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2010
February
BJJ Tournament
(tba)
2009
11/21/09
UFC
106
(Mandalay Bay Events Center, Las Vegas)
11/14/09
UFC
105
(United Kingdom)
November
Aloha
State Championship
of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
(BJJ & Sub Grappling)
10/31/09
H.A.P.A.
Hawaii Amateur Pankration Association
Hit-And-Submit
#4
(Pankration)
(Filcom Center, Waipahu)
10/24/09
UFC
104
(Staples Center, Los Angeles)
10/18/09
NAGA
Hawaii
(BJJ/Sub Grappling)
(Pearl City H.S. Gym)
9/19/09
UFC
103
(American Airlines Center, Dallas)
9/16/09
UFC
Fight Night 19
(Cox Convention Center, Oklahoma City)
9/12/09
Hawaiian
Open Championship
of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
(BJJ & Sub Grappling)
8/29/09
MAUI OPEN 2009
Submission Grappling Challenge
(Sub Grappling)
(Maui War Memorial Gym)
UFC
102
(Rose Garden, Portland)
8/22/09
Destiny
(MMA)
(Maui)
8/9/09
WEC
(Las Vegas, NV)
8/8/09
UFC
101: Declaration
(BJ Penn vs. Kenny Florian)
(Wachovia Center, Philadelphia)
8/1/09
Affliction: Trilogy
Fedor vs. Barnett
(Honda Cetner, Anaheim, CA)
7/25/09
X-1
Scuffle On Schofield
(MMA)
(Tropics Recreation Center, Schofield Barracks)
Amateur Boxing at Palolo
(Boxing)
(Palolo Gym)
Gracie Tournament
(Kalaheo H.S. Gym)
**Cancelled**
7/23/09
JUST SCRAP
(MMA)
(Pipeline Cafe)
7/20/09
Dream 10: Welterweight GP Final
(Japan)
7/11/09
UFC
100: Lesnar vs. Mir
(Mandalay Bay Events Center, Las Vegas, NV)
7/10/09
Man up and Stand up
(Kickboxing)
(Waipahu Filcom Center)
6/27-28/09
OTM's 2009
Pac Sub
(Gi & No-Gi competition)
(Blaisdell Exhibition Hall)
6/20/09
The
Ultimate Fighter 9:
Team US vs Team UK Finale
6/13/09
Destiny
(MMA)
(Waipahu Filcom)
UFC
99: Comeback
Silva vs. Franklin
(Cologne, Germany)
6/7/09
WEC: Brown vs. Faber 2
(Versus)
6/6/09
Quest for Champions 2009 Tournament
(Sport Pankration, Sub Grappling)
(Kalani HS Gym)
Strikeforce: Lawler vs. Shields
(St. Louis, MO)
6/4/09 - 6/7/09
World
JJ Championships
(BJJ)
(California State University Long Beach, Long Beach, CA)
5/30/09
Event of the Champions
(Triple Threat, Kickboxing, Grappling)
(Elite Auto Group Center)
5/26/09
Dream 9
5/23/09
UFC
98: Evans vs. Machida
(PPV)
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
X-1 Kona
(MMA)
(Kekuaokalani Gym, Kona)
15th Grapplers Quest Las Vegas
(BJJ/Sub Grappling)
(Las Vegas, NV)
5/2/09
Destiny
(MMA)
(Waipahu Filcom)
Uprising MMA
(MMA)
(Maui)
May 2009
Abu Dhabi World Submission Wrestling Championships
(Sub Grappling)
(Tentative)
4/25/09
MMA Madness Water Park Extravaganza
(MMA)
(Hawaiian Waters Adventure Park, Kapolei)
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)
|
|
August
2009 News Part 1
|
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, Wednesday and
Thursday with Kaleo Kwan, PJ Dean, & 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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He
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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.
We have 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 On Fridays from 5:30 to 6:30 PM!
Wrestling Class Starts On Fridays from 8:30 to 9:30 PM!
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Quote
of the Day
"When
everyone thinks alike not much gets thought."
Johan Norberg
|
UFC
101 QUICK RESULTS:
Main
Card Bouts:
-B.J. Penn def. Kenny Florian by submission (rear naked choke)
at 3:54, R4
-Anderson Silva def. Forrest Griffin by KO at 3:23, R1
-Aaron Riley def. Shane Nelson by unanimous decision (30-27 on
all score cards)
-Johnny Hendricks def. Amir Sadollah by TKO (ref's stoppage due
to punches) at :29 seconds, R1
-Ricardo Almeida def. Kendall Grove by unanimous decision (30-27
on all score cards)
-Kurt Pellegrino def. Josh Neer by unanimous decision (30-27
on all score cards)
Preliminary
Bouts:
-John Howard def. Tamden McCrory by split decision (29-28, 29-28,
28-29)
-Alessio Sakara def. Thales Lietes by split decision (29-28,
27-30, 29-28)
-Matt Riddle def. Dan Cramer by unanimous decision (29-27, 30-27,
30-26)
-George Sotiropolous def. George Roop by submission (kimura)
at 1:59, R2
-Jesse Lennox def. Danillo Villefort by TKO (doctor's stoppage
due to cut) at 3:37, R3
Saturday night, the Ultimate Fighting Championship lands for
the first time in Philadelphia.
The
main event features UFC lightweight champion B.J. Penn defending
his belt for the first time in more than a year. He faces tough
challenger Kenny Florian. In the evening’s co-main event,
middleweight champ Anderson Silva steps up to the 205-pound division
to take on former titleholder Forrest Griffin.
UFC
101 airs live on pay-per-view at 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT on Saturday
night. MMAWeekly.com is in Philadelphia to bring you live coverage
of the entire fight card. The first preliminary bout is scheduled
to begin at approximately 7:45 p.m. ET / 4:45 p.m. PT.
Be
sure to refresh you browser frequently for all the latest results,
play-by-play and photos from the event...
UFC
101 LIVE PLAY-BY-PLAY:
-B.J.
Penn vs. Kenny Florian
R1
– Florian goes for a kick to start things off, Penn tags
him with a punch and then the clinch but they separate. Florian
throws another head kick misses, and Penn rushes in looking for
a big uppercut. The fighters trade punches against the cage and
separate again. Florian goes for a takedown but can't land it,
and they start to exchange again. Penn tags Florian with a good
shot just before the end of the round.
MMAWeekly scores R1 10-9 for B.J. Penn
R2
– Florian engages with a good leg kick and then grabs the
clinch against the cage. Florian shoots in for another single
leg, Penn defends well and they exchange shots instead. Florian
dives for a Superman punch but misses. Florian again initiates
the clinch looking for a takedown, but can't land it. Penn hits
a good uppercut on the way out as they separate. Florian lands
a few leg kicks before the round ends. Close round, not much
action.
MMAWeekly scores R2 10-9 for Kenny Florian
R3
– Florian opens with a good head kick, but Penn blocks it
effectively. Florian goes for the clinch against the cage as
they exchange knee strikes. Florian keeps trying for the takedown,
but Penn is defending well. Florian throws an elbow on the way
out as they go back to standing. Florian shoots in for a single
and Penn raises him back up with the underhook again. Florian
hits Penn with a solid shot, goes for the takedown, but Penn
reverses and goes for a flurry but doesn't land anything solid.
MMAWeekly scores R3 10-9 for B.J. Penn
R4
- Penn hits Florian with a good shot early on in the 4th round
and after an exchange, Penn takes Florian to the mat. Working
from Florian's half guard he starts opening up punches and elbows.
Penn continues the assault from the top as Florian struggle to
maintain position. Penn moves to mount and then takes Florian's
back. Penn works the body and eventually slaps on a rear naked
choke that Florian cannot fight out of and he taps out.
B.J.
Penn def. Kenny Florian by submission (rear naked choke) at 3:54,
R4
-Anderson
Silva vs. Forrest Griffin
R1
– Griffin throws shots early, Silva catches a kick and fires
back. Silva catches Griffin with a big right hook that stuns
him and sends him backwards. Silva tags Griffin with a straight
jab that sends him crashing to the mat, but he lets him back
up again. Griffin steps forward and Silva plants another big
jab, Griffin falls down and waives the referee off and the fight
is over.
Anderson
Silva def. Forrest Griffin by KO at 3:23, R1
-Shane
Nelson vs. Aaron Riley
R1
– Riley throws some heavy shots to open the fight as Nelson
counters. Riley and Nelson work against the cage with both throwing
close elbows trying to gain the upper hand. Riley goes for a
kick, but Nelson catches it but he rolls away before any ground
action ensues. Riley catches a kick from Nelson and fires back
a head kick of his own, but misses. Clinch again as the round
comes to close of a very tight first round.
MMAWeekly scores R1 10-9 Aaron Riley
R2
– Riley hits a few shots in the early going as the fighters
start clinching again, but soon separate. Riley fires a good
head kick that looks to land partially as he keeps pushing forward
on Nelson, and eventually takes him down. Riley controls from
the top, but not much action and the referee steps in to stand
them up. Riley keeps throwing shots and actually tosses Nelson
to the ground as the round ends.
MMAWeekly scores R2 10-9 Aaron Riley
R3-
Nelson shoots in for a takedown, but can't finish and Riley keeps
moving forward. Back into the clinch and Riley ends up on top
throwing shots as Nelson defends. Riley keeps moving with short
hammer fists and elbows, trying to soften up his opponent. Riley
keeps busy enough, and doing damage to stay on top as the fight
comes to a close.
MMAWeekly scores R3 10-9 Aaron Riley
Aaron
Riley def. Shane Nelson by unanimous decision (30-27 on all score
cards)
-Johnny
Hendricks vs. Amir Sadollah
R1
– Sadollah jumps in for punches early and Hendricks catches
him with a big series of uppercuts and Sadollah drops to the
mat. Hendricks starts throwing shots as referee Dan Mirgliotta
steps in to stop the action, but the Philly crowd does not agree.
Johnny
Hendricks def. Amir Sadollah by TKO (ref's stoppage due to punches)
at :29 seconds, R1
-Ricardo
Almeida vs. Kendall Grove
R1-
Almeida is quick to get the clinch as Grove battles back with
small shots from inside. The fighters separate and Almeida jumps
across with a nice right hook. Almeida shoots in again going
for a single leg, Grove defends well as they move across the
cage. Almeida gets the trip takedown and works from inside Grove's
guard. Almeida dives in for a punch and works for elbows on Grove
as he moves to half guard. Almeida lands some nice knees to the
body before the fight moves back up before Almeida slams Grove
back down again.
MMAWeekly scores R1 10-9 for Ricardo Almeida
R2
– Almeida gets the clinch and goes for the takedown. Grove
goes for a guillotine, and then from the bottom locks on a tight
armbar, but Almeida battles out and gets back to top position.
Grove goes for a body lock as Almeida keeps landing peppering
shots from the top. Almeida lands a few more punches before Grove
gets back to his feet. As Almeida shoots in, Grove throws a knee
but Almeida continues to drive for the takedown and lands it
just as the round ends.
MMAWeekly scores R2 10-9 for Ricardo Almeida
R3-
The fighters exchange a few shots before Almeida clips Grove
with a nice punch, moving in and then taking the fight to the
ground. Grove is able to get back up as the fighters continue
to clinch. Almeida goes to jump guard,but Grove resists and stands
back up as they start to throw punches again. Almeida looks to
be losing steam as Grove presses him against the cage. Almeida
rushes forward and lands another nice takedown and starts to
work from inside Grove's guard once again. Grove springs to life
late in the round, but can't land anything big.
MMAWeekly scores R3 10-9 for Ricardo Almeida
Ricardo
Almeida def. Kendall Grove by unanimous decision (30-27 on all
score cards)
-Kurt
Pellegrino vs. Josh Neer
R1 – Pellegrino lands a big slam to open the fight as Neer
starts to work off his back. Neer goes for an armbar, but Pellegrino
slams him down to get out of it. Pellegrino continues to work
from the top, landing elbows and keeping a strong top position
for the remainder of the round.
MMAWeekly scores R1 10-9 Kurt Pellegrino
R2
– Neer opens up with a nice leg kick, as the two fighters
exchange blows, and Pellegrino eventually shoots in for a takedown.
Pellegrino continues to maintain top control as Neer tries to
work his way out from the bottom, but can't seem to escape. As
the fighters scramble, Pellegrino gets to mount and then moves
to take Neer's back. Pellegrino continues to work for the choke
as the round comes to a close
MMAWeekly scores R2 10-9 for Kurt Pellegrino
R3
– Neer goes for a knee as round three begins, but Pellegrino
catches him and takes him to the mat. Neer works for an omo plata,
but Pellegrino escapes and moves back into Neer's butterfly guard.
Pellegrino continues to grind away at Neer trying to improve
his position, as Neer battles from his back. Pellegrino moves
into mount, but Neer slips out, reverses and tries to fire off
shots, but Pellegrino shoots in immediately. As time runs out,
Neer slams Pellegrino with a series of elbows that opens a good
sized cut, but it looks to be too little, too late.
MMAWeekly scores R3 10-9 for Kurt Pellegrino
Kurt
Pellegrino def. Josh Neer by unanimous decision (30-27 on all
score cards)
-John
Howard vs. Tamden McCrory
R1
- R1 – McCrory grabs Howard early in a guillotine, but Howard
gets out and lands in McCrory's guard. Back on the feet, McCrory
does a good job of getting the clinch and landing a nice takedown
as Howard tries to wrap him up. McCrory goes for a jumping guard
pull, but misses and Howard ends up on top. The fight is stood
back up by referee Mario Yamasaki, as the fighters scramble for
another takedown, the round ends.
MMAWeekly scores R1 10-9 for Tamden McCrory
R2
- Howard gets McCrory down early, but doesn't do much with the
position on the ground. McCrory gets a little too aggressive
with his stand-up once back on the feet and gets taken down again.
Howard goes for a guillotine of his own, but McCrory slips out
and now lands on top of Howard. As the fighters move back towards
the feet, McCrory goes for another guillotine and Howard slips
out before they even hit the ground. Howard maintains position
without many strikes landed as the round comes to an end.
MMAWeekly scores R2 10-9 for John Howard
R3
– A few strikes thrown, but Howard again shoots in and gets
a takedown. As McCrory works for a rubber guard defense, Howard
picks him up and slams him down to the mat. Howard decides to
back out and let McCrory back up to the feet. McCrory gets a
clinch and lands a great throw, but Howard is quick to his feet
and McCrory falls to his back. Howard stands up and throws a
good hard shot before McCrory gets back to full guard. The fight
is stood up, and Howard goes for another takedown, landing a
nice slam this time as he moves to side control. McCrory battles
back and slips in a takedown of his own. Time expires before
any real damage is done.
MMAWeekly scores R3 10-9 for John Howard
John
Howard def. Tamden McCrory by split decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-29)
-Alessio
Sakara vs. Thales Leites
R1
– Slow start as Sakara tries to feel out his reach and Leites
looking for the shot. Leites eventually grabs a leg and throws
Sakara to the ground, but he scrambles and gets back to the feet.
Sakara seems content to counter, but when Leites engages he backs
up. Leites again goes for Sakara's leg, but misses and Sakara
throws a good 1-2 combo, but doesn't connect. Leites tries for
a flying knee late in a lackluster round overall.
MMAWeekly scores R1 10-9 for Thales Leites
R2
– After a brief exchange on the feet, Leites eventually
lands a nice takedown and starts to work to take Sakara's back,
but the Italian battles out and gets back to the feet. Sakara
is starting to get his range as he opens up with a few punches
before being taken down again. Leites tries to move and take
Sakara's back, but slips out and Sakara stands back up. Sakara
gets overly aggressive again after going for a knee strike and
is taken down with Leites moving to mount, but then back into
half guard. Leites gets back to mount and lands elbows as the
round ends.
MMAWeekly scores R2 10-9 for Thales Leites
R3
– Not much action in the third, Sakara doesn't seem to want
to engage, as Leites tries for a takedown, but doesn't land it.
Leites steps forward as Sakara moves from side to side to avoid
him. The referee pulls both fighters in and demands action. Leites
shoots in right after and gets a nice takedown, taking Sakara's
back, but he slips out and back to the feet. Leites gives chase,
but Sakara moves away and literally runs as the time expires.
MMAWeekly scores R3 10-9 for Thales Leites
Alessio
Sakara def. Thales Lietes by split decision (29-28, 27-30, 29-28)
-Matt
Riddle vs. Dan Cramer
R1
– Riddle goes for the clinch and the takedown, but Cramer
does a good job of getting out and takes the fight back to standing.
Cramer goes for a takedown of his own, but Riddle is quick back
to his feet and pushes his opponent against the cage as he goes
for a double leg and gets caught in a guillotine choke. Riddle
tucks his chin and works his way free as he stars to work shots
to the body. Cramer starts to working his way to the cage, but
eats some punches to the face for his trouble as Riddle maintains
a strong position. Riddle hits a good punch and shoots for another
double as the horn sounds.
MMAWeekly scores R1 10-9 for Matt Riddle
R2
- The fighters clinch quickly to start the 2nd and Riddle lands
another takedown as he works from Cramer's half guard. Riddle
works and eventually takes Cramer's back as he starts to land
shots. Cramer rolls and gets Riddle back into his half guard,
but is struggling with Riddle's strength so far. Riddle works
his way to take Cramer's back again, and goes for a choke, but
can't land it but does hit some nice elbow shots instead.
MMAWeekly scores R2 10-9 for Matt Riddle
R3-
Cramer tags Riddle early on and quickly lands on top of his opponent,
but Riddle quickly goes for an armbar. Cramer slips out, but
Riddle moves and attacks again, landing in half guard. Riddle
is relentless with his movement, and eventually lands a strike
that opens Cramer up as the blood starts to flow. Riddle keeps
moving and eventually gets mount, where he lands several heavy
shots, before Cramer can roll again and get back to half guard.
Riddle just keeps peppering away as the fight comes to a close.
Strong debut for Riddle at 170lbs.
MMAWeekly scores R3 10-9 for Matt Riddle
Matt
Riddle def. Dan Cramer by unanimous decision (29-27, 30-27, 30-26)
-
George Sotiropolous vs. George Roop
R1
– Roop is going after his opponent early and tries to land
a kick, but Sotiropoulos is quick to catch him and take the fight
to the ground, and move to side control. Sotiropoulos moves to
mount and starts to go for punches. Roop wiggles around and pushes
off the cage and gets a beautiful reversal, before moving back
to the feet. Sotiropoulos lands a big left-right combo that staggers
Roops, and the two fighters end up clinched against the cage.
Sotiropolous drags his opponent down and ends up in half guard,
then side control. Sotiropoulos goes for a kimura, transitions
to an armbar, and ends up taking Roop's back, but he manages
to escape as the round ends.
MMAWeekly scores R1 10-9 for George Sotiropoulos
R2
– Sotiropolous takes control early in the round, getting
a takedown and the moving to full mount once again. Roop does
a good job of getting out againt, but Sotiropolous will not be
deterred. He gets back on the ground, locks in a kimura and wrenches
Roop's arm behind his back forcing the tap.
George
Sotiropolous def. George Roop by submission (kimura) at 1:59,
R2
-Jesse
Lennox vs. Danillo Villefort
R1
– Lennox goes for a takedown early, Villefort grabs the
cage to stop the momentum, and ends up reversing and taking Lennox
down. Villefort takes side control, before Lennox gets back to
his feet. The fighters trade shots on the feet, with neither
taking a clear advantage but Villefort lands the crisper shots.
Just before the round ends, Lennox lands a takedown and one big
punch before the horn sounds.
MMAWeekly scores R1 10-9 for Danillo Villefort
R2
– Lennox opens up his offense in the 2nd round tagging Villefort
with several big shots in the exchanges as his opponent starts
to back off. Lennox lands a heavy punch that staggers Villefort,
but he recovers nicely before retreating to an opposite side
and getting tagged again. Lennox continues to put the pressure
on, but Villefort battles back with some good knee strikes of
his own. Both fighters look tired late in the round. Lennox is
winging some wild shots, but goes for a nice Superman punch late.
MMAWeekly scores R2 10-9 for Jesse Lennox
R3-
Lennox hits a thunderous body kick as round 3 begins, and Villefort
falls to his back, but quickly the two fighters are back standing
again. Lennox is staying very aggressive as Villefort looks to
avoid and move away. The crowd lets Villefort hear it for avoiding
the action. Villefort goes for a throw, but Lennox gains top
position and starts to reign down shots. Just as he looks to
take advantage, Villefort swivels his hips and works for an armbar,
but Lennox battles out and stands back up. Villefort has a cut
over his eye and tells the referee he can't see and as the doctor
looks at it, the fight is stopped due to the cut.
Jesse
Lennox def. Danillo Villefort by TKO (doctor's stoppage due to
cut) at 3:37, R3
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
DESTINY:
No Ka Oi in Maui!
War Memorial Gym, Wailuku, Maui
Saturday, Aug 22, 2009
 
-205lbs
Yancy Medeiros (oahu) vs Zeke Prados (maui)
-155lbs
Kaleo Kwan (Oahu) vs Eddie Rincon (Maui)
-145lbs
Tim "Majik" Moon (oahu) vs Eddie P. (maui)
-135lbs
Kana "One Man Riot" Hyatt (Oahu) vs Jon Delos Reyes
(Guam)
-160lbs
Kolo Koka (oahu) vs Gonzo (maui)
-145lbs
Zack Rapal (oahu) vs Kurrent Cockett (maui)
-205lbs
Tasi "da Tyrant" Edwards (oahu) vs Jake Yasui (maui)
-150lbs
Brandon Pieper (oahu) vs Lorrin Ishimine (maui)
-135lbs
Mark Tajon (oahu) vs Jeremy Paet (maui)
-150lbs
L.John Borges (oahu) vs Alan Hinajosa (maui)
-135lbs
Ryan Lee (Oahu) vs Joshua Alvarez (Guam)
-145lbs
Dustin Kimura (oahu) vs Jake Noble (maui)
-135lbs
Julio Moreno (oahu) vs Riley Dutro (maui)
-140lbs
Gerrald Gammitt (maui) vs Guy Nishiyama (maui)
-155lbs Amateur Championship Bout
Nate Quiniola (oahu) vs Ben "Da King" Santiago (oahu)
-185lbs
Amateur Championship Bout
Jon "4real" Ferrell (oahu) vs Sale (molokai)
-145lbs
Waylen mata (oahu) vs Keoni Farm (maui/molokai)
-160lbs
Justin Konia (oahu) vs Jason Emsley (maui)
-135lbs
Justin Arruda (maui) vs Sean King (maui)
-130lbs
Levi Delaginte (maui) vs DJ Tadena (maui)
Fight Card Subject To Change
Japheth
"Jay" Bolos
DESTINY Entertainment, LLC
Westside Fight Gear
94-144 Farrington Hwy. Ste# 112
Waipahu, HI 96797
Store# (808)381-2790
T-mobile Cell# (808)277-2335
Sprint Cell# (808)368-5568
Source: Event Promoter
|
BJ
Penn’s greatest hits:
Claims Georges St. Pierre is a steroid user
By Zach Arnold
After
his performance a week or so ago on a UFC media conference call
trashing the media for the way they handled the ‘greasing
scandal’ involving Georges St. Pierre, BJ Penn still can’t
get Georges St. Pierre off his mind. Over to you, Kevin Iole:
Penn
said he believes St. Pierre uses steroids, though he concedes
he has no proof. St. Pierre is arguably the sport’s most
popular fighter and Penn knows that making such allegations isn’t
going to win him any friends.
Penn,
though, isn’t the type to be shy about offering his opinion
though it may be unpopular.
“It’s
just my opinion that he uses steroids,” Penn said. “That’s
it.
My
opinion. I do believe it. I can’t hand you any proof, but
that’s my opinion.”
In
an earlier conversation on the topic, Penn said, “In my
opinion, he doesn’t play by the rules when it comes to steroids
and growth hormones and that stuff. Look at him. He’s the
worst. He looks like that every day. That’s cheating. There
is a reason why there are rules against using steroids. The rest
of us, we get fat, then we train and get skinny and the cycle
goes over and over again. He looks the same way all the time.
Come on.”
One
of our commenters (Alan) brought up that there was great irony
to what BJ said given who he is training with (Marv Marinovich)
and how most MMA fans online must not be sports fans. Oh, I know
the irony of Penn training with Marinovich, given what his background
is and everything that happened with his son Todd, who used to
play football in the NFL but had significant drug problems.
Source: Fight Opinion
|
DANA
WHITE'S "STATE OF THE UFC" ADDRESS
UFC President Dana White on Thursday, as has become tradition,
held court after the pre-fight press conference to deliver his
“State of the UFC” address amongst a bevy of reporters
that flocked around.
He
addressed the success of UFC 100, a milestone for the promotion.
“No doubt about it, UFC 100 took us to a whole nother level.
There was so much buzz and energy around that fight, and not
just here but all over the world; that was big.”
White
also re-assured that UFC 100 did more than 1.5 million pay-per-view
buys – he never reveals absolute numbers – saying that
he is in talks with Mandalay Bay and a base-jump instructor,
so that he can live up to his promise to base-jump off of the
Las Vegas casino due to surpassing the record-setting buy mark.
Of
course he addressed expanding further into Canada, “We’re
definitely going to Vancouver (in 2010),” and affirmed that
they are “very close” to getting Australia done.
But
the meat of White’s time with the press was spent discussing
Affliction, Strikeforce, M-1 Global, and the near miss on Fedor
Emelianenko.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Fedor-Strikeforce
Press Conference Recap
Strikeforce and M-1 Global held a teleconference Thursday to
discuss Monday's announcement that Fedor Emelianenko has signed
with Strikeforce.
More
Coverage: Fedor Emelianenko 'Very Sorry' He Isn't Fighting Brock
Lesnar
- M-1 Global Vadim Finkelchtein and Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker
began the call by expressing their pleasure in the new partnership.
Coker was happy with bringing Fedor into his promotion and thinks
M-1 Global has a good stable of fighters, specifically pointing
out Gegard Mousasi.
-
No opponent yet for Fedor, who said he will fight anyone that
Strikeforce presents to him.
-
Coker was asked about UFC president Dana White calling Strikeforce,
"Strikefarce." Coker wasn't bothered, saying White
is a promoter and it should come to no one's surprise that White
would say something like that.
-
Fedor responded to White's comments that Fedor is dodging tough
opponents. Fedor disagrees, pointing out Tim Sylvia and Andrei
Arlovski as his last two opponents. M-1 Global asked UFC what
they consider a great heavyweight, someone who is 4-1? Called
Brock Lesnar "a product of the great PR machine of the UFC."
-
Coker said they'll "probably" enter the pay-per-view
business but not until another six to nine months.
-
Fedor called UFC's offer "miserable" and was unhappy
that the UFC misled the public by releasing different numbers
on the internet.
-
Coker likes the Grand Prix tournament format, but not in the
plans right now.
-
Coker does not find it an issue that M-1 Global doesn't have
a promoters license.
-
Fedor said he would have signed with the UFC if the offer rumors
were true ($30 million for six fights).
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Carcara,
Cyborg and Marquardt at ADCC
Master
takedown artist, Cyborg scoops up Titi at 2nd No-Gi World Championship.
Check
out the list of competitors announced by the organization
Three
more names were announced by the organizers of the eighth installment
of the ADCC championship, to take place September 26 and 27 in
Barcelona.
Jiu-Jitsu
World champion Braulio Estima is in and will be chasing his first
title in the ADCC 88kg division, as will Roberto “Cyborg”
Abreu and Nate Marquardt (both in the under 99kg division).
Check
out the main names announced for the men’s division for
the classic gi-less grappling tournament and check out Adccbarcelona.com
for more. Who are your favorites?
ADCC
World Championship Barcelona 2009
Supermatch:
Roger Gracie vs Robert Drysdale
Under
65.9kg
Rani Yahya (current champion)
Jeff Glover
Baret Yoshida
Rubens Charles Maciel
Jayson Patino
David Marinakis
Ryan Hall
Timo-Juhani Hirvikangas
Nicolas Renier
Rafael Mendes
Kohei Yasumi
Under
76.9kg
Marcelo Garcia (current champion)
Yoshiyuki "Zenko" Yoshida
Georges St. Pierre
Pablo Popovitch
Kron Gracie
Enrico Cocco
Rodney Ellis
Don Ortega
Toni Linden
Marcelo Azevedo
Murilo Santana
Keita Nakamura
Under
87.9kg
Demian Maia (current champion)
Braulio Estima
Daniel Tabera
Rafael Lovato Jr
Chris Weidman
Igor Praporshchikov
Jason Selva
Trond Saksenvik
André Galvão
Kazuhiro Nakamura
Kassim Annan
Under
98.9kg
Alexandre Ribeiro (current champion)
Ricardo Arona
Roberto "Cyborg" Abreu
Nate Marquardt
Mike van Arsdale
Gerardi Rinaldi
Anthony Perosh
Rafael Davies
Andreas Olsen
Radek Turek
Glover Teixeira
Yukiya Naito
Over
99kg
Fabricio Werdum (current champion)
Rogent Lloret
Saulo Ribeiro
Denis Roberts
Asa Fuller
Janne-Pekka Pietiläinen
Tomasz Janiszewski
Antoine Jaoude
Kouji Kanechika
Tom DeBlass
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Franca
Looking Forward to Return Against Griffin
By Kelsey Mowatt
When
Hermes Franca takes on Tyson Griffin at UFC 103 in Dallas, Texas,
on September 19th, it will have been nearly one year since the
seasoned veteran worked his way to a Unanimous Decision over
Marcus Aurelio last October. After ending a two fight losing
streak with the victory, to extend Franca’s overall record
to 19-7, the former title contender has spent nearly all of 2009
on the sidelines.
“Yeah,
it’s been tough,” Franca told FCF. “I hurt my
knee again before I was supposed to fight Joe Lauzon. I was supposed
to fight him in February and I got the injury. The doctor was
really surprised because I have been training hard right now
and my knee isn’t bothering me. Thank God, you know, because
the doctor is the best in the business. Thanks to the UFC. Now
I’m hungry; so the time off made me feel hungry again to
tell the truth.”
In
Griffin (13-2), Franca will make his return against another notable
competitor; a man whose only two defeats have come against Frankie
Edgar and Sean Sherk, the only men to have defeated Franca since
2005.
“It
made me happy,” said Franca, when asked for his reaction
upon finding out that the Xtreme Couture fighter was his next
opponent. “He and I are top contenders you know? I lost
to Sean Sherk and Frankie Edgar, and at the same time, that’s
the same losses for Tyson. He’s a top contender you know.
He beat Marcus Aurelio; he beat Clay Guida, so beating him is
going to put me back on track to winning the lightweight title.”
Griffin
last fought in April, when he defeated Rafeal dos Anjos by Unanimous
Decision at Fight Night 18.
“To
tell the truth I don’t know,” said Franca, when asked
what sort of game plan he expects the experienced wrestler to
utilize on September 19th. “He’s a real tactical fighter.
My game is to be a brawler. If he takes me down I’m going
to work my jiu-jitsu and my hands are getting better every day.
I think we’re going to put on a good show. Fighting against
Tyson Griffin has changed my life style. I have to eat well,
sleep well, train well because he’s a top fighter.”
Franca
has already begun training camp, which included a stint in California,
where the BJJ black belt spent some time with lightweight champ
BJ Penn. Of course this weekend, Penn will look to defend his
belt against challenger Kenny Florian, at UFC 101.
“I
didn’t see Kenny training, but I was with BJ and he looks
good,” Franca told FCF. “He was light already and he
has unbelievable hands. He’s a complete fighter you know.
I don’t know whose going to win because I haven’t seen
Kenny training, but for those two weeks I was with BJ, he looked
really good.”
Before
the knee injury prevented Franca from fighting Lauzon in February,
an online rivalry had erupted between the two accomplished fighters.
One would think that a future bout between the two, especially
if Franca beats Griffin, could still be in the UFC’s plans.
“It’s
not behind me because I can’t decide who I’m going
to fight,” said Franca, when asked if he had moved on in
regards to his pre-fight banter with Lauzon. “Especially
right now; the UFC is getting bigger, they have 2-3 shows a month.
But of course I want to fight him. I want to fight him real bad.”
“He
said some things I didn’t like, and maybe I said some things
he didn’t like. We were supposed to fight, so I hope the
fight happens at some time in the future. It’s not because
he said something or I said something, blah, blah, blah. No,
I got hurt before our fight, so I still hope we fight.”
Source: Full Contact Fighter
|
Update:
Coker Responds to ‘Strikefarce’ Comment
by Loretta Hunt
Strikeforce was welcomed to the promotional battlefield Thursday
when UFC President Dana White publicly attacked the rival promotion
for the first time following a pre-fight news conference for
UFC 101 in Philadelphia.
White,
who has praised the San Jose-based organization’s efforts
on numerous occasions, criticized Strikeforce for its decision
to sign No. 1-ranked heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko after White’s
previous negotiations fizzled with the Russian and his management
and promotional team M-1 Global.
Emelianenko
will debut under the Strikeforce banner on premium-pay subscription
channel Showtime this fall. He is contracted for three fights.
“He’ll
put them out of business,” White said. “They have no
money. These guys have no money and they have no distribution.
Four f---king people watch Showtime.”
White
also referred to Strikeforce as “Strikefarce.”
“Of
course he’s going to say that. He’s a promoter,”
said Coker during a teleconference call Thursday discussing the
major signing. “He’s going to go on and say what he’s
going to say, but we’ve been in business a long time and
I think we know how to operate a business and forged a relationship
with Ken (Hershman) and Showtime and M-1. I feel confident that
we’re going to have some great big shows with Fedor.”
Coker,
who recently praised White and the UFC for “saving”
MMA in North America, had told Sherdog.com on Tuesday that he
believed his company’s acquisition of Emelianenko wouldn’t
spark hostility between the two outlets.
White’s
comments on Thursday suggested otherwise, though Coker seemed
ready for what many believed to be inevitable.
