Upcoming
Events
Do you
want to list an event on Onzuka.com?
Contact
Us
(All events on Oahu, unless noted)
2009
10/10/09
NAGA Hawaii
(BJJ/Sub Grappling)
(Hawaii, Tentative)
6/28-29/09
2009 Pac Sub
(Gi & No-Gi competition)
6/4/09 - 6/7/09
World JJ Championships
(BJJ)
(California)
5/9/09 - 5/10/09 &
5/16/09 - 5/17/09
Brazilian Nationals JJ Championships
(BJJ)
(Carson, CA)4/18/08
NY International JJ Championships
(BJJ)
(Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)
5/9/09
15th Grapplers Quest Las Vegas
(BJJ/Sub Grappling)
(Las Vegas, NV)
5/2/09
Uprising MMA
(MMA)
(Maui)
May 2009
Abu Dhabi World Submission Wrestling Championships
(Sub Grappling)
(Tentative)
4/4/09 - 4/5/09
NAGA World Championship
(BJJ/Sub Grappling)
(NJ, Tentative)
3/29/09
Kingdom MMA
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena)
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)
3/21/09 - 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)
|
|
February
2009 News Part 2
|
Casca Grossa Jiu-Jitsu
is now the O2 Martial Arts Academy with 7 days a week training!
We are also offering Kali-Escrima (stick fighting) on Monday
nights with Ian Beltran and Kickboxing Tuesday and Thursday with
Kaleo Kwan & Chris Slavens!
Kids Classes are also
available!
Click
here for info!
Take classes from the Onzuka brothers in a family-like environment! |
In
Memory of Lars Chase
Rest in peace my brother
March 10, 1979 - April 2, 2008 |
 |
Fighters'
Club TV
The Toughest Show
On Teleivision
Tuesdays
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.
If you
do not have a login, it's simple and fast to get one.
Click here to set up an account.
Don't worry about using Pidgin English in the posting. After
all it is the Hawaii Underground and what is a Hawaii Underground
without some Aloha and some Pidgin?
To
go directly to the Onzuka.com Hawaii Underground Forum
click here!
|
Want
to Advertise on Onzuka.com?
Click here for pricing and more
information!
Short term and long term advertising available.
More than
1 million hits and counting!
|
O2
Martial Arts Academy Day Classes Start May 2!
Women & Kids Kickboxing Class starts May 4!
Click here for pricing and more
information!
O2MAA Relson Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Day Classes will be held on Monday,
Wednesday, and Fridays from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm and will be taught
by one of Relson Gracie's first black belts, Sam Mahi!
We will be starting a Womens and Kids kickboxing class on Sunday
afternoons from 5:00 pm to 6:00 pm. The class will be taught
by none other than O2's Kaleo Kwan! It will be a non-competitive,
fun atmosphere and allow the ladies and kids to get in a quick
workout and learn some legitimate kickboxing technique before
the long work week starts.
New
O2MAA Kid's Jiu-Jitsu Class Starts Friday, December 5 from 5:30
to 6:30 PM!
Adult Wrestling Class Starts Starts Friday, December 5 from 8:30
to 9:30 PM!
|
Want to Contact
Us? Shoot us an email by Clicking Here!
Quote
of the Day
"Patience
has its limits. Take it too far, and it's cowardice."
George Jackson
|
Ron
Verdadero Fights in Australia!
Good luck
Ron!
Source: Nicole
|
Report:
UFC 94 buyrate still good, but not great
By Zach Arnold
Quote
of the Day from Dave Meltzer, who initially said that early ‘trending’
indicators showed UFC 94 (Penn vs. GSP) doing blockbuster numbers:
There
are other reports from those with actual knowledge of PPV numbers
themselves who have said at this point the confirmed number of
buys was closer to 800,000, which, if true, would be a disappointment
by today’s standards.
800,000
PPV buys is still a really, really good number.
Source:
Fight Opinion
|
An
Unfortunate Night of Firsts for BJ Penn
We've released the full stats from the drubbing GSP put on Penn,
but did not point out the historically salient points contained
within. St. Pierre did a few things last night that no one has
been able to do to Penn over 18 fights and more than seven years.
He
Passed Penn's Guard Like No Other
Penn
has a bad history with opponents who can pass his guard. Including
last night, his guard has been passed in five fights and he has
not won any of them. But even in his losses to Machida and Pulver
and his draw to Uno, Penn was able to regain guard after all
but one of the passes. All told, prior to last night, opponents
had advanced past guard 10 times over the 200 minutes in Penn's
career.
St.
Pierre equaled that number in just 20 minutes. St. Pierre passed
to half-guard four times and to side control six times. This
is especially significant when you compare those numbers to the
first GSP-Penn fight. In both cases, St. Pierre was able to get
Penn to the ground four times. But in the first fight, St. Pierre
did not pass Penn's guard even once. This time, he passed it
within just a few seconds of hitting the mat.
He
Cut Penn
Penn
has the two natural characteristics that make a fighter very
hard to deal with: an iron chin and uncuttable skin. Consider
him the anti-Fedor. Penn's career has been remarkable because,
win or lose, he always comes out from the fight looking exactly
the same as when he came in.
While
its true that he hasn't been hit that many times and so hasn't
given opponents many chances to cut him, it's not as if he's
never been hit with good punches or elbows before. Through all
that, no one has been able to do any significant damage to Penn.
St. Pierre put an end to that streak in the third round.
He
Outstruck Penn 4-1
It's
logical to say that good fighters hit their opponents more than
they get hit themselves. Penn is no different. Over his career
he has outstruck his opponents 549-254. On a per-minute basis
he has absorbed 1.225 strikes per minute (SApM) and landed 2.65
strikes per minute (SLpM), a ratio of more than 2-1. (Note: These
figures only reference the most significant strikes and are not
complete totals).
Previously,
Penn had only been outstruck twice in a fight. In his loss to
Machida, he was barely outstruck 29-28. In their second fight,
Matt Hughes landed exactly twice as many strikes as Penn, beating
him 32-16. St. Pierre even doubled that ratio. He landed 49 heavy
strikes compared to just 12 for Penn, a 4-1 ratio. Using SApM
and SLpM, we see that St. Pierre landed twice as many strikes
per minute (2.65 strikes) as a usual Penn opponent (1.225 strikes)
and absorbed just 25% (0.6 strikes) of the usual number of strikes
that Penn typically lands (2.65 strikes).
Source: Fight Metric
|
Return
of Marcelo Garcia likely in DREAM GP
World champion grappler Marcelo Garcia will likely return to
MMA with an entry in the DREAM Welterweight Grand Prix, reports
Portal das Lutas.
Garcia,
who won three straight ADCC gold medals from 2003-2007, trains
with the American Top Team to improve his standup. His coach
Ricardo Liborio tells Portal das Lutas "there's a good chance.
Nothing's in ink yet, but there really is a good chance Marcelo
will be in the GP."
In
Garcia's lone MMA fight, he lost via TKO due to a cut against
Dae Won Kim at "K-1 HERO's in Korea" in October 2007.
If
Garcia signs to fight in the DREAM tournament, he'll debut at
DREAM.8 on April 5.
The
ADCC will take place this year and if his schedule permits, Garcia
will shoot for a fourth straight under 77 kg division title.
Source:
MMA Fighting
|
Aldo
and WEC fight
Check out the interview with the featherweight
After
three consecutive knockouts in the WEC, Jose Aldo is preparing
for yet another challenge. Having just appeared on January 21,
the fighter already has another date in the organization’s
cage coming up March 1st, in Texas. Check out the interview the
fighter conceded to Portal das Lutas, GRACIEMAG.com partner site.
Portal
das Lutas – How have preparations for you fight with Chris
Mickle, a very experienced opponent, been going?
Jose
Aldo – I rested for a week and a half after my last fight
and went right back to full-on training. He’s an experienced
adversary, with nearly forty fights on his record, and I’m
training everything. I’m training standup, wrestling, Jiu-Jitsu.
Whatever happens I’ll be prepared for it.
PDL
– Why did they call on you to fight again so quickly?
JA
– A fight was dropped from the card and they asked me if
I had any problem with fighting now. I said there was no problem
and was really happy.
PDL
– Your opponent has 22 finishes on his record. Are you doing
any special ground fighting preparations this time?
JA
– We always look to focus a bit more on the adversary’s
strengths. I saw he had a lot of submissions and so I trained
Jiu-Jitsu and sub grappling first. I don’t base all my training
on that, but I can’t lose on the ground. That’s my
house.
PDL
– You were linked to a fight with Urijah Faber. If you win
this one, do you believe you might get a title shot or a big
name fighter next?
JA
– I expect the best. I’ve been doing my job, showing
what I do, and I hope to keep improving on that. But it’s
in their hands. I’m going to go out there and look to win,
put on a good show so they’ll like my performance so they’ll
keep having me back. But I want to face the best, I would like
for them to put me against the big-name guys.
PDL
– Your fight’s on the main card, to be broadcast on
TV. Is that because of your past performances? Do you feel it’s
extra pressure to put on a good show?
JA
– I think it’s yes to both. I think it’s because
I’ve had good performances as well as it being a responsibility
being on the main card. I think they put me there because of
my fight style, because I’m objective and I like striking.
I think that’s what folks like.
PDL
– Your teammate Marcos Loro will be fighting the same day,
against Damacio Page. How are things with him leading up to this
fight?
JA
– I see Loro as being really focused for this fight. I’m
training with him all the time and he’s awesome. He’s
training a lot, focused and with his head in the right place.
That’s fundamental. It’s no use training if your head’s
not focused on what you want. He’s focused on his objective
and knows what he wants. A fight’s a fight, two go in there,
but I think he’ll leave victorious. He’s really good
on the ground and standing too, which was his weak point, but
now he’s good at it.
PDL
– What is this final phase in preparations like?
JA
– I travel on the 23rd, reach there the 24th and I’ll
spend a week training a bit to shed weight.
Source:
Gracie Magazine
|
PETE
SELL
“Drago” Ready for Next Challenge as Welterweight
Veteran Expecting War with Brown March 7th
By Kelsey Mowatt
Pete
“Drago” Sell has a new outlook on his career, and when
you talk to the veteran fighter his positive attitude immediately
becomes evident. After dropping 3 bouts in a row, losing 2 of
them by knockout, Sell’s future with the UFC appeared to
be seriously in question. After renewing his dedication to the
sport, as well as dropping down from middleweight to welterweight,
Sell worked his way to a Unanimous Decision victory over Josh
Burkman at UFC 90 last October.
“My
game has really grown in the last couple of years,” Sell
told FCF. “Maybe I learned some things the hard way; on
the job training. I had some close calls in there but coming
back the way I did in my last fight, getting that win, it was
so important. I really had to deal with some perseverance the
last couple of years, I was dealing with a lot of losses, I got
injured really bad. I was a mess. I cut corners and lived life
rough for a bit, but I came back. What I love hearing is when
fans say they don’t care if I win or lose, they just love
watching me fight. That means a lot to me.”
Up
next, it would appear as though there is strong possibility that
Sell (8-4) might participate in yet another memorable clash,
as at UFC 96 in Columbus, Ohio, he will take on fellow TUF vet,
Matt Brown (8-7). Like Sell, Brown has also fostered a reputation
throughout his career for being an aggressive, take no prisoners
fighter, who is more than willing to engage in an all-out striking
affair.
“I
respect him for the fact that he seems like a guy that’s
going to come to fight,” said Sell, who also reported that
he has fully recovered from a shoulder injury he incurred before
agreeing to fight Brown. “He’s not going to lay back
and be a punk you know? He’s going to get in my face, I’m
going to get in his face and we’re going to battle. That
always makes for a good show.”
Sell
has worked a lot on his stand-up game, and clearly by his comments,
there’s no reason to believe that the veteran fighter will
come out against Brown looking for the takedown seconds after
the opening bell. But Sell has spent years now training with
one of the East Coast’s more accomplished jiu-jitsu practitioners
in Matt Serra, begging the question, is there a point where catering
to fans, engaging in slug fests, may not always be the right
game plan?
“Yeah,
I know what you’re saying,” said Sell, after being
asked if at times he’s turned away from his ground game.
“Why take a chance if I feel like I can beat the guy on
the floor, why would I even try to exchange with him? I’m
a big fan of always putting on a good fight for the fans. I like
to fight. To me it’s all fun either way. I know they’re
might be easier ways to win fights but on the other hand, I don’t
want to eke out a decision, and play the safe way. I’d rather
come in there and end the fight. That’s what people want
to see.”
Of
course Brown has also demonstrated some submission skills, as
at UFC 91 in November, he tapped out Ryan Thomas in the second
round with an armbar.
“My
sense of his ground game is that he’s definitely more of
a stand-up guy, so he looks to get back on his feet,” Sell
noted. “From the ground he likes the high guard, going for
triangles, obviously armbars, with his win over Ryan Thomas.
I know what things he likes to work, but I think he wants to
get back up. If he’s there, he’ll work his guard somewhat,
but I don’t think he’s the kind of guy that wants to
stay there.”
After
competing just once in 2008, Sell is hoping to have a much busier
schedule in 2009.
“Three
(fights) would be awesome man. I’m just going to take it
one fight at a time and see what’s up. I’m not looking
past Matt Brown. I was in a bad way for a while so I just want
to get back to my winning ways, after that, I’ll figure
out what’s going on.”
Source:
Full Contact Fighter
|
UFC
99 PITS RICH FRANKLIN VS WANDERLEI SILVA
by Ken Pishna and Damon Martin
The Ultimate Fighting Championship is set to make its German
debut on June 13 at the Lanxess Arena in Cologne. While several
fights have been rumored for the event over the past couple of
months, most have not come to fruition.
MMAWeekly.com
on Wednesday, however, was able to confirm through multiple independent
sources that former UFC middleweight champion Rich Franklin and
former Pride 205-pound champion Wanderlei Silva have agreed to
fight each other at UFC 99.
Franklin
has fought his last two bouts at light heavyweight, returning
to the division after running into a brick wall named Anderson
Silva at middleweight. Even though Wanderlei Silva's fights in
the UFC have all been at 205-pounds to this point, he has made
public his intention of wanting to move down to the 185-pound
division.
"I
talk with (UFC matchmaker) Joe Silva and... say no problem, I'm
down for 185? He say, no problem," Silva said in a recent
interview with MMAWeekly.com, but adding, "I could fight
in both divisions; I could fight 185 and 205."
It
appears that he may not fight at either weight come June 13.
Though it is too soon for bout agreements, sources have indicated
that Franklin and Silva have agreed to face each other at a catch
weight somewhere in the neighborhood of 195 pounds.
With
both fighters coming off of losses – Franklin to Dan Henderson
and Silva to Quinton Jackson, each in the 205-pound division
– a catch weight fight doesn't really damage either's hopes
for a title shot, as each would likely have to win a couple of
fights before being considered a contender again.
A
catch weight fight is a logical step for Silva to make his transition
to the middleweight division a little easier. Walking around
at about 208 pounds, he's never really had to deal much with
weight cutting in the past, but will obviously have to in order
to compete at middleweight.
The
UFC has not officially confirmed any bouts yet for Germany, and
it is not yet known whether Franklin and Silva will headline
the UFC 99 fight card. Considering each fighter's stature in
the MMA world, their bout would likely be at least a co-main
event.
The
only other independently confirmed bout for UFC 99 at this point
is a lightweight contest between Spencer Fisher and Caol Uno.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
WAMMA
to Launch First Official Female Rankings
Orlando, Florida - The World Alliance of Mixed Martial Arts (WAMMA)
has announced that it will be launching a monthly poll in 2009
that will rank the best female mixed martial arts in the world.
Starting
in the first quarter of the New Year, WAMMA's new female poll
will rank the top ten female fighters in three separate weight
classes: 125 pounds, 135 pounds, and 145 pounds.
WAMMA
already conducts a monthly poll for the top ten male fighters
in the bantamweight, featherweight, lightweight, welterweight,
middleweight, light heavyweight, and heavyweight divisions. Rankings
are available on www.GOWAMMA.com and released on or about the
15th of each month.
The
WAMMA Top Ten Rankings for male fighters has been and will continue
to operate as a writers/media poll with the top journalists in
the industry selected to submit their top ten each month.
However,
WAMMA's new poll for female fighters will be conducted separately
and will serve as an industry poll with promoters, managers,
trainers, agents, and the fighters themselves also joining select
members of the media in determining the monthly rankings.
"We
are sure that the decision to conduct an industry poll for our
female rankings will raise some eyebrows," began WAMMA Chief
Operating Officer Michael Lynch. "However, after an exhaustive
search, it was determined that while there are many knowledgeable
experts on the field of female MMA, most of them have an industry
affiliation. Much like the NFL allows its players to vote in
its Pro Bowl selections, WAMMA has elected to follow a similar
model. We're going to allow the female fighting industry tell
the world who its best fighters are."
While
it will be an industry poll with fighters allowed to participate,
all pollsters will have to pass through a vetting process. Their
monthly ballots will be evaluated and if it is determined that
a pollster is voting in a biased manner, he or she will be dismissed
as a pollster. Fighters will also not be allowed to vote in the
weight class that they most recently competed in.
Serving
as the chair for the new female poll is Sam Caplan, the publisher
of FiveOuncesOfPain.com and a contributing writer for CBSSports.com.
Caplan also serves as the chair for the men's poll.
"WAMMA
has billed itself as a fan and fighter-forward organization,"
said Caplan. "There have been several calls to start a prominent
women's poll to help female fighters gain additional exposure.
The decision to respond to those requests and start a monthly
poll is proof that WAMMA is sincere in its statements to help
advance the growth of the sport."
Jeff
Osborne, promoter of the HOOKnSHOOT promotion and one of female
MMA's strongest advocates, along with Team Bison MMA trainer
Mike Reilly, fighter-turned-writer Adam Baker of DreamFighters.com,
and freelance MMA journalist Yael Grauer have already signed
on as pollsters.
Source:
The Fight Network
|
Q&A
with ProElite CEO Champion
Just
hours removed from Thursday's multi-faceted deal between Strikeforce,
CBS, Showtime and ProElite Inc., Chuck Champion, the CEO of ProElite,
took the time to speak with SI.com about the specifics of the
transaction and the company's plans for the future.
SI.com:
Sources indicated ProElite would dissolve and sell off its remaining
assets. Is that correct?
Champion:
No, that's not correct.
SI.com:
OK, what is going to happen with ProElite as a company now?
Champion:
ProElite as a company will focus on those assets that are making
money, which is principally King of the Cage. There are a few
other issues outstanding that will need to be resolved ... but
there is capital in the bank in order to be able to do that.
So, we'll look for what we do next, now. But this basically takes
the company and makes it debt free, dispute free, litigation
free. And we have an opportunity to concentrate on King of the
Cage and other assets. And resolve the issues that are still
outstanding with those. So it also gives the fighter an opportunity
and a venue that we think is good for them. It was important
piece of the puzzle for us.
SI.com:
The television aspect of this, do you currently have any TV deals?
Champion:
We have one with Fox Sports Net. We have a reality series that's
launching with Mark Burnett. We are talking with others for King
of the Cage fights.
SI.com:
And what of the other branded promotions you have? Icon, it's
my understanding a lawsuit was levied against T. Jay Thompson.
Is that correct?
Champion:
No, that's not correct. There is no litigation that the company
has initiated towards T. Jay. And there has been no litigation
from former employees of ProElite. We'll be circling back around
to have conversations with all of these interested parties now
that these two transactions have been completed.
SI.com:
Can you run me through the second transaction.
Champion:
There's a deal that was done with CBS and deal that was done
with Strikeforce. They are separate and distinct transactions.
SI.com:
Could you discuss the deal with CBS?
Champion:
Simply that we've resolved all of the differences between us
and they retired all the debt that existed between us. And, in
essence, they will remain shareholders on a go-forward basis
as common shareholders with no particular extra rights with their
holdings. They will not have board representation. They will
not have super-majority rights. They won't have any type of control
rights over the company.
SI.com:
They owned a 20-percent stake in the company before. Can you
say what that stake is now?
Champion:
It's the same. Their ownership stake in the company remains unchanged.
Stock and the odds remain unchanged. What the process has done,
contrary to what's been bantered about in the press, is that
the relationships between us and Strikeforce have significantly
improved as you might imagine over this. The relationship with
CBS had been strained and [in] this process, as the press release
will say, bridges have been built as opposed to burned. I was
really pleased with how everybody stepped up -- the fighters,
a lot of managers -- to make this stuff work. I think it's better
for the sport. It's better for the stakeholders. And now we just
entered a new chapter of what we're doing, and others have the
opportunity to go out and continue to build their brand. I really
do think it's been a painful process, but I'm pleased with where
everything is in this moment.
SI.com:
Can you speak to your frustration. I know a lot of the fighters
were upset over how things were handled. You couldn't really
comment on them. Can you talk about that period, and what it
was like for you?
Champion:
It's tough. These guys have fights and a living to make, and
all of what went on made that difficult for them, frustrating
for them. Being an executive of a publicly run company, as you're
going through these transactions and trying to find the right
solution, there's just not a lot you can say to very many people.
I'm an open book, personally, and that book is on the shelf of
a public library. My strengths, my weaknesses are out there for
the world to look at and I've always operated that way. So to
be in a situation where I have to shut my mouth and not be able
to even speculate as to what may happen and how all this will
work out was very difficult for me, because I understand how
frustrating it was for them. They didn't know. There wasn't a
lot of information. And quite frankly, there was a process by
where things were constantly changing, and opportunities were
being presented and evaluated.
It
was a long process. This started in advance of Oct. 4 and continued
all the way to this day. It's been a four-month, five-month process
to bring it to the spot that it's at. We're not done yet. There's
work that has to be done, and we're going to continue to do it.
There are more issues we're going to address. But we're in a
far better position than we've been in I can't remember how long.
We're looking forward to the future.
SI.com:
The EliteXC brand, will that continue?
Champion:
We have a right to that brand on a go-forward basis. We own it.
And we've licensed the ShoXC brand to Strikeforce, so we could
use that brand as well. But we've got a very strong brand in
King of the Cage. Terry [Trebilcock] has done a great job over
10, 12 years. It's a profitable brand. He's run hundreds of shows
-- 50, 60, 70 a year -- and they're all profitable. We can concentrate
on that and build on that. The overhead of the company is dramatically,
as you might imagine, significantly reduced. We're just an entirely
different position today than we were on Oct. 4.
SI.com:
What kind of events do you see ProElite promoting? I'd imagine
the fighters Strikeforce are taking over are some of the bigger
stars that you had cultivated in your time promoting. What will
be the size and scope of your shows?
Champion:
That's yet to be decided and determined. But remember the organization
came on the scene two-and-a-half years ago with no fighters,
zero, nada, no stars, nothing ... and produced what it did in
a period of time. Some can argue many of the decisions that were
made, particularly in retrospect, could've have been made differently
and done differently. But you can't take away from the former
manager team, the likes of (Gary) Shaw and (Doug) DeLuca. They
started from ground zero and built what they built and got millions
of people to watch it that were new. None of these people were
ProElite fighters two-and-a-half years ago. So attracting fighters
to do what we do is going to be something for Terry Trebilcock
to address in the weeks and months to come. We're going to be
relying very heavily on Terry. Actually, I have been over the
last year, along with a lawyer that works with him, a guy by
the name of Howard Zellner, who has been absolutely magnificent
through this whole thing.
SI.com:
Will you have any kind of relationship with Strikeforce moving
forward, or are things on good terms just based on the completion
of the deal?
Champion:
We have a great relationship with them. We have no plans. We're
going to help them do what they need to do in order to be successful
and for the fighters to be successful. We'll be working with
them over the next couple months to make a smooth transition,
to work out any issues, get tape libraries to them and so on.
We have a tremendous amount of respect for ... the guys that
are behind Strikeforce. Negotiations can drive people apart or
drive people together. This one has clearly driven two organizations
that were competitors closer together with greater degrees of
trust that had been exhibited before.
Our
respect levels have only increased for them over the course of
the negotiations. Whatever we can do to help them, we'll do.
I've always looked at them as other providers of content, and
it would simply get more eyeballs to the sport. The sport would
grow faster. The faster the sport grows, the more sponsorship
dollars and advertising dollars are available to us. It's better
for the fighters that we pay. It's kind of like building the
pie a lot bigger. In the early stages of an industry like ours,
there's plenty for everybody to go around. It requires a more
disciplined approach to be more successful at it.
SI.com:
Can you walk me through the Strikeforce deal? The asset sale
was a limited asset sale, including fighter contracts?
Champion:
Some fighter contracts.
SI.com:
And Strikeforce, do they pick and choose which contracts they
want, or do you have a say in that?
Champion:
They pretty much gave us a list they were interested in, and
option fighters they were interested in. And there has to be
conversations with fighters as well.
SI.com:
It's my understanding that there has to be some renegotiation
involved with these contracts.
Champion:
Well, there are contracts that have been written that give the
company full assignability rights to those contracts. There are
contracts that we have that have provisions we have to meet in
order to assign contracts. There are furtherance clauses in all
the contracts that fighters are required to work with us to achieve
what was originally contemplated in the contracts. Those are
very strong and serious clauses.
And
the other thing, with Strikeforce continuing to have a relationship
with CBS, the fighters came to us in part because they wanted
their talent exhibited to a greater number of people. And Showtime
certainly does that beyond anything, in fact even beyond what
the UFC does. These guys are going to be interested in wanting
to sit down, but they shouldn't be thinking that this is going
to be an opportunity to put on a gun and a mask and stick something
into Strikeforce's face. That would be a false premise to be
operating under.
SI.com:
When is a list of fighters going to be made available?
Champion:
We'll be releasing our 8Ks, we have to do it within four business
days by law. All of the material aspects of this transaction
have to be released within that. The lawyers are currently working
on those 8Ks as we speak. I want to get them out there as soon
as possible, because the industry has a tendency to fill in the
blanks they don't have the right information. They just speculate.
So
I'd like to get as much of this out there as possible, so everybody
knows what's going on. Strikeforce, I can't say for, I would
assume Strikeforce is in contact with those fighters and their
representatives. We would be more than happy to talk to fighters
and representatives if and when they call us. We're working through
that issue as we speak.
SI.com:
And in addition to certain fighter contracts, you said the video
library.
Champion:
Of just EliteXC. So it's the fights that were on Showtime and
CBS that were EliteXC fights.
SI.com:
And the third component?
Champion:
There were the fighters. The libraries. There was the sub-licensing
of ShoXC, which was the smaller event, so that both of us can
use ShoXC footage, and [the] ShoXC title. All the specificity
of that will be out there. But again, to be very clear, this
is not a sale of the assets of ProElite just like what we saw
with the IFL or closing down of ProElite or any of these kinds
of things. That is not what occurred here. There were two separate
transactions -- one with CBS and one with Strikeforce -- that
basically now has resolved. You may recall we had litigation
against the company by Wallid Ismael. That litigation has been
settled, so the company is now without litigation. We're in the
process of paying off all the unsecured creditors, and the secured
creditor being CBS is retiring its note.
The
company will be debt free. We'll have cash in the bank and a
profitable entity in King of the Cage moving forward. I'll now
be turning my attention to issues following the Oct. 4 fight,
and there are several I can't talk about specifically. I'll be
dealing with Cage Rage, and I'll be dealing with Icon, with Rumble
World, and Spirit MC to determine how those assets will fit with
us on a go-forward basis.
SI.com:
Do you feel at the end of the day that this was the best deal
you could have made?
Champion:
Actually, yeah. You look at the potential alternatives when you're
literally in a battle for your life with several people knocking
on your door, this thing could have turned out much different
than it is today. I am really happy that a lot of fighters, a
good number of them, will be back to work very quickly. That
was important to us. The fighters were, contrary to again what
a lot of people may think, this was looking at a debt holder
in a UCC position, which was CBS, unsecured creditors, which
did not include fighters -- we did not owe money to fighters
-- and the rest of it was trade tables, advisors, those types
of things. We'll be able to take care of that. And we'll be able
to work out of the outstanding issues like the one we had. We'll
get those resolved.
I
think the company will be on better footing. It'll be in the
right space. King of the Cage is a great brand. He has done a
lot of great work. We have a lot of confidence in Terry taking
us forward, with a much different infrastructure. I've to got
to at least renegotiate and a number of other things to make
sure that we don't ourselves right back into the same place a
year from now.
Source:
SI.com
|
Jason
'Mayhem' Miller to host MTV's
'Bully Beat Down'
Jason "Mayhem" Miller will host a new reality TV show
"Bully Beat Down" on MTV.
"Bully
Beat Down" is a product of Mark Burnett productions, which
also launched "The Apprentice," "Are you Smarter
Than a 5th Grader?" and "Survivor."
The
premise of the show is for victims of bullying to bring in their
school bullies to fight a professional MMA fighter.
The
show tapes this week in Salt Lake City and fights will be regulated
by the Pete Sauzo Utah Athletic Commission. The show is slated
to premiere in the Summer.
Miller
won't be fighting on the show but he can be next seen at the
end of March headling the inaugural Kingdom event against Kala
"Kohole" Hose in Honolulu, Hawaii.
Source:
MMA Fighting
|
Marquardt
Gunning for Gouveia
One
of the world’s most accomplished and complete middleweights,
Nate Marquardt will take his next step towards returning to title
contention when he meets Wilson Gouveia at UFC 95 “Sanchez
vs. Stevenson” this Saturday at the O2 Arena in London.
Marquardt,
who turns 30 in April, carries a quiet confidence into the cage.
“I’m
going to be ready from the start,” he told Sherdog.com in
an exclusive video interview. “Any opening that he gives
me, I’m going to take it, whether it’s a knockout punch
or a takedown or whatever.”
A
former middleweight King of Pancrase, Marquardt (27-8-2) has
won eight of his past 10 fights. The lone blemishes were a technical
knockout loss to UFC middleweight king Anderson Silva at UFC
73 and a disputed split-decision defeat to Thales Leites at UFC
85. Otherwise, he has been stellar. Affiliated with the Jackson’s
Submission Fighting camp in Albuquerque, N.M., he annihilated
Martin Kampmann in his last appearance inside the Octagon, as
he needed a shade more than a minute to dispatch the Dane at
UFC 88 in September.
A
former light heavyweight with well-rounded skills, Gouveia (12-5)
failed to make weight for his bout with Jason MacDonald at “The
Ultimate Fighter 8” Finale in December. Nevertheless, he
struck the Canadian into submission with first-round elbows,
as he won for the sixth time in seven fights. Based out of American
Top Team, he has delivered 11 of his 12 wins by knockout, TKO
or submission.
Marquardt
sees him as a difficult test.
“I
think Wilson’s a very tough opponent,” he said. “Overall,
he’s a tough guy. [In] pretty much every area, he’s
good.”
Check
out Greg Savage’s complete interview with Marquardt -- which
includes comments from training partner and UFC welterweight
champion Georges St. Pierre -- and see how he feels about another
shot at Silva, Gouveia’s suspect conditioning and training
with one of the world’s premier camps.
Source:
Sherdog
|
Frank
Shamrock Responds to Ken on FNR
Jorge Barbosa
Today's show started with Lee Groves from MaxBoxing.com talking
about Antonio Margarito's suspension. Groves believes the suspension
is fair since the actions that took place are considered to be
one of the worst crimes an individual can commit in boxing. Loaded
gloves can cause serious damage to the human body; it's a crime,
plain and simple. Whether Margarito's camp likes it or not, with
this current situation, people are questioning Margarito's previous
fights. This incident has tainted his previous records and bouts
and the question will continue to linger, did he have loaded
gloves in his previous fights? Only his camp knows.
Groves
goes on to say, that the cornerman's claim an accident or mistake
is pompous; this man had to know what he was doing. In reference
to the suspension, Groves says that when a commission hands out
suspension, it's in effect "world wide" (so Miguel
Cotto has a point).
"...he
should be accountable for those acts, should not get away with
it just because of who he is." I've got to agree with Ranallo
in this instance, regardless of who this guy is, he should serve
the punishment if he wishes to recapture his credibility. The
same can be said for his cornerman, but one could imagine that
for Javier Capetillo, it will take more than serving a 1 year
suspension.
I
always appreciate a discussion that looks at the interdisciplinarity
of combat sports (Thank you Mr. Ranallo). Could themes of professional
wrestling be involved in the Margarito situation? The casual
viewer may ask how such a thing could happen. Ranallo explains
that Margarito could be seen as a heel if he continues to fight
where the suspension does not have jurisdiction. If he were to
follow through with this, it would show his total disrespect
for the rules and his opponent (Mosley). If this were to happen,
and Margarito returns from his suspension, he would become a
hit, considering people may want to see him getting beaten up,
this would result in major payouts, he would be the perfect heel
in boxing. Something to think about
The
second guest on the show was Frank Shamrock, who had much to
say in regard to yesterday's comments made by Ken Shamrock (Ken
celebrated his 45th birthday yesterday). When asked how close
things came to the blood brothers fight, Frank Shamrock said
he was interested in the bout, but believes Ken will never go
through with it. In addition, he stated that he has set up the
offer numerous times; however Ken has declined and gone on to
sign other fights. Frank goes on to explain that his dislike
for his brother Ken stemmed from the days he was teaching at
the Lion's Den. He goes on to say that he believes Ken is emotionally
unstable and consequently, he feels the blood brothers bout will
never come to fruition.
It
is no question that Frank Shamrock was instrumental in the success
of Elite XC and Strikeforce. In terms of his bout with Cung Lee,
Shamrock says that he was the one who built the fight and is
looking for more lucrative fights (Robbie Lawler, Vitor Belfort).
As far as a rematch goes, Shamrock responded by saying he would
beat him with Shamrock MMA, "That's when I kick the shit
out of everyone!"
The
storyline is there in respect to the Shamrock versus Diaz bout
set for April 11th (only 2 months away). The story can be traced
back to March 10th 2006, Frank Shamrock vs Cesar Gracie, Shamrock
won by knockout. Gracie is Diaz's mentor and we could see them
playing with some kind of revenge angle (here's the pro wrestling
again, but hey it puts asses in seats). It's a promoter's best
scenario, Frank Shamrock and Nick Diaz will provide fans with
so much hype and trash talking that this fight alone will attract
the viewers for Strikeforce's first event. Shamrock has already
begun selling this fight but I won't give that away, check out
the podcasts to hear the trash talking, its well worth it.
Source:
The Fight Network
|
Bigfoot:
"Gesias is from another planet"
By Guilherme Cruz
After the frustration of traveling to Japan, making weight and
not fighting at the K-1 Dynamite, Gesias Cavalcante is waiting
to return to Dream in April. Great friends at American Top Team,
Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva is cheering for him, and bets
on Brazilian. After some rumors on the Internet about a Gesias
in the welterweight tournament, Pezão bets that his partner
would do pretty in the 170 division.
“The
Gesias is abnormal, he should be studied, he must be from another
world. His training are amazing. I already trained all around
the world, I already was at the BTT and until today I’ve
not seen anyone train the way he trains... He’s a monster,
abnormal", jokes Pezão. "If he comes (to the
GP), I can say that enter as a favorite. This GP will have big
names, tough guys standing and on the ground, but he’s a
monster and bet on it".
With
a physical coach like André Benkei taking care of his
weight, the giant ensures that the lightweight wouldn’t
have problems in the 170 division. "Benkei can make anyone
drp categories, he’s a genius. I used to say that he can
make rain in the desert", praises. And if he does miracles,
can we see one day Bigfoot fighting on the welterweight division?
“Just cutting my legs off (laughs)... But he told me that
if I want, he puts me with 205 pounds, but I want to make history
between heavyweight... This is only jokes, but he’s serious,
he says that can put from 264 pouns to 205”, said.
Source:
Tatame
|
Quote
of the Day
“You
have to recognize when the right place and the right time fuse
and take advantage of that opportunity. There are plenty of opportunities
out there. You can't sit back and wait.”
Ellen Metcalf
|
WEC
39 FIGHT CARD LAID OUT FOR TEXAS
World Extreme Cagefighting on Tuesday laid out the completed
fight card for its March 1 event in Corpus Christi, Texas at
the American Bank Center.
WEC
39 is headlined by the first featherweight title defense of new
champion and No. 1 ranked Mike Brown. He defeated Urijah Faber
to capture the gold last November. The American Top Team fighter
will step into the cage against challenger Leonard Garcia, who
is currently ranked No. 10 in the world and owner of back-to-back
victories over Hiroyuki Takaya and Jens Pulver.
The
main card of WEC 39 is scheduled to air live on the Versus Network
beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET / 6:00 p.m. PT. Preliminary bouts could
make the televised broadcast if time permits.
WEC
39 Main Fight Card (live on Versus):
-Mike Brown vs. Leonard Garcia
-Rich Crunkilton vs. Bart Palaszewski
-Jose Aldo vs. Chris Mickle
-Rob McCullough vs. Marcus Hicks
WEC
39 Preliminary Fight Card:
-Danny Castillo vs. Phil
Cardella
-Marcos Galvao vs. Damacio Page
-Johny Hendricks vs. Alex Serdyukov
-Kenji Osawa vs. Rafael Rebello
-Alex Karalexis vs. Greg McIntyre
-Mike Budnik vs. John Franchi
-Justin Haskins vs. Mike Pierce
Source: MMA Weekly
|
UFC
95 IN DEPTH: SANCHEZ VS. STEVENSON
UFC 95
Oceanic Cable
Digital Channel 559 (Spike)
FREE!
Saturday, February 21
Fight Starts at 3:00 PM
This Saturday, London's O2 Arena hosts main event lightweights
Joe Stevenson and Diego Sanchez as they enter a crossroads in
their respective careers.
In
2007, the 27 year-old Sanchez saw a 20-month run at the UFC welterweight
title derailed by two of the American Kickboxing Academy’s
stars, Josh Koscheck and Diego Sanchez. After a short period
of introspection, Sanchez shrugged off calls to drop to lightweight,
defeating David Bielkheden and Luigi Fioravanti in 2008. 2009
brought new perspective, and Sanchez, realizing the possible
length of a title run and size of the division’s top competitors,
decided he could leap frog the ladder to a belt by going to 155.
