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(All events on Oahu, unless noted)
2008
11/8/08
Aloha State Championship of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
(BJJ/Sub Grapping)
(Gym #1, UH Manoa)
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)
3/28-30/08
Pan Jiu-Jitsu Championship
(BJJ)
(Carson, CA)
3/15/08
Icon Sport
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena)
2/17/08
Hawaiian Championship of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
(BJJ/Sub Grapping)
(Gym #1, UH Manoa)
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)
|
|
January 2008 News
Part 1
|
Casca Grossa Jiu-Jitsu
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Onzuka.com
Hawaii Underground Forum is Online!
Chris, Mark,
and I wanted to start an official Onzuka.com forum for a while
now. We were searching for the best forum to go with and hit
a gold mine! We have known Kirik, who heads the largest and most
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|
Quote
of the Day
“The
best teachers teach from the heart, not from the book.”
Source Unknown
|
FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MMA RISING
STAR EDDIE ALVAREZ TO FACE HILO FIGHTER ROSS EBANEZ;
KALA
KOLOHE HOSE
TO MAKE NATIONAL TV DEBUT
Promising, Exciting Alvarez Faces Hawaiian Ross Ebanez; Kala
Kolohe Hose Faces Frederic Belleton; Paul Daley Faces Sam Morgan
In
New Co-Features Friday, Jan. 25, On ShoXC: Elite Challenger Series
At Trump Taj Mahal Atlantic City On SHOWTIME
LOS ANGELES (Jan. 8, 2008) – Popular, flamboyant
and charismatic former Bodog star, Eddie Alvarez, has signed
a long-term contract with Los Angeles-based ProElite, Inc.'s
live division, EliteXC, and will co-headline on Friday, Jan.
25, at Trump Taj Mahal Atlantic City Hotel & Casino.
This is another great signing for EliteXC and we're thrilled
to have Eddie with us, said EliteXC Live Events President, Gary
Shaw, who made the announcement today. "Eddie is definitely
a promising kid with a great future, but what truly amazes me
is his incredibly devoted fan base.
He's phenomenon on the East Coast where he may fight on a show
that draws 5,000 fans, but two-thirds of them are there to see
him. He is like a rock star in some respects. In an around Philadelphia,
he is as popular as Philly cheese steak and is the best thing
they have going as far as mixed martial arts goes. I look forward
to introducing him to the world on SHOWTIME."
Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
A two-time high school All-American wrestler, Alvarez (11-1),
of Philadelphia, will make his EliteXC debut against Hawaiian
favorite Ross
"Da Boss" Ebanez (16-5), of Hilo, Hawaii, on ShoXC: Elite Challenger
Series on SHOWTIME (11 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the west coast).
The Alvarez-Ebanez fight, which will be contested at 170 pounds,
replaces one slated to include Yves Edwards. In the other ShoXC
co-feature, England's Paul "Semtex" Daley (16-6-2)
will meet Sam "The Squeeze" Morgan (19-9) of Minneapolis,
Minn., in a 160-pound bout.
Tickets for Jan. 25, starting at $40, are available at the Trump
Taj Mahal box office and online at www.ticketmaster.com. The
live card begins at 9 p.m.; doors open at 8.
In other SHOWTIME-televised fights, Bobby McMaster (8-2), of
Boston, Mass., will try to regain his winning ways against the
dangerous Bao Quach (11-8-1), of Irvine, Calif., at 150 pounds;
"The Hawaiian Rocky Balboa," Icon Sport's top middleweight
contender Kala
Kolohe Hose
(4-1), of Waianae, makes his national TV debut against talented
striker Frederic Belleton (5-1), of Easton, Mass., at 185 pounds;
and Julie Kedzie (9-6), of Greenwood, Ind., will attempt to make
it four victories in a row when she battles Tonya Evinger (5-3),
of Oak Grove, Maryland, at 140 pounds.
An explosive striker, Alvarez battled his way into MMA from the
mean streets of Kensington, Pa., a blue-collar neighborhood near
Philadelphia.
"Trouble seemed to find me and I wound up getting into fights
on the street, so I decided to take it a little more seriously
and really learn how to fight," said Alvarez, who won his
initial 10 MMA starts before losing his Bodog Fight welterweight
title belt to Nick "The Goat" Thompson on a second-round
knockout (strikes) on April 14, 2007.
Although he is not a true 170-pounder, Alvarez has coveted a
rematch with his bitter rival. A return bout had been scheduled
a couple times but after a February '08 fight with Thompson fell
out, a frustrated Alvarez, after weighing other offers, signed
with EliteXC.
"We know Eddie wasn't happy where he was, but I truly believe
he's found a home here with EliteXC," Shaw said. "With
Eddie eventually dropping down to his more natural weight class,
160 pounds, and with the fighters we have at 160, he has a chance
to be a big star if he keeps winning."
A top-notch wrestler who can move fast, sprawl, and shoot, Alvarez
is also a non-stop puncher with quick hands he delivers uppercuts
from every possible direction -- quick feet and excellent head
movement. He won his last start with a unanimous decision over
Matt Lee on July 14, 2007. But while he dominated, Alvarez' streak
of winning inside the distance (eight knockouts, two decisions)
ended.
Ebanez is a BJ Penn fighter unbeaten in his last three outings
(2-0 with one no-contest) and 6-1 in his last seven (with the
NC). Nicknamed "Da Boss" for his intimidating, aggressive
style, Ebanez is an experienced, fan-friendly MMA fighter with
solid skills. In his lone defeat since March ‘06,
Ebanez lost to Mike Pyle on the historic EliteXC "DESTINY"
fight card on Feb. 10, 2007, on SHOWTIME.
Scheduled non-televised Jan. 25 fights include: Zach Makovsky
(3-0), of Philadelphia, vs. Wilson Reis (2-0), of Philadelphia,
at 140; James "Binky" Jones (4-5), of Baltimore, Md.,
vs., Mark Getto (1-3-1), of Philadelphia, at 150; Sergio Vinagre
(2-1), of New Jersey, vs. Brett Linebarger (2-1), of New Jersey,
at 170; Joe Shilling (debut), of Los Angeles, vs. Matt Makowski
(1-0), of Philadelphia, at 170; and Doug Gordon (6-4), of New
Jersey, vs. an opponent to be determined, at 170.
The fights are scheduled for three, 5-minutes rounds with the
exception of Kedzie-Evinger, which is slated for three, 3-minute
rounds.
For more information on EliteXC and other MMA-related stories,
including bios, video-on- demand, photos, stats, Fantasy Fight
Game TM and more, please visit ProElite.com and EliteXC.com.
Fighter pages: Alvarez (eddiealvarez.proelite.com), Ebanez (rossebanez.proelite.com),
Daley (pauldaley.proelite.com), Morgan (sammorgan.proelite.com),
McMaster (bobbymcmaster.proelite.com), Quach (baoquach.proelite.com),
Kedzie (juliekedzie.proelite.com), Evinger (tonyaevinger.com),
Hose (kalakolohoehose.proelite.com), Belleton (fredbelleton.proelite.com),
Gordon (douggordon.com) Makovsky (zachmakovsky.proelite.com),
Reis (wilsonreis.proelite.com), Jones (jamesjones.proelite.com),
Getto (markgetto.proelite.com), Vinagre (sergiovinagre.proelite.com),
Linebarger (brettlinebarger.proelite.com), Shilling (joeshilling.com),
Makowski (mattmakowski.proelit.com).
About Pro Elite, Inc.
ProElite Inc. [PELE.PK] delivers the most exciting entertainment
experience in the world of mixed martial arts (MMA) with live
arena-based entertainment events, cable television programming
on Showtime Networks and community-driven interactive broadband
entertainment via the Internet. ProElite embraces MMA with the
highest levels of honor, integrity, discipline and self-esteem
all the while remaining inclusive for fighters, fans and schools.
ProElite's live fight division, EliteXC, delivers spectacular
live MMA fight events that showcase the world's top fighters
[elitexc.com]. ProElite's interactive business, ProElite.com,
capitalizes on the growing popularity of the sport of mixed martial
arts by building a community of MMA enthusiasts. In addition
to streaming the most exciting live fights to the web, ProElite
expands the fan base of the sport by providing a comprehensive
set of online social networking tools for fans, fighters and
organizations. ProElite.com "Empowering the Fight Community"
Source: Pat Freitas
|
Ronaldo
Jacare opens up
‘I’m dying to sign with a big event’
Considered
a phenomenon in the realm of Jiu-Jitsu and submission grappling,
Ronaldo Jacare last fought an MMA fight on September 29th. The
black belt finished off the fighter “Zezao”, from the
state of Para, with an armbar at 3:28 min of the first round,
thus achieving his fifth win in six fights. With yet another
fight set for the coming Saturday the two-time absolute champion
(2004/05) granted GRACIEMAG.com this exclusive interview, talking
about his fights, future and Jiu-Jitsu, here goes:
GRACIEMAG.COM:
You are coming off a submission win in the first round, was it
an easy fight?
JACARE:
To the contrary, the fight was not easy at all. Even though I
got the submission it was one of those fights in which anything
could’ve happened. My adversary endured a lot, if I had
not been well prepared the fight could have gone the other way
at any moment. What I sought to do was move around a lot during
the four minutes the fight lasted.
GRACIEMAG.COM:
What has your MMA preparations been like?
JACARE:
I’ve been training an average of six hours per day. My training
consists of lots of boxing and Jiu-Jitsu, not to mention the
parts dealing with takedowns and kicking attack and defense training,
or in other words, I have been doing a lot of specific and technical
training. I am making an effort to do everything well, mainly
perfect Jiu-Jitsu.
GRACIEMAG.COM:
Speaking of Jiu-Jitsu, do you think you will ever compete again?
What did you think of the 2007 World Championship?
JACARE:
I'm always thinking of competing in Jiu-Jitsu again, that’s
where I come from. I still train a lot in the gi to this day,
thou now I'm in another phase of my life, the MMA phase. There
were no surprises in the Worlds for me. Lucas Leite is a great
fighter, I’ve always believed in him since he was a blue
belt, I know his potential well, it’s a pity his adversaries
weren’t aware. Andre Galvao is a tough and technical guy,
he will always be in the back of everyone’s mind. I thought
it was a shame Marcelinho was unable to defend his title, because
he is the guy to beat and has proven he is the owner of the middleweight
category for a long time. As for the absolute, Roger has been
narrowly missing for many years. Now, like me and Xande who have
been absolute champions, now it’s Roger’s turn. Congratulations
to him!
GRACIEMAG.COM:
What is the forecast for your next fight? Is it going to the
ground?
JACARE:
I’ve been training a lot, I'm well prepared. I will fight
on October 13 and my opponent is named Wendell, who has knocked
out everyone in the seven MMA fights he has fought. I'm going
to go with MMA, I am prepared for anything.
GRACIEMAG.COM:
After the event in Manaus, where are you headed? How have negotiations
been going?
JACARE:
There's nothing I can tell you yet, the truth is I'm dying to
sign a good contract. What I can tell you is that I’m not
waiting past 2008, I want and will fight in a big event, even
if I have to invade the ring, I mean ring or octagon [laughs].
Source: Gracie Mag
|
Gil
Melendez on M-1
Gilbert
Melendez suffered his first defeat tonight at the M-1 Global
show in Saitama, Japan. Melendez came out looking to strike while
his opponent, Mitsuhiro Ishida, decided to wrestle for top position.
There were some great grappling exchanges with both men unable
to secure position for very long. In the last minute of the fight
Melendez was finally able to secure top position however Ishida
attacked with a suprise armbar attempt that looked to be dangerously
tight. Melendez got out of the hold and began to connect with
punches from the top, but time ran out before he could do enough
damage to win the fight. All judges awarded Ishida a unanimous
decision.
Source: Gracie Fighter
|
Lyoto
wants to fight with Chuck Liddell
Still
at , the karate and black belt Jiu-Jitsu fighter Lyoto Machida
talked with exclusivity with TATAME’s site about his beautiful
victory by submission over the african fighter Thierry Sokodjou
on UFC 79, in Las Vegas, . With four victories in a roll on the
american cage, Lyoto waits soon for the opportunity to fight
for the UFC belt and showed the interest in fighting with Chuck
Liddell. “I would like to fight with Chuck. It would be
a exchanging fight, standing up all time, but who will decide
this is the event”, said Lyoto in a interview that you will
check on the next week.
Source: Tatame
|
Rubens
Charles Cobrinha
By Eduardo Ferreira
"Every time I go to Japan people don’t say other thing.
“Cobrinha, we would like to see you fighting with Kid Yamamoto”
World
Jiu-Jitsu champion, World No Gi champion and Pan-American champion,
Rubens Charles Cobrinha can tell that he had a golden year in
Jiu-Jitsu. The Alliance’s black-belt talked with exclusivity
with TATAME about his achievements, about his more and more natural
transition to MMA and commented the great phase of 2007 and his
plans to 2008. Check below the complete Cobrinha’s interview:
How
was the year 2007 for you?
The
year of 2007 was very positive. Winning my first Pan-American,
after doing a great fight on ADCC, doing another great fight
on Japan and ending the world championship without kimono. Everything
did right for me, it was a great year… My victories this
year started at , fighting the paulista championship and winning
the weight category and the absolute. After that I won the Pan-American
and the great fight at , after won the world Jiu-Jitsu championships
and won World No Gi championship.
How
was your trajectory on the World No Gi Championship?
It
started with a fight against Renzo’s fighter, I can’t
remember his name, after that I faced a BTT’s fighter, a
pretty good kid, that had a great defense. On the first fight
I submitted him on his back, the second fight I submitted with
a hand triangle position and the final I won by 8x0. The kid
had a good defense, I couldn’t submit him, but it was great,
a moving fight.
What
are your plans to 2008?
For
2008 what i want is to repeat this feat and maybe even win something
on Vale-Tudo. The bad thing is that there’s nothing right
yet, we’ll see how things will go from here. Meanwhile I’ll
continue in Atlanta (USA) teaching and being trained by Romero
Jacaré.
Which
title do you wants to win this year?
To
tell the truth I still want to win all titles, each year is a
new challenge in my life, like as if I haven’t won any yet.
Only like that I will continue fighting for something else…
But there is one title that I don’t have, from ADCC, but
I believe that this one, with time and hard work, will come one
day.
In
which category will you fight no Vale-Tudo? Who would you like
to fight?
To
tell the truth, I still don’t know in which category I will
fight, that’s a seriously problem that I will face, in other
words, my challenge will begin with my weight. But, about whom
I would like to face, surely, the best fighters.
Would
you like to fight Kid Yamamoto?
Every
time I go to people don’t say other thing. “Cobrinha,
we would like to see you fighting with Kid Yamamoto”. For
me, it would be a good fight, but to do it I would need to get
really prepared, if it eventually happens.
Source: Tatame
|
Quote
of the Day
“To
be tested is good. The challenged life may be the best therapist.”
Gail Sheehy, American Author and Cultural Observer
|
X1
World Events: Champions
Blaisdell Arena, Honolulu, Hawaii
January 26, 2007
5:00PM
X1
World Middleweight Title - 4 man tournament 185lbs
Niko Vitale
Marcus Gaines
Joey Guel
Brian Warren
X1
World Welterweight Title 170lbs
Mark Moreno vs. Chad Reiner
Womens
Match
Mia St. John vs. Angelina Abata
X1
World Lightweight Title 155lbs
"Sugar" Shane Nelson vs. Kaleo Kwan
X1
World Super Lightweight Title 145lbs
Eddie Yagin vs. "Dirty" Dave Moreno
Heavyweight
Analu Brash vs. Ron Waterman
170lbs
Michael Brightmon vs. Anthony Torres
Heavyweight
Jake Faagai vs. Wesley "Cabbage" Correira
Heavyweight
Doug Hiu vs Eric Edwards
190lbs
- Pro
Cheyenne Padeken vs. Rich Anderson
Heavyweight
- Pro
Lolohea Mahe vs Des Miner
175lbs
Pro
Brennan Kamaka vs Luke Cadian
165lbs
Pro
Walter Hao vs Kona Ke 165 Pro
X1
State Amature Title 170lbs
Sean Sakata vs Steve Farmer
140lbs
- Amateur
Keola Silva vs Gary Rebalisza
140lbs
- Amateur
Jared Iha vs Alan Hashimoto
155lbs
Ikaika Moreno vs TBA
Source: Event Promoter
|
GSP:
"I'M IN THE SPORT TO BE CHAMPION"
With his win at UFC 79 over Matt Hughes, Georges St-Pierre defeated
arguably the greatest champion in Ultimate Fighting Championship
history for the second time. He is now poised for another match-up
with current welterweight champion Matt Serra.
What
St-Pierre was able to do by taking Hughes down using his rapidly
developing wrestling prowess was nothing short of amazing and
it was the game plan and strategy that St-Pierre and his team
had going in to the fight.
“Matt
Hughes made some adjustments, so he thought I was going to keep
the fight standing up,” said St-Pierre. “So my game
plan in the beginning of the fight was to score takedowns on
him to make him worry not only about my stand-up, but to make
him worry about my takedowns.”
The
strategy worked to perfection as St-Pierre scored multiple takedowns
in the bout, which allowed him to work his way past Hughes’
defense and lock on the fight ending submission in the second
round.
St-Pierre
credits all of his coaches and trainers for helping him prepare
for the bout, especially mixed martial arts guru Greg Jackson.
The welterweight sensation gave him much adoration for his skill
in setting up the perfect plan for the fight.
“He
is the maestro and I am the musician, I play the music,”
St-Pierre commented about Jackson. “Greg and all my other
trainers and myself as well, we talk about it before the fight.
