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(All events on Oahu, unless noted)
2008
11/21/08
Man Up & Stand Up
(Kickboxing)
(Waipahu Filcom Center)
11/8/08
Aloha
State Championship of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
(BJJ/Sub Grapping)
(Gym #1, UH Manoa)
10/10/08
Man Up & Stand Up
(Kickboxing)
(Waipahu Filcom Center)
9/5/08
Got Skillz Fighter
(Kickboxing & MMA)
(Waipahu Filcom Center)
August 2008
The Quest
for Champions Martial Arts Tournament
(Sport-Pankration, Submission Grappling and Continuous Sparring)
8/9/08
K-1 Hawaii Grand Prix
(Kickboxing & MMA)
(Stan Sheriff Center, UH at Manoa)
Man Up & Stand Up
(Kickboxing)
(Waipahu Filcom Center)
7/26/08
Maui Jiu-Jitsu BJJ Tournament
(BJJ)
(Maui War Memorial Gym, Wailuku, Maui)
7/19/08
Affliction - Fedor vs. Sylvia
7/11/08
Hawaii Fighting Championships 10
(MMA)
(Dole Cannery Ballrooms)
7/5/08
UFC 86 - Jackson vs. Griffin
(PPV)
6/27-29/08
OTM Pacific Submission
Grappling Tournament
(BJJ/Sub Grappling)
(Blaisdell Exhibition Hall)
MMA Expo
(Blaisdell Convention Center)
6/21/08
Hawaii
Xtreme Combat
(MMA)
(Lahaina Civic Center, Lahaina, Maui)
Ultimate Fighter 7 Finale
6/20/08
Paragon
(MMA Hybred)
(O Lounge)
6/15/08
Grapplefest
(Submission Grappling)
Anderson Silva Seminar
Studio 4, UH at Manoa
1-4PM
$100
Mauricio "Shogun" Rua Seminar
Tropic Lightning TKD
Waipahu
5-7PM
$60
6/14/08
EliteXC
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena, Honolulu, HI)
6/7/08
UFC 85 - Bedlam
(PPV)
6/6/08
Punishment in Paradise
Pound 4 Pound
(Kickboxing)
(Ahuna Ranch, Maili)
6/5-8/08
World Jiu-Jitsu Championsihps
(BJJ)
(California State University Long Beach, Long Beach, California)
6/1/08
Hawaiian
Open of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
(BJJ/Sub Grapping)
(Gym #1, UH Manoa)
WEC 33
(Faber vs. Pulver)
(PPV)
5/31/08
CBS EliteXC
Saturday Night Fights
(9-11 p.m. ET/PT)
(CBS)
5/25/08
Man Up Stand Up
(Kickboxing)
(Filcom Center, Waipahu)
5/24/08
UFC 84 - Ill Will
BJ Penn vs. Sean Sherk
(PPV)
5/16/08
X-1: Legends
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena, Honolulu, HI)
5/9/08
Man Up Stand Up
(Kickboxing)
(Filcom Center, Waipahu)
Hawaii Fighting Championships 9
(MMA)
(Dole Cannery Ballrooms)
5/3/08
Hawaii
Fight League
Season 1, Event 3
(MMA)
(Filcom Center, Waipahu)
Full Force 4
(MMA)
(Maui War Memorial Gym, Wailuku, Maui)
Heart-of-a-Cage-Fighter
(Kauai
Veterans Center, Lihue, Kauai)
4/25/08
Punishment
in Paradise
(Kickboxing)
(Farrington High School)
4/18/08
Local Pride
Friday, April 18, 2008
(MMA)
(Dole Cannery Ballroom)
4/12/08
Man Up &Stand Up
(Kickboxing)
(Filcom Center, Waipahu)
4/6/08
GrappleFest: Submission
Sundays
(Submission Grappling)
(Hawaii Room, Neal Blaisdell Center)
3/29/08
Garden Island Cage Match 7
(MMA)
(Hanapepe Stadium, Hanapepe, Kauai)
Hawaii Fighting Championships 8
(MMA)
(Maui War Memorial)
3/28-30/08
Pan Jiu-Jitsu Championship
(BJJ)
(Californina State University, Dominguez Hills, CA)
Registration ends 3/22/08
3/16/08
Sera's Kajukenbo Open Tournament
(Continuous
Sparring, MMA, Submission Grappling)
(Maui High School Gym, Kahului, Maui)
Icon Fitness Gym Tournament
(Submission Wrestling)
(Icon Fitness Gym)
3/15/08
Icon Sport
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena)
3/9/08
2008 Pacific Invitational BJJ Tournament
(BJJ )
(Hibiscus Room, Ala Moana Hotel, Honolulu)
3/7/08
Got Skillz Fighter
(Kickboxing/MMA)
(Waipahu Filcom)
3/1/08
USA-Boxing
Hawaii, Palolo B.C. & Kawano B.C. Presents Amateur Boxing
(Boxing)
(Palolo District Park)
2/29/08
X-1 at the O-Lounge
Fight Club Meets Nightclub 4
(MMA)
(O-Lounge, Honolulu)
2/24/08
Icon Grappling Tournament
(Sub Grappling)
(Icon Gym)
2/17/08
Hawaiian
Championship of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
(BJJ/Sub Grapping)
(Gym #1, UH Manoa)
2/15/07
Midwest Invasion: Team Indiana vs. Team Hawaii
(MMA)
(Coyotes Night Club, 935 Dillingham Blvd, Kalihi)
2/8/08
Hawaii Fighting Championships 7
(Kickboxing & MMA)
(Dole Cannery Ballroom)
2/2/08
Man up and Stand up
(Kickboxing)
(Dole Cannery
Ballroom)
1/26/08
X1 World
Events: Champions
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena)
1/20/08
Big
Island Open Jiu-Jitsu Tournament
(Konawaena High School)
(BJJ/Sub Grappling)
(POSTPONED)
1/19/08
UFC 80: Rapid Fire
(BJ Penn vs. Joe Stevenson)
Newcastle, England
1/12/08
Hawaii Fight League
Season 1, Event 2
(MMA)
(Dole Cannery Ballroom)
|
|
July 2008 News Part
1
|
Casca Grossa Jiu-Jitsu
is now the O2 Martial Arts Academy with 6 days a week training!
We are also offering Escrima (stick fighting) on Monday nights
with Ian Beltran and Kickboxing Tuesday and Thursday with Kaleo
Kwan!
Click
here for info!
Take classes from the Onzuka brothers in a family-like environment! |
In Memory of
Lars Chase
Rest in peace my brother
March 10, 1979 - April 2, 2008 |
Looking for a hotel
room on Oahu?
Check out this reasonably priced, quality hotel in Waikiki!
For the special Onzuka.com price, click on one of these banners
above! |
Check out the FCTV website! |
Fighters' Club TV
The Toughest Show On
Teleivision
Tuesdays at 7:00PM
***NEW TIME***
Olelo Channel 52 on Oahu
Also on Akaku on Maui
Fighters' Club TV Radio
The Toughest Show On
Radio
Mondays at 9:00-10:00AM
AM1500 The Team
(808) 296-1500
- Call
in with questions and comments
with hosts Mark Kurano
& Icon Sport's Patrick Freitas |
Onzuka.com
Hawaii Underground Forum is Online!
Chris, Mark,
and I wanted to start an official Onzuka.com forum for a while
now. We were searching for the best forum to go with and hit
a gold mine! We have known Kirik, who heads the largest and most
popular forum on the net, The Underground for years.
He
offered us our own forum within the matrix know as MMA.tv. The
three of us will be the moderators with of course FCTV808 being
the lead since he is on there all day anyway!
We
encourage everyone from Hawaii and our many readers around world
to contribute to the Hawaii Underground.
If you
do not have a login, it's simple and fast to get one.
Click here to set up an account.
Don't worry about using Pidgin English in the posting. After
all it is the Hawaii Underground and what is a Hawaii Underground
without some Aloha and some Pidgin?
To
go directly to the Onzuka.com Hawaii Underground Forum
click here!
|
Want to Advertise on Onzuka.com?
Click here
for pricing and more information!
Short term and long term advertising available.
More than
1 million hits and counting!
|
O2 Martial Arts
Academy Day Classes Start May 2!
Women & Kids Kickboxing Class starts May 4!
Click here
for pricing and more information!
O2MAA Relson Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Day Classes will be held on Monday,
Wednesday, and Fridays from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm and will be taught
by one of Relson Gracie's first black belts, Sam Mahi!
We will be starting a Womens and Kids kickboxing class on Sunday
afternoons from 5:00 pm to 6:00 pm. The class will be taught
by none other than O2's Kaleo Kwan! It will be a non-competitive,
fun atmosphere and allow the ladies and kids to get in a quick
workout and learn some legitimate kickboxing technique before
the long work week starts.
|
Maui Jiu-Jitsu BJJ
Tournament
July 26, 2008
5th Annual Maui Jiu-Jitsu Open Tournament
Saturday, July 26, 2008 - Start time - 10:00a.m. (Sharp!)
War Memorial Gymnasium, Wailuku, Maui
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
Gi only Tournament, Standard Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu rules and weight
classes apply.
Entry Fees: Adults: $60, Kids: $30, No additional fee for entering
open divisions, Free T-Shirt.
Mail completed entry
forms to:
5th Maui JJ Tournament
150 Haiku Road
Haiku, Hawaii, 96708
or
sign in at the Maui JJ academy
810 Haiku Road Unit #230
(Haiku Cannery) all day Friday.
Day of tournament sign up - $20 late fee - NO EXCEPTIONS
Weigh ins will be at Maui JJ Academy all day Friday and Saturday
morning for contestants already signed up (entry forms already
received).
Call Lee at 298-7698 or Luis at 575-9930 for more info.
See You all there!
Start planning your travel arrangements now to avoid last minute
troubles. Check out the Hawaii Super Ferry (approx. $108) and
Hawaiian Airlines ($150-175) recently has shown lower prices
than Go Airlines.
|
Want to Contact
Us? Shoot us an email by Clicking Here!
Quote
of the Day
"The
future influences the present just as much as the past."
Friedrich
Nietzsche, 1844-1900, German Philosopher
|
Competition
sends White back to basic
LAS
VEGAS – Dana White offered a cocksure laugh borne from battles
past; proof that the business of cage fighting can be as cutthroat
and unforgiving as the sport itself.
“It’s
about how much pain are you willing to take,” the president
of the Ultimate Fighting Championship said last week.
As
mixed martial arts has boomed into a colossal business, no one
has been smarter or tougher than White. In just seven years he
turned a fledgling fight promotion into an estimated billion-dollar
company.
He’s
done it by building up the UFC and tearing down virtually everyone
else. This month he’s at his best, attempting to inflict
on Affliction plenty of pain.
Affliction,
the T-shirt company that surged in popularity thanks in part
to UFC fighters donning its unique, if garish, designs, is making
its foray into fight promotion July 19 in Anaheim, Calif. It
doled out an estimated $4 million to put together a top-notch
lineup, including a headline fight featuring Fedor Emelianenko,
considered the best heavyweight in the world, against two-time
former UFC champion Tim Sylvia.
“It’s
a dream card,” promoter Tom Atencio said.
Only
if it turns a profit – or at least breaks even. Otherwise,
it’s a nightmare.
“I’m
not in the business to lose money,” Atencio said.
White,
however, is in the business of trying to curb, if not crush,
all would-be challengers. So White took one look at that Affliction
card that had fans buzzing and decided to cut its legs out.
On
the same night Affliction is hoping fans will pay $39.99 to watch
its show, White will air his own tremendous card on basic cable’s
Spike TV. The headliner is UFC middleweight champion Anderson
Silva, considered the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world
and a major draw.
It’s
unheard of in the fight game to put a star of that caliber in
a “free” fight. It proves White believes sometimes
the best offense is a great defense.
The
interest in the Affliction card remains significant. However,
if White can peel away just 10 or 20 percent of its would-be
customers he could cause the promotion to take a financial bath
and perhaps never be heard from again.
“We’re
competitors, so let’s compete,” said White, smiling.
“The guy sells T-shirts for a (expletive) living, and now
he wants to be a promoter? A T-shirt guy doesn’t know what
he doesn’t know about this business yet.
“He’s
going to find out, though.”
Atencio
laughs softly at White’s bravado. He says he’s been
around MMA for 15 years, enough time to learn how to promote
a fight.
“I
think it’s flattering,” Atencio said. “He obviously
views us as a threat. Do I blame him? No. He’s doing what
he feels he needs to do to protect his company. I think people
will buy our event and TiVo his. It’s not hurting us.”
Others
think staying on top may be more difficult than White envisions.
“Remind
Dana that being hungry and running a business is a whole lot
different than being hunted and running a business,” said
Mark Cuban, the self-made billionaire whose HDNet television
channel shows MMA programming and has produced a few cards.
With
a shaved head, a blue-collar attitude and a love of profanity
that could make a sailor blush, White, 38, is the pioneering
force behind the growth of MMA in America.
The
New England native dropped out of UMass Boston. After years as
a boxing trainer and MMA agent, in 2001 he teamed up with casino
moguls Frank and Lorenzo Fertitta to purchase the fledgling UFC
for $2 million. Today it’s worth an estimated $1 billion.
His
goal now is to get the UFC as big as possible as soon as possible,
taking it worldwide while turning it into a brand synonymous
with the sport the way NASCAR is with stock car racing. If he
can, the UFC may be unstoppable.
That’s
why Affliction, and threats like it, must be attacked.
This
is personal, too, White said. He soured on Atencio and Affliction
last year and banned his fighters from wearing the T-shirts as
they walked to the octagon. White wouldn’t say specifically
why. He was direct, though.
“I
don’t like him,” White said of Atencio. “If I
liked him, I’d probably lay off him. The guy has an attitude
problem, and I’m going to fix it for him.”
This
is probably not how they teach corporate communication at Wharton.
Not that White cares.
“I
don’t know where that comes from,” Atencio said. “That’s
fine. I don’t live with him. I don’t go home with him.
What does it hurt me?”
At
this point, nothing infuriates White more than talk of competition.
He sees the daily growth, solidifying strength and vast possibilities
for the UFC and scoffs at almost everyone else as minor league.
He has a point. Even if Affliction put on a great and financially
successful card, it wouldn’t be anywhere near the UFC in
terms of cash, talent or market share.
“I
know where we’re at,” Atencio said. “When (you)
say ‘MMA,’ the lay person has no idea what you’re
talking about. If you say ‘UFC,’ 50 percent of the
people say, ‘Oh, yeah.’ ”
And
yet White keeps getting asked about other promotions and keeps
working himself into a rant.
“Every
month it’s the new thing,” White said. “ ‘Ooooh,
the IFL is going to take over the UFC,’ and all this (expletive).
They had $800 million, and they had a network television deal.
Their stock is at two cents, and they are gone …”
(The
International Fight League canceled its August promotion “in
light of the company’s current financial condition.”
For once, White actually oversold his competition. IFL stock
is trading at one cent per share.)
”
… ‘CBS is coming in! CBS is coming! Oh my God!’
You saw the CBS fight. Kimbo Slice wouldn’t win ‘The
Ultimate Fighter.’ And I’m not being a wise ass, that’s
the truth.
“The
last guy he fought (James Thompson), they got him from the (expletive)
morgue. That’s where they got that guy. He’s been knocked
out his last five fights. And he was beating Kimbo’s ass
before his ear exploded. Which is insane too. How could that
fight even happen with his ear looking like that? Nobody knows
how to drain an ear? … “
(CBS
will broadcast its second EliteXC card on July 26, which is expected
to be a more professional production than the heavily panned
first show. Industry rumors, though, speak to a shakeup in EliteXC
management. And for the record, Thompson actually was knocked
out in only three of his previous four fights prior to taking
on Slice.)
”
… ‘Oh my God, Mark Cuban is coming.’ Where did
Mark Cuban go? Where’s Mark Cuban? You know where he is,
he’s smart; he stuck his big toe in this thing and said,
‘Oh, you are going to lose a lot of money in this. I’m
out.’ ”
(“Just
let him know that HDNet Fights is far from out and HDNet is more
committed to MMA than ever before,” Cuban said. “In
fact, we continue to expand our lineup of fights and shows, with
‘Inside MMA’ continuing to be the best show in the
business. In fact, Dana must be concerned with HDNet; he’s
still afraid to provide clips to ‘Inside MMA.’ We know
exactly what we are doing. … “)
And
now it’s Affliction, headed by what White divisively refers
to as “T-shirt guy.”
“It’s
so (expletive) annoying,” White said.
“Our
card speaks for itself,” Atencio said. “It’s stacked
from top to bottom. I’m real confident if we put on a good
event we can (move forward).”
White
scoffs at that, of course. He predicts Affliction won’t
make enough money to survive, just like so many others. He predicts
this will all go away soon and the media will annoy him with
another pretender to the UFC power.
Like
most things in the business of MMA, Dana White may be correct
and no one can stop the UFC at this point.
Just
in case, Anderson Silva is headed to basic cable.
Source:
Yahoo Sports
|
UFC
86 decision spotlights scoring system
When
Saturday night’s Quinton Jackson-Forrest Griffin match ended,
there were two big unanswered questions:
Who
is going to get the decision? Was this the fight of the year?
Considering
it was a match for what has been for the last decade and is still
today the sport’s marquee belt, the UFC light heavyweight
title, it was guaranteed, no matter what the decision, the controversy
would shortly take center stage ahead of what the match itself
delivered.
What
made the fight even more controversial is that Griffin clearly
delivered more offense, and just as clearly, Jackson’s punches,
when they connected, hurt Griffin worse. Griffin’s face
was a mess, as he joked after the fight he lost track of the
number of stitches needed, and said, “Every punch hurt.”
Jackson’s
left leg was in bad shape by the end of the first round. Griffin
had superior footwork and cage generalship, but whenever they
traded, Jackson more often that not came out the better.
In
scoring from ringside, I had the fight 47-47 at the moment the
fight ended. That was based on giving Jackson round five, which
I thought was close to an even round. If 10-10 scores weren’t
frowned upon by the athletic commissions, to me, that’s
what the round should have been, and with that score, it’s
Griffin’s fight 48-47.
When
announcer Bruce Buffer declared a unanimous decision and read
the scores, before saying who won, I was certain it would be
Griffin. When Griffin was announced as the winner, I made sure
to look at the crowd for the reaction. Eighty to 85 percent people
at Mandalay Bay standing and cheering, with a large percentage
practically dancing and celebrating the title change.
In
those situations, boos are always louder than cheers, but this
was very clearly a decision most of the crowd agreed with, no
matter how it may have sounded on television. That’s not
indicative necessarily of who should have won, because from the
start of the show, Griffin was the clear crowd favorite. Griffin
lives in Las Vegas, and the UFC crowd has seen him start as a
nobody, work his way himself up, greatly improve his game, stumble
along with way, and get right back up again.
Now,
almost implausibly, the guy with the heart of a lion and, in
his own words, no special jiu-jitsu skills or great punching
power, is suddenly the champion in the company’s deepest
division where most would feel there are a plethora of fighters
with more actual talent.
Griffin
was winning almost all of round one, but Jackson decked him late
in the round for the most damaging blow, so I gave Jackson the
round. The most clear-cut round was No. 2, which all three judges,
as well as it seemed most in the press gave 10-8 to Griffin.
I had Griffin winning round three and Jackson winning four.
The
only question marks were rounds one and five. But the knockdown
clinched one, and five was splitting hairs. Griffin was winning
most of the round, but Jackson had a strong flurry late and even
with the bad wheel and nearly 25 minutes of fighting, his punches
continued to have significantly more velocity. After rewatching
the fight on television, where you don’t get the same impact
of the power of the blows that you get from being there live,
I’d have given the five to Griffin, still close, and ended
with a 48-46 score. And I’d still favor Jackson in a rematch.
What
made the fight so exciting, is that really from round three on,
it appeared Griffin was going to likely take the decision, but
at no point in the fight was he safe, because Jackson rocked
him many times, and there the feeling that a Jackson could finish
Griffin via knockout at any second, right until the buzzer sounded.
With Griffin, the feeling was more he was winning the point game,
but was also en route to winning the championship.
Judge
Adalaide Byrd scored it 48-46, giving Griffin the first three
rounds, including the 10-8 second, but giving Jackson rounds
four and five. Judge Nelson Hamilton had it 48-46, giving Jackson
rounds one and four. Judge Roy Silbert had it 49-46, with Jackson
only taking round four.
Those
who complain make the most noise, but a Wrestling Observer Web
site poll after the fight had 47.5% saying Griffin won, 27.6%
saying Jackson won, and 24.9% having it even. That indicates
a close decision, but not a decision that the majority would
have had a problem with.
In
the ring, after the match, Jackson conceded defeat saying, “He
just whooped my ass. Sometimes you win and sometimes you lose.
Forrest is tough. He worked hard.”
But
at the post-fight press conference, he was questioning the outcome,
saying he knocked Griffin down in the first round and power bombed
Griffin in the fourth round. Griffin escaped the power bomb before
impact and while it was a great visual, and it enabled Jackson
to escape a triangle, it didn’t really damage Griffin.
In
the aftermath, a few misconceptions and lack of understanding
when about judging need to be put to rest.
In
many cases, fight fans think anyone who doesn’t see a fight
exactly like they do are wrong, stupid and incompetent at judging.
In reality, every perspective is different and this was a fight
where you can make arguments about several of the rounds, including
the first and the last. Sometimes the view on what is and isn’t
connecting is better on television, but television does not translate
as well the power of the individual blows.
The
crowd response isn’t supposed to make a difference with
judges, but with such a pro-Griffin crowd, in a close round,
it could have. I have always believed from observing judging
in boxing and MMA that stars get an edge, although that wasn’t
a factor in this case.
There
is the argument that you need to take convincingly take the title
from the champion. In fact, that was expressed by many after
the show, saying perhaps Griffin did win the points game, but
did he really beat the champion enough to take the title?
The
fact is, that’s irrelevant. It’s a saying from boxing
that has been repeated for decades, and isn’t the case in
boxing either. Rounds are judged when they are over, and once
you turn in your score for a round, there is no going back. There
are often fights where I’ve believed the person who had
the most points on my scorecard actually lost the fight overall
if I had to just pick a winner without having to assign a point
value to the win.
In
three-round fights, this is frequent when a guy wins two close
rounds, but gets dominated in a third round that isn’t enough
for a 10-8. The guy who should have been the loser of the fight
overall won based on the points. That was my problem from day
one when UFC switched from a system where judges would render
a decision when it was over based on who they thought won, without
a points system, to the boxing system of 10-point-must. Whoever
has the most points at the end wins, and a split-decision one-point
win, which this fight wasn’t, still means the title changes
hands.
Another
misconception is looking at a fight like this and saying, “Well,
Griffin won, but the scores were wrong because it was a close
fight,” or “it should have been a split decision.”
Judges have no inkling what the other judges are voting on. They
are stationed at different parts of the cage and can’t discuss
it. If a guy squeaks ahead in all three rounds, he could easily
win 30-27 across the board in what was a very close fight. In
fact, that happens all the time. And there have been 29-28 scores
that are actually one-sided.
As
far as what happens next for Griffin and Jackson, it is most
likely no decision will be made on whether there will be a rematch
until after the Sept. 6 Chuck Liddell-Rashad Evans fight in Atlanta.
If Liddell scores a convincing win, and comes out of the fight
without an injury, Griffin vs. Liddell has a strong chance. The
condition of Jackson’s left knee and how soon he will be
ready to fight is the other major factor.
If
Liddell stumbles, either losing or not looking impressive in
winning, and Jackson’s knee injury doesn’t require
major down time, Jackson will probably get a rematch. If both
are injured when it comes time for Griffin to defend, Lyoto Machida
could move into the spot, although UFC is in the process of putting
together a fall match for Machida right now. If Evans beats Liddell
solidly, he could maneuver into the spot, although most likely
not ahead of a healthy Jackson. With Wanderlei Silva and Mauricio
“Shogun” Rua back in the mix by the end of the year,
those would be potential opponents for Jackson, if he’s
healthy and Liddell gets the shot. A win by Jackson there should
guarantee him the next shot. But since both have wins over Jackson
in the past, they could knock him off before he gets a rematch.
Source:
Yahoo Sports
|
Lindland
throws hat into political ring
If
Matt Lindland were a pitcher, he’d be the guy who’d
want to protect a one-run lead with the bases loaded and Manny
Ramirez and David Ortiz due to bat.
A
2000 Olympic Greco-Roman wrestling silver medalist, Lindland
thrives the tougher and the more pressure-filled the situation.
The
38-year-old is fighting for the first time in almost a year and
a half when he meets Fabio Negao in a middleweight match on the
Affliction: Banned mixed martial arts pay-per-view card on July
19 at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif.
On
that card are five of the top 10 heavyweights in the world. And
if Lindland had his druthers, he’d rather be fighting one
of them, with no disrespect meant toward Negao.
“As
an athlete, you always seek out a challenge,” said Lindland,
whose last fight, coincidentally, was against top-rated heavyweight
Fedor Emelianenko, the headliner of the Affliction card. “I
think any athlete would much rather face a guy everyone knows,
a guy who is highly ranked. That’s just what it’s like
to be a competitor.”
None
of those types of fighters were out there, though, as Affliction
built primarily an all-heavyweight card. Just getting back into
the cage, though, is enough to motivate Lindland, a plain-spoken
sort whose game evolved from the slow, lay-and-pray style that
some fans despise into one in which he’s looking to finish
at all time
He’s
had a lot of time to work on his finishing moves in the game,
though, because he’s been on the shelf so much recently.
After essentially being blacklisted by the UFC because he wore
the logo of an unapproved sponsor to a weigh-in, Lindland has
had to scramble to find fights over the past three years.
For
much of that time, he had to fight out of his class. He challenged
powerful light heavyweight Quinton “Rampage” Jackson
at a World Fighting Alliance card in Los Angeles on July 22,
2006, in a bout he lost by a razor-thin split decision.
And
then after wins over Jeremy Horn and Carlos Newton, Emelianenko
submitted Lindland on April 14, 2007, in St. Petersburg, Russia,
in a bout that gathered so much attention in Russia that then-President
Vladimir Putin attended.
Emelianenko’s
skills are such that he’s almost a mythical figure in MMA.
He outweighs Lindland by nearly 40 pounds, but Lindland battled
him on more than even terms until Emelianenko smoothly maneuvered
into position to apply his trademark armbar and end the bout.
The
bigger the fight, the more Lindland likes it, but he may have
taken on a meaner, dirtier fight than he could have ever imagined
this time.
And
no, that’s not a knock against Negao.
Rather,
it’s an acknowledgement of the reality that nothing is as
rough and tumble as the world of politics, which Lindland entered
by running as a Republican for a seat in District 52 of the Oregon
House of Representatives.
Lindland
said he opted to file when he arrived at the courthouse on the
final day to declare for office and discovered there was no Republican
candidate running.
The
Democrats control the legislature in Oregon and Lindland believes
they’ve taken the state far off track, particularly fiscally.
And since a Republican, Patti Smith, was retiring and giving
up her seat, Lindland didn’t want to cede it to a Democrat.
“It
just seemed to me to be kind of the way the system should operate,”
Lindland said of his on-the-spot decision to run. “It’s
a citizen legislature and it just seems logical that if you go
and see who is running for your party and you don’t see
anyone you feel is more qualified, you should do what is right
and step up and run. And so that’s what I did.”
Politics
might be the most cutthroat business on earth, but Lindland is
surprisingly calm about his campaign. He’s committed to
his issues and said he has a clear plan, if elected.
Politics
has none of the risk associated with his primary career, he notes.
And though he wants to win badly, because he believes he’s
the best candidate and that his district needs a voice to speak
out against what he says is wasteful state spending, he said
he doesn’t believe his stomach will be in knots on election
night.
“Nobody
is going to punch me,” he said. “Nobody is going to
kick me in the head. I’ll be making my case to the people
over the next couple of months that I’m the best person
for the job. But if the people don’t turn out, there’s
nothing you can do about it. It’s like fighting in that
I can only control what I do.”
But
Lindland’s life over the next week or so will be fighting,
which has gotten his competitive juices flowing again. After
leaving the UFC, he coached and fought in the International Fight
League, has promoted matches himself and signed a contract to
compete for BoDog Fight.
BoDog
staged his bout with Emelianenko, but he wasn’t offered
another bout. He was thrilled when Affliction came along, because
it provides an outlet for him to compete.
With
the UFC not interested in him, the IFL on the verge of bankruptcy
and BoDog essentially going under, Lindland’s choices were
getting slim.
And
while Affliction faces a steep uphill task competing against
the more established UFC, at least it’s a start.
“They’re
getting the right athletes,” Lindland said of Affliction.
“As much as guys who are fighting for the UFC say they’re
happy with it in public and in the media, there are plenty of
them who aren’t, and that includes guys who say there are.
I hope this company can be successful, but I realize what it’s
up against. This isn’t easy. The UFC is good. It’s
put the time in, the money in and the resources in.
“Anyone
who is willing to do that could possibly have success, but there
hasn’t been anyone yet who’s really been willing to
hang in there and do that. I hope that (Affliction) is ready
and that this is a start of something.”
Source:
Yahoo Sports
|
COMMISSIONS
NOT SOLD ON NEW MMA RULES
On July 3, the Association of Boxing Commissions passed a series
of amendments to the Unified Rules for Mixed Martial Arts –
a blueprint for most athletic commissions that regulate mixed
martial arts today – at a meeting in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Drafted
by the ABC president Timothy Leuckenhoff, ABC MMA chairman Dale
Kliparchuk, New Jersey State Athletic Control Board Deputy Attorney
Nick Lembo, California State Athletic Commission executive director
Armando Garcia, and veteran referee "Big" John McCarthy,
most changes served as clarifications to the existing rules,
although new amendments were introduced. Chief among those was
the expansion of the current weight classes used in MMA, from
seven widely recognized weight classes to a total of fourteen,
including shifts within the weight requirements of those already
in use.
Two
prominent regulators in MMA, Lembo and Keith Kizer of the Nevada
State Athletic Commission, said there might be changes on the
horizon for their state’s rulebooks. Right now, though,
a lot of time and red tape stands before an overhaul of the current
model.
In
other words: don’t expect so see a super flyweight beating
down a ramp on the way to a fight any time soon.
Kizer,
who’s commission administers over many of the events of
the industry-leading Ultimate Fighting Championship, said any
changes would not be looked at until late 2008 or 2009 at the
earliest, and the NSAC had no regulatory meetings planned.
“When
we do regulation here, we want to get input from everybody,”
Kizer said. “We want to be inclusive, hear from the fighters,
the promoters, the matchmakers…the more the better. We wouldn’t
just limit it to a couple of guys.”
Lembo
stated that the ABC’s meeting next July in New Orleans would
likely determine the future of the most recent amendments.
“My
whole focus is keeping the unified rules to the extent that they’re
unified by everybody, making sure everybody’s involved in
the process,” Lembo told MMAWeekly.com. “Unless everybody’s
on board, I’m not in favor of the change.”
Representatives
from the NSAC and CSAC, widely considered to be the epicenters
of professional MMA, were not in attendance in Montreal.
Kizer
clarified the NSAC’s stance on the meeting and the proposed
weight divisions.