In
his first fight out, he faces Joe Stevenson, a brief refugee
of the welterweight class—and believe it or not, the middleweight
class in his early days—who is fighting to keep his spot
in the upper echelon of the division after falling short against
current champ BJ Penn at UFC 80 and top contender Kenny Florian
at UFC 91. His last appearance was a bad setback, and with a
win against Sanchez, Stevenson could do a lot to re-invigorate
his UFC career.
Striking
Sanchez
has come a long way from his days as a scrappy fighter with average
hands and a slick ground game. In his last two fights against
Bielkheden and Fioravanti, Sanchez’s strikes has gotten
far more crisp and deadly. Despite his focus with jiu-jitsu ace
Saulo Ribeiro, Sanchez puts better combinations together, and
measures aggression with tactics. His kick/knee combination against
Fioravanti at the TUF 7 Finale was devastating—he put down
a fighter known for his durability in decisive fashion. He also
punches well in close, and standing over a downed opponent--a
frequent occurence when he bull-rushes them.
Stevenson’s
striking has evolved over time as well. Also a decorated grappler—before
the Florian fight, he received his black belt in jiu-jitsu from
Robert Drysdale—Stevenson’s hands, feet, and knees
have played catch-up with his mat skills. Generally, he uses
his strikes to set up his ground work, having short arms that
prevent him from picking his opponents apart at range. Stevenson
has worked hard on developing his footwork to negate his reach
disadvantage, particularly on his jab. A looping overhand right
often serves as a smokescreen for a shot.
Grappling
and Submissions
Stevenson’s
best abilities lie on the ground, having won 13 of his 29 wins
by submission. His go-to weapon is the guillotine choke, which
his thick arms and flawless technique facilitate. However, if
a submission is not presented, he tends to use his strong wrestling
base to control opponents from the top. He’s smart enough
to avoid danger, but lately, he’s been proven vulnerable
to rear naked chokes, getting caught in scrambles for position
after sustaining damage on his feet. His best weapon is his experience
on the canvas, which he uses to negate most submission specialists,
and take advantage of fighters without his technique.
Sanchez,
while not necessarily a submission specialist, uses the threat
of them to keep his opponents unbalanced. One of the best scramblers
in the game, Sanchez’s drive on the ground has won him the
majority of his fights. When opponents give him a slight opening
for reversal, he takes it. So far, his only kryptonite has been
technical wrestlers, which only two of his UFC opponents have
been (though one, Josh Koscheck, barely spent any time on the
mat with him).
Ring
Control
Sanchez
has tempered his aggressiveness as he’s matured, but still
likes to take the center of the Octagon and dictate the pace.
If anything, his control is best asserted when he has dominant
position on the ground and is throwing bombs from top position.
Stevenson
tends not to be overly offensive, preferring to counter opponents
and capitalize on mistakes. He’s encountered several foolishly
aggressive fighters who try to shoot on him and end up submitted.
Of course, his countering style works both ways—recently,
the lightweight division’s best (Penn and Florian) have
overwhelmed him early and stolen the win.
This
area of the fight could be a significant advantage for Sanchez,
if he has paid attention to Stevenson’s missteps. Sanchez’s
ability to take control early in a fight could be a deciding
factor in its momentum.
Conditioning
Both
fighters are well-known for their conditioning, so this shouldn’t
play a huge factor in the fight. Stevenson has gone the distance
nine times in his career, and though he tends to resort to controlling
his opponents on the mat when his gas gets low, he never quits.
Sanchez’s conditioning is even more impressive, as he tends
to keep a higher pace throughout a fight. To the end of his losing
effort against Jon Fitch at UFC 76, Sanchez never stopped trying
to fend the former Purdue wrestler off him, working for submissions
at every step.
The
“X” Factor
The
elephant in the room for Sanchez is how the cut from 170lbs.
to 155lbs. affects his conditioning. Most fighters make “test
cuts” before they change weight classes, and Sanchez has
undoubtedly done this. But the human body is often an unpredictable
thing, especially when it comes to altering its composition.
A fighter’s “natural” weight often evolves over
time, after a long period of experimentation. Sanchez has stated
his cut has been drawn out, not in bulk. He is also jumping time
zones to fight in the UK—and a lot of strange things can
happen to the body flying overseas. It’s doubtful that Sanchez
has left anything to chance in his preparation, but the affect
of the weight loss can’t be truly known until the fight.
For
Stevenson, the “X” factor is how he’s feeling
mentally about the fight. At 26, he’s had the career of
two men, and the many ups and downs that accompany it. He’ll
train hard for the fight, as he always does, but does he still
believe in his abilities? He’s fallen short against the
number one and number two fighters in his division—a win
over Sanchez won’t end his career, but it may relegate him
to UFC undercards for the foreseeable future. That’s a lot
of pressure, and so far, his results under pressure have been
mixed. Despite his decorated resume, he needs to prove himself
like a rookie against Sanchez.
Keys
to Success
For
Sanchez, it’s to do what others have done—shock Stevenson
early and scramble his way to a dominant position. The longer
the fight goes, the more difficult Stevenson is going to be to
put away. He will need to fend off takedowns, or time a knee
as Stevenson shoots in. If he is able to stay on his feet, he
will be able to pick Stevenson apart at range.
Stevenson
needs to use his strong wrestling base to keep the original “TUF”
winner on his back. He has the experience to stay away from submissions
on the top, controlling Sanchez—the question is can he get
there without taking damage in the process. He would do well
to fight fire with fire, matching Sanchez’s aggression on
the ground and looking for opportunities to hold the dominant
position.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
SHIELDS
AGREES TO FIGHT RIGGS FOR STRIKEFORCE
Former EliteXC welterweight champion Jake Shields has reached
an agreement to fight for Strikeforce, signing on to the San
Jose-based promotion’s April 11 Showtime debut to face veteran
Joe Riggs.
Aroundtheoctagon.com
was the first to report the news. MMAWeekly.com subsequently
confirmed it with Shields’ manager and father Jack Shields.
An
impasse in negotiations brought by Strikeforce’s buyout
of Jake's ProElite contract was broken by the desire to keep
the fighter working and out of court.
“Originally,
EliteXC had been up in the air for so long, we had gotten a lawyer
and were prepared to file suit to get a release,” said the
elder Shields. “Then we went to Strikeforce, and we know
Scott Coker. We’ve always had good relations with him. It
was much smarter thing to do than getting involved with anything
legal. It just seemed the right thing to do to go head and finish
the contract. It’s a lot better than waiting around.”
Shields
said there were still details to be negotiated on his son’s
obligations to Strikeforce, including the exact time frame of
the contract and number of fights, but said he would make a main
event appearance “against a well-known opponent” in
the summer for his second Strikeforce fight.
Both
Riggs and Shields were unavailable for comment on the just-announced
bout.
Shields,
30, last appeared on EliteXC’s final network television
effort, the CBS-televised “Heat,” where he defended
his welterweight title against U.K. striker Paul Daley. One of
the only non-UFC welterweights to grace Top 10 lists, Shields’
strong ground skills have netted him a 21-4-1 professional record.
Riggs,
26, was victorious in his last bout against Luke Stewart at Strikeforce
“Destruction” last November. Since signing a non-exclusive
deal with Strikeforce in 2007, he has gone 2-2 with the promotion.
Overall, he carries a professional record of 29-10 with one no
contest.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
THE
REBIRTH OF DIEGO SANCHEZ STARTS AT UFC 95
There has been a tremendous amount of hype around the move to
155 pounds by former "Ultimate Fighter" season one
winner Diego Sanchez, and while he is ready to conquer the world
he first has to get by Joe Stevenson on Saturday night at UFC
95 in London.
Sanchez
told MMAWeekly Radio recently that he actually asked for a match-up
against Kenny Florian for his first bout at lightweight, but
he was instead offered former No. 1 contender Joe Stevenson,
and the New Mexico native is fine with that choice as well.
"I
asked for Kenny Florian right out of the gate. They gave me Joe
Stevenson, but it's all good. I can consider it a better fight
beating Joe Stevenson," said Sanchez. "It's The Ultimate
Fighter winner – the original Ultimate Fighter winner –
season one versus season two Ultimate Fighter winner. We go back
to King of the Cage days together and it's a great fight for
me, I'm excited."
There
are a lot of potential match-ups for Sanchez at 155 pounds, but
he insists he's not looking past Stevenson. He also feels that
The Ultimate Fighter season two winner has no idea what he's
up against.
"Joe's
a tough opponent, but I can honestly really say this is going
to be another level right here for Joe Stevenson," Sanchez
stated. "Something that he's never faced before."
One
particular area that he has focused on in preparation for this
fight is his rapidly improving striking, which he believes is
the difference in the bout against Stevenson.
"I
want to go in there and I want to show my striking. I showed
improvement for the Luigi (Fioravanti) fight. Everybody was impressed
with the striking for the Luigi fight, and then for the Thiago
(Alves) fight I really, really dedicated myself. I trained hard,
and I came up short, getting injured two weeks before the fight.
I made a lot of improvements in that camp also," Sanchez
commented.
"Now
with Joe Stevenson, he's the perfect opponent for me to go in
there and show my striking. I'm sure once he gets hit by some
of my power, he's definitely going to try to take me down, but
that's cool with me too cause the more he tries to take me down
the more he's going to get tired. I know Joe's a great athlete,
but I know he has not put the work in like me."
The
work that Sanchez has done is not only drop the weight to make
155 pounds, but do so in a way that doesn't cost him any power
or cardio that he had when fighting at 170 pounds. EliteXC welterweight
champion Jake Shields helped him with his camp and he's ready
to prove that the training has paid off.
"In
my opinion the fight is always in the training," said Sanchez.
"This is going to definitely by far be the best Diego Sanchez,
the best looking Diego Sanchez, the best trained Diego Sanchez,
and definitely the most focused Diego Sanchez you'll ever see.
It was a challenge to make the weight. It was just pure discipline."
Believing
in his ability to be the best in the world, Sanchez says fans
can expect a whole new beast when he steps in the cage on Feb.
21, and then the "Nightmare" begins.
"This
is my rebirth. I was on my way to starting a legacy back when
I was 19-0 and this is my rebirth for that Diego legacy,"
Sanchez said. "Not only am I going to make a statement the
way I look, I'm also going to make a statement the way I fight."
Source: MMA Weekly
|
MARQUARDT
ONLY SEES AT WHAT'S IN FRONT OF HIM
To
be the top contender in the UFC's middleweight division, fighters
have to travel a tough road to get close to champion Anderson
Silva. Working his way back to a rematch with Silva may be even
tougher, but that's exactly what Nate Marquardt is striving for
when he steps into the cage Saturday night to fight rising 185-pound
star Wilson Gouveia at UFC 95 in London.
Having
moved past his loss to Silva in July 2007, Marquardt has never
been shy about his desire to get back to the title shot. One
way that seems almost flawless is to be a coach on "The
Ultimate Fighter." While the upcoming season already has
leaders in Dan Henderson and Michael Bisping, it was Marquardt
who was hoping for his shot on the show.
"I
wanted to do it and I think the UFC was considering me, but things
happen, they have their reasoning’s," Marquardt said
about The Ultimate Fighter season nine. "I’m happy
with what I have now. I'm sure that's still a possibility for
the future."
Never
one to focus on the past, he now looks towards a bright future,
one that became even brighter after a first round drubbing of
former middleweight contender Martin Kampmann in September 2007.
Now he's ready to continue the path that leads him back to the
title, but his eyes never stray from the mission at hand.
"All
I'm really doing is focusing on what's in front of me now,"
Marquardt said about his fight against Gouveia. "I've got
a tough fight ahead of me now and as long as I stay focused everything
will fall in place."
Since
dropping to the middleweight division, Gouveia has won his last
two in a row, most recently dispatching of Jason MacDonald in
December 2007. Marquardt was happy with the choice in opponent
and he knows what a tough customer Gouveia can be.
"I
was excited. He came off a couple of big wins and he's kind of
a big name right now in the middleweights, so I'm excited,"
Marquardt said about his opponent.
Training
with some of the best in the world at Team Jackson, the former
seven-time King of Pancrase knows that Gouveia is also getting
top-notch instruction at his camp at American Top Team. While
admitting that his opponent trains with great fighters, Marquardt
is more concerned with what he's going to do in the fight.
"I
know my training and all I really care about is my training,"
Marquardt stated. "Every fight I want to fight the best
opponent I can, so I hope Wilson shows up in shape cause I know
I'm going to be in shape."
Marquardt
had a familiar cast of fighters working in his camp that traveled
from his home in Colorado to New Mexico and all the way to Montreal.
Georges St. Pierre, Rashad Evans, Keith Jardine, Joey Villasenor,
Shane Carwin, and others let Marquardt know that he's got a family
beside him when it comes time to fight.
"We're
like brothers," he said about his teammates.
With
the training camp winding down, Marquardt closed out his camp
at home in Denver before packing up and heading overseas to England.
Even though he'll be the only one fighting Gouveia in the cage,
he will have almost his entire team there on Saturday night to
support him as he takes another step towards a return shot at
the UFC middleweight title.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
UFC
95: JOE STEVENSON IS RISING TO THE OCCASION
Having made his name in the Octagon via the UFC's welterweight
division – he's currently the No. 8 ranked fighter in the
world at 170 pounds – Diego Sanchez on Saturday night marks
his lightweight debut. Waiting to welcome him to the division
when the door to the cage closes at UFC 95 will be Joe Stevenson.
Though
it will be Sanchez's first time fighting at 155 pounds, Stevenson
says he doesn't expect his foe will suffer from any residual
effects of the weight cut.
"That'd
be really cool if I get an advantage," he said recently,
"but I think Diego is such a professional that the first
initial weight cut isn't going to be a factor. I think he's going
to come in here 110 percent prepared."
Of
course, he's prepared as well, maybe to the greatest extent of
his career. "I feel great coming into this fight. I hit
a turning point in the camp where emotionally and spiritually
and physically I just started to excel. I'm hitting new levels."
That's
no small feat considering that the 26-year-old has been fighting
since he was 16, amassing a professional record of 29-9.
Fighting
since he was 20, Sanchez counts 21 bouts on his own resume, so
there's not a tremendous disparity in experience when the tale
of the tape is read.
"I
think we're fairly, pretty matched even, me having been a 170-pounder
in the past, too," said Stevenson.
There
is a big difference as they enter the Octagon at UFC 95, though.
Sanchez comes into the fight on a two-fight winning streak, having
bounced back from the first two losses of his career. Stevenson,
on the other hand, is 1-2 in his three most recent bouts. He
lost in a title bid against current UFC lightweight champion
B.J. Penn, subbed Gleison Tibau, then was succinctly derailed
by No. 1 contender Kenny Florian.
It's
been a period of growth for Stevenson, however. He's made a lot
of changes since failing to capture the title. He has made the
move from "Sin City" back to his hometown of Victorville,
Calif., where he has opened up his own school.
"I
fought a little over a year ago for that title. Things that have
changed in my life since then, moving a way from Vegas, staying
away from temptation," he relayed.
Moving
wasn't the only change though. He has made what are arguably
bigger changes; some inspired by his eight-year-old son. "
I haven't drank since that, actually. I made some life changing
modifications. I took my son out for Christmas. I said, you can
have anything you want for Christmas, and he asked me to stop
chewing. So, I've stopped chewing, I stopped drinking... and
I feel like I was robbing myself, honestly. There'll be plenty
of time to do that silly stuff when I'm older and I'm done fighting."
He
realizes that the lifespan of a professional athlete's career
is not prone to longevity, his already being longer than most.
The changes that he has made are geared towards one goal, a return
shot at the UFC title. The first step back is the fight with
Sanchez at UFC 95.
"The
winner of this fight is, bar none, not only in the fan's eyes,
but in a lot of the fighters' eyes, deserving of any title shot,"
said Stevenson.
That's
a lot of pressure, but it comes with the territory when you strive
to be the best. It's a pressure that both fighters have dealt
with for years.
"Everyone
has different pressure in their lives that affects them. It's
what you do under that pressure that makes you who you are. Do
you fold? Do you rise to the occasion? Do you perform?"
said Stevenson, fortified by his 10 years in the sport. "And
that's what separates Diego and myself from other fighters, we
rise to occasions."
The
question is, which one will rise to the occasion at UFC 95 in
London?
Source: MMA Weekly
|
UFC
DISPLAYING RECESSION RESILIENCY
While billion-dollar companies across the United States have
been laying off employees and making other budget concessions
during a severe economic climate, the Ultimate Fighting Championship
continues to resist the downturn.
Nevada
State Athletic Commission Executive Director Keith Kizer on Tuesday
released the final gross ticket revenue and attendance numbers
for the UFC 94 mega-fight between Georges St. Pierre and B.J.
Penn.
The
official numbers recorded with the sanctioning body – a
$4,290,020 gate and attendance of 14,885 – give the UFC
a strong start to 2009. The gross ticket revenue was enough to
place fifth for events the promotion has held in Las Vegas. Paid
tickets sales of 13,622 – there were 1,263 comp tickets
given away – is tops for the UFC in the city, besting both
B.J. Penn vs. Sean Sherk and Quinton Rampage Jackson vs. Chuck
Liddell.
Perhaps
even more significant than the record attendance and high gross
ticket revenue will be the final numbers on the UFC 94 pay-per-view
purchases. Although it usually takes several months for the final
numbers on pay-per-view purchases to be tallied – and the
UFC doesn't readily make their numbers publicly available –
UFC President Dana White was recently reported by the Las Vegas
Sun as saying that early indications are UFC 94 should settle
somewhere near 1.3 million buys.
A
buy rate of 1.3 million would be the peak in the history of the
promotion. The Las Vegas Sun put Chuck Liddell vs. Tito Ortiz
2 at 1.05 million buys. The Wrestling Observer reported that
Randy Couture vs. Brock Lesnar was likely to finish around 1
million buys and the promotion's 2008 year-end UFC 92 triple
bill was already at 1 million based on trending data.
UFC
93, emanating from Ireland, is somewhere around 300,000 buys.
Its broadcast premier in the U.S. was during the daytime, however,
due to the time difference. Considering the logistics and that
UFC 93 was predominantly deemed a weak card in regards to star
power, the Wrestling Observer indicated that the 300,000 buys
was still a strong return.
At
a suggested retail price of $44.95 for UFC pay-per-views –
if UFC 94 does indeed attain the 1.3 million buy threshold –
that would be more than $58 million in gross sales.
Not
all of that money goes directly into the UFC coffers, of course,
but it does indicate one thing, the UFC has a resilient model
to fight through some harsh economic times. And, according to
White, the UFC hasn't even gotten off the ground yet. “The
crazy thing about this sport is, we haven’t even scratched
the surface on how big this thing is going to be. It's going
to be the biggest sport in the world.”
(NOTE:
This article has been corrected to reflect that Chuck Liddell
vs. Tito Ortiz 2 totaled 1.05 million buys, not Ken Shamrock
vs. Tito Ortiz 1, and that information should be credited to
the Las Vegas Sun, not the Review Journal.)
Source: MMA Weekly
|
FISHER
WELCOMES UNO BACK AT UFC 99 IN GERMANY
After short courtship, Caol Uno appears headed back to the Octagon.
The
former UFC lightweight and Japanese mainstay is expected to make
his return to the American promotion in July at UFC 99 against
tough veteran Spencer Fisher.
The
fight is the first bout to be confirmed for the UFC’s first
trip to Germany, set for June 13 in Cologne.
Though
bout agreements have not been sent for either fighter, sources
close to Fisher and Uno’s camps have confirmed that they
have agreed to face each other. The fight is expected to be finalized
by the end of this week.
A
source close to Uno said his December loss to Shinya Aoki in
the finals of Dream’s Lightweight Grand Prix completed his
obligations to the Japanese promotion. Subsequently, matchmakers
for World Victory Road attempted to sign him to fight in Sengoku,
but were rebuffed. At UFC 94, he was seen palling around with
UFC President Dana White, who later confirmed his interest in
Uno.
Since
leaving the UFC, Uno kept in the winning percentile, racking
up 10 wins to 5 losses with K-1 Hero's and Dream. Save for a
decision loss to Andre Amade at the K-1 Hero’s Tournament
Final in 2007, the 33-year-old fighter’s losses came only
from Top 10 ranked opponents. In the UFC, his luck was mixed,
with three wins and losses and a sole draw. One of Shooto’s
early stars, Uno has an overall record of 25-11-4 in 12-plus
years of competition.
Fisher,
32, rebounded from a UFC 78 decision loss to Frank Edgar with
two straight victories against up-and-comers Jeremy Stephens
and Shannon Gugerty at The Ultimate Fighter 7 finale and UFC
90, respectively. A perennial contender in the lightweight division,
he has amassed seven victories with three defeats in his three
years with the UFC.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Georges
St-Pierre vs. Thiago Alves at UFC 100
UFC president Dana White revealed in an interview with CKAC Sports
730 AM in Canada that UFC 100 will happen July in Las Vegas with
Georges St-Pierre as the headliner.
St-Pierre
(18-2)'s next opponent will be American Top Team's Thiago Alves
(16-3), who is coming off wins against Matt Hughes and Josh Koscheck.
UFC
100 is tentatively scheduled for July 11 at the Mandalay Bay
Events Center.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Drysdale
tests out role as player-coach
A
few moments before the weigh-in for UFC 86 was to begin at Mandalay
Bay in Las Vegas, UFC lightweight Joe Stevenson spotted a reporter
standing about 100 yards away.
The
moments before a weigh-in are when a fighter is usually at his
crankiest. He’s sick of not being able to eat, sick of having
to sweat weight off, and the pressure of the fight is beginning
to build. Normally, he just wants to be left alone.
Stevenson,
though, ran over in a dead sprint. He was eager to introduce
his new jiu-jitsu coach, 2007 Abu Dhabi Submission Wrestling
world champion Robert Drysdale.
“This
guy is the best ever,” Stevenson said exuberantly.
That’s
debatable, though Drysdale, 27, clearly has serious credentials
in his realm. In addition to winning Abu Dhabi, he is a six-time
world champion and has more than 90 tournament titles on his
resume.
He
was instrumental in helping Frank Mir defeat Antonio Rodrigo
Nogueira for the UFC’s interim heavyweight title at UFC
92 in Las Vegas, and he has designs on winning a UFC belt himself.
Mir’s
agent, Dean Albrecht, raves about Drysdale and was instrumental
in getting him hired to work under Mir as an assistant coach
on Season 8 of “The Ultimate Fighter.”
Both
of Drysdale’s parents were teachers and Albrecht said that
is evident in the way he communicates with his students.
“He
has this unique way of breaking things down and explaining things
that guys can pick up what he’s trying to get across very
quickly,”
Albrecht
said.
Drysdale
was born in Provo, Utah, but moved to Brazil with his family
when he was six. He didn’t speak much Portuguese when he
arrived, so his first year was difficult, but he quickly immersed
himself in the country and its culture.
He
graduated from high school in Brazil, and though he returned
to the U.S. for college, he considers himself “more Brazilian
than American.”
He
opened the Robert Drysdale Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Academy in Las
Vegas and has spent much of his time tutoring Mir and Stevenson.
He’ll
corner Stevenson at UFC 95 when Stevenson meets Diego Sanchez
at the O2 Arena in London on Feb. 21. Stevenson is coming off
a first- round submission loss to Kenny Florian and has lost
two of his past three fights, but Drysdale said he’s found
Stevenson to be a quick learner.
“I
was disappointed in what happened in Joe’s fight with Kenny,”
Drysdale
said. “He got submitted, but the mistakes he made were not
on the ground. He started chasing Kenny around too much. He knew
Kenny would want to hit and run, but Joe started chasing him
around.”
Stevenson
ultimately made what Drysdale termed “a silly, silly mistake,”
but said it doesn’t detract from his belief that Stevenson
is a superb fighter.
Mistakes
happen and he’s urged Stevenson to forget the Florian fight.
“You
could be a world champion kick boxer, but if you drop your hands,
you’re going to get kicked in the face,” he said. “At
the level these guys are at, it doesn’t take much of a mistake
for it to go the wrong way fast. Joe made a mistake and Kenny,
being the great fighter that he is, took advantage.”
Drysdale
helped Mir take advantage of his prodigious talents to become
the interim champion with a win over Nogueira, a victory that
could qualify as the UFC’s biggest upset in 2008.
The
coach said that when he met Mir, he saw “an explosive athlete”
who had only basic submissions. Mir, whom Drysdale said trained
a full six months for Nogueira, has added a series of submissions
to his repertoire since.
But
he said as much as he may have helped Mir, Mir has helped him.
Drysdale
made his amateur MMA debut in Las Vegas in December and came
out with a submission victory. Though he said he considers himself
a teacher first, he wants to see how far he can take his fight
game.
He
walks around at 210 and said he can compete at 205 pounds or
185, though he conceded it’s a tough cut to middleweight
for him.
“My
goal is not to say I won a UFC title or some other organization’s
title,” Drysdale said. “I look at it a little differently.
My goal is to test my limit, find my limits and try to reach
it. I know I’m not even close right now.
“I
want to be the best I can be at this and it’s been great
for me to be able to test myself against all the great fighters
who are there in Vegas. They’re helping to make me better
and if I can help them become more effective fighters at the
same time, that’s a great accomplishment for me.”
Source: Yahoo Sports
|
Bigfoot
can return to the Sengoku in April
Returning
to Japan with victory, in Sengoku’s first edition in 2009,
Antônio "Bigfoot" Silva is training hard at the
American Top Team, with the eye on his next fight in the Japanese
event. "So far I have no date set yet. In March, they’ll
promote a lightweights event, and I’ll probably fight in
the April’s event, which will have the heavyweights and
will be a bigger event", said Bigfoot, waiting for a good
opponent ahead.
"I
already came back to the base trainings, Jiu-Jitsu, and I don’t
have in mind who I can fight, but we have good fighters and Sengoku
is growing a lot,” said Antônio. “They signed
a deal with HDNet for transmission in the United States and will
seek more good fighters... I have to be trained, physically well,
with the standing part, ground and Wrestling well to fight with
who they think is better".
Besides
the fight inside the ring, the athlete is holding a battle outside,
against the California Athletic Commission, which banned him
for a year of events in the United States after a doping accusation.
Suing the CSAC in the civil court, the athlete waits, now, for
a fair defense, after having the request for review of the evidences
rejected in the first act of defense, at the Commission itself.
"I haven’t got the date of the judgment yet, but it
seems to be in March", says.
"The
lawyer is waiting and we have to wait for a new date,” said
Silva. “For the first time a Commission hearing was postponed.
For the first time an athlete is suing the Commission and this
is good not only for me but for other fighters, because nobody
can be judged and convicted without being heard, without seeing
the evidence and you have the right to a defense. Now I’m
very confident is this victory, both for me as for other athletes".
Source: Tatame
|
Frank
Trigg wins at 'Rumble in Race Town'
Frank Trigg fought his last fight as a middleweight Saturday,
unanimously outpointing Danny Babcock in the main event of "Rumble
in Race Town" in Daytona Beach, Florida.
Trigg
began his career as a welterweight and while he was successful,
Trigg couldn't get pass the likes of Matt Hughes (twice), Georges
St-Pierre and Carlos Condit. But Trigg's career was rejuvenated
when he came across a title opportunity in December 2006 with
the Hawaii-based
Icon Sport
promotion as a middleweight.
Trigg
stopped fan favorite Jason "Mayhem" Miller to win the
belt and in his next fight, earned himself a spot as a top ten
middleweight with a victory over PRIDE GP winner Kazuo Misaki.
Six-time
UFC competitor Terry Martin continued his slump, losing to Zak
Cummings via split decision. Martin has dropped five of his last
seven, three of which were knockout losses.
Results:
1.
Ryan Keenan def. Blake Bowman via TKO (strikes) - R1
2. Gilbert Burgos def. Chris Thorne via TKO (cut) - R1
3. TJ Cook def. Scott Harper via TKO (strikes) - R1
4. Todd Cutler def. Jeremy May via TKO (strikes) - R1
5. Marcus Jones def. John Juarez via TKO (strikes) - R1
6. Jesse Taylor def. Steve Ramos via submission (RNC) - R2
7. Zak Cummings def. Terry Martin via split decision
8. Frank Trigg def. Danny Babcock via unanimous decision
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Sour
Grapes, Sweet Redemption, or Something Else?
Posted by Thomas Hackett on February 6th, 2009
Vaseline
“A
few years back Diego Sanchez had enough grease on him to lube
up a semi. His corner was greasing him up so Nick (Diaz) wouldn’t
submit him. At the time the commission and public wasn’t
as hip as to how this could affect the outcome of the fight and
they got away with it. Now these guys are acting like they didn’t
know what they were doing. Glad the truth is coming to light.”
–Cesar Gracie
Last
weekend, as Dave reported, one of the most anticipated rematches
in MMA history came to a halt as BJ Penn’s corner retired
him after a brutal four round beating at the hands of Georges
St. Pierre. Now (as he predicted) the aftermath, regarding video
of St. Pierre’s cornermen applying Vaseline to St. Pierre’s
back and shoulders, continues to grind on.
JD
Penn and company made their case to the NSAC earlier this week,
assuring fans that “we are not trying to make excuses, GSP
was the better fighter that night… we just wish his cornerman
didn’t cheat…”
Now,
the MMA world, including GSP’s previous opponents, are coming
out of the woodwork to offer their perspectives on “Greasegate,”
and enough trash has been talked back and forth that both parties
are ready to step in the cage again.
First,
Matt Hughes reported on his blog that he agreed with Penn’s
earlier assessment that “GSP was a little greasy, but was
the better man that night.” He also offered some insight
from his bouts with the Quebec native:
I’m
not the only one who has said that GSP felt greasy during a fight.
I know Matt Serra has mentioned it and, even in their first fight,
I think BJ said something. I’m not saying GSP did something
wrong and I’m not saying that it would have changed any
outcomes of any fights; but what I am saying is, for my last
two fights against Georges, he felt greasy.
Jason
“Mayhem” Miller, who fought St. Pierre in his only
UFC bout, wrote an article entitled “If You’re Not
Cheating, You’re Not Trying” for Fight! Magazine last
year. He named no names, but described a “megafight”
thusly:
After
a couple more stiff elbows to my
grillpiece, I felt the familiar slick that I would get every
day at kickboxing practice on my nose and eyes, only it was on
my opponents neck, now up 2 rounds, Vaseline! Greasy bastard,
I thought.
Of
course I yelled to the ref, “Hey! He is greased up!”
but much like anyone else watching me get pounded, he didn’t
give a damn, and replied with “He’s ok!” Followed
by another smash to the face. Yeah, ok for HIM, but I’m
taking a beating over here and can’t hold onto the bastard.
Did
I ever bitch about it afterwards? Nope. Why? What’s the
point? Would it put the toothpaste back in the tube? No. As far
as everyone saw, I lost the fight, fair and square. Would it
have made a difference if he wasn’t greased up? Maybe, but
honestly probably not. He was the better man that night, plain
and simple. He bent the rules, not broke them, and when you get
away with it, it isn’t called cheating.
Miller
reprinted the article at the Underground Forum earlier this week,
adding it “seemed appropriate now…”
Frank
Trigg was reportedly more succint, describing GSP as a “greasy
MF” on Tagg Radio… but frankly, I can’t be bothered
to listen.
Not
everyone is buying this. Cutman Jacob “Stich” Duran,
who worked in Penn’s corner last weekend, dismisses the
claims as excuses. “If you have a window of opportunity
to make an excuse… I’d probably do it too if I got
beat up by him.”
Maybe
he’s right. Will any of this result in an overturned decision,
as in Nick Diaz’s bout with Gomi last year? It’s possible,
but not likely. I agree that it wouldn’t have affected the
bout’s outcome.
Now,
Penn has released the following statement on his website:
“For
the past several days I have been reading statements made by
St. Pierre and Greg Jackson about our fight on January 31. St.
Pierre claims that he is “not a cheater” and that he
and Greg Jackson will have “no problem with a rematch in
the summer of 2009.” To the untrained eye the grease might
not look like much, but every grappler knows the effect that
it has. Being able to apply your submissions and sweeps or just
being able to hold on to your opponent to defend yourself from
being hit is absolutely critical! There is a reason why you are
not allowed to put grease anywhere on your body except for the
area around your eyes. Because of the grease applied to St.Pierre’s
Body the Nevada State Athletic Commission’s executive director,
Keith Kizer has stated that the Penn-St. Pierre fight “definitely
wasn’t fair”. I hereby accept George St. Pierre and
Greg Jackson’s challenge for a fight in the summer 2009.
Lets call Dana now and set it up.”
Let’s
be honest, there’s nothing more to be learned from a third
fight between these two. I’m of the opinion that last Saturday’s
bout would have been a bit closer without a greased St. Pierre,
but does anyone really think the outcome would have been different?
There’s no retribution in this.
Still,
the folks crying “sour grapes” are missing the point,
too. This problem has existed for years, from the days Wanderlei
Silva left a puddle of grease in the ring against Mike Van Arsdale.
It’s good to see the NSAC taking it seriously. The Penn
camp is in the right when they state, as JD Penn did earlier
this week: “Everyone is putting a lot of time and money
into making this sport legit, for someone to do this only hurts
the credibility of the sport.”
So
forget a rematch. If I were Penn, I’d allow the commission
to recover that credibility, and then go back to being the best
lightweight in the world. That should be redemption enough.
Source: Total MMA
|
Does
Lyoto deserve a shot?
UFC
94 has concluded, and with it, another quality win for Lyoto
Machida. It is his 14th as a professional MMA fighter, and his
6th in the UFC. He has cemented a place in or just outside the
top 5 as a light heavyweight, and seems in line for a title shot.
However, how far is he away from getting a title shot? So much
has been said about Machida supposedly deserving such a fight
that many simply presuppose that it is the case. Oddly, its not
at all true. Certainly Machida is knocking on the door, but it
is by no means necessarily the time to open it.
A
brief perusal of Lyoto’s record does, on the surface, look
impressive. Any undefeated record would. What’s so notable
in his UFC career are the number of guys no longer in the UFC.
Kaz Nakamura, David Heath, Sam Hoger, and Sokoudjou have proven
to be anything but top 205lb fighters in 2009, and while Lyoto
has wins over all of them, those wins for anyone else right now
would be bordering on meaningless. Tito Ortiz seems to be perhaps
at the end of his long career, and will almost certainly not
return to the UFC. Wins outside the UFC include a young Stephan
Bonnar (himself proving to not be a top 25 talent tonight), the
UFC Lightweight champion, some K-1 kickboxers, and a heavyweight
Rich Franklin.
Tonight
he added on Thiago Silva, himself an undefeated heavyweight with
a highly questionable record. His win over Houston Alexander
has twice been copied in similar or more impressive fashion,
and the W he picked up against James Irvin was anything but earned.
None of his other wins came against high level fighters at 205,
and after being so easily disposed of, one wonders whether or
not Thiago’s bite was ever better than his bark. Unfortunately,
it may be some time before we learn just how good Thiago is,
and that may be strong reason to not necessarily rush Lyoto into
a title situation.
Another
strong reason is the depth of talent at 205lbs. Rashad Evans
has very, very reasonable competition on the horizon in either
Forrest Griffin or the winner of Keith Jardine/Rampage Jackson.
While Lyoto has faced many solid competitors, he lacks the singularly
defining win that any of these fighters have, much less multiple
such wins. Forrest has wins over Rampage Jackson and Shogun Rua,
each the top light heavyweight in the world at the time that
he fought them. Rashad undefeated record features stops over
Liddell and Griffin that easily overshadow any of Lyoto’s
wins. Rampage Jackson, meanwhile, has the best resume of any
of the three, having beaten Dan Henderson, Chuck Liddell, and
Wanderlei Silva in just the last two years. Lyoto hasn’t
beaten anyone at their level. In fact, you can make reasonable
arguments for Jardine (wins over Liddell, Vera, Griffin, Gouveia)
as well, particularly if he beats Rampage Jackson in two months
time.
Now,
obviously, the UFC Light Heavyweight division can’t all
be a game of never ending hot potato between a set of 3 challengers,
but for Lyoto to break into title contention, he needs to beat
someone in that matrix of 3 (potentially 4) names. Lyoto is past
needing pure wins, he needs wins against proven names in their
primes. Until he has one, why bother with the empty calls for
what he “deserves”?
Source: Total MMA
|
Fight
Path: How Ryan Couture blazed his own path into MMA
Even
Ryan Couture, a legitimate crown prince of mixed martial arts,
has to be amused at how different his life was just four years
ago.
"I
was 200 pounds and lazy and working at a bank," Couture
laughed this week while taking breaks to assist customers at
Xtreme Couture Mixed Martial Arts and Fitness in Las Vegas. "I
was thinking, 'What's my future?' I hadn't entertained the idea
of relocating. I didn't have any idea this would happen."
Indeed,
Couture, son of MMA legend Randy Couture, was building a drastically
different life in Bellingham, Wash. His banking career seemed
like it could be his future, and he hadn't come near wrestling
since finishing high school in suburban Seattle.
Couture
struggled with a possible entrance into MMA because of his father's
success ("The Natural" is a 12-year Ultimate Fighting
Championship veteran and former champion). He was a college graduate,
a math major, who was tired of the wrestling years involving
constant concern about his weight. He hadn't competed in years.
But
quickly, Couture has embraced MMA. On Sunday, he will headline
the TUFF-N-UFF Amateur Fighting Championships event in Las Vegas.
As his second amateur fight, the bout will help test his mettle
in the sport his father helped make famous and perhaps nudge
the younger Couture closer to a professional career.
Before
all that, Couture reconnected with his famous father, dropped
the extra weight, established that he was a quick learner in
various martial arts and joined the family business in Vegas.
It
wasn't a path he planned, but a path he has embraced.
"As
long as I was watching sport, I had that fan instinct to get
in there and do it," Couture told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com).
"I realized as I was picking it up that I was working my
way into becoming one of the better guys in the room. I did a
few grappling tournaments, which reminded me of wrestling tournaments.
I felt like I owed to my self to give it a try."
Wrestling
with a shadow
Couture
grew up knowing his father as a military man and wrestling coach,
not as an MMA star. The family moved several times during Couture's
youth, from Germany to Tennessee to Oklahoma, where Randy Couture
was the wrestling coach at Oklahoma State University.
