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(All events on Oahu, unless noted)
2008
11/8/08
Aloha
State Championship of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
(BJJ/Sub Grapping)
(Gym #1, UH Manoa)
7/26/08
Maui Jiu-Jitsu BJJ Tournament
(BJJ)
(Maui War Memorial Gym, Wailuku, Maui)
6/5-8/08
World Jiu-Jitsu Championsihps
(BJJ)
(California State University Long Beach, Long Beach, California)
5/3/08
Hawaiian
Open of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
(BJJ/Sub Grapping)
(Gym #1, UH Manoa)
4/26/08
Elite XC
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena)
3/29/08
Garden Island Cage Match 7
(MMA)
(Hanapepe Stadium, Hanapepe, Kauai)
Hawaii Fighting Championships 8
(MMA)
(Maui War Memorial)
3/28-30/08
Pan Jiu-Jitsu Championship
(BJJ)
(Carson, CA)
3/16/08
Sera's Kajukenbo Open Tournament
(Continuous
Sparring, MMA, Submission Grappling)
(Maui High School Gym, Kahului, Maui)
Icon Fitness Gym Tournament
(Submission Wrestling)
(Icon Fitness Gym)
3/15/08
Icon Sport
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena)
3/9/08
2008 Pacific Invitational BJJ Tournament
(BJJ )
(Hibiscus Room, Ala Moana Hotel, Honolulu)
3/7/08
Got Skillz Fighter
(Kickboxing/MMA)
(Waipahu Filcom)
3/1/08
USA-Boxing
Hawaii, Palolo B.C. & Kawano B.C. Presents Amateur Boxing
(Boxing)
(Palolo District Park)
2/29/08
X-1 at the O-Lounge
Fight Club Meets Nightclub 4
(MMA)
(O-Lounge, Honolulu)
2/24/08
Icon Grappling Tournament
(Sub Grappling)
(Icon Gym)
2/17/08
Hawaiian
Championship of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
(BJJ/Sub Grapping)
(Gym #1, UH Manoa)
2/15/07
Midwest Invasion: Team Indiana vs. Team Hawaii
(MMA)
(Coyotes Night Club, 935 Dillingham Blvd, Kalihi)
2/8/08
Hawaii Fighting Championships 7
(Kickboxing & MMA)
(Dole Cannery Ballroom)
2/2/08
Man up and Stand up
(Kickboxing)
(Dole Cannery
Ballroom)
1/26/08
X1 World
Events: Champions
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena)
1/20/08
Big
Island Open Jiu-Jitsu Tournament
(Konawaena High School)
(BJJ/Sub Grappling)
(POSTPONED)
1/19/08
UFC 80: Rapid Fire
(BJ Penn vs. Joe Stevenson)
Newcastle, England
1/12/08
Hawaii Fight League
Season 1, Event 2
(MMA)
(Dole Cannery Ballroom)
|
|
March 2008 News
Part 1
|
Casca Grossa Jiu-Jitsu
is now the O2 Martial Arts Academy with 6 days a week training!
We are also offering Escrima (stick fighting) on Monday nights
with Ian Beltran and Kickboxing Tuesday and Thursday with Kaleo
Kwan!
Click
here for info!
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Hawaii Underground Forum is Online!
Chris, Mark,
and I wanted to start an official Onzuka.com forum for a while
now. We were searching for the best forum to go with and hit
a gold mine! We have known Kirik, who heads the largest and most
popular forum on the net, The Underground for years.
He
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three of us will be the moderators with of course FCTV808 being
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We
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Quote
of the Day
“Constant
kindness can accomplish much. As the sun makes ice melt, kindness
causes misunderstanding, mistrust, and hostility to evaporate.”
Albert Schweitzer, 1875-1965, Alsatian Theologian/Musician/Medical
Missionary
|
Malaipet vs. Denny announced for March 21 ShoXC main event
Malaipet
will take on Thomas "Wildman" Denny in the main event
of the next ShoXC event, EliteXC announcer Mauro Ranallo revealed
Saturday night during the Showtime tape-delayed telecast of Cage
Rage 25.
Malaipet
(1-0 EliteXC, 3-1 overall), who became a professional kickboxer
in Thailand at the age of 8, will return to the site of his EliteXC
debut last October at ShoXC, where he won a unanimous decision
against Kaleo
Kwan after
three rounds.
Denny
(0-0 EliteXC, 25-16 overall) is an experienced mixed martial
artist who has competed against the likes of Georges St. Pierre,
Joe Stevenson, Duane Ludwig, Yves Edwards, and John Alessio.
Denny will be making his EliteXC debut coming from sister promotion,
King of the Cage, where he has fought since 2001.
This
upcoming edition of "ShoXC: EliteXC Challenger Series,"
the fifth in the series to highlight up-and-coming fighters,
will air live on Showtime at 11:00pm ET/PT from the Chumash Casino
in Santa Ynez, California.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
The Ultimate Fighter 7 to kick off with sixteen bouts
Hawaii's
Steve Byrnes on TUF?
The
seventh season of The Ultimate Fighter, coached by UFC light
heavyweight champion Quinton "Rampage" Jackson and
season one winner Forrest Griffin, will begin with a total of
32 middleweights, Spike TV has confirmed.
But
the number of middleweights competing for the six-figure UFC
contract will be cut in half by the end of the second episode.
A total of 16 elimination bouts will air, mostly through highlights,
in the first two episodes to narrow down the field of contestants.
According
to Dave Meltzer of Yahoo! Sports, this season's cast includes
David Baggett (4-2), Steve
Byrnes (6-1),
Paul Bradley (5-0), Matt Brown (4-2), Erik Charles (0-0), John
Clarke (5-2), Daniel Cramer (0-0), Tim Credeur (9-2), Mike Dolce
(3-4), Clarence Dollaway (0-0), John Hall (3-3), Gerald Harris
(6-2), Nick Klein (3-0), David Mewborn (0-0), Mike Marrello (7-1-1),
Jeremy May (5-5), Prince LaDonas McLean (4-5), Aaron Meisner
(2-0), Reggie Orr (4-5-1), Matthew Riddle (0-0), Jeremiah Riggs
(1-0), Dante Rivera, (10-2), David Roberts (5-7), Nick Rossborough
(0-0), Amir Sadollah (0-0), Patrick Schultz (0-3), Brandon Sene
(2-0), Dan Simmler (0-0), Jesse Taylor (6-2), Cale Yarbrough
(0-0), John Wood (6-3) and Luke Zachrich (7-1).
The
Ultimate Fighter: Team Rampage vs. Team Forrest premieres April
2 at 10:00pm ET and will air every Wednesday until the season
finale on Saturday, June 21 from the Pearl Concert Theater at
Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas. The first episode directly
follows a live broadcast of the Kenny Florian-Joe Lauzon headlined
UFC Fight Night in Broomfield, Colorado.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Baroni's steroid suspension lifted
EliteXC
middleweight Phil Baroni (10-8) is officially free as of March
7 to return to mixed martial arts competition.
The
California State Athletic Commission announced Friday that Baroni
has fulfilled the terms of his suspension, which began June 22,
2007, the date of his loss to Frank Shamrock at a Strikeforce-EliteXC
co-promoted event.
Baroni
tested positive of the anabolic steroids, Boldenone and Stanozolol,
at the event and was originally suspended for one year and fined
$2,500. Baroni appealed the positive test and had his suspension
reduced to six months.
With
the scandal behind him, Baroni will take on Kala Kolohe Hose
(5-1) for the vacant middleweight title at Icon Sport "To
Hell and Back" on Saturday, March 15 at the Blaisdell Arena
in Honolulu, Hawaii.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
UFC
PRESIDENT NOT CLOSING THE DOOR ON TITO
With only one fight left on his current contract with the Ultimate
Fighting Championship, former light heavyweight champion Tito
Ortiz is stepping back into the Octagon, quite possibly for the
last time, to face rising 205-pound contender Lyoto Machida at
UFC 84 in Las Vegas.
While
Ortiz has been very vocal about his displeasure with the match-up
and his overall dealings with the UFC, president Dana White says
that his focus needs to be on his opponent for the May 24 bout.
“It’s
a tough fight for Tito. Tito really hasn’t had a significant
fight or a significant win in the last couple years,” said
White in an interview with MMAWeekly.com. “This is his first
real big fight in a long time. Tito’s out there saying,
‘this fight isn’t with me and Lyoto, it’s with
me and Dana.’ No idiot, it’s with Lyoto Machida. You’re
not fighting me. You better be training, you better be doing
what you’re supposed to be doing.”
Ortiz
has publicly stated that he has no intentions of returning to
the UFC after fulfilling his contract with the Machida fight.
“He
said he’ll never come back to the UFC as long as I’m
running it,” White stated. “Tito’s always going
to say stupid (expletive). Every time that guy opens his mouth,
dumb (expletive) rolls out, he can’t help himself.
“And
he’s a liar. I don’t know if you guys heard his Howard
Stern interview where he says all he makes is $250,000. Tito
Ortiz has made millions of dollars. Remember, when he was in
that thing crying, ‘I crashed my car into a tree, my life
was over.’ We brought him back into the UFC, we made him
a coach of The Ultimate Fighter, and since then Tito Ortiz has
made millions and millions of dollars.”
Despite
Ortiz’s declarations that he will not return as long as
White is running things – the UFC president isn’t going
anywhere – but still feels the book isn’t closed on
future dealings with the disgruntled fighter.
“I’m
not planning on quitting because Tito doesn’t want to fight
if I’m here,” said White. “Even with all the issues
I’ve had with that moron, he’s still in the UFC, so
we’ll see what happens.”
No
word from Ortiz if he plans on even negotiating with the UFC
once the fight with Machida is over, but his early indications
are that he will shop the free agent market.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
TWO
NEW HEAVYWEIGHTS FOR UFC 83 IN CANADA
The Ultimate Fighting Championship on Saturday announced the
addition of two new heavyweights to the promotions roster. Cain
Velasquez and Brad Morris will face each other as part of the
undercard as the promotion makes its Canadian debut on April
19 in Montreal.
As
part of the event featuring a title-unification bout at UFC 83
between current welterweight champion Matt Serra and hometown
fighter and interim champion Georges St. Pierre, Velasquez and
Morris are part of an apparent push by the UFC to bolster its
heavyweight talent. The promotion also recently signed Shane
Carwin for its May 24 UFC 84 card to face returning American
Kickboxing Academy fighter Christian Wellisch in Las Vegas.
Also
a product of AKA in San Jose, Calif., despite having only two
professional fights to his credit, Velasquez brings with him
to the Octagon the experience of one of the stronger fight camps
in the sport. Along with Wellisch, he counts among his training
partners the No. 3 welterweight in the world in Jon Fitch, the
No. 5 welterweight in Josh Koscheck, Ultimate Fighter veteran
Mike Swick, heavyweight fighter Paul Buentello, and many more.
Velasquez has a strong base in wrestling, twice earning All-American
honors in the sport while competing for Arizona State University.
Entering
the UFC riding a three-fight winning streak, which includes a
victory over UFC veteran Kristof Midoux, Morris brings with him
a penchant for grounding and pounding his opponents and more
than five years of experience in mixed martial arts.
“Fighting
in the UFC is the pinnacle of MMA, and thinking about some of
the great fighters that have fought for the UFC is a humbling
thought,” said the Morris, a 29-year-old native of Australia.
“The offer to fight in the UFC is recognition of all the
hard work and sacrifice that I have put myself through, and it’s
great that it’s finally paid off.”
Although
a bout between Ed Herman and Damian Maia has been rumored for
UFC 83, the current fight card announced by the UFC now stands
at ten bouts.
Bouts
officially announced for UFC 83:
-Matt Serra vs. Georges St. Pierre
-Rich Franklin vs. Travis Lutter
-Nate Quarry vs. Kalib Starnes
-Michael Bisping vs. Charles McCarthy
-Mac Danzig vs. Mark Bocek
-Jason MacDonald vs. Joe Doerksen
-Sam Stout vs. Rich Clementi
-Kuniyoshi Hironaka vs. Jonathan Goulet
-Alan Belcher vs. Jason Day
-Cain Velasquez vs. Brad Morris
Rumored
bout for UFC 83:
-Ed Herman vs. Demian Maia
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Quote
of the Day
"Friendship
isn't a big thing; it's a million little things."
Source Unknown
|
The
Tournament is today!
Aloha,
Gracie Hawaii would like to formally invite your team to the:
2008 Pacific Invitational Adult Gi Tournament held at Hawaii's
famous Ala Moana Hotel (in Honolulu) in the exquisite Hibiscus
Ball Room on March 9, 2008.
It is our goal to make this tournament the most fair, organized,
and classy engagement you've ever attended--where some of the
World's top teams will gather and compete for individual awards
and the 2008 Pacific Invitational team title.
You will find all pertinent information in the attached PDF file.
Feel free to print out the poster and place it within your academy.
*If you plan on bringing a team of 15 competitors or more to
this island event, contact Ronn Shiraki to arrange complimentary
hotel accommodations for (1) attending head instructor.
Also, please forward this to your favorite BJJ school. NOTE:
If you received this as a forwarded message and have not been
formally invited to the event, please send an e-mail to graciehawaii@yahoo.com (attention Ronn Shiraki)
with your school information and we will gladly evaluate your
team for entry.
Mahalo,
Ronn Shiraki
808-387-1961
graciehawaii@yahoo.com
2008 Pacific Invitational Contact
|
Maui Jiu-Jitsu BJJ
Tournament Date Announced!