“I
don’t think they looked at it properly,” he said. “To
my knowledge, before the middle of June, no one was even talking
about changing the weight classes. From boxing, when the additional
weight classes were added, first, they weren’t imposed by
the regulators; they came from the industry, after years of trial
and error. That took years from start to finish. Here’s
a couple of guys putting out a ten-page document, two or three
weeks before a meeting. I’m still confused.”
In
passing, Kizer also questioned the authority of the commission
due to the behavior of several of its members at the meeting.
Multiple
sources present at the meeting who declined to be named told
MMAWeekly.com that several of the regulators wore t-shirts bearing
McCarthy’s image, in addition to seeking his autograph between
sessions. McCarthy was present at the meeting as a speaker and
seminar leader.
“If
that’s true, c’mon,” Kizer said. “Can we
have some professionalism here?”
Lembo
and Kizer agreed that weight classes were highly secondary to
the safety procedures already in place.
“I’ve
never had weight classes be an issue, because if somebody wants
to fight at 160, and both opponents approve the match-up, and
they’re medically cleared and licensed, (they) fight if
it’s a fair match,” Lembo said.
“If
Gary Shaw wants to have a 150-pound champion, I don’t see
why the commission would have a problem with that,” Kizer
concurred. “Our job isn’t to tell the promoter what
weight you should use for your fight.”
What’s
clear is that many of the other amendments, including the allowance
of downward elbow strikes and the prohibition of “smothering,”
will be pored over behind closed doors in the next six months
by athletic commissions around the country.
Kizer
and Lembo plan to be at the meeting in New Orleans.
At
that point, the new rules may live, or be choked out.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
HERMES
FRANCA CLEAR TO FIGHT, PENDING DRUG TEST
The Nevada State Athletic Commission today cleared lightweight
Hermes Franca for the UFC’s hastily assembled July 19 card
at the Pearl in Las Vegas.
Franca
was originally suspended last July by the California State Athletic
Commission after a positive test for the steroid Drostanolone
following UFC 73 in Sacramento, Calif. His suspension in that
state – effectively a suspension from fighting in all states
with major athletic commissions – ended on the 5th of this
month.
Franca
now must prove he is drug free in a test for performance enhancers
to be administered this Friday. The test was originally scheduled
for next Monday, but according to NSAC executive director Keith
Kizer, that makes it more unlikely that he will be cleared in
time for his fight.
“We
should be able to get it in on time,” Kizer said. “If
not, he won’t be fighting.”
The
administrative procedure is similar to the one undergone by his
former opponent, Sean Sherk, who was recently re-licensed for
his fight against BJ Penn in May.
Franca
originally submitted a letter that he had released to the CSAC
and media following his positive test, one claiming that he had
taken the steroids to rehabilitate an injured ankle. Before the
commission today, it appears he changed his tune.
“Every
doctor in the world that talked about it said that steroids have
nothing to do with helping you fix an injured ankle,” Kizer
continued. “I was glad to see in the commission meeting
today that he finally came clean as to why he used the steroids.”
According
to Kizer, Franca kept it simple, admitting he made a mistake
and promised never to do it again.
Assuming
Franca passes his test, he will face standout Frankie Edgar.
Edgar’s three-fight winning streak was snapped in April
after he lost a unanimous decision to Gray Maynard.
It
will have been slightly more than one year since Franca last
stepped inside the Octagon.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
DEWEES
SIGNS MULTI-FIGHT DEAL WITH AFFLICTION
Affliction on Wednesday announced that it has signed Edwin Dewees
to a multi-fight contract. He will replace Vernon “Tiger”
White at the promotion’s July 19 debut event.
White
was initially scheduled to face Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, but
was recently suspended by the Nevada State Athletic Commission
for the use of a banned diuretic prior to a kickboxing bout.
Dewees will now step in to face Nogueira at the Honda Center.
"We
definitely had our sites set on Dewees and I am very happy to
announce that he has signed a multi-fight deal with us,’’
Affliction vice president Tom Atencio said. "Dewees was
our first choice as a replacement for White. He is a great addition
to our All-World caliber card.”
Dewees
trains out of Ken Shamrock’s Lion’s Den in Scottsdale,
Ariz. He is most recognized for his featured spot on the popular
reality series The Ultimate Fighter, where a fight between Dewees
and Gideon Ray became known as the bloodiest battle ever seen
on the show.
“This
is obviously a great opportunity for me. Affliction has done
an unbelievable job in organizing a world class event, with some
of the biggest names in the sport on the fight card,” said
Dewees.
According
to Shamrock, “Dewees is at the top of his game. He has proven
that he has impressive takedown and submission skills, and now,
through intense training at the Lion’s Den, he has also
become very strong on his feet. Dewees has developed into a very
well rounded fighter. He is ready for this fight and will do
well.”
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Quote
of the Day
"The
true art of memory is the art of attention."
Samuel
Johnson, 1709-1784, English Author and Critic
|
X-1
Mega Amateur Event!
Saturday,
July 12
Blaisdell Arena
Weigh In's
Magic Island (you will see a canopy with an X1 banner)
2pm
Friday July 11
KICKBOXING:
45 – Seddy Crawford (Hamma House Gym) v Taz Kahalewai (Team
Aniland)
60 – Sai Crawford (Hamma House Gym) v Spike Kahalewai (Team
Aniland)
100 – Preston Saragosa (Hamma House Gym) v Kalae Mcshane
(808 Fight Factory)
145 – Clem Holloway (Sit You Down) v Scott Ramirez (Freelance)
155 – Daniel Phan (Sit You Down) v Ferdinand Ramirez (Freelance)
155 – Sebastian Mariconda (HMC) v Bronz Salis (Freelance)
115 – Lisa Ha (HMC) v Gen Reyes (O2/ Nakoa Fight Team)
205 – Anthony Gabrillo (Freelance) v David Vasquez (Sit
You Down)
165 – Dean Hence (Smith Taekwondo) v Nelson Owens (Freelance)
155 – Robert Banis (Westside Connection) v Aaron Devictoria
(Bullspen)
135 – Evan Quezon (Team Devastation) v Julio Moreno (Bullspen)
115 – Sheldon Crawford (Hamma House Gym) v Nainoa Mesiona
(808 Fight Factory) ***
210 – Ata Tivao (94 Block) v Royal Lono (Team Aniland) ***
+265 – Tafa Samuela (94 Block) v Dale Sopi (Westside Connection)
135 – Max Holloway (God’s Army) v Wess Mossman (Westside
Connection) ***
165 – Marcus Moreno (Bullspen) v Brandon Mendoza (Team Ruthless)
***
125 – Lena Dela Cruz (808 Fight Factory) v Angie Pereira
(HMC) ***
MMA
HW – Jay Tuitoelua (Team Devastation) v Vilitonu Fonokalafi
(No Remorse) ***
145 – Alan Hashimoto (HMC) v Kaniela Ahnee (No Remorse)
***
140 – Keola Silva (HMC) v John Barnard (Gods Army) ***
155 – Steven Saito (Team Icon) v Makana Foronda (Bullspen)
***
135 – Jesse Thornton (Freelance) v Jared Iha (No Remorse)
***
205 – Guru Das (Team Icon) v Makana Vertido (Gods Army)
***
115 – Alika Tadio-Kumukoa (MMA Hawaii) v Israel Morris (Freelance)
***
145 – Ellis Bourbonais (HMC) v Phillip Liftee (Nakoa Fight
Team)
HW – Otto Hoopii (Stand Alone) v Jordan Patterson (Freelance)
155 – Darnell Mason (Team Icon) v Thomas Yandall (Konnah
Blokk)
185 – Frank Ruiz (Knockout Factory) v Mike Solomon (Bullspen)
165 – Kyle Kaahanui (Garage Kept Ring Release) v Lawrence
Hinojosa (Gods Army)
145 – Dustin Kimura (Team Icon) v Paul Lopes (Freelance)
155 – Walker Langley (Team Icon) v Treston Rabellizsa (Inner
Circle Grappling)
145 – Will Morris (Nakoa Fight Team) v Julius Fojantino
(Bullspen)
170 – Joe Palimoo (HMC) v Kawai Quezon (Team Devastation)
160 – Micah Ige (Freelance) v James Romano (Eastsidaz)
145 – Clinton Kealoha (Westside Connection) v Sean Le (Freelance)
155 – Kale Kwan (Universal Combat) v Landin Davis (Freelance)
HW – Lufasiitu Leupolu (Universal Combat) v Matt Eaton (Bullspen)
155 – Travis Bernades (Freelance) v Gary Cayangho (Bullspen)
205 – Mike Tsevdo (Fight Stop) v Ken Ishikawa (Mix Breed)
XMA
165 – Chris Kutzen (Westside Connection) v Todd Young (Gods
Army)
205 – Austin Figueroa (Stand Alone) v Rusty Makue (Freelance)
*** Denotes X1 Amateur Title Fight
|
CBS
ELITEXC SATURDAY NIGHT FIGHTS
…From
CBS Entertainment
FEMALE
MMA STANDOUTS SHAYNA BASZLER AND CRISTIANE CYBORG ADDED TO THE
CARD FOR SECOND PRIMETIME BROADCAST
OF
"CBS ELITEXC SATURDAY NIGHT FIGHTS" SATURDAY, JULY
26
ON
THE CBS TELEVISION NETWORK
SHOWTIME
To Televise Three Live Fights Preceding CBS Broadcast,
Including EliteXC Heavyweight Championship
Featuring
Antonio "Big Foot" Silva vs. Justin Eilers
The
female bout between Shayna Baszler of Sioux Falls, S.D. and Brazil's
Cristiane Cyborg has been added to the lineup for the second
primetime broadcast of CBS ELITEXC SATURDAY NIGHT FIGHTS, live
from the Stockton Arena in Stockton, Calif. on Saturday, July
26 (9:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network.
Baszler
and Cyborg, who are fighting in the 140 pound weight class, complete
the primetime matchups for the CBS ELITEXC SATURDAY NIGHT FIGHTS
on July 26. Other CBS fights include:
·
"Ruthless" Robbie Lawler vs. Scott "Hands of Steel"
Smith (for EliteXC Middleweight title)
·
Jake Shields vs. Nick Thompson (for EliteXC Welterweight title)
·
Nick Diaz vs. Thomas "Wildman" Denny (Lightweights)
Nicknamed
"The Queen Of Spades," the talented Baszler is 9-4
and has won her last four starts. All of Baszler's victories
have come via submission; her last four outings ended in the
first round.
Regarded
as one of the roughest and toughest women in MMA, Cyborg has
a record of 4-0. This will be the United States debut for Cyborg,
who has scored first-round technical knockouts in her last three
fights.
SHOWTIME
will televise three live fights preceding the CBS broadcast from
8:00-9:00 PM, ET/PT including:
?
Antonio "Big Foot" Silva vs. Justin Eilers (for EliteXC
Heavyweight title)
?
Wilson Reis vs. Brian Caraway (140 lb. weight class)
?
Rafael Feijao vs. TBD (light heavyweight fight)
CBS
Sports play-by-play announcer Gus Johnson, cageside analysts
Frank Shamrock and Mauro Ranallo, and reporter Karyn Bryant will
return as the "CBS ELITEXC SATURDAY NIGHT FIGHTS" broadcast
team and also have the call for the SHOWTIME telecast.
CBS
ELITEXC SATURDAY NIGHT FIGHTS will be produced by SHOWTIME Sports.
The executive producer is David Dinkins, Jr.
For
more information on the first CBS ELITEXC SATURDAY NIGHT FIGHTS,
visit cbssports.com
Source: cbssports
|
MMAWEEKLY
WORLD MMA RANKINGS UPDATED
The latest MMAWeekly World MMA Rankings were released on Wednesday,
July 9. This system ranks the Top 10 MMA fighters from all across
the world in each of the six most widely accepted weight classes.
Taken
into consideration are a fighter's performance in addition to
his win-loss record, head-to-head and common opponents, difficulty
of opponents, and numerous other factors in what is the most
comprehensive rankings system in the sport.
Fighters
who are currently serving drug-related suspensions are not eligible
for Top 10 consideration until they have fought one time after
the completion of their suspension.
Fighters
must also have competed within the past 12 months in order to
be eligible for Top 10 consideration.
Below
are the current MMAWeekly World MMA Rankings, which are up-to-date
as of July 9.
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
HEAVYWEIGHT
DIVISION (over 205 pounds)
#1
Heavyweight Fighter in the World: Fedor Emelianenko
2.
Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
3.
Randy Couture
4.
Josh Barnett
5.
Tim Sylvia
6.
Andrei Arlovski
7.
Fabricio Werdum
8.
Gabriel Gonzaga
9.
Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic
10.
Aleksander Emelianenko
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
LIGHT
HEAVYWEIGHT DIVISION (205-pound limit)
#1
Light Heavyweight Fighter in the World: Forrest Griffin
2.
Quinton Jackson
3.
Mauricio "Shogun" Rua
4.
Chuck Liddell
5.
Lyoto Machida
6.
Wanderlei Silva
7.
Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou
8.
Antonio Rogerio Nogueira
9.
Keith Jardine
10.
Thiago Silva
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
MIDDLEWEIGHT
DIVISION (185-pound limit)
#1
Middleweight Fighter in the World: Anderson Silva
2.
Paulo Filho
3.
Rich Franklin
4.
Robbie Lawler
5.
Kazuo Misaki
6.
Yushin Okami
7.
Nathan Marquardt
8.
Dan Henderson
9.
Gegard Mousasi
10.
Denis Kang
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
WELTERWEIGHT
DIVISION (170-pound limit)
#1
Welterweight Fighter in the World: Georges St. Pierre
2.
Jon Fitch
3.
Thiago Alves
4.
Josh Koscheck
5.
Matt Hughes
6.
Matt Serra
7.
Jake Shields
8.
Diego Sanchez
9.
Carlos Condit
10.
Karo Parisyan
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
LIGHTWEIGHT
DIVISION (160-pound limit)
#1
Lightweight Fighter in the World: B.J. Penn
2.
Takanori Gomi
3.
Shinya Aoki
4.
Tatsuya Kawajiri
5.
Gesias "JZ" Calvancante
6.
Vitor "Shaolin" Ribeiro
7.
Mitsuhiro Ishida
8.
Josh Thomson
9.
Joe Stevenson
10.
Sean Sherk
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
FEATHERWEIGHT
DIVISION (145 pounds and under)
#1
Featherweight Fighter in the World: Urijah Faber
2.
Akitoshi Tamura
3.
Hideki Kadowaki
4.
Hatsu Hioki
5.
"Lion" Takeshi Inoue
6.
Masakazu Imanari
7.
Mike Brown
8.
Jeff Curran
9.
Rafael Assuncao
10.
Wagnney Fabiano
Source: MMA Weekly
|
AFTER
AFFLICTION, FEDOR TO FIGHT 2 MORE IN 2008
As the July 19 date for his showdown with Tim Sylvia at Affliction
quickly approaches, Fedor Emelianenko already has two more fights
planned for 2008, according to his manager Vadim Finkelstein.
“Two
more fights are planned for Fedor in 2008,” said Finkelstein
in an interview on the M-1 Mix Fight official website. “The
first one in October in the context of the next Affliction show
in conjunction with M-1 Global, and the second one at New Year’s
Eve in Japan.”
It
is more than likely that his final fight on New Year’s Eve
will be fought under an FEG sponsored show, which runs both DREAM
and K-1.
No
opponents were mentioned for either bout, although the Affliction
bout is likely to pit him against one of the other top heavyweights
that are also fighting on July 19. Josh Barnett clashes in a
rematch with Pedro Rizzo and Andre Arlovski makes his first move
outside of the UFC in the past eight years, when he faces former
IFL star Ben Rothwell.
At
the moment, the consensus top-ranked heavyweight is in final
preparations for his fight against Tim Sylvia, which will be
contested for the vacant WAMMA heavyweight championship, making
the heavyweight super fight a five-round bout. It will take place
at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
BASZLER
VS CYBORG ROUNDS OUT CBS-ELITEXC CARD
EliteXC, CBS, and Showtime on Tuesday announced the line-ups
for both the CBS-EliteXC Saturday Night Fights card for July
26 on CBS Television and a three-fight telecast on Showtime.
Rounding
out the live CBS telecast is a 140-pound women’s bout between
Shayna Baszler and Cristiane Cyborg at the Stockton Arena in
Stockton, Calif.
While
Cyborg enters the fight and undefeated 4-0 as a professional,
this will mark her first time fighting in the U.S. Baszler enters
the fight 9-4 as a pro. She is riding a four-fight winning streak
and has fought her past three bouts under the EliteXC banner.
Other
bouts already announced for the CBS telecast (9:00-11:00 p.m.
ET/PT) include a rematch between Robbie Lawler and Scott Smith
for Lawler’s EliteXC middleweight title in the main event.
Jake Shields will finally get his shot at EliteXC gold when he
battles a just as determined Nick Thompson for the welterweight
championship. The last bout on CBS pits Nick Diaz against Thomas
Denny.
Preceding
the CBS telecast will be a three-fight live telecast on Showtime,
from 8:00-9:00 p.m. ET/PT. Antonio Silva and Justin Eilers will
battle it out in the Showtime main event to crown the first EliteXC
heavyweight champion. Also on the premium network is a bout between
Wislon Reis and Brian Caraway at 140 pounds, and a light heavyweight
bout between Rafael Feijao and an opponent as yet to be announced.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
GUILLARD
TALKS UFC 86 KNOCKOUT OF THE NIGHT
Melvin
Guillard's quick knockout win over Dennis Siver at UFC 86 garnered
the Ultimate Fighter season two alumni a $60,000 Knockout of
the Night bonus.
"It
was a good victory,” Guillard told MMAWeekly.com. "I
trained hard for it, and I was ready. I came in. I executed.
I stayed focused, and I done my job."
In
the opening exchange Guillard dropped Siver to the canvas with
a punch and nearly ended the fight. "I thought I had him
and I tried to rush it," said the New Orleans native when
asked about the first knockdown. "He went for an arm bar.
My coaches told me to back out and reset." And that's exactly
what he did.
"I
backed out and reset. I fired off again, and I got the shot.
I'm happy with my performance," said the 25-year-old lightweight.
"When
I caught him the first time I knew he couldn't handle my power
because I hit him good the first time and kind of dropped him
fairly easy," explained Guillard. "From there I figured
if I hit him good again I knew I'd get him. I also felt he was
a little rocked. He wasn't all there, so I just went at him again
and I ended up getting the right hand."
Heading
into UFC 86 Guillard had lost back-to-back bouts in the Ultimate
Fighting Championship to Joe Stevenson and Rich Clementi before
getting a much needed win in Rage in the Cage over Eric Regan.
Questioned
what has changed since losing to Clementi, Guillard responded,
"I became a man. I grew up. I cut out all the b.s. in my
life. I really had to grow up as a person and not just a fighter."
The
recent loss of his father, hurricane Katrina, the pressures the
notoriety of being on The Ultimate Fighter brings, testing positive
to cocaine; Melvin Guillard has faced adversity personally and
professionally. But he thinks it's all made him a better man.
"Every
tragedy, every battle that I've been through has made me a stronger
person," said the Houston resident. "I thank my coaches
and close family that's been supporting me even through the rough
times, when I got popped for the drugs and everything. I had
a down-slide, but now I'm on an up-slide.
"I
battled a lot of tragedies in my life right now: My dad, Katrina.
I had a lot of stuff going on. I was still trying to be focused
on fighting, but in my heart I was still crying. I just started
putting all the bad stuff behind me. Just put it on the side
right now and think about positive things and focus on what's
important, and that's being a fighter. Right now, what's important
to me is the UFC."
Source: MMA Weekly
|
CHRIS
LYTLE WEIGHING HIS OPTIONS AFTER LOSS
It was a gruesome sight to see. UFC welterweight Chris Lytle
on the mat, trapped against the chain link fence, a pool of blood
expanding from beneath his head.
No
cut in recent memory bled like the one Lytle sustained against
Josh Koscheck at UFC 86. It was a sight sponsors cringe at, and
for Lytle, the worst-case scenario – another night trapped
under a world-class wrestler.
Rest
assured, though, that Lytle is okay. MMAWeekly.com caught up
with him back in his home of New Palestine, Ind., where he still
works as a full-time firefighter.
“I’m
feeling fine, it was just a nasty cut,” he said. “I’ve
got my stitches and I’m feeling fine.”
Even
as he was stood up in the final minute of the third round, his
face dyed the color of “Hellboy,” Lytle was game.
“I
could see everything and I was trying to hit him, but he was
moving a lot,” he continued. “I thought it was my one
chance, I better get going. He did a good job of moving away.”
It’s
not the first time a cut has drastically altered the course of
his fight. Lytle’s bout with Thiago Alves at UFC 78 was
stopped after the second round due to a cut over his eye. That
one bled badly as well. A nine-year veteran of MMA and boxing,
Lytle has his fair share of scar tissue around his eyes.
Fighters
often undergo plastic surgery to have excess scar tissue removed.
EliteXC fighter Nick Diaz recently had his ocular bone shaved
down to prevent cutting during fights. Lytle has not considered
surgery, due to the fact that the cut he sustained Saturday was
on a different part of his face.
“If
it was the same area getting cut repeatedly, then I’d have
to look into it. I never really thought it was an issue.”
Though
after Saturday, it might be something he needs to look at. Lytle
doesn’t know how much blood he lost, but said he felt exhausted
when he stood up in the third round.
“I
didn’t really feel woozy,” he said. “I felt like
I could bounce around a little bit, but I felt more exhausted
than usual. I think that’s pretty normal.”
Lytle
has one fight remaining on his UFC contract. Since emerging from
the fourth season of “The Ultimate Fighter,” he has
won three of seven appearances in the Octagon. He has often struggled
against wrestling-based fighters. Lytle makes it clear that he
wishes to remain with the UFC, but may be open to other offers
if the numbers aren’t right.
“I
haven’t looked at my next fight,” he said. “I’ll
probably do that and see where I stand, then find out my options,
who would be interested in me. I’m a loyal person almost
to a fault. Obviously, I feel like I would do whatever I could
to stay with the UFC. They’ve been good to me. But I’d
be stupid not to listen to everything that’s out there right
now.”
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Quote
of the Day
“Never
forget that the most powerful force on earth is love.”
Nelson Rockefeller, 1908-1979, American Politician/Philanthropist/Businessman
|
Fighters'
Club TV Tonight!
Channel 52 at 7:00 PM! |
Griffin’s
ascent hand-in-hand with UFC
LAS
VEGAS – Only weeks after accepting an offer to appear on
a new reality television series, Forrest Griffin had second thoughts.
He didn’t show up for the first day of filming for The Ultimate
Fighter, the UFC owners’ last-ditch effort to save the company.
UFC
was mired in $44 million of debt and close to going under. UFC
president Dana White and owners Frank and Lorenzo Fertitta gambled
that the reality series would introduce the sport to a skeptical
public.
“I
called him and begged him to please get to Las Vegas,” White
said of Griffin, who went on to win the first season by defeating
Stephan Bonnar in the finale in one of the epic bouts in UFC
history.
And
on Saturday, Griffin validated his decision to turn his back
on a police career and become a full-time fighter by edging Quinton
“Rampage” Jackson in a back-and-forth battle to win
the UFC light heavyweight title.
“It’s
great to win, but the only thing that sucks is that I’ll
have to fight Quinton again,” the irreverent Griffin said
after thrilling a sellout crowd of 11,172 with the unanimous
decision victory.
Both
men paid a heavy price for their battle, which earned them an
additional $60,000 bonus for the Fight of the Night and what
may turn out to be the Fight of the Year. Griffin had a deep
gash over his right eye that needed stitches to close, while
Jackson needed trainer Juanito Ibarra’s assistance to navigate
a couple of steps as the result of repeated kicks to the left
shin from Griffin.
The
crowd Saturday was roaring from the moment Griffin appeared on
the video screens and rarely quieted during a fight in which
the combatants exchanged punches, elbows, kicks and slams in
a brutally physical bout.
It
is less than five years since the day when UFC chairman Lorenzo
Fertitta, frustrated by the mounting debts, called White and
asked him to try to sell the company. After a couple of days,
White met Fertitta in his office and told him he could get $3
million for it.
Only
three years earlier, the Fertittas and White had paid $2 million
to acquire the UFC from SEG.
“I
told Dana I wanted to go home and sleep on it, because I don’t
like to make rash decisions,” Lorenzo Fertitta said. “I
woke up early the next morning, around 6 o’clock, and called
Dana and said, ‘I’m not willing to give up. I still
believe in this thing.’ We’ll make this thing work
yet.”
Shortly
thereafter, the trio came up with the idea of The Ultimate Fighter.
“That
was our Trojan horse to get onto TV,” White said.
And
Griffin made the decision pay off, winning over legions of fans
with his dry wit, an “aw shucks” personality and ability
to absorb tremendous amounts of punishment and keep on going.
Jackson
delivered plenty of punishment on Saturday, knocking Griffin
down twice in a fast first round. A crushing right uppercut floored
Griffin, just as Jackson had done to Chuck Liddell when he won
the title last year at UFC 71.
But
Griffin, who cried in the cage after a loss to Keith Jardine
at UFC 66, managed to stand in to everything Jackson threw at
him.
“Every
(expletive) punch hurt,” Griffin said. “A lot.”
He
doled out his fair share of pain, as well, however. He kept firing
low kicks at Jackson’s left leg, which began to bother him
late in the first round.
After
a pair of kicks in the second, Jackson collapsed in a heap and
spent most of the round flat on his back. That put a huge dent
in Jackson’s plan, because he had intended to try to go
for the stoppage in the second.
“I
started picking it up and I was going to go for it, go for the
gusto, because I didn’t want him to get out of the second
round,” Jackson said. “That’s when I was going
to go for it. He kicked me in the leg and hurt my leg and that’s
what messed me up.”
Jackson
could barely get up to go back to the stool after the second,
but he fought brilliantly in what turned out to be the critical
third round.
Griffin
circled and moved much of the round and Jackson was unable to
catch him and land a decisive blow.
That
round was probably the one that gave Griffin the championship,
because all three judges scored it for him. It was a round the
Jackson side thought belonged in its column. “How can Quinton
not win that fight?” Ibarra said. “You had to give
him the first, third and fourth. If you give (Griffin) the third,
man, I don’t know how you can do that.
“Rampage
brought it to him and you have to take the fight away from the
champion. He did not take that fight from Rampage.”
Few
men in the world could have taken it from him on Saturday, but
Griffin is one of those. In his last outing, he upset Mauricio
“Shogun” Rua at UFC 76, submitting the man then regarded
by many as one of the two three pound-for-pound fighters in the
world.
In
his next bout, he beat Jackson, who had seemed to establish himself
as the world’s finest 205-pounder after convincing wins
over Liddell and ex-PRIDE champion Dan Henderson.
For
years, as White touted The Ultimate Fighter as a great breeding
ground, he was criticized by many for overhyping it. Matt Serra
came off the reality show to win the welterweight title earlier,
but Serra already had an impressive UFC record before he went
onto the show.
Griffin
was a virtual unknown when he finally agreed to appear on the
series. His win on Saturday, and the September victory over Rua,
validated the series.
And
Saturday’s raucous, lively crowd seemed to validate the
sport’s growth. It’s not noisier, or more enthusiastic,
at an NBA Finals game.
Lorenzo
Fertitta could hardly believe what he was seeing on Saturday.
He remembered back to the dark days when the end of the UFC was
near and had difficulty believing that only about four years
later things had changed so dramatically.
“Surreal
is absolutely a great way to explain things,” Fertitta said.
“We were struggling so badly. One of the interesting things,
and we predicted this, was that if we ever made it and became
truly big, everybody would say, ‘The UFC was an overnight
success.’ We all laughed about it. There was some tough
sledding there.
“People
have short memories. It was a long, hard haul and it was a lot
of tough times. I want to say I always believed it would be what
it was tonight, but I had no idea what the magnitude could become.
But there’s no doubt, this was an amazing night for this
sport.”
Source: Yahoo Sports
|
Josh
Koscheck is gaining wins, not fans
LAS
VEGAS – Josh Koscheck continues to collect victories in
the UFC welterweight division. But unlike other fighters who
frequently get their hand raised, he doesn’t seem to be
winning over fight fans.
Koscheck
earned their wrath with his obnoxious antics on the first season
of The Ultimate Fighter. But even after running his pro record
to 13-2 with a unanimous decision win over a game Chris Lytle,
the crowd at the Mandalay Bay Events Center still let the former
NCAA Division 1 wrestling champion have it Saturday.
“It’s
the fans in Vegas, man,” Koscheck said. “Everything
I do, they boo me, no matter how hard I fight. That’s OK
though. I’m OK with being the bad guy.”
Koscheck’s
match became one of UFC 86’s most intriguing battles by
the second round, when he opened a gruesome cut on Lytle’s
forehead with a series of elbows on the ground. Koscheck continued
to work on the cut for the remainder of the fight but couldn’t
put the gritty Lytle away. Lytle (35-16-4) even managed to finish
the fight with a wild flurry of punches, but it wasn’t enough.
“I
was a little disappointed,” Koscheck said. “I thought
I was in position to finish him off. But not too many people
have finished Chris Lytle. I’ll tell you what, he showed
a lot of heart out there tonight and he has my respect.”
Koscheck
has won seven of his past eight fights, with the only loss in
that span a decision against current welterweight champ Georges
St. Pierre. While a win over a gatekeeper like Lytle would seem
to put him in line for a bigger name, Koscheck said he’s
not concerned with what’s next.
“I
used to be considered just a wrestler,” Koscheck said. “And
I want to prove everyone wrong. I want to improve in all aspects
of the game. I’m not all the way there yet, but I’m
going to improve every time I step in there.”
Return
of the Young Assassin: If you believe Melvin Guillard, his old
punk self is gone, replaced by a new, more mature fighter.
UFC
president Dana White isn’t so sure though. After giving
Guillard a $60,000 bonus for knockout of the night for demolishing
Denis Siver in short order, White cracked that the old Guillard
could emerge.
“Look
out, Melvin’s got a pocket full of money,” White said.
“We might not see him again for the rest of the year.”
White’s
joke drew laughter from those assembled in the press room at
Mandalay Bay, but no one had a broader smile than Guillard himself.
The Louisiana native had a well-documented, adventurous 2007,
which included a string of losses and a cocaine-related suspension.
“It’s
been a long way, baby,” Guillard said. “But this is
the new Melvin Guillard you’ve seen out here. I’ve
got my head together. I’ve grown up. I know you only get
so many chances in this game and this time I’m going to
make the most.”
Guillard
(40-8-3) has long been known as a power puncher with a not-so-hot
ground game. He affirmed the former with his blitz to victory
in just 36 seconds, including a final flurry that bounced Siver’s
head off the mat twice. But Guillard was almost disappointed
he didn’t get a chance to show off his ground work.
“I’ll
tell you what, I’m working on that aspect of my game,”
Guillard said. “You might not believe me right now but one
of these days I’ll get my chance.”
Gonzaga’s
got game: Another fighter with a lot on the line Saturday night
was heavyweight Gabriel Gonzaga. Last summer, the Ludlow, Mass.,-based
fighter was in the main event of UFC 74, where he was TKO’d
by Randy Couture in the octagon at Mandalay Bay.