With
a coach in the family, Couture and his sister were often at practices
and events, both soaking in the atmosphere and entertaining themselves.
"He
loved to goof around with us," Couture said. "He would
wrestle with us, me and my friends, and we loved it."
Couture's
mother and father split when he was in the sixth grade, and he
moved with his mother to a Seattle suburb, where he focused on
both wrestling and soccer in his athletic life. After a high
school wrestling career, Couture enrolled in Western Washington
University in Bellingham, Wash., where he became a math major.
He graduated in 2004 and took a job at a bank to remain in Bellingham,
falling into a routine that might now seem terribly boring.
Soon,
Couture entered the gym.
"I
decided I was tired of feeling lazy," Couture said.
He
reconnected with some college friends who met in a back room
at the local Gold's Gym for jiu-jitsu sessions. One of those
acquaintances, Cody Houston, later opened West Coast Fight Club
in Bellingham, and Couture continued his MMA training.
By
January 2008, feeling both lethargic about his banking life and
wanting to form a stronger connection with his father, Couture
moved to Las Vegas. It was the start of a potentially blossoming
MMA career.
Breaking
away
Couture,
actually, had to talk himself into his amateur MMA debut.
In
the fall of 2008, Houston called from Bellingham and said he
was setting up an MMA event at his gym. He asked Couture to attend,
but after years of training Couture was ready for a fight. He
was added to the card, the debut of a legend's son.
"The
most difficult part was walking past the big crowd and the cheers,"
Couture said of the November 2008 event. "I've never been
comfortable in front of a crowd. As soon as I got ready, I could
see the other guy was as nervous as I was.
"The
bell rang, we felt each other out, and I hit him with a combination.
He shot in, but I caught him a triangle choke and the whole thing
was over in about two minutes."
Couture
relished the intense emotional feeling that fight provided, and
he desires more. He knew of the TUFF-N-UFF shows from attending
to support members of Xtreme Couture in the past, and he was
able to join Sunday's card as a headliner. Couture also hopes
to be part of another event at Houston's Bellingham gym in March.
The
question, of course, is the future. Couture openly discusses
the possibility of turning pro but understands he first needs
more fighting experience. For now, he's working with his father
in the family gym, training, supporting the gym's regulars and
hoping fans don't hold unfair expectations because of his last
name.
"There
was never any pressure from him," Couture said of his father.
"I'm excited for the chance to be close to him, and I hope
I can make my own name in what I'm doing. I'm not doing it because
of him, I'm trying to prove myself."
Source: MMA Junkie
|
Quote
of the Day
“The
only thing that overcomes hard luck is hard work.”
Harry Golden
|
Hawaii
Amateur Pankration Association
"Hit and Submit"
O-Lounge
Night Club, Honolulu, Hawaii
March 14, 2008
Hawaii Amateur Pankration Association "Hit and Submit"
At the O-lounge Saturday March 14, 2009
Fight
card subject to change Please Contact Arick at 599.4448 for more
information. Pre-Sale Tickets at $20 and $30
Kalae
Palimoo Team Up and Up (160) Muay Thai
Johnny Tuimaseve Bullspen
Jeremy
Borges Bullspen (145) Pankration
Dustin Letreta Freelance
Angie
Perriera HMC Wahiawa (130) Pankration
Pua Nunies Bullspen
Ryne
Yoshimura HMC Team Chinaman (140) Muay Thai
Tommy James Ismael Freelance
Sasa'e
Paogofie Outcast (205) Pankration
Kcade Phillips Freelance
Keo
Palimoo Team Up and Up (185) Pankration
Kimo Galon Bullspen
Kelii
Ross HMC Team Chinaman (175) Pankration
Keoki Silva Kaos Fight Crew
Keo
Sylva Outcast Fight Club (175) Pankration
Brandon Lorenzana Freelance
Rowell
Tano Freelance (150) Pankration
Arick Adriano HMC Team Chinaman
Eugene
Kostron Freelance (230) Pankration
Keoni Gandi Combat 50
Ikaika
Sylva Outcast (185) Pankration
Steven Lopes Knuckle Up
Joshua
Bersalona Freelance (125) Pankration
Sam Rompon Freelance
Frankie
Tano Freelance (155) Pankration
Sebastian Mariconda HMC Team Chinaman
|
Royler
Gracie Seminar in Hawaii!
|
Sera's
Kajukenbo Open Tournament
 |
OHIO
SAYS VASELINE IN HANDS OF CUTMEN & DOCS
With recent questions raised regarding the handling of Vaseline
during fights, the recent UFC Fight Night 17 event in Tampa,
Fla., saw only assigned cut men, and not a fighter's personal
cornermen, handling that duty between rounds.
UFC
Vice President of Regulatory Affairs Marc Ratner spoke with MMAWeekly.com
on Tuesday to correct the misconception that it was the promotion
that instituted the rules change, when in fact it was the state
athletic commission that ultimately enacted the rule regarding
the cut men in the fights.
Ratner
will oversee the enforcement of rules and regulations when UFC
95 lands in England this month, as the country currently does
not have a sanctioning body for mixed martial arts.
On
Wednesday, MMAWeekly.com was able to reach Bernie Profato, executive
director of the Ohio Athletic Commission, to verify the rules
for corners and cut men for the upcoming UFC 96 show in Columbus,
Ohio.
"We
will handle this as we always have in the past," Profato
stated via e-mail. "The Vaseline can only be applied by
the cut man or a physician.
"It's
not written in any rule, (but) it's the policy we've always used."
The
attention being paid to this subject will obviously go on to
be a hot button topic for many athletic commissions, but as far
as Ohio goes they will hand the Vaseline to the cut men and physicians
to handle.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
DIEGO
GUNNING FOR PENN, FLORIAN AND SHERK
At UFC 95, former "Ultimate Fighter" winner Diego Sanchez
will make his long awaited debut at 155 pounds, but the California
based fighter is wasting no time in stepping into the deep end
of the pool of lightweights. He will face Joe Stevenson at UFC
95, and he's quick to add that his goal is B.J. Penn and the
UFC lightweight championship.
Working
for years since his time on the Spike TV reality show to get
a shot at the welterweight crown, Sanchez decided it was the
best time and place for him to drop weight classes and make a
run at the lightweight title before moving back up to 170 and
going for the gold there as well.
While
he has no problem facing Joe Stevenson in his first fight out,
he actually had another fight in mind when the UFC came calling
to place him in his first 155-pound contest.
"I
asked for Kenny Florian right out of the gate. They gave me Joe
Stevenson, but it's all good," Sanchez told MMAWeekly Radio
recently. "I can consider it a better fight beating Joe
Stevenson. It's the Ultimate Fighter winner, the original Ultimate
Fighter winner season 1 versus season 2 Ultimate Fighter winner.
We go back to King of the Cage days together and it's a great
fight for me, I'm excited."
Sanchez
and Florian have a history together from their time spent on
the Ultimate Fighter season 1 and, of course, their fight to
determine the first ever TUF champion. Sanchez would go on to
win by TKO in the first round of that fight. He understands that
the Florian he would face now is a completely different fighter,
but he believes history would repeat itself.
"Kenny
Florian's there and Kenny Florian, he's a great fighter himself,
he's came a long way and we all improved," Sanchez stated.
So for people to say, 'Oh, Diego Sanchez beat Kenny Florian,
that was a long time ago.' Yeah, that was a long time ago, but
we've all improved, we've all evolved, and if anything I think
I have evolved more than Kenny Florian.
"He
has great Muay Thai, but when it comes down to our fight, it's
the same fight. I'm not going to fight a counter fighter like
Kenny Florian the way Roger Huerta fought Kenny Florian. You've
got to be smart. Same way I fought him the first time. You wait
and it's going to present itself, and that fight is just a good
fight."
The
ultimate goal for Sanchez is a shot at the UFC lightweight title,
which is currently held by B.J. Penn, but the New Mexico native
is unsure that the champion is ready to face him or Kenny Florian
for that matter.
"That's
the fight," he said about facing B.J. Penn. "I don't
know what's going through B.J.'s mind right now, but I know definitely
coming off that loss the way he did, it would be a bad time for
him to fight either me or Kenny. We're on top of our game right
now, and after everything he talked about GSP and then going
out there the way he did. I'd have a lot more confidence going
into a fight with B.J. Penn (now) than I would have before."
In
the fight with St. Pierre, Penn struggled to get out from underneath
the Canadian champion, who smothered him with takedowns and ground
and pound for the better of four rounds en route to a TKO victory.
Sanchez says cardio played a major factor in the fight and he
knows he can implement the same strategy if and when he faces
Penn.
"I've
always thought of B.J. Penn as someone who tires out," he
commented. "Even after the Joe Stevenson fight he could
barely stand up. He gets tired. I don't know if he doesn't train
hard or if he trains hard, but he still tires out. I'm like the
exact opposite.
"That's
been a dream match-up for me and now with improved striking,
I'd love to fight B.J. Penn. That's who I'm gunning for. That's
who I'm coming after."
With
Penn as champion and Florian as the No. 1 contender, Sanchez
admits that there's actually another name out there that he would
want to face if given the chance to prove he's the best lightweight
in the UFC.
"I
want to be know for being able to fight in both weight classes.
Cause after this fight, I'm still going to go back to my regular
routine lifting weights, getting strong, and in my opinion the
No. 1 guy at 155 is Sean Sherk and he's called me out already,
so that's another possible fight," he commented.
Whether
it's Sean Sherk, Kenny Florian or B.J. Penn, Diego Sanchez has
no problem facing any of the top contenders, but first he has
to get by Joe Stevenson at UFC 95.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
NOONS
WILL NOT FIGHT THOMSON ON APRIL 11
Hopes were high heading into the first Strikeforce event on Showtime
since the company purchased several EliteXC assets that current
Strikeforce champion Josh Thomson could defend his belt against
the last ever EliteXC lightweight titleholder in K.J. Noons.
But it appears that fight will not happen at this time.
Strikeforce
CEO Scott Coker appeared on MMAWeekly Radio Friday night where
he broke the news that Noons is focused on his boxing career,
and a fight against Thomson is put on hold. The Strikeforce lightweight
champion will still compete on the card.
"Josh
Thomson will fight. We offered it to K.J. Noons, (but) it looks
like that fight will not happen. K.J. is focusing on his boxing
career, so he will not be available," Coker stated.
Since
having a contract dispute with EliteXC, Noons has gone back to
his roots in professional boxing. While he's always said he'd
make time to go back to mixed martial arts, it appears now is
not the occasion.
"I
think we'll always extend the invitation," Coker said about
bringing Noons into the Strikeforce fold. "It's really going
to be up to K.J. If he really has had success in boxing, cause
I understand he has, and he's trying to become a boxer, then
he's not going to be able to be an MMA fighter at this point
in his career."
He
reassured fans that Thomson would still appear on the card and
the organization is currently finalizing a new opponent for its
155-pound champion.
Regardless
of the match-up against Noons, Coker understands the commodity
he has in his own lightweight champion and he's excited to have
him on the inaugural Showtime card.
"He's
definitely a world class fighter. I think he could fight the
top three or four guys in the world. I think he'd do very well,"
Coker said about Thomson.
The
Strikeforce CEO promised that more fights would be announced
over the next few days, so stay tuned to MMAWeekly.com as Strikeforce
on Showtime fast approaches.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Rafael
dos Anjos talks fight with Tyson Griffin
Black
belt from Gracie Fusion, Rafael dos Anjos was one of the great
names of Brazilian selective for the ADCC, which took place last
weekend at the Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas gymnasium, in Rio
de Janeiro. In conversation with TATAME, Rafael commented about
the controversy guillotine he suffered in his fight against Milton
Vieira (BTT). Before winning the fight for 2x0, the athlete received
a guillotine choke from Vieira, but the judge ordered them to
separate just when the athletes approached to the judges table,
which revolted Milton, that had to return to the starting position.
"I
have no doubt that the position wasn’t locked. If the guy
really had locked it, I would say to continue, because it would
be wrong. But I was defending the guillotine in his “knife
hand”, so, he also left the position, or else he would hit
in the hand and get hurt. I was fully defended, and Murilo Bustamante
(BTT leader) saw it and I spoke with him, who agreed. I called
the judge and said: "the guy’s coach is saying that
the position wasn’t locked". Murilo said that and the
fight started on foot, normally", said Rafael.
Focused
on his next fight, which will mark his return to the UFC, on
April 1st, against the tough American Tyson Griffin, Rafael spoke
a little about his expectations. "I came to the ADCC only
to get on rhythm, competition, but my focus now the Ultimate
fight. The tactic is more or less the same as always, but I’ll
do differently than I did in my last fight, which I walked back…
I gotta walk forward full time, doing the game standing, feeling
the fight... Let's see what he will offer me on the time of the
fight", ended.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Marquardt
hones his game with age
Three
days before his 20th birthday, Nate Marquardt made his professional
debut as a professional mixed martial arts fighter, competing
on World Vale Tudo card in Durango, Colo.
Only
four years before that night, he was a scrawny, 100-pound 15-year-old
whose dreams of professional greatness seemed merely fantasy.
It
was a naïve and optimistic teen who submitted Mike Lee on
that card in Durango on April 17, 1999, beginning a career in
which he’d go on to become one of the icons of his sport.
He was naturally gifted, but he didn’t know how much he
didn’t know regarding the sport he was about to make his
life’s work.
Nearly
a decade later, it’s a wiser, stronger and, yes, older Nate
Marquardt who will step into the cage at UFC 95 at the O2 Arena
in London on Feb. 21 to face Wilson Gouveia.
He’s
become one of the world’s elite middleweights and had a
shot at the UFC belt held by Anderson Silva, who is generally
regarded as one of the two best pound-for-pound fighters in the
world.
The
fight with Gouveia will be his last before he turns 30, a milestone
that seemed so far off when he squared off against Lee in Durango
back in 1999.
“When
you’re 20, 22, 24, you’re so young and you have so
much excitement and so much energy, but you don’t have the
wisdom and the perspective you get as you’ve been around
for a while,” Marquardt said. “You learn the sport.
You learn the business. You learn how to train smarter. You learn
your body. I’ve gained so much experience and so much knowledge
in these last 10 years, but I know how much there is I still
have to learn.
“This
sport requires so much dedication and so much understanding.
When you cross one threshold, you learn that there are so many
more things you have to do to get to the next one.”
The
understanding of how much he has to learn has helped Marquardt
cope with the devastation of his first-round defeat at the hands
of Silva on July 7, 2007, at UFC 73. It was a fight that, on
paper, at least, he seemed equipped to win.
Inside
the cage, it was essentially no-contest, as Silva dominated and
stopped Marquardt with strikes at 4:50 in the first round.
There
hasn’t been a word of talk about a rematch in the year-and-a-half
since that bout, which is fine with Marquardt, even though he
insists he’s a far better fighter today than they man who
climbed into the cage against Silva at UFC 83.
MMA
is evolving so quickly that it doesn’t wait for those who
stand still. After licking his wounds, Marquardt set out to remake
himself even if he’d already become one of the elite fighters
in the world.
The
thing that makes Marquardt who he is, though, is the competitive
streak that can easily be missed because of his soft-spoken,
easy-going nature.
His
mother was searching the Internet recently and was excited to
see that her son was ranked by one site as the fourth-best middleweight
in the world. It pleased her so much that she called her son
to tell him.
“It
was a big deal to her and she was so excited and was going on
and on,” Marquardt said. “And I just wasn’t that
impressed. I don’t want to be No. 4. I’m doing all
of this because I want to be No. 1 in the world. It’s kind
of cool, I guess, that people think enough of me to give me that
kind of recognition, but I don’t want to be satisfied with
that. I want to be No. 1.”
He’s
adopted many of the same training techniques that his friend,
UFC welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre, uses. He’s
working with John Chaimberg, St. Pierre’s strength and conditioning
coach, and said he’s seen exceptional results.
He
does shorter, more intense workouts and spends a lot of time
“prehabbing” injuries that have not occurred, essentially
determining what areas of his body are most likely to be hurt
in a fight and strengthening it to a point that it prevents an
injury.
It’s
kept him healthy and meant less time off because of injury and
that’s meant a faster rate of improvement. He is, he insists,
far more skilled today than he was when he fought Silva in 2007.
“Oh,
without a doubt, I’m much better technically,” Marquardt
said. “Much better. I’m much better on my feet, I have
much better wrestling, I’m stronger and quicker and my explosive
endurance is a lot higher. And I’m a lot mentally stronger.”
Part
of being mentally stronger is being able to deal with things
and proceed when things don’t go your way. And Marquardt
has accepted the fact that he may not get another title shot
for a while, if ever, with equanimity.
While
it would be great for him to hoist the belt that would signify
him as the UFC champion overhead, life will be fine if he never
wins it.
“Every
fight is the most important fight of your career,” Marquardt
said. “There is never a not important fight. It’s a
cliché, but you’re only as good as your last fight.
“The
title is just something that is more for the fans. Of course,
there is stuff that comes with it for the fighters, but the status
is for the fans. Truthfully, every fight is a title fight and
I approach them all that way now. The fighters are so good at
this level and everyone is so talented, you have to be ready
to be facing the best fighter in the world every time you get
in there. That’s one of the things you learn with experience,
to never take anyone or anything in this business for granted.”
Source: Yahoo Sports
|
Koscheck
steps into great unknown
Josh
Koscheck will be no different than most people watching his Feb.
21 fight with newcomer Paulo Thiago: He’ll have no idea
about who his Brazilian opponent is.
“I
don’t know anything,” said Koscheck. “I’ve
seen no tapes. That’s my coaches’ jobs, Javier Mendez,
Bob Cook and Dave Camarillo. They’ll come up with the game
plan and we’ll see how it goes. I’ve never even seen
a picture of him.”
Thiago
(10-0) has been fighting three-and-a-half years in Brazil, and
had won seven of his 10 matches via submission, four via triangle
chokes from the bottom. The two battle on a Spike TV special
coming from the O2 Arena in London.
“I
don’t study tapes,” said Koscheck (14-3), a former
NCAA champion wrestler who has evolved to the point he had two
of the most memorable knockouts of 2008 with a head kick knockout
of Dustin Hazelett and a scary punch that not only finished off
Yoshiyuki Yoshida, but had him down for several minutes. “I’ve
learned this sport is evolving. I have to use my time to get
better and that comes with more practice.”
Koscheck
is one of the company’s most recognizable fighters, starting
as the curly-haired wrestler who sprayed a water hose on a sleeping
Chris Leben in the backyard of the fighters’ house in an
early episode of the first season of “The Ultimate Fighter”
reality show in 2005.
This
led to a grudge match, which is still the most-watched episode
in the show’s history. With no stand-up game to speak of,
the actual match was anticlimactic after one of the best buildups
of any fight in UFC history. Koscheck continually took Leben
down to win a decision, while doing little damage. He was portrayed
as the bad guy in the buildup and in the match, which was so
effective that even years later he was booed as much as any fighter
in the company.
To
the fans who didn’t like him, the combination of his continually
winning using little but wrestling, to the point he was nicknamed
“the blanket,” made it easy.
He
switched from wrestling to MMA after being put in contact with
Cook and DeWayne Zinkin through a wrestler friend who had started
fighting. At the time, he was assistant wrestling coach at the
University of Buffalo.
Koscheck
met Cook and Zinkin in Las Vegas at the U.S. Open wrestling tournament
more than five years ago.
“I
didn’t do that well, although I placed in the top eight,”
he said. “I was thinking, ‘This [wrestling] is a hard
sport and I’m not making any money.’ I asked them if
I could make any money fighting and they said the champions make
good money. I asked who is the champion, and they said, ‘Matt
Hughes.’ I was thinking he’s a wrestler so maybe I
could be the champion. And at the time, it’s possible that
could have happened. But then everybody got so good. After ‘The
Ultimate Fighter,’ the sport changed over the next two years.
You have to learn to defend takedowns, strikes and submissions.”
“Five
years later, life is good and I’m living in the gym.
In
his case, that’s not just a figure of speech.
Koscheck
has a home in Fresno, Calif., about a two-and-a-half hour drive
from the American Kickboxing Academy camp in San Jose, home away
from home. Most weeks, he makes the commute home Friday afternoon
and returns for a training session Monday morning. But even in
Fresno there’s only one day off, as he does Muay Thai every
Friday night after the commute, trains Saturdays and spends Sunday
resting and watching the NFL or NASCAR.
Monday
through Friday, he trades punches, kicks and takedowns with many
of the elite fighters in the sport, including two of the UFC’s
best welterweights, Jon Fitch and Mike Swick. In his final workout
before leaving for London on Sunday, he went three rounds, including,
after already sparring with Strikeforce lightweight champ Josh
Thomson, doing a spirited round with a fresh and much larger
Fitch that contained more action than most UFC fights. And that
was his easy day, as he started tapering off after his final
hard session Wednesday.
He
lives most of the week in what he jokes is a box. It’s actually
a room upstairs at the gym. It’s got a bed, a TV set with
a VCR, a tiny refrigerator crammed into a tiny room with barely
enough space for some clothes, supplements and other supplies.
There’s
no temptation to miss workouts or skip out early, because he’s
already at the gym and there’s nothing else to do but train,
eat and sleep. There’s no junk food. There’s no temptation
to drink, which he said he swore off of at the end of 2006. Every
morning starts with oatmeal. Every night ends with an orange.
It’s a routine that he learned from his college wrestling
days at Edinboro.
“I
could get a hotel, but that would make live too easy,” he
said. “I stayed at a hotel at Santana Row [an upscale part
of San Jose] before the St. Pierre fight, and I lost.”
“I
take very little time off from training,” he said. “Maybe
I’ll go to Las Vegas and play blackjack, but I don’t
want to get too far out of shape because it’s so hard to
get in shape.”
There
has been some preliminary talk of Koscheck getting a match with
the winner of this summer’s Georges St. Pierre vs. Thiago
Alves championship match. Both men in the title fight hold wins
over him, both via decision.
To
do so, would require Koscheck to look impressive in winning next
week, and follow it up with another win, which, barring an injury,
is scheduled for the May 23 show in Las Vegas.
Koscheck
is the last fighter to win a round against St. Pierre, taking
the second round in their match Aug. 25, 2007, which St. Pierre
won by unanimous decision. With Alves, he took the fight on two
weeks notice and feels with a full eight-week training camp the
result would be different.
“I’ve
been asked probably 30 times this week about St. Pierre and greasing,”
he said. “I don’t know. He won because he was the better
man that day. I don’t make excuses when I lose, and I don’t
make them when I win.
“He’s
[St. Pierre] a great champion, but I think his time is coming,”
said
Koscheck. “You can only be on top for so long. Everybody
loses in this sport. But I’m not thinking about that right
now. I’m thinking about my next fight.”
Fitch
and Koscheck would be considered with Alves and St. Pierre as
the top four welterweights in UFC right now, and Swick is right
there with them. That’s created a tough situation with three
of the top fighters from the same camp. Even though they fight
each other routinely in practice, they won’t in UFC, at
this point.
Koscheck
said that would change if one of the three won the championship,
but until that time, he’ll fight anyone at any time, except
his teammates.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Quote
of the Day
“The
greatest mistake you can make in life is to be continually fearing
you will make one.”
Elbert Hubbard
|
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!
|
Destiny
Second Coming Tonight!
Waipahu
Filcom Center, Waipahu, Hawaii
Saturday, February 21, 2009
155lb Title Match
Nate Quinola(freelance,Oahu) vs Keoni Farm (team 323,maui)
145lb
Pro Bout
Brandon Pieper(808 Fight Factory) vs Tim Moon (freelance)
-185lbs
Title Match
Gino Venti(808 Fight Factory) vs Alex Pulotu (freelance)
-145lbs
Title Match
Vernon Parangat (808 Fight Factory) vs Dustin Kimura(Team Icon)
-145lbs
Waylen Mata(Bulls Penn) vs Travis Beyer (808 Fight Factory)
-155lbs
Joshua Obena (Team C.A.T.) vs Ben Santiago(Gods Army)
-185lbs
Tillis Sionesini (Up & Up) vs Caleb Price (Central Oahu jiu-jitsu)
-170lbs
Matt Waipa (freelance) vs Brandon Naleiha (Kurrupt Ambitionz)
-125lbs
Alika Kumukoa(Universal Combat,Oahu) vs Mahi Newbury(Polynesian
Fight Club,Big Island)
-135lbs
Keka Doi-Toilolo(Team Makaha,Oahu) vs Isamu Lopez (Freelance,Big
Island)
-155lbs
Raymond Tran (Bulls Pen) vs Trey Corrales(Team C.A.T.)
-185lbs
Mike Solomen(Bulls Pen) vs Jason Adamos(freelance)
-Heavyweights
Sililo Nikolau (Up & Up) vs Marcus Edwards (freelance)
-160lbs
Richie
Cabinian(O2 Martial Arts) vs AJ Lani Jr. (Inner Circle Grappling)
-215lbs
Matt Eaton (Bulls Penn) vs Pisa "Ata" Tivao (94 Block)
-170lbs
Chris Esmena (freelance) vs Jessie West (Na Koa)
-185lbs
Paul "Rocky" Gemmati(808 Fight Factory,Oahu) vs Kapono
Kuikahi(Team Luku, Big Island)
-140LBS
Gavin Ramos (808 Fight Factory) vs Jordan Dekneef (Bulls Pen)
-210
Jamar Winston (94 Block) vs Jon Wright (Kurrupt Ambitionz)
Source: Promoter
|
WANDERLEI
SILVA IS READY FOR THE MOVE TO 185
Quinton
Jackson, Chuck Liddell, and Keith Jardine are all fighters that
Wanderlei Silva has faced since returning to the UFC. They are
also all light heavyweight fighters that, when they are not fighting,
walk around well above the 205-pound limit of the weight class.
What
weight does Silva walk around at outside of the Octagon?
Try
208 pounds.
It's
no surprise then that "The Axe Murderer's" recent UFC
record is 1-2 against that cast of characters. He doesn't pawn
off his losses to the disparity in size, though.
"I
think it is the technique," Silva told MMAWeekly.com, saying
that he lowered his hand against Jackson at UFC 92 and the former
UFC light heavyweight champion took advantage.
He
does realize, however, that contrary to popular belief size does
matter. He's ready to drop down and see if he is a fit in the
middleweight division.
"Yeah,
I could try because every guy in my division have to cut to 205
and my normal is 208. I'm going to test now... I'm going to cut
my weight. Maybe I go to fight in my next fight at 185,"
says Silva. Always toeing the company line, he's not ready to
make a permanent move, adding, "I could fight in both divisions;
I could fight 185 and 205."
It's
not something that he jumped into overnight. Silva has been talking
about 185 for a long time, but it looks like the UFC is ready
for the move, too. "I've been lots and lots of thinking
about this now, I see what (UFC president) Dana (White) wants.
What he wants (me) to fight, no problem. I talk with (UFC matchmaker)
Joe Silva and... say no problem, I'm down for 185? He say, no
problem."
Talking
with the famed Brazilian knockout artist, there is a sense that
whatever comes his way next, he has finally broken in his new
house and made it a comfortable home with the UFC.
"In
three fights in UFC, I had all places. I lose one hard fight
with Chuck, I beat one guy so fast, one guy beat me, it's too
much experience," relayed Silva. "I'm thinking now
I have much more lessons for to give my fighters."
Now
it's just a matter of time. Despite the onslaught of UFC events
in the near term, it appears Silva will be making final preparations
for his next bout in the sizzling summer heat at his new gym
in Las Vegas.
He's
anxious to step back in the Octagon, though his five-year-old
son is reaping the benefits of dad's down time. Silva finds himself
playing with his son in the morning instead of having to go straight
to the gym.
"My
life is fighting. I love to fight. Now I wake up in the morning
and... where am I going? I play with my son," he says with
a grin on his face, but his eyes belying the call of his chosen
profession.
"My
work is training. I need to train. Now I want to train more,"
he commanded. " I don't know what plans the UFC, but I am
ready for to fight in June or July."
Source: MMA Weekly |
NEW
BRITISH COOP, BFC, ANNOUNCES TOURNEY PAIRS
The British Fighting Championship is serious, make no mistake
about that, and Friday’s press conference was the culmination
of 18 months of behind the scenes work by the promoters involved.
Convened at the Ultimate Training Centre in Birmingham, England,
the respective heads of Cage Warriors, FX3, Ultimate Force, AMMA
and, although not physically present, the Ultimate Warrior Challenge,
announced initial tournament draws via a lottery.
From
initial announcement of their plans, applications for participation
in the new series have been flowing in thick and fast with fighters
from all over the U.K., both established and upstarts. The layout
of the BFC will run in a similar way to the defunct PRIDE tournaments
for heavyweights, middleweights, and so on. With the names matched,
fights will then take place over the course of the year, leading
to quarterfinals, semi-finals, and final matchups to determine
the British Fighting Champion of 2009 in each weight category.
Andy
Lillis offered his thoughts on the subject. “The key thing
is to provide an organic growth platform for fighters, a springboard
platform to move up to the international stage, so realistically,
we expect that fighters that get to the finals will be picked
up by the big promotions, and then, when 2010 rolls into view
we start it all again.”
For
those new to the BFC this will seem like a strange concept, but
the key to remember is that the talent pool in the U.K. will
be harnessed and developed as the year goes on. Each event will
be hosted by the regional show with winners advancing, but that’s
not to say that the talent pool can’t still pursue fights
outside the BFC, subject to avoiding clashes within a safe timeframe
of dates of course.
Anyway,
enough analysis, lets have a quick look at the draws – fights
listed in brackets determine pre-contracted eliminator fights
where the winner will be left to compete as part of the qualifiers
for the BFC tournament. Finally, in the case of Light Heavyweights,
because the division was so under subscribed, the top seeded
U.K. players have been given a pass to the quarterfinals in order
to give a chance for upcoming talent to shine.
BANTAMWEIGHT:
James Doolan vs. Dan Monroe
Phil Harris vs. Lee Coville
Lee Remedios vs. Paddy Doherty
Steve McCombe vs. (James Saville vs. Dan Korbely eliminator)
Neil McCleod vs. Neil Seery
James McGuinness vs. Mark Handley
Mark Chen vs. Gareth Davis
Paul McVeigh vs. Declan Williams
FEATHERWEIGHT:
Vaughn Harvey vs. Phil Else
Neil Fraser vs. Simon Boulter
David Smyth vs. Pete Mcgurk
Danny Batten vs. Karsten Lenjoint
Jean Silva vs. Ashleigh Grimshaw
Owen Roddy vs. Mickey Young
Dave Lee vs. Jordan Miller
Aaron Blackwell vs. Jarred Ferre
LIGHTWEIGHT:
Paul Sass vs. Tim Radcliffe
Daniel Thomas vs. David Johnson
Harvey Harra vs. Ian Butlin
Jason Ball vs. Jason Young
Abdul Mohammed vs. Ian Jones
Lee Wieczorek vs. Andrew Fisher
Greg Loughran vs. Leandro Santo
Paul Jenkins vs. Sami Berik
WELTERWEIGHT:
Lee Livingstone vs. Emmet McNally
Ross Pointon vs. Cliff Hall
Wayne Murray vs. James Bateman
Lee Doski vs. Jason Kubiak
C’he Mills vs. Kurt Wallburton
Simon Phillips vs. John Quinn
Lucas Les vs. Leslie Ojugbana
Jimmy Wallhead vs. Fabio Toldo
MIDDLEWEIGHT:
John Phillips vs. Lloyd Clarkson
Chris Rice vs. (Andrew Punshon vs. Adam Cole eliminator)
Matt Thorpe vs. Greg Siwy
Paul Cahoon vs. Jose Ze Marcello
Pierre Guillet vs. Eugene Fadiora
Denniston Sutherland vs. Lola Bamgbala
Mark Weir vs. Alex Reid
Alex Cook vs. Christian Smith
LIGHT
HEAVYWEIGHT:
Top Seeds: Arunas Andriuskevicius, Tom Blackledge, Dan Burzotta,
Przemyslaw Mysiala
David
Wilson vs. Lynton Vassell (Winner will fight Arunas Andriuskevicius)
Kenny Dougan vs. Dave Rintal (Winner will fight Tom Blackledge)
Ryan White vs. Lenis Jones (Winner will fight Daniel Burzotta)
Ryan Robinson vs. Ian Rush (Winner will fight Przemyslaw Mysiala)
HEAVYWEIGHT:
Damian Grabowski vs. Rob Broughton
Chris Cooper vs. (Wayne Buck vs. Darren Moore eliminator)
Stav Economou vs. Shawn McKenning
Dave Keely vs. Oli Thompson
Source: MMA Weekly |
CAIN
VELASQUEZ - PERFECTIONIST
Here they are: all the mistakes UFC heavyweight prospect Cain
Velasquez says he made in his annihilation of Denis Stojnic at
UFC Fight Night 17.
“When
he would throw, I would stay away from his punches, but I wasn’t
countering as he threw,” Velasquez tells MMAWeekly.com.
“So when he would throw his big shots, I wasn’t in
his face and throwing something at him.
“Pivoting
more on my punches.
“When
I threw a punch my other hand would come down just a little bit.
“I
felt I was coming in too carelessly. When I hit him and rocked
him back to the cage, my other hand went down and I was just
going forward recklessly.”
And
that was just the response to how he felt about the fight.
If
you haven’t guessed already, the 26-year-old Velasquez is
his own worst critic. He says he’s always been that way,
ever since he wrestled and played football in high school, went
on to a decorated collegiate wrestling career at Arizona State
University, and jumped into the exploding sport of MMA.
At
5-0, people are talking about Velasquez in a way usually reserved
for the top rung of the division. He tries to ignore it –
you won’t see him going on the forums and reading what people
say about him. He did, after all, commit the cardinal sin of
letting his last fight go past the first round.
In
his defense, he says, he suffered a cut under his eye two weeks
before the fight, and couldn’t do any sparring.
“For
the little stuff right now, the tweaking and stuff, I think (these
fights are) perfect, because by the time we fight the guys at
the top of the ladder I should have everything down,” Velasquez
assures.
It
certainly seems like he is being groomed for big things. He buzz-sawed
through Brad Morris and Jake O’Brien before meeting an overmatched
Stojnic last Saturday. In a division infinitely smaller than
his welterweight teammates at American Kickboxing Academy, he’s
really not that far from the top. Fans are already abuzz about
a possible meeting with the winner of Shane Carwin vs. Gabriel
Gonzaga at UFC 96 in March. Velasquez says he’d like to
return to fight in May.
“Gonzaga
has a problem with later rounds,” he says. “I don’t
know if it’s conditioning or what, but later in the fight.
That’s the only problem I see with Gonzaga.
“(Carwin’s)
got a good record, but I haven’t seen too many of his fights
outside of the UFC. The way he’s been taking care of people
is impressive. Anybody who’s that big, like Brock Lesnar,
is dangerous. It wouldn’t matter who. Either one I’d
love to fight."
Velasquez
says he will work hard in the coming months to iron out the kinks
in his game, even as he supports his girlfriend, who is pregnant
with a girl – Coral Love Velasquez – and due in May.
“I
come from the Bay Area,” he quips about his soon-to-be daughter’s
name.
At
the end of this week, he will return to AKA to begin the quest
to perfection.
Source: MMA Weekly |
Dana
White to meet with Quebec commission
UFC president Dana White will meet with the Quebec Athletic Commission
next week in hopes of saving UFC 97 "Redemption."
According
to Corus Sports, White will present his case to the Quebec Athletic
Commission on why they should stick to the Unified Rules of MMA
for UFC 97.
The
Commission are looking to do away with elbow strikes, and possibly
reduce the size of the Octagon.
UFC
97, co-headlined by Anderson Silva vs. Thales Leites and Chuck
Liddell vs. Mauricio "Shogun" Rua, is currently scheduled
for the Bell Centre in Montreal on April 18. Tickets already
went on sale Wednesday.
Source: MMA Fighting |
Shamrock,
Abbott win at 'Valentine's Eve Massacre'
For the first time in nearly five years, Ken Shamrock notched
a win.
The
UFC Hall of Famer was victorious Friday night in the main event
of Wargods-Ken Shamrock Productions' "Valentine's Eve Massacre"
at the Selland Arena in Fresno, California.
Shamrock
dropped his opponent Ross "Grizzly" Clifton with a
right punch, took side control and finished with an armbar. Shamrock's
last submission victory took place in August 2001.
The
first-round win for Shamrock sets him up for a possible old school
superfight with Tank Abbott, who also walked away at the event
with a much needed win.
Abbott
clinched with Mike Rourke and scored the first-round knockout
with a punch to the back of the head. The referee allowed it
and Abbott recorded his first win in almost four years.
Shamrock
and Abbott combined for 15 losses out of their last 17 fights
coming into the event.
Shamrock,
who has been open with his desire to promote Shamrock-Abbott
on pay-per-view as the main event for the next Wargods-KSP event,
called out Abbott after the fight.
Source: MMA Fighting |
Fabrício
Werdum
Cut
from the UFC after two years of contract with the American event,
Fabrício Werdum has accepted the TATAME’s invitation
and passed by the challenge of facing the questions of the most
demanding interviewers: his fans. Answering to questions from
subscribers of TATAME, Werdum spoke about his start in MMA, the
defeat for Junior “Cigano” dos Santos in the UFC, his
plans for 2009 and the fight of his dreams. Check below the full
interview with the fighter, who also spoke about the Chute Boxe
and the most important moments of his career in Jiu-Jitsu and
MMA.
How
was your training with Mirko “Cro Cop”? (Rodrigo Franzoni
de Lima)
It
was a very good experience that I spent in Croatia, were years
of experience, especially at the beginning of the career, it
was crucial. I saw Mirko’s training, followed it all with
him, was a different experience. He is a guy who trains a lot,
is dedicated, impressive. I’ve already trained in several
places and Mirko is impressive, he keeps his program, trains
twice a day, morning and night. We used to wake up 5:30 a.m.
to train. He had that business for military, had no enervation,
and was pulled. In the morning we did the fitness, him, Igor,
his right arm, and me, and then we did an hour of Jiu-Jitsu,
I gave him particular classes. We trained output set, reset the
guard, one hundred pounds and then we went home... I lived with
him at the beginning, his mother made us a coffee and then we
rested and went training again, until 8 p.m.