On July 26th, Maui Jiu-Jitsu will host another one of their great
tournaments on the Valley isle. Stay tuned for more details as
they become available.
|
FEDOR
A FREE AGENT? NOT SO FAST
by Tom Hamlin
On Thursday, new cracks appeared in M-1 Global’s façade.
Apy Echteld, a co-manager of Fedor Emelianenko and development
executive in the upstart promotion, confirmed to ESPN’s
Ryan Hockensmith that the top-ranked fighter and M-1 would be
separating next week.
Emelianenko
was M-1’s first talent acquisition when the consortium of
Russian and American promoters came together in October of 2007.
The
report on ESPN.com also stated that both Ultimate Fighting Championship
president Dana White and Echteld would be open to discussions
concerning the possibility of having Emelianenko face UFC heavyweight
champion Randy Couture in the Octagon.
M-1
President and CEO Monte Cox, however, was adamant that the Russian
superstar is still a part of his promotion. “As of right
now, M-1 Global and Fedor are still working together,” he
told MMAWeekly.com.
Cox
declined to comment about the ESPN article, but said M-1’s
plans were still underway for its first event on American soil,
a June 14 card at the Sears Center in the Chicago area, still
expected to feature Emelianenko. The show has been rescheduled
from a May 3 date at the Allstate Arena, also in the Chicago
area.
M-1’s
first venture with Emelianenko, a co-promotion with Fight Entertainment
Group and other Japanese promoters on New Year’s Eve, was
a success according to Cox. Since then, rumors of difficulties
between the American and Russian factions of the partnership
have persisted.
“But
as of now, Fedor still belongs to M-1 Global,” stated Cox.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Assessing
the EliteXC-CBS partnership
By Todd Martin
Special to CBSSports.com
Late
last week, EliteXC announced a partnership with CBS to televise
fight cards on major network television. Examining the most pressing
questions coming out of the deal:
How
big of a deal is this for mixed martial arts?
It
has the potential to be very big, on three separate fronts.
First,
from the standpoint of MMA's mainstream popularity, this is a
significant development. A major network television fight card
will grab the attention of mainstream sports fans and the media
in a way Spike TV cards do not. Thus, this is an opportunity
for MMA to demonstrate its broad popularity.
Strong
ratings would lead to greater mainstream coverage of the sport
and over the long haul would provide an outlet for creating new
fans and broadening the sport's consumer base. Weak ratings will
make it hard for the sport to get another major network deal
and could prove to be a big step backward.
Second,
from a promotional competition standpoint, it creates a legitimate
potential challenger to the Ultimate Fighting Championship. MMA's
popularity growth since 2006 has for the most part really been
UFC's. This deal, which features investment in EliteXC by CBS,
creates another player in the market. UFC still has pretty much
all the advantages, but EliteXC can potentially threaten UFC's
dominance.
This
is also a huge blow to other upstart MMA organizations. It was
the deal that would get one of UFC's challengers into the game,
and EliteXC won out. Strikeforce will continue to succeed with
its intelligent targeting of a specific region. But M-1 Global
and the IFL are in big trouble, at risk of being lost in the
shuffle.
The
third and perhaps biggest effect of this deal will be on fighters.
Currently, they have very limited negotiation leverage with the
UFC. While other organizations might be willing to guarantee
slightly more money, UFC is the star-maker. Fighters know that
in the UFC they have the opportunity to establish a name and
move toward the pay-per-view main events that bring in the biggest
paydays.
EliteXC's
CBS deal changes that dynamic. Free-agent fighters can now sign
with EliteXC and be featured on network television. This will
provide them the opportunity to become bigger stars in either
the UFC or EliteXC. Free agents Josh Koscheck and Andrei Arlovski
can now genuinely try to get the best financial offer rather
than simply attempting to leverage the best UFC offer possible.
Did
UFC president Dana White blow it?
CBS
had long negotiations with UFC before signing EliteXC. UFC was
clearly the network's first choice, but the two sides could not
come to terms. Disputes over control took center stage. By rejecting
CBS' terms, UFC has handed its opponent an opportunity. Now UFC
and White will have to wait and see what EliteXC does with the
opportunity.
UFC
is a well-run organization that understands how to promote MMA.
It was rightfully hesitant to hand over control of its shows
to someone else. White recognized that the wrong deal would reflect
poorly on the UFC and hinder its long-term prospects. But this
might have been a case of not seeing the forest for the trees.
While
UFC might not have had sufficient control over the MMA programming
that would have been on CBS, now it has no control over the MMA
programming on CBS. Any mistakes EliteXC makes could, right or
wrong, hinder UFC's future success and alter the general perception
of MMA as a sport.
UFC
can explain to network executives and sponsors in the future
that they are run very differently from EliteXC, but those executives
might not differentiate. If EliteXC's promotion of Kimbo Slice
as a street fighter advances the perception of MMA as a blood
sport with few rules, that's not just EliteXC's problem. It's
also UFC's.
What
type of TV rating can we expect for EliteXC's first show?
It's
way too soon to say. The card for the first show will be important,
and even more important will be the media attention the show
receives. The quantity and nature of that coverage is likely
to strongly affect viewership. The more of a novelty and curiosity
the show appears to be, the higher the likely rating.
Some
have compared EliteXC's foray into network television to World
Wrestling Entertainment's poor ratings in 2006 and 2007 for Saturday
Night's Main Event on NBC. But pro wrestling has an exceedingly
negative stigma among the general public that makes it hard to
draw outside its core audience. MMA doesn't have that same negative
association. There is a broader base of people who would consider
spending two hours watching an MMA show with a compelling main
event.
Depending
on the card and the level of promotion, the first rating could
vary wildly. A 2.0 would be a massive disappointment, while a
7.0 would be an enormous success. Somewhere between a 3.0 and
a 5.0 is most likely. CBS will also be looking at the demographics.
EliteXC is expected to draw in younger men, an elusive but key
group.
How
should Elite XC approach these shows?
Elite
XC's promotional philosophy has focused on creating larger than
life stars. That is the smartest approach to building a young
promotion. Fans know that UFC has the best talent roster, so
the key is showcasing performers who capture the public imagination
while gradually improving the overall talent level.
That
philosophy led to the promotion of controversial street fighter
Kimbo Slice, knockout women's star Gina Carano and colorful larger-than-life
talents Frank Shamrock and Nick Diaz. Unquestionably, this will
be the approach EliteXC takes to the CBS shows. EliteXC's gamble
on Slice has already paid dividends, and he figures to be the
focus of at least the first show.
But
there is a decided downside to over-reliance on this philosophy.
MMA has always featured a balance between the best fighters and
the most colorful personalities. There is room for both, but
when the sport goes too far in one direction, business suffers.
Promoting
strictly who is the best with no mind for creating stars or grudge
matches will lead to diminished business. The flip side of that
is that if the sport goes too far toward personalities instead
of high-level fighters, it will eventually diminish revenue.
Fans will lose interest when the personalities lose and have
little appreciation for the underpromoted high-level fighters.
Thus,
it is imperative that Elit XC approach these shows with an eye
toward what has happened in recent years to the K-1 kickboxing
outfit. K-1 is a popular sport in Japan, and since the early
1990s, it has done strong business built around tournaments to
crown the best kickboxer in the world. But around the year 2001,
K-1 began to drift more toward freak show fighters. Its emphasis
on the best kickboxers diminished, and the promotion instead
gradually moved toward relative amateurs like Bob Sapp and Akebono.
The
approach in the short term produced huge ratings, better than
anything EliteXC could dream of. Unfortunately, over time the
approach hurt the core interest in crowning the best kickboxer.
Now K-1 draws lower gates for its major shows than it did before
the popularity boom.
EliteXC
should promote Kimbo Slice and other personalities to generate
widespread interest in its shows. But it also needs to be careful
to generate interest in fighters who have established high level
talent. Those fighters will still be around when the freak shows
have been exposed, and they need to mean something if EliteXC
is to have long term success.
Todd
Martin has covered mixed martial arts for the Los Angeles Times,
Wrestling Observer, SI.com and CBSSports.com. He can be reached
at ToddMartin4L@aol.com.
Source: CBS Sports
|
Minotauro
opens gym in Miami
Location to be team base in USA
After the Rio de Janeiro branch, in the Tijuca neighborhood,
Rodrigo Minotauro will set up a branch of the team in the United
States. The chosen city is Miami, where an academy is already
being organized: “We’ll have an octagon, mats, ring,
etc. The idea is to make this space in Miami the base for the
final phase of training for fights,” revealed Minotauro.
The launch is expected in the coming months. The team, which
does not yet have a name, includes three big names in world MMA:
Minotauro, Minotouro and Anderson Silva. The No-Gi champion Daniel
Valverde completes the team.
“We’ll
decide on the team’s name in the days to come. In Miami,
we will also promote the fights the UFC always puts on,”
stated Minotauro, who was visiting a possible installation for
the new gym while speaking exclusively to GRACIEMAG.com.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Joe
Rogan Irks UFC?
By MARK GILBERT
JOE
ROGAN could be in hot water with his UFC bosses after publicly
backing calls for Randy Couture to fight Fedor Emelianenko.
The
colour commentator was being interviewed by ESPN prior to UFC
82, when he was asked for his thoughts on Mark Cuban's involvement
in mixed martial arts.
Cuban
is the president and co-founder of HDNet Fights, who have filed
a lawsuit against the UFC to find out when Couture's contract
ends.
And
former Fear Factor host Rogan insists the highly-anticipated
clash between 'Captain America' and Emelianenko must be allowed
to take place.
He
said: "I would like to see that fight. I wish that fight
could be in the UFC but they couldn't work it out.
"If
it's on HDNet or wherever it's at, I'm going to watch it.
"Having
Mark Cuban involved in MMA is only a good thing.
"Any
big successful businessman that wants to get behind this incredible
sport and promote it more and give the fighters more opportunities
to make money — and the public more opportunities to see
this great sport — I think is awesome."
According
to Sherdog's Adam Swift, a preliminary court hearing on the Zuffa
v Couture proceedings is due to be heard in Las Vegas tomorrow.
But
Cuban's involvement has opened up a second issue in Couture's
war with the UFC.
Last
week, HDNet Fights filed a suit against Zuffa seeking a declaratory
judgment concerning the contractual status of Couture under his
UFC promotional contract.
But
in an ironic twist, Zuffa’s co-defendant in the suit is
technically none other than Couture himself.
Billionaire
Cuban is demanding a ruling on when Couture’s deal will
expire, with a favourable judgement clearing the way for HDNet
Fights to televise the fight with Emelianenko later this year.
During
the interview with ESPN, Rogan also welcomed the news that UFC
rival EliteXC has signed a deal with US network TV station CBS.
He
added: "I think it's fantastic. Any exposure that MMA gets
which shows how exciting the sport is, whether it's EliteXC,
Strikeforce, IFL or whoever it is, I don't care — I like
watching fights."
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/ufc/article870521.ece
Source: Gracie Fighter
|
Quote
of the Day
"A
loving heart is the beginning of all knowledge."
Thomas Carlyle, 1795-1881, Scottish Philosopher and Author
|
The
Tournament is tomorrow!
Aloha,
Gracie Hawaii would like to formally invite your team to the:
2008 Pacific Invitational Adult Gi Tournament held at Hawaii's
famous Ala Moana Hotel (in Honolulu) in the exquisite Hibiscus
Ball Room on March 9, 2008.
It is our goal to make this tournament the most fair, organized,
and classy engagement you've ever attended--where some of the
World's top teams will gather and compete for individual awards
and the 2008 Pacific Invitational team title.
You will find all pertinent information in the attached PDF file.
Feel free to print out the poster and place it within your academy.
*If you plan on bringing a team of 15 competitors or more to
this island event, contact Ronn Shiraki to arrange complimentary
hotel accommodations for (1) attending head instructor.
Also, please forward this to your favorite BJJ school. NOTE:
If you received this as a forwarded message and have not been
formally invited to the event, please send an e-mail to graciehawaii@yahoo.com (attention Ronn Shiraki)
with your school information and we will gladly evaluate your
team for entry.
Mahalo,
Ronn Shiraki
808-387-1961
graciehawaii@yahoo.com
2008 Pacific Invitational Contact
|
Jake
Shields..Blackbelt
Jake Shields has been awarded a Blackbelt in Gracie Jiu-jitsu.
Shields has had an incredible MMA and submission grappling career
and looks to only further his accomplishments in the future.
In
2002 Shields defeated Hayato "Mach" Sakurai to shock
the MMA world. He later became only the 2nd American to have
ever won the Shooto Championship. In 2005 Shields took 3rd place
in the ADCC World Championships by defeating Diego Sanchez, Cameron
Earl and Leo Santos. Later in the year he submitted John Fitch
to become the Gracie Open Superfight Champion. In 2006 Shields
defeated Dave Menne, Yushin Okami and Carlos Condit to become
the Rumble on the Rock GP Champion. Last year Shields submitted
Renato "Charuto" Verissimo and Mike Pyle to become
EliteXC's #1 contender.
Shields
has now joined David Terrell and Nick Diaz in becoming 1 of an
elite 3 that has ever been promoted to Blackbelt at the Cesar
Gracie Academy. Congratulations Jake Shields!
Source: Gracie Fighter
|
ISHIDA,
SAKURAI ADDED TO INAUGURAL DREAM
New Japanese mixed martial arts promotion Dream on Friday announced
four more bouts for its inaugural event on March 15 at the Saitama
Super Arena.
