Upcoming
Events
Do you want to list an
event on Onzuka.com?
Contact Us
(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)
6/27-29/08
OTM Pacific Submission
Grappling Tournament
(BJJ/Sub Grappling)
(Blaisdell Exhibition Hall)
MMA Expo
(Blaisdell Convention Center)
6/14/08
EliteXC
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena, Honolulu, HI)
6/5-8/08
World Jiu-Jitsu Championsihps
(BJJ)
(California State University Long Beach, Long Beach, California)
6/1/08
Hawaiian
Open of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
(BJJ/Sub Grapping)
(Gym #1, UH Manoa)
5/25/08
Man Up Stand Up
(Kickboxing)
(Filcom Center, Waipahu)
5/16/08
X-1: Legends
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena, Honolulu, HI)
5/9/08
Man Up Stand Up
(Kickboxing)
(Filcom Center, Waipahu)
Hawaii Fighting Championships 9
(MMA)
(Dole Cannery Ballrooms)
5/3/08
Hawaii
Fight League
Season 1, Event 3
(MMA)
(Filcom Center, Waipahu)
Full Force 4
(MMA)
(Maui War Memorial Gym, Wailuku, Maui)
Heart-of-a-Cage-Fighter
(Kauai
Veterans Center, Lihue, Kauai)
4/25/08
Punishment
in Paradise
(Kickboxing)
(Farrington High School)
4/18/08
Local Pride
Friday, April 18, 2008
(MMA)
(Dole Cannery Ballroom)
4/12/08
Man Up &Stand Up
(Kickboxing)
(Filcom Center, Waipahu)
4/6/08
GrappleFest: Submission
Sundays
(Submission Grappling)
(Hawaii Room, Neal Blaisdell Center)
3/29/08
Garden Island Cage Match 7
(MMA)
(Hanapepe Stadium, Hanapepe, Kauai)
Hawaii Fighting Championships 8
(MMA)
(Maui War Memorial)
3/28-30/08
Pan Jiu-Jitsu Championship
(BJJ)
(Californina State University, Dominguez Hills, CA)
Registration ends 3/22/08
3/16/08
Sera's Kajukenbo Open Tournament
(Continuous
Sparring, MMA, Submission Grappling)
(Maui High School Gym, Kahului, Maui)
Icon Fitness Gym Tournament
(Submission Wrestling)
(Icon Fitness Gym)
3/15/08
Icon Sport
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena)
3/9/08
2008 Pacific Invitational BJJ Tournament
(BJJ )
(Hibiscus Room, Ala Moana Hotel, Honolulu)
3/7/08
Got Skillz Fighter
(Kickboxing/MMA)
(Waipahu Filcom)
3/1/08
USA-Boxing
Hawaii, Palolo B.C. & Kawano B.C. Presents Amateur Boxing
(Boxing)
(Palolo District Park)
2/29/08
X-1 at the O-Lounge
Fight Club Meets Nightclub 4
(MMA)
(O-Lounge, Honolulu)
2/24/08
Icon Grappling Tournament
(Sub Grappling)
(Icon Gym)
2/17/08
Hawaiian
Championship of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
(BJJ/Sub Grapping)
(Gym #1, UH Manoa)
2/15/07
Midwest Invasion: Team Indiana vs. Team Hawaii
(MMA)
(Coyotes Night Club, 935 Dillingham Blvd, Kalihi)
2/8/08
Hawaii Fighting Championships 7
(Kickboxing & MMA)
(Dole Cannery Ballroom)
2/2/08
Man up and Stand up
(Kickboxing)
(Dole Cannery
Ballroom)
1/26/08
X1 World
Events: Champions
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena)
1/20/08
Big
Island Open Jiu-Jitsu Tournament
(Konawaena High School)
(BJJ/Sub Grappling)
(POSTPONED)
1/19/08
UFC 80: Rapid Fire
(BJ Penn vs. Joe Stevenson)
Newcastle, England
1/12/08
Hawaii Fight League
Season 1, Event 2
(MMA)
(Dole Cannery Ballroom)
|
|
May 2008 News Part
1
|
Casca Grossa Jiu-Jitsu
is now the O2 Martial Arts Academy with 6 days a week training!
We are also offering Escrima (stick fighting) on Monday nights
with Ian Beltran and Kickboxing Tuesday and Thursday with Kaleo
Kwan!
Click
here for info!
Take classes from the Onzuka brothers in a family-like environment! |
In Memory of
Lars Chase
Rest in peace my brother
March 10, 1979 - April 2, 2008 |
Looking for a hotel
room on Oahu?
Check out this reasonably priced, quality hotel in Waikiki!
For the special Onzuka.com price, click on one of these banners
above! |
Check out the FCTV website! |
Fighters' Club TV
The Toughest Show On
Teleivision
Tuesdays at 7:00PM
***NEW TIME***
Olelo Channel 52 on Oahu
Also on Akaku on Maui
Fighters' Club TV Radio
The Toughest Show On
Radio
Mondays at 9:00-10:00AM
AM1500 The Team
(808) 296-1500
- Call
in with questions and comments
with hosts Mark Kurano
& Icon Sport's Patrick Freitas |
Got a question for us? Email info@onzuka.com
or click here to send us
an email.
Onzuka.com
Hawaii Underground Forum is Online!
Chris, Mark,
and I wanted to start an official Onzuka.com forum for a while
now. We were searching for the best forum to go with and hit
a gold mine! We have known Kirik, who heads the largest and most
popular forum on the net, The Underground for years.
He
offered us our own forum within the matrix know as MMA.tv. The
three of us will be the moderators with of course FCTV808 being
the lead since he is on there all day anyway!
We
encourage everyone from Hawaii and our many readers around world
to contribute to the Hawaii Underground.
If you
do not have a login, it's simple and fast to get one.
Click here to set up an account.
Don't worry about using Pidgin English in the posting. After
all it is the Hawaii Underground and what is a Hawaii Underground
without some Aloha and some Pidgin?
To
go directly to the Onzuka.com Hawaii Underground Forum
click here!
|
Want to Advertise on Onzuka.com?
Click here
for pricing and more information!
Short term and long term advertising available.
More than
1 million hits and counting! |
O2 Martial Arts
Academy Day Classes Start May 2!
Women & Kids Kickboxing Class starts May 4!
Click here
for pricing and more information!
O2MAA Relson Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Day Classes will be held on Monday,
Wednesday, and Fridays from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm and will be taught
by one of Relson Gracie's first black belts, Sam Mahi!
We will be starting a Womens and Kids kickboxing class on Sunday
afternoons from 5:00 pm to 6:00 pm. The class will be taught
by none other than O2's Kaleo Kwan! It will be a non-competitive,
fun atmosphere and allow the ladies and kids to get in a quick
workout and learn some legitimate kickboxing technique before
the long work week starts.
|
Want
to Contact Us? Shoot us an email by Clicking Here!
Quote
of the Day
"We
are most alive when we're in love."
John Updike, American Novelist and Short Story Writer
|
JAILED
LEBEN OUT AT UFC 85
Report: Sentence Forces Cancellation of Middleweight Bout against
Bisping
By Brian Knapp
Past
indiscretion caught up with Chris Leben on Thursday, as he was
sentenced for a probation violation related to a DUI charge in
Portland, Ore.
The
27-year-old – who turned himself in to authorities on April
30 – will serve 35 days in an Oregon jail. Credited with
time served, Leben is scheduled to be released on Tuesday, May
27, just 11 days before his scheduled match-up with Michael Bisping
at UFC 85: Bedlam at the O2 Arena in London. As a result, the
middleweight fight has been cancelled, according to a report
from the Wrestling Observer.
A
former member of Team Quest, Leben relocated to Hawaii last year
and became the lead MMA instructor at a gym owned by Icon Sport
president T. Jay Thompson.
The
iron-chinned Leben (18-4) would have entered his showdown with
Bisping on a two-fight winning streak. Only one man — reigning
UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva — has stopped Leben
on strikes. He holds notable victories against Mike Swick, Patrick
Cote, Benji Radach and Jorge Santiago, and more than half (10)
of his 18 career wins have come by knockout or technical knockout.
Leben
had gone to great lengths to refine his image in recent months.
The once-brash middleweight – who first gained national
attention by urinating on a fellow cast member’s bed on
“The Ultimate Fighter” reality series – seems
to have mellowed considerably since he moved to Hawaii. How his
latest brush with trouble will impact his evolution remains to
be seen.
The
UFC has not announced whether or not Leben will be replaced at
UFC 85. A welterweight match between former champion Matt Hughes
and rising contender Thiago Alves will headline the promotion’s
second show in England this year.
------------------
UFC
85: Bedlam
Saturday, June 14
O2 Arena
London
Matt
Hughes vs. Thiago Alves
Brandon Vera vs. Fabricio Werdum
James Irvin vs. Rashad Evans
Nate Marquardt vs. Thales Leites
Mike Swick vs. Marcus Davis
Martin Kampmann vs. Jorge Rivera
Ryo Chonan vs. Roan Carneiro
Jason Lambert vs. Luis Cane
Thiago Tavares vs. Matt Wiman
Jess Liaudin vs. Paul Taylor
Antoni Hardonk vs. Neil Wain
Source: The Fight Network
|
IFL
to utilize a six-sided ring
The IFL will switch from a four-sided ring to a six-sided ring
dubbed "The Hex" when the league returns to the IZOD
Center in East Rutherford, New Jersey on August 15.
The
ring measuring 24 feet across will be constructed by Throwdown
Industries and housed in Las Vegas. The ring will retain its
five ropes.
"From
a production and live event standpoint, the ring has proven to
be the most fan and media friendly environment, as well as providing
the safest possible environment for our athletes," said
Jay Larkin, IFL CEO. "The Hex allows for the larger surface
that is utilized in other MMA organizations while still retaining
the advantages we have enjoyed with the ring."
The
new surface will go into effect in the fourth event of the 2008
season, which follows the May 16 event at the Mohegan Sun Arena
in Uncasville, Connecticut.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
FIGHT
CARD FINAL FOR SOLD OUT UFC 84
The Ultimate Fighting Championship on Wednesday confirmed the
final four bouts for its upcoming UFC 84 event scheduled for
May 24 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
The
11-bout fight card is headlined by B.J. Penn defending his UFC
lightweight championship from former titleholder Sean Sherk.
Bouts
officially confirmed on Wednesday include Rich Clementi, making
a quick turn around having fought on the recent UFC 83 card in
Montreal, facing Terry Etim, who hasn’t fought since losing
to Gleison Tibau last September.
Also
announced were Yoshiyuki Yoshida vs. Jon Koppenhaver, Dong Hyun
Kim vs. Jason Tan, and heavyweights Shane Carwin vs. Christian
Wellisch.
Tickets
for UFC 84, according to the promotion, are sold out. It will
air live on pay-per-view in the United States.
Main
Card Bouts:
-B.J. Penn vs. Sean Sherk
-Lyoto Machida vs. Tito Ortiz
-Keith Jardine vs. Wanderlei Silva
-Thiago Silva vs. Antonio Mendes
-Wilson Gouveia vs. Goran Reljic
Preliminary
Bouts:
-Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou vs. Kazuhiro Nakamura
-Yoshiyuki Yoshida vs. Jon Koppenhaver
-Rousimar Palhares vs. Ivan Salaverry
-Shane Carwin vs. Christian Wellisch
-Dong-hyun Kim vs. Jason Tan
-Terry Etim vs. Rich Clementi
*Fight
card and bout order subject to change.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
UFC
84: ill will Preview
By Robert Rousseau
UFC 84: Ill Will will be coming to us all live on May 24, 2008
from the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada. Once again, the UFC
has outdone itself by putting together three huge fights on the
same night. Here’s a hint: B.J. Penn vs. Sean Sherk, Lyoto Machida vs.
Tito Ortiz, and Wanderlei Silva vs. Keith Jardine.
Enough
said. Now let’s get to the preview.
The
last time we saw B.J. Penn in a cage with Sean Sherk, the legendary
Brazilian Jiu Jitsu fighter had the following to say:
“Sean
Sherk, you’re dead.”
Well,
now it’s time to show the world that he meant those words.
Penn is certainly capable, as his 12-4-1 overall MMA record with
four (T)KO’s and five submission victories will attest to.
Further, he’s taken on a ton of upper echelon guys including
Matt Serra (decision victory), Lyoto Machida (decision loss),
Georges St. Pierre (decision victory), Matt Hughes (one win,
one loss), and Jens Pulver (one win, one loss), amongst others.
The reason why he’s been able to hang on and in many cases
defeat such stellar foes is that he’s as well rounded as
they come.
We’re
talking about some of the best Brazilian Jiu Jitsu the world
has ever seen coupled with very strong boxing skills. Heck, even
his takedowns, takedown defense, and ground control skills are
up there.
Inevitably, though, when B.J. Penn’s name is mentioned the
world begins to remind you of the way he gassed against Georges
St. Pierre and Matt Hughes, the latter fight of which he was
also suffering from an injury.
But
Penn didn’t look like he was about to gas against Joe Stevenson
in his last fight, now did he?
Sean
Sherk lost his UFC Lightweight Championship after testing positive
for performance enhancing drugs. Up until that point, he was
looking pretty unbelievable, as his 31-2-1 overall MMA record
with eight (T)KO’s and 12 submission victories would seem
to attest to.
In
the end, Sherk is a cardio freak with awesome takedowns, takedown
defense, and power. He also possesses better striking than people
give him credit for, utilizing his stand up to get into position
to take his opponents down much like Randy Couture utilizes his
famed Greco- Roman clinch to do the same.
But
Sherk’s problems have also been well- documented. Despite
having won 15 of his last 16 fights, he has been unable to stop
his last three opponents. On top of it all, people are wondering
if his famous cardio will take a hit after testing positive for
steroids.
In
the end, expect Sherk to be the same fighter we’ve become
accustomed to seeing. Though Penn will win the fight for as long
as it’s standing, don’t expect this one to stay upright
for very long as Sherk’s takedown attempts will prove to
be too much to avoid. And once this fight hits the ground, expect
Penn to score points by going for submissions early on. Is it
possible that he might win the fight via submission in these
initial stages?
Yes.
But if he doesn’t, expect the third round to be the stanza
to watch. If Penn has enough gas to win that round, he should
win the fight via decision. If not, this one will go Sherk’s
way as his cardio will win out in round four and five. So. .
.
It’s
a tough call, but Penn should win this one via decision based
on his recent commitment to being the best he can be, if not
by first or second round submission.
Perhaps
just as alluring as the B.J. Penn- Sean Sherk bout is Wanderlei
Silva’s second Octagon battle, this time against Keith Jardine.
The last time we saw Silva, he showed the heart we’ve all
become accustomed to seeing. However, he also looked rather small
next to Chuck Liddell.
Guess
what? Keith Jardine is a pretty big guy as well. Further, he
has a lot of power, is very tough, and utilizes his legs like
battering rams from a distance.
Perhaps
the last word from the former sentence is the key to this fight.
Distance. Wanderlei Silva is widely considered to be awesome
in the clinch and inside where his flurries can be very damaging,
if not unorthodox. But if Jardine can keep him at a distance
then the fight will go his way.
Forget
ground skills in this one. No one wants to take the fight to
the canvas.
This
is another tough call—aren’t they all?— and Keith
Jardine certainly could come through with a knockout here. But
Silva has been training hard—I mean hard—for this one.
And the last time Jardine got suckered into a brawl against Houston
Alexander, things didn’t go well for him.
Figure
on Wanderlei Silva winning by knockout in the second round. But
don’t bet on this one.
In
another rather huge battle, Tito Ortiz, perhaps in his last UFC
fight, is set to take on Lyoto Machida. Ortiz is still one of
the best wrestlers in the light heavyweight division, possessing
awesome power and some of the best takedowns, takedown defense,
and ground control in the division. Further, when he gets opponents
to the ground he tends to pound the daylights out of them.
But
recently, he’s been gassing late in fights. Could that be
due to injury, his new Hollywood lifestyle, or is it simply an
aberration?
From
a stand up perspective, Ortiz is good technically but probably
isn’t going to knock anyone out on his feet.
Lyoto
Machida is undefeated for a reason—he’s as technical
a striker and fighter as there is. Along with this, he has elite
stand up skills and is able to utilize his entire body to score
points while minimizing any damage that opponents can do. Furthermore,
he has enough power to put you to sleep if you make a mistake.
On
top of it all, Machida has solid takedown defense and better
than average jiu jitsu skills.
Figure
that Ortiz will have enough to put Lyoto Machida on his back
in this one early. From there, we’re going to find out a
lot more about this man that trains with Anderson Silva. Is he
tough enough to survive the onslaught? You never know until he
does. But the best guess is that he will be able to.
Then
the question becomes, will Ortiz tire, just as he did against
Forrest Griffin and Rashad Evans, so that takedowns are harder
for him to come by?
Hard
to know, but the best guess right now is yes. Thus, expect Machida
to survive an early onslaught to win on his feet by points later
in the fight.
THE
REST
Wilson
Gouveia vs. Goran Reljic: Gouveia’s knockout victory over
Jason Lambert made me a believer. Besides, he has more experience
in big market events, as this is Reljic’s Octagon debut.
Gouveia
wins via TKO in round three.
Antonio
Mendes vs. Thiago Silva: Expect this to be an outstanding fight.
That said, Silva is one bad dude.
Thiago
Silva wins via TKO in round three.
Rameau
Thierry Sokoudjou vs. Kazuhiro Nakamura: Nakamura is tough, but
he’s just not as athletic as his competitor.
Sokodjou
via unanimous decision.
Jon
Koppenhaver vs. Yoshiyuki Yoshida: Koppenhaver is tough as nails.
But he may be taking on a guy here that’s just as tough
with a little more skill.
Yoshiyuki
Yoshida wins via submission.
Rousimar
Palhares vs. Ivan Salaverry: Palhares is great on the ground.
Salaverry is technically strong everywhere. But I just have a
feeling that losing two of his last three will hurt Salaverry’s
psyche coming in.
Rousimar
Palhares wins via unanimous decision.
Dong-Hyun
Kim vs. Jason Tan: Kim is supposed to be very good.
Dong-Hyun
Kim wins via TKO in round two.
Terry
Etim vs. Rich Clementi: Etim is very good. But Clementi is one
tough hombre that’s been fighting with a chip on his shoulder
lately. Oh yeah, and he’s also the better striker.
Clementi
wins via second round TKO.
Shane
Carwin vs. Christian Wellisch: Tough call.
Shane
Carwin wins via TKO.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
TITO’S
LAST STAND
Former Champion Ortiz Blames UFC President for Pending Separation
By Brian Knapp
The rift between UFC president Dana White and former light heavyweight
champion Tito Ortiz appears to have passed the point of no return.
The
33-year-old Ortiz will fulfill the final bout on his current
contract with the Las Vegas-based promotion when he faces unbeaten
Lyoto Machida at UFC 84: Ill Will on Saturday, May 24 at the
MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Afterwards, he plans to
walk away from the organization that gave rise to his stardom.
The blame for the pending separation, he says, rests at White’s
feet.
“I
think just about 90 percent of this is me just wanting to get
away from Dana White,” Ortiz told Live Audio Wrestling’s
Dan Lovranski. “He has a vengeance for me. He’s a person
who’s very hateful towards me, and he doesn’t want
to see me grow as a superstar. He’s always been like that.
He’s always been trying to hold me down and not let me go
further, and it’s just really sad to see.”
The
feud between Ortiz and White, two of the industry’s strongest
personalities, has been well-chronicled. Ortiz believes many
of the UFC’s top draws share his sentiments regarding how
fighters are treated and points to the recent defections of UFC
Hall-of-Famer Randy Couture and two-time heavyweight champion
Tim Sylvia as evidence. Andrei Arlovski could soon join that
list.
“I
think the superstars should be built as a company’s being
built, and they don’t want to do that,” Ortiz said.
“They’re really keeping the big piece of the pie, and
they’re just feeding all the champions and all the superstars
crumbs of it.”
Ortiz
rips the fact that the UFC receives 100 percent of the revenue
from DVD sales and merchandising, and he claims White has cut
down on his earning potential by turning away potential sponsors.
“If
Dana says, ‘You can’t have them as a sponsor,’
you cannot have them as a sponsor,” Ortiz said. “The
only way you’re allowed to have the sponsors you get is
if it’s OK with Dana White, and there’s been a lot
of situations [where] I’ve had sponsors – big sponsors
that wanted to pay me large sums of money – and Dana said
no just because he had a personal disagreement with them. When
personal stuff starts interfering with business with me, I really
take it to heart.”
Ortiz
made his UFC debut in May 1997 and has since become the most
prolific fighter in the promotion’s history with a record
20 bouts to his credit. He faces a formidable foe in Machida,
a fast-rising contender at 205 pounds.
Based
out of the same Black House camp as UFC middleweight champion
Anderson Silva, Machida (12-0) last fought in December, when
he submitted Team Quest juggernaut Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou with
a side choke at UFC 79. He also owns victories against former
UFC middleweight champion Rich Franklin, current UFC lightweight
titleholder B.J. Penn and Stephan Bonnar. His awkward style has
presented problems for virtually every opponent he has faced.
Ortiz shows no sign of concern.
“He’s
never fought anybody like me,” he said. “Has he ever
fought anybody with the wrestling ability that I have? He’s
never fought a natural 205-pounder. I cut from 210, 215 to make
205. I’m a lot bigger, and I’m probably in the best
shape that I’ve been in the last five years.”
Ortiz
(15-5-1) has not set foot inside the Octagon since he fought
unbeaten Rashad Evans to a draw at UFC 78 in November. A one-point
deduction for grabbing the cage cost the charismatic Californian
the victory. Ortiz has been beaten by only three men – Couture,
Chuck Liddell (twice) and Frank Shamrock – in the past 11
years. Even if he does pin the first defeat on Machida’s
record, Ortiz doubts he will be given time to address fans once
the fight ends.
“I’m
probably about 90 percent sure they’re not going to give
me the mic, and I think that’s really bad for the fans,
because I know my fans want to hear what I have to say,”
Ortiz said. “Hopefully, they do give me the mic and give
me the respect to say my piece and move on. I’ll be free
at last.”
Source: The Fight Network
|
Cesar
Gracie: Diaz Bout Back On
by TJ De Santis
After
days of confusion and frustration, it appears that Nick Diaz
will be fighting Sunday in Japan after all.
"It
was off, then on, then off again … now it's back on,"
said Diaz's trainer, Cesar Gracie. "I won't really believe
it until he is on the plane tomorrow morning heading to Japan."
Diaz
will spend his last few hours in the United States cutting weight
before heading to Japan to face former King of Pancrase Katsuya
Inoue in Dream.
"Tonight
we will be pulling an all-nighter cutting weight," Gracie
said late Wednesday. "Nick was under the impression he wasn't
fighting. So now we have to get the weight back down before he
leaves."
At
one time Diaz was set to compete on Dream's April 29 card, a
date Gracie said was approved by EliteXC. However, Diaz's participation
became uncertain after promoter Fight Entertainment Group moved
the date of his bout to Sunday.
EliteXC
President Gary Shaw originally pulled Diaz from this weekend's
card because the contest was said to be too close to the June
14 EliteXC match between Diaz and Muhsin Corbbrey in Hawaii.
Gracie
stated that ProElite CEO Doug DeLuca was to thank for making
the Diaz-Inoue bout happen.
"He
thought Nick sort of got screwed with the whole California Athletic
Commission thing," Gracie said, referencing the California
commission's removal of Diaz from a March matchup against Jae
Suk Lim.
Source: Sherdog
|
Minotauro
and Anderson open Academy at Miami
By Guilherme Cruz
Owners
of the middleweight and of the heavyweight UFC belts, Rodrigo
Minotauro Nogueira and Anderson Silva, are heading for United
States. After built one of the biggest train center of the America
at Rio de Janeiro, the athletes get together and will open at
16th May the “Nogueira and Silva Mixed Martial Arts Academy”,
a complete TC to MMA students and deprived children from Miami,
at United States . “The sport is growing here now and has
been a dream to open an academy together here. This is a good
area and the weather is very good. In Miami , you can walk in
the street and see people. It's like . This is the right time
and right place”, said Nogueira to the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.
Favorite to be one of the next “The Ultimate Fighter”
coaches, Nogueira just said that he will be at the UFC 87 card,
schedule for August, but without an opponent yet.
Source: Tatame
|
Frank
Edgar to train with Cachorrao
American met first defeat of career at UFN 13
Frank
Edgar, regarded as one of the most promising up-and-comers in
the UFC lightweight division, announced that he will be training
in his birth state (New Jersey), in the recently inaugurated
academy of Ricardo “Cachorrao” Almeida. Edgar, who
was undefeated in MMA, having defeated such names as Tyson Griffin,
Mark Bocek and Spencer Fisher, met defeat for the first time
at UFN 13, against rookie and still undefeated Grey Maynard by
unanimous decision.
He
will now try to incorporate into his game the refined Jiu-Jitsu
of the Renzo Gracie black belt and return to his winning ways.
Another MMA fighter to join Cachorrao was Chris Liguori, who
is on the next EliteXC card, to be broadcast on CBS live in the
United States.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Debi
Purcell signs with EliteXC and will debut on June 27
Debi Purcell will return to mixed martial arts action against
Carina Damm on June 27.
Purcell's
Fightergirls.com website announced the fight and also revealed
that she has signed a 3-fight deal with EliteXC.
Purcell
(4-1) began her professional fight career in September 2001 and
last competed in February 2006. She assisted Marco Ruas on the
coaching staff of the Southern California Condors in the IFL.
Damm
(9-3) of Brazil will enter the fight with a four-fight winning
streak. The "Beauty But The Beast" appeared on three
separate Bodog Fight events the last two years.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Quote
of the Day
"Durability
is part of what makes a great athlete."
Bill Russell, American Basketball Player
|
Hawaii
Fighting Championship
Stand Your Ground IX
Friday,
May 9th
Dole Cannery Ballroom
145
lb Pro MMA Championship Bout
Ryan
Cabinian vs. Ricky Hoku Wallace
“O2 Martial Arts Academy” “Team Icon”
160
lb Pro MMA Bout
Rob
Villapondo vs. Marcio Silva
"808 Fight Factory" ” American Top Team”
185 lb Pro Championship Bout
Brennan
Kamaka vs. Michael Winklespect
“808 Fight Factory” “Fight Stop”
155
lb Amateur MMA Bout
Matt
Miyaki vs. Nate Quinola
“Team Devastation” “5-O Boxing”
135
lb Amateur MMA Championship Bout
John
Barnard vs. Jesse Thorton
“God’s Army” “Fight Stop”
145
lb Amateur MMA Bout
Ian
Dela Questa vs. Kwang Lee
“5-O Boxing” “Free Lance”
165
lb Amateur MMA Bout
Bronson
Caminos-Kekahuna vs. Michael Ige
“Uprising Fight Team” “Free Lance”
155
lb Amateur MMA Bout
L.
John Borge vs. Richard Augustin
“808 Fight Factory” “Team Makaha”
190
lb Amateur MMA Bout
Guru
Daas vs. Gino Venti
“Team Icon” “808 Fight Factory”
170
lb Amateur MMA Bout
Eddie
Ohio vs. Donavan Andres
“No Remorse” “Team Edwards”
125
lb Amateur Kick Boxing Bout
Angeline
Pereira vs Evette Kinnery
'HMC Wahiawa' '808 Fight Factory'
185
lb Amateur MMA Bout
Kepa
Medeiros vs. Akoni Sexton
“Team Submit” “Free Lance”
170
lb Amateur MMA Bout
Kainoa
Souza vs. Preston Bruski Louis
“Team Devastation” “Bulls Penn”
140
lb Amateur Kick boxing Bout
Tazre
vs. Ashley Kanani Jhun
“Beautiful Bangers” “808 Fight Factory”
110
lb Amateur Championship Bout
Garren
Rabelizsa vs. Nainoa Messiona
“West Side Connection” “808 Fight Factory
|
Red
Belt The Movie Premiers Today!
The martial arts movie featuring Randy Couture, John Machado,
Tim Allen, amongst other stars makes its premier today.
Check
out the trailer.
|
Shaolin bets on
BJ against Sherk
By Eduardo Ferreira
One of the most
expected confrontations to the UFC 84, schedule for May 24th,
in the United States, is the bout between the lightweight champion
BJ Penn, and the former champion Sean Sherk,
who has his belt taken after he was caught at doping tests. Both
are exchanging statements at the Internet and with the proximity
of the event the words of bout are increasing the tension between
the fighters. Ex BJ Penn teammate, the Nova União black
belt, Vitor Shaolin, is betting on his friend victory.
“It will be
an amazing fight! Sherk is well trained and BJ has a skilled
ground game, and has a heavy hand. I believe that Sherk is going
to try to take the fight to the ground, but it will not be easy
because BJ has a very good wrestling too. This will be a five
rounds fight, Sherk with a lot of will and heart, but I think
at a technique bout I believe in BJ win”, bet Shaolin.
Source: Tatame
|
JAMES
THOMPSON A “Colossal” Task
By Steven Marrocco
James
“The Colossus” Thompson doesn’t have the most
sparkling record in MMA. At 14 wins and 8 losses, he’s disappointed
more than he’s delivered. He’s dropped two consecutive
appearances as of late, KO losses to Brett Rogers and Neil Grove.
But he has two things that Elite XC needs desperately right now
-- excitement and a questionable chin.
Thompson
His
“gong and dash,” a headlong charge across the ring
at his opponent, has captivated fans around the world. Whatever
the outcome, they could be sure that Thompson would chase his
foe until someone was knocked out. Frequently, it was him, but
it displayed a characteristic that’s becoming rarer in the
high-stakes world of MMA -- a fighter who fights like he doesn’t
care whether he wins or loses.
Whether
they take him seriously or not, fans will always watch him. He’s
a wild card.