But
Gonzaga entered UFC 86 on a two-match losing streak as he fought
Justin McCulley. This time, “Napao” wasn’t going
to be stopped, as he made quick work of his Team Punishment opponent
with a first-round submission win.
“I
knew this was an important fight tonight,” Gonzaga said.
“I know you can’t lose too many fights in a row and
stay in the UFC.”
Gonzaga
controlled the pace from the outset and knocked McCulley off
his feet with a sweeping kick. A quick ground clinic led to an
opening for an expertly applied Kimura. McCulley tapped at 1:57
rather than get his arm snapped.
“To
go out and win like that, that was good,” Gonzaga said.
“I knew if I went back to my jiu-jitsu I would be OK.”
Here
and there: Other $60,000 bonus winners on the night were Cole
Miller, who took submission of the night for his deftly executed
triangle choke finish of Jorge Gurgel; and Forrest Griffin and
Quinton Jackson took Fight of the Night honors. … White
on Griffin: “He kind of reminds me of me. I’m not the
smartest guy. I’m not cut out to be a corporate guy. But
I’ll work harder than anyone else and never say die. That’s
how Forrest is.”
Source: Yahoo Sports
|
UFC
still going through growing pains
LAS
VEGAS – When the Ultimate Fighting Championship started
as a made-for-pay-per-view event in 1993, it was a learn-as-you-go
proposition since nobody knew what to expect.
Over
the past few years, in attempting to turn whatever it started
out as being to a legitimate sport with unified rules and commission
regulation, there have been a new set of growing pains. The more
popular the sport gets, the more controversies there seems to
be regarding judging criteria, referee stoppages and rule interpretations.
Last
week, when the Association of Boxing Commissions came up with
changes to the unified rules at its Montreal convention, among
the many people who had no idea any of this was coming was UFC
President Dana White.
“There’s
going to be a fight,” said White when talking about new
rules being implemented. “And you know I don’t roll
over easily.”
White
unequivocally said they have no intention of changing or adding
to the company’s current five current weight classes: Lightweight
(155-pound maximum); welterweight (170); middleweight (185);
light heavyweight (205) and heavyweight (265).
The
new unified rules include an ill-thought-out 14 different weight
classes, particularly the addition of 215 and 225 pound divisions,
which makes little sense with the dearth of quality heavyweights
from 205 to 265 pounds to begin with.
“No,
we’re not following that,” he said.
The
commissions said that the promotions have the option of doing
whatever weight classes they want. But doing so would create
an inconsistent sport.
It
becomes an interesting game because from Day 1 after taking over
the promotion in 2001, Zuffa has attempted to become regulated
and fight under commission rules that would be universally recognized.
There
were many officials in the previous UFC ownership that weren’t
thrilled with some of the rules, in particular banning of knee
strikes on the ground, that the New Jersey State Athletic Control
board implemented in 2000. Those rules have been used as the
framework in most new states that have since regulated the sport.
But commission regulation, both of which they agreed and didn’t
agree with, was a necessary evil in the big picture of the sport’s
survival.
With
these new changes, including a ban on putting hands over the
mouth or nose, but legalizing the straight up-and-down elbow
strikes that had been banned, White believes he’s got a
new enemy. And it’s a referee who at one time was the longest-lasting
fixture in the company.
“It’s
John McCarthy,” White said. “He doesn’t want to
be a referee anymore, now he wants to change the rules. And he’s
announcing for Affliction.” McCarthy, who retired as a ref
last year to join The Fight Network, a Canadian cable station,
spoke at the commission meetings, where many commissions, including
New Jersey, will interpret blows to the back of the head as being
a straight line down the center of the head and the illegal zone
would be one inch on either side. However, in California, commission
head Armando Garcia said their interpretation of the illegal
zone is everything behind the ears.
McCarthy
will also be doing commentary for the July 19 Affliction pay-per-view
event, a promotion that White has declared war on, to the extent
of running a free show on Spike TV head-to-head featuring middleweight
champ Anderson Silva.
Whatever
the rules are, there needs to be consistency because companies
run shows in different states with the same fighters, and being
penalized in the middle of a fight for what was perfectly legal
in the last fight isn’t fair to anyone.
Among
other things White talked about in an impromptu post-press conference
mini-conference is a late-October Chicago debut for a pay-per-view
show and plans for a Boston debut in November. The former is
closer to being finalized than the latter, as Massachusetts still
has to finalize regulation of the sport.
He
also has 2009 goals of running in places like the Philippines,
where he said UFC is on the equivalent of a major network and
doing phenomenal television ratings, as well as Germany, Brazil
and Dubai. Some shows would be smaller in stature from the type
of pay-per-view level shows people are used to.
“When
I was spending four hours on Thursday at press conferences, Lorenzo
(Fertitta) was in the office kicking ass,” said White, who
noted new UFC CEO Fertitta’s key role is in expanding UFC
internationally.
White
also noted meeting this past week with lightweight champion B.J.
Penn, who is intent on challenging welterweight champion Georges
St. Pierre, provided St. Pierre gets past Jon Fitch on Aug. 9
in Minneapolis.
The
light heavyweight division was thrown into a state of flux with
Forrest Griffin’s win Saturday night. There was much talk
about Quinton Jackson getting a rematch, which White didn’t
rule out. There are also people like Lyoto Machida, Chuck Liddell,
Wanderlei Silva and Anderson Silva who are potentially in the
mix.
Source: Yahoo Sports
|
Jucão
faces Ryo Chonan at UFC 88
The
defeat to Kevin Burnes at UFC 85 has made the Brazilian Roan
Jucão drops some steps in the ranking of the welterweight
category. However, UFC 88, which is scheduled to take place on
September 6 at Atlanta, United States, Jucão will have
a double chance in his career. The first is the return fight
against Ryo Chonan, who defeated his at Deep on 2005, and the
second, is the opportunity to re-breathe at the event. "This
is an important fight for the Jucão. It is a fight he
wanted for a long time and it didn’t happen at UFC 85 because
Chonan got injured. He is now training hard and he is going very
well prepared for this fight", revealed to TATAME the manager
Alex Davis.
Source: Tatame
|
Paulo
Filho’s father had a heart attack
Paulão
Filho got a scare last Tuesday night. His father felt seek and
had a heart attack, but were quickly helped and is already feeling
well. After the scare, the WEC champion decided to postpone a
seminary that was schedule on August 8th at . “Everything
is well now, thanks to God. Everybody is well after this scare,
both father and son”, said Josuel Distak, athlete coach,
which prepares Paulão to his return on September 10th,
at the return fight against Chael Sonnen.
“The
training is very good, he is ready to fight. Nino Shembri came
to help him train, we are stronger than ever. Rafael Manteiga,
that is going to fight at Jungle Fight is making part of his
trains with Paulão also”, said Distak that also take
a chance to give a result to the fight. “For this time we
are going to pull his arm out”, betted.
Source: Tatame
|
Quote
of the Day
“You're
never too old to become younger.”
Mae West, 1893-1980, American Actress and Playwright
|
Jeff
Glover Seminar is Cancelled!
Jeff had
a mix up with flight plans and actually leaves on Wednesday so
his seminar at O2 this Wednesday night is CANCELLED. We will
book him when he is in town next time.
Sorry
for the inconvenience.
|
Fighters'
Club Radio Today!
AM 1500
Pat Frietas and Mark Kurano
Call in at 296-1500
 |
Amateur
Boxing Show!
Our next
Amateur Boxing Show will be on Sat. July 19th, 2008 at the Palolo
District Park Gym, at 6 p.m. It is hosted by the Kawano B.C.,
Palolo B.C., and USA-Boxing Hawaii.
Admission is $10, and 7-10 bouts are scheduled.
Thank
You For Your Support!!
Bruce
Kawano
USA-Boxing Hawaii Junior Olympic Chairman.
USA-Boxing Hawaii Board of Dir./Gov.
Ringside Board of Advisors.
NMU Task Force Appointed Member.
|
UFC
86 RESULTS AND LIVE PLAY-BY-PLAY
MMAWeekly.com is on location from the Mandalay Bay Events Center
in Las Vegas providing UFC 86 results and live play-by-play of
the entire card including the preliminary action.
The
winner of the Ultimate Fighter debut season, Forrest Griffin,
takes on Ultimate Fighting Championship light heavyweight titleholder
Quinton "Rampage" Jackson in the main event with the
belt on the line.
Check
back with MMAWeekly following the event for the UFC 86 review,
post-fight video interviews and our photo gallery of the night's
bouts.
The
fights are now underway. Please, refresh your browser frequently
for the latest results…
-Tyson
Griffin vs. Marcus Aurelio
R1 - Not a lot of action through the first two minutes. Griffin
gets a takedown which may have been a slip and grounded and pounded
Aurelio for nearly two minutes before letting Aurelio back to
his feet. As the round closed, Griffin was finding his range
and timing on his punches. MMAWeekly scores the first round 10-9
for Tyson Griffin.
R2:
Griffin worked leg kicks and continued to pepper Aurelio with
strikes. They clinched along the cage where Griffin landed punches
to the body and Aurelio tried to answer with knees. Griffin secured
a takedown but Aurelio got back to his feet and was able to take
Griffin's back. Griffin was able to roll over into Aurelio's
guard and worked punches while Aurelio looked for a submission.
MMAWeekly scored round two 10-9 for Tyson Griffin.
R3
- The action picks up with both fighters seemingly content to
stand and exchange with Griffin getting the better of it. Griffin
got a double leg takedown in the closing minutes securing the
round and the fight. MMAWeekly scores round three 10-9 for Tyson
Griffin.
-
Tyson Griffin def. Marcus Aurelio by unanimous decision at 5:00,
R3
-
Josh Koscheck vs. Chris Lytle
R1
- Lytles came out pressing the action but Koscheck avoided eating
any shots. Lytle attempts a couple of high kicks that missed
their mark. Koscheck shot in for a double leg and Lytle slapped
on a guillotine choke that Koscheck quickly escaped. Koscheck
moved to Lytles half guard and landed short elbows and punches.
Lytle worked his way back to full guard but the round ended with
Kosheck landing a hammer fist. MMAWeekly scores the round 10-9
for Josh Koscheck.
R2
- Lytle opened the second round the same as the first, trying
to land a big shot on Koscheck. Koscheck shot in for a double
leg that Lytle fended off. Kosheck goes for another takedown
and Lytle, again, slapped on a guillotine. Koscheck escaped and
began working more ground and pound. Koscheck cut Lytle on the
forehead with an elbow. Kosheck poured on the ground and pound
with Lytle unable to get Koscheck off of him. Lytles blood covers
the canvas as the round ends. MMAWeekly scores round two 10-8
for Koscheck.
R3
- Lylte looked exhausted but contined. Lytle worked for a kimura
and then attempted a guillotine. Koscheck gets out of the hold
and worked back in Lytle's half guard landing elbows. The cut
on Lytle's head opened back up. The referee stood them back up
with just over a minute remaining. Lytle displayed a ton of heart
moving forward trying to land a finishing punch. Lytle landed
some big shots as the round concluded. MMAWeekly scores the round
10-9 for Koscheck.
-
Josh Koscheck def. Chris Lytle by unanimous decision at 5:00,
R3
-
Joe Stevenson vs. Gleison Tibau
R1
- They start out striking and Stevenson dropped Tibau with a
right hand. Stevenson followed him down and worked for a guillotine.
Tibau escaped and they worked they way back to their feet. Tibau
secured a takedown but Stevenson immediately got back up. Stevenson
got inside with a combination and got Tibau down to the canvas
with a slam. Tibau slapped on an oma plata. The round ends in
that position. Close round. MMAWeekly scores the first round
10-9 for Gleison Tibau.
R2
- Stevenson gets to the clinch posiiton immediately and Tibau
pulled him to the ground. Stevenson gets back to his feet before
being taken down again. Tibau advanced to side control and eventually
mounted Stevenson. Steveson escaped as Tibau went for a triangle
choke from the top got the fight back standing. Tibau takes Stevenson
down but gets caught in a guillotine choke that forced Tibau
to tap out.
-
Joe Stevenson def. Gleison Tibau by submission (guillotine choke)
at 2:57, R2
-
Patrick Cote vs. Ricardo Almeida
R1
- They clinch and Almeida immediately pulled guard. Cote gets
back to his feet, but Almeida clinches again. Cote eventually
got taken down after displaying excellent takedown defense in
the clinch. Almeida worked to half guard and landed elbows and
punches to Cote's ribs. Almeida lands punches through Cote's
guard, to the head and body. The round ends with Almeida landing
punches to the downed Cote. MMAWeekly scores round one 10-9 for
Ricardo Almeida.
R2
- Extended period between rounds due to Almeida's glove being
ripped and needing repair. Cote throwing big shots but Almeida
avoided damage. Almeida pulled guard and Coted got back to his
feet at the first opportunity. Cote stalked Almeida looking to
land that big punch but Almeida clinches again. Cote landed a
clean elbow as the two seperated. The round was basically Cote
trying to land and Almeida clinching and working for takedowns.
Almeida went for a guillotine but Cote popped his head out and
stands up out of Almeida's guard. As the round closed, Cote knocked
Almeida down with a right hand. MMAWeekly scores round two 10-9
for Patrick Cote.
R3
- Almeida landed a couple of jabs before clinching. The round
remained mostly standing with Cote landing leg kicks. Almeida
got a takedown with thirty seconds left in the round. While going
for a submission Cote gains top position and landed a couple
of punches as the round ended. MMAWeekly scores the round 10-9
for Cote.
-
Patrick Cote def. Ricardo Almeida by split decision at 5:00,
R3.
-
Quinton Jackson vs. Forrest Griffin
R1
- Forrest came out setting the pace, landing leg kicks and getting
the better of the exchanges. Griffin is out moving the champion.
Jackson stunned Griffin with an uppercut but came firing back.
Jackson dropped Griffin with an uppercut and worked him over
to the cage. Griffin worked back to his feed and both fighters
are throwing bombs. MMAWeekly scored the round 10-9 for Quinton
Jackson.
R2
- Griffin landed an outside leg kick that hurt Jackson. Griffin
clinches him and landes several knees to Jackson's head. Griffin
follows Jackson down into Jackson's half guard and landed short
elbows. Griffin moved to side control and slapped on an americana.
Griffin is dominating Jackson on the ground. Griffin mounted
Jackson and landed multiple elbows. Griffin grounded and pounded
Jackson for the better part of the final two minutes of the round.
MMAWeekly scores the second round 10-8 for Forrest Griffin.
R3
- The pace slowed in the third wth Griffin working more kicks
and Jackson trying to load up and end it in an exchange. Jackson
staggered Griffin with a right hand. The fight has turned into
each fighter picking their spots to try to flurry on the other.
Griffin flurried late in the round that had Jackson chasing after
him as the round ended. MMAWeekly scores round three 10-9 for
Griffin.
R4
- Griffin came out moving forward but in an exhcange, Jackson
landed a combination to Griffin forcing Griffin to clinch. Jackson
lands in top position where Griffin applied a triangle. Jackson
picked Griffin up and slammed his way out of the submission.
Jackson lands punches and elbows before Griffin gets back to
his feet eating a punch in the process. Jackson landed a right
hand but Griffin is still in front of him. Jackson lands a combination
as the round ends. MMAWeekly scores round four 10-9 for Jackson.
R5
- The crowd chants "Forrest" as the final round starts.
They're standing toe-to-toe in the center of the octagon. Griffin
lands a big leg kick and Jackson answers with a right hand. Griggin
the more active fighter peppering Jackson with jabs and leg kicks.
The multitude of leg kicks have taken it's toll on Jackson. Both
fighters just threw bombs for the final for the final half minute.
MMAWeekly scores the final round 10-9 for Griffin.
-
Forrest Griffin def. Quinton Jackson by unanimous decision at
5:00, R5
Preliminary
Bouts:
-Gabriel Gonzaga vs. Justin McCully
R1 – Following some brief exchanges, Gonzaga put McCully
down with a cut kick then started to work from the fighter’s
guard before transitioning to full mount. Once there, it didn’t
take long for Gonzaga to lock on an Americana, causing McCully
to tap out.
Gabriel
Gonzaga def. Justin McCully by Submission (Americana) at 1:57,
R1
-Cole
Miller vs. Jorge Gurgel
R1 – Gurgel opened strong, mixing up his punches and kicks,
landing frequently on the much taller Miller. Gurgel continued
to land hard leg kicks to the left thigh of Miller, but Miller
came back strong utilizing his reach advantage to land consecutive
stunning combinations with about two minutes left. Gurgel scored
big with strong right-left combination, but missed with the flying
knee. The last minute was much of the same with a couple good
exchanges before the round closed.
MMAWeekly
scores the round 10-9 for Jorge Gurgel.
R2
– The first couple of minutes continued much the same with
Gurgel edging Miller out with strikes, until Miller took Gurgel
down about two minutes into the round. With Gurgel looking for
submissions, Miller lands numerous hard shots to the face of
Gurgel, visibly hurting him. Miller, working from half guard,
transitions and nearly secures a guillotine choke, but Gurgel
escapes back to the feet before they finish out the round.
MMAWeekly
scores the round 10-9 for Cole Miller.
R3
– The two continue exchanging strikes, Gurgel leading with
his aggressive boxing attack. Gurgel then takes Miller down and
they scramble back to their feet before Gurgel takes him down
a second time at the midway point of the round. Back on their
feet, they lock in an exchange that sees Gurgel bloddy Miller’s
face before once again taking him down. With less than a minute
left, Miller locks on a triangle choke, eventually tapping out
Gurgel just before time runs out. Amazing fight!
Cole
Miller def. Jorge Gurgel by Submission (Triangle Choke) at 4:48,
R3
-Melvin
Guillard vs. Dennis Siver
R1 – Guillard connects and puts Siver down immediately,
the crowd smelling a finish. But it would take about another
15seconds for the true end to come. Back on their feet, Guillard
connects with another right cross that leaves Siver sprawling
to the canvas, then follows up with 5 or 6 unanswered, hard blows
before referee Herb Dean steps in to call a halt to the bout.
Melvin
Guillard def. Dennis Siver by TKO (Strikes) at 0:36, R1
-Justin Buchholz vs. Corey Hill
R1 – Within the first minute, Hill starts utilizing his
lankiness and lands several hard boxing combinations. He manages
to catch several of Buchholz’s kicks throughout the round
and take him down, but not do enough significant damage on the
ground to stop it. Buchholz scored several times with individual
knees and punches, but not much by way of combinations. Hill
seized the round with a damaging knee and another takedown just
before the bell sounds.
MMAWeekly
scores the round 10-9 for Corey Hill.
R2
– Hill again starts strong with a jumping knee and hard
right hands, bloodying Buchholz’s left temple. About two
minutes in, Buchholz lands a hard right head kick that stuns
Hill, but he starts firing back in a furious exchange that has
both fighters scoring. Hill takes Buchholz down midway through
the round and passes to side control, doing some damage with
elbows. Somehow Buchholz manages to escape and transition to
Hill’s back and locks on a fight ending rear naked choke.
Justin
Buchholz def. Corey Hill by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) at
3:57, R1
QUICK
RESULTS:
- Forrest Griffin def. Quinton Jackson by unanimous decision
at 5:00, R5
- Patrick Cote def. Ricardo Almeida by split decision at 5:00,
R3.
- Josh Koscheck def. Chris Lytle by unanimous decision at 5:00,
R3
- Tyson Griffin def. Marcus Aurelio by unanimous decision at
5:00, R3
-Gabriel Gonzaga def. Justin McCully by Submission (Americana)
at 1:57, R1
-Cole Miller def. Jorge Gurgel by Submission (Triangle Choke)
at 4:48, R3
-Melvin Guillard def. Dennis Siver by TKO (Strikes) at 0:36,
R1
-Justin
Buchholz
def. Corey Hill by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) at 3:57, R1
Source: MMA Weekly
|
UFC
86 AWARDS: FIGHTERS EARN $60,000 BONUSES
Following the return of the Ultimate Fighting Championship to
their hometown of Las Vegas, UFC 86 produced a new light heavyweight
champion and several of the fighters pocketed bonus checks as
a result of their individual performances.
MMAWeekly.com
obtained the fight bonuses, which were $60,000 each, for Fight
of the Night, Submission of the Night and Knockout of the Night.
Not
much of a surprise for the winners of Fight of the Night as Forrest
Griffin defeated Quinton “Rampage” Jackson to become
the new UFC light heavyweight champion, placing himself atop
the 205-pound weight class. Griffin gutted out a tough first
round only to come back and attack Jackson at every turn en route
to a unanimous decision win.
Submission
of the Night went to Cole Miller, who struggled at points with
opponent Jorge Gurgel, but kept working for a finish and ended
up catching the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu specialist in a triangle
choke. The American Top Team youngster picked up an impressive
win over Gurgel and the bonus for his top rated submission.
The
knockout of the night seemed like a no brainer as former “Ultimate
Fighter” season 2 cast member Melvin Guillard returned to
the UFC in triumphant fashion finishing European fighter Dennis
Siver with punches in the first round of their match-up.
Guillard
caught Siver with the opening exchange of the fight and while
his opponent tried to recover, the “Young Assassin”
kept coming and finished him off in under one minute.
UFC
86 Fight of the Night: Quinton Jackson vs. Forrest Griffin
UFC 86 Knockout of the Night: Melvin Guillard
UFC 86 Submission of the Night: Cole Miller
Source: MMA Weekly
|
UFC
86 REVIEW: MAIN EVENT WOWS, FORREST WINS!
LAS VEGAS – It was 105 degrees Fahrenheit as 11,172 fans
(garnering a total gate of $3.3 million) started to filter into
the Mandalay Bay Events Center for UFC 86. The only thing hotter
was the action in the Octagon during the main event.
Under
a rain of chants that battled back and forth between new UFC
light heavyweight champion Forrest Griffin and former champion
Quinton Jackson, the fighters themselves waged a war in the Octagon
in an exciting five-round battle for the belt.
Jackson
dropped Griffin with a punch in the first round. Griffin dropped
Jackson with a kick to the leg in the second. The see saw effect
only grew from there. It was Griffin that seemed more fluid from
the opening, being more technical in his striking attack, while
Jackson seemed to accumulate more of the power shots.
In
the end, Griffin’s face was a battered mess of black and
blue with numerous stitches holding his brow together and Jackson’s
left leg was severely damaged, leaving the former champion staggering
through the post-fight necessities.
It
was one of those fights that wowed the crowd and the decision
will likely be argued to no end through cyberspace and beyond.
The judges deemed Griffin had done enough in their eyes at least,
to award him the unanimous decision.
UFC
president Dana White deemed both fighters exciting enough to
award them both “Fight of the Night” honors accompanied
by a $60,000 bonus check for each.
Despite
the new hardware around his waist, Griffin was still humble in
his assessment of the fight afterwards, saying, “That was
pretty close. And although I don’t want to, because he hits
pretty hard, but I think we’re going to have to do that
again because it was too close.”
Just
as humble in defeat, Jackson said after the fight, “I want
to congratulate Forrest. He’s going to be an excellent champion.
He’s come a long way.”
A
fight that most thought would end in either a quick submission
or a devastating knockout, Ricardo Almeida and Patrick Cote ended
up in a long, drawn out battle of attrition. Almeida could never
seem to find a submission to latch onto and neither could Cote
find his usual knockout range.
The
fight turned into a rather lackluster affair that both felt they
had won in the end, but it was Cote that the judges handed a
split decision victory to.
Other
than a tight omo plata attempt that became more of a control
hold than a submission attempt at the end of round one, Gleison
Tibau couldn’t overcome the pacing of Joe “Daddy”
Stevenson. And in the second round, Stevenson locked on his patented
guillotine choke as Tibau tried to take him down, submitting
the American Top Team fighter.
If
ever there were a moment in time where someone clicked over to
an MMA bout and thought they had accidentally clicked on the
movie Hellraiser, it would be the Chris Lytle and Josh Koscheck
bout. Koscheck controlled the majority of the bout with his takedowns
and brutal ground and pound attack, opening up two gruesome gashes
on Lytle’s forehead in the second round. Dragging blood
across the mat, Lytle toughed it out.
Lytle
mounted a comeback in round three, but it was far too little
and way too late. Koscheck had brutalized him through most of
the fight, en route to a unanimous decision.
“I
think it was a good fight,” said Koscheck under a show of
boos after the fight. “Chris Lytle is one of the classiest
guys in the UFC. I have a lot of respect for him and I just think
that tonight I was better.”
Domination.
That’s the only way to describe Tyson Griffin’s performance
against Marcus Aurelio at UFC 86. His ever-improving striking
game leading the way, Griffin battered and bruised Aurelio over
the course of their three-round bout, stopping nearly every takedown.
Aurelio tried several submission attempts, but never could find
a way to lock anything down. He did show tremendous heart, absorbing
everything that Griffin threw at him, but it was the Xtreme Couture
fighter that walked away with a unanimous decision, 30-27 on
all three scorecards.
In
the evening’s final preliminary bout, Gabriel Gonzaga wasted
no time giving Justin McCully a chance to get any traction in
their bout. He quickly put McCully on his back with a cut-kick,
followed him down, transitioned to full mount, and submitted
him with an Americana shoulder lock.
Jorge
Gurgel opted to go back to the drawing board prior to Saturday
night’s bout and it showed. He offered up an improved, aggressive
standup game – courtesy of Matt Hume – that gave him
the upper hand in striking over Cole Miller through most of their
bout, despite Miller’s four-inch height advantage.
Following
an exciting back and forth battle, it was surprisingly Miller’s
ground game that would be Gurgel’s undoing. After being
taken down by the Marcus Aurelio trained jiu-jitsu black belt,
Miller, an American Top Team purple belt, submitted Gurgel with
a triangle choke with 12 ticks left on the clock in the final
round.
“Not
bad for a purple belt,” said Miller after the bout. “I’m
not just some redneck from Georgia. I train with American Top
Team and that’s what we put out.”
Not
bad indeed, as White awarded Miller “Submission of the Night”
honors accompanied by a $60,000 bonus check.
Winning
one fight outside the promotion after having gone on a two-fight
skid in the Octagon, Melvin Guillard returned to the UFC in stunning
fashion. Dennis Siver survived Guillard’s opening salvo,
a one-two combination that put the German fighter on his back,
but didn’t last much longer. After the two returned to their
feet, Guillard utilized his lighting speed to send Siver sprawling
from a right cross, then finished him off with a blitzkrieg of
five or six unanswered power shots.
Commenting
that he is “a force to be reckoned with” in the lightweight
division, Guillard summed up his performance saying, “Speed
kills… He hits hard, but I hit harder.”
Guillard
hit hard enough to score the only, but no less impressive, “Knockout
of the Night,” also earning a $60,000 bonus check.
In
the evening’s opening bout, Corey Hill almost overcame his
inexperience… almost. He utilized his 6’4”, 155-pound
lanky frame to outstrike and take down Justin Buchholz throughout
the majority of their bout. But as the end of round two was closing
in, Buchholz, working off of his back with Hill in side control,
transitioned out and took Hill’s back, sinking in a fight-ending
rear naked choke.
“That’s
Urijah Faber 101 right there,” said Buchholz, the former ICON Sport lightweight
champion,
about the finish.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Arlovski
with possible boxing move
Belorussian to fight at Affliction on 19th
With
a little over two weeks before facing Mike Whitehead at Affliction:
Banned in California, some unexpected news regarding former UFC
heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski has surfaced.
According
to the events promotion company of renowned pugilist Oscar De
La Hoya, the Belorussian will be making his debut with the big
gloves on September 13th, in Las Vegas, in the opening fight
to be broadcast on cable-television channel HBO.
Arlovski
has been taking the style seriously, as he has been training
with one of the most famous fighters in the field: Freddie Roach.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Babalu
favorite at Affliction
Other Brazilians seen as underdogs
As
usual, the sports betting lines start to work at a frenetic pace
weeks before a big competition, and with Affliction: Banned things
are no different. The event, which will take place on the coming
19th, has a grandiose card, presenting some of the best heavyweights
in the world.
According
to one of the biggest sites in the field, Gold Coast Sports Book,
only one Brazilian is considered a favorite among the main fights.
He is Renato "Babalu" Sobral, who has the faith of
gamblers over Mike Whitehead. Fabio Negao and Pedro Rizzo are
heavy underdogs to Matt Lindland and Josh Barnett, respectively.
It's
worth remembering that Vitor Belfort was not included in the
poll for only recently being added to the main televised event,
and Rogerio Nogueira for not being on the televised event.
Tim
Sylvia (+350) x Fedor Emelianenko (-450)
Ben Rothwell (+240) x Andrei Arlovski (-300)
Josh Barnett (-360) x Pedro Rizzo (+280)
Fabio Negao (+300) x Matt Lindland (-380)
Mike Whitehead (+210) x Renato Sobral (-250)
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Quote
of the Day
"There
can be economy only where there is efficiency."
Benjamin Disraeli, 1804-1881, British Statesman and Literary
Figure
|
UFC
86: Jackson vs. Griffin Results!
Lightweights: Marcus Aurelio (155) vs. Tyson Griffin (155)
R1:
They circle for the first fifty seconds. Griffin fires with a
2-punch combo to quiet the boos for inaction. Griffin pushes
Aurelio down. Griffin enters and Aurelio tries for an armbar.
Griffin pulls his arms out and pounds at Aurelio. Aurelio closes
his guard at 2:21. Aurelio attempts an armbar but Griffin slips
right out. They stand up at 1:32. Griffin slaps Aurelio with
an inside leg kick. Griffin throws punches that glance or miss.
Griffin lands a leg kick. Griffin connects on a body punch, and
more leg kicks. Aurelio shoots but Griffin stuffs it. MMAFighting.com
scores the round 10-9 for Griffin.
R2:
Griffin effectively attacks with body punches and leg kicks.
Aurelio tries a punch combo and ends up clinching with Griffin.
Griffin hitting knees to the Aurelio's thighs while in clinch.
Griffin picks Aurelio up and slams him with just under two minutes
remaining. Aurelio stands up and puts Griffin down. Aurelio climbs
on Griffins back but ends up in guard. Aurelio positions for
a triangle choke, and then an omoplata attempt but Griffin avoids
both. Round 2 ends with Griffin inside Aurelio's guard. MMAFighting.com
scores the round 10-9 for Griffin.
R3:
Griffin continues outstriking Aurelio with leg kicks and punch
combos. Aurelio shoots at 3:02 but Griffin sprawls. Griffin shoots
and takes down Aurelio at 2:02. Aurelio wants a submission but
Griffin doesn't give him any openings. MMAFighting.com scores
the round 10-9 for Griffin.
Griffin
wins via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Welterweights:
Josh Koscheck (170) vs. Chris Lytle (170)
R1:
Lytle initiates with heavy rights 30 seconds in the fight. Lytle
lands a leg kick at the end of a combo. Koscheck tries for a
high kick, slips, but bounces back up. Koscheck shoots at 2:54
and takes Lytle down. Lytle grabs the guillotine but Koscheck
works himself free. Koscheck works in Lytle's halfguard. Lytle
brings Koscheck to full guard. Koscheck works in punches. Close
round with neither fighter doing any significant damage. MMAFighting.com
scores the round 10-9 for Koscheck.
R2:
Koscheck shoots but Lytle defends it. Koscheck lands elbows.
