Hawaii Martial Arts News & Rumors - Dedicated to Hawaii-Specific Martial Arts News & Rumors

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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)

News & Rumors

OTHER
TOPICS:

- MMAEXPO REVIEW--THE RING GIRLS, THE MERCHANDISE, THE DRAMA?

-
OTM'S PAC SUB GRAPPLING TOURNAMENT REVIEW--THE SUPERFIGHTS AND
OTHER MATCHES

- SPECIAL GUESTS: POTENTIALLY JEFF GLOVER AND MIKE FOWLER IF
THE WAKE UP, CAUSE I KNOW THEY'RE PARTYING LIKE ROCKSTARS RIGHT
NOW W/ BJJTEK. AND IF LEIF CAN COME THROUGH, JEFFFFFFF MONSONNNNNN!!!!!!!!

-UPCOMING
UFC 85 RAMPAGE VS FORREST, RICARDO ALMEIDA, JUSTIN BUCHOLZ BACK!
AND MORE!

DONT
MISS:

- THE GLACEAU CHALLENGE

FAN
LINE: 296-1500

THANKS
TO OUR SPONSORS:

-
OTM "ON THE MAT" ON BERETANIA

- GLACEAU VITAMIN ENERGY

- MUSCLE MILK

- BRIT'S AUTO BODY

-MyFantasyMMA

STRIKEFORCE
REVIEW: THOMSON TAKES TITLE

SAN JOSE, Calif. – In front of 7,488 screaming fans, San
Jose native Josh “The Punk” Thomson became the new
Strikeforce lightweight champion, dethroning former titleholder
Gilbert Melendez in dominating fashion.

Thomson
used his superior kickboxing technique to confound Melendez,
who had no answer for Thomson’s attacks on this night. Using
kicks to keep the distance, Thomson picked Melendez apart with
his hands anytime Melendez charged in to strike. When that didn’t
work for Thomson, he would take the fight to the ground and control
him.

As
the fight wore on it was clear that Melendez had been broken,
looking rather tired. That has never been the case for Melendez
in the past, who is known to have a cardio for days.

The
same scenario played out for the entire fight as Melendez simply
had nothing going for him in the fight, Thomson continually beating
him in every step of the game, whether if it was on the feet
or on the ground. Credit must be given to Melendez for hanging
tough for five rounds, but the night belonged to Thomson, who
walked away with a unanimous decision with all three judges scoring
the fight 50-45.

“I
was trying to go with the flow of the fight and see what happens,”
said Thomson after the fight.

In
a lightweight bout, undefeated prospect Billy Evangelista took
on southern California mainstay Nam Phan. After a short feeling
out process, Evangelista took the fight to the ground where he
proceeded to ground and pound Phan for the duration of the round.

The
action picked up in round two as both fighters started to trade,
Phan getting the better of the exchanges, rocking Evangelista
on several occasions. Losing on the feet, Evangelista decided
to take the fight to the ground, where he continued his ground
and pound assault, which made for a close round.

In
the final round, Phan again continued to out strike Evangelista
with crisp combinations that had him losing his mouthpiece on
several occasions. Evangelista tried to get the fight to the
ground, but Phan defended well and continued his assault on the
feet. After three close rounds, the fight was ruled a split decision
with scores of 29-28, 29-28 and 28-29 in favor of Evangelista.

Bobby
Southworth and Anthony Ruiz met for a second time, this time
with the Strikeforce light heavyweight title on the line. In
their first encounter, a non-title affair, Ruiz bested Southworth
by a doctor stoppage due to cuts. Southworth would not be denied
on this night, however, as he used a solid game plan of grounding
Ruiz and controlling him with positioning throughout the fight.
Ruiz had no answer for Southworth’s strategy. The fight
slowed down in the later rounds and the crowd began to get restless
as Southworth continued his ground domination. After five hard
rounds of fighting, Southworth walked away with a lopsided decision
with scores of 48-47, 49-46 and 50-45.

Women
stepped into the cage when Cung Le student Elaina Maxwell took
on Northwest fighter Miesha Tate. Right off the bat, Maxwell
landed an array of strikes before Tate was able to take the fight
to the ground. Towards the end of the opening round, Tate went
for an armbar and locked it on as the round ended with Mawell
looking like she tapped, but the fight continued on in round
two.

Tate
again took the fight to the ground, controlling the round from
the top and not letting Maxwell get going. Maxwell mounted a
small comeback in the final round, stopping Tate’s takedown
and getting her back. Near the end of the fight, Maxwell went
for an armbar, but it was too late. After three rounds of action,
Tate walked away with a unanimous decision with scores of 29-28
on all three scorecards.

Kickboxing
sensation Raymond Daniels made his mixed martial arts debut to
much hype against local Californian Jeremiah Metcalf. Daniels
was never able to get started as Metcalf quickly took the fight
to the ground and dominated, mounting Daniels and pounding on
him in fairly easy fashion for the entire opening round. The
second was much of the same as Metcalf continued his domination
from mount, forcing Daniels to give up his back and enabling
Metcalf to lock in the choke at 59 seconds of round two.

-Josh
Thomson def. Gilbert Melendez by Unanimous Decision, R3

-Billy Evangelista def. Nam Phan by Split Decision, R3

-Bobby Southworth def. Anthony Ruiz by Unanimous Decision, R5

-Miesha Tate def. Elaina Maxwell by Unanimous Decision, R3

-Jeremiah Metcalf def. Raymond Daniels by Submission (Rear Naked
Choke) at 0:59, R2

-Chris Cariaso def. Anthony Figueroa by Submission (Rear Naked
Choke) at 4:34, R2

-Bobby Stack def. Jose Palacios by Unanimous Decision, R3

-Brain Caraway def. Alvin Cacdac by Submission (Rear Naked Choke)
at 1:39, R1

-Cyrillo Padhillo def. Jesse Jones by Unanimous Decision, R3

-Jorge Interiano def. Travis Johnson by TKO (Doctor's Stoppage)
at 3:00, R2

-Alexander Trivino def. Eric Jacob by Submission (Armbar) at
0:37, R1

Source: MMA Weekly

CUNG
LE LIKELY TO FIGHT AGAIN IN 2008

Speculation has been running rampant lately about the future
of Strikeforce middleweight champion Cung Le, and whether his
current run as an actor in Hollywood could hinder his desire
to return to compete in mixed martial arts.

Strikeforce
vice president Mike Afromowitz, during an appearance on MMAWeekly
Radio on Wednesday, said the promotion expects the champ back
after he finishes the films, while maintaining their support
for Le’s desire to pursue a second career in acting.

“Cung’s
going to be a movie star,” said Afromowitz about the promotion’s
middleweight champion. “He’s going to be in the film
adaptation of the video game Tekken, and he’s playing ‘Marshall
Law’ in that, and then he’s got another movie coming
out with Dennis Quaid, so he’s busy in Hollywood right now.”

The
film he’s set to star in with Quaid is a science fiction
thriller called “Pandorum,” which will start filming
this summer in Berlin, Germany according to Bloody-Disgusting.com

Cung
Le last fought when he defeated former Strikeforce middleweight
champion Frank Shamrock in March 2008. Since that time, fans
have been clamoring for his return to action. Regardless of the
time off, Afromowitz was adamant about his return.

“He’ll
be back in the gym. He’s still training, and he’ll
be back at it,” he stated.

Afromowitz
also mentioned the possibility of different opponents for Le
in his next fight, ranging from a rematch with Shamrock to a
showdown with a top ranked middleweight.

“You
know, it’s a possibility he might wind up fighting (Kazuo)
Misaki, who we were hoping he’d fight last November, but
there was scheduling conflicts on Misaki’s side, so it didn’t
happen,” Afromowitz commented on potential opponents. “Misaki’s
a fighter that we recently signed, so Cung may wind up fighting
him or he may just go back and fight Frank (Shamrock) again for
his next fight, but he’ll be back.”

As
previously mentioned, Le’s next movie project is set to
begin filming over the next few months, but Strikeforce executives
are expecting him to fight again in 2008.

“I
think he’ll fight one more fight before the end of this
year,” stated Afromowitz.

Fans
will also have to wait to see Le’s role in Tekken as well
because the film is not slated to hit theatres until sometime
in 2009.

Source: MMA Weekly

Diaz-Sakurai
for DREAM title may happen on Sept. 23

The DREAM welterweight title bout between Nick Diaz and Hayato
"Mach" Sakurai may happen on September 23 at DREAM
6 in Saitama, Japan.

Sakurai
posted on his blog Thursday that the fight has been postponed
until DREAM 6.

DREAM
had wanted Diaz and Sakurai to fight for the belt on July 21
at DREAM 5, but EliteXC needed Diaz for the second CBS event
on July 26, which will take place in Diaz's hometown of Stockton,
California. Diaz will face Thomas Denny.

Diaz
earned a shot at becoming the first-ever DREAM welterweight champion
when he stopped former King of Pancrase Katsuya Inoue at DREAM
4 in May.

Since
Diaz also appears to be headed towards a rematch against KJ Noons
for the EliteXC lightweight belt, the Sakurai fight at DREAM
6 is not set in stone.

DREAM
6 is the final round of the Middleweight Grand Prix. Ronaldo
"Jacare" de Souza, Gegard Mousasi, Zelg Galesic and
Melvin Manhoef are the remaining participants in the tournament.

Source: MMA Weekly

BROCK
LARSON TALKS PRATER & ALESSIO

These are interesting times for World Extreme Cagefighting welterweight
contender Brock Larson.

Just
under a year ago, he had his nine-fight winning streak broken
by WEC champ Carlos Condit. Quickly rebounding with a win over
Troy Allison to close out the year, Larson looked to make his
case for a return match with Condit in 2008.

In
something of a grudge match set up by disparaging comments made
by John Alessio towards Larson’s legitimacy as a title contender,
Larson came out on top when Alessio was flagged for an illegal
knee strike, ending their bout. Shortly thereafter a scuffle
broke out between the two and the war of words has continued
to rage on from Alessio.

Amidst
the controversy and verbal jabs, Larson has remained focused
and recently signed to face fellow former title contender Carlo
Prater at the upcoming WEC 35 event on Aug. 3 at the Hard Rock
Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.

“I
think it’s a good match-up for myself,” said Larson
of his pending match-up. “Prater’s tough, but I think
I match up well against anybody. It should be a good night for
me.”

Like
Larson, Prater is currently riding a two-fight winning streak
after being submitted in his title shot by Carlos Condit.

With
Alessio out of the promotion, there’s a very good chance
that the winner of the Aug. 3 bout could become the top contender
for the welterweight title, to be defended that same evening
by Condit against Hiromitsu Miura, who will be moving down from
middleweight for the fight.

“(A
title shot is) what I’m looking for. As long as the fight
goes well and there isn’t no weird stuff that goes on, like
the last Alessio fight,” said Larson. “That’s
the plan – to fight Condit by the end of the year.”

Speaking
of Alessio, Larson says he has moved on and has no interest in
further confrontation, verbal or otherwise with him.

“I’ve
moved on right away. Unfortunately Alessio can’t figure
it out,” he stated. “It’s one of those things
where it happens, and I’ve moved on and I’m ready for
my next fight and am looking forward.

“I’ve
got thick skin, so it takes more than someone like that to get
me worked up. I’m just staying focused and training for
Prater.”

Even
though he has amassed an impressive 23-2 record over his six-year
fight career, Larson still feels there is something left to prove,
and the chip on his shoulder can only be remedied with championship
gold.

“After
everybody sees me on national TV take out Prater, and then move
onto the title fight and redeem my loss, it will open everybody’s
eyes,” he exclaimed.

“You
want to be the best and fight the best, and this is the way to
go. Just keep winning and get to where you want to be and beat
the world champion, whoever it may be.”

In
just a few short weeks, Larson may just earn his opportunity
to exorcize his demons and lay claim to not just a belt, but
also the recognition of being one of the best in the world at
170 pounds.

“Tune
in Aug. 3; it’s going to be a great card,” he closed
out. “The WEC is awesome; it’s where it’s at for
exciting fights. So tune in and watch me destroy Prater –
it’s going to be fireworks.”

Source: MMA Weekly

WC
FITNESS: GENERALLY SPEAKING

I
recently received an email from a trainee who had bought my workout
programs. He wanted to know if the workouts I'd designed would
help him increase his kicking and punching power, as he trained
in only kickboxing. (He's from Holland, and there isn't much,
if any, MMA to be had there.)

The
answer to his question was pretty simple, "Absolutely they'll
help you increase your kicking and punching power."

Now,
the reason for this is two-fold. First, because the workout programs
I design and sell are kick-ass. (he he) Second, because while
the programs I design are kick ass, they are designed with "general"
strength and conditioning goals in mind, not specific ones.

S&C
training is really just a form of what is called GPP - General
Physical Preparedness. What is GPP? GPP is essentially, in a
very general sense, overall physical preparedness. How strong
are you? How fast are you? How powerful are you? How is your
muscular-endurance? What about your cardiovascular endurance?
What about your agility? What about your work capacity? (And
the list could go on.)

None
of this measures directly into your MMA training, nor how strong/powerful/conditioned/etc.
you are at certain elements of MMA. All GPP is, is how ready
you are overall.

Think
of it this way, say you're trying to build a building that is
very tall. GPP is part of that foundation. It makes your game
strong (like a strong foundation can make a building strong),
but by stacking it high, it can give you a higher point to start
from. That is sort of what GPP can do.

We've
all heard the debates of "strength vs. technique."
Why everybody thinks it has to be one or the other astounds me.
Why not have BOTH? But anyway... Say you're fighting a guy with
very little technique. Now, say that guy is just your average
person. He's nothing extraordinary from a physcal perspective.
And say that armbars are your specialty. This guy has rolled
once or twice, but very little. Are you going to have a tough
time armbarring him? Probably not. You should be able to secure
it very quickly.

Now,
let's say that your opponent, instead of your average person,
is multi-time World's Strongest Man Mariusz Pudzianowski. Do
you think you're going to go right in and armbar him? Highly
unlikely. The guy is just too damn strong. Now, can you grapple
with him some, try to wear him out, wait until he makes a mistake,
leaving that arm wide open, and then sink on the armbar? Sure
you can. Even then will it work? Probably, but with how strong
and powerful a guy like Pudzianowski is, it's going to take some
amazing technique to do it.

Now,
let's add another twist to the equation. Say – all other
things equal – that you were three times as strong and powerful
as you are now. Everything else is the same: your level of technique
is the same, your conditioning, your size, everything about Pudz,
etc. (I know, it's not rational, but just humor me for a minute.)
Do you think you'd have such a tough time armbarring him? I highly
doubt it. Why? Because your technique has just become that much
more effective with superior strength.

Let's
look at a non-MMA example. Steroids have become a major issue
in baseball in recent years. What was one of the big things that
drew this attention? All the home runs being hit. How are these
guys hitting so many more home runs? Because they're just that
much stronger. They're swings (i.e. technique) are the same.
They're probably still going after the same type(s) of pitches.
And the pitching is relatively still the same. So how are they
hitting so many more out of the park?

Easy,
with the increased strength, the ball goes further. Before, they
only had the strength to (let's say) average a 300-foot shot
with less than optimal technique. That's a fly-out in many parks.
But now, with all that added strength, the exact same swing on
the same pitch is sending the ball 340-350 feet. That fly-out
just became a home run.

Well,
that's the kind of effect that increased strength (as well as
power, conditioning, and all other aspects of GPP) can have on
your MMA.

Now
take note - we're not talking about specifically designed exerices
for MMA (that would consitute SPP or Specific Physical Preparedness,
a subject for another article). This isn't finding a way train
the specific muscles you use when you shoot in for a takedown,
in the same motion(s) when you shoot in for a takedown.

Rather,
this is about getting your squat higher. Making your legs more
powerful. Increasing your relative strength and power (i.e. strength/power
to bodyweight ratio) so that you can move your body quicker.
What all this does is not to instantly make your shoots quicker,
but rather to give you the potential for quicker shoots.

So,
once you have this increased GPP, how do you apply it to your
MMA (or in the case of the email I got, kickboxing)? By doing
your skills training. Hitting the gym and drilling and rolling
and sparring. This will make you a better mixed martial artist.
As they say, "skills pay the bills."

Having
more powerful legs won't (necessarily) in and of itself, give
you better shoots. But drilling takedown attempts with more powerful
legs will.

Increase
your GPP, and increase your overall physical abilities and capabilities.
You'll find yourself a better mixed martial artist because of
it.

Train
Hard, Rest Hard, Play Hard.

Source: MMA Weekly

6/29/08

Quote
of the Day

"As
we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest

appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them."

John Fitzgerald Kennedy

Pacific
Submission Grappling Championships

June 27-30, 2008

Blaisdell Exhibition Hall

Open to all Men, Women and Kids 5-14 & Juniors 15-17 years
old.

Neil Blaisdell Exhibition Center, Honolulu, HI

Friday, Saturday & Sunday June 27-29, 2008

Saturday
Matches Results

Rafael Lovato Jr. (Saulo Ribeiro) def. Niko Vitale (808 Fight
Factory) via choke

Jeff
Glover (Paragon) def. Kyle Sukehira (Kamole Jiu-Jitsu) via points
(4-2)

Cindy "Sleeper" Hales (Gracie Barra Seattle) def. Gabriela
"Gabi" Bermudez (Gracie Humaita)

via points (6-2)

Mike
Fowler (LIMAA) def. Marcus Silva (American Top Team) via cross
choke from the mount

Sunday
Matches

Jeff "The Snowman" Monson (ATT) vs. Abraham "Kumu"
Cambra (Grappling Unlimited)

Simpson
Go (Cobra Kai) vs. Luke Hacker (Longman)

Scott
Bieri (Cobra Kai) vs. Joel Tudor (BJJ Revolution)

Come
out and watch some of the world's best ground fighters roll.

Fees:

*(Must Pre-Register on or before June 25th at www.grapplingtournaments.com or by mail for these
prices)

*Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Championships – Saturday June 28th
- Men, Women & Juniors - $50

*No Gi Submission Grappling – Sunday June 29th - Men, Women
& Juniors - $50

**BOTH events for ONLY $75**

*1 day Spectator ticket: $10 (must purchase online or $20 a day)
2 day spectator ticket: $15 (must purchase online or $20 a day)

Pre-Registration
Enrollment (3 options):

1) Mail a signed Registration Form along with a money order or
check made payable to:

GTA Tournaments - Mail to: 17424 Beach Blvd., Huntington Beach,
CA 92647 Note: postmarked no later than Monday June 23rd)

2)
Register online: grapplingtournaments.com (Note: Online registration
must be completed by Wednesday June 25th) or at OTM Fight Shop
(Pre-Registration must be completed by Wednesday June 25th)

3)
Night before or day of Registration: $20 late fee will apply

Show up to either weigh-in time to register.

Weigh-Ins
(2 options):

Either OTM Fight Shop or Tournament Location. Note: There will
be no weight allowance. If an athlete is within 3 pounds of their
weigh class they will have until an hour and a half before their
scheduled division to make weight.

Option
1: Day before Weigh-ins will beFriday, June 27th, 2008 between
12pm - 6pmat OTM Fight Shop:

1255 S. Beretania St. Honolulu, HI 92647 (808) 591-6620

Option
2: Day of Weigh-ins you can also weigh-in the day you compete
1 hour 30 minutes before your scheduled cut off time at the tournament
location. Complete information is available at grapplingtournaments.com

For
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and/or No-Gi Submission Grappling Divisions

Morning of the event before your divisions scheduled deadline
time at the tournament location. See schedule below for deadline
times. (Anyone arriving after deadline will be penalized an additional
$20 if the division has not started yet.)

Note: This is the earliest a division will be called. It does
not necessarily reflect the actual fight time.

Brazilian
Jiu-Jitsu Divisions run on Saturday

*(Must be weighed in and ready to compete by listed weigh-in
times)*

Kids all divisions (5-10 & 11-14): Weigh in before 9am -
Compete at 10am

Juniors all divisions (15-17): Weigh in before 10:00am - Compete
at 11:30am

White Belt Executive & Masters: Weigh-in before 9am - Compete
at 10am

White Belt Adult: Weigh-in before 9am. Compete at 11am

Blue Belt Executives & Masters: Weigh-in before 11am. Compete
at 1pm

Blue Belt Adult: Weigh-in before 11am. Compete at 2 pm

Women all divisions: Weigh-in before 1 pm. Compete at 3 pm

Purple Belt Executive & Masters: Weigh-in before 2 pm. Compete
at 4 pm

Purple Belt Adult: Weigh-in before 2 pm. Compete at 4 pm

Brown & Black Belt: Weigh-in before 2 pm. Compete at 4:30
pm

Schedule
For No-Gi Submission Grappling Divisions on Sunday:

Kids all divisions (5-10 & 11-14): Weigh in before 9am -
Compete at 10am

Juniors all divisions (15-17): Weigh in before 9:30am - Compete
at 11:30am

Beginner Executive & Masters: Weigh-in before 9am - Compete
at 10am

Beginner Adult: Weigh-in before 9:30 am - Compete at 11:30am

Advanced Executives & Masters: Weigh-in before 11:00am -
Compete at 1:30pm

Advanced Adult: Weigh-in before 11:30am - Compete at 2pm

Women all divisions: Weigh-in before 1pm - Compete at 2:30pm

Intermediate Executives and Masters: Weigh-in before 1pm - Compete
at 3pm

Intermediate Adult: Weigh-in before 1:30pm - Compete at 3:30pm

Coaches:

Coaches will be required to check-in online or by phone and provide
a list of registered students to receive credentials. STRICTLY
ENFORCED! Email director@grapplingtournaments.com or call (714) 847-6787
for credentials.

Brazilian
Jiu-Jitsu Championship Division & Rules • Saturday June
28th

BJJ
Skill Levels:

Men
& Women: White Belt, Blue Belt, Purple Belt, Brown Belt &
Black Belt

Kids
(8-14) & Juniors (15-17 years): White, Yellow, Orange &
Green Belt

Length
of BJJ Matches:

White:
5 minutes

Blue:
6 minutes

Purple:
7 minutes

Brown:
8 minutes

Black:
10 Minutes

Juniors:
4 minutes

Executive
(30-39) / Masters (40+): White/Blue belts 4 minutes • Purple/Brown
belts 6min • Black belts 7 minutes

Male
Adult BJJ Weight Classes: (Note: Weigh-in WITHOUT uniform)

Rooster:
121lbs. and below

Super
Feather: 122-134 lbs.

Feather:
135-147 lbs.

Light:
148-160 lbs.

Middle:
161-174 lbs.

Light-Heavy:
174-187 lbs.

Heavy:
188-202 lbs.

Super-Heavy:
203-221 lbs.

Unlimited:
221 lbs. and over

Juniors
(13-17) BJJ Weight Classes:

Lightweight:
114.9 lbs. and below

Welterweight:
115-129.9 lbs.

Middleweight:
130-149.9 lbs.

Cruiserweight:
150-169.9 lbs.

Heavyweight:
170 lbs. and over

Women's
BJJ Weight Classes:

Class
A: 119.9 lbs and below

Class
B: 120-134.9 lbs.

Class
C: 135-149.9 lbs.

Class
D: 150 lbs. and over

Women's
Absolute: Open Weight, Open Skill

Executive
& Masters BJJ Weight Classes:

Lightweight:
159.9 lbs and below

Middleweight:
160-179.9 lbs.

Cruiserweight:
180-199.9 lbs.

Heavyweight:
200 lbs. and over

BJJ
Point System:

Takedown:
2 points

Knee
on Belly: 2 points

Sweep
or Reversal w/ legs: 2 points

Passing
Opponent's Guard: 3 points

Mounted
Position: 4 points

Back
Control w/ Hooks: 4 points

(All
positions must be held for 3 full seconds)

BJJ
Illegal Techniques:

White
Belt, Blue belt, Executives and Masters: No Leg Locks EXCEPT
Straight Ankle Lock. No Neck or Cervical Cranks, Wrist Locks,
Slamming or Slicers.

Purple
- Black: No Twisting Leg locks EXCEPT Inside Toe Hold, No Neck
or Cervical Cranks or Slamming.

Submission
Grappling Divisions & Rules • Sunday June 29th

Skill
Levels:

Beginner:
Under 2 years

Intermediate:
2 years to 4 years

Advanced:
More than 4 years

Kids
& Juniors: Beginner = Less than 18 months • Advanced
= 18 months or greater

Women:
Beginner = Less than 18 months • Advanced = 18 months or
greater

Executive:
30-39 years – Beginner = Less than 18 months • Advanced
= 18 months or greater

Masters:
Over 40 years - Beginner = Less than 18 months • Advanced
= 18 months or greater

Length
of No-Gi Matches:

Beginner:
4 minutes

Intermediate:
5 minutes

Advanced:
6 minutes

Kids
& Juniors: 4 minutes

Women:
Beginner = 4 minutes • Advanced = 6 minutes

Executive/Masters:
Beginner = 4 minutes • Advanced = 5 minutes

Men's
No-Gi Weight Classes:

Flyweight:
139.9 lbs. and below

Featherweight:
140-149.9 lbs.

Lightweight:
150-159.9 lbs.

Welterweight:
160-169.9 lbs.

Middleweight:
170-179.9 lbs.

Cruiserweight:
180-189.9 lbs.

Light-Heavyweight:
190-199.9 lbs.

Heavyweight:
200-209.9 lbs.

Superweight:
210 lbs. and over

Children’s
No-Gi Weight Classes:

*Rough
guideline. Youth will be matched as closely as possible.*

Bantamweight:
50 lbs. and below

Flyweight:
50-59.9 lbs.

Featherweight:
60-69.9 lbs.

Lightweight:
70-79.9 lbs.

Welterweight:
80-94.9 lbs.

Middleweight:
94-109.9 lbs.

Cruiserweight:
110-124.9 lbs.

Heavyweight:
124 lbs. and over

Kids
& Juniors No-Gi Weight Classes:

Lightweight:
114.9 lbs. and below

Welterweight:
115-129.9 lbs.

Middleweight:
130-149.9 lbs.

Cruiserweight:
150-169.9 lbs.

Heavyweight:
170 lbs. and over

Women's
No-Gi Weight Classes:

Class
A: 119.9 lbs and below

Class
B: 120-134.9 lbs.

Class
C: 135-149.9 lbs.

Class
D: 150 lbs. and over

Women's
Absolute: Open Weight, Open Skill

Executive
& Masters No-Gi Weight Classes:

Lightweight:
159.9 lbs and below

Middleweight:
160-179.9 lbs.

Cruiserweight:
180-199.9 lbs.

Heavyweight:
200 lbs. and over

No-Gi
Point System:

Takedown
landing in Half or Full Guard: 2 points

Takedown
to Side Control or Mount: 3 points

Sweep
or Reversal w/ legs: 2 points

Passing
Opponent's Guard: 3 points

Mounted
Position: 4 points

Back
Control w/ Hooks: 4 points

(All
positions must be held for minimum 3 seconds)

No-Gi
Illegal Techniques:

Beginner,
Novice, Executive & Masters Divisions: No Leg Locks EXCEPT
Straight Ankle Lock. No Neck or Cervical Cranks, Wrist Locks,
Slamming or Slicers.

Intermediate:
No Twisting Leg locks EXCEPT Inside Toe Hold, No Neck or Cervical
Cranks, Wrist Locks, Slamming or Slicers.

Advanced:
No Slamming

Detailed
Rules:

The
object of the competition is to control and submit your opponent.

Ways
to win:

1)
Causing your opponent to physically or verbally tapout or quit
by using a technique within the guidelines of the rules in each
set division. (All competitors must be aware of dangerous techniques
and know how to tapout.)

2)
Highest score at end of regulation time period or overtime.

3)
Referee Stoppage

1.
Hygiene: At weigh-ins all competitors will be checked for communicable
diseases, not limited to but including ring-worm, staph, herpes
and impetigo.

2.
Tie Breakers: There will be a one minute overtime in the event
of a draw. At the end of the 1 minute overtime if the were no
points scored it will immediately turn to sudden death in which
the first point scored gets the victory. The stalling rule will
be enforced with ZERO tolerance in overtime. The referee will
give 2 warnings and you will be deducted -1 point and given the
loss if you do not go after the victory.

3.
No Stalling: The referee will issue warning for the 1st offense
of stalling (i.e. backing out of the guard without engaging,
butt scooting, fleeing the ring to avoid takedown/submission
attempts). The 2nd offense will result in a 2 point deduction.
A 3rd offense will result in a 3 point deduction. A 4th offense
will result in a DQ.