Three
of the bouts are part of the promotion’s Lightweight Grand
Prix. New bouts announced for the 16-man tournament include MMAWeekly.com
No. 5 ranked lightweight Mitsuhiro Ishida versus Jung Bu-Kyung,
Andre “Dida” Amade against Eddie Alvarez, and Katsuhiko
Nagata facing Artur Oumakhanov.
The
tournament now officially includes five of the top ten lightweight
fighters in the world. Gilbert Melendez, a sixth Top Ten lightweight,
had also been expected to participate. He will instead be defending
his championship at the Strikeforce/EliteXC co-promoted event
on March 29, scheduled to air on Showtime.
Also
announced is a welterweight match-up between Hayato “Mach”
Sakurai and Hidetaka Monma.
Although
it has yet to be officially announced by the promotion, Mirko
“Cro Cop” Filipovic announced via his blog on Thursday
that he will fight Yoshihiro Nakao on March 15.
Lightweight
Grand Prix (16-man tournament):
-Tatsuya Kawajiri vs. Kultar "Black Mamba" Gill
-Shinya Aoki vs. Gesias "JZ" Calvancante
-Mitsuhiro Ishida vs. Jung Bu-Kyung
-Joachim Hansen vs. Koutetsu Boku
-Kazuyuki Miyata vs. Luiz "Buscape" Firmino
-Andre "Dida" Amade vs. Eddie Alvarez
-Artur Oumakhanov vs. Katsuhiko Nagata
Non-Tournament
Bouts:
-Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic vs. Yoshihiro Nakao
-Hayato "Mach" Sakurai vs. Hidetaka Monma
Source: MMA Weekly
|
UFC
83: "Serra Vs. St. Pierre 2" Full Official Fight Card
Set
By Jason Perkins
The UFC 83: Serra vs. St. Pierre 2 card has been finalized and
is officially set for April 19 at the Bell Center in Montreal,
Canada.
UFC welterweight champion Matt Serra will face interim champion
Georges St. Pierre in the fight cards' headline bout. St. Pierre
earned the interim title by beating Matt Hughes in a fight that
he took on short notice filling in for an injured Serra and will
now get the oppertunity to avenge the second loss of his career.
He lost to Serra at UFC 69 last year via first round TKO.
Below
is the full official UFC 83 card:
MAIN
CARD
-Champ
Matt Serra vs. Georges St. Pierre (title-unification bout)
-Rich
Franklin vs. Travis Lutter
-Nate
Quarry vs. Kalib Starnes
-Michael
Bisping vs. Charles McCarthy
-Marc
Bocek vs. Mac Danzig
PRELIMINARY
CARD
-Joe
Doerksen vs. Jason MacDonald
-Rich
Clementi vs. Sam Stout
-Alan
Belcher vs. Jason Day
-Jonathan
Goulet vs. Kuniyoshi Hironaka
-Ed
Herman vs. Demian Maia
Source: MMA Fight Line
|
MMA
sanctioning efforts moving forward
Ground Control owner Rallo encouraged by Md. legislators' response
to bill
By Childs Walker | Sun reporter
Digg Del.icio.us Facebook Fark Google Newsvine Reddit Yahoo Print
Reprints Post comment Text size: Efforts to get mixed martial
arts (MMA) sanctioned in Maryland took an important step forward
today when a senate committee announced it had given a favorable
nod to a bill that would allow the state's athletic commission
to oversee the sport.
After
receiving approval from the committee for education, health and
environmental affairs, the bill will move to a vote by the senate.
A house version, sponsored by Del. Kirill Reznick, a Montgomery
County Democrat, has a committee hearing Wednesday afternoon.
Senators
posed few questions about the bill during a hearing last week.
"It's good to see all the hard work that we've put in paying
off," said John Rallo, who co-owns the Ground Control martial
arts gym in Canton and has spurred the sanctioning effort. "I've
been as proactive as possible with this issue and tried to arm
my guys and the athletic commission members with as much information
as possible. We've tried to make sure we have the answers to
questions before they come up."
The
state athletic commission has the power to oversee boxing, kickboxing
and wrestling but not mixed martial arts, which is an amalgam
of all three along with submission grappling.
The
sport is best known from the reality programs and pay-per-view
cards promoted by Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC.)
Local
gym owners say they're tired of sending MMA trainees to Delaware,
New Jersey and Virginia for fights. The bill's sponsor, Baltimore
Democrat Joan Carter Conway, agreed, saying the state should
get in on the profits from a growing sport.
MMA
is sanctioned in 32 states.
"The
sport is mainstream now," Rallo said. "It's time for
everybody to catch up."
Source: Baltimore Sun
|
Rise
of mixed martial arts didn't happen over night: Gelinas
By Vincent Man
The Ultimate Fighting Championship can take credit for bringing
mixed martial arts into the mainstream sports arena, but a nationally-renowned
instructor says it has deep roots.
Even
with several years teaching Brazilian jiu jitsu and kali, a close-quarters
Filipino fighting style involving sticks, Philippe Gelinas says
it goes way back even beyond his experience.
The
difference now is that people are taking more interest in learning
different fighting styles while quashing mythic notions, he said.
"People
now evaluate martial arts on skill or an ability to execute,"
Gelinas said. "It's no longer a matter of 'I could've killed
you with my one-inch punch' or 'my technique is so strong that
I can't fight you because ...' People now know that that's not
necessarily true because you can take the material you learn
in a martial arts school and turn it into an effective combat
method.
"We
as a pragmatic culture can evaluate things based upon our pragmatic
ideals."
The
Montreal-based instructor returned to Timmins' Total Martial
Arts Center to continue a series of Brazilian jiu jitsu and kali
lessons.
Gelinas
returns to the martial arts club every five months and introduces
new practices. He is great to learn from as he has a number of
years under his belt, Total Martial Arts Center instructor and
co-owner Matt Poulin said.
"When
he does something to you, you can tell it's going to work,"
Poulin said. "I may not be able to pull off everything that
he does, but when he tells you something, he can show it to you."
Gelinas
has been teaching kali in Montreal for 28 years and is the second-ranked
instructor in the style in North America.
While
fighting with sticks and weapons teaches how to defend one's
self in a dark alley, it does not translate into the typical
organized fighting, Poulin said. Still, his club's members are
learning a great lesson from it.
"It
all boils down to timing and angulation," he said, comparing
it to blocking a punch or dodging a kick.
Mixed
martial arts has received a lot of attention with the growth
in popularity of the UFC. But even the UFC was not always such
a polished production, Gelinas said.
"At
the beginning it was sold as a blood sport," he said.
"Now,
it's much more organized. There are weight classes, but also,
the UFC is a brand. It's an extremely popular brand.
"It's
really good for the sport, but it also makes you think it's a
bit like World Wrestling Entertainment."
Montreal
has bought into the allure of the fighting league getting to
host its next pay-per-view event, UFC 83, on April 19.
The
fight card's main event will be a welterweight championship match
pitting Matt Serra against Georges St-Pierre, who Gelinas trains
with as part of Brazilian Top Team, which Gelinas co-founded.
"It's quite amazing," Gelinas said. "There are
people who I haven't heard from in 20 years asking 'Can you get
me tickets?'"
The
match is a rematch from 2007 when Serra upset St-Pierre. St-Pierre
took Serra too lightly, Gelinas said, but that won't happen again.
"Georges
is ready and willing to fight. Georges is jacked up. Can anything
happen? Absolutely, but what's going to happen? I think Georges
is going to nail him. It might be in the first round or second
round, but won't go past the second."
Other
UFC stars Gelinas trains with include Patrick Cote and Keith
Jardine.
The
glamour of fighting has even had an effect on Total Martial Arts
Center.
"We
get a different sort of people now," Poulin said.
"It's
more good than bad, but people come in here wanting to fight
all the time. The first night they come in they want to fight
... People just don't understand that it's not fighting all the
time."
New
members to the club are asked to be patient, Poulin said. They're
put on a three-month probation at first and learn techniques
and, most importantly, not to hurt anyone while practising.
Source: The Daily Press
|
JOSE
LANDI-JONS UPDATE
Pele on the Mend
MMA Veteran Expected to Make Full Recovery
By Kelsey Mowatt
According
to Revolution Fight Team representative, Rob Velek, Jose “Pele”
Landi-Jons is in good spirits and is spending time walking, despite
having surgery last week to repair his broken leg. The horrific
injury occurred at TKO 32 on February 28th, when Pele’s
right leg snapped while delivering a kick to the leg of his opponent
Brian Gassaway.
“Mentally
he’s already all the way back,” Velek told FCF this
afternoon. “I’d say he’s more mentally into fighting
now then he was before the injury, I’ve never seen this
much fire out of him, he’s hoping to get back as soon as
possible. He has full mobility of his right ankle which is really
good, his knee seems to be moving around a bit, and he’s
already walking around on it. In fact, we had to tell him that
he’s only supposed to walk around on it for a bit, say five
minutes or so, and with the aid of a crutch. He seems to be finally
understanding that.”
According
to Velek, if Pele’s progress continues, Revolution is hoping
that the Brazilian veteran might be able to resume training in
2 months, with an optimistic hope that he might be able to compete
in 5 months.
“It
was extremely disappointing to see this happen when it did,”
Velek added. “He typically doesn’t like to train jiu-jitsu,
but for this fight he worked on his jiu-jitsu a ton, it was right
back up there. He had worked lots on his wrestling as well, and
that had really gone through the roof. He’s really looking
forward to getting back. He feels like this loss came not because
of what his opponent did, but because of his own technique. I
think we’ll see a whole different kind of Pele when he comes
back. I think he sees this as a stepping stone God is placing
in front of him that he will have to overcome before he comes
back to become a champion.”
Although
according to Velek, Pele had been signed to just one fight with
TKO, the promotion has already expressed a desire to have the
veteran fighter back as soon as he’s able.
The
34 year-old-fighter went 1-1 in 2007 after relocating to British
Columbia’s Lower Mainland region to train with Revolution.
At Bodog Fight’s Costa Rica event last February, Pele (24-14)
submitted Mitch McElroy with a kneebar in the first round; in
his second bout of the campaign last November at Extreme Fighting
Challenge 5, he was knocked out by IFL veteran, Jake Ellenberger.
Pele
began competing professionally in 2003, and has faced a long
list of notable opponents which includes, Matt Hughes, Chuck
Liddell, Pat Miletich, Carlos Newton, and Renato Sobral.
Source: Full Contact Fighter
|
Cro
Cop's opponent announced
Croatian to face kissy Yoshihiro Nakao at DREAM
Better
late than never. Mirko Cro Cop’s adversary, who is announced
as the biggest star of the first edition of DREAM will be the
also former-Pride fighter Yoshihiro Nakao. The new event substituting
K-1 Heroes, involving former Pride employees, will take place
on March 15 in Tokyo.
The
show will include the first stage of the lightweight GP, which
will feature Gesias Cavalcante, Kawajiri, Aoki, among others.
Nakao, who will appear in a superfight against the former Croatian
policeman, may not be a big star on the world MMA scene, but
has a good record: six wins and only one loss.
Nevertheless,
the most marking event in the Japanese fighter’s career
was a kiss he gave to the American fighter Heath Herring before
the two began fighting at K-1 Dynamite in 2005. Herring knocked
Nakao out and alleged that he was not gay as an excuse. The fight
ended as a No Contest.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Quote
of the Day
"If
you don't drive your business, you will be driven out of business."
B. C. Forbes, 1880-1954, Scottish-born Financial Journalist and
Author
|
Welcome
Volx German!
We
want to welcome our newest advertiser, Volx German! If you have
a Volkswagen or an Audi and don't know about Volx German, where
have you been?
We invite you to click on the banner to check out their website
or just stop by their shop!
Please
support the companies that support your favorite website!
Here is a summary from their website.
We would like to introduce you to a truly unique kind of service
facility, where we not only service vehicles, but also provide
the kind of service and satisfaction that Volkswagen / Audi owners
like you expect. Here at Volx German, we exclusively specialize
in service, repair, parts, and performance tuning of Volkswagen
and Audi vehicles. Centrally located in Honolulu with convenient
service hours, we can accommodate Volkswagen / Audi owners throughout
the island. So, if you simply want the best service at a great
price, come and join us at Volx German, where we keep the drivers
drivin'.
Volx German
812 Ilaniwai Street
Honolulu, Hawaii 96813
(808) 593-0335
www.volxgerman.com
|
Got
Skillz Fighter Today!
March 07, 2008
Filcom Center
135LBS-MICAH
BURROWS VS. KEKOA CONCEPTION
155LBS-TRISTON REBALLIZA VS. GEORGE SOPI
115LBS-RANDALL SATO VS. KANALOA COOKE
210LBS-TRE VS. ROYAL
185LBS-HOKU VS. JON FERRELL
125LBS-JAN QUIMOYOG VS. PAUL VARQUEZ
125LBS-JOSHUA SILVA VS. ISRAEL MORRIS
205LBS-WADE MEDEIROS VS. MIKE
175LBS-DUSTIN SHIMATSU VS. KAINOA THOMAS
150LBS-JULIUS FAJOTINA VS. KAINOA
155LBS-ROB CARLYON VS. AARON DEVICTORIA
155LBS-JESSIE WES VS. SHAYNE OSHIRO
175LBS-PHILIP AKUI VS. ANDREW ADAM
145LBS-KAIMANU PINE VS. TYLER KOBAYASHI
160LBS-MATAGI TOILOLO VS. OWEN MORRIS
135LBS-JORDAN FIONTEZ VS. CALFORD PADOR
120LBS-SHAWN ORTIZ VS. GARON REBALLIZA
230LBS-JAIME REGO VS. KEKUMU CAMBRA
135LBS-KALANI PAINUI VS. JUSTIN PRATT
170LBS-CARL IGE VS. BRUSKI LOUIS
135LBS-JULIO MORENO VS. JUMAR ESCOSIO
55LBS-SUI CRAWFORD VS. ZION LISTA
80LBS-KILEY ROMERO VS. DENNIS ESPINA
|
Hawaii
Fighting Championships on Maui!