“Under
the current circumstances, is anybody surprised?” asked
Coker. “I don’t think so.”
M-1
Global was also targeted by White for its management practices
with Gegard Mousasi, who had been scheduled to face Renato “Babalu”
Sobral at Affliction’s Aug. 1 event.
“He
was lied to. It’s a fact,” White said, suggesting M-1
had misled Mousasi.
It
is unclear what moves, if any, were made by the UFC to secure
the 23-year-old fighter after Affliction signed over its contracts
to the UFC.
White
said he was unsure if his company had issued a cease and desist
letter to Strikeforce and M-1 to try and stop the bout now scheduled
for their co-promoted Aug. 15 event.
“Maybe
we did,” said White. “I honestly don’t know. I’d
tell you if I knew.”
White
added that the UFC would be interested in the former Dream champion
if he wasn’t under contract elsewhere.
However,
Coker announced last week that he’d signed Mousasi to a
three-fight contract “a while ago.” Coker told Sherdog.com
Tuesday that Affliction had only a bout agreement in place with
the Armenian-born fighter for the Sobral bout.
“There
has never been any side negotiations about (Mousasi’s) contract,”
said M-1 rep Api Echteld, who had been designated to speak on
the controversy during the call. “I spoke to (UFC matchmaker)
Joe Silva about it last night for the first time, and they said
the only thing they should try to do or should do is match the
contract that Affliction had with Mousasi.”
Echteld
said there had been “some conflict” with the UFC and
stated that the UFC had “tried to stop” the bout in
Strikeforce, but that Mousasi had already signed into a contract
that he is “happy with.”
Echteld
said he was not sure on what grounds the UFC was making its claim
to stop the bout from happening on Aug. 15.
“I
really don’t know,” said Echteld. “Perhaps they
wanted Mousasi in a cheap and easy way.”
White’s
accusation cast doubt on M-1’s dealings with Mousasi, but
also raised questions regarding how much control Emelianenko
actually has over his own career. The usually stoic fighter defended
his and M-1’s stance during the call Thursday.
“I
have the full control of the contracts and my career as well,
and I get all the time financial reports and all contracts and
all important issues are being discussed with me, and everything
that I don’t like Vadim (Finkelstein) tries to stand for,”
said Emelianenko through a translator. “I need to tell you
I have complete control of everything that’s going on.”
Emelianenko
was also skeptical of the UFC’s practices.
“From
my viewpoint, the UFC does not have the proper attitude towards
fighters,” said Emelianenko. “They don’t consider
fighters to be normal people, human beings. What I think (is)
that the UFC’s attitude towards the fighters is not the
correct one and I don’t like their policy, which appears
to be (a) really forced one, because the offer which we got was
one kind, then on the Internet they published (an) absolutely
different offer. The offer that we got from them was really miserable.”
Vadim
Finkelstein, M-1 Global’s president, also had some stern
words for the White and the UFC.
“I
wonder whom does Dana White considers to be the best fighters?
The fighters that have 4-1 records?” asked Finkelstein,
referring to UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar. “Maybe
this is the fighter which became the product of the great PR
machine of the UFC. Brett Rogers is a much better opponent for
Fedor and also should be very interesting for fans as well, because
he has 10 fights and not one loss.”
Finkelstein
said the UFC had just as much to gain from the elusive signing
as Emelianenko and M-1 did.
“Fedor’s
name outside of the U.S. is much bigger than the name of the
UFC,” he said. If Fedor comes to the UFC, he’ll make
the UFC famous outside of the U.S.”
Other
notes:
•
Coker said the promotion’s first pay-per-view event is “probably
six to nine months away.”
•
Strikeforce heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem is expected
to defend his title this fall.
•
On an event in Japan: “The deal with Dream is really an
independent deal than this deal (with M-1), but we’ll definitely
have some conversations with everyone involved to see if it makes
sense,” said Coker.
•
On Showtime’s involvement with the acquisition of Emelianenko:
“We were involved enough to lend support and make sure that
everyone understood how important we felt this was and how valuable
we felt that Fedor and M-1 was. Beyond that, I’m not going
to get into how involved we were,” said Ken Hershman, Showtime
Sports Senior Vice President.
•
Coker and Showtime have discussed holding a multi-night grand
prix tournament format, but no immediate plans have been made.
(Coker had previously announced 135- and 145-pound women’s
tournaments will begin in November.)
Source: Sherdog
|
The
oxygen has been completely sucked away from Carano vs. Cyborg
By Zach Arnold
That’s by far the most telling thing to come out of the
last two weeks of Fedor negotiations with Strikeforce. I remember
two months ago when people were swearing up and down to me that
Carano vs. Cyborg would change women’s MMA forever and make
women a big deal in the sport. Instead, Coker and crew have basically
gone for broke by signing Fedor and sucking whatever oxygen there
was for the 8/15 Showtime promotion show.
Then
again, Showtime hasn’t exactly helped out matters. On previous
Strikeforce events on the channel, instead of promoting the Carano/Cyborg
fight the network was promoting the Affliction 3 show… which,
of course, never happened.
You
can do a conference call for the media to hype up Gina’s
fight, but realistically there is little-to-no buzz for what
was supposed to be a ‘money fight’ and a fight that
most people agreed earlier in the year would have done well on
a stronger television platform. Now, the fight desperately needs
oxygen and the event promoter is wrapped up instead building
the focus of his operation around one fighter from Russia who
has fought in six promotions that have gone bankrupt.
But,
hey, we’ll get to see Fedor in HD. That’s all that
matters, right?
Source: Fight Opinion
|
Deaf
Fighter Chases His Dreams in Penticton with IFC Press Release
Tracy
Willis came into the world with a high fever. Before he was able
to walk or crawl, he had completely lost the ability to hear.
At that point, it’s hard to image that one day Willis would
grow up and be looked upon as a super hero. But that is exactly
what Willis has become for many.
At 38 years old, Willis is well embarked on a career in professional
mixed martial arts (MMA). To his family and friends he has become
a super hero. “I have a small family, but they are very
supportive,” Willis said through a sign language interpreter.
“They want me to be careful, but they come to all the matches.
All the kids in the family like to watch. They think I am a super
hero.”
Willis
got into mixed martial arts late in life. It wasn't until he
was in his mid 30s that he decided he wanted to take his shot
at becoming a professional fighter.“I just watched it on
TV and thought it was cool,” Willis said. “I wanted
to get into it and try it. In 2005 I started training, then went
pro. ”His lack of hearing hasn’t been a factor in competition.
He had no hesitation taking on the challenge. It has not slowed
him down as he strives to reach his goals.“I wasn’t
nervous at all for my first fight,” Willis said. “I
just wanted to do it, so I did it.” Willis was born in Oklahoma
City and attended the Oklahoma School for the Deaf.
Since he took up MMA, Willis has beaten some top fighters including
Mark Kerr and Brazil’s Fabiano Scherner. At 240 pounds,
Willis is fighting in the heavyweight division and plans to win
the IFC World Heavyweight Championship title in Penticton, British
Columbia on August 15.
Whatever the outcome,Willis has already earned the respect of
his peers. “They are fine with me being deaf,” Willis
said. “They always say I am a good fighter. Most people
do not even know I am deaf. They just know I am a good fighter.”
“I am always excited about every match,” Willis said.
“I am looking forward to the future and want to succeed.
I am looking forward to getting into it more and more.”
Willis’ opponent will be Rochester, Minnesota’s Travis
Wiuff, a UFC and Pride veteran. The World Championship will be
part of a ten fight card which will be held in the IFC’s
steel cage at the South Okanagan Event Center in Penticton, BC
on August 15. Several regional fighters are expected to appear
on the card. They include Mark Dobie, Travis Wright. Jake McDonald,
Clay Davidson and Matt Baker. The event will be sanctioned by
the Penticton Athletic Commission.
The
IFC was the promoters that brought regulation to the sport in
Canada and were responsible for Canada's first MMA events. Former
and current IFC Champions include Chuck Liddell, Eugene Jackson,
Rich Franklin, Forrest Griffin, Tim Silva, Jens Pulver, Dan Severn,
Igor Vovchanchin, Matt Lindland, Nathan Marquardt, Babalu Sobrel,
Shogun Rua, Jeremy Horn and many other top fighters in MMA. IFC
fighters come from many backgrounds; they are respected as some
of the best athletes in the world. Most use a combination of
boxing, wrestling, open hand combat and martial arts fighting
techniques in the cage. Fights can be won by knockout, submission
or by the scorecard. There are three five-minute rounds in a
non-championship bout and five five-minute rounds in a championship
bout. Known for their extreme, no holds barred fighting in the
steel cage IFC fighters will do just about anything necessary
to win.
Tickets
start at $30 Canadian and are on sale at ValleyFirstTIX.com or
by calling 877-763-2849 in Canada.
Source: The Fight Network |
WEC
42 Preview
by Tomas Rios
While the average fan basks in the UFC 101 afterglow, the hardcores
will be chomping at the bit for WEC 42 “Torres vs. Bowles”
this Sunday at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. The
a main event features World Extreme Cagefighting bantamweight
juggernaut Miguel Torres defending his strap against top contender
Brian Bowles, which means every last one of you should have your
eyeballs glued to a television come fight time.
Need
some more motivation? Look no further than premier bantamweight
prospect Joseph Benavidez trying to secure a title shot, Takeya
Mizugaki and Jeff Curran squaring off in a “Fight of the
Night” contender and lightweight up-and-comer Ricardo Lamas
battling gatekeeper extraordinaire Danny Castillo.
WEC
Bantamweight Championship
Miguel Torres (37-1) vs. Brian Bowles (7-0)
The
Breakdown: Torres, the WEC bantamweight champion and certified
pound-for-pound luminary, will put both those accolades on the
line yet again, with Bowles, the number one contender, looking
to play spoiler this time around. What separates Bowles from
past victims of the Wolfcut connoisseur is not just his strong
wrestling background but an overall versatility that leaves no
glaring weaknesses for Torres to readily exploit. Still, Torres
figures to look to find some, as he has proven adept at adapting
his game on the fly to fit whatever opponent stares at him from
across the cage.
Bowles’
best bet against someone like Torres would be to show him something
he has not seen before, and his unique combination of dominant
top control and submission savvy is something with which Torres
has yet to deal. By the same token, Bowles has yet to take on
someone with the hyperactive mat game Torres so brutally employs
against anyone foolish enough to enter his domain. Unfortunately
for Bowles, his boxing is not developed enough to handle Torres’
multi-faceted muay Thai style, which will leave him hoping he
can corral one of the sport’s preeminent grapplers for however
long it takes to find a strategy that works. On paper, Bowles
is certainly Torres’ toughest test to date, but that only
means Torres will look to make him his biggest skin to date.
The
X Factor: With just seven fights to his name, Bowles will give
up a world of experience to Torres. How that plays out over the
course of the fight looms large. If the prospect of challenging
for a title with only seven professional fights under his belt
proves overwhelming for Bowles, he could get dispatched in short
order, but if he takes this opportunity at face value and stays
composed, you may see Torres’ run short-circuited.
The
Bottom Line: If not for Torres, Bowles would probably be the
man leading the bantamweight division’s charge into the
hearts and minds of casual fans. That fact will become painfully
clear, however, when Torres picks apart Bowles from afar before
forcing him to make his biggest mistake yet -- taking the fight
to the mat. A dazed Bowles will have tapped out long before he
realizes his folly, while Torres celebrates with what’s
sure to be a killer post-fight promo. Keep your fingers crossed
that he continues his one-man public relations war with Floyd
Mayweather Jr.’s ego.
Dominick Cruz (13-1) vs. Joseph Benavidez (10-0)
The
Breakdown: Whoever leaves Las Vegas with the WEC bantamweight
strap will soon have to turn his attention to the winner of this
fight, as both Cruz and Benavidez find themselves in the midst
of blistering bantamweight runs that have seen them succeed with
dominating wrestling and surprising striking to back it up.
More
than likely, the man who can score the bulk of the takedowns
will emerge victorious here, as neither fighter is known for
a dynamic guard game. While Cruz has certainly proven himself
as a wrestler, he has a bad habit of losing his base and giving
up unnecessary takedowns. In an evenly matched fight, those are
the kind of tiny holes Benavidez will look to dynamite wide open.
The
X Factor: Most of Benavidez’s game on the feet is built
around speed and power, whereas Cruz has the kind of movement
and fundamental skill that separates him from your typical wrestler/striker.
Anytime two top-tier wrestlers lock horns, stalemates happen
more often than not, and if these two do wrestle to a standstill,
Cruz will have the edge. Unless Benavidez can bust out some of
his mentor Urijah Faber’s “Matrix”-style striking,
he better hope his Silverback breed of wrestling will be enough
once the cage door closes.
The
Bottom Line: This fight should resemble something out of “Transformers,”
and Benavidez will play Optimus Prime, as he bulldozes Cruz with
takedowns for the bulk of the three rounds. Bank on Cruz giving
Benavidez some issues on the feet, but he will not keep matters
upright long enough to make up the difference.
Source: Sherdog
|
Quote
of the Day
"Here's
a test to see if your mission in life is finished - if you're
still alive, it's not."
A.W. Tozer
|
UFC
101: Declaration
Channel 701
Hawaii Air Times: 3:30pm - 6:00pm
The UFC debuts in Philly with UFC 101: Declaration Saturday featuring
BJ Penn defending his lightweight belt against Kenny Florian.
Also, Anderson Silva returns to light-heavyweight and will square
off against former champ Forrest Griffin.
Main event, lightweight title fight:
B.J. Penn vs. Kenny Florian
Co-main
event:
Anderson Silva vs. Forrest Griffin
Televised
undercard:
Amir Sadollah vs. Johny Hendricks
Kendall Grove vs. Ricardo Almeida
Josh Neer vs. Kurt Pellegrino
Non-televised
undercard:
Shane Nelson vs. Aaron Riley
Tamdan McCrory vs. John Howard
Thales Leites vs. Alessio Sakara
Matt Riddle vs. Dan Cramer
Jesse Lennox vs. Danillo Villefort
Source: MMA Fighting
|
WOMBAT'S
WORLD OF COMBAT
Predictions
for UFC 101: Declaration
by Jeff "Wombat" Meszaros
In the 1980's, Mike Tyson was basically invincible, and everyone
stopped ordering his boxing matches on pay-per-view because they
knew that the whole fight would be shown for free the next day
on the news, where a bored TV anchorman would roll his eyes and
throw his hands in the air as if the very idea of Tyson beating
someone mostly to death wasn't news at all. Now, the UFC finds
themselves in the same situation, with champions that seem so
much better than the rest of the field, matching them against
anyone besides each other seems ridiculous and the only hope
to see a new champion is that an existing one goes down Tyson's
road to ruin and, in no particular order, gets a tattoo on their
face, bites someone on the ear and then drops off the face of
the Earth after spending some time in jail for badly misunderstanding
the guidelines of chivalry.
B.J.
Penn vs. Kenny Florian
Anyone
whose name is "BJ" better goddamn well know how to
fight. I'm sure I've told that joke before, but I just don't
care. It's the truth and it's as true today as it was the day
Penn got in his first street fight; which probably happened in
a Hawaiian pre-school against a kid whose name was spelled mostly
with "K"s and apostrophes. If the island gods hadn't
blessed him with the ability to put his foot behind his head,
jump vertically out of swimming pools and beat the piss out of
pretty much anyone, Penn likely would never have made it past
being a chubby pre-teen with a love of poi. However, in addition
to having a first-name that is also a popular sexual activity,
Penn also has genetics as awesome as fresh pineapple, with the
flexibility of an octopus, the balance of an orangutan and the
soulless ferocity of a great white shark. Florian, on the other
hand, looks a bit like Ben Stiller. My Guess: Penn by TKO.
Anderson
Silva vs. Forrest Griffin
Silva's
last two performances were Sylvia-esque in their unwatchability.
The match with Cote was a snoozer, even before "The Predator"
slipped and broke his own leg; ending the fight in a way that
was both surprising and wildly disappointing. After Silva's match
with Thales Leites, I'm shocked that Dana White didn't run into
the octagon and throw a bucket of vomit on him. After five-rounds
of front-leg sidekicks to Leites' knee, most of UFC management
was probably passing around a garbage can, hurling their guts
out in fits of boredom and disgust. Now, in lieu of giving "The
Spider" someone else he can casually dance around for half-an-hour,
they've matched him against Griffin, who would fight a grizzly
bear to the death and love every second of it; even if he was
losing badly. Will he run straight at Silva like a man on fire
running towards a child with a sno-cone? Maybe. Will he pay a
horrible price for this? It's possible. Then again, Griffin beat
the feijoada out of Mauricio "Shogun" Rua not too long
ago, and the potential exists for the same thing to happen here.
My Guess: Silva by TKO.
Amir
Sadollah vs. Johny Hendricks
Sadollah
won The Ultimate Fighter a few seasons ago, submitting CB Dolloway
in the finals with the exact same armlock he used to submit him
on the show. Since then, Dolloway has been in psychotherapy to
combat his "early tap" syndrome and Sadollah has been
kept out of the octagon by a nagging case of shotgun diarrhea.
Now, over a year later, almost nobody remembers who he is, despite
the UFC's attempts to keep him in the public spotlight by having
him introduce Burger King commercials in subsequent seasons of
TUF. Curiously, for his first fight after returning, matchmakers
have put him against a multi-time division one wrestling champion
who is undefeated in MMA. What does this mean? Either they want
Sadollah to get badly beaten up so they can cut him from their
roster, or they want him to win with a big KO or submission to
give him some name-value again. Probably they don't care which
happens. My Guess: Hendricks by decision.
Kendall
Grove vs. Ricardo Almeida
Grove
is eleven feet tall but fights like he's a midget, throwing his
reach advantage out the window and closing the distance on his
opponents like a boy rushing to hug his long-lost father, who
everyone thought drowned in a fishing boat accident but was actually
just at a town down the road working at a Food Mart under a fake
name. If Grove pulls that crap on Almeida, he'll be walking out
of the octagon minus a limb; which will open up a world of possibilities
for him in the lucrative world of freak-porn but be the end of
his fighting career. My Guess: Almeida by submission.
Josh
Neer vs. Kurt Pellegrino
Neer's
nickname is "The Dentist" because he has knocked out
so many people's teeth. I had the rare pleasure of seeing his
highlight reel once, and most of the fights on it were against
chubby dudes in jeans, who would climb out of the audience to
fight him, get knocked down immediately and then try to get up
off their backs by rolling over into a crawling position, where
Neer would kick them hard in the face and send their face-chicklets
flying. Pellegrino's nickname is "Batman" and I assume
that's because he has a lot of "tools" on his figurative
"utility belt" but will any of them work against Neer?
Keep in mind, we're talking about a guy who considers tapping
out something reserved for women, children and cowardly, limp-wristed
sissies. Joe Stevenson put him in a kneebar and essentially broke
his leg, but Neer still escaped and beat him over halfway to
death. Afterwards, when Joe Rogan asked him if he'd thought about
tapping, Neer seemed taken aback by the comment, as if Rogan
had said "Did you think about crying like a little girl
and pooping yourself"? My Guess: Neer by decision
Shane
Nelson vs. Aaron Riley
This
is a re-match from UFC 96, where Nelson won the first fight by
TKO after Riley ate a shot and fell into his guard and the referee
stopped the fight, deciding that a person whose eyes are wide
open and whose body is moving around is actually unconscious.
Pray that referee never becomes a licensed surgeon, as he might
make the same mistake there and operate on someone without giving
them any anesthetics first. This time, assuming the referee hasn't
been recruited from a school for the blind, things should go
the way they were supposed to in the first match. My Guess: Riley
by decision.
Tamdan
McCrory vs. John Howard
McCrory
is nicknamed "The Barn Cat" because he is just so damn
thrashy and wild. Also, leave him alone for more than five minutes
and when you come back, he will have birthed a litter of offspring
into an old shoebox in the corner and will violently attack you
if you go near them. Howard is called "Doomsday" which
I'm pretty sure is also the name of the super-villain that killed
Superman a few years ago, an event which caused myself and a
million other nerds to go out and purchase limited-edition comic
books that were, in fact, not limited edition at all and now,
as I write this, are sealed in plastic bags in closets around
the world; worthless for all time due to the fact that everyone
who wants one essentially already has one. My Guess: McCrory
by decision.
Thales
Leites vs. Alessio Sakara
Leites'
last fight was a main event match for the title against Anderson
Silva. Now he is fighting on the undercard in a fight that may
not even make the pay-per-view. If, through some miracle, Sakara
manages to avoid getting submitted and actually knockes Leites
out, I suspect that the UFC will mail the Brazilian his walking
papers, along with a very tiny globule of feces to express their
disdain. The same is probably true for Sakara, who actually deserves
to be on an undercard since he has been knocked out in half his
fights, despite hanging his hat on his boxing skills. My Guess:
Leites by submission.
Source: Full Contact Fighter
|
UFC
101 IN-DEPTH: B.J. PENN VS. KENNY FLORIAN
by Steven Marrocco
UFC 101 co-headliners B.J. Penn and Kenny Florian are in the
final stages of preparation for their fight Saturday in Philadelphia,
the first major event to touch down in Pennsylvania since the
sport was legalized in February.
Penn,
the UFC lightweight champion, is six months removed from a failed
bid to wrest the welterweight title from Georges St. Pierre.
He’s looking to get back on the winning track after being
dominated by St. Pierre and shrug off any bad press that followed
him during the “Greasegate” controversy.
He
has a lot to lose, maybe more than any other UFC champion, given
his battle with public perception. Dogged by critics who say
he doesn’t train hard enough and quits when it counts, he
needs a picture-perfect performance to re-introduce the world
to his talent.
Florian,
the contender, is at the door of his second title shot after
losing to Sean Sherk at UFC 64 in the promotion’s first
title bout since the division was brought back from the dead.
He hasn’t dropped a bout since Sherk, winning six straight,
although he’s never faced an opponent of Penn’s caliber.
To beat the champ, all of Florian’s natural weapons need
to be working in his favor.
STRIKING
Penn’s
contribution to the striking world is boxing. You won’t
see him throwing flashy high kicks or playing the Muay Thai game.
His best weapons are his hands – specifically, his jab.
He sticks it in opponents’ faces as they approach, and uses
it to close distance to set up for combinations. If he eats a
few leg kicks on the way in, no matter. In close, he’s waiting
to throw his left hook and right uppercut, the two most powerful
weapons in his arsenal. He’ll eat plenty of kicks getting
inside on Florian, but you can bet he’ll be firing the uppercut
as he closes distance and looks for the knockout.
Florian’s
Muay Thai based attack focuses on kicks on the outside, with
his long legs doing most of the work in keeping opponents at
bay. As a southpaw, Florian likes to target the body with his
rear leg and will look to tag Penn as they stand at range. If
the fight gets into clinch range, expect him to look for elbows
as the two jockey for position.
GRAPPLING
On
the ground, Penn is an absolute terror. One of the most naturally
flexible fighters in the sport, his legs function as an extra
set of arms, which he uses to bend and manipulate foes to his
will. As he likes to say, it’s just advanced basics, but
as far as being able to execute in a fight, there are few better
than him at taking an opponent’s back and choking them out.
If Penn gets the position in a scramble, it could be a quick
night for the champ.
Florian
is no slouch on the ground either, and recently, his wrestling
game has improved markedly. In his last fight, against Roger
Huerta, he used takedowns to neutralize danger on the feet and
set up dominant positions on the ground. If Florian manages to
get on top when the action hits the mat, he’ll have to deal
with Penn’s lanky limbs and look out for the triangle or
omo plata. If he keeps his elbows in and his posture strong,
he could utilize his razor sharp elbows to open a cut the seemingly
uncut-able Penn. It’s doubtful he’ll play with Penn
in his guard if he ends up on bottom.
CAGE
CONTROL
Penn
tends to be the aggressor in his fights, mainly because he needs
to get closer to punch, as opposed to fighters who set up their
punches with leg kicks and go headhunting from outside. This
often gets him taken down, particularly when faced with wrestling
centric fighters like Matt Hughes and Georges St. Pierre. Prior
to UFC 94, he was fine with that, and welcomed the opportunity
to work his wizardry from the bottom. What remains unknown, however,
is whether the shellacking he received at the hands of GSP made
him re-think that approach. Florian isn’t the powerhouse
wrestler GSP is, but if he can use his elbows, he will.
Florian
has tempered his aggression as of late and has become highly
adept at using footwork to pick his battles. Against Huerta and
Joe Stevenson, he mostly moved backward, but when an angle opened
up, he planted and threw combinations or closed the distance
to nab a takedown. Against Penn, he’ll need his footwork
to find moments to fire off a kick or avoid swarms of punches.
If the action ties up, expect him to power the fight to the ground.
CONDITIONING
Much
to Penn’s chagrin, he has never been known for conditioning,
and as he said in the event’s pre-fight press conference
Thursday, he likely never will. He has gone the distance twice
in 25-minute title fights, but it was before he filled out his
frame, and later, began experimenting with fighting heavier.
Still, it’s easier to see him being stopped than throwing
in the towel, all recent examples to the contrary.
Since
finding his natural weight class, Florian’s conditioning
has only continued to improve. Working with strength and conditioning
coach Kevin Kearns, he has packed on natural muscle while retaining
his speed. He has fought 25 minutes once in his life, against
Sherk, and did not tire of trying to get out from under the wrestler/boxer.
Against Penn, it’s hard to imagine he’ll tire of the
fight unless it’s a high-pace grappling contest.
THE
“X” FACTOR
Blame
it on editors, the media, or his own outspokenness, but Penn’s
mental state has always been considered an unknown leading into
fights. Like most naturals, he’s had a tendency to forsake
his training and rely too much on his gifts. Penn says he turned
things around and got his life in order. He says he’s not
trying to hype a fight anymore by getting wrapped up in his opponent’s
talk before a fight. He continues to promote on his own terms,
though, and has obviously taken criticism directed at him in
a personal way. The mere presence of drama, which has followed
him periodically for much of his career, raises questions about
its effect on his performance. But given his desire to prove
doubters wrong, it will likely motivate him to perform at his
best. Success, after all, is the best revenge.
For
Florian, it’s his first appearance against an all-time great
in the sport. He, like many other fighters, has idolized Penn
at one point in his career. If he’s to be successful, he
needs to get over Penn’s aura and fight him as a man. If
unsuccessful, it could be his last title shot for a long time.
Will that create a pressure that paralyzes?
KEYS
TO VICTORY
Kenny
Florian:
- Cut angles and punish Penn with legs on the outside
- Get takedown, keep elbows in and work ground and pound
- Do not submit to Penn’s early pace
- Use elbows to open cut
Penn:
- Don’t chase Florian around and force the fight
- Throw inside combinations off kicks
- Take Florian’s back off a scramble
- Don’t allow Florian to settle into rhythm
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Aaron
Riley talks Shane Nelson rematch at UFC 101
by Ray Hui
Aaron Riley will be fighting Shane Nelson for the second time
at this Saturday's UFC 101, but don't tell Riley it's a rematch.
The
experienced lightweight out of Seattle lost in 44 seconds at
UFC 96 in March against Nelson when the referee intervened in
a stoppage universally agreed upon to be premature.
In
this exclusive interview with FanHouse, Riley, who trains with
the acclaimed Greg Jackson camp in Albuquerque, N.M., reflects
on the loss as he enters this weekend's fight eager to put behind
the setback.
Ray
Hui: When did you finally make peace with the loss?
Aaron
Riley: Well, I'm hoping after this fight I'll have peace without
ordeal. I've moved on, obviously. You have to go forward and
whatever, but I definitely feel my career has been sitting on
the sidelines for the past five months. Because I've kinda been
in a limbo stage where the fight didn't really have a conclusion
– it really didn't have a definite finish. I was definitely
able to keep fighting. The referee screwed up, and I know this
is definitely a fight that I don't think Shane can take a lot
of pride in the win and it's a fight I definitely don't feel
was a loss. There'll be resolution to it Aug. 8.
Looking
back to the fight, you were throwing a kick when he came at you
with the punch.
Yep,
we're both southpaws, and I was throwing an inside leg kick.
He clipped me with a punch. You know he caught me with it, and
it hit my shoulder as well, and it drove me back. I was standing
on one leg when he was throwing the punch. I didn't have the
best balance. I hit the floor and he dove on top of me and as
soon as we get on the ground the ref stops the fight. This isn't
boxing, this is MMA. Give the guy a chance to fight out.
So
it was simply a case of falling because you lost your balance
more than the actual power of the punch?
Yeah
it was more of a balance shot. I mean he timed it well so I'm
not taking anything away from him. He timed the kick, and he
landed the punch. It was my bad for not having my hands in the
right position for him to get through anyway. But yeah, it was
way more of a balance shot than anything.
Do
you hold anything against the referee?
I
don't hold anything against him in the sense of... I know that
he was just trying to look out for the fighters but he really
did not need to be there. He obviously didn't have the experience
to know what to look for. I mean, I just really can't see John
McCarthy, Herb Dean, Yuji Shimada – that Japanese PRIDE
ref, guys like that aren't going to make that mistake. I mean
he doesn't even have to be that experienced of a ref. There are
guys on local shows that have reffed several MMA fights that
wouldn't have made that mistake. That was just terrible. No excuse
for that.
And
for better or for worse, you're a guy well known for being in
wars. Should that be taken into account from a referee's perspective?
Well
sorta, see that's the other thing. An experienced ref probably
would have known that about me and probably given me the benefit
of the doubt. When a fighter's in trouble, a fighter's in trouble,
but that's the whole point, I wasn't even near in trouble. (Laughs)
That's why it was so tough to swallow and deal with.
Do
fighters put into the consideration that when the UFC comes to
a new area, the UFC is forced to use local referees that may
not be used to officiating a big show?
It's
never been an issue before, honestly, I actually am not aware
of a referee when I fight. He's there to monitor the action.
I've never had a referee give me a raw deal like that ever in
my life. This is going to be my 40th mixed martial arts fight,
this one come Aug. 8, and I have never had anyone drop the ball
that bad in a fight. Like I said, it's never even crossed my
mind.
For
this fight, are you curious to find out before hand who will
be the referee?
(Laughs.)
I don't know. When I get there I'll try my best to find out.
I would definitely look to have a little bit more experienced
guy in there. If anything is in my control... (Chuckles.) Yeah
I'll definitely make sure I have the more experienced guy. The
more experienced guy who knows what he's looking for.
The
fight only lasted 44 seconds but did you learn anything from
that fight that you used while training for this one?
I
got a feel for him so I kinda have a couple things. It was definitely
good, it was definitely a benefit to get in there and get a feel
for the guy. But at the same time Greg [Jackson] has been looking
at some video, he's seen my performances in sparring and he's
putting together a game plan. We trying to look at a couple of
different avenues to go about this time.
When
you fought Robbie Lawler at UFC 37, despite the loss, that was
easily one of the best fights of the year. Why did it take you
over four years for your return to the UFC?
There
was just a host of a lot of different things going on. I had
changed camps after I left. I was in AMC Kickboxing in Seattle
at the time when I had the Lawler fight. I just wasn't satisfied
with the training at the time and there were a lot of different
factors involved and just I moved camps, I went down to American
Top Team and I was out of the loop for a little while. I just
needed a few more wins together to get back in the UFC so it
took some time to get back on track. I felt like I was back on
track after that Gurgel win and I was really looking forward
to the Nelson fight. And then like I said, the ball really got
dropped and I have to try to get back on track once again.
UFC
101 is headlined by Nelson's trainer BJ Penn vs. Kenny Florian.
How do you see that going?
I
think a lot of people are not giving Kenny enough of a chance.
I think Kenny has a lot of tools. I think he is a really strong-minded
fighter and a great coach. I've had the opportunity to work with
[Mark] DellaGrotte before and I know he is really talented. I
think people got to give Kenny a little bit more of a chance
in this fight. It's not like its so much like its 90/10 or 80/20.
It's a little bit more 50/50 than I think people are kinda giving
it credit for.
Posted By: Ray Hui
Source: MMA Fighting
|
UFC
103
September 19, 2009
American Airlines Arena, Dallas, Texas
Main
Card Bouts:
-Vitor Belfort (18-8) vs. Rich Franklin (25-4)
-Josh Koscheck (12-4) vs. Frank Trigg (19-6)
-Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic (25-6-2) vs. Junior dos
Santos (8-1)
-Martin Kampmann (15-2) vs. Mike Swick (14-2)
-Tyson Griffin (13-2) vs. Hermes Franca (19-7)
Preliminary
Bouts:
-Efrain Escudero (11-0) vs. Cole Miller (15-3)
-Drew McFedries (8-5) vs. Tomasz Drwal (16-2-1)
-Jason Brilz (17-1) vs. Eliot Marshall (7-1)
-Rafael dos Anjos vs. Rob Emerson
-Dan Lauzon vs. Rafaello Oliveira
-Paul Daley vs. Brian Foster
-Jim Miller vs. Thiago Tavares
Source: The Fight Opinion
|
Fedor,
Werdum, and Strikeforce
By Zach Arnold
So Fabricio Werdum is off the 8/15 San Jose show, but hey - look
at the bright side — Strikeforce now has Fedor.
Obviously,
Showtime plays a major role in terms of who Strikeforce books
and what the network wants to see. So, how much did they pony
up to get Fedor? Remember, it was Showtime that was pushing the
Affliction show hard during Strikeforce telecasts, so clearly
the network knows who Fedor is and wanted him.
As
for the whole “co-promotion” deal that M-1 always angles
for, well it makes a lot of sense with Strikeforce and none with
UFC. Why should UFC pay 50% of any show they promote with Fedor
on the card when 95% of the people watching UFC buy it because
of their loyalty to the brand? (Alan disputes the loyalty factor
here, but when your floor is 325,000 buys a show… People
arguing that there is no brand to a loyalty are forgetting that
most of the ’stars’ headlining these shows were created
or pushed by the UFC marketing machine.)
Strikeforce,
however, doesn’t rake in the cash like UFC, so splitting
costs and revenues 50/50 is a pretty easy pill for them to swallow.