4.
Leg Locks: Leg Locks are ILLEGAL in all kids, masters, executive,
and novice divisions. Straight ankle locks are legal for Beginner.
Straight ankle, inside figure four toe holds, straight knee bars
and calf slicers are legal for Intermediate. , All leg locks
are legal in the Advanced Men’s division. Note: Reaping
(crossing you leg across your opponents body while attacking
a foot) is illegal in all divisions except Intermediate and advanced
adult.

5.
Illegal Techniques in all divisions: No strikes, biting, eye
gouging (includes chin to eye), head butting, small join manipulation
(finger and toe locks), hair pulling, or ear pulling, neck cranks.

6.
Slamming: ZERO tolerance on slamming. This is to avoid slamming
to escape the guard and various submissions from the guard. A
competitor will be immediately disqualified NOTE - Takedowns
are not considered slamming, unless intent to injure is determined
by the referee.

7.
Neck Cranks and Twister: Neck cranks and Twister (wrestling guillotine)
are only legal in the advanced division. Intermediate division
may use the Twister setup to execute the banana split or calf
slicer.

8.
Takedowns and control: Any position must be held for a MINUMUM
of 3 full seconds before points will be awarded. If you take
your opponent down and Mount him you would receive 3 points for
the take down AFTER 3 seconds AND then 3 more seconds for the
4 point mount. Therefore you must maintain the position for 3
seconds per set of points. Guard pass points are established
when the opponent’s shoulders are flat on the ground and
your legs are completely clear of their legs. If you go from
standing to a guys back with BOTH his knees on the ground for
3 full seconds you receive 2 points for reversal.

9.
Sweeps/Reversals: Reversal of position points are given when
one opponent reverses from the bottom to the top position and
maintained for a full three seconds. The reversal has to be used
from your guard or in the immediate transition of someone passing
your guard. For example if you’re passing my guard and I
IMMEDIATELY put you on your back I receive reversal points. Note:
Rolling someone over when you are mounted or in side control
is an escape not a reversal.

10.
No-Gi Attire: board shorts, fight shorts, singlets, or Gi pants
are required. Rash guards, t-shirts, tank tops, Wrestling shoes,
knee pads (non-medal braces), headgear, cups and mouth pieces
are optional.

11.
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Attire: A clean solid colored uniform is
required to compete in the BJJ Division. Uniform Jacket must
have a four finger space at cuff and sleeves within 3” of
wrist. Pants must be within 3” of ankles.

12.
Code of Conduct: We will be enforcing a zero tolerance rule on
disrespecting, threatening with physical violence, or verbally
abusing referees or staff at any time before, during or after
the event. If any spectator, coach or competitor threatens or
abuses the referee in any shape or form, they will be escorted
out of the building.

For
Rules Packet and Regeistration form please email us at:

hawaii@otmfightshop.com

Online
regestration will be avaliable after May 18th at

www.grapplingtournaments.com

Online
Regestration now open at:

http://www.grapplingtournaments.com/platnew/index.php

Pre-Regestratoin
ends Wednesday June 25th.

Jiu-Jitsu
to invade New York

IBJJF announces No-Gi Pan-Am

Another
proof that Jiu-Jitsu doesn’t stop growing in the United
States. Traditionally concentrated in California, the biggest
gi events (Worlds and Pan-American) will now have the company
of a “cousin” on the East Coast. The International
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation (IBJFF) has just announced the
creation of the No-Gi Pan-American Jiu-Jitsu Championship.

The
competition is scheduled for the 8th of October, and will be
held at the traditional New York City College.

The promoters’ expectation is for the no-gi Pan to attain
the same success as the no-gi Worlds, whose second edition is
set for the 9th and 10th of August, in Carson, California.

Stay
tuned for more information on the No-Gi Pan-American.

Source: Gracie Magazine

Silva
Agrees to Fight Kharitonov

By Kelsey Mowatt

According
to a representative with American Top Team, the camp’s heavyweight
Antonio Silva, has agreed verbally to fight Pride veteran Sergei
Kharitonov at Elite XC’s upcoming July 26th card in Stockton,
California. The bout, which would be for the promotion’s
vacant heavyweight title, would be aired during Showtime’s
portion of the card, which will begin at 8:00PM ET/PT. The remainder
of the card will be broadcast on CBS beginning at 9:00.

The
bout also awaits approval from the California State Athletic
Commission. Last summer Silva was not cleared to fight at a K-1
Hero’s event in the state because pre-fight tests revealed
the existence of a pituitary gland tumor. The ATT representative
informed FCF today that they do not expect having any problems
clearing Silva to fight; Silva has had corrective surgery and
recent MRI results have all come back clear. The source furthered
that they expect the bout to be confirmed soon, possibly later
this week.

Silva
(10-1) has won all three of his bouts competing for Elite XC
thus far; most recently the 6’4 fighter worked his way to
a Split Decision victory over Ricco Rodriguez at Elite XC “Street
Certified” in February.

Kharitonov
(15-3) has not fought since last September, when he stopped the
veteran Alistair Overeem in the first round with strikes at a
K-1 Hero’s event. The win avenged a previous, February,
2006, TKO loss the Russian fighter had to Overeem at Pride 31.

Some
of the other bouts scheduled for the July 26th card include;
Elite XC Middleweight Champion Robbie Lawler vs. Scott Smith,
Jake Shields vs. Nick Thompson for the promotion’s vacant
welterweight belt, and Thomas Denny vs. Nick Diaz.

Source: Full Contact Fighter

Two
bouts added to August 3 WEC event

The WEC has announced the first two non-title bouts to its Versus-televised
card on August 3 at the Joint in Las Vegas.

Undefeated with none of the wins by way of decision, Brian Bowles
(5-0) out of Athens, Georgia will compete in a bantamweight contest
against Damacio Page (9-3), a "TapouT" featured fighter
out of Greg Jackson's camp in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

In
a featherweight bout between two young fighters looking to avoid
a second career loss, 21-year-old Micah Miller (9-1) out of the
American Top Team will square off against Josh Grispi (10-1),
a 19-year-old coming off a submission win at WEC 32 over UFC
veteran Mark Hominick.

The
three previously announced bouts were for titles: Jamie Varner
vs. Marcus Hicks, Brian Stann vs. Steve Cantwell, and Carlos
Condit vs. Hiromitsu Miura.

Current
WEC 35 Card:

155
lbs. | Jamie Varner vs. Marcus Hicks (Title)

205 lbs. | Brian Stann vs. Steve Cantwell (Title)

170 lbs. | Carlos Condit vs. Hiromitsu Miura (Title)

135 lbs. | Brian Bowles vs. Damacio Page

145 lbs. | Micah Miller vs. Josh Grispi

Source: MMA Fighting

Pedro
Rizzo

By Guilherme Cruz

"I am going to face Josh and, if I win, I am going to try
to be even more competitive"

Considered one of the greatest heavyweights of all time at the
MMA, Pedro Rizzo went through a bad phase and now is fighting
again to be among the 10 best heavyweights in the world. His
chance to return to the top will be on July 19, when he will
face the fourth fighter of the world at the weight, Josh Barnett,
at the event Affliction. To make it happen, the athlete is training
heavy and received in the last week the help of his teacher,
Marco Ruas, who was in visiting his family. Below an exclusive
interview with Pedro Rizzo, who talks about his training and
hopes at the new American event.

What
is you expectation to this fight at Affliction?

I expect more than anything to win…I am expecting a lot
from the event, everybody has tough fights, very hard bouts.
I am training a lot to succeed inside the ring.

What
will be your tactics at the fight against Josh Barnett?

I am training everything with a team that since a long time I
don’t have it. I have 12, 13 heavyweights , good wrestlers,
good on the ground, good at stand up…I am well in all the
three skills. Josh is also complete, so I don’t know. I
am going to try to take advantage from the stand up and, if we
go to the ground that I already had putted some good blows. Josh
is versatile, He improves a lot his stand up and he is very well.
At Wrestling he has good take downs and his ground everybody
knows, he tries the leg-lock, so I am working on that.

Do
you believe if you defeat Barnett you will return to the top
10?

Josh is the fourth at the ranking and I am very happy. What motivate
me more is to could compete among the best and josh is one of
the bests. I don’t know if a possible win could let me be
among the top 10, I am happy to face a top 10. I am going to
the ring and make my fight. Many people say that I am passing
through a bad phase, saying that I should stop…I am training
hard and who is training with me and my family is supporting
me and I will try. I am going to face Josh and, if I win, I am
going to try to be even more competitive.

This
is a new event at …What do you expect from him?

I hope it succeed. The event is great, there is another one schedule
for October. Me and most of the fighters signed for three bouts.
I hope the audience answer at the pay-per-view and pack the arena
so we could have others events. They made the right thing putting
the best card of the year, the best heavyweight fighters. The
only one that is out is Rodrigo Minotauro, that is at the UFC.
I think it will be the best event of the year, they are working
really hard and I hope the work keep been donning.

How
were trainings? Marco Ruas came specially to train with you?

Marcos is already going back…he came to visit his family
and got surprised. He was worried with my train but after that
he said I am with a very good staff, that he had never saw as
many heavyweights as he saw here. He help at my trains and I
got more confident. Now is everything right, everything is going
fine and I am having time to train. I know since two months ago
who is my opponent and everything is going 100%.

When
are you going to board?

I must go two weeks before because there is very hot and drier
than here. I am going to train there to adapt myself with Los
Angeles weather.

What
do you expect from the others Brazilians at the event?

I want everybody to win. I want that every Brazilian win. The
first one to fight is Vitor ( Belfort ), I hope he win. Then
is going to be Rogério (Minotouro), then (Renato) Babalú,
(Fábio) Negção and then me. I hope everybody
win to show that is the MMA biggest power.

UFC
wants to make an edition on the same day…

Yeah... I wrote at TATAME… UFC is bothered, it saw a card
like this and saw that it is a competitor, and as all big company
wants to finish with their competitors. This is good to the sport
and good to the athletes. Affliction sold in one or two weeks
half of the tickets and it’s an event with fights that nobody
wants to loose. I don’t know which will be UFC card but
this from Affliction is hard to break.

What
do you expect from Minotauro vs. Frank Mir?

Minotauro wins. Mir best skill is the strongest skill from Minotauro.
Everybody says Mir ground is good but Minota is better. I can’t
see Mir defeating Minotauro. Rodrigo has Boxing, has attitude,
more will, search more the fight and his ground is better. The
fight is better for Rodrigo, not just because he is Brazilian
and a friend but for all he already done at MMA. Mir is not going
to be a problem to him.

Source: Tatame

Sin
City Sentinel: Hughes' Court Case Dismissed

by Mike Sloan

A
battery and assault lawsuit filed against former UFC welterweight
champion Matt Hughes (Pictures) in Clark County District Court
was dismissed by plaintiff Jed Leist on June 16 after the parties
settled out of court.

The
case, which also cited intentional infliction of emotional distress,
false imprisonment and negligence from Hughes, was filed on March
28, 2007, and scheduled to go before a jury trial on June 30.

According
to court documents, the alleged altercation occurred "on
or about" October 13, 2006 inside the Mandalay Bay Resort
and Casino following UFC 64 "Unstoppable."

The
suit contended Hughes and/or other unnamed defendants "grabbed
and placed" Leist in a hold "as to cause injury and
damage." Hughes' actions were "unwanted, not consented
or authorized," by the plaintiff and inflicted "over
his protests," stated the documents.

Prior
to the dismissal, Leist was seeking damages in excess of $10,000
per each charge plus attorney's fees and additional expenses
due to "severe humiliation, mental anguish and emotional
distress."

The
suit also claimed Leist was both partially and permanently disabled
from the alleged assault.

Multiple
attempts to reach Hughes, Leist, and their representation by
telephone and email were not answered.

An
anonymous source in the fight community who was not an eyewitness
to the incident told Sherdog.com that Leist approached Hughes
and asked the wrestler to put him in a rear-naked choke for a
photo.

According
to the source, Hughes obliged Leist's requests for him to tighten
the choke "for realism" and forced Leist to tap out.
Hughes then walked away, though Leist appeared to be nearly choked
unconscious.

Source: Sherdog

Filho
analyses Anderson among the Light Heavyweights

By Guilherme Cruz

WEC
Middleweight Champion, Pulão Filho commented the change
that his friend, Anderson Silva, UFC same weight category champion
made to face James Irvin at the UFC Fight Night 14 on July 19.
“I think this is the right thing. He has all the conditions
to be champion at this category too, to have two belts, I think
this is great. This is the normal tendency. He is heavier, stronger
and is losing a lot of weight to fight. He put on a lot of weight
and the situation is going to get complicated to the North-Americans.
Financially this is going to be good to his career also”,
commented Paulão that doesn’t believe that Anderson
will have problems at his new weight category. “He already
fought at Pride at the 93kg category and this is the way. He
really has al the conditions to be the champion. I can’t
see nobody to defeat him” said the champion, which will
return to the octagon to defend his title on September to face
Chael Sonnen.

Source: Tatame

Tanner
says he may consider retirement

Former UFC middleweight champion Evan Tanner may consider retirement
if problems with his health persist.

"I’ve
been having some serious health problems for a while now,"
Tanner wrote on his Spike TV blog today. "They’ve caused
me some problems in my daily life and have seriously affected
my training. I obviously haven’t been the same guy in the
ring."

In
the follow-up to his loss in March to Yushin Okami, in which
Tanner was returning from a two-year competitive absence, Tanner
took on season three winner Kendall Grove last Saturday at "The
Ultimate Fighter 7" finale. Tanner had difficulty with the
younger and more lengthier opponent and lost the split decision.

Tanner
compiled a remarkable record of 31-4 from April 1997 up to his
UFC title win in February 2005, but has gone 1-4 since. If he
sees himself as a shadow of his former self, Tanner says he is
unwilling to keep his fight career going.

"I’m
going to be taking a little time off to see a doctor. If we can’t
get this health issue figured out, I’m done, I’m retiring.
I don’t want to step back into the Octagon unless I’m
100%, and I can give the fans the type of fight they deserve
to see."

Fortunately,
Tanner is optimistic, saying "I don't see it coming to that
though. Tomorrow I'm hopping on the bike, and riding up to Oregon
to visit the good doctor. I've got a good feeling about things."

Source: MMA Fighting

6/28/08

Quote
of the Day

"If
you don't fail now and again, it's a sign you're playing it safe."

Woody Allen, American Film Director/Writer/Comedian

Pacific
Submission Grappling Championships

June 27-30, 2008

Blaisdell Exhibition Hall

Open to all Men, Women and Kids 5-14 & Juniors 15-17 years
old.

Neil Blaisdell Exhibition Center, Honolulu, HI

Friday, Saturday & Sunday June 27-29, 2008

Saturday Matches

Rafael
Lovato Jr. (Saulo Ribeiro) vs. Niko Vitale (808 Fight Factory)

Jeff
Glover (Paragon) vs. Kyle Sukehira (Kamole Jiu-Jitsu)

Cindy "Sleeper" Hales (Gracie Barra Seattle) vs. Gabriela
"Gabi" Bermudez (Gracie Humaita)

Mike Fowler (LIMAA) vs. Marcus Silva (American Top Team)

Sunday
Matches

Jeff "The Snowman" Monson (ATT) vs. Abraham "Kumu"
Cambra (Grappling Unlimited)

Simpson
Go (Cobra Kai) vs. Luke Hacker (Longman)

Scott
Bieri (Cobra Kai) vs. Joel Tudor (BJJ Revolution)

Come out and watch some of the world's best ground fighters roll.

Fees:

*(Must Pre-Register on or before June 25th at www.grapplingtournaments.com or by mail for these
prices)

*Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Championships – Saturday June 28th
- Men, Women & Juniors - $50

*No Gi Submission Grappling – Sunday June 29th - Men, Women
& Juniors - $50

**BOTH events for ONLY $75**

*1 day Spectator ticket: $10 (must purchase online or $20 a day)
2 day spectator ticket: $15 (must purchase online or $20 a day)

Pre-Registration
Enrollment (3 options):

1) Mail a signed Registration Form along with a money order or
check made payable to:

GTA Tournaments - Mail to: 17424 Beach Blvd., Huntington Beach,
CA 92647 Note: postmarked no later than Monday June 23rd)

2)
Register online: grapplingtournaments.com (Note: Online registration
must be completed by Wednesday June 25th) or at OTM Fight Shop
(Pre-Registration must be completed by Wednesday June 25th)

3)
Night before or day of Registration: $20 late fee will apply

Show up to either weigh-in time to register.

Weigh-Ins
(2 options):

Option
1: Day before Weigh-ins will beFriday, June 27th, 2008 between
12pm - 6pmat OTM Fight Shop:

1255 S. Beretania St. Honolulu, HI 92647 (808) 591-6620

For
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and/or No-Gi Submission Grappling Divisions

Note: This is the earliest a division will be called. It does
not necessarily reflect the actual fight time.

Brazilian
Jiu-Jitsu Divisions run on Saturday

*(Must be weighed in and ready to compete by listed weigh-in
times)*

Kids all divisions (5-10 & 11-14): Weigh in before 9am -
Compete at 10am

Juniors all divisions (15-17): Weigh in before 10:00am - Compete
at 11:30am

White Belt Executive & Masters: Weigh-in before 9am - Compete
at 10am

White Belt Adult: Weigh-in before 9am. Compete at 11am

Blue Belt Executives & Masters: Weigh-in before 11am. Compete
at 1pm

Blue Belt Adult: Weigh-in before 11am. Compete at 2 pm

Women all divisions: Weigh-in before 1 pm. Compete at 3 pm

Purple Belt Executive & Masters: Weigh-in before 2 pm. Compete
at 4 pm

Purple Belt Adult: Weigh-in before 2 pm. Compete at 4 pm

Brown & Black Belt: Weigh-in before 2 pm. Compete at 4:30
pm

Schedule
For No-Gi Submission Grappling Divisions on Sunday:

Kids all divisions (5-10 & 11-14): Weigh in before 9am -
Compete at 10am

Juniors all divisions (15-17): Weigh in before 9:30am - Compete
at 11:30am

Beginner Executive & Masters: Weigh-in before 9am - Compete
at 10am

Beginner Adult: Weigh-in before 9:30 am - Compete at 11:30am

Advanced Executives & Masters: Weigh-in before 11:00am -
Compete at 1:30pm

Advanced Adult: Weigh-in before 11:30am - Compete at 2pm

Women all divisions: Weigh-in before 1pm - Compete at 2:30pm

Intermediate Executives and Masters: Weigh-in before 1pm - Compete
at 3pm

Intermediate Adult: Weigh-in before 1:30pm - Compete at 3:30pm

Coaches:

Brazilian
Jiu-Jitsu Championship Division & Rules • Saturday June
28th

BJJ
Skill Levels:

Men
& Women: White Belt, Blue Belt, Purple Belt, Brown Belt &
Black Belt

Kids
(8-14) & Juniors (15-17 years): White, Yellow, Orange &
Green Belt

Length
of BJJ Matches:

White:
5 minutes

Blue:
6 minutes

Purple:
7 minutes

Brown:
8 minutes

Black:
10 Minutes

Juniors:
4 minutes

Executive
(30-39) / Masters (40+): White/Blue belts 4 minutes • Purple/Brown
belts 6min • Black belts 7 minutes

Male
Adult BJJ Weight Classes: (Note: Weigh-in WITHOUT uniform)

Rooster:
121lbs. and below

Super
Feather: 122-134 lbs.

Feather:
135-147 lbs.

Light:
148-160 lbs.

Middle:
161-174 lbs.

Light-Heavy:
174-187 lbs.

Heavy:
188-202 lbs.

Super-Heavy:
203-221 lbs.

Unlimited:
221 lbs. and over

Juniors
(13-17) BJJ Weight Classes:

Lightweight:
114.9 lbs. and below

Welterweight:
115-129.9 lbs.

Middleweight:
130-149.9 lbs.

Cruiserweight:
150-169.9 lbs.

Heavyweight:
170 lbs. and over

Women's
BJJ Weight Classes:

Class
A: 119.9 lbs and below

Class
B: 120-134.9 lbs.

Class
C: 135-149.9 lbs.

Class
D: 150 lbs. and over

Women's
Absolute: Open Weight, Open Skill

Executive
& Masters BJJ Weight Classes:

Lightweight:
159.9 lbs and below

Middleweight:
160-179.9 lbs.

Cruiserweight:
180-199.9 lbs.

Heavyweight:
200 lbs. and over

BJJ
Point System:

Takedown:
2 points

Knee
on Belly: 2 points

Sweep
or Reversal w/ legs: 2 points

Passing
Opponent's Guard: 3 points

Mounted
Position: 4 points

Back
Control w/ Hooks: 4 points

(All
positions must be held for 3 full seconds)

BJJ
Illegal Techniques:

White
Belt, Blue belt, Executives and Masters: No Leg Locks EXCEPT
Straight Ankle Lock. No Neck or Cervical Cranks, Wrist Locks,
Slamming or Slicers.

Purple
- Black: No Twisting Leg locks EXCEPT Inside Toe Hold, No Neck
or Cervical Cranks or Slamming.

Submission
Grappling Divisions & Rules • Sunday June 29th

Skill
Levels:

Beginner:
Under 2 years

Intermediate:
2 years to 4 years

Advanced:
More than 4 years

Kids
& Juniors: Beginner = Less than 18 months • Advanced
= 18 months or greater

Women:
Beginner = Less than 18 months • Advanced = 18 months or
greater

Executive:
30-39 years – Beginner = Less than 18 months • Advanced
= 18 months or greater

Masters:
Over 40 years - Beginner = Less than 18 months • Advanced
= 18 months or greater

Length
of No-Gi Matches:

Beginner:
4 minutes

Intermediate:
5 minutes

Advanced:
6 minutes

Kids
& Juniors: 4 minutes

Women:
Beginner = 4 minutes • Advanced = 6 minutes

Executive/Masters:
Beginner = 4 minutes • Advanced = 5 minutes

Men's
No-Gi Weight Classes:

Flyweight:
139.9 lbs. and below

Featherweight:
140-149.9 lbs.

Lightweight:
150-159.9 lbs.

Welterweight:
160-169.9 lbs.

Middleweight:
170-179.9 lbs.

Cruiserweight:
180-189.9 lbs.

Light-Heavyweight:
190-199.9 lbs.

Heavyweight:
200-209.9 lbs.

Superweight:
210 lbs. and over

Children’s
No-Gi Weight Classes:

*Rough
guideline. Youth will be matched as closely as possible.*

Bantamweight:
50 lbs. and below

Flyweight:
50-59.9 lbs.

Featherweight:
60-69.9 lbs.

Lightweight:
70-79.9 lbs.

Welterweight:
80-94.9 lbs.

Middleweight:
94-109.9 lbs.

Cruiserweight:
110-124.9 lbs.

Heavyweight:
124 lbs. and over

Kids
& Juniors No-Gi Weight Classes:

Lightweight:
114.9 lbs. and below

Welterweight:
115-129.9 lbs.

Middleweight:
130-149.9 lbs.

Cruiserweight:
150-169.9 lbs.

Heavyweight:
170 lbs. and over

Women's
No-Gi Weight Classes:

Class
A: 119.9 lbs and below

Class
B: 120-134.9 lbs.

Class
C: 135-149.9 lbs.

Class
D: 150 lbs. and over

Women's
Absolute: Open Weight, Open Skill

Executive
& Masters No-Gi Weight Classes:

Lightweight:
159.9 lbs and below

Middleweight:
160-179.9 lbs.

Cruiserweight:
180-199.9 lbs.

Heavyweight:
200 lbs. and over

No-Gi
Point System:

Takedown
landing in Half or Full Guard: 2 points

Takedown
to Side Control or Mount: 3 points

Sweep
or Reversal w/ legs: 2 points

Passing
Opponent's Guard: 3 points

Mounted
Position: 4 points

Back
Control w/ Hooks: 4 points

(All
positions must be held for minimum 3 seconds)

No-Gi
Illegal Techniques:

Beginner,
Novice, Executive & Masters Divisions: No Leg Locks EXCEPT
Straight Ankle Lock. No Neck or Cervical Cranks, Wrist Locks,
Slamming or Slicers.

Intermediate:
No Twisting Leg locks EXCEPT Inside Toe Hold, No Neck or Cervical
Cranks, Wrist Locks, Slamming or Slicers.

Advanced:
No Slamming

Detailed
Rules:

The
object of the competition is to control and submit your opponent.

Ways
to win:

2)
Highest score at end of regulation time period or overtime.

3)
Referee Stoppage

1.
Hygiene: At weigh-ins all competitors will be checked for communicable
diseases, not limited to but including ring-worm, staph, herpes
and impetigo.

For
Rules Packet and Regeistration form please email us at:

hawaii@otmfightshop.com

Online
regestration will be avaliable after May 18th at

www.grapplingtournaments.com

Online
Regestration now open at:

http://www.grapplingtournaments.com/platnew/index.php

Source:
MMA Weekly

Strikeforce:
Melendez vs. Thomson

HP Pavilions, San Jose, Calif

6/27/08

RESULTS

Josh
Thomson def. Gilbert Melendez by unanimous decision (50-45 on
all scorecards) R5

Billy Evangelista def. Nam Phan by split decision (29-28, 29-28,
28-29) R3

Bobby Southworth def. Anthony Ruiz by unanimous decision (48-47,
49-46, 50-45) R5

Miesha Tate def. Elaina Maxwell by unanimous decision (29-28
on all score cards) R3

Jeremiah Metcalf defeats Raymond Daniels by submission (rear
naked choke) at :59 seconds, R2

Chris Cariaso def. Anthony Figueroa by submission (rear naked
choke) at 4:34, R2

Bobby Stack def. Jose Palacios by unanimous decision (29-28 on
all score cards) R3

Brian Caraway def. Alvin Cacdac by submission (rear naked choke)
at 1:39, R1

Alexander Trivino def. Eric Jacob by Submission (Armbar) at 0:37,
R1.

Jorge Interiano def. Travis Johnson by TKO (Doctor's Stoppage)
at 3:00, R2.

Cyrillo Padhillo def. Jesse Jones by Unanimous Decision (29-28,
30-27, 29-28) at 3:00, R3.

Source: MMA Weekly

COACH
SAYS WANDERLEI IS ADAPTING

by Ivan Canello

MMAWeekly.com’s Brazilian correspondent Ivan Canello recently
sat down with Wanderlei Silva’s strength and condition coach,
Rafael Alejarra, to discuss everything from the changes that
helped Silva bounce back from a tough loss to Chuck Liddell and
defeat rising contender Keith Jardine, to the adaptations in
Silva’s training routine, and the new training facility
the two plan to open together.

MMAWeekly:
How do you see Wanderlei’s last fight against Keith Jardine?

Rafael
Alejarra: We know we were coming from negative results (against
Chuck Liddell), but we are always in evolution, not only technically,
but also the cardio-resistance. But some of our results don’t
depend only on those factors. In Wanderlei’s last fight
he was more adapted with the new changes, with the rules, training
sessions, the environment and sparring.

MMAWeekly:
We could see that Wanderlei was 100% for his last fight. We also
know that differently from his first fight now he had good sparring
training, different coaches. How about your area, did you do
anything different?

Rafael
Alejarra: Wanderlei truly came ready for this fight, and thanks
to his training and great sparring. About my area, I’ve
been using the HIPOXIA training style. It’s a very good
training that is already used in Cuba with boxers and now I am
adapting it to MMA. And I can tell that due to the time of training
and adaptation, our results were better than in Wanderlei’s
first fight.

MMAWeekly:
Many fans were thinking that Wanderlei’s problem was his
emotional side and due to that he wasn’t doing good in his
fights. In his last fight, he shaved his head and fought exactly
as the earlier times. What happened? What changed?

Rafael
Alejarra: I wouldn't say emotional problems, but as I said before,
we were facing adaptation problems here. We had some new things
to worry about and we were very busy in our last months, but
the truth is, we never let the training level go down. We know,
and Wanderlei knows, his responsibility with his fans.

MMAWeekly:
You live with Wanderlei and you are one of the closest people
in his life nowadays. Besides being coach, you are his personal
friend. Tell a little about this relationship between you two.

Rafael
Alejarra: We have a very professional relationship. We know how
to share our time. I know that first of all Wanderlei is my student
and when it comes to training I am very professional and Wanderlei
wants a coach. I need to provide real training for him. If I
don’t, I will lose my job. But we have a close friendship
as well. We talk all the time at the gym and at home, that couldn't
be different.

