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2009
November
Aloha
State Championship
of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
(BJJ & Sub Grappling)
10/10/09
NAGA
Hawaii
(BJJ/Sub Grappling)
(Hawaii, Tentative)
August
Hawaiian
Open Championship
of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
(BJJ & Sub Grappling)
6/27-28/09
OTM's 2009
Pac Sub
(Gi & No-Gi competition)
(Blaisdell Exhibition Hall)
6/6/09
Quest for Champions 2009 Tournament
(Sport Pankration, Sub Grappling)
(Kalani HS Gym)
6/4/09 - 6/7/09
World
JJ Championships
(BJJ)
(California State University Long Beach, Long Beach, CA)
5/16/09
KTI's Scrappa Lifestylez
Scrapplers Fest
(BJJ/Submission Grappling)
(Kauai)
5/9/09 - 5/10/09 &
5/16/09 - 5/17/09
Brazilian Nationals JJ Championships
(BJJ)
(Carson, CA)
5/9/09
15th Grapplers Quest Las Vegas
(BJJ/Sub Grappling)
(Las Vegas, NV)
5/2/09
Uprising MMA
(MMA)
(Maui)
May 2009
Abu Dhabi World Submission Wrestling Championships
(Sub Grappling)
(Tentative)
4/18/08
Kingdom
MMA
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena)
NY
International JJ Championships
(BJJ)
(Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)
4/11/09
Hawaiian
Championship of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
(BJJ & Sub Grappling)
(Kaiser High)
X-1: Temple of Boom
(Boxing & MMA)
(Palolo Hongwangi)
4/10/09
HFC: Stand Your Ground XII
(MMA, Kickboxing)
(Dole Cannery Ballroom)
4/4/09 - 4/5/09
NAGA
World Championship
(BJJ/Sub Grappling)
(NJ, Tentative)
3/28/09
Garden Island Cage Match
(MMA)
(Hanapepe Stadium, Hanapepe, Kauai)
3/27/09
- 3/29/09
Pan
Am JJ Championships
(BJJ)
(Carson, CA)
3/27/09
Tiger Muay Thai Competition
(Muay Thai)
(Tiger Muay Thai Gym, Sand Island Road)
3/21/09 - 3/22/09
$30k Grapplers Quest/Fight Expo/Make a Wish Weekend
(BJJ/Sub Grappling)
(Del Mar, CA)
NAGA US Nationals
(BJJ/Sub Grappling)
(Georgia)
3/14/09
Hawaii Amateur Pankration Association: "Hit and Submit"
(Pankration & Muay Thai)
(O-Lounge Night Club, Honolulu)
NAGA Vegas
(BJJ/Sub Grappling)
3/7/09
UFC 96
(PPV)
(Columbus, OH)
Grapplers Quest Beast of the East
(BJJ/Sub Grappling)
(Wildwood, New Jersey)
2/27/09
X-1 World Events
NEW BEGINNING"
(MMA)
(Maui War Memorial Gym, Wailuku, Maui)
2/21/09
Destiny
(MMA)
(Filcom Center, Waipahu)
UFC 95
(PPV)
(London, England)
2/15/09
X1 World Events
Temple of Boom: Fight Night III
(MMA)
(Palolo Hongwanji)
2/8/09
IWFF
Submission Wrestling Tournament
(No-Gi)
(IWFF Academy, Wailuku, Maui)
2/7/09
4th Annual Clint Shelton Memorial
(Boxing)
(Palolo Gym)
Manup and Standup
(Kickboxing)
(Kapolei Rec Center, Kapolei)
UFC Fight Night
(PPV)
(Tampa, FL)
1/31/09
UFC 93 BJ vs GSP
(PPV)
(MGM Grand, Las Vegas, NV)
1/30/09
MMA Event
(MMA)
(Schofield Barracks)
1/24/09
Eddie Bravo Seminar
(BJJ)
1/17/09
UFC 93
(PPV)
(Dublin, Ireland)
1/10/09
MAT ATTACK Jiu-Jitsu & Submission Grappling Tournament
(Sub Wrestling)
(Lihikai School, Kahului, Maui)
1/3/08
Uprising - Maui
(MMA)
(Paukukalo Hawaiian Homes Gym)
Hazardous Warfare - Maui
(MMA)
(Lahaina Civic Center)
|
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April
2009 News Part 2
|
Casca Grossa Jiu-Jitsu
is now the O2 Martial Arts Academy with 7 days a week training!
We are also offering Kali-Escrima (stick fighting) on Monday
nights with Ian Beltran and Kickboxing Tuesday and Thursday with
Kaleo Kwan & Chris Slavens!
Kids Classes are also
available!
Click
here for info!
Take classes from the Onzuka brothers in a family-like environment! |
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Memory of Lars Chase
Rest in peace my brother
March 10, 1979 - April 2, 2008 |
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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.
New
O2MAA Kid's Jiu-Jitsu Class Starts Friday, December 5 from 5:30
to 6:30 PM!
Adult Wrestling Class Starts Starts Friday, December 5 from 8:30
to 9:30 PM!
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Quote
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“One
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love.”
Sophocles
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DOING
HIS JOB AT 185, SILVA AGAIN HAS EYE ON 205
On the eve of a possible record-breaking win streak against a
heavy underdog, talk of Anderson Silva’s next move is already
in the air.
He’s
a big enough middleweight to make the jump up to light heavyweight
– he’ll probably walk into the Octagon tomorrow at
around 200 pounds – but equally important, Georges St. Pierre
is big enough to make the jump to middleweight.
Flanked
by two of the light heavyweight division’s biggest stars
at the pre-fight press conference for UFC 97 – Chuck Liddell
and Mauricio "Shogun" Rua – it was clear Silva
had options, both big for the UFC.
“The
experience fighting at 205 was a good experience for us,”
Silva said via translator Ed Soares. “It’s in our plan
to fight more at 205 pounds.”
UFC
president Dana White offered little resistance to the idea, provided
the champ was victorious against Thales Leites on Saturday, and
St. Pierre got past Thiago Alves at UFC 100.
“That’s
the way this guy built his career, terrorizing me all the time:
‘I want to fight, I want to fight,’” White said.
“Nobody can call me and tell me they want to fight too much.
They want to fight; I’ll let them fight. If they want to
take some time off, I’ll give them time off. If he wants
to fight at 205; I love it.”
White
mused about a December superfight between Georges St. Pierre
in Toronto, a market he expects to open by year’s end.
“Maybe
we could do that,” he said. “I’d like to do it.
We’ll see what happens.”
Silva
took the speculation in stride and said he would terrorize wherever
needed.
“It
doesn’t bother me too much,” he said. “I’m
pretty focused, and I’m focused on this fight with Thales.
As far as Georges St. Pierre, that problem I’m sure is going
to get dealt with a little bit later.”
Silva’s
teammate, Lyoto Machida, is due for a shot at light heavyweight
gold next month against Rashad Evans. The bout has yet to be
put under the microscope by most pundits, but if Machida’s
recent performances have been any clue, he’s got a good
chance against the tough Evans.
While
a Machida victory would put the 205-pounds divisional belt off-limits,
there would still be plenty division left for Silva to ransack.
“It’s
not a focus to have both belts,” he said. “I feel that
belt is Lyoto Machida’s. He just hasn’t had the opportunity
to fight for the belt yet. But who knows? If he isn’t able
to get the belt in his next fight, maybe I’ll come up and
get it for him.”
If
that wasn’t the case, the men next to him at the press conference,
Chuck Liddell and Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, could provide
a challenge.
“Definitely,”
he said. “I look at these guys as opponents in the future.”
First
on the list is fellow Brazilian Leites, the last hurdle to beating
Royce Gracie and Jon Fitch for most consecutive UFC wins and
Matt Hughes for most title defenses.
Silva
says it’ll be just another day at the office.
“I’m
looking forward to just going and doing my job.”
Source: MMA Weekly |
UFC
97 LIVE RESULTS AND PLAY-BY-PLAY
Saturday night in Montreal, UFC middleweight champion Anderson
Silva makes the latest the defense of his title, as he tries
to fend off fellow Brazilian Thales Leites. In the co-main event,
former UFC light heavyweight champion Chuck Liddell and former
Pride champion Mauricio "Shogun" Rua battle for their
spot in the Octagon.
UFC
97 airs live on pay-per-view at 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT on Saturday
night. MMAWeekly.com is in Montreal to bring you live coverage
of the entire fight card. The first preliminary bout is scheduled
to begin at 7:30 p.m. ET / 4:30 p.m. PT.
Be
sure to refresh you browser frequently for all the latest results,
play-by-play and photos from the event...
UFC
97 PLAY-BY-PLAY:
-ANDERSON
SILVA VS. THALES LEITES
R1
– Nothing but dancing for the first three minutes, then
Leites throws a head kick that Silva blocks. Then back to the
dance, neither wanting to commit, for the next minute. Silva
kicks Leites' ankle out and Leites goes to the ground. Leites
goes for a leg, but Silva stays out of the submission and Leites
gets back to his feet and they clinch on the cage. The round
probably goes to Silva by default for the leg sweep and a shot
to the body.
MMAWeekly
scores the round 10-9 for Silva.
R2
– The dance begins again, but then Silva misses with a rapid
kick and Leites shoots in, taking Silva to the mat, landing in
Silva's half-guard. Silva does a good job locking Leites up and
works to put on a body triangle on Leites from the bottom. Leites
starts to ground and pound, but Silva fires up with point of
elbow strikes. Leites stands and Silva up-kicks. Leites tries
to dive pass, but Silva doing a good job defending, then scrambles
up as Leites falls, but he lets Leites up. Silva switches back
and forth between orthodox and southpaw stance. They begin the
dance again, but just under a minute left and Silva starts exploring
with his punches. Leites lands a body kick. Silva lands a lightning
fast low kick again, but has his high kick blocked.
MMAWeekly
scores the round 10-9 for Leites.
R3
– Leites lands kick, tries the takedown, but Silva sprawls
out. Back on the feet, Leites tries the overhand right. Leites
appears to have gotten poked in the eye when rushing in, but
the referee appeared out of position to notice. Leites trying
to take Silva down is defended again. Silva lands a solid kick
to the leg of Leites, and again. Silva putting the pressure on
with kicks and Leites falls to the mat. Silva lets him up. Silva
throws side kicks to the thigh of Leites then a jumping round
kick that lands. Silva upping the pace, throwing more and more
strikes, mixes the punches and leg kicks now. Leites again falling
to his back, trying to get Silva to come down, but Silva just
walks away.
MMAWeekly
scores the round 10-9 for Silva.
R4
– Silva uses the side kick to the thigh again, several in
fact. Leites trying to shake it off, visibly effected. Silva
doing a little Jackie Chan – Drunken Master faking out Leites.
He lands the head kick and then goes back to driving that side
kick into Leites' thigh. Leites shoots, but Silva sprawls out
again. Silva now is playing with Leites, a la Muhammad Ali, using
superior head movement to dodge Leites' punches. Leites shoots,
misses, and again falls to his back. He appears to have nothing
for Silva at this point.
MMAWeekly
scores the round 10-9 for Silva.
R5
– Leites starts with a renewed sense of urgency, but is
still having a difficult time landing anything of note. Leites
shoots in for a leglock, but Silva quickly pulls the leg out.
Leites shoots again, but Silva punishes him with strikes. Back
to their feet and Silva lands a spinning side kick. Leites goes
to the mat and Silva again throws a few punches, then backs off
and forces Leites to stand. They dance for a bit and Silva starts
the side kicks to the thigh again, and then the dance continues.
Leites tries a body kick, but Silva catches it and tosses him
to the ground. Leites gets back up and they dance the round out.
MMAWeekly
scores the round 10-9 and the fight 49-46 for Silva.
Anderson
Silva def. Thales Leites by Unanimous Decision (49-46, 48-47,
50-46), R5
-MATT
WIMAN VS. SAM STOUT
(Moved up from Preliminary Card due to time constraints.)
R1
– Wiman comes out slugging, but Stout remains composed.
Wiman lands a couple big looping right hands and then shoots
the double on Stout, getting him to the mat. Stout backs to the
cage and eventually works back to the feet. Wiman looping punches,
but Stout is going straight up the pike, landing some hard, crisp
punches. But Wiman lands the Superman punch. Stout crisp again,
but two right hooks by Wiman. Wiman dives in with left hand,
takes Stout down, then nearly gets the guillotine, but Stout
slips out and starts working from Wiman's guard. They stand up
and start trading blows, and Wiman lands the Superman again,
then Stout returns the favor. Stout lands skipping knee to the
body, but Wiman fires back with left hook. Wiman lands left hook
to body, then head, and shoots in and takes Stout down, but Stout
reverses position into half-guard.
MMAWeekly
scores the round 10-9 for Wiman.
R2
– Stout starts with a stiff jab, but Wiman fires with a
couple hard left hooks. Stout throws the kick and Wiman counters
with the Superman punch again. Good body kick by Stout, then
follows with low left leg kick. They stumble to the ground and
Wiman gets Stout's back, trying to secure an arm. Stout slips
into Wiman's guard and starts ground and pound with a couple
hard forearms, then gets out and back to the feet. Wiman nice
body shot and leg kick. Wiman charges in, but eats a right hook
from Stout. The pace slows and off of a flurry, Stout lands a
left kick to the head. Left hook to the body drops Wiman and
Stout follows him down, trying to finish with strikes. Wiman
snags an arm in desperation, but Stout escapes the armbar attempt.
Back standing, Wiman takes more punishment to the body, looking
shaky. Wiman looks up at the clock, trying to survive the round.
Wiman shoots; Stout shoves him down and then drives a hard right
hand as Wiman stands. Another kick to the body rocks Wiman as
the round comes to a close shortly thereafter.
MMAWeekly
scores the round 10-8 for Stout.
R3
– Stout opens with another hard left kick to the body. Wiman
shoots, but Stout defends well. Wiman is tenacious though, gets
Stout down and takes his back again, this time with a body triangle.
Wiman softens him up with punches to the head. Stout breaks free
of the triangle and turns in to Wiman in guard. Stout starts
laying down elbows and hammerfists. They go back up to their
feet, but Wiman catches a kick and takes Stout down again, landing
in the Canadian's guard. Wiman tries to get some ground and pound
going, but Stout is utilizing his butterfly guard to keep Wiman
out of position to do much damage. Stout tries to get up, but
Wiman takes him down again. They do finally get up and Wiman
lands a couple good hard shots upon standing.
MMAWeekly
scores the round 10-9 for Wiman; the fight even at 28-28.
Sam
Stout def. Matt Wiman by Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28),
R3
-MAURICIO
"SHOGUN" RUA VS. CHUCK LIDDELL
R1
– (Liddell goes back to his roots, entering to Slayer's
"Reign in Blood.") Shogun throws a couple of exploratory
kicks. Liddell moves in, but Shogun counters with a strong overhand
right. Liddell lands a clean combo, but Shogun fires right back,
on target. Shogun lands overhand right and follows with leg kick.
Liddell moving in with punches, but Shogun has a good range and
counters each time. He takes Liddell to the ground, Liddell stands
and Shogun goes for the knee bar. Liddell gets out and Shogun
gets the body lock and lands a couple good knees to the leg.
They separate and take center cage. Shogun goes for the takedown,
but eats an uppercut and gets shucked off. Liddell then shoots
in and takes Shogun down, but he lets him back up. Shogun charges
in and floors Liddell with a thundering left hand, follows him
down and hammerfists him into a referee stoppage.
Mauricio
"Shogun" Rua def. Chuck Liddell by TKO (Strikes) at
4:28, R1
-BRIAN
STANN VS. KRZYSZTOF SOSZYNSKI
R1
– They start with a few quick flurries, neither gaining
an upper hand right away. They clinch, Soszynski using the uppercut,
Stann driving knees to the thigh. They separate and shortly after
Soszynski shoots the double-leg and takes Stann to the mat and
quickly passes to mount. Stann was able to get out and up without
any damage, but Soszynski takes him down again and starts working
the Kimura from half-guard, loses it, then passes to side control
and locks in the Kimura for the tapout.
-Krzysztof
Soszynski def. Brian Stann by Submission (Kimura) at 3:53, R1
-CHEICK
KONGO VS. ANTONI HARDONK
R1
– They exchange hard low kicks, followed by a couple brief
exchanges. Hardonk is patient, stalking, lands a hard right leg
kick followed by another to the body. Kongo clinches and pushes
Hardonk to the cage and throws a couple knees to the legs before
the ref separates them. Kongo catches a kick from Hardonk, and
puts him on his back on the mat, then starts kicking his legs.
Ref stands the fight up again. They exchange leg kicks again.
Kongo lands hard punch combination, then clinches up against
the fence and knees the legs again. Kongo scores the takedown
and starts ground and pound from full guard, Hardonk trapped
against the cage.
MMAWeekly
scores the round 10-9 for Kongo.
R2
– Hardonk kicks and Kongo rushes him to the mat. Kongo lands
in guard landing a hard right to the face, but Hardonk quickly
pulls him into full guard. Kongo trying to ground and pound,
working body-head. Kongo lands a couple hard hammerfists to the
head, mixing in elbows and punches, starting to work over Hardonk.
Kongo stands and starts throwing down hammerfists, Hardonk curles
up and the ref stops the fight.
Cheick
Kongo def. Antoni Hardonk by TKO (Strikes) at 2:29, R2
-LUIZ
CANE VS. STEVE CANTWELL
R1
– Former WEC champ Cantwell throws a couple searching leg
kicks, but Cane is the aggressor pushing forward and throwing
strong punch combinations. Cane lands a couple hard rights in
combinations, hurting Cantwell. Cane grabs the Thai clinch and
lands a couple hard knees to the body. Cane's jab is sharp, snapping
Cantwell's head. Cantwell is throwing, but most of it is being
blocked or just doesn't have the same power as Cane's strikes.
Cane's pace slows significantly. In the last minute, he's still
landing hard, but Cantwell is as well, with a little more sense
of urgency and power than earlier.
MMAWeekly
scores the round 10-9 for Cane.
R2
– Cantwell lands a sharp right hand, but Cane immediately
fires back with a hard straight left. Cane not pressing forward
as much now, but holding center cage, firing hard shots as Cantwell
moves in. Cane picking away at Cantwell with sparse combinations.
Cantwell with a couple solid combinations midway through the
round, stinging Cane. Cane lands a left kick to the head of Cane,
follows with a knee to the face, then lands another hard kick.
Cane takes the punishment and fires back, but is really slowing
his offense now. Another head kick landed by Cantwell. Cane pawing
with his jab, but Cantwell is in a good flow now.
MMAWeekly
scores the round 10-9 for Cantwell.
R3
– Cane lands a nice boxing combination and mixes in a kick
to the body, then opens a flurry of hands, rocking Cantwell a
bit. Cantwell takes center ring, but it is Cane landing the heavier
shots. A couple flurries, then Cane lands some good knees to
the body. Cantwell comes back with a couple good combinations,
but Cane fires back right away. Cantwell throws head kicks from
the right and then the left. Cane works the jab, follows with
a knee to the body, and then finishes with a hard boxing combination.
Cantwell trying to fire back, but Cane sneaks the knee in to
the body again. Thirty seconds left, Cantwell throws a jump round
kick, but doesn't do much with it. Ten seconds left, Cane lands
a couple glancing blows as the round comes to an end.
MMAWeekly
scores the round 10-9 and the fight 29-28 for Cane.
Luiz
Cane def. Steve Cantwell by Unanimous Decision (29-28, 30-27,
30-27), R3
-DENIS
KANG VS. XAVIER FOUKA-POKUM
(Courtesy of Matt Brown, FightMagazine.com)
R1
– Prof X is riding a seven-fight win streak and enters sporting
a Kill It shirt with Dan Henderson in his corner. Kang enters
to French rap, a la GSP. The BJJ black belt has Firaz in his
corner. Phillipe Cartier is the ref. Prof X is in a southpaw
stance to start. The fighters circle and the first punch is not
thrown until 25 seconds in. Prof X lands a left and knee to the
body before Kang scores a takedown. Kang is on top and works
his way to half-guard. Kang tries an arm triangle, but is unsuccessful.
On the feet now and both fighters throw some wild punches and
kicks. Nothing really lands for either. As the round comes to
an end, Kang tries to throw an armbar, but Prof X slips away.
Not too much was landed that round, but Kang got the better of
it.
MMAWeekly/Fight
Magazine scores the round 10-9 for Kang.
R2
– Nearly 45 seconds of non-action before X lands a left.
Against the cage the fighters exchange with X landing a knee
and Kang a right. Kang gets the takedown after a brief exchange,
and works his way to the side from X's half-guard. X clamps down
on Kang and Kang is unable to land any big blows. At the 1:30
mark, Kang lands some short elbows that appear to frustrate X
more than hurt him. At 45-seconds, the fight makes it back standing.
X lands a knee and then a kick to the body. X bends over and
it's difficult to tell if he's taunting or just tired. Kang lands
three punches to the head as the round ends.
MMAWeekly/Fight
Magazine scores the round 10-9 for Kang.
R3
– The round starts much the same with 30 seconds of circling.
The crowd is now frustrated and starts to boo. Finally a small
exchange at the four-minute mark with X landing a weak kick to
the body and Kang a glancing right to the forehead. Kang gets
a takedown and is working on X's left arm from the side. Kang
drops a few short elbows and then X rolls over and is on top
for a few seconds before Kang reverses. 1:30 left in the round
and Kang is on top, as he has been nearly all fight. Steady diet
of short elbows with the occasional punch. The fighters climb
to their feet with 25 seconds left and Kang holds a body lock
until the horn blows.
MMAWeekly/Fight
Magazine scores the round 10-9 and the fight 30-27 for Kang.
Denis
Kang def. Xavier Fouka-Pokum by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27,
30-27), R3
-NATHAN
QUARRY VS. JASON MACDONALD
(Courtesy of Matt Brown, FightMagazine.com)
R1
– Like all the Canadians tonight, McDonald gets a big ovation
as he enters the arena... to Metallica's version of Turn the
Page. McDonald has a 7-1/2 inch reach advantage. Mario Yamasaki
gets the action going. Quarry throws a big right that is blocked
by McDonald and they end up in the clinch. Pressed against the
cage, McDonald nearly secures a takedown, but it's reversed by
Quarry and he actually ends up on top. In the guard, Quarry drops
a couple of elbows that do little damage... however, one does
draw blood. Quarry then begins to land those elbows and McDonald
begins to bleed very badly. One after the other, McDonald loses
the ability to defend and Yamasaki calls and end to the match.
Nate
Quarry def. Jason MacDonald by TKO (Strikes) at 2:27, R1
-DAVID
LOISEAU VS. ED HERMAN
(Courtesy of Matt Brown, FightMagazine.com)
R1
– Crowd is excited for the Crow's return to the UFC and
goes nuts as he enters the Octagon. Loiseau lands a spinning
back kick to the body to get things moving. Crowd goes crazy!
Herman moves in, clinches and scores the takedown; he lands dozens
of blows over the next minute with no answer. They work back
to the feet momentarily, but Herman again gets Loiseau to the
mat, landing knees and punches to the body. Loiseau turtles up
and weathers the storm. They make it back to the feet as the
round ends.
MMAWeekly/Fight
Magazine scores the round 10-9 for Herman.
R2
– They immediately go to the ground with Herman in control.
Loiseau doesn't seem to have an answer for Herman's takedowns
and ground and pound. Herman gets a leg free and drops a shoulder
punch. Herman is totally dominating, landing knees and punches
in quick succession. He gets to Loiseau's back and mixes punches
to the ribs and head. They scramble to their feet with about
1:20 left, and the action slows. Loiseau throws a wild right
and ends up on the ground as the round ends.
MMAWeekly/Fight
Magazine scores the round 10-9 for Herman.
R3
– Loiseau comes out ultra-aggressive and lands a left followed
by a knee. Herman clinches and pins Loiseau to the fence. They
separate at the halfway point and Herman again takes Loiseau
down. Herman peppers Loiseau with soft shots from half-guard
as the clock reaches 1:00. They're back on their feet with 45
seconds left. Loiseau tries a kick, but Herman catches it and
pins Loiseau to the cage again, the fight ending in the clinch.
MMAWeekly/Fight
Magazine scores the round 10-9 and the fight 30-27 for Herman.
Ed
Herman def. David Loiseau by Unanimous Decision (30-26, 30-27,
30-27), R3
-MARK
BOCEK VS. DAVID BIELKHEDEN
(Courtesy of Matt Brown, FightMagazine.com)
R1
– Again, the Canadian, Bocek, gets a huge pop from his home
country. The fighters clinch and Bielkheden stops Bocek's takedown
attempt. Bocek doesn't give up and eventually scores a single-leg
takedown. Bocek gets to side control to land a few blows, gets
put back in guard, then works his way back to side control. Bocek
lands some elbows and lefts to the head. He then gains full mount
and begins pummeling Bielkheden. Bocek goes for the rear naked
choke at the 10 second mark and sinks it for the tap.
Mark
Bocek def. David Bielkheden by Submission (Rear Naked Choke)
at 4:57, R1
-T.J.
GRANT VS. RYO CHONAN
(Courtesy of Matt Brown, FightMagazine.com)
R1
– Chonan has Dan Henderson in his corner. Grant, being a
Canadian, receives a tremendous response from the crowd. Chonan
stalks, but Grant lands a blind shot to Chonan's head. The fight
goes to the ground with Chonan on top. Grant attempts a couple
of submissions to no avail. Chonan isn't being too effective,
only landing a couple of glancing blows. The crowd starts chanting,
"TJ, TJ" and the fight gets back to the feet with one
minute left. Grant scores a takedown with about 35 seconds left,
but their right back to their feet. The round ends in an exchange
of blows.
MMAWeekly/Fight
Magazine scores the round 10-9 for Chonan.
R2
– Chonan starts things off throwing a head kick, but eats
a Superman punch for his efforts. Chonan grabs hold and gets
the takedown. On the mat for bit, the referee warns for lack
of action and the fighters pop back up to their feet. Grant scores
a double-leg takedown and nearly gets Chonan's back, but Chonan
spins out and ends up on top. The pace against slows with about
1:30 left in the round. They scramble and Grant momentarily moves
to top position, but Chonan reverses and regains position. Close
round, but Grant landed the more effective strikes.
MMAWeekly/Fight
Magazine scores the round 10-9 for Grant.
R3
– The fighters exchange kicks then Grant scores a takedown.
He ends up on the bottom, however, and attempts a triangle choke
with no success. They struggle for position. Grant lands some
shots on the ground and then they fire away as the round closes.
MMAWeekly/Fight
Magazine scores the round 10-9 and the fight 29-28 for Grant.
T.J.
Grant def. Ryo Chonan by Split Decision (30-27, 28-29, 29-28),
R3
-ELIOT
MARSHALL VS. VINNY MAGALHAES
(Courtesy of Matt Brown, FightMagazine.com)
R1
– Marshall enters with Greg Jackson in his corner; Magalhaes
enters with Shawn Tompkins. They tap gloves and throw a few stray
punches. Vinny misses a head kick. Marshall lands the fight's
first combo and follows with a kick to the body; then the action
slows through the middle of the round, crowd booing. Marshall
lands a small flurry followed by a leg kick. With about 1:30
left in the round, chants of GSP start up. Magalhaes lands his
first kick at the 55-second mark. Marshall ends the round landing
a hard right hand.
MMAWeekly/Fight
Magazine scores the round 10-9 for Marshall.
R2
– Marshall gets the round started with an inside leg kick,
then fends off a takedown attempt. Magalhaes fires back with
several kicks, landing a kick to the body that throws Marshall
off balance. The action slows again. Magalhaes eats a quick right
from Marshall, but gets him to the ground. Magalhaes in side
control lands several punches and elbows. Marshall is able to
escape and get back to his feet before round two comes to a close.
MMAWeekly/Fight
Magazine scores the round 10-9 for Magalhaes.
R3
– Marshall again gets the action started with a hard right
to the body. The action then stalls again, and the crowd again
lets them hear their displeasure. Magalhaes appears to be the
more tired of the two. Magalhaes' nose starts bleeding as Marshall
is landing pawing shots to the head. Marshall then lands a hard
right to the chin before dodging an attempted head kick. Thirty
seconds left and Magalhaes gets the fight to the ground and gets
mount. He lands several blows from the top as the round ends.
MMAWeekly/Fight
Magazine scores the round 10-9 and the fight 29-28 for Marshall.
Eliot
Marshall def. Vinny Magalhaes by Unanimous Decision (29-28, 30-27,
30-27), R3
UFC
97 LIVE RESULTS:
Main
Card Bouts (live on pay-per-view):
-Anderson Silva def. Thales Leites by Unanimous Decision (49-46,
48-47, 50-46), R5
-Sam Stout def. Matt Wiman by Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28,
29-28), R3
-Mauricio "Shogun" Rua def. Chuck Liddell by TKO (Strikes)
at 4:28, R1
-Krzysztof Soszynski def. Brian Stann by Submission (Kimura)
at 3:53, R1
-Cheick Kongo def. Antoni Hardonk by TKO (Strikes) at 2:29, R2
-Luiz Cane def. Steve Cantwell by Unanimous Decision (29-28,
30-27, 30-27), R3
Preliminary
Card Bouts:
-Denis Kang def. Xavier Fouka-Pokum by Unanimous Decision (30-27,
30-27, 30-27), R3
-Nate Quarry def. Jason MacDonald by TKO (Strikes) at 2:27, R1
-Ed Herman def. David Loiseau by Unanimous Decision (30-26, 30-27,
30-27), R3
-Mark Bocek def. David Bielkheden by Submission (Rear Naked Choke)
at 4:57, R1
-T.J. Grant def. Ryo Chonan by Split Decision (30-27, 28-29,
29-28), R3
-Eliot Marshall def. Vinny Magalhaes by Unanimous Decision (29-28,
30-27, 30-27), R3
Source: MMA Weekly |
CANE,
KONGO AND SOSZYNSKI WIN AT UFC 97
28 year-old Luis Cane bullied his way to a unanimous decision
over Steve Cantwell in the pay per view broadcast opener.
For
three rounds, the southpaw Brazilian stalked his prey, racking
up points with short combinations that backed the former WEC
light heavyweight champion down.
The
22 year-old Cantwell, meanwhile, tried to stick and move on his
way back, landing several nice body shots. Cane would not be
moved.
A
brief clinch at the cage’s edge gave no inkling of any ground
action. They wanted to slug it out.
But
Cantwell would not be bullied into submission. At the end of
the first, he picked up on Cane’s rhythm and went over the
Brazilian’s uppercut with a straight right. There wasn’t
much power on it, but it connected.
In
the second, Cantwell walked through that open door, countering
Cane’s power shots. When Cane pushed forward with a jab,
Cantwell slipped and returned fire with the right. When Cane
went for the knockout, he waited and came back.
A
lead left high kick slapped Cane in the face, forcing him back
for the first time, and Cantwell timed a knee that slammed into
Cane’s chin. But Cane escaped, and the bullying resumed.
In
the third, Cantwell lost the stride he found earlier, and let
Cane string together the combinations that put more points on
the board.
Though
only one judge gave Cantwell the second round, all agreed that
Cane was the victor, awarding him 30-27, 29-28, 30-27 scores.
French
heavyweight Cheik Kongo’s ground game, once thought to be
non-existent, served him quite nicely against fellow kickboxer
Antoni Hardonk.
Hardonk
was nearly static on his approach to Kongo, banking heavily on
a hard outside leg kick. He threw few punches thrown, and when
the two got close, Hardonk had nothing for the Frenchman on the
inside.
Kongo
returned fire with his own kicks, then cornered the Dutch fighter
and took the fight down.
It
was a short story after that.
Kongo
had his way with Hardonk on the ground, hammering him with punches
and elbows. The punishment continued into the second round, and
when a shot caused Hardonk to roll to his side, Yves Lavigne
called it at 2:29 of the second.
Former
Team Quest training partners Brian Stann and Krzysztof Soszynski
were evenly matched on their feet, but on the ground, it was
Soszynski’s territory.
Midway
through the first, Stann planted on a punch and found himself
dumped to the canvas. Within a few beats, Soszynski had taken
mount.
Soszynski
didn’t do any damage from the top, perhaps in a tip of the
hat to his compatriot, but he didn’t hesitate to slap on
his favorite technique, a kimura from half guard, shortly after
losing mount.
Much
like his fight with Shane Primm at the season eight finale of
“The Ultimate Fighter,” Soszynski set it up the same
way, and also missed it on a first attempt.
A
second attempt, however, brought the tapout at 3:53 of the first.
After
screaming his lungs out, the Winnipeg, Manitoba native voiced
his feelings.
"This
is the best feeling ever," he said. "This comes as
close to watching my son being born and getting married."
Source: MMA Weekly |
Sergio
Moraes signs with Bellator
Black belt debuts May 8
Serginho
was picked as fighter of the year 2008 by GRACIEMAG / Photo:
Ivan Trindade
One
of the big names in competition Jiu-Jitsu these days, Sergio
Moraes is all set to take a leap in the MMA career that began
back in 2006. According to Wallid Ismail, Sergio just found out
the date for his debut in Bellator, an event recently formed
in the United States. His fight will take place on May 8, against
an opponent yet to be determined.
“You
can put in writing that I think this kid is going to be one of
the pound-for-pound best in the world. He was one of the few
Jiu-Jitsu standouts of recent times who didn’t have a contract
with a big MMA organization. Now Sergio is going to dedicate
himself 100% to MMA and has a promising career ahead of him,”
said Wallid to GRACIEMAG.com.
Another
reason for the manager to be overjoyed is the regard another
of his pupils from Jungle, Paulo Thiago, has received from the
UFC. “It is with great joy that I received the news Paulo
Thiago will feature on the main card at UFC 100. He’s going
to kick butt,” celebrated Ismail.
Stay
tuned and GRACIEMAG.com will be back shortly with further information
on the upcoming commitment of Sergio Moraes, picked by GRACIEMAG
as the Jiu-Jitsu stylist of the year for 2008, at Bellator.
Source: Gracie Magazine |
Garcia
in Worlds
Alliance star going for third
Marcelo
Garcia will be sporting his gi and ready for the 2009 Worlds,
from the 4th to the 7th of June, in Long Beach, California. Alliance’s
leader, Romero “Jacare” Cavalcanti, revealed exclusively
to GRACIEMAG that the grappling star will be back in Jiu-Jitsu
in 2009: “Tatiana [Tognini, Marcelo’s wife and Fabio
Gurgel told me Marcelo will be at the JJ World Cup and then will
focus on the Worlds, going for his third title. Then, he’ll
wait to find out if he’ll be in the ADCC too,” reported
Jacare, direct from Atlanta.
Alliance’s
preparations for the Worlds will begin May 26th, when 30 top
athletes will arrive in Atlanta along with Fabio Gurgel: “We’ll
have all the stars here to prepare the team. The goal is to keep
the team title conquered last year.” Jacare further commented
on the team’s performance at the Pan: “The world crisis
got in the way of our athletes coming from Brazil and even competitors
here in the USA couldn’t make it to California. But even
so, we took 25 athletes and returned with 20 medals, two being
gold at adult black belt, Cobrinha and Lucas Lepri [Michael
Langhi and Lucas Lepri shut out lightweight.]”
Sign-ups
for the Worlds 2009 are open. Don’t waste time and make
the most of the biggest discount available to those to sign up
by April 24. Final deadline for sign-ups is May 26.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
White
says why Arona is out of the UFC
One
of the responsible of making MMA one of the biggest sports around
the world, Dana White is the man behind the UFC, biggest organization
in the world. Invited by TATAME Magazine, the president spoke
with Cristiane Ripari and, among other subjects, replied Ricardo
Arona’s interview at #152 edition, when he said he heard
some guys saying he wasn’t in the UFC because they were
scared of him there beating everybody.
