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(All events on Oahu, unless noted)
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)
(Kaiser H.S. Gym)
Up & Up
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena)
8/29/09
MAUI OPEN 2009
Submission Grappling Challenge
(Sub Grappling)
(Maui War Memorial Gym)
Island Assult
(Boxing)
(Blaisdell Arena)
UFC
102
(Rose Garden, Portland)
8/22/09
Destiny: Maui vs. Oahu
(MMA)
(War Memorial Gym, Maui)
8/15/09
Man Up
(Kickboxing & Triple Threat)
(Filcom Center, Waipahu)
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 3
|
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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Check out this reasonably priced, quality hotel in Waikiki!
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the special Onzuka.com price, click banner above! |
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Fighters'
Club TV
The Toughest Show
On Teleivision
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at 8:00PM
***NEW TIME***
Olelo Channel 52 on Oahu
Also on Akaku on Maui
Check
out the FCTV website! |
Onzuka.com
Hawaii Underground Forum is Online!
Chris, Mark,
and I wanted to start an official Onzuka.com forum for a while
now. We were searching for the best forum to go with and hit
a gold mine! We have known Kirik, who heads the largest and most
popular forum on the net, The Underground for years.
He
offered us our own forum within the matrix know as MMA.tv. The
three of us will be the moderators with of course FCTV808 being
the lead since he is on there all day anyway!
We
encourage everyone from Hawaii and our many readers around world
to contribute to the Hawaii Underground.
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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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Want to Contact
Us? Shoot us an email by Clicking Here!
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Quote
of the Day
“In
times like these, it's helpful to remember that there have always
been times like these.”
Paul Harvey
|
UFC
102 RESULTS & LIVE PLAY-BY-PLAY
Saturday night, the Ultimate Fighting Championship makes its
Pacific Northwest debut as UFC 102 hits Portland, Ore.
The
main event features former UFC champions Randy Couture and Antonio
Rodrigo Nogueira going head-to-head in a heavyweight showdown.
UFC
102 airs live on pay-per-view at 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT on Saturday
night. MMAWeekly.com is in Portland 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
102 LIVE PLAY-BY-PLAY:
-Marcus
Aurelio vs. Evan Dunham
R1
– Southpaw Dunham leads with punches but gets air. Dunham
connects with right hook and a smile. Aurelio returns fire. Aurelio
nearly misses with an uppercut. Dunham counters nicely with straight
left. So far, a boxing match. Dunham still angling for straight
one-two combo, corners Aurelio and throws a combo, but Aurelio
escapes. Dunham connects with a right hook that floors Aurelio.
In an instant, Dunham swarms Maximus with punches, but backs
away with arms to the sky, daring Aurelio to stand with him.
Aurelio eats another punches in his first exchange back. Dunham
gets stung with a straight right but gives a smile and a wave
in. Dunham again with one-two and Aurelio shoots but Evan is
having none of it. Aurelio wings a punch and misses. Dunham over
and over with straight left. Aurelio almost lands straight cross
of his own. Dunham pumps the audience up after the bell.
R2-
Aurelio’s face is swelling. Dunham starts working leg kicks.
Aurelio shoots for a takedown but gets nothing. Dunham with another
nice punch combination. Dunham misses a combo and Aurelio takes
it to the ground, landing in half guard against the cage. Aurelio
with right hands from the top. Evan scoots out the bottom and
shakes his head as the two return to their feet. Dunham lands
one two combo, but eats a right hand, then another as he attempts
to time his one-two. Dunham catches a finger to the eye and gets
a brief pause. After restart, Dunham connects again with a combo
and quickly fights off a takedown against the cage. Aurelio swings
and misses after breaking contact. Aurelio is charging in and
throwing punches. Dunham is hanging in the pocket, landing more
accurate and powerful shots. After one exchange, he lands nice
kick to body and nearly misses a flying knee. Aurelio again shoots
and the cage stops his takedown. Dunham sprawls against fence
and escapes. Dunham eats a stiff right hand. Aurelio charges
in and gets tagged again. A nice body shot from Dunham, followed
by a leg kick. Dunham lands a combination in the pocket as round
ends.
R3-
Dunham sits on his punch and gets taken down quickly. Aurelio
tries to pass guard and is rebuffed. Aurelio working the body.
Dunham attempting to control posture as Aurelio works elbows
and tries to pass again. Dunham gets to his feet but is trapped
in front headlock. Action stalls against cage. Aurelio works
for a modified guillotine and flips Dunham over. It looks deep.
Dunham somehow escapes and the two go toe-to-toe in the center
of the cage. Aurelio shoots again for takedown and Dunham works
a wizard, then attemps kimura. Aurelio gets into Dunham’s
guard, but Dunham uses butterfly to sweep him and returns to
his feet. When Aurelio shoots again, he gets underhooks and gets
top position. Dunham returns to his feet and the two swing for
the fences. Dunham lands a few punches, but not enough to keep
Aurelio from the shot. Dunham shrugs off takedown and lands hard
punches as the round comes to an end.
Two
judges give Evan Dunham the fight with 29-28, 30-27 scores, while
one dissents with a 29-28 score for Aurelio.
Mark
Munoz vs. Nick Catone
R1-
The two clash in center of cage and tie up with Munoz working
knees. Catone presses to edge of cage and lands a few good punches
before backing off. Munoz shoots almost immediately but Catone’s
takedown defense is strong. Catone with straight right, Munoz
returns with right uppercut. Munoz with a bolo. Munoz punches
his way in and ties up, where the two exchange knees against
cage. After breaking off, Catone catches a kick south of the
border. They restart Catone gets a takedown, landing in side
control. Munoz attempts to reverse. Catone with knees to the
body. Action stalls. Munoz attempts to escape out the back door
and the two scramble for position. Munoz ends up at Catone’s
back standing against the cage. Munoz picks up Catone and slams
him down, but Catone pops up and the two are back on their feet.
Munoz throwing hard punches that are blocked by Catone. Another
takedown attempt fails for Munoz. The two exchange knees in the
clinch before Catone wrestles the action down at the bell.
R2-
Catone catches a leg kick and gets an easy takedown, passing
quickly to side guard. Munoz again scrambles for position and
nearly gives up his back before getting to his feet and breaking
off. The two tie up and Munoz lands a knee before they hit the
cage. Munoz with double underhooks tries to drag the action down.
Catone eats a few knees in the clinch and breaks off. The two
clash with jabs. Catone lands a two-punch combination that appears
to stagger Munoz. Munoz drives the action to the fence and trips
Catone to the ground. Catone will not be taken down easily and
scrambles back up, repaying Munoz with a punch as he gets to
his feet. Munoz with straight right. Catone repays with the same.
Munoz with two straight rights that prompt a shot from Catone.
Catone is caught in a guillotinue and drops to one knee. Munoz
cranks but can’t finish it before the bell.
R3-
Munoz leads with punches then shoots in for a single leg. Catone
somersaults his way out of the attempt and catches a punch when
righting himself. Munoz definitely the aggressor in exchanges,
but the two are landing equally. Catone lands a nice combo and
stuffs a shot, almost wheeling around to Munoz’s back. The
two scramble for position and return to their feet. Catone shoots
and is again caught in a guillotine. Catone uses the attempt
to pass to half guard. Catone rolls for a toe hold but misses
and is dumped on his head by Munoz. Catone pops back up and the
two are back at it. Catone eats a couple of bolos and gets an
easy takedown. He scrambles to Munoz’s back, but Munoz bucks
him off and takes half guard. Munoz with a few short elbows.
Catone rolls for another kneebar but is pushed back down. Munoz
scambles to Catone’s back and unloads with hard right hands.
Catone attempts to roll away but has nowhere to go. Catone rolls
again and the two end awkwardly tangled on the mat.
Munoz
wins two judges' nods with 30-27 and 29-28 scores and Catone
gets one nod with a 29-28 score.
Todd
Duffee vs. Tim Hague
R1-
Duffee drops Hague with a stiff left hand and follows it with
right hands on the ground that knock the Canadian out cold. 7
seconds is all Todd Dufee needs to gain his first UFC victory.
Mike
Russow vs. Justin McCully
R1-
Russow ties the action up early and gets McCully’s right
leg, driving him to the canvas and standing over him. McCully
rolls to his knees and attempts to right himself, but Russow
powers him down again and stands overhead. Russow takes McCully’s
guard and unloads right hands. McCully eats a punch or two before
Russow stands over him once again and tries to pass guard. Russow
stands once again and lands punches overhead. Russow takes half-guard
and unloads left hands against the cage. McCully stands, but
it’s not long before Russow grabs a leg and takes him down
again, shrugging off a kimura attempt. McCully escapes out the
back door on the ground and takes Russow’s back. Russow
uses hand control and reverses, again standing over McCully and
working to punch. McCully grabs a leg and goes for a foot lock,
but Russow powers out again. Round ends with Russow in McCully’s
guard.
Ringside
doc is checking on McCully in his corner between rounds. McCully
looks hurt. Ringside doc pushes an upright McCully a few times
to see if he can keep his balance. He can, and the doc lets the
fight go on.
R2-
Russow powers his way to a takedown and works from half-guard.
Russow works for a kimura. Russow gives up kimura, stands up,
then returns to half guard. McCully attempts to stand and Russow
almost steps to his back. McCully squares up and is caught in
a front headlock as he drives forward. McCully attempts to roll
away from the smothering Russow but gets nowhere. Russow, at
McCully’s back, unloads with punches. Ref Herb Dean stops
the fight and tends to an obviously afflicted McCully. Action
is restarted. McCully attempts a knee as Russow charges in but
is on the mat in a flash. Russow works for a kimura from side
guard and has it locked as the bell rings. McCully lingers on
the mat afterwards.
R3-
McCully’s left eye is almost swollen shut. McCully with
a jab and a short combination. Nothing lands squarely. Russow
just waiting for the takedown. McCully leaps in with a punch
and is on his back once again. McCully lands an upkick, but that’s
about all that’s going on as the two flounder in guard.
Russow working ineffective ground and pound. Dean stands them
up. Russow charges in and gets a swarm of punches and a knee.
He re-invests and gets a leg, dumping McCully once again. Russow
again flailing with short punches. Dean ends the stalemate and
stands them up again. McCully nearly chambers a knee as Russow
closes distance, but misses and is taken down once again as the
round ends. Horribly uneventful fight.
All
three judges give Russow the fight with 29-28, 30-26, and 30-27
scores.
R1-
Gonazaga’s first leg kick lands hard south of the border,
dropping the newcomer flat on his back. Chris is still writhing
in pain after several moments. Ringside doctors attend to him.
He writhes as doctors try to attend to him. Tuchscherer is heaving
as doctors sit him up. After a few moments, he gets to a stool,
then stands after a few more. He’s having a conversation
with the doctor. He looks uncertain whether to continue, but
decides to go again.
Gonzaga
immediately catches Chris with a headkick as he tries to go for
a takedown. The two fall to the mat simultaneously, and Gonzaga
takes mount, threatening with anrmbard. After another short struggle,
Gonzaga mounts again and lands an elbow that cuts Chris open.
Chris turns to his back, where he fights off a rear naked choke.
He escapes, but catches more punishment with Gonzaga at his back.
Gonzaga pulls away from a feeble takedown attempt and returns
to Chris’ back, where he pours on the punishment until the
referee steps in to stop the mauling at 2:27.
R1-
Herman jams in with a jab and peppers Simpson with combinations
as he closes distance. A left hook lands for Herman. Simpson
with a stiff right hand and a lighting fast takedown. Simpson
stands over head and lands a straight right as Herman gets up.
Herman is quickly fighting for his life. Simpson stands over
again and Herman tries to vault two left kicks at his head. Simpson
fighting off Herman’s legs, lands punches overhead. Herman’s
kick backs Simpson off and Herman charges after with a knee.
He falls on his butt and pops up, where the two resume kickboxing.
Herman’s bell has been rung; he looks slow on his feet.
Simpson catches him with a blistering punch that flash KO’s
him and again, Herman is fighting for his life as Simpson swarms
on the ground. Herman traps Simpson’s hand, looking for
an armbar, but it’s no dice. Simpson stands overhead again.
Simpson lets Herman up. Herman with left hook. Simpson with another
right hand that fells Herman and Simpson lands shots again from
up top as the bell ends. Herman hobbles back to his corner. It
looks like he’s injured his left knee.
R2-
Simpson circles away from an advancing Herman. Herman plants
for a leg kick and catches another right hand, but it’s
his knee he’s clutching as he hits the canvas. Ref Yves
Lavigne quickly waves off the fight. Instant replay reveals Herman
has badly popped his knee. Action is over at :17 of the round.
Krzysztof
Soszynski vs. Brandon Vera
R1-
Soszynski closes distance with strikes and catches a hard kick
to the body that backs him off. Soszynski charges again and gets
air. Vera with a straight left. The two trade jabs. Vera with
hard leg kick that Soszynski acknowledges. Soszynski charges
in and eats a knee to his body. Vera counters punch with leg
kick. Vera barely misses with an uppercut as Soszynski closes
and the two tie up against the cage. Action stalls. Vera threatens
with a plumb and backs off, changing stances. Soszynski bleeding
below left eye. The two tie up again against the fence, where
Vera works knees to the body. They go after each other’s
knees. Soszynski threatens with a plumb and Vera disengages.
Soszynski lands a jab and charges in for a takedown but gets
stuffed, eating a few short elbows in the process as the bell
rings.
R2-
Vera connects with an upward jab, then a straight to the body
as round begins. Vera angles off and Soszynski charges in, landing
punches. Vera angles off again and Soszynski pursues to the cage,
where the two lock up. Vea gets a plumb and lands knee to Soszynski’s
dome. They break shortly but are tied up again in no time. Soszynski
with a few short elbows from the clinch. They disengage. Vera
picking his shots while Soszynski is the aggressor. Vera’s
technique is more sound, and he’s outpointing Soszynski
in exchanges. Soszynski, however, charges in and fires away,
getting the first takedown of the fight. Vera immediately pops
up and the two wrestle for position again. The round ends with
Vera looking for short elbows in the clinch. Not a decisive round
for either.
R3-
Vera lands a straight left and a shot to the body that sends
Sozynski backwards. He follows with a kick flurry that looks
better for camera than for damage. Soszynski lands a straight
right and drives forward for a takedown. Vera wrestles him off
and switches stance to confuse Soszynski. The two tie up against
the cage and throw knees to the legs. Vera gets his first takedown.
Soszynski stands up and gets a knee to the groin that prompts
a break. Ref Herb Dean restarts after Soszynski walks it off.
Vera with a nice right hnd. Sozynski locks up a plump as Vera
closes, but Vera lands an uppercut and elbow from the clinch.
They break off, where Vera lands a nice uppercut. Vera with a
nice right hook. Vera with a right kick to the body. The San
Diego resident is picking Soszynski apart in exchanges. A hard
leg kick ends the round for Vera.
All
three judges give Vera the fight with unanimous 30-27 scores.
Demian
Maia vs. Nate Marquardt
R1-
Southpaw Maia leads with a leg kick, then a high kick. Marquart
knocks Maia out cold with a straight right hand that literally
takes the jiu-jitsu expert out in mid-air as he attempts a leg
kick. Marquardt considers a follow up, but thinks better of it.
It’s all over in 21 seconds.
R1-
Rosholt lands leg kick to open the bout. Leben returns with the
same. Crowd chants Leben’s name. High kick misses for The
Crippler. Rosholt with leg kick. They trade leg kicks. Both very
tentative. Rosholt with stiff jab. Leben absorbs a flying knee
and the two spill to the canvas with Leben in Rosholt’s
guard. Leben working ground and pound. Rosholt takes advantage
of space and drives forward, prompting a sprawl from Leben and
a return to the feet. Leben’s nose is bloodied. Leben walks
into double underhooks and Rosholt marches him across the canvas,
where he lands over Leven and nearly traps him in a guillotine
before retreating to his feet. Leben looks slow and out of sorts.
Finally, Leben chases Rosholt across the cage with bolos, but
Rosholt ducks away and taunts Leben at the bell.
R2-
Rosholt lands a one-two that stuns Leben, but Rosholt slips on
a kick attempt and Leben chases him down into half-guard, where
he attempts ground and pound. Rosholt attempts to scoot away
but is flattened out. Leben works Rosholt’s ribs. Action
stalls. Yves Lavinge stands them up. Leben throws a straight
left Rosholt can see for miles. Leben attempts head kick punch
combo and ties Rosholt up against the fence, where he immediately
stomps Rosholt’s right foot. Rosholt escapes with an elbow
from the clinch. Rosholt ducks under Leben’s punches and
takes the fight down, working from half guard. Rosholt attempts
to pass. Rosholt stands over and allows space for Leven to get
up. More bolos from Leben that get mostly blocked as the round
ends.
R3-
A final touch of the gloves. Leben with a kick to the body. Another
kick attempt lands him on his back, where Rosholt works from
half guard. Rosholt passes to mount briefly but can’t do
anything before Leben gets half guard back. Rosholt takes Leben’s
back in a scramble and then transitions to a head and arm choke
that puts Leben out cold. The official time is 1:30.
Thiago
Silva vs. Keith Jardine
R1-
Jardine charges in with punches but gets nothing. His follow
up leg kick, though, slaps Silva’s thigh. Silva with stiff
jab. They kick at the same time and Jardine lands on the bottom
with Silva working from half guard. Silva grabs for guillotine
and Jardine scrambles. They’re back on their feet. Jardine’s
hands are low…he comes in with an uppercut hook combo and
gets dropped by a left hook. Silva stands overhead and puts Jardine
stone cold out with a left and right. The official time is 1:35.
Antonio
Rodrigo Nogueira vs. Randy Couture
R1-
Big Nog and Randy trade punches. Nog clinches but Randy disengages.
Nog with a jab. Nog lands a hook straight righ bombo. The. Rando
cracks Nog with a straight right and Nog tries to pull guard,
Randy says no. Randy jabs his way in and the two tie up. Nog
working rabbit punches in the clinch. Randy almost connects with
a sraight right and the two lock up again. Randy disengages.
Randy comes in with punches and gets caught with a shot that
drops him. Nog immediately cinches an anaconda choke and tries
to roll Randy over. Randy escapes and backs away to the screams
of the audience. Nog’s hands look sharper. Randy connects
with a stiff jab but can’t follow it in close. Randy connects
with a jab. The two stand in the pocket, but Bog connects with
a series of body shots. Counter lands a nice combination inside
that rocks Randy The two are trading punches tit for tat. Randy
circles away. Randy jabs in and beats Nog up in the clinch. Randy
presses to the cage and cracks Nog several more times with dirty
boxing. Randy is pressing Nog against the cage and round ends
to screams of audience.
R2-
Randy jams in again. Randy jabs in and lands a follow up uppercut.
Randy with inside leg kick. Randy catches a left hook that staggers
him. Nog attempts to capitalize with a guillotine but loses it
and pitches to the floor. Randy postures up in Nog’s guard
and works elbows. Nog sweeps Randy into the mount in a flash
and threatens an arm triangle as Randy escapes to half guard.
Nog working short left hands, Randy trying to control his hands.
Nog transitions to an arm triangle choke in mount and Randy struggles
to defend. Nog doubling up with punches to the body. Nog lets
choke go and works punches from mount. Randy escapes out the
back door to the sreams of the audience. Randy with lead left
hook. Te two close distance and trade punches. Both are getting
tagged in the pocket. Randy has the slight edge on the feet now.
Nog works in leg kicks. Randy closes again and lands a few glancing
punches to end round.
R3-
Randy with inside leg kick. Randy again comes in with jab uppercut
combo and connects lightly. Still, he’s getting tagged with
a counter right and left hook as he comes in. Nog connects with
a left that drops Randy cold. Again, Randy is fighting for his
life as Nog pounds away with hammerfists. Nog passes half guard
and works punches from side mount. Action stalls as Randy tries
to cage walk to freedom. Randy begins walking his way up, but
gives up his back in transition. Randy attempts to control Nog’s
hand. Nog is high on Randy’s torso. Randy reverses and works
punches from Nog’s guard. Nog ties up. Randy lands a nice
left elbow, then another. Nog sweeps Randy at the bell. Great
fight.
All
three judges give the fight to Nogueira with scores of 30-27,
30-27, and 29-28.
UFC
102 QUICK RESULTS:
Main
Bouts:
-Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira def. Randy Couture by Unanimous Decision
(30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
-Thiago Silva def. Keith Jardine by KO (Punch) at 1:35, R1
-Jake Rosholt def. Chris Leben by Submission (Arm Triangle Choke)
at 1:30, R3
-Nate Marquardt def. Demian Maia by KO at :21, R1
-Brandon Vera def. Krzystztof Soszynski by Unanimous Decision
(30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Preliminary
Bouts:
- Aaron Simpson def. Ed Herman by TKO (Injury) at :17, R2
-Gabriel Gonzaga def. Chris Tuchscherer by TKO (Strikes) at 2:27,
R1
-Mike Russow def. Justin McCully by Unanimous Decision (29-28,
30-26, 30-27)
-Todd Duffee def. Tim Hague by KO at :07, R1
-Mark Munoz def. Nick Catone by Split Decision (29-28, 28-29,
30-27)
-Evan Dunham def. Marcus Aurelio by Split Decision (29-28, 28-29,
30-27)
Source: MMA Weekly
|
WHITE
CONFIRMS PENN VS SANCHEZ, HINTS
AT NETWORK TV
PORTLAND, Ore. – UFC president Dana White on Thursday said
a third UFC event was in the works for November, featuring a
headlining bout between lightweight champion B.J. Penn and Diego Sanchez.
What
may really peak interest is that he said the event was neither
a pay-per-view nor a Spike televised affair, lending credence
to strong speculation of a long coveted network television deal.
“Wait
and see boys... if I can pull this one off,” he said.
Penn
last week confirmed that his next challenge would be against
Sanchez, though he declined to name the time and place of the
fight. Earlier this week, Penn and his representatives met with
UFC officials for undisclosed contract negotiations.
Despite
several reports that said UFC 105 – expected for Nov. 14
at the Manchester Evening News Arena – was the bout’s
destination, White said Penn’s rumored dislike of fighting
in the U.K. did not influence the decision to create a third
event.
“B.J.
doesn’t want to fight anywhere,” said White. “B.J.
doesn’t want to fight in Las Vegas because he didn’t
like the decision, and then when they called ‘The BJ Penn
rule,’ now he likes Las Vegas and wants to fight. Dude,
please, don’t even get me started.”
Rumors
of an impending UFC deal with a major television network have
been in heavy rotation this month. On a conference call announcing
a deal between the promotion and the U.K. wing of ESPN, White
said his company was currently fielding interest from one or
possibly more network stations.
"We've
never had more interest than right now," said White. "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."
Yet
White declined to say how close a deal was.
"Once
we get the right offer, we will be on network television,"
he stated. "We haven't had the right offer, yet."
He
has recently been in Los Angeles working on the Penn/Sanchez
event.
In
related news, White said Dan Henderson has lobbied him for a
second meeting with Anderson Silva to take place at UFC 105,
but said he would wait for the outcome of Demian Maia vs. Nate
Marquardt at this weekend’s UFC 102 to evaluate the middleweight
title picture. He did, however, confirm that a rumored middleweight
tilt between Michael Bisping and Denis Kang would serve as the
co-main event of UFC 105.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
IS WEC ON THE COUNTDOWN TO EXTINCTION?
PORTLAND, Ore. – Perhaps Dana White has grown a little gun
shy over the years, with all the media miscues on possible TV
deals – The Ultimate Fighter had several before it finally
came to fruition in January of 2005 – but the UFC president
has all but confirmed the promotion’s intention to fold
World Extreme Cagefighting into the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
White
and co.’s decision appears to be more or less a timetable
issue and negotiation between the sibling promotion’s television
partners.
In
a rather telling exchange at the pre-fight press conference for
this weekend’s UFC 102 in Portland, Ore., White was asked
about adding more weight classes to the UFC, to which he replied,
“If we do any more weight classes, it’s gonna be lower,
adding lighter weight classes.”
Asked
what the chances of such additions actually were, he replied,
“very good,” and indicated that a plausible timeframe
for the additions was “probably real soon.”
When
pressed as to whether that meant that WEC would basically fold
into the UFC, White replied as a Cheshire grin spread across
his face, “It doesn’t really mean that, but...”
It
really means that.
The
official company line, according to White: “What that means
is I’ve gotta figure some (expletive) out.”
In
a recent article on Yahoo! Sports, Kevin Iole suggested the UFC’s
decision to keep the WEC a separate entity from the UFC –
fundamentally depriving fighters such as Miguel Torres of the
biggest stage in the sport – was “one of the most grievous”
mistakes that White and company CEO Lorenzo Fertitta have made
in their eight-and-a-half year tenure.
Sitting
on the podium in front of a handful of reporters, including Iole,
White said, “I don’t disagree with (the) article.”
He
added later, “Even with all the things that we know how
to do and the deal we have with Versus, which is a great deal,
it’s still hard to make money and pay the guys what they
deserve to get paid, or what they think they deserve to get paid
and to run the business and make it a profitable business.”
So
what’s holding him back? The complexities of TV land.
The
WEC recently extended its television contract with the Versus
network. The UFC, meanwhile, is under an exclusive basic cable
contract with the competing Spike TV network. Add to that a potential
network TV deal in the works for the UFC, which White has hinted
at for months, and three entities are competing for Zuffa’s
attention. Ironing out those wrinkles appears to be the likely
culprit in keeping the WEC in its current bubble.
It’s
an obvious challenge, but White says it’s not insurmountable.
“I’ve
got some (expletive) I gotta figure out,” he stated in true
Dana White fashion, “But like I said earlier, we’ve
had bigger problems. I will figure this out.”
Source: MMA Weekly
|
UFC
PRESIDENT ZEROS IN ON SHOWTIME
PORTLAND, Ore. – "(Signing Fedor Emelianenko) will
put (Strikeforce) out of business. 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."
This
was UFC president Dana White’s proclamation immediately
after Strikeforce announced the signing of coveted heavyweight
Fedor Emelianenko, ending a two-week sweepstakes that put the
MMA world on the edge of its seat. White, it appeared, was zeroing
in on Strikeforce.
And
he is, but at a Thursday press conference for UFC 102 in Portland,
the brash UFC exec said the San Jose, Calif., based promotion
was not the focus.
“I’m
not anti-Strikeforce; I don’t dislike those guys,”
he said. “I dislike Showtime. I don’t like their attitude.
They think they’re better than they really are. They’ve
been second rate at boxing, second rate at programming. Now they
think they’re great at mixed martial arts, and my fight
is with them, not with Strikeforce.”
Showtime
was the first premium cable network to jump into the mixed martial
arts arms race, though its original promotional partner, EliteXC,
is now defunct. Strikeforce bridged the gap in February, re-establishing
the premium cable channel’s MMA ties.
White
said his beef with the pay-for-play channel had roots in his
love of boxing and claimed the channel failed to promote combat
sports.
“They
got their ass kicked always by HBO at boxing, yet they tried
to stay in it,” he said. “They got their ass kicked
with HBO in programming, and they’re still around. Their
going to get their ass kicked in mixed martial arts too. Just
not by HBO.”
Showtime
Networks representative Chris DeBlasio declined comment on White’s
remarks.