I call Greg all the time and say to Greg ‘what do I have
to do to win that fight?’ He gives me very precise instructions
to winning the fight and what I should do round-by-round, step-by-step
and I just execute it.”
After
the fight was stopped in the second round due to an armbar, the
UFC presented St-Pierre with an interim welterweight title, but
the Canadian will wait to fight current champion Matt Serra before
wrapping any championship around his waist.
“To
me, the interim world title, it doesn’t mean nothing to
me,” said St-Pierre adamantly. “The real champion is
Matt Serra. I don’t have any business to wear the belt.
To me it’s like a trophy to my collection, but I’m
not allowed to wear it.
“I’m
in the sport to be champion, to be No. 1 not to be No. 2. I want
to be No. 1. And if I’m No. 2, I’m not interested to
wear a belt, which is the symbol of being No. 1.”
While
St-Pierre stays focused on his ultimate goal of once again becoming
UFC welterweight champion, he knows that Serra will look for
lightning to strike a second time in their next go around.
“I
got beat by a better fighter than me that night,” St-Pierre
stated about Serra’s victory over him. “I give props
to Matt Serra. He’s a great champion, but now I’m on
the top of my game right now and I’m sharper than I’ve
ever been. It’s going to be a different story next time.”
No
specific date has been announced for the St-Pierre/Serra match-up,
but Serra recently confirmed to NBCSports.com that he has accepted
the fight against St-Pierre and expects it to take place when
the UFC debuts in Canada. The UFC has not officially announced
the bout or a date, but vice president Marc Ratner previously
confirmed to MMAWeekly.com that the promotion was in negotiations
for an April 19 date at the Bell Centre in Montreal.
Source: MMA Weekly |
Feitosa
and the No-Gi World Championship
Black belt comments on hopes for competition
HIGH
LEVEL: In the first-ever no-gi Jiu-Jitsu championship, The Pan-American
Championship, veteran Márcio Feitosa faced up-and-coming
star Lucas Leite at one of the black belt finals. Months later,
Lucas became middleweight world champion.
Marcio
Feitosa is a sure-thing in the maiden event of the No-Gi Jiu-Jitsu
World Championship. The black beltwill not be stepping onto the
mat, however, but orienting and cheering his students during
the event that will take place this December 15th in the California
State University Dominguez Hills gymnasium, in Carson City. In
search of an explanation for his withdrawal, since Marcinho was
a standout at the No-Gi Pan-American this year, GRACIEMAG.com
contacted the beast.
Why
did you opt not to fight in the No-Gi World Championship?
Feitosa:
I won’t fight, but I’ll be there as a teacher and fan.
I’m concentrating a lot on perfecting myself as a teacher.
I’m dedicating myself, I want to one day be a Master and
good leader within Gracie Barra. I want to be able to achieve
with my students at least half what my teacher (Carlos Gracie
Jr) did for me. So I decided I won’t be able to make it
to all the championships on the calendar, I’m choosing some
and participating.
What
are your hopes in regards to the championship?
The
Confederation managed, in 2007, to make important headway for
Jiu-Jitsu. First by carrying out the first official no-gi championship
in the history of the CBJJ / IBJJF; later carrying out a high-level
tournament in the 2007 World Championship, with a record number
of athletes, a gymnasium worthy of an International Show and
impeccable organization. I’m certain the first No-Gi World
Championship will be well-done and will be a big step forward
for the growth and professionalization of our sport.
Are
the folks up there in California in competition mood? Will Gracie
Barra go at full force?
Around
here nobody’s talking about anything else! Not just the
Jiu-Jitsu gang, but the whole grappling community has its eye
on this competition. I believe in the upcoming editions we’ll
have representatives from other styles competing. Gracie Barra
will always be at full force! I’ve never seen a bunch of
young guys like the arena so much. The gang is coming from all
around to train here in the gym.
You
participated in the No-Gi JJ Pan American, what were your impressions?
I
thought the championship was awesome. They had super-cool uniforms,
the program went according to schedule and the coolest to me
was seeing the no-gi championship with Jiu-Jitsu rules. Each
no-gi championship organizer tries to invent a new rule, it never
works out well.
What
do you think differentiates the No-Gi World Championship for
other grappling competitions?
The
difference is that the rules of the other styles limit you a
lot. Only in a true Jiu-Jitsu championship can you develop your
game and flow on the ground. Not to mention that you get in the
ring knowing you are keeping alive and representing the story
of the respected warriors that gave their blood and sweat for
Jiu-Jitsu to be where it is today. That is priceless!
Source: Gracie Mag |
Now
it's official: Joinha speaks of end of Black House
Jorge Guimarães crushes rumors about Vitor Belfort and
tells other "inside info"
Invited
to the 2nd South American Jiu-Jitsu Championship, Jorge "Joinha"
Guimarães, was in Florianopolis, Brazil, during the first
half of November, and GRACIEMAG.com took the chance to meet with
the founder of Black House to clear up once and for all for MMA
fans a series of questions and rumors surrounding the team. Check
it out:
GRACIEMAG.com:
Jorge, is Black House over?
Guimarães:
Absolutely not. We have only changed our address and name. The
trainers and the team came too, including Anderson Silva and
Lyoto Machida. Our new name will be revealed soon.
Why
did you leave the old address, in Recreio, Rio?
I
had some misunderstandings with one of the three partners, and
since Black House was located at X-Gym, I decided to leave. I
want to make it clear that the problem did not involve my long
time friend Rogerio Camoes or Rodrigo Bethlem, my dear friend
[and Brazilian actress] Maria Zilda’s son.
Was
the change for the better?
To
tell you the truth, I invested a lot of time and money in it,
but it wasn’t a complete waste of time. As far as the money
goes, the management at X-Gym promised to reimburse me for the
investments I made, but I have not yet received anything.
There
have been rumors that you and Vitor Belfort are on bad terms.
Are they true?
No,
not at all. People talk too much. People have told me that Vitor
betrayed me, talking behind my back in attempt to assume my position
[at Black House], and that he would constantly try to get some
of our coaches to take his side. I talked to him about it but
he denied it. I believe him. I heard rumor that I have been calling
him Judas Belfort. That’s crazy. I would never say that!
Anybody who knows me, knows I don’t lie. Anyway, it would
be a little immodest for me to compare myself to Jesus, even
though I was born on December 25 and he was born on April fools
day. But I guess that’s just a coincidence.
Did
the fact that Vitor joined the X-Striker team surprise you?
Not
at all! Everyone choses their own path, and the name fits him
well. Why don’t we change the subject? X-Striker and X-Gym
are history for me, and the letter “X” phonetically
means “ex”, so it’s in the past for me...
What
about surfing? Do you have any trips planned?
I
will be with Paulo Filho, who will defend his WEC title on December
12th in Las Vegas, from there I’ll go to Los Angeles to
get footage for “Passando a Guarda”, my show in Brazil
which is my main focus, until Lyoto’s fight on December
29th in Vegas. On the 30th I’ll take off to Hawaii where
I’ll spend January on vacation, surfing and hanging out
with my great friends Eddie Rothman and Kai Garcia on Oahu’s North Shore. From Hawaii
I’ll go to Canada for Minotouro’s fight on February
1st, and right after it I fly to Las Vegas for Minotauro’s
fight on the next day, for the UFC heavy weight title.
So
is there any insider news?
Always!
Nino Schembri is going with Daniel Oirin, our muay thai instructor,
to Belém in Pará, to train Lyoto with his brother
Shinzo Machida. They should also be in his corner during his
fight with Sokoudjou on the 29 th. Now Paulao Filho is preparing
a surprise for his fight in the WEC: he should enter the ring
with a dog. But the animal won't come from here in Rio, it's
an American dog they came up with. Stuff only Paulao can come
up with! Buddy bye!!
Source: MMA Weekly |
Quote
of the Day
“I
travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel's sake.
The great affair is to move.”
Robert Louis Stevenson, 1850-1894, Scottish Novelist/Poet/Travel
Writer
|
Fighters'
Club TV New Episode Tonight!
Channel 52
Tuesdays at 7:00 PM
We return with our huge Christmas show!
In this episode, we meet on of the rising stars of the 170 lb
class and showcase his huge win over Rhalan Gracie, Eastsidaz's
Koa Ramos. Ramos has also been training at 02 Martial Arts Academy
with us as well and you will see huge things in the future from
this talent.
Another man that burst on the MMA scene is Kana Hyatt. We get
a chance to talk with Kana and after two big wins, he is one
of the fighters to beat at 135.
Penny Thomas, one of best female grapplers in the world, provides
our technique of the week!
We have much, much more on this episode including the usual one
scoop of Mike and one scoop of Mark with gravy all over. Mmmm
yummy!
As always, come and "talk story" with us on the Onzuka.com's
Hawaii Underground. The forum for Hawaii MMA, grappling,
and just about anything else!
|
LISTER
READY TO GIVE BACK TO THE TEAM
Despite
a much improved striking game that lead him to a unanimous decision
victory, Dean Lister didn’t exactly walk away satisfied
with his return to the Octagon at UFC 79 after an 11-month layoff.
“That
was absolutely 100% ring rust right there,” he said following
the victory over Jordan Radev. “I’m very happy I won,
but now it’s time to step it up.”
Although
most people were surprised with the crispness of his striking,
Lister didn’t exactly give himself high marks after the
fight.
“I
rate my performance at a four… out of a 10. I guess you
could say a seven or eight, in the sense that I won, but in the
sense that I can do a lot better, I say a four. I can do a lot
better than what I did.”
He
did seem somewhat satisfied being able to display his striking
abilities and knows that as his striking catches up to his world
class grappling prowess, his opponents are going to have a difficult
time with the ADCC champion.
“Definitely,
striking has been my focus,” said Lister. “I know that
no one will take me down. If they do, I’m not saying that
I can’t make a mistake, but if someone takes me down, that
kind of plays into my game.”
After
nearly a year out of competition and a win in his return, you’d
think Lister would be chomping at the bit to get back into the
Octagon, and he’s okay with that, but right now, he seems
to have other priorities.
Saying
he’d like to fight again in three to four months, Lister
added, “If (the UFC) wants me sooner, okay. But I have to
reput back into my team. They put all their hopes and dedication
into me, now it’s time for me to put back into them.”
Source: MMA Weekly
|
EDDIE
SANCHEZ ENJOYING THE RIDE
Eddie Sanchez moved up the ladder in the Ultimate Fighting Championship
heavyweight division at UFC 79 by defeating Sao Palelei by TKO.
Palelei
was highly touted going into the fight as he was training at
Team Quest with guys like Dan Henderson and Matt Lindland. While
he tried to use his size to clinch with Sanchez, he could not
take him down and fell victim to his heavy strikes.
MMAWeekly
Radio caught up with Sanchez recently and asked him about the
rumors about how good Palelei was and his training with Team
Quest.
“To
a certain extent it matters who you train with, but a few months
training with Team Quest is not gonna make him superman,”
he said.
As
Sanchez was trying to open up with his strikes throughout the
fight, Palelei continued to clinch and much of the fight was
fought against the cage. Sanchez acknowledged the lack of action.
“I'm
my worst critic. To me, it was a boring fight. Every time I would
throw a combo, he'd tie up with me and he's a big dude,”
explained the California native. “I noticed I was pushing
the fight more. Once he couldn't take me down in the first round,
I think that really dampened his party.”
One
impressive feature that came out of Sanchez in his fight was
his ability to throw devastating combinations when he was in
close. According to him though, he just loves to try to get that
knockout.
“As
a fighter, I haven't been in the game too long. I haven't reached
my potential. I listen to my corner. Boxing is part of the game
and I have been working on my boxing extensively. I love the
knockouts, which is why I throw the big combos.”
When
he knocked out Mario Neto in his UFC debut back in September
2006, Sanchez was summoned shortly thereafter to take on a devastating
striker in Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic. Sanchez never
got into a rhythm and fell pray to his strikes. Now with Cro
Cop losing his last two fights, the talk of a possible rematch
has started to surface.
“That
came up at the post fight interviews. That's definitely in the
back of my mind to definitely rematch the guy who I have my only
loss to. But that's in the back of my mind. What's in the front
of my mind is climbing the ladder and getting the gold around
my waist.”
Sanchez’s
second consecutive victory moves him one step up in the heavyweight
division towards title contention. With Randy Couture's resignation
and the uncertainty of Andrei Arlovski's contract, a couple more
wins for Sanchez could see him vying for the title.
“The
heavyweight division nowadays in the UFC is definitely more stacked
than it was a couple years ago. I'm right in the middle of things.
I'm probably going to have to beat two top-level guys to get
a shot.”
Winning
a title isn't everything to Sanchez though. He just loves the
sport and wants to enjoy the ride.
“My
ultimate goal in this fight game is to be prosperous and win
and enjoy it, you know? I want to get the title of course, but
more than anything I want to enjoy the ride and fight my ass
off.”
Source: MMA Weekly
|
INOUE
SET TO DEFEND AT PANCRASE
Pancrase has announced the initial card for its first show of
2008, taking place at Korakuen Hall on Jan. 30.
In
the main event, welterweight King of Pancrase Katsuya Inoue is
set to defend his title against PANCRASEism fighter Satoru Kitoka.
This will be the third time that these two have met, Inoue won
the first encounter and they drew the second time around.
Inoue
comes off a draw with Japanese journeyman Shigetoshi Iwase at
Kingdom of Grapple: Live 2007. Kitaoka won a close split decision
victory over IFL veteran Jason Palacios at Pancrase Rising 6.
The
card will also mark the return of women’s fighter WINDY
Tomomi, who comes off a horrific ankle injury that she suffered
at a Bodog Fight taping.
Pancrase
January 30th, 2008
Korakuen Hall
Welterweight
King of Pancrase Championship Bout:
Katsuya Inoue vs. Satoru Kitaoka
Lightweight
Bout:
Daisuke “13” Hanazawa vs. Wataru Takahashi
Lightweight
Bout:
Shinsuke Shoji vs. Yuichi Ikari
Bantamweight
Bout:
Yuki Yamasawa vs. Seiya Kawahara
Scheduled
to Participate: WINDY Tomomi
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Quote
of the Day
“A
hug is a handshake from the heart.”
Source Unknown
|
XTREME
COUTURE BRANCHING INTO CANADA
The first Canadian Xtreme Couture training facility will open
in Toronto within the next couple of months. The 33,000-square-foot
mixed martial arts training facility is the first of its kind
in the country.
The
fitness center will be located in Etobicoke, Ontario and will
house instructors that have fought in some of the most prominent
organizations including Ultimate Fighting Championship, International
Fight League, King Of The Cage and Freedom Fight. Disciplines
that will be taught at this location include: Muay Thai kickboxing,
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Freestyle and Greco-Roman Wresting, Judo,
Submission Grappling, and Traditional Boxing.
“This
will be the first of four locations that we plan to open across
Canada,” said Doug Urch, owner of the Xtreme Couture Gym.
“Regardless of whether you’re a professional or a beginner,
we have a number of classes geared to men, women and children.”
The
facility will be modeled after Randy Couture’s gym in Las
Vegas. The state of the art training equipment, boxing ring and
full size professional octagon will be second to none.
The
Toronto branch of Xtreme Couture Canada includes the following
professional instructors:
Brent
Beauparlant – MMA/Wrestling Instructor
Chris Horodecki – MMA/Muay Thai Instructor
Mark Hominick – MMA/Muay Thai Instructor
Jeff Joslin – MMA/Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Instructor
Shawn Geris – Freestyle/Greco Roman Wrestling Instructor
Dave Mair – Freestyle Wrestling Instructor
Yuri Botnarenko – Greco Roman Wrestling Instructor
Marco Antico – Muay Thai Instructor
Mish Cirkunov – Judo Instructor
Patrick Goulah – Traditional Jiu Jitsu Instructor
As
the facilities grow look for more instructors to be added.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
UFC
79 SALARIES AND ATTENDANCE FIGURES
MMAWeekly has obtained the fighter salary and ticket information
for UFC 79, which took place on Dec. 29 at the Mandalay Bay Event
Center in Las Vegas.
The
attendance for UFC 79 was 10, 968 accounting for total gate receipts
of $4,934,500, according to the Nevada State Athletic Commission.
The Ultimate Fighting Championship also held a closed-circuit
broadcast at inside Mandalay Bay, which was attended by 541 people
and accounted for an additional $27,050 in revenue.
The
following figures are based on the fighter salary information
that Zuffa, LLC (the UFC’s parent company) are required
by law to submit to the state athletic commissions, including
the winners' bonuses.
Although
MMA fighters do not have collective bargaining or a union, the
fighters' salaries are still public record, just as with every
other major sport in the United States. Any undisclosed bonuses
that Zuffa and the UFC also pay its fighters (specifically, pay-per-view
bonuses for the top pay-per-view main event fighters, fight of
the night bonuses, etc.), are not included in the figures below.
The
following fighters received a $50,000 bonus from the UFC for
the awards noted: Georges St-Pierre (Submission of the Night),
Eddie Sanchez (Knockout of the Night), and Chuck Liddell and
Wanderlei Silva ($50,000 each for Fight of the Night).
In
the listings below, " Main Event Fighters" are defined
as fighters who compete in the main event of a show. "Main
Card Fighters" are defined as fighters whose fights appear
on the main card, but not in title fights or in the main event.
"Preliminary Match Fighters" are defined as fighters
whose matches take place before the live broadcast goes on the
air, regardless of whether or not those matches end up airing
on the TV broadcast.