Source: Event promoter
|
MMAFighting.com's
Top 10 MMA Rankings
March 2008
HEAVYWEIGHTS
1. Fedor Emelianenko
2. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
3. Randy Couture
4. Josh Barnett
5. Tim Sylvia
6. Andrei Arlovski
7. Fabricio Werdum
8. Gabriel Gonzaga
9. Mirko "Cro Cop"
10. Heath Herring
LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHTS
1. Quinton "Rampage" Jackson
2. Dan Henderson
3. Chuck Liddell
4. Forrest Griffin
5. Wanderlei Silva
6. Mauricio "Shogun" Rua
7. Keith Jardine
8. Lyoto Machida
9. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira
10. Tito Ortiz
MIDDLEWEIGHTS
1. Anderson Silva
2. Paulo Filho
3. Dan Henderson
4. Rich Franklin
5. Robbie Lawler
6. Nathan Marquardt
7. Yushin Okami
8. Frank Trigg
9 . Kazuo Misaki
10 . Yoshihiro Akiyama
WELTERWEIGHTS
1. Matt Serra
2. Georges St. Pierre
3. Matt Hughes
4. Jon Fitch
5. Josh Koscheck
6. Diego Sanchez
7. Karo Parisyan
8. Jake Shields
9. Carlos Condit
10. Marcus Davis
LIGHTWEIGHTS
1. BJ Penn
2. Takanori Gomi
3. Sean Sherk
4. Mitsuhiro Ishida
5. Gilbert Melendez
6. Tatsuya Kawajiri
7. Gesias "JZ" Calvancanti
8. Joe Stevenson
9. Vitor "Shaolin" Ribeiro
10. Kenny Florian
FEATHERWEIGHTS
1. Akitoshi Tamura
2. Urijah Faber
3. Takeshi Inoue
4. Leonard Garcia
5. Hiroyuki Takaya
6. Antonio Carvalho
7. Masakazu Imanari
8. Yoshiro Maeda
9. Jeff Curran
10. Hatsu Hioki
Source: MMA Fighting
|
GILBERT
MELENDEZ DRAWS CHUTE BOXE COACH
by Mick Hammond & Ivan Canello
Gilbert Melendez, currently ranked No. 6 in the world at lightweight,
will defend his Strikeforce lightweight championship on March
29 against Chute Boxe jiu-jitsu coach Cristiano Marcello.
The
fight takes place as part of the co-promoted event by Strikeforce
and EliteXC that will be televised on Showtime. The main event
features Frank Shamrock defending his Strikeforce middleweight
championship against rising star Cung Le.
Marcello
himself confirmed the bout to MMAWeekly.com, saying, “Melendez
is an excellent fighter and I am very happy to face him, especially
on Strikeforce, which is a great event. We are going to travel
together, me, (Evangelista “Cyborg” Santos), Master
Rafael (Cordeiro) and Rudimar (Fedrigo). Cyborg will fight at
the same event and we are going to make a huge presentation for
the fans."
Santos
is scheduled to face Greg Jackson-trained fighter Joey Villasenor
in a middleweight bout.
It’s
been nearly three months since Melendez suffered the first defeat
of his career, at the Yarennoka New Year’s Eve event in
Japan, losing to current No. 5 lightweight Mitsuhiro Ishida.
In
that time Melendez has been working hard, training and rededicating
himself and is eager to return to action. Amidst much speculation
– he had been rumored to be fighting both as part of the
new Dream promotion’s Lightweight Grand Prix in Japan on
March 15 and on the Strikeforce/EliteXC co-promotion – the
question had been, just exactly where he would be fighting next?
The
question has been answered, and Melendez gave his reasoning for
why he chose to defend his Strikeforce belt instead of heading
to Japan.
“This
month, on March 29, I will be doing the EliteXC/Strikeforce show
on Showtime,” he stated. “I’ve got a commitment
with Strikeforce, and I look forward to fighting in the States
and getting some respect out here.
“I
think it’s a great opportunity to fight in the Dream tournament.
I love fighting in Japan, but right now I have a commitment with
Strikeforce. I’m looking to just put my focus on Strikeforce;
I’ve got a contract there and want to fulfill it.”
Melendez
was originally preparing to face Bodog Fight veteran Jorge Masvidal,
and highly motivated to fight him. “I was looking forward
to fighting Masvidal. I heard he wanted to fight the champ, so
I was looking forward to that. I respect him a lot and he motivated
me, but I heard he had an injury,” he said, explaining the
change in opponents.
But
more than anything, Melendez has been training hard and is ready
to fight regardless of who steps into the cage with him, perhaps
he’s even got a little bit of a chip on his shoulder coming
off of a loss for the first time in his career.
“More
than anyone, fans, people, my family, it’s important to
me to come out ferocious, mean and show people I’m here
to stay,” he exclaimed. “I’m focused and it means
a lot to me to not only win, but win with bad intentions and
put on a good show for the fans.”
Marcello,
like Melendez, is a Pride Fighting Championships veteran and
his long loss over the past two years was to Ishida. He has recently
made a push to rededicate himself to his fighting career and
is 3-1 over his past four bouts. His most recent victory was
a submission of Hector Munoz at Art of War 3 in September of
last year in Dallas, Texas.
“I
am training for a long time, in fact I didn’t stop at all
in 2007,” said Marcello. “Werdum needed to train for
his bout at the UFC and I was there to help him. Then Cyborg
needed to train for his fight at HCF in Canada and for Sengoku
in Japan, and I was there also training and helping him. We are
a family here at Chute Boxe and we all help each other, so I
am ready to fight anytime anywhere.”
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Dreamstage
Hustles Zuffa
by Gerald Blain
It
seemed like it was the end for Dreamstage and the Pride show.
With the loss of their national television contract and unable
to financially compete with an invigorated UFC, they were forced
to sell to the Zuffa corporation. However the sale now looks
less like a capitulation and more like the introduction of a
Trojan horse.
Shortly
after the sale it became painfully clear to Zuffa that their
takeover would not go as smoothly as planned. Any hopes that
they would be able to continue with a Pride label in Japan were
dashed. Japan was not receptive to an American organization successfuly
engineering a hostile takeover to what was previously a very
Japanese product.
Then
there were the fighter contracts. Yes those very creative fighter
contracts that Pride held. Unfortunately for Zuffa not one of
the contracts was written in a way as to make them legally transferable
to Zuffa after Pride was desolved. Zuffa was then forced to negotiate
with all of Pride's fighters individually and that proved expensive.
To the chagrin of Dana White, Fedor and others went elsewhere,
further diminishing their new purchase.
Zuffa
now decided to employ a scorched earth policy. Pride was forever
disbanded. Zuffa could at least take comfort in the knowledge
that they had forever defeated their only true competition. But
did they really?
Dreamstage
came out of the deal with millions of dollars and after waiting
a year, they then resurrected their operation with a new moniker;
Dream. Zuffa on the other hand ended up with the Pride name,
some old fight videos and the unsavory knowledge that they had
funded their new competition. As the knowledge that they had
been duped slowly settled, Zuffa dispatched their lawyers to
draw up lawsuits against the old cast of Dreamstage Entertainment.
However
in Japan that might just be as elusive as re-signing Fedor and
Randy Couture.
Source: Gracie Fighter
|
YAMMA
Pit Fighting Announces Final Card
By FCF Staff
YAMMA
Pit Fighting has announced the final card for the promotion’s
upcoming debut, which be held April 11th, at the Trump Taj Mahal
in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The card will showcase two “Master’s
Superfights” as well as an 8 man heavyweight tournament,
which will determine YAMMA’s heavyweight champion.
In
the latest superfight to be confirmed, Gary “Big Daddy”
Goodridge will take on Eric “Butterbean” Esch. Goodridge
(23-15-1) has not competed since last March, when the Pride and
UFC veteran stopped Jan Nortje in the first round at a K-1 Hero’s
event.
Esch
(10-5-1) has been the busier of the two fighters in terms of
MMA competition as of late, fighting 5 times in 2007 compared
to just once for Goodridge. After winning his first three bouts
last year, Esch has now dropped two straight, most recently he
tapped out to strikes from Nick Penner at The Fight Club’s
December 28th event.
YAMMA
previously announced that UFC pioneers, Don Frye (19-6-1) and
Oleg Taktarov (15-5-2) would face off in the card’s other
Master’s Superfight.
Competitors
for the card’s heavyweight tournament will include; Marcelo
Pereira (3-1), Sherman Pendergarst (10-8) , Rex Richards (4-1),
Tony Sylvester (10-1), Chris Tuscherer (9-0), Travis Wiuff (49-11),
Alexey Oleynik (4-3) and George Bush (5-0).
According
to the YAMMA release, the tournament will be concluded during
the April 11th card, meaning that the tourney’s finalists
will compete 3 times that evening. The tournament’s first
round match-ups have not been confirmed.
Source: Full Contact Fighter
|
Hughes:
“Henderson fought out of shape”
Wrestler sees holes in Anderson Silva’s game
Matt
Hughes was never one of those mild mannered athletes, who only
respond with the bare minimum to reporters, praising their adversaries
and adopting a humble tone. Much to the contrary, the wrestler
has always been famous for causing controversy, grudges throughout
his years in the UFC.
The
fighter, who was one of the most dominant champions (welterweight
division) in the history of the American organization, was convincingly
defeated for the second time by Canadian Georges Saint-Pierre
at UFC 79. Always confident about his talent and technique, the
Pat Miletich student awaits an adversary, as his path to winning
back the title once belonging to him is a long one and he is
still not thinking of retirement. Hughes was present at UFC 82
in Ohio, and commented on the event’s main event according
to his style.
“I
think that, if Henderson had been in shape, he would have lasted
longer. I don’t know why someone would go in to a title
dispute out of shape and unready to go fight rounds. Anderson
sees tough, but again, I saw holes in his game,” Matt provoked.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Quote
of the Day
“Friendship
isn't a big thing; it's a million little things.”
Source Unknown
|
SENGOKU
REVIEW: BARNETT & GOMI RETURN VICTORIOUS
TOKYO
– Almost one year after the demise of Pride Fighting Championships,
new Japanese promotion World Victory Road held it’s first
event on Wednesday in Yoyogi Gymnasium. After a long period of
uncertainty, Japanese fans were treated to Sengoku, the first
of two impressive fight cards in a ten-day period. The card was
littered with fighters who waited for the void from Pride’s
demise to be filled.
The
new Dream promotion – a partnership between K-1 parent company
FEG and staffers of Pride’s former parent company Dream
Stage Entertainment – debuts on March 15 in Japan.
Wednesday’s
packed house of more than 15,000 was treated to an intro ceremony
reminiscent of Pride’s Bushido events, from the video on
the large screen to the fighter introductions. The attendance
was impressive considering that the event started at 6:30 p.m.,
a time when most Japanese people are starting their commute home
from a long days work.
In
the evening’s main event, Josh Barnett faced Olympic gold
medalist Hidehiko Yoshida, who was sporting a gi. Early in the
fight Yoshida connected with a powerful right hand, but in the
clinch Barnett applied an impressive suplex, then proceeded working
a ground and pound attack until the end of the round.
The
second round saw the two trading strikes with Barnett getting
the better of the exchanges. Yoshida won an exchange, but slipped
after missing with a knee. The fight was stopped for a few minutes
due to problems with Yoshida’s gloves, but once the action
resumed, Barnett quickly transitioned to Yoshida’s back
and then into mount. The round ended with Barnett being inches
away from an armbar.
Early
into the final round, Barnett once again took Yoshida’s
back and moved to full mount. Barnett was dominant on the ground
attempting armbars, kneebars and finally ending the fight by
heel hook.
In
one of the most anticipated fights of the night, Takanori Gomi
took on Duane Ludwig in a lightweight bout. Gomi didn’t
look like his dominant self in three of his last four outings
and entered the ring with a solid year of ring rust.
From
the outset, Gomi decided to stand with the former K-1 star. The
two had several exchanges before Gomi tagged Ludwig with a left,
knocking him down and opening a deep cut on the bridge of his
nose causing a waterfall of blood to run down his face. Ludwig
got back to his feet, but the referee was forced to stop the
fight, awarding Gomi the TKO victory.
Kazuo
Misaki, who was coming off a controversial win that was later
ruled a no contest this past New Year’s Eve, met Golden
Glory fighter Siyar Bahadurzada.
Early
into the fight, Misaki took a right hand to the face, opening
a cut over his eye, but they quickly clinched and went to the
ground. Misaki attempted an arm lock, but was reversed. Bahadurzada
worked from Misaki’s guard, delivering punches until the
end of the round.
The
second round saw some good exchanges with both fighters landing.
Bahadurzada went for a single-leg takedown, but was caught in
a guillotine and submitted, giving Misaki the win.