Answering
this question, White replied: “I don’t think I have
been worried about Arona beating everybody. Didn’t Arona
just loose? I think Arona just lost recently. There’s no
reason I have been like: “Oh God Arona could beat everybody”,
or… You know, if I thought Arona was gonna beat everybody
he would be here right now”, said White, who already revealed
who he’d like to face in a MMA fight. “I’d fight
Arona first because I think he sucks! (Laughs). That’s a
tough question. I’m not going to answer that one”.
In
the interview, Dana White also spoke about Fedor Emelianenko,
the rivalry with Affliction, why can’t Anderson Silva fight
Roy Jones Jr., the biggest purse ever paid in UFC and more.
Source: Tatame |
Bigfoot
loses the fight against the CSAC
The
dispute between Antônio "Bigfoot" Silva and the
California Athletic Commission reached the end of one more stage
last Friday, and the result once again wasn’t favorable
to the Brazilian. After months of hearings in different courts,
Silva lost in the civil justice in the United States. "Unfortunately,
once again wasn’t favorable. It’s a difficult situation,
but I knew that it wasn’t impossible", regrets the
fighter.
Suspended
on charges of using boldenone, after his last fight in EliteXC,
Bigfoot denied the use of any illegal substance and started the
battle, but couldn’t avoid the defeat. "I knew it was
difficult, I'm just a Brazilian fighting against an American
Commission at the American justice, unfortunately, even if I
proved, they wouldn’t admit it. Now it's wait and see what
happens, if they’ll give me a new penalty, increase my punishment,
cancel my fighter license", said the Brazilian, who is suspended
until July 27th. "I’m sad for the fans, who ask me
when I’ll return, but here (United States) isn’t the
only place in the world to fight. Japan has a large market. I
already have a lot of fights here, I like to fight in America,
but doesn’t end there", finalized.
Manager
of the fighter, Alex Davis regrets the decision of the justice,
but ensures that won’t give up. "The Commission has
punished because gave positive of boldenone, but we showed that
it didn’t have boldenone, that had been a false positive
caused by novedex. But the judge of the civil justice turned
to the lawyer and said that Bigfoot would remain guilty because
he used novedex, and that was a drug, which isn’t true.
Novedex is a sold anywhere... This is a decision, at least, bizarre",
argues Alex. "Novedex isn’t at the list of products
banned from any commission and isn’t drug, then we couldn’t
understand the judge's decision. The truth is that is Antônio
Silva against the American system, and perhaps the judge and
the Commission didn’t want to open precedents. Antonio is
still innocent and not even the Commission has proved that he
used boldenone", concluded Alex.
Source: Tatame |
Quote
of the Day
"Luck
is what you have left over after you give 100 percent."
Langston Coleman
|
The
Godfather of MMA in Hawaii is back!
Mayhem Beats The Hawaiian Rocky Balboa
KINGDOM
MMA
Blaisdell Arena, Honolulu, Hawaii
April 18, 2009
By Chris Onzuka - Chris@Onzuka.com
The
old has become new again, as the Godfather of MMA in Hawaii is
back! The outspoken and often appreciated brutal honesty of T.
Jay Thompson is back in the forefront of Hawaii mixed martial
arts as he embarks on a promotion to become the King of Hawaii's
MMA with his new event, Kingdom MMA. Who better than to headline
this re-emergence, than the most provocative fighter to step
foot on Hawaiian soil, Jason "Mayhem" Miller. Miller
has beaten Hawaii's best and who better than to be pitted against
the spoiler of local Hawaii fighters than Hawaii's own version
of Rocky Balboa, Kala "Kolohe" Hose. Mayhem stuck to
a perfect game plan to take out a tough Kala Hose, whose biggest
weakness, his ground game, is Mayhem's biggest strength. Mayhem
took Hose down and pounded him until an opportunity to submit
him opened up, which he performed flawlessly.
The
event also highlighted arguably Hawaii's top pure grappler, Ryan
Lizares, who placed 3rd in the World Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Championships
and has recently been promoted to black belt in a submission
grappling match. Lizares took on Ron "The Machine Gun"
Jhun, who despite being known for his striking, has a very good
and underrated ground game. Lizares, however, utilized a great
butterfly guard set up to lock in a foot lock for the submission.
The under card had a mix of fighters from a variety of gyms across
Oahu and one from the island of Molokai. Two of the fighters
stood out, Chris Leben trained Andrew "Danger" Cohea
displayed a well rounded game and constant pressure that took
L. John Borges out of his game and out of the fight. The other
standout was Molokaiian, Sale Sproat. Sproat was a late addition
to the card and executed a nice half guard sweep to mount and
then transitioned to Venti's back to sink in the choke for the
submission. This was the first large MMA event in Hawaii since
the economic downturn, but not even Jason "Mayhem"
Miller and Kala Hose could bring out the crowds that normally
attend one of Thompson's events. Although there was a decent
attendance, the economic downturn is definitely affecting MMA
in Hawaii.
170lb:
MMA: 3 Rounds - 3 Minutes
Nathan Haring (Team CAT) def. Bernard Baradi (808 Fight Factory)
TKO via Referee stoppage due to strikes from the back at 2:01
in Round 3.
135lb:
MMA: 3 Rounds - 3 Minutes
Paul Lopez (808 Fight Factory) def. Rob Anduha (North Shore MMA)
Submission via rear naked choke at 1:39 in Round 1.
155lb:
MMA: 3 Rounds - 3 Minutes
Angel Garza def. Elijah Manners (Nakoa/Universal Combat)
Split decision [(29-28), (28-29), (29-28)] after 3 rounds.
155lb:
MMA: 3 Rounds - 3 Minutes
Dejman Hathaway (HMC) def. Tommy Tuiloma (Team Auryte)
Unanimous decision [(30-27), (30-27), (30-27)] after 3 rounds.
155lb:
MMA: 3 Rounds - 3 Minutes
Andrew "Danger" Cohea (Chris Leben's UFS) def. L. John
Borges (808 Fight Factory)
Unanimous decision [(30-27), (30-27), (30-27)] after 3 rounds.
185lb:
MMA: 3 Rounds - 3 Minutes
Sale Sproat (Molokai) def. Gino Venti (808 Fight Factory)
Submission via rear naked choke at 1:12 in Round 1.
215lb:
MMA: 3 Rounds - 5 Minutes
Tasi Edwards (ICON) def. Pisa "Ata" Tivao (94 Block)
Majority decision [(29-29), (29-28), (30-27)] after 3 rounds.
Professional
Submission Grappling: 1 Round - 5 Minutes
Rylan Lizares (BJJ Technics) def. Ronald "Machine Gun"
Jhun (808 Fight Factory)
Submission via foot lock at 4:01.
155lb: MMA: 3 Rounds - 5 Minutes
Ricky "Hoku" Wallace (ICON) def. Brandon Pieper (808
Fight Factory)
Submission via rear naked choke at 0:46 in Round 1.
Main
Event
185lb: MMA: 3 Rounds - 5 Minutes
Jason "Mayhem" Miller (Team Kingdom of Mayhem) def.
Kala "Kolohe" Hose (Bad Intentions)
Submission via rear naked choke at 2:23 in Round 1.
|
UFC
97 'Redemption' Live Play-By-Play Results
Vinny Magalhaes def. Eliot Marshall via unanimous decision
TJ Grant def. Ryo Chonan via split decision
Mark Bocek def. David Bielkheden via submission (RNC) - R1 (4:57)
Ed Herman def. David "The Crow" Loiseau via unanimous
decision
Nate Quarry def. Jason MacDonald via TKO (elbows) - R1 (2:27)
Denis Kang def. Xavier Foupa-Pokam via unanimous decision
Luiz Cane def. Steve Cantwell via unanimous decision
Cheick Kongo def. Antoni Hardonk via TKO (punches) - R2 (2:29)
Krzysztof Soszynski def. Brian Stann via submission (kimura)
- R1 (3:53)
Mauricio "Shogun" Rua def. Chuck Liddell via TKO (punches)
- R1 (4:28)
Sam Stout def. Matt Wiman via unanimous decision
Anderson Silva def. Thales Leites via unanimous decision
Fight
#1 - Steve Cantwell (205) vs. Luiz Cane (206)
R1:
Cantwell taps a light leg kick. They each jab. Cantwell comes
in with a stronger leg kick. Cane works in punch combos. Cantwell's
high kick is blocked. Cane approaches Cantwell with jabs and
then working punch combos. The uppercuts he finishes with are
landing. Cantwell moves in for the clinch. Cane breaks away and
unleashes punches. Cane continues to stalk Cantwell and goes
in with a flurry, this time adding a knee. Cantwell with a combo
of his own but Cane avoids. Cane slows down on the rate of his
attacks and Cantwell puts together combos of his own, but they
don't land. Cane with another combo, and lands a left to the
body. They continue to box with the strikes mostly blocked. Cane
was the better striker. 10-9 for Cane.
R2:
Cantwell gets through with punches, but Cane's answers back and
connects on fast jabs. Cane misses on the uppercut combo. Cantwell
counters but they're not landing as Cane continues to stalk Cantwell
with punches. Cantwell connects to the body and leg in a combo.
Cantwell lands a cross. Cantwell lands a high leg kick. Cantwell
is turning it up. Cane jabs forward. Cantwell with a punch combo.
Cane throws a leg kick. Cantwell slaps a high leg kick. Cantwell
lands a nice right. Cantwell connects on a left. Cantwell wins
this one with more aggressive striking. He got through with rights
and head kicks.
R3:
Cane unleashes with a flurry and keeps moving forward with punches.
Cane landing some nice punches. Cantwell again goes with punches
that ends with head kick, but the strikes are blocked. Cane lands
a knee to the body. Cane gets in with another knee to the body.
Cane with punches that are blocked. Cantwell lands punches and
Cane thinks about the takedown. Cane with a kick to the body.
Cantwell lands a leg kick. Cantwell fires two head kicks that
are blocked. Cane gets through with jabs and follows up with
heavy punches. Cantwell tries a right kick to the head but it's
blocked. A few boxing exchanges to end the round. 10-9 for Cane.
Neither fighter was close to being finished but Cantwell looked
a little more battered, carrying a bloody nose.
The
judges score the fight 29-28, 30-27, 30-27... for Cane.
Cane
wins via unanimous decision
Yoshihiro
Akiyama is in attendance. He will make his Octagon debut against
Alan Belcher on July 11 at UFC 100.
The
UFC is running short on time. No post-fight interview for Cane.
Fight
#2 - Cheick Kongo (232) vs. Antoni Hardonk (249)
R1:
Kongo with an inside leg kick. Hardonk also with kicks. They
trade punches. Kongo lands an inside leg kick. Hardonk with a
leg kick. They clinch with Kongo pressing Hardonk against the
cage. The referee separates them. Kongo catches a leg kick and
puts Hardonk down. Hardonk is on his back until the referee lets
him up. Hardonk connects on a leg kick and so does Kongo. Kongo
with hard rights and an uppercut. They clinch and Kongo reaches
for the takedown. Kongo with knees to Hardonk's thigh. Kongo
gets the fight to the ground with a minute left. Hardonk is doing
well defending, but Kongo still scores with punches. 10-9 for
Kongo.
R2:
Hardonk with a leg kick and Kongo catches it to immediately put
Hardonk down. Kongo works ground and pound from Hardonk's closed
guard. Hardonk is bloodied. Kongo with hammerfists, elbows and
punches. Hardonk is in trouble. Kongo steps to Hardonk's side
and adds hammerfists to seal the deal.
Kongo
wins via TKO - R2 (2:29)
No
post-fight interview for Kongo either.
Fight
#3 - Krzysztof Soszynski (204) vs. Brian Stann (206)
R1:
Soszynski enters with punches and they clinch. They separate
and Soszynski goes for leg kicks. Stann lands inside leg kick.
They clinch. Stann breaks free with an overhand right. Soszynski
drives through with the takedown, bumping Stann against the cage
and then the mat. Soszynski shortly claims full mount. Stann
attempts a leglock but Soszynski escapes and takes side mount.
Stann gets up and Soszynski slams Stann back down. Soszynski
attempts the kimura from halfguard. Soszynski lets go and tries
again from side control. Stann taps.
Soszynski
wins via submission (kimura) - R1 (3:53)
Soszynski
gets interviewed by Joe Rogan. Soszynski yells in excitement
and compares the feeling of winning tonight to his son being
born and getting married.
Fight
#4 - Chuck Liddell (206) vs. Mauricio "Shogun" Rua
(206)
R1:
Liddell misses a leg kick. Rua lands a leg kick. Rua's head kick
is blocked. Liddell with twos jabs and a straight. Rua with a
leg kick. Rua connects with an overhand. Liddell answers back
with a right. Rua dodges a combo. Liddel lands a jab. Rua answers
back. Rua has a small cut on the right side of his forehead.
Rua lands another overhand right. Liddell comes forward but misses.
Rua lands another leg kick. Liddell isn't checking leg kicks.
Rua with a shot to the body and takes Lidell down. As they stand
up, Rua has Liddell's back. Rua drops for the leglock. Liddell
escapes. They clinch. Liddell exits with an elbow that's blocked.
Liddell throws heavy but Rua's covering up. Rua goes for the
takedown but this time doesn't get it. Great fight so far. Liddell
takes Rua down and gets up. Rua knocks down Liddell with a left
hook. Rua follows up with hammerfists. Liddell is trying to get
up but he's not defending. The fight is stopped. Rua looked great
in this fight.
Rua
wins via TKO (punches) - R1 (4:28)
Rua
is happy that he defeated a legend. Rua tells Rogan and the crowd
that he's never picked opponents before and he'll leave that
to the UFC.
Liddell
gets a nice ovation from the crowd. Liddell says he's disappointed.
He felt he was in great shape and had a great camp. Liddell says
he'll have to go home and think about his future. "It didn't
feel right today," Liddell said.
Fight
#5 - Matt Wiman (155) vs. Sam Stout (155)
This
fight was scheduled for the prelims but the UFC was running late.
R1:
They go right at it. Wiman clinches but Stout gets away with
a knee. Wiman finishes the takedown 30 seconds in. Stout tries
to get up but Wiman is aggressively holding him down. Moved close
to the cage, Stout tries to stand up but he's put down with authority.
Stout tries again and gets up. Wiman lands leg kicks. Wiman lands
an overhand right. Stout ducks a right and lands a jab. Wiman
lands a punch and goes for the takedown. Wiman goes for the guillotine
and pulls guard to finish but he loses the submission. Stout
lands punches on Wiman's way up. Wiman goes for the Superman
punch. Wiman shoots and Stout stuffs it, connects with a knee
to the body and escapes. Wiman works for the single-leg and gets
it. Wiman tries to take back control but Stout gets the fight
down in halfguard. Wiman looks for a triangle and Stout gets
out. Good scrap. Close round. Wiman with the slight edge.
R2:
Both guys are relentless with attacks. Stout catches a flying
knee. Stout lands a kick to the body. Stout chops at Wiman's
leg. Wiman rushes in. Wiman hops on Stout's back. Stout turns
into Wiman's closed guard. Stout drops punches and elbows. wiman
teases a leglock/sweep and Stout stands up. Wiman lands to the
body, and then a leg kick. Wiman lands a left hook. Stout connects
with a kick to the midsection. Stout drops Wiman with a punch
to the body. Stout stands on top of Wiman to finish with punches.
Wiman goes for the armbar but Stout escapes. Stout walks away
to avoid the ground fight. Stout lands a strong punch to the
body. There is a minute left. Wiman appears hurt as he keeps
looking at the time. Wiman goes for the takedown. Stout lands
a nice right. Stout chops Wiman with a leg kick. 10-9 for Stout.
R3:
Wiman has slowed and he's looking for the takedown. He misses
his first attempt and his second. Wiman holds onto a leg. Wiman
puts Stout down at 3:55. Stout turns around and Wiman takes his
back. Wiman works for the rear-naked choke. Wiman has the body
triangle. Wiman lands punches before Stout turns into him. Stout
with hammerfists and lands an elbow. Stout gets up. Stout with
a punch combo but a leg gets caught and he's taken down. Stout
moves to butterfly guard. Wiman lands elbows as he tries to pass.
Stout is cut. Stout tries to stand. Wiman puts Stout back down.
Wiman lands punchces. Wiman with head movement to avoid punches.
Bell sounds. Wiman probably stole the fight at the end of the
third round. 10-9 for Wiman. MMAFighting.com scores the fight
29-28 for Wiman.
The
judges score it...29-28 three times for Stout.
Stout
wins via unanimous decision
Cung
Le, the Strikeforce middleweight champion, is on TV with Mike
Goldberg!
...
being interviewed for the new "Fighting" movie.
Fight
#6 - Anderson Silva (182) vs. Thales Leites (185)
R1:
It's on! They're patient to start. Silva stalks his opponent
with his hands low. Over a minute in and not a single strike
thrown. Silva throws a jab at 3:50. Leites misses a knee. Silva
comes in with a jab and Leites backs away. Silva stalks. Silva
throws a punch and a front kick but Leites doesn't want anything
to do with Silva. Leites lands a leg kick and goes for the takedown,
but gives up on it. Leites swings a head kick and Silva smiles.
Leites fighting a very defensive game, and you can't blame him.
Silva sweeps Leites wiht a leg kick.Leites stays on his back
until the ref calls him up. Leites pulls halfguard. Silva escapes
and lands a punch. Leites drives for a takedown and they end
in clinch for the remainder of the round. 10-9 for Silva.
R2:
Leites lands an inside leg kick. Silva throws a kick and misses.
Leites gets the takedown and is in halfguard. Leites looks to
get his left leg out for side mount. Silva uses the lockdown
and successfully works for closed guard. Leites stands and looks
to pass. Silva stands up as Leites immediately looks for a takedown.
Leites falls to his back to lure Silva down, but Silva doesn't
follow. The referee stands up Leites. More stalking from Silva.
Silva throws and Leites circles away. Leites throws a high kick
that doesn't land. Silva's high kick is blocked. Silva lands
a leg kick. Maybe a draw? Hard to score, but Silva's punches
here and there might be enough to win the round over Leites'
takedown.
R3:Leites
lands a leg kick but it's caught. Leites goes for takedown and
pulls guard. Silva lands leg kick. Back up. Leites receives an
eye poke but the referee doesn't notice. Silva works leg kicks
as Leites lays on his back. The ref stands Leites up. Leites
shoots and tries to pull guard again. Silva lands a leg kick
and the fight is stood up. Silva lands a leg kick and Leites
responds with an inside leg kick. For some reason, the crowd
is chanting "Georges St-Pierre." Silva lands a leg
kick. Silva checks a leg kick. Leites falls to his back in a
desperate effort to bring the fight down. Silva is frustrated.
Leites reaches out for a glove touch and Silva complies. Silva
lands a kick to the body. Leites with a two-punch combo that's
blocked. Leites again drops to his back and Silva walks away
with his arms out. Silva with a switch kick. Silva now unloads
as the crowd roars. Silva peppering with punches and a leg kick.
Leites drops down and he's stood up. Silva with a leg kick. Leites
falls to his back again. The crowd boos. 10-9 for Silva.
R4:
Silva is the fresher of the two. Silva hurts Leites with side
kicks to the leg. Silva chops at Leites with more leg kicks.
Leites throws a right and misses. Silva lands a leg kick. Silva
begins to shimmy and continues to kick at Leites' front leg.
Silva lands a right. Silva's head kick is blocked. Silva jabs
at Leites' lead leg. Another side kick to the leg. Both jab at
the same time. Leites shoots and falls back. Silva crouches over
waiting for Leites to get up. Silva continues to chop at Leites'
lead leg. Silva is in no danger. Leites shoots and falls back.
This time Silva entertains the idea but eventually walks away
after a leg kick. The bell sounds and the crowd boos. 10-8 for
Silva. Silva looks like he's sparring with a friend, in that
he's dominating but he's not pressuring Leites.
R5:
First fifth round UFC fight for Silva. Silva comes out energized.
Leites misses a straight right. He misses a knee. Silva lands
a leg kick. Leites with punches that miss. Leites shoots and
tries a leg lock. Silva pulls his leg out. Leites goes for another
takedown. He pulls back but Silva gets on top and lands punches.
Leites bleeds. He's stood back up. Silva lands a side kick. Leites
falls back and Silva enters with punches, and walks away. The
crowd is chanting "bs." Leites goes for the takedown
and falls to his back. The crowd is entertaining themselves with
"GSP" chants. Leites shoots and flops. Silva with punch
to the leg. Silva lands a leg kick. Silva catches a leg kick.
Leites drops to his back. There's a minute left in the fight.
Leites throws an overhand and Silva dodges it. Leites is on his
butt with 20 seconds left. He's stood up. Leites swings with
a right and misses. The bell sounds. 10-9 for Silva.
Silva
wins for sure, but the crowd is silent.
Wow,
what a weird fight, and the scores reflect that: Judges score
the fight 49-46, 48-47, 50-46 for Silva.
Silva
wins via unanimous decision
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Strikeforce
'Shamrock vs. Diaz' Fighter Salaries
Frank
Shamrock can enjoy the fact that while he was battered in a lopsided
loss to Nick Diaz at Strikeforce last Saturday, he registered
a lopsided victory when it came to payday.
Shamrock
was by far the highest earner for the Showtime-televised event
from the HP Pavilion in San Jose, walking off with $369,790 while
Diaz pocketed $39,950 with $10,000 by way of win bonus.
Here
are the salaries reported by Strikeforce to the California State
Athletic Commission. Please note that the numbers below do not
include other sources of income such as sponsorships and possible
bonuses that may not have been specified in the bout contracts.
Fighter
Base Pay Win Bonus Total
Showtime Bouts
Nick Diaz $29,950 $10,000 $39,950
Frank Shamrock $369,790 --- $369,790
Gilbert Melendez $49,890 --- $49,890
Rodrigo Damm $9,190 --- $9,190
Scott Smith $24,940 $25,000 $49,940
Benji Radach $16,940 --- $16,940
Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos $8,000 $10,000 $18,000
Hitomi Akano $1,450 --- $1,450
Brett Rogers $19,940 $20,000 $39,940
Ron "Abongo" Humphrey $3,205 --- $3,205
Preliminary Bouts
Luke Rockhold $3,000 $3,000 $6,000
Buck Meredith $1,540 --- $1,540
Eric Lawson $7,950 $2,000 $9,950
Waylon Kennell $1,950 --- $1,950
Raul Castillo $3,390 $3,500 $6,890
Brandon Michaels $1,500 --- $1,500
James Terry $1,940 $2,000 $3,940
Zak Bucia $1,500 --- $1,500
Shingo Kohara $940 --- $940
Jeremy Tavares $940 --- $940
Source:
MMA Fighting
|
Nick
Diaz Fight Purse
Since figures were released by the CSAC on fighters pay from
the Strikeforce event, we have received several inquiries and
comments on Nick's pay. We would like to let Nick's fans know
that his compensation for the event was actually substantially
larger than the amount listed, due to the way his contract was
structured.
Nick Diaz and Strikeforce have in place a fair compensation agreement.
Source: Gracie Fighter
|
The
man behind Fedor Emelianenko
By Guilherme Cruz
Every MMA fan MMA knows who Fedor Emelianenko is, especially
the Brazilians, shocked with the Russians victories over Rodrigo
Minotauro Nogueira, Renato Babalu Sobral, Ricardo Arona and other
Brazilians. Coming to the incredible mark of 29 victories and
one defeat (very questionable), the biggest heavyweight in the
world has accepted the invitation of the TATAME to be the star
of TATAME Magazines April edition. In the Paredco, the fighter
spoke about his beginning in the fights, his differential, his
training routine and who were his biggest challenges in the career.
"Every
fight is interesting, has its own history and atmosphere. I think
all my opponents were tough. That is what I like in this sport.
The fighters I most liked to face were (Minotauro) Nogueira and
Cro Cop, both at their prime, both magic in their styles. I had
to be very concentrated for them", said Fedor, who points
the fight with Minotauro as the most important of his life.
Source:
Tatame
|
Coleman-Bonnar,
Danzig-Miller set for UFC 100
Mark Coleman will take on Stephan Bonnar and Mac Danzig will
face Jim Miller on the undercard of UFC 100 on July 11 in Las
Vegas, the UFC announced on Tuesday.
The
43-year-old Coleman dropped down to light-heavyweight and made
his return to the UFC on Jan. 17 in a unanimous decision loss
to Maurcio "Shogun" Rua. Coleman didn't impress when
it came to conditioning but posted a valiant effort that earned
him a $40,000 bonus for Fight of the Night.
Bonnar,
the runner-up on the first season of "The Ultimate Fighter,"
fell in his last fight to up-and-comer Jon Jones at UFC 94 in
January.
Danzig,
the season six winner of "TUF," tapped out to a triangle
choke in his most recent fight, a loss to Josh Neer at UFC Fight
Night 17 in February.
Miller
is coming off a hard-fought loss to Gray Maynard at UFC 96 in
March.
FIGHT
CARD:
Pay-Per-View
Bouts:
Brock
Lesnar vs. Frank Mir
Georges St-Pierre vs. Thiago Alves
Jon Fitch vs. Paulo Thiago
Dan Henderson vs. Michael Bisping
Yoshihiro Akiyama vs. Alan Belcher
Preliminary Bouts:
Mark
Coleman vs. Stephan Bonnar
Jon Jones vs. Jake O'Brien
Dong Hyun Kim vs. Jonathan Goulet
Mac Danzig vs. Jim Miller
CB Dollaway vs. Tom Lawlor
Shannon Gugerty vs. Matt Grice
Source:
MMA Fighting
|
The
Real Deal: Can Strikeforce challenge the UFC?
by Matt Williams
Matt Williams is back to discuss how Strikeforce can challenge
the UFC.
Hello everyone! I know it has been a while since my last column,
but life as a third year law student can be tough. I've received
some e-mails asking where I had been and if I was going to continue
writing, and I appreciate many of those kind words. So here I
am, back in the saddle, with a different kind of column that
I normally do. Regular readers know I usually review the major
cards that have taken place while giving my own personal take
on the fights. This column is going to be different. Sure, I
could review the latest Dream event, UFC: Kampmann v. Condit
or the Showtime Strikeforce debut...but not today. Instead, I
want to talk about a topic I think could dominate MMA over the
next few years...
Can
Strikeforce actually challenge the UFC?
The
new-look Strikeforce debuted on Showtime this past Saturday with
a few big names and some interesting fights. Headlined by Frank
Shamrock v. Nick Diaz in San Jose, the card drew 15,000+ fans.
No surprise there was Shamrock is a San Jose legend, Diaz hails
not far away in Stockton and Strikeforce always draws well in
San Jose. The result though, is probably not what Scott Coker
and company was hoping for. Diaz handled Shamrock with ease,
stopping the former King of Pancrase and UFC Middleweight Champion
in the second round. Shamrock, along with current Strikeforce
Middleweight Champion Cung Le, are the stars of the promotion.
A re-match had already been planned between the two stars. So
while losing to Le isn't a huge problem for Strikeforce, the
loss to Diaz presents a problem. Shamrock in no way deserves
to fight Le again, while this win doesn't prove a lot for Diaz.
He beat an aging pioneer of MMA who has little left of the skill-set
that once allowed him to withstand an onslaught from Tito Ortiz
and allowed him to capture many victories in Japan.
Frank
Shamrock is charismatic and a proven draw. The name alone is
worth a bunch of tickets sold. Can we say the same for Diaz?
Can Nick Diaz carry this promotion? I don't think so, but I may
be wrong. At what weight does Diaz fight at? We know Strikeforce
will not be continuing the ridiculous 160-pound division EXC
built specifically for Diaz so that weight is out. Sure he won
at 180 pounds, looking bigger than Shamrock, but does Diaz really
stand a chance in a re-match with Robbie Lawler? We know he won't
be fighting teammate Jake Shields anytime soon, and the 170-pound
division in Strikeforce is very weak beyond that. Diaz can't
make 155, so I'm not sure where he goes from here. Diaz is certainly
a polarizing figure, one that draws a love/hate opinion from
almost all MMA fans. Diaz has a ton of talent, nobody can deny
that. He is young and has been in the world with the best, but
is he a poster boy? I've recently heard comparisons of Diaz to
Tito Ortiz, and how both draw a ton of heat and have fans on
both sides of the coin. This is true. But there are key differences.
1) Ortiz is a proven draw...check the PPV numbers for his fights
with Ken Shamrock and Chuck Liddell. 2) For all the crap Ortiz
talks pre-fight, its more like Frank Shamrock crap-talk than
what Diaz does...Ortiz is trying to sell PPV buys, it rarely,
if ever, is that personal. Diaz often really dislikes his opponent,
often acts like a real punk and talks too much crap, both in
and out of the cage. 3) Ortiz is not an admitted pothead who
had his best victory taken away for being high...Diaz is guilty
as charged here. This raises a lot of ire among fans, including
mine. 4) Ortiz fights in the glamour division of MMA, and this
should not be understated. While the top talent resides with
the UFC currently, LHW is still the glamour division of MMA like
Heavyweight was for boxing for many years. Diaz, while he has
the ability to fight in multiple weight classes, does not fight
there. In the end, Nick Diaz put a damper on Strikeforce's plans
to put on Shamrock/Le II. With that, he has taken some luster
off one of Strikeforce's big names and destroyed a big main event.
However, all is not lost for Strikeforce.
Scott
Coker knows how to do business. This guy has quietly built a
solid promotion, doing it the right way. Strikeforce was, and
still is, very much a regional promotion. It draws very well
in California and is looking to expand, but they are not about
to put on a fight in Vegas. They bought the important assets
of EXC and brought over many of the key fighters under contract
there. Two big names still remain...Kevin "Kimbo Slice"
Ferguson and Gina Carano. I don't expect Coker to get railroaded
by their demands, and he shouldn't. Strikeforce does not need
these two names to succeed like EXC did. They would just be icing
on the cake. Ferguson has already said he wants to box, and while
Carano is incredibly popular and gorgeous, I find only one fight
to be interesting for her. What Coker does need to do is expand
his roster...here are some important things he needs to do:
1)
Sign Tito Ortiz immediately. Ortiz is going to command big money,
but he is worth it. The man sells tickets, brings fans to the
arena and will be able to carry a Strikeforce PPV, especially
if his opponent is a name. The money he receives may piss a lot
of people off, but its going to shed a lot of light on the promotion,
something Strikeforce is going to need to compete with the UFC.
Ortiz/Shamrock II makes perfect sense right now. I don't see
any way Shamrock defeats Ortiz, and that is perfect. Tito needs
a win over a name, and this fight will draw on PPV, trust me.
Shamrock is washed up, this I am convinced of after watching
him get pummeled by Diaz, and Ortiz may still have something
left in the tank, depending on how this surgery really affected
his back.
2)
Continue to cross-promote, especially with Japan (DREAM). Strikeforce
already has a working relationship with DREAM...they've sent
Andre Galvao to compete in the WW Grand Prix and he will be returning
upon completion. In addition, they've had Mitsuhiro Ishida fight
under their banner as well as Kazuo Misaki (Sengoku Fighter).
Continue to send your talent over and have them send talent over
in return. Who wouldn't want to see Josh Thomson v. Joachim Hansen,
Nick Diaz v. Hayato Sakurai (once-rumored to be for the WW title)
or Gegard Mousasi v. Cung Le. Cross-Promotion is an important
part of growing in MMA, and Strikeforce knows that well. Also
continue to work with Affliction (more on them
later) and unify MMA on all fronts.
3)
Pay for talent, but do not overpay (Ortiz excluded). Strikeforce
recently signed Fabricio Werdum (tremendous signing) and should
continue to keep signing fighters. Yes, Werdum suffered a flash
KO in his last UFC fight, but the guy is a top 10 HW. However,
do not go out and pay for everyone. You can see the trouble Affliction
is in right now. They're paying huge amounts of money and paying
for it. Affliction is the big wild-card right now. A promotion
that is seriously in trouble, built around 5 fighters. Do not
follow this business model, it can only turn out poorly. Strikeforce
won't be able to afford Fedor Emelianenko, but they also don't
need him to succeed right now. If they build properly, in a few
years, they can afford him...but paying that much money for him,
or guys like Arlovski and Barnett would be a mistake, one I don't
see Scott Coker making.
4)
Knock off the catch-weight bouts. Much has been discussed about
Shamrock/Diaz, enough that I need not repeat it here. However,
it appears now that Jake Shields v. Robbie Lawler is going to
be a bout at 182 pounds. Really? Why? Make the bout at 185. Shields
constantly talks about how he wants to test himself, and if he
is that adamant about it, let him fight Lawler at 185. This way,
it means something in the divisional rankings. A bout at 182
makes no sense. Strikeforce only has one catch-weight bought
I want to see in the near future, and that is Ortiz/Shamrock
II. Schedule that fight for 200 pounds, and after that...enough
is enough!
5)
Keep your current booth in tact. Gus Johnson is just tremendous.
The man makes paint drying sound exciting. Mauro Ranallo is something
I've always liked and respected. However, I really enjoyed Pat
Miletich. His commentary was insightful and he came off very
smooth during the telecast. Let this crew gel together and I
think they can really be one of the best out there.
6)
Go out and get yourself a deal with Sports Illustrated for SI
to be your official content partner. What better way to get some
national exposure. Josh Gross, SI's top writer, is someone UFC
President Dana White hates, with a very vague back story there.
Go out and make this happen. Get Gross to start covering your
events more and more, and get your name in the magazine. Everyone
already knows the UFC, but if you pair yourself up with SI, you
can really get the company to grow.
7)
If you're going to main event a Cris "Cyborg" Santos/Gina
Carano fight, do it on ShoMMA and not on a big card. While I
personally would love to see this, I don't see this sitting well
with fans. It should be an enjoyable fight, but not main event
worthy. It is a fight for hardcore MMA fans only, not one the
casual fan is going to want to see as a main event. First thing
first though, get Carano signed. She surely is a face that can
appeal to the casual fan.
The
potential for Strikeforce to succeed is there. The UFC has had
no true opposition since they bought Pride just over two years
ago. I don't see Strikeforce becoming Pride anytime soon, but
if they can follow some of this advice, and keep practicing their
successful business model, they will be fine. MMA in Japan is
in trouble right now, and neither DREAM nor Sengoku is going
to challenge the UFC seriously anytime soon. Affliction is not
going to be around much longer, and beyond that...what else is
there? Not much. The UFC is without question the top dog, and
that isn't going to change anytime soon. However, Strikeforce
gives fighters an alternative. They allow fighters to be sponsored
by Affliction and FullTilt, things the UFC does not. Their pay
not be totally comparable, but in time I believe it could be.
I truly hope Strikeforce succeeds, because the UFC needs competition.
The UFC was at its best when Pride was giving it a run....and
if Strikeforce can slowly build to that level, it is only going
to benefit the fighters and the fans.
Source:
MMA Fighting
|
Cesar
pre-fight Interview
by Michael David Smith
Nick Diaz has created quite a stir in MMA circles this week by
telling the Los Angeles Times that he smokes marijuana and drinks
large quantities of water to help him pass drug tests before
and after his fights. I requested an interview with Diaz to ask
him to explain those comments, and Diaz, through spokesmen, declined.
But
on Friday I caught up with Diaz's coach and manager, Cesar Gracie,
for an interview in which we discussed Diaz's marijuana use and
his fight on Saturday night with Frank Shamrock. The full interview,
which touches on everything from Michael Phelps to Diaz's participation
in triathlons to the family tree of the legendary Gracies, is
below.
Michael
David Smith: Nick told the Los Angeles Times that he smokes marijuana.
What do you make of those comments?
Cesar
Gracie: Nick has a prescription for marijuana in California.
He has had a prescription for the last couple years, so it's
a legal drug for him. He has the prescription for ADHD (attention-deficit
hyperactivity disorder), and he says it helps him. I'm not a
doctor, but he says it helps him and using marijuana is legal
in California with a prescription. Obviously, I'd rather he focus
more on talking about fighting than on being a cannabis spokesperson,
but he has a right to do what's legal in California, so I don't
think it's that big a deal.