White
said plans to add a third UFC event in November – headlined
by UFC lightweight champ defending against Diego Sanchez are
afoot. The event isn’t intended for the usual pay-per-view
or Spike TV outlets, however, leading to the belief that there
is a new TV partner on the horizon.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Dana
White confirms Li’l Nog in the UFC
After
the press conference in Portland, Dana White spoke with TATAME
TV and explained his plans on bringing the UFC to Brazil in the
future and confirmed that Rogério “Minotouro”
Nogueira has signed with the organization, and won’t fight
at Bitetti Combat.
Source: Tatame
|
Werdum:
“To beat Fedor, just me”
After
a submission victory in the Strikeforce debut, Fabrício
Werdum wanted a shot against Fedor Emelianenko, but Scott Coker
announced the Las Emperor’s debut against the undefeated
Brett Rogers. In exclusive interview to TATAME.com, Werdum commented
the fight.
“Brett
is a huge guy, very heavy, but I don’t know if he has Fedor’s
speed… He’s chubby, but is the best of the world, so
I think Fedor bests him in explosion, even more if Brett tries
to box with him. Brett has a heavy hand, everything can happen,
but Fedor will knock him out”, bets the BJJ black belt,
confidence in his game to beat the Russian.
To
beat Fedor, just me (laughs)… It’s gonna be with me”,
jokes the Chute Boxe athlete, betting in the jiu-jitsu against
the best heavyweight in the MMA history. “My game doesn’t
match with Fedor’s and I trust in me… This fight will
happen and I feel very well, everybody saw in my last fight that
I’m better, lighter, training hard and focused. It won’t
be easy, he showed he’s the best in the world, but I want
this opportunity”, finished Werdum.
Source: Tatame
|
American
Nationals Sept-3 deadline approaches
American No-Gi Nationals 1st discount ends Sept 5; No-Gi Pan
sign-ups open
Competitors
looking to mark their presence at the American National Jiu-Jitsu
Championship 2009 this coming Sept 12 and 13 better hurry, as
the Sept-3 deadline to register for the tournament to take place
in the CSU Dominguez Hills gymnasium is fast approaching.
The
fee is US$ 77 and no exception will be made to the 11:59 pm (GMT
minus 7) Sept-3 deadline. Further reason to register early is
that the Federation reserves the right to close registration
as soon as the competitor ceiling has been reached.
To
sign up for the 2009 American National Jiu-Jitsu Championship,
click here. For further information on the championship, click
here.
Another
impending deadline is the Sept-5 final day to receive the cheapest
rate of US$ 72 for the American National No-Gi Championship,
to take place Sept 26 in Las Vegas, after which the full rate
of US$ 87 will apply till the final cut-off of Sept 17.
To
sign up for the American National No-Gi Championship 2009, click
here. For further information on the event, click here.
Yet
another upcoming major Jiu-Jitsu event to be held in North America
is open for registration and has a Sept-5 discount deadline looming.
Anyone wishing to pay less for the No-Gi Pan-American Championship,
to take place October 3 and 4 in New York City, can click here
and pay only US$ 92 before Sept 5. Those to sign up between the
5th and 12th will have to pay US$ 102, after which the full rate
of US$ 117 will apply till the final cut-off of Sept 23. For
further information, click here.
The
organizers recommend competitors register early if not to save
money, to guarantee their place before the maximum-participant
ceiling has been reached.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
JASON
DAVID FRANK: FROM POWER RANGER TO MMA
A
few years ago actor Jason David Frank was used to hearing the
familiar sound of fans yelling, "Go, go Power Rangers!"
but now he's ready to hear the roar of a different crowd.
The
former action star from the hit series "Mighty Morphin Power
Rangers" has officially made the move to mixed martial arts,
and while training with UFC lightweight Melvin Guillard, he hopes
to make his real fighting experience as successful as he did
on television.
Frank
signed on with Suckerpunch Entertainment recently and hopes to
make his professional debut in the very near future.
"I
was supposed to fight in 2007, but it fell through. In truth,
I’ve wanted to put the work in until I’m ready,"
Frank said in an interview from the Suckerpunch website. "I
know I have a target on my back. Everyone is going to want to
beat up the Green Ranger. But I am no Kimbo; I’ve been training
for a very long time. I wanted to get in there before, but I
got injured. But I’ll be ready when the time comes."
The
actor-turned-fighter is adding a ground game to what he believes
is already an impressive stand-up resume, but he knows it's a
long road to not only becoming a mixed martial artist, but a
successful mixed martial artist.
"My
style was missing the ground fighting. I have my blue belt in
BJJ from Gracie Baja now, but we needed to have that ground game
integrated into Tose Kune Do. There was a blank there. So we
added wrestling, BJJ, etc., to it," Frank said. "Melvin
Guillard has really helped add the wrestling. I needed to get
with someone who could put it all together for me, and that was
Saul Soliz. And he’s done it. He’s a good, hardcore
trainer."
Proud
of his time as the Green Ranger on the popular television show,
Frank is ready to move onto new goals, and he hopes to conquer
MMA the same way he did television.
"Just
to go out there and do my best, and prove that I’m a real
fighter," Frank said about his goals in MMA. "I’m
not looking for any titles specifically. Ultimately, I want to
give my fans something to watch and be proud of."
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Quote
of the Day
"In
many walks of life, a conscience is a more expensive encumbrance
than a wife or a carriage."
Thomas De Quincey
|
UFC
102 Tomorrow
August 29, 2009
Rose Garden, Portland, Oregon
Hawaii
Air Times:
3:00-5:00 PM
Channel 701 (Oceanic Cable)
Main Card Bouts:
-Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (31-5-1) vs. Randy Couture (16-9)
-Keith Jardine (14-5-1) vs. Thiago Silva (13-1)
-Jake Rosholt (5-1) vs. Chris Leben (18-7)
-Nate Marquardt (28-8-2) vs. Demian Maia (10-0)
-Brandon Vera (10-3) vs. Krzysztof Soszynski
Preliminary
Bouts:
-Gabriel Gonzaga (10-4) vs. Chris Tuchscherer (17-1)
-Nick Catone (6-1) vs. Mark Munoz (5-1)
-Todd Duffee (4-0) vs. Tim Hague
-Justin McCully (9-4) vs. Mike Russow
-Marcus Aurelio vs. Evan Dunham
-Ed Herman vs. Aaron Simpson
Source: The Fight Network
|
Professional
Boxing Tomorrow
Saturday August 29, 2009
Blaisdell Arena, Honolulu, Hawaii
12
Rounds - IBF World Light Flyweight Title
Brian Viloria (25-2, Waipahu, HI) vs Jesus Iribe (16-5, Culiacan,
MX)
10
Rounds
AJ Banal (19-1, Cebu, PI) vs Jose Beranza (32-15, Mexico City,
MX)
10
Rounds
Dennis Laurente (31-3, Palopon, PI) vs Zaid Zavaleta (18-5. Guadalajara,
MX)
10
Rounds
Alfonso Gomez (19-4, Guadalajara, MX) vs Sergio Rios (18-9. Guadalajara,
MX)
4
Rounds
Justin Mercado (1-1, Honolulu, HI) vs Richard Barard (1-1, Makakilo,
HI)
4
Rounds
Toby Misech (1-0, Hilo, HI) vs Mike Balasi (7-1, Honolulu, HI)
4
Rounds - Female Bout
Kuulei Kupihea (3-1, Mililani, HI) vs Shalei Padilla (Pro Debut,
Kona, HI)
4
Rounds
Isaac Arasato (4-0, Honolulu, HI) vs Donald Gonzalez (0-1, Hilo,
HI)
Source: X-1
|
TOMORROW!
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
|
Isle
boxers given fighting chance
By Dayton Morinaga
Advertiser Staff Writer
Eight
Hawai'i boxers are hoping to cash in on a boxing stimulus package
Saturday.
Thanks
to a world championship bout featuring Waipahu's Brian Viloria,
eight other Hawai'i boxers will get opportunities to fight on
the undercard.
"I
feel fortunate just to be on a pro card here," said Isaac
Arasato, a fighter out of Palolo Gym who is scheduled to appear
in the opening bout of the card. "I know a lot of fighters
wanted to be on this card. I have to make the most of it."
Viloria
will defend his IBF light flyweight world championship against
Mexico's Jesus Iribe in the main event of the "Island Assault"
card at the Blaisdell Center Arena.
There
will be seven other bouts, and four of them will be all-Hawai'i
matchups.
"Boxing
is a business and it's been slow here, just like the economy,"
Arasato said. "This might be the jump start we need."
Boxing
in Hawai'i has been in a great depression for the past decade.
The last significant card in Honolulu was held six years ago,
when Viloria last fought here.
Up-and-coming
fighters like Arasato and Mike Balasi of Kalihi have been waiting
patiently for rare opportunities to box for pay in Hawai'i.
Balasi,
for example, turned professional in 2001, but has had just eight
bouts since.
"Boxing
is my passion, that's why I'm still in it," said Balasi,
28. "But it's hard. I work (as a truck driver) from 7 in
the morning to 3:30 in the afternoon, then I train after that.
It's a rigorous schedule, but that's what I have to do."
Mixed
martial arts has supplanted boxing as the most popular combat
sport in Hawai'i.
Balasi
grudgingly learned wrestling and jiu-jitsu two years ago so he
could stay active in MMA during the boxing dearth.
"I
didn't like MMA, not really," he said. "I had to learn
groundwork for the first time ... I basically did it because
that was the only way to get fights here."
In
recent months, Balasi has been able to fully focus on boxing.
"It's
pretty big that Brian (Viloria) is fighting here," he said.
"It's giving me a chance to fight on a pro card."
Balasi,
who trains out of Kalakaua Gym, often represented Hawai'i alongside
Viloria at youth boxing tournaments in the 1990s. Balasi said
he understands why Viloria's career skyrocketed and his did not.
"Brian
was ranked No. 1 in the country every year when we were kids,"
Balasi said. "The highest I got was No. 6. When you're the
No. 1 guy, you're going to get way more opportunities."
Bruce
Kawano, head coach at Kalakaua Gym, said the only opportunities
for Hawai'i boxers in recent years have been in small shows,
or on the undercard of MMA shows.
"We
can not be satisfied with that," Kawano said. "Brian
is our only hope right now, but there's so many others who want
to follow in his footsteps."
Saturday
might also turn into an opportunity to impress a professional
manager — like Viloria's Gary Gittelsohn — or promoter.
"You
don't know who's going to be in the crowd watching you,"
Arasato said. "Who knows? You might get lucky and catch
that one break, catch the eye of one guy who could take you to
something bigger."
Kawano
said Gittelsohn has already inquired about some of the Hawai'i
undercard fighters.
"Gary
said he's going to keep an eye out," Kawano said. "So
hopefully one of these guys puts on a good show and be the next
Brian Viloria."
Arasato
is scheduled to face Hilo's Donald Gonzalez; Balasi will face
Hilo's Toby Misech.
In
other bouts involving Hawai'i fighters, Justin Mercado will face
Richard Barnard, and Ku'ulei Kupihea will meet Shalae Padilla.
The
other three undercard bouts will feature boxers from the Philippines
and Mexico.
One
of the intriguing boxers from the Philippines is AJ Banal, who
has a record of 19-1-1, including 16 knockouts. He is ranked
No. 20 in the world in the flyweight division. He will face Mexico's
Jose Angel Beranza (32-15-2).
An
intriguing fighter from Mexico is Alfonso Gomez, who is a former
semifinalist from the reality television series "The Contender."
Last year, Gomez lost a world title bout to Miguel Cotto.
In
2007, Gomez defeated former world champion Arturo Gatti.
Reach
Dayton Morinaga at dmorinaga@honoluluadvertiser.com.
Source: Honolulu Advertiser
|
Chris
Leben Looks Forward to Turning The Page
by Mike Chiappetta
After a nine-month suspension for using steroids, UFC middleweight
Chris Leben is soon to return to action. Usually in a situation
like that, a fighter would have to worry about negative public
reaction to his comeback, but in this case, Leben is likely to
be hailed like a conquering hero, as the 29-year-old veteran
has the good fortune of returning at UFC 102 in his hometown
of Portland, Oregon.
The
match itself, however will not be easy; Leben (18-6) will take
on former three-time NCAA wrestling national champion Jake Rosholt
as a featured bout on the televised card.
"The
Crippler" recently took a few moments out of his training
to talk to FanHouse about his steroids suspension, returning
to the octagon, and preparing for Rosholt.
Mike Chiappetta: How much are you looking forward to getting
back in the cage?
Chris Leben: I'm really excited. It's been too long and I'm excited
to get back and compete. I'm a fighter. That's what I do and
I miss it for sure. I fighting, I miss training, I miss preparing,
I miss competing. I miss all of it.
How
did you use the time you were on suspension? Did you use the
time to work on any specific skills?
I opened my own gym in Hawaii, the Ultimate Fight School [in
Oahu]. I've been focused on opening that and running that. I've
got over 100 students now and a fight team out there. So that
keeps me busy. Then also, just training is what I've done for
so many years that it's second nature to me. Regardless if I
have a fight or not, I'm still going to get my conditioning in
the morning. I'm still going to get my team training. I'm still
going to bring different people in to work with me. I'm a martial
artist regardless if I'm competing in the next week or not.
How
difficult have the last nine months been like for you, because
you had to deal with not only the suspension, but a loss on your
record?
Obviously it wasn't easy but you move on. Everyone's lost before,
and losses are always hard but you get over them. Everybody takes
hits in life. You just have to say, I'm going to let this ruin
me or I'm going to pick myself up. It wasn't easy but that's
been my focus to get over it.
What
was your reaction when you were told you tested positive for
steroids and would be suspended?
A little bit of disbelief. It was something that I wasn't very
happy about obviously. I didn't realize it would stay in my system
for so long. I'm not an expert on it. It was something I'd done
months before, so I thought I was... Ultimately, I paid the price
for a mistake I made.
Why
did you take steroids?
It was just to help training and I wanted to lose some weight,
and I guess curiosity killed the cat, so to speak. But again,
I'm rehabilitated now.
Did
you have any concerns the UFC would cut you after the positive
test?
I didn't know. I just didn't know what they'd do.
Did
you lose any sponsors as a result?
I did. My nutrition sponsor.
Did
anything positive come out of your situation?
I think it's a good example for other people of what not to do.
Do
you feel like you have to rebuild your credibility with the fans,
and if so, how do you go about doing that?
For me, I'm just excited to get back and compete again. I've
got a great team, a great group of guys at home that I'm working
with and focusing on. The people that train with me in Hawaii,
the people that are helping me train in Oregon are the people
I care about most. I jujst want to go in there and represent
them well.
Do
you have any concerns about ring rust after the layoff?
No, I don't. I've been training hard. This isn't my first, second,
third, or fifteenth fight. I don't think I'll have any ring rust.
It'll be the opposite.
Were
you happy when the UFC came to you with Rosholt as an opponent?
To be honest with you, it's the UFC's job to pick who I'm going
to fight and I'll take whoever the put in front of me. I was
just glad to be able to get in the cage again.
What
do you think of Rosholt's game?
I think he's a phenomenal wrestler. He's a four-time All-American.
He's a national champ. There's no way you can say anything bad
about having a set of skills like that.
What
about the rest of his game?
I know he's been with Mark Laimon for a while, so I'm sure his
grappling's gotten quite a bit better. From what I've seen, he's
a goer. He likes to take people down and try to beat on them.
Styles make fights, so we're going to have to see how this whole
thing matches up.
You
must feel like you have a big advantage on the feet?
Yeah, I think so.
Did
you bring in any specialists to prepare for his wrestling?
Absolutely. Carl Barton, who wrestled at Penn State and now coaches
at my school, I spent a lot of time with him. Then at Team Quest,
Ed Herman, Matt Lindland, Chael Sonnen, and Nate Quarry, so I
had some great guys with great wrestling skills on top of me.
If I can get out from under them, I could get out from under
anybody.
What
if he decided to stand with you? He seems to like the fact that
you're a straight-ahead guy.
It'd make my day. It would definitely make my day if that's his
plan. I've stood with a lot of people so, we know that I'm not
worried about that.
Where
do you hope your career goes after the Rosholt fight?
Right now, to be at the point that I'm at with my life and everything
that's taken place, I'm just looking at this fight. I'm just
focusing on this fight. I'm not looking at what's going to happen
next and what's further down the road. I'll worry about that
on August 30.
Fighting
in front of Portland, will it feel like a home game?
Absolutely, I'm born and raised here. Team Quest is where I started
and I know everybody there. My friends and family are here. Being
here is great.
How
many people are you expecting to come out and support you at
the arena?
A lot! I know every one of my friends has called me and told
me they were able to get a bunch of tickets. And I'm a pretty
cool guy, so I've got a lot of friends.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
UFC
IN-DEPTH: COUTURE VS. NOGUEIRA
by Damon Martin
It's been a dream match-up for many hardcore MMA fans for several
years and on Aug. 29 former UFC heavyweight champion Randy "The
Natural" Couture will finally do battle with former Pride
and UFC champion Antonio Rodrigo "Minotauro" Nogueira.
Both former titleholders step into this bout coming off of losses,
but which heavyweight will take a step back towards the championship
picture? Regardless of his age, 46, Randy Couture has already
defied the odds and continues to do so by competing at the highest
levels of the sport. Running his team at Xtreme Couture in Las
Vegas, the former Olympic hopeful still works just as hard as
anyone in the sport.
Gaining
much of his success while fighting in Japan, Rodrigo Nogueira
finally made the move to the United States when Pride was purchased
by the UFC. Since that time he's gone 2-1 with his only loss
coming by way of former champion Frank Mir last December.
Both
fighters have something to prove in an ever-developing heavyweight
division and this fight could solidify one fighter as a contender,
while the other could spend quite some time working his way back
to the top.
STRIKING
Nogueira's
stand-up has been known for two things: solid boxing and having
a granite chin that could sustain unbelievable amounts of punishment.
The latter took a major hit in his fight with Frank Mir, as he
got caught repeatedly throughout their two-round affair and eventually
was toppled by strikes following two knockdowns earlier in the
bout.
Nogueira
has stated on several occasions since the fight that he was not
physically well going into the match-up, and other reports said
the Brazilian was infected with staph heading into the fight.
Either way, Nogueira has taken some big shots in his day so his
striking in this fight needs to include more defense to accompany
his boxing or he may have another long day in the Octagon.
Couture
has always been known more for his clinch work and ground attack,
but he has steadily improved his striking year-over-year. Although
he did drop two fights later in his career to Chuck Liddell,
it was their first fight where Couture stayed aggressive and
used his boxing to keep the former light heavyweight champion
on his heels the entire fight.
Throughout
his career, Couture has used his punching to set up the clinch
where he utilizes a dirty boxing style that has been disastrous
for several opponents. If he can get inside of Nogueira's jab,
Couture should be able to control the stand-up, but aggression
has to be the key.
GRAPPLING
Many
critics believe this truly will be the category to watch when
Couture and Nogueira step into the cage on Saturday night. A
former Olympic level wrestler, Couture has shown tremendous ground
control throughout his career, while Nogueira's Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
is some of, if not the best, in the heavyweight division.
Traditionally,
Couture likes to work a dirty boxing game to set up his Greco-Roman
wrestling from the clinch. He's taken down some of the best fighters
in the game and kept them down, and being underneath Couture's
ground and pound is a difficult proposition for any fighter.
While
not MMA, Couture has also competed in the grappling world and
went to a draw with famed jiu-jitsu and Abu Dhabi champion Ronaldo
"Jacare" Souza in a match a few years ago. Not known
for his submissions, Couture does manage to keep his opponent's
off balance and never puts himself in a bad position, which ultimately
keeps him from being submitted.
Nogueira's
ground attack is the stuff of legend. In his days with Pride,
he reeled off a stunning 11 submission victories. Working from
his back is what the former Pride champion does best and fighting
a wrestler like Couture, that's more than likely what he'll do
in this fight as well.
For
his ground game to work, Nogueira has to get Couture to the mat
by any means necessary, even if it means pulling guard and throwing
up anything and everything he can to try and catch him.
While
their styles are different, Couture and Nogueira both compete
at the highest level when it comes to the ground game, but the
American's wrestling could be the difference maker if the fight
goes to a decision, as he will likely decide when and if the
fight hits the ground.
CAGE
CONTROL
This
category would seemingly go to Randy Couture almost every time
just based on his tremendous clinch game and ability to control
where the fight takes place. It's no secret that he is the better
wrestler in this fight, but he still has to be wary of Nogueira's
boxing when on the feet and his aggressive submission attack
on the ground.
CONDITIONING
This
is again a toss-up as both fighters have competed in some of
the highest-level bouts this sport has ever known. Nogueira battled
for round after round and in tournaments while fighting in Pride,
while Couture has fought into the "championship" rounds
a few times in his career, as well as battling through the tournament
format his entire wrestling career. Couture has also pushed himself
physically while competing in several major sporting competitions,
including endurance races, and his pace is almost unmatched in
any fight.
In
his last fight, Nogueira did seem very sluggish throughout, but
as referenced earlier he was apparently not physically well heading
into the bout. Still, the Brazilian has to know the pressure
is on him to stay active for every minute in this fight. With
it only being a three rounder, conditioning shouldn't be a problem
for either of these athletes.
THE
"X" FACTOR
The
biggest "X" factor heading into this fight is the same
factor that's been brought up in several categories prior to
this. Was 33-year-old Nogueira's last performance brought on
by sickness or has time caught up to the once great champion?
Time never seems to catch up to Couture, and even though he got
TKO'd by current champion Brock Lesnar in his last fight, the
ageless wonder was holding his own against the hulking Minnesotan
prior to the finishing flurry.
It's
never been a secret that Nogueira could take punishment and like
the Energizer bunny he just keeps going and going and going.
With this fight only being for three rounds, and with each round
only being five minutes, Nogueira simply can't wait to wear down
his opponent as he's been able to do in the past, especially
when that opponent is Couture.
Nogueira
has to be the aggressor in this fight, keeping Couture off balance,
and if the fight hits the ground, throw everything and the kitchen
sink at the former UFC champion to try and submit him. Even if
he doesn't catch him, making Couture work just to stay out of
trouble will look better to the judges who are notorious for
granting the decision to whoever happens to be on top in a ground
fight.
KEYS
TO VICTORY
Randy
Couture:
- Use the clinch and dirty boxing
- Work his wrestling game to his advantage
- Slip inside of Nogueira's jab and stay close
Antonio
Rodrigo Nogueira:
- Be the aggressor at every point
- On the ground use every submission at his disposal
- Work the jab to keep Couture away from the clinch
Source: MMA Weekly
|
UFC
9/19 American Airlines Center in Dallas
By Zach Arnold
Dark
matches
¦Lightweights:
Rob Emerson vs. Rafael Dos Anjos
¦Light Heavyweights: Vladimir Matyushenko vs. Igor Pokrajac
¦Light Heavyweights: Eliot Marshall vs. Jason Brilz
¦Middleweights: Drew McFedries vs. Tomasz Drwal
¦Welterweights: Paul “Semtex” Daley vs. Brian
Foster
¦Lightweights: Dan Lauzon vs. Rafaello Oliveira
¦Lightweights: Jim Miller vs. Thiago Tavares
¦Lightweights: Efrain Escudero vs. Cole Miller
Main card
¦Lightweights:
Tyson Griffin vs. Hermes Franca
¦Welterweights: Josh Koscheck vs. Frank Trigg
¦Welterweights: Mike Swick vs. Martin Kampmann
¦Heavyweights: Mirko Cro Cop vs. Junior Dos Santos
¦Catch weight (195 pounds): Rich Franklin vs. Vitor Belfort
Carlos Arias at The Orange County Register says that Spike TV
will air two hours of undercard fights on Spike TV right before
the show goes to PPV.
Two
questions:
1.I
thought Dana White kept saying that nobody wanted to see Floyd
Mayweather Jr. vs. Juan Manuel Marquez and that he wasn’t
at war with boxing. All of a sudden he’s now giving away
dark matches on free TV to compete?
2.Will Spike TV air the two-hour broadcast live on all coasts
or will it be a staggered feed? If it’s a staggered feed,
it will lose a lot of sting. If it’s live on all coasts,
it will get viewers undoubtedly.
Source: Fight Opinion
|
Jake
Rosholt: NCAA Champ Makes the Move to the UFC
by Michael David Smith
Few collegiate wrestlers have accomplished more than Jake Rosholt,
a four-time All-American and three-time NCAA champion at Oklahoma
State. But now Rosholt is finding that the move from the mat
to the Octagon isn't easy.
Rosholt
started fighting mixed martial arts in 2007, and in February
of 2009 he made his debut in the UFC. His first fight, however,
lasted just over a minute, before Brazilian jiu jitsu black belt
Dan Miller caught him in a guillotine choke and forced him to
tap out.
Now
Rosholt is preparing for his second UFC fight, against Chris
Leben at UFC 102 on August 29, and in an interview with FanHouse,
he said he's learned from that loss and he's ready to do the
necessary work to become a champion in the UFC, just as he was
a champion in the NCAA.
Michael
David Smith: Would you say you're the most accomplished wrestler
in the UFC?
Jake Rosholt: As far as collegiate wrestling I am. I'm the only
person with three NCAA titles, and then there's one person with
two, and that's (former Oklahoma State teammate) Johny Hendricks,
and then I think there have been a few with two in the past,
like Kevin Randleman. As far as I know I'm the only one with
three, but there have also been UFC fighters who were Olympic
wrestlers, and being in the Olympics is considered a greater
accomplishment than being NCAA champion.
Is
wrestling the best base for an MMA fighter to have?
I don't know if I could say it's better than every other martial
art, but I think wrestling certainly helps. It teaches you hard
work and dedication, and those are important things to have in
MMA. Wrestling is a great sport and I think it's given me an
advantage.
Which
UFC fighters do you think are the best at using the techniques
of wrestling and applying them to MMA?
That's pretty simple: Georges St. Pierre is the best out there
at using wrestling to control the fight. I also think Randy Couture
is outstanding with his wrestling.
It's
interesting that you mention GSP because his background isn't
in wrestling. How good do you think he could have been as an
amateur wrestler if he had gone down that road when he was young?
I don't know because it's a completely different sport. I imagine
that he, because of the kind of athlete he is, would be pretty
damn good at whatever he did. But you can't really look at him
in MMA and say that he would have been an Olympian, because they
are different sports. In wrestling, you don't have to worry about
getting submitted and you don't have to worry about getting punched,
so it's just a completely different game plan.
What
do you think about Brock Lesnar? He's a former NCAA wrestling
champion. Does he have great wrestling skill, or is he just such
a big, strong physical specimen that he doesn't need that much
skill?
He's an amazing physical specimen, but his wrestling is top-notch,
too.
Did
you know when you were a college wrestler that you wanted to
be a professional MMA fighter?
No, I had no idea. I never wanted to fight until about a year
after I got done wrestling.
So
what got you into it?
I had some people approach me about it, and after I heard them
out, I decided I wanted to try it.
And
you started out with small shows in Oklahoma?
Yeah, I did some smaller shows and did well in those, and then
I won a fight on HDNet, and then the WEC gave me a contract for
five fights. After I fought one fight in the WEC, the UFC picked
up the rest of the contract, in kind of a whirlwind deal that
I didn't really have much say in.
Did
you have the sense in the WEC that they viewed you as one of
the up-and-coming stars, because you had such a strong resume
as an amateur wrestler?
I don't know. They said they were excited to have me, but I don't
know what kinds of plans they had for me.
How
did you feel about your one WEC fight, when you beat Nissen Osterneck?