Pride
veteran Kazuyuki Fujita and K-1 striker Peter Graham met in the
ring to continue a fight that started at the Sengoku press conference
earlier in the week. The two locked horns before the media and
had to be pulled apart. Furious, Fujita stormed out of the presser.
In
the ring, Fujita immediately went for a takedown, succeeding
after his third attempt. He transitioned from side position to
mount to north/south at will, finally making short work of the
striker, choking him out from the north/south position.
Japanese
Judoka Makoto Takimoto – coming off an impressive win against
Murilo Bustamante – and Chute Boxe slugger Evangelista “Cyborg”
Santos was a classic grappler vs. striker bout. Santos’
last outing against a Judoka was less than impressive when he
was dominated on the ground by Kazuhiro Nakamura. Takimoto endured
an onslaught in his most recent bout, before defeating sharp-shooting
Croatian Zelg Galesic.
Santos
came out throwing low kicks before the two exchanged punches
with Takimoto backing out. Santos connected with a right hand,
knocking Takimoto down and went for the finish, but ended up
in the Judoka’s guard. With action at a minimum, the fighters
were stood up. Takimoto scored another takedown and went for
a heel hook, but Cyborg surprisingly locked on his own forcing
the Olympic gold medalist to tap.
In
the second fight of the night, Ryo Kawamura took on Antonio Braga
Neto. Both men immediately went at each other with Neto finally
getting the takedown and mount. In an attempt to get out from
under the mount, Kawamura ended up giving up his back, and a
body triangle for good measure. Kawamura did manage to get to
his feet and deliver a few punches just before the round ended.
The
second round saw more ground domination by Neto, but the fighters
made it to their feet. Neto was rocked by a hard right hand.
From there Kawamura sprawled Neto’s takedown attempt and
controlled the rest of the round.
Neto
scored a takedown early in the third, but Kawamoto got side position
until the fight was stood up. Kawamura landed some punches only
to get taken down again. The two fought for position on the ground
as the clock ran down. Although Neto controlled the action on
the ground, Kawamura did more damage throughout the fight and
was awarded the decision.
The
event kicked off with another typical grappler vs. striker fight
between Fabricio Monteiro and Nick Thompson. The fight started
with a bit of a feeling out process, but within the first minute
Monteiro took Thompson down with a slam only to have his position
reversed following a failed arm bar attempt. Back to their feet,
Monteiro scored another takedown and ended the round in full
mount.
In
the second round Thompson came out connecting with some low kicks
and body shots, but was taken down and mounted. Thompson managed
to get off the ground and deliver a takedown of his own. After
resisting several submissions, Thompson finished the round in
guard delivering punches.
The
third round started much like the first two, but Monteiro had
to work harder to take Thompson down and keep him there. He finally
succeeded and kept Thompson in side position until the fight
ended. Despite ground control and countless submission attempts,
Monteiro lost the fight by decision in the judges’ eyes.
-Josh
Barnett def. Hidehiko Yoshida by Submission (Heel Hook) at 3:23,
R3
-Takanori
Gomi def. Duane Ludwig by TKO (Cut) at 2:28, R1
-Kazuo
Misaki def. Siyar Bahadurzada by Submission (Guillotine Choke)
at 2:02, R2
-Kazuyuki
Fujita def. Peter Graham by Submission (North-South Choke) at
1:32, R1
-Evangelista
“Cyborg” Santos def. Makoto Takimoto by Submission
(Heel Hook) at 4:51, R1
-Ryo
Kawamura def. Antonio Braga Neto by Unanimous Decision, R3
-Nick
Thompson def. Fabricio Monteiro by Unanimous Decision, R3
Source: MMA Weekly |
EVANS
STEPS IN TO FACE LIDDELL
“Ultimate Fighter” season 2 winner, Rashad Evans, has
signed on to face Chuck “The Iceman” Liddell as the
main event of the upcoming Ultimate Fighting Championship show
in London on June 7th as confirmed to MMAWeekly.com this evening.
Liddell
was slated to face former Pride champion Mauricio “Shogun”
Rua, but the Brazilian had to drop out do to a recurring knee
injury that requires surgery that will keep him out of the bout.
Evans
has long been rumored to face Brazilian light heavyweight Thiago
Silva as a part of the May 24 card featuring B.J. Penn vs. Sean
Sherk as the main event. Now Evans will step in to face Liddell.
Liddell
is coming off of one of the biggest wins of his career…a
unanimous decision over Wanderlei Silva at UFC 79.
After
going to a draw with Tito Ortiz at UFC 73, Evans returned to
headline UFC 78 in New Jersey pulling out a split decision win
over England’s Michael Bisping.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Report:
Filho vs. Sonnen postponed until June
The rematch between champion Paulo Filho (2-0 WEC, 16-0 overall)
and challenger Chael Sonnen (1-1 WEC, 19-9-1 overall) will be
postponed until June, according to the website of TATAME magazine.
The
middleweight championship bout was scheduled to take place Wednesday,
March 26 at The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel in Las Vegas.
Their
first meeting at WEC 31 ended with debatable referee stoppage
due to a Filho armbar, which Sonnen claimed he didn't tap out
to. He did, however, scream in pain, which was enough for the
referee to call an end to the bout.
Filho
told the magazine, "I wasn't on a good moment, had depression
but I'm rising now and the Americans forced me to fight now.
I'm not afraid of winning or losing, but I wasn't motivated to
train, wasn't training well, so I decided to do what the contract
says and transferred the fight to June."
Source: MMA Fighting
|
RANDLEMAN
RETURNS WITH WVR & GLOBAL FIGHTING
Former Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight champion and
Pride fighter Kevin Randleman recently announced on MMAWeekly
Radio that he has signed or agreed to contracts with two different
companies and will be fighting in the very near future.
After
much speculation, he confirmed that he has signed with Global
Fighting Championships and will make his debut with that organization
in June.
“As
of right now, I am fighting Jeff Monson, June 21 in North Carolina
in Bobcat Arena,” said Randleman.
First
things first though, he is expected to make his return to fighting
in Japan, a place he called home for many years while fighting
in Pride Fighting Championships.
“My
first fight is going to be May 18 in the new Japanese organization,
it is not Pride, (but) World Victory Road,” he continued.
Randleman,
who hasn’t fought since October 2006 in a loss to Mauricio
“Shogun” Rua, has not yet been given an opponent for
the World Victory Road fight.
World
Victory Road held its first event on Wednesday and announced
that both Randleman and Roger Gracie would be fighting on its
May event, but it is not yet clear that they would be facing
each other.
Contacted
for comment, a representative of Randleman’s said that they
were working on the final details of his World Victory Road contract
and that an opponent would be named shortly after everything
is finalized.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
HEATH
HERRING DISCUSSES KONGO, FUTURE
Coming
into UFC 82, “The Texas Crazy Horse” Heath Herring
was looking forward to testing his stand-up with Cheick Kongo
after a long training camp with legendary kickboxer Rob Kaman
What
happened in the fight was something almost no one predicted.
Kongo took Herring down to the mat and tried a ground attack.
Even
Herring, with nearly 60 professional fights, was surprised at
the game plan of Kongo, who seemed to be primed for a striking
war.
“It
actually took me towards the end of the first round to even figure
out what was happening at that time,” said Herring in an
interview with MMAWeekly Radio. “I had trained pretty much
exclusively for a stand-up fight and we were in the middle of
a wrestling match. It was pretty shocking.”
Kongo’s
strategy made Herring dig deep to find new ways to win the fight
and he complimented the game plan, but says that his own power
at the beginning of the first round may have played into the
ground attack also.
“I
think maybe a lot of it had to do to with the fact that we landed
that straight right early on and it might have just kind of taken
the wind out of him,” he stated.
In
both the second and third rounds, Herring was able to take side
control on Kongo and began reigning down knee strikes to the
body, but the Texas native admitted after the fight that he wished
he had a different set of rules while working in that position.
“The
crowd seemed to get really, really excited when I would raise
that one knee above his head, and I was kind of playing to the
crowd a little bit on that,” he admitted. “I’m
really missing those Pride rules. It would have been awesome
to finish that fight in the second round with knees to the head.”
Herring
seemed content in both rounds to maintain side control, a position
he says he favors.
“I
like the side control. As long as I’m on top, I’m big
enough, I’m strong enough, it’s just going to pose
a lot of a challenge to anybody who gets underneath me,”
he said. “I think knees to the body are going to count a
heck of a lot more than rabbit punches to the side of the head
or rabbit punches to the body.”
With
the win over Kongo, Herring will take some time off before heading
back to the gym to work with both Kaman and nutrition guru Tony
Aponte, who has also been working with UFC lightweight champion
B.J. Penn.
Herring
said that he plans on calling old friend Mark Laimon, from Cobra
Kai Jiu-Jitsu, to come on board and help with his ground attack
and along with Aponte and Kaman he may just have the perfect
training camp.
Putting
on a show in front of the fans in Columbus, Ohio, Herring is
just waiting to hear about his next fight and feels that he’s
never too far away from being in title contention.
“I
always kind of felt I was right there. I was in the top five
for years and years and years when I was in Pride, and I think
I’ve always been considered in the top ten or fifteen heavyweights,”
said Herring. “I feel like I can get in there with any of
the best of them and give them a hell of a fight.”
Source: MMA Weekly
|
UFC
FOUNDER MEYROWITZ FINALIZES YAMMA DEBUT
YAMMA Pit Fighting, a new mixed martial arts promotion created
by Ultimate Fighting Championship founder Bob Meyrowitz, on Wednesday
announced the final details of its debut event scheduled for
April 11.
The
pay-per-view fight card features two “Masters Superfights.”
As previously announced, UFC veterans Don Frye and Oleg Taktarov
will square off in one of the Superfights. The other will feature
Gary Goodridge, another UFC veteran, and Eric “Butterbean”
Esch.
The
event will also feature an eight-man heavyweight tournament.
Scheduled to participate are: Marcelo Pereira, Sherman Pendergarst,
Rex Richards, Tony Sylvester, Chris Tuscherer, Travis Wiuff,
Alexey Oleynik and George Bush.
According
to YAMMA, the organization will also debut a new “fighting
structure that will change how the fight is fought and the strategy
the fighters must use to win.” This new structure is said
to be specifically designed “to keep the fighting more explosive
and continuous.”
“For
YAMMA Pit Fighting’s inaugural event, we’ve brought
together some of the greatest MMA veterans as well as some of
the best emerging fighters,” said Meyrowitz. “The event
will demonstrate that these MMA legends still have a lot to teach
and will also advance the tournament fighters towards legendary
status themselves.”
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Quote
of the Day
“You
can't win if you don't play as a unit.”
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, American Basketball Player
|
WVR
SENGOKU WEIGH-IN RESULTS
TOKYO
– The fighters weighed in today for World Victory Road’s
inaugural Sengoku event that takes place Wednesday in Yoyogi.
All 14 fighters made weight and appeared ready to go to battle.
Duane
“Bang” Ludwig, who has had much success in K-1's Max
events, will be fighting the No. 1 ranked lightweight in the
world, Takanori Gomi. Ludwig, who has struggled in the past to
make weight in the lightweight division, looked emaciated, but
when asked he said he felt good.
When
Kazuyuki Fujita and Peter Graham entered the room for the press
conference the bad blood was apparent as Fujita immediately took
his seat, refusing to pose for pictures with Graham.
When
Graham had the opportunity to speak, he started the smack talk
and before the translator finished translating what he had said,
Fujita cut her off and started on his own diatribe. But before
he finished, both fighters were on their feet going at each other
as the other fighters stepped in to keep them apart. Fujita then
left the room.
In
a more humorous moment, when Josh Barnett received the microphone
he asked Graham since Fujita was gone that if he wanted to “attack”
his opponent, Hidehiko Yoshida, to feel free.
• Hidehiko Yoshida (108.7 kg / 239.6 lbs) vs. Josh Barnett
(113.2 kg / 249.6 lbs)
•
Takanori Gomi (69.7 kg / 153.7 lbs) vs. Duane Ludwig (69.4 kg
/ 153 lbs)
•
Kazuo Misaki (82.2 kg / 181.2 lbs) vs. Siyar Bahadurzada (82.9
kg / 182.8 lbs)
•
Kazuyuki Fujita (115.9 kg / 255.5 lbs) vs. Peter Graham (112.8
kg / 248.7 lbs)
•
Makoto Takimoto (81.9 kg / 180.6 lbs) vs. Evangelista “Cyborg”
Santos (82.9 kg / 182.8 lbs)
•
Nick Thompson (75.7 kg / 166.9 lbs) vs. Fabricio Monteiro (75.4
kg / 166.2 lbs)
•
Ryo Kawamura (92.7 kg / 204.4 lbs) vs. Antonio Braga Neto (92.7
kg / 204.4 lbs)
Source: MMA Weekly |
SHOGUN
INJURED, OUT OF UFC 85 FIGHT WITH LIDDELL
The Ultimate Fighting Championship on Tuesday announced that
Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, who had been scheduled to make
his return to the Octagon against Chuck Liddell on June 7 in
London, will instead be returning to the operating room.
Rua
has been forced to withdraw from his UFC 85 bout with Liddell
due a ruptured ACL in his left knee, the same injury that he
had surgically repaired following his loss to Forrest Griffin
in October at UFC 76.
The
26-year-old will once again require surgery on the injured knee,
but no word is yet forthcoming on when we will be able to return
to competition.
“I’ve
never seen Shogun so motivated for a fight like this in years,”
said Rua spokesman Eduardo Alonso. “This was like a new
beginning for him.”