It's
legal by California law, but he still has to pass a test from
the California State Athletic Commission, and he'll be in trouble
if he tests positive, right?
Cesar:
If he tests positive, yes. But what he'll do is not smoke for
weeks leading up to the fight so he'll test negative. He's fought
in California and passed the marijuana test. So it all worked
out.
He
said he drinks 10 pounds of water a day. I interpreted that as
saying that large quantities of water help you get the drugs
out of your system. Is that what he meant by that?
Cesar:
I beileve so. He was talking about not smoking and flushing it
out of his system. As much as he exercises, he burns off fat
and flushes it out of his system. But remember, in California
it's legal. You just can't be stoned during your fight -- you
can't test positive during your fight.
Your
name is legendary in MMA and Brazilian jiu jitsu. What is your
opinion of whether smoking marijuana is consistent with being
an MMA fighter or a Brazilian jiu jitsu practitioner?
Cesar:
I would have always said no, and I've told Nick several times,
"Athletes can't do this." But I guess I've been proven
wrong. Look at Michael Phelps. Look at Nick, who fights and does
triathlons. I definitely wouldn't encourage people to use marijuana.
It's my personal opinion that any kind of smoke, whether it be
cigarette smoke or marijuana smoke isn't good. Common sense would
say it's detrimental.
Watching
Nick fight, and knowing that he participates in triathlons, it's
obvious that he has very good cardio. I would think that wouldn't
be consistent with smoking anything, but he has good cardio and
obviously Michael Phelps has good cardio.
Cesar:
I'm not a scientist and I'm not a doctor. I would be concerned
with long term, 20 years from now what are his lungs going to
look like? I just wouldn't gamble with that. Most of the people
I've met in my life who are habitual marijuana smokers are couch
potatoes and don't have a lot of motivation. Obviously guys like
Phelps, and other athletes who smoke marijuana -- I've heard
of pro football players smoking marijuana and they are still
great athletes.-- I just don't have a right to tell them don't
have a beer and I also don't have a right to say not to smoke
marijuana. It's a medical prescription that he has a prescription
for. I don't think it's that big of a deal. It's not cheating.
Remember, the Athletic Commission, their argument for banning
marijuana is actually that it could hurt you -- you could be
lethargic and unable to protect yourself. It's not cheating,
it's that it could be to your detriment. That's why they don't
want you to be on it. It's not like steroids. I think the media
should focus on serious issues like steroids and pain pills,
not minor issues like this.
Let's
talk about the fight. You have fought Frank Shamrock. What's
your scouting report on him?
Cesar:
I think he's a hard hitter. He's an athlete. He's explosive.
He's very strong. He's a really good MMA striker. He's got so
much experience and he brings that experience into the cage with
him, so you're not going to surprise him. He's got a winner's
mentality. He's going to make you earn it, for sure.
I
was a little surprised when this fight was announced, just because
Nick has fought at lightweight and Frank Shamrock has fought
at middleweight. Is 179 pounds a good weight for this fight?
Cesar:
Nick would have taken that fight at any weight. He's a fighter.
He's one of those guys who's going to take the fight because
he wants the challenge. When he was fighting at lightweight,
that was a tremendous cut for him and I really didn't like to
see him that light. It took him a long time to get there and
I don't think he was at his best at lightweight. I think Nick
and Frank will walk into the cage at about the same weight. Obviously
Frank is more used to fighting around that weight so that might
be an advantage.
We're
a couple of hours from the weigh in. What will Nick weigh in
at today?
Cesar:
About 180, same as Frank, probably. The weight class is 179 with
a one-pound allowance, so I assume both guys will come in at
180.
What
kind of shape is Nick in right now? Will he have any rust because
he hasn't fought in a while?
Cesar:
It's been a while but Frank is coming off a layoff and his arm
was broken from a kick. He's in good shape and I think it's going
to be a good fight.
How
do you think Strikeforce is coming along after buying the EliteXC
assets?
Cesar:
It's doing well. I've been around some of these MMA promotions
that were like a dot-com start-up, coming in and spending crazy
money, hiring too many people and giving ridiculous contracts
to some of the fighters, paying people what they weren't worth.
Scott Coker, the head of Strikeforce, is a different kind of
planner. He's doing things the right way. I think he's going
to be very successful.
I
know you also coach Gilbert Melendez, who's on the co-main event.
How's he doing and what do you expect us to see from him Saturday
night?
Cesar:
Gilbert is in phenomenal shape. He really is. Unfortunately Josh
Thomson broke his leg, and now Gilbert is fighting a different
kind of opponent in Rodrigo Damm, so he's having to make some
adjustments. He's a dangerous submission specialist with good
stand-up and good wrestling skills, so he's well rounded. Gilbert
doesn't have quite the pedigree in submission grappling that
(Damm) does, but I think he's ready for this fight and in shape
for a five-rounder.
You
have by far the most famous last name in Brazilian jiu jitsu.
Just to clarify, are you Royce Gracie's first cousin?
Cesar:
You know, I don't know what that is. Second cousin, I think.
His father is my great uncle. We've had people in the family
having kids until they're 60 years old or something, so it's
kind of funny. Royce should be a lot older than me.
So
he's a generation older than you but he's not many years older
than you? Yeah. Exactly.
Cesar:
I think that makes him your cousin once removed.
That sounds right. Cousin once removed? That sounds good.
Well,
thanks for your time. Is there anything else you want to say?
Cesar:
Just that I hope it's clear that I'm definitely not a proponent
of the whole marijuana thing or whatever. I'm just saying that
it's legal in California just like alcohol is legal. That's the
bottom line.
Source:
Gracie Fighter
|
Gurgel
ready for another challenge
Veteran to compete at World Pro JJ Cup
This
coming 29th the gang from Alliance will embark in Sao Paulo bound
for Abu Dhabi, capital of the Arab Emirates. Fabio Gurgel will
be going along with the troop. But this time the commanders job
wont be restricted to shouting instructions from the edge of
the fight area. Gurgel is one of those signed up in the under
95kg category of the World Pro JJ Cup, on the 1st and 2nd of
May, and will fight on even terms with the young whippersnappers
for his share of the US$ 111,000 in prize money to be dished
out by the organization.
Ive
been training with the kids all along and Im going in full steam.
The difference this championship is in match duration, which
is six minutes instead of the usual ten. I believe that could
work in my favor a bit, since Im already used to fighting that
way, said the professor, who constantly figures in the master
division of all the main competitive gi tournaments.
Just
as is the case with the big competitions, Alliance is calling
up its main stars. Were going in full blast, myself, (Rubens
Charles) Cobrinha, Michael Langhi, Tarsis Humphreys, Marcelo
Garcia, Antonio Batista and Gabriel Vella, lists Gurgel.
Fabio
took the opportunity to chat with GRACIEMAG.com to report on
the recovery of his partner Romero Jacare, who runs Alliance
in Atlanta, and was recently taken ill. Hes already on his feet
and heading training over there. Everythings fine, said Gurgel
in closing.
Source:
Gracie Magazine
|
Sakuraba
to return in Summer
by Suki
Kazushi Sakuraba has been sidelined by an arm injury but expects
to return sometime in the Summer.
"I'll be ready to fight this Summer," Sakuraba said
on Monday at the "DEEP M-1 Challenge 3rd Edition in Japan"
press conference held at Sakuraba's Laughter7 gym.
Sakuraba
had his left arm operated on last June and re-injured the arm
in his Dynamite!! fight on New Year's Even. Sakuraba went in
for another operation and is currently recovering.
Sakuraba
turns 40 this July.
"I'm
not thinking about retiring," Sakuraba said. "I want
to keep fighting and have more great fights."
Source:
MMA Fighting
|
EliteXC
Veterans Join M-1 for Apr. 29 'Japan Challenge'
Press Release
Amsterdam,
Holland -- Usually the term "revamping" in team sports
is reserved for rosters that are under-performing. However, while
Team USA West is 1-0 in the "M-1 Challenge Presented by
Affliction"
(www.M-1Global.com) following February's upset victory over Team
Brazil Naja, owners Steve Bash andRoy Engelbrecht have made major
changes at welterweight, middleweight and heavyweight.
Set
to join Team USA West for its next head-to-head matchup during
the third edition of the M-1 Challenge on April 29 at Shinjuku
Face in Tokyo, Japan are former EliteXC veterans Giva "The
Arm Collector" Santana and Muay Thai standout Shane Del
Rosario as well as Affliction veteran Fabio "Negao"
Nascimento.
Showing
that it means business, Team USA West's change to Santana at
middleweight is surprising when you consider that Reggie Orr
-- the man Santana is replacing -- delivered for his team during
the 2009 M-1 Challenge opener held on Feb. 21 in Tacoma, Washington.
Facing Juliano Belgine, Orr improved to 8-5-1 following a split
decision victory but now finds himself on the bench so that a
roster spot could be created for Santana.
By
going with Santana, Team USA West adds a jiu-jitsu black belt
to its squad who is 11-1 in his pro MMA career with 10 wins coming
via armbar. His lone defeat was a split decision loss to multi-time
Gladiator Challenge champion Jaime Jara in his last fight this
past September at a ShoXC event held in Santa Ynez, Calif. For
his career, Santana holds notable wins over Jun Soo Lim, Matt
Lucas, and Jaime Fletcher.
Bash
understands that the switch from Orr to Santana is perhaps a
little cut throat but believes the change increases Team USA
West's chances of winning the 2009 M-1 Challenge Championship.
"When
Roy and I first met with M-1 Global to discuss ownership of the
USA West team, we told them that we were in it to win it,"
he said. "And we believe the starting and reserve rosters
we have assembled reflect that commitment from top to bottom.
We were the underdogs against the Brazilians during the first
M-1 Challenge (and) for the next M-1 Challenge in Japan, we feel
we are now the favorites."
Del
Rosario replaces Carl Seumanutafa, who lost a split decision
to Edson Franca during the '09 season opener. While Seaumantuafa
remains a top heavyweight prospect, the change could be viewed
as an upgrade as Del Rosario defeated Seamanutafa when the two
went head-to-head during this past September's ShoXC event.
Following
his second round TKO over Seaumanutafa, Del Rosario improved
to 5-0 in MMA with all five of his victories coming inside the
distance. A former high school basketball star, Del Rosario is
also currently 5-1 while competing in professional Muay Thai
with all five victories having come via way of knockout.
Like
Santana, Del Rosario trains under Team USA West head coach Colin
Oyama. According to Bash, the plan from the outset was to bring
both of Oyama's blue chip prospects into the Team USA West fold
as soon as they were ready.
"Colin
didn't have enough time to get Giva and Shane ready for the first
M-1 Challenge but now Santana is ready to get his next armbar
submission and Del Rosario is ready for his next knockout,"
said Bash.
Negao
replaces Dylan Clay, who suffered the first loss of his professional
MMA career during an impressive performance at the Feb. 21 M-1
Challenge opener. Matched up against IFL superfight veteran Eduardo
Pamplona, Clay forced a third overtime round after holding even
with Pamplona during the initial stages of the fight.
Much
like Santana, Negao is considered one of the best pure grapplers
in all of MMA. Currently 8-4, he has fought top competitors such
as UFC veterans Roan Carneiro, Rousimar Palhares, and Demian
Maia. In his last bout during Affliction's "Banned"
event this past July, Negao went the distance against Matt Lindland,
losing via unanimous decision.
Joining
Negao, Santana, and Del Rosario on the Team USA West roster are
Dave Jansen and Raphael Davis, two victorious holdovers from
the '09 opener.
Jansen,
a standout wrestler who trains out of Team Quest in Portland,
Ore., improved to 9-0 in his lightweight bout vs. Brazil's Flavio
Alvara. Meanwhile, Davis, a former IFL veteran, improved to 5-1
following his impressive first round TKO victory in a light heavyweight
bout vs. Brazil's Jair Goncalves.
Currently
in second place in Group C with an overall record of 1-0 and
a head-to-head record of 3-2, Team USA West will look to supplant
division-leading South Korea when the two countries go head-to-head
on April 29. South Korea got out to an early lead after recording
a 4-1 upset in Tacoma over the 2008 M-1 Challenge Champions,
Fedor Emelianenko's Imperial Team.
The
third M-1 Challenge of 2009 will see Jansen matched up against
South Korea's Yui Chui Nam in a lightweight bout (154 lbs./-70
kg); Negao taking onMyung Ho Bae in a welterweight contest (167.2
pounds/-76 kg); middleweights (184.8 lbs./-84 kg) Santana and
Min Suk Heo going head-to-head; Davis vs.Jae Young Kim in a light
heavyweight encounter (204.6 lbs./-93 kg); and a heavyweight
tilt between Del Rosario and Doo Hee Lee.
Subtitled
"Third Edition," the April 29 M-1 Challenge event will
feature a total of 30 fighters representing six countries in
three head-to-head matchups resulting in a total of 15 fights.
In addition to Team USA West vs. Team South Korea, host country
Japan will headline the event as it takes on the debutingTeam
United Kingdom in a Group A matchup. The event will open with
a head-to-head matchup between the two remaining Group A teams,
Team Franceand Team Spain.
Source:
Fight Network
|
Quote
of the Day
"The
secret of a good life is to have the right loyalties and hold
them in the right scale of values."
Norman Thomas
|
KINGDOM
MMA
Today!
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Blaisdell Arena
FIGHT CARD
170lb
Shane Todan (808 Fight Factory)i vs. Nathan Haring (Team CAT)
135lb
Paul Lopez (808 Fight Factory) vs. Rob Anduha ( North Shore MMA)
155lb
Elijah Manners (Nakoa/Universal Combat) vs. Trey Corrales ( TEAM
CAT)
155lb
Tommy Tuiloma (North Shore MMA) vs. Reno Remigio ( HMC)
155lb
L. John Borges (808 Fight Factory) vs. Andrew “Danger”
Cohea (Chris Leben's UFS)
185lb
Gino Venti (808 Fight Factory) vs. Sale Sproat (Molokai)
215lb
Pisa “Ata” Tivao (94 Block) vs. Tasi Edwards (ICON)
Pro
Sub Ronald “Machine Gun” Jhun (808 Fight Factory) vs.
Rylan Lizares ( BJJ Technics)
155lb
Brandon Pieper (808 Fight Factory) vs. Ricky “Hoku”
Wallace (ICON)
Main
Event
185lb Kala “Kolohe” Hose (Bad Intentions) vs. Jason
“Mayhem” Miller
|
Jacare
vs. Miller title fight possible at Dream 9
By Guilherme Cruz
Ronaldo
Jacare Souza had the chance to win Dreams middleweight title
in 2008, but lost in the tournament final against Gegard Mousasi.
With his opponent moving to light heavyweight division, the Brazilian
will have another chance for the belt. After the fighter revealing
TATAME.com hell be back at Dream 9, his coach Josuel Distak said
that the Jiu-Jitsu black belt will fight will be for the title.
Jacares
fight will be for the title, at May 26th. The expectations are
good and were ready to war, said Distak, Still without official
confirmation, Distak revealed that the opponent might be one
of Jacares last opponents. Were still waiting for the confirmation
and Dreams answer, but the rumors say that will be against Jason
Miller, but its not 100% confirmed yet, told the coach, revealing
that Ronaldo's opponent might be the same one he defeated at
Dream 4, by unnanimous decision.
Source:
Tatame
|
Predictions
for UFC 97: Redemption
by Jeff "Wombat" Meszaros
Why,
in the name of delicious Canadian maple syrup, is the UFC calling
their second event North of the border "UFC 97: Redemption"?
Who is redeeming themselves? What is being redeemed? Are there
coupons involved? I suppose you could say that Anderson Silva
needs to redeem himself after his fight against Patrick Cote,
which was possibly the dullest fight in the career of "The
Spider" and ended with a freak injury, when "The Predator"
slipped on an invisible banana that an invisible monkey had thrown
into the octagon. Invisible monkeys are now banned from purchasing
ringside seats. Also, I guess you could say that Chuck "The
Iceman" Liddell needs to redeem himself after getting knocked
out by "Sugar" Rashad Evans. As a side note, I should
mention that, usually, when you mix ice and sugar you get a Slurpee.
Finally, Mauricio "Shogun" Rua needs to redeem himself
after his performance against Mark Coleman, which looked like
a drunk Brazilian guy assaulting a senior citizen and then almost
getting his own ass kicked in the process.
Anderson
"The Spider" Silva vs. Thales Leites
As
most of you know, my predictions are usually based on misinformation
and gut instinct (which is frequently just food poisoning) mixed
with a small amount of voodoo. This time, however, I actually
have had the chance to see one of the fighters training for the
match. Through some miracle, I found myself in a gym not five
feet from Anderson Silva who, at the time, was brutally beating
up his training partners; two of whom were Andre Galvao and "Jacare"
De Souza. If you don't know who those guys are, go ahead and
drink some paint because you're clueless. Anyway, Silva beat
the crap out of both of them and was never once in trouble, either
on the ground or standing. Leites isn't nearly as decorated a
BJJ champion as either of those guys, so I fail to see how he
will give "The Spider" any trouble whatsoever. Also
involved in that decision are the facts that A) Leites only beat
Nate Marquardt through bad refereeing and even worse judging
B) Martin Kampmann swatted him around the octagon like they were
in a one-sided homosexual domestic dispute and C) Leites looks
a lot like a kid I used to know when I was young, who clearly
had severe mental problems as a result of an abusive home life,
but whose bizarre behavior was a source of endless amusement
to my brother, who has a history of laughing at tragedy. My Guess:
Silva by TKO.
Chuck
"The Iceman" Liddell vs. Mauricio "Shogun"
Rua
Anyone
with a keen eye for strategy has probably figured out why "The
Iceman" got his mohawk knocked off in his last match, where
"Sugar" Rashad Evans nearly spun Liddel's jaw around
until it was jutting off the back of his head like the brim of
a baseball cap worn by an idiot in typical backwards fashion.
Where was I? Oh, right. See, Evans hung back and decided to counter-punch
Liddell, who is a counter puncher himself. That, incidentally,
is the same strategy that Jardine used to beat Liddell and the
same way "Rampage" Jackson KO'd him years ago. Also,
as a fine counterpoint, we can look at his fight against Wanderlei
Silva, who spent three rounds chasing Liddell around like a man
on fire chasing a water truck, only to lose a unanimous decision.
Now, knowing what we know about Rua, which of those two strategies
will he adopt? My Guess: Liddell by TKO.
Krzysztof
Soszynski vs. Brian Stann
Krzyzstof
is a good friend of mine, despite the fact that I continually
point out that his first name literally spells "Crazy Stuff".
In fact, I cornered him in his first MMA fight, when he was 290
pounds and fighting a guy named (this is not a joke) "Matt
Raspberry" in a barn somewhere in Minnesota. He won that
fight, then went on to beat up most of the people in a hundred-mile
radius of Winnipeg, a place that is punishingly cold in the winter,
plagued by mosquitoes in the summer and now, proving it is truly
cursed, is swarming with gang members for whom death is a form
of amusement. Never go there. My Guess: Soszynski by TKO.
Cheick
Kongo vs. Antoni Hardonk
I'm
not sure why, but I am totally convinced this fight is going
to look exactly like the one that Kongo had with Heath Herring;
which saw both fighters rolling around like greased sailors locked
in battle on the deck of a ship being tossed about in a furious
storm. Honestly, that is probably not what the UFC brass are
expecting since both fighters are decorated kickboxers. But,
with both of them having a little grappling knowledge, they're
probably both thinking they'll take the other man out of his
element by looking for a submission. The end result will be a
god-awful mess that, as ugly as it will be, will still be vastly
more entertaining than seeing the two of them peck away at each
other with jabs for three rounds. My Guess: Kongo by decision.
Eliot
Marshall vs. Vinicius Magalhaes
Just
as Kongo and Hardonk are kickboxers, both Marshall and Magalhaes
are jiu-jitsu wizards; which is a term I stole from another event
than insisted on calling anyone skilled at grappling a "wizard"
as if BJJ is some Harry-Potter-esque dark art, or somehow related
to Alpha Bits; the staple meal of the Alpha Bits wizard, who
spends his days chasing children around in a sugar-induced state
of madness. What am I talking about? Oh, right. Both these guys
know how to make people tap like a snare drum. Truthfully, Magalhaes
is likely better at it but, sometimes, being good at BJJ means
little more than being very willing to lay on your back and take
a wicked beating, wizard-style. Again, I have lost track of what
I am talking about. Who wins this one? I expect Marshall to try
to keep the fight standing, and fail to accomplish his goal.
My guess: Magalhaes by submission.
Denis
Kang vs Xavier Foupa-Pokam
Kang
is another friend of mine, and a living terror in a fight, so
I was shocked to see him get guillotine choked by Alan Belcher
in his first UFC fight, especially when he was winning the stand-up
exchanges quite handily. But someone in his corner was yelling
"takedown! takedown!" like it was the only word in
their vocabulary, and when Kang went for it, he landed with his
head right under Belcher's tattoo of Johnny Cash, which wins
the award in my opinion for the worst-looking tattoo in the history
of the universe. Foupa-Pokam is French, and his name reminds
me of that old video game "Dig Dug". Also, even though
he is coming off seven straight wins, he has lost three fights
by DQ. I hear these were for eye-gouging. Will Kang leave the
octagon with his eyes in tact? I think so. Unless he chooses
to stand and trade brain hemorrhages with the wild Frenchman.
My Guess: Kang by submission.
Jason
"The Athlete" MacDonald vs. Nate "Rock" Quarry
When
I was talking to MacDonald before this fight, he told me that
it's impossible to know what Quarry brings to the table because
he's been in just weird fights. He has a point, I think. There
was the one where Kalib Starnes just ran for three rounds like
he was competing in the new Olympic sport of backpedalling. There
was the one where referee Cecil Pepils jumped on Quarry doggie-style
in his match with Pete Sell, creating a very awkward few moments
indeed, and then there was the fight from years ago against Rich
Franklin that made no sense then and still makes no sense now.
Fortunately, Quarry knows exactly what MacDonald is bringing
to the octagon. He will walk forward, go for the takedown and
look for the submission. He even did that against Demian Maia,
when any right-thinking person would be avoiding the clinch and
throwing uppercuts like a bastard. Unfortunately, there's no
way to prepare yourself for a fight against MacDonald who seems
to have a skeleton made of muscle instead of bones. My Guess:
MacDonald by submission.
David
"The Crow" Loiseau vs. Ed "Short Fuse" Herman
Loiseau
was bounced from the octagon after losing to Rich Franklin and
Mike Swick. I think I was drunk while watching both fights, but
I seem to recall him doing a lot of walking backwards, which
is incredible since crows can barely walk forwards, and even
that is a form of hopping. I was actually the ring announcer
for one of his fights outside of the UFC so I can tell you with
authority that it is fun to yell his name at the top of your
lungs. In that match, he KO'd his opponent with literally one
punch, leaving him as wobble-kneed and senseless as someone who
has just lost three back-to-back drinking games. Now that I've
met my legally-required about of bad comparisons, I can talk
about this fight. Loiseau likes to keep his distance and throw
leaping insanity from the outside. Herman likes to take space
away and try to burrow into his opponent like a rat into a carcass.
What does that mean? Look for "Short Fuse" to move
forward and "The Crow" to move back like a shy prom
date. My Guess: Herman by decision.
Mark
Bocek vs. David Bielkheden
Long
before Youtube existed, I used to get my MMA fix by trading VHS
tapes with strangers through the mail. Miraculously, I built
up an enormous collection, which I now have stored away in six
high-quality apple boxes. In the entire time I was collecting
these tapes, I only got hosed once. Every single person who I
sent a tape to returned the favor and sent me a tape from their
collection. Everyone except Bocek, who I have met twice now and
who, both times, has given me the same sort of attitude you would
normally give a guy who you catch cheating on your sister. I've
actually had the chance to watch Bielkheden train at Brazilian
Top Team in Rio, and he looks good. Still, I expect this one
to go to the Canadian. My Guess: Bocek by decision.
Jeff
Meszaros welcomes reader feedback at wombat@fcfighter.com and
can be heard as the host of FCF Radio.
Source:
Full Contact Fighter
|
UFC
97 'Redemption' Preview
by Robert Rousseau
UFC
97 will come to us all live on April 18, 2009, from the Bell
Centre in Montreal, Canada. Oftentimes, MMA events only give
you one fight worthy of main event status. In this case, however,
the main event of Anderson Silva vs. Thales Leites will be only
part of the story. The other part?
How about a long awaited dream match up between Mauricio "Shogun"
Rua and Chuck "The Iceman" Liddell?
Here
goes.
Anderson
Silva (23-4) vs. Thales Leites (14-1): Anderson Silva is one
of the greatest stand up fighters to ever grace an MMA Octagon,
cage, or ring. Along with this, he demonstrates pinpoint perfect
punches, is an absolute dynamo in the clinch, and kicks in an
amazingly accurate and powerful manner. Add in the fact that
he has ridiculous reach and you realize that his stand up game
is missing nothing. On the ground, Silva also owns a black belt
in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Along with this, he boasts excellent
submission skills and an amazing guard (in part due to those
long limbs of his).
Silva
is not a great wrestler (takedowns, takedown defense, ground
control). That said, he's above average in terms of takedown
defense.
Thales
Leites is an outstanding submission fighter with good wrestling.
His stand up is also solid. Together, this has netted him five
straight UFC victories, with his lone UFC defeat coming at the
hands of Martin Kampmann by decision. Leites has managed nine
submission victories throughout his career.
That
said, his UFC victory over Nate Marquardt resulted because of
fouls called on his opponent, not because Leites actually beat
him in the fight. Still, that encounter did show that Leites
is a very tough guy with a great jaw.
Prediction:
If Leites is able to get this fight to the ground for a significant
length of time, things could get interesting. But at this point,
it's kind of hard to go against Silva. He's just been on such
a ridiculous streak.
Anderson
Silva wins via first round knockout. As tough as Leites is, when
Silva hits you with everything he has, fighters tend to go down.
Chuck
"The Iceman" Liddell (21-6) vs. Mauricio "Shogun"
Rua (17-3): Liddell has lost three of his last four fights, including
suffering two brutal knockouts at the hands of Quinton "Rampage"
Jackson and Rashad Evans. That said, he's still as good at two
things as anybody in the game today.
Liddell
has the best takedown defense that the light heavyweight division
has ever seen. What's more, he hits like a truck.
Recently,
"The Iceman" has found that his technical striking
skills, particularly his defense, have hurt him. Along with this,
he's been working on his boxing extensively for this bout. In
terms of ground skills, Liddell is an outstanding wrestler that
hardly ever chooses to take people down. His Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
skills are a mystery, mostly because of this fact.
Mauricio
"Shogun" Rua has also been on a downward turn. In his
last two fights, Rua was dominated by Forrest Griffin, losing
by submission, and barely defeated Mark "The Hammer"
Coleman by decision. When he was at his best while with PRIDE
(before injuries and the UFC), Rua looked like the next MMA superstar.
Along with this, he was missing nothing- submission skills, wrestling,
kickboxing, cardio- they were all there.
But
will they ever be there again?
Prediction:
This fight will end up wherever Chuck Liddell wants it to go,
and here's the thing: Chuck Liddell just doesn't take fights
to the ground. Given this, expect a stand up fight. Rua should
be able to keep Liddell at bay with low kicks in spots. Liddell
would seemingly have the better hands. In the end, Liddell still
appears to have the power and takedown defense he always has
demonstrated. His recent downward turn has been more about stand
up defense than anything else. Rua, on the other hand, just hasn't
looked anything like the guy that once destroyed Rampage in the
first round of a fight on his feet.
Chuck
Liddell wins by way of second round knockout.
THE
REST OF UFC 97
Krzysztof
Soszynski (17-9-1) vs. Brian Stann (6-1): In Stann's last fight,
we learned that he was fallible, watching him lose by TKO to
Steve Cantwell. Still, he's an excellent athlete with lots of
striking offense. Soszynski is also very good offensively, but
is seemingly slower than his adversary here. Will Stann come
back strong from a loss in his first UFC bout? Or will Soszynski's
experience win out?
Brian
Stann wins by way of decision in a very good fight.
Cheick
Kongo (23-4-1) vs. Antoni Hardonk (8-4): This is a very interesting
fight. If Kongo decides to stand with Hardonk, this one is a
toss up. But if he decides to go for ground and pound, guess
is that his athleticism could bring it home.
Cheick
Kongo wins by way of a second round TKO.
Steve
Cantwell (7-1) vs. Luis Cane (10-1-1): Both of these guys are
very good strikers, making this a highly interesting bout. But
Cane may be too proficient on his feet.
Luis
Cane wins by way of second round TKO.
Eliot
Marshall (6-2) vs. Vinicius Magalhaes (3-3-1): Magalhaes is just
amazing on the ground.
Vinicius
Magalhaes wins by way of second round submission.
Denis
Kang (31-11-1) vs. Xavier Foupa-Pokam (20-9): Both of these guys
are very well-rounded. Give Kang one more chance to not fall
short of expectations here.
Denis
Kang wins by way of first round submission.
Jason
MacDonald (22-11) vs. Nate Quarry (16-3): This could be an outstanding
encounter. If it stays on the ground for any length of time,
it should go MacDonald's way. If not, Quarry should win out.
Jason
MacDonald wins by way of second round submission.
David
Loiseau (18-8) vs. Ed Herman (16-6): Loiseau is the better striker.
Herman is the better grappler. Tough call.
David
Loiseau wins by way of decision.
Mark
Bocek (6-2) vs. David Bielkheden (13-6): Could go either way.
David
Bielkheden wins by way of decision.
Ryo
Chonan (15-9) vs. TJ Grant (13-2): Grant has never fought on
this kind of stage before, but he's got great submission skills.
Still...
Ryo
Chonan wins by way of decision.
Sam
Stout (14-5-1) vs. Matt Wiman (10-4): Wiman is the better grappler.
Matt
Wiman wins by way of second round submission.
Source:
MMA Fighting
|
Oscar
De La Hoya Announces Retirement
Press Release
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Oscar De La Hoya called it quits in the ring
Tuesday, ending a career in which he won 10 world titles in six
divisions and became boxing's most popular fighter.
He
announced his decision at an outdoor plaza across the street
from Staples Center, where a statue of the 36-year-old Golden
Boy stands.
"I've
come to the conclusion that it's over," the native of East
Los Angeles said before hundreds of fans. "It's over inside
the ring for me."
De
La Hoya retires four months after he was thoroughly beaten by
Manny Pacquiao, his fourth loss in his last seven fights. It's
been several years since De La Hoya beat a truly daunting opponent.
He finished with a record of 39-6 and 30 knockouts.
"This
is the love of my life, boxing is my passion, boxing is what
I was born to do," he said. "When I can't do it anymore,
when I can't compete at the highest level, it's not fair. It's
not fair to me, it's not fair to the fans, it's not fair to nobody."
De
La Hoya said he based his decision on not wanting to let down
his fans or himself. But he admitted he struggled to make the
final decision.
"Now
I understand why athletes have such a tough time retiring from
something that you feel so passionate about, from your sport
that you're always thinking you can try one more time,"
he said.
"I
can still train hard and I can still compete, but when you're
an athlete that has competed on the highest level for a lot of
years, it's not fair. It's not fair to step inside the ring and
not give my best."
De
La Hoya maintained the same stern expression on his face throughout
his remarks, with his voice breaking only when he thanked his
father, Joel, who sat on the stage with the boxer's wife, Millie.
"I
remember the times when he would take me to the gym and never
gave up on me," De La Hoya said. "We've lived some
tough moments inside the ring, we've been through everything,
but my father was always there for me. Thank you for pushing
me as hard as you can."
De
La Hoya began boxing at age 5, following in the path of his grandfather
and father. He won an Olympic gold medal at the 1992 Barcelona
Games, launching a pro career that brought him worldwide fame
and riches.
He
will stay involved in the sport as a promoter with his successful
Golden Boy Promotions company. He had been juggling the roles
of boxer and promoter in the last few years.
De
La Hoya's retirement means the end of a cash cow for cable network
HBO, which broadcast 32 of his fights most of any boxer and generated
millions in pay-per-view profits.
Source:
Fight Network
|
Shogun
ready for Liddell
Brazilian faces the Iceman Saturday
Mauricio Shogun is one of those to feature in one of the most
highly anticipated bouts at UFC 97, to take place next Saturday,
April 18, in Canada. The Brazilian faces UFC star Chuck Liddell,
in trying for his second octagon win. Coming off a knockout win
but after a shaky performance, against veteran Mark Coleman,
Shogun guarantees hell be better this time.
I
can tell you Im feeling much better prepared and much more confident
now. When I fought Coleman, like it or not, I had been on the
ice for nearly a year and a half and that affected my training
and physical conditioning, he recalled, referring to the time
he spent out due to a knee injury, in a press teleconference.
For
Saturdays fight, Shogun packed his bag and set off with brother
Murilo Ninja for Sao Paulo, There he trained with a first-rate
team that included Demian Maia.
It
surely helped, and mainly helped because of focus. Sometimes,
when at home, we get a little accustomed and distracted with
problems and dont get pushed to the limit. So, I figured Id move
to another city to be one hundred percent centered and I can
say Im feeling much better prepared, he said.
I
only stopped for one week after my last fight before starting
training again, and that kept me in training rhythm, he said
in finishing.
Source:
Gracie Magazine
|
LATER
IS LATER, LEITES FOCUSED ONLY ON THE FIGHT
by Damon Martin
Title fights are viewed as the pinnacle of the sport, and the
peak of the career for many athletes fighting in MMA today. But
this Saturday night when Thales Leites steps into the Octagon,
he will not only be fighting for the UFC middleweight championship;
he will be competing against the man many argue is the best fighter
on the planet today in Anderson Silva.
Leites
understands the pressures of going into a match against a fighter
the caliber of Silva, but he truly believes this is the chance
of a lifetime that he's been waiting for.
"The
fight of my life. It's everything I was waiting for, for a long
time," Leites told MMAWeekly.com in an exclusive interview.
"Since my beginning when I started training MMA, I was thinking
about this day."
The
prospect of fighting Anderson Silva can be intimidating when
you look at the long list of great competitors he's left in the
wake of his destruction, but while Leites respects Silva, he
does not fear him.
"I
don't know how the other fighters feel. I just know that Anderson,
he is one of the best pound for pound fighters in the world,
and I have a lot of respect for him. But I trust me, and my team
trusts me. I want to fight the best fighters, and I will be out
there to do my best," Leites said.
"He
can beat me, and I can beat him, but I will be there 100-percent
and be ready for everything."
Picking
the right strategy going into a title fight can be crucial for
success, and it's no secret that the champion is one of the most
dangerous fighters ever when it comes to striking. His fellow
Brazilian understands what Silva brings to the fight, but he's
confident that the work he's doing will pay off.
"For
this fight I'm doing special training for the stand-up and takedowns,
you know to be ready for everything," commented Leites.
"Anderson is one of the most complete fighters. He's an
excellent stand-up fighter, he knows takedowns, and he knows
the ground game too. That's why I have to be ready for everything."
Understanding
that his biggest advantage could be on the ground because of
his extensive Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu background, Leites is quick
to point out that anything can, and sometimes does happen.
"I've
been training all my life for jiu-jitsu, I think there's my big
chance on the ground, but anything can happen," he stated.
"When
(Gabriel) Gonzaga fought against (Mirko) Cro Cop, nobody expected
he could knock him out. I'm not talking like it could happen
with me that way, but nobody knows. I will be ready to fight
stand-up, I will be there to fight in any situation."
To
prepare for this fight, Leites worked with his home camp in Brazil,
but also made a special trip to the United States to work with
the team at Arizona Combat Sports to help him get ready for this
monumental fight.