MAIN
EVENT FIGHTERS
-Chuck
Liddell: $500,000 (20th fight in UFC; defeated Wanderlei Silva;
no win bonus)
-Georges
St-Pierre: $160,000 (11th; defeated Matt Hughes; includes win
bonus of $80,000)
-Wanderlei
Silva: $150,000 (4th fight in UFC; lost to Chuck Liddell; no
win bonus)
-Matt
Hughes: $100,000 (19th fight in UFC; lost to Georges St-Pierre;
win bonus would have been $100,000)
MAIN
CARD FIGHTERS
-Lyoto
Machida: $60,000 (4th fight in UFC; defeated Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou;
includes win bonus of $30,000)
-Eddie
Sanchez: $46,000 (4th fight in UFC; defeated Soa Palelei; includes
win bonus of $23,000)
-Rameau
Thierry Sokoudjou: $40,000 (1st fight in UFC; lost to Lyoto Machida;
win bonus would have been $40,000)
-Rich
Clementi: $28,000 (6th fight in UFC; defeated Melvin Guillard;
includes win bonus of $14,000)
-Melvin
Guillard: $10,000 (6th fight in UFC; lost to Rich Clementi; win
bonus would have been $10,000)
-Soa
Palelei: $5,000 (1st fight in UFC; lost to Eddie Sanchez; win
bonus would have been $5,000)
PRELIMINARY
MATCH FIGHTERS
-Dean
Lister: $22,000 (4th fight in UFC; defeated Jordan Radev; includes
win bonus of $11,000)
-Manny
Gamburyan: $20,000 (2nd fight in UFC; defeated Nate Mohr; includes
win bonus of $10,000)
-James
Irvin: $16,000 (6th fight in UFC; defeated Luis Cane; includes
win bonus of $8,000)
-Roan
Carneiro: $10,000 (3rd fight in UFC; defeated Tony DeSouza; includes
win bonus of $5,000)
-Tony
DeSouza: $7,000 (6th fight in UFC; lost to Roan Carneiro; win
bonus would have been $7,000)
-Mark
Bocek: $6,000 (2nd fight in UFC; defeated Doug Evans; includes
win bonus of $3,000)
-Nate
Mohr: $6,000 (3rd fight in UFC; lost to Manny Gamburyan; win
bonus would have been $6,000)
-Luis
Cane: $5,000 (1st fight in UFC; lost to James Irvin; win bonus
would have been $5,000)
-Jordan
Radev: $5,000 (2nd fight in UFC; lost to Dean Lister; win bonus
would have been $5,000)
-Doug
Evans: $3,000 (2nd fight in UFC; lost to Mark Bocek; win bonus
would have been $3,000)
DISCLOSED
FIGHTER PAYROLL: $1,199,000
Source: MMA Weekly
|
ON
TRACK, LIDDELL WANTS HIS TITLE BACK
Former Ultimate Fighting Championship light heavyweight titleholder
Chuck Liddell solidified his place in mixed martial arts history
on Dec. 29 when he defeated long-time rival and former Pride
Fighting Championships middleweight champion Wanderlei Silva
at UFC 79: Nemesis in Las Vegas.
"It's
great to get back on the winning track, getting my hand raised,"
Liddell told MMAWeekly.com.
Coming
off back-to-back losses heading into the fight, many questioned
if he still had what it takes to compete on MMA's highest level.
Changes in preparation, both mentally and physically, showed
in his performance.
"I
think I changed a little bit of the intensity in the room, and
kind of getting back to being a mixed martial artist. You know,
mixing everything in and not just being a striker," commented
the 38-year-old about his training.
Liddell
was able to secure two takedowns against Silva and attempted
three. We hadn't seen him take anyone down since his match with
Alistair Overeem in August of 2003.
Discussing
the takedowns, he explained, "I definitely wanted to work
them in there sometime during the fight and keep him off balance
a little bit."
Liddell
was able to utilize his reach advantage and keep Silva at the
end of his punches throughout the fight, something he does extremely
well.
"I
always try to use that advantage," he stated. "I've
got pretty long arms for my height and always got a good reach
for my size and weight class, so I've got to use that as much
as possible.
"It
just kind of works in the way I fight. There was no extra plan
for it, but that's just kind of how I do things."
Silva
also likes to trade from the outside, but is probably more devastating
and dangerous from the clinch position where we've seen him finish
current UFC light heavyweight champion Quinton "Rampage"
Jackson twice. The one time Liddell and Silva clinched in the
bout, Liddell did the damage with two elbow strikes.
"I
thought he would have tried to clinch more," Liddell reflected.
"But I'm also decent in the clinch, and I throw good elbows
in there when I gain that position, so I'm real comfortable there."
In
round two, the former UFC champ hit the canvas twice. The first
one was a slip, but the second time Liddell went down appeared
to be caused by a punch. He agreed and disagreed, saying, "It
was a slip. It was more getting hit while I was moving in an
odd way and slipped. I just had a couple of slips in that round."
Along
with the subtle changes in training, Liddell sought out motivational
speaker Tony Robbins to assist in focusing for the bout.
He
commented, "It was really good. . . I think (working with
Robbins) really did help me get better and focus on just being
in the moment of the fight. I'm not worried about anything else."
Refocused
and motivated, Liddell expects a big year in 2008.
"I'm
back. I'm coming after my title, and hopefully get a shot at
that some time in 2008."
Asked
about a rematch with Wanderlei Silva, and if the saga is over,
Liddell responded, "I'm going after my title. I want to
get the title back. If people want to see a rematch with us after
that, then yeah. Sure."
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Quote
of the Day
"Most
of the successful people I've known are the ones who do more
listening than talking."
Bernard M. Baruch, 1870-1965, American Financier and Statesman
|
WCO
confirms card
Babalu, Ximu and Fabio Costa called up
On
the coming 12th another international event will take place.
The WCO (World Cagefighting Organization) will be held in the
San Diego Sports Arena in San Diego, California. The event created
by former boxer Bruce Bellocchi will include stars form MMA’s
past and present.
Mark
Kerr seems to have returned to action and will have his second
fight in little over two months, against veteran Rick Roufus,
while former UFC heavyweight champion Ricco Rodriguez will slug
it out with Mike Kyle. Representing Brazil, Renato Babalu will
face off with UFC veteran Vernon White, Gustavo Ximu will go
against Joe Riggs, who has already figured in events like Strikeforce,
the WEC and the UFC. The third Brazilian on the card, Fabio Costa
will fight Carlos Fuentes. Here’s the complete card:
Renato
“Babalu” Sobral vs Vernon White
Ricco Rodriguez vs Mike Kyle
Mark Kerr vs Rick Roufus
Jimmy Ambriz vs Wesley
“Cabbage” Correira
Joe Riggs vs Gustavo Machado
Virgil Zwicker vs David Mejia
Davis Loiseau vs Leopoldo Serao
Tiki Ghosn vs J.J. Ambrose
Fabio Costa vs Carlos Fuentes
Georgi Karakahyan vs Armando Sanchez
Tony Sylvestor vs Cain Velasquez
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Five
Memorable Moments from the Weekend
by Joe Hall
The
last week of 2007 offered a final onslaught of fights. Selecting
from the four significant shows that closed out the year -- the
IFL, the UFC, K-1 and Yarennoka -- here are five moments worth
highlighting:
5.
Ryan Schultz traps Chris Horodecki's arm and pounds him out
Schultz's
win was no surprise, but the brutality of his victory over Horodecki
in the IFL Grand Prix Finals was certainly an eye-opener. He
made it look easy, as if the 20-year-old Canadian was undefeated
only because no one had ever bothered to pin his arm behind his
back and pummel his face.
Like
every mixed martial artist, Horodecki had to lose sooner or later.
The defeat was sudden and violent, but the blemish it scratches
onto his record is no bigger than the mark left by losing a decision.
A
first loss can be a psychological hurdle, however. We'll see
how Horodecki responds.
4.
Fedor Emelianenko stares down Hong Man Choi's sternum
I
looked forward to this fight as much as you did.
The
pre-fight staredown, which brought Fedor and his enormous opponent
together in the center of the ring, better explained why this
bout was made than 5,000 words on the topic could have done.
There
were a few interesting moments -- seeing Fedor struggle initially
to maneuver underneath Choi, seeing him wrestle his whole body
against Choi's arm, seeing him try to trip 350 solid pounds.
Much
more interesting, though, would have been a camera focused on
M-1 Global officials after Fedor's first armbar attempt failed.
Choi powered out of the hold and slammed his oversized fist into
Fedor's head a few times. The fight returned to the feet, and
a camera zoomed in on Fedor's face -- the face of M-1 Global
-- which was missing two sizable swaths of skin.
In
hindsight, Monte Cox and company had little to worry about. But
in the moment, they couldn't have enjoyed such rough treatment
of their multi-million-dollar investment.
3.
Kazuo Misaki delivers a fight-finishing kick to the face of Yoshihiro
Akiyama
Perhaps
the most thrilling scenario in fighting is when a pugilist pushed
to the edge of defeat rallies back to victory. The closer one
comes to losing, the more exhilarating the comeback.
Kazuo
Misaki was pretty close.
Six
minutes into his New Year's Eve bout against Yoshihiro Akiyama,
Misaki fell asleep at the harmless sight of his opponent's feinting
jab. Akiyama finally fired one the moment Misaki quit moving
his head -- he pumped the real thing behind another feint --
and the jab measured Misaki exactly for the right hand that came
next.
In
mixed martial arts you can recognize a good one-two combination
by its sound. Thrown perfectly, it goes off something like a
shotgun, with two quick beats -- the punches landing, the gun
pumping -- then a pause before the big conclusion. The gun gives
a blast for its finale, but the one-two ends with a thump.
The
thump, of course, is someone hitting the canvas. It's a sound
that often ends fights, and Misaki looked finished when he collapsed
with his right arm straightened awkwardly at his side. Yet he
defended well while coming to, then clawed back into the bout.
Back
on the feet, Misaki threw a left hook to the body that Akiyama
blocked with his arm. Akiyama defended the next left hook the
same way, his arm shielding his ribs.
The
only problem was that Misaki had thrown the punch at his head.
The
Japanese audience, which had uncharacteristically expressed its
disdain for Akiyama with boos and then bitterly watched him nearly
win, let out a collective roar when Misaki rushed after his fallen
opponent. Akiyama struggled to his feet just in time to make
legal the kick that smacked into his face.
A
pair of punches followed, and the ref shoved Misaki off, giving
him the win just two minutes after he had nearly taken the loss.
2.
Chuck Liddell stalks in on Wanderlei Silva
Early
in the first round, Silva caught a right hand on his ear and
slowly reeled back into the cage. A second passed before Liddell
realized he had apparently hurt his opponent, prompting him to
hustle forward with another loaded right hand.
Silva
was waiting, his back against the fence, his hands ready to swing.
At that point there was just enough time to understand what was
about to happen: the exchange we had waited years for.
The
first strikes -- a left from Silva, a right from Liddell -- deflected
each other. Silva then missed with a wild right, though the blow
caused Liddell to stumble away.
As
"The Iceman" moved back in, it was quite clear that
Silva was grinning. We can only speculate on what exactly he
was grinning at, be it Liddell or the joy of trying to take off
another human's head while he tries to take off yours.
The
grin was gone when they resumed throwing. Silva winged his left-right-left
bombs, technically terrible but undeniably powerful, with no
success. Liddell landed the best strike -- a left hook he dropped
across Silva's chin -- but both men survived to engage in a thrilling
exchange at the end of a memorable second round.
This
time Liddell connected with an overhand right that backed an
already bloody Silva into the cage yet again. Both tasted leather
in the punishing trade that followed, but the Brazilian got the
worst of it. In fact, he should have been knocked out. In that
situation, with an opponent hurt and trapped against the cage,
Liddell finishes just about anyone.
Silva
was game. His heart matched Liddell's beat for beat, but his
hands could not.
1.
Matt Hughes, with his eye closed and his arm bending in a bad
way, verbally submits
It
wasn't an undignified ending.
Rather,
Hughes' verbal surrender at UFC 79 was a respectable admission.
A gesture minutes earlier had said the same thing. On his way
to his corner after a demoralizing first round, Hughes passed
Georges St. Pierre and slapped him on the back as if to say,
"Wow. Good one, man."
After
the fight Hughes came right out with the words: "Georges
is just a better fighter."
That
much is certain, as is the reality that Hughes' domination at
170 pounds is done. He could do nothing against the Canadian.
At
one point in the first round, St. Pierre literally leapt into
a takedown for Hughes -- and still didn't end up on his back.
He went airborne for a superman punch, which Hughes ducked, allowing
him to catch St. Pierre in a deep double-leg.
This
would have been a nice time for Hughes to do that old number
when he hoists an opponent onto his shoulder, walks him around
the cage, gives everyone a moment to meditate on what's about
to happen and get a good angle to see it, and then slams the
poor guy on his back if he's lucky or his head if he's not.
How
did St. Pierre stay on his feet against an adversary who has
made a career of taking takedowns and who had been given one
here?
Beats
me.
Within
a second of coming down from his flying punch to land in Hughes'
arms, St. Pierre had popped his hips free. A second more and
he had clinched with Hughes and stuck a knee into his side.
Counseling
Hughes between rounds was longtime friend and training partner
Jeremy Horn. Horn is the man who helped Hughes add a submission
game to his arsenal, who cornered him for many of his 41 victories,
who climbed the Octagon apron and threw Hughes a thumbs-up after
he had armbarred St. Pierre in their first meeting.
Against
this version of St. Pierre, however, there wasn't much Horn could
say to help his friend deal with such an overwhelmingly athletic
foe. He did tell Hughes he had to throw his punches with more
intention if he wanted to set up takedowns.
"He's
getting," Hughes said in the corner. "He's getting
out of the …"
Horn
extracted Hughes' mouthpiece and the sentence trailed off, but
we can safely assume the missing word referred to takedowns.
"You're
all right," Horn said.
"I
know," Hughes replied quickly, though that didn't make the
response any truer.
With
a minute left in the second round, Hughes had his first success
of the fight. He scrambled out from underneath St. Pierre and
grabbed a deep single-leg against the cage. There was a call
of support from the audience, a burst of excitement from Hughes'
corner, a flash of hope.
The
next flash was the white blur of Hughes' legs flying through
the air as St. Pierre tossed him to the mat.
The
end followed. St. Pierre dropped a right elbow that closed Hughes'
eye, then isolated his arm and transitioned from a Kimura to
an armbar.
Hughes'
left hand was free to tap. But for whatever reason -- caught
in the moment of having his arm locked out perhaps -- the hand
stayed still, and the most accomplished fighter in UFC history
spoke his submission aloud.
Source: Sherdog
|
Rudimar:
‘Wand and Shogun should hire Cordeiro
Chute Boxe leader says he fears for former students’ futures
Pride
came to an end but that doesn’t mean the whole Fedrigo family
spent New Year’s Eve in Curitiba. Once again the patriarch
Rudimar was on the other side of the world, specifically in Japan.
The mission this time was to accompany Luiz Azeredo who faced
off with Tatsuya Kawajiri in one of the Yarennoka fights, on
December 31, in Tokyo. Unfortunately for Luiz he didn’t
win and the turning of the year was one to lament. “Every
move we wanted Luizinho to do, the Japanese did first. This Kawajiri
is a slick guy, he didn’t let Luizinho fight, props to him,”
said Rudimar.
Already
in Curitiba, the Chute Boxe leader was questioned by GRACIEMAG.com
about what he thought of Wanderlei Silva’s defeat to Chuck
Liddell, at UFC 79, on December 29th. Straightforward, Rudimar
said he feels no desire to criticize Wand, now fighting independently
and living in the United States. To the contrary, he wanted,
through GRACIEMAG.com, to send a message. “I recommend that
Wanderlei and Shogun hire Master Rafael Cordeiro. They need to
hire Master Rafael, as they need an MMA coach, someone that knows
about the beat down,” said Rudimar.
But
then would Rafael Cordeiro leave Chute Boxe? “No, I’ll
loan him to them. Because Master Rafael will never leave the
gym. He is a part of it and has canine-like loyalty. What the
others lack, he has in abundance. I fear for the future of these
athletes. Because I love them I’ll give them this advice.
They should urgently hire Master Rafael as soon as possible.
I’ll loan Master Rafael to them,” he finished.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Jens
Pulver with Brazillian grounds
The great striker, Jens Pulver impressed everyone when submitted
Cub Swanson with a guillotine in 35 seconds of combat in the
WEC 31, which happened on December 12 in the United States. What
few people knew was that Pulver was training with the black-belt
of Judô and Jiu-Jitsu Pedro Silveira, who helped in the
preparation of Pulver to the fight. "I started to train
Jens Pulver and tried not change his kind of the game, because
he is already very experienced and professional. I´ve adapted
the game of Jiu-Jitsu and created a strategy for this fight.
Since his opponent was very good in ground and had finalized
many fights in the guillotine, I decided to use his own weapon
against him and surprise. Everyone said I was crazy, but Pulver
believed in me and everything has gone right, we won in 30 seconds",
said Pedro who returns to America on April 10 to train for his
next fight and to help Pulver in his training for the belt dispute
of WEC.
Source: Tatame
|
2007
NYE ratings
By Zach Arnold
According
to Sports Navigator:
Hustle
drew a 4.0% rating on TV-Tokyo.
K-1’s
Dynamite event drew the following:
6:00-8:30
PM - 11.1%
8:30-11:00 PM - 14.7%
11:00-11:34 PM - 11.1%
In
other words, not very strong across the board.
Kohaku
(Red & White Music Festival) drew a 32.8% rating in part
one and 39.5% rating in part two of their night-long show on
NHK. The Kohaku ratings were the second-lowest of all time.