What’s
your feeling with Chute Boxe? (Rodrigo Franzoni de Lima)
It's
my team. I plan to stay for a long time, until the end of my
career I’ll be Chute Boxe. My ex-manager was the same as
Mirkos and rolled some rumors that he would go to Chute Boxe,
but he called me to go to Croatia and that he would put me on
Pride for three years. I called Rudimar and talked with him and
he supported me, told me to go, because it would be a great opportunity
for me and the doors were always open at Chute Boxe. I was a
good time in Pride and, today, I use Chute Boxe’s shirt
with great pride, now here in the United States. Trainings here
with Rafa (Rafael Cordeiro) are very good. I’m very happy
here. I'm going by bike to the trainings at the academy, is a
hot sun even in the winter. Chute Boxe forever, until the end
of my career.
How
is your relationship with Gabriel Gonzaga "Napão"?
(Rodrigo Franzoni de Lima)
Napão
is the thing. We don’t have that friendship to see each
other always, call each other, but it’s a league friendship.
We talk on the events, I have nothing against him, we’re
professionals. We may be in the same event in the future and
face each other, but I have nothing against him, is that reality
from the ring.
For
you, what’s your biggest mistake in the fight against Cigano?
(Felipe Teixeira de Oliveira)
It
wasn’t a mistake, but he surprised me. The strategy was
to put him down, but I couldn’t try too fast because he
would prevent the fall, then I had to make something up so he
could think that I would strike with him, but was so fast that
I couldn’t have enough time has to do my strategy. He really
surprised me. I wouldn’t strike, but I waned him to think
that I would. He must have trained hard to avoid the drop, the
clich, but he came with a very strong punch. It was the hardest
punch I took in my career, I had never been knocked out. Even
more that I gave a step forward and down my head against his
hand. I was in condition, was prepared. Some people said that
I was out of shape, but I wasn’t, I did everything right
in Curitiba, trained Muay Thai, ground, everything. I really
hadn’t done the diet, then it seemed that I was out of shape,
but I wasn’t. I would be sad if this had happened in the
second or third round, if I had seen that he was over me, but
I haven’t had time to show how good I was.
What
is the most technical fighter you faced on the cloth? (Felipe
Teixeira de Oliveira)
Two,
actually. Roger Gracie is impressive in technical and calm. He
does Jiu-Jitsu, Submission and ADCC always with the same face,
doesn’t change his expression. My game closes with his,
I'm a big guy, but I don’t use much of force, but the technique.
The other is Tererê, who beat me at the final of the World
Cup category in 2004. He said that he would win the big guy,
break my legs, that was too much, right? (laughs). He is very
technical, doesn’t make much strength and uses only his
speed.
Do
you think about fighting the next ADCC? (Felipe Teixeira de Oliveira)
Absolutely.
My focus is now ADCC. I'm training all here. As I won in 2007,
I’m classified and focused on this, doing my trainings without
kimono. It is good to practice with a purpose. We are in negotiations
with Affliction, but my negotiation will only happen after the
event of January 24. I’ll see if I’ll fight on Sengoku,
but my focus now is ADCC.
Fedor,
Arlovski ou Josh Barnett. If you could choose, who would you
like to face? (Felipe Teixeira de Oliveira)
I
would fight with anyone, but if I could choose, I would like
to make a rematch with Arlovski. That fight wasn’t cool,
it was a debut against an ex-champion. Some people said that
I won, others that he won or tied, but I want a rematch with
him and then fight with Fedor, which is the will of everyone,
he is the best in the world. This thing of saying that (Brock)
Lesnar is the best in the world doesn’t exist, I’m
against that. The guy has four fights and is already the world
champion? Everybody knows that Fedor is the best. In heavy, I
think the best are in Affliction. Apart from Minotauro, the rest
in the UFC are weak. The UFC has what he wanted, two Americans
to fight the "final". The marketing is the most important
thing, they are good at it. Frank Mir also, this final among
them doesn’t exist.
In
a future fight against Fedor, what would be the strategy to defeat
him? (Felipe Teixeira de Oliveira)
I
would do something really simple, try to put him down. It is
difficult to get the fat go down, but I would be on top, passing
the guard and mount, get a kimura... It is hard to beat Fedor
in the ass, giving him punches down. It can happen, but it will
be very difficult to punch him and stop him, you have to get
him at a key for him to surrender. I think he lets his arm broke,
but don’t hit. Must be in the neck to put him to sleep.
I would train much Wrestling to put him down and, if I were below,
I would be with a very close guard.
What
is the most significant fight of your career and why? (Felipe
Teixeira de Oliveira)
There
are several, but the most significant was against Minotauro.
Not because the fight itself, fight with my idol, but that tragedy
happened before the fight, they killed my teacher and I was more
concerned with the honor that I would do than with the fight.
I’ve lost 10 pounds before the fight because I was sick,
I was in hospital until the day before the fight and the doctor
doesn’t wanted me to fight. No diminishing Minotauro’s
victory, I'm telling what happened.
In
your opinion, who will stay with the UFC final belt: Lesnar or
Mir? (Felipe Teixeira de Oliveira)
Now
it’s difficult, but Mir already has a victory over him and
this will count a bit. When Mir won Minotauro, he looked at Lesnar
and said that the belt was his. It was able to see that Lesnar
was with a strange face, shy, was scared... Mir will get it.
Do
you think leaving the UFC when you were even quoted to fight
for the belt can hinder your career? (Antonio Rivanildson da
Costa Carvalho)
The
UFC was very good to me, I had four more fights in the contract,
but they wanted to renegotiate. I couldn’t accept what they
wanted. It took a while to build my structure for wanting to
cut my bag and I cut down my head. The fighter also has pride.
It was very good the time I was there, but was well on my part.
With them, or is like this or it’s over. It was as if I
return to the beginning of my career, when I fought for the first
time in England and even wanted to pay to fight, but I had my
victories, won prestige and my bag was great, but I couldn’t
accept what they wanted. I’ll see if I close with an event
that values me, who gives the show are the fighters. Without
us, the events are nothing, they need us.
What
do you think of the campaign for Jiu-Jitsu in the Olympics in
London? Do you think that can happen? (Berzotti Lucas)
Imagine
how cool would be Jiu-Jitsu in the Olympics? I think that is
possible and it would be very good. I don’t know in how
many countries has Jiu-Jitsu, but the whole world knows. Four
or five years ago that was impossible, but today everyone knows,
it can be done. It would be very nice for the guys to dedicate,
I think they deserve an Olympics dedicating themselves for Brazil,
It would be very good. The guys likes to train, stay the whole
day in the gym and I think they deserve this reward.
Do
you think the migration of Jiu-Jitsu fighters for the MMA can
take the Brazilian hegemony of the cloth? (Berzotti Lucas)
The
guys fight for a medal, but comes a time that doesn’t give
more, you have family to support, and than fight for medal isn’t
good. It should have a cash prize for the guys get more excited.
In 2009 this will change, they have many championships in Jordan
and Abu Dhabi with awards, then the guys are trying, request
sponsorship and pays the trip in 600x, because now it is worth.
The sport is evolving, can’t stop in time. Medal is medal,
it’s important, but comes a time that the man thinks twice
before going. Some people prefer to fight the kimono, but goes
to the MMA by necessity.
Who
would you shoot as a strong name for the future of MMA? (Berzotti
Lucas)
I
think Thales Leites is very good and will now fight with Anderson
Silva. He has the opportunity to win if he puts to the ground
and make a good Jiu-Jitsu. Another who is very good is Demian
Maia. I saw him fighting and he’s well focused, fighting
very well.
Apart
from the financial issue, you prefer fighting MMA, Jiu-Jitsu
or Submission? (Berzotti Lucas)
A
while ago, when I still fought in World Cups, European, I liked
most of kimono because I hadn’t felt the MMA. Today, I put
the MMA first, Submission in second and Jiu-Jitsu in third. I’m
better without cloth, prefer it.
When
a fight starts and you realize that your opponent is above you,
winning the fight, what goes through your head? Do you try to
follow the strategy or completely change the plans? (Éderson
Silva)
When
this happens the guy is not well prepared, but if it happens
that the guy is better, I’ll take risks. If I see that he
won the other rounds, I will not be stopped looking at him, I’ll
risk everything, go to submit.
If
your opponent has the same technical level as yours, you prefer
to face him on the ground or in striking? (Éderson Silva)
Definitely
I would go to my beach, the Jiu-Jitsu. My origin is this, I can’t
escape. If I see that the guy is good standing and on the ground,
at the same level as me, we’ll go to the ground see who
is the best.
Do
you believe that, with your conquest of a belt, the Chute Boxe
would come back to the top? (Afonso Afrânio da Silva Junior)
Sure,
but I will say that Chute Boxe will always be the Chute Boxe,
which has already made a lot for MMA and has been the best team
in the world and, for me, is still the best. Certainly in 2009
we will change this idea that some people have that the team
fell a bit, the guys can expect that I will come with everything.
I will train hard to show that Chute Boxe is in active, even
with the new talent here from Curitiba and some boys here that
will give the talk.
Until
what point the difference between ring and octagon influence
in an athlete’s game? (Afonso Afrânio da Silva Junior)
For
me, it doesn’t make much difference. Being prepared, is
the same thing. The difference that I feel is the public of Japan
to the United States. The Japanese public understands more, and
the American doesn’t like the fight on the ground, prefers
up game, more Boxing and Muay Thai. Japanese know how to enjoy
and feel the ground, know the movements, stay quiet only looking.
When the fight goes to the ground it doesn’t have to get
up fast... If it takes a long time stopped, ok, but it has to
let it roll, it is a MMA fight, not Boxing or Muay Thai.
Do
you think that, in the current level of MMA, the physical preparation
makes all the difference? (Afonso Afranio da Silva Junior)
The
physical preparation is very important. In the past days the
Jiu-Jitsu won everything, but today, everyone know how to do
this, Boxing, Muay Thai, Wrestling, then the level is very matched,
what makes the difference is the physical preparation. In my
opinion, the fight today is 70% of physical conditioning. Who
doesn’t make a good physical preparation will stay behind.
What
did you think of the victory of Brock Lesnar on Randy Couture?
How do you think would be a fight between you and Lesnar? (Jardel
Moreira Monteiro)
I
would kill Brock Lesnar. He isn’t guilty because they have
putted him there, but I would take him on the ground, tire him
a lot and give him a ride. He has to get much experience, he’s
a little crazy, haven’t got technique. He really goes to
the fight, in brute force, but comes a time that the gas ends.
I would get him in a leg-lock, kimura, would get him... I would
be making myself silly there, wait the gas end and submit him.
Want
to send some message to the subscribers of TATAME?
I
was very happy for subscribers wanting to know about me, see
that everybody is worried about me. There were many questions
and I was very happy, that motivated me even more to train to
return in 2009 with everything. Fighter’s life isn’t
easy, our goal is to make a show, fight well, but that isn’t
always achieved. The difficult isn’t the fight itself, if
we could we would fight three or four times in one night, but
the day-to-day is more complicated. I’m happy to be able
to show you guys that I'm in active and that what happened was
inevitable.
Source: Tatame |
Cyborgs
might fight at the same night
Almost
recovered from an injury in the arm, during a fight in Sengoku,
Evangelista "Cyborg" is returning to the rhythm of
training and is eager to debut in Strikeforce. "I'm almost
100%, I already can make a cool training and I’m waiting
for the confirmation of the next fight... I believe I will fight
on April 11th. They came into contact with me and said I could
fight", revealed the fighter, who can fight for the first
time at the same event that his wife, Cristiane "Cyborg”
Santos, who fought in EliteXC, event purchased by Strikeforce.
"It’ll
be a different experience... I’m always at her corner and
in separate dates, but hopefully it will confirm her fight and
mine, it will be nice, interesting for the event and also for
us, another motivation. We’re more focused, even because
it will be our first fight in the contract and I’m in the
stack, working seriously and I believe that I can do a nice job
there", said the fighter, commenting the “dream fight"
between his wife and Gina Carano, fight that was in EliteXC’s
plans.
"I
told Cris to submit, not to hit in her face, but she said she’ll
punch only in the nose (laughs),” said Cyborg. “Everybody
tells her not to hit Gina in the face, but this is only another
motivation for her (laughs). Cris is very dedicated in training,
is only training with man and that makes all the difference.
She has a lot of desire to fight, goes ahead the whole time and
Gina will be scared when starts the fight, but I think they won’t
put this fight already".
Source: Tatame |
Quote
of the Day
“The
foolish man seeks happiness in the distance, the wise grows it
under his feet.”
James Oppenheim
|
A
touching farewell
Rorion: “The old man didn’t die, just changed zip codes
and is wandering around out there”
Despite
bringing the dauntless Rickson’s voice to falter, the party
Grandmaster Helio Gracie (1913-2009) had asked his sons for,
before passing on, was a joyous, striking event and worthy of
the genius’ accomplishments in the martial arts. With fans
from 9 to 90 years of age united in the Vasco da Gama branch,
in Lagoa, Rio de Janeiro, where Helio Gracie taught Jiu-Jitsu
in the 1970’s, sons and friends recalled the fighter’s
memorable stories, while sipping on fruit juice.
At 9pm, to the delight of the nearly one hundred people present,
every one part of the Jiu-Jitsu family, photos from the master’s
life were featured on the screen. There was no lack of photos
of Helio fighting, or rare scenes like the master playing ping-pong
and playing guitar. In the crowd there were eminent members of
society, tough guys (Kyra and Kron Gracie, Amaury Bitetti, Nino
Schembri, Léo Leite, Fabrício Morango, Letícia
Ribeiro etc) and disciples like nephew-son Robson Gracie, João
Alberto e Álvaro Barreto and police commissioner Helio
Vigio.
“The heavy rains throughout the day are an homage from nature
to the master,” said co-organizer and close friend to the
late hero Pedro Valente, who brought those present to tears by
talking of Helio’s rare endeavors, like the day, in 1956,
when the master won a fox hunting championship, riding his horse
Quilate, which would eat watermelon with him.
Luiz
Zveiter thanked the Jiu-Jitsu master and said: “With so
many family members and friends here today, I’m sure the
master would have loved this get-together in life.”
Rickson
Gracie, who made the opening and closing speech, was brought
to tears as he remembered how his father passed away on the eve
of the European Championship, where his son Kron conquered his
first Jiu-Jitsu title as a black belt and paid homage to his
grandfather. “When we heard the news we hugged, battered
with physical longing for the man who was my master, my coach,
my influence. Afterwards I realized that at that moment Helio
Gracie was freed of his body that was already showing signs of
feebleness and became energy, and that energy was there when
Kron fought. His grandson’s victory was like a cycle completing
itself, the proof we will carry on in his and our family’s
mission, forever.”
Rorion
recalled that for having lived outside Brazil for 30 years, in
California, prepared him for the master’s departure: “Folks,
the old man has not died, he’s wandering around out there.
I always felt I could hear him, his lessons and advice, even
from so far away. It’s like all he did was change zip codes.
He lived on the ground floor and now he’s in the penthouse.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
X1
World Events Temple of Boom:
Fight Night III Results
Palolo Hongwanji
February 15, 2009
Fight
Card
Another exciting event, this time headlined by pro boxing. All
bouts featured non stop action leaving the fight fans at the
edge of their seats. In the main event Pete Vital III came out
blazing against Mike Balasi. Balasi was able to drop his opponent
a few times before finally stopping him late in round 1. Vince
Vital gave Isaac Arasato a tough fight but fell victim to Arasato’s
body attack. In round 2 it was a straight right hand that brought
the fight to an end.
Abraham
Cortes-Kaleopaa brought the fight early to Van Oscar Penovaroff,
Penovaroff kept himself composed and got the TKO win at the end
of round 1 when Cortes-Kaleopaa’s corner threw in the towel.
Standout kickboxers Tyson Nam and Nui Wheeler went the distance.
Nam just as methodical as he is in his MMA bouts pressed the
action and picked away at Wheeler’s body. Wheeler couldn’t
find an answer for Nam’s short hooks to the head but nonetheless
went the distance.
The
fans cheered on as Neil Sabbaghi KO’d Arron Madich in the
first round. Sabbaghi was able to drop Madich early then continued
to outwork him enroute to his first pro victory.
Jon
Barnard stepped in last minute to do an exhibition kickboxing
match against Peni Taufa’ao. Barnard showed his impressive
boxing skills and in round 2 Taufa’ao was unable to continue
after multiple groin shots. Brennan Kamaka failed to show up
for his match up with Walter Ha’o.. Tillis Sionesini stepped
in for the challenge and stopped Walter Hao with relentless ground
and pound in round 2. Colin Mackenzie secured his first pro win
by submitting Hawaii’s own Dirty Curty.
Eddie
Ohia and Chris Payne went the distance, Payne’s numerous
submission attempts were not enough as Ohia walked away with
the split decision. New comer PJ Timas stopped late replacement
Shawn Shepard in round 2. Dustin Cabe showed a good scramble
in his bout against Rex Hernandez. Hernandez though kept pressing
the action and was able to catch Cabe in a rear naked choke.
Jayson
Recamara stalked Joey Guillaume and took the decision in their
three round affair. Zack Shepard pressed the action in his bout
against the more experienced Ben Santiago. In the end it was
Santiago who got the nod. To start off the night Theodore Brown
and Jeremy Henning fought to a draw.
Pro
Boxing
150
- Mike Balasi (Kawano Boxing) vs Pete Vital III (Big Island)
Balasi
by KO in round 2
135
- Isaac Arasato (Palolo Boxing) vs Vince Vital (Big Island)
Arasato
by TKO in round 2
145
- Van Oscar Penovaroff (Freelance) vs Abraham Cortes-Kaleopaa
(Big Island)
Penovaroff
by TKO round 1
135
- Tyson Nam (Grappling Unlimited) vs Nui Wheeler (Maili Soljahs)
Nam
by decision after 4 rounds.
135
- Arron Madich (Freelance) vs Neil Sabbaghi (Freelance)
Sabbaghi
by TKO round 1
Main
Card
150
KB - Peni Taufaao (Team Assassin) vs Jon Barnard (God's Army)
Exhibition
185
MMA - Walter Hao (Universal Combat) vs Tillis Sionesini (Up and
Up)
Exhibition
Open
Pro MMA - Colin Mackenzie (Gods Army) vs Dirty Curty (Team Submit)
Mackenzie
by guillotine in round 1.
Amateur
Bouts
165
MMA - Chris Payne (Freelance) vs Eddie Ohia (No Remorse)
Ohia
by split decision
145
MMA - Dustin Cabe (Guahan Top Team) vs Rex Hernandez (808 Fight
Factory)
Hernandez
by rear naked choke in round 1.
150
KB - Jayson Recamara (Nakoa) vs Joey Guillaume (Kurrupt Ambitionz)
Recamara
by decision
210
KB - PJ Timas (Team Assassin) vs Shawn Shepard (Universal Combat)
Timas
by TKO in round 2
100
KB - Theodore Brown (Gods Army) vs Jeremy Henning (Kurrupt Ambitionz)
Draw
165
TT - Ben Santiago (Gods Army) vs Zack Shepard (Universal Combat)
Santiago
by decision
KB
– Kickboxing, TT – Triple Threat
|
FROM
THE ASHES OF ICON RISES KINGDOM MMA
T.Jay
Thompson
watched the implosion of ProElite from his office in Honolulu’s
Hawaii Kai neighborhood.
After
the troubled company purchased his ICON Sport MMA promotion –
his livelihood for 12 years – in late 2007, he says he was
given a handsome paycheck for doing nothing. He made suggestions
during phone strategy sessions, but no one listened
Instead,
he played confidant for the next year, listening to executives’
growing concern that the company would fold. When it did in November
of last year, a mailbox empty of checks was the only change from
before.
Out
of work for a year and a half, Thompson lost his passion for
the sport. But with the impasse around ProElite broken last week,
he realized the time was right for a return. He didn’t have
much of a choice, anyways.
“I’ve
got to work for a living too,” he told MMAWeekly.com. “I’m
out of work. We’ve got to make the business model work.”
Thompson
is starting a new MMA promotion, Kingdom MMA, which will make
its debut on the final weekend of March, depending on the schedule
of Hawaii’s ground zero for MMA, Blaisdell Arena.
Kala
Kolohe Hose, ICON’s middleweight champion from the ProElite
days, will take on former middleweight champ Jason Miller in
its main event. Thompson says the main event fighters represent
the legacy of ICON (and before that SuperBrawl).
“I
believe that legacy needs to continue,” he said.
For
now, the promotion is a one-man show. Thompson’s sole employee
moved to New York last year. He says he’s still dealing
with legal issues from ProElite’s days, and sounds doubtful
that he’ll be able to use the ICON name again. But he’s
back in the game.
“In
the last week, I’ve started getting excited and feeling
alive,” he said. “It dawned on me today, I haven’t
been in business for myself for a year and a half. So even when
I was working, it didn’t have that same feel that I used
to have. “
During
the conference call for UFC 94, Hawaii’s prodigy, B.J. Penn,
believed his supporters would be outnumbered by Georges St. Pierre’s
due to the Aloha State’s depressed economy. As a sign of
the times, tickets for Kingdom top out at $150 from a starting
price of $15.
“We’re
priced for the recession,” Thompson says.
The
hope – encouraged in small part by recent successes of the
UFC and Affliction – is that Hawaii’s love for MMA
hasn’t suffered the same fate.
“What
I’m betting on is that the people that are struggling, much
like I am, are in need of some escape,” said Thompson. “That
they’re in need of some quality entertainment.”
Thompson
also says Kingdom will likely be offering Strikeforce contracts
to winning fighters, part of an as-yet-undefined position with
the San Jose-based promotion. Thompson, a longtime friend of
CEO Scott Coker, couldn’t be happier about the change in
Showtime’s promotional partner.
“It’s
a breath of fresh air to know that Scott is going to be running
the shows,” he said.
And
in March, the longtime promoter will find out if he’s still
excited about starting from scratch.
“You
may want to ask me that the night of the event and see if I say
the same thing, but right now I’m really looking forward
to building it from the bottom up.”
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Island
Warrior Sub Grappling Tournament
 |
KURT
PELLEGRINO: UFC COMEBACK KID
Whoever coined the phrase “you can never go home again”
never met Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight Kurt Pellegrino.
After
a few years fighting out of Florida with mixed results, Pellegrino
relocated back to his native New Jersey and has been on a tear,
impressively dispatching Thiago Tavares and Rob Emerson en route
to a two-fight winning streak.
“The
fight went as I planned,” said Pellegrino of his win over
Emerson at UFC Fight Night 17 this past Saturday. “The only
regret I have is not coming out ferociously and try to knock
him out in the first round.
“He
put me on my back twice, which I’m upset about, but I’ll
readjust my training a little bit and put in more wrestling.
Everything I wanted to do I executed, so I’m very happy
with the outcome.”
Pellegrino
is quick to point out the keys to his success lay in his work
with his new coaches, namely Miguel Torres, Kevin Kerns, and
especially fellow UFC lightweight Kenny Florian.
“Kenny
has me on a strict schedule and everything he has me doing is
working so much,” he stated. “I’m grounded, healthy
and ready to rock and roll. This was the best move of my life,
moving back home to New Jersey.”
Part
of going home again has Pellegrino rediscovering areas of his
game that may have gotten underdeveloped while he was away.
“I’m
really going to go back to my wrestling,” he said. “My
next training camp that is definitely going to be one of the
big things I’m doing.
“My
striking is at its highest level and people know that I have
good hands and kicks, so now they think they may be able to take
me down, but it’s not happening.”
With
his back-to-back wins, Pellegrino has placed himself back in
the hunt for the 155-pound title, to which he can get even closer
should one or both of the proposed fights on his agenda come
through.
“Right
now my agent is going to sit down and talk to me and the way
it looks it will maybe be Joe Lauzon or Clay Guida,” he
said of his next fight. “That’s not me calling me out
– I’m not calling them out – but this is what
people and my agent are saying to me.
“If
(either fight) happens, of course I’ll sign the paper. Beating
me would be a good win for them, me beating them would be a good
win for me, so it’s stupid for any one of us to not fight
each other.”
Back
on track and with prospects that appear bright, Pellegrino finds
himself once again at the right place at the right time, and
he couldn’t be happier.
“I
want to thank Warrior Wear for sponsoring me, my agent Dean Albrecht,
Miguel Torres, Kenny Florian, Kevin Kerns, and my wife and family,”
he concluded. “Thanks also to MMAWeekly.com for this interview.
“To
the fans, 2009 is going to be my year. Check me out hopefully
in May, June or July on a main card; and Godspeed to whoever
I fight next.”
Source: MMA Weekly
|
AOKI,
SAKURAI ENTER DREAM GRAND PRIX
Dream on Thursday announced that the current top lightweight
in the world, Shinya Aoki, will compete in the promotion's Welterweight
Grand Prix, which begins on April 5.
Aoki
rose to the top of the lightweight division in 2008, amassing
a 5-1 record. He capped off the year on New Year's Eve by defeating
Eddie Alvarez in a highly anticipated lightweight battle.
Joining
him in the Dream Welterweight Grand Prix is former Top 10 ranked
lightweight Hayato "Mach" Sakurai. He has long struggled
to make the limit in Dream's 154-pound lightweight division,
so moving up to the welterweight class, which tops out at 168
pounds, is a natural move for Sakurai.
Also
announced for the tournament is the winner of a bout between
Hidetaka Monma vs. Seichi Ikemoto, who will fight at DEEP 40,
according to Japan-MMA.com. Ikemoto is a current champion in
DEEP.
Japanese
mainstay Ikuhisa Minowa will also participate on the April 5
Dream 8 fight card, although he will be in a non-tournament bout
against an opponent to be named.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
BRIAN
COBB IN FOR JUSTIN BUCHHOLZ AT UFC 95
Riding
a nine-fight winning streak, Palace Fighting Championship lightweight
titleholder Brian Cobb is stepping in on short notice to face
Terry Etim at UFC 95 on Feb. 21 in London, according to a report
on Sherdog.com.
Justin
Buchholz
was originally slated to fight Etim, but confirmed to MMAWeekly.com
that he had to withdraw after he was stricken with a severe staph
infection on his arm
Etim
is currently 2-2 in his UFC career, most recently defeating Sam
Stout at UFC 89 in Birmingham, England. His two losses in the
Octagon – to Rich Clementi and Gleison Tibau – are
the only losses on his 11-2 resume.
UFC
95 marks Cobb's debut for the promotion following a long career
fighting for Gladiator Challenge and winning the PFC championship.
Like Etim, he has a strong submission game.
The
two will compete as part of the UFC 95 undercard. The main event
features Diego Sanchez making his debut at 155 pounds, as he
faces lightweight contender Joe Stevenson.
UFC 95: FEBRUARY 21, 2009
venue: O2 Arena in London, England
Main
Card Bouts:
-Diego Sanchez (#8 Welterweight in the World)* vs. Joe Stevenson
in a lightweight bout
-Josh Koscheck (#4 Welterweight in the World)* vs. Paulo Thiago
-Nathan Marquardt (#4 Middleweight in the World)* vs. Wilson
Gouveia
-Chael Sonnen vs. Demian Maia
-Dan Hardy vs. Rory Markham
Preliminary
Bouts:
-Junior dos Santos vs. Stefan Struve
-David Baron vs. Per Eklund
-Brian Cobb vs. Terry Etim
-Neil Grove vs. Mike Ciesnolevicz
-Paul Kelly vs. Troy
Mandaloniz
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Michelle
Tavares’ mind on MMA
One
of Brazil’s most successful representatives in the international
female MMA scene, Michelle Tavares won the under 60kg division
at the Brazilian ADCC try-outs. Accustomed to MMA and frequently
scene competing in Jiu-Jitsu events, Michelle says she is very
pleased with the win, which marked her debut in submission wrestling.
“I’m
really happy. When I came to Rio, my intention was to fight at
these try-outs. I always wanted to do it and this was the first
time I’ve competed in submission grappling, so I’m
really happy, she said to Portal das Lutas.
“I’ve
been thinking mostly about Jiu-Jitsu and MMA. But, for sure,
the ADCC is on my mind. I can’t celebrate properly yet because
I know I have to train a lot and it will be much tougher over
there,” said the Nova Uniao representative.
“I
fought four times and liked it because I managed to execute what
I had been practicing. I did everything according to what I trained,”
she said in finishing.
Source: Gracie Magazine |
Quote
of the Day
"We
should be taught not to wait for inspiration to start a thing.
Action always generates inspiration. Inspiration seldom generates
action."
Frank Tibolt
|
X1
World Events Temple of Boom: Fight Night III
Today!
Palolo Hongwanji
February 15, 2009
Action starts at 5pm, Boxing at 7:30pm.
X1
World Events returns to Palolo Hongwanji in Honolulu, Hawaii
on February 15. The card features an exciting Pro Boxing lineup
pitting some of the best in Hawaii's MMA and Kickboxing scene
as well as former standout amateur boxers Isaac Arasato and Van
Oscar Penovaroff.
Mike
Balasi will take on heavy hitter Bronson Pieper, fans will also
be treated to a double header featuring four of Hawaiis top kickboxers
as they attempt to make their way to the top of the Hawaii Pro
Boxing Scene in the 135lb division. Peni Taufaao will take on
the veteran Ryan Lee while a highly anticipated showdown will
go down between Tyson Nam and Nui Wheeler. Walter Hao looks to
continue his winning streak here in Hawaii when he takes on State
Champion wrestler Brennan Kamaka.
Another
double header will feature Heavyweight amateur kick boxers Chris
Barnard against Otto Hoopii and new comer OJ Uiliata, who is
coming off a first round tko in his last X1 Event against Britian
Kanoa.
A
kids kickboxing match will start off the night, Ronson Vea of
Team Sit You Down will compete in an 80lb Kickboxing bout with
Nehe Palimoo of Team Up And Up. This will be the first kids match
to be held at this venue.
Come
down and support as X1 World Events continues their quest to
bring back Pro Boxing in Hawaii with it's biggest lineup to date.
Also be there as these young MMA fighters and kick boxers continue
in their quest to reach the top.
Tickets:
GENERAL $30 pre-sale, $40 at the door.
VIP $50 presale, $60 at the door
Fight
Card
Mike
Balasi (Kawano Boxing) vs Bronson Pieper (808 Fight Factory)
150lbs Pro Boxing - 4 rounds x 3 minutes
Isaac
Arasato (Palolo Boxing) vs TBA (TBA)
135lbs Pro Boxing - 4 rounds x 3 minutes
Peni
Taufaao (Team Assassin) vs Ryan Lee (Bullspen)
140lbs Pro Boxing - 4 rounds x 3 minutes
Tyson
Nam (Grappling Unlimited) vs Nui Wheeler (Maili Soljahs)
135lbs Pro Boxing - 4 rounds x 3 minutes
Van
Oscar Penovaroff (Freelance) vs Vernon Parengit (808 Fight Factory)
140lbs Pro Boxing - 4 rounds x 3 minutes
Arron
Madich (Freelance) vs Neil Sabbaghi (Freelance)
135lbs Pro Boxing - 4 rounds x 3 minutes
Walter
Hao (Universal Combat) vs. Brennan Kamaka (808 Fight Factory)
185lbs Pro MMA - 3 rounds x 3 minutes
Colin
Mackenzie (Gods Army) vs Dirty Curty (Team Submit)
Open Weight Pro MMA - 3 rounds x 3 minutes
Chris
Payne (Freelance) vs. Eddie Ohia (No Remorse)
165lbs Amateur MMA - 2 rounds x 3 minutes
Dustin
Cabe (Guahan Top Team) vs. Rex Hernandez (808 Fight Factory)
145lbs Amateur MMA - 2 rounds x 3 minutes
Jayson
Recamara (Nakoa) vs. Stephen Mandeville (Kurrupt Ambitionz)
150lbs Amateur Kickboxing - 3 rounds x 2 minutes
Chris
Barnard (Sit You Down) vs. Otto Hoopii (Stand Alone)
HW Amateur Kickboxing - 3 rounds x 2 minutes
Clem
Holloway (Gods Army) vs. Samson Kapuwai (Up And Up)
140lbs Amateur Kickboxing - 3 rounds x 2 minutes
OJ
Uiliata (Team Assassin) vs. Britain Kanoa (Kurrupt Ambitionz)
HW Amateur Kickboxing - 3 rounds x 2 minutes
Frankie
Tano (Freelance) vs. Wally Haina (Inner Strength)
150lbs Amateur MMA - 2 rounds x 3 minutes
PJ
Timas (Team Assassin) vs. Jarmar Bautista (Freelance)
210lbs Amateur Kickboxing - 3 rounds x 2 minutes
Theodore
Brown (Gods Army) vs. Jeremy Henning (Kurrupt Ambitionz)
100lbs Amateur Kickboxing - 3 rounds x 2minutes
Lawrence
Inajosa (Gods Army) vs. Zack Shepard (Universal Combat)
165lbs Triple Threat - 3 rounds x 1.5 minutes
Derek
Santos (Gods Army) vs. Jose Velez (Fight Stop)
185lbs Triple Threat - 3 rounds x 1.5 minutes
Ronson
Vea (Sit You Down) vs. Nehe Palimoo (Up And Up)
80lbs Amateur Kickboxing - 3 rounds x 1 minute
Christine Young
X-1 World Events Executive Director
Cell: 808-723-0504
Fax: 808-689-8866
Email: christine.x1events@gmail.com
Source: Event Promoter
|
Full
Choke Documentary On Kauai About Kauai!
Hi All,
Come out and see the movie documentary filmed, edited and produced
by Chris Kawae and Lono Pascua.
Every aspect of the film was done on Kauai, Come show your support!
A
truly Kauai made product!
See
you at the movies!
February
13,14 & 15
Waimea Theater, Waimea, Kauai
Showtime is: 6pm
Documentary
‘Full Choke’ explores local mixed martial arts events
Vance Pascua of Ainofea Productions with ‘Full Choke’
documentary filmmakers Lono Pascua and Chris Kauwe. The film
opens Feb. 13 at Waimea Theatre. Pam Woolway/The Garden Island
Vance Pascua of Ainofea Productions with ‘Full Choke’
documentary filmmakers Lono Pascua and Chris Kauwe. The film
opens Feb. 13 at Waimea Theatre. Pam Woolway/The Garden Island
By
Pam Woolway - The Garden Island
Next week an all Kaua‘i product will hit the market —
possibly the only product touting “Kaua‘i made”
that is indeed 100 percent unadulterated Kaua‘i blood, bones
and spirit.
Ho‘omana
Video Productions movie documentary “Full Choke” claims
local subject matter, two Kaua‘i filmmakers and music written,
performed and produced by a Kaua‘i songwriter. Not to mention
it will open in a Kaua‘i-owned and operated theatre. At
6 p.m., Feb. 13, 14 and 15, see the 52-minute documentary made
by Koloa residents and filmmakers Lono Pascua and Chris Kauwe.
Both men were born and raised on the South Shore.
Pascua
attended Hollywood Film Institute in California where he studied
screenplay writing. Kauwe taught and did video production at
public access station, Ho‘ike.
“Full
Choke” opens with an introduction to three Kapa‘a mixed
martial artists: Tsai Seamster, Shane Kahananui and Kyle Sukehira.
The film provides an overview of the 20 by 20 foot platform-ring
construction in Hanapepe and footage of each fight dubbed with
the voice of the fighter explaining the match blow for blow.
There are three, three-minute rounds.
“We
present the story of three fighters from Kaua‘i and want
to leave the interpretation up to the viewer,” said filmmaker
Lono Pascua. “We’re not trying to promote mixed martial
arts.”
Mixed
martial arts (MMA) is a style that incorporates a variety of
fighting techniques that include striking and grappling.
“They
can use at any time one of these disciplines,” Pascua said.
“Fighters started to study each other’s styles and
that’s how it evolved into MMA. It was beneficial to become
more complex in their art.”
Long
time friend and fellow filmmaker Chris Kauwe joined Pascua on
the project to do the camera work. Lono and Kauwe had worked
together on Na Kanaka Hawai‘i News.
“Chris
had no idea how many people were into cage fighting. Three thousand
people showed up for the last match in Hanapepe,” Pascua
said.
The
match filmed for “Full Choke” in March 2008 was the
seventh of its kind produced by Ainofea Productions, LLC, which
hosts an annual mixed martial arts cage match every spring. Ho’omana
Video Productions is in association with Ainofea Productions.
The
organization’s founder, Vance Pascua, is Lono Pascua’s
cousin. When stickers and T-shirts cropped up all over Kaua‘i
professing “ainokea,” (I no care) Vance Pascua wanted
to counter the apathetic attitude by creating something empowering
for Kaua‘i youth.
“He
sees how the discipline of the martial arts can be incorporated
into your lifestyle, especially for young kids,” Pascua
said.
Vance
Pascua is a black belt in kajukenbo, a form that originated in
Hawai‘i. His first cage fight productions began at Kapa‘a
High School gym five years ago, but the events quickly outgrew
the venue.
“It
was such an overwhelming response it broke the fire code and
we had to find a bigger place,” Pascua said. “Vance
came up with the idea to turn Hanapepe stadium into an arena.”
Not
long after, Ainofea Productions purchased a used ring that they
upgraded for safety.
“It
wasn’t up to specification,” he continued. “Everything
has to be padded for the safety of the fighters — with not
so much as a zip tie or wire uncovered.”
For
the matches at Hanapepe Stadium a crew of supporters help move
bleachers into a circle. Over 1000 chairs are collected from
all over the island for the floor seating around the platform-padded
ring.
“We
use more facility area then any event on the island, even Relay
for Life,” Pascua said. “After the match we sweep it,
clean and leave it better then we found it.”
Professional
referee, Kevin Yoshida comes from O‘ahu. Local doctors Dave
Rovinsky and Chris Sanchez are on hand for medical attention.
“This
is not staged but controlled in a very regulated way to be safe,”
Pascua said.
Film
commissioner Art Umezu came to the pre-screening of the film
last week.