Rua,
along with his brother Murilo “Ninja” and former Chute
Boxe teammate Andre “Dida” Amade and his brother, formed
a new camp of their own in Curitiba, Brazil prior to the scheduling
of the bout with Liddell. The Rua brothers and Amade, until recently,
were all members of the famed Brazilian Chute Boxe camp.
The
promotion says that Liddell’s opponent for UFC 85 at London’s
O2 Arena will be announced shortly.
Source: MMA Weekly |
JOEY
VILLASENOR TO FACE CYBORG SANTOS
Strikeforce vice president Mike Afromowitz on Tuesday confirmed
to MMAWeekly.com that Joey Villasenor will face Evangelista “Cyborg”
Santos at the Strikeforce and EliteXC co-promoted event on March
29 in San Jose, Calif.
“I
really don’t know much about his ground game – if he
even likes hanging out on the ground," said Villasenor.
"I know he’s a really big banger so it’s an exciting
matchup. I need to be more technical than him and be better conditioned.”
“I
always look for the knockout,” stated Santos. "I think
this will be a duel between his boxing and my Muay Thai techniques.
Villasenor is an ideal opponent for me.”
Villasenor
was originally expected to face Ultimate Fighting Championship
veteran Joe Riggs. Riggs, however, had to undergo a procedure
recently to repair spinal damage sustained in his Feb. 23 Strikeforce
bout against Cory Devela in Tacoma, Wash., leaving him unable
to fight on March 29.
Starting
off his career with an impressive 15-3 professional record, Villasenor
has hit a roller coaster of sorts lately. He alternated wins
and losses en route to a losing effort against Murilo “Ninja”
Rua for the first ever EliteXC middleweight championship.
The
Greg Jackson-trained fighter rebounded against Riki Fukuda last
September, but has remained in limbo since, awaiting his next
bout in hopes of working his way back into title contention.
Like
most of his compatriots at the Chute Boxe camp in Brazil, Santos
is an aggressive fighter with a penchant for striking. Like Villasenor,
his recent career has had its share of ups and downs and he is
coming off of back-to-back losses in his most recent outings.
Santos
is also slated to fight on Wednesday night’s Sengoku fight
card in Japan against Makoto Takimoto, an Olympic gold medalist
in Judo. So Strikeforce officials will be hopeful that he makes
it through that bout uninjured, lest they have to start hunting
for another opponent for Villasenor.
The
main event at the HP Pavilions on March 29 features Frank Shamrock
defending his Strikeforce middleweight title against rising contender
Cung Le. Jake Shields, the No. 7 ranked welterweight fighter
in the world, is also on the card facing UFC veteran Drew Fickett
for the first EliteXC welterweight championship.
Source: MMA Weekly |
LINDLAND
DISCUSSES EXODUS FROM BODOG FIGHT
When Matt Lindland signed with Bodog Fight, he inked a three-fight,
one-year deal. That deal expired with two of the three fights
remaining.
He
spoke with MMAWeekly.com recently about his tenure with BodogFight
and his frustrations with the Calvin Ayre-owned promotion's business
practices.
Lindland
last competed in April of 2007 against Fedor Emelianenko in BodogFight:
Clash of Nations in St. Petersburg, Russia. He has spent the
last ten months expecting two more bouts and two more paydays.
Neither came to fruition.
"I
lived up to my end of the bargain," said the Greco-Roman
wrestling Olympic silver-medalist. "I haven't fought since
April, anticipating two more fights with Bodog.
"I
was exclusive with them for that period of time. That's why I
hadn't done any negotiations outside of that contract. I was
upholding my end of the bargain and dealing with them with integrity
and honesty. I was being forthright, but they weren't doing such.
It was very difficult."
Explaining
his contract situation with Bodog Fight, Lindland said, "My
contract was with Sixth Row Productions. Bodog and Sixth Row
intermingled funds. I mean, I could go after Bodog Fight, but
they have no assets. They set up these shell companies and they're
not paying their fighters. They don't honor their contracts.
It was very disappointing."
Living
up to his end of the contract, Lindland appeared frustrated with
the situation. Realizing he wasn’t likely to get the fights
promised him, he at least tried to come to some sort of settlement
with Bodog Fight.
"Here
I am asking them just to at least buy me out of this contract
and they didn't offer me a single dollar. They owed me a lot
of money. They owed me two more times in the ring too.”
He continued, “I said, 'I don't want to just take your money,
but if you're not going to put me in the ring could you guys
pay me something for sitting out for twelve months?' That's ridiculous.”
Unfortunately,
Lindland knows all too well that this sort of corporate behavior
isn’t an anomaly.
"I
run into that in this industry an awful lot … I used to
be in the car business and there were a bunch of scumbags in
that industry. I'm sure every industry has just these lying scumbags,
but it seems like there's a lot in this business."
Regardless
of what stipulations and fine print athletes have written into
their contracts, Lindland doesn't believe a fighter can fully
protect themselves against promoters.
"I
don't think you can protect yourself entirely no matter what,"
said the Oregonian. "Dealing with the new company I'm signing
with, we put in some upfront money and hopefully some guarantees,
but I guess you can't (protect yourself). That's corporate America.
You can't stop a company from going bankrupt and not having the
funds, so it's just hard."
Lindland
recently signed a three-fight, one-year contract with a start
up promotion rumored to be a partnership between popular clothing
company Affliction and Oscar De La Hoya's Golden Boy Productions.
The as yet unnamed promotion is expected to debut in June in
Las Vegas.
Source: MMA Weekly |
ALLAN
GOES WANTS DOUG MARSHALL'S WEC TITLE
At the end of the International Fight League season last year,
the promotion had many decisions to make in regards to the future.
Teams, coaches and fighters alike were either removed to trim
down the company’s roster, or some left of their own accord
to go elsewhere.
Among
those who decided to leave voluntarily was one of the promotion’s
standout successes over the last couple seasons, former Seattle
Tigersharks light-heavyweight Allan Goes.
Once
thought to be out of the sport after turns in the Ultimate Fighting
Championship and Pride, Goes returned better than ever in the
IFL, winning three of four fights for the promotion, showcasing
strong striking skills to complement his already formidable Brazilian
Jiu-jitsu skills.
“Right
now I’m just focused on the gym,” he said of his activities
since parting ways with the IFL late last year. “I just
opened a nice facility for jiu-jitsu and MMA in Orange County.
It’s not specifically for fighting, it’s for everything,
MMA, kickboxing, cardio kickboxing, boxing – everything.
“The
gym is going very well right now and we have a lot of new kids
coming up, and I’ve just been focusing on training them
and myself for next time (I fight), and focusing on the gym since
the IFL season is over. I’m pretty much free right now and
ready to begin (fighting this) year.”
Goes
explained his departure from the IFL as amicable, due to the
fact that he simply wanted to expand his career and focus on
his gym.
“I
had a great year in the IFL and they treated me really well,
like family, but after this (past season) I went on my own and
looked to do different things other than the team concept,”
he stated.
“With
the team (Seattle Tigersharks) I had obligations to stay in Washington
to train and stuff, and for me it’s very hard when I have
a gym down here in Orange County, Calif. So that is why I (had
to) step out and do my own thing now.”
With
his new gym up and running, Goes now looks forward to returning
to the ring and continuing the success he’s had over the
past two years.
“I’m
looking forward to fighting, definitely,” he exclaimed.
“I defeated pretty much everybody (in the IFL), and nobody
saw Allan Goes knocking people out (before).
“I
was right there proving my skills. I got a lot better in my stand-up,
knocking people out, and putting my combinations together.”
Now
that he’s ready to return to fighting, Goes has set his
focus on winning an individual championship, and has one titleholder
affixed firmly in his sights.
“I
was looking at Doug (Marshall) because he holds the title in
(World Extreme Cagefighting),” he said. “I think he’s
a great athlete, has great potential, is a very good champion,
but I don’t see him facing somebody of my caliber yet.
“If
he faces someone with my caliber, I guarantee he’s gonna
have a lot of trouble. Like I said, he’s a great champion,
but I don’t see him facing some veteran, like me, that can
really put him to a challenge. I know I can put him through a
challenge and do well.”
Should
Marshall not get past Brian Stann in their scheduled title fight
in the WEC on March 26, Goes says he’s open to fighting
anywhere, as long as he gets an opportunity to win a belt.
“Right
now I’m open, I don’t have a contract with any organization,”
commented Goes. “I have all the titles of jiu-jitsu, and
right now I want to have a title of mixed martial arts.
“I
believe that I’m a man that did a lot for the sport, and
right now my goal is to win a title. WEC, Strikeforce, HDNet,
anywhere, I want to fight for a title.”
After
proving he has more than enough gas left in his tank with his
success in the IFL, Goes is eager to begin the next chapter in
his career, a chapter he hopes will culminate with a gold belt
around his waist.
“Definitely
keep your eyes open for me this year,” he said in closing.
“Last year I had knockouts, it was a lot of fun, but I’m
going to start taking guys to the ground and I promise a lot
of choke outs. Don’t miss it, it’s going to be fun
this year, and I can’t wait to see who is next.”
“I
want to thank my sponsors RVCA, Rooca and Hurly. I would also
like to thank our soldiers, not just in Iraq, but all over the
world. I would like everyone to visit my website www.AllanGoes.tv
for all the information on my new gym.”
Source: MMA Weekly |
Quote
of the Day
“If
the path be beautiful, let us not ask where it leads.”
Anatole France, 1844-1924, French Author and Nobel Prize Winner
|
Fighters'
Club TV Tuesday!
Channel 52, Tuesdays
at 7:00 PM
Fighters'
Club TV Episode 57 is complete and submitted to Olelo
programming. It will air in our normal timeslot at 7pm Tuesday nights
on February 19 and 26, and March 4 and 11 on Olelo Oahu Oceanic Channel
52.
Episode
57 features:
-highlights
from Gil Yrojo's HAWAII FIGHT LEAGUE w/ interview from Gil,
Dr. Izuka, and Larry Perreira
-interview
from Kai Garcia's Boar's Nest w/ Mario Sperry!
-Technique
of the week: teh MMA HALFGUARD PASS by Mario Sperry
-Rob
Demello's KITV report on ICON's "To HELL and BACK"
Kala vs Baroni
-and
of course, two of your favorite Olelo personalities, Mike Onzuka
and Mark Kurano
Don't
forget to join up on MMA.TV and become part of the most
prestigious MMA forum in Hawaii, THE HAWAII UNDERGROUND! where
you can
talk to us and many other key players in the MMA industry in
Hawaii
including some of the top fighters here and in the world!
Comments,
Questions, and Suggestions to: fctv@onzuka.com
|
Hawaii
Boxers to USA Nationals!
The Hawaii
Delegation who will participate in the 2008 USA National Championships
on March 7 to 16 at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs,
CO. consist of: 106lbs- Keola McKee, 112- Bruno Escalante, 119-
Isaiah Manalo, 125- Lean Gumboc, 141- Earl Fitts III, 178- Nainoa
Seitz, female 138lber Triva Pino, Team Manager- Craig Katsuda,
Head Coach- Bruce Kawano, Coach- Blane Yoshida, and Official-
Joe Feliciano.
Source: Bruce Kawano |
USA
BOXING HAWAII, PALOLO B.C., AND KAWANO B.C. Results
MATCH EVENT, MARCH 1ST, 2008, PALOLO GYM, 5 P.M.
RED CORNER WEIGHT BLUE CORNER
3 ROUNDS
1). Wayne Pagan III 60lbs Won Dec. Logan Yoon
Wailuku Maui B.C. 1 min. Villaver B.C.
2). Cain Delrosario 75 Won. Dec. Dustin Jaye Somera
Southside B.C. (Maui) 1 min. PearlSide B.C.
3). Devin Manuel 90 Won. Dec. John Clifford Enanoria
A.P. B.C. (Big Island) 1 min. Villaver
4). Keoni Adric Jr. Won. Dec. 70 Nainoa Dung-Cummings
Waipahu Boxing 1 min. Five-O B.C.
5). Abraham Reinhardt Won. Dec. 90 Travis Tauaefa
Wailuku B.C. 1 min. Villaver B.C.
6). Kendall Cuba Won. RSC 1st 140 Macarthur Ige
A.P.B.C. 2 min. PearlSide B.C.
7). Michael Simms Won. Dec. 170 Michael Flannery
Southside B.C. 2 min. A.P.B.C.
8). Jason Cruz 165 Won. Dec. Jordan Jovera
Southside B.C. 2 min. PearlSide B.C.
9). Jennalyn Ganaban Won. Dec. 125 Xina Ann Garrett
Kalakaua B.C. 1 ½ min. Hawaii Youth B.C.
10). Steven Cabiles 185 Won. Dec. Shawn Brown
Kalakaua B.C. 2 min. SouthSide B.C.
11). Brian Ranchez 115 Won. Dec. Cory Pescado-Altura
A.P.B.C. 2 min. Central Maui
10 min.***** INTERMISSION***** 10 min.
12). Devin Ah Chong Won. Dec. 120 Ansen Jordan Armitage
A.P.B.C. 1 ½ min. Five-O B.C.
13). Rocky Balala 105 Won. Dec. Jonathan Benitez
Central Maui B.C. 1 ½ min. Five-O B.C.
14). Manny Luiz 201+ Won. RSC 3rd.Elliot Edmunds
A.P.B.C. 2 min. Kawano B.C.
15). Matthew Takata 130 Won. Dec. Tyler Kraker
Palolo B.C. 2 min. Central Maui B.C.