"It's
excellent training here," Leites said about Arizona Combat
Sports. "It's my fourth time here. I like training with
the guys, very good sparring; they have excellent Thai guys.
They have excellent wrestling guys like (Ryan) Bader and C.B.
(Dollaway) and there is a teacher here,
(Aaron) Simpson, he helps me a lot, showing me some good positions
to do takedowns. It makes me grow my wrestling. I'm feeling great."
With
the training all but over, and fight time just days away, what
would Leites say when asked what it would mean to be the UFC
middleweight champion?
"I
don't want to think about it now. I prefer just to think about
before the fight, and the fight time. Later is later for me.
I just want to focus 100-percent to my fight," he said.
"The most important fight of my life and I don't want to
think about later, how this can change my life. My focus is just
to the fight."
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Liddell
Says He"s Still Got It
By Steven Marrocco
If you heed UFC president Dana White"s comments to the Canadian
Press, former UFC light heavyweight champ Chuck Liddell"s
fight with Mauricio "Shogun" Rua at UFC 97 is not only
a shot at redemption, it is possibly his last.
"I've made it very clear to Chuck," said White. "It's
not about money, it's not about this, that. Chuck is one of my
good friends. Chuck (has) cemented his legacy in the UFC and
in the fight game. I'm not even saying if he wins, unless he
looks incredibly impressive" I mean, he's going to have
to go out there and dazzle me, for me to want Chuck to still
fight."
But
on a recent teleconference for his upcoming fight with Mauricio
"Shogun" Rua at UFC 97, Liddell said if there was an
ultimatum, he wasn"t paying attention.
"I"m planning on coming out and performing like I normally
do, and I plan on coming out and knocking him out so, hopefully
that will be enough to keep him interested in me fighting,"
he said dryly.
Since two knockout losses to Quinton Jackson and Rashad Evans,
questions of retirement have persisted. His age, coupled with
the manner in which he lost the fights"winding up for power
shots that left him open"have given pundits an easy perch
from which to judge him. He has a standard rebuttal to that:
he was too aggressive, and just got caught. But he refuses to
concede any of his setbacks mean anything over the long term,
which he"s repeatedly said is the next year or two in his
professional career.
Instead, he maintains his drive to succeed doesn"t live
or die with legacy.
"I love fighting," he said. "I get paid a lot
of money to do what I love for a living. I don"t think there"s
much motivation past that. I do want to end up on top and with
the title."
But he has, at least for this camp, made a small concession in
agreeing to make changes in his training regimen. He spent seven
weeks with Howard Davis, American Top Team"s Olympic-certified
boxing coach, working on his footwork and defense. He"s
also changed the pace of his training to mitigate the toll it
takes on his body.
"You"ve got to train smarter," he said. "There"s
different things you do, little things you do different as you
go. I think this fight is almost different than the last couple
of fights as far as age training goes. A little more warming
up. I remember when I was twenty-two, you"d walk out and
put your gloves on, to warm up for sparring. Now, I make sure
to get a good fifteen, twenty minute warm-up before I start doing
anything."
Now back on the ladder for a light heavyweight shot, he realizes
he doesn"t have a lot of time to maximize his efforts.
"There"s no time to be complacent," he said. "You"ve
got to keep challenging yourself and getting better; guys just
keep getting better and better, and if you don"t keep improving,
guys will pass you by."
Rua says he"s more focused than ever going into the Saturday
fight. Two years ago, the Brazilian was dominating opponents
in Japan, generating fan buzz about a fantasy match-up. Since
his move to the UFC, the hype around him has largely deflated
due to two bad performances at UFC 76 and 93. At peak performance,
though, he"s the perfect opponent for Liddell to test himself
against.
And ultimately, that"s what Liddell is looking forward to"a
good fight. He"ll go for the knockout, and the rest will
take care of itself.
"I don"t really need to prove anything," he said.
"I want to go out there and fight. For myself, I want to
get the title back. I still enjoy what I do. I"m excited
to get back out there and show people I can still do this."
Source:
Full Contact Fighter
|
Dana
White gives Fedor the Playboy Buddy Rose treatment
By Zach Arnold
Remember
that media interview I alluded to earlier today from Toronto
featuring Dana White? He lost his mind several times during the
interview, but this quote gave me a much-needed laugh during
the day:
They
show a clip of Georges St. Pierre calling Fedor Emelianenko the
best fighter in the world. Landsberg calls GSP the best fighter
in the world. White disagrees with GSP and Landsberg and calls
Anderson Silva the best in the world at any form of fighting.
GSP is number two and the blemish on his record is the loss to
Matt Serra. White says its a crock to call Fedor the best in
the world because he hasnt been fighting the best fighters in
the world like his guys - and hes fat and out of shape.
White
went on to say that MMA web sites dont get credentialed by UFC
because theyre not real journalists, but then continues taking
potshots at all sorts of MMA web site writers throughout the
interview.
Is
there a show this weekend?
Source:
Fight Opinion
|
Matt
Wiman Plans to Deliver Message at UFC 97
Press Release
MONTREAL
(CP - Neil Davidson) - He may be the only fighter who carries
a list of people to thank in the cage after a win, as if accepting
an Oscar. But (Handsome) Matt Wiman's reasoning is simple.
"A
lot of people put efforts in, not just me, so I try to like thank
people and mention people," explained the Dallas-based lightweight.
Wiman,
25, hopes to get the opportunity for a few more shout-outs Saturday
night when he takes on Sam (Hands of Stone) Stout of London,
Ont., on the preliminary card of UFC 97 at the Bell Centre (available
on pay-per-view).
Stout
(14-5-1) is a fine striker who is better than his recent record
shows. He is coming off two losses and has only won one of his
last five in the UFC, although he has won three bouts outside
the UFC during that stretch. Wiman (10-4) is an all-action fighter
whose string of four wins was snapped last time out in a loss
by decision to Jim Miller in December.
"I
like them both . . . . When have you ever seen either one of
those kids in a boring fight?" asked UFC president Dana
White. "I think this is going to be fireworks from the minute
it starts."
A
cast member of Season 5 of "The Ultimate Fighter,"
Wiman made it to the quarter-finals before losing to eventual
runner-up Manny Gamburyan.
His
actual entree into the UFC came before that in May 2006 when,
as a last-minute injury replacement, he faced hard-nosed Spencer
(the King) Fisher at UFC 60.
The
good news was he had his foot in the door. The bad news? "Hey
look, you're fighting a monster, on short notice."
"Spencer
Fisher is not a guy who's going to take you down and try to tap
you out. He's trying to rip your head off," Wiman said.
"I mean it was a tough fight to take but it kind of really
benefited me because I didn't get to start off easy and I didn't
get babied at all. I got fed to the wolves and I think it just
made me tougher and stronger and just set a good precedent -
that there are no easy fights for me and let me know that the
UFC is where the best fighters are and this isn't going to be
an easy little sport. This is going to be the real deal."
Wiman
lost by second-round TKO. But after "The Ultimate Fighter,"
he won four straight against Brian Geraghty, Michihiro Omigawa,
Justin Buchholz and Thiago Tavares.
He
also began to show off his game - and character. After a frantic
three-round war with Omigawa at UFC 76, Wiman did pushups on
the cage floor while his exhausted Japanese opponent struggled
to stand.
And
he turned heads at UFC 85 last June in London, when he stopped
the talented Tavares cold with a hammer-like right at the fence.
The win came just days before his wedding.
The
impending nuptials and explosive ending to the fight made for
an emotional list of thank you's in the cage that night in the
O2 Arena.
There
was more emotion in December when Wiman, whose brother Scott
is a Green Beret, took part in the UFC's "Fight for the
Troops" card. He was supposed to fight Frankie (The Answer)
Edgar but ended up facing Miller after Edgar was hurt in training.
"I
was training for a boxer-wrestler and I got a jiu-jitsu player
who's a southpaw," he noted.
Wiman
was soundly beaten but showed great resilience in the face of
a lot of punishment and never quit. In losing a unanimous decision,
he won the respect of Miller.
"Matt's
as tough as hell," Miller said in the cage afterwards. "I've
never hit someone so hard, so many times and have them still
standing there."
Wiman
was less than happy, however. He's still not sure what happened
that night.
"I
always compete really well, the harder I try the better I do,"
he said. "I just felt off and I felt flat and I felt I didn't
have anything in me.
"I
just felt like I was just fighting a losing battle. Everything
I attempted wouldn't work and everything he was trying was working.
He fought well and I fought poorly. The outcome kind of took
care of itself.
"About
all I showed in that fight was my heart and my character. I was
pleased with that part but I was very unhappy with my physical
performance."
It's
been a long wait for redemption.
"People
don't know how much time's invested in that 15-minute fight -
and that's the maximum (time). The fight could end in two minutes
and you could have trained, I don't know, 300 hours for that
fight."
Born
in Denver, Wiman left Colorado at seven and grew up mainly in
Oklahoma, although he spent time in Florida and Texas.
An
athletic kid, he liked "any sport that was difficult."
The martial arts fit the bill.
"I
played all the sports and I just thought that this one was a
little bit more hardcore and demanding and very difficult."
He
found Mikey Burnett's MMA school in Tulsa and liked what he saw.
"There
was a bunch of old-school guys . . . They just beat me up a lot,
and I enjoyed the challenge and the competition," he said.
"I decided I'm going to pursue this sport and see how well
I do in it.
"I
think it's a perfect sport for me because of my mentality and
my heart, I like sports that the harder you try at, the more
you get out of it. Like golf is very frustrating for me, even
though I enjoy golf, because the harder you try the worse you
do. And that's not really my style."
Eventually
he decided it was time for a new challenge, so he moved to Texas
where his fiancee was in nursing school.
"Tulsa
was kind of a dead end for me," he said. "I had trained
at all of the gyms, I just felt like I wasn't getting better
or getting pushed there."
He
knows Stout will push him Saturday.
"I
think he's a lot better than his record is because his last two
fights (against Rich Clementi and Terry Etim), some could actually
score them a win. . . . He's tough and he's young and he's strong.
"That
being said, I'm just a bad matchup for him because I've got more
tools in the shed than he does. I've actually got more knockouts
than he does in the UFC (Wiman has two to Stout's none). I think
that wherever the fight goes. I'm going to beat him."
Shawn
Tompkins, Stout's brother-in-law and coach, predictably sees
it differently.
"Matt
Wiman's an aggressive guy, he's going to come forward and he's
going to want to bang a little bit and Sam Stout I don't think
is the right guy to want to do that with."
Wiman,
for one, thinks he already won when it comes to nicknames.
"I
had a few when I was in Tulsa and I hated the other ones so I
really kind of pushed for this name because it wasn't as bad
and it kind of has a personality . . . I just thought it was
funny that everyone has a mean nickname and I've got a funny,
goofy nickname . . . It shows my personality, so I enjoy it because
it's not like something mean."
Like
Hands of Stone?
"Yeah,
I mean if you've got Hands of Stone, people will see it. You
don't got to prove it by saying it."
Source:
Fight Network
|
Fabricio
Werdum joins Strikeforce heavyweight roster
Former
UFC and PRIDE heavyweight Fabricio Werdum (11-4-1) has resurfaced
with the Strikeforce organization.
Strikeforce Scott Coker confirmed the signing on Sunday in an
interview with Michael David Smith of FanHouse.
Werdum's
last fight was a loss to Junior Dos Santos at UFC 90 in October
2008 that sent Werdum packing from the organization. It was a
major upset for Werdum, who was near a title shot as the odd
man out of the UFC's four-man heavyweight tournament with Randy
Couture, Brock Lesnar, Frank Mir and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira.
Werdum
hold wins over Gabriel Gonzaga (twice), Brandon Vera, Aleksander
Emelianenko and current Strikeforce heavyweight champ Alistair
Overeem.
Werdum
stated at the Strikeforce "Shamrock vs. Diaz" post-fight
press conference that he would like to challenge Overeem for
the belt. However, Coker told FanHouse that Werdum's challenge
was unexpected and the fight is simply a possibility but not
definite. Coker is looking at other heavyweight free agents or
heavyweights in non-exclusive contracts to match up with Werdum.
Source:
MMA Fighting
|
Quote
of the Day
"The
worst loneliness is not to be comfortable with yourself."
Mark Twain
|
MAN-UP
& STAND-UP
Today!
FILCOM CENTER WAIPAHU
APRIL 17, 2009 FRIDAY
DOORS OPEN AT 6:30
RED DAVIS 160 IKAIKA MORENO
IN THIS MAIN EVENT, TWO OF THESE OUTSTANDING FIGHTERS WHO WERE
DEFINITELY ON THEIR WAY TO THE TOP BEFORE THEY TOOK MORE THAN
A YEAR OFF FROM THE FIGHT SCENE WILL MEET FRIDAY NIGHT. MAN-UP
& STAND-UP WILL BE EXACTLY WHAT THEY WILL BE DOING. RED WHO
IS THE YOUNGER OF THE TWO WITH MAJOR SKILLS WILL FACE THE FEROCIOUS
POWER OF IKAIKA MORENO. BUT WILL THEIR GAME BE BLINGING OR WILL
THERE BE A YEAR WORTH OF RING RUST ON THE WEAPONS THAT THEY CHOSE
TO HANG UP IN THE CLOSET. FRIDAY NIGHT - GAME ON.
JAMES 250 PAKI
94 BLOCK
SONNY HUNT SHW OTTO HOOPII
94 BLOCK
AL FAATAPE 220 JESSIE TIGER
94 BLOCK
ROLAND SEFO 215 RONSON NELSON
94 BLOCK
DARREN FAATAPE 160 JOSEPH ENAENA
94 BLOCK
THESE WAIPAHU NATIVES FROM 94 BLOCK WILL BE TRYING TO MAKE A
STATEMENT ON FRIDAY NIGHT, BEING THAT THEY ARE IN THE PROCESS
OF TRYING TO EXPAND THEIR GYM WHICH THEY JUST RELOCATED. THEY
WILL BE FIGHTING IN THEIR HOMETOWN AND HOPE TO REPRESENT THEMSELVES
AND THEIR COMMUNITY IN THE BEST WAY POSSIBLE (CHEE-HU). DARREN
WHO IS PROBABLY THE MOST SKILLED OF ALL THE BLOCK FIGHTERS WILL
BE FACING JOSEPH ENAENA WHO HAS BEEN VERY ACTIVE IN THE KICKBOXING
AND MAD SKILLZ SCENE. MAN-UP & STAND-UP WILL BE SHOWCASING
WAIPAHU'S 94 BLOCK. SO IF THERES A CALL THAT PEOPLE ARE DISTURBING
THE PEACE IN WAIPAHU COME FRIDAY NIGHT. DONT FRET BECAUSE ITS
JUST WAIPAHU'S NEW FOUND HOMETOWN HEROES TRYING TO MAKE A STATEMENT
AT THE FILCOM.
HENRY TAVARES MAHIAI 100 NELSON KUKAHIKO
ARMAN 125 RUSTY RIVERA
KALANI SOLIRICMAN 140 GEARY UDEGAWA
BRYSEN KEALOHA 125 ISRAEL ALVAREZ
JESSIE CRUZ 150 SOTA NAKANO
CHRIS HO 155 NICK CORREA
ISAIAH 120 PAT MATHIAS
RICHARD BARNARD 152 MAKANA FRONDA
CHARLES HAZELWOOD 185 ROBERT EATON
KOA CONCEPCION EXHIBITION NATE TIGER
PHILLIP AKUI 175 DAVIN CUMMINGS
IKAIKA SILVA 185 SHAWN
KOLOA KAHALEWAI SHW MATT EATON
KOLOA WHO IS THE SUPER HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMP WILL MEET MATT - THE
KING OF THE GIANTS CHAMP IN A WINNER TAKE ALL MATCH. KOLOA FROM
TEAM ANILAND AND MATT WHO IS FROM BULLSPEN ARE TWO VERY RESPECTABLE
FIGHTERS THAT CAN GIVE AND TAKE. THIS WILL BE A BATTLE . BOTH
OF THESE FIGHTERS HAVE TITLES THAT THEY DONT WANT TO GIVE UP.
SOMEONE WILL BE WALKING OUT THE RING WITH TWO BELTS AROUND THEIR
WAIST. AND THERE WILL BE A LOT OF SUPER HEAVYWEIGHTS THAT WILL
MAKE THEIR AIM ON KOLOA OR MATT. COME DOWN AND FIND OUT WHO WILL
BE WEARING THE TWO BELTS AT THE END OF THIS MATCH (ESPECIALLY
IF YOU'RE A SUPER HEAVYWEIGHT).
CHOANAN 140 TBA
MIKE UEMOTO 155 TODD PARK
EZRA BRIGHT 85 NAV
JUMAR ESCOSIO 140 JONAH VISANTE
DALE KAMAI 170 MATT FISHER
all matches and participants are subject to change
|
KINGDOM
MMA
Tomorrow
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Blaisdell Arena
FIGHT CARD
Main
Event
185lb Kala "Kalohe" Hose v Jason "Mayhem"
Miller
7-2 Bad Intentions 21-6 Team Kingdom of Mayhem
155lb Keoni Digg v Ricky "Hoku" Wallace
808 Fight Factory ICON
215lb
Pisa "Ata" Tivao v Tasi Edwards
94 Block ICON
155lb
Tommy Tuiloma v Reno Remigio
Team Auryte HMC
135lb
Paul Lopez v Keka Doi-toilolo
808 Fight Factory Team Makaha
170lb
Shane Todani v Nathan Haring
808 Fight Factory Team CAT
155lb
L. John Borges v Richard Agustin
808 Fight Factory Team Makaha
155lb
Elijah Manners v Trey Corrales
Nakoa/Universal Combat TEAM CAT
185lb
Gino Venti v Sale Sproat
808 Fight Factory Molokai
165lb
Ethan Rista v TBA
Korrupt Ambitions
|
Hawaii
Boxing Broadcaster Dead at 89
Press Release
HONOLULU
(AP) - Les Keiter, a longtime Hawaii sportscaster who also called
Muhammad Ali's first title win over Sonny Liston in 1964, has
died just two weeks shy of his 90th birthday.
Keiter's
wife, Lila, said her husband was surrounded by family when he
died Tuesday at Castle Medical Center.
Keiter
retired in 1994 as sports director of Honolulu TV station KHON,
becoming the spokesman for Aloha Stadium.
"He
was a terrific guy. He always called you 'Kid.' Even though he
was getting aged, his voice was still strong. And his mind was
sharp as a tack," Hawaii sportscaster Jim Leahey said.
Former
University of Hawaii basketball coach Riley Wallace said everyone
looked up to Keiter.
"He
was old school. He reported only the facts of the game. He always
was a friend to coaches, players, and the fans. He'll be missed,"
Wallace said.
Keiter
started his broadcasting career in Hawaii after World War II
and then moved to the East Coast.
Between
1956 and 1985 Keiter narrated a dozen championship heavyweight
fights for ABC and the Mutual Broadcasting Co. He was also a
sports announcer for the Giants baseball franchise from 1954
to 1962 the team moved from New York to San Francisco in 1958
and for the New York Knicks from 1955 to 1962.
Keiter's
book, "Fifty Years Behind the Microphone," explained
how he "re-created" baseball games for radio audiences.
He was hired to do the broadcasts for New York fans after the
Giants and the Brooklyn Dodgers both relocated to California
in '58.
In
the early 1970s, he became the voice of University of Hawaii
sports and Triple-A baseball's Hawaii Islanders.
In
addition to his wife, Keiter is survived by five children and
many grandchildren.
Source:
Fight Network
|
Charles
'Mask' Lewis Memorial Service
The
life of TapouT co-founder Charles "Mask" Lewis will
be celebrated in a memorial service on Tuesday, April 14 in Garden
Grove, California.
The service, "Simply Believe: A Celebration of Charles 'Mask'
Lewis Jr.," will be open to the public and begins at 11:00
a.m. at the Crystal Cathedra.
Lewis
started TapouT in 1997 and last year the company became a $100
milllion empire.
Lewis
passed away in a car crash on March 11, 2009 in Newport Beach,
California.
Source:
MMA Fighting
|
Chuck
Liddell expands his game with American Top Team
Throughout
Chuck Liddell's career the future UFC Hall of Famer has been
synonymous with one camp, longtime friend John Hackleman's The
Pit in Arroyo Grande, Calif.
But
after three tough losses in his last four fights, Liddell (21-6)
has enlisted members of the American Top Team for his training
camp in preparation for Mauricio "Shogun" Rua (17-3)
at UFC 97 on April 18 in Montreal.
"It
was a great experience when I was out there for a little bit,"
Liddell said in a recent conference call. "And then Howard
Davis [was] with me for about seven weeks or so out here in my
training camp. So it's been really good working with him."
Judging
from his last three recent losses, opponents have apparently
figured out Liddell's game. Keith Jardine, exploiting Liddell's
inability to defend leg kicks, scored enough points to win a
split decision at UFC 76 in September 2007. Quinton "Rampage"
Jackson and Rashad Evans were both able to knock out Liddell
with a countering right hook.
The
selection of Davis Jr. is a strong one for Liddell's camp. Davis
Jr. was the 1976 Olympic gold medalist in boxing and is currently
the boxing director for the American Top Team.
"I
think he's helped my foot work and defense a lot," Liddell
said. "And
Im looking forward to showing some of the new stuff Ive learned."
As
for Liddell's ground game, Hackleman reached out to American
Top Team founder Ricardo Liborio and secured the services of
Daniello Villefort (9-2), a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Judo black
belt who will soon debut for the UFC.
Long
criticized for relying on the same training camp, it'll be interesting
to see how Liddell comes out for this matchup and if he can pull
off the much-needed win.
Source:
MMA Fighting
|
UFC
97 media heat-up - part one
By Zach Arnold
According
to someone I talked with in the Toronto area, Dana White made
a media appearance on Rogers Sportsnet yesterday to hype up the
Montreal event. The same source says that UFC is flooding the
Ontario and Montreal markets with radio ads non-stop. The media
blitz is all-out.
Chuck
Liddell vs. Mauricio Shogun
Sherdog:
Shogun approaches UFC 97 crossroads
All
my fights were important in my life, but I see this fight as
the most important, Rua said. Liddell is a guy who deserves respect,
a top fighter, but I see myself victorious in this fight.
Todd
Martin (CBS Sports): Liddell, Shogun battle each other at UFC
97
For
his part, Liddell doesnt view his recent struggles as part of
a greater trend. He dismisses the notion that his style has become
predictable.
I
think I just got a little impatient and overexcited and got in
a bad position, Liddell said of his most recent knockout loss
to Rashad Evans. Im predictable in that Im going to throw punches
at you.
Michael
David Smith (AOL Fanhouse): Shogun focused on Chuck Liddell
This
is all tough to say. I trust my ground skills, and in theory
I would have a better chance if the fight hits the ground. But
how often do you see Chuck on his back? Many things can happen
in a fight, and I expect him to come very well trained, so I
have to be ready for all aspects of the game and take my chances.
Anderson
Silva vs. Thales Leites
SLAM!
Sports: Jason MacDonald says Anderson Silva casts a shadow over
the middleweight division
Kevin
Iole (Yahoo Sports): Anderson Silva has something to prove this
time
The
Spider isnt a braggart and isnt the sort to make outlandish predictions.
But its obvious that hes aware of the criticism he received following
the Cote fight and that he intends to make a statement and, in
essence, set the world straight.
Source:
Fight Opinion
|
WIN
OR LOSE, LIDDELL NOT READY TO HANG 'EM UP
by Jeff Cain
Former Ultimate Fighting Championship light heavyweight titleholder
Chuck Liddell heads into his UFC 97 co-main event bout with Mauricio
"Shogun" Rua with talks of his retirement swirling
in the media, but the 39-year-old fighter has no intentions of
hanging up the gloves just yet.
"It's
something for people to ask," said Liddell. "They were
saying that before the Wanderlei (Silva) fight, and then after
the Wanderlei fight they were saying, 'oh he's back.' I was winning
the Rashad Evans fight until I got caught, and now everyone thinks
I should retire again."
Liddell
has lost three of his last four fights, but it wasn't until his
brutal knockout loss to current light heavyweight champion Rashad
Evans at UFC 88 in September of 2008 that the questions of retirement
started being asked by nearly every interviewer the San Luis
Obispo, Calif., fighter talked to.
"It's
not like I walked out there and took a beating," he commented
about the loss to Evans. "I got caught. I made a mistake
and he capitalized on it. Good for him, but I'm not going to
let it happen again. I want another shot at it."
Liddell
doesn't take offense to the questions of retirement. He thinks
it's a valid question considering his age in a combat sport,
but asserts he doesn't feel like an athlete who'll turn 40 later
this year.
"I
will be 40 this year. That kind of stuff has to come up,"
he conceded. "My body still reacts well. I still feel fast.
I still hit very hard. I can still react and move well, so I'm
not worried about it yet. The time is not an issue yet."
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Russell
Sees MacDonald"s Jiu-Jitsu as Key
BJJ Instructor to Have 4th Bout Soon
By Kelsey Mowatt
Gracie
Barra black belt Josh Russell has once again been integrally
involved in helping Jason MacDonald prepare for yet another Octagon
appearance, as the middleweight will head to Montreal, Quebec,
this weekend to take on Nate Quarry at UFC 98. While MacDonald
has demonstrated his submission skills and punishing top game
during his UFC tenure, Quarry has furthered a reputation for
being more of a damaging striker, an interesting contrast in
styles, which Russell acknowledges.
"I
think his jiu-jitsu is going to play a big role," Russell
said, when asked about the importance of MacDonald"s ground
game. "Jason"s been working hard on his stand-up for
the last year and a half, but I think this is one of those fights
where you stick with what you know best. What he knows best is
setting up the clinch, getting a solid takedown, and working
some ground-and-pound. Look to progress and submit. I think that"s
got to be the game plan with Quarry."
"Anything
can happen in a fight," Russell furthered. "You saw
that when he fought (Wilson) Gouveia, especially when all of
these guys are at such a high level."
MacDonald
is coming off a TKO loss at the hands of the aforementioned Gouveia,
who stopped the Red Deer fighter with a series of elbows at the
Ultimate Fighter Season 8 Finale in December. The Canadian veteran
will head into this weekend"s bout with an Octagon record
of 5-4, and although his losses have come against notable contenders
like Demian Maia, Yushin Okami and Rich Franklin, MacDonald could
be in need of a solid performance, win or lose, come Saturday.
"I
think every bout is important," Russell said. "Coming
off a loss, it just puts on that much, more pressure on a guy
to come out and put on a good performance. Being in Montreal
again; Jason had a really good performance there last year against
Joe Doerksen, after the first round was so back-and-forth. So
it"s pretty exciting to be going back there. I know Jason"s
really thinking about winning. I"m sure he"s convinced
he can do it; I"m convinced he can do it, so he just has
to go out and do what he does best."
Russell"s
fighting career has also been going well, as since the accomplished
jiu-jitsu player made his professional MMA debut last September;
Russell has won 3 straight bouts. Most recently, at a Maximum
Fighting Championship card in February, the Calgary resident
submitted Donovan Foley in one minute with a triangle-choke.
"Before
the fight I had a couple of friends come by my room and ask me
"so what are you going to do in the fight," Russell
recalled. "So I told them my game-plan, it was pretty much
exactly the way it unfolded. One of my students posted a play-by-play
that said I immediately took the guy down, but actually I threw
a couple of kicks at his head, snapped them off pretty quick,
which sort of raised his eyebrow. I think he thought I was just
straight jiu-jitsu. I wanted to get his attention that if he
kept his hands down I would give him a shot. I just set up the
takedown, starting working from sidemount, and basically worked
right into a set-up I like to use. I had been teaching that same
set-up a couple of days before the fight."
With
3 wins under his belt, Russell is hoping to have a couple more
fights over the coming months, with the hopes of working his
way into some more high profile bouts.
"I
was looking at fighting in the next show but the MFC came back
to me a little late for negotiations," Russell said. "There"s
no big drama or anything, but in all honesty I don"t want
to be doing that stuff four weeks, five weeks out of fight. Maybe
we"ll look to get something done for the next MFC after
that."
"I
think a good thing about the MFC is a guy can get some good opponents,
people who have fought in the UFC," the 30 year-old Russell
added. "So someone like that; taking on someone who has
fought in the UFC, or a top contender in the MFC, would be a
good way of getting some exposure."
Source:
Full Contact Fighter
|
FILHO
SAYS NO TO BELLATOR; SILVA READY TO FIGHT
by Brian Lopez-Benchimol
Unarguably one of the busiest men in the business, Los Angeles
own Ed Soares manages a whos who of MMA talent. Some of the most
recognized fighters of our era call Soares manager and friend.
After
a short-lived stint with the WEC, former middleweight champion
Paulo Filho has been out of action since his lone loss to current
UFC fighter Chael Sonnen, in what was mired in confusion, as
Filho appeared to be talking to himself within the Octagon during
the fight.
Now
after having overcome his demons and back on track, the still
valued middleweight fighter is now training out of Ludlow, Mass.,
with Team Link featuring Gabriel Gonzaga. He is set to make his
return soon, but where? Right now were in negotiations with some
different organizations, but I believe hell be fighting by summertime
somewhere, explained Soares.
Previously
reported to be in negotiations with the new Bellator Fighting
Championships organization, it appears the possibility of Filho
fighting there is a no go. The contract (Bellator) was offering
was too restrictive. It was unreasonable.
Seemingly
destined to join the UFC ranks once the WEC did away with its
shallow middleweight and light heavyweight classes, Filho was
not picked by the promotion after his last performance. Soares,
however, chooses to remain confident in the decisions made by
the UFC brass and looks forward to future endeavors with his
client. Its very clear that Zuffa and the UFC, theyre the guys.
Whoever says they arent, are in denial. Of course we would like
to be back there, but right now we take it one fight at a time.
Former
Pride and UFC heavyweight champion Antonio Rodrigo Minotauro
Nogueira is returning Aug. 29 against Randy Couture. As of now,
the fight is UFC 102's main event, likely to be held in Portland,
Ore. After suffering his lone TKO loss to current interim champ
Frank Mir this past December, Nogueira has undergone surgery
and appears to be back in good spirits.
Hes
started training. His knee feels great, better than before,"
said Soares. "He had knee surgery and it's recovered well.
Hell be up in Canada with Anderson (Silva at UFC 97) and then
everyone is coming back at L.A. because we just opened up a training
facility called Black House.
Twin
brother Antonio Rogerio Nogueira has been successful as of late,
riding a four-fight win streak, his last performance being against
the first man to defeat him in Vladimir Matyushenko at Affliction:
Day of Reckoning this past January. Though still waiting on an
opponent to be announced for his next fight under the Affliction
banner, Rogerio appears to have some room to field some offers.
He fought for Sengoku too, so were hoping an opportunity comes
up soon, but were in talks with a few people also.
One
of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the sport today, Anderson
Silva has garnered his fair share of criticism as of late. Though
most fans were critical of his last performance at UFC 90 this
past October against hard nosed Canadian Patrick Cote, Soares
believes that fans tend to favor knockouts rather than technique
and the intricacies of MMA.
People
are expecting him to come in and knock peoples heads off in the
first round. So now all of the sudden people are questioning
who Anderson Silva is, because he went to the third round? Its
a five-round fight. He hasnt even went half the fight in the
UFC. Not even half the time allowed, explained Silvas manager.
With
the past behind him, Silva has completed his training camp, winding
down in preparation for his fifth title defense, against fellow
Brazilian Thales Leites at UFC 97. All the hard training is done,
and the prize is the fight inside the Octagon. The training is
done. Theres nothing thats going to be figured out in this last
week that he hasnt already prepared himself. Now its just relax,
let the body recuperate, and be ready to put on a world class
performance like he always does on April 18.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Rani
Yahya with no hurry for WECs belt
By Erik Engelhart
After
making a great WEC debut, where he need just three minutes to
submit the former Pancrase champion, Yoshiro Maeda, with a guillotine
choke, Rani Yahya showed his class one more time in the octagon
of WEC 40, where he submitted Eddie Wineland, former WEC champion
with less than two minutes and also won the submission of the
night bonus. "It happen a quick striking, it made my work
easier and I could take him to the ground. I got lucky to fall
in his back, in a very good position to fit the guillotine that
defined the fight and gave me the award for best submission of
the night", said the black belt.
Despite
winning two tough opponents, Rani ensures that dont matter when
hell have the opportunity to fight for the belt: "I can
dispute the belt in a future fight, because it seems it has some
other fighters on the line. The most important is to be in action,
if I'm fighting it's all right. The trainings continue and the
demand for new challenges too, no matter how, whether in the
Submission, Muay Thai, regardless of the fight, my goal is to
expose myself as much as possible. The MMA is the main focus,
but always when other activities appear, is worth the same way",
said Rani, who might compete in ADCC 2009.
UFC
99 'The Comeback' finalized with total of 12 bouts
The
UFC has announced all twelve bouts for its debut in Germany,
UFC 99 "The Comeback" on June 13 in Lanxess, Germany.
The main event is an intriguing catchweight bout between former
UFC middleweight champ Rich Franklin (26-4) and former PRIDE
light-heavyweight champ Wanderlei Silva (32-9-1) at a limit of
195 pounds. This fight will help Silva's transition as he makes
his way down to middleweight.
Slated
to open the pay-per-view is the return of popular Japanese veteran
Caol Uno (14-4-3) in a lightweight tilt against the always game
Spencer Fisher (23-4).
FIGHT
CARD:
Pay-Per-View
Bouts:
195:
Rich Franklin vs. Wanderlei Silva
265: Cain Velasquez vs. Heath Herring
170: Mike Swick vs. Ben Saunders
170: Marcus Davis vs. Dan Hardy
155: Spencer Fisher vs. Caol Uno
Preliminary Bouts:
155: Terry Etim vs. Justin Buchholz
155: Dennis Siver vs. Dale Hartt
170: Paul Taylor vs. Peter Sobotta
155: Paul Kelly vs. Roli Delgado
265: Denis Stojnic vs. Stefan Struve
265: Mustapha Al Turk vs. Todd Duffee
170: John Hathaway vs. Rick Story
Source:
MMA Fighting
|
Kevin
Randleman signs with Strikeforce
Former UFC heavyweight champ Kevin Randleman (17-12) has signed
with Strikeforce.
Randleman, now a light-heavyweight, will likely make his promotional
debut at the Showtime-televised Strikeforce "Lawler vs.
Shields" card on June 6 in St. Louis, Missouri.
An
opponent should be announced next week.
Randleman
fought seven times for the UFC from March 1999 through January
2002 and eleven times for PRIDE September 2002 through October
2006. His most recent fight was last May in Japan for Sengoku
2, where he defeated Ryo Kawamura via unanimous decision.
Despite
having his license to fight revoked in February 2007 for submitting
a fake urine sample at PRIDE 32 in October 2006, Randleman has
served his suspension and will be allowed to fight for Strikeforce.
But
before he's ready for the next chapter of his fight career, Randleman
has business to tend to in his personal life. The father of two
will tie the knot on April 25.
Source:
MMA Fighting
|
BRIAN
STANN ENTERS ENEMY TERRITORY AT UFC 97
by Brian Lopez-Benchimol
Former
WEC light heavyweight champion Brian Stann will be returning
to action this month at UFC 97 following a lengthy layoff. After
suffering his first and only professional loss this past August
in his last WEC appearance, The All American was one of few fighters
invited to fight for the UFC after the middleweight and light
heavyweight classes were eliminated in its sister promotion.
Originally
set to make his UFC debut against the only man to defeat him,
Steve Cantwell, this past December at the UFC Fight for The Troops
show in North Carolina, the U.S. Marine has been sidelined due
to injury.
I
broke a small bone right in the ball of my right foot and I didnt
think it was going to be a very big deal. He began to explain
to MMAWeekly.com. Then I got the M.R.I. done and the doctors
pretty much told me that I was in for quite a circus with that
kind of an injury. And just because its the foot and it's so
far from your heart and your always walking on it, it really
took a long time for it to heal.