“It’s
rare to have someone pick up on this sort of subject,” he
said. “This is truly a Kaua‘i made product — right
down to the soundtrack.”
The
soundtrack written and performed by Lono Pascua features classical,
jazz and hip-hop. The filmmakers plan to submit “Full Choke”
to the Berkley and New Orleans Film Festivals. The film shows
at 6 p.m. Feb. 13, 14 and 15. Ticket costs: adults, $7; 12 and
under, $5; 5 and under, free.
•
Pam Woolway, lifestyle writer, can be reached at 245-3681, ext.
257 or pwoolway@kauaipubco.com
Source: The Garden Island.com
|
B.J.
Penn Calls Out Kenny Florian
"I've been watching the MMA news all around and Kenny [Florian]
came out and said that I made that stuff up. And you Kenny if
you're going to call me a liar about that stuff then I'm going
to call you on it. You're right. It was not an email that you
sent me you texted someone in the camp you told them that GSP
is a big roider and big greaser and to watch out for it. And
the word got to me and we got all the witnesses here who know
about it. Parillo definitely knows about it because he was pissed
about the whole thing for a month before the fight because [St.
Pierre] was going to grease. So Kenny... I'm just saying. I'm
just calling a spade a spade."
-BJ Penn responds to recent comments made by Kenny Florian in
which Florian denies informing Penn that Georges St. Pierre took
steriods and was known to "grease" during fights.
Florian
is currently planning to train with St. Pierre as he prepares
to face Penn for the UFC lightweight championship.
Source: Fight Line
|
POSSIBLE
RULE CHANGES PUT UFC 97 IN JEOPARDY
by Ken Pishna
While the Ultimate Fighting Championship's Canadian debut last
year was the most highly attended event in the promotion's history,
it appears that the UFC's return trip to Montreal may not be
as welcome.
The
promotion on Wednesday launched ticket sales for its April 18
event at the Bell Centre in Montreal. UFC 97 is scheduled to
feature a middleweight championship bout between Anderson Silva
and Thales Leites.
Evidently,
due to recent events that fall under the Quebec Athletic Commission's
jurisdiction – specifically former TKO promoter Stephane
Patry's new Strikebox event – the commission is considering
revising its enforcement of the rules that have governed mixed
martial arts for years in Quebec, according to a report from
Sportsnet.ca.
Sources
apparently informed Sportsnet.ca that the QAC is considering
changes such as disallowing elbow and knee strikes, requiring
the use of a smaller cage than the UFC Octagon, and possibly
forcing the referee to stop the bout if a fighter is knocked
down from standing due to a strike in order to check and see
if the fighter is able to continue.
Representatives
of the QAC told Sportsnet.ca the UFC would have to follow the
commissions rules in order to operate an even in Montreal.
The
UFC has always been adamant that it acts under the governance
of the sanctioning body in place in the territory that its events
are held. Such rules changes would have a rather drastic effect
on the in-ring action, the likes of which the promotion hasn't
had to face in many years. Although no comment is yet forthcoming
from the UFC on what it would do if such changes were implemented,
it wouldn't seem to follow the promotion's track record to accept
changes of such magnitude.
The
Sportsnet.ca report went on to say that "Marc Ratner, the
UFC's vice president of government and regulatory affairs, is
fully aware of the new situation and is hopeful that ongoing
discussions with the commission will prove that this will not
jeopardize the UFC's return to the province."
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Shin’ya
Aoki, Hayato Sakurai booked for DREAM Welterweight GP
By Zach Arnold
The
tournament starts on 4/5 at Nagoya Rainbow Hall (10,000-seater),
and then a big show on July 20th at Saitama Super Arena.
Shin’ya
Aoki will be stepping up in weight class here, from 70kg to 76
kg.
Minowaman
will also fight on the 4/5 Nagoya show in a non-tournament match.
(On
a completely, random bizarre note here — I had 4 searches
yesterday for this site based on someone typing in “shinya
aoki hot pants.” I have no clue why.)
Source: Fight Opinion
|
ADCC
date still undefined
Tournament may not take place in New York
Held
last weekend, in Rio de Janeiro, the South American ADCC tryouts
stamped the passports of the first Brazilian representatives
guaranteed a spot in the most traditional of submission wrestling
tournaments. However, the fighters to have qualified, and those
awaiting an invitation to participate, do not yet know the exact
date of the 2009 installment of the event created by Sheikh Tahnoon
Bin Zayed.
Initially
set for May, in New York, ADCC 2009 will take place at another
time, since in May the American tryouts will be held.
According
to information unearthed by GRACIEMAG.com, the most likely date
for ADCC 2009 will be in September. Nor has New York been confirmed
as the event’s location.
The
GRACIEMAG.com team is in contact with the ADCC organization to
obtain more precise information as to the date and location for
the 2009 event.
Stay
tuned.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
War
Machine apologizes for Obama, Bellator FC comments
War Machine, also known as Jon Koppenhaver, sent out a message
Wednesday night apologizing for his recent string of comments
and admitting he purposely made controversial comments for the
purpose of marketing himself.
As
you all know I post some very controversial bulletins, a few
of which have affected my career in a very negative way. At this
I feel the need to clear a few things up. First, I need to admit
that my comment regarding Obama was completely out of line. In
all sincerity I do not wish any harm done to the President and
I realize that it was a very stupid thing to write so I am publicly
apologizing to the President and to his supporters.
In the beginning of my career it was brought to my attention
(by some ignorant advisors, which I now realize) that my image
as a professional fighter is more marketable if I am controversial.
Controversy does grab attention. Part of creating that controversy
is consistently saying things in a public format that I know
will cause a reaction. Along with my loyal fans, I know that
part of my popularity as a fighter is that people want to see
me get my ass kicked. I knew that my Obama bulletin would gain
me more fans as well as make a lot more people hate me and that
was exactly the reaction I was going for. Obama is one of the
most loved people in the country right now.
Once
I thought it through, it was too late. I removed the post an
hour later. But the harm was done. So, at this point I'm being
a man and I'm publicly admitting that I was wrong. What I wrote
was stupid. So once again I want to reiterate the point that
I really do not hope anything bad happens to him.
I
also want to man up and apologize for my comments that I made
regarding the Bellator Fighting Championship, ESPN and Disney.
You can't imagine the frustration of training day after day,
week after week, year after year, to do one thing: FIGHT. I was
really looking forward to showcasing my ability in that tournament.
There's no way for you to imagine the heartbreak I felt when
I found out that I wasn't going to be able to compete. Looking
back now, I realize that if I ran an up and coming professional
organization like Bellator, I wouldn't want my event associated
with a "wild card" posting crazy shit about the President
either. I understand why they did what they did. I admit that.
I'm still pissed that I can't compete in the tournament, but
there is no one I can be pissed at other than MYSELF.
The
last thing I want to address is my recent arrest Saturday night.
There is a lot of B.S. information online and I want to clear
things up. I was not out drinking, and I wasn't hanging out in
that club. I was employed there. The incident occurred with a
co-worker and a 300lbs. doorman at that. After discussing what
really happened with my attorneys, I am confident that once all
is said and done, it will be easy to prove that I did not commit
any battery that night. I'd love to get into details, but I can't
right now.
A
month ago I moved back to Las Vegas to take advantage of the
training partners and resources at Xtreme Couture and I have
been training harder and with more intensity and discipline than
at any point in my life. I only have one real goal in my MMA
career: to prove to myself and to the world that I am the best.
I know that I can compete against the best in the world and I
can beat them. All over the underground people are saying that
my career is finished, that I'm self-destructing, and that I'm
a "loose cannon."
What
I have to say to those people is this: WATCH ME. I am one of
the hardest working fighters in MMA today. Though I admit I've
made a couple of dumb decisions, I want the world to know that
I will prove every critic wrong. I'll fight wherever I can, and
I'll prove that I belong at the very top. I thank my supporters
for sticking by me, and I dare my haters to bet against me.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Ken
Shamrock Slams His Younger Brother Frank
Ariel Shnerer
Ken Shamrock called out his adopted brother Frank Wednesday in
an interview on Fight Network Radio. In a continuation of the
well documented family rivalry, the once unstoppable UFC veteran
made several accusations against his younger brother.
According
to Shamrock, who has competed actively in the sport since 1993,
Frank is dodging the grudge match mixed martial arts fans could
have only dreamed about 10 years ago.
"I'm
ready to fight, but this fight won't happen because Frank (Shamrock)
will make an excuse for it not to happen, and he's done that,"
said Shamrock.
Frank's
next fight is set for Apr. 11 against Nick Diaz on Strikeforce's
first event since the ProElite acquisition. Meanwhile, Ken represents
his own organization as he battles Ross Clifton this Friday on
the Ken Shamrock Promotions: Valentine Eve's Massacre card.
The
veteran of Pancrase and PRIDE Fighting Championships in Japan
fervently denied claims that he is the reason behind the delay
of what appears to be an inevitable showdown of two bitter siblings.
"Now
all of a sudden, he's saying I've got personal problems,"
said Shamrock. "Well, he doesn't need to speak for me. I
can speak for myself. I'm ready to fight."
In
multiple interviews over the past year, Frank Shamrock has openly
laid claim to being better than his older brother. He holds a
professional MMA record of 23-9-2.
Conversely,
Ken, who boasts a record of 26-13-2, claims to be responsible
for helping build his brother into the world-class competitor
that he is today.
"When
he got out of prison, he started training. He lived with me.
So I trained him, got him the right fights, built him up slowly,
got him to where he was very good and then he took the high road,"
said Shamrock, who spoke candidly about their family relationship.
"He disrespected my dad and disrespected me."
The
UFC Hall of Famer got more heated as he discussed Frank's relationship
with their father.
"Look
what he's done to my father," he said. "My father took
him out of prison, gave him a life."
Shamrock
accuses Frank of leaving their father on his death bed.
"My
father is in a hospital right now and he's dying. My brother
hasn't gone to visit him. My dad has asked him to come in. All
he did was call," said Shamrock. "What an asshole."
Source: The Fight Network
|
Nogueira
vs. Couture possible for June
By Guilherme Cruz
After
the traumatic loss to Frank Mir at UFC 92, last December, Rodrigo
“Minotauro” Nogueira stayed in the U.S. to do, last
Saturday (7th), a knee surgery, in San Diego. “Minotauro
had a knee surgery and will be back to Brazil next weekend…He
shouldn’t have done this fight with Mir, his knee was going
out all the time”, said Luiz Alves, his Muay Thai coach.
“He
was supposed to fight Randy (Couture), but I don’t know.
They haven’t confirmed it yet, and Couture also did a surgery
in his elbow… But I prefer this fight, it’ll be good
to Rodrigo. They want this fight and I believe it won’t
be that difficult to Rodrigo. It’s a tough fight, but I
think Randy has no knockout power in his punch and, on the ground,
Rodrigo will submit”, bets.
Source: Tatame
|
Jones
Jr. to Mix MMA & Boxing
by Mike Harris
Eight-time world boxing champion Roy Jones Jr. is moving into
MMA, albeit on the promotional side of things.
His
Square Ring Promotions will put on “March Badness,”
a mixed boxing/MMA card on March 21 at the Pensacola Civic Center
in Florida. A light heavyweight boxing match between Jones (52-5)
and Omar Sheika (27-8) will be the main event, Jones said at
a news conference Wednesday at the venue, where the show will
be broadcast live on pay-per-view.
In
an interview with Sherdog.com, Jones said he decided to test
the waters of MMA promotions “because I respect all kinds
of fighters. People are always saying, ‘Boxing this, MMA
that.’ But both of those are hand-to-hand combat man-to-man.
Anyone who will fight another man straight up like that, I got
nothing but the utmost respect for.
“So
to cure the stigma that we don’t like MMA or that we’re
against it, to prove my point, I’m going to start promoting
them too,” Jones said. “And they have a huge fan base
too. They love fighting. Boxing. Ultimate fighting. It’s
all still fighting.”
Jones
said he does not understand the boxing-versus-MMA mentality.
“Why
do people keep trying to pull us apart?” he asked. “Why
not come together and make for an even bigger situation and make
it better for both sports? MMA has something that boxing doesn’t
have, which boxing needs to acknowledge.”
Jones
said he believes the audience is there for a promotion combining
boxing matches with MMA bouts.
“I
know there is because a lot of times, the only time people get
disappointed in MMA cards is when they don’t give them enough
rounds,” he said. “In boxing, you always get enough
rounds or a little more than you really want. So how about mixing
the two and make it good for everybody? You get enough rounds,
plus you get enough action too.”
Roy
Jones Jr. would relish a bout with UFC 185-pound champion Anderson
Silva.Jones said the boxing skills of some MMA fighters are good
enough for them to compete against professional boxers.
“Some
of them can,” he said. “But you have to remember, not
all of them have a boxing background. But boxing is only one
of the components that make up MMA. You have to be good at at
least two components: either boxing, either wrestling, or some
form of jiu-jitsu or something like that.”
One
such MMA fighter whose boxing skills Jones respects is UFC middleweight
champion Anderson Silva, who has said he would like to box Jones.
Jones
said he would relish the fight.
“That
would be a wonderful fight,” he said. “He is a good
fighter and a good boxer and he’s quick and he’s tall
and he’s left-handed. So he’s the kind of guy that
really, in boxing, creates a problem for me.”
Jones
said the UFC should allow Silva to fight him.
“They
won’t, but why not allow us to come together?” Jones
asked. “That’s a fight the people would like to see.”
Jones
said the “March Badness” undercard will feature three
MMA bouts: Seth Petruzelli (10-4-0) vs. former WEC light heavyweight
champion Doug Marshall (9-3-0) in a light heavyweight fight,
Roy Nelson (13-3-0) vs. Jeff Monson (27-8-0) in a heavyweight
bout and former collegiate/WWE wrestler Bobby Lashley against
an as-yet unnamed opponent. Petruzelli’s fight will be his
first since his spectacular 14-second TKO of Kevin Ferguson,
aka Kimbo Slice, at Elite XC “Heat” last Oct. 4.
In
another boxing match on the card, IBF No. 2-ranked cruiserweight
B.J. Flores (22-0-1) will fight another as-yet unnamed opponent.
Source: Sherdog
|
Bas
Rutten No Longer Trains Kimbo Slice
By Tim Ngo
If Kimbo Slice does get picked up by Strikeforce, he'll have
to do it without his trainer, Bas Rutten. During a recent interview
with AOL Fanhouse, Rutten confirmed that he no longer trains
the former street fighting legend.
"If people come to me and ask me to train them, I want them
to do what I tell them to do, because that's what they came for.
... Once you start doing different things, you're out."
Rutten told AOL Fanhouse.
Rutten
went on to explain that Slice's loss to Petruzelli and his failure
to listen to Rutten's instructions prior to the fight were not
the reasons for the split. "It's not because he got knocked
out. This was already in progress long before the fight."
Rutten explained.
There's
no word on which camp Slice currently trains in but after his
last showing against Seth Petruzelli, he has a lot of work to
do.
Source: Fight Line
|
ANTHONY
JOHNSON
“Rumble” Talks Latest Victory
By Kelsey Mowatt
It’s
always a tall order to one-up a highlight reel, KO victory, and
although Anthony “Rumble” Johnson’s recent TKO
stoppage of the veteran Luigi Fioravanti may not be forever recalled
by fight fans like his prior win over Kevin Burns, it was important
nonetheless. After stunning the resilient Fioravanti with a hard
right hand late in round one, Johnson finished off the American
Top Team fighter with a flurry of punches, once again demonstrating
the striking skills that have fast tracked Johnson into the promotion’s
spotlight.
“To
be honest with you I didn’t think I would put him away like
that you know?” Johnson said about Fioravanti, whose only
other TKO loss came against Diego Sanchez in June, 2008. “I
always plan on putting my opponents away, but I knew Luigi had
a good chin, and he wasn’t out when I hit him, but I just
kept putting the pressure on him when he hit the ground so he
tapped out. I feel pretty satisfied with the way it ended.”
While
Johnson tried to keep Fioravanti at bay with punches and kicks,
the ATT fighter kept coming, attempting to close the distance
so that he could engage the much taller Johnson.
“I
wasn’t surprised at all,” said Johnson, when asked
for his thoughts on Fioravanti’s approach. “I knew
if I was Luigi that’s what I would have tried to do too.”
Fioravanti
may not be situated at the top of the promotion’s welterweight
division, but the former middleweight has competed against notable
fighters like the aforementioned Sanchez, Jon Fitch and Chris
Leben, in addition to holding wins over men like Solomon Hutcherson,
Luke Cummo and Brodie Farber.
“I
hold all my fights the same,” Johnson told FCF, when asked
where this latest victory ranks in his career. “To me the
best victory was my win over Kevin (Burns) with the high kick,
but with Luigi and the rest of my fights that I’ve won,
they’re all the same. They’re all equal to me.”
With
the win, Johnson extended his overall record to 7-2, and aside
from his well documented TKO loss to Burns, due to the unfortunate
eye injury he incurred during their first bout last July, his
only other loss came at the hands of veteran Rich Clementi in
Johnson’s second UFC bout. In light of the explosive striker’s
memorable victories over Burns, Tommy Speer, Chad Reiner and
now Fioravanti, it will be interesting to see whether or not
the promotion matches Johnson up against one of the division’s
more established fighters.
“It
wouldn’t surprise me, it wouldn’t surprise me at all,”
said Johnson, when asked if he is anticipating his next opponent
to be one of the promotion’s better welterweights. “I’m
just training and getting better, and whoever comes along I’ve
got to be ready for it.”
Despite
Johnson’s continued success, and the rising profile which
comes with it, the 24 year-old concedes he has much to learn.
“Everything
man,” said Johnson when asked what area of his game he believes
he needs to concentrate on the most. “Everybody thinks that
my stand-up is so great, I know I have knock-out power, but I
don’t think my stand-up is great. I don’t think my
ground game is great, I don’t think my wrestling is great,
I just think I need to keep improving overall. I think everything
about me is pretty equal. I just need to keep improving.”
And
as far as Johnson’s thoughts regarding Georges St. Pierre’s
next title defense against Thiago Alves?
“GSP’s
a great fighter and he’s the champion for a reason,”
said Johnson. “He’s proved over and over why he’s
the champ. I think this will be his toughest fight so far. I
don’t think GSP has been hit right; by real hard hitters.
The people he’s faced weren’t really considered knock-out
artists. Thiago will have the most power of any guy that he’s
faced before you know? I think it’s going to be a real challenge
for both fighters."
Source: Full Contact Fighter
|
BRIAN
COBB IN FOR JUSTIN BUCHHOLZ AT UFC 95
Riding a nine-fight winning streak, Palace Fighting Championship
lightweight titleholder Brian Cobb is stepping in on short notice
to face Terry Etim at UFC 95 on Feb. 21 in London, according
to a report on Sherdog.com.
Justin
Buchholz was originally slated to fight Etim, but had to withdraw
after he stricken with a severe staph infection on his arm.
Etim
is currently 2-2 in his UFC career, most recently defeating Sam
Stout at UFC 89 in Birmingham, England. His two losses in the
Octagon – to Rich Clementi and Gleison Tibau – are
the only losses on his 11-2 resume.
UFC
95 marks Cobb's debut for the promotion following a long career
fighting for Gladiator Challenge and winning the PFC championship.
Like Etim, he has a strong submission game.
The
two will compete as part of the UFC 95 undercard. The main event
features Diego Sanchez making his debut at 155 pounds, as he
faces lightweight contender Joe Stevenson.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Petruzelli-Marshall,
Nelson-Monson on Jones Jr. card
Seth Petruzelli will take on Doug Marshall and Roy Nelson will
face off against Jeff Monson on March 21 in the MMA undercard
of the Roy Jones Jr. vs. Omar Sheika boxing/MMA card "March
Badness" in Pensacola, Florida.
Petruzelli will be fighting for the first time since stopping
Kimbo Slice last October at the final EliteXC on CBS event.
Marshall
is a former WEC light-heavyweight champion and successfully defended
his belt three times.
Nelson
last fought on the EliteXC: Heat event, losing to Andrei Arlovski.
Monson
defeated former UFC champion Ricco Rodriguez last January via
unanimous decision at a Mixed Fighting Alliance event in Miami.
Former
WWE pro wrestler Bobby Lashley will compete on the card against
an opponent to be determined.
The
card will air on pay-per-view for a price tag of $29.95.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Quote
of the Day
"I
was I was always looking outside myself for strength and confidence,
but it comes from within. It is there all the time."
Anna Freud
|
BJ
PENN WELCOME HOME RALLY
Saturday,
February 14th @ 2PM
Ala Moana Centerstage
Appearances by: BJ Penn, Kendall Grove, Shane Nelson, Troy Mandaloniz,
and Brandon Wolff
Please
join us to welcome home BJ Penn and wish the Hawaiian UFC
fighters luck in their upcoming fights.
UFC
95
London, England
2/21/09
-Troy Mandaloniz vs Paul Kelly
UFC
96
Columbus, Ohio
3/7/09
-Shane Nelson vs Aaron Riley
-Kendall Grove vs Jason Day
UFC
98
5/23/09
-Brandon Wolff vs Yoshiyuki Yoshida
Please
post on your websites, myspace pages, facebook, etc.
Thanks
and see you guys soon!
Aloha,
Rich
|
X1
World Events Temple of Boom: Fight Night III
Tomorrow
Palolo Hongwanji
February 15, 2009
Action starts at 5pm, Boxing at 7:30pm.
X1
World Events returns to Palolo Hongwanji in Honolulu, Hawaii
on February 15. The card features an exciting Pro Boxing lineup
pitting some of the best in Hawaii's MMA and Kickboxing scene
as well as former standout amateur boxers Isaac Arasato and Van
Oscar Penovaroff.
Mike
Balasi will take on heavy hitter Bronson Pieper, fans will also
be treated to a double header featuring four of Hawaiis top kickboxers
as they attempt to make their way to the top of the Hawaii Pro
Boxing Scene in the 135lb division. Peni Taufaao will take on
the veteran Ryan Lee while a highly anticipated showdown will
go down between Tyson Nam and Nui Wheeler. Walter Hao looks to
continue his winning streak here in Hawaii when he takes on State
Champion wrestler Brennan Kamaka.
Another
double header will feature Heavyweight amateur kick boxers Chris
Barnard against Otto Hoopii and new comer OJ Uiliata, who is
coming off a first round tko in his last X1 Event against Britian
Kanoa.
A
kids kickboxing match will start off the night, Ronson Vea of
Team Sit You Down will compete in an 80lb Kickboxing bout with
Nehe Palimoo of Team Up And Up. This will be the first kids match
to be held at this venue.
Come
down and support as X1 World Events continues their quest to
bring back Pro Boxing in Hawaii with it's biggest lineup to date.
Also be there as these young MMA fighters and kick boxers continue
in their quest to reach the top.
Tickets:
GENERAL $30 pre-sale, $40 at the door.
VIP $50 presale, $60 at the door
Fight
Card
Mike
Balasi (Kawano Boxing) vs Bronson Pieper (808 Fight Factory)
150lbs Pro Boxing - 4 rounds x 3 minutes
Isaac
Arasato (Palolo Boxing) vs TBA (TBA)
135lbs Pro Boxing - 4 rounds x 3 minutes
Peni
Taufaao (Team Assassin) vs Ryan Lee (Bullspen)
140lbs Pro Boxing - 4 rounds x 3 minutes
Tyson
Nam (Grappling Unlimited) vs Nui Wheeler (Maili Soljahs)
135lbs Pro Boxing - 4 rounds x 3 minutes
Van
Oscar Penovaroff (Freelance) vs Vernon Parengit (808 Fight Factory)
140lbs Pro Boxing - 4 rounds x 3 minutes
Arron
Madich (Freelance) vs Neil Sabbaghi (Freelance)
135lbs Pro Boxing - 4 rounds x 3 minutes
Walter
Hao (Universal Combat) vs. Brennan Kamaka (808 Fight Factory)
185lbs Pro MMA - 3 rounds x 3 minutes
Colin
Mackenzie (Gods Army) vs Dirty Curty (Team Submit)
Open Weight Pro MMA - 3 rounds x 3 minutes
Chris
Payne (Freelance) vs. Eddie Ohia (No Remorse)
165lbs Amateur MMA - 2 rounds x 3 minutes
Dustin
Cabe (Guahan Top Team) vs. Rex Hernandez (808 Fight Factory)
145lbs Amateur MMA - 2 rounds x 3 minutes
Jayson
Recamara (Nakoa) vs. Stephen Mandeville (Kurrupt Ambitionz)
150lbs Amateur Kickboxing - 3 rounds x 2 minutes
Chris
Barnard (Sit You Down) vs. Otto Hoopii (Stand Alone)
HW Amateur Kickboxing - 3 rounds x 2 minutes
Clem
Holloway (Gods Army) vs. Samson Kapuwai (Up And Up)
140lbs Amateur Kickboxing - 3 rounds x 2 minutes
OJ
Uiliata (Team Assassin) vs. Britain Kanoa (Kurrupt Ambitionz)
HW Amateur Kickboxing - 3 rounds x 2 minutes
Frankie
Tano (Freelance) vs. Wally Haina (Inner Strength)
150lbs Amateur MMA - 2 rounds x 3 minutes
PJ
Timas (Team Assassin) vs. Jarmar Bautista (Freelance)
210lbs Amateur Kickboxing - 3 rounds x 2 minutes
Theodore
Brown (Gods Army) vs. Jeremy Henning (Kurrupt Ambitionz)
100lbs Amateur Kickboxing - 3 rounds x 2minutes
Lawrence
Inajosa (Gods Army) vs. Zack Shepard (Universal Combat)
165lbs Triple Threat - 3 rounds x 1.5 minutes
Derek
Santos (Gods Army) vs. Jose Velez (Fight Stop)
185lbs Triple Threat - 3 rounds x 1.5 minutes
Ronson
Vea (Sit You Down) vs. Nehe Palimoo (Up And Up)
80lbs Amateur Kickboxing - 3 rounds x 1 minute
Christine Young
X-1 World Events Executive Director
Cell: 808-723-0504
Fax: 808-689-8866
Email: christine.x1events@gmail.com
Source: Event Promoter
|
Full
Choke Documentary On Kauai About Kauai!
Hi All,
Come out and see the movie documentary filmed, edited and produced
by Chris Kawae and Lono Pascua.
Every aspect of the film was done on Kauai, Come show your support!
A
truly Kauai made product!
See
you at the movies!
February
13,14 & 15
Waimea Theater, Waimea, Kauai
Showtime is: 6pm
Documentary
‘Full Choke’ explores local mixed martial arts events
Vance Pascua of Ainofea Productions with ‘Full Choke’
documentary filmmakers Lono Pascua and Chris Kauwe. The film
opens Feb. 13 at Waimea Theatre. Pam Woolway/The Garden Island
Vance Pascua of Ainofea Productions with ‘Full Choke’
documentary filmmakers Lono Pascua and Chris Kauwe. The film
opens Feb. 13 at Waimea Theatre. Pam Woolway/The Garden Island
By
Pam Woolway - The Garden Island
Next week an all Kaua‘i product will hit the market —
possibly the only product touting “Kaua‘i made”
that is indeed 100 percent unadulterated Kaua‘i blood, bones
and spirit.
Ho‘omana
Video Productions movie documentary “Full Choke” claims
local subject matter, two Kaua‘i filmmakers and music written,
performed and produced by a Kaua‘i songwriter. Not to mention
it will open in a Kaua‘i-owned and operated theatre. At
6 p.m., Feb. 13, 14 and 15, see the 52-minute documentary made
by Koloa residents and filmmakers Lono Pascua and Chris Kauwe.
Both men were born and raised on the South Shore.
Pascua
attended Hollywood Film Institute in California where he studied
screenplay writing. Kauwe taught and did video production at
public access station, Ho‘ike.
“Full
Choke” opens with an introduction to three Kapa‘a mixed
martial artists: Tsai Seamster, Shane Kahananui and Kyle Sukehira.
The film provides an overview of the 20 by 20 foot platform-ring
construction in Hanapepe and footage of each fight dubbed with
the voice of the fighter explaining the match blow for blow.
There are three, three-minute rounds.
“We
present the story of three fighters from Kaua‘i and want
to leave the interpretation up to the viewer,” said filmmaker
Lono Pascua. “We’re not trying to promote mixed martial
arts.”
Mixed
martial arts (MMA) is a style that incorporates a variety of
fighting techniques that include striking and grappling.
“They
can use at any time one of these disciplines,” Pascua said.
“Fighters started to study each other’s styles and
that’s how it evolved into MMA. It was beneficial to become
more complex in their art.”
Long
time friend and fellow filmmaker Chris Kauwe joined Pascua on
the project to do the camera work. Lono and Kauwe had worked
together on Na Kanaka Hawai‘i News.
“Chris
had no idea how many people were into cage fighting. Three thousand
people showed up for the last match in Hanapepe,” Pascua
said.
The
match filmed for “Full Choke” in March 2008 was the
seventh of its kind produced by Ainofea Productions, LLC, which
hosts an annual mixed martial arts cage match every spring. Ho’omana
Video Productions is in association with Ainofea Productions.
The
organization’s founder, Vance Pascua, is Lono Pascua’s
cousin. When stickers and T-shirts cropped up all over Kaua‘i
professing “ainokea,” (I no care) Vance Pascua wanted
to counter the apathetic attitude by creating something empowering
for Kaua‘i youth.
“He
sees how the discipline of the martial arts can be incorporated
into your lifestyle, especially for young kids,” Pascua
said.
Vance
Pascua is a black belt in kajukenbo, a form that originated in
Hawai‘i. His first cage fight productions began at Kapa‘a
High School gym five years ago, but the events quickly outgrew
the venue.
“It
was such an overwhelming response it broke the fire code and
we had to find a bigger place,” Pascua said. “Vance
came up with the idea to turn Hanapepe stadium into an arena.”
Not
long after, Ainofea Productions purchased a used ring that they
upgraded for safety.
“It
wasn’t up to specification,” he continued. “Everything
has to be padded for the safety of the fighters — with not
so much as a zip tie or wire uncovered.”
For
the matches at Hanapepe Stadium a crew of supporters help move
bleachers into a circle. Over 1000 chairs are collected from
all over the island for the floor seating around the platform-padded
ring.
“We
use more facility area then any event on the island, even Relay
for Life,” Pascua said. “After the match we sweep it,
clean and leave it better then we found it.”
Professional
referee, Kevin Yoshida comes from O‘ahu. Local doctors Dave
Rovinsky and Chris Sanchez are on hand for medical attention.
“This
is not staged but controlled in a very regulated way to be safe,”
Pascua said.
Film
commissioner Art Umezu came to the pre-screening of the film
last week.
“It’s
rare to have someone pick up on this sort of subject,” he
said. “This is truly a Kaua‘i made product — right
down to the soundtrack.”
The
soundtrack written and performed by Lono Pascua features classical,
jazz and hip-hop. The filmmakers plan to submit “Full Choke”
to the Berkley and New Orleans Film Festivals. The film shows
at 6 p.m. Feb. 13, 14 and 15. Ticket costs: adults, $7; 12 and
under, $5; 5 and under, free.
•
Pam Woolway, lifestyle writer, can be reached at 245-3681, ext.
257 or pwoolway@kauaipubco.com
Source: The Garden Island.com
|
Yoshiyuki
Yoshida vs. Brandon Wolff at UFC 98
Yoshiyuki Yoshida will take on Brandon Wolff at UFC 98 on May
23 in Las Vegas.
Both fighters are coming off brutal losses last December at the
"UFC Fight For The Troops" event in Fayetteville, North
Carolina. Yoshida was knocked unconcious on his feet then dropped
again by Josh Koscheck, while Wolff was left with a huge swell
on his head as the recipient of Ben Saunders' devastating knees
from the clinch.
Wolff
(7-3) of Hawaii is a one-time EliteXC competitor and holds a
win over 2-time UFC competitor Chad Reiner.
Yoshida
(10-3) had a nine-fight win streak before his loss to Koscheck.
In his UFC debut at UFC 84 in May 2008, Yoshida finished War
Machine "Jon Koppenhaver" with an anaconda choke.
UFC
98 will be headlined by Frank Mir fighting Brock Lesnar for the
right to be named the undisputed UFC heavyweight champion.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
CSAC
Needs KIMO Therapy
Press Release
IRVINE, California (February 9, 2009) – If combat fighting
legend KIMO Leopoldo, the face of New Era Fighting, is appointed
for the position he’s applied as Executive Officer of the
California State Athletic Commission (CSAC), his first order
of business will be to recruit a staff of fresh, clean people
without a trace of corruption associated with the previous regime.
“Somebody
or some group apparently is trying to hide the degree of corruption
in CSAC,” KIMO explained his position. ”CSAC former
director, Armando Garcia, was allegedly caught with $350,000
(in cash) in his locker, but he was allowed to resign instead
of being prosecuted. I’d allow some of the present staff
remain in their positions, provided they voluntarily subject
themselves to an FBI investigation into the entire matter, and
prove they aren’t involved with the CSAC’s corruption,
bias or improper activities. In my opinion, temporary executive
officer Dean Lohouis isn’t any different than Armando. The
CSAC needs change and I’m willing to provide therapy.”
KIMO
is publically offering to speak with California high school wrestlers
about being winners in and out of competition. “I think
it’s better to instill good habits in a young person as
opposed to trying to break bad habits when you’re older,”
KIMO said as he prepared to schedule to his campaign trail. “Since
most MMA fighters seem to be coming out of my backyard in southern
California, I want to talk to local wrestlers about the benefits
of staying drug free and how to remain positive even when times
seem too tough. I don’t want anyone to make the same mistakes
I made and, if I can save just one young person, my efforts will
be worthwhile. Anyone who wants me to visit their high school
to speak may email requests to KIMO@NewEraFighting.com.”
Source: The Fight Network
|
Florian
Denies GSP Email, Plans for Penn Bout
by Loretta Hunt
Kenny Florian knew that trash talk would be par for the course
gearing up towards a fight with UFC lightweight champion B.J.
Penn. However, he didn’t quite expect the kick-off he got
on Tuesday.
Penn,
who’s been nursing his wounds since his four-round loss
to welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre at UFC 94 on Jan.
31, expressed surprise that Florian planned to train with the
French Canadian fighter, claiming that Florian had previously
contacted Penn to warn him of St. Pierre’s proclivity to
“grease up” before fights.
Penn
dropped the bombshell statement during his first sit-down video
interview since UFC 94 on BJPenn.com.
“That
is kind of surprising to me because Kenny is actually the guy
who tipped us off that GSP was going to be greasing,” said
Penn. “He actually e-mailed me and tipped me off.”
Florian,
who once trained with the popular Hawaiian fighter in his homeland,
seemed flabbergasted by Penn’s assertion.
“I’ve
never emailed a fighter about anything like that. I don’t
even have B.J. Penn’s email,” a puzzled Florian told
Sherdog.com on Tuesday. “I’d love to see that email.
I would say print that email and show it to everybody. Where’s
this mystery email?”
Florian,
32, also dispelled any possibility that the two had exchanged
the alleged information by other means.
“I
haven’t spoken to B.J. -- besides ‘hello’ -- since
January of 2007,” he said. “I’ve never trained
with [St. Pierre] in the past. I have no motive in saying that.
Even if I knew, would I say that? I know of other fighters who
have [greased] and I don’t say anything to anybody.”
Florian
doesn't want to wait for his shot at Penn.Florian, who busted
through Joe Stevenson in four minutes at UFC 91 last November,
has gone 6-0 in the Octagon since his unanimous decision loss
to then-champion Sean Sherk at UFC 64 in October 2006.
The
Boston native is widely considered the No. 1 contender to Penn’s
lightweight throne, though the controversy surrounding greasing
allegations by St. Pierre’s corner and subsequent aspirations
for a rematch have threatened to derail a Penn-Florian showdown.
Florian
(11-3) interpreted Penn’s latest revelation as a step back
in his direction at least.
“I
was a little worried [about a St. Pierre-Penn rematch coming
first],” said Florian. “From what I heard, it did really
well with the pay-per-view and a lot of people turned up for
it. The UFC certainly could have made a lot of money doing the
third one, but I think the overwhelming response was –-
I didn’t realize how big of a fight it would be between
me and B.J. until I saw the polls and people talking on the Interweb.
People want to see me fight B.J. and it feels good to know that.”
Florian
suggested that Penn “feels threatened” by the fighter’s
intentions to train with St. Pierre, and described the Hawaiian’s
comments as “a mind game.” Florian hopes to join the
multi-talented 170-pound king in Montreal sometime in March.
Penn’s
assessment of Florian the fighter was far less controversial.
“He’s
very good,” said Penn during the hour-long interview. “He’s
very well rounded. He’s a black belt in jiu-jitsu. He’s
obviously improved his wrestling and he’s a southpaw muay
Thai fighter with great kicks. He can box, he can elbow, he can
knee. He’s a mixed martial artist. He is. I give Kenny that:
He’s a mixed martial artist, and I’ve got my work cut
out for me.”
The
UFC has not officially offered Florian a title shot against Penn
(13-5-1) yet, though the part-time ESPN correspondent anticipates
a return to the Octagon in June or July. Penn confirmed that
his reps are currently negotiating the bout with the UFC.
Known
as a cerebral competitor, Florian’s reasons for training
with St. Pierre are two-fold.
“He’s
trained everyone to fight against me. He trained both [Sam] Stout
and [Roger] Huerta to fight me,” said Florian. “and
obviously, he got a first-hand account of fighting B.J. –-
twice. He’s gone seven rounds with B.J., so that’s
some good information to get. Hopefully Georges will forget about
the email I sent B.J. Penn and share it with me.”
Source: Sherdog
|
STRIKEFORCE
UPDATE
Frank Shamrock
Faces Nick Diaz On April 11
By Steven Marrocco
Former
UFC and Strikeforce middleweight champion Frank Shamrock is fully
healed from the broken arm Cung Le gave him last March and will
return to the cage on Apr. 11 against Elite XC holdover Nick
Diaz at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif.