16). Dustin Ah Chong Won. Dec. 115 Joshua McShane
A.P.B.C. 2 min. Five-O B.C.
Source: Bruce Kawano
|
JAE
SUK LIM WINS SPIRIT MC, TRIP TO ICON SPORT
SEOUL,
South Korea – Jae Suk Lim became a two-time Spirit MC middleweight
champion Sunday night, regaining the belt he lost to American
Top Team fighter Steve Bruno, with a win over promising, twenty-year-old
prodigy Yoon Young Kim.
Bruno,
who pounded out Lim in the third round of their meeting almost
one year ago, has been unable to defend his title due to a torn
pectoral muscle injured while training for UFC Fight Night 10,
but that was ancient history in the minds of most in attendance
at Jang Chung Gymnasium and watching on the Korean Cable Network
XPORTS.
The
match-up at hand paired the original Go Super Korean middleweight
champion, who was coming off an EliteXC win in his cage debut,
against a young, lanky, submission specialist who had assembled
a five-fight win streak and earned a title shot, all prior to
his two-year-hiatus for compulsory military service.
Round
one of this contest saw Lim executing takedowns, one from a caught
middle kick and another via body lock, but reluctant to strike
from anything but a fully postured-up position. For his part,
Kim threatened with kimura attempts while methodically bettering
his position for an armbar or triangle choke. The referee was
quick to stand the fighters on each occasion. Midway through
the round, Lim, who is the better standing striker, opens a neat,
four-stitch cut above Kim’s left eye, but even in the replays
it is unclear if the cut was caused by a punch or a clash of
heads in the clinch. Lim ends the round with a hard right, setting
up a takedown that puts him in Kim’s guard, but is unable
to capitalize with strikes before time expires.
Again
in the second round, action is paused to attend to the cut above
Kim’s eye, but it isn’t long before Lim reverses a
takedown and takes the top position in half guard. In short order,
Lim passes guard and beats away at the bloody Kim with rights
and lefts until the referee is forced to call a halt to the contest.
In
the post fight press conference, Jae Suk Lim was visibly pleased
to announce that he will next see action on U.S. soil, this time
in an ICON Sport promotion in Hawaii.
Win
or lose, welterweight A Sol Kwon always puts on a good show,
and despite a submission loss in his last K-1 Hero’s outing
and two discouraging losses to current Spirit MC welterweight
champ Kwang Hee Lee, his rightful place at a Spirit MC promotion
is still among the headliners. In this match-up he was paired
against Takaaki Aoki, a once up-and-coming DEEP fighter who has
seen mixed results as of late.
From
the start, it was obvious that Kwon wanted to work standing strikes,
while Aoki was eager to take the fight to the ground. In the
first round Kwon is the more effective puncher, visibly staggering
Aoki twice with straight rights. Both fighters exchanged takedowns,
as well as strikes from guard, but once again Kwon landed the
harder shots. As is the case throughout the night, referee stand-ups
are quick, and often inexplicable.
The
second differed in that Aoki spent more time on his back, but
little changed with regard to the punches that scored. Kwon missed
one opportunity from side mount, and another by whiffing on a
soccer kick, but was, again, in control for the majority of the
round. The result was a unanimous decision for Kwon.
March
1 is Korean Independence day (from the Japanese), and in keeping
with the Korea versus Japan motif, Spirit MC went straight to
the WWE playbook by pairing Jae Young Kim, a Spirit MC veteran
coming off three consecutive wins since suffering an armbar loss
to Hector Lombard, with a hugely fat, bleach blond, tattoo covered
Japanese guy named Soichi Nishida.
From
Nishida’s 3-8-1 record there was never much doubt as to
the outcome of this fight, but when Nishida made his ultra-bravado
entrance waving a large Japanese flag, even the old women selling
dried squid and cuttlefish in front of the stadium sensed there
would be a real beating.
From
the bell, Nishida threw all of two punches before being taken
down and pounded by Kim. Kim quickly grew bored with pummeling
the Japanese tattoo champion, however, and convinced that he
had done enough to win the fight, stood and returned to his corner.
The referee thought otherwise, and frantically urged Kim to resume
mashing the still supine and largely immobile Nishida. Kim complied
with the request until everyone in the stadium was convinced
Nishida had received enough, including Nishida’s corner,
which threw in the towel as the referee, simultaneously acting
under his own initiative, put a stop to the slaughter. Total
elapsed time: 22 seconds.
In
a middleweight pairing that served to produce one of the more
technical fights of the night, Jung Hwan Cha met Busan Team M.A.D.
fighter Dong Hyun Kim (not the same fighter recently signed by
the Ultimate Fighting Championship. For future reference, the
complete Spirit MC 15 fight card featured five Kims, including
one Kim vs. Kim bout, and four Lees).
A
play-by-play account of this fight could take pages, as both
fighters displayed solid skills with their strikes, kicks, takedowns
and submission attempts. The closest thing to a stoppage in the
first round occurred when Jung briefly held a loose triangle
choke.
In
the second round, both fighters continued to impress the crowd
with their pace and continuous work. Both landed standing strikes
and took a turn defending from guard. This close contest was
ruled a draw.
“Fight
of the Night” honors have to go to Hans Olsen and Chang
Seob Lee for their heavyweight slugfest. This was a pairing of
two crowd favorites. Hans is American, which goes a long way
with a very vocal minority in Jang Chung Gymnasium, and was making
his comeback after more than a year’s absence, due in large
part to the bureaucratic barriers foreign fighters who wish to
earn paychecks face in Korea.
Lee,
the most recently crowned Go Super Korean Season 3 heavyweight
champion, was still riding the wave of his reality television
success.
Olson
weighed in at 237 pounds, a notable difference from the 286 pounds
he fought at previously, and briefly sought to use the sizable
height and reach advantages he’d maintained to pick Lee
apart from the outside with jabs and leg kicks. But it was not
to be, and as Olsen so eloquently put it, his “game plan
went to crap.”
Olson
did work a Thai clinch with some success, but telegraphed his
combinations by straightening his stance before throwing, thus
allowing Lee to do what he does best: land overhand rights in
the transition zone. The first round was a close one and both
fighters were forced to cover up and play defense at times.
The
second stanza continued where the first left off: Olson working
to land knees to the face and getting the better of most exchanges
on the inside, with Lee tagging him hard from mid-distance. By
the halfway point both fighters appeared ready to sustain action
for the duration – though bloodied, swollen and visibly
marked – but neither showed any inclination to take the
fight to the ground. Olson scored with several lead rights, then
Lee responded with short, heavy strikes over the top, dislodging
Olson’s mouthpiece for a second time. The last ten seconds
were a flurry from both sides. At the bell, both fighters were
smiling, though Olson walked toward the wrong corner.
In
the end, Olson was awarded a well-earned unanimous decision.
In
other Go Super Korean alumni news, Sang Il An, who scored a stunning
high kick knockout fifteen seconds into his last outing, finished
Dong Woo Shin with an equally impressive one strike knockout,
this time a right cross to the chin. An is a charismatic fighter,
known to sing and dance to his opponents’ entrance songs,
and it is likely that he will soon meet Dong Hyun Kim as Spirit
MC goes searching for a middleweight challenger.
Final
Results from Spirit MC 15
Jang Chung Gymnasium
Seoul, South Korea
-Jae
Suk Lim def. Yoon Young Kim by TKO (Strikes) at 1:35, R2
-A Sol Kwan def. Takaaki Aoki by Unanimous Decision
-Jae Young Kim def. Soichi Nishida by TKO (Strikes) at 0:22,
R1
-Jung Hwan Cha vs. Dong Hyun Kim, ruled a draw, (1-1)
-Hans Olson def. Chang Seob Lee by Unanimous Decision
-San Il An def. Dong U Shin by KO (Right Cross), at 3:09, R1
-Ye Won Nam def. Seung Hwan Kim by Submission (Triangle Choke),
at 4:44, R1
-Dae Gun Kim def. Ok Myoung Kim by Submission (Heel Hook), at
1:47, R1
Source: MMA Weekly
|
DESPITE
REPORT LUKE CUMMO WAS NOT SUSPENDED
Contrary to a report published on Monday, UFC 82 fighter Luke
Cummo has not tested positive for elevated levels of caffeine
or any other substance following his Ultimate Fighting Championship
bout with Luigi Fioravanti in Columbus, Ohio.
In
fact, according to Ohio Athletic Commission executive director
Bernie Profato, Cummo was not even one of the fighters tested
following his bout. He stated that Ohio took a little bit different
tact with UFC 82 to crack down on performance enhancing drugs
and instead of randomly testing fighters, the state chose to
test all of the winners.
“Only
the winners were tested and those test results will not be know
for approximately 10 days to two weeks,” said Profato.
Cummo
lost a three-round unanimous decision.
The
report in question appears to be a “spoof story” posted
on the Fightlinker website, taking a satirical jab at Cummo’s
oft discussed alternative approach to diet and health. It was
however picked up and reported as news by at least one other
website on Monday.
Regardless
of the intention of the story, Profato took the report seriously,
as it specifically quoted a fictitious Ohio Athletic Commission
representative, fighter agent Ken Pavia, and UFC president Dana
White.
He
seemed most concerned that a false story such as this could hurt
a fighter’s credibility and his future in the sport. Profato
isn’t overlooking the seriousness of the matter, saying,
“I’ll be contacting the state’s Attorney General
office (on Tuesday) to see what options we have in this type
of matter because this is absolutely not true.”
Source: MMA Weekly
|
CALIFORNIA
DRUG TESTING: POSITIVE MEANS POSITIVE
The California State Athletic Commission on Monday announced
that several mixed martial arts fighters have been suspended
for failing drug tests in the state.
Not
only that, but the CSAC took extra steps on some of the recent
tests to be even more sure of their validity. According to representative
Bill Douglas, “When CSAC says you're positive then you are
absolutely positive.”
Three
of the announced suspensions center around an event that never
occurred, the Valor Fighting event in San Diego (operating under
the World Cagefighting Organization moniker) scheduled for Jan.
12, 2008.
“Even
though the event was cancelled, these athletes are licensees
of the state and can be disciplined for any violation of CSAC
rules and regulations,” said Douglas. “All of these
positive tests have violated Rule 303 - Administration or Use
of Drugs.”
The
CSAC released the following suspensions, including the test results:
Carlos
Fuentes: Nandrolone measured at 4.4 ng/mL. Suspension in effect
from Jan. 11 through March 30, 2008, plus an additional 286 days
after he reapplies for licensure. Fine: $2,500.00
Kyacey
Uscola: Nandrolone measured at 9.6 ng/mL. Suspension in effect
from Jan. 11 through Jan. 10, 2009. Fine: $2,500.00
Gustavo
Machado: Nandrolone measured at 20.8 ng/mL. Suspension in effect
from Jan. 11 through Jan. 10, 2009. Fine: $2,500.00
The
samples for all three of the named fighters were tested three
times by Quest Diagnostics in Atlanta, Ga. Douglas also indicated
that Uscola and Machado’s samples “were tested by Laboratoire
de controle du dopage in Laval (Quebec), Canada, while Mr. Fuentes'
samples were tested two times at the same facility.”
In
all, Uscola and Machado’s samples were tested a total of
four times and Fuentes’ a total of five. Douglas stated
that, “Fuentes' sample was tested one additional time to
guarantee that the lower level of nandrolone was consistent with
an anabolic agent and not the result of a higher nandrolone level
naturally produced in the human body. The final test absolutely
confirmed that the 4.4 ng/mL level was consistent with an agent
that was anabolic in origin.”
According
to the World Anti-Doping Agency website, Laboratoire de controle
du dopage is one of 33 certified WADA testing laboratories in
the entire world. WADA certified labs test all athletes competing
in the Olympics and their associated trials, the National Collegiate
Athletic Association, and the National Football League, among
other organizations.
“Make
no mistake about the fact that these samples were sent for additional
testing to prove a point,” said Dougals. “With all
of the testing that CSAC performs in conjunction with Quest Diagnostics,
with all of the testing performed on both ‘A’ and ‘B’
samples before anything is divulged, with the absolute care and
concern that fairness and justice rule the day before any penalty
and fine is handed down, this proves beyond a shadow of a doubt
that our anti-doping program is the very best in combative sports.”
Earlier
in the day, Douglas announced that Fabio Costa, who last competed
for Roy Englebrecht Promotions, had tested positive for Marijuana.
His suspension runs from the conclusion of the bout on Feb. 20
through May 20, 2008 and he has been fined $500.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Quote
of the Day
“If
we could sell our experiences for what they cost us, we'd all
be millionaires.”
Abigail Van Buren, American Advice Columnist
|
Fighters'
Club Radio Today!
Tune in
every Monday morning for your weekly fill of MMA talk on the
radio with Pat and Mark.
Tell
everyone to tune in to AM 1500 from 9:00 to 10:00 am every Monday
morning right after Leahey and Leahey!
|
MARK
COLEMAN TO FACE BROCK LESNAR IN UFC
The Ultimate Fighting Championship on Saturday night inducted
Mark “The Hammer” Coleman into the UFC Hall of Fame,
but perhaps more stunning was Coleman’s announcement that
he is not done fighting.
“This
is an unbelievably special night,” said Coleman. “But
my main goal is to get back in the cage and fight. I’m not
retired. I’m not retired.”
“I’ve
been asking (UFC president) Dana (White) for a long time,”
he continued. “He finally found me an opponent. He gave
me five month’s notice… Brock Lesnar.”