Plus, we know that for a company like Strikeforce with a limited-size
office that running a lot of Challenger shows requires resources
if you aren’t dealing with sold shows (i.e. guaranteed money).
We’ve seen M-1 run a lot of strange shows in Seattle and
KC and so forth. If M-1 wants to continue doing that, Strikeforce
can just piggyback on it and Showtime will provide the TV money
to do it for the smaller shows. It makes some sense.
I
would have published Strikeforce’s statement on the Fedor
signing, but I’m not on their mailing list so I’m not
all cool like that or whatnot.
If
you’re a UFC fan who is bummed out about not seeing Fedor
in the cage… chances are, and history seems to indicate
this, eventually he will end up facing a UFC-or-go-home situation.
The positive take on Dana White’s side here is that he’s
watched Fedor’s stock incrementally go up in the States
without having to pay a dime for it. Plus, look at all the promotions
Fedor has fought for that have gone out of business. Now, you
can say that Strikeforce will be the exception to the rule, but
unless they start getting a lot of heavyweights to build up depth
in a division without a lot of depth in the first place, eventually
there will be no other real option other than UFC. So, if you’re
in Dana White’s position, just step back and watch the circus
and see what happens from there.
All
of the chips have moved on the table to the Fedor option for
Strikeforce. How much money is left for the promotion?
As
for prognostications that this move is a gamechanger, well…
Fedor hasn’t been a game-changer since PRIDE died. What
the move does allow is for Fedor to still be able to fight in
Japan because Strikeforce will co-promote with others. Remember,
Scott Coker has a long history with Kazuyoshi Ishii, so the idea
that we could see Fedor on NYE in Japan is not out of the realm
of possibility. In fact, it makes a lot of sense. If Strikeforce
can get into the mix with K-1, then we could certainly see Fedor
vs. Barnett in Japan and we could see some K-1/DREAM talent coming
stateside shortly.
Source: Fight Opinion
|
Yoshida
in ADCC dispute
UFC fighter to compete in under-77kg category
Former
Cage Force welterweight champion and current UFC fighter Yoshiyuki
"Zenko" Yoshida is another big name added to the star-studded
ADCC 2009 competitor list. Yoshida is another submission-savvy
star to grace the under-77kg division of the “World Cup”
of submission wrestling, to take place September 26 and 27 in
Barcelona, Spain.
The
Japanese judoka thus bolsters the already-stacked welterweight
division, where such grappling stalwarts as Marcelo Garcia, GSP,
Kron Gracie and Pablo Popovich, to name a few, are the names
to beat.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
WEC
Confirms Line-Up for Sept. 2nd Card
By FCF Staff
World
Extreme Cagefighting has confirmed the line-up for the promotion’s
upcoming September 2nd card in Youngstown, Ohio, an event which
will be headlined by a lightweight interim championship fight
between Donald Cerrone and Ben Henderson. The promotion’s
current champion, Jamie Varner, is still sidelined with injuries
he incurred in his Technical Split-Decision win over Cerrone
in January.
Manny Tapia
Henderson (9-1) has gone 2-0 since signing with the WEC, defeating
Anthony Njokuani in January, and then most recently, Shane Roller
in April.
Cerrone
has competed just once since his memorable clash with Varner;
at WEC 41 in June, he submitted James Krause in the first round
with a rear-naked-choke.
Here
is the line-up for WEC 43:
Donald
Cerrone vs. Benson Henderson
Dave Jansen vs. Richard Crunkilton Jr.
Damacio Page vs. Akitoshi Tamura
Alex Karalexis vs. Anthony Pettis
Rafael Assuncao vs. Yves Jabouin
Wagnney Fabiano vs. Erik Koch
Manny Tapia vs. Eddie Wineland
Scott Jorgensen vs. Rafael Rebello
Muhsin Corbbrey vs. Anthony Njokuani
Charlie Valencia vs. Coty Wheeler
Source: Full Contact Fighter
|
Hirota,
Kanehara win titles at Sengoku 9
Mizuoto Hirota stopped Satoru Kitaoka in the fourth round Sunday
to win away the Sengoku lightweight belt at Sengoku 9 the Saitama
Super Arena in Tokyo, Japan.
In
the finals of the Featherweight Grand Prix, Masanori Kanehara
edged Michihiro Omigawa in a split decision to win the promotion's
featherweight belt.
RESULTS:
1.
Yoshihiro "Kiss" Nakao def. Choi Mu Bae via unanimous
decision
Featherweight
GP Semifinals
2. Hatsu Hioki def. Masanori Kanehara via unanimous decision
3. Michihiro Omigawa def. Marlon Sandro via split decision
Featherweight
GP Reserve
4. Chan Sung Jung def. Matt Jaggers via submission (triangle
choke) – R2 (1:25)
5.
Eiji Mitsuoka def. Clay French via submission (guillotine choke)
– R1 (1:51)
6. Dan Hornbuckle def. Akihiro Gono via KO (head kick) –
R3 (2:50)
7. Blagoy Alexandre Ivanov def. Kazuyuki Fujita via split decision
8. Kazuo Misaki def. Kazuhiro Nakamura via technical sub (guillotine
choke) – R1 (3:03)
Featherweight
GP Final
9. Masanori Kanehara def. Michihiro Omigawa via split decision
Lightweight
Title
10. Mizuto Hirota def. Satoru Kitaoka via TKO (strikes) –
R4 (2:50)
Source: MMA Fighting
|
DANA
WHITE BLASTS RIVAL PROMOTION STRIKEFORCE
by Damon Martin
Following the UFC 101 pre-fight press conference, a bevy of reporters
swarmed UFC president Dana White with questions surrounding the
recent signing of Fedor Emelianenko with Strikeforce, and how
the promotion has signaled the beginning of a war with the biggest
MMA promotion on the planet.
When
prompted with the question about Stirkeforce scheduling a conference
call with Fedor that coincided with the same time for the UFC
101 pre-fight press conference, and whether that meant the UFC
was being challenged by the promotion, White had a very simple
answer.
"You
just answered your own question. They should have stayed where
they were. We'll see what happens. You want to fight me we're
going to fight, and you know how that goes and we know how that
ends," White said.
While
some believe Emelianenko's signing with Strikeforce strengthens
the promotion, many others have questioned if his addition is
really going to be the major deal that it was made out to be
when he inked the contract.
"It
will put them out of business," White commented about what
Fedor's signing with do for Strikeforce. "These guys have
no money and they have no distribution. Four (expletive) people
watch Showtime. Their last fight they put on, do you know how
many people watched that fight? 245,000 people watched that fight."
Still
tight lipped on the actual numbers, White is adamant that the
deal the UFC offered the former Pride champion was better than
anything he ended up with at Strikeforce.
"I
guarantee you the deal he got at Strikeforce isn't even in the
(expletive) universe of what he got (from the UFC)," White
stated. "The deal he got at Strikeforce probably isn't even
the deal he had at Affliction. They have no money."
It
appears the gauntlet has been thrown and White isn't backing
down from challenging Strikeforce, and their roster of fighters,
who he commented about as well on Thursday.
"They
have no fighters, they have nobody for him to fight," White
said about competition for Fedor. "They're a small time
show; they're trying to act like they have something. Cung Le
hasn't defended his title since like 1997, Josh Thomson hasn't
defended his title in something like two years, (Alistair Overeem)
hasn't defended his title in two years. Strike-farce. It's a
joke. It's a tiny little regional show with nobody in it."
Source: MMA Weekly
|
UFC
finalizes UFC Fight Night 19 card
Ten bouts have now been official to finalize the UFC Fight Night
19 card scheduled for Sept. 16 at the Cox Convention Center in
Oklahoma City.
In
the evening's headliner, The Ultimate Fighter 5 winner Nate Diaz
will look to avoid three straight losses in a lightweight showdown
against season two's Melvin Guillard.
The
event could also mark the final UFC appearance (in the near future)
for Roger Huerta, whose plan is to pursue acting career after
the completion of his contract. He'll take on the rising contender
Gray Maynard.
The
UFC Fight Night 19 presentation on Spike TV will be immediately
followed by the season premiere of The Ultimate Fighter 10: Heavyweights.
FIGHT
CARD:
Spike
TV
-
Nate Diaz vs. Melvin Guillard
- Roger Huerta vs. Gray Maynard
- Carlos Condit vs. Chris Lytle
- Nate Quarry vs. Tim Credeur
Prelims
-
Steve Cantwell vs. Brian Stann
- Chris Wilson vs. Mike Pyle
- Ed Herman vs. Aaron Simpson
- Sam Stout vs. Kyle Bradley
- Jeremy Stephens vs. Justin Buchholz
- Ryan Jensen vs. Steve Steinbeiss
Source: MMA Fighting
|
MMA
all-time fight salaries
By Zach Arnold
In
this week’s edition of The Observer, Dave Meltzer wrote
the following:
There
was no “$30 million” offer, although if he won the
championship, the sport continued to draw and he was a major
draw, he could have earned more than that. UFC wanted a six fight
deal, but offered three fights, figuring it would be an easier
deal to conclude since Emelianenko’s side would see it as
him being locked up for less time. They offered on 7/28, about
a $2 million guarantee, plus a sliding percentage based on PPV
buys. The first fight offered was with Brock Lesnar for the championship.
If the show did 800,000 buys, a huge disappointment considering
Lesnar’s status right now, Emelianenko would still come
out of it with well over $3 million. If it did 1.5 million buys,
he’d get more than $5 million, the biggest one-night payoff
in the sport’s history.
In
regards to the magical $5 million USD figure, both Hidehiko Yoshida
and Naoya Ogawa were supposedly paid that much money for their
Man Festival fight a few years ago in the PRIDE ring. Lesnar,
no doubt, made a dollar figure similar to that amount for UFC
100 given the estimated 1.7 million PPV buys and how much per
buy he got along with his base salary.
Source: Fight Opinion
|
Quote
of the Day
"No
tool is more beneficial than intelligence. No enemy is more harmful
than ignorance."
Abu Abdullah Muhammad al-Harithi al-Baghdadi al-Mufid
|
UFC
101: Declaration
Channel 701
Hawaii Air Times: 3:30pm - 6:00pm
The UFC debuts in Philly with UFC 101: Declaration Saturday featuring
BJ Penn defending his lightweight belt against Kenny Florian.
Also, Anderson Silva returns to light-heavyweight and will square
off against former champ Forrest Griffin.
Main event, lightweight title fight:
B.J. Penn vs. Kenny Florian
Co-main
event:
Anderson Silva vs. Forrest Griffin
Televised
undercard:
Amir Sadollah vs. Johny Hendricks
Kendall Grove vs. Ricardo Almeida
Josh Neer vs. Kurt Pellegrino
Non-televised
undercard:
Shane Nelson vs. Aaron Riley
Tamdan McCrory vs. John Howard
Thales Leites vs. Alessio Sakara
Matt Riddle vs. Dan Cramer
Jesse Lennox vs. Danillo Villefort
Source: MMA Fighting
|
6th Annual Maui Jiu-Jitsu Open
Gi and No Gi Tournament
War Memorial Gymnasium, Wailuku, Maui, Hawaii
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Registration
and entry form:
Dear
Friends,
It
is our great pleasure to invite you and your organization to
attend and compete in the 6th annual Maui Jiu-Jitsu open Tournament.
The event will take place on Saturday, August 29, 2009 at the
War Memorial Gymnasium in Wailuku, Maui, Hawaii. We also welcome
back all who attended last year's event. We expect this year's
tournament to be even larger, with bigger and better competition!
Competition
will consist of matches in all belt levels and weight divisions
with medals, trophies, and prizes to the winners as well as the
always competitive team competition, with trophies and prizes
to the top three teams. As with the growth of our sport, we at
Maui Jiu-Jitsu are always striving to expand and improve on our
tournament. At this time, we are planning to hold several exhibition
matches between advanced level competitors. Anyone locally here
who are interested - please contact us.
Please
make every attempt to register as early as possible to allow
us to begin the always time consuming process of setting up the
brackets and matching competitors. This allows us to start the
competition on time and keep the tournament flowing smoothly.
Registration and entry forms:
Registration may be done by mail, or at the Maui Jiu Jitsu Academy.
Please mail all completed entry forms to:
150 Haiku Road, Haiku, Hi. 96708.
Don't forget to include a phone number if we need to reach you
and make sure you check the weight class you want to compete
in, and whether you want to compete in the Gi, No Gi divisions
or both.
Weigh-ins:
Weigh ins will be held at the Maui Jiu Jitsu Academy at the Haiku
Cannery Center from 10am, and at the War Memorial Gymnasium from
8 am on the day of the event. We ask that all competitors try
and register and weigh in as early as possible to avoid delays
to the start of the event.
If
you have any questions, please feel free to call Luis or Lee
at the numbers listed, or email us. It is our hope that you will
join us in the spirit of friendly, fun competition and to further
promote the art of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Submission Grappling!
See
you on the Mats!
Luis
"Limao" Heredia Lee Theros
Head Instructor - Maui Jiu-Jitsu Event Coordinator
Ph. (808) 357-2009 Ph. (808) 298-7698
Email: info@mauijiujitsu.com
Email: leetheros@aol.com
6th Annual Maui Jiu-Jitsu Open
Gi and No Gi Tournament
War Memorial Gymnasium. Wailuku, Maui, Hawaii
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Divisions:
Adult,
Kids, Women, Masters
All Weight Divisions, All Levels.
Medals for 1st and 2nd place, (All kids receive medals!)
Individual Achievement Awards, prizes and trophies
Team competition trophy and prizes
Competitor Fees: (Includes T-Shirt)
Adults: $60 Kids: $40 (Make checks payable to: LEE THEROS)
When:
Saturday,
August 29, 2009
Location:
War
Memorial Gymnasium
Kaahumanu Avenue, Wailuku, Maui, Hawaii
Event
Schedule:
8:00
- 9:30 am Late registration and weigh ins.
9:30 - 10:00 am Opening Ceremonies and rules briefing.
10:00 am Start of Competition.
Information:
Lee
Theros
(808) 298-7698
Email: leetheros@aol.com
Luis
Heredia
(808) 357-2009
Web: info@mauijiujitsu.com
Tournament
Rules and Information
Weight
Divisions: (Women and kids divisions to be paired appropriately
by weight and experience)
Rooster:
110 - 121 lbs.
Super Feather: 122 - 134 lbs.
Feather: 135 - 147 lbs.
Light: 148 - 160 lbs.
Middle: 161 - 173 lbs.
Light Heavy: 174 - 187 lbs.
Heavy: 1 88 - 202 lbs.
Super Heavy: 203 - 213 lbs.
Unlimited: 214 lbs. & over
No
Gi Divisions:
Novice:
Less than 1 year experience.
Intermediate: 1 to 3 years experience.
Advanced: 3 or more years of experience.
*Exceptions:
Competitors deemed to have other experience such as substantial
Mixed Martial arts or college level wrestling shall be placed
automatically in the advanced division.
(Tournament committee to have final discretion).
Time
Limits:
Adult
Gi:
White Belt 5 Minutes
Blue Belt 6 Minutes
Purple Belt 7 Minutes
Brown Belt 8 Minutes
Black Belt 10 Minutes
Adult
No Gi:
Novice 5 Minutes
Intermediate 6 Minutes
Advanced 7 7 Minutes
Children (under 16 years old, Gi & No Gi) 4 minutes
Requirements
for Competition:
1.
Clean Gi.
2. Rash Guard or T-Shirt in No Gi Division.
3. Sleeves no shorter than 4 inches from the wrist.
4. Four finger cuff clearance
5. Signed Waiver
6. Paid entrance fee.
Tournament
Rules:
Points:
1.
Throws / Takedowns 2 Points
2. Knee on Stomach 2 Points
3. Sweep 2 Points
4. Pass Guard 3 Points
5. Mount 4 Points
6. Back (2 hooks in) 4 Points
7. Submission/Tap Out End of Match
In
the event of a tie at the end of regulation, the winner of the
match will be determined via referee's decision (No advantages).
Rules:
1.
Competitors shall shake hands at the start of, and at the end
of the match.
2. Competitors shall observe and follow all of the referee's
instructions at all times.
Illegal
Techniques:
1.
No heel hooks in any division. Toe holds allowed only in the
advanced No Gi division and purple belts or higher. Straight
foot lock allowed in all divisions.
2. Single Digit Toe or Finger Manipulation
3. Striking of any kind (Punching, Kicking, Shoulder)
4. Slamming opponent from takedown, inside the guard, or to escape
or break any submission attempt.
5. Placing fingers in eyes, ears, or mouth
6. Neck Cranks
In
the event of any dispute, the referee shall render all decisions,
and judgment shall be final. Remember, we are all out to have
a fun and enjoyable tournament experience, and with all tournaments,
some decisions will be disputed and questioned. Ultimately we
should all practice good sportsmanship and not let the pursuit
of winning take precedence over all else. We will make every
effort to ensure that all competitors are evenly matched and
treated fairly.
Currently all airlines are charging $98 for a flight from Oahu
to Maui, so book now before the rates creep up.
Source: Event Promoter
|
We would like to announce a seminar coming up in August of 2009
Koretoshi Maruyama Sensei will be teaching.
For further information please contact me:
James Peters
Noelani Ki Aikido Yuishinkai
(808) 256-9944
e-mail: james@jpetersdesign.com
|
MIDDLEWEIGHT
STAR RONALDO“JACARE” SOUZA
SIGNS WITH STRIKEFORCE
NEW YORK (August 5, 2009)–- Dream Middleweight Grand Prix
runner-up and submission wizard Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza
(10-2) has signed a multi-fight agreement with world championship
mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion STRIKEFORCE.
Souza
is expected to fulfill the first fight on his contract in the
fall.
“I
am very excited that I will have the opportunity to fight in
STRIKEFORCE amongst many of the world’s best middleweight
fighters,” said the 29-year-old Souza, a native of Brazil,
who established his position as a top tier middleweight last
year after placing second in the 2008 Dream Middleweight Grand
Prix single elimination tournament in Japan.
“STRIKEFORCE
has an extremely deep roster of top middleweight fighters. I
am looking forward to the challenge and to taking my career to
the next level.”
During
the opening round of the Dream tournament held in the city of
Saitama on April 29, 2008, Souza submitted Ian Murphy with a
rear naked choke in the first round (3:37). Souza’s next
opponent, Jason “Mayhem” Miller, proved to be a tougher
battle, escaping several submission attempts by the Brazilian
in Yokohama on June 15, 2008. Souza prevailed, however, earning
a unanimous decision over the American star.
In
semifinal action on Sept. 23, 2008, Souza made quick work of
Zelg Galesic, submitting Galesic with an armbar in the first
round (1:27) in Saitama. That same night, however, Souza was
finally stopped by Gegard Mousasi, the number two ranked middleweight
in the world, in the first round (2:15) of the tournament’s
championship bout in Saitama.
Souza,
who took up Brazilian Jiu Jitsu at the age of 17, fought MMA
legend Randy “The Natural” Couture to a draw in a grappling
contest in 2006 and, shortly thereafter, began training at Xtreme
Couture. He has since returned to training in his homeland.
Souza’s
nickname, “Jacare,” is Portuguese for the species of
alligator that inhabit Manaus, the town in Brazil where he was
born.
The
news of Souza signing with STRIKEFORCE comes two days after the
San Jose, California- based promotion inked an agreement with
M-1 Global to co-promote Fedor Emelianenko, the world’s
top ranked heavyweight and arguably the best pound for pound
fighter in the world.
STRIKEFORCE
in March 2009 signed a multi-year agreement to stage live MMA
events on the premium cable television network.
About
STRIKEFORCE
STRIKEFORCE (www.strikeforce.com) is a world-class mixed martial
arts cage fight promotion which, on Friday, March 10, 2006, made
history with its “Shamrock vs. Gracie” event, the first
sanctioned mixed martial arts fight card in California state
history. The star-studded extravaganza, which pitted legendary
champion Frank Shamrock against Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt
Cesar Gracie at San Jose’s HP Pavilion, played host to a
sold-out, record crowd of 18,265. Since 1995, STRIKEFORCE has
been the exclusive provider of martial arts programming for ESPN
and, after 12 years of success as a leading, world championship
kickboxing promotion, the company unveiled its mixed martial
arts series with “Shamrock vs. Gracie.” In May 2008,
West Coast Productions, the parent company of STRIKEFORCE, partnered
with Silicon Valley Sports & Entertainment (SVS&E), an
entity created in 2000 to oversee all business operation aspects
of the San Jose Sharks and HP Pavilion at San Jose.
Source: Strikeforce
|
STRIKEFORCE
& UFC: THE GLOVES ARE OFF
by Steven Marrocco
The goodwill that the UFC and Strikeforce has shared in over
three years promoting the same business has evaporated this week.
The
promoters of both organizations, UFC president Dana White and
Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker, held court on Thursday for reporters
eager to chronicle the fallout of Fedor Emelianeko’s near
miss with the UFC and subsequent signing with Strikeforce on
Monday.
White,
at a press conference promoting this weekend’s UFC 101 in
Philadelphia, fired the first shot, reversing an earlier stance
that he had “nothing negative to say” about the San
Jose based promotion.
“Fedor
will put Strikeforce out of business,” a ruffled White said.
“No one watched the last Strikeforce show…they have
no money, and no one to fight Fedor.”
To
boot, White called the promotion “Strikefarce.”
“They're
a small time show; they're trying to act like they have something,”
he stated. “Cung Le hasn't defended his title since like
1997, Josh Thomson hasn't defended his title in something like
two years, (Alistair Overeem) hasn't defended his title in two
years. Strike-farce. It's a joke. It's a tiny little regional
show with nobody in it."
Coker,
speaking on a teleconference about the signing and new M-1 partnership,
deflected White’s vitriol.
“My
response to that is, of course he’s going to say that,”
said Coker. “He’s a promoter, so he’s going to
do, and say what he’s going to say. But we’ve been
in business a long time, and I think we know how to operate a
business, and with the relationship with Ken and Showtime and
M-1, I feel very confident that we’re going to have some
great big shows with Fedor.”
The
first signs of the fractured relationship appeared on Monday
when Strikeforce announced the deal with Emelianenko, which drew
the ire of many fans expecting to see the Russian tangle with
UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar. Both Emelianenko and manager
Vadim Finkelstein said the UFC’s refusal to co-promote with
M-1 was the deciding factor in joining Strikeforce.
“Fedor
is a (expletive) joke,” White wrote via text message on
Monday afternoon. “He turns down a huge deal and the opportunity
to face the best in the world to fight nobodies for no money!”
The
UFC had already confronted Strikeforce on paper.
Last
Wednesday, the Las Vegas based promotion sent a cease and desist
letter to Strikeforce lawyers ordering them to halt an upcoming
fight between Renato “Babalu” Sobral and Gegard Mousasi
at Carano vs. Cyborg on Aug. 15. The letter cited a recent deal
with now defunct promotion Affliction – who had shared an
informal alliance with Strikeforce – that presumed the contracts
of numerous Affliction fighters were assigned to the UFC.
White
also claimed Mousasi had been misled by his managers at M-1 Global
on a possible deal with the UFC.
Apy
Echteld, a representative of M-1 Global, negotiated Mousasi’s
deal with Strikeforce and disputed the letter’s claim.
“There
have never been any tight negotiations about this contract,”
he said. “There has been some contact in the past, and also
during the conversation, the only thing that came on the table
was (that) the UFC tried to stop the fight between Mousasi and
Babalu. But at that time, Mousasi already signed his contract,
which he is happy with and he will honor with Strikeforce.
“I
talked with (UFC matchmaker) Joe Silva last night, and last night
he actually said for the first time the only thing they tried
to do… is match with contract with Affliction and Mousasi,
so that was all.”
Strikeforce
lawyers plan to resolve the issue with UFC lawyers in Las Vegas
following Carano vs. Cyborg.
M-1
head Vadim Finkelstein said White’s tact was the latest
in a campaign to misrepresent the facts about negotiations between
his company and the UFC.
“The
thing is we are a young company and we don’t have the huge
PR machine,” said Finkelstein. “A lot of journalists
do not take our side. Fedor has never belonged to the UFC. We
understand perfectly well what will happen if Fedor signs the
contract with the UFC.
“Dana
White states right now that we wanted to come and take his business
in the Russian way, but that’s not true. We offered the
co-production and co-promotion.”
Initially,
Coker laughed at White’s “Strikefarce” jibe and
said he expected as much.
“Under
the current circumstances, is anybody surprised?” said Coker.
“I don’t think so.”
Source: MMA Weekly
|
The
great debate on whether UFC has changed boxing or not
By Zach Arnold
Bernard
Fernandez, a long-time boxing writer for the Philadelphia Daily
News, did an interview with Joe Hand, who is the major player
for closed circuit TV distribution of fight events. Hand told
Fernandez that UFC is where the money is in distributing events
to bars as opposed to boxing shows, which cost more and draw
(supposedly) smaller crowds.
Last
week, Bernard was on the UFC conference call and I went ahead
and transcribed his questions on the call. Check it out.
Bernard
Fernandez (Philly Daily News): “Although it’s a couple
days early, let me say in advance welcome to Philadelphia.”
Dana
White: “Thanks brother, we’re excited man. It’s
a huge event, I’m sure you already know the biggest fight
in Pennsylvania history, so. We’re excited.”
BF:
“Yeah, well, we’re going to have a special 8-page pull-out
section on Friday which in the newspaper industry almost never
happens any more. So, thanks for that.”
Dana
White: “I love you, man. Heh heh heh.”
Bernard
Fernandez: “I have three specific questions and one has
to do with the level of competition and I think it speaks a lot
towards UFC and what’s happening in MMA because the four
top guys and the two top on August 8th have a combined record
of 66-17-and I believe 1. You look at boxing and so many guys
get moved along and when they finally get a title shot they’re
43-and-0 with 40 knockouts and whatever, even the best MMA guys
you know if they have a 75% winning percentage, that’s pretty
pretty good. I mean what does it say about the level of competition
that it’s so much harder to compile a really stupendous
record in UFC.”
Dana
White: “Yes, it’s not though, when you really look
at the sport and the way the sport is, there’s so many ways
to win and so many ways to lose in this sport and guys…
I’ll give you an example, Machida, he’s like 17-and-0
or 18-and-0 now, guys who can go undefeated and even if you look
at guys who have records like Tito, um, you know, any of the
guys that are any of the top fighters in the UFC to go for long
periods of time without losing a fight, Kenny Florian is going
into this fight without having lost in like the last 2 1/2 years.
You know, that’s very tough to do in this sport and that’s
one of the things that people started getting sick of with boxing,
you had these guys that were you know 42-and-0 you know who had
a title but they’ve only fought good guys their last three
or four fights. You know what I mean?”
Tito:
“I gotta help you out with that, Dana. With the UFC, what
they do, I wish they did but I guess they don’t anyways,
is give fighters kind of gimme fights. There’s never been
a gimme fight at any one of the UFC’s at all, every single
one of them are an action-packed fight, you guys are getting
the best, you guys are getting main events when they’re
even not main events. It’s just every one of these fighters
who competes as far as their records aren’t 43-and-0 because
they’re competing against the best guys in the world, it’s
not like boxing where you can get Joe Schmoe to box somebody
else and yeah he gets a knockout 50 times in a row or 40 times
in a row and yeah, they’re good fighters but at the same
time they’re not competing at the same level as MMA guys
are and as Dana says, we can win any ways of knockout, submission,
decision, referee stoppage, I mean there’s so many different
ways that to win or lose in this bout it’s separated from
boxing you know you can say boxing as checkers, well MMA is chess.
There’s so many ways, so many ways to win and lose, there’s
so many different moves you can do, and that’s why it’s
so exciting for the fans to watch I think.”
BF:
“I know that you know in the past and maybe even still now
that you have been a boxing fan but you’ve also been critical
of that sport because of moves that things that they do that
are don’t seem very sensical, shooting themselves in the
foot and that sort of stuff. In recent weeks, we’ve had
situations where Showtime announced a tournament for the Middleweight
division and they had another meeting with like 30 boxing promoters
where they were all work in unison. This is something that hasn’t
happened before. Do you think that these sort of moves are like
boxing trying to answer stuff from the UFC that you know that
they have been having so much problems competing with you guys
that they’re making moves that maybe they should have done
a long time ago, you know, in direct reaction to the success
of your operation.”
Dana
White: “No doubt about it and listen, the things that I
say about boxing are absolutely 100% true about how screwed up
that business is and these guys have just taken and taken and
taken and taken from the sport for years and never given back
and yeah, I think they’re trying to fix it now, they’re
trying to but here’s the reality, you know what the reality
is? Both of these sports can exist. I like boxing. The problem
with boxing is they’re doing it again with the next Floyd
Mayweather fight. Nobody wants to see that fight. Fans do not
want to see that fight. But that’s the fight they’re
going to give you. They’re going to cram that one down your
throat and see if you’ll pay for it. Everybody wants to
see the Pacquiao/Mayweather fight, that’s the fight everybody
wants to see. And yeah, these guys are… more than just that,
I see tons of things that they’re trying to do you know
to make it, but good! That’s good! It’s good that we’re
forcing them to make that sport better.”
BF:
“You know, you remember going back years ago with you know
the image that MMA used to have with the John McCain comments
and that sort of stuff, several years ago you brought in Marc
Ratner who had been the executive director of the Nevada State
Athletic Commission, very well-respected guy as the Vice President
of Regulatory Affairs. How much has he meant to UFC?”
Dana
White: “He’s meant a lot. I mean, a lot of the key
people over the last couple of years we’ve picked up a lot
of great people and Ratner being one of them. The crazy thing
about the fight business is, everybody hates everybody in the
fight business, this guy is like the most respected man I’ve
ever met in my life. It’s very hard to find people that
say bad things about Marc Ratner. He loves the sport of combat,
he likes combat sports, whether it’s boxing or Mixed Martial
Arts and he’s been one of the guys whose helped build this
industry, too, and I think by us bringing him in, it’s meant
a lot to the UFC and to the sport. You know, he’s an amazing
human being and the answer is yes, if that’s what your asking
me, has it meant a lot for Marc Ratner being a part of this?
Absolutely. I couldn’t say enough good things about him.”
Source: Fight Opinion
|
Vitor
Belfort vs. Rich Franklin at 103
Vitor Belfort will return to the UFC in a 195-pound bout against
Rich Franklin at UFC 103 on Sept. 19 in Dallas, the promotion
announced today.
Franklin
(25-4) was originally announced to face former PRIDE middleweight
and light-heavyweight titleholder Dan Henderson (25-7) at the
event but due to the lack of interest in the rematch from UFC
93, the UFC shuffled the main event.
"The
fans didn't like it, so we're going to change it," UFC president
Dana White said Friday.
Belfort
(18-8), coming off knockout wins at Affliction over Terry Martin
and Matt Lindland, is one of the many Affliction "Trilogy"
competitors picked up by the UFC following the cancellation of
the Aug. 1 event. Belfort's return to light-heavyweight is a
little curious considering his supposed desire to build his career
at 185 pounds and White's interest in Belfort as a possible challenger
to Anderson Silva's middleweight title.
Henderson,
meanwhile, will sit in the sidelines as he awaits a title shot
against Silva.
Current
UFC 103 Fight Card:
-
Rich Franklin vs. Vitor Belfort
- Mike Swick vs. Martin Kampmann
- Efrain Escudero vs. Cole Miller
- Josh Koscheck vs. Frank Trigg
- Tyson Griffin vs. Hermes Franca
- Drew McFedries vs. Tomasz Drwal
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Strikeforce
Announces Multi-Fight Deal with Fedor Emelianenko
By FCF Staff
Strikeforce has announced today that the promotion has signed
Fedor Emelianenko to a multi-fight deal; concluding rampant speculation
as to where the highly regarded fighter would go next, after
Affliction suddenly shut down its operations as a promotion last
week.
Although
no specific terms regarding Emelianenko’s contract were
included in today’s release, the announcement does include
news that Strikeforce has entered into a co-promotional agreement
with the fighter’s management company M-1 Global. Emelianenko
will reportedly make his debut sometime this fall and the bout
will be broadcast on Showtime.
“Strikeforce
is a top fight promotion that houses some of the greatest fighters
in the world,” Emelianenko was quoted saying in today’s
release. “I am prepared to fight any of them.”
"We
are extremely excited to have the opportunity to work with M-1
Global and Fedor,” said Strikeforce founder and CEO Scott
Coker. “Fedor has been the reigning king of MMA’s heavyweight
division for quite some time now so being able to work with M-1
and Fedor will substantially increase the level of competition
amongst the athletes in this weight class.”
On
Friday, UFC President Dana White, acknowledged that M-1 Global’s
insistence on a co-promotional agreement, was essentially a deal
killer in negotiations between the UFC and Fedor’s management.
“I
am very happy and excited about the upcoming collaboration with
Strikeforce,” said Vadim Finkelchtein, President of M-1
Global. “We are very pleased that we found a reliable partner
and I feel that Strikeforce and M-1 can support each other on
many things. This will create big opportunities for both parties
to test their fighters against worthy opponents.”
Emelianenko
(30-1) has not competed since January, when he knocked out former
UFC champion Andrei Arlovski, at Affliction’s “Day
of Reckoning” event. Fedor had been scheduled to fight Josh
Barnett on August 1st, but the Affliction card was cancelled,
after Barnett allegedly tested positive for anabolic steroids
and was denied a license by the California State Athletic Commission.
Source: Full Contact Fighter
|
White:
‘Fedor’s a joke’
UFC president comments on Russian being hired by Strikeforce
Never one to mince his words, UFC president Dana White kept in
character when commenting on Fedor Emelianenko’s deal to
fight at rival organization Strikeforce. Shortly after the Affliction
event where the Russian fought collapsed, the UFC entered into
talks to hire his services, but demands from the heavyweight’s
handlers impeded a deal being reached.