And
just the ticket for a fighter like Kevin “Kimbo Slice”
Ferguson. In the 62 seconds he’s spent in Elite XC’s
cage, fans have salivated at the prospect of seeing one of his
backyard bare-knuckle fights come to fruition. Ferguson holds
the unique position of being one of the most popular fighters
today -- despite one of the thinnest resumes in the business.
“He
has impressive facial hair,” Thompson says of his charge.
Other
than that, he views Ferguson with the same questions that most
hardcore fans do. Like them, he wants to see whether Ferguson’s
skills, honed at MMA gyms in lieu of the backyard, will translate
into a fight that goes longer than a minute. Then again, all
but four of Thompson’s 22 professional fights have not gone
past the first round.
“Obviously,
[Ferguson is] aggressive and a good stand-up fighter,” he
says. “Anything else, no one really knows. I think it’s
impossible for anyone to live up to the hype that’s been
generated around him. But fair play to him or whoever else is
behind him for marketing him so well.”
It’s
also fair play for Thompson to admit why he was approached as
an opponent for Ferguson. They need someone to lose to their
poster boy. Thompson has some impressive wins in his five-year
career, including a victory over one of his idols, Don Frye,
but is maddeningly uneven to observers of the sport.
“That’s
their plan, without a shadow of a doubt,” he said. “My
last two performances have hardly been stellar, but that’s
what’s given me this great opportunity.”
Thompson
is in England right now, in a heavy training cycle. He recently
moved on from an extended stay at Randy Couture’s Xtreme
Couture gym in Las Vegas. The experience of living there opened
his eyes to new ways of training -- probably new avenues of excess
as well -- but it was easy to get lost in the shuffle.
“The
people were great and the sparring was excellent,” he said.
“However, with it being such a big gym, I felt I needed
more attention to fill the holes in my game. My training here
in the UK is specifically tailored to following a certain game
plan. I’m drilling, sparring, and going over techniques
constantly. Obviously, the weather is much better in England
and I don’t have to worry about being cold in Las Vegas!
Seriously though, nothing beats home.”
Despite
so many setbacks, Thompson said the fight has re-invigorated
him. He believes he has a more well-rounded game than Ferguson,
and looks forward to proving that “Slice” is only hype.
“It’s
hard to train as hard as I do and be on the end of such disappointing
losses,” he said. “It affects confidence and you do
start asking yourself questions. However, not only has this fight
lifted my spirits, finding the right training team for me has
worked wonders, and I feel ready to get back on track in the
biggest and best possible way.”
And
will the gong and dash stay alive?
“I
never like to say whether I’m going to do it, as it’s
not that planned out,” he said. “I’ll decide nearer
to the time whether to use it or not. We’ll see how I feel.”
On
May 31st, James Thompson faces Kevin “Kimbo Slice”
Ferguson in the main event of Elite XC’s CBS-televised “Saturday
Night Fights” at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.
Source: Full Contact Fighter
|
Barnett
faces Rizzo in July
Bout to take place at maiden Affliction
In
an interview on the MMAWeekly radio show, Josh Barnett confirmed
he will face Brazilian Pedro Rizzo at the maiden Affliction event,
set for July 19. “I said after he knocked me out with one
of those really nice, well put together Pedro Rizzo right hands,
I stood right there for the challenge and said you know what,
I’m going to come back here, I’m going to fight him
again and next time I’m knocking his ass out. So I’ve
got to make good on my promises and I’ve got to stick to
my word,” Barnett is quoted as saying on the MMAWeekly website.
The
first bout between the two took place in February of 2001. On
the occasion, during UFC 30, Rizzo won by knockout at 4:21 min
of the second round.
Before
facing the Brazilian, Barnett will face also-American Jeff Monson
at Sengoku 2, to take place on May 18th.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Negao
vs Lindland at Affliction
Bout to take place in July
The
popular brand of clothing Affliction decided to stick its neck
out in the world of event promotion and, from the look of its
first show’s card, it’s not playing around. The company,
which plans to reach the level of EliteXC and the UFC, will pay
six million dollars just in purses of the athletes on the July
19 even Banned in California.
The
battle between Pedro Rizzo and Josh Barnett and the main event
between Fedor Emelianenko and Tim Sylvia have already been confirmed,
but today the renowned American sports magazine Sports Illustrated
announced there will be a middleweight match between Matt Lindland
and Fabio Negao. Both have been away from MMA the last few months.
The
American has not fought since April of 2007, when he was submitted
by Fedor at Bodog Fight. Now the Lotus Club black belt is coming
off a loss in the semifinal of Fury 5 in June of last year to
Rousimar Toquinho, currently in the UFC and an athlete representing
the BTT.
According
to the SI report, Murilo Bustamante was contacted to concede
Lindland a a revenge match for UFC 37, but an agreement had not
been reached. Stay tuned to GRACIEMAG.com for more regarding
this promising event.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Quote
of the Day
“Only
love can be divided endlessly and still not diminish.”
Anne Morrow Lindbergh, 1906-2001, American Aviator and Author
|
X-1
World Events presents "Legends"
Friday
, May 16th at Neil Blaisdell Arena 7 30pm
Tickets
on sale at Blaisdell Box Office,all Times Super
Market locations,Ticketmaster.com or call 1-877-750-4400
Ticket
discount Children 12 and under and Military.
Infants on lap are free. Prices starting at $25
This event will be shown LIVE on pay pre view on channel 260
and in HD channel 1260. Time 7:30pm and replay at 10:30pm. Also
Saturday at 7:00 pm. (Oceanic Cable)
To
see the past X-1 events on Video on Demand. Channel 221 Oceanic
Cable.
More
info at X1events.com , mmahawaii.com , onzuka.com
185
Hans Marrero vs Egan Inoue
Team Marrero Grappling Unlimited
155
lightweight title
Ray"Bradda"Cooper vs "Sugar" Shane Nelson
Freelance BJ Penn MMA
170
welterweight title
Brandon Wolff vs Chad"the grinder"Reiner
Team MMAD Southwest mixed martial arts
170
Michael Brightmon vs Kolo Koka
Gorila House Team MMAD
170
Dylan Clay vs Ronald"the machine gun Jhun
brazilian freestyle jiu jitsu 808 Fight Factory
135
featherweight title
Albert Manners vs Kana"the riot"Hyatt
BJ Penn MMA Eastsidaz
170 (Amatuer) title
John Visante vs Sean Sakata
Team Sit U Down No Remorse
145
Brandon Visher vs Danny Steele
Maui boxing club Team Steele
140
Tony Giraldi vs TBA
Giraldi muay thai
Source: MMA Weekly |
DIAZ
OUT OF DREAM, NOONS REMATCH ON HORIZON?
First he was going to fight Marcello Garcia at DREAM.2 on April
29; then it was Katsuya Inoue at DREAM.3 on May 11. Instead,
Nick Diaz will continue on with his scheduled appearance on June
14 as part of EliteXC’s next Showtime telecast event in
Hawaii. He will face Muhsin Corbbrey in Honolulu.
Diaz
is under contract with EliteXC, which does allow its fighters
to fight outside of the promotion, just not within a 45-day window
prior to a scheduled bout inside the promotion.
When
DREAM had planned to employ Diaz’s services on April 29
to face Marcello Garcia, there was no problem. He had EliteXC’s
blessing. “We're all for letting our fighters fight anywhere.
We were originally allowing (Diaz to fight) April 29 against
Marcello Garcia, but Marcello didn't want it,” EliteXC vice
president Jared Shaw told MMAWeekly.com.
When
the fight on April 29 fell through, there seemed to have been
a misunderstanding on the part of the owners of DREAM, Fight
Entertainment Group, that Diaz would still be able to fight on
the promotion’s next event.
According
to Shaw, “I think it was a misunderstanding in the FEG family.
We back this 100%. But at the same time, he's scheduled to fight
less than 45 days out on our show … It's too close to the
June 14 event. Per his contract, he wouldn't be able to fight
on June 14 (if he fought on May 11).”
The
primary purpose for the 45-day window is to protect EliteXC’s
investment in its events and the promotional effort that goes
into marketing. And in Diaz, Shaw believes there is a lot to
protect, especially if something were to happen to Diaz inside
of the 45-day window that would preclude him from fighting on
June 14.
“Nick’s
the co-main event in Hawaii,” said Shaw. “He’s
not just thrown on the card. If he wins and K.J. Noons wins,
there’s a possible rematch right there.
“Obviously
Eddie Alvarez has a lot to say about that the way that he’s
been performing. He deserves a shot sometime this year if he
keeps it up. But (Noons vs. Diaz 2), it’s a fight that Nick
Diaz wants to prove himself. The fans want it. I’m sure
K.J. Noons wants it, to prove that (him beating Diaz) wasn’t
a fluke.”
Shaw
expressed regret at not being able to allow Diaz to fight for
DREAM. He knows that Diaz had a strong desire to fight in Japan.
“We
apologized to Nick, but we’ll make it up to him. He’s
an EliteXC fighter and a member of the family.”
Source: MMA Weekly
|
EDGAR
& LIGUORI TEAM UP WITH RICARDO ALMEIDA
Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight Frankie Edgar and
newly signed EliteXC fighter Chris Liguori will soon be training
with UFC middleweight contender Ricardo Almeida. They made the
move to help improve their overall ground game by working with
the Renzo Gracie black belt at his academy in New Jersey.
Edgar
is a top-rated contender who recently dropped the first fight
of his career, losing by unanimous decision to Gray Maynard in
early April. Now the New Jersey native will team up with Almeida
to prepare for his next challenge.
"Frankie
and Chris are great athletes, but even better people,” said
Almeida about his new teammates. “They have been able to
get very far in MMA already, so I can't wait to see what will
happen when they are able to add solid jiu-jitsu skills to their
arsenals. I'm stoked to have them join our team."
Liguori
recently inked a deal that will put him on the undercard of the
upcoming CBS-EliteXC Saturday Night Fights card on May 31.
Following
his fight with Maynard, Edgar took a brief break to celebrate
his new marriage, but expects to be back in active competition
in the near future.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
HERMES
FRANCA EYEING RETURN TO MMA
With former UFC lightweight champion Sean Sherk preparing for
his return to active mixed martial arts competition having fulfilled
his suspension after a positive drug test stemming from his successful
title defense over Hermes Franca last July, it harkens wonder
to what the other half of that title match is doing.
Franca,
who is still currently on suspension until early July, had built
up tremendous momentum heading into the fight with Sherk, having
won eight fights in a row prior to the title showdown.
It
appeared he could have more than a chance to fulfill his goal
of Ultimate Fighting Championship champion, but was denied, losing
a five-round unanimous decision to Sherk.
Shortly
after the fight it was revealed that both Franca and Sherk had
tested positive for steroids. Unlike Sherk, however, Franca did
not deny his usage of performance enhancing drugs, thus inciting
a year-long suspension.
Since
then Franca has left the team he was with prior to that fight,
The Armory, and has kept busy with other things in anticipation
of a return to action within the coming months.
“I’ve
been teaching seminars,” said the Brazilian born fighter.
“I’m the head coach at Premier Martial Arts, which
is all over the United States, like 50 or 60 academies, and some
in Canada.
“I’m
doing the jiu-jitsu program over there. So I’ve been really
busy doing a seminar almost every week for two or three months.”
Specifically
Franca is still based in Florida, where he is expanding upon
his own jiu-jitsu system.
“I’m
at the academy in West Palms with two affiliations: one in Boca
Raton and one in Jupiter,” he commented. “Outside of
Florida, I have North and South Carolina that I’m teaching
or I have some guys, instructors teaching other Hermes Franca
(systems).”
As
Franca explains, his split from The Armory was due to his wish
to have the freedom to market his style of jiu-jitsu on his own
terms.
“I
had always worked for somebody, but now I want to build my name,”
he stated.
“I
have a big name, a strong name, and so that’s what I want
to do, work on my Brazilian jiu-jitsu program, work on my creations
and keep fighting. I want to work for myself.”
With
his suspension ending on July 5, Franca is chomping at the bit
to return to action, and hopes to do so as soon as he becomes
eligible.
“I’m
hungry. Even though I’m busy right now, I want to fight
soon,” he exclaimed. “I hope to fight in July, but
if not, I’m going to keep busy and wait for my next fight.
“I
have a big name, I’ve fought very much and a lot of guys
know me, and a lot of shows are looking for fighters. EliteXC,
Affliction, the UWC, some big shows, and a lot of guys are showing
interest in me. I’m just waiting for my moment right now.”
Having
a year off to focus on himself, Franca feels there’s far
more than a whisper’s chance that he’ll be much improved
when he does return to fighting.
“I
think the fans are going to see much, much better (performances)
from me,” he stated.
“(Other
fighters train) a few weeks before fights, and I never did. I
am always teaching and training fighters. I’m going to let
my instructors teach at my affiliations academies, and I’m
going to camp for myself for six weeks or seven weeks just training.
That’s what I’m going to do, I’m going to do things
like a professional, and so I’m going to come back stronger
than ever.”
When
the subject of Sean Sherk’s impending UFC title match-up
with current 155-pound king B.J. Penn was brought up, Franca
was more than willing to give his unbiased thoughts on the fight.
“Sean
Sherk is so smart; he’s very professional and will come
back strong,” he said. “He’s training with Brazilian
jiu-jitsu black belts to plug B.J.’s game, and will come
with a good game plan; but B.J. has good skills. He’s talented.
“I
was training with (B.J.) and the kid has a lot of talent, a lot
of heart, and I can say the kid is born to fight. I think B.J.
is going to win, that’s my opinion, but I hope it is going
to be a great fight.”
As
for where Franca feels he will fit into the lightweight division
when he returns, “I think I’m still like A-level class.
“The
only people that are happy to not see Hermes Franca fighting
is people in my weight division. I’m still a contender in
any organization I’m in, and I’m going to be a champion.
I know myself. I know how good I am. If I train hard I can be
the best of the best.”
Keeping
himself busy with business ventures, Franca looks to a near future
that will have him returning to his true passion in fighting,
regaining lost momentum and placing himself back amongst the
pantheon of the sport’s premier performers.
“I
would really like to say to my fans,” closed out Franca,
“I gained more fans after my fight with Sean Sherk, and
everybody is really, really excited to see me fight again.
“I
know who my real fans are now. I want to say thank you to the
sport, my family, Premier Martial Arts and my affiliations academies
and Team Hermes Franca.”
Source: MMA Weekly
|
LION
TAMER SAVANT YOUNG'S REVERSAL OF FORTUNE
Things had not been going well for Trenell “Savant”
Young. His contract with the International Fight League ended
in late 2007, and with it, the monthly stipend that provided
for his living expenses. There were no offers from reputable
promotions.
He
had fought his way through the mom-and-pop shows of Southern
California to make the IFL’s Tokyo Sabres, and didn’t
want to go back to fighting for peanuts. Without a manager, Young
was soliciting himself on Internet forums. Eventually, worries
about money led to a separation with his wife of 15 years.
“She
saw that I lost sight of what was going on,” Young told
MMAWeekly.com.
Left
to his own devices for the first time in more than a decade,
Young had to decide whether fighting was still in his blood.
He’d had many ups and downs in the business, and didn’t
know if he could stomach more.
“I
had to reassess where I was at,” he continued. “Everything
came so quick and so fast, I lost sight of being like that college
athlete trying to go pro. It was an adolescent mistake on my
part to lose that hunger.”
But
Young was determined to reignite his passion for fighting, and
started a gym in his neighborhood of Pasadena, Calif., to surround
himself with the sport. The sound of punches snapping against
the heavy bags focused him. But the right people still weren’t
calling.
“It
wouldn’t be smart for me as a fighter to fight in the IFL,
be seen on national TV, and now I’m fighting in King of
the Cage,” he said.
Somehow,
the ripple he started in the online pond reached a promoter for
Shooto. The Japanese promotion needed someone to take on top
featherweight Takeshi “Lion” Inoue at its 20th anniversary
“Tradition” show.
Young
didn’t know who Inoue was. He had always been a fighter
who just showed up and did his job, regardless of the outcome.
He could, however, tell that the promoter was looking to pad
Inoue’s record.
Maybe
both of them could be happy, Young thought. The promoter would
get his can, and he would use the opportunity to prove to the
world how dangerous a focused “Savant” Young was.
“I
thought what do I have to lose if I lose to this guy?” Young
said. “I don’t have a lot to lose, but I have so much
more to gain from it. And to be honest, I was a little perturbed,
because I know they thought I was going to come in there and
lay down. That’s when the challenge part of it came out,
and my competitiveness sparked.”
Young
did not lie down for Inoue, and battled his way to a huge decision
upset over the highly ranked Japanese featherweight. His springboard
jump to a guillotine choke in the second round sealed the victory,
and despite eating numerous leg kicks, his punches found their
home. Inoue, Japanese fans, and the world were caught off guard.
Now,
Young’s cell phone is ringing off the hook. He is fielding
offers from Affliction, who wants him for its inaugural show
on July 19; Dream, which is soon holding a featherweight tournament;
and of course, Shooto. Nothing has been signed, but it’s
a nice change of pace from the struggles of before.
Young
now knows he can fend for himself.
“I
had to realize that this is what I love to do, and if I’m
not doing it 100 percent, I’m not doing it at all,”
he said.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
ALVAREZ
READY TO BATTLE HELLBOY
Philadelphia native Eddie Alvarez will look to advance to the
next round in the Dream Lightweight Tournament on May 11th when
he takes on Joachim “Hellboy” Hansen.
Alvarez,
considered a dark horse in this tournament, is perhaps the most
overlooked fighter in the tournament. With Aoki not able to compete,
and “JZ” Calvancante not able to take his place, Alvarez
possesses an excellent shot at winning the entire tournament.
MMAWeekly Radio spoke with Alvarez recently to discuss his upcoming
fight and feelings about competing for Dream.
“It's
truly the big show,” said an excited Alvarez. “UFC
is the big show in the United States. (Dream) draws double what
the UFC usually draws. If you want to fight in front of a sh**load
of people and be recognized as a superhero, you fight in Japan.
That's how I felt anyway.”
Alvarez,
who has fought the majority of his career at welterweight, has
dropped down to 154 pounds for this tournament. While Japanese
promotions are notoriously known for its last minute notice,
Alvarez didn’t seemed particularly bothered by that. “It's
great because I got a call three weeks out to ask me if I wanted
to be in it. I was like: 'You know what? This is the opportunity
of a lifetime.' The experience itself was worth it. I didn't
really care whether I won or lost.”
After
the Pennsylvanian fought Matt Lee last July in the Bodog promotion,
he was unable to secure a fight until January, but not for lack
of trying. “I trained a lot at the end of last year and
I couldn't get a fight,” Alvarez commented. “I promised
myself that I was going to fight a lot this year and that I was
going to fight tough opponents. With this tournament, I got both
of them.”
EliteXC,
M-1 and Dream have secured Alvarez’s wish to fight a lot
this year and that’s just fine with him. “I'm under
contract with three different companies and it's great to be
wanted. I'm glad I'm able to put on exciting fights for these
guys. This year is about experience for me. I don't want to concentrate
so much on winning. I want to get in the ring and get the experience...”
Alvarez’s
next fight with Joachim Hansen is certainly a tough one. Hansen
is well known for his excellent striking skills and has victories
over top lightweight fighters such as Takanori Gomi, JZ Calvancante,
Caol Uno and Yves Edwards. However, Alvarez believes he has all
the skills needed to defeat Hansen. “I think I match up
well against him. He has good stand-up. He's a very well rounded
fighter. Cutting down to this weight, I can match up well with
anyone. Where he's strong, I'm a little bit stronger. I have
all the tools to beat him. I just have to go in there and apply
those tools.”
“He's
very robotic in his movement. He's very stiff. I'm more agile.
I have a lot of advantages. I just have to come in focused and
do what I do.”
Strategies
are an integral part of the game for any mixed martial arts fighter
and it is no different for Eddie Alvarez. “I always watch
tapes and look at tendencies of other fighters,” he said.
“But when you get in the ring, your fight style is always
going to be consistent. You can't work off of other people's
tendencies all the time.”
“I
know how to fight southpaws. I'm very good at fighting southpaws.
In fact, every southpaw I've fought has been the nastiest knockouts
I've ever had. I feel very confident fighting them,” exclaimed
the 24 year old.
Now
that Alvarez has several venues to fight in this year, he’s
completely zoned in on his fighting career. “I'm completely
focused this year. I'm in excellent shape. I think I'm at the
weight I should be at.”
If
Alvarez defeats Hansen, Alvarez will move to the next round to
take on more top ranked fighters to establish himself as a contender
in the lightweight division. However, Hansen stands in his way
and is no pushover.
The
one thing that Alvarez believes is that there won’t be a
need for the judges for this fight. “I don't feel like this
fight is gonna go to decision. Joachim doesn't seem to stand
around. It's gonna be a knockout or a TKO. One of us is going
to knock something loose. I'm hoping it's me. If I had to predict,
I'd say Alvarez with a knockout about four minutes into the first
round.”
Source: MMA Fighting
|
UFC
Targets Show for Latino Audience
Throughout
his mixed martial arts career, Joe Lauzon has learned the most
from the fights he has lost. Consider his April 2 fight with
Kenny Florian at UFC’s Fight Night 13 his latest learning
opportunity.
Lauzon
and Florian engaged in a fast-paced, evenly-matched first round,
but Lauzon tired in the second round and Florian took advantage,
securing a mount position and raining punches on Lauzon’s
head until referee Herb Dean stopped the fight.
Though
the altitude in Broomfield, Colo., was a factor, the biggest
lesson Lauzon (15-4) learned is that he’ll need to focus
more on cardiovascular conditioning as he trains for his next
fight.
“I
think I won the first round,” the East Bridgewater native
said. “If it was at sea level, I think I would have been
able to push that pace for all three rounds, but being in Colorado,
I couldn’t do it. I came out for the second round and I
felt like my legs weighed 1,000 pounds each. I thought I had
a good first round, but cardio killed me and a couple of other
things just didn’t go my way.”
The
main thing that worked against him, Lauzon said, were the elbows
Florian landed on the back of his head in the first round that
opened two cuts. Dean stepped in and warned Florian that the
blows were illegal.
Lauzon’s
problem isn’t with the elbows, but with how Dean ruled after
the warning. Lauzon had taken Florian down before getting hit
with the elbows, but after the stoppage Dean put both fighters
back on their feet.
“I
think he should have put us (back) in the same position,”
Lauzon said. “Why let me work and get in an advantageous
position by getting Kenny down, and then he fouls me and (the
ref) stands us up where Kenny wants to be? I think that was messed
up by the ref a little bit. But that’s how it goes and you
really can’t complain about it too much.”
Lauzon
said he didn’t feel the full effect of the elbows until
after the round when the cuts were treated by a ringside physician.
“Another
thing that hurt me,” he said, “was that normally between
rounds you want to have your head up high and your chest open
so your lungs can get as much oxygen as possible, but when the
doctor was fixing the cut I was bent over. I was more tired at
the beginning of the second (round) than I was at the end of
the first.”
While
Lauzon wonders how things might have gone if not for the elbows,
he’s not making excuses. He wrote a blog entry on his Web
site congratulating Florian and acknowledging him as the better
fighter.
Prior
to the fight, Lauzon was largely deferential and respectful to
the more established Florian, though some bad blood did surface
in the final days. Lauzon said it stemmed from comments being
taken out of context by a reporter looking to stir up controversy.
“I
did an interview and they asked me what my plan was for the fight.
... I said I thought if I could put Kenny on the fence and put
him on his back that I could beat him up there,” Lauzon
said. “The interviewer went to Kenny and said, ‘Joe
said your jiu-jitsu is nothing to worry about because hes going
to smash you on the fence.’ It was completely taken out
of context of how it was said. It was completely unprofessional.
That’s
not to suggest there aren’t some lingering hard feelings,
though Lauzon’s ire is directed solely at Florian’s
brother and corner man, Keith, based on an incident after the
fight.
“We
saw (Keith) in the hotel that night and he was being a complete
punk in the elevator,” Lauzon said. “It was totally
unnecessary. I had told Kenny that I definitely wanted to go
up there and work out with him at Sityodtong (gym in Somerville),
but I’m really rethinking that. I’m definitely not
going to do that for the way his brother acted. It was just poor
taste all around.”
Lauzon
has moved on and is back training, though he has no idea what’s
next for him in the Octagon. For now his energy is directed into
the Reality Self-Defense gym in Bridgewater. Lauzon got started
in MMA at the gym with Joe Pomfret and recently partnered with
his longtime trainer with plans to expand the gym.
“(Pomfret)
doesnt really have as much time to direct where it’s going
and I’m obviously young and hungry and it’s something
I want to do,” the 23-year-old said. “I think I’m
going to get heavily involved with the school.”
Source: Boston Hearld |
UFC
tackles long-term growth issues
The
success of the Ultimate Fighting Championship over the past three
years has always carried with it one major question: Is this
a long-term sport or a short-term fad?
After
all, when what was essentially an underground sport suddenly
becomes popular based largely on a reality show on a cable station,
it’s easy to question its longevity.
But
as we’ve passed three years, it’s looking more and
more like “fad” is not the right word.
Short-term,
most signs are very strong, particularly on recent pay-per-view
numbers. But are questions that remain before mixed martial arts
can be declared a permanent, significant part of our sports culture.
Can MMA create new headlining stars? And how will the UFC manage
to improve its television profile?
ADVERTISEMENT
On
pay-per-view television, the company’s most important revenue
stream, the last five outings have produced three of the company’s
top 10 shows.
The
run started with the Dec. 29 event with a Wanderlei Silva vs.
Chuck Liddell top match( with a strong No. 2 match with Georges
St. Pierre vs. Matt Hughes); the Feb. 2 show featuring the debut
of Brock Lesnar vs. Frank Mir; and the most recent April 19 show
with St. Pierre vs. Matt Serra. It’s the company’s
best run since late 2006, and that’s throwing in a much-criticized
price increase from $39.95 to $44.95 per show.
This
surge in pay-per-view revenue has come during a time most believe
the country is in recession.
UFC
does not release pay-per-view numbers, but all three events are
believed to have fallen in the range of 525,000-650,000 buys.
Dec. 29 and April 19 both did $5 million in live gates, ranking
No. 3 and No. 2, respectively, in company history.
At
$5.1 million in U.S. dollars, the St. Pierre vs. Serra set the
Canadian record for the largest combat sports live gate in history,
beating the record set by Sugar Ray Leonard vs. Roberto Duran
in 1980.
Another
good sign is that aside from Liddell, who was established as
the company’s biggest star when he beat Randy Couture just
as UFC and Spike TV began their partnership, the company drew
big numbers with new drawing cards.
Lesnar,
who made his name first as a pro wrestler, was in his first UFC
match and the show was marketed as almost a “What if a world
champion pro wrestler fought for real?” type of event. He
garnered more interest for his debut than any fighter in UFC
history. But there are certainly questions whether or not he’ll
be a long-term drawing card.
Was
it a one-time curiosity, or will people be interested in his
second match, on Aug. 9 in Minneapolis, when he faces Mark Coleman,
an aging MMA legend?
UFC
also had the belief that Lesnar drew from a different audience
than they usually attract – specifically, pro wrestling
fans – which again brings into question whether that fan
base will buy a second time.
People
who didn’t see the fight and heard about Lesnar losing in
90 seconds by submission to Mir may now consider Lesnar a joke.
Most who saw the fight would have a different opinion, since
Lesnar, a former NCAA champion heavyweight in college, looked
as impressive as anyone could look in a debut match with a quick
submission loss.
The
raw, athletic talent that some didn’t want to accept because
he came from the entertainment world was clearly evident. Lesnar
made a mistake based on inexperience. Even if UFC is able to
market the match around Lesnar looking for redemption and create
an aura around Coleman’s last shot, this time Lesnar has
to win. If he does draw again, it’s going to be difficult
to promote him in a headline position with two straight losses.
If
Lesnar doesn’t work out, the match was still a success,
because Mir came out with more notoriety and popularity than
at any point in his career. The former champion is now the probable
next challenger for interim heavyweight champion Antonio Rodrigo
Nogueira, in a match that should take place in late 2008.
You
can certainly make a strong case there are more worthy contenders
from a win/loss standpoint than Mir. But barring an injury or
something unforeseen, such as Randy Couture and UFC settling
their legal differences, that win looks to have given Mir a shot
at regaining the title he once held.
The
success of St. Pierre is another strong long-term sign. At the
age of 26, he figures to have significant longevity as a welterweight
champion or leading contender. While Lesnar’s ability to
be a championship-level heavyweight is a major question, St.
Pierre has looked unstoppable and whatever mental questions there
were about him last year were seemingly answered when he withstood
a tremendous amount of pressure in dominating Serra.
Of
course, everyone thought that of St. Pierre in late 2006 after
he beat Hughes for the first time. Then Matt Serra walked in,
knocked St. Pierre out and opened up a whole line of questions
that it seemingly took St. Pierre a year to fully answer.
Short-term
business indicators are also good. The only negative this year
is that while Lesnar did big numbers on pay-per-view, they had
to heavily paper the Mandalay Bay Events Center, drawing barely
7,000 paid.
The
probable answer is that Lesnar drew from the WWE audience, which
is used to buying pay-per-view, but those fans aren’t as
used to coming to Las Vegas and paying UFC ticket prices for
a live event.
Any
worries it was a sign that Las Vegas, the company’s home
market, was burning out have been alleviated since the next show,
on May 24 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, has only a few hundred
tickets left, as does London on June 7.
At
this point, expectations for the July 5 show in Las Vegas is
that the bout between Quinton Jackson vs. Forrest Griffin for
the light heavyweight title will do high-end business. The two
are building the match weekly as opposing coaches on the reality
show, and light heavyweight championship has been the company’s
marquee division largely from the day it was created.
But
there still exists a huge long-term question.
As
strong as the UFC brand name is today, to remain that way, it
needs a television vehicle. Without a television show that draws
a significant audience to pump up the pay-per-view events, interest
in those fights will quickly wane.
The
Ultimate Fighter show has worked in that role up to this point.