Source: Fight Opinion
|
Fuel
the Fighter: Physiology and Nutrition for MMA
Navigating the Protein Scene
By P.R. Cole
Protein Demystified
Mixed martial artists are among the most inspiring athletes in
the world. In addition to the intense cardio endurance that is
necessary to survive numerous rounds of fighting, these athletes
require impressive musculature. This physique is not only crucial
for delivering powerful strikes; it also plays a vital role alongside
smooth technique in developing solid Jiu Jitsu and wrestling
skills. Anyone who has attempted to submit an opponent in an
arm bar or a rear naked choke knows that practically all muscles
in the body work in conjunction to control the fight. In order
to tone and build muscle, dietary protein intake becomes of key
importance. It’s nearly impossible nowadays to peruse a
health store or watch sporting event commercials without being
inundated by a broad spectrum of protein products. It can be
difficult in this media driven Alice in Protein-land to obtain
a true understanding of what proteins are, how they function,
and what kinds athletes like MMA fighters should seek out for
maximum performance.
Don’t
be intimidated or impressed by the scientific terms that companies
use to market their products. Slogans like “special peptides”
and “complex amino acids” are often used to sell protein
powders and power bars. The language of proteins can be simplified
as follows. Proteins are nutrients composed of strings of compounds
called amino acids. There are twenty amino acids available to
build proteins, some of which the body can produce, and some
are essential to consume since the body is unable to construct
them. Smaller fragments of amino acids that are not full proteins
are called peptide chains, or simply peptides.
Proteins
are vital parts of a diet since they serve numerous functions.
They form hormones, immune system components, and they help to
speed up bodily processes. They are also involved in the structure
of bodily tissues, including muscle which accounts for close
to 40% of body weight. Therefore protein becomes crucial in the
process of building muscle. Since there is no storage form of
protein, the absence of this nutrient in a diet will cause the
body to break down muscle tissue.
Protein
for Athletic Performance
The
average American consumes over 100 grams of protein per day.
This is often in excess of the minimum amount required for normal
metabolic functions. The current recommended daily allowance
for protein in adults is determined by weight. For every kg of
body weight, 0.8 grams of proteins should be consumed. The average
westerner consuming this amount of protein has more than enough
to really pack on muscle. So in opposition to all the ads that
promote incredibly high protein intake, studies suggest that
the most important factors for building muscle are the types
of proteins ingested, and the timing of their consumption. Athletes
therefore must consume the right proteins as soon as possible
after exercise to maximize muscle development. While there is
not a consensus regarding maximum protein intake limits, it should
be noted that extreme protein consumption puts extra pressure
on the liver and kidneys.
The
goal of bodybuilding is muscle growth, sometimes referred to
on bodybuilding websites as muscle hypertrophy. For this to occur,
the amount of protein found in the muscle needs to be increased.
Proteins in the body are constantly breaking down and being created.
In order for muscles to grow, the rate of protein production
needs to be greater than the rate of protein breakdown. After
exercise, it is more common for proteins to break apart than
it is for proteins to be produced. Without food directly after
a workout of resistance training, more protein will be broken
down than created. Proteins and complex carbohydrates eaten right
after exercise will ensure that there will be enough protein
available to let muscles grow even though some protein will still
be broken down. Eating glucose, the most common type of carbohydrate
found in most food, increases insulin levels which help to reduce
protein loss. It is ideal to consume 30-40 grams of protein right
after intense resistance training. Even consuming as little as
15 grams of protein after training can be influential. Essential
amino acids also greatly contribute to protein assembly in the
muscles.
Of
the essential amino acids, the three “branch chain amino
acids”, leucine, isoleucine and valine are key players to
promote growth of muscle. These are often abbreviated on food
labels as BCAAs. While most amino acids are processed by the
liver, these three are brought directly in the muscle, and leucine
in particular can be completely broken down to supply energy
for the muscle directly. High doses of leucine have been shown
to help prevent the breakdown of protein. Dairy products, whey
and eggs are good sources of this trio of amino acids. [1]
Plant
vs. Animal Protein- Preventing Bone Weakness
Animal
protein has been shown to be 90% to 99% digestible, whereas plant
protein is about 70% to 90% digestible. Despite this difference,
a balance of plant and animal protein is important. For example
if an athlete consumes high amounts of animal products immediately
following exercise to promote muscle growth, the rest of the
protein intake for the day should include plant sources of protein.
The reason for this has to do with the fact animal protein is
more acidic than plant protein. A diet with mostly animal protein
and low in plant protein can lead to the weakening of bones.
With so much acid buildup in the blood from animal protein, calcium
will seep out of bones to help buffer and neutralize the acidity.
Calcium loss from bone tissue results in substandard bone quality.
[2]
While
strong bones are important for any sport, they are particularly
important for MMA training. Throughout history martial artists
have trained their limbs to become accustomed to intense impact.
The tiny micro-fractures that result from this impact training
actually help to fortify the bone and make it denser and stronger.
This is why highly trained mixed martial artists don’t even
flinch when they use their shins to block Muay Thai style leg
kicks. Calcium loss to a fighter’s bones can be avoided
by making sure to include a variety of protein. In addition to
the protein sources mentioned in the vegan section below, other
sources include natural peanut butter, lentils, quinoa, and even
broccoli.
Protein
for Vegans
The
quality of protein is for the most part assessed with regards
to its amino acid composition. A high quality protein food contains
what is known as “complete protein.” This means that
all of the essential amino acids are present. Foods with complete
protein include animal products like milk, yogurt, cheese, eggs,
meat, fish and poultry. While most people consume animal products
regularly, consuming the right proteins can be problematic for
vegans. The practice known to vegans as mutual supplementation
is a method that combines forms of incomplete plant protein within
meals to create a complete protein source. It is generally accepted
that vegans should obtain 60% of protein from grains, 35% from
legumes (seed pod plants like beans), and 5 % from leafy greens.
For an average 155 lb (70 kg) vegan, a days worth of proper protein
intake would include four slices of whole wheat bread, 2 ½
cups of grains from oatmeal, brown rice, and cracked wheat, ¼
cup nuts or seeds, 1 ¼ servings of beans, and 2 cups of
vegetables, half of which should be leafy greens. [3]
The
Disturbing Truth About Soy
Hailed
as the high protein miracle food of our generation, there is
a much darker side to soy products that is unknown to the general
public. Perhaps this is because soy is crop grown with government
subsidies used as a cheap protein source for factory farm animals.
While it is true that soy beans have high protein content with
essential amino acids, there is much evidence to suggest that
soy products should not be a staple of any diet.
The
most important enzyme that aids in protein digestion is trypsin.
Soy products when taken in excess slow down this enzyme and interrupt
proper protein digestion. While this fact is true for many other
healthy veggies, the cooking process prevents them from interfering
with digestion. Cooking soy on the other hand does little to
stop it from disturbing digestion. The safest form of soy is
tempeh, because the fermentation technique use to make this food
deactivates most of the harmful effects of soy. Soymilk and tofu
on the other hand are less processed soy foods so they are more
likely to cause problems.
Another
issue with soy is that it interferes with hormone production.
Soy contains phytoestrogens which in structure are very similar
to human estrogen. When consumed, these compounds act as if they
were real human estrogen. Obviously excess estrogen is the last
thing that fighters want to bring into the ring. As if this weren’t
enough, studies have shown that soy can also block the construction
of the thyroid hormones which helps to regulate metabolism of
all foods.
Keep
in mind that these problems occur when soy is consumed in excess.
There are many other healthy vegetables that can cause the same
problems as soy, but they pose less of a threat because they
aren’t eaten as often. Between soy milk, protein bars, soy
protein powder, soy fortified breads and tofu, there are many
Americans that consume large quantities of soy in every meal.
Soy doesn’t need to be eliminated from the diet, but it
needs to be monitored. Throwing tofu chunks into a salad a few
times a week and having some edamame with sushi or even a soy
latte on occasion will not be harmful. Any food when eaten in
excess can have negative consequences. Variety they say is the
spice of life, and it is also the best way to maintain a healthy
diet. [4]
References
1.
Koopman, R., Saris, W. H. M., Wagenmakers, A. J. M., & van
Loon, L. J. C. (2007). Nutritional interventions to
promote
post-exercise muscle protein synthesis. [Review]. Sports Medicine,
37(10), 895-906.
2.
Sellmeyer DE, Stone KL, Sebastian A, Cummings SR. A high ratio
of dietary animal to vegetable protein intake Increases the rate
of bone loss and the risk of fracture in postmenopausal women.
Study of Osteoporotic Fractures Research Group. Am J Clin Nutr
2001; 73: 118-22.
3.
Gropper, S.S., Smith, J.L., Groff, J.L., ( 2005). Advanced Nutrition
and Human Metabolism (4th ed.)
Belmont,
CA: Thomson Wadsworth
4.
Daniel, K.T., (2007). The Whole Soy Story: The Dark Side of America’s
Favorite Health Food.
Washington,
DC: New Trends Publishing Inc.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Quote
of the Day
"A
good garden may have some weeds."
Thomas Fuller, 1608-1661, British Clergyman and Author
|
Hughes
speaks with UFC about possible bout against Serra
Former UFC welterweight champion Matt Hughes has already spoken
with the UFC about his next potential opponent following his
loss to Georges St. Pierre at UFC 79: Nemesis on Dec. 29.
"I’ve
already talked to Dana and Lorenzo, and we’ll probably see
what happens with Georges and Serra," Hughes wrote Wednesday
on his blog. "And if Serra loses, I might go against him.
Nothing is set in stone, just an idea right now."
Serra
suffered a back injury weeks away from UFC 79 and won't be able
to defend his title until probably mid-2008.
The
UFC still has a marketable match between the two season six coaches
thanks to an entire season of The Ultimate Fighter stirring up
interest for the feud. And Hughes himself told the press during
the UFC 79 post-fight conference that he is still interested
in facing Serra.
But
for now, Hughes will sit back and think it through: "I have
to see what the UFC wants me to do, and I have to see what my
family wants me to do."
Source: MMA Fighting
|
CLEMENTI
STILL HAS NO LOVE FOR GUILLARD
by Damon Martin
The real life animosity between Ultimate Fighting Championship
lightweights Rich “No Love” Clementi and Melvin Guillard
came to a boiling point when the two finally met inside the Octagon
last Saturday night at UFC 79.
The
end result was Clementi pulling off a submission win forcing
a tap out from Guillard by way of rear naked choke, and after
the fight was over the two were still going at each other, which
verified the dislike was mutual and very real.
“I
think that was quite obvious to just about 100% of the viewers,”
said Clementi about the obvious tension between the two fighters.
Before
the fight ever started, the Internet was a buzz about the long
rivalry between the two fighters, but Clementi insisted on staying
quiet beforehand and letting the fight speak for itself.
“To
be honest, it’s not me,” he said about his lack of
trash talk before the fight. “I’m smart enough to know
that anything can happen in this game and when you talk like
that and it doesn’t come out your way it just makes you
look like an idiot.”
Clementi
implemented a very strong game plan, taking the fight to the
ground early where he was able to dominate and lock on the fight
ending submission.
“I’m
a true MMA fighter,” he stated. “I can stand-up and
bang with the best and my wrestling is complete and my jiu-jitsu’s
there, so that’s what makes a guy like me a little bit dangerous.
I’m going to take a fight where my opponent is the weakest
no matter where it is.”
The
emotions ran high between the two fighters prior to, during and
after the fight when Clementi made a gesture towards Guillard
after the referee stopped the bout and separated the fighters.
Clementi says he didn’t let the emotion play into the fight
and instead used that tactic against his opponent.
“Not
really much at all,” he said about emotion playing into
his mindset going into the bout. “If anything I was using
it against him. I look at it as kind of setting him up for failure.
“I
think I put that in one of my UFC interviews is that you’ll
probably see maybe about just a few seconds of that come out
and that will be at the end of the fight and surely enough that’s
what happened with me. The whole crotch shot thing and stuff,
that was just the last bit of ‘now my emotion’s here’
and I displayed what I wanted to do and that type of deal.”
In
the past, many fighters have been able to settle their differences
inside the Octagon and walk away satisfied with a rivalry settled,
but Clementi doesn’t expect any friendly situations with
Guillard to arise in the near future.
“I’m
absolutely sure we’ll never like each other, that’s
the case why we had to fight.”
With
a big win over Guillard now behind him, Clementi is now looking
forward to a very busy 2008 and a stacked lightweight division
to compete in.
“I
love fighting in the UFC,” he said. “The UFC’s
really taking care of me and I appreciate that, giving me an
opportunity. Really what I would like to see for me is just consistency.
I want another year of putting guys away and I’d like to
put my name up there when guys talk about the upper echelon in
that division.”
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Minotauro
show his training center to Japan
The new Rodrigo Minotauro Training Center, that stays at Recreio
neighborhood, in the west of Rio de Janeiro, was presented for
the first time by the Japanese magazine Kakutougi Tsushin. The
Training Center will have an UFC octagon, a ring and matts. “There
are just a few details missing and we are going to have the official
opening soon. We have an octagon from the same size from the
Ultimate and a official ring with 6m x 6m, a mat from 300m2,
a boxing area and another to weight training. We are working
in a social project to the people from a poor community near
here. We will give free Boxing classes here. The training center
will have a auditorium form 200 people and we are planning to
make some small MMA, Muay Thai
Source: Tatame
|
Tanigawa:
K-1’s ‘large coalition’ will continue
By Zach Arnold
Today,
Kazushi Sakuraba and Sadaharu Tanigawa held a press briefing
in Osaka.
If
Fedor’s face looked like he suffered from road rash, then
Sakuraba’s face is twice as bad.
However,
the big story coming out of the press conference involved Tanigawa
proclaiming that the ‘large coalition’ that K-1 was
a part of would continue.
It
is becoming very clear what the main storyline in Japanese MMA
will be in 2008 and who will be leading the charge (Kazuyoshi
Ishii).
K-1
working with zombie PRIDE and other organizations will obviously
lead to more interpromotional matches. The question is what formula
will Ishii base his new interpromotional feud on. Will he take
on a WWE vs. WCW mentality? A WWE vs. ECW mentality?
Or
will he take on a New Japan vs. UWF-International 1995-1996 mentality?
Given that Takada was the front man for UWF-Inter in 1996 and
he’s the face of the zombie PRIDE in 2008, it sounds like
a pretty good formula for Ishii to play off of given that Sakuraba
is his ‘ace’ for HEROs.
Lots
of similarities between K-1/zombie PRIDE 2008 and NJ/UWF-Inter
in 1995:
Takada
was the ace of UWF-Inter and he’s the public face of PRIDE.
Sakuraba was a key young star for UWF-Inter in the 1995 feud,
but now he will be playing the role of Kazuo Yamazaki (circa
1996) by jumping to the enemy camp. (Yamazaki went to NJ, Sakuraba
now part of HEROs.)
UWF-International suffered through financial problems (thanks
to Takada’s failed political career), zombie PRIDE has financial
problems and has no major TV deal (just like UWF-Inter).
New Japan managed to pull off three major Tokyo Dome shows with
the UWF-Inter feud before crushing and destroying their rival,
which exactly could happen here with K-1 vs. zombie PRIDE even
in a shoot environment.
Source: Fight Opinion
|
MMAFighting.com's
Top 10 MMA Rankings
January 2008
HEAVYWEIGHTS
1. Fedor Emelianenko
2. Randy Couture
3. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
4. Gabriel Gonzaga
5. Josh Barnett
6. Tim Sylvia
7. Cheick Kongo
8. Mirko "Cro Cop"
9. Andrei Arlovski
10. Fabricio Werdum
LIGHT
HEAVYWEIGHTS
1. Quinton "Rampage" Jackson
2. Dan Henderson
3. Chuck Liddell
4. Forrest Griffin
5. Wanderlei Silva
6. Mauricio "Shogun" Rua
7. Keith Jardine
8. Lyoto Machida
9. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira
10. Tito Ortiz
MIDDLEWEIGHTS
1. Anderson Silva
2. Paulo Filho
3. Dan Henderson
4. Rich Franklin
5. Robbie Lawler
6. Nathan Marquardt
7. Frank Trigg
8. Kazuo Misaki
9. Yoshihiro Akiyama
10. Yushin Okami
WELTERWEIGHTS
1. Matt Serra
2. Georges St. Pierre
3. Matt Hughes
4. Jon Fitch
5. Josh Koscheck
6. Diego Sanchez
7. Karo Parisyan
8. Jake Shields
9. Akira Kikuchi
10. Carlos Condit
LIGHTWEIGHTS
1. Takanori Gomi
2. Mitsuhiro Ishida
3. Gilbert Melendez
4. Tatsuya Kawajiri
5. Gesias "JZ" Calvancanti
6. Joe Stevenson
7. Vitor "Shaolin" Ribeiro
8. Shinya Aoki
9. BJ Penn
10. Kenny Florian
FEATHERWEIGHTS
1. Akitoshi Tamura
2. Urijah Faber
3. Takeshi Inoue
4. Hiroyuki Takaya
5. Antonio Carvalho
6. Masakazu Imanari
7. Yoshiro Maeda
8. Jeff Curran
9. Jong Man Kim
10. Hatsu Hioki
Rankings
are updated monthly. Competitors under suspension are not included
in the rankings.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Jucao
comments on win at UFC 79
Roan
Jucao Carneiro knew how important beating Tony de Souza at UFC
79 was. The event took place and the triumph by technical knockout
(punches) at 3:33 min of the second round provided the certainty
he would have a happy New Years and 2008 would be full of great
prospects. Mission accomplished, the black belt now may rest,
but with his goals laid out: to reach the top of UFC welterweight
division. At least that is what Jucao made apparent in his chat
with GRACIEMAG.com. Here it goes:
How
was the fight?