“I'm
in Abu Dhabi right now and my reaction is Fedor is a [expletive]
joke. [He] turns down a huge deal and the opportunity to face
the best in the world to fight nobodies, for no money. Fedor
is a [expletive]. I feel sorry for the real fans! I wanted to
make the deal but it takes two and it is VERY obvious Fedor doesn't
want to fight the best and doesn't give a [expletive] about the
fans,” White is quoted as saying on fiveknuckles.com.
Adding, “It's basically them coming in and saying, 'Hey,
we've got this guy, and some people might say he's the best heavyweight
in the world. 'So for that, we want half of your business.' Yeah,
OK. That (expletive) probably works in Russia - not here. Let's
be honest: These guys are going to come in and co-promote? How
the hell are they going to co-promote anything? We've built this
entire frigging industry.”
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Tons
of Major UFC News Confirmed by Dana White
Ariel Shnerer
Fedor
Emelianenko has turned down a favorable offer to join the Ultimate
Fighting Championship, according to UFC President Dana White.
White
confirmed the news during a conference call on Friday afternoon.
"Trust
me when I tell you, we did everything to make this deal happen,"
said White. "It's insanity to turn down a deal like this.
There is no compromise on the co-promotion (with M-1 Global).
The only thing that was a deal breaker for them was the co-promotion.
Otherwise, we offered them everything."
White
also confirmed several other news tidbits.
Firstly,
Rich Franklin will no longer be facing Dan Henderson in the main
event of UFC 103 on Sept. 19 in Dallas, Texas.
Franklin
will instead be taking on returning former middleweight sensation
Vitor Belfort. The Franklin-Belfort bout will be held at a catch-weight
of 195 pounds.
Belfort
(18-8) is on a four-fight winning streak since dropping a unanimous
decision to Dan Henderson at PRIDE 32: The Real Deal, including
victories over Ivan Serati, James Zikic, Terry Martin and a devastating
knockout of Matt Lindland. Belfort was heavily rumored to replace
Josh Barnett against Emelianenko at Affliction: Trilogy until
the promotion officially announced the card was cancelled.
The
Jim Carrey look-alike known as "Ace" is no stranger
to the catch-weight. Franklin recently bested PRIDE Fighting
Championships legend Wanderlei Silva via unanimous decision at
UFC 99 in Cologne, Germany. That fight was a 195-pound affair.
White
also confirmed that Dan Henderson is next in line to challenge
Anderson Silva after "The Spider" meets Forrest Griffin
at UFC 101 on Aug. 8 in a light heavyweight fight.
Despite
talks of the winner of the Nate Marquardt-Demian Maia contenders
bout at UFC 102 fighting Silva for the title, White insisted
that Henderson will be the next challenger for 185-pound gold.
In
other big news, Tito Ortiz is once again a member of the UFC.
After a heated feud between Ortiz and White led to Ortiz leaving
the organization, it appears the two have finally made up for
good.
"Ortiz
will retire here," White said confidently.
According
to White, the returning "Huntington Beach Bad Boy"
is in talks to face Mark Coleman in a light heavyweight matchup
later this year.
Ortiz
has not seen action since losing to now UFC light heavyweight
kingpin Lyoto Machida at UFC 84 in May 2008, while Coleman is
coming off an impressive unanimous decision triumph over Stephan
Bonnar at UFC 100 earlier this month.
In
yet another major revelation, White confirmed the signings of
multiple fighters formerly under contract with Affliction, including
Belfort; heavyweights Ben Rothwell and Chase Gormley; welterweight
Paul Daley; and lightweights Dan Lauzon and Rafaello Oliveira.
As
previously announced, the Rothwell-Gormley heavyweight tilt has
been confirmed for the UFC 104 undercard on Oct. 4.
Lauzon,
who was set to face Chris Horodecki at Affliction: Trilogy, will
now meet Oliveira, who was booked to take on Japanese superstar
Takanori Gomi on the same card, at UFC 103 in September.
Joining
World Extreme Cagefighting's featherweight division are prospects
Javier Vazquez, L.C. Davis, Deividas Taurosevicius and Canadian
standout Mark Hominick.
Vazquez
vs. Davis, which was initially slated for the cancelled Affliction:
Trilogy card, will now take place on the preliminary portion
of WEC 42 on Aug. 9 in Las Vegas.
Meanwhile,
Taurosevicius vs. Hominick, which was also slated for the Affliction
lineup, has been added to WEC 43 on Sept. 2 in Youngstown, Ohio.
Horodecki,
a training partner of Hominick's and a fellow Team Tompkins member
under Xtreme Couture striking coach Shawn Tompkins, was a name
not mentioned by White. Horodecki was going to take on Lauzon
at Affliction: Trilogy in an intriguing battle of 21-year-old
lightweight prospects. Horodecki told The Fight Network he is
currently in negotiations with Zuffa, but could not give an official
comment on the record.
White
said that talks are ongoing between the UFC and ESPN to finally
bring the most popular mixed martial arts brand to American network
television.
White
did however confirm the ESPN deal in the U.K. is finalized.
According
to the UFC President, UFC 101 will be broadcast live next Saturday
night in the U.K. on ESPN high-definition.
Source: The Fight Opinion
|
Tito
Ortiz re-signs with UFC
Ortiz has re-signed with the UFC, extending an on again, off
again relationship that has spanned 12-plus years with the company
and even longer with his former manager and current UFC president
Dana White.
"I
think time really cures everything," Ortiz (15-6-1) said
Friday during a UFC media call. "Dana came to me, he was
a man of his word, and he apologized to me for the things he
did prior.
"We're
kinda like boyfriend-girlfriend – of course him being the
girlfriend," Ortiz jokingly added.
The
last time Ortiz was in action was at UFC 84 in May 2008 in a
unanimous decision loss to current light-heavyweight champion
Lyoto Machida. Ortiz exited the final fight on his contract under
poor terms, claiming that he would not re-sign with the UFC as
long as White was serving as the company's president.
It
wasn't until over a year later, during UFC 100 weekend, that
Ortiz and White took a step towards making amends, and within
the next week Lorenzo Ferttita and White flew down to Ortiz's
house to iron out their differences and finalize a deal.
The
terms of the agreement were undisclosed, and Ortiz, 34, declined
to specify the amount of fights on his contract, but said he
will finish his career with the UFC.
Ortiz
had appeared headed towards Strikeforce but said he changed his
mind in order to fight against the best in the world through
the UFC's highly competitive 205-pound division.
"For
me personally it was about competition," Ortiz told reporters.
"My fans deserve the best Tito Ortiz. Financially and everything
I'm okay, I have nothing to worry about that. It was just my
name and reputation I have to stand for."
Ortiz
underwent back surgery last October and has only started training
again this week, and no return date has been set but Ortiz, depending
on his recovery, is eying for a return sometime in November or
December. As for his first opponent back, talks are in place
with Mark Coleman, who is coming off a win at UFC 100 against
Stephan Bonnar.
And
now that Ortiz and White have reconciled, they hope the focus
returns to the fighting inside the Octagon, not outside.
"I
think the fans are just as over the Dana-Tito [expletive] as
we are," White said. "It's exciting to have him back
100 percent, get him in the mix at 205, and none of the [expletive]
drama with me and him."
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Playing
catch-up
By Zach Arnold
Lots
of odds and ends to cover here…
The
main headline coming out of the Sengoku 8/2 Saitama show was…
Satoshi Ishii in the ring to announce his MMA debut on 11/7 in
Tokyo at Ryogoku Kokugikan. It seems very likely that the 22-year
old will make his debut against 39-year old Hidehiko Yoshida.
With Barnett likely in the semi-main event slot, his options
for opponents seems limited. “Bigfoot” Silva looks
to be likely the next opponent for Barnett. It’s a tough
fight to take because if Barnett wants to fight Fedor on 12/31
for K-1 on NYE, he would have to hope that he comes out the Silva
fight relatively unscathed. Not an easy task.
BTW,
Sengoku once again did not release an attendance figure for their
Saitama Super Arena event. I’ve never heard of a Japanese
promotion not releasing crowd numbers for any show in the past.
Antonio
Inoki was in Seattle doing a photo-op with Bob Sapp to promote
this weekend’s IGF show in Tokyo at Ariake Colosseum. Barnett
& Ogawa vs. Sapp & Takayama is the main event.
Other
notes… I’m noticing a lot of search requests for our
site are coming from users of Bing. It used to be Google that
dominated, but now I see a lot of hits from Bing. Traffic-wise,
80% of our traffic is North American. For the sake of reference,
the two most-searched terms that people used to discover Fight
Opinion… Brittney Skye and Gina Carano. Well…
Traffic
for July ‘09 was about 25% higher than the numbers we normally
get. Every site imaginable benefited from UFC 100. I can’t
compete with the larger sites in terms of finding writers (nobody
wants to do it) or getting indexed on Google News (don’t
ask), but I certainly am trying a lot of grassroots marketing.
We’ll see how it turns out.
I’m
actually transcribing last Friday’s UFC conference call,
if you can believe it or not. This is going a lot slower than
I anticipated, but it will be worth it in the end in terms of
content. As far as conf. calls go, the only time I ever was actually
on one was a couple of years ago when The Fight Network had signed
Big John McCarthy to a deal. Other than that, never got an invite
to one. I have no idea the invites go out or work, anyhow.
Source: Fight Opinion
|
Quote
of the Day
“I
was brought up to believe that a person must be rescued when
drowning, regardless of religion and nationality.”
Irena Sendler
|
KENNY
FLORIAN: "I FEEL LIKE I'VE ALREADY WON"
As
the weeks have dwindled to days, and the days narrow down to
hours, Kenny Florian is nothing, if not appreciative of the position
he is in. He steps into the Octagon on Saturday night challenging
for UFC lightweight gold for the second time in his career.
Not
bad for a guy that entered the promotion via The Ultimate Fighter,
losing to Diego Sanchez in the finale... as a middleweight, no
less.
“To
me, it’s a dream come true to fight for the belt and go
out there and do what I love doing,” Florian told MMAWeekly.com
on Wednesday.
Having
lost to Sean Sherk in his first attempt at the title, Florian
has since gone on a six-fight win streak against the best fighters
the UFC could throw at him. Still, he doesn’t take this
most recent shot for granted. He knows he’s had to work
hard to get this far, and that he’ll have to keep that ethic
throughout the fight on Saturday night.
He
has the motivation to do just that.
“I
see myself as the unpolished stone and I have to keep on polishing
it and keep on polishing it. I like people talking about me and
saying I haven’t done this or I haven’t done that,”
Florian commented. “They bring up the Diego fight or bring
up the Sherk fight. Even though I know I’m a much different
fighter than then, it still motivates me. It still motivates
me to prove all those people wrong.”
He
has a healthy respect for current champion B.J. Penn, but believes
it is his time to shine. In the end, Florian isn’t sure
what to expect should he walk out of the Octagon with the UFC
belt around his waist, but his head will be held high regardless.
“I
honestly don’t know how it would feel (to wear the belt).
It’s been a long road and a completely different path from
where I feel I was headed,” he said.
“Win
or lose, I feel like I’ve already won. Just making that
decision to become a professional mixed martial artist is something
that, I think, took a lot more courage than anything I’ve
ever done.”
Source: MMA Weekly
|
HERMAN
LIKELY TO STEP IN FOR IRVIN AT UFC 102
A knee injury has forced James Irvin to withdraw from a scheduled
bout with Wilson Gouveia at UFC 102, radio host Carmichael Dave
confirmed on Tuesday, making him the second combatant forced
off the Aug. 29 card due to injury.
According
to a report on Sherdog.com, Team Quest middleweight Ed Herman
has agreed to step in for Irvin, although a source that spoke
to MMAWeekly.com said Herman has not yet signed a bout agreement
for the fight.
Herman
(15-7) was scheduled to face Arizona Combat Sports standout Aaron
Simpson at UFC Fight Night: Diaz vs. Guillard on Sept. 16, but
he has been removed from the card, according to a separate source
close to negotiations. He last appeared at UFC 97, defeating
David Loiseau by unanimous decision. The win snapped a two-fight
losing streak against Demian Maia and Alan Belcher, respectively.
(Editor's
Note: This article was updated at 2:08 PST to reflect Herman's
removal from UFC Fight Night: Diaz vs. Guillard.)
Source: MMA Weekly
|
UFC
101 PRESS CONFERENCE: WATCH IT LIVE TODAY!
The
Ultimate Fighting Championship pulls into Philadelphia this week
for the first time in the promotion’s history. UFC lightweight
champion B.J. Penn defends his belt in the main event against
challenger Kenny Florian. In the co-main event, middleweight
champ Anderson Silva takes a trip up to the light heavyweight
division to face former champion Forrest Griffin.
As
has become a staple of UFC coverage on MMAWeekly.com, the UFC
will be providing live streams of the UFC 101 pre-fight press
conference, the UFC 101 weigh-ins, and the UFC 101 post-fight
press conference.
The
UFC 101 pre-fight press conference:
featuring
UFC President Dana White, B.J. Penn, Kenny Florian, Anderson
Silva, and Forrest Griffin, is scheduled to begin live streaming
on Thursday at approximately 10 a.m. PT / 1 p.m. ET on MMAWeekly.com.
The
UFC 101 weigh-ins:
are
set to being streaming on Friday at approximately 1 p.m. PT /
4 p.m. ET on MMAWeekly.com.
The
UFC 101 post-fight press conference:
is
set to begin streaming on Saturday night shortly after the main
event ends depending on how quickly the fighters are ready after
the event.
UFC
101 Video Center available 24/7
While
the press conferences and weigh-ins will stream live, you can
watch several UFC 101 special video features any time, day or
night. These video features are available UFC 101 Video Center
24 hours a day, courtesy of the UFC.
UFC
101 PRESS CONFERENCES AND WEIGH-INS LIVE ON MMAWEEKLY.COM
UFC
101 Main Card Bouts:
-B.J.
Penn (13-5-1; #3 Lightweight)* vs. Kenny Florian (12-3; #6 Lightweight)*
-Anderson Silva (24-4; #1 Middleweight)*
vs. Forrest Griffin (18-5; #3 Light Heavyweight)*
-Amir Sadollah (5-0) vs. Johny Hendricks (5-0)
-Ricardo Almeida (10-3) vs. Kendall Grove (12-5)
-Kurt Pellegrino (13-4) vs. Josh Neer (25-7-1)
UFC
101 Preliminary Bouts:
-Aaron
Riley (27-11-1) vs. Shane Nelson (12-3)
-Tamdan McCrory (11-2) vs. John Howard (11-4)
-Alessio Sakara (13-7) vs. Thales Leites (14-2)
-Matt Riddle (3-1) vs. Dan Cramer (3-1)
-George Sotiropoulos (11-3) vs. Rob Emerson (8-7)
-Jesse Lennox (10-1) vs. Danillo Villefort (9-2)
Main
card airs on pay-per-view
Source: MMA Weekly
|
UFC
101 PREVIEW: THE SUPPORTING CAST
AMIR SADOLLAH VS. JOHNY HENDRICKS
Ultimate
Fighter 7 winner Amir Sadollah makes his UFC pay-per-view debut
against former NCAA wrestling champion Johny Hendricks. Both
fighters are undefeated prospects and look to be the future in
the UFC welterweight division for years to come. This is an interesting
contrast in styles with Sadollah being a hybrid fighter, while
Hendricks is a wrestling based fighter.
The
one advantage that Sadollah has over Hendricks is his striking
ability. Although both fighters are young and still learning,
Sadollah at this point is the much better striker of the two.
Hendricks will need to close the distance on the feet and not
give Sadollah an inch to work.
This
fight really gets interesting on the ground. Hendricks is a world-class
wrestler and he will look to impose his will. Sadollah on the
other hand will look to stay relaxed and work off his back with
submissions. This is an evenly matched fight, but at this point
in their careers, Sadollah is the more well-rounded fighter and
that should give him the edge in a close fight.
RICARDO
ALMEIDA VS. KENDALL GROVE
Renzo
Gracie black belt Ricardo Almeida faces off with Ultimate Fighter
3 winner Kendall Grove. It will be interesting to see how each
approaches the fight, as both fighters have specific weaknesses
that their opponent can exploit.
Almeida
has a distinct advantage on the ground. If he can get the fight
there then it will be a rather quick night. One thing that has
hindered him is a lack of solid takedowns. That is where he can
be exploited by Grove, who can pick him apart on the feet by
using his big reach advantage.
The
fight basically comes down to whether or not Almeida can get
the fight to the ground. If he can, then he’ll have a good
night; if not, then Grove will be celebrating another victory.
KURT
PELLEGRINO VS. JOSH NEER
Colorful
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu fighter Kurt Pellegrino faces off with hardnosed
Midwest wrestler Josh Neer. Both fighters are coming off impressive
submission victories at Ultimate Fight Night 17 over tough competition.
This fight has the potential to be fight of the night, as both
fighters like a frantic pace that makes it an exciting spectacle
for the fans.
They
are rather equal on the feet, as both can put together effective
combinations to hurt one another. On the ground, they have vastly
different styles of fighting with Pellegrino being a submission
fighter and Neer being an effective wrestler. The fight will
go to the ground, but the key to the fight will be whether or
not Neer can stay out of Pellegrino’s submission attacks.
If he is able to do so, then he will rain down some fierce ground
and pound. Pellegrino needs to lock on a submission. If not,
it’s going to be a long and painful night for him.
AARON
RILEY VS. SHANE NELSON
Mixed
martial arts veteran Aaron Riley takes on Hawaiian lightweight
Shane Nelson. This is a rematch of their controversial fight
back at UFC 96, where Nelson won after a questionable stoppage
when Riley was still very much in the fight.
Riley
will look to turn the fight into a brawl by getting on the inside
and tagging Nelson. Nelson will look to keep the distance on
the feet and pick his shots. On the ground he has a slight advantage
over Riley. One way or another, unfinished business will finally
be handled on Saturday night for these two fighters.
TAMDAN
MCCRORY VS. JOHN HOWARD
In
a battle of East coast natives, Tamdan McCrory takes on wrestler
John Howard. This is an interesting contrast in styles, as Howard
is a powerful wrestler, McCrory a tall and lanky striker. Howard
surprised many when he was able to effectively ground and pound
Chris Wilson in his UFC debut with such ease, while McCory comes
off a rather easy win over the overmatched Ryan Madigan.
Look
for Howard to close the distance and try to take the fight to
the ground, where he has an advantage. McCrory on the other hand
will look to keep the distance and use combinations to win the
fight.
ALESSIO
SAKARA VS. THALES LEITES
American
Top Team striker Alessio Sakara takes on Nova Uniao middleweight
Thales Leites. Both fighters need a win, so expect them to come
out for the kill. Leites needs to erase the memory of his poor
performance against Anderson Silva, while Sakara needs to prove
he can compete against the top fighters in the division.
Sakara
will be looking to knock Leites head off. Leites will be attempting
to lock on a submission. One thing that Sakara isn’t is
Silva, so look for Leites to engage without fear this time around.
Either way the fight will end in the opening round, as Leites
gets the fight on the ground and locks on a submission on Sakara.
MATT
RIDDLE VS. DAN CRAMER
Arizona
Combat Sports trained Matt Riddle takes on American Top Team
fighter Dan Cramer. Both fighters are prospects that have a long
way to go, but are in the UFC for their immense potential.
Neither
fighter has a clear advantage on the feet. They are both ground
fighters, but the one thing that sets them apart is Riddle’s
extensive wrestling background, which will prove to be the difference
in the fight. He’ll use it to his advantage and end up on
top, ground and pounding his way to a decision victory.
GEORGE
SOTIROPOULOS VS. GEORGE ROOP
Australian
native George Sotiropoulos takes on Ultimate Fighter 8 participant
George Roop. Sotiropoulos finally makes his Octagon return after
injuries have kept him out for a year and half. Roop is a late
replacement. They were actually training together at Xtreme Couture
when they found out that they would be fighting one another.
Roop
is the stronger fighter on the feet with his boxing ability,
while Sotiropoulos is the much better ground fighter of the two
with his submission expertise. Look for the fight to eventually
hit the ground and Sotiropoulos to lock on a submission late
in the opening round.
JESSE
LENNOX VS. DANILLO VILLEFORT
In
a battle of welterweight prospects, Miletich trained Jesse Lennox
takes on American Top Team trained Danillo Villefort. Both are
coming off impressive victories in the WEC and now will be making
their UFC debuts against one another.
Lennox
is a strong wrestler with decent striking ability, but his strength
is his immense punching power. Villefort is primarily a ground
fighter and look for him to take the fight there, searching for
submissions from the get go. The fight will hit the ground and
that is where Villefort will impose his will on the less submission
savvy Lennox.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
HIROTA
TAKES TITLE; CONFUSING GP AT SENGOKU
In a night filled with odd decisions and some surprising upsets,
the main event of Sengoku 9 on Sunday was, at the least, decisive.
Mizuto Hirota, after battling Satoru Kitaoka back-and-forth for
three rounds, finally earned the Sengoku lightweight championship
by stopping the now former champ with a succession of punishing
knees to the head as he attempted to shoot in for takedowns.
The
promotion’s Featherweight Grand Prix also played out, with
both the semi-final and final rounds concluding on Sunday.
In
the first bout of the semi-final round, Hatsu Hioki thoroughly
dominated Masanori Kanehara over the first two rounds of their
fight, doling out a ton of punishment before undergoing a much
closer third round. In the end, Hioki swept a unanimous decision
for the victory.
In
the opposing semi-final bout, after three rounds of action in
which most saw Marlon Sandro as dominating Michihiro Omigawa,
the scores came up with one judge in Sandro’s favor, while
the other two had it tallied as a draw. Under Sengoku’s
system, when the fight is scored a draw, that official must then
choose a winner, despite the scoring. In a somewhat surprising
turn, the two judges that scored the bout a draw ruled in favor
of Omigawa and he moved on to the final.
Unfortunately,
upon the event doctors doing a thorough examination of Hioki,
they were concerned that he may have suffered a concussion and
thus sent him to the hospital, ending his run in the Grand Prix.
Kanehara
returned for the final round of tournament and wound up taking
a majority decision to be crowned the Sengoku Featherweight Grand
Prix champion. The initial score had it two judges for Kanehara,
and one a draw, with the judge scoring a draw selecting Omigawa
as the winner, still leaving Kanehara as the overall victor in
a two to one split.
In
other notable action, Kazuhiro Misaki def. Kazuhiro Nakamura
by guillotine choke in the first round, Blagoy Ivanov won a split
decision over Kazuyuki Fujita, and Dan Hornbuckle knocked out
Akihiro Gono in the final round of their bout, sending the Japanese
fighter to the hospital as a precautionary measure.
Sengoku
9 Results:
Main
Bouts:
-Mizuto Hirota def. Satoru Kitaoka by TKO (Knees) at 2:50, R4
-Masanori Kanehara def. Michihiro Omigawa by Majority Decision
-Kazuo Misaki def. Kazuhiro Nakamura by Submission (Guillotine
Choke) at 3:03, R1
-Blagoy Alexandre Ivanov def. Kazuyuki Fujita by Split Decision
-Dan Hornbuckle def. Akihiro Gono by KO at 2:50, R3
-Eiji Mitsuoka def. Clay French by Submission (Guillotine Choke)
at 1:51, R1
-Chan Sung Jung def. Matt Jaggers by Submission (Triangle Choke)
at 1:25, R2
-Michihiro Omigawa def. Marlon Sandro by Split Decision
-Hatsu Hioki def. Masanori Kanehara by Unanimous Decision
-Yoshihiro Nakao def. Chu Mu Bae by Unanimous Decision
Preliminary
Bouts:
-Ikuo Usuda def. Koji Ando by Unanimous Decision
-Shigeki Osawa def. Harai by TKO at 4:25, R1
-Ryosuke Komori def. Takeshi Numajiri by KO at 3:25, R1
Source: MMA Weekly |
SEVERAL
FORMER AFFLICTION FIGHTERS SIGNED BY UFC
It has been one week since Affliction not only cancelled its
third event, but also dissolved its mixed martial arts promotional
division. With 26 fighters having planned to fight on Saturday
at “Trilogy,” many of those fighters are now finding
new homes.
UFC
President Dana White, during a media teleconference on Friday,
confirmed new homes for several fighters.
“(Former
Affliction fighters) that we do have locked up right now, for
sure, Vitor Belfort, Paul Daley, Ben Rothwell, Chase Gormley,
Dan Lauzon, (Rafaelllo) Oliveira; and then guys going to the
WEC, Javier Vazquez, LC Davis, Mark Hominick; and we’re
in talks with all the other guys right now,” he said, reading
off a roster of recent signings.
“I
don’t want to say their names, but there are a lot of other
guys we’re talking to and some guys that we’re not
talking to,” he added, “But those are the guys that
we have locked up.”
Pressed
on Gegard Mousasi, who is currently obligated to Strikeforce,
where he will challenge Renato “Babalu” Sobral for
the Brazilian’s light heavyweight title on Aug. 15, White
would only say of future negotiations with the Dutch-Armenian
fighter, “It’s a possibility.”
Of
the numerous other former Affliction fighters that have yet to
sign elsewhere, White commented, “There are eight or nine
(other) guys that we’re in talks with right now. I don’t
like to talk about anything until deals are done.”
Two
fighters that White confirmed a total lack of interest in were
former UFC heavyweight champions Andrei Arlovski and Tim Sylvia.
"No.
I have no interest in either one of them right now."
Source: MMA Weekly |
Daniel
Woirin
One
of the greatest fighters in the history of Brazilian MMA, Anderson
Silva impresses with his sharp Muay Thai. Champion and recordist
of consecutive victories in UFC, the middleweight trains the
art with Daniel Woirin, and is getting prepared for another challenge
in the octagon. In conversation with TATAME, Woirin commented
about Anderson’s trainings for the fight against Forrest
Griffin, in UFC 101, and the differential of the champion. "At
any moment he can do anything, and this is impressive. If you
leave any space in the ground or standing, he will use a technique",
praises the coach, who spoke about the time when trained Lyoto
Machida, his coming to Brazil and more.
How
are Anderson’s trainings to the fight against Forrest Griffin?
Who are the coaches that are working with him?
Anderson
is very well and confident. At the part of Muay Thai, I am, Josuel
Distak takes care of MMA, the part of physical preparation is
with Rogerão Camões and the Boxing is with Cesário.
What
did you feel different in him for this fight until 93kg? How
is his motivation?
Since
he doesn’t have the pressure of the belt and weight loss,
since he feels well in this weight, the motivation is already
high. People say he has changed, but I don’t think he has
changed, what changed were the opponents. I think that has to
be two (athletes) to do a super fight. Griffin will be a very
movement fight, because of his basic feature?
That
is what Distak talks about stimulus, right?
Exactly
... Forrest Griffin goes up, he’s a great fighter, so I
think it will be a movement fight.
How
long do you live in Brazil?
I
live here for six years.
You
have arrived here speaking Portuguese?
Yes,
because I was in Brazil for a year and learned Portuguese in
school.
Are
you married?
I
got married, I have a Brazilian wife and a Brazilian daughter.
So
you are already a carioca, right?
Yes...
I’m very well and I don’t want to leave (laughs).
You
come from the French school of Muay Thai. How do you see Anderson's
Muay Thai?
Anderson
Silva started with Tae-Kwon-Do, so it is quite different. He
changes the base, which is difficult to see in Muay Thai. But
I think Anderson got a lot of techniques of standings mode, adapted
the styles for the MMA. When he has to do the Muay Thai, he does,
but at the time of the fight is different, the attitude is another,
but he has various styles. This is MMA.
What
does he has strongest in Muay Thai? What is his blow that impresses
you most?
What
impresses me most isn’t a particular blow, is the change
he has. The more different things you do, you will put more doubts
in the head of the opponent... At any moment he can do anything,
and this is impressive. If you leave any space in the ground
or standing, he will use a technique. He isn’t the kind
of fighter that will enter and do this or that, you never know.
If you watch that fight when he knockout the guy with the elbow,
that’s very difficult to do. Who will expect such a technique
in the fight?
Do
you think he’ll really retire or you believe that other
offers will appear and he’ll end up returning?
I
can’t speak for him about this... When you're winning everything,
you have to keep motivated. But this I don’t know, it’s
just with him.
I
saw that you were also training Jacaré and André
Galvão. How is the evolution of this Jiu-Jitsu athletes
in your area?
I
didn’t train André Galvão for his first fight
at the Dream, because I was in the United States and had Anderson’s
preparation, but it works like this: who calls me, I’ll
go train. Ronaldo Jacaré is very explosive, which is a
very good thing, learns fast, is a world champion of Jiu-Jitsu...
They are two heavy guys, I'm sure that they’ll burst...
They are already bursting.
You
have also fought professionally?
I
fought in high level in a lot of world championships, I had a
very strong name in France, but unfortunately I had a very serious
injury, broke the tibia fighting... It was a very violent fracture
and I had to be stopped for two years. I returned after that,
but it wasn’t the same thing, so I stopped and went studying
to be teacher of physical education.
Say
some names of athletes that you've trained in MMA.
Ricardo
Arona, Lyoto Machida, Tito Ortiz, Anderson Silva, Vitor Belfort,
when he fought at the Cage Rage, Galvão, Jacaré...
Talk
a little about Lyoto. What does he has of different in his standing
style?
He’s
move. In fact, the octagon is a very large area, if you know
how to use this space and know how to move, you get out of all
dangers. It’s speed. He adapted his style. When I trained
him, I didn’t do Muay Thai, I adapted it to his style. He’s
unpredictable. Lyoto Machida is the same thing as Anderson Silva,
they’re unpredictable fighters and very technical.
Do
you think he will remain for a long time as champion?
Sure...
Lyoto is a very talented guy, and also depends on motivation.
We can’t predict the future, but he motivated is very difficult...
With motivation and natural talent, I think he’s difficult
to be defeated.
As
a Muay Thai teacher and European, you must have seen many names
in action in Europe. Who would you say, in Muay Thai, that will
be a great fighter?
There’s
a Dutch that is like an Anderson Silva. He was champion in Muay
Thai, went to Boxing and was champion too. He’s very tough,
I liked a lot.
And
from the K-1, is there someone who has filled your eyes too?
From
the heavyweight I love the game of LeBanner, he always had a
very heavy hand, and I also like Peter Aerts a lot...
Source: Tatame |
THQ
exec: "UFC Undisputed" videogame heading to the Nintento
Wii platform
THQ
and the UFC's popular videogame franchise "UFC Undisputed,"
which debuted earlier this year with a 2009 installment, will
soon head to the Nintendo Wii platform.
The
game, currently available for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, will
be available for the Wii and its handheld consoles, THQ CEO Brian
Farrell announced during a recent company call.
The
Wii version of "UFC Undisputed" could be available
as early as next year.
"UFC
Undisputed," which has topped two million copies sold since
its release this spring, is the most realistic MMA videogame
ever developed. With more than 80 fighters and dozens of UFC
broadcasters, trainers and other personalities, the game has
proven a major (and much-needed) hit for the once-struggling
THQ.
The
UFC and THQ signed a multi-year deal to produce the game, and
new and updated editions of the title will be released each year.
The
game, though, will soon get competition from sports-videogame
giant, EA Sports. As MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) reported
on Wednesday, famed heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko will headline
its "EA Sports MMA" franchise. Other non-UFC fighters
such as Renato "Babalu' Sobral, Gegard Mousasi, Jay Hieron
and Frank Shamrock are also expected to be featured in the rival
title.
Source: Yahoo Sports |
Time
for UFC and WEC to join forces
Go
to a local mall on the weekend and, for kicks, randomly ask 10
people if they have ever heard of the WEC.
I
suspect if you asked in the Southeast, you’d have a number
of people who believe it’s a football conference whose commissioner
is upset it doesn’t get an automatic Bowl Championship Series
bid.
There
might be plenty who think it’s part of another Obama administration
proposal to bail out the financial system.
And
I suspect others might guess that it’s the junior college
a hike down the highway.
The
answer, though, may surprise you. The WEC – World Extreme
Cagefighting – is a mixed martial arts promotional company
owned by Zuffa, the same folks who have built the Ultimate Fighting
Championship into a burgeoning sports power.
And
while UFC president Dana White and CEO Lorenzo Fertitta have
made few mistakes in their 8½ years in their jobs, one
of the most grievous has been not folding the WEC into the UFC.
Every
day that the WEC is its own separate entity is another that goes
by without the majority of the UFC’s massive fan base realizing
Miguel Torres’ greatness.
Torres
is, for my money, the finest pound-for-pound fighter in the sport.
He’ll defend his WEC bantamweight title against Brian Bowles
on Aug. 9 in Las Vegas in a card that will be nationally televised
on the cable channel Versus.
And
the best fighter deserves the biggest stage, which is why Torres
belongs in the UFC.
The
WEC has three weight classes, at 135, 145 and 155 pounds. The
UFC starts at 155 and includes 170, 185, 205 and heavyweight.
By
folding the WEC into the UFC, White and Fertitta would be adding
only two weight classes, since there are 155-pounders in both,
and would significantly add to the talent pool.
Torres
deserves to be seen by the millions who routinely watch the UFC
broadcast rather than the tens of thousands who see him in the
WEC.
Torres
has three fights left on his contract. And while he doesn’t
figure to walk when his deal is up, he’s clearly frustrated
by fighting far from the UFC’s immense spotlight.
“We
don’t get the exposure that they get in the UFC,” Torres
said. “They have the bigger fighters and it’s easier
to push the bigger fighters. The smaller fighters have a lot
more skills a lot of the time, but they’ve spent so much
advertising money and marketing dollars and invested so much
time pushing guys like [UFC heavyweight champion] Brock Lesnar.
There isn’t the time or the money or interest, I guess,
to push the smaller fighters the same way.”
Torres
said he’s not angry, though MMA fans should be angry that
elite talents like Torres, Mike Brown, Urijah Faber and Jose
Aldo, among others, aren’t given the same push that their
counterparts in the UFC routinely get.
WEC
42 comes a day after UFC 101, a mega-card which features a lightweight
title fight between B.J. Penn and Kenny Florian and a light heavyweight
bout between Anderson Silva and Forrest Griffin.