Not very good. I got kind of overwhelmed at the beginning, and
I got the exact fight that I was not ready for. I was able to
pull out the win, but it didn't go the way I wanted it to go,
that's for sure.
So
after that fight did the WEC just tell you they were getting
rid of your weight class so you'd be going to the UFC?
I actually knew before the fight that it would be my only WEC
fight.
I
assume you were happy about that because the UFC is the bigger
show?
Honestly, I would have rather had a couple more fights in the
WEC. But it doesn't really matter. I'm excited about being in
the UFC because I can fight the best fighters out there, and
this is definitely the place for me to make my name.
And
when you made your UFC debut at the Ultimate Fight Night in February,
Dan Miller got you to tap with a guillotine choke after just
a minute. What went wrong?
I just got caught in a guillotine. There's not much else I can
say about it. The fight didn't last very long. I got caught in
a bad situation and got submitted.
I've
seen a few fights where a guy with a wrestling background goes
for a takedown and gets caught in a guillotine. Do the types
of takedowns that you use as a wrestler leave you susceptible
to the guillotine?
Yes, I definitely think so, but I've been doing MMA long enough
and studying jiu jitsu long enough that I should know better
than to get in those situations. It was just a spot where he
did a really good job, and I wasn't in a good position and I
got caught in a guillotine.
And
Dan Miller is a guy who, if you leave yourself open, his jiu
jitsu is good enough that he's going to make you pay for it.
Yeah, he is. He's a respectable opponent and he beat me.
What
do you think of your next opponent, Chris Leben?
I'm excited to fight him. Leben always puts on exciting fights.
He's a come-forward kind of guy who's going to try to stand in
front of me and knock me out, and I'm excited about that.
Have
you watched much tape of his fights to prepare?
I've watched a couple of his fights, but I don't spend too much
time doing that. I don't really watch much video of my opponents,
because I don't really care. I want to go out there and fight
to the best of my abilities and make them worry about what I'm
doing.
So
you view yourself as preparing for a fight, rather than preparing
specifically for Chris Leben?
Yes. I mean, obviously, I know where he's strong and my trainers
have watched some of his fights and pointed things out, but I'm
not going to sit there and break down every minute of every one
of his fights and think that's going to help me beat him.
With
your superior wrestling, would you like to take Leben to the
ground?
Not necessarily. I don't really care where the fight goes. I
think Leben is pretty decent on the ground, so it's not like
if I take him to the ground I'm definitely going to win the fight.
Where ever the fight is, I have to be ready to beat him.
Have
you given much thought to what you'd like to do next, after the
fight with Leben?
I'm just worried about beating Chris Leben. After I do that,
I'll fight whoever they ask me to.
Where
have you been training for this fight?
I've been at Cobra Kai in Las Vegas and UNLV Boxing with Chris
Ben, and a couple other places in Vegas as well.
What
are your long-term ambitions in this sport?
Just to keep getting better. I've only been doing this for two
years now, and I know I have a lot of learning to do and a lot
to get better at. I just want to keep winning fights and keep
making my name bigger in MMA.
How
long do you want to fight?
As long as I feel that I have the ability to be one of the best
fighters in the world, I'll keep doing it. Because I love it.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
UFC
Confirms Machida vs. Rua for Oct. 24th
Velasquez vs. Rothwell Also Announced for UFC 104
By FCF Staff
The
Ultimate Fighting Championship has officially announced that,
as expected, light-heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida will look
to defend his belt against Mauricio “Shogun” Rua at
UFC 104. The fight will take place October 24th at the Staples
Center in Los Angeles, California.
The
bout will mark the first time that the undefeated Machida (15-0)
has fought since he won the promotion’s 205lb. championship
in May, by knocking out Rashad Evans in highlight reel fashion
at UFC 98. The 31 year-old-champion has won 7 straight since
arriving in the UFC in February, 2007.
Rua
(18-3) is coming off a first round stoppage of former champion
Chuck Liddell at UFC 97 in April. The win was Rua’s second
in the UFC, after he stopped Mark Coleman in the third round
at UFC 93 in January.
With
Shane Carwin now scheduled to face Brock Lesnar at UFC 106 in
November, heavyweight contender Cain Velasquez (6-0) will take
on the veteran and UFC newcomer Ben Rothwell (30-6).
Velasquez
earned his 4th Octagon victory in June, by working his way to
a Unanimous Decision victory over Cheick Kongo at UFC 99, and
it marked the first time that the American Kickboxing Academy
fighter was forced to go the distance.
Rothwell
has not fought since last December, when he tapped out Chris
Guillen with strikes at an Adrenaline MMA event. Prior to that,
Rothwell was knocked out by Andrei Arlovski at Affliction’s
second event last July, handing the Miletich trained heavyweight
his first loss since 2005.
Source: Full Contact Fighter
|
JJ
reality show pilot on Youtube
Glover’s Travels to tour JJ academies around the world
With
its second episode already featuring on Youtube.com as a pilot,
Glover’s Travels is a reality show starring Jeff Glover,
a Jiu-Jitsu and submission grappling dynamo with a nimble and
lethal guard, who makes the rounds at Jiu-Jitsu academies around
the world to unearth the best of what each has to offer.
The
brainchild of Budo Videos’ David Contreras, the idea behind
the internet broadcast is to give back to the Jiu-Jitsu community
by providing exposure to the different schools it comprises.
With the professional filming, editing and know-how of the Budo
Videos film crew, each episode will feature a different Jiu-Jitsu
academy, and the expertise of seven-time Grapplers Quest champion
Glover.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Ryan
'The Lion' Couture Wins at TUFF-n-UFF Over Weekend
Las
Vegas, NV Aug 25, 2009 Ryan "The Lion" Couture wins
a tough and exciting fight in Las Vegas at Tuff-N-Uff "Future
Stars of MMA"
"I
knew from experience that generally what he does is just flurries
of punches on guys, so I was quick to try to get a hold of his
head and control his posture and tie his arms up. Luckily, I
was able to find that angle with my hips on him and lock that
armbar in and get myself out of there because I was definitely
still recovering and would have needed a minute to get my bearings
about me."
Source: The Fight Network
|
KENNY
FLORIAN PLANS ON FIGHTING AGAIN THIS YEAR
by Jeff Cain
Fresh off a loss to B.J. Penn at UFC 101 in Philadelphia on Aug.
8, Kenny Florian wants to be more active and expects to fight
again in 2009.
"I
am going to fight before 2010. There's no doubt about it,"
he told MMAWeekly.com. "I have to get a fight in. I think
it will happen and hopefully against someone tough."
Heading
into the UFC lightweight title bout with Penn, Florian was coming
off his longest layoff between fights since his appearance as
a contestant on The Ultimate Fighter's debut season in early
2005. For the 33-year-old fighter, that's too much of a break.
"I
have to stay more active," said Florian. "I can't be
taking almost nine months off between fights and then try to
fight somebody like B.J. Penn. I have to be more active than
that.
"I
definitely don't want to take that kind of time off again,"
added the lightweight contender. "I just need to stay as
active as possible. I want to fight every three or four months
with no more than four months off. I have to fight more often
and hopefully the UFC will allow me to do that. I think that's
when I'm my best."
For
his next bout, Florian wants a top opponent.
"I'm
looking forward to getting back in there with anyone who is tough
and get back to the top," he stated. "I didn't get
into this sport to just beat guys up. I got in this sport so
I can face the best guys and be the best martial artist I can
be. That's why I'm in this more than anything else, more than
the belt, more than anything else.
"I'm
in this sport to be the best fighter I can be, and you don't
do that by just fighting chumps," he continued. "I've
got to fight the best guys out there, and that's the way you
learn best about yourself and you skills, where you're at and
where you need to improve. Of course I need to get back to the
top. I want to fight again for the belt, and you've got to fight
the best to do that.
"I
always come back stronger after a loss, and I believe it will
be the same this time around. I want to get back there."
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Is
it time for Keith Kizer to approve Big John McCarthy back into
the fold?
By Zach Arnold
We
know that UFC has been vocal about certain referees they like
and don’t like (Steve Mazzagatti being one of them), so
it’s obvious that when you’re the top promoter in your
sport you have a lot of political power because of your financial
clout.
We
also know that Keith Kizer has not always had the most glowing
opinion of Big John McCarthy, a reason perhaps as to why McCarthy
isn’t officiating in Nevada. Given the shaky referee work
that we’ve seen in 2009 in MMA, is it time for Keith Kizer
to publicly endorse or embrace bringing back Big John McCarthy
as a referee in Nevada for MMA events?
Source: Fight Opinion
|
Quote
of the Day
"It
is difficulties which give birth to miracles."
Rev. Dr. Sharpe
|
DEMIAN
MAIA: GETTING BETTER ALL THE TIME
At first, jiu-jitsu phenom Demian Maia was disappointed when
the UFC matched him with Nate Marquardt at UFC 102, a final test
before a middleweight title shot against kingpin Anderson Silva.
He wanted the title shot badly. Then, he realized he’d face
Marquardt soon anyways.
"As
a fighter, as an athlete, I should get these tough tests,”
Maia told MMAWeekly.com. “I could go and fight for the title
and maybe win, but I’d fight Nate after. So let’s fight
now and see who is more prepared for the title shot.”
The
185-pound title eliminator has come in under the radar on the
Aug. 29 card in Portland, Ore., but it carries serious implications
for the middleweight division.
Maia
took special care to prepare correctly for Marquardt, a former
contender and an illustration of the well-rounded fighter. If
it was to be the final step before his biggest challenge, he
couldn’t falter.
By
all accounts, Maia has a great setup in his home city of Sao
Paulo, Brazil, meaning it’s not the hot and sweaty hell
of many Brazilian dojos. He has ample training partners to draw
from, including high-level wrestlers often elusive to jiu-jitsu
centered schools like his own. But that comes with a price. Like
other MMA stars that run their own gyms, there are many distractions
to take away from training. The solution: Wand Fight Team in
Las Vegas, where strength and conditioning punisher Rafael Alejarra
teamed up with Wanderlei Silva to focus Maia in the final month
of training.
“I
just go train, go back home, and sleep and eat,” he said.
“Everything’s just about the training.”
Many
fans have already anointed Maia the man to beat Silva. With his
ground dominance and Silva’s relative lack of camera time
there, MMA mathematicians have him submitting the pound-for-pound
great in a fantasy match-up. But he’s never been in a real
firefight on the feet, and Marquardt could be the man to give
him one.
“I
can’t think about Anderson because Nate is as tough as Anderson
is,” said Maia. “I have a very hard test right now.
If I win, then I can think about that, but not before the fight.
I forgot about Anderson.”
It
may help, too, that Silva’s focus is on heavier things,
hinting at a two-division jump to heavyweight recently.
Maia
is not sure how the fight will play out, or if Marquardt will
be his toughest challenge yet. “You never know,” he
said. “It looks like it’s going to be my toughest challenge.”
Apart from the general goal – submission – he’s
going to take what’s given to him.
“I
don’t really make a game plan,” he said. “A fight
is always improvised. Everybody has a strategy; everybody has
his strong and weak points, and is thinking what I’m gonna
do. But during the fight, you really can’t control too much.”
Marquardt
says he’s a changed man since his loss to Silva in July
2007, and looked like a terror in recent performances against
Martin Kampmann and Wilson Gouveia. It’s not the first time
he’s faced a jiu-jitsu ace – Ricardo Almeida submitted
him in late 2003 – but perhaps the first time he’s
faced someone with Maia’s level of prestige. He does, however,
have a decided advantage in field experience, and he’s counting
on that for the win.
If
Maia is victorious, he says he'll expect a title shot. But the
timing of this bout turned out to be a blessing for his title
aspirations.
“I
should be in the best shape on the day of the fight,” he
said. “I’m always trying to get better in the stand-up,
and also jiu-jitsu. Trying to be better than I was last fight.
I want to submit (Marquardt).”
Source: MMA Weekly
|
COUTURE
READY TO FACE THE BEST NOGUEIRA
Five-time UFC champion Randy Couture can empathize with Antonio
Rodrigo Nogueira when critics say the former Pride and UFC champ
is past his prime.
At
46, he’s made a career of bucking the trend, performing
at peak ability long past the usual shelf life for combatants.
At 33, Nogueira is battling his first crisis of confidence after
years of come-from-behind fighting and a lackluster performance
in December against Frank Mir.
Couture
has been there, done that.
“Those
questions have been asked of me for quite a while, and they’re
being asked of him now after his last couple of performances,
and not looking as sharp or as stellar as he used to look,”
Couture told MMAWeekly.com. “The Mir fight has raised more
permanent questions of, has he been in too many battles, is he
slowing down; he doesn’t look as impressive. We obviously
know he can take some punishment and stay in there and find ways
to win. He’s a very impressive fighter. People are going
to ask those questions, especially after you’ve had a loss.”
Couture
believes it would be a mistake to buy into to that thinking.
“I
have to prepare myself for the Nogueira that we all know, because
that’s the potential that could be there,” he said.
“I can’t count on any of this other speculation. It
doesn’t make any sense.”
Couture
twice turned down the opportunity to face Nogueira; first, in
November of 2007, when UFC president Dana White offered the match-up
a month after he resigned from the promotion; then in March,
when the promotion was pinched for a main event worthy bout for
UFC 96 in Columbus, Ohio. At the time, Couture’s elbow had
been a nagging problem, and his role in the Sylvester Stallone-helmed
movie “The Expendables” got in the way. Back in Pride
days, there was talk of a match-up between the two that never
came to fruition.
As
such, fans have labeled this fight as a day late and a dollar
short, a concession for the years the two circled each other
as figureheads of rival organizations. The heavyweight tournament
sold upon Couture’s return – Lesnar vs. Couture at
UFC 91 and Nogueira vs. Mir at UFC 92 – is long over. The
two are battling as much for legacy as another title shot.
Consider
how many match-ups between former Pride and UFC stars did not
get made, and things look a little better.
Couture
shrugs at the timing of the bout and says his elbow is 100 percent.
“I
took the fight because it was an intriguing match-up,” he
said. “Nogueira poses a lot of interesting problems as a
fighter, and that’s what I love about fighting: figuring
out how to solve those problems.
“He
still has the spirit and willingness to get out there and fight,
that makes him a formidable opponent. His experience is one more
thing to consider.”
Nogueira
has 38 fights on his resume; many of them are case studies in
resiliency. The Brazilian made his name on heart and the ability
to capitalize on mistakes to win the day. His last victory, an
interim title fight against Tim Sylvia at UFC 81, served as the
most recent example of his toughness. It’s also the thing
that’s dogging him coming into the fight.
Couture
does not expect to be the second person to put “Big Nog”
away.
“You
never think you’re going to finish anybody,” said Couture.
“You have to give respect to each and every guy you fight,
that they’re prepared, that they’re not going to make
a mistake, and it’s going to be a war. And never has that
been truer than going into this fight.”
Mir
was an early candidate for Couture’s training camp, but
Neil Melanson ended up doing the bulk of coaching for the grappling
side of preparation. For stand-up training, Couture called in
Muay Thai specialist Quinton Chong and worked with in-house coaches
Gil Martinez, Shawn Thompkins, and Ron Frazier.
Couture
says he’ll try to keep Nogueira from taking him down, and
if a takedown does occur, he’ll work to be on top. Despite
the fact that both are ground experts, a stand-up war has been
predicted.
“He’s
a pretty big guy, and he’s pretty good at the crazy trips
and things that he does,” said Couture. “He’s
going to have trouble doing his body lock trip that he tries
to do to everyone else.”
Nogueira’s
coach, Luiz Alves, has said Couture doesn’t have knockout
power.
“His
stand-up’s decent,” said Couture. “It’s more
than adequate.”
It’s
the transitions where Couture sees the advantage.
“It’s
an area I certainly feel comfortable in, finding ways through
the transition to land shots and tie guys up and limit their
abilities to return fire,” he continued. “I can’t
get careless, but I think that’s an area I feel comfortable
in, and you obviously want to try and put the fight in the areas
where you feel best.”
As
usual, Couture is taking his career one fight at a time, sidestepping
questions of his retirement for the challenge ahead. Whichever
Nogueira he faces, he’ll be ready.
“This
guy is a top-notch fighter, he’s a warrior, and I have to
assume that he’s going to bring everything he has and try
to find a way to win this fight, just like he has every other
time he’s stepped out there,” he said. “Those
other questions don’t concern me.”
Source: MMA Weekly
|
FRANK
SHAMROCK PLANNING DECEMBER RETURN
Frank Shamrock expects to return to competition in the Strikeforce
promotion in December, but an opponent has not been named.
"A
time line for me to fight is December," Shamrock told MMAWeekly.com
content partner Tapout Radio.
While
no opponent has been named, Shamrock threw out a few names he'd
like to fight: Matt Lindland and rematches with Nick Diaz and
Cung Le. But at the end of the day, Shamrock doesn't care who's
standing across the cage from him for his next bout.
"If
Nick Diaz can stop smoking dope, if whoever else the hell we've
got can show up at the weigh-ins, I honestly don't care,"
stated Shamrock. "I'm interested in promoting the sport
of mixed martial arts. Who ever comes in front of me, I'm interested
in facing."
Shamrock's
accolades include UFC middleweight titleholder, interim King
of Pancrase, and WEC light heavyweight champion, as well as Strikeforce
middleweight titleholder.
Shamrock
rose to the top of the sport by winning the Ultimate Fighting
Championship middleweight title at UFC Ultimate Japan 1 in 1997.
He defended his belt four times before leaving the promotion
in semi-retirement.
He
made a full-time return to fighting on March 10, 2006, setting
the then U.S. attendance record against Cesar Gracie in San Jose,
Calif., in what was California's first sanctioned mixed martial
arts event. He's gone 2-3 since his official return losing his
last two outings, to Cung Le and Nick Diaz.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
WERDUM
READY FOR TITLE, FEDOR, WHOEVER
It was a far cry from the title shot that he had anticipated,
but Fabricio Werdum made the most of his fight at the recent
Strikeforce “Carano vs. Cyborg” event in San Jose,
Calif. He still made the Showtime televised portion of the fight
card and submitted his opponent, Mike Kyle, just over a minute
into the opening round.
“The
fight went exactly as I planned it,” he later told MMAWeekly.com.
“The only thing that surprised me a bit is that Mike tried
to submit me.”
Not
a bad Strikeforce debut. Werdum quickly served notice that he
was worthy of being considered for the title shot against champion
Alistair Overeem – who had to withdraw due to a lingering
injury – despite leaving the UFC following a TKO loss to
Junior dos Santos last October.
“Overall,
I do not know if the win rates me higher in (Strikeforce’s)
rankings, but hopefully it does. I believe that I am one of the
top 10 heavyweights in the world,” said Werdum. “In
terms of heavyweights in Strikeforce, I would like to think that
I am top three.”
Even
with the recent addition of Fedor Emelianenko – a near unanimous
choice as the number one heavyweight fighter in the world –
saying Werdum is one of Strikeforce’s top three isn’t
much of a stretch. With Overeem currently laying claim to the
title, Werdum should easily be considered one of the top contenders
alongside Fedor and Brett Rogers.
The
former grappling coach for Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic,
he feels he matches up well against all three of the other top
Strikeforce heavyweights.
“I
think the match up would be great,” he said of Fedor. “My
jiu-jitsu against his sambo. Fedor is a dangerous unorthodox
striker that anyone must be careful of. Brett is a great fighter,
too. This match would be a good one as well because you would
see Brett tested for the first time in his career.”
And
Overeem is a fighter that he knows all too well, having submitted
the Strikeforce champ a little over three years ago when the
two were fighting for Pride in Japan.
“I
think my past fight against Alistair, when I beat him, speaks
for itself.”
That
said, Werdum is a company man. He just wants to fight, and will
face whoever Strikeforce puts in front of him.
“I
prefer to fight,” he told MMAWeekly.com, “Against who,
does not matter to me. Showtime and Strikeforce work closely
with one another in making matches and I understand that the
match must have a broader television appeal than just going for
the hardcore MMA fan.”
It’s
unclear how soon Overeem will be able to defend his title, and
with the addition of Fedor, it’s also unclear who will get
the next crack at him.
Current
plans put Fedor in his first Strikeforce bout in October or November,
according to CEO Scott Coker, but it is unlikely that he’ll
be facing Overeem. It’s more likely that it will be Fedor
debuting against either Werdum or Rogers.
Regardless
of how the match-ups pan out, rest assured, Werdum is ready and
willing for any of them.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
TIM
SYLVIA TOPS ADRENALINE IV FIGHT CARD
Despite early indications of a second Southern showing, Adrenaline
MMA will be a local affair for promoter and manager Monte Cox
when the fourth installment of the regional promotion hits the
Mid-American Center on Sept. 18 in Council Bluffs, Iowa.
Former
UFC heavyweight champion Tim Sylvia will headline his second
consecutive Adrenaline card, hoping to shake off a devastating
loss to ex-boxing champ Ray Mercer at Adrenaline III in Birmingham,
Ala. He faces former Canadian Football League standout Jason
Riley.
UFC
vets dot the rest of the card, with a light heavyweight match-up
between Houston Alexander and Sherman Pendergarst co-headlining
the evening, in addition to appearances by Chad Reiner, Forrest
Petz, and Joe Vedepo.
ADRENALINE
IV FULL CARD:
MAIN
EVENTS:
-Tim Sylvia (24-5) vs. Jason Riley (6-1)
-Houston Alexander (8-4) vs. Sherman Pendergarst (11-13)
MAIN
CARD:
-Chad Reiner (19-8) vs. Forrest Petz (13-7)
-Alonzo Martinez (23-10) vs. Ryan Williams (10-4)
-Jeremy Lang (15-1) vs. Matt Delanoit (13-6)
-Joe Vedepo (9-2) vs. Webster Farris (1-0)
-Jimmy Siepel (1-0) vs. Bob Tuttle (1-0)
PRELIMINARIES:
-Todd Meneely (0-0) vs. Corey McDonald (1-1)
-Dustin Smith (5-0) vs. Marcos Marquez (3-0)
-Matt Bentley (4-2) vs. Danny Black (7-5)
-John Hansen (10-2) vs. Gregg Van der Creek (4-1)
-Dakota Cochrane (6-0) vs. Bill Holcombe (12-4)
-Ryan Shell (15-4) vs. Robert Rojas (13-1)
Source: MMA Weekly
|
KING
MO VS MARK KERR HEADS FULL M-1 FIGHT CARD
M-1 Global on Sunday released the full fight card for its “HDNet
Fights Presents M-1 Global Breakthrough,” which takes place
at Memorial Hall in Kansas City on Friday.
Six
televised bouts are scheduled to air during the HDNet telecast
(10:00 p.m. ET), plus a special sparring exhibition between M-1
fighters Fedor Emelianenko and newly-crowned Strikeforce light
heavyweight champion Gegard Mousasi, with a five-bout undercard
assembled for the local crowd attending live.
The
main card is anchored by the United States debut of former NCAA
champion "King" Mo Lawal and former NCAA All-American
Mark "The Smashing Machine" Kerr. The undercard will
be headlined by 8-1 Spanish heavyweight sensation Rogent Lloret
taking on the latest addition to the M-1 Global roster, Russian
heavyweight Alexey Oleinik.
-Muhammed
"King Mo" Lawal (4-0) vs. Mark Kerr (15-10)
-Special Sparring Exhibition: Fedor Emelianenko vs. Gegard Mousasi
-Lucio Linhares (12-4) vs. Mikhail Zayats (8-3)
-Jessie Gibbs (8-2) vs. Rob Broughton (10-4-1)
-Karl Amoussou (10-2-1) vs. John Doyle (9-8)
-Lloyd Marshbanks (17-8) vs. Michael Kita (5-3)
-Daisuke Nakamura (19-10) vs. Ferrid Kheder (14-3)
-Rogent Lloret (7-1) vs. Alexey Oleinik (24-4)
-Eric Marriott (13-1) vs. Tim Bazer (9-6)
-Sean Wilson (18-9) vs. Josh Orocho (11-6)
-Rudy Bears (9-3) vs. Brendan Seguin (18-15-1)
-Andria Caplan (0-0) vs. Mollie Ahlers-Estes (1-0)
Source: MMA Weekly
|
AARON
SIMPSON WORKING HIS WAY TO THE TOP
Arizona Combat Sports fighter Aaron Simpson’s foray into
the UFC has been interesting, to say the least.
One
of the original transferees from the WEC’s middleweight
and light heavyweight merger into the big show, Simpson made
his presence known when he defeated seasoned, seven-year veteran
Tim McKenzie at UFC Fight Night 18 via TKO within the first two
minutes of the opening round.
It
would be just a couple of months later before Simpson received
the infamous UFC phone call to return to action. This one phone
call would trigger one of the more confusing and public matchmaking
flip flops to date, which can only spell disaster for what must
have been a hellish couple of weeks for matchmaker extraordinaire
Joe Silva.
“July
4th, I remember that me and my wife are at a resort and I get
a text that says I’m fighting Dan Miller,” recounted
Simpson as he spoke with the MMAWeekly Radio crew.
“This
is the very first thing I heard... I put that up on my facebook.
Well, it was a little premature because either they didn’t
offer him the fight or something happened or whatever. They told
me to take it off the facebook, blah, blah, blah,” he said.
“So,
next thing I know, I get a call that says we’re fighting
Ed Herman, send the paperwork and that is for UFC Fight Night
19 in Oklahoma City. So all along I’m like, ‘okay,
Ed Herman, that’s who my opponent is.’ Well, then a
couple of weeks ago, Ed Herman takes a fight with Wilson Gouveia
and they give me Dan Miller again.”
As
Simpson continued to make short of what is an increasingly long
story, it has become evident the plight that many fighters must
face from time to time. Although most would find such a situation
frustrating, Simpson chose to look at the positives and feels
that, in the end, everything has worked out as it was to be intended.
“Long
story short, Wilson Gouveia goes down, they need someone for
Ed Herman, they offer it to us. I said I’d take it now because
I’ve been training for Ed Herman all along, it’s just
a couple of weeks early, and we’ll give C.B the fight with
Dan Miller out in Oklahoma City. So everything worked out for
the good, I think,” finished the 35-year-old on an odd,
odd story.
The
bout, originally intended for Oklahoma’s UFC Fight Night
19, has been moved up a little over two weeks to the UFC 102
event, the organization’s first outing to Oregon. Legends
Randy Couture and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira will collide in Portland’s
main event on Aug. 29.
It’s
become a trend amongst most premier athletes today, where some
of the greats such as welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre
make conscious efforts to stay in shape year round, sharpening
and honing their skills in order to remain amongst the best in
their class and Simpson is no different.
“I
was helping C.B for his last fight. I’ve been training since
June, so it’s not like a couple of weeks is going to hurt
me here or there. I’ve been in the gym,” he explained.
“Really,
even after my last fight I was doing stuff, may not have been
in the gym that much, but I was running, lifting, trying to get
a little bit bigger and stronger, increase some areas that I
feel like I needed (work on).”
Mindful
of the task at hand, Simpson hopes to keep his undefeated record
in tact when he takes on Season 3 middleweight Ultimate Fighter
runner-up Ed Herman, hopefully. With just two years and change
underneath his belt into his professional career as a mixed martial
artist, “A-Train” sees “Short Fuse” not only
as a formidable opponent, but the step up that he needs to become
among one of the best in his class.
“I
need to step it up in competition. (Ed is) going to be a real
good test for me, not that David Avellan or Tim (McKenzie) weren’t
good tests for me, but you go in there, you train to compete
against the best and right now these guys are top notch,”
he proclaimed.