Thank
God everything went well. But I know I can do better. I used
my Jiu-Jitsu, I want to let my standing game go more as it’s
something I’ve been practicing a lot.
Did
Tony surprise you in any way?
Yes.
There was a point where I ended up on the bottom, I tried an
Americana and he with his hand trapped my hip. When I let go
of the Americana he nearly landed in the mount. But it was quick,
I was out in a few seconds. I must congratulate him on his ground
game.
And
what was it like participating in the end of the year event?
Sensational,
but I had my head centered on my fight to not lose focus. But
it really was cool to feel people’s recognition. I was happy.
You
said to GRACIEMAG.com before UFC 79 that a win would be important
in putting you among the category’s elite. And now, has
there been any sign from the organizers regarding your upcoming
challenges?
Yes.
We’re talking. My agent has already been given a nod by
them and we’re now talking about this year. I really want
to go in to the top of the category once and for all. As I’ve
said I want to fight and work with all the top guys, without
challenging anyone, I want it all to be natural.
You
said you’d cheer for Wand, but Liddell ended up winning.
What did you think of the fight?
All
of the Brazilians were in the changing room cheering for him
a lot. I thought Wand was more technical. In that fight anyone
could have hit that ground at any time. It was a sensational
fight. I think he will come back and bring much happiness to
his fans.
And
what about Lyoto Machida, who defeated convincingly Rameau Sokoudjou?
Did you watch that one?
Yes,
I saw it. He made quick work of the Cameroonian. Sweep, kick,
mount, he taught a lesson in Jiu-Jitsu and Muay Thai.
Do
you have any idea of what might await you in the octagon?
I’m
still waiting, but I guarantee you I’ll be even stronger
next time. Who knows, maybe I’ll get a revenge match with
Ryo Chonan. I still have that thorn in my side to this day.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
INTERNATIONAL
FIGHT LEAGUE UPDATE
Knapp Named
IFL Director Fighter Relations
By FCF Staff
The International Fight League has announced that MMA broadcaster
and manager, Shannon Knapp, has been promoted to the league’s
newly created position of Director, Fighter Relations. The experienced
broadcaster has been working with the IFL in a variety of roles
since 2005, but according to today’s press release, Knapp’s
new position will solely focus on working with the league’s
fighter’s, agents, and business associates.
“Shannon
is a significant part of the IFL. There are few individuals who
have the knowledge and fluency in MMA that she possesses,”
IFL President and CEO Jay Larkin was quoted as saying in the
release. “She has accomplished a great deal for the sport,
and we are elated to be able to give her this opportunity to
expand her duties. She is a great role model for women in sports
management.”
Knapp,
whose commentating background has included working with Spike
TV and Fox Sports Net, was part of the IFL broadcast team in
2006, before moving into a managerial position for fighters and
coaches in 2007.
Up
next for the IFL, the promotion will hold its first event of
2008, February 29th, at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Source: FCF
|
Quote
of the Day
"Judge
a man by his questions rather than by his answers."
Voltaire, 1694-1778, French Writer and Philosopher
|
The
UFC in 2008
by Jake Rossen
The UFC handled more money than the Federal Reserve in 2007,
dominating live gate and attendance figures in arenas worldwide.
It
nabbed the most viewers for a mixed-style event in U.S. history,
scoring record ratings on SpikeTV for the Quinton Jackson-Dan
Henderson bout. And on the promotion's worst day, it still garnered
200,000 buys, according to the Wrestling Observer, for the underwhelming
Rich Franklin-Yushin Okami main event in the spring, far outdrawing
boxing names like Holyfield and Jones, Jr.
It
was, in short, a very good year to be in the hurt business …
providing you hold the trademark to the Octagon.
The
UFC's dominance as the premier MMA banner in the industry looks
set to continue unabated in 2008, with rivals hemorrhaging losses
on quarterly financial reports and hedging bets on talent with
questionable appeal.
That
the UFC is engorged on market share has mixed consequences for
fans: Without competition forcing the company to consistently
up the ante, there's potential for the product to become stagnant
and diluted. Already the UFC is feeling bold enough to offer
three pay-per-view events within a one-month span. While two
are sturdy enough, the third, topped by B.J. Penn vs. Joe Stevenson, is being mighty
presumptuous in reaching for your wallet.
My
projected New Year's wish is for the UFC to use its power and
status responsibly, continuing to offer meaningful bouts and
substantial cards as though it were in danger of losing position
in the industry -- even if that's far from the case.
In
more easily digested form:
More
Heavyweight Talent, Please
With
Andrei Arlovski in flux and Fedor Emelianenko having joined the
circus, the UFC's scale-tipping division went from promising
to wheezing overnight.
As
it stands, Tim Sylvia and Antonio Rodgrio Nogueira have no compelling
opposition beyond themselves. When they meet to decide an interim
champion on Feb. 2, the waiting list for challengers is spotty
at best, blank at worst. Gabriel Gonzaga vs. the winner intrigues,
but do we really need a rematch between Nogueira and Fabricio
Werdum?
That
Josh Barnett may be at odds with UFC management is a petty excuse
for his absence. Is the sport about finding the best in the ring
or the best at playing juvenile political games?
Mark
Hunt remains a glaring omission, as does Sergei Kharitonov. Alistair
Overeem impressed in Strikeforce several weeks back, dispatching
the durable Paul Buentello. If he's locked into a contract, why
not Roger Gracie, who seems capable of picking up that family's
baton? I'd even settle for an in-shape Ricco Rodriguez, but unfortunately
he doesn't seem equipped with the tools to challenge Sylvia,
and a televised stint in a VH-1 rehab clinic won't do his career
any favors.
Brock
Lesnar could be the next great heavyweight hope, particularly
if his adversaries are as sluggish as Eddie Sanchez and Soa Palelei
were this weekend. But despite his NCAA credentials, we're still
talking about a man with a 1-0 MMA record. If Lesnar isn't brought
along slowly, he's going to collapse in a heap of hype.
Shelf
Life of Stars
Despite
his status as one of the top three welterweights in the division,
Matt Hughes sat out the majority of 2007, fighting only once
in March before a December bout against Georges St. Pierre. Fresh
off a huge win against Mauricio Rua in September, it will be
nearly a year before Forrest Griffin steps back in the cage against
Quinton Jackson.
The
sabbaticals come at the service of the UFC's "Ultimate Fighter,"
which essentially holds talent hostage until 12 weeks of promotion
are complete. It's an eternity for fans, and the lack of steady
competition doesn't do athletes any favors.
Why
not switch to a format popularized by HBO earlier in the year,
with barker shows shot and edited on the fly? Film Jackson and
Griffin during the week, and air the series on weekends. The
tactic helped HBO reach a record 2.4 million buys for the De
La Hoya-Mayweather bout.
"TUF"
is a needed vehicle for upcoming talent, but it shouldn't come
at the expense of holding marquee guys on the bench for months
at a time.
Ease
Up on the Self-Aggrandizing
While
it might be irresistible to refute the smug advances of fans
that spent years anointing PRIDE as the Alec Baldwin to the UFC's
Stephen, the backslapping is getting a little out of hand.
UFC
President Dana White and owners Lorenzo and Frank Fertitta were
alleged to be openly ecstatic at cageside over Griffin's submission
win over Rua in September. Matchmaker Joe Silva passed a note
to announcer Joe Rogan during Lyoto Machida's mauling of Sokoudjou
on Saturday, saying the bout's outcome was indicative that "This
ain't Japan."
Never
mind the fact that Machida fought the majority of his career
overseas, or that PRIDE alumni Quinton Jackson and Anderson Silva
are doing just fine. The partisan commentary by UFC chairs is
getting to be a little distracting, especially considering they
already "won" the fabricated war created by fans with
their acquisition -- and subsequent dismantling -- of PRIDE earlier
in the year.
Why
should organizers favor one fighter over another, even if done
subversively? Can we get over it already?
Dissolve
‘Interim' Nonsense
Speaking
as someone who considers boxing's myriad weight classes and alphabet
champions an impenetrable mess, the UFC's recent reliance on
murky "interim" titleholders is a sketchy proposition.
In
addition to St. Pierre winning the interim welterweight title
on Saturday, the winner of Nogueira and Sylvia will be awarded
the interim heavyweight championship in February. At this rate,
we'll be seeing interim ring girls crowned next.
Worse,
the UFC broadcasts never define what "interim" champion
means. Casual viewers can suspect that both Matt Serra and Randy
Couture were either vaporized by visiting Martians or had to
enter the Witness Protection Program.
It's
confusing terminology, meant to satiate the ego of absentee champions
while allowing an excuse for five-round bouts. Commendable goals,
but not when the net result is turning off fans that abandoned
boxing for the same reasons in the 1990s.
Please,
enough of the buzzwords: one weight class, one champ. Otherwise,
the promotion will likely create one unpleasant side effect of
such an awkward strategy: interim fans.
Source: Sherdog
|
Mayweather
dogs Mayweather
Boxing hero’s father doesn’t believe in son’s
MMA potential
The
father figure is recognized as one to unconditionally support
his children, especially when they are renowned athletes. Known
for saying what’s on his mind and for the rift with his
son, father of boxing super-champion Floyd Mayweather, Floyd
Mayweather Sr. prefers to adopt a more realistic stance on Junior’s
participation in MMA, not for the money or prestige, but for
not believing his son will do well.
The
American is considered the best pound for pound fighter in the
world, undefeated in 38 fights. Recently he was linked to new
that Mark Cuban, a billionaire investing in MMA, would try to
bring the pugilist to the sport.
“He
needs to forget that. The same thing would happen as happened
with Vince Phillips, he’d leave with his arms and legs broken,
the guys do that and there’s no way to beat them in their
game. My son would be destroyed, they wouldn’t even need
a referee, he’d submit his own self, they’d break his
ribs or beat him so bad he’d never be the same again. None
of those guys would be afraid of him, if it were just boxing
even I’d face anyone, but with knees and elbows, ground
games those sons of bitches are really dangerous, they’d
laugh at my son,” fired off Floyd Mayweather Sr to the site
Fighthype.com.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
UFC
79 Salary Report
These are the fighter salaries that were reported by the UFC
to the Nevada State Athletic Commission for UFC 79: Nemesis on
Saturday, Dec. 29.
Winners
received a win bonus the equivalent of their guaranteed pay.
For example, if Matt Hughes had won his fight, he would have
received a total of $200,000. The one exception was Chuck Liddell,
who would have still earned $500,000 even if he had lost.
Additional
bonuses were awarded to the night's top performers:
Fight
of the Night - Chuck Liddell ($50,000) and Wanderlei Silva ($50,000)
Knockout of the Night - Eddie Sanchez ($50,000)
Submission of the Night - Georges St. Pierre ($50,000)
Fighter
UFC 77 Result Previous UFC Bout Result
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Georges St. Pierre $160,000 W $140,000 (UFC 74) W
Matt Hughes $100,000 L N/A (UFC 68) W
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chuck Liddell $500,000 W $500,000 (UFC 76) L
Wanderlei Silva $150,000 L N/A (UFC 25) L
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Eddie Sanchez $46,000 W N/A (UFC 72) W
Soa Palelei $5,000 L UFC DEBUT N/A
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lyoto Machida $60,000 W $50,000 (UFC 76) W
Sokoudjou $40,000 L UFC DEBUT N/A
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rich Clementi $28,000 W $24,000 (UFC 76) W
Melvin Guillard $10,000 L $7,000 (UFN 9) L
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
James Irvin $16,000 W $7,000 (UFC 71) L
Luis Cane $5,000 L UFC DEBUT N/A
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Manny Gamburyan $20,000 W $8,000 (TUF 5 Finale) L
Nate Mohr $6,000 L $6,000 (UFN 10) W
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dean Lister $22,000 W $11,000 (UFN 8) L
Jordan Radev $5,000 L $5,000 (UFN 10) L
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Roan Carneiro $10,000 W $5,000 (UFN 10) L
Tony DeSouza $7,000 L $7,000 (UFC 66) L
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mark Bocek $6,000 W $3,000 (UFC 73) L
Doug Evans $3,000 L $3,000 (TUF 5 Finale) L
Source: MMA Fighting
|
UFC
belt on Ebay
Starting bid is US$ 30,000
Imagine
what it would be like to be revered by others and what it would
feel like to be at the top of the world, even if for just a few
hours in a dream, as it’s been for so many fight lovers.
However, being heavyweight champion of the greatest MMA organization
in the world has been the privilege of very few men, who dedicated
their lives to training hard and feeling pain.
Thanks
to a former holder of this title, MMA fans can have a taste of
it and take the heavyweight belt home with them. Ricco Rodriguez
put the object of desire up for auction on the world renowned
Ebay auction site. With the auction’s deadline set for Monday,
the starting bid is set for a minimum of 30 thousand dollars.
Ricco’s conquest took place on September 27, 2002 when he
defeated current champion Randy Couture by technical knockout.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
South
Korea boxer dies after bout
Choi
won the WBC light flyweight title in 1999
Former WBC light flyweight champion Choi Yo-sam has died after
collapsing during a fight on Christmas Day.
The South Korean had been defending his WBO intercontinental
flyweight title against Indonesia's Heri Amol, who floored Choi
at the end of round 12.
Choi
returned to his feet and won the bout on points, but was rushed
to hospital when he collapsed soon after.
The
33-year-old had suffered cerebral haemorrhage and was pronounced
"brain dead" by hospital officials in Seoul.
Choi
won the WBC light flyweight title in 1999 with a points win over
Thailand's Saman Sorjaturong.
Source: Fight Opinion
|
MATT
HUGHES PONDERS HIS FUTURE
by Ken Pishna
Having lost for the second time to Georges St-Pierre, the man
that is largely considered the greatest welterweight champion
in the history of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, Matt Hughes
is left to ponder his future.
It’s
a difficult position to be in. Most pundits believe that he is
still a step above nearly everyone in the welterweight division,
but in St-Pierre, Hughes has seemingly run into a puzzle that
he can’t solve.
“I'm
not gonna come out here and be somebody's highlight reel. It's
just not me,” he said after Saturday night’s bout.
“I
just have to go back to the drawing board and see what's going
on, see what I want to do. I've got to see what my family wants
to do and I've got to pray on it. Dana White and the UFC have
treated me like family, so I've got to see what they want me
to do and I've got to see where my heart is at.”
Asked
his thoughts on Hughes’ future, UFC president Dana White
was clear that he didn’t want the former champion going
anywhere.
“Matt's
future is, he's going to be with the UFC forever if that's what
he wants to do. I've always named off a handful of guys that
have been with me for seven, eight years and who've helped us
build this business. Matt Hughes will be with the UFC as long
as he wants to,” explained White. “As far as his fighting
career, that's up to him. We'll sit down, we'll talk, and we'll
see.”
Despite
all the success that he has incurred since defeating Carlos Newton
at UFC 38 in November of 2001, surprisingly, Hughes says that
he never really considered fighting his career.
“I've
looked at this sport as a sport and as a hobby. I've never really
looked at it as a career to be honest,” he stated. “To
be honest, this is just so fun. I walk into a gym twice a day...
how can it be a career? Careers are supposed to be something
that you don't want to wake up to every day.”
With
all of the friction between Hughes and current welterweight champion
Matt Serra, there are obvious questions about whether he could
retire before that bout is able to take place, but he didn’t
seem overly concerned.
“Do
I want to fight Matt Serra? Yah, I do,” he said matter-of-factly.
“But am I going to die if I don't get to fight him? No,
not at all. There're bigger things out there than fighting Matt
Serra.”
Although
Serra doesn’t seem occupy the fore of his mind, Hughes was
adamant about one thing: where his loyalties lie.
“One
thing we can get straight. I am family with the UFC. I will never
jump ship. I will never go to another organization,” he
declared. “This is just a word for you guys out there, don't
even come to me with offers because I am not accepting them.
I won't fight anybody, anywhere else, unless the UFC wants me
to.” White couldn’t have been more pleased saying,
“I love when he says that.”
So
while it remains unclear what direction Hughes’ fighting
career takes, whether he decides to call it a day or return for
another run at the belt, it’s clear that he is a company
man that will be UFC forever.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Bas
Boon speaks out about PRIDE
By Zach Arnold
Over
at the Golden Glory message board forum, a person has posted
three separate items claiming that it is a story about the events
that led to the death of PRIDE. The poster claims that Bas Boon,
manager of Golden Glory, contributed details to the story.
You
can read the posts here, here, and here.
For
those interested, I am copying the text (with spelling errors
and bad grammar left alone) of the posts into one article format
here.
The
real story about what happened why Pride died
By Bas Boon
The
problems started for me as a manager when Semmy Schilt and Stefan
Leko were not participating (while qualified at the final elimination)
the reason I did not wanted to sign a contract before the fight
with k-1. This was a business deal gone bad and there was no
yakuza involved, we choose to be a free agent.
However
Pride also caused problems, they did not gave the fights which
we agreed by contract to some fighters and the robe holding with
the Sergey and Semmy match caused a lot of problems for Golden
Glory.
Bas
Boon came in contact with Miro Mijatovic the manager at that
time from Mirko Cro Cop, together they would do the matchmaking
for NTV’s Bom Baye 2003. Our bad luck was that Pride started
Shokewave and K-1 started Dynamite all on NYE 2003.
This
would al not be so bad as Mirko Cro Cop became injured (see story
fight opinion) the rumor was that Ken Imai went their with the
alleged $300.000 in order from Pride the screw the main event
at the Inoki’s show and pay Mirko for an injury (read well
rumor).