It’s
patently absurd for the WEC card to be held the day after the
UFC card, which will get 99 percent of the media coverage, 99
percent of the marketing push and 99 percent of the fan interest.
Torres
would be among the most beloved fighters in the UFC if he competed
for the organization. He’s a deadly finisher, with 31 victories
by knockout or submission, and an interesting and insightful
person.
A
crowd of 20,000 would chant his name much like it chants Georges
St. Pierre’s at UFC shows, if only they knew who he was.
Torres
headline a show on April 5 in Chicago, his hometown, but the
card didn’t get nearly the push from Zuffa that a UFC card
featuring one of its big stars does.
“Sometimes,
I think they don’t like me,” said Torres, laughing
wanly. “It seems like there’s always another fight,
always something up. There’s always competition from the
UFC.”
Torres
is ranked fifth in the Yahoo! Sports MMA rankings – four
slots too low, I say – and Brown, the organization’s
featherweight champion, is seventh. Faber fell out of the top
10 after his second loss to Brown, but he’s 12th.
Having
them fight in the WEC is kind of like having Ben Roethlisberger,
Tom Brady and Peyton Manning play Arena Football. There are some
people who see it, but not nearly enough to make a difference.
And
though Torres is 36-1, he’s still getting better. And he
eagerly tries to learn new, high-risk moves to not only become
a more well-rounded fighter but a more entertaining one, as well.
“I
can get a ton better,” Torres said. “I can get much
better at implementing my game plan. I’m working hard on
my wrestling skills. My wrestling has come a long way, but in
two years, my wrestling, man, is going to be so good. I’m
better at my standup and I can see myself improving more there.”
No
matter how much he improves his skill as a fighter, he’s
not going to become the kind of star he can be if he continues
to fight in the largely unknown WEC.
They’ve
made few mistakes so far, but it’s time for White and Fertitta
to concede they’ve made a whopper by running the WEC as
a separate company.
It’s
time to fold the WEC into the UFC so the world can properly appreciate
an elite talent like Torres.
Source: Yahoo Sports |
Josh
Barnett expected to fight for Sengoku on 11/7 in Tokyo
Today
was the heat-up press conference for the 8/2 Saitama Super Arena
show and the main topic in the media ended up being… Josh
Barnett and his failed drug test in California. Barnett is expected
to fight for Sengoku on 11/7 in Tokyo at Ryogoku Kokugikan, the
same show that Satoshi Ishii is expected to make his MMA debut
on.
At
the press conference, Takahiro Kokuho (the main boss of Sengoku)
said that he was skeptical about what happened with Barnett’s
test result in California given the problems J-ROCK had in California
with Kazuhiro Nakamura testing positive for marijuana and what
he deemed a lack of transprency with the way drug testing is
handled in California. Kokuho said that he wants Sengoku to be
the ’standard bearer’ for anti-doping practices in
Japanese MMA with the help of the JADA (Japan Anti-Doping Agency)
and WADA (World Anti-Doping Agency).
As
for how the media is portraying Barnett, the answer is they are
continuing to play it straight. This time, they mentioned his
failed drug test(s) in Nevada and then the failed test in California.
This is going to become a bigger issue for Barnett and he needs
legitimate help in terms of finding a manager or agent who is
based in Japan who knows how to handle PR. Using the same old
PR methods to handle the issue of failed drug tests will likely
prove to be a mistake here. History has shown that Josh rarely
changes tactics on this front…
Source: Fight Opinion |
Media
thoughts coming off UFC conference call (and UFC 100 buyrate
discussion)
“And
I got to say that you know one thing that I got to say about
you know everyone talks about crazy Russians and stupid Russians
and all that stuff, but if [M-1's] goal is to get him over in
this country without him fighting anyone I mean Dana White’s
done a hell of a job because I mean they have made this, he’s
made this into such a big thing publicly, you know this week
I mean it’s been the big story this week and everything
and I mean it’s not just the Internet, I mean it’s
hit you know ESPN and you know major you know news you know things,
LA Times and it’s going you know and it will hit more today
coming off of this press conference because that was clearly
the thing and I mean you know they built up they built up his
name without having to you know fight anyone. I mean, you know,
and again I don’t want to be one of these guys, I mean there’s
a thing about Fedor, I don’t want to downplay his accomplishments,
I would call him the greatest from a historical standpoint I
would call him the greatest MMA fighter of all time because of
what he has accomplished and his record and all that. However,
you know, this is a rapidly changing industry and he hasn’t
fought a #1 contender in four years and so to um you know call
him #1 today um you know it’s a big difference between would
you favor him, I’d favor him a fight against any heavyweight
because until he’s beaten because I’m that impressed
with his fighting, but is he the best fighter in the world? I
mean you know I don’t know that you can even necessarily
say because, you know…”
Speaking
of Dave, he is claiming that the UFC 100 PPV buyrate is 1.72
million. For the sake of pontification, let’s assume that
number is close enough to being accurate. 1.72 million PPV buys
at an average price tag of $50 USD per PPV purchase is $86 million
USD. With both standard definition and HD versions of the PPV
(available for $10 extra), let’s round up the PPV figure
to $90 million USD. Now, on a conservative level, let’s
say that UFC gets 40% of the PPV revenue. That’s $36 million
USD. Then add in the revenue from the live gate at a little over
$5 million USD. Throw in the revenue from closed circuit and
bar showings. Let’s say that the overall take for UFC is
$43-44 million USD. That’s a lot of money to make on one
show.
Granted,
there will be plenty of costs (including the millions given out
to the headliners on the show along with their $3 cut per each
PPV buy given that the buyrate broke all records). However, UFC’s
take at the end of the day after everyone gets paid will still
be very, very healthy. It was already a safe assumption to think
that UFC would have a nice take home at the end of the day, but
the numbers in the end paint an even rosier picture for Zuffa.
One
other stat to look at - Spike TV has a major role in pushing
both UFC and TNA on their channel. TNA’s PPV buyrates are
in the 12,000-20,000 range. UFC, with their excellent countdown
special for Lesnar vs. Mir, drew over 1.7 million PPV buys. For
those keeping score at home, the UFC 100 buyrate is 85 times
larger than what TNA does on a good day for a PPV. Adding salt
to the wound is that TNA gets 2 hours each week of prime-time
exposure plus a weekend replay of their show and it still means
nothing to their bottom line.
Source: Fight Opinion |
Media
activists backpedal after Fedor and UFC fail to reach a deal
When
I wrote an article a couple of days ago stating the intentions
of what a lot of MMA writers and media types displayed in regards
to getting Fedor into UFC, I pointed out statements that displayed
what their admitted intentions were. Remember this quote?
I’m
more than willing to be a pawn in this negotiations if it means
we see Fedor vs. Brock in the UFC.
The
intentions were made very clear here.
Now
there’s an attempt to shift the focus using a sleight-of-hand,
hoping you don’t catch the difference.
Facing
heat both online and during a radio interview, Carmichael Dave
of KHTK 1140 Hot Talk in Sacramento is on the defensive. It was
Dave’s ‘report’ on what UFC allegedly offered
Fedor that helped various activists claim that they would put
pressure on Fedor to sign with the UFC and that if he didn’t
sign that there would be ‘pure viciousness’ from online
fans towards him.
Carmichael
Dave went on Sherdog to answer questions from fans online since
he basically took the bait from a UFC source to push the ‘contract
rumors’ that the company had allegedly offered Fedor. A
forum member asked:
“Lets
stop beating around the bush here Mr. Dave. Was you source UFC
‘management’ or not? And do you believe you were used
as a tool to carry out their propoganda? The fans deserve an
answer.”
Here
is how Dave responded:
“I
will answer your second question, I cannot answer your first.
Of course there was a bit of “using” and propoganda
involved. The info put out there was not an accident. No one
got high on drugs and fed me the info. They knew who I was, and
it was very clear what I would do with the info when I got it.
My concern isnt their agenda. My concern is their credibility
and involvement in the procedures, and whether the info leaked
merits reporting or not.”
Then,
Carmichael Dave did an interview with ESPN 1100 Las Vegas (audio
here).
”Are
we pawns in this game? Of course. Even if the information is
100-percent right all the time it still doesn’t mean we’re
not being used. It’s politics of sport. Of course you can
be a pawn.”
Anyone
who has ever worked in media understands that sources are trying
to work over writers. It’s been a part of the business forever.
Just ask any baseball, football, or basketball writer about what
GMs and teams try to do to use writers when trading deadlines
occur each season. No one is arguing that sources try to work
over writers like ‘pawns.’
This
line of argument is a sleight-of-hand. What the activists don’t
want the focus to be on is the fact that they publicly admitted
that they purposely wanted to be a pawn in order to advance a
personal agenda and that personal agenda was to see one of their
favorite fighters fight in the UFC. Whatever it was going to
take to get it done was their motto.
Now
that it’s clear that a deal between Fedor’s camp and
UFC will not go through, watch for some of these activists to
start backpedalling in the media. Watch for them to try to blur
the lines and confuse readers. “Well, we’re all pawns,
that’s how it works in the media.” Watch for an attempt
to put the focus somewhere else and distract away from the true
focus on what their motives were for their attempted activism
and why it was being done.
Several
people this week took big credibility hits and they’re trying
to figure out a way to recover from it and repair their image.
Who knows if they will be successful at undoing their own self-inflicted
damage.
Source: Fight Opinion |
TONER,
GUNDERSON CAPTURE RING OF FIRE TITLES
BROOMFIELD, Colo. – As Affliction’s fight promotion
starts to become little more than wishful thinking, Colorado’s
Ring of Fire promotion returned for it’s 35th iteration
on Saturday night, but its inaugural Summer Brawl.
The
main event of the evening saw popular Denver-based fighter Tyler
“Thunder” Toner take the next step towards the national
spotlight with a dominating victory over Brazilian fighter Fabio
Serrao.
Serrao
took Toner down, nearly at will, in the opening round, but round
two and three were all Toner. Serrao looked completely worn out
after the opening round, leaving Toner to pick away at him with
an assortment of strikes that Serrao had no answer for.
In
the end, Toner walked out of the cage with the gold around his
waist, the new Ring of Fire featherweight champion.
A
fight that left everyone wanting more, including the fighters,
was a bout for the Ring of Fire lightweight champion between
John Gunderson from Xtreme Couture and local favorite Fabian
Acuna. The fight quickly turned into an amazing back-and-forth
scramble on the mat with Gunderson locking on a Kimura. As the
two traded top and bottom position, Gunderson gained top position
one final time and Acuna attempted to roll out, yelling out as
he did so. Referee Curtis Thrasher took Acuna’s scream as
a verbal submission and called a premature halt to a tremendous
ground war.
“I
thought he was doing the right thing trying to roll out of it,”
said Gunderson after the fight. “He rolled out of it, he
yelled, he didn’t tap.
“Fabian
deserves a rematch right away,” stated the new champ. “I’m
not happy with this win.
“This
wasn’t the fight we could put on. We could put on a hell
of a fight.”
Acuna
explained his side of the fight thusly, “When I’m trying
to get out, I yell for that extra strength. I know I was getting
out. The referee stopped it.
“He’s
a tough guy, and I’ll only learn from this. Next time I
won’t give him my arm.”
And
it looks like there will be a next time. Promoter Sven Bean grasped
the moment with both fans and fighters upset with the outcome,
declaring, “Come here October, they’ll be in the cage
again. In the end, you win guys. We get to see a great scrap
again.”
In
a battle for the Ring of Fire Young Guns featherweight title,
it appeared that Brian Wood had Jesse Henley in all sorts of
trouble on the ground. But just when it seemed he had the controlling
position, Henley locked onto Wood’s arm from the bottom,
applying a Kimura. Wood attempted to roll out, but when he did,
instead of relieving the pressure, his arm and shoulder twisted
into an awkward position, leaving him no choice but to submit.
Former
two-time Ring of Fire champion Christian Allen made his return
to the ring after more than a year-and-a-half a successful one.
Making his 135-pound debut with teammate Nate Marquardt in his
corner, Allen dropped Chad Obermiller early with a left hook.
Following him to the mat, Allen locked on an Anaconda choke,
putting Obermiller to sleep before the referee called a halt
to the contest.
“I’ve
been working that Anaconda for a long time, I’ve got it
perfected now,” he stated after the fight.
Eddie
Pelczynski made quick work of local favorite Justin Salas, scoring
a TKO in just nine seconds, sending Salas down with a knee to
the face and then finishing with punches from the mount.
Mike
Baldwin – a buddy of WEC lightweight Donald “Cowboy”
Cerrone, who was in his corner, along with the UFC’s Eliot
Marshall – showed his developing ground game, submitting
Iowa wrestler Nate Williams with a rear naked choke in the opener
of the main card.
There
were a few standouts on the preliminary portion of the card as
well. Rory O’Farrell was impressive with his Kimura submission
of Bogie Ison. O’Farrell looks to be about ready to step
up to the professional ranks.
Perhaps
more impressive was the performance of the only female fighters
on the card, Jennifer Berg and Diane Rael. They went toe-to-toe
through the first round, each utilizing an impressive array of
strikes to inflict damage; the crowd’s approval was evident
with a standing ovation. Berg would go on to ground Rael in round
two and close out the fight with strikes.
Ring
of Fire 35 “Summer Brawl” Results
Main
Bouts (Professional):
-Tyler Toner def. Fabio Serrao by Unanimous Decision, R3
-John Gunderson def. Fabian Acuna by Verbal Submission (Kimura)
at 2:18, R1
-Jesse Henley def. Brian Wood by Submission (Kimura) at 2:33,
R1
-Christian Allen def. Chad Obermiller by Submission (Anaconda
Choke) at 1:43, R1
-Eddie Pelczynski def. Justin Salas by TKO (Strikes) at 0:09,
R1
-Mike Baldwin def. Nate Williams by Submission (Rear Naked Choke)
at 3:30, R2
Preliminary
Bouts (Amateur):
-Ramico Blackmon def. Larry Williams by Tech. Submission (Ref
Stop/Kimura) at 0:56, R1
-Jennifer Berg def. Diane Rael by TKO (Strikes) at 2:32, R2
-Chris Williamson def. Matt Vanden Boogaard by Unanimous Decision,
R3
-Rory O’Farrell def. Bogie Ison by Submission (Kimura) at
1:30, R1
-Vinnie Lopez def. Travis Bye by TKO (Strikes) at 1:37, R1
-Justin Gaithje def. Kevin Gonzalez by Submission (Armbar) at
1:20, R1
Source: MMA Weekly |
Quote
of the Day
“Success
isn't measured by money or power or social rank. Success is measured
by your discipline and inner peace.”
Mike Ditka
|
UFC
ON TV WILL HAPPEN WHEN THE DEAL IS RIGHT
Is a long-awaited “right deal” approaching the UFC
for network TV exposure? Maybe, but don’t set your Tivo
just yet.
“Wrong
deal” was president Dana White’s constant refrain last
year when EliteXC became the first mixed martial arts promotion
to cinch a deal with CBS, and earlier, when his company met with
HBO executives to discuss the possibility of showing fights on
the premium cable leader.
White
would not get into any deal that put the UFC at a disadvantage.
The deal, he said, “had to make sense.” The promotion
would not pay to be on the networks, (they had done that once
already with cable). Nor would they accept substandard licensing
fees. And with the promotion’s pay-per-view business doing
huge numbers, there was no rush.
Last
October, EliteXC folded under massive debt and Strikeforce took
up its deal with Showtime networks, including an option under
CBS to broadcast an undisclosed number of fights.
White
continued to promise a network deal was pending, but made no
announcements of such.
News
of a new TV deal with ESPN U.K. prompted more speculation that
a deal was pending with ABC, ESPN’s sports broadcasting
partner.
“We’ve
never had more interest than right now,” said White during
a Friday teleconference announcing the ESPN U.K. deal. “Obviously,
I think all the hard work we’ve done over nine years and
UFC 100 had a big part in it, too. I’m pretty confident
we’re gonna have a deal very, very soon. I like what I’m
hearing now more than I ever did before.”
White
said he had never stopped talking with the networks, and renewed
his promise to get the Octagon on free TV. But while he liked
what he heard, the promotion wasn’t ready to commit. The
refrain was back.
“Once
we get the right offer, we will be on network television,”
said White. “We haven’t had the right offer, yet.”
The
most well known of stumbling blocks to taking a UFC show network
– broadcast control – was not the issue it once was,
said White.
“That
was just an HBO issue,” he said. “But you know what
my position on that, nobody does it better than we know how to
do it.”
White
also believed a deal would not hinder the company’s pay-per-view
business, its biggest moneymaker.
“I
don’t think it would change it much,” he said. “We’d
still do it the same. The thing about us is, if we get a network
deal, we’re putting serious fights on network TV. That’s
one of my big beefs with boxing… once everything went to
the pay model they stopped putting good fights on free TV for
the fans. I’m big into that.”
Just
how the UFC will manage that, with one and sometimes two pay-per-view
cards per month and up to a half dozen UFC Fight Night cards
on Spike TV every year, will be an interesting issue. White said
he has the athletes to make it happen – some 300 by his
count, including a slew of talent from the now defunct Affliction
fight promotion.
Now,
the networks need to convince him they can do it. The UFC wants
it to happen, but on their terms.
“Listen,
we get a network television deal, it’s gonna be so awesome
for the fans,” said White. “It’s going to be great
for the network, great for the fans, and great for the UFC.”
Source: MMA Weekly |
Former
champs Ortiz, Belfort return to UFC
UFC
president Dana White touched on a wide variety of topics in a
news conference call on Friday, including the signing of former
light heavyweight champion and longtime antagonist Tito Ortiz
along with several roster additions from the defunct Affliction
promotion.
Ortiz
(15-6-1) had what both sides categorized ahead of time as his
final UFC fight on May 24, 2008, losing a one-sided decision
to Lyoto Machida, the company’s current light heavyweight
champion.
After
major back surgery, Ortiz, 34, said he was targeting November
or December for his return, with White saying Ortiz’s first
opponent would be Mark Coleman (16-9), the 44-year-old former
Olympic wrestler who was heavyweight champion in 1997, and is
coming off an upset win over Stephan Bonnar on July 11.
“Tito
and I have a history that everyone knows,” said White. “He’s
still a guy that everyone wants to see fight. He said his back
has healed perfectly and he’s ready to take a shot at the
title. He’s one of those guys that people love and people
love to hate. We’ve put all our differences aside, have
squashed everything and will move forward, and Tito will retire
in the UFC.”
White
also changed the main event of UFC 103 on Sept. 19, a show at
the American Airlines Center in Dallas, an important date on
pay-per-view because it goes head-up with Floyd Mayweather Jr.’s
next boxing match, against Juan Manuel Marquez. Rich Franklin
(25-4) vs. Vitor Belfort (18-8), as a light heavyweight match,
will be the new main event for the Dallas show.
Belfort,
32, a onetime teenage prodigy in the sport, has run off four
straight wins since a 2006 loss to Henderson. He has been fighting
during that period as a middleweight. Belfort had been training
for a match with Jorge Santiago on the Affliction card.
Last
week, the company had announced Franklin vs. Dan Henderson, a
rematch of a Jan. 17, fight in Dublin, Ireland that Henderson
won via decision. The announcement was not well-received, largely
because people were expecting Henderson’s next fight to
be a middleweight title match against Anderson Silva.
Franklin
vs. Belfort is actually a weaker-drawing match in opposition
to the Mayweather fight, since Henderson clearly became the biggest
star of the three men coming off his vicious knockout of Michael
Bisping at UFC 100. However, the change is a long-term positive,
because White said that Henderson would be kept at middleweight
and would get the next shot at Silva. Silva is facing Forrest
Griffin in a light heavyweight fight on Aug. 8 in Philadelphia.
White said that depending on how much damage Silva takes in that
fight would determine when Silva vs. Henderson would take place.
“It
could be very soon,” said White.
Previously,
an Aug. 29 match between Demian Maia and Nate Marquardt had been
considered the match to determine Silva’s next contender,
and White indicated the winner of that fight would get the following
shot after Henderson.
As
for Ortiz, his return to the UFC is the latest in a storied history.
White originally got involved in MMA as the business manager
for both Ortiz and Chuck Liddell. It was through that association
in 2000, that he found out UFC was for sale, and convinced high
school friend and casino magnate Lorenzo Fertitta to buy the
company for $2 million in early 2001.
Ortiz,
who had won the vacant UFC middleweight (now light heavyweight)
championship on April 14, 2000, in Tokyo, via decision over Wanderlei
Silva, was the biggest star in the early years of White’s
promotion. His 41-month reign as champion, before losing to Randy
Couture on September 26, 2003, in Las Vegas, is still the longest
title reign in any weight class in promotion history.
But
over the past eight years, the relationship between White and
Ortiz was like a roller coaster ride. Problems first became public
in 2003, when Ortiz held out, asking for more money, which White
blamed on his wanting to avoid facing Liddell in a title defense.
Their
first complete split came in 2005, as Ortiz left the company
and complained for nearly a year about the UFC pay structure.
He was brought back at the end of the year to oppose Ken Shamrock
as coaches on the Ultimate Fighter reality show, and to lead
to a match.
The
Ortiz-Shamrock drama played out in several chapters and led to
a record-setting business year in 2006. During that period, White
joked, since Ortiz earned a reported $5.8 million that year in
four matches, wins over Forrest Griffin, two over Shamrock and
a loss to Liddell. “He loves me now.”
But
as Ortiz’s star faded after a loss to Liddell and a draw
with Rashad Evans, tensions mounted, leading to Ortiz’s
departure from the company.”Time really cures everything,”
said Ortiz. “Dana was a man of his word. Dana apologized
to me. We’re like boyfriend and girlfriend.” Ortiz
said he’d been plagued by back problems since 2003, stemming
from an injury in training before the Couture fight, and the
injury had gotten progressively worse. He said after recent surgery,
his back feels the best it has in years.
He’s
already got his rap down for his return, noting that before leaving
the promotion, he had matches with the three most recent UFC
champions.
He
won a close decision over Griffin in 2006, although Griffin improved
greatly since that point in time. He went to a draw with Rashad
Evans in 2007, and he did catch Lyoto Machida in a tight triangle
in the third round of their fight last year. Machida escaped
and dominated a lackluster fight, but it was the only vulnerable
moment Machida has had since joining UFC.
Ortiz
said when White and Lorenzo Fertitta came to his home in Huntington
Beach to sign him, he said they gave him “an offer you couldn’t
refuse.”’
“I’m
happy, I’m satisfied,” said Ortiz. “You’ll
never hear anything about money again.”
Besides
Ortiz and Belfort, White announced the signing of former Affliction
fighters, welterweight Paul Daley, lightweights Dan Lauzon and
Rafaello Oliveira, and heavyweights Ben Rothwell and Chase Gormley
to UFC. The latter two are already scheduled for an Oct. 24 match
in Los Angeles. He also announced that Affliction featherweights
Javier Vazquez, L.C. Davis and Mark Hominick have been signed
and will fight in World Extreme Cagefighting.
He
indicated there are eight or nine other fighters from Affliction
they are talking with, mentioning Gegard Mousasi (who faces Renato
Sobral on Aug. 15 in San Jose for Strikeforce) as a possibility.
But White said he has no interest in former UFC heavyweight champions
Andrei Arlovski and Tim Sylvia, both coming off multiple first-round
losses.
In
a sense, the announcements were a little disappointment to a
media expecting a new U.S. television deal to be reached, with
rumors abounding regarding ESPN getting into the game. There
was an ESPN announcement, regarding the new U.K. version of ESPN,
which launches in two weeks, being the new home of UFC in England
and Ireland.
On
the television front, White indicated the company had multiple
network suitors coming off the success of UFC 100, which is estimated
at doing 1.6 million buys on pay-per-view. The show ranks behind
only the biggest blockbusters in boxing history, the 2007 Oscar
De La Hoya vs. Mayweather fight, the 1997 Mike Tyson vs. Evander
Holyfield fight and the 2002 Tyson vs. Lennox Lewis fight, in
terms of purchaes. It was also the biggest pay-per-view event
of any kind in Canada.
Prior
to the event, when UFC understated predictions on what the show
was going to do, White said that he would to a back flip off
the Mandalay Bay hotel in Las Vegas if the show did 1.5 million
buys.
“I
have to work that out with Mandalay Bay,” he said. “We
have to figure it out. I’m a man of my word so I’m
jumping. I’m not looking forward to it.”
Source: Yahoo Sports |
Barnett’s
“B” sample returns positive
The
California State Athletic Commission on Friday confirmed that
Josh Barnett’s “B” sample came up positive for
a steroid metabolite.
Barnett,
who was scheduled to face Fedor Emelianenko in the main event
of the Aug. 1 Affliction show at the Honda Center in Anaheim,
had his “A” sample test come back positive on July
21 for a steroid metabolite, 2a-methyl-5a-androstan-3a-ol-17-one.
The metabolite is part of the steroid Drostanolone propionate,
also known as Masteron.
Major
sports drug testing procedures involve taking a urine sample,
which is divided into two containers. In California, the “B”
sample is only tested if the “A” sample comes back
positive. The former UFC heavyweight champion’s test result
set in motion a chain of events that ended with the event’s
cancellation and the promotion closing shop.
It’s
become clear that even if the show had taken place, it would
have been the Affliction’s final event. Both UFC and Strikeforce
officials had been spoken with about an Affliction exit strategy
before the positive test came in. Both confirmed being told ahead
of time it was going to be the final Affliction show.
The
case with Barnett was unique, as he was not licensed to fight
in California at the time of the test. Because of his status,
the “A” sample was enough evidence to not license him
to fight, since the fight had not taken place yet. In a test
taken with licensed competitors on fight day, the test results
would not be made public until the second “B” sample
is tested.
On
June 25, Barnett became the first MMA fighter tested out of competition
in California after an amendment to an existing bylaw was enacted.
Barnett had failed two steroid tests in Nevada while fighting
for the UFC, one in 2001 and another in 2002.
The
steroid for which Barnett tested positive usually clears the
system in 10 days, so under the old procedures, had Barnett been
tested on Aug. 1, it was highly unlikely the metabolite would
have shown up. Barnett has denied ingesting anything illegal,
but also said that he believes he does know why he tested positive
and has not complained about the commission procedures.
California
policy has been to issue a one-year license suspension for steroid
test positives. License suspensions are recognized by all U.S.
commission states. Because Barnett wasn’t licensed, he is
not on the suspended list. However, he will not be allowed to
apply for a license in California for one year. Other states
are at their own discretion as to whether to license him during
the year.
The
test result marks the third time Barnett tested positive for
a banned substance. The first came in a 2001 test by the state
of Nevada, which was purely for informational purposes, similar
to the now-infamous Major League Baseball tests of 2003. The
second came after he defeated Randy Couture for the UFC heavyweight
title in 2002, after Nevada enacted postfight testing. Barnett
maintained his innocence, then went and fought for the next several
years in Japan, where no drug testing is conducted.
Source: Yahoo Sports |
BELFORT
BACK TO UFC, REPLACES HENDO AT UFC 103 (UPDATED)
Vitor Belfort is the latest fighter displaced by Affliction to
migrate to the UFC.
UFC
president Dana White announced he had signed the former UFC champion
Friday on a conference call with reporters.
"I
like to bring the fans the best fights I can possibly bring them
and the fights that the fans want to see," said White. "When
we announced that Rich Franklin was fighting Dan Henderson, fans
were pissed. There was some backlash. People didn’t like
it.
"So,
we went out and we just signed Vitor Belfort. Vitor Belfort is
now fighting Rich Franklin in Dallas in September. That’s
the new main event."
Although
White originally announced, and the promotion later issued a
statement, declaring that the bout would be contested at 205
pounds, Franklin on Friday evening posted on his Twitter account
that the bout would instead be contested at a catchweight.
“Just
found out I will be fighting Vitor at a catchweight of 195 (pounds)
as per his request,” wrote Franklin.
The
change in weight to 195 pounds works well for both fighters.
Franklin recently fought Wanderlei Silva at that weight and felt
very comfortable doing so, and Belfort’s most recent fights
have been in the middleweight division at 185 pounds.
The
announcement squashed rumors Belfort had booked a fight in Brazil
in September.
Belfort
was one of two fighters tapped to replace Josh Barnett at Affliction
“Trilogy” before the show was cancelled last Friday.
Affliction folded their fight promotion operations shortly after.
The
announcement of Belfort signing on with the UFC was a bit of
a surprise, which added to the expected announcement that Tito
Ortiz had also re-signed with the promotion.
(Editor’s
Note: This article was updated at 9:25 p.m. PT to include Franklin’s
comments about the change from 205 pounds to a catchweight of
195 pounds.)
Source: MMA Weekly |
MIZUGAKI
GUNNING FOR CURRAN AND TITLE SHOT
It's a rare occasion when a fighter can step in on short notice,
face one of the top pound-for-pound athletes on the planet, take
the champion for the full five rounds, drop a decision, but become
more popular and make a rise in the rankings. That's exactly
what happened to Japanese fighter Takeya Mizugaki following a
fight of the year candidate against Miguel Torres back in April,
but now he's looking to build back up to the No. 1 contender's
spot when he faces Jeff Curran on Aug. 9.
While
the fan fare and rankings are nice, Mizugaki is quick to point
out that it doesn't mean much without following up in his next
fight, and that's what he's planning to do.
"At
first I felt funny that I went up in a ranking by losing the
fight, but I guess I did fight a very strong world champion,"
Mizugaki said in an interview with MMAWeekly.com. "In the
last fight I was very cautious about his ground skill, so I didn't
even bother going to the ground with him, but if I get to be
in a good position on the ground then I would like to (be) aggressive
and attack on the ground as well.
"Just
like the last fight, I think I am facing an extremely tough opponent,
but if I can win the fight against a very tough fighter, especially
in a convincing manner, I believe that would put me step closer
to another title challenge."
One
of the biggest differences heading into this fight for Mizugaki
is the fact that he will have a full training camp, unlike the
last fight that he took on just a month's notice to fight a five-round
championship bout.
"I
am confident that I have prepared myself better than last time,"
Mizugaki stated.
"I did everything that needs to be done. I am in really
condition too so please expect a good fight."
Going
from Miguel Torres to Jeff Curran, Mizugaki knows he's not taking
a step down in competition, and it's that challenge that pushes
him further, and just another hurdle he must overcome to get
back to the title.
"Of
course I am very cautious of his BJJ skill. But mostly I am most
concerned of his experience," said Mizugaki. "He has
fought a lot and many of them are against top fighters. Curran
has also got good punches too, but I believe I have an advantage
in the standing department."
Working
with a strong camp of championship-level fighters brought Mizugaki
along for this fight, and he believes it's everything he needs
to win the bout against Curran.
"I
didn't particularly get special sparring partners to prepare
for Curran or anything like that, but I did spar a lot with Shooto
champ Shinichi ‘BJ’ Kojima, Shuichirou Katsumura, and
Tomohiko Hori, who will be challenging Masakazu Imanari's DEEP
title next month," he commented.
The
last time Mizugaki fought it was a very partial Chicago crowd
cheering for their hometown hero, Miguel Torres, but this time
around, based on his last performance, he's hoping to bring the
Las Vegas crowd to his side of the fight.
"Last
time I was looking forward to hear big booing in Chicago and
this time, I would like to see how the fans would react to me,"
he said.
The
growth of the WEC's bantamweight division cannot be denied and
Mizugaki is proud to be a part of it, and looks forward to moving
along with them in the future as well.
"In
the world arena there isn't much promotions that would emphasize
on lighter weight classes. Especially in terms of 135 pounds
and under division, it's almost none out there," Mizugaki
said.
"Therefore,
(the) WEC has become the prime goal for everyone at my weight
class and for fighters it’s necessary to have the goal.
In that sense I really would like to see WEC becoming big and
if I can be a part of it, to be little of a help in achieving
that, it would be honorable for me."
Heading
into this fight, as always, Mizugaki also paid tribute to those
who helped him reach his goals in the WEC.
"My
weapon is striking and Chairman Watanabe of Shooting Gym Hakkei
has been my trainer in that department, so I can't thank him
enough. And also Mr. Murayama, who taught me MMA from the very
basics, and I also really appreciate people at Kiguchi Dojo and
also Shuichirou Katsumura for providing support and a place to
train. And of course I like to thank my two cornermen, Shinichi
‘BJ’ Kojima and Ken Yasuda, who are coming all the
way to Vegas with me," he said.
"Finally
I would like to thank my sponsors, Sprawl for providing everything
I need to become a top MMA fighter, American Spartan, Touché
Salon, and KUBED for a continuing support. And I am thrilled
to be able to work with Fighter Warehouse and Manto. Thank you
so much to everyone."
Takeya
Mizugaki returns to action on Aug. 9 to face Jeff Curran at WEC
42, live on Versus in the U.S.
Source: MMA Weekly |
SENGOKU
9 PREVIEW: KITAOKA VS. HIROTA
Sengoku
Lightweight Championship Bout:
Satoru Kitaoka vs. Mizuto Hirota
Sengoku
lightweight champion Satoru Kitaoka defends his title for the
first time against Shooto veteran Mizuto Hirota. Hirota comes
into the fight with a lot of momentum, with his last fight being
a knockout win over the highly regarded Mitsuhiro Ishida. Kitaoka
has been on a tear, winning his last six fights and five of them
by submission in the first round.
Hirota
probably has the best chance of any fighter to beat Kitaoka.
He has devastating power in his hands and striking is Kitaoka’s
one true weakness. Kitaoka on the other hand has a big advantage
on the ground with his submission skills. If Hirota can avoid
being taken down or getting his leg trapped then he can thoroughly
rough up Kitaoka on the feet. Kitaoka will be diving for a leg
and if he gets a hold of one then the fight will be over in Kitaoka’s
favor. Either way, don’t expect the fight to go the distance,
as there will be a decisive finish one way or another.