But as it starts filming its eighth season in a few weeks, it’s
fare to wonder if the shows format isn’t getting stale.
After all, there are only so many ways to frame 16 fighters in
a house, watching similar training sessions, sound bites and
fights in a gym with no spectators, before it gets stale.
Ratings
have slipped the last few seasons, and the April 30 show hit
a low point with a 0.91 rating and 1.2 million viewers. Whether
the show can ride a few more cycles over the next few years,
it’s television, and thus, it’s guaranteed that it
will not last forever.
Source: Yahoo Sports
|
Dean
Lister's Next Challenge
The
following is courtesy of our content partners, Cagepotato.com
Dean
Lister is in a tough spot. He’s a world class grappler,
an Abu Dhabi champion, and depending on who you talk to, he may
be the best pure jiu-jitsu fighter in the world. Trouble is,
when you carry around a reputation like that it’s hard to
surprise anyone.
Because
Lister’s ground game is so advanced, most of his opponents
will do anything to avoid it. They’d rather force him to
stand and strike – which he admits he’s been less comfortable
with – and rely on providing just enough offense to win.
“It’s
frustrating,” Lister says. “Everyone so far has had
pretty much the same strategy. My last opponent (Jordan Radev)
was supposed to be an Olympic wrestler from Bulgaria. He didn’t
want to go to the ground with me at all. I guess that’s
how a lot of people approach it though, just trying to stay on
their feet no matter what. I don’t look at it as a negative
thing. It’s just how it is.”
The
problem for Lister is that as good as his ground game is, when
he can’t win with it he’s struggled to find other paths
to victory. His recent losses to Nathan Marquardt in the UFC
and to Ricardo Arona in Pride were both the result of decisions,
as were all five of his career defeats.
The
UFC recently announced that Lister will get a chance to avenge
one of his early losses when he takes on Jeremy Horn at The Ultimate
Fighter Finale show in June. The two first faced off in 2003,
when Horn took Lister’s King of the Cage middleweight championship
belt from him with a split decision victory.
“We’re
both different now,” says Lister. “I’m about three
times as experienced as I was back then. I only had like five
fights back then, now I have fifteen. Then again, he’s probably
fought way more than fifteen times since then, the way he goes
“One
thing Jeremy is known for is he’s not afraid to fight on
the ground or on the feet. He’s very well-rounded. I just
think that no matter what happens, it’s going to be an exciting
fight. It doesn’t matter if it’s on the feet or on
the ground – of course everyone knows that I have a preference.”
The
bout with Horn may carry even more significance than a normal
rematch, considering the UFC’s recent roster cuts. Lister
has accomplished almost everything he can in the field of submission
grappling and jiu-jitsu, and says his focus now is on becoming
a great mixed martial artist – not just Tito Ortiz’s
jiu-jitsu coach.
Source: MMA Rated
|
Quote
of the Day
“Painting
is just another way of keeping a diary.”
Pablo Picasso, 1881-1973, Spanish Artist and Painter
|
Hawaii
Fighting Championship
Stand Your Ground IX
Friday,
May 9th
Dole Cannery Ballroom
145
lb Pro MMA Championship Bout
Ryan
Cabinian vs. Ricky Hoku Wallace
“O2 Martial Arts” “Team Icon”
185
lb Pro Championship Bout
Brennan
Kamaka vs. Michael Winklespect
“808 Fight Factory” “Fight Stop”
155
lb Amateur MMA Bout
Matt
Miyaki vs. Nate Quinola
“Team Devastation” “5-O Boxing”
135
lb Amateur MMA Championship Bout
John
Barnard vs. Jesse Thorton
“God’s Army” “Fight Stop”
145
lb Amateur MMA Bout
Ian
Dela Questa vs. Kwang Lee
“5-O Boxing” “Free Lance”
165
lb Amateur MMA Bout
Bronson
Caminos-Kekahuna vs. Michael Ige
“Uprising Fight Team” “Free Lance”
155
lb Amateur MMA Bout
L.
John Borge vs. Richard Augustin
“808 Fight Factory” “Team Makaha”
190
lb Amateur MMA Bout
Guru
Daas vs. Gino Venti
“Team Icon” “808 Fight Factory”
170
lb Amateur MMA Bout
Eddie
Ohio vs. Donavan Andres
“No Remorse” “Team Edwards”
125
lb Amateur Kick Boxing Bout
Angeline
Pereira vs Evette Kinnery
'HMC Wahiawa' '808 Fight Factory'
185
lb Amateur MMA Bout
Kepa
Medeiros vs. Akoni Sexton
“Team Submit” “Free Lance”
170
lb Amateur MMA Bout
Kainoa
Souza vs. Preston Bruski Louis
“Team Devastation” “Bulls Penn”
140
lb Amateur Kick boxing Bout
Tazre
vs. Ashley Kanani Jhun
“Beautiful Bangers” “808 Fight Factory”
110
lb Amateur Championship Bout
Garren
Rabelizsa vs. Nainoa Messiona
“West Side Connection” “808 Fight Factory
|
Ultimate
Championship Breakdown: Sherk vs. Penn
In
just under three weeks, UFC lightweight champion BJ "The
Prodigy" Penn will defend his belt for the first time against
Sean "The Muscle Shark" Sherk. Even though the UFC
would have you believe EVERY fight is one of the biggest in history,
this battle will live up to the hype. Penn is an almost mythical
fighter who seems to have overcome the conditioning problems
that have plagued him in the past. After his destruction of Joe
Stevenson earlier this year, many fans (including me) believe
Penn had finally taken the next step towards cementing his legend.
Sherk himself looked to be on a similar legendary track last
summer after he successfully defended the lightweight title by
beating Hermes Franca. His rise came crashing down after testing
positive for a banned substance. Because of a lengthy suspension,
the UFC stripped him of his title which ultimately went to Penn.
So here we are today; the current champion versus the former
champion who never actually lost his title. While the fight is
still weeks away (sorry gamblers, you'll have to wait for my
predictions) I've already given this fight a lot of thought.
Below are my breakdowns of each fighter, based on the four MMA
principles of wrestling, striking, submissions and conditioning.
Wrestling:
At first glance, it'd be easy to say Sherk has the clear advantage.
While all fighters have practiced the punch-takedown combo, Sherk
has really perfected the technique and has had a lot of success
using it. Just ask Kenny Florian.
Picture
Sherk
may not have the wrestling pedigree that many other UFC fighters
have, but his quick and powerful shot is among the best there
is. While Penn is primarily known for his top notch Brazilian
Jiu-Jitsu, his wrestling defense may be just as good. His balance
and flexibility can give even the best grapplers, fits. He also
has a good mix of trips, throws and wrestling takedowns.
Advantage:
Sherk (but not by much)
Striking:
Neither Penn or Sherk will ever be confused for a boxing or Muay
Thai champion, but both are effective strikers. Penn has an iron
chin and while his technique isn't great, he does pack a lot
of power. Just ask Caol Uno.
Find
more videos like this on BJPENN.COM
Sherk
lacks Penn's power, but he has very good technique and good head
movement. Like BJ, he also has an iron chin. Both are very good
strikers on the ground, but while Sherk usually wears on his
opponents with a combination of short elbows, hammer fists and
punches, BJ can END a fight with big shots from the ground.
Advantage:
Penn
Submissions:
Like wrestling, it'd be easy to say BJ has the clear advantage
at first glance. He is the first non-Brazilian to ever win the
World BJJ Championships at the black belt level, has submitted
numerous opponents in MMA and is widely considered the best submission
fighter in the sport. Sherk has a fair share of submission victories
too, but most of those came against lower tier competition. However,
Sherk has fought and beat several BJJ based fighters including
Nick Diaz, Florian and Franca (that's 3 current BJJ black belts
if you're counting). What Sherk lacks in submission technique,
he often makes up for with his sheer strength, determination
and cardio (more on that later).
Advantage:
Penn
Conditioning:
This is the only area where I believe one fighter has a MAJOR
advantage over the other. For years, Penn seemed to rely solely
on his natural talent and neglected his cardio training. I believe
that's part of the reason why he has such a big fan base. He
looks like his fans, eats like his fans, but has world class
talent that his fans could only dream of. Sherk on the other
hand, is a cardio machine. If you ever watched his UFC: All Access
show, you know the guy trains like an animal and structures his
entire life around fight training. While Penn looked to be in
great shape in his last fight, his conditioning still hasn't
been tested. Sherk has proven time and time again, that his conditioning
is the best in the UFC.
Advantage:
Sherk
So
there you have it; each fighter's advantages and disadvantages
coming into this mega-fight. The great thing about MMA is once
the ref yells "let's get it on!" all the science goes
out the window and anything can happen. The one thing that can't
be measured (heart/determination/will) is what usually determines
the winner and loser.
Source: Seattle PI
|
TEAM
JACKSON CAMP REPORT:
EVANS AND JARDINE PREPARE
Greg Jackson’s team has become one of the premier destinations
for a great number of fighters to reach a championship level
in the sport. With fighters such as Georges St. Pierre, Rashad
Evans, Keith Jardine and many more training under Jackson, the
list of upcoming fights and fighters continues to grow for the
New Mexico based team.
Rashad
Evans Turns His Attention To James Irvin
The
time for disappointment was short when Evans heard that he would
no longer be facing Chuck Liddell in London, England on June
7 as the UFC quickly filled the void with perennial knockout
artist, James Irvin.
Evans
will now turn to his lead trainer, Greg Jackson, to prepare him
for the change of opponents and Chuck Liddell has to nothing
more than an afterthought.
“The
Chuck Liddell fight never existed to me now, it’s all about
James Irvin,” said Jackson in a recent interview with MMAWeekly
Radio. “We have a ton of respect for him and he’s very
dangerous and if we don’t follow the right path then we
can get into trouble, so we’re taking it very seriously.”
The
fight will be featured on the main card of the event with a headliner
between welterweight stand-outs Thiago Alves vs. Matt Hughes.
Jardine
Ready For Dangerous Challenge of Wanderlei Silva
Coming
off of a loss to Chuck Liddell in December, former Pride champion
Wanderlei Silva will look to get back on a winning track against
the last fighter to defeat Liddell in Keith Jardine.
Jardine
hasn’t fought since defeating Liddell last September and
despite a number of rumored bouts, the New Mexico based fighter
will finally return on May 24 to face Silva in what many consider
to be a #1 contender’s bout for the light heavyweight title.
“Wanderlei
Silva is still incredibly dangerous at all times and even, believe
it or not, at all ranges. It’s a huge challenge, and that’s
what we like,” lead trainer Greg Jackson said about the
match-up with Silva. “You get up for the challenges, much
better than the guys that aren’t as dangerous. It puts us
in a good psychological position.”
Joey
Villasenor Looks to Impress Against Baroni on CBS
Stepping
in for an injured Murilo “Ninja” Rua, top Elite XC
middleweight Joey Villasenor jumped at the chance to face off
against MMA bad boy, Phil Baroni, on the debut broadcast of the
CBS/Elite XC Saturday Night Fights show taking place May 31 in
New Jersey.
Villasenor
is coming off of a brutal knockout win over former UFC fighter
Kyle Jensen and having a chance to fight on CBS is just another
great opportunity for the former King of the Cage champion.
Jackson
stated in a recent interview with MMAWeekly Radio that Baroni
always exhibits great wrestling and powerful punches. Villasenor
will obviously also take one step closer to another shot at the
Elite XC middleweight title if he is able to dispatch of Baroni
in their fight.
Nate
Marquardt Travels to London To Face Leites
Coming
off of a submission win over Jeremy Horn in February, Nate Marquardt
returns on June 7 in London to square off against ground wizard,
Thales Leites.
Marquardt
and Leites were supposed to fight back in February, but Leites
had to withdraw due to an injured hand and now back at 100% the
two top 185lbers will face off at UFC 85 instead.
While
both fighters have unbelievable credentials on the ground, it
would seem going in that Marquardt would have a decided edge
standing, but it remains to be seen what gameplan lead trainer
Greg Jackson will implement when matching up against Leites.
News
and Notes from Team Jackson
-
Canadian middleweight David Loiseau has continued to work with
Team Jackson over the past few months and coming off of a win
over Todd Gouwenberg in March, he will travel back to New Mexico
in the next week to start training again for an as of yet unannounced
fight.
-
Damacio Page is currently dealing with a shoulder injury according
to lead trainer Greg Jackson. Page was set to face Yoshiro Maeda
at the upcoming WEC in June, but Maeda got pulled to fight bantamweight
champion, Miguel Torres, in his first title defense. For now,
Page will rehab from his injury while waiting for the WEC to
place him in another bout.
-
Donald Cerrone will fight on the previously mentioned WEC card
against another top lightweight in Rich Crunkilton.
-
Female fighter, Julie Kedzie, will be out of training for at
least 6 weeks after completing PRK surgery (photorefractive keratectomy)
to correct vision problems. She last fought in Battlequest where
she defeated Angela Hayes.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
More
money than meets the eye in the UFC
One
of my passions in life is technology. I’m obsessed with
gizmos and gadgets and am all but in love with my iPhone.
A
friend who knows about my obsession had a computer he wanted
to sell on eBay and asked me what I felt it was worth. He went
to a Web site that showed an estimated street value, one I felt
was considerably too high.
He
argued that his asking price was justified because this web site
was made up of experts and they agreed with him.
True,
I said, but something is only worth what someone else will pay
for it. And when we went to eBay and looked at completed listings
for a computer with specs similar to his, he was shocked. People
were only paying about half of what he thought he could get.
ADVERTISEMENT
And
that same analogy is true when it comes to fighter compensation.
There is a lot of debate in the mixed martial arts media over
what the UFC pays its fighters. It’s easy to take the stance
that the fighters deserve more pay.
Of
course they do. Getting punched in the face or kicked in the
head is about as difficult a profession as one could choose.
You only get paid when you actually compete, meaning an injury
in training — by your or by your opponent — means you’ve
worked two months for free.
So
fighters deserve as much as they can get. I have always and will
always advocate for the athletes in this sport.
But,
when Kalib Starnes split ways with the UFC last week, he called
his deal with the UFC an oppressive contract. He complained about
his pay.
Clearly,
the top UFC fighters don’t make nearly the amount that the
top boxers make. But there is an incorrect perception that the
other UFC fighters are being underpaid compared to boxers of
the same level as well as fighters in the mixed martial arts
community.
So
I called the Nevada Athletic Commission and got the payment verification
sheets for the last two major boxing shows (Bernard Hopkins-Joe
Calzaghe on April 19 and Manny Pacquiao-Juan Manuel Marquez on
March 15) as well as for the last major UFC show in the state,
UFC 81 on Feb. 2.
According
to state records, Hopkins and Calzaghe were each paid $3 million
for their work. The next highest-paid fighter on that card was
Audley Harrison, who made $20,000. There were nine fighters who
made $5,000 or less, including two men, Marcos Mendias and Jermell
Charlo, who made but $1,500.
Pacquiao
made $3 million and Marquez $1 million for their epic rematch,
but there were five fighters of the 14 on that show who made
$3,500 or less.
At
the UFC show, the lowest base pay for any of the 18 fighters
on the card was the $4,000 that Kyle Bradley made.
The
UFC also paid out $60,000 bonuses that night for knockout of
the night, submission of the night and fight of the night. Plus,
most of the fighters had bonuses for winning, so the opportunity
was there for them to double their pay, which was not for the
boxers.
And
several agents, speaking on the condition of anonymity, have
said the UFC occasionally pays its fighters bonuses it chooses
not to announce to the public. These bonuses apparently go to
fighters who perform superbly in a big fight.
Welterweight
champion Georges St. Pierre reportedly received a $500,000 bonus
and a Hummer when he knocked out Matt Hughes at UFC 65 in Sacramento,
Calif.
Additionally,
fighting in the UFC makes an athlete significantly more attractive
to a sponsor. Frank Mir made $85,000 for the logos he wore into
the cage for his fight with Brock Lesnar that night. Had he been
fighting in another organization, there’s zero chance he
would have earned half that in sponsorship money and he likely
wouldn’t have gotten 20 percent as much.
So
Mir that night earned a base pay of $40,000, a win bonus of another
$40,000, a submission of the night bonus of $60,000 and then
hauled in $85,000 in sponsorship dollars.
He’s
not going to be able to retire after that bout, but bringing
in $225,000 for one night’s work isn’t bad at any time,
especially in this economy. A fighter like Chuck Liddell is making
around $6 million a year between his salary and his sponsorships
and was making at least $9 million little more than a year ago.
He was getting $75,000 a month from Xyience and received $1 million
for just two weekends of promoting the movie, “300.”
“The
UFC will pay you if you perform,” said fighter agent Dean
Albrecht, Mir’s agent. “It’s like in the NFL.
They’re not going to rip up your contract after one great
game, but if you perform over a period of time, they’ll
pay you and pay you extremely well. In the UFC, if you go out
and fight and put on a great show, believe me, they pay extremely
well and they can make some of these kids rich.”
Albrecht
said another of his clients, Joe Lauzon, earned $8,000 for his
bout with Kenny Florian earlier this month on Ultimate Fight
Night 13. He would have gotten an $8,000 bonus had he won. Albrecht
conceded the pay was low, but it was mitigated by a $20,000 fight
of the night bonus and $52,000 in sponsorship money Albrecht
negotiated.
He
said if Lauzon had been fighting in a regional promotion, he
would have made $2,000 to show, gotten $2,000 had he won and
may have picked up another $500 in sponsorship. Even in the best
case scenario, then, he would have made less than $5,000.
The
IFL is bleeding money and likely won’t last past its next
show. Elite XC in its most recent SEC report also conceded it
may not have the funds to last the rest of the year. If it’s
not able to pull at least a 2.5 rating on CBS for its May 31
show, it may be in jeopardy of failing.
The
UFC, on the other hand, continues to thrive. It will provide
a place for the fighters to sell their wares long into the future.
There is no other North American-based promotion that can say
that now other than the UFC.
So
while the UFC should bump up the salaries of the fighters up
and down the cards, given the rising merchandise sales, gate
receipts and pay-per-view revenues, you also have to remember
that they’re the only ones who are thriving and can pay
consistently. It’s a two-way street.
With
that, let’s get on to the reader mailbag. My answers to
your questions appear in italics.
KENFLO
FAN
Kenny
Florian’s win over Joe Lauzon has moved him into the upper
echelon of the lightweight class. I feel he should fight on a
pay-per-view card with Roger Huerta, with the winner fighting
the winner of B.J. Penn-Sean Sherk, who meet for the title on
May 24.
Bob
Hudson
Somerville, Mass.
I
wrote essentially that after Florian’s win over Lauzon in
Colorado earlier this month. MMA Weekly reported on Monday that
the fight will happen at UFC 86 in August. It’s good news
and one to look forward to. Florian, by the way, was superb pinch-hitting
as an announcer for Joe Rogan at UFC 83. He’s definitely
got a future as a broadcaster.
INJURY WOES
It
really sucks that Chuck Liddell and Shogun Rua had to pull out
of UFC 85 with injuries. Do you think UFC president Dana White
will wait until they are both healthy and make that fight happen
again later this year? They will both be ready to go about the
same time.
Ryan
Webb
San Bernardino, Calif.
I
do think that fight could happen later this year, but Liddell’s
torn hamstring is very serious and will require a significant
amount of time to heal properly. I wouldn’t expect to see
the Iceman back until the fall.
PREMATURE
STOPPAGES
My
question to you is about stoppages. It seems like some of the
recent UFC PPVs have had some pretty quick stoppages. Clearly
St. Pierre dominated the fight with Matt Serra at UFC 83 and
was going to win, but as I watch and replay the fight over and
over, it doesn’t look convincing that Serra was flat on
his stomach or clearly knocked out. When the fight was stopped,
he looked like he could still go. The Rich Franklin-Travis Lutter
fight was another one. What do you think?
John
Osorio
Long Beach, Calif.
I
don’t like to see a fight stopped early, but the referee
is in the best position to evaluate how much punishment a guy
is taking and how he’s reacting. If he’s not firing
back, has no shot to win and is simply accepting blows without
being knocked out, I’d rather it be stopped one punch too
early rather than one punch too late. Boxers have historically
gotten hurt after taking tremendous punishment over a long period
of time, blows that weren’t enough to knock them out but
were enough to bang their brains against the inside of their
skulls. When someone is prone and taking punches like that, I
think it’s fine if the referee errs on the side of caution.
DAVIS
FAN
I
am a huge Marcus Davis fan. I feel he has fought better talent
than (has) Jon Fitch. How do you feel Marcus ranks?
Lupe
Denver
Davis
is one of the UFC’s most improved fighters and is definitely
in the top 10 welterweights, perhaps the top six. I’d like
to see him fighting guys like Diego Sanchez, Karo Parisyan and
guys like that to see how he handles that level. He’s fighting
Mike Swick at UFC 85. But Davis is fun guy to watch and will
be in the title picture before too much longer.
Source: Yahoo Sports
|
Wand
calls for Galvao
Fighter laments departure of Ninja from EliteXC card
Wanderlei
Silva is in the final phase of training for his fight against
Keith Jardine, set for the 24th of this month. However, the former
Pride champion is not out of touch with what is going on in the
fight world. From Vegas, via blog, Wand laments Murilo Ninja’s
being left off the May 31 EliteXC card, the first MMA event to
be broadcast on network television in the United States. Wand’s
former Chute Boxe companion was injured during training.
“I
was sad for Ninja not being present. I think Baroni would be
a great fight for him and a great opportunity to become better
known in the USA,” wrote Wand.
He
even used the space to suggest a matchup for his friend and Jiu-Jitsu
coach Andre Galvao. “I read Marcelo Garcia will not fight
Nick Diaz (in Dream). They could put Andre Galvao in, as he is
becoming really sharp in MMA and when he was here he was doing
really good in standup. Nothing needs to be said about his groundwork,”
he commented.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Forrest:
“Jacaré has heavy hands”
The
Brazilian Ronaldo Jacaré start at the DREAM middleweight
GP at the better possible way. The rear naked choke at Ian Murphy
putted Jacaré at the next round of the event and now he
waits for the definition of his next opponent. The BJJ world
champion, that now is training at Xtreme Couture, at Las Vegas
, is attracting attention from his teammates with his strong
trains with Forrest Griffin. “I definitely think that he
can do well in that category. Apart from been very strong for
this weight and also for Heavyweight guys, he has heavy hands”,
said Forrest Griffin to TATAME magazine #145, that bring exclusives
shots from Xtreme Couture trains.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Parents
advocate their kids involvement in MMA and are not concerned
about too much violence
Life, social skills are first, then sparring
COCONUT
CREEK - Gina Alvarez ran over to her father for a congratulatory
high-five after beating her cousin, T.J. Vazquez, at the Alex
"Bada" Andrade Mixed Martial Arts Memorial Tournament.
Louis
Alvarez, Steve and Joy Erched, and several other parents sat
along the grappling mats at American Top Team Coconut Creek watching
their kids compete Saturday while several ATT pros, including
Antonio "Big Foot" Silva, worked out in the nearby
practice cage.
Between
kids, parents and coaches, it was hard to figure out who was
enjoying the three-hour tournament more.
"They
are having fun with it," said Steve Erched of Coconut Creek,
a firefighter who has his sons, Stephen, 7, and Joshua, 4, involved
in mixed martial arts. "I am encouraged to see so many kids
out. In the past few years this sport has exploded and really
just taken off.
"It
creates a lot of physical activity from a very young age. It's
a positive environment and culture. Everybody shakes hands after
they compete. They know they win, they know they lose, but the
most important thing they learn from a very young age is you
have to compete in whatever you do in life.
"This
is a positive instead of having them fighting on the streets
or in school. This is a positive way to release energy. They
are just normal kids. It just depends on the perspective. Some
people look at it as, 'What are you doing?'"
Mixed
martial arts came under scrutiny in southwest Missouri for allowing
full-out fighting similar to UFC and other pro events among children
as young as 6 in a converted garage. Medical experts and sports
officials voiced their concern that young bodies can't withstand
the pounding.
ATT
Coconut Creek head instructor Ricardo Liborio, a world champion
in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, is encouraged at the increase in mixed
martial arts at the youth level due largely to the sport's exposure
at the pro level and more academies sprouting up.
Liborio
is not an advocate of young kids getting involved in full-out
mixed martial arts fighting.
"The
kids MMA fighting is too much just like I think it's too much
with boxing and kick boxing for kids," Liborio said. "I
am not a big supporter of the punches in the face or real sparring
for little kids.
"Here
they learn striking, takedowns and ground work, the three components
of what is necessary to know MMA. We are teaching life and social
skills first. After that, when the right time comes, they will
be ready for the sparring."
Gina
Alvarez started mixed martial arts three years ago.
"First
my dad got me involved for self defense because he is a police
officer," said the Coral Springs Charter seventh grader.
"I started getting interested in it more because I like
the sport and I like competing."
Alvarez
was thrilled that she beat her cousin on points.
"A
lot of people think girls can't win because we're girls, but
we can fight boys," said Alvarez, also a cheerleader. "At
first I was scared when my dad asked me to do it, but I love
the sport now.
"This
is a very safe sport because if the trained refs think you are
going too far even, if you don't want to give up, they will stop
the fight because they don't want you to get hurt."
Tom
Malloy, executive director of the Florida Boxing Commission,
said Friday night that amateur MMA sanctioned cards were recently
approved and waiting only for Gov. Charlie Crist's signature.
Florida and 36 other states already sanction pro MMA cards.
Much
like amateur boxing, that has an age range from 8-year-olds and
up, the cards will be closely regulated and monitored by licensed
officials and referees. Malloy said MMA amateurs will be required
to have at least five amateur fights before being allowed to
turn pro.
Source: Florida Sun Sentinel
|
Y!
Top 10: St. Pierre stays put
Georges
St. Pierre put on a mixed martial arts clinic April 19. The Quebec
native spent nearly 10 minutes picking apart Matt Serra before
earning both the victory and the UFC welterweight title in Montreal.
But
it wasn’t enough to earn the top spot in the Yahoo! Sports
Top 10 poll. St. Pierre remains at No. 2, with 153 points, 12
behind leader Anderson Silva.
Silva,
the UFC middleweight champion, received 15 first-place votes,
one second and one fifth. St. Pierre had the other two first-place
votes, 13 seconds and three thirds.
Since
losing to Matt Hughes in October 2004, St. Pierre has all but
cleaned out the competition at 170 pounds. Jason Miller, Frank
Trigg, Sean Sherk, B.J. Penn and Josh Koscheck all went down
to defeat. St. Pierre has avenged his only two career losses,
taking out Hughes twice and downing Serra, suggesting he is a
student of the game who learns from his mistakes.
ADVERTISEMENT
But
as impressive as St. Pierre has been, Silva has been just as
impressive in his seven-fight win streak, all of which have come
by way of KO or TKO. After seeing Silva score a convincing win
over Dan Henderson in March and then GSP run over Serra in April,
none of the balloters changed their first-place votes.
We
would like to welcome two new members to the voting panel: Jose
Rodriguez, who covers MMA for the Calgary Sun, and MMAWeekly.com
reporter Damon Martin. For more info on the panel, go here.
10.
Miguel Torres
Points:
22
Affiliation:
WEC
Weight
class: Bantamweight (WEC bantamweight champion)
Hometown:
E. Chicago, Ind.
Record:
21-1
Last
month’s ranking: 10
Most
recent result: def. Chase Beebe, R1 submission, Feb. 13
Analysis:
Out of all the big upcoming matches, the one getting most overlooked
is Torres’ June 1 title defense against Yoshiro Maeda, who
is replacing an injured Manny Tapia. Maeda (23-4-2), a Pancrase
veteran, won his WEC debut against Charlie Valencia on Feb. 13
with a wicked KO liver kick and is considered one of the world’s
top 135-pounders.
9.
Dan Henderson
Points:
26
Affiliation:
UFC
Weight
class: Light heavyweight/middleweight
Hometown:
Victorville, Calif.
Record:
22-8
Last
month’s ranking: 9
Most
recent result: lost to Anderson Silva, R2 submission, March 1
Analysis:
The latest buzz on Henderson’s future is a potential blockbuster
match with former UFC middleweight champ Rich Franklin, which
could be held at either 185 pounds or 205.
8.
Randy Couture
Points:
50
Affiliation:Under
contract to UFC
Weight
class: Heavyweight
Hometown:
Gresham, Ore.
Record:
16-8
Last
month’s ranking: 8
Most
recent results: def. Gabriel Gonzaga, Round 3 TKO, Aug. 25
Analysis:
Nothing new in Couture’s ongoing legal battle with the UFC.
The Y! poll has a one-year inactivity clause; if Couture doesn’t
fight by Aug. 25, he’ll lose eligibility until he fights
next.
7.
Urijah Faber
Points:
70
Affiliation:
WEC
Weight
class: Featherweight (WEC featherweight champion)
Hometown:
Sacramento, Calif.
Record:
20-1
Last
month’s ranking: 7
2007
results: def. Jeff Curran, submission R2, Dec. 12
Analysis:
Perception is everything. Jens Pulver might not be the toughest
matchup of the Sacramento native’s career. But if Faber
beats the former UFC lightweight champion June 1 in front of
the biggest audience in WEC history, it will up his stock more
than some arguably more impressive wins over other foes.
6.
Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
Points:
78
Affiliation:
UFC
Weight
class: Heavyweight (UFC interim heavyweight champion)
Hometown:
Vitoria da Conquista, Brazil
Record:
31-4-1
Last
month’s ranking: 6
Recent
results: def. Tim Sylvia, R3 submission, Feb. 2
Analysis:
According to Dave Meltzer of Yahoo!, Nogueira and Frank Mir are
expected to be the coaches on The Ultimate Fighter season eight,
which would keep both out of action quite some time.
5.
B.J. Penn
Points:
97
Affiliation:
UFC
Weight
class: Lightweight (UFC lightweight champion)
Hometown:
Hilo, Hawaii
Record:
12-4-1
Last
month’s ranking: 5
Most
recent result: def. Joe Stevenson, R2 submission, Jan. 19.