MMAWeekly:
Both of you work and train a lot. What about your wives, how
do you two manage that?

Rafael
Alejarra: We manage our family in a very normal way. We like
to have lunch and dinner together, my family and his family always.
We are a regular family.

MMAWeekly:
What’s new about your MMA training center?

Rafael
Alejarra: We are almost ready to open our training center. Like
me, Wanderlei grew up inside a gym and we both know what a gym
needs to be good. We had that idea for a long time already, but
due to Wanderlei’s schedule we never had the opportunity
to put this project to work.

We
are planning to use the most modern and efficient devices because
we know that the cardio and strength training is very, very important
to MMA. Wanderlei is always concerned about his training levels
and he wants only the best in each training session. We are planning
to open the doors to amateur and professional fighters and besides
that, this gym will be for Wanderlei to do his training anytime
he wants.

MMAWeekly:
Any final messages in closing?

Rafael
Alejarra: I would like to thank MMAWeekly for the opportunity
and also I’d like to say thanks to all the people who leave
me messages at my website www.mmaconditioning.net.

Source: MMA Weekly

COACH
SAYS WANDERLEI IS ADAPTING

by Ivan Canello

MMAWeekly:
How do you see Wanderlei’s last fight against Keith Jardine?

MMAWeekly:
You live with Wanderlei and you are one of the closest people
in his life nowadays. Besides being coach, you are his personal
friend. Tell a little about this relationship between you two.

MMAWeekly:
Both of you work and train a lot. What about your wives, how
do you two manage that?

Rafael
Alejarra: We manage our family in a very normal way. We like
to have lunch and dinner together, my family and his family always.
We are a regular family.

MMAWeekly:
What’s new about your MMA training center?

MMAWeekly:
Any final messages in closing?

Rafael
Alejarra: I would like to thank MMAWeekly for the opportunity
and also I’d like to say thanks to all the people who leave
me messages at my website www.mmaconditioning.net.

Source: MMA Weekly

Hughes
Sidelined With Torn MCL

by Jordan Breen

It
may be little salve to the sting of his loss to Thiago Alves
at UFC 85 on June 7, but Matt Hughes may not have to face the
surgeon's scalpel.

The
former welterweight kingpin and two-time UFC champion was brutally
dispatched in the second round with a vicious flying knee by
the up-and-coming Brazilian dynamo. Hughes toppled, his body
falling over his left leg, which was folded behind him. Although
injury was obvious, the extent was not known. However, Hughes
has expressed some optimism that the injury may not require surgery.

"I
found out my results, I've got a totally torn MCL that is still
attached to my femur," Hughes posted on his personal blog
Sunday. "I've got a partially torn PCL. They really think
that the PCL will repair itself and that MCL has a chance of
repairing itself. So we're going to hold off on surgery right
now. I am going to get a second opinion this week, so that might
change; but for now we're going to hold off on surgery."

Although
Hughes' immediate future is undecided, the longtime 170-pound
champ has dismissed talk of retirement. It is thought that the
34-year-old's next action will come against rival Matt Serra,
his opposing coach on the sixth season of "The Ultimate
Fighter." The pair was originally set to meet last December
at UFC 79, before a herniated disc nixed Serra from the bout.

Source: Sherdog

Gesias
focused on recovery

Should return in December

Not
only bad things came from Gesias Cavalcanti being eliminated
from K-1’s lightweight GP earlier this year againt Japan’s
Shynia Aoki in the quarterfinals. This gave him the chance to
take care of his health and old injuries, so that he could return
in great shape.

The Brazilian has been recovering from a complex knee surgery
, and while he can’t train the way he wishes, he has been
helping his mates at American Top Team prepare for their upcoming
fights.

“Recovery
is going very well. The doctors can’t believe it, because
I’m not feeling any pain even with physical therapy. All
it takes is patience till the body gets used to the new ligaments.
Meanwhile, I’m working on my torso and I’m always at
the gym, to help, give advice and prepare my friends,” said
Gesias to GRACIEMAG.com

The
return should only take place in the traditional new year’s
eve event, as JZ doesn’t want to skip steps and hopes to
come back physically better than he was before. “I’m
excited about coming back on new years. I think it’s a little
risky before that, because I want to recover properly and heal
all of my old injuries,” he said.

Source: Gracie Magazine

ACROSS
THE POND: BRITISH MMA NEWS

"New York Bad Ass" Heading For London

By David West

Cage
Rage confirmed today that Phil Baroni, the "New York Bad
Ass", will now be headlining their July 12th show at the
Wembley Arena, in London, England. Baroni will be making his
debut at welterweight against Scott Jansen, who looks like a
gimme for Baroni’s first UK appearance. While Baroni is
coming off three consecutive losses, he’s a multiple veteran
of the UFC and Pride who has fought the likes of Frank Shamrock,
Yuki Kondo, Amar Suloev and Matt Lindland. British fighter Scott
Jansen has only five fights under his belt, with a record of
3-2, while the three guys he’s beaten have a combined record
of 3-10. Unless Baroni is struck down by a hitherto undiagnosed
genetic medical affliction in the cage, it’s hard to see
how Jansen is going to trouble him.

Other
changes to the card for Cage Rage 27 include a new opponent for
undefeated Aisling Daly as Czech Republic’s Eva Liskova
replaces Tavi Say. Liskova has an extensive background in boxing
but no verifiable MMA record. Daly is a BJJ purple belt so if
Liskova isn’t well versed in the ground game, she’ll
have a rough night. Brad Pickett will face Cristian Binda is
a featherweight contest. Pickett’s training partner Ashley
Grimshaw put Binda away in short order in April and Pickett’s
experience will make him a strong favorite going in to this one.

Stav
“Crazy Bear” Economou will bring his undefeated record
from Ultimate Warrior Challenge to face Piotor Kusmierz, the
latest Polish heavyweight who looks like an ad for a tattoo parlour.
Kusmierz won his debut at the last Contenders with a ground-and-pound
stoppage, but Economou is a big hitter with good takedown defence
so the Pole may find his chin getting its first test.

The
British lightweight title will await the winner of the encounter
between Jason Young and Francis Heagney. The belt was stripped
from Abdul Mohamed after he lost a match outside Cage Rage –
at Cage Gladiators in Liverpool. Cage Rage subsequently decided
to retroactively apply a new rule by which any champion of theirs
that loses a fight, even for another promotion, will lose their
belt. It’s a bizarre decision that seems guaranteed to alienate
fighters and has seen Abdul Mohamed sign to fight with rivals
Cage Warriors. The same policy has taken the British heavyweight
belt from Tengiz Tedoradze, so don’t expect to see the big
wrestler back on a Cage Rage bill any time soon. As for Heagney
and Young, it’s hard to see how either of these guys would
have been ready for a title shot if Mohamed was still in the
picture.

Mohamed
will face Andre Winner at Cage Warriors on July 12th, as the
two promotions go head-to-head. Winner has excellent stand-up
but at times displays a rather conservative disposition in the
cage, preferring to score points rather than go for the finish.
Mohamed is a powerful wrestler who will work to take Winner down
and damage him on the canvas.

Cage
Rage 27 Current Fight Card

Phil
Baroni vs. Scott Jansen

Robert "Buzz" Berry vs. Neil Grove

James McSweeney vs. Mustapha Al Turk

John Phillips vs. Tom Watson

Stav Economou vs. Piotor Kusmierz

Ashleigh Grimshaw vs. Robbie Olivier

Cristian Binda vs. Brad Pickett

Eva Liskova vs. Aisling Daly

Jason Young vs. Francis Heagney

Mark Brown vs. Wesley Johnson

Umidjon Mavlyanov vs. Jody Cottham

James Elson vs. Dave Van Gas

Source: Full Contact Fighter

EXCLUSIVE:

JOE RIGGS OUT, DREW FICKETT STEPS IN

by Ken Pishna

Joe Riggs, scheduled to face Luke Stewart at Friday night’s
Strikeforce event at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif., was
denied medical clearance on Thursday at weigh-ins. Stepping in
at the last minute to take his place is fellow Ultimate Fighting
Championship veteran Drew Fickett

During
the process of going through his medical clearance with the California
State Athletic Commission, according to Strikeforce vice president
Mike Afromowitz, Riggs was denied clearance due to information
provided on the forms submitted to the commission.

“He
took a prescription drug that he noted on his forms, but the
commission won’t allow him to fight, even though it is a
medically prescribed drug,” said Afromowitz. The name and
reason for use of the drug were not disclosed.

“The
good news is we’re bringing in Drew Fickett,” said
the Strikeforce vice president. “Drew Fickett is going to
fight Luke Stewart at 185 (pounds).” Stewart and Riggs were
slated to meet at a catch weight of 178 pounds.

Fickett,
who competed just three weeks ago at a Rage in the Cage event
in Arizona, enters the bout on one day of notice, but riding
a five-fight winning streak.

Stewart,
5-1 as a professional, lost for the first time in his last bout,
to Tiki Ghosn at the March Strikeforce event earlier this year.

Source: MMA Weekly

Brandon
Vera “run away” from Lyoto

By Guilherme Cruz

Another
Brazilian could fight at the UFC Fight Night 14, made to face
Affliction on July 19, but his participation already been discarded.
Dana White offered to Lyoto Machida, after his victory against
Tito Ortiz at UFC 84, to face Brando Vera and the Brazilian accepted.
But the Lyoto return to the octagon will have to be postponed
because Vera, defeated by Fabrício Werdun at UFC 85, didn’t
accept the bout. “It is true. The Ultimate offer me, but
Brandon Vera didn’t want this fight. I don’t know what
happened, but he didn’t accepted the fight”, said Lyoto
that didn’t receive more offers and should be out of this
UFC edition.

Source: Tatame

'TUF
7' draws second lowest finale rating, but still a success

The UFC's reality TV show on Spike TV continues to be a hit for
the male-oriented network despite sliding ratings.

The live finale of "The Ultimate Fighter 7" on Saturday
helped the network secure the number one spot for males 18-34
(2.3 rating) and males 18-49 (1.9 rating) in both broadcast and
cable during the show's 9:00pm-12:15pm ET timeslot.

Featuring
a "loser leaves town" bout between Kendall Grove and
Evan Tanner, and the middleweight final between Amir Sadollah
and C.B. Dollaway, the finale drew in an average of 2 million
viewers for a 1.4 household rating.

While
still a success, the ratings were a drop-off from "The Ultimate
Fighter 6" Finale, which earned a household rating of 1.8
and delivered approximately 2.5 million viewers.

"The
Ultimate Fighter 5" Finale was slightly higher than the
sixth, receiving a 2.0 rating and 2.6 million viewers.

Only
the finale of the fourth season was lower, posting a 1.1 rating
after three highly successful seasons that saved the then-flailing
UFC.

Source: MMA Fighting

Babalu
ready for war

"Whoever pulls out the weapon and pulls the trigger first
wins"

Renato
"Babalu" Sobral, who had two fights canceled in 2008
(at now extinct HCF and Ring of Fire), and on July 19th, at Affliction:
Banned, will finally have his first appearance of the year. Not
having fought since December of 2007, when he submitted Dutch
striker Rodney Faverus, in the Philippines, the recently-promoted
black belt will have ahead of him the former IFL fighter Mike
Whitehead.

Training
at Gracie Barra in California and at Josh Barnett's MMA team,
the Brazilian beast is all fired up and will bring to the new
American event his aggressive game that made him one of the biggest
names in the weight group (light heavyweight). GRACIEMAG.com
had gone for quite a while without speaking to the Carioca, and
decided to play catch up.

"I've
been training a lot with Josh Barnett and at Gracie Barra. I
haven't fought since December, there was an event that didn't
end up happening where I would have fought Whitehead, and they
ended up matching the fight up again. There was also the event
in Canada that went under, so I just missed twice this year,"
he commented.

"I'm
hungry for a fight, I've been training since December to fight
this guy. He's really heavy, was a heavyweight and is training
with COuture, or in other words, he'll be really well prepared.
But prepared I am too. Whoever pulls out the weapon and pulls
the trigger first wins. If this card is not the best card of
all times is one of the best, it's already causing discomfort.
I think the competition is great for the sport, the fighters
need this," finished a cheerful Babalu.

Source: Gracie Magazine

Melendez
OC Register Interview

Gilbert “El Nino” Melendez trains with one of the most
intense and skilled teams in mixed martial arts.

Melendez
and his fellow Cesar Gracie disciples, Jake Shields and Nick
and Nate Diaz, are making a name for themselves from Strikeforce
to EliteXC to the UFC.

Melendez
takes center stage this weekend when he defends his Strikeforce
lightweight title against Josh Thomson on Friday at 7:30 p.m.
on HDNet at HP Pavilion in San Jose.

Melendez
will need to call on all the skills and toughness he has learned
from training sessions with the Diaz brothers and Shields to
take out Thomson.

I
got a chance to interview the former Santa Ana High wrestling
standout.

Here
is what Melendez had to say:

On
his highly anticipated fight against Thomson:

“My
thoughts are war, man. You know, just one word, it’s war.
He’s ready for war. I’m ready for war. We both know
we’re tough fighters. We both know what to expect. We’ve
both felt each other out. It’s going to be a war, at least
I’m ready for one. I’m pretty sure he is too.”

On
being training partners with Thomson in the past:

“Yeah,
it is a little weird, but it’s only business. You know,
when I get in there I’m a professional whether I’m
angry at someone, whether I like someone or whatever I feel about
them, that all goes out the door and I try to remain as professional
as possible in the cage for myself. I gotta get focused in. It
sucks that we have to do this, but I’m the champ and I don’t
plan on losing my belt. It has to be done.

“But
the only weird thing is there is no feeling out. We’ve already
felt each other out. I know what he is capable of. I know how
he feels in the Thai (clinch). I know he is strong. I know he
hits hard. I know everything already, so there is no mystery.”

On
the disadvantages to having sparred with Thomson so many times
in the past:

“I
guess you either have to call ‘em advantages for both of
us or disadvantages for both of us. But I feel having prepared
with each other before a strength. Even then we are such complete
fighters already. We just know what we are in for. Being able
to train with each other, now we both know what we are in for.
I guess that’s it. I don’t feel there is no disadvantage
to anything.”

On
the styles between himself and Thomson:

“If
it stays standing, he has been on his feet a lot more and he
likes to strike. But I’m very confident in my standup. If
I have to stand with this guy, I’ll be more than confident
to do that. I can lay it on him just as much as he could on me.

“If
it goes to the ground, I plan on putting him on his back. Of
course, whoever is on top on the ground has the advantage.

“I
think we are both tough well-rounded MMA fighters. That’s
what makes it such a good matchup. We’re mixed martial artists.
We’re true mixed martial artists. A lot of guys out there
are tough on their feet with an OK sprawl and OK Jiu-Jitsu or
a really good wrestler that sucks on his feet and has OK Jiu-Jitsu.
I think we’re strong everywhere. We put it together well,
so it makes for a agood matchup.

“I
feel I’m top 10 in the world and I, honestly, think Josh
Thomson is top 10 in the world. They don’t have him in the
rankings, but in my opinion and from who I have fought and trained
with I defeinitely think he is top 10 in the world as well.”

On
what this kind of fight can do for Strikeforce:

“I
think this is a big fight for the organization and Josh and I
and Scott Coker and the Bay Area. I’m pumped up on it. I’m
glad that they are taking a risk on us to come through and put
on a great show to really represent the organization. They can
definitely count on us.”

On
the popularity of the Strikeforce events in San Jose and the
Bay Area:

“You
know, this has been a fight town for a while. The Diaz boys started
here. Dave Terrell is from Santa Rosa. Jake and I moved up here.
And Frank Shamrock is from up here. The Bay Area is awesome,
man, you know, awesome fighters.

“I
don’t think it is quite as mainstream as Southern California.
You don’t see as many … well, there are a lot of TapouT
shirts here. But there are a lot of … I don’t want
to say posers, but there are a lot of posers around lately. There
are hardcore fans, but there are serious fighters up in the Bay
Area that are really holding it down.”

On
the reaction he gets when he comes back home to visit his family
in Santa Ana:

“When
I go to Southern California, I go there to visit my family and
stay home. I got a lot more company, a lot of family to come
visit me. But I go to Santa Ana and hang out with my mom and
dad. I guess, I get some love here and there, but I’m no
celebrity at all. I get a little love here and there but that’s
it.”

On
his training partners Nate and Nick Diaz and Jake Shields and
on Nick’s recent post-fight melee with K.J. Noons:

“You
know, those boys (Nate and Nick) are just some straight cholos.
They are not messing around. They are my boys. You know, I don’t
make the same decisions as them all the time, but I back up my
boys. I back them up for whatever they gotta do.

“Jake
has a big fight coming up on CBS. He is going to be on that Showtime
show (on July 26 in Stockton) and so is Nick. I love my team.
They are great workout partners. They push me to be strong. I’m
glad to be a part of them. I love it.”

On
the intensity of the training sessions with the Diaz brothers
and Shields:

“It’s
nuts, man. The beauty of us is we are a real team. We’re
a team that started together from scratch. These other teams
that are made up of people from here that already established
themselves as fighters and here and there and all came together
and became a team. You know, we all started off as just regular
people who like to scrap. We got four guys without any ego. We
got four guys that love to bang, and love to push hard, and love
to test each other. That’s why we’re here today. It’s
really intense. We really get in here and fight.

“I
guess, I don’t realize how crazy it is until people come
and watch us and go, ‘Man, you guys are crazy. You guys
train hard.’ I just think it is the necessity, what you
are supposed to do and how it is supposed to be. People tell
me, ‘Man, you guys are crazy and this and that.’ I
don’t even realize it. I just think it is a necessity. It’s
what you have to do, what you are supposed to do. It’s just
a normal day at the office.

“Some
people try to come train with us from other fight teams and try
to hang with us and they are like, ‘Aah, I’m a little
sick today. I kind of hurt me knee.’ I’m like, ‘What’s
this guy’s problem.’ We just laugh at them. I don’t
know, but forgive me for saying this. If I said something like
that (to Nick or Nate or Jake), they would say, ‘Stop being
such an (expletive).’ They would tell me that. I don’t
have the (expletive) to say something like that. We don’t
have the (expletive) to be sissies and quit like that. And when
we do need the time to take off like that, it’s obviously
true. ‘I’m sore today, I’m hurt today,’ it’s
obviously true. It’s not a habit like some guys are always
hurt like, ‘I got chapped lips today’ or something
is always going on. I don’t know? we don’t have the
(expletive) to say that, too much pride.”

On
Thomson coming off a nine-month layoff and shoulder surgery and
whether it will give him and advantage since he has been fighting
regularly:

“Yeah,
I guess so. I’ve been training pretty hard. It’s just
like another day at the office for me. I know when I had a long
layoff for that nine months, when I came back I had a little
extra nerves in me. It didn’t feel competely good, so I
think I have the advantage there.

“Also,
he has a strong advantage because he is rested up. He’s
feeling good. He’s hungry. He hasn’t fought in a while,
so whether Josh says he is a little hurt or not, I know he is
training really, really hard. I know to expect to see a tough
Josh, as beefed up as anyone has ever seen. I expect that out
of him. I really feel he is going to be the best Josh he has
ever been. So I’m not buying it.”

Source: Gracie Fighter

6/27/08

Quote
of the Day

"The
roots of education are bitter, but the fruit is sweet."

Aristotle, 384-322 B.C., Greek Philosopher

Pacific
Submission Grappling Championships

June 27-30, 2008

Blaisdell Exhibition Hall

Open to all Men, Women and Kids 5-14 & Juniors 15-17 years
old.

Neil Blaisdell Exhibition Center, Honolulu, HI

Friday, Saturday & Sunday June 27-29, 2008

Jeff "The Snowman" Monson (ATT) vs. Abraham "Kumu"
Cambra (Grappling Unlimited)

Rafael
Lovato Jr. (Saulo Ribeiro) vs. Niko Vitale (808 Fight Factory)

Jeff
Glover (Paragon) vs. Ryan Lizares (Icon Sport)

Simpson
Go (Cobra Kai) vs. Luke Hacker (Longman)

Mike
Fowler (LIMAA) vs. Sidney Silva (Brazilian Freestyle)

Scott
Bieri (Cobra Kai) vs. Joel Tudor (BJJ Revolution)

Come
out and watch some of the world's best ground fighters roll.

Fees:

*(Must Pre-Register on or before June 25th at www.grapplingtournaments.com or by mail for these
prices)

*Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Championships – Saturday June 28th
- Men, Women & Juniors - $50

*No Gi Submission Grappling – Sunday June 29th - Men, Women
& Juniors - $50

**BOTH events for ONLY $75**

*1 day Spectator ticket: $10 (must purchase online or $20 a day)
2 day spectator ticket: $15 (must purchase online or $20 a day)

Pre-Registration
Enrollment (3 options):

1) Mail a signed Registration Form along with a money order or
check made payable to:

GTA Tournaments - Mail to: 17424 Beach Blvd., Huntington Beach,
CA 92647 Note: postmarked no later than Monday June 23rd)

2)
Register online: grapplingtournaments.com (Note: Online registration
must be completed by Wednesday June 25th) or at OTM Fight Shop
(Pre-Registration must be completed by Wednesday June 25th)

3)
Night before or day of Registration: $20 late fee will apply

Show up to either weigh-in time to register.

Weigh-Ins
(2 options):

Option
1: Day before Weigh-ins will beFriday, June 27th, 2008 between
12pm - 6pmat OTM Fight Shop:

1255 S. Beretania St. Honolulu, HI 92647 (808) 591-6620

For
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and/or No-Gi Submission Grappling Divisions

Note: This is the earliest a division will be called. It does
not necessarily reflect the actual fight time.

Brazilian
Jiu-Jitsu Divisions run on Saturday

*(Must be weighed in and ready to compete by listed weigh-in
times)*

Kids all divisions (5-10 & 11-14): Weigh in before 9am -
Compete at 10am

Juniors all divisions (15-17): Weigh in before 10:00am - Compete
at 11:30am

White Belt Executive & Masters: Weigh-in before 9am - Compete
at 10am

White Belt Adult: Weigh-in before 9am. Compete at 11am

Blue Belt Executives & Masters: Weigh-in before 11am. Compete
at 1pm

Blue Belt Adult: Weigh-in before 11am. Compete at 2 pm

Women all divisions: Weigh-in before 1 pm. Compete at 3 pm

Purple Belt Executive & Masters: Weigh-in before 2 pm. Compete
at 4 pm

Purple Belt Adult: Weigh-in before 2 pm. Compete at 4 pm

Brown & Black Belt: Weigh-in before 2 pm. Compete at 4:30
pm

Schedule
For No-Gi Submission Grappling Divisions on Sunday:

Kids all divisions (5-10 & 11-14): Weigh in before 9am -
Compete at 10am

Juniors all divisions (15-17): Weigh in before 9:30am - Compete
at 11:30am

Beginner Executive & Masters: Weigh-in before 9am - Compete
at 10am

Beginner Adult: Weigh-in before 9:30 am - Compete at 11:30am

Advanced Executives & Masters: Weigh-in before 11:00am -
Compete at 1:30pm

Advanced Adult: Weigh-in before 11:30am - Compete at 2pm

Women all divisions: Weigh-in before 1pm - Compete at 2:30pm

Intermediate Executives and Masters: Weigh-in before 1pm - Compete
at 3pm

Intermediate Adult: Weigh-in before 1:30pm - Compete at 3:30pm

Coaches:

Brazilian
Jiu-Jitsu Championship Division & Rules • Saturday June
28th

BJJ
Skill Levels:

Men
& Women: White Belt, Blue Belt, Purple Belt, Brown Belt &
Black Belt

Kids
(8-14) & Juniors (15-17 years): White, Yellow, Orange &
Green Belt

Length
of BJJ Matches:

White:
5 minutes

Blue:
6 minutes

Purple:
7 minutes

Brown:
8 minutes

Black:
10 Minutes

Juniors:
4 minutes

Executive
(30-39) / Masters (40+): White/Blue belts 4 minutes • Purple/Brown
belts 6min • Black belts 7 minutes

Male
Adult BJJ Weight Classes: (Note: Weigh-in WITHOUT uniform)

Rooster:
121lbs. and below

Super
Feather: 122-134 lbs.

Feather:
135-147 lbs.

Light:
148-160 lbs.

Middle:
161-174 lbs.

Light-Heavy:
174-187 lbs.

Heavy:
188-202 lbs.

Super-Heavy:
203-221 lbs.

Unlimited:
221 lbs. and over

Juniors
(13-17) BJJ Weight Classes:

Lightweight:
114.9 lbs. and below

Welterweight:
115-129.9 lbs.

Middleweight:
130-149.9 lbs.

Cruiserweight:
150-169.9 lbs.

Heavyweight:
170 lbs. and over

Women's
BJJ Weight Classes:

Class
A: 119.9 lbs and below

Class
B: 120-134.9 lbs.

Class
C: 135-149.9 lbs.

Class
D: 150 lbs. and over

Women's
Absolute: Open Weight, Open Skill

Executive
& Masters BJJ Weight Classes:

Lightweight:
159.9 lbs and below

Middleweight:
160-179.9 lbs.

Cruiserweight:
180-199.9 lbs.

Heavyweight:
200 lbs. and over

BJJ
Point System:

Takedown:
2 points

Knee
on Belly: 2 points

Sweep
or Reversal w/ legs: 2 points

Passing
Opponent's Guard: 3 points

Mounted
Position: 4 points

Back
Control w/ Hooks: 4 points

(All
positions must be held for 3 full seconds)

BJJ
Illegal Techniques:

White
Belt, Blue belt, Executives and Masters: No Leg Locks EXCEPT
Straight Ankle Lock. No Neck or Cervical Cranks, Wrist Locks,
Slamming or Slicers.

Purple
- Black: No Twisting Leg locks EXCEPT Inside Toe Hold, No Neck
or Cervical Cranks or Slamming.

Submission
Grappling Divisions & Rules • Sunday June 29th

Skill
Levels:

Beginner:
Under 2 years

Intermediate:
2 years to 4 years

Advanced:
More than 4 years

Kids
& Juniors: Beginner = Less than 18 months • Advanced
= 18 months or greater

Women:
Beginner = Less than 18 months • Advanced = 18 months or
greater

Executive:
30-39 years – Beginner = Less than 18 months • Advanced
= 18 months or greater

Masters:
Over 40 years - Beginner = Less than 18 months • Advanced
= 18 months or greater

Length
of No-Gi Matches:

Beginner:
4 minutes

Intermediate:
5 minutes

Advanced:
6 minutes

Kids
& Juniors: 4 minutes

Women:
Beginner = 4 minutes • Advanced = 6 minutes

Executive/Masters:
Beginner = 4 minutes • Advanced = 5 minutes

Men's
No-Gi Weight Classes:

Flyweight:
139.9 lbs. and below

Featherweight:
140-149.9 lbs.

Lightweight:
150-159.9 lbs.

Welterweight:
160-169.9 lbs.

Middleweight:
170-179.9 lbs.

Cruiserweight:
180-189.9 lbs.

Light-Heavyweight:
190-199.9 lbs.

Heavyweight:
200-209.9 lbs.

Superweight:
210 lbs. and over

Children’s
No-Gi Weight Classes:

*Rough
guideline. Youth will be matched as closely as possible.*

Bantamweight:
50 lbs. and below

Flyweight:
50-59.9 lbs.

Featherweight:
60-69.9 lbs.

Lightweight:
70-79.9 lbs.

Welterweight:
80-94.9 lbs.

Middleweight:
94-109.9 lbs.

Cruiserweight:
110-124.9 lbs.

Heavyweight:
124 lbs. and over

Kids
& Juniors No-Gi Weight Classes:

Lightweight:
114.9 lbs. and below

Welterweight:
115-129.9 lbs.

Middleweight:
130-149.9 lbs.

Cruiserweight:
150-169.9 lbs.

Heavyweight:
170 lbs. and over

Women's
No-Gi Weight Classes:

Class
A: 119.9 lbs and below

Class
B: 120-134.9 lbs.

Class
C: 135-149.9 lbs.

Class
D: 150 lbs. and over

Women's
Absolute: Open Weight, Open Skill

Executive
& Masters No-Gi Weight Classes:

Lightweight:
159.9 lbs and below

Middleweight:
160-179.9 lbs.

