drawn from 600,000-1.05
million buys. No non-UFC promotion has ever done more than 75,000
buys.
Emelianenko,
in particular, has been a pay-per-view flop in North America
as a headliner for Pride and Bodog Fight. The Russian fighter,
who was long considered the world’s pound-for-pound best,
did an anemic 13,000 buys for his lone 2007 match, against Matt
Lindland.
Couture
topped 500,000 buys on both of his 2007 UFC matches. A match
with Emelianenko will likely show the upper limits of what the
best fight possible, without UFC backing, could draw on pay-per-view.
The
44-year old Couture signed a four-fight, 18-month contract, on
January 19, 2007, with UFC. This included a $500,000 signing
bonus, half of which was paid upon the signing of the contract
and the other half upon the completion of the first fight, the
March 2 match where he defeated Tim Sylvia to win the UFC heavyweight
title in Columbus, Ohio.
Between
all monies, which included guarantees and a sliding percentage
of pay-per-view revenue, as well as a second employment contract,
Couture earned about $3 million in his two fights during 2007,
along with some other outside work with the company. This includes
money from a secondary contract as a company employee, paying
him $200,000 per year, which included a one-year non-compete
provision.
On
the second contract, it appears both sides agree that when Couture
quit the company on Oct. 11, he couldn't work for a rival promotion
until that date this year.
But
the fight contract is what is under dispute in the lawsuit filed
by Cuban's company. Couture is claiming when the 18-month period
expires on July 19, the contract is over, although he has done
interviews in the past stating he'll honor the non-compete from
the employment contract and feels he can fight again in October.
Zuffa
is claiming that Couture didn't fulfill his contract, and that
he owes them two more fights. There is a specific clause in the
contract that stated in the event Couture retired, the 18-month
time frame is frozen in that he's still bound to the company
to fulfill the time frame if he decides to fight again. Couture
has never used the term retirement, but used the term resignation.
UFC president Dana White has stated that he believes you can't
just resign in the middle of a valid contract, and has publicly
offered him title defenses.
Couture
is the currently recognized UFC heavyweight champion, although
he personally claims he has not been champion since he quit the
company. Zuffa has since created an interim heavyweight championship,
which Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira won on Feb. 2 in Las Vegas in
a match with Sylvia. Immediately after the match, White talked
of trying to get Couture back for a match with Nogueira. Couture
has been adamant that he is done with UFC unless UFC agrees to
do a co-promotion with the M-1 Global promotion, which owns Emelianenko's
contract.
White
last year attempted to sign Emelianenko, an offer which included
a seven-figure signing bonus and $1.5 million per fight, but
the Russian's management turned it down, claiming it was too
restrictive. Couture then announced he was leaving UFC, citing
his goal was to fight Emelianenko to determine who was the top
heavyweight in the world. Ironically, Couture felt disrespected
by those terms, because Emelianenko's offered UFC guarantee was
much higher than his, and Couture helped build the company and
was, at the time of his resignation, the company's most popular
fighter.
Couture
was on Cuban's Inside MMA TV show on HDNet on Friday night, where
both the lawsuit filed by HDNet Fights and UFC's attempt to file
an injunction against Couture appearing for rival groups were
discussed.
He
said the fight with Emelianenko was the one the public wants
to see and that the sport has to evolve to where the top fighters
face each other, regardless of promotional affiliation. He noted
that in boxing the rival promotions work together to promote
major fights.
Emelianenko,
who is 27-1, is generally considered the best heavyweight MMA
fighter. Until recently, he was ranked No. 1 pound-for-pound
in the Yahoo! Sports rankings, a ranking he would likely have
retained if he had fought even one match against top heavyweight
competition in 2007.
He
was the champion of the Pride organization when it was sold to
Zuffa last year, and then subsequently was folded. But to some,
his stock as the true king and best fighter has dropped because
he hasn't faced a legitimate top contender since an August 28,
2005, match in Japan against Mirko Cro Cop. Cro Cop, who was
just dropped from his contract by UFC after consecutive losses
to Gabriel Gonzaga and Cheick Kongo, is being talked about in
Japan as an opponent for Emelianenko in a proposed summer match.
Zuffa
sued Couture and then filed an injunction against him, claiming
he has violated the non-compete clause by appearing on rival
promotion's television shows to do interviews, in specific shows
on Cuban's HDNet.
They
also are claiming it's a violation because the International
Fight League has a new team for the 2008 season called Team Xtreme
Couture, featuring fighters from his Las Vegas gym. Couture's
argument is that the gym, which bears his name, is separate from
himself, and that he is not the coach of the team.
However,
the IFL did put a photo of Couture on its web site, briefly,
to promote its Feb. 29 show in Las Vegas where Team Xtreme Couture
debuts.
The
photo was quickly taken down, but Zuffa lawyers captured a screen
image and then filed for an injunction to ban Couture from having
anything to do with any rival shows.