Analysis:
A victory over former champion Sean Sherk on May 24 would give
Penn three wins in a row since his loss to Matt Hughes at UFC
63. There are those who passionately believe Penn is the world’s
most skilled fighter on a pound-for-pound basis; a solid win
streak would do wonders toward building that argument.
4.
Fedor Emelianenko
Points:
105
Affiliation:
Free agent
Weight
class: Heavyweight
Hometown:
Stary Oskol, Russia
Record:
27-1 (1 no-contest)
Last
month’s ranking: 4
Most
recent result: def. Hong Man-Choi, R1 submission, Dec. 31.
Analysis:
Stop the presses: For the first time since roughly around when
Helio Gracie fought Masahiko Kimura, Fedor will be facing a top-notch
heavyweight, when he fights Tim Sylvia in Dallas on July 19.
And while nothing short of “Fedor is an unstoppable force
and might not in fact be human” ever will satisfy Fedor’s
fans, the fact is that Sylvia’s size and reach advantage
and methodical approach will present Emelianenko with a challenging
style matchup.
3.
Quinton Jackson
Points:
127
Affiliation:
UFC
Weight
class: Light heavyweight (UFC lt. heavyweight champion)
Hometown:
Memphis, Tenn.
Record:
28-6
Last
month’s ranking: 3
Most
recent result: def. Dan Henderson, unanimous decision, Sept.
8
Analysis:
Heading into his July title defense against Forrest Griffin,
Rampage’s votes broke down to two second-place selections,
10 thirds and five placing him from fourth through sixth.
2.
Georges St. Pierre
Points:
153 (two first-place votes)
Affiliation:
UFC
Weight
class: Welterweight (UFC welterweight champion)
Hometown:
Saint-Isidore, Quebec
Record:
16-2
Last
month’s ranking: 2
Most
recent result: def. Matt Serra, R2 TKO, April 19.
Analysis:
So what’s next for GSP? Jon Fitch appears to be the next
foe on the horizon, but insiders are keeping an eye on Thialgo
Alves. Alves, who faces off with Matt Hughes on June 7, already
boasts the best Muay Thai skills in the welterweight division
and could give St. Pierre a solid run for the money if he can
keep the fight standing.
1.
Anderson Silva
Points:
165 (15 first-place votes)
Affiliation:
UFC
Weight
class: Middleweight (UFC middleweight champion)
Hometown:
Curitiba, Brazil
Record:
21-4
Last
month’s ranking: 1
Most
recent result: def. Dan Henderson, R2 submission, March 1
Analysis:
No word yet on the next matchup for Silva, who recently underwent
surgery of an undisclosed nature. And if you ask Silva who he
wants to fight, he’ll tell you he wants to box Roy Jones
Jr., which isn’t happening any time soon.
More
•
Votes for others: Shinya Aoki 9; Narifumi Yamamoto 7; Mauricio
Rua 6; Chuck Liddell, Forrest Griffin 3; Paulo Filho, Jon Fitch,
Matt Lindland 2; Thialgo Silva, Carlos Condit, Matt Hughes, Gilbert
Melendez, Gesias Calvancante 1.
•
Upcoming matches for top-10 fighters: No. 5 B.J. Penn vs. Sean
Sherk, May 24; No. 7 Urijah Faber vs. Jens Pulver, June 1; No.
10 Miguel Torres vs. Yoshiro Maeda, June 1.
Source: Yahoo Sports
|
Quote
of the Day
“Painting
is just another way of keeping a diary.”
Pablo Picasso, 1881-1973, Spanish Artist and Painter
|
Fighters'
Club TV Tonight!
Channel 52, Tuesdays
at 7:00 PM
FCTV episode
58 will run in our normal timeslot of 7pm on Oceanic Channel
52 Olelo Oahu Tuesday nights, March 25, April 1, 8, & 15.
Episode
58 features:
Highlights
from the Pacific Invitational Jiu-Jitsu tournament including:
1. Interview & footage with purple belt heavyweight &
absolute winner, Kelly Grissom
(Relson Gracie Kaneohe Team)
2. Interview with tournament director Ronn Shiraki
3. Highlights & great subs from Jake Scoval & Luke Hacker
from Longman JJ, Dustin
Grace from Kaneohe Team, Lenora from Team HK, Andy Marshall vs.
Dr. Suehiro & many
more...
-HFC
highlights from the Dole Cannery including:
-Interview with fight promoter Sly Kekahuna
-170 lbs HFC champion Keoni Bryant
-Interview with Koa Ramos with highlight of fight with Bryson
Kamaka
-Highlight of Brennan Kamaka in action
Technique
of the Week:
-Mario "Zen Machine" Sperry demonstrates the standing
guard pass
Rob
Demello's report
-Kala Hose vs Phil Baroni fight highlights & inteview with
Kala Hose
-Extended unedited interview with Phil Baroni
Comments,
Questions, and Suggestions to: fctv@onzuka.com
|
HUERTA
PLANS TO WORK AT TEAM JACKSON
The list of fighters who have sought out training and gameplan
master Greg Jackson continues to grow as Ultimate Fighting Championship
lightweight contender, Roger Huerta, is expected to travel to
the camp’s home in New Mexico to help him prepare for his
August match-up against Kenny Florian.
The
news comes from camp leader Greg Jackson himself during an appearance
on MMAWeekly Radio Friday night.
“He’s
a really, really nice guy, great fighter, tons of heart,”
said Jackson about Huerta. “He kind of mentioned that he
would like to come down to New Mexico and try it out. Hopefully
it will help everybody and everybody will win.”
Huerta
saw Jackson’s coaching prowess when working alongside UFC
welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre as he helped out as
a training partner preparing for his bout with Matt Serra.
Now
it appears that Huerta will look to train with top fighters such
as St. Pierre, Rashad Evans, Keith Jardine and others to get
ready for what will likely be a #1 contender’s match against
Florian in August.
Jackson
has proven to be one of the top coaches in all of MMA and Huerta
would be another in a long line of top fighters to work with
the camp.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
PAUL
TAYLOR VS. JESS LIAUDIN ADDED TO UFC 85
Paul Taylor vs. Jess Liaudin has been added to the UFC 85 fight
card that takes place at the O2 Arena in London, England on June
7.
The
rematch was announced via the Ultimate Fighting Championship's
official website, UFC.com.
Taylor
holds a decision victory over the Frenchman, Liaudin, from 2003
where the two European fighters faced off at Cage Rage 2.
Both
combatants are coming off loses and looking to get back on the
winning track, and Liaudin seeking vengeance for the previous
loss.
FIGHT
CARD:
-Matt
Hughes (#3 Welterweight in the World)* vs. Thiago Alves (#9 Welterweight
in the World)*
-Fabricio Werdum (#6 Heavyweight in the World)* vs. Brandon Vera
-Nate Marquardt (#6 Middleweight in the World)* vs. Thales Leites
-Michael Bisping vs. Chris Leben
-Rashad Evans vs. James Irvin
-Marcus Davis vs. Mike Swick
-Martin Kampmann vs. Jorge Rivera
Preliminary
Bouts:
-Paul Kelly vs. Jonathan Goulet
-Ryo Chonan vs. Roan Carneiro
-Thiago Tavares vs. Matt Wiman
-Luis Arthur Cane vs. Jason Lambert
-Jess Liaudin vs. Paul Taylor
-Neil Wain vs. Antoni Hardonk
*
Rankings based on MMAWeekly.com's Worldwide MMA Rankings.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
MMAFighting.com
Fighter of the Week: Savant
Savant
Young, who gained brief notoriety as a member of the IFL’s
now-defunct Tokyo Sabres, put himself on the map as a top ten
featherweight Sunday when he upsetted the highly regarded Takeshi
“Lion” Inoue at the 20th anniversary Shooto event in
Tokyo, Japan.
It
was a much-needed win for Young, who parted ways with the IFL
after two consecutive losses. With little to lose, Young won
a two-round unanimous decision that sets back Inoue's return
to the top. Inoue had been working his way back up the rankings
after a loss to Akitoshi Tamura last May.
Only
two other fighters have defeated Inoue and both have held Shooto
world titles. Will Japan be the new locale for Young to reignite
his career?
Young,
a product of Antonio McKee’s Bodyshop Fitness Team, fought
as a lightweight in the IFL and moved down to featherweight in
order to accept this fight. As a member of the Tokyo Sabres,
Young recorded wins over Adam Lynn and Ed West before suffering
losses to Ryan Schultz and Deividas Taurosevicius.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Tim
Sylvia to fight in September
Opponent still to be defined
Under
contract to the Adrenaline organiztion after leaving the UFC,
Tim Sylvia should return to the ring in September. The information
was passed on by the fighter himself to MMAWeekly. Adrenaline
is an organization led by Monte Cox and came about after he separated
from the now defunct M-1 Global organization.
According
to Cox, another who will be in action on September 6th will be
heavyweight Ben Rothwell, who has had a successful campaign in
the IFL. According to the director, the objective is to promote
bouts between the best fighters, regardless of the organization
to which they belong, thus making a bout between Sylvia and Fedor
Emelianenko in July possible in the organization under the name
Affliction.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Southwest
Scene: Cain is Able
There's
no buzz like heavyweight buzz.
Cain
Velasquez's UFC debut in Montreal drew a considerable amount
of press for an undercard bout.
The
reason? The UFC's heavyweight division is in need of youthful
prospects to bulk up its ranks, and Velasquez fits the bill:
All American wrestling honors at a major D-1 university plus
two years of training at American Kickboxing Academy.
The
jump to MMA was a carefully crafted career move that Velasquez
had been contemplating since his junior year at Arizona State
University. College wrestling coach Tom Ortiz had a simple plan
and some San Jose connections for Velasquez.
"He
told me get done with wrestling, get done with school and I will
figure something out for you," Velasquez recalled. "I
have always known that I wanted to fight. Even while wrestling
in college, I told my coach, Tom Ortiz, that when I was finished
wrestling that I wanted to fight. Wrestling was fun, but something
was always missing and something inside of me always wanted to
hit people."
Ortiz
and MMA agent DeWayne Zinkin arranged for Velasquez to fly to
the Bay area and try out at AKA after he had graduated. Under
the tutelage of trainers Bob Cook and Javier Mendez, Velasquez's
raw athletic talents have since been transformed into an MMA-ready
skill set.
Now
the 25-year-old heavyweight, who has just three professional
fights to his credit, is excited to be on a regular fight schedule
that will allow him to showcase the talent that may become the
future of the UFC heavyweight division.
"I
want to get back in the cage as soon as possible -- whenever
I can get another fight," Velasquez said. "Right now
I am headed back into the gym to train. That's all I am going
to do is train."
The
Cowboy and the Cage
WEC
lightweight Donald Cerrone is training for his June 1 bout against
Richard Crunkilton. Coming off an eight-month suspension by the
Nevada State Athletic Commission for testing positive for the
diuretic Hydrochlorothiazide, Cerrone is eager to fight the former
WEC lightweight title hopeful.
"I'm
excited that I'm matched up with a tough opponent. That way I
can gauge where my skill level is now," said Cerrone, a
bull rider turned MMA fighter who currently resides in a dorm
room located just above the Team Greg Jackson gym in Albuquerque,
N.M.
Painting
his long layoff in a positive light, Cerrone said he used the
time for self-reflection and personal improvement.
"Looking
at it now, it gave me time to reflect on everything I was lacking,"
he said. "There were a lot of things I needed to work on
with myself and within the sport. It was kind of a blessing in
disguise. I'm glad we have a commission that won't allow people
to do these types of things in our sport."
The
muay Thai fighter, who is 7-0 with seven submission wins, is
not nicknamed "Cowboy" for nothing. Cerrone chose MMA
as his occupation, but his eyes light up when you talk about
his other passion: bull riding.
He
downplays comparing the adrenaline rush you get from bull riding
to that of MMA, though he does draw from his cowboy life to put
prefight jitters into context.
"The
bull is literally trying to kill you," Cerrone explained.
"That is 1,900 pounds of raw, mean, animal. It's different,
but the nerves are the same. When you're sitting on a bull and
its muscles are twitching, ready to be released -- it knows what
it wants to do. The same thing happens when you're standing across
the cage with somebody. Your emotions are the same."
Waterson
to EliteXC
Team
Jackson fighter Michelle Waterson recently signed a six-fight
deal with EliteXC, bolstering the promotion's women's division.
Don't expect her to be matched up against Gina Carano or Tonya
Evinger anytime soon, though.
"Most
of the girls who fight for EliteXC are out of my weight class,"
said Waterson, who is coming off a decision loss in the standup
promotion XFA and holds a 2-2 record in her young MMA career.
"There is a small amount of girls who fight at 105 or 115.
There is a list of girls I want to fight, but it's up to coach.
He knows best."
With
the heightened expectations that come with fighting for a bigger
promotion, Waterson has surrounded herself with the right group
of people to manage her career. Moving to Albuquerque has proven
to be the best decision she could make after her stint on the
reality show "Fight Girls."
She
recalls the exact moment when she turned from ex-reality show
contestant into Jackson's submission fighting teammate. Following
weeks of her body adjusting to the rigors of training, an unexpected
broken nose helped Waterson turn the corner on her mental approach
to MMA.
"Within
the first month I was here, I gotten broken down and I would
almost doubt myself as a fighter," she said. "Coach
Jackson pulled me into his office because he could tell that
something was wrong with me. I told him I really want to be here
and I really want to be a fighter, but I don't know if I'm tough
enough.
"He
told me if I wasn't tough enough, I wouldn't be here in the first
place. ‘You're working out with the best in the world and
you're here for a reason.' At that point I knew I belonged."
Source: Sherdog
|
UFC
champions Nogueira, Silva partnering on fight academy in downtown
Miami
UFC
champions Antonio "Minotauro" Nogueira and Anderson
"Spider" Silva of Brazil have moved to South Florida
to open a mixed martial arts academy in downtown Miami.
Nogueira
and Silva Mixed Martial Arts Academy is the first academy headed
by two current UFC champions. The pair plan on training together,
giving seminars and teaching adults and children of all ages
and ability levels.
Like
they do in Brazil, the academy's pro fighters will also work
with underprivileged children, ages 4-14. In Brazil, Nogueira
works with 160 kids, he said.
Nogueira,
31, is the only man to hold the UFC and PRIDE Fighting heavyweight
titles simultaneously. At UFC 81 he knocked off 6-foot-8, 260-pound
slugger Tim Sylvia for the title. The Brazilian jiu-jitsu black
belt took Sylvia down and moments later forced him to submit
using a deep guillotine anaconda choke.
Silva
has beaten everyone in the UFC middleweight division. Silva,
a dangerous striker, showed off his jiu-jitsu at UFC 82, submitting
former PRIDE middleweight champion Dan Henderson with a rear
naked choke in the second round. It was Silva's third defense
of his UFC belt. Silva hasn't been forced to a third round since
2004.
The
longtime friends and training partners, who already have academies
in Brazil and Dallas, said the timing is right to come to South
Florida.
"The
sport is growing here now and is a hotbed for mixed martial arts.
… Big things are growing here," Nogueira said. "This
has been a dream to open an academy together here.
"This
is a good area and the weather is very good. In Miami, you can
walk in the street and see people. It's like Brazil. This is
the right time and right place. This is the biggest time right
now, in America, for this sport."
The
15,000 square-foot academy includes a training cage and is located
inside Johnny Rock Fitness at 90 SW 8th St., off Brickell Avenue.
Nogueira, whose mother and sister live in Pompano Beach, will
call Miami his second home. He plans on buying a condo close
to the academy where he also plans to train for his fights.
Nogueira
said his next fight may be in August against an opponent still
to be determined.
The
academy's grand opening and open house is set for May 16. Nogueira,
Silva and other instructors will conduct a seminar, What It Takes
To Be A Champion on May 17 at 2 p.m.
South
American champion Daniel Valverde, a black belt in Brazilian
jiu-jitsu and judo will also be part of the coaching staff. Valverde
has been working with Nogueira at The Fight Club. Nogueira's
twin brother, Antonio Rogerio, is expected to join him next summer.
For information call Juliana Nogueira at 305-200-2789.
Source: Florida Sun Sentinel
|
Quote
of the Day
“No
one is perfect... that's why pencils have erasers.”
Source Unknown
|
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!
|
X-1
World Events presents "Legends"
Friday
, May 16th at Neil Blaisdell Arena 7 30pm
Tickets
on sale at Blaisdell Box Office,all Times Super
Market locations,Ticketmaster.com or call 1-877-750-4400
Ticket
discount Children 12 and under and Military.
Infants on lap are free. Prices starting at $25
This event will be shown LIVE on pay pre view on channel 260
and in HD channel 1260. Time 7:30pm and replay at 10:30pm. Also
Saturday at 7:00 pm. (Oceanic Cable)
To
see the past X-1 events on Video on Demand. Channel 221 Oceanic
Cable.
More
info at X1events.com , mmahawaii.com , onzuka.com
185
Hans Marrero vs Egan Inoue
Team Marrero Grappling Unlimited
155
lightweight title
Ray"Bradda"Cooper vs "Sugar" Shane Nelson
Freelance BJ Penn MMA
170
welterweight title
Brandon Wolff vs Chad"the grinder"Reiner
Team MMAD Southwest mixed martial arts
170
Michael Brightmon vs Kolo Koka
Gorila House Team MMAD
170
Dylan Clay vs Ronald"the machine gun Jhun
brazilian freestyle jiu jitsu 808 Fight Factory
135
featherweight title
Albert Manners vs Kana"the riot"Hyatt
BJ Penn MMA Eastsidaz
170 (Amatuer) title
John Visante vs Sean Sakata
Team Sit U Down No Remorse
145
Brandon Visher vs Danny Steele
Maui boxing club Team Steele
140
Tony Giraldi vs TBA
Giraldi muay thai
Source: MMA Weekly |
ELITEXC
ANNOUNCES JUNE 14 FIGHT CARD
EliteXC announced Neal S. Blaisdell Arena in Honolulu to be the
location of their June 14 event headlined by EliteXC lightweight
title-bout between champion KJ Noons and Yves Edwards.
"The
June 14 EliteXC Hawaii card is going to be KJ Noons defending
his title against Yves Edwards," EliteXC Vice President,
Jared Shaw, told MMAWeekly's SoundOff Radio. "Nick Diaz
will be fighting Muhsin Corbbrey of ShoXC fame. Murilo "Ninja"
Rua will fight Tony Bonello."
Shaw
continued, "You'll see the television debut and the return
of Rafael Feijao. I've only seen him once, so I don't like to
say too much ahead of time, but I'm ultra-impressed with him.
He's probably going to fight Wayne Cole, who is going to drop
down to light heavyweight. EliteXC's top heavyweight prospect,
Dave Herman is going to take on Ron Waterman. It's going to be
a tremendous card."
FIGHT
CARD:
-KJ Noons vs. Yves Edwards
-Nick Diaz vs. Muhsin Corbbrey
-Murilo 'Ninja' Rua vs. Tony Bonello
-Rafael Feijao vs. Wayne Cole
-Dave Herman vs. Ron Waterman
Source: MMA Weekly
|
TIM
SYLVIA TO HEAD ADRENALINE 2 IN SEPTEMBER
Although the debut of fledging mixed martial arts promotion Adrenaline
won’t take place until June 14, the promotion’s president
and CEO, Monte Cox, already has plans for a follow-up event.
“My
next show for Adrenaline will be Sept. 6 and that's going to
be at the i wireless Center in Moline, Ill.,” said Cox.
The
i wireless Center is a 12,000-seat multi-purposed facility that
is home to both a minor league hockey team and an arena football
team.
“That's
basically the Quad Cities, home of the Miletich Fighting Systems,”
Cox continued. “That show will include Tim Sylvia and Ben
Rothwell.”
Adrenaline
is the end product of the dissolution of the original M-1 Global
partnership that was planning on building around Fedor Emelianenko,
highly regarded as the No. 1 heavyweight fighter in the world.
Following
the separation between the business factions behind M-1 Global,
Adrenaline moved forward without Emelianenko, immediately signing
former Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight titleholder
Tim Sylvia.
Sylvia
and Rothwell also happen to be managed by Cox.
Adrenaline
held off on utilizing Sylvia – who is under a non-exclusive
contract with the promotion - for its June 14 event, instead
opting to allow him to face Emelianenko. The heavyweight bout
is expected to headline a July event operated by popular clothing
company Affliction.
“We
signed Tim Sylvia to Adrenaline. That's a great sign for us.
Then the Affliction thing comes along, what am I supposed to
do? Tell Tim that he can't fight the No. 1 fighter in the world
in one of the biggest fights ever?” said Cox of the decision
to allow Sylvia to fight for another promoter. “I'm not
gonna tell him that. Why, just because I have a contract for
him to fight for Adrenaline?
“We're
not going to do that stuff. If there are better fights out there
that they have a chance to fight in and they want to do them
and we want them to do them. Then that's what we're going to
do, we're going to fight outside of our own event.”
No
opponent has been named for either Sylvia or Rothwell for the
Sept. 6 Adrenaline event.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
SHOOTO
20TH ANNIVERSARY RESULTS
Professional Shooto returned with the start of its 20th anniversary
series appropriately titled ‘Shooto Tradition”. A new
champion was crowned while two top named fighters faltered.
In
the main event, Shooto Welterweight Pac-Rim Champion Takashi
Nakakura added the vacant Shooto World Welterweight title to
his collection with a unanimous decision victory over the always
tough Ganjo Tentsuku. The 154-pound belt was previously vacated
by Tatsuya Kawajiri.
Nakakura
started the match very relaxed, unafraid of Tentsuku’s proclivity
for pressuring and brawling. The newly crowned champion kept
his guard low as he countered his opponent with left jabs and
low kicks. Nakakura utilized his jab well to keep Tentsuku at
bay. The latter rounds mimicked the first with Nakakura landing
stinging jabs. After three rounds, Takashi Nakakura was awarded
a unanimous decision and the vacant title.
Former
Pride standout Hayato “Mach” Sakurai tasted defeat
for the first time since losing to Takanori Gomi back in 2005.
Frenchman David Baron submitted Sakurai with a guillotine choke
near the end of the opening round. A careless takedown attempt
allowed Baron to pull off one of two big upsets of the evening.
Akitoshi
Tamura rebounded after losing his 143-pound belt to Hideki Kadowaki
back in March. Tamura defeated Rumina Sato in what was easily
the fight of the night.
Tamura
attempted to feel his opponent out early with leg kicks while
Sato threw left and right hooks without hesitation. Tamura took
Sato down about a minute into the first round, eventually controlling
his back and dictating the action from there. Sato defended Tamura’s
rear naked choke attempts well.
Round
two saw a more aggressive Sato; unleashing a barrage of strikes
and knees before taking his opponent down for some ground-n-pound.
Sato stayed in Tamura’s guard, throwing punches while avoiding
submission attempts. Doctors stopped the action midway to check
on Tamura’s swelled right eye; the two tangled for a brief
but exciting exchange after Tamura was cleared. The round finished
with the former champion in Sato’s guard.
Sato
landed a spinning side kick to begin the final round. After a
brief scuffle, Tamura dropped the “Moon Wolf” with
a right high kick. Sato was able to survive the barrage of punches
that followed and countered with an inverse triangle choke. Tamura
eventually escaped the hold and transitioned into the fight winning
north-south choke.
In
the other upset of the night, former Shooto 143-pound Champion
“Lion” Takeshi Inoue lost a unanimous decision to Trenell
“Savant” Young in class-B action. Young threw hard
lead hooks to the head and body of his opponent while Inoue pushed
the pace. “Lion” was able to take Young towards the
end of the opening round.
Both
fighters were more aggressive in the second and final round.
With about two minutes remaining, “Savant” secured
a really tight guillotine choke. As the effects of the hold began
to take place, Inoue dove threw the ropes with Young still holding
on. Young continued to hold the guillotine for more than ten
seconds after going through the ropes; the refs broke the hold
with Inoue momentarily, but clearly unconscious.
In
a controversial move, the fighters were restarted in the middle
of the ring. The two fighters finished the match with a few clinches
and exchanges. In the end “Savant” Young was awarded
the unanimous decision.
RESULTS:
Takashi
Nakakura def. Ganjo Tentsuku by decision
David Baron def. Hayato Sakurai by submission (Guillontine Choke)
R1
Akitoshi Tamura def. Rumin Sato by submission (North-South Choke)
at 2:37, R3
Savant Young def. Takeshi Inoue by Decision
Ryuich Miki vs. Yasuhiro Urushitani ended in a Draw (30-28, 28-28,
28-28)
Yusuke Endo def. Vince Ortiz by submission (Rear-Naked Choke)
at3:34, R1
Bendy Casimir def. Shinji Sasaki by Unanimous Decision (30-27,
30-29, 29-28)
Shinpei Tahara def. Katsuya Murofushi by TKO (Doctor Stoppage)
at 0:46, R2
Hayate Usui def. Sakae Kasuya by Majority Decision (20-19, 19-19,
20-18)
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Jake
O'Brien moves on to PFC
Jake
O'Brien, a heavyweight recently released by the UFC, has signed
with the Palace Fighting Championship promotion.
O'Brien
(10-1) was let go by the UFC after an unspectacular performance
in March against Andrei Arlovski at UFC 82. But prior to his
first career loss, O'Brien won three straight in the Octagon.
"We
are very excited to bring in one of the most promising young
heavyweights in the country," PFC President Christian Printup
said. "He’s proven himself at the sports highest level.
He beat Heath Herring."
O'Brien
will debut with the Lemoore, California-based organization on
July 17.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
MMAFighting.com's
Top 10 MMA Rankings - May 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
Notable: Ben Rothwell
LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHTS
1.
Quinton "Rampage" Jackson
2. Chuck Liddell
3. Forrest Griffin
4. Wanderlei Silva
5. Mauricio "Shogun" Rua
6. Keith Jardine
7. Lyoto Machida
8. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira
9. Tito Ortiz
10. Rashad Evans
Notable: Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou
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
Notable: Jorge Santiago
WELTERWEIGHTS
1.
Georges St. Pierre
2. Matt Hughes
3. Jon Fitch
4. Josh Koscheck
5. Diego Sanchez
6. Jake Shields
7. Thiago Alves
8. Karo Parisyan
9. Carlos Condit
10. Matt Serra
Notable: Nick Thompson
LIGHTWEIGHTS
1.
BJ Penn
2. Takanori Gomi
3. Sean Sherk
4. Mitsuhiro Ishida
5. Gilbert Melendez
6. Tatsuya Kawajiri
7. Shinya Aoki
8. Gesias "JZ" Calvancanti
9. Joe Stevenson
10. Kenny Florian
Notable: Vitor "Shaolin" Ribeiro
FEATHERWEIGHTS
1.
Urijah Faber
2. Akitoshi Tamura
3. Takeshi Inoue
4. Hideki Kadowaki
5 . Leonard Garcia
6 . Hiroyuki Takaya
7. Masakazu Imanari
8. Yoshiro Maeda
9. Jeff Curran
10. Antonio Carvalho
Notable: Hatsu Hioki
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Pitbull
unafraid of Hughes
“I’ll only leave if I’m dead”
Always
the hard worker, Thiago Pitbull has been started pushing himself
once again to face the greatest challenge of his career, set
for June 7th, in London, at UFC 85. After dispatching Karo Parisyan
with a knee at UFN 13, the Brazilian was granted by his boss
Dana White the credentials of being the second challenger to
the title, after John Fitch.
Thus
the ATT athlete is being put to face yet another bruiser who
this time happens to be one of the biggest names in UFC history:
Matt Hughes. The wrestler, who is coming off a loss to current
champion Georges Saint-Pierre at UFC 79, wants to go back to
the days when he dominated the welterweight category.
Even
so, Pitbull is not intimidated, and in a talk with GRACIEMAG.com
affirms that he is the perfect adversary to take him to his objective:
the belt.
“I’m
training like mad and I’m really strong with a lot of wind.
MMA demands a lot of effort and training to not leave anything
to chance. We brought in some wrestlers to train and we’re
putting together the right strategy for the fight. To me, experience
is what counts. Hughes is already in the UFC Hall of Fame and
has only lost to Saint-Pierre. But I’ve been doing this
since I was 15 in muay thai and MMA. I can’t be satisfied
being just another one, I want to be the best and I’ll only
leave dead. They were giving me ever tougher opponents each time
and now they send in Matt, but the name doesn’t matter,
I’m taking this win for the ATT,” Thiago guaranteed.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Shaolin
comments Gesias vs. Aoki
While
he waits for offers to return to the rings, the BJJ champion
and ex Shooto and Cage Rage champion Vitor Shaolin Ribeiro, is
keeping an eye on the DREAM lightweight GP. The Nova União
black belt follow Gesias Cavalcante vs. Shinya Aoki, that was
hold at 29th April at , and exclusively commented to TATAME.
Aoki
made the only one game that would be successful. He made a nice
strategy and made a bind game. Gesias looks different and didn’t
go to the fight as he used to. Maybe it wasn’t his day and
it was Aoki’s, but Gesias had the chance to defeat him in
the first round, but the Japanese put up with Gesias blows. We
can not take out Aoki’s merits, he knew how to defeat Gesias”,
said Shaolin, that believes in another bout between both. “Gesias
until is the first at the ranking in my opinion and should have
another fight between both, as happens at ”, said Shaolin.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Quote
of the Day
"Show
class, have pride, and display character. If you do, winning
takes care of itself."
Paul "Bear" Bryant, 1913-1983, American Football Coach
|
Nick
Diaz, Jason
'Mayhem' Miller
added to DREAM.3
Nick Diaz and Jason "Mayhem" Miller will join the DREAM.3
card on Sunday, May 11 at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama,
Japan.
Diaz
(15-7) will take on Pancrase star Katsuya Inoue (16-5-3) in a
bout with a weight limit of 167.6 pounds. Diaz hasn't fought
since Nov. 2007, when he lost an EliteXC title bout via doctor
stoppage to KJ
Noons.