Cruiserweight:
180-199.9 lbs.

Heavyweight:
200 lbs. and over

No-Gi
Point System:

Takedown
landing in Half or Full Guard: 2 points

Takedown
to Side Control or Mount: 3 points

Sweep
or Reversal w/ legs: 2 points

Passing
Opponent's Guard: 3 points

Mounted
Position: 4 points

Back
Control w/ Hooks: 4 points

(All
positions must be held for minimum 3 seconds)

No-Gi
Illegal Techniques:

Beginner,
Novice, Executive & Masters Divisions: No Leg Locks EXCEPT
Straight Ankle Lock. No Neck or Cervical Cranks, Wrist Locks,
Slamming or Slicers.

Intermediate:
No Twisting Leg locks EXCEPT Inside Toe Hold, No Neck or Cervical
Cranks, Wrist Locks, Slamming or Slicers.

Advanced:
No Slamming

Detailed
Rules:

The
object of the competition is to control and submit your opponent.

Ways
to win:

2)
Highest score at end of regulation time period or overtime.

3)
Referee Stoppage

1.
Hygiene: At weigh-ins all competitors will be checked for communicable
diseases, not limited to but including ring-worm, staph, herpes
and impetigo.

For
Rules Packet and Regeistration form please email us at:

hawaii@otmfightshop.com

Online
regestration will be avaliable after May 18th at

www.grapplingtournaments.com

Online
Regestration now open at:

http://www.grapplingtournaments.com/platnew/index.php

Pre-Regestratoin
ends Wednesday June 25th.

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

Release
of Hawaii's EXCLUSIVE Mixed Martial Arts Lifestyle Publication...SKRAP
Mag!

Come and check me out at the Hawaii MMA Sports and Fitness Expo
Fri-Sun at the Blaisdell Center and support the release of Hawaii's
EXCLUSIVE Mixed Martial Arts Lifestyle Publication...SKRAP Mag!

I'm
in booth 731/733

ALOHA

Source: Rich Tomas

Sherdog
P4P: Penn, Torres and Faber
Advance

In
the past few weeks, nothing has changed insofar as we all still
know who the top fighter in the sport is. However, July 19 will
put the essence of pound-for-pound on display, when Anderson
Silva moves up to 205 pounds to meet James Irvin (Pictures).
The bout may be the first step of a new competitive odyssey for
the sport's top fighter.

However,
this last stretch of fights has further put the sport's premiere
smaller standouts on display. B.J. Penn's domination of Sean Sherk (Pictures) validated
claims of the Hawaiian as the sport's premiere lightweight. A
week later, Urijah Faber (Pictures) and Miguel Torres (Pictures)
fought, and flew in the face of traditional combative convention
that smaller divisions can't sell, as they entrenched themselves
as pound-for-pound stars putting MMA's little men on the map.
But where do they stack up in the pound-for pound world?

Furthermore,
after time away from serious competition, the likes of Fedor
Emelianenko (Pictures), Takanori Gomi (Pictures) and Norifumi
"Kid" Yamamoto are ready to get back into the saddle
this summer. What prospects do these standouts have of meeting
top opponents and securing their spot among the sport's best?

1.
Anderson Silva (21-4)

Of course, it is no surprise that "The Spider" reigns
as the sport's top dog. However, what is most pertinent is that
Silva has at least temporarily given up on his pugilistic pipe
dream of meeting Roy Jones Jr. in a boxing match, and there may
be serious pound-for-pound impact in the future for the UFC's
middleweight king. July 19 will mark Silva's foray into the light
heavyweight division when he takes on James Irvin (Pictures).
Furthermore, Silva is likely looking at an autumn title defense
against former foe Yushin Okami (Pictures) in an elite-level
middleweight scrap. It is important to remember that Silva began
his career as a top welterweight; between continued 185-pound
dominance and possible preeminence at 205 pounds, Silva has the
potential to solidify himself as an elite fighter across three
weights classes in his career, which would be an enormous achievement.

2.
Quinton Jackson (Pictures) (28-6)

With only the final bout left on the books for the seventh season
of "The Ultimate Fighter," fans' full attention will
now turn to Jackson's July 5 clash with Forrest Griffin (Pictures),
the second defense of his UFC light heavyweight crown. The MMA
populace has always thought "Rampage" had all the tools
in and out of the cage to be a star, and an impressive performance
against the beloved Griffin may solidify the 205-pound champ's
celeb status. More importantly, superstar status for Jackson
may be good for the sport in general, as the light heavyweight
division may be MMA's historically greatest division, rich with
both stars and young up-and-comers. When the best fights are
the biggest tickets, the sport is in a good place.

3.
Georges St. Pierre (Pictures) (16-2)

With the entire Matt Serra (Pictures) saga now behind him, St.
Pierre now shares similar prospects with "Rampage."
A talented champion with transcendental charisma, GSP also reigns
over MMA's other historically rich class. While 170 pounds may
lack some of the stardom that 205 traditionally has enjoyed,
there is a host of legitimate major fights for the welterweight
champ. The first of what may be many comes August 9, when St.
Pierre takes on Jon Fitch (Pictures) in what should be a fantastic
170-pound scrap. The line behind Fitch seems near limitless with
emerging contenders such as Thiago Alves (Pictures) and Mike
Swick (Pictures), top fighters who continue to improve their
game such as Diego Sanchez (Pictures) and Josh Koscheck (Pictures),
and the introduction of quality international prospects such
as Yoshiyuki Yoshida (Pictures) and Dong Hyun Kim.

4.
Fedor Emelianenko (Pictures) (27-1, 1 NC)

It is refreshing to know that a legitimate heavyweight contest
is around the corner for Emelianenko, when he meets Tim Sylvia
(Pictures) on July 19. Although an Emelianenko-Randy Couture
(Pictures) bout is the big heavyweight ticket at this point in
time, between the dearth of heavyweight talent, the fracturing
of that scarce talent pool and Emelianenko's recent run against
non-elite heavyweights, the clash with Sylvia is more than welcomed.
The operative question, however, is if Emelianenko conquers Sylvia,
whether or not there are further great heavyweight bouts which
can be made in the near future for the Russian.

5.
B.J. Penn (Pictures) (13-4-1)

After finally claiming the UFC lightweight crown with his destruction
of Sean Sherk in May, the world's most talented lightweight is
now certifiably the best, rising from ninth to fifth in the Sherdog
pound-for-pound rankings. August 9 should give us our next challenger
to the lightweight kingpin, as Roger Huerta (Pictures) and Kenny
Florian (Pictures) square off in a presumptive 155-pound title
eliminator. Despite the UFC's lightweight class being rich with
young up-and-comers, many fans have already declared Penn unbeatable
within the division, and are already looking forward to Penn
moving up in weight to rematch Georges St. Pierre (Pictures).
Although it may be preferable for Zuffa if Penn were to reign
and give their historically troubled lightweight division some
stability, it is hard to refute the allure of a five-round rematch
between two of the sports pound-for-pound stars.

6.
Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (Pictures) (31-4-1, 1 NC)

The unfortunate reality for Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (Pictures)
is that while he's undoubtedly one of the greatest and most accomplished
fighters this sport has seen thus far, he is still and perhaps
will always be known as the number two heavyweight behind Fedor
Emelianenko (Pictures). It appeared as though with Emelianenko
not exactly facing the best crop of heavyweight talent, that
Nogueira's move to the UFC could afford him the opportunity to
face the best heavies in the game and reemerge as the sport's
heavyweight king. Now, with the departures of fighters like Tim
Sylvia, Andrei Arlovski (Pictures), Mirko "CroCop"
Filipovic, and the deep pockets willing to stage fights for Emelianenko,
the tables may have turned. Furthermore, with the rise of B.J.
Penn, Nogueira slips one spot in these rankings to number six.
However, the upcoming season of "The Ultimate Fighter 8,"
on which Nogueira will coach against former UFC champ Frank Mir
(Pictures), should raise the profile of "Minotauro"
to an audience his Russian rival has yet to reach.

7.
Urijah Faber (Pictures) (21-1)

Although the ascent of B.J. Penn sees Faber slip in these rankings
from sixth to seventh, Faber has become the first real sub-lightweight
star in North American MMA, a thought that once seemed inconceivable
in years past, when many thought that even lightweights couldn't
catch on with fans. In his Sacramento, Calif. homecoming against
Jens Pulver (Pictures) on June 1, "The California Kid"
effortlessly played the superstar role. Faber was not only able
to galvanize the audience, but in the biggest featherweight fight
this sport has seen thus far, he dominated Pulver from bell-to-bell
in a commanding performance that showed off his newly matured
striking game. More importantly, more and more featherweight
talent continues to pour into the WEC, which should allow Faber
to have both a future full of top competition and outstanding
fights.

8.
Miguel Torres (Pictures) (33-1)

After turning in a champion's performance in what may wind up
as 2008's fight of the year, MMA's mulleted Mexicano raises his
pound-for-pound stock, climbing from tenth to eighth. Torres'
June 1 bout with Pancrase star Yoshiro Maeda (Pictures) was a
perfect example of why hardcore fans have championed MMA's smaller
weight classes for so long, and why now that these weight classes
are being put on the big stage with the help of Zuffa and the
WEC, fans are so quick to take to them. What's even better is
that like Urijah Faber, with WEC emerging as the big ticket for
MMA's smaller fighters, Torres will have no shortage of quality
opponents, especially as the promotion sees more international
competitors enter the cage for a crack at him.

9.
Takanori Gomi (Pictures) (28-3, 1 NC)

With the likes of Penn, Faber and Torres putting on defining
performances in major fights, Gomi sees his pound-for-pound stature
slip, falling from seventh to ninth. With the majority of former
Pride Bushido lightweights now in Dream, the question regarding
Gomi has been whether or not the longtime lightweight king can
manage to secure fights with accomplished, talented lightweights
fighting in World Victory Road's Sengoku. While undoubtedly,
a more fitting environment would be the UFC's Octagon or Dream's
lightweight grand prix, things may not be so grim for Gomi competitively
speaking. "The Fireball Kid" will return to action
on August 24's Sengoku card, which will also see an eight-man
lightweight tournament with some high quality if not unknown
lightweights such as Rodrigo Damm (Pictures), Satoru Kitaoka
(Pictures) and Eiji Mitsuoka (Pictures). The tournament's winner
will then go on to challenge Gomi in a scenario which isn't the
"ultimate" or "dreamy," but isn't too shabby
either.

10.
Norifumi Yamamoto (Pictures) (17-1, 1 NC)

As we lie in wait for Yamamoto's return to the ring, the bad
boy of Japanese MMA slips from eighth to tenth for Sherdog's
pound-for-pound purposes. Thankfully, "Kid" will make
his return soon enough on Dream's July 21 card in Osaka, where
he'll meet undefeated Urijah Faber pupil Joseph Benavidez (Pictures).
Although it is not nearly as important as the world collide-style
dream match with featherweight ruler Urijah Faber, it is great
to see Dream's parent company, Fighting and Entertainment Group,
finally create a featherweight class, giving Yamamoto a true
divisional home rather than having him float between contract
weights, or fight far beyond his means at 154 pounds. The creation
of Dream's featherweight class should lead to attracting high
quality international featherweights, which means that finally,
"Kid" should get the chance to face the elite level
competitors befitting his talent.

Source: Sherdog

Brown
Discusses Curran Win, Possibility of Fighting Faber

ATT Fighter Confirms Discussions of a Title Shot

By Kelsey Mowatt

Mike
Brown recently served notice to the MMA world that the American
Top Team fighter is amongst the best at 145lbs., by defeating
the highly regarded veteran Jeff Curran by Unanimous Decision
on June 1st, at World Extreme Cagefighting 34. Brown, who has
not lost a fight since December, 2005, has now won 7 straight,
a streak which also includes a victory over Yves Edwards.

“I’d
have to say it was my biggest win to date,” Brown told FCF
when asked where his latest victory ranks in his 7 year career.
“It was in the biggest show, the biggest win for the biggest
show that I’ve ever fought. It was good for me.”

Many
expected that the former collegiate wrestler would present Curran
some difficulties, not just on account of Brown’s takedown
abilities, but because the fighter has rounded out his game considerably
over the last few years training with ATT. Just three weeks removed
from the bout, Brown has had some time to contemplate his performance
against Curran, and offered this critique.

“My
game-plan was to stand-up more,” Brown said. “For some
reason at the end of my punches I always end up clinching, and
then sometimes from the clinch I think it’s easier to get
the takedown and get on top then it is to break away. His striking
was a little better than I anticipated, I thought I was going
to be able to hit him with some more shots, but I couldn’t
put my glove on him as much as I wanted to. It went well. I controlled
the takedowns, when I was on top. It went well, but maybe not
as well as I had planned.”

FCF
spoke with Curran a few weeks before the June 1st bout, who at
the time, expressed his disappointment, that the upcoming bout
with Brown was not scheduled to be aired on the WEC 34 broadcast.

“I
was really bummed,” Brown told FCF when asked if he shared
Curran’s sentiments. “I was really upset; I think that
both of us are world class fighters you know? I mean his name
was of course bigger than mine, I thought where he had just fought
for the title in his last fight you would think that he would
still be televised. I assumed we were going to be on, but then
again, they did have 2 title fights, so it didn’t really
leave a lot of room, those five round fights.”

Due
to the fact Brown has now defeated one of the WEC’s more
notable 145lb. fighters; talk has already begun about the possibility
of a bout between Brown and the promotion’s featherweight
champion, Urijah Faber.

“I’m
ready to go,” Brown responded when asked if he would like
to fight Faber next. “I’m 32, I’m old enough where
I don’t need that time to build, I’ve had enough fights,
enough experience, it’s time to fight the best guys. Urijah
is the best guy. “Kid” (Norifumi Yamamoto) is up there
too, he’s a little smaller than Urijah, those two are in
everyone’s eyes number 1 and 2, but I would give the edge
to Urijah.”

According
to Brown, his management has already had preliminary discussions
with the WEC about the possibility of fighting Faber sometime
this year.

“There
have been some discussions about it,” Brown confirmed. “Nothing
is signed; I think it’s going to happen in September.”

Due
to the WEC and Faber’s current reign as champion, the featherweight
division has gone from being nearly off the radar screen in North
American MMA circles, to front and center. A fight between Brown
and Faber would likely only brighten the spotlight. An interesting
turn of events for Brown, who at one point in his career, had
to compete at 155 just to get high profile bouts.

“No
man,” Brown said, when asked if he ever thought he would
see the day where the lighter weight divisions would receive
the promotion that they have in North America. “I honestly
didn’t, I thought I’d have to stay at 155 if I ever
wanted to do anything, get any sort of recognition. After I lost
a couple in a row to Genki Sudo (UFC 47), and then Joe Lauzon
at a smaller show, I contemplated maybe that I had reached my
limit; that the sport wasn’t for me. I kept working away
at it though, and now with the 145 division, the sport is getting
so big, so much faster than I though it would. We all knew, when
we first started watching it that it was the world’s greatest
sport, but I thought it would take more time to blow up, ever
year it just takes huge leaps.”

Source: Full Contact Fighter

Andre
Gusmao comments on UFC debut

"There'll be faces getting bashed"

Andre
Gusmao's wish has finally come true. As he had told GRACIEMAG.com
back in December of last year, signing with the UFC was only
a matter of time and the only barrier was his release from the
IFL. Happy as can be, the capoeira instructor, Jiu-Jitsu brown
belt and undefeated MMA fighter today saw confirmation of his
opponent in his debut in the famous American octagon.

The
opponent for his sixth fight in the professional MMA career of
the former Pitbull shall be Tomasz Drwal, a more experienced
fighter who is coming off a technical knockout loss to Thiago
Silva, at UFC 75. GRACIEMAG.com had a chat over the phone with
the Renzo Gracie student and teammate of Ricardo "Cachorrao"
Almeida, who has been training hard to put on a good show.

"Now
it's official. The IFL released me and the UFC called me right
after, wanting me to sign with them. I'm training really hard,
I had just gotten out of a training session at Renzo's. I'm also
training with Cachorrao all the time. The category I entered
(light heavyweight) has a lot of tough guys and this will be
a great test for me. This business of being undefeated is relative,
the only one's not to lose are those who don't fight, I'll do
my best and will be ready for war. I've known about this fight
for three weeks, he (Drwal) likes to go toe to toe and will want
to fight standing. There'll be faces getting bashed," said
the irreverent denizen of New York.

Source: Gracie Magazine

STRIKEFORCE
WEIGH-IN RESULTS; RIGGS SCRATCHED

by Ricardo Mendoza

SAN
JOSE, Calif. – Gilbert Melendez and Josh Thomson are now
officially set to go to war as both fighters made weight on Thursday
to make their Strikeforce lightweight championship official.
Defending champion Melendez had no problem, but Thomson had to
strip down on his second attempt to make weight.

In
the other title fight of the night, both Bobby Southworth and
Anthony Ruiz made weight without a hitch.

The
big story of the weigh-ins was the cancellation of the Joe Riggs-Luke
Stewart fight. According to Armando Garcia, executive director
of the California State Athletic Commission, Riggs was unable
to be medically cleared to fight.

Strikeforce
vice president Mike Afromowitz later confirmed that Riggs’
denial was due to an undisclosed prescription drug that the fighter
voluntarily listed on the medical forms required by the state.

In
a quick turn of events, Afromowitz also told MMAWeekly.com that
the promotion was successful in lining up Drew Fickett to step
in for Riggs. Fickett will now face Luke Stewart in a middleweight
bout. Stewart and Riggs had been scheduled to fight at a catch
weight of 178 pounds.

Gilbert
Melendez- 155

Josh Thomson- 155

Bobby
Southworth- 204.5

Anthony Ruiz- 203

Elaina
Maxwell- 146

Meisha Tate- 145

Raymond
Daniels- 184

Jeremiah Metcalf- 185

Chris
Cariaso- 135.5

Anthony Figueroa- 135

Nam
Phan- 154

Billy Evangelista- 155

Brian
Caraway- 140

Alvin Cacdac- 141

Cyrillo
Padhillo- 169

Jesse Jones- 169

Travis
Johnson- 205

Jorge Interiano-201

Eric
Jacob- 156

Alexander Trivino- 156

Bobby
Stack- 155

Jose Palacios- 155

Jesse
Gillespe -186

Eric Lawson- 185

Source: MMA Weekly

Fickett,
Crane in co-main events at

Rage in the Cage 113

UFC veterans Drew Fickett and Alberto Crane will compete in co-main
events on Saturday, August 2 at Rage in the Cage 113 in Rio Rancho,
New Mexico.

Fickett (34-5) will be taking on Adrian Valdez in a bout with
a limit of 175 pounds. Fickett is 18-3 since August 2005 with
wins over Josh Koscheck, Josh Neer and Kurt Pellegrino, and losses
to Karo Parisyan, Josh Burkman and Nick Diaz in the UFC.

Fickett,
who apparently violated his EliteXC contract by fighting at Rage
in the Cage 111 in June, was supposed to vie for the vacant EliteXC
welterweight title against Jake Shields. The title bout, previously
postponed due to injuries, will no longer happen. Shields will
now battle Nick "The Goat" Thompson for the belt at
the July 26 CBS-EliteXC "Saturday Night Fights" event.

Crane
(8-2), a 2-time UFC competitor, will fight former IFL Scorpions
welterweight Gabe Rivas (13-12-1) in a 160-pound contest. After
starting his career with eight straight wins, Crane stumbled
twice on the biggest stage, losing by TKO to Roger Huerta and
Pellegrino in the UFC.

Rage
in the Cage 113, from the Santa Ana Star Casinio, will also feature
team-themed bouts between fighters out of New Mexico and Arizona.

Source: MMA Fighting

KEN
SHAMROCK'S NEPHEW SIGNS WITH STRIKEFORCE

Jeff Shamrock, nephew of UFC Hall of Famer Ken Shamrock, has
signed a multi-fight deal with Strikeforce. Shamrock’s first
fight under the San Jose, Calif. based organization will be announced
soon.

“I
am definitely excited to have Ken Shamrock's nephew as a part
of the Strikeforce team,” said Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker.
“Jeff possesses that incredible Shamrock strength that his
family is known for. I expect great things from Jeff and look
forward to his professional debut.”

"I
am very thankful for this opportunity," said Jeff Shamrock,
who, at 18 years old, is the youngest member of Ken Shamrock's
Lion's Den Reno Elite Fight team. “Signing with Strikeforce
gives me a chance to put all of my training to the test, and
to develop as an elite fighter. I am really looking forward to
fighting for them."

According
to Ken Shamrock, "Jeff is a very strong and aggressive fighter.
He has been training hard and has developed impressive skills
on the mat, including his takedown and submission skills. I have
no doubt that Jeff will do extremely well."

Jeff
Shamrock is expected to make his professional debut at the next
Strikeforce event, fighting at 155 pounds. In his amateur debut
in August, he defeated Kyle Davey by way of first round submission
at Feather Falls Casino in Oroville, Calif.

Source: MMA Weekly

Toquinho
could face Henderson

Bout likely for UFC 88

It
took but one fight for Rousimar "Toquinho" Palhares
to impress the top dogs at the UFC and, consequently,cut in front
of a list of people in line to challenge for the belt. The transition
from the back to the armbar on Ivan Salaverry yielded the prize
for best submission of the night and drove his adversary into
retirement.

The
BTT black belt's next opponent seems to be on par with his debt
and career until now, he is none other than the holder of two
belts from the now-extinct Pride organization, Team Quest's Dan
Henderson.

According
to an article on MMAWeekly.com, the Brazilian has already accepted
the proposal and the bout is set for September 6th, at UFC 88.
This will be the biggest fight of Toquinho's career, a great
chance to establish himself among the top-ranked fighters among
middleweights and make a name for himself outside of Brazil.

Source: Gracie Magazine

6/26/08

Quote
of the Day

“When
you are sorrowful look again in your heart, and you shall see
that in truth you are weeping for that which has been your delight.”

Kahlil Gibran, 1883-1931, Lebanese Poet and Novelist

Felicia
Oh Seminar Tonight!

Thursday,
June 26

7:00 PM

Only $30!

Relson Gracie Hawaii Kai

Koko Marina
Shopping Center

7192 Kalanianaole Highway, Suite # C-200 (2nd floor)

Honolulu, Hawaii 96825

808-292-1485

For those of you who don’t know – we are hosting a
seminar at our Academy in Hawaii Kai on Thursday, June 26th at
7:00PM. This is our first seminar ever and we want it to be a
successful one. We are one of the youngest schools in Hawaii
and it is difficult to schedule visiting instructors when they
are in town because they usually have previous commitments with
older and bigger schools. We are lucky to have Felicia Oh make
time for us, so we need to make sure that everybody who can be
there shows up.

I know some of you guys are strapped, so just contact me and
I will take care of you. Don’t use the $30 bucks are a reason
not to show up. That is a very small donation to get a Champion
of her skill level. I copied the blurb on her below…

Felicia Oh is a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under senior
instructor Jean Jacques Machado and an accomplished submission
grappling professional. She is best known for winning the North
American qualifier for the 2007 ADCC grappling championship and
for being the first and currently the only woman to win the Brazilian
Jiu-jitsu Pan American championships in the Black Belt Gi and
No-Gi divisions in 2007. Felicia is the women's BJJ instructor
and Kettlebell instructor at 'Big' John McCarthy's Ultimate training
center BJMUTA training center in Valencia, Santa Clarita, California.

Everybody
is welcome to attend, please invite anyone who you think will
benefit from attending. You can call me with questions at 808-292-1485.
For the people who have not been to the school before we are
located at the Koko Marina Shopping Center, 7192 Kalanianaole
Highway, Suite # C-200 (2nd floor), Honolulu, Hawaii 96825.

Source:
Ron Huxen

HFC
Stand Your Ground IX

July 11,
2008

Dole Cannery Ballrooms

EliteXC
on CBS Returns

In a Rematch
of their Recent Controversial Title Fight on CBS,

EliteXC Middleweight Champion Robbie Lawler Will Defend Against
Scott Smith, While Jake Shields Squares off Against Nick Thompson
For the Vacant EliteXC Welterweight Belt

CBS
to Broadcast Four Live Fights (Including Two Title Fights) From
9:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT; SHOWTIME to Televise Three Live Fights
(Including EliteXC Heavyweight Title Fight) from 8:00-9:00 PM,
ET/PT

LOS
ANGELES, June 25 — CBS and EliteXC announced today that
the next CBS ELITEXC SATURDAY NIGHT FIGHTS will be broadcast
live from the Stockton Arena in Stockton, Calif. on Saturday,
July 26 (9:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network.
The four-fight broadcast will be highlighted by the highly anticipated
rematch between "Ruthless" Robbie Lawler and Scott
"Hands of Steel" Smith for the EliteXC Middleweight
Title.

The
night of mixed martial action will begin with three live fights
on SHOWTIME (8:00-9:00 PT, ET/PT) including an EliteXC Heavyweight
Championship match featuring Antonio "Big Foot" Silva.

"One
venue, two networks and seven exciting world class fights adds
up to an entertaining and memorable mixed martial arts event
in prime time," said Doug DeLuca, Executive Chairman, ProElite,
Inc.

In
a rematch of their exciting, controversial first fight on May
31 on CBS, Lawler, the EliteXC middleweight champion from St.
Louis by way of Davenport, Iowa, will put his title on the line
once again against hard-hitting challenger Smith of Elk Grove,
Calif. Their last meeting, a fight that many called the fight
of the night, ended in controversy when doctors called the fight
after Smith caught an unintentional finger in the eye late in
the third round. Smith claimed he was ready to continue, but
the fight was stopped and declared a no contest.

In
a second world title fight on CBS, two of the sports' most talented
welterweights will collide when San Francisco's Jake Shields,
who has won nine in a row, gets his long awaited shot at a world
title when he squares off against Nick Thompson of Minneapolis,
Minn., who has won 12 straight and 20 of his last 21 fights,
for the vacant EliteXC 170-pound belt.

The
world title fights are scheduled for five, five-minute rounds.

Also
on CBS, hometown favorite Nick Diaz of Stockton, Calif. will
face Thomas "Wildman" Denny of Hesperia, Calif. The
talented Diaz, who will be seeking his third victory in three
months, needs a win to stay in the hunt for a potential rematch
with ElliteXC lightweight champion KJ Noons. Denny, a winner
in four of his last five fights, is coming off a first-round
disqualification victory over the highly regarded Malaipet on
March 21, 2008.

The
remaining primetime match-ups for the CBS ELITEXC SATURDAY NIGHT
FIGHTS on July 26 will be announced at a later date. The SHOWTIME
match-ups also will be announced in the near future.

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's
inaugural mixed martial arts broadcast on May 31, 2008 dominated
its time period in all key young men and young adult demographics.
The total viewership increased throughout the night, peaking
at 6.51m viewers for the Kimbo Slice vs. James Thompson fight.
The entire broadcast (9:00-11:51 PM) averaged 4.85m viewers.

The
intense nature of the contests and the theatrical elements of
its live events have made mixed martial arts one of the fastest
growing spectator sports in the U.S. Over the last several years,
the genre has seen tremendous growth in popularity, especially
among the coveted 18-34 demographic.

Mixed
martial arts is a sport evolved from a number of ancient combat
disciplines including judo, jiu-jitsu, karate, wrestling and
kickboxing. World-class athletes engage in hand-to-hand combat
in a ring — both caged and traditional — and must adapt
their fighting style to fit their opponent. The wide variety
of styles and techniques make every event an unpredictable spectacle.

CBS
ELITEXC SATURDAY NIGHT FIGHTS will be produced by SHOWTIME Sports.
The executive producer is David Dinkins, Jr.

For
more information on CBS ELITEXC SATURDAY NIGHT FIGHTS, visit
cbssports.com

Source:
EliteXC

Notes:
EXC shaping up; New York sanctioning

After
months of trying, Elite XC once again attempts to crown a welterweight
champion in a match featuring Jake Shields, who may be the best
fighter on the company’s roster. He’ll face Nick “The
Goat” Thompson on the July 26 combined CBS and Showtime
card.

The
match of two fighters with long winning streaks will hopefully
not be jinxed, as the prior attempts to create a champion have
been. At first, Shields was scheduled to face Mike Pyle on Nov.
10 to create the championship, but Pyle, for contractual reasons
of not wanting a long-term commitment to the company, turned
down being in a championship match, so the match was changed
to a non-title, three-round match.