“Whether
it was going to be Dan or it was going to be Ed, it was definitely
something I needed to learn about them a little bit and explore
where I need to get better at and train hard, which is what I’ve
been doing.
“It’s
going to be a fun fight for me.”
Source: MMA Weekly
|
HOPING
FOR UFC 105, HATHAWAY AWAITS THE CALL
Everybody is on tenterhooks in the U.K. waiting to find out who
will be populating the UFC 105 card in Manchester, England. Several
fighters are guaranteed to appear – namely heros that live
nearby, such as Michael Bisping, Terry Etim, and Ross Pearson;
but what of the other U.K. stars? We caught up with welterweight
John Hathaway to see if he had any news.
“Were
still waiting to hear about November, but if it’s not then
I guess I will be fighting again in the New Year,” he explained.
“No names have been mentioned to us, but I don’t mind
at the moment. I have had some time off to rest and I have just
started training again so there are plenty of things I can work
on in the meantime.”
Having
only just celebrated his 22nd birthday, Hathaway feels that time
is on his side, and with an undefeated record of 11-0, he is
on the right track through hard training and a level headed approach
to his success. He realizes that there is a time to fight and
a time to pick up new skills without pressure.
“Ideally
I want to be fighting three to four times a year because of the
way I cut my weight, so I like to be active and hover around
an ideal cutting weight. In a way it is frustrating to not have
anything booked at the moment, but I see it as an opportunity
to tighten up a lot of elements in my game. I am training a lot
heavier than I usually am because of the down time, so it’s
odd moving the extra weight around, but it’s all good,”
he offered.
Since
making his Octagon debut as a welterweight at UFC 93, Hathaway
has been finding his feet in the division, but is under no illusions
that he is on the verge of mixing things up with some of the
big names that surround him on the roster.
“If
not for this next fight or the one after, I reckon I will be
fighting guys in the eight to 10 spots at 170,” he contemplated,
but he is curious to see how the UFC plans on dealing with such
a wealth of talent coming out of the U.K. at the moment.
“The
division is stacked on both sides of the pond, and I am interested
to see what they are going to do with the British guys moving
forward. I mean, we have Dan Hardy, Paul Daley, Nick Oscipzak,
Paul Taylor, and myself, so do they make us fight each other
or do they put on a united front of us against the Americans?
Who knows? But there are enough of us Brits out there to mix
it up without crossing paths.”
With
no clear fight in sight, all Hathaway can do is focus back on
his training and helping the rest of his team to develop. In
his own mind he has improvements to make and is working diligently
to seamlessly add new weapons to his arsenal, but you can tell
that he really would much rather be in the cage tearing it up.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
GORMLEY
DRAWS STEFAN STRUVE AT UFC 104
Danish heavyweight Stefan Struve will eclipse Ben Rothwell's
shadow to face Chase Gormley at UFC 104 on Oct. 24 in Los Angeles.
The
match-up was first reported by Fighters Only and subsequently
confirmed to MMAWeekly.com by a source close to the fight. Both
parties have agreed to the contest and bout agreements are expected
to be signed shortly.
The
Rothwell/Gormley match-up was originally scheduled for Affliction
“Trilogy” on Aug. 1 before the promotion closed up
shop. The pair was acquired by the UFC in a transfer of select
fighter contracts as part of a sponsorship deal between the clothing
maker and industry leading fight promotion.
Gormley
(6-0) trains out of Black House gym in Gardena, Calif., and makes
his big show debut at the Staples Center event. A veteran of
California feeder show Gladiator Challenge and Maximum Fighting
Championships, he carries notable wins over Jon Murphy and King
of the Cage champion Eric Pele.
The
6'11" Struve (17-3) notched his first Octagon victory in
his last outing at UFC 99, braving a monstrous cut on his forehead
to submit Denis Stojnic. Four months prior, he fell short in
his debut, succumbing to the strikes of Junior Dos Santos at
UFC 95.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Quote
of the Day
“It's
hard for many people to believe that there are extraordinary
things inside themselves, as well as others. I hope you can keep
an open mind.”
Elijah Price
|
UP
N UP 3
NEAL BLAISDELL
CENTER
SATURDAY, SEPT 12, 2009
AURYTE! HERE WE GO AGAIN....
BRINGING
THE HEAT ONCE AGAIN!
ALL
THE WAY FROM THE VALLEY ISLE...
COMING
TO OAHU SEPTEMBER 12 TO THE NEAL BLAISDELL CENTER...
THE
CAGE IS BACK...
UP
N UP 3.....OAHU ARE YOU READY!
HERE ARE SOME CONFIRMED FIGHTS...THERE ARE MORE CRAZY FIGHTS
IN THE MAKING...WE'LL KEEP U IN SUSPENSE!?
MAIN
EVENT-UP N UP HEAVYWEIGHT BELT
Lolohea Mahe vs Ruben "Warpath" Villareal
145
CHAMPIONSHIP FIGHT
UNDEFEATED Brandon Visher 15-0 vs Issac De Jesus 11-0
170
Koa Ramos vs Dylan Clay
135
Mark Oshiro vs Rick McCorkell
155
Harris Sarmiento vs Michael Brightmon
170
Zane Kamaka vs Chris Cisneros
145
Jay Bolos vs Colin Mackenzie
135
Brysen Hansen vs Van Oscar Penaveroff
145
Matt Comeau vs Tyler Kahihikolo
we
are in the process of confrming opponents for:
Falaniko Vitale
and many more...
Undefeated Issac De Jesus (11-0) replaces injured Eddie Yagin
in Up N Up Main Event fight against Hawaii’s undefeated
Brandon Visher (15-0) in Honolulu Hawaii on September 12th ,2009.
HONOLULU,
HI August 25, 2009 - Undefeated rising mixed martial arts (MMA)
star Issac De Jesus (11-0) from Stockton, California, will replace
injured Eddie Yagin in the Up N Up Main Event bout with Hawaii’s
top ranked and also undefeated champion Brandon Visher (15-0)
from Kula, Maui at the Neil Blaisdell Center in Honolulu Hawaii
on Saturday, September 12th.
The
flawless record of Brandon Visher will truly be tested in this
amazing match up with Strikeforce veteran Issac De Jesus. Both
fighters have no blemishes on their record, this fight will ensure
that someone’s “0” must go.
BRANDON
VISHER: “I expect him to come into this fight in shape,
strong and ready to leave undefeated but I'm willing to do the
same. Hopefully he brings it. ...lets hope he's ready for a warm
808 welcome. ...bring your best I'll bring mine and Aloha!”
ISSAC
DE JESUS: “I expect him to come out proud….but I’m
a surprising fighter and I’m coming in there for the same
reasons he is. There’s a belt on the line. I’m undefeated
and I don’t want to loose.”
Another
one of Hawaii’s top ranked fighters, Mark Oshiro, will be
taking on Felipe Chavez who is a younger relative to the UFC
powerhouse Diego Sanchez. Oshiro has proven himself to be “the”
man to beat in Hawaii as a veteran of EliteXC and Icon Sport.
This should be a true test for both men on September 12th.
Undefeated
Koa Ramos will be taking on Hawaii’s #1 ranked Dylan Clay
on the Up N Up main card. Ramos has made a splash in Hawaii with
dominating performances in X-1 and Icon Sport while Dylan Clay
has also been making his force known through X-1 and M-1. Both
are highly regarded in Hawaii and this fight will solidify who
deserves to be on top of the rankings in the 170lbs division.
Rounding
out the Marquee card is Harris Sarmiento vs. Michael Brightmon.
The touted technical skills of Sarmiento will clash with the
brute force of Brightmon in this extremely anticipated bout that
will no doubt please the fans. Sarmiento is a true veteran of
MMA fighting such names as Nick Diaz, Jason Dent, KJ Noons, Roger
Huerta, Shane Nelson, Gilbert Melendez, Josh Thomson and Billy
Evangelista. With wins over former WEC Champ “Razor”
Rob McCullough. Brightmon is an unbeaten powerhouse who is a
definite up and comer in the sport who took out UFC veteran Anthony
Torres.
The
Up N Up event at the Neil Blaisdell Center on September 12th
is stacked with some of the best MMA fights a fan could ask for.
Tickets
for the event, priced from $15, are on sale at the Blaisdell
Arena box office, all Times Supermarket locations (1-800-745-3000),
and Ticketmaster online (www.Ticketmaster.com) http://www.ticketmaster.com/Up-N-Up-Extreme-Cage-Fighting-tickets/artist/1353209
WHAT:
UPNUP 3 Extreme Cage Fighting
WHEN:
September 12, 2009
WHERE:
Blaisdell Arena, Honolulu, Hawaii
CONTACTS:
MEDIA
CREDENTIALS
info@mmahawaii.com
(808)
944-6552
PROMOTER
EMAIL:
nexcoastapparel@yahoo.com
PHONE:
(808) 357-8645
Source: MMA Hawaii |
Island
Assult
Saturday
August 29, 2009
Honolulu, Hawaii
Blaisdell Arena
12
Rounds - IBF World Light Flyweight Title
Brian Viloria (25-2, Waipahu, HI) vs Jesus Iribe (16-5, Culiacan,
MX)
10
Rounds
AJ Banal (19-1, Cebu, PI) vs Jose Beranza (32-15, Mexico City,
MX)
10
Rounds
Dennis Laurente (31-3, Palopon, PI) vs Zaid Zavaleta (18-5. Guadalajara,
MX)
10
Rounds
Alfonso Gomez (19-4, Guadalajara, MX) vs Sergio Rios (18-9. Guadalajara,
MX)
4
Rounds
Justin Mercado (1-1, Honolulu, HI) vs Richard Barard (1-1, Makakilo,
HI)
4
Rounds
Toby Misech (1-0, Hilo, HI) vs Mike Balasi (7-1, Honolulu, HI)
4
Rounds - Female Bout
Kuulei Kupihea (3-1, Mililani, HI) vs Shalei Padilla (Pro Debut,
Kona, HI)
4
Rounds
Isaac Arasato (4-0, Honolulu, HI) vs Donald Gonzalez (0-1, Hilo,
HI)
|
Toquinho
on Sakara
Black belt comments on Anderson Silva’s run
When
he told Portal das Lutas, GRACIEMAG.com’s partner website,
that he would return to the UFC octagon, Rousimar “Toquinho”
Palhares believed he would fight in October. His next challenge
will however be on December 5th, when the grand finale of the
10th season of the The Ultimate Fighter reality show takes place
in Las Vegas. His adversary will be Alessio Sakara, who recently
overcame Thales Leites. Furthermore, it was Toquinho who was
supposed to have faced the Italian at UFC 101, but was kept out
due to a fractured tibia.
“I
hope to always put on a good fight and show my potential,”
he said in regards to his next fight. As for his preparations,
the fighter is not worried about his future opponent’s skills.
“I’m
not worried about him right now. At the moment I’m more
concerned about recovery and training. But from what I hear he’s
a great athlete, a good fighter.”
Not
having fought since January, when he beat Jeremy Horn by unanimous
decision, at UFC 93, the Brazilian Top Team representative believes
his unwanted time off will not get in the way. To the contrary,
the period of inactivity way even prove beneficial.
“It
will be alright and I even think the time off did me well. I’ve
been training nonstop for six years, I didn’t stop once.
This time I had to rest and I’m renewed, thank God. The
time off left me brand new!” he said laughing, always an
optimist:
“I
expect the best and let’s start all over again. To me it
will be a fresh start after all this time off, which was really
good for it helping to make me more mature,” he adds.
And
always alert to what is going on at his work, the UFC, Toquinho
made sure to watch Anderson Silva’s victory over Forrest
Griffin. The Jiu-Jitsu black belt enjoyed the performance of
“The Spider”, the current champion of his category
(middleweight).
“I
think these days he’s the guy to beat. His fight against
Griffin was exciting, great to see,” he said in finishing.
Source: Gracie Magazine |
A
Gracie in the UFC?
Renzo: “I can’t wait till Demian wears a belt”
In
an interview with Sensei Sportv (a Brazilian martial arts program
on television) last night, Renzo Gracie, 42, reasserted that
he is not even thinking of retiring. He revealed that he speaks
frequently with his friend Dana White, and that the UFC is not
out of the question for his return. “I’ve opened the
gyms I’d wanted to and now I want to return to training,
there’s no better place than in the ring,” he said.
“Dana White is my friend and we talk on the phone every
now and again; whenever I have a suggestion for a fighter ready
for the UFC we talk on the phone. We talk of my return and it
may be that I fight in the Octagon, who knows. I haven’t
any pretensions of becoming champion, but I’d like to face
the champions. I’m going to keep fighting till I’m
50, for free is need be.”
Renzo,
who has fought MMA since 1992 and has 21 fights on his record,
went on to praise Demian Maia, to him the greatest Jiu-Jitsu
fighter in the Octagon these days: “He’s a golden boy,
I can’t wait till Demian wears that belt on his waist.”
The
program also featured an interview with plastic surgeon Ivo Pitanguy,
who confirmed that he has taken up martial arts with Grandmaster
Oswaldo Gracie, brother of Carlos and Helio, in Minas Gerais.
“I used to live in Minas and there was a rowdy bunch where
I lived. Those who practice martial arts gain tranquility since
confidence subdues the anger of others, who in turn lose their
hate for you. Martial artists are rational, not violent.”
The doctor and immortal from the Brazilian Literary Academy,
who is now a 3rd degree black belt, praised UFC champion Lyoto
Machida. “Lyoto is an innovator,” he added.
Source: Gracie Magazine |
Demian:
‘I’m ready for war’
Fighter going for seventh UFC submission
“I’m
going to be ready for war when I get in there. It’ll be
war, from beginning to end.” That’s how black belt
Demian Maia defined his impending engagement at UFC 102, where
he will face Nate Marquardt, August 29 in Portland, Oregon.
Undefeated
in his 10-fight MMA career, Demian has come up with some impressive
numbers for some time. In the UFC, up until now, the athlete
fought six times and won by submission in all six. With an attacking
Jiu-Jitsu game, the Paulista has been alternating between two
simple but effective submission holds: the rear-naked-choke and
the triangle, which normally come about in the first round. Against
Chael Sonnen, his last opponent, the triangle arose two and a
half minutes into the first round.
Against
Nate, his seventh engagement in Dana White’s event, the
fighter wants to maintain his favorable index. And making no
secret about it, he’ll be using the same recipe: “I
intend to do what I always do, to go for the submission from
beginning to end,” he said in an interview with GRACIEMAG.com.
Secure
and with his characteristic confidence, the five-time world champion
black belt knows he needs to be cautious, though. “Nate’s
the most well-rounded guy I’ve faced till now. He’s
good standing, a black belt in Jiu-Jitsu, has good wrestling,
is strong… I think he’ll be my greatest test,”
said Demian.
One
week away from facing the American Greg Jackson fighter, right
now he’s bringing down the amount volume and increasing
the intensity in training, he says. “I’ve been training
the same as always. Been doing a lot of physical conditioning,
stand-up, more or less in equal parts and emphasizing the ground
fighting,” Demian recounts.
Wanderlei
Silva, although unable to train due to an operation he underwent
on his septum, is still providing orientation and technical adjustment
in his friend’s stand-up work.
Besides
the luxury of Wand’s assistance, Demian has on his team
Rafael Alejarra, boxing coach Andre Lopes and his wrestling coach,
an Australian known as “Cash”.
Source: Gracie Magazine |
XTREME
COUTURE'S JIU-JITSU HEAD NEIL MELANSON
When dealing with the best of the best at a gym like Xtreme Couture,
you have to be strong and not one to back down from challenges.
Head
jiu-jitsu instructor Neil Melanson is such an individual.
Upon
graduating high school, Melanson spent seven years in the Navy,
followed by five years as a Federal Air Marshal, before giving
it all up to move to Los Angeles from Cincinnati to pursue martial
arts under legendary teacher Gokor Chivichyan and UFC welterweight
star Karo “The Heat” Parisyan.
It
was during this time that Melanson was faced with the biggest
challenge of his career, Behcet’s Syndrome, an ailment he
was born with, but triggered during flying days, which temporarily
rendered him blind in both eyes.
With
the help of doctors, Melanson was able to regain sight in his
right eye, and undeterred, continued to pursue his love of the
ground game, which lead him to former UFC champion Randy Couture’s
gym in November. And he hasn’t looked back.
MMAWeekly.com
caught up with Melanson recently to discuss working with the
sport’s elite at Xtreme Couture, as well as his upcoming
series of books he hopes will invigorate a stagnating grappling
scene.
“I
was contacted by Eric Krauss at Victory Belt Publishing with
my technique, style and knowledge of the sport,” said Melanson.
He started doing book deals with me, and the first book coming
out is (on) triangles from the guard.
“It’s
a massive undertaking with tons of techniques from every guard
system that’s out there that’s practical. I set it
up in a manner that it’s based off the body position of
your opponent in your guard and how your opponent moves inside
your guard in a match; how he moves his hips will cause you to
now adjust to a different guard system that’s constantly
threatening with a triangle.”
Melanson
contributing to Victory Belt’s line is nothing new. As part
of a group of MMA personalities including Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira,
Anderson Silva and Forrest Griffin, he contributed over 70 techniques
to their Ultimate Mixed Martial Artist book. And it doesn’t
stop there.
“We
have another book deal that I’ve already signed called Advanced
Guard Systems,” he announced. “It’s going to be
a modern approach to the guard based off how your opponent is
playing you, the highest percentage (techniques) and how they
flow from one system to another.
“I
hope that book changes how people do no-gi (grappling) forever.
After that we’re going to do a guillotine book, and possibly
a figure-four system book and a turtle book. There’s a lot
of books in the works right now, and we’re just working
them out one at a time.”
Melanson
knows what works by dealing with some of the best athletes MMA
has to offer at the Xtreme Couture gym.
When
asked how he deals with the stars of the sport and how he gets
them to perform his way, he replied unapologetically, “Basically
what I do is: I don’t give a rat’s ass who they are.
“That’s
pretty much the best way I can say it. All I care about is the
product I produce, so if I have to do what I have to do to get
a fighter to fight the way they should be fighting, then I do
it. If I need them to go harder, I’ll slap them in the face
and get them pissed until they land what they’re supposed
to, to protect themselves.”
Among
the athletes Melanson has been most impressed by in his time
at the gym is Couture himself, returning UFC fighter Vitor Belfort,
and accomplished women’s fighter Erin Toughill. Combined
with up-and-comers like Mike Dizak and Patrick Begin, Melanson
feels he’s got the type of talent that makes his teaching
truly worthwhile.
“I
love to see these guys learn from me and succeed,” exclaimed
Melanson. “I love my life and I couldn’t be happier.
“Things
went up and down a lot for me; I had a lot of hopes and dreams
of doing things with my life and find my niche. When I got into
this sport, I never thought it would take me anywhere, but it
has and I’m absolutely in love with my work.”
Whether
it’s fending off an opponent on the ground, overcoming a
vision-threatening condition or banging heads with the biggest
stars in the sport, Neil Melanson takes on all challenges and
is willing to put in the hard work to succeed.
“You
can always find out what’s going on with me at NeilMelanson.com,”
he concluded. “I’ll have updates when the books are
going to be released.
“Hopefully
these books will change things. If I can contribute something
to this sport that’s not forgotten, I’ll die a happy
man.”
Source: MMA Weekly |
MINOTAURO
NOGUEIRA IS STILL IN THE GAME
Three fights into his UFC career, former Pride and UFC champion
Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira says the best is yet to come. And though
his headlining fight with Randy Couture at UFC 102 may be long
overdue, he feels it’s the best opportunity possible for
redemption.
“I’m
gonna have a lot of people against me, but I’ve been very
focused and very well-trained,” he told reporters during
a media teleconference Tuesday.
For
a guy that’s been in the game as long as he has, ups and
downs come with the territory. The stakes, however, have doubled
since he’s come to the UFC and met with mixed success.
There
were wins over Heath Herring at UFC 73 and Tim Sylvia at UFC
81, where Nogueira won the interim heavyweight belt in a tumultuous
time for the division. Then there was last December’s UFC
92, where he faltered badly against a Frank Mir in peak form.
Nogueira
wants to put that memory behind him and move on.
“Bad
fights happen,” he said. “Not every fight you’re
gonna be 100 percent. My last fight, I had a knee injury a few
days before. No excuse, but I couldn’t be in shape.
“It
was very bad for me to fight. I couldn’t move at all, and
that day, (Mir) caught me with a good left hand, three times.
He made the fight. I couldn’t follow him. I couldn’t
get him into a good position in the cage.”
Critics
say Nogueira has fought too many wars and should start his ride
into the sunset. Long regarded as one of the best heavyweights
in the business, he was known for his ability to take punishment
and come back. But questions about the punishment’s effect
on his long-term viability have lingered.
In
stark contrast to an interview he gave last month where he said
the Mir loss delayed retirement, he said the Couture fight was
not the first step on the last climb up the ladder. In other
words, he’s not quitting any time soon.
“Of
course not,” said Nogueira. “I’m 33 years old
and I have a lot to do in my career. At least, I’m going
to fight a couple more years. I didn’t say I was going to
retire if I get the title, or if I won against Frank Mir. I still
feel my body wants to fight; I’m very competitive. I love
the sport. The UFC is growing very much and I’m happy to
be a part of that, and for sure I want to have a couple more
fights and show a lot of good skills for the fans.”
He’s
made Los Angeles his home for the past three months, working
MMA at Black House and sharpening his hands with boxing guru
Freddie Roach. He brought in Greco Roman wrestlers to simulate
Couture’s approach.
“We
did a lot of cage work, a lot of everything I train for my fights,
like boxing, a lot of Muay Thai, jiu-jitsu,” said Nogueira.
“He’s a normal size, so I didn’t have anyone special
for him. I have about three or four guys the same size as him.”
He
says he’s in the best shape since his peak years in Pride.
And against Couture, a conditioning machine, he’s counting
on his hard work to keep him fresh in later rounds.
“I
know the endurance part is a very important part of his game,
so I worked very hard on mine to face (Couture),” he said.
“I think both fighters are gonna be in good shape.”
An
in-shape Nogueira, he says, is the one fans have been waiting
to see.
“I
have three fights in the UFC,” said Nogueira. “I (haven’t)
shown my best performance yet. I still have a lot to show. That’s
why I’ve been training so hard. I want to show the best
of my performance. That’s why I’m still in the game.”
Source: MMA Weekly |
PALHARES
VS. SAKARA AT TUF 10 FINALE
A middleweight match between jiu-jitsu specialist Rousimar Palhares
(9-2) and striker Alessio Sakara (14-7-1) has been pulled off
the shelf for the season ten finale of "The Ultimate Fighter"
on Dec. 5 in Las Vegas.
The
bout was first reported by tatame.com and subsequently confirmed
to MMAWeekly.com by sources close to the fight.
The
two were originally scheduled to meet this month at UFC 101 until
Palhares fractured his tibia in training and was forced to withdraw.
Sakara went on to defeat former middleweight contender Thales
Leites by split decision on the Philadelphia card.
Palhares
last appeared in January at UFC 93, defeating veteran Jeremy
Horn by unanimous decision. The victory put him at 2-1 in the
Octagon after falling short against Dan Henderson at UFC 88.
Sakara's
win over Leites was his second straight since a TKO loss to Chris
Leben at UFC 82. His Octagon record stands at 5-4.
Source: MMA Weekly |
PRELIM
BOUTS ON TV FOR FIRST TIME FOR UFC 103
Spike TV will air a portion of the UFC pay-per-view undercard
live to its audience for the first time ever, as the network
presents bouts from UFC 103 in Dallas, commercial-free, live
Saturday, Sept. 19 at 9:00pm ET/6:00pm PT. This telecast will
mark the first time the network will air a fight-card without
commercial interruption.
“Providing
an action-packed UFC pay-per-view, live and commercial free,
to our viewers on both coasts, further illustrates Spike TV and
the UFC’s commitment to its fans,” said Kevin Kay,
president, Spike TV.
“The
Ultimate Fighter 8” winner Efrain Escudero (12-0), an All
American collegiate wrestler fighting out of Tempe, Ariz., puts
his undefeated record on the line against “The Ultimate
Fighter 5” alum Cole Miller (15-3). Fighting with American
Top Team in Coconut Creek, Fla., Miller has won four out of five
fights in the Octagon including a victory over the controversial
“The Ultimate Fighter 8” Junie Browning last April.
Also
on the undercard, hard-hitting veteran Drew McFedries (8-5) fighting
out of Bettendorf, Iowa, is coming off an impressive TKO victory
in his last fight against Xavier Foupa-Pokam. His opponent is
Polish native Tomasz Drwal (16-2), training currently in San
Diego who has won his last two contests in the Octagon, including
a victory over Mike Ciesnolevicz in June.
Source: MMA Weekly |
THE
SCIENCE OF CARDIO, PART 1
How
many times have you seen this? A more powerful guy with superior
skills fails to close the deal in the first round... he comes
out in the second round after leaving everything in the cage
during round one, lets his hands drop and gets caught because
he’s totally gassed.
In
contrast, look at the guys you know have the cardio and the skills
to get it done. Bellator 145-pound champion Joe Soto comes to
mind – his skills are razor sharp, round after round, because
those skills are built on top of phenomenal cardio fitness.
The
bottom line is, to win consistently your skills need to be built
on a foundation of cardio. Sure you can't win if you don’t
have the skills, but if you don’t have the cardio, you’re
going into the ring at a huge disadvantage and with limited options.
You
might be thinking to yourself, “I’m not a marathon
runner or a tri-athlete, why should I be focusing on cardio training?”
While it is true that endurance athletes depend mainly on aerobic
energy pathways to fuel their activity, fighting is a healthy
mix of both aerobic AND anaerobic energy pathways. In fact, intense
exercise lasting more than two minutes generally uses about 50%
aerobic and 50% anaerobic energy systems[1]. That’s one
of the things that makes MMA so challenging - the lack of specificity
in the energy system used and as a result, cardio is often under
trained in favor of speed and power.
The
fact is, a well-structured training program should hit all of
your energy systems:
-Low
intensity/Long duration (during positioning and posturing)
-Medium
intensity/Medium duration (needed for wrestling, ground and pound
and combinations)
-Super
high intensity/Very short duration (required for striking, sprawling
and take-downs)
-And...
everything in between
The
key is loading these systems in progression throughout a training
cycle to arrive at peak fitness for an event. A typical cardio
training progression will include very easy, up to one hour long
cardio sessions for about a week right after a fight to help
with recovery. Then, a block of moderate intensity, so you can
do a solid 1 to 2 hour long session without killing yourself.
In the next training block, you push the throttle a bit, doing
1 to 1.5 hour workouts with several hard intervals of 3-5 minutes
with recovery (very easy) of equal time in between. The final
phase is a block of half to 1 hour workouts with 10 to 30 second
intervals – all out. Allow for a week of tapering prior
to the event for final adaptations to occur from your last block
of intense training and for cutting weight.
My
next column will focus on “behind the scenes” cardio
concepts of VO2 max, Lactate Threshold, Energy Management, and
Nutrition and Supplements.
About
the author
David
Nader, MS, MBA
David
is an exercise physiologist and biopharmaceutical industry veteran.
David started AdapTx Labs to apply the science of exercise physiology
to the sport of MMA to help fighters maximize their performance.
David is also a competitive bicycle racer.
About
AdapTx Labs
AdapTx
Labs works with fighters to maximize performance through a scientific
approach to training. AdapTx Labs is the first company to develop
proprietary cardio and energy boosting supplements for MMA fighters.