He also has another fight lined up with EliteXC on June 14 against
Muhsin Corbbrey in Hawaii.
Miller
(20-5) will fight pro wrestler Katsuyori Shibata (2-3) in a middleweight
bout. Miller has been bouncing around lately from promotion to
promotion, as this DREAM appearance will be his fourth straight
fight with a different organization.
DREAM.3
Lightweight Grand Prix 2nd Round
-
Tatsuya Kawajiri vs. Luis "Buscape" Firmino
- Caol Uno vs. Mitsuhiro Ishida
- Joachim Hansen vs. Eddie Alvarez
- Katsuhiko Nagata vs. Shinya Aoki (if he is medically cleared)
Other
Bouts
-
Jason "Mayhem" Miller vs. Katsuyori Shibata
- Melvin Manhoef vs. Dae Won Kim
- Nick Diaz vs. Katsuya Inoue
- Daisuke Nakamura vs. Jung Buk Yung
Source: MMA Fighting
|
WANDERLEI
STRENGTH COACH PREPARING FOR JARDINE
by Ivan Canello
MMAWeekly’s Ivan Canello recently caught up with Wanderlei
Silva’s personal strength and conditioning trainer, Rafael
Alejarra. Besides Silva, he has or does also train the likes
of Antonio Rodrigo and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, Ronaldo “Jacare”
Souza, Robert Drysdale, an Phil Baroni, among others.
Alejarra
discussed the recent performance of Jacare at the DREAM Middleweight
Grand Prix, where he won his opening round bout, Silva’s
upcoming fight with Keith Jardine at UFC 84, training mixed martial
artists, and more.
MMAWeekly.com:
What did you think about the Jacare’s fight in the DREAM
Middleweight Grand Prix?
Rafael
Alejarra: I think Jacare is a complete athlete, even without
too much experience in big events. But I am sure that he came
to stay. About the fight, everything went exactly how we predicted.
Thanks to God, Jacare was strong, explosive and with his technique
at a very high level. Because of this, it happened exactly the
way we wanted.
MMAWeekly:
How was the preparation? Was there anything special to this fight
since the opponent changed a few days before the fight?
Alejarra:
No, in fact, we don't train for this or that opponent. We train
for any kind of opponent, and we had to be well prepared for
all situations possible in one fight. Fortunately, we had a positive
result.
MMAWeekly:
Will Jacare keep the relationship going with you and during Wanderlei’s
training?
Alejarra:
Yes, he’ll go to Brazil to see his girlfriend and soon he
will come to Vegas and will join us to start the training again
and help Wanderlei for his next fight.
MMAWeekly:
Talking about Wanderlei, he is going to face a bigger opponent
on May 24 in Keith Jardine, maybe a stronger opponent. How do
you see that?
Alejarra:
To be honest, Jardine is taller, but I don't think he is stronger
than Wanderlei. When a fighter is bigger, it doesn't always mean
that he is stronger. Wanderlei has good training partners and
some excellent sparring, some of them even taller then Jardine.
We have planned well.
MMAWeekly:
Some time ago, we heard that Wanderlei could drop weight and
fight at 185 pounds, is this a possibility?
Alejarra:
We are waiting for the natural process. We cannot say anything
about that yet.
MMAWeekly:
The MMA media has been talking about you training several MMA
athletes. Who are the athletes that are working with you?
Alejarra:
I am training Phil Baroni, Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza,
Robert Drysdale, and soon I will start Gabriel “Napao”
Gonzaga’s workout, and of course Wanderlei’s preparation,
which is the reason for everything that has happened in my career.
MMAWeekly:
The workout for MMA is getting more and more scientific and some
new coaches are entering the sport. What do you think is necessary
to be a good conditioning coach, to be better than the others?
Alejarra:
He will need to study every single day, open his eyes to new
techniques and, on top of this, search new ways of training.
Even if the training looks odd in the beginning, if they use
scientific fundamentals, it will be efficient in MMA. All the
training must have, besides the practical, the physiological
basis.
MMAWeekly:
You have been in Cuba recently and in a few weeks you are going
to Russia. How was it in Cuba and how did you decide to go to
Russia?
Alejarra:
Wanderlei is always searching for the best training, and by that
he wants the best for me. So he said to me that I will always
travel to places where I can learn something to add on to his
training. I am very happy to have a boss like him. By that, I
have the opportunity to grow as a sport scientist.
Today,
I am studying a new training called HIPOXIA, which consist in
a few words in a hard training with low demand of oxygen. This
kind of training is developed in other sports and I am bringing
it to MMA. It’s a very hard type of training because the
athlete must tolerate a huge quantity of lactic acid in the blood.
I
have made some tests with Wanderlei and brought it to Brazil
and presented to a board with Masters of Exercise Biochemistry
and the results of the study were that the athlete had a great
increase in conditioning of the aerobic and anaerobic (energy
systems).
MMAWeekly:
Recently you started a new website. Do you plan to use this website
to be in touch with athletes, trainers and fans?
Alejarra:
Of course, the website is to spread the basis of training in
MMA and also to be in contact with athletes, trainers and MMA
fans. It will be a honor to talk to everyone. I will try to respond
as fast as I can. Please visit www.mmaconditioning.net and feel
free to send me messages.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Worlds
pre-schedule set
The International Jiu-Jitsu Federation released the pre-schedule
for the Worlds, which is as follows:
Thursday
– 6/5
Beginners International
Men’s Adult White belt
Women’s Adult White belt
Master White belt
Jiu-Jitsu
Worlds
Men’s and Women’s Youth Blue belt
Men’s and Women’s Adult Blue belt
Youth Absolute Blue belt
Friday
6/6
Men’s adult blue
Men’s and Women’s adult purple
Adult brown
Adult absolute brown
Saturday
– 6/7
Adult absolute blue
Adult brown
Adult absolute purple
Women’s brown/black
Adult black
Women’s adult brown/black
Adult absolute black
Sunday
– 6/8
Adult black
Women’s brown/black
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Mousasi
Wants Manhoef in Dream GP
by Tim Leidecker
Despite
a 20-2-1 record, Gegard Mousasi (Pictures) was a heavy underdog
going into Tuesday's fight with Denis Kang (Pictures) in the
Dream middleweight grand prix. After his first-round submission
win over the Canadian veteran, one can definitely say the role
was not justified.
Here
the well-rounded 22-year-old from Armenia reviews the fight and
gives his outlook on the next round of the grand prix:
Sherdog.com:
How do you feel after this big win?
Gegard Mousasi (Pictures): I feel great! It has given me a lot
of confidence to beat a top-ranked opponent like Denis Kang (Pictures).
Sherdog:
Did you have the impression that Kang was reluctant to stand
up with you?
Mousasi: No, but he took me out of my game plan, because he came
in with punches while I was worried that he would be looking
for the takedown right away. So then I thought I can be more
aggressive with my punches and kicks and that was when he was
able to take me down.
Sherdog.com:
Once on the ground, you remained very calm, even with him in
half guard. Did you train this position a lot, knowing that you
might be in such a situation in the fight?
Mousasi: This was nothing special because I felt that I was physically
stronger than him and he wasn't doing any damage, so I stayed
calm and waited for an opportunity to reverse him or stand back
up.
Sherdog.com:
Were you in danger of being submitted at any point when he had
the kimura?
Mousasi: No, not at all. Otherwise I would have been busier when
he had my arm.
Sherdog.com:
Many fans who saw the fight claim that Kang jumped right into
the triangle choke and made it far too easy for you. What do
you reply to those critics?
Mousasi: They should watch the fight again. When he stood up
out of my guard, I kicked him a couple times and that made him
want to come down again. I then grabbed one of his feet and pulled
on it, which took a little bit of his balance away. Then he wanted
to strike me with those hammer fists, but if you watch closely,
you will see that I dodged those punches before securing the
triangle choke. I also kept his hand in control, so he wouldn't
be able to pull it out.
Sherdog.com:
Sakuraba, Tamura, Yoon, Galesic, Kin and Jacaré all progressed
to the next round. Who has impressed you the most in their fight?
Mousasi: I haven't been able to see all of the other fights yet,
but Galesic is a nice guy and showed a great armbar even though
that is not his specialty. Jacaré was also impressive,
but I have to see more of his fights before I can give you a
final verdict on him. Props to Ian Murphy (Pictures) for taking
the fight on a two-week notice and making his MMA debut against
a guy like Jacaré though.
Sherdog.com:
What is your opinion about Melvin Manhoef (Pictures) most likely
getting the opportunity to move up to the quarterfinals with
a win on May 11?
Mousasi: If he does, I would love to fight him next. His fighting
style suits me well, and it would be a very exciting fight.
Sherdog.com:
Anything else you'd like to get off your chest?
Mousasi: I hear that a lot of people on the Internet are now
talking bad about Denis Kang. If they are brave enough to badmouth
a professional fighter, why don't these keyboard warriors come
out behind their computer and get in the ring themselves to prove
how tough they are? I also want to thank Jesus, my friends and
family for their help and continuous support.
Source: Sherdog
|
Anderson
Silva, the most dangerous man in the world?
By Guilherme Cruz
The Brazilian Anderson Silva is in good spirits at . After defeat
the Pride Champion, Dan Henderson, and defend for the fourth
time the UFC middleweight belt, Anderson is been nominated for
a possible fight against the world Boxing champion Roy Jones
Jr.. The American website Spike TV is doing a voting at many
categories as hottest girl, player of the year and, the first
question of the voting is: “most dangerous man?”. The
UFC champion is competing, for this time outside the cage, against
a tough opponent, the currently IBF, WBO, and IBO world heavyweight
Boxing champion, the Ukrainian Wladimir Klitschko. Go there (cliquing
HERE)
and vote for the most dangerous man in the world.
Source: Tatame
|
CBS
Executive Chairman says EliteXC not 'socially responsible'
CBS Executive Chairman Sumner Redstone is not a fan of CBS President
and CEO Les Moonves decision to bring EliteXC to CBS.
According
to a report on the Hollywood Reporter, Redstone called the decision
to air mixed martial arts on free TV not "socially responsible."
Redstone
said Moonves typically asks him for his opinion but didn't when
it came to the CBS-EliteXC "Saturday Night Fights"
deal.
Even
without the support of Redstone, "Saturday Night Fights"
will proceed with its premiere on May 31 live from the Prudential
Center in Newark, New Jersey.
MAIN
CARD:
Kimbo
Slice vs. James Thompson
Robbie Lawler vs. Scott Smith
Gina Carano vs. Kaitlin Young
Phil Baroni vs. Joey Villasenor
Brett Rogers vs. Jon Murphy
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Bustamante
and Milton Vieira in GFC
Main event of the night is Randleman and Monson
After nearly five years fighting in Japan, BTT leader Murilo
Bustamante will be back competing in the land where he was crowned
champion, the United States. Former holder of the UFC middleweight
belt, the black belt will fight in the Global Fighting Championship
promotion Godz of War, on June 21st, in North Carolina.
Busta’s
adversary will be American Team Quest member Josh Haynes, who
is coming off a win over Leopoldo Serão at the IFL. Murilo
has not fought since December of 2007, when he lost a split decision
to Makoto Takimoto at Yarennoka.
One
to also participate in the show is also-BTT member Miltinho Vieira,
who will face UFC, IFL and WEC veteran Pat Healy.
In
the main event of the evening, MMA starts Jeff “The Snowman”
Monson and Kevin “The Monster” Randleman will face
off. Both are coming off a period of inactivity and hope to return
to the top of the sport.
Jeff
Monson vs Kevin Randleman
Murilo Bustamante vs Josh Haynes
Carmelo Marrero vs Nick Hinchliffe
Phil Cardella vs Evan Dunham
Milton Vieira vs Pat Healy
Sergio Moraes vs Chris Clodfelter
Lynn Alvarez vs Tessa Simpson
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Quote
of the Day
"A
real friend is one who walks in when the rest of the world walks
out."
Walter Winchell, 1897-1972, American Newspaper and Radio Commentator
|
Congrats
to Big Neal & Kim!
The O2
Martial Arts Academy family grew by one more! Congratulations
to Neal and Kim who had a new addition last night! Neal is in
trouble now because he just had a beautiful baby girl!
|
Congrats
to Team Papakolea's Koa
One of
the young lions from Team Papakolea Jiu-Jitsu Team, Koa Asperilla
just reported that he won the Advanced Teen No Gi Division at
Grappler's Quest. Now he is the champ for Grappler's Quest and
NAGA in the same division and has two belts to show for it! One
of Koa's teammates Joe took 3rd!
Great job representing in Vegas boys!
|
Hawaii
Fight League 3 Today!
Judo Bout
Ka'ua Nishigaya
vs.
Kaoli Nishigaya
No
Gi Grappling Bout
Nainoa Dung O2 Martial Arts Academy
vs.
Lokahi Morante Central JJ
Kickboxing
Jerron Basco HMC
vs.
Jordan Pacapac Hakuilua
Triple
Threat Bout- 135
Max Halloway God's Army
vs.
Mana Woosley Hakuilua
Kickboxing-210
Les Souza HMC
vs.
Jeff Perkins Hawaii Mind Power Assoc.
MMA-
165
Lawrence Hinajosa God's Army
vs.
Justin Dano Hakuilua
Triple
Threat- 200
Carl Barton HMC
vs.
Gizmo Matuu 808 Fight Factory
TEAM
MMA BOUTS
TEAM
HMC VS. 808 FIGHT FACTORY
Dallas Kia 135 Vernon Brengit
Reno Remigio 155 L. John Borges
Justin Konia 175 Jody Mesiona
Blue Montez 205 Gino Venti
NONE 235 Stephen Lanier
MAIN
EVENT- 205
Larry Perreira Team C.A.T
vs.
Yancy Medeiros Hakuilua
Source: Event Promoter
|
Heart
of a Cage-Fighter On
Kauai Today!
ETERNAL FIGHT WEAR present’s: Heart of a Cage-Fighter
it’s going to be at 6:30pm at the Kauai Veterans Center
in Lihue, Kauai.
We will
be having Musical performances including original “Eternal
Fighter” song preformed by “Kaina-boy” Costa,
as well as other musical performances. Our guest speakers are
Ron Waterman UFC veteran, current X-1 Champion, Ron has also
fought in venues such as WEC, PRIDE, PANCRASE, WFA, IFC, and
more plus he has a character on the UFC video games… Also
coming is Doug Evans TUF contestant and AFC champion, we have
2 other possible pro fighter coming out. We will be having an
explosive Mixed Martial Arts Demonstration, MMA DVD presentations,
Door Prizes, Refreshments and Pupu’s, there will be a raffle,
winners get a chance to train personally with these fighters
on May 2nd. Meet the Pro and Local fighters, get autographs and
pictures, there will be sponsorship booths available at the event
with cool merchandise. These guys will be going over techniques,
training, exercise, diet, what it takes to make it professional,
tips on how to win, and advise on how to handle a loss, hear
their testimonies!! It’ll be an exciting and fun environment
for all ages.
Admission
is Free,
raffle included. For more info they can call 652-6849 or email
me info@eternalfighter.com
Shauna
Eternal Fighter
Source: Shauna Castle
|
FULL
FORCE MMA IV: Project Mayhem
On Maui
Today!
War Memorial Gym, Wailuku, Maui
Saturday, May 3rd
Doors open at 6pm
Main
Event- FULL FORCE MAUI SUPERFIGHT: 160lbs- 2R/5M
"Mr. International" Dominic Ah Nee (Maui JJ/WKBC- Makawao,
Maui)
-VS-
Matt "GONZO" Gonzales (Team C.O.C.K.- Pukalani, Maui)
205lbs-
2R/5M
"The Punisher" Lee Viela (93Underground/WKBC- Waiehu,
Maui)
-VS-
Travis Lincoln (Fight for Life- Kahului, Maui)
205lbs-
2R/5M
Zeke "The Chiropractor" Prados (Team Issues- Haiku,
Maui)
-VS-
Junior Sua (Federation KOKO- Palolo, Oahu)
215lbs-
2R/5M
Jake "The Animal" Yasui (93Underground- Waiehu, Maui)
-VS-
"The Nightmare" John Rosa (Kona Boxing- Kailua-Kona,
Hawaii)
215lbs-
2R/5M
Geno McCarthy (HGA/MauiJJ- Paia, Maui)
-VS-
Kawika Maddela (Freelance- Kahului, Maui)
175lbs-
2R/5M
Rocky Kauhola (Kolohe Intentionz- Haliimaile, Maui)
-VS-
"Dirty Curty" Pedro (Team Submit- Honolulu, Oahu)
160lbs-
2R/5M
Dave Tobita (Impact Zone- Kahului, Maui)
-VS-
Tyler "Pitbull" Kahihikolo (KBC/AvgJoesJJ- Kailua-Kona,
Hawaii)
180lbs-
2R/3M
Nahinu Freitas (93Underground- Kapuna, Maui)
-VS-
Josh James (Lava MMA- Hilo, Hawaii)
Source: Event Promoter
|
SEAN
SHERK TESTS CLEAN IN NEVADA DRUG TESTING
by Jeff Cain
Former Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight titleholder
Sean Sherk was randomly drug tested under the Nevada State Athletic
Commission's new out-of-competition testing program. His results
came back negative for steroids and recreational drugs.
The
new policy is geared to deter fighters from "cycling,"
by randomly testing licensed competitors throughout the year.
“Random
testing throughout the year will further deter any fighters considering
taking non-approved substances,” said NSAC executive director
Keith Kizer. “The additional testing, which will be paid
for by the Commission, will help us keep the sport of unarmed
combat safe and fair for all fighters.”
Sherk
tested positive for the steroid Nandrolone following his first
title defense against Hermes Franca at UFC 73 in July of 2007.
He was released from suspension by the California State Athletic
Commission on April 14 after meeting all of the requirements
outlined by the commission.
Since
the institution of the new testing program, four fighters have
been tested: B.J.
Penn, Sean
Sherk, Shane Mosley and Zab Judah. All four fighters results
came back clean.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Aoki
Cruises Past “JZ”
Middleweights Advance to Second Round
By Kelsey Mowatt and Kevin Jepson
The
Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan, hosted the opening round
of Dream’s Middleweight Grand-Prix tonight; the second offering
from the new Japanese promotion. Some of the middleweights hoping
to advance to the tourney’s second round on June 15th included;
Japanese legend Kazushi Sakuraba, FCF’s 10th ranked middleweight
Denis Kang, Pride veteran Gegard Mousasi and highly regarded
jiu-jitsu champion, Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza. Also featured
on the card was the all-star lightweight rematch between FCF’s
4th ranked Gesias “JZ” Cavalcante and 7th ranked, Shinya
Aoki.
Cavalcante
and Aoki fought in the opening round of Dream’s Lightweight
Grand-Prix on March 15th, and after Aoki was unable to continue
due to an illegal, but deemed accidental, elbow strike from Cavalcante
to the back of his neck, the bout was ruled a No-Contest. The
winner of today’s bout would move on to the second round
of the lightweight tourney which is scheduled for May 11th.
Similar
to their first encounter, it was abundantly clear early on, that
the renowned grappler Aoki had little interest engaging in a
striking affair with his American Top Team opponent. After getting
the bout to the mat early in round one, Aoki immediately had
Cavalcante on the defensive with a heel hook attempt, which the
Brazilian aptly defended with a series of kicks and punches.
From there, Cavalcante punished Aoki from above with more strikes,
before the Japanese fighter was finally able to work his way
back to his feet. For most of the remaining minutes of the opening
10 minute round, Aoki worked from Cavalcante’s back, attempting
to secure a rear-naked-choke while the ATT fighter calmly defended.
In
round two, Aoki once more was able to get the fight to the ground
and work from his strengths. Using a high guard and rubber guard,
Aoki negated most of Cavalcante’s attacks and at one point
appeared close to ending the fight via an omoplatta. Although
Cavalcante was finally able to escape and land some strikes of
his own, it was too little, too late, and Aoki was awarded the
Unanimous Decision.
Armenia’s
Gegard Mousasi continues to climb the middleweight rankings after
submitting the highly regarded Canadian fighter Denis Kang. Although
Kang controlled much of the fight early on, taking Mousasi to
the mat and working from the top position, Mousasi caught the
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt in a tight triangle choke only
minutes into round 1, forcing Kang to tap out.
Grappling
star Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza looked impressive against
American wrestler Ian Murphy. Although Souza wound up on the
bottom position only moments into the fight, the highly accomplished
jiu-jitsu expert immediately had Murphy on the defensive with
an armbar attempt. From there, the Brazilian eventually worked
his way into the rear-mount position and reigned down punches,
before tapping Murphy out with a rear-naked-choke.
Croatia’s
Zelg Galesic got back on the winning track by submitting Russian
fighter Magomed Sultanakhmadov. After the bout spilled to the
mat only seconds in, Galesic eventually caught Sultanakhmadov’s
arm while working from his guard. The Russian attempted to power
out of the submission and lifted Galesic into the air for the
slam, but was forced to tap as his arm became fully extended.
Karate
champion Andrews Nakahara gave the veteran Kazushi Sakuraba plenty
to deal with in the opening minutes their middleweight clash.
Nakahara defended several takedown attempts from Sakuraba early
on before landing several hard leg kicks. Eventually, however,
Sakuraba was finally able to get Nakahara to the mat, and tapped
out the MMA newcomer with a neck crank.
In
other action from the tourney’s opening round; Taiei Kin
worked his way to Unanimous Decision victory over Ikhuhisa Minowa,
Kiyoshi Tamura blasted Masakatsu Funaki with strikes for the
first round TKO win, and Korean judoka Dong Sik Yoon, outscored
Shungo Oyama to receive a Unanimous Decision nod from the judges.
Dream
2 Results
Lightweight
Grand Prix
Shinya Aoki def. Gesias Cavalcante – Unanimous Decision
Middleweight
Grand Prix
Kazushi Sakuraba def. Andrews Nakahara by Submission (Neck Crank)
8:20 R1
Gegard Mousasi def. Denis Kang by Submission (Triangle Choke)
3:10 R1
Taiei Kin def. Ikuhisa Minowa by Unanimous Decision
Kiyoshi Tamura def. Masakatsu Funaki by TKO (Strikes) 0:57 R1
Dong Sik Yoon def. Shungo Oyama by Unanimous Decision
Ronaldo Souza def. Ian Murphy by Submission (Rear Naked Choke)
3:38 R1
Zelg Galesic def. Magomed Sultanakhmedov by Submission (Armbar)
1:40 R1
Source: Full Contact Fighter
|
Bravo
accuses Drysdale of plagiarism
Fourth place at the ADCC 2003, the American Eddie Bravo, who
got famous after having submitted Royler Gracie in the semifinal
of that tournament, is accusing the ADCC 2007 open weight champion,
Robert Drysdale, of doing plagiarism of his institutional video,
alleging in some American websites that the Brazilian was even
imitating his "rubber guard". It would be funny if
it wasn't tragic. "He claims he invented the omoplata, something
that I have seen Nino (Schembri)doing since I was a white belt",
said a revolted Drysdale who won the absolute title in 2007 submitting
Marcelo Garcia and now is working as Grappling instructor of
Xtreme Couture.
Now
Drysdale is defending himself against the accusation: "What
is more impressive is that there are many people in that truly
believe this guy is a legend. What has he done in Grappling or
Jiu-Jitsu world to believe that I would copy him? Until now he
gathers the glory of that victory against Royler Gracie, something
that he will never achieve again. If I had to copy somebody else,
I would copy Leozinho (Vieira), who is my teacher, a Jiu-Jitsu
encyclopedia and the guy who defeat him easily and won 2003 title
in lightweight category", finishes Drysdale.
Source: Tatame
|
Roger
Gracie in waiting
Sengoku opponent still unknown
Roger
Gracie’s past in Jiu-Jitsu and submission grappling doesn’t
let the black belt take things one thing at a time and be just
anybody in his latest endeavour: MMA. With only one fight in
the sport, the fighter’s performance is already surrounded
with the expectations and responsibilities of a veteran. This
is thanks to the four Worlds he won at weight, three silvers
and one gold at absolute as a black belt, besides his taking
top honors at the 2005 ADCC over all weights.
The
Gracie, considered by many to be one of the greatest of all times
in Jiu-Jitsu, will represent his family in the upcoming edition
of Sengoku, held by the World Victory Road organization on the
coming 18th, in Japan.
The
athlete, who resides and teaches in London, had his MMA debut
in December of 2006 submitting the experienced Ron Waterman in
the very first round with an armbar from the guard. GRACIEMAG.com
shot the breeze with the beast, who talked some about what’s
to come.
GRACIEMAG.com:
This week nearly all the fights on the upcoming Sengoku card
were confirmed, except yours. Could you tell us who your adversary
will be?
Roger:
As to who my adversary will be, that’s already become a
drama, unfortunately. There are only three weeks to go till the
day of the event and I still don’t know who I’ll fight.
I just hope they decide soon.
GRACIEMAG.com:
What are your hopes for your debut in this big event, seeing
as it’s only your second MMA fight?
Roger:
I hope only for the best, as I’ve been training for sokme
time and am feeling really well prepared. I can’t wait to
get in the ring again.
GRACIEMAG.com:
How are you going about preparing to become an MMA champion,
as you are a Jiu-Jitsu champion?
Roger:
My preparations are the same, just the style of fight is different.
Lots of training, lots of food and rest.
GRACIEMAG.com:
On the fight forums around the world, there are rumors you refused
fights against Randleman, as well as Monson. Could you clear
these matters up as well as share the real reason there was never
a fight against Yoshida, which had already been scheduled?
Roger:
I too heard the fight against Monson was confirmed, but from
a student of mine. At the time I thought it was funny, since
they were saying I had signed too fight him, and I knew nothing
of it. On Randleman, there was that possibility. My manager commented
to me about the possibility of this bout, but nothing was confirmed,
so now I’m just waiting for them to tell me who it’ll
be against. As for the fight against Yoshida, I was invited to
fight him. Everything was settled till they informed me he would
fight Josh Barnett. I didn’t know what was going on.
GRACIEMAG.com:
You are focused on MMA, but even so will you dispute the Jiu-Jitsu
World Championship?
Roger:
Yes, I am focused on MMA, but I will definitely fight in the
Worlds.
GRACIEMAG.com:
To go in strong in the biggest gentle art tournament, will you
have to put MMA aside some and just train in the gi?
Roger:
I’ll be well prepared for sure, as I’ve already been
training hard for this fight, so I think I’ll be in good
shape.
GRACIEMAG.com:
What are your predictions for the Worlds? Who will be the toughest
competition for you?
Roger:
I believe it’s not likely there will be any surprises in
this World Championship, but a fight is a fight and nobody can
say for sure what will happen. Let’s wait to see what goes
down.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Inside
the Wolfslair
by Paul Concannon
In
2004, mixed martial arts was a fledgling sport in the United
Kingdom.
But
for Liverpool fight fans Anthony McGann and Lee Gwynn, that was
when a mutual interest in MMA, boxing and submission wrestling
crystallized into a vision of a dedicated, world-class facility
in their hometown: the Wolfslair MMA Academy.
Fast
forward to 2008 and the flourishing gym is perhaps England's
premier residence for high-level mixed martial artists. It is
home to UFC fighters such as Michael Bisping (Pictures), Paul
Kelly (Pictures) and an additional slew of quality British and
international fighters -- a remarkable achievement considering
that upon its creation, the gym was little more than a hobby
for its creators.
"Our
main business was scaffolding, and Lee's family were involved
in night clubs. Lee was a club promoter too," McGann explained.
"We've always been into submission wrestling and boxing,
only playing around in truth, but we have been UFC fans from
the word go."
In
the Wolfslair's early days, MMA was very much on the fringes
of respectability, having barely so much as trickled into the
mainstream.
"Back
then you were lucky if MMA was ever on the TV," McGann said.
"What happened was Golden Glory's Kazeka Muniz was doing
the Liverpool circuit, private sessions, seminars, that type
of thing. We got to know him, and he became a friend. Between
us we created the Wolfslair. We [McGann and Gwynn] built it,
and he put the brains behind it, bringing over Mario Sukata and
Antonio Silva. We were even opened by ‘Minotauro' Nogueira."
The
gym evolved quickly. Professional-level cages and rings were
quickly installed. Additional coaching support came in the form
of the duo's long-time boxing trainer, Tony Quigley. With top-level
striking and grappling coaches in-house, the gym also quickly
attracted the likes of Bisping, Tom Blackledge (Pictures) and
Steve Clarke.
"The
timing was good," McGann said. "Cage Rage was on the
up, and Cage Warriors promoters Dougie Truman and Andy Lillis
gave us carte blanche on their shows, paying our lads some decent
money."
Those
days were not without the occasional wobble, though -- something
McGann chalks up to experience.
"Mike
Bisping was the Cage Rage light heavyweight champion. [Cage Rage
promoters Dave O'Donnell and Andy Geer] were due to make a fight
with ‘Cyborg,' but this was just before Mike was due to
be accepted for ‘The Ultimate Fighter.' It was a bittersweet
pill. While they were stripping him, we were on the other line
confirming his place on ‘The Ultimate Fighter.' I could
see their point and see mine. … A year later we shook hands
on it and made up."
The
Wolfslair Keepers
With
an enviable coaching lineup, the Wolfslair has also proved a
magnet to several top-flight visiting fighters. Men such as Quinton
Jackson (Pictures), Andrei Arlovksi and Cheick Kongo (Pictures)
count the Wolfslair as a home away from home when fighting in
the United Kingdom.
McGann
broke down the Wolfslair coaching lineup for Sherdog.com:
Head
coach and jiu-jitsu coach Mario Neto: "He's a legend. He
once fought Kevin Randleman (Pictures) and Gary Goodridge (Pictures)
in one night and went the distance with a peak Dan Severn (Pictures)
in a 35-minute bout. He won the grand masters in BJJ. He was
a vale tudo champ in Russia. With all the achievements, he brought
a lot of confidence to the team. A big man and a great asset
from the halls of Golden Glory, Mario teaches the guys that in
sparring, hit them as hard as they hit you."