Being
a veteran of the war in Iraq, Stann thought of the opportunity
to fight amongst his fellow troops as not only service, or something
necessary, but something much deeper than that. It would have
been an honor that only he could ever really understand and appreciate.
But being a spectator rather than a participant at the event
was frustrating to say the least. I had to go out to fight for
the troops and watch the fights instead of participating, which
breaks your heart as a fighter.
Having
lived with his only loss for about nine months now, Stann has
used the time effectively to improve his overall game with the
world-renowned trainer Greg Jackson and his camp. As hard as
its been to swallow the loss, he ultimately feels that it was
the best thing that could have happened to him in his young career.
I've
made so many changes since (the Cantwell) fight; the loss is
definitely the best thing that ever happened to me, explained
the Marine Captain. I probably wouldnt have made those changes
or realize how many things I was doing wrong at the time. Now
its been so long Im just a completely different fighter and I
cant wait to showcase the skills.
After
having suffered his first loss, moving into a new house, new
town, and finding new training partners, Stann finally feels
acclimated and set with Greg Jackson and his team. What he likes
most about his new team is the familiarity to his life as a Marine.
Its
very similar to a military mentality in the gym and Ive never
met fighters who are so willing to help than here (Greg Jacksons
camp). Rashad Evans, Keith Jardine, and Nate Marquardt are a
few of the fighters to credit for Stanns level of comfort in
the new surrounding, but its New Mexico native Smoking Joe Villasenor
who has helped him the most. Joey Villasenor's opened up his
house for me to stay for seven-straight weeks for my camp and
no matter how much you get along with someone, thats hard to
do to intrude on your life.
Now
back in form, Stann will be ready and entering enemy territory
once again when he takes on Canadian native, Ultimate Fighter
alumnus, and IFL veteran Krzysztof Soszynski.
Unbeknownst
to most, Stann does have a relationship with Krzysztof and members
of Team Quest, as he has trained with them in the past in preparation
for bouts in the WEC, including his victory over former WEC light
heavyweight champion Doug Marshall to become the titleholder.
Although
to some the situation may be taxing, Stann has a different look
on it. I have a lot of respect for Krzysztof. I love the way
he carries himself. I really love the way he represents the sport;
hes a good ambassador for it. Hes a veteran of the sport for
a long time and hes a great person before hes a great fighter.
At the end of the day, I dont mind fighting guys that I like.
I do that every single day at the gym.
Though
with the cards stacked against him, fighting a friend, and then
in Canadian territory carrying the nickname The All American
into the bout, Stann is zoned in and knows what to expect. Even
if they boo me when my hand is getting raised thats just fine,
because the bottom line with the fans in Montreal, it sells out
so quick. I dont care if they like me or not. The fact that they
are such great fans and theyre support, they support all of us,
it's an amazing venue and a huge fight card to be on. Im honored
to fight in front of them regardless if they like me or not.
Brian
Stann will face Krzysztof Soszynski on the main card of UFC 97
"Redemption" in Montreal on April 18 at the Bell Centre.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Joe
Lauzon Injury Recovery Report
E.
BRIDGEWATER, Mass. (April 13, 2009) More than five weeks after
knee surgery, UFC lightweight prospect Joe J-Lau Lauzon (18-4,
5 KOs, 13 submissions is rehabilitating his leg, and recovery
is ahead of schedule.
Lauzon
had ACL surgery and his meniscus repaired on his right knee March
6. Everything went as scheduled, he reported. My meniscus was
repaired and the ACL cadaver grafting was successful. My doctor
was very happy and optimistic that my knee will be strong. Right
now, Im walking around like a normal person; no training but
Im doing some light jogging, leg presses and squats. Im going
to lose muscle in the leg. Range of motion is the key right now.
I can completely straighten my leg. I can bend it 135 degrees
and 150 is normal.
J-Lau
goes for a follow-up exam next Thursday, which will change his
rehabilitation process, but he cant fight until the grafting
is fully healed, which probably wont be until the spring of 2010.
The 24-year-old Lauzon is not about to rush his recovery, despite
his competitive drive, and desire to be fighting again.
All
that was protecting my knee was muscle and now thats gone, he
noted. Its going to take time to build-up. Ill probably be back
on the mat in six months, but just doing light stuff, no live
action. ACL surgery rehab is notorious for having people rush
back too soon, resulting in more ACL surgery, and Im not risking
that.
Lauzon,
star of The Ultimate Fighter 5 television reality show, feels
great and has been completely overwhelmed by the responses hes
received from his fans. Its been awesome, Joe described all of
the well wishers. A bunch of people have emailed me and some
have had ACL surgery, too. We correspond, week to week, and Ive
received a lot of good advice and pointers about a lot of things
like different ways to ice my knee or stretch out. One kid had
ACL surgery the same day as me and we compare notes all the time.
Im coming back better than ever.
Source:
Fight Network
|
Quote
of the Day
“Learning
is not compulsory... neither is survival.”
W. Edwards Deming
|
Scrapper
Fest Tournament
BJJ &
Submission Wrestling
Chiefess Kamakahelei Gym
Lihue, Kauai
Saturday, May 16
 |
LIDDELL:
"I PLAN ON KNOCKING HIM OUT."
Former Ultimate Fighting Championship light heavyweight titleholder
Chuck "Iceman" Liddell co-main events the UFC 97 fight
card at the Bell Center in Montreal on April 18 pitted against
former Pride standout Mauricio "Shogun" Rua, and as
usual, Liddell is looking for the knockout.
"I've
wanted this fight for a long time, since back in the Pride days,
back in the UFC vs. Pride days," Liddell told MMAWeekly.com
"I can't wait for this fight."
Liddell
has deviated from his normal training camp, traveling to American
Top Team and working with former Olympic Boxing Gold Medalist
Howard Davis Jr., but Liddell hasn't left long-time trainer John
Hackleman. In fact, it was Hackleman's idea to change things
up following Liddell's UFC 88 loss to current champion Rashad
Evans.
"It's
good to get something fresh, something new in there, just get
another mind out there with John (Hackleman)," said Liddell.
"John's the one that suggested we going out there at American
Top Team in the first place, and after we went out there he liked
how Howard worked. He's the one that talked to them about coming
out and having him for this camp."
Working
with Davis Jr. on some finer points of the striking game including
keeping himself in proper position when the the attack, Liddell
plans on "mixing it up," but expects to knockout the
Brazilian.
"I
plan on mixing it up out there, but I plan on striking and I
plan on knocking him out," stated the former champion.
Liddell
has lost three of his last four fights and Rua hasn't looked
nearly as dominant in his two UFC bouts as he did when he rose
to the top of the 205-pound ranks while competing in the Japanese
Pride organization, but Liddell feels this is the type of match
up he needs to move himself closer to his ultimate goal of winning
back the UFC light heavyweight belt.
"This
is exactly what I need. I want fights that are going to get me
closer to getting a title shot, and I think this is one of those
fights," said the 39-year old fighter. "I'm ready man.
I've been training hard. It's been a long camp for this one,
and I'm ready to go."
"It's
a fight that people want to see," commented Liddell. "I'm
expecting him to come out ready to go. I think this is going
to be a great fight for the fans. We're going to be going at
it until someone gets knocked out."
Source: MMA Weekly |
CYBORG
VS. CARANO: "DESERVES TO BE MAIN EVENT"
Cris
"Cyborg" Santos continued her current winning streak
on Saturday night by wrecking Japanese fighter Hitomi Akano in
the third round of their bout at Strikeforce on Showtime. While
the win was dominant, the questions for Santos after the fight
all seem to focus on two things.
Weight
cutting and Gina Carano.
The
biggest problem that Cyborg faced before the scheduled fight
with Akano was making the agreed upon 145-pound weight limit.
Originally coming in seven pounds over weight, Santos eventually
cut enough to make the fight sanctioned under California State
Athletic Commission rules, but still the unreasonable amount
of weight left a lot of people asking questions after the fight
was over.
Santos
already had a clear advantage size wise over her much smaller
opponent, who was a 128-pound champion in Japan. But regardless
of the infraction, Cyborg says it was an isolated incident and
will not happen again.
"This
is the first and the last time," Santos said after the fight
about missing weight. "It's a promise."
Immediately
after the weight issue was put to bed, the questions came in
quickly about a possible match-up against women's superstar Gina
Carano. Santos was fast to point out that fighting Carano would
be a test, but she didn't need extra motivation to train harder
for Akano.
"I
train a lot for any opponent, and if Gina is on her way, I would
fight Gina with pleasure," Santos stated. "I would
prepare for Gina the same way that I would prepare for any opponent."
Strikeforce
president and CEO Scott Coker said during the post-fight press
conference that negotiations are still under way to sign Carano
to a deal with the promotion.
In
addition to that, Coker added that he hopes a fight between Carano
and Cyborg could take place in August, and be for the first ever
Strikeforce women's title. Nothing was settled on the location
of the potential bout, and Coker was unsure if the fight could
end up on Showtime or CBS.
The
one big thing that was settled about the fight between Santos
and Carano is the status the bout would hold on a Strikeforce
card.
"That's
a fight that deserves to be main event," Coker said addressing
the media in attendance.
Strikeforce
will continue to work and close a deal with Carano and the biggest
fight in women's MMA history can finally be put together.
Source: MMA Weekly |
Wanderlei
trains with Heath Herring in Vegas
Wanderlei
Silva is looking forward his next fight. Training in his new
gym, in Las Vegas, the fighter is getting together a tough team.
Rafael Alejarra, physical preparer of the “Axe Murderer”,
spoke with TATAME.vom and told some news about the team, which
counts with strong names as Heath Herring, who has already faced
Rodrigo "Minotauro" three times, and Mike Whitehead.
"The
sparrings are great, Wanderlei is very happy with the direction
that the gym is taking. He didn’t measure efforts to put
a gym like this. I think Wanderlei deserves this, not only as
an athlete but also as a person, because he is a warrior not
only in the ring, but in life too", praises Alejarra, telling
the differential of the gym: "the differential of this gym,
beyond the structure, is Wanderlei Silva”, decreed. Check
below the exclusive interview with Rafael Alejarra.
How
were the trainings with Xande Ribeiro?
Were
good, I think is a good partnership, he and Saulo. Xande is a
natural athlete. I trained him and he does justice to the name
he has, because he’s a guy who likes to train, who makes
all the activities that we propose to him. I loved working with
him and hope to work more often in the future.
What
other names showed at the gym?
Train
with us Mike Whitehead, Heath Herring, who began to train here
last week, and I think it will be very good. Roger, who will
make his MMA debut, Vitor Vianna, Wanderlei, Xande... I can’t
disclose yet, but it still has lots of surprises for this month.
The sparrings are great, Wanderlei is very happy with the direction
that the gym is taking. He didn’t measure efforts to put
a gym like this. I think Wanderlei deserves this, not only as
an athlete but also as a person, because he is a warrior not
only in the ring, but in life too.
Everybody
says that the gym is without comparison in structure. What’s
the differential?
The
differential of this gym, beyond the structure, is called Wanderlei
Silva.
How
is his preparation to make weight to fight Rich Franklin?
Wanderlei
is working hard the technical and physical parts, now we even
slowed down on the physical part, because still have time for
the fight. He is improving his technical part with other teachers.
Skip, his boxing coach, Mike, of Wrestling, is working with Shawn
Thompkins at the Muay Thai part and, for the MMA, the teachers
get together and come watch. The Jiu-Jitsu is with Vitor Viana.
How
is the focus to this fight against Rich Franklin?
Wanderlei
is much focused, we know the importance of this fight. He is
trying to correct some details. Not only me, as he and other
coaches, which are four or five, we all know the importance.
I’m sure that everyone is doing all they can to make him
more than ready on the fight’s day.
Would
you like to leave some message to the people?
I’m
with a new website, the www.mmaconditioning.tv.
Source: Tatame |
Rankings:
Still top heavy
For
the third straight month, Fedor Emelianenko and Anderson Silva
remain tied at the top of the Yahoo! Sports MMA poll.
With
neither man fighting, both again received 163 points from the
17 reporters who comprise the poll. Emelianenko, the longtime
PRIDE heavyweight champion, had seven first-place votes. Anderson,
the UFC middleweight champ, had six firsts but pulled even overall
by claiming more second-place tallies.
UFC
welterweight champ Georges St. Pierre remained just off the pace
in third with 160 points, including five firsts.
This
month offers the first chance for a shakeup in the top three,
as Anderson Silva defends his title against Thales Leites on
April 18 in the main event of UFC 97.
Leites
is not perceived as Silva’s biggest threat. The challenger’s
biggest-name UFC win was a controversial split decision over
Nate Marquardt at UFC 85, which was aided by two point deductions
in his favor.
Still,
the match isn’t necessarily a walkover. Leites has nine
of his 14 career wins by submission; and most of Silva’s
rare vulnerable spots during his two-and-a-half year title reign
have come on the ground. Dan Henderson nearly finished him there
before Silva rallied at UFC 82; and Travis Lutter took Round
1 against Silva by stifling him on the ground at UFC 67, before
Silva won in the second. While Leites remains an underdog, he
seems on paper more of a threat that Silva’s previous challenger,
Patrick Cote.
There’s
one addition to the Top 10 this month: WEC featherweight champ
Mike Brown. Leaving the list is Shinya Aoki, who was KO’d
in 27 seconds against Hayato Sakurai.
10.
Mike Brown
Points: 22
Affiliation: WEC
Weight class: Featherweight (WEC featherweight champion)
Hometown: Portland, Maine
Record: 21-4 (won last nine)
Last month’s ranking: unranked
Most recent result: def. Leonard Garcia, R1 TKO, March 1
Analysis: For those who send me monthly emails on the topic:
Yes, I am, in fact, aware Brown beat Urijah Faber. I personally
voted Brown No. 9 and Faber No. 10. I can’t tell other pollsters
how to vote. Thank you.
9.
Urijah Faber
Points: 23
Affiliation: WEC
Weight class: Featherweight
Hometown: Sacramento, Calif.
Record: 22-2 (won last one)
Last month’s ranking: 10
Most recent result: def. Jens Pulver, R1 TKO, Jan. 25
Analysis: Is Brown in Faber’s head? “The California
Kid” has already been openly discussing going up to lightweight
or down to bantamweight.
8.
Quinton Jackson
Points: 58
Affiliation: UFC
Weight class: Light heavyweight
Hometown: Memphis, Tenn.
Record: 30-7 (won last two)
Last month’s ranking: 8
Most recent result: def. Keith Jardine, unanimous decision, March
7
Analysis: On the shelf until he recovers from jaw surgery.
7.
Lyoto Machida
Points: 66
Affiliation: UFC
Weight class: Light heavyweight
Hometown: Belem, Brazil
Record: 14-0
Last month’s ranking: 7
Most recent result: def. Thiago Silva, R1 TKO, Jan. 31
Analysis: May 23 main event with Rashad Evans marks the first
UFC title main event in quite some time to feature undefeated
fighters.
6.
B.J. Penn
Points: 80
Affiliation: UFC
Weight class: Lightweight (UFC lightweight champion)
Hometown: Hilo, Hawaii
Record: 13-5-1 (lost past one)
Last month’s ranking: 5 (
Most recent result: lost to Georges St. Pierre, doctor stoppage
after R4, Jan. 31
Analysis: Dropped a spot without fighting. Hopefully a confirmed
match with Kenny Florian in August will get him to stop focusing
on “Greasegate.”
5.
Rashad Evans
Points:88
Affiliation: UFC
Weight class: Light heavyweight (UFC light heavyweight champion)
Hometown: Lansing, Mich.
Record: 13-0-1 (won past three)
Last month’s ranking: 6
Most recent result: def. Forrest Griffin, R3 TKO, Dec. 27
Analysis: Machida’s hit-and-run style presents opponents
with quite a puzzle. Will Evans be the first to solve it?
4.
Miguel Angel Torres
Points:123
Affiliation: WEC
Weight class: Bantamweight (WEC bantamweight champion)
Hometown: East Chicago, Ind.
Record: 36-1 (won past 17)
Last month’s ranking: 4
Most recent result: def. Takeya Mizugaki, unanimous decision,
April 5
Analysis: After yet another fight-of-the-year caliber match,
Torres has made it clear the MMA’s Big Three has become
the Big Four.
3.
Georges St. Pierre
Points: 160 (five first-place votes)
Affiliation: UFC
Weight class: Welterweight (UFC welterweight champion)
Hometown: Saint-Isidore, Quebec
Record: 18-2 (won past five)
Last month’s ranking: 3
Most recent result: def. B.J. Penn, doctor stoppage after R4,
Jan. 31
Analysis: In a holding pattern until his July match with Thiago
Alves.
1
(tie). Anderson Silva
Points: 163 (six first-place votes)
Affiliation: UFC
Weight class: Middleweight (UFC middleweight champion)
Hometown: Curitiba, Brazil
Record: 23-4 (won past nine)
Last month’s ranking: 1 (tie)
Most recent result: def. Patrick Cote, R3 TKO, Oct. 25
Analysis: Anything short of a convincing win over unheralded
Leites will be a letdown.
1
(tie). Fedor Emelianenko
Points: 163 (seven first-place votes)
Affiliation: Affliction/M-1 (WAMMA heavyweight champion)
Weight class: Heavyweight
Hometown: Stary Oskol, Russia
Record: 29-1, one no-contest (won past 10)
Last month’s ranking: 1 (tie)
Most recent result: def. Andrei Arlovski, R1 KO, Jan. 24
Analysis: Rumors of an Affliction card on July 11 surfaced in
recent weeks. As did rumors that, surprise surprise, Josh Barnett
wouldn’t fight Emelianenko on the card. Anything short of
Barnett, or perhaps a rematch with Andrei Arlovski, would put
Emelianenko back on “caliber of competition” notice.
More
•
Votes for others: Thiago Alves 13, Shinya Aoki 10, Brock Lesnar,
Dan Henderson 6, Andrei Arlovski, Forrest Griffin 2, Jon Fitch
1.
Source: Yahoo Sports |
Quick
thoughts on Showtime broadcast of Strikeforce 4/11 San Jose event
-
The announcing, for the most part, was completely useless if
not downright terrible and unbearable to listen to.
-
The aesthetics of the Strikeforce event were ugly. That cage
looked hard to see through, and the cage canvas was ugly with
that black logo in the center. What an eyesore.
-
A comment was made during the second round of the Diaz-Shamrock
fight that Nick Diaz’s boxing skills are better than a lot
‘at the top of their game.’ No they’re not, and
KJ Noons flat out proved that in the past. I was surprised at
how easy Diaz won the stand-up game against Shamrock. In fact,
I thought the whole key to the fight would be Frank’s ability
to beat him in the stand-up game and it simply didn’t happen.
Anyone with a decent-to-good boxing skill set can easily pick
Diaz apart.
-
I think Gina Carano and Cris Cyborg are great athletes and tough
women, but some of the actions that they have done over the last
18 months has made it hard to take women’s MMA seriously.
They will profit handsomely soon when they fight, but the health
of women’s MMA is in poor shape because it hasn’t been
promoted seriously. I hope after both women have their mega-fight
in August that they realize that it would be in their best business
interests to start using their star power to create new stars
and bring in new female talent to cultivate the women’s
MMA scene. Otherwise, they won’t be around the industry
much longer with no opponents left to fight.
Source: Fight Opinion |
Forbes
Wins, Waterson Trounced at 'Extreme Beatdown'
SAN
CARLOS, Arizona (April 11, 2009) -- Former Arizona high school
wrestler Jamie “The Headhunter” Schmidt (8-2-0) captured
the first SNMMA featherweight title, submitting Yaotzin Meza
(11-5-0) in the opening round, last night in the main event at
Apache Gold Casino in San Carlos, Arizona.
Schmidt,
now fighting out of Denver and representing N.E.S.T., went right
to the ground and locked Meza, another former Arizona high school
wrestler, into a bone-crunching arm bar that resulted in a tap-out
at 1:59 of the first round.
Despite
an 84–pound weight disadvantage, late replacement Beau Tribolet
(2-1-0) won the first SNMMA super heavyweight (266-pounds+) title
in the co-feature, using a rear naked choke to submit the 335-pound
New Zealand-native Brice Ritani-Coe (2-1-0) at 4:02 of the opening
round.
SNMMA
links federally recognized tribes throughout the United States
and Canada. SNMMA’s mission is to develop, promote and help
regulate mixed-martial-arts in a fair and professional manner
by federally recognized tribes that are sovereign nations.
“Jaime
is a very good fighter,” SNMMA president Pat Packineau said.
“He trained very hard for this fight. He’s a master
technician who stuck to his game plan and dominated a very good
opponent, Yaotzin Meza. We’re very pleased he won the SNMMA
title and I’m looking for big things from him. Tribolet
took the fight on only two days notice. He came in and put on
a great show, proving that perseverance and staying in top shape
can lead to an opportunity like this to win a world title.”
In
a classic match-up between a striker, former 2-time world boxing
champion Elena “Baby Doll” Reid (3-0-0), and karate
kicker, Michelle “The Karate Hottie” Waterson (7-3-0),
Reid’s heavy hands prevailed in an exciting special female
112-pound catch-weight attraction fight. Reid remained unbeaten
in MMA action by second-round technical knockout, after dropping
the game Waterson for the sixth time via clean strikes, immediately
followed by several well-placed punches on her fallen opponent.
MMA
heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar was a special guest at “Extreme
Beatdown” to support his friend and Minnesota Martial Arts
Academy workout partner, Chris Tuchscherer (17-1-0), the first
and reigning SNMMA heavyweight champion. The former 2-time NCAA,
Division II All-America wrestler, Tuchscherer, defeated previously
unbeaten Jamie Klair (7-1-0) by first-round TKO in a non-title
fight. Tuchscherer used a power drive to bring Klair to the mat
and then unloaded a barrage of unanswered punches until the referee
halted the action at 1:50.
Source: Fight Network |
UFC:
Dos Santos vs. MuCully in August
With
two quick knockout victories in the octagon, Junior “Cigano”
dos Santos is training hard to come back in August. With victories
over Fabrício Werdum and Stefan Struve, the Brazilian
already knows who he’ll face. “Probably I’ll be
back in August, at UFC 101 or 102, and maybe against Justin McCully,”
revealed Dos Santos to TATAME.com. “They haven’t confirmed
it yet, but spoke about it. He’s tough, fights for a long
time, but I don’t know much about him. I’m training
for a long time, but nothing hard yet”.
Source: Tatame |
Quote
of the Day
“No
act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.”
Aesop
|
Press
Conference Today!
April 15
Oceans 808 at Restaurant Row
2pm
KINGDOM
MMA
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Blaisdell Arena
T.JAY
THOMPSON'S, KINGDOM MMA PRESS CONFERENCE THIS WEDNESDAY!
Jason Miller, Kala Hose, Big John McCarthy and T.Jay Thompson
to appear at Ocean's 808 in Restaurant Row Wednesday, April 15th
at 2pm.
The
two main event fighters for T.Jay Thompson's KINGDOM MMA event
will face off one more time before they do battle on Saturday
night, April 18th. The brash Mayhem Miller, fresh off his #1
rated reality TV show "Bully Beatdown" on MTV will
once again return to Hawaii to fight. Miller is not in the best
of moods. "What?! Just cause I went to the mainland to do
a little Hollywood stuff…Now im not Hawaiian any more?!
If that's how its gonna be, fine. But I'm gonna knock Kala's
big, goofy, coconut head of his body Saturday night." Mayhem
Kala
Hose takes this all in stride. "He can talk all he wants.
I actually think he's a funny guy. But when I step in the ring
it's all business. He will not be cracking jokes when he gets
hit by me. Im defending my islands."
The
most recognizable referee and one of the most famous MMA personalities,
Big John McCarthy will be at the center of this storm. "Im
excited to work in T.Jay's KINGDOM event. And even more excited
to referee this match. I expect a great fight. It's a classic
style v style match up that brings me back to my early days in
the UFC."
T.Jay
Thompson stated "KINGDOM MMA will continue a long tradition
of world-class MMA in Hawaii. I am proud to bring this event
to the Blaisdell Arena. Ticket sales are strong and I expect
a full house Saturday night."
Who:
Jason "Mayhem" Miller, Kala Hose, John McCarthy, T.Jay
Thompson
What: KINGDOM MMA Press Conference
When: Wednesday, April 15th, 2pm
Where: Oceans 808 Night club, Restaurant Row, 500 Ala Moana Blvd,
Honolulu
KINGDOM MMA
FIGHT CARD
Main
Event
185lb Kala "Kalohe" Hose v Jason "Mayhem"
Miller
7-2 Bad Intentions 21-6 Team Kingdom of Mayhem
155lb Keoni Digg v Ricky "Hoku" Wallace
808 Fight Factory ICON
215lb
Pisa "Ata" Tivao v Tasi Edwards
94 Block ICON
155lb
Tommy Tuiloma v Reno Remigio
Team Auryte HMC
135lb
Paul Lopez v Keka Doi-toilolo
808 Fight Factory Team Makaha
170lb
Shane Todani v Nathan Haring
808 Fight Factory Team CAT
155lb
L. John Borges v Richard Agustin
808 Fight Factory Team Makaha
155lb
Elijah Manners v Trey Corrales
Nakoa/Universal Combat TEAM CAT
185lb
Gino Venti v Sale Sproat
808 Fight Factory Molokai
165lb
Ethan Rista v TBA
Korrupt Ambitions
|
Hawaii
Boy Viloria Fights for a Title!
Ex Hawaii
Resident Brian Viloria 24-2 with 14 KOs, who now resides in California,
a 2000 Olympian will box Ulises Solis 28-1-2 with 20 KOs of Mexico
for the IBF Junior Flyweight (108Lbs) Championship on Sat. April
18 at Araneta Coliseum, Metro Manila, Philippines.
Bout is scheduled for 12 rounds for Solis IBF Title. The main
event will be ex California resident Nonito Donaire 20-1 with
13 KOs now living in the Philippines against Raul Martinez 24-0
with 14 KOs from Texas for Donaires IBF Flyweight (112) Championship.
Source: Bruce Kawano
|
Babalu
and Tito have falling out
Former UFC fighters nearly brawl in Strikeforce audience
Saturday
night was a heated one not just in the Strikeforce ring. Seated
in the crowd and separated from each other by only five chairs,
Renato Babalu and Tito Ortiz nearly had a bout of fist cuffs.
According to MMANews.com, the confusion began when the master
of ceremonies announced the Brazilian’s presence in the
crowd. At that moment Babalu and Ortiz exchanged insults and
had to be contained so the verbal provocations would not turn
into physical aggression.
After
the incident, Babalu was taken elsewhere to watch the event.
Called
up to face Rafael Feijao on June 6th, Babalu, the current Strikeforce
light heavyweight champion, has had a bone to pick with Tito
Ortiz through the press ever since the fighters’ days in
the UFC.
At
the moment Tito is recovering from delicate back surgery, but
speculation is rife in the United States that the two will be
matched against each other.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Pe
de Pano wins in USA
Brazilian featured at ICF
Away
from the ring since last June, when he overcame Choi Mu Bae at
Sengoku 3, Marcio “Pe de Pano” Cruz added another win
to his professional MMA record. The Brazilian black belt was
one of the stars to feature at last evening’s Intimidation
Cage Fighting event, in Cincinnati, and didn’t disappoint,
defeating Dan Christison by unanimous decision.
Still
cutting out a place for itself in the competitive MMA market
in the United States, ICF was attended by UFC stars like Rich
Franklin and Jens Pulver. The next installment is set for May
16, and the organizers’ objective is to put on one event
per month, till the end of the year.
Stay
tuned to GRACIEMAG.com and we’ll be back soon with further
information on Pe de Pano at Intimidation Cage Fighting.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Thiago
Silva analyzes Evans vs. Machida
The
last man to face Lyoto Machida before the sixth victory in a
row and getting a chance to fight for the UFC title, at the UFC
98, which happens on May 23, Thiago Silva will be watching the
undefeated challenge for the belt. Exclusively to TATAME.com,
the American Top Team athlete commented the confrontation, pointing
out Lyoto’s "secret weapon" for the fight.
"Honestly,
I think Lyoto is a very smart fighter. I think his father is
even smarter, the guy behind all of this. From what I saw, Lyoto
never changed his tactics, his tactic that is that, let the opponent
nervous and break the psychological, and he is doing that",
analyzes Thiago, without pointing favorites for the fight. "I’m
not Rashad and I don’t put my hand in fire for anyone, but
I think it will be a tough fight and that wins the best",
concluded the fighter, who faces Forrest Griffin at UFC 101,
which happens on August 8.
Source: Tatame |
Xande
Ribeiro
Two
times Jiu-Jiutsu Openweight World champion, Xande Ribeiro is
training hard in the United States for his next challenge in
MMA. Schedules to Sengoku 8, the black belt will face Keiichiro
Yamamiya, athlete with 66 fights in the career. In an exclusive
interview to the TATAME, Xande talked about his preparation,
the trainings with Wanderlei Silva and André Dida, the
strategy for the fight and the plans for the Jiu-Jitsu, looking
for the third openweight title. Check below the exclusive interview
with the fighter, who expects for another bout with Roger Gracie
at the Worlds final.
How
is the gym in San Diego?
The
University is with everything, getting new students every month,
and the trainings are very strong. We’re with a very nice
team, Royler and Regis Lebre are helping in the trainings and
technical part, and beyond every month we receive students from
all around the world to develop their techniques. The University
is an open institution to all who want to develop the ground
techniques. In addition to Judo, we have a Sensei (Jin Ilzumi)
of the Kodokan in Japan, which coordinates in the foot part.
I’m very happy with the job and with the life in San Diego.
And
how is the preparation to your next fight in Sengoku?
They’re
good. I've been training and developing a lot of MMA aspects
since my last fight. I’m training with my team at The Arena,
which is our MMA module. Who has been directing my trainings
are Saulo (Ribeiro) and Fabrício “Morango” (Camões),
and I’m very well prepared, in addition to the work that
I do with (André) Dida and Mauricio Veio in Canada, and
lately with Wanderlei Silva in Las Vegas.
How
were the trainings with Wanderlei Silva in Las Vegas?
(It)
Were great. Wand is a super cool and experienced guy, he is the
man for me. He went through everything and, of course, is one
of the most experienced in this business and the exchange of
energy and experience was wonderful, I had the honor to try taking
some punches on the face. It was, for sure, an excellent learning.
What
did you think of Alejarra’s preparation?
It
was cool and useful. Alejarra is from the school of Caruso and
Pimentel, who I’ve already worked with and, with certainty,
knowing how to mix his job with the one from his preparer, Álvaro
Romano (Ginástrica Natural), I’ll be with the heart
and lung of giants.
And
the trainings with Dida in Canadá?
Dida,
and his brother Veio, has contributed a lot to my development
in the part of Muay Thai. Dida is totally "matrix",
knows a lot and is very fast, has a very heavy hand and, besides
being a phenomenal guy, is very family, since he and his brother,
just like me and my brother, have a big love for the art. I’m
very happy with this team I have and we help each other a lot,
and this union of Jiu-Jitsu and Muay Thai is being perfect. This
trend, I call it “OssHey" (oss from Jiu-Jitsu, hey
from Thai).
What
do you already know about Keiichiro Yamamiya, your next opponent?
I
know he’s left-handed and likes striking, is a very experienced
guy, has 66 fights and has faced many tough fighters, as Bas
Rutten, Nate Marquardt, Kondo, Ximú, Nilson, Paulo Filho...
He is a guy who has a very high mileage and I have to be very
focused and trained to this fight.
Most
of his fights were by decision, but most of the losses were by
finalization. The strategy is to go the ground?
The
strategy is to take the fight to my field, which is the ground,
and submit, but I’m prepared to face any situation and,
this time, when I get in a position to finish the fight, I’ll
do it for sure.
What
did you learn with the first fight?
A
lot. That I have to train everything and know how to focus and
administrate the trainings, but the biggest learning was the
experience to have fought three rounds in a main event in Japan.
Now is get more experience and continue this journey in MMA.
How
is the expectation to the World Championship of 2009? Are you
going after the third absolute?
That’s
the plan. Jiu-Jitsu is my life, my philosophy and my fuel. For
sure, the World Championship is another goal for this year. I
will go there to defend my titles and try to be the first and
only three times World openweight champion.
Do
you believe that Roger will come with some special tactic to
beat you this year?
Roger
is a guy that I consider a lot and he has his strategy. I don’t
know if he will change much the strategy, because we fought eight
times and he never changed, but I’m prepared for any situation
that he will create. But, in addition, he will have a lot of
tough guys on his side and I’ll have at mine, but, as a
fan of our fights, I cheer for another final between us, and
once again will be a great fight.
Would
you like to leave a message to people in Brazil?
I
would like to thank all my fans from Brazil and any information
about the University of Jiu-Jitsu you can enter www.unijj.com
and my website www.xande.tv.
Source: Tatame
|
Feijão
wants to steal Babalu’s belt
With
seven victories in his career and only one loss, Rafael "Feijão"
Cavalcante will finally have the chance to dispute the first
belt of his career. After three quick knockout victories at EliteXC,
the Brazilian was close to a title fight in the organization,
which shut down before the conquest. However, Feijão’s
waiting will end on June 6th, almost a year after his last fight.
Against Renato “Babalu” Sobral, experienced opponent
who has 31 fights more than the Minotauro Team fighter, Feijão
is excited.
"My
goal has always been this, fight for a belt independent of the
event I’m in. I’m training hard, I was already training
hard and let’s go, I will be prepared for this fight",
says Feijão, who trains with Anderson Silva, the Nogueira
brothers and others great athletes. "I’m very well
trained and at this time off I wasn’t without fight. When
I went to the United States to fight for EliteXC’s title,
and unfortunately it didn’t happen, we hired a sparring
and I did five rounds against him, so that I wouldn’t be
without fight rhythm", says.
Source: Tatame
|
TRAVEL
CHANNEL'S DHANI JONES TACKLES MMA
Some
travel shows feature bikini-clad hostesses cavorting on exotic
beaches, others temperamental chefs expounding the virtues of
foreign cuisine, and yet others have hosts willing to subject
themselves to some of the strangest foods out there.
Yet
for all their differences, most have one commonality, the hosts
for the most part would rather avoid physical confrontation.
That’s where Dhani Jones of the Travel Channel’s new
Monday night series “Dhani Tackles the Globe” is different.
Currently
the defensive captain of the NFL’s Cincinnati Bengals, Jones
decided to take a different approach to his travel show, by stepping
into regional sports headfirst, showing the kind of tenacity
that has made him one of pro football’s fiercest linebackers.
“It’s
an amazing opportunity to be able to travel and to be able to
play different sports,” he told MMAWeekly.com. “It’s
something not everybody gets to do, and I love doing it. I think
I’m the right guy for the job and I want more people to
watch and see the love of travel through the show.”
Known
as a renaissance man of sorts, Jones has long shown his flare
for culture and uniqueness that makes him stand out from other
athletes.
Still,
when the time comes to get into the fray, he doesn’t hesitate,
much as he did during the show’s premier episode when he
traveled to Thailand to try his hand at the country’s national
sport, Muay Thai kickboxing.
“Competition
is the name of the game when it comes to a sport like Muay Thai,”
stated Jones. “It’s just sort of like getting used
to the first punch to the face is what it takes and moving on
from there. If you get hit in the face, you either back down
or you rise to the challenge.
“It’s
something that’s a little bit different that some people
don’t realize, but you take it in stride. You get hit, you
get back up and keep rolling.”
Jones
says the experience, like all the sports he has tried out for
the show, has helped elevate the level of his game in his chosen
profession of pro football.
“I
just learned how the body is completely connected,” he commented.