Koscheck tries another takedown and gets it. Lytle, has the guillotine
again. Koscheck pulls his head out. Koscheck cuts Lytle with
repeated elbows. Koscheck dominates Lytle with punches and elbows
in halfguard. There's a pool of blood around Lytle's head. Koscheck
continues this until the end of the round. MMAFighting.com scores
the round 10-9 for Koscheck.
R3:
Koscheck shoots at 4:20. Lytle defends and tries to lock Koscheck's
arm. Lytle tries a guillotine but Koscheck escapes. Koscheck
returns to dropping elbows inside Lytle's halfguard. Lytle is
covered in blood. Luckily for Lytle, the referee says Koscheck
isn't active enough and stands them up at 1:33. Lytle goes for
the knockout but ends up in clinch. The referee separates them
again. Lytle knows he needs to finish and charges with punches,
and even more punches, but the bell sounds. MMAFighting.com scores
the round 10-9 for Koscheck.
Koscheck
wins via unanimous decision.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lightweights:
Joe Stevenson (155) vs. Gleison Tibau (156)
R1:
Stevenson connects on a jab. Tibau slaps a leg kick. Stevenson
lands a right. Tibau falls down. Stevenson tries a guillotine.
Tibau escapes and passes, trying to take Stevenson's back. They
clinch. Tibau drops down and takes Stevenson down. Stevenson
stands up in clinch. Steven takes Tibau down. Tibau locks in
an omoplata.Stevenson stays in that position until the end of
the round.
R2:
Tibau passes to Stevenson's side. Tibau secures mount at 3:09.
Tibau steps over for perhaps a triangle from mount and Stevenson
pushes Tibau off. They get back to their feet. Tibau takes Stevenson
down leaving his head in. Stevenson taps Tibau out with a guillotine.
Stevenson
wins via submission - R2 (2:57)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Middleweights:
Ricardo Almeida (185) vs. Patrick Cote (185)
R1:
Almeida reachs down for takedown. Cote stops it and Almeida pulls
guard on a standing Cote. Almeida brings the fight to the floor
and works a rubber guard. Cote escapes to his feet. Almeida shoots
and clinches. It takes awhile but Almeida takes Cote down. Almeida
drops a couple of punches while trying to pass. Almeida effectly
picks at Cote with punches. MMAFighting.com scores the round
10-9 for Almeida.
R2:
Almeida lands a punch and looks for a takedown. Cote responds
with punches that forces Almeida to back away. ALmeida pulls
guard. Cote stands back up. Cote fires punches and Almeida clinches.
Cote lands a body punch. Almeida wants the single and switches
to a guillotine. Cote escapes and immediately stands up. Cote
knocks Almeida down a right before the bell sounds. MMAFighting.com
scores the round 10-9 for Cote.
R3:
Cote does a great job keeping the fight standing. Cote chases
Almeida and lands a nice leg kick. Cote doesn't land anything
significant but he's controlling Almeida on the feet. Almeida
scores the takedown with 35 seconds left. Almeida finishes in
the guard. MMAFighting.com scores the round 10-9 for Cote.
Cote
wins via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Light-Heavyweights:
Quinton "Rampage" Jackson (205) vs. Forrest Griffin
(205)
R1:
They start throwing right away. Griffin lands leg kicks.They
trade shots. Griffin scoring points through more unanswered leg
kicks. Jackson moves in with a flurry and lands a left hook that
stuns Griffin. They clinch and separate. Griffin back to landing
leg kicks. Jackson lands an uppercut and drops Griffin. Jackson
powers Griffin against the cage with a minute left. Griffin stands
up but eats rights on the way up. MMAfighting.com scores the
round 10-9 for Jackson.
R2:
Griffin hurts Jackson with leg kicks. Griffin catches Jackson
with a guillotine and takes Jackson down. Griffin is in Jackson's
halfguard. Griffin nails Jackson with elbows. Griffin passes
to side mount. Griffin looks for an americana. Griffin drops
right punches. Griffin advances to mount. Griffin drops elbows
and punches. Total domination by Griffin. MMAFighting.com scores
the round 10-8 for Griffin.
R3:
Jackson's knee is hurt from those first two kicks of the second
round. Jackson hits a two-punch combo that Griffin shakes off.
Jackson with another big combo, but Griffin avoids. Jackson connects
with a left. Jackson lands cleanly with a body punch. MMAFighting.com
scores the round 10-9 for Jackson.
R4:
Griffin opens wiht a low kick and a high. Jackson puts the pressure
on Griffin with strong punch combos. Jackson has Griffin down
in full guard. Griffin's right eye is bloodied. Griffin locks
in a triangle choke... and Jackson slams his way out! Griffin
positions himself for submissions and Jackson stands up. Jackson
immediately fires and Griffin backs away. Another tough round
to score. MMAFighting.com scores the round 10-9 for Griffin.
R5:
Jackson works on Griffin's body. Griffin lands mostly leg kicks.
Griffin connects cleanly with a right punch. They clinch with
Griffin landing knees before the end of the fight. MMAFighting.com
scores the round 10-9 for Griffin.
Griffin
wins via unanimous decision (48-46, 48-46, 49-46) to win the
UFC light-heavyweight title
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Shop
for your fight shirts, MMA equipment and clothing through our
online store.
Undercard:
1.
Justin Bucholz def. Corey Hill via submission (RNC) - R2 (3:57)
2. Dennis Siver def. Melvin Guillard via TKO (strikes) - R1 (0:36)
3. Cole Miller def. Jorge Gurgel via submission (triangle choke)
- R3 (4:48)
4. Gabriel Gonzaga def. Justin McCully via submission (kimura)
- R1 (1:57)
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Next
ShoXC Set for Aug. 15
Brian Knapp
Hawaiian
striker Poai Suganuma
and Jared Hamman will meet for a second time at the next ShoXC:
Elite Challenger Series show on Friday, Aug. 15 at the Table
Mountain Casino in Friant, Calif. Showtime representatives confirmed
the rematch between the two light heavyweights.
A
veteran of the Pancrase and K-1 Hero's promotions, Suganuma (9-1)
needed just 15 seconds to dispatch the previously unbeaten Hamman
with a flying knee on the ShoXC: Elite Challenger Series in April.
Hamman protested the stoppage, though he appeared to be momentarily
unconscious against the cage after the knee found its mark. The
26-year-old Suganuma will enter the match on a four-fight winning
streak and has secured seven of his nine career victories by
knockout, technical knockout or submission.
Hamman
(9-1) -- a former college football player and current assistant
coach at the University of Redlands in Redlands, Calif. -- has
never gone to a decision in 10 professional bouts. He holds notable
victories against UFC and Pride Fighting Championships veteran
Travis Wiuff and rising light heavyweight prospect Aaron Rosa.
Seven of Hamman's nine career wins have come by KO or TKO.
Source: The Fight Network
|
WHITE
SAYS UFC 86 PAVES THE WAY FOR 205 FUTURE
by Ken Pishna
UFC light heavyweight champion Quinton Jackson defends his belt
on Saturday night against Forrest Griffin at UFC 86 in Las Vegas.
Not only is the future of both star fighters on the line, but
so is the direction of the sport’s “money division.”
And
with the entrance of middleweight king Anderson Silva into the
205-pound class pending, the value of fights in the division
continues to rise.
“The
(light heavyweight division) is so stacked right now. What's
going to happen in the light heavyweight division is going to
depend on what happens Saturday night,” stated Ultimate
Fighting Championship president Dana White on Thursday. “Obviously
if Forrest Griffin wins the title, there's a ton of different
things that could happen. If Rampage Jackson wins it, there's
a ton of different things that could happen.
“It
depends on who wins. There's a lot riding on the light heavyweight
division on Saturday night.
White
indicated that the UFC middleweight champion’s arrival at
205 isn’t a one-trick pony. He feels that Silva wants to
continue defending his current belt, while working to capture
light heavyweight gold at the same time. And for the first time
in the promotion’s history, he’s okay with that. Never
before has a UFC champion been allowed to chase another belt
in another weight class.
“He
wants to hold both the 185 and the 205 pound belt and he wants
to defend them both. Normally I won't let guys do stuff like
that because it's just… stupid. I'll let Anderson Silva
do it,” White told MMAWeekly.com.
But
first and foremost in the division, there’s the matter of
Saturday’s championship bout at UFC 86 at the Mandalay Bay
Events Center.
“Forrest
Griffin is the American Dream, man. He literally didn't want
to do (The Ultimate Fighter). He came out, tried out for it,
and then had second thoughts. We had to get on the phone with
him and get him out there,” explained the UFC president.
“He
had basically made up his mind, he was going to retire. (He)
comes on the show, wins it, and fights the most significant fight
in UFC history, which I 100 percent believe we might not be here
today having this conversation if that Forrest Griffin-Stephan
Bonnar fight didn't happen.”
For
all his appearances as a laid back, homebody, White says Griffin
is quite serious when it comes to fighting. “He's a guy
who has really taken this thing seriously. He showed in his fight
against Shogun how serious he is, how talented he is, and how
bad he wants it.”
He
has just as much esteem for his current champion, too. “I
bought the WFA, basically just to get Rampage Jackson’s
contract,” stated White.
“He
came over here and his first fight was against Marvin Eastman,
knocked him out. Then went in and knocked out the most famous
and one of the best fighters ever in UFC history in Chuck Liddell
and did it in literally seconds. Then Dan Henderson, the only
man in Pride to hold two belts at the same time. He went five
tough rounds with him and beat him,” White proclaimed.
“And
this weekend, he faces Forrest Griffin in an amazing fight…”
So
how this fight measures up in the landscape of the division is
simply… big. With all of the fighters crowding the light
heavyweights, and the coming addition of Silva, this fight will
lay the foundation for near term.
“This
thing sold out and we're doing closed circuit,” said White.
“This is a big fight.”
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Sin
City Sentinel: Burnett Sues ‘TUF'
by Mike Sloan
Mikey
Burnett, one of the original Lion's Den members, has filed suit
in Clark County District Court against TufGuy Productions, Inc.
d/b/a Ultimate Fighting Productions, Inc., the company that produces
"The Ultimate Fighter" for Spike TV, as well as American
International Group, Inc., an accident and health insurance company
associated with the TV show.
According
to the lawsuit filed on June 9, Burnett claims alleged negligence
against the defendants, who "carelessly, recklessly and
negligently failed to provide a safe environment for the Ultimate
Fighter 4 participants."
Specifically,
the 34-year-old Burnett states that he suffered a career-ending
spinal injury during the show's tapings.
Burnett
served as a competitor on the series' fourth season entitled
"The Comeback," where UFC figures of old and not-so-old
got a second chance at glory in the Octagon. Burnett's appearance
on the show, which aired from August-November 2006, ended years
of obscurity the Tulsa, Okla. fighter endured after personal
struggles with alcohol abuse, injuries and a horrendous recluse
spider bite.
An
intriguing character from his 1998 bouts at UFC 16 and 18, Burnett
flamed out on the show when he failed to reach the finals. During
his tenure inside the ‘TUF' house, the show aired Burnett
running into a wall to stave off boredom.
The
suit alleges that Burnett has suffered "serious bodily injuries,
has endured and continues to endure both physical and mental
pain and suffering and has incurred severe medical expenses."
Burnett
has also filed grievances with AIG, which allegedly insured Burnett
during his time on the series, for breach of contract and breach
of the covenant of good faith and fair dealing for failing "to
make a reasonable offer and payment in connection" with
the policy.
Burnett
also claims that AIG has failed to provide him and his attorneys
with a true and correct copy of said policy and has failed to
properly investigate the extent of his injuries, as well as refused
to pay Burnett the value of his uncompensated damages.
Burnett
is suing for an amount in excess of $10,000 for each claim, along
with damages and attorneys' fees.
Repeated
emails and phone calls to both parties' attorneys have yet to
be returned.
XFA
signs Tompkins to fight
Vegas-based
Xtreme Fighting Association, a standup fighting organization
in the vein of Chuck Norris' World Combat League, has recently
signed Team Tompkins founder and Xtreme Couture striking coach
Shawn Tompkins (Pictures) to compete on a future card. Though
the XFA is not exactly an MMA organization, its promoters have
been able to feature well-known fighters like Vernon "Tiger"
White and Mike Whitehead (Pictures) to highlight their striking
skills.
Tompkins,
who participated in his last MMA bout in 2001 to devote more
time to a laundry list of standout students like Sam Stout (Pictures),
Chris Horodecki (Pictures), and even UFC legend Randy Couture
(Pictures), is scheduled to debut for the XFA sometime in the
fall. The muay Thai specialist is slated to face the always-dangerous
fighter from parts unknown, TBA.
The
XFA's next show in Las Vegas will be held on Aug. 8 at the Cox
Pavilion.
Aug.
3 WEC card set
World
Extreme Cagefighting's next roster is now finalized and ready
to play out at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino on Aug. 3. Carlos
Condit (Pictures) will defend his WEC welterweight title against
Hiromitsu Miura (Pictures), while the co-featured bout will host
light heavyweight champion Brian Stann (Pictures) taking on Steve
Cantwell (Pictures). The rest of the card features champion Jamie
Varner (Pictures) versus challenger Marcus Hicks for the WEC
lightweight title, Brian Bowles (Pictures) against Damacio Page
(Pictures) at 135 pounds, Micah Miller (Pictures) squaring off
against Josh Grispi at featherweight, welterweight Brock Larson
(Pictures) locking horns with Carlo Prater (Pictures), Blas Avena
(Pictures) taking on Dave Terrel (Pictures) at 170 pounds, featherweight
Cub Swanson (Pictures) against Hiroyuki Takaya (Pictures), Alex
Karalexis (Pictures) facing lightweight foe Todd Moore (Pictures),
Greg McIntyre (Pictures) opposing Mike Budnik and Scott Jorgensen
(Pictures) tangoing with Kenji Osawa (Pictures) in a bantamweight
battle.
Quick
hits around the valley
•
The buzz around town is that Forrest Griffin (Pictures) has been
looking sensational during training for his UFC light heavyweight
title fight against champion Quinton "Rampage" Jackson
this Saturday for UFC 86 "Jackson vs. Griffin" at the
Mandalay Bay Events Center. However, when asked how he felt,
the 29-year-old Griffin faux-complained that he felt, "like
sh--. Like a steaming pile of dog sh--. It's terrible."
•
Last Saturday's Rock & Sock Promotions event at the New Aquarius
Hotel in Laughlin was deemed a success, apparently due to a last-minute
infusion of MMA talent. Originally planned as a boxing event
back in February, the ticket sales were said to be less then
hearty. The organization decided rather than scrap the boxing
card, they'd transform it into an MMA event. Local promoter and
former professional boxer Skipper Kelp, who trains the likes
of Marvin Eastman (Pictures) and Eric Pele (Pictures), helped
with the promotion's matchmaking and the show reportedly sold
out to capacity. It looks like the well-received duo of Kelp
and Rock & Sock will team up for another night of MMA at
the same venue, but it won't be until Oct. 18.
•
Hermes Franca (Pictures) is penciled in to fight Frank Edgar
(Pictures) at the quickly assembled UFC "Silva vs. Irvin"
event on July 19 that will air live on Spike TV. However, the
popular Brazilian lightweight has to get reinstated first through
the Nevada State Athletic Commission due to his failed steroids
test following his decision loss to then-champion Sean Sherk
(Pictures) at UFC 73 "Stacked" back in July 2007. After
satisfying the yearlong suspension enacted by the California
State Athletic Commission for the infraction, Franca will be
re-evaluated by the NSAC on July 9.
•
Middleweight Jorge Rivera (Pictures) also faces re-evaluation
by the Nevada State Athletic Commission on July 9. The commission
routinely renews licenses of competitors over the age of 35.
Rivera, who has lost three of his last six bouts along with an
exhibition loss on the fourth season of "The Ultimate Fighter,"
is 38. Rivera last fought at UFC 85 "Bedlam" on June
7 in London, where Martin Kampmann (Pictures) submitted him with
a guillotine choke.
•
Popular MMA franchise King of the Cage is tentatively scheduled
to return to Southern Nevada in October. The company has penciled
in Oct. 4 at the Avi Casino in Laughlin, with a fight card to
come.
Source: Sherdog
|
White
calls 'TUF 8' fighter 'the next Anderson Silva'
UFC President Dana White is comparing one of the lightweights
on the upcoming season of "The Ultimate Fighter" to
middleweight champion Anderson Silva.
"I was going off when I saw this guy," White said in
an interview with Yahoo! Sports. "He's 24 and he's destroying
people. It's sick how bad ass he is. I'm getting goose bumps
talking to you about him."
The
eighth season features light-heavyweight and lightweight contestants
coached by Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and Frank Mir.
Thirty-two
fighters will be narrowed down to sixteen through elimination
bouts on the season premiere. White wouldn't reveal any names,
but here's what we know so far:
Light
Heavyweights: Krzysztof Soszynski, Shane Primm, Lance Evans,
Ryan Jimmo, Ryan Bader, Vinicius Magalhaes.
Lightweights:
Shane Nelson, Junie Allen Browning.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Alves-Sanchez
Slated for UFC 89
Brian Knapp
A
welterweight showdown between rising stars Thiago Alves and Diego
Sanchez appears to be on the verge of being finalized for UFC
89 on Saturday, Oct. 18 at the Indoor National Arena in Birmingham,
England. MMAWeekly.com reported the likely pairing on Wednesday.
Alves
(15-3, 8-2 UFC) positioned himself nicely to challenge reigning
UFC welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre with a second-round
technical knockout victory against future Hall-of-Famer Matt
Hughes last month. A win against Sanchez would almost certainly
clinch a title shot for the American Top Team product. The 24-year-old
Alves has rattled off six consecutive victories since a 2006
loss to Jon Fitch; he has finished his last five opponents inside
two rounds.
The
middleweight winner on season one of "The Ultimate Fighter,"
Sanchez (19-2, 8-2 UFC) showed improved striking skills in his
most recent outing, as he ripped through Alves' ATT teammate,
Luigi Fioravanti, in June. The 26-year-old New Mexican has never
been finished in 21 career bouts and holds notable victories
against UFC lightweight contender Kenny Florian, Nick Diaz, Jorge
Santiago and Karo Parisyan. In fact, he remains the only man
to finish Florian, having stopped him on strikes at "The
Ultimate Fighter 1" Live Finale in 2005.
A
middleweight bout between Michael Bisping and Chris Leben will anchor UFC 89, as the Las Vegas-based
promotion makes its third visit to the UK this year.
Source: The Fight Network
|
Manager
clears Toquinho vs. Henderson
By Eduardo Ferreira
Rousimar
Toquinho Palhares manager, Alex Davis, talked about the former
Pride champion declaration, Dan Henderson, who said that the
fight against Toquinho at UFC 88, which is scheduled to take
place on September 6, at Atlanta, United States, was only a rumor.
"Joe Silva, the UFC matchmaker, called me and said that
Henderson has accepted to fight with Toquinho. I believe in what
Joe tells me, because I do business with him and not with Henderson
. My position and from BTT is that the fight is confirmed, because
the UFC does not come into contact with us to cancel this bout",
explained Alex, who didn’t understand the declaration of
the North-American: “I do not know what is going through
Henderson ’s mind. But if he thought his next fight would
be easy, he is wrong. And in my opinion, he will be defeated
by Toquinho".
Source: Tatame
|
WEC
35 Card Fills Out
Brian Knapp
A
bout between former welterweight title contenders Brock Larson
and Carlo Prater will anchor the undercard for WEC 35 on Sunday,
Aug. 3 at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. WEC representatives
on Thursday released the full lineup for the event, which features
defenses by welterweight champion Carlos Condit, light heavyweight
titleholder Brian Stann and lightweight kingpin Jamie Varner.
Based
out of the Minnesota Martial Arts Academy, Larson (23-2, 3-1
WEC) remains somewhat of an unproven commodity despite his lofty
record. The 30-year-old has not appeared since he defeated John
Alessio by disqualification at WEC 33 in March. Larson has won
11 of his last 12 fights, though the one defeat came in just
a shade more than two minutes against Condit last year.
Prater
(23-6-1, 0-1 WEC), meanwhile, will enter the high stakes bout
on a two-fight winning streak. A protégé of EliteXC
lightweight contender Yves Edwards, the 27-year-old Brazilian
last competed in June, when he earned a unanimous decision against
Garrett Davis at a Raw Combat show in Canada. Prater -- who holds
victories against UFC veterans Spencer Fisher and Melvin Guillard
-- has been finished only once in the last four years.
WEC
35 will also pair two of the promotion's top featherweights,
as Cub Swanson takes on Hiroyuki Takaya in preliminary action.
Swanson
(12-2, 2-1 WEC) has rattled off 12 wins in 13 fights, losing
only to former UFC lightweight champion Jens Pulver in that span.
A Brazilian jiu-jitsu brown belt, the confident 24-year-old Californian
last fought in February, when he submitted Donnie Walker with
a rear naked choke at an International Fighting and Boxing League
event. Swanson also owns notable wins against the American Top
Team's Micah Miller, Charlie Valencia and Shannon Gugerty.
A
veteran of the Shooto and K-1 Hero's promotions, Takaya (9-5-1,
0-1 WEC) received a rude welcome in the WEC, as he was knocked
out by Leonard Garcia in his promotional debut in February. With
victories over TKO featherweight champion Hatsu Hioki and the
highly regarded Antonio Carvalho, he remains one of the world's
top 145-pound fighters. Takaya, 31, has tested himself against
elite competition, from the American Top Team's Gesias "JZ"
Cavalcante to former Strikeforce champion Gilbert Melendez.
---------------------
WEC
35
Sunday, Aug. 3
Hard Rock Hotel and Casino
Las Vegas
WEC
Welterweight Championship
Carlos Condit vs. Hiromitsu Miura
WEC
Light Heavyweight Championship
Brian Stann vs. Steve Cantwell
WEC
Lightweight Championship
Jamie Varner vs. Marcus Hicks
Brian
Bowles vs. Damacio Page
Micah Miller vs. Josh Grispi
Brock Larson vs. Carlo Prater
Blas Avena vs. Dave Terrel
Cub Swanson vs. Hiroyuki Takaya
Alex Karalexis vs. Todd Moore
Mike Budnik vs. Greg McIntyre
Scott Jorgensen vs. Kenji Osawa
Source: The Fight Network
|
'Big'
John McCarthy named as Color Commentator for Affliction
Former referee "Big" John McCarthy will provide color
commentary for the July 19 Affliction "Banned" event
in Anaheim, California.
McCarthy joins former PRIDE and current EliteXC play-by-player
Mauro Ranallo to form the Affliction announce team.
McCarthy,
who refereed UFC events from March 11, 1994 to December 8, 2007,
retired from his officiating duties to pursue broadcasting. His
final total of refereed fights was 535.
McCarthy
is also currently working on a reality TV series at his Ultimate
Training Academy in Valencia, California with Jason Chambers
of "Human Weapon" fame.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
UFC
86: CHRIS LYTLE NOT LOOKING FOR ANY HELP
by Jeff Cain
After disposing of Kyle Bradley in 33 seconds at UFC 81 in February,
Chris "Lights Out" Lytle wanted to get back in the
Ultimate Fighting Championship Octagon and compete again as soon
as possible. When he was told he'd have to wait until July to
fight the Indiana resident was disappointed, but the disappointment
quickly diminished when he was told he'd be taking on top-five
ranked Josh Koscheck.
"I'm
really excited. After my last fight I wanted to fight immediately,"
said Lytle. "I told them I wanted to fight in May. They
were like, 'yea, yea, yea.' They kind of pushed it back until
June. I was like, all right. Then they told me July. I was like,
awe man. After they told me who I was fighting I was pretty fired
up, so I said, ‘Yea, I'll wait until July.’
"At
first I was kind of thinking, huh? I was surprised a little bit.
Then the first thing that popped in my head was he's a wrestler
who is going to try to hold me down. After about three seconds,
I thought this could be an exciting fight. He's not just one-dimensional
anymore. He's turned into a complete fighter, so I got real excited
then. I was like, yea, that's a good fight."
We've
seen Lytle matched up against strong wrestlers in the past. He
fought former UFC welterweight titleholder Matt Hughes at UFC
68 in March of 2007. Hughes secured several takedowns and was
able to grind out a decision win.
"As
we all know, I've lost a lot of decisions, a lot of split decisions,
a lot of close decisions. Part of my problem was thinking the
refs were going to stand it up more," commented the Ultimate
Fighter Season 4 finalist.
"Now
I'm not counting on the refs. I'm not counting on the judges.
I'm not counting on anybody to help me. If I get down, I'm not
going to wait around. I've been working on getting back to my
feet so I can punch people. I'm not counting for anyone for help.
You don't know what's going to happen in a fight. You can't really
count on anything helping you out, so I'm going to count on myself."
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Alejarra
works on Demian
Trainer comments on latest challenge
Recognized
internationally for being Wanderlei Silva's physical conditioning
coach, Rafael Alejarra has a new challenge ahead: to prepare
Demian Maia for his bout with Jason MacDonald, set for UFC 87,
in August. On his way through Sao Paulo, Alejarra, who now lives
in Las Vegas, spoke with GRACIEMAG.com about the work he has
been doing with the black belt.
"Demian
is already a Jiu-Jitsu athlete, and has good aerobic conditioning.
But MMA things change a lot, as the athlete needs to be complete,
has optimum aerobic conditioning and, mainly, anaerobic, besides
other physical qualities," said the Brazilian.
Contact
with Demian was made through Andre Galvao, who has worked as
Wanderlei Silva's ground fighting coach. According to Alejarra,
the fact he is training more and more athletes, regardless of
the academies they represent, is a natural evolution of his work.
"I'm taking care of the physical training of Wanderlei,
Demian, Andre Galvao and Robert Drysdale. I'm negotiating with
two more athletes, and American and another Brazilian, and soon
I'll tell you who they are. All of them fight in the UFC,"
states the trainer.
Could
it be that Wanderlei, who besides being his boss is his friend
and housemate, will get jealous? "Of course not. Just as
I wish the best for him, he wants the best for me. And besides
that, even having other athletes I never stopped giving my full
attention to his training. And it will always be that way,"
he said in finishing.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Quote
of the Day
"We
are shaped and fashioned by what we love."
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, 1749-1832, German Poet/Dramatist/Novelist
|
UFC
86: Jackson vs. Griffin Today!
Hawaii Air Times
4:00PM
Channel 701 (Oceanic Digital Cable)
Quinton "Rampage" Jackson will make his first UFC light-heavyweight
title defense this Saturday when he takes on Forrest Griffin
at UFC 86 in Las Vegas.
The card, from the Mandalay Bay Events Center, is comprised of
nine bouts, with five scheduled for pay-per-view broadcast.
None of the bouts are as anticipated as Jackson versus Griffin,
the latest showdown between "The Ultimate Fighter"
coaches. Compared to previous seasons of the reality TV show
on Spike TV, there was a lack of animosity displayed between
these two wise-cracking coaches, but the title matchup here is
well worth the headlining status of a pay-per-view event.
Jackson (28-6) is on a six-fight winning streak and is coming
off victories over Chuck Liddell and Dan Henderson -- for both
the UFC and PRIDE belts. Griffin, on the other hand (15-4) elevated
himself to the top ten rankings with a surprise win over Mauricio
"Shogun" Rua at UFC 76 last September. With fifteen
seconds left in the fight, Griffin forced Rua to tap out to a
rear naked choke.
The other featured bout at UFC 86 is between Ricardo Almeida
and Patrick Cote, who are both competing for a shot at Anderson
Silva's middleweight title.
Spike
TV will air an hour-long preview called "Countdown to UFC
86: Jackson vs. Griffin" Monday at midnight ET. For additional
previews, courtesy of Raw Vegas, please visit our videos section.
Pay-Per-View Card:
205 lbs. | Quinton Jackson vs. Forrest Griffin
185 lbs. | Ricardo Almeida vs. Patrick Cote
155 lbs. | Joe Stevenson vs. Gleison Tibau
170 lbs. | Josh Koscheck vs. Chris Lytle
155 lbs. | Marcus Aurelio vs. Tyson Griffin
Undercard:
265
lbs. | Gabriel Gonzaga vs. Justin McCully
155 lbs. | Jorge Gurgel vs. Cole Miller
155 lbs. | Melvin Guillard vs. Dennis Siver
155 lbs. | Justin
Bucholz
vs. Corey Hill
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Wanderlei
Silva vs Rich Franklin
Match took place this weekend
For
those who read the title and thought the former UFC middleweight
champion and Mr. Pride traded blows, GRACIEMAG.com must clarify
it wasn't quite like that that the two fighting stars faced off
this weekend. The match was to promote the American scissors,
paper and stone championship.
In
the Brazil the game is seen as a child's play, but in countries
like the United States it is seen as a serious sport, where the
champion is recognized nationally. In the bout between the two
beasts of the UFC, the American got the best of Wand in a cheerful
display.
The
competition goes on the air in the United States on Fox Sports
Network, the same to broadcast some of the Affliction bouts on
the 19th of this month, only in October. With the likelihood
of Rich moving up in weight categories, who knows if this same
matchup will some day take place in the famous octagon. Check
out the video of the dispute.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
ANDERSON
SILVA GUNNING FOR TWO BELTS
by Ken Pishna
Since emerging in the Ultimate Fighting Championship two years
ago, Anderson Silva has clearly proven his position as the No.
1 middleweight fighter in the world. Many have also bandied about
the label of best pound-for-pound fighter in the same breath
as the UFC middleweight champion.
Now
he’s out to prove it. And for the first time in the promotion’s
history, UFC president Dana White is giving his blessing to allow
one of his champions to move among divisions in an attempt to
hold two belts in two classes.
“(Ricarod
Almeida) and Patrick Cote are going to fight on Saturday night
and see who's next in line for Anderson Silva's 185-pound title,”
said White at Thursday’s pre-fight press conference in anticipation
of Saturday’s UFC 86 card in Las Vegas.
“Anderson
Silva, being the monster that he is, you all know is going to
move up to 205 on July 19. He's going to fight at 205. If everything
goes well, he wants to move back to 185 and fight Sept. 6 in
Atlanta, probably against Yushin Okami, then he wants to fight
again two months later,” he continued.
That’s
not where the blueprint ends. White later spoke to MMAWeekly.com,
saying that not only are Silva’s next couple of middleweight
fights lined out, but he also has White’s confidence in
making a go at both retaining the middleweight belt and hunting
down light heavyweight gold.
“When
I talk about real fighter, this is the kind of guy I'm talking
about. This guy sat down in a meeting with us, literally, two
months ago and said you're not fighting me enough, I want to
fight more,” explained White. “And he wants to keep
proving himself. He's one of these guys that said my window is
this big and I want to get everything in before this window closes.
“He
wants to fight (July) 19. He wants to fight again Sept. 6 (at
UFC 88), back down to 185 (pounds); he wants to defend his title,
then again two months later. Anderson Silva might fight three
or four more times this year. He might fight three or four more
times this year and it's almost August!”
The
only catch thus far is Silva has to get by James Irvin at the
UFC Fight Night on July 19. He doesn’t have to win, at least
to defend his middleweight belt, but he does have to come out
unscathed.