Their flagship products, CardioFactor™ and PreFight™,
when used together, give fighters a complete cardiovascular edge.
CardioFactor™ is a daily supplement designed to help fighters
avoid gassing out, while PreFight™ delivers a boost just
prior to training and competing.
To
get information and to purchase, go to www.AdapTxLabs.com.
References
[1]
Powers, Scott K. and Howley, Edward T. (2007). Exercise Physiology:
Theory and Application to Fitness and Performance. (Sixth Ed.).
New York: McGraw Hill
(DISCLOSURE:
AdapTx is a paid sponsor of MMAWeekly.com. MMAWeekly.com is not
responsible in any way, shape, or form for any injury that may
result from any person's attempt at exercise or supplementation
as a result of the information contained herein. Please consult
a physician before starting any exercise program or instituting
any dietary or supplementation regimen, and never substitute
the information on this site for any professional medical advice
or treatment you may receive.)
Source: MMA Weekly |
KENNEDY
VS. CUMMINGS LIKELY FOR STRIKEFORCE
Middleweights Tim Kennedy and Zak Cummings have verbally agreed
to face each other at the third installment of the Strikeforce
Challenger Series on Sept. 25 in Tulsa, Okla. The SpiritBank
Event Center will host the action.
Strikeforce
Director of Communications Mike Afromowitz on Thursday afternoon
told MMAWeekly.com that the bout was not confirmed, yet sources
close to negotiations said that while fight contracts had not
been signed, the bout was all but certain to happen. Word of
the match-up was first reported by Sherdog.com.
Kennedy
(10-2) was originally scheduled to face Evangelista "Cyborg"
Santos, but a knee injury took Santos out of the running.
Kennedy
announced Thursday morning he would continue to serve as an Army
Special Forces officer after going on "terminal leave"
last month to pursue a full-time career in MMA. He will now serve
as a part of the Special Forces company in the Texas National
Guard.
He
last appeared in the second installment of Strikeforce Challengers,
defeating Nick Thompson by TKO in a controversial stoppage.
Cummings
(10-0) signed a three-fight deal with Strikeforce in early August.
The Sept. 25 fight would be his promotional debut. Of his most
notable victories, he holds a split decision win over veteran
Terry Martin in February at Xtreme Cagefighting Federation.
Source: MMA Weekly |
Quote
of the Day
“Love
is life. All, everything that I understand, I understand only
because I love.”
Leo Tolstoy
|
Fighters'
Club TV Tonight!
Channel
52
NEW TIME of 8:00 PM!
If
you are not on the Onzuka.com Hawaii Ground forum, you are missing
the latest news from upcoming events, get to rub elbows with
numerous promoters and fighters, and get to voice your opinion
on any subject you can dream up. Hit the links above to sign
up for a free account and start posting away!
|
KENNY
FLORIAN TO FILL IN FOR JOE ROGAN
Kenny
Florian will fill in for Joe Rogan as color commentator at UFC
Fight Night 19 on Sept. 16 at the Cox Convention Center in Oklahoma
City, Okla. Rogan will be absent filming a movie.
"I'll
be commentating a UFC Fight Night coming up in September,"
Florian told MMAWeekly.com. "I think Joe Rogan is filming
a movie. He'll be out for that, but I"ll be around."
Florian
is used to the broadcasting role, serving as co-host of the popular
ESPN.com and ESPN mobile television weekly show MMA Live, filled
in for Rogan for UFC 83, and commentated for WEC 41.
Florian
has also served as a special guest commentator on MMAWeekly Radio
for several years.
UFC
Fight Night 19 will be the second time the Ultimate Fighting
Championship has gone to Oklahoma, but the first time in nearly
fifteen years. UFC 4 was held in Tulsa on Dec. 16, 1994.
Source: MMA Weekly |
LESNAR
VS. CARWIN AGREED TO FOR UFC 106
In an overwhelming flurry of swapping, it appears that top heavyweight
contender Shane Carwin is headed to UFC 106 on Nov. 21 to challenge
UFC champion Brock Lesnar. Multiple MMAWeekly.com sources close
to the bout indicate that, while the fight has yet to be officially
signed off, both parties have verbally agreed to it.
Carwin
had originally been slated to face fellow heavyweight contender
Cain Velasquez at UFC 104 on Oct. 24 in Los Angeles. MMAMadness
first reported speculation on Wednesday night that Carwin would
instead be picked up to face Lesnar in the main event of UFC
106.
MMAWeekly.com
sources on Thursday confirmed the agreed to bout between Carwin
and Lesnar, and also indicated that Ben Rothwell would now step
into the fight with Velasquez at UFC 104. Rothwell had been expected
to fight fellow Affliction transfer Chase Gormley on the UFC
104 undercard.
So
once contracts are issued and the ink dries, the new schedule
will now pit Brock Lesnar vs. Shane Carwin in the main event
of UFC 106 in Las Vegas; and Cain Velasquez vs. Ben Rothwell
will serve as the co-main event of UFC 104 in Los Angeles, supporting
a main event of Lyoto Machida vs. Mauricio “Shogun”
Rua for the light heavyweight title.
Lesnar
enters the bout hot on the heels of his UFC 100 unification bout
win over then interim champ Frank Mir. He currently sports a
record of 4-1, winning his last three bouts.
Carwin,
undefeated at 11-0, is coming off of an injury stemming from
his hard-fought victory over former UFC title contender Gabriel
Gonzaga at UFC 96 in March.
A
new opponent for Chase Gormley has yet to be determined.
Source: MMA Weekly |
BEN
ROTHWELL VS. CAIN VELASQUEZ UFC 104
Affliction transplant Ben Rothwell has agreed to face Cain Velasquez
at UFC 104, replacing Shane Carwin, who is now booked to headline
UFC 106 against Brock Lesnar.
The
news was first reported by MMA Mania and subsequently confirmed
to MMAWeekly.com by sources close to the fight.
Rothwell
had been scheduled to face Chase Gormley on the undercard of
the Oct. 24 event at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, a re-set
of their scheduled meeting at Affliction “Trilogy”
following the end of the clothing company's fight promotion and
transfer of select contracts to the UFC.
The
Rothwell/Velasquez bout will serve as the co-main event.
Rothwell
(30-6) last appeared at manager/promoter Monte Cox's Adrenaline
II last October, defeating Chris Guillen by TKO. It was his first
win since Andrei Arlovski ended a 13-fight win streak by TKO
at Affliction “Banned” last July.
Velasquez
(6-0) last fought Cheick Kongo at UFC 99, winning a unanimous
decision by escaping the Frenchman's pinpoint striking to dominate
the fight on the ground.
Source: MMA Weekly |
Demian
Maia ready for his biggest challenge
With
five submissions victories in the UFC, Demian Maia will have
a tough challenge at UFC 102. Against Nate Marquardt, who won
six out of eight fights in the octagon, the black belt knows
it won’t be easy, but he’s ready. “I think it’ll
probably be my toughest challenge. Fight is fight, we can’t
know what’s going to happen in there, but I think it’ll
be my biggest challenge”, said Demian, commenting the training
in the USA.
“Everything
fine, great. All the guys I fought in the UFC were tough, but
Nate is exceptional. I’m training here with Wanderlei (Silva)
for almost three weeks with my coaches, (Rafael) Alejarra”,
told the black belt. If he puts out another submission victory,
Demian will be pointed as one of the best BJJ guys in the MMA
of all times.
“It’s
a natural evolution of the sport. I come from the high level
jiu-jitsu and I’m managing to impose my game, but I still
train other things like everyone else, but the jiu-jitsu is my
main weapon. As I came from the high level jiu-jitsu for competitions,
I can put it in my MMA game”, says the middleweight fighter.
In
case he wins the eleventh fight in the undefeated career, the
Brazilian will have more chances to earn a title shot against
Anderson Silva. Waiting for the opportunity, Demian commented
Silva’s last victory, against Forrest Griffin. “Anderson
is a genius, exceptional. In this weight (205), it looks like
his punch is even stronger, because in both fights he did he
knockout. He’s an icon of the sport”, finished.
Source: Tatame |
Pedro
Rizzo ready for Jeff Monson
Scheduled
to face Jeff Monson at Bitetti Combat 4, which will take place
at Rio de Janeiro in September 12, Pedro Rizzo is training hard
for the rematch against the “Snowman”, that he already
knocked out at Art of War. After the trainings with Glover Teixeira,
Sérgio Babu and other tough sparrings, Rizzo said he wants
to get a win to start his way back to the tops.
“In
six years I just did six fights, so I didn’t had a good
sequence. I’m very excited to get this victory, sign one
more fight until the end of the year and get back the fight rhythm
and the winner confidence…I think I still can fight the
best and I’m working hard for that. But I’ll take fight
by fight. Now, I just think in Monson. After this fight, we’ll
see what’s gonna happen”, finished the former UFC title
contender.
Source: Tatame |
Minotauro
100% ready for Couture
Check out the interview with the Brazilian
Rodrigo
Minotauro is doing his final preparations for one of the most
awaited fights in MMA these days, against Randy Couture. Although
it is not for the belt, facing off at UFC 102, on August 29,
in Oregon, will be two of the style’s greatest idols of
all times. Both are coming off losses that kept them from challenging
for the title, but, regardless, the fight is no less intriguing.
Direct
from Los Angeles, Mino had the following chat with Portal das
Lutas, GRACIEAG.com’s partner site.
Portal
das Lutas – How has training for this fight been going?
Rodrigo
Minotauro – Training is going great. I’ve got some
wrestlers here helping me, four really good fighters, at US college
level, and a wrestling coach from Nebraska.
PDL
– Do you believe Randy will go after you this fight?
RM
– I think Randy is going to want to strike; he’ll be
confident in his hands, his boxing. I’m training a lot to
surprise him standing. He may try ground and pound, but I believe
my grappling is good enough to see me through. I think it’s
a good fight for me, I’m going to be careful with the wrestling
and be prepared to fight both standing and on the ground.
PDL
– Last fight you were really debilitated. Besides the knee
problem, you went to the hospital a week before the fight. How
are you physically this time?
RM
– I’m 100% physically, well trained, dying to fight…
I’m fine, feeling great. I trained a lot, worked on what
I needed to. You’ll see the result after the fight.
PDL
– So we’ll see the old Minotauro back?
RM
– I promise it will be a lively fight, lots of movement.
I’m going for the finish the whole time. That’s what
you want to see against Randy.
PDL
– Changing subject, what do you think of Brock Lesnar, the
current champion of your category?
RM
– He’s a new guy, with lots of stamina, a healthy athlete
and strong as heck. He’s a horse, both on the ground and
standing. He throws a good high right and has strong wrestling.
He’s an athlete, but I don’t see him as having the
experience to be world champion. I think that since he’s
new he’s got that adrenaline, his body is fresh… Let’s
see to what point he can stay on top. I believe there are better
guys in the division, but he’s the current champion, someone
whose size will give a lot of people a hard time.
Source: Gracie Magazine |
Belfort
assesses Slater and Franklin
Fighter to use lefties in preparing for UFC 103
Anyone
who accessed GRACIEMAG.com yesterday could see the training session
of Vitor Belfort with nine-time surfing world champion Kelly
Slater, at a gym in California. Now the time has come for the
former UFC champion to give the break down on the wave riding
ace’s skills.
“I’ve
known Slater for 10 years,” said Belfort to GRACIEMAG.com,
explaining the circumstances of the session, “we’d
always hang out. We have common friends so we ended up meeting
up again, and he wanted to train. He digs MMA. It was really
cool [training with Slater].”
“Kelly
Slater has a really powerful mind,” Belfort continued. “He’s
used to competitions and suffering pressure. I think that’s
something I learned a lot of from him. We shoot the breeze, exchange
information. He doesn’t let anything get in the way of his
performance; he tries to abstain from everything. He empties
his mind so he can do what he knows best happily. I think it’s
always important to do things with enthusiasm and joy, since
that’s when your skills show through. That’s most of
what I’ve learned from him.
“I
feel the thing that’s interesting these days is to show
that Mixed Martial Arts is a sport that anyone can do, kids,
business people… He loved it. He said it’s the best
class he’s had so far in terms of doing different things.
I feel everybody has their own world. Everyone plays ball, everyone
surfs, but everything has its limits. So MMA has always been
a barrier for others. And MMA is the same as surfing, soccer,
everyone can do it. Of course everyone has their limits. But
I think it’s important to learn,” he added, before
going on to address his preparations for his bout against Rich
Franklin at UFC 103, in September.
“I
think it will be a good fight. Rich Franklin is a good strategist,
really good. He’s a fighter who goes after the fight, although
his is mostly a counter-attacking game, but he’s aggressive
at the same time, knows how to fight on the ground, is a south
paw. It will be an interesting fight,” he predicted.
“I’m
back to training hard over here. We’re hiring some south
paws to train here too. Everything’s great,” he said
in finishing.
Source: Gracie Magazine |
ROLI
DELGADO VS. ANDRE WINNER AT UFC 105
A lightweight bout has been added to the UFC's upcoming return
to England on Nov. 14 as "Ultimate Fighter" season
9 runner-up Andre Winner returns to action for the first time
since the show's finale to take on "Ultimate Fighter"
season 8 fighter Roli Delgado.
The
news was confirmed to MMAWeekly.com on Thursday by sources close
to the fight.
Winner
steps back into the Octagon after dropping a unanimous decision
to fellow British fighter Ross Pearson in the lightweight finals
for the show.
Spending
the majority of his career fighting in England, Winner will no
doubt be the crowd favorite heading into the bout, but that also
puts the pressure on the TUF 9 veteran to impress the hometown
fans.
Delgado
makes his first appearance in the Octagon since early June when
he lost a decision to another British fighter in Paul Kelly during
the UFC's first show in Germany.
A
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt, Delgado has shown mental and
physical toughness in all of his previous bouts, but obviously
a win in this fight seems like a must in the crowded 155-pound
weight class.
No
official word about from the UFC about the bout, but it will
likely end up on the preliminary untelevised portion of the card.
Source: MMA Weekly |
Quote
of the Day
"The
great victories are never won in the first blow."
Johan Falkberget
|
DESTINY:
No Ka Oi Results!
War Memorial Gym, Wailuku, Maui
Saturday, Aug 22, 2009
 
-155lbs State Title
Kaleo Kwan
(Oahu, O2 Martial Arts Academy) vs Eddie Rincon (Maui)
Kwan wins
by unanimous decision after three rounds.
-205lbs
State Title
Yancy Medeiros (oahu) vs Zeke Prados (maui)
Medieros def Prado via tko 2:23 rd 1
-145lbs
Tim "Majik" Moon (oahu) vs Eddie P. (maui)
Eddie P defeats Moon via triangle choke rd 1 2:46
-135lbs
World Title
Kana "One Man Riot" Hyatt (Oahu) vs Mark Tajon (Bulls
Penn)
Hyatt def. Tajon via rnc 2:49 of rd 1
-145lbs
Zack Rapal (oahu) vs Kurrent Cockett (maui)
Cockett def Rapal via rnc 1:09 2nd rd
-145lbs
Brandon Pieper (oahu) vs Lorrin Ishimine (maui)
Ishimine def Pieper via rnc 2:10 rd 2
-160lbs
Bruski Lewis (oahu) vs Gonzo (maui)
Lewis def Gonzo via submission (rnc) rd 1 1:09
-150lbs
L.John Borges (oahu) vs Alan Hinajosa (maui)
Hinojosa defeats Borgess via verbal tap out 1:59 due to cut...
-135lbs
Julio Moreno (oahu) vs Riley Dutro (maui)
Dutro def. Moreno via dec
-145lbs
Dustin Kimura (oahu) vs Jake Noble (maui)
Kimura def Noble via submission (rnc) rd 2 1:20
- 205lbs?
Adam Akau vs Ata Tivao
Akau def Tivao via submission guillotine 2:48 3RD
-145lbs
Pedro Garcia (oahu) vs Keoni Farm (maui/molokai)
Farm def. Garcia dec
-185lbs Amateur Championship Bout
Jon "4real" Ferrell (oahu) vs Sale Sprout (molokai)
Sale def Ferrell via tko rd 1 1:26
-140lbs
Zac Carroll (maui) vs Guy Nishiyama (maui)
Zac Carroll over Guy Nishiyama decision in OT
-135lbs
Justin Arruda (maui) vs Keka Doi-Tolilolo (maui)
Arruda def Doi-Tolilolo rear naked choke rd 1 1:18
-160lbs
Justin Konia (oahu) vs Jason Emsley (maui)
Justin Konia over Jason Emsley decision
-130lbs
Carlos Guzman (maui) vs DJ Tadena (maui)
Dj Tadena over Carlos Guzman submission first round 2
|
Professional
Boxing is back in Hawaii!
Saturday August 29, 2009
Blaisdell Arena, Honolulu, Hawaii
This is the tentative line-up... PENDING the approval of the
Hawaii State Boxing Commission
12 Rounds - IBF World Light Flyweight Title
Brian Viloria (25-2, 15KOs, Waipahu, HI) vs Jesus Iribe (15-5-5,
9KOs, Culiacan, MX)
10
Rounds
AJ Banal (19-1-1, 16 KOs, Cebu, PI) vs Jose Beranza (32-15-2,
25 KOs, Mexico City, MX)
10
Rounds
Dennis Laurente (31-3-5, 16KOs, Palopon, PI) vs Zaid Zavaleta
(18-5-2, 11KOs, Mexico City, MX)
10
Rounds
Alfonso Gomez (19-4-2, 9KOs, Guadalajara, MX) vs Sergio Rios
(18-9, 16KOs. Guadalajara, MX)
4
Rounds
Justin Mercado (1-0, Honolulu, HI) vs Richard Barnard (1-1, Makakilo,
HI)
4
Rounds
Toby Misech (1-0, Hilo, HI) vs Mike Balasi (7-1, 5KOs, Honolulu,
HI)
4
Rounds - Female Bout
Kuulei Kupihea (3-1, Mililani, HI) vs Shalae Padilla (Pro Debut,
Kona, HI)
4
Rounds
Isaac Arasato (4-0, 3KOs, Honolulu, HI) vs Donald Gonzalez (0-1,
Hilo, HI)
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
|
AFFLICTION
VP ON NEGOTIATING WITH M-1 & FEDOR
by Damon Martin
When the negotiations between the Ultimate Fighting Championship
and M-1 Global, which represents Fedor Emelianenko, broke down
last month, there weren't too many fans or critics surprised
by the fact that the Russian wouldn't compete in the Octagon
any time in the near future.
The
sticking point to the entire process was M-1's demand to co-promote
with the UFC, and the UFC has always had a strict policy to not
co-promote with other organizations. At the end of the day, no
agreement was reached, and Fedor went on to sign with Strikeforce.
One
man who has a keen insight into what it's like to negotiate with
Vadim Finkelchtein and M-1 Global is Affliction vice president
Tom Atencio, who signed the former Pride champion to compete
for his promotion for two fights and presumably a third before
the organization shut down it's "Trilogy" show in August.
"I
had a great relationship with them," Atencio said about
M-1. "One of the things I always said is I would co-promote
and the UFC doesn't co-promote and they have what they do, and
it works for them.
"I've
always said I don't blame the UFC for doing what they do. They
don't really need anybody else, and that's what Dana said. They're
not going to co-promote because he doesn't need them and that's
100-percent true. The bottom line is it worked out for Strikeforce
and Vadim is still co-promoting his brand, M-1."
UFC
president Dana White blasted Fedor's signing with Strikeforce
earlier this month just before UFC 101 in Philadelphia, claiming
that at the end of the day, M-1 and Emelianenko would put the
San Jose, Calif., based company out of business, while also stating
that he knew the deal he offered the Russian was above and beyond
what anybody else had on the table.
"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."
The
biggest hurdle for Strikeforce now that they have Fedor is how
to promote him. Emelianenko is widely thought of as one of the
best pound-for-pound fighters on the planet, but he's never proven
to be a big pay-per-view commodity in the United States, and
Atencio believes that's still a tremendous job ahead of Scott
Coker and company.
"There
is no doubt in my mind that Fedor is the No. 1 fighter in the
world. He's fought; he's proven that," said Atencio. "It's
not like he's fought easy fights. But nonetheless he still has
the hurdle of making a huge name in the U.S."
Time
will tell if Fedor Emelianenko will wind up to be the biggest
fighter in the U.S. or just the biggest paycheck on the Strikeforce
roster.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
The
media’s verdict on Saturday night
By Zach Arnold
Comparing
ratings figures for Showtime and Spike TV is apples and oranges,
but that’s not the storyline that is being pushed in the
media right now.
The
Carano/Cyborg fight drew 576,000 viewers on Showtime while UFC
100 on Spike TV drew 2 million viewers. What’s amazing is
that as solid as the cable rating was for UFC 100, the PPV buy
rate nearly matched the amount of cable viewers.
USA
Today says that both shows drawing high ratings spells trouble
for other sports programming.
Source: Fight Opinion
|
More
Bouts Confirmed for Sept.23rd Sengoku
By FCF Staff
World
Victory Road has confirmed 3 more bouts for the promotion’s
upcoming September 23rd Sengoku card, which will take place in
Saitama, Japan. The event will be broadcast on HDNet Fights in
North America.
In
a welterweight clash between two accomplished fighters, Nick
Thompson will take on Dan Hornbuckle. Thompson (38-11-1) is coming
off a tap-out loss due to strikes against Tim Kennedy, at Strikeforce’s
Challenger series event in June, marking just the second loss
for the Minnesota fighter since 2006.
Hornbuckle
(18-2) fought just weeks ago at the August 2nd Sengoku card,
and knocked out Pride and UFC veteran Akihiro Gono with a devastating
head kick. Hornbuckle has now won 3 straight since losing to
Mike Pyle at Sengoku 2 last May.
Veteran
middleweight Joe Doerksen (42-12) is scheduled to fight Takenori
Sato (9-6-4). Doerksen has won 3 in a row since his loss to fellow
Canadian Jason MacDonald at UFC 83 last April, a streak which
includes a stoppage win over Izuru Takeuchi at Sengoku 6 in November.
Sato
is actually coming off a draw with the Pancrase champion Takeuchi,
but due to the fact it was a title fight, he was handed the loss.
Prior to that Sato had won 4 straight.
At
light-heavyweight, Ryo Kawamura (10-4-2) will face Fabio Silva
(11-5). Kawamura recently got back on the winning track in June,
after losing by Decision to Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal
in March, by earning the judge’s nod against Yukiya Naito
at a Pancrase card.
Silva
has not fought since he was stopped by Lawal in the third round
of their Sengoku bout last November, after KO’ing Kazuo
Takahashi at the promotion’s third event in March, 2008.
Source: Full Contact Fighter
|
Ortiz
vs Coleman at UFC 106
Fight not officially confirmed
It hasn’t yet been officially confirmed by the UFC, but
from what it seems, Tito Ortiz’s return to the octagon will
be a grandiose affair. According to the website The Fighters
Only, the Huntington Beach Bad Boy will face another icon of
the octagon: Mark Coleman.
Citing
sources close to the fighters, the site claims the bout will
be one of the main events of UFC 106, on November 21, in Las
Vegas.
Recovered
from delicate back surgery, Tito has not fought since May of
last year, when he was overcome by Lyoto Machida.
Coleman
is coming off a convincing win over Stephan Bonnar at UFC 100,
thus recovering from the loss he suffered at the hands of Mauricio
Shogun at UFC 93, in January of this year.
Another
match-up being talked about is the possible encounter of Ricardo
Cachorrao Almeida and John Fitch. If confirmed, it will be the
Brazilian black belt’s debut in the welterweight division.
Stay
tuned to GRACIEMAG.com for further information on the UFC.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Randy
Couture on Nogueira, Lesnar and How Long He'll Fight
by Michael David Smith
It seems almost impossible that, at age 46, Randy Couture is
still fighting in the UFC. But in less than two weeks he'll get
back into the Octagon once again, taking on Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
at UFC 102. In an interview with FanHouse, Couture talked about
what kind of opponent Nogueira will be, why he thinks he could
beat UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar if he gets another
shot at him and whether it's realistic for him to keep fighting
into his late 40s. The full interview is below.
Michael
David Smith: Is Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira someone you've always
wanted to fight?
Randy Couture: Absolutely. I've watched his fights for years,
and he's a very, very impressive fighter. He has a lot of skill,
he's very durable, he's a submission practitioner who's one of
the best submission guys in our sport. There was a time when
this would have been the dream match-up of Pride vs. UFC, both
of us were once the champions of those organizations. That was
a fight I had to turn down back then because I was under contract
to the UFC, so I'm glad this fight came back around. ... I've
got one more fight after this fight on my contract. And if I
beat Nogueira I could be next in line for Lesnar, to try to end
his reign as heavyweight champion. But I just have to take it
as it comes and go with the flow.
Frank
Mir was the first person to finish Nogueira. How much have you
studied what Mir did and to what extent do you think you can
do the same thing?
There have been all kinds of rumors since that fight, that Nogueira
was hurt, he had a back injury, or he had staph. But I can't
consider any of those things in my preparation. I have to prepare
for the best Nogueira and assume he's coming into this fight
at his best. I think he will, and that will make for a very good
fight. He'll be a formidable opponent.
Looking
technically at what Mir did, he's a southpaw and I'm a right-handed
fighter, so there are differences there, and ultimately I have
to prepare to have all the tools I'll need.
How
much of your preparation is film study, watching Nogueira against
Mir and against other opponents? Is film study a major part of
your preparation?
It always is for me. I like to study tape, see what guys' tendencies
are, see where they like to be, where they don't like to be.
I've seen a lot of Nogueira's fights, so I have an idea of what
kind of fighter he is. Studying his fight with Heath Herring
was interesting, and I thought his fight with Mir was interesting,
and those are definitely fights I've closely studied.
With
how good Nogueira's submissions are, would you prefer to keep
that fight standing?
Well, I have to be attentive on the ground, but I think working
with Neil Melanson, I've come up with ways to control the submission
game, and I think if we go to the ground, I can be on the top
or bottom and I'll be fine -- I think I can win the fight there.
How cool would it be to submit Nogueira? Beating him on the ground
would be an accomplishment.
It
certainly would be. No one has ever submitted Nogueira. If you
beat Nogueira, do you think your next fight should be a rematch
with Brock Lesnar?
It doesn't really matter what I think. It's what the UFC thinks
that's important. So I've just got to take what comes along and
see, after the dust settles, where I am. But I'm not looking
past Nogueira. If other opportunities present themselves, there
are a lot of good fights for me in the UFC right now.
Is
that always your mindset? That you don't look beyond the fight
you're focusing on now?
I think it has to be. I think if you start overlooking anybody,
or thinking you've got all the answers, then somebody's going
to point out to you that that's not a smart way to think.
I
know you're looking ahead to some relaxing after the Nogueira
fight, though, because you have this Sports Legends Challenge
scheduled for next month.
I've got a unique opportunity to go down to the Bahamas in September
with a number of other top athletes and sports stars and play
some poker. I'm really excited to play some tournament-style,
Texas hold 'em poker, and we're going to have some fun down there
in the Bahamas, talking sports and playing some poker.
I'd
also like to ask you to look ahead at some of the other fights
the UFC has scheduled. Who do you think are the heavyweights
who have the best chance to beat Lesnar? Your fight with Nogueira
is a big one, Shane Carwin vs. Cain Velasquez is a big fight,
Mirko Cro Cop vs. Junior dos Santos is big, too. How do you view
the way the heavyweight division stacks up right now?