Boxing
coach Tony Quigley: "Tony was a friend for many years. He
coached us privately in his own gym. We offered Tony a position
here, and his success comes down to the fact that Quigley is
a strong-willed, big, angry coach. If a fighter's not alert,
he'll slap you full blast. He's a strong character, great for
the gym and jelled with Mario right away."
Thai
boxing coach Dave Jackson: "Another great asset. We realized
one thing we lacked was muay Thai, so we invited Dave on board.
The fighters love his style of teaching and level of technique
and experience. Cheick Kongo took to Dave, and Dave cornered
him in the fight with ‘Cro Cop.' He was so impressed, he's
invited Dave to train him, but [Jackson] is too committed to
his role here."
Lee
Gwynn: "Lee does a lot of corner work. He's a bit more hands-on.
He has taken a big role as cardio coach at the gym. He corners
his good friend Paul [Kelly]. If he's not in the corner, Paul
feels like he's missing an arm. Paul's a true child of the Wolfslair
-- his success is in large down to Lee's input."
When
referring to his own role, McGann is quick to acknowledge that
his quick-witted, people-focused personality doesn't lend itself
to a training environment in quite the same way as some of the
uncompromising coaches that grace the Wolfslair. However, much
like Gwynn's role, McGann's grew organically as the Wolfslair
reached new heights of success.
"I
see this like a family, not a business," McGann said. "We
get a percentage of each fighter's purse of course, but we spend
a lot and put plenty back into the running and improvement of
the facilities. I might make someone laugh, but I'm a mild-mannered
character. None of the fighters would take me too seriously.
I deal with people like Dana White or matchmaker Joe Silva and
with the sponsorship guys like Affliction and Tapout."
McGann's
dealings with both White and Silva have been positive.
"Dana
White gets a lot of bad press, but he's dragged this sport from
the basement to the big screen," he said. "Maybe he's
upset people along the way, but you can't deny he's a fantastic
businessman. He's always been fair and polite in his dealings
with us.
"As
for Joe Silva, as a matchmaker we have always accepted every
fight Joe has ever picked for us. He does his job well. We won't
shirk away from a fight, and he'll always discuss any fights
he picks for us. He gave us Paul Taylor (Pictures) in Paul Kelly
(Pictures)'s UFC debut, and he was clear that whoever won, he
was looking to build them up. And you saw what happened -- it
was a great fight, and our Paul won clearly. Next time out he's
been matched with Troy Mandaloniz (Pictures), an ‘Ultimate
Fighter' veteran with a big right hand."
The
bout could be another breakout performance for Kelly, who, by
the way, has a brother that the Wolfslair coaches are also honing.
"His
brother Gary Kelly (Pictures) is another tough bastard,"
McGann remarked. "He has had two great wins. We think he
can be every bit as good as Paul."
The
Present and the Future
A
typical Wolfslair day starts at 10 a.m. with MMA sessions, rolling,
ground-and-pound and takedowns on the mat with Neto and two other
top Brazilians, followed by boxing and kickboxing with Quigley
and Jackson. Also, a Scottish-based Russian sambo coach provides
additional support.
The
evenings offer a chance for novices and the general public to
try the gym's various combat offerings.
"Overall
the schedule depends on what's coming up," McGann said.
"Kongo, Rampage, Arlovski and Ian Freeman (Pictures) all
do sessions here, and we've had Dean Lister (Pictures) running
sessions here too. Quinton Jackson (Pictures) trains with people
like Team Punishment, and his own team is excellent, but he says
our coaches and facilities are up there with the best in the
world.
"Rampage
is a personal friend. He's stayed at my house. My son Jack gave
up his room for him for several weeks, and at the end of it,
Jackson gave him his chain. How many 14-year-olds can lay claim
to being the proud owner of Rampage Jackson's steel chain?"
Jack
McGann is a regular on the Wolfslair mats. Despite his young
age, he is already making waves on the local amateur circuit.
"For
me the icing on the cake is my lad Jack," McGann said. "It
means everything to see him perform. I get such a buzz. We have
a friendly rivalry with Next Generation here in Liverpool. That's
the gym that has spawned guys like Terry Etim (Pictures), and
Jack recently fought their main kid. This was a huge event. It
was going around all the schools.
"You
can only imagine the pressure they were both under. 2,000 people
turned up to watch Jack stop him in the second round. It was
like a ‘Rocky' film! He had Mike Bisping in his corner,
and Rampage was on the phone to him straight afterwards too.
He
loves to fight and he has amazing fitness -- really advanced
for his age. Not surprising when you look at the private coaches
he has at his disposal! Lee's son Morgan is just 10 years of
age, and he's been taking some kickboxing lessons from Dave too,"
said McGann, clearly flushed with pride at the achievements of
the gym's next generation.
Looking
at the future, the likeable Liverpool businessman and fight fan
sees more of the same for the burgeoning Wolfslair MMA Academy.
"Our
thing with the Wolfslair is that we have a very strong brand,"
McGann said. "And while each of us is busy in other fields,
we want to work on improving the hot prospects we have coming
through and expanding the brand. Maybe go for a clothing line
at some stage. Ultimately it comes down to this … this is
more a family than it is business. There are no airs and graces
with us. We want to carry on having fun and making people happy
in the process."
Source: Sherdog
|
Full
card announced for WEC: Faber vs. Pulver
The WEC has released the complete card for its "Faber vs.
Pulver" event on June 1 from the ARCO Arena in California.
Four bouts are scheduled to air live on Versus beginning at 9:00pm
ET.
The
card is headlined by Urijah Faber's defense of his featherweight
belt against former UFC lightweight champion Jens Pulver.
TELEVISED
BOUTS:
145
lbs: Urijah Faber vs. Jens Pulver
135 lbs: Miguel Angel Torres vs. Yoshiro Maeda
205 lbs: Mark Munoz vs. Chuck Grigsby
155 lbs: Rob McCullough vs. Kenneth Alexander
PRELIMINARY
BOUTS:
155
lbs: Donald Cerrone vs. Richard Crunkilton
145 lbs: Jeff Curran vs. Mike Brown
135 lbs: Chase Beebe vs. Will Ribeiro
185 lbs: Tim McKenzie vs. Eric Schambari
170 lbs: Alex Serdyukov vs. Luis Sapo
145 lbs: Jose Aldo vs. Alexandre Nogueira
135 lbs: Charlie Valencia vs. Dominick Cruz
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Alejarra
impressed with Jacaré
By Guilherme Cruz
Ronaldo
Jacaré physical coach Rafael Alejarra praised a lot his
last performance at the first round of the DREAM middleweight
GP, where he submitted just over three minutes the American Ian
Murphy. “I have been with Jacaré for three months,
since he started his preparation for DREAM. Jacaré is
an exceptional athlete, what can I say more?”, said Alejarra
that asked if he appoint Ronaldo Jacaré as the favorite
for the GP, he didn’t have any doubts: “I would be
better to ask: except him, who else has more chances to win the
GP?” stated Alejarra, that after Wanderlei Silva’s
bout at UFC 84, will physical train Gabriel Napão for
his next commitment at the UFC.
Source: Tatame
|
Quote
of the Day
"Football
is a game played with arms, legs, and shoulders but mostly from
the neck up."
Knute Rockne, 1888-1931, American Football Coach
|
LEBEN
TURNS HIMSELF IN, U.K. BOUT IN JEOPARDY
by Ken Pishna
Ultimate Fighting Championship fighter Chris Leben on Wednesday turned himself in to
Clackamas County officials in Oregon. Leben had a warrant out
for his arrest stemming from a probation violation.
Leben
has recently been living in Hawaii and is the head trainer at
the ICON Fitness and MMA Center operated by ICON promoter T.Jay
Thompson.
“When
Chris moved to Hawaii, he was in the process of completing classes
for his probation on an old DUI in Portland, Oregon,” said
Thompson in an email to MMAWeekly.com. “We worked hard to
get his probation transferred to Hawaii, but were unsuccessful.”
Denied
the probation transfer, Leben continued to reside in Hawaii,
and a warrant was issued for the violation.
Up
to this point, Leben had been fighting solely in the U.S., so
the violation was not an issue when he traveled. He was recently
offered and accepted a bout against Michael Bisping for the UFC
85 event in London, however, and must apply for a visa to travel
to the U.K. The probation violation will be considered in the
visa process and could influence the decision whether or not
to issue Leben a visa.
“When
he got the call to fight Bisping on June 7 in London, he knew
what he had to do,” said Thompson.
“He
immediately flew to Oregon and turned himself in on the probation
violation. The warrant was a ‘no bail’ warrant, so
he will have to sit in jail for 8-10 days before he gets a hearing.
The moment he appeared before the judge after turning himself
in the warrant was revoked and he is able to get his visa for
London.”
He
continued, “The actions (Chris) took to make this fight
happen in London show this growth. Chris would like everyone
to know he accepts responsibility for his past actions and will
face the consequences and continue forward on his journey.”
Although
Thompson appeared upbeat, Leben turning himself in is not an
assurance of a favorable result. The outcome of his hearing before
a judge and any penalties imposed will way heavily on whether
or not Leben will be able to secure a visa.
Leben’s
fight with Bisping was still listed on the UFC 85 event page
at the time of publication.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
FULL
FORCE MMA IV: Project Mayhem
On Maui Tomorrow!
War Memorial Gym, Wailuku, Maui
Saturday, May 3rd
Doors open at 6pm
Main
Event- FULL FORCE MAUI SUPERFIGHT: 160lbs- 2R/5M
"Mr. International" Dominic Ah Nee (Maui JJ/WKBC- Makawao,
Maui)
-VS-
Matt "GONZO" Gonzales (Team C.O.C.K.- Pukalani, Maui)
205lbs-
2R/5M
"The Punisher" Lee Viela (93Underground/WKBC- Waiehu,
Maui)
-VS-
Travis Lincoln (Fight for Life- Kahului, Maui)
205lbs-
2R/5M
Zeke "The Chiropractor" Prados (Team Issues- Haiku,
Maui)
-VS-
Junior Sua (Federation KOKO- Palolo, Oahu)
215lbs-
2R/5M
Jake "The Animal" Yasui (93Underground- Waiehu, Maui)
-VS-
"The Nightmare" John Rosa (Kona Boxing- Kailua-Kona,
Hawaii)
215lbs-
2R/5M
Geno McCarthy (HGA/MauiJJ- Paia, Maui)
-VS-
Kawika Maddela (Freelance- Kahului, Maui)
175lbs-
2R/5M
Rocky Kauhola (Kolohe Intentionz- Haliimaile, Maui)
-VS-
"Dirty Curty" Pedro (Team Submit- Honolulu, Oahu)
160lbs-
2R/5M
Dave Tobita (Impact Zone- Kahului, Maui)
-VS-
Tyler "Pitbull" Kahihikolo (KBC/AvgJoesJJ- Kailua-Kona,
Hawaii)
180lbs-
2R/3M
Nahinu Freitas (93Underground- Kapuna, Maui)
-VS-
Josh James (Lava MMA- Hilo, Hawaii)
Source: Event Promoter
|
Heart
of a Cage-Fighter On Kauai Tomorrow!
ETERNAL FIGHT WEAR present’s: Heart of a Cage-Fighter
it’s going to be at 6:30pm at the Kauai Veterans Center
in Lihue, Kauai.
We will
be having Musical performances including original “Eternal
Fighter” song preformed by “Kaina-boy” Costa,
as well as other musical performances. Our guest speakers are
Ron Waterman UFC veteran, current X-1 Champion, Ron has also
fought in venues such as WEC, PRIDE, PANCRASE, WFA, IFC, and
more plus he has a character on the UFC video games… Also
coming is Doug Evans TUF contestant and AFC champion, we have
2 other possible pro fighter coming out. We will be having an
explosive Mixed Martial Arts Demonstration, MMA DVD presentations,
Door Prizes, Refreshments and Pupu’s, there will be a raffle,
winners get a chance to train personally with these fighters
on May 2nd. Meet the Pro and Local fighters, get autographs and
pictures, there will be sponsorship booths available at the event
with cool merchandise. These guys will be going over techniques,
training, exercise, diet, what it takes to make it professional,
tips on how to win, and advise on how to handle a loss, hear
their testimonies!! It’ll be an exciting and fun environment
for all ages.
Admission
is Free,
raffle included. For more info they can call 652-6849 or email
me info@eternalfighter.com
Shauna
Eternal Fighter
Source: Shauna Castle
|
Hawaii
Fight League 3 Tomorrow!
Source: Event Promoter
|
Marcio
on training with Sherk
“I was impressed,” said Feitosa
As
reported by GRACIEMAG.com, black belt Marcio Feitosa is helping
American Sean Sherk in training for his fight against BJ Penn to take place on May
24 and worth the UFC lightweight belt. After his initial activities
with his latest student, Marcinho commented on the experience:
“In daily training Sean shared all his ideas about techniques
and physical training with me. We mainly did drills and Jiu-Jitsu
work. I was impressed, Sean is in good shape for the fight, he
will surely be an explosive presence.”
Marcinho
also recalled how the partnership with the former lightweight
champion began. “We met five years ago, when I did a Jiu-Jitsu
seminar at Minnesota Martial Arts Academy. He did not participate,
but we had the chance to talk and he was really cool. Seeing
his UFC fights I knew Sean would be a great fighter, but seeing
the guy train had me totally impressed.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
ULTIMATE
FIGHTING CHAMPIONSHIP UPDATE
Florian
to Fight Huerta Next
By Steven Marrocco
In
a recent interview with FCF, top Ultimate Fighting Championship
lightweight Kenny Florian, revealed that he would be fighting
Roger Huerta at UFC 87 on August 9th in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Sources
from Huerta’s camp confirmed that he had signed the bout
agreement and was a go for the fight.
After
defeating Joe Lauzon at Ultimate Fight Night 13 in Denver, Colorado
early this month, Florian’s list of upper-level opponents
has grown short. With the winner of Sean Sherk/BJ Penn to be
decided in June, the fight will likely determine the next contender
for the lightweight belt. Florian, 9-3, came up short in his
first attempt, a five round decision loss to Sherk in October
of 2006 when the lightweight championship was revived. A victory
over Huerta would give him the second chance he’s been chasing.
“I’m
excitied,” Florian said. “It’s obviously the fight
I wanted. I’ve got a lot of respect for Roger, so I think
it will be an unbelievable fight.”
Florian
had just completed a training session with strength and conditioning
coach Kevin Kearns. He has credited Sterns with taking his conditioning
to the next level, a factor that played a role in his victory
over Lauzon in the mile-high fight.
“I’m
just training as always and getting ready, and I’m definitely
looking forward to that fight,” he continued.
Huerta,
20-1-1, capped a banner 2007 with a victory over Clay Guida at
the Ultimate Fighter 6 finale last December. Since then, he has
kept a very low profile, taking time to recover from his grueling
schedule.
The
UFC has yet to announce any of the fights for UFC 87, but during
the telecast of UFC 82, Mark Coleman announced he would face
former pro wrestler Brock Lesnar. The position of both fights
on the card is unknown.
Source: Full Contat Fighter
|
Barnett
on His Fighters, His Future
by Tony Loiseleur
One
of the most vocal and active proponents of female MMA, Josh Barnett
(Pictures) appeared more than pleased at his stable's showing
at last Friday's Smackgirl tournament in Tokyo. He spoke with
Sherdog.com after the event and elaborated on the performances
of his affectionately labeled "Angels of Destruction."
"I
think they all did great. Akano was one that I wasn't able to
work with for several months beforehand, so she was working much
too hard to get that win," said Barnett of Hitomi Akano
(Pictures), who had armbarred open-weight champ Hiroko at the
event. "With a better strategy, she'd have won that fight
much easier.
"Not
that I think Hiroko isn't tough, but Akano has such a good submission
game and judo background. I think she should have been able to
push forward, take her down and submit her much quicker than
she did. Still, I don't think the fans will complain, since it
made for a very dramatic finish."
With
her win over the imposingly large Hiroko, Akano advanced to the
Smackgirl open-weight tournament final to face another Barnett
product, Ginele Marquez (Pictures), who defeated Atsuko Emoto
(Pictures) by unanimous decision the same evening.
"Ginele
also did very well," Barnett said. "She wasn't in as
good of shape as I'd have liked for her to have been, but it
was a good start. One thing she was able to show was that it's
going to be hard for anyone to manhandle her around the ring.
"Emoto
is known for being, at the very least, very powerful, but Ginele
just picked her up, flung her around and suplexed her. It's good
to get this fight out of the way so she can concentrate on Akano
next because Akano is very, very tough. I think with both of
them meeting each other in the finals, it's going to be a good
representation of world-class talent."
"The
Babyface Assassin" also discussed long-time student Megumi
Fujii (Pictures) and her win in a 115-pound tournament bout.
"She
defeated Seo Hee Ham (Pictures) in the first round, by armbar,
which is a first. [Smackgirl's] champion Yuka Tsuji (Pictures)
couldn't put her away, and it took Miku Matsumoto (Pictures)
at least until the second round to get a choke," Barnett
explained. "Megumi took her out by armbar on her first takedown,
and that was it.
"You
know, I always say it: Megumi is clearly the best Japanese fighter,
male or female. In my opinion, she could be the very best fighter,
male or female, in the world. If she fought men in equal scenarios
-- let's say if she was 170 pounds and had to fight St. Pierre,
I'd put my money on her."
As
bold a statement as that may sound to most MMA fans, it is nothing
new with Barnett. Although his progressive beliefs are often
cited, the reasoning behind them has perhaps been overshadowed
by the achievements of his fighters.
"You
know, I've always been the kind of guy who doesn't like to do
what everyone else does," he said. "But one thing that
really played into all this was that from the beginning, when
women started wrestling in high school, I wasn't against it at
all.
"I
had two female wrestlers on my wrestling team, and it wasn't
about, ‘Oh, there are chicks here now.' It was about these
persons wanting to wrestle just as bad as anyone else. There's
no reason to stop them or limit them from developing skills and
technique just like anyone else. There's just no reason they
should be overlooked. Women athletes are some of the best athletes
in the world.
"Sometimes
I prefer to coach women more because I don't get any ego from
them, and they work hard. I'm not sure if it's because they believe
that they have to because they normally wouldn't get the opportunity,
and so they think they should make the best they can of the chance,
but either way, it's in their nature and it's great.
"Plus,
they smell a lot better too," added Barnett with a thoughtful
smile. "I don't think that helping women athletes is charity
work, but what I do think is that they're serious athletes like
anyone else. And when I see someone who I believe has the potential
to do something big, and is someone I believe I can work well
with, then I'll work with them, male or female. Some of the best
fights I've ever seen in my life were female MMA fights, and
I think it's important and it's something that needs to be there
in the sport."
On
Monson and Heavyweight MMA
Barnett's
next bout is set for May 18 in Sengoku against long-time training
partner Jeff Monson (Pictures).
"Again
I'm fighting a friend, like when I fought Yoshida, but this one's
even more difficult for me because [Monson] was on my team for
the Ring of Fire, spent some time with me at AMC Pankration,
and I've been in his corner for almost all of his UFC fights,
and I've helped him get ready for many of his fights in his career,"
Barnett said. "I guess that's the thing. When you're in
the business long enough, you meet enough people, make a lot
of friendships and relationships, but when it comes down to it,
you can fight anybody. I can do that, but it doesn't mean I always
enjoy it.
"I
talked to him a little bit beforehand, just let him know they
brought his name up, asking him, ‘What should we do about
it? Should we accept this fight?' And in the end, what it came
down to was that nobody was going to fight us, and so the only
people that could put on a match was us. We're professionals,
so we're going to go out there and do what we have to do and
fight."
Outside
of the Monson bout, there had been rumblings of Barnett's participation
in Affliction's endeavors to promote its own MMA event. Despite
not being officially signed, Barnett appeared optimistic at the
idea of fighting for the clothing brand turned fight promoter,
given his involvement with the company's apparel in the past.
"I
think that if anyone would be a perfect fit for that, it'd be
me, since I'm the second MMA guy behind Justin Levens (Pictures)
to get involved with their custom T-shirt designs," Barnett
said. "Before even Randy got involved, before there was
anyone else in MMA involved -- I've got T-shirts you can't even
buy that were produced by Affliction."
One
name circulating in the rumor mill as an opponent for Barnett
is a man he has a history with -- Pedro Rizzo (Pictures), who
holds a knockout victory over him from seven years prior, at
UFC 30.
"Now
that would be nice," said Barnett regarding a potential
showdown with Rizzo in Affliction. "You know he's got a
win over Jeff [Monson] and [Justin] Eilers, so he's back on the
winning track from those performances in Pride. Right after I
lost that fight [to Rizzo], when Frank Shamrock (Pictures) was
interviewing me, asking me, ‘What happened?' I said, ‘I
just got caught coming in and I got knocked out, but you know
what? I'm going to come back here and fight him again and knock
his ass out.'"
Though
no deal is official, Barnett is confident as always that the
fights will come to him. Even as the UFC acquired most of the
top heavyweights in the world, he stayed patient.
"The
only thing I can say is that I sat back, and yeah, I had to suffer
for a year by not fighting. But I stuck by my convictions and
I knew what I was doing," he said. "I've been in this
business long enough to know that once you start to think something
is set in stone, and that that is the only way it is going to
be and has to be, you're in for a surprise because chances are
you're going to turn out wrong."
"I
still get many people telling me to go to the UFC, but I don't
need the UFC, and I knew it was only a matter of time until the
wheel started to turn and these other big fights would come.
Now you've got Affliction possibly promoting big cards, and I've
already got Sengoku here who are giving me fights and are telling
me they want to do a grand prix."
Exciting
as those prospects may be, Barnett does apparently realize the
tenuousness of the situation. While things are changing, he is
not quite secure just yet.
"Though
I wish I had something that was a little more scheduled, like,
‘I have two or three more fights at these times,' so that
I can plan ahead, things are only just starting to pay off now,"
he said. "But I'm a pro-wrestler, and I go on tour and fight
every night. I have no idea who I can fight or even when I can
fight. But I'll be ready. I can deal with it.
"I
had to sit out a year, but I'm finally back and have one fight
under my belt. I'll be fighting in another one soon and will
just be chugging away here, proving myself by putting strength
behind my words. Saying what I do, doing what I say. All those
who took me off their rankings, don't worry. I'll be right back
there at the top again sometime in the near future."
Source: Sherdog
|
The
Spider talks about St. Pierre
By Eduardo Ferreira
After George St. Pierre crushed Matt Hughes and Matt Serra between
the welterweights at the UFC, the Canadian hasn’t dismissed
the possibility of put on weight. His target is the middleweight
champion, Anderson Silva, that didn’t know about what St.
Pierre intend to do. “I didn’t know about those Pierre
’s statements, you are giving me this information now. What
can I say? I think what is most important is that I will be no
unemployed (laughter). St. Pierre is a great fighter, but I would
never put on weights to face the champion of the category. My
weight is 98kg and I lose weight to fight at 83kg and I would
never make that. But people talks what they want and if this
fight really happen, I hope to make a good performance”,
said Andeson that doesn’t know yet his next opponent.
“By
now I am in fattening stage (laughter). I don’t have a bout
scheduled and we are trying to make this fight against Roy Jones
Jr.. This is a personal wish”, said the champion, that arrive
at Rio de Janeiro this week to train at Nogueira’s brothers
train benter and would like to train with his friend Paulo Filho.
“Thanks to God Paulão is recovered. Once again he
shows that he is a samurai and overcome everything with friends
help. I already set with him to talk and we are going to train
together too”, said “the Spider”.
Source: Tatame
|
Hong
Man kept out of army
Giant did not pass physical due to eye problem
The
news that the giant Korean Hong Man Choi was sent home after
failing army physical exams in his country is not as good as
the fighter’s fans might hope. The eye problem that excluded
the kick boxer from three months of bootcamp was the same one
that kept the California athletic commission from letting him
fight at K-1 Dynamite in June of last year.
Even
though he is released of the three-years mandatory military service,
Choi’s K-1 and MMA career may be in danger, as the seeing
problem could get in the way. The athlete had reported to the
Division 36 training center, located in Wonju, and there is still
the possibility the big man may be re-examined and return to
his country’s service.
His
last MMA fight was at the turn of the year, at Yarennoka, against
Russian Fedor Emelianenko. On the occasion, the 2.18 meter giant
was submitted by armbar in the first round.
“Those
were two days in which I had a lot of fun, everyone was cool
with me. I’m sorry for what happened,” said Hong Man,
in an interview with the South Korean press.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Travis
Lutter released from UFC contract
Travis Lutter, the middleweight winner of "The Ultimate
Fighter" season four, has been let go by the UFC.
Lutter
received the news six days after his loss in Montreal to former
UFC middleweight champion Rich Franklin.
"Friday
afternoon I was told by my manager that UFC matchmaker Joe Silva
had left him a message on his phone that I had been released
from my UFC contract because of my 2 losses in a row," Lutter
wrote on his myspace blog.
Lutter
debuted for the company in Oct. 2004 with a knockout victory
over Marvin Eastman, but dropped his next two Octagon fights
against Matt Lindland and Travis Langley. In 2006, Lutter was
given an opportunity for a "comeback" when he was selected
as a cast member on "The Ultimate Fighter 4." He made
the most of it and ended up defeating Patrick Cote in the Finale
to earn a title shot against Anderson Silva.
However,
his next two UFC bouts would turn out disastrous. Lutter failed
to make weight against Silva at UFC 67, and stumbled again when
he gassed after one round against Franklin at UFC 83.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Joe
Doerksen released by the UFC
Joe Doerksen, who is riding a three-fight losing streak in the
WEC and UFC, has been released from the UFC, reports Canada's
Rogers Sportsnet.
Doerksen
joins Travis Lutter and Kalib Starnes as middleweights who are
gone from the company after suffering defeat at UFC 83: Serra
vs. St. Pierre 2 in Montreal.
Doerksen,
who has been in and out of the company since August 2004, said
the UFC will bring him back as soon as he picks up wins in smaller
organizations.
"It's
always a possibility whenever you lose," Doerksen told Rogers
Sportsnet. "I've come and gone several times over my career
and I'm sure I'll be back again. It's not really devastating
news. It's just the cycle I have to go through."
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Quote
of the Day
“The
talent for being happy is appreciating and liking what you have,
instead of what you don't have.”
Woody Allen, American Film Director/Writer/Comedian
|
Boxing
at Palolo Gym!
Boxing
Show will be on Sat. June 7th at Palolo Gym starting at 6 p.m.
Admission will be $10. It's a fundraiser to help the Hawaii Junior
Olympic Boxing Team. If you need more info. email me back.
Thanks
for the Support!!
Bruce Kawano
Hawaii Junior Olympic Regional Coordinator/Team Manager.
USA-Boxing Hawaii Junior Olympic Chairman.
USA-Boxing Hawaii Board of Dir./Gov.
Ringside Board of Advisors.
NMU Boxing Program Task Force Member.
|
FOUR
ADDITIONAL BOUTS CONFIRMED FOR UFC 84
The Ultimate Fighting Championship on Wednesday confirmed four
additional bouts for its UFC 84 event scheduled for May 24 in
Las Vegas, bringing the current fight card to 11 bouts.
The
four confirmed bouts, already speculated by MMAWeekly.com, are:
Goran Reljic vs. Wilson Gouveia, Antonio Mendes vs. Thiago Silva,
Rousimar Palhares vs. Ivan Salaverry, and Kazuhiro Nakamura vs.
Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou.
The
fight card is headlined by a lightweight title bout between current
champion B.J. Penn and former champion Sean Sherk, but it is
the UFC light heavyweight division that could receive the most
dramatic changes from the night’s outcomes.
There
are five 205-pound divisional bouts on the card, and with the
promotion making many changes to its current roster, it could
be a case of win or be shown the door in many of those bouts.
UFC
84 Bouts (officially announced):
-B.J. Penn vs. Sean Sherk
-Keith Jardine vs. Wanderlei Silva
-Wilson Gouveia vs. Goran Reljic
-Lyoto Machida vs. Tito Ortiz
-Thiago Silva vs. Antonio Mendes
-Rousimar Palhares vs. Ivan Salaverry
-Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou vs. Kazuhiro Nakamura
-Terry Etim vs. Rich Clementi
-Yoshiyuki Yoshida vs. Jon Koppenhaver
-Dong-hyun Kim vs. Jason Tan
-Shane Carwin vs. Christian Wellisch
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Without
Chuck Liddell, UFC 85 Won't Sell on Pay-Per-View
The news that Chuck Liddell is out of UFC 85 with a torn hamstring
has UFC scrambling to find a replacement for the show's main
event, which will take place June 7 in London.
The
early reports are that James Irvin, fresh off the fastest knockout
in UFC history early this month, will take Liddell's place against
Rashad Evans. And Michael Bisping, even fresher off a TKO win
over Charles McCarthy at UFC 83, is expected to be added to the
card to take on Chris Leben.
Irvin-Evans
is a fine fight, and having the British Bisping on the card against
Leben should placate some of the local fans who are angry that
they bought their tickets under the impression that Liddell was
headlining the show. But if those two fights are the co-main
events, UFC can't put UFC 85 on pay-per-view.
Keep
in mind, UFC 85 comes just one week after EliteXC has its first
show on CBS. And the day after that EliteXC show comes WEC 34,
which is the best card in World Extreme Cagefighting history,
on Versus.
Are
MMA fans really going to pony up the money for pay-per-view to
watch a mediocre UFC card the weekend after two big MMA events,
one on free TV and one on basic cable? A few will, but the vast
majority won't.
Barring
the unexpected addition of a major fight to the UFC 85 card,
look for the show to appear on Spike, not pay-per-view.
Source: AOL Sports
|
RANDY
COUTURE FIGHTING FOR HIS FUTURE
Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight titleholder Randy
"The Natural" Couture resigned from the UFC on Oct.
11, 2007. Since his departure, his fighting future has been tied
up in lawsuits between the fighter and mixed martial arts' largest
organization.