“When you throw a punch and how it’s tied to your right
hip and left big toe and your right foot, how all of it is in
sync.
“Some
people you see in there moving around, their bodies just seem
loose and out of control, but it teaches you body control. It
taught me how to become a better football player.”
Along
with Muay Thai, Jones traveled to Switzerland to try Schwinging
– a sort of Swiss version of Sumo – to England to participate
in football’s precursor Rugby, and many other sports throughout
the course of the current season.
When
asked if the possibility for future seasons could include other
forms of martial arts, Jones seems genuinely interested in trying
everything he could.
“Any
way you can keep your body in shape, stay active and become a
better athlete, that’s the type of things I like to do,”
he stated. “MMA, Jiu-Jitsu, Capoeira, Karate, Judo, all
these different sports are fantastic sports.
“They
have far more applications than just combat; they have applications
of the mind, body and soul. I would love to go all over the place
and try many different sports and many different levels of hand-to-hand
combat.”
When
asked specifically about MMA, Jones replied, “I was definitely
a fan of it. I think it’s a respectable sport and one that
it takes a lot ‘cojones’ to get into the ring in order
to do something like that.
“I
have a lot of respect for those guys and I love watching them.
It’s just about time we all realize that we’re athletes,
we just have different practices so to speak, and should be allowed
to display those in a large format.”
For
those who’d want to see Jones get in the cage sometime in
the future, he admits it could be a possibility.
“If
they want to see me fight, I’d love to get in. If the practices
are correct and the intentions are correct,” said Jones.
“Because what we’re all trying to do is learn and get
better. It’s not always about who destroys or who knocks
who out.
“It’s
about displaying your art form – your practice – at
the highest level.”
Jones
is far from your average football player and far from your average
travel show host, and it’s those qualities he hopes will
lead to people’s continued support of his exploits in front
of the camera.
“Just
check out the Travel Channel for ‘Dhani Tackles the Globe’
at 9 p.m. (Eastern) Monday nights,” he concluded. “Go
to your local passport agency and buy a passport, go to your
local airline and buy a plane ticket and get out of the country
and see the world.
“Don’t
be afraid to try new challenges. The frontier is right in front
of you and you’ve just got to take advantage and go see
it. It can have a far greater impression on you than you can
imagine.”
Source: MMA Weekly
|
MIKE
NICKELS WINS; RING OF FIRE CHAMPS CROWNED
BROOMFIELD, Colo. – Colorado's biggest fight promotion held
its 34th installment Saturday night at the Broomfield Events
Center. "Judgment Day" featured multiple UFC veterans,
title bouts, and locals looking to step it up on the area's biggest
stage.
In
the main event, Mike Nickels, who recently received his brown
belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, faced off against James Funny. Funny
had the biggest slam of the night early in the bout, but as Nickels
is a ground specialist that was right where he wanted the fight
to take place. Nickels wasted no time in trapping an arm, turning
in to get full guard, and applying the straight armlock from
the bottom to take home the win at 1:13 of round one.
Local
favorite Tyler Toner landed several good knees in the clinch
to set up a right hook that dropped David Fuentes. Toner followed
him to the mat for a single follow up punch before the referee
stepped in to give the win and the Ring of Fire Young Guns featherweight
title to Toner by TKO at 3:35 of round one.
For
the young guns heavyweight championship, local fighter Brendan
Schaub, who trains regularly with UFC veteran Shane Carwin, took
home the title by defeating Bojan Spalevic. Schaub worked in
and out of striking range for several flurries before hurting
his opponent enough to get the referee stoppage for the TKO win
and the Young Guns title at 0:52 of round one.
Fabian
Acuna defeated James Martinez by setting in a keylock shoulder
submission from north/south position at 1:55 of round one.
UFC
veteran Luke Caudillo faced Army combative instructor Josh Arocho.
Round one had each fighter landing solid strikes and Arocho using
several slams to escape armbar attempts from Caudillo. In the
second round Arocho took it to the mat, secured back control
and got the rear naked choke win at 3:27.
Kenneth
Seegrist used brutal ground and pound punches to the body of
Ed Banks to get a tapout victory at 1:19 of round one.
Main
Card Bouts:
-Mike Nickels def. James Funny by Sumbission (Armlock) at 1:13,
R1
-Tyler Toner def. David Fuentes by TKO (Strikes) at 3:35, R1
-Brendan Schaub def. Bojan Spalevic by TKO (Strikes) at 0:52,
R1
-Fabian Acuna def. James Martinez by Submission (Keylock) at
1:55, R1
-Josh Arocho def. Luke Caudillo by Submission (Rear Naked Choke)
at 3:25, R2
-Kenneth Seegrist def. Ed Banks by Submission (Strikes) at 1:19,
R1
Preliminary
Bouts:
-John Powers def. Joe Guiterrez by Split Decision
-Charles Johnson def. Zach Valdez by Unanimous Decision
-Josiah Callis def. Denis Acuna by TKO at 2:20, R2
-Chris Williamson def. Bryan Linzmeyer by TKO at 1:27, R2
-Cody Frederickson def. Chandler Holderness by TKO at 1:51, R3
Source: MMA Weekly
|
DAVID
BARON VS. ROB EMERSON LIKELY AT UFC 101
A lightweight contest between David Baron and Rob Emerson appears
set for UFC 101 on Aug. 8 in Philadelphia. The Wachovia Center
is expected to host the event, although it has yet to be confirmed
by the UFC.
MMAWeekly.com
learned of the match-up Friday evening from sources close to
negotiations.
Emerson
last appeared at UFC Fight Night 17, where he lost by submission
to Kurt Pellegrino. Prior to that, the Huntington Beach resident
knocked Manny Gamburyan out in 12 seconds at UFC 87.
Since
emerging from the fifth season of "The Ultimate Fighter,"
Emerson is 2-1 in UFC competition with one no contest. He carries
an overall record of 8-7 as a professional.
Baron
made his promotional debut at UFC 89, where he endured a submission
loss to IFL veteran Jim Miller in the final round of their meeting.
The loss was a setback for Baron, who arrived on wave of hype
after defeating Hayato Sakurai in Shooto last May. A submission
specialist, Baron is 16-3 in professional competition.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Quote
of the Day
“Knowledge
must come through action; you can have no test which is not fanciful,
save by trial.”
Sophocles
|
Fighters'
Club TV Tonight!
Channel
52
NEW TIME of 8:00 PM!
If
you are not on the Onzuka.com Hawaii Ground forum, you are missing
the latest news from upcoming events, get to rub elbows with
numerous promoters and fighters, and get to voice your opinion
on any subject you can dream up. Hit the links above to sign
up for a free account and start posting away!
|
MAN-UP
& STAND-UP
FILCOM CENTER WAIPAHU
APRIL 17, 2009 FRIDAY
DOORS OPEN AT 6:30
RED DAVIS 160 IKAIKA MORENO
IN THIS MAIN EVENT, TWO OF THESE OUTSTANDING FIGHTERS WHO WERE
DEFINITELY ON THEIR WAY TO THE TOP BEFORE THEY TOOK MORE THAN
A YEAR OFF FROM THE FIGHT SCENE WILL MEET FRIDAY NIGHT. MAN-UP
& STAND-UP WILL BE EXACTLY WHAT THEY WILL BE DOING. RED WHO
IS THE YOUNGER OF THE TWO WITH MAJOR SKILLS WILL FACE THE FEROCIOUS
POWER OF IKAIKA MORENO. BUT WILL THEIR GAME BE BLINGING OR WILL
THERE BE A YEAR WORTH OF RING RUST ON THE WEAPONS THAT THEY CHOSE
TO HANG UP IN THE CLOSET. FRIDAY NIGHT - GAME ON.
JAMES 250 PAKI
94 BLOCK
SONNY HUNT SHW OTTO HOOPII
94 BLOCK
AL FAATAPE 220 JESSIE TIGER
94 BLOCK
ROLAND SEFO 215 RONSON NELSON
94 BLOCK
DARREN FAATAPE 160 JOSEPH ENAENA
94 BLOCK
THESE WAIPAHU NATIVES FROM 94 BLOCK WILL BE TRYING TO MAKE A
STATEMENT ON FRIDAY NIGHT, BEING THAT THEY ARE IN THE PROCESS
OF TRYING TO EXPAND THEIR GYM WHICH THEY JUST RELOCATED. THEY
WILL BE FIGHTING IN THEIR HOMETOWN AND HOPE TO REPRESENT THEMSELVES
AND THEIR COMMUNITY IN THE BEST WAY POSSIBLE (CHEE-HU). DARREN
WHO IS PROBABLY THE MOST SKILLED OF ALL THE BLOCK FIGHTERS WILL
BE FACING JOSEPH ENAENA WHO HAS BEEN VERY ACTIVE IN THE KICKBOXING
AND MAD SKILLZ SCENE. MAN-UP & STAND-UP WILL BE SHOWCASING
WAIPAHU'S 94 BLOCK. SO IF THERES A CALL THAT PEOPLE ARE DISTURBING
THE PEACE IN WAIPAHU COME FRIDAY NIGHT. DONT FRET BECAUSE ITS
JUST WAIPAHU'S NEW FOUND HOMETOWN HEROES TRYING TO MAKE A STATEMENT
AT THE FILCOM.
HENRY TAVARES MAHIAI 100 NELSON KUKAHIKO
ARMAN 125 RUSTY RIVERA
KALANI SOLIRICMAN 140 GEARY UDEGAWA
BRYSEN KEALOHA 125 ISRAEL ALVAREZ
JESSIE CRUZ 150 SOTA NAKANO
CHRIS HO 155 NICK CORREA
ISAIAH 120 PAT MATHIAS
RICHARD BARNARD 152 MAKANA FRONDA
CHARLES HAZELWOOD 185 ROBERT EATON
KOA CONCEPCION EXHIBITION NATE TIGER
PHILLIP AKUI 175 DAVIN CUMMINGS
IKAIKA SILVA 185 SHAWN
KOLOA KAHALEWAI SHW MATT EATON
KOLOA WHO IS THE SUPER HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMP WILL MEET MATT - THE
KING OF THE GIANTS CHAMP IN A WINNER TAKE ALL MATCH. KOLOA FROM
TEAM ANILAND AND MATT WHO IS FROM BULLSPEN ARE TWO VERY RESPECTABLE
FIGHTERS THAT CAN GIVE AND TAKE. THIS WILL BE A BATTLE . BOTH
OF THESE FIGHTERS HAVE TITLES THAT THEY DONT WANT TO GIVE UP.
SOMEONE WILL BE WALKING OUT THE RING WITH TWO BELTS AROUND THEIR
WAIST. AND THERE WILL BE A LOT OF SUPER HEAVYWEIGHTS THAT WILL
MAKE THEIR AIM ON KOLOA OR MATT. COME DOWN AND FIND OUT WHO WILL
BE WEARING THE TWO BELTS AT THE END OF THIS MATCH (ESPECIALLY
IF YOU'RE A SUPER HEAVYWEIGHT).
CHOANAN 140 TBA
MIKE UEMOTO 155 TODD PARK
EZRA BRIGHT 85 NAV
JUMAR ESCOSIO 140 JONAH VISANTE
DALE KAMAI 170 MATT FISHER
all matches and participants are subject to change
|
X-1
Boxing Results
Results
for Sat., April 11th, 2009 at the Palolo Hongwangji Ballroom.
1).
140- Nui Wheeler 1-1 with 1 KO, (Waianae) Won by TKO 4th rd.
over Keith Kelly 0-1, (Montana).
2). 147- Richard Barnard 1-1 (Waianae) won by decision 4 rds
over Dimitris Labatos 0-1, (Florida).
3). 130- Thaddine Johnson 4-0 with 4 KOs (New York) won by 1st
rd TKO over Tracey Stevens 5-10 with 1 KO, (Canada).
4). 140- Van Oscar Penovaroff 4-0 with 3 KOs (Kailua-Kona) won
by 1st rd TKO over Mike Maley 2-6 with 2 KOs, (Indiana).
Main Event
5). 135- Isaac Arasato 4-0 with 3 KOs (Honolulu) won unanimous
decision 4 rds over Ricky Thompson 1-6 with 1 KO, (Florida)
Hawaii
State Boxing Commission - Alan Taniguchi, Executive Officer
Commissioners in Attendance- Chairman Herbert Minn, Henry Sasaki,
Roland Casamina, and Della Martin
Referee- Abe Pacheco
Judges- Pat Brown, Hubert Minn, Ralph Martin
Physicians- Scott Morioka, M.D., Myles Suehiro, M.D.
Time Keepers- Clarence Senarighi Jr. and Anthony Senarighi
Chief Inspector- Bob Mielke
Ring Inspector- Robert Comeau, Craig Peterson
If
you have any questions feel free to email me by clicking here!
Thank You!!
Source: Bruce Kawano
MMA Results
Sorry, I am trying
to remember the results from memory. Some may be incorrect.
170
- Kolo Koka (MMAD) vs Michael Brightmon (Gorilla House)
Brightmon by KO round 2.
170 - David Kahanui (Da Hui) vs Kona Ke (Gods Army)
Kahanui by unanimous decision after 2 rounds.
135
- Julio Moreno (Bullspen) vs Jared Iha (No Remorse)
Moreno by unanimous decions after 2 rounds.
145
- Steve Albanese (M.C.O.A) vs Colin Mackenzie (Gods Army)
MacKenzie by rear naked choke in round 2.
155
- Cordel Knapp (558 MP) vs Angel Garza (Chris Leben)
Garza by decision after 2 rounds.
205 - Mike Teraga (Up and Up) vs Ashton Visoria (Team Devastation)
Teraga by decision after 2 rounds.
|
UFC
100 SELLS OUT IN RECORD TIME
The Ultimate Fighting Championship on Friday announced that tickets
for UFC 100 are sold out. The historic UFC 100 event, with three
blockbuster fights already confirmed, received a massive response
from UFC Fight Club and Newsletter members, creating a sellout
in record time.
The
Saturday, July 11 event, live from the Mandalay Bay Events Center,
will be shown on pay-per-view in the U.S.
“I
started hearing about UFC 100 around UFC 90. I am blown away
by how excited fans were for this event,” said Dana White,
UFC President. “So I made sure to stack this card with the
greatest fights and greatest fighters in the world, and keep
ticket prices consistent with our other big events. Once again,
our fans responded with a record sellout. This is another great
milestone for the UFC, and July 11 is going to be an amazing
event.”
After
an epic turnout from the April 9 Internet presale for UFC Fight
Club fans, the majority of the seats were sold by 3 p.m. ET,
with the official sellout taking place Friday during the UFC
Newsletter presale. The tickets prices were: $1,000, $750, $500,
$300, $200 and $100.
In
the UFC 100 main event, the undisputed UFC Heavyweight Championship
will be decided when reigning titleholder Brock Lesnar faces
interim champion Frank Mir in one of the most highly anticipated
rematches in heavyweight history.
The
co-featured bout of the evening will see UFC Welterweight Champion
Georges “Rush” St-Pierre put his title on the line
against feared striker Thiago “Pitbull” Alves, a man
many believe has the style and size to dethrone the seemingly
unbeatable champion.
And
rounding out the trio of superfights is a pivotal middleweight
matchup pitting the coaches of the ninth season of The Ultimate
Fighter, Dan Henderson and Michael “The Count” Bisping,
against each other in a bout that will push the winner even closer
to a 185-pound title shot.
UFC
fans who want to be a part of the historic UFC 100 event can
still take part in UFC Fan Expo, a two-day fan exposition of
Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) activities starting Friday, July 10
and leading right up to the start of the fights Saturday, July
11. UFC Fan Expo will take place inside the Mandalay Bay Convention
Center, and will be the first event of its kind for UFC fans.
Among
the UFC Fan Expo two-day roster of activities will be meet and
greets with legendary UFC and WEC fighters, MMA demonstrations,
fan-inspired special events, training and development sessions,
and other exciting opportunities and entertainment. All the UFC
Fan Expo activities will be planned in conjunction with UFC 100,
including the free-to-the-public weigh-in event on Friday, July
10.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Sunset
for Shamrock as Strikeforce rises
SAN
JOSE, Calif. – It was the beginning of one era and the end
of another as Nick Diaz defeated MMA legend Frank Shamrock in
Strikeforce’s explosive debut Saturday night as Showtime’s
mixed martial arts promotion.
It
might have been the final curtain for one of MMA’s all-time
greats. Shamrock, whose ability to sell fights is a big reason
Strikeforce can be the long term No. 2 MMA promotion in North
America behind UFC, couldn’t hang with Diaz in the show’s
main event, likely making him the last of the original pioneers
of the sport to fall from major event headliner status.
Diaz
(19-7, 1 no contest) dominated Shamrock (23-10-2) throughout
their 179-pound catch weight fight, using his significant reach
to keep Shamrock from getting any effective offense.
Shamrock,
at 36, has a career that dates back to the first world championship
tournament in the sport, the 1994 King of Pancrase event in Tokyo.
It peaked with a run in 1998-99 when he was the top star in UFC
as its first middleweight (the weight class now known as light
heavyweight) champion.
Entering
Saturday’s fight with cracked ribs from training, Shamrock
took a second-round body shot in the one place he couldn’t
afford to take one, knocking him to the canvas. After taking
hard Diaz punches on the ground, referee John McCarthy stopped
the fight at 3:57.
There
was a mixed reaction from the crowd of 15,521 in Shamrock’s
hometown. Diaz, from nearby Stockton, had a large and vociferous
cheering section that booed Shamrock. The crowd was originally
split when both men came out. But as the fight went on, the Diaz
supporters grew louder as he dominated the battle.
“I
jacked up my ribs,” Shamrock said after the fight. “But
that had nothing to do with what happened. Nick Diaz kicked my
ass tonight.”
It
was both a happy and sad night for promoter Scott Coker, who
called the event a grand slam success, but sensed the guy who
paved the way for all this to happen may have fought his last
big-time fight.
“It’s
sad because Frank is my friend and he and his wife are my social
friends,” said Coker, whose initial success in promoting
MMA came March 10, 2006, when Shamrock knocked out Cesar Gracie
at the HP Pavilion before a sellout of 18,265 fans.
Diaz
was 22 at the time, and was Gracie’s corner man. It was
a night that left a lot of scars that may have been healed for
him with the victory that ended a three-year quest to avenge
his teacher.
“If
that fight would have gone to the ground, Cesar would have submitted
him,” said Diaz after the fight, still reliving that night.
When
the match ended, Diaz helped Shamrock to his feet.
“I
told him to get up, you’re a legend,” said Diaz, who
in prefight hype said that Shamrock was not a legend to him.
“It’s
over,” he said, apparently of the memories of the night
three years ago.
One
of the most unhappy spectators during the match was Tito Ortiz,
the loser of Shamrock’s most legendary match, a UFC middleweight
championship match ten years ago. Ortiz was hoping to avenge
that loss in a ten-year anniversary of the match later this year.
“I
felt like I was watching money disappear,” said Ortiz, who
has not signed with Strikeforce.
(Ortiz
appeared at the postfight news conference and turned his sights
on Strikeforce light heavyweight champion Renato “Babalu”
Sobral, giving him the nickname “Baba-Who?”)
Both
Ortiz and Coker conceded any thoughts of a Shamrock vs. Ortiz
rematch are out the window. While Shamrock talked of fighting
again after it was over, it’s going to be tough for him
to headline against the type of opponents that would be big-money
matches after consecutive stoppage losses to Diaz and Cung Le,
even with his promotional ability.
In
the three years since its debut as an MMA promotion, Strikeforce,
which started as a local kickboxing promotion, has grown from
an organization that ran a few shows a year in San Jose, to one
that plans to run as many as 16 shows, all over the United States
over the next year, all nationally televised on Showtime or CBS.
Saturday’s
card had a more professional vibe and was far more organized
than its predecessor, Elite XC, which ran the past two years
on the network.
The
show opened in dynamic fashion with big heavyweights, as 262.5
pound Brett Rogers (10-0), stopped Ron “Abongo” Humphrey
(5-1) with a second-round stoppage.
The
most controversial fight of the night saw Cristiane “Cyborg”
Santos overwhelm an undersized Hitomi Akano. The crowd wasn’t
familiar with Santos before the match, but in leaving she was
like a rock star due to her all-action style reminiscent of a
young Wanderlei Silva. During the match, there were constant
cutaways to Gina Carano at ringside, Santos’ main rival.
Each shot of Carano drew a louder reaction than the one before,
with each round as Santos won over the crowd.
Coker
said he’s been talking with Carano’s agent, Matt Walker,
and hopes to put together the fight, possibly for August, which
would likely be the first major MMA event in North America headlined
by a women’s fight.
But
Santos (7-1), a Brazilian billed as the toughest woman South
of the equator, missed weight by seven pounds, coming in at 152.
Akano (14-6), primarily a grappler, was champion at 128 pounds
in Japan, and of late has moved to 135. She bulked up to 143.5
for the opportunity for the opportunity to fight on a major U.S.
show for a bout at a contracted 145.
Santos
cut to 150.5 late Friday night when the California State Athletic
Commission, seeing how drawn she was getting, told her not to
cut anymore and agreed to approve the match because she had gotten
to within seven pounds of Akano’s weight. However, Akano’s
camp first refused, and it wasn’t until making a series
of concessions including promises to bring her and some of her
teammates in for more bouts in the future, that Akano’s
camp agreed to the fight at 2 a.m. the night before. By the time
the two were in the cage, Santos had rehydrated and eaten, and
looked about 20 pounds heavier.
The
highlight-reel fight of the show saw Scott Smith (17-5, 1 no
contest) snatch victory from the jaws of defeat with a late third-round
knockout of Benji Radach (19-5), who had dominated the first
two rounds.
“He
absolutely beat the hell out of me,” said Smith, who admitted
he came close to not answering the bell for Round 3. “I
was knocked out a few times and the fight was a blur. There’s
a lot I don’t remember.”
Smith
came out strong in the third round and knocked Radach out at
3:24 with a right, and his two sons, ages 12 and 5, were brought
into the cage to celebrate.
Gilbert
Melendez (15-2) became interim Strikeforce lightweight champion
finishing Rodrigo Damm (8-3) in the second round, and looked
forward to a bout with champion Josh Thomson next.
“It’s
five to six weeks before I can start training,” said Thomson,
who broke his leg in training ten days before the fight. “I’m
looking at fighting in August.”
Source: Yahoo Sports |
SYLVIA
VS MERCER, BOXING IN CAGE AT ADRENALINE 3
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Both men have seen the summit and stood
at its highest peak. One as a heavyweight champion in the world
of mixed martial arts. The other as an Olympic gold medalist
and boxing heavyweight titleholder.
Both
men are known for their punching power and combat skill. And,
both believe their sport has made them better equipped to out-strike
the other. On Saturday, June 13, in Birmingham, Ala., the world
will see who’s right – and who’s wrong.
“Adrenaline
III: Bragging Rights” will pit Tim Sylvia, a two-time heavyweight
champion for the Ultimate Fighting Championship, and Ray Mercer,
an Olympic gold medalist and former World Boxing Organization
heavyweight champion against each other in a six-round boxing
match.
“It’s
time that boxers learn that the guys in MMA are pretty good with
their hands, too,” said Sylvia, who sports a 24-5 record
with 16 KO’s. “This could open up a whole new career
for me. I hope that beating Mercer will open the eyes of some
boxing promoters.”
Mercer,
who won Olympic gold in 1988, has a 36-7 record with 26 KO’s.
In his last bout, Mercer beat Richel Hersisia, who was 30-2.
“Sylvia
is a big guy, but I’ve been boxing my whole life,”
Mercer said. “He’s big, but that will only make it
look that much better when I knock him out.”
Sylvia
is 6-foot-8 and will be approximately 275 pounds. Mercer is 6-1
and 250.
“This
will be an intriguing test for both guys,” Adrenaline CEO
and President Monte Cox said. “It seems that if I ask 100
fans who they think will win I get 50 people telling me Tim and
50 people telling me Ray. As a matchmaker that’s when you
know you’ve done your job.”
Cox
said a boxing match quiets the criticism of an MMA fighter relying
on ground skills to submit a boxer – as Kimbo Slice did
when he battled Mercer.
“There’s
no ground to go to in this one,” Cox said. “We are
putting on the line who is the better striker. Period.”
Because
the undercard will be MMA matches Cox said the decision was to
put the Sylvia-Mercer fight in a cage.
“It
just makes sense on so many levels and it adds another twist
to the main event,” he said.
Adrenaline
III will be held at the 19,000-seat Birmingham-Jefferson Convention
Complex.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
FIGHT-BY-FIGHT:
STRIKEFORCE SHAMROCK VS. DIAZ
Frank
Shamrock vs. Nick Diaz
Former
Strikeforce middleweight champion Frank Shamrock faces off with
brash Cesar Gracie trained Nick Diaz in the main event as Strikeforce
debuts on Showtime. The fight is being billed as a revenge fight.
Diaz will look to avenge his trainer’s loss to Shamrock
on Saturday night.
This
will be Shamrock’s first fight in more than a year. He returns
from a broken arm injury, which he suffered during his last fight
against Cung Le.
Neither
fighter seems to have a big advantage over the other, as they
are very even in every aspect of the fight. Diaz would have the
technical edge on the feet with his boxing ability, but Shamrock
has been working hard on his boxing technique in the past couple
of years and has improved as evidenced in his most recent fights.
If the fight goes to the ground then neither fighter would have
much of an advantage. Shamrock would probably have an edge when
it comes to wrestling, while Diaz would have an edge in submissions
and reversals.
Most
would have expected Shamrock to have a reasonable size advantage
over Diaz, who usually fights at welterweight, but word is that
he has been bulking up for the fight and may be as big if not
bigger then Shamrock come fight night. Diaz will look to simply
outwork Shamrock on the feet with his usual high volume of strikes,
while Shamrock will look to land the power shots. Shamrock’s
best option at winning the fight will be to take the fight to
the ground and control the action from top with solid ground
and pound.
This
one is sure to be a barnburner and the crowd will be electric
with excitement.
Gilbert
Melendez vs. Rodrigo Damm
Former
Strikeforce lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez faces off with
Sengoku veteran Rodrigo Damm. Damm is a late replacement for
current Strikeforce lightweight champion Josh Thomson, who was
scheduled to fight Melendez but was forced out due to a broken
leg. This fight will be for the Strikeforce interim lightweight
championship, as Thomson will be out for an undisclosed amount
of time to recover from surgery.
Melendez
is known for pushing the pace of the fight and it should be no
different this time around. He’ll be putting constant pressure
on Damm from beginning to end. He’ll have the edge when
it comes to wrestling ability and conditioning. His hands have
been developing, but his signature strike is his huge overhand
right. Damm will no doubt have the advantage in submissions and
has shown that he is more than able to bang it out on the feet.
Melendez
will be pushing the pace of the fight and will pressure Damm
for the duration. He will look to turn the fight into a brawl,
which is what he excels at. Damm will need to slow the pace of
the fight and impose his technical will on Melendez. Either way,
don’t be surprised if this fight turns out to be the fight
of the night.
Scott
Smith vs. Benji Radach
Former
EliteXC middleweight title challenger Scott Smith faces off with
IFL veteran Benji Radach. Both fighters are known for their ever
exciting stand-up wars and big time knockouts. This fight should
be no different and there is a little more at stake as the winner
will move closer to a probable title shot in the near future.
These two will be going headhunting, so don’t expect the
fight to go the distance.
Smith
will have the small advantage on the feet with technique, but
the bigger advantage that he enjoys is the power that he packs
behind his punches. Radach has been developing his boxing technique,
but it would be in his best interest to take the fight on the
ground where he would enjoy a distinct advantage because of his
wrestling ability. Cardio could come into play as both fighters
do like to push the pace of the fight.
Smith
would like nothing more to turn the fight into a brawl. If the
fight is a slow technical battle, it would benefit Radach, as
he would not be exposing himself to Smith's power. Radach’s
best bet will be to take the fight to the ground and work from
there, while Smith will want the fight to turn into a brawl to
get the knockout.
Chris
“Cyborg” Santos vs. Hitomi Akano
Striking
sensation Chris “Cyborg” Santos faces off with former
Smackgirl champion Hitomi Akano in an highly anticipated women’s
bout. Santos has become one of the more recognized women in mixed
martial arts and will face her first big test in Akano, who is
a more then capable fighter on the ground. Look for the crowd
to be into this fight as they have warmly embraced women’s
fighting over the last year.
Santos
will have the big advantage on the feet with her vaunted Muay
Thai ability, and a vast size advantage, likely weighing nearly
20 pounds more than Akano at fight time. Akano enjoys the advantage
on the ground with her submission ability. If the fight stays
on the feet, Santos should be able to put pressure on Akano and
finish her off with strikes. If Akano is able to get the fight
on the ground, expect a much more competitive and exciting fight.
One
X-factor in this one, however, is the debacle over Santos failing
to make weight. She tipped the scales Friday afternoon at seven
pounds over the contracted weight. She lost enough weight to
gain clearance to fight, but negotiations between her Chute Boxe
camp, Akano's camp, and Strikeforce officials drug on to 2 a.m.
on Friday night. So it is unclear how the stress of the situation
will affect each fighter.
Brett
Rogers vs. Ron Humphrey
EliteXC
heavyweight prospect Brett Rogers faces off with Iron Ring participant
Ron Humphrey. Both fighters are undefeated and have finished
all of their opponents either by knockout or via strikes. These
two will get the night started with a bang, but don’t expect
the fight to last too long.
Neither
fighter will be taking the fight to the ground and both will
be swinging away. Rogers has faced the better competition of
the two and has more big fight experience. Humphrey will be making
his debut on a big stage. Rogers should also have the advantage
on the feet with more technical striking and power behind his
strikes.
This
is a very good way to get the Showtime telecast started, as they
will surely give the viewing audience a dose of guilty pleasure
as they watch two guys slug it out. More than likely the winner
of the fight will be the first one to land the big shot and its
likely that Rogers will be that man.
Source: MMA Weekly |
Murilo
Ninja criticizes Dream organization
Getting
ready to face Dong Sik Yoon in Dream 8, Murilo "Ninja"
was surprised at the dat before the fight with the news that
his opponent was injured. After the indecision, to know whether
he would fight or not, the Brazilian was told that his opponent
would be Riki Fukuda.
"I
had signed to fight with the Korean, but I got there on Thursday
and they told he had been hurt. That is no excuse, the guy (Fukuda)
was stronger than me, congratulations to him, I’ll have
to get over it, but I think they didn’t treat me right.
They’ve announced my fight with him, but the man had been
injured two weeks ago", says Ninja.
"I
had a strategy set to fight and had to prepare another there.
I was going to fight with a Judo fighter, but that is no excuse.
He has to be congratulated, I mistaken at some points and now
is just wait", said the fighter, still without knowing the
definition for his future. "For now I want to analyze my
situation to see what I’ll do, and wait to see", ended.
Source: Tatame |
Silva
more patient against Forrest Griffin
Thiago
Silva arrived in the UFC with the perfect record of nine victories
and nine fights and, after two more victories in the octagon,
started to be possible a fight between Forrest Griffin and Thiago,
but the Brazilian faced Houston Alexander, again winning by knockout.
A year and a half later, the destiny crossed their ways again
and Griffin vs. Sivla will happen at UFC 101, which happens on
August 8th, in the United States.
"The
expectation is good, the UFC has given me a good chance to recover
my name. I’ll face a tough guy, I’ll give my best and
train a lot. It will be a tough fight, sure, he’s a very
good fighter, but I'm prepared", said the fighter, ensuring
that won’t change his style after the first defeat of his
career, against Lyoto Machida. "Anyone who knows me knows
how I fight, I go for it and only on will be standing after the
fight, for sure".
With
the knockout suffered at UFC 94, the athlete of the American
Top Team tells the lesson he learned: "Caution, not to be
nervous. I thought I wouldn’t be nervous with Lyoto, because
he runs a lot, but in the first minute I was already pulling
my hair off... I think patience is the key", he says, dreaming
with a rematch against the man who defeated him: "this revenge
is what I want most in my life, brother".
Source: Tatame |
Andre
Galvao interview
Fighters talks Dream, Strikeforce contract, Paulao and more
After
two wins and a belt in smaller MMA events, Andre Galvao debuted
in an organization worthy of someone with the titles he holds
in Jiu-Jitu: Dream. At the Japanese event, the black belt managed
his third submission win in a row, with a deep armbar and, as
he himself admits, showed progress in how he handles himself
in the ring. In the following interview, Galvao comments on his
last bout, his Strikeforce contract and Paulo Filho, among other
things.
Portal
das Lutas – I perceived a more mature Andre Galvao at Dream.
Would you agree?
Andre
Galvao – Yes. I felt really good once the fight started,
as far as striking is concerned. During the fight I did well,
I felt good. I think that’s due to my training. I trained
every day and had private lessons with Daniel Borran and that
helped me a lot in moving around the ring. I also think I managed
to confuse my opponent with that at the start of the fight and
that made a difference. Thank God everything went well and I
managed to do my thing. When I watched the fight afterwards,
that was when I really realized how much I evolved in standup.
With the video I could see it clearly and was happy, but I think
I still have a lot to improve and that’s what I’m working
on now.
PDL
– In the international press they are saying you also have
a fight at Strikeforce lined up. What is this relationship between
Dream and Strikeforce like?
AG
– Truth is my contract is with Strikeforce and they let
me fight at Dream. I have a six-fight contract with them and
the Dream fights count on that contract. Joinha and Ed Soares
(managers) did excellent work in getting me a big contract, which
will be fundamental as I start my career. Thank God I managed
to do that and to win at Dream so I should be able to get a title-dispute
at Strikeforce. I’m going to try and mark my territory there
and I’m happy about the way things have gone.
What
did you think about fighting in Japan, at a big event?
AG
– I liked fighting in Japan a lot. I think it’s a different
place from everywhere else in terms of fighting, it’s the
home of fighting. The Japanese people get really excited about
fights, they respect the fighters and enjoy it a lot. Dream is
a show, one of the best events with super-promotion and a real
cool spectacle on fight day. So I’m really happy to have
been there and have the opportunity to show my style of fighting.
PDL
– Speaking of style of fighting, you have three finishes.
Do you consider yourself to be a Jiu-Jitsu representative in
MMA? Is there still room for that?
AG
– My art, what I’m considered a black belt at, is Jiu-Jitsu.
So I think I truly am a Jiu-Jitsu representative, there’s
no way around it. The fight itself depends on what happens, everything
depends, and I have to be ready for any situation to come up.
Just as I did with Jiu-Jitsu, I practiced judo so I could do
a bit of everything, in MMA I want to do the same thing. I have
to feel comfortable standing, on the bottom, on top, I have to
improve my wrestling and so on. I want to be as well-rounded
as possible and have more weapons to confuse my adversary. That’s
what I want to show, I think it’s still too early for all
that, but with time and God’s will I will get there and
honor His name.
PDL
– Paulo Filho will also be appearing at Dream and you have
a common coach, Josuel Distak. Have you two trained recently?
What do you expect from him in the light heavyweight category?
AG
– I think Paulao has what it takes to win, he’s a very
talented guy and he just needs to be trained and focused. If
he dedicates himself to training, he can become number one in
the category. He suffered a lot to make weight and now he’ll
go into a category where he likes fighting, he’s a tough
guy. I haven’t trained with him lately, but I saw him at
Jungle Fight and he was looking good physically and very excited.
He also likes fighting in Japan, he feels good there, so he has
what it takes to do well and return to the top already. In my
opinion, despite the problems he has had, he is one of the best
MMA fighters around.
Source: Gracie Magazine |
Former
WWE champ to enter MMA broadcasting
Former WWE pro wrestling champ John "Bradshaw" Layfield,
also referred to as "JBL," will serve as the host on
the Vyper Fight League broadcast team.
The
Vyper Fight League is a new MMA promotion from longtime pro wrestling
promoter Danny Davis. Davis is the owner and founder of Ohio
Valley Wrestling, which previously was the official development
program for the WWE.