With the guys you just named, you hit the list. The heavyweight
class over the last year has gotten deeper, and a few newer guys
in the UFC have stepped up and shown they're worthy of being
contenders in the heavyweight division. Before I think the division
wasn't quite as strong, but it's a deep division now, and getting
deeper all the time.
What's
the way to beat Lesnar? Does it need to be someone who can come
close to matching his size and strength, like Carwin? Or is it
someone with superior experience, like yourself?
I don't think there's one specific prototype. He's obviously
a big, strong, very good athlete, but I think there are also
still some technical holes in his game. I think a guy who's big
enough and strong enough -- and adept enough in wrestling --
can keep the fight in the right position to kind of pick him
apart at the seams. But that's no easy task, as big as he is
and as well as he moves.
I
also think there are some holes in his submission game that can
still be exploited. Mir didn't get a chance to put him in a submission
at UFC 100, but a guy with Mir's submission skills could still
give Lesnar some problems.
How
much longer will you fight? You have one more fight on your contract
after Nogueira. Could that one more be your last fight?
I'm taking it one fight at a time. I'm not anticipating anything,
but I'm having fun and getting better as a fighter, and this
is where I like to be. As long as that continues to be the case,
I'll continue to fight. But as I get older, it's something that
I'm constantly asked about.
And
I'm sure you're constantly asked about this as well, but what
do you attribute your longevity to? There are a handful of athletes,
like you, Dara Torres, Bernard Hopkins and so on who can keep
competing at a high level a decade older than most athletes have
to walk away. Is it genetics? Is it work ethic? Is it something
else?
I don't think there's any easy answer to that. I think it's a
combination of things. I was fortunate enough to compete at a
high level in wrestling into my 30s, and so my fitness base was
very high. Then I got into fighting and was able to adapt my
training appropriately. I haven't allowed any distractions to
get into the way of doing what I need to do to get into shape
and compete.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Nick
Diaz gives the middle finger to American fight fans
By Zach Arnold
The
man who proclaimed that he could beat any drug test and still
smoke pot somehow couldn’t find any measure of respect for
Scott Coker, Showtime, or Jay Hieron to take a test to get a
license to fight in California for Strikeforce’s August
15th card. Diaz had a title shot in place and instead of showing
up to take a drug test, he ended up hiding ‘in the mountains’
and away from the California State Athletic Commission.
The
reaction to Diaz’s antics from Coker and company make Strikeforce
and Showtime look like pushovers. Listen, it’s the fight
business — if you can draw money, you get more leeway, and
we know that Diaz is a cult-like superstar. However, we also
have learned from Dana White and UFC that like professional wrestling,
the one tactic that changes and influences behavior in MMA is
fear. Nick Diaz doesn’t fear Scott Coker. He doesn’t
fear Ken Hershman of Showtime. He doesn’t have to fear anyone
because he knows there will always be another sugardaddy ready
to give him a second or a third chance and tell him how great
he is.
So,
with all of this in mind, it should come as no surprise that
Nick Diaz now wants to fight in Japan. Coker is playing the “I
don’t mind that he fights in Japan, but he fights in December
for me” line. Fine. We know that DREAM and Strikeforce will
have a co-promotional relationship. However, Nick Diaz and his
camp are the same group of people that bitched a while back about
DREAM stiffing him on money. So all of a sudden Diaz and company
are going to do a U-turn and fight for DREAM again, a company
they accused of stiffing them on money in the first place? What
a joke.
We
all know there’s no drug testing in Japan, so it’s
obvious why Diaz is fighting there. What is curious is why Strikeforce,
Showtime, and the California State Athletic Commission are willing
to sit around and go on Cesar Gracie’s timetable here. Diaz
escaped immediate suspension from the CSAC because he failed
taking a drug test while getting licensed. However, you would
think that the athletic commission would not be so forgiving
of a man who has often made a mockery out of drug tests in such
a public fashion like he did in The Los Angeles Times.
So,
we will likely see Diaz versus Hayato “Mach” Sakurai
in a fight that Nick will likely win, which would theoretically
set up the fight with Jay Hieron that should have happened last
week. Diaz has publicly stated that he wanted to fight Sakurai
over a year ago.
Meanwhile,
Hieron has to stay on the sidelines for the next four months
and somehow put his trust and faith in Nick Diaz a) not getting
hurt in Japan and b) actually bothering to show up in November
or December for a drug test in order to get licensed. Why should
Hieron play this game and end up with no political leverage here?
With the news of Diaz fighting in Japan, it’s time for Ken
Pavia (Jay Hieron’s manager) to step up to the plate and
force the hand of both Scott Coker and Cesar Gracie. Why should
Jay Hieron have to wait around for four months and not earn a
salary? This is a man who doesn’t have time to waste in
his career and has lost out on a lot of money over the last two
years.
If
Nick Diaz wants to watch his MMA career go up in smoke, fine,
let him do it. But why should Ken Pavia let his client, Jay Hieron,
sit around and watch his fighter’s career go up in smoke,
too, based on what Nick Diaz is up to?
Source: Fight Opinion
|
Phillipe
Nover vs. Sam Stout at UFC Fight Night 19
The Ultimate Fighter 8 lightweight finalist Phillipe Nover has
accepted a fight on four weeks notice to face Sam Stout at UFC
Fight Night 19 on Sept. 16 in Oklahoma City, FanHouse has learned.
Nover
(6-2-1) is replacing the injured Kyle Bradley, whom Nover lost
a first-round TKO to at UFC 98 in May.
Stout
(14-5-1) was last seen in the Octagon in April slugging out a
unanimous decision over Matt Wiman at UFC 97.
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
- Phillipe Nover vs. Sam Stout
- Jeremy Stephens vs. Justin Buchholz
- Ryan Jensen vs. Steve Steinbeiss
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Wanderlei
Silva recovers from operation
UFC fighter underwent surgery on nose
Out of the spotlight since his loss to Rich Franklin at UFC 99,
in July, Wanderlei Silva has been taking a break from training.
According to information unearthed by GRACIEMAG.com, the fighter
underwent and operation on his septum two weeks ago.
“The
procedure will help Wanderlei breathe better. It will improve
not just his quality as an athlete but also his daily life. It’s
a region that has been badly punished and was recuperated for
him to perform better,” declared Rafael Alejarra, Wand’s
physical conditioning coach.
At
the moment Wand is still in recovery and there is no forecast
as to when he will return to the octagon.
Stay
tuned to GRACIEMAG.com and we’ll be back shortly with further
information on Wanderlei Silva and the UFC.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Quote
of the Day
"What
we remember from childhood we remember forever -
permanent ghosts, stamped, inked, imprinted, eternally seen."
Cynthia Ozick
|
DESTINY:
No Ka Oi in Maui!
Today!
War Memorial Gym, Wailuku, Maui
Saturday, Aug 22, 2009
-205lbs
Yancy Medeiros (oahu) vs Zeke Prados (maui)
-155lbs
Kaleo Kwan
(Oahu, O2 Martial Arts Academy) 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
|
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
|
THE
"B.J. PENN RULE" INSTITUTED IN NEVADA
by Steven Marrocco
NSAC Passes ‘BJ Penn Rule’
By Steven Marrocco/MMAWeekly.com
“Greasegate”
has made its first imprint on the Nevada State Athletic Commission
rulebook.
In
a meeting held Wednesday in Las Vegas, the NSAC approved language
prohibiting the use of foreign substances on a fighter’s
body prior to or during a fight that “could result in an
unfair advantage.”
Dubbed
by a commission official as the “B.J. Penn Rule,” the
use of foreign substances will now be added to a list of “fouls”
in the Nevada Administrative Code that address tactics illegal
to fighters, such as eye gouging, small joint manipulation, or
biting.
Controversy
surrounding the use of Vaseline at UFC 94 threatened to overshadow
welterweight champion St. Pierre’s dominating fourth round
win over lightweight champion Penn.
Penn’s
lawyer, Raffi Nahabedian, was present at the meeting and said
the change was an important step in preventing future controversy.
“The
rule change is great because it’s better than nothing,”
Nahabedian told MMAWeekly.com afterwards. “The official
can now make the assessment that this is a foul. So it’s
even better than before.”
Nahabedian
also suggested a rule during the meeting that would provide fighters
with a commission-supervised shower prior to their bouts.
When
the whole turmoil blew up around St. Pierre’s improper usage
of Vaseline at UFC 94, Nahabedian says he was approached by several
fighters and camps that asserted certain athletes take “pre-bout
baths in oil” or repeatedly had oily or greasy substances
rubbed into their skin, which could help them to gain an unfair
advantage against their opponents.
“These
are issues that need to be considered,” said Nahabedian.
“Because these oils that absorb into the skin, and then
when (the combatant) starts to perspire, and they start to perspire
heavily, these oils are then pushed outward (making them slippery),”
which would obviously hinder a fighter that relies heavily on
grappling or jiu-jitsu.
Nahabedian
believes that a supervised pre-fight shower upon arrival at the
venue would help to deter such tactics.
The
commission said they would take the matter under future consideration.
“I
think that the commission eventually is going to have to become
even more technical in this area and add the pre-bout shower,”
said Nahabedian. ”You have athletes that are willing to
do anything to attain the fame and money that comes with bouts
at this level... it’s something they’re going to need
to do.”
The
commission’s action on foreign substances appeared to be
a reversal in tone from a March hearing in which they took no
formal action following spirited testimony from Penn’s camp
and representatives for St. Pierre.
NSAC
Executive Director Keith Kizer said the rule could take up to
30 days to take effect.
Representatives
for St. Pierre were unavailable for comment at the time of publication.
(Updated
6:30 p.m. PT – Mr. Nahabedian’s comments, at his request,
were updated to more clearly state his recommendation of commission-supervised
pre-fight showers for combatants.)
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Strikeforce:
Carano vs. Cyborg Salaries
Gina Carano, as expected, was the highest earner with $125,000
at this past Saturday's Strikeforce event in San Jose.
Cris
Cyborg, who stopped Carano with a second left in the first round
to win the first-ever Strikeforce 145-pound women's title, pocketed
$20,000 plus a $5,000 win bonus.
Meanwhile,
the other new Strikeforce champion at the event happened to be
the lowest earner, at least according to the commission's records.
The disclosed purse of newly-crowned light heavyweight titleholder
Gegard Mousasi was $2,000 with no win bonus. It's safe to say
Mousasi is being compensated in some other way.
Here
are the salary figures obtained by FanHouse from the California
State Athletic Commission:
-
Cris Cyborg - $25,000 ($20,000 + $5,000) def. Gina Carano - $125,000
- Gegard Mousasi - $2,000 def. Renato "Babalu" Sobral
- $75,000
- Gilbert Melendez - $50,000 def. Mitsuhiro Ishida - $30,000
- Fabricio Werdum - $50,000 ($25,000 + $25,000) def. Mike Kyle
- $14,000
- Jay Hieron - $55,000 ($25,000 + $30,000 win) def. Jesse Taylor
- $12,000
- Scott Lighty - $4,000 def. Mike Cook - $2,500
- Justin Wilcox - $5,000 ($2,500 + $2,500 win) def. David Douglas
- $5,500
- James Terry - $6,000 ($3,000 + $3,000 win) def. Zak Bucia -
$2,000
- Alex Trevino - $3,500 ($2,000 + $1,500 win) def. Isiah Hill
- $2,000
Quick
Hits: 13,976 was the official attendance at the HP Pavilion for
a gross and net gate of $735,710 and $692,159.74, respectively.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
UFC
9/16 Cox Convention Center in Oklahoma City
By Zach Arnold
Dark
matches
¦Middleweights:
Ryan Jensen vs. Steve Steinbeiss
¦Welterweights: Brock Larson vs. Mike Pierce
¦Lightweights: Jeremy Stephens vs. Justin Buchholz
¦Lightweights: Sam Stout vs. Kyle Bradley
¦Middleweights: CB Dollaway vs. Dan Miller
¦Welterweights: Chris Wilson vs. Mike Pyle
¦Light Heavyweights: Steve Cantwell vs. Brian Stann
Main card
¦Middleweights:
Nate Quarry vs. Tim Credeur
¦Lightweights: Gray Maynard vs. Roger Huerta
¦Lightweights: Nate Diaz vs. Melvin Guillard
Source: Fight Opinion
|
UFC
Confirms Return of Aurelio
Line-Up for UFC 102 Finalized
By FCF Staff
The
Ultimate Fighting Championship has confirmed the entire card
for the promotion’s upcoming August 29th event in Portland,
Oregon, and as expected, Marcus Aurelio will make his return
to the Octagon to fight Evan Dunham. The American Top Team fighter
has been brought in to replace the injured Matt Veach.
Aurelio
(18-7) has gone 2-0 since his last UFC appearance; a Unanimous
Decision loss to Hermes Franca at UFC 90 last October. Since
then the Pride veteran has knocked out Chris Liguori at a World
Cagefighting Alliance show in February, and more recently, Aurelio
submitted Joey Gorczynski at a 5150 Combat League event in June.
Aurelio went 2-3 in his initial stint with the UFC.
The
undefeated Dunham (8-0) is coming off a successful Octagon debut,
as he stopped Per Eklund in the first round at UFC 95 in February.
Dunham’s only other bout in 2009 took place in January,
when he submitted Dustin Akbari in the first round at Palace
Fighting Championship 12.
UFC
102 will be headlined with an all-star heavyweight clash between
former UFC champions Randy Couture and Antonio “Minotauro”
Nogueira.
UFC
102 Card
Randy
Couture vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
Keith Jardine vs. Thiago Silva
Chris Leben vs. Jake Rosholt
Demian Maia vs. Nate Marquardt
Krzysztof Soszynski vs. Brandon Vera
Ed Herman vs. Aaron Simpson
Gabriel Gonzaga vs. Chris Tuchscherer
Justin McCully vs. Mike Russow
Todd Duffee vs. Tim Hague
Nick Catone vs. Mark Munoz
Marcus Aurelio vs. Evan Dunham
Source: Full Contact Fighter
|
Alliance
cracks the 50/50
Solution
came from skillful purple belt Ricardo Mesquita, claims Gurgel
By Gabriel Menezes
“The
Alliance laboratory cracks the 50/50, the antidote took time
in coming but is here…” was what was posted on the
twitter of team leader Fabio Gurgel, yesterday, August 17, a
Monday.
GRACIEMAG
brings you this month a productive debate on the position in
its 150th issue. While there are some in favor of simply banning
it, there are those studying an intelligent way out of what many
have been calling stalling.
After
Rodrigo Comprido defended his point of view in stating that Jiu-Jitsu
players should be able to pass guards of all kinds and deal with
any situation on the ground (the athlete is against prohibition
of the position), Gurgel announced the antidote to the position
came from one of his better purple belts, Ricardo Mesquita. Thus
the master claims the solution will soon make its appearance.
“The
positions come about naturally in schools around the world on
a daily basis. Not just here, but this position [50/50] has been
garnering special attention, since if it can hamper even Cobrinha,
then it shouldn’t be overlooked,” remarked Gurgel to
GRACIEMAG.com.
I’m
going to release the way out for Jiu-Jitsu’s benefit, I’m
going to put it on youtube soon. In a little while they’ll
come up with another one, and someone will solve it. Thus the
sport keeps on course, always moving forward,” said the
Alliance leader in finishing.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
The
Plight and Prosperity of British MMA
by Karl Maple
Compact within the confines of a well-made suit, Ian “The
Machine” Freeman appeals for calm from an unresponsive audience.
The
deep, authoritative tone of the former UFC heavyweight contender
asserts that the fight will not continue, until respect is shown
and seats are taken.
The
hall is half empty.
The
half that have attended appear to be relations of a local fighter,
whose Lithuanian opponent has left the cage and is refusing to
return until the partisan crowd are a little more welcoming.
There
are few casual fans. The audience is charged with the heightened
emotion of those about to watch a loved one fight and a minor
scuffle breaks out between the rows of unfixed, plastic chairs.
Welcome
to the fledgling world of British MMA.
By
all measurements, mixed martial arts has never been more popular
on this side of the Atlantic. Media coverage, talent and public
awareness progressively rise, and yet, despite these increases,
domestic promotions are finding it harder than ever to attract
the fans that play the video game, buy the magazines and watch
the UFC.
On
June 2, a press conference held in decadent, West London surroundings
heralded a new dawn for British MMA. The British Association
of Mixed Martial Arts (BAMMA) sought to bring cohesion to the
splintered UK scene with a trilogy of televised events. They
would culminate in an end-of-year card, on which six definitive
British champions would be crowned.
Two
months and one event later, BAMMA is on the verge of collapse.
Their website has been taken off-line, their events have been
cancelled and official statements are eerily absent.
When
the cessation is confirmed, it will be the third time within
a year that a high profile British organization has chosen to
fold. In March, Liverpool-based Cage Gladiators, proving ground
of current UFC alum Terry Etim and Paul Kelly, ended a run of
thirteen events. The British Fighting Championship -- a conglomeration
of promotions including FX3, AMMA and Ultimate Force -- failed
to assemble a single show before a failed television deal forced
them to abort their ambitious plans.
A
worrying paradox has developed around British MMA.
The
increase in popularity and acceptance of the sport in the U.K.
has failed to translate into support of the domestic scene.
Matt
Freeman, editor of leading British magazine MMA Unlimited, points
to the global dominance of the UFC as a possible explanation
for the disparity between popularity and success for local promotions.
“With
the UFC coming back to the U.K., we have seen an explosion of
interest in that particular promotion but not in the sport,”
said Freeman. “Everyone has heard of the UFC, but not MMA,
which could be construed as negative.
“The
top U.K. promotions used to host huge domestic and international
cards, but things have definitely changed,” continued Freeman.
“The trickle-down effect many thought would happen a few
years ago hasn't happened. Add that to the economic downturn,
which has seemingly had no effect on the UFC and British shows
have struggled in my opinion.”
Since
April 2007, the UFC has held eight events across the U.K. and
Ireland, filling sizable arenas with ease and forever changing
the landscape of MMA in Europe. November will see the UFC return
to the Manchester Evening News Arena, scene of their triumphant
re-entry into the market, buoyed by the confirmation of a new
long-term television deal with ESPN.
Marshall
Zelaznik, UFC U.K. division president, regards the recent television
negotiations as an indicator of the progress made by the organization
in the U.K..
“We
used to have to beat their doors down, now they come to us with
requests,” said Zelaznik. “There were definitely more
players in the TV negotiations this time. Two and a half years
ago, we had year-to-year deals, but now companies understand
the product.”
Zelaznik
also feels that the problems facing some British promotions are
a result of flawed business strategies and over-extension rather
than lack of interest outside of the UFC brand.
“I
hope that we are driving awareness,” he said. “There
is enough interest here for smaller promotions but more simplistic
business models are required.
“You
can’t oversell, telling everyone you have the best fighters
in the world, when people know that you don’t,” continued
Zelaznik. “They should say ‘We’ve got the best
up and coming talent in the U.K. Come and have a good night out,’
instead of acting like the second coming of Jesus Christ. There
are plenty of shows in the U.S., that put on compelling and entertaining
fights without TV.”
Veteran
British Promoter Dave O' Donnell takes a similar view to Zelaznik.
O'Donnell's UCUK promotion is one the few domestic organizations
to prosper alongside the UFC, and he feels that his success can
be attributed to his experience in the business. A quality sadly
lacking in the sudden deluge of aspiring promoters, ill equipped
to contend with the rigors of running a successful show.
“They
come to the show and think, ‘I can do that, I can do this,’
but you've got to look big picture, not small,” said O’Donnell.
“The danger will come when there are too many organizations
not doing it properly. They cut corners like, ‘We'll have
one doctor instead of two,’ or ‘I'll get my brother’s
mate to fight,’ instead of hiring professional fighters.”
Much
of the problems facing U.K. promotions stem from the absence
of a nationalized governing body. There is a lack of consistency
from one event to the next, making a definitive British brand
impossible. BAMMA and the BFC both tried to establish such a
base by uniting numerous smaller productions, with no success.
Until
unity is found between the plethora of regional shows, the future
of British MMA for the casual fan will rest firmly upon the UFC,
who insist that despite plans to extend the promotion into Australia
and Asia, have the U.K. firmly at the forefront of their plans.
“We
still feel that there is work to be done,” said Zelaznik.
“Next year we plan to be more aggressive in our promotion;
we are looking to put on three to five shows in the U.K. Any
arena that can hold in the region of 9,000 throughout the country,
we are looking to fill.”
As
the UFC continues to grow, the future of the British MMA scene
remains under threat. It will take cooperation from regional
shows or the emergence of an outstanding promotion to fully exploit
the increase in popularity that the UFC has generated, and until
that time comes, we can expect many more false dawns on the British
horizon.
Source: Sherdog
|
Jake
Rosholt: NCAA Wrestling Champ Makes the Move to the UFC
by Michael David Smith
Few collegiate wrestlers have accomplished more than Jake Rosholt,
a four-time All-American and three-time NCAA champion at Oklahoma
State. But now Rosholt is finding that the move from the mat
to the Octagon isn't easy.
Rosholt
started fighting mixed martial arts in 2007, and in February
of 2009 he made his debut in the UFC. His first fight, however,
lasted just over a minute, before Brazilian jiu jitsu black belt
Dan Miller caught him in a guillotine choke and forced him to
tap out.
Now
Rosholt is preparing for his second UFC fight, against Chris
Leben at UFC 102 on August 29, and in an interview with FanHouse,
he said he's learned from that loss and he's ready to do the
necessary work to become a champion in the UFC, just as he was
a champion in the NCAA.
Michael
David Smith: Would you say you're the most accomplished wrestler
in the UFC?
Jake Rosholt: As far as collegiate wrestling I am. I'm the only
person with three NCAA titles, and then there's one person with
two, and that's (former Oklahoma State teammate) Johny Hendricks,
and then I think there have been a few with two in the past,
like Kevin Randleman. As far as I know I'm the only one with
three, but there have also been UFC fighters who were Olympic
wrestlers, and being in the Olympics is considered a greater
accomplishment than being NCAA champion.
Is
wrestling the best base for an MMA fighter to have?
I don't know if I could say it's better than every other martial
art, but I think wrestling certainly helps. It teaches you hard
work and dedication, and those are important things to have in
MMA. Wrestling is a great sport and I think it's given me an
advantage.
Which
UFC fighters do you think are the best at using the techniques
of wrestling and applying them to MMA?
That's pretty simple: Georges St. Pierre is the best out there
at using wrestling to control the fight. I also think Randy Couture
is outstanding with his wrestling.
It's
interesting that you mention GSP because his background isn't
in wrestling. How good do you think he could have been as an
amateur wrestler if he had gone down that road when he was young?
I don't know because it's a completely different sport. I imagine
that he, because of the kind of athlete he is, would be pretty
damn good at whatever he did. But you can't really look at him
in MMA and say that he would have been an Olympian, because they
are different sports. In wrestling, you don't have to worry about
getting submitted and you don't have to worry about getting punched,
so it's just a completely different game plan.
What
do you think about Brock Lesnar? He's a former NCAA wrestling
champion. Does he have great wrestling skill, or is he just such
a big, strong physical specimen that he doesn't need that much
skill?
He's an amazing physical specimen, but his wrestling is top-notch,
too.
Did
you know when you were a college wrestler that you wanted to
be a professional MMA fighter?
No, I had no idea. I never wanted to fight until about a year
after I got done wrestling.
So
what got you into it?
I had some people approach me about it, and after I heard them
out, I decided I wanted to try it.
And
you started out with small shows in Oklahoma?
Yeah, I did some smaller shows and did well in those, and then
I won a fight on HDNet, and then the WEC gave me a contract for
five fights. After I fought one fight in the WEC, the UFC picked
up the rest of the contract, in kind of a whirlwind deal that
I didn't really have much say in.
Did
you have the sense in the WEC that they viewed you as one of
the up-and-coming stars, because you had such a strong resume
as an amateur wrestler?
I don't know. They said they were excited to have me, but I don't
know what kinds of plans they had for me.
How
did you feel about your one WEC fight, when you beat Nissen Osterneck?
Not very good. I got kind of overwhelmed at the beginning, and
I got the exact fight that I was not ready for. I was able to
pull out the win, but it didn't go the way I wanted it to go,
that's for sure.
So
after that fight did the WEC just tell you they were getting
rid of your weight class so you'd be going to the UFC?
I actually knew before the fight that it would be my only WEC
fight.
I
assume you were happy about that because the UFC is the bigger
show?
Honestly, I would have rather had a couple more fights in the
WEC. But it doesn't really matter. I'm excited about being in
the UFC because I can fight the best fighters out there, and
this is definitely the place for me to make my name.
And
when you made your UFC debut at the Ultimate Fight Night in February,
Dan Miller got you to tap with a guillotine choke after just
a minute. What went wrong?
I just got caught in a guillotine. There's not much else I can
say about it. The fight didn't last very long. I got caught in
a bad situation and got submitted.
I've
seen a few fights where a guy with a wrestling background goes
for a takedown and gets caught in a guillotine. Do the types
of takedowns that you use as a wrestler leave you susceptible
to the guillotine?
Yes, I definitely think so, but I've been doing MMA long enough
and studying jiu jitsu long enough that I should know better
than to get in those situations. It was just a spot where he
did a really good job, and I wasn't in a good position and I
got caught in a guillotine.
And
Dan Miller is a guy who, if you leave yourself open, his jiu
jitsu is good enough that he's going to make you pay for it.
Yeah, he is. He's a respectable opponent and he beat me.
What
do you think of your next opponent, Chris Leben?
I'm excited to fight him. Leben always puts on exciting fights.
He's a come-forward kind of guy who's going to try to stand in
front of me and knock me out, and I'm excited about that.
Have
you watched much tape of his fights to prepare?
I've watched a couple of his fights, but I don't spend too much
time doing that. I don't really watch much video of my opponents,
because I don't really care. I want to go out there and fight
to the best of my abilities and make them worry about what I'm
doing.
So
you view yourself as preparing for a fight, rather than preparing
specifically for Chris Leben?
Yes. I mean, obviously, I know where he's strong and my trainers
have watched some of his fights and pointed things out, but I'm
not going to sit there and break down every minute of every one
of his fights and think that's going to help me beat him.
With
your superior wrestling, would you like to take Leben to the
ground?
Not necessarily. I don't really care where the fight goes. I
think Leben is pretty decent on the ground, so it's not like
if I take him to the ground I'm definitely going to win the fight.
Where ever the fight is, I have to be ready to beat him.
Have
you given much thought to what you'd like to do next, after the
fight with Leben?
I'm just worried about beating Chris Leben. After I do that,
I'll fight whoever they ask me to.
Where
have you been training for this fight?
I've been at Cobra Kai in Las Vegas and UNLV Boxing with Chris
Ben, and a couple other places in Vegas as well.
What
are your long-term ambitions in this sport?
Just to keep getting better. I've only been doing this for two
years now, and I know I have a lot of learning to do and a lot
to get better at. I just want to keep winning fights and keep
making my name bigger in MMA.
How
long do you want to fight?
As long as I feel that I have the ability to be one of the best
fighters in the world, I'll keep doing it. Because I love it.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Quote
of the Day
"When
you've seen beyond yourself, then you may find, peace of mind
is waiting there."
George Harrison
|
DESTINY:
No Ka Oi in Maui!
Tomorrow!