Couture
recently spoke with MMAWeekly.com about his fighting future,
the lawsuits and the situation with the International Fight League
and the Xtreme Couture brand name.
The
IFL announced at the start of its 2008 season that Xtreme Couture
would be one of the camps in the newly reorganized fight promotion,
but the UFC halted the IFL’s plans with an injunction against
the use of the Xtreme Couture name.
"The
issue was really between the UFC and the IFL, but the UFC, with
all the other stuff going on, chose to kind of drag me into this
fray," Couture told MMAWeekly.
"I've
had an IFL team training at my school for two years. Since the
inception of the IFL," he explained. "That was the
Anacondas. (Chris) Horodecki, (Jay) Hieron, Wild (Mike) Pyle
was on the team. All those guys trained first in my L.A. gym,
Legends, and now here in the Vegas gym, Xtreme Couture.
"(The
IFL) decided they were going to do away with the team names and
try and stick to more natural teams that exist like Team Quest,
Renzo Gracie's team, American Top Team and so on and so forth,
and try to create rivalries … trying to create those natural
rivalries that already kind of exist, which made sense to me.”
He
continued, “They asked me if I wanted to have a team. I
was like, what do you mean have a team? I've already got a team.
What are you talking about? I said, if you want to say these
guys train at Xtreme Couture when they step in the ring that's
fine, but they took that one step further."
And
in the eyes of the UFC’s legal team, the IFL may have taken
it a lot more than one step further, triggering a lawsuit for
the MMA juggernaught.
"They
put my name and likeness all over their website and all over
their marketing material, especially for the fight (in Las Vegas)
at the Orleans. And my non-compete clause with the UFC precludes
me from promoting any other event until after October. That was
the rub as far as the UFC was concerned, but rather than go after
the IFL, they chose to come after me. I didn't give the IFL permission
to do that. They did that on their own accord. Really it was
a fight between the IFL and the UFC, but I kind of got drug in
the middle of it."
The
UFC was granted the injunction and what was going to be Team
Xtreme Couture was changed to Team Tompkins, donning the name
of Xtreme Couture trainer Shawn Tompkins.
"It
caused me to spend some money on lawyers and things that didn't
really make a lot of sense to me," said Couture. "To
top it off, it wasn't like I was even fighting for a bunch of
athletes that were mine that train here at Xtreme Couture. They
decided to assign guys from Florida that actually train for American
Top Team to this kind of name Xtreme Couture, which didn't make
a lot of sense to me. I wasn't really willing to spend any money
or step up and fight an injunction that didn't even have to do
with my athletes."
Like
an ugly celebrity divorce, the Couture and UFC split has played
out in the media. Both sides held press conferences stating their
side of the story and the longer it's gone on, the more ugly
it's become.
"I
think ultimately the UFC wants to drag me down any way they can
and tie me up and for them to be able to say, 'oh, we got an
injunction against Couture,'" the current UFC heavyweight
champion told MMAWeekly. "That only kind of leads the anti-Couture
media machine that Dana (White) is kind of spewing and running
right now.
"Ultimately,
the real litigation, the real issue is Mark Cuban stepping up
and filing a declaration on my fight contract to get the state
to rule as to when I'm free and clear of the UFC. I think that's
the thing that the UFC doesn't really want the public knowing,
that that's going on.
“That's
going to tell the tale of my contract and when I'm able and free
to fight Fedor (Emelianenko). We hope to hear something this
month with regard to that, and with any luck I'll be free and
clear of the UFC by July and be able to promote and find a way
to make that Fedor fight happen."
Source: MMA Weekly
|
GOULET
AGREES TO FIGHT KELLY AT UFC 85
Sources close to the fight have confirmed to MMAWeekly.com that
Jonathan Goulet – less than two weeks removed from his Fight
of the Night performance against Kuniyoshi Hironaka at UFC 83
– has accepted a bout against Paul Kelly at UFC 85.
The
fight is part of the undercard of the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s
return to the O2 Arena in London, headlined by a last-minute
bout between former welterweight champion Matt Hughes and rising
contender Thiago Alves.
Following
his TKO victory over Hironaka, Goulet told MMAWeekly, “I
have some opponents that I want to fight, but right now I just
want to move up in the UFC.” Currently on a three-fight
winning streak, he will get his next opportunity to continue
climbing the UFC’s crowded welterweight ladder against Kelly.
Undefeated
at 7-0 as a professional, Kelly is also coming off of a Fight
of the Night performance in the Octagon. He scored a unanimous
decision victory over fell Britain Paul Taylor at UFC 80 in Newcastle,
England in February.
CHONAN
VS. CARNEIRO CONFIRMED FOR UFC 85
The Ultimate Fighting Championship on Wednesday confirmed the
addition of a bout between Roan Carneiro and Ryo Chonan to its
UFC 85 event scheduled for June 7 in London.
The
welterweight bout brings to 11 the total number of bouts officially
announced by the UFC. In a statement early last week, the promotion
indicated that it would load up UFC 85 with 13 bouts.
Carneiro
has gone 2-1 in the Octagon to this point, his only loss being
to MMAWeekly.com’s No. 3 welterweight fighter in the world,
Jon Fitch. The Brazilian was impressive in his last outing, however,
scoring a TKO victory over Tony DeSouza at UFC 79.
While
most of Chonan’s career has occurred in the DEEP and Pride
organizations in Japan, he made his UFC debut last November,
losing a unanimous decision to Karo Parisyan at UFC 78. He does
hold the distinction of being one of only four fighters to have
defeated current UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva.
Bouts
pitting Jonathan Goulet against Paul Kelly and Jess Liaudin vs.
Paul Taylor are expected to round out the fight card, but have
not yet been announced by the UFC.
UFC
85 Bouts (officially announced):
-Matt Hughes vs. Thiago Alves
-Michael Bisping vs. Chris Leben
-Marcus Davis vs. Mike Swick
-Rashad Evans vs. James Irvin
-Fabricio Werdum vs. Brandon Vera
-Martin Kampmann vs. Jorge Rivera
-Thiago Tavares vs. Matt Wiman
-Nate Marquardt vs. Thales Leites
-Luis Arthur Cane vs. Jason Lambert
-Neil Wain vs. Antoni Hardonk
-Ryo Chonan vs. Roan Carneiro
UFC
85 Bouts (unannounced):
-Jonathan Goulet vs. Paul Kelly
-Jess Liaudin vs. Paul Taylor
Source: MMA Weekly
|
RICH
FRANKLIN MOVING TO 205?
Former Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight titleholder
Rich "Ace" Franklin is considering a return to the
light heavyweight division according to his manager, Monte Cox.
"Rich
has to make a decision," Cox told MMAWeekly Radio. "We've
certainly considered going to 205 and seeing how he does up there."
Franklin
obtained the middleweight championship at UFC 53 by defeating
Evan Tanner. He lost the belt to current champion Anderson "The
Spider" Silva at UFC 64 and was defeated again by Silva
in a rematch at UFC 77.
"He's
fought almost everybody in the 185-pound division," said
Cox. "There are some guys that he could fight, but if he
beats them it knocks them out of title contention. And nobody
is looking to see Rich and Anderson Silva 3 right now, including
me."
Franklin
competed as a light heavyweight for the first half of his career
losing only once, to the still undefeated Lyoto Machida, but
hasn't fought at 205 pounds since 2004.
"It's
one of those deals where he's such a big star, which helps. He's
loved everywhere he goes, a big ovation in Canada and all that.
But he's not helping the 185-pound division right now by beating
everybody up in it," commented Cox.
"We've
talked about going to 205 and how would he match up with some
of those guys, with a Forrest Griffin or a Keith Jardine. I think
there're some really good fights. There's a whole bunch of 205's
that I think would be interesting."
He
continued, "In the end, we do what the UFC wants. If they
want us to try 205, we're up for it. If they want to keep us
at 185, then we'll do that too."
Franklin
is coming off a win in the middleweight division over Travis
Lutter at UFC 83 and isn't expected back in action for another
three to four months.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
SAVANT
YOUNG DROPS TO 145, CHALLENGES LION
On Saturday night, Shooto will be holding its 20th anniversary
event, filling it out with the biggest stars from the promotion’s
past and present. Making his debut on this illustrious card will
be International Fight League veteran Savant Young, as he takes
on former Shooto lightweight champion “Lion” Takeshi
Inoue.
Besides
making his first fight appearance in Japan, this fight will also
mark Young’s debut at 145 pounds after spending the majority
of his career fighting opponents bigger than him. “Its exciting.
The opponent is what makes the fight more exciting for me and
not the fact that it’s my first fight in Japan because a
fight is a fight, no matter where it is.”
Young
has been fighting for the last year at lightweight, but now moves
down to featherweight. “I feel pretty strong at both weights,”
he said. “The only thing that’s really changed is that
its put my training into perspective. I’ve changed my eating
habits and it’s made me work harder in the gym like never
before. It’s my ideal situation when it comes to fighting.”
Not
only is he making his debut at a new weight class, but also he
is fighting one of the better fighters in that weight class in
Inoue.
Young
feels that taking on one of the best fighters in the weight class
will put him on the map instantly if he is able to impress. “I
figured if I was going to enter a new weight class, I wanted
to fight one of the best guys to gauge myself at the weight class
and whether or not its where I should be fighting at.”
For
the last year, he has been competing in the IFL as part of the
Tokyo Sabres. It has been well documented the problems that some
of the members of the team had with coach Ken Yasuda and how
it effected their performances. “The IFL was great as an
organization. They promoted us well and got our name out to the
public while being on TV, but it’s hard to have someone
in your corner trying to tell you what to do when he doesn’t
know how to motivate you to do your best and you differ on training
methods.”
Young
now trains out of Bodyshop Fitness Team in Southern California
and he credits them for helping them prepare for what could possibly
be the biggest fight of his career, “I want to thank Brett
Copper, Jason High, Antonio McKee and all the guys at Bodyshop
Fitness Team that have helped me get ready for this fight.
“Most
of all I’d like to thank my wife who has supported me through
all of this. I’ve been going through some rough times lately
and she has always been there supporting me when I needed her.”
He
embarks to a new weight class and on Saturday night all eyes
will be on Savant Young, who could possibly resurrect his career
with a huge win over the former lightweight champion on Shooto’s
biggest card of the year.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
ARIZONA
OFFICIALLY REGULATES MMA
The growth of mixed martial arts in America just took another
step forward as the state of Arizona recently pass legislation
introduced by state representative Jonathan Paton that will allow
the state boxing commission to oversee and regulate the sport
of MMA.
This
new law will allow the boxing commission to use the regulations
first introduced by the New Jersey State Athletic Commission
that are widely know throughout MMA as the “unified rules”
to sanction and regulate professional MMA.
Stricter
medical testing and licensing for fighters and promoters will
also allow the state to invite the most widely recognized forms
of MMA into the state for the first time ever.
Legendary
MMA fighter and trainer, Ken Shamrock, was one of many advocates
involved with getting the law passed in the state of Arizona.
“I
wanted to clear up any misconceptions members had about MMA.
It is far from the “human cock-fighting” analogy used
years ago by John McCain,” said Shamrock in a press release.
“There are rules in place to ensure the safety of participants.
Over the years fighters have sustained fewer injuries during
MMA competitions than in boxing. Mixed Martial Arts is a legitimate
sport that takes considerable skill and intelligence.”
It
is interesting to note that McCain, who is currently running
on the Republican ticket for president, is a Senator from the
state of Arizona.
Also
helping out with the effort to sway lawmakers were Arizona based
fighters such as Jamie Varner and Arizona Combat Sports lead
trainer Trevor Lally, who said that the new rules will not only
institute the correct policies, but it will entice the professional
MMA fighters to seek out Arizona.
“What
we stressed to them is when you’re going to go to professional
rules, you’re going to get the professional athletes,”
stated Lally. “And with professional athletes, all the kids
that fight down here out of their garage in a week’s notice,
or a week’s training, just because they say they’re
a cage fighter, that’s going to go bye-bye. No one’s
going to want to put their kid in against a kid who’s actually
seasoned with these types of rules.”
It’s
the professional aspect of the new rules and regulations that
Lally feels will make the sport legitimate in his home state.
“It
was almost giving the sport a very amateur look to it, basically
it was amateur here,” commented Lally about previous MMA
competitions in the state. “But now with the new rules,
the really trained fighters, the professionally trained fighters,
the guys that actually know what they’re doing once they
get in there and are actually prepared for it are going to make
this sport look a whole lot better with the legislative, the
crowd, the promoters. It’s just going to be better for everybody.”
The
new law was signed in by Governor Janet Napolitano will officially
go into effect 90 days after the legislation ends.
Source: MMA Weekly |
HEAD
OF THE CLASS: ASU WRESTLERS TAKE ON MMA
Wrestlers have always had a special place in the world of mixed
martial arts. One particular group of wrestlers from Arizona
State University have made a mark lately, positioning themselves
as the new breed of athletes competing in MMA.
While
Arizona State has always been a top school for collegiate wrestling,
it has also produced many top MMA fighters including Dan Severn,
Dan Henderson, and Don Frye. Now, a new group of grapplers from
Arizona State has proven the team still knows how to produce
great fighters.
C.B.
Dollaway, Ryan Bader, and Cain Velasquez were all a part of the
Arizona State wrestling team. Recently, all three have made successful
transitions into MMA.
“Basically,
when I came to Arizona State, it put me in a great position to
be a great collegiate wrestler. I came in with Ryan Bader and
Cain Velasquez, it was kind of like a 1-2-3 punch,” said
Dollaway about his teammates. “So we all worked out together
and my coach Aaron Simpson, who’s a two time All-American
who was trying to make the Olympics. Just a bunch of great guys
to workout with.”
The
work ethic displayed showed on the wrestling mat as all three
were All-American wrestlers in their time at Arizona State and
it’s that commitment that helped them transition to MMA
as well.
Assistant
coach Aaron Simpson saw something special in that particular
group of guys that he felt would carry them far in their future
sport.
“Those
three guys, we saw something different,” said Simpson. “We
did something special. I mean we pushed ourselves through midnight
workouts, we did special workouts, everything I asked of them
they did. I trained right alongside them. It was a pretty awesome
experience in that respect for me.”
Simpson,
who is now competing as a mixed martial artist himself, admits
that the MMA bug bit him early on in his career at Arizona State.
“When
the UFC first started, Kevin Jackson was my coach back in college.
He was an assistant coach, but he also fought in the UFC,”
Simpson commented. “He was down in Tempe training with me,
and so I kind of got a firm hand of that stuff, just to train
with him. It’s always kind of been a back burner issue for
me.”
Bader,
who recently tried out for the eighth season of The Ultimate
Fighter as a light heavyweight, talked about how the wrestlers
used MMA during the wrestling season as well.
“We
rolled around every once in a while as a different way to cut
weight,” said Bader. “You’re there for six months
straight during wrestling season and cutting weight every week,
so you kind of get bored just sitting there and drilling. At
the end (at Arizona State), me and C.B. were working out with
Jesse Forbes and try to get him ready for one of his UFC fights.
Ever since then basically we’ve just been training every
day since that day.”
With
Dollaway, Bader and Velasquez all working alongside each other
on a daily basis, it didn’t take long for them to start
looking towards MMA as a career choice. Dollaway says it was
Velasquez who first made the move.
“Cain
(Velasquez) knew he was going into MMA. As soon as he graduated,
he looked to start fighting,” Dollaway said about his training
partner. “I didn’t know that I was going to get into
it, but I knew I wanted to train and once I had my first fight,
I just loved it.”
The
foundation was set and Dollaway admits that working with such
tough training partners, he knew that he was prepared for a life
in MMA.
“We
were all top level college wrestlers, so you know working with
those guys, you never have to question the type of guys I’m
working with,” Dollaway said. “Most of them are better
than the guys I’m fighting, so yeah it definitely gives
you huge confidence.”
After
graduation, Dollaway and Bader made their move to the Arizona
Combat Sports team where they continue to train together. Dollaway
is currently a member of “The Ultimate Fighter” season
seven cast.
Teammate
Cain Velasquez recently made his UFC debut, dispatching of Brad
Morris in the first round of their fight. He currently trains
out of the American Kickboxing Academy in San Jose, Calif.
This
particular class of athletes at Arizona State may not be matched
for sometime, and former assistant coach Aaron Simpson feels
that this is just the beginning for college wrestlers making
the move to MMA.
“You
get guys like Gray Maynard and Josh Koscheck who are out there
having some success. And now we’ve got these young guys,
they’re saying they’re in college, they want to win
a national title and get their degree, and then they’re
moving right on into MMA,” said Simpson. “It’s
second nature to them.”
Dollaway
believes the transition may start before future athletes even
hit the wrestling mat in college for the first time.
“You’re
going to see a lot of wrestlers coming out and guys are going
to start training earlier,” Dollaway commented. “High
school wrestlers, you’re going to see them start training
boxing and kickboxing, so when they are done with their wrestling
careers, they’re already a step ahead of the game.”
Following
their college days, Dollaway says that all three remain in close
contact and still train together, even though some of them are
in different MMA camps. He went on to state that even more wrestlers
from that same team at Arizona State will be making waves in
MMA in the very near future.
“All
of us are really, really good friends so we’re going to
be supportive of one another and do anything to help each other
out,” said Bader about the friends he made as teammates
at Arizona State.
Kellan
Fluckinger, another heavyweight from Arizona State that served
as a major training partner for Cain Velasquez during college,
is also working towards a career in MMA.
Simpson
is also fighting in MMA now, currently sporting a 2-0 record,
while working with the Cal Poly wrestling team last season as
an assistant coach at that school.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
QUARRY
TALKS STARNES AND THE ROCK-HAMMER
Nate "Rock" Quarry won a unanimous decision over Canadian
fighter Kalib Starnes at UFC 83. He also won over a lot of fans
for his performance and in-Octagon antics during what turned
out to be one of the most bizarre fights in Ultimate Fighting
Championship history.
Following
his bout with Rich Franklin at UFC 56, Quarry underwent back
surgery to repair disc damage from a degenerative condition that
resulted in having several vertebra fused together. Many thought
his fighting career was over. Defying the odds, he returned nearly
two years later at UFC Fight Night 11 with a knockout victory
over Pete Sell.
Following
his successful comeback, Quarry requested a bout with Kalib Starnes.
The bout was turned down by Starnes’ camp. “When I
called Joe Silva at first to make my comeback in the UFC, I just
thought (Starnes’) style would be perfect for mine and it
would be a good warm-up fight for me," Quarry told MMAWeekly.
"(Silva)
contacted his camp and the response was, ‘No. We don't want
that fight. He just lost. We just won, so he doesn't deserve
to fight us.’ At that moment I just kind of made a mental
note that some day I'm going to give you a beating if at all
possible."
His
opportunity came at UFC 83, but Starnes refused to engage, leaving
the crowd and Quarry puzzled. "It was very frustrating for
me," said Quarry. "I walked right out of the ring and
walked up to Dana White and told him how sorry I was that I wasn't
able to finish the fight. I told Joe Silva the exact same thing.
Both of them said what every fan has been saying to me, that
I went and gave everything that I had. I pushed the fight as
much as I could. It's just very hard to get something done when
someone is running away from you for fifteen minutes."
The
fight played out with Quarry moving forward, throwing punches
and Starnes retreating. Asked about Starnes' offense during the
match, Quarry commented, "Thinking of strikes that he landed,
he landed one jab to my forehead. When I slipped, or he caught
my leg off of a kick, I don't remember what it was, when I was
trying to stand up he unloaded a pretty good barrage of punches.
None of them really did any damage. I know he head-butted me
right off the get-go in the first round, head-butted me right
in the teeth. I think he head-butted me a couple of more times.
He kneed me, just missed my junk and poked me in the eyes once.
Other than that it was pretty good for me."
As
the fight went on, the frustration mounted for Quarry and the
crowd began to voice their displeasure chanting, "boring,
boring." In the final round Quarry reacted by taunting Starnes.
“It
was massive frustration and I wasn't trying to be disrespectful
at all,” stated Quarry. “I didn't really want to mock
him, but at the same time I think when you're presented with
a situation like that you've got one of two ways to address it.
One is to get really angry, start screaming, yelling and cussing
at him, or the other is to just kind of mock him.
“I
just decided to make light of the situation and be like, hey
man, this is what I'm seeing. I'm seeing a running man. That
just came to me out of nowhere. When there were ten seconds left
I just said to myself, all right, I'm calling the technique the
rock-hammer. I don't know if that name will stick or not.”
Quarry
continued, “I was just like, okay, he's just going to run
away from me. For ten seconds I'm going to do this and maybe,
just maybe he'll step in and try to hit me and we'll see what
happens. When I'm doing that, he's still running away from me
backwards. It was just unbelievable to me.”
By
the end of the bout, Quarry had won over the Canadian crowd.
“I knew that the Canadian fans at first it would be kind
of a nationalistic thing, but with our sport and the fans that
we have, at the end of the day, they're cheering for who the
fighter is,” said the Oregon native. “If both fighters
came to fight, we both would have gotten a huge standing ovation,
but as it was they could see who came to really fight and to
win.
“One
of my buddies that was there watching the fight said that when
the fight started the crowd was really into it and they were
excited to see a Canadian fight. By the end of the first round,
they were kind of like what the hell is going on? Through the
second round, they were just kind of disgusted and booing. In
the third round, when I started making light of the situation,
everyone was like, okay, now we can get back to enjoying this.
This is great.”
Source: MMA Weekly
|
KANG
LOOKING TO DELIVER A DREAM KNOCKOUT
Denis Kang returns to fighting after a six-month lay off to take
on Gegard Mousasi in the first round of the Dream Middleweight
Grand Prix. Kang, the No. 4 ranked middleweight in the world,
is going to attempt to rebound from his last fight in October
where he was knocked out.
“I'm
training my butt off,” said Kang in a recent interview with
MMAWeekly. “I've been training since my last fight in October,
because I was under the impression I was going to fight on the
Dynamite show (on New Year’s Eve), so I never stopped training.”
He
has been training with Georges St. Pierre, as St. Pierre just
reclaimed his UFC welterweight crown a week ago. Even though
he has been training in Canada, Kang remains a member of American
Top Team.
“I
haven't left American Top Team,” he explained. “I'm
still part of American Top Team. They're my family. I'm just
on a temporary leave of absence in Canada because of a visa issue.
I speak with ATT every day, pretty much.”
While
Kang has had mixed success in the last year, he still believes
he should have won his last fight against Yoshihiro Akiyama.
“Man, I hate making excuses for a fight,” commented
the Canadian.
“During
that fight, a lot of (stuff) went wrong. Everything went well
at first. As soon as I got punched in the eye, my eye closed
up. It was really hard for me to formulate any offense, or any
defense for that matter. I guess what I learned from that fight
is to be ready for that kind of thing to happen. I don't think
I made that big of a mistake to make me completely change my
game plan.”
Even
though Akiyama will not join the Dream Grand Prix due to an injury,
Kang still hopes he’ll get the opportunity to fight him
again. “I would love to fight Akiyama. Akiyama first, and
then Misaki.”
Kang
has had many experiences in tournaments, so the Grand Prix will
not be a big adjustment for him. In fact, he prefers tournaments.
“I love tournaments. I have a lot of experience doing tournaments.
I've been doing it since the beginning of my career starting
with the Bas Rutten Invitational.”
A
good amount of Kang’s fights have been overseas the last
few years including Japan and Korea. Many of his fans in North
America would love to see him fight on his home continent. “I
would love to fight back in North America; somewhere where my
friends can see me real-time or on pay-per-view. But that's really
up to my management when I'm up with Dream.”
After
his contract with Dream, there are many top middleweights that
Kang would like to compete against including Ultimate Fighting
Championship middleweight champion Anderson Silva and EliteXC’s
middleweight champion Robbie Lawler. “I would love to. I
wish there was a way that all organizations could work together
to have some sort of Super Bowl like we thought we would get
when the UFC bought Pride.”
His
opponent for the opening round of the Grand Prix is Gegard Mousasi
(20-2-1), who is on a seven-fight win streak. “He's a tall
guy from Holland. He's good standing up and good on the ground,”
Kang commented. “I think it's one of those fights that I'll
have to go out there and feel.”
Now
that he has drawn one of the tougher opponents in the opening
round, does it have an effect on his training?
“I'm
very happy because it makes me train harder. Every opponent is
tough. When you know the opponent and you respect him, it motivates
you to train even more. I'm glad I'm getting a tough opponent
like Mousasi. It makes me feel like I have to rise up to the
challenge.”
When
Kang takes on Mousasi this weekend, he offered an easy prediction.
“Knockout! KO, man! It's quick and simple.”
Source: MMA Weekly
|
MMA
Fastball: Bring on Anderson Silva vs. Georges St. Pierre
We
could do a long introduction and all, but this is MMA Fastball.
So, let’s get to it.
Who
else wants to see Anderson Silva take on Georges St. Pierre?—
Perhaps the two most impressive performances we’ve seen
from elite fighters in recent days have come from Anderson Silva—when
he took out Dan Henderson at UFC 82—and Georges St. Pierre,
who recently stopped a very tough fighter in Matt Serra at UFC
83.
Most
walked away from the Silva fight at UFC 82 believing the man
was near unbeatable. But then you see Georges St. Pierre’s
wrestling and athleticism and it just jars you.
No,
this fight probably isn’t going to happen in the very near
future as Jon Fitch is waiting in the wings for the man from
Montreal. That said, is there really any middleweight out there
right now in the UFC that has you saying, ‘this is the guy
that beat Anderson Silva?’
No,
there isn’t. And that’s why if both of these fighters
win their next bouts with the same ease that we’ve come
to expect, Dana White and the gang have to consider putting this
dream match up, one that St. Pierre has indicated he’d be
open to, together.
Speaking
of fights worth watching, how about Kenny Florian being penciled
in to take on Roger Huerta at UFC 87?— Kenny Florian is
one of the most well rounded MMA fighters in the game today.
He also comes to finish fights and is always in shape. Roger
Huerta is also very well rounded, has stopped the last three
fighters he’s faced, and is never involved in a boring fight.
I’m
thinking top 10 fights of the year here, people.
Nate
Diaz has one of the scariest guards in the game.—You could
see how dangerous he was from his back while competing on TUF.
But TUF fighters are up and comers. There’s a big difference
between catching those guys and triangle strangling fighters
like Kurt Pellegrino and Alvin Robinson.
When
Diaz raised his hands in the air in victory before Kurt Pellegrino
had even tapped from the triangle choke he’d sunk at UFC
Fight Night 13, it showed the kind of confidence he has in his
submission game.
This
kid is scary good on the ground.
By
the way, that camp of his—Cesar Gracie Jiu Jitsu—breeds
some tough hombres, does it not?— Say whatever you want
about Nick Diaz. . . Regardless, he’s still tough as nails,
dangerous, and always comes to fight in shape. Did anyone catch
what Gilbert Melendez did to Gabe Lemley on March 29, 2008? Unfortunately
for his opponents, that fight was not the exception to the rule
for this man who learned most of what he knows about MMA while
working with Cesar Gracie. Then there’s Jake Shields—
an accident for opponents waiting to happen—as well as Nate
Diaz.
Now
can you think of a bunch of guys that demonstrate more heart,
cardio, and toughness (things, by the way, that go together)
working together anywhere else? Cesar Gracie has produced some
tough fighters, and that camp probably doesn’t get the credit
it deserves.
Fedor
Emelianenko vs. Tim Sylvia—How will Fedor do against a UFC
heavyweight? Is he really all that good or is his record just
padded from taking on nobody’s? How much will the layoff
from taking on top heavyweight competition hurt him when he does
finally compete against an elite MMA fighter in the heavyweight
division?
All
questions that have been posed. And finally it appears that on
July 19, 2008 we’re going to get the answers.
Speaking
of Fedor vs. Sylvia, how about the rumors regarding the July
Affliction card they’re going to fight on?—Word is
that the July Affliction card Fedor and Sylvia will be fighting
on is going to have a plethora of big names on it. Matt “The
Law” Lindland has already confirmed that he’ll be fighting
on the show. Josh Barnett, Ben Rothwell, and Andrei Arlovski
are also strong possibilities.
Now
if Affliction is able to get all of those guys on one card, well,
that’s unbelievable. In fact, that’s a UFC worthy card.
But
seeing is believing.
Mirko
“Cro Cop” Filipovic vs. Jerome LeBanner at DREAM 4
in an MMA rules match.— When these two last met over a decade
ago, Filipovic pulled out a decision victory in a kickboxing
match. Guess is that this time someone is going to win by stoppage.
Cro
Cop is a fighter that could be compared to a streak shooter in
basketball. If they hit some shots early on, then their confidence
builds and they play like a Hall of Famer. If not, then things
go south. Cro Cop must win a fight against a worthy opponent
like LeBanner or he won’t be in the right frame of mind
for a guy like Fedor Emelianenko (in a rumored fight later in
the year).
In
fact, he needs to defeat LeBanner in order to get a fight against
Emelianenko to begin with.
Quinton
“Rampage” Jackson is just a nice guy.—Anytime
you possess a nickname like “Rampage” most people are
going to assume you’re a rather angry fellow. Before fights,
Quinton Jackson is just that; he looks the part.
But
as a coach on TUF, we’re all getting to see a different
side of him. Yes, we always knew he was a funny guy, but it turns
out that Rampage is also one heckuva nice guy as well.
Royce
Gracie at number three on Inside MMA’s All Time Top 10 MMA
Fighters list.—It was good to see Royce Gracie land in the
top five this past week on Inside MMA’s list (and deserved
as well). The interesting thing about Gracie, however, is that
where he lands on your list totally depends on your definition
of what a top MMA fighter is.
Said
another way, if this was a list of the most influential MMA fighters
of all time Royce Gracie is number one no doubt, and we’re
talking about forever, people.
Most
impossible to choke list—Bart Palaszewski— Recently,
Palaszewski lost via unanimous decision to Jim Miller, a fighter
with a huge upside that you should be watching. If you saw that
fight, then you probably noticed two things.