Sengoku
Featherweight Grand Prix Bout:
Hatsu Hioki vs. Masanori Kanehara
Shooto
veteran Hatsu Hioki faces off with ZST veteran Masanori Kanehara
in the first Sengoku Featherweight Grand Prix semi-final bout.
Hioki easily submitted Ronnie Mann to advance, while Kanehara
won a disputed decision over Chan Sung Jung to make it this far.
Whoever wins the fight will guarantee a Japanese fighter in the
final, which of course is important for a Japanese organization.
Hioki
has absolutely destroyed the competition in the tournament thus
far, while Kanehara has looked rather lackluster up to this point.
Hioki is the much better ground fighter and it will show, if
the fight goes to ground, Hioki will quickly submit Kanehara.
Kanehara’s best chance will be on the feet, where he can
land a big power shot, as his hands are better than Hioki’s.
The odds are against Kanehara, however, as Hioki is the favorite
to win the tournament for a reason, but anything can happen in
MMA.
Sengoku
Featherweight Grand Prix Bout:
Marlon Sandro vs. Michihiro Omigawa
Nova
Uniao wunderkind Marlon Sandro faces off with Yoshida Dojo fighter
Michihiro Omigawa in the second semi-final bout. Sandro knocked
out previously undefeated Nick Dennis to advance, while Omigawa
finished Nam Phan with strikes. This is the more evenly matched
tournament fight of the two and it should be a close grueling
battle to the final for one fighter.
Sandro
has finished both the fighters he has faced in the tournament,
while Omigawa has looked quite impressive in the tournament thoroughly
dominating his two opponents. Sandro is slightly the better fighter
on the feet, but not by much, so he needs to be on his best game.
Omigawa is on his level on the ground and probably has the better
takedowns of the two, thanks to his judo background. If he sticks
to a solid gameplan, Sandro should win the fight, but don’t
completely count out Omigawa.
Sengoku
Featherweight Reserve Bout:
Chan Sung Jung vs. Matt Jaggers
Rising
Korean star Chan Sung Jung takes on American wrestler Matt Jaggers.
Both fighters were eliminated earlier in the tournament and will
fight for the right to become the reserve fighter. Jaggers has
the edge when it comes to wrestling, but Jung is the better striker
and submission fighter of the two. Expect a quick and exciting
fight, but Jung should be able to land a quick combination that
will put an end to Jaggers’ night and make him the reserve
fighter.
Kazuo
Misaki vs. Kazuhiro Nakamura
Popular
Japanese fighter Kazuo Misaki takes on Yoshida Dojo protégé
Kazuhiro Nakamura. If Nakamura wins, he will face Sengoku middleweight
champion Jorge Santiago for the title, but if Misaki wins, he
will get nothing due to punishment from a recent arrest. Both
fighters are great strikers and ground fighters, so expect it
to be an evenly matched fight. The one factor that will tilt
the fight in Misaki’s favor will be his counter striking,
which should enable him to outpoint Nakamura to a close decision
victory.
Source: MMA Weekly |
Kanehara
wins Sengoku GP
Defeated in semis, Kanehara takes title
This
Sunday in Japan Marlon Sandro tasted defeat for the first time
in his MMA career. In an evenly-matched fight, the Brazilian
received the wrong end of a split decision over Michihiro Omigawa
in one of the Sengoku Featherweight GP semifinals, held in Tokyo.
Curiously,
the one to end up winning the GP would be Masanori Kanehara who,
like Marlon, lost his semifinal match, to Hatsu Hioki. But as
Hioki was physically unable to carry on, he ended up making way
for the one he just defeated.
In
the GP grand finale, Kanehara overcame Omigawa by split decision.
Check
out the complete results from Sengoku 9:
Ryosuke
Komori defeated Takeshi Numajiri by TKO (strikes) at 3:25 min
of R1
Shigeki Osawa defeated Toru Harai by TKO (strikes) at 4:24 min
of R1
Ikuo Usuda defeated Koji Ando by unanimous decision
Yoshihiro Nakao defeated Mu Bae Choi by unanimous decision
Hatsu Hioki defeated Masanori Kanehara by unanimous decision
Michihiro Omigawa defeated Marlon Sandro by split decision
Chan Sung Jung submitted Matt Jaggers with a triangle at 1:25min
of R2
Eiji Mitsuoka submitted Clay French with a guillotine at 1:51min
of R1
Dan Hornbuckle nocauteou Akihiro Gono aos 2:50 min of R3
Blagoi Ivanov defeated Kazuyuki Fujita by split decision
Masanori Kanehara defeated Michihiro Omigawa by split decision
Mizuto Hirota defeated Satoru Kitaota by TKO (knees) at 2:50
min of R4
Source: Gracie Magazine |
Alessio
Sakara
If
Thales Leites promises action against Alessio Sakara, the Italian
doesn’t expect anything different from the fight, scheduled
for the UFC 101, on August 8. In an interview to TATAME, Sakara
spoke about the expectations for the challenge, going in search
of his fifth victory in the UFC. "I'm practicing more than
ever, because he is a top five in the category and I must show
my best", said Sakara, who lived in Brazil for five years
and has already trained at Thales academy, the Nova União.
In the chat, which you check below, Sakara remembered when he
arrived in Brazil, the fight between Thales and Anderson and
much more.
How
are the trainings to face Thales Leites at the UFC 101?
I’m
training more than ever, because he is a top five in the category
and I must show my best.
You
would face Rousimar Palhares, but he was injured. What did you
think of the change and what is the biggest difference between
the athletes?
When
a fighter gets hurt is a big problem. I hope he returns as soon
as possible, I wish all the best in Toquinho’s recovery.
The change of fighter is more or less the same, both are very
good on the ground. They have a different style, but the strategy
will be the same as it was for Toquinho.
You
already came to Brazil and trained at the Nova União,
Thales’s academy. What do you remember from the trainings
from here?
First,
I would like to say that I didn’t want to fight him because
of my respect to the Nova União, which has always opened
the doors for me, and I thank the masters, who always respected
me and let me train with them, but the UFC is work and they choose,
we just have to fight. The training of the Nova União
everyone knows that is too good. I think we’ll give a good
show for the fans.
Where
else did you train here?
I
trained a lot with Paulo Caruso, Luiz Alves, the Nogueira brothers,
Pedro Rizzo and my master of Jiu-Jitsu at Rio, Ricardo De La
Riva.
What
else did you like in Brazil?
Everything!
The people, the trainings. If today I’m in the UFC is because
of the Brazilians. I’ll always thank, for the rest of my
life, to the people, the coaches and the Brazilian mentality
of the fighters.
You
already fought in Brazilians events. How did the opportunity
appear?
I
sold my bike in Italy and bought a plane ticket to live in Brazil.
The luck is that it was in the year that I arrived that Wallid
was opening a new team, the Brazil Dojo, and that is why I started
to fight in Brazil.
When
did you learned to speak Portuguese?
I
learned living five years in Rio.
Thales
is coming from a dispute belt. How do you think that a victory
over him would be good for your career?
I
know that this fight can change my life, but I don’t want
to think about this. Sometimes we, fighters, suffer a lot of
pressure and can’t fight well. Saturday, March 8, I’ll
do my job without thinking about the future, but only in the
present.
You
saw the fight between Thales and Anderson? What did you think?
Yes,
I watched. Thales has the opposite game of Anderson. Sometimes,
when you have two champions of different tactics, they end up
respecting each other a lot not to lose the fight. And many times
the fans don’t understand that. Two champions of different
styles can make a good fight, but there’s also the possibility
to the fight stay slow.
If
you want to send a message, go ahead.
Thank
you, thank you and again thanks to all the Brazilians that have
always respected me. I hope that on day 8 we give a great show
for everybody. I thank from my heart my master Conan Silveira,
Ricardo Libório, my training partner Wilson (Gouveia),
Jorge Santiago, Thiago Silva and all from the American Top Team,
for the strength that they’re giving me.
Source: Tatame |
Can
a fighter be at his best 10 years after becoming world champ?
Leonardo Leite speaks of intense competition rhythm
The
press getting excited and pointing out that a athlete is in the
“best phase of his career”, when the numbers do not
confirm the statement isn't rare.
It
happened the other day with Mario Reis, when the featherweight
remarked that he feels in his best shape ever. A writer went
off half-cocked and typed that the Gracie Barra competitor was
in that “best phase” of his life. But Mario was two-time
world champion in 2003 and 2004, and this year took bronze.
To
feel a Jiu-Jitsu player is better, more well-rounded and more
mature, doesn’t mean he’s in his best phase. Or does
it?
Like
Reis, ultra heavyweight Leonardo Leite is not the current world
champion. He was in Romania competing in judo for his national
team the day the Jiu-Jitsu World Championship finals took place.
The Alliance player was two-time world champion ten days ago,
in 1999 and 2000. But, can you deny he’s in his best phase
ever?
After
taking the Rio Open International gold medal, the 31-year-old
athlete at 102 kilos spoke with GRACIEMAG.com about his competition
rhythm, judo, strategy and, of course, rest.
What
motivates you to carry on competing in one tournament after the
other?
I love to compete, I like the adrenaline of Jiu-Jitsu championships,
which is quite different from that of judo. As I don’t like
to train without an objective, I think that’s why I’m
always putting myself to the test, always competing in any championship
that comes up, both in judo and in Jiu-Jitsu. These past two
months I was in seven championships.
Do
you feel you’ve discovered the formula to avoid overtraining?
Hahaha! Formula? There isn’t one. But there is good, well-programmed
training. It happens that, with the experience I gained throughout
all these years, I know when my body is at its limit and when
I need to bring down the pace in training. In the old days, if
I wasn’t dead tired after training, I’d think I didn’t
train well. Now it’s not like that anymore, sometimes I
don’t even train, or I just do light positional training
and I know for me it works better than a hard training session.
I also trust my physical conditioning coach, Marcio Pimentel,
who puts together my training regime according to my main objectives
of the year.
In
the final of the Rio Open, no one expected it but Big Mac threw
you off balance…
With Big Mac I had the wrong strategy. I thought I was doing
judo and forgot the different rules, there aren’t the same
penalties. That wore me out more than usual, and when I fell
I think it was more my own doing than a takedown by him. I tried
to shoot for a takedown and ended up going down, but credit to
him for taking advantage of it. Even more so when the score was
4 to 0 – because Big on top is a sensation and I don’t
want to go throught that again! I played guard for about 2 minutes
against such a heavy guy, if he’d have passed I would have
lost.
What
kind of takedowns do most people fall from in Jiu-Jitsu tournaments?
Leg takedowns, like the osoto-gari, ouchi-gari and kouchi-gari.
Jiu-Jitsu players still don’t know how to walk too well,
which helps with that type of takedown. They also present less
risk, like the ippon-seoi that, if you mess up you may end up
giving up your back. The Jiu-Jitsu and judo folks should cross
over more, I see a lot of guys lose in Jiu-Jitsu by a takedown
while, in judo, a lot of people lose on the ground, like a few
Brazilians did at the Grand Slam, in the Maracanazinho, in July.
On
July 12 you lost the final of the judo World Cup in Belo Horizonte.
What lessons did you derive from the decision loss to Luciano
Correa?
To compete against Luciano is a tough match, decided on details.
This last final, I was winning till 4:30 min, and I believe that
for him being the current world champion, leader on the rankings
and competing at home, the judges’ sometimes let the crowd
skew their decisions, this one they gave me a penalty they didn’t
need to. The lesson I derive is that I can’t retreat; I
have to attack the whole time.
What’s
your next commitment?
Now I’m going to take some time off. I’m tired and
realized that at the Rio Open. I’ve had a lot of championships
and trips with the national team. I’m going to hide my gi
for a week and return in August, already training hard for the
World Cup of judo in England, more trips and competitions.
Source: Gracie Magazine |
Quote
of the Day
“We
do not retreat from reality, we rediscover it.”
C.S. Lewis
|
Fighters'
Club TV Episode Tonight!
Channel 52
Tuesday, 8:00 PM
Fighters'
Club TV Episode 63 is finally cut and submitted to Olelo Programming.
I
will air in our normal time slot; Tuesday night, 8pm on Olelo
Oahu Channel 52--or can be viewed via stream at Olelo.org at
the same time of it's scheduled airing.
Episode
63 features:
Mike
and Mark back in action from the 1st Jewel of Romolo's Triple
Crown of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.
-interviews and footage of Rylan Lizares vs Jair Muniz
KINGDOM
MMA
-Andy "Danger" Cohea vs LJ Borges
-Dejuan Hathaway vs Tommy Tuiloma +intvw w/ Dejuan (featuring
our special guest interviewer!)
|
BARNETT'S
SECOND SAMPLE POSITIVE FOR STEROIDS
Bill Douglas, Assistant Executive Officer to the California State
Athletic Commission, informed MMAWeekly.com on Friday that the
second sample of Josh Barnett’s pre-fight drug test has
come back positive.
Barnett
gave two samples of his urine on June 25 as part of the commission’s
licensing process for a scheduled fight with Fedor Emelianenko
at Affliction “Trilogy” on Aug. 1.
Last
Wednesday, CSAC announced that Barnett’s first sample had
come back positive for 2a-methyl-5a-androstan-3a-ol-17-one, a
compound of synthetic steroid Drostanolone. The commission refused
to license him for the fight, effectively canceling it.
Both
samples were tested by CSAC’s new testing facility at the
World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) certified laboratory at UCLA.
In
a press release issued Thursday night, Barnett’s manager,
Shannon Hooper, claimed the commission had rebuffed several requests
for the results of the second sample and vowed to challenge the
results.
“Mr.
Barnett vehemently denies intentionally ingesting any banned
substances in preparation for the Aug. 1 fight and he is looking
forward to presenting his case to the California State Athletic
Commission,” wrote Hooper.
Douglas
wrote he was unaware of any appeal activities being readied by
Barnett or his representatives and the matter was not currently
on the agenda at CSAC’s next meeting on Aug. 26 in Los Angeles.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
One
man to blame in UFC-Fedor breakdown
It’s
easy to paint Vadim Finkelchtein as the villain in this mess
between heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko and the Ultimate Fighting
Championship.
Emelianenko
is the free agent heavyweight with the gaudy 30-1 record and
small but passionate fan base. The UFC is the world’s finest
mixed martial arts promotional company and has roughly 90 percent
of the top 100 fighters in the world under contract.
Emelianenko
was looking for a place to fight and the UFC wanted to put on
what it believed could have become a massive pay-per-view show
with a big push by pitting Emelianenko against Brock Lesnar,
its silo-sized heavyweight champion.
But
no deal was reached despite a lucrative offer from the UFC. Though
UFC president Dana White wouldn’t rule it out, chances of
it happening in the future are remote.
Finkelchtein
is the Russian heavyweight’s manager and, more significantly,
the president and co-owner of what purports to be a major MMA
promotional company, M-1 Global. Finkelchtein clearly used Emelianenko
as a pawn in an attempt to force the UFC to accept M-1 as a partner.
All M-1 Global brought to the table was one fighter, even if
he is a very good one, which would have made White a moron had
he acquiesced to that demand.
If
the UFC was in the business of giving 50 percent of its company
away every time it tried to sign an elite fighter, it would have
been in worse shape a lot sooner than Chrysler.
The
reason the deal didn’t get done is simple: Fedor Emelianenko.
Emelianenko’s
supporters are going to point the finger at White as the reason
a deal did not get done. White, though, agreed to essentially
every demand Emelianenko made. He offered to pay him more than
he’s ever made. He agreed to allow Emelianenko to fight
in combat sambo. He agreed to allow Emelianenko to advertise
M-1 on his fight shorts, on the apparel he wore and on banners
his cornermen brought with them to the cage.
What
White wouldn’t do, though, is give half of his company to
Finkelchtein in return for the, ahem, privilege, of promoting
Emelianenko’s next few fights.
The
demand was kind of like an owner in the Continental Basketball
Association demanding 50 percent ownership in an NBA team before
allowing his player to sign.
Emelianenko
can fight wherever he wants, of course. His legacy, though, took
a serious shellacking when he refused to order Finkelchtein to
get a deal done.
That
would have allowed Emelianenko, who was ranked No. 2 in the most
recent Yahoo! Sports pound-for-pound Top 10 poll, to end any
doubts whether he is as great as his most ardent supporters say
or whether he is overrated, as White insists. Rather, Emelianenko
acts as if he’s under some sort of spell cast by Finkelchtein.
He’s never met White and when Finkelchtein, White and UFC
CEO Lorenzo Fertitta negotiated via conference call, Emelianenko
was on the line but said nothing.
All
Emelianenko needed to do to know what he should have done was
to look to Tito Ortiz, the UFC’s former light heavyweight
champion. Ortiz and White have long engaged in a nasty public
feud and they split, seemingly for good, after Ortiz’ contract
ran out after he lost to Lyoto Machida at UFC 84 in May 2008.
There
Ortiz was, however, on a conference call on Friday all chummy
chummy with White. White revealed he had flown to Huntington
Beach, Calif., recently and met personally with Ortiz, where
they finalized resolved their differences.
Ortiz
had dalliances with Elite XC and Affliction and said he was close
to a deal to fight for Strikeforce. He referred to Strikeforce
CEO Scott Coker as “an awesome guy.”
Ortiz
said the reason he opted to fight in the UFC is simple: Competition.
“Who was I going to fight there?” Ortiz said. “I
want to fight the best.”
It’s
too bad Emelianenko doesn’t have the same attitude. Had
he been outraged by Finkelchtein’s negotiating tactics and
insisted Finkelchtein work out the best possible deal, White
would have been announcing an Emelianenko-Lesnar bout at his
ballyhooed news conference on Friday rather than again railing
at Finkelchtein’s bizarre stance.
Finkelchtein
released a statement on Friday before the UFC news conference
in which he said, in part, “All we are asking is that there
is give-and-take in the negotiations and that they are not one-sided.”
But
the UFC gave on the money. The UFC gave on the Fedor’s desire
to compete in the Russian combat sport of sambo. The UFC gave
on allowing Fedor to wear M-1’s logos. Finkelchtein wouldn’t
budge on his ridiculous demand that the UFC make him a full promotional
partner.
So
now, Emelianenko will be a free agent, traveling the world in
search of a fight. He could fight Josh Barnett, whom he was supposed
to fight on Saturday on an Affliction card until Barnett tested
positive for an anabolic steroid and was denied a license by
the California State Athletic Commission.
Emelianenko
remains highly popular in Japan, where they don’t test for
steroids and don’t honor U.S. suspensions. Barnett, who
has been caught cheating more than once, could be licensed there
and conceivably could fight Emelianenko.
But
there are precious few quality opponents for him outside of the
UFC. And none of the fights would captivate the world’s
interest the way UFC 100 did on July 11.
Emelianenko
is largely unknown in the U.S. despite his 30-1 record and long
winning streak. The three pay-per-view shows he headlined in
this country – PRIDE 32 in 2006, Affliction 1 in 2008 and
Affliction 2 in January – sold a combined total of fewer
than 300,000 units.
UFC
100 alone sold well over 1.5 million.
Finkelchtein
clearly botched the negotiations, but he’s not to blame.
If
Emelianenko really wanted to be in the UFC and fight the best
competition in the world, he would have made certain Finkelchtein
got it done.
If
you want to blame someone in this fiasco, blame Emelianenko.
It’s
100 percent his fault.
Source: Yahoo Sports
|
KNOCKED
OUT OF UFC 103, HENDO AWAITS ANDERSON
Dan Henderson will get another shot at Anderson Silva and the
Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight crown. UFC President
Dana White announced the change on Friday on a conference call
with the media.
"Dan
Henderson is definitely next in line for the title shot,"
White told MMAWeekly.com.
The
former two-division Pride titleholder was scheduled to rematch
Rich Franklin at UFC 103 in Dallas, but Vitor Belfort will step
in to replace him while Henderson waits to face Silva.
Silva
fights Aug. 8 in Philadelphia in the light heavyweight division
against Forrest Griffin. As far as a timeframe goes for Henderson
vs. Silva II, White said, "It depends on what happens with
Anderson next week. If he doesn't get busted up or get any major
injuries, it could be very soon."
Many
felt the winner of Nate Marquardt and Damien Maia, who fight
at Rose Garden Arena in Portland, Ore., on Aug. 29 at UFC 102,
would be in title contention. White said they're "in the
mix," adding, "It's good to have these kinds of problems
at 185. Anderson Silva's been so dominant at that weight. It's
good to have a few guys in line and have them in the mix."
Since
losing to Anderson Silva at UFC 82 in March of 2008, Henderson
has strung together a three-fight win streak with victories over
Rousimar Palhares, Rich Franklin, and a knockout win over Michael
Bisping.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
UFC
AND FEDOR AT AN IMPASSE; NO HOPE IN SIGHT
UFC president Dana White says he woke up feeling destiny on his
side.
It
was Tuesday morning, and he, along with Lorenzo Fertitta, were
due for an all-important teleconference with Fedor Emelianenko,
Vadim Finkelstein, and various representatives from the UFC and
M-1 Global.
“I
woke up telling Lorenzo… it’s gonna happen today,”
White told reporters during a Friday teleconference. “We’re
gonna make this thing happen. We both felt that way. We wanted
it, and it didn’t happen. And it didn’t not happen
because of me and Lorenzo, I can tell you that right now.”
White
and the UFC made their offer to Emelianenko’s camp –
one report has placed the value at $30 million, while another
has halved that amount – and was met with a counter offer.
Fedor Emelianenko would fight in the UFC if M-1 could co-promote
the event.
“Their
response was very, very diplomatic,” Finkelstein told reporters
following an M-1 press conference in Anaheim, Calif., on Wednesday.
“It was very cordial. Surprisingly. We know Dana White likes
to argue and say a couple of bad words, but it wasn’t the
case at all.”
But
of all the concessions White said his company made, co-promotion
was a non-negotiable deal breaker.
“We
didn’t hold back on anything... we gave everything,”
he said. “There is no compromise on the co-promotion."
White
said the counter offer was "insanity."
“(Fedor)
got offered a (expletive) of money," he said. "A ton
of money... he could go fight in Sambo every (expletive) Thursday
night if he wants to. He could do everything he wanted to do,
and we showed them nothing but respect. I put my money where
my mouth was, and they’re coming up with unrealistic (expletive).”
The
bottom line, from the mouths of both promoters, was that there
was no deal.
“Why
the hell would I let anybody come in and co-promote with us?”
White asked. “This thing that we built... the Fertittas
risked all of their money, all the things that we’ve done
and busted our ass over the 10 years that we’ve been in
this business, and these guys (are) gonna walk in and say, ‘yeah,
we’re gonna be in business with you guys.’
“It’s
like Brett Favre negotiating with one of the football teams and
saying, yeah, I’m gonna be your 50-percent partner. It’s
like, what?”
Finkelstein
said he and Emelianenko’s decision revolved around the desire
to model M-1 after fighters like Oscar De La Hoya and Roy Jones
Jr., who created promotional companies around their individual
brand. Loaning Fedor to fight was only part of the equation.
“The
UFC proposal was very good, but it does not give us a chance
to do what we as a company, including Fedor, are wanting and
planning to do,” said Finkelstein.
White
says he tried to explain – as the “nicest Dana ever”
– that not only was co-promotion a breach of the UFC’s
business model, it wasn't logistically sound.
“The
Fertittas have a gaming license,” said White. “People
from other companies just don’t walk in and jump into business
with the Fertitta brothers. There have to be full background
checks and all kinds of crazy (expletive). It doesn’t work
that way. It’s impossible. It will never happen.”
It
was one of the few times, White said, where he wasn’t able
to do his job.
“I
was (expletive) miserable... miserable the entire day because
we couldn’t make this deal,” said White.
He
initially stressed the deal was not dead in the water. “They
can call me right now,” he said. But as Friday's call progressed,
his hope, along with his patience, faded. With Tito Ortiz back
into the UFC fold, he turned the focus away from the Russians.
“There
is no sticking point,” White blurted. “I’m over
it. I’m over the deal. I want to talk about the guys that
do want to fight the best in the world. (Tito) and 300 other
guys that fight in the UFC are willing to put it on the line
and fight the best in the world three times a year. A guy that
doesn’t want to? (expletive) him.”
Source: MMA Weekly
|
BREAKING
NEWS: DALEY SIGNS, WILL DEBUT AT UFC 103
Paul Daley has just signed a deal with the UFC that will see
him make his debut within the promotion at UFC 103 against Brian
Foster from Matt Hughes’ H.I.T. Squad, according to MMAWeekly.com
sources.
For
Daley this contract means that he will finally find a home within
a solid promotion, one where he will get his wish to fight the
best in the world. This signing is just one of many after the
fallout from the recent cancellation of the Affliction “Trilogy”
show and shuttering of the promotion. It draws an end to Daley’s
status as a hired gun and marks a new period in his life.
Up
until Thursday, Daley had been hot property having courted offers
from the UFC, Dream, Bellator and Strikeforce. Although all of
the promotions have their appeal, it is understood that Daley’s
desire to blast his way through the Top 10 is a key motivator.
Daley has always maintained that his experience across the world
was “on the job” training before he went into the thick
of it with the UFC.
When
the lights dim for the walkout at UFC 103 in Dallas, Daley will
have his first chance to signal his intent to the welterweight
division.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Ninja:
“Shogun will win the belt”
Murilo
"Ninja" is excited for the next fight of his brother,
Maurício "Shogun" Rua. Helping in the trainings
of the fighter to the belt dispute against Lyoto Machida, Ninja
talked with TATAME about the preparation for the combat, showing
full confidence in victory. "I was training with him just
now", says Ninja. "We are training all the time and
I'm sure he’ll win the belt, and I’m not saying this
because he is my brother... I’m confident”, said the
Brazilian.
When
the fighters haven’t even thought about facing each other,
Shogun and Lyoto trained together in Chute Boxe, and Ninja remembers
the episode. "I didn’t train with Lyoto, because he
was traveling, but I spoke with him", says the fighter,
analyzing the possible directions that the fight can take. "The
expectation is the best. Lyoto is considered the best in the
world, but I believe a lot in my brother and I’m sure he
will win. Shogun will go prepared to fight on the ground or standing,
but his strong is the standing part", concluded the confident
Ninja.
Source: Tatame |
Pé-de-chumbo
back to US; eyes the UFC
Former
IFL fighter, Délson "Pé-de-chumbo" Heleno
will be back to the North American stages on August 22. Scheduled
to face Tyler Stinson at the Art Of Fighting 4, which happens
in Florida, the athlete of Gracie Fusion is excited. "I’m
training a lot, in the expectation. God willing, I’ll make
a good fight and get to the UFC with strength and name",
said Délson, making his plans clear.
"I’ll
walk toward the UFC, that's my goal, but I believe there I have
some barriers to cross. And I will cross to reach the top, which
is the UFC. God willing, I will make good fights and get there
to dispute that belt. That is my goal and I will run after it
until I achieve it", guarantees the world champion of Jiu-Jitsu,
analyzing his opponent, Tyler Stinson.
"I
know little of him... I know he comes from Muay Thai, but if
the fight goes to the ground he has a little Jiu-Jitsu, but I'm
training a lot of Boxing and Muay Thai, and I’m giving a
good lapidate on the ground with Gordo. At the time we will see
what will happen", decreed, commenting about the preparation
of the two times world champion Márcio "Pé-de-pano",
who fights in the event against Tom Sauer. "We are training
together and he’s well prepared. He’s training very
well and definitely it will be a success, he’s a warrior",
bets the black belt.
Source: Tatame
|
Cyborg
ready for Carano
Fighter warns: ‘Chute Boxe lives’
The
title bout to decide the first female Strikeforce champion is
on everybody’s lips in the United States. The bout fight
between Brazil’s Cristiane Cyborg and Gina Carano is being
hyped to the max, even with a press conference in Madison Square
Garden, in New York, as well as a televised main event. With
the title fight coming up, Cyborg commented on how she is prepared
to take on America’s sweetheart.
Portal
das Lutas – What are your thoughts on this title fight with
Gina Carao, who is probably the most well-known female fighter
in the world?
Cris
Cyborg – I worked really hard to get this shot at the belt
and Gina did too. I thank Strikeforce for this opportunity and
for making it a main event. I’m really happy, also because
it can open up some doors for other girls in MMA.
PDL
– Beyond that, Strikeforce has been doing a great deal of
marketing for you. What do you feel about that?
CC
– What’s happening is a consequence of my work. I’m
really happy right now.
PDL
– Does being in a main event mean more responsibility for
you?
CC
– The fact it’s a main event doesn’t make me nervous,
because I’ve been in one in Brazil. It just makes me more
determined to train and do well.
PDL
– The fight’s coming up and you must have studied Gina
a lot…
CC
– I know what she does, but I’m not thinking about
her game. I’m prepared to fight on the ground or standing.
I know she has good muay thai but I don’t see much Jiu-Jitsu
in her, but, for whatever she does, I’ll be prepared.
PDL
– So the strategy is to just throw down?
CC
– For sure, I want to impose my game. I always go for the
knockout and want to play my game.
PDL
– You told us before that ever since Rafael Cordeiro left
Chute Boxe you’re no longer with him. How have you been
going about training?
CC
– I’m doing Jiu-Jitsu with Cleber Luciano, boxing with
Shawn Macolin and the gang from the gym and conditioning with
Justin. I’m working with the whole Chute Boxe team as well.
PDL
– Would you like to send a message to the fans?
CC
– I’d like to say that, as always, I’m training
a lot and am very prepared. Anyone who likes my fights can be
sure I’m going for the knockout the whole time and I’ll
take this belt home to Brazil. Chute Boxe lives and will always
be strong. Root for me.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Malfacine
wants to make history
Goal is to be three-time roosterweight champion
Bruno
Malfacine has set his sights high once again. In strong competition
form, resulting in gold at the Worlds, Brazilian Nationals and,
more recently, the Rio Open, now the shorty from Alliance wants
to become three-time world champion at roosterweight and make
history in the weight group.
“My
main focus is the Worlds. And so here I go. Next year I’m
trying for my third roosterweight title, since there are no three-time
champions at that weight. I want to conquer the title to make
history in the category,” stated Malfacine to GRACIEMAG.com
after winning his category’s title at the Tijuca Tennis
Club, last Sunday.
At
the Open, he went in on a bye and beat two opponents, both by
submission. In his first match against Edwaldo Lima (GFTeam),
Malfacine opened the scoring at 2 to 0 and manage to take his
adversary’s back.
In
the final against Igor Rodrigues (Checkmat), Gurgel urged him
to get the finish. Malfacine, as he himself said, wanted to fight
more before finishing, to test his Jiu-Jitsu. Thus, he took Rodrigues’
back twice, bringing the score to 8 to 0 in his favor, and soon
thereafter finishing with a kneebar at 8:50 min.
“I
didn’t stop after the Worlds. I returned to training soon
after to get back to competition. Now I’m going to rest
to recover from injuries and get back to full steam. I’m
going to stay three weeks in Rio with my family and will try
not to train during this time. But there’s no way to stop.
I can’t live without Jiu-Jitsu. I’m hooked,” he
said in finishing.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Quote
of the Day
“The
world is more malleable than you think and it's waiting for you
to hammer it into shape.”
Bono
|
FEDOR'S
CAMP ISSUES STATEMENT TO CLEAR THE AIR
In the days since the fall of Affliction late last week, there
has been a plethora of information, and misinformation, reported.
Enough misinformation, in fact, that M-1 Global president Vadim
Finkelchtein felt the need to issue a public statement regarding
the reports.
One
of the hottest topics has been the report emanating from the
Carmichael Dave radio show, claiming knowledge of the UFC’s
offer to Fedor Emelianenko. The report outlined the UFC’s
offer as:
-
A 6-fight, $30 million contract
-
An immediate title shot at UFC 103 against Brock Lesnar
-
A cut of the UFC 103 pay-per-view on top of Fedor's purse
-
The ability for Fedor to wear as many M-1 logoed items as he
wished
-
The ability for Fedor to compete in combat Sambo
Specifically
addressing the Carmichael Dave information, Finkelchtein’s
statement, in its entirety, reads:
"There
have been recent reports stating that talk between M-1 Global
and the UFC regarding Fedor fighting in the UFC have ended. Like
some of the other reports that have surfaced, this is incorrect.
"It
is unfortunate that so much incorrect information has been leaked
to the public. It is M-1's preference not to negotiate in public
and we are unsure why people claim that Fedor and M-1 turned
down a six fight, $30 million contract to fight in the UFC when
no such offer was ever made.
"Even
though Lorenzo Fertitta and Dana White did not meet with Fedor
in person on Tuesday, they were represented over the phone. Outside
of representatives of the UFC and M-1, no other company was represented
during our negotiations. Since we did not go to the media with
details of the meeting and only responded to the erroneous reports,
we are unsure how these reports started.
"It's
unfortunate because these type of tactics will not help ensure
that M-1's talks with the UFC are fruitful. M-1 Global is still
interested in continuing to negotiate with the UFC and while
we are fielding offers from other major promotions, nothing has
been decided. It is our hope that the UFC will remain in active
dialogue with us as we try to find ways for us to work together.
All we are asking is that there is give-and-take in the negotiations
and that they are not one-sided."
Source: MMA Weekly
|
STRIKEFORCE
CEO: AFFLICTION'S FALL NOT SO SUDDEN
Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker had swept through Florence and Venice
and was in Rome when his girlfriend’s cell phone started
to blow up. It was his office with bad news: Josh Barnett had
allegedly tested positive for steroids.
“My
first thought was, who did the test?” Coker told MMAWeekly.com.
“Because it’s usually after the fact. That was at midnight
or one (on Tuesday morning).”
Coker
was informed early Friday morning that Affliction had formally
folded.
“I’m
like, Jesus, man,” he continued. “I’d hate to
be the guy to tell Fedor that it’s not happening.”
It
did not take him by surprise that the new promoter had closed
up shop – though he expected it to happen after “Trilogy.”
He
disputes a well-read report that said Strikeforce was in the
final stages of a merger with the clothing company.
“I
just want to make the facts straight: there were never merger
talks,” he said. “It makes me look stupid. I was very
much in touch.”