The
inaugural event, "Enter the Vyper's Pit," will take
place Friday, April 24 in Louisville, Kentucky and future events
will happen on a Friday night on a monthly basis. All events
will be taped for future television broadcast.
Layfield
is investing in the VPL promotion as a sponsor with his nutrition
company, Layfield Energy.
Layfield
lost the WWE intercontinental title to Rey Mysterio Jr. last
Sunday at Wrestlemania XXV. Layfield, 42, retired from professional
wrestling the next day.
Source: MMA Fighting |
Quote
of the Day
“The
wise are instructed by reason; ordinary minds by experience;
the stupid, by necessity; and brutes by instinct.”
Cicero
|
April
12, 2009
KINGDOM
MMA
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Blaisdell Arena
Press Conference
This Wedneday,
April 15
Oceans 808 at Restaurant Row
2pm
T.JAY
THOMPSON'S, KINGDOM MMA PRESS CONFERENCE THIS WEDNESDAY!
Jason Miller, Kala Hose, Big John McCarthy and T.Jay Thompson
to appear at Ocean's 808 in Restaurant Row Wednesday, April 15th
at 2pm.
The
two main event fighters for T.Jay Thompson's KINGDOM MMA event
will face off one more time before they do battle on Saturday
night, April 18th. The brash Mayhem Miller, fresh off his #1
rated reality TV show "Bully Beatdown" on MTV will
once again return to Hawaii to fight. Miller is not in the best
of moods. "What?! Just cause I went to the mainland to do
a little Hollywood stuff…Now im not Hawaiian any more?!
If that's how its gonna be, fine. But I'm gonna knock Kala's
big, goofy, coconut head of his body Saturday night." Mayhem
Kala
Hose takes this all in stride. "He can talk all he wants.
I actually think he's a funny guy. But when I step in the ring
it's all business. He will not be cracking jokes when he gets
hit by me. Im defending my islands."
The
most recognizable referee and one of the most famous MMA personalities,
Big John McCarthy will be at the center of this storm. "Im
excited to work in T.Jay's KINGDOM event. And even more excited
to referee this match. I expect a great fight. It's a classic
style v style match up that brings me back to my early days in
the UFC."
T.Jay
Thompson stated "KINGDOM MMA will continue a long tradition
of world-class MMA in Hawaii. I am proud to bring this event
to the Blaisdell Arena. Ticket sales are strong and I expect
a full house Saturday night."
Who:
Jason "Mayhem" Miller, Kala Hose, John McCarthy, T.Jay
Thompson
What: KINGDOM MMA Press Conference
When: Wednesday, April 15th, 2pm
Where: Oceans 808 Night club, Restaurant Row, 500 Ala Moana Blvd,
Honolulu
KINGDOM MMA
FIGHT CARD
Main
Event
185lb Kala "Kalohe" Hose v Jason "Mayhem"
Miller
7-2 Bad Intentions 21-6 Team Kingdom of Mayhem
155lb Keoni Digg v Ricky "Hoku" Wallace
808 Fight Factory ICON
215lb
Pisa "Ata" Tivao v Tasi Edwards
94 Block ICON
155lb
Tommy Tuiloma v Reno Remigio
Team Auryte HMC
135lb
Paul Lopez v Keka Doi-toilolo
808 Fight Factory Team Makaha
170lb
Shane Todani v Nathan Haring
808 Fight Factory Team CAT
155lb
L. John Borges v Richard Agustin
808 Fight Factory Team Makaha
155lb
Elijah Manners v Trey Corrales
Nakoa/Universal Combat TEAM CAT
185lb
Gino Venti v TBA
808 Fight Factory
165lb
Ethan Rista v TBA
Korrupt Ambitions
|
KID
YAMAMOTO ENTERS DREAM GRAND PRIX
Dream on Friday announced the bouts for the quarterfinal round
of its Featherweight Grand Prix scheduled for May 26 at the Yokohama
Arena in Yokohama, Japan.
Receiving
a bye in the opening round, Norifumi "Kid" Yamamoto
enters the quarterfinal round to face wrestling standout Joe
Warren. Warren defeated former WEC champion Chase Beebe in the
opener.
Daiki
"DJ Taiki" Hata is out of the quarterfinals with a
fracture to his orbital bone. Hideo Tokoro will take his place,
stepping in to face Abel Cullum. In a showdown between tough
Japanese veterans, Yoshiro Maeda squares off against Hiroyuki
Takaya. And Masakazu Imanari faces a stern test in Bibiano Fernandes.
Featherweight
Grand Prix Quarterfinalists:
-Norifumi “Kid” Yamamoto vs. Joe Warren
-Masakazu Imanari vs. Bibiano Fernandes
-Yoshiro Maeda vs. Hiroyuki Takaya
-Abel Cullum vs. Hideo Tokoro
Source: MMA Weekly
|
KIM
COUTURE VS. MEISHA TATE ON MAY 15
Strikeforce has booked the second women’s bout in their
new era with Showtime Networks.
Kim
Couture will meet Meisha Tate in the debut of the promotion’s
“Challenger Series” on May 15 in Fresno, Calif. Strikeforce
confirmed the fight via its official website.
Designed
as a showcase for up-and-coming talent, the bout is one of three
recently announced for the event’s main card. Billy Evangelista
vs. Mike Aina will headline, and Levar “Big” Johnson
will be featured against an unnamed opponent.
The
bout will be contested in three five-minute rounds, a break from
the standard three-minute rounds allotted by the California State
Athletic Commission for women’s bouts.
Couture
last appeared at Strikeforce “Destruction” last November,
where she destroyed Lina Kvokov with punches in less than two
minutes. Prior to that, she lost a unanimous decision to Kim
Rose at Banner Promotions, suffering a first round broken jaw
that sidelined her for four months.
Since
gaining attention as the victim of a vicious head kick from former
EliteXC fighter Kaitlin Young, Tate has gone on a four-fight
win streak, defeating veteran Elaina Maxwell at Strikeforce:
“Melendez vs. Thomson” last June, and most recently,
submitting Dora Baptiste by triangle choke inside two minutes
in February. She carries an overall professional record of 5-1.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Lepri
eyes NY Open
Lucas
Lepri is ready to get back into action after just having won
an unprecedented title in his career: gold as a lightweight,
after closing out the category with teammate Michael Langhi,
at the JJ Pan-American that took place at the end of March in
California. Now the Brazilian from Minas Gerais will be aiming
for gold at the inaugural NY Open event.
“I’m
feeling quite satisfied for having won such a well-regarded title
as the Pan-American. It’s an unprecedented title in my career.
I’m really happy, but the journey is not over, there’s
the Worlds coming up, which is my main objective, before that
I’ll warm up at the New York Open,” stated Lepri, who
went on to comment on closing out the category at the Pan with
Langhi.
“We
really did have a perfect championship, without any mistakes
and we managed to shut it out, so it was pure joy. The decision
was made by the both of us. We’ve been training together
a long time; he helped me and helps me when I train in Brazil.
It’s a pleasure to share this conquest with him.
Keeping
up the competition pace after the Pan, Lepri won Pride BJJ in
Long Island, on the 5th of April. His goal now is the NY Open,
on the 18th of this month. Sign-ups for the maiden event end
today.
“The
NY Open is a new IBJJF event that will surely grow a lot, like
the other tournaments. A lot of folks are unable to always make
it to California, as it can be really expensive. And on the East
Coast of the USA the number of practitioners has grown a lot.
I believe that sometime down the road it will become a reference
like the Pan.”
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Shaolin
on Japanese MMA
Fighter comments on Dream rules and says what it will take to
compete with the UFC
After
spending more than a year away from the ring, Vitor “Shaolin”
Ribeiro returned with a win. On April 5th, the black belt defeated
Katsuhiko Nagata with a knee that opened a gash on the Japanese
fighter’s face. In a chat with Portal das Lutas, GRACIEMAG.com
partner website, Shaolin commented on the rules of the Japanese
event allowing knees from any position, and said what it will
take for Dream to compete with the UFC. Check it out.
Portal
das Lutas – In your fight, despite having dominated on the
ground, the win came by way of a knee and not a submission.
Vitor
Shaolin – I surely wanted the submission, but with this
new rule I ended up in a position where I was well placed to
use the knee. Now I’m going to incorporate the move into
my game so it will be something I do all the time. I really liked
the fight.
PDL
– What do you think of this rule of being allowed to use
the knee?
VS
– As the event is a fusion of Pride with K-1, each of them
added a little something. Pride brought that from the old event
and I think it’s a good rule and now I’m going to use
it as best I can and not let the others use it against me. They
allow knees on all fours, when someone is trying for a takedown…
You can use the knee from any position.
PDL
– Is it not bad for Jiu-Jitsu fighters like you, when playing
guard?
VS
– I think it’s good. I think the more opportunities
to finish a fight, the better. As much as you may try for a submission,
the guy will defend the arm and end up leaving his face exposed.
Then you can use the knee to end the fight or even to get the
guy to let go of the arm so you can get the submission. So I
think the more positions allowed, the better. Now I’m training
to not expose my face, which really is dangerous and a knee can
change everything. In my fight I used it and it ended the fight,
but it could have been the other way around and I could have
taken a knee and lost. So now it’s about training to be
a bit more careful and to fight with double the care to not let
it happen to me.
PDL
– You currently live in the United States, where MMA is
growing by leaps and bounds. Seeing all that up close, are you
satisfied fighting in Japan?
VS
– I’m really happy fighting in Japan. I think Dream
is growing and has a bit more investment in it… What the
United States does really well is build stars, looks at new ideas
to bring in investors and the public. I think that is what Dream
needs to do too. I live in the United States and I know the folks
here also watch the events, although it’s not like it is
on Spike TV. I’m rooting for Dream to become the best it
can be, and competing with the UFC and even getting bigger than
it. But for that to happen there will need to be a bit more investment,
organization, knowing the cards beforehand, more promotion in
the United States and trying to make the events here compete
on even terms. It needs to get out of Japan a bit, because it
is very focused on the Asian public. It’s a public that
wants to watch it a lot, but, whether they like it or not, the
public that is a greater consumer group is the American public.
PDL
– Speaking of organization, lots of fighters have complained.
Ninja had his opponent changed, Gesias doesn’t know when
he will fight and you officially confirmed your fight right before
the event. What do you have to say about that?
VS
– It’s not too good. It was lucky that I had been training
a lot, since February, because I thought I would fight in March
and then in April. I was lucky to have friends nearby who helped
me a lot, like Danilo Cherman and Marcos Loro. That made the
difference. But knowing who you will fight two months beforehand
and not switching the opponent is something that would make a
huge difference all around, even if just so I can get my visa
with more calm. I think in that respect the event needs to keep
on top of things, if just so fighters can prepare themselves
better to put on a better performance.
PDL
– Having been away from fighting so long and coming back
with this win, how do you feel?
VS
– I unloaded a heavy burden. I think it was great. It’s
one thing to stay out a year and a half and train and it’s
another to just go without fighting. I trained the whole of last
year and with a different type of adrenaline, with new things
happening in my life, like my gym. So I think that helped a lot,
having obligations, things I had when I was fighting, and now
with the gym I have huge obligations. I think that getting back
to fighting and winning is always something great. Of the 20
fights I’ve had, I only hurt myself in that one against
Gesias. I’m 100% and I think people could see that in my
last fight. Now it’s about getting to work and keeping up
that pace in the fights to come.
PDL
– What was the lack of rhythm like?
VS
– I felt a bit out of rhythm, but mostly when it came to
taking chances to get the submission. But I didn’t feel
it in terms of nervousness or fatigue. Now I think with a bit
more rhythm I’ll be better.
PDL
– Would you like to add anything?
VS
– I’d like to thank Martin Rooney, who writes for GRACIEMAG
and who gave me a lot of support here in the United States, and
Ricardo Cachorrao, who gave me a lot of support in training.
I’d also like to ask everyone to check out www.vitorshaolin.tv.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Délson
focused in the BJJ Worlds 2009
Délson
Pé de Chumbo, athlete from the Gracie Fusion that has
extensive international experience, could give to the Brazilians
the taste to see him shining again on Brazilians lands. At The
Warriors, the black belt showed an impressive game, not letting
Adriano Bad Boy move until he submits him with a triangle choke.
"It
was a good fight, I liked a lot. It was the first time I fought
in an octagon and fighting in Brazil is always good, right? And
winning the fight the way I won, in the first round, dropping
much punches and submitting in the end, it was too good, I'm
very happy", celebrates the fighter, who wants to attack
by all sides and, while he waits for proposals to fight MMA,
stay with an eye on the major events of Jiu-Jitsu, such as the
World Championship.
"I
intend to fight the World Championship in the U.S. I’m training
with gi and ready to fight. I believe that on April 25th I will
be going there. As for MMA, for now there’s nothing certain,
I'm just training and I pretend to stay a while in the United
States and wait because, being there, it is easier to sign the
contracts. My manager Carlos Malta is who is working on this.
I’m prepared for any opportunity that appears", finalized
the black belt.
Source: Tatame
|
Filho
moves to 205 div. to fight at Dream 9
Two
years have passed since Paulo Filho’s last fight in Pride.
After submitting Kazuo Misaki at Pride Bushido 13, the black
belt signed contract with WEC, where he couldn’t repeat
the good performances of the Japanese ring and, after two victories
and the first defeat in his career, he will return to Japanese
events. On May 26th, Paulão will fight again, and at the
light heavyweight division. "Paulão will fight at
Dream 9, in the same event that (Ronaldo) ‘Jacaré’.
He’s already training with Jacaré and everything
will be all right", said his coach, Josuel Distak, exclusively
to TATAME.com.
Source: Tatame
|
MAC
DANZIG VS. JIM MILLER SET FOR UFC 100
A battle of lightweights has been added to UFC 100 as New Jersey
native, Jim Miller, looks to bounce back from his first loss
in the Octagon against former "Ultimate Fighter" winner,
Mac Danzig, at the Las Vegas show poised to be one of the biggest
events in MMA history.
The
fight was confirmed to MMAWeekly.com by sources close to the
fight on Thursday.
Since
winning the 6th season of the "Ultimate Fighter", Mac
Danzig has had a tough road leading to success in the Octagon.
After defeating Mark Bocek at UFC 83 in April 2008, Danzig ran
into some very stiff competition dropping back to back fights
to Clay Guida and Josh Neer.
Now
the former Pittsburgh native will look to get back on the winning
side of things by fighting in his new adopted home of Las Vegas,
when the Xtreme Couture trained fighter faces Jim Miller.
A
highly prized free agent from the IFL, Jim Miller has always
been seen as an exciting and show stealing fighter, proving time
and time again he belongs with the best lightweights in the world.
After
starting 2-0 in the UFC, Miller faced a tough test in his most
recent fight against Gray Maynard, dropping a unanimous decision,
only the 2nd loss of his career.
It's
not known at this time if the bout between Miller and Danzig
will end up on the pay-per-view or untelevised portion of the
card.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Quote
of the Day
"Learning
to live in the present moment is part of the path of joy."
Sarah Ban Breathnach
|
NICK
DIAZ DOMINATES FRANK SHAMROCK,
GILBERT MELENDEZ WINS INTERIM
STRIKEFORCE BELT,
SMITH, ROGERS, CYBORG ALSO VICTORIOUS
Saturday April 11, 2009, on SHOWTIME
From HP Pavilion, San Jose, California
SAN
JOSE, Calif. (April 12, 2009) – Mixed martial arts made
a smashing return to premium network television Saturday with
a scintillating fight card that featured heaps of strikes, kicks,
drama, unbelievable comebacks and a brilliant, poised, victorious
performance by Nick Diaz.
In
a dominant outing in which he was in control throughout, Diaz
(19-7, 1 NC) of Stockton, Calif., made good on his vow, and impressively
knocked out legendary MMA pioneer and local favorite Frank Shamrock
before an enthusiastic crowd of 15,211 at HP Pavilion.
A
Cesar Gracie Jiu-Jitsu black belt, Diaz took apart Shamrock with
seeming ease. He whipped Shamrock on the ground and at the veteran’s
game – on the feet. The fight was stopped at 3:57 of the
second round with Diaz reigning punches with both hands on a
fallen, helpless Shamrock.
At
times, Diaz seemed to be toying, even mocking Shamrock. Twice,
Diaz, who was moving up to compete at a catch-weight 179 pounds,
took side-control, a dominant position, but Shamrock fought his
way out on both occasions.
Shamrock
(24-9-2), however, could not get inside Diaz’ long reach
and wound up getting pummeled. How bad a night was it for the
hometown favorite? Shamrock may not have even won the battle
of introductions in a fight in his hometown.
Shamrock
will be back, though, he says, and so, of course, will Diaz.
In
other televised fights, former Strikeforce lightweight champion
Gilbert Melendez captured the interim Strikeforce lightweight
championship with a second-round knockout over Rodrigo Damm,
Scott Smith rallied from the brink of defeat to register a stunning
third-round knockout over Benji Radach in a brutal battle of
determined, heavy-handed middleweights, Cris "Cyborg"
Santos knocked out Hitomi Akano in the third round of a women’s
match and Brett Rogers scored a crowd-pleasing second-round TKO
over "Abongo" Humphrey in a hard-fought matchup of
unbeaten heavyweights
The
event, the initial collaboration between Showtime Networks Inc.
and Strikeforce, aired live simultaneously on SHOWTIME and on
the World Wide Web (Strikeforce: All Access) at http://strikeforce.sho.com.
The SHOWTIME telecast aired at 10 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the
west coast); the Strikeforce: All Access webcast went at 10 p.m.
ET/7 p.m. PT.
“I
used to train with Frank so it’s not like I could hate the
guy,’’ the triumphant Diaz said. “He's been doing
what I want to do and saying what I want to say for a long time.
It always feels good to win."
Said
Shamrock, “I’m not done. I trained hard. All credit
goes to Nick. He kicked my butt. But I am not done entertaining
in this sport.’’
Melendez
dominated Damm, finishing a late substitute for Strikeforce 155-pound
world champion Josh Thomson, at 2:02 of the second round.
“Josh
is the true champion but I definitely want to fight him again,’’
Melendez said. “I lost fair and square the first fight.
I know I can do better.’’
The
spectacular slugfest between Smith (17-5, 1 NC) of Elk Grove,
Calif., and Radach (19-5) of Irvine, Calif., may have been the
fight of the night – if not the year.
After
a wildly exciting, close first round in which both were battered,
bruised and knocked down, Radach almost finished Smith in the
second. But Smith connected with a perfect right hook and that,
for all intents and purposes was that.
“I
had counted myself out,’’ said Smith, who had lost
the first two rounds on all the scorecards, including a 10-8
second round on one of them. “There was no way I wanted
to come out for the third round. But I felt I owed it to Benji
and the fans so I did.’’
Said
a disappointed Radach: “Damn, I really wanted this one and
thought I had him. It was going so good. I hope they give something
(money) for fight of the night because it would be tough to top
that fight. Scott came out strongly in the third. Obviously,
I should have played it better than I did.’’
Brazil’s
Cyborg (7-1) had an easy time with out-sized Akano (14-6) of
Japan, winning by third-round knockout. The ref halted the one-sided
action at 0:35 of the round.
“I
feel very bad I did not make the weight,’’ said the
naturally bigger and stronger Cyborg, who towered over the shorter,
smaller Akano.
Cyborg
weighed in six pounds over the contracted limit but lost two
pounds so the fight was allowed to go on. “This will never
happen again,’’ she said. “I want to be the best
women’s fighter in the world. Yes, of course, I want to
fight Gina (Carano) next.’’
In
the telecast’s first bout, Rogers, of St. Paul, Minn., improved
to 9-0 and 3-0 on SHOWTIME with a hard-fought 1:38, second-round
TKO (knees and punches) over Atlanta’s Humphrey (12-1).
“The
only thing surprising about this fight is that I was not surprised
how tough he was,’’ Rogers said. “I knew he wasn’t
going to be a one hit and done type of guy. He was undefeated.
I expected this kind of fight. There were lots of starts and
stops in my training which may have affected me a little but
I am not making excuses. I am very happy with this victory and
ready to fight anybody,’’
Rogers
had a point deducted during a give-and-take first round that
featured numerous exchanges of punches and knees for holding
Humphrey’s hair and hitting. “Believe me, it wasn’t
intentional,’’ Roger said. “He needs to cut his
hair.’’
Saturday’s
will re-air as follows:
DAY
CHANNEL
Wednesday,
April 15 at 10 p.m. ET/PT SHOWTIME TOO
Thursday,
April 23, 10 p.m. ET/PT SHOWTIME TOO
It
will be available ON DEMAND beginning Tuesday, April 14.
Versatile
play-by-play broadcast veteran Gus Johnson called the action
on SHOWTIME with MMA expert Mauro Ranallo and MMA superstar Pat
Miletich serving as expert analysts.
Saturday’s
non-televised results: Eric Lawson (9-2), Concord, Calif. 4:54,
first-round submission (strikes) over Waylon Kennell (4-2), Los
Angeles, 185 pounds; Luke Rockhold (4-1), Santa Cruz, Calif.,
4:07, first-round submission (head and arm choke) over Buck Meredith
(3-3), Temecula, Calif., 185 pounds; Raul Castillo (6-0), Half
Moon Bay, Calif., 1:45, first-round submission (rear-naked choke)
over Brandon Michaels (2-3) of Los Angeles at a catch-weight
of 187; James Terry (6-1), San Jose, unanimous decision (30-27
three times) over Zak Bucia (3-2), San Francisco, at 170 pounds;
and Shingo Kohara (1-0), Foster City, Calif. KO 2 (knee) over
Jeremy Tavares (0-5), San Jose, at 135.
Mixed
martial arts returns to SHOWTIME on Friday, May 15, when SHO
MMA: Strikeforce Challengers, a series for up-and-comers patterned
after SHOWTIME’s popular boxing series ShoBox: The New Generation,
at Fresno, Calif.
On
Saturday, June 6, Strikeforce on SHOWTIME will offer two of the
leading fighters in their respective weight classes. “Ruthless”
Robbie Lawler (middleweight) and Jake Shields (welterweight)
at a catch weight of 182 pounds in the main event. In the co-feature
at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Mo., Strikeforce light
heavyweight champion Babalu Sobral will defend against Rafael
“Feijao” Cavalcante.
Tickets
for “Lawler vs. Shields,” priced from $30, go on sale
this Monday, April 13, at 10 a.m. CT, at the Scottrade Center
box office as well as at all Ticketmaster locations (800-745-3000),
Ticketmaster online (www.ticketmaster.com), and Strikeforce’s
official website (www.strikeforce.com).
For
information on Showtime Sports Programming, including exclusive
video, photos and news links on SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING
and EliteXC mixed martial arts telecasts, please go to www.SHO.com/sports.
Source: Johnny Bey
|
Relson
Gracie Kauai Association, Kauai Technical Institute (KTI) Tournament
May 16th
Relson Gracie Kauai Association, Kauai Technical Institute (KTI)
is hosting a BJJ & submission grappling tournament on Kauai
on May 16th. Please mark your calendars and get your team ready
to make the trek to the Garden Isle.
Scrappa Lifestylez
Scrapplers Fest
submission grappling/gi tournament
May 16, 2009
Kauai
Cost Estimates
to Travel to Kauai!
For you off of Kauai, I put together a quick cost estimate for
a team of 7 or so that are travelling from Oahu to Kauai. (sorry
other neighbor islanders need to recalculate the airfare part)
It is not bad after the costs are split so I hope that everyone
takes up a large team to battle the best that Kauai has to offer.
Estimate Lowest Highest
Airfare $76 $97
Mini-van $26 $30
Hotel $23.50 $33.75
Total $125.50 $160.75
|
BJ
Penn to release new 'Book of Knowledge' in August
UFC lightweight champion BJ Penn will follow-up his successful
"Mixed Martial Arts: The Book of Knowledge" with "Brazilian
Jiu-Jitsu: The Closed Guard," scheduled to hit stores on
August 10.
The first book was published by Victory Belt Publishing on May
15, 2007. He'll team with Dave Camarillo as well as reunite with
Glen Cordoza and Erich Krauss for the second installment of the
"Book of Knowledge" series. The new book will focus
entirely on fighting off of one's back.
The
release of the book will coincide with Penn's next fight, a title
defense against Kenny Florian at UFC 101 on Aug. 8 in Philadephia.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Bellator
1 Fighter Salaries
The tournament opening round winners Jorge Masvidal, Eddie Alvarez,
Yahir Reyes, Estevan Payan, Joe Soto and Toby Imada each earned
$25,000 at last Friday's Bellator 1 from the Seminole Hard Rock
Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida.
Tournament participants were all paid $10,000 to fight and winners
were awarded a $15,000 bonus.
The
next Bellator, the second of sixteen weekly events, will take
place April 10 at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn.
Bellator events air on tape-delay the next night at 9 p.m. ET
on ESPN Deportes.
Here
are the salaries courtesy of the Florida Department of Business
& Professional Regulation.
Fighter
Base Pay Win Bonus Total
Tournament Bouts
Jorge Masvidal $10,000 $15,000 $25,000
Nick Agallar $10,000 --- $10,000
Eddie Alvarez $10,000 $15,000 $25,000
Greg Loughran $10,000 --- $10,000
Yahir Reyes $10,000 $15,000 $25,000
Nick Gonzalez $10,000 --- $10,000
Estevan Payan $10,000 $15,000 $25,000
Luis Palomino $10,000 --- $10,000
Joe Soto $10,000 $15,000 $25,000
Ben Greer $10,000 --- $10,000
Toby Imada $10,000 $15,000 $25,000
Alonzo Martinez $10,000 --- $10,000
Non-Tournament Bouts
Jonathan Brookins $2,000 $2,000 $4,000
Stephen Ledbetter $2,000 --- $2,000
Lorenzo Borogmeo $2,000 $2,000 $4,000
Daniel Morales $3,000 --- $3,000
James Brasco $1,500 $1,500 $3,000
Kevin Abrante $1,500 --- $1,500
Moyses Gabin $1,000 $1,000 $2,000
Chris Decaro $1,500 --- $1,500
Gary Padilla $2,000 $2,000 $4,000
Daniel Sarafian $2,000 --- $2,000
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Soszynski
Looking to Spoil Stann’s UFC Debut
By Kelsey Mowatt
A
lot can change over the span of one year, and for evidence of
this, one need only survey what’s happened in the life of
Krzysztof Soszynski over the last 12 months. This time last year,
the veteran fighter was just days removed from fighting Canadian
veteran Marcus Hicks, a fight he would go on to win, before embarking
for the States and the “The Ultimate Fighter” try-outs.
At the time, things were going rather well for Soszynski, who
had not only won 3 straight fights, but the former heavyweight
appeared to be settling in nicely at 205lbs.
Now,
as Soszynski heads into April, 2009, the Team Quest fighter continues
to be on a roll, coming off a successful performance on TUF,
which has made the light-heavyweight one of Canada’s more
recognized combatants. As a result of Soszynski’s banner
year, the Polish native will be featured on the pay-per-view
portion of the UFC’s upcoming April 18th, event in Montreal,
Quebec; a card that will also include some of Canada’s more
accomplished fighters.
“This
is by far one of the biggest thrills of my MMA career,”
said Soszynski, who is coming off a second round submission victory
over Shane Primm at the TUF 8 Finale in December. “To be
fighting again in Montreal, I fought there before with TKO, and
now to be fighting again in a sold-out arena, it’s an amazing
opportunity. To find out that I would be fighting for the UFC,
on the main card there, it put a big smile on my face. I’m
extremely excited.”
“Any
time you get a chance to fight with your fellow Canadian fighters
on the same card is great,” Soszynski furthered, while discussing
the UFC 97 line-up which will also see Canadians like Denis Kang,
David Loiseau, Jason MacDonald, Sam Stout and Mark Bocek. “Jason
MacDonald’s coming out tomorrow to Temecula to train for
a bit, it’s going to be a pleasure training with him, getting
ready together, it’s going to be fantastic.”
Soszynski’s
(16-8-1) opponent will be former World Extreme Cagefighting light-heavyweight
champ Brian Stann (6-1). The U.S. Marine will be the latest fighter
from the WEC to make his transition to the UFC, after Zuffa made
the decision to dissolve the smaller promotion’s heavier
divisions.
“Brian
Stann and I go way back actually,” Soszynski told FCF. “He
was part of Team Quest for about a month and-a-half when Dan
(Henderson) was preparing for Anderson Silva. So we had a chance
to spar; we had a chance to train, we basically had a chance
to figure out what each other was good at. Obviously we’ve
both gotten a lot better since that time, but having a chance
to spar with him I know that he has heavy hands, and I also know
that his ground game is a little weaker. I’m not going to
give away the game-plan, but there’s a game-plan in place,
and if I execute it well I’m confident my hand will be raised
at the end of the fight.”
Soszynski
continues to train with the aforementioned Team Quest in Temecula,
California, a camp, which in addition to traditional training
partners like Henderson and Thierry Rameau Sokoudjou, now includes
Lew Polley, Benji Radach, Cyrille Diabate and Xavier Foupa-Pokam.
In fact, Foupa-Pokam, or “Professor X” as the French
fighter is widely referred to, will also head to Montreal for
UFC 97 and will square off with Soszynski’s fellow Canadian,
Denis Kang.
“He’s
extremely dangerous,” Soszynski noted when asked to comment
on Foupa-Pokam. “I just had a training session with him
this morning. He’s so explosive, so fast, a great, great
striker. Anytime you go against a great striker you try to take
him down but he’s got great takedown defense and a good
ground game as well. Denis Kang, if he doesn’t prepare for
this fight really well, he’s in for a world of trouble.
Xavier is going to be a force to reckon with very soon.”
Source: Full Contact Fighter
|
The
second anniversary of PRIDE’s last show
By Zach Arnold
Yes,
in fact, today is the second anniversary of the company’s
last show at Saitama Super Arena.
To
me, there were two unmistakable lasting impressions & images
that came out of that show that were both sad and poetic at the
same time:
Nobuyuki
Sakakibara using the show to basically put himself over for four
hours. Anyone who remembers going to the show will remember his
face on printed material. The weasel used the occasion to put
himself over and that he did.
Jeff Monson, who was marketed as UFC’s representative at
the PRIDE 34 show, choked out PRIDE Japanese star Kazuyuki Fujita
in the main event. Less than two weeks before this fight happened,
UFC management was busy celebrating at Roppongi Hills in Tokyo
and putting over their asset purchase of PRIDE.
Given all of the cartoons and editorials scoffing at UFC management
for ‘destroying’ a Japanese company (which they did
not), the end result played right into the hands of the race-baiters
and nationalists. I’ll never forget the aftermath of the
asset sale purchase, in which Hustle (Sakakibara’s pro-wrestling
operation) was running angles out of the same office that PRIDE
had been using in Japan.
Source: Fight Opinion
|
Jiu-Jitsu’s
undefeated beast
Ana Laura against Chris Thomas at Pan
A chat
with Ana Laura Cordeiro
Gabriel Menezes
She’s
22 years old, born in Unai, Minas Gerais, and has been devastating
in the competition Jiu-Jitsu circuit having remained undefeated
in all 56 competition matches she has been in since she was a
white belt (now she is brown).
Behold
Ana Laura Cordeiro, who was the big name at the Pan among the
ladies winning the medium heavyweight category and the absolute.
Praised
by Marcio Feitosa, the Gracie Barra fighter is now looking forward
to her black belt. Happy with her performance at the Pan, she
sent a special message home from the USA to her mother, Clea.
“I’d
like to dedicate this win to all my family and my husband Rafael,
who always supported and believed in my potential, but especially
to my mother, Clea, who even while so far from me, I feel her
present at the championships I’m in and I’m certain
that if it weren’t for all the good energy she sends me
from Brazil I wouldn’t have been able to do it,” said
Ana Laura.
Check
out GRACIEMAG.com’s interview with Ana Laura:
What
did you think of the Pan 2009?
The
Pan was really good. It was really competitive, with lots of
fighters from all over the world, excellent. This is my second
Pan, but what I noticed last year and heard comments about, was
the growth of Jiu-Jitsu both in the number of athletes and spectators
too. There was a lot of people there every day. The gymnasium
was packed.
How
did you feel about having yet another win in your career?
I’m
content with my performance at the tournament. I think I did
everything right. Once again I stood out in the championship
taking weight and absolute and now I’m picking up the pace
in training for the Worlds.
How
did you feel throughout the competition? How do you assess your
game?
I
felt really great in competition. I had six matches in all and
that in less than three hours, with five fights going the entire
10 minutes. Adding it all up that makes 50 minutes. I felt great
and was going full blast. It wasn’t just me who noticed,
but a lot of people came to compliment me, saying that from last
year’s Worlds to this Pan my game has changed a lot. My
game is more technical and mathematical, using more of the leverage
Jiu-Jitsu has to offer. One of these compliments came from Marcio
Feitosa. So I think I couldn’t be happier. Over the whole
competition I scored 55 points and only suffered two. Adding
it up that’s 55 to 2 in my favor. So I’m pleased and
now I need to work more on finishing.
Of
all the matches you’ve been in, has any one of them been
the toughest, most emotional or unpredictable?
My
semifinal against Gabrielle Garcia, a great athlete who is much
heavier than me. I went the whole time playing from the bottom
and I managed to sweep and move well and was very technical.
So I got my knee on her belly scoring 4 to 2 and thus going through
to the final where I won by 27 to 0.
What
did you think of the women’s participation in the Pan?
I
thought it was great. The sport is truly growing. Among the kids
I saw lots of girls who last year were purple belts and this
year are already competing at brown and black. I think this number
will become bigger still at the Worlds this year. I’m hoping
lots of girls will come up from Brazil to compete here. And I
think the girls’ Jiu-Jitsu is getting ever more interesting
to watch. The girls have been showing lots of different techniques,
making a lot of black belts envious.
You
are undefeated in competition Jiu-Jitsu. What are your thoughts
on that?
With
this Pan now I’m at 56 matches without losing since white
belt. I think the number says a lot and I want to keep it up.
I know nothing is forever and no one is unbeatable. I’m
training a lot to keep building on this number with every championship
I’m in. It’s a lot harder for you to win a championship
than to lose it, which is why when I win, I’m so happy.
But with the win comes that obligation to train more because
you want to remain at the top. Everyone knows it’s not easy
to keep in shape year round. When I meet with defeat I’ll
be sad, but afterwards I’ll know how to analyze it wisely
to see where I went wrong and try and fix it. Everyone needs
to see both sides of the coin some day.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Paulo
Filho to make DREAM debut on May 26
The final WEC middleweight champ Paulo Filho will return to Japan
when he makes his DREAM debut at DREAM 9 on May 26.
Filho's coach Josuel Distak revealed the former WEC middleweight
champ's next fight to TATAME.com. He'll also put his weight issues
aside by moving up to light-heavyweight.
Filho
was widely recognized as the number two middleweight in the world
after teammate Anderson Silva coming to the WEC in August 2007
with an undefeated record in 14 fights. But dispute winning the
promotional title, his issues with depression and making weight
have put him almost out of the picture in the rankings. In his
last fight, Filho lost for the first time in his career in an
unanimous decision to Chael Sonnen. When the WEC phased out the
middleweight division, the UFC passed on picking up Filho's contract,
while signing Sonnen and other middleweight prospects.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
'Karate
Hottie' Michelle Waterson Competing on Saturday
Press Release
PHOENIX
(April 8, 2009) – Two-time world boxing champion Elena “Baby
Doll” Reid is one of the few hybrid fighters, equally adept
at professional boxing and mixed-martial-arts, and she’ll
display her MMA skills Saturday night (April 11) in “Extreme
Beatdown,” featuring a pair of Sovereign Nations Mixed Martial
Arts (SNMMA) championship matches, as well as a special appearance
by MMA heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar, Apache Gold Casino,
located five miles east of Globe in San Carlos, Arizona.