The
request for an injunction, filed in Las Vegas, stated, "If
Couture is permitted to terminate his employment and promptly
take his well-known name and likeness during the restricted period
to one, or more, of Zuffa's competitors so that it can be used
to promote upcoming events in other MMA leagues, the harm to
Zuffa's business goodwill cannot be calculated."
It
has been common knowledge and never a source of conflict in the
past when fighters under contract to one organization corner
fighters on different shows. Couture has seconded fighters from
his gym on shows all over the world, both during his tenure with
Zuffa and since his resignation. He was planning on seconding
the fighters from his gym at the IFL show, which the injunction
is attempting to prevent.
Source: Yahoo Sports |
Recovering
the trash
Ricardo Cachorrao and his return to the ring, even after event's
cancellation
Journalism
is not fiction.
It
deals with analysis of the real world, with facts.
Therefore,
if an article is based on an event's main attraction. And, suddenly,
when the story is about to go on the air, the event is cancelled,
there's nothing more you can do: along with the fight, the material
gets tossed in the trash.
Thus,
when I received, this Friday morning, the information that the
sixth edition of Cage Fury Fighting Championship had been cancelled,
that was just what I was about to do with the pictures and interview
with Ricardo Almeida, who was getting ready to return to the
ring on the coming 12th of October, after three and a half years
of being inactive.
The
facts fell to pieces, so did the article, right?
Well,
the theory in practice can sometimes be different. Upon a little
reflection, and very little imagination, I decided to re-edit
the piece.
When he decided to stop, in June of 2004, Ricardo had come off
of six wins in a row, was the holder of the Pancrase title, and
he had just debuted in Pride.
He
stopped because he had established that, more than as a fighter,
his profession was in teaching. And, to reach the pinnacle of
his principal career, he would need to free up the time spent
in high level training.
Which,
as we know or imagine, is by no means little. Especially for
Ricardo, who would drive for four hours to train with Renzo Gracie
in Manhattan, NY, or with Martin Rooney, in Fair Lawn, NJ (Two
each way, leaving from his home in Hamilton, NJ).
Three
and a half years, paraphrasing a famous Brazilian writer, I ask:
Has Ricardo changed, or has MMA?
MMA
has changed, that's for sure.
Pride
is no more, the UFC is popularly known, and the axis has definitively
shifted from Japan to the USA. The purses have gone up, the recognition
the athletes receive has reached even greater proportions.
To
Ricardo, the fighters have changed, or at lease the trend, in
what has to do with styles:
But
Ricardo has changed too, or, at least, he's changed his mind.
Now, with an organized academy and more than 400 students, he
was able to make a radical decision: to return.
Could
it be that life begins (again) at 30 (Ricardo turns 31 this November)?
For
him it does, as he thinks he's come back in time:
The
fight against Dennis Hallman, as we know, will no longer take
place. But now what? Ricardo didn't plan his return around this
fight specifically. He has, naturally, long term goals:
With
the experience of already having fought in the greatest events
on the planet, and, even after his brief retirement, having continued
to perform as a coach at ringside, or as a sparring partner on
the mat, Cachorrao's council will have to be reconciled between
the roles of competitor and teacher.
It
was at the Parisi School, where Martin Rooney was calibrating
Ricardo's last physical touch-ups, which Ricardo received word
his next fight was cancelled.
At
first glimpse, it was devastating news. But, if it hit him hard,
he didn't let it last much longer.
"It's
unpleasant, but there's nothing I can do. What's important is
that I'm training, and another opportunity will pop up. Now,
I'm just gonna grab the long board and take the kids to the beach,
to relax."
And
here comes the next wave.
Check
also, below, an interview with Big Dog conducted by our reporter
Rafael Quintanilha:
Not
having stepped into the ring since May of 2004, when he defeated
Japanese fighter Rio Chonan, at Pride Bushido 3, Ricardo "Cachorrao”
Almeida is coming back. His official return was set for the coming
12th, however, with the cancellation of the Cage Fury Fighting
Championship event, the Renzo Gracie black belt is not quite
sure when he will be back in the ring. “Patience, I am already
in shape, so I will keep training in case new opportunities come
up. Right now all I want to do is go to the beach with my family
and relax," says the former Pancrase champion. In an exclusive
interview granted to GRACIEMAG.com the fighter talks about the
next phase in his career.
How
have you gone about preparing for this fight?
The truth is that I never gave up MMA. I never stopped training,
I always train with my students, some of whom fight in local
events, not to mention the fact I always help Renzo with the
IFL. Every week some guy from his team comes here to train for
the event and, whenever I can, I help out. In other words, I’ve
been training to help out my colleagues and students. But since
the beginning of the year I’ve decided to train for myself,
full-time, with the aim of competing in professional MMA again.
What
were the negotiations for your return to the ring like?
I've been open to proposals ever since I started training again,
I was negotiating with Bodog and the IFL, but the negotiations
never moved forward. Then a proposition came about. A student
of mine who fought at the same event as Gregor Gracie put me
in contact with the promoter, who asked me if I’d like to
fight. Besides it being a good proposition, what helped me make
up my mind was that the fight would be in Atlantic City, which
is an hour from where I live, meaning my students can be there.