I
got a phone call from Miro, he said that Pride was screwing with
him and that Mirko came two weeks before the event with an injury,
to screw up the main event! He ask me if I could guarantee to
bring the fighters from Golden Glory as his partner promoter
Kawamata wanted to cancel the show (he worked together with him
promoting the show).
Pride
starting making threads, first by phone later by lawyer, if I
would have Semmy fight in their show, then this and that. Funny
is that Pride did not gave Semmy the amount of fights they promised
that year and had some small letters in the contract stating
that they would own him for the next 10 years!
I
told Miro I could do better and invited him to come with Inoki
to St Petersburg Russia to an M-1 event were I was the co-producer.
I had worked a long time with all promoters in Holland and other
parts of Europe in producing their shows for TV or as a promoter
or co-producer.
This
way I was the person who held the first Cage Fight in April 1996
in Emmen Holland. Later Appy Echteld and Bas Boon teamed up for
making these fights in St Petersburg with Vadim Finkelstein who
had a meat business and did not know nothing about fighting.
Appy
Echteld with his partners and Bas Boon and partners organized
the biggest MMA promotion Europe had ever seen Too Hot To Handle,
in the Ahoy Arena in Holland. Many times now they were working
together and both Appy and partner Mark de Weerd sometimes were
invited to come with Golden Glory to Japan, this was all paid
and orginized by Golden Glory.
I spoke a long time ago with Monty Cox, when Monty was still
fighting with his team by Rings Japan and we both agreed that
Fedor was the biggest talent out there. Boon heared rumors already
that Fedor had some problems with his Russian top team. Once
again Appy came with Golden Glory to Japan he gave a business
card of Vadim to Fedor at one of the trips he came as a guest
from Golden Glory as both Appy and Boon did not speak Russian.
The
result was that Fedor (who looked at some of the red devil shows
being broadcasted on Russian TV) called Vadim. Vadim called me
and Appy and he told me that Fedor did not want to leave The
Russian to Team without some guarantees. Two things happened
then which were vital for the fighting industry for today. First
we found out that all fighters were getting a 50K bonus if they
would fight for the title. As Fedor was the champ he would have
had the same amount of money as all the other top fightes who
fought for the Pride belt. This was asked by an e-mail by me
to Yukino from pride, who confirmed that all fighters were getting
the same 50K bonus. That e-mail was send to Russia were Vadim
had the mail translated. It turned out Fedor did not even got
a tenth of that amount, according Vadim.
I
then smelled a huge opportunity, I knew what Fedor was making
with Pride and that he was heavenly underpaid, so I set up a
meeting in ST Petersburg with Miro Mijatovic and Mr Ito from
Inoki’s office. Vadim would promise that Fedor would be
there and so we went to St Petersburg. I must give props to Fedor
who was really smart in not accepting the first offer (even if
it was twice the amount he was making at Pride that time).
The
following was agreed, Fedor would fight four times a year for
a period of one year with evt.an extension of another two years,
the amount would be almost 4 times as much as he was making at
Pride, plus we negotiated that other red devil fighter would
get an opportunity to fight. I did not slept for three days and
had the puss coming out of my eyes from staring hours at my lap
top typing contracts. Finally we all agree and we came to the
agreement that Vadim me and Appy would share 20% of the management
fee. However I still had Heath Herring with Pride and other GG
fighters, so officially I did not want to be mentioned in the
contract with Fedor as this could cause problems for GG. My part
of the money in the agreement would go to Miro Mijatovic who
would then pay me my share, so far so good.
I had Miro bring t-shirts of the Inoki event to St petersburg
and pictures were made in the Cage with Fedor wearing the shirt,
Kawasaki was there in Russia with two Japanese fighters and the
news was quick widely spread in Japan. It hit like a bomb, my
telephone was non stop ringing, my fax machine spit out threads
from the lawyers of Pride and I was suddenly offered to not fight
with Semmy against Barnett, but in Pride against a nobody for
more money. Miro called me many times with Kawamata standing
next to him, he started to explain me that yakuza got involved
and that they were thinking in cancelling the event. I told him
that this was impossible after all the work I had done and put
my ass on the line. My only option was to make the new fight
show a success series, I had no other options!
They
were so nervous nobody would show up, I paid for all the flights
myself and had Semmy Schilt, Alistair Overeem, Stefan Leko, all
the Russians (Fedor , Amar, Aleksander) come to Japan. Pride
tried everything but the damage was done, we came to Kobe. I
will not get into details how the yakuza came to us and how tense
the atmosphere was in Kobe, but it felt like a bad second hand
movie were Miro and me were the main actors. Finally it was agreed
that Fedor could fight (Sakakibara was waving contracts of Pride
and Fedor at press conferences before we came to an agreement
etc) in Inoki’s show from Kawamata, but Kawamata the promotor
should pay 1 million for the use of Pride’s yakuza and another
million to Pride for using Fedor. I guess Fedor’s price
just went up another ten times at that night. In all the confusion,
I had the idea Fedor never really knew what happened behind the
scene and what Miro and I had done for him.
After
the show the real headache came, the Russians were all paid in
cash (Pride style), but as I was used to wire transfers (K-1
use to pay cash as well but Mr.Isshi run into some tax problems)
and did not want to carry around with huge amounts of cash with
me, I waited for the transfer. I waited very long for the transfer
as the money never came, till today.
I
then took a flight back to Japan at the end of January 2004 and
had many meetings with Mijatovic. Finally we agreed that he would
come up with a part of the money as the contracts were signed
on one of his companies. In return Mijatovic would keep 50% of
the Fedor money after the money was paid back for the Inoki loss.
I paid all the fighters out of my own pocket and till today I
am still $200.000 short. Mijatovic however told me that he would
keep the contracts valid. I signed some contracts for 4 fights
per years for a three year period and that only then he would
pay the first part of my loss. We finally agreed!
Pride
was getting nervous and Kawamata left the country without paying
many people under the motto, the yakuza threatened him and he
took 6 million from NTV and did a runner. Now Miro Mijatovic
was only left with the contracts including the one from Fedor,
but the promoter and TV station backing us up vanished. Pride
got in contact with me and wanted to sign Fedor again, finally
it was agreed that Fedor would fight for the same money as he
received on new years evening, as long as the old pride contract
original was till October 2004, this contract was signed in my
office in Holland in the beginning of 2004 with at present Fedor,
Appy, Vadim me and Shinoda from Pride ( I informed Miro by sending
him the signed copy and by phone , he still had the original
managment contract for Fedor/red Devil that time) . Pride hated
the situation and I met de big boss behind the scene in person
together with Miro (who always stood with me, props for that),
Miro was told that he could not be in the dressing room with
Fedor and that Fedor could not wear any red devil t-shirts till
the contract ended in October 2004 (some childish moves to not
show face loss and a sign the yakuza was in control). All this
because Mijatovic found himself in a briljant position, they
screwed him out of the management of Mirko Crop Cop who became
Pride biggest star. Miro was always getting a percentage from
Mirko and he agreed that they would pay him this (till his contract
with Cro Cop stopped or till the contract with Fedodr stopped,
it did not matter negotiated extra money with pride becuase they
screwed him with Mikro). He would write them invoices with a
certain amount of money for work he did, such as tv promotions,
news paper articles, internet services, flight cost etc. Pride
acted unbeliebable stupid as Mijatovic was reaaly an asset, he
spoke the Japanese language even read the language had an office
in Tokyo and had managed a deal for golden medalist swimmer Ian
Thorpe (he also was born Croation and lived in Australia, a man
of the world). He did great marketing for Pride and Fedor in
newspapers and other magazines for example and hired his own
Russian Japanese translator. All went well till NYE 2005. Miro
was paying me my share of the money from Fedor and was the official
booker for him in Japan, Appy and Vadim were just at the right
time and right place and were thrown into a bed of roses!
The
downfall of Pride!
At
new years evening 2004 Fedor won again and two months of negotiations
after his contract expired in October led to no agreement between
Miro and me the Russians and Pride. Mijatovic had build up Mirko
to huge amount of money per fight and Bas Boon also knew the
market. Pride knew they needed a long term deal and did the following:
They contacted Appy with a few days before the New Years evening
2005 and told them Mijatovic was getting extra money of Fedor.
They came with all the transfer sheets each time there was an
event (by coincidence Mirko Cro Cop also fought on all those
events). Appy had already ask a few time to Mijatovic and Sakakibara,
if Mijatovic was getting extra money and in the eyes of Mijatovic
he was just dealing with an old case (Mirko Cro Cop) and did
nothing wrong. Yes, Miro would have used his new management with
Fedor as leverage over Sakakibara, I did not see any problem
in that. That case was of no bussines to Appy or me. By then
Sakakibara smelled an opportunity one the would cost him, his
Pride!
Mijatovic
showed me two e-mail’s were Pride offered him a 2 year contract
with a minimum guarantee of 4 fights per year. An amount was
mentioned but (the email came from Shinoda from Pride) it also
said that he could divide this amount to Fedor however he would
like, smelled like a huge bribe (for example we pay you 200.000
per fight and you can give 120.000 to Fedor and keep 80.000 yourself)
and Mijatovic never replied to their proposals. Instead Miro
negotiated with me and I did with Appy and Vadim we all agreed
that Fedor would not sign any long term deal and would take fight
by fight. A similar situation learned by Miro when he managed
Cro Cop, they all agreed. Sakakibara was vurious and in many
cases in those circumstances he made a vital mistake. He knew
Appy ask him already a few times if no extra money was paid (he
knew Appy was weak), so Sakakibara produced all the private invoices
of money wired to the account of Mijatovic, it did not say it
was for Fedor on these invoices, but they made a nice story about
it. Appy could smell himself being a bigshot and took the bate,
now he and Vadim would finally have their own thing without paying
Mijatovic. The funny thing is that they forgot about me, I had
nothing to do with all those things, worked my ass of, used my
experience and knowledge, arranged the meetings and the contracts
for Fedor, got him more money, got fighters from Red Devil to
fight and my reward was that my fighters were not paid at the
Inoki event and that I took a huge risk by bringing all these
fighters to that New years evening show on my expenses!
I
went to the room of Appy at that new years evening in 2005 show
and ask him what happened, he gave me a story that Miro did this
and that, I told him man calm down this is just Pride because
we do not want to sign long contract deals (I believe that the
offer from Pride made to Mijatovic would have been excepted by
Vadim and Appy, they did not have a clue what they had in their
hands) . Appy and Vadim had seen himself Pride falsed a document
regarding contractual obligations with Fedor before the Inoki
show in 2003, which Fedor claimed he never signed. Appy knew
this and told me what basterds pride were at that time, how can
they do this. I told him we should stay together things are going
well, don’t do this. Later I heared he accused me to be
in that plot (his imagination) with Miro as well, but the only
person still having a huge money shortest a year later from Inoki
2003 show was me. Appy told me that all the money would go to
Vadim now and he would decide, but the decision was already made
(Appy and Vadim who only made money with the work from me and
Miro and never invested one dollar in the whole case), they had
dollar signs in their eyes and took the opportunity to cut me
out of the deal.
Appy
started to put himself on the mountain but did not have a clue
of what happened behind the scenes at Pride.
Mijatovic
was not sitting still, both me and Miro ask Sakakibara to not
continue the bullshit, but is was too late, there was so much
hate and emotions took over business sence. We even offered the
following, we will not start a court case but pay us the money
we lost at NYE 2003 and we will go along! Court cases cost money
and aggrevation, we told him that the whole situation occurred
because of the yakuza send by Pride and that it was better these
things did not get into the newspaper. Miro told him what money
he still needed to receive from Kawamata , so did I, which money
was still outstanding. We told Sakakibara if he would pay the
amount we would back of, well we all knew the story, nothing
happened and Miro started the court case. Kawamata played a victim
but more and more dirt was coming out in news papers, scandal
magazines and the internet, exactly how we predicted it would
happen.
Appy
ws organizing in Holland two big events with the so called support
of Pride (the old 2h2h which were done together with Golden Glory
in the beginning), but without Golden Glory support, the events
became a finacial disaster. Now Appy started doing the same thing
were he convicted Mijatovic for, he used Fedor as leverage over
Pride. He would not come with Fedor to Pride he told Pride, if
Pride would not help him with the losses of his two shows he
promoted or bring fighters at no cost he would stay at home and
Fedor to. I do not think Fedor know anything of this, maybe he
did.
Then
K-1 would make an offer in July 2006 for Pride through Bas and
I tried again to convince Appy (business over ego) that Pride
was dying and that this would be the best move. More strange
is that the offer (it was a good offer from k-1) was refused
and that Fedor fought two months later for $150.000 less money
then k-1 offered him, Fedor fought against Zulu in Pride?????????????????????????????
Makes you wonder if Dana White speaks the truth about those crazy
Russians or maybe managers??????
Appy
would tell everybody he was the biggest promoter and that he
(almost never mention his partner Vadim) and Pride would start
doing these huge promotions through Europe. Not realizing that
Pride was taking one last breath and lobbying around trying to
sell a lost cause. Bas Boon was already telling everybody in
Holland that Pride was going down. He knew the court case was
getting a lot of negative publicity in the News papers in Japan.
All that could have been prevented if Sakakibara just made a
normal business deal with Miro and Bas, Appy and Vadim and Fedor
or he just should have paid the lost money to Miro and Boon from
that disaster NYE show in 2003, he did not.If Mirko not would
have been injured it would not even have happened. Result Miro
won his court case over Kawamata but got no money. Lost lawyer
expenses, bad press in the newspapers, yakuza boss had to flee
the country to Korea and finally Fuji Tv pulled the plug all
because of ego!
The
final result came as forseen, Fuji TV pulled the plug (more and
more yakuza stories came in the big press and even on TV in Japan)
Pride was devastated (maybe got lucky) sold their library and
some of their fighters to the UFC after Pride promoted at the
back yard in Las Vegas with Ed Fishman, who maybe seen by Zuffa
as a real competition.
Fedor
lost value in Japan, by not fighting for over one year. Appy
and Vadim found after one year searching a new investor (props
by the way for finding this investor) the profile on the M-1
site of Appy Echteld is a joke(worked as partner with Pride hahahaha
he was the one pressing pride to his wishes, leverage with Fedor),
hopefully M-1 will still succeed in becoming a real MMA force
as we need a professional good MMA organisation! Fedor is not
to blame and Vadim is a good business man (but ingnored who really
made the deal and did the owrk), Fedor is a machine who performed
as a real champion. It’s a shame that because of a language
problem, he maybe understand 10% of what happened to him.
Mijatovic
tried to Fedor him with a Russian translator on the way home
to the airport after that famous 2004 New Years evening when
Sakakibara decided to throw with dirt. One thing Fedor picked
up very fast as Miro told him, do not sign a multiple deal fight
contract, as we now all know, he did not! When Fedor arrived
in Russia after his victory on the 2004 NYE show, he was an easy
target for Vadim and Appy, it was all the fault of Miro and Bas,blablabla!
Kawamata
is now a rumour that he is again involved in a NYE show or managing
fighters for the people who do not know, this man still needs
to pay a lot of people. Me and Mijatovic still need to get about
$600.000 from him. I hope I will run into him and I hope he is
a man of honor and not runs away like he did last time and pays
his debt! It’s a small world!
I
heard this from Bas himself, The Topjournalist
Source: Fight Opinion
|
Quote
of the Day
“An
organization's ability to learn, and translate that learning
into action rapidly, is the ultimate competitive advantage.”
Jack Welch, American Businessman and Former CEO of General Electric
|
M-1
GLOBAL PLEASED WITH YARENNOKA EVENT
It has not yet held an event of its own, but M-1 Global’s
major participation in the year-end event held by a coalition
spearheaded by former Pride executives served as a pseudo-debut
for the fledging promotion. M-1’s chief operating officer,
Bob Clark indicated that things went very well.
“We
were pleased to be able to support the Yarennoka event. Fedor
(Emelianenko) clearly demonstrated why he is the No. 1 ranked
fighter in the world,” he said. “We are glad that MMA
fans in the U.S. were able to see this great fight live on HDNet.”
M-1’s
strategy is to have fights worldwide while working with other
MMA organizations, like it did for Yarennoka in Japan. M-1 will
have events in 2008 in Russia and the United States (likely in
March) and hopes to return to Japan.
“The
success of this event demonstrates the synergies that can be
created when MMA organizations across the world work together
to stage a spectacular event,” stated Clark.
M-1’s
imprint on the event was undeniable – first with Emelianenko’s
presence on the fight card and with its branding on promotional
materials.
Upon
signing a contract, Emelianenko indicated that a big part of
his reasoning for choosing M-1 was because of the promotion’s
global strategy and willingness to allow him to fight for other
promotions. Following his victory over Hong Man Choi at Yarennoka,
he also voiced his satisfaction and his hopes to continue fighting
in Japan in the future.
“I
am happy to have fought in Japan once again, as tonight’s
fight was for all the fans,” Emelianenko said, addressing
the crowd afterward. “If I am able to, I will return to
Japan to fight.”
Source: MMA Weekly
|
BODOG
FIGHT EMERGES IN LAS VEGAS IN FEBRUARY
Bodog Fight recently announced that the promotion would resurface
on Feb. 1 at the Las Vegas Sport Center in Las Vegas.
Welterweight
champion Nick Thompson will defend his title against John Troyer
in the main event.
Thompson,
who suffered a shoulder injury in November and was forced to
withdraw from a scheduled bout in Indiana, says he's back to
100% and will be at his best for this title match with Troyer.
"From
what I hear, Troyer's a tough guy," said Thompson. "He
is undefeated and recently beat three guys in one night to win
an 8-man HOOKnSHOOT tournament, so I'm expecting a tough fight."