First,
Jim Miller has some sick jiu jitsu. Second, Bart Palaszewski
was caught dead to rights twice in chokes by Miller (Anaconda
and rear naked) and somehow survived.
I
mean caught, people. Forget about choking Bart Palaszewski all
of you would be opponents out there.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Tozi
fights MMA in USA
Black belt to make international debut
One
of the names to stand out in the 2008 Jiu-Jitsu Pan-American,
the competition in which he was runner-up in the absolute black
belt categorty, Roberto Tozi is getting ready to make his international
MMA debut. The fighter was confirmed on the card of Link Fighting
Championship, an event organized by Brazilian Marcio LaSelva
and is planned for May 10, in the city of Wichita, Kansas.
“Another
of Tozi’s black belt in the event is Fernando Neto, who
has one fight in Brazil and will be making his first international
appearance. Neto is training with Rich Franklin and Jorge Gurgel
for this event. Our card will have 12 fights on it, six of them
are professional,” says LaSelva.
The
organization promises an appearance from Anderson Silva, UFC
middleweight champion, as guest of honor, and the stadium will
have a 5-thousand spectator capacity.
Stay
tuned to GRACIEMAG.com and we will bring you the complete Link
Fighting Championship card.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Nakahara
ready to face Sakuraba
When
he started practicing Kyokushin Karate, the Brazilian Andrews
Nakahara could not imagine himself fighting at MMA rules in Japanese
rings. The 25 years old black belt has many Karate titles and
is going to make his MMA debut against the biggest Japanese MMA
fighter in history, Kazushi Sakuraba, at the next middleweight
DREAM GP. The first round is scheduled for April 29th. Andrews
commented about his debut against the Japanese idol. “Sakuraba
is a legend, it’s a honor to face him. It is a big opportunity
to debut at MMA facing such an experienced athlete as Sakuraba”,
said the Brazilian.
Source: Tatame
|
Gesias
complains partiality at DREAM
The
polemical fight between Gesias Cavalcanti and the Japanese fighter
Shinya Aoki at DREAM’s lightweight GP seems to have no end.
After Aoki’s complaining about an elbow blow at his back
of the head and the organization define another date for the
fight, it’s time to Gesias complain about some partiality
at DREAM’s GP. The next fight will happen at the Saitama
Super Arena at April 29th, and the Brazilian fighter said that
the organization is giving advantage for some athletes. “My
fight was No Contest and the correct by the event rules was that
I win, but now I’ll have to fight two times in two weeks”,
said Gesias that complained about some advantages to other fighters.
“I’m
not unsatisfied, but I think it’s a disrespect an event
that is starting now with a 16 athlete tournament, but on the
first stage only has 14. An athlete is on the second stage without
passing trough the first fight, if I’m not wrong it’s
Caol Uno, they didn’t announced that. I’m Hero’s
champion and I’m asking for any privileges, I’m only
asking for a fair game”, said the Gesias.
Source: Tatame
|
The
10 Most Embarrassing MMA Performances
Immortality
was granted to Kalib Starnes at UFC 83, but for all the wrong
reasons.
In
front of a career record audience of 20,000-plus, Starnes looked
more cyclist than fighter, backpedaling against Nate Quarry and
doing the equivalent of a day's roadwork on the canvas. The apathy
to engage was so severe that the normally stoic Quarry began
mocking him in the closing moments, faux-sprinting around the
ring and shrugging his shoulders to an inflamed crowd.
(You
thought the $44.95 was a sting for that fight? Try a couple of
grand for a 10th row seat.)
In
a sport where self-preservation is understood to mean tapping
or ducking, Starnes' performance is likely to earn him the title
of MMA's Roberto Duran, a fighter forever reviled for what is
perceived to be a gutless display of inaction. Like Duran, it's
unlikely he knew how much he was soiling his reputation until
it was too late.
The
same goes for these other athletes, who for whatever reason --
injury, illness or just plain cage fright -- saw their stock
plummet after hollow displays of valor.
In
ascending order of audience Ipecac:
10.
Matt Ghaffari (vs. Naoya Ogawa, Aug. 8, 2002)
Olympic
silver medal winner Ghaffari had a very imposing lineage to live
up to: All of the collegiate-style wrestling champions that had
entered MMA were physical specimens that seemed to chew nails
and grapple cattle before stepping on the mats. Even in losses,
they were hellacious competitors.
Ghaffari,
in contrast, climbed into the ring for a bout with judo Olympian
Ogawa looking like an animate yam, 350 pounds of engorged subcutaneous
fat agitating with his every step. Slowed by central obesity,
he ate several low kicks from Ogawa and finally a punch that
had him cradling his eye socket and shunning any further engagement,
rendered as battered as his pre-fight meal in less than two minutes.
Ghaffari's
woeful performance depresses, but it's par for wilting Olympic
athletes who frequently find themselves without meaningful income
after years sacrificed pursuing a medal. He's on the motivational
speaking circuit now, but I'd wager this fight isn't an anecdote
he's too eager to share.
9.
Cristian Quezada (vs. Marcelo Goncalves, Sept. 15, 1997)
Fatigue
has beaten more men than strikes ever will, but it's usually
a precursor to heavy offense that forces the referee to intervene.
Brazilian
Quezada preferred to skip the preamble and head right for the
finish line: After spending nearly seven minutes on the bottom
of Goncalves in the opening round of an IVC tournament, he slipped
into a standing clinch and then spontaneously decided he'd had
enough, tapping Goncalves' back and prompting the infamous Fight
Finder footnote of "Submission: No Apparent Reason."
8.
Hugo Duarte (vs. Mark Kerr, Oct. 11, 1998)
There
was a time when fighting Mark Kerr was cause for State Farm to
revoke your life insurance policy. He was inhumanly strong, athletic,
skilled enough to plant your head through the ring's support
beams -- and, we now know, possessed of more pharmaceuticals
in his system than a Walgreen's terminal.
Brazilian
luta livre specialist Duarte may have shown mettle in signing
a contract to fight Kerr at the nadir of his destructive power,
but it didn't take long for him to realize he'd be better off
trying to submit a wild boar. After two rounds of punishment,
Duarte began to slink his way out of the ring, prompting frequent
restarts. When the referee grew tired of that, he began barking
complaints (in Portuguese).
Unable
to find sanctuary, Duarte finally resorted to feigning unconsciousness,
dozing on the ring apron -- and briefly opening his eyes to make
sure the referee was paying attention.
Kerr
took the victory: TKO via thespian.
7.
Travis Lutter (vs. Anderson Silva, Feb. 3, 2007)
A
perfect example of the right talent in the wrong body: Lutter,
who had impressively battled his way through a season of "The
Ultimate Fighter" to earn a shot at middleweight champion
Anderson Silva, was expected to take his good fortune with humility.
Instead,
he showed up overweight and unable to strip off the excess mass
in time for officials to make it a formal title bid. Robbing
himself of what he had worked so hard to attain, Lutter proceeded
to nearly beat Silva in the first round before folding into a
wheezy, ill-conditioned heap in the second.
How
someone with such a rarified opportunity can squelch it with
a halfhearted training regimen remains a mystery. Lutter's ability
deserves a better cardiovascular vessel.
6.
Dan Severn (vs. Kimo Leopoldo, Oct. 11, 1997)
While
both men can share the blame for their awkward man-dance in front
of Pride's inaugural crowd, the bulk of distain should fall on
Severn's shoulders.
An
accredited wrestler, he chose instead to put his rudimentary
striking skills on display for 30 migraine-inducing minutes,
forcing commentators Stephen Quadros and Bas Rutten to regard
the fight as a master-class on how not to hit someone.
The
fight was a draw, with Severn blaming the ring for his performance.
Unless it was on hydraulics, the only guilty party is the Beast
himself.
Source: Sherdog
|
TOMMY’S
TRAUMA
Living with Tourette Syndrome Made Sauer a Fighter
By Brian Knapp
Tom
Sauer did not fight his toughest battles inside an octagon, cage
or ring. Diagnosed with Tourette Syndrome – an inherited
neurological disorder characterized by involuntary motor and
phonic tics – at the age of seven, Sauer recalls a time
when he was beaten by family members over outbursts he could
not control.
“I
used to bark like a seal,” Sauer says. “Back in the
70s, nobody had ever heard of Tourette’s. I got a lot of
spankings over it. People in my family used to tell me, ‘People
are going to think you’re crazy.’ Then they’d
beat the living crap out of me. At 7 years old, you don’t
know why you’re doing something.”
Born
in Cleveland, Sauer and his mother relocated to Ocala, Fla.,
after his parents divorced in 1973. The eldest of Charlotte and
Thomas Sauer’s two children, his relationship with his biological
father wilted after the move.
“I
don’t really know my dad,” Sauer says. “To grow
up without something, you don’t really miss it.”
Life
outside of the home was no picnic, as classmates and friends
teased and taunted Sauer relentlessly. His form of Tourette’s
carried with it a condition known as coprolalia – bursts
of uncontrollable obscenities and socially inappropriate remarks.
Fighting became routine.
“People
ask me why I fight … that’s why,” Sauer says.
“Kids are the cruelest. I had to fight. People are predisposed
to believe certain things; you almost have to disprove them.”
The
personal struggle to gain acceptance among peers ultimately led
to an interest in combat sports, particularly in mixed martial
arts. The progression proved natural, and Tommy “Trauma”
Sauer was born. With $20,000, he founded the Team Trauma gym
in Ocala in 1993 and committed his time and resources to training
prospective fighters in northern and central Florida, Pride Fighting
Championships and EliteXC veteran Charles “Krazy Horse”
Bennett among them.
“A
lot of work went into it,” Sauer says. “You’re
almost married to it.”
His
ties to the sport did not end with training others. Sauer made
his professional MMA debut in 1998 and submitted Jeff Monson,
a man who would later challenge Tim Sylvia for the UFC heavyweight
championship, in his third career fight. Still, financial rewards
were of little consequence, a fact which forced him to hold multiple
jobs. More work meant less training, and less training meant
more flaws.
Sauer’s
career took erratic twists and turns – he describes it as
“Jekyll and Hyde.” He defeated two men (Enson Inoue
and Valentijn Overeem) who own wins over UFC Hall-of-Famer Randy
Couture, but inconsistent training practices produced spotty
results. Four times he lost back-to-back fights, as responsibilities
away from the gym spread him thin. In August 2000, he accepted
an offer to fight current International Fight League light heavyweight
champion Vladimir Matyushenko on 19 hours notice following a
48-hour shift with the Ocala Fire Department. He drove 300 miles
to compete at the World Extreme Fighting show, only to be stopped
on a second-round cut.
“I
consider myself an all-or-nothing fighter,” Sauer says.
“I fought and beat two guys who beat Randy Couture, but
nobody remembers. I feel like I came along a day late and a dollar
short.”
Once
a fighter who prided himself on activity – he had seven
bouts in 2000 – Sauer’s pace has declined steadily
in recent years. At 20-11, he has thrown the leather only three
times in the past three years. As he approaches the twilight
of his career (he turns 38 in November), Sauer admits there’s
nothing he can do to keep the sun from setting. He was booked
to fight Ben Rothwell at an IFL event in September but withdrew
after injuring his arm in training. Sauer has no clue when –
or if – he’ll fight again.
“I
fought a couple of times to keep my feet wet,” Sauer says,
“but I told everyone I was retired unless somebody called
up.”
Source: Fight Network |
Action
Sports Exclusive: Chuck Liddell on his injury
For
the first time in his career, Chuck Liddell has to withdraw from
a fight after tearing his right hamstring last week while training.
Liddell
spoke exclusively with Action Sports about not competing in UFC
85.
Liddell
was back in the gym almost immediately after the injury and was
willing to go on with the fight.
But
the UFC decided it would be best for him not to enter the cage
with Rashad Evans in London on June 7.
Tuesday,
Liddell spoke exclusively with Action Sports about his setback.
"It
was real disappointing. You know, I'm about seven weeks out so
I've done a lot of training, and training hard. I'm in great
shape, timing was great, everything was looking good. You know,
and I had to pull out. So it was pretty disappointing,"
Liddell said about withdrawing from his next fight.
His
trainer John "Pit Master" Hackelman added, "I
think this is a huge setback for this fight, and it's a huge
setback for the UFC and this England show. But in the grand scheme
of things for Chuck Liddell's future, I think it's just a minor
setback because I think his hammy is going to heal up 110 percent
and he's going to be back stronger than ever."
Liddell
and Hackelman say his next fight will likely be in September
against Maurico "Shogun" Rua, although nothing has
been finalized by UFC.
Source: KSBY TV
|
Talkin
MMA with Ed Fishman
By Scoop Malinowski
Gaming
industry pioneer Ed Fishman very nearly became the owner of Pride
USA. But UFC intercepted the deal and subsequently pulled the
plug on one of the world’s biggest sporting production companies.
Ed Fishman took time out to talk about what happened to the almost
deal of the century:
MMAMemories.com:
Give us a quick background on who Ed Fishman is for those who
don’t know. Your history in the casino business up to you
meeting Sakikabara in Japan.
Ed
Fishman: “I started entertainment the industry game shows
Dealer’s Choice, Fun Factory, about six or seven game shows
reached the air, we produced and owned with Columbia Pictures.
Then while doing game shows in Vegas became fascinated with the
whole gaming industry. Invented certain things like world championship
of blackjack in ‘78 on CBS. Started tournament business
in blackjack, craps, all games, winding up in ‘84 doing
the Olympics of games, blackjack, craps, slots. We did it at
Harrah’s in Atlantic City in 1984. But also did tournaments
around the world - Nassau, Monte Carlo, on cruise ships, we had
very big tournaments. Other things were cash advances, business
cash advance machines - and sold it to American Express, involved
in helping create the magazines Players and Slots. Then finally
decided to get into the casino business with Players International
with my late partner Merv Griffin. And we built and owned five
casinos throughout the U.S.
I
was over doing some work in Beijing, China, consulting on their
lottery business. And a senator from China invited me to go to
Japan to go with him to watch Pride five years ago. We went to
the Tokyo Dome with 70,000 people in the arena and realized this
was an exciting business for real athletes and real entertainers.
After several more trips to Japan to meet with Nobu (Sakikabara)
, he opened an office in Los Angeles and had been trying to get
Pride into the U.S. He wanted to know if I’d want to become
involved in opening the U.S. for Pride. I became president of
Pride USA and decided to do it in Las Vegas at the Thomas &
Mack. I was fortunate to have Harrah’s, especially Caesars
Palace, The Venetian and Steve Wynn and Hard Rock all play a
role in promotions and bought tickets for their good players.
Even
though Pride was not well known in the U.S. by the average person,
we were successful in the first two events, doing over $2 million
in just ticket sales for each fight, not including sponsorship
and television. Unfortunately Fuji TV canceled them ( in Japan)
because of the Yakuza accusation (Japanese mob). And Nobu, when
he told me that, I told him I’d be very interested in acquiring
Pride but that I’d have to do my due diligence on what I
was buying, exactly what I was getting and what people would
still be involved and complete background checks on the staff.
Due
to my involvement in gaming I told him it would take approximately
three months. He informed me the UFC, the Fertitta brothers,
directly said they’d acquire Pride much faster then that
and they would keep the Pride organization and production in
tact in regards to the quality that it was known for.
I
had agreed to keep the quality of the Pride organization and
to build and develop it in other countries. But a thorough due
diligence could not be done that fast. Nobu decided to sell it
to Zuffa or UFC. And the rest is history. It did not turn out
to be what everybody thought it would be - a Super Bowl of the
top two organizations of the world. But instead Zuffa closed
down the Japanese office and did not continue with the Pride
fights as we all know how it was for 10 years.
Today
it is my understanding there are lawsuits on both sides with
Zuffa suing Nobu and Nobu suing Zuffa. And as of today there
are no Pride events being done anywhere in the world. Also Japan
has a new organization called Dream. It consists of a lot of
the top people of Pride combined with top people from K-1 producing
fights in Japan similar in stature to the old Pride fights. Currently
I’m still very interested in the MMA base and carefully
looking at different opportunities to get involved. But to me
they have to be very special unique events, because there are
so many regular mixed martial arts fights that are now shown
in the U.S.”
MMAMemories.com:
In your short time as Pride USA president can you talk about
what your responsibilities were and the deals you put together
with Caesars in Korea, slots etc?
Ed
Fishman: “It was really taking the Pride organization to
America, everywhere from getting the event centers, getting the
sponsors, getting tickets sold and marketing the Pride name in
the U.S. This was also in coordination with all the Pride people
who knew how to produce an excellent event but were not really
familiar with how to market the U.S. or set up the right sponsorship.
Caesars Palace, which was always known for staging the best sporting
events in the world was a great asset in getting the first two
Pride events off the ground. And becoming successful in a brand
new type of fight that no one except the MGM group who housed
the UFC fights, were very well known especially in Las Vegas.
And of course Pride being a Japanese based company, iy was not
as well known in Las Vegas or the rest of the U.S.”
MMAMemories.com:
When Zuffa purchased Pride last year according to reports you
sued over your contract for $10 million dollars. You threatened
depositions against the Fertita’s and Sakikabara that had
the MMA media buzzing, then this case was quietly settled. We
can only assume you got paid off handsomely to go away. Can you
talk about this?
Ed
Fishman: “I can’t release the details but I think both
sides were happy with the settlement. I was very sorry I couldn’t
continue the Pride name. It wouldn’t have ended up like
it is now, totally non-existent.”
MMAMemories.com:
The follow up question that has led to much speculation in MMA
circles, How much money, if any, did YOU invest in Pride prior
to or when you were president leading up to the 2 Las Vegas show.
There has been chatter in the industry that you kept Pride afloat
with your own personal funds and that was the real reason behind
your law suit.
Ed
Fishman: “I can honestly say that’s not the truth.
I did spend personal money in travel and marketing, etcetera.
But that wasn’t a big dollar amount or a subject of the
lawsuit. The lawsuit was based on that I had a five-year exclusive
contract to do Pride events in the U.S.”
MMAMemories.com:
You offered to Buy Pride for $65 million dollars subject to due
diligence . The Pride people were not interested in you doing
due diligence for obvious reasons. Zuffa jumped in and purchased
the company. Knowing what you know now about the real assets
of Pride. What was the company REALLY worth?
Ed
Fishman: “Even today I still don’t know. The thing
I do know is most contracts with Pride were personal service
contracts, not always enforceable. That you would have to renegotiate
many fighter contracts. Second, the Pride library which was valuable
but I’m not exactly sure how Fuji ownership or distribution
would have affected the acquiring of the library. Third, I would
have to put a value on what the Pride name meant to the U.S.
and other parts of the world. And that would be established by
due diligence, research and focus groups on the name logo, etcetera.
It was too vague, $65 million came up as something Nobu put an
approximate price on. I’m sure now it wasn’t anywhere
near that, if I did the due diligence which obviously was not
done in depth.”
MMAMemories.com:
What are your personal thoughts on how Zuffa handled the Pride
asset sale? Do you think “hidden owners” are why Zuffa
shut pride down? Or was it simply the Japanese refusal to work
with American Company? Would events have played out the same
had you had purchased the company? Was UFC just happy to kill
Pride off?
Ed
Fishman: “I’ll start with the last - I think UFC realized
Pride would be a successful competitor in the U.S. if I would
have acquired it. Just based on the first two initial events.
And my opinion is that their reason to purchase was in part to
stop a major competitor. If I would have bought it, knowing how
the Japanese work, I would have definitely brought in full-time
Japanese executives here to the U.S. to continue their way of
producing the production of Pride events.”
MMAMemories.com:
You had a very solid business plan with Pride, one that had the
end result of the casinos attracting all types of international
high rollers. Would you be able to execute this plan with any
other MMA company?
Ed
Fishman: “Yes. Again, being around the casino industry for
the past 35 years I understand that it has to be good on both
sides - for a casino to put their name behind it has to be a
quality event and bring in quality fans and a good player base.
Those are the kinds of things I discussed earlier, that I’d
done all my life.”
MMAMemories.com:
Are you still looking to invest in MMA or are you content with
your settlement from Pride?
Ed
Fishman: “No. I don’t know if the word content fits
[laughs]. I would have rather have acquired than to have settled
just for money. And today Pride would be huge in the U.S., bigger
than anyone could have imagined. I especially would have continued
the Pride events in the quality of both the production and the
events and the fighters that were on such a high class level
in this sport. Also I have had many meetings with several of
the major mixed martial arts organizations and know entrepreneurs
who want to get into this mixed martial arts space. And am still
involved in talks with about getting involved in mixed martial
arts.”
MMAMemories.com:
What do you think of the UFC’s lawsuit with Pride? Does
it have any merit? What about Sakikabara’s fighting the
suit in Las Vegas? How will this shake out? Do you think you
will be deposed in the case?
Ed
Fishman: “The answer is I don’t know if I will be deposed
or not. If I am certainly I will give an honest opinion of the
Pride organization and it’s personnel. I don’t know
(how it will shake out), I think it’s very hard because
I was not in conversations on either side, what was promised,
what was not. Especially oral promises that both sides were given
and not followed through on. My only regret is that Pride is
not existing throughout the world today.”
MMAMemories.com:
What does the UFC have to gain, in filing this suit if the money
they spent for Pride is basically gone? Why are they fighting
the suit?
Ed
Fishman: “Well, from what I’ve read and nothing more,
I know that there are consulting payments still due to Sakikabara.
And possibly other money that was still due. So whether or not
somebody ever wins in a lawsuit is always questionable.”
MMAMemories.com:
Now that this is all over, what are your thoughts on Sakikabara?
Both as a creative force and as a business man? Can he do what
he did for Japanese soccer what he did with Pride?
Ed
Fishman: “I think he was a very bright businessman who developed
a very big brand in Japan and was able to produce excellent events
with top fighters. I also believe he realized he could not do
the same thing in the U.S. As for our business association, for
the short time I was with Pride, it was a good one. But I believe
the pressure, especially the financial pressures put upon him
with Fuji canceling the show, and the events forcing him to to
sell to Zuffa. Because du diligence could be done in such a speedy
and timely manner. I’m not familiar with the soccer in Japan,
as we both know it’s a hard, upward battle here in the U.S.
to make soccer as popular as it is in other countries. But he
does have the marketing experience in Japan to accomplish this.”
MMAMemories.com:
In the past year, you have been approached by virtually every
MMA promotion big and small to invest following the Pride debacle.
We would like your opinion on the major players in MMA today?
Ed
Fishman: “I haven’t been approached by every single
one. Zuffa and I have not had any conversations. I think it’s
been a hard road for other companies to be successful. I think
everybody realizes the turning point in the UFC’s history
was the reality show on Spike. I really believe that any real
success comes from television exposure, to get to know the fighters,
their backgrounds, their personalities and get a fan base built
around these individuals. Also I believe you need the exposure
on pay-per-view to really financially be successful in a very
grandiose way in the U.S.”
MMAMemories.com:
And finally, do you have any personal anecdotes of Fedor? From
your time spent with him?
Ed
Fishman: “I got to spend time with him. I went to Russia
over 40 times. Fedor’s a great fighter, a great individual.
Well, it was after our first fight in Las Vegas. I went into
the dressing room after, to thank him and congratulate him on
his victory. He was there with his managers and Josh Barnett.
Very gracious. I’m not a big drinker, they were toasting
the success of the first fight in Vegas. I toasted with them
and a lot of laughs were done, then I kind of gagged on whatever
it was they were drinking. I told them this could be put in my
car. So we had a very good laugh. You had to see the looks on
their faces. (laughs) But Fedor’s a nice gentleman and certainly
a quality fighter.”
Source: MMA Memories
|
Fighters'
Club TV Tuesday!
Channel 52, Tuesdays
at 7:00 PM
FCTV episode
58 will run in our normal timeslot of 7pm on Oceanic Channel
52 Olelo Oahu Tuesday nights, March 25, April 1, 8, & 15.
Episode
58 features:
Highlights
from the Pacific Invitational Jiu-Jitsu tournament including:
1. Interview & footage with purple belt heavyweight &
absolute winner, Kelly Grissom
(Relson Gracie Kaneohe Team)
2. Interview with tournament director Ronn Shiraki
3. Highlights & great subs from Jake Scoval & Luke Hacker
from Longman JJ, Dustin
Grace from Kaneohe Team, Lenora from Team HK, Andy Marshall vs.
Dr. Suehiro & many
more...
-HFC
highlights from the Dole Cannery including:
-Interview with fight promoter Sly Kekahuna
-170 lbs HFC champion Keoni Bryant
-Interview with Koa Ramos with highlight of fight with Bryson
Kamaka
-Highlight of Brennan Kamaka in action
Technique
of the Week:
-Mario "Zen Machine" Sperry demonstrates the standing
guard pass
Rob
Demello's report
-Kala Hose vs Phil Baroni fight highlights & inteview with
Kala Hose
-Extended unedited interview with Phil Baroni
Comments,
Questions, and Suggestions to: fctv@onzuka.com
|
Fighters'
Club Radio Mondays!
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!
Please
call in and give your opinion on the topic of the day or your
view of MMA in general!
|
Hawaiian
Open Championship BJJ Tourney Date Change!
The Hawaiian
Open Championship BJJ Tourney Has Been Moved To Sunday, June
1st!
HAWAIIAN
OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP
Competitor
Fees:
Adults: $65
Kids: $35
When:
Sunday June 1, 2008
11am Kids Rules Clinic & Kids Matches
PM Adult Matches
Location:
Klum Gym
University of Hawaii
TIMELINE:
http://www.hawaiitriplecrown.com/
EARLY
ONLINE REGISTRATION DEADLINE
(1 WEEK PRIOR TO EVENT DAY)
LATE
ONLINE REGISTRATION DEADLINE
(5 DAYS PRIOR TO EVENT DAY)
"PRE-REGISTERED"
CHECK BY APPLICANTS
(4 DAYS PRIOR TO EVENT DAY).
ALL
ERRORS MUST BE ADDRESSED BY THIS DATE OR NO.BRACKETS POSTED ON
WEBSITE
(2-3 DAYS PRIOR TO EVENT DAY)
Divisions:
Adult, Kids, Women, All Weight Divisions, All Levels.
The Adult division is open for everyone, but athletes of other
age
divisions willing to compete here will not be allowed to fight
in their own
division (athletes can only enroll in one age division)
Medals
for 1st, 2nd, 3rd place
Most Technical Competitor Award
Team competition trophy and prizes
STAFF
Time/Score keepers and Referees are needed for the Hawaiian Open
2008
Would
you like a front row seat to see the Hawaiian Open Championship?
Help
our sport grow and be an active part of the development of Brazilian
Jiu-Jitsu?
We
are currently filling staff positions for the Hawaiian Open 2008.
We are
in need of Time/Score keepers and referees. You do not have to
have any
experience to be a time keeper, just the willingness to hang
in there for a
long fun filled day. We will offer a staff meeting at the start
of the day
to answer any questions that you might have.
Information:
Hawaii Triple Crown Staff
|
X-1
World Events presents "Legends"
Friday
, May 16th at
Neil Blaidell Arena
Fights start at 7:30
Tickets
on sale at Blaisdell Box Office,all Times Super
Market locations,Ticketmaster.com or call 1-877-750-4400
Ticket
discount Children 12 and under and Military
Infants on lap are free. Prices starting at $25
More info at X1events.com , mmahawaii.com ,
onzuka.com
185
Hans Marrero vs Egan Inoue
Team Marrero Grappling Unlimited
155 lightweight title
Ray"Bradda"Cooper vs "Sugar" Shane Nelson
Freelance BJ Penn MMA
170 welterweight title
Brandon Wolff vs Chad"the grinder"Reiner
Team MMAD Southwest mixed martial arts
170
Michael Brightmon vs Kolo Koka
Gorila House Team MMAD
170
Dylan Clay vs Ronald"the machine gun Jhun
brazilian freestyle jiu jitsu 808 Fight Factory
135 featherweight title
Tyson Nam vs Kana"the one man riot"Hyatt
Grappling Unlimited Eastsidaz
265 Heavyweight
Lolohea Meha vs Doug Hiu
Maui Mulisha Team MMAD
170 Welterweight (Amatuer)
Nicolae Cury vs Sean Sakata
brazilian freestyle jiu jitsu No Remorse
142
Tony Giraldi vs Danny Steele
Giraldi muay thai Team Steele
Source: X-1
|
Heart
of a Cage-Fighter On Kauai!
ETERNAL FIGHT WEAR present’s: Heart of a Cage-Fighter
it’s going to be at 6:30pm at the Kauai Veterans Center
in Lihue, Kauai.
We will be having Musical performances including original “Eternal
Fighter” song preformed by “Kaina-boy” Costa,
as well as other musical performances. Our guest speakers are
Ron Waterman UFC veteran, current X-1 Champion, Ron has also
fought in venues such as WEC, PRIDE, PANCRASE, WFA, IFC, and
more plus he has a character on the UFC video games… Also
coming is Doug Evans TUF contestant and AFC champion, we have
2 other possible pro fighter coming out. We will be having an
explosive Mixed Martial Arts Demonstration, MMA DVD presentations,
Door Prizes, Refreshments and Pupu’s, there will be a raffle,
winners get a chance to train personally with these fighters
on May 2nd. Meet the Pro and Local fighters, get autographs and
pictures, there will be sponsorship booths available at the event
with cool merchandise. These guys will be going over techniques,
training, exercise, diet, what it takes to make it professional,
tips on how to win, and advise on how to handle a loss, hear
their testimonies!! It’ll be an exciting and fun environment
for all ages.
Admission is Free, raffle included. For more info they can call
652-6849 or email me info@eternalfighter.com
Shauna
Eternal Fighter
Source: Shauna Castle
|
HFC
Returns!
Hawaii
Fighting Championship
Stand Your Ground IX
Dole Cannery Ballrooms
Friday, May 9, 2008
Doors open at 5:30, show starts at 6:30
|
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.
|
|