To compete in front of them is one of the greatest incentives
for my return.
You
were on a six-fight winning streak in MMA. Why did you decide
to stop?
Early in my career I had ups and downs, I won twice and lost
twice, although I was having a great phase when I went to Pancrase.
I won five times in a row. After that I even fought in Pride
and won as well. Even though I was doing well, I decided to leave
by my own choice. My wife was pregnant and I wanted to dedicate
myself to my family, since when you’re fighting you’re
focused only on training and the fight. Another factor that carried
weight in my decision was the fact that I’d never seen myself
as a professional fighter; I’d always wanted to be a teacher.
It was the right decision, my academy grew a lot. These days
I have my own businesses, and have established a base. Now I’ll
be coming back at full force, I’m 30 years old and I think
this is the right time, the sport has been developing a lot.
What
are your future ambitions in MMA?
I
love competing and training. Despite the contract being for one
fight at a time, I intend to go further. I want to make the difference
in the middleweight division.
If
I beat Dennis Hallman, I want to go after the top 10 in the category.
I’ll fight for a belt, whether it's for Cage Fury, or some
other event. I want to reach the apex, and to do so I need to
fight the people that demand that of me, or in other words, tough
guys.
Source: Gracie Magazine |
Fighters'
Club TV Tuesdays!
Channel 52, Tuesdays
at 7:00 PM
Fighters'
Club TV Episode 57 is complete and submitted to Olelo
programming. It will air in our normal timeslot at 7pm Tuesday nights
on February 19 and 26, and March 4 and 11 on Olelo Oahu Oceanic Channel
52.
Episode
57 features:
-highlights
from Gil Yrojo's HAWAII FIGHT LEAGUE w/ interview from Gil,
Dr. Izuka, and Larry Perreira
-interview
from Kai Garcia's Boar's Nest w/ Mario Sperry!
-Technique
of the week: teh MMA HALFGUARD PASS by Mario Sperry
-Rob
Demello's KITV report on ICON's "To HELL and BACK"
Kala vs Baroni
-and
of course, two of your favorite Olelo personalities, Mike Onzuka
and Mark Kurano
Don't
forget to join up on MMA.TV and become part of the most
prestigious MMA forum in Hawaii, THE HAWAII UNDERGROUND! where
you can
talk to us and many other key players in the MMA industry in
Hawaii
including some of the top fighters here and in the world!
Comments,
Questions, and Suggestions to: fctv@onzuka.com
|
Fighters'
Club Radio Monday!
Tune in
every Monday morning for your weekly fill of MMA talk on the
radio with Pat and Mark.
Tell
everyone to tune in to AM 1500 from 9:00 to 10:00 am every Monday
morning right after Leahey and Leahey!
|
ICON
SPORT: TO HELL AND BACK
5PM SATURDAY MARCH 15
BLAISDELL
ticket on-sale date announcement coming soon
confirmed
Phil Baroni vs Kala Kolohe Hose, 185lb World _title
Bronson Pieper vs Sadhu Bott, 145lb State _title
Tyson Nam vs Devon Chong, 135lb
Koa Ramos vs Wayne Perrin, 170lb
PJ Dean vs Eddie Rincon, 160lb
David Padilla vs Alan Lima, 150lb
Jay Bolos vs Nui Wheeler, 135lb
Zack Rapal vs Dwayne Haney, 135lb
Jake Faagai vs Brian "Punisher" Platfoot, HW
Elias Delo Reyes vs Matt Comeau, 145lb
unmatched
Auggie Padeken vs TBA, 205lb
Poai Suganuma vs TBA, 205lb
Jeremy Williams vs TBA, 205lb
possible
add-ons:
Ross Ebanez vs TBA, 165/170lb
Robbie Lawler vs TBA, 185lb
changes
Kaleo
Kwan: Kaleo's
coach Mike Malone and I spoke yesterday, and we've agreed to
get him onto the March HFC card in Maui. Kaleo will return to
EliteXC and Icon
Ron
Verdadero: Ron's going to fight in another promotion. We've worked
this out with his coach, Dave Padilla.
Source:
Icon Sport |
Source: Trent Sera
|
Fighting
For Acceptance is Released for Orders!
Two UH
professors that were nice enough to interview us for their book,
"Fighting for Acceptance" are pleased to announce that
the book is now available for purchase. This is not your normal
MMA book, but rather a book that profiles many aspects of MMA
and fighters that has never been explored! They interviewed many
high profile fighters like Dan Henderson, Mayhem Miller, and
too many others to list. You have to read the book!
We highly recommend that you purchase this book, not only to
support MMA, but to open your mind about the many other facets
of MMA that you have probably not considered and is important
for the general public to be educated about MMA.
The book is officially available for purchase online via the
websites, below:
Barnes & Noble
Iuniverse
Amazon.com
http://MMAcademics.angelfire.com
|
|