“He
just has to be healthy,” said White about being ready for
a Sept. 6 defense. “I assume if he didn't win, he's probably
not going to come out healthy unless it's a quick submission
or something.” And he added an emphatic “yeah”
when asked if Silva’s defense in Atlanta would be against
No. 6 ranked Yushin Okami.
The
idea then is to return to the Octagon a couple of months later,
assuming he defeats Okami, and then face the UFC 86 winner between
Ricardo Almeida and Patrick Cote said White.
“Yeah.
Then he'll bounce back up to 205. He wants to fight 205 again,
then go back to 185. He wants to keep sticking his foot in the
205 division to feel it out. Because what he's testing is, I
think he wants both belts,” said White.
“He
wants to hold both the 185 and the 205 pound belt and he wants
to defend them both. Normally I won't let guys do stuff like
that because it's just… stupid. I'll let Anderson Silva
do it.”
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Pequeno
and Pulver's challenge
By Eduardo Ferreira
Alexandre Pequeno was not surprised with the rumors that say
that the boxer Jens Pulver could be his next opponent. Due the
Luta-Livre black belt, at the WEC 34 backstage, when both fighters
were defeated, Pulver asked for a bout against the ex Shooto
champion. “He wants to face me. We met at the backstage
of the WEC and he said that he follows my career and he wanted
to face me. It would be great to face a tough guy like Pulver.
I want to face him too and I believe that a win could put me
again at the top of the category”, said Pequeno that although
he hasn’t got any offers from WEC staff to this bout, already
knows what to do against Pulver.
“I
would make my ground game in a fight against Pulver, because
there is no way to do stand up with him. He is a professional
Boxer, it would be craziness!”, analyzed the black belt,
that hopes to return the octagon on August or September. “WEC
didn’t contact me yet, but I believe that I could return
on August or September. For my next fight I am going to ATT at
least one month before to prepare myself better”.
Source: Tatame
|
Where
the Big Dog's Loyalties Lie
by John Lee
Ricardo
Almeida (Pictures) is a bit of an anachronism in the rock star
culture of today's MMA. In fact, he is part of the old guard
that nostalgically reminds us of MMA's roots in "martial
arts."
His
relationship with Renzo Gracie (Pictures) -- whom he refers to
as "maestro" (or master) -- in particular harks back
to a distant, romanticized era of master and student.
Martin
Rooney, who has been Almeida's strength and conditioning coach
for nearly a decade, points to the melee that broke out after
Almeida's victory over Nathan Marquardt (Pictures) in 2003 as
a poignant example of the fierce loyalty that exists between
fighter and coach.
"When
Ricardo won the King of Pancrase, there was a lot of talk that
week," recalled Rooney. "So when Ricardo had [Marquardt]
in checkmate, he just held that [guillotine] choke a little bit
longer. When he released, Marquardt punched him in the face.
Ricardo later said that it was like in the movies when you have
a devil and an angel on your shoulders. Renzo was the devil jumping
in and kicking Marquardt, and I was the angel coming in and telling
Ricardo not to do anything else."
In
return, Almeida has guarded the Gracie name and tradition with
a sense of duty. The name may have lost some luster in the modern
MMA landscape, but there is no denying its historical relevance
or pervasive influence in the sport.
"It's
very important," stressed Almeida about upholding the Gracie
legacy. "Every time I step up to compete, I don't want to
lose because I'm representing the whole family of Gracie jiu-jitsu
or Brazilian jiu-jitsu. When I first started training jiu-jitsu
in Brazil, I was like 15 years old -- this was pre-UFC -- and
if you wanted to fight or do a vale tudo fight, you'd get picked
to fight. You just don't want to fight, you get picked. Guys
would fight challenges against luta livre or another kind of
martial arts just to prove that jiu-jitsu was the superior martial
art. … I think I still carry a lot of that old-time mentality
of like I'm representing something a lot bigger than myself."
In
keeping with this traditional worldview, Almeida sees the martial
artist not only as a fighter but also a teacher and philosopher.
At his gym in New Jersey, Almeida interacts with hundreds of
students and finds great pleasure in sharing his knowledge of
jiu-jitsu with others.
Almeida's
mantra is that jiu-jitsu is not just a sport but a lifestyle.
And this philosophy has often yielded surprising results.
"I
had this guy come to the school," started Almeida. "He's
around 50-55 years old and he wasn't sure whether he should enroll
or not because he was a heavy smoker. … I eventually convinced
him, and he started training at the academy. And he quit smoking!
And then he got his son involved at the academy as well. His
son was also a heavy smoker and he quit smoking! And then his
wife, who was also a heavy smoker, she had to stop smoking because
the two men of the house stopped smoking!"
Almeida's
philosophy also stems from his passion for surfing, which he
inherited from his father, a semiprofessional. Almeida describes
the experience of surfing as a form of "moving meditation"
and derives profound insights from it -- "you're out there
by yourself and you are your own island" -- that he has
applied to jiu-jitsu and MMA.
"It's
very similar to jiu-jitsu and MMA in that the environment is
constantly changing," he elaborated. "In the ocean,
the waves come and they come by and go towards the shore and
you got the wind and the tides changing. But you cannot overpower
the ocean. If you try to overpower the ocean, you die. In MMA,
I feel that early in my career I was trying to overpower my opponents
and I wasn't as successful as I could have been."
Once
he learned to let go, Almeida began dominating his opponents
and put together an impressive series of consecutive wins over
notable fighters, including Marquardt and Kazuo Misaki (Pictures).
In May 2004, however, he retired suddenly.
Nearly
four years later, he returned this February to face Rob Yundt
(Pictures) at UFC 81. The greatest challenge of Almeida's life
came three weeks prior to the bout, though. As a consummate family
man who places his wife and two children above anything else,
Almeida was devastated to learn that his son, Renzo, was diagnosed
with autism. So emotionally distraught, Almeida was close to
abandoning his comeback altogether.
But
you cannot overpower the ocean, the waves reminded him.
Today
a major reason that Almeida fights is for his son. He wants to
show Renzo that his old man is also "working through the
grind like he is."
"Some
things he really wants and some things he doesn't enjoy, but
he has to go through the process regardless like me," quietly
asserted Almeida.
Another
factor that motivated Almeida's return was the rising technical
sophistication of MMA. These past few years will perhaps be looked
back on as MMA's renaissance period in terms of the explosive
growth in talent and the number of cards being churned out.
"I
was watching guys like Diego [Sanchez] and [Josh] Koscheck and
even Kenny Florian (Pictures), who was a jiu-jitsu guy but has
great stand-up now as well," said Almeida of the fighters
that impressed him most. "Watching these guys just transition
and push the technical element of the fight to a whole different
level, I didn't want to miss that push."
It's
not that Almeida feels the need to add to his legacy, but simply
put he's just itching to know how he would fare in today's MMA
climate.
His
bout against rising Canadian middleweight Patrick Cote (Pictures)
this Saturday at UFC 86 will serve to answer many of his questions.
But it is no mystery how this classic grappler-versus-striker
match will play out.
While
many critics point to Cote's submission loss to Travis Lutter
(Pictures) and expect a quick finish for Almeida if the fight
hits the ground, Almeida sees a different story.
"People
don't give Patrick enough credit for his groundwork just because
he got caught by Lutter so quickly," explained Almeida.
"But I think it was more of a mental mistake he made. I
actually think he has solid skills on the ground. He has been
steadily improving and he actually has excellent submission defense,
so I expect it to be tough."
By
the same token, Cote supporters cite Almeida's TKO loss to Andrei
Semenov (Pictures) as a portentous foreshadowing and argue Cote's
heavy hands will be too much for the "Big Dog."
"He's
got that one-punch knockout power," Almeida said. "He
has awesome stand-up and he's constantly improving. Before he
didn't used to kick a lot, but now sets up his power shots with
kicks."
But
in response he feels Cote's opponents were playing into his strengths.
"He's been knocking out guys that trade punches with him,"
Almeida said. "It's like me submitting guys that pull guard.
… I just have to be very aware of what he's trying to do
or how he's trying to set up the big right hand or the big knockout
punch."
In
preparation, Almeida has been training with Rooney, who is the
bestselling author of "Training for Warriors: The Ultimate
Mixed Martial Arts Workout." His three-day regimen focuses
on building absolute strength that will be important against
a bigger opponent like Cote and maintaining a high level of conditioning
that is critical at this level of competition.
In
a division that is withering in compelling matchups, the Almeida-Cote
fight is extremely important in creating a legitimate contender
to Anderson Silva's throne and the next great narrative in the
division.
Almeida
might not be looking past Cote, but many fans certainly are --
hoping, perhaps, for a bout between an all-time great in Silva
and a fighter who could become one.
Source: Sherdog
|
Rory
Markham on Farber Fight,
UFC Debut and the IFL
By Kelsey Mowatt
On
July 19th, Miletich fighter Rory Markham will make his UFC debut
against Brodie Farber at the promotion’s upcoming UFC Fight
Night card in Las Vegas, Nevada. Although the Markham and Farber
fight is currently not scheduled to be aired, during the Spike
TV broadcast, the veteran fighter isn’t going to let that
spoil the excitement he feels about making his Octagon debut.
“Obviously
it’s a great opportunity,” Markham told FCF. “I
kind of had a feeling that it was coming and that it was a natural
progression for me with where I’m at and my fight career.
I knew it was going to be one big show or the other, but I was
pleasantly surprised when the biggest show had called and wanted
my services. I’m ecstatic, I’m proud to say that I’ve
had a dream come to fruition, when I started my career I always
imagined myself in the cage in the UFC. I’m very proud.”
Farber
(13-3) will also be making his Octagon debut when he takes on
Markham, and will head into the bout on a 6 fight winning streak.
Most recently Farber KO’d Eduardo Gonzalez at MMA Extreme
18 in January.
“I’m
happy that I could find some YouTube stuff on him,” Markham
said when asked about his upcoming opponent. “He looks like
kind of an ideal opponent for me. I heard he was actually training
for his pro-boxing debut. I love that idea, every word in that
sentence, which would be an ideal fight for me. We go out there,
put it on the line, for the UFC, and I have a really good feeling
about this fight. I think I’m coming out on top.”
Markham
(14-4) recently defeated Jay Ellis at Adrenaline MMA 1 on June
14th by submitting him in the first round with a triangle choke.
The win got Markham back on the winning track, after he was stopped
by Brett Cooper, at an International Fight League event back
in December.
“I’m
one of these weirdoes, destiny, karma guys, I watch a lot of
‘My Name is Earl,’ Markham said. “So the way everything
went at Adrenaline and then 3 days later getting the call from
Monte (Cox, Markham’s manager and Adrenaline promoter) about
the UFC, saying, this is how he does it, ‘hey I’ve
got something for ya,’ then you know it’s always going
to be something big. The fight was an ideal scenario, it was
short, I stayed healthy, I didn’t get into a big epic war.
It was quick. Let me tell you this tidbit, if Jay Ellis is reading
this, he’s missing his calling in life. Dead serious, he
should try out for the Olympics, that guy is an athlete. He jumped
clearly, right over my head in the opening seconds of the bout.
I saw feet and then heels in my peripherals, complete shock and
awe, it was amazing.”
The
bout was Markham’s first in nearly six months, ending an
extended break from competition that Markham isn’t accustomed
too. In 2006, the fighter competed 7 times, while last year in
2007, due to several injuries, Markham took to the IFL ring on
just 3 occasions.
“Very
nice,” Markham said when asked if how important it was to
remain healthy after having injury issues last year. “I’ve
been pretty open about my complaints on the frequency of fights
with the IFL, but here I am again backing it up by getting right
back in there. I think that the UFC has the right recipe, in
that they fight their fighters, 2, 3 times, 4 maximum. You’re
not going to run into as many injuries because all your injuries
are really incurred during training and not so much fighting.”
Markham
might be a familiar face to many fans when he makes his UFC debut,
due to the fact that he was one of the IFL’s more notable
fighters, during his tenure with the promotion. Markham went
6-2 competing in the league, and by earning KO wins over the
likes of Mike Pyle, Brad Blackburn and Pat Healy, the Miletich
fighter was one of the league’s more marketed athletes.
It’s no secret that the league has fallen on hard times,
and other IFL vets like Reese Andy and Brad Blackburn, will also
be fighting for the UFC come July 19th.
“I
have absolute positive feelings towards them,” Markham said
when asked for his reflections on his time with the IFL and the
league’s immediate future. “I wouldn’t be where
I am today without them. I have nothing bad to say about the
IFL. I really hope that they can pull through. It was just a
blast, I had such a fun time, I could fight with five of my teammates,
at every event I was so comfortable. It was great, they did market
me, and I wouldn’t be where I am without them.”
Source: Full Contact Fighter
|
Gamburyan
Added to UFC 87
Brian Knapp
Manny
Gamburyan, the lightweight runner-up on season five of "The
Ultimate Fighter" reality series, will collide with Rob
Emerson at UFC 87: Seek and Destroy on Saturday, Aug. 9 at the
Target Center in Minneapolis. UFC officials announced the bout
on Tuesday.
Gamburyan
(8-2, 2-1 UFC) will carry a two-fight winning streak into the
match, his first since his submission victory against Jeff Cox
at UFC Fight Night 13 in April. The 27-year-old owns wins against
the American Top Team's Jorge Santiago, EliteXC veteran Sam Morgan
and Nate Mohr. A shoulder injury forced him to submit to Nate
Diaz in his UFC debut at "The Ultimate Fighter 5" Live
Finale in June 2007.
The
26-year-old Emerson (7-6, 1-0 UFC), meanwhile, last appeared
in February, when he earned a split decision victory against
Keita Nakamura at UFC 81. A veteran of the Pancrase and King
of the Cage promotions, he has won his last five fights. Emerson
has never been finished in 13 career bouts.
UFC
87: Seek and Destroy
Saturday, Aug. 9
Target Center
Minneapolis
UFC
Welterweight Championship
Georges St. Pierre vs. Jon Fitch
Brock
Lesnar vs. Heath Herring
Kenny Florian vs. Roger Huerta
Manny Gamburyan vs. Rob Emerson
Demian Maia vs. Jason MacDonald
Luke Cummo vs. Tamden McCrory
Cheick Kongo vs. Dan Evensen
Andre Gusmao vs. Tomasz Drwal
Steve Bruno vs. Chris Wilson
Ben Saunders vs. Jared Rollins
Franklin-Hamill
Booked for UFC 88
Brian Knapp
Former UFC middleweight champion Rich Franklin will return to
the Octagon at 205 pounds when he squares off with Matt Hamill
at UFC 88: Breakthrough on Saturday, Sept. 6 at Philips Arena
in Atlanta. MMARated.com reported the light heavyweight bout
on Tuesday.
Franklin
(23-3, 10-2 UFC) has lost to only two men as a professional --
reigning UFC middleweight king Anderson Silva and the unbeaten
Lyoto Machida, believed to be on a short list of potential contenders
for the UFC light heavyweight crown. The 33-year-old former Math
teacher has not competed at 205 pounds since he stopped UFC Hall-of-Famer
Ken Shamrock on strikes at "The Ultimate Fighter 1"
Live Finale in April 2005. Franklin last appeared at UFC 83 three
months ago, when he delivered a second-round technical knockout
victory against Travis Lutter.
Hamill
(4-1, 4-1 UFC), meanwhile, has won four of his first five fights
following his appearance on season three of "The Ultimate
Fighter" reality series. He suffered his lone career defeat
to Michael Bisping by split decision in a bout many felt went
Hamill's way. The 31-year-old Hamill last fought in April, when
he stopped Tim Boetsch on strikes at UFC Fight Night 13.
A
light heavyweight showdown between former champion Chuck Liddell
and the unbeaten Rashad Evans will headline UFC 88.
Source: The Fight Network
|
Georges
St-Pierre nominated for an ESPY
UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre is up for the ESPY
"Best Fighter" award.
St-Pierre was the lone mixed martial artist to receive the nomination.
Last year Randy Couture and Quinton "Rampage" Jackson
received nods.
St-Pierre's
challenge for the award will be against reigning ESPY winner
Floyd Mayweather Jr. Also nominated in the category are Joe Calzaghe,
Holly Holm and Kelly Pavlik.
The
2008 ESPY awards will be taped Wednesday, July 16 in Los Angeles
for broadcast on ESPN on Sunday, July 20.
To
vote for St-Pierre, click
here.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Belfort
at Xtreme Couture
Brazilian's fight at Affliction will be transmitted on cable
tv
Vitor Belfort cannot complain of having a lack of variety of
experience. Believeing in professionalism to win in such a competitive
sport, the Carlson Gracie black belt trained over a few weeks
in Chute Boxe, in Curitiba, Brazil; at Gracie Fusion with Roberto
Gordo, and now is setting up shop in the gym of an old rival.
With a fight set for the 19th, against American Terry Martin
at Affliction, Belfort made his way to Las Vegas, more specifically
to Randy Couture's gym, Xtreme Couture, according to the team's
official site. In the gambling capital of the world, Vitor added
some final touches with his next challenge in mind.
"Captain
American" and the "Phenomenon" have already faced
each other on three occasions in the octagon, with two wins for
the American and one for the Brazilian. The other news, which
came about today, about Belfort's participation in Affliction,
is that his fight will be part of the main card to be broadcast
on Fox Sports Network, live, for American cable television subscribers.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Expelled
'TUF 7' Finalist to return at UFC: Silva vs. Irvin
Less than two weeks after his removal from the UFC went public,
Jesse Taylor already has a return date set.
Taylor has been booked for UFC Fight Night: Silva vs. Irvin on
July 19 in Las Vegas against C.B. Dollaway -- the man who replaced
him in a losing effort in "The Ultimate Fighter 7"
competition finals.
On
the final taped episode of the season, Taylor, who qualified
for the competition finals, was pulled for poor conduct only
days after the completion of the season's tapings.
Taylor
was caught on camera kicking out a window of a limo and causing
a disturbance inside a hotel. UFC PresidentDana White elaborated
by saying Taylor was "terrorizing women" and claiming
to be an UltimateFighter when approached by security.
White
called Taylor mentally and emotionally unready to become a UFCfighter
and cut the 25-year-old middleweight from the organization's
roster. But White tells Yahoo! Sports that Taylor has since entered
Alcoholics Anonymous and deserves a second chance.
"Without
a doubt, the kid deserves another chance," White told writer
Kevin Iole. "Hemade himself look like a fool, and he's aware
of that, but everyonedeserves another opportunity and we’re
going to give it to him. Heacted like a moron. He's embarrassed
by it, which he should be, butwhat he did doesn’t amount
to enough to ban him forever. Come on. Hewas just young and stupid,
but at least he seems to have learned fromwhat he did."
UFC
Fight Night "Silva vs. Irvin" Fight Card:
205
lbs. | Anderson Silva vs. James Irvin
205 lbs. | Reese Andy vs. Brandon Vera
155 lbs. | Hermes Franca vs. Frankie Edgar
170 lbs. | Anthony Johnson vs. Kevin Burns
170 lbs. | Rory Markham vs. Brodie Farber
170 lbs. | Brad Blackburn vs. James Giboo
185 lbs. | C.B. Dollaway vs. Jesse Taylor
155 lbs. | Dale Hartt vs. Shannon Gugherty
265 lbs. | Cain Velasquez vs. Jake O'Brien*
170 lbs. | Nate Loughran vs. Johnny Rees*
*not
officially announced
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Quote
of the Day
"Life's
greatest happiness is to be convinced we are loved."
Victor Hugo, 1802-1885, French Poet/Dramatist/Novelist
|
UFC
86: Jackson vs. Griffin Tomorrow!
Mandalay Bay Events Center, Las Vegas, NV
July 5, 2008
Hawaii Air Times
4:00PM
Channel 701 (Oceanic Digital Cable)
Pay-Per-View Card:
205 lbs. | Quinton Jackson vs. Forrest Griffin
185 lbs. | Ricardo Almeida vs. Patrick Cote
155 lbs. | Joe Stevenson vs. Gleison Tibau
170 lbs. | Josh Koscheck vs. Chris Lytle
155 lbs. | Marcus Aurelio vs. Tyson Griffin
Undercard:
265
lbs. | Gabriel Gonzaga vs. Justin McCully
155 lbs. | Jorge Gurgel vs. Cole Miller
155 lbs. | Melvin Guillard vs. Dennis Siver
155 lbs. | Justin
Bucholz
vs. Corey Hill
Source: MMA Fighting
|
STRIKEFORCE
FIGHTER SALARIES AND ATTENDANCE
MMAWeekly has obtained the fighter salary information from the
California State Athletic Commission for Strikeforce: Melendez
vs. Thomson, which took place on Friday, June 27, at the HP Pavilion
in San Jose, Calif.
The
following figures are based on the fighter salary information
that promoters are required by law to submit to the state athletic
commissions, including the winners' bonuses.
Although
mixed martial arts 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 a promoter also pays its fighters, but does not
disclose to the athletic commissions (specifically, pay-per-view
bonuses, fight of the night bonuses, etc.), are not included
in the figures below.
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 the main event. "Preliminary
Card 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 or Internet
broadcast.
Gross
receipts for Strikeforce: Melendez vs. Thomson totaled $355,487
based on a total attendance of 7,288. The actual paid attendance
was 6,750, according to the CSAC.
MAIN
EVENT FIGHTERS
–
Josh Thomson ($35,000/win bonus was $15,000) def. Gilbert Melendez
($50,000)
MAIN
CARD FIGHTERS
–
Eric Lawson ($8,000/KO-Sub Bonus of $1,000) def. Jesse Gillespie
($3,500)
–
Miesha Tate ($1,500/win bonus was $500) def. Elaina Maxwell ($4,000)
–
Bobby Southworth ($25,000/win bonus was $10,000) def. Anthony
Ruiz ($200)*
*Ruiz received most of his pay in an advance prior to the fight.
–
Jeremiah Metcalf ($8,500/win bonus was $5,000) def. Raymond Daniels
($10,000)
–
Chris Cariaso ($6,000/no win bonus) def. Anthony Figueroa ($5,000)
–
Billy Evangelista ($14,000/win bonus was $7,000) def. Nam Phan
($10,000)
–
Brian Caraway ($3,000/win bonus was $1,000) def. Alvin Cacdac
($3,000)
PRELIMINARY
CARD FIGHTERS
–
Cyrillo Padhilo ($2,500/win bonus was $750) def. Jesse Jones
($2,000)
–
Jorge Interiano ($1,500/win bonus was $500) def. Travis Johnson
($2,000)
–
Alexander Trivino ($1,500/win bonus was $500) def. Eric Jacob
($1,000)
–
Bobby Stack ($3,000/win bonus was $1,000) def. Jose Palacios
($3,000)
STRIKEFORCE
DISCLOSED FIGHTER PAYROLL: $203,200
STRIKEFORCE:
MELENDEZ VS. THOMSON AWARD BONUS
(as disclosed by the CSAC)
KO/Submission
of the Night ($1,000 bonus):
– Eric Lawson
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Martin-Belfort
promoted to Fox Sports Net undercard
The middleweight bout between Terry Martin and Vitor Belfort
will air live alongside the heavyweight match between Aleksander
Emelianenko and Paul Buentello on the televised undercard of
"Affliction: Banned" on July 19.
Martin vs. Belfort was slotted on Fox Sports Net after Vernon
"Tiger" White fell out of the card for a positive diuretic
test at the XFA 2 kickboxing event on May 31. The Ultimate Fighter
4's Edwin Dewees has been tapped to replace White against Antonio
Rogerio Nogueira.
"Affliction:
Banned" airs live on pay-per-view ($39.95) at 9pm after
the one-hour undercard on Fox Sports Net at 8pm.
Affliction:
Banned
Saturday, July 19, 2008
Honda Center in Anaheim, CA
Pay-Per-View
Card:
265
lbs. | Fedor Emelianenko vs. Tim Sylvia
265 lbs. | Andrei Arlovski vs. Ben Rothwell
265 lbs. | Josh Barnett vs. Pedro Rizzo
185 lbs. | Matt Lindland vs. Fabio Negao
205 lbs. | Renato "Babalu" Sobral vs. Mike Whitehead
Fox
Sports Net Card:
265
lbs. | Aleksander Emelianenko vs. Paul Buentello
185 lbs. | Vitor Belfort vs. Terry Martin
Undercard:
205
lbs. | Antonio Rogerio Nogueira vs. Edwin Dewees
145 lbs. | Savant Young vs. Mark Hominick
205 lbs. | Justin Levens vs. Patrick Speight
170 lbs. | Mike Pyle vs. JJ Ambrose
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Roger
back in Rio
"I came to catch some waves with Lagartao"
Roger
Gracie and Lucio "Lagartao" Rodrigues, both Gracie
Barra aces, were caught in the Rio de Janeiro neighborhood of
Recreio, on a sunny Rio winter's day.
"I
came to Rio to take a total break. I didn't even bring my gi,"
said the ultra heavyweight world champion. "I was here catching
waves with Lagartao. He's too much," comments the Gracie,
whose latest mission is accomplished after having won his fight
at the Japanese event Sengoku, in May, and taken his fifth world
title for his weight group (2004-05-06-07-08), in June.
Nor
can Lagarto complain about life. After hitting some barriers,
the champion commented on his upcoming challenges, now that he
is 100% recovered from the cancer he suffered at the beginning
of the year. "In life we are always struggling and sickness
was the adversary this time. As my friend Igor Souto says, cancer
was dumb. So many people out there and it went and chose a guy
who never smoked or drank in his life," joked the Gracie
Barra instructor, who has been visiting low-income communities
and social projects where Jiu-Jitsu helps youths, to speak of
his case and provide an example.
"There's
a lot of good kids training throughout the neighborhook, and
this is good for the city and the children's families, as everyone
becomes involved in the art, and championships. As for me, I'm
training normally, to compete in the Rio International Open [on
the 24th, 25th, 26th and 27th of July]. I want to return to Tijuca
and put on a show for the crowd," said Lagarto in finishing.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
European
Round-Up - Europeans Strong in Dream GP
Stash Capar
This
could prove to be a significant year for European MMA. With Croatian
Zelg Galesic, Dutchman Melvin Manhoef and Armenian Gegard Mousasi
all having advanced to the Dream Middleweight Grand Prix semi-finals,
fans should not be surprised to see fighters from Europe joining
the world's elite at 185 pounds.
The
trio will next fight at Dream 6 sometime in September at the
Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan, and will be joined in
the semi-finals by Brazilian submission master Ronaldo "Jacare"
Souza.
"I
think the Dream middleweight division is the toughest in the
world -- with the exception of a few names," Galesic said.
"All of [the semi-finalists] are tough competitors, and
I need to prepare for them all, as I might find myself fighting
two different styles in one night."
Galesic
(9-3) defeated Magomed Sultanakhmedov and Taiei Kin to advance
to the Dream Middleweight Grand Prix semi-finals.
Manhoef
(22-4-1), meanwhile, remains confident. The Dutch powerhouse,
regarded by many as the hardest hitter in Europe, has made great
strides in the past year. Some consider him the favourite heading
into the tournament finale. Manhoef stopped Japanese legend Kazushi
Sakuraba on strikes at Dream 4 in June and will enter his next
match on a five-fight winning streak.
"My
goal is to win the Dream middleweight title," Manhoef said.
"My grappling is improving every day, and I'm making big
progress. I think I can beat anyone at this weight."
Galesic
aims to prove the Dutchman wrong and believes his technical approach
to striking would pay dividends if he were to meet Manhoef in
the tournament. The Croat has only been knocked out once in 12
career bouts.
"He
is a strong striker with explosive power," Galesic said.
"I need to play a technical game with him. He has the ability
to finish the fight every time he lands a shot."
Souza
(9-1) poses a definite threat to the Europeans, all of whom favour
standing and exchanging. The Brazilian jiu-jitsu specialist has
rattled off nine consecutive victories and defeated former Icon
Sport middleweight champion Jason "Mayhem" Miller in
the tournament quarter-finals earlier this month.
"He
is one of the best grapplers in the world," Galesic said.
"At the same time, he has a perfect ground game for MMA.
It's no secret that I -- and the others -- need to avoid the
ground and find the shortest route to his chin."
Source: The Fight Network
|
Werdum
wants to fight for the belt
by Guilherme Cruz
Fabrício
Werdum won his second fight at the UFC against Brandon Vera and
is already been appointed as a big applicant to dispute the Ultimate
belt. After the controversy with Brandon Vera, which insist in
complain about the Brazilian, Werdum arrived at after a season
of seminaries at and is expecting for his next bout. “Nobody
told anything yet, but I believe I am going to return on November
or December. I don’t know if to fight for the belt, I believe
yes, I want it”, said Fabrício that is going to his
hometown, Porto Alegre , to command Chute Boxe.
Source: Tatame
|
Southwest
Scene
Leites Scared of Rematch, Says Marquardt
by Tommy Messano
Coming
off his second loss in his last ten fights, Nathan Marquardt
(Pictures) has no regrets about his performance against Thales
Leites (Pictures) at UFC 85 on June 7 in London. The fallout
from his split decision defeat fueled debate regarding which
direction MMA's unified regulations should take as the sport
continues to evolve.
Marquardt
and Leites fought a foul-free round one before the final ten
minutes turned into a showcase of the grey areas that exist in
the sport's rulebook.
"I've
never seen a fight like that, never have I had a point taken
away for me in any other fight. I believe this was my first,"
said Marquardt. "It's disappointing. Actually he got warned
three times for grabbing my glove, the fence and elbowing the
back of my head."
In
round two with Leites posted against the fence, Marquardt landed
a knee to the head while Leites was still considered to be on
the ground. Referee Herb Dean (Pictures) immediately deducted
a point from Marquardt.
The
third round again had Marquardt on the wrong end of an infraction,
this time from strikes to the back of the head. Putting himself
in a two-point hole cost the Denver fighter a key win in the
crowded UFC middleweight division.
"I'm
happy with the way I performed. I know the fans loved it. Honestly,
all the controversy over the point deductions and me losing a
split decision, everybody who saw the fight knows that I won
the fight," Marquardt said. "In a way it's been a blessing
in disguise. It's kind of made my popularity go up because everyone
is talking about it."
Now
the buzz moves to a rematch between Marquardt and the Brazilian
fighter. Marquardt would like nothing more than a decisive ending
to a bout laced with controversy and requested a second contest
before he even landed on native soil.
"I
would love a rematch and I asked for it. I doubt he's going to
give me a rematch. I think he's kind of scared to be honest,"
Marquardt said. "He got lucky and knocked me down right
away and mounted me. That's his game, to get to the mount position.
What better position for him to land up in? I was able to escape,
get back up to my feet and have him rocked by the end of the
round. I think he knows that he was kind of outclassed."
The
second go-around for Marquardt-Leites could happen again across
the pond at UFC 89 in Birmingham, England this October.
"I
want to get back as soon as possible and for me that's two to
three months," said Marquardt. "I need to take a little
rest and let my body recover, than get right back into training.
I want to do at least three fights this year, then maybe one
at the end of the year to make it four."
Source: Sherdog
|
Fickett-McKee
at Aug. 2 Shooto event in San Francisco
Looking past the fiasco with Maximum Fighting Championship, Drew
Fickett has lined up a fight against Antonio McKee on Saturday,
August 2 at a Shooto event in America.
The two welterweights will headline the Shooto Japan-presented
"SCION Battleground" card at the Fort Mason Festival
Pavilion in San Francisco, California.