Troyer,
who fights out of Louisville, Ky., may be tough, but after knocking
out the previously undefeated Eddie Alvarez to win the welterweight
title belt last April and Cage Rage veteran Mark Weir four months
later, Thompson is supremely self-confident.
"You'd
be a fool not to bet on me," said the Minnesota native.
"The fact this fight is taking place in Vegas on Super Bowl
weekend just means that a lot of people are going to get to see
me whoop his ass."
"Not
necessarily," says Bodog Fight commissioner and HOOKnSHOOT
founder, Jeff Osborne. "Troyer is one of those 200-pound
guys who cuts down to 170 pounds, and he's a monster. He holds
four different titles at middleweight, so Nick will have his
hands full."
The
February fight card will also feature a four-man tournament,
plus the return of Bodog Fight's newest female knockout sensation,
Kaitlin Young.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
SAKURABA
AND KID TOP DYNAMITE NEW YEAR'S EVE
OSAKA,
Japan – Dynamite!! was held before a full house on Monday
at the Kyocera Dome in Osaka. Seven bouts were fought under Hero's
rules (mixed martial arts) and eight under K-1 rules (kickboxing).
In
the main event it was a couple of Japanese mixed martial arts
legends meeting under Hero’s rules, with an 85kg/187lbs
weight contract. Kazushi Sakuraba and Masakatsu Funaki brought
a wealth of experience and illustrious careers to the ring. Both
are grapplers and so this fight was expected to go to the mat
early.
There
were a few low kicks and punches to start, both fighters connecting
smartly, before an off-balance Sakuraba managed a takedown to
mount. Funaki coiled up, and after the pair spent some time locked
in a Greco-Roman embrace, Sakuraba emerged standing over his
opponent. Funaki used bicycle kicks to keep his opponent at bay,
smacking one up to the face, before Sakuraba grabbed the feet
and came down to a side mount to begin fishing for the armbar.
The pair were wrapped tight when Sakuraba worked Funaki's right
arm free, twisting it behind the back to force the submission
and take the win.
"It's
been seven years since I fought Funaki and I was surprised at
how good his punching and timing are," said Sakuraba in
his post-fight interview. "He is stronger than I remember.
I was planning to pound on his face, but he was so good at blocking
that I couldn't."
Asked
about FEG Event Producer Sadaharu Tanikawa's call for a Sakuraba
vs. Rickson Gracie fight next year, Sakuraba replied, "I'm
up for it. I've never fought him, but I can only think of one
fight at a time. This was a good year and I was relatively uninjured,
so I'd like next year to be like that!"
The
card's penultimate matchup featured Japanese mixed martial arts
star Norifumi "Kid" Yamamoto and Brazilian jiu-jitsu
fighter Rani Yahya in a 61kg/135lbs Hero’s contest. Yahya
charged in early swinging away, only to have his momentum kiboshed
by Yamamoto's surgical left punch. Yahya made attempts with low
and high kicks, but Kid was better with his counters, and repeatedly
closed to point with a strike-and-retreat strategy.
Yahya
several times saw his leg takedowns stymied, and when the Brazilian
did go to the ground Yamamoto declined the invitation, electing
to hang back for a re-stand. In the first and second there were
periods of frantic punching exchanges, but despite copious attempts,
neither fighter could knock the other down.
Yamamoto’s
low crouch contrasted with Yahya's upright stance, and allowed
the Japanese to both jump forward with punches and stave off
takedown attempts. Following more fruitless flailing of the fists
in the third, Yahya threw three high kicks, all of which were
ably blocked, before Yamamoto connected squarely with a right,
then a left, to leave Yahya dazed and down in the corner. The
pumped-up Yamamoto stepped in to fire kicks at his opponent's
head, making partial contact before the referee intervened to
stop the fight, raising Yamamoto's arm in victory.
"I
kept a good distance to keep my opponent for coming in with a
tackle," said Yamamoto afterward. "His punches were
unorthodox so I hesitated a bit. A punch got through in the second
round and I was seeing double after that. But in the end I came
out with a win."
Five
years ago, American fighter Bob "The Beast" Sapp had
one of the most recognizable faces in Japan. He returned for
a Hero’s bout with another very recognizable face, Japanese
television tarento and comedian Bobby Ologun of Nigeria. The
question was -- which face would be more recognizable after the
fight?
After
a couple of unabashedly over-the-top ring entrances, the pair
set up for their showdown. From the bell, Sapp marched forward
as Ologun pranced about out of reach, until finally Sapp got
a grip and a takedown. He muscled his way into a full mount which,
given his mass, offered Ologun little if any chance for escape.
Sapp tried in vain to wrest his opponent's arm free before abandoning
that endeavor and simply pounding down the fists to earn a referee
stop and the win.
"I'm
happy overall," said Sapp in his post-fight interview, "but
I know what I need to work on. It's good to be back. I think
the audience wants more of the Beast and I want to do more. I
plan to sit down with FEG and see what 2008 has in store, it
should be a happy new year."
In
other Hero’s fights:
Kiyoshi
Tamura of Japan took on compatriot Hideo Tokoro. These are a
couple of mixed martial arts specialists, and not a strike was
thrown before they went to the mat courtesy a Tokoro takedown.
After a re-stand and a solid Tamura middle kick, the pair went
to the mat once more where, alas, not a whole lot happened. Tamura
allowed his opponent to stand, threw a kick or two and then they
were down again. A round with plenty of ups and downs, but little
apparent damage.
More
grappling in the second, Tamura not capitalizing on a rear mount,
Tokoro reversing but similarly unable to gain good position before
another of many referee-ordered re-stands. But for a solid Tamura
left hook, another round marred by a lack of action.
With
his 17kg/38lbs weight advantage, Tamura had the edge in power,
and hard low kicks earned him some points early in the third.
A relatively lackluster affair that finally found its conclusion
when the pair went to the mat midway through the final round
and Tamura extracted an arm and hyperextended for the submission.
Japanese
former pro wrestler Ikuhisa Minowa went up against Zulu, a Brazilian
who weighs in at a whopping 185kg/408lbs. Minowa declared before
the fight that weight difference was less important than spirit
in a fight. But as Zulu stood center ring, Minowa showed only
spirited jogging, circling the ring's perimeter more than a dozen
times -- perhaps intent on dizzying his opponent? The cat and
mouse game played out for several minutes before Zulu finally
got a hold of Minowa and smothered him. Then the bell sounded.
In
the second it was more perimeter play for Minowa, who only occasionally
darted in with low kicks. Again, Zulu eventually caught his opponent,
throwing him to the mat like a rag doll. Soon, Minowa managed
to get to his feet and began running circles again. Had the bout
been fought on a tennis court this might have gone on forever.
As it was, Zulu cut off the ring and got another takedown, but
was woefully unable to work a submission before the bell sounded.
Zulu tracked and downed his prey again in the third, and this
time his hammer punches prompted Minowaman's corner to throw
the towel.
The
ever-aggressive Dutch kickboxer Melvin Manhoef made his Dynamite!!
debut, testing his mixed martial arts skills against Japanese
boxer Yosuke Nishijima. The two strikers squared off from the
start, Manhoef coming in with a flurry of punches that left Nishijima
stunned against the ropes. Somewhat surprisingly, Manhoef then
elected to execute a takedown, quickly assuming a full mount
to finish his opponent with the good old-fashioned ground and
pound.
In
a 70kg/154lbs bout, it was wrestler Kazuyuki Miyata of Japan
versus Joachim Hansen of Norway. After a bit of sparring, Miyata
got the takedown and mount, but Hansen's guard forced a stalemate
and re-stand. Miyata connected with a high kick and a left hook,
but Hansen scored a strong down with a left hook of his own.
As a vulnerable Miyata lay on his back Hansen approached, only
to be stopped by the bell. Miyata got another takedown to start
the second, but Hansen was good in guard, then suddenly rolled
his opponent into a choke sleeper for the tapout win.
Dynamite!!
2007 attracted a sellout crowd of 47,918 to the Kyocera Dome
in Osaka and was broadcast live across Japan on the TBS Network.
Mixed
Martial Arts Results:
-Kazushi Sakuraba def. Masakatsu Funaki by Submission (Armbar)
at 6:25, R1
-Norifumi “Kid” Yamamoto def. Rani Yahya by KO, R2
-Bob Sapp def. Bobby Ologun by TKO at 4:10, R1
-Kiyoshi Tamura def. Hideo Tokoro by Submission (Armbar) at 3:08,
R3
-Zuluzinho def. Ikuhisa Minowa by TKO at 2:13, R3
-Melvin Manhoef def. Yosuke Nishijima by KO at 1:49, R1
-Joachim Hansen def. Kazuyuki Miyata by Submission (Rear Naked
Choke) at 1:33, R1
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Quote
of the Day
“Joy
in looking and comprehending is nature's most beautiful gift.”
Albert Einstein, 1879-1955, German-born American Physicist
|
DANA
WHITE ADDRESSES STATE OF THE UFC
In
his post-fight comments following UFC 79 on Dec. 29, Ultimate
Fighting Championship president Dana White not only discussed
the evening’s festivities, but spent a healthy portion of
his time talking about the most aggressive year in the history
of the promotion, as well as his plans for the future.
He
stated that UFC 79 brought in a live gate of $4.9 million, which
makes it the highest grossing mixed martial arts event of 2007
and the second highest grossing in the history of the sport,
indicating that it was a strong finish to a very active year.
“We
had a kick ass 2007. It was an aggressive year for us; buying
Pride, the WEC, cover of Sports Illustrated, moving into Europe,
and next year’s going to be even bigger,” said White.
“Every
year we’ve taken this thing to another level, wait until
you see what we do with 2008.”
One
of the most broached subjects is always the expansion of the
territories that the UFC operates in. White has already confirmed
the promotion’s Canadian debut, which is slated to take
place in Montreal in April. On Saturday night, he also stated
that Germany is a target for 2008.
Looking
even deeper into his crystal ball, he said, “The two places
we're focusing on right now are New York and Mexico, so I'm hoping
to be in both by 2009.” Though he said that a return to
Brazil isn’t currently on the radar.
White
has made no secret of the fact that he wants Georges St-Pierre
to headline the first Canadian event. With the new interim welterweight
champion coming out of his fight with Matt Hughes relatively
unscathed, the only question now is regarding his opposition.
He
couldn’t confirm it, but is seemingly hopeful that he’ll
be able to pit St-Pierre in a unification bout against current
champion Matt Serra, who is suffering from a recent back injury.
“Matt
Serra is very confident that he will heal quickly. I think he
feels he’ll be ready for April. That wouldn’t suck,”
commented White with a grin on his face.
Addressing
the numerous other entities that are making a run at promoting
MMA events, he addressed one newcomer in particular, but remained
supremely confident in his promotion’s position as the industry’s
leader.
“This
sport is like the ‘Wild, Wild West’ right now. The
biggest guy (coming into the sport) right now is Mark Cuban.
He’s got a lot of money and everyone is talking about what
he’s going to do,” White expounded. “Floyd Mayweather
is walking around with $70 million in his pocket and we all know
how Floyd loves to spend money, so I’m sure Cuban is trying
to get him to invest in it.
“I
like it. The more money that comes into the sport the better
it is to help grow the sport. More athletes get fights, make
money, start their careers, and they’ll all end up in the
UFC at the end of the day.”
But
he doesn’t seem overly considered with the opposition. In
contrast, he seems to fall into the old dictum of “the best
defense is a strong offense” and focused his strategies
on what his organization is doing to keep the juggernaut growing.
“There’s
still a lot more work to do,” he said matter-of-factly.
But aiming square on at rumors of a television deal with CBS,
White stated, “Could be. We're always out to get more exposure
… Not necessarily broadcast television, but we need to get
more exposure.
“In
the next few weeks we’re going to be making some announcements
that are going to shake up the entire industry again.”
In
the end though, he is confident in the direction the UFC is headed
and doesn’t seem overly concerned with major corporate sponsors
being slow to climb aboard (Harley-Davidson, however, was center
mat for UFC 79) or the recent derailment of a TV deal with HBO.
“It's
taken longer than I'd hoped after the whole Spike thing started
going well, but the bottom line is, we're not going to cut a
deal that doesn't make sense,” declared the defiant UFC
president. “I don't care who the deal is with. We did this
whole thing on our own. Nobody helped us. Nobody was running
up trying to finance us ... so it's going to be done on our terms.”
Source: MMA Weekly
|
LUKE
CUMMO PUTS MMA AGENT ON A DIET FOR LIFE
Although some would say my life is a vacation, I haven’t
had a break in over a year. The thought of lying on a beach for
a week sounds great for about a day or two. Golf takes too long.
Spas are fun but you can pretty much do everything in about a
day. Plus I love to work and have a serious addiction to my phone.
So
after much contemplation I decided to take a “working”
vacation and do something for myself. I accepted an Internet
offer from UFC fighter and Ultimate Fighter alumni Luke Cummo
to do a 14-day health live-in training camp on Long Island (actually
only have 12 days to do it).
The
crux of the experience is to eat his “life food” diet
and transform your body. Now, I have a six-pack, it has just
been buried under a keg over the past year or so. So with phone
glued to face and laptop in hand the adventure begins…
DAY
1:
I arrive at 8:30 a.m. at JFK… pissed. My clients went 0-4
this weekend, including 0-1 in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
I flew a red eye, in a middle seat, next to an 80-year-old lady
that didn’t speak English and vomited all over herself in
the first half hour. I couldn’t sleep because of the prevailing
waif of cheddar cheese.
Now
the bags are “delayed” and these neurotic New Yorkers
are acting like their first born was sacrificed. Its luggage
guys… chill. Did I mention it is fricking cold and wet here?
Luke
picks me up and we start right away. He hands me a hot “tea”
in a jar and directs me to drink. Now we have all heard the rumors
about him drinking urine, but I am down for the cause… short
of urine. It was actually very good and I am told it is to hydrate
my blood and begin the process.
We
went back to his triplex and proceeded to choke down earthy tasting
herbs, wrapped castor oil packs with cellophane and hot water
bottles around our bodies, and then drank vinegar, with more
herbs, and lemon. I was told in a few days this would flush countless
stones out of my gall bladder and that sounded kind of cool.
We
did a little food prep, made Brazil Nut milk, which got me high.
I took a nap, did “before” pictures, and we headed
into the city. It was there that Luke introduced me to the Mecca
for his diet, Jubb’s Longevity. It is a health food deli
that prepares countless “foods.” The diet in a nutshell
is no animal products, nothing cooked, no rice, no grain, and
no beans.
I
was thinking the same thing, what the hell are we supposed to
eat? It has an ethnic influence, not sure which ethnicity, and
lots of taste for sure. There is a lot of stuff done with nuts
and seeds.
The
day ended with a trip to a Turkish Bath House. Hey, don’t
knock it until you have tried it. It had a Russian heat room,
aroma wet steam, redwood dry heat, ice-cold plunges, etc. Everything
you could want at a high end spa sans the hot girls… did
I mention I was in New York?
All
fighters should train like this. Oh and have to slip this in.
I tipped the scales at a lofty 197 pounds… pictures to follow.
It had to be at least 10 pounds of water retention! The goal
is 180 and some abs in 13 days.
Tomorrow
we are off to Matt Serra’s for jits in the a.m. and Ray
Longo’s for kickboxing at night.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
FIRST
CBF CHAMP CROWNED AT TFC 1
The Canadian Boxing Federation crowned its first-ever mixed martial
arts champion when Victor Bachmann defeated Stjepan Vujnovic
by TKO to win the recognized Canadian welterweight championship
in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada on Friday, Dec 28.
Bachmann
needed only 49 seconds to end the fight, as he locked on a triangle
choke and with Vujnovic unable to defend himself, the new champion
unleashed a barrage of elbows that forced the referee to stop
the bout.
The
main event on the card featured former Toughman and pro boxer,
Eric “Butterbean” Esch in a bout against Nick Penner
in super heavyweight action.
Penner
took the fight to Butterbean and at 2:28 of the first round,
he stopped Esch by TKO also due to unanswered strikes.
The
Fight Club promoted the event titled “TFC 1: First Blood”
in the Shaw Convention Centre and drew 1,500 fans in attendance.
Full
Results:
-Nick
Penner def. Eric Esch by TKO at 2:28, R1
-Victor Bachmann def. Stjepan Vujnovic by TKO at 0:49, R1
-Chris Ade def. Adam Thomas by Submission (Armbar) at 4:58, R2
-Tim Thurston def. Curtis Demarce by KO at 0:34, R3
-Shawn Kryca def. Richard Menard by Submission (Strikes) at 1:30,
R1
-Jay Jenkins def. Brad Geiger by KO at 4:18, R1
-Marcus Hicks def. Mason Hunter by TKO at 0:28, R1
-Chase Holthe def. Phil Wark by Submission (Triangle Choke) at
1:05, R1
-Chuck Pelc def. Lee Berger by TKO at 1:05, R1
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Quote
of the Day
"The
greatest use of life is to spend it for something that will outlast
it."
William James, 1842-1910, American Philosopher and Psychologist
|
Yarennoka!
New Year's Eve 2007 Supported
By M-1 Global
Results
Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan
December 31, 2007
1.
Michael Russow def. Roman Zentsov via sub (choke) - R1 (2:58)
2. Tatsuya Kawajiri def. Luiz Azeredo via unanimous decision
3. Makoto Takimoto def. Murilo Bustamante via split decision
4. Mitsuhiro Ishida def. Gilbert Melendez via unanimous decision
5. Kazuo Misaki def. Yoshihiro Akiyama via TKO (strikes) - R1
(7:48)
6. Fedor Emelianenko def. Choi Hong-Man via sub (armbar) - R1
(1:54)
7. Hayato "Mach" Sakurai def. Hidehiko Hasegawa via
unanimous decision
8. Shinya Aoki def. Jung Bu-Kyung via unanimous decision
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Matt
Hughes' Book
Made in America - Extract Three
By MARK GILBERT
MATT HUGHES’ autobiography “Made in America” hits
the shelves next month, but we've got a sneak preview of the
book all mixed martial arts fans are talking about here.