War Memorial Gym, Wailuku, Maui
Saturday, Aug 22, 2009
-205lbs
Yancy Medeiros (oahu) vs Zeke Prados (maui)
-155lbs
Kaleo Kwan
(Oahu, O2 Martial Arts Academy) 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
|
NEVADA
COMMISSION APPROVES INSTANT REPLAY
by Steven Marrocco
According to a new rule passed by the Nevada State Athletic Commission
Wednesday, referees in Nevada now have the opportunity to get
a second look at a fight’s end to determine its legality.
The
final wording as passed: “A referee at the conclusion of
a contest or exhibition stopped immediately due to an injury
to an unarmed combatant pursuant to NAC 467.718 and after making
a decision, may view a replay if available in order to determine
whether the injury in question was caused a legal blow or a foul.”
The
rule addresses several controversial stoppages in recent history
where a fighter lost a contest because the referee couldn’t
see an injury that forced a bout’s stoppage.
A
referee may now use instant replay to determine whether the action
that caused the injury was legal or a foul and make a decision
on the fight’s result. Only a referee can decide whether
to order a replay.
In
one of the most prominent examples of the need to address injury
stoppages, UFC welterweight Anthony Johnson was unintentionally
poked in the eye by Kevin Burns at UFC Fight Night 14 last July
and was denied an appeal to his TKO loss due to the commission’s
“lack of remedy” on the incident.
After
a discussion on the issues surrounding the new rule, the five-member
commission passed it by unanimous vote. NSAC Executive Director
Keith Kizer told MMAWeekly.com the rule could take effect in
as early as 30 days.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
4
Reasons Why Female MMA Will NEVER Be Popular
by AlwaysRelaxing
I
kind of chuckle at some fans who really think that female MMA
can be a viable option for a MMA promoter. It might be able to
increase ratings here or there, but it is not the type competition
to give them strong, consistent ratings. Female fighters will
likely have a small, minimal place in fighting. Here are the
4 Reasons why:
1.
WHERE'S THE TALENT COMING FROM? Each established female sport
in America has a strong feeder system. The WNBA has a strong
women's college program to draw from. Females start from a very
early age playing the game. Tennis & Golf both have larger
college programs. Primarily a "wealthy" persons sport,
it isn't uncommon for advanced athletes to get expensive coaching
from an early age in order to advance their careers. Even men's
MMA pulls from wrestling, BJJ, Muay Thai, Kickboxing, Boxing,
etc. Most of the advanced wrestlers today in the UFC started
competing before the age of 10. Simply put, each sport has an
strong foundation to draw talent from. THIS DOES NOT EXIST FOR
FEMALE FIGHTERS. Women's wrestling is almost non-existent. Many
females who do BJJ are not likely to make the transition over.
And there are no major female boxers or a female K-1 division.
Yes, female MMA will draw from these sports, but there just isn't
enough of them happening in order to get a strong enough pool
of talent.
2.
SHOW ME THE MONEY!!! Despite being called a success, the Gina
Carano vs. Chris "Cyborg" Title Fight drew a gate of
less then $1 Million. It is highly unlikely that an event headlined
by females can become a strong PPV attraction or get a huge gate.
Even if Gina Carano won, there is no way her name could get people
to purchase a $45 PPV, or spend $200 on a ticket. More proof
of this is the WNBA. Despite having the full backing of a billion
dollar industry like the NBA, they have a hard time bringing
in money. Salary Caps for each team are set at $900,000. That's
for the ENTIRE TEAM. Outside of Tennis & Golf (which have
a very wealthy fanbase), no female sports stars have been able
to command high ticket prices for their events. I don't see any
female MMA fighter changing this.
3.
SHORTER CAREERS!!!! We often are amazed at guys like Randy Couture
or Bernard Hopkins can compete well into their 40's. This is
much less common for female athletes. Their careers are often
shorter for a few reasons. First, their hormones can start to
change which can make it harder to be a competitive athlete later
in life. Secondly, they do have weaker knee ligaments which can
cause more injuries. Lastly, a very simple two words: FAMILY
& BABY! Athletes like Joy Fawcett (Soccer) and Dara Torres
(Swimming) can have children and still compete in their respective
sports. Heck, Torres had a baby 15 months prior to winning the
2007 Nationals. In MMA, having a baby is without question a career
ender. With a shorter career length, there is a shorter window
of opportunity for a promoter to not only make a woman into a
champion, but a likely shorter time span of being on top.
4.
IF IT COULD HAVE BEEN DONE, IT WOULD HAVE BEEN!!! Looking at
the overall history of sports in America, it is easily dominated
by male athletes. Female athletes as a whole are a side note.
Football is 99.9% men. Baseball has softball, which gets little
to no attention. The NBA has the WNBA, which has never been successful.
If females could be sold to the general public, don't you think
somebody would have figured it out for one of these sports already?
As i said before, the only two sports in which female athletes
have done solid business are in Tennis and Golf. And both have
more of a "Country Club" fan then they do anything
else. To further prove my point, here is a list of other popular
female athletes and the sports they were supposed to propel into
the mainstream:
1.Sheryl
Swoopes & The WNBA- Swoopes, an Olympic Gold Medalist. Branded
as "The Michael Jordan"of the WNBA. The 1st Overall
pick for the league. She could not make the WNBA popular. As
it stands today, the league continues to suffer from financial
problems, low TV ratings, and a lack of fanfare.
2.Christy Martin & Women's Boxing- Martin was given the push
of a lifetime as she was often promoted on the undercard of Mike
Tyson events. Not the current Mike Tyson of today, but the wrecking
machine Tyson back in his prime. She even appeared on the cover
of Sports illustrated, making some believe women's boxing would
finally become popular. Despite all of this, women's boxing could
not make a dent to the public.
3.Laila Ali & Women's Boxing- The daughter of the most famous
boxer alive today, the great Muhammad Ali. Laila, a very gifted
boxer herself, could not make women's boxing popular. It would
be like a female "Gracie" being in MMA. She now has
a child and is retired from the sport.
4.Mia Hamm & Women's Soccer- And finally there is Mia Hamm.
A great soccer player who lead the United States to a Gold Medal
in the Olympics. The Summer of Mia got the sport of Female Soccer
so much attention. Mia Hamm was in multiple commercials, and
the sport looked to be taking off. Not to mention little girls
around the nation were looking up to these ladies as roll model.
The onslaught of media attention even allowed for the formation
of the WUSA, the first female soccer league. Despite all of their
popularity, the league (which included many of Mia's well known
teammates from the Olympics) failed miserably.
If Hamm, Swoopes, Martin, & Ali couldn't make their sports
popular to the American public.... I don't see how Gina Carano
or Chris "Cyborg" can do it. The female MMA fights
will provide for some added discussion amongst the more devoted
fans. And every once in a while get more mainstream attention.
Female MMA having any real potential for a MMA Organization is
HIGHLY improbable. And that is putting it nicely.
Source: Bloodly Elbow
|
With
Kurt Angle’s new legal troubles, is MMA his only career
option left?
By Zach Arnold
We all remember Kurt Angle’s tenacity last year in stating
that he would fight in MMA, only for everyone to laugh it off
justifiably.
Unfortunately,
Angle faces a very bad legal situation and his pro-wrestling
doors (mainly WWE and TNA) are closing on him if he ends up in
prison. Japan is always an option, but more than likely Kurt
Angle will be looking to do something quick for money. The only
option left for him to make quick and significant money is an
MMA fight.
Angle’s
troubles, highlighted on Saturday in various media reports, are
really bad. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette notes that Angle was
arrested for violating a protection from abuse order, along with
harassment charges and possession of Human Growth Hormone. Angle
is currently out on bail.
Source: Fight Opinion
|
Weekend
Results: Fred Ettish Puts Demons to Rest
It took over fifteen years, but UFC 2 competitor Fred Ettish
notched his first career victory over the weekend at a local
card in Brainerd, Minn.
The
53-year-old Ettish, who faced ridicule in his previous and only
MMA fight, forced a submission Saturday by pounding out the much
younger and 11-pound heavier Kyle Fletcher at a Cage Fighting
Xtreme event promoted by UFC welterweight Brock Larson.
Ettish
(1-1) entered the fight seeking redemption for a 3:07 loss at
UFC 2 in March 1994.
"There's
a lot of unsettledness within me that's been there every since
UFC 2, and I've tried stuffing it down," Ettish told FanHouse
last Thursday. "I've tried working through it, I've tried
a number of things to deal with the unsettledness of how I feel
from what happened at UFC 2 and I haven't been successful putting
it away so I came to the conclusion there's only one way to put
that stuff to rest and that is to go out and actually perform
up to my capabilities which I did not do the first time at all."
Boetsch
Wins King of the Cage Debut
Fighting
outside of the UFC for the first time since August 2007, Tim
Boetsch (9-3) finished fellow IFL veteran Aaron Stark with a
guillotine choke in the main event of King of the Cage "Thunderstruck"
in Everett, Washington.
Stark
attempted a takedown off a Boetsch kick, but Boetsch sprawled
and applied a guillotine choke in closed guard for the win in
the second round.
Boetsch
is best known for his dominant UFC debut at UFC 81 where he threw
David Heath with ease against the cage before finishing him with
strikes in the first round. Boetsch holds a 2-2 record with the
UFC and was released in March after his UFC 96 loss to Jason
Brilz.
Fickett
Drops Five In a Row
Drew
Fickett (36-13), who in 2005 and 2006 was a top level fighter
for the UFC and just a year ago was scheduled to meet Jake Shields
for the EliteXC title, suffered his fifth straight loss Saturday
and has now loss eight of his last 10 fights.
Fickett,
competing at 180 pounds, was stopped 28 seconds into the fight
by the 184-pound Freddy Sandoval, Jr. at Rage in the Cage 133
in Santa Ana Pueblo, N.M.
In
the main event, UFC veteran Edwin Dewees (36-13) won via rear-naked
choke submission in 56 seconds over Eric McElroy.
Ruediger
Records Fourth Straight Submission
The
Ultimate Fighter 5 contestant and former WEC lightweight champion
Gabe Ruediger (14-5) submitted Wander Braga with a second-round
guillotine choke at Call to Arms 2 in Ontario, Calif.
Ruediger
is 4-0 in 2009 with all wins coming by way of chokes.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Miller
Looking For Another Win Against “TUF” Competitor
By Kelsey Mowatt
After
quickly defeating controversial “Ultimate Fighter”
veteran Junie Browning in April, Cole "Magrino" Miller
has begun to prepare for his upcoming fight with Efrain Escudero,
yet another former and notable TUF competitor. Unlike Browning,
who became one of the show’s more recognizable figures largely
due to his verbal and physical outbursts during the eighth season
of the program, Escudero made his name by winning the season’s
lightweight title. Now, Miller will look to become the first
man to defeat the rising prospect, when he fights Escudero at
UFC 103 on September 19th.
“I
kind of looked at it in a few different ways,” Miller recently
told FCF. “I thought it was a good match-up for me. I knew
that I could win, so that’s always a good feeling to have.
With him coming off the “Ultimate Fighter” there would
be a lot more exposure behind getting an opponent like that.
At the same time, I kind of wanted to fight more of a veteran
fighter. Right now I’m in training camp preparing for Escudero
and I’m really happy with how things are going.”
As
of today, the Miller, Escudero bout is not a lock to be shown
during the UFC 103 PPV, which is somewhat surprising considering
Escudero has not fought since he defeated Phillipe Nover at the
TUF 8 Finale in December.
“Initially
it was supposed to be on the main card and then I saw that it
got bumped to the prelims,” said Miller, who competed on
the fifth season of TUF. “Obviously I was pretty disappointed.
It’s the first time that an Ultimate Fighter winner is not
on the main card of a fight. I want more people to see my work.
So I’m pretty disappointed. It’s more motivation for
me. I just want to go in there and make a statement with what
I’m doing.”
“I
don’t think winning the Ultimate Fighter has the same prestige
it used to,” Miller said, when asked if perhaps the notoriety
of winning TUF is diminishing, despite the fact that the show
continues to have strong ratings heading into its 10th season.
“I think the talent has been dropping down, not all of the
guys obviously, some of them are great fighters. But in our season
we had 8 guys stick around, now you see half the guys after getting
cut left and right.”
During
Escudero’s time with the UFC, the former collegiate wrestler
has demonstrated a strong ground game to accompany his takedown
abilities, and has gone 11-0 since turning pro in the summer
of 2006.
“I
think that his best asset is his mind,” said Miller. “He’s
a pretty smart fighter. I think his next best asset is his wrestling.
His ground game seems to be okay, and his striking is okay, but
he’s not really flourishing in either of those aspects.
It seems like the wrestling is what sets him apart from the guys
he’s fought. So he’s been able to take just being good
at wrestling and make it win fights for him.”
Miller
(15-3) will head into UFC 101 having gone 4-1 to date in the
Octagon, and in addition to demonstrating advanced submissions
skills with tap out victories over notable ground specialists
like Jorge Gurgel, the American Top Team fighter has also shown
that he is dangerous on his feet.
“I
think it depends on how the fight goes,” said Miller, when
asked about what gameplan he believes Escudero will employ. “I’ve
noticed he likes to come out and get to work right away, so maybe
if he caught me with an early shot he’d be content to stand.
I think the most important thing for him is winning. I don’t
think he cares how he does it. If it’s a long boring fight
where he just tries to lay on me, or if he tries to push the
pace, I don’t think he’ll want to keep it in one place
for very long. I think I’m going to be better than him grappling
and striking.”
Source: Full Contact Fighter
|
Minotouro
guaranteed at Bitetti Combat
UFC then likely destination
Rogerio
“Minotouro” Nogueira guaranteed his presence at Bitetti
Combat, this coming September 12, in the Maracanazinho gymnasium,
in Rio de Janeiro. After rumors he would not be in the show arose
on the internet, the fighter contacted the organization once
again and confirmed he will be there to face Alex Steibling.
“I’m
in. Nothing can keep me out of this event. I want to fight and
I can’t miss this one. I’m ready and dying to fight,”
he said.
As
discerned by Portal das Lutas, after a bulletin by Hilton Mattos
in the Jornal do Brasil newspaper, last Friday, the fighter practically
has a deal with the UFC in place, although there has been no
official confirmation. However, nothing will keep him out of
the Bitetti Combat cage, as Rogerio is guaranteed to undergo
a battery of tests at the Army School of Physical Education,
along with Paulo Filho, Ricardo Arona, Pedro Rizzo and Glover
Teixeira. They will be the first fighters from an MMA event to
do testing at the institute.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Olympian
Cormier Talks Move to MMA
by Jake Rossen
2007 World Team Trials Champion. Five-time US Nationals Champion.
Fourth Place in the 2004 Olympic Games. 2003 Pan-American Gold
Medalist. Second-place in the 2001 NCAA Championships.
It’s
very possible Daniel Cormier could melt down the contents of
his trophy room and put a dent in the national debt. A freestyle
wrestler formerly with Oklahoma State University, the multi-decorated
Olympian missed the 2008 Beijing Olympics due to dehydration
and has elected not to train for the 2012 Games.
Instead,
Cormier now spends his days bouncing between the American Kickboxing
Academy in San Jose, Calif., and dodging the mitts of noted boxing
trainer Pepe Johnson in Tulsa, Okla. The idea is to become as
proficient a mixed martial artist as friend and training partner
Josh Koscheck, along with the dozens of other accredited wrestlers
who have made careers, names, and small fortunes in a high-profile
sport custom-made for their skills.
Still
months away from his debut -- he’d like to get a fight in
by year’s end -- Cormier spoke to Sherdog.com about dodging
a quarter-million dollar bonus, getting into a rumble backed
by Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal, and refusing to leave
wrestling completely behind.
Sherdog.com:
You’re electing not to prepare for the 2012 Olympics, but
USA Wrestling has made an aggressive push to keep wrestlers in
their fold: they’re offering $250,000 to any athlete who
wins a Gold Medal there. Wasn’t that tempting?
Cormier:
Oh, yeah, it was. People get upset about the pay you get in wrestling.
But when you win, you get paid. In my career, I think I’ve
been compensated pretty fairly by USA Wrestling. They took care
of me. Without USA Wrestling, none of these opportunities would
be available to me. Some people get upset about the pay, and
obviously there were times I felt like we could’ve gotten
more. But I think I was treated fairly over the course of my
career.
Sherdog.com:
It’s really playing the odds. In the next two years, you
could make a lot more than $250,000 if your fight career goes
well. That money in wrestling is all-or-nothing proposition,
no?
Cormier:
I think it is. There are a lot of incentives to do it [fighting].
It’s possible for us wrestlers to do well and make quite
a bit of money, but you gotta win. It all depends on how well
I do in the cage.
I
want to stress that, even though I’m moving to MMA, it doesn’t
mean I won’t get in any wrestling competitions in the future.
I still want to compete. I love wrestling. I think the biggest
mistake a lot of wrestlers make is that they don’t go back
and compete. You see guys going into jiu-jitsu tournaments and
grappling tournaments to get better. Why is it any different
than going to a wrestling competition and wrestling really good
wrestlers and keeping yourself sharp?
Sherdog.com:
Koscheck started out not knowing anything but wrestling. Now
he’s good with his hands and has kept some of his fights
standing. How do you think you’ll adapt? Will you always
be a wrestler first?
Cormier:
I want to put on entertaining fights. I’ve been a fan long
enough to know that I don’t want to sit there and watch
a guy lay on top of another guy. I’ve done that my entire
life with wrestling. I really don’t want to put on any more
wrestling matches. I will, if I’m not comfortable or I’m
put in a situation where I need to, but I want to put on an exciting
fight. And in order to do that, I’ve got to have high-impact
wrestling moves in terms of throws, really hard double legs,
slams, and mix that in with some striking.
Sherdog.com:
Your last Olympic weight was 211 lbs. Where do you think you’ll
come in for a fight?
Cormier:
I see myself long-term fighting at 205. But in the beginning,
I see myself fighting up at heavyweight because right now I want
to enjoy this. I don’t want to cut all the weight I did
throughout my whole career.
Sherdog.com:
What do you weigh right now?
Cormier:
Right now, probably 245 or 250. I’m a big guy. But with
the correct diet, I’ll be able to knock that weight off
pretty quickly. These guys train so hard at AKA that the weight
just peels off of you.
Sherdog.com:
Another wrestler with notoriety, Cael Sanderson, gets asked about
MMA constantly, but he says he doesn’t have the appetite
for it. Do you mind punching people? Do you mind taking punches?
Cormier:
I don’t mind it. I’m really not a guy that likes to
hurt people. But it’s a sport now, and most times guys don’t
get seriously hurt. That’s how I’ve allowed myself
to deal with it: the idea of hitting people. It’s a sport.
Guys got hurt training in wrestling and it just killed me.
Sherdog.com:
Have you been in many street fights?
Cormier:
[Laughs]. Growing up in Louisiana, man, you had to, to survive.
Otherwise, you’d just get punked everyday. That’s one
thing I’ll never be, a punk. I’ve been in quite a few,
actually.
Sherdog.com:
Have you been in any since you matured physically and had these
wrestling credentials?
Cormier:
I got into a pretty big brawl in Colorado Springs when I was
22 or 23. It was me and Mo Lawal and a lot of other guys. A big
old brawl. We were with the whole US volleyball team and we were
all hanging out and having a good time. Then one guy hit one
of the girls on the volleyball team. We had to defend them. Obviously,
the guy regretted the decision that he made.
Sherdog.com:
I don’t doubt it. Do you think your list of credentials
precedes you in the ring? Gives you a psychological advantage?
Cormier:
S---t, I would hope so. But ultimately, I’ll have to back
it up.
Source: Sherdog |
Cole
Province Fails WEC 42 Drug Test
WEC featherweight Cole Province, who was victorious two Sundays
ago at WEC 42, has tested positive for the anabolic steroid Methasterone,
FanHouse has learned.
Province's
screen was the lone positive test at the Las Vegas event. Miguel
Torres, Brian Bowles, Dominick Cruz, Takeya Mizugaki, Leonard
Garcia, Shane Roller, Ed Ratcliff and Diego Nunes were selected
for tests and passed.
Nevada
State Athletic Commission executive director Keith Kizer told
FanHouse Monday that there is a possibility that Province's win
be changed to a no decision.
At
WEC 42, Province (6-1) picked up his first WEC win by unanimously
outpointing Brazilian Fredson Paixao. He was coming off another
Torres-headlined WEC card in December where he dropped a three-rounder
to Nunes.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
IS
ZELG GALESIC U.S. BOUND?
by Lee Whitehead
“I am currently without a contract,” exclaims devastating
Croatian born striker Zelg Galesic (9-4).
A
Dream veteran and former Cage Rage middleweight champion, he
is confident that this brief spell of unemployment is only a
temporary thing, “At the moment, it is likely that I will
re-sign with Dream, but some other options have come to light
this week and I am looking at them closely.”
With
the UFC and Strikeforce engaging in a battle to snap up talent,
could it be that the Croatian will be fighting in a cage again
sometime soon?
“I
started fighting in a cage and it would be good to get back to
that at some point, but the main deciding factor will be based
on the potential for exciting fights,” he explains. The
Japanese haven’t really been able to see the full potential
Galesic has due to matchmaking him with Judoka’s and jiu-jitsu
players, but he looks at both the Dream and Strikeforce divisions
and can see opponents that will really give him the type of fights
he wants.
“I
look at fighters like Robbie Lawler, Scott Smith, and Cung Le
in Strikeforce; I would love to throw down with them, but in
the same respect I look at people like Paulo Filho, Jason Miller,
and Andrews Nakahara in Dream and see good fights there too –
especially with Nakahara with his aggressive style.”
Galesic
has largely been off of the fans minds due to injury and bad
luck, but he feels that things are looking up and has been working
his way back to full health. His heart pulls for Japan as he
has been fighting there for a few years already, but he knows
that wherever he decides to materialize, he will have to shake
off some rust as well as answer some questions about how well
he has healed. Pressure testing in the gym is one thing, actual
combat and its inherent unpredictability is something else.
“It’s
been nearly a year since I fought. I have broke my leg and spent
two months in plaster, then had some other niggling injuries,
then some health problems, but all that is behind me now and
I have been training solidly for the last six months,” he
offers.
The
downtime and road to recovery has allowed him to experiment more
with his approach to training, to seek out new sparring partners,
plugging holes in his game, and a return to his homeland for
a while. At the moment, he is as much of a free agent in training
as he is in fighting. However, like many career fighters, training
just isn’t enough anymore and he is itching for competition.
“In
a ring or a cage, I will be back in action before the end of
the year. You can count on that. I want to showcase my best side,
my aggressive streak. So let’s see who I can get to stand
up with me.”
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Quote
of the Day
“Time
you enjoy wasting, was not wasted.”
John Lennon
|
JAY
HIERON PASSES THE GAUNTLET, EYES NICK DIAZ
If you can find a high-level fighter who’s had more career
ups and downs than Strikeforce welterweight contender Jay Hieron,
let him know. He’s tired of carrying the mantle.
It
was one thing after another leading up to his debut at Saturday’s
“Carano vs. Cyborg”: Affliction folding, Nick Diaz
tuning in and dropping out, a more-than solid Jesse Taylor stepping
in on a week’s notice. More than enough to distract, and
it wasn’t even counting the turbulence since last June when
the International Fight League (IFL) folded and left Hieron without
a job.
Until
the day of the weigh-ins for Carano vs. Cyborg, he didn’t
know if he’d get any of the money his sponsors promised
him for the fight. The commitments were made when Diaz was the
opponent and the bout was on TV. On the undercard, sponsors Full
Tilt, Everlast, EA Sports, and Xtreme Couture didn’t want
to pony up.
“I
was stressing because I wasn’t going to get paid,”
said Hieron. “When I first got there, I was like, what the
hell, I’m not on the main card? I guess Showtime didn’t
want to speak about the Diaz situation.”
Hieron
had gone through the exact same situation in January, when his
bout with Jason High was shuffled to follow the main event of
Affliction's "Day of Reckoning."
Strikeforce
CEO Scott Coker stepped up to the plate and got the sponsors
on board. Now, Hieron just had to fight.
“As
much as you put this stuff out of your head, I’m human too,
dude,” he told MMAWeekly.com. “I’d be lying if
I said it didn’t affect me at all. I put it out of my head
as much as possible. But at the end of the day, I had to win
that fight to get my title shot. If I lost that fight, there
goes my shot. The reason I signed with Strikeforce was because
I’m getting my shot off the bat on TV. That’s why I
chose them over the UFC, really.”
He
was critical of his performance, but the win was more important
than all else.
“I
didn’t train for the kid, really,” he said. “I
trained for two different guys. It was a little awkward. I didn’t
get my stand-up going like I wanted to, but my defensive wrestling
was on point. I felt in good shape. I needed that win to get
my title shot.”
Hieron’s
thinking is that if he can make it through this, he can make
it through anything.
“I
did what I had to do and got the job done, and I chalk it up
to more experience,” he said. “I still went out there
and got the win.”
The
Xtreme Couture fighter expects to get his title shot against
Diaz in the fall, likely November.
“Now
I can really focus on Diaz, and come in there 100 percent prepared,”
he said.
For
the next week, though, he plans to stay out of the gym and binge
on his favorite cheat food, chocolate.
“I
can’t get enough of it,” he said. “I’m a
chocolate fiend.”
Source: MMA Weekly
|
CHUCK
LIDDELL TO GO "DANCING WITH THE STARS"
Former UFC light heavyweight champion Chuck Liddell may or may
not be done fighting, but one thing is for sure, he isn’t
done competing. The Ultimate Fighting Championship on Monday
announced that “The Iceman” will transfer his steely
demeanor from the Octagon to the ballroom, when he joins the
upcoming season of ABC’s “Dancing With The Stars.”
Liddell
will become the first mixed martial artist to compete on the
series on Sept. 21, when the new season starts. He joins other
notable celebrities, including Ozzy Osbourne’s daughter
Kelly Osbourne, Donny Osmond, former supermodel Kathy Ireland,
former Dallas Cowboy Michael Irvin, professional snowboarder
Louie Vito, singer Macy Gray, and others.
“I
want to win,” Liddell told UFC.com, his motives clear. “I
don’t like losing in anything, so I’ll work as hard
as they’ll let me.”
But
aside from making a run at the competition on the show, Liddell
also sees himself as a sort of ambassador for mixed martial arts.
“I’m gonna go out, be myself, and show what kind of
people we do have in this sport,” he said. “I’m
sure the reaction will be mixed (among fight fans). My friends
are gonna be excited and I’ll never hear the end of it because
they’ll make fun of me, but it should be fun and I think
everyone will like it.”
Source: MMA Weekly
|
ISHIDA'S
CAMP CLAIMS "GREASING" IN VERBAL PROTEST
Representatives for Mitsuhiro Ishida have accused Gilbert Melendez
of "greasing" at Cyborg vs. Carano last Saturday.
Melendez,
Strikeforce interim lightweight champ, took on Ishida in a rematch
from a 2007 bout in which Melendez lost via decision. Melendez
defeated Ishida by TKO in the third round.
Bill
Douglas, Assistant Executive Officer of the California State
Athletic Commission, on Monday informed MMAWeekly.com that Ishida’s
camp issued a "verbal protest" about the alleged rule
violation following the bout and was advised to file a formal
appeal of the result.
According
to Douglas, Ishida's camp has five days from the date of the
bout to file the appeal. They had not done so at the time of
publication.
Representatives
for Ishida's camp declined to comment on the situation.
Cesar
Gracie, Melendez's manager, told MMAWeekly.com via text message
that the allegations were "pure BS."