After
Shields won that match, he was scheduled for a March 29 match
for the title against Drew Fickett, but that fell through when
Shields injured his back in training. Shields and Fickett were
supposed to square off for the title on June 14 in Honolulu,
but this time Fickett bowed out due to a training injury. When
Fickett signed to fight elsewhere in July, Elite XC chose Thompson,
who was the Bodog Fight welterweight champion when that promotion
folded, and is currently riding a 12-fight winning streak, which
includes a TKO win over Eddie Alvarez.

The
show will air live from 9-11 p.m. Eastern on CBS with four or
five fights, including either two or three five-round championship
matches. The CBS show will directly follow either a 60 or 90
minute Showtime card. No venue has been finalized for the event,
but with time of the essence, it is likely to be announced later
this week.

Shields
vs. Thompson will air on CBS along with the main event of Robbie
Lawler defending the middleweight title against Scott Smith in
a rematch from the inaugural CBS show on May 31. That match was
ruled a no contest when ringside doctor Sherry Wulkan ruled Smith
couldn’t continue after he couldn’t see due to an accidental
eye poke.

The
CBS show was a ratings success, causing the network to ask for
a second show even though the company’s two major drawing
cards, Kimbo Slice and Gina Carano, wouldn’t be ready to
fight. The company is coming off two events that were popular
with novice viewers but heavily criticized by those inside the
industry: for the use of Slice in the main event on CBS, and
for a June 14 post-show brawl among cornermen stemming from the
company setting up Nick Diaz and K.J. Noons for an in-ring face-to-face
confrontation to build up their scheduled fall lightweight title
fight.

Slice
proved to be a huge drawing card, as his match with James Thompson
was the most-widely viewed MMA match ever in North America, and
he’s become the most recognized fighter who wasn’t
developed by the UFC. But in using a fighter with just two prior
pro fights, whose notoriety came from street fights broadcast
on YouTube, the company’s was criticized for pandering to
the lowest common denominator.

“This
is a test of how the sport of MMA can do on network TV,”
said Elite XC matchmaker Jared Shaw. “It’s going to
be the kind of show that will satisfy the hardcore fans.”

But
with the pressure of drawing network ratings, CBS and Elite XC
will have to be able to market the sport of MMA as the draw without
any proven money players on the show. It’s a risky proposition
in a business that has always been carried by main event star
power.

Shaw
believes the true make-or-break show that will answer the question
of MMA long-term on CBS would likely be the third show in October
when the company’s two big draws, Slice and Gina Carano,
would likely return.

In
particular, after booking a first show with matches designed
to be stand-up slugfests, Shields vs. Thompson is expected to
be a ground war with two fighters who specialize in submissions.

Shields
(20-4-1), a former college wrestler at San Francisco State who
later became a Cesar Gracie Brazilian jiu-jitsu protege, has
won his last nine fights dating back more than three years. With
wins over Yushin Okami, considered Anderson Silva’s top
contender for the UFC middleweight title; and World Extreme Cagefighting
welterweight champion Carlos Condit, he’s widely considered
the best North American fighter in the weight class not currently
in UFC.

Thompson,
36-9-1, whose only loss in his last 22 fights, dating back three
years, was to Karo Parisyan, comes out of the Minnesota Martial
Arts Academy that includes both Sean Sherk and Brock Lesnar.
Of late, he’s been fighting with the Japanese Sengoku promotion,
and is coming off a second round submission win over Michael
Costa on June 8 in a show-stealing match.

The
promotion is working on creating a heavyweight champion on the
show, but that depends on the opponent signed to face Antonio
“Junior” Silva. Shaw said they will create a title
match if they sign a championship worthy opponent.

New
York sanctioning stalled

UFC’s
goal of running an event in Madison Square Garden has been delayed
by at least several months, after a bill before the state Assembly’s
Tourism, Arts and Sports Committee to legalize MMA in the state
was voted down twice in the past two weeks.

For
those of us who have followed the sport’s growth, it’s
frustrating that the same emotional arguments, including ludicrous
comparisons to cockfighting and dog fighting, still get entered
into discussions by lawmakers who haven’t done any homework
on the sport.

UFC
president Dana White said after the vote that he considered it
a temporary setback and was still confident of running in the
state in 2009.

“It
disappointed me greatly,” said Marc Ratner, vice president
of regulatory affairs for the UFC, which sponsored the bill.
“Spike ratings are big in New York. We’re going to
be there. It’s going to happen. It’s about educating
people.”

Ratner
said that besides Madison Square Garden, which was a main supporter
of the bill, and which UFC has talked to weekly for more than
a year, that arenas in Albany, Syracuse, Utica and Buffalo have
all expressed interest in shows.

In
this case, the bill got sidetracked by Assemblyman Bob Reilly
(D-Clifton Park), who gave an impassioned speech, saying, “We
ban cockfighting and dog fighting. Should we allow humans to
enter a cage to knee, kick and punch each other?” But Reilly’s
knowledge was so limited he had to ask if they had referees in
MMA matches, and part of his speech claimed that UFC was banned
in 20 states, so why should New York be different.

There
are actually only two states in which MMA is banned – New
York and West Virginia – both based on laws written at a
time the rules of the sport were different. UFC right now will
only run in the 35 states where the sport is both legal and regulated,
although almost every state except the aforementioned two have
regular shows. Of the remaining 13 states, five don’t have
athletic commissions and the other eight that have athletic commissions,
haven’t given the commissions jurisdiction over MMA events.

Shows
are held regularly in most of those states, including Hawaii,
a hotbed for the sport.

MMA
can be a dangerous game, and it is imperative the sport be regulated
because the right medical personnel are needed, and unregulated
MMA can be a breeding ground for unscrupulous promoters.

A
Johns Hopkins University study on Nevada State Athletic commission
injury statistics showed injuries occur in MMA at a slightly
higher rate than boxing, but it is more knee, back and shoulder
injuries; brain trauma and concussions are significantly more
frequent in boxing. Having spoken to high-level kickboxers who
have done both sports, all say that kickboxing is significantly
harder on the body.

Ratner
said they would try and reintroduce legislation in January, during
the next session.

Source:
Yahoo Sports

The
Iceman is now a kept man

By
Steve Cofield

Great
job by MMAMania scooping everyone on Chuck Liddell's engagement.
But we know news only becomes truth when Page 6 reports it!

The
Sports Pig spotted this one from the kings of gossip, the N.Y.
Post.

Liddell,
and his torn hammie, road tripped to London for UFC 85 with his
sweetheart Erin Wilson. That's where he popped the question.

Chuck
has enjoyed his single life. Some of the photos and videos that
have hit the internet are classic. Women love the Iceman.

Can't
we all be happy for Liddell? MMA celebrities simply can't win
with bloggers.

She
must be a helluva woman if Chuck is passing on every man's dream
existence. When you've got 99,329 friends on your MySpace page
and every one is a woman except Tom, you're a lucky man.

Source:
Yahoo Sports

AFFLICTION
SETS PLANS FOR TWO FUTURE SHOWS

Since the announcement of the Affliction promotion a few months
ago, everyone from fans to fighters to other promoters have been
watching the new organization with great interest as to their
business plan for the mixed martial arts industry.

Already
entrenched as a staple for the MMA world through their clothing
line, Affliction MMA will debut on July 19 at the Honda Center
in California with a star studded line-up including the main
event pitting top heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko against former
Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight titleholder Tim Sylvia.

But
before the promotion can even officially launch its first show,
the future of Affliction is already a hot button topic with many
MMA fans. Company vice president Tom Atencio spoke to MMAWeekly
Radio about future plans for the MMA division of the clothing
giant.

“Right
now we’re looking at three shows,” said Atencio. “We’re
looking at July 19 at the Honda Center, then we’ve got end
of October, possibly November for the second show, then the third
show will be February.”

Understanding
the star power associated with the first show, Atencio said it
will be a hard act to follow, but the promotion is dedicated
to putting on another top show. They also plan to showcase lighter
weight classes, differing from the debut show, which features
a number of heavyweight bouts.

“So
we’re looking at three shows right now. Everything’s
going to go as planned. I’m really confident in what we’re
doing,” he commented. “The first one’s obviously
going to be hard to follow, but we’re going to do our best
and we’re looking at working with the fans and seeing what
they want. And obviously after this first fight we have the winners
of this first fight that can fight each other, and then I’m
looking at lighter weight classes as well.”

Having
been a fan of the sport since its inception, Atencio is looking
forward to displaying everything from the featherweight division
on up in future Affliction shows.

“I’ve
got Savant Young and Mark Hominick fighting on the undercard
at 145 (pounds). I’m a big fan of the lightweights, so I’d
like to bring in more 145’s, 155’s, 170’s and
bring in the lighter guys who can just stand and bang and keep
going for days,” he stated about Affliction’s future
weight classes.

As
for the locations of the next two shows, the vice president noted
that while nothing has been secured they are looking at a few
options as far as venues go.

“Right
now we’re looking at a couple different places, one outside
of the west coast, one on the west coast and then the third is
possibly on the east coast, so if we can get over there,”
he said.

The
first Affliction show has sold approximately 8,000 tickets so
far according to Atencio with the company picking up the promotion
and marketing machine over the next few weeks. They are hoping
for a sellout of the arena.

Source:
MMA Weekly

HEATH
HERRING HAS NO HESITATIONS WITH LESNAR

When former heavyweight champion Mark Coleman fell out his bout
with rising star Brock Lesnar due to injury, the call was quickly
made to perennial contender Heath Herring, who stepped up on
short notice to take on the Minnesota native in his home state.

Herring
made an impressive showing in his last fight defeating Cheick
Kongo by split decision at UFC 82 in Columbus, Ohio. Despite
the short notice, Herring says he had no hesitations stepping
in to face Lesnar and the only detractor was pulling his camp
together on time.

“The
only hesitation was trying to get all the chickens back in the
chicken coup so to speak. No one was really set up to try and
get ready for a fight. I think we got camp established pretty
quick and now everything’s going okay,” said Herring.

For
his last fight, he admitted that he didn’t work much on
his ground game, expecting a stand-up fight with the experienced
kickboxer, Kongo. Now facing a former NCAA Division I wrestling
champion, he’s on top of his grappling skills again, but
definitely isn’t neglecting his striking ability.

“I
actually am working a little bit of ground now, but we’re
also training stand-up as well,” Herring stated. “Not
to slack off in any area. We’re trying to be as well rounded
as possible. I have a feeling he might want to come out and try
to throw just a little bit, and I’m hoping he does and we’ve
got to make him pay when he does.”

With
Brock Lesnar on the horizon, Herring has assembled another top
training camp including past coaches and partners, but he has
also been spending much of his time training with Randy Couture
and his team, Xtreme Couture.

“I’ve
been down at Randy’s (Couture) a lot. Actually, Randy’s
really helped me out so far,” commented Herring. “I
really have got to give him a lot of credit for helping me out
and kind of helping me with takedown defense and things like
that.”

There’s
not much video on Lesnar when it comes to his MMA career having
only two professional fights to his credit, but Herring’s
vast experience in the fight game could be one of the most determining
factors in the match-up.

Despite
the lack of footage to map out a specific game plan, Herring
is confident that he can anticipate what Lesnar is likely to
do in the fight.

“From
my own personal experience, guys that are that green and new,
they kind of revert to that adrenaline rush and that’s what
I’m anticipating he’s going to do as well,” Herring
said about his opponent. “I think he’s going to be
pretty wild and come out and do what we saw him do against Frank
(Mir).”

Lesnar
will likely have one very large factor on his side and that is
the home state crowd of Minnesota behind their native son. Again,
Herring’s experience in this aspect of the fight will keep
him calm when dealing with the storm of the crowd at UFC 87.

“I’ve
been fighting people in their hometowns for a long time,”
said Herring. “This ain’t my first rodeo.”

Herring
will continue his camp in Las Vegas as he prepares for the August
9 showdown with Lesnar as a part of UFC 87.

Source:
MMA Weekly

Xande
seeks perfection

"I still have much to conquer"

Xande
Ribeiro isn't satisfied. Having won the world championship four
times among heavyweights and twice in the absolute is not enough
for Jiu-Jitsu's black belt of the moment as he dives definitively
into MMA.

The
big standout of the 2008 World Championship, Xande is back in
training, but this time it is not to face Roger Gracie, but to
wow a new crowd on a new stage. Focused on MMA, the fighter,
who should be making his debut in the style this year, spoke
with GRACIEMAG.com and spilled his heart about the World championship
that crowned him the best Jiu-Jitsu competitor of the year.

Check
out this exclusive interview and stay tuned. GRACIEMAG #137,
with the greatest coverage of the JJ Worlds on the planet, is
already on its way to readers around the globle.

GRACIEMAG.com:
Do you feel completely fulfilled in Jiu-Jitsu having won your
second absolute title?

Xande:
I surely feel fulfilled, but not completely. I'm still really
young and I can still do a lot. I want to stamp my name into
Jiu-Jitsu once and for all, conquering more absolutes and sealing
my position as the best heavyweight. Now my record at black belt
includes golds in two absolutes and four categories, and before
I'm thirty, I still have much to conquer. And I will surely be
fulfilled when the World Championship is made professional in
such a way that we can reach various segments of the media, and
the absolute champion can make some good money, not just through
prize money, but with sponsorship supporting a sport that reaches
everybody.

GRACIEMAG.com:
Tell us what it was like to win your fourth at weight and second
in the absolute.

Xande:
I have been training for years and facing off against Roger and
Co. At my weight, I knew there would be some tough matches, but
my confidence and the level of my Jiu-Jitsu reached a level whereby
I can still reign at this weight for a few more years. I fought
two really good guys from the new crop. Tarsis (Humphreys) and
(Alexandre) Souza. For sure I see myself going up against them
again. In the absolute, I knew I'd be in the final, so I rooted
for Roger too, because I love competing against him. He is good
and big, which motivates me more, as my training was geared towards
getting to the final well rested. Thank God I managed and could
dictate the pace and achieve victory.

GRACIEMAG.com:
Many still consider Roger the best in the world. Do you think
this second win is proof you are the best?

Xande:
Roger is a phenomenal athlete, and makes all his adversaries
look like white belts, but then he comes up against a guy like
me, who attacks and has a high level of Jiu-Jitsu. The results
and numbers speak for themselves. If he's the best and I beat
the best, the math is easy.

GRACIEMAG.com:
Gracie Humaita took second overall. How would you evaluate this
performance?

Xande:
I thought it was too great. Our girls team once again took first,
and we took second by going past Barra Gracie by one point from
my fight. That's too cool, an effort of strength and union. Surely,
soon we will be fighting for first place. We are few, but we
are united like a family, which makes us a hard army to beat.

GRACIEMAG.com:
Now will you be putting all your effort into MMA? Is there any
news regarding your debut?

Xande:
MMA is for my personal fulfillment. I will debut this year, but
as the best Jiu-Jitsu fighter in the world, negotiations and
the event have to be up to par. I will surely represent Jiu-Jitsu
in a glorious manner and show we still have the best martial
art in the world.

Source:
Gracie Magazine

Big
For One’s Britches

In
case you were in a cave today, Dana White decided to both debase
the “MMA media” and concurrently announce that the
big world shattering announcement was that some guy who part
owns the UFC is now going to work in the office full time. It
was quite the press release that Kevin Iole made up for the event
and submitted as actual journalism, and I’m sure the glorified
bloggers that imagine themselves to be reporters are spending
hours trying to determine how to compare it to the night Andre
The Giant stole the WWF title.

What
was of particular interest was the discussion by the Two Musketeers
of Ultimate Fighting of a plan to take the sport globally whilst
demanding an “NBA style contract” for the airing of
the programming. In fact, the plan makes the UFC the biggest
sports league (and by virtue of that, MMA the biggest sport)
in the entire world. Meditate on that for a second, because I
have. And boy, is it hilarious. In fact, let me go forth to talk
about that.

To
understand how absolutely, mindbogglingly insane this is, first
consider that there is no sport on earth with any significant
global presence that attempts to be both promoter and sanctioning
body at once. None. Not golf. Not auto racing in any form. Not
soccer. Not rugby. Not basketball. Not tennis. Everyone single
one of those relies on a vast system of local promoters, team
owners, managers, and independent sanctioning. Basketball on
a global scale works under the Fédération Internationale
de Basketball, not the National Basketball Association. Sure,
the NBA is its most powerful “rival”, however when
it comes to international tournament play or creating rules for
the Olympics, FIBA is responsible for that. Soccer features massive
governing bodies like the Union of European Football Associations
(UEFA) and, of course, the Fédération Internationale
de Football Association (FIFA), who are responsible for running
and maintaining the world’s largest events (UEFA Cup and
World Cup soccer tournaments). Automobile Racing on an almost
universal basis answers to La Fédération Internationale
de l’Automobile (FIA), who in turn sanction and create the
rules for the most popular forms of the sport on this planet
(chiefly Formula One, WRC, and sports car racing).

Even
organizations that the UFC has patterned itself after such as
NASCAR are reliant on local track operators to advertise coming
events of a local, regional, or national status. Other international
sanctioning bodies also rely on the facilities to promote their
event first and foremost as well as set up television coverage.
One only has to look at how professional tennis and golf jump
around the dial.

The
UFC totally diverges from this. They demand control of TV production.
They demand to promote the events. They demand to book the shows.
They demand to sanction the shows. They demand to set up and
maintain the TV coverage. They demand all of this come directly
from the front office, and their reluctance to give up an iota
of control has cost them lucrative contracts with, it seems,
virtually every major network, ESPN, and HBO. Its cost them the
ability to run Japan. It cost them Fedor Emelianenko (remember
how his management wanted to promote UFC shows in Russia?) They’ve
purposely alienated themselves from fighters within the sport
in ways that no professional league has done since the civil
rights movement.

Not
only have they embarked on a path that, quite bluntly, has accomplished
none of their major objectives in the last 2 years and put them
in a position that they must run a money losing show in July,
they’ve embarked on one that has never, ever worked at anything
remotely close the scale they are discussing. Oh yeah, money.
Remember that Dana and Lorenzo are talking about being “bigger
than soccer.” Money is sort of important. To demand an “NBA
style” contract would be to establish that they can generate
NBA style revenues, which if anything, the UFC has proven without
a shadow of a doubt that they cannot.

The
NBA has 30 teams of players in 2 countries whom play 82 regular
season games plus expansion games plus playoff games. This means
that there are roughly 1500 games a year across the United States,
and averaged during the 2006-2007 regular season a staggering
17,757 attendees. That is per game. That is over 21,000,000 in
a season. The UFC can’t fill 1500 seat theaters at The Palms.
Even with such immense drawing power, the NBA still cannot even
hope to get the production demands the UFC is looking for. On
TV, PPV revenues are up, but they have shown nothing but flat
ratings for their weekly programming, and even spikes in programming
are nowhere near NFL regular season levels of popularity, much
less most network NASCAR races.

Of
course, there’s more. To compete with the biggest sports
on earth, it would require you pay people accordingly. SI did
a wonderful job collecting data for the US and the rest of the
world. Tiger Woods made a staggering $130,000,000+. Floyd Mayweather
Jr, who apparently competed in a sport that is dead and nowhere
near as profitable as the UFC, made the tidy sum of over $40,000,000.
The Formula One world champion, a total unknown stateside, made
$46,000,000 in salary alone. And yet Sports Illustrated thought
so little of every fighter in the UFC that they listed none of
their signed athletes there to be potential additions to the
list (though, hilariously, guess who got the honor for MMA?).
There is not a single fighter in the history of the sport to
gross $10,000,000 in a single year.

Well,
to be fair, Lorenzo made 9 figures last year. That is pretty
damned impressive. Oddly, absolutely nothing has been said asking
why someone would choose to leave what seems on the surface to
be such a plum job to promote a fringe sport. Nothing. Such obvious
questioning has instead been replaced with infinite optimism.
That he may be sensing potential revenue problems for the casino
chain he runs alongside his brother for a company that primarily
operates to pull in locals in a town with imploding property
values as the American economy begins what is forecasted by virtually
all economists to be a long term slide gets tossed out the window.
That as someone who has made hundreds of millions of dollars,
he may not be willing to spend hundreds of millions of dollars
without hope of necessarily making it backfor sometime is ignored.
Hell, not even fathomed, much less argued is the obvious fact
that spending hundreds of millions of dollars when in the middle
of a power struggle within your sport in order to gain power
(which may only be accomplished through a horrific pyrrhic victory)
may not be the best idea.

The
more one thinks about it, the more questions arise. What history
as a fight promoter does Lorenzo Fertitta have? His other attempts
at branching out, such as Zuffa Music, have generally failed
miserably, and the UFC itself was on the fast track to extinction
before backing into a reality show concept they paid for largely
out of pocket. What has he done to establish a link between himself
and blue chip sponsors, networks, production facilities, et al?
He can run a casino, but that certainly doesn’t mean he
can run a fight promotion. People with as much or more money
have come and gone. Dana at least had a history as a mediocre
boxing promoter. What is there other than casino earnings to
establish where Lorenzo fits in?

What
exactly am I saying? Well, to put it succinctly, the pipe dreams
put forth yesterday are some of the most absurd this sport has
ever seen, and that’s quite the accomplishment. If the goal
is to top all sports on earth, then there is no reason to believe
that failure is anything but imminent. The only hope for such
success is to completely change their business model, and I’d
give James Irvin better odds of beating Anderson Silva than a
conscious decision being made that would benefit themselves and
the sport.

Source:
Total MMA

Promoting
MMA: An Interview with Joseph Cavallaro

Joseph
Cavallaro is slowly getting used to the idea of being a promoter.
When he launched World Championship Fighting last year, every
day seemed to bring a new emergency, and he wrestled mentally
with his decision to leave a stable and lucrative sales job at
Sun Microsystems to fund his own mixed martial arts league.

Now,
with his third event set for Friday evening at the Shriners Auditorium
in Wilmington, Mass., the longtime friend of UFC President Dana
White is mellowing out a little. He's learning how to delegate
responsibility and starting to feel confident about the future
of his league, which drew a crowd of 3,700 in February for a
show featuring UFC veteran Dan Lauzon, a special appearance by
White and photo-ops with fighters Cavallaro manages, like Kenny
Florian and Marcus Davis. In the WCF, Cavallaro hopes to create
a central proving ground and launching pad for up-and-coming
New England fighters.

Jack
Encarnacao spoke with the well-connected "Joe Cav"
about getting into the game.

Sherdog.com:
What about the third event is getting you excited?

Cavallaro: The fights are going to be great. Rich Moskowitz and
Mike Campbell should be an incredible fight. Moskowitz is 10-4.
He's a phenom out of this area. He's actually out of New Hampshire.
He's a real, real good wrestler. Campbell's an unbelievable striker.
He's 4-0. Everybody says he's the best striker in New England.
So it's going to be that age-old question: Can Moskowitz get
him down and ground-and-pound him, or will Mike Campbell be able
to keep it standing and try to knock him out?

That
was the one we were actually going to do for the "Tapout"
show [Campbell was to be featured on an episode of the "Tapout"
show on Versus]. I don't know if you heard, but Mask had surgery
on his back. So they called me, they wanted to postpone the event.
I said, "Guys, I'd love to have you, but I can't postpone
the event." We've already sold a ton of tickets, and everybody's
planning on going. Obviously Mask is hurting, and we're hoping
he gets better right away and maybe they can come out for the
September show.

Sherdog.com:
What's behind HDNet, ESPN and NBC coming in to film at the show?

Cavallaro: With the popularity of the sport, everybody wants
a piece of it. HDNet's coming in with their "Inside MMA"
program, which is covering basically the entire event. It's actually
a pretty cool program. It's one of my favorite ones to watch.
NBC Sports, they came out to our last show when Dana was there,
and I think that's what sparked their interest. They enjoyed
the show and they said they'd like to come out and maybe do some
stuff, follow some of the guys. We're going to get Danny [Lauzon]
some exposure on that one. EPSN is actually going to come out
and do something on Danny also. They're going to incorporate
it into a story that they're doing. It's just about mixed martial
arts in general. I think with the Celtics winning and all that
stuff, everybody is just running around in circles and this event
has been tough to get anybody to take any notice as far as media
from Boston. On the national stage, we're getting a ton.

Sherdog.com:
Is there a promotional model that you're trying to follow?

Cavallaro: Not really. I don't see anybody else doing really
what we want to do. My goal is not to compete with the UFC. I
don't think we're going to get to that level, or we're not going
to get to that level any time soon. But I'd like to be able to
get the best fighters in the area, bring them in, have them fight
in our shows, have them fight the best competition around and
then have them move up to the bigger shows, move up to the UFC
and the WEC.

We're
looking at TV-type things now; we're starting to talk to the
TV stations. Now the sponsors are starting to see us. The thing
for us is to kind of create a buzz about it, a buzz around the
fights. That makes it attractive to sponsors. When the sponsors
come in, then you can start putting TV deals together. Because
that's really what you need to get to the next level. That would
be my ideal thing. Get a show where we have all the best fighters
fighting all the best fighters. So you get the best fighters
out of Philly fighting the best fighters out of Boston, fighting
the guys out of New York and have just big, big fights.

You
know who had the model was "Tuesday Night Fights."
That's the model. That's what I'd like to do, is go around and
showcase the best fighters in an area and have those guys work
their way to the pay-per-view events. When Mike Tyson first started
fighting, he started fighting on "Tuesday Night Fights."
It makes it interesting. You get the guys when they're up-and-coming.
You never know who the next Chuck Liddell is. You really don't.

Sherdog.com:
One of the constants on all three of your shows has been Dan
Lauzon. Can you speak about him? He seems to be a centerpiece
for you.

Cavallaro: Well Danny's a friend first and foremost. I've been
friends with him and his brother forever. I think he's a tremendous
fighter. You know, he's exciting, he's young. I think he's got
all the tools to really make it to the next level. As a promoter,
I want to bring him in and kind of showcase what he can do, and
build interest in him locally. He brings in a lot of fans. A
lot of people saw him fight the first time, and then they see
him fight the second time. Now they can't wait to come back and
see him again. People know who he is; people are interested in
seeing what he's going to do next.

You
start building guys that people have a local interest in. That's
a big part of the business model. You can't just throw fights
on for the sake of throwing fights on. People want to follow
people. They want to hear the story, and Danny's got a real interesting
story. Being Joe's little brother and being as good as he is,
a lot of people say he's going to be better than Joey. They say
he's going to be a lot better of a fighter. That's a pretty big
compliment. Joe is a tremendous fighter. A lot of people will
tell you he's going to be the next thing. I know the WEC and
the UFC are both talking about bringing him back. I think if
Danny right now were to go into the WEC, I think he'd be a force
in that division [155 pounds].

Source:
Sherdog

6/25/08

Quote
of the Day

“If
you want children to keep their feet on the ground, put some
responsibility on their shoulders.”

Abigail Van Buren, American Advice Columnist

Onzuka
Brothers on KGMB Channel 9 (or Digital Channel 7) Morning Show
Today!

Uproar
Magazine, a brand new magazine that will cover the MMA scene
and culture, will have a spot on the morning show and Chris and
Mike will be doing a couple of techniques.

I
think it will be somewhere around 6:15 and 6:30 am so if you
are up at that time, tune in!

Uproar
Magazine will be distributed at the MMA Expo so make sure you
get a copy there to get a sample of the magazine and buy the
upcoming issues!

Each
episode will feature a technique from us as well.

ULTIMATE
FIGHTER 7 SALARIES & AWARD BONUSES

The fighter salary information for The Ultimate Fighter 7 Finale,
which took place on Saturday, June 21 at the Palms in Las Vegas,
was made available on Monday.

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
MMA fighters do not have collective bargaining or a union, the
fighters' salaries are still public record, just as with every
other major sport in the United States. Any undisclosed bonuses
that a promoter also pays its fighters (specifically pay-per-view
bonuses, fight of the night bonuses, etc.) are not included in
the figures below.

The
following fighters received a $20,000 bonus from the UFC for
the awards noted: Dustin Hazelett (Submission of the Night and
Fight of the Night for a total of $40,000), Josh Burkman (Fight
of the Night with Dustin Hazelett), and Drew McFedries (Knockout
of the Night).

In
the listings below, " Main Event Fighters" are defined
as fighters who compete in the main event of a show. "Main
Card Fighters" are defined as fighters whose fights appear
on the main card, but not in title fights or in the main event.
"Preliminary Match Fighters" are defined as fighters
whose matches take place before the live broadcast goes on the
air, regardless of whether or not those matches end up airing
on the TV broadcast.