In
the span of a month, Fickett (33-5) has been let go by EliteXC,
pulled by Strikeforce, and banned from the MFC. The troubles
all began when Fickett, under contract with EliteXC, accepted
a fight with another promotion, Rage in the Cage in Arizona.
EliteXC promptly removed Fickett from a long-scheduled title
bout versus Jake Shields.
Then
Fickett, while under contract for a another title bout, with
the MFC in Canada, decided to take a fight on a day's notice
at Strikeforce: Melendez vs. Thomson in San Jose. Once aware
of Fickett's contract with MFC, Strikeforce cancelled the proposed
Fickett vs. Luke Stewart bout, but things got uglier when Fickett
and MFC President Mark Pavelich entered a public feud leading
to Fickett's banishment from the promotion.
McKee
(20-3-2) was 4-0 with the IFL before separating from the league
for wanting to take a fight against Jake Shields while exclusively
tied to the IFL. McKee, 38, is a pure wrestler that will pin
his opponents down to secure a decision victory, a style that
has worked well for the Bodyshop Fitness Team head. McKee is
undefeated in his last eleven bouts, with ten wins and one draw.
Current
Card:
Antonio
McKee vs. Drew Fickett
Joey Armstrong vs. Jason High
Shane Rice vs. Orville Smith
John Dodson vs. Andrew Valladerez
Jose Palacios vs. Chuck Booz
Alexis Vila vs. Michael MacDonald
Jason Collard vs. Bobby Cearley
Roger Agtrap vs. Virgil Ortigas
Source: MMA Fighting
|
CHANGING
FACE, KOSCHECK READY FOR UFC 86
by Damon Martin
Growing up is hard to do. It’s even harder when you’re
growing up in front of millions of people on television. But
that’s exactly what Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight
Josh Koscheck did as a member of the cast for the first season
of “The Ultimate Fighter” reality show.
Coming
onto the show, Koscheck only had a handful of fights and an impressive
resume that included an NCAA championship in wrestling at Edinboro
University in 2001. What he learned on the show was a first hand
lesson in the world of MMA and how reality shows can soon become
a reality after the filming is finished.
During
the show’s filming, Koscheck became everyone’s favorite
bad guy, taunting and prodding at housemate Chris Leben, until
the two finally fought on the show. When he won the fight, Koscheck’s
intensity only seemed to grow while his protagonists kept at
him before and after the season ended.
Now
entering his 13th professional fight, facing veteran Chris Lytle
at UFC 86 on Saturday night, Koscheck understands that how the
fans perceive him could make or break his career as a successful
mixed martial artist.
“TV
can give you a false sense of who a person is,” Koscheck
stated. “So for me it’s all about turning fans around
and really showing these fans who I really am as a person. That’s
one of the big things I’m trying to do.”
During
his downtime away from fighting, he focuses on his clothing brand,
Mar Clothing, which will launch a whole new line this August.
It was his move into business that made him realize that The
Ultimate Fighter may have launched his career, but he didn’t
walk away as the fan favorite from the show.
“One
of the things I’ve seen from being a businessman is image.
People, if they hate me, they’re never going to buy my stuff,
so one of the things I’m trying to do as a mixed martial
artist is I’m trying to change my image,” said Koscheck.
“I want to be liked by everybody.
“At
the end of the day, I’m a businessman and I want to provide
for my family, provide for myself and build something that I
believe in. The more opportunity I have to show people who I
really am, and people out there get to know me as a person, I
think they will definitely see a different side to me.”
While
he works on showing fans a different side of his personality,
he’s already shown an exciting fighting style with his last
fight, beating Dustin Hazelett by TKO at UFC 82 in March.
Now
Koscheck faces a veteran in Chris Lytle, who will present a myriad
of problems in the fight, being a former pro boxer and one of
the most well rounded fighters in MMA.
“He’s
coming off a couple wins and he’s a good opponent, well
respected. He represents himself well, he represents the sport
well, and he’s a class act,” Koscheck commented on
Lytle. “It’s going to be a good fight for me. I think
it’s a fight that I can win and it’s a fight that I
think can put me one step closer… to be the No. 1 contender
to fight for the title.”
Facing
tough opponents is nothing new to Koscheck, but this time he
will be facing a respectful fighter in Lytle. As previously mentioned,
Koscheck has not been a stranger to verbal wars with opponents
such as Chris Leben and most recently, Diego Sanchez, but he
likes the idea of fighting a person like Lytle, who keeps the
trash talk to a minimum.
“It’s
less pressure that’s for sure. Because when you hate somebody,
you really, really want to kick the (expletive) out of them and
you don’t want to lose to them, so there’s a lot less
pressure on this fight,” said Koscheck. “I’m just
going out and I’m having some fun, just like my last fight.”
Confident
in the skills he possesses and the training camp he’s had
leading into this bout, Koscheck is ready to go for his showdown
with Lytle at UFC 86.
“I
definitely have a game plan. Javier Mendez at AKA and Bob Cook
came up with that game plan. It’s just my job to go out
and execute it, and get the win,” he said. “I feel
that I can win this fight anywhere, and I feel that if I have
to, bottom line, I’ll do what I need to do to win.”
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Royler
black belt in TUF 8
Vinicius Magalhaes, of Team Quest, to participate in contest
The
next season of the UFC reality show, The Ultimate Figheter, will
have have a Brazilian twist to it. Besides Rodrigo Minotauro
and his crew at the helm for one of the teams in the contest,
it was just confirmed by the site Fiveouncesofpain.com that Vinicius
"Pezao" Magalhaes will participate as a light heavyweight.
The
Carioca is a Team Quest representative, Royler Gracie black belt,
and already has four professional MMA fights under his belt (2w,
2l). This TUF season the American organization is clearly making
a priority of Jiu-Jitsu, as the team of Frank Mir, also a black
belt, was chosen to captain the team competing against that of
Minotauro.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Quote
of the Day
“The
man who complains about the way the ball bounces is likely the
one who dropped it.”
Lou Holtz, American Football Coach and Motivational Speaker
|
Jeff
Glover Seminars
Don't miss
this chance to learn from one of the best talents in Jiu-Jitsu.
Jeff Glover is a Paragon Jiu-Jitsu black belt and was on the
the studs during the Pac Sub tournament last weekend.
Sunday, July 6 at Icon Gym
Kalanianaole right behind KFC
4:00 to 6:00 PM
$35
I think one hour will be gi and one hour will be no gi.
Wednesday,
July 9 at O2 Martial Arts Academy
The building right between Best Buy and Cutter Ford Aiea on the
second floor
Above Goodwill and the Bike Shop
6:00 to 8:00 PM
$35
All No Gi
|
From
Fight Fans to Publishers:
Inside Uproar Magazine
It's
a cool and calm night in Kahala. I feel as if everyone can hear
my high-heeled shoes as I walk up a long driveway of an apartment
complex with perfectly trimmed hedges and a pool out front. It's
one of those neighborhoods where you can find an elementary school
and a church nestled between houses, where people walk their
dogs regularly and quiet down by 8:30 p.m.
I
finally approach the apartment and ring the doorbell, where I'm
immediately greeted by a casually dressed young woman in a T-shirt
and sweatpants. "Come in," she says. Her hair is haphazardly
tied back and she shuffles her feet when walking towards the
living room, because her pants are too long. "You're just
in time for dinner. Hope you're hungry."
The
kitchen is warm and filled with the aroma of grilled hamburgers.
A shirtless young man standing over the stove looks up at me
with a spatula in hand, "I'm making Britt's favorite; hamburger
steak." As he reaches for a bowl of sliced white onions
I notice the Hawaiian tattoos across his chest and shoulder,
reading, "Mahalo ke akua." Sizzling is heard as he
drops the onions into the oiled pan.
I'm
at the home of Brittany Yap and Hanalei Jaber, Maui natives and
first time business owners of 'Uproar', Hawaii's first MMA magazine.
MMA or "Mixed Martial Arts" is a full contact sport
that involves striking and grappling techniques derived from
multiple fighting styles. According to an MMA website, the rules
of the sport are minimal and it's known for its "no-holds-barred"
concept of fighting. Introduced in the early 90's by the UFC
(Ultimate Fighting Championship) the sport has increased in popularity
yearly.
Yap's
living room is only three steps away from the kitchen. It's a
modest one-bedroom apartment in a calm neighborhood. There aren't
many pieces of furniture, but the place is inviting with its
pictures of the couple's friends and family decorating the walls.
A specially framed news story from the Honolulu Advertiser is
hung next to Yap's college graduation photo. "That was my
first front page story during my journalism internship,"
says Yap. "I've always loved writing-been doing it since
high school."
"Food's
ready," says Jaber as he hands me a paper plate with hamburger
steak and rice covered in mushroom gravy and onions; a local
favorite. The three of us arrange ourselves on the floor of the
room in front of a laptop computer. As we eat, the couple show
me some of there magazine prototype layouts.
When
asked what sparked their interest of creating an MMA magazine
Yap says, "I wanted to publish my own work and decide what
kind of stories to write-what better way to do it than to be
my own boss." Jaber added, "My initial interest in
MMA comes from being on the wrestling team in high school."
They also have friends on Maui who fight, but admit they're simply
fans of the sport who want to learn more about it.
As
their interest grew they found it difficult to find local MMA
information in Hawaii, because it was mostly unorganized or nonexistent.
A year ago they decided to fix that problem by doing the research
themselves and came up with a business plan for the magazine.
Aside from providing fight information the couple sees Uproar
magazine as a way to promote new fighters, freelance writers,
and fitness related businesses in Hawaii. "We want the magazine
to act as a platform for people-a way to get exposure,"
says Yap. The magazine will include profiles about local fighters
and ring girls, health and nutritional information, and details
on training centers.
The
magazine's motto, "Where strength, talent, and discipline
unite," was coined by the couple. Both agree that they constantly
need to focus on those three elements to successfully see their
business in action. Yap and Jaber have been working vigorously
and the magazine will debut this weekend at Hawaii's first MMA
and Fitness Expo. The event will be held at the Neil Blaisdell
Center in Honolulu, June 27-29 and admission is $8.00. The publisher's
have been focusing on promoting their company through TV and
radio and were featured on "Tiny TV" on Oceanic Cable
16. A radio interview is also scheduled Friday morning, June
27, with Jim and Kanoa Leahey on the "Leahey and Leahey"
show. "We're excited to share our passion for MMA with the
public," says Jaber.
When
asked about challenges in the business, Jaber said, "We've
been selective as to who we share our ideas with-it's a competitive
market!" Considering the couple is in there 20s, the two
find age to be an issue for them. "People don't take us
seriously because they think we're too young and assume Uproar
isn't legit-it can be frustrating," says Yap who just earned
a master's degree in communications. "We're young, but we
gotta start somewhere," says Jaber. They've already started
thinking up plans for future projects such as expanding the magazine's
distribution statewide and an Uproar clothing brand.
As
the night comes to an end I ask, "What is the best part
about publishing Uproar magazine?" Each was excited to describe
the rush they feel being around the fight setting. New opportunities
have also been presented to them such as being offered free tickets
to MMA events, being able to photograph fights at ring side,
and just being "in the loop" of the MMA scene. Most
importantly they get to work together. Yap said, "Working
on the magazine brings us closer." Jaber added, "I
wouldn't trust going in to business with anyone else."
Source: Honolulu Advertiser
|
Terere
is back
Legend wins again after almost four years
It's
2:05pm on a sunny Sunday in Copacabana, and the Zafira that stops
in front of the cheap restaurant doesn’t carry only the
star o the afternoon. It carries also hopes for better days for
this illustrious passenger, who jumps off with a bottle of water,
wearing a hood and a Dallas Cowboys jersey. On the back of the
Jiu-Jitsu fighter, the number 22 and the name E. Smith.
Emmitt
Smith was a sort of Terere of American football: fast, popular
and victorious. Fernando Augusto, the Emmitt Smith of Jiu-Jitsu,
says hello to everyone at the gate and swiftly gains some yards
toward the sports court of the samba school Unidos da Villa Rica,
focused on his return to competition after almost four years.
In 2006, Terere had attempted to return to the mats in Natal,
Rio Grande do Norte, but he quit after a few bouts. His fight,
the high point of the 1st Intercommunities State Championship
of Luta Livre and Submission Grappling, wouldn’t be only
versus black belt Val do Santos (Gracie Ilha), but especially
against a phase of personal problems and a complete lack of motivation
to even put on the gi.
“Terere
is my next door neighbor, I knocked there a month ago to tell
him I was promoting my third event here at the Tabajaras. On
the spot he asked me to match up a fight for him. I spoke with
Ricardinho Vieira and he gave me full support, ‘Set it up
because he’s been training with me nonstop,’”
said promoter and black belt Dangelo Vieira, who would be the
first to invade the mat to hug his friend after the ten-minute
fight.
Before the fight, ordinary moments like Terere wrapping his old
belt around his waist, or stretching were followed with enthusiasm
by his friends, who were aware this was a historical moment.
One of Jiu-Jitsu’s most popular fighters, and probably the
black belt with the biggest fan club today, was about to do what
he knows best: get the crowd on its feet.
In
informal conversations with his mates, the GRACIEMAG crew collected
sincere hunches. The prediction is to get the sub, one said.
He has been training with tough guys like Allan Finou and Bob
Esponja, and has impressed everyone, said another. His stamina
is almost where it used to be, said a third one.
But
Val, strong for an athlete weighing 70kg, went in willing to
submit Terere. He couldn’t, though. Fernando pulled guard
and almost swept at two minutes, tried for a lapel choke from
underneath, swept, took down with a stunning seionage, went for
a crucifix, and displayed good defense and counter-attack when
his opponent assailed him. After almost 11 minutes of fighting
(the man timing the fight must have also been too excited), few
remembered the 4-0 score, but the main thing had already happened
in the process.
It was 2:45pm on June 29, 2008, when the classic shout sounded
again: “Ooh, Terere!”
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Griffin
goes from reality star to headliner
When
the decision was made in November to go with Quinton Jackson
and Forrest Griffin as coaches on “The Ultimate Fighter”
reality show, leading to a UFC light heavyweight title match
between the two on pay-per-view television, the idea seemed like
pure box office gold.
Jackson,
the champion, seemed to be MMA’s next major mainstream star
waiting to happen. He beat the company’s best-known star
in Chuck Liddell, he holds the company’s marquee championship
belt in the light heavyweight division, and he is one of the
funniest people this side of a stand-up comedians’ convention.
Griffin,
already among the company’s most popular fighters, has a
unique link to the audience that saw him first as a complete
unknown from Athens, Ga. In 2005, Griffin went from sleeping
on trainer Rory Singer’s couch in Georgia to a fighting
celebrity after winning the first season of “Ultimate Fighter.”
Griffin’s fame was cemented when he squeaked out a win in
the finals against Stephan Bonnar in arguably the most memorable
match in company history on the first-ever UFC live national
TV special.
Since
the Bonnar match, Griffin’s record is 5-2, but he has maintained
a level of popularity that even the most talented of the UFC
fighters couldn’t match.
With
13 weeks of the two at odds, their personalities exposed to more
than two million viewers per week between the three different
airings of the show, there seemed to be potential for one of
the high water pay-per-view marks in the company’s history.
But
with Saturday’s matchup at the Mandalay Bay Events Center
in Las Vegas approaching, something, in hindsight, didn’t
quite click. This should still do above average numbers for a
UFC event. The live event Saturday night is close enough to being
sold out that they are already selling closed-circuit tickets
at an adjacent ballroom for the expected overflow.
The
level of heated rivalry the show spawned in creating huge interest
for fights such as Ken Shamrock vs. Tito Ortiz, B.J. Penn vs.
Jens Pulver and Matt Serra vs. Matt Hughes wasn’t there.
For
those fighters, every week they wanted to stick it to their opposing
coach. It didn’t matter that Shamrock wasn’t in Ortiz’s
league as a fighter, nor was Pulver in Penn’s, come fight
time.
“It
was a job,” said Griffin about filming the show. “You
had to be in a certain place at a certain time.”
At
no point, like with the other rivalries, did you have a telling
scene where you could cut the tension with a knife as the two
coaches were in the same room. Jackson and Griffin, both natural
comedians, made fun of each other, but nothing worse than Jackson
calling Griffin’s squad “Team Brown Nose” and
Griffin shooting Jackson with silly string.
The
coaches didn’t seem like they were living and dying through
their fighters because they hated the other to the point they
couldn’t stand losing. Ortiz couldn’t even handle losing
at pool to Shamrock. Penn was furious at losing in ping pong
to Pulver. Hughes couldn’t wait to get out of a bowling
alley because he was so mad he could lose at anything to Serra.
The
most memorable interplay between the coaches was a one-sided
drubbing in a game of “horse,” which Jackson conceded
before it started since he had never seriously played basketball
in his life, whereas Griffin was a high school star.
Griffin,
15-4, goes in as the 13-to-5 underdog. Jackson, 28-6, likely
goes in with a strength advantage and the wrestling advantage.
“He’s
explosive on the ground and he hits hard,” said Griffin.
“But I was most impressed that he went 25 minutes with Hendo
(Dan Henderson in his last fight, a Sept. 8 title defense where
he won a decision and proved his stamina would hold up for five
rounds).”
Griffin
jumped from simply being a popular fighter to one who could plausibly
headline a pay-per-view when he beat Maurcio “Shogun”
Rua on Sept. 22.
When
Rua, considered by many at the time the No. 1 light heavyweight
fighter in the world, signed with UFC after the PRIDE Fighting
Championship disintegrated, Griffin went to UFC matchmaker Joe
Silva and asked if he could be Shogun’s first opponent.
He didn’t have to ask twice. It was a perfect match as Griffin
was known well enough that a strong win by Shogun would establish
him with the American fans. And if Griffin pulled the upset,
you could think of worse scenarios than a popular “Ultimate
Fighter” winner beating the No. 1 fighter in the world.
The company was all smiles after the match, feeling Griffin vindicated
the entire “Ultimate Fighter” concept, as well as quieted
the UFC critics who constantly talked of the Japanese circuit’s
alleged superiority in MMA competition.
The
third-round submission win brought Griffin to another level.
He wasn’t just a gutsy and popular fighter who had the war
with Bonnar and then came a hair away from beating Tito Ortiz
at UFC 59 at a time when people didn’t think he was even
on Ortiz’s level. In the Rua fight, he came in perceived
as a guy solid in every aspect of the game, but not outstanding
in any. His main claim to fame was how he would get fired up
after taking whacks and with blood streaming down his face. Unless
he was knocked out, he couldn’t be mentally broken.
He
was also a self-deprecating comedian. When asked a few years
ago how he’d do against Liddell when Liddell was the king,
he answered, “I’d give him a great fight until he knocked
me out.”
As
one of the sport’s hardest trainers, Griffin improved his
technique over the past few years, particularly his footwork
and his grappling. In 2005, he and Bonnar were virtual clones
skill-wise. In 2006, when they met in a rematch, Griffin had
far surpassed him. In 2007, he was en route to winning an easy
decision when he choked out Rua, the same fighter who gave Jackson
the most one-sided drubbing of his career in scoring a first-round
knockout in Japan in 2005.
For
Griffin to have a shot against Jackson, he’s going to have
to use technique, which has been reflected in his training. The
style that made him popular, standing and banging at as fast
a pace as possible and letting the chips fall, would stylistically
play into Jackson’s hands. He’s tried to walk the fine
line between getting as much training time in as possible and
avoiding overtraining, with 15 workouts per week.
“I’ve
concentrated more on drills and less on getting beaten up,”
said Griffin, who fought all of 2007 with a shoulder tear suffered
while training in February. He had surgery on it after the Rua
fight.
While
the UFC method of building big title fights by making the fighters
into coaches on the reality show involves a long, drawn out process
of filming and then airing, which leads to about nine months
on the sidelines, in this case it worked out for the best.
“I
couldn’t have fought until March so the timing worked out,”
Griffin said.
Jackson
injured his hands in the Henderson fight and wasn’t going
to be able to fight for six months either.
Source: Yahoo Sports
|
UFC
86 Fight Breakdown
The fight
card as it stands today:
-
UFC Light Heavyweight title match: Quinton Jackson vs. Forrest
Griffin (205 pounds)
- Patrick Cote vs. Ricardo Almeida (185 pounds)
- Joe Stevenson vs. Gleison Tibau (155 pounds)
- Josh Koscheck vs. Chris Lytle (170 pounds)
- Tyson Griffin vs. Marcus Aurelio (155 pounds)
- Gabriel Gonzaga vs. Justin McCully (265 pounds)
- Jorge Gurgel vs. Cole Miller (155 pounds)
- Melvin Guillard vs. Dennis Siver (155 pounds)
- Corey Hill vs. Justin
Buchholz
(155 pounds)
Main
event: Jackson vs. Griffin
UFC
thought that there would be a lot more excitement generated for
this fight by having two extremely charismatic babyfaces appear
as coaches on the latest season of The Ultimate Fighter reality
TV show. Instead, both men had little or no animosity towards
each other by the end of the TV series and the ‘normal’
TUF formula of having two coaches angry at each other simply
did not pan out.
Without
the animosity between the two fighters, what we’re left
with is a fight involving a heavy favorite (Jackson) against
a heavy, scrappy underdog (Griffin). It should be a fun fight
to watch and no one at home will likely be disappointed in how
it turns out.
The
big question is whether or not Griffin has a real chance of winning
this fight, and if so, what kind of game plan he needs to pull
off the upset. Jordan Breen, writer for Sherdog.com, believes
that Griffin needs to pull off a two-pronged solution in order
to stay competitive in the title match.
“The
most questionable part of Rampage’s game is still his defense
in the Thai plumb. Griffin utilized knees well in the past, but
has gotten away from it. It may be an interesting angle to test
if he can’t strike from a distance. However, on the feet,
Griffin would have to be nigh-perfect to score a victory since
Rampage is the far better striker at range. The other operative
question will be how Griffin can defend against ground-and-pound,
and if he can renew the guard game he showed in his pre-UFC career.
If he can go back to what initially earned him a chance on The
Ultimate Fighter’s first season, he should at least make
the bout competitive.”
Semi
main-event: Cote vs. Almeida
The
semi-main event of UFC 86 features a fight with next-to-no hype
whatsoever. Patrick Cote (12-4) is to face veteran fighter Ricardo
Almeida (9-2). Cote has won four straight fights and usually
looks to finish his fights very quickly. Almeida, who made a
name for himself in Japan many years ago, is going to fight for
the second time in the last four years. Almeida has beaten a
lot of quality opponents, including Kazuo Misaki and Nathan Marquardt.
While Cote is the likely underdog going into this fight, it should
be a very fun contest to watch.
“Almeida
has all the technical skills on the ground to embarrass Cote,
whose Achilles’ heel has been poor defensive grappling,”
stated Mr. Breen of Sherdog.com. “The last time Cote really
spent time on his back with someone who can get it done on the
floor, he was embarrassed by Travis Lutter. What
bodes well for Almeida is that the bout can be sized up favorably
for him, and that’s with us only knowing what he could bring
to the table four or five years ago. If he has legitimately improved
himself in the gym in the last four years, he could trounce Cote.”
Undercard
action
Joe
“Daddy” Stevenson (28-8) faces Gleison Tibau (15-5)
in a match that, on paper, Stevenson should win. Joe has won
four out of his last five fights (his only recent loss to BJ
Penn) and is facing a tough, but beatable opponent in Tibau.
Gleison has won four out of his last five fights (his only recent
loss to Tyson Griffin).
Josh
Koscheck (10-2) faces Chris Lytle (25-15-5) in a match that should
be tailor-made for Koscheck to win. Koscheck has won six out
of his last seven fights (including a recent loss to UFC’s
170-pound champion, Georges St. Pierre), whereas Lytle has gone
3-3 in his last six fights (including losses to Matt Hughes,
Matt Serra, and Thiago Alves).
In
a bout that definitely could be fight-of-the-night material,
Tyson Griffin (11-1) squares off against Marcus Aurelio (16-5)
from American Top Team. On paper, everything favors Griffin in
this fight (age, fight style). Despite the fact that Aurelio
is an underdog, he is battle-tested and has beaten top fighters
such as Takanori Gomi. Jordan Breen, however, thinks that Griffin
should win the fight relatively easily.
“Those
who believe in Aurelio will champion him until the death, but
against wrestlers with decent submission defense he’s generally
inert. Clay Guida is perhaps more of a submission liability than
Griffin is, and in spite of one ridiculous scorecard in his favor,
Aurelio was dominated from start to finish. Griffin should be
able to land more on the feet, and control from the top to a
decision. Aurelio will probably stick around in the UFC because
of both his seemingly undying hype, and the fact that while he’ll
lose to the top lightweight contenders, he’ll destroy lower
and midlevel guys as we saw in his destructions of Luke Caudillo
and Ryan Roberts.”
In
a win-or-go-home match, former UFC Heavyweight title contender
Gabriel Gonzaga (8-3) faces Justin McCully (8-3-2) in a match
that Gonzaga clearly needs to win or else his job as a UFC fighter
may be in jeopardy. Even with recent losses to Randy Couture
and Fabricio Werdum, Gonzaga is clearly a heavy favorite going
into this fight and if he doesn’t put on a spectacular performance,
it’s off to Elite XC or another promotion for the Brazilian
heavyweight. If McCully pulls off the upset, suddenly things
open up for him in terms of being booked in higher-profile UFC
heavyweight bouts.
Ultimate
Fighter 5 alumni member Cole Miller (13-3) faces Jorge Gurgel
(12-3) in a match that on paper Miller should win, but will nonetheless
provide a good test for the young fighter who trains out of the
ATT camp in Florida. Like Griffin vs. Aurelio, this could be
a show-stealer and as long as it doesn’t go to the scorecards,
it should (well, maybe) air on UFC’s main PPV broadcast.
Source: MMA Online
|
Giving
UFC Its Proper Due
THQ recently picked up the Ultimate Fighting Championship license
and aims to put it to good use with the new simulation game UFC
Undisputed 2009
Over
the years, mixed martial arts-based video games haven't been
given their proper due, outside of the remarkable Ultimate Fighting
Championship game Crave produced for the Dreamcast eight years
ago. THQ hopes to change all that, though. It recently acquired
the exclusive Ultimate Fighting Championship license and is putting
it to good use in the forthcoming simulation game UFC Undisputed
2009. Although it's still got a ways to go before it meets its
spring 2009 release date, it shows great potential.
Handling
the creation of the UFC game is Yukes, the same development house
that handles THQ's World Wrestling Entertainment games. However,
it isn't the same engine—UFC Undisputed is built from the
ground up. The octagon clearly has several differences from a
four-sided wrestling mat. A recent trailer for the game shows
the amount of detail that Yukes put into the game thus far. Fighters
look like actual representations of themselves, right down to
their victory stances. Current UFC champion Quentin "Rampage"
Jackson, for example, lets out a howling roar after winning a
bout.
The
UFC Undisputed roster will contain 85 fighters, although only
two have been revealed at this point—Jackson and Forest
Griffin, two fighters that are set to collide at an upcoming
pay-per-view event. The trailer THQ revealed to us showed the
fighters going back and forth, smacking each other around and
switching off between submission holds. One minute, Griffin has
Jackson locked up in an armbar. The next, Jackson kneels over
a crumpled Griffin, pounding away at his face with his left and
right fists.
During
a demonstration of the game, we saw how deep this action gets,
with a number of countermoves, defensive tactics and knockdown
opportunities. Yes, you can take out your opponent with one punch
during a match, but the timing on it has to be perfect—just
like in a real UFC bout. While we weren't able to get hands-on
time with this early build, it looks like a smooth experience.
The guys at Yukes had a blast showing off the game, even though
they had the real-life fighters, Griffin and Jackson, trying
to do backseat coaching on how to get the knockdown.
UFC
Undisputed 2009 will also give you the option to create your
own fighter. You can set up their attributes and put them in
whatever class you feel is necessary for their skills, ranging
from lightweight to heavyweight. From there, you'll follow certain
techniques as you become a contender in the UFC ranks, with a
number of fighting disciplines available to choose from. Do you
feel more comfortable trying your luck with Brazilian Ju-Jitsu?
Or perhaps you want to try your luck with old-school Judo? It
seems like part of the fun involves going through the trial-and-error
system with each style, seeing which one suits you best. No word
yet if the Career Mode for your newly created superstar will
follow the same guidelines as Spike's UFC-themed reality show
The Ultimate Fighter, but that would be cool.
There
really isn't that much to the presentation yet, what with only
two boxers and one arena revealed thus far. However, what's here
is still noteworthy. The UFC fighters look very realistic, with
wobbly facial expressions after taking a punch to the face and
real-time injuries developing on their bodies. They get a little
too sweaty over time, making them shinier than in previous games,
but that's easy to overlook. The animation is spot-on, and we
were actually surprised that the game doesn't run into any clipping
problems, an issue that affects Yukes' WWE games. UFC commentators
Joe Rogan and Mike Goldberg also keep up on the action, showing
genuine surprise after a quick strike and proclaiming their love
for the sport. THQ reps mentioned that the duo spent dozens of
hours in the studio recording dialogue, nailing down the timing
of each in-game event. Seeing as how the WWE games have problems
with this, it'll be good to see THQ get the tempo right for UFC.
Along
with a career mode that will let you establish your own UFC legacy
(including a stop at the UFC Hall of Fame) and exhibition fights
where you can show your local friends a thing or two, UFC Undisputed
2009 will also support online play through Xbox Live and the
PlayStation Network. Although THQ stayed mum on how these fights
would work (or if you could form your own virtual posse), it
reassured us that online functionality is a must. Tournaments
are a possibility as well, but nothing's been confirmed as of
yet.
UFC
Undisputed 2009 looks to make the lackluster fighting games featuring
the brand a thing of the past, focusing instead on a hard-hitting
future with lots of action and excitement. Once more fighters
enter the virtual ring, we'll get a better idea of the diversity.
For now, though, it looks like a solid brawler. And any game
that pays strict attention to the UFC ring girls, with all their
virtual hotness, can't be bad. Be sure to check for more coverage
soon, including an interview with the project manager and a hands-on
report. Get ready for a beatdown.
Source: Business Week
|
Lyoto
Machida: The Inevitable Contender
There
are a lot of things that bug me about Lyoto Machida.
He’s
a striker who hasn’t knocked out a UFC opponent. He talks
at length about this striking style that doesn’t finish.
He fights off of his back foot. He throws combinations almost
as rarely as he moves forwards. He gets credit as being the top
striker at 205, when there are a half dozen guys who have finished
more fights standing up than he has.
Still,
while I’m open about the problems I have with the way that
Machida fights, there’s one thing I won’t deny: he’s
going to get a title shot.
He’s
one of the only fighters in the division without a loss on his
recent record, and the only one who’s one a substantial
winning streak against the opponents that the UFC cares about.
The
UFC has used him as a high profile hitman. They brought him in
to prove that Sokoudjou wasn’t as destructive as everyone
thought. They brought him in to end the UFC career of Tito Ortiz
on a note that will make it much harder for the former Champ
to get resigned in a major organization.
However
maliciously he might be used, though, it’s clear that the
UFC likes him, and they’ve been giving him premium placement
and the most substantial opponents that they are willing to let
him bash by decision. It won’t be long until he gets a shot
at the belt, and I think it’s fair to say that if he beats
his next opponent decisively (even by decision) the UFC will
see him billed as a top contender.