In
our third exclusive extract, welterweight legend Hughes recalls
an infamous fight between Tito Ortiz and Lee Murray after UFC
38 in London back in July 2002...
I
took a cab back to the hotel and got to bed. Our flight was leaving
early in the morning. I got woken up a couple of hours later
by Pat knocking on my door. He was smashed.
“Pat,
what’s going on?” I said, grinning to myself. He could
barely stand.
“What
time is it?” I asked.
“It’s
like, five. Don’t worry about it. Just sit down and f***ing
listen. You will not believe what just happened.”
I
laid on my side of the bed. Pat plopped into the chair in the
hotel room and leaned his head back.
“So
it’s four o’clock in the morning and they had everybody
leave the club, right? Well, the UFC had bussed us all over there
but they didn’t have a bus to take us back.
“It’s
down to Mark, me, Tony Fryklund, Chuck Liddell, Tito and Lee
Murray. Lee Murray’s crew was still there, Tito’s crew
was also still there.
“I
walked out the back door to go in the alley. Tito’s buddy
jumped on my back. He jumped on my back and acted ,like he had
me in a choke hold, just messing around, you know?
“Then
I felt him get ripped off of me. I turned around and Tony Fryklund
had HIM in a chokehold, and was really choking him.
“The
guy looked like a mouse that just got trapped in a mousetrap;
his eyes were popping out and obviously he wasn’t breathing.
“Tony
thought he was actually attacking me – that’s the only
reason he did it. So I turned round and told Tony to let him
go, and Tony let him go.
“Then
Tito’s buddy turned around and basically said ‘what
the f*** are you doing?’ to Tony.
“Well,
when he said that, one of Lee Murray’s buddies, that one
guy who kind of took care of us all week long, thought this guy
was actually trying to fight us, so he ran out of the crowd and
cracked this kid with a right hand and knocked him out cold.”
“Are
you serious?” I asked Pat.
“Hold
on, it gets even better. The entire alley erupted into a huge
brawl. I was just standing there, and there were bodies flying
all over the place.
“I
was confused how it all happened, because it happened so fast.
I was standing there with my mouth open like ‘what the hell
is going on?’
“I
looked over and Chuck Liddell was with his back against the wall,
knocking people out that were trying to go after him.
“Then
I looked over and there’s Tito directly past me, taking
his coat off, going after Lee Murray, and Lee Murray’s backing
up the alley taking his jacket off.
“Both
their jackets come off, and Tito throws a left hook at Lee Murray
and misses, and right as he missed, Lee Murray counters with,
like, a five-punch combo, landed right on the chin, and knocked
Tito out. OUT.
“Tito
fell face-first down to the ground, and then Lee Murray stomped
him on the face a couple of times with his boots.
“Then
Tony Fryklund and I grabbed Lee and pushed Lee and said ‘Get
out of here!’ And Lee said ‘I’m sorry, I’ll
see you later,’ and took off. And Tony Fryklund helped Tito
to his feet.
“Then
these English Bobbies showed up and they were threatening to
spray the entire crowd with huge canisters of mace. ‘You
think you’ve got problems now?’ I said. ‘You spray
this entire group of fighters with mace and we’ll all be
in a heap of trouble.’
“So
I talked the police out of doing that. And then Tony and I got
a cab and we headed back here.”
“That’s
insane, Pat.” I said.
“Long
story short, Matt: I’m ready to get on that plane, pronto.”
We'll
have one final extract from Matt Hughes' new book - "Made
in America" - here on Monday.
"Matt
Hughes - Made in America" is published by Simon & Schuster
& available from all good bookshops from 7th January, priced
£17.99. Copyright Team Hughes, Inc. 2008
Source: The Sun / Fight Opinion
|
BODOG
FIGHT UPDATE
Thompson
vs. Troyer Confirmed for Feb. 1st
By FCF Staff
Bodog
Fight has announced that the promotion’s welterweight champion,
Nick Thompson, will defend his title against John Troyer, February
1st. The bout will headline Bodog Fight’s “Nick Thompson
vs. John Troyer” event, which will take place on that date
at the Las Vegas Sports Center, in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Thompson
(33-9-1) has not competed since August, when he stopped Mark
Weir in the first round at Bodog Fight’s Vancouver event.
The Minnesota fighter had been scheduled to fight Eddie Alvarez
once again in November; however, a Thompson shoulder injury derailed
the bout. Thompson stopped Alvarez in April to lay claim to the
promotion’s welterweight belt, handing the former champion
his first professional loss. Since exiting from the UFC, after
losing to Karo Parisyan at UFC 59 in April 2006, Thompson has
won 9 straight.
Troyer
is coming off a December 1st TKO stoppage of Chris Crawford at
a Revolution Fight League event to run his record to 7-0. Prior
to that win, Troyer defeated Scott Henze, Joseph Baize, and Andy
Fink on September 29th, to win the 8 man, Hook N’ Shoot
tournament.
According
to the Bodog release, the February 1st card will also feature
a four man tournament, as well as a fight featuring Kaitlin Young
(3-0). No further details were announced.
Source: FCF
|
Dedé
appointed as chairman of Shooto in South America
Besides
being chairman of Shooto Brazil, the leader of Nova União,
Andre Pederneiras, that in a little more than a year ahead of
Shooto in the country already held four editions of the event
with success, is the new chairman of the Japanese event at South
America "Before it was the Shooto America. Now they divided
into Shooto South America and Shooto North America. Who had the
belt of Shooto Americas lost the title", explained Dedé,
who will hold the editions of Shooto Brazil and will realize
in 2008 the Shooto South America.
Source: Tatatme
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The
Year in European MMA
by Tim Leidecker
2007
was an outstanding year for European MMA. The UFC returned to
the U.K. for the first time in almost three years. Meanwhile
Fedor Emelianenko, arguably the strongest fighter to ever grace
a ring, was scarce inside the squared circle but still dominated
the headlines.
Last but not least, there was a tremendous power shift on the
European scene when longtime powerhouse promotions Cage Rage
and M-1 Mix-Fight Championship were sold to American companies
ProElite and Sibling Entertainment Group respectively.
Read on for the most comprehensive roundup you'll find on the
year in European MMA.
Winter
The year kicked off with a couple of smaller shows that featured
fighters who would become important later in the year. In the
Netherlands, Siyar Bahadurzada won the Shooto Europe middleweight
title and with it the right to challenge Shikou Yamashita for
the Shooto world championship. The "Afghan Killa" would
eventually become the Japanese promotion's 183-pound champion
via unanimous decision.
In Croatia undefeated middleweight Maro Perak fought the first
of his four fights this year. At Anno Domini, HERO'S veteran
Zelg Galesic 's promotion, he went the distance the only time.
Perak is a judoka dubbed "Mean Machine" by his teammates
at the Trojan Gym in Cheltenham, England. He added three first-round
knockouts before the end of the year to become one of the hottest
middleweight prospects in Europe.
At the WFCA Grand Prix in Latvia, Polish knockout artist Tomasz
Drwal returned to action for the first time in more than a year
after recovering from persistent knee problems. The "Gorilla"
from Krakow knocked out Lithuanian Valdas Pocevicius and added
a submission win over Andre Fyeet before being drafted into the
UFC.
Even though Drwal lost his debut against Chute Boxer Thiago Silva,
the defeat was nothing to be ashamed of. The Brazilian would
later beat rising star Houston Alexander as well.
The first big show of 2007 was Cage Rage 20 in London. Masakazu
Imanari caught Robbie Olivier in a flying armbar to add the Cage
Rage championship to his DEEP featherweight title; British heavyweights
Dave Legeno and Mustapha al Turk taught UFC legends Dan Severn
and Mark Kerr two painful lessons; and Tengiz Tedoradze won the
British heavyweight title from Rob Broughton . In the main event,
Butterbean knocked out James Thompson after "The Colossus"
had just destroyed Olympic judo gold medalist Hidehiko Yoshida.
In March, Paul Daley underscored his supremacy in the welterweight
division in Europe when he knocked out challenger Daniel Weichel
seconds into their FX3 title bout.
Meanwhile Switzerland-based Brazilian Augusto Frota and Italian
welterweight Ivan Mussardo tried their luck in Shooto but were
stopped by legendary Rumina Sato and Tsudanuma Dojo's Yoshitaro
Niimi. Top light heavyweight Mikko Rupponen defeated PRIDE veteran
Hirotaka Yokoi in Finland, but he lost to American Sean Salmon
six months later.
Spring
The sale of PRIDE Fighting Championships to UFC promoter Zuffa
made a huge impact on the MMA landscape not only in Japan but
also in Europe. Many of the continent's top stars, who had been
contracted with previous owners DSE, were virtually locked out
of fighting. As a result popular fighters like Joachim Hansen
, David Bielkheden and Sergei Kharitonov were sidelined for most
of the year.
For a couple of months, it appeared as if upstart promotion Bodog
Fight might be able to fill the void PRIDE had left. The promotion,
which is backed by billionaire Calvin Ayre, even put together
a formidable show in St. Petersburg that had Fedor Emelianenko
against Matt Lindland in the main event.
After a fallout with co-promoter M-1 and a subsequent budget
reduction, however, Bodog lost traction in the European market.
The company returned to Russia in November with Oleg Taktarov's
comeback as the headliner, but the show was merely a footnote.
A week after the "Clash of Nations," Cage Rage returned
with arguably its strongest show of the year. At "Judgment
Day" James Zikic came out of quasi-retirement to defeat
Chute Boxer Evangelista Santos for the vacant light heavyweight
belt. Vitor Belfort was also in action, knocking out Italian
Ivan Serati in the first round.
In the main event, English kickboxer Gary Turner did the same
with legendary brawler David Abbott. Undercard action featured
Cyrille Diabate, Paul Daley and Murilo Rua among others.
In a bold move to challenge longstanding U.K. top dog Cage Rage
on its home turf, the UFC scheduled a return to England on the
same date as Cage Rage's show. The fans in Manchester were treated
to a very good card that saw the likes of Cheick Kongo, Ryoto
Machida, Michael Bisping and Andrei Arlovski prevail over opposition.
In the headliner, Brazilian grappler Gabriel Gonzaga surprisingly
knocked out PRIDE Grand Prix winner Mirko Filipovic using Cro
Cop's own patented high kick.
May was a double-edged sword, particularly for followers of Scandinavian
MMA. On one hand, the Swedish government legalized the sport
after initially banning it at the end of 2006. Even though fans
were unable to enjoy another edition of the hugely popular European
Vale Tudo series, the lifting of the ban at least allowed a couple
of amateur shows to take place.
On the other hand, Martin Kampmann , Denmark's No. 1 MMA fighter,
tore all of his knee ligaments and cancelled his UFC middleweight
title elimination bout against Rich Franklin . The fight would
have also been the main event of UFC 72, a show that could have
used the crisp punching and precise kicking of the "Hitman."
Meanwhile in Poland, Konfroncacja Sztuk Walki established itself
as the premier organization when it comes to pitting promising
newcomers against one another in an old-school tournament format.
Brazilian Muay Thai fighter Antonio Mendes, the marathon man
of 2007 with a total of nine fights in seven months, won the
KSW 7 light heavyweight tournament. Ukraine's Alexey Oleinik
won the middleweight tourney. The promotion also staged a fight
between red-hot youngsters Mamed Khalidov and Martin Zawada.
Summer
M-1 Mix-Fight Championship kicked off a period of hot events
with a unique show on board the "Flying Dutchman,"
a reproduction of the Dutch three-master from 1748, which lied
at anchor in the harbor of St. Petersburg. The event, which practically
was a trade fair for the promotion, featured the Russian Red
Devil team against some of Europe's better opposition.
In the main event, Aleksander Emelianenko made quick work of
Dutchman Jessie Gibson, who had stepped in for his countryman
Gilbert Yvel on short notice.
Two days later the annual K-1 World Grand Prix in Amsterdam took
place. On a card that was heavy on kickboxing and light on MMA
bouts, Bob Sapp returned to his place of last year's disgrace
but was quickly dispatched by the "Dutch Lumberjack"
Peter Aerts.
In a bout under K-1 rules, Melvin Manhoef brutally knocked out
Russian Ruslan Karaev with a vicious combo that was arguably
the knockout of the year. Eventual champion Semmy Schilt eliminated
Europe Grand Prix winner Paul Slowinski.
At the end of July, English promotion Cage Wars joined forces
with Finland's FinnFight, Shooto Switzerland and Holland's Ultimate
Glory to form the G4. Contrary to the Cage Force Network that
was founded in September 2006 with the goal of supplying the
UFC with fighters that are tested inside the cage, the G4 is
close to Shooto. The move ended FinnFight's three-year hiatus,
and Ultimate Glory boomed with five shows this year.
In another business move, EliteXC promoter ProElite added the
U.K.'s top promotion, Cage Rage, to its portfolio of King of
the Cage (California), ICON Sport and Rumble on the Rock (both
Hawaii) and Spirit MC (Korea).
The deal cost ProElite a reported $5 million ($2.2 million for
the acquisition and the remaining $2.8 million to pay off existing
debt). While the quality of the shows has not been visibly improved,
it appears that the total number of events per year may be reduced
for 2008.
August was the month in which a Swedish delegation headed off
to Canada to conquer opposition at the season six tapings of
Bodog Fight's weekly show. Diego Gonzalez, Sami Aziz and Per
Eklund all won their bouts. Only Piotr Jakaczynski came up short.
Gegard Mousasi also made his successful North American debut
at the Vancouver tapings. The Armenian veteran of PRIDE would
remain in Canada and fight in Canadian promotion Hardcore Championship
Fighting.
In early September the UFC returned to the U.K. for the second
time in 2007. The fans at the state-of-the-art O2 Arena witnessed
the rise of Houston Alexander , who knocked out Italian pro boxer
Alessio Sakara in just more than a minute. Fans also saw another
drab performance from "Cro Cop" and Michael Bisping
receive a very generous split decision after his fight against
Matt Hamill.
In the main event, Quinton Jackson battled Dan Henderson for
five rounds to unify the UFC and PRIDE light heavyweight titles.
Autumn
In fall the action shifted away from the rings and cages and
to the negotiating tables. After months of negotiations, Russian
emperor Fedor Emelianenko turned down a UFC offer and instead
signed a two-year, six-fight deal with upstart promotion M-1
Global. The newly founded league had only existed for a few weeks
when it signed the much sought after PRIDE heavyweight champion.
Fedor's decision to turn his back on the UFC resulted in a chain
reaction that ultimately led to the UFC heavyweight championship
once again becoming vacant. When Randy Couture learned that the
negotiations with the Russian had broken down, he handed in a
letter of resignation.
For Couture a fight with the widely considered No. 1 heavyweight
in the world was the only meaningful and logical bout at this
advanced stage of his illustrious career.
While the leaves were turning different colors, a "Tiger"
was missing in Japan: Kestutis Arbocius failed to show up for
his Pancrase heavyweight title fight against Assuerio Silva .
Also in Japan, Dutchman Andy Souwer captured his second K-1 World
MAX tournament, defeating Masato in the final. In the United
States, Belarusian wrestler Vladimir Matyushenko proved that
there's still life in the old dog by winning the IFL light heavyweight
title.
In November, Fedor won his fourth sambo world championship practically
by default after two opponents chickened out of facing the 31-year-old
juggernaut. Joachim Hansen returned to Shooto and Alistair Overeem
stopped Paul Buentello to win the Strikeforce heavyweight title.
At UFC 78 Michael Bisping had to lose to Rashad Evans to realize
that his frame is better suited for fighting at middleweight,
and Karo Parisyan defeated Ryo Chonan in an uneventful unanimous
decision -- the seventh time the Armenian had gone the distance
inside the Octagon.
Outlook
M-1 Global immediately made good on its promise to cooperate
with other promotions by co-promoting the Yarennoka! New Year's
Eve event in Japan with former Dream Stage Entertainment staff
members and K-1 promoter Fight Entertainment Group. After some
speculation, the heavyweight encounter between Fedor Emelianenko
and Korean "Techno Goliath" Hong Man Choi was confirmed
as the main event.
K-1 Premium 2007 Dynamite!!, the New Year's Eve spectacle of
DSE's longtime promoting rival Fighting Entertainment Group,
also features two European fighters. In a middleweight bout,
Dutch knockout king Melvin Manhoef will square off with former
WBF cruiserweight champion Yousuke Nishijima. Two weight divisions
lower, Norway's "Hellboy" Joachim Hansen is set to
take on Japanese wrestler Kazuyuki Miyata.
Source: Sherdog
|
FABIANO
WITH GRACIE IN 2008?
Wagnney
Fabiano – who fights L.C. Davis for the International Fight
League World Grand Prix featherweight championship on Saturday
in Uncasville, Conn. -- told TGFN this week that he could join
Renzo Gracie’s camp for the IFL's 2008 season. Gracie’s
team clinched the 2007 league title on Sept. 20 in Hollywood,
Fla.
Fabiano’s
Toronto-based team, led by UFC veteran Carlos Newton, was one
of a handful cut from the 2008 season.
“If
something goes wrong and I lose [in the final], I have been invited
to join [Renzo's team],” said Fabiano. “Renzo is a
very good friend of mine. He wants to make a strong team for
next season. If I win the title, I’m not going to be able
to join a team, because I will have to defend my title.
Source: The Fight Network
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