MAIN
EVENT FIGHTERS

-Kendall
Grove: $32,000 (defeated Evan Tanner; win bonus was $16,000)

-Evan
Tanner: $25,000 (lost to Kendall Grove; win bonus would have
been $25,000)

-Amir
Sadollah: $16,000 (defeated C.B. Dollaway; win bonus was $8,000)

-C.B.
Dollaway: $8,000 (lost to Amir Sadollah; win bonus would have
been $8,000)

MAIN
CARD FIGHTERS

-Diego
Sanchez: $70,000 (defeated Luigi Fioravanti; win bonus was $35,000)

-Spencer
Fisher: $36,000 (defeated Jeremy Stephens; win bonus was $18,000)

-Matthew
Riddle: $16,000 (defeated Dante Rivera; win bonus was $8,000)

-Luigi
Fioravanti: $10,000 (lost to Diego Sanchez; win bonus would have
been $10,000)

-Dante
Rivera: $8,000 (lost to Matthew Riddle; win bonus would have
been $8,000)

-Jeremy
Stephens: $8,000 (lost to Spencer Fisher; win bonus would have
been $8,000)

PRELIMINARY
MATCH FIGHTERS

-Dean
Lister: $28,000 (defeated Jeremy Horn; win bonus was $14,000)

-Drew
McFedries: $26,000 (defeated Marvin Eastman; win bonus was $13,000)

-Jeremy
Horn: $25,000 (lost to Dean Lister; win bonus would have been
$25,000)

-Dustin
Hazelett: $24,000 (defeated Josh Burkman; win bonus was $12,000)

-Matt
Brown: $16,000 (defeated Matt Arroyo; win bonus was $8,000)

-Josh
Burkman: $10,000 (lost to Dustin Hazelett; win bonus would have
been $10,000)

-Marvin
Eastman: $9,000 (lost to Drew McFedries; win bonus would have
been $9,000)

-Matt
Arroyo: $8,000 (lost to Matt Brown; win bonus would have been
$8,000)

-Tim
Credeur: $8,000 (bout with Cale Yarbrough cancelled; win bonus
would have been $8,000)

-Cale
Yarbrough: $8,000 (bout with Tim Credeur cancelled; win bonus
would have been $8,000)

-Rob
Kimmons: $6,000 (defeated Rob Yundt; win bonus was $3,000)

-Rob
Yundt: $5,000 (lost to Rob Kimmons; win bonus would have been
$5,000)

DISCLOSED
FIGHTER PAYROLL: $402,000

Source:
MMA Weekly

UNDEFEATED
KICKBOXER'S STRIKEFORCE MMA DEBUT

SAN JOSE, Calif. —Following an undefeated run in Chuck Norris’
World Combat League, 28-year-old kickboxing superstar, Raymond
“The Real Deal” Daniels (0-0), will make his long-awaited
mixed martial arts (MMA) debut when he takes on Jeremiah Metcalf
(8-4) in a middleweight (185 lb. limit) battle at Strikeforce’s
“Melendez vs. Thomson” card at HP Pavilion on Friday.

Already
being hailed as the second coming of Strikeforce World Middleweight
Champion, Cung Le, Daniels, recognized as the number one Sport
Karate fighter in the world, holds a 6th degree black belt in
Kenpo and Shotokan Karate as well as a 5th degree black belt
in Tae Kwon Do. He packs a thrilling, dynamic fighting style
that is strikingly similar to Le, also a guru of traditional
martial arts.

“I’m
going to give MMA fans something that they’ve never seen
before,” said Daniels, a resident of Long Beach, Calif.
“I want to become the greatest fighter of all time. Anybody
that steps in front of me is just gonna be on my next highlight
reel, an obstacle that’s standing in my path to greatness.”

The
career path of Daniels, thus far, mimics that of Le, who crossed
over to the world of mixed martial arts in 2006 after running
to a perfect 16-0 record in the sport of professional kickboxing.
Despite the parallels that can be drawn to the Strikeforce world
middleweight champion, though, Daniels is quick to point out
that he is his own man and is determined to carve out a unique
legacy in the martial arts fight world.

“I
don’t try to be the next anybody,” said Daniels. “I
look to be greater than Cung and surpass anyone who’s been
considered at the top of their game. I try to live up to who
I am and I expect great things from myself.”

It
was at the young age of five that Daniels became inspired by
his father, Frank, a seasoned martial artist and Sport Karate
competitor, to study Kenpo and, later, to test his skills against
other Karate players. From Ireland to Australia, Switzerland,
Hungary, and Germany, he has since traveled the world to face
and defeat top-ranked opponents.

Daniels
joined the ranks of the WCL in 2006 and amassed a record of 18-0
over the course of three seasons with the league’s Los Angeles
Stars team. Earlier this month, he captained his squad to a season
championship.

“I
still haven’t had any challenges or anything like that so
I decided to come over to MMA and see how good I really am.”

Daniels’
opponent, Metcalf, brings to the cage a three-fight win streak.
He is a product of Modesto, California’s AAA Academy of
Kickboxing, the training center that spawned 2003 K-1 North America
tournament champion, Carter Williams.

Strikeforce
World Lightweight (155 lb. limit) Champion, Gilbert “El
Nino” Melendez (14-1), will defend his crown against number
one contender and Bay Area arch-rival, Josh “The Punk”
Thomson (14-2), in the main event of Friday’s Strikeforce
affair.

In
another championship showdown, Bobby Southworth (8-5) will put
his Strikeforce World Light Heavyweight (205 lb. limit) title
on the line in a rematch with Anthony “El Toro” Ruiz
(20-10). Ruiz was declared the winner of their initial meeting
on November 16, 2007 after a cut Southworth had sustained during
the fight prompted the ringside physician to order a stoppage
at the 0:52 mark of the second round.

Joe
“Diesel” Riggs (27-10) will battle rising star Luke
Stewart (5-1) in a 178 lb. limit catch weight fight. Stewart
was originally slated to face “Mr. International” Shonie
Carter. A hand injury, however, forced Carter to withdraw from
the contest last week.

Lightweight
(155 lb. limit) Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu stud Nam Phan (14-4) will
attempt to hand knockout artist Billy Evangelista (6-0) the first
loss of his career.

Making
the fifth start of her professional mixed martial arts career,
Cung Le female protégé, Elaina “Beef”
Maxwell (2-2), will take on Miesha Tate (1-1).

HP
Pavilion doors will open at 6 PM for “Melendez vs. Thomson”
and the first preliminary bout will begin at 6:30 PM. The live
HDNet telecast of the event will start at 7:30 PM PST/10:30 PM
EST and the main card will commence at 8 PM.

Source:
MMA Weekly

SHIELDS
VS THOMPSON FOR ELITEXC TITLE

EliteXC is starting to flesh out its upcoming July 26 fight card
set to be the promotion’s second show on CBS Television.
The event will now feature at least two title bouts as Jake Shields
will finally get his opportunity to fight for the welterweight
title against Nick “The Goat” Thompson as first reported
by Dave Meltzer at Yahoo Sports.

The
bout will serve as the co-main event along with the previously
announced title fight pitting a rematch between Robbie Lawler
and Scott Smith for the EliteXC middleweight title.

Thompson,
who most recently competed in Japan for the Sengoku promotion,
comes home to the United States for one of the biggest match-ups
in his career.

Having
just returned from defeating Chute Boxe fighter Michael Costa
on June 8, Thompson was settling in to take some time off and
prepare for the bar exam, but the chance to face a high profile
opponent and do so on network television put his mind back on
fighting.

“Those
were the two biggest things. One was I wanted to fight (Jake)
Shields, that’s been my number one choice for a fight for
a long time. Jake and I are the No. 1 and No. 2 guys not in the
UFC and I think we both wanted this fight,” said Thompson
in an exclusive interview with MMAWeekly.com “And two, to
fight on CBS for the title is a huge opportunity, exposure wise.”

The
Minnesota Martial Arts Academy standout was the last Bodog Fight
welterweight champion and now he will fight Shields for the new
EliteXC 170-pound title as the first bout on his new six-fight
deal with the promotion.

With
his last two fights taking place in Japan, Thompson is looking
forward to coming home, but says that he will still fight for
Sengoku again in the future.

“It’s
a perfect opportunity because EliteXC’s still going to let
me fight in Japan, which I love, and I get to fight in front
of a U.S. audience, which is more accessible to my fans, all
three of them,” Thompson commented with a laugh.

While
no venue has officially been announced, current speculation is
that the show will take place in California, possibly in the
Bay Area, to pull from California fighters such as Jake Shields
and Scott Smith who are on the card.

On
paper, the match-up between Shields and Thompson could be one
of the most technical fights between two of the best all around
fighters in the world at 170 pounds.

More
fights are expected to be announced from EliteXC in the coming
weeks.

Source:
MMA Weekly

ALESSIO
AND SPRATT TOP THOMAS & MACK SALARIES

The fighter salary information for the Banner Promotions/Thomas
& Mack Center co-promoted “Free For All” event,
which took place on Friday, June 20 at the Thomas & Mack
Center in Las Vegas, was made available on Monday.

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.

All
the mixed martial arts fighters on the “Free for All”
event were payed a flat rate with no win bonuses available.

MAIN
EVENT FIGHTERS

-John
Alessio: $10,000 (defeated Pete Spratt)

-Pete
Spratt: $10,000 (lost to John Alessio)

MAIN
CARD FIGHTERS

-Dennis
Davis: $5,000 (lost to Dave Jansen)

-Dave
Jansen: $4,000 (defeated Dennis Davis)

-Kim
Couture: $1,000 (lost to Kim Rose)

-Kui
Gonsalves: $1,000 (defeated Ricky Johnson)

-Ricky
Johnson: $1,000 (lost to Kui Gonsalves)

-Rob
Mitchell: $1,000 (lost to Brice Ritani-Coe)

-Brice
Ritani-Coe: $1,000 (defeated Rob Mitchell)

-Kim
Rose: $1,000 (defeated Kim Couture)

DISCLOSED
FIGHTER PAYROLL: $35,000

Source:
MMA Weekly

Ken
Shamrock nears retirement

Toquinho causes Ivan Salaverry to leave MMA

While
young Ryan Shamrock, 19, is having his first fights as an MMA
professional, his father, Ken Shamrock, 44, is thinking of calling
it quits. THe last time the father and son competed was at Cage
Rage 25, where both fighters were knocked out.

While
Ryan's defeat just comes with the territory, the loss suffered
by the MMA legend and UFC Hall of Famer to the unimpressive Robert
Berry has made the veteran stop to think.

The
five losses in a row seem to have weighed on him and even with
a contract for several fights signed with EliteXC and the possibility
of facing Kimbo Slice have not excited Ken, who was once nicknames
"The Most Dangerous Man in the World."

"I'd
like to go in there one more time and do a great fight. It would
help promote my gym, my business and also help other fighters
from my team to get big fights. That's why I want to do this
again, and I want to stop on my own terms. That's it, it will
be my last fight," said Ken to the website MMAJunkie.com.

The
other retirement announced today was that of Ivan Salaverry.
In his case, the 37-year-old fighter was influenced by BTT representative
and Jiu-Jitsu black belt Rousimar Touquinho.

The
fight between the two at UFC 84 ended in the very first round,
with an armbar from the Brazilian. Unlike with Shamrock, Ivan
will not have a farewell, and his journey in MMA comes to a close
with 12 wins and 7 losses.

Source:
Gracie Magazine

Fedor
doesn't want to hear about Minotauro

"I've beat him twice and I don't think it's necessary (a
rematch)"

Contested
by some, acclaimed by others, Fedor Emelianenko has been preparing
to reassume his post as number one among heavyweights. The battle
will be against towering American Tim Sylvia, on July 19, at
Affliction: Banned, and will be for the recently-created WAMMA
title.

Training
hard in his motherland, Russia, the fighter answered a questionnaire
from the Japanese magazine Kampiro. Besides the routine questions,
the journalists enquired about one of his toughest opponents
to date, who is also the holder of the UFC heavyweight belt:
Rodrigo Minotauro. Even with his usual respectful tone, the chubby
tough guy doesn't seem at all interested in having another encounter
with the black belt.

"I
beat him twice and I don't think it is necessary (a rematch),
even so I'd fight him again if the fans want to see it. I fought
two UFC champions before and I beat them (Mark Coleman and Kevin
Randleman). I have no reason to refuse to fight another champion,
I always want to beat the strongest fighters," said the
Russian.

Source:
Gracie Magazine

Kim
Couture fight raises some serious questions

Some
sickos in the blogosphere are reveling over the beating Kim Couture
took on Friday in her MMA pro debut at the Thomas & Mack
in Las Vegas. I don't get it.

Couture
did draw 8,962 to the T & M for the fight but many left sickened.

It
wasn't a good night for MMA and it certainly wasn't a great night
for female fighting. Couture, 33, was ill-equipped to defend
herself. She suffered a badly broken jaw and bled heavily throughout
the fight.

Kim
Rose smashed Couture with an overhand right seconds into the
fight. That punch may have been the one that split Couture's
jaw and broke her nose. I was disgusted and uncomfortable sitting
two rows from the ring so I can't imagine watching the fight
on the ring apron as photographer Tracy Lee did:

The
bell rang and Kim Rose rushed in. With a quick flurry of punches,
an uppercut found its mark within 5 seconds and had Couture collapsing
on the ground. Referee rushed in, ready to stop the bout, but
Couture was able to find her bearings and fight back. For the
entire 3 rounds, Dave Mandel and I watched as she fought the
fight, but wasn't quite "all there". She took a beating,
although didn't ever give up, and fought back and gave a beating
of her own.

After
all was said and done, we were told that the first uppercut split
her jaw in two, and the left side was hanging about a quarter
of an inch lower than the right. She fought the ENTIRE fight
like that, not quitting or giving up. She took a NUMBER of punches
to the face, as well as got caught in a few guillotines that
for SURE stressed on her jaw. Even an elbow at the throat pushed
against the bone had to be excruciating.

Three
issues developed today on Las Vegas sports-talk radio where ESPNRadio1100
took calls on the event and Couture for 90 minutes.

Did
her husband Randy make an error by not throwing in the towel?

Is
the Nevada State Athletic Commission at fault for licensing someone
as inexperienced as Kim Couture?

Why
was this bout fought with three, five minute rounds? We just
watched the much more experienced Gina Carano battle Kaitlin
Young with three, three minute rounds in place.

There
is no better commission than Keith Kizer and Co. in Nevada. So
if it erred in allowing Kim Couture to fight, it's scary to think
the kind of matches that could be put together with inexperienced
female fighters around the country but lesser qualified commissions.

The
sport would be obliterated by the mainstream sports and news
media if there were ever a female death in the cage or ring.
This should serve as a serious warning.

Kim
told Fighthype.com, that she will be back.

Source:
Yahoo Sports

6/24/08

Quote
of the Day

"Most
of the important things in the world have been accomplished by
people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope
at all."

Dale
Carnegie, 1888-1955, American Author and Achievement Expert

Fighters'
Club TV Tonight!

Channel 52 at 7:00 PM!

C.B.
DOLLAWAY COMMENTS ON "THE TAP"

C.B.
Dollaway got a second chance at becoming "The Ultimate Fighter,"
and a second chance to defeat Amir Sadollah, who eliminated him
from The Ultimate Fighter 7 competition. Dollaway was then brought
back when finalist Jesse Taylor was kicked off the show for his
conduct only days after filming concluded.

Dollaway
lost to Sadollah by arm bar, again, and spoke with the media
about the tap that he wishes he could take back.

"With
the tap, I didn't fully commit to the tap, but I did hit him
once," said the Tempe, Ariz. native. "I guess they
ruled that a tap. I thought you had to go on and start tapping
out. I did hit him once. Right as I did that, I felt my arm get
into a position where I could get out. At that point Herb (Dean)
ruled it as a tap out."

The
disappointed Dollaway reflected on The Ultimate Fighter 7 Live
Finale loss to Sadollah. "It's kind of a crappy way for
it to end for me after putting in all the hard work, training
and everything for this fight," said the 24-year-old fighter.
"I would have at least liked to have went a few more rounds.
Having it end so quick is just a disappointment."

Source: MMA Weekly

JON
FITCH, CUNG LE HEAD PARADISE WARRIOR RETREAT

Part
fantasy camp, part training seminar, the Paradise Warrior Retreat
will be bringing legends, world champions and elite coaches together
with local fighters and fight fans on June 27 in Simi Valley,
Calif.

Paradise
has been putting on seminars, primarily on the West Coast, since
2004 and has featured some of the top names in mixed martial
arts including Bas Rutten, Pat Militech, B.J. Penn, Chuck Liddell and Dan Henderson.

At
this California event, Stephan Bonnar, Cung Le, Jon Fitch, Benny
Urquidez, Bas Rutten, and Gokor Chivichyan will be serving as
instructors.

The
Paradise Warrior Retreat is not like a lot of other retreats
and seminars featuring big name fighters. The instructors don’t
simply go through the motions in a class, turn it over to an
assistant and head back to their rooms. "You train with
them, eat with them, party with them, get to know them,"
says Yoram Gazit, founder of Paradise Warrior Retreat.

One
way that Paradise is able to maintain a close relationship between
the students and instructors is by limiting space. The seminars
are normally less than 55 people, which is a great student to
teacher ratio and makes sure students from every talent level
can get personalized instruction

This
personal attention and interaction with the instructors is part
of what has made this event popular with everyone from aspiring
professional fighters, to weekend warriors, to fight fans simply
looking to be around their heroes.

Source: MMA Weekly

DIEGO
SANCHEZ REFOCUSED AND EYEING UFC GOLD

After leaving Team Jackson and trainer Greg Jackson, Diego Sanchez
suffered his first professional mixed martial arts loss and dropped
two in a row. Now, acclimated to his new training environment,
Sanchez defeated Luigi Fioravanti at the Ultimate Fighter 7 Live
Finale and has reeled off back-to-back victories. "The Nightmare"
appears refocused and is eyeing Ultimate Fighting Championship
gold.

"Coming
off these two wins now, I feel like I'm back on track,"
said Sanchez. "The two losses came with perfect timing.
To be honest, if I wouldn't have had those loses I maybe would
have gone on to become the champion, but the timing wouldn't
have been right. Now I feel the timing is right to go and become
the champion and hold the belt. That's what every fighter wants
to do, become the champion and stay the champion."

Admittedly,
Sanchez got caught up in the celebrity lifestyle after winning
"The Ultimate Fighter" Spike TV reality series' debut
season. "With fame and money, a lot of distraction comes,"
explained Sanchez. "For me, the limelight was so huge after
winning the show and continuing to win, the win streak that I
was on. After all of that was over with and I had my loses, just
because I lost, the limelight went away and I understood why
I'm in this business for, and it's not the limelight. It's to
fight."

The
refocused and revitalized Sanchez was asked where he fits into
the UFC welterweight division. "The Ultimate Fighter"
turned contender commented, "Me and my team and my management,
we have gone over every possible situation in the 170 pound division.
It all depends on what happens in the upcoming fights, honestly.
We've got GSP (Georges St-Pierre) who is stating that he's going
up to 185. Me and (Jon) Fitch was an excellent, close fight.
It came down to game plan. I was not hurt once in the fight.
It was just a technical points match."

"There's
also AKA (American Kickboxing Academy), Team AKA," he further
stated. "You've got (Mike) Swick, (Josh) Koscheck and you've
got Fitch. They're not going to fight each other, so that right
there throws a little something in there."

"So
GSP leaves, what happens? B.J. Penn has stated he wanted to fight
GSP. Now GSP is leaving. There's a lot of stuff that's going
to happen," said the New Mexico native. "I'm just waiting.
I'm ready to fight whoever they put in front of me. I want the
title shot."

"I've
stated I wanted rematches with Fitch and Koscheck. That's the
past. I've let it go. I look forward to rematching them some
day, maybe. If it happens, if it gets put in my path, I'm ready
for that. I have my sight on one thing, and that's UFC gold."

Source: MMA Weekly

EliteXC
pulls Diaz from DREAM title bout

EliteXC lightweight Nick Diaz will not fight Hayato Sakurai for
the first-ever DREAM welterweight title at the July 21 DREAM
5 event.

EliteXC
is keeping the Stockton native's schedule open for the second
CBS-EliteXC "Saturday Night Fights" card on July 26.
Diaz positioned himself for a rematch against KJ Noons for the
EliteXC lightweight title when he defeated Muhsin Corbbrey at
the June
14 EliteXC event in Hawaii.

"I
was happy to be fighting Sakurai and hoping to get back there
to Japan where they have you fight in a ring and there seems
to be more respect for the art of MMA," Diaz told GracieFighter.com.
"I hope they will still have me back soon to fight [Sakurai]
for the belt."

Diaz,
who defeated Katsuya Inoue at DREAM 4 in May to earn the title
shot, may still face Sakurai at a later date.

Source: MMA Fighting

Credeur
tests positive for Adderall

The reason behind the cancellation of Saturday's bout between
Tim Credeur and Cale Yarbrough was because Credeur tested positive
for the prescription drug Adderall.

The
two middleweight contestants on "The Ultimate Fighter 7"
were scheduled to meet in a preliminary bout on the live season
finale event.

According
to Thomas Gerbasi of UFC.com, semifinalist Credeur alerted the
Nevada State Athletic Commission of the drug during the weigh-ins
on Friday, but traces of the drug was still found in his system
when test results returned Saturday morning.

Adderall
is a drug taken to treat attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder.
In addition to what the NSAC considers performance-enhancing
effects, it is a banned substance due to potential cardiac dangers
brought on from the stress that accompanies fighting.

Source: MMA Fighting

Kron
and lessons of World Championship

Kron lost to Sergio Moraes in his blackbelt debut

“I learned from my mistakes”

After
the Jiu-Jitsu Worlds Championship, Kron Gracie took a week off
to rest his body after the months of preparations. Back at the
grind, the newly-promoted black belt, who is seen as one of the
sport’s most promising athletes, sums up how he is feeling
in two words: “I’m happy.”

As
with all warriors, Rickson Gracie’s son sought to derive
some lessons from the first stage of the Worlds to help him down
the road. GRACIEMAG.com asked five questions of the fighter who
had just finished a workout session and was still out of breath.

GRACIEMAG.com:
Obviously, the championship did not turn out as you had hoped.
What this a big frustration or a learning experience?

Kron:
I think it was a little of both. I was frustrated with the outcome,
but I learned a lot from my mistakes, and that will certainly
bring out my best.

GRACIEMAG.com:
Do you think it might have been bad luck that you faced Sergio
Moraes, who ended up being champion, right in your black belt
debut?

Kron:
I don’t think so. I didn’t know who the guy was. Nobody
did. I didn’t know he was that tough. We’ll run into
each other again and I’m already thinking about revenge.

GRACIEMAG.com:
What lessons did you derive from this Worlds and how do you evaluate
your team’s participation in it?

Kron:
I learned a lot of things about myself. The championship was
a success, with lots of great fights and great representatives
of Jiu-Jitsu. That is where you see who the top guys are.

GRACIEMAG.com:
What was your father’s reaction and what were the main pieces
of advice that he gave you?

Kron:
He told me a lot of things. We went over my mistakes and are
working to make my upcoming performances better.

GRACIEMAG.com:
And now what? Will you carry on teaching and training for upcoming
competitions? When do you plan on fighting again?

Kron:
I intend to fight in everything that pops up. If my sponsor agrees
to pay my ticket, the next one I should fight in is the Jiu-Jitsu
International in Rio de Janeiro (July 24-27). I’ll fight
as a middleweight.

Source: Gracie Magazine

Ninja
yearns for belt

Murilo
Ninja wasn't in Hawaii on vacation, but to complete an important
mission: to make good headway in reconquering the belt that was
taken from him. His adversary was no easy task. Australian Tony
Bonello is one tough Jiu-Jitsu black belt, and was undefeated
in MMA in 16 appearances.

Ninja
gave his all in the bout and showed an impressive game, knocking
his adversary out while still in the first round at EliteXC:
Return of the King, this last weekend. Redeemed, Mauricio Shogun's
elder brother is already being pointed to as the number one challenger
for the belt Robbie Lawler took from him in 2007.

Although
a possible matchup against the winner of the Lawler vs Scott
Smith bout for the middleweight throne was not confirmed, in
an interview with GRACIEMAG.com, the Universidade da Luta representative
says he will not rest till he recovers the title.

“I
did well, I managed to put on a good fight. I was very well prepared,
I trained a lot of groundwork with Pimpolho at Gracie Barra,
muay thai with Mauricio Veio and boxing with Danilo, and I was
ready to win. I'll be back in October, they haven't told me anything
about my adversary, but I made it clear I'll fight anyone. I'm
going to work hard, train a lot and get that belt back,"
said a confident Murilo.

Source: Gracie Magazine

Former
TUF champs caution Sadollah on fame

LAS
VEGAS – Only a few minutes after the most significant victory
of his life, one-time surgical technician Amir Sadollah sat quietly
at a table listening to two men telling him all the problems
he is soon going to face.

Sadollah
submitted C.B. Dollaway with a perfectly executed armbar at 3:02
of the first round Saturday at The Pearl at The Palms to win
Season 7 of “The Ultimate Fighter” and earn a UFC contract.

Sitting
next to Sadollah at the post-fight news conference were Diego
Sanchez, who won the Season 1 middleweight title, and Kendall
Grove, who took the Season 3 middleweight crown.

Only
minutes becoming the latest middleweight TUF winner, Sadollah
received a little unsolicited advice from his predecessors.

Sanchez
and Grove warned Sadollah of all the hangers-on who are going
to contact him and of all the pitfalls he’ll face because
of his newly found fame.

“So
I guess I should go out and act as immaturely as possible,”
Sadollah said, chuckling.

Sadollah
was the most unlikely of champions, a guy who had only wrestled
“for six months in middle school” who wound up defeating
a collegiate All-American wrestler for the second time in as
many fights.

The
27-year-old from Richmond, Va., didn’t compete in sports
in high school and didn’t begin his fight career until he
was 21 and already working as a surgical technician.

For
those who don’t know what a surgical technician does, Sadollah
had a simple explanation.

“You
stand there and hand (the surgeon) the knife,” Sadollah
said. “They write ‘Surgical (expletive)’ on your
ID and tell you to get in there and hand him what he wants.”

But
Sadollah credited his ability to remain calm in the face of intense
pressure on what he saw doctors and nurses do during crises in
the emergency room.

On
“The Ultimate Fighter,” Sadollah gained a reputation
for being able to endure extraordinary amounts of punishment.
And on Saturday, he proved that again, taking several hard shots
from the powerful Dollaway while maintaining his composure.

“He
keeps his cool and his focus no matter what,” Dollaway said.
“I hit him with some good shots, both in this fight and
the other one (in the semifinals) and he never wavered. He just
remains calm and thinks of what he wants to do.”

Sadollah
said that’s because of his training. As he worked in the
operating room, he said he saw numerous gruesome situations.

They
were times when the surgeon couldn’t afford to panic and
time was of the essence. Sadollah was amazed by the way they
were repeatedly able to stay calm and perform their jobs.

“I
really do credit my being a surgical tech with a lot of what
I perceive my strength (as a fighter) to be,” Sadollah said.
“Taking an example from doctors and nurses, that mental
– when there’s an emergency and it’s a critical
situation when there’s no time to do anything else but react,
you don’t see them get worked up. You don’t see them
get upset. I try to take that attitude and use it in my fight
game. I’m a headcase outside the octagon, but I try to tell
myself it doesn’t matter as long as when it counts, I do
what matters.”

He
did everything that mattered during Season 7, reeling off wins
over the toughest fighters on the show. He had to beat Dollaway,
the pre-tournament favorite, a second time when the other finalist,
Jesse Taylor, was booted off the show after a drunken rampage
in a Las Vegas casino.

The
UFC had the losing semifinalists, Dollaway and Tim Credeur, fight
again for the right to meet Sadollah for the belt after president
Dana White dumped Taylor.

Sadollah
had been pummeled for more than two rounds in the semifinal before
slapping the armbar on Dollaway. On Saturday, he needed less
than a round.

But
instead of exulting in the immediate aftermath of what he called
a life-changing victory, he listened to Sanchez and Grove’s
warnings.

“I
hope he is mature, because coping with the fame and the money,
there are a lot of distractions to come,” said Sanchez,
who stopped Luigi Fioravanti in an impressive performance earlier
on Saturday. “For me, the limelight was so huge after winning
the show. Then, I continued to win, and there was that win streak
I was on, but after that was all over with, just because I lost,
the limelight went away. He has to remember this isn’t about
the limelight. It has to be because he loves to fight.”