The
card is Strikeforce’s first since acquiring select assets,
including Diaz among 42 fighter contracts, of the fallen MMA
promotion ProElite. It will be aired on Elite XC’s former
home, Showtime, as one of ten events expected for broadcast in
2009, according to Showtime VP Ken Hershman.
Shamrock
and Diaz will meet at a catch weight of 179lbs.--a significant
step up in weight for Diaz, who last fought at 160lbs. in Elite
XC and fought much of his career at welterweight, and a significant
step down for Shamrock, who usually fights at 185lbs. and says
he hasn’t seen his weight in the 170’s since his late
teens.
Shamrock
says he learned of the bout last week and quickly found a reason
to fight the outspoken welterweight.
“I
do know him personally, and it’s rare that I do know fighters
on a social level,” he said on a media teleconference to
announce the bout. “Nick Diaz is very similar to me, he
grew up from a broken home, and had abusive parents and really
had a tough childhood. Him and I have that in common, and we’ve
spoken about it a few times. He’s also gone on his MMA quest
and traveled around all the MMA gyms, ended up with my father
for a minute. We have common ties that tie us together.”
Of
course, the shared history didn’t keep Shamrock from throwing
a few of his patented barbs at the Stockton resident.
“I
know for a fact that [Diaz] wasn’t too happy when I knocked
out his coach Cesar and he said some words afterward that got
him into this fight. But we’re going to fight and I don’t
care about Nick. He’s a nice guy and I’m going to knock
him out. Then we’ll move onto the next one.”
Shamrock
admitted that his career, while long and illustrious—though
often scattered—wasn’t about belts anymore. It was
a synergy of money and enjoyment of craft. That applied to a
possible rematch with Le, who Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker says
will make two appearances in 2009.
“A
need or desire, no,” he said when asked if he wanted a second
go-around with Le. “They’d probably pay me well very
well and it would probably be the fight of the year again. Other
than that, fighting is fighting to me. It’s a transaction
between two artists and somebody wins.”
Also
expected on the Showtime event are Benji Radach and Scott Smith,
who will do battle on the main card. Coker will offer former
Elite XC lightweight champ KJ Noons a chance to face lightweight
champion Josh Thomson, and Gilbert Melendez is under consideration
to face Jorge Gurgel or Mitsuhiro Ishida. Cristiane “Cyborg”
Santos has recently agreed to face Gina Carano, though Coker
has not inked Carano’s participation on the card. Coker
said the two may end up facing different opponents.
The
remainder of fighters participating on April 11 would likely
be revealed by the end of the week, according to Coker.
Source: Full Contact Fighter
|
DIEGO
SANCHEZ DROP TO 155 NOT PERMANENT
by Damon Martin
When the announcement was made that perennial Top 10 welterweight
Diego Sanchez was making a move to lightweight just about every
fighter at 155 pounds took immediate notice. From top contenders
on down, Sanchez is gunning for the best fighters in the world
at lightweight, but as he told MMAWeekly Radio recently, his
run at 170 isn't finished either.
Always
known for his tremendous strength and cardio conditioning, Sanchez
will not accept a loss in either of those categories for his
move to lightweight, which may not last as long as some people
may have expected.
"I
definitely am going to go back to welterweight. Maybe a year,
year and a half at this weight, we'll see," he said in the
interview. "It's all about the business and the right fights,
whatever are the best fights for the UFC. I'm here to put the
best fights on for the fans and the UFC, and be the best fighter
out there that I can be for you guys."
The
New Mexico born fighter attributes the move to lightweight as
something he felt necessary at this point in his career, but
as he ages, he believes that 170 will be his home once again.
"I'm
27 now, so I'm only in my twenties. When I come into my thirties
it's going to be a lot harder to make that weight drop, so I
said hey go for the belt at 155 and then later on in my career,
I can go for the belt at 170," commented Sanchez.
Working
in Lake Tahoe with his camp, he is confident that he will make
the 155-pound weight limit with no problem. He's already walking
around at a comfortable size ready to make the cut.
"There's
no practice run for me. Time is ticking. I started at like 190
at the beginning of the year, and I've just lived very disciplined,"
stated Sanchez. "(The) first 10 pounds came off easy, second
10 pounds not as easy, and now I'm weighing 166, so I'm about
11 pounds over, fully hydrated. That's before I work out; I'm
about 166. I get down to about 163, 162½ after the workout,
so I'm at where I need to be in my mind."
For
the time being his home is the lightweight division and despite
the weight loss, the "Ultimate Fighter" season 1 winner
is ready to tackle the world.
"I've
never felt better in my life," he said about the weight
cut.
Sanchez
will close out his camp this week before heading to London to
face Joe Stevenson in the main event of UFC 95.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Tim
Sylvia vs. Ray Mercer For AdrenalineMMA?
By Jason Perkins
Noted MMA Manager and AndrenalineMMA promoter Monte Cox has confirmed
that he's currently working on a potential match up between Tim
Sylvia and retired heavyweight boxer Ray Mercer.
If made, the fight would be billed as the main event of AdrenalineMMA's
May 30 fight card set to be held in Atlantic City, NJ.
Mercer,
46, last fought in an exhibition MMA fight against Kimbo Slice
back in 2007; losing a lopsided affair after being ground-and-pounded
out in the first round.
Tim
Sylvia seems to have fallen off the MMA radar a bit. With big
potential match-ups with top heavyweights available, it's curious
that Sylvia would even consider such a fight. It would be even
more curious if a sanctioning body allowed such a fight to occur
in the first place.
Sylvia
is a former world champion still in his physical prime, while
Mercer is an MMA rookie who is on the wrong side of 40.
Source: Fight Line
|
UFC
96 (3/7 Columbus, Ohio) card line-up
By Zach Arnold
As
it currently stands:
Dark
matches
170
pounds (Welterweights): Tamdan McCrory vs. Ryan Madigan
185 pounds (Middleweights): Kendall Grove vs. Jason Day
205 pounds (Light Heavyweights): Tim Boetsch vs. Jason Britz
205 pounds (Light Heavyweights): Brandon Vera vs. Michael Patt
155 pounds (Lightweights): Aaron Riley vs. Shane Nelson
Main card
155
pounds (Lightweights): Gray Maynard vs. Jim Miller
Heavyweights: Gabriel Gonzaga vs. Shane Carwin
170 pounds (Welterweights): Pete Sell vs. Matt Brown
205 pounds (Light Heavyweights): Matt Hamill vs. Mark Munoz
205 pounds (Light Heavyweights): Quinton Jackson vs. Keith Jardine
Source: Fight Opinion
|
California
State Athletic Commission suspends Antonio Margarito for one
year
By Zach Arnold
You’ll
notice that in this LA Times article that Dr. Christopher Giza
is quoted near the top for his admonishing of Margarito and the
wrap job on his hands. Dr. Giza was the one person the CSAC appeals
board who has been consistent in drug-related hearings for MMA,
while the rest of the appeals board ranges from entertainment
executives to individuals who don’t even close to sharing
the same opinions as the good Doctor. Keep this in mind when
you wonder why this same appeals board reduced the time of a
steroid-related suspension for James Toney.
Kevin
Iole, understandably, is upset. However, the mayor of Tijuana
is not and wouldn’t mind Margarito fighting there soon.
Dan Rafael has more details on the Margarito suspension today.
Rafael’s report includes comments from Bob Arum explicitly
stating that Margarito will be fighting in Mexico soon:
While
trying to have the ruling overturned, Arum said he would set
up a fight for Margarito in Mexico. Although other states will
respect California’s ruling, other countries won’t
necessarily adhere to it. Fighters banned in America have often
found Mexico hospitable.
The
ruling means that Margartio’s proposed June rematch with
Miguel Cotto, whom he knocked out last summer to win the title,
is off unless the ruling is reversed.
“We’ll
figure out a fight for him in Mexico,” Arum said. “It
will be on one of our pay-per-view shows this summer. I think
we’d have the opportunity to do 200,000 or 300,000 buys.”
Will
the NSAC or CSAC suspend Arum’s promoting license for doing
this? Unlikely.
Source: Fight Opinion
|
Emelianenkos
to enter Russian Combat Sambo tourney
WAMMA heavyweight champion Fedor Emelianenko and his younger
brother Aleksander will enter the 2009 Russian Combat Sambo Championship
on Saturday, Feb. 21 in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia.
Fedor is a five-time Russian Combat Sambo Champion and has taken
first place the last three years. Fedor lost his first Sambo
match in eight years last November at the World Combat Sambo
Championships and finished third.
The
brothers will both compete in the same division, the over 100-kg
weight class, which means there is a possibility they could face
each other in the finals.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Chaos
at Titans Fighting - Near Riot Ensues
Ariel Shnerer
MONTREAL
- A riot nearly ensued at the inaugural Titans Fighting card
Friday night at Mel's Studio in Montreal, Quebec. The melee was
narrowly avoided as controversy arose at the culmination of the
heavyweight main event tilt between James Thompson and Steve
Bosse.
Thompson
immediately went for a takedown and successfully dropped Bosse
on his back. But this development caused widespread confusion
in the live crowd.
Up
until the weigh-ins held one day prior to the Feb. 6 card, modified
kickboxing rules were in effect with no ground and pound permitted.
The rules were changed to regular mixed martial arts rules, but
the fighters had reportedly agreed to keep the action standing
to respect one another's preparation heading into the event.
Despite
all the changes made to the card, fans were not informed, which
caused mass confusion once the action spilled to the ground.
Every
fight of the night remained standing with no attempt at ground
and pound until the Thompson vs. Bosse featured bout.
That's
when all hell broke loose.
Referee
Yves Lavigne circled the two fighters on the ground and fans
responded with heavy boos in support of hometown hero Bosse.
Fans were under the assumption that the fight needed to be stood
up.
Moments
later, a plethora of cans and bottles came flying into the ring
with the action being stopped immediately. One fan even threw
his steel chair into the ring, which nearly hit both Lavigne
and Thompson.
Bosse
was irate at the development and attempted to throw a can at
Thompson, but he missed. Both fighters were then separately escorted
backstage.
The
capacity crowd of approximately 1,200 expected the fight to be
restarted several minutes later. But to their dismay, it was
declared a no contest.
Additional
police were called to the venue to ensure the fuming MMA fans
would not continue to protest the decision outside.
To
protect fighter safety amidst all the disappointed fans, all
media was escorted from the building and post-fight reactions
from Bosse, Thompson, Lavigne and promoter Stephane Patry were
unattainable.
Initially
called Strikebox, the promotion's name was changed two days prior
to the event due to trademark issues, possibly related to its
similarity to California's Strikeforce promotion.
Source: The Fight Network
|
James
Thompson Responds to Near Riot at Titans Fighting
Ariel Shnerer
MONTREAL,
Quebec - Misinformation about the rules for Stephane Patry's
first Titans Fighting show Friday night at Mel's Studio in Montreal,
Quebec nearly caused a riot.
According
to headliner James Thompson, who was the victim of a barrage
of cans and bottles thrown by Montreal fans, there was uncertainty
not only among fans but fighters as well.
Thompson
alleges that Patry could not get sanctioning for his original
concept of "Strikebox," which would have restricted
any ground grappling or ground striking. As such, the name of
the event was changed to Titans Fighting and the commission would
only sanction the fight card under regular mixed martial arts
rules. The company sent out a press release stating the name
was changed due to a copyright issue, which could be linked to
its similarity to California's Strikeforce promotion.
But
Patry was adamant on keeping his vision of Strikeboxing alive
and he reportedly spoke to the various competitors on the card
to encourage them to keep the fights standing. Since the bouts
were technically under MMA rules, referees did not have the authority
to stand fighters up when the action spilled to the ground. This
led to a gentleman's agreement, or honor code, among many of
the undercard fighters on the rules for their respective match-ups.
"Patry
was trying to be sneaky," said Thompson, whose main event
against former hockey enforcer Steve Bosse was ruled a no contest.
"There was no clarity on the rules."
Many
of the fighters on the card had reportedly agreed on keeping
the fights standing. But no such agreement was in place for the
Thompson vs. Bosse showdown.
"If
there was a gentleman's agreement made or something of that nature,
it would be a different story," said Thompson.
According
to the EliteXC and PRIDE Fighting Championships veteran, he was
approached by referee Yves Lavigne shortly before stepping out
for the main event. Lavigne instructed him that he would officiate
the bout under regular MMA rules. The same instructions must
have been given to Bosse as well.
Based
on his pre-fight directions, Thompson charged Bosse at the sound
of the opening bell. The BTT Canada product tried to secure a
guillotine choke, but Thompson successfully completed the takedown
and landed on top of the popular French-Canadian superstar. Lavigne
was doing his job and he let the fight continue on the ground,
but fans were bewildered and under the assumption Lavigne was
dropping the ball on his officiating of the fight.
In
came the flying debris.
"Once
[Bosse] went for a guillotine, that's when I did what I needed
to do to win the fight," said Thompson. "I can't second
guess myself and wait to see how my opponent reacts. I just followed
the rules as they were told to me."
Thompson
is also quick to point out that Bosse is managed by Patry, who
promoted the event.
"I
was not about to let another Kimbo situation happen where the
promoter is siding with my opponent," said Colossus.
The
bout was ruled a no contest when cans, bottles and a fan's steel
chair came flying over the cage into the ring. After throwing
a can at Thompson, which missed, Bosse was escorted backstage.
Moments later, Thompson followed suit.
"I
don't know why they took him back there first," said Thompson.
"I am the one these fans wanted to kill."
Approximately
1,200 furious spectators were on the verge of lashing out at
Thompson and Lavigne before being kicked out of the venue. Additional
police were called to stabilize the situation.
After
the majority of fans had cleared the venue, the bout was declared
a "technical draw" by the ring announcer.
To
protect fighter safety amidst all the disappointed fans, all
media was escorted from the building and post-fight reactions
from Bosse, Thompson, Lavigne and Patry were not immediately
attainable.
Patry,
the event's promoter and former President of the Quebec-based
TKO organization, could not be reached for comment.
Despite
barely getting out of Montreal alive, Thompson holds no grudge
against French-Canadian fans.
"I
feel bad for the fans," he said. "it's not their fault
they were not informed. I don't blame them. They came to see
a show."
Source: The Fight Network
|
Shamrock
Sees New Prototype in GSP
by Danny Acosta
Frank Shamrock knows a little something about legacy.
In
wake of Georges St. Pierre’s clear-cut, albeit controversial,
victory over B.J. Penn at UFC 94 last month, Shamrock believes
the sport of mixed martial arts has found its next superstar.
St. Pierre, who was later accused of “greasing,” smashed
Penn over the course of their four-round affair at the MGM Grand
Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
“I
think he’s your guy,” Shamrock said. “I wish he
spoke better English; he’d certainly cross over easier.
He’s your closest guy.”
Heralded
as MMA’s first complete fighter, Shamrock was undefeated
in five UFC appearances. He sees something special in St. Pierre,
a dynamic 27-year-old entrenched near the top of every reputable
pound-for-pound list.
“I
enjoy watching him because he’s technically sound in the
important areas, and he’s very efficient with his movements.
He creates lots of energy; he uses constant motion and energy
in his attacks,” Shamrock said. “He keeps the rest
of it really simple -- basics that are highly effective. Every
time he fights you can see he’s learned something.”
Placed
second in Sherdog.com’s pound-for-pound rankings, the French-Canadian
has won nine out of his last 10 bouts and five in a row. Shamrock,
the former Strikeforce middleweight champion, believes straight-forward
technique in synergy elevates St. Pierre.
“It’s
refining the basics and then joining them together,” he
said. “We have great wrestlers, we have great strikers,
we have great jiu-jitsu guys; there are very few guys who have
connected all the parts. I was one of the early guys. He’s
one of the new guys, but all of his stuff connects. The shots
go into the takedowns go into the block go into the hold.”
Shamrock’s
main concern with the Vaseline controversy surrounding the 170-pound
king revolves around the efficiency of the athletic commissions
and overseers of the sport. In addition, St. Pierre’s image
may take a significant hit. Whatever the outcome, Shamrock knows
St. Pierre’s talents will continue to propel him in the
sport.
Shamrock
sizes up the Penn-St. Pierre rematch and another potential mega
fight between St. Pierre and middleweight killer Anderson Silva
-- a man he refers to as “a freakin’ bad ass”
-- in much the same way.
“We’ve
definitely reached that point, where a punch plus 10 more pounds
is a little too much,” Shamrock said.
Still,
the former King of Pancrase insists he will fork over the “85
dollars or whatever it costs now” to watch St. Pierre and
Silva collide. Another mega fight piques his interest, too, “but
I don’t know if [St. Pierre] and I will end up together.
I have the utmost respect for him. I think he’s a great
martial artist.”
Long
known for his studious approach to the game, Shamrock cross trained
before it was in vogue. In examining St. Pierre, the MMA pioneer
sees a similar kind of fighter.
“He’s
probably better looking than me,” Shamrock said. “I
would say, technically, if I was looking at the merits of his
technical skill, I think he’s the guy [closest] to having
it -- one game. I don’t know if that’s closest to me
or nearest me, but he’s the closest to putting it all together.”
Shamrock
appreciates not only St. Pierre’s in-cage approach but his
humble persona outside of the ring. Improving English stands
as perhaps the only obstacle to St. Pierre achieving true crossover
stardom.
“The
next level for us is for talent to be able to represent themselves
at the level of fame and notoriety we are now achieving,”
Shamrock said.
Shamrock
believes the key to cultivating new, multi-dimensional talents
like St. Pierre lies in community programs. Improved feeder systems
are a must, according to the former UFC champion. Having fighters
ascend through amateur ranks will ensure they are not rushed
to the big stage, said Shamrock, who sees that step as paramount
in the future of the sport.
“We
developed the television, we developed the pay-per-view, we developed
the spectacle,” said Shamrock, adding that the sporting
aspect of MMA came after the fact.
Shamrock
wants to continue to shape the sport -- he now has three gyms
in the San Jose area -- as an entertainer, commentator and fighter.
Next up is a bout against Nick Diaz to headline Strikeforce’s
April 11 event on Showtime. Rematches with reigning Strikeforce
middleweight champion Cung Le and Tito Ortiz remain possibilities
down the line, and his brother, Ken, is a target as well.
“I’m
gonna smash everybody,” said Shamrock, never one to lack
confidence. “I’m tired of entertaining for the sake
of entertainment. Now I’m just gonna destroy everybody,
and people can just be entertained by that. I’ve decided
my limbs are too valuable to be breaking for the entertainment
of fans. I’m gonna break other people’s limbs.”
Source: Sherdog
|
Wagnney
vs. Frédson Paixão set to WEC 40
By Guilherme Cruz
After
revealing to TATAME.com that he could face Urijah Faber at WEC
40, Wagnney Fabiano confirmed the rumors about his next fight.
At April 5th, the Nova União athlete will face Frédson
Paixão, two times BJJ world champion. “José
Aldo was supposed to fight with him in the past, but he (Frédson)
has some visa problems”, said Wagnney, predicting how the
fight would happen. “We won’t fight Jiu-Jitsu. I’m
sure he’ll try to take this fight to the ground, but I don’t
know what will be his strategy. I’m training a lot here
and will be 100%, that’s everything I wanna know. If I’m
100%, I know I can do a great fight against him or anyone in
this category around the world”, guarantees, Fabiano.
Source: Tatame
|
MMA
regulation pending & comebacks
By Zach Arnold
The
Canadian Press reports that Ken Hayashi’s favorite crutch
to keep MMA out of Ontario province, the Criminal Code, looks
to be fading away and that UFC wants to move into the area shortly
to promote a big event. (Air Canada Centre?)
A
bill to lift the ban for MMA in South Carolina may be passed
shortly.
T.
Jay Thompson is back in action as an MMA promoter, under the
new Kingdom MMA banner. The first show takes place on 3/28 or
3/29 at the Blaisdell Center Arena with Kala Kolohe Hose vs.
Jason “Mayhem” Miller as the headliner.
The
Olympian reports that Jeff Monson will be allowed to travel to
Russia for an MMA fight. Monson’s attorney in court says
that Sengoku canceled his March booking in Japan, which would
have been a ’substantial payday.’ An interesting twist
- Monson’s younger brother works as a police officer in
Kirkland (by Seattle).
Source: Fight Opinion
|
Braulio
Carcara on European triumph
‘They thought I was done’
Gabriel Menezes
Braulio
Estima just couldn’t keep out of his gi over his January
vacation, even after an extensive string of tournaments he competed
in victoriously. In 2008 he saw double success, twice: two golds
at the No-Gi Pan-American and two more at Capital Challenge in
Jordan.
While
resting in Recife, his city of birth, Carcara, who has made England
his home over the last six years, thought he would be kicking
back, relishing the beach with his family, having barbecues and
that’s it. But once he realized what was going on, he was
training daily in the hot Northeastern Brazil climate, under
the guidance of Ze Radiola, who encouraged him to compete at
the European Jiu-Jitsu Championship. That was all the incentive
he needed. Braulio put his name in on the last day of sign-ups
and the result was two more gold medals.
In
the following interview, the Brazilian talks of what it was like
to participate in the tournament and how Alexandre Souza managed
to escape from a surprising and deep triangle. “Man, everybody
asked me how Alexandre got out of that triangle, with was way
in there. Dude, at the time nothing else went through my head
except to get the job done.”
You
were the highlight of the No-Gi Pan in New York (weight and absolute),
after another double at Capital Challenge in Jordan, then came
the European and you once again took the absolute and your weight.
What’s in the water Carcara’s been drinking?
Truth
is, I consider these results to be part of a trajectory I’ve
been going through to get back to a high competitive level. I
was on ice for a year, but before hurting myself I’d won
the 2006 World Cup in the absolute division. At the 2007 European
I won at weight and the absolute, and I had the best fight of
ADCC 2007, against Xande in the final (under 99kg), weighing
only 88kg. After one year, a lot of folks thought I was done.
Even after having made it to the final at the Worlds, four months
after being operated on, against Andre Galvao, in 2008, that
was not the same Carcara. But I focused on recovery and competition
rhythm, and that was the result. I’m back in the same condition
and at the same level I was before being injured. The hunger
to fight like before and the determination for that to happen,
as well as much support, were the main reasons for my getting
back to winning.
How
do you feel about your series of wins, and what are you doing
to not let that go to your head?
I
feel really great, happy, on a roll and confident in the work
I’ve been doing to prepare myself. I’ve always been
a focused guy and with my feet planted on the ground. I hate
falseness and arrogance. One of the main virtues I defend as
a philosophy of life is that I feel a true champion needs to
be humble. There’s no danger of these wins changing me,
if just because competition is a day. You never know how the
next championship will go, even if there’s only a week between
one and the next. The thing is to train hard to always be prepared
on the day of the competition.
In
a recent interview with GRACIEMAG.com you said at Capital Challenge
you were in peak form. How did you feel at the European?
After
Jordan I spend Christmas at home (Birmingham, England) and then
went to Recife for New Year’s. I was on vacation and wanted
to enjoy my family, the beach, barbecues and what not. Bit I
was always training for at least an hour from Monday to Friday
at the gym. My instructor Ze Radiola told me: “dude, you’re
in good shape. Go for it, you can’t lose.” So I took
his advice and signed up on the last day. I think the laid back
training in Recife’s heat, at that time of the year, opened
my lungs up. And the desire to fight to get back into rhythm,
without that pressure of having to win, made my Jiu-Jitsu flow.
I don’t need to prove anything to anyone. I want to get
out there, enjoy and make use more of the adrenaline than strategy.
That’s priceless.
How
did you fights at the European go? Does any one in particular
stand out?
My
fights were all really good in accordance with each opponent
I faced. My fight with Yan Cabral was interesting, he has an
excellent guard and I managed to pass and get his arm. Tiago
Monstro has a monster base, as his name suggests. I managed to
sweep him and get his arm. Telles has an odd ‘weird-jitsu’
game (laughs) and defends his back like it’s nobody’s
business, and I managed to sweep, pass, mount and take his back.
With Alexandre Sousa the fight was much more locked up, and I
won on advantage points in the first final and later by points
in the absolute final. A curious situation was what happened
in the absolute final. Everyone asked me how Alexandre got out
of that triangle, which was sunk in deep. Man, at the time nothing
but ‘getting the job done’ went through my head, but
all of a sudden he freed himself. The thing was I had a massage
between the semifinals and finals, so my legs were really oily,
and it didn’t occur to me that could affect me, since I
was more concerned with my feet in terms of closing the guard,
so I put a bandage where it was bugging me. So, everything was
fine, but my calves were slippery as soap, and in sinking the
triangle my pant leg crept up to my knee and so he ended up slipping
out. That had never happened to me before, it was deep in there!
I’m never going to have a massage between or before fights
again.
And
what about the other fights at the European, was there any athlete
who surprised you with his style?
Michael
Langhi to me stood out a lot. He’s a cool, humble guy with
an unpassable guard. It’s unbelievable how he doesn’t
get bothered by his adversaries’ pressure. He has a lot
of control. The best fight of his was against Alexandre Sousa
in the other semifinal.
What’s
your forecast for 2009?
I
want to win everything this year. I’m confident, more dedicated
and experienced. I learned a lot over the year I was on ice and
I’m putting to practice what I learn every day in training.
It’s impressive how much we have to improve and as I’m
a critical and detail-oriented guy, that make’s matters
even worse. My main focus is to refine my Jiu-Jitsu. I’m
still doing my first ‘post-grad course’.
Do
you have any specific goal?
My
goal for this year in the sport is to learn more and strengthen
my game by adding new things. Each year I modify my way of fighting
a bit. At this European I fought really differently. I’ve
won everything there is to win, except for the absolute at the
Brazilian Championship. I’m going to go after that one too.
Abu Dhabi for sure is the goal of the year, but I think it will
be tough, for sure, things will be different when the baby gets
here (laughs). We’ll see how much sleep I’ll lose with
that (laughs).
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
MANHOEF
BOOKED;
MANAGER OPEN TO STRIKEFORCE
by Tom Hamlin
Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker on Sunday told MMAWeekly.com he was
eyeing Dutch terror Melvin Manhoef for a spot on one of the 10
Showtime cards expected for the San Jose-based organization in
2009.
Heavy-handed
former EliteXC middleweight champion Robbie Lawler was a front-runner
as an opponent, and manager Monte Cox said on Tuesday that there
had been “discussions” about a possible bout in April
and May, Strikeforce’s first shows planned for the premium
cable network.
“I
mean, wouldn’t that be a great fight?” Coker said from
Los Angeles.
However,
Simon Rutz, Manhoef’s manager, said his client's schedule
ruled out an appearance on the spring/summer cards. Manhoef’s
next commitment was a possible appearance in a K-1 fight against
Gohkan Saki on March 28 in Japan, followed by a Showtime-broadcast
fight at the Amsterdam Arena against Stephan Leko on May 16.
Rutz
was open to an offer from Strikeforce, but the numbers would
have to be right.
“Melvin
is one and a half years into three-year contract (with K-1),”
said Rutz. “But I have some escape clauses in the contract.
Maybe I could do something. But one thing is for sure: he earns
a lot of money in Japan, and the problem in the United States,
is that you must pay a lot of tax there.”
Rutz
said Manhoef’s purse for K-1 Dynamite! USA, while reported
to the California State Athletic Commission at $50,000, was a
higher sum paid through Japanese investors behind the show.
If
Strikeforce could do that same, he said they would have his attention.
Rutz
said he didn’t know who Lawler was – “I’m
not so into MMA from the United States,” he laughed –
but that would make no difference should they meet.
The
first order of business was getting confirmation from K-1 on
the March fight, a difficult task in itself for the notorious
late-notice promotion.
“I
can speak with (Strikeforce) about that, but first, I must know
what their offer is for Melvin,” said Rutz.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Quote
of the Day
"You
may be disappointed if you fail, but you are doomed if you don't
try."
Beverly Sills
|
MMA:
Waianae's Hose to face Mayhem Miller next month
Advertiser Staff
Wai'anae's
Kala Kolohe Hose will face Jason "Mayhem" Miller in
the main event of the inaugural show for the Kingdom MMA organization
next month.
The
mixed martial arts card will take place either March 28 or 29
at the Blaisdell Center Arena.
The
specific date has yet to be determined, but tickets will go on
sale starting Feb. 21 at the Blaisdell box office, ticketmaster.com
and all Ticketmaster locations.
Prices
will range from $15 to $150.
Hose,
who has a professional record of 7-2, was the last middleweight
champion of the Icon Sport organization. Miller, who is 21-6,
is a former Icon Sport middleweight champion.
Kingdom
MMA is the creation of former SuperBrawl and Icon Sport president
T. Jay Thompson.
Icon
Sport has not run a show since last August because its parent
company, ProElite, ran into financial problems.
Source: Honolulu Advertiser
|
FROM
THE ASHES OF ICON RISES KINGDOM MMA
by Tom Hamlin
T.Jay
Thompson watched the implosion of ProElite from his office in
Honolulu’s Hawaii Kai neighborhood.
After
the troubled company purchased his ICON Sport MMA promotion –
his livelihood for 12 years – in late 2007, he says he was
given a handsome paycheck for doing nothing. He made suggestions
during phone strategy sessions, but no one listened.
Instead,
he played confidant for the next year, listening to executives’
growing concern that the company would fold. When it did in November
of last year, a mailbox empty of checks was the only change from
before.
Out
of work for a year and a half, Thompson lost his passion for
the sport. But with the impasse around ProElite broken last week,
he realized the time was right for a return. He didn’t have
much of a choice, anyways.
“I’ve
got to work for a living too,” he told MMAWeekly.com. “I’m
out of work. We’ve got to make the business model work.”
Thompson
is starting a new MMA promotion, Kingdom MMA, which will make
its debut on the final weekend of March, depending on the schedule
of Hawaii’s ground zero for MMA, Blaisdell Arena.
Kala
Kolohe Hose, ICON’s middleweight champion from the ProElite
days, will take on former middleweight champ Jason Miller in
its main event. Thompson says the main event fighters represent
the legacy of ICON (and before that SuperBrawl).
“I
believe that legacy needs to continue,” he said.
For
now, the promotion is a one-man show. Thompson’s sole employee
moved to New York last year. He says he’s still dealing
with legal issues from ProElite’s days, and sounds doubtful
that he’ll be able to use the ICON name again. But he’s
back in the game.
“In
the last week, I’ve started getting excited and feeling
alive,” he said. “It dawned on me today, I haven’t
been in business for myself for a year and a half. So even when
I was working, it didn’t have that same feel that I used
to have. “
During
the conference call for UFC 94, Hawaii’s prodigy, B.J. Penn,
believed his supporters would be outnumbered by Georges St. Pierre’s
due to the Aloha State’s depressed economy. As a sign of
the times, tickets for Kingdom top out at $150 from a starting
price of $15.
“We’re
priced for the recession,” Thompson says.
The
hope – encouraged in small part by recent successes of the
UFC and Affliction – is that Hawaii’s love for MMA
hasn’t suffered the same fate.
“What
I’m betting on is that the people that are struggling, much
like I am, are in need of some escape,” said Thompson. “That
they’re in need of some quality entertainment.”
Thompson
also says Kingdom will likely be offering Strikeforce contracts
to winning fighters, part of an as-yet-undefined position with
the San Jose-based promotion. Thompson, a longtime friend of
CEO Scott Coker, couldn’t be happier about the change in
Showtime’s promotional partner.
“It’s
a breath of fresh air to know that Scott is going to be running
the shows,” he said.
And
in March, the longtime promoter will find out if he’s still
excited about starting from scratch.
“You
may want to ask me that the night of the event and see if I say
the same thing, but right now I’m really looking forward
to building it from the bottom up."
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Full
Choke Documentary On Kauai About Kauai!
Hi All,
Come out and see the movie documentary filmed, edited and produced
by Chris Kawae and Lono Pascua.
Every aspect of the film was done on Kauai, Come show your support!
A
truly Kauai made product!
See
you at the movies!
February
13,14 & 15
Waimea Theater, Waimea, Kauai
Showtime is: 6pm
Documentary
‘Full Choke’ explores local mixed martial arts events
Vance Pascua of Ainofea Productions with ‘Full Choke’
documentary filmmakers Lono Pascua and Chris Kauwe. The film
opens Feb. 13 at Waimea Theatre. Pam Woolway/The Garden Island
Vance Pascua of Ainofea Productions with ‘Full Choke’
documentary filmmakers Lono Pascua and Chris Kauwe. The film
opens Feb. 13 at Waimea Theatre. Pam Woolway/The Garden Island
By
Pam Woolway - The Garden Island
Next week an all Kaua‘i product will hit the market —
possibly the only product touting “Kaua‘i made”
that is indeed 100 percent unadulterated Kaua‘i blood, bones
and spirit.
Ho‘omana
Video Productions movie documentary “Full Choke” claims
local subject matter, two Kaua‘i filmmakers and music written,
performed and produced by a Kaua‘i songwriter. Not to mention
it will open in a Kaua‘i-owned and operated theatre. At
6 p.m., Feb. 13, 14 and 15, see the 52-minute documentary made
by Koloa residents and filmmakers Lono Pascua and Chris Kauwe.
Both men were born and raised on the South Shore.
Pascua
attended Hollywood Film Institute in California where he studied
screenplay writing. Kauwe taught and did video production at
public access station, Ho‘ike.
“Full
Choke” opens with an introduction to three Kapa‘a mixed
martial artists: Tsai Seamster, Shane Kahananui and Kyle Sukehira.
The film provides an overview of the 20 by 20 foot platform-ring
construction in Hanapepe and footage of each fight dubbed with
the voice of the fighter explaining the match blow for blow.
There are three, three-minute rounds.
“We
present the story of three fighters from Kaua‘i and want
to leave the interpretation up to the viewer,” said filmmaker
Lono Pascua. “We’re not trying to promote mixed martial
arts.”
Mixed
martial arts (MMA) is a style that incorporates a variety of
fighting techniques that include striking and grappling.
“They
can use at any time one of these disciplines,” Pascua said.
“Fighters started to study each other’s styles and
that’s how it evolved into MMA. It was beneficial to become
more complex in their art.”
Long
time friend and fellow filmmaker Chris Kauwe joined Pascua on
the project to do the camera work. Lono and Kauwe had worked
together on Na Kanaka Hawai‘i News.
“Chris
had no idea how many people were into cage fighting. Three thousand
people showed up for the last match in Hanapepe,” Pascua
said.
The
match filmed for “Full Choke” in March 2008 was the
seventh of its kind produced by Ainofea Productions, LLC, which
hosts an annual mixed martial arts cage match every spring. Ho’omana
Video Productions is in association with Ainofea Productions.
The
organization’s founder, Vance Pascua, is Lono Pascua’s
cousin. When stickers and T-shirts cropped up all over Kaua‘i
professing “ainokea,” (I no care) Vance Pascua wanted
to counter the apathetic attitude by creating something empowering
for Kaua‘i youth.
“He
sees how the discipline of the martial arts can be incorporated
into your lifestyle, especially for young kids,” Pascua
said.
Vance
Pascua is a black belt in kajukenbo, a form that originated in
Hawai‘i. His first cage fight productions began at Kapa‘a
High School gym five years ago, but the events quickly outgrew
the venue.
“It
was such an overwhelming response it broke the fire code and
we had to find a bigger place,” Pascua said. “Vance
came up with the idea to turn Hanapepe stadium into an arena.”
Not
long after, Ainofea Productions purchased a used ring that they
upgraded for safety.
“It
wasn’t up to specification,” he continued. “Everything
has to be padded for the safety of the fighters — with not
so much as a zip tie or wire uncovered.”
For
the matches at Hanapepe Stadium a crew of supporters help move
bleachers into a circle. Over 1000 chairs are collected from
all over the island for the floor seating around the platform-padded
ring.
“We
use more facility area then any event on the island, even Relay
for Life,” Pascua said. “After the match we sweep it,
clean and leave it better then we found it.”
Professional
referee, Kevin Yoshida comes from O‘ahu. Local doctors Dave
Rovinsky and Chris Sanchez are on hand for medical attention.
“This
is not staged but controlled in a very regulated way to be safe,”
Pascua said.
Film
commissioner Art Umezu came to the pre-screening of the film
last week.
“It’s
rare to have someone pick up on this sort of subject,” he
said. “This is truly a Kaua‘i made product — right
down to the soundtrack.”
The
soundtrack written and performed by Lono Pascua features classical,
jazz and hip-hop. The filmmakers plan to submit “Full Choke”
to the Berkley and New Orleans Film Festivals. The film shows
at 6 p.m. Feb. 13, 14 and 15. Ticket costs: adults, $7; 12 and
under, $5; 5 and under, free.
•
Pam Woolway, lifestyle writer, can be reached at 245-3681, ext.
257 or pwoolway@kauaipubco.com
Source: The Garden Island.com
|
BJ
PENN WELCOME HOME RALLY TOMORROW
Saturday, February 14th @ 2PM
Ala Moana Centerstage
Appearances by: BJ Penn, Kendall Grove, Shane Nelson, Troy Mandaloniz,
and Brandon Wolff
Please
join us to welcome home BJ Penn and wish the Hawaiian UFC
fighters luck in their upcoming fights.
UFC
95
London, England
2/21/09
-Troy Mandaloniz vs Paul Kelly
UFC
96
Columbus, Ohio
3/7/09
-Shane Nelson vs Aaron Riley
-Kendall Grove vs Jason Day
UFC
98
5/23/09
-Brandon Wolff vs Yoshiyuki Yoshida
Please
post on your websites, myspace pages, facebook, etc.
Thanks
and see you guys soon!
Aloha,
Rich
|
Helio
Gracie’s last tribute at TATAME
On January 29th, fans of martial arts around the world woke up
with the sad news of the death of Helio Gracie, at age of 95.
With all the magazine of February ready and on the way to the
graphics, we changed plans and prepared a whole new edition,
in order to provide a last tribute to the great master, the creator
of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, along with his brother Carlos, and the
responsible for a revolution at the martial arts around the planet.
In
February’s edition of the TATAME Magazine (#156), we remembered
Helio’s last moments, in Itaipava, Rio de Janeiro, and we
tell the story of the greatest icon in the history of the sport.