Recent
speculation had put Brock Lesnar on an as yet unannounced UFC
event in August. So now it is no longer speculation, Lesnar will
face Coleman in the older wrestler’s return to the Octagon.
Forrest
Griffin and Quinton Jackson are also expected to fight for the
UFC light heavyweight championship held by Jackson in August.
According
to Sherdog.com, Coleman and Lesnar will square off at UFC 87
on Aug. 9, which will take place in Minneapolis, Minn.
“He’s
a beast. He’s an animal,” said Coleman of the man who
will welcome him back to the UFC.
Despite
cementing his past legacy with his induction into the Hall of
Fame, Coleman isn’t ready to be written off yet. Lesnar
is a strong, athletic, younger fighter, but Coleman doesn’t
want to be written off yet.
“Don’t
bet the house against me,” said the first ever UFC heavyweight
champion and first Pride Grand Prix champion.
Source: MMA Weekly |
UFC
82 REVIEW: ANDERSON SILVA DOMINATES AGAIN
COLUMBUS,
Ohio – In front of a packed house of 16,431 fans, Anderson
Silva solidified his position as the No. 1 ranked middleweight
fighter in the world after finishing Pride champion Dan Henderson
by rear naked choke in the second round.
In
the first round, it seemed as if California native Henderson
was determined to work a ground attack as he landed a takedown
partway through the round and worked a methodical attack keeping
the champion under him. Silva kept a solid defense and stayed
composed throughout the attack as the first session came to a
close.
Henderson
came out willing to stand up with Silva much longer in the second
round, which eventually led to his downfall. As the two exchanged
blows, Silva caught Henderson with a knee and punches and the
champion got top control on the Team Quest member. Silva maintained
control working to mount and then locking on a body triangle
to which Henderson rolled, allowing the Brazilian to sink in
the fight-ending choke.
“Basically
with my training camp, everything in this training camp prepared
me for that,” said Silva after the win over Henderson. “Once
again, I feel who won was the sport and I congratulate Joe Silva
for making the fight happen and my boss, Dana White.”
Now
the questions will center around who in the world will challenge
Anderson Silva for the middleweight title.
Silva
earned Submission of the Night honors, which is accompanied by
a $60,000 bonus check, and he and Henderson scored Fight of the
Night and another $60,000 bonus check for each.
Heath
Herring pulled off a split decision win over Cheick Kongo in
an extremely exciting fight between two heavyweights working
towards a future title shot.
Kongo
surprised Herring early on as he took the Texan down and continued
with that strategy throughout the fight.
The
fighters exchanged takedowns and reversals in almost every round,
but Herring seemed to gain favor with the judges when, in the
latter parts of both the second and third rounds he took side
control, pounding Kongo with knees to the body while maintaining
the dominant position.
Herring
admitted after the fight that Kongo’s game plan was sound
as he didn’t train for the ground game at all going into
the bout, but will call old friend Marc Laimon from Cobra Kai
Jiu-Jitsu to work on that for his next trip to the Octagon.
“I
wanted this to be a stand-up battle,” said Herring. “I
wanted to duke it out with this guy, I didn’t think he was
going to take me down. I didn’t train ground at all for
this fight.”
Chris
Leben and Alessio Sakara provided a slugfest for the fans in
attendance as both fighters looked to strike for the entirety
of their bout.
Sakara
caught Leben repeatedly early on with great boxing, but Leben
persevered and kept coming forward on the new middleweight competitor.
Leben moved in on Sakara just past the middle part of the first
round and landed a number of uppercuts before putting him down
with a big left hook. He followed up with punches on the ground
before referee Herb Dean stopped the fight.
“He
caught me with a couple clean shots that hurt,” said Leben
of the early part of the round. “I put him in the blender.
I took him to the deep end and gave these fans what they came
to see. This is the UFC right here. This is what you come to
see… slangin’ and bangin’.”
Leben
earned Knockout of the Night and a $60,000 bonus check for the
victory.
Yushin
Okami spoiled the return of Evan Tanner by knocking out the former
middleweight champion with a knee strike after battering him
for the better part of their fight.
Okami
looked crisp with his stand-up and stayed on the attack much
more than he has in many of his recent fights, possibly campaigning
to be the next in line for a middleweight championship bout.
Tanner kept coming at Okami, but after moving in to clinch during
the second round, it was the Japanese fighter who secured a Muay
Thai clinch, followed by a huge knee strike that sent Tanner
crashing to the canvas.
“If
they feel I am ready for a title shot, I’d be honored,”
said Okami after the fight. “If they want me to take on
another tough opponent before getting a shot at the belt, then
that’s what I’ll do.”
Jon
Fitch started out the pay-per-view card picking up a win by unanimous
decision over UFC newcomer Chris Wilson in a largely uneventful
fight.
Wilson
looked good early striking with Fitch, but after a takedown from
the American Kickboxing Academy standout it seemed he became
tentative to let his hands go.
Fitch
worked a strong ground attack throughout the entire second round,
keeping Wilson underneath him and pounding away.
Fitch
controlled the biggest parts of all of the rounds earning the
nod from the judges, and announced he’s ready for his shot
at the welterweight title.
“I’m
ready for that strap. I’m ready to fight for the title,”
said Fitch. “Whoever has it, Serra or St. Pierre, whoever
the best man is, I want to fight him.”
In
undercard action, Andrei Arlovski fulfilled the final fight on
his current UFC contract with a win over Jake O’Brien, ending
the fight with strikes from mount in the second round.
Josh
Koscheck returned to form after a loss to Georges St. Pierre
by finishing Ohio native Dustin Hazelett in the second round
of their fight. He landed a thunderous high kick that put Hazelett
down before rushing in and ended the bout with punches on the
ground.
Diego
Sanchez also impressed the Columbus fans by dominating UFC newcomer
David Bielkheden, forcing a stoppage in the first round after
mounting his opponent and reigning down punches.
Adopted
Ohio son Jorge Gurgel also got back on the winning track, picking
up a unanimous decision win over John Halverson. American Top
Teamer Luigi Fioravanti put on a takedown clinic, winning a decision
over Matt Serra student Luke Cummo.
-Anderson
Silva def. Dan Henderson by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) at
4:52, R2
-Heath Herring def. Cheick Kongo by Split Decision, R3
-Chris
Leben def.
Alessio Sakara by TKO (Strikes) at 3:16, R1
-Yushin Okami def. Evan Tanner by KO (Knee) at 3:00, R2
-Jon Fitch def. Chris Wilson by Unanimous Decision, R3
-Andrei Arlovski def. Jake O'Brien by TKO (Strikes) at 4:17,
R2
-Luigi Fioravanti def. Luke Cummo by Unanimous Decision, R3
-Josh Koscheck def. Dustin Hazelett by TKO (Strikes) at 1:24,
R2
-Diego Sanchez def. David Bielkheden by Submission (Punches from
Mount) at 4:43, R1
-Jorge Gurgel def. John Halverson by Unanimous Decision, R3
Source: MMA Weekly
|
BARNETT
ON THE WORLD VICTORY ROAD TO YOSHIDA
Waiting over a year for the right deal to come along after a
contract debacle following the decline of Pride Fighting Championships,
Josh Barnett is ready to return to action on March 5 for World
Victory Road in Japan. He faces Hidehiko Yoshida in the main
event of the debuting promotion’s Sengoku event.
During
the frustrating time off, Barnett has managed to stay busy coaching
a team of select fighters, but he is now ready to get back to
business.
The
match-up with Yoshida may seem on paper to be a bit of a mismatch
that largely favors Barnett, but the former Ultimate Fighting
Championship heavyweight titleholder says this will be a huge
fight worthy of a main event.
“They
said, ‘okay we want you to fight.’ So we talk over
the details and ‘okay, we want you to fight (Hidehiko) Yoshida,’”
said Barnett. “That’s a main event big fight, at least
in Japan. You’d be pretty stupid to pass up on the opportunity
to fight somebody like that.
“It
makes for a good main event anyways.”
Barnett
worked hard to get the right deal in place to secure his future
and World Victory Road became the winner of the sweepstakes to
land one of the top heavyweights in all of mixed martial arts.
“We
talked to other people and things get put together. If it seems
like it’s something that would work out, then you go forward,”
he stated about his deal with World Victory Road.
Shortly
after Barnett signed with World Victory Road, many of the former
executives from Pride formed a new promotion along with the parent
company of K-1, Fight Entertainment Group, in Japan and fans
are clamoring to see if the “Baby Faced Assassin” could
end up the new Dream organization.
“That
really is up to Dream,” commented Barnett. “They know
what the previous situation was with some of their ownership,
at least what their ownership did with me. So they have all the
power in the world to correct any problems that could possibly
keep me from fighting for them.”
One
fight that seems to still saturate the mind of many fans of the
sport is Barnett matching up with Fedor Emelianenko, but he says
he isn’t concerned about it.
“Honestly,
I don’t think much about it at all. I’m not Randy (Couture),”
he said about the Fedor fight. “I’m not going to chase
after this fight. For me, I need to be out there fighting my
fights, creating my own merit. Fedor is the No. 1 guy out there
based on his past performances; he’s an incredible fighter
and a cool guy. At this point people need to go their own ways.
“I’ve
been waiting way too damn long to get a fight because of the
turmoil that came of Pride folding, so at this point I’m
not going to do anything that could possibly stall or hold up
my career anymore in hopes in putting one specific (fight) together.”
Now
his focus shifts solely to Yoshida, who Barnett has trained and
worked with in the past while spending time in Japan.
“I
think he comes with plenty of his own skill set,” he said
of his opponent. “He’s an Olympic gold medalist. You
don’t get to that sort of level without being a good athlete.
We used to train together all the time. We’re friends, so
we know each other pretty well. He’s really physically strong.”
Barnett
also stated in the interview with MMAWeekly Radio that he doesn’t
plan on fighting any more that eight times in 14 months, but
he will take it on a “case-by-case” situation.
For
now, Barnett is just happy to be fighting again.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Got
Skillz Fighter
March 07, 2008
Filcom Center
135LBS-MICAH
BURROWS VS. KEKOA CONCEPTION
155LBS-TRISTON REBALLIZA VS. GEORGE SOPI
115LBS-RANDALL SATO VS. KANALOA COOKE
210LBS-TRE VS. ROYAL
185LBS-HOKU VS. JON FERRELL
125LBS-JAN QUIMOYOG VS. PAUL VARQUEZ
125LBS-JOSHUA SILVA VS. ISRAEL MORRIS
205LBS-WADE MEDEIROS VS. MIKE
175LBS-DUSTIN SHIMATSU VS. KAINOA THOMAS
150LBS-JULIUS FAJOTINA VS. KAINOA
155LBS-ROB CARLYON VS. AARON DEVICTORIA
155LBS-JESSIE WES VS. SHAYNE OSHIRO
175LBS-PHILIP AKUI VS. ANDREW ADAM
145LBS-KAIMANU PINE VS. TYLER KOBAYASHI
160LBS-MATAGI TOILOLO VS. OWEN MORRIS
135LBS-JORDAN FIONTEZ VS. CALFORD PADOR
120LBS-SHAWN ORTIZ VS. GARON REBALLIZA
230LBS-JAIME REGO VS. KEKUMU CAMBRA
135LBS-KALANI PAINUI VS. JUSTIN PRATT
170LBS-CARL IGE VS. BRUSKI LOUIS
135LBS-JULIO MORENO VS. JUMAR ESCOSIO
55LBS-SUI CRAWFORD VS. ZION LISTA
80LBS-KILEY ROMERO VS. DENNIS ESPINA
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ICON
SPORT: TO HELL AND BACK
5PM SATURDAY MARCH 15
BLAISDELL
ticket on-sale date announcement coming soon
confirmed
Phil Baroni vs Kala Kolohe Hose, 185lb World _title
Bronson Pieper vs Sadhu Bott, 145lb State _title
Tyson Nam vs Will Armstrong, 135lb
Ross "Da Boss" Ebanez vs Brennan Kamaka, 175lb.
Koa Ramos vs Wayne Perrin, 170lb
PJ Dean vs Eddie Rincon, 160lb
David Padilla vs Alan Lima, 150lb
Jay Bolos vs Nui Wheeler, 135lb
Zack Rapal vs Dwayne Haney, 135lb
Jake Faagai vs Brian "Punisher" Platfoot, HW
Elias Delo Reyes vs Matt Comeau, 145lb
Ricky Hoku Wallace vs Colin Mackenzie 145lb
Kona Ke vs Isaac Luke 175 lb.
unmatched
Auggie Padeken vs TBA, 205lb
Poai Suganuma vs TBA, 205lb
Jeremy Williams vs TBA, 205lb
possible
add-ons:
Robbie Lawler vs TBA, 185lb
Source:
Icon Sport |
Source: Trent Sera
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Fighting
For Acceptance is Released for Orders!
Two UH
professors that were nice enough to interview us for their book,
"Fighting for Acceptance" are pleased to announce that
the book is now available for purchase. This is not your normal
MMA book, but rather a book that profiles many aspects of MMA
and fighters that has never been explored! They interviewed many
high profile fighters like Dan Henderson, Mayhem Miller, and
too many others to list. You have to read the book!
We highly recommend that you purchase this book, not only to
support MMA, but to open your mind about the many other facets
of MMA that you have probably not considered and is important
for the general public to be educated about MMA.
The book is officially available for purchase online via the
websites, below:
Barnes & Noble
Iuniverse
Amazon.com
http://MMAcademics.angelfire.com
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