Grove
weaved a similar cautionary tale. Grove won his TUF title and
then had several big wins afterward before stunning KO defeats
to Patrick Cote and Jorge Rivera set him back. Grove knew his
fight with Evan Tanner, which he won Saturday by split decision,
was critical.

Grove
came to realize that he let his stardom affect him in a negative
way, so he made several changes in his camp. He got rid of many
hangers-on who weren’t helping him, moved to Hawaii from
Las Vegas and said he rededicated himself to his career.

But
Grove said Sadollah is going to have things coming at him from
all angles.

“You
have to know who your real friends are,” Grove said. “A
lot of guys want to hang out with you when you’re on top.
They all want to be with you and you get caught up in the free
(stuff), the limelight, the fame, and all of a sudden, you lose
track of why you’re here.

“I
kind of lost my way. I had yes men around me all the time. When
you go through that rough stuff, those 100 guys who were with
you, you find there are only five who will cry with you when
you lose and be there with you in the bad times, too.”

Sadollah
seems to have a level head and was one of the few fighters who
didn’t engage in the drunken debauchery that was such a
big part of Season 7 and which led to Taylor’s elimination
from the show.

And
while he may not have liked what he heard from Sanchez and Grove,
he definitely said he’d pay heed to it.

“It
was something I needed to hear,” Sadollah said softly. “They’ve
been through it.

“They’ve
been on top and had everything and they know what it’s like.
I’m appreciative of having the opportunity to get that advice
from them so I’ll know what to watch out for.”

Sadollah
isn’t the only one who has to be wary, though. Dollaway
said the UFC’s middleweight division will need to, as well.

“Amir
isn’t a fluke and he can fight,” Dollaway said. “He’s
a smart, crafty guy and he’s going to do real well, I think,
when he gets going. I have a ton of respect for him.”

Source: Yahoo Sports

6/22/08

Quote
of the Day

"It
is what we think we know already that often prevents us from
learning."

Claude Bernard, 1813-1878, French Physiologist

Fighters'
Club Radio

FIGHTERS
CLUB RADIO w/ Freitas and Kurano

MONDAY JUNE 23

9AM-10AM

RIGHT AFTER LEAHEY & LEAHEY

AM 1500 RADIO

"THE TEAM, HAWAII'S SPORTING NEWS"

Special Guest Host:

Team MMAD's Rob Hesia

THE BIG TOPIC:

If you were a television producer, what would your idea be for
creating a MMA reality show? Or what might you do differently
than what is/has been on the air?

Callers, help us design THE

PERFECT MMA REALITY SHOW!

OTHER TOPICS:

- UFC Fight Night REVIEW AND OPINIONS--Is Kendall coming back?

- Wrestling in MMA--how do wrestlers adapt their sport for MMA?
Guest Host: Rob talks on this as well as special guest Brad Scott

-OTM'S PACIFIC SUB TOURNAMENT SUPERFIGHTS--WHO VS WHO and the
scoops--DANE from OTM comes in to talk about his event!

DONT
MISS:

- THE GLACEAU CHALLENGE

FAN
LINE: 296-1500

THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS:

- OTM "ON THE MAT" ON BERETANIA

- GLACEAU VITAMIN ENERGY

- MUSCLE MILK

- BRIT'S AUTO BODY

and our newest sponsor!

-MyFantasyMMA.com

HAWAII
EXTEME COMBAT UNDISPUTED RESULTS

Saturday, June 21, 2008

Lahaina Civic Center

AMATEUR
BOUTS

KURRENT
COCKETT (Team 323) VS. "Kamakaze" KAZUKI KINJO (HIBC)

KURRENT COCKETT BY KO AT 2:09 IN ROUND 1

HOKU
KALALAU(Team Koali Freestyle)VS.GINO "Italian Stallion"
VENTI (808 Fight Factory)

GINO VENTI BY TKO (REF STOPPAGE) IN ROUND 1

PRO
BOUTS

KIMO
WOELFEL (Eastsidaz) VS. MARK BONILLA (HIBC)

KIMO WOELFEL BY KO AT 1:07 IN ROUND 1

EXHIBITION

NAINOA
"Baby-Face Assassin" DUNG (Da Hui /Waianae Boxing/02
MMA) VS. LOKAHI MORANTE (Central Oahu Jiu-Jitsu)

BANTAM
WEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP

PENI
"Tongan Assassin" TAUFA'AO (Eastsidaz) VS . DAVID "Hollywood"
BALICAO (808 Fight Factory)

DAVID BALICAO BY UNANIMOUS DECISION (29-28)x3

EDDIE
RINCON (Team 323/Impact Zone) VS. IKAIKA CHOY FOO (Freelance)

EDDIE RINCON BY SUBMISSION (FRONT CHOKE) AT 2:40 IN ROUND 1

SEMI-MAIN
EVENT/COUNTY PRIDE

KAEO
LINKEE (Bang Inc) VS. ADAM AKAU (Freelance)

KAEO LINKEE BY SUBMISSION (ARMBAR FROM TRIANGLE) AT 2:31 IN ROUND
1

FEATHERWEIGHT
CHAMPIONSHIP

PACO
WOODS (BJ Penn MMA) VS. BRONSON "Chosen One" PIEPER
(808 Fight Factory)

PACO WOODS BY SUBMISSION (REAR NAKED CHOKE) AT 1:09 IN ROUND
1

The
Ultimate Finale Results!

GROVE TOPS
TANNER; SADOLLAH IS THE ULTIMATE FIGHTER

LAS VEGAS – In the main event of The Ultimate Fighter 7
Finale, Evan Tanner went old school on Kendall Grove. But Grove, as he stated before the
fight, also went old school and it served him better than it
did Tanner.

Prior
to the fight, Grove talked about how he went back home to Hawaii
to prepare for the bout. He said it helped him take the pressure
off, to remove the distractions, and just get back to the scrappy
Hawaiian fighting attitude.

Tanner
utilized a strategy that relied heavily on clinching and in-fighting,
which makes for a tough, drawn out affair. Grove, however, was
able to force separation and score with his striking game, accumulating
damage and bloodying Tanner’s face with his punch combinations
and knees. At least twice during the bout, Grove, one leg locked
up as Tanner tried to take him down, wowed the crowd with a jumping
knee to Tanner’s chin.

In
the end, to most, it seemed obvious that Grove had earned the
decision. He did, but it was a surprisingly lop-sided split decision.
Two judges scored it 30-26 in Grove’s favor, while Al Lefkowitz
inexplicably scored it 29-28 for Tanner.

“Depends
on who's looking at it, you know what I mean?” said a humble
Grove after the fight, referencing the scoring. “He did
good recovering. He put me against the cage. He was strong like
I expected. Like I was taught, if he takes me down, get up. Pressure
him getting up and I knew he was going to get tired."

His
workman like attitude paid off, even if it seemed he should have
earned a unanimous decision. “I had to come in here and
keep my job."

C.B.
Dollaway went into The Ultimate Fighter 7 final expecting to
exact his revenge on Amir Sadollah, who submitted him during
the season. Amidst a bit of controversy, Dollaway was unsuccessful,
again losing to Sadollah via armbar.

Dollaway
controlled the opening moments of the bout, using his wrestling
skills honed at Arizona State University to maintain position
and start a ground and pound attack, but Sadollah remained patient,
again finding the armbar. Dollaway defended briefly, but then
appeared to tap and referee Herb Dean stepped in and stopped
the bout.

Afterwards,
Dollaway seemed surprised. He later said that he tapped once
with his hand then decided midstream that he could defend the
armbar, but it was too late as Dean had already called a halt
to the bout, making Sadollah the Ultimate Fighter.

Humble
after the win, in his post-fight interview, Sadollah commented,
“I'm trying to think of funny stuff to say, but it won't
come out so I'll just say that I'm blown away by the fact that
that just happened and I'm talking to Joe Rogan and thank you
guys for coming. That's about it right now."

Unlike
his bout with Josh Koscheck, where Diego Sanchez focused primarily
on his boxing skills, “The Nightmare” utilized a much
more dynamic set of striking skills to defeat Luigi Fioravanti.

Aggressive
throughout, Sanchez continually drove forward unleashing everything
from uppercuts and crosses to head kicks and flying knees. It
was the latter that ultimately finished the bout in his favor.

Deep
into the third round, he landed a left high kick to the head
of Fioravanti. He followed with a driving right knee that crumpled
Fioravanti to the canvas. Sanchez immediately followed the American
Top Team fighter down, unloading a barrage of punches until the
referee stopped the bout.

“It’s
been a long time,” said Sanchez of the development of his
striking skills. “People have just underestimated the striking
ability. I’ve been working on it. Joe Riggs wasn’t
no fluke, you know.”

In
a battle between Midwestern lightweights, Spencer Fisher controlled
the better part of all three rounds with Jeremy Stephens en route
to a unanimous decision. Stephens had his moments in the fight,
but Fisher consistently countered any offense that Stephens mounted
and chipped away with a solid ground and pound attack throughout.

In
the opening bout of the live telecast on Spike TV, Matt Riddle
out-positioned Dante Rivera throughout most of their bout, utilizing
his knee strikes to effect as the two often clinched along the
cage. But it was primarily Riddle’s hustle, takedowns and
aggression that led the judges to score a unanimous decision
in his favor.

“I’ve
never really done that before,” said Dustin Hazelett about
his finish of Josh Burkman. “Once you reach a certain level
(in jiu-jitsu), you really have to focus on concepts more than
moves.”

Burkman
started off strong, but Hazelett’s jiu-jitsu “concepts”
saw him move through various submissions in the opening round
that looked to have the fight finished. Burkman defended well
though, making it to round two.

The
pace slowed through much of the second stanza, but late in the
round, the two clinched and as Hazelett used a whizzer to drive
Burkman to the mat, he slung his leg over Burkman’s back,
deftly locking on and extending an armbar that immediately had
Burkman submitting.

The
bout earned “Fight of the Night” honors for both, and
the finish scored Hazelett the added bonus for “Submission
of the Night.”

Drew
McFedries opened by with a flying, but he got caught and slammed
by Marvin Eastman for his trouble. Back on their feet moments
later, McFedries quickly took over landing powerful punches and
knees that stunned Eastman. As Eastman dropped to all fours,
clutching at McFedries’ leg for the takedown, McFedries
continued to hammer away with punches until the referee stopped
the bout little more than a minute in.

“I
couldn’t waste time on this guy,” said McFedries in
his post-fight comments. “I knew if I didn’t come out
with something big he was going to take over.”

His
stoppage of Eastman earned McFedries “Knockout of the Night”
honors.

Matt
Arroyo, who was forced to withdraw from The Ultimate Fighter
6 season due to a rib injury, was moving fluidly and landing
some crisp punches early in his bout with season seven’s
Matt Brown. But it would be Brown that turned on the gas at the
end of round one, landing some damaging punches and knees as
the round closed.

He
continued to up the pace in round two before putting Arroyo on
his back and eventually pounding him out from inside the guard.

Competing
at 185 pounds on The Ultimate Fighter, Brown dropped back down
to his natural weight of 170 for this fight, and he plans on
staying.

“I
never fought above 170 (pounds) before the show,” he said
after the fight.

Jeremy
Horn continued his losing skid, getting submitted for the third
straight bout. He was doing well on his feet, striking and stuffing
Dean Lister’s takedown attempts early on, but it didn’t
take long for a finish once the fight went to the mat. After
Lister scored the takedown, Horn tried to reverse position and
got caught in a tight guillotine choke for his efforts and tapped
out.

In
the opening bout, Rob Kimmons survived an early takedown by Rob
Yundt, reversed position and caught Yundt in a guillotine choke
to finish the bout near the end of the first round.

-Kendall
Grove def. Evan Tanner by Split Decision, R3

-Amir Sadollah def. C.B. Dollaway by Submission (Armbar) at 3:02,
R1

-Diego Sanchez def. Luigi Fioravanti by TKO (Strikes) at 4:07,
R3

-Spencer Fisher def. Jeremy Stephens by Unanimous Decision

-Matt Riddle def. Dante Rivera by Unanimous Decision

-Dustin Hazelett def. Josh Burkman by Submission (Armbar) at
4:46, R2

-Drew McFedries def. Marvin Eastman by TKO (Strikes) at 1:08,
R1

-Matt Brown def. Matt Arroyo by TKO (Strikes) at 3:40, R2

-Dean Lister def. Jeremy Horn by Submission (Guillotine Choke)
at 3:52, R1

-Tim Credeur vs. Cale Yarbrough - CANCELLED

-Rob Kimmons def. Rob Yundt by Submission (Guillotine Choke)
at 3:58, R1

Source: MMA Weekly

ULTIMATE
FIGHTER 7 AWARDS NET $20,000 BONUSES

Dustin Hazelett on Saturday night pulled double-duty at The Ultimate
Fighter 7 Finale at the Palms in Las Vegas. Not only did he deftly
transition from a whizzer takedown to a slick armbar to finish
the fight and earn “Submission of the Night” honors,
he and Josh Burkman also each scored a “Fight of the Night”
bonus for their respective efforts.

Each
of the post-fight awards bonuses was worth $20,000 per fighters,
earning Hazelett an additional $40,000 on top of his fight purse.

There
were no highlight reel, one-punch knockouts to choose from; but
Drew McFedries scored the “Knockout of the Night” bonus
for his TKO stoppage of Marvin Eastman.

McFedries
once again showed the power and speed of his hands, using them
in combination with some damaging knees to finish the fight little
more than a minute into the opening round.

Ultimate
Fighter 7 Submission of the Night ($20,000):

-Dustin Hazelett

Ultimate
Fighter 7 Fight of the Night ($20,000/each):

-Dustin Hazelett and Josh Burkman

Ultimate
Fighter 7 Knockout of the Night ($20,000):

-Drew McFedries

Source: MMA Weekly

ALESSIO,
ROSE WIN; COUTURE EMERGES FROM SHADOW

by Ken Pishna

LAS VEGAS – Boxing promoter Banner Promotions and the Thomas
& Mack Center combined for a unique night of combat in Sin
City on Friday night. Not only did they present a fight card
that was half boxing, which aired on ESPN, and half mixed martial
arts, which they were unable to secure a television deal for,
but they gave away all of the tickets to the event for no charge.

Though
they issued a reported 18,000 tickets to “Free For All,
A Night of Combat,” most estimates at ringside put the attendance
somewhere between 8,000-10,000 at its apex.

Ultimate
Fighting Championship veterans John Alessio and Pete Spratt headlined
the event, capping the 10-bout fight card, five of which were
MMA. Following a slow back-and-forth opening round, Spratt seemed
to shift gears in round two, finding a comfortable range to start
landing head kicks, which he did several times.

Alessio,
in the first fight since his departure from World Extreme Cagefighting,
weathered Spratt’s kicks, and when the opportunity presented
itself, he climbed aboard a standing Spratt’s back and started
working for the rear naked choke. Spratt defended well for a
time, but Alessio eventually sank the choke and Spratt fell to
the ground, succumbing to the submission.

Though
Alessio and Spratt headlined, the main event for most of the
Las Vegas fans that attended was the professional debut of hometown
favorite Kim Couture. Her opponent, Kim Rose, also made her professional
debut on Friday night.

It
was Rose that wasted no time establishing herself. As the bout
opened, she came storming in with an overhand right that found
its mark and crumbled Couture to the canvas. She immediately
followed with a flurry of hammer blows, but Couture somehow held
on and weathered the storm.

Little
did anyone know at the time, Couture not only suffered a broken
nose in the exchange, but the bone-crushing overhand right, according
to her Xtreme Couture teammate Brice Ritani-Coe, actually split
her lower jaw bone in the middle of her chin.

As
the fight wore on, Rose continued to find her mark with a head-snapping
left jab and more solid right hands, leaving Couture’s face
a crimson mask at times. Couture wasn’t without her moments,
despite the severity of her injuries, executing a couple of fluent
leg trips, but was unable to do much offensively to her downed
opponent.

In
the end, it was Rose that easily dominated the judges’ scorecards,
winning her professional debut by unanimous decision.

Kim
Couture left the Thomas & Mack Center in an ambulance on
Friday night, perhaps battered and broken, but she also left
with a fighter’s heart well intact. It may sound odd considering
she lost her professional debut, but in the manner that she battled
on through her injuries just to finish the fight, she emerged
from the shadow of her famous husband to become not Randy Couture’s
fighting wife, but Kim Couture, fighter.

In
earlier MMA action, Team Quest (Oregon) fighter Dave Jansen utilized
his reach advantage over Dennis Davis long enough to win a unanimous
decision on the judges’ scorecards. Xtreme Couture featherweight
Kui Gonsalves weathered a broken nose en route to a unanimous
decision over Colorado fighter Ricky Johnson. In a super heavyweight
fight, New Zealander Brice Ritani-Coe scored a TKO stoppage over
Nebraskan Rob Mitchell late in the opening round.

-John
Alessio def. Pete Spratt by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) at
2:07, R2

-Kim Rose def. Kim Couture by Unanimous Decision, R3

-Dave Jansen def. Dennis Davis by Unanimous Decision, R3

-Kui Gonsalves def. Ricky Johnson by Unanimous Decision, R3

-Brice Ritani-Coe def. Rob Mitchell by TKO (Strikes) at 4:33,
R1

Source: MMA Weekly

Cro
Cop guarantees he’ll be at Dream 5

Croatian training for next fight with Marcio Corleta

After canceling (due to injury) his submission grappling-rules
bout with Ralek Gracie, which would have taken place at Dream
4, Mirko Filipopovic has recovered, and today guaranteed he will
be at the next event. The speculation regarding the former police
officer’s retirement seem to have ceased, Since in an interview
on the site Dreamfighters he showed he is training hard for a
comeback.

Coming
off a win over unknown Tatsuya Mizuno, Cro Cop is preparing with
his team and a Brazilian, with whom he has trained before, Jiu-Jitsu
black belt Marcio Corleta. What is not yet confirmed is who the
fighter's opponent will be.

Names
like Jerome LeBanner, Sergei Karithonov and Alistair Overeem
were cited, but the only surety in the striker’s head was
that sooner or later he will fight his old rival from the days
of pride, Fedor Emelianenko.

Source: Gracie Magazine

Murilo
Bustamante talks about Godz of War cancellation

By Eduardo Ferreira

The cancellation of the debut edition of the Godz of War, which
was planned for this Saturday, June 21, at the , surprised not
only the press, but the fighters that were scheduled for the
show. The Brazilian Top Team leader, Murilo Bustamante, was with
ready suitcases when he was informed about the cancellation.
"Actually I do not know what happened, but they told that
they had a problem with the Athletic Commission. Miltinho (Vieira)
and I are very disappointed because we were believing a lot at
the event. I had offers to fight at and at Affliction, but I
chose to believe in this event. They will have to pay a fine
for athletes, but even worse is the cancellation of the event",
said Murilo, clearly annoyed with the situation.

Bustamante
would fly last Tuesday to the with his student Milton Vieira,
who also was in the card of the event, but now he will stay at
waiting for new offers. "They said they will make the event
on October, but I don’t know how things will be. For a while,
I will stay at and I will only get out on July, when I will have
some seminars at Europe ”, said the black belt.

Source: Tatame

Aoki-Uno,
Kawajiri-Alvarez drawn for DREAM 5

The semifinal matchups have been determined for the DREAM Lightweight
Grand Prix.

Shinya Aoki will take on Caol Uno, and Tatsuya Kawajiri will
fight Eddie Alvarez on July 21 at DREAM 5 "Lightweight Grand
Prix Final Round" at the Osaka-Jo Hall in Osaka, Japan.
The finals will also take place the same night.

Aoki
(16-2) is DREAM's highest ranked lightweight after an impressive
performance in a rematch at DREAM 2 against Gesias "JZ"
Calvancante. Aoki won this past Sunday in an even more spectacular
fashion, submitting Katsuhiko Nagata with a gogoplata from full
mount.

Uno
(25-10-4) enters the semifinals with only one previous appearance
in the tournament, an upset victory over Mitsuhiro Ishida.

Kawajiri
(22-4-2) advanced with unanimous decisions over Luiz "Buscape"
Firmino and Kultar "Black Mamba" Gill.

Alvarez
(14-1) first gained notoriety as the first BodogFight welterweight
champion, but his current stint with DREAM has put him in a position
to make an entry into the top ten rankings. Alvarez stopped Andre
Amade in the first round and put together one of the best fights
of the year against former Shooto champion Joachim Hansen in
the quarterfinals.

CURRENT
DREAM 5 CARD:

Caol
Uno vs. Shinya Aoki

Tatsuya Kawajiri vs. Eddie Alvarez

Winner of Uno-Aoki vs. Kawajiri-Alvarez

Norifumi "KID" Yamamoto vs. Joseph Benavidez

Yoshihiro Akiyama vs. TBA

Denis Kang vs. TBA

Source: MMA Fighting

Tito
Ortiz To Attend TUF 7 Finale - Threatens Dana White

By Jason Perkins

UFC President Dana White had better watch his back tomorrow evening
at The Ultimate Fighter Finale. Tito Ortiz, who has had a well
documented war of words with the UFC head honcho made the following
statement yesterday on the Under Ground forum:

Dana is going to get a SLAP!!! This weekend. I will be front
row and walk up and slap him! just watch when I get kick out,
you will know why. THIS WEEKEND!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Dana is my BITCH!!!!

Former
UFC champion Tito Ortiz's contract with the UFC expired after
his last performace, a loss against contender Lyoto Machida.
Ortiz is currently weighing his options, which has included joining
a rival promotion such as Affliction or EliteXC, or starting
his own promotion.

Source: Fight Line

The
Great Fight North - Horodecki Waits on IFL

Mike Russell

The
International Fight League announced last week its decision to
cancel its show on Friday, Aug. 15 in East Rutherford, N.J.,
in an effort to keep the promotion afloat. IFL CEO Jay Larkin
did little to quash rumors that the company might cease operations.

"We're
going to stick around as long as we possibly can, and that's
the major reason for canceling the August show -- to give us
the resources to stick around for a few more months and play
it through," Larkin said. "Our cash situation is such
that to continue to do an event in August would put the company
in jeopardy."

With
the future of the organization in doubt, London, Ontario, fighter
Chris Horodecki will take a wait-and-see approach with the promotion.
He was booked to compete at the New Jersey show. Horodecki, who
had emerged as the unofficial poster boy for the IFL after he
made his debut for the league in 2006, prefers to continue fight
for the troubled promotion but realizes he needs to prepare for
the worst.

"It
sucks having a fight canceled and having a lot of time between
fights, but it happens," Horodecki said. "Once we find
out what's happening with the league, I'm going to have to decide
what's the best thing for me to do."

Until
the fate of the IFL is determined, Horodecki will keep busy with
his new gig as a trainer at the recently opened Xtreme Couture
facility in Toronto. The 20-year-old also plans to open a new
gym -- tentatively named Adrenaline Mixed Martial Arts: Home
of Team Tomkins -- in London with longtime training partners
Mark Hominick and Sam Stout. The academy will replace Team Tompkins
Muay Thai and Submission, which was operated by team founder
Shawn Tompkins for more than a decade.

According
to Horodecki, investors have come aboard, a location has been
picked and the gym should be up and running by mid August.

"It's
going to be incredible -- 11,000 square feet and state-of-the-art
everything," Horodecki said. "The old gym was totally
old school. We didn't even have a cage, just a fence and concrete.
This gym is going to be different."

Source: The Fight Network

BURKMAN
LOOKING TO GET BACK TO THE KO

by Mitch Gobetz

Josh Burkman’s last fight with Mike Swick did not go the
way he was hoping it would go. Burkman, who is known for his
good wrestling ability and pressure, came out on the losing end
of what ended up being a fairly lackluster bout.

He
was unhappy with his performance even though he believes he won
the fight. However, “The People’s Warrior” decided
it was time for a change and moved out to Las Vegas to join Xtreme
Couture.

“I
moved out here full-time now,” Burkman said in a recent
interview with MMAWeekly Radio. “I tried to move out here
a couple years ago and I was out here for six weeks and I was
like, 'I got to go home.' There are so many beautiful distractions
out here. I enjoyed every one of them last time. This time, I'm
growing up. Now that I'm staying in shape, I'm enjoying my training.”

Having
the ability to train with fighters like Randy Couture, Jay Hieron,
John Alessio, Mike Pyle and Gray Maynard only increases Burkman’s
potential in the Octagon. When asked about how he feels training
at Xtreme Couture, Burkman replied, “It's awesome, man.
I knew what I was coming here for and it's awesome. All the coaches
are awesome. I still do my own thing a lot. A lot of good boxing
and a lot of good wrestling I wasn't getting, I'm getting at
Xtreme Couture. I'm getting more and more focused and I know
it's going to pay off.”

With
his new training camp under his belt, he is hoping to get back
to where he was earlier in his career… finishing fights.
Burkman’s last five bouts, win or lose, have gone to a decision.
He believes that the decisions have occurred due to his lack
of composure at certain parts of the fight.

“I
started off my career and I ended fights. I entertained my fans.
That's how I got my nickname. I think it's kind of been a growing
pain in the UFC, going to decisions. My composure wasn't there
when I wanted to explode in the first round,” explained
Burkman. “I think now I'm going to pick and choose my moments
a little better.”

While
Burkman always seems to be in good shape, he admits his judgment
may have been off at times during his fights. That is a mistake
that he is looking to correct.

“I’m
always in good shape. That's one thing I'm always focused on.
I'm healthy; making sure my conditioning is up. I thought I was
in such good shape that I could fight like that for 15 minutes
until I started fighting the best guys in the world. I think
the biggest thing I'm going to do is not necessarily pace myself,
but look for the openings. I think I've relied on my athleticism
too much in the past and now I want to use my head more.”

On
Saturday night at The Ultimate Fighter 7 Finale, Burkman will
take on Dustin Hazelett. Hazelett is a well-rounded fighter who’s
defeated quality opponents like Jonathan Goulet, Diego Saraiva
and Junior Assuncao. Burkman isn’t intimidated by Hazelett
though and feels comfortable wherever the fight goes.

“I'm
going in there feeling real comfortable on my feet. I'm ready
to go anywhere. One thing I noticed about Dustin Hazelett is
he sometimes gives up that takedown. If he's going to let me
in and get a body lock on him, I'm going to drop him on his head.
I'm going to pick him up and slam him and go from there. I'm
not afraid to go to the ground with anybody.”

Hazelett
is a taller fighter for welterweight, standing 6’1”,
which is a familiar frame for Burkman, considering he just fought
Mike Swick. Even though their frames may be similar, Burkman
believes that there are some differences.

“I
think he has better straight punches and I'm working my submission
defense a little bit more,” commented Burkman about Hazelett.
“Other than that, nothing much has changed. That's what
my style is about. You never know what you're gonna get and I'm
going to throw you off your game.”

Hazelett
is a tough opponent who shouldn’t be taken lightly in this
fight and Burkman has a lot of respect for him. However, he believes
that he’ll mentally break Hazelett.

“I
don't see a lot of weaknesses in his game. The guy's got solid
skills. I'm gonna bring the fight to him. I think he'll be alright
in the first round, but in the second round he's gonna be like
'I don't want to be here no more.' I'm going to knock his ass
out!”

Source: MMA Weekly

Wanderlei
confirms UFC talks to July 19

By Bernardo Seabra

UFC will not let Affliction to make his debut with all public
and media attention to them. After announce a high level card
with Fedor Emelianenko vs. Tim Sylvia, Pedro Rizzo vs. Josh Barnet
and Rogério Minotouro vs. Vernon White, apart from the
participation of Fabio Negão, Renato Babalú Sobral
and Vitor Belfort, the Affliction will have the company of the
biggest MMA organization of the world, the Ultimate Fighting
Championship, as both events schedules for July 19. The UFC is
trying to have the former Pride champion Wanderlei Silva at his
event, after the quickly KO against Keith Jardine at the UFC
84.

At
his website, Wanderlei confirmed that he is in talks with the
UFC to fight on July 19, although he prefers to return to the
octagon only on December. “…here in Vegas the good
things keep coming to me… I had already been sound out about
my next bout. To begin with, I just want to fight again on December,
because it will be the biggest event of the year and until there
I will be ready again”, said Wanderlei.