Former
Arizona high school wrestlers, Yaotzin Meza (11-4-0) and Jamie
“The Headhunter” Schmidt (7-2-0), will fight for the
SNMMA featherweight title in the main event (5 five-minute rounds).
SNMMA
links federally recognized tribes throughout the United States
and Canada. SNMMA’s mission is to develop, promote and help
regulate mixed-martial-arts in a fair and professional manner
by federally recognized tribes that are sovereign nations.
Show
sponsors include MTX Audio, Respek MMA Fight Gear, Catch 22 Sports
Grill, and Hacienda Harley. Highlights of “Extreme Beatdown”
will be taped and later shown on HD Net’s Inside MMA Show.
Phoenix-based
Reid (2-0-0), who sports a 19-5-6 (5 KOs) pro record, takes on
Michelle “The Karate Hottie” Waterson (7-2-0), from
Albuquerque, in a special female 112-pound catch-weight attraction
match.
Reid,
who has a Bachelor’s degree in marketing from UNLV and will
soon be attending Arizona State University to pursue another
degree in leadership/management for non-profit organizations,
started kick-boxing when she 15 and she won a few titles. Finding
it difficult to get kick-boxing fights, she concentrated on boxing
and eventually dabbled in MMA. “I was living in Las Vegas
and was surrounded by MMA fighters with Randy Couture and I knew
Gina (Carano) when she was starting out,” the former Liberty
College student said. “MMA was another way of fighting,
a good outlet for me to do, and I’m having more MMA fights
because it’s tougher getting boxing matches.
“I
started calling out Michelle six months ago. We hung out a little
three months back at an MMA event. She’s cool, beautiful
and was on an MMA fight television show. Michelle’s into
karate and has a Taekwondo background. She wants to go on the
ground and I want to stay on my feet.. I hope that she wants
to stand, I’ve heard her say that about other fights, but
styles make fights and this should be exciting for fans to watch.”
The
first SNMMA super heavyweight (266-pounds or more) title will
be contested in the co-feature (5-five minute rounds) as local
hero Chance “King of the Street” Williams (6-2-0),
who hails from nearby Globe (AZ), meets Las Vegas invader Brice
Ritani-Coe (2-0-0).
Lesnar
will be at “Extreme Beatdown” to sign autographs and
pose for pictures with fans, as well as to support his friend
and Minnesota Martial Arts Academy workout partner, Chris Tuchscherer(16-1-0),
the first and reigning SNMMA heavyweight champion. The former
2-time NCAA, Division II All-America wrestler, Tuchscherer, from
Fargo (ND), is slated to fight in a non-title match against unbeaten
Jamie Klair (7-0-0).
Phoenix-based
MMA rising stars on hand at “Beatdown Extreme” for
a meet-and-greet with the public include Efrain Escudero, Danny
Martinez, Ben Henderson and others.
Also
on the undercard is Phoenix bantamweight Jesse “Arturo”
Moreng (8-1-0) vs. Brandon Miller (3-3-0), of Fresno (CA); Phoenix
light heavyweight Jesse “Kid Hercules” Forbes (8-3-0)
vs.Shane De Zee, of Minneapolis; Phoenix middleweight Ray “C4”
Steinbeiss (11-5-0) vs. Chris Hugh (6-2-0), of Bismarck (ND);
Phoenix lightweights Chris Gruetzemacher (0-2-0) vs. Josh Gaskins
(4-1-0); Phoenix middleweight Jeremy Larsen (3-1-0) vs. Jeff
Horlatcher (6-16-0), of Globe (AZ); York (ND) heavyweight Seth
Harrison (2-1-0) vs. TBA.
All
fights and fighters are subject to change. All fights excluding
the two SNMMA title matches feature 3 five-minute rounds.
Source: The Fight Opinion
|
Things
Change (Part 5 of 5 on PFC)
by Joshua Stein
So,
here’s the conclusion to the five part series on Pride.
FightOpinion has posted parts two and four, and parts one and
three are up on the site. Feel free to check them out.
There
is some truth to that old line from W.B. Yeats’ “The
Second Coming,” the observation that “things fall apart.”
In every great conflict, there is the inevitable collapse that
comes after. Something changes, something falls apart, and in
the competition between the UFC and Pride, we (and I say “we”
because it’s the fans more than anyone else) suffered a
major fatality.
The
collapse of Pride had its impacts, just as the falling of any
major corporation alters the landscape of an industry. This is
a sport that is young and growing, maybe even at a viral rate,
and that has allowed for a lot of resilience within the industry
as a whole. From a technical standpoint, as a consumer or just
an onlooker, the impact on the sport isn’t good or bad.
Business is rarely that simple.
If
the opportunities presented are well exploited, if those who
can take advantage and create a superior product do, then we
can call the impact, at the end of the day, positive. If the
world collapses and the UFC becomes the Evil Empire with an aging
Dana White playing the roll of Darth Vader (which I assume would
make Lorenzo Fertitta Emperor Palpatine, though I’d avoid
extending the metaphor that far), then it could have a devastation
effect on the world of MMA.
At
the moment, I am leaning towards the former rather than the later,
if for no other reason than because the quality of product we
have had offered to us lately is better than I would expect if
we were going to start on the decline. Generally, when I see
a spike in the quality of cards, I don’t jump to the conclusion
that the sport is starting on a downward spiral. That’s
just not a pattern I’m familiar with.
Industries
evolve; they demonstrate growth and change, progress and variation,
and that’s what we’re seeing in the wake of the aftermath
of Pride. It is Darwin at work in the marketplace, and the result
may be similarly incredible.
Source: Fight Opinion
|
Kuraoka
on his Pan title
JJ player comments on winning roosterweight title at black belt
Joao
Carlos Kuraoka, 28, was the big name in the roosterweight category
at the Jiu-Jitsu Pan-American 2009, having surprised Felipe Costa
in the final. His win over Costa was a great relief for Kuraoka,
who managed to get revenge this time.
“My
second match at the Pan was the final with Felipe Costa, who
I’d competed against at last year’s Worlds and to whom
I lost by an advantage point. That loss was a thorn in my side.
But at least I managed to come up with the win this time,”
said the relieved champion.
Kuraoka
also broke down the omoplata applied on Felipe Costa and caught
by the lens of the GRACIEMAG.com team present at the CSU Dominguez
Hills gymnasium.
“He
defended and escaped well. It was funny that he managed to escape
the same way Lucas Leite did against Otavio Sousa a day earlier,
in the absolute. I’d never seen it before, I ended up learning
a new technique in this fight. At the very end I tried to go
for a footlock again, but time ran out and I won the fight. Felipe
is really experienced and technical, which is why I’m so
happy with the win,” declared Kuraoka.
What
is curious is that days before the Pan, the fighter, born in
Sao Paulo, but at 13 moved to Japan to study, was not sure he
would be competing, since his teammate at Axis, Japanese competitor
Kitahara, was unable to leave for the United States due to work
obligations. Kuraoka, though, didn’t blink and signed up
on the last day to do so; “it was lucky,” he said,
he managed to get the last seat available on the plane, which
was completely booked.
From
all the unforeseen events, Kuraoka arrived at an interesting
conclusion. “I wasn’t prepared, since I decided to
go at the last minute, but I managed to move around more than
I thought. Sometimes when you’re 100% it doesn’t work
out, and when you are not quite ready it ends up working. In
this bout I came to the conclusion that the best way is to just
leave it in the hands of God,” the athlete said in finishing.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Rage
in the Cage promoter steps in the cage
After 125 Rage in the Cage events spanning over ten years, promoter
Roland Sarria will make his mixed martial arts debut on Friday,
April 17 in Phoenix, Arizona.
Sarria, 45, will take on Richard Frye in a middleweight bout.
Sarria is a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt and the founder of
the Rage in the Cage Training Center. Joe Riggs and Edwin Dewees
are among the UFC veterans who have developed through the Rage
in the Cage school and promotion.
Rage
in the Cage 126 will be headlined by Richard Hale will defend
his heavyweight belt against Rich Beecroft. Also on the card
will be five-time IFL competitor John Gunderson taking on Eric
Regan in a welterweight bout.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Quote
of the Day
"A
little learning is a dangerous thing but a lot of ignorance is
just as bad."
Bob Edwards
|
2009
Triple Crown of BJJ
Today!
The date
for the first crown of the 2009 Triple Crown of BJJ has been
set!
Hawaiian
Championship of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
Kaiser High School, Honolulu, Hawaii
April 11, 2009
http:www.hawaiitriplecrown.com
|
X1
Temple of Boom V
Today!
X1 Temple of Boom V
April 11, 2009
Palolo Hongwanji, Honolulu, Hawaii
Pro Boxing starts at 7:15 p.m.
MMA starts at 5:30 p.m
Hawaii's
Isaac Arasato a Painter and Presidential Scholarship Recipient
at U.H. expecting to graduate from the University of Hawaii in
May, is scheduled to box Ricky Thompson from Tampa, Florida.
Thompson's last bout was against 2008 Olympian Sadam Ali of New
York. His opponents total current record as of April 7th is 23-11.
All bouts subject to approval by the Hawaii State Boxing Commission.
If you have any questions feel free to email me at bkawano@aol.com
Pro
Boxing
135
- Isaac Arasato (Palolo BC) vs Ricky Thompson (Florida)
140
- Van Oscar Penovaroff (Kona BC) vs Mike Maley (Indiana)
126
- Thaddine Johnson (New York) vs Tracey Stevens (Canada)
145
- Richard Barnard (Waianae BC) vs Dimitris Labatos (Florida)
140
- Nui Wheeler (Maili Soljahs) vs Keith Kelly (Montana)
MMA
170
- Kolo Koka (MMAD) vs Michael Brightmon (Gorilla House)
170 - David Kahanui (Da Hui) vs Kona Ke (Gods Army)
135
- Julio Moreno (Bullspen) vs Jared Iha (No Remorse)
145
- Steve Albanese (M.C.O.A) vs Colin Mackenzie (Gods Army)
155
- Cordel Knapp (558 MP) vs Angel Garza (Chris Leben)
155 - Steve Farmer (Universal Combat) vs Ben Santiago (Gods Army)
170 - Keoki Silva (Freelance) vs Joe Palimoo (HMC)
185
- Kaipo Cayetano (Bullspen) vs Frankie Ruiz (Freelance)
185 - Akoni Sexton (Freelance) vs Derrick Wright (Freelance)
205 - Mikey (Freelance) vs Ashton Visoria (Team Devastation)
|
SHO
MMA's Debut Main Event Confirmed
By FCF Staff
Strikeforce
has confirmed the line-up for the promotion’s first SHO
MMA: Strikeforce Challengers Series event, which will take place
May 15th at the Save Mart Center in Fresno, California. The series
will largely feature prospects from the growing Strikeforce promotion,
and like the discontinued ShoXC series, cards that mostly showcased
up-and-coming fighters from the defunct Elite XC, SHO MMA cards
will also be broadcast on the Showtime Television Network.
“This
is where the men—and women—will be separated from the
boys, so to speak,” Strikeforce founder and CEO Scott Coker
was quoted saying in a news release sent out this afternoon.
“The growth and future of our sport just got a turbo injection.
For regional fighters and up-and-coming men and women looking
to test themselves against other top prospects and get on the
fast-track to stardome, SHO MMA: Strikeforce Challengers is the
place to do it. I can’t wait for this first event.”
In
the main event, undefeated lightweight Billy Evangelista (9-0)
will take on the veteran, Mike Aina (11-6). Evangelista, who
has defeated the likes of Nam Phan and Luke Caudillo while competing
for Strikeforce, is coming off a Unanimous Decision victory over
Harris Sarmiento at Palace Fighting Championship 12 in January.
Aina
has not fought since last August, when he submitted Ismael Gonzalves
at Rumble on the Rock 8. The Hawiann fighter has now won two
straight, since his memorable Split Decision loss to Nick Diaz
,at EliteXC’s ‘Uprising’ event in September, 2007.
Strikeforce
has also announced that Kim Couture will be competing on the
SHO MMA card, however, no opponent has yet been confirmed.
No
other bouts were announced in today’s release.
Source: Full Contact Fighter
|
Marcelo
Garcia in World Pro BJJ
Marcelo Garcia in action at the 2007 Pan, his last gi tournamet.
Cobrinha, Vella, Estima, Robson Moura and Langhi also confirmed
World
Pro Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu just gained a significant reinforcement.
Considered one of the biggest names in Jiu-Jitsu and submission
wrestling in recent years, Marcelo Garcia was confirmed to be
in by Carlao Santos, the event’s organizer.
Carlao
Santos is enthused with the addition of such dynamos as Rubens
Charles “Cobrinha,” Braulio Estima, Michael Langhi,
Lucio Lagarto, Gabriel Vella and Robson Moura. Another about
to be confirmed is Rafael Lovato Jr.
“Now,
I’m expecting a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu spectacle for the World
Pro. It’s just what I wanted, folks returning to the gi,
since they’d all headed for MMA,” celebrated Santos.
“It’s really great to see this return taking place,”
said the black belt in finishing.
According
to Carlao, fighter Ricardo Arona will not be going to Abu Dhabi.
Though the beast was pleased by the invite, his current focus
is on MMA. But Carlao is not giving up. The next in his sights
is Lovato, who is about to confirm whether he will or will not
be attending.
World
Pro BJJ will take place between the 1st and 2nd of May at the
Zayed Sport City Tennis Court, in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
The competition is offering US$ 111,000 in prize money.
Sign-ups
can be performed by email. Anyone to sign up by April 18 will
pay US$ 40, after which the fee will be raised to US$ 60.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
OVEREEM
LIKELY TO DEFEND STRIKEFORCE TITLE IN '09
by Damon Martin
As Strikeforce sits just days away from its official debut on
Showtime, the title picture in the promotion is starting to come
clear with recent bouts announced, and more championship bouts
coming in the near future.
One
title that has not been discussed much yet is the heavyweight
belt, which currently belongs to powerful striker Alistair Overeem.
He won the belt in late 2007 with a TKO over Paul Buentello.
Overeem
has recently been spending most of his time fighting in Japan,
while also participating in K-1 kickboxing bouts. With Strikeforce
putting on several shows over the next few months, including
fights on CBS later this year, the Strikeforce heavyweight division
will likely see its champion return to defend his title.
As
Strikeforce executive Mike Afromowitz told MMAWeekly Radio recently,
they believe Overeem will head back to the United States to defend
his belt this year.
"We're
looking to get him back pretty soon. I'd say more likely than
not, you're going to see him defend his title this year,"
Afromowitz said about Overeem.
The
Dutch fighter had been courted by a number of organizations over
the last few months, including the UFC, which featured Overeem
backstage during one of president Dana White's video blogs a
few months ago.
It
appears that while Overeem will continue to fulfill his time
with K-1 and Dream, he will also head back to Strikeforce to
put his belt up for grabs in 2009.
A
growing list of contenders will likely vie for the shot to get
at Overeem, including a pivotal match-up during the Showtime
debut on April 11, when Brett Rogers returns to action to face
Ron "Abongo" Humphrey.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Sengoku
champ Satoru Kitaoka also wants Pancrase belt
Before Satoru Kitaoka (24-8-9) makes his first Sengoku lightweight
title defense in August, the top ten lightweight will return
home to Pancrase to fight on June 7.
Kitaoka has said he wants to hold both titles, but admits he
isn't ranked under the Pancrase system because he's coming off
a loss with the promotion. He'll work his way up as he's set
to take on Yukio Sakaguchi (3-4) on June 7.
Kitaoka
began his career in October 2000 with the promotion and competed
consistantly there until January 2008. He left last May for the
World Victory Road Sengoku lightweight tournament and won five
straight fights to capture the promotion's title. In the finals,
Kitaoka submitted former PRIDE champion Takanori Gomi with an
achilles lock in 1 minutes and 41 seconds.
Sakaguchi
has fought for Pancrase six times and two of his wins have come
via KO. His last fight was at last New Year's Eve's "Dynamite,"
where he lost via KO to Andy Ologun.
Also
slated for the card are Ryo Kawamura, Koji Oishi, Seiya Kawahara,
Ichiro Kanai, Kenji Arai and Takafumi Ito.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Strikeforce
to Debut 'All Access' Show on Apr. 11
Press Release
NEW YORK (April 8, 2009)—SHOWTIME will offer Mixed Martial
Arts (MMA) fans the opportunity to get immersed in the April
11, blockbuster premiere ofStrikeforce on SHOWTIME with its new
interactive online experience, Strikeforce: All Access, it was
announced today by the network’s Senior Vice President and
General Manager, Sports and Event Programming, Ken Hershman.
The digital initiative, an interactive live stream of Strikeforce:
Shamrock vs. Diaz, onSaturday, April 11, further demonstrates
the premium network’s commitment to leading the television
industry in online, mobile, and interactive content distribution.
Fans
can purchase the live webcast simultaneously with the live SHOWTIME
telecast beginning at 10 p.m. ET*. Online participants can control
their own viewing experience through multiple camera angles with
corresponding audio tracks as well as interact with fellow users,
view user-generated photos and download select music tracks from
the event.
"By
and large, the core fight fans watching MMA on SHOWTIME are among
the most technologically savvy of all viewers," said Hershman.
"We are proud to offer this enhanced experience to an audience
that will embrace the opportunity to control the content and
interact with one another during the live show. Strikeforce:
All Access puts you in the driver seat."
Strikeforce:
All Access will cost $24.95 per user and is available for review
and pre-order by visiting http://strikeforce.sho.com.
With
Strikeforce: All Access, fans can be the producer. Users can
toggle between five live cameras surrounding the cage with full
pause and rewind capabilities. Audio tracks will include the
SHOWTIME telecast fight call by Gus Johnson, Mauro Ranallo and
Pat Miletich, and the corresponding audio to the selected camera.
SHOWTIME is working with BitGravity, Inc. and Episodic, Inc.
to enable this unique multi-camera experience.
Fans
will be able to make predictions, comment on live fights, discuss
outcomes and even talk a little smack with All Access through
a live Facebook® Connectapplication.
Other
Strikeforce: All Access features will include professional photography
from the action in the cage, as well as behind-the-scenes, backstage
and fan photos. Images will be uploaded during the live event
via Flickr, the popular image and video hosting website and online
community.
If
users want to own the ring-walk music of their favorite fighter,
they can purchase select songs via iTunes directly from links
on the site.
“SHOWTIME
has led the industry in multi-platform initiatives for years,”
said Robert Hayes, Senior Vice President and General Manager,
Digital Media for SHOWTIME. “We were the first premium network
to offer content on iTunes. We were the first to offer Emmy®
voters online screenings of SHOWTIME nominees. We partner with
over 100 sites when sampling episodes of our original series
and SHOWTIME Sports content. And we are the only premium network
offering the explosive sport of mixed martial arts."
“Sports
will be one of the big winners with the availability of high
quality, scalable and affordable live streaming,” said Chris
Turner, VP of Worldwide Sales and Business Development at BitGravity.
“SHOWTIME understands that sport fans demand a seamless
viewing experience with a quality stream, quick start and no
download. We are delighted to work with them to deliver Strikeforce:
All Access.”
The
April 11 fight card features MMA pioneer Frank Shamrock taking
on his newest rival, superstar Nick Diaz in the main event. Female
MMA phenom Cris "Cyborg" of Brazil will take on Japan's
Hitomi Akano, middleweight contender Scott Smith will face Benji
Radach and heavyweights Brett Rogers and"Abongo" Humphrey
will square off to round out the show. Plus, Gilbert Melendez
will face an opponent to be announced in a lightweight match.
*Telecast
airs live at 10 p.m. ET/PT on SHOWTIME (delayed on the West Coast);
Strikeforce: All Access will be webcast live at 10 p.m. ET/7
p.m. PT
Source: The Fight Network
|
The
Monopoly (Part 3 of 5 on PFC)
by Joshua Stein
I
started a series of pieces on the second anniversary of the Pride
buyout to discuss some of the consequences. Zach Arnold at FightOpinion.com
has posted part two and will carry part four. Part one is up
and part five will be up, on this site, to conclude the series.
What
the Pride buyout meant for the UFC was obvious. It meant control.
It meant dictating the standard for the market, and not having
to worry about competition for the hardcore MMA fans, who might
watch Pride cards if the UFC events weren’t impressive.
In order to avoid the conflict, both organizations had avoided
cross scheduling.
The
UFC’s entire marketing plan changed, and all of a sudden
they had the market cornered. They had the top fighters, the
most air-time to push those fighters and a huge opportunity to
make the terms “MMA” and “Ultimate Fighting”
interchangeable, and they have exploited that difference to the
best of their ability.
The
UFC is the undisputed chip leader, and they use every opportunity
to bully the smaller shows. Their programming opposite Affliction
may not have seemed to hurt the first event, but when the UFC
demonstrates that they can throw a card together that quickly
and put Anderson Silva at the top of it, as they did the night
that Affliction made its promoting debut, it makes smaller promoters
think about trying to cut in on the major market.
Gary
Shaw’s EliteXC became the first organization to attempt
to compete, but the UFC’s control of the market, the time
that they took to bash Kimbo Slice, coupled with sloppy, and
perhaps shady, marketing practices, they eventually fell apart.
I guess it’s true what W.B. Yeats said when he pointed out
that “the center cannot hold,” but it doesn’t
help when Dana White is on TV mentioning how much your roster
sucks every chance he gets.
Now,
it’s important to acknowledge why so many organizations
have struggled as a result of the collapse of Pride. It wasn’t
really about simply the existence of Pride, challenging the UFC
in the mainstream media, because those who followed what little
coverage there was know that there wasn’t a great deal of
challenge from Pride in the western media.
It’s
an issue of market control. Pride had its own, substantial fanbase,
both in Asia in the western hemisphere. The UFC wasn’t going
to encroach on their fans, and they knew that. But when those
fans went up for grabs, and there was no die hard fanbase for
their competition, the UFC knew that they had a shot at taking
control of the die hard Pride fans, at least outside of south
east Asia.
No
one is really sure how long it will take for it to the UFC to
figure out that they can take control of the Asian market, or
at least for them to give it a shot. Still, Dream and World Victory
Road are not yet substantial opposition, and that option is certainly
available, while it was completely unthinkable given the rabid
loyalty of the Japanese support that Pride had cultivated.
The
UFC’s biggest threat in terms of revenue, the only competition
and differentiation that concerned them with regards to product
quality was Pride, and at this point the UFC has such a great
control over the major fighters and venues, and they leave the
fans with no other place to turn where they can get a substantial
product on a regular basis, that they are, in the most clinical
definition of the term, a monopoly.
The
other dealer on the street is dead, and the UFC knows that. They
know that fans with a persistent habit are subject to their dealings,
and that most all of them will watch, which allows the UFC the
opportunity to set the standard in quality however they want.
That can mean any number of things, it can spur any number of
insights, depending on the way that the UFC chooses to run it,
but the revelation that the UFC is in control points to the motive
for the buyout and to its greatest impact.
Source: Fight Opinion
|
Josh
Stein’s PRIDE history series: The Power Vacuum in the East
(Part 4)
By Zach Arnold
A
note from the author: On the second anniversary of the PRIDE
buyout by Zuffa (UFC’s parent company), I decided to post
a series I’d been working on for a while in order to talk
about some of the fallout from what was the most important piece
of the history of the sport so far.
Part
1 - On PRIDE Without Prejudice
Part 2 - Free Agents & Mercenaries
Part 3 - The Monopoly
Part 4 - The Power Vacuum in the East
Part 5 - Things Change
By Josh Stein
There
is something to be said for the metaphor of the Japanese Sengoku
Period, in the fifteenth century, a way of expressing the vacuum
created by the removal of the Japanese titan. It seems appropriate,
as a result, that one of the organizations coming up in the wake
of PRIDE should name its brand of shows after the period of conflict.
The reality, though, is that the fall of PRIDE did the same thing
to Japanese MMA that the weakening of the Imperial powers did
to Japanese politics so long ago.
Conflict,
though, isn’t always bloody, and while there will inevitably
be casualties to the creation of a Japanese power vacuum, it
isn’t a bad thing, especially for consumers of the product.
Economics professors never stop reminding their students that
competition is the device of innovation.
The
removal of the greatest power in Japanese MMA gave an opportunity
to smaller organizations, like DEEP, but much of this impact
has been overshadowed by the arrival of two larger organizations,
DREAM and World Victory Road (who run the Sengoku product). K-1
has tried its hand a little, as well, furthering their attempts
to reach out to Eastern MMA fans and, from time to time, bringing
out MMA fights between their major kickboxers and their big draws.
While
the magnitude of these organizations is not really felt by many
western MMA fans, who don’t pay attention to the products
being marketed overseas, though the Japanese have been brilliant
innovators and adept capitalists. The competition that DREAM
and WVR are looking to bring up may undo the greatest opportunity
that might have been presented to the UFC: the opportunity to
establish control in south-east Asia.
There
is no need to sell MMA to Asian fans, or to worry about legalization,
though the UFC would certainly have to consider how they might
sell their particular eight-sided packaging to an audience used
to rings. Still, with the abundance of fighters that the Japanese
are already emotionally invested in, it seems that the UFC has
let the pitch go by, with respect to taking control of the Asian
market; perhaps the second largest, with regard to number of
consumers, and arguable the most potent in its buying power and
veracity.
The
establishment of three major competitive organizations seeking
control of an Asian market was not much of a surprise. The Japanese
fans need their fix, and there were plenty of promoters, from
the Japanese pro-wrestling scene and smaller MMA shows, looking
to capitalize on it. Long story short, K-1, WVR and DREAM seem
to have taken the place of the late monolith, now collapsed.
In
order to really establish a bridge for these organizations, though,
a few very clever individuals, including former five-time UFC
champion Pat Miletich, have established an overarching body with
its own belts, rankings and website: WAMMA. It’s quite an
acronym (World Alliance of Mixed Martial Arts), with an ambitious,
and perhaps presumptuous, undertone, but the leaders of the Alliance
have worked hard to establish a ranking system that seems more
or less bulletproof from criticisms about bias and establish
its own belt system.
WAMMA
has worked hard to bridge the competition, to make sure that
MMA fans don’t have to argue constantly about rankings and
the outcome of superfights that will never happen. The rankings
that the Alliance has worked to establish are relatively sound,
and include UFC fighters acknowledged at the tops of their divisions,
especially when those positions are as well deserved as that
of someone like, say, Anderson Silva or Georges St. Pierre.
The
leaders of WAMMA have seen fit to start establishing belts, and
have decided that, in order to earn a belt, a fighter must defeat
a legitimate, top ten (if not top five) opponent. Fedor Emelianenko
was not awarded his title until after his thirty-six second destruction
of Tim Sylvia, though there was very little dispute about his
ranking before, and Shinya Aoki was not granted his title until
defeating Eddie Alvarez.
Of
course, there is still some question about whether or not WAMMA
will really become an all inclusive “World Alliance”
with respect to the UFC and WEC (both under the rule of the occasionally
uncooperative Dana White), where there are still legitimate top
fighters in many a weight class. It is in the best interest of
Zuffa to maintain their assertion that the UFC has all of the
top fighters and that a UFC title is tantamount to a world title,
whether the statement is true in all cases or not, as it certainly
helps to build hype.
The
leadership at WAMMA has expressed a desire to work openly with
the UFC, and it would certainly open up a lot of interesting
opportunities if the UFC acknowledged the legitimacy of the organization.
Still, those who think it’s a good pitch shouldn’t
get their hopes up, as these things take a lot of maneuvering,
if for no other reason than there is so much potential for frustration
and failure in negotiations like this.
It
is the creation of a new power structure, however competitive
and volatile it may seem, in Asia, that creates a great deal
of opportunity for MMA fans, and the opportunity for an organization
like WAMMA, creating a mediator for negotiations between promoters,
that seems to be the greatest benefit of the fall of PRIDE. Benefits
as substantial as the opportunity to see fights between former
UFC heavyweight champions and the #1 ranked Emelianenko should
not be overlooked.
Source: Fight Opinion
|
The
Fighter: Fat Burning 101
Posted by PR Cole
"Fuel The Fighter" discusses each month how a mixed
martial artist can apply physiology and nutrition to optimize
his or her training and performance. This article was published
in FIGHT! magazine and is reprinted on MMAFighting.com with permission.
For more "Fuel The Fighter," click here.
Fat Burning 101
The Ultimate Crash Course
By PR Cole
MS, RD Candidate, Columbia University
PRCole@fuelthefighter.com
http://twitter.com/fuelthefighter
Trimming
away those extra pounds can be a real challenge- especially if
you’re already on the leaner side and you’re aiming
for a more defined physique. Weight loss can be especially tricky
for athletes who are trying to find a balance between cutting
calories and eating to support intense workouts.
What’s
involved in losing a pound of fat?
To
lose one pound of fat you need to burn 3,500 calories. So over
the course of a week, you’d need to burn 500 calories each
day. This is best achieved by decreasing food intake, and increasing
physical activity. If you burn 300 calories daily through exercise
then you need to cut out about 200 calories from food in addition
to that.
What
type of exercise is best for losing weight?
This
can be a little confusing. While it’s true that low intensity
exercise (like power walking or light cardio) is best for burning
fat as a fuel for exercise, high intensity cardio will burn more
overall calories in the same time period. Since weight loss is
all about the calorie deficit, I recommend opting for more intense
workouts when possible. Think about it like this, a 150 lb man
will burn about 100 calories from either walking or running 1
mile. If he runs the mile he’ll be able to burn those calories
in half the time.
How
much should I restrict if I’m trying to lose weight?
Since
you want to lose fat and not muscle, you need to make sure you
keep your protein intake high. You also need to keep up the carbs
since they fuel your workouts. Since fats are very important
to general health (like essential omega fats) don’t cut
them out completely. The following are the minimum nutrients
needed to help support an active individual trying to tone up.
Minimum
calories needed: About 14 calories per pound of body weight
Minimum
protein requirement: About 0.6 grams per pound of body weight
Minimum
carbohydrate requirement: About 2.3 grams per pound of body weight
Minimum
fat requirement: About .7 grams of fat per pound of body weight
What’s
in all those “fat burning” supplements?
The
market is saturated with a variety of over the counter supplements
that claim to promote weight loss. The following is a summary
of some of the main “fat burning” ingredients.
Ingredient
Origin Theory behind it Dose Main Side Effects
Chitosan The exoskeleton of crustaceans Remedy to reduce fat
absorption 2-3 g daily
Gastrointestinal discomfort (constipation and flatulence)
Ephedra (aka ma huang) Derived from an evergreen shrub in central
Asia Often combined with caffeine (guarana/kola nuts) to promote
fat loss. Also acts as a stimulant to increase energy No more
than 10 mg per day * Head ache, increased heart rate, increased
blood pressure, insomnia, gastrointestinal distress Green tea
extract Produced from green tea leaves Reported to increase energy
expenditure and inhibit the breakdown of dietary fat. 25% polyphenols
per day Potential for liver damage, speak with your doctor if
you have a liver condition before taking this supplement. Overconsumption
may interfere with iron absorption Hydroxy-methyl butyrate Formed
from the breakdown of the amino acid Leucine Helps support increases
in lean body mass 3 g daily Few adverse effects Yerba Mate Derived
from an evergreen tree in South America Often prepared with guarana,
this supplement delays the time it takes food to empty the stomach,
which decreases hunger 670 mg daily Few adverse effects Yohimbe
Made from an evergreen tree native to Central America Functions
as a stimulant of the nervous systems 20 mg daily Few adverse
effects, however higher doses may cause rapid heart rate, high
blood pressure, insomnia, panic attacks, hallucinations, headaches,
and dizziness
*
Note that there has been much controversy in recent years regarding
the safety of supplements that contain ephedra since the compound
has been implicated (though not conclusively) in a handful of
deaths. Currently, the federal government has issued a ban for
doses of ephedra that exceed 10 mg. California, Illinois and
New York have banned the substance entirely.
Use
discretion if you decide to supplement since few scientific studies
have examined how these substances interact with the body in
the long run. It’s a good idea to consult a physician before
starting any regimen of supplements to make sure that they won’t
interact with any current prescriptions or medical conditions.
References
Pittler,
M. H., & Ernst, E. (2004). Dietary supplements for body-weight
reduction: a systematic review. [Review]. American Journal of
Clinical Nutrition, 79(4), 529-536.
Cabrera,
C., Artacho, R., & Gimenez, R. (2006). Beneficial effects
of green tea - A review. [Review]. Journal of the American College
of Nutrition, 25(2), 79-99.
Sarma,
D. N., Barrett, M. L., Chavez, M. L., Gardiner, P., Ko, R., Mahady,
G. B., et al. (2008). Safety of green tea extracts - A systematic
review by the US Pharmacopeia. [Review]. Drug Safety, 31(6),
469-484.
Dunford,
M., Doyle, J.A., (2008). Nutrition for Sport and Exercise. Belmont,
CA: Thomson Wadsworth
Source: MMA Fighting
|
CSAC
now able to change win to a no decision
The California State Athletic Commission made effective yesterday
evening additional rules, one of which will allow the commission
to change a fighter's win to a no decision due to a positive
drug test.
Rule 227: Arbitration Procedures
This rule change formalizes the process for athletes and managers/promoters
engaged in a contract dispute arbitrated by CSAC and the AG's
Office. Forms will be available online very shortly that must
be submitted in order to request arbitration.
Rule 281: Physical Condition of Boxer
This rule change specifies guidelines related to the condition
of an athlete prior to licensure.
Rule
303: Administration of Use of Drugs
This rule change specifies that any athlete who has previously
tested positive for anabolic agents or drugs of abuse must provide
a "clean" drug test as a condition of licensure prior
to being licensed or having his or her license renewed. Additionally,
the rule clearly defines the classifications of drugs that are
tested for.
Rules
314 and 523: Alternate Ring Specifications
This rule change allows pro and amateur boxing, pro and amateur
kickboxing, and mixed martial arts to be held in the five roped
ring at the same event.
Rule
323: Bandages
This rule change permits 10 yards of tape and 20 yards of bandage
for each hand as part of the handwrap.
Rule
368: Change of Decision
This rule change states that a positive drug test will permit
the Commission to change a victory to a "no decision."
This rule change will apply to drugs of abuse on a case by case
basis.
Rule
389: Appeal Procedures
This rule change formalizes the process for athletes in an appeal
hearing for a suspension or fine by CSAC. The community wanted
it, well, the community gets what they asked for (a formal procedure
for appeals written into California law spreading the time equally
between both the Attorney General and the athlete's representation).
Forms will be available online very shortly that must be submitted
in order to request an appeal hearing.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Babalu
on Feijao fight
Leader of Gracie Barra Cerritos defends belt in June
Carlos Ozorio / Portal das Lutas
The June-6 installment of Strikeforce, in St. Louis, Missouri,
will include an all-Brazilian title dispute. In the organization’s
light heavyweight division, Renato Babalu will defend his belt
against Rafael Feijao.
“I
think that’s it. Until informed otherwise, it’s me
and Rafael Feijao. And the fight’s going to be for the belt.
I’ll defend it. I’m keeping up my training, with the
same gang,” declared Renato Babalu to Portal das Lutas.
On
his having to face another Brazilian in an internationally important
bout, Babalu looks at it as being something natural. Nevertheless,
he admits it’s not his first choice.
“I’m
training for it already and it’s another engagement. It’s
not the fight I’d have liked to have, because it’s
against a Brazilian, but if he’s next in line, we’ll
fight,” he said.
Coming
off a five-fight winning streak, four decided before the closing
bell, Babalu knows he has a dangerous adversary ahead of him.
Feijao counts seven wins, six by knockout and one by submission,
and only one loss, by disqualification.
“Feijao
is really good, real aggressive. He comes at you to knock you
out, but I have lots of experience and know how to control that,”
he said in finishing.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
|