Coker
would confirm, however, that Strikeforce had been in talks with
Affliction for several months regarding a sponsorship deal, which
never came to fruition. Shortly after Barnett was removed from
the card, communications broke down between the companies over
a possible replacement. That replacement was Strikeforce heavyweight
Brett Rogers.
“The
reality, honestly, is that I couldn’t react fast enough
for Todd (Beard) to feel good about,” said Coker.
Beard,
who Affliction said resigned in November to seek counseling for
alcohol abuse and anger management problems, was apparently still
at the helm, and upset with Coker’s unwillingness to allow
Rogers to step in.
“I’m
like, look, it’s not just me, I have to talk to Showtime,
and usually we don’t put fighters in fights that we can’t
have a rematch with,” Coker continued. “It’s like,
you want us to take one of our top heavyweights and give him
to you when he’s only trained for five days? He’s just
going to be taking the fight for the money. Even if you wanted
to pay me money, it’s not worth it to me. And Showtime’s
like no. So I told Todd, get a rematch clause for Fedor. But
on another show, in the future, we can do it. Which I think is
reasonable.”
In
the end, though, Coker understood that any future talent exchanges
wouldn’t be necessary, because the clothing company was
getting out of the fight business.
“That
was already in the works,” he said. “How they got out…(if)
they became a sponsor for Strikeforce, (were) the conversations
we were having. This was their last fight, so there would be
no more fighters. The dialogue was that they were getting out
of the business a month ago.”
A
few high-profile fighters that appeared homeless after the cancellation
were, in fact, already with Strikeforce.
“I
can only speak for the fighters we have under contract that we
allowed them to use,” he said. “One is Babalu, and
one is Gegard Mousasi. Those are our fighters. The deal (with
Gegard) was made months ago.”
Strikeforce
recently signed Jay Hieron, who was previously under a non-exclusive
deal with Affliction, to face Nick Diaz on Aug. 15.
Others,
like Vitor Belfort, do not have a clear path.
“I’ve
got enough 185-pound fighters I’ve got to keep busy,”
he said. “Vitor’s been around a long time. He’s
a great fighter, and that’s a conversation maybe we could
have, but we just haven’t had it.”
The
most coveted fighter of them all, Fedor Emelianenko, is currently
entertaining Coker’s offer along with “4 or 5”
others from MMA and boxing promoters.
The
San Jose, Calif., based promoter will now shift his focus to
Aug. 15, when two top female fighters, Gina Carano and Cristiane
“Cyborg” Santos, headline a major event for the first
time ever.
Coker’s
time with Affliction is done, but the lesson of its demise is
one he’s become accustomed to.
“The
natural laws of economics apply to all businesses, and they applied
to Affliction,” he said.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
FLORIAN
READY TO PROVE EVERYBODY WRONG
"If I tell you I'm good, you would probably think I'm boasting.
If I tell you I'm no good, you know I'm lying." – Bruce
Lee
Steadily
climbing the ranks over the last year, top lightweight contender
Kenny Florian has stayed as humble as any fighter in the game
despite reeling off six wins in a row, and becoming one of the
top 155-pound fighters in the world. Still, Florian believes
that he had a lot to learn after his win over Joe Stevenson before
facing lightweight champion B.J. Penn on Aug. 8 at UFC 101 in
Philadelphia.
Coming
off the win over Stevenson in November, Florian was immediately
back in the gym working at the Florian Martial Arts Center in
Massachusetts alongside his brother, Keith, and a cast of impressive
training partners. The almost nine-month layoff is the longest
the Boston native has had since before entering the UFC, but
he feels it was time well spent.
"I
think the long layoff affects people who don't want training
all the time. For the guys who don't train when they're not fighting
it definitely affects them. I've been doing sparring now for
a long time, for months, I've been training for a long time,"
Florian told MMAWeekly Radio in a recent interview.
"It
just gave me more time to get better as a martial artist, improve
on things, I have a lot of work, I'm never satisfied with my
game, there's a lot of things I needed to improve on and get
better at and that's what I've been doing since November."
This
training camp took Florian outside of his gym in Massachusetts
to new settings in Montreal to work with UFC welterweight champion
Georges St. Pierre, as well as familiar surroundings working
with coaches like Mark DellaGrotte and Peter Welch. The ultimate
goal of course is to find the right combination of skill and
strategy to unseat Penn as the 155-pound champion.
"I
have a lot of respect for B.J. as a fighter and what he's done,
he's been an inspiration to me as well. Look at what he's done.
From the jiu-jitsu world becoming a world champion and what he's
done in the UFC and the MMA world, and he'll go down as one of
the best ever," Florian commented. "But on Aug. 8,
you can't respect your opponent. You have to respect his skills
and disrespect his strategy, and go out there and play your game
and take him out."
The
mistakes some have made against Penn in the past have been showing
the champion too much respect and letting him dictate the pace
of the bout. Florian says he's ready to bring the fight to the
champion, and put the hurt on him for a change.
"I
know he's going to go out there and try to hurt me, I have to
do the same. This is about trying to be the best and I see him
as being in my way," said Florian.
"I'm
going to go out there and take him out and that's what it's about.
You're either the hunter or you're the hunted, and you have to
go out there and take care of business. Too much respect for
your opponent will get you a nice loss on your career and that's
something I'm not willing to give up."
The
fight against Penn will be Florian's second shot at the UFC lightweight
gold. In October 2006, Florian lost a unanimous decision to former
champion Sean Sherk. It was the former "Ultimate Fighter"
season 1 cast member's last defeat.
"I
love hearing that. Well Kenny lost to Sherk and if they fought
again he would lose. Or B.J. beat Sherk and Kenny lost to Sherk
therefore B.J. will smash Kenny," Florian said with a laugh.
"I'm a completely different fighter from then, and if people
think I'm the same guy, then jeez I hope so, and hopefully it's
my opponents. Hopefully my opponents think that."
It's
the critics that have placed Penn as a heavy favorite in the
fight, noting his takedown defense and stand-up as dangerous
weapons heading into the championship bout. Florian loves the
comments and is ready to prove everybody wrong when he steps
in the Octagon.
"That's
the challenge, you take that personally, that's what excites
me the most about this fight," said Florian. "It's
B.J.'s technique against my technique, and who's going to be
the better man, who's going to have better timing, who's going
to be on, who's going to execute. That's what gets me so excited.
"Everyone
says that he's a better wrestler, he's a better striker, he's
better at jiu-jitsu, well let's find out. That's what it's about.
I'm going out there to prove everybody wrong."
It's
a hard question for Florian to answer whether beating B.J. Penn
or winning the UFC lightweight championship is the bigger accomplishment,
but he knows that doing that will be the ultimate payoff for
his months of work leading up to the UFC 101 title fight.
"To
be able to beat B.J. would mean the world to me. The challenge
of testing your skills against a fighter like that, that's what
gets me excited, for me it would just be like hey all this freaking
work I'm putting in here, all the hours when no one was watching,
all the times I was working out when everyone else was just hanging
out, when I'm eating healthy and everyone else is eating like
crap, all the hours, and all the sacrifice, the blood, sweat
and tears; it wasn't for nothing.
"The
belt will be for anyone who's ever trained with me. It will be
for my coaches. It will be for my family, my friends, and everyone
whose supported me."
Source: MMA Weekly
|
ISHIDA
STEPS INTO STRIKEFORCE INTERIM TITLE BOUT
In the latest of late-notice replacements to hit Strikeforce,
Mitsuhiro Ishida will step in for an injured Josh Thomson to
face Gilbert Melendez for the interim Strikeforce lightweight
title.
The
news was first reported by graciefighter.com, and Strikeforce
Director of Communications Mike Afromowitz subsequently confirmed
the information with MMAWeekly.com on Thursday afternoon.
According
to Afromowitz, Thomson was denied clearance to fight by a California
State Athletic Commission doctor who examined him per the commission’s
licensing procedures.
Thomson
(16-2) first sustained an injury to his toe before his first
title defense against Yves Edwards in November 2008. The injury
forced him to withdraw from the bout.
Injuries
would continue to mount for Thomson in 2009. Ten days prior to
his first scheduled rematch with Melendez on April 11, Thomson
broke his ankle in a sparring session and sat out for several
months.
This
week, Thomson said he had re-injured the toe after returning
to the gym, but insisted he would make the Aug. 15 fight.
Sources
tell MMAWeekly.com that Ishida had agreed several days ago to
be a backup plan to face Melendez if Thomson had to withdraw
from the bout.
There
were early talks with Takanori Gomi to be the backup for Thomson
when word of the re-injury first surfaced, according to reliable
sources, but Gomi declined to take the fight on the notice given.
Thomson
won the undisputed lightweight title in June 2008 with a dominating
performance over Melendez. His prognosis for recovery is unknown
at this time.
With Ishida stepping into an interim title shot with Melendez,
Strikeforce still has four title bouts like it initially planned.
The headline fight between Gina Carano and Cristiane “Cyborg”
Santos, however, remains the only one of the four original title
bouts that remains fully intact.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
TITO
RETURNS TO UFC; COLEMAN MAY BE FIRST FIGHT
It was a big announcement, if not an expected announcement, on
Friday when UFC President Dana White declared on a media conference
call that Tito Ortiz had signed a new contract to return to the
promotion.
In
announcing Ortiz’s return, White commented on the fighter’s
contract, “Tito Ortiz will retire in the UFC... He’s
coming into the UFC, fighting the best 205-pounders in the world,
period.”
Though
nothing is set, White has a first opponent in mind, "We're
talking about Tito versus Mark Coleman in (Tito's) first fight."
And Coleman doesn’t turn down fights added the brash head
of the UFC.
But
although Ortiz had back surgery last year that has healed up
well, according to him, he’s probably a few months off from
him stepping back into the Octagon.
"I'm
looking around towards November or December (to fight),”
said Ortiz, who wasn’t coy about what he’s returning
for. "I'm coming full force. I want to get the title back."
Since
he last fought in the UFC, a losing effort to current light heavyweight
champion Lyoto Machida in May of 2008, Ortiz has been close to
signing with several other promotions. First it was EliteXC,
then Affliction, and most recently Strikeforce.
He
told MMAWeekly.com that he was very near closing the deal with
the San Jose, Calif., based promotion, but there was a major
stumbling block that eventually made his return to the UFC a
more attractive proposition.
“It’s
about competition,” he stated several times. “I love
Scott (Coker, Strikeforce’s CEO)... but who do I fight over
there? I want to fight the best guys in the world. I think my
fans deserve it, me with my 100-percent back. I want the light
heavyweight title around my waist again.”
And
with the UFC expanding around the globe, Ortiz already has his
sites set on moving out into the world with the promotion, “My
next step, I’d love to fight in Mexico City. I’d love
to be the headliner.”
Ortiz
and White both stated that their beef with each other over the
years has been largely personal, just “butting heads.”
But both declared that they were ready to “move forward,”
as indicated by the former UFC light heavyweight champion’s
return to the promotion that he helped build.
“I’m
not saying that Tito and I will never disagree on anything again,”
commented White, “but I don’t think Tito and I are
ever going to go down the road that we did before. I think we’re
at a place in this thing now that we can talk and figure it out.”
One
thing that has always been of great concern to Ortiz is feeling
that he was appreciated, that value was placed upon his presence.
And now, it appears he feels that reassurance.
“(Lorenzo
Fertitta, the promotion’s co-owner and CEO) and Dana...
they showed me how important I was for their company,” Ortiz
stated.
“When
I fight in the UFC Octagon, there’s nothing like it, and
I don’t want to change it.”
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Jorge
Santiago still wants to face Belfort
The
cancellation of the third edition of Affliction has left six
Brazilians, and one of them was Jorge Santiago. Scaled to face
Vitor Belfort, the champion of the Sengoku chatted with TATAME
and said that he was excited to return to the United States,
but that will have to postpone. "I was disappointed with
the cancellation, because I was training in full gas", regrets
the athlete of the American Top Team, who was training a lot
to face the ex-champion of the UFC and Cage Rage.
"The
preparation for this fight was excellent, I was very excited.
I know it wouldn’t be an easy fight, and that is why I dedicated
my maximum in my trainings", he said, recalling the moment
he received the news of the cancellation of the fight. "When
I received the news, on Friday morning, it was as if someone
throws a bucket of cold water... I remember I was training when
the phone rang. I stopped the training at the same time, I couldn’t
believe it. I was training like a madman, I almost reached the
overtraining, a month before the fight, because of the much that
I wanted to train... In the end I didn’t even want to train,
I only wanted to fight".
Overcome
the sadness, the fighter is already thinking about the next appointments.
"It’s in the hands of God. If it wasn’t now, who
knows in the future this fight can happen", he said, still
thinking in a fight against Belfort. In conversation with TATAME,
Conan Silveira, Jorge’s coach at the ATT, said that has
suggested that Amaury Bitetti married this fight at Bitetti Combat
4, which happens in September, in Rio de Janeiro. "I was
prepared to fight with Vitor, without a shadow of doubt. Conan
suggested that the Amaury make this fight and we are waiting
the answer... If this happens, it will be great", cheer
up.
THE
RETURN TO JAPAN
If
the fight in the United States didn’t happen, the middleweight
waits for the next opponent at Sengoku, to put his belt at stake.
"I’ll make my first defense of title, but my opponent
wasn’t announced yet. We are waiting the result of the fight
between Kazuhiro Nakamura and Kazuo Misaki", says the champion,
who already has beaten these fighters in his last two fights
in Japan. "This fight will give the winner the right to
fight me", he explains.
If
your next appointment in Japan is sent, the possible return to
the United States seems even more unlikely. "With the end
of the Affliction, it was more difficult my return to fight in
the U.S. for now, because the other American events that were
interested in my contract would require exclusivity, something
I can’t because I still have contract with Sengoku",
revealed Santiago, who saw his name grow again since he got nine
consecutive victories since he left the UFC, in 2006.
Source: Tatame
|
Telles
on Demian’s trainings for Marquardt
Demian
Maia's training partner, Eduardo Telles commented the trainings
of the black belt for his next challenge in the UFC. With the
partner scheduled to face Nate Marquardt at the UFC 101, which
happens on August 8, Telles is confident in another good performance
of his friend, who has already finalized five opponents in the
event. "I believe he will do well. He’s a very calm
and technical athlete. Despite Nate also be from Jiu-Jitsu, I
think there’s a big difference of an athlete to another”,
said Eduardo, commenting about Marquardt’s game.
"He’s
very aggressive and has Wrestling base, but I think this isn’t
a secret to Demian. Run a bit of a risk standing, but Demian
is left handed and is also no fool standing, knows how to kick,
how to punch... I think it isn’t for Nate", bets the
black belt, who doesn’t risk forecasts in a possible duel
between his friend and Anderson Silva, in case if Demian wins
the sixth fight in Ultimate. "It's complicated. After we
saw Anderson against Thales, is really difficult", said,
praising Anderson’s performance, with who he has trained
in the past.
"He’s
an exceptional athlete, isn’t silly in Jiu-Jitsu. I've already
done a training without kimono with him, he’s very smart,
has some good positions for the MMA, but you never know, right?
Demian’s Jiu-Jitsu is really top, is a big differential.
But it isn’t Jiu-Jitsu, is MMA, so it’s complicated.
But we, who are from the Jiu-Jitsu, have to believe", concluded
Telles, who won the gold in the weight and in open class of Senior
and Master, which happened last weekend, in Rio de Janeiro.
Source: Tatame
|
Denis
Kang in Rio
UFC star holidays with gi
With
no set date or opponent for his next outing in the octagon, UFC
middleweight fighter Denis Kang took advantage of the lull in
his usually busy agenda to get back to his martial arts roots
and get some much-deserved rest in Rio de Janeiro, as he awaits
word on the third of his four-fight UFC contract. With fluent
Portuguese, a host of old friends and training partners, and
the liberating feeling of being free of any impending obligations,
the globe-trotting polyglot is more than at home in the city
he thrice visited since competing as a purple belt at the 2002
World Championship.
Although
he says he’s officially taking a month of vacation, the
fighter with wins in MMA over the likes of Murilo Ninja, Akhira
Gono and Marvin Eastman is treating his sabbatical more like
a change of pace than a hiatus in training, since, between bouts
of rest and relaxation, the Marcus Soares black belt religiously
practices Jiu-Jitsu at the legendary Carlson Gracie Academy in
Copacabana, rediscovering the Jiu-Jitsu lifestyle he first embraced
on June 1st of 1997, a date he isn’t quite sure why he remembers.
“It’s
been so long since I trained in the gi. I can’t even remember
the last time I haven’t had to train for a fight and could
train wearing a gi,” Kang told GRACIEMAG.com, when a break
in bad weather afforded the French-born Canadian a break from
Jiu-Jitsu, weight-lifting and boxing sessions at Nobre Arte gym,
in the Cantagalo favela, to soak up rays on the beach.
The
gentle art, though, occupies a special place in the life of the
fighter whose first steps in the combat arts came as a child
in judo and tae-kwon-do, later to compete in wrestling throughout
high school, as his return to the Jiu-Jitsu way of life now serves
not just to keep him in physical shape, but as a sort of purge
of the pressures of the MMA grind. “Jiu-Jitsu is the first
martial art I took really seriously and getting back in the gi
I feel is a good way to keep from burning out in my MMA routine,”
he said, shortly after receiving the first stripe on the black
belt he received from Master Marcus Soares back in 2004, elaborating
on how training differs in Rio from what he has undergone in
Montreal, where he lives of late, and at the ATT in Florida:
“I wanted to take up training in the gi again. At the ATT
there are lots of black belts but the training is geared towards
MMA, as it is in Montreal. Here the guys have a very high level
of gi Jiu-Jitsu technique, lots of grappling going on here.”
And
the Jiu-Jitsu lifestyle the good-natured warrior picked up again
isn’t summed up in training, as his third trip to the South
American nation coincided with last weekend’s Rio Open tournament
at the Tijuca Tennis Club, where he stopped in to root for friends
and enjoy the matches “The best match was AJ’s; it
was an all out war,” he said referring to the semifinal
his friend and compatriot Anthony Scales was in against master
heavyweight runner-up Paulo Roberto Streckert, adding his assessment
of the event as a whole: “Overall it was a great event,
I was glad to be back and to watch so much first-rate Jiu-Jitsu;
it was a trip down memory lane.”
And
when queried as to what he plans to do between now and his departure
date of August 12, there were no surprises. “I’m just
going to keep on training Jiu-Jitsu and whatever else comes up,
hang out with friends and, when the weather permits, get some
beach time in.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
DETAILS
OF ESPN'S U.K. LAUNCH WITH UFC
ESPN, the leading sports network in the United States, is set
to launch in the U.K. and Ireland on Aug. 3... with the Ultimate
Fighting Championship in tow.
The
network issued the announcement Thursday, giving the UFC a new
carrier in the U.K. and Ireland following the demise of its former
partner Setanta Sports.
“ESPN’s
aim is to serve UK and Ireland sports fans by bringing the very
best of both domestic and international live sport to their living
rooms. We are delighted to add UFC, TOP 14 ORANGE, the leading
French Rugby Championship, the Australia Football League, EuroBasket
and DTM to our growing portfolio of live sport,” said Jeroen
Oerlemans, ESPN’s Vice President, TV Channels Europe, Middle
East and Africa.
UFC
U.K. Division President Marshall Zelaznik commented on the agreement,
saying, ““We are ecstatic to announce that ESPN is
the new home of the UFC in the UK and Ireland. ESPN is one of
the most trusted and respected brands in all of sports broadcasting,
and we are thrilled to be working with them as they launch their
new channel in the UK and Ireland.”
The
agreement begins with UFC 101 on Aug. 8 and encompasses all live
UFC events including UFC Fight Night events, according to a report
from Gareth Davies of the British newspaper “The Telegraph.”
He
reports that in addition to live events, ESPN will also air UFC
Unleashed every Thursday night.
Davies
reports that ESPN will launch on the Sky and Virgin platforms
for free for the first month, which encompasses both UFC 101
and UFC 102.
After
that, ESPN will be available via subscription to Sky Sports customers
for £9 (roughly $15 U.S.) per month, and for £12
(roughly $20 U.S.) for viewers that without Sky Sports, according
to Sky.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Quote
of the Day
"Never
be afraid to try something new.
Remember, amateurs built the ark; professionals built the Titanic."
Anonymous
|
H.A.P.A.
Hawaii Amateur Pankration Association
Date Changed to Oct 31st & Venue Announced!
H.A.P.A.: Hit-And-Submit
#4
Filcom Center, Waipahu, Hawaii
October 31st, 2009
www.hapafights.com
|
FEDOR
AND MANAGEMENT ADDRESS UFC AND MORE
With rumors and speculation surrounding Fedor Emelianenko reaching
a fever pitch since the recent cancellation of Affliction “Trilogy”
and the subsequent disintegration of the company’s promotional
arm, Fedor and his management team at M-1 Global on Wednesday
held a press conference to make a few announcements and clarify
the status of the No. 1 ranked heavyweight’s future.
Vadim
Finkelchtein, the president of M-1 Global, expressed appreciation
for the UFC’s latest attempt to sign Fedor, but also stressed
that it is thus far not acceptable and the two sides are far
from closing a deal. “If we had such an offer two years
ago, such as we got yesterday, maybe we would agree, but not
in today’s situation. We would not accept that offer.”
The
sticking point is still the UFC’s refusal to agree to a
co-promotion, while M-1 Global remains steadfast that co-promotion
is a must.
“I
am not a person who came into the business two years ago and
started working it because I saw that was good business. I started
in MMA in 1997. I invested a lot of money and a lot of effort
and energy into the development of that sport,” said Finkelchtein.
“Today
we’ve got enough energy and finance to be able to develop
that sport. That’s why I cannot understand the policy of
the UFC. The UFC won’t be able to control the whole world.
Let’s work together.”
Fedor
and his management also announced his participation in the upcoming
EA Sports mixed martial arts video game and that he will grace
the cover of the game, as well as addressing such topics as Josh
Barnett’s alleged positive drug test result for steroids,
UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar, and more.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Ishida
Replaces Thomson in Bout With Melendez
By FCF Staff
Strikeforce
has confirmed this afternoon that Josh Thomson will not compete
at the promotion’s upcoming August 15th card in San Jose,
California, due to complications from an injured leg. According
to the organization’s news release, the lightweight champion
was unable to get medical clearance for his scheduled bout with
interim champion, Gilbert Melendez.
Stepping
into replace Thomson is the highly regarded veteran Mitsuhiro
Ishida (18-5-1), and as a result, Melendez will still have an
opportunity to avenge a loss on his record. The Japanese fighter
defeated Melendez by Unanimous Decision at a Yarennoka! New Year’s
Eve event in 2007.
The
upcoming bout will be for the promotion’s interim lightweight
championship; Melendez (15-2) won the belt at Strikeforce’s
“Shamrock vs. Diaz” event in April, by knocking out
Rodrigo Damm in the second round.
Ishida
is coming off a first round TKO loss, at the hands of Mizuto
Hirota, at a Shooto event in May.
The
August 15th “Carano vs. Cyborg” event, which will be
hosted by San Jose’s HP Pavilion, will be headlined by a
145lb. women’s title fight between Gina Carano and Cristiane
“Cyborg” Santos.
Source:
Full Contact Fighter
|
M-1
Global maintains stance on UFC co-promotion
Fedor
Emelianenko will be available to fight for the UFC – but
only through a co-promotion, M-1 Global maintains.
Following
the collapse of Affliction on Friday and as the result, the cancellation
of Fedor’s next fight, M-1 Global on its website Sunday
singled out the UFC to potentially foster a renewal of negotiations.
“This
is the moment of truth that the UFC has talked about,” M-1
president Vadim Finkelchtein stated. “Fedor and I are here
in the States. If they want to come out and fly here, we are
ready to conduct negotiations.”
But
one of the major issues that blocked Fedor from fighting in the
UFC for the past two years will remain an obstacle: co-promotion.
“Of
course it still doesn’t imply we are ready to accept any
conditions they’ll throw at us,” Finkelchtein continued.
“We want to talk to the UFC about having Fedor compete against
some of their fights, but only within the framework of co-promotional
efforts with M-1 Global.”
So
at this point, the only way Fedor will fight in the UFC is if
M-1 Global withdraws the co-promotion requirement or if the UFC
finds a big enough reason to warrant sharing promotional status
with a lesser known brand. Not likely though, as the UFC is so
successful on its own that it makes little sense to give another
a competitor a boost.
Still,
UFC president Dana White said on Friday that due to popular demand,
will continue working to bring Fedor into the UFC.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Gegard
Mousasi Intends on Pursuing Boxing Career
Ariel Shnerer
Recently inked Strikeforce light heavyweight contender Gegard
Mousasi has his sights set on a prospective professional boxing
debut.
"I
signed a three-fight deal with Strikeforce and I want to box,"
said Mousasi. "I hope to be part of the Showtime boxing
series, too."
Before
taking any boxing bouts, the well-rounded Mousasi has his hands
full with two mixed martial arts fights.
First,
Mousasi challenges Renato "Babalu" Sobral for the Strikeforce
light heavyweight title on Aug. 15 in San Jose, Calif.
And
on Oct. 6, Mousasi heads to the "Land of the Rising Sun"
to battle PRIDE Fighting Championships, UFC and Affliction veteran
Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou in the semifinals of DREAM's "Super
Hulk" tournament.
If
he prevails against the Team Quest product Sokoudjou, he will
face the winner of Hong Man Choi vs. Ikuhisa Minowa in the finals.
Mousasi is coming off a first-round destruction of heavyweight
K-1 veteran Mark Hunt in the opening round.
Mousasi
joins a list of MMA fighters expressing their desires to box
in recent months, including Sokoudjou, Vitor Belfort and former
UFC heavyweight champion Tim Sylvia, who is coming off an embarrassing
upset loss to 48-year-old boxer Ray Mercer in an MMA contest
at "Adrenaline MMA 3" last month.
Source:
Fight Network
|
Shogun
comments title fight against Lyoto Saturday 25th of July 2009
05:28 PM
By Guilherme Cruz
Pride
GP champion, Maurício "Shogun" Rua needed two
victories in the UFC to get the chance for the belt, now with
Lyoto Machida. With new apartment in Curitiba, Shogun opened
the doors of his house to TATAME and talked about the duel, which
is scheduled for October 24th (UFC 104) in Los Angeles, California.
"He
comes from the Karate school and I come from the Muay Thai school,
but he’s an athlete who gives a lot of knee blows, plenty
Muay Thai blows also, which he improved well. I think the big
difference is that he likes to fight in counter punching, and
I’m the opposite, I like to go inside", analyzed Shogun,
who also commented Lyoto’s game and the possibility of finishing
the fight with the Jiu-Jitsu.
"He’s
a very complete man, good standing, good on the ground, good
in Wrestilng... Actually, people say that if I take the fight
to the ground I’ll win, but it isn’t like that. He’s
a very good on the ground, I’ve trained with him, and sometimes
that isn’t the solution. Staying on top in the fight may
be an advantage, but I have to see it right so that I don’t
make the wrong strategy", said Maurício, revealing
his new addiction: play UFC Undisputed 2009. "I’ve
already knocked out some guys, I think almost all... I only play
with me, right? (laughs)”.
Source: Tatame
|
ADCC:
Saulo among heavyweights
Organization releases invitee list
Size
means nothing. That’s what Saulo Ribeiro will be thinking
as he shoots to make it to the top of the winners’ stand
at ADCC 2009. Accustomed to performing among 77kg athletes, or
even at 88kg, the Jiu-Jitsu University black belt signed up to
face the big guys weighing over 99kg at the ADCC 2009, to take
place September 26 and 27, in Barcelona, Spain.
Another
one guaranteed to be there is Xande Ribeiro, two-time Jiu-Jitsu
absolute champion (2006/2008), who will compete in the under
99kg division.
Other
invitees announced were Rubens Charles “Cobrinha” (under
66kg), Rafael Lovato Jr. (under 88kg), Baret Yoshida (under 66kg), Pablo Popovitch (under
77kg) and Daniel Tabera (under 88kg).
Also
called up: Leo Vieira (under 66kg), Georges St. Pierre (under
77kg), Nate Marquardt (under 88kg), Dean Lister (under 99kg)
and Jon Olav Einemo (over 99kg).
Announced
first hand by GRACIEMAG.com, Ricardo Arona was officially confirmed
and will fight in the under 99kg category.
Also
announced were prices for those who wish to watch the event.
Tickets
for one day cost 50 Euros. Tickets for both days cost 80 Euros.
Sales have not yet begun but will be made available on the internet.
Stay
tuned to GRACIEMAG.com and we’ll be back shortly with further
information on ADCC 2009.
Source:
Gracie Magazine
|
Dream
Confirms Miyata vs. Hata
as FW GP Reserve Bout
Semi-Final Match-Ups Offcially Announced
By FCF Staff
Dream
has officially announced the reserve bout for the promotion’s
upcoming Featherweight Grand Prix’s semi-finals and finals
event, as Kazayuki Miyata will square off with Daiki “DJ
Taiki” Hata. The Dream 11 card will take place October 6th
in Yokohama, Japan.
DJ
Taiki (11-5-3) is coming off a Unanimous Decision victory over
tourney semi-finalist Hideo Tokoro in the opening round of the
Grand-Prix, but was unable to advance immediately, due to an
injury. The 26 year-old-fighter has not lost a bout since November,
2007, when he was defeated by Marlon Sandro.
Miyata
(7-7) has won back-to-back bouts, while competing for the Deep
organization in 2009, ending a two fight losing streak. Most
recently he defeated Takeshi Yamazaki by Unanimous Decision in
June.
Dream
has also officially announced the featherweight grand-prix semi-final
match-ups; as reported by FCF last month, Bibiano Fernandes (5-2)
will take on Joe Warren (2-0), while Hideo Tokoro (21-14-1) will
square off with Hiroyuki Takaya (11-6-1).
Dream
11 will also feature the semis and finals of the promotion’s
open weight “Super Hulk” tourney, as Hong Man Choi
(2-2) will fight Ikuhisa Minowa (42-30-8) and Gegard Mousasi
(25-2-1) will square off with Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou (6-4).
Source:
Full Contact Fighter
|
Barnett:
Positive and Negative
By Jake Rossen
What
a job, and what a scene to witness: a California State Athletic
Commission representative tucked into a bathroom, watching as
a hulking man relieves himself into a plastic cup.
Does
he put it into a brown paper bag? What’s the protocol for
spillover? Does he say, “Thank you”?
On
July 21, in a story that’s quickly become to the MMA media
what the moon landing was to Walter Cronkite, Josh Barnett was
revealed to have failed his third drug test. (In 2001, he raised
eyebrows in Nevada when he tested positive for performance agents
for a fight with Bobby Hoffman. Because it was an informal survey
of a possible drug problem in the sport, he escaped penalty.
In 2002, he was stripped and suspended after coming up hot for
three different anabolic agents for a fight with Randy Couture.
It would be his last fight in the states for nearly five years.)
The
first misstep cost him nothing but some privatized embarrassment.
The second cost him a UFC title and a year out of commission.
The third saw the chance for a California license disappear and
essentially crippled Affliction’s promotional wing. It also
denied Fedor Emelianenko the opportunity to compete against a
man he had trained specifically for while depriving himself of
personal indulgence for the last several weeks.
Fedor
did not have ice cream. And Fedor cannot possibly be happy about
that.
For
those looking to sympathize: It is certainly possible to fail
a urine test due to tainted supplementation. (Some producers
intentionally “spike” product with powerful drugs to
create hype; others use little caution in supervising cross-contaminated
manufacturing plants.) A 2007 study by Informed Choice, a nonprofit
organization, evaluated 52 over-counter products and found that
13 of them contained illegal pharmaceuticals.
But
an athlete performing (and being paid) at a high level who claims
his test booster did him in runs the risk of being seen as having
a single-digit IQ. Lists of companies known to provide “clean”
pills and powders are easily available online; athletes genuinely
serious about their careers can have their own batch of magic
pills audited. “Poor me” is an ignorant display.
Of
course, none of this would apply in the case of an athlete who
actually used steroids and wants to save face. It has become
the sportsman’s Twinkie defense, a fairly hollow bit of
repetition that fits the layman’s legal reaction: deny,
deny, deny.
False
positives do happen. But in Barnett’s specific case, it
would have had to happen on at least three separate occasions.
You decide how plausible that sounds.
Barnett’s
dubious achievement this summer has been to become the first
athlete in mixed martial arts to produce three irradiated cups
of urine. We know that one flunking usually results in fan hissing,
vanishing income and some residual venom. (See: Sean Sherk, Royce
Gracie, Ken Shamrock, Chris Leben, etc, etc.) It appears as though
getting caught is a deterrent to repeat the cycle. Not in this
case.
Back
to Japan for Barnett?
Barnett’s
future is murky. Because he technically didn’t get a license
to compete in California -- the urine sample was part of a re-licensing
procedure -- there’s nothing to suspend. But repeated positives
could potentially affect any future license applications, a voiding
that could conceivably be honored by most other states with commissions.
The
worst case scenario is that Josh Barnett’s career in the
United States will die in a urinal cake somewhere. But far more
likely is Barnett providing a clean urine sample at some point
in the future, regaining licensure and resuming his career without
complication.
I
would say that anyone testing positive on three separate days
has no business in a ring or cage, regardless of any hair-splitting
commission policy. But for a man who spent years in Japan and
has a foot in that scene’s pro wrestling culture, it’s
not as dire a problem as, say, a Sherk, who doesn’t have
the size or interest in wrestling and never caught on overseas
as a shootfighter.
But
the Japanese scene is nowhere near as healthy as in Pride’s
heyday: October’s Dream show will be the last on the Tokyo
Broadcasting System channel, which creates serious doubt about
their future; Sengoku is on better footing, but that’s due
in part to their reasonable spending. In contrast to Pride’s
substantial roster, only Hidehiko Yoshida and possibly Takanori
Gomi stand out as fighters making an income there that would
appeal to Barnett, who competed there twice. Whether they can
still afford him is another matter.