In
a conversation with TATAME, Rafael Alejarra, Wanderlei physical
trainer and friend, also confirmed the contacts with the organization.
"They contacted Wanderlei to talk about the event, but we
still have nothing arranged or even an opponent yet. The event
should happen, but there is nothing confirmed to a Wanderlei
fight", said Alejarra. All the fans are waiting for the
confirmation of the event and for the card to find some way to
follow both events on July 19.

Source: Tatame

6/21/08

Quote
of the Day

Let your
heart feel for the afflictions and distress of everyone,

and let your hand give in proportion to your purse."

George Washington, 1732-1799, 1st President of the United States

Hawaii
Xtreme Combat Today

Lahaina
Civic Center, Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii

Saturday, June 21, 2008

AMATEURS:

135LBS

(1-0) DAVIN "BAMBAM" BALAGSO (MMA BUILT) VS. (4-0)
ELGEN "BOODA" VERDADERO (SOUTHSIDE BOXING)

205LBS

(0-0) KALEI UAIWA (MAUI ALLIANCE) VS. (2-0) MILLER UALESI (TEAM
RUTHLESS)

145LBS

(0-1) KURRENT COCKETT (TEAM 323) VS. (2-2) GERALD GAMMIT (SOUTHSIDE
BOXING)

185LBS

(0-0) HOKU KALALAU (TEAM KOALI) VS. (2-0) GENO VENTI (808 FIGHT
FACTORY)

PROS:

170LBS

(1-0) IRON KONA KE (TEAM RUTHLESS) VS. (2-2) SEAN RIVEIRA (EVOLUTION
FIGHT CLU

(6-6)
KIMO WOELFEL (EASTSIDAZ) VS. (1-0) MARK "QUICK THRILLS"
BONILLA (HI INTNL BOXING)

160LBS

(3-1) EDDIE RINCON (TEAM 323) VS. (2-2) IKAIKA CHOY FOO (FREELANCE)

155LBS

(5-0) ALAN HINOJOSA (IMPACT ZONE) VS. (2-4) TYLER "PITBULL"
KAHIHIKOLO (KONA BOXING)

(6-3)
TYSON NAHOOIKAIKA (ISLAND WARRIORS) VS. (1-1) IKAIKA MORENO (
GODS ARMY)

235LBS

(3-1) KAEO _link_EE (BANG INC) VS. (2-1) ADAM AKAU (FREELANCE)

135LBS

(2-0-1) DAVID "HOLLYWOOD" BALICAO (808 FF) VS. (5-1)
PENI "TONGAN ASSASIN" TAUFAAO (EASTSIDAZ)

145LBS

(2-2) BRONSON PIEPLER (808 FF) VS. (5-1) PACO WOODS (BJ PENN
MMA)

--NAINOA DUNG--VS--TBA

**DYLAN CLAY INJURED**

The
Ultimate Finale Today!

Hawaii Air Times
6-9PM Spike (Channel 559)

Main Card Bouts:

-Evan Tanner vs. Kendall Grove

-Ultimate Fighter 7 Final: Amir Sadollah vs. C.B. Dollaway

-Diego Sanchez vs. Luigi Fioravanti

-Spencer Fisher vs. Jeremy Stephens

-Dante Rivera vs. Matthew Riddle

Preliminary
Bouts:

-Josh Burkman vs. Dustin Hazelett

-Marvin Eastman vs. Drew McFedries

-Matt Arroyo vs. Matt Brown

-Dean Lister vs. Jeremy Horn

-Tim Credeur vs. Cale Yarbrough

-Rob Yundt vs. Rob Kimmons

WOMBAT'S
WORLD OF COMBAT

Ultimate
Fighter Finale Predictions

By Jeff "Wombat" Meszaros

These
days, “The Ultimate Fighter” seems to be less about
fighting and more about who can combine a low tolerance for hard
alcohol and a generalized disrespect for interior design into
the most explosive result. They should hire me to run the next
season. I would recruit the cast strictly from rehab centers,
anger management groups, mental asylums and zoos (for the chimp).
Breakfast, as a mandatory part of the show, would consist only
of vodka and Tabasco sauce. This goes for everyone, including
the chimp and the incredibly promiscuous yet emotionally unstable
girl who I would include as one of the assistant coaches. An
air-raid siren would go off at random all night, the lights would
flicker on and off in strange morse-code patterns and the house
would be set on hydraulics and would tilt about mercilessly whenever
someone opened the fridge. There would be a homicide by the fourth
day but ratings would be through the roof.

Evan
Tanner vs. Kendall
Grove

Am
I the only person who thinks that Tanner is starting to look
like Jeff Bridges from The Big Lebowski? Seriously. Put that
man in a pair of sandals, stick a white Russian in his hand and
he'd be a dead ringer for "The Dude". Incidentally,
if you haven't seen that movie, you seriously need to kick yourself
in the head. John Goodman bites a man's ear off, for God's sake.
If you don't think that's entertaining then I can't help you.
Actually, now that I think about it, Tanner could also pass for
Jesus, although it would be a dead giveaway when instead of curing
the sick and feeding the hungry he just started elbowing people
in the face. That ranks very low on the list of "What Would
Jesus Do"? As incredible as it is, Tanner's current look
is enormously more appropriate than his earlier choices which,
as I recall, included Alicia Keyes corn-rows and a man-fro that
would've made Jimmy Hendrix fall to the ground, weeping in astonishment.
Both Tanner and Grove are coming off knockout losses in the UFC
and word on the street is the loser of this match will have to
shave their head, eat a bucket of cold chicken gravy, admit his
momma is so fat her neck looks like a stack of pancakes and then
leave town forever. That at least is what I hear from my sources.
Then again, one of my sources is the voice in my head, and another
is a stuffed bird that I keep in my closet.

Grove
is from Hawaii. I visited Hawaii once and was shocked at the
number of stray cats. Tanner looks homeless so, by my calculations,
this fight is just a few stray cats shy of any weekend Honolulu
beach scuffle pitting a homeless man who lives in a pineapple
tree against a local street punk with a belly full of poi. Who
wins? Grove has the definite reach advantage since, again by
my calculations, he is eleven feet tall. But Grove is gangly
like a teenager who has grown to an enormous height, but has
yet to fill out to their adult weight which, at eleven feet tall,
would be in the nine-hundred pound range. Tanner has old man
strength and could probably chew through a tin can, which would
be both freaky and impressive. I'm guessing that the UFC wants
their TUF star to win by dispatching their former champion, but
I don't think it will play out that way. Instead, I think this
will go down the same long, hard road as Tanner vs. David Terrell,
and will end with Grove staring up from the ground with the confused
look of a man who has been run over by a horse and carriage while
standing in the middle of his living room. My Guess: Tanner by
TKO.

Diego
Sanchez vs. Luigi Fioravanti

The
UFC invested a lot of time turning Sanchez into a household name
and it wasn't good for their investment when Jon Fitch and Josh
Koscheck spent 15-minutes each punching him in the mustache.
Now they're trying to turn his career around so they can give
him a title shot and take the Octagon to Mexico. Will their plan
succeed? Has Sanchez re-grown that terrible lip-caterpillar?
Will he come into the octagon to the sound of blaring trumpet
music? Will his pre-fight video show him doing yoga during a
thunderstorm, despite the persistent cautioning of local meteorologists?
It's all possible. Aside from spinning coins and sliding turtles,
Luigi's other weakness has been superior wrestlers, which is
a category that Sanchez certainly falls into. If Fioravanti can't
keep the fight standing, he may be doomed to spend 15 minutes
caught in the snarling jaws and boy-like facial hair of the New
Mexican karate wolf. My Guess: Sanchez by decision.

Spencer
Fisher vs. Jeremy Stephens

His
nickname is "The King" but Fisher has never once come
into the octagon dressed like Elvis, dripping sequins from a
polyester jumpsuit. What is up with that? It seems like a gimme
move to me, especially considering the number of times he has
been on free television, which is a known haven for Elvis fans.
Am I missing something? Alternately, he could come down the ramp
as a Kingfisher bird, wearing a cloak of colorful feathers with
a fish jutting from his mouth. That is not as good an idea. My
Guess: Fisher by submission.

Marvin
Eastman vs. Drew McFedries

These
guys both have everything it takes to win in MMA, except for
good luck. Eastman got KO'd by Travis Lutter and his head split
open by Vitor Belfort. McFedries got staph then KO'd by Patrick
Cote. That's a bad run of luck. Maybe one of them will get hit
by lightning on their way into the ring. Actually, it wouldn't
surprise me at all if something bizarre went down that resulted
in them both losing. My Guess: McFedries by TKO.

Jeremy
Horn vs. Dean Lister

The
first time these two fought, Horn cut up Lister so badly, his
corner had to give him blood transfusions between rounds just
to keep him from passing out due to blood loss. After the fight,
Horn looked like he'd just put in an 8-hour shift at the slaughterhouse,
and none of it was his blood. I saw him in Montreal and asked
him about this rematch while he was playing World of Warcraft.
Between fighting dragons online, he said "Lister doesn't
like to get hit. I don't think that's something you can learn."
I tend to agree. Also, can you imagine if that was a night-school
course at the local community college? "Learning how to
like getting hit 101." B.J. Penn could teach it, and open
every class by punching himself hard in the jaw and then licking
the blood off his glove. My Guess: Horn by decision.

Rob
Yundt vs. Rob Kimmons

Yundt
probably thought he was going to kill Ricardo Almeida when he
picked him up and slammed him at the UFC in February. Instead,
he ended up getting flipped and choked. That's like reaching
into a box of cereal for your super-secret decoder ring and then
grabbing a really pissed off scorpion instead. Of course, he
knew Almeida was a BJJ champion so, using the comparison I'm
working with here, the box would say "free scorpion inside!"
on the front. My Guess: Yundt by decision.

Josh
Burkman vs. Dustin Hazelett

The
Perfect Storm was a stupid movie. It's about a guy who knows
there's going to be a huge storm but goes fishing anyway and
then he dies. Not only that, he takes a whole crew of guys with
him and they all know there's going to be a storm too but instead
of committing mutiny and driving the boat back home they try
to drive the damn thing up a tidal wave and it flips over and
they all drown. The end. My Guess: Burkman by decision.

C.B.
Dollaway vs. Amir Sadollah

Isn't
it incredibly hypocritical to lock 16 men in a house with nothing
to do, provide them with unlimited alcohol and then shake your
head in disgust when the one with an obvious drinking problem
goes crazy and assaults a casino slot machine? My Guess: Dollaway
by decision.

Jeff Meszaros welcomes reader feedback at wombat@fcfighter.com

Source: Full Contact Fighter

Anderson
Silva as a weapon

UFC uses Brazilian to overshadow Affliction

Clothing
brand and new MMA promotion Affliction has assembled a great
card for its premiere and bugged MMA giant UFC. Donald tramp
and co. were apparently going to reign supreme on July 19, the
day of the debut in California. However, the UFC decided to strike
back, and their July 5 show will no longer be the only one that
month.

Yeah,
you guessed it. UFN 14 is going to take place July 19 in Las
Vegas, and with a difference from other UFC events: instead of
being available only on pay-per-view, this one will air for free
on Spike TV. Also, Dana White has summoned some pretty big stars
for the show that will collide head on with Affliction: Banned.

The
main event will feature middleweight champion Anderson Silva
taking on James Irvin in the light heavyweight class. It will
be Silva’s debut in this weight at the UFC, though he will
probably not abandon the category where he is undisputed king.

In
an interview to the website MMArated, Affliction vice-president
Tom Atencio said the move made it clear that the UFC wants to
control everything, but also said it is flattering, since it
appears the UFC sees Affliction as a threat.

Here
are the updated cards for both events:

Affliction:
Banned:

Fedor Emelianenko vs Tim Sylvia

Andrei Arlovski vs Ben Rothwell

Josh Barnett vs Pedro Rizzo

Matt Lindland vs Fabio Nascimento

Renato "Babalu" Sobral vs Mike Whitehead

Paul Buentello vs Aleksander Emelianenko

Antonio Rogerio Nogueira vs Vernon White

Vitor Belfort vs Terry Martin

Ray Lazama vs Justin Levens

J.J. Ambrose vs Mike Pyle

Mark Hominick vs Savant Young

UFN
14:

Anderson Silva vs James Irvin

Brandon Vera vs Reese Andy

Frank Edgar vs Hermes Franca

Cain Velasquez vs Jake O’Brien

Anthony Johnson vs Kevin Burns

Source: Gracie Magazine

Jesse
Taylor Makes No Excuses

By Jason Perkins

TUF 7 Finalist Jesse Taylor appeared in an exclusive Spike TV
interview to discuss his ousting from the Finale after an alcohol-filled
binge which saw Taylor kick out the window of a Limousine, accost
a couple of woman and get aggressive with hotel security. Taylor,
for his part made no excuses for his behavior.

"I was just pretty much out of control," said Taylor.
"I'm not going to sit here and make excuses. "I know
what I did," Taylor said. "I know how bad I [expletive]
up. It's a horrible feeling. I hope no one has to go through
what I went through."

Taylor
went on to explain that he has had issues with alcoholism in
the past and that his behavior was not due to a celebration that
just went a little too far.

"The
impression I think that a lot of people might think is that I
was so excited that I went crazy," said Taylor. "That's
not the case. Most of it just has to do with I just -- when I
start drinking sometimes -- I drink a little too much. That's
been a downfall for me before. I started drinking, started thinking
about how good things are and just kept drinking and drinking.
I just spiraled out of control."

Taylor
has vowed to cut alcohol out of his life for good due to this
event and the hope that he may get another shot at fighting in
the UFC.

"I
just want another chance. We're all human. What I did was crazy
and out of control, and the only excuse I have is that I made
a horrible mistake. And honestly, drinking is cut out of my life
due to this."

Dana
White did express a certain willingness to bring Taylor back
to the UFC on the season finale telling Taylor "go home,
get your (explitive) life together, (explitive) call me in a
few months, alright?"

Given
Taylor's story and popularity it is highly unlikely that we've
seen the last of Taylor. Expect the UFC to bring Taylor back,
after a probationary period, sometime this year.

Source: Fight Line

Anderson
confirms Minotauro VS. Mir

By Guilherme Cruz

Team mates at Minotauro team, Anderson Silva is together with
Rodrigo Minotauro at the shooting of the reality show The Ultimate
Fighter, at United States and commented the behind the scenes.
“We are together helping everybody and I am going to stay
here until the end of the show, more two weeks”, said the
Middleweight UFC champion, that went with Rafael Feijão
to Hawaii to his ring corner at EliteXC. Anderson confirmed that
Rodrigo Minotauro should face Frank Mir for the belt as it happen
at the end of all show edition. “For sure, they are going
to fight” guaranteed Anderson.

Source: Tatame

Sin
City Sentinel: Tyson Training for MMA?

by Mike Sloan

LAS
VEGAS -- Word on the hot Vegas streets is that Mike Tyson is
training again, but for what? The former heavyweight boxing champion
and "Baddest Man on the Planet" has long been a source
of speculation among MMA fans.

A
source, who asked to remain anonymous, informed Sherdog.com that
Tyson has been quietly "training his ass off" with
a prominent strength and conditioning coach in the area. The
source also stated that Tyson "is not going to do boxing
anymore," but when asked if "Iron Mike" was going
to try MMA, the source shrugged, "I don't know, I can't
say."

In
recent years, the rumor mill linked the 41-year-old Tyson with
EliteXC heavyweight Kevin "Kimbo Slice" Ferguson, Quinton
Jackson (Pictures) and Tito Ortiz (Pictures) among others. In
2006, he was a guest referee at a World Cage Fighting Championship
bout in Manchester, England and signed an appearances-only contract
with the now-defunct Pride Fighting Championships.

"Rude
Boy" out for summer

Popular
UFC lightweight prospect and "The Ultimate Fighter 6"
alumnus Troy
Mandaloniz
(Pictures) told Sherdog.com that he will be out at least four
months due to injury. "Rude Boy" was scheduled to face
Paul Kelly (Pictures) at UFC 85 "Bedlam" June 7 in
London, but he aggravated a bulging disc in his back. Mandaloniz
said he'll be out another four months and there's no telling
when he'll be cleared to return to train at the Cobra Kai Academy
at full speed, let alone fight. But the good news for the 28-year-old
Hawaiian is that his back will not need surgery.

"Suave"
stabs at sweet science

Former
UFC heavyweight champion Ricco Rodriguez (Pictures) has decided
to give professional boxing a try again. The loquacious heavyweight
recently resumed his pro MMA career after a stint on VH1's "Celebrity
Rehab," but won't fight anybody inside a cage in the near
future. Instead, he'll be squaring off inside the ropes against
an opponent-to-be-determined on July 8. The bout is slated to
take place on the undercard of Aaron Pryor Jr. and Kevin Kelley's
co-headlined event at the Las Vegas Hilton. Rodriguez is not
a complete stranger to professional boxing. He fought October
12, 2006 in Houston, Texas, stopping Brandon Baker in the first
round.

LVCC
plans more cards

Las
Vegas Combat Championships promoter Chris Sarkissian told Sherdog.com
that he plans on having as many events inside the Alexis Resort
as possible. Current plans are to scheduled a show every six
to eight weeks.

"I
know I'm going to get killed (financially) early on," he
said. "I'm not trying to host these events inside a huge
arena because I know it's hard to promote without big names and
a huge bank account. I'm planning on losing money for the first
few shows and then hopefully I can start breaking even and then
start making money."

The
LVCC held its first event at the venue on June 14.

Steele
still itching to promote

Hall
of Fame boxing referee Richard Steele still has the urge to partake
in MMA. Steele retired from boxing in 2006 and ventured into
the world of MMA promotion by forming Steele Cage Promotions.
The Vegas-based company teamed up with the International Fighting
Organization (IFO) and delivered three lukewarm shows in Las
Vegas, but the IFO eventually went belly up. However, Steele
confirmed to Sherdog.com that Steele Cage Promotions has an MMA
show slated to take place in Texas in the near future and could
return to Vegas shortly after.

Quick
hits

•
The showdown between TUF 6 alumni Ben Saunders and Jared Rollins
(Pictures) has been moved from July 5's UFC 86 "Jackson
vs. Griffin" in Las Vegas and to UFC 87 "Seek and Destroy"
Aug. 9 at the Target Center in Mineappolis -- Zuffa's first venture
into Minnesota.

•
Though the International Fight League is currently on life support
and had to cancel its Aug. 15 card in New Jersey, the IFL's proposed
Oct. 17 card at the Orleans Arena is still a go, according to
the Nevada State Athletic Commission's online calendar. Considering
the organization's current financial situation, it seems unlikely
that the Vegas card will materialize. A representative from the
NSAC told Sherdog.com that the event has not been cancelled,
but also that it has yet to be officially approved by the commission.

•
According to Roland Sarria, the president and founder of the
Arizona-based Rage in the Cage organization, his brand of MMA
might come to Vegas sooner rather than later. Currently, in accordance
with Arizona law, the RITC requires combatants to strike with
open hands. Sarria told Sherdog.com that he plans to take RITC
across the country and that Vegas is one of his goals.

Source: Sherdog

Pre-'TUF
7 Finale' Interview with Diego Sanchez

UFC welterweight Diego Sanchez will resume his climb towards
a shot at the title when he steps inside the Octagon Saturday
night at the "TUF 7 Finale" in Las Vegas.

After consecutive setbacks to Josh Koscheck and Jon Fitch in
2007, Sanchez returned in March 2008 at UFC 82 "Pride of
a Champion" to overwhelm UFC newcomer David Bielkheden with
strikes for the much-needed victory.

On
Saturday, Sanchez (21-2) takes on another fighter looking for
a second straight win, Luigi Fioravanti (14-3), out of the American
Top Team in Coconut Creek, Florida.

MMAFighting.com:
How's training been coming along for this fight?

Diego
Sanchez: Training has been going phenomenal. Training with Saulo
Ribeiro for Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Gracie Jiu-Jitsu here in San
Diego, California. I'm in great shape. I'm ready to go in there
and fight my fight.

MMAFighting.com:
Many people found it puzzling when it was announced that you
were fighting someone with a .500 record in the UFC, what do
you think was the reasoning behind this matchup being made?

Sanchez:
Luigi is a great fight for me. He's 12-3. His only losses were
a decision to [Chris] Leben, decision to [Kenny] Florian, and
the only one to stop him in his career was Jon Fitch with a rear
naked choke. He came off a win over Luke Cummo, a dominating
win. He put himself in place for [a title shot]. He has seven
knockout wins. He's the real deal.

MMAFighting.com:
In his last five victories, four of them were by TKO, so that's
obviously something to watch out for anyone stepping in against
Luigi. How would you describe his striking game?

Sanchez:
He's a brawler. I'm not saying he's a sloppy brawler, but he
has some good things that he does with his striking. He has some
footwork. He has some skills that he does pretty well. But it's
also his clever punches, man. That's dangerous, he definitely
has some power in his hands. That's also something that I'm aware
of. The last guy that I fought, David Bielkheden, also had some
strong hands, some clever punches. That's something I have trained
for before and I'm ready to fight again. Nothing new.

MMAFighting.com:
How do you prepare for fighting someone where it's harder to
predict where the punches are coming from?

Sanchez:
You just gotta keep your eyes open, and the main thing is to
know the distance. When he's at a certain distance, he cannot
touch you. And you gotta be smart and strategically place yourself
in that distance. That's happens to be something I'm really well
at doing.

MMAFighting.com:
Besides your main Jiu-Jitsu team, who else are you training with
right now?

Sanchez:
My main training partner is Fabricio "Morango" Camoes.
He's an EliteXC fighter. He's relatively new to America, so he's
not too known. He's an awesome training partner. And I also got
Gilbert Melendez, who comes down and helps me out. And several
different guys that are around the circuit that I have.

MMAFighting.com:
When you left Greg Jackson's camp in Albuquerque, New Mexico,
what made you decide to pack your bags to San Diego?

Sanchez:
The environment is amazing down here. And the people I'm training
with my ground work, my Jiu-Jitsu is just the very top level.
They're the best and that's something that I wanted to challenge
myself with. I wanted to put myself in a situation where I was
with the best, and that would make me rise up and be a better
fighter all around. It was easier for me to find striking partners,
and sparring partners, to find people to stand and trade/spar
with anywhere, but it's not easy to find the top ground fighters
in the world.

MMAFighting.com:
If this fight goes your way, do you want to immediately jump
in the title mix or would you prefer to continue taking it one
fight at a time?

Sanchez:
That's all I'm here for is the title shot. So as soon as I can
get a title shot, that's when I'll be fighting it for. asap.

MMAFighting.com:
You have unfinished business with Josh Koscheck and Jon Fitch,
which loss do you want to avenge more?

Sanchez:
I want to avenge both of them equal. But in time. Both those
guys aren't going anywhere. I'm not going anywhere. I would like
to have those fights as a title defense or me fighting for the
title, as if Fitch was to win [against Georges St. Pierre at
UFC 87]. A rematch with Fitch would be awesome. Or if I was to
go in with the title, a rematch with Koscheck [cause] five rounds
would be incredible.

MMAFighting.com:
You mentioned after your Fitch fight that he was very strong
and that's something you wanted to improve on. Have you done
anything specific for your strength training?

Sanchez:
Oh yeah. Kettlebell training and powerlifting, yeah that's about
it.

MMAFighting.com:
Did you do anything new?

Sanchez:
Yea, that is new. [Laughs.] That's new to me. I never really
hit the weights too hard, but that's something I'm starting to
do again here.

MMAFighting.com:
I'm interested in hearing your take on weight classes. You've
said that 155 pounds would be too much for you to cut down to.
Do you like what EliteXC is doing by implementing a 160-pound
division? Or would too many weight classes be confusing?

Sanchez:
Nah, I think within time, it's good man. I think that it's good.
Cause I think there are guys out there like me, where 165 pounds
would be the perfect weight for me. It just depends, I think
it would be awesome if there were more weights, but it's obvious,
look at boxing. Boxing has all those weight classes and even
just five pounds makes a big difference. You know what I mean?

MMAFighting.com:
But don't you think with so many champions it's be hard to determine
who the best fighters are?

Sanchez:
No, I don't think so. It all depends. As long as we have enough
fighters, and as long as fighters have the opportunity to go
up or go down. So if you're at the top of the weight class and
you're the champion, you're the elite of that class, then you're
entitled to fight up a weight if the weights were close, five-ten
pounds.

MMAFighting.com:
Fitch and St. Pierre are two guys you're bound to meet at some
point. What are your thoughts on that match?

Sanchez:
I think that's going to be a great fight. I don't know man. I
really don't have a pick. That's something that I'm just going
to wait and see what happens.

Source: MMA Fighting

Jenna
Jameson Wants To Have Tito's Baby

By James Jones

The following is provided courtesy of the Miami Herald:

At Pangaea at the Seminole Hard Rock Casino complex Saturday
night, porn star Jenna Jameson hosted the fifth annual lingerie
party there. Our colleague Roberto Santiago was there, and she
told him that she and her boyfriend, Tito Ortiz, are trying to
have a baby. "It's the most important thing I want in my
life right now, to have a baby, become a full time mother, and
live my life forever with Tito," said Jameson, 34. She added
that Ortiz has helped her overcome her devastating divorce, which
she said crippled her emotionally, physically, and financially.

"Some
people, when they are depressed and in pain, overeat. I just
stopped eating, and I'm Italian and I love food,"' said
Jameson, who said her weight went down to 95 pounds. "I
am 105 pounds now with my goal weight being 120." Jameson
joked she hopes that pregnancy will help spike her appetites.

Source: Fight Line

Kayron:
another promising Gracie

Brown belt now middleweight world champion

A resident of the city of Irvine, California, Kayron Gracie celebrating
his recently turning 20 years old and the conquest of a World
title in his fighting career. Carrying on his shoulders the weight
of his family name and the fact he is son to the leader of Gracie
Barra and president of the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
Federation (IBJJF), Carlos Gracie Jr, the brown belt showed determination
and submitted all his opponents before shutting out the middleweight
group with a teammate.

Kayron
added this conquest to his personal collection that includes
five medals in Brazilian Nationals and four in Pan-Americans
(one of these in the no-gi category), all of which were gold.
GRACIEMAG.com had a chat with yet another young man who has what
it takes to carve his name into the history of world Jiu-Jitsu.

GRACIEMAG.com:
Tell us a little about your march to the gold medal in the middleweight
category?

Kayron:
I came into this World Championship focused, as I'd been training
a lot. I won all my fights by submission. The fight I had the
most trouble with was the semifinal, in which my adversary had
a lot of stamina and moved around a lot. In the final I settled
on a handshake with another Gracie Barra athlete, Bruno Alves.

GRACIEMAG.com:
How did you two decide that you should be the one to take the
title?

Kayron:
He's a student of Ze Radiola and he always goes to our gym to
train before championships. I'm a good friend of his teacher,
Ze Radiola and he gave me the medal for friendship.

GRACIEMAG.com:
What about the absolute, how did that adventure go?

Kayron:
I lost in my fourth fight. I was choked out with a rear-naked-choke
standing and I didn't want to resist much because I still had
to fight at weight the next day. The one who beat me was Joao
Assis, from Brasa. At the gym there are a lot of heavy guys,
so I'm used to training with heavier people.

GRACIEMAG.com:
Are you already thinking about fighting as a black belt next
year?

Kayron:
I got my brown at the beginning of the year. I think I still
have to mature in my Jiu-Jitsu some before going against the
top guys. I think at next year's Worlds I'll still be a brown,
but we'll see.

GRACIEMAG.com:
Do you feel the greater pressure involved in having your last
name and the fact you are Carlos Gracie Jr's son is detrimental
to you, or does it provide greater incentive?

Kayron:
I take more as incentive. Being a Gracie and son of Carlos Gracie
Jr makes me want to train twice as much to do well when it gets
down to it. There's always a lot expected of me, but it's something
that motivates me even more to train, so the bad side that is
the pressure, is in fact something good.

GRACIEMAG.com:
Regarding the absolute final, do you consider Xande to be the
best in the world, or did he just have to right game to beat
Roger?

Kayron:
To me Roger's the best in the world, but over the 10 minutes
Xande had a good strategy and managed to win. On top no one can
handle Roger. On the bottom he has a good guard and excellent
finishing, has such a good defense that I think he hasn't tapped
out in a championship since blue belt, or has never tapped, I'm
not sure. Standing he has good judo. To me he's the most complete
fighter.

Source: Gracie Magazine

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