What’s
really problematic is that none of the top guys in the division
have the tools to beat Machida. All of them are going to try
and do exactly what every other one of Machida’s opponents
has done: chase him.
The
fighter that chases Machida will loose every time, because of
Machida’s counterstriking style. We saw it with Ortiz. We
saw it with Heath. We saw it with Nakamura.
As
painful as it may be for me to acknowledge the man who will kick
your ass by decision as the next top contender for the championship
when I would much rather see Thiago Silva, it’s inevitable.
Thiago is hard to market. His style is exciting for me, but for
the fans who like to see the fancy kicks and displays of karate-kid
style combat, Machida is the easy pick with the highlight reel
and the names on his hitlist.
Machida
will get one more fight, probably against either Thiago or Wanderlei
Silva, and as long as he keeps his record squeaky clean, he will
be stepping in for a five round fight around the end of the year.
Source: MMA Opinion
|
Quote
of the Day
“Our
brightest blazes of gladness are commonly kindled by unexpected
sparks.”
Samuel Johnson, 1709-1784, English Author and Critic
|
Taylor
Takata Judo Seminar!
The seminar
is now at Iolani School Athletic Complex Sunday July 13th.
- session #1 12yrs and under 9am to noon
- session #2 13 yrs and up 1 to 4 pm
$35
per session includes:
Taylor
Takata 2008 U.S. Olympian from Wahiawa, Hawaii
Danieska
Carrion two time world bronze medalist/ U.S. Olympic Training
Center Coach
Todd
Brehe two time world member/ U.S. Olympic Training Center Coach
Jeff
Sato U.S. national team member
Come
and learn olympic level techniques from Taylor and U.S. Olympic
Training Center Coaches.
|
ELITEXC'S
JULY 26 CARD COMING TOGETHER
Details on the upcoming July 26 EliteXC show in California are
starting to emerge, as it appears Antonio Silva will face Justin
Eilers in a heavyweight showcase and several top Brazilian fighters
may soon be added to the CBS lead-in show on Showtime.
EliteXC
vice president Jared Shaw spoke to MMAWeekly.com on Monday and
confirmed the company’s “intention” to finalize
a fight between Silva and Eilers. Currently, they are awaiting
the signed contracts, but they are expecting the match-up to
happen July 26.
“It’s
still in discussion with EliteXC officials if we’re going
to make it a title fight or not,” Shaw said about the long-standing
rumors of Silva fighting for the EliteXC heavyweight title on
the show. “But we feel if we did, Justin is a credible and
worthy opponent, and rival challenge for Junior Silva.”
Shaw
also stated that the company is planning on a women’s fight
for the CBS portion of the show, but currently they have no signed
agreements, so names could not be mentioned at this time. It
has long been speculated that one of the participants in the
women’s fight would be Josh Barnett student Shayna Baszler,
but again nothing has been announced.
The
lead-in portion of the card, which will air on Showtime, will
be headed up by Antonio Silva and be fleshed out by a “night
of the Brazilians.”
Shaw
stated they expect a top Brazilian light heavyweight and featherweight
to compete on the card, but no opponents have been found for
the two fighters as of yet. It is likely the two Brazilian fighters
are Rafael Feijao, who made an impressive showing in his last
fight finishing Wayne Cole in the first round, and Wilson Reis,
who put on a submission clinic during his undercard fight at
the first CBS-EliteXC Saturday Night Fights in May.
Currently,
EliteXC has not set a total number of fights that will happen
for either the Showtime or CBS portions of the broadcast. The
Showtime card will weigh heavily on whether the Antonio Silva
bout is for a title because of the length of the fight moving
from three to five rounds.
EliteXC
expects to announce more bouts in the coming weeks.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
SEMMY
SCHILT DEFENDS AT K-1 WORLD GRAND PRIX
FUKUOKA, Japan – Twenty-six-year-old kyokushin fighter Ewerton
Teixeira of Brazil won the K-1 Japan Grand Prix 2008; while Semmy
Schilt and Badr Hari defended their championship belts on Sunday
at the K-1 World Grand Prix 2008 in Fukuoka.
Held
on the Japanese southern island of Kyushu, the event comprised
the eight-man Japan Grand Prix 08 elimination tournament; a Superfight
between veteran superstar Peter Aerts and Jan "The Giant"
Nortje; and a couple of highly-anticipated title matches -- Schilt
versus Jerome LeBanner for the Super Heavyweight Belt; and Hari
versus Glaube Feitosa for the K-1 Heavyweight Belt.
The
Super Heavyweight title match featured Defending K-1 World GP
and Super Heavyweight Champion Semmy Schilt. The 6'11"/211cm
- 128kg/282lbs Dutch seidokaikan karate fighter stepped in against
one of K-1's most respected veterans, Jerome LeBanner of France.
Fighting
from a southpaw stance, LeBanner answered Schilt's early low
kicks in kind, but Schilt soon tagged him with a right straight
punch. With his 22cm/9" height advantage and long reach,
Schilt made it look easy -- leaning forward to casually throw
the right, closing and pulling his opponent's head downward to
deliver the knee. A spunky LeBanner kept his guard relaxed, putting
aggressiveness ahead of defense, ever flirting with danger. The
Frenchman closed repeatedly, landing a left to come out of the
first round ahead on one judge's card. In the second, Schilt
went with low kicks and approached with the fists, scoring with
both the right and left. LeBanner meanwhile struggled to get
through, often leading with the left, but not finding his distance
against the Tower of Power.
Schilt
put in punches and the knee and spun around a back kick that
just missed to start the third. LeBanner continued to press,
leading again with the left, getting the crowd into it when he
put a punch up on Schilt's collarbone. LeBanner's pesky low kicks
were part of his in-and-out strategy here, but these did not
appear to bother the Dutch behemoth, who gave back more than
he got during the exchanges. As the clock timed out, Schilt simply
stayed back and waited, hoisting the big knee when his opponent
got close.
Schilt
by majority decision. With the victory, Schilt both defended
his belt and set a new K-1 record -- his 14 consecutive victories
bettering the string of 13 wins Peter Aerts put together in '93-'96.
"I
want to thank all my fans," said Schilt from center ring,
"and send a special thanks to my fans in Holland, because
I know they're all watching. I also want to thank my wife and
my son, because they give me great inspiration!"
"I've
defended my belt three times now," said Schilt in his post-fight
interview, "and I think people expect me to always win by
KO. But that's difficult, I just concentrate to win the fight,
that's my goal. I've heard that Badr Hari wants to fight me,
if that's set up then I'm happy to meet him, but he should know
that I won't give away my belt so easily!"
The
K-1 Heavyweight title match presented a study in contrasts. Defending
Champion Badr Hari of Morocco is an explosive fighter whose long
reach, aggressive style and singular bravado have made him a
fan favorite. His opponent was one of the most technical K-1
fighters, soft-spoken kyokushin stylist Glaube Feitosa of Brazil.
Hari
surprised Feitosa early with a couple of quick left straight
punches, and continued to strike to effect, pounding in a punishing
right to the midsection. Feitosa tested with the low kicks, but
Hari stayed back to avoid these before approaching aggressively
with the fists, a right high kick, a knee and then more fists
to prompt a standing count. Feitosa was rattled, and after resumption
Hari coolly laid in once again with punches, landing a terrific
hook to finish the Brazilian. Nothing short of spectacular, this
performance by the 23 year-old Moroccan, who immediately went
to Feitosa's corner and bowed in respect.
"Ladies
and gentlemen, boys and girls," said an elated Hari from
center ring, "I want to thank my trainer, my sparring partner,
my girlfriend and I want to thank all you fans who supported
me. I'll keep doing my best, showing you great knockouts. This
is the new generation of K-1, and there's more to come!"
"I
said I would win by KO, and I did, so I'm very happy with that,"
said Hari in post-fight interview. "I think I've shown I'm
the number one K-1 Heavyweight, and now my goal is to also win
the Super Heavyweight belt. I'm ready, and I believe I can KO
Semmy Schilt!"
In
the evening's Superfight, it was a couple of veterans -- Peter
Aerts and Jan "The Giant" Nortje.
They
call Aerts "The Lumberjack," but now he also carries
the honorific "Mr. K-1." Incredibly, the 38-year-old
Dutch kickboxer has competed in every K-1 WGP Final since the
sport's inception in 1993, winning it all three times. Victories
last autumn over Ray Sefo and Remy Bonjasky suggest that Aerts
still has plenty of fight left in him.
Nortje,
meanwhile, is a former South African Super Heavyweight kickboxing
champion. At 6'11"/211cm - 148kg/311lbs, "The Giant"
is always a threat.
Aerts
threw the jab, tossed in low kicks and launched a couple of high
kicks in the first round. But Nortje's defense was sound and
the Giant responded with a couple of hard low kicks of his own
to stay close. In the second, Aerts came in again, pounding punches
into his opponent's midsection. His guard low, Nortje met Aerts'
approaches with the uppercut, and got through nicely with a left
straight midway through.
In
the third, Aerts connected with a couple of straight punches,
opening a nasty cut over the Giant's left eye to prompt a check
by the ringside doctor. Nortje was cleared to continue, but now
Aerts moved in more aggressively with the fists, making good
contact to prompt another doctor's check. After resumption, Nortje
lumbered forward to engage his opponent, but again found himself
on the receiving end of a barrage of punches. Aerts now fired
a right high kick to the face and followed with several tight
hooks and that was it -- the referee stepped in to stop the fight.
An impressive victory for Aerts.
"Six
months ago I hurt my knee at the World Grand Prix Final,"
said Aerts afterward. "So I started slow tonight, testing
myself. But by the second round I'd found my rhythm. I feel great,
I'm ready to fight in September, and I hope my opponent is Semmy
Schilt!"
Schilt's
dance card is filling up quickly.
Prominent
on the card was the K-1 Japan Grand Prix 2008, one of four major
regional tournaments in this year's K-1 World GP Series. This
followed the classic K-1 eight-man elimination format -- four
quarterfinal bouts advancing a quartet of winners to the semis,
the victors there meeting in the final.
In
the first of the quarterfinals it was a couple of Japanese --
veteran seidokaikan fighter Musashi and 22 year-old kickboxer
Keijiro Maeda.
Although
he has captured the Japan GP Crown a record four times, Musashi,
35, faces increasing challenges from emerging Japanese fighters.
Maeda, undefeated in four K-1 bouts including a win this April
over Samoan slugger Mighty Mo, represented just such a threat.
From
the bell, Musashi held center ring while Maeda circled. The pair
exchanged low kicks through the round, neither getting anything
dangerous across, although Musashi just missed with a couple
of high kicks. In the second, Musashi cut off the ring, closing
with punches which Maeda answered in kind. Some spirited exchanges
here, but neither fighter making full contact -- a quick Musashi
high kick one of the better strikes of the round.
In
the third the pace picked up -- Musashi, with a relaxed guard,
taking the initiative with the fists and getting some good stuff
through. Maeda, however, was great with his counters, landing
a dandy right straight punch. Further, Maeda's hard inside low
kicks were taking their toll on Musashi's leg. A close contest
-- one judge saw a draw, but the other two gave it to Maeda by
the narrowest of margins.
The
second quarterfinal featured two young Japanese fighters with
strong karate backgrounds -- Mitsugu Noda and Takumi Sato. The
pair have a total of 11 K-1 fights between them, with only one
loss each.
Both
fighters had their guards high to start, testing with kicks and
straight punches, closing to work the body blows and uppercuts
from the clinch. Noda made some noise in the latter part of the
first round, getting the better of the punch exchanges and pumping
up the knee, although Sato made estimable contact with a left
straight punch. In the second the pair got close and mixed it
up, Sato scoring with a large number of unanswered hooks. The
third saw Noda put his opponent against the ropes and lay in,
but Sato's defense was sound, he soon began to reply, rattling
Noda with an uppercut. Both fighters were fatigued and battered
as this war of attrition wound down.
Another
close call, one judge calling it a draw, two favoring Sato to
give him a semifinal date with Maeda.
First
up in the second tournament bracket were Ewerton Teixeira and
Japanese kickboxer Tsutomu Takahagi. A spirited start, the fighters
closing aggressively with kicks and fists, Teixeira following
a knee to the midsection with a flurry of punches to score a
down. Teixeira displayed an impressively varied arsenal featuring
a spinning back kick, high kicks and knees. It was a Teixeira
knee to the chin that proved the decisive blow, sending Takahagi
to the canvas for the second time in the round and putting Teixeira
into the semifinals.
In
the last of the quarterfinals, Japanese karate stylist Nakasako
met multidisciplinary fighter Bernard Ackah, a Cote d'Ivoire-born
Japanese resident.
Ackah
with a strong start -- leading with the right to put Nakasako
on the ropes, then bringing up the knee. Nakasako weathered the
attack, but aside from a couple of low kicks was less than belligerent
as the round progressed. In the second, Nakasako had some success
landing a high kick, Ackah responding again with the fists before
things slowed down, both fighters unwilling to commit.
Ackah
in quickly with the fists to start the third, following with
a high kick that was ably blocked. Toe-to-toe now, punches were
exchanged but most either missed or were blocked. Nakasako stung
his opponent's leg with a low kick midway through the third,
the remainder of the fight otherwise lackluster. Ackah was grimacing
as he limped back to his corner after the bell, and the cards
had it for Nakasako by unanimous decision.
In
the first of the semifinals Maeda took on Sato. Both fighters
tested the distance with low kicks in the early going before
stepping in for an exchange of punches from which Maeda took
an edge, sinking a right overhand and straight punch. In the
second, the speedy Maeda peppered his opponent with punches,
although Sato only just missed with an uppercut and a hook on
counters. Sato tossed a lazy low kick to start the third, and
once again Maeda darted in with the quick fists. Sato saw a chance
when he planted a powerful left uppercut and a couple of rights,
but Maeda showed a good chin and stamina to keep coming back.
A thrilling contest, the win going to Maeda by unanimous decision.
In
the second semifinal it was Teixeira and Nakasako.
Teixeira
with kicks to start, Nakasako leaning in with straight punches
but unable to find his distance. Tentative strikes and only occasional
combinations through most of the first round. Teixeira sailed
a spinning back kick short early in the second before scoring
a down with a right low kick that stung Nakasako's left knee.
With Nakasako in distress, Teixeira focused his attacks, planting
low kicks one after the other on the left leg. Nakasako struggled
to push forward with the punches, and paid the price when closing,
but made it out of the round.
Teixeira
varied his attacks in the third while continuing to give special
attention to Nakasako's lead leg. To his credit, Nakasako crusaded
through the pain, staying on his feet and in the fight right
to the final bell. The unanimous decision, however, went to Teixeira.
And
so it was Teixeira and Maeda in the Main Event.
After
a cautious start, a Teixeira right straight punch on the counter
knocked an off-balance Maeda back and into the ropes, but the
Japanese fighter stayed on his feet. Ever circling, Maeda kept
out of harm's way through the first, but offered little in the
way of offense. In the second, Maeda opened with a low kick before
resuming his circling tactic. Teixeira closed to a clinch as
the action waned. The Brazilian then began to cut off the ring
and launched punching attacks, making good contact with a right,
although Maeda responded with a straight left to keep things
close.
The
third round started promisingly, the fighters exchanging punches,
both making use of speed, both sound on defense. Teixeira went
mostly with the left-right tight combinations, occasionally tossing
in a low kick; while Maeda swung away with abandon. Teixeira
clocked the Japanese fighter with a right hook, while Maeda managed
only partial contact from inside.
Teixeira
by unanimous decision. With his tournament win, Teixeira takes
the Japan GP 2008 belt and advances to the K-1 World GP 2008
Final Elimination in Seoul on September 29.
"I
want to thank kyokushin," said the beaming Brazilian afterward.
"I'm happy to become the Japan Grand Prix Champion, but
this is just the beginning. Now I have to train hard to become
the K-1 World Grand Prix Champion!"
Asked
if he was ready to take on Semmy Schilt, Teixeira smiled, "Schilt
is an extremely strong fighter, I will have to practice long
and hard if I'm going to compete with him!"
In
the Tournament Reserve bout, Japanese fighter Taisei Ko KO'd
compatriot Keigo Takamori; while Shinkyu Kawano did the same
to Takashi Tachikawa in an undercard contest.
All
bouts were fought under Official K-1 Rules, three rounds of three
minutes each. The title matches, Superfight and tournament final
had two possible tiebreaker rounds, the other bouts, one.
The
K-1 World Grand Prix in Fukuoka attracted a crowd of 6,927 to
the Fukuoka Marine Messe.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
IFL
ON HOLD, CHAMP MATYUSHENKO TALKS CONTRACT
Vladimir
Matyushenko has been one of the real success stories of the International
Fight League. Despite the promotion’s difficulties, he has
remained a constant source of excellence since his debut for
the company in 2007.
Currently
riding an eight-fight winning streak, Matyushenko, the IFL’s
current 205-pound champion, is eager to continue his winning
ways, even though the IFL has placed their operations on hold.
With
the announcement that the previously scheduled Aug. 15 New Jersey
show was being cancelled, many of the promotion’s talent
has signed elsewhere, yet the status of their titleholders is
still uncertain.
For
Matyushenko, it appears there is some light amidst the confusion.
“I’m
still under contract, but we have a verbal agreement that they’ll
let me fight elsewhere,” he said of his contract status.
“I have a few organizations with a few offers, but I’m
looking for more.
“I’m
looking forward to fighting. A fighter needs to fight, just like
a racing horse needs to do what they need to do to go on. Right
now I’m ready to go if anybody’s interested.”
According
to Matyushenko’s gentleman’s agreement with the IFL,
he can go elsewhere, but with some limitations.
“I
believe right now as things stand, I can’t sign any long-term
contracts until the end of the year (when my IFL contract expires),
but I may take a fight or two for sure,” he stated.
Always
one in the past to step in on a minute’s notice, Matyushenko
is more than ready to jump right into the mix, should an organization
need him quickly.
“I’m
in good shape,” he commented. “I was training for my
fight in August, even with the news that I was not going to fight
in August; I continued to train, because just in case someone
offered me (a fight).”
Currently
with an impressive record of 21-3, it would be hard for any promotion
to pass up on what has become the feel-good story of the light-heavyweight
division over the last year.
Once
a forgotten commodity, the soft-spoken native of Belarus has
proven himself to be a truly valuable asset with his strong performances
over the last couple of years.
Whether
it’s in the IFL or another promotion, he doesn’t show
any signs of wanting to slow down any time soon.
“To
me, as a fighter, I just want to go in, show my stuff and win
– that’s my goal,” stated Matyushenko. “It
doesn’t matter (against) whom or wherever.
“I
keep my word to do it, but if things go in a different direction,
I’ll continue to fight no matter what.”
Source: MMA Weekly
|
NO
TRASH TALKING, COLE MILLER READY FOR UFC 86
Cole Miller will be looking to rebound from his first loss in
the Ultimate Fighting Championship on Saturday night when he
takes on Jorge Gurgel at UFC 86. Miller, who is a veteran of
The Ultimate Fighter 5, trains out of American Top Team with
fighters like Gesias “JZ” Calvancante, Mike Brown,
Marcus Aurelio and Thiago Alves.
Excited
to finally get in the ring, Miller explained on MMAWeekly Radio
recently how he can barely wait for Saturday night. “The
training camp was going a little slow,” he said. “Things
are going great. I'm in really good shape. I feel very technically
proficient in every aspect, so I'm pretty happy.”
At
American Top Team, Miller teaches students in mixed martial arts.
He enjoys teaching immensely, although he prefers training. “I
like it a lot. I like training better. Training people is a lot
of fun,” he stated. “It's good for me because I can
get all the stuff that's on my mind and release it on them. I
have a good time with it.”
At
UFC 86, Miller won’t be the only representative of American
Top Team. Fellow fighters Gleison Tibau and Marcus Aurelio will
also be on the card, which is just the way Miller likes it. “I
really like fighting when we have several guys on the card. I
think when I fought Jeremy Stephens, it was just me out there.
I really enjoy that atmosphere much more than when it's just
me out there. It will be more confident to have all my coaches
out there.”
Jorge
Gurgel is a tough match-up for any fighter. He has elite level
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu skills and is quick on his feet. However,
considering the training partners that Miller has at ATT, he
believes he has plenty of training partners to mimic Gurgel’s
style. “There's no shortage of training partners,”
he explained. “Most people have a medium body type. That's
the type of body Jorge has. I had a lot of people to train with
that has his body type. Everybody I sparred with helps me with
my fights. I just go with whatever I'm paired up with.”
Miller
hasn’t focused on only one area of his fighting, considering
that Gurgel is well rounded. “I've just been training everything
non-stop. The only thing I did different for this fight was train
more Muay Thai instead of just kickboxing. Other than that, everything
else stayed the same.”
Gurgel
and Miller get along well outside the cage and they prefer to
keep it that way. There won’t be any serious trash talking
involved in this fight. Miller prefers to like his opponent,
rather than trash talk anyway. “I like having mutual respect.
I think it's good for the sport. I like Jorge. I think he's awesome.
I always liked his fighting style. We have a good relationship
with him, so there won't be any animosity.”
Miller
is coming off a TKO loss to Jeremy Stephens at UFC Fight Night
12. Some fighters let that bother them for a long time, however,
Miller plans to let that go and concentrate on his present opponent.
“I'm pretty motivated. It's like I don't really feel too
good that I lost that last fight to him. I should have got the
job done, but I didn't. That fight's over and done with. I'm
just going to concentrate on the future. I got to go out there
and win so it's pretty motivating.”
He’ll
need motivation with a guy like Jorge Gurgel. Gurgel is a very
tough, seasoned veteran who is coming off of a win against John
Halverson at UFC 82.
Miller
is prepared though and was already at a healthy 165 pounds a
week out from the fight. With all of the fighters who have missed
weight recently, he isn’t worried about cutting the weight
at all. “No, I never had that problem,” explained Miller.
“I think I could actually make 145 actually.”
But
that’s not a concern when he steps into the Octagon with
Gurgel at UFC 86 on Saturday. He just has to go in, fight his
fight, and hopes to come out with a win.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Babalu
also at Strikeforce
Cyborg another Brazilian to feature on card
As
he said recently in an interview with GRACIEMAG.com, Renato "Babalu"
Sobral barely missed twice this year (with the cancellation of
two events in which he would have participated), and will only
have his first fight of 2008 on July 19th at Affliction against
Mark Whitehead. The tables have turned and, in no time, the black
belt from Rio is a busy man.
The
former UFC fighter was confirmed yesterday for the Strikeforce
card, which will take place at the Playboy mansion, on September
19. Babalu will not be the only one to debut for the American
organization. Tough Japanese fighter Kazuo Misaki will also feature
on the card, as with chuteboxer Evangelista Cyborg, who has settled
his visa problems. The other piece of big news regarding the
event is that the show will be broadcast live throughout the
US by NBC.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Sergio
Moraes: a true champion
JJ stylist from Sao Paulo was the big surprise of Worlds
Sergio
Moraes is one of those great examples in the sport of how effort
and perseverence can tear down mountains. The athlete, of humble
origins, arrived at the last Jiu-Jitsu World Championship an
unknown, but refused to remain so, and bearing only his confidence
and natural talent went beating the favorites in his category
one by one till reaching the gold.
Sergio
was the big surprise of the competition by beating one of the
toughest heavyweights in Jiu-Jitsu, winning the middleweight
category and, to boot, submitted in his first fight Jiu-Jitsu's
great promise Kron Gracie. The Alliance representative spoke
with GRACIEMAG.com and told of how he managed to train for both
the Wprlds and Godz of War (an event that was canceled), besides
the hardships and glory of the conquest.
GRACIEMAG.com:
What was it like for you to show up a virtual unknown and make
so much noise?
Serginho:
It's just like a lot of people had said, I wasn't very well known,
but I had been world champion at brown belt, the year Kron was
champ at purple, and I'm Sao Paulo state champion too. I always
knew my potential, and I entered to give it my life. What happened
is that I haven't fought a lot of Jiu-Jitsu for a long time,
since I dedicated myself to MMA. I have three fights and three
wins by submission.
GRACIEMAG.com:
Did winning in your debut against Kron, who was one of the competitors
with the greatest buzz about him, give you any extra motivation?
What did you think of him?
Sergio:
I started doing Jiu-Jitsu because of Rickson. When I found out
I would go against his son I was really happy and became even
more focused. There is a buzz about him not just because he is
Rickson's son, but because he has a record no one has. The guys
has 51 submissions. No one can contest that. He always attacks
and fights hard.
GRACIEMAG.com:
Tell us something about the middleweight category, one of the
toughest in Jiu-Jitsu.
Sergio:
At middleweight you can't pick your fights. Every which way I
looked there were fights that could have been a final. There
are really good guys like Bill Cooper, Tio Chico, Otavio Souza,
Guto Campos, Kron Gracie, Lucas Leite, etc. My mind was on giving
it my all and doing my best.
GRACIEMAG.com:
To you is it even more gratifying to win like this, having passed
so many hardships?
Serginho:
I never did Jiu-Jitsu for the money, but because I love to fight
and compete. It was really hard for me to make it to international
championships without help from sponsors. Fabio (Gurgel) gave
me a lot of support, and I hope that with this win things will
get even better, and more opportunities come up for me.
GRACIEMAG.com:
What's it like training for Jiu-Jitsu and MMA at the same time?
Were you frustrated by the cancellation of Godz of War?
Serginho:
I trained a lot for Godz of War, I was even unsure of whether
to compete in the Worlds or not. But as I slipped at the Brazilian
nationals and ended up losing, I decided to concentrate more
on Jiu-Jitsu, since I realized my thing will never be striking,
but doing Jiu-Jitsu to the very end. I was saddened by the cancelation,
but I hope other offers come up.
GRACIEMAG.com:
What about now, Serginho? What will you do from now on?
Serginho:
Let's see what the general says. Training goes on, both in MMA
and in Jiu-Jitsu. I'll find out from him what competitions I'll
be participating in, but I want to compete in everything possible.
I know I have to be prepared. Now I'll be training even more,
because they're going to be hunting me (laughs), but I won't
hide and I'll be around in a bunch of different championships.
GRACIEMAG.com:
Would you like to thank anyone in particular for this support?
Serginho:
I want to send my best to the folks at Cohab. I want to thank
Dan, who taught me, and send a kiss to my daughter Vitoria Beatriz,
who was calling me all the time asking: "Daddy, did you
win? Can you buy me that Barbie yet?" and I said: "Now
I can, dear." She is my greatest motivation. My warmest
regards to Fabio Gurgel, who helped me so much.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Thales:
a force among middleweights
‘I see myself as a conteder’
The
middleweight category is one of the most exciting and competitive
ones in the UFC today. Despite the fact that Anderson Silva reigns
supreme as champion, the fight among his future challengers is
heating up. Besides Yushin Okami, who won his last six bouts
in the octagon, this Saturday the fight between Patrick Cote
and Ricardo Cachorrao will be held. Not to mention Rousimar Toquinho
vs Dan Henderson, and Thales Leites, who recently scored an important
win over Nate Marquardt.
The
Nova Uniao black belt thus attained his fourth consecutive victory
in the American promotion and wants his space too. GRACIEMAG.com
talked the Brazilian, who spoke about his place among middleweights,
the Cachorrao bout, and the controversial fight against Marquardt.
“The
UFC decides who fights for the belt, I only do my part, which
is my job. I don’t worry, because I know my time will come.
I come from four wins in a row now and see myself as one of the
contenders. There’s also Okami, who has more wins and more
wins than me, and Cachorrao, who has fought there before, but
I’m sure in the run. Next Saturday there’s Patrick
Cote, who’s a good striker, and Cachorrao, who is good at
taking the fight to the ground and has great ground game. I prefer
to wait and see what happens, but I’m rooting for the Brazilian,”
said Thales.
“To
me, rematching Marquardt is out of the question. If he wants
it, then he can get back in line. He kept saying he wanted to
fight me again, but I watched the fight and asked to myself:
‘Is this guy kidding?’ He had the obligation to knock
me out. I was totally groggy and I only kept going because I
thought I could get disqualified. Besides the knee strike, he
did other illegal things. I fone Day the UFC wants to pit me
against him again, I’ll fight him. But if it were my choice,
then he would get back to the end of the line,” he said.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Leo
Santos on Shooto win
Black belt finished Argentinian in 36s
Away
from the rings since September of 2007, Leonardo Santos made
his successful return at Shooto 7, held last Saturday, making
his MMA record a clean 3-0. The three-time world Jiu-Jitsu champ
scored one of the three points in the Brazilian victory over
Argentina.
In
great shape, Leo needed only 36 seconds to finish Cristian Lopes
in a pretty katagatami. Brother to IFL featherweight champion
Wagnney Fabiano, the black belt is confident about his MMA career
and says the injuries that once held him back are no more.
“I
knew my opponent was a great striker, but didn’t have a
lot of ground experience. So I went right for him, took him down,
passed guard and finished with the katagatami. It was great that
Dede Pederneiras gave me this opportunity to win at home, with
the crowd cheering. Now my goal is to get more experience until
I get to a big event, which is the dream of every MMA fighter,”
Leo told GRACIEMAG.com
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Quote
of the Day
“Studies
serve for delight, for ornaments, and for ability.”
Francis Bacon, 1561-1626, English Philosopher/Essayist/Statesman
|
Fighters'
Club TV Tonight!
Channel 52 at 7:00 PM! |
Dan
Inosanto Two Day Semi-Private Training Event!
On Saturday,
September 6th and Sunday September 7th, Burton Richardson and
JKD Unlimited will host Tuhon Dan Inosanto for a special semi-private
training event here in Honolulu. Tuhon Inosanto is considered
the most knowledgeable martial artist that the world has ever
known, as he has researched every system and style possible over
the last 50 years. He is best known for being Bruce Lee's number
one student and training partner, but is also famous for his
work in bringing previously unknown systems into the limelight.
From the Filipino Martial Arts to Muay Thai to Pentjak Silat
to French Savate and Burmese Bando, Inosanto's never-ending quest
is to make more martial arts available to students everywhere.
He is also a great example to follow, as this legendary martial
artist strapped on a white belt and took up Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
at the age of 60!
He is now a black belt under the Machado brothers. This will
be a very special seminar, as it will be semi-private. No more
that 20 participants will be enrolled. This will allow each attendee
to submit a particular question or request to be covered by Tuhon
Inosanto over the weekend. It will also mean that participants
will get more one on one interaction with this amazing instructor.
In addition, each participant will be invited to attend a dinner
with Tuhon Inosanto, to talk story with this legend. Ten will
go on Saturday's dinner, the other ten on Sunday's dinner.
The cost for this special weekend is only $500 per person. $250
is required to reserve your spot to be one of the twenty. Please
call 864-1620 for more information and to arrange for payment.
This will be a weekend to remember.
Aloha, Burton Richardson
|
Interview
with NewZealandMMA’s Nyra Phillips
Thanks
to Nyra for giving the international props to Onzuka.com!
the
MMA digest had a chance to chat with editor of NewZealandMMA.com,
Nyra Phillips.
How’d
you get into the sport of MMA?
Oh, I got dragged into it.