Perhaps
none of this bothers him a bit. Even if Affliction went through
with their show, indications were that they were so cash-strapped
that future events were in serious doubt. Barnett has had personality
conflicts with UFC brass for years. Maybe he would’ve jumped
on a plane regardless.
But
the repercussions are less about geography. No matter what legal
rabbit Barnett pulls out to cast doubt over the results, there
will always be observers that consider his wins tainted and his
legacy poisoned. If he is able and willing to fight stateside,
I cannot imagine a circumstance in which the crowd would voice
support of him. He would be a combat leper.
What
a job, and what a scene. As Barnett submitted to policy and the
commission member watched, did they realize that they were quite
literally watching a man’s career circle the drain?
Source:
Sherdog
|
Strikeforce
grabs 'Babalu' vs. Mousasi for Aug. 15 event
The Renato "Babalu' Sobral-Gegard Mousasi bout planned for
Affliction "Trilogy" will now take place at Strikeforce
"Carano vs Cyborg" on August 15 in San Jose.
Strikeforce
has rebooked the fight with the added stipulation of having Sobral's
Strikeforce light-heavyweight belt on the line.
Mousasi
(25-2-1), who vacated his DREAM middleweight title for a run
at light-heavyweight, will be making his debut at the division.
Mousasi in May submitting K-1 kickboxer Mark Hunt with an armbar
79 seconds into the fight to advance in DREAM's "Super Hulk"
open-weight tournament.
Sobral
(32-8) won the Strikeforce belt last November over Bobby Southworth
and will be making his first title defense. He's on a five-fight
win streak with wins in the past year over Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou,
Southworth and Mike Whitehead.
Strikeforce
"Carano vs Cyborg" will have at least two more championship
bouts on the card: Gina Carano (7-0) vs. Cris "Cyborg"
(7-1) for the 145-pound belt and Josh Thomson (16-2) vs. Gilbert
Melendez (15-2) for the lightweight belt.
Source:
MMA Fighting
|
Arturo
Gatti's Wife Innocent; Death Ruled a Suicide
Ariel Shnerer
A
major development has been made in the case of Canadian boxing
legend Arturo Gatti's death.
Brazilian
police underwent an investigation, which ended with State court
judge Ildete Verissimo de Lima, of Recife, Brazil, ordering the
release of Amanda Rodrigues, his 23-year-old wife.
Celio
Avelino, her lawyer, said Rodrigues would walk out of jail Thursday
afternoon.
Rodrigues
was accused of strangling Gatti with her purse strap while he
was sleeping. However, a coroner's report later suggested that
Gatti may have committed suicide.
Lead
investigator Paulo Alberes told The Associated Press on Thursday
an investigation concluded that Gatti killed himself on July
11 in a seaside resort in northeastern Brazil.
Gatti
was found dead in the apartment he was renting with Rodrigues
in the seaside resort of Porto de Galinhas in Brazil's northeast.
The couple was celebrating their second honeymoon.
Gatti
and Rodrigues' 10-month-old son, who was present on the trip,
was unharmed and is presently in the custody of Rodrigues' family
in Brazil.
The
Associated Press contributed to this report.
Source:
Fight Network
|
Ettish,
53, Eyes Cage Return Aug. 15
by Brian Knapp
Fred
Ettish will get the opportunity to restore balance to his competitive
mixed martial arts career 15 years, five months and four days
after he set foot inside the Octagon at UFC 2.
The
53-year-old Ettish (0-1) will face a still unnamed opponent at
a Cage Fighting Xtreme show on Aug. 15 at Bada Bings in Brainerd,
Minn. Ettish’s longtime friend and current UFC welterweight
Brock Larson runs the Minnesota-based promotion and will provide
him with the chance most believe to be long overdue.
“I
don’t know for sure who my opponent is yet,” Ettish
said. “A few names have been put out, but they have changed
back and forth a bit. I have a feeling the changes will continue
until fight day -- probably not a known name opponent at this
point.”
Ettish
has not competed professionally in MMA since his ill-fated appearance
at UFC 2 on March 11, 1994 at Mammoth Gardens in Denver. President
Clinton was enjoying his second year in office, “Schindler’s
List” and “Mrs. Doubtfire” were playing in theaters
and Kurt Cobain still fronted Nirvana. Ettish walked into the
cage on short notice against Johnny Rhodes, and his life was
never the same.
Shortly
after their fight began, Rhodes clipped Ettish with a pair of
thudding right hands that sent him tumbling to the canvas. Blood
flowed from his face, and Rhodes proved relentless with his follow-up
barrage, his heavy blows forcing the prone Ettish to cover up
in defense. Ettish submitted to a rear-naked choke soon after
and became the subject of public ridicule in the MMA community
for years. Now, he has returned to right his wrongs.
“I’ve
wanted to do this ever since the UFC 2 ‘experience.’
There was always something that prevented me every time I made
any serious moves to fight again, and usually it was with an
eye to a bigger promotion,” Ettish said. “I know that
at my I age I’m blessed to have such good health and fitness,
but I also know this will not last forever.”
Ettish
resides in Kansas City, Mo., where he runs a martial arts gym
affiliated with the Miletich Fighting Systems camp. He has roughly
20 students under his wing at the Damaibushi Martial Arts academy,
but the lure to compete again has proven strong.
“I
have a lot of ghosts and demons that have not been put to rest,
and I’ve come to the conclusion that the only way to do
this is to get back in there and actually do my best and represent
in a way I can be proud of,” Ettish said. “I guess
I don’t want to die at 0-1.”
Source:
Sherdog
|
Quote
of the Day
"Intelligence
is attractive, but so is life experience. You can't amass it
just by reading a ton of books. But you can live a lot of life
in a short time. Travel. Talk to everyone. Collect adventures,
and use them to understand the world. That's how you learn to
treat people well. And that's sexy."
Nicole Lapin
|
DESTINY:
No Ka Oi in Maui!
War Memorial Gym, Wailuku, Maui
Saturday, Aug 22, 2009
-205lbs
Yancy Medeiros (oahu) vs Zeke Prados (maui)
-155lbs
Kaleo Kwan
(O2 Martial Arts Academy, Oahu) vs Eddie Rincon (Maui)
-145lbs
Tim "Majik" Moon (oahu) vs Eddie P. (maui)
-135lbs
Kana "One Man Riot" Hyatt (Oahu) vs Jon Delos Reyes
(Guam)
-160lbs
Kolo Koka (oahu) vs Gonzo (maui)
-145lbs
Zack Rapal (oahu) vs Kurrent Cockett (maui)
-205lbs
Tasi "da Tyrant" Edwards (oahu) vs Jake Yasui (maui)
-150lbs
Brandon Pieper (oahu) vs Lorrin Ishimine (maui)
-135lbs
Mark Tajon (oahu) vs Jeremy Paet (maui)
-150lbs
L.John Borges (oahu) vs Alan Hinajosa (maui)
-135lbs
Ryan Lee (Oahu) vs Joshua Alvarez (Guam)
-145lbs
Dustin Kimura (oahu) vs Jake Noble (maui)
-135lbs
Julio Moreno (oahu) vs Riley Dutro (maui)
-140lbs
Gerrald Gammitt (maui) vs Guy Nishiyama (maui)
-155lbs Amateur Championship Bout
Nate Quiniola (oahu) vs Ben "Da King" Santiago (oahu)
-185lbs
Amateur Championship Bout
Jon "4real" Ferrell (oahu) vs Sale (molokai)
-145lbs
Waylen Mata (oahu) vs Keoni Farm (maui/molokai)
-160lbs
Justin
Konia (oahu)
vs Jason Emsley (maui)
-135lbs
Justin Arruda (maui) vs Sean King (maui)
-130lbs
Levi Delaginte (maui) vs DJ Tadena (maui)
Fight Card Subject To Change
Japheth
"Jay" Bolos
DESTINY Entertainment, LLC
Westside Fight Gear
94-144 Farrington Hwy. Ste# 112
Waipahu, HI 96797
Store# (808)381-2790
T-mobile Cell# (808)277-2335
Sprint Cell# (808)368-5568
Source: Event Promoter
|
Kimo
Leopoldo Still in the Fight
JULY 28, 2009 - HUNTINGTON BEACH, CALIFORNIA—KIMO LEOPOLDO
is alive, well, and still in the fight. The only thing dying
here is the integrity of “news” website, TMZ.COM. The
website, in its haste to be first to press with its “news,”
printed, and later confirmed, a wholly fabricated article that
LEOPOLDO was dead. The failure by TMZ.COM to do its due diligence
before rushing to publish this story was a reckless breach of
journalistic ethics with real fallout.
Chief
in this fallout was the damage done to LEOPOLDO’s family.
LEOPOLDO’s son became aware of the reports published by
TMZ.COM, and was devastated. LEOPOLDO’s other family members,
and friends, similarly were distraught and emotionally stunned
by the news that had been “confirmed” by TMZ.COM.
LEOPOLDO,
while dismayed at the reports of his death, and the effect these
reports would have on his career as an athlete, voiced strong
concern for his son’s well-being. “The health and safety
issues related to my son’s emotional distress are really
upsetting. He was inconsolable after hearing of these reports.”
TMZ.COM
compounded the damage done when it published its false initial
report by later “confirming” that LEOPOLDO was dead.
Confirming the death of an individual without clear and convincing
proof of that death is grossly irresponsible, and exacerbated
the fallout that had resulted from the initial article.
TMZ.COM
should be held accountable for its reckless disregard for the
facts underlying its “news” reports. New Era Fighting,
which represents LEOPOLDO, and LEOPOLDO’s promoter, Ron
Kort, have been on the receiving end of a flood of inquiries
regarding TMZ.COM’s false reportage. When TMZ.COM was contacted
on this issue, however, the company pointed to its years of credibility,
and unapologetically refused to further discuss the matter. To
date, it has failed to issue any correction or explanation.
LEOPOLDO
has retained the entertainment litigation firm DONIGER / BURROUGHS
APC to protect his rights in connection with these recklessly
published articles. According to firm partner, Stephen M. Doniger,
holding media outlets responsible for reckless reporting is of
great importance. “Media reporting must be about accuracy,
not unsubstantiated sensationalism and a rush to be first. Reporting
unverified rumors as truth is unacceptable, especially where
those stories seriously hurt family members and mislead the public.”
FOR
MORE INFORMATION REGARDING LEOPOLDO OR NEW ERA FIGHTING, go on-line
to www.NewEraFighting.com, or contact Bob Trieger at Full Court
Press, (978) 664-4482,bobtfcp@hotmail.com.
Source:
Fight Network
|
Kenny
Florian's Goal: 1% Better Each Time in the Gym
From
his early UFC days as a contestant on "The Ultimate Fighter"
to his road towards his upcoming title challenge against BJ Penn,
there's at least one thing you can always describe Kenny Florian
as: ever-improving.
"You
talk about 'The Ultimate Fighter Finale' four or five years ago,
whenever that was, I always say my skills were zero," Florian
said Tuesday during a media call for UFC 101.
Since
then he's added Muay Thai striking to become more than simply
a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu artist, and even though he earned himself
the opportunity to face Sean Sherk for the title three years
ago, his skills as a contender then are nowhere close to the
ones he possesses as the fighter he is today.
"Against
Sean Sherk I wasn't training like a professional athlete,"
Florian said. "I wasn't close to where I was technically
and physically I'm much, much better – not even close. I
think that's what happens when you train year-round. You can
get better and much, much faster."
Florian,
who prefers the label of a martial artist to one of a fighter,
believes his results can be attributed to his work ethic.
"You
can't just train when you have fights," Florian said. "I
think you drop off. In order to improve things like your aerobic
capacity, anaerobic capacity. Taking three weeks off, you lose
that. The only way to continuously get better is to train all
the time."
His
opponent Penn was also asked on Wednesday of the evolution of
Florian.
"Without
a doubt I see a better fighter," Penn said. "I see
that he improved in all areas, and he's much more determined,
he's in better shape. He definitely has a lot more experience
than the guy that fought Sean Sherk years ago."
Florian
upped his training following the loss to Sherk, not always necessarily
all-out, but enough to expect gradual improvements to a game
which he considers a continuous work-in-progress.
"You
always tug away a little bit at a time," Florian said. "My
goal every time I go to the gym is just get 1% better. That's
it."
Source: MMA Fighting
|
STRIKEFORCE
IN THE RUNNING FOR FEDOR
by Steven Marrocco
Scott Coker is one of several promoters “in dialogue”
with Fedor Emelianenko and his partners at M-1 Global.
The
CEO of Strikeforce recently returned from a vacation in Italy
to find Emelianenko a sudden free agent after the collapse of
Affliction. His own event, “Carano vs. Cyborg” on Aug.
15, had encountered a few hiccups as well with injuries and drop-offs,
but he is happy with the almost-finalized product.
Coker
said talks with the top-ranked heavyweight were among several
he had with Affliction fighters – most of whom were under
non-exclusive contracts – when all indications were that
the promotion would cease promoting after “Trilogy.”
He
added recent talks with M-1 have been positive, though details
of the discussions remained general.
“We’ve
had a good conversation about the strengths of what we do, and
what we can offer,” said Coker. “They had the meeting
(Tuesday) with the UFC, and they’re going to meet with a
couple boxing promoters that have been calling up. You can imagine…
he’s like the hot free agent.”
Emelianenko
and his team could not reach agreement on a UFC deal, which was
reported to be near completion Tuesday, said M-1 partner Vadim
Finkelchtein, though there was no definitive halt to future negotiations.
In
a press conference held Wednesday in Anaheim, Calif., Finkelchtein
said M-1 would not commit Emelianenko to the UFC if co-promotion
was off the table.
Coker
said co-promotion was but one of the stumbling blocks in securing
the top-ranked heavyweight.
“I
think there’s two things on that,” he said. “There’s
the co-promotion, and then there’s the big check. Dialogue
is ongoing.”
Strikeforce's
scale points to a smaller up-front offer for Emelianenko to join
the fold, but a non-exclusive deal with the fighter has been
rumored. Emelianenko has often expressed a desire to return to
competition in Japan, where he became a star in Pride Fighting
Championships.
Strikeforce’s
business model has, thus far, focused on television platforms
to generate revenue beyond live gate and licensing deals, but
if Emelianenko were to sign, Coker says it could necessitate
a jump to pay-per-view.
“I
don’t think we’d have to, but I think that’s where
it would lead to,” he said. “You’d have to get
there.”
As
to where negotiations left off, Coker said the deal was up in
the air.
"They’re
talking to everybody and they’re not going to make a decision
right away,” he said. “They’re going to take their
time. They basically said we’ll get back to you and we’ll
probably make a decision in the next couple of weeks.”
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Wilson
Gouveia Focused on James Irvin and Beyond
By Matt Kaplan
Wilson
Gouveia is back in line. And he’s fine with it.
After
being TKO’d in spectacular fashion by Nate Marquardt at
UFC 95, the 30-year-old Brazilian middleweight took a month off,
licked his wounds, hit the gym, and is set to return to the Octagon
on August 28 to take on James “The Sandman” Irvin at
UFC 102 in Portland, OR.
A
win over Marquardt could have potentially put Gouveia (12-6)
at the forefront of the 185-pound championship landscape. Instead,
the loss made him the unenvied star of Marquardt’s greatest
highlight clip. Gouveia’s certainly not bitter about the
loss, but he hasn’t forgotten it.
“I
was right there. That’s what happens when you lose: you
go back in line. That’s what I have to do now: get a couple
of more wins, show my potential.
“Everybody
knows that Nate is a tough guy. He’s one of the toughest
middleweight fighters in the world. I fought hard, gave it everything
I had, but I think I was lost a little bit in my emotions. I
was trying too hard to knock him out, and at the end, I was putting
my head down too much. But I have to learn from my mistakes and
try to be a better fighter.”
Gouveia’s
talent has been a topic of discussion since he first entered
the UFC. He has been acknowledged by many as the most talented
fighter in the star-studded American Top Team stable, to which
he credits much of his success. With veritable “Who’s
Who in MMA” list training with him under the American Top
Team banner, Gouveia is primed to take out the hard-hitting Irvin
(14-5).
“I
respect him a lot. He’s a very powerful, explosive guy,
but everybody has weakness, and I’m trying to train on top
of that.”
Irvin
is well regarded for his devastating KOs, but Gouveia does not
anticipate being overpowered by the former WEC heavyweight champion
and UFC light heavyweight, who will be making his middleweight
debut at UFC 102.
“I
think he’s gotta be very careful because my first fight
when I dropped (down to 185), I thought I was supposed to be
more powerful than the other guy, but I was actually weaker.
It’s a process. He’s a pretty lean guy for 205; I think
he’s going to lose a lot of muscle. I don’t think he’s
going to have the same strength at 185. I hope! I hope he’s
not as strong, but I’ll be ready.”
“If
it’s a knockout or a submission, I’d prefer to finish
that way because, you know, I can make some extra cash as a bonus
of the night,” he laughed. “I always look to that as
an extra motivation to knock somebody out or for the submission.”
Gouveia
realizes that a coveted title shot will not come with a win at
UFC 102, and so he is ready to work his way back up the 185-lb.
ladder. But like Gouveia, ATT teammates Denis Kang, Luigi Fioravanti,
Carmello Marerro, and Alessio Sakara are also looking to become
the UFC top dog at 185, something that Gouveia accepts as the
nature of the beast.
“Honestly,
I don’t want to fight a teammate. That’s common sense,
but that’s what I do for a living. My training partners,
my friends, that’s what we do. If we have to fight, then
we have to fight. It’s no choice. We work for a company,
and if this company tells us to do this, we gotta do it. That’s
how we make our money and pay our bills.”
“If
it’s a title fight, it’s OK, but just to get up the
ladder, I don’t think so,” he maintains.
Until
that title fight comes, Gouveia is hoping that a win over Irvin
at UFC 102 will kick off a run at the belt, one that he hopes
will make a stop overseas.
“Now,
I don’t want to look past James (Irvin) because I know he’s
a really tough fighter, but hopefully if I can beat him, I want
a tough fight. I hope I can beat James and fight (Michael) Bisping
in his hometown.
“I
got nothing against him, but I agree with Dan Henderson. (Bisping)
likes to talk too much, and is, I guess, too overrated. People
say he’s the best, he’s the best. Either way, I think
he’s a good fighter, but not even close to being the best.
“He
was talking too much crap about Dan Henderson. Dan Henderson,
he did a lot for this sport. He fought all the tough guys in
the world, and when you’re fighting someone like that, of
that caliber, you’ve got to show some respect. And Bisping
showed no respect.”
No matter what’s in store for Gouveia after UFC 102, he
remains dedicated to and motivated by the people who push him
to be his best every day.
“My
family, I mean, they’re everything to me. I try to be the
best just to give them a comfortable life.
“I
have three boys. And my oldest one – 6 years old –
I guess I’m his hero, and that motivates me a lot. Sometimes
he’s playing the video game with his little friends, and
he says, ‘My dad is a UFC fighter. My dad is in the video
game.’ And that makes me train even harder to be the best.
In the future, when I get old, I’m going to look back and
say, ‘You know, I did something in my life.’
“I
love the fans; they’re great. It’s because of them
that we are in this place right now, but I really don’t
care much about fame and status or anything. I just do this because
that’s what I do best. It’s a way to make a comfortable
life for me and my family. It’s a tough business; it’s
a real tough business. I put my family first, so I do all this
for them.”
Source:
Full Contact Fighter
|
Distak:
“Filho’s fight worth more than a belt”
By Guilherme Cruz
Back to Brazil, Josuel Distak, Paulo Filho’s coach, called
TATAME.com to celebrate the performance of the fighter, who submitted
Melvin Manhoef at Dream 10, earlier this month. "Melvin
is a dangerous fighter for anybody, so this was the biggest test.
This fight worth more than a belt", celebrates Distak, who
highlights the setbacks before the fight to exalt the victory
of Paulão.
"Despite
the problems, this was the best victory that Paulão had
in life. We were about to fight at 205, but we had to drop to
185. This weakened a bit in the fight, but in right time God
has honored us and we submitted. It was the best fight in Paulo
Filho’s history. He’s again like he was before: a submitter",
said the coach, excited for Paulão’s next challenge,
when he faces Alex Schoenauer at the Bitetti Combat, which happens
on September 12 in Rio de Janeiro. "Our next challenge is
to submit again at the Bitetti Combat. We’ll continue our
work, but we’ll fight at 205 now", said Distak.
Source:
Tatame
|
Barnett
Questions Positive Test
Sherdog.com
received a statement Wednesday from Shannon Hooper, president
of Excel Sports Management, on behalf of Josh Barnett. It follows
in its entirety:
“The
media has reported that Mixed Martial Arts Heavyweight fighter
Josh Barnett would not be eligible to fight Fedor Emelianenko
at Affliction Trilogy as he was denied his California license
due to an alleged positive test for 2a-methyl-5a-androstan-3a-ol-17-one,
which is purportedly a metabolite of a banned substance. Mr.
Barnett was shocked at these allegations and was extremely disappointed
to learn that Affliction had made the hasty decision to cancel
the August 1st event in its entirety. Mr. Barnett vehemently
denies intentionally ingesting any banned substances in preparation
for the August 1st fight and he is looking forward to presenting
his case to the California State Athletic Commission.
In
the meantime, Mr. Barnett has yet to learn of the results of
the B sample testing and he has not received any of the documentation
that provides further details of the alleged positive sample
despite numerous requests. In fact, the documentation that Mr.
Barnett has received raises serious questions about the integrity
of the sample and the validity of the results themselves.
At
this time Mr. Barnett would like to thank his fans and colleagues
for their ongoing support and faith in him. He intends to vigorously
defend himself against these allegations and hopes for a swift
resolution to this matter so he can get back to what he does
best -- fighting!
I
would like to further add that Josh is as disappointed as all
of his fans and supporters that he will not be fighting on August
1st. He also empathizes with all of the other fighters that were
scheduled to appear on the card and shares their frustration
and shock at the cancellation of the entire event.”
Source:
Sherdog
|
Cachorrao
and his training for Grove
‘I don’t think I’ve ever trained so hard,’
says the black belt
“I
don’t think I’ve ever trained so hard or been so well
prepared for a competition as I am now,” said Ricardo Cachorrao
Almeida, aiming, in a post his official blog, at all those working
with him to achieve victory in his upcoming match with Kendall
Grove at UFC 101, on August 8 in Philadelphia.
“Although
MMA is an individual sport, I feel coordination in a group is
needed to bring out the best in the fighter. When I step into
the octagon on the 8th, my performance will be directly related
to the efforts and sacrifice of those around me,” added
Cachorrao.
The
messages are thanks after a period of intense preparations. In
his last appearance, the black belt beat Matt Horwich by judges’
decision.
The
idea of fighting in Philadelphia, a city to receive the UFC for
the first time, pleases him. “Shortly after the Horwich
fight I asked to be on the Philadelphia card. They accepted my
request and I’m thankful to the UFC for it,” said the
fighter, in an interview on the Fox Fight Game tv show.
Source:
Gracie Magazine
|
Jay
Hieron front-runner to face Nick Diaz
Former
IFL champ Jay Hieron has emerged as the front-runner to replace
Joe Riggs against Nick Diaz at Strikeforce "Carano vs Cyborg"
on August 15 in San Jose.
GracieFighter.com,
the website of Diaz's team, posted Tuesday that Phil Baroni and
Takanori Gomi have been crossed out as replacements and that
Hieron is the likely opponent right now.
Riggs
pulled out of the fight due to a “bad reaction to an as
of yet undisclosed drug,” GracieFighter.com originally reported.
Hieron
was scheduled to face Paul “Semtex” Daley at Affliction
“Trilogy” on Aug. 1 but was left without a fight with
the cancellation of the “Trilogy” event.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Vernon
Forrest Shot and Killed at 38 Years Old
Ariel Shnerer
Former
world champion Vernon Forrest was murdered last night during
an attempted car robbery in Atlanta, Ga.
A
native of Augusta, Ga., Forrest was reportedly filling up air
in the tires of his Jaguar when he was approached by at least
two men.
Forrest's
girlfriend's son was sitting in the vehicle and was unharmed
in the incident.
According
to Lt. Keith Meadows, Forrest was armed with a gun and became
involved in a brief foot chase with one of the suspects.
"At
some point, gunfire was exchanged between the two of them,"
said Meadows, who hinted that Forrest was likely ambushed during
the foot chase. "The victim was shot at least once in the
head."
Forrest
was shot seven or eight times with two semi-automatic weapons.
"At
this point we have a general description of at least two black
males driving a red Monte Carlo," said Meadows in the initial
report on WSB Radio in Atlanta.
According
to police, it is unlikely that Forrest and the suspects knew
each other.
Forrest
was 38 years old.
"The
Viper" leaves us with a professional record of 41-3 with
29 knockouts. The 1992 U.S. Olympian is perhaps best known for
his two victories over Shane Mosley in 2002.
Forrest
defeated Mosley in 1992 to qualify for the Olympic team and twice
in 2002 to win and retain the WBC welterweight championship.
In what was considered a massive upset, Forrest outpointed the
top-ranked pound-for-pound Mosley and earned Ring Magazine's
"2002 Fighter of the Year" award for his efforts.
Outside
of boxing, Forrest was a philanthropist known primarily for his
involvement with Destiny's Child, a group home for mentally challenged
adults.
"When
he wasn't boxing, this was his full-time job," said Kelly
Swanson, Forrest's publicist.
In
July 2007, Forrest claimed the vacant WBC junior middleweight
title with a unanimous decision win over Carlos Baldomir.
Forrest
lost the title to "Contender" alum Sergio Mora via
majority decision in June 2008. In their rematch, Forrest reclaimed
the WBC crown in what ended up being the 38-year-old's final
bout.
Forrest
was scheduled to defend the title against Sergio Martinez on
Aug. 1, but the WBC stripped him of the title after he suffered
a rib injury while training for an April tune-up bout against
Jason LeHoullier.
The
Associated Press contributed to this report.
The
Fight Network extends its condolences to the friends and family
of Vernon Forre
Source:
Fight Network
|
Ron
Van Clief: Where Is He Now?
by Jason Probst
Even by the standards of most mixed martial arts pioneers, Ron
Van Clief’s life is one that stands out, for the sheer scope
of what he’s done and who he’s worked with.
With
a range of careers spanning from Hollywood stuntman to actor
and advocate for the early days of the Ultimate Fighting Championship,
“The Black Dragon” is best-known to early MMA fans
for his single appearance in the Octagon at UFC 4, where he lost
via submission to Royce Gracie in four minutes.
Fifty-one
years young at the time, Van Clief sported the kind of musculature
that would make men half his age envious. And today, living in
the Virgin Islands, his daily regimen is testimony that preparation
plays a big part in being ready for the challenges life brings.
Three
days a week, Van Clief will pull a two-mile swim, and the other
three days of the week he’ll do a routine of calisthenics
that’d make most people puke. It includes 1500 reps of crunches,
a couple hundred push-ups and chin-ups. And 250 squat thrusts.
“On
weekends I teach my classes, and that’s outside, right on
the beach,” said Van Clief, 65. “We’ve got some
Gracie and Machado guys down here. It’s quite wonderful.
We’re just starting up a Virgin Islands mixed martial arts
association and having an event down here next year. I’m
going to speak to Dana White at UFC 101 in Philly to let him
know.”
Van
Clief, who grew up in Brooklyn, began studying martial arts locally
and then with grandmaster Peter Urban in 1959. This was just
prior to joining the Marine Corps, where he served in Vietnam
as an artillery man and grunt, carrying an M-60 prior to shipping
back to the States in 1965.
Traveling
to Hong Kong in 1966, Van Clief was introduced to an up-and-coming
martial artist, Bruce Lee, whose disdain for centuries-old traditions
of the arts, and emerging stardom in the states in “The
Green Hornet” television series, marked him as a good man
to know.
“Bruce
called me ‘The Black Dragon.’ I didn’t realize
ten years later I’d be making a movie named that. Lee was
a very interesting man. He didn’t have the same ego that
other guys had then, and today. There’s too many master
and grandmasters. Bruce said ‘You’re only as good as
your last workout.’ If you have a big fat belly… what
kind of example is that for your students? I’ve always tried
to stay fit,” recalled Van Clief. “He was into sizing
down your arsenal into economical and tactical (parts), which
was totally correct. Even dealing with herbal supplements, he
was way ahead of his time."
While
Lee is mainly known for his many martial arts films, he was also
interested in grappling and had begun integrating it into his
fighting philosophy, under judo legend Gene LeBell.
“He
was a mixed martial artist, he was grappling back then,”
Van Clief said.
And
how would he rate the legendary Lee if given the opportunity
to train and compete today?
“I
think if he put his mind to do it, he would've been an excellent
lightweight, as good as any of the lightweight MMA guys around.
He was tough, he really was tough. Most people didn’t realize
that, he could take it and dish it out. It’s kind of rare
in any weight division.”
For
Van Clief, the emergence of MMA’s popularity in the early
1990s offered an opportunity he couldn’t resist. Despite
having competed in countless tournaments, winning the world karate
championship five times, he was game to give it a try.
So
he signed on to fight Royce Gracie at UFC 4 in December 1994.
After years of fighting on the hard-rock circuits and in challenge
matches, it was like an overdue proving ground, and on pay-per-view,
to boot.
“I
fought in the UFC when I was 51, and I saw it on TV and I had
to. You understand? There was no way I could not do it. There
was no way,” he said. “How could you be a serious marital
artist and not try the Octagon? It was a beautiful thing. There’ve
been guys who ragged on me ever since I went into the Octagon,
guys like (karate legend) Joe Lewis who said ‘you’re
gonna get your ass whipped.’ That’s not important.
“I
trained really hard for three months, boxing, muay Thai, Brazilian
jiu-jitsu, everything. One week before I went to Oklahoma, I
broke my ankle against Leon Stevenson, a 6’4, 245-pound
guy. He hit me with a suplex, my left ankle hit the frame of
the mat. I broke my ankle one week before I fought in UFC 4.
I could’ve quit. I couldn’t wear a shoe, it was unbelievable.”
Van
Clief went into the Octagon anyways, unwilling to let the injury
keep him from competing.
“My
student was giving me a massage on the dressing room floor before
the fight and couldn’t even touch it. But how could you
not fight?” he said. “It was such a wonderful experience.
A wonderful experience. Win, lose, draw, you step in, you hung
in there for four minutes with Royce Gracie, thirty years younger?
Really beautiful. What better way to end your career?”
Van
Clief served as commissioner of the UFC from 1994-1995. At the
time, Semaphore Entertainment Group owned the organization, and
it was facing a decidedly uphill battle, between bans on events
and the opposition from Senator John McCain (whose close ties
to Budweiser, a major boxing sponsor, rarely, if ever, made it
into stories playing up the “human cockfighting” angle).
“I
was appointed by Rorion and Helio Gracie, they wanted someone
that was a real statesman in the martial arts. It was great,
I had the opportunity to set up a lot of the cards.
“I
was a co-producer and production coordinator, getting the fight
coordinators together, and restructuring the event and making
it more comedic, more entertaining, telegenic. I brought in the
bad guys like Tank Abbott, I started the ‘Superfight’
concept,” Van Clief said. “And then I left. I got tired
of way it was going. One time, I saw Tank Abbott beat up Pat
Smith in an elevator with his three bodyguard goons. It was horrible
what they did to him. Of course, the UFC didn’t want any
police involved. I got disheartened over that. I went to court,
I faced McCain, and he called me a pit bull. I represented the
UFC in all those cases to get events going.”
Van
Clief had a lengthy career in the film and television industry
as well.
“I’ve
been in the business for almost forty years,” Van Clief
said. “Worked on ‘Die Hard with a Vengeance.’
In the ‘Capital Conspiracy’ with Charlie Sheen, I drove
a motorcycle down an escalator. I worked on 200 films and retired
in 2008. I still get residuals from shows like ‘The Sopranos’.
In ‘Oz,’ I was (series’ star) Said’s roommate;
in the opening credits you can see me smacking him in the face.
I was on at least 20 episodes of that show.”
Today’s
fight game is what Van Clief had hoped it’d be when he excitedly
answered the call to face Gracie –- a full sporting evolution
that has cast aside long-revered techniques of little practical
application.
“Cross-training
is what we were missing before,” he said. “Today’s
fighters are just so well trained now, and (there are) many different
facets of MMA, the striking, the takedowns, locks, ground-and-pound,
it’s become a global sport. It’s quite wonderful how
point tournaments and tae kwon do are dead. They’re boring
to watch and they’re not exciting. They do not represent
fighting, or sparring, really. Maybe the sport, but not fighting.
Van
Clief cites Gracie, Tito Ortiz, Matt Hughes and Chuck Liddell
as some of his favorite fighters to watch over the years.
“It
has to evolve, just like boxing and wrestling. And it will evolve
into the most telegenic enterprise,” he said. “The
UFC makes more money than any of the other boxing industries.
They’ve figured out the formula: exciting fights, talented
guys, and good endorsements. And keep going from there.”
Source:
Sherdog
|
Maui's premiere BJJ and submission grappling tournament has been
scheduled! Normally two large tournaments are planned per year,
one gi and one no-gi, but this time athletes will get the best
bang for their buck by being able to compete in both divisions
gi and no-gi. Start your team's travel planning now!
Currently all airlines are charging $98 for a flight from Oahu
to Maui, so book now before the rates creep up.
For more information, please contact Luis Limao at info@mauijiujitsu.com or Lee Theros at leetheros@aol.com.
Source: Event Promoter
|
NAGA
is official
It will
be held on Sunday, October 18th at Pearl City High School Gym.
Eric Goo is also putting on a tournament in February next year.
It will be a NAGA ranked event. All
gi.... NO no-gi divisions. White, Blue, Purple, Brown, Black....AND
Absolute
division's. One day event. Set for be 2010. More info will be
released shorty.
Source: Eric Goo
|
|