We’ve added spectacular photos of his main fights in the
MMA and Jiu-Jitsu. We got together some of the best - and controversial
- phrases said by the Master in his 95 years of life. We added,
also, an exclusive and never published interview with the red-belt,
talking about his start in Jiu-Jitsu, family and the battles
fought in the rings and matts.
Along
with the historical edition, our reporter Eduardo Ferreira analyzed
the growth of the Jiu-Jitsu around the world. An amateur sport,
the Jiu-Jitsu gets new airs with the creation of championships
as Capital Challenge and Asian Super Cup, born with the goal
of professionalizing the Jiu-Jitsu with large cash prizes and
make the sport grow even more worldwide.
Talking
about Jiu-Jitsu, we’ve visit Kyra Gracie’s house to
an unforgettable interview with the fighter that dominated the
competitions and became the greatest women athlete in Jiu-Jitsu
of all times. In an exclusive interview, the three times world
champion spoke about her beginning in the fights, the difficulty
of being a Gracie, her idols, the plans for the MMA, the best
and worst moments of her life and Ryan Gracie’s death. In
an overdose of Jiu-Jitsu, we bring an exclusive chat with Bráulio
Estima, who just won the European Jiu-Jitsu, in Portugal, speaking
about his beginning on Jiu-Jitsu, the trainings with Roger Gracie
and the plans for 2009, that involves Jiu-Jitsu, MMA and ADCC.
One
of the men of more difficult access of MMA, Lorenzo Fertitta
is the man - and bank account - behind Dana White in the control
of the UFC, the biggest MMA event in the world. The American
billionaire received Paula Sack, reporter of the channel Premiere
Combate, for a revealing interview, where he spoke about the
fight’s market, the growth of the sport around the world,
the plans for the UFC in Brazil and the inevitable question:
why Fedor Emelianenko isn’t competing in the UFC octagon?
Source: Tatame
|
UFC
95 (2/21 London) card line-up
By Zach
Arnold
As
it currently stands:
Dark
matches
155
pounds (Lightweights): Terry Etim vs. Justin Buchholz
Heavyweights; Junior Dos Santos vs. Stefan Struve
Heavyweights: Mike Ciesnolevicz vs. Neil Grove
155 pounds (Lightweights): Per Eklund vs. Evan Dunham
170 pounds (Welterweights): Paul Kelly vs. Troy Mandaloniz
Main card
170
pounds (Welterweights): Josh Koscheck vs. Paulo Thiago
185 pounds (Middleweights): Demian Maia vs. Chael Sonnen
185 pounds (Middleweights): Nathan Marquardt vs. Wilson Gouveia
170 pounds (Welterweights): Dan Hardy vs. Rory Markham
155 pounds (Lightweights): Joe Stevenson vs. Diego Sanchez
The event will air on Spike TV in America.
Source: Fight Opinion
|
FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
FRANK SHAMROCK
vs. NICK DIAZ
HEADLINES LANDMARK STRIKEFORCE EVENT
Saturday, April 11, From HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif.
Live
on SHOWTIME® at 10 p.m. ET/PT
NEW
YORK (Feb. 11, 2009)—Three-time world champion and mixed
martial arts legend, Frank Shamrock (24-9-1), will make his dramatic
return to the cage when he squares off with fellow knockout artist
Nick Diaz (18-7, 1 NC) in the main event of Strikeforce’s
first MMA event of the year at San Jose, California’s HP
Pavilion on Saturday, April 11.
The
event represents the dawn of a new age for Strikeforce as it
will be the first event under its new television agreement with
premium television network SHOWTIME. The live telecast will feature
up to five fights including the Shamrock-Diaz main event beginning
live at 10 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast).
The
matchup, which will be contested at a catch weight of 179 lbs,
is an opportunity for the hard-punching Diaz to avenge a devastating,
21-second knockout that his trainer, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu master
Cesar Gracie, suffered at the hands of Shamrock in the main event
of Strikeforce’s historic MMA debut event at HP Pavilion
on March 10, 2006.
Also
on the fight card, middleweight (185-pound limit) sluggers Scott
“Hands of Steel” Smith (16-5, 1 NC) and Benji “Razor”
Radach (19-4) will battle each other in a featured contest.
Tickets
for “Shamrock vs. Diaz,” priced from $30, go on sale
to the general public on Monday, February 23, at 10 a.m. PT at
the HP Pavilion box office (408-287-7070) as well as at all Ticketmaster
locations (408-998-TIXS), Ticketmaster online (www.ticketmaster.com),
and Strikeforce’s official website (www.strikeforce.com).
“I’d
be pretty pissed off if someone smashed my coach,” said
the 36-year-old Shamrock, who is regarded by many as the father
of modern day MMA. “Diaz is going to be carrying the pride
of his school with him, but a fight’s a fight. Someone’s
getting smashed and it’s just not going to be me.”
A
San Jose, Calif. resident, Shamrock earned his lofty stature
by bringing to the sport a polished, hybrid fighting style combining
western boxing, kickboxing and submission wrestling in the mid-90’s
when most MMA competitors’ skills were heavily concentrated
in a single fight discipline. He was crowned the first UFC middleweight
champion in history after stopping “The Huntington Beach
Badboy” Tito Ortiz with an onslaught of strikes in what
is regarded as one of the greatest MMA battles of all-time.
“I’m
done breaking myself for entertainment,” Shamrock continued.
“I’m just going to break everybody else and they’ll
be entertained by that.”
Diaz,
a stone-faced 25-year-old Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt from
Stockton, Calif., responded, “Frank and I have always lived
in a 100 mile radius of each other. When I got into this (sport),
the people around here were all about Frank Shamrock, so I turned
around and walked the other way.”
“I’ve
crossed paths and trained with people who have also trained with
Frank,” continued Diaz. “I know what they do, how they
fight, and the way they act, so it’s great for me to get
this fight while I’m still young. There’s a lot of
things I can talk about, but I’m going to represent Gracie
Jiu-Jitsu and I’m down for whatever’s going to happen
in this fight.”
Diaz
is long known as one of MMA’s most rebellious characters
with a short fuse and crowd-pleasing style. He exploded onto
the national MMA scene when he stunned fellow rising star “Ruthless”
Robbie Lawler with a right hook to the jaw that put Lawler flat
on the canvas at UFC 47 on April 2, 2004.
When
he steps in the cage with Shamrock, Diaz will look to notch his
fourth consecutive victory after turning in a flawless 2008 in
which he stopped all three of his opponents, including his last
adversary, Thomas “The Wildman” Denny.
”I
just got a bigger picture of what’s going on in my life
and in the world,” said Diaz of his recent success. “I
think I just needed to grow up a bit. I did that and things are
coming to me much easier now.”
Shamrock’s
start will be his first since March 29, 2008, when he sustained
a broken right arm while attempting to defend the Strikeforce
world middleweight championship against longtime Bay Area rival
and undefeated kickboxing champion Cung Le.
A
Le round kick to the body caused the injury and prevented Shamrock
from coming out to fight for the fourth round of a championship
bout scheduled for five rounds.
“It
healed up like it never happened,” said Shamrock of his
arm that underwent surgery.
Prior
to the title defense, Shamrock was crowned the first Strikeforce
middleweight MMA champion in history after choking “The
New York Badass” Phil Baroni unconscious in the second round
of their live SHOWTIME PPV® battle at HP Pavilion on June
22, 2007.
Showtime
Networks Inc. and Strikeforce jointly announced last week a multi-year
agreement to create an all-new series of MMA events that will
air live on SHOWTIME as part of the SHOWTIME Sports franchise.
The two entities will produce and televise up to 16 live events
per year, including world championship fight cards as well as
a series dedicated to showcasing up-and-coming fighters in the
sport.
The
agreement reunites SHOWTIME and Strikeforce following their successful
“Shamrock vs. Baroni” event, presented by SHOWTIME
PPV in 2007 and the Shamrock vs. Cung Le telecast, which aired
live on SHOWTIME.
About
Strikeforce
Strikeforce is a world-class mixed martial arts cage fight promotion
which, on Friday, March 10, 2006, made history with its “Shamrock
vs. Gracie” event, the first sanctioned mixed martial arts
fight card in California state history. The star-studded extravaganza,
which pitted legendary champion Frank Shamrock against Brazilian
Jiu-Jitsu black belt Cesar Gracie at San Jose’s HP Pavilion,
played host to a sold-out, record crowd of 18,265. Since 1995,
Strikeforce has been the exclusive provider of martial arts programming
for ESPN and, after 12 years of success as a leading, world championship
kickboxing promotion, the company unveiled its mixed martial
arts series with “Shamrock vs. Gracie.” Since then,
it has co-produced the first SHOWTIME PPV mixed martial arts
event in history with its world championship “Shamrock vs.
Baroni” card on June 22nd of this year followed by the first-ever
mixed martial arts event at the world-famous Playboy Mansion
on September 29th.
About
Showtime Networks Inc.
Showtime
Networks Inc. (SNI), a wholly-owned subsidiary of CBS Corporation,
owns and operates the premium television networks SHOWTIME®,
THE MOVIE CHANNEL® and FLIX®, as well as the multiplex
channels SHOWTIME 2™, SHOWTIME® SHOWCASE, SHOWTIME EXTREME®,
SHOWTIME BEYOND®, SHOWTIME NEXT®, SHOWTIME WOMEN®,
SHOWTIME FAMILY ZONE® and THE MOVIE CHANNEL® XTRA. SNI
also offers SHOWTIME HD®, THE MOVIE CHANNEL® HD, SHOWTIME
ON DEMAND® and THE MOVIE CHANNEL® ON DEMAND. SNI also
manages Smithsonian Networks, a joint venture between SNI and
the Smithsonian Institution. All SNI feeds provide enhanced sound
using Dolby Digital 5.1. SNI markets and distributes sports and
entertainment events for exhibition to subscribers on a pay-per-view
basis through SHOWTIME PPV®.
Source: Matt Donovan
|
STRIKEFORCE
PAYS $3 MILLION FOR PROELITE ASSETS
by Tom Hamlin
In a Securities and Exchange Commission filing released by ProElite,
Inc. on Wednesday, the restructuring company disclosed it received
$3 million for assets sold to Strikeforce. Those assets included
the sale of 42 fighter contracts, a video library of 20 live
events, and other assets not specified.
The
company also disclosed it would receive a “contingent consideration”
of a portion of licensing fees earned by the San Jose-based promotion’s
new deal with Showtime Networks. Fees would be paid to ProElite
until Feb. 28, 2012, and could be extended. The portion of the
fee was not disclosed.
Strikeforce
will assume “certain liabilities” of the assets purchased,
likely the specific deals within fighter contracts purchased.
Pro
Elite’s debt to CBS – the network was an investor in
company and funded its last show – was eliminated as part
of the agreement with Strikeforce. According to a report on SI.com,
Strikeforce paid off all or a portion of the debt.
In
an interview with SI.com, ProElite CEO Chuck Champion said the
company would re-focus its efforts on its satellite brands –
namely King of the Cage – which it purchased in September
of 2007.
“ProElite
as a company will focus on those assets that are making money,
which is principally King of the Cage,” said Champion. “There
are a few other issues outstanding that will need to be resolved…
but there is capital in the bank in order to be able to do that.
So, we'll look for what we do next, now. But this basically takes
the company and makes it debt free, dispute free, litigation
free.”
In
a press release announcing the completion of the sale, Champion
said he was pleased at the outcome of a difficult situation.
“Getting
to this point has been a long hard road and I’m grateful
to Showtime, Strikeforce, the fighters and their managers for
their patience and their perseverance.” Adding, “The
company has managed its way through a very difficult time and
it has done so in a way that has built bridges rather than burn
them. Everyone involved deserves a lot of credit for the outcome.”
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Florian,
Parisyan Headed to Tri-Star Gym in Montreal
Ariel Shnerer
Once
Georges St-Pierre dismantled B.J. Penn at UFC 94 to retain his
welterweight championship, Tri-Star Gym in Montreal, Quebec further
cemented its status as one of the top-tier mixed martial arts
training schools in the world.
Tri-Star,
headed by Firas Zahabi, could be adding a few more fighters to
its stable of viable world-class competitors, which currently
includes St-Pierre, David Loiseau, Denis Kang and Jonathan Goulet.
Coming
off the heels of an uninspiring split decision win over Dong
Hyun Kim at UFC 94, judo wizard Karo "The Heat" Parisyan
will be making his way down to Tri-Star to do some training with
conditioning coach Jonathan Chaimberg and head instructor Zahabi.
Also
slated to make his way down to the "Beautiful Province"
for training is Team Sityodtong member Kenny Florian, who looks
to benefit from a full training camp with Zahabi and St-Pierre
before taking on Penn for the lightweight title later this year.
The
news was confirmed by Zahabi and Chaimberg at Tri-Star Gym on
Friday.
In
addition to the aforementioned UFC competitors, Tri-Star is home
to many of the sport's most promising young prospects, including
John Makdessi, Thierry Quenneville and Mike Ricci, all three
of whom will be competing at XMMA 7 on Feb. 27.
Source: The Fight Network
|
BRIAN
BOWLES
Nine Questions With Brian Bowles
By Steven Marrocco
FCF
recently spoke with the next challenger to the Miguel Torres’
World Extreme Cagefighting bantamweight title, Atlanta, Ga. native
Brian Bowles. Once a sales rep for Pepsi Cola, the soft-spoken
28 year-old recently took time off from his only steady job as
a bouncer and bar back, to train for his upcoming bout with Torres
at WEC 40 in Chicago. Since emerging in the WEC, Bowles has racked
up four straight victories, most recently over Will Ribeiro at
WEC 37.
FCF:
What do you have to do to take this fight?
Bowles:
I’ve got to fight my fight, show up in shape; just come
in prepared. Not follow his game. Get past his jab, and just
do what I normally do?
FCF:
Have you ever fought somebody as rangy as him before?
Bowles:
Yeah, I’ve fought guys more rangy than him. I fought Micah
Miller a long time ago when I was an amateur. [Afterwards] he
came and trained at our gym, so I know what it’s like grapple
with somebody like [Torres], and to box with somebody with that
type of reach.
FCF:
Do you think it’s going to be an issue of transitions? Getting
inside his hands and then dealing with his counters to what you
do?
Bowles:
Yeah, any time you fight with him, that’s gonna be the issue.
Nobody in the 135 weight class is going to stand outside and
pick him apart. He’s got ridiculously long limbs, and nobody
else that I can think of is going to match that. You have to
come in and beat him on the inside. If you stand outside, he’s
just going to whoop you to death with that jab. You’ve got
to come in smooth and not get caught.
FCF:
Do you think you have an advantage in wrestling? Is that the
key if the fight goes down?
Bowles:
Yeah, I don’t see him as having a great wrestling game.
He’s pretty well-rounded, he’s got a good jiu-jitsu
game, a good boxing and Muay Thai game, but his wrestling’s
the weakest part of his game. But that plays right into what
he wants you to do. I don’t think he really minds being
on his back—he can use his long legs to triangle people,
so I don’t think it’s really an issue.
FCF:
Are you ready to be the new face of the bantamweight division
if you take this fight?
Bowles:
Definitely. It’s something I’ve been thinking about
forever. I’ve been working hard for it, mentally trying
to put myself there. It would be crazy not to be ready to be
ready when I got there.
FCF:
Have you done any work on your “mic work”? Has the
WEC gotten you acclimated to doing interviews and being in front
of the press?
Bowles:
I’m getting better at it. As I stay with it, I get more
relaxed.
FCF:
Did you hand in your resignation as soon as you found out you
were getting this fight?
Bowles:
As soon as they heard I was probably going to get it, they watched
me a little bit, and they were fine with me taking some time
off. I’m going to be traveling around, and I just don’t
want it to affect me. So it’s just a little time off to
make sure I train right for this.
FCF:
It’s safe to say this is the most important fight of your
life?
Bowles:
If I win this, it’s a life changing fight—I’ll
get my name in MMA for quite a while.
Source: Full Contact Fighter
|
War
Machine arrested after nightclub scuffle
War Machine, also known as Jon Koppenhaver, was arrested early
Saturday for misdemeanor battery after a scuffle at a Las Vegas
nightclub.
The arrest happened at the Krave Nightclub, according to TMZ.com,
and occurred around 4 a.m. local time says a Las Vegas Metro
Police rep, according to FiveOuncesOfPain.com.
After
an alleged scuffle inside the club, Koppenhaver was escorted
out of the club by security but allegedly started punching the
security. TMZ reports that security made the citzens arrest until
the police could arrive.
Koppenhaver
was previously arrested for battery on Sept. 2, 2007. He eventually
pled guilty and the felony charged was lowered to a misdemeanor.
He avoided jail time but received three years probation, 30 days
of community service and was ordered to pay $2,300 in restitution
and continue counseling.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Cacareco
joins Chute Boxe
Rudimar Fedrigo speaks about Cris Cyborg in Strikeforce
Carlos Osorio / PortaldasLutas.com
One
of the most traditional MMA teams in the world, Chute Boxe, which
recently went through a transformation, announced yet another
new athlete to represent the team. Joining the ranks of the team
headed by Rudimar Fedrigo is Alexandre Cacareco, a fighter with
a 16-win, 6-loss record and who is known for his strong ground
game, having taken fourth at the last ADCC event.
“We’ll
make the official announcement of Cacareco’s joining the
team in the coming hours, and I’m really glad to have him
here in Curitiba. I think he’s a great fighter, with great
potential, likely to become champion of any event in the world.
It’s a cause for joy here at the moment,” team leader
Rudimar remarked to Portal das Lutas, GRACIEMAG.com partner site.
“He’s
already here. He’s a really strong fighter, very quick and
I believe he’ll bring much happiness for us in future fights.
In the coming days we’ll announce even more names who will
be representing Chute Boxe,” added Fedrigo.
On
Cris Cyborg, who according to Sherdog.com was confirmed at Strikeforce,
Rudimar confirmed that is the case. However, a few minor details
have yet to be ironed out first and the fighter may still go
to action February 27, against Marloes Coenen, at the Canadian
XMMA event.
“Nothing
is for sure, it will be defined over the next 48 hours. I see
great a great likelihood of Cris signing with Strikeforce. She’s
training daily, keeping up the pace and preparing for the fight.
It’s still unclear whether she will fight in Canada, due
to the contractual problems we are discussing, but she’s
still focused on training, all is going well and her coaches
praise her for her part in training,” he said in finishing.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Chaos
at Titans Fighting - Near Riot Ensues
Ariel Shnerer
MONTREAL
- A riot nearly ensued at the inaugural Titans Fighting card
Friday night at Mel's Studio in Montreal, Quebec. The melee was
narrowly avoided as controversy arose at the culmination of the
heavyweight main event tilt between James Thompson and Steve
Bosse.
Thompson
immediately went for a takedown and successfully dropped Bosse
on his back. But this development caused widespread confusion
in the live crowd.
Up
until the weigh-ins held one day prior to the Feb. 6 card, modified
kickboxing rules were in effect with no ground and pound permitted.
The rules were changed to regular mixed martial arts rules, but
the fighters had reportedly agreed to keep the action standing
to respect one another's preparation heading into the event.
Despite
all the changes made to the card, fans were not informed, which
caused mass confusion once the action spilled to the ground.
Every
fight of the night remained standing with no attempt at ground
and pound until the Thompson vs. Bosse featured bout.
That's
when all hell broke loose.
Referee
Yves Lavigne circled the two fighters on the ground and fans
responded with heavy boos in support of hometown hero Bosse.
Fans were under the assumption that the fight needed to be stood
up.
Moments
later, a plethora of cans and bottles came flying into the ring
with the action being stopped immediately. One fan even threw
his steel chair into the ring, which nearly hit both Lavigne
and Thompson.
Bosse
was irate at the development and attempted to throw a can at
Thompson, but he missed. Both fighters were then separately escorted
backstage.
The
capacity crowd of approximately 1,200 expected the fight to be
restarted several minutes later. But to their dismay, it was
declared a no contest.
Additional
police were called to the venue to ensure the fuming MMA fans
would not continue to protest the decision outside.
To
protect fighter safety amidst all the disappointed fans, all
media was escorted from the building and post-fight reactions
from Bosse, Thompson, Lavigne and promoter Stephane Patry were
unattainable.
Initially
called Strikebox, the promotion's name was changed two days prior
to the event due to trademark issues, possibly related to its
similarity to California's Strikeforce promotion.
Source: The Fight Network
|
Freeman
Admits to Fraud, Tax Evasion; Faces Jail Time
by Loretta Hunt
UFC veteran Ian Freeman faces jail time after failing to declare
income earned from professional fights he competed in and other
fight-related employment between 2003-2005. The Durham Crown
Court in Sunderland, England, will sentence Freeman on March
3.
Freeman
plead guilty to “three charges of making a false statement,
one charge of fraudulently evading income tax, and one charge
of making a false statement to obtain a mortgage,” according
to a Feb. 3 article in the Sunderland Echo. Freeman, 41, is a
Sunderland native and a father of three.
Freeman
is being penalized for unpaid tax income and inaccurate tax credit
paid between January 2003 and July 2006, totaling £44,178
($65,312.50 USD).
Freeman’s
wife Angela also admitted to three charges of making false statements,
including submitting an inaccurate application for tax credit,
according to the article. Mrs. Freeman will receive a “suspended
sentence” and will not serve jail time.
“I've
never held a full time job,” Freeman wrote in an email to
Sherdog.com last week. “All I've known is doorman work or
fighting and I last worked the doors over 10 years ago. I know
nothing about taxes and what I need to do to pay the tax man.”
Freeman
(19-7-1), who made six appearances in the Octagon up until 2003,
said his confusion came from fighting in the U.S., where taxes
were withheld before payment, and then in his homeland, where
taxes are to be paid by the person of his own accord.
“From
2003 to the end of 2004, I fought in the UK and when I received
my purse money, I automatically accepted it was all mine,”
he wrote. “The government do not tax you like the USA. You
have to pay the taxman yourself in England. So due to ignorance
of the law, I never paid taxes.”
Freeman
said he paid his taxes from 2006 on when he became self-employed.
“I
had broken law, but not to my knowledge,” wrote Freeman.
“Ignorance is not a defense, so I had to plead guilty. I
wish I knew then what I know now.”
Freeman
retired from active competition in 2005, but returned a year
later for three fights with Cage Rage in London. Freeman was
also hired as a coach for a UK squad in the International Fight
League, but the promotion went under before his team could debut.
Freeman last competed for UK’s Cage Rage in May 2008, earning
a unanimous decision over Paul Cahoon in a light heavyweight
championship bout.
Freeman
plans to fulfill ring announcer duties for M-1 Challenge’s
season two opener on Feb. 21 in Seattle.
Source: Sherdog
|
A
politician pushes for an MMA ban in Manitoba province
By Zach Arnold
The
Winnipeg Free Press is reporting that a local city councilman
is pushing for a ban on MMA after an 18-year old fighter suffered
a concussion and was taken to a local hospital.
Read
the article, but note this gem:
“We
don’t allow dogfighting, we don’t allow cockfighting,
so why should we allow this?” Nordman said Monday.
“There’s
no reason an 18-year-old should be hospitalized.”
The
promoter for the event was Canadian Fighting Championship. The
building in question, the Winnipeg Convention Centre, has been
host to prior MMA events promoted by long-time pro-wrestling
and MMA promoter Tony Condello.
Source: Fight Opinion
|
Parisyan
Tests Positive for Painkillers
By Steven Marrocco
UFC
welterweight Karo Parisyan has tested positive for painkillers
Hydrocodone, Oxymorphone, and Hydromorphone, following his fight
with Dong Hyun Kim at UFC 94 on Jan. 31.
Nevada
State Athletic Commission Executive Director Keith Kizer informed
FCF of the positive test on Tuesday.
Parisyan
is temporarily suspended from competition pending a hearing with
the commission, which will take place next Tuesday via teleconference.
Parisyan will then have a chance to address the violation.
"My
understanding is after the fight, he told [NSAC inspector] Tony
Lato when he got confronted with his drug test that he had taken
a prescription pain pill the night before. And then we told him
we need to see a copy of that prescription, which I got faxed
to me early in the week [after the fight]," said Kizer.
Parisyan
has a well-documented history of using anti-anxiety medication
stemming from panic attacks he said he was diagnosed with last
year. The Armenian welterweight also suffered a back injury prior
to his bout with Yoshiyuki Yoshida at UFC 88, forcing him to
withdraw from the fight the day before.
Kizer
said he would seek a formal suspension from the commission, but
said he wasn't sure whether Parisyan's prescription would affect
any punishment levied against him.
"It’s
up to the commission to decide that," he said.
Source: Full Contact Fighter
|
Skateboarder
Jason Ellis wins MMA debut
Australian skateboarder Jason Ellis won his mixed martial arts
debut this past Friday at a charity fight card "Down for
Life - Fight for a Cause" in Anaheim, California.
Ellis, who was cornered by training partners Jason "Mayhem"
Miller and Muhammad "King Mo" Lawal of Team Quest in
Temecula, submitted Tony Gianopulos with a guillotine choke in
the second round.
Two
UFC veterans fought and won on the card. Danny Abbadi defeated
Sterling Ford via TKO in the first and Kit Cope defeated Zack
Skinner via TKO in the second.
The
37-year-old currently hosts "The Jason Ellis Show"
on Sirius Satellite Radio.
The
card was presented by 2-time X Games gold medalist Ryan Sheckler
through his Sheckler Foundation with the help of Fight Night
Events, LLC.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Quote
of the Day
“They
always say time changes things, but you actually have to change
them yourself.”
Andy Warhol
|
Congratulations
to Chris and Shane
Chris Onzuka
and Shane Agena finally received their black belts from Relson
tonight at O2 Martial Arts Academy. Now O2 has four Relson Gracie
Black Belts on our teaching staff as well as a huge number of
brown and purple belts.
Chris matched me and went bare back for his dog crawl through
the belt whipping line while Shane decided to keep the skin on
his back somewhat intact and went with the gi. Both guys took
their beatings like men as they graduated to their black belts.
Thanks to all the guys from the other schools and our O2 team
that came to support Chris and Shane on this important night!
|
FEDOR
AND THE UFC: WILL IT EVER HAPPEN?
UFC president Dana White still wants Fedor Emelianenko to fight
in the Octagon. The thing is, he doesn't believe that Fedor,
or at least his handlers, really have a strong interest in the
Russian crusher coming to the UFC. Then again, he's not really
sure what Fedor and his management wants.
"I
want Fedor too, contrary to popular belief," he reiterated
recently. In White's mind, it's just a matter of not being able
to negotiate with Fedor's camp.
"I
have no idea what they want. Everything makes no sense to me.
I think they thought, 'You know, we'll partner up with these
guys and we'll own a piece of this thing.' It's all mixed signals.
You never know what these guys want," he stated, amused
frustration in his tone.
"When
I first met with these guys, (Fedor's) manager is like, 'Here's
what we want to do. My brother is the biggest rock concert promoter
over there. So here's what we want. We want you to build an arena
in Russia,'" recounted White. "And I'm like, '(Expletive)
timeout.' I want to sign a guy. I'm not looking to build arenas
or get into business with you or anything like that. We'll pay
him what he wants to be paid. We'll promote and do this and that.
But it's not about Fedor when you talk to these guys."
Having
built the UFC on the back of strong personal relationships in
the fight game when there wasn't all that much money, if any,
to throw around, the UFC President hasn't even met the No. 1
heavyweight in the world. "I've never met Fedor! I've never
said one (expletive) word to the guy. I've never even seen him
face to face."
The
Fedor situation has strung out ever since Zuffa (the UFC's parent
company) acquired Pride in spring of 2007. When the promotion
was finally shuttered due to difficulties in trying to operate
in Japan and several fighter contracts were either deemed non-transferrable
or nonexistent, the UFC began signing fighters to new contracts.
Fedor has been one of the only fighters to elude the MMA juggernaught.
At
this point, it doesn't appear the UFC will ever be able to snare
his services. White can only throw up his hands in frustration
and move on.
"I
don't know what they want... Fedor's one of these guys that,
listen, everybody thinks that I won't give Fedor his props and
everything. B.J. Penn and Georges St. Pierre and Anderson Silva
and every other guy in this company fight the best of the best
three times a year. Fedor's not doing that. If he wants to fight
guys three times a year, prove he's the best, if he wants to
do that, I'm willing to do it with him," says White.
"I
don't think he cares about a legacy or any of that kind of stuff,"
he continued. "I don't know. I'd like to see him fight in
the UFC."
Source: MMA Weekly
|
SHANE
CARWIN UFC 96 FIGHT BLOG (PART 1)
MMAWeekly
has asked me to blog about my training and update you as I lead
into the most important fight of my career, against Gabriel Gonzaga
at UFC 96. Let me start off by giving you a little background
on me and where I have come from, I hope this will give you some
perspective into my life and my journey.
To
start things off, I have an amazing mother who raised three boys
on her own. I cannot imagine what a difficult task that must
have been, and the respect, admiration and love I have for my
mother is great to say the least. I am the youngest of the three
boys and I’m sure you could image what it would be like
to be the youngest. I got my fair share of being picked on for
sure! I hope my brothers will come spar with me someday; I have
a few memories I’d like to discuss with them.
The
lack of a father and the sacrifices my mom made for us brought
us all very close and Mom always had big goals for all of us
boys. Her main goal was to see me and my brothers graduate from
college, and have a solid foundation to build our lives on. My
brothers and I all graduated from college. Don graduated with
his degree is accounting, Shawn in wildlife biology, and I graduated
with an environmental technology degree from Western State College
and a mechanical engineering degree with a business and economics
minor from the Colorado School of Mines.
Growing
up, my brothers and I were all very active in sports. I began
wrestling at the age of six and playing full contact football
at the age of eight. The wrestling and football really began
as soon as I could walk, my brothers were three and seven years
ahead of me, so I was a brother... and a new toy. My oldest brother
now had choices on who he was going to pick on and Shawn was
no longer the little brother. Like all siblings, the trials and
tribulations of growing up have turned to a lifelong bond of
brothers. We all enjoy hunting, fishing, the outdoors, and are
enjoying watching our family grow.
I
loved both wrestling and football growing up, and I had offers
to play sports out of high school. I chose to attend Western
State not only for the scholarship (that was a big part though),
but because they allowed me to participate both in wrestling
and football, plus my older brother was the assistant wrestling
coach at the time.
While
in college, I was able to become NCAA Division II heavyweight
champion in wrestling and received multiple All-American accolades
in both wrestling and football. In wrestling, I was NCAA Champion
and two-time NCAA runner-up, achieved multiple Academic All-American
status, and was recently inducted into the Western State Sports
Hall of Fame. In football, I was a RMAC Player of The Year, NCAA
Division II All-American (1st Team), led the 1998 Senior Bowl
in tackles, and was one of the top NFL draft prospects for 1998.
My
dreams of making the NFL came to a crashing halt during my senior
year. Prior to this, I was projected to go in the draft in the
fifth round, but during the end of my junior year I bulged three
disks in my back. I rehabbed all summer, came back my senior
year and played football. I went on to play in the Senior Bowl,
then went to the Indianapolis Combine and wasn’t picked
up. The scouts told me it was because of my back injury. I came
back to Western the next year, won the National Championship
in wrestling and the Philadelphia Eagles called and wanted to
try me out again. I ran for them, and they sent me to the New
England Sea Wolves to play fullback and linebacker.
At
this point, I needed to make a decision: either to go back to
school to get my engineering degree, which I coveted, or play
arena ball in hopes of making it to the NFL. I sat down with
my mom and we talked, and I decided to take the engineering route.
It was an incredibly difficult time because I had a young son.
Not only would an engineering degree be an accomplishment for
me, it would also make my son's life better as well.
An
amazing amount of hard work began. I was accepted to the School
of Mines, studied hard to achieve good grades, and continued
to work to support my son. I was even able to begin wrestling
and used the wrestling room as a way to fuel the competitive
fires that still burned in my heart. In 2000, I started coaching
wrestling at Colorado School of Mines. While the assistant coaching
was great, I still felt a small void from the lack of competing
for myself. I was busy working, coaching, and raising my son,
I honestly had no time to train or compete. At this point in
my life, completing school successfully and obtaining a good
job was my goal.
In
October of 2005, I met Lani, now my wife. She has always been
by my side and very supportive of my endeavors in the sport of
MMA. She has been and continues to be my rock. We both feel very
blessed and appreciative of all things that God has given us.
My
engineering career began, but I always enjoyed athletics and
continued my hobby through pick-up basketball and lifting weights.
At that time, Ron Waterman had a fight coming up and asked me
to help him prepare wrestling and cardio for his next event.
I did and enjoyed the wrestling room time. There was a heavyweight
that fell out on the WEC card, and Ron asked if I was interested.
I took the fight.
The
rest led me to this point. I have been addicted to every aspect
of MMA since that fight. While I may not have been outside of
the first round in a fight, in training I am always going into
deep waters. My training partners include Brendon Schaub, Nate
Marquardt, Eliot Marshall, Duane Ludwig, Keith Jardine, Rashad
Evans, Cody Donavon, James McSweeney and many more tough, top-notch
guys. I train at an altitude of more than a mile above seal level.
I love the ground game and I hope to be able to show off my grappling
skills in a fight someday.
As
for Gonzaga, he is the real deal. Zuffa is testing us and the
winner of the test is likely going to be on a path to the title.
For me, I want nothing more then to fight for that belt. Competing
at this level is a dream come true for me and I am putting in
all the work necessary to be here.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
GSP
HAPPY WITH PENN FIGHT; ON TO NEW CHAPTER
When Georges St. Pierre entered the Octagon at UFC 94 a great
many people picked him to beat B.J. Penn, but very few thought
it would be as one-sided as the fight ended up being. The Canadian
champion dominated his way to a TKO stoppage.
After
the fourth round ended, St. Pierre went back to his corner one
more time to get the gameplan that he hoped would put Penn away
once and for all, but Penn's corner signaled the finish and the
referee stopped the fight.
"I
knew I was in total control of the fight, and when I came back
in the corner for the fifth (round) my trainer told me that for
the fifth round stay standing up and pick him apart because he
had a hard time even standing on his feet. If the fifth would
have started, I was going to open up right away standing up and
try to finish him in the early fifth round," St. Pierre
told MMAWeekly Radio recently.
"He
gave up before the fifth round came."
There
was much pre-fight hype around this bout and attention paid to
Penn's comments towards St. Pierre on the Spike TV series "UFC
Primetime" in regards to the welterweight champion's loss
to Matt Serra in 2007 in which he tapped out from strikes. Penn
repeatedly called his opponent a quitter, and after the fight
was over, it was St. Pierre who was standing tall when the Hawaiian
could take no more.
"To
tell you the truth, because he has said a lot of bad things about
me, and he keeps saying a lot of bad things, I'm going to tell
you the truth, I felt great about it," St. Pierre commented
about the way the fight ended. "For me it's a big satisfaction,
because he said I'm a quitter, and I'm not the one who didn't
come back for the last round.
"I
thought in the beginning it would have been better if I win by
a submission or a knockout, but the more I think about it, the
more I'm happy about the ending. Because it proved a point for
me."
St.
Pierre went onto say he actually commended Penn for his decision
to stop the fight if he was unable to intelligently continue,
and says that no fighter should feel shame if they are forced
to tap out.
"If
I get caught in an armbar, I prefer to tap and come back stronger
the next time than not tapping and even losing the fight and
my arm being dislocated, and not having my arm come back at 100
percent," St. Pierre stated.
Before
the fight, Penn seemingly went for the throat when commenting
about St. Pierre, his camp, and his trainers. Since the fight,
the focus has now turned to a dispute about St. Pierre's cornermen
and the way they applied Vaseline between rounds. The Canadian
champion says he's lost some respect for Penn, but he's moving
on to bigger and better things.
"With
all the things that have happened, the excuses, all these things,
I'm not very happy about it to tell you the truth. I'm mad a
little bit," St. Pierre said about Penn. "The thing
is, the more I talk about it, the more people will talk about
it, the more people will think I'm trying to make an excuse.
I'm not the one who tried to say things. I have nothing to hide.
I've always been honest. For me, they can say whatever they want.
For me, the fight is over now. I look to the future; B.J. is
the past.
"I
enter a new chapter in my career. I want to go forward, not to
go back."
St.
Pierre is already back in light workouts and will travel to Colorado
soon to help teammate Nate Marquardt prepare for his Feb. 21
fight at UFC 95 against Wilson Gouveia in London, England.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
UFC
97 OFFICIAL; SILVA VS. LEITES HEADLINES
The
Ultimate Fighting Championship on Monday officially announced
its return to the Bell Centre in Montreal. UFC 97 is headlined
by a previously confirmed main event of Anderson Silva and Thales
Leites, and a co-main event of Chuck Liddell versus Mauricio
"Shogun" Rua.
Silva
will make the next defense of his UFC middleweight championship
against Leites. The winner of nine straight bouts – including
all eight of his fights in the Octagon – Silva returns after
six months of inactivity. The April 18 bout marks his first fight
since a confounding performance against Canadian fighter Patrick
Cote at UFC 90 in Chicago.
On
a five fight streak, Leites earned his title shot off the back
of a controversial split decision victory over Nate Marquardt,
followed by a first round submission of power striker Drew McFedries.
Losing
three of his four most recent bouts, 39-year-old Liddell is still
a fan favorite, but will be looking to UFC 97 to get back on
track, possibly to make a final run at the UFC light heavyweight
title he used to wear around his waist.
Shogun
has been fairly lackluster in his two UFC starts thus far, losing
to Forrest Griffin in the Brazilian's Octagon debut then finishing
an aged Mark Coleman late in their recent bout at UFC 93.
Other
bouts announced for UFC 97 include former WEC champion Brian
Stann's UFC debut against Krzysztof Soszynski, a middleweight
bout pitting Jason MacDonald against Nate Quarry, David "The
Crow" Loiseau's return to the UFC to face Ed Herman, and
Mark Bocek versus David Bielkheden in a lightweight bout.