"(Ishida)
couldn't get a takedown cause of grease but Gilbert could?"
he wrote.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
TOM
ATENCIO DETAILS AFFLICTION'S FINAL HOURS
The final hours of Affliction as a promotion will go down infamously
as the one time powerful mixed martial arts sponsor turned fight
organization canceled its show dubbed "Trilogy" just
days before the event was set to take place in California.
A
positive steroid test from main event participant Josh Barnett
led to the decision to scrap the whole show. Affliction vice
president Tom Atencio told MMAWeekly Radio in an exclusive interview
what the deciding factor was to call a halt to the show entirely.
"We
were scrambling looking for a fighter, quite a few guys stepped
up to the plate who were wanting the fight. Guys were doing it
for a reasonable amount of money, too, which was cool, but just
after talking to Showtime, after talking to everybody involved,
it just, we couldn't have done it," Atencio commented. "It
was a bummer, probably one of the worst things that's ever happened
to me."
While
much of the MMA world immediately pointed the finger at Barnett
for the positive test, Atencio says at the end of the day, it's
just business and he holds no ill will towards the former UFC
heavyweight champion.
"Could
things have been handled differently? Yeah, for sure, but it
wasn't and it is what it is. I just move on. I don't look at
the past. I only look at the future," Atencio said about
the Barnett situation. "Now it's time to turn this around
and start sponsoring fighters and get back to what I was doing.
I think it's good. We sponsor a lot of great fighters, and a
lot of fighters were bummed out when we left the arena and now
we're back."
The
head of the Affliction fight promotion also says that he has
spoken with Barnett about the situation since the event was canceled,
and all in all he chalks it up to bad timing for everything.
"I've
spoken with (Josh) since and he apologized and, like I said,
I even told him it would have been nice to have known ahead of
time so I could have at least prepared. So I could have at least
said when I found out I have no one to blame but myself now,
but the bottom line was I had no clue," Atencio stated.
"I had no idea."
The
rumors circled following the cancelation of the show that it
was the pay-per-view providers that balked at a replacement for
Barnett to step in to face Fedor Emelianenko on short notice,
but Atencio says it was a group decision due to marketing and
not wanting to cheat the fans out of their money.
"We
just did not have the time to re-market whoever was coming up.
We could not have changed the commercials for all the pay-per-view
providers. We couldn't have changed any billboards or put up
anything saying main event changed or anything like that,"
said Atencio. "We could not have risked the fact that somebody
ordered it thinking that Barnett vs. Fedor was the main event."
Following
the decision to scrap the show all together, it was the partners
at Affliction who made the call to the Ultimate Fighting Championship,
a company they had longstanding ties with before becoming a fight
promotion, and a deal was struck.
"We
ended up contacting the UFC and we made a deal and everything
else is history," Atencio said. "We're back to where
we were, and I'm back to doing sponsorships and it's good for
everybody I think."
Since
the show's cancellation, the majority of the fighters under contract
to Affliction have landed with other promotions, and Atencio
says that just about everybody has been financially secured since
the show was shut down as well.
"It's
my understanding that everybody was pretty much taken care of
as far as where they're going. As far as me taking care of everybody,
90-whatever percent of the guys I've taken care of. There's always
a few guys no matter what you do it's not good enough, or no
matter what you do they're not going to be happy and that's just
life unfortunately," stated Atencio. "The vast majority
of the guys have been taken care of, they're happy, and we have
a continued relationship like I always try to do."
So
with the fight promotion shut down for good, Affliction has already
started to contact fighters, and fighters have already started
to contact them about being back on board with sponsorships.
Atencio says that he's happy to be back with the UFC, and that
just being a part of MMA is enough for him.
"I've
always said I wouldn't be where I was as far as promoting if
it weren't for (the UFC). They built this industry," he
said. "I'm not a person that likes to burn bridges, you
never know what's going to happen."
In
the interview, Atencio also disclosed that fighters could be
seen fairly soon wearing the Affliction brand back in the Octagon,
but he will stand by the fighters who already have existing contracts
with other sponsors and not interfere with their deals. As for
the fight game, Affliction will always be a part of the sport,
as seen by the great many fans that still sport their shirts
to every event no matter where MMA is seen.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
MOUSASI
ON SUCCESSFUL U.S. DEBUT; WHAT'S NEXT?
A bulked-up Gegard Mousasi was one of many Affliction fighters
who thought he was left in the dust following the collapse of
the clothing company’s MMA promotion.
The
24-year-old Iranian-born Armenian railed at the waste of months
preparing for Renato “Babalu” Sobral, the Strikeforce
light heavyweight champion on loan for "Trilogy" on
Aug. 1.
The
truth was, Mousasi wasn’t that far from home. Despite open
contemplation of a jump to boxing or the UFC, the Dream Middleweight
Grand Prix winner had already been under contract with Strikeforce
and was himself on loan to Affliction. Making the fight happen
last Saturday at “Carano vs. Cyborg” was a mere window
dressing.
Mousasi,
who moved up from 185 pounds this year in an effort to accommodate
his growing frame, blew through Sobral in 60 seconds, a grab-and-dash
of Strikeforce's light heavyweight belt.
He
had arrived, Showtime commentators cooed.
“There
was no pressure coming into the fight, because it was my first
fight in the U.S.,” said Mousasi. “I trained hard for
it and I was very confident and comfortable in the cage.”
The
key, as he said all along, was informing Sobral, violently, that
the fight wasn’t a jiu-jitsu match. Sure enough, Sobral
tied up and scrambled for the canvas. But Mousasi landed on top
and used his position to turn out the lights on the Brazilian.
“I
just wanted to fight stand-up with him, but I knew he would go
for the clinch,” continued Mousasi. “I didn’t
want to give him any advantage. I knew that if I could take him
down, I would have.
“After
one, two rights I felt he was a little bit dizzy, and I gave
some for better results.”
Mousasi
goes next to Dream, where he’s set to face Rameau Thierry
Sokoudjou in the semi-finals of the Japanese promotion’s
Super Hulk Tournament. With many top light heavyweights being
snatched up by rival UFC, his stateside options are limited.
Mohammed
“King Mo” Lawal, and Mike Whitehead are serviceable
options for the champ, but Mousasi’s readiness after Sokoudjou
will play a big role in the timetable of his first defense.
Whatever
his future holds, Mousasi can breathe easier knowing the efforts
of the last three months weren’t in vain.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Werdum:
“Guillotines are tough”
Brazilian now aims to win weight and absolute at ADCC
Fabricio
Werdum is pleased and some promising plans for his career. The
day after the Brazilian’s big win at Strikeforce - with
a guillotine hold on Mike Kyle just 1:24 min into the first round
– GRACIEMAG.com caught up with an excited Werdum at home,
enjoying some down time with his family and his friends, the
couple Evangelista and Cris Cyborg.
At
the table, the group savored a sushi meal. But the best flavor
was surely the taste of victory the two fighters who did battle
the previous day were relishing. Both Cris and Werdum saw their
wins come while still in the first round. The former enjoyed
the accomplishment of having put the first blemish on Gina Carano’s
record in the main event of the evening, while Werdum rediscovered
his winning ways in his debut at Strikeforce, after a less-than-ideal
stint in the UFC.
“We’re
all eating sushi here. My brother, Cris and her husband, my wife,
daughter and I. It’s pure joy. After winning like we did,
by submission and knockout, especially as we train together,
we’re double overjoyed,” remarked Werdum to GRACIEMAG.com.
Mike
Kyle, who had surprised Rafael Feijao in his last appearance
at Strikeforce, could not withstand Werdum’s ground game.
“I don’t usually do the guillotine, it’s too hard.
But I saw the position come up and I pulled guard, because if
I didn’t sink it there, I could go for a triangle, an armbar
or sweep. I was really confident the guillotine was snug, though.”
The
Brazilian now has his eyes on the prime rib of the grappling
universe, the ADCC in Barcelona. “This year I want to win
my category and the absolute. That’s my objective. I’m
already the champion of the over 99kg division, but I want to
win the absolute, it’s a dream of mine. I love grappling
without the gi,” he said.
Confident,
the fighter wants to put on a first-rate performance. To do so,
he relies on a little extra help. “You can be sure I’ll
have the biggest cheering section. My cheering section in Spain
is impressive. I think I’ll have more than 300 people rooting
for me, wearing my t-shirt, making some major noise,” said
the black belt, whose academy, Werdum Combat Team, has its headquarters
in Madrid.
In
good cheer, Werdum had time enough to tell of how he’d almost
forgotten that he’s known Mike Kyle a long time: “I
know him. I was with him for 40 days in Croatia, I just didn’t
remember him. I’ve taken so many blows to the head,”
he laughed.
“My
manager came up to me and asked whether I knew Mike Kyle. I said
no. Some time later, like a week before the fight, I had a shock:
‘Shoot! I was with that guy for 40 days when I lived for
two years with Mirko [Cro Cop].’ We trained in the same
house, ate and trained together, I just didn’t remember.
“I’m
really happy to return in grand style. I’m leaner and I
think I’ll do better at this weight. I was really heavy.
The other day I bumped into Minotauro at Wanderlei Silva’s
gym in Las Vegas. We had lost contact, and Minota remarked that
we needed to be quicker, because we’re heavyweights and
can’t be slow. We have to be heavyweights, but quicker.
I was weighing 111kg and I dropped to 103kg. I’m feeling
much better at this weight,” said Werdum in finishing.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Three
questions for Cris Cyborg
‘I expected a tougher fight,’ says the champion
Cris
Cyborg had to be patient to finally get what she craved: a fight
against Gina Carano for the belt. On October 20 of last year,
when EliteXC and Pro Elite announced they would be closing their
doors, fans of female MMA, as well as the two fighters, were
crushed.
Cris
Cyborg didn’t lose sight of her objective, though. She moved
with her husband to Huntington Beach, California, and trained
with Carano in mind for over a year. There were no holds barred
on her way to her conquest, even choking unconscious a reporter
who showed disdain for the technical level of female fighters.
Carano, on her part, remained focused on the Brazilian too, and
waited. On Saturday the city of San Jose, California, bore witness
to a historic event, where at 4:59 min of the first round Cyborg
was crowned champion and holder of the coveted belt.
A
day after her win, in an interview with GRACIEMAG.com, the Brazilian,
despite her respect for Carano, didn’t withhold her opinion.
“I expected a tougher fight. I was actually ready for five
rounds.” But it didn’t come to that. And with the same
sincerity she stated that she doesn’t see there being any
opponent for her for the time being.
Check
out the exclusive interview with the champion:
What
did you think of the fight?
It
was the fight everyone had been waiting for. Everyone wanted
to know who the best in the world was. Folks were saying there
were two. I must thank Gina for the opportunity she afforded
me, as she, whether she wanted it or not, is a big name here
in the United States. He has been doing really good work. Carano
and I are pioneers in the revolution of women’s MMA.
Now
you’ve won the belt, what do you think is to come?
To
have the belt is a big responsibility. I will have to be more
disciplined, pay more attention, train more and evolve technically.
I feel that after winning the belt everyone will study my game,
which is why I feel I have to always change up my game and improve
technically, to be able do defend my belt, to win.
After
beating Gina Carano, is there any other big name to face?
I
don’t see anyone having a name like that. I’m prepared
to fight anyone the president of Strikeforce and Master Rudimar
[Fedrigo] put me up against. I’ll always be ready, training.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Werdum
wants Fedor: “I can fight him now”
Debuting
with a quick submission victory against Mike Kyle in Strikeforce’s
last event, Fabrício Werdum is looking forward to come
back inside the octagon one more time, and eyes the biggest challenge
of the heavyweight division. “Imagine having a chance against
the best of the world”, says Werdum.
Eyeing
the best, Werdum guarantees he’ll face whoever Strikeforce
puts in front of him. “If Strikeforce chooses, I can fight
him right now, later… Fighting (against Fedor) for he belt
would be even better. If I beat him, I can say ‘Overeem,
give me this belt because I already beaten the best’”,
jokes, recognizing that Emelianenko might debut fighting Overeem
for the title. “He deserves the title shot, he’s Fedor,
the best in the world”.
Back
to victories after a loss to Junior dos Santos in the UFC, Werdum
says that he’s in the best condition now. “I was already
waiting for a fast fight, because I had a strong training. It
was a good victory, I was 13kg lighter… This is my best
weight”, finished the Chute Boxe heavyweight.
Source: Tatame |
Hector
Lombard eyes rematch with Mousasi
Bellator
middleweight champion, Hector Lombard knocked out all four fighters
he faces this year… And wants more. In exclusive interview
to TATAME.com, Lombard said he wants tougher challenges now.
“I spoke with Bellator’s managers and I want to face
the best in my weight”, said the fighter, trough his coach
Stéfane Dias.
Talking
about big oponents, the champion thinks about the possibility
of going to the UFC, but his focus now is in Bellator’s
octagon. “I don’t know about the UFC, I’m under
contract now and I still have three more fights to do there”,
explains, waiting for his next opponent. “I want two more
fights this year, and against tough guys”, guarantees the
Cuban.
With
only two losses in the record, Lombard saw Gegard Mousasi, who
defeated him in Pride, get the Strikeforce belt. And Hector wants
the rematch. “I’d love to (fight Mousasi). I don’t
care about the weight, we can do it at 185, a catchweight”,
guarantees, saying the he didn’t trained well for the fight.
“I
didn’t prepared myself well for that fight, I trained only
one hour a day with my friends. Now I’m at American Top
Team with a great team. I any weight, I’d love to fight
Mousasi”, finished the Cuban.
Source: Tatame
|
Quote
of the Day
“Believe
it to be true and meet yourself there.”
Rocky Marquette
|
DESTINY:
No Ka Oi in Maui!
This Saturday!
War Memorial Gym, Wailuku, Maui
Saturday, Aug 22, 2009
-205lbs
Yancy Medeiros (oahu) vs Zeke Prados (maui)
-155lbs
Kaleo Kwan
(Oahu, O2 Martial Arts Academy) 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
|
CYBORG
STOPS CARANO TO WIN WOMEN'S TITLE
Going into Saturday night's main event, Gina Carano was deemed
the face of women's MMA, but it was Cris "Cyborg" Santos
that walked out with the Strikeforce 145-pound women's title
as she got a first round TKO win, punishing her way to a referee's
stoppage after a barrage of strikes on the ground.
With
13,524 fans watching the historic event, the first round unfolded
with unbelievable fast-paced action. Both fighters came out with
speed and fury on their minds, punches starting to fly immediately.
It
was apparent during the first clinch against the cage that Cyborg
was the much stronger fighter. Carano battled back by pulling
the fight to the ground, which almost resulted in her giving
up a heel hook. Carano battled out and the fight was back on
the feet.
Carano
tried her best to land strikes on Cyborg, but the Brazilian simply
seemed to walk through the punches, while landing the more damaging
shots throughout. With only half of the fight in the books at
this point, they clinched and the fight again went to the ground
where Carano took the mount and started to reign down punches,
but instead of maintaining position, she stood up with the Chute
Boxe fighter.
Cyborg
never let the fight get away from her again as she moved forward
and blasted Carano with punch after punch. The bout eventually
moved to the ground once again, where she pummeled the Las Vegas
native with strikes. Carano struggled to get out of the position,
and Cyborg seized the moment by standing up and unloading punch
after punch until referee Josh Rosenthal stepped in to stop the
fight just before the horn sounded to call an end to the round.
"Since
the beginning I knew that this fight would be hard, that's why
I trained so hard for this fight and for Gina because I know
Gina's an excellent fighter," Cyborg said after the title
win.
Taking
her place in history as the first ever Strikeforce women's champion,
Cyborg single handedly struck a blow to the hype machine around
Carano, while wrapping the 145-pound divisional title around
her waist.
"I
want to thank Gina Carano for the opportunity, I want to thank
all the fans because I train a lot and I do everything for the
fans," she said with heartfelt sentiment following the title
victory. "It's always for the fans."
Cyborg
was absolutely humble in victory, while Carano was nothing but
congratulatory in shaking the hand of the woman who handed her
the first loss of her MMA career.
CRIS CYBORG:
MMA FIGHTER, STRIKEFORCE CHAMPION
There were plenty of questions going into Saturday night’s
Strikeforce main event featuring Gina Carano and Cris “Cyborg”
Santos, most of which received definitive answers.
As
Showtime commentator Frank Shamrock noted after the fight was
over, “One, (women) can headline an event; two, they can
finish in devastating fashion.”
Not
only did she prove her finishing power, in the process, Cyborg
also staked her claim to being considered one of, if not, thee
top female fighter in the world, defeating Carano and capturing
the first Strikeforce women’s title.
Carano
showed a variety of skill and resourcefulness, not making it
easy for Cyborg. Her trainer, former UFC champion Randy Couture,
noted in an interview with Showtime, “We needed to get her
to use her jab more, move her head more, not get into those kind
of nose-to-nose firefights that she’d gotten into, but,
ultimately, I think she did a lot of very good things.”
It’s
not that Carano did a lot of things poorly, it’s just that
Cyborg did what she does, and she did it well. She came out aggressively
from the bell, utilizing her power, both in her striking and
in the clinch, to put Carano where she wanted her.
“Cyborg’s
a very aggressive opponent, came out, went after her. We knew
that was gonna happen; we prepared for that,” added Couture.
“We did a lot of good things in the fight, but ultimately
we got caught in a bad position.”
For
her part, after the fight, Cyborg said, “They key (to the
fight) was five years of training.”
And
training was what carried her through. Her eyes watering in her
post-fight interview, Cyborg noted, “Since the beginning,
I knew this fight would be hard. That’s why I trained so
hard for this fight and for Gina. I know that Gina is an excellent
fighter.
“I
train a lot and I do everything for the fans. It’s always
for the fans.”
Source: MMA Weekly
|
COUTURE
ON CARANO'S PERFORMANCE AND FUTURE
Although Gina Carano’s pride took a hit Saturday night,
her coach, Randy Couture, is already looking ahead.
Whenever
she wants to get back in the gym, he’ll be there.
Carano
suffered the first slide of her career at Strikeforce “Carano
vs. Cyborg,” the first major mixed martial arts card to
feature a female title fight as its headliner. Almost as soon
as the fight was booked, she asked Couture to coach and corner
her for the enormous challenge faced in Cristiane “Cyborg”
Santos, a vicious product of Chute Boxe Academy in Curitiba,
Brazil.
Santos’
aggression won the day, but it was a back and forth battle that
had the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif., hopping with energy.
The new champion will likely face Dutch fighter Marloes Coenen
next.
Carano
retreated to her dressing room after the bout and declined interviews.
Couture found himself acting as a spokesperson to curious reporters
wanting to know how she was dealing with the loss.
“She’s
fine, no injuries,” said Couture. “A little scuffed
up, but not bad.”
Couture
acknowledged that the gameplan he concocted for the fight went
askew when Santos swarmed early on.
“The
gameplan was to use her combinations and her footwork,”
said Couture of his strategy for Carano. “Stick and move
and try to make Cyborg keep up with her and find her. Obviously,
they ended up in a couple of firefights that she really didn’t
need to be in, but it’s hard when somebody hits you, not
to stand and try to hit them back. It’s understandable.”
Overall,
though, Couture thought his student did as well as she could
and the bout added to her mettle as a young fighter.
“I
think she had some opportunities to win,” he said. “It
was an amazing five minutes. They made a lot of transitions,
a lot of positions, and I think Gina caught Cyborg with some
shots that got her attention, and obviously Gina got overwhelmed
on a couple of occasions, but I think overall, she did some great
things.
“This
is a new experience for her, and it’s an important one,
and I expect she’s going to come out the other side a stronger
and better athlete for what she’s going through right now.”
Couture,
who faces Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira in less than two weeks at
UFC 102 in Portland, Ore., anticipated Carano wouldn’t sit
on the bench for long.
“I
think she takes a week or so to recover, let the dust settle,
and get together and figure out what her next move is,”
he said. “Who her next fight’s gonna be, when her next
fight’s gonna be, and when she’s gonna get back into
the training cycle.”
Source: MMA Weekly
|
MATT
SERRA NOT RETIRED, WANTS HUGHES REMATCH
Former Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight titleholder
Matt Serra wants a rematch with Matt Hughes and fights against
opponents with names cemented in the industry.
"I
had a talk with Joe Silva (UFC matchmaker) and we talked about
some interesting things," Serra told MMAWeekly.com recently.
"I was definitely first pushing for a rematch. That would
be ideal for me. I'd love to fight Matt Hughes again. I told
him, 'look man, you've already got the name for it, “Unfinished
Business.” There you go.'
“Throw
on (Wanderlei) Silva and (Rich) Franklin; that was a close fight.
What else was a close fight? I don't know, put something on there
that the fights were entertaining. Me and Hughes, we got the
fight of the night.
“I'm
not going to sit here and bad mouth the guy because we did fight.
I'm not going to attack him personally, but at the same time
I do feel I won that fight, or at least I should have got the
nod. If not, it's a draw and let's do it again."
The
Serra and Hughes rivalry has been well documented, reaching a
head when they were opposing coaches on "The Ultimate Fighter"
Season 6. Serra lost to Hughes by decision when they finally
met in the Octagon at UFC 98 on May 23 at the MGM Grand Garden
Arena in Las Vegas.
Reflecting
on that hard-fought battle, Serra said, "I thought it came
down to that last round. And he might have been on top of me
longer, but definitely the 30 seconds I was on top of him, or
40 seconds, what ever it is, I definitely landed more than he
did probably the whole fight. I landed more power shots at least.
I landed two or three shots that definitely connected with him
when I was on top of him at the end, not to mention the big throw.
I thought I won the first and third rounds. I'm not alone in
that.
"I
think we should do it again," he added. "Why not? I
think it would be fun for everybody."
Serra
expects to compete again this year and is eager for his next
fight, but the Renzo Gracie black belt wants a full training
camp to prepare. "I told Joe Silva, 'look man, let's talk
about it, it's just that I need a two and a half month to three
month period to be were I want. That's what I like to train.
That's how I like to do it. I felt so good in my last fight that
that's the recipe for the rest of my fights. That's what I'm
doing. As soon as you've got a date and you know what's up, just
give me that window of two and a half month - three month training
camp.' So that's it. The ball is in their court, and we're going
to talk about it. I'm not done, that's for sure."
Asked
if the UFC has ruled out the possibility of a rematch with Hughes,
the 35-year-old fighter commented, "No. And you know what's
funny is I was talking a little bit with Joe the other day and
he wasn't, but then he brought up another name.”
Serra
wouldn’t reveal the other name, but MMAWeekly.com sources
have been floating Matt Brown as a possible next opponent for
Serra. It doesn’t sound like Brown is the type of opponent
that the former UFC welterweight champion is looking for.
"I've
made my whole career fighting whoever they put in front of me,
and that hasn't really changed, but it has to be kind of exciting
now. You know what I mean? I've got to see my name up there with
someone else where I'm like, ‘Whew. I'd want to see that
as a fight fan myself. I like that match up, and I like that
name. He's a legend.’ I want that type of thing around it.
That's what I want," continued the New York resident.
"A
new guy is just as tough as some of these other guys, so it's
like why not at this stage of my career fight guys that, your
name is up there, like when they had me versus Hughes. That was
exciting. That's what I'm looking for. I know Frank Trigg is
back in the mix. That would be interesting.
"I
want a fight that on paper is exciting as hell and a name that's
like a cemented name where it's like ah, that's a fight I've
been wanting to see."
But
most of all, Serra wants that rematch with Hughes.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Toquinho
with UFC fight coming up
Fighter focused on UFC, may keep him out of ADCC
Rousimar
Toquinho was this week invited to participate in the ADCC, one
of the main grappling events in the world, to take place in September,
in Spain. However, another commitment may keep him out of the
competition. Despite his recovering from a foot injury, what
may keep him out of the ADCC is his next fight in the UFC.
“To
tell you the truth, I’m not sure I’ll be in the ADCC.
The problem isn’t the injury, it’s that it may be a
little close to my next UFC fight. The guys said I should fight
in October. They told me that towards the end of October or beginning
of November I’ll fight again. But I don’t know if they’ve
confirmed an opponent for me yet,” he told Portal das Lutas,
GRACIEMAG.com partner site.
Toquinho
fractured and twisted his foot when preparing for Alessio Sakara,
who ended up facing Thales Leites at UFC 101. On the injury,
the Brazilian Top Team black belt guarantees he is almost well.
“I’m
going to the doctor Tuesday to be released fully. I’m already
well, almost 100%. I did a treatment that made me much better,
thank God, and the swelling in my foot went down a lot. I’m
already doing physical conditioning work and training light in
the gi and submission grappling, as well as some wrestling positions.
Little by little I’m getting back into the swing of things,”
he said.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Soca:
from Long Island to the Rio Open
JJ player comments on the experience of bringing students to
compete
Alexandre
“Soca” Freitas was another big name in Jiu-Jitsu to
appear at the Masters and Seniors International during the last
weekend of July. Along with Wellington Megaton, Luis “Limao”
Heredia, Regis Lebre and Leo Dalla, who spiced up the championship,
the black belt leader of Soca New York, in Long Island, made
a point of, besides competing, bringing students with him to
Rio de Janeiro.
Along
with the experience acquired from a competition of high technical
level, like the Rio Open and the International Masters and Seniors,
Soca told GRACIEMAG.com that the trip served to open each of
their eyes to pre-conceived notions they had about Rio.
“My
main intention was to bring my students here from New York. I
wanted them to get to know Rio, the place where I trained and
lived my whole life, if just to try and change the bad image
the city has to them. Rio is seen in a bad light by a lot of
Americans, and I wanted them to understand a bit what it’s
like to live here,” said Soca, who has been in the United
States for four years and has around 250 students.
“They
were blown away. The guys couldn’t imagine it was like this.
The image is really bad abroad. The image of violence… of
a third world country, etc… They came here and were well
treated and they found it a lot better than what they had thought,”
said the teacher.
In
his assessment of his own performance in the Senior 1 lightweight
category, the Carioca spared no criticism. “I couldn’t
traine the way I should have for the competition. I think when
the other guy lets the game flow, I do better. When the guy’s
would tie me up I should have been better prepared to pick the
pace up more,” said Soca, who took second, after Jack McVicker
(Gracie Humaita).
Soca
was, however, plenty happy with the results attained by his student,
who, according to the Soca, has a promising future. The student
in question is blue belt Nick Castellano, a heavyweight, winner
of the adult heavyweight and absolute divisions. “The kid’s
got a future,” said the proud professor. “He’s
been training Jiu-Jitsu for one year and he wins all the championships
he’s in at weight and absolute. The Pan-American… everything.
He’s a really tough blue belt,” said Soca in finishing.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
After
big night, what next for women’s MMA?
SAN
JOSE, Calif. – When Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos
was introduced to American fans on CBS one year ago, with the
idea of creating an ultimate opponent for Gina Carano, the Brazilian
was given the moniker “The Baddest Woman South of the Equator.”
After
Santos finished Carano to become the first Strikeforce women’s
lightweight champion (145 pounds) in the biggest women’s
MMA fight ever in North America, her “Baddest Woman”
title no longer needs any geographic boundaries.
More From Dave Meltzer
In
the aftermath of Santos’ first-round victory, one question
asked for months seems to have been answered with an exclamation
point.
Strikeforce’s
card at the HP Pavilion, headlined by Carano-Santos, drew 13,524
fans, one of the largest non-UFC crowds in the history of the
sport. There was little doubt the crowd came to see Carano, who
came across as a star at the level of a fighter l
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