Back
in Hawaii, my mate Trev kept telling me I should watch MMA but
I always said no because whatever it was he was talking about
sounded like a blood sport, you know? And I’m not into glorifying
violence, blah-blah-blah.
Then
another good mate was leaving the island and it was his BIG wish
for us all to go to a fight night. You can’t say no to a
man’s ‘final wish’. So I went to be part of the
crew and figured I’d hate it anyway, so who cares?
Well…
we sat soooo far back that night; I couldn’t see enough
of anything to hate it! I mean, the seats were terrible!
But
I swear, it the best thing that could’ve happened because
instead of bitching about the violence? I just sat back, relaxed…
enjoyed the company, enjoyed my beer, and soaked up the energy
around me.
There
were thousands of people at the Blaisdell that night. The place
was so much on FIRE I can still remember it – even now!
Which
got me wondering what the big deal was, right?
So,
after that, if I saw MMA on TV, I’d watch it. And if they
talked about the fighters’ backgrounds and how they train,
I’d listen. Then I start looking for info myself, until
slowly, I started to get what it was all about. Now I’m
the one who drags Trev off to fights instead.
What
are your impressions of the MMA scene in New Zealand?
I think it’s still very new.
I
mean, even though MMA’s been here for over a decade in one
form or another, it’s only recently that promoters have
started offering 100% MMA shows on a regular basis, with gyms
starting to teach it as a complete skill rather than supplementing
one martial art with another..
There’s
no government legislation, no widely recognised sanctioning body.
The major media outlets have a phobia against reporting it, in
spite of a strong local boxing and kickboxing fan base. And SkyTV,
our only cable provider, has started showing more MMA pay-per-views
but it’s still a long way from being accepted by the mainstream.
I
guess that’s cool, in a subculture-ish kind of way but not
so cool if you’re a fighter trying to pay for training or
a promoter who needs to fill seats and find paying sponsors.
Ironically,
even though I think it’ll be some years before we catch
up with international MMA trends, our women fighters tend to
get more attention than the men, thanks largely to Princesses
of Pain promoter, Belinda Dunne. She’s been developing an
international female fight league here with Australasian, American
and soon, Asian fighters and has been very clever in garnering
media attention along the way.
So
yeah, we’ve got a lot of work ahead of us before we catch
up but obstacles also means opportunities, and with the talent
we’ve got, it makes for an exciting time to be part of the
sport here.
How
did NewZealandMMA.com come about?
It started as an idea that went through a few stages first.
When
I got back from overseas I tried to get a grasp of the local
MMA scene but finding info online was very annoying. I mean,
it was out there, but it was all over the place.
So,
I had an idea that if one site consolidated everything –
news, TV programming, events, directories, etc – it would
be less frustrating for people to find out what’s going
on and more easier to enjoy the sport.
Nothing
concrete at that stage, just an idea.
Then
I had a chance online meeting with web developers Darren Albert
and Kerrie Bracey of www.HerveyBayPages.com who had the expertise
to design my site. And because they also trained with at Integrated
Martial Arts, Australia’s top MMA gym, with Tony Green,
they also understood the sport and what I was aiming for, which
was invaluable. So we started brainstorming.
Eventually,
after a few months of ‘brainstorming’ my husband, Dave
told me to stop dorking around finally convinced me to take the
plunge. And I launched NewZealandMMA.com March 21st this year.
You
were previous living in Hawaii, what were your thoughts on the
lively MMA scene there?
Oh man, Hawaii’s got it going on!
If
you check out my gurus at www.Onzuka.com you’ll see there’s
always something happening on the islands: fight nights, competitions,
seminars, or like this past week, Hawaii’s first ever MMA
Expo, held in conjunction with the Pacific Submission Grappling
Tournament.
In
the year since I left, I’m shocked at how much it has grown.
There are heaps more gyms. Lots more fight nights both big like
Elite XC (with UFC coming next year) and small. Heck, there are
even four local MMA magazines now, in addition to what already
comes out of the mainland!
It’s
definitely a hotspot in terms of opportunities for fans to enjoy
the sport and fighters to compete. And it’s only getting
bigger.
But
the best part for me? Is how much Hawaii loves its MMA.
They
love the local fighters. Love the Japanese leagues like Dream.
Crowds cheer when fighters stand and bang but they also cheer
when it goes to the ground. And not just the men either. A big
percentage of fans are women and they don’t just know how
to look good – they talk mean shop, too!
It’s
what makes Hawaii one of the most knowledgeable MMA audiences
in the world. All that fuel around them.
I
think as our Pacific neighbors, it’s a fantastic opportunity
for New Zealand MMA to hook up with a strong international location,
that’s got a ton of pportunities and as much love for Aotearoa
as we have for the islands.
What
have you learned from being involved in the sport?
“If you’re truly passionate about something then it’s
worth doing” – I got told that one at one of the first
NZ MMA events I ever attended and have remembered it every day
since.
Which
fighter that you met impressed you the most?
Ha haaaa – BJ Penn, of course!
Some
people think he’s too arrogant. They don’t like the
way he messes with his opponent’s head before a fight, but
it’s all part of his game.
Outside
of the cage? He’s awesome.
Proud
of where he comes from. Proud to be Hawaiian. Big sense of family
and giving back to the community. Spends as much time as fans
need to get photos and autographs. It’s a very different
persona.
The
best thing though, is when he’s cornering his fighters.
Sometimes he gets so excited that he stands up and then the people
behind him can’t see. I’ve seen some of them come up
to him in the middle of the fight, tap him on the shoulder, and
tell him to sit down. He always apologizes and quickly does sit
down but if it’s a close fight, he’s back up there
again… getting another shoulder tap!
Hey,
here’s one for The MMA Digest…
Question:
In the Hawaii State Capital, what is House Resolution 312 (HR312)?
Answer:
It’s the Hawaii State Capitol House Resolution approved
and passed in March 2008 “Congratulating BJ Penn the current
Lightweight Ultimate Fighting Champion on his successful martial
arts career”.
Very
cool!
Source: MMA Digest
|
MMA
RULES 101 WITH HERB DEAN
Referee Herb Dean recently spoke with MMAWeekly.com explaining
several rules that all mixed martial arts fans should know. The
nine-year professional MMA referee broke down the rules for strikes
to the back of the head, illegal elbows, allowing fighters five
minutes to recover from illegal techniques, intelligently defending
yourself, spiking and strikes to downed opponents.
Probably
the most misunderstood rule in mixed martial arts is the illegal
elbow strike. There is only one illegal elbow in MMA, and you
can impact with the point of the elbow.
Dean
explained, "The only illegal elbow is the one coming from
noon to six, and what we mean by noon to six, because people
start talking about the clock. 'Where's the clock? Is the clock
as I see it, or if I'm on my back, or if I'm looking this way?'
What we mean is from the actual sky to the floor.
"Say
you're on your back, the clock isn't in front of your face. That
would be coming from wall to wall if you were to do that same
motion. We're actually talking about ceiling to floor is an illegal
elbow. Any other elbow is fine."
Strikes
to the back of the head are illegal, but what is considered the
back of the head? With the illegal area recently being modified,
there's a lot of confusion surrounding what constitutes a prohibited
blow.
"Ears
back is considered the back of the head," said Dean. "Like
if you're wearing headphones and they're going up over the top
of the head, so anything that's behind the ears would be the
foul area... It can be on the side of the head, but if it's behind
the ears it's considered the back of the head."
"That's
something we've only been enforcing in MMA as the back of the
head for about the last two years. That started when MMA became
legalized in California," Dean explained. "Dr. Paul
Wallace came to a referee seminar that we were doing and explained
to us, diagrammed and explained to us what is supposed to be
the back of the head. I talked to him in detail about it and
then I talked to Armando Garcia, who is executive director, and
he said, 'that's what we want to be enforced for the back of
the head, from the ears back.’"
"When
I went to Nevada, I told them about it so we would be all on
the same page. They said that they were okay with that as the
back of the head. That's what they want us to enforce, so that's
what I enforce everywhere.
"That's
not what I've always enforced in MMA," he added. "I've
been refereeing for nine years. Most of the time I was enforcing
the flat of the neck going up to the top. But when the sport
became regulated, we need to enforce what the athletic commissions
tell us to enforce."
Kicking
or kneeing an opponent to the head while they're downed is forbidden
under the unified rules adopted and used by most MMA promotions.
Dean addressed what is considered a downed opponent.
"Anything
but his feet supporting his weight, he's grounded," stated
the veteran referee. "Anything but his feet. If he's got
a hand down or a foot and one elbow, anything but his feet supporting
his weight, he's a downed opponent and the head is off limits
for knees and kicks."
Another
rule often misinterpreted is the five-minute recovery time allotted
to fighters that are victims of an illegal technique. The only
time a combatant is guaranteed five minutes to gather himself
is a groin strike.
"I'm
not sure about the rule in every state, but in most states it
is written in a way that the only one … that the five minutes
is given is the groin strike," commented Dean. "That's
the only one that's written that you actually have five minutes.
Otherwise, it's at the discretion of the referee and the doctor.
"Something
like a head strike, the referee and the doctor are going to watch
it closely," he continued. "If you don't know if you
can continue within a period of time, you're not going to be
given five minutes. If you haven't figured it out after five
minutes you probably need medical attention, so you're probably
not going to be given five minutes to figure out if you want
to fight or not."
Seemingly
different with every referee, Dean was asked about intelligently
defending yourself and what a referee is looking for in determining
when a fight should or should not be stopped.
"I'm
looking for some movement, any sort of movement to solve the
situation, to protect themselves," he said. "Just laying
down and covering up is not enough. The fighter needs to do some
sort of movement to solve the situation that he's in. Sometimes
fighters are covering up, but they're pushing away with their
legs, or they're doing something with their feet trying to improve
their position. So I'm looking for anything."
Rarely
coming into play, Dean was questioned about spiking an opponent's
head into the canvas, and what's the difference between a throw
and spiking. He responded, "All throws need to have an arch
on them. If you pick someone up and are in control of their body
and drive their head into the mat that's illegal.
"You
can throw somebody and if they end up landing on their head,
that happens. It's a throw, but if you pick somebody up, line
their head up and drive it into the mat, a power driver, that's
what we're looking for."
When
a fighter commits a foul, three things can happen: he can be
warned; a point can be deducted, or he could be disqualified
depending on the situation.
"Each
infraction of the rules is an infraction of the rules,"
said Dean. "If I've given someone continual warnings, they
know that they should be trying to keep it clean. But if you
break the rules, you can get a point deducted." The fighter
can also be disqualified.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
ALMEIDA
READY FOR COTE'S TEST AT UFC 86
A couple of years ago, when The Ultimate Fighter became a hit
and many new fans became enamored with the sport of mixed martial
arts, not many of the new fans could tell you who Ricardo Almeida
was. At the time, fighters like Rich Franklin, David Loiseau
and Evan Tanner were the top dogs at middleweight in the Ultimate
Fighting Championship. Almeida was taking time off from competition
in MMA.
Almeida
debuted in the UFC in May of 2001 at UFC 31 where he took on
Matt Lindland. That fight ended in a loss for Almeida, but he
rebounded at UFC 33 where he defeated Eugene Jackson. He would
lose his next fight to Andrei Semenov at UFC 35, which at the
time ended his tenure with the UFC.
Almeida
progressed after that by defeating tough fighters like Ikuhisa
Minowa, Yuki Sasaki, Nate Marquardt, and Ryo Chonan. After his
fight with Chonan, he left the sport for almost four years. In
February, Almeida returned to the UFC to take on Rob Yundt, submitting
him in less than 90 seconds. Now, “The Big Dog” will
have his biggest opportunity yet, taking on Patrick Cote at UFC
86 in a bout that could have title implications.
“I'm
very excited,” said Almeida in a recent interview with MMAWeekly
Radio. “I've been training hard for a while now. Even before
the fight in February, I've been training hard. It was a quick
fight. I didn't get to showcase all my skills. I'm looking forward
to stepping out there with Patrick Cote. I don't think the fight
will be that short, so I'm looking forward to a tough fight.”
Almedia
felt very excited when he stepped back into the Octagon in February
to see how much the sport has erupted. “It felt good to
step out there and see how much the sport has grown. For the
weigh-in, there were a couple thousand people.”
Even
though he stepped away from the sport as far as competition goes,
he never really stopped training. “I think it was definitely
a turning point,” he explained. “I also think it was
a culmination of a bunch of things.
“Once
again, Renzo never really allowed me to step away from MMA itself.
He asked me to help him with fights. He asked me to help get
his team ready in the IFL and I was always involved with training
my students. I was always training.
“As
I became more and more involved, and the sport grew further and
further, all these things started popping in my head. I knew
that MMA was going through a growth phase with the spectators,
but also with the technical side as well. I could not miss the
evolution of this sport.”
In
perhaps his biggest test to date, a win over Cote could propel
Almeida to stardom in the UFC. In a cleaned-out division, any
fighter with a few quality wins could be on the fast track to
a title shot. Although, title shots don’t faze Almeida one
bit as he prepares for his opponents.
“My
goal coming back to fighting is to fight for the title. Right
now, that's far away for me. That's not even on my mind. People
are saying that this fight is for a title shot. That's something
I'm not even worried about right now. I really want to stay focused
on Patrick. I'm not even thinking about what I'm going to eat
after the fight.”
Cote
is not to be taken lightly. He has proven that he has some lethal
fists, knocking out Kendall Grove and Drew McFedries recently.
Almeida is well aware of this and has nothing but the utmost
respect for his opponent.
“From
what I know of Patrick, he's a fighter, you know? He's not out
there to be a rock star,” he commented. “He's not the
kind of guy that will go out there bad-mouthing you and try to
get in your face. He just wants to get out there and punch you
as hard as possible. It's just two guys fighting their best and
may the best man win.”
Studying
your opponent can be an integral role in preparing for victory.
That’s why Almeida is a strong advocate of watching tapes
of his opponents. “The moment I sign on to fight an opponent,
I try to get my hands on every piece of tape, every piece of
data that I could possibly find on my opponent and just study
how they like to fight. Every chance I get to win, I want to
win.”
Jiu-jitsu
is Almeida’s core strength and appears to be Cote’s
major weakness. Cote has been submitted in two of his four losses.
While Almeida looks to exploit this, he also realizes that Cote’s
jiu-jitsu is probably better than most think. “I think Patrick
has been catching a lot of heat from his fight with Lutter. I
think his ground game is underrated. Everyone thinks that everyone
I take down, in one minute, it's going to be over. It's just
not like that. This is the UFC. At any point it could be over.”
With
the past behind him, and the future potentially very bright for
Ricardo Almeida, he plans on utilizing his entire repertoire
against Patrick Cote. “I want to test my skills against
real fighters and Patrick is one of them. I'm looking forward
to it.”
Source: MMA Weekly
|
SERRA
TALKS HUGHES: "I'M NOT LOSING TO HIM"
Following a tough loss to Georges St. Pierre at UFC 83 in April,
former welterweight champion Matt Serra has recovered from an
elbow injury he suffered in the fight and is headed back into
training to get ready for an inevitable showdown with rival Matt
Hughes.
“I
just got the clearance. I can start training again. I just started
getting back to it today,” Serra said in a recent interview
with MMAWeekly Radio. “I kind of screwed up my elbow in
the GSP fight a little bit. He took me down and I cracked him
with, I believe with either the first or second elbow I cracked
him with, I did something to my ulna nerve. It gives you a numbness
up into the hand and I severely bruised a nerve. It seems okay
now.”
It
was recently announced on his personal website that Hughes would
be rehabbing a knee injury he suffered in his last fight with
Thiago Alves. While no announcement has been made by the Ultimate
Fighting Championship, Serra is hopeful the fight with Hughes
will take place later in 2008.
“Hopefully
by the end of the year,” commented Serra. “Hopefully
by late fall. Like I said, I haven’t been able to do too
much of anything since my fight so I’m getting back in shape
now. I want two-and-a-half to three months to train for that
guy. I’m not losing to him. I don’t give a rat’s
ass, no way. Kill me first.”
Much
of the attention following Hughes’ loss to Alves was the
talk of a possible retirement, but he made it clear that he has
at least one fight left in him and that’s against Serra.
Hughes was adamant in his post-fight interview with Joe Rogan
that everyone around his house is looking forward to that match-up.
“I
heard that… ‘my wife wants that fight, my kids want
that fight,’ dude, wow, relax over there at the Hughes’
household,” Serra joked. “My wife heard that. She watched
the fight. She’s like, ‘What do you expect? That’s
somebody who’s married to Matt Hughes.’ Don’t
put my name in your mouth.
“You
know what’s funny about that though? I mean first of all,
why don’t you go put a steak on your eye before you start
calling people out dude? Relax. You get your ass kicked and all
of a sudden, well Matt Serra better come up with a game plan.
Hey dude, go tend to your eye.”
Serra
joked that he believed Hughes had the speech already written
before his fight ever started.
“I
think he had that speech set up for if he won and then he kind
of just ran with it,” he said with a laugh.
While
no one can deny that hype can help build a fight, there is definitely
a genuine dislike between Serra and Hughes and when they finally
do step into the Octagon, it’s likely to be the grudge match
of the year.
“We
don’t like each other. We don’t like each other at
all,” Serra said. “I can’t wait for the camp for
it. I can’t wait for that fight. That’s something I’m
going to put my heart and soul into."
Source: MMA Weekly
|
UFC
86: FORREST GRIFFIN IS UP TO THE CHALLENGE
Four
years ago, Forrest Griffin nearly walked away mixed martial arts.
Despite a 9-2 professional record at the time, he had pretty
much decided it was time to forego the low pay, long hours in
the gym, and battle scars.
Just
then, he got the call to join the cast of the inaugural season
of The Ultimate Fighter… and the rest is history. He and
Stephan Bonnar made it to the light heavyweight final that season
on put on an epic battle that helped to change the course of
the entire sport.
That
was April 9, 2005. Now, three years and change later, Griffin
readies himself to step into the Octagon at UFC 86 at Mandalay
Bay to face the greatest challenge of his career. He will attempt
to wrest the UFC light heavyweight championship away from fellow
Ultimate Fighter Season 7 coach and No. 1 ranked 205-pounder
in the world, Quinton “Rampage” Jackson.
He’s
not the first Ultimate Fighter alum to get a shot at a title,
but that’s not anything that worries the laid back Xtreme
Couture fighter. “I was very fortunate with The Ultimate
Fighter. A lot of guys have done it now, but I’m glad it
took as long as it did,” said Griffin in an exclusive interview
with MMAWeekly.com.
Of
his transformation from competitor to coach on the television
series that helped to launch the current rise in success that
mixed martial arts has received, Griffin delivered in his brutally
honest style that always makes you wonder if he is dead serious
or dripping with sarcasm.
“It’s
easier to tell people what to do than do it. But actually I’m
a selfish bastard. I care about me primarily. So I’d rather
be getting trained than training people,” he said.
“I
don’t lead nothing man. If we were all on a deserted island,
lost, I would not be Jack.”
In
Jackson, Griffin faces a man that is riding an impressive six-fight
winning streak, including a title-crowning win over Chuck Liddell
and a subsequent five-round defense against former Pride light
heavyweight and middleweight champ Dan Henderson.
But
Jackson is also a man whose last defeat was a knockout at the
hands of former Pride 205-Pound Grand Prix champion Mauricio
“Shogun” Rua… the same fighter that Griffin defeated
last September by submission near the end of the third round.
Shogun was widely regarded as the No. 1 light heavyweight in
the world at the time.
The
win propelled Griffin into the championship challenge of Jackson
and landed both the stint as coaches on season seven of The Ultimate
Fighter.
Now,
it’s crunch time. Yet, despite training non-stop for this
chance of a lifetime, Griffin offers little by way of predictions,
not even how he sees the fight unfolding. “I don’t
care where it goes as long as I win,” he said. Adding, “I’ll
tell you one thing, the price of gas will continue to rise.”
According
to many insiders, Wanderlei Silva – who also trains at Xtreme
Couture and holds two crushing victories over Quinton Jackson
while both were fighting for Pride – has been in Griffin’s
ear and in his face for the Ultimate Fighter alum’s training
camp for this bout. It’s something that Griffin readily
confirms and has reaped tremendous confidence from.
“Wanderlei
is just an animal… He’s not normal. You work out with
him, see him in here; he’s on his own world man. You really
got to be a specific guy with a specific skill set and specific
cardio to fight like Wanderlei. I can’t emulate his style,”
admitted Griffin, not giving any impression that he intends to
fight Wanderlei’s fight against the champion.
He
does appreciate the opportunity to train with the former Pride
champion though. “I love him as a training partner. It’s
that unchecked aggression,” said Griffin with a smile on
his face.
He
has acquired some fight advice from Wanderlei though. “The
one thing he said was immediately grab the head and throw the
knee instead of trying to set it up and make the perfect…
bam! Grab and go, start throwing, don’t sit there and let
him think about it.”
That
aggressive, in your face style, patented by Wanderlei and Shogun’s
former team, Chute Boxe, has been quite successful against Jackson.
Over the past several years, Jackson has racked up wins over
Liddell, Henderson, Ricardo Arona, Murilo Bustamante, Matt Lindland,
and several others. But in his last 15 bouts, only Wanderlei
and Shogun have cracked to the code to the current UFC light
heavyweight champ.
It’s
a promising portent for the typically aggressive Forrest Griffin,
but Wanderlei Silva won’t be in the ring with him on Saturday
night at UFC 86. It will just be him against the champ; the way
Griffin likes it.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Thomson
claims Strikeforce title from Melendez
SAN
JOSE, Calif. – Josh “The Punk” Thomson played
matador to Gilbert Melendez as the bull in avoiding and countering
the Strikeforce lightweight champion for five straight rounds
Friday. As a result, Thomson earned an across-the-board 50-45
title-winning decision Friday night at the HP Pavilion.
“It
feels awesome,” said Thomson, who was all smiles from the
moment he came to the cage until the decision was read more than
a half hour later. “It meant a lot more to me beating Gilbert
than it would have beating Clay (Guida, who defeated Thomson
two years ago in the match to create the championship). I have
a lot of respect for Gilbert. If I had lost, I’d have held
my head up high.
“But
I wasn’t going to lose,” he said. “I trained my
ass off for this fight. It was like B.J. Penn. I woke up one
day and decided to dedicate myself to the sport. I spent all
last year in the bar and had nothing to show for it but a bar
tab. I haven’t had a drink since January.”
The
battle between two fighters who once spent 18 months as training
partners saw Thomson dominate every aspect of the game. Thomson
used better footwork to land more strikes and exploded for several
takedowns late in rounds, and most effective were his kicks,
which kept Melendez out of good takedown range. Melendez, who
came into the fight ranked in the top five in the world in many
lightweight polls, fell to 14-2. It was the first time in his
career when he wasn’t either dominant or at least fought
evenly with an opponent.
Melendez,
whose specialty is staying aggressive and strong ground-and-pound,
was rocked with a hard knee up the middle when going for a first-round
takedown. After the same thing happened in the second round,
he seemed hesitant to try again. Thomson, who trained extensively
with UFC fighter Josh Koscheck, one of the best wrestlers in
MMA, was able to take Melendez down almost every time he shot.
In
the second round, Thomson started to dominate with body kicks
and jabs while standing, and then as Melendez shot for a takedown,
nailed him with another hard knee.
“I’ve
got hard bony knees, and Gilbert knew from all the time we trained
together that if he shot, he’d have to pay for it,”
Thomson said.
By
round four, Melendez seemed both tired and frustrated, as whenever
he charged in, he would get caught. Thomson, who had a 69-1 edge
when it came to kicks landing, kept using the front kick and
low kick, a strong knee to the head, and late in the round got
another takedown.
While
not a fight-of-the-year candidate, it lived up to hype as being
five rounds of action between two of the top lightweights in
the country. Thomson (15-2) almost surely will break into the
top 10 with the win.
Melendez
asked for a rematch after the fight.
“Anytime
he wants, I’ll fight him again,” Thomson said. He added
that he had hoped for Yves Edwards to beat K.J. Noons in Honolulu
two weeks ago for the Elite XC title. Edwards knocked out Thomson
in 2004, the only time Thomson has been stopped during his career.
“I
was hoping we could do title vs. title, but Yves didn’t
hold up to his end of the bargain,” said Thomson, who came
into the fight as a 3½-to-1 underdog and had complained
about not being 100 percent physically after a January shoulder
surgery and a staph infection during training.
The
main event saved what had been a lackluster show to that point
before a crowd of 7,488 fans, a healthy number with neither of
Strikeforce’s top stars, Cung Le or Frank Shamrock, on the
card.
Former
Ultimate Fighter Season 1 villain Bobby Southworth (9-5) retained
his Strikeforce light heavyweight title with a five-round decision
win over Anthony Ruiz (20-11), avenging a non-title loss last
year in a bout that nearly killed the live crowd.
The
difference between MMA and kickboxing was made clear quickly
in the MMA debut of Raymond Daniels, who had an 18-0 record as
a world champion kickboxer and is the star of Chuck Norris’
World Combat League.
Daniels
was taken down, grounded and completely dominated by Jeremiah
Metcalf (9-4) in Daniels’ MMA debut. Metcalf dominated the
first round, taking Daniels off his feet quickly and giving him
a beating on the ground. He took Daniels down again in the second
round before winning with a choke at 0:59 of the second round.
In
arguably the second-best match on the show, Misha Tate defeated
Elaina Maxwell by unanimous decision in the only women’s
match on the card.
Source: Yahoo Sports
|
Rothwell
can make statement at Affliction
To
most passengers who were hustling to their gates at Toronto’s
Pearson International Airport, the two large men eating lunch
together didn’t merit so much as a second glance.
But
those who know mixed martial arts had to do a double take when
they walked by and saw Ben Rothwell and Andrei Arlovski sharing
a quiet meal together while awaiting a flight to Chicago.
The
men meet on the July 19 Affliction card at the Honda Center in
Anaheim, Calif., in a pivotal match for each fighter.
Arlovski,
a former UFC champion, has accomplished about all there is to
accomplish in the sport. But Rothwell is on the rise and a win
over Arlovski would cement him as one of the game’s elite
heavyweights.
Still,
Rothwell, an avid cook himself, didn’t see anything unusual
about having lunch with a man he would soon be fighting.
“Andrei’s
a good guy and this it is not like we hate each other,”
Rothwell said. “It’s just a business deal.”
But
it’s the biggest business deal of Rothwell’s young
life. The 26-year-old is 29-5 in his career, but hasn’t
faced anyone with Arlovski’s combination of size, power,
athleticism and record.
Rothwell
is ranked ninth among heavyweights by the World Alliance of Mixed
Martial Arts, and 10th by Sherdog.com.
Arlovski,
by contrast, is ranked fifth by Sherdog and sixth by both WAMMA
and MMAWeekly.
Rothwell
was one of the rising stars of the International Fight League
for whom he went 9-0 . But when his contract ran out after the
IFL event in September, he never reconsidered signing with the
organization that is now on a death watch.
He
declined to fight in its inaugural Grand Prix in December and
instead watched Roy Nelson claim its heavyweight belt.
It
didn’t, however, bother him a great deal.
“I
fought for them, from September (2006) to September (2007) eight
times and I made a certain amount of money in the last fight,
with Ricco (Rodriguez),” Rothwell said. “They wanted
me to fight in the Grand Prix for only a little more money than
I had made the last time. What incentive did I have to fight
in that Grand Prix?
“My
body hurt. I gave my body up, fighting as often as I did. (IFL
commissioner) Kurt Otto was trying to talk me into it and I asked
him what incentive there was for me to do it. He said, ‘The
belt, Ben. The belt.’ All I did was laugh. The belt doesn’t
pay my mortgage.”
A
trinket he could put in his trophy case and admire for years
was the last thing Rothwell wanted. He wanted not only the compensation
that fights against elite talents like Arlovski would bring,
but also the ability to test himself against the best in the
world.
His
biggest win is over Rodriguez, a one-time UFC champion who was
past his peak when he met Rothwell in September. So Rothwell
opted to turn to Affliction, which began collecting top heavyweights
like the New York Yankees have big contracts.
“This
fight is a rite of passage for me,” said Rothwell, a hulk
of a man who once drew interest while he was in high school from
Florida State’s football program. “I’m pleased
that I’m ranked where I am, but I’ve been kind of knocking
at the door at the bottom of the top 10 for a while now.
“Fighting
for belts is pointless. A fight with a guy like Andrei does a
lot more for me. Who is to say what a belt is worth? But if I
beat a guy like Andrei, the things it can do for my career are
amazing.”
Rothwell
knows Arlovski’s game all too well. Arlovski won the UFC
title by submitting Tim Sylvia at UFC 51. But Sylvia got the
last laugh by knocking out Arlovski in the first round at the
rematch at UFC 59 and then by winning a unanimous decision in
the rubber match at UFC 61.
Rothwell
was Sylvia’s primary training partner for those bouts and
played the role of Arlovski.
“I
did study Andrei very closely so I could help Tim as best as
I could,” Rothwell said. “So I think I know what he
can do as well as anyone.”
Rothwell
isn’t the same fighter as Sylvia, who meets Fedor Emelianenko
in the card’s main event, but believes the experience emulating
Arlovski will be beneficial.
More
than anything, though, he’s excited to have hit the big
time. With highly regarded talents like Emelianenko, Sylvia and
Arlovski under contract, Affliction is offering a big opportunity
to ambitious young heavyweights such as Rothwell.
Work
through that list of fighters and you’ve instantly become
a star in the sport. He got into it by chance, after leaving
football in frustration and wandering into a gym.
He
saw fighters doing Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and got onto a mat with
a 155-pounder who was going to show him some of the moves.
Rothwell
outweighed him by more than 100 pounds, but he was shocked at
the ease with which the man could maneuver on the mat.
“He
was just showing me what you do on the ground and I realized
pretty quickly that this little guy could have kicked my butt
so quickly and so easy, and I started to go nuts,” Rothwell
said. “I just had to learn more. I’d always loved to
fight, but I never thought it would lead to this.”
Nine
years later, Rothwell is on the verge of a breakthrough into
the big time.
But
he doesn’t want to think of what a win might do for his
career just yet. He wants to focus on making sure he does win.
“You
can’t get ahead of yourself and think of the implications
(of a win) before you fight the fight,” Rothwell said. “I’m
fighting a guy who is as dangerous as anyone in the world. I’m
where I want to be now, but I can only focus on preparing for
the fight and not for all the things that would happen (with
a win).”
Source: Yahoo Sports
|
Wanderlei
Silva & his strength and conditioning coach, Rafael Alejarra
August Seminar in Honolulu
Wanderlei Silva and his strength and conditioning coach Rafael
Alejarra coming in august for a seminar in Honolulu.
The
first 50 pre-registrants get a FREE AUTOGRAPH T-SHIRT. Also you
can buy some products from his clothes line 'WAND' (http://wand.webstorm.com.br/), meet him and get
your picture and autograph.
ALL
LEVELS ARE WELCOME
MMA - $90 (3 hours)
STRENGTH and CONDITIONING - $50 (2 hours)
BOTH - $120
Don't
miss it.
INFO
/ PRE REGISTRATION - alohajiujitsu@hotmail.com / 808 - 381-3580
Source: Aloha Jiu-Jitsu
|
HFC
Stand Your Ground IX
July 11,
2008
Dole Cannery Ballrooms
|
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