UFC 97: APRIL 18, 2009
venue: Bell Centre in Montreal, Canada
Main
Card Bouts:
-Anderson Silva (#1 Middleweight in the World)* vs. Thales Leites
-Mauricio "Shogun" Rua (#5 Light Heavyweight in the
World)* vs. Chuck Liddell (#6 Light Heavyweight in the World)*
-Cheick Kongo vs. Antoni Hardonk
-Luiz Cane vs. Steve Cantwell
-Brian Stann vs. Krzysztof Soszynski
Preliminary
Bouts:
-Nathan Quarry vs. Jason MacDonald
-Denis Kang vs. Xavier Fouka-Pokum
-David Loiseau vs. Ed Herman
-T.J. Grant vs. Ryo Chonan
-David Bielkheden vs. Mark Bocek
-Matt Wiman vs. Sam Stout
Source: MMA Weekly
|
UFC
FIGHT NIGHT 17 FIGHTERS SALARIES
MMAWeekly has obtained the fighter salary information from the
Florida State Athletic Commission for Ultimate Fight Night 17
featuring Joe Lauzon vs. Jeremy Stephens, which took place on
Saturday, Feb. 7, at the USF Sun Dome in Tampa.
The
following figures are based on the fighter salary information
that promoters are required by law to submit to the state athletic
commissions, including the winners' bonuses.
Although
mixed martial arts fighters do not have collective bargaining
or a union, the fighters' salaries are still public record, just
as with every other major sport in the United States. Any undisclosed
bonuses that a promoter also pays its fighters, but does not
disclose to the athletic commissions (specifically, pay-per-view
bonuses, fight of the night bonuses, etc.), are not included
in the figures below.
In
the listings below, "Main Event Fighters" are defined
as fighters who compete in the main event of a show. "Main
Card Fighters" are defined as fighters whose fights appear
on the main card, but not in the main event. "Preliminary
Card Fighters" are defined as fighters whose matches take
place before the live broadcast goes on the air, regardless of
whether or not those matches end up airing on the TV or Internet
broadcast.
MAIN
EVENT FIGHTERS
–
Joe Lauzon $20,000 (includes win bonus of $10,000) def. Jeremy
Stephens $10,000 (win bonus would have been $10,000)
*Lauzon also earned an extra $30,000 for “Ultimate Fight
Night 17 Submission of the Night”
MAIN
CARD FIGHTERS
–
Cain Velasquez $30,000 (includes win bonus of $15,000) def. Denis
Stojnic $5,000 (win bonus would have been $5,000)
*Velasquez also earned an extra $30,000 for “Ultimate Fight
Night 17 Knockout of the Night”
–
Josh Neer $18,000 (includes win bonus of $9,000) def. Mac Danzig
$15,000 (win bonus would have been $15,000)
*Neer and Danzig also earned an extra $30,000 for “Ultimate
Fight Night 17 Fight of the Night”
–
Anthony Johnson $26,000 (includes win bonus of $13,000) def.
Luigi Fioravanti $13,000 (win bonus would have been $13,000)
PRELIMINARY
CARD FIGHTERS
–
Kurt Pellegrino $32,000 (includes win bonus of $16,000) def.
Rob Emerson $10,000 (win bonus would have been $10,000)
–
Dan Miller $18,000 (includes win bonus of $9,000) def. Jake Rosholt
$13,000 (win bonus would have been $13,000)
–
Gleison Tibau $26,000 (includes win bonus of $13,000) def. Rich
Clementi $23,000 (win bonus would have been $23,000)
–
Matt Veach $6,000 (includes win bonus of $3,000) def. Matt Grice
$7,000 (win bonus would have been $7,000)
–
Nick Catone $6,000 (includes win bonus of $3,000) def. Derek
Downey $3,000 (win bonus would have been $3,000)
–
Matt Riddle $16,000 (includes win bonus of $8,000) def. Steve
Bruno $7,000 (win bonus would have been $7,000)
ULTIMATE
FIGHT NIGHT 17 DISCLOSED FIGHTER PAYROLL: $304,000
ULTIMATE
FIGHT NIGHT 17 AWARD BONUSES
(as disclosed by UFC officials)
Each fighter received a $30,000 bonus for the following awards.
Fight
of the Night:
– Josh Neer and Mac Danzig
Knockout
of the Night:
– Cain Velasquez
Submission
of the Night:
– Joe Lauzon
Source: MMA Weekly
|
IS
JAPANESE INVASION ON UFC'S HORIZON
In recent months, the UFC has given a spate of high profile Japanese
competitors the VIP treatment, fueling speculation of major signings
on the Las Vegas promotion’s horizon.
Chief
among those competitors to take in the UFC experience was Satoshi
Ishii, the 22 year-old gold medal winner in Judo at the 2008
Olympic Games. In December, he brought the dismay of FEG head
Sadaharu Tanigawa when he announced his intention to sign with
the UFC after fielding a multi-million dollar offer to fight
in Japan on New Year’s Eve.
"It's
unfortunate that the man with the Japanese MMA world on his shoulders
is going abroad," Tanigawa told Japanese media in response
to the news.
Now,
it appears Ishii might have re-considered his deal with FEG.
In a recent interview with the media following UFC 94, UFC president
Dana White confirmed that while he had indeed signed Ishii to
a deal, he was unsure if the Japanese star would fulfill it.
“The
thing is this: the kid’s sitting on a lottery ticket right
now,” said White. “He’s being offered millions
of dollars in Japan. They want him. He has to make a decision
whether he wants to take the lottery ticket or come over here
and work his way up and try to become the best.”
Not
surprisingly, White said there was a fundamental difference between
the promotional styles of the UFC and FEG.
“I
don’t believe in the Japanese philosophy, let’s throw
him in there and get him (expletive) murdered like Sakuraba,”
he spat. “You know, the whole guts and glory thing over
in Japan. I believe in taking a kid, putting him in the right
weight class, moving him up, and taking time.
“If
he does it the right way with us, he’ll be a superstar in
Japan. It’s a much better deal for him than going in and
getting executed by guys who have been fighting for a long time…because
they need to make a fight right now so they can survive. See,
Dream—needs him. I don’t. I want him.”
White
also wants Japanese star Norifumi “Kid” Yamamoto, who
palled around with the outspoken president in the days around
UFC 94. Though Yamamoto is currently on the disabled list with
a knee injury, White says the K-1 and told him he wants to end
his career in the Octagon—at least, the smaller one—of
the WEC.
Yamamoto
may participate in the second round of Dream’s upcoming
featherweight tournament—an event built around him—if
the promotion gives him a bye to the second round scheduled for
May.
According
to White, “Kid” has two fights left on his deal with
FEG, and when those are done, fans can expect to see him make
his WEC debut in the bantamweight division.
“We’d
bring him in and give him a fight first, and then if he wins
that fight, we’d let him fight Miguel (Torres),” said
White.
White
also says he’s in talks with UFC veteran Caol Uno, but nothing
has been solidified.
As
for Ishii’s decision, White—in a perhaps uncharacteristic
display of contractual tolerance—said he would be willing
to release the Judoka if he wanted so.
“Well,
yeah, I’m going to hold on to him, I’ve got a contract
with him,” White began. “But if he comes back and tells
me I want to take this lottery ticket, I’ll give it to him.
He needs to decide what he wants to do with his life. Just because
I have a contract with him, I’m not going to try to tell
him what he should do with his life. I’ve sat down and I’ve
talked to him for hours on what I think he should do with his
career. Now it’s up to him. You can’t force anybody
to be a mixed martial arts fighter, they have to want to do it.”
Source: MMA Weekly
|
KEN
SHAMROCK RETURNS; EYES TANK ABBOTT FIGHT
Ken Shamrock was in attendance as the special guest at the recent
Bullet Fight Gear Presents: The Battle of Rome VI, in Rome, Georgia.
“It is great to be back,” he said of the return to
his home state. “I was born here, this place is beautiful.”
Fight
promoter Tony Metcalfe was also excited to have the legend at
the event. “Ken Shamrock is the Godfather of MMA,”
he stated. “Without him, there wouldn’t be a Chuck
Liddell or Forrest Griffin.”
Shamrock
hasn’t fought since March of 2008, (he was scheduled to
fight Kimbo Slice in October, but had to withdraw due to injury)
but he hasn’t exactly been idle in that time.
“I’m
actually trying to develop Ken Shamrock Productions, along with
War Gods, so I’ll be fighting in my own shows” said
Shamrock. “I have tried fighting in other promotions, and
it always seems like you’re just spinning your wheels, and
you seem to get used up.”
Ken
Shamrock Productions and War Gods will put on their first co-promotion
on Feb. 13 in Fresno, Calif., where he is scheduled to fight
the 6’8” 360-pound Ross Clifton.
The
goal for Shamrock’s company is to put the fans first. “I
want to bring in fighters that fans want to see,” he explained.
“Not necessarily because they’re the top ranked guys,
but just because the fans want it.”
One
such fight is a matchup between Ken Shamrock and David “Tank”
Abbott. Both men are pioneers in the sport of MMA, having been
around since its earliest days.
“We
have wanted this fight to happen for years,” said Shamrock.
“And for whatever reason it just hasn’t happened. Now,
I’ll be in control, and I can set it up.”
Another
fight that has eluded Shamrock throughout his career is one with
his brother Frank. “I would hope it would happen,”
said Shamrock. “I have been in the situation before where
there was talk about it, and my brother likes to point fingers
and say that I’m the one that causes it not to happen. If
you follow his track record, you’ll see that he has turned
down many fights. He was supposed to fight Wanderlei Silva and
didn’t, he was supposed to fight Kazushi Sakuraba and didn’t,
and so on and so on. If you look at my record, you’ll see
that I have never been involved with a promotion that was talked
about, and then I didn’t fight. So I think my record speaks
for itself.”
During
his hall of fame career, Shamrock has done battle with the best
the sport had to offer, in some of its top promotions. He took
part in the first Ultimate Fighting Championship. He fought in
the now defunct Japanese promotion, Pride Fighting Championships,
and in Pancrase, even before the first UFC event.
He
has taken on such luminaries as Royce Gracie, Don Frye, Dan Severn,
Tito Ortiz, and Rich Franklin. However, Shamrock named a man
that only the most hardcore MMA fans would recognize as his toughest
opponent.
“Without
a doubt it was Masakatsu Funaki” he stated. “I learned
all of my skills, submission and striking in Japan, so I trained
a lot with Masakatsu. When you’re fighting someone who knows
what you’re going to do it’s really tough. He was a
good striker, he was well rounded, and he knew me, and knew how
to fight me.”
In
nearly 16 years of professional fighting, Ken Shamrock has seen
the sport go from the underground scene, to the mainstream. MMA
has broken pay-per-view records, and smashed box office records
at arenas across the globe.
“It’s
come to a point where you see it on every T.V. channel, there
are advertisements, or someone’s making a reality show.
It’s just everywhere now,” he said. “When I started,
it was like this dark cloud that you weren’t supposed to
talk about, but now it’s come full circle, and it’s
a respectable sport. There are still people out there that hate
it, or think it’s barbaric, but those are the same people
that look at football and boxing the same way. They have their
opinion and we should respect it.”
Shamrock
also thinks that MMA athletes are superior to those in other
combat sports. “Some of the greatest athletes in the world
are in MMA. There’s no doubting that when you pit against
any athlete from any other combat sport, the MMA guy will come
out on top,” he commented.
There
are people that say that Ken Shamrock (who turns 45 on February
11) is no longer “The World’s Most Dangerous Man,”
and that maybe his best days are behind him, but he thinks there
is more to it than that. “I love it, people ask me all the
time and I say as long as my body lets me do it, and the fans
want me to, I’ll do it,” said the former champion.
“I enjoy it, it’s still fun.”
Shamrock
used basketball legend Michael Jordan as an example of a guy
that competed for the love of the game. “Jordan would score
50 or 60 points in a game, and when he started scoring 25 or
30 points a game, he was still well above average” explained
Shamrock. “When he wasn’t this outstanding scorer,
and couldn’t move like he used to, people started saying
he should quit or whatever, but if you look at it, he was playing
for the love of the game. He’s no longer trying to make
the name. He has already done that, now he’s in it because
he loves it.”
He
also believes fans should go easy on an athlete that sticks around
past his prime. “I think it’s sad when fans turn on
a guy that’s not able to do some of the things he could
do before. They entertained them for so many years, and gave
them so many happy moments, now all of the sudden, they’re
not allowing the athlete to enjoy themselves anymore, and I just
think that’s wrong.”
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Quote
of the Day
“They
always say time changes things, but you actually have to change
them yourself.”
Andy Warhol
|
X-1
World Events Features Boxing This Sunday!
X-1 World
Events bringing back Professional Boxing Matches on Sunday Feb.
15th, 2007 at the Palolo Hongwanji Church, pro boxing starts
at 7 p.m. MMA and Kickboxers trying their hand at Pro Boxing.
15 MMA matches also scheduled, they will start at 5 p.m.
Pending
the approval of the State of Hawaii Boxing Commission
Pro
Boxing Card:
150 - Mike Balasi (Kawano Boxing) 6-1 with 4 KOs vs Bronson Pieper
(808 Fight Factory) Pro debut
135 - Isaac Arasato (Palolo Boxing) 2-0 with 2 KOs vs Vince Vital
(Big Island) Pro debut
140 - Van Oscar Penovaroff (Freelance) 2-0 with 1KO vs Pete Vital
III (Big Island) Pro debut
135 - Tyson Nam (Grappling Unlimited) Pro debut vs Nui Wheeler
(Maili Soljahs) Pro debut
135 - Arron Madich (Freelance) 0-1 vs Neil Sabbaghi (Freelance)
0-2
135 - Chad Pavao (Team Hakuilua) Pro debut vs Abraham Cortez
(Big Island) Pro debut
Source: Bruce Kawano
|
Carlson
Gracie Jr Seminar on Maui!
Carlson
Gracie Jr Seminar is scheduled to take place on Maui on Saturday,
February 28.
This will be a 3-hour seminar from 5pm - 8pm.
Participation fess are Adult $50, and Junior/Kids $25.
Mahalo nui
|
Márcio
Cruz wants to return to the UFC
Winning
the European Jiu-Jitsu Championship title, Márcio “Pé
de pano” Cruz returned to matts in great style, after more
than two years away from the competitions. Two times World openweight
champion, Márcio submitted the two opponents on his way
to the golden medal, but the athlete has a new goal in his life.
"The problem is that there aren’t opportunities in
major MMA events. The small events have interest, but they doesn’t
get opponents, then I have no choice, because the big events
(Affliction and UFC) aren’t opening up opportunities for
me yet, and the small events don’t have money to pay me".
"They
have no money to pay a good man to fight me, so I don’t
fight, but if God wants we’ll begin this year doing some
fights and try to return to Ultimate (UFC), because if you wanna
prove something for someone you must be there", said Márcio,
who did four fights in the UFC, knocking out, in the second,
Frank Mir, the interim heavyweight champion of the event. Talking
about Mir, Cruz commented his victory against Rodrigo “Minotauro”,
at UFC 92.
"I
thought it would be an easy fight for Minotauro, but, in my opinion,
he wasn’t well, had no excuses, he wasn’t good and
Frank Mir was in a good day... When I fought with him was another
time, but I believe I developed more than he did. If I had a
chance to fight him again it would be interesting", analyzed
the Brazilian, who also wants to compete in the ADCC, even more
after Fedor Emelianenko be confirmed in the tournament.
"Competing
in ADCC is a desire that I have, even because Fedor will fight
and I wanted to see if he’s really good on my beach, suddenly
in Sambo I wouldn’t beat him, because I don’t even
know the rules... I want to, I will send an e-mail to see if
they invite me again", said Márcio, who won the ADCC
tournament once and got the bronze medal in other three opportunities.
Source: Tatame |
Wagnney
vs. Faber possible at WEC 40
After
a great WEC debut, the IFL champion Wagnney Fabiano already plans
his next fight. Scheduled to come back at WEC 40, at April 5th,
the Nova União fighters revealed to TATAME.com that he
might face the former WEC featherweight champion, Urijah Faber.
“I’ll be back at April 5th and we’ll see what
will happen. I still don’t know who’s gonna be my opponent,
but I think It’ll be Faber. And I’ll be ready for him”,
said Fabiano, promising his best for the fight.
“I
have to be well trained, with no injuries at all and I’m
already training for this fight. I sincerely think that I’d
complicate his life with my game style. He’s good fighting
standing, but I don’t fear his striking at all. The deal
is be careful with those elbows, but we’ll see. We’ll
set a good strategy for him”, guarantees Wagnney.
Source: Tatame |
Kron
Gracie and the first black belt title
After
51 submissions victories before getting the black-belt, Kron
Gracie debuted in black-belt with a defeat in 2008. But in his
second championship, Kron has proved that he backs up and showed
the Jiu-Jitsu from the previous belts. In interview with TATAME,
after leave the matt with the gold secured, the champion spoke
about the difficulties encountered on black-belt, but is always
in search of submission.
“There
is no easy fights on black-belt, but I won’t stop fighting
until I sleep or the judge stop the fight. So, if the guy is
winning by points ... Of course I don’t want to start losing
the fight, or take any points, but that does not mean I will
stop fighting", said Kron, devoting the title for his grandfather,
Master Hélio Gracie, who died in last Thursday (29).
"When
I heard he had died, I said that the championship would be for
him. He always told me many things that I keep until today, he
is the guy who created the Jiu-Jitsu and has provided life for
everyone who is wearing a kimono. He did everything, right? Everything
I am today, he did. He completed his mission and passed, my father
completed his mission and I’m wanna see if I do my best
for being at the same level as them".
With
the conquest of his first title on black-belt, the Gracie is
in search of the World Championship, who escaped in 2008, but
still does not compete in the openweight. "While the weight
is tough, I’ll work only on weight. I only got 20 years,
I have no strength of man yet. When I win my weight, I’ll
go to openweight", says the son of Rickson Gracie, thinking
in MMA, but just in the future. "I’ve got the MMA in
my head, but there in front. I still want to do a lot of things
in Jiu-Jitsu, on the black-belt and win much more. I’m not
thinking about MMA now, but I’m fighter and I’ll fight
all kind of fights".
Source: Tatame |
Most
believe that Cain is able
It
may seem absurd to suggest that a guy coming off knee surgery,
and with only four professional fights, is all but a lock to
be competing for the Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight
title before the end of the year.
But
then, Brock Lesnar, the UFC champion, is a guy who won the title
in his fourth professional fight, so it’s hardly out of
the question that Cain Velasquez could have the belt around his
waist before 2010 dawns.
“No
doubt about it,” UFC president Dana White says assuredly
of the likelihood of Velasquez fighting for the title sometime
this year.
Velasquez
is only 26 and has been a professional for a bit more than two
years, but he’s already learned there are no guarantees
in this business. And so while so many around him are giddy about
his prospects, and White discusses a title shot as if it’s
a fait accompli, Velasquez is simply concerned with finding a
way to defeat Denis Stojnic when they meet at Ultimate Fight
Night Saturday at the Sun Dome in Tampa, Fla., in a bout televised
on Spike TV.
Velasquez
is an overwhelming favorite to win, but he wants no part of that
kind of talk. He’s prepared for Stojnic, he says, as if
it were the most important fight of his life.
That’s
a good move on his part, because it is. While Stojnic may be
no Lesnar, a young and inexperienced fighter can’t afford
a slipup and still land a title shot. With as many qualified
candidates who are out there, even a prospect as highly touted
as Velasquez must continue to win impressively to remain in the
mix.
And
so Velasquez has trained feverishly to prepare for Stojnic, a
kickboxer with a 5-1 record who will be making his UFC debut.
“There
are no sure things in this sport,” Velasquez said. “Denis
is a super aggressive guy. He’s really strong and he likes
to come forward. It’s a tough fight.”
A
two-time All-American wrestler at Arizona State, Velasquez hasn’t
been in anything remotely resembling a tough fight since he turned
pro. He’s ended each of his four fights in the first round,
with only one going past the halfway mark of the round.
He’s
like the rookie outfielder that a team is so optimistic about
that it puts him in the middle of the lineup and expects him
to be one of the key players from Day One. Velasquez’s approach
is more like he’s battling for the 25th spot on the roster.
“What
other people say, I filter out,” Velasquez said. “I
never listen to the hype. I have a long way to go. I need to
get better in every area. Of course, you would rather people
think highly of you than not, but in the end, that doesn’t
really matter. What matters is how I perform and how much I learn.”
White
is almost giddy about his new crop of heavyweights. In the last
year, he’s added Lesnar, Velasquez, Shane Carwin and Junior
dos Santos to a group that includes Randy Couture, Antonio Rodrigo
Nogueira, Frank Mir and Gabriel Gonzaga.
The
promoter unabashedly says it’s the best group of heavyweights
the company has had since he and partners Frank and Lorenzo Fertitta
bought it eight years ago.
“I’ve
never been happier with our heavyweights in the history of the
company,” White said. “We have a lot of great fighters
and we have guys like Cain who are getting better every day.
“He’s
one of the guys we think is going to be great and I definitely
see him and Brock fighting at some point. That’s one of
those fights that we haven’t even made and when you think
about it, you can’t wait to see it.”
Velasquez
lost a lot of momentum when he tore the meniscus in his left
knee after his win over Jake O’Brien in July and required
surgery. He said he doesn’t expect problems from his knee
and insists he’ll be able to compete full out with no mental
reservations.
“It
feels like ages since I’ve had to worry about my knee,”
he said.
If
the knee holds up and he gets past Stojnic on Saturday, much
bigger things are ahead. And he understands that because they
have similar backgrounds, there are going to be plenty of comparisons
between Lesnar and himself.
He’s
not about to make one, though.
“It
would be an honor to fight a guy like that, but I have a lot
I need to do before I really even think about it more than a
minute,” he said. “I’m trying to improve in every
area. It’s not like I’m a finished product, by any
means. I have a lot of questions to answer. I hope I have a good
chin, but I haven’t been hit in a fight and I don’t
know for sure. So I have a lot to do.
“The
bottom line is, I can’t allow that kind of stuff to distract
me or to get in the way of me doing what I have to do. When that
time comes, if it comes, great. All I’m concerned about
right now is the fight I have in front of me. I’ll let myself
worry about that other stuff at the appropriate time.”
Source: Yahoo Sports |
Rankings:
Dead heat
As
the ballots came in for this month’s Top 10, so did similar
comments about Anderson Silva, Fedor Emelianenko, and Georges
St. Pierre. “Man, you could vote any of these three number
one,” said one pollster. “You could rank these guys
1a, 1b and 1c,” wrote another.
That’s
almost how things finished, as we have the first tie at the top
in the 18-month history of the rankings. Silva led the poll since
January 2008. But now he shares the top spot with the only other
fighter who ever ruled the roost, Emelianenko. Both finished
with 163 points And St. Pierre is just a half-step behind at
160.
Emelianenko
fell out of No. 1 last year over concerns about his caliber of
opposition. But he has since buzzsawed his way through two former
UFC champions, submitting Tim Sylvia and knocking out Andrei
Arlovski, both in the first round.
Now
Silva is the one with strength of schedule concerns. Few considered
Patrick Cote a credible challenger, and to make matters worse,
their October match is best remembered for Silva’s clown
antics, something you’d never see from Emelianenko or St.
Pierre during a match. Next up for Silva is an April match with
Thales Leites, whose most memorable win was a split decision
over Nate Marquardt, in which Marquardt was docked two points
for fouls.
And
this doesn’t even begin to address that two middleweights
held in higher regard than Cote and Leites, Robbie Lawler and
Vitor Belfort, don’t even fight in the UFC.
As
for St. Pierre, he stayed in third place after defeating B.J.
Penn, but considerably closed the gap. It’s time to stop
holding his upset loss to Matt Serra two years ago against him.
St. Pierre has won his past 14 rounds and rung up more 10-8 rounds
in that span than anyone else in the sport.
The
vote breakdown: Emelianenko had seven first-place votes, five
seconds and six thirds; Silva had six firsts, seven seconds and
five thirds, and St. Pierre five firsts, six seconds and seven
thirds.
This
month, we welcome new pollster Ben Fowlkes of SI.com and the
Cage Potato blog. For info on the entire Y! Sports MMA Top 10
panel, go here.
Votes
are tabulated with 10 points for a first-place vote, nine for
a second-place vote, etc., down to one point for a 10th-place
vote. Fighters who have not fought for more than 12 months (like
Japanese standout Norifumi Yamamoto) are ineligible until after
their next match; fighters under suspension for performance-enhancing
drugs or drugs of abuse are ineligible for the duration of their
suspensions.
10.
Shinya Aoki
Points:
22
Affiliation:
DREAM
Weight
class: Lightweight
Hometown:
Shizuoka City, Japan
Record:
19-3, 1 no-contest (won last two)
Last
month’s ranking: unranked
Recent
results: def. Eddie Alvarez, R1 submission, Dec. 31.
Analysis:
The hottest homegrown star emerging in post-PRIDE Japan is finally
getting his due.
9.
Urijah Faber
Points:
23
Affiliation:
WEC
Weight
class: Featherweight
Hometown:
Sacramento, Calif.
Record:
22-2 (won last one)
Last
month’s ranking: 9
Most
recent result: def. Jens Pulver, R1 TKO, Jan. 25
Analysis:
Faber did the only thing he really could do in making quick work
of the fading Pulver.
8.
Quinton Jackson
Points:
55
Affiliation:
UFC
Weight
class: Light heavyweight
Hometown:
Memphis, Tenn.
Record:
29-7 (won last one)
Last
month’s ranking: 7
Most
recent result: def. Wanderlei Silva, KO R1, Dec. 27
Analysis:
Who deserves that next shot at Rashad Evans? It is worth noting
the “Rampage” has slipped behind Lyoto Machida in these
rankings.
7.
Lyoto Machida
Points:
64
Affiliation:
UFC
Weight
class: Light heavyweight
Hometown:
Belem, Brazil
Record:
14-0
Last
month’s ranking: 7
Most
recent results: def. Thiago Silva, R1 TKO, Jan. 31
Analysis:
In case you thought all Machida can do is play the hit-and-run
game, he took out one of the light heavyweight division’s
heaviest hitters in Silva.
5
(tie). B.J. Penn
Points:
85
Affiliation:
UFC
Weight
class: Lightweight (UFC lightweight champion)
Hometown:
Hilo, Hawaii
Record:
13-5-1 (lost past one)
Last
month’s ranking: 4
Most
recent result: lost to Georges St. Pierre, doctor stoppage after
R4, Jan. 31
Analysis:
Is St. Pierre really that much better than Penn, or was Saturday’s
match simply the undisciplined Penn making his return?
5
(tie). Rashad Evans
Points:85
Affiliation:
UFC
Weight
class: Light heavyweight (UFC light heavyweight champion)
Hometown:
Lansing, Mich.
Record:
13-0-1 (won past three)
Last
month’s ranking: unranked
Most
recent result: def. Forrest Griffin, R3 TKO, Dec. 27
Analysis:
Waiting on the winner of the March 7 Quinton Jackson-Keith Jardine
match. A “Rampage” win means the former champ gets
another crack at the crown; if Jardine wins, Machida likely gets
the next title shot.
4.
Miguel Angel Torres
Points:122
Affiliation:
WEC
Weight
class: Bantamweight (WEC bantamweight champion)
Hometown:
East Chicago, Ind.
Record:
35-1 (won past 16)
Last
month’s ranking: 5
Most
recent result: def. Manny Tapia, TKO R2, Dec. 3
Analysis:
There’s at least one thing most voters agree on: 14 of the
18 panelists voted Torres fourth.
3.
Georges St. Pierre
Points:
160 (five first-place votes)
Affiliation:
UFC
Weight
class: Welterweight (UFC welterweight champion)
Hometown:
Saint-Isidore, Quebec
Record:
18-2 (won past five)
Last
month’s ranking: 3
Most
recent result: def. B.J. Penn, doctor stoppage after R4, Jan.
31
Analysis:
Consensus is that St. Pierre would have beaten Penn regardless
whether his corner was caught rubbing Vaseline on his shoulders
between rounds. But with such a tight race, you have to wonder
if it cost GSP the top spot.
1
(tie). Anderson Silva
Points:
163 (6 first-place votes)
Affiliation:
UFC
Weight
class: Middleweight (UFC middleweight champion)
Hometown:
Curitiba, Brazil
Record:
23-4 (won past nine)
Last
month’s ranking: 1
Most
recent result: def. Patrick Cote, R3 TKO, Oct. 25
Analysis:
Another question to ponder about Silva’s level of competition:
Why hasn’t Yushin Okami gotten a title shot? Okami is 7-1
in the UFC, with his sole loss a decision to Rich Franklin. And
certainly, it is going to be easier to sell Silva getting revenge
for his last loss (even if their 2006 match was a questionable
disqualification) than trying to convince the public that Leites
is a threat.
1
(tie). Fedor Emelianenko
Points:
163 (7 first-place votes)
Affiliation:
Affliction/M-1 (WAMMA heavyweight champion)
Weight
class: Heavyweight
Hometown:
Stary Oskol, Russia
Record:
29-1, one no-contest (won past 10)
Last
month’s ranking: 2
Most
recent result: def. Andrei Arlovski, R1 KO, Jan. 24
Analysis:
So, where does The Last Emperor go from here? The next logical
matchup, if there is a third Affliction card, is Emelianenko
vs. Josh Barnett. But Fedor proclaimed Barnett his BFF, and Barnett
seemed a bit too eager to agree. Given Emelianenko’s struggles
with Arlovski before connecting on his home run punch, a rematch
isn’t out of the question either.
More
•
Votes for others: Thiago Alves 14; Forrest Griffin 7; Dan Henderson
6; Brock Lesnar 5; Mike Brown 3; Andrei Arlovski 2; Carlos Condit
1.
•
Upcoming matches for ranked fighters: No. 8 Quinton Jackson vs.
Keith Jardine, March 7, Columbus.
Source: Yahoo Sports |
Tererê
away from BJJ competitions
One
of the biggest names in Jiu-Jitsu of all time, Fernando “Tererê”
seems to back away from the competitions. Since he was arrested
in the United States in 2004, when it was held for two months
due to a disagreement with the crew of the flight back to Brazil,
Tererê alternated good and bad moments in life. Despite
the return to the matts with victory in June 2008, Ricardinho
Vieira, one of his greatest friends in the Jiu-Jitsu, doesn’t
believe in the recovery of the two times World Champion.
"I
feel sad talk about this, is really a shame... Today I don’t
see more conditions of Tererê competing again, because
he couldn’t stay away from drugs and negative things...
I gave him all the support and is very sad, but honestly, I think
it’s very difficult, I don’t see more conditions",
says Ricardinho, who used to go to Cantagalo slums, in Rio de
Janeiro, everyday to pick his friend up and train in his academy.
Source: Tatame |
After
title, Mário Reis wants a golden year
Two
times BJJ world champion, Mário Reis felt the taste of
victory again winning the gold in the featherweight category
of Jiu-Jitsu European Championship, which happened in the last
weekend in Lisbon, Portugal. Submitting all three opponents he
got ahead in the tournament, sometimes with rear naked chokes,
sometimes with arm-locks, the black belt from Gracie Barra was
very satisfied when he left the matt with the gold won.
"It
was my second European title and I think it was the second time
I fought, I’m very happy, I love to come to Europe and being
able to combine tourism with the competition... It is even better",
said Mário, who takes lessons from the times that didn’t
won the competitions. "I’m a guy who takes very serious
the steps of the podium, an hour I'm in first, sometimes second
or third, but I’m always there... Starting the year with
this victory is an even greater incentive to go with more encouragement
to Pan-American Championship, in the United States, and then
take sequence the World Championship. I like to be present at
all events and, while I have health, I will go forward",
promises.
Competing
in the category now dominated by Rubens Charles “Cobrinha”,
the black belt believes that the three times world champion and
Rafael Mendes will be the main obstacles towards the title in
2009, but believes in his game. "Rafael and Cobrinha are
two big opponents... Cobrinha is the man to be beaten in the
category, I fought against him last year and it ended with a
tie, but he got the victory. Rafael has a very weird Jiu-Jitsu...
They’re two big opponents that I’ll have to study a
lot to win, but I believe much in my game and I can be champion",
bets the champion.
Source: Tatame |
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!
|
Full
Choke Documentary On Kauai About Kauai!
Hi All,
Come out and see the movie documentary filmed, edited and produced
by Chris Kawae and Lono Pascua.
Every aspect of the film was done on Kauai, Come show your support!
A
truly Kauai made product!
See
you at the movies!
February
13,14 & 15
Waimea Theater, Waimea, Kauai
Showtime is: 6pm
Documentary
‘Full Choke’ explores local mixed martial arts events
Vance Pascua of Ainofea Productions with ‘Full Choke’
documentary filmmakers Lono Pascua and Chris Kauwe. The film
opens Feb. 13 at Waimea Theatre. Pam Woolway/The Garden Island
Vance Pascua of Ainofea Productions with ‘Full Choke’
documentary filmmakers Lono Pascua and Chris Kauwe. The film
opens Feb. 13 at Waimea Theatre. Pam Woolway/The Garden Island
By
Pam Woolway - The Garden Island
Next week an all Kaua‘i product will hit the market —
possibly the only product touting “Kaua‘i made”
that is indeed 100 percent unadulterated Kaua‘i blood, bones
and spirit.
Ho‘omana
Video Productions movie documentary “Full Choke” claims
local subject matter, two Kaua‘i filmmakers and music written,
performed and produced by a Kaua‘i songwriter. Not to mention
it will open in a Kaua‘i-owned and operated theatre. At
6 p.m., Feb. 13, 14 and 15, see the 52-minute documentary made
by Koloa residents and filmmakers Lono Pascua and Chris Kauwe.
Both men were born and raised on the South Shore.
Pascua
attended Hollywood Film Institute in California where he studied
screenplay writing. Kauwe taught and did video production at
public access station, Ho‘ike.
“Full
Choke” opens with an introduction to three Kapa‘a mixed
martial artists: Tsai Seamster, Shane Kahananui and Kyle Sukehira.
The film provides an overview of the 20 by 20 foot platform-ring
construction in Hanapepe and footage of each fight dubbed with
the voice of the fighter explaining the match blow for blow.
There are three, three-minute rounds.
“We
present the story of three fighters from Kaua‘i and want
to leave the interpretation up to the viewer,” said filmmaker
Lono Pascua. “We’re not trying to promote mixed martial
arts.”
Mixed
martial arts (MMA) is a style that incorporates a variety of
fighting techniques that include striking and grappling.
“They
can use at any time one of these disciplines,” Pascua said.
“Fighters started to study each other’s styles and
that’s how it evolved into MMA. It was beneficial to become
more complex in their art.”
Long
time friend and fellow filmmaker Chris Kauwe joined Pascua on
the project to do the camera work. Lono and Kauwe had worked
together on Na Kanaka Hawai‘i News.
“Chris
had no idea how many people were into cage fighting. Three thousand
people showed up for the last match in Hanapepe,” Pascua
said.
The
match filmed for “Full Choke” in March 2008 was the
seventh of its kind produced by Ainofea Productions, LLC, which
hosts an annual mixed martial arts cage match every spring. Ho’omana
Video Productions is in association with Ainofea Productions.
The
organization’s founder, Vance Pascua, is Lono Pascua’s
cousin. When stickers and T-shirts cropped up all over Kaua‘i
professing “ainokea,” (I no care) Vance Pascua wanted
to counter the apathetic attitude by creating something empowering
for Kaua‘i youth.
“He
sees how the discipline of the martial arts can be incorporated
into your lifestyle, especially for young kids,” Pascua
said.
Vance
Pascua is a black belt in kajukenbo, a form that originated in
Hawai‘i. His first cage fight productions began at Kapa‘a
High School gym five years ago, but the events quickly outgrew
the venue.
“It
was such an overwhelming response it broke the fire code and
we had to find a bigger place,” Pascua said. “Vance
came up with the idea to turn Hanapepe stadium into an arena.”
Not
long after, Ainofea Productions purchased a used ring that they
upgraded for safety.
“It
wasn’t up to specification,” he continued. “Everything
has to be padded for the safety of the fighters — with not
so much as a zip tie or wire uncovered.”
For
the matches at Hanapepe Stadium a crew of supporters help move
bleachers into a circle. Over 1000 chairs are collected from
all over the island for the floor seating around the platform-padded
ring.
“We
use more facility area then any event on the island, even Relay
for Life,” Pascua said. “After the match we sweep it,
clean and leave it better then we found it.”
Professional
referee, Kevin Yoshida comes from O‘ahu. Local doctors Dave
Rovinsky and Chris Sanchez are on hand for medical attention.
“This
is not staged but controlled in a very regulated way to be safe,”
Pascua said.
Film
commissioner Art Umezu came to the pre-screening of the film
last week.
“It’s
rare to have someone pick up on this sort of subject,” he
said. “This is truly a Kaua‘i made product — right
down to the soundtrack.”
The
soundtrack written and performed by Lono Pascua features classical,
jazz and hip-hop. The filmmakers plan to submit “Full Choke”
to the Berkley and New Orleans Film Festivals. The film shows
at 6 p.m. Feb. 13, 14 and 15. Ticket costs: adults, $7; 12 and
under, $5; 5 and under, free.
•
Pam Woolway, lifestyle writer, can be reached at 245-3681, ext.
257 or pwoolway@kauaipubco.com
Source: The Garden Island.com
|
BJ
PENN WELCOME HOME RALLY
Saturday, February 14th @ 2PM
Ala Moana Centerstage
Appearances by: BJ Penn, Kendall Grove, Shane Nelson, Troy Mandaloniz,
and Brandon Wolff
Please
join us to welcome home BJ Penn and wish the Hawaiian UFC
fighters luck in their upcoming fights.
UFC
95
London, England
2/21/09
-Troy Mandaloniz vs Paul Kelly
UFC
96
Columbus, Ohio
3/7/09
-Shane Nelson vs Aaron Riley
-Kendall Grove vs Jason Day
UFC
98
5/23/09
-Brandon Wolff vs Yoshiyuki Yoshida
Please
post on your websites, myspace pages, facebook, etc.
Thanks
and see you guys soon!
Aloha,
Rich
|
Fighters'
Club TV Tuesdays!
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!
|
Royler
Gracie Seminar in Hawaii!
|
Sera's
Kajukenbo Open Tournament
|
|